Factors of Combat

Introduction

Factors of Combat are probably the most confusing, the most argumentative, the most controversial, and the most frustrating topics in all of RP Combat.
Factors of Combat concern all factors that have nothing to do with the style of Combat itself, but still play a part in Duel Combat between opposing characters.
Factors of Combat includes opposing character’s injuries, strength, speed, weapons, armor, species, balance, momentum, immunities, and anything else that could play a role in deciding the outcome of a Successful Hit, and in some cases, the Combat itself.
For this reason, some Factors of Combat, especially character species, weapons, armor, speed, and strength, should be discussed between Duel Combatants BEFORE or DURING Duel Combat, as was stated in the text entitled “Before Duel Combat Begins”.
Unlike Gaming Systems which have modifiers to account for such Factors of Combat, Combat RP in A&E and other RPG Realms have NO universal standard to make such judgements. To simply illustrate what this means, let’s go back to the Fang vs. Jim fight and look at where Factors of Combat played a role. The first point at which Factors of Combat played a role was in Fang’s first Defense in the statement: “positioning the battle staff horizontally Fang blocks Jim’s blade with the battle staff’s midsection as the clang of metal can be heard from the impact”. Fang’s battle staff was not wood like most staffs, it was metal, so it did not break in two when Jim’s long sword crashed down upon it. The substance Fang’s weapon was made of became a Factor of Combat.
The second point at which Factors of Combat played a role in the Fang vs. Jim fight was much more obvious. Fang, being a werewolf, makes his Counter Attack by snapping at Jim’s face with his fangs. The fact that Fang is of a werewolf species and not a human became a Factor of Combat.
Allowing Factors of Combat to slip by in Duel Combat is a serious RP mistake, as it will have repercussions throughout the fight.
As you can see, an infinite number of Factors could end up having an infinite number of effects upon the outcome of Duel Combat, and misunderstandings involving Factors of Combat are usually the cause of most conflicts between experienced RP Combatants. So, make sure that no important information about opposing characters is ignored so that all players can RP out the Duel Combat fairly and accurately.
Now, let’s discuss briefly five basic Factors of Combat that come into question most often. But while the following texts are read, remember this one important guideline:

THE BEST UNIVERSAL STANDARD TO SOLVE CONFLICTS INVOLVING FACTORS OF COMBAT - IS COMMON SENSE.

Momentum and Balance

Concerning the laws of Physics, Momentum and Balance are of the utmost importance to all characters in any Combat situation. Without both of these physical qualities, an attack would be utterly futile. Sir Isaac Newton said it best:

“A body in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. A body at rest remains at rest unless acted upon by an outside force.”
and
“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”

MOMENTUM
First, MOMENTUM is: A property of a moving body that determines the length of time required to bring it to rest when under the action of a constant force or moment.
If an Attacking character is “in motion” and charging full force at a Defending character, the Attacking character cannot stop on a dime without slowing first! Otherwise, the Defending character has every right to apply the “outside force” needed to halt the Attacking character by whatever means necessary.
For example:

Jim_the_joker: charges with his long sword drawn and screams a battle cry as he runs at John!

John_the_Archer: gets up from his seat at the table and looks at Jim with a clam stare…pushing the seat out in front of him as Jim comes charging in.

Jim_the_joker: can’t stop in time and trips over the well placed chair tumbling across the floor past John in a blurred rolling ball only to stop some 9 feet away, dizzy.

In this case, Jim was the “body in motion” and the chair was the “outside force” acting upon him.
Continuing with Momentum, every swing of a sword requires Momentum be placed behind the sword in order for the attack to have any force…like swinging a baseball bat. However, unlike a baseball bat, a sword is much HEAVIER. It is physically impossible to swing a sword at an opponent during one Attack Turn, only to suddenly stop the swing in mid-flight, and bring the blade back across the body in a Defense Turn. For example:

Jim_the_joker: swings his long sword in a horizontal slash across his body aiming for John’s head, hoping to smash it like a melon.

John_the_Archer: bends at his knees, ducking below the horizontal slash of Jim’s blade, feeling the swish of the sword over his head…then he counters by thrusting his short sword upwards from his crouching position in a direct line for Jim’s gut.

Jim_the_joker: gets hit with John’s short sword etc.

As you can see, Jim could not possibly stop his long sword attack in mid-swing to defend John’s Counter Attack because his long sword was far too heavy, so Jim would be forced to accept the Successful Hit. Situations such as these that involve Momentum are sometimes hard to recognize, but they always play an important role in Duel Combat.

BALANCE
Now, BALANCE is: To bring or come to a state or position of equipoise.
In order for any fighter to put MOMENTUM into a sword, or other similar weapon, the Attacking character MUST have BALANCE. Without BALANCE, except for winged creatures or magically levitating magi, a fighter cannot put the force needed to cause physical damage into the sword swing. A fighter swinging a sword without BALANCE is like a four-year-old child swinging a stick.
One perfect example of this is JUMPING. When an Attacking character “jumps” or “leaps” into the air at his/her opponent, the only time in which the Attacking character had BALANCE was prior to the jump, because the Attacking character had both feet on the ground. This means that the Attacking character will NOT have the BALANCE needed to change MOMENTUM, OR DIRECTION, until he/she LANDS. The force of the jumping character’s attack will be equivalent to the force put into the MOMENTUM of the jump.
For example:

John_the_Archer: jumps at Jim with tremendous force, slashing the short sword in his right hand down vertically at Jim’s head.

Jim_the_joker: sees Jim leave his feet and quickly sidesteps to the right…letting John’s sword slash pass harmlessly by his side on the left…Jim simultaneously counters by thrusting his long sword up at John’s gut as he starts to come down beside him.

John_the_Archer: gets stabbed in the gut because he was coming down and couldn’t move to change direction…nor could he move a sword in defense with enough force to parry Jim’s attack because he couldn’t put any momentum behind it, etc.

Of course, Defense Turns don’t have to be described in the way John’s was, but the concept should be clear. BALANCE is key to any fighter’s attack, the loss of BALANCE could prove fatal.

Speed

We all love speed. It’s in our blood. The very same blood vampires love to suck. Maybe that’s why vampires like to pull out the Celerity during Combat rather than using raw skill? *Grins*
But seriously, the differences in speed between opposing characters in Duel Combat can be a crucial Factor of Combat. It really is important to know which character is faster. For example, Speed may be crucial in determining if a character can draw and use his/her dagger before the deadly grip of a werewolf reaches his/her neck.
But how does one know which character is faster when there is no set standard in RP Combat to decide such a matter? Players use their COMMON SENSE. But, should a conflict arise concerning the speed of two opposing characters, having a Gaming System with a movement table on hand doesn’t hurt. In any case, all RP Combatants should follow this guideline concerning Speed in Duel Combat:

IT IS THE OPPONENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO RP OUT THE DIFFERENCE IN SPEED OF THE CHARACTERS CORRECTLY.

Strength

Strength, as a Factor of Combat, is equally as important as speed. Strength may determine if a character can hold his/her opponents arm long enough to escape the blade of a dagger. Or Strength could determine if a character is able to keep his/her opponent pinned long enough to make a Fatal Blow.
Unfortunately, there is also no set standard by which a player can compare the Strengths of two opposing characters. COMMON SENSE remains the only guideline. But, should a conflict arise concerning the Strength of two opposing characters, having a Gaming System with a strength or “number of attacks” table on hand doesn’t hurt. In any case, all RP Combatants should follow this guideline concerning Strength in Duel Combat:

IT IS THE OPPONENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO RP OUT THE DIFFERENCE IN STRENGTH OF THE CHARACTERS CORRECTLY.

Weapons

No matter what weapon a character uses, a weapon will only be as good as the character that uses it. The reason why it takes so much ability for a character to become proficient in a certain type of weapon is because each type of weapon is crafted differently to serve a different purpose. So, depending upon why a weapon is created, it may be better in some situations rather than others.
For example, a dagger’s best range can be anywhere from one inch to one foot, but a sword at that range is practically useless. A sword’s best range begins at about two feet and can extend as far as three feet. From three feet to four feet the weapon of choice might be a pole arm or lance. Finally, from four feet and beyond, the best weapon to use would probably be a bow, crossbow, or gun. Weapon’s ranges change with respect to the purpose for which they were made.
A character’s knowledge of his/her weapon is extremely important. If a character were to come across a weapon he/she was not trained to use, the character may not use the weapon properly, especially in the heat of combat. So, it is important to familiarize oneself with the weapon he/she is using so that it can be used properly and to its full capacity.
For a more detailed explanation on Ancient Weapons and Armor, see Ancient Weapons and Armor.
For a more detailed explanation on Katanas, see The Katana.
For a more detailed explanation on Handguns, see Handguns.
For a more detailed explanation on Lightsabres, seeThe Lightsabre

Armor

With Armor in Duel Combat, though Armor is also built with a specific purpose in mind, the main concern is protection vs. mobility. Suits of Armor displace a rather hefty amount of weight across the wearer’s body, which makes long sustained steady movements or sudden acrobatic maneuvers in combat difficult to say the least. Granted, I’ve seen knights do a cartwheel in full suits of armor, but I haven’t seen any do backflips! Armor would be useless in battle if it did not allow free mobility to its wearer.
However, when one imagines the difference in mobility between wearing a full casing of steel over your body to that of wearing a simple tunic, the point becomes obvious. The added protection of Armor will almost certainly fully protect a fighter from the annoyances of common dirks, crossbow bolts, arrows, and other similar Missile Weapons. Armor is also extremely hard to penetrate using a normal sword wielded by a human soldier, though the impact of a war hammer may be a little more harmful to the wearer’s bones. So, the advantages to wearing a suit of armor in combat are obvious, but this added protection must always be weighed against the loss of better mobility.

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