The Sister Continents

Epic Adventure from the Beginning of Remembered Time to the End of the World

One week ago today you awoke on your feet and without a single memory of who you were before now. You could give no explanation for what you were in the middle of doing, nor put a name to a single face around you. You were not alone, memories around the globe were wiped clean and bloody chaos followed. The world has changed: lands have disappeared beneath the seas, old maps are as apt to get you lost as they are to help you find your way, and on the battle fields the dead left to rot rise to seek the flesh of the living. Armed with your wits and the scant memories that returned you face a world where the Gods have been Banished, where civilization is on the brink of anarchy, and where steel makes more decisions than free will.

Welcome to the Sister Continents: The Forgetting.

The following are samples that are in flux as the system matures, but they give the gist for what is being done.

Maneuvers and Advantage in Combat

There are many maneuvers in the SCRPG which range from escaping grapple range and regaining Balance, to disarming and coup de grâce attacks. What we are to focus on here are a class of maneuvers that are Advantage triggered. First off, let's take a look at a couple simple Triggered Maneuvers.

Riposte

Weapon: 1-Hand Thrusting Blade, speed 2.5 or less.
Advantage: Opponent Negative Clash
Additional Limitations: Must be in Defensive Disposition
Specializations: 1- Severity penalty -1 step 2- May Riposte out of Offensive Disposition 

The Riposte is a quick thrust that takes advantage of an opponent's error from out of Defensive Disposition that hits 2 steps below the weapon's normal Hit Severity.

This is a very simple Maneuver (game mechanics wise) that gives a combatant with a 1-Hand Thrusting Blade, such as a rapier. The first thing to note here is "Advantage: Opponent Negative Clash". All Triggered Maneuvers have Advantage Requisites, which in this case is for the opponent to have had a negative Clash result. Under "Additional Limitations" we also note that "Must be in Defensive Disposition". What this means is that the Character attempting the Riposte must have been in Defensive disposition when the Negative Clash result occurred. 

Under Specializations we see that a single Specialization earns the Hit Severity penalty being diminished by one, and a double specialization allowing the Riposte out of Offensive Disposition.

Dueling Initiative

Weapon: Any, so long as Character has 2 or more Martial Activity remaining.
Advantage: Opponent Fumble, or >35 Advantage
Additional Limitations: Combatant performing this maneuver must have lost Initiative and be Specialized in current weapon. 
Specializations:  1- >30 Advantage 2- Damage on quick attack only stepped down 1

This maneuver allows a combatant to make a quick attack (-30 to attack, damage rating reduced 2 steps) that sets up the opponent for the next round, and effectively takes initiative away from the opponent for the remaining fight unless otherwise lost. A result of <0 on the quick attack results in failure for this maneuver.

What we see here is another maneuver that may be triggered by a Fumble, but it can also be triggered by reaching an Advantage of 36+ (see below). This maneuver also has additional limitations, in that the combatant must have lost Initiative and they must be Specialized in the weapon in hand in order to utilize this maneuver. 

Under Specializations we see that Specializing in this maneuver allows the combatant to utilize the maneuver at Advantage >30 rather than >35, and that a Double Specialization results in the quick attack only being stepped down 1 category in damage, meaning that a Formidable Weapon would roll this quick attack on the Modest Damage Column rather than the Light Damage Column per the instructions for the base Maneuver.

Types of Advantage

Advantage can take several forms, such as Fumble, Dazed, Stunned, Unconscious, and Prone to name a few of the more common. There is also a form of Advantage that is relative to the two combatants, which we noted above in the Dueling Initiative Maneuver, where the maneuver could be attempted with Advantage greater than 35. This is called Relative Advantage.

This form of Advantage is very simply calculated and is the result of comparing the Balance and Focus of the two combatants, with the difference between the two equaling the Advantage. If for instance Combatant One is at -20 Focus and -10 Balance (-30 total), while Combatant Two has Balance 0 and Focus of 10 (+10 Total) then Combatant Two is at an Advantage of 40, which is more than adequate to perform the Dueling Initiative Maneuver so long as the other requirements are met.

There will be quite a few Combination Maneuvers with requisites in Relative Advantage.

 

 

Background Art by Jon Gibbons

© 2013 Demesne De Noir L.L.C.