Lightsaber Dueling Variant

[atgxtg]

Here is my latest attempt at a system for lightsaber dueling. It it based off of Peter Schweighofer's Dueling Blades Combat Variant, although with some changes.

The idea behind this variant is to try and create existing dules like in the films, as opposed to the one and turn round duels that tend to accompany the Lightsaber Combat power. Hopeully it will be interesting, fun and yet still simple enough to suit most Star Wars D6 fans.


Integrating Dueling into D6: For starters characters still roll initiative and take their action in the normal order. Likewise, characters can perform actions outside of dueling, and suffer MAPs for them as usual.

Who can Duel?: Well,practical considerations aside, technically any character can duel. However, it is often not a good idea to do so against some opponents. For example, if the other guy has a lightsaber and you are bare handed. In such cases the GM probably should apply an advantage bonus to the character with the superior weaponry. In general though, dules are usually between foes wielder weapons that can actually block the opponent's weapon.

Dueling Damage: In D6, lightsabers wielded by characters skilled in the ways of the Force, can do tremendous damage. Damage enough to easily kill virtually any foe with a single hit. Yet in the films, it seems difficult for the combatants to pull off one of these killer strikes.

This is reflected in the dueling variant by making a full damage strike difficult to achieve, and introducing weaker strikes that do less that normal damage. To speed play, figure out these reduced damages ahead of time, using the weapon's damage in pips as a aid.

For Jedi and other users of the Force, assume that the full damage for a lightsaber is equal to their Control skill +3D. This reflects the lightsaber's base damage of 5D, the Jedi's Control rating, and the 2 MAP penalty for maintaining the Lightsaber Combat power.

The Opposed Roll:The dueling combatants make a dueling skill test. This is simply a skill test of the appropriate skill, be in lightsaber, melee combat or even brawling.
The character who rolls the highest wins the contest and can perform a dueling maneuver from the maneuver list below with a difficult equal to or less than his success level.

Difference:Success Level
1-5: Very Easy
6-10: Easy
11-15: Moderate
16-20: Difficult
21-30: Very Difficult
31+: Heroic

Dueling Maneuvers

Very Easy Maneuvers
Change Lightsaber Form: Switch to a Differnt Lightsaber Form (see Options & Special Cases).
Disadvantaged: One foe suffers a -1D penalty to his next round's dueling.
Force Back: Foe must retreat, taking a normal half move. Make and DEX rolls for movement based on terrain as normal.
Called Shot: Combined with another maneuver to select the location hit.
Withdraw: You can take a half move away from your opponent. Note that you can do this after another maneuver as part of a combination.

Easy Maneuvers
Glancing Strike: Does ¼ normal damage.
Brawling Strike: Does normal Brawling damage but lose 1D on the next dueling roll.
Forced Retreat: Foe must retreat taking a regular move action. This means that the character must move more than half move and that make any required DEX roll for crossing terrain.
Lock Weapons: Lock weapons with your opponent. See Locked Blades Under Options &Special Cases.

Moderate Maneuvers
Weak Strike: Do ½ normal damage.
Disarm: The opponent is disarmed of one weapon.
Gain Advantage: Get a +1D advantage to dueling rolls for the rest of the duel (opposed advantage dice cancel each other out on a 1D per 1D basis).

Difficult Maneuvers
Solid Strike: Do normal damage


Options & Special Cases

Combinations: A character can perform a combination maneuver, performing two or more maneuvers in sequence. Add the success level requirements of the maneuvers together to see what combinations are available to a character. A character cannot perform any maneuver more than once.

Example: A character beats his opponent by 13 points for a Moderate Success. He can perform one Moderate maneuver, or a combination of one Easy and One Very Easy maneuver or a combination of up to three Very Easy maneuvers.


Repetitive Action: If someone keeps doing the same maneuver over and over, increae it's difficulty by one level for each successive attempt. This reflect that the opponent will catch on and concentrate on preventing such an action.

Advancing: A character can opt to advance on a foe, declaring the intention before making his dueling roll. To advance a character must move towards the opponent, taking a half move. Advancing increases the degree of success for the opposed dueling contest by one level regardless of who wins

Retreating: A character can opt to retreat from a foe, giving ground. To advance a character must move away the opponent, taking a half move. Retreating reduces the degree of success for the opposed dueling contest by one level regardless of who wins

Multiple Foes: When multiple foes attack one character, they each get to make a dueling skill roll and compare the result against the single opponent. The Single opponent uses his dueling score to compare against all opponents.
Any maneuvers are performed in order of the highest result. It is possible for the outnumbered character to lose against one foe but win against another, but the outnumbered character can only perform maneuvers after anyone one who beat him, and he cannot perform any maneuvers against characters who beat him that turn. He is still limited to the maneuvers he can use against any foe by his success level vs. a particular foe. He cannot perform more maneuver than allowed by his highest success level.

Locked Weapons: When weapons are locked, the duelists are under certain restrictions. First off locking weapons presents both duelists from doing any dueling actions other than Force Back, Withdraw, Disarm, or Brawling Strike, any of which will automatically result in breaking the lock.

Lightsaber Forms: Each Lightsaber Form is treated as an Advanced skill. A character can add his dice in whatever form he is currently using when dueling.

Each Lightsaber Form also has it own list of Dueling Maneuvers that can be learned and performed by practitioners of that form. A character can learn 1 such maneuver for each 1D of skill he possesses in that form. Form Maneuvers work is a similar fashion to the standard maneuvers save that they must be learned to be performed, and that the character can only perform the special maneuvers of the form he is currently using (although see the Change Form Maneuver and Combinations above).

Sample Lightsaber Form

Form II: Makashi

Very Easy Maneuvers
Quick Thrust (Strike): Does ¼ normal Damage. Counts as a Strike.

Easy Maneuvers
Feint: Get a +2D bonus to your next turn's dueling..

Moderate Maneuvers
Lunge (Strike): Does normal damage. Must be at least 2m away from target and no more than a half move to perform this. Get a -1D penalty to next turn's dueling.

Difficult Maneuvers
Find Opening: Get a 2D advantage to dueling rolls for the rest of the duel (opposed advantage dice cancel each other out on a 1D per 1D basis).




How does this variant look so far?

[ZzaphodD]

As Im working on something similar, but cant seem to find the time I really appreciate this and will probably draw inspiration.

Ok, just to see that I get this correctly..
So, basically you have to beat your opponents score by 16-20 to hit with normal damage?

Multiple opponensts - I would either give the defender a penalty, or the attackers a bonus. Perhaps +1D for each additional attacker.

Maneuvers - I prefer that you choose the maneuver you want to perform before you roll the dice(instead of rolling the dice, resulting in a menu of choices, the player chooses first and then roll the dice). This means that the player influences the dice rolling instead of the opposite. I know about your experience that no one tries any maneuvers when you can just hack n slash. The fix for this is to have a few 'basic moves' from which you must choose. Theres no just standing around swining your lightsaber availible any more. The balance between difficulty and bonus from the maneuvers must also be correct so the player see the advantage of tactical fencing.

Disarm - This is too easy, with no resistance roll?

Blade lock - I also have this as an unintentional result if the attacker 'beats' the defenders score by 0-1. I dont thing that it should only be intentional.

[atgxtg]

[ZzaphodD]

Actually, even though Im going with attacker/defender I didnt intend to use those terms when discussing your rules above. Just to explain where Im coming from. I dont really have an attacker and defender, but both combatants roll an Attack roll and an Defence roll. These are modified (before rolling) by chosen maneuvers (for example, Defensive Stance -1D to Attack, +1D to Defence).

Regarding realism and lightsaber lock, I think we have bigger 'realism issues' than lightsaber lock.. But its a matter of choice really. I see locks as something happening when the combatants are evenly matched. Not realistic, but 'Star War-ish'.

Disarm - Sure I know you have to beat someones score by a 11-15. But keep in mind that the same score only allows you to land a light blow on your opponent. Given that Disarm becomes a bit of a no-brainer. Going back to 'realism' above, disarming someone even remotely on a similar skill level is simply not done without dumb luck. Actually Disarming in most RPGs is way to effective so this is no exception.

The trick of pulling off combatants choosing maneuvers before rolling is to make them not totally waste a round if they blow the maneuver. Im probably going to remove the basic idea about difficulties to beat. Instead different maneuvers will be balanced by drawbacks. However, I dont see how you can do this without having an Attack and Defence roll, so its not really doable here.

But your idea of having a 'fall back' maneuver if one doesnt manage ones intended maneuver is so far the best one if you want to go with having players chose their tactics before rolling.

[atgxtg]

[atgxtg]

Okay ZzaphodD,

since you got me thinking, here are the maneuvers redone in a pick first style:


Strike: Does 1/4 Damage per Success Level, up to full damage. (Note: It might not be a bad idea to round this off to whole dice. So someone with 11D+1 might use 3D/6D/9D/11D+1)
Disarm: Opponent must make a DEX roll (free action) to retain weapon. Diffiuclty is 3 per Success LEvel.
Swordplay: Gain a +1D bonus to next turn's dueling per Success Level
Force Back: Foe must retreat, 1/4 of his Move rate per SL. (Note that he must make any DEX rolls for movement as normal).
Withdraw: You can safely move away form your opponent, up to 1/4 Move per SL.
Brawling Attack: Does 1/4 brawling damage per Success Level.
Gain Advantage: Get a 1 pip bonus to dueling for the rest of the duel, per Success Level.

Combination Moves: Also must be declared before hand, but the winner can decide how to break up his success levels between the moves in the combo. He must assign something to each though (unless he get a VE advantage, then he only has 1 SL to spend).

For this idea, put Change Stance could probably be used as part of a combo with a 1 SL cost.

I'll have to revise the Lightsaber Form rules a little,b ut otherwise the rest of the system would work as before. I

Does this look interesting? It is certainly a lot simpler, and seems to retain most of the flexibility of before, too.

[atgxtg]

Continuing along with the "pick first" idea:

Thrust: This is a quick attack with the tip of the weapon. Does 1/6th Damage per Success Level.


LIGHTSABER FORMS

This is still in the works but what I am thinking of doing is:

1) Each Form is an Advanced Skill of Lightsaber.
2) A character can add the dice in the form to Lightsaber skill when using that form.
3) Each Form has a list of favored maneuvers. For each 1D in the form, a character can select one favored maneuver. When the character wins a dueling contest when preforming a favored maneuver of the form he is currently using, he can increase his Success level by one with that maneuver.
4) Forms can also have Discouraged Maneuvers. When a character wins a dueling contest when using preforming a discouraged maneuver of the form he is currently using, he must reduce his Success level by one with that maneuver.


FORM DESIGN NOTES:Most lightsaber forms discourage the thrust maneuver, Makashi (Form II) favors the thrust, but discourages the strike. Djem So (Form V) and Vapadd (Form VII), as the most aggressive forms, with be the only forms that actually have the Strike as a favored maneuver. Niman (Form VI) will be unique in that it will be the only form that doesn't discourage some maneuver. Jar'Kai (two bladed) will discoruage all maneuvers performed when not using two lightsabers. I'm thinking that Shi-Choo (Form I) would be the only form that favors things like Forced Retreat and Withdrawing, making it better for body(foot)work, and desirable for all.


One interesting bit is that characters who know multiple forms, can use the Change Form maneuver to switch into a different form , altering their list of favored and discouraged maneuvers and making them more unpredictable and dangerous-if they can pull it off.