Multiple Attacks

[Glorelendil]

I'm probably accruing Shadow points by studying this dark art, but I do occasionally think about the limitations of the one-attack-per-turn rule. I wonder if at some point it makes sense for heroes to be able to attack multiple opponents.

My requirements:
- It requires a relative power differential: i.e. strong heroes can use it only against weak(er) adversaries
- It's not reliable or predictable, so you can't strategize around using it

So how about this:
When in Forward or Open Stance, if your attack kills* a previously uninjured adversary whose Attribute Level is less than your Valour, you may immediately make another attack against another adversary with whom you are already engaged**. This extra attack is made with one fewer Success dice in Forward Stance, and two fewer dice in Open Stance.

*Either by wounds or endurance loss.
**Archers can choose any target.

In theory you could chain this together to mow through several adversaries...like Gimli helping out Aragorn at the battle of Helm's Deep, or Boromir fighting 100 orcs to protect Merry and Pippin...but you'd need high skill Forward Stance, and a bit of luck (or Hope) to pull it off, which seems fair.

Thoughts?

Does this very idea cement my status as a low-down, powergamin' munchkin? Was trying to use the weapons of the Enemy against him a bad idea after all?

[zedturtle]

It's entirely too complicated.

You need a more elegant solution to this conundrum. I'm not quite sure what it is, yet.

[Glorelendil]

It's entirely too complicated.

You need a more elegant solution to this conundrum. I'm not quite sure what it is, yet.

Oh, really? That's not the response I expected. "If you one-shot somebody weaker than you, go again." How is that complicated? Or is the addition of the declining dice that makes it too complex?

[Glorelendil]

What if the rule were simply "when you both Wound and reduce an opponent to zero endurance on the same blow, attack another opponent with whom you are already engaged"? No requirement about Valour:AL.

EDIT: and to critique my own idea, what I DON'T like about is that even Boromir attacking Snaga Trackers would usually not trigger it because it's dependent on that high Feat roll. Also, it penalizes axes.

[zedturtle]

It's entirely too complicated.

You need a more elegant solution to this conundrum. I'm not quite sure what it is, yet.

Oh, really? That's not the response I expected. "If you one-shot somebody weaker than you, go again." How is that complicated? Or is the addition of the declining dice that makes it too complex?

Sorry.

It's the declining dice, and the requirements to keep track of who has and has not been hurt and the multiple stance options.

How about a Combat Task?

Raging Assault, Requires Forward Stance

Make either an Athletics or a Battle test. For each success earned, you may make an attack roll against an adversary you are engaged with. Each adversary may only be targeted by one attack each round.

On the round of your assault, adversaries may strike you by making a test against the basic Stance value (TN 6).

- - - - --

So no requirement to time it right, or one-shot opponents. But if you don't one-shot them, you're gonna die. (Sooner or later.)

[Glorelendil]

I was trying to avoid making it a combat task so that a minmaxer couldn't optimize when to do it. Thus I was looking for it to trigger off of some kind of random (but meaningful) event or condition.

I suppose it could drop the one-shot requirement, and just be a Wound and/or enough damage to one-shot him, regardless of actual health. So if a Snaga Tracker is at 4 endurance and you hit him with 15, that counts. But 9 would not.

[zedturtle]

I was trying to avoid making it a combat task so that a minmaxer couldn't optimize when to do it. Thus I was looking for it to trigger off of some kind of random (but meaningful) event or condition.

About the only thing that I can think of that isn't occupying another function is

"If the Feat die and the highest Success die match in number and you succeeded in your attack, make another attack roll against another adversary that you are already engaged with."

[Deadmanwalking]

What about something involving exceeding the TN to hit by a sufficient amount? Say, exceeding it by 10?

That'd make it impossible to predict, and possible even on non-killing blows or vs. major foes, but also more likely to happen with weaker foes or in more aggressive stances. It'd also make it impossible on a Gandalf rune, but that may not be entirely bad.

[zedturtle]

What about something involving exceeding the TN to hit by a sufficient amount? Say, exceeding it by 10?

That'd make it impossible to predict, and possible even on non-killing blows or vs. major foes, but also more likely to happen with weaker foes or in more aggressive stances. It'd also make it impossible on a Gandalf rune, but that may not be entirely bad.

In my mind, not triggering on a Gandalf is a good thing. And it favours the more experienced heroes, which is also a good thing.

[Glorelendil]

I thought about the "exceed by X" model, but I would still want to tie it to your opponent dropping.

I also thought about it being any hit where the Feat die is less than your Valour.