Mano a Mano:Combat Tutorial

Combat Example

Basic Hand to Hand Combat - Here is a demonstration of the basic combat system. (See Action Rules.) Modre (see Characters/Character Generation Example) has an clone who is exactly like Modre in every way, except that the clone has not had the time to make an Ice Blade. Modre decides to take out the clone before it can get started on an Ice Blade of it's own. This is what happens, and how it works.

1. Establishing Initiative - Because Modre has a weapon with reach and his clone does not, Modre has a longer reach and therefore goes first.

2. First Round Begins - Both Sabretooth Penguins have 6 hit points (see Character Generation Example.) Modre and the Clone's players put their hit points into their ready pools, because they have no hit points in the other pools at the start. (See Characters/Character Sheet.)

3. First Turn - Because Modre has initiative, the first turn is his.

• In the first phase, he has no hit points in the stun pool, so goes on to the second phase.
• In his second phase, all of his hit points are already in his ready pool, so he goes to the third phase.
• In the third phase, Modre's attacks, with 4 of his hit points being used to add extra damage to his attack (thereby going into his other used pool,) and 2 hit points to add as a modifier to his attack (going into his defense pool.)

The Clone's player decides to react by putting all 6 of the clone's ready pool Hit Points into Defense. Modre's player rolls a 2, plus his Ice Blade combat modifier (of 1,) plus Modre's 2 hit points as a modifier, makes for a total of 5. The Clone's player rolls a 1, plus the Clone's hit points in its defense pool (6,) plus the clones Body combat modifier (0,) makes for a total of 7. Modre's 5 is less than the Clone's 7, and so Modre's attack misses.

4. Second Turn - Now the Clone has initiative because his player is next in the circle.

• In his first phase, he has no hit points in the stun pool, so he goes onto the second phase.
• In his second phase, 3 of the Clone's hit points, (his HP/round,) are put into the ready pool. Those 3 hit points come from the defense pool (leaving the other 3 in defense.)
• In its third phase, the Clone prepares to spring for a big attack, its player leaving all three of its ready hit points in the ready pool.

This is the end of all of the characters' turns and therefore the end of the round.

5. Second Round/ First Turn - It is Modre's turn again.

• In his first phase, Modre still has no hit points in the stun pool, so he goes onto the second phase.
• In his second phase, Modre's player takes 3 hit points out of Modre's other used pool (leaving one hit point remaining in his other used pool,) and puts them into Modre's ready pool.
• In Modre's third phase, he takes a swipe at the Clone, his player putting 1 of his ready hit points into the other used pool to add to the damage of the attack, and putting the other 2 of the ready hit points into defense to be added to the modifier of Modre's attack. Modre's player rolls a 6, plus Modre's 2 modifier hit points, plus Modre's Ice Blade combat modifier of 1 makes a total of 9. (This also leaves a total of 4 hit points in Modre's defense pool.)

The Clone defends with a counter attack, his player putting 1 hit point into its defense pool towards the modifier of this attack, and the other two ready pool hit points into its other used pool to add to the damage of this attack. The Clone's player rolls a 4, plus the Clone's Body combat bonus of 2, plus his one hit modifier hit point makes a total of 7. Modre's attack is successful.

Modre's Ice Blade power is 3, plus his one hit point for added power, make a total attack power of 4. We subtract the Clone's Body absorption (0) from this attack, and find that the Clone has 4 hit points going into stun or damage. The sharpness of the Ice Blade is -2, so that the first two of the 4 stunned or damaged hit points go into the Clone's stun pool, and the rest go into it's damage pool. Since the Clone's ready pool is already empty, these 4 hit points come out of the Clone's defense pool.

6. Round Two/Second Turn - It is now the Clone's turn.

• In his first phase, the Clone takes one hit point out of his stun pool and puts it into his other used pool.
• In the second phase Clone's player moves the 3 hit points from the other used pool into the ready pool.
• In the Clone's third phase, his player put all three of his ready hit points into his defense pool, as the Clone turns tail and runs 3 meters away from Modre.

This is the end of the second round.

7. Third round and beyond - The third round (and following rounds) follows the same general pattern that the first and second round followed, as far as what characters act in what order, while the players continue to control their characters by moving hit points around in the various pools.