Nevercast: More combat examples

((Inquire for further detail of mechanics))

Kanu Gon
6 strength
9 speed
6 endurance
7 agility
7 dexterity
8 reflex
4 awareness
6 focus
7 logic
5 charisma
6 insight

7 power
2 concentration
6 stamina

Meh Kada
10 strength
6 speed
8 endurance
5 agility
6 dexterity
6 reflex
6 awareness
8 focus
8 logic
4 charisma
8 insight

8 power
3 concentration
8 stamina

Round 1

1. Kanu Gon poises himself and waits for Meh Kada.

2. Meh Kada moves a 1 combat step forward, and then another (Kanu Gon responds by backing up 1). Meh Kada feints, but Kanu Gon reacts minutely (feint failed).

Round 2

1. Kanu Gon feints (pass), and Meh Kada breaks his rhythm as he hesitates and loses an action.
* Kanu Gon follows up by moving 1 range forward (move-to-attack) for a long range quick attack strike, using 1 concentration (sp+2+1d4-1-1=11). Meh Kada evades using 1 concentration (ag+2+3=10=1 effect - Effect Reduction=0 effect). The bursting side kick hits, but isn’t forceful, and Kanu Gon ends his turn.

2. Meh Kada lunges with a jab to the body and hops a combat step forward for a jab to the head (long range quick attack first blow, moving-to-attack quick attack on the second blow; a combination), with concentration added to both blows. Kanu Gon evades the first blow by shifting back a few inches and then obliquely to the side as the jab passes by his head. He counterattacks with a heavy uppercut to the ribs (standard strike; stamina used for more power; 2 effect=hurt; -1 passive defense) combined with a huge overhand punch to the head (2 effect=hurt x2=“damaged” effect; -1 all attribute checks and effect reduction; -2 passive defense) and a right hook to the head (3 effect= “damaged“ x2 = “incapacitate“ effect) (overhand and right hook were power attacks; stamina used for more power). Kanu Gon’s speed easily overwhelms Meh Kada’s passive defense score, and Meh Kada crumbles from the first two blows and gets knocked out from the final blow**.

Tactical Breakdown

*Notice how Kanu Gon frustrates Meh Kada when he tries to move into range and forces him to fight at a distance where he is at a disadvantage. Using a response attack every time an opponent moves-to-attack is a speed strategy.

*Meh Kada’s strength is so great that Kanu Gon has to both be extremely accurate and muscle his blows in order to even stun him. When Kanu Gon strikes Meh Kada with his bursting side kick, it doesn’t affect him at all. The strength strategy is to fight inside where you can absorb anything a weaker fighter has to throw at you, land blows with a greater chance of success, and make up for a lack of striking “crispiness” with sheer power. Subduing the weaker fighter with grappling is also effective.

*Meh Kada has an environmental disadvantage. Since they are fighting in an open space, he has no way of cutting off Kanu Gon’s movement and cornering him.

**The more skilled you are, the more time you are allowed by the GM when determining what moves you want to use. An astute player will be able to figure out when his opponent runs out of actions and take advantage of it. This is represented in game terms by the fighter having an excellent sense of both timing and his opponent’s intent.

*Effects of the same type stack if you inflict them in time. For example, the “hurt” effect lasts 1 round, so you have to hurt your opponent again within the same round in order to cause the “damaged” effect. Thus, with repeated blows in a combination, you may take advantage of the death spiral, which was what Kanu Gon did in order to end the fight in ten seconds.

*Although combinations are effective ways to ensure that you damage your opponent with minimal combat action use, they can be completely nullified if you move out of range on the first blow (unless if the second blow is a move-to-attack, which was what Meh Kada did), preventing the need to deal with every strike. Also, your passive defense is lowered whenever you throw combinations, making you vulnerable to response attacks. The greater your character’s speed, the more total attacks you can put in your combination (2 for a slow fighter, 3 for a fast fighter, and 4 for an extremely fast fighter).

*Using strength, speed or power actions for a novice taxes stamina. The more skilled you are, the less action types you will be required to spend stamina on, as a result of having greater economy of movement.

*Stamina and concentration effort pools may be recovered by spending turn actions to catch your breath and compose yourself. If you run out of concentration, you may only improve attacks by spending combat actions. If you run out of stamina, it only means you’re fatigued, and you may continue to use stamina at the risk of becoming more fatigued and suffering greater penalties.

*A “slip” is an evasion technique where you move a few inches at most in order to be in position to counterattack, as opposed to a “dodge” which completely repositions your body. Although a dodge offers a greater counterattack bonus, a slip is easier to perform and doesn’t require any combat actions to use.