[Abe Sargent]

Rules Post #5 - Combat, Weapons and Armor


Combat -

During the game, you may be forced into combat with one or more creatures. You might also choose it, during an action.

Combat is resolved automatically by myself. Any spells or items labeled as combat may be used by me in order to ensure your survival. After combat, you will be told of the results.

For example, suppose you enter a room during the movement phase, and you discover a sleeping giant in the room. You are given the option of trying to sneak out, or attacking the giant with a bonus. You choose to attack.

During combat, in order to kill the powerful giant, you might have to drink a potion and cast two combat spells. You also take a lot of damage. I will send you a report telling you how much damage you take, what temporary items are now gone, and what spells were used. You will also receive experience from winning a battle with a monster, and have a chance at finding items on the monster’s corpse.

If your hit points are reduced to 15% or less of their original total, you will automatically flee, which gives the monster one final free swing at you. Should you survive that attack, you will be moved to the room you came from, and possibly thrust into battle there. You will also flee if an opposing monster deals 50% or more of your maximum hit points in one hit. You will also flee if you cannot damage the monster.

After you have cast spells earlier in the day, but find yourself in combat later that day (which happens occasionally but rarely), your used magic cannot be reused, so beware.

It is possible that you will die in battle. Some monsters are not to be trifled with, especially by lower level players. Some monsters will be like players, with classes. An opposing mage with a full slate of defensive spells is a tough thing to take out unless you are prepared, for example.

Combat will always be resolved in the most expedient way possible. For example, if you have a Protection from Cold scroll and encounter an Ice Elemental, you will likely use the scroll and then beat up the Ice Elemental while taking no damage. The result is a dead creature and you used up a temporary item, no spells and took no damage. Now perhaps you might have liked to have kept the scroll and just fight the Ice Elemental normally, but in this game, combat is resolved in the most efficient way possible.

Lore – If you are a Bard, you have a combat ability called Lore. You know everything there is to know about your enemies, so you will tend to fight smarter. It also means that you will not use the most expedient path when you know it’s not the valuable one. For example, suppose you have a Protection from Fire scroll, and enter a room with two Fire Fundamentals. You know that they are little flying creatures with 4 or 5 hp, each, and at level 6, should be easy for you to kill. You will not waste the Protection scroll on these two little guys, and just do combat normally. Other classes will use the Scroll, make themselves immune to the damage, and then automatically kill the Fundies. This is the difference Lore can make.





Weapons –

Club – 1d4
Staff – 1d6
Warhammer – 1d4+1
Mace -1d6
Gladius – 1d6
Dagger -1d4
Long Sword -1d8
Battle Axe – 1d8
Bow - 1d8
Spear -1d6+1
Halberd - 1d12
Flail - 1d6+1


Rules for Halberd, Quarterstaff, and exotic weapon Lajatang:

You may not use these with a shield, since they both require two hands.

There are four exotic weapons, the Lajatang, Manriki-Gusari, Chijiriki, and Kusari-Gama that can be found. Each is better than normal weapons, but they cannot be used well by someone who does not know how to use exotic weapons.


Armor -

In order of protection from least to most:

Robes AC8
Leather AC7
Studded Leather AC6
Chain Mail AC5
Plate Mail AC4
Full Plate AC3

AC is the Armor Class, and it tells you how hard they are to hit. Each is one better than a previous one. A basic shield improves your AC by 1. (So Full Plate + shield is AC2). A shield +2 and a chain +1 would give you an AC of 1, as an example.


Only Myrmidons, Lay Healers, and Druids can use shields.