Had a busy week here, for fun reasons, with my wife and kid home from school this week. So we’ve just got a quick copy and paste job below. We’re still doing the thing, though, and that’s what counts!
Project Run down
Sand & Stars
(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])
Cairn’s combat rules are exactly what I want in this game, so I haven’t changed them. For the book I just changed some words and made the example fit with my game world.
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Combat
Rounds
In a fight or circumstance where timing is helpful, use rounds to keep track of when something occurs. A round is roughly ten sekonds of in-game time and consists of turns.
Actions
On their turn, a character may move up to 40ft and take up to one action. This may be casting a spell, attacking, making a second move, or some other reasonable action.
Each round, the PCs declare what they are doing before dice are rolled. If a character attempts something risky, the Player Guide calls for a save for appropriate players or NPCs.
Turns
The Player Guide will telegraph the most likely actions taken by NPCs or monsters. At the start of combat, each PC must make a DEX save to act before their opponents.
Example: Efi has accidentally stood on the submerged tail of a giant sand viper. In order to make a move before the viper, she makes a DEX save. She fails, and the viper gets to attack first.
Attacking & Damage
The attacker rolls their weapon die and subtracts the target’s armour, then deals the remaining total to their opponent’s HP. Unarmed attacks always do 1d4 damage.
Example: The viper strikes, flashing its fangs at Efi, who has 5 HP. The bite does 1d8 damage and the Player Guide rolls a 4. They subtract 1 to account for Efi’s leather armour, leaving Efi with 2 HP remaining.
Multiple Attackers
If multiple attackers target the same foe, roll all damage dice and keep the single highest result.
Attack Modifiers
If fighting from a position of weakness (such as through cover or with bound hands), the attack is impaired and the attacker must roll 1d4 damage regardless of the damage die used during the attack.
If fighting from a position of advantage (such as against a helpless foe or through a daring maneuver), the attack is enhanced, allowing the attacker to roll 1d12 damage instead of their normal die.
Dual Weapons
If attacking with two weapons at the same time, roll both damage dice and keep the single highest result.
Blast
Attacks with the blast quality affect all targets in the noted area, rolling separately for each affected character. Blast refers to anything from explosions to huge cleaving
onslaughts to the impact of a meteorite. If unsure how many targets can be affected, roll the related damage die for a result.
Critical Damage
Damage that reduces a target’s HP below zero decreases a target’s STR by the amount remaining. They must then make a STR save to avoid critical damage. Additionally, some
enemies will have special abilities or effects that are triggered when their target fails a critical damage save.
Any PC that suffers critical damage cannot do anything but crawl weakly, grasping for life. If given aid and rest, they will stabilize. If left untreated, they die within the hour.
Scars
When damage to a PC reduces their HP to exactly 0, they are sometimes changed irrevocably. See the Scars table on the following page for more.
Ability Score Loss
If a PC’s STR is reduced to 0, they die. If their DEX is reduced to 0, they are paralyzed. If their WIL is reduced to 0, they are delirious.
Complete DEX and WIL loss renders the character unable to act until they are restored through extended rest or by extraordinary means.
Unconsciousness & Death
When a character dies, the player is free to create a new character or take control of a hireling. They immediately join the party in order to reduce downtime.
Detachments
Large groups of similar combatants fighting together are treated as a single detachment. When a detachment takes critical damage, it is routed or significantly weakened. When it reaches 0 STR, it is destroyed.
Attacks against detachments by individuals are impaired (excluding blast damage). Attacks against individuals by detachments are enhanced and deal blast damage.
Retreat
Running away from a dire situation always requires a successful DEX save, as well as a safe destination to run to.
Steam Thieves
(Steampunk x Forged in the Dark, Ashcan here [link])
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No progress.
Goodnight Maus
(Mausritter adventure site inspired by Goodnight Moon)
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No progress.
Trinakum
(Original design - 3d6 dice pool/grid-based/combat simulator with Iron Age Celtic/Gaulish flavour, Ashcan here [link])
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No progress.
Gatekeepers
(Mythos inspired Breathless game for the Beyond the Gates Jam, Ashcan here [link])
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No progress.
WAKE
(Completed Breathless game inspired by Control, Inception and The Matrix, Game Page here [link])
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No progress.
GIANT PINBALL
(Dungeon Crawl Classic Funnel set inside a pinball machine)
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No progress,
Ciao for now.