It's dead simple. To start an extended contest for the fight, figure the base skill, for example sword and shield 10W. Now what is he going to use in a fight? Well the sword (+3) and the shield (+1). Let's say the sword is a named item, sword of the ancestors and has a rating of 13. 13 divided by ten yields 1.3 or an auto augment of (+1). Now, our man is a warrior both strong 13, another (+1) and fearless 17 (+2). Let's say that the player is fighting a hated foe, which is rated at 1W for another auto augment of (+2). Finally he is using his combat affinity. He calls upon his god to imbue his weapon with divine power to sharpen the blade and help send his foe to the underworld!! His rating is 20 for another (+2).
The total target number is thus 10W +3 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 = 2WW or 2W2 depending on your notation preference. This target number is equal to 42 AP's. Now, you have the option of taking followers as an auto augment or as an AP battery. Thus if you had a warrior retainer at 17 you accrue an additional (+2) augment and (+2) ap correspondingly. Or you can take a flat (+17) to your characters AP.
The GM has decreed that his enemy has a target number of 7W, and thus 27 AP.
Initiative I normally decide on logic, but some have other mechanisms. Using my method of narrative reasoning lets say our hero has struck out at his foe with a reckless attack. The bid is 50% of his total, so for this contest let's say 22Ap. Masteries cancel so we have 2W v 7. Our hero rolls an 18, the enemy rolls a 7. This is a marginal defeat so our hero loses half his bid, 11. He has the option of spending a hero point but our player decides that hero points are for heroic moments not damage limitation! Anyway, he now knows his enemies target number and confidently recovers from his slip thinking that he has the beating of his foe.
However, unknown to the hero, his enemy is magically potent and knows the strike down foe feat at 12W. Our hero's best magical defence is his combat affinity of 20. We have shifted the contest, the target numbers reflect the action, but the AP totals are not altered. The foe, figuring that he is about to be chopped into mince meat commits his entire being into this one mighty magical gesture bidding all 27 AP! He rolls a natural 20!! Gah! Our hero rolls a 1! This is crit v fumble bumped up to a failure (remember the magic guy had a mastery advantage) That's transfer two times to the hero. Now, you can only transfer points you have, so our hero gets +27 and the foe is now sitting at -27, which is injured. I the narrator ask the player what happened. He tells us that his character caught the blast of magic on his shield, turning it away with the power of Orlanth and making a savage riposte with his blade, knocking his enemy senseless. He asks to apply the coup de gras. As he is fighting a mook and not my big bad guy I simply rule he dispatches his enemy in a fashion he describes.
Now this leaves aside what generally happens in my games, where they seldom butcher the defeated. One of the reasons they are circumspect about slaughter is the ramifications of such action, such as feuds and weregeld.
What I didn't understand was your interpretation of the iron weapon. Can you tell me how you constructed it?
I would do it like this;
Normal sword +3 x2 for being REFINED Iron. Thus +6 I would assume that such a fabulous weapon would also be a named weapon. Assuming that this is a beginning character the rating may be 13 for an auto augment of (+1).
6+1=7 for the total bonus. Great! However almost everyone he meets will eye such a fine weapon enviously.....
Hope that all helps.
Regards
Rob
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