If you’re walking in on the middle of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeon series, there’s an index here.

The core text attempts to make combat chaotic, dynamic, vivid and simple. How do the existing systems facilitate this experience?

Initiative is random, grouped, and with simultaneous declaration in second edition, aiming to induce chaos while maximising simplicity. It’s compromised in its simplicity by bucketloads of modifiers and by simultaneous declaration and spell speed. How can we simplify rules and yet maintain chaos?

Ok, so let’s give every weapon a speed factor equal to the damage dice. 1d4 is a speed of 4. 1d12 or 2d6 is a speed of 12. Spells go last. Initiative goes to the person who has the lowest speed factor. From then, a consequence of a failure or mixed success is the opposing side goes next in order of speed factor, and on a full success your side goes next in order of speed factor.

Each weapon has a speed factor equal to its highest face. Initiative order is by speed factor. If more than one person has the same speed factor, choose randomly.

Combat proceeds in initiative order, however if a PC rolls a full success, the next PC in initiative order goes next. If a PC rolls a partial success or a failure, their next foe in initiative order goes next.

Maul, heavy, 2d6 crushing.

Dagger, 1d4 piercing.

Recurve bow, unwieldy, 1d8 piercing.

Honestly, attacking as an ability check just works as described.

To make an attack, make a strength check for melee attacks, a dexterity check for ranged attacks, or a proficiency check if you have proficiency in the weapon you are using.

On a success, threaten injury. On a partial success, threaten injury and suffer a minor consequence. On a failure, suffer a major consequence.

The most common minor consequences are you are threatened with injury, the opposing side goes next and your morale is shaken. A major consequence is two of these, or anything else.

When you threaten injury, roll your damage dice to find out how much HP your target must spend to avoid injury, or how much damage their armour suffers.

Simplifying morale is easy, except we need two rules, one for PCs, and one for NPCs.

When your morale is shaken, make a morale check against either your morale rating (if you are an NPC) or your wisdom. The GM may grant you advantage or disadvantage depending on factors such as training, overwhelming opposition, ethos, and how your allies are faring.

On a full success, you rally and fight on. On a partial success, your first concern is calculated retreat. On a failure, your first concern is immediate escape.

It feels like that’s combat taken care of, but I haven’t actually talked about how NPCs attack, just how they defend.

On an NPCs turn, the GM declares who is threatened with damage. The PC makes a saving throw, and spends HP and armour as they see fit.

This has been a part of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeon Series! Let me know your thoughts on attacks, initiative or morale, particularly whether I’ve overlooked anything in combat altogether, because that’s basically the whole combat system!

Idle Cartulary

21st April 2022