FUDGE Nov14 - Chap 4
Steffan O'Sullivan
A Free Role-playing Game (RPG).
By Steffan O'Sullivan
Version: November 14, 1993
Please read the legal notice with the first FUDGE file posted.
4 Action Resolution
4.1 Action Resolution Terms
4.2 Rolling the Dice
4.21 Reading the Dice
4.22 Other Dice Techniques
4.23 Success Rates
4.3 Action Modifiers
4.4 Unopposed Actions
4.5 Opposed Actions
4.6 Combat
4.61 Melee Combat
4.62 Multiple Combatants in Melee
4.63 Ranged Combat
4.7 Damage and Healing
4.71 Subjective Damage System
4.72 Objective Damage System
4.73 Damage Threshold
4.74 Combat and Objective Damage Example
4.75 Non-human Scale in Combat
4.76 Pulling Punches & Knockout Damage
4.77 Healing
4.8 Critical Results
4.9 NPC Reactions
4 Action Resolution
====================
This chapter covers how to determine whether or not a character
succeeds at an attempted action. In the previous chapters, traits
were defined in terms of levels: Superb, Great, Good, etc. This
chapter explains how those levels affect a character's chances of
success at an action, whether fighting a giant or tracking down a
clue. Sometimes a Fair result is sufficient to complete a task, and
sometimes a Good - or better! - result is needed. The better your
skill, the better your chances of getting these higher results.
4.1 Action Resolution Terms
----------------------------
Dice: Each player and the GM need two six-sided dice.
Unopposed Action: some actions are *Unopposed*. This means the
character is trying to perform an action which isn't influenced
by anyone else. Examples include jumping a wide chasm, climbing
a cliff, performing a chemistry experiment, etc. The player
simply rolls the dice and reads the result.
Rolled Degree: this refers to how well you did at a particular task.
If you are Good at Climbing in general, but the die-roll shows a
Great result on a particular attempt, then the rolled degree is
Great.
Difficulty Level: the GM will set a Difficulty Level when you try an
Unopposed Action. Usually it will be Fair, but some tasks are
easier or harder. Example: climbing an average vertical cliff
face, even one with lots of handholds, is a fairly difficult
obstacle (Fair Difficulty Level). For a very hard cliff, the GM
may set the Difficulty Level at Great. This means the player
must make a rolled degree of Great or higher to climb the cliff
successfully.
Opposed Action: actions are *Opposed* when other people (or animals,
etc.) may have an effect on the outcome of the action. In this
case, each contestant rolls a pair of dice, and the results are
compared to determine the outcome. Examples include combat,
seduction attempts, haggling, tug-of-war, etc.
Relative Degree: this refers to how well you did compared to another
participant in an Opposed Action. Unlike a rolled degree,
relative degree is expressed as a number of levels. For example,
if you get a rolled degree result of Good in a fight, and your
foe gets a rolled degree result of Mediocre, you beat her by 2
levels - the relative degree is +2 from your perspective, -2 from
hers.
Situational Roll: occasionally a die roll will be called for that is
not based on a character's trait at all, but on the overall
situation or outside circumstances. This Situational roll is
simply a normal FUDGE die roll, but not based on any trait. That
is, a result of 0 means a Fair result, +1 a Good result, -1 a
Mediocre result, and so on. This is most commonly used with
Reaction and damage rolls, but can be used elsewhere as needed.
For example, the players ask the GM if there are any passersby on
the street at the moment - perhaps they want to try something
illicit. The GM might decide there are none if a Situational
roll gives a Good or better result, and rolls the dice. However,
if the GM deems something has a 50% chance of occurring, she
should simply roll 1d6 rather than use a standard FUDGE die roll.
Beyond Superb: it is possible to achieve a level of rolled degree that
is beyond Superb. Rolled degrees from Superb +1 to Superb +4 are
possible. These levels are only reachable on rare occasions by
human beings. No trait may be taken at (or raised to) a level
beyond Superb (unless the GM is allowing a PC to be at Legendary,
which is the same as Superb +1. See Section 5.2, Objective
Character Development). For example, the American baseball
player Willie Mays was a Superb outfielder. His most famous
catch, often shown on television, is a Superb +4 rolled degree.
It isn't possible for a human to have that level of excellence as
a routine skill level, however: even Willie was "just" a Superb
outfielder, who could sometimes do even better. A GM may set a
Difficulty Level beyond Superb, but it is for nearly impossible
actions.
Below Terrible: likewise, there are rolled degrees from Terrible -1
down to Terrible -4. No Difficulty Level should be set this low,
however: anything requiring a Terrible Difficulty Level or worse
should be automatic for most characters - no roll needed!
4.2 Rolling the Dice
---------------------
There is no need to roll the dice when a character performs an action
that is so easy as to be automatic. Likewise, an action so difficult
that it has no chance to succeed requires no roll, either - it simply
can't be done. The dice are needed for the middle ground, where the
outcome of an action is uncertain.
The GM is encouraged to keep die-rolling to a minimum. Do not make
the players roll the dice when their characters do mundane things.
There is no need to make a roll to see if someone can cook lunch
properly, or pick an item from a shelf, or climb a ladder, etc. It's
not a bad idea to extend this philosophy a bit, even. Don't make them
roll to climb a cliff unless it's a difficult cliff. Even then, a
Superb climber shouldn't need a roll - he should get up it
automatically unless it's a *very* difficult cliff!
For any action the player character wishes to perform, the Game Master
must determine which trait is tested. (This will usually be a skill
or an attribute.) If the action is Unopposed, the GM also determines
the Difficulty Level - usually Fair. (See also Section 4.5, Opposed
Actions.)
4.21 Reading the Dice
----------------------
Of the three dice techniques presented in FUDGE, this one is
recommended. It gives results from -4 to +4 quickly and easily,
without intruding into roleplaying or requiring complex math.
Each player and the GM need 2d6, and each person should preferably
have two different colors or sizes. One die must be designated the
"plus" or "positive" die, and the other the "minus" or "negative" die.
Ideally, all players will have uniform sets of dice (for example, one
red and one white), and all will use the same color to be the plus
die. (If you only have two identical dice, such as borrowed from a
board game, place your pencil on the table pointing away from you.
Assign one side of the pencil to be plus, the other minus, and roll
one die on each side of the pencil.)
When a die roll is called for, the player rolls both dice and examines
them. If they are doubles, he has scored his trait level exactly -
leave both dice on the table.
If the dice show different numbers, the player should physically
remove the higher die from the table, leaving only the lesser number
rolled. That number on that die, either plus or minus, is the result.
If the die left on the table is the plus die showing a 3, for example,
the player rolled +3 above his trait level. If it is the minus die
showing a 1, however, he just rolled a -1 to his trait level.
There are two exceptions to the rule above: results of +5 and -5.
These results are too extreme for FUDGE, so they are converted to a +0
result: the character just achieved his trait level. They do not
occur very often, so no special care need be taken to watch out for
them. When the GM hears "Plus five" or "Minus five" as a result, she
can simply say, "That means zero in FUDGE," and the game goes on.
Trying to read a non-zero result while both dice are on the table can
be a bit confusing - it is best to actually remove the higher die from
your view. This makes reading the result extremely easy, which speeds
up play and keeps the focus on the roleplaying, not on the dice.
The trait levels again are:
+3 Superb
+2 Great
+1 Good
0 Fair
-1 Mediocre
-2 Poor
-3 Terrible
While the numbers are optional, it can be helpful to include them on
the character sheet. They often make determining the final result
easier. For example, if your skill is Good and you roll a -3 result
on a particular action, it might be easier to envision (1 - 3 = -2)
than (Good -3 = Poor). Or, you could just use your finger and count
down three levels from your trait level!
Example: Nathaniel, who has a Good Bow Skill, is shooting in an
archery contest. He rolls two dice, using the procedure described
above. If he rolls a 0, he gets a result equal to his skill: Good, in
this case. If he rolls a +1, however, he gets a Great result, since
Great is one level higher than his Good Archery skill. If he rolls a
-3, unlucky Nathaniel has just made a Poor shot.
Note that it is not always necessary to figure the exact rolled
degree. If you only need to know whether or not a character succeeded
at something, it is usually sufficient for the player simply to
announce the appropriate trait level and the die roll result. The
game goes much faster this way. For example, a player wants his
character, Captain Wallop of the Space Patrol, to fly between two
asteroids that are fairly close together. The GM says this requires a
Great Difficulty Level Piloting roll and asks the player to roll the
dice. The player looks up Captain Wallop's Piloting skill, which is
Great, and rolls a +2 result. He simply announces "Great +2" as the
result. This answer is sufficient - the GM knows that Captain Wallop
not only succeeded at the task, but didn't even come close to damaging
his craft. There is no need, in this case, to figure out the exact
level "Great +2" represents. In this case, only if the announced
result was obviously close to the Difficulty Level would it be
necessary to figure it out exactly.
Of course, there are many times when you want to know exactly how well
the character did, even if it's not a matter of being close. If the
character is composing a poem, for example, and his Poetry skill is
Fair, you will want to figure out what "Fair+2" means: it means he
just wrote a Great poem! There are many other instances where degrees
of success is more important than merely knowing success/failure.
4.22 Other Dice Techniques
---------------------------
For those who dislike the dice technique in the previous section, two
different options are available. They do not alter the odds of
achieving a certain result.
Roll 2 six-sided dice. As above, one is the minus die, and one the
plus die. Take the difference of the dice. If the minus die is
higher, the result is negative. If the plus die is higher, the
result is positive. Example: a roll of 4 on the minus die and 2 on
the plus die gives a -2 result. Convert any results of +5 or -5 to
0.
Roll 2 six-sided dice, add them together, and subtract 7. If the
result is +5 or -5, convert it to 0. Otherwise, the resulting
number is how well the character just did, compared to his trait
being tested. There are no plus or minus dice in this method.
A table can also be used with this last method, if desired. This
could be printed on each character sheet, as follows:
Rolled: | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
--------|----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----|---
Result: | +0 | -4 | -3 | -2 | -1 | +0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +0
4.23 Success Rates
-------------------
The following table is provided so that players can better evaluate
their chances of success.
Chance of achieving +4 or better: 6%.
Chance of achieving +3 or better: 14%.
Chance of achieving +2 or better: 25%.
Chance of achieving +1 or better: 39%.
Chance of achieving 0 or better: 61%.
Chance of achieving -1 or better: 75%.
Chance of achieving -2 or better: 86%.
Chance of achieving -3 or better: 94%.
Chance of achieving -4 or better: 100%
Thus, if your trait is Fair, and the GM says you need a Good result or
better to succeed, you need to roll +1 or better. You'll do this
about two times out of five, on the average.
4.3 Action Modifiers
---------------------
There may be modifiers for any given action, which can affect the odds
referred to in the preceding section.
A modifier of -1 means the trait is reduced by one for the matter at
hand. (This is not a permanent reduction.) Likewise, modifiers can
temporarily improve a character's traits.
Examples: Joe, Good with a sword, is Hurt (-1 to all actions). He is
thus only Fair with his sword until he's healed. (In fact, he's at -1
to all relevant traits.) Jill has Mediocre Lockpicking skills, but an
exceptionally fine set of lock picks gives her a Fair Lockpicking
skill while she's using them.
If a character has a secondary trait that could contribute
significantly to a task, the GM may allow a +1 bonus if the trait is
Good or better.
Example: Verne is at the library, researching an obscure South
American Indian ritual. He uses his Research skill of Good, but he
also has a Good Anthropology skill. The GM decides this is
significant enough to give Verne a Great Research skill for this
occasion. If his Anthropology skill were Superb, the GM could simply
let Verne use that instead of Research: you don't get to be Superb in
Anthropology without having done a lot of research in the subject!
Other conditions may grant a +/-1 to any trait. In FUDGE, +/-2 is a
large modifier - +/-3 is the maximum that should ever be granted
except under *extreme* conditions.
4.4 Unopposed Actions
----------------------
For each Unopposed action, the GM sets a Difficulty Level (Fair is the
most common) and announces which trait should be rolled against. If
no Skill seems relevant, choose the most appropriate Attribute. If
there is a relative Skill, but the character is untrained in it (it's
not listed on his character sheet), then use the default: usually
Poor. If a high attribute could logically help an *untrained* skill,
set the default at Mediocre. For example, a character wishes to palm
some coins without being observed. The GM says to use Sleight of Hand
skill, but the character is untrained in Sleight of Hand. The player
points out that the character's Dexterity attribute is Superb, so the
GM allows a default of Mediocre Sleight of Hand for this attempt.
The player then rolls against the character's trait level, and tries
to match or surpass the Difficulty Level set by the GM. In cases
where there are degrees of success, the better the roll, the better
the character did; the worse the roll, the worse the character did.
In setting the Difficulty Level of a task, the GM should remember that
Poor is the default for most skills. The average *trained* climber
can climb a Fair cliff most of the time, but the average *untrained*
climber will usually get a Poor result. In the example in Section 4.2
(Nathaniel shooting at an archery target), if the target is large and
close, even a Mediocre archer could be expected to hit it: Mediocre
Difficulty Level. If it were *much* smaller and farther away, perhaps
only a Great archer could expect to hit it regularly: Great Difficulty
Level. And so on.
Example of setting Difficulty Level: Two PCs (Mickey and Arnold) and
an NPC guide (Parri) come to a cliff the guide tells them they have to
climb. The GM announces this is a difficult, but not impossible,
cliff: a Good Difficulty Level roll is required to scale it with no
delays or complications. Checking the character sheets, they find
that Parri's Climbing skill is Great and Mickey's is Good. Arnold's
character sheet doesn't list Climbing, so his skill level is at
default: Poor. Parri and Mickey decide to climb it, then lower a rope
for Arnold.
Parri rolls a +1 result, which means a rolled degree of Superb, so she
gets up the cliff without difficulty, and much more quickly than
expected. Mickey rolls a -1, however, for a rolled degree of Fair.
Since this is one level lower than the Difficulty Level, he's having
problems. Had Mickey done Poorly or even Mediocre, he would perhaps
have fallen - or not even been able to start. Since his rolled degree
is only slightly below the Difficulty Level, though, the GM simply
rules he is stuck half way up, and can't figure out how to go on.
Parri ties a rope to a tree at the top of the cliff, and lowers it for
Mickey. The GM says it is now Difficulty Level: Poor to climb the
cliff with the rope in place, and Mickey makes this easily on another
roll.
Arnold would also need a Poor rolled degree to climb the cliff with
the rope, but since his skill is Poor, they decide not to risk it.
Mickey and Parri have Arnold loop the rope under his arms, and pull
him up as he grabs handholds along the way in case they slip. No roll
is needed in this case, unless they are suddenly attacked when Arnold
is only half way up the cliff . . .
Occasionally, the GM will roll in secret for the PC. There are times
when even a failed roll would give the player knowledge he wouldn't
otherwise have. These are usually information rolls. For example, if
the GM asks the player to make a roll against Perception attribute (or
Find Hidden Things skill), and the player fails, the character doesn't
notice anything out of the ordinary. But the player now knows that
there *is* something out of the ordinary that his character didn't
notice . . . Far better for the GM to make the roll in secret, and
only mention it on a successful result.
4.5 Opposed Actions
--------------------
To resolve an Opposed action between two characters, each side rolls
two dice against the appropriate trait and announces the result. The
traits rolled against are not necessarily the same: for example, a
seduction attempt would be rolled against a Seduction skill for the
active participant (or possibly Appearance attribute) and against Will
for the resisting participant. There may be modifiers: someone with a
vow of chastity might get a bonus of +2 to his Will, while someone
with a Lecherous fault would have a penalty - or not even try to
resist!
The Game Master compares the rolled degrees to determine a relative
degree. For example, if Lisa is trying to flimflam Joe into thinking
she's from the FBI, and rolls a Great result, this doesn't
automatically mean she succeeds. If Joe also rolls a Great result on
his trait to avoid being flimflammed (Knowledge of Police Procedure,
Learning, Intelligence, etc. - whatever the GM decides is
appropriate), then the relative degree is 0 - which means the status
quo is maintained. In this case, Joe remains unconvinced that Lisa is
legitimate. If Joe rolled a Superb result, Lisa's Great result would
have actually earned her a relative degree of -1: Joe is not going to
be fooled this encounter, and will probably even have a bad reaction
to Lisa.
The Opposed action mechanism can be used to resolve almost any
conflict between two characters. Are two people both grabbing the
same item at the same time? This is an Opposed action based on some
sort of Dexterity attribute - the winner gets the item. Is one
character trying to shove another one down? Roll Strength vs.
Strength (or Wrestling skill) to see who goes down. Someone trying to
hide from a search party? Perception attribute (or Find Hidden skill)
vs. Hide skill (or Camouflage, Stealth, etc.). Trying to outdrink a
rival? Constitution vs. Constitution (or Drinking skill, Carousing,
etc.). And so on.
Some Opposed actions have a minimum level needed for success. For
example, an attempt to control a person's mind with a Telepathy skill
might require at least a Fair result. If the telepath only gets a
Mediocre result, it doesn't matter if the intended victim rolls a Poor
resistance: the attempt fails. Most combat falls into this category -
see the next section.
For an example of Opposed actions involving more than two characters,
see Section 4.62, Multiple Combatants in Melee.
4.6 Combat
-----------
Combat is usually handled as a series of Opposed action, each taking
place during a "combat round." In FUDGE, a combat round is an
indeterminate length of time set by the GM - around 3 seconds seems
reasonable to some people, while that might seem grossly short or
absurdly long to others. A melee combat round combines offense and
defense of both sides into one Opposed action roll (each participant
rolling separately, and comparing results). A round is either a
stand-off or there is *one* winner - combatants from only one side can
be hurt in a given round.
The GM determines which traits the combatants should roll against.
This depends largely on whether or not they are using a weapon, and
what type. Each combatant makes an Opposed action roll, as above. A
relative degree of zero means that the combat round is a stand-off.
A minimum result of Poor is needed to hit a (roughly) equal-sized
opponent. That is, a human needs to score a Poor blow (and still win
the Opposed action) in order to hit another human. If both opponents
roll worse than Poor, the round is a standoff. If one opponent is
*significantly* bigger than the other, he needs a Mediocre or even
Fair result to hit his smaller foe, while even a Terrible result will
allow the small fighter to hit the larger. (Of course, such a blow
must still *win* the Opposed action.) Extremely small targets, such
as a pixie, may require a Good or even a Great result. Other examples
include humans fighting giants, or very large or small animals.
If the result is a relative degree other than zero, and the minimum
level needed to score a hit is achieved or surpassed, the winner
checks to see if he hit hard enough to damage the loser. In general,
the better the hit (the greater the relative degree), the more
likelihood of damage.
Many times, combat will take more than one combat round. Characters
are not limited to attacking each round - they may attempt to flee,
negotiate, try a fancy acrobatic stunt, or any other appropriate
action. If one combatant is unable to fight in a given round
(possibly because he's unaware of the attacker, or because of a
critical result in the previous round - see Section 4.8, Critical
Results), the combat may become an Unopposed Action for the active
fighter, usually with a Fair Difficulty Level. If a character can
defend himself in some way, such as using a shield, it is still an
Opposed Action, but the defending character cannot hurt the other
character even if he wins the combat round.
Many situations call for one side or the other's trait level to be
modified. Here are some examples:
In addition to a minimum result of Good or Great needed to hit, aiming
at a very precise, specific body part (such as an eye or hand) will
also have a -1 to the trait level.
If one fighter has a positional advantage over the other, there is a
penalty (usually -1) to the fighter in the worse position.
Examples include bad footing, lower elevation, light in his eyes,
etc.
All-out offense, such as a berserk attack, grants a +1 to the combat
skill (and an additional +1 for damage, if he wins). However, if
an all-out attacker *ties* or loses the Opposed action, the other
fighter wins, and gets +2 to damage!
An All-out defensive stance earns a +2 to the combat skill, but such a
combatant cannot harm his foe except in critical results.
Optionally, All-out Defense and a successful Perception or Tactics
roll can also give you a bonus on the *next* round. In this case,
the fighter is taking a few seconds to scope out the area and
maneuver to take advantage of any terrain or conditional
irregularity. Similar combat subtleties are possible, and
encouraged!
Ranged combat (with such weapons as bows, thrown spears, guns, or
blast rifles) may be handled as an Opposed action. Alternatively, the
GM may determine Initiative (perhaps by an Initiative attribute
modified by circumstances and a die roll) and have the opponents
alternate taking pot shots at each other. See Section 4.63, Ranged
Combat.
4.61 Melee Combat
------------------
Melee combat involves combatants being close enough to the foe to use
the same weapon repeatedly, without having to throw it. The weapon
used (which can be simply a fist) determines which trait a fighter
uses to roll against, but otherwise does not affect the Opposed action
roll in combat. The type of the weapon affects damage, though - see
Section 4.7, Damage and Healing.
4.62 Multiple Combatants in Melee
----------------------------------
Realistic Method: When more than one opponent attacks a single
fighter, they have a positional advantage - at the very least. To
reflect this, the lone fighter is at -1 to his skill for each
additional foe beyond the first. The lone fighter rolls once, and the
result is compared with *each* of the opponents' rolled degrees, one
after the other. The solo combatant has to defeat *all* of the
opponents in order to inflict a wound on one of them. The lone
fighter can inflict damage on only *one* foe in any given round - his
choice. But he *takes* multiple wounds in a single round if two or
more enemies hit him!
Epic Campaign Method: In those games with heroic PCs facing hordes of
enemies, the GM can reduce the penalty to -1 for each *two* opponents
the character faces. Or, she can simply give the hordes Poor skills
and Poor Damage Capacity (which is not out of character for a horde).
It's also possible to allow a sweeping blow to damage more than one
foe at a time. Of course, this slows a slash down: reduce damage done
by 1 for each foe cut through.
Either Method: The GM may allow a PC who ties with one foe, but scores
at least two rolled degrees better than another, to have hit the
second foe and still defended himself.
Example: Paco is facing three thugs, who have just rolled a Great,
Good, and Mediocre result, respectively. Paco rolls a Great result,
tying the best thug. The GM allows him to hit the thug who rolled a
Mediocre result (since he's at +3 relative degree), but not be hit
himself.
Of course, a well-armored fighter facing weak opponents can simply
concentrate on one foe and let the others try to get through his armor
(that is, not defend himself at all against some of his attackers).
In this case, attacking characters need to succeed at Unopposed
Mediocre Difficulty Level to hit the lone fighter who is ignoring
them. (It is Mediocre, not Poor as in Section 4.6, Combat, because
multiple fighters can interfere with each other.) This is
historically accurate for knights wading through peasant levies, for
example.
There's a limit to the number of foes that can attack a single
opponent. Six is about the maximum under ideal conditions (such as
wolves or spear-wielders attacking a solitary target), while only
three or four can attack if using weapons or martial arts that require
a lot of maneuvering space. If the lone fighter is in a doorway, only
one or two fighters can reach him, at most.
When multiple NPCs beset a lone PC, the GM may wish to roll only once
for all the NPCs, rather than having to roll for each combatant. The
lone fighter is still at -1 per extra opponent, but the GM's single
roll is moved one degree closer to zero. For example, if the GM gets
a +4 result, each attacker actually scores a +3. A zero result
remains a zero.
Example: Three NPC pirates, complete with eye-patches, scars,
earrings, sneers and generally bad attitudes, are attacking dashing PC
hero Tucker. The pirates (whose names are Molly, Annie, and Maggie)
are Fair, Good, and Mediocre, respectively, at combat skills. Tucker
is a Superb swordsman, but is at -2 for having two extra fighters
attacking him at once: his skill is Good for this combat. The GM
wants to roll just once (applying the result to all three pirates)
rather than rolling three times each combat round.
On the first round, she gets a +2. This becomes a +1 (moved closer to
zero), and the pirates have just gotten Good, Great, and Fair results,
respectively. If Tucker scores a Great result that round (equal to
the best pirate result), the round is a stand-off (nobody takes wounds
on either side - unless the GM is using the option detailed in the
example with Paco, above). However, if Tucker scores a Superb result,
he could hit the pirate of his choice and remain unhit. If poor
Tucker rolls a Fair result, both Molly and Annie would hit him. The
process is repeated each round.
4.63 Ranged Combat
-------------------
Ranged combat may or may not be an Opposed action:
If the target is unaware of the assault, the attacker makes an
Unopposed action roll to see if he hits his target - the GM sets the
Difficulty Level based on distance, lighting, cover, etc. Do not
modify the attacker's skill for range, partial cover, or other
circumstances - that's included in the Difficulty Level. Equipment
such as a laser sighting scope can modify the attacker's skill,
though.
If the defender is aware of the attack, however, it is an Opposed
action: the attacker's ranged weapon skill against the defender's
defensive trait. (A Difficulty Level for range, lighting, etc., is
still set by the GM, and is the minimum rolled degree needed to hit.)
A defensive roll should be made against a Dodge skill, or Agility
attribute, or something similar.
If the ranged weapon is thrown, there is no modifier to the defense
roll. However, a propelled weapon, such as a bow, gun, or beam
weapon, is much harder to avoid. In this case, reduce the defender's
trait by -2 or even -3.
Of course, the defender may decline to dodge, but shoot back instead.
In this case, the action is Unopposed - making the Difficulty Level is
all that is needed to hit. The GM may make such actions simultaneous.
Example: Nevada Slim and the El Paso Hombre are facing off in a
showdown. Both are in the open, in the sunlight, so there's no
lighting or cover difficulty. The range is obviously the same for
both - the GM rules it's a Fair task to hit each other. Slim rolls a
Poor result, and the Hombre a Mediocre result. The Hombre's bullet
came closer to Nevada Slim than vice versa, but both missed since
neither made the Difficulty Level.
Another Example: Will Scarlet is shooting a longbow from the greenwood
at Dicken, the Sheriff's man, who has a crossbow. Dicken knows Will
is there, because the man next to him just keeled over with an arrow
through his chest. Dicken is in the open, in good light, so only
range is of any concern to Will Scarlet: the GM says even a Mediocre
shot will hit since they are fairly close. The range for Dicken to
hit Will is of course the same, but Will is partially hidden behind a
log (cover), and just inside the foliage, so the lighting makes it
hard to see him clearly. The GM decrees Dicken needs a Good roll to
hit Will. Dicken rolls a Fair result, missing Will. Will rolls a
Mediocre result, which hits Dicken, even though it wasn't as good a
shot as Dicken's.
In both examples, the fighters forfeited their Dodges in order to
shoot simultaneously. Each combatant simply needed to make the
appropriate Difficulty Level to hit. Under these conditions, it's
possible for both combatants to succeed in the same combat round. Had
Dicken's shot hit, Will and Dicken would have skewered each other.
Guns and similar weapons that do not rely on muscle power should be
rated for damage at the beginning of the game. No detailed list is
provided, but as a rough guideline: The average small hand gun might
be of +2 to +3 Strength, while a derringer might be +1 or even +0.
Powerful two-handed projectile weapons will be +5 and higher, while
bazookas and other anti-tank weapons will be +10 and higher. Science
fiction small weapons might do as much damage as a modern bazooka - or
they might be designed to capture people without hurting them.
4.7 Damage and Healing
-----------------------
Two damage-tracking systems are presented here for use by the GM:
Subjective Damage system and Objective Damage system. The Subjective
system is simpler than the other, but less defined.
In each system, damage to a character can be described as being at one
of six stages of severity. The stages are:
Just A Scratch: no real game effect, except to create tension. In the
Objective system, this will lead to being hurt if the character is
hit again. (This effect is optional in the Subjective system.)
Hurt: the character is wounded enough to slow him down a little: -1 to
all traits which would logically be affected.
Very Hurt: the character is severely wounded, possibly stumbling: -2
to all traits which would logically be affected.
Incapacitated: the character is so badly wounded as to be incapable of
any actions, except possibly dragging himself a few feet every now
and then and gasping out an important message. Make a roll against
some sort of Constitution attribute at Fair Difficulty Level to
stay conscious. A very lenient GM might allow an Incapacitated
character to perform such elaborate actions as opening a door or
grabbing a gem. . .
Near Death: the character is not only unconscious, he'll die in less
than an hour - maybe a *lot* less - without outside medical help.
No one recovers from Near Death on their own.
Dead: he has no more use for his possessions; may as well help
yourself.
The GM may allow a high Difficulty Level Will roll to reduce or even
nullify penalties listed at Hurt, Very Hurt, and possibly even
Incapacitated.
Some players take delight in describing their wounds in detail, even
writing such scars into the character story!
Automatic Death: sometimes you don't have to roll the dice: holding a
knife to a helpless character's throat is a good example - no roll
needed to kill such a character, but your Karma suffers.
4.71 Subjective Damage System
------------------------------
When using FUDGE's Subjective Damage System, the GM considers all of
the factors below (possibly writing them down, the better to weigh
them), and then simply announces how hurt the defender is, using one
of the stages listed above.
1) The relative degree the attack succeeded by - the better the hit,
the more likelihood of damage. Winning a combat round with a
relative degree of +1 means you just hit her somewhere, probably
where she's most heavily armored. Scoring a hit with a +3,
however, means you may have found a chink in the armor.
2) The defender's armor. People wearing thicker armor, and more of
it, tend to get hurt less than those wearing no armor. Armor can
be finely defined, or simply said to be Light, Medium, or Heavy
armor. Science fiction scenarios might have Extra-Heavy armor.
Fantasy campaigns may include magic armor that offers even greater
protection, sometimes specific against certain types of damage.
3) The deadliness of the attacker's weapon. Big weapons tend to do
more damage than little weapons; sharp weapons rip tissue more than
dull ones. People trained in Karate tend to do more damage than
those untrained in any martial art.
4) The strength of the blow. For muscle-powered weapons, such as
melee weapons, unarmed attacks, bows, slings, etc., this is
determined by the attacker's Strength attribute: stronger folks
tend to hit harder. For things like guns, beam weapons, etc., it
is relative to the nature of the weapon: a .38 usually does more
damage than a .22.
5) The amount of damage the victim can soak up (Robustness, Damage
Capacity, or Mass). Big, healthy guys can take more damage before
collapsing than little, sickly guys, usually. But it's your call
if it's a big, sickly fighter against a little, healthy fellow.
4.72 Objective Damage System
-----------------------------
This system quantifies damage more than the other, and is quite
mechanical. Damage consists of three parts: Basic Damage, the
attacker's Offensive Damage Modifier, and the defender's Defensive
Damage Modifier. (There is a fourth optional part: the damage roll.)
Thus:
Total Damage = Basic Damage + Offensive Damage Modifier - Defensive
Damage Modifier (+ damage roll)
Basic Damage is the relative degree by which the winner hit the loser.
Example: if Lisa rolls a Great combat result and Joe only a Fair
result, Lisa has hit Joe for two points of Basic Damage.
The Offensive Damage Modifier is based on a number of factors,
including strength, Scale and weapon. For ease of use, it should be
calculated for each weapon at character creation and updated as
necessary. The Offensive Damage Modifier consists of:
For Muscle-Powered Weapon:
-1 for no weapon, Martial Art skill at Mediocre or worse (or none).
+0 for small blunt weapon (blackjack, brass knuckles, etc.)
+0 Martial Art skill at Fair or Good, no weapon.
+1 Martial Art skill at Great or Superb, no weapon.
+1 for small sharp weapon (knife, etc.)
+2 for average-sized weapon (sword, axe, spear, club, bow, etc.).
+3 for large weapon (polearm, battleaxe, etc.).
+1 for sharpness (add to other weapon damage for average and large
weapons).
Note: For a less lethal game, subtract 1 from each type of weapon
except sharpness.
For Strength (muscle-powered weapons only):
+3............Superb Strength
+2.............Great Strength
+1..............Good Strength
+0..............Fair Strength
-1..........Mediocre Strength
-2..............Poor Strength
-3..........Terrible Strength
For Weapon's Strength (Guns, Crossbows, Beam weapons, etc.,):
+/- Strength of weapon (see Section 4.63, Ranged Combat).
For Attacker's Scale:
Plus the attacker's Strength Scale (see Section 4.75).
Note: the attacker's Strength Scale is relevant only for muscle-
powered weapons and for those projectile weapons scaled to the
attacker's size, such as miniature bazookas or giant-sized
handguns. A superhero of Scale 10 using an ordinary pistol would
*not* figure his Scale into the Offensive Damage Modifier.
Example of Offensive Damage Modifier: Jeb the Dwarf is of Scale 1
(although short, he's solid as a rock), Great Strength (+2), and uses
a one-handed axe of +3 damage. On his character sheet, Jeb would
have: "One-handed Axe, +3 damage (Off.Dam.Mod.: +6)."
The Defensive Damage Modifier is based on armor and Scale (Mass) and
should likewise be calculated at character creation and updated as the
character's armor changes. The Defensive Damage Modifier consists of:
For Armor:
+1 or +2 for a good shield (add to other armor modifiers).
+1 for light, pliable non-metal armor.
+2 for heavy, rigid non-metal armor
+2 for light metal armor.
+3 for medium metal armor.
+4 for heavy metal armor.
+5 or more for science fiction advanced armor.
Note: a +2 shield is *very* large and cumbersome to carry.
Note: magical armor may add anywhere from +1 to whatever the GM will
allow to any given armor type above.
For Defender's Mass Scale:
Plus the defender's Mass Scale (see Section 4.75).
(If the defender has Mass other than Fair, or a gift of Tough Hide,
it should also be figured in.)
Example of Defensive Damage Modifier: Jeb the Dwarf is of Scale +1,
and wears heavy non-metal armor (+2) and carries a regular shield
(+1). On the character sheet, the player would list: "Shield: +1; Hvy
non-metal armor: +2 (Def.Dam.Mod: +3 w/out shield; +4 w/shield)."
Optional Damage Roll:
Although the damage roll is optional, it is recommended when
characters have high Offensive Damage Modifier. This allows a
"grazed" effect, which is otherwise not possible.
First, make all calculations above; the damage at this point is
called the *calculated* damage. The attacker then makes a
Situational damage roll, which is not based on any trait. The
result, which will range from -4 to +4, is applied to the
calculated damage to produce the final damage. Negative final
damage is treated as zero damage.
There are three limitations to the damage roll:
1) The final damage cannot be more than double the calculated
damage. That is, a calculated damage of two may be raised to a
final damage of four by a damage roll, but never higher.
2) If the calculated damage is negative or zero, the final damage
may be raised to a maximum of one point by a damage roll.
3) A positive calculated damage cannot be reduced by the die roll
to less than one.
First Example: The calculated damage is found to be -2 due to armor
and Scale. It would take a +3 or +4 result to inflict a wound on
the defender in this case, and then only 1 point of damage.
Second Example: The calculated damage is +2. A damage roll of +2
to +4 results in final damage of four points, since calculated
damage cannot be more than doubled by a damage roll. A damage roll
of +1 results in final damage of three points, while a damage roll
of 0 results in two points of final damage. Any negative die roll
results in one point of final damage, since a positive calculated
damage cannot be reduced below one by a damage roll.
For simplicity, of course, the GM can simply ignore the
limitations, and allow the damage roll to be anywhere from -4 to
+4, let the chips fall where they may . . .
Once the final damage is determined, it is recorded on the wounded
fighter's character sheet. The Scratched, Hurt, Very Hurt, etc.,
system introduced in Section 4.7, Damage and Healing, is used.
However, each point of damage does not necessarily mean the wounded
character loses the same number of steps. Instead, the different
levels of Damage Capacity take hits as follows:
Scratch Hurt Very Hurt Incapacitated Near Death
Terrible 1 1 1 1 2
Poor 2 1 1 2 2
Mediocre 2 2 1 2 2
Fair 2 2 2 2 2
Good 3 2 2 3 2
Great 3 3 2 3 2
Superb 3 3 3 3 2
Legendary 4 3 3 4 2
Wounds are cumulative. That is, the first two points of damage to a
character with Fair Damage Capacity count as Scratches, and the next
hit will Hurt the character. The fifth point of damage will make the
character Very Hurt, and so on, until the eleventh point of damage,
which will kill the character. If this character has taken four
points of damage total, he is still only at -1 to his actions for
being Hurt; he is not at -2 until the next point of damage, which will
make him Very Hurt.
The player should write the character's wound progression on the
character sheet at character creation if using the Objective Damage
System.
The wound progression above makes for a fairly realistic campaign.
For a more cinematic campaign (especially those without magic or
science fiction healing), add an extra Scratch (and maybe even Hurt)
to each level. It wouldn't be out of line, for an epic scale game, to
add 2 levels of Scratch and Hurt to each PC. This would mean little
blows wouldn't accumulate so quickly to hinder the character.
4.73 Damage Threshold
----------------------
A "damage threshold" is a limit to the number of wound steps a
character can take in one blow. This is an optional rule, recommended
for campaigns that are even the least bit heroic. A damage threshold
prevents accidental PC death, which (in most campaigns) shouldn't
occur through a bad die roll, but only if the character's actions were
truly self-sacrificing or stupid enough to warrant death. The damage
threshold concept can be implemented in different ways.
One method is simply to rule that an average character cannot take
more than three levels of wounds in one blow *in ordinary combat.*
For example, an unwounded character could be Scratched, Hurt, or Very
Hurt in one blow, but any excess damage points beyond that would be
lost. A Hurt character could go all the way to Near Death in one
blow, but not be killed outright.
The GM might tailor the damage threshold to Damage Capacity. For
example, characters of Great or Superb Damage Capacity might take only
two levels of wounds in one blow. (That is, an unwounded character of
Superb Damage Capacity can only be Scratched or Hurt, not Very Hurt,
in his first wound.) Likewise, characters of Terrible and Poor Damage
Capacity might be able to go through four wound levels in one blow.
Another way to handle a damage threshold is to say that a character
cannot be rendered Incapacitated unless he began that combat round
Very Hurt. This type of threshold could be between Incapacitated and
Near Death, instead - or both, if desired! This is simpler to keep
track of than the other system, but even less realistic. But, then,
the whole concept of a damage threshold isn't realistic: it's to make
the PCs more heroic than real life.
The "automatic death" rule in Section 4.7, Damage and Healing, takes
precedence over damage thresholds. Note that "automatic death" can be
defined by the GM to include such things as being hit solidly by a
giant, which doesn't really fall under the category of "ordinary
combat." Being shot by a large firearm actually can be considered
ordinary combat, but might be exempt from the damage threshold rule,
anyway.
An indulgent GM who isn't concerned with realism can use damage
thresholds for PCs but ignore them for NPCs.
4.74 Combat and Objective Damage Example
-----------------------------------------
This example uses the Objective Damage system, including the optional
damage roll.
The two opponents are Medieval warriors, Snorri and Brynhild. The
fight takes place in a barroom, which quickly emptied of other
occupants once weapons were drawn. No one noticed that the
innkeeper's son had actually left much earlier than this, when the
belligerent Snorri was merely exchanging insults with the proud
Brynhild. Both fighters are human (Scale 0), so Scale is left out of
the discussion.
Snorri:
Strength: Good (+1)
Weapon: Magic Sword (+2 for size, +1 for Sharpness, +1 for Magic = +4)
Sword skill: Great
Damage Capacity: Good
Armor: Heavy Leather (+2), no shield
Offensive Damage Modifier: +5
Defensive Damage Modifier: +2
Brynhild:
Strength: Great (+2)
Weapon: Axe (+2 for size, +1 for Sharpness = +3)
Axe skill: Good
Damage Capacity: Fair
Armor: Heavy Leather (+2)
Shield: Normal (+1)
Offensive Damage Modifier: (+5)
Defensive Damage Modifier: (+3)
In the first round, Snorri gets a Great result on his weapon skill,
and Brynhild gets a Fair result. Snorri wins with a relative degree
of +2, which equals the Basic Damage. Next, Snorri's Offensive Damage
Modifier of +5 is added in, bringing the damage to +7. Now the GM
subtracts Brynhild's Defensive Damage Modifier of +3, bringing the
calculated damage down to +4.
The GM is requiring damage rolls, so Snorri's player rolls the dice: a
-4 result, the worst he could have gotten! This would bring the
damage down to 0, but there is a limitation that prevents positive
calculated damage to be reduced below one, so Snorri does one point of
damage to Brynhild.
Since her Damage Capacity is Fair, Brynhild can take two points of
damage and still be only Scratched. The GM marks one point of
Scratch, and the next round is fought.
In the second round, both combatants get Good results - a standoff.
The GM describes it as a give-and-take of blows that are all parried
or blocked as the fighters circle each other.
In the third round, Snorri gets a Great result and Brynhild only a
Good result - Snorri has hit again! Basic Damage = 1, his Offensive
Damage Modifier of +5 brings damage up to 6, and Brynhild's Defensive
Damage Modifier of +3 brings the calculated damage to +3. Snorri's
player rolls the dice, this time getting a +1 result: he scores four
points of damage to Brynhild!
The GM marks off four points of damage on Brynhild's character sheet:
one uses up the last Scratch, the next two use up both Hurt points,
and the last damage point is marked against Very Hurt. Brynhild is
now Very Hurt, and her skill is at -2: she's fighting as if she were
Mediocre now.
In the fourth round, Snorri decides to finish off the wounded Brynhild
in one blow: he all-out attacks, which gives him a +1 to his skill,
and a +1 to damage if he wins. Brynhild had decided to try for a
situational advantage, though: she's spending this round in all-out
defense, hoping to spot some way to get an advantage over Snorri for
the fifth round. Brynhild gets +2 to her skill this turn, but can't
hurt Snorri if she wins. Snorri gets a Great result, even with his +1
for all-out attacking, and Brynhild also gets a Great result! Snorri
would ordinarily have lost the combat round (all-out attackers lose
tie results), but Brynhild's all-out defense means she doesn't aim any
blows at Snorri, just beats his attack down.
In the fifth round, the GM gives Brynhild a much-needed +1 for having
spotted a spilled drink on the barroom floor. By tying the last
round, she managed to maneuver Snorri so that he's in the puddle: he's
at -1 to skill this round (down to Good). Snorri takes an ordinary
combat round, and Brynhild, wounded and desperate, now tries an all-
out attack herself: +1 to her skill, bringing her up to an effective
skill of Fair from her wounded Mediocre state. Brynhild rolls a Great
result, and Snorri only gets a Good result: Brynhild wins this round.
Since she was doing an all-out attack, she gets a bonus of +1 to
damage. The Basic Damage is therefore 2, which becomes 7 when her
Offensive Damage Modifier is added in. Snorri's Defensive Damage
Modifier is +2, so calculated damage is 5. The GM makes a damage roll
of +0, so Snorri takes five points of damage. Since his Damage
Capacity is Good, this means three of the damage points are Scratches,
and the final two are Hurt wounds. Snorri is now Hurt: -1 until
healed.
The combat is interrupted at this point by the town guards, who had
been quickly alerted by the innkeeper's son. Snorri and Brynhild are
hauled off to separate cells, probably only too glad to get out of
what had become a deadly duel . . .
4.75 Non-human Scale in Combat
-------------------------------
Combat between creatures of different Scale (Mass/Strength Scale) is
very straightforward. Because weapons and armor are scaled along with
the wielder's Strength, no difficult computation is needed.
Basically, the attacker's Strength Scale is figured into his Offensive
Damage Modifier, and the defender's Mass Scale is figured into her
Defensive Damage Modifier. Once the basic damage has been determined
normally, the attacker's Offensive Damage Modifier is added to his
damage, and the defender's Defensive Damage Modifier is subtracted
from the final damage. If you have combat with beings weaker than
humans, remember what you learned in school about adding and
subtracting negative numbers . . .
That's all there is to it. As per normal FUDGE damage rules, armor
decreases the damage done while weapon size and deadliness may
increase the damage done. Hits become Scratches, Hurt, etc., as usual
- see Section 4.7, Damage and Healing.
However, a very small character is not likely to be able to wound a
large one in this system. The GM may allow a point or two of damage
to penetrate if the small character gets a critical success. Poison-
tipped arrows and lances are also a possibility: the small character
can aim for joints in the armor and merely has to break the skin to
inject the poison.
Also, this system treats Scale like armor, which isn't quite accurate.
In reality, a small opponent may be slowly carving the larger fighter
up, but each wound is too petty, relative to the large scale, to do
much damage by itself. To reflect a lot of small wounds gradually
inflicting a hit on a large-scale foe, let each hit that is just
barely stopped by Scale count as half a hit. "Just barely" depends on
the Scale difference, of course. For Scale 1, there isn't any half
hit stage, while Scale 10 difference might mean having six or more
hits stopped by scale.
Another way to represent this is to allow a damage roll when Scale
prevents a hit from doing any damage. See Section 4.72, Objective
Damage System, for damage rolls.
There are also "scale piercing" weapons, such as whale harpoons and
elephant guns. These don't have massive damage numbers: instead, if
they hit well, simply halve the Scale value, or ignore it all
together. Of course, if such a weapon is used on a human, it would
indeed have a massive damage modifier . . .
Objective Damage System Combat Examples: In the following examples,
Strength and Mass are at the same Scale. Also, it is assumed the GM
is not using the optional damage roll, which could vary damage in all
three combat rounds discussed.
First example:
Wilbur, a human knight with a sword, is attacking a dragon. Wilbur's
Offensive Damage Modifier is a respectable +6:
Great Strength: +2
Two-handed sword: +4 (+3 for size, +1 for sharpness)
Scale: +0.
The dragon's Defensive Damage Modifier is +8:
Scale: +6
Tough hide: +2.
If Wilbur hits the dragon with a relative degree of +3, he does 3+6 =
9 points of damage. This would be a very severe blow to a human (even
one wearing armor), but this is no human opponent. Only one hit gets
through after subtracting the dragon's Defensive Damage Modifier of 8.
The GM checks off a Scratch for the dragon, and the fight continues.
Since the dragon has Fair Damage Capacity (she can take two
Scratches), Wilbur will have to do this twice more before he finally
Hurts the dragon. He may need help, or have to go back for his magic
sword!
Second example:
Sheba, a human warrior, has just kicked McMurtree, a wee leprechaun.
Sheba's Offensive Damage Modifier = +1:
Fair Strength: +0
Great Unarmed Combat Skill: +1
Scale: +0.
McMurtree's Defensive Damage Modifier is -3:
Light Leather Armor: +1
Scale: -4.
If Sheba wins the first combat round with a relative degree of +1 she
adds in her Offensive Damage Modifier of +1 for a total damage so far
of +2. However, McMurtree's Defensive Damage Modifier equals -3,
which is subtracted from the damage. Subtracting a negative number
means you actually add an equal but positive amount: 2+3 = 5 points of
damage. Since he has Fair Damage Capacity, he takes 2 Scratch hits, 2
Hurt hits and 1 Very Hurt hit - he's at -2 for the next combat round,
and in grave danger if she hits again.
Third example:
McMurtree's friend, Fionn, now swings his shillelagh (oak root club)
at Sheba's knee. Fionn's Offensive Damage Modifier is -1:
Good Strength: +1
Shillelagh: +2 (medium sized relative to Fionn, not sharp)
Scale: -4.
Sheba's Defensive Damage Modifier is +2:
Heavy Leather Armor: +2
Scale: +0.
If Fionn wins by +3, he adds in his Offensive Damage Modifier of -1,
which brings the damage down to a total so far of +2. Unfortunately
for Fionn, this equals Sheba's Defensive Damage Modifier exactly, so
she takes no damage from an excellently placed hit!
Fionn had better think of some other strategy, quickly. Fortunately
for Fionn, he knows some magic, and if he can dodge just one kick from
Sheba, she'll learn the hard way why it's best not to antagonize the
Wee folk . . .
4.76 Pulling Punches & Knockout Damage
---------------------------------------
In either the Objective or Subjective Damage system, a player can have
his character do reduced damage in any given attack. This commonly
occurs in duels of honor, where it is only necessary to draw "first
blood" to win, and killing your opponent can get you charged with
murder. This is known as "pulling your punch," even if you are using
a sword.
To pull your punch, simply announce the maximum damage level you will
do if you are successful. A fencer can say he is going for one point
of damage, for example. In this case, even if he wins the Opposed
action by +8, and adds in +3 for his sword, he only does one point of
damage: he was just trying to nick his foe. In the Subjective Damage
system, a player might decide he just wanted to Scratch the opponent.
Likewise, a player can announce that his character is going for knock-
out damage rather than killing damage. In this case, Hurt and Very
Hurt simply count as additional Scratch levels. It takes an
Incapacitated result to knock a character out, but there is no penalty
for being Hurt or Very Hurt on the way. A knocked-out character
doesn't need healing to recuperate to full health - just time. (Only
a very severe GM would roll for the possibility of brain damage - this
is fiction, not reality!)
The GM may simply decide that a successful Good blow (or better) to
the head knocks someone out automatically. In an Opposed action, the
Good blow would also have to win the combat, of course.
4.77 Healing
-------------
Healing is done through a medical skill or supernormal power. A
Scratch is too insignificant to require a roll on a healing skill
(although it might require a kiss to make it better . . .). A Good
result on a healing skill heals all Hurt wounds; a Great result heals
all Very Hurt (as well as Hurt) wounds, and a Superb result heals an
Incapacitated character.
Otherwise, wounds heal on their own at one wound level per week of
rest. That is, after a week of rest, an Incapacitated character
becomes Very Hurt, etc. (The GM sets the healing rate of Scratches.
They may disappear automatically once you are out of combat time, or
they may linger on for a day or two.) The GM may also require a
successful roll against some sort of Constitution attribute: Fair
Difficulty Level for Hurt, Good Difficulty Level for Very Hurt, and
Great Difficulty Level for Incapacitated. Failing this roll slows the
healing process. Someone Near Death should take a long time to heal,
even with magical or high tech healing.
Healing with realistic medical skills takes time: the success of the
roll merely insures the wounds *will* heal, given enough rest. How
long this takes depends on the technological level of the game
setting, and is up to the GM. (A day per treated wound is extremely
fast healing, but may be appropriate in an epic-style game. Likewise,
one minute per magically healed wound is very fast.) Whether or not
strenuous activity before the healing period ends reopens a wound is
also left up to the GM . . .
4.8 Critical Results
---------------------
Critical results are an optional FUDGE rule for GMs who like the idea.
A natural rolled result of +4 can be considered a critical success -
the character has done exceptionally well, and the GM may grant some
special bonus to the action. Likewise, a natural result of -4 is a
critical failure, and the character has done as poorly as he possibly
can in the given situation.
Note that achieving +/-4 with die modifiers does not count as a
critical result, though the character *has* done exceptionally well or
poorly. When a natural critical result is rolled, the GM may ignore
what the rolled degree would be, and treat it as an automatic beyond
Superb or below Terrible result.
Optionally, if a character gets a rolled degree four or more levels
better than the Difficulty Level, he has gotten a critical success.
Likewise, four levels below a Difficulty Level is a critical failure.
A critical result in combat can mean many things: one fighter falls
down, or drops his weapon, or is hurt extra badly, or is stunned for a
round and can't even defend himself, or is temporarily blinded, or
knocked out, etc. The GM should be creative, but not kill a character
outright!
The GM may even wish to make a table, such as these sample melee
critical results:
Roll 2d6:
2 Blinded for the next combat round - no defense or offense!
3 Fall down: skill at -2 for one round.
4 Armor badly damaged - no armor value rest of fight!
5 Weapon finds chink in armor - do not subtract for armor.
6 Off balance - skill at -1 next turn.
7 Drop Weapon.
8 Weapon breaks, but still useful: -1 to damage.
9 . . .
And so on - finish and customize to your tastes.
This is an easy way to achieve a lot of detail without complicating
FUDGE. Those with Internet access are invited to add any interesting
critical results tables they create to the FUDGE sites!
4.9 NPC Reactions
------------------
Sometimes a non-player character has a set reaction to the PCs.
Perhaps she's automatically their enemy, or perhaps the party has
rescued her, and earned her gratitude. But there will be many NPCs
that don't have a set reaction. When the PCs request information or
aid, it might go smoothly or it might not go well at all. Negotiation
with a stranger is always an unknown quantity to the players - it may
be so for the GM, too!
When in doubt, the GM should secretly make a Situational roll. If the
PC in question has a trait that might affect a stranger's reaction,
this should be grant a +/-1 (or more) to the result. Examples include
Appearance (which could be an attribute, gift or fault), Charisma,
Reputation, Status, and such habits as nose-picking or vulgar
language. The Reaction roll can also be modified up or down by
circumstances: bribes, suspicious or friendly nature of the NPC,
proximity of the NPC's boss, observed PC behavior, etc.
The higher the Reaction roll result, the better the reaction. On a
Fair result, for example, the NPC will be mildly helpful, but only if
it's not too much effort. She won't be helpful at all on Mediocre or
worse results, but will react well on a Good result or better.
Example: Nathaniel needs some information about the local duke, who he
suspects is corrupt. He has observed that folks are reticent to talk
about the duke to strangers. Nathaniel decides to approach a
talkative vegetable seller at the open market. Nathaniel has an
average appearance (no modifier), but is charismatic: +1 to any
Reaction roll. He makes small talk for a while, then slowly brings
the duke into the conversation. The GM decides this was done
skillfully enough to warrant another +1 on the reaction roll.
However, the situation is prickly: -2 in general to elicit *any*
information about the sinister local ruler. This cancels Nathaniel's
bonuses. The GM rolls in secret, and gets a Fair result. The old
lady slips out a bit of useful information before realizing what she's
just said. At that point she clams up, but Nathaniel casually changes
the subject to the weather, dispelling her suspicions. He wanders off
to try his luck elsewhere.
[End of Chapter Four. Chapters Five and Six are in the next post.]
--
-Steffan O'Sullivan | "Lose no chance of doing service, wherever
| you may find it; and if you should see
s...@oz.plymouth.edu | sorrow, pass not by until the sorrow be
| lightened." -Rhianon's advice to Pwyll