Liberi Gothica: Running the game

Basic rules for combat in Liberi Gothica

Turn Order

LM has a deck of playing cards, complete with jokers. She deals 5 cards to each player. Players cannot show their hands to each other. Each monster has a set value and suit for its initiative, but unique NPCs may get a hand if the LM wishes.

At the beginning of each round, the PCs and NPCs play 1 card face down. When everyone has played a card, they are all flipped up to determine the turn order.

Highest number wins. Aces are high. Jokers can be any number the player wants them to be. When cards of the same value are played, Spade goes before Heart goes before Club goes before Diamond.

After the fifth round, cards are shuffled and a new 5 card hand is dealt.

If someone joins the combat in the middle of a hand, they are dealt in a full hand of five cards. On the round after they join, they play a card face down as normal. At the end of the hand, any remaining cards in the newcomer's hand are shuffled back into the deck.

In game terms, one hand of cards takes half a minute, or 30 seconds.

If there aren't enough cards in the deck for each PC/group of NPCs, you may deal smaller hands. However, the half-minute a hand system breaks down with smaller hands. For time lines:

Hand of 4 cards takes 24 seconds. Used when 11 or more groups/PCs are competing for initiative. Hand of 3 cards takes 18 seconds. Used when 14 or more groups/PCs are competing for initiative. Hand of 2 cards takes 12 seconds. Used when 19 or more groups/PCs are competing for initiative. Hand of 1 card takes 6 seconds. Used when 23 or more groups/PCs are competing for initiative.

Actions

You may take two actions per turn, which can be any of the following:

Move: Move up to your speed in feet. Movement is based on size: Size -1 moves 20 feet, Size 0 moves 30 feet, size +1 moves 40 feet. Add +20 feet for quadrupeds. Using maneuverability skills, like Climb or Swim, can be part of your Move.

Attack: Attempt to hit someone else with a weapon you wield.

Multiple Weapon Fighting: If wielding two [or more] weapons simultanesouly, you may attack with all of them as one action, at a -4 penalty per weapon beyond the first. This penalty applies to all attacks you make for the round.

Defend: Grants you a +2 bonus to Base Defense until your next turn.

Deflection: You can prepare an action with an Active Defense to deflect an attack. If an attack made against you while this action is prepared doesn't beat your Total Defense, the entire attack deals no damage. This applies to all attacks you are aware of for the turn.

Command: You can issue a command to those under your control. See Controlling Minions, below, for more information.

Ability: Use an ability gained through a perk or class feature. Some abilities might take 2 (or more) actions to complete.

Vitality/Soul conversion: You can transfer any amount of Vitality from your Foci to your Vitality, up to your maximum Vitality, or transfer any amount of Vitality to your Foci's soul gauge, up to the maximum of 20.

Skill: You may use a skill.

Continuous actions: Continuous actions are actions that take more than 1 action to complete. Continuous actions may be performed partially - that is, you don't have to spend both of your actions each turn on the same continuous action. However, you must spend at least one action per turn once you begin or the action is lost, and needs to be restarted.

For example, reloading a rifle takes 4 actions. On the first round, you could spend both of your actions beginning the reload. On the next action, however, you feel the pressing need to move somewhere safer. You spend one action moving, and the other action reloading. On the next round, you finish the reload with your first action, and decide to spend your second action firing.

Delaying actions: If you want to take an action later in the turn, you can delay one of your actions. At any later point between other player's turns in the round, you may take an action. When you delay an action, you only get 1 action during your own turn. You cannot choose to delay both of your actions.

Prepared action: You can choose to take a specific action later in the round, in response to some sort of trigger. "If anyone comes close to me I will stab them" is a good example of a prepared action. When you take a prepared action, you use up one of your actions for the round, but get to immediately take your triggered action when the trigger occurs. You can prepare both of your actions, if you like.

Lethal Blow: You can spend 2 actions to deliver a lethal blow to an immobile, surprised, or helpless target - you deal maximum damage for the weapon, and automatically cause a crippling wound of your choice. You can decide whether or not this attack will be fatal - if you do, they must make an Endure check, or they instantly die.

Charge: If you move in a straight line towards your target and then either attack or tackle, you get a +2 bonus to the Attack roll or Strength check.

Soul Prayer: As 2 actions, you can pray for the soul of a deceased person within 20 feet, if he has not passed away yet. After the second action, you gain as much Vitality as he had remaining. This Vitality is added to your Foci's Soul Gauge. In addition, you gain 1 Essence.

Soul Absorption: A quicker and less efficient method of absorbing a soul. As 1 action, you may absorb the soul of a dead person within 20 feet, if he has not passed away yet. Roll 1d6: 1-2, you gain half as much Vitality as he had remaining[round down]; 3-6, you gain as much Vitality as he had remaining. This Vitality is added to your Foci's Soul Gauge. In addition, you gain 1 Essence.

Alternate rule: Balanced Soul Gathering

Rather than have the PCs fight over who gets Vitality off of group kills, you may have them do a 'synchronized soul gathering.' Whenever one of them absorbs or prays for a soul, instead of giving him all of the vitality for it, divide the amount he would gain by the amount of Liberi within 20 feet of the deceased, and give all of them an equal share of the Vitality[rounded down]. If it does not divide equally, give the excess to the Liberi who did the praying/absorbing. Each Liberi who gets Vitality in this way should also get 1 Essence.

Attack

When rolling an attack roll, you roll 2d6 and add your Attack score to it. If you roll higher than their total defense, you get a Direct Hit. If you beat their base defense but not their total defense, you deal a Glancing Blow, and damage is reduced (See Defense, below). If you do not beat their Base defense, no damage is dealt.

After determining if you hit, you deal damage. Damage varies greatly based on the weapon or ability being used, and by your Toughness or Athleticism score. For melee attacks, half of your Toughness score is added to damage. For ranged attacks, half of your Athleticism is added to damage. Damage dealt is subtracted from their current Life: damage never reduces maximum Life.

Defense

Wearing armor and shields will reduce damage dealt by weapons. Anything that will stop damage without you doing anything is a Passive Defense. Anything that you take effort to put between yourself and your opponent is an Active Defense.

Defenses have 2 values: Reduction, and Protection. With very few exceptions, these will always be the same value. An armor that gives a +2 to Passive Defense has a Protection of 2 and a Reduction of 2. Some armor have a higher Protection than Reduction. However, they will say so if they do.

Protection adds to your Base Defense. Base Defense + total Protection value of all Defenses = Total Defense.

Reduction is the amount of damage you do not take from a Glancing Blow. You can only apply Reduction from 1 Active Defense and 1 Passive Defense at a time.

If an attack is a Glancing Blow, then the damage is reduced by the Reduction value of your highest Passive Defense, and then by the Reduction Value of your highest Active Defense. This can reduce the damage to 0, but not below 0. Armor is not amazing enough to heal you.

Active Defense: Active Defenses require knowledge of the attack to use. When Surprised, Blind, or Helpless, you do not get the Protection or Reduction of any of your Active Defenses. If you have multiple Active Defenses, add each of their Protection values, but you may only use 1 Reduction value at a time.

Passive Defense: Passive Defenses will always provide protection as long as you are wearing them. If you have multiple Passive Defenses, add each of their Protection values, but you may only use 1 Reduction value at a time.

Deflection: You can prepare an action with an Active Defense to deflect an attack. If an attack made against you while this action is prepared doesn't beat your Total Defense, the entire attack deals no damage. This applies to all attacks you are aware of for the turn.

Unarmed Attack

Unarmed attacks are weapons of 3 sizes smaller than the combatant. They have the Light and Clumsy traits. If someone has a listed unarmed attack, like a Bite or a Slam, it uses that instead.

For a typical size 0 character, an unarmed attack deals 1d3 damage. For a size 1 character, an unarmed attack deals 1d4 damage.

Weapon Damage by Weapon Size

Tiny Weapon. 1 damage on a hit. Requires Toughness -3 to wield. Size -4.

Small weapon. 1d3 damage on a hit. Requires Toughness -1 to wield. Size -3.

Medium weapon. Requires Toughness 1 to use. 1d4 damage on a hit. Size -2.

Large weapon. Requires Toughness 3 to use. 1d6 damage on a hit. Size -1.

Huge weapon. Requires Toughness 5 to use. 2d4 damage on a hit. Size 0.

Massive Weapon. Requires Toughness 7 to use. 2d6 damage on a hit. Size +1.

Colossal Weapon. Requires Toughness 9 to use. 3d6 damage on a hit. Size +2.

Larger weapons: Require +2 Toughness per size larger than Colossal. +1d6 damage per size larger than Colossal.

Injury Rules

If you beat the opponent's total defense by 5 or more with your attack roll, you deal a crippling wound. A crippling wound is one that causes an effect other than just life loss - ranging from as simple as being stunned with pain for a moment all the way up to losing an arm. The LM decides the exact nature of the wound, and it is suggested they use the damage dealt by the attack for a basic guideline.

However, if you want a more simulationist approach, you can use the following charts. The Wounds charts are based on damage dealt. Even if you do not use the charts below, they are a good guideline to get you started:

Wound location [1d6] 1-3: Torso 4: Legs 5: Arms 6: Head

Torso Wounds <3: Wind knocked out; lose next turn. 4-6: Flying: They are knocked back 10 feet. 7-9: Minor organ damage: they lose 1 Life per turn until someone gives them Treatment [Treatment check; takes 2 actions]. 10-14: Major organ damage: they lose 3 Life per turn until someone gives them Treatment [Treatment check; -4 penalty; takes 4 actions]. 15+: Fatal organ damage: they lose 5 Life per turn until someone gives them Treatment [Treatment check; -8 penalty; takes 4 actions].

Leg Wounds: <3: Limp: You hit the foot or knee. They move at half speed for 1d6 days. Treatment can reduce the recovery time to 1 day. 4-6: Immobilize: They are temporarily unable to move. A Treatment check [2 actions] can reduce this to Limping; otherwise, it becomes Limping after 1 day, and they limp for 1d6 days afterward. 7-9: Broken: As Immobilize, but lasts 2d6 weeks, then becomes Limping for 2d6 days. A successful Treatment check can cut the Immobilize time in half. 10-14: Paralyze: Their nerves are destroyed in one leg. It is permanently unable to be moved. 15+: Removal: Part of the leg is simply cut off, or smashed into oblivion.

Arm Wounds: <3: Smashed Fingers: They drop anything held in the appropriate hand, and are unable to use that hand for 1d6 rounds. 4-6: Numb: The pain makes the arm slow and cumbersome. They take a -2 penalty to any roll using that arm. 7-9: Broken: The arm is unable to be used for 2d6 weeks, and is Numb for 2d6 days after that. A successful Treatment check can cut the useless time in half. 10-14: Paralyze: Their nerves are destroyed in one arm. It is permanently unable to be used. 15+: Removal: Part of the arm is simply cut off, or smashed into oblivion.

Head Wounds: <3: Rattled: -2 penalty to all rolls for 1d6 rounds. 4-6: Took out an eye: One of their eyes is now missing. They take a -2 penalty to all Attacks, and a -1 penalty to Notice. The Attack penalty becomes -1 after 1d6 weeks, and becomes -0 after another 1d6 weeks. The Notice penalty never goes away. OR 4-6: Why the ear man: You take off an ear. They have a -2 penalty to all Athleticism based rolls due to loss of balance, and a -2 penalty to Notice rolls. The Athleticism penalty becomes -1 after 1d6 weeks, and becomes -0 after another 1d6 weeks. The Notice penalty never goes away. 7-9: Ugly Stick: Their face is horribly disfigured by the blow. They take a -2 penalty to Persuasion, Intimidate, Trick, Tease, and Disguise checks. The penalty becomes -1 after 1d6 weeks. 10-14: Broken Jaw: The target is unable to speak or eat for 2d6 weeks. To feed a person with a broken jaw, you must succeed on a Treatment check. Even after the 2d6 weeks are over, they have trouble speaking, giving them a permanent -2 penalty to Persuasion, Intimidate, Trick, Tease, and Disguise checks. 15+: Decapitated: They are dead.

Ramming speed

When you Ram an object, you effectively make up to a double move or run action until you end in the target's square. The ramming object takes half as much damage from the ram attack. As this requires speed, it takes both your actions for the turn.

Size -2: 1d4-1 damage per 50 feet moved. Size -1: 1d4 damage per 50 feet moved. Size 0: 1d6 damage per 50 feet moved. Size +1: 1d6 damage per 40 feet moved. Size +2: 1d6 damage per 30 feet moved. Size +3: 1d6 damage per 20 feet moved. Size +4: 2d6 damage per 20 feet moved. Size +5: 3d6 damage per 20 feet moved.

Controlling Minions

As an action, you can give an order to any subset of your minions. This order is limited by their Knowledge attribute - if you give an order too complex, they will simply not understand and not follow it. As a general guideline, they can understand and remember 1 sentence per point of Knowledge they have. Run-on sentences count as multiple sentences.

-They will follow this order as long as they can.

-A different order must be issued separately, using another action.

-If they have a command that they are able to follow, you don't need to deal with those minions any more until they are done with their order, or you wish to re-order them to do something different.

Examples of minions: Undead, Golems, Marionettes, hypnotized creatures, enslaved creatures, or willing cohorts.

Healing

The Foci grants their Liberi the ability to heal quicker than normal. Every four hours, a Liberi gains Life equal to Toughness/2. (Round up, then round down - alternate). This gives them Toughness x 3 Life per day.

Without the aid of a Foci, a creature gains Life equal to its Toughness at the end of each day.

Damage dealt to a TACKS attribute heals at a rate of one point per day. Damage to TACKS is primarily dealt through curses and poisons.

Character Death

When Life or Vitality is at 0, you only take 1 action per turn.

When your Life is a negative number, you are unconscious. At negative Life higher than your Toughness score, you die. So, if your Toughness is 3, you die at -4 or less Life.

When your Vitality is below 0, you die.

When your Toughness is at 0, you are too weak to lift your own weight.

When your Athleticism is at 0, you are incapable of moving.

When your Charm is at 0, you are out of touch and unable to react with your surroundings.

When your Knowledge is at 0, you are incapable of processing thought, and are effectively brain dead.

When your Spirit is at 0, you are completely dejected, and unwilling to do anything.

If any TACKS ability is below 0, you die.

Once dead, you roll for passing away as normal. After you pass away, you cannot be resurrected by any means.

Passing On

After dying, the soul only lingers for a short while. Each round after its death, roll 1d10, and on a 10, the soul passes on. After every success, it becomes 1 easier: the second roll needs a 9 or a 10, the third roll needs an 8 or higher, the fourth roll needs a 7 or higher, etc.

Example: Cat dies. LM needs to roll a 10 to pass on. LM rolls 1d10. Gets a 7. Cat does not pass on. On the next round, Cat needs a 9 or higher to pass on. LM rolls a 6. Cat does not pass on. On the next round, Cat needs an 8 or higher to pass on. LM rolls an 8. Cat passes on.