Stupid combat question

[Kubik]

In the new RQ :

- Attacker fail attack Roll
- Defender fail Parry/Dodge Roll

Results?

Tables Page 51 & Page 52 said : Attack succeed as Normal.

That means a failed attack vs failed parry/Dodge is success. Ouchhhh

 

[GoingDown]

- Attacker fail attack Roll
- Defender fail Parry/Dodge Roll

Tables Page 51 & Page 52 said : Attack succeed as Normal.

You don't need to parry if attack is failure, so this normally never happens.

If you search older posts, there is (really long) discussions of this already. Some people are using TWO roll combat system, so that the table can be used as it is. Second roll happens after successful attack, and if defender chooses to parry or dodge.

Personally, we have played both ways, and we like one-roll system more, top rows on the tables are ignored. In case of dodge, "attacker overextended" results will happen when attack succeeds and dodge is critical success.

 

[Rurik]

There has been much confusion over the combat mechanics as printed. See the Players Guide(errata) sticky at the top of this forum.

Official Rules according to Mongoose Players Guide:

One attack roll. The Defender only has to choose to parry/dodge if the attack was successful. As such the Attacker Fails Row of the combat table normally never comes into play. A defender could choose to parry or dodge a failed attack to try for a riposte or attacker overextends result, but he had better be pretty confident in his ability.

Two Roll Theory:

It appears that the table was written so that on a successful attack, if the defender parried/dodged, a second opposed roll was made - meaning that the attacker rolls a second time and the defender rolls and the results are compared on the table printed in the rules. The table makes perfect sense if used with this second attacker roll, and some people play this way.

The second roll is used in the example of combat in the rulebook and was also apparently used in some early Mongoose run demo's of the game. Apparently a lot of people hate the Idea of the attacker rolling a second time. I've tried the two roll system, and while I really like that all results on the combat table are possible, that second roll feels awkward.

What I Do:

I have the attacker roll once. If he suceeds the and the defender parries or dodges he rolls. If he rolls better than the attacker's dice roll use the Attacker Fails Row. If he rolls worse than the attackers roll use the Attacker Suceeds Row. All results become possible, only one roll each for attacker and defender.

Of course, not everyone agrees what 'rolls better' means. You can say if he rolls below the attackers roll he 'wins' or you can say if he rolls higher than the attackers roll he 'wins' - either way works.

I personally use whoever made their roll by the most - it requires a bit more math than just comparing rolls but seems the fairest way and works just as well with skills over 100.

I hope this cleared things up more than it confused them.

 

[Kubik]

thanks a lot guys

I shot a second question :

What happens when one arm is at 0 hit points?
When at -1 or more?
When reduced to a negative score greater than its starting points?

 

[weasel_fierce]

thanks a lot guys

I shot a second question :

What happens when one arm is at 0 hit points?
When at -1 or more?
When reduced to a negative score greater than its starting points?

Copied from the SRD:

Location's Hit Points reduced to 0

The location has suffered a Minor Wound. The location will be permanently scarred and the character loses his next Combat Action.

Location's Hit Points reduced to -1 or more

The location has suffered a Serious Wound. The location is permanently scarred and the character loses his next 1D4 Combat Actions.
Limbs

A limb will be rendered useless by a Serious Wound, until the location is restored to 1 hit point or more, or if the character receives First Aid. If a leg is rendered useless, the character drops prone.

Location's Hit Points reduced to a negative score greater than its starting Hit Points

The location has suffered a Major Wound. The location is permanently scarred and the extent of the injury may well permanently maim or kill the character.
Limbs

A limb will be either severed or mangled by a Major Wound. The character drops prone and must immediately make a Resilience test or fall unconscious. If the character remains conscious, this test will have to be repeated at the end of every Combat Round, until the location is restored to 1 hit point or more, or the character receives First Aid. If the location does not recover within a number of Combat Rounds equal to the character's CON+POW, the character dies from blood loss and shock.

 

[FatPob]

Of course, not everyone agrees what 'rolls better' means. You can say if he rolls below the attackers roll he 'wins' or you can say if he rolls higher than the attackers roll he 'wins' - either way works.

I personally use whoever made their roll by the most - it requires a bit more math than just comparing rolls but seems the fairest way and works just as well with skills over 100.

I usually use the highest roll under skill (like Pendragon system) and it works well. If you start having uber charatcers with skills over 100, perhaps Rurik's method is better.

 

[GoingDown]

I personally use whoever made their roll by the most - it requires a bit more math than just comparing rolls but seems the fairest way and works just as well with skills over 100.

I usually use the highest roll under skill (like Pendragon system) and it works well. If you start having uber charatcers with skills over 100, perhaps Rurik's method is better.

We are using the highest under your skill, but we also use criticals. And when we someday get skills over 100%, we use halving like described in Legendary Heroes book.

 

[Rurik]

I personally use whoever made their roll by the most - it requires a bit more math than just comparing rolls but seems the fairest way and works just as well with skills over 100.

I usually use the highest roll under skill (like Pendragon system) and it works well. If you start having uber charatcers with skills over 100, perhaps Rurik's method is better.

We are using the highest under your skill, but we also use criticals. And when we someday get skills over 100%, we use halving like described in Legendary Heroes book.

This case is specifically about Combat - so there is no halving.

I originally used lowest under skill because in straight skill tests low is good in my eyes (criticals are low), and it worked great. You can just as easily go with roll highest under skill wins but that has that awkward "really low is good but other than that high is good" feeling because of criticals. Using lowest roll wins or highest roll wins works great until skills get over 100. Then you have to start adjusting and things get messy.

I've tried to stay away from the 'wins by most' mechanic because it essentially results in math on all tests, even if both skills are under 100. But in the end the wins by most method is one mechanic that works the same with skills over 100 exactly the same as it works with skills under 100, and can be applied to opposed tests exactly the same as to combat tests. And really, it is just simple subtraction we are talking about here. I mean I was playing Aftermath! around the same time I was growing pubic hairs, so I figure I can handle it.

In fact I am using a similar version of this for spell 'saves' as well to prevent characters with high Resilience/Persistence/Dodge skills from become basically immune to spells. They roll against the appropriate resist skill to beat the spell casters roll. So a 100 skill is not an almost automatic success. And a spellcaster with a 200% skill will overcome a 100% resist every time.