| 5: Combat |
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Checking Range |
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Skill and Damage Rolls |
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Attack Modifiers |
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The Angry Inch |
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Close Combat Maneuvers |
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Countering |
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Missed Shots |
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Momentum |
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Knockback |
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Chapter Five: Combat
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| "...in modern war, there
is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You
will die like a dog for no good reason." |
| - Ernest Hemingway |
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| "If you die horribly on
television, you will not have died in vain. You
will have entertained us." |
| - Kurt Vonnegut |
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Engaging in combat is a minifig's highest goal and greatest source
of joy, for he knows that violence is what pleases the Humans best.
A minifig unable to make attacks for an extended period of time will
become despondent and irrational. His mental imbalance may become
so severe that the minifig becomes psychotically pacifistic. Such
unfortunate miscreants may find limited use as slave labor, but are
best put out of their heartbreaking misery by employing them as target
dummies for the other troopers' amusement.
5.1: Making Attacks
 Regardless of the type of violence in use, every attack follows the
same three steps. First, the player checks the weapon's Range to see
if it can reach the target. Second, he makes an Attack Roll to see
if the attack hits the target. Third, he makes a Damage Roll to see
if the attack does enough Damage to defeat the target's Armor. Each
of these steps can be affected by a variety of Combat Modifiers, so
all players should try to maneuver their units for best advantage.
Checking Range
In order to be able to attack a target, a minifig must be able to
strike it with a weapon. This requires a couple of common-sense checks.
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Can he see the target?
The minifig must have a clear line of sight between his
eyes and some visible part of the target. |
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Can he reach the target?
The target must be within the weapon's striking distance. |
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If the minifig is using a Close Combat weapon (a weapon
with a Range rating of ‘CC’), he must be able
to touch the target with the weapon's striking surface.
(Some weapons may have additional restrictions, according
to common sense - a jousting knight can't stick his lance
out sideways to damage a target way off his right shoulder,
for instance.) |
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If the minifig is using a Ranged weapon, the target
must be within the number of inches listed as the weapon's
Range, and there must be a clear line of sight between
the weapon barrel and the target. |
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In the case of thrown objects, the Range is determined
by a die roll made after the attack is declared; the minifig
may find that his thrown weapon falls far short of the
target. This is very embarrassing. |
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Skill and Damage Rolls
If an attack can be made, two rolls determine its success, resulting
in either a glorious kill or an ignominious lack of effect.
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Does the attack hit the target?
If the target is in range, the minifig must be skillful
enough to hit it. Roll the minifig's Skill (1d6 for regular
minifigs) versus the Use rating of the weapon - this is
called the Attack Roll. If the Skill Roll is as
much or greater than the Use rating, the attack strikes
the target! If not, it misses badly, resulting in humiliation
for the attacker. He may say "I meant to do that,"
but everyone knows he's lying. |
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Does it do enough damage to kill?
If the attack hits, it has to do enough damage to destroy
the target. Roll the weapon's Damage. If this Damage
Roll is greater than the target's Armor, the target
is destroyed. Congratulations! If the roll is equal to
or less than the target's Armor, the attack has glanced
away harmlessly, evoking laughter from all who witness
the humorous display. |
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Attack Modifiers
Destroying a target is rarely a foregone conclusion, and the ambitious
general will want to give his troops every possible advantage. And
while the best defense is an overpowering offense, a pragmatic general
will maneuver just as hard to prevent advantages for his enemies.
There are a number of conditions, called Attack Modifiers (or
"Mods") that players can manipulate to improve or
handicap a unit's chances of success. Positive modifiers, called Attack
Bonuses, add to the Skill of a unit making an Attack Roll, to
the Range of his weapon, or to the Damage dealt on a successful attack. Attack Penalties, by contrast, subtract from an attacking unit's
Skill. Attack Mods can sometimes raise or lower an attacker's effective
Skill by a large amount, but remember that the possibilities of Critical
Successes and Failures mean that the results of a roll are never guaranteed (1.4: Rolling Dice).
| When checking for cover
modifiers, or if you're a ninja practicing swordplay,
remember that a minifig is divided into three main parts. |
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Target Size
| Target
Size |
Skill Mod |
| Large target area |
+1
per 2" |
| Full minifig or 2x4
area |
(no
modifier) |
| 2/3 minifig or 2x2
area |
-1 |
| 1/3 minifig or 1x1
area |
-2 |
|
A weapon's standard Use Rating applies when it's used to attack a
minifig or similarly-sized target. An simple targeting advantage can
be gained from aiming at something larger.
For targets that are very large, like the ground, the broad sides
of barns, and Unix programmers, measure the broadest part of the target
from the veiwpoint of the attacking unit. For every 2" in the
size of the target area, the unit receives +1 to his Attack Roll,
up to a +5 bonus.
When special precision is required, the attacker might also try to
hit targets that are much smaller than usual. For a target area equivalent
to 2x4 studs, he fires as normal. If the area is closer to 2x2 studs,
he receives a -1 penalty to Skill. If the target is the size of a
single 1x1 stud, he fires at a -2 penalty. By convention, most equipment
items are considered to be at the 1x1 size.
Even if an object is relatively large, if parts of it are behind protective
cover, the remaining area that an attacker can actually fire at might
be very small. Units receive Size modifiers based only the area they're
able to target. In the case of minifig targets, this process is streamlined.
Rather than trying to estimate how many studs' worth of any given
minifig is visible, minifigs are divided into three main sections
- the head (including helmet, hat, or hair), the torso (including
arms, backpacks, and armor, but not carried equipment), and the legs.
If the attacker can see any part of one of these sections, however
small, then the section is considered visible. If only one section
is visible, the minifig is targeted at -2. If he can only see two
sections, the minifig is 2/3 visible and targeted at -1. If he can
see all three sections, the minifig is completely visible and targeted
as normal.
Motion
| Motion |
Skill Mod |
| Target is stationary |
+1 |
| Attacker is stationary,
Aiming |
+1 |
Attacker and target moving directly at each other,
regardless of speed |
(no
modifier) |
| Slow movement, speed
5" or less |
(no
modifier) |
Fast movement, speed
6" or more,
not directly at each other |
-1
per 6" |
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Most attacks will be made by units moving at minifig speed against
targets that also move at minifig speed. If a target is Stationary,
or if an attacker holds still to Aim more carefully, the attack
will be more likely to hit, receiving +1 bonuses to Skill in either
case. Contrariwise, it's more difficult to hit a target that's moving
very quickly, or if the attacker is moving very quickly itself; the
attacker takes a -1 penalty for every 6" in the speed of whichever
unit is moving the fastest. The exception is when the attacker and target are moving directly at one another, in which case this penalty is ignored.
Regardless of its maximum Move rating, a unit's speed is determined
only by the distance it moves during its current or most recent turn.
A speedy SuperHero might have the ability to run 20" per turn,
but if he stops briefly at the coffeeshop to order the crucial morning
quadruple mocha that powers his abilities, his opponents are free
to take the +1 bonus for firing at a stationary target. Similarly,
a very slow unit might be targeted at -3 if he happens to be sitting
in a RocketSleigh zipping along at 19".
To receive the +1 bonus for Aiming, the attacker must be stationary
for his full turn. An attacker riding in a moving vehicle can't be
considered stationary unless his target is in or on the same vehicle.
Minifigs engaged in hand-to-hand fighting are bobbing and weaving
around, prone to sudden movements and jumping around without warning.
Even if players don't actually move the minifigs, units actively engaged
in Close Combat are never considered to be Stationary.
| Even Space Ninjas lack
the skill to coordinate this many swords at once. The
Space Pirate is momentarily safe as his overeager foes
become entangled in one anothers' blades. |
| Elements shown:
LEGO, Red Bean Studios, Mega Bloks |
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Combined Attacks
| Attack
Type |
Effect |
| Ranged Attacks |
Combined
Damage |
Close Combat Attacks
(max of 3 on a minifig) |
Combined
Damage
Countering Skill -1 per attacker |
| Charge Attacks |
Combined
Damage and KnockBack |
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If an attacker lacks the power to take down a target by himself, he
can coordinate attacks with his friends and allies to deliver a united
strike. The main effect of this Combined Attack is that the
Damage from all participants is added together and applied in a single
massive sum, which is handy for punching through otherwise-impregnable
armor or for the utter humiliation of weaker targets.
All participating units must make their Attack Rolls together; a player
may not attack with a few units and then add a few more if the initial
effort proves inadequate. A second group could make a second Combined
Attack on the target, but could not add their totals to the failed
effort of the first group.
Only units making successful Attack Rolls may participate in the Combined
Damage. If by some fluke of luck one of their missed shots still
manages to hit the target (5.3:
Ranged Combat: Missed Shots), its Damage is counted separately.
Combined Ranged Attacks (5.3:
Ranged Combat) are called Combined Fire and have
the simple effect of combining Damage. Any unit capable of making
a ranged attack on the target may join in; he does not need to communicate
with the other attackers beforehand or to be able to fire at the same
part of the target, unless the attack is against a specific Component
of a Creation (7.5: Taking
Damage: Component Damage).
Combined Close Combat attacks (5.2:
Close Combat) are called Ganging Up. Besides causing
combined Damage, Ganging Up on a victim makes it more difficult for
him to Counter effectively. Besides the fact that the target's Counters
will be quickly used up against multiple attackers, he also receives
a cumulative -1 penalty to Countering Skill for each attacker after
the first. As a rule, no more than three attackers can Gang Up on
a minifig-sized target or smaller at any one time, or they'll end
up jostling and lopping each others' arms off by mistake. Larger targets
are subject to no such hard limitations, although other limits may
be dictated according to common sense.
On the victim's turn, he remains in Close Combat with all of his multiple
attackers. If he attacks one of them, only that single opponent may
Counter. If he tries to Withdraw, all of them may Counter - quite
a dilemma!
In a combined Charge Attack (5.4:
Charge!), the attackers combine their Damage and, if they're all striking from the same direction, they can combine their Knockback roll as well. The target must be big enough
for all the attackers to Charge into at the same time; otherwise,
they're prone to disrupt the Charge by all crashing into each other.
It's perfectly allowed to combine attacks of different types, but
keep in mind that Close Combat fighters are likely to be directly
in the line of fire of any of the Ranged attackers' Missed Shots (5.3:
Ranged Combat) or the Charging attackers' Charges, if any of them blow
their Attack Rolls.
Other Modifiers
| Condition |
Modifier |
| Height advantage |
+1" Range per
+1" altitude
(maximum +5") |
| Firing blind |
-5 to Skill |
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| Although this assassin
can't actually see his target, the shadow on the rice-paper
wall gives him a pretty good idea of where to strike. |
|
The remaining Attack Modifiers are two that don't fit into
any standard category, but will still come up in battle from time
to time.
Ranged attackers with a Height Advantage gain a little extra
edge, in the form of one inch of extra weapon Range (up to +5") for every inch
of altitude between them and the targets below. (Low attackers shooting
at elevated targets are not subject to any corresponding disadvantage.)
Altitude is delermined by the surface on which a unit is standing
or on which a weapon is mounted; attackers can't give themselves extra
Range by holding their weapons over their heads.
Units firing at a target they can't see are Firing Blind, and
receive a -5 Skill penalty in addition to any other Attack Modifiers
at play. The target may be hidden or invisible, or the attacker may
have been blinded or blindfolded, or he may be extra cocky and firing
backwards over his shoulder with his eyes closed. While he is unable
to see the target, the attacker must still somehow have a very close
idea of where the target is (within one inch) to attempt the attack
- the target may have chosen a very small and obvious hiding place
(like inside a barrel) or may have made enough noise to have given
away his location (his cell phone went off).
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| Elements shown:
LEGO, Little Armory, Mega Bloks, custom mold |
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A unit with a melee weapon can use it to try to whack any object within
reach, as described above. Some targets (trees, buildings, helicopters)
are not particularly responsive to such aggression; they take whatever
damage is applied and, assuming they survive, stoically continue on
with whatever they were doing.
More active targets (minifigs, animals, robots) are less likely to
take that kind of thing lying down. Whenever one melee unit attacks
another with hand-to-hand weapons, the two of them leave the regular
cycle of Movement and Action and enter into the more refined state
known as Close Combat. Close Combat is usually initiated when
one minifig purposefully runs up to whack another with whatever he's
holding in his hands. It can also occur when a minifig carelessly
wanders within range of an enemy's melee weapon, and the enemy makes
a preemptive attack.
The Angry Inch
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| "Victory is won not
in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your
ground, and later, win a little more.” |
| - Louis L'Amour |
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Minifigs in Close Combat don't take Movement in the normal fashion.
Instead, prior to each Attack or Counter (described below), they may
lunge up to one inch to better position themselves. This fancy footwork
is known as the Angry Inch, and it is not counted against the
minifig's regular Move statistic.
Minifigs can take advantage of this free inch as many times as they
make Attacks or Counters against an enemy unit in Close Combat. (Close
Combat with friendly or neutral units, or against inanimate targets
such as a buildings or corpses, does not make a minifig Angry enough
to use an Angry Inch.) A minifig cannot try to use an Angry Inch to
move to a location from which he would be unable to complete his Attack
or Counter.
Close Combat Maneuvers
While in Close Combat, the two minifigs are locked into an intense
struggle, each attacking and countering every turn with as many weapons
as they have available, until one of them is defeated or makes a cowardly
retreat. A minifig in Close Combat may take only one of three options
on his turn - he can Attack his opponent with whatever melee
weapons he's holding, he can attempt to Shove the opponent
away, or he can try to Withdraw. (If the minifig refuses any
of these options and decides to stand around doing nothing, treat
it as Withdrawing at very low speed - i.e., his opponent still gets
a Counter against him.)
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Attacking
If the minifig chooses to attack, he may move an Angry
Inch to position himself, and then attack with any Close
Combat weapon he has ready in hand (Ranged attacks can
never be made in Close Combat). If his opponent survives
and has a CC weapon of his own, the opponent may then
Counter (described below). If the attacking unit has a
second CC weapon, he may move a second Inch and make a
second attack; if the opponent survives and also has a
second CC weapon, he can then make a second Counter. This
process might be repeated further if the attacker is some
fantastic creature with extra limbs, but in most cases
a regular minifig is limited to two weapons.
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Minifigs without a CC Weapon
will be at a serious disadvantage in Close Combat.
Fortunately, many types of Random Objects can be
used as CC Weapons in a pinch (3.4:
Desperate Measures). |
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All Close Combat Damage is cumulative for the turn. If
a unit is hit by multiple Close Combat Attacks or Counterattacks
in the same turn, the Damage is added together. |
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Shoving
If the minifig has no CC weapon to Attack with,
if he has a Two-Handed Weapon and his opponent is too
close to swing it, or if he just feels pushy, he may try
to Shove his opponent. He must position himself
within arm's reach of his target to make a Shove attempt, and his opponent must be his own size or smaller.
After taking his Angry Inch, the Shoving minifig rolls
against the highest Use rating of whatever weapons his
is holding, or with a Use of 2 if he is using his bare
hands. If the Shove succeeds (and isn't Parried - see
the Countering section, below), the opponent is pushed
two inches directly away from the minifig.
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A minifig with a Shield can
use it to Shove an opponent as one of its regular
Attacks. Otherwise, minifigs cannot Shove and Attack
in the same round of combat. A Shield that's been
used to make a Shove cannot also be used to Parry
a Counterattack in that round. A minifig carrying
multiple Shields is limited to using only one of them for Shoving, in addition to looking ridiculous. |
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Withdrawing
A cowardly minifig wishing to escape Close Combat can
attempt to Withdraw, moving away any distance up
to his full Move. He may not use an Angry Inch for this
maneuver.
His opponent has the chance to make a free Counterattack
with one weapon at any point along the Withdrawing minifig's
path, which the Withdrawing minifig may not attempt to
Counter. If the opponent can't put himself in range to
strike the Withdrawing minifig, the free Counterattack
is lost.
If the Withdrawing minifig manages to survive or avoid
the free attack, he has successfully Withdrawn and may
carry out the remainder of his turn as usual. Keep in
mind that Withdrawing used up his Action, so he can't
go on to attack anyone else during the turn. |
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Countering
Regardless of which Close Combat option the active minifig chooses,
if the opposing minifig has a CC weapon, he can try to Counter it. On each player's turn, a minifig may Counter once for each CC
weapon he is holding. (Unarmed minifigs are limited to Parrying one
unarmed Shove, at best.)
If the active minifig is engaged in Close Combat with multiple opponents
at once, then whichever one he attacks may Counter againt him, or
all of them can take a free Counterattack if he attempts to Withdraw.
A Countering minifig can use his CC weapon in one of two ways: he
can Counterattack, returning a strike with his own weapon,
or he can Parry, attempting to deflect some of the damage from
the incoming blow. If he is holding two melee weapons, he do both
at once: a Parry and Riposte uses up the Counters of both weapons
in a single move.
Defending minifigs are always assumed to be Counterattacking if they
have a CC Weapon, or Parrying if they have a Shield, unless they state
otherwise. To be fair, if a minifig intends to Parry or to Parry and
Riposte, the defending player should say so before the attacking player
makes his Skill roll. If the attacker is too quick with the dice,
however, cut the defender some slack - a Parry declared before the
Damage roll is usually just fine.
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Counterattacking
After a failed Attack, an attacking minifig may
be momentarily vulnerable. Countering minifigs can try
to take advantage of this, pressing with an immediate
Counterattack of their own. The Counterattack is handled
exactly the same way as a regular Attack, with an Angry
Inch, Skill Roll, and Damage Roll.
A minifig Counterattacking with a Shield can use it to
Shove the attacker, although Shields are usually better
used for Parrying.
The attacking minifig may only try to Parry a Counterattack
if he has a Shield. Otherwise, a Counterattack cannot
itself be Countered. |
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Parrying
A minifig that cannot make an effective Counterattack,
or that experiences a cowardly fear of getting killed,
can attempt to deflect an incoming attack with his own
weapon or shield instead. In order to succeed, his Skill
Roll must equal or exceed both his own weapon's Use rating,
and the attacker's Attack Roll (including Attack Modifiers).
If the Parry fails, then the attack is not deflected.
Worse, if the Countering minifig was trying to Parry a
Two-Handed Weapon with a Hand Weapon, or if his Skill
Roll was a Critical Failure, then the Parrying weapon
is knocked out of his hands, 1d6 inches directly away
from the attacker.
If the Parry succeeds, the Countering minifig rolls the
Damage of the weapon he was using to Parry, and subtracts
this amount from the Damage dealt by the attacker.
A minifig can attempt to Parry a Shove with his bare hands, if the attacker is Shoving with his own bare hands or with a Shield. If the attacker is using a weapon to Shove, then the defending minifig may only Parry with another weapon or Shield. If a Shove attack is successfully Parried, then the Shove
has no effect - the minifig succeeds in holding its ground. |
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Parry and
Riposte
A minifig with two melee weapons may Counter with both
of them at once, using one to Parry and the other (assuming
he survives after the Parry) to Counterattack. The minifig
may use only one Angry Inch for this move, and the Counters
of both weapons are used up for the turn. Because of the
difficulty of using two weapons simultaneously, all of
the Countering minifig's Skill and Damage rolls are made
with a -1 penalty. |
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| Close
Combat Example: Yoko vs. Dan |
|
Example: Tired of the constant abuse, Yoko grabs
her katana and attacks her boyfriend Dan in the kitchen.
Both have Skill:1d6 and Armor:4. Yoko's sword is long
enough to count as a Heavy Weapon (Use:3 Dmg:1d6+2).
Dan's knife is a Hand Weapon (Use:2 Dmg:1d6), and his
frying pan is a Random Object (Use:3 Dmg:1d6-2).
Yoko's
turn: Yoko attacks,
Dan parries and ripostes |
|
Yoko's turn:
Yoko attacks with the sword, initiating Close Combat.
The sword is much longer than Dan's knife, but Dan's
Angry Inch puts her just barely in range for his return
strike. Dan declares a Parry and Riposte.
Yoko rolls her Skill against the sword's Use of 3;
she hits with a roll of 4. She rolls a 3 on the Damage
die, for 5 Damage total (Dmg:1d6+2) - enough to kill
Dan outright, if his Parry fails.
Dan desperately parries with the frying pan. His Skill
and Damage rolls are at -1 because he is attempting
to Parry and Counterattack at the same time. The Use
rating of his frying pan is only 3, but he also needs
to beat Yoko's Attack Roll of 4 for the Parry to succeed.
He rolls a 4 for Skill (roll of 5 minus 1), precisely
matching Yoko's roll; his Parry connects. With the frying
pan's Damage of 1d6-2, minus an additional 1 for the
Parry and Riposte, his next die roll of 4 is reduced
to a single point of Parrying Damage. The Parrying point
reduces the damage from Yoko's sword from 5 to 4 - Dan
manages to survive, but just barely.
Dan completes his Riposte by leaping forward an Angry
Inch and attacking with the knife. He rolls a 2 for
Skill, which would normally be just enough for a successful
knife attack, but the -1 Skill penalty from the Parry
and Riposte causes the attack to miss.
Turn Summary (Yoko's Turn):
Yoko initiates Close Combat and declares one Attack. Dan declares Parry and Riposte.
Yoko's Attack Roll 4 versus Sword Use 3: Hit; Damage (3+2)=5.
Dan's Parry Roll (5-1)=4 versus Yoko's Attack Roll 4: Success; Damage parried (4-2-1)=1, final Damage from Sword 4. Dan survives.
Dan's Counterattack Roll (2-1)=1 versus Knife Use 2: Miss.
Dan's
turn: Dan attacks,
Yoko counterattacks |
|
Dan's turn:
With Close Combat already engaged, Dan attacks
with both weapons. He attacks first with the knife,
since it's more likely to score an immediate kill. Yoko
declares that she'll respond with a Counterattack (if
she survives, and with profuse bleeding otherwise).
Dan rolls another 2 for Skill, but without the earlier
penalty, this time it's good enough for a hit. He rolls
a 3 for Damage. Yoko survives, but by a narrow margin
- Dan only needs to do two more points of damage with
his follow-up frying pan attack for the cumulative total
to be enough to kill her.
Yoko Counterattacks with the sword. She rolls a 6 for
Skill - a critical hit! She elects to forego rolling
any Bonus Dice since the roll has already succeeded.
For Damage she rolls a 6 (roll of 4 plus 2 on Dmg:1d6+2).
Dan is killed; he has no chance to make his second attack
with the frying pan. Dan's player casts the minifig's
head away from the body and sprinkles the area with
red bricks for blood. Players will then have to decide
on an appropriate Use rating for Yoko's subsequent attempts
to get her friends to help hide the body.
Turn Summary (Dan's Turn):
Dan declares two Attacks. Yoko declares one Counterattack.
Dan's first Attack Roll 2 versus Knife Use 2: Hit; Damage=3.
Yoko's Counterattack Roll 6 versus Sword Use 3: Hit; Damage (4+2)=6. Dan is killed.
Dan's second Attack Roll: none, due to being too dead. Yoko survives.
|
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|
 Rather
than get caught up in the chaos of hand-to-hand combat, minifigs may
try using Ranged or Thrown Weapons to strike cleanly from a distance.
While less exciting than Close Combat, Ranged Attacks have
the advantage of not giving enemies any option to Counter. Minifigs
may make only one Ranged Attack per turn, and they may not make any
Ranged Attacks on the same turn in which they are engaged in Close
Combat, either before or afterwards.
Most Ranged Attacks are fairly straightforward. As long as the minifig's
eyes and weapon have an unobstructed line of sight to some visible
part of the target, and as long as the target is close enough to be
within the weapon's listed Range, the minifig can make the Attack.
The Attack and Damage Rolls proceed as normal, making sure to take
the applicable Attack Modifiers into account.
Missed Shots
|
| “Nothing in life is so exhilarating
as to be shot at without result.” |
| - Winston Churchill |
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When a Ranged Attack misses, a shot is usually considered to have
flown off into the sky or landed harmlessly on the ground next to
the target. Any player may insist on tracking a Missed Shot more accurately, if he has a good reason to make the effort; for most
shots it's not worth slowing down the game. He might think that the
target is big enough that even a bad shot would have hit it, or that
an Explosive landed close enough to the target to damage it anyway.
On the other hand, he might be looking greedily towards other potential
targets in the field of fire.
When an attacker misses a shot, and he or another player insists on
tracking it, check to see how many points the Attack Roll missed by.
(For instance, if the attacker rolled a 3 when he needed a 5, then
the Attack Roll missed by 2.) The Missed Shot landed somewhere within
this many inches of the target. The defending player may pick any
spot within that range that he wishes. That's where the shot goes,
provided that it's somewhere the weapon could theoretically have hit
in the first place, no matter how ridiculous or unlikely. The weapon's
Damage is then dished out as appropriate.
The only restriction to the defender's choice of accidental targets
is that he cannot choose a victim owned by an unaffiliated player.
Player-controlled targets are fair game if they belong to himself,
his attacker, or the allies of either party. Anyone else's units are
off-limits, unless hitting them can't possibly be avoided.
|
| Missed Shot Example: Viking vs. Ninja vs. Pirate |
| Elements
shown: LEGO, Mega Bloks, Little Armory |
|
Example: When this viking sees his pirate buddy
under attack from a ninja ex-girlfriend, he hastens
to intervene! The ninja is too far away for him to engage
in Close Combat, so he hurls his viking axe at her back.
A thrown Hand Weapon has Use:2, Range:1d6", and
Damage:1d6. The viking begins by rolling 5" for
Range; far enough to hit the ninja with inches to spare.
Next he rolls his Skill. With the axe's easy Use rating,
the viking only needs a 2 or higher to hit. Sadly, he
rolls a 1.
Because he missed the roll by 1, the gleeful ninja may
now pick any target within one inch for the axe to strike
instead of herself. The pirate is the obvious choice
- as an ally of the viking, he's a legal accidental
target, and he's within the throw's 5" range. The
axe hits the pirate, and the viking rolls 1d6 for Damage
- a 3, not enough to kill the pirate, just enough to
give him major lacerations.
The pirate and viking laugh together, because pirates
enjoy being cut. Thwarted, the ninja ex-girlfriend vanishes
into the shadows, where she mentally prepares herself
for a night of composing whiny self-pitying entries
for her ninja blog. |
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The third way for minifigs to make attacks is to run flat-out and smash
into their target, either with a thrusting weapon or with their own
bodies. A minifig's Charge is best used to add power to a Close Combat Attack or a Shove, but occasionally minifigs find themselves just slamming into things, whether on purpose or by accident. Knightly jousting, football tackles, and car crashes are all
examples of Charge attacks.
Setting up a Charge can require some maneuvering, as a minifig needs space to accelerate to full speed. If he can build up the
necessary Momentum, his attack will do more damage and
has the potential to Knock Back his opponents and send them flying.
| Poor Olaf's axe isn't
pointy enough to Charge with like Betty's. But players
might let him Charge with his horns if they're feeling
flexible. |
| Elements shown:
LEGO |
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Charging Weapons
Ramming enemies head-on is a time-honored combat technique, but most
Charging minifigs prefer to lead with a weapon rather than absorb the
collision with their own bodies. Defending targets have a similar preference
for bracing against a Charge with weapons of their own, and preferably
longer ones than the attackers are Charging with.
Not all weapons are appropriate for a Charge. A Charging Weapon must be Heavy or larger and designed for spear-like thrusts. Lances,
battering rams, and rifle-mounted bayonets all make good Charging
weapons. Baseball bats, pickaxes, and swords (even pointy swords)
do not. Long-hafted battleaxes and halberds can be used as Charging
Weapons if they are pointy at one end. Players may come up with more
exotic examples on a special-case basis; a Charging berserker might
use a horned helmet or a spiked shield, for instance.
Making the Attack
If the minifig uses a Charge to make a Close Combat Attack (either with a Charging Weapon or a Shove), then the Charge is treated as a special kind of Close Combat. Due to the rush of the Charge, both attacker and defender are limited to a single Attack or Counter, and they may not use any Angry Inches.
When used as part of a Charge, a Charging Weapon may only be Parried with a Shield (5.2: Close Combat).
The Counterattack
If a minifig is Counterattacking in response to another minifig's Charge, if one minifig's weapon has at least one inch more reach than the other's, then the longer weapon strikes first, and the other minifig is able to complete his attack only if he survives. Otherwise, both Attacks occur simultaneously, with no Counterattacks. This may result in two minifigs successfully killing or Shoving each other at the same moment.
Momentum
For a Charge to be of any use, a minifig must build Momentum, starting at least two inches away and running straight at his target. (As in real life, anything shorter than two inches grants no advantages and can be safely ignored.) As soon as he's run two inches, a minifig has built up a Momentum of 1d6 (MOM:1d6) for as long as he continues running in a straight line. This Momentum adds +1d6 to Damage on a successful attack with a Charging Weapon, or +1d6" to a successful Shove.
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Because a Charging minifig must travel directly at his target without dodging or swerving, the defender may ignore the usual Attack Penalty for a Fast-Moving Target (5.1: Making Attacks) when Attacking or Counterattacking a minifig Charging directly at him. |
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A Charge is the only attack that
can be combined with a Sprint into a single Action, allowing
minifigs to cover ground and inflict damage in a hurry (4.1:
Movement: Sprinting). A player must declare his Charge before rolling the +1d6" for extra Sprinting distance. If the die roll is not high enough to reach his goal, he must still rush straight towards the target as if he were expecting to succeed. His Momentum carries over between turns, so he can elect to complete his Charge on the following turn if his target is lazy enough to still be standing in the way.
KnockBack
As long as the two minifigs haven't avoided a collision by missing each other completely or by one pushing the other away with a successful Shove, the force of a collision
has the chance to send a Charge's victim flying. In many
cases this is more entertaining than whatever Damage might have been dealt out: the effects of KnockBack can allow Charging
minifigs to knock enemies out of formation, off the sides of of bridges or parapets, or into less-favorable tactical positions such as lava cauldrons or minefields.
Unless the target minifig Bails (4.3: Enemy Response) out of the attacker's path, he automatically offers Physical Opposition of 1d6 (POP:1d6) against the Charge. The Charging minifig's MOM must be great enough to overcome the target's POP for KnockBack to succeed.
When the two minifigs collide, the attacker rolls his MOM:1d6 while the target rolls his POP:1d6. If the POP roll is equal or greater than the MOM roll, then nothing happens; the target successfully resists KnockBack, the attacker is brought to a dead stop, and the two are now locked in Close Combat.
If the MOM roll is higher, then the amount by which the MOM beat the POP is the number of inches the target is Knocked Back ((MOM - POP)").
The victim is sent flying the appropriate distance directly away from the point of impact, and is knocked over and Disrupted as if he had just Bailed (4.3: Enemy Response).
If he smashes into some obstacle that prevents him from flying the full distance, he receives one point of Smash Damage for every unused inch of KnockBack, cumulative with any other Damage received from the Charge.
In the event that two minifigs are Charging directly at each other, they each roll 1d6 to serve as both their MOM and POP roll. If both rolls are the same, the two minifigs are halted and locked in Close Combat; otherwise the higher-rolling minifig Knocks Back the other by the appropriate amount.
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