Running the Game

Combat in Detail

1. Determine groups. A lot of the time the enemy, or enemies, form a single group. The characters attack or try to affect them as one, and they in turn fight as one (dealing damage depending on their numbers, see “Multiple enemies deal more damage”). Sometimes, however, the characters might face off multiple groups. Perhaps there are 2 powerful, named enemies, each with their own minions. Perhaps the enemy groups fight from vastly different vantage points, or maybe one group arrives mid-fight to flank the characters.
2. Describe enemy intent. Explain what the enemy is about to do. They might get ready to pounce, turn to run away, wave their hands in esoteric patterns to rain down lightning, or as a group come charging, swinging their weapons.
3. Ask how the characters try and vanquish the enemy. During a character’s go it is implied that they try and defend against or avoid the enemy attack, and at the same time try to launch their attack or perform their action. On a success they succeed in their action and avoid the enemy’s, on a failure it’s the other way around, and on a partial success, both their and the enemy’s actions or attacks succeed.
   1. A player cannot avoid the roll to avoid the failure; at the very least they defend, unless they are too far away to be reasonably affected. Doing nothing but defending grants no special advantage, unless it would make sense in the situation.
   2. Moving a short distance is always a free part on a character’s action, as are trivial things like opening an unlocked door, picking something up, or yelling a sentence or two.
4. Each character gets 1 action. In any order that the players choose, go around the table and have each player roll against the enemy.
   1. If there are multiple enemy groups, the characters have to defend against each (in whatever order makes sense for the narrative). However, after the first one they were targeted by, they presumably have used their 1 action already, so the roll is only to defend; they cannot perform a second action, like also attacking the second group.
5. End of the round. Once each character has gone, and in the case of multiple groups, defended against each group, the round is finished. A lot of the time, this is also the end of the combat, if it has not already been resolved earlier. Determine if there will be a next round:
   1. Remind the characters that while ability score damage is relatively easy to heal, wounds—which take up precious gift slots—are not. Are they willing to risk more damage?
   2. The enemy is no fool either: decide whether they might want to flee, surrender, or bargain.
   3. If bloodlust prevails, go back to point 2 above.

Dealing Damage

A character’s equipment gift will say which ability score it adds on the attack roll, and how much damage it will do. Most melee weapons will do 1d4 + Brawn damage, ranged ones 1d4 + Agility. Poor or otherwise less effective items might do 1d4 without adding the ability score. Large or very dangerous weapons might do 1d8 + ability score, and some exotic weapons might even add Graces or Mind to the die.

When dealing damage to the enemy, because you are fighting a whole group, and the fight is abstracted, it carries over from one creature to the next. For example, if you’re fighting three enemy creatures with 4 hp each, and you deal 9 damage, you will kill two of them, and deal 1 damage to the third.

Monster, Enemy, & Other Character Stat Blocks

Stat blocks for GM-run creatures are simplified versions of player character sheets. They consist of level, hit points (generally level times 4, more if armored or otherwise tough), basic attack types and damage, and special abilities. A creature dies, or is otherwise taken out, when it reaches 0 hit points. Unless otherwise stated its damage goes to Brawn. It might also have [diff 1] or [diff 2] in a special ability, which means taking that many dice off the player's pool before they roll.

Multiple Enemies Deal More Damage

Damage dealt is usually the creature’s damage die plus its level. However when multiple enemies are attacking the damage is additionally increased by the number of enemies attacking.

For example, a single piglin deals 1d4+1 damage, 3 of them (or two piglin plus a bandit) deal 1d4+4 damage. When a group’s damage differs between enemies, use the highest one. For example, a level 1 piglin (1d4+1) and a level 3 wyrm (1d8+3) attacking together, would deal 1d8+5 damage (1d8+3 for the wyrm plus 2 because there are 2 enemies).

Enemy Special Abilities

If an enemy consists of a powerful named character, and several minions, that group’s intent is likely to affect the characters with a special ability (the named character’s action) plus regular clobbering damage (the minions). This is handled in the usual way if the special ability deals damage, and, if not, both the effects of the ability take effect on a player character’s failed roll or partial success, as well as the minion’s damage.

Adjusting Difficulty

While at first glance it seems that difficulty is static, since players roll against their own abilities, which are not influenced by the enemy, that is in fact not quite so, and there are several ways to tweak a combat’s difficulty.

1. Number of enemies. While this doesn’t influence the roll, it does very much determine the damage in most cases, and thus the risk in the long run.
2. Enemy groups. As soon as you have more than one enemy group, the danger goes up; it doubles for each additional group in fact.
3. Attrition. Enemies with many hit points will likely drag out fights, increasing the chances of inflicting more wounds. However, use this sparingly, since the system is designed to be fast.
4. Direct difficulty adjustment. In some cases—and this is true for rolls out of combat too—you might decide that the players have to take 1 or 2 dice away from their pool before they roll, and they can only attempt the roll (otherwise failing automatically) if they have at least 1 die. Reserve this adjustment for massive enemies, and for planned player actions with questionable odds of success. On creature stat blocks or ability effects this is noted as [diff 1] or [diff 2].

Combat Example

Three characters have pursued a lich and her 5 minions up a giant, gnarled mangrove tree, while one watches from the bottom. Almost at the top, the old tree buckles under the weight, and characters, lich, and minions all start tumbling down. But the lich isn’t going gently into the good night, nor are 2 of her minions; the other 3 are too dumb and confused and just fall.

GM: “Even while falling, you can see the lich draw upon eldritch forces, as black lightning starts to crackle around her arms—lightning, she is about to unleash upon you three. Additionally two minions have the wherewithal to also attack, getting ready to toss spears and swords and whatever else sharp they have, at you. The other three minions are bouncing off branches as they fall, further damaging their already partly decomposed bodies. What do you do?”

Player 1: “From my Gown of Ravenna I sprout liquid obsidian tentacles, which I use both to put flying debris between me and the lich’s black lightning, and to slash at her.”

GM: “Sounds good. Since this is all about deft and dextrous maneuvering, it’ll be an Agility roll.”

Player 1: “Ok, I get 1d12 as a base. Hopefully for my Danger [Appearance] trait, I get a second.”

Player 4: “While I can’t reach anyone while they’re falling, perhaps I can help by distracting the lich with my Trickery [Desire] trait?”

GM: “That would be fine, but that would be your action, and by helping another you share in their consequences. Are you ok with that?”

Player 4: “Yes. I shout something clever that briefly draws the lich’s gaze.”

Player 1: “Ok, with that help, I’m now at 3d12 for this roll. Oh, not a great roll. I get a 3, 4, and a 7. Taking the highest, and with my Agility of 3 that’s a total of 10—a partial success.”

GM: “Ok, that means both your action happens and the enemies’ actions affect you. But before we resolve them, let’s hear from the others.”

Player 2: “Can I use my Into Harm’s Way power to take the damage for [Player 1]?”

GM: “Absolutely, but don’t forget you’re also falling and being attacked, so if you fail your roll, you’ll take both lots of damages.”

Player 2: “Gulp, good point. Still, I’m protective of my coven sister like that.”

GM: “Alright, so I’d like also an Agility test from you, to avoid the black lightning and sharp things being thrown at you, while throwing yourself in front of your friend. All while falling.”

Player 2: “Alright, that’s 1d12 base, plus 1 for the power, and I don’t think I can claim any environmental advantage in this case... That’s a double 11, plus my mediocre Agility of 2, that’s 13 and it’s a critical success because of the doubles!”

GM: “Fantastic! Like a sky diver before opening their parachute, you steer yourself between your fellow cultist and the enemies just as they’re unleashing hell. And since you got a critical success, I’ll say you can halve all damage—perhaps because of the falling branches?”

Player 2: “Yeah, it looks like I’m almost running over the branch and then at the right moment, kicking it towards the lich!”

GM: “Alright, shall we resolve these now, or do you want to do something at the same time, [Player 3]?”

Player 3: “No, I’m more interested in not falling to my death here, being fried by the lich, or kebabbed by her minions. I’m desperately grappling with my Mephistopheles’ Instant Gratifications grimoire to perform the Shapeshifting spell, and turn into a sparrow. Well, hopefully.”

GM: “Fair enough, in that case we’ll get to your extreme spellcasting in just a second. So, the lich’s black lightning shoots towards the three of you currently falling. It’s marked as 1d8+6 damage, whereas the minions’ is 1d4+1, so we’re taking the highest, the d8+6, and add 3 since it’s three creatures attacking. So regardless of the result, this is already going to hurt. … It’s a 1 on the die, so that’s 10 points of damage. And because it’s lightning and sharp weapons, it’s regular Brawn damage. Had it just been the black lightning, I might have called it Agility damage.”

GM: “[Player 1], you take no damage, since [Player 2] has magnificently thrown themselves into your harm’s way. [Player 2], you would usually take both the 10 damage aimed at you and the one aimed at [Player 1], but because of your critical success it’s just the 10 damage. That still smarts but saves [Player 1].”

Player 2: “Yeah, that’s 3 damage on my Brawn for the score of 3 I have there, and the remaining 7 become wounds that I need to put into my precious gift slots. Oh wait, but I have the Material Protection Hex, which reduces incoming Brawn and Agility damage by 1, so it’s 6 wounds. You know what, I'm putting them on my Witch's Broom and Brew Potion. I'm too shocked from this fall to fly or brew for a while!”

GM: “And let us not forget that [Player 4] helped in [Player 1]’s actions, and therefore suffers its consequences too, which in this case are that 10 Brawn damage. [Player 4], since you’re on the ground, how are you being damaged?”

Player 4: “Well, my help was to trick the lich into the distraction, which worked, but I guess at the same time it made me into a target for the black lightning, which can easily reach me.”

GM: “Makes sense, plus the minions were throwing things, which can also affect you on the ground, so the 10 damage stands.”

Player 4: “I’ll take it on the chin. In the sense that that’s all of my 2 Brawn damaged, and 8 wounds covering up lovely gifts that I’m now too weak or injured to wield or cast.”

GM: “Alright, but [Player 1]’s action of whipping the lich with the tentacles succeeds too. The item doesn’t have a specific damage listed for attacking with the tentacles; for improvised weapons I’d usually say d4, but in this particular situation it should actually be an excellent weapon, so I’ll say d12, plus Agility.”

Player 1: “1d12+3, nice. I rolled a 9, so 12 damage!”

GM: “Ouch, the tentacle smacks her broadly across the front, and sends her flying through the falling tree debris. Most folks would be instantly dead from this, but a lich is tough as nails. But she was already injured, so that’s given her a lot to think about, as evidenced by her frustrated shrieking and flailing.”

GM: “But, before we can conclude this round, let’s see if [Player 3] managed to cast their spell and fly off, or whether they too got caught in the enemy’s assaults. Roll me a Mind check to keep it together to successfully cast under these conditions. And yes, that’s on top of your regular miscast chance, but you’re falling, defending/avoiding, and casting at the same time.”

Player 3: “Yeah, that’s totally fair. Hard to read when the pages flap about in near terminal velocity, and spears and lightning are coming your way. So, 1d12 to start, do I get one for the grimoire itself or the grimoire magic power as well?”

GM: “Yes, but you can only get 1 extra die from gifts.”

Player 3: “Alright, rolling 2d12 plus my Mind of 4, that’s 5 and 10! Not a critical but at 14, a straight success.”

GM: “Impressive, your swathes of confidence were not misplaced. Of course, now for the spell miscast. Since you successfully performed your grimoire’s ritual this morning, it’s 14% instead of 28%.”

Player 3: “Oh dear, I rolled a 07. That’s not good.”

GM: “Well, miscasts can go in different, interesting ways. Consider it emergent storytelling.”

Player 3: “Quite. … That’s a 4 on the d4 miscast roll. That means The spells effects are doubled, or affect a much bigger area than planned, or are otherwise exaggerated. Hm, does that mean instead of just morphing myself into a sparrow, I could include all allies, thus saving them from a presently terminal thudding or splashing impact?”

GM: “Well, what do you know, I think it very well could. Having fought fiercely with the lich and her minions as you tumble through the air, falling a great height from this massive, crumbling tree, a kind of magic overcomes you all—also you on the ground, [Player 4]—and you poof into sparrows, pulling up into the air at the last moment, the very same time the lich and her cronies hit the ground or water respectively.”

GM: “As you fly off to safety or to regroup, you make out a wet, broken lich, limping away, with but one remaining minion, the others smashed beyond even unlife on impact. While the war against this villain isn’t over, this round very much went to you.”

Sample Creatures

Piglin

A crude humanoid with features of both boar and man. With cloven hooves, sparse but thick hairs, and a gamey odor.

Level 1; hp 4; Attack Strong teeth, improvised club, or hoof kick (1d4+1).

• Bravery in Numbers. Loud and vicious when they outnumber the enemy, otherwise squealy and cowardly.

Trained Mercenary

Garbed in looted armor and adorned with a patchwork of trophies that show they survived, while their enemy did not.

Level 2; hp 12 (armor); Attack Trained strike with a weapon of choice (1d4+2).

• Study Tactics. From the second round on, the mercenary deals 1d8+2 damage instead.
• Surprise Talent. No two mercenaries are alike. This one: 1) sings like an angel, 2) is stupidly agile [diff 1], 3) impersonates someone you know, 4) carries a valuable item.

Naga

Thick, fat worm, which, when curled up, is the size of an obese horse. All purples, blues, and greens, alternating fragile looking flesh casing with impenetrable, black scales.

Level 4; hp 20 (scales); Attack Tunnel of sharp teeth or crushing under its weight (1d4+4).

• Mimicry. Has a human-like skull, which, when pressed into its flesh, makes for a reasonably convincing human head in bad light, or a nightmarish apparition in daylight.
• Swallow All the Way. Critical fails against its teeth attack lands the victim in its gullet, which is also all teeth, and writhing.
• Pretty Things. Loves to adorn and dress itself in pretty things. Together with the skull pressed into its face this sometimes makes it look actually human. It also means it generally has expensive loot.

Lich Countess

Hair and skin white and glowing as alabaster, clad in a rich crimson gown, gliding about, with the sadness and weight of aeons.

Level 6; hp 32 (undead); Attack Claws (1d4+6) or ranged spell, like lightning, or opening a crack in the ground (1d8+6).

• Undead. Unliving, unaging, unfeeling, with a body artificially repaired and preserved, requiring constant maintenance. Sustenance through the secrets and further region experiences of others.
• Lifetimes. Knowledge, cognition, philosophy, and experience beyond reason.
• Affect Environment. Knows cosmic, superposition-tipping spells, and reality truths, which can alter the current situation in drastic and dramatic ways.
• Ennui. Longs for a greater meaning, or, perhaps, a momentary distraction.
• Farcical. Laughs but at the same time envies the human condition.

Devil’s Bargains

When a player character’s roll result is just below a success (or partial success), you might offer them a devil’s bargain. It pushes them into the success (or partial success) category, but at a cost. The cost should be something that makes them ponder and weigh the advantages and disadvantages. Importantly, you clearly state this cost, and let the player decide if they want to pay it.

Examples

• In a sticky combat, the player has rolled a 12—a partial success—but taking any more damage would mean a lot of wounds. You offer to push it to a success if they break their weapon doing so.
• The tied up character is being slowly lowered into a vat of acid. The player decides they want their character to swing and try and land on the platform, but they roll a 6—a failure. If they fall into the acid they will die, but with a partial success they would at least escape with just some wounds. You offer them the extra 1 point for a partial success, if they hook on with their feet to the friendly GMC, who falls into the acid instead.

Committing to Wounds

Hot on the heels of the devil’s bargain, is committing. You can offer this to wounded characters, to replace some or all of their wounds by permanent conditions taking up half the number of gifts slots of the wounds committed. The permanent conditions might be things like missing digits, a missing eye, general forgetfulness, a need to sit down after moderate exercise, or anything else that you feel appropriate to the number of wounds being exchanged.

For example, Tanith Morningstar has suffered 8 wounds; that’s half of her starting 16 gift slots already. And the party is in the middle of the wilds, with no town in sight where they might have downtime and proper healing. You could offer that Tanith commit those 8 wounds to a 4 slot permanent condition: the loss of one arm.

This would free up 4 slots, and possibly introduce an interesting character arc. Importantly, it’s the player’s choice.

Equally important is that taking permanent conditions need not be the final word on that. So what, you’re missing an arm, in a fantasy world? That’s just the beginning of a new adventure, to seek out that fabled pure healer, or the mad stitching professor.

Adventures

For a free Wolden adventure, see https://mottokrosh.com/mm0013.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Most of the time an enemy threatens all the characters in a party, unless they have been clever about preventing that (in which case, reward that), and therefore everyone has to roll to defend and/or attack. But that doesn’t have to mean that each enemy has a ranged attack as well as a melee one. Farther away characters can be affected in other ways: the enemy bashes against the cave wall and stalactites tumble down, they activate one of their lair’s traps, or otherwise manipulate the field of battle. Or perhaps they intimidate, shock, or frighten.
• To activate a power with a cost like “take x damage to…”, you have to actually take that damage. If you prevent it via any source, it didn’t happen. Some gifts reduce damage before you mark it, but this is the one time that doesn’t apply. The payment has to be made for the power to activate.
• When something says “gain x trait”, it can exceed your maximum gift slots. But unless it’s permanent, it vanishes again when the power or effect expires.
• Above all, be a fan of the characters, rejoice when they do awesome stuff, and let them wreak havoc with the world. It’s not your world, it’s the world of you and all the players.