A Beginner's Guide to Savage Worlds (Chapter 5: Advanced Combat Tactics)

 

Welcome back to my "Beginner's Guide to Savage Worlds". Last week I looked at how to create characters with different ancestries, along with Arcane Backgrounds. This week, I'm going to look at some advanced combat options, to show there's more than just simply attacking. I'll have sections dedicated to both melee and ranged combat, but I'll also talk about some situations which can apply to both or neither.

Holding and Interrupting

If you're mulling over what to do on your turn, you can go On Hold. This means you don't take your turn when your card comes up, choosing to either act later in the round or any time you want in the next round. One word of caution though; if you're Shaken or Wounded while On Hold, you lose your turn.

You can even interrupt somebody else's turn when you're On Hold. This requires an opposed Athletics roll, and a success means you act before the other person while a failure means they still act first but you can act immediately afterwards. If you're dealt a Joker and haven't yet acted, you can choose to interrupt the action without needing to make the roll.

Called Shots

It's assumed that all attacks are directed at the centre of body mass, unless explicitly stated. If you do want to target somewhere else, you can make a Called Shot. This imposes penalties on the attack roll, but it can convey other effects. For example, a Called Shot to the target's head or vitals imposes a -4 penalty to your attack roll, but you get a +4 bonus on your damage roll if it hits.

Another thing you can do with Called Shots is Disarm. This is a Called Shot directed at a target's weapon or the limb it's being held in.

• Against the limb, this is a Called Shot to the target's arm (which has a -2 penalty) or hand (which has a -4 penalty). If the attack Shakes or Wounds the target, they must make a Strength roll with a penalty equal to the Called Shot penalty in order to keep hold of the weapon.
• Against the weapon, there's a Scale penalty based on how big the weapon is. The wielder then has to oppose the damage total with a Strength roll to keep hold of the item.
• Objects have a Hardness rather than a Toughness, and a Parry of 2. If your damage equals or exceeds the object's Hardness, it's destroyed. However, a raise doesn't grant you bonus damage when attacking an object, and the damage dice don't Ace. Some objects might be immune to certain types of damage.

Supporting and Testing

As an action, you can Support an ally's Trait roll. This is especially good for non-combatant characters, as it gives them something to do in a fight. Supporting uses any skill you have, but you have to be specific as to how you’re using that skill, and what the ally's action is that you're Supporting. You can't just say "I want to Support with Notice"; you have to elaborate.

Examples of Support: 

• Pointing out a dragon's missing scale to an archer (Supporting Shooting with Notice);
• Saying to a Shaken fighter "Go get 'em, tiger!" (Supporting Spirit with Persuasion);
• Telling someone engaged in melee with a zombie that their weak spot is the head (Supporting Fighting with Occult).

As long as it makes narrative sense, anything goes.

Once the GM approves the action, you can make the roll. Success grants a +1 bonus to the character’s affected Trait roll, while a raise grants +2. However, a Critical Failure on your roll imposes a -2 penalty to the Trait roll. Multiple characters can Support the same person, but the maximum cumulative bonus from Support is +4.

The polar opposite of Support, a Test is an action intended to throw your enemies off guard and leave them open. Like with Support, you can use any of your skills to Test an opponent, but you have to be specific as to what it is you’re doing.

Examples of Tests: 

• Kicking an opponent in the groin (Fighting); 
• Saying “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries” (Taunt);
• Giving someone a hard stare (Intimidation).

Testing is an opposed roll, using whichever Attribute is linked to the skill used for the Test. On a success, you can impose one of the following status effects:

• Distracted: The target suffers a -2 penalty to all their actions until the end of their next turn (in other words, it makes it harder for them to hit you).
• Vulnerable: All attacks and actions directed at the target are made at +2 until the end of their next turn (thus making it easier for you to hit them).

If you score a raise on the Test, the target is also Shaken. This cannot Wound a character if they're already Shaken; only physical attacks can do that. Some settings may allow Creative Combat, in which a Wild Card who scores a raise on a Test can choose to either make the target Shaken or roll for a random effect. Effects include earning a Benny, making the target Distracted and Vulnerable, recovering a Wound or level of Fatigue, or even gaining another turn.

Stunning

Some powers and items (such as pepper sprays, tasers, or stun grenades) can Stun a target. When you're Stunned, you're Distracted until the end of your next turn, Vulnerable until you're no longer Stunned, knocked Prone, and cannot move or take any other actions. You can recover by making a Vigour roll on your turn as a free action. If successful, you're no longer Stunned, but you remain Vulnerable until the end of your next turn unless you got a raise (in which case it wears off at the end of your current turn).

• When you're Prone, you suffer a -2 penalty to your Fighting rolls and Parry. However, you're treated as having Medium Cover against ranged attacks from more than 3" away. You can drop prone as a free action, but each inch of movement uses 2" of Pace, as does standing up.

Advanced Melee Combat

If a target is Disarmed (see above), you may get an Unarmed Defender bonus. This is a +2 bonus to Fighting rolls which an armed opponent gets against a character with no weapon or shield. Once it's their turn, they would have to draw another weapon or pick up the dropped weapon. 

If you're duel-wielding melee weapons, you get a +1 Two Weapon bonus when attacking any foe who is wielding a single weapon and no shield, or is unarmed (this stacks with the Unarmed Defender bonus if that applies). You can also make attacks with either weapon, but there is a -2 penalty for attacking with the weapon wielded in the Off-Hand, and there may be Multi-Action penalties as well. 

• Example: If you had a rapier in your master hand and a dagger in the off-hand, and wanted to make an attack with both, you'd incur the following penalties (unless they're negated by Edges)
• Rapier: -2 Multi-Action penalty
• Dagger: -2 Multi-Action penalty, and a -2 Off-Hand penalty, for a total of -4

Characters with Natural Weapons (such as claws, fangs, or horns) are not subject to Unarmed Defender or Two Weapon bonuses.

In situations where you're caught without weapons, you can use whatever's at hand. Using Impovised Weapons imposes a -2 penalty to your Fighting rolls, but you're still treated as an armed opponent.

If you're trying to subdue a foe without killing them, you can choose to deal Nonlethal Damage. Fists deal this by default, while you can choose to do this with blunt weapons. It's possible with edged weapons too, but you suffer a -1 penalty to your Fighting rolls in this case. Wounds work as normal, but if an enemy is Incapacitated by Nonlethal Damage, they're simply unconscious for 1d6 hours.

If you and your allies outnumber your foes, you can Gang Up. You get a +1 Gang Up bonus to your Fighting roll for each ally attacking the same target, to a maximum of +4. However, your opponent negates one point of this for each of their adjacent allies. Shaken characters still contribute towards Gang Up, but Stunned characters don't.

If you like an aggressive fighting style, you can make a Wild Attack against your foe; a faster and more powerful attack, but one that leaves you open. Wild Attacks grant a +2 bonus to both your Fighting roll and your damage roll, but leave you Vulnerable until the end of your next turn.

You can Push opponents by making an opposed Athletics or Strength roll. This can be modified by your shield's Parry bonus (attacking or resisting), and you get a +2 bonus if you ran at least 2" before the roll (although that would probably be cancelled out by the running penalty). On a success, your foe moves back 1" and must make an Athletics roll or be knocked Prone. On a raise, they're pushed back 2" and the Athletics roll has a -2 penalty.

You can Grapple a foe by making an opposed Athletics roll. On a success, they're Entangled, which means they can't move and are Vulnerable for as long as they remain Entangled. On a raise, they're Bound, which also makes them Distracted for as long as they're Bound and prevents them from performing any physical actions other than trying to break free. However, if they're Bound, you're Vulnerable too. It's a good way to get someone in a full nelson while your allies punch them. You can also Crush a grappled opponent as an action, which simply involves inflicting your Strength in damage. Shaken characters maintain their hold, but Stunned characters don't.

• When you're Entangled or Bound, you can break free on your turn as an action. This requires either an Athletics roll (which represents slipping free) or Strength roll at -2 (which represents forcing your way out). If you're restrained by a device, you roll against the standard Target Number of 4, but it's an opposed roll if you're being grappled. If you were Entangled, you only need a success to break free, but you need a raise to do so if you were Bound (a success in that regard makes you Entangled, but it means you're no longer Distracted and have more options for actions).

Finally, if you wish to escape you can choose to Withdraw. However, this allows every adjacent enemy who isn't Shaken or Stunned to make a free attack against you (either a standard melee attack or a grapple). To mitigate this, you can Defend. This gives you +4 Parry until the beginning of your next turn, but you cannot perform any other actions (you can still move, but you can't run).

Advanced Ranged Combat

One of the main ways of making ranged attacks easier is by Aiming at a specific enemy on your turn. This basically means you skip your turn (you can't move or take any other actions), but if your first action on your next turn is a ranged attack against the target you were aiming at, you can negate four points of penalties from the following sources: Called Shots, Cover, Range, Scale, or Speed. If you're using a weapon with a scope, you can ignore six points of the aforementioned penalties. If there are no penalties from these sources, the attack is made at +2.

Aiming also allows you to attack targets at Extreme Range. This is up to four times a weapon's Long Range, and imposes a -8 Range penalty (-6 with a scoped weapon). You have to Aim in order to attack the target at Extreme Range, and it doesn't negate the Range penalty. You can't use thrown weapons at Extreme Range.

Some weapons, such as grenades, have an Area of Effect. This means they're used to target a location, and do damage to all targets within a Blast or Cone Template. Blast Templates are circular, and can be Small (2" in diameter), Medium (4" in diameter), or Large (6" in diameter). Cone Templates are 9" long, and extend outwards (typically used for flamethrowers). Some area attacks can be Evaded, which requires an Agility roll at -2, negating damage on a success. If an area attack fails, it deviates. This means the Blast Template is moved away from its original location - either 1d6" for a thrown weapon or 2d6" for a launched projectile - in a direction determined by a d12 read like a clock (and some common sense). The distance is doubled if attacking at Medium Range, tripled for Long Range, and quadrupled for Extreme Range.

Most ranged weapons have a Rate of Fire, which is usually 1, but this may be higher for submachine guns, assault rifles, and similar weapons. You can roll a number of Shooting dice equal to your weapon's Rate of Fire on each attack. You have to declare who you're targeting before you make the roll, but you can choose whether each die is allocated to the same enemy or different enemies. You still get a Wild Die, and you ignore whichever die rolls the lowest. Each die has a -2 penalty for Recoil unless stated otherwise, and you then choose which roll is applied to which target (determining any penalties appropriate to that target). Attacking with a Rate of Fire of 1 expends one round, but higher Rates of Fire expend more ammunition with each attack. 

Another cool thing you can do is Suppressive Fire. This is a single Shooting roll which expends a number of rounds equal to three times the weapon's Rate of Fire, and is made against all targets in a Medium Blast Template. A success makes the targets Distracted, and a raise means some can be hit for damage (no more than the weapon's Rate of Fire). This always incurs Recoil.

If you're not very good at Shooting, you can use a Shotgun. Shotguns loaded with buckshot grant a +2 bonus to Shooting rolls (to account for the spread), dealing 3d6 damage at Short Range, 2d6 at Medium Range, and 1d6 at Long Range. If it's a double-barrelled shotgun, you can fire both barrels in the same action to deal +4 damage. You can't use shotguns at Extreme Range.

Of course, most ranged weapons have limited ammunition, and have to be Reloaded. It's a free action to nock an arrow or load a sling stone. However, it's an action to load a single bullet, crossbow bolt, or shotgun shell. For modern firearms which have magazines, you can change a magazine as an action (providing that the magazine is pre-loaded). Some weapons, such as heavier crossbows or muzzle-loaded firearms can take multiple actions to load. If you ran on your turn, you have to make an Agility roll to successfully load.

One of the big dangers of ranged combat is Innocent Bystanders; any time you roll a natural 1 on your Trait die, and the Wild Die doesn't succeed, you hit somebody either adjacent to or in the line of fire of your intended target. If you're using a shotgun or a Rate of Fire greater than 1, this occurs on every die which rolls a natural 1 or 2.

If an enemy engages you in melee, there's another risk. If you're using a one-handed ranged weapon (such as a pistol), you can still Shoot into Melee, but you roll against their Parry. If it's a two-handed weapon, you have to either Withdraw (provoking a free attack), or try and whack them (and likely incur an Improvised Weapon penalty). You can shoot at another target, but you'll be Vulnerable if someone is engaged in melee with you.

Mounted Combat

If you're on horseback, you can use your horse's Pace when moving. However, your melee attacks use the lower of your Fighting or Riding. Ranged attacks still use the skill appropriate to the weapon, but they're subject to a -2 Unstable Platform penalty. Your mount can also kick opponents directly in front of them. This is treated as their action, rather than yours. If you move at least 6" in a relatively straight line towards your foe, you can Charge to gain a +4 bonus to your damage roll. 

If someone charges at you, and you have a weapon with Reach (such as a polearm), you can Set a weapon by going On Hold and interrupting the charger's action. You get a +2 bonus to your Athletics roll if your weapon has a higher Reach, and if you win the roll, you get the damage bonus from Charging on your attack.

If you or your mount are Shaken or Wounded, you have to make an immediate Riding roll to stay mounted. You may take damage if you ran on your turn, but other effects might depend on the circumstances (GM's call for this one). For example, if a horse is Incapacitated, a rider who fails their roll could be Prone and Entangled as they're pinned (or Bound on a Critical Failure). This isn't an official rule; it's one of my house rules when I run.

Sneak Attacks

The domain of the Rogue, you can hide as part of your movement by making a Stealth roll opposed by an enemy's Notice (this is a free action), providing that it makes narrative sense. You can even use these rules to sneak up on enemies to attack them while they're unaware. Again, this involves a free Stealth roll opposed by their Notice. On a success, they're treated as Vulnerable against you until the end of your turn. But on a raise, you get The Drop, which grants a +4 bonus to both your attack roll and your damage roll (this does not stack with being Vulnerable). If you're hit by one of these attacks, you can be knocked out if you fail a Vigour roll (at -2 if it was to the head).

Please join me again next week, for another tutorial on character creation, looking at how setting can affect it.

Happy writing. And happy rolling.

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. It is unofficial Media Content permitted under the Media Network Content Agreement. This content is not managed, approved, or endorsed by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Certain portions of the materials used are the intellectual property of Pinnacle, and all rights are reserved. Savage Worlds, all related settings, and unique characters, locations, and characters, logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group

A Beginner's Guide to Savage Worlds (Chapter 4: Advanced Character Creation - Ancestries and Arcana)

Welcome back to my Beginner's Guide to Savage Worlds. Last week we talked about combat mechanics. This week, I'll be doing another character creation walkthrough (using mechanics I outlined here) to demonstrate how different ancestries affect the process. I'll also be looking at how magic works in this system.

I'll be using another build from Richard Woolcock's Fantasy Archetypes, but with a few tweaks; an elf mage called Salinaire.

Concept

Salinaire grew up in a coastal town and was apprenticed to a wizard when she was still young. But the wizard treated her more like a servant than a protégé, and she grew resentful. After her master was murdered, Salinaire became the prime suspect and was forced to flee. She changed her name and went on the road, seeking to develop her magic craft. But she’s afraid her past might catch up to her.

Ancestry

Salinaire is an elf, which grants her the following Ancestral Abilities:

• She starts with a free d6 in Agility, which reflects the elves' natural grace. She can also raise her Agility to a maximum of d12+1.
• She has Low Light Vision, which represents an ability to amplify light. This allows her to ignore penalties from Illumination when in Dim or Dark conditions (but not Pitch Darkness).
• Dim conditions (such as twilight or light fog) impose a -2 penalty to all actions and attacks dependent on vision
• Dark conditions (such as thick fog or a typical starry night) increase the penalty to -4. Furthermore, targets are not visible beyond 10" (20 yards).
• Pitch Darkness (which also includes hidden or invisible targets) increases the penalty to -6 and powers dependent on sight may not even be permitted at all.
• Finally, she has the All Thumbs Hindrance, which reflects an inherent dislike of machines. However, she doesn’t get any Hindrance Points from this. I'll explain why below.

All Ancestral Abilities have a point value, which can be positive or negative. In the vanilla rules, Ancestries have an allowance which grants them two points’ worth of Positive Ancestral Abilities. Anything in excess of that must be offset by Negative Ancestral Abilities of equal value. In the case of humans, the Adaptable ability costs two points, which is covered by the allowance. They don't have any other ancestral abilities, so they don't need to offset them.

In Salinaire’s case, it costs two points for the free d6 in Agility, and one point for Low Light Vision. The allowance covers the cost of the Attribute increase, but the Low Light Vision cost has be offset by a Negative Ancestral Ability worth one point. In this case, it’s an inherent Minor Hindrance. Since they're used to offset the cost of other Ancestral Abilities, you don't get Hindrance Points from any Hindrances inherent to your ancestry.

Hindrances

Let’s pick Salinaire’s Hindrances:

• As stated above, she begins with the All Thumbs Hindrance, which is inherent to her ancestry. This is a Minor Hindrance that imposes a -2 penalty on any Trait roll made to use mechanical devices, and she breaks the device on a Critical Failure. However, she doesn’t get any Hindrance Points from it since it was used to offset the cost of her Ancestral Abilities.
• For her first non-inherent Hindrance, we’ll that say that she has a grim determination to master the magical arts. This will translate to a Driven Hindrance. This can be Major or Minor, which represents how determined you are to achieve your goal, and how likely it is to cause trouble for the party. She’ll take it as a Minor Hindrance, meaning it pushes her actions but is fairly harmless. This gives her one Hindrance Point.
• For her next Hindrance, I’ll say that Salinaire’s determination to master her craft is combined with an insecurity that makes her resentful of more powerful mages (such as her former master). This will take the form of a Jealous Hindrance. Again, this can be Major or Minor, which determines whether your jealousy is over a specific matter, or just general envy. Since her jealousy is specifically focussed towards other magic users, that would be a Minor Hindrance. That’s another Hindrance Point gained.
• Speaking of her former master, Salinaire was accused of murdering him, which prompted her to assume her current identity. This will manifest as a Secret Hindrance. Once again, this can be Major or Minor, which represents how serious the consequences are if the secret is ever discovered. Being accused of murder is certainly going to be a Major Hindrance, so that gives her two Hindrance Points. If her true identity is ever revealed, then this will be exchanged for a Major Wanted Hindrance as she’s sought by the authorities.

Traits

Salinaire has the usual five Attribute Points, but she starts with a d6 in Agility, rather than d4.

• She invests three points into Smarts, bumping that up to a d10
• She invests one point each into Spirit and Vigour, bumping those up to a d6
• Her Agility will stay at d6, and her Strength will remain a d4

She has the usual 12 Skill Points, and a d4 in the five Core Skills.

• Core Skills: She’s going to invest one point to raise her Notice to a d6. Her other Core Skills will remain at d4.
• Spellcasting d10: This is an “arcane skill” linked to Smarts, which she rolls to activate powers. I’ll talk about that in a minute. That costs four points.
• Occult d8: This skill is linked to Smarts, and is rolled to recall knowledge of supernatural events, creatures, and practices. Her die type costs three points.
• Academics d6: This is also linked to Smarts, and is rolled to recall knowledge of literature, history, liberal arts, and social sciences. That costs two points.
• Fighting d4: That costs one point, and is mainly for her Parry.
• Research d4: This is a Smarts-linked skill, which represents her ability to find information from written sources. While Academics and Occult would be rolled to determine things she might already know, Research is rolled to actively look it up.
• Obtaining information through people is handled via Persuasion or Intimidation. This is covered through a mechanic known as Networking.

Edges

Salinaire's Hindrance Points will be spent on two Edges:

• Her first chosen Edge is Arcane Background (Magic). This gives her access to powers, which she has learned through study. I’ll talk about powers in a moment.
• Her other Edge is Luck. This means that she starts each session with four Bennies instead of three.

Derived Statistics

• Salinaire has the default Pace of 6 and a d6 running die
• With a d4 in Fighting, her Parry is 4
• Her Size is 0
• With a d6 in Vigour, her Toughness is 5

Gear

Salinaire has $500 for starting gear.

• She’ll spend $10 on a Staff. This deals Strength+d4 damage, and is Reach 1 (meaning that she can attack targets who are 1” away from her). It also grants her +1 Parry, increasing her total to 5 (1). However, it’s two-handed, meaning she has a -4 to attack rolls if wielding it with one hand.
• She’ll spend $30 on Cloth Robes, which grant her +1 Armour to the torso, arms, and legs. This increases her Toughness to 6 (1).
• She has $460 left, which she’ll keep.

Powers

Arcana in Savage Worlds uses a video game logic. Taking an Arcane Background Edge gives you powers, which cost Power Points to spend. Your specific Arcane Background determines three main elements:

• Arcane Skill: This is the skill you roll in order to activate powers. Using a power is an action, and uses standard Dice Mechanics. You have to be able to see the intended target. Failing an arcane skill roll has variable effects.
• If the die rolls less than 4 (excluding penalties), the power doesn't activate and you lose one Power Point
• If the die rolls 4 or higher, the power does activate and the full Power Point cost is paid, but it can still miss or be resisted
• On a Critical Failure, you suffer Backlash, which terminates all active powers and gives you a level of Fatigue.
• Power Points: The number of Power Points you start with (along with your maximum). These are spent to activate powers, and regenerate at a rate of five points per hour of rest. You can also spend a Benny at any time to recover 5 Power Points.
• Starting Powers: The number of powers you start with, and may include specific powers that all characters with that Arcane Background have by default. Some settings might dictate what powers are available to which Arcane Background
• Some Arcane Backgrounds may even come with additional special rules.

Salinaire's arcane skill is Spellcasting. She starts with 10 Power Points and three powers of her choosing.

Powers themselves all have the following stats:

• Rank: The minimum Rank at which the character can take the power
• Power Points: The minimum number of Power Points required to activate the power. 
• Powers can have Modifiers on individual castings, which increase the cost but provide further effects (such as increased Range or damage, Armour Piercing, or applying the effect to Additional Recipients). 
• Conversely, they can have Limitations (such as reduced Range or only one permitted aspect if the power has multiple aspects like boost/lower Trait or light/darkness), which reduce the cost, but apply to all castings. 
• If you don’t have enough Power Points to cast a power, you can Short it; you suffer a -1 penalty for each Power Point you’re short, and a failure is regarded as a Critical Failure.
• Range: The range at which you can activate a power. Examples include:
• Self: You can only cast the power on yourself
• Touch: You have to be able to physically touch the intended recipient
• Attribute: The power has a variable Range which is a number of inches equal to your die type in the listed Attribute (typically Smarts). 
• If a power’s Range is variable, you can apply Range Modifiers, doubling it by spending an additional Power Point, or tripling it for two additional Power Points.
• Duration: How long the power lasts. This could be Instant, or a specific duration. The typical duration of non-Instant powers is five rounds (approximately 30 seconds), and they expire at the end of your turn in the fifth round after the initial casting. This will be listed as "5". All Durations are listed in rounds unless explicitly stated.
• As a free action, non-Instant powers can be Maintained when they expire, keeping the effect going for their base Duration. This costs one Power Point for each person the power is currently affecting.
• Trapping: The physical effect of the power. You have to choose a specific Trapping for each power, and you’re limited to that Trapping.
• Powers in Savage Worlds are fairly generic, so variety is attained through Trappings. Different casters might have the same power, but they manifest as different Trappings. 
• For example: A wizard, a druid, and an alchemist all have the entangle power. The wizard casts a spell that freezes their target, the druid summons vines to restrain them, while the alchemist immobilises them with a glue bomb. Mechanically, all of these are the same power, but with different Trappings.
• Although Trappings are largely for flavour, they can sometimes be taken into account if the situation’s appropriate. For example, a lightning-based power might do bonus damage to a target in water, or a monster made of wood or ice would take extra damage from a fire-based power.

Anyway, let’s look at Salinaire’s powers:

• Bolt: This power is simply a ranged attack which deals 2d6 damage to a single target (or 3d6 on a raise). The Trapping will be a lightning bolt. This power costs one Power Point, has a Range equal to double her Smarts die (20”, or 40 yards), and the Duration is Instant.
• Deflection: This power imposes a -2 penalty to either ranged or melee attacks directed at the recipient. Salinaire has to declare what’s affected when she casts, but a raise on the casting affects both. The Trapping will be a force field that repels the attacks. This power costs two Power Points (plus one per Additional Recipient), has a Range equal to her Smarts die (10” or 20 yards), and the base Duration is five rounds.
• Illusion: This power allows her to create imaginary images, and other characters must make a Smarts roll to recognise them as such (at -2 if she got a raise). She’ll use the name “Conjure Mirage”. This power costs three Power Points, has a Range equal to her Smarts die, and the base Duration is five rounds.

That’s one offensive power, one defensive power, and one utilitarian power.

Advancement

Before I go, I'll give Salinaire four Advances to bump her up to Seasoned.

• Advance 1 – New Edge: She'll take Power Points. This gives her an additional 5 Power Points to spend on powers, increasing her total to 15. You can take this Edge more than once, but only once per Rank (in other words, she can’t take it again until her fourth Advance).
• Advance 2 – Attribute Increase: She raises her Smarts to d12. This also increases the Range of all her powers that have a Range of Smarts. This means that bolt can now be cast up to 24” (48 yards) away, while deflection and illusion can be cast up to 12” (24 yards) away.
• Advance 3 – Lesser Skill Increase: She raises her Fighting to a d6, and her Spellcasting to a d12. By raising her Fighting, she increases her Parry to 6 (1). If she hadn't increased her Smarts on the previous Advance, she would only be able to raise her Spellcasting, or her Fighting and another skill.
• Advance 4 – New Edge: For Salinaire’s first Seasoned Advance, she'll take New Powers. This Edge can be taken more than once, and allows you to learn two additional powers, or add new Trappings to existing powers. She'll take two Seasoned Rank Powers:
• Blast: Like bolt, this power is simply a ranged attack which deals 2d6 damage (or 3d6 on a raise), but does so in a Medium Blast Template (a 4” diameter circle). The Trapping will be a fireball. This power costs three Power Points, has a Range equal to double her Smarts die, and the Duration is Instant.
• Invisibility: This turns targets invisible, which imposes a -4 penalty to all actions against them dependent on vision (-6 with a raise). This power costs five Power Points (plus three per Additional Recipient), has a Range equal to her Smarts die, and the base Duration is five rounds.

Well, that's about it for today. Please join me again next week, where I'll discuss Advanced Combat Options.

Special thanks to Richard Woolcock for giving me permission to reference his characters. You can find his other works on DriveThruRPG here.

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. It is unofficial Media Content permitted under the Media Network Content Agreement. This content is not managed, approved, or endorsed by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Certain portions of the materials used are the intellectual property of Pinnacle, and all rights are reserved. Savage Worlds, all related settings, and unique characters, locations, and characters, logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group

A Beginner's Guide to Savage Worlds (Chapter 3: Combat Basics)

 

Welcome back to my beginner's guide to Savage Worlds. Last week I looked at basic character creation. This week, I'll be looking at the basics of combat. One thing I love about combat in this system is the more cinematic feel it can provide, along with a lot more freedom than Dungeons & Dragons; things that often require Feats in D&D are often common moves in this system. I've actually used the system to choreograph fight scenes in some of my books.

Anyway, let's get started. I'll be talking about initiative and turn order, actions, movement, attacks and damage, and Incapacitation.

Initiative

Combat encounters are divided into rounds, which last approximately six seconds each. In each round, all characters have a turn, during which time they can move and perform actions (such as attacks). While it’s turn-based, it’s assumed that everyone is acting simultaneously. One big thing this system does differently to D&D is that there's no rolling for initiative, and there aren't any skills or Derived Statistics relating to initiative (although there are some Edges and Hindrances that affect it). Instead of rolling, initiative is determined using Action Cards.

At the beginning of a round, all Wild Cards are dealt a playing card (which players share with allied extras), while enemy extras are split into groups which share a card. The value of your Action Card determines when you take your turn, with an order that runs from Aces to Twos. If there are multiple cards of equal value on the table, those characters act in descending alphabetical order of suit. Once everyone has had their turn, the round ends and new cards are dealt for the next round.

The deck also contains Jokers. If you’re dealt a Joker, you can choose to act any time you want (even interrupting somebody else’s turn), and gain a +2 bonus to all Trait and damage rolls for that round (including rolls made outside your turn). Additionally, if a player is dealt a Joker, all players gain a Benny. If an NPC gets a Joker, the GM and all Wild Card NPCs in the scene get a Benny. If a Joker was dealt in a round, the deck is shuffled when the round ends.

Once all cards are dealt, but before the first action is made, you can choose to spend a Benny for a new Action Card. This isn’t subject to any Edges or Hindrances that affect initiative (unless explicitly stated). You can choose which card you act on, and can spend more Bennies for more cards.

Actions

You can perform up to three actions on your turn, but you must declare how many you want to perform before you make any rolls; each additional action after the first imposes a -2 Multi-Action penalty to all actions made that turn. That’s two actions with a -2 penalty on both, or three actions with a -4 penalty on all three. And that’s on top of any other penalties.

Some actions are considered free actions. These do not count towards the number of actions you take, and do not incur – nor are they subject to – Multi-Action penalties. Free actions include talking. Anything that involves dialogue, whether it's a quip made as a free action or part of another action (which I'll talk about in a later post), has to be something you can say within six seconds.

Furthermore, some actions - often granted by Edges - are known as limited actions or limited free actions. You can only perform one limited action and one limited free action per turn.

Movement

Assuming you’re playing on a battle map, you can move a number of inches on your turn equal to your Pace (this is not considered one of your actions). Each inch is the equivalent of two yards. If you’re climbing, crawling, swimming, or moving across Difficult Ground (such as scrambling over rubble or wading through thick mud), then each inch moved uses two inches of Pace. 

Climbing or swimming may also require an Athletics roll (this is a free action) if the conditions aren't ideal, such as a steep cliff or a fast-flowing river. Success means you make progress as normal, failure means you don't make any progress that turn, and a Critical Failure means you fall (and likely take damage) or tire yourself out to avoid getting swept away (gaining Fatigue).

You can also run, rolling your running die and adding the result to your Pace for that turn. Running doesn't count towards your total actions in a turn, but you have to declare it before rolling as it imposes a -2 running penalty to all your actions (this is in addition to Multi-Action penalties). The running die does not have a Wild Die, nor does it Ace.

Jumping is also considered part of movement. You can jump 1" (two yards) horizontally, or 0.5" (1 yard) vertically. These distances are doubled if you run on your turn. You can also make an Athletics roll as an action to increase the distances by an additional 1" horizontally or 0.5" vertically (double that on a raise). Jumping does not let you exceed your Pace for the turn.

Unlike D&D, you don’t have to move and attack or attack and then move; you can break up movement with your actions, as long as you don’t exceed your Pace for that turn. That means you can move three inches out of cover, take a shot at someone, and then move another three inches to the next piece of cover.

Readying Weapons

"Readying" is a collective term which covers both drawing and holstering weapons. Since you're likely to be doing this at the beginning of combat, I'll talk about it here.

You can ready up to two weapons on your turn as a free action, providing that they're being drawn or holstered from an easy-to-reach location. This includes drawing from a scabbard or holster worn on a belt. It's also a free action to simply drop a weapon.

However, each weapon readied beyond those two is an action. It's also an action to ready a weapon from an awkward location, such as drawing from an ankle holster or picking up off the ground.

For Example: A pirate draws a flintlock pistol as a free action, fires it as an action, and then holsters it as a free action. It would be an action to draw their cutlass in the same turn, so they would have to had declared that before they made their shot (and thus suffer a -2 penalty on the attack). If they dropped the gun after firing rather than holstering it, then their cutlass would be the second weapon readied as a free action (thus avoiding a Multi-Action penalty).

Attacking

Attacking is an action which uses standard rules for Trait rolls as outlined in the post on Dice Mechanics. A success on the appropriate Trait means the attack hits and you roll for damage. A raise on the attack roll is the equivalent of a critical hit and means you roll an additional d6 with the damage. You only get one bonus die, regardless of how many raises you got on the roll. 

For melee attacks, you roll your Fighting skill, and you're rolling against your target's Parry. Damage is typically your Strength die, plus a damage die appropriate for your weapon (or just Strength if you're not using any weapons). 

Ranged attacks are made using your Shooting skill (or Athletics in the case of thrown weapons). They use the standard Target Number of 4, but they also tend to incur more penalties, such as Range or Cover, as outlined below:

• Range: All ranged weapons have a maximum Short Range, which is doubled to calculate the maximum Medium Range, and then doubled again for the maximum Long Range. For example, a bow has a Range of 12/24/48, meaning that 1-12" is Short Range, 13-24" is Medium Range, and 25-48" is Long Range. The Range penalty is zero for Short Range, -2 for Medium, and -4 for Long.
• Cover: If a target is behind cover, there's a penalty based on how much of their body is concealed by the cover. Light Cover obscures less than 25% (such as a shield), Medium Cover obscures up to 50% (such as standing behind a waist-high barricade or lying prone), Heavy Cover is up to 75% (such as peering around a corner), and Near-Total Cover is more than 75% (such as behind a firing port on a vehicle). Cover penalties are -2 for Light, -4 for Medium, -6 for Heavy, and -8 for Near-Total.
• If you fail the roll, you then remove the Cover penalty. If that turns it into a success, you still roll damage, but the cover provides additional armour for the target (this is to accommodate shooting through cover).
• There are plenty of other modifiers, such as Scale (which is a penalty incurred when attacking a smaller target, or a bonus when attacking a larger one) and Speed (which is incurred when the relative speed between you and your opponent is greater than 60 mph). These can apply to both melee and ranged attacks.

Damage

Unlike D&D, Savage Worlds doesn't use hit points. Instead, damage uses the same mechanics for Trait rolls, but using an enemy's Toughness as the Target Number. Damage rolls aren't Trait rolls, so you don't roll a Wild Die with them, but the dice do Ace and you can spend Bennies to reroll them.

If the damage roll is successful, the target is Shaken, which means the attack has left them rattled but isn't enough to hurt them. Each raise on the damage roll causes one Wound. Wild Cards suffer a -1 penalty to all Trait rolls and Pace for each Wound they have (to a maximum of -3), and are Incapacitated on their fourth Wound. Extras are Incapacitated on their first Wound.

If you’re Shaken, you can be Wounded by a standard success on a damage roll (basically meaning it’s easier to hurt you). You can un-Shake by making a Spirit roll at the beginning of your next turn as a free action. If you succeed, you’re no longer Shaken and can act normally. But if you fail, you remain Shaken and can't perform any actions on your turn except for movement and free actions (in other words, you can’t attack). You can also un-Shake by spending a Benny at any time (even when it's not your turn), without needing to roll. You can actually do this when somebody’s just hit you and is rolling for damage.

Resolving damage is where you’ll see one of the other major uses for Bennies; Soaking. When you take damage that causes at least one Wound, you can spend a Benny to Soak in a bid to mitigate it. This requires a Vigour roll, which doesn’t include Wound penalties from the damage you’re Soaking (although it does include Wounds you already had before then). Each success and raise on this roll negates one Wound received from the attack (it doesn’t affect existing Wounds). If you managed to Soak all the Wounds from an attack, you also un-Shake (even if you’d been Shaken by something else).

Healing and Incapacitation

You can heal Wounds using the Healing skill, providing that you do so within an hour of receiving them. But you can't do this during combat, as each attempt takes ten minutes per Wound level (and a round lasts six seconds). If you can't heal the Wounds within the hour, you can recover via Natural Healing, which requires a Vigour roll which you can make every five days. In either case, a success removes one Wound, a raise removes two, and a Critical Failure causes an additional Wound through complications or infection. 

When you're Incapacitated, you can't move or take any actions, gain a random Injury (which can lower an Attribute or give you a new Hindrance), and have to make an immediate Vigour check. If you succeed, your Injury goes away when all Wounds are healed. With a raise, the Injury automatically goes away after 24 hours if you don't heal all Wounds before then. On a failure, the injury is permanent and you're also Bleeding Out, while you die immediately on a Critical Failure. 

When Bleeding Out, you're still dealt in, and you have to make a Vigour roll each turn. If you fail this roll, you die. You can be stabilised by another character (which requires a Healing roll as an action), or by getting a raise on the Vigour roll. If you stabilise, you no longer have to make the roll.

Well, that's probably enough for this week. Please join me again next week, where I'll be looking at some advanced character creation, including alternate ancestries and Arcane Backgrounds.

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. It is unofficial Media Content permitted under the Media Network Content Agreement. This content is not managed, approved, or endorsed by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Certain portions of the materials used are the intellectual property of Pinnacle, and all rights are reserved. Savage Worlds, all related settings, and unique characters, locations, and characters, logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group

A Beginner's Guide to Savage Worlds (Chapter 2: Basic Character Creation)

Welcome back to my "Beginner's Guide to Savage Worlds". Last week, I looked at the basic dice mechanics. This week, I'll be providing a walkthrough of character creation.

I find it a lot quicker to generate characters in Savage Worlds than I do in Dungeons & Dragons. One of the big departures is the lack of classes. This can be daunting for those who are accustomed to classes (I've had players back out of games in the past for that reason), but it can also pave the way for more flexible characters.

To help illustrate things, I'm going to walk through the character build of Talmar, a human fighter which I'm borrowing from Richard Woolcock's Fantasy Archetypes. I highly recommend picking these up; they provide a set of eight characters ready to pick up and play for your run-of-the-mill fantasy setting, and the set's available on DriveThruRPG for a dollar. There might be another set in the works soon, so I'm looking forward to that.

Anyway, let's begin. This will be a long post, so get a comfy seat and put the kettle on.

1. Concept

First order of business is to choose your character's concept. Don't think about mechanics at this point. There'll be time for that later, but the more you flesh out here, the easier it'll be to build up on.

Talmar was initially a farm boy who enjoyed hearing tales of heroic deeds, and dreamed of leaving the farm to seek his fortune. When he was old enough, he enlisted in the local lord’s household militia, but found it no more exciting than working the lands. He later joined a free company, where his talents were better appreciated, but he found that mercenary work was unreliable. Unfortunately, he was forced to leave the unit in a hurry after a dispute turned ugly, and has since gone into business for himself as an adventurer.

2. Ancestry

The first mechanical stage of character generation is your Ancestry. Your character’s Ancestry gives you Ancestral Abilities, both positive and negative. Most of the D&D species have equivalent ancestries in this system (with a large number added in the Fantasy Companion). I'll talk about this in greater detail in a future post.

Talmar is a Human. His only Ancestral Ability is Adaptable, which gives him a free Edge of his choosing. I’ll talk about that in a minute, so hold on to it. Humans could be considered the "default" ancestry, and might be the only available ancestry in some settings.

3. Hindrances

This is the next big departure from D&D. Hindrances are your character’s flaws and drawbacks. These could include physical or mental disabilities, personality flaws, or even external forces that work against you. Some Hindrances have an in-game effect, while others are there for roleplaying. Taking Hindrances into account when roleplaying is a good way to earn Bennies. 

Hindrances are optional, but taking Hindrances gives you Hindrance points which may be used elsewhere in character creation (more on that later). Major Hindrances are worth two Hindrance Points each, while Minor Hindrances are worth just one. You can take as many Hindrances as you want, but the maximum number of Hindrance Points you’re allowed is four.

Let's look at Talmar’s Hindrances based on his Concept:

• Firstly, we'll say that his old mercenary company still hold a grudge against him. I'll give him the Enemy Hindrance, which means they will act as a recurring nemesis during the campaign. This can be Major or Minor, which determines how much of a threat the enemy is or how frequently they'll show up. It's taken as a Minor Hindrance, which gives him one Hindrance Point.
• He’s eager for excitement and riches (especially riches), so he has the Greedy Hindrance. This is a roleplaying Hindrance that can also be Major or Minor, which determines how far you’re willing to go for extra loot. Talmar has the Minor version, which means he’ll argue for more than his fair share of rewards (and might miss important details or events while he’s busy looting bodies).
• On the subject of excitement, he has a Quirk Hindrance, another roleplaying Hindrance which represents an amusing foible. In Talmar's case, he brags shamelessly about his skill with a sword. This can provide some humour, but may also get him into trouble. This is a Minor Hindrance, and gives him another Hindrance Point.
• Once he’s in a fight, Talmar will do whatever it takes to survive. This takes the form of a Ruthless Hindrance. Once again, this is a roleplaying Hindrance that can be Major or Minor, which determines how far you're willing go to accomplish your goals. He has Minor version, which means he’ll stop short of true harm to anybody who isn’t directly opposing him.

That’s four Minor Hindrances, which gives him four Hindrance Points. I’ll talk about how and where you can spend these in each section, but I'll spend mine at the end.

4. Attributes

Attributes are a form of Trait (which I discussed this in the previous chapter here), which represent passive abilities that are generally rolled to react to things. Everyone has five Attributes:

• Agility represents your reflexes and co-ordination, and is rolled to evade certain types of attacks.
• Smarts represents your general intellect, and is rolled to resist certain spells or effects.
• Spirit represents your confidence and willpower, and is rolled to resist fear.
• Strength represents your muscle power, which is used for melee damage and calculating how much you can carry.
• Vigour represents your stamina and endurance, which is rolled to resist environmental effects.

Attributes are the equivalent of Ability Scores in D&D; Agility is Dexterity, Smarts is Intelligence, Spirit is a blend of Wisdom and Charisma, Strength is...erm...Strength, and Vigour is Constitution.

You start with a d4 in the five Attributes, and can upgrade them with Attribute Points. Each point invested in an Attribute increases it by one die type, to a maximum of d12. You have five Attribute Points with which to invest, and you can purchase additional ones for two Hindrance Points each.

• Talmar’s Attribute Points have been distributed evenly, raising all of his Attributes from d4 to d6.

5. Skills

Another type of Trait, these are your active abilities which are rolled to perform actions in the world. Each skill is linked to an Attribute, which determines the cost of that skill. Physical skills tend to be linked to Agility, intellectual skills are linked to Smarts, and most social skills are linked to Spirit.

By default, you start with five “Core Skills” which reflect innate abilities that aren't covered by Attributes:

• Athletics is linked to Agility, and represents general physical ability. It's rolled for most physical activities (such as climbing, swimming, and throwing).
• Common Knowledge is linked to Smarts, and represents how well the character knows their world. It's rolled to recall general knowledge of people, places, and things in the world.
• Notice is linked to Smarts, and represents general awareness and perception. It's rolled to see, hear, smell, or otherwise sense the world around you. It's also used to read people and determine if they're concealing details as they're talking.
• Persuasion is linked to Spirit,  and is rolled to convince others to do what you want (through asking nicely and constructive arguments).
• Stealth is linked to Agility, and is rolled to sneak or hide.

Your Core Skills start at d4, and you can purchase or upgrade skills with Skill Points. It costs one Skill Point to buy a d4 in a new skill or raise an existing skill by one die type, providing the new die type is less than or equal to the Attribute the skill’s linked to. It costs two skill points to raise a skill by one die type above its linked Attribute. You have 12 Skill Points to spend (although some modern and futuristic settings may give you 15), and can purchase additional points for one Hindrance Point each. 

Let's look at Talmar's skills:

• Core Skills: He raises his Athletics and Notice to a d6. His Common Knowledge, Persuasion, and Stealth remain at d4. That’s two points spent so far, ten remaining.
• Fighting d8: This is linked to Agility, and represents his proficiency in hand-to-hand combat. It’s rolled when making melee attacks. It costs one point for the d4, and another point to raise it to a d6. Since Talmar’s Agility is currently at d6, the d8 costs two points. That’s four points altogether, and six points spent so far (six remaining).
• Shooting d6: This is linked to Agility, and represents proficiency with ranged weapons such as bows or firearms. It’s rolled to make attacks with such weapons (thrown weapons use Athletics). That costs two points, and he has four remaining.
• Battle d6: This skill is linked to Smarts, and represents knowledge of tactics and strategy. It’s often rolled to coordinate troops in Mass Battles or recall military knowledge (such as history or protocol). He's got two points left.
• Intimidation d4: This is a Spirit-linked skill, and is rolled to influence people similar to Persuasion. While Persuasion represents asking nicely, Intimidation represents getting what you want through threats and coercion. That costs one point, and he has one remaining.
• Riding d4: This is linked to Agility, and rolled to control mounts or animal-drawn conveyances (such as carriages or wagons).
• For any skills he doesn't have, Talmar rolls a d4 with a -2 penalty.

6. Edges

Edges are your character’s special abilities which give them advantages in certain situations. They’re basically the equivalent of Feats and Class Features in D&D. Two characters might have identical Traits, but they’re set apart by their Edges.

Edges can be purchased for two Hindrance Points each, but you have to meet the requirements for taking them. These include having a minimum die type in a certain Trait, or even another Edge. I’ve got four Hindrance Points to spend, but I’ll spend them later.

• As a Human, Talmar has one free Edge of his choosing, providing he meets the requirements. He has taken the Soldier Edge, which represents his martial training. This requires Strength and Vigour to be a minimum of d6, which he has. Accustomed to carrying heavy loads and enduring harsh conditions, he treats his Strength as one die type higher for Minimum Strength and Encumbrance (I'll talk about these in a minute), and gets a free reroll on Vigour rolls made to resist environmental hazards.
• Failing such Vigour rolls can result in Fatigue. Each level of Fatigue imposes a -1 penalty to all Trait rolls (up to a maximum of -2). Depending on the source, three levels of Fatigue can incapacitate or even kill a character (I'll talk about Incapacitation next week). Unless stated otherwise, Fatigue is recovered by one level per hour of rest.

7. Derived Statistics

These are miscellaneous abilities that are either calculated from Traits or have set values. They can also be modified by Edges, Hindrances, and Ancestral Abilities. Some settings may have their own Derived Statistics, but there are four default ones:

Pace

Pace is a measure of your character’s mobility, and determines how far you can move in a turn. If we assume that you're playing on a table-top with miniatures, then your character can move a number of inches equal to their Pace (1” is two yards). You can also run on your turn, rolling a running die and adding the total to your Pace for that turn. The running die is not a Trait, therefore it doesn’t include a Wild Die, nor does it Ace (one of the few rolls that doesn't).

The default Pace is 6, and the default running die is d6. This means you can move 6” on a turn, or 12 yards in the real world. If you run, you can move a maximum of 12” (24 yards).

• Talmar doesn’t have any Edges or Hindrances which affect Pace, so he has the default Pace of 6 and a d6 running die.

Parry

Parry is a measure of how well your character can defend themselves in hand-to-hand combat, and serves as the Target Number for all melee attacks (in other words, it’s what somebody has to roll to hit you).

The default Parry is 2, but if you have a die type in Fighting, you can increase your Parry by half your die type. Parry can also be increased by certain types of gear, such as shields. Equipment bonuses are typically listed in brackets next to your total Parry.

• Talmar has a d8 in Fighting, which gives him a base Parry of 6.

Size

Size represents your character’s height and weight in comparison to an average-sized human being.

The default Size is 0, which represents a height of 4’1” to 6’, and a weight of 126 to 250 lbs. A player character's Size cannot be less than -1 or greater than 3.

• Talmar’s Size is 0.

Toughness

Toughness represents your character’s damage threshold, and serves as the Target Number for all damage rolls (in other words, it’s what somebody has to roll to hurt you).

The standard Toughness is 2, plus half your Vigour die, plus your Size. Toughness can also be increased by wearing armour. The bonus from armour is listed in brackets next to your total Toughness, but some weapons have an Armour Piercing value which can negate some or all of this.

• Talmar’s Vigour is a d6, and his Size is 0, so that gives him a base Toughness of 5.

8. Gear

All characters start with the clothes on their back. Weapons, armour, and adventuring gear have to be purchased. The default starting funds are $500, unless modified by Edges or Hindrances. You can also start with an additional $1000 (or double the standard starting funds for the setting) for one Hindrance Point each.

You may also have to consider Encumbrance and Minimum Strength. You can carry up to 20 lbs of gear for each die type in Strength. This is known as your Encumbrance limit. If the weight you carry is above the limit, you reduce your Pace by 2 and suffer a -2 penalty to running rolls, Agility and Agility-linked skill rolls, and Vigour rolls made to resist Fatigue. If the load is more than three times the Encumbrance limit, your Pace is 1, and you have to make a Vigour roll to resist Fatigue after a number of rounds equal to your Vigour die (one round is approximately six seconds). You can carry a maximum of four times your Encumbrance limit.

• Talmar has a Strength of d6, but he treats it as a d8 for the purposes of Encumbrance due to his Soldier Edge. That means he can carry up to 60 lbs of equipment without penalty, and can carry a maximum of 240 lbs. With a d6 in Vigour, he can carry 180 lbs or more for six rounds before he needs to roll for Fatigue each round thereafter.

Minimum Strength is what it says on the tin; the Strength die you need to use certain types of gear without penalty. Failing to meet the Minimum Strength of gear depends on the type of gear:

• For melee or thrown weapons, the weapon's damage die is capped by your Strength die.
• For ranged weapons, you suffer a -1 penalty to Shooting rolls for each die type the Minimum Strength exceeds your Strength.
• For armour and worn gear, you suffer a -1 penalty to your Pace, Agility rolls, and Agility-linked skill rolls for each die type the Minimum Strength exceeds your Strength.

I tend not to use Encumbrance in my games unless it's something dramatically appropriate (such as looting a store in a zombie apocalypse or carrying bulky items such as chests). I don't include the weight of armour being worn, since that's covered by Minimum Strength.

Anyway, let’s see Talmar's gear:

• Long Sword: This costs $300, deals Strength+d8 damage and has a Minimum Strength of d8. Talmar’s Strength is a d6, but he treats it as d8 for the purpose of Minimum Strength thanks to his Soldier Edge. This allows him to use it without penalties (he still rolls a d6 for Strength on the damage roll). If he didn’t have the Edge, his Strength would cap the weapon’s damage die so he’d only roll Strength+d6.
• Medium Shield: This costs $100, and gives him +2 Parry when it’s equipped, so his total Parry is now 8 (2). It also imposes a -2 Cover penalty to incoming ranged attacks (assuming he can adequately defend himself).
• Thick Hide Jacket: This costs $80, and provides +2 Armour to his torso and arms. His Toughness is now listed as 7 (2).
• He has $20 remaining, which he’ll save for the adventure.

9. Hindrance Points

With all that out of the way, it’s time to spend the Hindrance Points. Here's a reminder for what they can be spent on:

• Additional Attribute Points: Two Hindrance Points each
• Additional Skill Points: One Hindrance Point Each
• Additional Edges: Two Hindrance Points each.
• Additional Starting Funds: One Hindrance Point gives you the equivalent of double the normal starting amount.

Let's spend Talmar's Hindrance Points:

• He spends two Hindrance Points to bump his Agility up to a d8. This actually means his Fighting die only costs three Skill Points now, and gives him an unspent Skill Point. I’ll use it to raise his Shooting to a d8.
• His other two Hindrance Points will be spent on a new Edge. I’ll give him Trademark Weapon, and apply it to his longsword. This Edge requires a d8 in the skill appropriate to the weapon (in the case of melee weapons, Fighting). With the Edge, Talmar’s longsword is practically an extension of himself. He adds +1 to Fighting rolls when attacking with it, and has +1 Parry when it’s equipped. Combined with the shield, this gives him a Parry of 9 (3).

With that, he's ready for his adventure. But before I wrap up, I'll talk about Advancement.

10. Advancement

Instead of experience points and levels, you have Advances and Ranks. All characters are created at Novice Rank, and there are four ranks that follow: Seasoned, Veteran, Heroic and Legendary. You may receive an Advance at the end of a session, and you go up in Rank on every fourth Advance. In my games, I usually have players Advance at the end of every session until they get to Seasoned Rank, after which point they'll Advance every other session. Alternatively, I may have Advancement occur at set intervals.

Each Advance can be spent on one of the following bonuses:

• Attribute Increase: Raise an Attribute by one die type, but this can only be taken once per Rank
• Greater Skill Increase: Raise a skill by one die type above its linked Attribute
• Lesser Skill Increase: Raise two skills by one die type up to their linked Attributes (this includes buying new skills at d4)
• Edge: Choose a new Edge you meet the requirements for
• Buy off a Hindrance: Remove a Minor Hindrance, or reduce a Major Hindrance to a Minor version if there is one

In some campaigns, you might start at Seasoned Rank. If that’s the case, you just go through the process I’ve already outlined to make a Novice Rank character, and then give them four Advances right away. You can’t buy off Hindrances with these Advances, but everything else is fine.

I’ll demonstrate with Talmar, giving him four Advances to bump him up to Seasoned Rank:

• Advance 1 – Edge: He's going to take First Strike. This is requires at least a d8 in Agility (which he has), and allows him to make a free attack once per round against an enemy who moves into melee range.
• Advance 2 – Attribute Increase: He raises his Agility to d10. He’s limited to one Attribute increase per Rank, so he can’t raise any more Attributes until his fourth Advance (when he goes up in Rank).
• Advance 3 – Lesser Skill Increase: He'll raise his Fighting and Shooting to a d10. If he hadn’t raised his Agility on the previous Advance, then he would only have been able to raise one of those skills on this Advance. By increasing his Fighting, he has also increased his Parry to 10 (3).
• Advance 4 – Edge: This is Talmar’s first Seasoned Advance, and he's going to take Frenzy. This Edge requires a minimum Rank of Seasoned and at least a d8 in Fighting. It allows Talmar to roll a second Fighting die on one melee attack per turn, which he can apply to the same target or another adjacent target. He still gets a Wild Die, ignores the lowest roll, and makes separate damage rolls for each roll that hits.

Putting it altogether, we've got a cocky mercenary who is eager for fortune and glory. With a d10 in both Fighting and Shooting, he’s highly proficient with a bow and a blade, but his Edges gear him more towards melee combat (especially with his Trademark Long Sword). On the defence, he can use First Strike to attack an enemy who closes the distance, possibly dispatching them before they can attack him. On the offence, he can use Frenzy to try and land two hits on one attack.

Phew, that took a while. Thanks for visiting, and please join me again next week as I'll be discussing the basic combat mechanics.

Special thanks to Richard Woolcock for giving me permission to reference his characters. You can find his other works on DriveThruRPG here.

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. It is unofficial Media Content permitted under the Media Network Content Agreement. This content is not managed, approved, or endorsed by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Certain portions of the materials used are the intellectual property of Pinnacle, and all rights are reserved. Savage Worlds, all related settings, and unique characters, locations, and characters, logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group

A Beginner's Guide to Savage Worlds (Chapter 1: Dice Mechanics)

I've heard there was a bit of a kerfuffle regarding Dungeons & Dragons earlier this year. Yes, I have been living in a cave. No, there isn't "room for one more". I actually migrated from Dungeons & Dragons to the Savage Worlds system over ten years ago, so I'd only been following the stories out of curiosity and the hopes of attracting new players. And the memes. I can't forget the memes.

Anyway, Savage Worlds is one of my favourite RPG systems. I love the flexibility it offers, and how I can easily apply it to a variety of genres and settings. With this in mind, I've decided to do a series of blog posts intended to help introduce new players to the system (especially those familiar with Dungeons & Dragons).

To begin with, I'll look at the basic dice mechanics.

Traits

All characters have abilities known as Traits, which have a die type that can range from a d4 to a d12. The die type represents your level of proficiency in that particular Trait, with a d6 being average. You make a Trait roll any time you want to perform a task that has a risk of failure. The GM assigns an appropriate Trait, along with any modifiers from circumstances relating to the task (both positive and negative). You roll the die type you have listed for that Trait, and then add or subtract the modifiers. If you're called to roll a Trait you don't have, you make an unskilled roll, which means you roll a d4 with a -2 penalty. 

The aim of the roll is to equal or exceed a Target Number, which is usually 4. This means if your total is 4 or more, you perform a task successfully. You’re probably wondering “How can you get a 4 when you only have a d4 and subtract 2 from the total?”

Here's how: If you roll the maximum value on a die (a 4 on a d4, 6 on a d6, and so on), you roll that die again and add the new roll to the previous one. And yes, this can happen repeatedly, and it is cumulative (I once rolled an 18 on a d4 because of it). This is referred to in-game as Acing.

If the final total meets or beats the Target Number, the task was successful. Additionally, you score a raise for every four points the total exceeds the Target Number, which represents a greater magnitude of success. A raise often grants an additional benefit, but whether or not multiple raises have additional effects is dependent on the task.

Unlike D&D, in which different tasks have a variable Difficulty Class, the Target Number in Savage Worlds is almost always 4 (with a few exceptions). The more complicated a task, the more penalties it incurs. 

Anyway, let's illustrate things with an example: 

Pulp adventurer Virginia Stone is trying to bypass a locked door by picking the lock with a hairpin. The GM determines that this is a Thievery roll. Thievery is not one of Virginia's Traits, so she makes an unskilled roll. Furthermore the GM imposes an additional -2 penalty for lacking suitable equipment (a hairpin rather than a dedicated lockpick). This brings the total penalty to -4.

While that sounds difficult, it's not impossible thanks to Acing. But that’s not the only thing that improves her chances...

Wild Die

All characters in Savage Worlds fall into two categories; Wild Cards and Extras. Wild Cards represent the most important characters in a story. This includes the player characters, major non-player characters (friends and enemies), and notable monsters. All other characters and creatures are Extras. 

Example: In a Star Wars game, Han Solo, Darth Vader, and the Rancor would all be Wild Cards. Generic Rebels and Stormtroopers would be Extras.

All Wild Cards have what's known as a Wild Die. This is a d6 which you roll with every Trait roll. But you don’t add it to the Trait die. Instead, you treat the Wild Die as a separate roll that's subject to the same modifiers as the Trait die and can still Ace. You use whichever total is higher. 

Think of it like this: The Trait die represents succeeding at a task because you're good at it, whereas the Wild Die represents succeeding at a task because you're the hero of the story. I always recommend that all players set aside one particularly distinct d6 to serve as their Wild Die.

Of course, there's a downside: Any time you roll a natural 1 on both your Trait die and the Wild Die, you get a Critical Failure, which introduces an additional complication.

Let's go back to the earlier example. Virginia is a Wild Card, so she rolls a d4 (her Trait die) and a d6 (her Wild Die):

• The Target Number is 4, which she must equal or exceed on at least one of her dice
• She has a -4 penalty on both rolls (-2 for making an unskilled roll, and -2 for using improvised equipment).
• Her Trait Die rolls a 2, and the penalties bring the total down to -2.
• Her Wild Die rolls a 6, which means it's Aced. Rolling it again, she gets a 3 and adds that to the 6 for a total of 9. The penalties then reduce the total to 5.
• Since the total on the Wild Die was greater than the total on the Trait die, she uses the Wild Die, thus giving her a final total of 5. 

As the Target Number was 4 and Virginia’s total was 5, her roll was successful. The GM decides that she picks the lock in 2d6 minutes. If her total was 8 or more, she would have scored a raise. The GM decides that a raise would halve the time determined by the roll. Of course, she could still try for a raise...

Bennies

A major feature of Savage Worlds is Bennies. Short for "benefits", Bennies are tokens which represent luck or fortune, and can be spent in a variety of ways. 

All players start each session with three Bennies, and can earn more through good roleplaying or cool actions. Additionally, the GM has a Benny for each player at the session, and can spend these on anybody under their control (whether they’re a Wild Card or not). Furthermore, all Wild Card NPCs have two Bennies of their own. Bennies are reset to these values at the beginning of each session (they're not carried over unless midway through an encounter, and reset after that encounter).

For in-person games, I use paperclips to represent Bennies. It means I can make separate chains to distinguish Wild Card Bennies from GM Bennies. For my Roll20 games, the character sheet has a Benny counter, but I have a "card" for player and GM Bennies which are spent by dragging onto the table.

One of the main uses for Bennies is to reroll a Trait roll and keep the best result. I'll talk about other uses in future posts. 

Going back to the earlier example, Virginia spends a Benny to reroll her Thievery check, hoping for a raise. She rerolls both her Trait die and her Wild Die:

• The Target Number is still 4, and there's still a -4 penalty on the roll
• Her Trait die rolls a 4, which Aces. She rolls a 3 for a total of 7, but the penalties reduce it to 3.
• On the Wild Die, she rolls a 5, which is reduced to a 1.
• She uses the total on the Trait Die, but that would be a failure since it's below the Target Number
• Since her initial roll yielded a total of 5, she can either keep that 5 or spend another Benny to reroll. 

You can keep spending Bennies to reroll until you’re happy with the result or you run out of Bennies, and you always keep the highest roll. However, a Critical Failure can't be rerolled and must be accepted if it's the result of a reroll.

Unsatisfied, Virginia spends another Benny to try again, but rolls a Critical Failure. Her previous total of 5 is now invalidated, and she can't spend any more Bennies on that roll. Furthermore, her hairpin breaks in the lock, preventing anybody from opening the door without breaking it down. But a guard's footsteps are approaching...

Opposed Rolls

Sometimes a Trait roll is an opposed roll. This means an aggressor rolls against the standard Target Number of 4, but then the defender makes a roll in which the aggressor's total serves as the Target Number for them. Whoever rolls higher is the winner, and compares their total to their opponent's for the purpose of raises (the defender wins on a tie). You can still spend Bennies on opposed rolls, but if you're the aggressor, you must do so before the defender makes their roll.

As Virginia hears someone approaching, she ducks into an opposite room. The GM determines that this a Stealth roll. A guard is walking down the hallway on a routine patrol. Virginia's Stealth is a d6, and she still gets a Wild Die on the roll.

• As the guard is inattentive, the Target Number is 4
• Her Trait die rolls a 2, and her Wild Die rolls a 3
• Since the Target Number was 4, this would be a failure

Virginia ducks into the opposite room, but the guard notices the door close and decides to investigate further. Virginia must now make another Stealth roll, but this time it's an opposed roll.

• The Target Number is still 4, but she's spotted immediately if she fails
• She rolls a 5 on her Trait Die and a 4 on her Wild Die
  

Since the Target Number for Virginia is still 4, that means she finds a hiding place in the other room. However, the guard comes in to investigate, and makes a Notice roll. His Notice is a d6, but he's an Extra, so he doesn't get a Wild Die (however, if several Extras are acting as a group, they can roll a group die with their Trait die, which acts like a Wild Die).

• The Target Number for the guard is 5 (the total on Virginia's Stealth roll)
• The guard rolls a 6, which Aces. He then rolls a 1, which gives him a total of 7.

Since the Target Number was 5, this is a success. He spots Virginia. She lunges at him, and a scuffle ensues...

I'll wrap things up here, but I'll be making regular posts over the next couple of weeks. Please join me again next week, where I'll be providing a walkthrough of basic character creation.

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. It is unofficial Media Content permitted under the Media Network Content Agreement. This content is not managed, approved, or endorsed by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Certain portions of the materials used are the intellectual property of Pinnacle, and all rights are reserved. Savage Worlds, all related settings, and unique characters, locations, and characters, logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group

A Q&A with Val Penny

 

I'm once gain pleased to be joined on the Writer's Block by Val Penny, who has recently launched  Hunter's Force, the third story in her Hunter Wilson series, and is here to answer some questions about her writing and her story.

Over to you, Val.

Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog today. I am delighted to have a chance to tell you and your readers about Hunter’s Force, the new novel in my series of DI Hunter Wilson Thrillers.

1. What made you decide to start writing novels?

I have been writing and telling stories all my life. When I was a child, I used to make up stories for my little sister after our Mum put the light out and told us to go to sleep. Later, I wrote documents, contracts, and courses as part of my job, but my time was well accounted for, so I did not create any fiction.

However, I took early retirement when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and there were times when I suffered severe side effects from my treatment. I could not go out, spend time with friends or indulge in many of my favourite hobbies, but watching daytime television got very old very fast, so I turned to reading. It was the only thing I had the energy to do and could do safely.

2. What inspired you to write crime fiction and set your series in Edinburgh?

I must admit that the genre of book that I enjoy most to read is crime fiction, so I decided to write what I like to read. Before I set the DI Hunter Wilson series in Edinburgh, I did debate making up a town like Peter Robinson did for his crime series. However, I know Edinburgh well and it is a city many people have visited or want to visit. It is also quite a small city, but cosmopolitan and it has everything in it that I needed, so Edinburgh is Hunter’s home.

3. The book has some dark humour within it as well as some brutal murders, how did you manage to combine to two without it sounding forced and was it intentional to combine both and yet keep a gritty feel?

Aah yes, well that was intentional. I enjoy humour and especially dark humour. I think you need that to lift a crime novel from being too bleak.

4. How do you get into the mindset of your characters to write both the murderer and the police solving the case?

I drafted biographies for each of my main characters and that allowed me to get to know them well before I started writing my novels. I particularly like Hunter Wilson because I know I can trust his judgement. I enjoy Jamie as a character too. His judgement is always suspect, but he tries his best to accomplish his goals!

5. Did you have to research for the police procedures? If so, how easy, or difficult was this to do and then to translate it into a fictional story?

Yes. I am lucky to have a friend who is a retired Detective Chief Inspector and another who is a serving CSI with Greater Manchester Police. They were most helpful in guiding me in the right direction, Of course, I may have strayed for dramatic effect and any errors are mine.

6. How do you get your inspiration?

I get inspiration from many different places. Overhearing a snatch of a conversation in a restaurant, hearing a story from a friend or from the evening news. I always have a notebook with me to jot down my thoughts.

7. This is the third book in this series now, do you have more planned or what’s next in your writing career?

I certainly plan to write more books in the Hunter series. I also have a second series now where Jane Renwick is the main character. The first book in that series will be published by SpellBound Books this year and I am writing the second book in that series now.

 8. You write a blog and keep a social media presence, as well as writing books. From an author’s perspective, how does this benefit both you and your readers?

I like to keep in touch with my readers and to hear from them through my website, www.valpenny.com my blog, and on social media. It is always lovely to keep in touch.

9. When can readers expect your next novel?

I particularly enjoyed writing Hunter’s Force and hope that your readers will enjoy the novel too. SpellBound plan that the next novel in this series, Hunter’s Blood, will appear later in 2023. It will explore more aspects of Hunter and his family. Your readers can find out about that on my website in due course!

10. What genres do you like to read and what are you reading just now?

I read many crime fiction novels, but also women’s fiction, historical novels, and nonfiction. I have just finished reading My Extra Life by Maggie Cobbett, a nonfiction book of the author’s 20year career as a TV and film extra. Now I am reading a historical novel set in Roman times, The Third Daughter, by Fiona Forsyth.

Thank you for inviting me to your blog today. It is always nice to speak to you.

Thank you for joining me today. And all the best with Hunter's Force, which is available here.

Hunter by name – Hunter by nature.

Can DI Hunter Wilson keep Edinburgh safe when he is the hunted?

Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is woken in the early hours of the morning by a call from his son. Cameron’s flatmate was murdered. Why would anybody want to kill a young woman recently arrived in the city?

Hunter must call in the new Major Incident Team (MIT) to lead the investigation due to the reorganisation of police services. Hunter's ability to be involved, however, is put in severe doubt when someone from his past decides to take revenge on him. He goes missing, and his team have no idea where to look for him. Who would want to stop Hunter in his tracks?

Meanwhile, Hunter's team must work closely with the MIT and with or without him, solve the murder in this taut crime thriller.

About the Author

Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. 

Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction books, and novels. Her novels are published by SpellBound Books Ltd. 

Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat. 

Happy writing.

Western Weekends: Zorro (1975)

Happy New Year, despite it being halfway into the year's Monday (cold, depressing, and feels longer than it is). Anyway, it's been a while since I've done a "Western Weekend", so I figured I'd revive that. And since we could all use a Zorro right now, that would be my next film to review. Zorro is an Italian film released in 1975, and is a delightful romp.

Alain Delon plays Don Diego de la Vega, a Spanish swordsman and adventurer in Colombia (rather than the traditional location of California), who is preparing to return to Spain. While waiting for passage in Cartagena, he meets his old friend Don Miguel de la Serna. An idealistic and peace-loving noble, Miguel has been appointed governor of the province of Neuva Aragon following the suspicious death of his uncle. That evening, Miguel is attacked by assassins hired by the power-hungry Colonel Huerta. Diego is eager for revenge and offers to go in his Miguel's stead, but Miguel makes him promise that the new governor will never kill. Accompanied by Miguel's mute servant Joaquin, he travels to Nueva Aragon, and finds a dystopia; the local farmers are swindled by the merchant classes, and oppressed by the militia. Colonel Huerta, played by Stanley Baker, seeks to rule the province as a military dictator, but Diego assumes the role of a fop to lull the colonel into a false sense of security. He later learns of a local story of a trickster spirit known as Zorro, and uses the story to adopt the persona of a masked swordsman who fights oppression. He later falls in love with Hortensia Purlido, the daughter of a bankrupt noble family and a vocal critic of the government.

One thing to note is that the film still retains a few moments from the original Johnston McCulley novel. For example, there is a scene in which a well-respected monk named Brother Francisco (Fray Felipe in the original story) is tried for allegedly selling spoiled hides to a merchant and sentenced to be whipped. Zorro interrupts the flogging, ordering the merchant, the magistrate, and the executioner to be flogged instead. Huerta's henchman, Sergeant Garcia, is based on Sergeant Gonzales, who is determined to capture Zorro but is on friendly terms with Diego.

Naturally, there's plenty of sword fighting, but it seems to adopt a more slapstick tone. That might not be your thing, but I personally love it. There's one notable fight scene in a marketplace in which Zorro battles with Sergeant Garcia. While evading Garcia's soldiers, Zorro makes use of someone carrying a large plank to utilise a "Laurel and Hardy" combat style. Or another moment involves using the canvas of the market stalls as trampolines. In a more ridiculous scene, Zorro is infiltrating a prison and delays guards by rolling barrels down a staircase like Donkey Kong, later hiding in one of the barrels to sneak past them.

If there's any issue I do have, it's with the finale before the fight between Zorro and Huerta. As the people begin to rebel, Huerta shoots and kills Brother Francisco. Zorro - who never actually kills anyone he fights - decides that the priest's death absolves him of his vow. It's all well and good, but it was kind of arbitrary and came out of nowhere. I would have liked to see some build-up to that. There are also a fair few scenes that don't add much, mainly involving Miguel's aunt Carmen and his Prussian bodyguard Fritz von Markel (both of whom largely serve as comic relief). Hortensia seems like an interesting character with her outspoken nature, but ends up being a damsel in distress.

All in all, I love this film. It's not the most well-produced film around, but I find it enjoyably silly. It's worth at least one watch. Try and find an uncut version if possible, since many cuts have left out a lot of important backstory. Some of it could have been cut, but other bits really should have been kept in.

Also, is that dog dubbed?