Blow by Blow Simulation

[Supplement Four]

Back in the day, when D&D was young, the game used a 1 min. combat round. And, when that was the case, it was easy to consider a character's "attack" as an abstract die roll (like a war game) that represented all attacks and feints and jabs and opportunities to damage the attacker's opponent during that one minute of game time.

Today, though, the d20 combat round is 6 seconds long, and half of that time can be spent moving (if not, a full round action of multiple attacks takes up the entire six second round).

Therefore, it's very easy to correlate a single d20 attack roll to correspond to a single attack the character makes (or, at least a couple of quick attacks).

Figure, in three seconds, there's feinting, jockying for position, and at least one attack. That one attack may be the only real attack.

Damage is still abstract--at least until a blow sends the opponent into the negative HPs region.

But attacks...attacks can be considered fairly straight up: 1 attack per d20 attack throw.

If Active Defense is used, there is a clear picture drawn of what is happening on the battlefield.

When a character dodges in my game, I plan on using the rule (straight out of the book, Sutek) where the character must have an open square to dodge to and can actually move to that square using his dodge if he wants to.

So, fights will not be stagnant on the battlefield (the square grid). They will move around, like real fights.

And, with the combat round being as short as it is...and with the use of Active Defense...characters will really live through the fight instead of having and "abstract" experience.



Bring it on, Sutek. What do you have to say about that?

 

[Malcadon]

Come on! Will someone give this guy a burrito and a BJ already?

I dont know how much more I can take of this!!! :shock:

 

[rabindranath72]

That's why I re-introduced the 1 minute combat round to Conan games. Removes lots of needless stuff

 

[DigitalMage]

If Active Defense is used, there is a clear picture drawn of what is happening on the battlefield.
<snip>
Bring it on, Sutek. What do you have to say about that?

Was this meant to be a reply to the Active Defense thread?

I guess I should really buy a copy of the Conan rulebook but until then can you elaborate on how Active Defense makes this movement around the battle field different?

I like the idea of a moving battle and if Active Defence encourages it over and above the RAW I would be interested in it.

 

[thelevitator]

I have no idea how it affects a ConanD20 game, but I've been using an opposed combat roll for 4 years in my 3.5 D&D campaigns. It's actually a suggested option in the DMG. My players love it because it makes combat feel more random, and attacks aren't a foregone conclusion. I like it because it gives me more information to add to my descriptions. With opposed defense rolls, a bad swing can still connect, and a great swing can miss. That give me, as the GM more information with which to give more vivid descriptions. I will say though that I only implemented it because I use DM Genie, a game management program, so I scripted it to work automatically so that there aren't any extra rolls slowing things down.

With D20 combat already pretty slow compared to other systems, I doubt that I would have added the opposed defense roll variant if we had to throw extra dice and add more calculations at the table.

One thing that drew me to the FUDGE system is that it has an option for simultaneous rounds, whereby everything that happens in combat is determined by a single opposed roll. Offense, Defense, Weapon Damage, and Creature Damage on both sides is determined with a single roll.

I've always favored the idea that any time two creatures are actively doing something, that opposed rolls be used. I understand why D&D doesn't use them for combat by default, because it's already a pretty slow combat system.

I never got an opportunity to play ConanD20, so I don't know about the ramifications of using an opposed defense roll with it.

 

[Supplement Four]

I guess I should really buy a copy of the Conan rulebook but until then can you elaborate on how Active Defense makes this movement around the battle field different?

I like the idea of a moving battle and if Active Defence encourages it over and above the RAW I would be interested in it.

Active Defense really has nothing to do with movement and everything to do with making your players "feel" as if they are actually taking part in the fight. It's a simulation technique.

The big, husky, bad-breathed, Vanir hefts his two-handed axe and swings it your way. The GM rolls a 17 total.

Now, you're sweatin' it. That's a big number you've got to over come. Because the number is big, you empathize with your character: You've got to somehow roll and beat that 17 (ties go to the attacker), or you're getting hit with that big axe. It's a big task, rolling and having to beat that big attack throw--encouraging the same feeling the character has when trying to block that massive bastard's blow.

Active Defense makes the game more "interactive" in that your defense throw directly represents your character defending himself. Active Defense brings to defending your character the same thing that an attack roll brings to him swinging his sword.

I may not have written it well above, but Conan d20 states that in order to Dodge, the character must have an open square touching his square. In other words, if the character is going to dodge, then there needs to be some place where the character cand dodge to.

Using the dodge, the character can choose to move to that new square, if he wants (doesn't have to...just needs the square open in order for the Dodge to work)...and it is in this sense, if the dodging character moves, that the combat will travel around the combat grounds.

 

[flatscan]

When a character dodges in my game, I plan on using the rule (straight out of the book, Sutek) where the character must have an open square to dodge to and can actually move to that square using his dodge if he wants to.

It's true a Dodger needs an open square to Dodge, but moving into that (or any other) open square while Dodging can only be done if the Dodger meets the Pre-requisites of the Dance Aside Manuever (Conan 2e p. 205), and even then, the effect of Dance Aside has a specific circumstance trigger.

 

[DigitalMage]

I may not have written it well above, but Conan d20 states that in order to Dodge, the character must have an open square touching his square. In other words, if the character is going to dodge, then there needs to be some place where the character cand dodge to.

Ah, I was misinterpretting your post, I thought you were saying that Active Defense helped encourage and / or make more common this movement. But it seems its in the RAW which is cool.

 

[Supplement Four]

I like the idea of a moving battle and if Active Defence encourages it over and above the RAW I would be interested in it.

DM, you got thinking about this, and there's a very simple tweak that can be added to Active Defense that will encourage a moving battlefield.

First off, these aren't my rules. I didn't write them. But, I wish I had becasue they're very, very good.

The 1980's James Bond game has an excellent game system. It's superb, and I've never seen another like it. (For anybody interested in the excellent Bond mechanics, there is a free-for-download fan version of the rules, not the Bond game--just the mechanics, available here: DoubleZero http://www.unclebear.com/wiki/index.php?title=DoubleZero).

And, there are some excellent rules for gritty Bond like face-to-face combat (of the type seen in the recent movie Casino Royale) written by a fan of the system.

I've used these rules before in a recent Bond game, and, again, they're fantastic.

They would take little conversion to use with d20 Conan, if Active Defense is used.

Here's how it works....







DANCING AND DODGING using the Active Defense rule

When the attacker's roll is even (modifiers and all), then the round is played out normally.

When the attacker's roll is odd, however, the defender is forced to move 5 feet, if the defender is dodging.





Defender Dodges

Attacker hits. Defender dodges. The defender must move straight backwards by 5'.



Attacker misses. Defender dodges. The defender must move, but it is his choice into which square he moves. He can move into any square touching his currently occupied square (the can give him up to 7 squares to choose from, including the two squares that flank his attacker).

If the defender must move but cannot because adjacent squares are not empty, then the defender doesn't move but is subject to a -2 circumstance penalty through his next turn (to all actions, including Active Defense).




Defender Parries

Attacker hits. Defender Parries. The defender must move, but it is his choice into which square he moves. He has five choices (provided the squares are empty squares). He can move 5' directly to his left, or 5' directly to his right. He can move straight backwards. Or, he can move diagonally backwards left or right 5'.

If the defender must move but cannot because adjacent squares are not empty, then the defender doesn't move but is subject to a -2 circumstance penalty through his next turn (to all actions, including Active Defense).



Attacker misses. Defender Parries. The defender is not required to give ground.





Active Defense natural rolls

With Active Defense, a defender that rolls a 20 on his defense throw is given an attack of opportunity on his attacker. A defender that throw a natural 1 provides an attack of opportunity on himself from his opponent.

Likewise, an attacker throwing a natural 1 allows the defender to throw an attack of opportunity against the attacker.

With a moving battlefield, natural throws of 20 and 1 can also signal that the combatants are moving during the fight.

Forced movement is always handled as described above when an attacker hit a defender who parries.

Attacker throwing a natural 20 on the attack throw forces the defender to move.

Attacker throwing a natural 1 is forced to move in the defender's favor.

Defender throwing a natural 20 on the defense throw forces the attacker to move.

Defender throwing a natural 1 on the defense throw forces the defender to move in the attacker's favor.



This should provide enough circumstance on the battlefield to keep combatants moving realistically. They won't move about half the time. The other half of the time, they will move.

Also, the rules are simple and easy to memorize quickly.







Let's look at a quick example.

Round 1.

Bogdan hits Daggeri. Daggeri was attempting to dodge the blow. Bogdan threw a total of 13 on his attack.

Daggeri has no choice but to dodge backwards one square. If that square is filled (or, maybe Daggeri's back is up agains the wall), Daggeri doesn't change position and suffers a -2 circumstance penalty to all actions through his next turn.



Round 1 (second half).

Daggeri misses, but his throw totals 8. It's even, so no movement takes place.



Round 2.

Bogdan misses, throwing a total of 11. It's odd, so Daggeri must move one square, but he can move to any adjacent square of his choice.

Daggeri's defense is a 20, which means that, not only does Daggeri gain an attack of opportunity on Bodgan, but Bogdan is forced to retreat either laterally or to one of the three squares behind him.



Round 2 (second half).

Daggeri attacks and misses, rolling 9. Bogdan parries the blow. Normally, the odd number would indicate that Bogdan would have to move, but Daggeri missed, and Bogdan parries. According to the rule above, Bogdan doesn't have to move.

 

[DigitalMage]

The 1980's James Bond game has an excellent game system.

It is indeed a great game, unfortunately one I don't get to play or run I am a bit of a Bond fan and so collected everything for that system

Here's how it works....

I just posted in your other thread about this so won't repeat myself here. I didn't notice (maybe me) the forced movement only occurring on an Odd roll on the attacker in the other thread but I quite like it.

Let us know how it plays out.