"Down and Dirty" Combat Doesn't Get Enough Love in The Chronicles of Darkness

Combat is the main event in a lot of roleplaying games, but there are times where a fight just feels inconsequential for the player characters, or it's just going to eat up a massive amount of the time you had planned for the story that night. This can be an issue in games that take a more cinematic approach to combat, such as the Chronicles of Darkness, but the Down and Dirty Combat mechanic that's listed on page 87 can solve this problem neatly and elegantly for those who want to go to narration for those fights that might be necessary, but which aren't super important.

You got this kid! Come on, one roll, and this bum's going down!

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Not Every Fight Is Supposed To Be Do-Or-Die

I've made the comparison before, but consider the first John Wick film. The scene where Vigo tasks a crew of assassins to go kill John before he can come after Iosef to get revenge. There's 11 or so assassins in black suits and ski masks, making them literal faceless goons who are all dispatched to our main character's house. John, of course, kills them all with the only damage being to his house, and his composure, just to let the audience know the kind of badass we're dealing with.

This is what I mean when I talk about thinking of combat cinematically. I'm not just talking about what it would look like, and the ebb and flow of a brawl or a shoot out. But ask where it fits in the narrative arc you're telling, and if this is an important, meaningful fight that should be slugged out round-for-round and pound-for-pound, or is this an interim fight with goons who aren't important in the grand scheme of things?

Because if you're running a Hunter game, and your cell of trigger-happy monster hunters are going after a vampire, then absolutely that fight in the vampire's lair should be a pulse-pounding scene where you dedicate a lot of screen time to the action, and you pull out all the weird powers and hail-Mary weapons for your mortals to try to eke out a victory. However, you probably don't want to dedicate that same time and attention to the fight with some club bouncers that are guarding the first layer of access to that vampire's lair, three sub-basements below The Red Circle.

You want to fight the counter guy who got your order wrong? Fine, but this is the last time...

The way this simple mechanic works is that you, as the ST, offer the chance to the players to run this with Down and Dirty rules. Because it should always be their choice. After all, regular combat mechanics and Down and Dirty mechanics both offer risks. If the players say yes, they want the D&D rules, it's fairly simple.

First, you determine which characters have what goals in this scene. For example, your bruiser might be trying to beat a combination to a locked door out of a flunky, while the shooter is just picking off as many other targets as she can. If there are distinct, different goals at-work, then these characters each make separate rolls. However, if multiple characters are all in sync with their goals (say all four members of a cell are rushing the two guards on a door, and looking to pummel them into submission), then they can use the Teamwork mechanic in order to combine their efforts together for a better chance of success.

Once you know who is trying to do what, you put together the combat pool for the player characters (Strength or Dexterity + Brawl, Firearms, or Weaponry), and then the NPCs will either roll that same pool if they're opposing the PCs, or they'll roll something like (Strength or Dexterity + Athletics) if they're trying to get away. Once both sides have rolled, count the successes, and the difference between them.

If the players get an exceptional success (5 or more on their side) they achieve their goal, and get a point of Willpower from the rush. A regular success (1-4 more on their side) and they achieve their stated goal, dealing damage equal to their weapon modifier + successes, killing enemies if that was the goal. If they fail then the opponent deals them damage equal to the number of successes they achieved over the PCs, and they escape unless they want to press things. Dramatic failure is the same as a regular failure, except the PCs are Stunned as a result of how badly things went.

Just be careful who you start a fight with... it might go badly for you.

This mechanic does a lot of heavy lifting for you as a Storyteller. On the one hand, it allows player characters who are built for fights to still contribute to the story and the game, but you don't have to eat up half (or more) of a given session making sure they get their fights in. On the other hand, it puts control into your players' hands, so they can decide what they think an important fight is, versus one they're willing to let a single roll of the dice settle.

With that said, though, as a Storyteller you should consider a couple of things before allowing the Down and Dirty rules to resolve a given combat.

- Should This Be Do Or Die? - The Chronicles of Darkness is a vicious system when it comes to combat, and the more combatants and weapons involved only ups that ante. If you want to avoid a serious risk of PC death, then this is a good time for the D&D option.

- Are These Combatants Named? - Think of your chronicle as if it were a movie. Are the people your characters fighting Named Characters, like the current villain, their lieutenant, or important characters to the plot? Or are they Gangster #1, #2, and #3? Even if you gave them names, histories, and personalities in your notes, ask if they are Important. If not, D&D is probably an acceptable way to solve things.

These two questions make a great guide as to when these rules should be invoked. Because once you have the necessary results, you can narrate what happened, and dictate what the fight accomplished, or what resources it used (how many rounds did they fire, did they manage to keep things quiet, and so on) without interrupting the flow of the current arc too much.

And if things go REALLY terribly, you can always invoke the Chase rules... but I think I'll talk about those next time if folks are interested in hearing more about this setting?

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Crunch post! To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Stop Combat From Getting Samey: The Taco Bell Strategy

Most of us have been to Taco Bell at some point in our lives. Some of us have probably tried most of their menu by now. However much or little of the chain's food you've eaten, though, you've likely had the same thought while staring up at the menu, or browsing the app on your phone.

"What's the difference between all this stuff?"

As Jim Gaffigan pointed out years ago, you can boil most of the components of our favorite dishes down to tortilla with cheese, meat, and/or a vegetable of some kind... but if you've gotten different meals from different parts of the menu, it all tastes different when prepared in slightly different ways.

The same thing is true of combat in RPGs.

It's always the same... but you can easily make it different!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

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What Makes Combat Samey?

Combat, at its core, is pretty basic in a lot of RPGs. Participants roll initiative, and then everyone takes actions on their turn. Generally speaking melee specialists will close and swing, ranged specialists will shoot, spellcasters will cast a spell, and so on, and so forth.

And yeah, that can get pretty samey. However, all it takes is adding some ingredients and spices to take the same old experience, and to turn it into something that feels different when all is said and done.

Attack. Miss. Counterattack. Miss. Attack again. Hit. Still up? Yep.

And while I talked about this a bit several years back in 3 Ways to Spice Up Combat in RPGs, I wanted to do more than just give a few examples of how one could do this. Instead I wanted to offer up some categories that Game Masters can use to create situations that feel new and unique, but which are still using all the same ingredients their players are used to... just not in this particular order.

Ingredient #1: The Arena

If we had to pick an equivalent of the tortilla for this metaphor, it would be the arena. Where is this combat taking place? Well for most games the answer is typically in a well-lit room with clear sight lines where everyone can move around freely. Like an open field on a sunny afternoon, or in a sandy floor of a Coliseum-style arena.

We can change that up, though, can't we?

Is that functional? Absolutely. But it is pretty bland, and making any changes here tend to get immediately noticed by players... especially if they're not used to having flavor in this aspect of the game.

Some of the more common things you can do to alter the arena (and thus change up challenge when it comes to a fight) include:

- Lighting: It's hard to fight what you can't see (true for PCs and NPCs alike).

- Terrain: Hills, high ground, mud, and muck... all of these things change up a battle significantly.

- Cover: Whether it's ruined walls or forest trees, this is a highly underutilized element.

- Space: Ever tried to fight goblins while squeezed into a tiny space? It's a bad time all around.

- Weather: From mist and fog, to rain and wind, this is stuff we rarely include.

- Movement: Whether it's fighting on a wagon train or a pirate ship, this presents challenges.

These are just a few of the obvious categories that can really change up the challenges involved in a combat. This is true both for the PCs, but also for the enemies, depending on who has what abilities.

Ingredient #2: Monster Strategy

I almost labeled this section "monsters," but I think every game changes up the monsters players fight from time to time. However, what doesn't always get taken into account is the strategy these antagonists use, and how that can affect players when it's time to take action.

Not yet... wait for my signal...

For example, if players are dealing with monsters are they:

- Using Superior Numbers: Action economy is what decides the game often times.

- Using Stealth and/or Traps: Sneaky enemies, and those who lead you into traps, are deadly.

- Retreating: Living to fight another day is something intelligent foes often do.

- Calling in Reinforcements: Sound travels in fantasy worlds, too.

- False Diplomacy or Intimidation: Demoralizing or tricking foes can go a long way.

- Magic or Unique Abilities: Perhaps the most common, but putting unexpected spells or items into the hands of unexpected foes can go a long way.

An example I've given in the past is a squad of orcs who use wargs as attack dogs to pin down PCs. The orcs then fire their bows from a distance, working in tandem with their fierce partners. The wargs could even have a kind of alchemical collar on that, when they died, exploded to damage those in their vicinity.

Changing up how fights are presented, and the kinds of strategies enemies do or don't use, is important for making sure challenges always feel new and unique. And keep in mind what enemies have heard about the PCs, or think they know about them, to keep things organic. More on that in Character Reputation in RPGs: The Small Legend for those who want more discourse on the topic.

Ingredient #3: Victory Conditions

Most of the time when combat starts in an RPG the focus of the players is just killing everything... but sometimes that's not what you want. What's important is that you make it clear that's not what your players should want, either.

Blood is not always the goal.

Changing up the victory conditions is, if I had to assign it a place, the sauce on your combat. It's one of the most immediate flavors, as well as one of the strongest, and it often leaves the most lasting impression. For examples of this consider the following:

- Bring 'Em In Alive: Whether it's for the bounty, or because they have information, killing is out.

- Disrupt The Ritual: Doesn't matter if the cult is dead or alive if the summoning succeeds.

- Rescue The Hostages: Fighting is secondary, you're there for the people.

- Acquire The Treasure: Might be a heist, or a smash-and-grab, but you want the treasure.

This one can take a wide variety of forms, but in general it focuses on something other than the combat being a goal in and of itself. This, ironically, makes it more interesting because now there are different stakes. Do you get the hostages out of danger? Do you escape the dragon's lair before the mountain erupts? Do you accomplish the goal beyond just surviving a fight? This can go a long way toward changing up how combat feels in your game.

Ingredient #4: Combat Isn't Always a Foregone Conclusion

This may seem counterintuitive, but one of the things that can make combat stale in RPGs is when it feels like it's going to happen no matter what. Whether it's because you only break out the map and the minis before a fight, or because you need to get XP somehow, if your players can always predict when combat is going to happen it can start to seem like drudgery.

I challenge him to a battle of the bands!

There are so many Game Masters out there who lament that their players don't use stealth, guile, intimidation, or diplomacy to try to avoid combat, but often it's because in many of these games combat ends up happening no matter what the players try to do. Whether it's because the bandit lord is immune to even the most ironclad arguments of logic, because the dungeons are filled exclusively with mindless undead creatures and constructs, or because the cultists are completely zealous in their own ideology, there are lots of times where players fight not because it fits the story, or because it's what would be fun, but because it's what they're made to do.

And turning combat into a glorified Quick Time Event you need to pass to get back to the game... that's one of the worst things you can do to what should be the most tense, pulse-pounding aspect of many RPGs.

Further Reading

If you're looking for some additional challenges, complete with unusual victory conditions (or you just want to change things up at your table), consider checking these out!

- 100 Random Encounters For on The Road or in The Wilderness: Whether your party is heading overland through rough country, or going down the highway, this supplement should give you some interesting ideas. Additionally, it's available specifically for Pathfinder Classic and DND 5E if the generic option isn't to your taste.

- 100 Encounters in a Fey Forest: The fey are tricksy creatures, and they always have something up their sleeves when it comes to those who trespass in their domains. Also available for Pathfinder Classic and DND 5E!

Also, for folks who are curious about a new project, my audio drama Dead Man's Bluff is finally up on Daily Motion! This is the first in a planned list of longer, more involved audio projects, but it can only go forward if I get a lot of ears on it. So please, check it out, follow my channel over there, and share the video on your social media! I need to hit 1k views to get monetized, and while it might seem like a lot, every view helps.

CW for those sensitive to flashing images (due to the projector effect).

Stock footage provided by Vedeevo, downloaded from www.vedeevo.net

Thank you to Tabletop Audio for the following tracks:
- Lonesome West
- Antiquarian Study
- Nightmare
- Dark City" />

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Tips On Using Bluff and Diplomacy in Combat (For Pathfinder)

When it comes to combat, the first thing that goes out the window are you social skills. Because now's not the time for talking, it's the time for fighting! Because unless you're trying to feint your enemy to catch them off-guard, or scare them with intimidation, this isn't the area to wield your silver tongue in.

Or is it?

Parley? Sorry, we don't speak coward!

As you've probably guessed by the title, there are a few ways you can turn a high Diplomacy or Bluff check into a viable battlefield weapon. I've gathered some of the ones I think are more useful, and presented them here. This list is likely not a complete one, though, so if I missed something you think deserves to be included here, please put it in the comments along with a source link or book and page reference.

Also, if you're more of an Intimidate specialist, I'd recommend check out How To Weaponize Your Intimidate Check in Pathfinder as well as the character build post The Bullyboy.

Bluffing Your Way To Victory

The most common way for someone to use Bluff in combat (other than feinting to deny an opponent their Dexterity modifier to their armor class) is by taking the Taunt feat. This feat requires you to be Small-sized, but it lets you swap Bluff for Intimidate when demoralizing your foes. It's particularly great because size doesn't matter in this case, allowing you to smack-talk giants without penalty. Ideal for bards who can maintain their music while demoralizing the enemy, helping allies and hurting foes in a single turn.

If you're not on the small side, though, there's also the feat Empty Threats. This one requires you have at least 5 ranks of Bluff, but it allows you to do pretty much the same thing as Taunt. It also has specific language that lets you use Bluff in place of Intimidate for the Dazzling Display feat, and any feat that requires Dazzling Display as a prerequisite. If you use Bluff in that way, though, then you can't use it to feint until the beginning of your next turn.

Fair trade off, I'd say.

If you're a spellcaster, it's also possible for you to take Conceal Spell. This feat is rather exhaustive, and requires you to have Bluff or Disguise, in addition to Sleight of Hand if you want to hide the fact that you're casting a spell, or using a spell-like ability. That last one is important, because it opens this feat to classes like kineticists, or to aasimar who take feats to expand their spell-like abilities. It does lengthen the casting time, and there is a chance the enemy will notice what you did with a Perception or Sense Motive check, but if they fail then they can't take an attack of opportunity on you, readied actions won't go off, and unless the effect emanates directly from you, there's no way to link you to the spell. Overall, a pretty intensive feat in terms of resources, but it's the answer to the constant question of, "How do I cast this spell without anyone knowing it was me?"

And it doesn't require you to jack up the spell level with Silent Spell and Still Spell.

You could also take Spell Bluff, if you're just looking for a way to get a leg up over casters who try to counter you (or to get a bonus against other casters who try the fake you out with what spell they're slinging). Not as useful if there are no wizards' duels going on, but worth keeping in mind.

Diplomacy In Battle

Diplomacy, as a rule, is a skill that takes time to work. If you're gathering information with it, it will take hours. If you're trying to convince someone to see things you're way, you have to give them a mini TED talk explaining what you're right. So, as a combat ability, it has truly limited efficacy.

Even with the right feats.

With that said, Call Truce is probably the biggest whammy you can pull off using Diplomacy in combat. The way this feat works is that you make a Diplomacy check, treating it as if you were casting a full-round action spell. You can't be wielding a weapon, or anything that might be considered threatening when you do this. You also have to be in plain sight. If no one on your side attacks an enemy or does anything threatening, you make a single check with a DC equal to 30 + the highest Charisma modifier of the enemy group. If you succeed, combat ceases for one minute, or until someone on the opposing side is attacked or threatened.

This can still go sideways if you attempt to use Call Truce as a ruse. Enemies receive a Sense Motive check to determine if you're calling a truce in order to gain an advantage. Additionally, if your enemies are fanatics, if they're clearly winning, or if they have a temporary advantage that will expire once the truce is called (short-term enchantments, for example), then the DM can declare that your attempt out-and-out fails.

However, if you've been looking for a way to just get those last few, scared bandits to put down their bows and talk with you, this is an ideal way to make that happen.

Another option, for the bastards out there, is the Betrayer feat. This feat allows you to butter someone up before combat, and if you manage to move their attitude along the path toward friendly, then you can make a single attack as an immediate action. If you got the target to friendly or better with your check, they're considered flat-footed against your attack, and take a -2 penalty to their Initiative if they survive. An ideal feat for assassins, cutthroats, and those who prefer seduction as an appetizer.

Lastly, there's the feat Urban Tracker. While not strictly combat-oriented, it struck me as useful in its own, specific way. Essentially it allows you to make Diplomacy checks to track people across an urban environment, rather than Survival checks. This pretty much requires you to be playing an urban game, but if you are, this is something that can help you find even the most elusive quarry.

Step Outside The Box

Remember, combat has a lot of different angles and strategies you can explore. And if you're a largely skill-focused character who's been looking to put some of those skills to use outside of RP-based challenges, I hope this guide helped. As always, remember, some enemies are too dumb, too inured, or just too inhuman for skills to work. Which is why you should have something heavy you can hit them with if you can't talk them down... like that barbarian you keep under glass for occasions just like this one.

That's all for this month's Crunch installment. Hopefully there are some skill monkeys out there who are coming up with new concepts as we speak. If you'd like to see more of my work (and particularly more gaming articles) check out my Vocal archive, or head over to the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I help out with DM advice, player tips, and occasional comedy. If you want to stay on top of all my latest releases, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you want to help support my work, then head to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to drop some change in my tip jar, or Buy Me a Ko-Fi. Either way, I'll be happy to give you my eternal gratitude, and some sweet gaming swag!

6 Tournaments To Add Some Bloodsport To Your Campaign

There is nothing quite like a tournament. The pomp and circumstance juxtaposed with the speed, skill, and sometimes brutality, of combatants doing everything they can to be the victor. A tournament can often be the centerpiece of a campaign chapter, and winning one of them (or at least putting on a good show) is a phenomenal way for your party to get noticed. I recently completed a series of 6 tournaments for Kobold Press, and they're free for any player or DM to use.

If you like these, then you might want to check out the previous series I did for Kobold, 6 NPC Organizations to Spice Up Your Campaign.

Or if you're looking for some other pieces of lore to add to your campaign you should check out the supplements A Baker's Dozen of Rumours (And The Truth Behind Them) as well as A Baker's Dozen Pieces of Lore. Both pieces were authored by yours truly for Azukail Games, and they're full of urban legends, potential plot arcs, traditions, and local legends to spice up your setting.

6 Tournaments To Add Some Bloodsport To Your Campaign

#1: The King and Queen of Sharps

Where scoring "points" is a whole new game.

The King and Queen of Sharps tournament is a display of astonishing skill, and fast-paced swordsmanship. When your goal is not to kill your opponent, and where wounding them could lose your victory instead of clinching it, only those with a nearly supernatural skill will win the honor of being addressed as one of the Kings or Queens, and be given the right to carry one of the weapons awarded to the tournament winners.

#2: The Iron Fist

No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone.

When it comes to bare-knuckle brawling, no tournament is more brutal, or more revered, than the Iron Fist. A tournament by invitation only, participants have their lots drawn at random. They enter the arena with no weapons, and no clothing, fighting with strength, skill, and training to see who is the toughest. While some participants will only fight a handful of opponents, it isn't unheard of for one fighter to have to best a series of fresh, eager enemies with no more than a few minutes to catch their breath.

#3: The Arcane Masters

Never call it the battle of the bands... the bards take it personally.

Tournaments aren't only for the martially-inclined. Wizards, sorcerers, magi, and others all flock to the Arcane Masters as a way to prove their skill, knowledge, and power. However, the goal is not to do your opponent serious harm; the goal is to make them concede. This is where strategy comes into play, as many powerful spellcasters will try to keep their best spells and abilities a secret in order to throw off their opponents. Guile and strategy are often just as important as raw power when it comes to winning this tournament.

#4: The Labyrinth

It's around here somewhere... I think...

The Labyrinth is unusual among tournaments, in that it's not a test of battle skill... or not just that, at least. Every year the Labyrinth is different, and its location is set up so that only those in the know, or who are skilled at ferreting out information, will be able to find it. The challenges are kept completely secret, but participants need to overcome those challenges as quickly as possible. So, it's not a question of can they beat the Labyrinth... but how quickly can they do it?

#5: Blood on The Sand

A day at the beach, it isn't.

In the desert, water is life. Warring over water is expensive, though, which is why the tribal chieftains and nomadic caliphs came together, and created a way to determine who would control the oases. Blood on The Sand is often a battle to the death, but as the years have passed and the desert tribes have grown wealthy, the fighters have grown stranger. Mercenaries wielding bizarre weapons, mystics from faraway nations, and even inhuman creatures spawned from the desert's depths are all common sights in this tournament, but there's no telling who will win.

#6: The Devil's Dance

And your first opponent is...

Some tournaments are only available by invitation. Others are held in secret places, inaccessible to the common people. The Devil's Dance, though, is a tournament so secretive it's considered a legend by many fighters. Matches are held in a dark cavern before a masked and hooded audience, who never breaks their silence while fighters are pitted against fiends belched from the innards of some mad, despicable hell. Is the tournament real, or merely a figment in someone's imagination? And what prize would be worth fighting such inhuman creatures?

All right everyone, that's this week's Moon Pope Monday update. I hope you enjoyed, and found it useful. If you did, and you'd like to see more content just like this, then why not stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron? As little as $1 a month nets you some sweet swag, and it will help me keep creating content just like this. Lastly, if you haven't done so yet, why not follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter to keep up with my latest releases?

The First Giant Robot Battle in History is Set For 2016!

Would you be surprised if I told you that Japan had built a giant robot with twin BB miniguns, a fully-functional heads up display, and dozens of other goodies that can be piloted by a single person? Probably not. Would you be shocked if I mentioned that America also has a giant robot, made up of a two-person crew that can fire huge paint-filled cannon rounds? Eh, unlikely.

What if I told you the Kuratas and the Mark II were going to go head-to-head next year?

This is the appropriate response.

The Mark II, manufactured by Megabots, Inc. is everything you'd expect from America. A hulking goliath at over 6 tons, it stands roughly fifteen feet tall, and boasts a huge armory that can put a lot of paintball rounds in the air at over 100 miles an hour; a fitting chassis for any mechwarrior. The Kuratas, on the other hand, is the brainchild of Suidobashi Heavy Industry, and it is technically the world's first piloted giant robot. So in a classic bout of East meets West, a throw-down was inevitable.

Megabots tossed the gauntler, and Suidobashi has picked it up. The challenge and acceptance videos are right here, and I found them thanks to The Daily What.

There's a lot of patriotic smack being talked here. Japan's response upped the ante by demanding more than machine guns at ten paces though; the Kuratas's creator wants punches to be thrown.

Ain't living in the future fantastic?


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