Okay I am assuming everyone saw my worked example of how we do it, but because it went in under a digest heading it is reposted below.
AP bids always reflect the risk the hero takes in his actions, and thus his potential gain. A sword thrust is a bid, but we do not assume that just because you got a better success than your opponent that he is spitted like a kebab. We describe it as as a change in the advantage. It's cinematic, not realistic* combat. Sheld Detroyer works no differently to 'I stab him' in being an ability to use in an extended contest. The point of using it is to gain an advantage by forcing your opponent to use a different defensive ability - the bid represents the risk you are taking. Greg posted a summary of the info in Heroquest that relates percentage of your hero points you bid to the risk you take a while back. I probably would not let you bid 3AP and use Shield Destroyer. Why? Becuase the action has to fit the bid when I narrate. Perfoming the Shield Destroyer is an attack. I'm going to want to see a 1/3 to two-thirds of your APs for that. Don't want to spend that number of AP - think of something else. Performing a feat means just that - you act like your god did. If you want to bid 3AP you better know a Defensive Circling feat or I am going to ask you to think again.
*I my experience of fencing when I was a yingster RQ combat was not desperately realistic either - if you want realistic combat, in a playable form, try The Riddle of Steel.
How I learned to stop worrying and love Heroquest
In an extended contest a player decides to use a feat. They have two braod classes of options:
Example: I have SwordHelp 3W. I call on Orlanth saying, Orlanth help me strike as you do with your sword of winds. Lightning runs up and down my sword, it feels ligher in my hand. +2 augment to Sword and Shield Fighting.
b: use the feat directly. You know the atackers ability. Find out how much the attacker wants to bid (hint: it is the risk they are taking). Ask the defender how they are defending (14 if no other option). Roll bones and consult table.
Example 1:
Harmast the Vingkot devotee is fighting Urggh the Troll. He says 'I
re-enact Vingkot's Break Bludgeons feat when Vingkot broke Gash's
maul in the fight at the Black Forest Stones'[see I just made that
up].
Harmast's Break Bludgeons feat is 8W. 'I'm filled with Vingkot's
hatred of trolls,' says the player, 'I'm bidding high, as I charge at
him to splinter his weapon, my sword glowing with blue fire'. We
agree he is spending 20 of his remaining 30AP. The narrator looks at
Urrgh's sheet. The troll is an intiate of Zorak Zoran. I do not have
an approriate ability to resist with. I could fall back on my Darkness
affinity[-10], or initiate of ZZ[-5], or even my Close Combat[-20]
but with a penalty for inapproriate use its going to be no better
than the default of 14 [I just made the penalties up by feel, I can
be quite cruel]. Harmast does 20AP, reducing Urghh to 5AP. 'Sparks
fly', I say as your sword chops into Urrgh's Maul, splinter's fly
into Urrgh's face, and he seems blinded by the deafening crash of our
weapons. [Note no permanent effects - that only occurs when we go
below 0; if the blow had reduced Urghh to -15 (40AP loss) I might
say, 'your cracking blow knocs Urggh's maul from his hands and cuts
him across the hands and arms'. ]
Example 2
Illaro the Humakti devotee is engaged in a duel with Fazzur the
Yanafil Tarnils devotee. Illaro attacks saying I use Humakt's
Decapiate Foe feat - trying to re-enact the time he sliced of Tinga
Tan's head in the fight of Yellow Field [again I just made that
up]. 'My blade sings like air rushing down an alley as I aim
for my hated foes kneck, its keen edge glints, almost blindingly, in
the sunlight', says the player. The player has Decapitate Foe at 10W
and bids 40 of his 60 AP telling me he is making 'a fierce attack,
always on the front foot, never on the back, giving no quarter,
and expecting none either.' My Yanafili does not have any great feats
to resist with, but he does have a combat affinity 'Yanafal is the
true master of war,' I say, 'your blows shall not penetrate his
shield. A crimson glow surrounds me, with a thick band of silver
around my kneck.' I just resist with my affinity 0f 6W. Illaro wins
and Fazzur goes down to 2 AP ' 'Your blade slices through his crimson
aura with a sound like nails across a blackboard, being stopped only
by the silver ring around his kneck, but he staggers back, winded by
the force of the blow,' I say. [If Fazzur went to -38AP (an 80AP
loss) then I might say 'Your blade slices clean through his crimson
aura, like a knife through butter, and on through his silver ring and
kneck. Fazzur's head tumbles at your feat.
Again no effect is permanent until the contest goes below 0AP.]
Example 3
Govoran the Mighty is in a blood feud struggle with Illig the Unlucky
(a slight over the quality of some bacon began the killings). Illig
has just seen Govoran over the other side of the field, having
finished off an underling. 'I charge at Govoran with my Burst of
Speed feet,' says Illig, moving with the speed of North Wind as he
races across the Pass to bring the first icy snows of winter[again I
just made this up].
Dagmar bids 10 of his 40 AP 'I am the wind, hear my roar, feel my icy
point' cries Illig racing forward with his spear. Govoran could try
to Run [17], but Govoran knows the Sunset Leap 'This will not be the
sunset of my days,' cries Govoran, 'like Mastakos at Three Against
the Crow, I shall leap to safety' [you guessed it I just made it up].
Govoran wins and Illig transfers 20 AP. 'Illig slips on the icy winds
around his too quick feet, unbalanced he is confused as illig
springs to one side, too fast for the eye to see, and reappers -
behind him!'
Any help?
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