Combat

Combat #

In Aspiring Legends, combat revolves around two dice rolls which are rolling the Action Dice then the Damage Dice. The Action Dice roll is just like any other time the character uses a skill which is used to determine if the skill was used successfully. The Damage Dice are only rolled if the attack lands and will always be some number of d6 dice based on the challenge target of the Action Dice.

Action Roll #

The action roll is the first step in staging an attack. Players declare their intentions and roll their Action Dice (Ability Score + Skill) against a target that is based on the complexity and desired effects of the attack. Since the more complex an attack is changes the target of the Action Roll, this means that basic attacks that only do a little damage are easy to pull off while the hard hitting ones come with a lot more risk.

One thing to note is that the target for the Action Dice does not change with the danger of the creature being faced. When fighting different enemies, the things that will vary are the number of luck or unlucky dice, the scale of the consequences, and if any other checks are required before the attack can even take place. Here are some examples:

  • Attacking a goblin that is much lower than yourself: +2 Lucky Dice
  • Attacking a enemy with similar skills to yourself: 0 Lucky/Unlucky Dice
  • Attacking a fire elemental with a fire spell: +2 Unlucky Dice (Water spell might give you Lucky ones instead)
  • Attacked an extremly dangerous dragon when you are level 1: No chance of success means no Action Dice for you
  • Attacked a extremely dangerous dragon with appropriate weapons, armor, spells, and preperation: +1 Unlucky Dice (If the GM is feeling nice that day anyway)

As you can tell, this system provides a very high level of flexibility for the GM to adjust the difficulty based the challenge of the encounter. It is also important to remember that every action has risk and failing at punching a goblin the face will have a very different outcome than when you fail punching a dragon.

Damage Roll #

Once the Action Dice roll is resolved and the desired effects are determined, we move on to the damage roll. The damage roll involves rolling a number of damage dice that you picked when setting your intention.

Success and Effects #

To determine the success of an attack, count the number of successes rolled in the action roll. The target number of successes needed for a successful attack is set by the Game Master (GM) based on the difficulty or complexity of the action. If the number of successes meets or exceeds the target, the attack is successful, and the effects determined during the action roll are applied.

The GM may also designate certain dice in the damage roll as lucky or unlucky, reflecting the effectiveness of the attack and adding an element of unpredictability.

With the introduction of the action roll and damage roll, combat in Aspiring Legends becomes a dynamic and strategic experience, where the roll of the action dice and the resulting successes determine the success and effects of an attack.

Please note that the mechanics and terminology mentioned in this text are subject to change as the game evolves and is playtested. The information provided here serves as an introduction to the combat system in Aspiring Legends.