Group Combat

Fees

Specs

Team Captains

Inits

The other option is to use individual INITs. Each player will roll his character's own INIT die each round, as it would be rolled in a regular, one-on-one fight. This allows opponents and allies to act independently, but makes spellcasting difficult. Notice that the option for INIT is made prior to starting the fight, and cannot be changed thereafter.

Two-target Restriction

Because your teammates may be attacking your target, it can save time to specify a second target (or move) in your IM for the round. The first one will always be accepted, as long as the target is available. Denote it as "second," or place an asterisk (*) before it. Be careful to differentiate between a second move and a backup (spellcasting) move.

Backup Moves

Of course, you can specify a backup move at a different target than your spell, but take care not to specify a target who is already being attacked by two of your teammates (as above).

Critical Misses

The minimum roll required to escape such damage is equal to the character's To Hit score with the weapon he critmissed with, or the To Cast score, if it was a spell that was critfizzed. Thus, a Ranger/Cleric who critfizzles a spell must roll 8 or better on 1d20 to avoid hitting a teammate with the spell. If the Ranger/Cleric was reading from a scroll (cast on a 5), he would only need a 5 or better.

The number rolled here can make a difference. If the roll to avoid doing damage fails by 1-3 points, half damage is inflicted by the attack or spell. If it is more than 3, full damage is inflicted. In all cases, if the roll to avoid doing damage is a 1, double damage is inflicted. Thus, returning to our Ranger/Cleric example, a roll of 8-20 for him inflicts no extra damage. 5-7 causes half damage, to whomever he hits. 2-4 causes full damage. 1 causes double damage. Damage is halved before the effect of a saving throw is considered.

Damage done doesn't always indicate the attack or spell has struck a teammate in the usual way. Sometimes, a critmissed arrow can mean that the archer's string has snapped and struck someone nearby. Critmissed melee weapons can be due to a lost grip, or perhaps a fancy maneuver that wasn't practiced well enough. Perhaps the person simply tripped and fell, and hit his head on the floor. Critical misses, despite their tragic effects in the match, can be good chances to roleplay unusual effects. Make light of them -- they happen to everyone.

So who gets hit? If your character is attacking with his melee weapon and all of his teammates are at missile range, he will damage himself. Offensive spells and missile weapons will randomly strike one person on his team, possibly himself, no matter what range he is at. The host will prompt you for a die roll for the number of people on your team, and consult his fight sheet. The Protect move does not apply to critmissed attacks. Defensive spells that are critically fizzled will benefit a random opponent. Backfired papers and scrolls of offensive-type spells will affect only the reader. If the reader of a backfired scroll or paper successfully saves against spell backlash, the spell on the scroll will simply fizzle, though the scroll itself may still burn.

Martial Artists critmissing a Running Jump Kick will land at melee range with whomever is hit (or at missile range with everyone, if nobody is hit). While it isn't likely his aim was bad, it is possible that someone has moved in his path of travel.

Defensive spells such as Sanctuary and Shield, which affect whomever is attacking the target, cannot protect against critical misses by team members, since the person protected by the spell is not the intended target.

Defensive Spells

Protect

Protect will put both characters at melee range. Their position in the ring depends on who initiated the protect. If a Mage moves to hide behind a Fighter, who is at melee range with an enemy Paladin, then the Mage will be unprotected against the Paladin's melee attacks. It is not possible to protect someone who is protecting someone else, or for one person to protect two teammates.

Anyone may advance on either of the two and be at melee range with both; however, one of the two must be specified, because one might happen to move elsewhere in the same round. Running Jump Kick will also be protected against by this move, although the Martial Artist will land at melee range with both characters. If Running Jump Kick is executed at an opponent who is in the process of moving across the ring, the Martial Artist will end up at melee range with his target the following round (unless he critmisses).

Protect may negate the effects of certain defensive spells, such as Shield and Sanctuary, when in effect on the protector. If opponents direct missile fire at the protectee, and strike the protector because he puts himself in harm's way, these spells offer no protection. They only help when an attack is initiated toward the person they benefit.

The protector can only defend the person behind him if he is able to act. For lost rounds, critical misses, and the like, Protect is automatically reinstated at the end of the duration. Protect is broken the instant either protector or protectee moves (advances or retreats, or initiates a different Protect), not at the end of the round.

Payoffs

The winning team members' remaining hit points are totalled, turned into a bonus point value, then divided equally among the winners (and rounded up). Even those who fell early in the fight receive points, if they were on the winning team. For example, Team A is composed of 4 characters, of whom only 2 remain standing at the end of the fight. One has 48 hit points remaining, the other has 19. Team members will receive 2 points each.