Dreadnaught diceless RPG – Gameplay (combat)

Each entity in combat receives encounter action points (EPs) equal to twice their BP, plus one additional EP per level of that entity, every combat round. Additionally, on the first round, each entity that is not surprised, flat-footed or otherwise distracted receives an additional 4 EPs. For the purposes of clarity the “Combat Potential” (CP) is defined at this point. Without the effects of feats, templates or abilities the CP is simply equal to the BP.

Combat, essentially, boils down to a secret bidding war. Characters and monsters secretly invest EPs into actions and the GM resolves the actions as appropriate. Naturally this means that the GM needs to determine NPC/monster EP-investments before he sees player EP-investments. To facilitate the bidding war, a large number of combat options are made available to the PCs and NPCs.

In many ways combat in Dreadnaught is similar to the DnD 3.5 combat mechanics. Each character gets a turn per combat round and they can spend this time doing a full-round action, or a standard action with a movement action, or two movement actions. The free 5-foot-step doesn’t exist in Dreadnaught.

Events and actions in combat

• Moving (cost: movement action) – characters may move up to their speed in 5 foot increments (thus a speed of 4 allows 20 feet distance to be covered by a character). Movement costs no inherent EPs, but EPs can be spent on movement in two ways: firstly, every two EP spent can increase the defense against Attacks of Opportunity (AoO) by 1 (this defense bonus applies to all AoOs that the particular movement action may provoke) – in the case of an AoO a defender can still spend additional EPs to further increase her defense against that attack. EPs can also be spent to increase the movement rate of a character for that turn – each EP spent allows an additional 5 feet of movement.
• Single attack (cost: standard action) – an attack always costs at least one EP, the attackers CP is added to the attacks AT (and additionally feats, templates, abilities, items and circumstance bonuses may be added if appropriate).
• Full attack (cost: full-round action) – the attacker may make a number of attacks equal to his or her CP / 2 (minimum 1). Each of these attacks gains a bonus of +1 to the attack (not the damage). Each attack requires a minimum investment of 1 EP.
• Additional attacks (cost: EPs) – any character that is performing a full round attack may add additional attacks after the normal set of attacks from the full round attack are completed. An additional attack costs the corresponding amount of EPs to initiate (the first additional attack costs 1 EP, the second additional attack costs 2 EP, etc) – the additional attacks do not require a minimum EP cost (apart from having to be bought) but if no EPs are invested in the attack itself the damage is halved. A player may buy additional attacks on a single standard-action attack as well. In this case, however, the costs of additional attacks is doubled. The “additional attacks” mechanism allows feints in combat.
• Damage (cost: none, event) – should an attack hit, then the damage is equal to the CP (though note the “Defense” and “Targeted attack” descriptions below) – the player may chose to spend additional EPs up to the value of the EPs spent on the attack itself to increase the damage by the corresponding amount. Naturally templates, feats, abilities and items can increase the damage.
• Defense (cost: none, event) – whenever a character is attacked the attack’s AT must equal or exceed the ST of the defense to deal damage. The ST is equal to the defender’s CP plus any EPs spent by the defender (as well as the effects of feats, templates, abilities, items and circumstance bonuses). Should the AT equal but not exceed the ST then damage does not include the CP bonus, though the attacker can still push damage using EPs.
• Active defense (cost: movement action) – a character may chose to be in “active defense”, he may invest any number of EPs but give up a movement action for his turn. The invested EPs are added as a bonus to his defense whenever appropriate until the start of his next turn.
• Total defense (cost: standard action) – a character may chose to be in “total defense”, she may invest any number of EPs but give up a standard action for her turn, additionally for that round the character’s speed is halved. The invested EPs are added as a bonus to her defense whenever appropriate until the start of her next turn, and additionally any combat damage dealt against the character is reduced by the number of EPs invested into total defense.
• Flanking (cost: none, event) – when a character is flanked he receive a -1 penalty to all his defense actions. This penalty is increased to -2 if he’s flanked by two more enemies (being flanked twice but one flank position is shared by the same enemy does not qualify in this case) – though the penalties do not subsequently increase with additional flanking.
• Grapple (cost: attacks) – any attack within touch range of the defender may be declared to be a grappling attack. Should the attack succeed then no damage is dealt but the attacker and defender are considered to be in grapple and the attacker is considered dominant. Should the attack fail then the defender has the choice to allow the grapple to happen (but then the defender is dominant) or simply to prevent the grapple. A dominant grappler may abort a grapple at the cost of a move action, or at the cost of an attack (that succeeds automatically). A dominated grappler can escape the grapple by succeeding on an attack against the dominant grappler. Alternatively a dominated grappler can attack to achieve dominance in the grapple. Entities in a grapple can only direct attacks at each other, furthermore grapplers receives a -2 penalty to defense against attacks from entities *not* participating in the grapple. The dominant grappler may chose to use attacks to deal damage against the dominated grappler, these are resolved as normal attacks. (Note though that some weapons and items may be unusable in a grapple, and some weapons and items may infer bonuses or penalties in grapples.)
• Charge (Cost: full-round action) – the attacker may chose to charge at least 10 feet in a straight line towards an enemy, followed by an attack that gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage – though the attacker takes a -1 penalty to defense until the start of his next turn.
• Targeted attack (Cost: full-round action) – the attacker may move a single 5-foot step (provoking AoO as appropriate) and deal an attack against a target. EPs invested into the attack count double for the purpose of determining the attack’s AT. Should the attack succeed the damage does not receive the CP bonus, instead all damage needs to be bought using additional EPs.
• Sunder (cost: attacks) – any attack may be directed against an item, the item breaks provided the AT equals or exceeds the item’s ST. If the item is wielded or worn by an opponent then the CP of the opponent is added to the item’s ST (as well as any EPs that the opponent may spend on keeping his item intact). If the AT is less than the ST, but within one or two points of the ST, then the ST is reduced by 1 for subsequent sunder attempts; typically this is known to the GM but not necessarily the players – though maybe they do notice cracks appearing or some material fatigue.
• Knockback (cost: attacks) – any attack may be declared as a knockback attempt – on success no damage is dealt, instead the “damage” is reduced by the Fortitude or Reflex of the target (whichever is better) as well as any EPs the target may spend to resist the knockback. For each point of “damage” that is not resisted the target is shoved 5 feet backwards (should an obstacle impede further motion than the remaining “damage” is dealt in damage. If the knockback attempt fails then the defender receives an AoO against the attacker where each EP spent by the defender counts double for the purposes of attacking and dealing damage.
• Trip (cost: attacks) – any attack may be declared as a trip attempt, the defender may chose to use either Reflex or Fortitude as a basic bonus to defense against the trip attempt (rather than his CP). On a trip success the defender falls prone, no damage is dealt. On failure the defender receives an AoO against the attacker where each EP spent by the defender counts double for the purposes of attacking and dealing damage. A prone character receives a -1 penalty to all actions except defence vs ranged attacks. A prone character can spend half his movement action to stand up.
• Disarm (cost: attacks) – any attack may be declared as a disarm attempt, the defender may chose to use either Reflex or Willpower as a basic bonus to defense against the disarm attempt (rather than her CP) – on success the defender’s weapon (or shield) is dropped to the ground on the same square as the defender. On failure the the defender receives an AoO against the attacker where each EP spent by the defender counts double for the purposes of attacking and dealing damage.

Gameplay, combat, magic

In combat whenever magic is cast it provokes an attack of opportunity from enemies that threaten the caster, provided the attacker recognizes that magic is being performed. If the caster can cast without verbal, material and motion components than it is not obvious to enemies that do not some innate way of knowing magic is performed.

Casting magic normally requires a time component (usually a standard action), details are provided per-spell.

Casters can “cast defensively” by making use of the “active defense” and “total defense” options. (The later requires feats.)

Gameplay, combat, aiding

Similar to the non-combat form of aiding, a character may chose to use EPs to help another character. Again the total limit of aiding is a bonus of 2 to the action – while the cost is double the bonus. Again it is up to the DM’s discretion to allow cases of aid that exceed the normal limits of aiding.

Gameplay, combat, damage types

Combat will typically generate the “physical” damage type – this is not innately resisted in any way, but feats, templates, abilities and items may reduce (or increase) the damage taken.

Additional types of damage exist – usually conveyed through magical means. Any of these may be reduced/enhanced through feats, templates, abilities or items, the descriptions below assume the least complex situations:

• Spiritual and mental damage – passively reduced by Willpower
• Elemental and magic damage – passively reduced by Fortitude

Reflex is the only save that doesn’t reduce a damage type innately – but it is also the most likely save to avoid damage types entirely: various spells or effect may allow a Reflex save to avoid taking damage.

Gameplay, combat, example

Dunder (CP 4, EP 7) is facing a goblin (CP3, EP 6) in combat – he decides to charge it and invest a single EP into the attack, the goblin, expecting to capitalize on reduced defense in his turn, uses 4 EPs to defend against the attack (the attack’s AT of CP + EP + chargebonus = 6 clearly fails to meet the defense’s ST of CP + EP = 7); however Dunder’s charge and attack was a feint, he proceeds to use 2 EP to buy himself another attack (additional attacks rule, cost based on non-full-round attack) and uses another 2 EP to increase the attack’s AT to a total of CP + EP = 6 that exceeds the desperate goblin defense (who invests all remaining EP) of CP + EP = 5. Dunder additionally invests his remaining 2 EP to increase the damage he deals to CP + EP = 6. This is enough to slaughter the little goblin.