Narrate a fight

Narrate a fight

Narrate a fight

When you want to resolve a combat scene with a single roll, each player roll…

… + STR if you fight in melee

… + DEX if you use ranged attacks

… + CON if you rely on the Balboa tactic

… + INT if you can cast Wizard spells

… + WIS if you can cast Cleric spells

… + CHA if you’re a Bard or have some other ways to bolster your allies

* On a 10+, describe how badass you were and choose 1.

* On a 7-9, describe how hard it was and choose 2.

You take damage

You take a debility

You lose 1 ammo (if you used DEX)

You forget/revoke 1 spell (if you used INT or WIS)

You lose something important to you.

13 thoughts on “Narrate a fight”

  1. I might go with when you enter a battle and a montage happens, state what you want to achieve in this battle, and how you will achieve it, then roll . . .

    +STR if you are achieving your objective through force or strength of arm

    +DEX if you are achieving your objective through deft skill or subterfuge

    +CON if you are achieving you objective through sheer endurance

    +INT if you are carefully achieving your objective with knowledge or arcane magic

    +WIS if you are achieving your objective through patience or divine magic

    +CHA if you are achieving your objective through manipulating or bolstering others with your word or example

    *On a 10+, you achieved your objective in the manner you described; provide details, and choose one

    *On a 7-9, you achieved you objective, but it was hard fought; provide details, and choose two-

    *On a 6-, you failed your objective, or you completed your objective, but you are at Death’s Door

    You are at half your hit points

    You take a debility

    You lose 1 ammo

    You loose access one spell

    Your achieved goal has an added complication

    You lose something important to you in the battle

    Great topic. I love the option to have one roll resolutions in games, because sometimes you just want a way to add stakes, but the blow by blow of the fight don’t feel like they are worth the more specific procedure to resolve.

  2. Hmm at first I wrote it also in a more general way but then I didn’t like that it wasn’t reflecting what moves PC actually take in a fight (namely H&S, Volley, Cast a spell and Arcane Art)

  4. I totally added the “you achieved your goal but you are at Death’s Door” because when I think of fighting montages, I always think of Boromir and those gigantic Uruk arrows sticking out of him. 😉

  7. Hmm, thinking about it, I’m wondering if any player would actually chose this option. You’re litteraly chosing to make a second check and if that’s not 10+, you’re dead in a montage… that’s a bit lame.

    In the end I think I’ll keep the “you take damage” because it best represent that state you’re in after a fight scene (you’d get hit, but also probably get healed during the fight).

  8. But only if they choose to complete their objective. So they are setting their objective on the front end, and deciding how important it is to achieve it on the back end.

    I’m pretty sure Boromir’s player added that bit about getting shot 15 times by the biggest, baddest Uruk-hai leader ever, because that means Boromir’s death scene isn’t lame, it’s just resolved quickly. 😉

    But, yeah, it might not be an option often taken.

  9. I’m not sure Boromir achieved his goal though – the Uruk Hai captured Merry and Pippin, which was what he was trying to prevent.

    There’s also the fact that everyone in the party is rolling – some of them might get a 6-, but chances are not all of them would. If the stakes of a 6- is “fail your objective or roll last breath”, that wouldn’t really make sense if everyone else in the group succeeded and presumably had the objective covered.

    I wonder if you could borrow the idea from Jeremy Strandberg’s “Struggle as One” move where anyone who rolls a 10+ can step in and help someone who rolled a 6- (by perhaps allowing them both to act as if they rolled a 7-9).

    Struggle as One is here (RHS of first page): drive.google.com – drive.google.com/file/d/0B0lFq3ECDQDQcC1nMGNXeFIwdlU/view

  13. Interesting. I think the “problem” is that you had an objective: an end in sight. Let the labyrinth go on and on into a new story. Once the objective is met, work together to find out what happens next.

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