Fencing

This page describes how to implement Three Musketeers-style fencing in the D20 game. I would like, at some point, to get around to designing an entire D20 swashbuckling game, but right now, I don't feel like taking on such a large project. However, I think that this is an excellent start, and you may find it relatively trivial to expand out into an entire game.

Design Notes

The purpose of this system is to create mechanics which support the notion of fast-paced, dynamic fights with a lot of back-and-forth movement. Further, the system attempts to create a sense of rising stakes over the course of a single battle. That is, by the end of a battle with a near equal, both sides should be feeling desperate and endangered. Yet, the winner should not be left so-weakened that any two-bit punk can push him over afterwards.

Addendum: After playtesting, I found basic fencing a bit too uninteresting. It had the right feel in the sense that there was lots of back and forth, but it didn't engage the players properly. Also, the automatic Energy losses felt a bit too deterministic. Changes are being made.

Hit Points and Energy

The first modification to D&D3-standard mechanics are hit points. Rather than have hit points increase with each level, characters should be assigned some small and static number of hit points, like 8 + Con modifier.

Taking the place of level-wise increasing hit points is Energy. A PC starts off with 10 + Con modifier Energy. In general, a PC ought to expect an additional point of Energy every level or two. Energy represents a character's vitality, his ability to exert himself intensely over a short period of time. In terms of fighting, while you still have Energy, you're generally able to prevent major harm from befalling you, throwing yourself away from your enemy's blade and the like.

Only when you're out of Energy are you in serious danger of extensive damage from your opponent.

Posture

Good form is indispensible in civilized swordplay. A good fencer learns to adjust his form to his goals. He can assume an offensive posture, more threatening to his opponent but more dangerous to himself; a defensive posture, intended to preserve his skin while he regains the initiative; or a neutral posture, for rapid transitions between offense and defense.

Posture must be chosen at the beginning of each melee round. Going from or to neutral posture is a free action. However, switching directly from offensive to defensive posture or the reverse inflicts one Energy on the fencer (he must expend effort to halt his advance or retreat and spring immediately into action).

The Fencing Roll

The first thing to understand about the fencing combat system is that the combat which it represents is somewhat different from the D&D standard. Rather than wary fighters circling each other and lashing out with attacks and parries a couple of times a round, aiming for a killing or at least damaging blow with every swing of the sword, fencers are nearly constantly attacking or defending, and many of the attacks are not so much a serious attempt to damage the opponent, as an attempt to keep him on the defensive, off-balance, and retreating. A round of fighting in fencing is really much more of a direct contest of fighting skill, rather than asynchronous attacks.

When two fencers engage in combat, each rolls a D20 and adds his modified attack bonus with his chosen weapon. No matter how many attacks he has, he rolls only once (at his highest modified bonus). This is the "Fencing Roll." There is no initiative involved.

Fencers in offensive or defensive posture are appropriately positioned to expend extra effort on their attacks or defenses, respectively. In either posture, you may expend as many points of Energy as you wish before the fencing roll. Each such point of expended Energy gives you a +3 to the roll.

The two rolls are compared to each other, and the higher roll is the winner for the round. The result varies according to postures, and is found on the chart below. Read the across the top row for the winner's posture, and down the left column for the loser's posture.

Retreating

When you lose a fencing roll, you are obliged to give ground: that is to say, back up about ten feet. If you are unable or unwilling to do so, you lose an additional point of Energy from the extra effort it takes to defend yourself while holding your ground.

Scratches

As can be seen above, it is possible to take hit-point damage during the fencing. These are generally light scratches to the weapon arm or the body or face. If one is dishonorable enough to poison one's weapon, the poison is delivered. Some duels are to the first blood, in which case a scratch ends the duel. For others, only death can resolve the conflict, and, as such, the scratches are little more than insult atop injury, though they might make the fight marginally shorter once someone runs out of Energy.

If the recipient of a scratch is wearing armor, add his armor's AC bonus to his fencing roll. Only if the attacker beat this modified roll does the scratch actually do damage. Otherwise, it is a "touch," and may end a practice duel, but it does no damage.

Running out of Energy

Eventually, one side of the combat will be out of Energy, and then they're in real trouble. At that point, the combatant is no longer capable of evading his opponent's blade.

As soon as your opponent is out of Energy, you may attack him normally. If you are in offensive posture at the time, you may take all the attacks that you would ordinarily receive in a round. If you are in neutral or defensive posture, you may make only one attack at your full attack rating.

Every round thereafter until the combat ceases, you may continue to attack normally (that is, ignoring all the fencing rules) before the fencing roll. You continue to fence, to see if you also will run out of Energy before your opponent dies or yields. If both combatants are out of Energy, go to standard D&D style combats.

Permutations

Fencing is most useful and least complicated when there are only two individuals involved, each of them using an appropriate weapon (like a rapier, saber, or shortsword). However, adventures being what they are, sometimes, things will not be so civilized.

Short or Long Weapons

If one fencer has a weapon that's the size of a dagger or smaller, they suffer a -2 to their Fencing rolls because of lack of reach. If one fencer has a weapon the size of a two-handed sword or longer, they get one free attack, directly to the opponent's hit points, at the start of combat, but after that, suffer a -3 on their Fencing rolls due to the clumsiness of the large weapon. If someone enters a fencing match totally unarmed, they are at -4 to their fencing rolls and lose twice the normal amount of Energy.

Multiple Opponents

When one person engages several, things aren't looking good for the one. Any Energy expended to increase the attack rating of one member of an allied group facing a single opponent, increases the fencing rolls of everyone in that group. In addition, you may choose to attack only one person at a time. You roll a single Fencing roll, and compare it normally to the roll of your chosen opponent. Everyone else compares their roll to yours, but, if you win, they take no Energy loss (your roll is purely defensive). Finally, your succesfull rolls do not cause even your chosen target to have to give ground (fall back any distance), as you can not follow through without exposing yourself to your other opponents.

Tripping

In a duelling field or other civilized location, the ground is even and smooth, which means that you can give ground without any problems. In other enviroments, the GM may call for a Dex check at DC 10, 15, or even 20 to avoid falling down when giving ground. An unchivalrous opponent can make an immediate attack against someone who has fallen down, directly against their hit points, before they regain their feet.

Facing Untrained Opponents

If one has not trained as a fencer, one may take only Neutral stance, never Offensive or Defensive. Aside from that, one is treated normally.

Inappropriate Weapons

Some weapons are clearly inappropriate for fencing. An example might be a gigantic maul, or the claws and teeth of a wolf. The GM should make his own decision as to what does and does not constitute a fencing weapon. For example, in a realistic milieu, a greatsword can not be swung about lightly, and a rapier can not parry it. However, in an anime-inspired world, it may be wholly appropriate to to fence with a greatsword. If one side of the combat is inappropriate, in most cases, the fencer will automatically have initiative, because of his quick, light style. Otherwise, the combat will proceed via normal D&D conventions.

Criticals

Optionally, you may want to consider the prospect of critical success in fencing rolls. The way it would work would be that if you rolled naturally in the critical threshhold for your weapon, you roll again. If you succeed in beating your opponent's roll with your second fencing roll, you have criticalled. That might mean one of two things. In a dark game where combat is deadly, it could mean that, in addition to the fencing effects, you deal a normal attack, doing normal damage, to him. In a "lighter" game, it would simply mean that the results from the fencing roll are doubled (ie, more Energy loss, possibly a "deeper" scratch, possibly a greater bonus to your next roll).

Feats

The Fencing rules are designed to keep the fast pace of the cinematic tradition of swashbuckling combat. As such, there is only one roll per round (usually), and resolution is hopefully quick. It is the recommendation of the designer that you attempt to maintain the speed and simplicity of the system. However, certain gaming groups are more comfortable with more complex systems, and enjoy the additional tactical detail that they offer. Here, then, are several optional additions to the Fencing rules in the form of Feats. Depending on the style of game being played, the GM may decide that some or all of these Feats are automatically applied to any fencers.

It may be appropriate for the Weapon Finesse feat to be available for free to any character for any weapon it's normally useful with.

Two Weapon Fencing

Dagger and sword fencing was relatively common in real-world Earth. The dagger is used primarily to parry rather than to attack.
Effect: The fencer takes his normal penalty to his attack rating (based on the size of the off-hand weapon and what other feats he has), but can, if he wishes, discard his first roll and roll again, at the attack bonus for his off-hand weapon. If he does so, he must take the second roll, even if it's lower than the first.
Prerequisites: Two Weapon Fighting

Extra Energy

The character is simply more enduring than he ought to be
Effect: The character has +1 Energy.
Special: This feat can be taken any number of times.

Swashbuckling

The character is comfortable fighting in situations not conducive to normal swordplay.
Effect: The character never trips when backing up. Further, if there is any possible means for him to back up, up to and including swinging from chandeliers or jumping up on counters, he may do so and be automatically succesful.
Prerequisites: Basic attack bonus +3 or higher.

Improved Swashbuckling

The character is not noticably inconvenianced by fighting many lesser foes.
Effect: When fighting multiple opponents, the improved Swashbuckler treats each one individually. He can push them back normally, and they do not spend Energy as a group to affect all of their fencing rolls collectively.
Prerequisites: Swashbuckling, Dexterity 13+, Basic attack bonus +5 or higher.