Combat Mechanics

[Lannis]

[Foreword:]
The following is an attempt to provide a minimalist structure for RP combat. It is done with the intention of being minimally intrusive, to provide some rules and definitions on top of common conventions that provide context and promote reasonable interactions without getting in the way too much. It will likely be expanded with time.


[Movement and Turns:]
Terminology:

Turn: What an individual character does when it is their turn to act.​

Round: The collection of all the turns of everyone involved in combat. When everyone has taken their turn, the round ends and the next begins.​

Mechanics:

• A single turn is generally long enough for a character to move up to five blocks and take a single action, such as making an attack. [1]
  • If a character takes no other actions, they can move up to 10 blocks in a standard turn.
• The formal duration for a turn is ‘as long as it takes to move about five blocks and take a single action.’ The duration is abstract and relative to what’s going on in the RP, but for cases where a time is relevant to other considerations, about five seconds is a good estimate.
• A character can take any number of defensive reactions per round (i.e. trying to parry or avoid an attack), but any after the first are done with a step of disadvantage.

[Combat:]

Note: These are exclusively niche rules, and not a comprehensive list of combat mechanics. Refer to the stats mechanics thread for a general overview.​

General Mechanics:

• Ranged attacks to a specific small target (head, heart, etc) are done at disadvantage. [2]
• Attacks made while flying against a target on the ground are done at disadvantage.
• No attacks may be made against a target more than 50 meters away under any circumstance.

Cover:
Environmental cover such as barricades, fortifications, and short walls provide some protection against ranged attacks. The cover bonus does not apply if the attack is easily capable of piercing said cover.

• Half Cover: Solid cover that obscures approximately half of the target’s body applies a -3 penalty to any ranged attacks made against them.
• Three Quarters Cover: Solid cover that obscures approximately ¾ of the target’s body applies a -6 penalty to any ranged attack made against them.
• Full Cover: Attacks can’t be made against a target fully concealed by solid cover.

Spellcasting Mechanics:

• Casters can only cast one spell per turn. If a spell can be used as a defensive reaction and they’ve already cast a spell this turn, it counts as their spellcast for the next turn instead. Defensive reaction spells cannot be used if concentration is already in effect (e.g., if you are maintaining concentration already, you cannot end it to cast a defensive reaction spell).

[Design Notes:]

1. This is left intentionally vague so as to not categorize every possible action and impede freeform RP. Doing things like making no attack and sprinting further than the normal 5 blocks are reasonable, and a reasonable outcome should be discussed between those involved.
2. The intention of this mechanic is to discourage oneshots by making it harder to make called shots to areas that are likely to be immediately lethal.