Author Topic: Combat Questions  (Read 3278 times)

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Offline mystic

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Combat Questions
« on: April 18, 2007, 07:44:03 PM »
First since Hits are important part of the character in the game. I would suggest making some reference to how they are obtained in your character creation overview. I had to stumble across how they were obtained by chance of reading the endurance skill. I kept looking for them under character statistics and in the combat section.

Second it might have been helpful to have a combat scenario between several peopl outlined somewhere in the combat section.

When characters engage in unarmed combat and those characters do not have Martial Arts, Brawling or a similar skill what critical table is to be used to resolve the action?

When a combat round begins the rules state that all characters must declare their actions before rolling initiative. What are typical actions that are declared? Are these generic such as "I am going to move" or "I am going to attack" or are they specific such as "I fire my laser pistol at the guy hiding behind the tree?"

Is the only significance of rolling initiative the order in which attack rolls are resolved versus when I declare what or who I am attacking?

Perhaps answers to the questions above will answer my concerns over combat options. Looking over combat options I see that there is an option for parry or full parry. When would I choose this option? It would seem that I would want to wait until I hear what everyone else at the table tells me they are going to do and if no one said they are going to attack me then I do not use that option, correct?

How about Sudden Dodge? Why would someone sudden dodge if everyone states their attacks up front?


Offline Defendi

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2007, 07:53:35 PM »
I had the same Hits problem with normal HARP.  I read the book straight through and had it then, but when I started doing stuff with it a few months later, I just couldn't figure out how you determined your HITS and had to ask a friend.  I knew it was a skill but couldn't remeber which one.
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Offline chk

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2007, 09:10:17 PM »
p.42 "Player's Tip: Skills" summarizes quite nicely...


Offline lazarus

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2007, 01:25:00 PM »
page 29, under "Species Characteristics", describing the table: "Endurance - Endurance is the amount of damage (or 'concussion hits') a character can endure.  This bonus is added to the character's Endurance skill when figuring the character's total Concussion Hits.  See Chapter 6 for the full description of the skill."

Clear enough, I would think ... same way in HARP, too.  It's a column in the Racial Statistics table, which you need to make a character.

Laz

Offline mystic

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2007, 06:52:57 PM »

Hmm.. I see it in those sections, I cannot say it stands out and I was looking for something with a title of Hits of Concussion Hits. I stumbled across it eventually maybe something in the Index like: Hits (see Endurance Skill).

Anyone have any help on my other combat related questions?

Offline lazarus

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2007, 07:04:21 PM »
You use a Crit chart appropriate to the attack - if they're unskilled, then they're at the standard for unskilled (-25 + stat bonuses), giving them a very low chance of connecting.

Theoretically you declare what you intend to do ("I want to shoot Jones, and move to y") and then resolve after rolling initiative.  I don't know anyone who actually plays that way, but it does give higher initiative rolls an actual bonus: their declared actions are more likely to succeed.  Note that at the declare point is when you toss OB into DB through parrying or dodging, and you may wish to abort to a sudden dodge once initiative is rolled.

To reiterate, clearer: everyone declares what they want to do.  Initiative is rolled.  The declarations resolve from high to low initiative.

To get back to Hits for a sec, I feel that since it's in a spot you're required to look at for character creation, that it's well stated (unlike the necessity of Resistance: Stamina).

Laz

Offline mystic

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2007, 07:28:40 PM »
Thanks for the explanations it helps.

What is the Crit chart for a character attempting to punch someone with an unarmored fist and that character does not have the martial arts skill?

Getting back to Hits - Although we are required to look the Skill section. I can tell you that we know what skills are so we skipped to the Master skill list, read about purchasing and then about progression. Next we read about the skills that seemed interesting. When we were all done we looked at a character sheet and wondered how you fill in the Hits! Then the search was on. Seems like Hits are important and a small reference in the index would have helped.

Finally if no one is handling combat the way it is explained in the combat section. What is the way you are handling it in your campaign?





Offline lazarus

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2007, 07:50:58 PM »
What is the Crit chart for a character attempting to punch someone with an unarmored fist and that character does not have the martial arts skill?
MA Strikes.  I think what you're missing is this: everyone has every skill, but most at Skill Rank 0, which gives a bonus of -25 (+St + Ag).

Quote
Getting back to Hits - Although we are required to look the Skill section. I can tell you that we know what skills are so we skipped to the Master skill list, read about purchasing and then about progression. Next we read about the skills that seemed interesting. When we were all done we looked at a character sheet and wondered how you fill in the Hits! Then the search was on. Seems like Hits are important and a small reference in the index would have helped.
It's stated in the Racial Bonus table.  And around there.  Multiple times.  You need to know your racial bonuses in order to stat out any character (even a human).

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Finally if no one is handling combat the way it is explained in the combat section. What is the way you are handling it in your campaign?
I handle it the way I would any "normal" game - on your initiative tick, you declare and act at once.  Admittedly, I don't have a campaign right now.

Laz

Offline mystic

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2007, 08:31:48 PM »

Quote
I handle it the way I would any "normal" game - on your initiative tick, you declare and act at once.  Admittedly, I don't have a campaign right now.

And that is where I was thinking originally until I went back and looked at the rules again. In the act on your initiative mode, if you lose initiative and you are attacked - its not your turn so how do you parry or perform a sudden dodge? If you win initiative, you have no clue(unless you are alone) if someone is going to attack you in the round so why waste your time with a parry or sudden dodge? The only way around that is if you declare everthing up front or allow a defensive move even though it is not your initiative turn.

 

Offline lazarus

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2007, 08:53:25 PM »
1) Parry is just good to do.  Full parry probably not

2) Sudden dodge you can abort to (at least, in my interpretation): that is, give up your action this turn (and next turn) to only do a sudden dodge.  It's right in the description.

Laz

Offline NicholasHMCaldwell

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2007, 09:58:45 AM »
What is the Crit chart for a character attempting to punch someone with an unarmored fist and that character does not have the martial arts skill?

Martial Arts: Strikes (Small critical). No skill means OB will be -25 plus stat bonuses.

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Offline NicholasHMCaldwell

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #11 on: April 20, 2007, 10:07:26 AM »

Quote
I handle it the way I would any "normal" game - on your initiative tick, you declare and act at once.  Admittedly, I don't have a campaign right now.

And that is where I was thinking originally until I went back and looked at the rules again. In the act on your initiative mode, if you lose initiative and you are attacked - its not your turn so how do you parry or perform a sudden dodge? If you win initiative, you have no clue(unless you are alone) if someone is going to attack you in the round so why waste your time with a parry or sudden dodge? The only way around that is if you declare everthing up front or allow a defensive move even though it is not your initiative turn.

 

Parry is a decision to increase DB in melee combat by sacrificing OB. Parrying does not prevent a character from making an attack. In HARP, the rounds are sufficiently short that we can consider actions to be nearly simultaneous, but we use initiative to provide an ordering. Thus your DB is increased by parrying for the entire round, so that DB increase is there whether you win or lose the initiative. Winning or losing initiative determines when you strike the other guy and hitting first might prevent him from hitting you when he acts.

Full Parry is for when you either don't want to hit the other chap or when you desperately can't afford to get hit. Sudden Dodge is "get out of the way" - you can do it as an intended action or as an emergency act even when you have acted. In a sense, it is more a reaction than an action.

Best wishes,
Nicholas
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Director, Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd
Publisher of Rolemaster, Spacemaster, Shadow World, Cyradon, HARP & HARP SF, and Cyberspace, with products available from www.drivethrurpg.com
Author: Mentalism Companion, GURPS Age of Napoleon, Construct Companion, College of Magics, HARP SF/HARP SF Xtreme

Offline Rasyr-Mjolnir

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #12 on: April 20, 2007, 02:09:25 PM »

And that is where I was thinking originally until I went back and looked at the rules again. In the act on your initiative mode, if you lose initiative and you are attacked - its not your turn so how do you parry or perform a sudden dodge? If you win initiative, you have no clue(unless you are alone) if someone is going to attack you in the round so why waste your time with a parry or sudden dodge? The only way around that is if you declare everthing up front or allow a defensive move even though it is not your initiative turn. 

As Nick points out Parrying is not a "defensive move", but more of a way of fighting more defensively overall by sacrificing some OB and placing it towards DB.

For example, if you have an OB of 100 and a DB 30. You could declare that you are Parrying for the round, putting half your OB into DB (or whatever portion you want), thus making your OB for the round be 50 and your DB for the round be 80. Notice the bolded words...

As for Sudden Dodge, I seriously doubt that anybody would declare that as an action. As a GM, I wouldn't allow it (I would allow "Dodge" though). The whole point behind Sudden Dodge is that you don't have to declare it, you call on it when needed. The results of which depends partly on whether or not you have already taken your action for the round (if you have, then you lose your actions for the NEXT round, but at least retain the DB bonus gained).

Also, the standard for HARP is that you do declare actions before rolling for initiative. And certain defensive actions (like the Sudden Dodge) may be declared at any time.


Offline lazarus

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2007, 02:19:59 PM »
I will say something that I forgot to say: when doing the roll initiative - then act in order method (which, again, isn't standard HARP), the Parry/Dodge DB bonuses persist until your next action, not until the end of turn - that way, you're not screwed by not going first (except on the first turn).

Laz

Offline mystic

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Re: Combat Questions
« Reply #14 on: April 20, 2007, 07:40:50 PM »

That answers my questions. I understand a bit better what is going on - Thanks!