Learning combat

[Densar]

Thanks. Another question: when she did all-out attack (double), can her foe defend against both attack (in effect doing two defenses on her turn) or only the first one?

[Mr_Sandman]

Any character who can defend (if they didn't all out attack, for example), can defend against as many attacks as are made on them. Using the Basic Set rules. They are limited to one block, and each parry after the first is penalized. Dodges are unlimited.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Densar

Thanks. Another question: when she did all-out attack (double), can her foe defend against both attack (in effect doing two defenses on her turn) or only the first one?

C can and should defend against the two attacks separately. She can take any number of Dodges, a single Parry (under Basic combat), and zero Blocks, because she doesn't have any kind of shield.

Because these example characters have no encumbrance and are at -1 to parry with their knives, their dodges are as good as their parries; armoured fighters with larger weapons and shields tend to have Parry and Block rolls better than their Dodge. With more combat options active, it is possible to do multiple Parries, at increasing penalties, and given a shield, multiple Blocks, also at increasing penalties.

Fighting multiple opponents is dangerous, because you run out of good active defence options.

[johndallman]

In the revised example, the first mistake I've spotted is in round 6:

C is attacking with no shock penalty, and being below ⅓ HP does not penalise attacks. She rolls a 5 against 16, which is a critical success, so A can't defend.

Less importantly, A does not need to defend against the feint. As far as she's concerned, it just missed.

Under normal circumstances, All-out Attacking should be reserved for opponents who can't attack you even if your attack fails, ones who you're willing to bet can't get through your armour, and ones who you expect to take you down with their next attack.

[Densar]

And if C had chosen All-out defense (double defense) on her turn and A did an all-out attack, she could defend using two different defenses on each of the separate attacks, presumably?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Densar

And if C had chosen All-out defense (double defense) on her turn and A did an all-out attack, she could defend using two different defenses on each of the separate attacks, presumably?

Exactly so.