Chapter VI: Combat, Damage & Movement
The player may immediately roll a third 1d10 and add that to the Damage Total as well. This process continues until the player rolls less than a 10. Only then does Ulric’s Fury come to an end. Example: Arnalf, a Pit Fighter with Strength Bonus 4, hits a rival gladiator during a vicious bout. Normally, his damage would be 4+1d10. His d10 roll is 10, however, so he has the chance to do extra damage. Arnalf makes another Weapon Skill Test and again succeeds. He rolls another d10 and once again gets a 10. Rather than roll another WS Test, he simply rolls another d10 at this point. It comes up 8. The total damage of this attack is thus 4+10+10+8=32. Arnalf has indeed unleashed Ulric’s Fury. u narmed C ombaT Not every fight in WFRP is lethal. Some quarrels are still settled with old-fashioned fists (not to mention feet and occasionally teeth). Unarmed combat works like normal combat, with the following exceptions: • Unarmed attacks inflict SB–4 damage. • Armour Points count double against unarmed attacks. g rapplIng Instead of inflicting damage, a character can attempt to grapple and immobilize an opponent. A character can attempt a grapple with either a charge attack or a standard attack. This is resolved as follows. First, the character must hit with an unarmed attack, then (if successful) the opponent must take an Agility Test. If he fails, he is grappled. Both characters are incapable of dodging or parrying for the duration of the grapple, and any outside melee attacks against them gain a +20% Weapon Skill bonus. The only action a grappled character can attempt is to break the grapple (a full action). This is an Opposed Strength Test. If the grappled character wins, he breaks free. Otherwise, the
T able 6-2: C ombaT d IffICulTy
Difficulty
Skill Modifier
Example
Very Easy
+30% +20%
Attacking an unaware opponent. Attacking a foe who is outnumbered 3 to 1. Attacking a stunned opponent. Attacking a foe who is outnumbered 2 to 1. Attacking a foe who is knocked down. Attacking whilst knocked down. Attacking/dodging when in the mud or heavy rain. Attacking a specific hit location. Dodging whilst knocked down. Attacking/dodging in the deep snow. Parrying a giant’s club. Making a standard attack.
Easy
Routine
+10%
Average
No modifier
Challenging
–10%
Hard
–20%
Very Hard
–30%
grapple is maintained. On the grappling character’s turn, he can take a full action to simply maintain the grapple (this requires no roll) or he can attempt to damage his opponent, which requires an Opposed Strength Test. If the grappling character wins this, he inflicts normal unarmed damage. If his opponent wins, no damage is inflicted but the character is still grappled. A grappling character can voluntarily end the grapple on any of his turns. This is a free action.
s peedIng u p C ombaT If players use WFRP ’s full rules options, combat can take a fair amount of time to resolve. Many groups enjoy this tactical element in their RPGs, but others prefer to emphasize different aspects of the roleplaying experience (portraying characters, problem solving, etc.). If players value speed of resolution over precise simulation, they may want to use one or more of the following options: Hit Me Anywhere The hit location system adds a considerable amount of time and calculation over the course of a combat encounter. If players don’t mind a bit of abstraction, it is possible to speed things up by not using hit locations. If using this option, the basic armour rules should also be utilized. Players may want to determine hit locations for Critical Hits only; otherwise, use Sudden Death Critical Hits. Sudden Death for Everyone The normal Critical Hits system provides a variety of specific results, many of which require additional adjudication due to bleeding, crippling, etc. A lot of bookkeeping can be avoided by using the Sudden Death Critical Hits. This system will quickly tell whether a target is dead or not dead, thus moving the game along. Action, Action, Action Another way to speed things up to give everyone an extra half action each round. This change packs more into each round, allowing characters (in certain cases) to get off spells faster or reload missile weapons more quickly. The downside is that it makes characters incredibly mobile and in some situations movement may seem too easy. Less is More As noted already, the advanced actions are more complicated than the basic ones. The game is kept simpler by not allowing advanced actions, or using only a selection of them. The GM might decide, for example, to allow run and parrying stance, but not all out attacks and guarded attacks.
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