The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG

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The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG Page 34

by Cody Pondsmith


  114

  somethin’ worse. In small dos-

  Talgar’s Tears

  20

  1/2 Hour

  118

  es it ain’t so bad, but I’ve seen

  those green flames swalow

  Zerrikanian Fire

  17

  15 Minutes

  97

  towns whole.–Rodolf Kazmer

  148

  149

  Combat in

  Don’t Be

  The Witcher

  Discouraged

  You may be frustrated get-

  ting to this point if you’re not

  playing a witcher. Don’t be.

  Witchers are bonafide killing

  “The witcher’s right hand rose, as fast as lightning, above his

  machines but they are far

  from the only deadly peo-

  right shoulder while his left jerked the belt across his chest, making

  ple out there. We see many

  the sword hilt jump into his palm. The blade, leaping from the scab-

  others including the dwarf,

  bard with a hiss, traced a short, luminous semi-circle and froze, the

  Yarpen Zigren and lordly

  knight, Eyek of Denesle who

  point aiming at the charging beast. At the sight of the sword, the mon-

  have taken on and not only

  ster stopped short, spraying gravel in all directions. The witcher didn’t

  survived but come out vic-

  even flinch.”

  torious against some of the

  most dangerous monsters

  -Andrzej Sapkowski, The Last Wish

  out there. That’s without

  even taking into account the

  sociopathic mercenary Leo

  Bonhart, who is rumored to

  have killed three witchers in

  single combat.

  Combat in the Witcher is deadly, bloody, erwise ruin your day. The fact of the mat-and punishing. When blades start swing- ter is, you need focus to fight and it’s hard ing and arrows start flying it’s best for you to focus on more than one person at once.

  to keep an eye out and plan your moves There are ways to help in that situation: put carefully. You can go running into battle, all your opponents in front of you, wield a hacking and slashing hither and thither shield, keep your opponents at a distance.

  but that likely won’t help you too much in All of these approaches help but none of

  a real solid fight against anything tougher them eliminate the core problem. Keep this than a mugger in the local tavern. Always in mind when you face bandits and lesser

  keep in mind that damage can be pun- monsters like nekkers. One of these enemies

  ishing and death is never too far away. A is easy to kil . But how will you fare against tactical warrior will always make it farther four—when, every time you swing at one, than a savage madman.

  three more attack you from behind?

  Don’t Fight Groups

  Use Your Advantages

  Even the most skilled warrior in the world You should also always exploit every advan-

  is in trouble if they have to fight more than tage and vary up your fighting where possi-

  one opponent at a time. While you engage ble. Are you in a swamp with a boggy pond

  one person, more enemies attack you from nearby? Throw your enemy into it and attack

  behind, dog-pile you to the ground, or oth- while they try to swim out. Can you back

  150

  your opponent up against a wall or corner

  Fighting Monsters

  them so they can’t escape? Do it. Fast attacks Fighting Monsters

  not landing enough damage to get through Keep in mind when you’re going up against

  Without Silver

  armor? Try a strong attack, or pin them so a monsters that fighting a monster is very dif-

  Most people who encounter

  buddy can stab in between the plates of their ferent from fighting a man. Monster have

  monsters are forced to fight

  armor. Keep your opponents on their toes.

  special abilities and defenses that can make

  them without a silver weap-

  fighting them hellish. To start with, mon-

  on to help them. They are

  Critical Wounds

  sters are resistant to conventional weapons,

  also usualy forced to fight

  There are wounds and then there are criti- taking much less damage from a non-silver said monsters with no mag-cal wounds. Both will kill you but a critical weapon than a regular person would. If you ical or alchemical aid. Com-wound is a hundred times worse. Regular run into a battle, say with a griffin, and are

  mon folk fighting mon-

  wounds represent cuts, bruises, scratches unaware of its damage resistance and stun-

  sters tend to poison them

  and such—smaller problems that can all ning shriek, you will probably have some

  with bait or to get a whole

  add up to your death. Obviously the more very fatal issues. Of course on the other

  bunch of people together

  damage you take from the wound the more hand, if you enter a battle with a fiend aware

  with spears and sharpened

  impressive it is.

  loud noises can stun them, you might come

  branches and pin the mon-

  Critical wounds, on the other hand, away with victory despite the amazingly un-

  ster down so the bravest

  represent structural damage to your body— fair odds. The key to fighting monsters is

  and strongest young lad can

  wounds that not only drag you closer to knowledge. If utilized properly, solid knowl-

  behead it with an axe. This

  death’s door but also break down your body’s edge can turn a monster from unbeatable, to

  works on smaller monsters

  ability to fight and function. These can be survivable.

  but proves difficult on things

  literal structural damage, such as broken

  like griffins and grave hags.

  or cracked bones, but they can also be less Fighting with Magic

  obvious things like brain damage and inter- Mages are the artillery of the world of The

  nal organs rupturing. All of these wounds Witcher. They wield power greater than any are grievous and many of them cause major other person on the planet, but they have

  haemorrhaging or some other form of on- limits and often require people around them

  going damage as well as negatives to stats or to help them operate best, or to defend them

  abilities.

  from attack. The worst situation for a mage

  While you can keep fighting for is to be in melee range of an opponent or,

  quite a while with a few minor wounds, a God forbid, multiple opponents. Keep this

  critical wound puts a finite timer on your in mind whether you are a mage who will be

  life. Until healed you are hampered in com- in combat often or you’re facing off against

  bat and getting closer and closer to death. mages.

  These types of wounds are too complicated

  Many mages don’t wear heavy ar-

  to just put a bandage on or suture yourself mor because it interferes with spell cast-

  up. You can stop the bleeding or close the ing, and thus many weapons can pierce a

  wound, but you’re going to need full-on in- mage at close range. This combined with a

  vasive surgery and for that you’re going to lack of weapon training leads most mages

  need a doctor. If you can stagger to a doctor, to stay at range by use of teleportation, or you’ll make it but it’ll be a while before you have allies act as a barrier between them

  heal. Luckily these critical wounds are based and the enem
y. However, if a mage stays at

  on how skilled you are compared to your range and manages Stamina well they can

  opponent, and on how lucky you both are.

  bring tremendous effects to the battlefield.

  Just remember, staves and amulets are your

  friends, and spel s can be fickle.

  151

  Combat

  Actions

  The Basics

  Attack

  Rounds

  Actions

  You can make an attack (see Combat Resolution).

  Initiate Verbal Combat

  Before you begin playing the In one round, you have enough

  You can begin Verbal Combat with an opponent (see

  Witcher TRPG you’ll have to time to move a distance equal to

  Verbal Combat).

  know the ins and outs of rounds. your SPD in meters and perform

  Cast Magic

  A round is a time block of about 3 one action. Speaking is never con-

  Depending on the casting time, you can cast or begin

  seconds. Rounds signify the order sidered an action except during

  casting any form of magic (see Magic Resolution).

  in which things happen in game. Verbal Combat.

  Use a Skill to do Something

  Rounds primarily are used during

  You can use a skill (see Skill Resolution).

  combat but GMs also use them to Line of Sight, Vision

  Run

  keep track of screen time, AKA Cone, & Facing

  You can move up to your (SPD x 3) by taking your

  how long people get to be the To perform most attacks against a

  whole turn to run.

  center of attention in the game. In target, you must have line of sight

  Pick Up/Draw an Item or Weapon

  and out of combat, during a round to the target and be within range.

  You can pick up or draw a weapon or item.

  every person in the scene has a Line of sight means having noth-

  Actively Dodge

  chance to act. These actions are all ing between you and your target

  By taking your turn to actively dodge, you impose a -2

  taken simultaneously within the that obscures your view of the

  penalty on anyone trying to strike you in melee range

  space of 3 seconds.

  target. If there is nothing between

  for that round.

  you and your target, you have

  Aim

  Initiative

  clear line of sight. If there is some-

  By taking a full turn to aim, you can raise your ranged

  Initiative measures how quickly thing solid between you and your

  attack by +1. You can aim for up to 3 turns in a row,

  giving you a +3 to your attack.

  the participants, usual y in a com- target, you don’t. See Using Cover

  bat, react to the situation around for cases when solid objects partly

  Take a Recovery Action

  them. Before going into rounds, obscure your target.

  By taking your turn to catch your breath, you can gain

  back an amount of STA equal to your REC stat. Out

  you put the players and NPCs

  Your vision cone deter-

  of combat recovery actions can be used to recover HP.

  (Non-Player Characters) in order mines what you can see around

  from the highest initiative to the you. Anything outside of your

  lowest. This is the order in which vision cone is invisible to you.

  the GM asks for your action that When targeting something out-

  Extra At acks & Defense

  round. When the person with the side of your vision cone you take

  You can spend 1 point of STA to make one extra at ack

  lowest initiative has gone, go back a -3 to the attack and cannot aim.

  against a target at a -3. Similarly, if you are forced to take

  to the person with the highest in- An enemy outside of your vision

  more than one defensive action during a round (repo-

  itiative.

  cone gains a +3 to their attack

  sitioning, blocking, etc.), each action costs 1 STA. How-

  To get your initiative, roll against you.

  ever, if you chose to use your action to actively dodge,

  1d10 and add it to your REF stat.

  Normal y your vision

  you do not suffer STA drain for defending.

  If players roll a tie, remember the cone includes everything in front

  number they rolled. Have them of you from one shoulder to the

  roll again. The players go at their other. When wearing a helmet

  original initiative, but in order by with restricted vision your view is

  their second rol . Though there are limited to a cone directly in front

  some ways to temporarily change of you, and a witcher’s Awareness

  your initiative (see Fast Draws), bonus and Scent Tracking are dis-

  you usual y keep the same initia- abled.

  tive for the entire combat or scene.

  152

  Attack Modifiers

  Common Cover

  Vision Cones

  Normal

  Restricted

  Modifiers

  Cover

  SP

  (Add to Attack Roll)

  Mod

  Target immobile

  +4

  Stone wal

  30

  Target dodging

  -2

  Large tree

  30

  Moving target REF >10

  -3

  Brick wal

  25

  Fast draw

  -3

  Wooden wal

  5

  Ambush

  +5

  Heavy wooden door

  15

  Ricochet

  -5

  Steel door

  20

  Human Damage Location

  Blinded by light or dust

  -3

  Cart

  10

  Target silhouetted

  +2

  Tent

  5

  Location

  Roll

  Penalty

  DMG

  Firing while running

  -3

  Thatch roof

  7

  Head

  1

  -6

  x3

  Aiming (per round)

  +1

  Wooden barrel

  10

  Torso

  2-4

  -1

  x1

  Brambles

  7

  R. Arm

  5

  -3

  x1/2

  L. Arm

  6

  -3

  x1/2

  Ranges & Target DC

  R. Leg

  7-8

  -2

  x1/2

  Ranges

  Target

  L. Leg

  9-10

  -2

  x1/2

  DC

  Mod

  Point Blank

  The weapon

  Monster Damage Location

  is very close

  or physical y

  10

  +5

  Location

  Roll

  Penalty

  DMG

  touching the

  target.

  Head

  1

  -6

  x3

  Close

  Torso

  2-4

  -1

  x1

  ¼ the listed

  range of the

  15

  +0

  R. Limb

  5-7

  -3

  x1/2

  weapon

  L.
Limb

  8-9

  -3

  x1/2

  Medium

  ½ the listed

  Special

  10

  -2

  x1/2

  range of the

  20

  -2

  weapon

  Long

  Light Levels

  The listed

  range of the

  25

  -4

  Light Level

  Effect

  weapon

  Extreme

  Bright Light

  2x the listed

  (Desert sun or

  -3 to Awareness and -3 to

  Ramming Size Modifiers

  range of the

  30

  -6

  sun reflecting off

  Attack and Defense if facing

  weapon

  snow)

  the sun.

  Size

  Mod

  Daylight

  Small

  (Daylight)

  No penalties

  (Cat or nekker)

  +2

  Critical Levels

  Dim Light

  Beat Defense Critical

  Bonus

  (Moonlight)

  -2 to Awareness

  Medium

  (Man-sized)

  +0

  By...

  Level

  DMG

  Darkness

  7

  Simple

  3

  (New moon

  -4 to Awareness and -2 to

  Large

  night or a deep

  Attack and Defense

  (Troll or horse)

  -2

  10

  Complex

  5

  cavern)

  Huge

  (Fiend)

  -4

  13

  Difficult

  8

  15

  Deadly

  10

  153

  Final y, your facing is just what di- Fast Strikes Versus Strong

  rection you’re facing and thus what direc- Strikes

  Holding Action

  tion your vision cone is facing. Changing When making an attack you can make ei-

  You can choose to act later in

  facing as part of your movement is consid- ther a fast strike or a strong strike. A fast the round by holding your

  ered a free action.

  strike allows you to attack twice in one

  action. If you choose to hold

  round without penalty. These attacks don’t

  Ambushes

  your action, the initiative or-

  have to be made against the same target as

  der continues as normal but

  You gain bonuses against enemies by sneak- long as both targets are within range. Fast

  you can jump in and act be-

  ing up on them. You must be the one to in- strikes can be very useful when you are sur-

  fore or after someone further

 

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