Combat, Damage & Recovery

[Fieranor of Imladris]

HOW COMBAT WORKS
This combat primer is meant to help you understand how combat works in The One Ring, both in the normal tabletop and on Roll 20, a virtual tabletop (or VTT). These are the normal rules of The One Ring RPG, but I've included additions for use in Roll 20, particularly with movement, all based on 3+ decades of gaming experience and our first combat, onward in the VTT. If you have any questions, please make certain you ask them in this thread; I have attempted to make these as concise as possible, and have split them up into separate posts to make things easier to find.
 

1. Onset of Combat. This post; how to prosecute combat in our game of The One Ring. Some of this has been covered in other areas, but it all works together.
2. Close Quarters Combat. Onset of Combat is the round of action previous to the actually round-play of Close Quarters.
3. Fatigue, Damage & Wounds. How characters in combat are affected.
4. Recovering from Conditions and Damage. Are you weary or miserable, near death due to having taken a wound and nearly all of your Endurance lost during the most recent combat; these are the rules for healing.

Click here to review the post concerning using the vertical GUI (Graphical User Interface) bar in Roll 20 before proceeding.
 
Onset of Combat
There are two phases to combat, with the first lasting mere moments, the setting of characters and enemies, initial volleys, etc., which is known as Onset. Close Quarters is the actual first round of play in a combat, and takes place immediately after Onset.

Here are the step-by-step rules for Onset...
 

Step	Description
1	Resolve Surprise Attacks
2	Determine Onset Initiative
3	Resolve Opening Volley(s)
End of Onset	Move to Close Quarters

 

1. Resolve Surprise Attacks
   You can be surprised... SURPRISE!!!
    

   Situation	Surprise Test	Failure	Notes
   The company is ambushed	Heroes roll Awareness, Battle, or Hunting	Surprised! No Combat Advantages or opening volleys	Warn another companion per
   Ambushing enemies	Heroes roll Stealth, Battle, or Hunting	All companions must pass, or the ambush fails	Assist another companion per

    
   If being ambushed, you can roll Awareness, Battle, or Hunting at a high difficulty to overcome being surprised, to be able to react immediately and roll for Combat Advantages.
   
   Setting an ambush is something that requires at least one roll of Battle, Hunting, and/or Stealth by those committing to ambush, and depends on the disposition -alertness, size, where traveling, etc.- of the group to be ambushed.
    
2. Determine Onset Initiative
   Onset Initiative is not determined like other games, it's based off the present situation...
   

   Situation	Initiative
   Company defending against an advancing enemy	Good guys
   The enemy is defending from a good position	Bad guys
   Company is ambushed, but one-half or more passed surprise	Good guys
   Company is ambushed, but more than one-half failed surprise	Bad guys
   Company ambushes the enemy, and one-half or more passed surprise	Good guys
   Company ambushes the enemy, and more than one-half failed surprise	Bad guys
   Any unclear situation requires an opposed Battle Roll	Winner

    
3. Resolve Opening Volley(s)
   Both sides get to make ranged attacks before Close Quarters begins, but only if you have a ranged weapon to use and if you were not surprised. Typically, only one volley is allowed by each side, though if the forces are far enough away from one-another, the LoreMaster may allow for a second volley. (NOTE: Also, certain Traits, Virtues, and Rewards allow for an extra volley.)
    
4. End of Onset. Move to Close Quarters.

 
If you have further questions for me about all of this, please feel free to post them, here!

[Fieranor of Imladris]

CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT

1. Determine Initiative
   Onset initiative does not carry forward to Close-quarters; instead, the lowest number of APs among all combatants goes first, where APs also equal Initiative. If a tie condition exists between two or more characters, consult each character's Wits score (Level for bad guys). If a tie still exists, and it is between a Player-hero and a Non-player character, the Player-hero goes first. Play proceeds in ascending order of Initiative/Wits/PH vs. opposition until each character has had an opportunity to act or has been incapacitated or killed. If anyone still has Action Points (APs) available in the round, then a second round of actions/attacks is declared in ascending Initiative order. The continues until all Action Points have been expended or set in reserve, and then the round ends. If a new round of play or combat action is necessary, all Action Points are renewed for each Player and any points set in reserve for an action declared toward the closing of the previous round is resolved as the first action for a Player-hero on the Player's normal turn according to ascending Initiative.
    
2. Calculating Action Points
   In the Rules as Written for The One Ring each character, whether a Player-hero or opposition, acts one time per round. This rule precludes the idea one character may have better training or physical prowess than another; I compensate for this by determining a number of Action Points for each Character -the Player does not have to do this- which may be spent, like money, to perform one or more actions during the round. A set of tables exist to help you choose what Attack(s)/Action(s) you might take; you may only perform one action at a time, allowing each individual with actions remaining to act in a big round. In other words, if ten characters are involved, working from lowest to highest Initiative or lowest to highest Wits, if Initiative is tied, each good and bad character gets to make ONE Attack or Action. Then, if anyone has Action Points remaining, they act in Initiative/Wits order again, and so on until all APs have been expended for the round. These points renew at the beginning of each combat round, and some points may be allowed to carry from one round into the next.
   
   How I Calculate Your Action Points ~ The following is copied from other posts, for the sake of making sure everyone understands what's going on!
   
   A lot of factors go into determining how well your PH can act from round to round, including: if they're gifted athletically, has had combat training, has sustained injury, and/or is carrying too many items or even a heavy and/or awkward weapon, armor, and shield. This means the number calculated can be fluid from round-to-round.
   
   The following formula allows you to know how many points you will have not only for movement, but for all actions you might choose from in the game, in any given combat round...
   1. Your PHs basic APs will be (2x Valor + Athletics + Battle skills), but then we subtract from the chart, below, because of Encumbrance...
       
   2. Those using Stealth during combat will replace Valor with Wisdom and use Stealth rather than Battle with it. If you want to be stealthy, you cannot carry a crap-ton of equipment with you.
    

   BODY	ENCUMBRANCE 5 - 11	12 - 18	19 - 25	26 - 32	33 - 40
   2 - 4	-3	-5	-7	-10	-12
   5 - 7	-1	-3	-4	-5	-6
   8 - 10	-0	-2	-2	-3	-4
   11 - 12	-0	-1	-2	-2	-3

    
   Minimum APs of 4.
   
   At the beginning of a combat, you are considered to be dropping excess non-combat weight; however, if you're in a running fight, the total of all gear carried is seen on the chart and provides the penalty to APs, instead.
   
   i.e. - Your character has a Valor score of 2, Athletics of 3 and Battle of 3. (2x Valor + Athletics + Battle skills) gets you 4 + 3 + 3, or a total 10 Action Points. Next, we have to figure out your AP modifier based on your character's Body score cross-referencing the total Encumbrance value of the War Gear you're carrying; let's say you have a Body of 5 and are carrying 19 Encumbrance of War Gear. This gives a penalty of -4 which, when subtracted from the 10 leaves 6 APs for you to use with your character each round.
   
   No one may ever go below four (4) Action Points, unless your character is ridiculously loaded down and is unable to drop it quickly enough to participate in the first round, or more of combat and APs renew at the beginning of each round.
   
   When you determine what your Player-hero is doing, whether you plan the entire round out or wait for each round of actions to be completed, you should write up your action(s) as something of a story on this forum and make any roll(s) you are asked to roll by the table or feel are appropriate to the situation. Remember, rolls can be done free-hand, through a dice app, or on Roll20 and recorded here in the forum. Once each player has posted for their character, I take all of the descriptions and rolls, and resolve each action in order, and I may write a short story and mechanical narrative, including actions of the opponents, for completion of the round. Please work together to determine who needs to act before or after another character, otherwise I will take your actions in the order you post them.
    
3. Actions and Attacks
   Once you've chosen to take an action, not an attack, and you spend the Action Point(s) to perform it, you simply resolve what is called for in the advantage and disadvantage columns for that action. Remember, you may only perform one action per round of actions and/or attacks.
   
   However, for attacks, your To-Hit rolls are calculated more or less as they are in the Rules as Written, though some modification has had to be made due to the fact we use the map system from Roll 20. Thus, when you select the type of attack your Player-hero is going to use and tell me, I determine the Stance for that attack, whether Forward (base TN of 6), Open (base TN of 9), Defensive or Rearward* (base TN of 12). Then, your opponents Parry rating, including any bonus(es) from an ability or a shield, is added to that base and you roll the dice to-hit. If the average of your dice, based on the moderate value for the Feat (6) and each Success die (4), total to five or more points above the TN, you can declare a basic hit; however, if you still decide to roll to-hit, it is possible both to miss your target or, alternately, hit them with higher degrees of success.
   
   Damage is determined based on the success of your die roll; obviously, if you do not hit your target, no damage will be determined. Use the following chart to determine the damage, aka Endurance Loss, to the target...
    

   Attack Roll	Endurance Loss Inflicted
   Success	Weapon damage rating.
   	Weapon damage rating + Attacker damage rating.
   	Weapon damage rating + Double attacker damage rating.

   
   (NOTE ~ HOUSE: If a is rolled, and the total to-hit roll is 6+ points beyond the target's defense, not only does that count as a Piercing Blow, but also acts as if it is another , adding the attacker's damage rating to the Endurance Loss granted the target.)
   
   A Piercing Blow suffered by a target CAN possibly be resisted, thus saving against taking a Wound. The Player for the target of the hit must make a Protection Test, which is the Feat Die plus a number of Success Dice equal to the character's Armor value, including Helmet bonus, vs. the Injury rating of the weapon they were hit with.
   
   i.e. ~ A target has been hit with a Piercing Blow delivered by a Long Sword being used by the attacker two-handed. The Injury rating of a Long Sword being used two-handed is 18. If the target has Armor which grants them 1 Success die of Protection, they are allowed to roll the Feat Die (d12) and one Success Die (d6), which will make it extremely difficult to keep them from taking a Wound. In instances such as these, a servant of the Shadow rolling a and a saves against any Injury rating. Likewise, if one of the Free People's of Middle-earth rolls a , they automatically save against any Injury rating.

 
Fatigue
Fatigue due to special situations, such as failing a Fatigue roll while traveling, and Endurance Loss due to any sort of damage taken, are recorded separately and mean different things, though if the total of the Fatigue and Damage taken force your Current available Endurance below your Fatigue Threshold, your character becomes Weary, meaning you will subtract 3 from each Success Die you roll. A natural 6, aka a Tengwar Rune , still counts as a higher degree of success, but is not totaled as a 6, but rather a 3.

Exhaustion
If your Current Endurance, as reduced by Fatigue and Damage, falls equal to or below your character's Fatigue Threshold, they become Weary. Your character reaches Exhaustion, falling unconscious, once their Current Endurance is reduced to zero (0).

Wound(s)
If your character takes a Wound, there is no immediate effect, though once they take a second Wound they fall immediately unconscious. If a Wounded character, whose Endurance has also been reduced to zero, receives another Wound, they die immediately.

Death from Endurance Loss
There is no rule for how far a wounded character may have their Endurance reduced below zero before they die. My house rule, therefore, is they may take a maximum of twelve (12) Endurance below zero before the character dies.

[Fieranor of Imladris]

FATIGUE, ENDURANCE & CONDITION RECOVERY
Life and death, Endurance and Hope. Player-heroes, rather than Player-character's, have scores in both Endurance and Hope, Endurance for your hit points, more or less, and Hope for your mental stability.

For Endurance, if whether through combat, your journey, or circumstances of the game, your Character suffers damage to Endurance or a loss of Endurance due to Fatique, and that damage reduces your current Endurance below your Fatigue Threshold, your character is considered to be Weary. Endurance loss and Fatigue do not translate into a Miserable condition, which is tied to Hope.

If your Endurance is reduced to zero, you fall unconscious. If you take a Wound, you simply mark that you're Wounded; however, a Wounded character with zero Endurance remaining is unconscious, and is considered to be dying and help has to be received within a short period of time, or the character will perish. A wounded character who takes a second wound, but whose Endurance remains above zero, does not mark that wound, but falls unconscious. However, if you take both a second Wound and your Endurance is reduced to zero, you die; this may be done as a result of a killing blow (aka coup-de-grace) from an opponent. Again, I have appended the rule that if you take 12 points of Endurance loss below zero your character also expires. This may be adjusted in the future, and the number was chosen because the maximum attribute value available in the game is 12.

For Hope, if your journey has been long and/or arduous, or you have faced too many dark halls or encounters, if the total amount of both Temporary and Permanent Shadow taken reduces your current Hope below that total, you are considered to be Miserable. If you are Miserable, and you roll a on the Feat Die, you temporarily succumb to a bout or episode of madness. Once your Hope falls to zero, you can no longer bear to continue a struggle of any sort, and will flee from any source of danger or stress, by escaping the field of battle, for example.

Once your Hope score is above your Shadow score, again, you recover your ability to bear troubles. Your Fellowship may allow you to spend points from the Fellowship pool in order to maintain your Hope score above your Shadow.

Recovery after combat uses a couple of simple rules:
 

ACTION	TRIGGER	EFFECT	NOTES
Recovery After Combat	Rest for ~30 mins after combat	Hero recovers End. = Basic Heart score	Wounded heroes cannot recover after combat
Treating Wounds	Healing roll vs. TN 10+	Succ. roll, mark your sheet to indicate the treated wound	A failed Heal roll cannot be repeated for the next full day

 
For my game, I will mark Wounded, Miserable, and Weary conditions with and a treated Wound with

Fatigue and Endurance are recovered through resting, typically in a safe place off the road and away from opposition, depending on current environmental and treatment conditions:
 

Condition	Effects of Rest (such as a night's sleep, typically eight hours)
Untreated Wound	Recover 1 Endurance, 0 "on the road"
Treated Wound	Recover 2 Endurance, 1 "on the road"
Uninjured Hero	Recover 2 Endurance + basic Heart, no Heart "on the road"
Wound, Max Endurance	Once Endurance returns to max, Hero is no longer Wounded
Weary Hero	If Endurance < Fatigue, Hero is Weary
Weary, Low Fatigue	If Endurance > Fatigue, Hero is no longer Weary
Miserable Hero	If Hope < Shadow, Hero is Miserable
Miserable +	Hero suffers bout of madness.
Miserable, High Hope	If Hope > Shadow, Hero is no longer Miserable
Reduce Fatigue	If Encumbrance was reduced before resting, update Fatigue rating, check against total Endurance loss
Journey Fatigue Recovery	Recover 1 Fatigue, 0 "on the road".

 
Note that recovering Endurance is a daily thing based on whether your character is Wounded or not, not whether they're in a reasonably safe place, while Fatigue recovery requires a reasonably safe place, away from any place potentially dangerous. This normally does not come until the end of a journey phase, but does not necessarily require a populated area, simply a place that can be made safe against the dangers of the road.