The Maiden Saga: Role Playing Game Read online

Combat

  “Across the field the guardsmen moved into formation, spread wide to contain the charge. Iriel dug her heels into her horse’s flanks, keeping pace with Kaissia, a trot, a canter as she dipped her lance, a full gallop, tearing across the grass at the oncoming guards, hooves thudding on packed soil, her hair streaming out behind her.

  As Kaissia yelled the command Iriel pulled hard on one rein, turning her horse at the last possible moment, at the podium, to crash full against the line of pikes. Kaissia was screaming as she was stuck through, but in pure rage, her own lance plunging into the chest of a soldier as she and her horse went down together, crushing both lines of pikemen to create a gap through which Iriel tore. Her horse hit the podium, rising to the boards, men scattering, others going down beneath her hooves, Aurac screaming commands, and silent as Iriel’s lance took him full in the open mouth.” Princess

  If Dakar does run amok then the conflict is going to get messy.

  Most of the people you are likely to encounter will not be armed. No self-respecting Aeg will leave the village without a hunting bow and a dagger, probably an axe too, even if they are just nipping out to gather firewood. The same is true in the backwoods of Mund. In both cases, and in Hai, nobles will carry something as a badge of rank, but otherwise only guards and soldiers will normally go armed.

  In this case, Dakar has his greatsword, Bormontal is carrying a dagger and Raiklin is unarmed, while Tordan has a sword and his juniors are armed with crossbows. Combat is a conflict in power and skill, and so in any close combat situation the following values, plus their points in Experience, are added to their Game Points in Power before the combat begins, creating their Combat Points.

  Aeg

  Mund

  Hai

  Ythan

  Makea

  Oretes

  Vendjome

  Aprina

  Club

  3

  3

  2

  2

  2

  1

  1

  1

  Dagger

  4

  3

  3

  2

  3

  2

  1

  1

  Spear

  3

  3

  4

  4

  4

  5

  5

  3

  Axe

  10

  8

  6

  5

  4

  3

  2

  2

  Sword

  7

  6

  6

  4

  5

  5

  5

  4

  Greatsword

  9

  10

  5

  3

  4

  4

  4

  3

  Longbow

  5

  5

  4

  3

  3

  3

  3

  2

  Crossbow

  4

  4

  4

  4

  4

  4

  4

  3

  Musket

  1

  2

  4

  5

  4

  4

  4

  4

  Rifle

  1

  2

  5

  6

  5

  5

  5

  8

  Figures allow for the difficulty of reloading a missile weapon in close combat and such factors as a musket butt making an effective club. If a PC is carrying more than one weapon, the players must state which weapon they are using when the conflict begins. Characters using a club or sword, but not a greatsword, and also a dagger but no shield should add 1 extra point.

  If the character is carrying protection they should also add -

  Shield

  4

  Leathers

  2

  Chain

  4

  Light Plate

  6

  Full Plate

  10

  If the character is a professional combatant they should also add -

  Aeg

  Mund

  Hai

  Ythan

  Makea

  Oretes

  Vendjome

  Aprina

  Guard

  n/a

  1

  1

  2

  2

  1

  1

  1

  Soldier

  n/a

  1

  2

  3

  3

  3

  3

  2

  This may not be an accurate or in depth recreation of how combat actually works, but it reflects the likely outcome well enough, so all those wishing to argue about reloading times or the merits of kung fu can now lower their indignant forefingers.

  Damage

  As a combat is played out, characters are likely to be damaged. This is expressed as a reduction in their Game Points in Constitution at the rate of 1 for every double your opponents throw, and vice versa. A triple means 2 points, a quadruple 3 points, five of a kind 4 points and six of a kind 6 points. If fighting as a group, then before the combat begins add toget
her the characters’ Game Points in Constitution to make a pool. Recognising that players generally prefer their characters to stand alone, such a group will usually involve one PC and one or more NPCs. At the end of the combat the remaining points must be redistributed between the characters involved in the original proportions, although a PC is always allowed to retain 1 point. If there aren’t enough points to go around, one or more characters are dead and out of the game. In the event of a group of PCs not having enough points to go around, then those who started with the strongest constitutions take precedence. If two are equal, they must roll, with the highest total the survivor.

  This reflects the effect of wounds and that even the victors in hand to hand combat don’t necessarily survive. It also allows you to decide when to retreat, but if any character runs out of Game Points in Constitution that’s it, curtains, you’re off to the afterlife of your choice.

  Fight or Flight?

  At any point in a combat one or more characters may decide to flee. NPCs run when as many points have been lost from their pool in Constitution than their total Game Points in Pride. Players can make their own decisions for their PCs, but should take Pride into account. Once any character has run the figures need to be recalculated before the combat continues.

  Any PC may run before the start of a conflict, at the cost of 1 Glory Point.

  Victory

  Victory in combat usually earns 1 Glory Point, or 2 for Aeg as Power is their Primary Drive, 3 for Aeg versus Aeg and 4 if you belong to another people and defeat an Aeg, or any group more than half Aeg. Additional points are earned for fighting against the odds, 1 Glory Point for each extra character in the opposing group, that one against two earns 1 additional Glory Point, one against three earns 2 additional Glory Points, three against five earns 2 additional Glory Points per victorious character and so on.

  The GM should bear in mind that there are usually consequences to combat, win or lose. If two groups meet in the middle of the Great Parch the victors will probably be able to carry on as before, but the same combat fought in the main square of Vendjome is going to attract attention. (See Example 1.)

  Berserk Rage

  A rare condition generally restricted to Mund, but which can also be brought on by a potion. Berserk rage can be triggered by pain or by insult and results in greatly increased speed and power coupled with an indifference to wounds or exhaustion. In game terms this is expressed as a quadrupling of the character’s Game Points in Power at the moment the rage is triggered. In combat, any triple thrown by the berserker triggers their rage, which is not expended until no opponents remain, or they themselves lie dead.

  Mortal insult may also trigger berserk rage, in which case it is directed at the relevant individual and anybody else who objects. If a berserker PC feels they have been insulted, or if another PC or NPC insults them on purpose, they should make a throw of the dice. A triple triggers the rage.

  The potion required to produce berserk rage has the same effect, but works on anybody and can be taken and activated with combat in mind.

  Exceptions

  The main combat rules will cover the majority of encounters, but there will always be exceptions.

  Mounted Combat

  Note to GMs – trained war elephants are seldom, if ever, found wandering about on their own. Wild ones might be, but only in the jungles of central Cypraea.

  Mounted combatants gain a bonus on their Combat Points according to the following table –

  Aeg

  Mund

  Hai

  Ythan

  Makea

  Oretes

  Vendjome

  Aprina

  Horse

  4

  5

  5

  3

  4

  6

  6

  4

  Camel

  1

  1

  3

  3

  3

  5

  5

  3

  Elephant

  6

  6

  8

  6

  10

  8

  10

  12

  Lance

  3

  4

  5

  3

  4

  7

  6

  3

  The GM may choose to disallow mounted combat if the situation would be unfeasibly ridiculous.

  Sniper Combat & Block Weapons

  Shooting at people for the hell of it is only an option for those PCs whose Game Points in Greed are at least Double those in Pride, but can also occur in the event of attack by a group of NPCs with the same characteristics, or between groups when blows have previously been exchanged.

  If this does happen, the same rules apply, expect in that if the group being attack have no missile weapons they must suffer the effect of three rolls of the dice before they are able to retaliate, unless they choose to run, which is an option after each roll. Individual NPCs always run when the reduction in their Game Points in Constitution reaches their level of Pride.

  Those members of a group under attack who do have missile weapons may retaliate after the first roll, either singly or as a group, after which the combat proceeds according to the normal rules. It is assumed that if you kill an opponent you can take their weapon.

  It is taken as read that PCs have enough ammunition have sufficient ammunition for several encounters, unless it has been taken during capture or they have not visited a town for some time, in which case the GM may wish to step in.

  Melee Combat

  If a combat involves more than five persons on either side it is up to the players and the GM to decide who will face who. The maximum number of combatants on either side in any conflict is five, and the maximum ratio between sides is five to one. If more than five PCs wish to assail a single opponent they must roll their six dice, with the five highest scoring players winning the right to being involved. When either a PC or NPC drops out of a conflict they can be replaced and the statistics recalculated.

  Battle Combat

  In the event of a full scale battle the PCs behave as if in a melee while the overall outcome is determined separately. For battle purposes, groups of 10, 100 or even 1000 similarly armed NPC combatants are treated as if they were individuals and the conflict play out according to the usual rules. Alternatively, the PCs may be commanders and control the groups themselves, again according to the usual rules. In the event of a naval combat each ship counts as one individual and each coastal fortress as five individuals.

  Heavy Armament

  Note to GMs – heavy armament is unwieldy and almost always well guarded. The Aprinians in particular are careful about not letting parties of wandering rogues pinch their ordnance.

  With very few exceptions, Heavy Armament can only be employed in the open field by a group of ten or more. Parties must persuade NPCs to join them of purchase draft animals in order to make up their numbers if they wish to employ heavy armament, and the GM should bear in mind that a group of t
en heavily armed Makean pirates dragging a trebuchet through the streets of Vendjome is sure to caused raised eyebrows.

  The use of heavy armament follows the same rules as for Sniper Combat, but the attacking group are allowed only two rolls before retaliation, assuming the other group does not have its own heavy armament. In order to use heavy armament the party must work as a group, with the bonus added to their group Combat Points after the adjustment for numbers has been taken into account. Individual PCs may break away after the second roll.

  Heavy armament bonus table -

  Aeg

  Mund

  Hai

  Ythan

  Makea

  Oretes

  Vendjome

  Aprina

  Catapult

  10

  12

  15

  20

  15

  10

  10

  5

  Trebuchet

  15

  20

  20

  25

  20

  20

  20

  10

  Canon

  5