The objectives:

--Kill: Keep fighting until everyone on the other side of the fight is dead.

--Render Helpless: Keep fighting until everyone on the other side of the fight is too hurt to continue. Helpless opponents, once defeated, can be taken prisoner or allowed to depart after they're done rolling around on the ground in pain. Killing helpless people, or intelligent creatures, generally requires rolling to avoid negative conditions (Emotional Shock, Losing Control)

--Gain Surrender: Keep fighting until everyone on the other side agrees to be taken into custody, in exchange for a promise of fair treatment. Not all combatants will willingly surrender. When they don’t, the GM treats the situation as if the players have chosen the Render Helpless objective.

--Beat Up: Thrash your opponents and then leave, leaving them badly hurt but not dead.

--Block: Stop your opponents from moving past you.

--Drive Away: Keep fighting until everyone on the other side retreats. If they were attacking you, they flee back to wherever they came from. If they were defending a position, they flee in random directions or back toward the nearest position of safety. Use when you want to defeat your enemy without killing or capturing them.

--Escape: Flee to a position of safety the enemy is not attempting to hold or protect.

--Escape With A Captive: Grab a member of the opposing force, then flee with your new captive to a position of safety the enemy is not attempting to hold or protect. Where the enemy group includes combatants of varied ability, you take its weakest or most vulnerable member.

--Gain an Item: Grab a portable, easily seized item held by a member of the opposing force, then flee with it to a position of safety the enemy is not attempting to hold or protect. Suitable items include books, weapons, amulets, purses, satchels, and documents.

--Overrun: You forcibly move through a group of opponents attempting to block you from going somewhere.

--Topple: You knock the target off its feet—which is only worth doing when your enemy stands on a cliffside, on the brink of a raging river, on a rope bridge, or in some similar situation where a fall will cause a more-than-momentary setback.




Every player has STATS and ABILITIES.

STATS are what you use to roll with if you're not using an ABILITY.

ABILITIES, you DON'T have to roll dice for. You just USE them. Using an Ability costs FUEL. Different abilities have different kinds of fuel-- some common fuel types are MORALE, GOLD, and SNACKS.

COMBAT:

--Every Round, each player posts what they do, whether it's to do something with a STAT, or to burn Fuel and use an ABILITY.

--Once each player has done that, the GM tells the players how successful they were. If the combat isn't over, two things happen:

--CHANGE: the battle CHANGES in some way. Enemy reinforcements may arrive, the enemy may finish charging up a dangerous threat, the battlefield may change, who knows what (but these are three common examples). BATTLE CHANGES usually mean the players will have to change their tactics, which often means changing their Objectives.

--DROPS: The second thing that happens is that the GM creates FUEL DROPS. Often, the GM will do this randomly. Fuel Drops can recharge Abilities-- although sometimes (not always) the characters must move TO the new Fuel Drops and pick them up.


Repeat the above until combat is over!

Close: Right up close in melee, or a few steps away

Near: Out of the reach of a normal sword-swing, but 2 or 3 seconds (or less) of running will get you there

Far: Anything beyond that




Enemies:

--Deep Gnome Grunt Soldiers. They obey commands, but look for opportunities to ascend.
----Health: 2
----Damage: 1 Damage, Close/Near
Moves:
----Duck behind cover for a moment. -1 point to PC attack rolls (but not to damage)
----Create a shield of stone
----Obey commands: when obeying someone else's command, they do +1 dam when they hit


--Deep Gnome Captain
----Health: 4
----Damage: 2 Damage, Close
Moves:
----Stoneskin: create an armor of stone that blocks the next 1 damage he takes.
----Command: Command grunts to attack.
----Create Stone Spikes-- does 2 damage to a target Near or Far.




--Black Witch of the Woods.
----Health: 2
----Damage: 1 Damage, Close
Moves:
----Hex a target. They roll -1 dice for the rest of this combat. (Can't be added more than once per target.)
----Blur: Can't be targeted at Far range
----Cackle: All targets roll -1 dice next turn (stacks with Hex)






Evil Fighter
----Health: 10 (note: Armor 1)
----Damage: 2 Damage
Moves:
* Ability: Charge: Spend 2 Morale to charge at a target that is Near (no matter who might be in your way) and to automatically do 2 damage when you reach that target.
* Ability: Intimidate: Spend 1 Morale and pick a target. That target does 1 less damage next round (minimum of 0).
* Ability: Fall Back: Spend 2 Morale and grab a nearby ally (that isn't trapped is some way) and move them to a new, Near or Far location. If they were at 0 HP, they regain 1.




--Gargoyle
----Health: 11 (note: The Dragon has Armor 1)
----Damage: 2 Damage, Close
Moves:
----Fly: Cannot be targeted by Close attacks next round.
----Swoop: 1 Target Roll vs. 2 dam
----Push: Roll Vs. getting knocked down.



--Dragon
----Health: 25 (note: The Dragon has Armor 1)
----Damage: 3 Damage Close
Moves:
----Roar: All targets roll -2 dice next turn (minimum 1)
----Breath weapon: All targets Close and Far take 3 Damage. All targets Near take 5.
----Fly: Fly. Cannot be targeted by Close nor Near attacks next round.


--Beholder
----Health: 25 (note: The Beholder has Armor 1)
----Damage: 1 Damage Close
Moves:
----Disintegrate: one target roll vs. 7 damage.
----Anti-Magic: regular magic (as opposed to Holy or Nature magical effects) do not work if the beholder's main eye is facing in that direction.
----Sleep Ray: 1 Target roll vs. Sleep.
----Paralyzing Ray: 1 Target does nothing next turn.
----Fear Ray: 1 Target Roll vs. Fear, running Far
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:44, Sun 13 Nov 2022.

The Four Combat Stat Attacks:

--ATTACK: roll 3d6, modify with your character class, and keep the best result:
----1-2: FAIL! Take 1 damage!
----3-4: Take 1 damage, and an enemy does too!
----5-6: NICE! You take no damage AND the next player to post a Stat action rolls 1 extra die!

--DEFEND: roll 3d6, modify with your character class, and keep the best result:
----1-2: FAIL! Lose 1 Fuel and take 1 Damage!
----3-4: Take 1 Damage!
----5-6: NICE! You take no damage AND the next player to post a Stat action rolls 1 extra die!

--FEINT: A sneak attack, possibly taking advantage of a distraction.
----1-2: FAIL! Lose 1 Fuel and take 1 Damage!
----3-4: Take 1 damage, and an enemy does too!
----5-6: NICE! You take no damage AND the next player to post a Stat action rolls 1 extra die!

--MANEUVER: The Maneuver action is used to, well, maneuver, gaining an advantage over your opponent. In a fight, a Maneuver can be a push or a flanking move. Etc.
----1-2: FAIL! Take 1 Damage!
----3-4: Take 1 Damage but the next player to post a Stat action rolls 1 extra die!
----5-6: NICE! You take no damage AND you choose from the Maneuver Success options below!

The Maneuver action is used to gain a temporary advantage over your opponent. It's the most complex action of the four. The Maneuver action has 3 possible effects: impede, gain position and disarm. Each effect requires a certain margin of success. You can't use the same effect twice on the same action, but you can use an effect again if you play another successful Maneuver on a subsequent action.

Margin of success 1: Impede: -1D disadvantage to your opponents next round.

Margin of success 2: Gain Position: +1D advantage next round.

Margin of success 3: Disarm: Remove one of your opponent's weapons, a piece of gear, or disable an ability for the remainder of the conflict.


Players: Choose one of these four things.
--Attack: +1 vs. Maneuver but -1 vs. Defend
--Defend: +1 vs. Attack but -1 vs. Feint
--Feint: +1 vs Defend but -1 vs. Maneuver
--Maneuver: +1 vs. Feint but -1 vs. Attack
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:05, Fri 11 Nov 2022.