There comes a battle, though whether it is the beginning of a new war or the end of another is hard to say.
There are many good reasons to seize this offensive. There are many reasons to defend against it.
The tower and all it represents will either remain, or it will fall.
OOC:
There are rumors of an invasion being planned to attack The White Tower. Any character with an ear to the ground or who employs people to do so on their behalf is free to know about it. They're deliberately not kept very secret.
I'll be DMing it, and it will be using BLargFights v2.
Blocks and meters are interchangeable in this system. If ever a fraction results from a roll, always round down (minimum 1). If there is a tie, treat it like a miss. Initiative is determined contextually, all members of a side take a single concurrent turn. Most things that characters can do are covered in this document. However, not every possible edge case can be foreseen. If uncertain on a ruling, the leaders of all fighting sides must agree on an outcome (or to allow a third party to render judgement, such as a DM) to their satisfaction.
Health
A character’s health is equal to 5+Fortitude. Once a character’s health reaches zero, they are incapacitated and cannot be resuscitated for the remainder of the combat. Whether or not they’re dead is at the sole discretion of the player whose character has been incapacitated. To heal a character who has not fallen unconscious, the healer must make a Mind+Medicine check equal to the damage the target has taken. If they fail this check they can still heal them, but the effect of all potions and spells is halved.
Armor
Armor is equated to layers. There is gambeson, mail, plate, and a surcoat. For each layer of armor a character wears, they gain 1 point of damage reduction against all incoming damage. Clothing made of armor-like material provides the same protection as traditional armor, and affects exhaustion the same. If a character has 4 points of damage reduction or more, they move 2 meters less per action.
Shields
Bucklers allow a character to take the block reaction. Intermediate sized shields (kites, heaters, etcetera) also grant a character 2 points of damage reduction against non-flanking ranged attacks. Tower shields make a character immune to non-flanking ranged attacks while increasing exhaustion by 3.
Exhaustion
At the end of their turn, for each point of damage reduction a character has from equipment they increase their exhaustion by that amount. Once they have accumulated enough exhaustion to equal their maximum health, they gain one level of exhaustion. The exhausted character takes one step of disadvantage on all body checks made equal to their levels of exhaustion. If only 1 action is taken in a given round, armored characters do not increase exhaustion. If no actions are taken, a character loses 2 points of exhaustion.
Actions
Everything a character does on the battlefield has an associated cost in actions.
Reactions
A character can react to something that happens on the enemy turn an amount of times equal to the reactions they have available.
Combat
There are three categories of melee weapons. Short, intermediate, and long. A short weapon is one primarily wielded in one hand such as a dagger, axe, mace, or some forms of sword. An intermediate weapon is one requiring two hands to use that isn’t extremely long. This includes every two-handed sword, most polearms, etcetera. Long weapons are pikes or long spears.
Wielders of short weapons provoke attacks of opportunity when stepping into the range of those wielding intermediate weapons. Short and intermediate weapons provoke attacks of opportunity from those wielding long weapons. Those advancing into the range of these longer weapons are not able to riposte.
Assuming a melee attacker is in range of someone, the attacker can strike them with their weapon. This is a melee roll, and the target can choose their reaction. Whatever damage the attack would have done is reduced by the amount the defender rolls in their reaction. If the defender cannot or will not take a reaction, then the attacker’s damage is only reduced by the defender’s armor.
If the defender chooses to parry and they roll higher than the attacker and they are in range of the attacker, they then automatically riposte. This means that the attacker now, without being able to take a reaction, takes damage equal to the difference in their rolls.
Spells & Potions
Spells deal an amount of additional damage equal to their level to the target. Healing spells heal an amount of damage equal to the spell level. Damaging potions deal an amount of damage equal to their level, while healing potions heal an amount of health equal to their level.
(Apprentice = level 1 | Master = level 5)
Ranged Combat
In the context of a skirmish, most weapon ranges do not matter. However, for weapons thrown with the strength of an arm it does. Such weapons (stones, daggers, javelins) all have an effective range of 20m.
Longbows or warbows deal an additional 1 damage. Light crossbows take 1 action to reload, and deal 1 additional damage. Heavy crossbows take 2 actions to reload, and deal 2 additional damage.
Conditional Actions
On their turn, a character can refrain from acting directly and instead state a set of conditions under which they will act. For example, “I won’t shoot my bow now, but I’ll wait until he moves out from cover and shoot then.” Preparing to shoot on this condition takes an amount of actions equal to actually shooting on their turn, and those actions are wasted if these conditions are never met.
Rules, Expanded
Rules for artillery, mounted combat, combat maneuvers, Vyres, uncommon races, and special materials can be found below. They are not required in every given combat, and in fact almost no combat will feature everything listed. However, the rest of this document will serve as a reference for what specific rulings are in place for when such factors are in play.
A Note
While these rules are explicitly not necessary most of the time, some are more useful than others and expected to arise more often. Consider this a reference of "things people have tried before and useful rulings on those things." The ruling that triumphs all others is what the opposing parties decide makes sense. If sense contradicts these rules, go with sense.
Equipment
Equipment bonuses apply after a successful hit is registered. I.e., if an attacker rolls 3 successes versus the defender's 4, no additional successes from equipment are applied.
Vyresteel
When used by a Vyre in melee, any time the wielder deals at least 1 point of damage they also heal 1 damage.
Machanite
Armor made of this material requires 6 successes to sunder.
Fabric Armors
All materials listed as being fabric and able to be made into clothes equivalent to armor may substitute for metal armor (i.e., a coat being functionally as cumbersome and protective as a cuirass). However, it can only replace, wearing it underneath regular armor does nothing mechanically.
Glimmersteel
Checks made to heal a character damaged by glimmersteel are made at 2 steps of disadvantage.
Drakodo
Armor made of drakodo provides 2 damage reduction versus element based attacks (fire, lightning), but no damage reduction against physical strikes.
Garulf
As long as one layer of armor is made of garulf hide, they are immune to being flanked. It provides no damage reduction.
Volatile Obsidian
After striking and dealing damage to a mage, the mage is unable to cast for two rounds. It deals one less damage overall, but if an attack would have dealt damage but is reduced by the innate damage malus of this material, it still prevents casting for two rounds.
Starblood
As Volatile Obsidian, but for blessed.
Blooded Silver
As glimmersteel, but only to cursed and undead targets, and the disadvantage is increased by an additional 2.
Artillery
Such equipment is emplaced, and does not move during combat. Using artillery uses mind instead of body.
Scorpion
Takes 4 actions to load, and deals an additional 4 damage. It may be manned by one person.
Ballistae
Takes 9 actions to load, and deals an additional 6 damage. Requires two people to operate.
Maneuvering and Maneuvers
Rules that encourage moving around the battlefield for tactical advantage, and also encompass attacks that are more complex than “swings sword.”
Flanking
Any attack originating outside of a character’s field of view counts as flanking. A flanking attack cannot be reacted against. A character’s backside counts as out of their field of view, and if a character is wearing a visored helmet, attacking from the side also counts as a flank.
Trip
The character strikes out at another’s legs, in an effort to trip them. This attack is made at disadvantage. If successful, the character in question takes damage reduced by armor and is knocked prone. A prone character makes all reactions at two steps of disadvantage.
Sunder Armor
A character strikes the armor of another with a heavy blunt instrument. If they overcome the defense of their adversary by 3 or more (not counting armor reduction), they destroy the outermost layer of armor that character is wearing.
Bypass Armor
A character strikes another where they are not armored, at disadvantage. This bypasses all but their innermost layer of armor, dealing damage reduced only by the amount provided by that armor.
Grapple
The attacker makes an unarmed check against their opponent, and if they land the attack they are able to grapple their opponent. Persons in a grapple are not able to dodge, block, parry, or move. At the start of each round both roll grappling to see who is dominant in the grapple. The dominant grappler is able to end it at any time. They also gain two steps of advantage on all actions taken against their opponent, and their attacks ignore the other's armor.
Defensive Flourishing
A character wielding a weapon in both hands is able to flourish their weapon around themselves. Anyone who steps into their range while they are flourishing is struck by them, but all attacks are made at disadvantage. Once an attack has been successfully blocked or parried, the character stops flourishing. If done with a greatsword, or other long weapon that is deadly along most of its length, the attacks are not made at disadvantage.
Mounted Combat
This system assumes the use of trained, purpose bred warhorses. As such, use body handling instead of soul for the purposes of handling checks. However, a character using an insufficiently trained horse (or who simply wishes to) may substitute soul for body.
An mounted character is able to take reactions on their horse's behalf, using the same rules as normal reactions. A horse may move up to twenty meters per action.
Barding
A horse may have up to three points of barding. For each point of barding, take a step of advantage on handling rolls when the horse is damaged; and, one step of disadvantage on all other handling rolls.
Damage
If the horse takes damage its rider must make a handling check at the start of their turn, or immediately if the damage is taken on the rider's turn. If the rider fails the check, their horse has gone mad with pain, died, or otherwise becomes unusable. It will either collapse, or buck its rider off and flee away from the battlefield. The rider takes damage reduced by their armor equal to how much they failed the check by and falls prone.
Charge
Using 3 actions, a rider is able to charge in a straight line at an opponent within 30 meters. They make a handling check and add it to their melee check as additional successes in a single attack against an opponent. If they are able to continue traveling forward after striking, they may do so up to having traveled 30 meters from their starting position.
Pikemen
Preparing an action with a long weapon in anticipation of a rider's charge allows a defending character to completely negate a rider's handling bonus, and gives them four steps of advantage to hit the rider. If they succeed, it either knocks the rider from the horse or deals its damage as normal at the discretion of the pikeman. If the pikeman's pike is shorter than the rider's lance, this special interaction does not apply.
Retreat
In the event of a contested retreat (i.e., the battle is over but the victors want to chase the losers down), riders always outpace footmen. Retreating riders make a contested handling check versus their pursuers. If retreater wins, they escape; if pursuers win, they reach the retreater.
Races and Mutations
Special abilities or innate passives impose tradeoffs in races and those mutated.
Vyres
Fledgling Vyres take 1 additional damage from fire-based attacks. Enthralled take 2. Consumed take 3. However, Vyres are able to take the Feed action. Feed allows a Vyre who is adjacent to an incapacitated character to heal 1 damage for each action spent feeding. This can also be done to a conscious, willing character but will deal 2 points of damage for every 1 healed.
Constructs
Constructs have an inmate 2 armor that cannot be increased or decreased by additional armor. They also ignore exhaustion. This innate armor is tripled against fire based attacks, and they are immune to animancy or soul-based based effects (whether positive or negative) as they have no soul.
Health
A character’s health is equal to 5+Fortitude. Once a character’s health reaches zero, they are incapacitated and cannot be resuscitated for the remainder of the combat. Whether or not they’re dead is at the sole discretion of the player whose character has been incapacitated. To heal a character who has not fallen unconscious, the healer must make a Mind+Medicine check equal to the damage the target has taken. If they fail this check they can still heal them, but the effect of all potions and spells is halved.
Armor
Armor is equated to layers. There is gambeson, mail, plate, and a surcoat. For each layer of armor a character wears, they gain 1 point of damage reduction against all incoming damage. Clothing made of armor-like material provides the same protection as traditional armor, and affects exhaustion the same. If a character has 4 points of damage reduction or more, they move 2 meters less per action.
Shields
Bucklers allow a character to take the block reaction. Intermediate sized shields (kites, heaters, etcetera) also grant a character 2 points of damage reduction against non-flanking ranged attacks. Tower shields make a character immune to non-flanking ranged attacks while increasing exhaustion by 3.
Exhaustion
At the end of their turn, for each point of damage reduction a character has from equipment they increase their exhaustion by that amount. Once they have accumulated enough exhaustion to equal their maximum health, they gain one level of exhaustion. The exhausted character takes one step of disadvantage on all body checks made equal to their levels of exhaustion. If only 1 action is taken in a given round, armored characters do not increase exhaustion. If no actions are taken, a character loses 2 points of exhaustion.
Actions
Everything a character does on the battlefield has an associated cost in actions.
- Moving 10 meters takes 1 action.
- Attacking, casting a spell (that would normally be done in 1 round), using a potion, or activating a device takes 2 actions.
- Standing up from prone takes 2 actions.
- Equipping a stowed object takes 2 actions; equipping an accessible object takes 1 action.
- A character may take 1m of free movement on their turn without caveats or triggering reactions, as long as they are free to take a single stride.
Reactions
A character can react to something that happens on the enemy turn an amount of times equal to the reactions they have available.
- Any explicitly reactive spells they may have.
- The evade reaction.
- The parry reaction.
- The block reaction.
- An attack of opportunity.
Combat
There are three categories of melee weapons. Short, intermediate, and long. A short weapon is one primarily wielded in one hand such as a dagger, axe, mace, or some forms of sword. An intermediate weapon is one requiring two hands to use that isn’t extremely long. This includes every two-handed sword, most polearms, etcetera. Long weapons are pikes or long spears.
Wielders of short weapons provoke attacks of opportunity when stepping into the range of those wielding intermediate weapons. Short and intermediate weapons provoke attacks of opportunity from those wielding long weapons. Those advancing into the range of these longer weapons are not able to riposte.
Assuming a melee attacker is in range of someone, the attacker can strike them with their weapon. This is a melee roll, and the target can choose their reaction. Whatever damage the attack would have done is reduced by the amount the defender rolls in their reaction. If the defender cannot or will not take a reaction, then the attacker’s damage is only reduced by the defender’s armor.
If the defender chooses to parry and they roll higher than the attacker and they are in range of the attacker, they then automatically riposte. This means that the attacker now, without being able to take a reaction, takes damage equal to the difference in their rolls.
Spells & Potions
Spells deal an amount of additional damage equal to their level to the target. Healing spells heal an amount of damage equal to the spell level. Damaging potions deal an amount of damage equal to their level, while healing potions heal an amount of health equal to their level.
(Apprentice = level 1 | Master = level 5)
Ranged Combat
In the context of a skirmish, most weapon ranges do not matter. However, for weapons thrown with the strength of an arm it does. Such weapons (stones, daggers, javelins) all have an effective range of 20m.
Longbows or warbows deal an additional 1 damage. Light crossbows take 1 action to reload, and deal 1 additional damage. Heavy crossbows take 2 actions to reload, and deal 2 additional damage.
Conditional Actions
On their turn, a character can refrain from acting directly and instead state a set of conditions under which they will act. For example, “I won’t shoot my bow now, but I’ll wait until he moves out from cover and shoot then.” Preparing to shoot on this condition takes an amount of actions equal to actually shooting on their turn, and those actions are wasted if these conditions are never met.
Rules, Expanded
Rules for artillery, mounted combat, combat maneuvers, Vyres, uncommon races, and special materials can be found below. They are not required in every given combat, and in fact almost no combat will feature everything listed. However, the rest of this document will serve as a reference for what specific rulings are in place for when such factors are in play.
A Note
While these rules are explicitly not necessary most of the time, some are more useful than others and expected to arise more often. Consider this a reference of "things people have tried before and useful rulings on those things." The ruling that triumphs all others is what the opposing parties decide makes sense. If sense contradicts these rules, go with sense.
Equipment
Equipment bonuses apply after a successful hit is registered. I.e., if an attacker rolls 3 successes versus the defender's 4, no additional successes from equipment are applied.
Vyresteel
When used by a Vyre in melee, any time the wielder deals at least 1 point of damage they also heal 1 damage.
Machanite
Armor made of this material requires 6 successes to sunder.
Fabric Armors
All materials listed as being fabric and able to be made into clothes equivalent to armor may substitute for metal armor (i.e., a coat being functionally as cumbersome and protective as a cuirass). However, it can only replace, wearing it underneath regular armor does nothing mechanically.
Glimmersteel
Checks made to heal a character damaged by glimmersteel are made at 2 steps of disadvantage.
Drakodo
Armor made of drakodo provides 2 damage reduction versus element based attacks (fire, lightning), but no damage reduction against physical strikes.
Garulf
As long as one layer of armor is made of garulf hide, they are immune to being flanked. It provides no damage reduction.
Volatile Obsidian
After striking and dealing damage to a mage, the mage is unable to cast for two rounds. It deals one less damage overall, but if an attack would have dealt damage but is reduced by the innate damage malus of this material, it still prevents casting for two rounds.
Starblood
As Volatile Obsidian, but for blessed.
Blooded Silver
As glimmersteel, but only to cursed and undead targets, and the disadvantage is increased by an additional 2.
Artillery
Such equipment is emplaced, and does not move during combat. Using artillery uses mind instead of body.
Scorpion
Takes 4 actions to load, and deals an additional 4 damage. It may be manned by one person.
Ballistae
Takes 9 actions to load, and deals an additional 6 damage. Requires two people to operate.
Maneuvering and Maneuvers
Rules that encourage moving around the battlefield for tactical advantage, and also encompass attacks that are more complex than “swings sword.”
Flanking
Any attack originating outside of a character’s field of view counts as flanking. A flanking attack cannot be reacted against. A character’s backside counts as out of their field of view, and if a character is wearing a visored helmet, attacking from the side also counts as a flank.
Trip
The character strikes out at another’s legs, in an effort to trip them. This attack is made at disadvantage. If successful, the character in question takes damage reduced by armor and is knocked prone. A prone character makes all reactions at two steps of disadvantage.
Sunder Armor
A character strikes the armor of another with a heavy blunt instrument. If they overcome the defense of their adversary by 3 or more (not counting armor reduction), they destroy the outermost layer of armor that character is wearing.
Bypass Armor
A character strikes another where they are not armored, at disadvantage. This bypasses all but their innermost layer of armor, dealing damage reduced only by the amount provided by that armor.
Grapple
The attacker makes an unarmed check against their opponent, and if they land the attack they are able to grapple their opponent. Persons in a grapple are not able to dodge, block, parry, or move. At the start of each round both roll grappling to see who is dominant in the grapple. The dominant grappler is able to end it at any time. They also gain two steps of advantage on all actions taken against their opponent, and their attacks ignore the other's armor.
Defensive Flourishing
A character wielding a weapon in both hands is able to flourish their weapon around themselves. Anyone who steps into their range while they are flourishing is struck by them, but all attacks are made at disadvantage. Once an attack has been successfully blocked or parried, the character stops flourishing. If done with a greatsword, or other long weapon that is deadly along most of its length, the attacks are not made at disadvantage.
Mounted Combat
This system assumes the use of trained, purpose bred warhorses. As such, use body handling instead of soul for the purposes of handling checks. However, a character using an insufficiently trained horse (or who simply wishes to) may substitute soul for body.
An mounted character is able to take reactions on their horse's behalf, using the same rules as normal reactions. A horse may move up to twenty meters per action.
Barding
A horse may have up to three points of barding. For each point of barding, take a step of advantage on handling rolls when the horse is damaged; and, one step of disadvantage on all other handling rolls.
Damage
If the horse takes damage its rider must make a handling check at the start of their turn, or immediately if the damage is taken on the rider's turn. If the rider fails the check, their horse has gone mad with pain, died, or otherwise becomes unusable. It will either collapse, or buck its rider off and flee away from the battlefield. The rider takes damage reduced by their armor equal to how much they failed the check by and falls prone.
Charge
Using 3 actions, a rider is able to charge in a straight line at an opponent within 30 meters. They make a handling check and add it to their melee check as additional successes in a single attack against an opponent. If they are able to continue traveling forward after striking, they may do so up to having traveled 30 meters from their starting position.
Pikemen
Preparing an action with a long weapon in anticipation of a rider's charge allows a defending character to completely negate a rider's handling bonus, and gives them four steps of advantage to hit the rider. If they succeed, it either knocks the rider from the horse or deals its damage as normal at the discretion of the pikeman. If the pikeman's pike is shorter than the rider's lance, this special interaction does not apply.
Retreat
In the event of a contested retreat (i.e., the battle is over but the victors want to chase the losers down), riders always outpace footmen. Retreating riders make a contested handling check versus their pursuers. If retreater wins, they escape; if pursuers win, they reach the retreater.
Races and Mutations
Special abilities or innate passives impose tradeoffs in races and those mutated.
Vyres
Fledgling Vyres take 1 additional damage from fire-based attacks. Enthralled take 2. Consumed take 3. However, Vyres are able to take the Feed action. Feed allows a Vyre who is adjacent to an incapacitated character to heal 1 damage for each action spent feeding. This can also be done to a conscious, willing character but will deal 2 points of damage for every 1 healed.
Constructs
Constructs have an inmate 2 armor that cannot be increased or decreased by additional armor. They also ignore exhaustion. This innate armor is tripled against fire based attacks, and they are immune to animancy or soul-based based effects (whether positive or negative) as they have no soul.
Given the anticipated large turn out, the date and the time are set for when most people can show up, but some will simply be unable to. In light of that, there's going to be something of a weighted advantage system. I'm going to keep track (using this thread) of people who give material aid to one side or the other. I'd also like to keep track of who intends to show up and believes they will be able to make the time.
If you sign up on here well ahead of time and someone metagames based solely on this thread that you're participating on one side or the other, reach out to me or make a moderation ticket.
IF YOU INTEND TO SHOW:
Fill out this form.
Character:
Faction:
Attacking, or defending?:
XP:
IF YOU INTEND TO PROVIDE MATERIAL SUPPORT:
Fill out this form. If they're just sending generic stuff in bulk, don't worry about sending it. If they're sending specific items, give them to me or whoever they're being sent to and they'll get to the right person.
Character:
Faction:
What they're sending:
I'm going to factor in the amount of material support sent to people from those who either can't or won't attend the event, so if you want to give one side an edge make sure you actually post it on here so I know.
Otherwise, well, have a good day.
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