Combat Mechanics and Comments

[Yaw]

Physical Combat

Combat is turn-based, with alternating attack/defend cycles.

In each cycle, we compare the number generated by the attacker with that generated by the defender to determine if the attacker hit successfully.

Attack = weapon skill + related attribute + d10
Defend = evasion + CRD + d10

To hit, attack > defend.

Now, if a player is carrying a shield, that adds to the defense, but also negatively affects his/her CRD as follows.

Buckler: Defend + 1
Small Shield: Defend + 3, CRD - 1
Large Shield: Defend + 5, CRD - 2
Tower Shield: Defend + 7, CRD = 0

Note that the CRD penalty will affect attacks, if the weapon skill used by the shielded person is dependent on CRD.

If an attack is successful, it will do damage. The base damage is dependent on the kind of weapon being used. This is deducted from a player's Hit Points.

Hit Points = STR + CRD

In addition, the kind of weapon being used can influence whether the attacker scores a critical hit. A critical hit is scored if the value of the attack is a greater than the defense by a significant amount. If a critical hit is scored, more damage is done.

In table form, this means:

Code: Select all

                                 Light                    Medium                 Heavy
                                                                                 
Base Damage                       1                          2                     3
                                                                               
Critical Slashing                 2                          3                     4
                                                                               
Critical Piercing                 3                          4                     5
                                                                               
Critical Bludgeoning              2                          3                     4

With:

Code: Select all

                                               Criterion

Critical Slashing                        Attack >= 1.5*Defend

Critical Piercing                        Attack >= 2*Defend

Critical Bludgeoning                     Attack >= 2*Defend

All that remains is to categorize weapons. Basic ideas for each category are below, but these can be extended to fit anything a character happens to be using, and any style they are using.

Code: Select all

                                      Light                  Medium               Heavy

Slashing                              Dagger                  Sword               Battle-ax,
                                                              Hand ax             Two-handed sword

Piercing                                                      Spear
                                                              Arrow

Bludgeoning                           Fists                   Staves              Maul (war hammer)
                                                              Mace
                                                              Morning star

Adding in an element of damage proportional to STR was raised as a possibility, but we'll see how this runs as is, and we can always figure that out and add it during testing.

Characters are able to withdraw from combat at any point, if they so desire. We might want to work out a point at which NPCs withdraw (dependent on the NPC).

Magickal Combat

Similar idea to physical combat, but using magickal abilities.

Attack = Sorcery + POW + d10
Defend = Sorcery + PUR + d10

In addition, one can defend a spell that is mind affecting by
Defend = Willpower + PUR + d10

The concept of "damage" hasn't been worked out here yet, so comments on that are welcome. There's also the issue of magickal vs. physical combat (a fighter fighting a sorcerer) to be worked out, as well as possibly ideas of range (for archery), and what non-Sorcery magickal abilities might do in combat.

[Yaw]

Ok, initiative. (I'm doing this intuitively, so it's open for discussion.)

Whoever declares combat gets the first attack. This can be overturned if a player that is being attacked is successful in reacting in a timely manner. That is, the defending player will do an automatic check against his/her observation skill (which Dourgrim defined in the RPG thread as being related to reaction times).

Reaction = ACU + Observation + d10 >= 15

I think that will set it at a level where it's possible to get for someone with a good ability to react at first (a bit of Observation + decent ACU + a lucky roll), and will get easier in time as players raise their ACU and Observation levels. The 15's open for discussion, and we can see what works best here, but the number

must

be greater than 10 -- it should take

some

skill to overturn initiative, and everyone's going to have some ACU. We also want it at a level where that die roll matters a bit even to experienced players, as I don't think having auto-initiative is reasonable.

[Yaw]

about the reaction - what if we have a dual and they both with weapons drawn?

Oh, so two people agreeing on a duel? I guess we can compare reactions against one another...

and what about magick combat reaction, is it the same as normal combat reaction?

I guess it should be.

Not sure about the latter two questions. We have to figure that out.

[Yaw]

Actually, I'll take whatever feedback's out there. I know I'm not Dourgrim, and I know I'm trying to cobble this together in a vacuum at the moment.

I think it's best to keep things relatively simple in terms of rolls -- one skill rather than multiple skills being tested at a time. That said, Observation might not be the best skill for reaction to a magickal attack. Perhaps Intuition (EMP) instead? From answers Dourgrim's given in the RPG thread, Observation is definitely the usual reaction skill. It does make sense to me for a physical combat that isn't agreed upon by all parties beforehand to have initiative based on intent to attack vs. reaction, and reaction vs. reaction for duels. Might be better to just make the latter standard, though -- the former would also depend upon the skill of the attacker, which isn't being considered.

We are going to have to better define Sorcery and Conjuration. These should be left relatively open, but I think we need to at least categorize the kinds of effects that could be generated so that we can deal with them as mods. With the latter, I'm not so much worried about the anvil-on-head scenario as I am about the summoning-a-random-creature-in-the-middle-of-combat scenario. I expect the players to be creative, and it is rather nasty for mods to suddenly have to create NPC sheets on the fly for summoned creatures -- that aren't a given race -- they didn't anticipate. That's bound to be more problematic than a big fireball.

[Yaw]

Ok, let's put magickal combat last on the list. I can see this is going to be an issue.

So...

Test 1 -- Two people, one modding. Player vs. NPC in physical combat. Person controlling the NPC is the mod. Everything done in thread, although NPC character sheet should NOT be visible until combat has ended.

Test 2 -- Three people, one modding. Player vs. Player in physical combat. Mod not involved in combat, but takes choices from players and calculates as required. Everything done in thread, both character sheets visible.

Test 3 -- Regular gameplay. Moving around. Three people, one modding. Threads set up by character. Test of timing in moving from place to place. Attempt to get both characters to meet up in the same place at the same time.

Test 4 -- Regular gameplay. Moving around. Four people, two modding. Threads set up by place, split up by mod. Test of timing in moving from place to place. Attempt to get both characters to meet up in the same place at the same time.

Test 5 -- Magickal combat. Hope Dourgrim is back by this time...

Sound decent?

[Yaw]

Jeep has written us a standardized d10 roller. It can be found at http://www.mafiascum.net/forum/d10.php We'll be using that for testing and gameplay.

Thanks Jeep!

[Yaw]

Ok, let's start test 1 on Monday. Anyone with access to this forum is welcome to sign up below this post. On Monday we'll have those signed up split off into pairs with one "mod" and one "player" (all random), and start new threads to see how the fights work out.

/in for test 1

[Yaw]

Is it necessary to be online on certain times?

No. And it shouldn't be necessary to screw up your sleeping schedule to be a mod in the RPG as a matter of principle. Some of these combats may go slower than others because of time zone issues, but I don't think that's a bad thing -- in fact, it would give us a good idea of how the RPG would go in such a situation. Those are bound to arise.

Mojo -- Test 2? That's the player vs. player one, instead of the player vs. NPC. Does that mean you're in or out for the player vs. NPC test starting Monday?

[Yaw]

Well, there's no reason we can't run two of test 1 at the same time. Part of the purpose here is to get people familiar with combat mechanics, so the more the merrier.

Let's say I want to disarm my opponent in combat, what do I need to role in order to do that?

Good question. I can't find any skill to indicate disarmament in and of itself. As I see it, disarming your opponent is dependent on having good coordination, and wanting to do it. So, to disarm, let's say this:

You must declare before the next attack that you are trying to disarm your opponent, instead of just injuring him/her.
You must then make a successful critical hit on your opponent,

using your CRD attribute

, not STR.

This seems reasonable to me, because you'd basically have to hit your opponent hard around the hands to disarm him/her. In addition, it would penalize people with high STR scores using axes -- you're more likely to chop a hand off than to disarm your opponent with that kind of weapon, which is only disarmament if you consider the word a pun.

Does that sound workable?

Edited to add -- Since there are two-handed weapons and double weapons, let's make the above per hand.

[Yaw]

Oh, two more things to add. From the bottom of the character-creation sheet:

**** Focus is a abstract representation of a person's "ki" (his ability to harness his Spirit to assist a mundane action). People who do not actively wield magick may still harness the power of their Spirit by making a Focus check to temporarily raise another Ability. Generally these increases only last for one Action, although there are exceptions, as the situation will dictate.
***** Willpower is the ability of a person to resist an effect (magickal or otherwise) that might alter his will, actions, or desires. It is the Skill used to counter mind-control effects, possession by incorporeal undead, and paralyzing effects. It also allows a person to function while seriously wounded (a successful Willpower check allows a character to ignore the effects of his wounds for one Action).

Focus should be fairly easy to incorporate. The only issue here is that an "ability" isn't particularly well-defined. Let's define it as a skill, rather than an attribute (you have to focus

on

something). Then, if desired you can make a focus check prior to a round of combat. This is the usual PUR + Focus + d10 >= number. If successful, the desired skill can be raised by 1 for the round. We just need to set that number. Suggestions?

Willpower presents a bit of an issue. Functioning while seriously wounded would suggest being able to fight if successful in making a Willpower check. We don't at the moment have a variation in ability if a character gets wounded. In addition, hit points (STR+CRD) may be sufficiently low to begin with that setting a constant for unconsciousness/impairment might not make sense (I think it will average around 8 or 9, but likely lower for magickians). Any suggestions for this one?

[Yaw]

That's 5 in. One more can give us three combats.

Focus: What if you want to hold open a door... can't you harness your ki to help you do that?

I think you can focus to do anything better, you just have to define it under a skill. So holding open a very heavy door would probably fit best under unarmed combat (STR), and a Focus check could boost the roll required to pull that off.

How about we do that on a successful focus check, the person get's a +1 or +2 to his next roll.

Well, I was thinking +1 for now, but we can see how that works out with numbers once we actually get into combat. The whole point of testing is to see if we have to make alterations. The outstanding issue here is what a character has to hit as a roll to increase their focus.

About willpower. I think we should penalize a person after he reaches 50% of his normal hit points, rounded down. And on a successful willpower check, the person ignores the penelty.
And I like the idea of one action after reaching 0 hit points.

What about sorcerers, though? They're likely to have fewer points, so the 50% would hurt that kind of character...

I had been assuming 0 meant death. We can define it such that 0 is unconsciousness, which fits in quite well with allowing an additional action after 0 with a successful Willpower check (though as with Focus, we'd have to define the number to roll for this). With that definition, though, what defines death?

[Yaw]

Ok, provisional stuff with the above.

HP = 0 = mortally wounded. So you could fight on at that level, but most people wouldn't be able to.

You can fight on at that level for one more round with a check against Willpower.

Willpower + PUR + d10 >= 14 - HP

So if you happen to hit negative, it gets harder. The other alternative would be to zero out HP (say you can't go negative), but we can see how this one works in testing as is and make adjustments.

Focus can raise a skill (for purposes of a check) for one round by 1, if a check is successful.

Focus + PUR + d10 >= 10 + skill to be raised

So it's easier to raise lower skills than higher ones. We'll see how this works in practice for duration issues.

[Yaw]

Ok, it's now Monday my time.

Excel says the battles are as follows:

Fight 1: Yaw (mod) vs. Mojo
Fight 2: Kerplunk (mod) vs. thorred
Fight 3: Anyone who wants to mod this vs. Jeep

Feel free to volunteer for fight 3's modship. I'll do it if everyone else declines.

Here's how the test will work:

Mods will start a new thread for each fight. This will contain a bit of scene-setting. Fight 1 will be a duel, Fight 2 will be an ambush on the player (so we can see both reaction checks in action).

Players will then post their character sheet in thread. Mod characters will be posted

after the battle is over

for analysis purposes.

Mods will do the calculation for the battles and post in thread, giving players a chance to respond after each round of combat. Totals for attack and defense should be posted in thread, without a breakdown.

Players are responsible for posting the actual content of the battle in prose form. Take the numbers given and create a story from it. Creativity is highly encouraged. This can be done round-by-round, or at the end of the battle, as you prefer.

Battles will be to the death, so that we can check what happens with the Willpower thing. Both mods and players are encouraged to post at what point they'd back out of the conflict were this rule not in place.

After the battle is over and the mod character posted, each fight thread will be open for discussion on combat in general.

You are encouraged to equip your character as desired, without regard for what he/she would normally be able to afford. You are also encouraged to try combat tricks -- disarming, changing weapons between rounds, using two weapons at once, Focus checks, shields, etc. Let's stretch this thing as far as it will go, so we can see where any problems lie.

[Yaw]

Level 0. Both NPCs and player characters. In

theory

, that should make for a fair fight. (Looks in Mojo's direction )

[Yaw]

We don't have that figured out yet. Right now, we'll say you have to fight unarmed until the end of combat. After this round of tests is done, we'll figure out how disarmament worked, and discuss allowing people to pick up weapons during combat (and under what conditions).

[Yaw]

Vor redux. The issue, as I see it, is inter-level balance. Obviously, somebody with a lot of natural physical ability should be able to beat someone who doesn't have as much in combat. The question is about how much experience should be required to negate that natural advantage.

To put it another way, sure in test 1 Vor beat Oduro easily. That isn't at issue for game balance. Should Vor have been able to beat Oduro easily if this were still Vor's first fight, but Oduro had fought in 10 battles before? 20? At what point should the boost from experience in battle be able to balance out pure natural ability?

Let's assume for the sake of argument that combat will only take place among characters at the same level. (It won't, but it makes the math reasonably simple while being somewhat realistic.) Experience is assigned on the basis of the level of character beaten in combat, and how good the roleplaying was. We'll assume average roleplaying. That gives us:

BXP = 7*(level + 1)

Comparing this against the NPC experience assigned for each level, and assuming that the character is going to be a dominant fighter (primarily body attributes), we can get an impression of how many fights an NPC at a certain level would have been in and won. So...

Level 1: 15 BXP, 2 fights.
Level 2: 60 BXP, 5 fights.
Level 3: 135 BXP, 8 fights.
Level 4: 240 BXP, 12 fights.

Level 4's supposed to be the "boss" level. I think I would need to create a level 4, semi-optimized for combat, non-Slith NPC to be able to have a chance against Vor with no experience.

Now, this isn't exactly correct even under the assumptions stated, but it does give some idea of what's going on. What does this sort of inter-level analysis imply about balance? Are there modifications that can fix any issues?

[Yaw]

Ok, revised combat. I'll be editing this post as more gets filled in.

Physical Combat

Combat is turn-based, with alternating attack/defend cycles.

In each cycle, we compare the number generated by the attacker with that generated by the defender to determine if the attacker hit successfully.

Attack = weapon skill + related attribute + d10
Defend = evasion + CRD + d10

To hit, attack > defend.

Now, if a player is carrying a shield, that adds to the defense, but also negatively affects his/her CRD as follows.

Buckler: Defend + 1
Small Shield: Defend + 3, CRD - 1
Large Shield: Defend + 5, CRD - 2
Tower Shield: Defend + 7, CRD = 0

Note that the CRD penalty will affect attacks, if the weapon skill used by the shielded person is dependent on CRD.

If an attack is successful, it will do damage. The base damage is dependent on the kind of weapon being used. This is deducted from a player's Hit Points.

Hit Points = 3*(STR + CRD + HP Bonus)

In addition, the kind of weapon being used can influence whether the attacker scores a critical hit. A critical hit is scored if the value of the attack is a greater than the defense by a significant amount. If a critical hit is scored, more damage is done.

In table form, this means:

[mrow]Damage Type[col]Light[col]Medium[col]Heavy Base Damage[col]STR[col]1.5*STR[col]2*STR Critical Slashing[col]1.5*STR[col]2*STR[col]2.5*STR Critical Piercing[col]2*STR[col]2.5*STR[col]3*STR Critical Bludgeoning[col]1.5*STR[col]2*STR[col]2.5*STR


With:

[mrow]Damage Type[col]Criterion Critical Slashing[col]Attack >= 1.5*Defend Critical Piercing[col]Attack >= 2*Defend Critical Bludgeoning[col]Attack >= 2*Defend


All that remains is to categorize weapons. Basic ideas for each category are below, but these can be extended to fit anything a character happens to be using, and any style they are using.

[mrow]Weapon Type[col]Light[col]Medium[col]Heavy Slashing[col]Dagger[col]Sword Hand Ax[col]Battle-Axe Two-Handed Sword Piercing[col]Dart[col]Spear Arrow[col]-- Bludgeoning[col]Fists[col]Staves Mace Morning Star[col]Maul (War Hammer)


If a player is wearing armour, that can reduce the damage suffered from a successful hit. This will also negatively affect his/her CRD, as follows:

Leather Armour: -1 damage
Studded Armour: -2 damage
Chain Mail: -3 damage, -1 CRD
Breastplate: -4 damage, -1 CRD
Plate Mail: -5 damage, -2 CRD

Characters are able to withdraw from combat at any point, if they so desire. We might want to work out a point at which NPCs withdraw (dependent on the NPC).

Magickal Combat

Similar idea to physical combat, but using magickal abilities.

Attack = Sorcery + POW + d10
Defend = Sorcery + PUR + d10

In addition, one can defend a spell that is mind affecting by
Defend = Willpower + PUR + d10

Spells can have targetted effects or areal effects. They can also be classified as low, medium, or high damage. This works as follows in table form:

[mrow]Damage Type[col]Light[col]Medium[col]Heavy Base Damage[col]POW[col]1.5*POW[col]2*POW

Magickal Fatigue

Actually performing any of these actions will also be based on fatigue. This is an additional check against any action of:

Focus + PUR + d10 + penalty

This means that every action will now be tested against fatigue -- no fixed numbers to roll against. So, for example, to be successful casting a spell at your opponent:

Attack = Sorcery + POW + d10 > Sorcery + PUR + d10 = Defend
Attack = Sorcery + POW + d10 > Focus + PUR + d10 + penalty = Fatigue

Both of these conditions must be satisfied for the spell to be successful. If the second fails, the spell won't be cast. If the second is successful but the first fails, the spell will be countered.

Penalties are reduced to zero on resting and eating. Failure to do these actions for a while will result in added penalties against fatigue rolls.

For spells, the fatigue penalties are:

Casting a spell: 2
Casting an areal effect: 2
Casting a Low damage spell: 0
Casting a Medium damage spell: 1
Casting a High damage spell: 2
Each previous failure to cast spell: 2

These penalties are additive. For the purposes of spellcasting, the penalty will be referred to as a spell's Difficulty.

Critical failure on a fatigue roll will result in a player Swooning. This means he/she will go unconscious for a period of time, overtaken by fatigue. Critical failure occurs when:

Fatigue > 0.5*Attack

Physical Fatigue

This is analogous to Magickal Fatigue. That is, every action is subject to an additional check of:

Focus + PUR + d10 + penalty

So, to successfully hit an opponent:

Attack = Weapon Skill + Related Attribute + d10 > evasion + CRD + d10 = Defend
Attack = Weapon Skill + Related Attribute + d10 > Focus + PUR + d10 + penalty = Fatigue

As with spells, both conditions must be met for an attack to be successful. If the first is not, the attack will be blocked. If the second is not, the attacker will be unable to deliver the blow, swinging wildly, stumbling, or missing for some other reason.

Penalties are reduced to zero on resting and eating. Failure to do these actions for a while will result in added penalties against fatigue rolls.

For physical combat, the fatigue penalties are:

Attacking: 2
Wearing Armour: Penalty equal to CRD deduction
Using a Shield: Penalty equal to CRD deduction
Using a Tower Shield: 3
Using a Medium-Sized Weapon: 1
Using a Heavy Weapon: 2
Previous Failure on Fatigue Roll: 2

These penalties are additive.

Critical failure on a fatigue roll will result in a player Swooning. This means he/she will go unconscious for a period of time, overtaken by fatigue. Critical failure occurs when:

Fatigue > 0.5*Attack

[Yaw]

Thinking about it, I don't like the above for Fatigue. MMCL was right in some ways.

Beginnings of a better method...

Everyone has 100 Energy to start the day. This lets us think in terms of percentages, which is much easier. Every time you take an action -- any action -- it results in a penalty being assigned to the player's energy budget. When they sleep for a reasonable amount of time, it gets reset to 100. Smaller naps, eating, etc. can boost a player's energy, but not reset it.

Since every action has a related attribute, this gives us a framework to assign penalties. The more natural ability a character has in a certain area, the slower they will be affected by fatigue. This means that after the action is attempted, a penalty will be assigned by:

Fatigue = (Action Factor) * (10 - Attribute)

Where the Action Factor is a coefficient assigned to reflect how strenuous the task is. This means that fatigue would be considered as a whole -- a strong fighter who is weak at problem solving will become so tired mentally from doing the latter that it will affect him if he has to fight.

When a player's energy drops to a certain range, an appropriate penalty will be applied against all rolls. This means no secondary check against fatigue -- one roll, success or failure, followed by a fatigue penalty applied to the character's energy before the next task.

Swooning will occur when a player's energy drops to a certain level. A roll for Willpower may be able to hold off swooning temporarily, but that roll will be quite difficult (as it will have to beat all the fatigue penalties amassed). I see there being two different levels for swooning -- this one and a secondary one where no amount of rolling can possibly avert unconsciousness.

Comments? Do people prefer this method? If so, we have to come up with energy levels for swooning and penalties, and coefficients for various actions. (I can see most, if not all of these being fractions -- if AF=1, an average character would lose 6 energy for that action, meaning he/she could only perform 16-17 actions per day.)

[Yaw]

Weapons just fit into categories. Anything can be added into the list -- it's designed to be illustrative rather than exhaustive.

Since the idea is to make combat "dangerous" (by Dour's original framework), that means we can evaluate combat by using probabilities. (It'll model combat reasonably well, as we can expect it to be over within about two hits.) Now, mikehart's suggestion was to just use characters from the wiki and our prior combat testing, so I'm listing below a sample of characters to use. Please comment if you think the sample could be improved.

Nithrar -- 4STR, 6CRD, 4 sticks
Soulair -- 4STR, 8CRD, 2 swords
Glaisne -- 7STR, 5CRD, 4 swords
Fernando Pablosa -- 6STR, 6CRD, 2 crossbow
Th'okaris -- 9STR, 7CRD, 4 knives
Sha-Skelesh -- 3STR, 3CRD, 3 swords

[Yaw]

For this round, all physical. We'll work out magickal combat next.

[Yaw]

Nithrar vs. Soulair:

Nithrar:

Probability of hitting: 55%
Probability of a critical hit: 1%
Probability of a critical hit if using a slashing weapon: 13%

Deals: 6 damage
Has to deal to kill: 12 damage

Soulair:

Probability of hitting: 45%
Probability of a critical hit: 10%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 0%

Deals: 6 damage
Has to deal to kill: 10 damage

Nithrar vs. Glaisne:

Nithrar:

Probability of hitting: 72%
Probability of a critical hit: 9%
Probability of a critical hit if using a slashing weapon: 30%

Deals: 6 damage
Has to deal to kill: 12 damage

Glaisne:

Probability of hitting: 64%
Probability of a critical hit: 19%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 2%

Deals: 10.5 damage
Has to deal to kill: 10 damage

Nithrar vs. Th'okaris:

Nithrar:

Probability of hitting: 72%
Probability of a critical hit: 9%
Probability of a critical hit if using a slashing weapon: 30%

Deals: 6 damage
Has to deal to kill: 16 damage

Th'okaris:

Probability of hitting: 79%
Probability of a critical hit: 6%
Probability of a critical hit if using a slashing weapon: 30%

Deals: 9 damage
Has to deal to kill: 10 damage

Note:

Changed Th'okaris to using unarmed combat, as he would have exactly the same stats for attack and defense as Glaisne if he used his knives (CRD) skill.

Nithrar vs. Sha-Skelesh:

Nithrar:

Probability of hitting: 94%
Probability of a critical hit: 45%
Probability of a critical hit if using a slashing weapon: 70%

Deals: 6 damage
Has to deal to kill: 6 damage

Sha-Skelesh:

Probability of hitting: 21%
Probability of a critical hit: 2%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 0%

Deals: 4.5 damage
Has to deal to kill: 10 damage

[Yaw]

Soulair vs. Glaisne:

Soulair:

Probability of hitting: 72%
Probability of a critical hit: 45%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 30%

Deals: 6 damage
Has to deal to kill: 12 damage

Glaisne:

Probability of hitting: 64%
Probability of a critical hit: 19%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 2%

Deals: 10.5 damage
Has to deal to kill: 12 damage

Soulair vs. Th'okaris:

Soulair:

Probability of hitting: 72%
Probability of a critical hit: 45%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 30%

Deals: 6 damage
Has to deal to kill: 16 damage

Th'okaris:

Probability of hitting: 79%
Probability of a critical hit: 6%
Probability of a critical hit if using a slashing weapon: 30%

Deals: 9 damage
Has to deal to kill: 12 damage

Soulair vs. Sha-Skelesh:

Soulair:

Probability of hitting: 94%
Probability of a critical hit: 70%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 45%

Deals: 6 damage
Has to deal to kill: 6 damage

Sha-Skelesh:

Probability of hitting: 21%
Probability of a critical hit: 2%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 0%

Deals: 4.5 damage
Has to deal to kill: 12 damage

[Yaw]

Glaisne vs. Th'okaris:

Glaisne:

Probability of hitting: 79%
Probability of a critical hit: 37%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 12%

Deals: 10.5 damage
Has to deal to kill: 16 damage

Th'okaris:

Probability of hitting: 90%
Probability of a critical hit: 20%
Probability of a critical hit if using a slashing weapon: 50%

Deals: 9 damage
Has to deal to kill: 12 damage

Glaisne vs. Sha-Skelesh:

Glaisne:

Probability of hitting: 97%
Probability of a critical hit: 76%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 50%

Deals: 10.5 damage
Has to deal to kill: 6 damage

Sha-Skelesh:

Probability of hitting: 36%
Probability of a critical hit: 10%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 1%

Deals: 4.5 damage
Has to deal to kill: 12 damage

Th'okaris vs. Sha-Skelesh:

Th'okaris:

Probability of hitting: 99%
Probability of a critical hit: 55%
Probability of a critical hit if using a slashing weapon: 81%

Deals: 9 damage
Has to deal to kill: 6 damage

Sha-Skelesh:

Probability of hitting: 36%
Probability of a critical hit: 10%
Probability of a critical hit if using a piercing or blunt weapon: 1%

Deals: 4.5 damage
Has to deal to kill: 16 damage

[Yaw]

Left Fernando Pablosa out, because he's using a crossbow and we haven't discussed range yet. Comments on how to handle that would be appreciated.

Overall, I'm happy with the results. They seem to be intuitive.

My one minor critique is with the critical hit. Because it's based on a multiple of the defense, it tends to be a bit non-intuitive. (I asked myself a few times if the number was right.) I think it might be better to make the critical hit criteria:

Attack >= Defense + n,

Where n is some constant number we can set. (We could calibrate it so it gives around the percentages we want for the Nithrar/Soulair match, and then check it against the others.) This would give more intuitive numbers.

In addition, if a critical hit is to be defined physically as hitting a gap in the opponent's armour, it's actually easier to do that with a piercing weapon than a slashing weapon. So the criteria should be adjusted to reflect this. (I think there should be some bonus in addition to just not having the armour apply, so that getting a critical hit isn't irrelevant if the opponent's not wearing armour. Not entirely sure what yet.)

So, any comments on the critical hit stuff, how to deal with range, or the above tests?

[Yaw]

Nithrar vs. Soulair:

Nithrar:

Probability to hit: 55%

Critical hit probability if:

Attack > Defense + 1: 45%
Attack > Defense + 2: 36%
Attack > Defense + 3: 28%
Attack > Defense + 4: 21%
Attack > Defense + 5: 15%
Attack > Defense + 6: 10%
Attack > Defense + 7: 6%
Attack > Defense + 8: 3%
Attack > Defense + 9: 1%

Soulair:

Probability to hit: 64%

Critical hit probability if:

Attack > Defense + 1: 55%
Attack > Defense + 2: 45%
Attack > Defense + 3: 36%
Attack > Defense + 4: 28%
Attack > Defense + 5: 21%
Attack > Defense + 6: 15%
Attack > Defense + 7: 10%
Attack > Defense + 8: 6%
Attack > Defense + 9: 3%

(Yes, I know the initial probabilities are inconsistent with before. Either I miscalculated or Jeep changed his character in the interim.)

So looking at the above percentages, we need to decide which critical hit criteria would make the most sense for slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning weapons. (We're looking for what the probability should be to critical hit with each type of weapon.) Knowing those criteria, I can run them through the other scenarios from before to see if it gives good numbers across the board.

What's your preference for the critical hit?

[Yaw]

Hadn't gotten back to this yet.

By using Attack > Defense + n as the criterion, it'll automatically be easier to get critical hits against poorer fighters than against better ones. I'm just guessing here, but for Nithrar fighting Soulair vs. Ska-Skelesh (the poor fighter), critical hit would probably go from around 1% with Soulair to 15% with Ska-Skelesh, using n=9. (Which doesn't seem too horrible. It's far more meaningful to get a critical hit if it's harder to do, while this change doesn't in any way impact the non-critical numbers, which make it clear that Ska-Skelesh is getting his ass kicked in no uncertain terms.)

But I see what you mean now about the effects of a critical hit needing to be defined first. hm...

[Yaw]

Ok, how's this:

Critical hit means a severe injury. Essentially, the combat is over, seek medical help immediately.

Slashing weapons would probably result in something being cut off, piercing weapons would probably result in hitting an eye or something like that, bludgeoning weapons would result in a blow to the head and unconsciousness.

Essentially, this takes things out of the realm of being dealt damage, and would result in Hit Points being set to 1 (or something similar to that). For this reason, the probability of this happening should not be more than 1% in an even matchup. (Naturally, it scales when the matchup isn't even...)

Comments?