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The swipe of claws against fur. The terrifying rip as powerful fangs tear through flesh. A brilliant streak of light as the sun reflects off an unsheathed claw. The sharp scent of blood in the air, mingling with the stench of enemy warriors. Roars of fury, yowls of triumph, cries of pain. Battles can be chaotic, deadly, and thrilling.
This section provides the rules you need for your characters to engage in combat, whether it is a brief skirmish or an extended conflict in the forest or on the open valley.
Table Of Contents
Table Of Contents
The Order of Combat
The Order of Combat
A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides, a flurry of swipes, pounces, and bites. Rolling turns the chaos of combat into a cycle of rounds and turns. During a round, each participant in a battle takes a turn. The order of turns is determined at the beginning of a combat encounter, when everyone rolls initiative. Once everyone has taken a turn, the fight continues to the next round if neither side has defeated the other.
Like the other mechanics such as hunting and foraging in the server, fighting uses D&D mechanics. In simple terms, you roll for each round of fighting.
Combat TLDR:
1. Determine surprise. If a character is surprised, they lose their first round.
2. Establish positions. Everyone involved in the combat encounter rolls initiative, determining the order of combatants’ turns.
3. Take turns. Each participant in the battle takes a turn in initiative order.
4. Begin the next round. When everyone involved in the combat has had a turn, the round ends. Repeat step 4 until the fighting stops.
Surprise
Surprise
A shadowy patrol of cats stealthily approaches a rival clan's territory, emerging from the undergrowth to launch a surprise attack. In another part of the forest, during a heated argument, one cat is suddenly ambushed by their own clanmate, and is caught off guard by the unexpected attack. In these scenarios, one side gains the element of surprise over the other.
Concealed characters' stealth (Dexterity-based) is contested by opponents' perception (rooted in Wisdom). Meanwhile, unexpected attacks instead prompt both parties to roll for Dexterity; the attacker's roll measures the speed of their strike, while the defender's roll reflects their reaction time. Keep in mind that players can have their character attack yours without permission.
Being taken by surprise means you can't make a move or take any actions during your first turn in the skirmish, and you are unable to react until that turn concludes. It's possible for one member of a group to be caught off guard, even if the others remain alert
Initiative
Initiative
Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat begins, every participant makes a Dexterity check to determine their place in the order. Combatants are ranked in order from the one with the highest dexterity check total to the one with the lowest. This order remains the same from round to round.
If a tie occurs, the character with the higher Dexterity score goes first. Alternatively, the characters can each roll a d20 to determine the order instead, with the highest roll going first.
If a character joins a fight after it has started, they roll initiative, and their roll will be placed against the already established rolls. If joining a fight post first round, you must wait for a round to finish before you can join in.
Your Turn
Your Turn
On your turn, you have one actions and one movement.
What is an action?
Attacking
Tripping/pushing
Grappling
Hiding
Disengaging (this takes up both action and movement)
What is a movement?
Moving to attack someone else
Getting up from being prone
Jumping
Disengaging (this takes up both action and movement)
Your Turn: Attacking
The most common action to take in combat is the Attack action, whether you are swinging your paws, clawing an ear, or headbutting. With this action, you make one attack. See the “Making an Attack” section below for the rules that govern attacks.
Making an Attack
Whether you’re striking, clawing or biting, an attack has a simple structure.
01. Choose a target. Pick a target within your attack’s range.
02. Roll to attack. When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add your Dexterity modifier (example, !r d20+1 ). If the total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target’s Armor Class (AC), the attack hits. The AC of a character is determined at character creation.
Sometimes fate blesses or curses a combatant, causing the novice to hit and the veteran to miss.
If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC. This is called a critical hit.
If the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC.
03. Roll damage. Every rank has a base damage dice (can be found here). In order to determine how much damage you do, you roll your base dice then add your strength modifier to the rolled number.
Do not roll the total of the base and modifier added together! For example, using a character with the base roll d10 and a strength modifier of +2, you would use the command !r d10+2. You would not do !r d12!
If there’s ever any question whether something you’re doing counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you'd need a damage roll on success, you’re making an attack.
Critical Hits
Generally in D&D you would roll the dice twice and add the amount together if you land a critical hit. However, this makes it possible to deal less damage than you might with just one roll, so in Odyssey, we do something called MAX PLUS!
MAX PLUS! is the max roll you can do plus another roll, so if you roll a d15 for your damage dice, you would do d15 + 15. This makes it so a critical hit is always satisfying!
Your Turn: Tripping, or Pushing and Getting Up
In the heat of combat, characters have the strategic option to trip or push their opponents. These maneuvers can significantly impact the flow of battle by altering an opponent's position or stance. However, it's important to note that choosing to trip or push an opponent takes the place of a regular attack during a character's turn. This means that if a character decides to attempt a trip or push, they cannot also make a standard attack in the same round. The decision to use one of these maneuvers instead of attacking directly adds a layer of tactical depth to combat, requiring players to carefully weigh their options based on the situation at hand.
Tripping an Opponent
Characters can attempt to trip their opponent as a strategic combat maneuver. To execute a trip, the attacking character must engage in a Dexterity vs. Dexterity roll against their target. This represents the attacker's attempt to outmaneuver the opponent's agility and balance. If the attacker's roll is higher, the opponent is successfully tripped and becomes prone. If the defender's roll is equal to or higher than the attacker's, they manage to maintain their stance, and the trip attempt fails.
Pushing an Opponent Down
In addition to tripping, characters can also attempt to physically push their opponents down. This is a Strength vs. Strength roll, reflecting a direct contest of physical power. The character initiating the push rolls against their target's strength. If the attacker's roll is higher, their opponent is pushed down and becomes prone. If the defender's roll is equal to or higher, they withstand the push and remain standing.
Benefits of Tripping or Pushing an Opponent
When a character successfully trips or pushes an opponent, making them prone, there are significant tactical advantages to be gained. Successfully maneuvering an opponent into a prone position offers the following benefits:
Advantage on Attacks Against Prone Opponents
If you successfully trip or push your opponent and they become prone, you gain an advantage on attack rolls against them. This represents the increased vulnerability of an opponent who is struggling to regain their footing or position. The advantage on these attacks reflects the easier target they present while on the ground.
Opponent's Disadvantage on Attacks
Additionally, when an opponent is prone as a result of being tripped or pushed, they suffer a disadvantage on their attack rolls against you. This disadvantage represents the difficulty in effectively attacking while in a compromised position. Their limited mobility and altered perspective make it challenging to land effective blows.
Size Dynamics in Tripping and Pushing Mechanics: Simplified Categories
In combat, size categories (abnormally small, normal, abnormally large) affect tripping and pushing: smaller characters have a disadvantage against larger ones, and larger characters have advantage against smaller ones.
It is impossible for an abnormally small cat to push over an abnormally large cat, however they may still attempt to trip them!
Being Prone
Combatants often find themselves lying on the ground, either because they are knocked down, started the fight while asleep or because they throw themselves down - this is a vulnerable position in a fight. In the game, they are prone.
Disadvantage on Attacks While Prone
While a character is in a prone position, they will suffer a disadvantage on all attack rolls. This represents the difficulty of accurately hitting targets from a ground position. The disadvantage applies to all types of attacks. It is important for players to consider the tactical implications of being prone in combat, as it significantly impacts their offensive capabilities.
Disadvantage on grappling while prone
While a character is prone, grappling and getting out of a grapple becomes more difficult.
This disadvantage however does not apply if a larger cat is prone and being grappled by a smaller cat, or grappling a smaller cat.
Your Turn: Grappling
Instead of making an attack roll, you make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use).
Effects of a Grapple
If you've succeed in the grappling check:
Movement Restriction. While grappled, the target is UNABLE to use their movement!
Advantage on attacks. While grappling someone, you have advantage on attacking them!
Ending the Grapple. The grapple lasts until you release the target (which you can do as a free action), the target escapes (by winning a contest as described below during its turn), or certain actions like being incapacitated occur.
Escaping a Grapple
On their turn, the grappled target can use its action to try to escape. This requires a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by your Strength (Athletics) check.
Strategic Use of Grappling
Grappling can be highly strategic in combat situations. Here are some uses:
Control. Keep a dangerous enemy in place, such as a larger cat, to prevent them from moving to a more advantageous position.
Protection. Stop an enemy from reaching more vulnerable party members.
Setup. Hold an enemy still for a teammate to hit more easily.
Limitations and Considerations.
Size Restrictions. You can only grapple a cat that is no more than one size category larger than you. (ab. small cats can not grapple ab. large cats)
No Multiple Enemies. Typically, you can only grapple one enemy at a time unless you have a feature or ability that says otherwise.
Not Damaging. Grappling itself does not inflict damage. It is purely a control mechanism.
Your Turn: Disengaging
For whatever reason, your character might try to leave a fight before it is concluded. This is referred to as Disengaging. To disengage you must use 1 turn, aka roleplay response. In order to disengage, your character must get away from the character they’re fighting! This would be a simple Dexterity vs Dexterity roll. Your character just needs to get away from them aka, roll a higher Dexterity roll than the other! If you roll a higher Dexterity you get away, but you can not re-engage into the battle for another 2 rounds. However, if the other character rolls higher, they get a free hit on you!
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