One of the main issues me an my players have is that the combat tends to be too heavily dependent on crits, which almost always end up causing one-hit kills. I just thought of a simple fix, and would appreciate the feedback:
1) Dex is a bit useless now, so make it give a flat damage modifier:

7 or less: -3
8: -2
9: -3
10-11: +-0
12: +1
13: +2
14+:+3
2) Double damage is a bit much (especially from 6d6 or 7d6 monsters!), have it do max theoretical damage (so 36 with 6d6 damage stat) instead.

This makes knight-on-knight combat have less "nothing happens" results when passions can't be used, and shortens both real combats and duels.

Also, I've been thinking about limiting Passions to just one round, similar to Battle to curb the bias towards one particular passion.

Thoughts?

Here are the houserules we use to diminish one-shot criticals and the tink-tink-boom problem:

1) If you roll a critical, roll against your skill again. If you succeed, you do +4d6 damage regardless of your damage stat (this tones down monsters and huge Saxons/Knights). If you fail in that confirmation roll, it is only +2d6 (which cuts down on those lucky spear carrier criticals, but still means a hard hit).

2) If both combatants have skill of 21 or higher, lower the skill of the less-skilled party to 20, and lower the higher skill by the same amount. Yes, this advantages the higher skill combatant, as he still has an elevated crit chance. Good for him. However, this does mean that two knights equally matched at skill 30 no longer behead the other in two rounds (tink-tink-boom), but their duel does drag on like it should between two master swordsmen. (Example: A 24 vs B 22. Lower B's skill by 2 points to 20. A's skill lowers by 2 points to 22. New effective skills 22 and 20. And yes, we do recalculate if one of them has an advantage (+5/-5) or gets Impassioned.)

As for your suggestions, I don't think it is a good idea to limit a Passion to just one roll. However, we did lower the Passion bonus to +5 (+10 on a crit), since the +10 skill was a bit too much of an 'I win' option if the opponent didn't get his groove on, too.

As for the DEX contributing to damage, I can see that argument being made. I would be tempted to give a skill penalty/bonus to all weapon skills, though... (DEX-10)/3, round to nearest integer. So DEX 6-8 = -1, DEX 12-14 = +1. DEX 15-17: +2, DEX 18+: +3. That would give some oomph to DEX, although it might be a bit too much in comparison to +1 to one skill past 15 costing the same as +1 DEX. If you go with your damage idea, I would probably make it every 2 full DEX points off from 10 = +-1 damage. That would give 9 - 11 as the 'safe' bracket to be in. But not like I have tested any of this. :)

I'll grant you that a skill boost would make more sense than a damage boost, but as you said there comes a point where it is a bit much. Also, skills are rarely an issue, causing damage without a crit is, hence the emphasis on damage.

The lowering of Passion bonus is a good idea, and I will shamelessly steal it.

Are you using the rules that ties still deal damage to both parties? I wanna say 1d3 without armor on a regular tie, 1d6 on a crit, armor of honor still applies. That would help the results not be nothing,

We use the rules that ties deal damage to both, but also a house rule that in case of a tie, the one with a higher skill wins. Just rolling d3 damage on ties is a very slow process to cause any real injury, since first you need to tie, then only do minimal damage. Although, now that I think of it the winner could ALWAYS cause d3 damage past armor, showing that the defender has to strain himself?

Also, skills are rarely an issue, causing damage without a crit is, hence the emphasis on damage.


I am very surprised by this, if you are playing in the Early Phase (Uther - Boy King). In our campaign, 5d6 is considered the bare minimum for a real knight, and most PKs pair that with an axe or a mace for that extra 1d6 against shields or chainmail, making it 6d6 in damage. At least one PK has 6d6+1d6 (mace). Given that the armor is just 10 and shield adds 6 on a partial success, even 5d6 does damage on average (17.5) through shield and armor. Effective 6d6 does an average of 5 points through armor+shield, which is already enough to make a PK worry. Furthermore, there is Knockdown. Once one guy is struggling to get up, the chance of landing a blow past the shield goes up significantly, and the result is usually something in the 8 - 13 point range, possibly a major wound.

In later phases yes, the introduction of the plate armor pretty much needs a pollaxe (warhammer) to break through. However, that is a self-fulfilling prophesy in a way, too, since the dropping of the shield means that the armor values come down again, making damage more likely once more.

Our group is maybe less minmax and more varied than that, we've only had one 6d6 PK the entire campaign (in Anarchy now), while most are in the 5d6 category and choose to use swords because...well I don't know actually. Just preference? They also can't roll worth squat, so their damage tends to trend towards the lower half of potential.

Our group is maybe less minmax and more varied than that, we've only had one 6d6 PK the entire campaign (in Anarchy now), while most are in the 5d6 category and choose to use swords because...well I don't know actually. Just preference? They also can't roll worth squat, so their damage tends to trend towards the lower half of potential.

I see. Well, chainmail+shield was supposed to be a potent defense against most weapons of the age. If the 4d6 characters are struggling to harm a knight, well, then they ought to seek solutions to it, whether becoming stronger or changing weapons (lance charge is a very good way of hurting another knight, but not always practicable). The point is, if you are playing a knight who has 4d6 damage, he is a punier fellow than other knights. He should struggle in combat! 5d6 knights (the Average Knights in Appendix 2 of KAP 5.1) might have some issues getting past 10+6 defense, but they will likely cause a Knockdown check, and when the other guy is down, then it is an opportunity to get a good hit in.

Finally, not all opponents are knights, too. Saxons tend to wear less armor, and so do the ordinary foot soldiers, too. Let alone bandits.

So, IMHO and all that, the solution isn't to introduce house rules that allow 4d6 knights to have better damage, but to encourage them to work within the rules to increase their base damage (higher STR) or improve their chances with a weapon choice (axe, mace, two-handed axe). (Although that being said, I could understand giving DEX more of a role simply from the perspective of giving DEX something more to do, being as it is easily less useful than SIZ & STR currently. But that is more from stat balance side, rather than simply looking at the damage.)

Good points, I guess our group's perspective is a bit skewed due to the abysmal damage rolls the players generally achieve.

While I'm still doing prep for my campaign, and it will be entirely narrative/email based due to players, I've worked up a possible solution for this issue. Keep in mind that actually tink-tink-boom is a fairly realistic representation of real sword combat, in which a single opportunity effectively ends the fight. That said, it's hell on more cinematic play, which is where I'd rather be.

So... a few Pendragon Hacks:

Additional combat options:
Maneuver – Reduce skills by -5/-5 to reposition opponent or combat area, reducing the number of additional opponents who can attack or more to attack this turn and next by 1 (effectively disengaging an opponent if 3 were attacking) on an opposed DEX check (fumble = fall). This option represents the priority of a fighter in ensuring he is not flanked through the use of available terrain and other obstacles (horses, etc.); it is not as purely defensive as fighting defensively, but prioritizes positioning over aggression.

Shocked to One’s Senses:
Upon taking damage that brings a character below 150% of unconsciousness threshold, he must make a Valor check at -10 to continue fighting. Failure indicates that he will either immediately flee if feasible, or surrender/bargain if there is any likelihood of being spared. Being inspired balances out the penalty. [credit: I borrowed this one from another campaign]

Critical Maneuver Table:
The Critical Maneuver Table is intended to broaden the options during combat, whereas highly skilled opponents (weapon skill 20+) frequently crit and an engagement between two highly-skilled, impassioned warriors will eventually—after much time—cause one to fumble, explode and die. This optional table is intended to both reduce instant fatalities and provide for more options during combat; its use will prolong normal combats, but reduce the length of extraordinary contests. NOTE: if combatants are impassioned, especially through Hate, then it is well within the storyteller’s reason and general drama to disallow the Maneuver Table and demand straight rolls until someone is dead.

The Critical Maneuver Table may be used even while fighting defensively (+10 to WS), however with an additional -10 to the resulting table roll. The winner in a WS contest is considered to be the warrior with the highest adjusted weapon skill roll; the one with the lower roll is the “opponent”.


Roll 1d20.
Add or subtract the difference between weapon skill roll and 20, as an optional modifier to the table. Higher weapons skills provide greater range and control over results. If fighting defensively subtract 10. (E.g. A weapon skill of 25 or +5 to weapons skill, so a roll of 17 equals a final adjusted weapon skill result of 22—a +2/-2 critical table roll!)
Determine if the resulting maneuver(s) is desired. If not, choose Default.
Determine if the bonus option reposition is desired.
Apply results.


Default: roll normal damage dice. Opponent crit: take and receive no damage.

All critical hits bonus option: DEX check to reposition opponent, reducing the number of additional opponents who can attack or move to engage this turn and next by 1 (fumble = fall). Opponent crit = second DEX check to avoid (fumble = fall). May stack with Maneuver, reducing max opponents to 1; opponents are effectively disengaged if 2 or 3 were attacking.

1-4 Feint: receive +5/-5 weapons skills next round. Opponent crit = DEX check to avoid (fumble = fall). Inflict 1d3 damage.
5-7 Knockdown/Trip: roll double damage dice, but divide damage by four; inflict knockdown DEX check as normal. Opponent crit: inflict DEX check on opponent as well for knockdown.
8-10 Pin: initiate a temporary grapple, a DEX test with opponent; if successful any of the grapple effects may be selected, but you and your opponent retain weapons and you may not strip off a helmet without releasing yours. The pin may be maintained on subsequent turns, or broken, through an opposed STR check (winner’s option, crit inflicts 1d6 damage). Opponent crit = inflict 1d3 damage.
11-12 Befuddle: receive +10/-10 weapon skills next round. Opponent crit = CON check to avoid (fumble = fall). Inflict 1d3 damage.
13-14 Unhelm: knock off opponent’s helm, reducing armor by a quarter until restored. Opponent crit = Armor value check to avoid. Inflict 1d6 damage.
15-16 Disarm: opponent drops swords/breaks wooden-shafted weapons as if fumbled. Opponent crit = SIZ check to avoid.
17-19 Pierce weakness: reduce opponent armor by half for this and the next turns. Opponent crit = DEX check to avoid. Roll half damage dice.
20+ Roll double damage dice. Opponent crit = take and receive 1d3 damage.

Provided as a thought exercise until I get to use it. Obviously will slow down things around a table, a bit.

--Khanwulf