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Internet Message Format | 1994-12-07 | 10KB

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From: [e-mail] (JoelX W Lovell)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.archives
Subject: RESOURCE: AMBER Diceless Roleplaying aid
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Date: 6 Dec 1994 08:55:32 -0500
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Running Combat:  The Short Course

Step 1:  Compare Attribute Ranks of the participants in any combat.  If
there are weapons involved, or troops, or strategy, then use the characters
Warfare Attribute.  If the combatants are in hand to hand fighting,
actually grabbing each other, then use their Strength Attributes.  If the
battle is one of  the mind alone, through trump, or some other means, then
use Psyche Attributes.

Step 2:  The character with the larger Attribute Rank wins.  Usually.

Guidelines:

Combat Detail:  When Old Enemies come face to face, When the combatants are
equally matched, when there is a moral choice involved, when the unknown
may be revealed, ambush, backstabbing, and other surprises, when a pc is in
danger, are all considerations as to times when the detail of combat may be
more involved.

Combat with lots of opponents:  First, onlsy so many attackers can gang up
on any one defender.  Second, any good and talented fighter is going to
move around quickly enough so that only one, two, or three of the enemy can
attack at any given time.

Judging Combat:  The difference between the compared attribute rankings of
characters and their combatants is the most important factor for
determining outcome.  The Three Fronts:  These choices are available no
matter whether you fight with sword, body or mind, and are the other factor
in determining outcome.

Attack Furiously.  If your better, even just a bit better, you may succeed
quickly.  Better yet, you may convince an opponent, even one who is
slightly better, that you will win.  On the other hand, if you are out of
your league an all out attack could prove fatal.

An Oppurtunistic Stand:  lets you attack cautiously, taking advantage of
openings, while cautiously defending yourself.  Safe but slow.  If you've
met your better, you haven't made a serious error.  On the other hand, it
may take a while to figure out your foe is weak.

Defensive:  is good if you're worried, for it reduces to the absolute
minimum the chances of taking injury.

Cheating On Any Front:  No matter what kind of combat you get into, there
certain handy things that can be used to equalize the odds.  Power words
can be used instantly, anytime during combat.  It's also possible to use
Logrus tendrils, or Advanced Pattern.  These things can be used instantly
so long as they are prepared before the combat begins.  Magic spells are
also fairly quick, but only those that are memorized or hung.  Problem is,
if there are any Lynchpins (variables defined at the time of use) involved,
the spells are going to work pretty slowly.  A skilled swordsman, in range,
can peirce a wizards body many times in the time that it takes to utter a
single Lynchpin.  (Lynchpins are long magical words)

1.  THE PLAYER IS FAR SUPERIOR TO THE OPPOSITION:  Humans (Eight bodies
with hardly a sweat); Chaos rank or better (Your blade reaches out once,
twice, three times, each time finding its way deep in an enemy body.  Now
all of them are badly wounded, and only two still stand and face you);
Against a single opponent, Amber or better rank (Bust through defenses with
ease, making a bad cut).

2.  THE PLAYER IS CLEARLY BETTER THAN THE OPPOSITION:  Instead of instant
slaughter, it may take some time.  It's possible if the the character is
overly aggressive, and if the defender is cautious enough, that the pc may
pick up a scratch or two.

3.  THE PLAYER IS VERY CLOSE TO THE OPPOSITIONS RANK:  Just a bit better,
equal, or just a bit worse.  In aggressive or oppurtunistic fighting,
wounds can go either way, but eventually, if the combat keeps going,
whoever has the best attribute will start inflicting more wounds than they
receive.  When this happens and it becomes noticeable, the superior
combatant will start inflicting greater and greater injury.  Sublte moves,
like feints, and revealed openings are places where the exact advantages
are more plain (the lesser skilled foes feints don't).  So long as the
player is conservative, remains defensive, neither gives an opening, nor
takes any opening that is offered, then this combat can last a long time.
Endurance comes to play.

4.  THE PLAYER IS SIGNIFICANTLY INFERIOR TO THE OPPOSITION:  If the stance
of the pc is purely defensive, limits of skill are obivous and minor cut
sustained.  If oppurtunistic, same, but close call stopping very deadly
attacks and taking nasty cuts here and there.  If all out, pc takes slashes
and fails attack.

5.  THE PLAYER IS FAR WORSE THAN THE OPPOSITION:  Human:  Make funeral
plans.  Chaos Rank, Bit of Good Stuff, or Really defensive stance, major
wound deep into body.  Won't survive another.  Amber rank or better, no
matter how good foe, will take at least two serious wounds before lives are
threatened.

SWORD COMBAT CHOICES:

Main Combat Choices - Defensive:  Pure Defensive (no offense, just saving
own skin), Measured Retreat (back off, try draw enemy out too far, or so
can escape), Hasty Armor Defense (pick up an object as a shield, etc.).
Main Combat Choices - Offensive:  Fight!, Feint, Revealed Opening, Advance,
All-OutAttack.  Combat Modifiers:  Feigned Inferiority (deliberately act
worse), Feigned Superiority.(posture like benedict, etc.)  Combining
Strength & Warfare (Beat or Bind; Rough Housing, Bait & Switch to Strength).


STRENGTH COMBAT CHOICES:

Grab or Grapple:  Pick 'em up & carry 'em.  Swing your partner.  Go for the
K.O.  Break 'em.  Go for the Throat:  Brute strength, snap neck first, if
close, endurance might come into it.  Wiggle Out of it:  Better or equal
strength to succeed.

PSYCHE BATTLE CHOICES:

Making Mind to Mind Contact:    Physical contact or Close Eye to Eye
contact.  Trump Contact, Power Contact, Magical Contact, Psyhic Shadows.
Mental Moves:  Mindlock or Psychic Freeze, Psychic Assault, Psychic
Suggestion, Mindrape or Leech Information, Psychic Domination.

TIME & COMBAT:

Ranked vs Human single stroke, vs. Chaos first stroke serious, vs. Amber
even first wound slow in coming, if equal, can take as long as it takes for
character to be exhausted.  Instant Actions:  Sword Stroke, Pull of a
trigger, Power Word, releasing fully completed spell (no lynchpins).
Strength determines speed in hand to hand, with warfare for reflexes.

OTHER FACTORS:

Extra Hard Weapons:  no more damage than usual, but are resistant to
breakage and can sometimes cut through defenses (like armor good vs. normal
weapons).    Conventional arms vs. conventional weapons need a "Life-
threatening" blow or better to penetrate, and even then, the damage will be
one stage less.  Double Damage Weapons:  tend to increase damage, so a
"slash" might become "life threatening."  Against conventional armor,
penetrates easily so that wound levels are normal.  Against "ArmorVsGuns"
will have one less wound severity, and takes extra time and an agressive
blow to penetrate.  Against Invulnerable, naught.  Deadly Damage Weapons:
can make a "slash" a "maim", or increase "life-threatening" to "mortal".
Against conventional armor, can inflict one level of injury more than
normal.  Only this or better can penetrate "Invulnerable" armor.  Gunfire &
Beam Weapons:  hi-tech weapons have much more damage potential than hand-
based weapons.  Cannot penetrate "ArmorVsGuns".  Blast & Burn Weapons:
powerful magical weapons that do a great deal of damage.  Hi powered tech
weapons such as explosives and flame throwers also fall into this category.
Likewise some magical spells do damage equivelant to blast and burn.

WOUND CATEGORY'S:

1.  Non-Impact Hints & Near Misses.  2.  Scratches, Bruises & Scrapes:
Unimportant injuries, with no effect on combat.  3.  Cuts, Pricks, &
Sprains:  Open wound, bleeding & painful.  Indicator that all is not going
well.  Can effect indicated area by reducing warfare & strength.  It's
distracting..  Bullet or beam graze, small bones broken, close passage of
high energy or near explosions which can set hair or clothing on fire.  4.
Slashes, Stabs and Other Serious Blood Loss Wounds:  Now things are getting
serious.  Without first aid or pressure, character will start feeling loss
of blood.  First feel weakness, then a narrowing of vision, then unbalanced,
finally blackout.  Blades rip major blood channels, major fractures with
internal bleeding (go white), shots passing through body with large exit
wounds,  nasty 2nd degree burns blistering or burnt down through the skin
(3rd degree).  5.  Life Threatening Wounds:  Serious blood loss, major
sword cut, knife stroke, or bullet wound through a critical part of the
body.  Seven minute survival time.  Human rank pass out almost immediately,
Chaos won't remain concious for more than  a minute or two.  Impact or
Force severely tears up insides and curtails movement to crawl.  Blast &
Burn:  all exposed flesh is seriuosly burned, and even the parts protected
by clothing will be affected.  If the eyes were facing the source, then the
character will go blind.  6.  Maim or Sever.  7.   Mortal Wound.  Instantly
have attributes reduced.    No matter what endurance, are stricken and
unable to stand up.  Surgical treatment will be needed or character will
surely die.  Blast & Burn  only amber rank or better endurance can even
survive the initial blast.  8.  Death Blow.