[net.games.frp] command spell, ropes, and melee rounds

scott@hou2g.UUCP (N. Ersha) (07/31/85)

>> Tying someone up in one round is o.k. if you go by the AD&D
>> combat round, which is 1 minute long. You can tie them up, tattoo them, and
>> perhaps even give them a haircut! What should be done is shorten the round
>> so as to give a more reasonable ratio between combat and non-combat actions,
>> i.e. 1 attack, vs. tying someone up...
>> 
>> 					Thomas Ruschak
>> 					pur-ee!mazina
>Agreed, I find it difficult to believe that a fighter can only swing once
>in one minute !  What I'va always done is maintained a two-tier system.
>During regular play, a round is a minute, but during melee, things speed
>up abit.  This makes battle more realisitic, and since my players know
>that I treat time this way, I don't get any wild statements about attempting
>strange feats during melee ("well, I have the time")
>
> 					Jim Sullivan

If you read the DM Guide (or Player's Handbook, I'm not sure which),
you find that a character doesn't get "just one swing" in a round.
What happens in a round is there are swings, parries, ripostes, blocks,
etc. (and all those other neat fencing terms :-)) on both sides for
the entire minute, with ONE such attack having a chance of succeeding.
(Or more if your character is a high enough level fighter.)

Granted, while this is perhaps realistic, it has its problems (such as 
tying people up as above).  Your system seems OK, but it has difficulties
as well.  For example, how do you handle magic spell duration and casting 
times in the "two-tier" system?

As an aside (and hopefully a springboard into further discussion),
how do y'all handle non-lethal combat?  Suppose some PCs (or NPCs, for
that matter) want to capture or kidnap someone without killing them
(assuming no magic).  How do you deal with this?  "Unearthed Arcana"
gives rules (suggestions :-)) on how opponents can be "subdued" but
states this doesn't work with humans.  It also gives rules on a form
of "dueling" that only Cavaliers or Paladins would be honorably stupid
enough to use.

Suggestions?


				Scott J. Berry
				aka Mordru the Merciful
				    Wizard/King of Lankhmar
				ihnp4!hou2g!scott