Hey, folks!
I am working on a conflict resolution system for fantasypunk and I could really do with some help.
Essentially, I’ve got three main variations for a conflict system and each has some upsides and downsides.
Please let me know what you think of it.
Conflict
In fantasypunk conflict refers to Opposition.
Opposition happens when something or someone is deliberately trying to stall, defeat or otherwise stop the party from moving on or succeeding.
The prosecutor at a trial, a group of armed soldiers, a troll in the middle of a bridge, children playing tag or a dragon raining fire down on the party are all examples of Opposition.
Creating Opposition
- Determine the nature of the Opposition the party will face. Examples:
- A debate with the High Magistrate;
- Traversing a Magic Sigils Room;
- Battling a Fiery Dragon.
- Define what Resistances that Opposition has.
A Resistance is a short phrase that describes how that Opposition attempts to challenge or harm the party, or even perform other actions.
The more Resistances the Opposition has, the harder it is to overcome it.
Some Resistance examples: fire breath, thick skin, razor claws, telepathy, wings, enormous size, thick fog, strong currents, force field, curse, tight formation, minions, sharp tongue.
The High Magistrate
- Eloquence
- Popular support
- Rank and Office
Magic Sigils Room;
- Illusion magic
- Sophisticated contraptions
- Trapped control panel
- Golden Sigils
Battling a Fiery Dragon.
- Fire Breath
- Minions
- Steel Scales
- Ancient Magica
- Cunning
- Some forms of Opposition may include a special clock, move or tag.
The High Magistrate
- Eloquence
- Popular support
- Rank and Office
Clock: Crowd’s Benefit of the Doubt - 8 segments
Moves
- Influence: for as long as the Magistrate has Popular Support, they can spend it to impose a Vulnerability on a member of the Party.
Magic Sigils Room;
- Illusion magic
- Sophisticated contraptions
- Trapped control panel
- Golden Sigils
Clock: Magic Sigils Go Off (6 segments)
Moves
- Magical backlash: when anyone tries to use magic of any form, they take a minor blow.
Fiery Dragon.
- Fire Breath
- Minions
- Steel Scales
- Ancient Magica
- Cunning
Tags
Immunity to Fire and Heat
Resistance to mundane attacks
Moves
- Survival above all else: if the dragon becomes certain it’s losing the upper hand, it will attempt to break out.
- Dragon Fire: The dragon’s fire causes a magical burn that causes otherworldly pain and can only be fully healed with special magic.
Overcoming Opposition
Overcoming Opposition doesn’t mean necessarily Overcoming each and all of its Resistances.
Every time a Resistance is Overcome, the fiction must change.
For example: by Overcoming the Fiery Dragon’s Cunning, the dragon will change tactics to a more direct and dangerous approach, which could mean that the characters now have more opportunities against it, but may also mean that the dragon will hit more recklessly.
Some Opposition might be overcome by defeating only some of its resistances.
For example: by defusing the Illusion Magic and the Trapped Control Pannel, the characters might be able to punch a command that will allow them to move forward before the Sigils go off.
Maybe by pursuing complete defeat of the Opposition, the party might earn a greater benefit, while it might cost them a lot more to do it.
On the other hand, by only engaging certain Resistances, the party might create new circumstances to engage their Opposition, and even deescalate conflict.
Resolving Conflict
Method 1: Resist Blows
When a character strikes a Blow against a Resistance, the GM will create a dice pool.
Lesser Blow: 1d6
Mean Blow: 2d6
Hard Blow: 3d6
Add +1d6 for every point of Damage that Resistance has.
If the GM rolls a 1, that Resistance gets crossed out and is overcome. If not, add 1 damage to it.
Example:
Magic Sigils Room; Damage Illusion Magic X Sophisticated Contraptions X X X Trapped Control Panel XX Golden Sigils If a character strikes a Mean Blow against Illusion Magic, the GM will roll 3d6.
When the GM strikes a Blow against a character, the procedure is similar. The character will roll as many dice as established by the severity of the blow, +1d6 if they are Vulnerable. If they roll a 1, they lose 1 Hold.
Method 2: Active Rolls
The true difference between this and the previous method is who makes the rolls.
When a character strikes a Blow against a Resistance, that character will create a dice pool.
Lesser Blow: 1d6
Mean Blow: 2d6
Hard Blow: 3d6
Add +1d6 for every point of Damage that Resistance has.
If the character rolls a 6, that Resistance gets crossed out and is overcome. If not, add 1 damage to it.
Example:
Magic Sigils Room; Damage Illusion Magic X Sophisticated Contraptions X X X Trapped Control Panel XX Golden Sigils If a character strikes a Mean Blow against Illusion Magic, they roll 3d6.
When the GM strikes a Blow against a character, the procedure is similar. The GM will roll as many dice as established by the severity of the blow, +1d6 if the character is Vulnerable. If the GM rolls a 6, the character loses 1 Hold.
Method 3: Damage as Established
This is the simplest and most direct method.
When creating Opposition, the GM will distribute a number of Resistance Points among all Resistances. I’d recommend 5 points for an easy Opposition and about 15 points for a very hard Opposition.
Once any Resistance has lost all of is Resistance Points, it is Overcome.
When a character or the GM strikes a Blow, they deal 1-3 damage according to the severity of the Blow.
Lesser Blow: 1 damage
Mean Blow: 2 damage
Hard Blow: 3 damage
Example:
Magic Sigils Room; Resistance Illusion Magic X Sophisticated Contraptions X X X X X Trapped Control Panel X X Golden Sigils X X If a character strikes a Mean Blow against Golden Sigils, it loses 2 Resistance Points and is Overcome.
If the GM strikes a Mean Blow against a character, that character loses 2 Hold.
Also, they don’t seem to be too different, so maybe they are two sides of the same move?