Combat Sucks

Combat Sucks

Initiative

Initiative begins with Pre-Initiative, it is when everyone declares their intentions in the coming combat round.  then all Pre-Initiative actions occur.  Sometimes that is a nocked arrow getting loosed, or and attempt to flee the mele is made, etc.

If a character has the ability to attack more than once per round, an initiative roll is made for each attack.

The Campaign Lawyer has Combat round sheets, and records the order of the attacks, and calls the flow of the combat round.

At the end of initiative, post round actions are taken, then the round is closed and pre initiative begins with intentions for the combat round again, and a new Combat sheet is used.

All ties are rolled off or the DM breaks the tie as he sees fit.

Not all combat ends in death.  Will you run at someone pointing a drawn bow at you?  have you always fought until you were unconscious?

Many combats end in a stand off and begin that way.  It is difficult to initiate combat in most instances and it is somewhat easy to refuse combat in most cases, merely by moving away.

Combatants surrender, run, or are driven crazy with pain of fear.


Critical Hits and Critical Failures.

It is not uncommon to be killed with a single slash of a strait razor.  What is the damage on that, 1-1 / 0-1 ???

Also, when you get run through with a spear, you get run through.  there are just not that many times your gonna stand and fight with a spear through you unless you are a warrior of legend.

Also, shit happens in combat.  This is a breakdown of things that can happen.

Critical Hits (A roll of a Natural 20, this is rare).

01-25 - Full Damage.

26-39 - Double Rolled Damage.

40-69 - Double Full Damage.

70-79 - Triple Rolled Damage.

80-89 - Triple Full Damage.

90-95 - Enemy Incapacitated.

96-99 - Instant Death.

00 – Players Choice.  Do you want them flung from a cliff, to catch fire and burn to death, drown, sprain their ankle and surrender, or just surrender, how about fear you and run and tell all their friends you are a supernatural creature, or how about surrender and offer their lives to you as a slave.  or surrender and swear fealty to you.  How about the through their spear through the head of their leader, or accidentally  knock their friend unconscious.  it your choice.

Critical Failures (yeah, you rolled a 1, stop crying, it happens).

01-49 - No Hit.

50-69 - No hit.  Lose all remaining attacks and actions for the round.

70-81 - No Hit.  Drop weapon at feet.  No other penalties.

82-89 - No Hit.  Weapon Flung 15 feet away in a random direction.  No other penalties.

90-91 - No Hit.  Injured Self.  Weapon damage only no modifiers.  Weapon retained.  No other penalties.

92-93 - Hit Friend, both lose remaining attacks per round.

94-95 - Hit Friend, roll confirmation hit without modifiers, weapon damage only.  Both Lose remaining attacks that round.

96-97 - Hit Friend, Roll Confirmation hit with modifiers.  Both lose remaining attacks per round.

98-99 - Fall and are stunned for 1-3 additional rounds.

00 - DM’s Discretion.  What is the worst thing that could possibly happen, because it just happened.  You rolled a fricking 1, then you rolled 00, what are the chances, I mean really.

While Broken Bones, Lost teeth, Concussions, Cut Arteries and unconsciousness are all a part of normal martial combat, they are solely the discretion of the DM for the purposes of combat in this game setting.