@GMMichael Voila!
Okay so here's a quick-ish example run of Combat in this system, and for the sake of brevity I'll try to keep the set dressing to a minimum. This will just assume 1 player, a Level 5 Barbarian Beastheart, and I'll also note that some of what may be mentioned isn't stuff I've talked about at length or may be different from how I described it previously.
And for absolute clarity, I'm also going to include the actual Abilities and Stats that this character could have at this level (though not all, again to keep it brief), as well as statistics on their gear.
Bramdo Sandanam
Terran Barbarian
Energy Modifiers (these are also your resources, CP=HP)
Composure (CP): +23
Mana: +5
Stamina: +18
Acuity: +5
Talent Mods (These are both your Skill and Attribute Mods; when making a Skill or Ability check you add these alongside your current Energy Mods to your 2d10 roll):
Strength +10
Endurance +5
Gear:
Iron-Springhorn Maul; 1d12 Blunt Damage, Ricochet; this weapon assumes the Throwing property, allowing you to throw it accurately up to your Strength modifier (More at a -5 penalty to your Act for every 10 additional feet), and additionally the weapon automatically returns to the user as long as there is a clear path of flight between the user and the point of its impact.
Iron Breastplate; +5 Armor, +1 React, -1 Slashing Damage
Level0; A Rustic (Outlander Level 0): Amongst the civilized world, you are called “Outlander” for your unkempt demeanor, but amongst your tribe you were known for your strength. You may roll an additional 1d10 when making Wrestling or Conditioning skill checks, nd when dealing with other Barbarians, you can add +5 to your Provoke or Appeal skill checks.
Level 1; Smash! (Smash! Level 1):Your fury begins to grow. You gain the ability Smash!, which modifiesyour basic attacks. Add 1d4 for each weapon die you roll.
Level 2; Yawp! (Yawp! Level 1): Magic is the worst, and you learn to will yourself against it with a righteous fury. When you see an enemy attempting to cast a spell, you can unleash a barbaric Yawp! At them, causing them to make a +5 Stamina Saving Throw. If they fail, an instantaneous spell is immediately canceled, while any spell that takes two or more Casts must immediately spend another Cast to maintain the spell, or it will also be canceled. Additionally, you gain the ability to utilize your Willpower in place of either your Strength or your Dexterity for the purposes of calculating your Stamina.
Level 3: Pit Dog (Fortitude Level 1):Your fighting style is rough and undisciplined, and you find strength in it. Your Act Rating enjoys a bonus of +1 for every 3 levels above0 you have achieved.
Level 4: Frenzy of the Badger(Beastheart Level 1): When you begin a round of Combat, you canchoose to embrace the Frenzy of the Badger, making your fightingstyle wild and terrifying. Your Movement is doubled, and the value ofyour Smash! Dice double as well, but your all of your Attacks willcost you double Stamina. In addition, on all damage rolls you canre-roll any 1s. The Frenzy ends when there are no enemies left tofight or the battle has concluded, whichever comes first, and youmust make a +5 Max Stamina saving throw. If you fail, you take a 10ptreduction to your Stamina until restored.
Level 5: Roughshod Traveller (Outlander Level 2): Your life in the outlands has given you a knack for survival. You may roll an additional 1d10 when making Survival checks, and when Keeping Watch over your camp or as the party travels, if you successfully spot an enemy before they can attack you utilizing Perception, you grant the party +1 to their initiative rolls in the resulting battle.
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Righto, here we go. GM and Player are marked, anything done that doesn't correspond to talking will be listed in italics.
Bramdo is on a mission to save his new novel from the devilish bandits who stole it out of his camp. He has tracked them across the Outlands, and he is coming up close. The GM has just cleared the Tension Pool, his face is...grim.
GM: Okay Bramdo, time has advanced; as you cross through the last 6 miles of your journey, following the clear trail of the Bandit party, you come upon a forest edge just as the twilight sky darkens your surroundings. There is an extensive tree line before you as far as you can see, and the hills are behind you. The air feels warm, but it is awfully quiet. You come to a stop for a moment as you take this in...what do you do?
Bramdo: Hmm...something isn't right, I don't like this quiet...I look about myself, do I see anything through the trees across from me?
GM: You do not see much; even with the sun as high as it is it is still rather dark under the canopy; roll Perception to see if you spot anything.
Bramdorolls; 2d10+Acuity; 18.
GM: 18...Your eyes pierce into the darkness of the forest. For a few minutes, you see little, but just as the sun begins to creep below the hills to your back, you see the faintest reflection of light from deep into the forest. Though you cannot make out a person, what you saw was the unmistakable reflection of a person's eyes, and just as swiftly as you caught it you...
GM checks their notes, Bramdo has an Acuity of 5, making his passive perception useless, but because he used his Perception to check the tree line, he beats the Bandit's Stealth check of 12 at a +6 difference, negating the attack entirely.
...Swing your maul upjust in time to deflect an arrow away from your throat. Roll Iniative, someone is coming for you...
Bramdo rolls,2d10+Ini Mod (All energies/30, in this case, +1), 17. 2ndin Initiative out of 3. At the same time, Bramdo rolls 2d20 to set up his first round. 14 and 7. Bramdo decides to Double Down, taking 22as his Act Rating (+1 from Pitdog); he has 21 Movement to use for the round.
GM: As you ready yourself, the first Bandit comes forward out of the woods; you recognize him immediately, you saw him with your Novel last night...he rushes forward to attack you, 15 to Hit.
Bramdo:He hits me! I wasn't ready for him!
GM Rolls damage; 1d8 Slashing; 6.
GM: You take 6 Slashing damage as he swipes at you with his short sword, and the Bandit steps back... he seems ready for you.
Bramdo: Okay its a fight now...I want to go for his head and take it off!
GM: Okay, take -5 to hit.
Bramdo: 16! Give it to me! (
Bramdo marks down 1 point of Stamina used)
GM: The Bandit seemed ready to fight but as your maul connects with his face, you see the briefest glimpse of sheer terror as it goes flying off to your left, landing some
(Gm rolls a d10) 8ftaway from you. The body stands there for a moment and collapses. What else do you do?
Bramdo: Yeah...I move forward 20 feet to theedge of the tree line, and I'm going to use my Skill Action to Provoke them; I yell out “GIVE MY F!#$! BOOK BACK YOU BASTARDS”.
GM: Aight, roll Provoke.
Bramdo rolls, 2d10+ 5 Acuity; Natural 20 for 25 total. Bramdo adds 2 Skill Points to Provoke. Marks down 1 point of Acuity used)
Bramdo: Nat 20, 25 total! Lets goooo.
GM: Nice. You see nothing for a few moments, but you hear some hushed whispering before you see two figures start bolting in the opposite direction, and you can hear the clang of metal as their weapons hit the forest floor. But then a third figure cries out: “Son of a...Alright, you want it? Come and get it!”
You see the figure appear from behind another tree, about 20 feet away from you. He backs up, holding your book aloft in his hand; he waits to catch your eye and as you glance up at the book in his hand, you see it fall onto the forest floor just as a knife comes screaming from the Bandits other hand; +18 to Hit.
Bramdo: Gah! Im hit again.
GM: (
rolls, 1d6+2, 8; also rolls2d10 +20 Stamina, 22) You take 8points of Piercing damage as the knife sticks in your leg. As you recoil from the pain, you see the Bandit back up further, darting as he does. He's seems quite fast, you better catch up...Next Round!
Table rolls. Bramdo rolls 2d20, Nat 40. GM Rolls 2d20, 10 and 15. Bramdo adds 2 Skill Points each to Heavy Arms and Heavy Armor and waits to go; he has 57 Movement and 18 Composure left; GM opts to Double Down for a React rating of 25.
GM: Alright, you see the Bandit ahead some 42 feet away, what do you doBramdo?
Bramdo: I invoke the Frenzy, and I rush forward to meet him. I say nothing but instead look at him with pure malice as I attack; Nat 20.
GM: Nice! As your rage and fury well up and you swing your maul to take him down, he just barely reacts in time to deflect your blow, but it may well not be enough! Roll damage!
Bramdo Rolls; 1d12 + 1d4, 8 + 4, 4 doubles due to Frenzy, total 16. Bramdo marks down 2 points of Stamina.
Bramdo: I hit him for 16 Blunt damage, and I let out a roar as I do it!
GM: The Bandit nearly falters under the crash of your maul, but he still managed to deflect some of the blow; he's shaken but still standing.
GM marks the Bandit down to 8 Composure from 20; As he had a high enough React, his Armor Rating of 4 applied a reduction to the damage.
GM: The Bandit collects himself, he is still too shaken to try and fightback, but as you look him up and down, just like that he snaps out of his daze, and you see the flick of another knife! But it is not aimed at you, but to your right. Just as suddenly, you hear the creak and moan of the trees surrounding you as a huge log comes swinging towards you! What do you do?
The GM has activated the Bandit's Environmental Action, Log Trap. This allows the Bandit to call down a conveniently placed log tied up high to swing down and hit a target for 2d12 Blunt Damage at a +15 to Hit(it would have more if the Bandit had not used up their react to survive the blow from Bramdo)
Bramdo:I swing my Maul to Parry the Log away. Nat 20.
If the Bandit still had their React available to them, they would have had the log hit at +40, enough to break through the Nat 20 Reaction, but Bramdo's Critical Defend would still allow him to negate 10points of the damage, with this Armor Rating of 5 doubling due to the Critical. Meanwhile, the GM rolls for the Bandit; 2d10 + 17 Stamina;19.
GM:Nice, the log's ropes break from the force of your blow and it crashes against a nearby tree, the echo of the colliding wood piercing the air. The Bandit is still swaying back and forth, he doesn't look long for this world, and he uses his Skill Action to run from you, darting away another 20 feet.
Bramdo: I use the rest of my movement, 15 feet to try and catch up to him.
GM: Alright you get close but he's just out of reach. Next Round!
Table Rolls; Bramdo rolls 19+15, he assigns 19 to Act for +20, and 15 to React; 31 Feet to Move. GM Rolls 2+2. He Doubles Down, but it won't do any good. Bramdo marks down 2 points of Stamina for his upcoming attack.
GM: Bramdo, this is it, what do you do?
Bramdo: I'm going to Throw my Maul at him, he won't get away this time. I take a -5, but still hit for +15.
GM: You watch as your Maul flies out of your hand towards the Bandit; he tries to reach behind himself to Parry it away, but its no use! You hear the deafening crack of his spine as your Maul begins to ricochet off a few trees back to you, and the Bandit is punted forward from the force of the blow; he falls to the forest floor and lies still; he had no last breath.
You look about, you spot your Book easy enough about 20 feet behind you, and the two bodies are free to loot. There is no apparent sign of the other two bandits who ran off. Your Frenzy wears off as you see no enemies about, check yourself.
Bramdo rolls his saving throw; +5 Max Stamina. His Stamina maxes at +18, so he has to roll a 23. His current Stamina is at +13, so he rolls 2d10+13. Just misses, 20 total. Bramdo marks down his 10 Stamina loss, for +3 left.
Bramdo: Bah, serves them right. I collect my book and leave the bodies where they lie. Where is the nearest town? I'm tired.
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And that's the swing of it. I said I would keep the set dressing to a minimum but I couldn't help myself, but it should presumably be clear enough to understand. I ran this encounter ad hoc with a buddy I've been play-testing this with, and all told it took us like, 5 Minutes to run it end to end if we don't count the couple of minutes to note down what we all did each round.
There's a lot of info that goes into it, especially as you get on in levels and start racking up abilities and items, but the actual play once you set yourself up is just so quick. The plan is to design a character sheet that neatly, and hopefully elegantly, collapses all of this overhead into a quick reference to keep things smooth.
Players will have to do some mild prep to keep up with their stuff, but you know what that's kosher in my book. Levels and items don't come all that fast unless you're getting absurdly lucky (that Bramdo got 6 Skill points out of the 10 he needs to level up to 6th Level out of this particular encounter is just a stroke of absurd luck getting 3 Nat 20s in a row), and they only ever intake one at a time, so there's little reason why apart from neglect to not stay on top of it. And even then, as long as you keep track of what you have, it should be easy to update the sheet. (or at least, this is all what I intend)