MST-2: Melee Fighting
Overview
In a hand-to-hand fight, there are several attributes that matter:
* Skill (+0 or higher)
* Reach (close, mid, or far)
* Power (1d6 or higher)
* Evasion and Protection (determined by armor)
* Wounds (starts at 0)
* Hit Dice (1d6 or higher)
An Attacker rolls d20 and adds their skill. If this total exceeds
the evasion of their target, the attack hits. Then the attacker
rolls their power dice. For each die that exceeds the target's
protection rating, the target takes one wound.
When a character is wounded, roll their hit dice to check for shock.
If the total exceeds their wounds, they are able to keep fighting;
otherwise they succumb to their wounds.
Skill
A character's skill represents a combination of technique,
quickness, strength, and experience. The skill for an
unexceptional civilian would be +0 and for the most
fearsome combatants it might be as high as +10.
Weapons
This table provides stats for some common types of medieval
weapons:
Weapon type Hands Reach Power
------------ ----- ----- -------
Unarmed 1 close 1d6
Dagger 1 close 1d6
Club 1 mid 1d8
Mace 1 mid 1d10
Battle Axe 1/2 mid 1d8/2d8
Sword 1/2 mid 2d6/3d6
Spear 1 far 2d8
Quarterstaff 2 far 1d8
Polearm 2 far 2d10
The hands column shows whether the weapon is wielded with one
or two hands. In the case of axes and swords, the weapon may
be used with one or two hands, which changes its power.
Power determines how many dice to roll for damage. Each die
has the potential to cause a wound, so a sword hit with power
of 3d6 can cause at most 3 wounds per hit. Extra power dice
may be given to particularly large or powerful combatants.
Reach and counter-attacks
The reach determines the weapon's optimal range. If an attacker
with shorter reach attacks a defender with longer reach,
the defender gets a free counter-attack. If the counter-attack
hits then the original attack is prevented, even if the
counter-attack deals no damage. Otherwise the attacker has
successfully closed the distance and may attack with their
shorter reach weapon.
Similarly, if an attacker with longer reach attacks a defender
with shorter reach who has already closed the distance,
the defender gets a free counter-attack. If this counter-attack
hits then the original attack is prevented. Otherwise the
attacker has successfully disengaged and may attack with their
longer reach weapon.
Armor
This table provides stats for some common types of medieval
armor:
Armor type Evasion Protection
---------- ------- ----------
None 15 0
Leather 13 1
Chain mail 11 2
Brigandine 9 3
Plate mail 7 4
Shield -1 +1
The evasion score represents how hard the character is to hit.
Particularly nimble characters may receive a bonus to evasion,
especially if they are unarmored or wearing light armor.
An attack needs to exceed the evasion score to succeed.
The protection score provides a chance to prevent wounds.
When rolling damage, each die that exceeds
the protection score causes a wound. An unarmored target will
always be wounded by a successful attack, whereas a target
wearing plate armor has a good chance of escaping harm.
Hit dice
Hit dice represent the ability to withstand pain and injury.
To determine a creature's hit dice consult the following tables:
Role or Species Die type
----------------------------- --------
Child, Kobold, Halfing d4
Civilian, Wizard, Goblin d6
Adventurer, Orc, Giant Spider d8
Fighter, Gnoll, Yeti d10
Barbarian, Ogre, Zombie d12
Owlbear, Dragon, Manticore d20
Tenacity rating Die count
--------------- ---------
Standard 1
Veteran 2
Elite 3
Heroic 4
Legendary 5
Larger die types should be used for creatures that are larger
or more difficult to kill. Most creatures should have standard
tenacity. Players may be able to increase the number of hit
dice they have over time, and some character may receive a
bonus to hit dice (+1 or +2) if they are especially tough.
Wounds
Wounds represent cumulative injury from the battle. Each wound
has a chance to disable a combatant, and players are encouraged
to describe each wound received. However there is no other
mechanical penalty for wounds besides increasing the chance
that the character is incapacitated due to a failed shock check.
When a character succumbs to their wounds, they may be dead,
unconscious, or just unable to continue the fight. Groups that
want a high lethality game may decide that every failed shock
check results in death. Groups that want a more forgiving game
may decide that most failed shock checks do not result in
immediate death, creating opportunities to save victims through
first aid or healing magic.
An optional system to resolve this works as follows:
* After a failed shock check roll a second shock check.
* If the second check succeeds, the character is incapacitated
but still alive.
* If the second check fails but exceeds the first, the character
is dying but not yet dead.
* Otherwise, the character dies instantly.
Healing
In low fantasy settings, wounds should take significant time
to heal. Every day of rest, a player may roll their hit dice.
If the result is less than their wounds, they heal one wound.
Medical attention may increase the rate of healing somewhat.
In high fantasy settings, wounds should heal quickly. Every
day of rest, a player may roll their hit dice and heal that
many wounds. With medical attention or healing magic, even
faster healing may be possible.
Disengaging and retreating
If a character wishes to disengage from an opponent and flee,
the opponent gets a free counter-attack. After that, the
character may move to reposition themselves or to escape.
If a character is out of reach of an opponent's weapon, that
opponent does not get a counter-attack
Other actions in melee
Characters engaged with an opponent in melee combat cannot
take non-combat actions without opening themselves up to a free
counter-attack. Examples of non-combat actions include
spell-casting, drinking a potion, taking an item out of a pack,
and so on. To take non-combat actions safely, a character must
first disengage from their opponent.
Ranged attacks
Ranged attackers roll d20 + skill (the same roll as melee).
Even die rolls that exceed the evasion of their intended
target hit; damage is rolled normally. On an odd roll, every
combatant that is near the intended target has a chance
to be hit. Determine the actual target randomly, then check
against that target's evasion to see if the attack hit.
If a target has no one else nearby this check can be skipped.
Missile weapons have a power stat as melee weapons do.
Missile type Power
------------ -----
Dagger/Dart 1d4
Axe/Spear 1d6
Sling bullet 2d6
Arrow (Short Bow) 2d8
Arrow (Long Bow) 2d10
Crossbow Bolt 2d12
These rules assume the attacker is in range of the target,
but not already engaged in melee. Attempting a ranged attack
while in melee grants any engaged foes a counter-attack;
successful counter-attacks will prevent the ranged attack.
Other types of damage and wounds
Characters may also take damage or wounds from sources than
melee attacks:
* Falling: 1 wound per 10 feet
* Poisoned: 1 to 3 wounds depending on toxicity
* Burned: 1d12 damage
* On fire: 1d12 damage per round
Sources which can be mitigated by armor or additional layers
should roll dice to determine damage, but sources which
ignore armor should deal wounds directly.
Sometimes additional factors can add to weapon power:
* Helpless opponent (+2d20)
* Sneak attack (+2d12)
* Critical hit or powerful blow (+1d12)
* Magical or holy weapon (+1d10)
* Battle frezny (+1d8)
* Superior weapon quality (+1d6)
(If several factors apply only the largest should be used.)
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MST-2: Melee Fighting
© 2021 by Eiríkr Åsheim
licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Questions or comments? Email mst@poly.hedron.club.
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