Re: parrying or Multi Skills

["Steven E. Ames" <steve@virtual-voodoo.com>]

> Greg spewed...
> > 5d6 -vs- broadsword... made it. Thats 3d6 of multi and 2d6 of
> > parry. The
> > 2d6 of parry will add +4 CDV (GDV?) until my next round. Pretty
> > straight
> > forward. The parry skill is a weapon subskill which is purchased
> > seperately and cannot be bought higher than the weapon skill
> > itself. Voila.
>
> With it purchased seperately how do you specify your defencive dice?

Hrm... check this out (it gets a bit dicey (yeah, *groan*)):

1. JoeBob has a long sword skill of 13. He has a parry skill of 8. He
makes the decision that he wants two dice of parry and two dice of
multi-attack. He rolls 2d6 and gets 6 (which is less than his parry of 8
so he'll be able to parry next round... IFF the next 2d6 is 7 or lower
(because 6+7 is 13 which is his longsword skill)). He rolls the next 2d6
and gets an 8. Since 8+6 is 14 he blows it and gets neither multi-attack
nor parry. This is (IMO) completely and ludicrously complex.

2. The simple solution. Parrying is so much more complex than attacking
that if you choose to parry you roll your offense against the parry
skill _INSTEAD_ of your weapon skill. Let me explain. You can't buy your
parry above your weapon skill, so if you choose to parry you use the
lower value (ie parry). Example:

JoeBob (our hero from the previous example who blew his check because
the complexity of the action and the dice rolling made his head hurt)
once again attempts to multi-attack _AND_ parry. His weapon skill is 13
but his parry skill is only 8. Recognizing that he's not good at doing
two things at once JoeBob recognizes that this is going to be tricky
(since he has to roll against his parry skill (8) instead of his weapon
skill (13)) so he decides to go two dice multi-attack (he's a warrior
after all) and only one dice of parry. He rolls 3d6 and (T'or smiles on
him) he gets 8! So he gets two multi-attacks and gets to add +2 to his
CDV (and maybe GDV) until his next round.

> mean if I roll
> 5d6 and get a 13 obviously I made my skill but did I make my parry? If
> I have my parry
> only to 3 is my parry succesfull because my total roll was? Or do I
> have to pull 2 dice of
> my pool ( different colors ) to represent my parry? I don't mind that
> solution but if those 2 dice
> fail do the attacks gain the 2 dice? Does my multi get screwed? I
> wouldn't rule that way but I could see someone doing that.

Pulling two dice from your pool is scenario #1 above. Its a bit complex
IMO. I like scenario #2 a lot better. And (Kevin!) it forces warriors to
spend more eeps.

> Just to give a few rounds of simulation:

simulation about a game from LS? Sure...

>
> Warrior with long sword of 15 and his parry to 10 against another
> warrior ( his stats don't matter)
>
> Initiative lets the enemy go first. He swings and hits.
> Our hero rolls 5d6 to ( quickdraw (2d6) multi (2d6) and parry (1d6) )
> gets a 13.

Note: In Scenario #1 (above) this succeeds. In scenario #2 (above) it
fails. With a non costing subskill it succeeds. Scenarios are good. Do
we want this guy succeeding or failing?

> He pulls his sword hits twice ( the 3rd missed ) and is defensively
> postured to block 1 attack.
>
> Initiative: Hero wins
> Our hero bitches about the die of parry he wasted

Yep... its not all good times :)

>and rolls 5d6 again and gets 13 again. But the 2
>     dice he picked for the parry came to 11. So he makes his 6 attacks
> the first of which misses. Aren't I a dick to my hero :)

Lost me here... 6 attacks? Ah.. the assumption that because he screwed
his parry they just become multi instead? Nah... At best only three
would be multi and the other two wasted. If you were a real dick to your
hero he'd have bumbled the whole thing and not get defense or an attack
(or at best his one normal attack)... that's the way I'd rule it.

> [REMAINING EXAMPLE REMOVED].
> Now if the hero rolled 2d6 vs. parry and made it could he parry 2
> attacks@ +2DV?

Then we get into value instead of mechanics. My personal vote is that
each die give you +2 to your CDV and GDV (for all attacks) until your
next round (that might not be very realistic but its not bad, its easier
to track and it makes the skill valuable enough to spend the eeps on
it). The options as I see them:

1. Like I just said: +2 (per die) to CDV/GDV against all attacks until
your next round (or (duh!) you stop using your weapon defensively)
2. +2 CDV (per die) to the next attack
3. +2 CDV to the next X attacks (where X is the # of dice you rolled)

I'll state again that #1 is my favorite.

-Steve