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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sam Crow" data-source="post: 8356265" data-attributes="member: 7031709">Attacking - Momentum Momentum is the conversion of excess heads won during a successful engagement into coins in the next exchange. So if you win an engagement by 2 two extra heads in this exchange, you get to flip 2 extra coins in the next exchange. If you win the next engagement by, say, 3 heads, you can flip 5 extra coins in the exchange after that. Momentum can be built in this way - by continuing to engage and winning those engagements consecutively - until you’ve built it up to its maximum. Your maximum momentum is equal to your current ardor (again, more on ardor later). Whenever you decide the time is tactically right, you can make a committed strike. When you do, you add all your gained momentum coins to your skill with your weapon and any situational modifiers. Thus, you can potentially land a devastating and debilitating shot when the time is right. We’ll cover how that works in Attacking - Committed Strikes. Momentum is an, err, double edged sword, however. First, except in the case of a successful parry-counterattack, momentum can only be built from winning consecutive engagements. In any instant in which you do not successfully engage or strike, your momentum stops. And strikes do not win momentum, they spend it as we'll see later. Second, a successful parry, block, or evasion all and your momentum and that lost momentum is deducted from your ardor. However, if your momentum stops because you elect to stop attacking, your momentum is simply lost without penalty. Finally, as noted above, your momentum cannot exceed your current ardor. Any momentum gained that exceeds your ardor is lost and deducted from your ardor. Example A - Gaining & Using Momentum Al elects to engage, and Bob drops into defensive posture. Al flips 10 coins, the number equal to his engagement skill with his sword (there are no modifiers or momentum at this point). He gets 6 heads. Bob elects to parry and flips 10 coins, the number equal to his parry skill with his sword. Poor Bob only gets 3 heads. Al wins the exchange by 3 heads, forcing Bob back in a quick flurry of steel. Al continues to engage in the next exchange. This time, he flips 13 coins vs Bob’s 10. Al gets 8 heads and Bob gets 5, gaining Al 3 more momentum. The repeated assault is paying off as Bob continues to backpedal and Al presses his attack. Al decides the time is right and he elects to commit to a strike. Al will flip 10+3+3=16 coins vs Bob’s 10. We’ll see what happens there when we get to Attacking - Committed Strikes. Example B - Stopping Momentum Picking up from the first successful engagement above, Al has 13 coins to flip versus Bob's 10. He elects to keep engaging. However, this time, Bob decides to evade. He gets 6 heads. Al only gets 5. Al has lost the exchange and, with it, all of his momentum. The physical exertions of building and pressing the attack catch up with him and the 3 lost momentum are deducted from his ardor. Example C - Forfeiting Momentum It's later in the fight. Al and Bob have been clanging and banging for a while and are tired. That is, their ardor has decreased. Al wins an engagement by 5 heads. His ardor is currently at 6 heads. Al knows that any momentum that exceeds his ardor of 6 will actually cost him ardor. Therefore, he elects to disengage to catch his breath. Doing so, he loses all momentum and cedes the attack to Bob, but he conserves his energy and doesn't lose ardor. Notes Proceed to <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/help-wanted-fans-of-combat-mechanics.681604/post-8356315" target="_blank">Attacking - Commitments</a> or return to the <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/help-wanted-fans-of-combat-mechanics.681604/post-8352645" target="_blank">Table of Contents</a></blockquote>

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