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There are many ways one can possible keep track of time in BODYSLAM!. The most complete way would probably be to assign a time value to every maneuver, and then keep track of that time value every time a maneuver occurs. In the author's experience, no person on earth is that anal-retentive. :)
The recommended way to keep track of time in BODYSLAM! is via rounds. A round is roughly 10 seconds. One maneuver of some type occurs in a round. The rest of the time is attributed to the primping and boasting wrestlers are so prone to do. :) As such, a minute is 6 rounds, and a fifteen minute match is 90 rounds. You may want to use 3 or 4 seconds to a round, but in all likelihood, there would never be any matches lasting longer than 5 minutes that way.
The basic mechanic of BODYSLAM! is the Attribute roll. Simply put, when an Attribute Roll is called for to determine the success or failure of an action, percentage dice (d100) are rolled; if the number rolled is equal to or lower than the Attribute being tested, the action is a success -- otherwise, it fails.
A natural roll between 01 and 05 on the dice is considered a Critical Success; in other words, the wrestler's action will be even more successful than intended, in general. For example, a normal success in breaking a pinfall attempt just gets the shoulders up -- a Critical Success will give the wrestler the Initiative, too.
Likewise, a natural roll between 96 and 00 on the dice is considered a Critical Failure -- the wrestler really screwed up.
The basic element of all wrestling in RingMaster are Maneuvers. A maneuver is a single blow, hold, slam, throw, or other attack, such as a Punch, a Side Headlock, or a Piledriver. The full list of maneuvers is available in Appendix A.
Every wrestler has a number of Maneuvers in their Arsenals; these moves represent that wrestler's personal style. A wrestler can use Maneuvers not in his Arsenals, but takes a -10% penalty for it. If the wrestler has the maneuver in his Arsenal, but wants to use a maneuver Variation of that maneuver he has not bought, he can do it at -5%. Taking a penalty like this is known as "improvising" the maneuver.
All Maneuvers possess the following traits:
The difficulty of the maneuver, how complex it is to apply; this will be a number at least 1. The basic method for determining the Level of a maneuver is to count the number of distinct motions that must be made to apply it. A Punch is a level I maneuver -- you just throw the Punch. A Piledriver, on the other hand, requires you a) put the opponent's head between your knees, b) grab his waist c) lift him vertical, and d) drop to the mat. Thus, a Piledriver is a Level IV maneuver.
A wrestler will may wait to use a maneuver until his opponent's Stun level is at or below the level of the maneuver. However, many wrestlers use these maneuvers earlier; every level sooner he attempts it, however, costs him a -10% penalty to his skill (thus, opening with a Piledriver is -20%).
The Attribute which determines the base skill of a maneuver. When a wrestler attempts to use a maneuver, he must roll a number equal to or below this Attribute's current value, modified by skill bonuses and penalties, to succeed.
The inherent power of the Maneuver. This is the minimum damage dice of the maneuver, ranging from 1 (a Slap or an Eye Gouge) to 4 (a Piledriver).
Some maneuvers add certain values to damage, including:
The exact combination of damage bonuses is different for different Maneuvers. A Powerslam gains a Power Bonus, both WDBs, and an extra die if the opponent was running. A Press Slam just adds the wrestler's HDB and the opponent's WDB. And a Flying Fist Drop with a loaded glove would add 3 dice for the turnbuckle, the attacker's WDB, and the 4d6 Stun Code of the glove.
Most maneuvers can be considered to be 'working' on a specific area of the body. For example, a hammerlock "works" the arm; a Spinebuster "works" the back.
As a wrestler is successfully attacked by maneuvers, he will gain "injury points" in those Target areas; this comes into play when he is placed in a submission hold working on that area, or when he performs a maneuver with an injured Target critical to his success (the famous "knee giving out during the press slam" problem).
Some maneuvers "Degrade". This means that the more you try them, the less successful you will probably be. The first time a Degrading maneuver is attempted, it is done at normal strength. Every additional time after that gains a -5% cumulative penalty. So, a sixth Dodge attempt would have a -25% penalty to it. Defensive maneuvers and Savvy maneuvers both degrade.
In many wargames or roleplaying games, the word "initiative" refers to the question of "who goes first?". In BODYSLAM!, it means "who goes, period?".
Initiative is the condition of having the advantage. During a wrestling match, the tide will sway back and forth between wrestlers of equal ability (the sway being more forth and less back the less equal the wrestlers are). Whoever currently holds the advantage is referred to as "having initiative", or simply as "the attacker"; his opponent is "the defender".
At the beginning of a match, the wrestler with the higher SAV may choose the method through which initial initiative is determined. If they just want to start off going at it, an Attack Contest of SAV is used. If they want a collar-and-elbow tieup or knucklelock test of strength, see below. Once a character has initiative, he keeps it until one of the following occurs:
The 'purest' form of start for a wrestling match is the "collar-elbow tieup", in which both wrestlers place their hands on the other's shoulders, and begin grappling at the referee's signal. Either wrestler may choose to start the match thus, or the referee may require a C.E.T. when he feels the match needs to be restarted.
When two wrestlers lock up in a C.E.T., both make simultaneous STR or TEC checks (individual wrestler's preference) until one wrestler succeeds and the other fails. The winning wrestler gets 5 points for positioning.
A variant on the C.E.T. is the "test of strength", which greatly resembles the old children's game of 'mercy'. The main difference is that in a test of strength, only STR (not TEC) can be used in the Attribute Checks, and the taller wrestler adds 10% to his STR for the test.
During each round, after positions are set, the attacker chooses a maneuver to use, and the defender chooses a Countermove. Each then rolls against the Skill of the respective Maneuver. This will produce one of the following situations:
| Defense Result | Attack Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CF | F | S | CS | |
| CF | Collision Both take 1d6+WDB damage |
Attacker wins F x2 |
Attacker wins D +2d6; F x3 |
Attacker wins D +4d6; F x4 |
| F | Defender wins F x2 |
Standoff Reroll results |
Attacker wins F x2 |
Attacker wins D +2d6; F x3 |
| S | Defender wins D +2d6; F x3 |
Defender wins F x2 |
Attacker wins F x2 |
Attacker wins D +2d6; F x3 |
| CS | Defender wins D +4d6; F x4 |
Defender wins D +2d6; F x3 |
Defender wins F x2 |
Attacker wins F x2 |
Example: Owen Hart is fighting Shawn Michaels, and has Initiative. Owen Hart (current AGI 54) uses a Back Brain Kick on Shawn Michaels. Shawn chooses as his Countermove Punch (current BRA 30). Owen rolls a 02, Shawn rolls a 98. Owen Hart wins, and gets to multiply the force of the Back Brain Kick times 3. Shawn Michaels will probably collapse in the ring after that. :)
Example: Owen Hart is fighting Ahmed Johnson. Owen Hart (current AGI 48) has the initiative, and is trying a Flying Dropkick. Ahmed (current STR 72) Countermoves with a Spinebuster. Owen rolls a 65, Ahmed rolls a 60. Ahmed rolls normal damage, and Owen just got squished.
Example: Owen Hart has initiative, and is fighting Bret. Owen is going for the SharpShooter (Current TEC 48, + 10% Finisher = 48). Bret Counters with a kick (current BRA 60). Owen rolls a 99, Bret rolls a 20. Bret just planted Owen. Bret rolls Force for a kick, +2d6.
There are 3 primary effects of successful maneuvers: the loss of Stun by the opponent, the ability to reposition oneself and the opponent, and the possibility of injury to the opponent.
When a maneuver succeeds, it will do damage to the opponent. Every Maneuver has a rated Force; this is the number of d6s rolled for damage. In addition, some maneuvers will add more dice due to running, flying, falling, or foreign objects. Other maneuvers can add either or both the attacker and defender's WDB to the damage total, or the attacker's PB.
The final damage total is subtracted from the opponent's current Stun. If this reduces the current Stun to equal or below one of the wear-down Level numbers, the opponent is now at that wear-down Level. If a wrestler's Stun is reduced to 0 or below, he passes out.
After taking damage, a wrestler is momentarily dazed. This allows his opponent, the attacker, a chance to maneuver (standing up, climbing the turnbuckles, etc.), as well as a chance to reposition the wrestler (such as bending a standing wrestler in preparation for a suplex, tossing him to the ropes, etc.)
This is accomplished by the attacker "spending" the Stun points he just inflicted on his opponent on various actions. Points not used to position an opponent are not saved for the next round -- they are lost. Possible methods of positioning (and their costs) include:
If a wrestler finds himself with the initiative but without sufficient Stun Points for positioning, he can use his MOV score as a "reserve" of positioning Stun. This has two limitations, however. First, he may only use these points to manipulate himself (standing, climbing the ropes, etc.); secondly, doing so immediately allows his opponent to do so as well. Thus, a wrestler may very well end up allowing his opponent an opportunity to escape.
Not all maneuvering involves Stun Points. For example, running in for a save doesn't. For this, you move using your MOV rating.
Characters can move a number of "Distance Points" equal to their MOV rating. The distance from the center of the ring to the apron is 5 points. The length of the side of the ring is 10 points. The length from turnbuckle to turnbuckle is 14 points. The length from the middle of the ring to the turnbuckle is 7 points. The length of the aisle is 20 points, and the distance running from the locker room area to the aisle is 4 points.
Injuries often occur in wrestling, unfortunately. In BODYSLAM!, when a wrestler gets injured, he accrues what is known as Injury Points and Negative Stun.
Worked Injury occurs when either someone intentionally targets a certain area ("working the leg" for example), or accidentally scores a Critical Success (or his opponent scores a Critical Failure -- Owen Hart's Back Brain Kick which knocked Shawn Michaels out). Whenever someone works an area, or a critical result is rolled, the wrestler gains one injury point for every "6" result of the dice. For Critical moves, each result is multipled by the critical multiplier (i.e. Attacker rolls a 04, defender rolls a success, and the attacker rolls one "6", the defender gains two injury points to that target. Note that you can only work one area of the body during a match.
For every Injury Point the character has, s/he has a -2% to any maneuver requiring that body part. In addition, every further successful attack on that body part takes an additional point of damage for every Injury Point on it.
General Injury occurs when the wrestler is knocked below 0 Stun. Pretty easy, huh? :). This is the most common form of injury. Every point below 0 is a point of Negative Stun.
Negative Stun reduces the total possible Stun the character may have. If he tries to wrestle again before he heals all Negative Stun, then the total Stun he may have is reduced by the number of Negative Stun he has times two. (Ex. Tommy Dreamer (TOU 55) takes a particularly bad beating at the hands of Raven, and gets 65 Negative Stun (i.e. he was reduced to -65 Stun). If he tried to wrestle immediately (i.e. the next day) he would only start off with 270 Stun instead of the normal 400.)
The only way to heal injury is by taking time off. The wrestler heals his Level I REC * 5 in Negative Stun a week (so Dreamer (STA 55) would regain 25 points of Negative Stun a week). Injury Points are healed similarly, with 1 Injury Point being the equivalent of 3 Negative Stun. Negative Stun damage is always healed FIRST. If Tommy had gained 65 Negative Stun, 5 Injury Points to his arm, and 6 to his legs (quite a beating, apparently) He'd have to heal the Negative Stun first, and then choose either the leg IP's or the arm IPs next, and then the other IPs after that. All in all, to come back at 100%, he'd have to rest about a month (65 negative stun + 5 IP's * 3 plus 6 IPs * 3 = 98 points. Regaining 25 a week is 4 weeks).
Of course, all of the above doesn't explain how certain wrestlers have the uncanny knack of not getting hit. This is because they are masters of the Defensive maneuvers.
Defensive maneuvers are bought as regular maneuvers, and played as Countermoves. If the maneuver is successful, and the defender rolls at least 5 points higher than the attacker, the defended has sucessfully defended. this means he takes no damage and gains initiative. For example, Shawn Michaels (current AGI 59) is on the top rope, and about to Flying Elbow Drop Owen Hart (current AGI 54). Owen countermoves with Dodge. Shawn rolls a 35. Owen rolls a 42. Owen has successfully moved out of the way and gains initiative.
These defensive maneuvers may be advanced as a regular maneuver (for example, Razor Ramon, who loves to pick off high-flyers flying at him, would probably have Catch + 20%. This would max-out his Catching ability, since his STR is 65.) Each maneuver has a class of maneuvers which it defends against (for example, Catch defends against DEX manauevers). Defensive maneuvers degrade.
Note that you can still utilize Defensive maneuvers even if they are not a part of your Arsenal; "default" defensive maneuvers act with the standard -10% penalty for using a maneuver not in your Arsenal. For example, British Bulldog (AGI 40, without Dodge in his Arsenal) finds himself flat on his back, with Shawn Michaels climbing the top rope. The Bulldog can use Dodge as a defensive maneuver, but it would only be at 30%. Good luck, Davey Boy.
There are basically 5 ways to win a wrestling match: pinfall, submission, knockout, countout, and disqualification. Each has a separate mechanic for resolution.
A wrestler with at least 1 Stun point to "spend" against an opponent may cover for a pinfall. This normally gives the opponent three chances (or "counts") to break the pinfall. To break a pinfall, the opponent must do one of the following:
A critical success on an attempt to break a pincount not only breaks the pinfall attempt, but gives the pinned wrestler the Initiative. Note that Cheap Shots and Comebacks used to break pinfalls do not give the wrestler the initiative as well. A Critical Failure, conversely, is an automatic second count - critically failing the second count, for example, automatically causes a three count.
Some maneuvers, such as the Sunset Flip or Crucifix Pin, are designed to automatically place their target in a pinning predicament. These maneuvers can only be broken by TEC, and the pinned player will only recieve two chances to break the pinfall.
When a Hold maneuver is applied, the rules change somewhat. Instead of running normal combat rounds, during each round the wrestler being held makes an Attribute Check against the same Attribute used to apply the hold. For example, you have to use TEC to get out of an Armbar, STR to get out of a Backbreaker Torture Rack, and BRA to get out of a Corner Punch Flurry.
If he is successful, the hold is broken; the attacker still has initiative, but cannot spend any Stun built up against the held wrestler to reposition him. If the check fails, the damage from the hold is applied again (ie, if the results of the damage roll was originally 16, then 16 Stun will be subtracted each round).
Stun from a hold accumulates. If the attacker releases the hold, he has all the Stun done by that hold to "spend" for repositioning. Furthermore, if the maneuver is a submission hold, and if the Stun accumulated by a hold exceeds the held wrestler's current Stamina score, he must make a STA check each round he fails to break the hold; failing this STA check means he has submitted from the pain.
TEC holds may be reversed into another TEC hold by the defender. To do this, the wrestler must forgo an escape attempt that round. He then rolls his new maneuver. If he rolls a success, and is higher than the attacker's original roll, the hold is reversed. Critical Rolls are Irreversible.
Example: Owen Hart has Bret Hart in the SharpShooter. Owen (current TEC 54) rolled a 10 to put the move on. Bret (current TEC 63) decides to try to reverse it into a SharpShooter of his own. He rolls a 17. Bret just flipped the move around and put Owen in the SharpShooter.
Similarly, a wrestler may try to bust out of a hold. The wrestler must choose an appropriate BRA maneuver depending on the hold he's in (i.e. Back Elbow Smash to get out of a Side Headlock, or Punch to get out of a BearHug). He must then forego his escape attempt that round, and roll at least 5 points higher than the attacker rolled to put the move on.
There are two steps to a knockout victory -- putting your opponent under, and having the referee check for his unconsciousness.
The simple way to make a wrestler unconscious is to reduce him to 0 Stun or less. You can also use a sleephold; these holds follow the same rules as submission holds, above, except that the held wrestler automatically falls unconscious when the accumulated damage exceeds his current STA.
After knocking your opponent into dreamland, you must call the referee, who will lift the opponent's arm and let it fall. The opponent gets three chances to prove he is awake by holding the arm aloft. In game terms, this means a wrestler who was beaten into unconsciousness adds his current (ie, Level IV) REC to his Stun 3 times; if this is still not sufficient to put him over 0, he loses the match. A wrestler who was put to sleep by a hold gets one STA check instead -- failing it also indicates a loss.
Any time the wrestlers leave the ring, the referee will begin a ten-count. The wrestlers have 10 rounds to reenter the ring -- refs count REALLY slowly :) -- or they will be counted out. When either wrestler enters the ring, the count is restarted, and the other wrestler begins to recover the Stun done against him.
Thus, to get a wrestler counted out, you must either a) do more than 10 times his current REC to him in a single blow, and roll into the ring, or b) distract him for the remainder of the count, or (c) move him far enough away so that he doesn't have the MOV to get back into the ring in time after recovering damage.
In most leagues, titles cannot change hands on a countout victory without a special stipulation to that effect.
Whenever a wrestler performs an illegal action (closed fist blows, tying an opponent up against the ropes or turnbuckle, choking, etc.), and the referee notices it, he will recieve a Referee Warning. A Referee warning causes the wrestler to get a -10% to his next move, since he has to get the ref out of his face before he can make a move.
Two special circumstances will automatically result in the disqualification of a wrestler without extenuating circumstances: using a foreign object, and third-party interference inside the ring. Also, like countouts, titles cannot change hands on a disqualification victory without a special stipulation to that effect.
A match can be declared a Draw, in which case neither wrestler wins or loses -- wrestling's equivalent of a stalemate. A draw occurs when:
Depending on a wrestler's Fan Support at the beginning of a match, he may have the option of using one of three special tricks: Cheap Shots, Comebacks, and Power-Ups.
When a wrestler uses a Cheap Shot, he instantly gains the initiative. To use one, he simply performs any illegal action, and calls for a Cheap Shot.
Cheap Shots can also be used to instantly break pinfalls, although they do not confer initiative in such cases. They can not be used to break holds, however.
Comebacks are the face version of Cheap Shots. A wrestler can call for a Comeback at the beginning of any round that he is a level or more below his opponent, or when he is at Level IV; he instantly gains the initiative. He can also use a Comeback to break a pinfall attempt (although not a hold), in the same manner as Cheap Shots.
The primary difference between Cheap Shots and Comebacks is that Comebacks do not require illegal maneuvers to use (and therefore do not risk Referee Warnings) and that Comebacks are not as numerous as Cheap Shots.
A special ability only possessed by Superstars and Megastars, Powering Up is somewhat like a super-Comeback. It can be used at any time a Comeback can, except it cannot be used to break a pinfall attempt.
When a wrestler Powers Up, he automatically gains the Initiative; furthermore, he cannot lose the Initiative for 5 rounds. During this period, the opponent cannot use any Countermoves. Finally, during this period, all of the wrestler's Attributes (except Stun) are treated as Level I.
In a tag team match, 2 teams of 2 (or more) wrestlers square off; one member is considered the "legal man", but he may "tag in" his teammate by slapping hands with his partner. The two then have a 5 count to switch places.
Tagging is considered an DEX-I maneuver.If the wrestler wins the Attack Contest, he successfully tags, and his partner retains the initiative; the new legal man will have his current MOV points to reposition himself. Critical results with the "Tag" maneuver apply the number of extra dice to the positioning points.
Blind Tag is considered a DEX-I maneuver. It represents tags that the ref can see, but the opponent can't. Blind Tag works the same as Tag, except (a) you can't use the Tag Block Defensive maneuver, and (b) the opponent must roll SAV to figure out that he's supposed to be attacking someone new.
Desperation Tag is a DEX-III Defensive maneuver. It represents those great heroic attempts to tag after a wrestler is getting the snot beaten out of them. ;) Desperation Tag works against non-hold maneuvers.
If a round is ten seconds, how can one get a double team move in and get out in five? Well, a team is allowed one round together in the ring (not five) for a double-team move. Anything more than that risks DQ's (Referee SAV roll), unless the ref is distracted.
Tag team partners may come in to stop a pinfall. There are two different methods to do this. The wrestler may move from his corner to the middle of the ring (7 Distance Points), and then successfully perform an attack on the pinfaller. The wrestler moves his MOV points every count.
Example: Owen Hart sees the British Bulldog being pinned. With his MOV of 5, he can move 5 Distance Points while the ref counts one. He'll be able to try to stop the pinfall before the ref counts two).
Another possibility is climbing the ropes (3 Distance Points) and perform a Flying attack on the Pinfaller. In either case, if successful, the pin is broken.
Of course, very few people are going to sit back and let you stomp their partner. The opposite team may go out to stop the pinfall breaker. If this occurs, there is a "race" of MOV to see who gets where first.
Example: Psycho Sid is pinning the Bulldog. Owen Hart rushes out to stop it. The 1-2-3 Kid (MOV 6) rushes out to stop Owen. In the first count, Owen moves 5 DPs, The Kid moves 6. The next round, the Kid and Owen both move 1 DPs more. The Kid will have gotten to the pinfall first, and Owen will have to dispose of the Kid before stopping the pinfall).
A common variation on the wrestling match is to place a large steel cage around the ring. This cage comes in 2 varieties: internal and external. An external ring merely serves to separate the wrestlers from the crowd, and includes the entire ringside area. An internal ring, however, takes the place of (or is placed directly next to) the ropes, preventing wrestlers from leaving the ring at all. It also prevents the participants from irish-whipping themselves into the ropes; the cage walls have a Stun Code which functions similiar to that of the turnbuckles, and whipping an opponent into the cage uses the Irish Whip into Buckle Maneuver.
Some cages have roofs which will prevent the use of the "High Flyer" merit; others are open to the air. Cages are either made from wire (2d6 Stun Code) or pipe (6d6 Stun Code).
Some cage matches use the same victory conditions as standard matches. However, other cage matches use as either an alternate or supplementary victory condition "escape" -- the wrestler wins the match if he can leave the cage, either through a door in the side of the cage or by climbing the wall of an open-topped cage. These matches will have a set MOV value to leave the ring. The wrestler chooses "Escape" as his maneuver for a round, and if successful, will subtract his current MOV from the amount required to win; his opponent can then reposition himself using his own MOV points. This process is repeated until either:
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