Combat Proposition Three

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Combat Proposition Three

The following is an aggregate of the rules brainstorm from 8/17/2007. It was primarily created by Boril and Meadslosh.

THE CORE MECHANIC

Roll a pool of dice. Keep the lowest three dice. Doubles result in a success, and triples are a critical success. In the case of opposed rolls, the lowest roll is superior (though a critical success always wins). Should opposed rolls have two matching pairs in opposition, the third die of each set acts as a tie-breaker (re-roll if these are tied, as well).

Your dice pool is determined primarily by two factors: your relevant statistic (Vigor, Agility, Mind, or Spirit) and your proficiency rating with the skill or ability (which is rated from Poor at d12 to Excellent at d4). The stat determines the number of dice you roll. Stats generally range from 1 (terrible) to 12 (supernatural), with 4 being the average for an adult hamster.

Each race has a its own proficiency rating with each basic statistic. This allows cats and otters to be far stronger than hamsters or moles without having to roll huge gobs of dice. Larger species still have an extra Vigor die per size category up from 0, however. The same applies to smaller races, but in reverse.

If one of your stats ever falls to 2 due to exhaustion, poisoning, severe injury, or magic, you cannot critically succeed at any task tied to that stat. You can succeed with a pair, however. If a stat ever falls to 1, you can only succeed at a task tied to that stat if you roll a 1 -- and your success will be a shoddy, bare minimum work. If your Vigor or Spirit fall to zero, there's a good chance that you'll die, depending on what put you at zero. If your Agility falls to zero, you're essentially paralyzed. If your Mind falls to zero, you're in a coma.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

These are attributes that you choose during character creation that help to further define your character's stats. It may change during playtesting, but each character should probably have one or two advantages and a single disadvantage.

Each stat has two sub-stats, the uses of which are governed primarily by the game master. Sometimes a skill will call on a specific sub-stat. If your character has no advantages or disadvantages for the base stat, then you don't need to worry about which sub-stat is used.

Vigor splits into Strength and Fortitude. Agility splits into Speed and Dexterity. Mind splits into Intellect and Perception. Spirit splits in Charisma and Will.

Advantages give you two (this number may increase during playtesting) "wiggle" points for a sub-stat each time you take the advantage. When you make a roll tied to the sub-stat, you can wiggle your dice back and forth to make pairs or triples. You could also lower your successes in hopes of besting an opponent or ensuring that your work is as masterful as possible, assuming you had enough points to affect every die. You lose your wiggle points once you spend them, and you do not regain them until you have become well-rested.

EXAMPLE: Goldtooth, a pika robber, takes the advantage "Perceptive." He gains two wiggle points to spend whenever a roll is more demanding on Perception rather than Intellect. He spends one point scouting for his mark in a large crowd. The game master has decided that the mark knows that Goldtooth is coming, though, and so she's hidden a knife up her sleeve. The GM tells Goldtooth to make a Perception roll, and he is rightfully suspicious enough that he uses his other wiggle point to ensure that his roll succeeds. The mark's check to disguise her weapon is still lower than Goldtooth's perception check, but at least he tried. Goldtooth retreats, a little cut up but generally alright. After resting well in the evening, he regains his two wiggle points in the morning.

You can gain advantages through the expenditure of experience points, though the game master may but an upper limit on the total number of advantages you can earn.

Disadvantages take away a die when you make a check tied to a sub-stat. They are meant to be serious flaws. You may take more disadvantages, even stacking the same disadvantage, and each disadvantage earns you another advantage. Be careful, though, as you could seriously cripple your character rather than give them an interesting twist. Disadvantages can be eventually purchased away by spending XP or skill points (depending on how experience is handled) on their removal.

EXAMPLE: Egon Saltveins, a mole engineer, has spent his whole life doing sedentary lab work and eating when he finds himself frustrated with a problem. He therefore has the "Portly" disadvantage, which causes him to lose a die when he must make a check tied to his Speed sub-stat. When he must out-run or catch someone, he loses one die. When he must dodge an attack, he loses one die. However, his player roleplays his adventuring experience as being great exercise. Also, Egon has learned some self-control and no longer snacks so much when he is downtrodden. So, the player spends a few experience points upon the Portly disadvantage and it, like his big belly, is removed.

Your character may gain disadvantages through magical effects, poisoning, or severe injury. It is possible that a character whose lifestyle is dramatically changed or who experiences severe psychological trauma may also gain a disadvantage. (For example, most who have found themselves the prisoner of Irontail have become Despaired and lose dice when they use the Spirit sub-stat of Will!)

(ANOTHER) COMBAT PROPOSAL

Melee combat is an opposed check that is rolled like any other opposed check, but it involves far more wiggle points and "disadvantaged" dice. These wiggle points are not lost unlike those you gain through stat advantages.

There is a fundamental "rock-paper-scissors" mechanic to combat, with three attack forms and three defense forms. Weapons and armors are rated as poor, average, or excellent in use for (in the case of weapons) or defense against (in the case of armor) attacks.

The attack forms are Bash (hit with tremendous force but little concern for accuracy), Slash (a skillful strike), and Thrust (use both skill and momentum to rush the enemy).

The defense forms are Dodge (get completely out of the way), Block (absorb the blow), and Parry (push away the attack).

Bashes are poor against blocks, average against dodges, and excellent against parries. Slashes are poor against parries, average against blocks, and excellent against dodges. Thrusts are poor against dodges, average against parries, and excellent against blocks. An attack which is poor against a defense loses one die (as it is at a disadvantage!) and earns a wiggle point when it is excellent against a defense.

Weapons are usually poor at one attack, average at one attack, and excellent at another. These are usually the simplest of weapons; they require little training to make and use and are often unimaginative. Clubs, knives, and shortspears are these kinds of fare. A club, for example, is excellent for bashing (and earns you another wiggle point when used to bash!), average at slashing (no bonus or penalty), and poor at thrusting (you lose a die when you try to thrust with it!)

Polearms, greatswords, flails, and other such well-crafted weapons that require intense training often are excellent for one attack form and average for the other two, or may be excellent for two and poor for one. The flail, for example, is excellent for both bashing (a heavy overhead swing) and slashing (a wide sweep of the chain), but poor at thrusting (and because it's a flexible weapon, thrusting may not even be an option at all).

Dodges are poor against slashes, average against bashes, and excellent against thrusts. Parries are poor against bashes, average against thrusts, and excellent against slashes. Blocks are poor against thrusts, average against slashes, and excellent against bashes. An excellent defense earns you a wiggle point to your defense roll and a poor defense causes you to lose a die.

Dodges require lighter armors. Parries require a weapon (usually a two-hander to parry a bash). Blocks require a two-hander weapon or a shield.

Armors are usually excellent against one attack type, average against a second, and poor against a third. The type of material determines its advantages or disadvantages. For example, chain mail is poor against bashes, average against slashes, and excellent against thrusts. Beetle-shell armor is poor against thrusts, average against bashes, and excellent against slashes. Like weapons, more advanced and heavily fortified armors are often effective in more situations and there may not even be attacks against which they are a poor defense. Rare, expensive, and difficult to use full plate is average against thrusts and excellent against slashes and bashes. An excellent armor earns you another wiggle point on your roll and a poor armor causes you to lose a defense die.

Having no armor at all always results in a penalty to your defense.

Initiative is especially important because it allows you to tailor your attack or defense to the combat style of your opponent. You can skip your turn in order move up one spot in the initiative order starting on your next turn.

The character with lower initiative declares which type of attack or defense they intend to use. Generally, it will be whatever attack or defense gives them the greatest advantage. Then the character with the higher initiative makes his or her choice of attack or defense.

EXAMPLE. Moonbelly, a Gerbil, and Kronzer, a Rat, get into a fight. Moonbelly has higher initiative in the round, but has already used her action, so she is on the defense. Kronzer declares that he is going to bash with his one-handed club. Moonbelly has a shield, so she decides to try blocking the attack. Her leather armor is poor against bashes, so it will harm her chances of absorbing the blow.

Kronzer has a Vigor score of 6 and an average bashing skill, so he rolls 6d8. He gets two wiggle points for bashing with a weapon excellent for bashing.

He gets 1, 4, 5, 6, 6, and 8. Not a spectacular roll. However, he can spend a wiggle point to increase his 4 to a 5 and decrease a six to a 5. Now it's a serious threat of a critical hit!

Moonbelly has a Vigor score of 5 and an average blocking skill, but her armor is bad for blocking, so she rolls 4d8. She gets one wiggle point for blocking a bash.

She gets 2, 3, 7, and 8. Ouch. Not a single success. Not even wiggling will reduce it to a standard hit: it's a critical hit.

Later, Moonbelly decides to attack Kronzer. She still has the initiative. Kronzer declares that he'll dodge her specialized polearm, which is an excellent defense against the thrust he assumes is coming. He is wearing crude chainmail, which is an excellent defense against thrusting attacks, so he figures that he'll end up with a big advantage. Moonbelly, however, is crafty and chooses to bash with the polearm's mallet, which is an excellent attack against her opponent's armor. It is an average attack for this particular type of polearm.

Moonbelly still has a Vigor score of 5 and an average bashing skill, so she rolls 5d8. She rolls all five dice for using using her polearm's average attack and gets a wiggle point for bashing Kronzer's armor. Because Kronzer is dodging, however, there is no further effect on her roll.

She gets 2, 4, 5, 6, and 6. She wiggles the 5 down to a 4 and gains a success with a pair. Now Kronzer must make a successful defense.

Kronzer has an Agility score of 4 and an average dodging skill, his dodge is average against bashes and his armor poor at defending bashes, so he rolls 3d8 and gets no wiggle points.

He gets 3, 5, and 7. Moonbelly scores a hit.

If Kronzer had rolled 3, 3, and 7, he would have succeeded in defending because his pair of threes was lower than Moonbelly's fours.

If Kronzer had rolled 1, 4, and 4, he and Moonbelly would have an equal pair, so it would come down to their their lowest number. Here, Kronzer has a 1 and Moonbelly a 2: Kronzer would successfully defend.

Ranged combat works almost exactly as melee combat, but with a few key differences.

Most ranged weapons are thrusting in nature. Very few are ideal slashing or bashing weapons. A thrown handaxe, an arrow, or a a javelin, for example, is meant to punch through your opponent's defenses and therefore counts as a thrusting attack -- you definitely want to dodge these and not block them. Don't even think about parrying an incoming javelin. So, all ranged weapons fall under two skills: Ranged (archery) and Ranged (thrown). The ammunition, however, affects armor as a thrusting, bashing, or slashing weapon. The target makes an average defense by dodging, a poor defense by blocking (which requires a shield or heavy armor), or a poor defense by parrying. Armor does not affect the defense roll against a ranged weapon unless the defense fails.

If a defense against a ranged weapon fails, you may still be able to defend if your armor allows a wiggle point against the ammunition type in use. Arrows and javelins act as thrusting weapons when determining how effective the target's armor is. Stones, sling bullets, and throwing hammers act as bashing weapons when they come in contact with armor. Hand-axes and boomerangs act as slashing weapons when they come in contact with armor.

Each ranged weapon has a range and is disadvantaged each time this range is multiplied. So, if a bow has a range of 5 feet, the archer loses a die from 6 to 10 feet, two dice from 11 to 15 feet, etc. Each ranged weapon has a maximum range. The bow, for example, can fire a maximum of 25 feet. In addition, your opponent gets a wiggle point for each increment of range beyond its first.

You may earn a wiggle point for a ranged attack by taking a round to study your opponent. You also earn a wiggle point for each size category your target possesses above yours (or lose a die for each size smaller the target is). Your opponent loses a defense die for each size category greater that he is than you, and gains a wiggle point to defense for each size category smaller he is than you.

EXAMPLE: Moonbelly and Kronzer meet again, and it's time for a rematch. Moonbelly has the initiative and there are 15 feet between her and Kronzer. She draws her bow and notches an arrow. Kronzer is going to dodge, naturally. That's a wiggle point for him. Moonbelly waits one round to aim while Kronzer closes the distance between them. That's a wiggle point for her. He's also one size category larger than she is, so that's another wiggle point. By the top of her next round, Kronzer has moved to within 10 feet, which means she still loses one attack die. She fires her arrow.

Moonbelly has an Agility (Dexterity) score of 6 and a good Ranged (archery) skill, but her target is two range increments way, so she only rolls 5d6. She gets two wiggle points, though.

She gets 1, 3, 5, 6, and 6. She could wiggle a three down to a 1 and get an almost sure success, or she could raise the 5 to a 6 and try to get a critical success that will probably be reduced to a standard hit by a lower opposing pair. She decides that's awfully sore about the nasty critical hit that Kronzer gave her before, so he wiggles a set of triple sixes.

Kronzer is wisely dodging, which still doesn't get him a bonus because he's dodging a ranged attack, but he does get a wiggle point for being 10 feet away from his opponent with a bow. He's a size category larger than she is, so he also loses a defense die. His Agility (Speed) stat is 4, and he has bumped up his Dodge skill to good, so he rolls 3d6.

He gets a 2, 4, and 6. His one wiggle point isn't going to do him any good. He has since picked up some new armor that is only average at blocking thrusts, though, so he doesn't get to add another wiggle point, which would allow him to turn the critical hit into a standard hit. The arrow punches through his shoulder and a satisfied grin crosses Moonbelly's face.

FACING MULTIPLE OPPONENTS

When two groups are clustered tightly in combat, the members of each party adds a bonus of one wiggle point to their attack for each party member who has previously successfully attacked in that round. Less skillful warriors may find themselves more useful if they wait for an opponent to take a few blows from their more martial allies.

A group which is concentrating their ranged attacks upon a single target or a tightly-clustered group receive the same bonus even if their targets dodge (the attack roll must be successful, though); if their targets are returning fire, however, wiggle bonuses only accrue for as long as they are not themselves struck with a missile attack. For example, a group of six hamsters and four rats find themselves firing arrows and hurling javelins back and forth. The hamsters make successful attack rolls twice, dodge a javelin, and then fire two more arrows. The second, third, and fourth arrow shots would receive one, two, and three wiggle points, respectively. Then a hamster is struck by a javelin, and they lose their cover fire bonuses. Now each rat will earn a cumulative wiggle point for as long they continue to successfully attack and successfully dodge the hamsters' arrows.

CRITICAL HITS, DODGES, AND FAILURES

When you successfully critically hit (your dice show three-of-a-kind and your opponent fails to make a successful defense check), you deal wound.

If you roll or wiggle your way to triple numbers on a defense, you critically defend and do the following depending on your type of defense:

Block: your solid defense stuns and staggers your opponent. He loses a die on all of his defense checks until your next action.

Dodge: your opponent stumbles and leaves herself open to attack. All who attack this person gain two wiggle points on their attacks against her. This bonus is lost at the start of your next action.

Parry: you automatically hit with your counter-attack. You may roll normally to see if you can critically hit.

If you critically fail a defense check (get no matching numbers), you simply get hit. If you critically fail your attack check, you will suffer one of the following effects, determined by rolling a d6.

1 = weapon dropped (reroll if you are fighting unarmed or have your weapon secured to your hands somehow). You are weaponless until your next action, when you can pick up the dropped weapon or draw another one. 2 = you have struck yourself (take a nick). 3 = your opponent receives an immediate counter-attack (if your opponent was parrying in the first place, she automatically hits). 4 = you stumble (opponents get 2 wiggle points to attack you until your next action, when you can get up). 5 = you fall down (you lose one die on all of your defense rolls until your next action). 6 = you just miss. No other penalty.

SKILLS

A preset skill list is probably for the best. It should incorporate a roughly equal number of skills for every stat and assign a sub-stat where ever possible.

If something like Rope Use or Intimidation or Gambling costs a single skill point, combat skills should cost two, and schools of magic perhaps four.

Skill points should be purchased through experience.

Skill focuses should be purchasable with skill points. Skill focuses give a number of wiggle points to a related group of skills (so the Survivalist skill focus gives you wiggle points for Herbology, Track, and Wilderness Knowledge skills, for example).