Combat Rules - LunarNeil/Call-of-Cthulhu-Campaign GitHub Wiki

Combat in Realms of Mythos and Madness is strategic, fast, and deadly. It is also simple to run, and there are no special Combat rules to complicate an already chaotic situation. Normal conflict resolution and dramatic arbitration procedures are adequate for running any combat situations, with the only exception being that weapons have special rules for dealing damage as the result of a combat exchange.

This may seem odd to players who are used to games where combat rules take up a substantial portion of the game book. However, this fits the realistic tone that Realms takes with regard to combat. Being shot is crippling, and even simple weapons like knives, shovels, or a good sized rock can kill a human being with shocking ease.

Investigators should avoid violent confrontations when they can, and seriously consider running when they cannot.

Assessing Weapon Damage

Weapons will have their own special notes on how damage and wounding is dealt with after an attack, but the vast majority will deal damage equal to the Degree of Success plus the Weapon Modifier of the weapon.

So if an attack achieves a First Degree Success and the weapon has a Weapon Modifier of Three, the total damage assessed would be four. Even this relatively weak attack would crush a fifth of the Investigator's total Damage tolerance.

Weapon Modifiers operate like other modifiers. They can be negotiated up or down before a roll according to the situation or the stakes, and they can be altered by equipment benefits. Damage resistance from armor, when available, operates in this simple fashion.

Improving Combat Abilities

There are no "Combat Skills" or talents that define combat ability. Investigators who wish to advance their combat abilities will find it difficult to do so without repeated combat engagements and Storyline development to express their growing history of violence.

There are some options for Investigators seeking some small edge, however. Competitive or recreational weapon usage, such as deer hunting or saber fencing, do at least offer experiences potentially applicable to combat situations.

These aforementioned "small edges" can be taken into account by the Moderator when assessing Challenge Ratings or potential negative modifiers, but do not improve combat rolls directly. Storyline development is the only guaranteed way of improving your Investigator's combat abilities.

Understanding Combat Situations

Players may be puzzled by the slim combat rules presented here, but there is a grain of reality at the heart of this which is important to maintaining a dark and oppressive tone. This is especially valuable for removing the sense of safety that comes from a firearm, the most common weapon for an Investigator looking to keep alive.

Information gathered from decades of real gunfights show that more than half of combats will occur with less than two meters separating the opponents, with it being exceptionally rare for an exchange to occur between targets more than seven meters apart.

In the average gunfight there are four shots fired, and the entire engagement takes no longer than five seconds. Often times only one-in-six rounds can successfully find their way to a target, even when the shooter is well trained, and it can take several strikes, even a dozen, to stop a target that has an intent to do you harm. Or just one, if the target is unprepared.

As always, never let a little reality get in the way of a good story, but the dark and sometimes gritty world of Realms will make a lot more sense if combat is kept as messy as possible.