Alternate combat system
Hey everybody! Like a lot of people, I'm extremely excited for the new combat system that's being worked out for Facility, as I think it lends a little bit more depth to the system as a whole, and makes it a good method for resolving large brawls.
However, as a longtime player of other RPGs with a more in-depth combat system, I thought just having one roll might seem a bit simple to some people, considering how drawn out and well written a lot of fight scenes are in Facility and in the canons the characters come from. If there is only two or up to a small group of combatants, and the writers want to factor in some more interesting strategy into their writing, and want to throw their characters at each other "just to see what would happen" rather than pre-writing a fight scene, consider this an alternate system to use, with the same numbers and basic foundations of the traditional fight system.
In the normal fight system, characters detail what kind of attacks they're using, and what stat, and then roll a ten-sided die (or use a random number generator or something) and add it in.
The major difference between this fight system and the other is rather than having one roll, the two (or more) combatants fight in a series of rounds. Essentially, each fighter creates a post detailing what they want their characters to attempt to do, and in parenthesis, state which stat or stats you are rolling with. If your opponent is using two different stats, such as a flying lightning bolt ninja kick (energy/physical) then average them together and get one number. If electroninja had a physical level of 5 but an energy level of 7, he'd roll that round at a 6.
For example:
Harry dances back, trying to keep the distance between himself and his opponent, shooting fire out of his staff whenever the opportunity presented itself.
[Stat: energy, 8. Roll: 6]
On subsequent rounds of combat, players include the outcome of the previous round in their tag.
Damage
At the end of each round, the combatants compare their totals, and subtract the difference from the loser's Constitution stat. When a fighter's constitution is reduced to 0, they are considered either unconscious or otherwise at the mercy at their opponent, and are out of the fight. If it is reduced below 0, they are dead. if they want, the winner my choose to pull the "final blow" that would reduce the loser's constitution to below 0, to knock them out of the fight rather than killing them.
Optional rule: consequence
Once per fight, rather than taking damage as normal, the loser of a round of combat may choose to take a "consequence" rather than straight points of damage. This could be a broken leg, a severed appendage, or a dizzying head injury that reduces the character's combat effectiveness. This is to avoid fights ending too quickly because of one lucky blow. Rather than causing con damage, the player who takes the consequence must either halve a stat (which is above five), rounding down, or reduce a stat to 0 (below five, which is not already 0).
Brains over Brawn
When a fighter wishes to outmaneuver an opponent rather than fighting them head-on, they may use their intelligence stat rather than one of their combat stats during a round. The player may average this with a different stats, for instance if a magician used an illusion to confuse an opponent, it would count as energy/intelligence. If they win the round, rather than dealing damage, they are considered to have outwitted their opponent. Next round, they may decide which stat their opponent rolls, and they receive an automatic +1 to their own roll. Alternately, if a player wins a round rolling with their intelligence, they have an option to escape the fight rather than continue.
Conclusions:
I'm hoping people will see this as an interesting option for determining the outcomes of fights rather than pre-rolling for all of them. Action-packed fight scenes are often pretty fun to write, and above all else, please make sure to treat this as a tool to help your writing rather than a set of absolute rules to be followed. Rolling is handled by the honor system, of course. Keep in mind that cheaters are lame. I guess that's about all I've got to say. if there's anything you'd like clarified, or suggested tweaks, feel free to comment below!
Cheers!
Scott
However, as a longtime player of other RPGs with a more in-depth combat system, I thought just having one roll might seem a bit simple to some people, considering how drawn out and well written a lot of fight scenes are in Facility and in the canons the characters come from. If there is only two or up to a small group of combatants, and the writers want to factor in some more interesting strategy into their writing, and want to throw their characters at each other "just to see what would happen" rather than pre-writing a fight scene, consider this an alternate system to use, with the same numbers and basic foundations of the traditional fight system.
In the normal fight system, characters detail what kind of attacks they're using, and what stat, and then roll a ten-sided die (or use a random number generator or something) and add it in.
The major difference between this fight system and the other is rather than having one roll, the two (or more) combatants fight in a series of rounds. Essentially, each fighter creates a post detailing what they want their characters to attempt to do, and in parenthesis, state which stat or stats you are rolling with. If your opponent is using two different stats, such as a flying lightning bolt ninja kick (energy/physical) then average them together and get one number. If electroninja had a physical level of 5 but an energy level of 7, he'd roll that round at a 6.
For example:
Harry dances back, trying to keep the distance between himself and his opponent, shooting fire out of his staff whenever the opportunity presented itself.
[Stat: energy, 8. Roll: 6]
On subsequent rounds of combat, players include the outcome of the previous round in their tag.
Damage
At the end of each round, the combatants compare their totals, and subtract the difference from the loser's Constitution stat. When a fighter's constitution is reduced to 0, they are considered either unconscious or otherwise at the mercy at their opponent, and are out of the fight. If it is reduced below 0, they are dead. if they want, the winner my choose to pull the "final blow" that would reduce the loser's constitution to below 0, to knock them out of the fight rather than killing them.
Optional rule: consequence
Once per fight, rather than taking damage as normal, the loser of a round of combat may choose to take a "consequence" rather than straight points of damage. This could be a broken leg, a severed appendage, or a dizzying head injury that reduces the character's combat effectiveness. This is to avoid fights ending too quickly because of one lucky blow. Rather than causing con damage, the player who takes the consequence must either halve a stat (which is above five), rounding down, or reduce a stat to 0 (below five, which is not already 0).
Brains over Brawn
When a fighter wishes to outmaneuver an opponent rather than fighting them head-on, they may use their intelligence stat rather than one of their combat stats during a round. The player may average this with a different stats, for instance if a magician used an illusion to confuse an opponent, it would count as energy/intelligence. If they win the round, rather than dealing damage, they are considered to have outwitted their opponent. Next round, they may decide which stat their opponent rolls, and they receive an automatic +1 to their own roll. Alternately, if a player wins a round rolling with their intelligence, they have an option to escape the fight rather than continue.
Conclusions:
I'm hoping people will see this as an interesting option for determining the outcomes of fights rather than pre-rolling for all of them. Action-packed fight scenes are often pretty fun to write, and above all else, please make sure to treat this as a tool to help your writing rather than a set of absolute rules to be followed. Rolling is handled by the honor system, of course. Keep in mind that cheaters are lame. I guess that's about all I've got to say. if there's anything you'd like clarified, or suggested tweaks, feel free to comment below!
Cheers!
Scott