A few years ago I made a post about a dueling system I was using to run a less abstract, tactical version of Torchbearer/MouseGuard’s rock-paper-scissors conflict resolution. So very much not in line with the stuff I have been posting about recently, but if you find a set of rules that add fun to your game, include it. This is definitely verbose, but sometimes I have fun with very crunchy mechanisms once and a while. While at the time I wrote this “for” Into the Odd (because thats what I was running) this could obviously be used in many old school or adjacent systems.
So while I still would run a majority of combats closer to freeform, sometimes its fun to have the suspense of flipping over a card to find out your opponent has blocked when you feinted. This can be a fun minigame for knightly duels between a player character and their hated rival, or even maybe a system to throw into a small miniatures game to play out a fencing bout between generals. I definitely wouldn’t break this out for every single combat (if you could model them with roughly Into the Odd stats).
Quick overview
I will write out the updated rules, so there isn’t a requirement to be familiar with the previous version of Odd Duel, but if you have quite a large amount of that system remains, the big difference is that I want to remove as many “misses” as possible. So utilizing the abstract nature of hit protection – a successful Block maneuver against a failed attack does damage. This is instead of tracking an additional advantage to use next turn. Remembering this kind of stuff in a high stress situation of combat is just a no-go, even with stuff like “advantage” tokens we’d keep on character sheets. I was constantly forgetting it. Rolling damage on the successful contest is sufficient in the long run.
Despite me saying that I want to track less, I have added one thing to track, which is range. Hopefully this is fairly intuitive and its role in the fiction makes sense, but if you think I have gone too far, let me know.
Updated rules in whole
Contested Saves
Many of the actions in this hack involves both participants making contested saves. This means both sides make a specific save, and the winner is whoever rolls rolls highest while still rolling equal-to or under their appropriate ability score.
Joanna and Marcus are making contested strength saves. Joanna has a Strength of 12, and Marcus has a Strength or 14. Joanna rolls a 12, and Marcus rolls a 10. Both Joanna and Marcus have rolled under their relevant attribute, but Joanna has rolled higher and thus is the winner.
Engaged
Being engaged with an enemy means your character is squared off with them, intending to fight. If you are engaged with an opponent you cannot retreat or freely move around the battlefield until you disengage.
To disengage from an enemy means you are free to retreat, move away, etc.
Unless it otherwise makes sense, start in-range of the longest weapon in the fight (explained momentarily).
Weapon Length
Weapon length is a massive advantage – anytime a character is in-range, the optimal striking position for their weapon they roll attack damage per normal. Whenever they are too-far or too close for their weapon they are Impaired. So while weapons have all sorts of range variations in real life, I have found using three “ranges” works for me: too-close, in-range, and too-far (and I guess there’s disengaged, if you count that).
So a dagger-wielder may attack a spearman, but if she hits she rolls reduced damage, while the spearman would roll his normal damage die on a hit.
Note that weapons of roughly equal size are in-range at the same position.
The Dodge/Maneuver tactic allows one to move from too-far or too-close to in-range, which we’ll detail soon.
New Combat Actions
When your character is engaged with an opponent you both make simultaneous combat actions. You do this by taking an index card with the name of your action on it, hold it face down, and then simultaneously reveal it with your opponent. You then resolve the outcome based on what the two chosen actions are.
The new actions are:
- Attack: Attempt to strike your opponent.
- Parry/Block: Block an opponents attack.
- Maneuver: Attempt to reposition yourself in the fight, or gain the opportunity to disengage.
- Feint: Try to trick your opponent into blocking to create an opening.
- Misc. action: Anything not on the list – using an item, pulling something off of your belt, etc.
Attack vs. Attack
Both characters strike each other – each side rolls damage as per usual. Note weapon ranges for damage.
Attack vs. Parry/Block
Both the attacker and the blocker rolls strength saves.
Winner deals damage appropriately. This initially may not “make sense” that someone parrying would deal damage to the attacker, but remember that Hit Protection is an abstract resource, and if you actually take a bite out of strength you could fictionally imagine it as a sharp counter strike, or something like jabbing the assailant in the face with your shield/elbow/goblin nose.
Rule both missing however you feel is appropriate. Since I kind of like to keep things moving I may actually just rule that they both strike hits on each other, since hit protection abstracts luck, stamina, resilience, etc. and you’ve just squandered that by flailing around at each other.
Attack vs. Feint
The attacker deals damage to the feinter.
Attack vs. Dodge/Maneuver
The attacker makes a strength save, and the dodger makes a dexterity save.
If the attacker wins they deal damage as per usual.
If the dodger wins, they decide if they are:
- In-range for their weapon
- Disengaged from your opponent
Attack vs. Misc Action
The misc actor makes a dexterity save to see if they perform their action before they are struck by the opponent. If they succeed – handle the action before the attacker deals damage.
Otherwise the attacker deals damage first, then handle the action.
Feint vs. Parry/Block
The feinter deals damage against the blocker.
Again this may not seem logical if the feint is perceived to be only the single act of feinting, but if you describe it as faking a particular strike, drawing out and anticipating your opponent’s defenses, and then quickly striking from where they are wide open, it works out and in the long run is mechanically equivalent to giving some bonus on a future strike.
Dodge/Maneuver vs. Dodge/Maneuver
Both sides make a dexterity save, and the winner gets to pick from the following options:
- Be in-range for their chosen weapon
- Disengage from your opponent
Dodge/Maneuver vs. Parry/Block or Feint
The dodger may pick from the following options:
- Be in-range for their chosen weapon
- Disengage from your opponent
You may want to ask the dodger here to make a dexterity save to, but its also fun if there’s differences in weapons to shift range quite easily, so auto maneuvering for an action that doesn’t quite address the dodge just “fails.”
Other Action Combinations
Unless it would make sense otherwise – most other action combinations would result in nothing happening.
Up Next
Next I’ll discuss the option of adding special abilities to specific weapons, beyond whatever fictional rulings you want to make on the fly.
Thank you for reading!
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