Rules: Combat #3

The final post about combat covers modifiers, optional combat maneuvers, weapons and armor restrictions, and different fighting styles. Weapon damage in Dorms and Dragons is variable, with a chart listed in the combat section of the core rules. Tomorrow, a post about the magic system used in Dorms and Dragons and my email correspondences with fellow blogger and tinkerer Gavin Norman at The City of Iron. 

COMBAT MODIFIERS

Stunned/Prone - +4 to hit, no DEX or shield AC bonus

Sleeping – Can be struck for maximum damage with no to-hit roll

Back/Flank Attack - +2 to hit, no DEX or Shield AC bonus

Concealed- Obscured ¼ (+1 AC) ½ (+2 AC) ¾ (+3 AC) ^9/10 (+4 AC)

Covered- Physically shielded ¼ (+2 AC) ½ (+4 AC) ¾ (+7 AC) ^9/10 (+10 AC)

COMBAT MANEUVERS

Combat maneuvers are major actions that can replace a normal melee attack. Maneuvers are normal unmodified attacks that carry special effects. Bonuses to hit can be added for talents and training. There are four different combat maneuvers with effects for each:

Trip – On success, enemy is prone. One cannot trip an enemy with more than two legs, or that flies

Disarm – On success, an enemy’s weapon is thrown one position away, requiring a major action to retrieve

Sunder – With a -2 to hit, success damages a foe’s armor -1D3 AC. Foe must wear armor for damage and a proper weapon must be used

Feint – Used to move behind or past an enemy, allowing for a back attack next round, or to escape by running away. +1 vs. giant sized enemies.

SUBDUAL DAMAGE

Damage from a melee attack may be halved to deal subdual damage that incapacitates foes at 0 HP for 1d4 turns Unarmed attacks deal 1d2+STR subdual damage.

WEAPON RESTRICTIONS

Each class has restrictions on which weapons they can use effectively due to their training. Weapons unusable by a class incur a -3 penalty to hit.

WEAPON RULES

Two weapon fighting- With 13+ DEX, one can use two weapons. When a successful attack is made, damage can be re-rolled with the second weapon, the second being the final result. Two weapons fighting is modified by DEX to-hit and STR for damage.

Two handed weapon- Two handed weapons deal an additional +1 damage but ties for initiative are lost.

Sword & Board- Shield bearers can try and block damage once per round. When incoming damage is dealt, roll to block, if the defender’s roll is greater, than incoming damage, it is negated. Magical shields increase die size for blocking.

Long weapon – Characters wielding ling weapons are able to attack from the second rank, hit mounted fighters, and win ties for initiative

Blunt weapon – Blunt weapons strike at a +1 to-hit vs. armored opponents and skeletons and are capable of sunder 

Piercing weapon – On a critical hit, piercing weapons add 1d4 extra damage.

CALCULATING ARMOR CLASS

Every character has a base armor class of 10 before modifiers are added. To calculate one’s armor class (AC) start with base 10 then add modifiers for DEX, armor, and/or a shield, taking into account penalties from low DEX, and the max DEX bonus for medium and heavy armors. Magic items and spells that grant bonuses to AC do not stack, only incurring the benefit of the most effective item. So an amulet of protection +1 would not stack with a ring of protection +3 to grant +4 to AC, only the ring would count. 

ARMOR RESTRICTIONS 

Each class has certain armor restrictions, and armor that is unusable by the class costs double encumbrance and grants no bonus for DEX.

DAMAGED ARMOR

Armor damaged from sundering can be repaired back to perfection for half the armor’s base cost. 

Rules: Combat #2

Day two of combat rules, this time with my take on critical hits and fumbles, mounted combat, surprise, initiative, and BUM BUM BUUUUM Advantage and Disadvantage. After reading through and getting a little play out of the playtest document of DnD Next, I can say that Advantage Disadvantage intrigues me BUT the math never conforms with the results. Mechanically, it is a +5 or -5 bonus. I do like that. If I can refresh any memories, the Dorms and Dragon' everything system is based off a difficulty of 15+/- with sliding modifier range. A +/-5 modifier sounds great and easy to me. But I changed the Advantage/Disadvantage mechanic because the results never fit with the math during play; you are still rolling d20s and you are still getting vastly different numbers. This way you are GUARANTEED a +/-1d4 (5% to 20% modifier either way) instead of TAKE A BAD NUMBER. Let me know what you guys think!

CRITICAL HITS OR FUMBLES

On a critical hit (20 on d20), damage is rolled twice with modifiers for STR applying once. Combat maneuver criticals double the effect. Critical fumbles (1 on d20) enact a mishap decided by the GM, usually disarming, self-wounding, etc.

ADVANTAGE & DISADVATAGE

If one has advantage or disadvantage on a check, attack, or saving throw, one rolls 1d4 and adds or subtracts it from their roll; add 1d4 for advantage, and subtract 1d4 for disadvantage If one has both advantage and disadvantage for any reason, the two cancel each other out. Certain conditions and circumstances may incite advantage or disadvantage, but GM ruling can grant either.

MOUNTED COMBAT

When fighting on a mount, the character cannot be attacked by ground soldiers, only ranged attacks or long weapons. Melee attacks must be made against the mount’s AC. If a mount is struck, a morale check is made. If the check fails, the mount is startled, and will take a round to calm before they can move again. Mounted combatants can perform a charge attack, increasing damage die size by one. Weapons set against a charge will always hit first and, if successful, cancel the charge. When performing a ranged attack from a mount, riders receive a -3 missile to-hit.

SURPRISE

Whenever there is a need to check for surprise, the GM rolls 1d6 for each monster and character. A 1-2 on d6 means the subject is surprised and can’t act for the first round. Initiative is rolled directly after surprise.

INITIATIVE

Initiative is rolled for each subject individually with a d10, adding modifiers for DEX and weapons. The numbers are then ordered from high to low, and denote the order characters can take actions during combat. Characters can hold their action to move lower on the initiative order list, and when all have acted, the round is over and the list repeats.

Rules: Combat #1

Dorms and Dragons is a labor of love that I praise for its streamlined modularity. I tried to take the more complex components of RPGs and  make simpler abstractions. Traditional combat forever vexed me because of it always had a vagueness that encouraged house-ruling, merely from a lack of understanding. My group couldn't figure out segmented combat, and miniatures just weren't for us.

Because of this, I developed the Dorms and Dragons combat system, a system based on a simple d10 initiative, a "three M round" and ranges based on abstract distances between 1 and 7.

COMBAT

A combat round is split into a Three M Round: Major Action, Minor Action, and Movement.  

Major Action- Major actions are any kind of action that take up a sufficient amount of time. Actions like an attack (melee or missile), a spell, potion or scroll use, or combat maneuvers done by a character, as well as getting up from being knocked down or retrieving your weapon when disarmed, constitute as major actions. Characters receive one Major action per round.

Minor Action- Any non-major action, like: lighting a torch, getting something from a pack, taking off a cloak, or talking. Characters receive a reasonable number per turn

Movement- Movement in combat is different than normal movement. Movement can come before or after a major action and major actions can be traded for one extra move.

Combatants are put in one of six combat positions on the battle field. Movement allows a character to move from one combat position to the next. Combat positions represent the abstract distance between two combatants. Most combat takes place in the first. 3 positions: Melee, Close, and Medium.

1-  Melee - Within striking range

2-  Close – 15ft. or less, within throwing range

3-  Medium - Up to 30 ft. Range of rally. -1 to-hit  with thrown weapons  

4-  Far - Up to 60ft. Range of crossbows and shortbow

5-  Long - up to 90ft. Range of longbow, -1 to far ranged

6-  Out of Encounter- Target may be seen but not heard.

MELEE & MISSILE ATTACKS

Combat is conducted by rolling a single d20 and adding Attack Bonus, weapon bonus [when applicable], as well as any modifiers To-Hit (TH) through the appropriate ability score. This sum must meet or exceed a defender’s Armor Class (AC)

Missile combat, or ranged combat, works just as melee combat but according to a range based on the weapon. If a missile weapon is fired farther than its range it suffers a -2 Missile To-Hit (MTH) penalty.

If an attack is successful, the attacker rolls for damage and adds applicable modifiers. The damage is subtracted from the defender’s HP until dead or subdued