DELVER’S DEEP

4.0 Combat

4.1 Basic Rules of Combat

Combat Order

Combat order in Delver’s Deep progresses in rounds where every creature takes turns in a fixed order. At the beginning of combat, each combatant makes a Reflex check. The combat order proceeds in order of highest result to lowest result. In the case of a tie, the combatant with the higher maximum Reflex goes first. PCs may also spend points of reflex to roll more dice to add to their total, increasing the chance that they will act first.

Alternative combat order
An alternative combat order system that I enjoy uses alternating turns between the GM and players. The gamemaster may act in any order, choosing a creature to act in alternating turns with the players. Groups of similar creatures (typically weak creatures) may share the same slot in the combat order for simplicity. Once all creatures have acted the players may take their turns un-interrupted until the round is over (or vice-versa).

This style of managing combat order allows the gamemaster to maintain a more narrative and reactive style of combat, while maintaining some benefit for high reflex PCs. Additionally, this prevents either group from gaining undo advantage by having a large number of turns in a row (unless the narrative calls for an ambush).

Ambush

If the narrative dictates that one side has taken care to gain the advantage of surprise, combat begins with an ambush round. During an ambush round all PCs (or all GM creatures) act first followed by the opposing side. After the first round combat order proceeds as normal.

Taking a Turn

PC turns are split into two phases, the recovery phase and the action phase.

RECOVERY PHASE
Allocate your recovery points to your secondary stat pools. You cannot increase your stat pools above their maximum value, so discard any recovery points that you cannot allocate to a stat pool.

ACTION PHASE
You can take two actions on your turn. You can use your actions in the following ways:

  • Movement.
  • Physical Attack. Make a physical attack using Fortitude or Reflex.
  • Reload. Reload a ranged weapon.
  • Cast a Spell. Cast a spell using Will.
  • Improvise. Take an action not on this list.
  • Interact. Interact with an object or a creature.
  • Brace. Improve your Health check DC for one turn.
  • Defend. Improve your Dodge check DC for one turn.
  • Focus. Improve your Sanity check DC for one turn.
  • Encourage. Spend Will to improve an ally’s Sanity check for one turn.

MOVEMENT
Taking the movement action allows your character to move up to their movement speed. A [MEDIUM] creature has a movement speed of 4”, while a [SMALL] creature has a movement speed of 3” and a [LARGE] creature has a movement speed of 5”. Moving at your movement speed represents moving at a brisk walk. You can take the move action twice in one turn. Moving at your normal movement speed does not have a cost.

Spending points of FORT can increase your movement speed for one move action. You can spend 1 point to jog and increase your movement speed by 2”, and an additional point to sprint and increase your movement speed by an additional 2”.

Example of Movement
Weylan the Weapon Master needs to get to a door 8” away and close it before demons come spilling through. His movement speed is 4”, so he spends 2 points of FORT total to move to the door at a sprint, increasing his movement speed to 8”, and reaches the door with an action free to close and lock it.

Design Note
Structuring movement in this way incentivizes all characters to invest in Fortitude in order to move effectively. Since Fortitude is tied to Health as well, I think this is a healthy imposition. This also makes sprinting considerably more taxing which I think aligns with the reality of moving at a dead run in combat

PHYSICAL ATTACKS
To make a physical attack with a weapon, spend one point of Fortitude or Reflex. Roll one d6 for each attack to see if it hits. A typical attack hits on a 4+, but the value may be modified based on weapons, class traits, or the environment. Base attack damage is determined by your weapon. Most melee weapon attacks use Fortitude for attacks, and all ranged weapons use Reflex for attacks.

When you make an attack using Fortitude, you can spend additional points of Fortitude to increase damage. Each additional point of Fortitude increases attack damage by one point.

When you make an attack using Reflex, you can spend additional points of Reflex to make a stacked roll. Each additional point spent adds one die to the roll.

Design Note
Structuring attacks like this will allow high Fortitude characters to deal increased damage when they have excess Fortitude to spend, while high Reflex characters can use extra Reflex to ensure their attacks hit.
I like this because it gives Fortitude focused characters and Reflex focused characters a distinct niche when it comes to physical attacks.

RELOAD
Ranged weapons have a special [RELOAD] characteristic which requires that characters take the reload action in order to fire again.

Some ranged weapons include a FORT cost to take the reload action (think longbows) because they are more taxing to use. A weapon will list the number of points of FORT required to reload with the format [RELOAD X] where X is the number of points.

Design Note
Any game with melee and ranged weapons faces a balance problem. If ranged weapons deal an equal amount of damage to melee weapons, they will almost always be the better choice in every case since attacking from range greatly decreases the chance that you will take damage in return.

Imposing an action cost for reloading creates a tradeoff for using ranged weapons, which attempts to balance the melee focused characters and range focused characters.

CAST A SPELL
Characters with access to magic can take an action to cast a spell using Will. More on spell casting in the future.

IMPROVISE
You can take an action to attempt any task that falls outside of the specified actions. If the task is difficult and comes with a chance of failure, the gamemaster will impose a point cost and or a DC. Examples include leaping over a low wall, climbing a swinging rope, targeting a specific item with a ranged weapon, or picking up and throwing a large object.

Design Note
In general I would encourage that the minimum DC for success should a 4+ for any action with a chance of failure. If you feel that the action has less than a 50% chance of failure, simply impose a low point cost with no chance of failure.

INTERACT
A character can take an action to interact with an object or a creature. For example, a character might take an action to open a door, pick up an object, or drink a potion.

If an interact action involves another PC or creature, that creature may use a reaction to participate in the action. For example, throwing an item to another character.

BRACE
A character can use an action to steel themselves against incoming damage. Spend 1 point of Fortitude to improve the character’s Health check DC by one until the start of their next turn. You can only take this action once per turn.

Example of Bracing
Bramli the Bulwark is being charged by Orcs. She takes a movement action to move to a bottleneck and uses her other action to brace.
Bramli’s health DC is 3+, so taking the brace action improves it to a 2+ until the start of her next turn.

DEFEND
A character can use an action to ward against incoming attacks. Spend 1 point of Reflex to improve the character’s dodge check DC by one until the start of their next turn. You can only take this action once per turn.

Example of Defending
Daerion the Duelist is fighting a pirate in a duel. His dodge check is a 5+ DC. He takes an action to defend, improving his dodge check by one to a 4+ DC until the start of his next turn.

FOCUS
A character can use an action to focus their mind. Spend 1 point of Will to improve the character’s Sanity check DC by one until the start of their next turn. You can only take this action once per turn.

Example of Focusing
Ani the Mage can hear the howling of ghouls in the distance. She takes a moment to concentrate using a focus action, reducing her Sanity check DC by one to a 4+ DC until the start of her next turn.

ENCOURAGE
A character can use an action to encourage their allies. Spend 1 point of Will to improve an ally’s Sanity check DC by one until the end of their next turn. The target ally that you are targeting must be able to hear or see you. You can only take this action once for each target.

Example of Encouragement
Baldwin the Bard sees Bramli the Bulwark and Weylan the Weapon Master fighting ghouls, a fearsome enemy. He uses two actions to encourage them both, decreasing their Sanity check DCs by one until the end of their next turns.

Reactions

Characters can take actions outside of their turn in a special action called a reaction. Reactions require certain conditions to be met in order to be available, which will be specified in the reaction text. Reactions have a point cost as normal, and if your character does not have sufficient points available to spend on the reaction they cannot take the reaction. There is no limit to the number of reactions a character can take in a turn.

Two of the most common reactions are dodging and opportunity attacks.

DODGE
When a character is hit by an [ATTACK] or [PROJECTILE] they can spend 1 point of Reflex to attempt a dodge as a [REACTION] against their dodge check DC. Dodging mitigates all damage from a single attack. You may spend additional points of Reflex to make a stacked roll on a dodge check. Various effects will reduce your dodge check target value.

Example of Dodging
Daerion the Duelist is hit by a greatclub attack from a towering troll. The attack deals 6 damage but Daerion spends a point of Reflex and makes a dodge check. Daerion’s Dodge check DC is a 4+, and he spent an action last turn to defend, reducing his dodge check DC to 3+. He roll a 4 on the die, successfully dodging the attack, and takes zero damage.

OPPORTUNITY ATTACK
When a creature enters your melee weapon range you may make an [ATTACK] as a [REACTION]. An opportunity attack follows the same rules as a normal attack. The moving creature does not get an opportunity attack.

4.2 Math – Combat

It is common to balance tabletop games based on the concept of action economy – each creature can only accomplish so much in a given action. Delver’s Deep has a binary action economy with both limited actions and limited stat points.

Action Economy

I believe limiting creature actions to two will keep turns relatively short, while still being impactful. When player turns are very long and you take an action that is not successful, it can feel very punishing to sit and wait another 10 min or so for another try. In this limited action system players will have to weigh the tactical merit of attacking, moving, or taking some other action. Reactions allow players the opportunity to react and influence the game while it’s not their turn, but the stat point cost will provide a limit to the number of reactions a player can take.

Stat Point Economy

The second part of the action economy is stat point cost. Stat points are equally important to offense (making attacks, casting spells) as they are to defense (defending, bracing, dodging). The limited number of points available to each character means that players will have to carefully consider when and where to invest those points. For example, investing too heavily in offense may leave character relatively exhausted (low on stat points) if they get surrounded by enemies.

Fortitude

  • Making melee attacks and increasing damage on melee attacks
  • Increasing movement speed
  • Reloading ranged weapons such as bows or crossbows
  • Bracing (reducing Health check DC)
  • Contested Fortitude checks

Reflex

  • Making melee and ranged attacks and increasing accuracy
  • Defending (reducing Dodge check DC)
  • Contested Reflex checks

Will

  • Casting spells
  • Focusing (reducing Sanity check DC)
  • Encouragement (buffing allies)
  • Contested Will checks

3.4 Summary

  • Players and the game master alternate taking turns in combat
  • A turn starts with the recovery phase where player allocate recover points to their stat pools
  • Each creature gets two actions on its turn, which can be used to move, fight, cast spells, or buff yourself or others

Delver

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