Rules for Dueling

It’s hard for me to say if this is a Tiny Worlds entry or not. At any rate, here is something that has been knocking around my head for the past few days.

CW: dismemberment

Characters

Skill

Skill starts at 1. This will increase and decrease as duels are fought.

Attributes

Attributes are paired traits. They are determined by throwing 2d6 for the first trait, and then subtracting that value from 14 for the secondary trait. The attributes are:

Aggressive/Conservative
Strong/Quick
Worldliness/Emptiness

NOTE: Worldliness has no mechanical effect. It exists as a hook upon which to hang future mechanics.

Sample Characters

Skill-4, Agg-6, Con-8, Str-5, Qui-9, Wor-6, Emp-8

Skill-3, Agg-2, Con-12, Str-5, Qui-9, Wor-11, Emp-3

Skill-2, Agg-12, Con-2, Str-8, Qui-6, Wor-5, Emp-9

Skill-2, Agg-6, Con-8, Str-11, Qui-3, Wor-8, Emp-6

Skill-1, Agg-4, Con-10, Str-5, Qui-9, Wor-3, Emp-11

Skill-1, Agg-9, Con-5, Str-7, Qui-7, Wor-9, Emp-5

Skill-1, Agg-8, Con-6, Str-7, Qui-7, Wor-8, Emp-6

Skill-1, Agg-8, Con-6, Str-8, Qui-6, Wor-3, Emp-11

Skill-1, Agg-8, Con-6, Str-10, Qui-4, Wor-8, Emp-6

Skill-1, Agg-5, Con-9, Str-6, Qui-8, Wor-9, Emp-5

Tests

To test an attribute, throw 2d6. If the value is less than or equal to the attribute, the test succeeds.

Dueling

Determine the relative difference in skill between combatants. This is added to your attack roll. Relative skill level can never be lower than -5 or higher than +5.

Dueling takes place over several phases.

1. Initiative
2. Maneuver
3. Attack
4. Surrender or Flee

Initiative

Each combatant rolls 1d6 with the following modifiers. The combatant with the highest initiative can maneuver this round. If initiative is tied, neither combatant maneuvers - proceed to the Attack phase.

+2 if you lost initiative last round
-1 if you took a wound last round

Maneuver

The combatant with initiative chooses a maneuver.

No maneuver. Proceed to the Attack phase.
Charge. Test Aggressive. On a success, use the Charge table in the Attack phase.
Parry. Test Conservative. On a success, you may ignore wound results from your opponent this round.
Hew. Test Strong. On a success, use the Hew table in the Attack phase.
Dodge. Test Quick. On a success, you may ignore Kill and Dismember results from your opponent this round.
Focus. Test Emptiness. On a success, you enter a focused state. You may add 1 to your attack roll in this round and the next. You cannot be made to flee this round.

Attack

Both combatants throw 2d6 and add their relative skill level.

If both combatants throw the same numeric result (after adding skill level) the result is a Clash, ignore results from the attack table and see below. Otherwise, each combatant inflicts their result on the enemy.

w - The enemy receives a wound. A combatant with 5 wounds is unable to continue the fight.
ww - Same as above, but the enemy receives two wounds.
F - The enemy is frightened and forced to flee.
D - The enemy is dismembered. Roll on the Dismemberment table below.
K - The enemy is killed outright.

Clash

In a clash each opponent tests Strong.

If both fail sparks fly but there is no other effect.
If one succeeds their opponent’s weapon shatters and they are forced to surrender.
If both succeed their weapons shatter and the duel is considered a draw.

Dismemberment

Dismemberment ends a duel and begins a feud. If both combatants are simultaneously dismembered and survive, the duel is considered a draw.

Surrender or Flee

A combatant who has taken 5 wounds is forced to surrender.

A combatant who is not forced to surrender can choose to flee, taking the appropriate consequences. If neither side has fled, surrendered or died, the combatants start a new round, rolling initiative again.

Ending the Duel

If a combatant has killed, dismembered, or sufficiently wounded their opponent, they are naturally the victor. It is possible that both combatants flee and have to suffer the consequence, or that a combatant is victorious and is unaware because they have fled.

If both combatants have taken more than 5 wounds, the one with the fewest wounds is the victor. If the combatants are tied in wounds, the duel is considered a draw.

When the duel is finished, apply all relevant consequences.

A combatant who is victorious increases their skill by 1.
If the combatants have fought to a draw, and are not evenly matched, the one with the lesser skill increases their skill by 1.
A combatant who has fled the duel decreases their skill by 1 to a minimum of 0.
A combatant who suffers dismemberment decreases their skill by 2 to a minimum of 0. Cosmetic disfigurement does not incur this consequence.