The narrative-driven nature of Arcadia Complex over traditional numeric system means that combat is not a major focus of the plot, but conflict can still be found frequently along the adventures of the ISS Downrider. This page serves as a breakdown and loose rulesheet for how combat is handled in the plot, for reference both by players and by the GM.
Combat in Arcadia Complex is handled usually in the same call-response fashion as normal exploration posts, with the GM handling the actions of enemies, their attacks, and responses to player character movements, and players reacting to enemy attacks and launching their own. In more frantic or solo battles, sometimes combat may be handled through short-form joint posts to hurry things along.
Combat may be spontaneous (such as an ambush) or foreshadowed through growing dialogue or tensions, with the start of combat proper being the first attack. Combat continues until either party is incapacitated, killed, flees, or otherwise disengages from combat. Combat may be initiated either as a full group, or as lesser groups, but fleeing from combat usually requires all characters involved to agree to fleeing.
It is best practice to describe attacks with their general target and damage type in mind. This goes both ways, as players will be attacking NPCs and vice versa. However, it is ill-advised (and generally ignored) for players to describe the actual impact of attacks.
It is usually left to the GM to describe damage, both to NPCs and to Player Characters. The likelyhood of a given attack landing on an enemy, and much damage is dealt is not down to exact numerics, but is influenced by factors such as weight, damage type, armor and the agility of an enemy.
The rule of stacking is a vague narrative rule that places diminishing returns on varied attacks against a particular enemy all destined to land at the same time. The long and the short of it, the more attacks are aimed at an enemy at the same time, the less likely subsequent attacks are going to land. Usually, the most impactful / disruptive attack takes precedent, but smaller attacks (e.g. everyone shooting the enemy with a gun) are likely to share damage collectively.
For instance, if an enemy is being targeted by several attacks, one of which is likely to disrupt their position (such as throws, heavy hits, or crowd control), that attack is more likely to land, but by extension all other attacks are likely to miss. Throwing an explosive at an enemy nearly guarantees anyone shooting them is not going to have sight on them for long. This also means that close quarters combatants are at risk of crossfire if ranged characters are targeting the same enemy. Physically speaking, the larger an enemy is, the less protection they receive from the rule of stacking.
Different attacks can deal different kinds of damage, which can be more or less effective against certain kinds of threats. In general, attacks are split into two categories: Physical Damage and Elemental Damage. An attack can be composed of more than one type of damage, but will usually boil down to one of both category types (eg, a spear of ice being thrown would boil down to deal both Puncture and Cryo damage).
Impact damage is incurred mostly by blunt attacks, shockwaves, blasts, throwing, and debris impacts. These physically disperse impact force across a wider area, and do not incur bleeding except under heavy damage. In general, attacks dealing great impact damage have a higher chance of disrupting enemies and enemy attacks, being able to displace or even send enemies flying.
Impact is the most effective against contact-based shielding, moderately effective against living creatures (especially fleshy ones), but are usually ineffective against robots unless the impact is of a large scale. Impact is ineffective against heavily armored targets, but can still disrupt them, and break through lighter armor.
Puncture damage is incurred mostly by bullets, shrapnel, spears, and spikes. These physically control the force of imapct into a single point, usually resulting in narrow wounds with deep penetration, and can incur bleeding. In general, attacks dealing puncture damage have only moderate chances of disruption based on velocity and weight, depending on if an enemy is armored or not.
Puncture is generally neutral to shielding, but is effective against armored targets that would shrug off other damage types.
Slash damage is incurred mostly by swords, saws, glaives, and other means of rending something apart. These physically control the force of impact into a long strike, with the highest chance of causing bleeding and dismemberment. In general, attacks dealing slash damage have varying chances of disruption and crowd control based on force and enemy type.
Slash is extremely strong against flesh, fabric armor, and wire, but is generally ineffective against shielding, robotics, and armor.
Heat damage is incurred by attacks involving fire, lava, plasma, or other sources of damage that would raise temperature. Heat damage raises the temperature of the target and its environment, leading to discomfort, burns, scalds, and eventual ignition. Heat is effective against fleshy targets as well as lesser robotics, but is generally ineffective against insulated or shielded targets, as well as larger targets.
Cryo damage is incurred by attacks involving ice, snow, water, the void of space, or other sources of damage that would lower temperature. Cryo damae lowers the temperature of the target and its environment, leading to discomfort, hypothermia, frostbite, and eventual freezing. Cryo Damage is moderately effective against fleshy targets, but is completely ineffective against robots, insulated, or shielded targets. Targets with spontaneously lowered temperatures are prone to their armor integrity being weakened, especially those equipped with Arcandum Armor.
Electric damage is incurred by attacks involving electricity and discharge, or other similar attacks. Electricity in smaller doses serves primarily asa stunner against organic targets, but in large quantities can lead to burns, lasting side effects, eventual ignition, and fatal damage. Electricity in the right application is a strong disabler against most electronics and robots, though more advanced robotics can often shrug off the damage with lesser consequence. It goes without saying that the more conductive something is, the more effective electricity will be against it- and vice versa for insulation.
As a side effect of Electric Damage, Magnetic Damage (such as Electromagnetic Pulse Grenades) are greatly effective against lesser electronics and robots, as well as communication. However, EMPs are prone to friendly fire, do not affect echyllis-fueled machinery nearly as much, and Arcadian Wartech is usually resistant to conventional EMP. WAEPs (Weaponized Alternative Energy Pulses) are the Arcadian-equivalent to EMPs, being able to affect their own technology in the event of emergencies or theft.
Both Electric and Magnetic Damage saps or disrupts the flow of power in shielding, making it effective at disabling them quicker.
Toxic Damage is incurred by poisons, diseases, gasses, and corrosive materials. Against organic creatures, poisons can be used to weaken targets, ensure a death over time, or induce other effects as necessary. Corrosive materials are capable of eating away at, flesh, bone, metal and armor, weakening them and exposing areas for additional damage, but burn out quickly. Against organic targets, corrosion causes severe burns and disruption, against robotics, it weakens metal and armor, able to quickly disable lesser robots.
Drowse is not element itself, but refers to any kind of sleep dart, sedative, sleep spell, or other forms of inducing tiredness and sleepiness in a target. The effectiveness of these methods relies on their delivery method, such as sleep darts being ineffective against armored targets unless the armor has been weakened through another mean. Putting targets to sleep is a pacifist way to KO or prematurely end a fight, though capture is not guaranteed.
Robotics are completely immune to all forms of induced drowse, save for their actual sleep commands.
Echyllis Damage is incurred by echyllis bent naturally or artificially, areas of high echyllis saturation, and is used as a placeholder damage type for EvoKnight technology that does not have an explicit element already attached. Formation of echyllis themselves deal primarily physical damage, but with added bonuses. Depending on the intensity of the reaction being used, Echyllis Damage is capable of both great physical damage with additive Heat. Echyllis itself does not add any bonus in most situations, save for increasing the slow accumulation of echyllis poisoning in living creatures. Beings of echyllis itself such as Imprints are hardly affected by echyllis-based attacks.
Echyllis and Folly directly counteract each other, damaging both substances. In this situation, the attack with more force behind it comes out on top.
Folly Damage is incurred by folly itself, as well as some special circumstances. Like echyllis, folly can be considered an additive to physical damage, Cryo. Beings of folly can be damaged by other forms folly, as well as physical attacks to a limited extent. Folly Damage is extremely effective against Echyllis Imprints, so long as it is used with enough force.
Echyllis and Folly directly counteract each other, damaging both substances. In this situation, the attack with more force behind it comes out on top.
This page was originally created by Pancakei on Thu 11-11-21.