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Mont Saint Michel!

Combat:

A person may only declare an attack if s/he has a weapon, or a skill which allows him/her to attack unarmed.

1. The attacker rolls 2d6. This roll may be modified by:

Adding:
A. Attacker's armed combat skill.
B. Attacker's bonus from a previous successful attack.
C. Defender's penalty from wounds.

Subtracting:
A. Defender's armed combat skill.
B. Defender's defense skill.
C. Attacker's penalty from wounds.

2. Using the modified roll, consult the table for the weapon or unarmed combat skill being used. This is the effect upon the defender.

3. If the attacker gets a follow up attack, s/he may repeat steps 1-2. If the defender gets a counter attack, s/he may perform steps 1-2.

Anyone who has the option of attacking can choose not to attack, or can choose to flee. However, his/her opponent will then gain the option to attack.

Each party's attack occurs in the order that attacks were announced. If follow-ups are called for, they occur immediately in the same round. Characters who gain counter-attacks are given the first choice of announcing attacks in the new round. Newcomers to the combat always attack last. A person may announce that a round (in which s/he has the ability to attack or counter-attack) is being used to draw a weapon, if the weapon is sheathed or nearby.

Each person may only attack one character at a time, though one character may be the target of multiple attacks.

If two characters without weapons or unarmed combat skill are fighting, it is presumed to take a long time and be very boisterous/loud (however hard they try to keep quiet). If such a fight starts, the participants should stand there, making fight noises, until a GM wanders over to resolve it.

Note: If a group of unarmed, unskilled characters all attack a single skilled/armed character, the group is _not_ helpless, and may well overpower the skilled character. Call over a GM to resolve the combat.

After any combat in which any blood is drawn, all participants should seek out a GM immediately, in order to be given one or more scraps of sanguine fabric to wear pinned to their costumes... The scraps of fabric represent blood stains; a player can remove a blood-stained article of clothing, but will have to hide it somewhere, and will have to supply his/her own costume changes.

Sample weapon:
Sword: The effect of an attack with the sword is calculated using the following table:
Up to 3: No effect. The defender may flee or counter-attack at +2.
4-5: No effect. The defender flee or counter-attack.
6: Wounded. The defender may flee or counter-attack.
7: Wounded. The defender may counter-attack.
8-9: If the defender has a weapon, the defender is disarmed. The defender may counter-attack.
If the defender has no weapon, the defender is wounded. The attacker may make a follow-up attack at +2.
10: The defender is wounded and knocked unconscious (until raised to consciousness by medical treatment).
11: The defender is bleeding to death.
12+: The defender is instantly killed (unless the attacker wants the defender alive -- in which case the defender is rendered defenseless and at the attacker's mercy).
Bleeding to death: The defender may not move, use any skills, or speak above a whisper. In five minutes, the character will be dead, unless s/he receives medical treatment. If saved from bleeding to death, the character will become conscious in 10 minutes.

Counter-attacking: If the character is capable of attacking (i.e., has unarmed combat skill or a weapon), s/he may do so, following the same procedure as a normal attack.

Disarming: The weapon is dropped. Neither combatant may pick it up until the combat has ended.

Fleeing: If a character flees, anyone in the vicinity will be able make one last follow-up attack at -5 on the roll (the defender's defense skill may modify this, but not armed combat skill). The defender suffers the effect of the attack but, as long as s/he is still conscious and mobile, will have fled (and, regardless of the result, the attacker will not be able to make a follow-up attack).
If a character successfully flees, his/her opponent cannot attack him/her again immediately -- the attacker should let the other character get away, but may attempt to attack again when next encountering him/her.

Follow-up attack: The attacker gets to make an additional attack. An attacker may not make two follow-up attacks in a row -- if the result of a follow-up attack calls for an additional follow-up, allow the defender a counter-attack instead.

Wounding: A wounded character is penalized -2 to attack and +2 to defense (anyone attacking the wounded character adds +2 to the attack roll).
Wounds are cumulative -- a person hit twice will be at -4 to attack and +4 to defense.

For more information, please email msm-gms@unseelie.org.
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This game is a Subterranean Homesick Games production.