Lightsaber Duels

[damiller]

Here is my simple system (want to work out the kinks first, then move on to more substance) I've tried to make it as simple as possible, and yet convey some of the excitement and drama of lightsaber battles (which I can't seem to do otherwise).

Lightsaber Dueling Techniques

Summary of Dueling Rules

*Roll Initiative
*Every round each combatant chooses a technique that they attempt to perform that round
*Each combatant rolls a d20, adds the appropriate skill to the roll, and compares the total to the Lightsaber Technique DC.
*Melee combat proceeds according to initiative with appropriate bonuses or penalties from techniques performed being figured into dice rolling as necessary

Lightsaber Technique DC Result
Rapid Strike 20 oppenents defense reduced by 2
Strong Strike 15 +1d8 damage*
Block 10 +6 defense, no attacks
Critical Strike 20 Automatic Double Damage*
Severing Slash 30 Limb of Choice severed*
* These results apply ONLY if attack roll exceeds defense. If the attacker’s roll would not hit the defender, then the results of the technique DO NOT apply.

Skill used on Roll: Melee Attack Bonus, Knowledge (Lightsaber Techniques), or Sleight of Hand

Successful Lightsaber Technique Roll
Apply Result as appropriate, see Lightsaber Technique Table

Failed LIghtsaber Technique Roll
Attacker incures a -4 penalty to either the Attack Roll OR defense. Attacker chooses which one.

Try it out, and write here how it went!!!

d

 

[Nebulous]

I've had problems running d20 lightsaber battles as they never turn out as cinematic and extended as they do in the movies. In general, i think there are some important elements to keep in mind.

First off, wound and vitality and hitpoints (whatever you use) should represent a gradually weakening character regardless of whether a lightsaber hits you or not. Anakin and Obi-wan must fight for 10 minutes straight (at least) without striking each other for a deadly blow.

I ran a test fight with Darth Maul and a 10 level Jedi one time and Maul was killed in the 2nd round, so d20 has a couple problems in cinematically extending these fights.

As for cutting off limbs, i had a solution i liked:

If a blow will kill a character, give them a choice: permanently maimed and crippled...or dead. Which do you want? A lot will probably choose dead, although maimed and crippled was Luke and Vader's choice.

 

[Khorod]

A lot of the duel is flavortext. An attack does not map 1-1 to something that strikes your opponent. And attack roll might represent a quick volley of three slashes, the sum total of which have a damage threat equal to one good effort at a hit.

Flashing around the Lightsaber as they do is just a part of the give and take and distraction of combat, or an actual Feint for an extreme case. The trick with these battles is to make a point of describing everything in the full, saber-illuminated, larger-than-life glory.

One thing to consider is that since Lightsabers are so deadly if you actually get hit, that everyone should almost always be Expertising/Fighting Defensively. That should reduce the number of hits, and thus prolong the battle.

You might even say that since Jedi and Sith have a kind of inbred aspect in their fighting style, that in the case of a duel they gain further defense bonuses for familiarity with the saber-style.

 

[DnDChick]

And let's also not forget the Fighting Defensively combat maneuver. Anyone can do it, and in a situaion like a lightsaber duel where one good hit could be deadly, Fighting Defensively is a great idea. Sure, it only adds +2 to your Defense, but that can be the difference between a hit and a miss. If both combatants are fighting defensively, they each have a +2 to Defense and a -4 to hit. That makes for a lot of flashy combat that can be narrated by the GM as parries, dodges, sidesteps, backflips, and so on. Since most players fighting in that manner will opt to take all their attacks, they only get the 2-meter step ... which is again narratable as the shuffling back and forth that opponents in a duel often make.

 

[C. Baize]

The Duel lasted for right around 20 minutes on screen. Nice long lightsaber battle. There has to be a way to do that in game... but it would be difficult.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Part of the reason the duel lasted so long is that it covered a serious amount of ground. They weren't just standing and fighting the whole time. Moving, keeping balace, etc etc.

I've got no problem with the current rules. Its all in the flavor, really. I do have to say that while your rules are interesting...I feel like they'd be too complicated and would slow down the game far too much.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I ran a nice duel in a game today. Not LIGHTSABER, but I took quite a few pointers (as a GM) from my time GMing and working with Jedi.

The situation was a dual-weilding pistoleer/knife-fighter versus a lower-level, lower AC, lower HP, but HIGHER STRENGTH fighter two-hand weilding a longsword.

The pistoleer had a dagger in one hand, a gun in the other, and Armed and Dangerous (letting him fire without provoking, and threaten). Had it been a stand-up slash fest the pistoleer would have won hands-down because of his superior AC (class defense bonuses), superior HP, and superior damage (gun).

But fighting defensively helped the swordsman keep his fewer HP (ordinarily he'd need a 19-20 to hit anyway)... used Disarm attacks on the small/light weapons (provoke against a 1d4 attack? sure), trip attacked with his higher Str, letting him get an advantage on regular attacks, letting him drop the defensive fighting and get some damage in. Eventually he beat the PC into a crawling retreat (luckily there was a door 5' away to crawl/roll through and slam).

What could have been a quick standing beat-down turned into a nail-biting battle 100 feet in the air on a runaway airship full of flamable naptha. Eventually the PC decided to try parley ... He had 25hp left, the baddy only had 5hp left (but that's why we GMs have GM screens). I was quite impressed that a few quick tactics like that would scare a PC into, y'know, trying not to kill everything and take their stuff. Heck, he even agreed to help the guy defect to their nation and destroy the prototype ship to cover their tracks (instead of taking it home for loot).

I'll have to do some stuff like that with my Dark Marrauder I'm setting up as a recurring villian in the SWRPG game.

--fje

 

[Nebulous]

Yeah, using full defensive and expertise and other feats, and some evocative GM description can really extend the length of a fight, particularly, if the combatants are on the move constantly.

 

[Masada]

I thought of this after seeing the movie. I liked the idea of combat in motion and in my experience once the PC's square-off they rarely move.


DRIVEN BEFORE ME
Prereq: Combat Expertise, Attack bonus +8
Benefit: Through artful melee combat you can reposition your opponent by up to 15’ as a full attack action. You and your opponent make opposed attack rolls. If you win you can reposition both you and your opponent by up to 15’. You and your opponent must remain in melee contact after repositioning. You and/or your opponent can not be moved through spaces occupied by other creatures—friend or foe. If the opponent is driven into an obstacle (such as a wall or furniture), they incur a -2 penalty to defense until the end of your next turn. If the opponent is driven in to a hazard (such as a cliff or a lava pit) the opponent can choose to endure the hazard—resolving it with no defense penalty or stop short and take a -2 penalty to defense until the end of your next turn. You must have a melee weapon capable of damaging your opponent. You can not drive an opponent more than one size category larger than you. Opponents driven on to uneven or precarious terrain may be required to make Balance checks.

 

[Nebulous]

Hmm. Could the same thing be achieved thru an effective bull rush? Good name for a feat though. Sounds like one of the Combat Styles in Conan rpg.