Pig Champion
First Post
I just use pathfinder's CMB vs CMD formula. I really couldn't think of anything more simple that adds instant epic-ness to any battle.
How do you handle 'special' actions in your game?
- Thread starter Meridius
- Start date
Stormonu
NeoGrognard
I have the bad tendency to downplay unusual antics, but if my players can come up with something inventive or "neat", I'm getting slowly better about letting them just try it.
However, I ran across another game system that used something called "Momentum". It used the basic idea that the better the players are doing against their enemy, the more wahoo tricks they can pull off. It was designed for a somewhat low-magic, % system, but I think these rules might emulate it.
- When a character exceeds hitting a target by 5 or more (or a creature fails a save by 5 or more), they get 1 momentum point for every 5 points they exceed the required to-hit roll by. A critical hit gives +1 momentum points.
- A character can spend momentum on their turn or another PC's turn. They can spend the momentum for their own actions or their ally's actions. It translates in a +1 bonus to hit, +1 bonus to damage, or +1 bonus to save for every momentum point spent. Conversely you can spend 2 momentum points for an extra action or to attempt a "stunt". HOWEVER, the trick is, you have to describe how and why the player gets the bonus.
- momentum lasts until your next turn. You can't save it from round to round.
For example, say the characters are fighting a couple of trolls. The fighter goes first and gets off an attack that exceeds the troll's AC by 8 points. He gets 1 point of momentum to spend for his efforts.
Next, the wizard goes and unleashes a Hold spell against the other troll. The troll fails his save by 5. The wizard gets a point of momentum.
The next character to go would be the rogue. Unfortunately, the trolls aren't surprised and positioned in such a way the rogue can't flank the troll the fighter is attacking. The wizard and the fighter decide to spend their momementum to give the rogue a stunt that allows him to flank the troll and get his sneak attack. The players have to come up with a description to explain how the rogue gets his sneak attack. They decide to describe the troll overwhelmed by the fighter's ferocious attacks and distracted by the wizard's sudden "petrification" of his companion, allowing the rogue to slide up unnoticed and slip his sword into the distracted troll's side.
That's a mundane example, but the players could use momentum for all sorts of crazy and elaborate tricks. And generally, since it usually only works when the players are already winning, it rarely unbalances anything - it generally just helps a group have fun with what might otherwise be a "mundane" combat.
However, I ran across another game system that used something called "Momentum". It used the basic idea that the better the players are doing against their enemy, the more wahoo tricks they can pull off. It was designed for a somewhat low-magic, % system, but I think these rules might emulate it.
- When a character exceeds hitting a target by 5 or more (or a creature fails a save by 5 or more), they get 1 momentum point for every 5 points they exceed the required to-hit roll by. A critical hit gives +1 momentum points.
- A character can spend momentum on their turn or another PC's turn. They can spend the momentum for their own actions or their ally's actions. It translates in a +1 bonus to hit, +1 bonus to damage, or +1 bonus to save for every momentum point spent. Conversely you can spend 2 momentum points for an extra action or to attempt a "stunt". HOWEVER, the trick is, you have to describe how and why the player gets the bonus.
- momentum lasts until your next turn. You can't save it from round to round.
For example, say the characters are fighting a couple of trolls. The fighter goes first and gets off an attack that exceeds the troll's AC by 8 points. He gets 1 point of momentum to spend for his efforts.
Next, the wizard goes and unleashes a Hold spell against the other troll. The troll fails his save by 5. The wizard gets a point of momentum.
The next character to go would be the rogue. Unfortunately, the trolls aren't surprised and positioned in such a way the rogue can't flank the troll the fighter is attacking. The wizard and the fighter decide to spend their momementum to give the rogue a stunt that allows him to flank the troll and get his sneak attack. The players have to come up with a description to explain how the rogue gets his sneak attack. They decide to describe the troll overwhelmed by the fighter's ferocious attacks and distracted by the wizard's sudden "petrification" of his companion, allowing the rogue to slide up unnoticed and slip his sword into the distracted troll's side.
That's a mundane example, but the players could use momentum for all sorts of crazy and elaborate tricks. And generally, since it usually only works when the players are already winning, it rarely unbalances anything - it generally just helps a group have fun with what might otherwise be a "mundane" combat.
Mark Chance
Boingy! Boingy!
Do you recall the name of this game system? Sounds quite interesting.
Raven Crowking
First Post
This is a single-page pdf that contains a chart describing how I handle various "stunting" mechanics.
These originally began as house rules for 3.5, and have received a fair amount of playtesting in that system (although you will need to mod them back to 3.5). I hope it will be of some use when devising a system for your own use.
If you think that these suggestions are not relevant to the thread at hand, please let me know. I'll be happy to leave the thread to more relevant answers. Please feel free to ignore.
RC
These originally began as house rules for 3.5, and have received a fair amount of playtesting in that system (although you will need to mod them back to 3.5). I hope it will be of some use when devising a system for your own use.
If you think that these suggestions are not relevant to the thread at hand, please let me know. I'll be happy to leave the thread to more relevant answers. Please feel free to ignore.
RC
Last edited:
Stormonu
NeoGrognard
Chronicles of Ramlar, by White Silver Publishing. It's a fairly nice "fantasy heartbreaker" system. Unfortunately, it looks like they're out of business, but their PDFs are still available.
Very cool systems, I especially like the simpleness of Raven Crowking's ruleset.
The DMG says I should 'adjudicate' combat stunts. But in my opinion, that's easier said than done. I'm not that good at balancing things on the run, and like stormonu, I also have the bad habit of striking down such things when I don't count on them. It's just that lately, the magic users have been stealing the show, and my more martial characters simply don't roll natural 20's as of late.
My own best shot at this (still untested, due to no-one rolling nat20's) was making the critical hit equal to a stunt. Player has to think up a stunt at the spot, or the attack will be a normal attack. Reward for very creative attacks may be a little bonus damage. But it's entirely too random.
I also like the idea of having 1 stunt per encounter or rolling for a stunt. This could ideally cross over with Raven Crowking's writing. I don't want stunts to always succeed due to immense bonuses. I want my players to be ABLE to do stunts, but at such a low frequency that they HAVE to make the most of it. It shouldn't normally be part of combat.
The 'momentum' brought a slightly different idea to my mind. Someone could save up on 'confidence' , for example: a hit is +1 confidence, being hit is -1, killing something is +2, and being killed or downed puts you back at 0, when reaching 20, you can attempt a stunt, if it fails, that is -5 confidence, if it succeeds, you're back at 0, but you can immediately perform a stunt. This stunt must be sufficiently powerful to heavily damage a healthy powerful creature, or slay almost all damaged or weaker creatures. Of course, in a cool way. I'm afraid this will lead to stunts being too frequent though.
Still hoping for more great ideas, this is certainly sparking my imagination.
The DMG says I should 'adjudicate' combat stunts. But in my opinion, that's easier said than done. I'm not that good at balancing things on the run, and like stormonu, I also have the bad habit of striking down such things when I don't count on them. It's just that lately, the magic users have been stealing the show, and my more martial characters simply don't roll natural 20's as of late.
My own best shot at this (still untested, due to no-one rolling nat20's) was making the critical hit equal to a stunt. Player has to think up a stunt at the spot, or the attack will be a normal attack. Reward for very creative attacks may be a little bonus damage. But it's entirely too random.
I also like the idea of having 1 stunt per encounter or rolling for a stunt. This could ideally cross over with Raven Crowking's writing. I don't want stunts to always succeed due to immense bonuses. I want my players to be ABLE to do stunts, but at such a low frequency that they HAVE to make the most of it. It shouldn't normally be part of combat.
The 'momentum' brought a slightly different idea to my mind. Someone could save up on 'confidence' , for example: a hit is +1 confidence, being hit is -1, killing something is +2, and being killed or downed puts you back at 0, when reaching 20, you can attempt a stunt, if it fails, that is -5 confidence, if it succeeds, you're back at 0, but you can immediately perform a stunt. This stunt must be sufficiently powerful to heavily damage a healthy powerful creature, or slay almost all damaged or weaker creatures. Of course, in a cool way. I'm afraid this will lead to stunts being too frequent though.
Still hoping for more great ideas, this is certainly sparking my imagination.
The prime thing is the field of battle. Even more than in 3.5, I think, the treatment of fights in 4E really cries out for care and creativity in designing the setup -- so I would hope to see a lot of helpful material coming from Wizards. One might put on a "video game level designer hat".
Thinking in three dimensions is too often neglected, unless it's to specify that apparent potential props are really just useless scenery. Places to go and things to move (or destroy) are assets on which not to skimp.
Excitement tends IME to entail daring -- which is to say risk, uncertain outcomes riding on rolls of the dice. Ken St Andre long ago laid down a basic principle in Tunnels & Trolls: one can get a chance to do unto others in exchange for a chance of it backfiring.
A gamble is not rationally very appealing if one has an advantage that should tell in the long run. It's the fellow who's screwed except for outrageous fortune who is better off skipping the long run by betting everything (or just a lot) on one throw.
The exception is when there's a keen element of time pressure. Maybe the players can count on winning a prolonged battle of attrition, but there's greater potential reward in the riskier but quicker approach.
Thinking in three dimensions is too often neglected, unless it's to specify that apparent potential props are really just useless scenery. Places to go and things to move (or destroy) are assets on which not to skimp.
Excitement tends IME to entail daring -- which is to say risk, uncertain outcomes riding on rolls of the dice. Ken St Andre long ago laid down a basic principle in Tunnels & Trolls: one can get a chance to do unto others in exchange for a chance of it backfiring.
A gamble is not rationally very appealing if one has an advantage that should tell in the long run. It's the fellow who's screwed except for outrageous fortune who is better off skipping the long run by betting everything (or just a lot) on one throw.
The exception is when there's a keen element of time pressure. Maybe the players can count on winning a prolonged battle of attrition, but there's greater potential reward in the riskier but quicker approach.
