Fate: Heavy Metal Combat
Here’s a Fate rule to make Physique more important in combat, and encourage fighting types to be brawny, iron-clad behemoths. I made it for my D&D inspired fantasy game, but it could easily be adapted for a sci-fi setting featuring steroidal space marines.
This rule uses weapon and armor bonuses, and the maximum bonus is based on your Physique. Specifically half your numerical score, rounded up for melee weapons and down for armor. Here's a handy chart. Note that this bonus is only for melee weapons. Ranged weapons don't get a weapon bonus.
For most characters, these numbers are in the range suggested by the Fate System Toolkit. Remember that NPCs and threats should also have armor and weapon bonuses.
If you use a weapon too big for you, your Fighting checks are at -1 per level of the bonus over your maximum. If you wear armor too heavy for you, all Fighting and Athletics rolls are at -1 per level of the bonus over your maximum. (This is admittedly a little crunchy for Fate. Feel free to wing it.)
Stunts
Certain character concepts don’t jive with heavy metal. Some warriors prefer finesse, or just hate wearing armor. Since these concepts are the exception to the norm, we can patch over these problems with Stunts.
Deadly Finesse: Even a dagger is deadly in your hands. Your Fighting attacks have weapon 2, no matter how small a weapon you wield.
Graceful Evasion: You’re used to fighting without the encumbrance of heavy armor. When you are not wearing armor, you defend with Athletics at +1.
Deadly Hands: You don’t need a holdout weapon. You never suffer any disadvantage for being unarmed.
Naked Barbarian: (Prerequisite: Fair Physique) Who needs armor when you're tough as nails? You have armor 1 against physical attacks, even if you're naked. When wearing minimal armor, treat it as the maximum armor rating your Physique would allow you to wear.
Comments
Post a Comment