Combat Issues

[DamonJynx]

Although that seems more realistic. You won't be parrying a battleaxe with your arms more than twice.

After parrying even once, your arm probably won't have a size rating any longer. Unless you pick it up with your other arm.

My thoughts exactly. Well said.

If someone trains unarmed as their preferred Combat Style - aka Monk, Martial Artist, whatever. There should be a profession for that with appropriate bonus' - then I would, after they reached a certain level of expertise, say over 75%, grant them the "Formidable Natural Weapons" trait. And as long as they were unarmed, they would gain the additional CA for multiple weapons (but only 1, regardless of the number of limbs!).

As an aside (I haven't really had a good read of the monsters yet) creatures with multiple limbs, can they make multiple attacks per CA? E.g. would a Kraken get eight tentacle attacks with one CA? or would they have to be individual CA's?

 

[DamonJynx]

I can imagine keeping track of npc Combat Actions being a nightmare.

Is it bothersome?

Not really. However you do initiative just put dots next to each combatants name when they spend a CA and erase the dots at the start of the next round. I use the Initiative Tracker from Paizo - a little whiteboardy type of thing and it really works well for that.

 

[Dan True]

I can imagine keeping track of npc Combat Actions being a nightmare.

Is it bothersome?

Not really. However you do initiative just put dots next to each combatants name when they spend a CA and erase the dots at the start of the next round. I use the Initiative Tracker from Paizo - a little whiteboardy type of thing and it really works well for that.

Or Poker/roulette jetons. I use these for both my players and NPC - so each player has x red chips for their ordinary CA, black for bonus CA from shield and such and then they just remove them to the middle of the table when they spent them. Behind my screen, I have small stacks of jetons representing the combat actions of the NPCs.

Seems like this solution is used by a lot of people on the board.

- Dan

 

[PhilHibbs]

If someone trains unarmed as their preferred Combat Style - aka Monk, Martial Artist, whatever. There should be a profession for that with appropriate bonus' - then I would, after they reached a certain level of expertise, say over 75%, grant them the "Formidable Natural Weapons" trait. And as long as they were unarmed, they would gain the additional CA for multiple weapons (but only 1, regardless of the number of limbs!).

I think that FNW should be a Heroic Ability, whereas the bonus CA should be just for having a martial art as an advanced skill.

 

[Grimolde]

I'm designing a simple 'Combat Tracker', going to laminate it and use pen markers on it. All I need to know now is, does anytone know whic 'creature' has the most Combat Actions per round?

Thanks all

 

[Dan True]

I'm designing a simple 'Combat Tracker', going to laminate it and use pen markers on it. All I need to know now is, does anytone know whic 'creature' has the most Combat Actions per round?

Thanks all

One of my players shapeshifts himself into a Lizardman, combined with heightening his INT and DEX. I think he ends up with 6 Combat Actions or so... But he probably could go higher with time.

- Dan

 

[Grimolde]

I'm designing a simple 'Combat Tracker', going to laminate it and use pen markers on it. All I need to know now is, does anytone know whic 'creature' has the most Combat Actions per round?

Thanks all

One of my players shapeshifts himself into a Lizardman, combined with heightening his INT and DEX. I think he ends up with 6 Combat Actions or so... But he probably could go higher with time.

- Dan

That's impressive! Highest I came across was a Dragon with 5.

 

[PhilHibbs]

One of my players shapeshifts himself into a Lizardman, combined with heightening his INT and DEX. I think he ends up with 6 Combat Actions or so... But he probably could go higher with time.
- Dan

That's impressive! Highest I came across was a Dragon with 5.

And if that dragon casts Enhance INT and DEX on itself... :twisted:

 

[Ein]

And wields a shield...

 

[DamonJynx]

I think that FNW should be a Heroic Ability, whereas the bonus CA should be just for having a martial art as an advanced skill.

Good point Phil. That's a much better way of doing it.

 

[PhilHibbs]

And, of course, Heroic Abilities can have a skill level as a prerequisite.

 

[DamonJynx]

And, of course, Heroic Abilities can have a skill level as a prerequisite.

Minimum STR, CON & DEX scores as well do you think?

Hey, what's your take on my Monsters with multiple limbs CA question?

 

[Deleriad]

Hey, what's your take on my Monsters with multiple limbs CA question?

There's no hard and fast rule but I tend to favour multiple attacks as a single CA. It's more orthodox though to have some sort of 1 CA per limb rule. E.g. there's a 6-limbed NPC in Pavis Rises with 6 CAs.

To be honest it probably depends on the circumstance. E.g. a 4-armed warrior might get +3 CAs for quad-wielding representing his ability to conduct multiple parries. A dragon might be able to bash enemies with its tail while biting the person in front all as a single CA.

Most CAs I've seen on a single character was 17. That was a beaked dragonewt who had blown all his Magic Points on Combat Meditation.

 

[DamonJynx]

Thanks Deleriad.

 

[DamonJynx]

I'm going to do this should an unarmed parry come up in our game (without the benefit of a Martial Artist combat style):

Treat it as an opposed test.

If the parry is successful but loses the test, the parrying limb takes the rolled damage less armour.

If the parry is successful and wins the test, no damage is applied.

If the parry fails, damage is resolved normally.

If the parry is a fumble, the unfortunate rolls on the Natural Weapons Fumble table.

CM's etc are resolved normally.

 

[Grimolde]

I'm confused.

At the beginning of a brand new combat, a defender gets a critical parry and chooses 'Overextend'.

Page 89: Overextend opponent – Opponent cannot attack on his next Strike Rank.

But the attacker has 2 CAs left, so how does this work? The attacker can attack for his next 2 CAs but then suddenly can only defend when next his Strike Rank comes around?

EDIT: Is it errata? Should it read "Opponent cannot attack on his next Combat Action?"

 

[Deleriad]

I'm confused.

At the beginning of a brand new combat, a defender gets a critical parry and chooses 'Overextend'.

Page 89: Overextend opponent – Opponent cannot attack on his next Strike Rank.

But the attacker has 2 CAs left, so how does this work? The attacker can attack for his next 2 CAs but then suddenly can only defend when next his Strike Rank comes around?

EDIT: Is it errata? Should it read "Opponent cannot attack on his next Combat Action?"

You're misunderstanding something.
"Opponent's next Strike Rank" means "the next time the opponent gets an action."
E.g. You are SR 12 and have 3 CAs.
On SR 12 you attack but get over extended. You have used 1 CA
On SR 10 someone attacked you and you parry using 1 CA.
Various other people act and the current cycle of SRs end.
On SR 12 you have a CA left so you can act but because you are over-extended that CA cannot be used for an attack. You decide to pre-declare a parry instead.

Hope that helps.

 

[Grimolde]

I'm confused.

At the beginning of a brand new combat, a defender gets a critical parry and chooses 'Overextend'.

Page 89: Overextend opponent – Opponent cannot attack on his next Strike Rank.

But the attacker has 2 CAs left, so how does this work? The attacker can attack for his next 2 CAs but then suddenly can only defend when next his Strike Rank comes around?

EDIT: Is it errata? Should it read "Opponent cannot attack on his next Combat Action?"

You're misunderstanding something.
"Opponent's next Strike Rank" means "the next time the opponent gets an action."
E.g. You are SR 12 and have 3 CAs.
On SR 12 you attack but get over extended. You have used 1 CA
On SR 10 someone attacked you and you parry using 1 CA.
Various other people act and the current cycle of SRs end.
On SR 12 you have a CA left so you can act but because you are over-extended that CA cannot be used for an attack. You decide to pre-declare a parry instead.

Hope that helps.

I'm confused.

Isn't it really saying 'loses next attack action'? So you could parry next CA but not attack? Even if you parry the next CA, you lose your next attack action?

 

[Deleriad]

Isn't it really saying 'loses next attack action'? So you could parry next CA but not attack? Even if you parry the next CA, you lose your next attack action?

No. It's just saying exactly what it is saying. Which is to say that on the character's next action, he cannot attack. He can do over things but he's too out of position to be able to mount an attack. It doesn't say "next time you attack you automatically fail."

There is an issue with some missing terminology which can make things confusing. I use the following terms.

Combat Round: a sequence of 1 or more Action Cycles. An action cycle only if at least one character has at least 1 Combat Action left. Each character with any Combat Actions left gets 1 Turn per Action Cycle. A character's turn normally happens on their Strike Rank though a character can choose to delay their turn until later in the cycle. When a character takes their turn they must spend 1 Combat Action on any allowable action even if that is the "do nothing" action. The character whose turn it is is the acting character all other characters are reacting characters. The only actions that reacting characters can take are reactions such as Parry, Evade and counter-cast spell.

Using those terms, what over-extend would say is "you cannot attack on your next turn."

Hope that clarifies things.

 

[Grimolde]

I'm beginning to think that MRQ2 is a little too involved for me, and the group. I'm getting the feeling that it's too much to wrap my head around. It's just one little thing too many to understand. It may even be easy, but I think I just failed a POW roll.

Thanks anyway