Mechanics I Want to Use - Boomerage Stealing Attack

The second use for the boomerang in the Legend of Zelda games (besides stunning / paralyzing your enemies, as in my earlier post) is picking up objects and carrying them back to you. Other games have similar "fetching" weapons, like the grappler in Super Metroid. What's even cooler than simply picking up objects off the ground? Plucking them out of your enemies hands, and depositing them directly into yours, obviously.

But I also wanted this deed to capture the feel of something else - the moment when you kill an enemy and they leave behind arrows, or missiles, or a special weapon recharge, or money, or a bomb, or a grenade, or (most often) a little refill of health. The Mega Man games employ this same mechanic.

So, what we have is a deed for rangers that lets them either disarm their opponent and steal their weapon, or steal a little power-up / prize. As a mechanic, it absolutely is a bit video-gamey, since you get the prize based on your Deed Die roll, regardless of whether or not that item was on the judge's list of treasures to be found on that particular opponent. (Although the judge could insist that this only works on humanoids who are carrying some kind of equipment, or that you have to accept a lower result if it doesn't make sense for them to be carrying the item in question.

Weapon Specific Deed - Stealing Attack (boomerang)

The ranger throws her boomerang to knock away a piece of her opponent's equipment and return it to herself. If possible, the boomerang knocks away her opponent's weapon and return's it directly into the ranger's hand to wield next round. Otherwise, it returns adventuring equipment as listed below.

The judge is encouraged to tailor these results slightly to fit the nature of the opponent and the setting (for example, by choosing the denomination of the coinage, the type of ammunition, or the specific grenade-like weapon.)

3     The ranger steals a weapon up to the size of a dagger, or 1d12 coins.
4     The ranger steals a weapon up to the size of a short sword, or 1d6 rations, 1d6 torches, or other basic equipment.
5     The ranger steals a weapon up to the size of a longsword, or 1d6 arrows, 1d6 sling stones, or other ammunition.
6     The ranger steals a weapon up to the size of a two-handed sword, or 1 vial of holy water, 1 flask of oil, or other grenade.
7+     The ranger steals a weapon up to the size of a lance, or: 1 mushroom elixir (imbiber heals 1d4 hit points of damage immediately) or other medicine.

After getting some feedback, I also want to revisit my advise for when a boomerang returns to its owner.

Weapon Boomerang, Damage 1d4, Range 10/20/30**, Cost in gp 25

Although it is a thrown weapon, the boomerang follows a curved flight-path that allows it to sometimes brings it back to its owner's hand. If the ranger misses her attack, the boomerang will return to her at the end of the combat round. If she makes a regular attack or regular deed, the weapon hits her opponent and falls to the ground nearby. If she makes a critical hit or a weapon-specific deed, the boomerang hits her opponent but continues on its flight, returning at the end of the round. If the ranger fumbles, the boomerang returns, but she is hit by it instead of catching it; depending on the fumble result, this may be deadly, painful, or simply embarrassing.

Both Stun and Steal could probably be used as weaponless deeds by very roguish warriors who were trained to sap or mug their enemies. The stunning attack and stealing attack could also both probably be used as weapon-specific deeds for the whip, in any kind of Western setting.

Mechanics I Want to Use - Boomerang Stunning Attack

I like the idea of weapon-specific deeds in DCC, because they feel like an easy way to add "tricks" that certain kinds of warrior can learn (possibly by "questing for it") without overwhelming the game as a whole with too many options. In deciding what kind of weapon to specialize in, a warrior is already committing herself to a particular combat style, and perhaps a particular style of play more generally. So some warriors might be very grim, others might be rather show-offy, and still others, perhaps, might be a bit whimsical.

In the Legend of Zelda games, one use of the boomerang is to fetch objects (which I'll return to later.) But the other use is to temporarily stun or paralyze enemies so that you can attack them more easily (or run away from them without being followed.) This deed is meant to imitate that mechanic from the video games.

The main question I had in mind when writing this up was "What do you call a warrior who uses a boomerang?" But then I realized that "boomeranger" shortens to "ranger" quite nicely. (I'll leave it to the reader to decide if that should be pronounced like the-one-who-ranges or like the-one-who-rang.)

 

Weapon Specific Deed - Stunning Attack (boomerang)

The ranger throws her boomerang to stun her opponent, briefly knocking the breath from their lungs or the thoughts from their head. This deed is most effective with the ranger acts before her opponent in the initiative order.

3     The ranger’s opponent acts last in the initiative this round.
4     The ranger’s opponent acts last in the initiative this round, and for the next 1d3 rounds.
5     The ranger’s opponent cannot act this round, and acts last in the initiative for the next 1d3 rounds.
6     The ranger’s opponent cannot act this round, or for the next 1d3 rounds, and acts last in the initiative until the end of combat after that.
7+     The ranger’s opponent is knocked completely unconscious until the end of combat.

Of course, to learn this deed, the warrior first needs to own a boomerang, which might be a quest in itself in the pseudo-medieval setting of most DCC games.

Weapon Boomerang, Damage 1d4, Range 10/20/30**, Cost in gp 25

Although it is a thrown weapon, the boomerang follows a curving flight-path that usually returns it to its owner at the end of each combat round. However, if the ranger rolls a natural 1 on either her Action Die or Deed Die when using the boomerang, it lands on the ground near her intended target rather than returning.

Mechanics I Want to Use - Cover Fire

I wanted a Mighty Deed of Arms to try to recreate a common scene in gunfights (at least on television and in movies) - both sides crouching down behind cover, popping up for a moment to return fire, before immediately ducking down again. Occasionally, someone uses this situation to try to sneak off to a flanking position and hit the other side where they're not shielded. Other times, the exchange of gunfire is covering someone's getaway.

Because guns are so deadly, and no one is really wearing effective armor, the first thing anyone in a gunfight seems to do is look for something to hide behind, and then both sides trade shots while looking for some kind of advantage or way to break the stalemate. (Often the fights seem to end when the heroes on one side manage to take down the villains on the other by hitting the bad guys right as they're emerging to let off another volley.)

So my goal here is to simulate that kind of gunfight. Both sides are hiding and unable to really hit each other until something changes. Both sides are laying down cover fire to prevent the other side from getting the upper hand. When someone is laying down effective cover, it's impossible for anyone on the other side to approach or out-flank them, unless they're very sneaky, or can find an alternate route. The only people in danger of being shot are the ones creating the cover. Cover fire is also not automatically symmetrical. If one side has more shooters, it's easier for them to control the situation. It's also possible to get out-gunned, so if one side has bigger or better guns, they're probably going to dominate the scene.

At the same time, I did try to keep the rules as simple as possible, while still allowing (and encouraging!) the above scenarios to play out. Hopefully what I've written makes intuitive sense when you think about the kind of gunfight it's meant to simulate.

I'm playing in a "weird West" themed game some weekend with Stormlord Publishing, so hopefully I'll get a chance to see how this works out in actual play. The one change I'd consider making would be that even the shooter can only be targeted by a return of cover fire (or perhaps by any Might Deed) rather than allowing them to be targeted by ordinary attacks. I'm concerned that would slow things down too much though, so I'm going to leave the opponent's options more flexible, unless playtesting shows that it doesn't work the way I hope it will as written.


Weapon-Specific Deed - Cover Fire (Firearm)

The shooter protects her allies by using her own gunfire to shield them from attack. Cover fire is typically used when the shooter and her allies are hiding behind cover, and when their enemies are in a similar position. By firing at a single opponent, the shooter can pin down her enemies to their position, prevent return fire from harming her allies, and even cover her friends retreat from the situation, allowing them to either escape or reposition themselves for the next phase of combat.

Unlike other Mighty Deeds, cover fire is not intended to hit an opponent, but to prevent them from moving by hitting close enough to them to force them to protect themselves. As a result, the shooter must hit AC 10 instead of her opponent's actual Armor Class. Larger or smaller opponents might be easier or harder to cover, respectively. Rolls of natural 20 (or other critical hits) deal damage to the target as normal.

When creating cover against an opponent without a missile weapon, the shooter receives a flat +2 bonus to her Deed Die. When attempting cover fire against an opponent who's using a firearm or other missile weapon, the shooter may receive a bonus based on the following factors:

Rate of fire: The shooter receives a +1 bonus to her Deed Die for each missile she can fire per round in excess of her opponent.
Damage die: The shooter receives a +1 bonus to her Deed Die for each 1d of damage her weapon deals in excess of her opponent.

Because the protection offered by cover fire is only effective after the shooter has attempted her Deed, she can choose to apply this bonus to her Initiative instead of her Deed Die.

An armed opponent with a superior weapon can choose either to impose a penalty on the shooter, or to receive a bonus when they return cover fire of their own.

(For example, a shooter armed with a single-shot pistol that deals 1d6 damage gets a +2 bonus to her Deed Die against an unarmed opponent, a +0 bonus against an opponent with the same weapon, and a -4 penalty against an opponent armed with a gun that fires two shots for 1d12 damage each per round. If that opponent chose to return cover fire instead, the shooter would take no penalty, but her opponent would receive a +4 bonus to their Deed Die.)


3 The shooter provides limited cover to her allies. A single targeted opponent cannot advance toward the shooter or her allies, and can make attacks only against the shooter this round.

4 The shooter provides limited cover to her allies. A single targeted opponent cannot advance toward the shooter or her allies, and can make attacks only against the shooter this round. Or, the shooter can nullify a single opponent's Cover Fire deed result of 3.

5 The shooter provides complete cover to her allies. Opponents cannot advance toward the shooter or her allies, and can make attacks only against the shooter this round. A single ally can retreat this round while retaining this protection. Or, the shooter can nullify a single opponent's Cover Fire deed result of 4 or less.

6 The shooter provides complete cover to her allies. Opponents cannot advance toward the shooter or her allies, and can make attacks only against the shooter this round. A single ally can retreat this round while retaining this protection. Or, the shooter can nullify a single opponent's Cover Fire deed result of 5 or less.

7 The shooter provides complete cover to her allies. Opponents cannot advance toward the shooter or her allies, and can make attacks only against the shooter this round. Up to two allies can retreat this round while retaining this protection. Or, the shooter can nullify any number of opponents' Cover Fire deeds whose results total at least 1 less than her Deed result. (So on a result of 7, the shooter could nullify a single result of 6, or two results of 3.)


Notes: Opponents who are not directly targeted by cover fire can still attempt to advance by using the Hide in Shadows skill, or by taking a route that leaves them out of sight behind physical cover the entire time. However, an opponent who is directly targeted by the shooter cannot advance.

The description of this deed assumes that both sides in the combat will begin exchanging cover fire from behind actual protective cover. However, at the judge's discretion, an exposed shooter may be permitted to use this deed, or an exposed opponent may be forced into retreat instead of just being blocked from advancing.

The description also assumes that the shooter will be using a firearm instead of a sling or bow. Skilled NPCs from societies that favor such weapons might be able to use them to lay down cover fire. At the judge's discretion, a player character quest for the ability to provide cover using an arrow or stone.

Mechanics I Want to Use - Leaping Attack

Jousting is a classic lance attack, but it needn't be the only one. In the Final Fantasy games, dragoons are lance-carrying characters who wear dragon-themed helmets, and who use an attack called "Jump" to leap high into the air, disappearing for 1 combat round, and then land on a target, reappearing and dealing double damage.

Fig 1 - Final Fantasy IV's Kain the Dragoon

In general, and attack that lets a character use 2 rounds worth of actions to deal double damage with a single attack seems "fair." In fact, I'd argue that the risk of losing 2 rounds worth of damage on a single miss, instead of only one round, means that dealing only double damage is a slightly losing proposition. (I'm sure game theory would back me up, although I don't feel like looking up how to write out one of their equations.)

In Final Fantasy, being immune to attacks for a round while your character's "high up in the air" maybe compensates for the extra risk of the Jump. An attack that dealt double damage in the first round at the risk of not dealing any damage in either round might also be worth it, since extra damage in Round 1 might mean that there doesn't need to be a Round 2 at all.

Fig 2 - Final Fantasy IV's Cecil the Dark Knight

There's no question that the Jump attack looks cool, and maybe players are willing to accept a special attack that is actually slightly worse than attacking normally in order to look cool, but I'd argue that there's no reason to make them pay that price, even if they're willing to accept it. This is especially important in DCC, where any combat maneuver carries an increased risk of making a warrior miss their attack by depriving them of their usual to-hit bonus.

Another way to make a Jump-style attack more "fair" would be to make the final damage even more variable. Paying 2 rounds of attacks to get triple damage is an obvious "win" for the attacker, paying 2 rounds of attacks for the possibility of either normal damage, double damage, or triple damage sounds even more "fair" to me.

The Leaping Attack requires that the lancer be on higher ground than her target. In DCC, this normally confers a +1 to-hit bonus. I’m re-using an idea I innovated for my Jousting deed to say that for mounted lancers, this bonus is equal to the HD of their mount (not just +1) and that it can be applied as the lancer sees fit to the attack, the deed, or the crit.

Fig 3 - The "stand" position in the actual sport of Equestrial Vaulting,
and what a mounted lancer looks like just before leaping.

Weapon-Specific Deed - Leaping Attack (Lance)

When executing this deed, the lancer leaps down from a position above her target and strikes them with terrible force before resuming her original position. This deed takes 2 combat rounds to execute. In the first round, the lancer makes her attack and deed rolls, and pounces onto her target. In the second round, she recovers from the maneuver and moves back to her original position.

If the lancer's attack roll succeeds and her deed roll fails, she attacks normally, but she must still spend the second round recovering from her maneuver. If her attack roll fails but her deed roll succeeds, she does not attack at all, and may use the second round normally. If both rolls fail, she executes a failed leaping attack, and must spend the second round recovering.

On a successful Leaping Attack attempt, the lancer scores an automatic critical hit. On a natural 20 attack roll (or any successful attack roll within her critical range,) she rolls on Crit Table V instead of her usual Crit table, and she received double the listed bonus when she rolls on that table.

A lancer who attempts this deed while mounted stands up on her mount's back before leaping, and she receives a bonus of +1 for each of her mount's Hit Dice. She can apply this bonus to her attack roll, her deed roll, or her Crit table roll. (If a lancer is riding a charging mount, her damage dice are doubled on any successful attack, even if her leaping maneuver fails.)

3 The lancer scores a critical hit. She rolls her deed die on her usual Crit table with a +3 bonus.

4 The lancer scores a critical hit. She rolls her deed die on her usual Crit table with a +4 bonus.

5 The lancer scores a critical hit. She rolls her deed die on her usual Crit table with a +5 bonus.

6 The lancer scores a critical hit. She rolls her deed die on her usual Crit table with a +6 bonus.

7+ The lancer scores a critical hit. She rolls her deed die on her usual Crit table with a +7 bonus (or more. The bonus is equal to the Mighty Deed result.)

Mechanics I Want to Use - Jousting as a Weapon Specific Deed

The Dungeon Crawl Classics rules provide seven Mighty Deeds of Arms, seven maneuvers that any warrior can perform in combat. The rules also suggest ways to create Signature Deeds to help define individual fighting styles, and Weapon-Specific Deeds for masters of particular weapons.

Signature Deeds could easily serve as the basis for different schools of martial arts, or as a prize to inspire warriors to "Quest for It." Weapon-Specific Deeds could provide an extra benefit to a warrior's Lucky Weapon, or a way for an alternative class to access a very small number of Mighty Deeds.

On page 92, the core rules suggest what one Weapon-Specific Deed for a lance might look like. I've mostly built on that suggestion to create a Jousting Deed. My one innovation here is to modify the +1 to-hit that normally accompanies being on a mount (or any kind of higher ground.) Instead, you get a bonus to either your attack roll or deed roll (your choice) based on the size difference between your mount and your opponent's.

Mowing down a revolting peasant on your princely warhorse? Enjoy your +3 bonus, autarch. Squaring off on your Chocobo or flying ostrich against a comparable opponent on the field of glory? You're both on equal footing at +0. Dwarf-knight on a miniature war-pony trying to joust with one Hannibal's siege elephants? It's going to be more difficult.

Fig 1 - Joust!

Weapon-Specific Deed - Joust (Lance)

When executing this deed, the lancer charges toward her opponent, knocking aside their defenses and sending them flying.

A lancer who attempts this deed must be mounted. She receives a modifier equal to the Hit Dice difference between her mount and her opponent's mount. She may apply this modifier to her attack roll or her deed roll. (Against an unmounted opponent, this modifier is +1 for each of her mount's HD. Against an opponent with an equivalent mount, this modifier is +0. Against an opponent on a superior mount, this modifier becomes a penalty. Because the lancer is riding a charging mount, her damage dice are doubled on any successful attack, even if her jousting maneuver fails.)

3          The opponent's shield is shattered, and they must succeed a DC 13 Strength check or be knocked prone. If the opponent was mounted, they take an additional 1d4 damage from the fall.

4          The opponent's shield is shattered, and they must succeed a DC 14 Strength check or be knocked prone. If the opponent was mounted, they take an additional 1d4 damage from the fall.

5          The opponent's shield is shattered, and they must succeed a DC 15 Strength check or be knocked prone. If the opponent was mounted, they take an additional 1d4 damage from the fall.

6          The opponent's shield is shattered, and they must succeed a DC 16 Strength check or be knocked prone. If the opponent was mounted, they take an additional 1d4 damage from the fall.

7+        The opponent's shield is shattered, and they must succeed a Strength check of DC 17 (or more) or be knocked prone. (The DC of the Strength check is equal to 10 + the Mighty Deed result.) If the opponent was mounted, they take an additional 1d4 damage from the fall.