AWW: Combat Stats
Jun. 15th, 2012 01:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexandraerinSo, one thing that happened last weekend was that I ended up not finishing and not saving my post about equipment as character qualities, leaving a "part 1" post with no "part 2". I'll probably eventually resurrect it. This post is more of a companion post to this one, which covered the check mechanic at a glance and also listed the twelve primary Character Strengths (attributes).
I've mentioned before having a separate attribute track for combat abilities. This post is about the Combat Strengths, of which there are ten. At one point I was casting about for two others so there would be the same number of Combat Strengths and Character Strengths, but that would be an example of symmetry for symmetry's sake... the number of stats this game uses is already pretty high, but everything that is there is there for a reason. Adding more stats to create a numbering theme would undermine that.
I'm not going to mention many exact numbers in this post, because anything I've tentatively decided is going to be subject to major revision and fine-tuning once playtesting starts. There will probably be a lower starting ceiling on Combat Strengths than Character Strengths, and the number of points to be allocated will be enough so that multiple stats can be maxed out with points leftover... my goal is that the most specialized you can be is two Combat Strengths maxed out, with points left over to go in a third (or spread between a third and fourth).
But while it'll be impossible to focus entirely in a single area, just as with the non-combat Character Strengths, the idea with Combat Strengths is that most characters will have 0 in multiple ones, and none are a "required" stat. If you're going to be an active combatant you'll need some sort of offensive ability, and you'll want some source of HP and some kind of defense, but no single stat wins or loses combat.
Before reading on, I'd recommend referring to this post which talks a little bit about the nuts and bolts of combat, in terms of hit rolls and defenses and damage.
The Combat Strengths are as follows:
Prowess is hand-to-hand fighting ability. It adds to close physical attack rolls.
Targeting is ranged fighting ability. It adds to ranged physical attack rolls.
Presence is your ability to command attention in the thick of battle. It adds to social attack rolls, which take the place of normal social influence attempts in a fight scene.
Defense is "semi-passive" defense. When someone makes a physical attack against an awake and alert opponent, they're rolling to beat this number.
Reflexes is "active" defense. If you spend an action to dodge, parry, or block an attack, you can use a die roll plus Reflexes in place of your Defense. (Assuming this result is better... failed attempts don't make you easier to hit.)
Toughness is resistance to physical injury. It can be a major factor in determining your HP, and helps lower the amount of Wound Points you take at the end of a fight. It also helps you resist the physical effects of attacks, and can be used to resist magic.
Willpower is mental fortitude. It can be a major factor in determing your HP, serves as Defense against mental and social attacks, helps you resist the mental effects of attacks, and can be used to resist magic.
Speed is used to resolve questions like "Who reaches x first?" or "Does the retreating character get away cleanly from the character chasing them?" Speed can also be used in place of Reflexes for dodging in any round in which a character is moving. If you're trying to run around another character (to get in back of them, or to make an end run around them), it's a contest of Speed vs. Reflexes.
Tactics is used to resolve the question of Advantage, decided at the start of every combat round. Instead of taking turns, action unfolds simultaneously... the side with Advantage gets to declare their actions last, after the other side has done so.
Leadership is your ability to inspire your allies to keep fighting. In game terms, it increases HP (the actual rule being that at the start of any Fight Scene you add the highest Leadership score that anyone else has to your HP). Your Leadership minus a range penalty can be used by your allies in place of their Willpower when they're defending against mental/social attacks. It may also have some active uses in further buffing, details pending playtesting.
Note that some stats have overlap. Reflexes is normally used for dodging, but Speed can be used in its place. The better of Willpower or Toughness can be used for magic resistance, as can the Magic stat itself. So you could have three different characters, one a muscle-bound barbarian, one a martial artist monk, and one a powerful but undisciplined wizard, who all resist magic equally well in their own way.
The overall goal of the stat system is to make many general character concepts viable without having to recourse to special abilities as possible. A straightforward fighter is going to have Prowess and some combination of Toughness, Defense, and Reflexes to deal with physical damage. A priest or bard is likely to rely on Presence and Leadership. Someone like a D&D warlord or marshal could have Leadership and Tactics on top of Prowess or Targeting. A craven coward who's constantly running for cover while exhorting their allies to fight harder and protect them could have Speed and Leadership.
As always, NPCs use a simplified "lower definition" stat system. Instead of Prowess and Targeting, they use Prowess for all physical attacks... if they have some reason to be markedly better at ranged or close attacks a bonus will be noted for one, though run of the mill opponents will only really be equipped for one or the other, so will be making improvised attacks if they switch modes. Instead of having a Tactics stat that's added to a roll, every NPC combatant has a Tactics Level. PCs are rolling to beat the highest Tactics Level present, so taking out the leader or most intelligent enemy makes the rest of the encounter easier.
NPCs will in particular never have a Leadership stat. Morale-based HP effects are written into encounters more often than assigned to particular types of creatures, and will more often be negative than positive... i.e., defeating the living idol makes all the cultists left in the fight immediately lose HP. PCs don't have to worry about losing HP when their "Leader" is defeated because they're too individualistic for that... they can be inspired by the words or example of a friend, but they won't give up faster when that friend goes down.
As a further note: I'm on the verge of renaming "Hit Points" to "Fight Points" to better convey what they are, but I tend to find it a little bit overly precious when games use a Hit Points mechanic and name them something else. It's pretty much a term of art at this point.
I've mentioned before having a separate attribute track for combat abilities. This post is about the Combat Strengths, of which there are ten. At one point I was casting about for two others so there would be the same number of Combat Strengths and Character Strengths, but that would be an example of symmetry for symmetry's sake... the number of stats this game uses is already pretty high, but everything that is there is there for a reason. Adding more stats to create a numbering theme would undermine that.
I'm not going to mention many exact numbers in this post, because anything I've tentatively decided is going to be subject to major revision and fine-tuning once playtesting starts. There will probably be a lower starting ceiling on Combat Strengths than Character Strengths, and the number of points to be allocated will be enough so that multiple stats can be maxed out with points leftover... my goal is that the most specialized you can be is two Combat Strengths maxed out, with points left over to go in a third (or spread between a third and fourth).
But while it'll be impossible to focus entirely in a single area, just as with the non-combat Character Strengths, the idea with Combat Strengths is that most characters will have 0 in multiple ones, and none are a "required" stat. If you're going to be an active combatant you'll need some sort of offensive ability, and you'll want some source of HP and some kind of defense, but no single stat wins or loses combat.
Before reading on, I'd recommend referring to this post which talks a little bit about the nuts and bolts of combat, in terms of hit rolls and defenses and damage.
The Combat Strengths are as follows:
Prowess is hand-to-hand fighting ability. It adds to close physical attack rolls.
Targeting is ranged fighting ability. It adds to ranged physical attack rolls.
Presence is your ability to command attention in the thick of battle. It adds to social attack rolls, which take the place of normal social influence attempts in a fight scene.
Defense is "semi-passive" defense. When someone makes a physical attack against an awake and alert opponent, they're rolling to beat this number.
Reflexes is "active" defense. If you spend an action to dodge, parry, or block an attack, you can use a die roll plus Reflexes in place of your Defense. (Assuming this result is better... failed attempts don't make you easier to hit.)
Toughness is resistance to physical injury. It can be a major factor in determining your HP, and helps lower the amount of Wound Points you take at the end of a fight. It also helps you resist the physical effects of attacks, and can be used to resist magic.
Willpower is mental fortitude. It can be a major factor in determing your HP, serves as Defense against mental and social attacks, helps you resist the mental effects of attacks, and can be used to resist magic.
Speed is used to resolve questions like "Who reaches x first?" or "Does the retreating character get away cleanly from the character chasing them?" Speed can also be used in place of Reflexes for dodging in any round in which a character is moving. If you're trying to run around another character (to get in back of them, or to make an end run around them), it's a contest of Speed vs. Reflexes.
Tactics is used to resolve the question of Advantage, decided at the start of every combat round. Instead of taking turns, action unfolds simultaneously... the side with Advantage gets to declare their actions last, after the other side has done so.
Leadership is your ability to inspire your allies to keep fighting. In game terms, it increases HP (the actual rule being that at the start of any Fight Scene you add the highest Leadership score that anyone else has to your HP). Your Leadership minus a range penalty can be used by your allies in place of their Willpower when they're defending against mental/social attacks. It may also have some active uses in further buffing, details pending playtesting.
Note that some stats have overlap. Reflexes is normally used for dodging, but Speed can be used in its place. The better of Willpower or Toughness can be used for magic resistance, as can the Magic stat itself. So you could have three different characters, one a muscle-bound barbarian, one a martial artist monk, and one a powerful but undisciplined wizard, who all resist magic equally well in their own way.
The overall goal of the stat system is to make many general character concepts viable without having to recourse to special abilities as possible. A straightforward fighter is going to have Prowess and some combination of Toughness, Defense, and Reflexes to deal with physical damage. A priest or bard is likely to rely on Presence and Leadership. Someone like a D&D warlord or marshal could have Leadership and Tactics on top of Prowess or Targeting. A craven coward who's constantly running for cover while exhorting their allies to fight harder and protect them could have Speed and Leadership.
As always, NPCs use a simplified "lower definition" stat system. Instead of Prowess and Targeting, they use Prowess for all physical attacks... if they have some reason to be markedly better at ranged or close attacks a bonus will be noted for one, though run of the mill opponents will only really be equipped for one or the other, so will be making improvised attacks if they switch modes. Instead of having a Tactics stat that's added to a roll, every NPC combatant has a Tactics Level. PCs are rolling to beat the highest Tactics Level present, so taking out the leader or most intelligent enemy makes the rest of the encounter easier.
NPCs will in particular never have a Leadership stat. Morale-based HP effects are written into encounters more often than assigned to particular types of creatures, and will more often be negative than positive... i.e., defeating the living idol makes all the cultists left in the fight immediately lose HP. PCs don't have to worry about losing HP when their "Leader" is defeated because they're too individualistic for that... they can be inspired by the words or example of a friend, but they won't give up faster when that friend goes down.
As a further note: I'm on the verge of renaming "Hit Points" to "Fight Points" to better convey what they are, but I tend to find it a little bit overly precious when games use a Hit Points mechanic and name them something else. It's pretty much a term of art at this point.