SettembrINI

Template:Wilde Gestade Template:InfoboxRegel Courtesy of Settembrini, translation by Never_plays_elves:

The OSRIC rules, as well as the 1e rules that inspired them, for regulating initiative, i.e. for determining who does what and when in a combat round, are viewed by some as complicated or contradictory.

The reason for this is the way in which the original author presented the rules, in various places over three years. A collection of all sources and the attempt to bring them all into harmony has become known under the name ADDICT . These individual observations will not be repeated here. Instead, I will present my interpretations of the original rules, which I have developed over many years of experience as a game master and which I have found to be particularly conducive to the flow of the game.

The most important point is to understand what and how authors like Gary Gygax have written: using many examples and refinements, an ideal is outlined throughout. What does this look like in a concrete case?

During the one-minute combat round, many things happen simultaneously. The game master puts all the actions in a sequence. To do this, the game master utilizes all case studies and rule elements that can be found in the rule books. Since there can potentially be many different configurations of the possible sequences, the presence of a game master is needed who will implement this interpretation precisely, guided by the texts and the basic concepts.

Guidelines

• Spells take a certain amount of time to be cast, and they can be interrupted until the spell-

casting procedure is complete. Segments are used to that end.

• Movement, as well as melee or other actions like opening doors, selecting another piece

of equipment, etc., basically occur throughout the entire round. In detail, however, they do happen at specific points in time before or after the action of another combatant.

• Multiple attacks must be distinguished from attack routines and are handled in different

phases for both practical and balancing reasons.

• Ranged attacks can be faster than anything else if the shooter has a readied weapon and

their target is clearly visible, and provided that the shooter does not have to move. Achieving the highest level of implementation of OSRIC rules would require that all actions of each combatant are declared in advance, initiative is rolled, and then the actual course of the round is described, after the DM has sorted everything out and interpreted and modeled the combat situation using their imagination as guided by their experience. This is how the examples are implicitly presented in the original texts.

Achieving the highest level of implementation of FAG rules would require that all actions of each combatant are declared in advance, initiative is rolled, and then the actual course of the round is described, after the DM has sorted everything out and interpreted and modeled the combat situation using their imagination as guided by their experience. This is how the examples are implicitly presented in the original texts. However, not only is a mixed form more concrete and practical, but is also identifiable in actual game practice.

The mixed form as a cooking recipe

1. ou will be asked if you want to cast spells or use a scroll.
   1. Anyone who wants to make a charge or use their (pole) weapon against such a move must now announce this (or write it down). Players will not be asked individually to state their intended actions
2. Should you intend to cast a spell, such spell must be named (or written down)
3. Both sides roll a d6 for initiative. This roll is not modified.
   1. Spells cast by the side that has lost the initiative can always be interrupted,meaning the first series of attacks (1st melee phase) will be deemed to occur before the relevant spell casting procedure is completed.
   2. Spells cast by the winning side occur before the losing side's first melee phase if, and only if, the casting time is less than or equal to the result of the initiative die.
4. Charges are carried out. 7.3 applies in this case, mutatis mutandis:
   1. If the attacked figures already hold readied ranged weapons, loaded with ammunition and having their targets identified, the attacked figures may, at the GM's discretion and based on the GM’s overall assessment of the combat situation at hand, fire their projectiles once at these targets or at figures moving towards them.
5. The initiative winners perform their ranged attacks and 1 segment spells.
   1. Traditionally, magical missiles are deemed faster than arrows or projectiles, so they must be resolved before any others.
6. Other spells, spell cast from scrolls and wands, rods and staves (the later at segment 2) of the initiative winners are cast, up to the segment number of the initiative die (maximum 6).
   1. Simple spells, such as fireball, web, etc. also take effect immediately and are resolved
   2. other configurations, which, for example, require that another character has to move towards the spell-caster in order to take effect, or where the spell-caster waits for a certain moment, are not yet processed
7. Movement and 1st melee phase for the initiative winners are resolved
   1. Creatures with an attack routine (e.g. claw/claw/bite) perform it completely
   2. Combatants with multiple attacks (e.g. of high level fighters ) attack once
      1. Combatants with multiple attacks who have lost initiative attack once without moving.
   3. If the losers already hold readied ranged weapons, loaded with ammunition and having their targets identified, the initiative losers may, at the GM's discretion and based on the GM’s overall assessment of the combat situation at hand, fire their projectiles once at these targets or at figures moving towards them.
8. The regular ranged combat phase for the initiative losers is resolved.
9. Movement and the 1st melee phase for the initiative losers are resolved.
10. The spells of the initiative winners with casting times exceeding the result of the winning initiative die are resolved.
11. Most of the spells of the initiative losers are cast
    1. Exemptions are spells with casting times covering an entire round, or longer spells (7 segments +) if the initiative winners still have more than one multiple attack to deliver. In short: the GM decides how many of the multiple attacks can affect the spell-caster before the spell-casting procedure is completed.
12. The 2nd melee phase of the initiative winners is resolved
13. The 2nd melee phase of the initiative losers is resolved.
14. etc.
15. etc.
16. Spells and actions that have not yet been completed or interrupted take effect or are

resolved.

It has proven useful to maintain a fixed announcement structure within this order. The actions are communicated to the GM either by a caller or alphabetically or based on the seating order or similar.

Combat maneuvers

The basic concept in the game, especially when miniatures are used, is that of the "in melee" status. Each combatant is in melee with all enemies located in adjacent squares. This can be understood like the zone of control in a strategy game. Anyone who enters this melee zone is subject to specific restrictions: There are only two ways to move while in melee:

• Fighting Withdrawal : The figure retreats in an orderly fashion, facing the enemy. The figure may move, but may not attack in this round. The enemy may advance up to the maximum of the enemy’s own movement range, even if it has already moved.
• Fleeing / Passing Blow: Whenever you flee from an enemy's melee range, the enemy may attack. These attacks are additional attacks that are not considered when counting the total number of attacks permitted per round and are treated as attacks against the moving figure's rear.
  • Option: Sollte der Passierschlag durch seitliches Vorbeilaufen an einem Gegner auf der Schildseite des Läufers hervorgerufen werden, kann der SL entscheiden, den Schildbonus auf die RK zu gewähren.
• Fechtertausch: Das Zusammenspiel dieser Regeln führt dazu, daß man, wenn man nicht alleine in der ersten Reihe steht, oft die Position mit einem Fechter der hinteren Reihe tauschen kann: die Person, die gerne aus der Nahkampfzone weg möchte, nutzt das Manöver "Rückzug", um nach hinten zu gelangen. Ihre Kameraden bleiben aber in den Nahkampfzone ihrer Gegner. Sollte also einer oder mehrere der direkten Gegner der Rückzugsperson nachrücken wollen, würden diese Gegner ihrerseits sich Passierschlägen der Stehengebliebenen aussetzen. Meist wollen sie dies nicht und bleiben stehen, so daß die Rückzugsperson davonkommt. Ein Kombattant aus hinteren Reihen könnte dann die Lücke schließen und sogar ggf. noch angreifen.

Weitere Aktionen im Kampf

• Parieren bzw. defensiv kämpfen: Verzicht auf den eigenen Angriff, um den eigenen Stärkebonus vom gegnerischen Angriffswurf abzuziehen.
  • Option: Waffenspezialisierungsboni dürfen ebenfalls abgezogen werden und/oder der Malus gilt für alle Gegner in der Nahkampfzone der defensiv kämpfenden Figur.
• Untote vertreiben: Grundsätzlich wird Untote vertreiben wie Einsatz von Fernkampfwaffen behandelt. Normalerweise darf die Personage, die sich solcher Mittel bedient ihre volle Bewegung durchführen.
• Magische Gegenstände benutzen: Grundsätzlich werden kurze und mittlere Zauberstäbe sowie andere magische Gegenstände wie Fernkampfwaffen behandelt. Normalerweise darf die Personage, die sich solcher Mittel bedient ihre volle Bewegung durchführen. Ausnahmen sind:
  • Zauberstecken benutzen: Der Einsatz von Magieffekten aus langen Zauberstäben benötigt 2 Segmente Zeit, und verlangt 8 Segmente Abkühlungszeit. Der jeweilige Effekt muß nicht vor dem Würfeln angesagt werden und Bewegung ist voll möglich.
  • Tränke trinken und mit Ölen salben: Zaubertränke können irgendwann im Zug mit dem Zeitaufwand von einem Segment hervorgeholt und getrunken und Öle auf Gesicht, Armen usw. verteilt werden. Ihre Wirkung selbst benötigt 1-5 Segmente, um einzutreten. Unter dem EInfluß mehrerer magischer Flüssigkeiten zu stehen kann Schäden hervorrufen, zu Risiken und Nebenwirkungen fragen sie Ihren ZAK oder Alchemiker.
  • Schriftrollen benutzen: Schriftrollen stellen einen Spezialfall dar: Spruchrollen benötigen eine Lesezeit, die derjenigen des Zauberaufwands entspricht. Das Zaubern von Spruchrolle muß vor dem Ini-wurf angesagt werden. Die lesende Figur darf sich aber bewegen. Die verschiedenen Schutzrollen haben eine Lesedauer, der ihrer jeweiligen Beschreibung zu entnehmen ist.