Sep 22, 2015 4:08 am
Combat is deadly in Skyrealms of Jorune. This provides an overview of those times when you can't avoid a fight.
Combat breaks down into three parts.
* Advantage
* Actions
* Damage
Advantage
In the tabletop game, advantage takes two parts: a roll and a declaration.
A note on surprise/sneak attacks: If you are initiating combat with an unsuspecting target, you will get a free, unopposed attack. Beware!
The roll: Each round of combat, every combatant rolls a d20, then adds any modifiers to Advantage. Modifiers may come from conditions (like being knocked prone, receiving wounds, skill level), actions (ingesting a limilate, aiming), or from characteristics (extreme AGILITY and STRENGTH characteristic ranks give penalties or bonuses to Advantage).
Look up the result in the table:
1 - 5: You can evade
6 - 10 : You can defend, evade, or make a ranged attack.
11 - 15: You can attack, defend, or evade.
16 - 19: You can attack and defend, or evade.
20 + : You get a bonus to attack and defend, or evade.
The declaration: Each character declares what action(s) they intend to take for that round. On GP, each player and NPC will declare in any order. For players who do not declare an action, the GM will assume that the PC repeats the previous round's action(s), if possible, or will have the PC evade otherwise, unless the player provides instructions to the contrary.
(note: in the tabletop version of Skyrealms of Jorune, the declaration is made in ascending order of advantage: the person with the lowest advantage declares first, and so on. The realities of PbP gaming make this method difficult to achieve, at best)
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Actions
Depending on circumstances and advantage, this is a sample of the sorts of things you can do in a round:
Evade: This is an all-out dive to get out of the way of an attack (and the only way, aside from cover, that a combatant can avoid a ranged attack). The player rolls a d20 check against the AGILITY characteristic to evade. When taken, this is the only action a character can do that round. Next round, a character who evaded will have a -5 modifier to Advantage.
Attack: a roll to strike an opponent with a hand or ranged weapon, or an aimed dysha (bolt or orb).
Defend: a roll to block or dodge a melee blow that would otherwise hit. While a defend action is declared, it is only rolled if the opponent succeeds with a melee attack action.
Move: A character not engaged in melee may move up to their speed in yards as an action, or may move half their speed and still perform another action, if their advantage allows two actions. This is how a combatant can close with another who is attacking at range.
Advance: Move toward an opponent while engaged in melee combat. This either closes the distance between melee combatants, or it pushes the opponent backwards.
Withdraw: Move away from an opponent while engaged with that opponent in melee. This either moves to a farther reach for melee weapons or extracts the character from melee.
Aim: Roll against your AIM characteristic. A success gets you a bonus to your weapon roll when you finally make an attack action with the weapon. Subsequent successes stack benefits, but the number of rounds you can aim is limited by your level with the weapon.
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Damage
If an attack roll hits, and the target defends or evades successfully, no damage is taken. If the target fails to defend or evade, the attack does damage. Roll 2d6 and add applicable bonuses (such as the injury bonus or occupation bonuses for attack types). If this exceeds the armor value of the target, the attack penetrates the armor and the GM will tell you the effects (what wound is inflicted and how much stamina is lost). Armor may also reduce the effects of a hit even when it penetrates (by 1 or 2 steps).
A hit will create a wound and a loss of stamina. Which severity of wound depends on the amount of injury and weapon type. Each wound carries with it a penalty to advantage. The severity of wounds are:
* Superficial (-1 Advantage)
* Minor (-2 Advantage)
* Major (-4 Advantage)
* Critical (Incapacitated)
* Death (limb severed or instantly dead)
Penalties to advantage are cumulative. Wounds worsen without treatment; untreated wounds fester and degenerate to the next wound level within a week of injury.
Stamina is also subtracted for each wound. The amount of stamina lost is twice the advantage penalty. When stamina reaches zero, the character falls unconscious.
Healing
Healing wounds and recovering stamina
If a wound is treated with a successful first aid (minor or superficial wounds) or medicine (major or critical wounds) check AND the character gets to rest, the advantage penalty for the wound is halved. With such rest and treatment, a character will heal 1 point of stamina per wound per week, automatically. The player may also roll a check against CONSTITUTION for each wound; each success gains the character d3 additional stamina per week. When the stamina penalty from a particular wound is healed, the wound is healed.
The arrigish limilate, prepared from various plants, will accelerate PC race healing, adding an additional 2 stamina of healing to all wounds per week.
Launtra crystals (green) can be used/drained to boost one's stamina 5 points for a brief amount of time (5 minutes)...but any wounds healed in this manner remain healed after the effect of the crystal wears off.
Combat breaks down into three parts.
* Advantage
* Actions
* Damage
Advantage
In the tabletop game, advantage takes two parts: a roll and a declaration.
A note on surprise/sneak attacks: If you are initiating combat with an unsuspecting target, you will get a free, unopposed attack. Beware!
The roll: Each round of combat, every combatant rolls a d20, then adds any modifiers to Advantage. Modifiers may come from conditions (like being knocked prone, receiving wounds, skill level), actions (ingesting a limilate, aiming), or from characteristics (extreme AGILITY and STRENGTH characteristic ranks give penalties or bonuses to Advantage).
Look up the result in the table:
1 - 5: You can evade
6 - 10 : You can defend, evade, or make a ranged attack.
11 - 15: You can attack, defend, or evade.
16 - 19: You can attack and defend, or evade.
20 + : You get a bonus to attack and defend, or evade.
The declaration: Each character declares what action(s) they intend to take for that round. On GP, each player and NPC will declare in any order. For players who do not declare an action, the GM will assume that the PC repeats the previous round's action(s), if possible, or will have the PC evade otherwise, unless the player provides instructions to the contrary.
(note: in the tabletop version of Skyrealms of Jorune, the declaration is made in ascending order of advantage: the person with the lowest advantage declares first, and so on. The realities of PbP gaming make this method difficult to achieve, at best)
-----------------------------------------------------
Actions
Depending on circumstances and advantage, this is a sample of the sorts of things you can do in a round:
Evade: This is an all-out dive to get out of the way of an attack (and the only way, aside from cover, that a combatant can avoid a ranged attack). The player rolls a d20 check against the AGILITY characteristic to evade. When taken, this is the only action a character can do that round. Next round, a character who evaded will have a -5 modifier to Advantage.
Attack: a roll to strike an opponent with a hand or ranged weapon, or an aimed dysha (bolt or orb).
Defend: a roll to block or dodge a melee blow that would otherwise hit. While a defend action is declared, it is only rolled if the opponent succeeds with a melee attack action.
Move: A character not engaged in melee may move up to their speed in yards as an action, or may move half their speed and still perform another action, if their advantage allows two actions. This is how a combatant can close with another who is attacking at range.
Advance: Move toward an opponent while engaged in melee combat. This either closes the distance between melee combatants, or it pushes the opponent backwards.
Withdraw: Move away from an opponent while engaged with that opponent in melee. This either moves to a farther reach for melee weapons or extracts the character from melee.
Aim: Roll against your AIM characteristic. A success gets you a bonus to your weapon roll when you finally make an attack action with the weapon. Subsequent successes stack benefits, but the number of rounds you can aim is limited by your level with the weapon.
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Damage
If an attack roll hits, and the target defends or evades successfully, no damage is taken. If the target fails to defend or evade, the attack does damage. Roll 2d6 and add applicable bonuses (such as the injury bonus or occupation bonuses for attack types). If this exceeds the armor value of the target, the attack penetrates the armor and the GM will tell you the effects (what wound is inflicted and how much stamina is lost). Armor may also reduce the effects of a hit even when it penetrates (by 1 or 2 steps).
A hit will create a wound and a loss of stamina. Which severity of wound depends on the amount of injury and weapon type. Each wound carries with it a penalty to advantage. The severity of wounds are:
* Superficial (-1 Advantage)
* Minor (-2 Advantage)
* Major (-4 Advantage)
* Critical (Incapacitated)
* Death (limb severed or instantly dead)
Penalties to advantage are cumulative. Wounds worsen without treatment; untreated wounds fester and degenerate to the next wound level within a week of injury.
Stamina is also subtracted for each wound. The amount of stamina lost is twice the advantage penalty. When stamina reaches zero, the character falls unconscious.
Healing
Healing wounds and recovering stamina
If a wound is treated with a successful first aid (minor or superficial wounds) or medicine (major or critical wounds) check AND the character gets to rest, the advantage penalty for the wound is halved. With such rest and treatment, a character will heal 1 point of stamina per wound per week, automatically. The player may also roll a check against CONSTITUTION for each wound; each success gains the character d3 additional stamina per week. When the stamina penalty from a particular wound is healed, the wound is healed.
The arrigish limilate, prepared from various plants, will accelerate PC race healing, adding an additional 2 stamina of healing to all wounds per week.
Launtra crystals (green) can be used/drained to boost one's stamina 5 points for a brief amount of time (5 minutes)...but any wounds healed in this manner remain healed after the effect of the crystal wears off.