Combat

[Finch]

    As combat is a different kind of roleplay, and utilizes different rules, from normal roleplay on Remnants, actually declaring combat is crucial. In roleplay, combat, of course, begins whenever one character (including an animal or a stranger) attacks another. While explicitly declaring combat within roleplay is unneeded, it should be clear if an attack is taking place.
    Once an attack has been made, combat has been initiated. The main major change from normal roleplay to combat is the addition of a post footer, indicating crucial information to the other party(s) involved in the fight. The template for the post footer is as follows.

Character Name:
Type of Combat:
Current HP:
Damage Inflicted:
Defeat Threshold:

    This footer must be filled out and included with every combat post. This allows for a quick summation of the roleplay post in an objective format. Due to the addition of this footer, stating the amount of damage taken by a character is not necessary within the roleplay post, allowing for a more immersive roleplaying experience.

Types of Combat

    Not all fights are made the same. While a combat engagement can generally be described as an occasion in which multiple characters are attempting to injure the others, it is necessary to divide this into more specific categories to allow for more specialized mechanics. The type of combat that a fight falls under should be a discussion had by those involved outside of roleplay. While it can occasionally be ambiguous, these combat categories are intended to be as broad as possible, to minimize the possibility that an engagement will fall outside of them.
    The types of combat used in Remnants are as follows: Spars, Skirmishes, Disputes, Raids, and Defensives.

    Spars (sparring matches) are engagements intended to hone the combat skills of those involved. Sparring is a type of practice, and is generally only practiced by those who are friendly to each other. While sparring, combattants do not usually attempt to harm their opponents, and instead use light blows or fake weapons. The defeat threshold for a sparring match is 10% of a character’s total HP.

    Skirmishes are engagements in which combatants fight over resources or territory. Two scouting groups may engage in a skirmish over a stash of food, for example. Territory disputes are included under this category, though such disputes are uncommon, as the groups of Seattle do not tend to officially claim territory. While skirmishes can be fierce, combatants generally only aim to wound or scare off their opponents, meaning that serious injury or death is unlikely in a skirmish. The defeat threshold for a skirmish is 40% of a character’s total HP.
    Disputes are engagements in which combatants fight due to interpersonal issues. This category is broad, and can be used to describe most fights that occur between members of the same faction. Unlike skirmishes, disputes are often fought for honor, as a display of strength, or simply out of pure rage. The severity of a dispute can vary wildly. While one dispute may simply involve an argument getting out of hand, two characters fighting to the death for leadership would also be classified in this way. There is no defeat threshold for a dispute. While these battles are able to go to the death, this is highly unlikely, and most disputes will finish with a few blows and harsh words.
    Raids are engagements in which one group intentionally attacks another group in their home base (or in another area where the group is gathered.) In order to qualify as a raid, an engagement must include at least 50% of a group, and must have a distinguishable leader or leaders. There is no defeat threshold for a raid, though oftentimes the raiders only aim to chase their opponents from their home, rather than killing them outright.
    Raids include special mechanics, as they include large numbers of characters. In order to keep threads from growing overly long, however, all individual combats must finish after each character has made two posts (so, the combat is finished when the second character makes their second post.) The winner of each individual combat is the character who has lost less HP.
    Defensives are engagements in which a character or a group of characters must defend themselves from an environmental threat. In Remnants, this is, of course, usually an engagement between kids and strangers. This type of combat also includes battles against wild animals. There is no defeat threshold for defensives, though the attacking creatures will generally flee after taking a significant amount of damage.
    The type of combat taking place in a thread is placed in the post footer, providing a quick description of why the fight is taking place.

Defeat Thresholds

    Despite what is shown in many movies, most people, especially children and teenagers, do not have it in them to kill another human. As the saying goes, “Anyone is capable of murder,” but this does not mean that they won’t try to avoid such an outcome. In the same vein, most people are not capable of fighting till their deaths, especially when the situation does not call for it. Fleeing from combat is much more common than dying in it.
    In order to enforce realism in this sense, Remnants uses a system of defeat thresholds. A defeat threshold is the amount of damage a character can take before fleeing from combat. This threshold varies based on both the type of combat and the character fighting. Individual combat thresholds are based on percentages of a character’s total HP, as tougher characters can suffer more damage before being forced to flee.
    Some types of combat do not have defeat thresholds, though this does not mean that characters will necessarily fight to their deaths. It simply means that they will not be forced to flee after a certain amount of damage is taken. This may be because something significant is at stake (such as in a dispute) or because there is simply nowhere to flee (such as in a raid or a defensive.)
    Defeat thresholds are able to be overcome. If a player wishes to have their character stay in combat, they must make a roll using the following formula.

Initial Roll + Constitution (CON) vs Damage Taken Above Defeat Threshold

    If succeeded, the character can stay in combat, but must reroll for each subsequent post. In the event of a successful roll, combat may proceed as normal.
    Characters may flee combat at any point, and do not need to wait for the defeat threshold to be reached. Additionally, it may make sense for a character to be forced from combat upon having a severe injury incurred on them. This is up to the player.

A Combat Round

    Once a fight is initiated, combat can begin. The initial attacker makes the first move. In the instance where more than two characters fight, the initial attacker goes first, and combat order is decided by highest Speed (SPD) ability score, in descending order.
An attack is resolved in the same way as any other roll in Remnants. Recall that the formula for rolls is as follows. The same formula is used to attempt a hit.

Initial Roll + Relevant Ability Score + Relevant Skill Modifier = Final Result

    In the case of combat, the relevant ability score can be Strength (STR) or Agility (AGY). Strength (STR) is used for all melee attacks, while Agility (AGY) is used for all ranged attacks.
Unlike in normal rolls, the use of a skill is necessary. While characters can fight without being skilled in their weapon of choice, they will be hindered greatly. If the character does not have a skill relevant to their weapon (or lack of one), they suffer a -3 to all combat rolls made with said weapon.
    Once a roll is made, a relevant ability modifier is applied, and a skill modifier is added if applicable, or the -3 is subtracted if not, the final result of the roll may be determined. If the result is 10 or greater, the attack hits.
    At this point, damage can be calculated. As in most roleplaying games, a character’s health and ability to stay in a fight is represented by Health Points (HP.) HP will be expanded upon in another thread. When a character is damaged, they lose a certain number of HP.
    Damage is determined by the attacker’s Strength or Agility (depending on whether the attack is melee or ranged) and the body part where the opponent was hit. Damage areas are as follows, along with their associated damage values.

Purple	15
Yellow	10
Green	5

Thus, the formula for determining damage is.

Attacker’s STR or AGY + Area Damage Value = Final Damage Result

    This damage value is then subtracted from the opponent’s HP. Players are not required to state the damage from an attack in their writing. This value should, rather, be communicated in the post footer.

Resolving Combat

    Unlike initiating combat, there is no one way for a combat engagement to be resolved (finished). In many cases, combatants may simply end combat due to exhaustion. Fleeing is also common. These are all valid ways to end combat. Most of the time, combat is short, and ends when one or all combatants simply wish to end the fight.
    Characters can also be forced out of combat. They may reach their defeat threshold, be too injured to continue, be rendered unconscious, or even perish. While somewhat less common, these are also valid ways to end combat.
    The end of a combat engagement should be worked out by players outside of roleplay. Once a combat engagement has finished, players no longer need to include the combat post footers, and may continue roleplaying as normal. However, injuries persist outside of combat, injuries that may be life-threatening.