Dueling Rules

Dueling Rules

Dueling rules are not for common combats. They are for when a character wants to have a formal duel and have it be more than just a hit/miss hit point experience.

Optional - Spectators & Crowd Influence

If the duel has onlookers, the crowd can influence the flow of the fight. If there are no spectators, skip this section entirely.

Crowd Favor: Each duelist tracks their own Favor score, starting at 0. Favor represents how much the crowd is backing that duelist.

Favor typically ranges from 0 to 3 Favor is earned individually and does not transfer when roles switch

Spending Favor: A duelist may spend 1 Favor at any time on their turn to gain a +2 bonus to any single roll (attack, insight, parry, or special). This must be declared before the roll.

Audience Type (Optional): Before the duel begins, the GM may define the type of crowd. This grants a passive modifier:

Military: +1 to Insight checks Nobles: +1 to Feign attempts, -1 to Dirty Tricks if noticed Common Folk: The duelist currently losing gains +1 to their next roll Order/Religious: Dishonorable actions may result in disapproval or intervention

Part 1: Facedown

Some duels are won before they even begin. If either of the players wish to try to intimidate the other, they can attempt to intimidate the other user, per the intimidate rules. If both fighters attempt an intimidate, an opposed check is used instead. Each combatant can add their BAB to the check. If the winner beats the loser by more than 10, the loser must make a Will save with a DC equal to ½ the winner’s BAB, plus their Cha Mod, plus 10. If a NON-PC fails, he will concede the duel right away. If a PC fails, he will have the shaken condition for the entirety of the duel.

[Optional – Crowd Reaction]: If a duelist wins the Intimidate check by more than 10, they gain +1 Favor.

Part Two: The Duel

Step one: Initiative This is a standard initiative roll. The participants can choose before this roll if the initiative will apply for the whole duel, or if a new roll is made each round.

Step two: The Focus The attacker chooses how they are going to make the attack. There are four basic moves: High Right, High Left, Low Right, Low Left. These represent general approaches, not actual types of strikes.

Step Three: Insight The defender must attempt to identify the move the attacker is making. There are several ways to do this. Each of the checks below (attacker and defender) gain a bonus equal to ½ the character’s BAB.

A. Perception vs Acrobatics B. Sense Motive vs Bluff C. Instinct (d20 + BAB vs d20 + BAB)

If the defender wins any of the checks, he knows the basic move the opponent is going to use. However, the DM should not reveal if the defender has succeeded. He should just tell the defender what he thinks the attacker is going to use, which would be true if the defender won the roll, but could be false if he lost the roll.

The defender also has the ability to attempt to goad the attacker into making a certain type of attack. He can make a Bluff check vs an opponent’s Sense Motive. This is more difficult though and the defender does not get to add his BAB bonus, while the attacker still does add ½ BAB. If the defender makes the check, the attacker sees a false opening and uses the basic move the defender chooses.

[Optional – Crowd Reaction]:

If the defender correctly identifies the attack, they gain +1 Favor If the defender is misled (incorrect guess), the attacker gains +1 Favor

Step four: The Parry

The defender chooses the basic move he thinks (or knows) the attacker is going to use and rolls an attack roll. Both parties reveal the basic moves they chose.

If they are the same, the defender gets a +4 to his Parry roll If they are different, the defender gets a -4 to the Parry roll

If the defender wants, he can choose not to pick an attack at all and get no bonus or penalty to the parry roll.

The defender makes a normal attack roll with their weapon, adding the bonus from above. This becomes his new AC if the result is larger than his current AC. The attacker then makes the attack roll as normal against the new AC.

[Optional – Spend Favor]: Either duelist may spend Favor before making their roll to gain a +2 bonus.

[Optional – Crowd Reaction]:

Successful parry with correct read (+4): defender gains +1 Favor Failed parry due to incorrect read (-4): attacker gains +1 Favor

Step 5 Specials:

Feign: If the attacker chooses a feign and the defender does not pick up on it, then the attacker makes the attack with a +4 bonus as well. If the defender believes that the opponent has chosen to feign instead of defending, he can counter attack. If the defender is correct, then instead of parrying he makes a standard attack against the attacker and the attacker has no chance to parry. The attacker also loses his attack that round. If the attacker is not using feign, the defender does not get a counter attack, and loses his parry for the round.

Dirty Trick: The attacker can forgo his attack and instead use a Dirty Trick combat maneuver. If this duel is an honorable thing, this may result in disqualification. The attacker can attempt to hide this move by making a Bluff check opposed by the onlookers (or defender) Perception checks. However, he must take a -2 penalty on the combat maneuver check.

[Optional – Crowd Reaction]:

Successful Feign: attacker gains +1 Favor Feign countered: defender gains +1 Favor Dirty Trick noticed: attacker loses 1 Favor (minimum 0) and may draw crowd hostility

Step 6 Switch

The defender now becomes the attacker and replay from Step 2 above.

[Optional] Call the Crowd Once per round, a duelist may attempt to influence the audience.

Make a Perform, Bluff, or Intimidate check DC: 10 + opponent’s BAB

Success: Gain +1 Favor or +2 to the next roll Failure: Lose 1 Favor (minimum 0)