How to duel

Player etiquette and other mechanical considerations
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Saibankan
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How to duel

Post by Saibankan » Sat Jul 24, 2021 4:15 pm

In this guide, we'll go over how dueling works in the 5e system.

Before we actually square up here are some important things to note:

1. Duels in 5e refer to more than just iaijutsu dueling to first blood or to the death. Duels can be any ritualized fight between individuals, be it iaijutsu, archery, or a good old fist fight.

2. Keeping that in mind, you have to set the terms of the duel to what kind of duel this is, what is allowed, and what is disallowed. If you want to do a traditional face-off with but a single stroke of the blade, you need to define that ahead of time.

3. Most importantly, dueling with live steel katanas is DANGEROUS. If you just want to have a friendly competition, use bokken. It is very easy to inflict permanent maiming damage or even kill your opponent with an actual katana in a duel, and there will be consequences for that if you're not sanctioned for a duel to the death.
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Re: How to duel

Post by Saibankan » Sat Jul 24, 2021 4:40 pm

What's my approach?

Something to keep in mind is which rings you'll be using in a duel. Beyond "Big ring means more dice' which is true, there are benefits to adopting each of the five stances. Keep in mind, however, that unless you're in Void stance, you're leaving yourself vulnerable to the Predict action if your opponent knows what stance you're going to be in each round. Of course, if you can suprise your opponent and defeat them in the first round first, well Victory can certainly go to the swift.

Benefits of different approaches:

Earth: While you're in Earth stance, your opponent can't spend opportunities to inflict critical hits or conditions on you. This makes it a lot harder for your opponent to win if you're doing a First Strike or First Blood duel. Keep in mind, however, you're not invincible. The Finishing Blow does not require the opponent to spend opportunities to inflict a critical strike, and if you're opponent Predicts that you're in Earth stance, you're going to both take 4 strife AND be forced into another ring. Still a solid choice for your first round if you're not trying to Center to prevent duelists taking you out quick in the first round.

Water: The nice thing about Water in a duel is you can use two actions in a single round, as long they both have different descriptor tags (Move, Attack, Scheme, Support) and one of them does not require rolling dice which many of the primary actions in a duel do not. Novice duelists in Water stance tend to use Calming breath as their bonus, but as you learn dueling kata, the possibilities open up.

Fire: Fire is more useful for duels where the goal is to down your opponent, not out draw them. If you succeed with a strike action in Fire, then all the strife you take on the dice translate into bonus successes which is more damage. Remember, if you become Compromised at any point in a duel, your opponent can interrupt your action with The Finishing Blow, so watch that strife.

Air: Air makes it slightly harder to hit you. It increases the TN to hit you by 1, by 2 once you hit IR 4. A good stance if your opponent's only keeping two dice, or if you're trying to force them to take the dice with the strife on it to push them towards being Compromised. But watch out for those duelists with hefty composure scores or in Void stance who can easily afford to pick up exploding dice.

Void: The benefits of being in Void stance in a duel are threefold. First, you do not take strife on dice that you keep, though you still take strife from other sources. Two, this is the only stance you may choose the Center action in. Three, this stance is not subject to the Predict action. A very respectable stance for the experienced duelist.

Remember, at the start of the duel you choose your approach, and may not shift it until your turn starting on the second round.
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Re: How to duel

Post by Saibankan » Sat Jul 24, 2021 5:05 pm

initiative!

Time to roll to see whose fast and who is wrong. At the start of each round you will roll imitative. For dueling that will be Ring/Meditation. Your iniative will be your Focus + how many successes you got on the Ring/Meditation roll (Assuming the TNs for your roll haven't been raised. It's +1 for passing the roll, and +1 for each bonus success.)

Then each duelist takes strife equal to the round number (1 for first round, 2 for second round and so on).

Then, each person who is not Compromised, may secretly bid strife, up to their Focus Value. They reveal their bids (which can be 0) take that much strife, and adjust their initiative up 1 per strife bid.
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Re: How to duel

Post by Saibankan » Sat Jul 24, 2021 5:16 pm

My turn! What do I do?

You get to do one action (or two if you're in Water approach). Here's the list:

Prepare an item (Support): You ready an item for use, such as getting your weapon ready. Popular round 1 choice if you don't have a dueling kata to let you draw as part of an attack. Also good for those in water stance who want to draw and strike in round 1 without a kata.

Strike (Attack): Ring/Martial Arts (Melee for armed duels, unarmed for unarmed, ranged for archery) TN 2 to hit your opponent. Remember, you need to spend two opportunities on a successful attack roll to inflict a critical strike (to win duels of first strike and first blood)

Center (Support): If you are in Void approach, roll a number of skill dice equal to your ranks in the skill. You can reserve any number of those dice. On the next time you use the skill (or do Center stance again) you may replace any number of rolled dice with the results of the dice you reserved.

Calming Breath (Support): If your strife is over half your composure, regain one strife, and if your fatigue is greater than half your endurance, regain 1 fatigue. Another popular choice for those in water ring who want to manage their strife.

Predict (Attack AND Scheme): Secretly pick Earth, Air, Water or Fire. The next time your opponent chooses their stance, if they select the one you predicted, they take 4 strife and must shift stance.

Unique Action (?): You....do something else. Maybe admire the hem of your opponent's kimono, compose your death poem because you really shouldn't have challenged the head of the Kakita family to a duel, or anything else you can imagine. It has the tag appropriate for the action and uses Ring/Skill.
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Re: How to duel

Post by Saibankan » Sat Jul 24, 2021 5:57 pm

The finishing blow!

If your opponent becomes Compromised (their strife exceeds their composure), you may interrupt their action, out of turn, with a Strike. If this strike hits, it will automatically be a critical strike at double severity, no opportunities needed to trigger.

A successful critical strike will end a duel to first strike (even if it's reduced to severity 2 or less), and a duel to first blood (if the severity is 5+).

When you are hit with a critical strike, you make a Ring/Fitness check at TN 1. Success and each bonus success reduces the severity by 1 per success.

Severity is determined by weapon deadliness.

Critical Strike severity and their effects:

0-2: Close Call- Armor (if worn) becomes damaged (reducing it's reduction by 2. Damaged armor becomes destroyed instead, negating all it's benefits)

3-4: Flesh Wound- You gain the Lightly Wounded Condition (Ring) Checks in that ring are at +1 TN until treated. If already Lightly Wounded in that ring, they become Severely Wounded in that ring. Checks in that ring are now at +3 TN. If they're already severely wounded in that ring, they remove that status, and take a critical strike at severity 8 Permanent Injury. If they were hit with a Razor-Edged Weapon, they also gain the Bleeding condition. This means they'll take fatigue damage equal to strife kept on dice until treated.

5-6: Debilitating Gash- They become Severely Wounded in that ring. Checks in that ring are now at +3 TN. If they're already severely wounded in that ring, they remove that status, and take a critical strike at severity 8: Permanent Injury. If they were hit with a Razor-Edged Weapon, they also gain the Bleeding condition. This means they'll take fatigue damage equal to strife kept on dice until treated.

7-8: Permanent Injury- Gain the Bleeding condition, meaning you'll take fatigue equal to strife kept on dice. Then gain a permanent disadvantage depending on the ring you were in: Air-Maimed Visage or Nerve Damage; Earth-Damaged Organ or Fractured Spine; Fire-Lost Fingers or Maimed Arm; Water-Lost Eye or Lost Foot; Void-Lost Memories.

9-11: Maiming Blow- Gain the Bleeding condition, meaning you'll take fatigue equal to strife kept on dice. Then gain a permanent disadvantage depending on the ring you were in: Air-Deafness or Muteness; Earth-Damaged Heart or Damaged Organ; Fire-Lost Arm or Lost Hand; Water-Blindness or Lost Leg; Void-Cognitive Laspes.

12-13: Agonized Death- Gain the Bleeding condition, meaning you'll take fatigue equal to strife kept on dice. They become Severely Wounded in that ring. Checks in that ring are now at +3 TN. If they're already severely wounded in that ring, they remove that status, and take a critical strike at severity 8: Permanent Injury. Gain the Dying (3 rounds) condition. Unless treated with a TN 4 Air/Medicine check, they will die in 3 rounds.

14-15 Swift Death- Gain the Bleeding condition, meaning you'll take fatigue equal to strife kept on dice. They become Severely Wounded in that ring. Checks in that ring are now at +3 TN. If they're already severely wounded in that ring, they remove that status, and take a critical strike at severity 9: Permanent Injury. Gain the Dying (1 round) condition. Unless treated with a TN 4 Air/Medicine check, they will die in 1 round.

16+ Instant Death: Dies immediately without even a last word.
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Re: How to duel

Post by Saibankan » Sat Jul 24, 2021 6:06 pm

Let's do it again!

Assuming the duel has not reach it's resolution, we return to the initiative step.



Scoring:

The duel ends at the end of a round when one or both characters achieve their objective (Any critical strike for First Strike, Severity 5+ critical strike for first blood, etc.)

If person achieved their objective and the other did not, it's almost assured that the one who achieved their objective is the winner. However, in cases where both duelists achieved their objective in the same round, adjudication may be required to determine the winner. Here is the scoring system:

Achieved the objective: 6 points
Struck the enemy first: 3 points
Inflicted fatigue upon the enemy: 1 point per point of fatigue inflicted
Inflicted critical strikes upon the enemy: Points equal to the severity of the highest severity critical strike after reduction
Killed the enemy (Shii duels only): 14 points
Unmasked: -2 points
Witnessed Cheating: Automatic disqualification
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