Ruin
I thought of a combat system that could be used in an RTD, but I wanted to test it with a small group of people before I invest in making lore, etc. Here are some perks to the system:
-New Players can jump in at any point, and inactive players are not too much of a detriment.
-Positional strategy is very important, but not too complex to keep track of.
-Characters do get more powerful the longer they survive, but can still be killed rather quickly if caught in a bad place. Should keep you on your toes.
-Teamwork is very important.
I am looking for at least three people to test this combat system out, with at least one of each class. If more people want to join, you can post a character sheet at any point. I'll find a way to fit you in.
CombatThere will be 2 teams of characters: Your team, and the enemy. Each team has all their members take a turn at the same time. Each player will get 2 action points per turn. Those may be spent on Movement actions, Combat actions, or bonus actions. You can mix and match those points as you wish. (For example, you can move and attack, move twice, attack twice, move and bonus, etc.) I will discuss how each of those actions works in their own sections. First I need to explain how the battlefield works.
BattlefieldAll battles will take place on a 1-dimentional battlefield. Each character will be on a certain numbered "row" of the battlefield at all times, and movement consists of moving up and down the rows. Row 1 of the battlefield is the back of the players army, while row 9 would be the back of the enemy army. Characters will move among the rows and when two characters are on the same row, the potential for melee combat begins. If two characters become engaged in melee, they will typically be stuck together until one of the characters dies, or some coordinated relief by allies separates them. (or if neither character wants to be in melee)
Movement ActionsCharacters engaged in melee may not move unless they first spend a movement point to disengage from each enemy (if engaged with multiple enemies, each one must have a movement point spent on disengagement.)
Movement points may be spent on the following actions:
-moving forward or backward one row, and optionally engaging in melee with a single enemy on that new row.
-engaging in melee with a single enemy on your current row
-disengaging from melee from a single enemy. (you stay on your current row)
To use a movement action, simply state "move up one row and engage enemy 2" or something else easily interpreted by me.
Combat ActionsEach character will have a set list of potential attacks, based on their class and level. (higher level characters will get access to more attacks) You can spend one combat point to perform a specific attack. You
must be engaged in melee to use a melee attack, and you
must not be engaged in melee to use a ranged attack. Each attack has a set damage, which is modified by a d6 dice roll as follows:
1: Miss, and the opponent gets a free attack (if able)
2: Miss
3: Half Damage
4: Full Damage
5: Double Damage
6: Triple Damage, and the opponent gets a free attack (if able)
Some attacks have a modifier that adjust the dice roll up or down. However, these adjustments can only bring a roll down to a 2, and up to a 5. If a 1 or 6 was rolled, that roll is final, regardless of any modifiers. (For example, if someone rolled a 5, but their attack had a +1 modifier, the roll remains a 5. If they had rolled a 4, the attack would have become a 5 because of the modifier.) If you rolled a 1, or a 6, the enemy will get a free attack following the same formula. At the end, the damage dealt is taken from the respective character's HP, and the attack ends. If you were engaged in melee, you will remain engaged in melee. Only a movement point can disengage you from melee.
To do a combat action, simply state the attack you wish to use (attacks are listed in the class details), and the target character.
Bonus actionsBonus actions are any actions not covered in the previous two. They will usually involve the character trying to get an advantage in future turns. (Some example of Bonus actions are: climb a tower, let out a war cry, find some cover, bandage my wound, etc.) These actions are resolved by standard RTD dice rolls. If the action is a success, a relevant bonus will be given to the player (Using the previous examples, possible bonuses are: +1 movement point required to engege in melee with this character, +1 to next attack roll, -1 to ranged attacks on this character, +10 HP, etc.) More difficult actions will require a higher roll , while easier actions will require a lower roll. This will be decided by me. But in general, the rolls are as follows:
1: Epic fail. You fail your action so hard that you get a relevant debuff instead.
2: Total fail. You fail to make any progress on what you were attempting. Nothing happens.
3: Partial success. You make some progress on your intended goal, but it might require another try. Might work completely for easier actions
4: Mostly success. You do what you wanted to do, and now have a relevant bonus. Might not work for harder actions
5: Complete success. You are guaranteed success on whatever you were trying to do.
6: Overshoot. You succeed in your goal, and succeed so well that some other random bonus is gained.
To use a bonus action, describe what action you want to do, with an optional description of what bonus you are hoping to achieve (I will take that into account. If you don't give me a bonus wish, I will make up a relevant bonus) For example, "Breathe deeply to calm my nerves for the next shot"
CharactersEvery point of damage dealt to a character reduces that character's HP by that amount. If a character's HP reaches 0, they are dead. Death in this game will be permanent, however, due to the structure of the game, it is very simple to create a new character and join back in the next battle. Health can be regained fully at each level up, and can also be increased by some bonus actions.
Every point of damage dealt by a character grants that character an equivalent amount of both experience and loot. experience goes towards a character's level up. Once a character level's up, they gain more health, and are fully healed. They also gain access to more attacks once the battle is over. Loot is used in between battles to upgrade one's equipment, and learn new attacks.
ClassesThis game will feature 3 classes for the players, and the normal enemies. All characters of a class will have the same options as each other. Boss enemies will not fall under a specific class, but their information will be known to all.
WarriorThe Warrior class has no ranged attacks, but deals massive damage. In addition, they have armor which lowers the damage of incoming attacks. They wreck archers if they can get in range, but mages counter them.
General Stats
Max HP: 150 + 30 * current lvl (HP starts at 150, every level gets you 30 extra HP)
Experience to level up: 120 * current lvl (The exp required to level up increases linearly with your level)
Armor: -20 damage to all incoming attacks (attacks dealing less than 20 damage are negated entirely)
Attacks
These are the attacks available at level 1. At higher levels, a character can unlock new attacks to learn in between battles. I haven't completely figured these out yet.
Heavy Strike
Swing your weapon with all your might, throwing yourself off balance in the process.
Range: Melee
Damage: 100
Roll Modifier: -1
Target: Single Target
Bonus: ignores armor
Light Strike
Carefully aim and strike with your weapon.
Range: Melee
Damage: 60
Roll Modifier: None
Target: Single Target
bonus: None
Punch
Quickly strike your foe with your own body, they will never see it coming.
Range: Melee
Damage: 30
Roll Modifier: +1
Target: Single Target
bonus: Enemy gets no counterattack if you roll a 1 or a 6
The Archer class has strong, long ranged attacks that deal considerable damage. However, their melee attacks are all very weak. They are great at killing mages, but get destroyed by warriors.
General Stats
Max HP: 100 + 20 * current lvl (HP starts at 100, every level gets you 20 extra HP)
Experience to level up: 100 * current lvl (The exp required to level up increases linearly with your level)
Armor: None
Attacks
These are the attacks available at level 1. At higher levels, a character can unlock new attacks to learn in between battles. I haven't completely figured these out yet.
Power Shot
Draw your Bow back as far as you are able, increasing range and damage, at the cost of accuracy.
Range: 6 rows
Damage: 70
Roll Modifier: -1
Target: Single Target
Bonus: None
Normal Shot
A regular draw, increasing your accuracy
Range: 4 rows
Damage: 50
Roll Modifier: None
Target: Single Target
bonus: +20 damage against Mages (This value is still affected by the dice roll. If you roll a 3, for example, the bonus becomes +10 damage)
Knife stab
A quick attempt to stab your foe
Range: Melee
Damage: 20
Roll Modifier: +1
Target: Single Target
bonus: None
The mage class has weak medium-ranged attacks that ignore armor. They are also good at keeping enemies away from their position. They are well suited to fight Warriors, but struggle to deal with archers.
General Stats
Max HP: 80 + 10 * current lvl (HP starts at 80, every level gets you 10 extra HP)
Experience to level up: 80 * current lvl (The exp required to level up increases linearly with your level)
Armor: None
Attacks
These are the attacks available at level 1. At higher levels, a character can unlock new attacks to learn in between battles. I haven't completely figured these out yet.
Magic Bolt
launch a bolt of energy at a target, damaging them from the inside
Range: 3 rows
Damage: 50
Roll Modifier: None
Target: Single Target
Bonus: Ignores Armor
Magic Bomb
Lob an exploding core of energy that damages all units in the vicinity
Range: 2 rows
Damage: 30
Roll Modifier: -1 (each character attacked gets a roll to modify the damage)
Target: All characters in a row (including allies)
bonus: Ignores armor
Magic Force
A directional force tosses back anybody it hits.
Range: Melee
Damage: 10
Roll Modifier: +1
Target: Single Target
bonus: character is launched back 2 rows, disengaging them from all melee (this effect is multiplied by the dice roll. If you roll a 6, they will be launched back 6 rows. If you miss the target stays engaged in melee)
Those are all the mechanics involved in combat. There are several mechanics that take place in between battles, but for the sake of this test, i will spare you the details. I would like at least three players to join, with at least one character per class. I will run two test battles, one against an enemy of similar characters, and one against a single boss character. If you have any questions, or suggestions for how to improve the combat system, please let me know. But if you would like to join, please fill out the following character sheet:
As a note, There will be much more specific role-playing optional fields in the character sheet for the real game, but for the sake of this test, I will forgo that.
Name: (Name of your character)
Class: (Warrior, Archer, or Mage)
General Role-playing information: (optional)
Subject 2 ("Sub")
Class: Lvl 1 Archer
General Role-playing information: Something something Aperture Science, blah Perpetual Testing Initiative blah, [words]
HP: 100/100
EXP: 0/100
Loot: 0
Cpt. Winters
Class: Lvl 1 Warrior
General Role-playing information: It's the captain, follow his lead!
HP: 150/150
EXP: 0/120
Loot: 0
Ezekial "Zeke" Ruyn
Class: Lvl 1 Mage
Addition info: TBR
HP: 80/80
EXP: 0/80
Loot: 0
The Bandit
Name: The Bandit
Class: Archer
General Role-playing information: Mysterious highwayman
HP: 100/100
EXP: 0/100
Loot: 0
Updates will happen sporadically, since I don't have constant access to a computer. I can respond to questions or comments from my phone, but updates will only happen when I have computer access.
