Chiaroscuro Combat

On Chiaroscuro, combat is an element of the MUSH that is highly important yet rarely applied. Weapons and armor are an essential cornerstone of the theme, and while Chiaroscuro itself features a fully developed and balanced combat system, actual combat situations are mostly few and far between.

However, that is not to say that the MUSH is not equipped to handle combat scenes when they do actually take place!

Chiaroscuro takes a "KISS" attitude towards combat rules, keeping it simple (stupid) to ensure that the flow of combat and poses isn't stalled by someone having to take ten minutes between them calculating how Player A got +3 because he was stood like THIS and holding his weapon like THAT while Player B was hidden behind THAT and didn't have THAT weapon held like THIS but wasn't looking over HERE and then adding the weapon TYPE against how far away Player A is from Player B and what the weather is like and... ugh.

Far too complicated!

If the Staffer can't keep track of the various rules, how is a player supposed to? And then what happens if the rules are set up in such a way that leave them open to subjective interpretation? Player B was hidden behind a box. That should be +2 to defense! But the box is smaller than Player B, so that should be a +3 to Player A because he's noticed exposed body parts and can call the shot.

Basic Combat Equations
On Chiaroscuro, 95% of combat can be calculated with some of the most basic equations available to the FUDGE system:

 Attack Roll vs Defense Roll 

If the Attack Roll is higher than the Defense Roll, then damage is calculated with the following equation:

 (ODF + Roll Difference*10) - DDF = HP Loss 

And that all there is to it. Most combat will flow like this. A working example of how this translates to MUSH mechanics is as follows:

Working Example
Generally, all combat rolls at rolled at +0, unless some modifier exists. This modifier could be situational based (like the +2 against unmounted opponents with Mounted Combat), or scenario based (like -2 to an Archer in severe weather), but generally +0 is the standard to keep in mind.

When two players first get into combat, the first thing to do is determine who attacks first. This is done by both players rolling Reaction.


 * Valacar rolls his Reaction with a 0 modifier. The result of the roll is Superb (3).
 * Arvenor rolls his Reaction with a 0 modifier. The result of the roll is Good (1).

In this instance, Valacar has a better reaction than Arvenor, and so gets to attack first. Note that the difference of (2) between the two rolls is not added to the combat roll. Speaking of which:


 * Valacar rolls his Blunt with a 0 modifier. The result of the roll is Good (1).

Now Arvenor has to defend himself. Can can do this by either attempting to parry the attack by using one of his combat skills, rolling Reaction to sidestep or duck from the attack, or by rolling Agility to leap out of the way, with a -1 or -2 to his next attack roll to reflect the recovery from such a drastic evasion.


 * Arvenor rolls his Swordsmanship with a 0 modifier. The result of the roll is Fair (0).

Attempting to Parry the attack, Arvenor manages to redirect some of the blow from Valacar's Staff, but not enough to avoid being hit. This means that Valacar has done some damage, which - as previously mentioned - is calulated like so:

(Difference between the two rolls*10 + Staff ODF) - Arvenor's DDF = Damage Taken

So, that'd equate to (10 + 40 - 0) = -50 HP, assuming that Arvenor has no armor. This incorporates the Staff's ODF of 40 with the bonus damage from roll difference of 10 to arrive at a subtraction of 50. Now it's Arvenor's turn to attack.


 * Arvenor rolls his Swordsmanship with a 0 modifier. The result of the roll is Good (1).
 * Valacar rolls his Blunt with a 0 modifier. The result of the roll is Great (2).

In this round, Valacar manages to successfully parry the attack, meaning that he suffers no damage. Valacar now gets to attack again, and combat continues like this until someone's HP falls below a quarter of their total, at which point a decision must be made: Fight to the death, or yield?

Called Shots
The concept of a "Called Shot" does not exist on Chiaroscuro. The ability to 'call' where you're aiming to hit and then roll with a severe negative in an attempt to cause severe damage to your opposition is deemed to be a very dangerous rule indeed, and one that offers the potential for exploitation.

Permitting someone to claim that they're going to aim for someone's head every single round is bad enough in and of itself, but "Called Shots" are also a system that utterly negate the FUDGE ruleset by permitting people to essentially bypass the ODF/DDF and HP systems. If you get shot in the head with an arrow, you die. If you get stabbed through the heart, you die. FUDGE has gone out of the window.

If we delve even deeper into it, it's also a form of powerpose. I'm going to hit you here, and there's nothing you can do about it if my roll is high enough. Bad mojo.

So how does one determine the severity of a hit? It's easy: Roll difference.

If the difference between an attack roll and an opposing defense roll is vastly different, we can assume that the severity of the shot is high, and then pose it out after the fact.

Remember: One should not pose the outcome of the attack, but leave that to the person getting hit or a Staffer.

The exception to the rule is the Warning Shot. If you're looking to send an arrow over someone's head, you can declare this before you roll and hope that you don't accidentally hit them. If you're looking to whack someone with the back or side of a blade, the principle is the same.

Cover
Rooms often have a (Cover:) rating. What this describes is the amount of cover in a room, not what bonus (or negative) you might get. If you pose using this cover then you may be able to earn a bonus to your defense rolls at a deteriment to your attack rolls.

How To Defend
Tne of the most common questions asked of me is what to roll for defense? I'll list these below:


 * Reaction: Rolled in an attempt to avoid an attack via subtle movements, such as side-stepping or ducking.


 * Agility: Rolled in an attempt to avoid an attack via dramatic movements, such as leaping or rolling. Earns a revovery penalty of -1 to the next attack roll while in Medium Armor, and -2 if in Heavy Armor. Light Armor infers no penalty. (If you leap to the ground, you've got to get up again!)


 * Willpower: Rolled in an attept to negate a magical attack by sheer force of will.


 * Weapon Skills: Rolled in an attempt to parry or deflect an attack with an equipped weapon.


 * Magic Skills: Rolled in an attempt to fight fire with fire, or at the very least change the situation to your benefit. Subjective in use, as it really depends on the skill being rolled.


 * Shields: Rolled in an attempt to use an equipped shield to block or deflect an attack.