In a thread at rpg.net an user asked for advice on how to develop their ideas for a simple melee system for a low fantasy RPG set in the Dark Ages. This was my suggestion for a stripped down combat system that tries to retain some detail: the basic ideas here are that a fighter has the upper hand on their opponent if they have a higher initiative score, and that an attack is successul if it targets an unprotected part of the defender's body. I'd like to know what people here think of it; feel free to contribute ideas to add flesh to these bones.
At the start of each new round of a fight every player draw their fighting skill (the skill with the weapon/armor combo they are currently using) rating in playing cards from a deck made only of pip cards, and use their highest "initiative card" as their initiative score.
Besides the initiative cards, each player also has a permanent hand of four cards: two black ones and two red ones (e.g. the four aces, the four kings etc.). When a character makes an attack, the player places on the table two black cards if the character's attack targets the defender's lower limbs, two red cards if the attack targets the upper limbs, and a black and a red card if the attack targets the main body. The cards must be downturned if the attacker's initiative score is higher than the defender's, or upturned in the opposite case. Then the other player declares what general zone (upper limbs, lower limbs, main body) their character tries to protect. Then the attacker reveals what general zone is targeted by their attack (if the cards were downturned), and both the attacker and the defender roll 3d6: a low attack targets (and a low defense protects) the particular body part indicated by the number shown on the lowest d6, a middle attack targets (and a middle defense protects) the part indicated by the middle d6, and a high attack targets (and a high defense protects) the part indicated by the highest d6. The body parts are:
1 - Left (or right, if the attacker is lefthanded) leg
2 - Right (or left, if the attacker is lefthanded) leg
3 - Torso
4 - Head
5 - Right (or left, if the attacker is lefthanded) arm
6 - Left (or right, if the attacker is lefthanded) arm
You can think of a low attack that hits an arm or of a high attack that hits a leg as a feint.
If the attacker is using a long weapon they can add 1 to (or subtract 1 from) the highest and the lowest d6; if the attacker is using a short weapon they can add 1 to (or subtract 1 from) the middle d6.
When one is targeted by an attack, they can either try to block the attack, dodge the attack, or sustain the attack.
One can only try to block an attack if they have a weapon that can block the attacker's weapon, or a shield. Small weapons cannot block large weapons, and viceversa; medium weapons can block weapons of any size. Shields make it easier to block an attack aimed at the certain body zones: the main body for small shields, both the upper limbs and the main body for medium shields, all zones for large shields. That is, the defender can add 1 to (or subtract 1 from) the middle d6 if the shield is small, to (or from) the highest and the middle d6 if the shield is medium, and to (or from) any die if the shield is large. This means that any shield's modifier and a small weapon's modifier for an attack aimed to the main body cancel out, a medium shield's modifier and a long weapon's modifier for an attack aimed at the upper limbs cancel out, and a large shield's modifier and a long weapon's modifier for an attack aimed at the upper or lower limbs cancel out (in other words, when the attacker says "I can modify the result", if the defender replies "I too can", neither gets to use their modifier).
One can only dodge an attack if they still have at least one initiative card in their hand. Dodging an attack (like all non-automatic actions that aren't attacks or parries) in fact requires that the player discards an initiative card, so that their new initiative score becomes that shown on their remaining highest card (or 0, if the player has no remaining initiative cards).
One has to sustain an attack if they can neither try to block it nor dodge it, or if they want to counterattack. That one sustains an attack means that they let the attacker hit them. This can happen when two characters have the same initiative score. In such a case, in fact, the order in which actions are declared is determined by the suit of the highest initiative card: spades goes first, then hearts, then diamonds, then clubs. So, if it's a character's turn to act, but in the same turn the character is attacked by a faster character, the slower character can either sustain the faster character's attack and simultaneously counterattack, or give up attacking the faster character in order to dodge or try to block their attack.
If the defense protects the same body part that is targeted by the attack, the defender blocks the attack; in this case both the attacker's weapon and the defender's weapon or shield might be damaged or removed, and some damage might still be applied to the part of the body targeted by the attack. If the defender doesn't block the attack damage is applied to the targeted body part.
At the start of each new round of a fight every player draw their fighting skill (the skill with the weapon/armor combo they are currently using) rating in playing cards from a deck made only of pip cards, and use their highest "initiative card" as their initiative score.
Besides the initiative cards, each player also has a permanent hand of four cards: two black ones and two red ones (e.g. the four aces, the four kings etc.). When a character makes an attack, the player places on the table two black cards if the character's attack targets the defender's lower limbs, two red cards if the attack targets the upper limbs, and a black and a red card if the attack targets the main body. The cards must be downturned if the attacker's initiative score is higher than the defender's, or upturned in the opposite case. Then the other player declares what general zone (upper limbs, lower limbs, main body) their character tries to protect. Then the attacker reveals what general zone is targeted by their attack (if the cards were downturned), and both the attacker and the defender roll 3d6: a low attack targets (and a low defense protects) the particular body part indicated by the number shown on the lowest d6, a middle attack targets (and a middle defense protects) the part indicated by the middle d6, and a high attack targets (and a high defense protects) the part indicated by the highest d6. The body parts are:
1 - Left (or right, if the attacker is lefthanded) leg
2 - Right (or left, if the attacker is lefthanded) leg
3 - Torso
4 - Head
5 - Right (or left, if the attacker is lefthanded) arm
6 - Left (or right, if the attacker is lefthanded) arm
You can think of a low attack that hits an arm or of a high attack that hits a leg as a feint.
If the attacker is using a long weapon they can add 1 to (or subtract 1 from) the highest and the lowest d6; if the attacker is using a short weapon they can add 1 to (or subtract 1 from) the middle d6.
When one is targeted by an attack, they can either try to block the attack, dodge the attack, or sustain the attack.
One can only try to block an attack if they have a weapon that can block the attacker's weapon, or a shield. Small weapons cannot block large weapons, and viceversa; medium weapons can block weapons of any size. Shields make it easier to block an attack aimed at the certain body zones: the main body for small shields, both the upper limbs and the main body for medium shields, all zones for large shields. That is, the defender can add 1 to (or subtract 1 from) the middle d6 if the shield is small, to (or from) the highest and the middle d6 if the shield is medium, and to (or from) any die if the shield is large. This means that any shield's modifier and a small weapon's modifier for an attack aimed to the main body cancel out, a medium shield's modifier and a long weapon's modifier for an attack aimed at the upper limbs cancel out, and a large shield's modifier and a long weapon's modifier for an attack aimed at the upper or lower limbs cancel out (in other words, when the attacker says "I can modify the result", if the defender replies "I too can", neither gets to use their modifier).
One can only dodge an attack if they still have at least one initiative card in their hand. Dodging an attack (like all non-automatic actions that aren't attacks or parries) in fact requires that the player discards an initiative card, so that their new initiative score becomes that shown on their remaining highest card (or 0, if the player has no remaining initiative cards).
One has to sustain an attack if they can neither try to block it nor dodge it, or if they want to counterattack. That one sustains an attack means that they let the attacker hit them. This can happen when two characters have the same initiative score. In such a case, in fact, the order in which actions are declared is determined by the suit of the highest initiative card: spades goes first, then hearts, then diamonds, then clubs. So, if it's a character's turn to act, but in the same turn the character is attacked by a faster character, the slower character can either sustain the faster character's attack and simultaneously counterattack, or give up attacking the faster character in order to dodge or try to block their attack.
If the defense protects the same body part that is targeted by the attack, the defender blocks the attack; in this case both the attacker's weapon and the defender's weapon or shield might be damaged or removed, and some damage might still be applied to the part of the body targeted by the attack. If the defender doesn't block the attack damage is applied to the targeted body part.
The bare bones of a melee system
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