Tutorial #7: Strikes
In Allies of Majesty, attacks are called Strikes. When an elohim Strikes they will make a Strike Roll that represents both their attempt to attack the Defender and the Defender’s attempt to defend themself.
Striking consumes 3 Action Points during which an elohim can Move up to 2 inches.
Most Weapon Effects may only Strike Targets within Melee Range. These are considered Melee Strikes. Some Weapon Effects allow for Strikes to be made outside Melee Range, which are considered Ranged Strikes. If the elohim Moves during the Strike, they must only be within the correct Range at some point during that Movement regardless of where they begin or end the Movement.
When Striking, it does not matter if there is another elohim or a physical obstruction in the way between the Striker and the intended Target. Spiritual Dominions, however, do prevent Strikes from passing through.
The first step in making a Strike is for the Striker to make a Strike Roll by rolling seven twelve-sided dice. To see if the Striker or the Defender get to make any Adjustments, compare the Striker’s Precision and the Defender’s Guard. The prior Tutorial on Rolls describes Adjustments.
Positive and negative results use different terms in a Strike Roll. Positive results are called Hits. Neutral results are called Misses. Negative results are called Stops. Stops not needed to cancel a Hit may have an added benefit of causing Defensive Hits which allow the Defender to cause Wear to the Striker. 1 Defensive Hit is caused for every 2 uncanceled Stops.
12s are Epic Hits and not only add an extra Hit, but also cause one trigger of any 12 Effect associated with the Striker’s Weapon Effect. Some 12 Effects can only trigger once each Strike. The Sword’s 12 Effect is further limited to triggering no more than twice during each Segment. 1s are called Epic Stops and not only cancel the extra Hit provided by a 12, but also cancel the 12 Effect. 1s that are not used to cancel a 12 will instead cause the Striker to Falter:1.
As described in the Rolls tutorial, two or more uncancelled Epic Results before any Adjustments are made is considered an Epic Roll. Two or more uncancelled 12s is considered an Epic Strike. Two or more uncancelled 1s is considered an Epic Defense. And, as with all rolls, any uncancelled Epic Results in an Epic Strike or an Epic Defense cannot be adjusted.
If an Epic Strike consists of three uncancelled 12s, then the Defender’s Status is lowered to Weakened or Defeated for 1 Cycle.
If an Epic Strike includes at least four uncancelled 12s, then the Defender is Defeated, and their Endurance is lowered to negative 40.
If an Epic Defense consists of three uncancelled 1s, then the Striker’s Status is lowered to Weakened or Defeated for 1 Cycle.
If an Epic Defense includes at least four uncancelled 1s, then the Striker is Defeated, and their Endurance is lowered to negative 40.
Ranged Strikes differ from Melee Strikes in that uncanceled 1s do not cause Faltering, Epic Defenses do not cause lowering of Status or Defeat, and uncanceled Stops do not produce Defensive Hits. In short, there are no negative consequences that may be applied back to the Striker.
When interpreting the result of a Strike Roll, the result on each die represents some aspect of how the Strike played out. These aspects in tandem make up the details of that single Strike. A Hit represents that the Striker struck well in part. A Miss represents that either the Striker struck poorly in part, or the Defender dodged well in part. A Stop represents that the Defender resisted or blocked the force of the Strike in part.
Each part can be used by the Host to tell a story of how that Strike played out. For example, if a roll contains 3 Hits, 3 Misses, and 1 Stop, it could be described that the Striker swung their blade down in an overhead swing. The Defender attempted to sidestep the swing and block with their own weapon. They got partially out of the way and the Defender’s weapon deflected a portion of the force, but the Strike still bit into the Defender’s shoulder hard.
Once the outcome of the Strike is determined, the next step is determining how much Wear is caused, if any. This is done by taking the final number of Hits or Defensive Hits and multiplying it by that character’s Force. If the Striker has any effects that add Wear other than in a percent (%), add those now. Then, consider any percentages affecting the Strike. Some effects add a percentage and others subtract a percentage. Combine all percentages into one single percent change. Multiply the Wear by the percentage and that is the actual wear dealt by the Strike. This system allows the amount of Wear dealt by each Strike to vary widely allowing even weaker characters to still be able to contribute effectively.
This concludes Tutorial #7: Strikes. In the next Tutorial we will cover Resist Checks.