Dodging and combat questions

[Mister Negative]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

One option I especially like (haven't really applied it in-game yet, though) is TBone's "DECIDE" rule (published in Pyramid 3/34 as "Do-Or-Die Bullet Dodging"). Basically, defenses are declared before the GM says whether an attack has hit - at least in cases where attacks are going fast enough that you can't "see" the result before it happens (ie, bullets and beams).



Combined with requiring defenses to be declared before the attack is resolved, this can actually make fights more realistic, encouraging PCs and NPCs alike to keep their heads down during Spraying Fire, and generally spoiling people's Aim.

I've used DECIDE in a Dungeon Fantasy adventure (and I'm about to use it in an Action! adventure, and I can tell you that I really like how it works. I use it for everything, not just fast attacks, and it really makes the combats seem more interactive, not I-go, U-go.

People have to make hard choices ("Do I use my good parry, and lose my attack with this unbalanced weapon, or go with a worse dodge?") rather than knowing whether to bother with single use defenses.

It also seems to make players visualize how a fight flows more. Since they are declaring everything, they know whether they are blocking with a shield, or ducking the swing, regardless of whether it hits. Declaring their reactions seems to keep them in the moment.

As an aside, I assume that everybody always dodges, if they are aware of an attack, unless they say otherwise. If someone specifically says "I continue to aim." or "I stand here looking grim.", then they don't dodge. This way, the player who accidentally forgets doesn't get penalized.