GoK's Warrior Guide

This guide is for all those warriors who don't know how to do it. GoK discovered that there are many obscure and sometimes ridiculous rules, so this page outlines a dummy PC's guide to playing a warrior. This is an attempt to outline all the rules that change during combat depending on what the PC does and what the circumstances are.

Rules Offence

1

You can move 1 hex and hit them with one weapon. In this case the numbers for damage and Strike chance that you worked out and put on your character sheet are probably correct.

1a

If you have 22-25 AG you can move 2 hex and hit them with one weapon. If you have 26+ AG you can move 3 hexes and hit them with 1 weapon.

2

You can hit them with one weapon using two hands. In this case if the weapon is rated for 1 or 2 hands you should add +1 to DMG (unless you are using a Katana).

3

You can move half TMR and hit with one weapon. This is called a charge. Remove 15% from the Strike chance (unless you are using a weapon rated for charge attacks like a glaive). You cannot hit with a second weapon nor can you multi hex strike if you move.

4

You can hit up to 3 opponents with a weapon. This is called a multi hex strike. However you can only do this if you are using a 'B class' two handed weapon at rank 4 or above and do not move. You must remove 20% from your strike chance when you make a multi hex strike.

5

You can use two weapons and hit once with each. You cannot move and do this, however, as with multi hex strike. If you strike with two weapons you must remove 10% from the strike chance of the first and 30% strike chance from the second - UNLESS you are ambidextrious in which case you should remove 10% from the strike chance of each weapon.

6

You can make an unarmed attack while striking once with a weapon. This could be a trip attack or a kick or a strike with a free hand. You must have ranked Unarmed to Rk3 or above to do this if both hands are full. You cannot make a third strike but you can use a shield or maingauche in your off hand for defence while making an unarmed attack. If you do so, the rules for using two weapons apply. You cannot make a multi hex strike or strike with two weapons and make an unarmed attack as well.

7

Attacking from behind, add +30 to your strike chance.

8

Attacking from a flank hex, add +10 to your strike chance. Only very big things have flanks.

9

Attacking with no fatigue, remove -10 from your strike chance.

10

Flying and attacking someone on the ground, remove -15 from your strike chance.

11

Flying and attacking another flyer, remove -10 from your strike chance.

12

Attacking someone in a darkened room of various degrees, remove various amounts of strike chance (or just get witchsight which is simpler).

13

Attacking someone who is invisible, remove -50 from your strike chance. (having rk16 invisible which does not go away when you attack is good in this regard)

Rules Defense

1

Your defense consists of your Agility plus a variety of modifiers.

2

If you have an Amulet of Luck, your base defense is your Agility plus 2. This always applies (unless you are stunned where you lose the agility part of the calculation).

3

If you have a shield you can multiply your rank in shield+1 by the shield rating and add this to your defense if you have it prepared. It will give you defense against melee and missile attacks coming from your front hexes.

3a

Remember to modify your MD for the purposes of working out whether you can wield your weapons and shield at the same time. (Actually you get -5% strike chance per point of MD deficit however you would be better just not to try to wield such a big shield, or rank a different weapon)

3b

Remember that your modified MD adds to your strike chance so if you wield a shield decrease your strike chance accordingly.

4

If you have a maingauche (or Katana if you know Nitokenjutsu) it works like a shield except that it will not protect you against missile attacks and the calculation is just 2 x weapon rk (and it has no MD modifier).

5

Shields do not work in close and officially Maingauches don't either, (this is GM dependent because they are rated for close). (Remember that you cannot both defend and attack with the same maingauche). You can't defend twice with 2 main gauches, but 2 maingauches may be an interesting and flexible weapon option.

6

If you have a defense spell on, add this to your base defense in every situation. (Remember that, if your defense spell is shadow form divide it by 2 in close).

7

Warrior defense bonus. Add two plus two times your rank in warrior in melee or close.

7a

Warrior defense bonuses only apply to melee and close combat and not to ranged combat.

8

Defense from behind, add your agility, +2 for your luck amulet and spell defense together. (Remember they get +30 to strike chance so you are probably toast either way).

9

Defense from in close, add your agility, +2 for your luck amulet, defence spell and maingauche (if you have one and the GM allows this) together and remove or add the strength differential.

10

Defense while flying, add +20.

11

Defense against ranged attacks, add +20 when behind hard cover.

12

Defense when stunned, add +2 for your amulet of luck and your defense spell together.

13

Defense with no fatigue, remove -10 from your defense (or the opponent adds +10 to their strike chance but do not do both).

14

Defense while evading. Add 10+(4 x weapon rank) to your melee Defense or a flat +20 to missile defence.

Funky Things a Warrior should know

1

Don't bother with heavy steel armour. Having a TMR too far below 10 is no good. Most combats tend to occur in open spaces; rooms that are 10 or more hexes across or outside. Having a warrior that moves TMR 3 or 5 means that half TMR is 2 or 3 hexes and by the time you reach the combat their mages have demolished the party. Rather with a TMR of 10 you can outflank their front line and attack the mages directly then attack their front line from behind. Conversally engage the front line in the first pulse with a half TMR and strike creating the most possible room for your team.

Much better to have 5pt leather armour, with high agility + high TMR and therefore good defense + maneuverability. If they hit you, the extra protection 10pt plate provides doesn't stack up and if they miss more often then you are much better off in the long run. Weigh this against the occasional stun result that occurs because of the lower armour and then choose the leather.

Later, when you are tuff, you can go off and kill a dragon; then, after you have scraped off its skin, you will have decent armour anyway.

2

Don't bother drinking potions. When you are surrounded and about to get skewered don't pause to spend an action drinking a potion so that you avoid death. If you spend your action drinking then get hit again you will be in the same position as you were previously with 1 less potion and possibly stunned to boot. Always assume that, if you hit them again they are sure to go down, drink the potion over their dead body. If there are 3 of them, make a multi hex strike and kill em all - the don't drink argument makes the most sense in this situation.

Most importantly, do it with confidence as if you had not yet recieved a blow. (if you have 26+ AG the best action is to drink a potion with your free pass actions and evade - but this just proves how bad heavy armour is).

3

Always turn down special items or boons which will enable you to blink out when stunned. Your job is to protect the rest of the party (particularly the mages) from direct attack. If you get stunned and blink out the enemy will gleefully attack the second row. You want them afraid of you (see rule 2 above) and taking actions striking your still warm corpse.

4

You want to hit em first and you want to hit em really really hard. Here's the thing about agility again. You want more IV than them, you want to get up to them first and hit em hard enough to stun them. If you cannot wield a really big weapon you are not a warrior, take up knitting. Once they are stunned they spend their action recovering so you don't dent your 5pt leather.

5

You want more endurance than a giant. You want to avoid stunning; get a rk 20 strength of stone on endurance +20 = almost 7pts more to stun. The light armour rule gets a cast is a different light here - but its endurance damage that you should fear anyway and standard armour doesn't help. If you have 25 END rk 20 SoS and 5pt leather then thats 21pts of fatigue damage to stun you.

6

You want to hit em really really hard. Much better to do D+20 than 2 strikes doing D+10 each. After you remove their armour from your damage; bigger damage per hit is considerably better than more lighter hits. If they have 10pts of armour then D+10 means that on avarage 5pts per strike get through - thats 10pts per pulse. If you are doing D+20 then 15pts per pulse get in. If you are doing D+40 then 35pts per pulse get in which is equivalent to 7 hits doing D+10. Alternatively do D+40 with one hand and 7 attacks doing D+10 with the other hand.

7

Buddy up (thank Mebh for this one). If you are in a fight and your esteemed collegue and the party's second front line warrior charges into certain death with very poor odds YOU MUST CHARGE TOO. I cannot stress this enough. For one thing, 2 of you are at least 5 times tougher than 1. Secondly, if you all end up dead your collegue will develop 'danger assessment' skills very quickly for the future (assuming a rescue party comes). Third, when you succeed (which being full of bravado you should always expect) you will build party morale and cohesion; and most importantly when you gently point out to your esteemed collegue later that charging was a tad risky - because you backed her up she will think you a good person and listen.

This applies more generally too. If there is a possible combat situation and someone in the party charges (or prepares to cast) you should back this action up by charging. Otherwise thy should not call thyself a warrior but rather a coward.

On a Warriors Attitude

1

If the military scientist declares that you need to charge into certain death - DO IT. Do not wibble or argue whether it is the best possible action, even when you have been in many more combats than the mil sci - JUST DO IT. Discuss the merits after you have been resurrected.

This action will build party confidence and cohesion. People will know you are to be trusted and later when you speak they will listen.

2

If you can see a better action than the one suggested by the mil sci - do it. This has the following proviso; you need to be taking clear action and this action's outcome needs to be better for the party than the command you ignored (preferably worse for you personally). Clear action is not wibbling.

This action will build party flexibility & autonomy, which will in turn build confidence and cohesion (so long as the mil sci can cope).

Thats All
GoK