D&D 4E Dueling in 4E - with pistols

[Dayspire]

My campaign is very much flavored with steampunk, and I've written up some rules for firearms (slightly more powerful than a crossbow). My question is this - in a campaign with such victorian flavoring, sooner or later someone will 'demand satisfaction' and there will be a duel. Twenty paces, draw weapon, and fire. How best do I simulate that? And also to take into consideration higher level characters with quite a bit of HP?

Initial thought - damage goes directly to healing surges, and 0 surges left = death. But this is a rather dramatic shift in the rules, and I'm hesitant to make such a change.

I know this question could have been applied to any of the previous editions - but I'm wondering if the evolution of 4E gives a new options (like the healing surge one above).

Thoughts?

 

[Derren]

You can't make traditional duels without dramatic rules changes unless you want 20+ rounds of combat.

 

[MortalPlague]

Perhaps a skill challenge, using combat rolls? A certain number of successes required before a certain number of failures?

 

[Rechan]

Given that NPCs only have one healing surge per tier, odds are hugely in favor of the PC. It brings to mind that scene in "Highlander".

Skill challenge is likely the way to go.

On an unrelated note... "Dwarves with guns!" "DWARVES WITH GUNS!"

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I would say Skill Challenge as well, I would have a couple Skill Challenges prior to the turn and fire to build bonuses/negatives. Be things like distance, perceptual awareness, the level/HP of the person (so a level 1 for instance can't kill Orcus in a duel), etc.

Then on the final Skill Challenges I would have one for aiming and firing. I would have this be basic-attack vs. basic-attack (with bonuses) and whoever beats the others attack wins the duel.

However, to show things like stray bullet still hitting the winner in leg, arm, etc. if the attack roll beats the AC, Reflex (whatever your using) then it deals normal damage.

 

[Carnivorous_Bean]

Problem is, a lot of duels were fatal to both parties. There's got to be a way for both to lose if you want to keep that rather suicidal flavor that historical pistol duels had.

 

[invokethehojo]

treat each combatant as "helpless"... auto crits and if you deal damage equal to or greater than the targets bloodied value insta kill.

It may sound kinda weird, but doing this doesn't require any new rules and it keeps the combats to a few rounds (I'm guessing).

 

[GoLu]

treat each combatant as "helpless"... auto crits and if you deal damage equal to or greater than the targets bloodied value insta kill.

It may sound kinda weird, but doing this doesn't require any new rules and it keeps the combats to a few rounds (I'm guessing).

Given that most people in a 'X paces, turn, fire' style duel are just standing there and not running around, dodging, or diving behind cover, that's not at all unreasonable.

I suggest tweaking the rules to 'if you hit you crit' to represent the difficulty of turning around and shooting someone at a significant range quickly enough to (hopefully) avoid being hit in return. Plus, it lets the game distinguish between duels at 5 paces and 30 paces (the former presumably being far more deadly because of the lack of range penalties).

Also, a lot of real life duels went on for a while, often after one or both of the duelists was wounded. But sometimes it was just an exchange of gunfire, with both parties then figuring that honor was upheld and the issue settled. Anyway, point is, a duel isn't always settled by a single exchange of fire, after which one of the duelists is dead. Maybe it is custom to take three shots, then resort to swords. Maybe it is custom to take a single exchange, and all surviving duelists are considered to have upheld their honor and the issue is settled. Or maybe most people are minions and drop in a single shot anyway.

 

[ValhallaGH]

treat each combatant as "helpless"... auto crits and if you deal damage equal to or greater than the targets bloodied value insta kill.

It may sound kinda weird, but doing this doesn't require any new rules and it keeps the combats to a few rounds (I'm guessing).

This is good. If neither manages to kill the opponent, then they can have reached first blood and the injured party can claim satisfaction.

The skill challenge option is also good. Using ranged attacks, Intimidate (stare downs), and other skills (Healing to aim for the heart, Insight to notice his nerves shake, etc) to achieve a number of successes. Success equals life, failure leads to an ignominious death on the field of honor.

 

[Dayspire]

Wow, some great ideas here!