New combat rules from Adventurer's Companion

[Falenthal]

Easter Egg new Calling from the AC: Ninja

Get a Hobbit with Art of Disappearing or an Elf of Lórien with the Elven Cloack, and raise Stealth and a melee weapon as high as possible. Try to use the Background with the highest Body possible for an optimal Damage rating.

Before a Combat, use your Virtue/Reward to be considered out of the combat scene and, therefore, not be applicable to the engagements.

Once the melee combat starts, declare yourself in Open Stance, doing the new Sudden Attack Combat Task. If succesful, declare you're using the new Called Shot Savage Blow for the attack action. Or Pierce if an elf with a spear.

Ninja'ed!

[cuthalion]

What I definitely need are some new Combat Cards for the players to help them remember all the options they have available to them!

This would be great--using a selection from the existing art even would be totally fine. And we could maybe add cards for weapons and armour at the same time? Or maybe not.

C7? Could be a quick and easy money maker I'm sure.

As would some new colours of the base dice, for Mastery Dice et al. I know you don't have to use different dice, but I'd be into it.

bluejay, re: your original comment. Yes! Enhearten comrades is actually a great addition--and feels very Tolkienesque--now that you have made me look closer at it. A hero waits until the last moment (sacrifices first attack), to turn to his companions and enhearten them, or scream some kind of warcry into the enemies faces---brings back lots of the scenes from the books to me!

[Falenthal]

bluejay, re: your original comment. Yes! Enhearten comrades is actually a great addition--and feels very Tolkienesque--now that you have made me look closer at it. A hero waits until the last moment (sacrifices first attack), to turn to his companions and enhearten them, or scream some kind of warcry into the enemies faces---brings back lots of the scenes from the books to me!

In a way, I think Enhearten Comrades is more believable and interesting than Rally Comrades. I might even discard the "Healing Cleric" task (Rally Comrades) and only allow Enhearten Comrades. Need to think about it. All those Rewards and Virtues that affect Rally Comrades would, instead, affect Enhearten Comrades -or I would simply change the name of the Task.

[cuthalion]

Yes, part of me is with you. King of feels game-y to have the different buffing/healing options.

On the hand, even putting aside the practical function that Rally Comrades provides, I think I can justify having both in my mind. We have to remember the mantra, "Endurance Points aren't Hit Points! Endurance Points aren't Hit Points! Endurance Points aren't Hit Points!" Remember that, and it's easier to remove the "cleric-y" associations.

Think about it this way--rallying doesn't necessarily involve addressing moral. It can be, and perhaps more often is, about strategy, or refocusing effort. It's a crude analogy, but say I'm hammering nails. My friend can come and tell me to remember to hit the nails square on the head, or let the hammer do the work, and I might feel a little more energy for the task, or a little less sore. That same friend might also tell me to look up and see that only a few nails remain, and my tiredness might lift suddenly, as I push on for the final bout.

Anyway . . . thoughts . . .

[Indur Dawndeath]

I always thought that it was wierd that you can Rally a wounded companion, but after the fight it is only the uninjured who regain endurance...

[Falenthal]

I can see your point, cuthalion, about remembering that Endurance are not Hit points.
Yes, I'll hear you and allow both tasks. It also gives more decissions to be made to the players.
Good points.

[Rich H]

This would be great--using a selection from the existing art even would be totally fine.

I make my own (using zed's as a basis) as well as some Journey cards but they also have my house ruled combat options and journey tasks on them so there application for other people is... limited. Here's what they look like though:


[right-click and select 'view image' to see full pic]

My players find them *really* useful. I'm also going to create some for the Combat roles, should I decide to use them in my game; I'm not sure they're really necessary though.

[Falenthal]

Rich, the Look-out doesn't seem to be taking his job too seriously!

[Rich H]

Rich, the Look-out doesn't seem to be taking his job too seriously!

I agree, it's an in-campaign joke for us as the look-out always seems to trigger hazards.

[cuthalion]

Those look good Rich. I'm imagining a one-card-per-combat-task/called-shot scenario, so a player can fan out their options and lay down the one their actually going to use that turn, if applicable. Do you think this would be too many cards?

(They could somehow indicate stance too, so they would still help with turn order etc., or could be paired with separate stance cards (and role cards come to that).)