Post by Trippy Hare on Sept 25, 2006 9:41:52 GMT -5
We've come a long way, Private. You've learned about the many points systems that will be used in the Colosseum, the attributes and skills that define your character, and the principles behind the Material Rating system. Of course, all that's fine and dandy, but you didn't come to the Colosseum to learn, you came to fight! I can respect that, the urge to grind your opponents into dust beneath your heels. This week, I'm going to teach you how to do that. That's right, this week is how to hit 'em and hurt 'em. We'll be covering magical and nonmagical damage, as well as how to successfully deal blows. In addition, we will cover dodging and blocking, as well as resisting spells (which is more or less 'magic dodging'). That's a huge range, so get ready to do some reading.
Hitting the Enemy
Remember, enemies in the Colosseum can include random NPC monsters, other player-characters, and Legends. Each opponent you face will have a set of Attributes. Player-characters will have bios that you can look at to see what you'll be facing, Legends and NPC critters may not. As stated periodically throughout your training so far, Dexterity is what will primarily affect your ability to hit a target using non-magical means, Spirit is what will primarily affect your ability to hit them using magic. All of these guidelines use only attribute scores and MR to calculate hits. Bonuses on weapons, shields, armor, and ammo can greatly alter your to-hit score.
Since most combat is melee or ranged, we will go over non-magical hits first. Your Attack roll is d100+DEXd4. A Dex of 5 will give you a d100+5d4, which when rolled, will give you an Attack score of no less than 6, and a max score that increases with your Dex. If you are carrying a weapon in each hand, otherwise known as 'dual-wielding', you will add 1d6 to your attack roll. If you are able, through a skill or any other means, to dual-wield "Heavy" weapons (in other words, able to carry a two-handed weapon in each hand) you will add 2d6 to your Attack score. Dual-wielding also allows you to roll once for each hand, as one attack consists of a swing from both weapons in this case. Let's take a look at Billy for an example:
We can see that Billy's 2d6 was added to his natural d100+8d4. Since Billy has two weapons, he gets two rolls- one for each hand.
But not all bonuses are a good thing. Some equipment may negatively affect Dex. Just as positive bonuses add to your Dex (and thus, your attack roll), negative bonuses will also affect your attack roll.
Now we have Billy's attack score for each poleaxe: one had a score of 69, the other 41. But we need to know the squirrel's response to the attack to determine a hit. All player-characters, monsters, and Legends have two available responses to an attack: dodging or blocking...they do not, however, have to respond. If the enemy dodges, all effects of the attack are negated, as if Billy hadn't swung at all. If the block is successful, the effects of his attack may still happen normally (effects such as poison, knockdown, any pluses or minuses as the result of any ability on the weapon or any skill Billy has), but the damage may be reduced or completely negated.
Dodging requires Sanity, as the act of a dodge is reacting so swiftly as to avoid the attack. Unlike attacking, no rolls are required for either a dodge or a block, though only one of the two may be used. You can dodge, or you can block, but you cannot dodge and block. If the enemy decides to dodge, they roll SANd10. If this number is higher than the attacker's Attack score, the dodge is successful. If it is equal to, or less than, the Attack score, full damage is dealt. Blocking works in the same manner, only the enemy's Dex is used as the base dice-pool number instead of their Sanity. Legends roll d20's instead of d10's.
If the enemy does not respond at all, they roll 1d10 and add their Dex to it. If that number is higher than the Attack roll, the attack misses. Otherwise, it is a hit. This means that if you roll poorly, the enemy won't waste their one response to avoid it. Every Action in a post allows one attack and one response unless otherwise stated. Once again, an Attack can include, but does not have to, one weapon in each hand. Bear in mind that if you wield two weapons, you CANNOT carry a shield, and thus CANNOT block.
Congratulations, you now know how to dish out a hit, or attempt to dodge or block one! Keep in mind, however, that only one avoid action can be chosen, either dodging or blocking. Dual-wielders get one Attack roll per weapon (they do not have to swing both...but it's a good idea to). That means that if both weapons are swung, only one can be avoided with a dodge or block.
Magic
Magic is much more direct, in that there is no dodge/block mechanic, it is simply a test of wills. Roll d100+SPIRd8. The enemy rolls d100+WISd8. If your roll result is higher, the spell hits. If the enemy's is, the spell misses. When determining Spirit to use in a roll, remember that your Spirit is often depleted to cast a spell. Spirit isn't subtracted until after your roll- meaning, if you haven't cast any spells, you have a higher chance of success. Every time you cast a spell, your chances of success lessen.
So, we've learned how to dish it out, and we've learned how to avoid taking it. But there will be times when you cannot avoid a hit. In these cases, the (I)MR or the weapon that struck you, and the MR of any armor you may be wearing (or shield, in the case of a successful block) will determine how much damage you take. Before we get into how that works, though, let's look at the Damage mechanic itself.
Damage - non-magical
When calculating damage, the first thing you must do is apply your Strength. A Xd4 roll, where X is your Strength, will provide the base damage of an attack (if dual-wielding, one Xd4 roll is made for each weapon). Some skills can add to or take from this base damage, others can change what dice pool (d4, d6, d8, d10, d20) is used to calculate it. Some creatures and Legends inherently use different dice pools.
For simplicity's sake, Xd4 is Base Damage. Player-characters and Legends do not die if their HP falls below zero, though random monsters and mod-played enemies do. Remember, taking damage in a single attack (that's both swings from a dual-wielder!) equal to your Stamina will Stun you. Taking damage that brings you to zero knocks you out. If you receive enough damage to bring you to -10, you die.
You've just rolled your Xd4 Base Damage roll. Now, add the (I)MR of the weapon/ammo used to the Base Damage number. This is the Adjusted Damage. Now, the enemy rolls Xd4 + the MR of any armor they are wearing, where X is their Stamina. This roll is called the "Soak Roll", as it determines how much damage is soaked.
In the case of successful block, the MR of their shield is used, with a +5. This number is subtracted from the Adjusted damage. If the result is zero or less, 1 damage is dealt (on a successful block, if there is 0 or less adjusted damage, no damage is dealt). If the result is more than 0, the remaining adjusted damage is dealt. Oh, Billy, care to explain?
One more thing: if you are NOT using a weapon, the MR of your barehanded attack is Strength. You also take 1 point of damage for every successful hit. Fighting barehanded is NOT recommended, unless you have the skill "Brawler", which negates the damage penalty and uses your Strength as your MR without dividing it. Be sure you keep what skills you have selected in mind when choosing a weapon, or choosing not to have one.
Damage - magical
Magical damage depends on the total Spirit of the caster and the Base Damage provided by the spell. All spells that deal damage have a Base Damage listed. For all intents and purposes, this is the same as the Xd4 number rolled for normal damage. Spells can list either a given number (5 damage, 7 damage) for damage, a dice roll (2d6, 3d4), or a target-dependent number (damage equal to target's Dexterity, damage equal to target's Wealth). Whichever it is, add your char's total Spirit (their Spirit attribute at its highest, before they have cast any spells) to the Base Damage to get the Adjusted Damage. Unlike normal damage, MR doesn't have any effect on magic.
The enemy rolls Xd4, where X is their Wisdom, then adds their Sanity to that number. This is the Base Soak. Subtract the Soak from your Adjusted damage. If the result is 0 or less, 1 damage is dealt. If the result is 1 or greater, that number is the damage dealt. The same rules for knockouts/stuns/death apply to magic damage, as well.
Poison
Poison damage is a special condition that acts independently from all the other damage systems we've learned so far. It can be inflicted by a spell, attack with a poisoned weapon, or the effect of a piece of equipment or skill. Poison damage cannot be soaked. Poison will always do a minimum of 1 damage per Action until it either wears off or is removed.
Poison damage, as a default, deals one damage to you every Action. Meaning, every paragraph you post IC after getting poisoned, you will take 1 damage from the poison. How long it lasts is reduced by 1 for every point of Stamina you have. Durations are determined by the potency of the poison: rat poison has a mere 4 Action duration, while Hemlock has a 20 Action duration. No poison can last longer than 20 Actions- and if your STAM is stronger than the poison, you don't suffer its effects.
All skills, equipment, and ammo that deal with poison have a listed Duration time. This duration does not stack, if you hit an enemy with a Poison arrow (4 duration) twice, it does not cause the duration to be 8. Durations are, however, reset by multiple poisonings. Whichever poison has the longest duration overwrites the previous one, so a Poison arrow (4) would be overwritten by a Pustule arrow (8).
Got all that, Private? Don't feel too bad if you didn't. Remember that an admin or mod will be doing all the rolling for you, all you have to do is make the IC posts and stay within the bounds of your char's attributes, skills, and any bonuses their equipment or ammo have, or any abilities given to them as prizes.
We're almost there now, Private. Can you hear the roar of the crowd? They're hungry for blood. And to them, it doesn't matter whose. Pay extra attention to these last couple weeks, and go over anything we've covered as often as you need to. I'd rather not see my recruits torn asunder right out of the gate. That makes for a poor show.
Hitting the Enemy
Remember, enemies in the Colosseum can include random NPC monsters, other player-characters, and Legends. Each opponent you face will have a set of Attributes. Player-characters will have bios that you can look at to see what you'll be facing, Legends and NPC critters may not. As stated periodically throughout your training so far, Dexterity is what will primarily affect your ability to hit a target using non-magical means, Spirit is what will primarily affect your ability to hit them using magic. All of these guidelines use only attribute scores and MR to calculate hits. Bonuses on weapons, shields, armor, and ammo can greatly alter your to-hit score.
Since most combat is melee or ranged, we will go over non-magical hits first. Your Attack roll is d100+DEXd4. A Dex of 5 will give you a d100+5d4, which when rolled, will give you an Attack score of no less than 6, and a max score that increases with your Dex. If you are carrying a weapon in each hand, otherwise known as 'dual-wielding', you will add 1d6 to your attack roll. If you are able, through a skill or any other means, to dual-wield "Heavy" weapons (in other words, able to carry a two-handed weapon in each hand) you will add 2d6 to your Attack score. Dual-wielding also allows you to roll once for each hand, as one attack consists of a swing from both weapons in this case. Let's take a look at Billy for an example:
Billy has 8 Dexterity, and has the skill Weapon Master, which enables him to dual-wield two-handed weapons. He carries two poleaxes. Billy wants to kill a squirrel, so he swings. His Attack roll is d100+8d4 (Dex) + 2d6 (Dual heavies). His first roll comes up 69.
We can see that Billy's 2d6 was added to his natural d100+8d4. Since Billy has two weapons, he gets two rolls- one for each hand.
But not all bonuses are a good thing. Some equipment may negatively affect Dex. Just as positive bonuses add to your Dex (and thus, your attack roll), negative bonuses will also affect your attack roll.
Billy's poleaxes have a mighty reach, but he is clumsier when swinging them in his heavy Brass armor. His Attack roll of d100+8d6 suffers as a result, adding -1d6 to it. Now at d100+7d6, Billy attacks. His roll comes up 41.
Now we have Billy's attack score for each poleaxe: one had a score of 69, the other 41. But we need to know the squirrel's response to the attack to determine a hit. All player-characters, monsters, and Legends have two available responses to an attack: dodging or blocking...they do not, however, have to respond. If the enemy dodges, all effects of the attack are negated, as if Billy hadn't swung at all. If the block is successful, the effects of his attack may still happen normally (effects such as poison, knockdown, any pluses or minuses as the result of any ability on the weapon or any skill Billy has), but the damage may be reduced or completely negated.
Dodging requires Sanity, as the act of a dodge is reacting so swiftly as to avoid the attack. Unlike attacking, no rolls are required for either a dodge or a block, though only one of the two may be used. You can dodge, or you can block, but you cannot dodge and block. If the enemy decides to dodge, they roll SANd10. If this number is higher than the attacker's Attack score, the dodge is successful. If it is equal to, or less than, the Attack score, full damage is dealt. Blocking works in the same manner, only the enemy's Dex is used as the base dice-pool number instead of their Sanity. Legends roll d20's instead of d10's.
If the enemy does not respond at all, they roll 1d10 and add their Dex to it. If that number is higher than the Attack roll, the attack misses. Otherwise, it is a hit. This means that if you roll poorly, the enemy won't waste their one response to avoid it. Every Action in a post allows one attack and one response unless otherwise stated. Once again, an Attack can include, but does not have to, one weapon in each hand. Bear in mind that if you wield two weapons, you CANNOT carry a shield, and thus CANNOT block.
Congratulations, you now know how to dish out a hit, or attempt to dodge or block one! Keep in mind, however, that only one avoid action can be chosen, either dodging or blocking. Dual-wielders get one Attack roll per weapon (they do not have to swing both...but it's a good idea to). That means that if both weapons are swung, only one can be avoided with a dodge or block.
Magic
Magic is much more direct, in that there is no dodge/block mechanic, it is simply a test of wills. Roll d100+SPIRd8. The enemy rolls d100+WISd8. If your roll result is higher, the spell hits. If the enemy's is, the spell misses. When determining Spirit to use in a roll, remember that your Spirit is often depleted to cast a spell. Spirit isn't subtracted until after your roll- meaning, if you haven't cast any spells, you have a higher chance of success. Every time you cast a spell, your chances of success lessen.
So, we've learned how to dish it out, and we've learned how to avoid taking it. But there will be times when you cannot avoid a hit. In these cases, the (I)MR or the weapon that struck you, and the MR of any armor you may be wearing (or shield, in the case of a successful block) will determine how much damage you take. Before we get into how that works, though, let's look at the Damage mechanic itself.
Damage - non-magical
When calculating damage, the first thing you must do is apply your Strength. A Xd4 roll, where X is your Strength, will provide the base damage of an attack (if dual-wielding, one Xd4 roll is made for each weapon). Some skills can add to or take from this base damage, others can change what dice pool (d4, d6, d8, d10, d20) is used to calculate it. Some creatures and Legends inherently use different dice pools.
For simplicity's sake, Xd4 is Base Damage. Player-characters and Legends do not die if their HP falls below zero, though random monsters and mod-played enemies do. Remember, taking damage in a single attack (that's both swings from a dual-wielder!) equal to your Stamina will Stun you. Taking damage that brings you to zero knocks you out. If you receive enough damage to bring you to -10, you die.
You've just rolled your Xd4 Base Damage roll. Now, add the (I)MR of the weapon/ammo used to the Base Damage number. This is the Adjusted Damage. Now, the enemy rolls Xd4 + the MR of any armor they are wearing, where X is their Stamina. This roll is called the "Soak Roll", as it determines how much damage is soaked.
In the case of successful block, the MR of their shield is used, with a +5. This number is subtracted from the Adjusted damage. If the result is zero or less, 1 damage is dealt (on a successful block, if there is 0 or less adjusted damage, no damage is dealt). If the result is more than 0, the remaining adjusted damage is dealt. Oh, Billy, care to explain?
Both of Billy's swings hit the hapless squirrel. Billy has a Strength of 7, and each poleaxe has an MR of 6. Billy's Base Damage roll (STRd4) came up 13 for one weapon and 27 for the other, so the Adj. Damage is 19 and 33. The squirrel blocked the first swing, but not the second. It is wearing a Paper Skirt (MR 1) and has a Stamina of 12. This gives the squirrel 24 HP. He carries a Paper Shield (MR 1). His Soak rolls were 32 and 5.
Billy's first attack deals no damage (19 adj. damage - 38[32 soak +1 for MR and +5 for block] = -19. Block was successful, so no damage is dealt). Billy's second attack deals 27 damage (33 adj. damage - 6 [5 soak roll +1 MR] = 27). Since the squirrel is not a Legend or player-character, it dies any time its HP falls below zero. Billy's attack reduces it's HP to -3, so it dies. Had it been a player-character or Legend, it would just be knocked out.
Billy's first attack deals no damage (19 adj. damage - 38[32 soak +1 for MR and +5 for block] = -19. Block was successful, so no damage is dealt). Billy's second attack deals 27 damage (33 adj. damage - 6 [5 soak roll +1 MR] = 27). Since the squirrel is not a Legend or player-character, it dies any time its HP falls below zero. Billy's attack reduces it's HP to -3, so it dies. Had it been a player-character or Legend, it would just be knocked out.
One more thing: if you are NOT using a weapon, the MR of your barehanded attack is Strength. You also take 1 point of damage for every successful hit. Fighting barehanded is NOT recommended, unless you have the skill "Brawler", which negates the damage penalty and uses your Strength as your MR without dividing it. Be sure you keep what skills you have selected in mind when choosing a weapon, or choosing not to have one.
Damage - magical
Magical damage depends on the total Spirit of the caster and the Base Damage provided by the spell. All spells that deal damage have a Base Damage listed. For all intents and purposes, this is the same as the Xd4 number rolled for normal damage. Spells can list either a given number (5 damage, 7 damage) for damage, a dice roll (2d6, 3d4), or a target-dependent number (damage equal to target's Dexterity, damage equal to target's Wealth). Whichever it is, add your char's total Spirit (their Spirit attribute at its highest, before they have cast any spells) to the Base Damage to get the Adjusted Damage. Unlike normal damage, MR doesn't have any effect on magic.
The enemy rolls Xd4, where X is their Wisdom, then adds their Sanity to that number. This is the Base Soak. Subtract the Soak from your Adjusted damage. If the result is 0 or less, 1 damage is dealt. If the result is 1 or greater, that number is the damage dealt. The same rules for knockouts/stuns/death apply to magic damage, as well.
Poison
Poison damage is a special condition that acts independently from all the other damage systems we've learned so far. It can be inflicted by a spell, attack with a poisoned weapon, or the effect of a piece of equipment or skill. Poison damage cannot be soaked. Poison will always do a minimum of 1 damage per Action until it either wears off or is removed.
Poison damage, as a default, deals one damage to you every Action. Meaning, every paragraph you post IC after getting poisoned, you will take 1 damage from the poison. How long it lasts is reduced by 1 for every point of Stamina you have. Durations are determined by the potency of the poison: rat poison has a mere 4 Action duration, while Hemlock has a 20 Action duration. No poison can last longer than 20 Actions- and if your STAM is stronger than the poison, you don't suffer its effects.
Billy has 9 STAM, and is poisoned with rat poison. He would normally take 1 damage per Action for 4 Actions, but his Stamina reduces that damage by 1 for every point. (4 POIS - 9 STAM = -5; -5 < 1; no effect) In this case, Billy's STAM counteracts the poison, and he is unaffected.
But then, Billy is poisoned with tetradoxin (12 Action duration). His STAM reduces it to 16 Actions (12 POIS - 9 STAM = 3), so Billy takes a total of 3 damage over the course of the next 3 IC paragraph(s).
But then, Billy is poisoned with tetradoxin (12 Action duration). His STAM reduces it to 16 Actions (12 POIS - 9 STAM = 3), so Billy takes a total of 3 damage over the course of the next 3 IC paragraph(s).
All skills, equipment, and ammo that deal with poison have a listed Duration time. This duration does not stack, if you hit an enemy with a Poison arrow (4 duration) twice, it does not cause the duration to be 8. Durations are, however, reset by multiple poisonings. Whichever poison has the longest duration overwrites the previous one, so a Poison arrow (4) would be overwritten by a Pustule arrow (8).
Got all that, Private? Don't feel too bad if you didn't. Remember that an admin or mod will be doing all the rolling for you, all you have to do is make the IC posts and stay within the bounds of your char's attributes, skills, and any bonuses their equipment or ammo have, or any abilities given to them as prizes.
We're almost there now, Private. Can you hear the roar of the crowd? They're hungry for blood. And to them, it doesn't matter whose. Pay extra attention to these last couple weeks, and go over anything we've covered as often as you need to. I'd rather not see my recruits torn asunder right out of the gate. That makes for a poor show.