Aerial Combat

[Gamethyme]

I'm working on adapting the "Shadows of the Apt" series of books to run in RuneQuest II. For the most part, it's not terrible difficult, but there's one obstacle I've been beating my head into.

For those of you who haven't read the books, it's a fantasy setting (with some steampunkish elements) where in prehistory, human beings bonded with insects, to the point where they now manifest insect traits. Book one is Empire in Black and Gold.

Many of the various Kinden can fly, and one them (Dragonfly, for those who've read the books) is regularly described as being extremely graceful in the air. All of the aerial combats have the Dragonfly character(s) tearing through Wasp goons in the air. Some Beetle-kinden can fly, but they're described as being clumsy and awkward in the air.

And it's not just flying - the Dragonfly-kinden can hover.

This also sets aside the non-individual flight modes (Orthopters and Airships especially), which are advanced enough that there are specialized fighters and bombers.

The only aerial combat I've been able to find in my MRQII books is a reference to a flyby attack - it'll work well enough for a good flyer attacking a ground-based attacker, but won't help if two strong flyers are dueling.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle flight for something like this? What sort of penalties should I impose for PC's who are trying to fly.

 

[Old timer]

My suggestion would be to treat flying as a skill, with the same ideas as ride in combat, that is that your skill in combat whilst flying is capped by your flight skill.

 

[Deleriad]

I would definitely keep it abstract.

1) Use Athletics, Acrobatics or Evade as skills for flying manoeuvres. You could create a new flying skill but for characters for whom flying is natural then that would be unfair. After all people who walk don't have to use a running or walking skill while fighting on the ground.

2) Reckon that a fair amount of combat is flying at and by each other and use fly-by.

3) You could allow the change range manoeuvre (and CA) to give the person who gets aerial advantage so they are attacking from above or a position of superiority and therefore have the bonus to hit and defend.

4) Out manoeuvre as a skill could be used for a small quick flyer to stay out of the scope of guns on ships and so on.

That's all purely off the top of my head but it looks to me like it would cover most things that might happen.