B-Grade Combat

COMBAT

• The combat system in B-Grade is a variant of ORE combat (and builds on the previous work i have done on torglike). Here is the combat system. Still a work in progress. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
• Founding Principles:

1. Combat should be fast and abstract rather than specific
2. Combat should have room for stunts, manuevering, and have a pulp/high adventure/action movie feel.
3. Combat should be fairly simple but needs variety
4. Combat should not be all about the Dex stat (Dex = Coordination in B-Grades)

A NOTE ON SPECIAL DICE AND OPTIONAL RULES

• Expert dice no longer are available (can't see the need as hit locations are now removed).
• Master Dice are available but are now much rarer and are linked with flaws. You get them at character creation when you choose a template (class). In B-Grade i have renamed them Hammer Time (HT) dice in tribute to Hammer films (plus i like the idea of saying Hammer time as often as possible during combat..)
• No squishing dicepools
• dicepools can exceed to 10 dice

INITIATIVE

The largest Area set now goes first, though if this is too unwieldly in playtesting, then it may return to widest sets go first (Why should wide sets go first however? Can small widths go first in combat? If they do, then this would be more reflective of how combat is shown in action films - eg in a combat such as the troll combat in fellowship of the ring, the small hits happen first (the glancing blows), and then the killing blows act last. The only other alternative (and a compromise) is to make the largest AREA go first (width x height). This would increase the chance of smaller hits going first, which i think is a good thing.)

HITTING

• Every character has a 'threat' value (like Reign's threat value for unworthy opponents, except extending now to PCs). Threat changes according to circumstance. Nb - When averaging, always round down
  • For Melee Combat: Threat = Average of body + Weapon skill (if in armour) OR (player's choice) Average of Dex + Weapon skill (if in non-bulky/no armour)
  • For ranged combat (Projectile): Threat = Average of Dex + Dodge
  • For ranged combat (Firearms): Threat = Body (you can't dodge bullets. Best to be far away from the firer (distance modifier) or in cover (cover modifier)
• Cover modifiers may change your threat value. If cover is great than Threat, use the better/higher number.
  • Cover7 = you are Hiding most of body behind a barrel
  • Cover5 = you are Half behind a wall, leaning out to use a missile weapon, or behind a window.
  • Cover3 = you are mixed with a group of people
• Distance modifiers reflect how far the target is from the aggressor. They work just like cover. If distance is great than Threat, use the better/higher number.
  • Distance8 = Long range
  • Distance6 = Medium range
  • No distance modifier for short range or point blank.

• To hit in combat
• Every combatant rolls a dice pool as normal at the start of the round.
• If attacking in close combat, roll:
  • Dex + weapon skill of weapon used (for finesse weapons)
  • Dex + Martial arts (for martial art fighting)
  • Body + Fight (for basic weapons that are just swing'n'thump!)
  • Body + Brawl (for unarmed basic combat).
• If attacking in ranged combat, roll:
  • Dex + Weapon skill of weapon used (for projectile weapons from throwing knives to bows)
  • Dex + Weapon skill of weapon used (for guns, but only if firing a single shot)
  • Gunpool (for spraying the area with a gun)
  • Gunpool + Weapon skill (for full auto with a gun)

• Results of hitting in combat
  • Width 2 sets hit only if they are equal to or greater than the enemy's Threat. Eg. a 2x6 set will hit someone with a Threat of 6 or less. It won't hit the guy hiding behind the barrel (cover 7)
  • Width 3 or greater sets do NOT need to roll equal to or over Threat. They are sufficiently good enough to hit. (Otherwise, threat is too good, and width greater than 3 sets are rare enough as it is. However, this changes when actively defending, as shown below.)
• Note that hitting an opponent does NOT knock out one die from the opponent's set. (the reason for this change is that i have changed the damage system. Width 2 hits now only do a little shock damage as they are just glancing blows. This may change with playtesting).

ACTIVE PARRY AND DODGE

Actively parrying or dodging does not involve dice (I am not a big fan of gobble dice in combat. I think it complicates things a bit too much.), it is a full round action, and cannot be used in a multiple-action. Sets of any width that attack the defender this round (from all foes) must be equal to or greater than threat to hit. This includes widths of 3 or greater (which means that critical hits are less likely. In effect, actively defending doesn't do anything in reducing the chance of glancing blows, but has a huge effect on minimising the chance of getting critical hits on you)

DAMAGE RESULTS

The quality of a success is different in B-Grade Combat (in combat anyway, not sure whether this should carry over to non-combat situations...Probably not). Width 2 = minimal success, Width 3 = adequate success, Width 4 = Good success, Width 5 = Spectacular success

In combat, there are a few options of what you can do based on the degree of success of your set (this is still all work in progress)

• Width 2 = minimal success (glancing blow or gaining the advantage) = +1 dicepool next round plus either
  • 1 shock point damage
  • maneuver to a better position (another +1 dicepool next round)
• Width 3 = adequate success (a solid whack) = 1 wound level and either
  • Use other successes in your dice pool as attacks (effectively a multiple action attack without first declaring and without the -1 dice penalty)
  • maneuver to a better position (+3 dice to dice pool next round)
  • Knockdown opponent
• Width 4 = Good success (critical blow) = 2 wound levels and either
  • Disarm opponent
  • Knock a die out of the opponents dicepool this round.
  • maneuver to a better position (+5 dice to dice pool next round)
  • Degrade armour by one level (hard armour now becomes light for the rest of the combat, light armour provides no protection).
• Width 5 = Spectacular success (crippling blow) = 3 wound levels and either
  • Knockout opponent for height rounds (the height of the spectacular success)
  • Destroy armour

WOUNDS

There are 4 types of damage in torglike - shock, knockdown, knockout and wounds.

• SHOCK
  • A character can take a maximum of Body + armour worth of shock before being knocked out.
• KNOCKDOWN
  • All attacks from any foe on a fallen opponent have a +1 die bonus while they are on the ground. Opponents on the ground have a -1die to dice pool and -1 threat until they stand up.
• KNOCKOUT
  • Knocked out for x rounds (effectively the same as 'downed' in reign)
• WOUNDS
  • Wounds are different too. There are no hit locations and no wound boxes per location. Instead, fusing the storyteller system and TORG, there are now a number of wound levels.
    • [Hard Armour]
    • [Light Armour]
    • Unharmed/Superficial - no effect on combat effectiveness
    • Serious - some effect on combat effectiveness
    • Critical - major effect on combat effectiveness
    • Out of Action (instantly out of combat)

Note that the wound experienced is not evaluated until a later date. In combat, it isn't the wound that is important, it is the effect this wound has on your ability to continue fighting. Only when first aid, or vigor is rolled is the severity of the wound finally determined.

(everything below needs work and a rethink!) When you hit, you start from the top(for those not wearing armour this would be the unharmed wound level), and count off the damage of the hit. A width3 set (causing 1 wound) moves an unarmoured character from unharmed to serious. Width 4 (2 wounds of damage) moves a character from unharmed to critical. A width 5 hit (3 wounds) moves a character from unharmed straight to Out of action. Note that every hit starts again from the top. If you keep on getting damaged with width 4 sets and are unarmoured, you will only ever experience serious hits. (i'm trying to engineer it so that characters exit combat mainly due to knockout).

ARMOUR

There are 2 basic types of Armour, light and hard. Also, armour is bulky or non-bulky. Generally, light armour is non-bulky and heavy armour is bulky. Armour degrades when sufficiently hit, reflecting that weak spots have become exposed. (certain types of armour will provide other bonuses and have certain penalties as well)

WEAPONS

To be completed. (Weapons generally do not increase the damage in combat (such as shock or wounds). Instead they offer benefits to dice pool, or do other things, such as provide additional options when a wielder successful hits ). (for example, a fighter with a man-catcher has the option of grabbing an opponent on a successful width 3 hit.) (daggers can be drawn without having to spend an action drawing/readying the weapon)