Abstract Encounters

Epic Path \ Vehicle Combat \ Abstract Encounters

In Epic Path, we are defining two complimentary, but different, 'modes of play'.

The most common type of play in Epic Path is what we term 'Real Time' combat. This uses the classic D20 game system mechanics, with everyone rolling for initiative, time measured in discrete 'rounds', and with well defined, small-scale rules for movement, attacks, and resolution of skill checks.

However, in the arena of story-telling, Real Time encounters are not the only way of getting things done. A classic example is in a movie, where the characters are taking a long journey on a ship and/or plane to fulfill a quest. Rather than showing the journey, which would be mind-numbingly dull, the story-tellers ABSTRACT the journey, such as showing a montage of a dotted line on a map, to signify the progress being made.

This form of Abstract encounter is a potent tool for GM's whose stories have evolved 'beyond the dungeon', and as such, we present these rules to represent such abstract encounters.

First

Abstract Encounters are usually played out in the 'Theatre of the Mind", or, Abstract Mode. As such, there will not be a battle map or an initiative roll.

Second

Abstract Encounters are resolved with skill rolls rather than normal combat mechanics. Abstract Mode combats are of a different order, larger in scale and slower in time, so that the normal d20 roll to-hit mechanics are abstracted into a more general system.

To resolve actions in an Abstract Encounter, you will make a skill roll, (or other D20 roll as determined by the game master) and then you will receive a number of D6's (called Action Dice) based on the result of that roll. These Action Dice are then rolled to generate Action Pips. You can spend Action Pips to resolve action in Abstract Encounters, or more importantly, you can bank up some of the Action Pips and use them later, after you have had the opportunity to roll more Skill Rolls and thus gain even more Action Dice.

Abstract Encounters are used for such things as Siege Warfare, Mass Battles, Naval Actions, Evacuations, Character Retraining, and the like.

Core Mechanics

Abstract actions are on a different scale than Real Time actions, both larger and slower. As a result, the stats and feats a character uses to fight in normal combat have little to no effect upon Abstract Actions. The player character uses their Profession skills or other applicable skills to make a skill check, which then grants them a number of Action Dice which they roll to gain Action Pips. You must exceed a Difficulty Category (DC) with your Action Pips in order to succeed with any Abstract Action. You may only make a skill check, roll Action Dice, and expend pips once per time interval as defined in the check you are attempting. Siege actions take ten minutes, for example, while retraining efforts may allow you to roll once per day. In all cases, the DM may adjudicate the frequency of attempts to generate Action Dice and bank Action Pips.

In more detail, this process is:

• Make a skill check:

Each abstract action has a skill or other source for a D20 roll associated with it, often a Profession or Bailiwick skill, which determines expertise in that particular Abstract Action. On your turn, you make a skill check against this skill.

• Alternate Skills: If you do not have any ranks in the skill for your Action, you may instead use any Bailiwick skill in its place, and the GM may allow other skills to be substituted on a case-by-case basis.

• Determine action pool:

If you used the proper skill as defined in the Abstract Action, you divide your skill check's result by 5 (round down), and take this many d6 dice into your action pool for the round. If you used a Bailiwick skill instead of the appropriately defined skill, you divide your skill check's result by 10 (round down) instead. If the GM allows you to substitute another skill, divide that result by 12, round down, to determine the number of Action Dice.

• Minimum action pool: No matter how poorly you roll on your skill check, a player character always get a minimum of 2d6 for your action pool each time interval.

• Roll action pool and determine expenditures:

You then roll your action pool of d6's, and may allocate the results of your roll to attempt to succeed at a Difficulty Check. If you do not know the DC (a distressingly common occurrence) you may spend pips in an escalating fashion to find the DC, or simply bank a large number in hopes you exceed the unknown number. Knowing the DC for an Abstract Action is a valuable piece of knowledge indeed. The number of pips you expend must equal or exceed the target DC to succeed.

• Determine Difficulty Check:

The Difficulty Check for Abstract Actions are widely variable, and in all cases, the DM adjudicates what is needed to succeed at any given check. As a rule of thumb, Abstract Actions should have a Difficulty Class on the order of an | Impossible Skill Check of the appropriate CR. Note that difficulties of this magnitude will be very high, and thus necessitate that many Abstract Actions will require the players to bank dice to build up to even try to achieve such actions.

• Banking dice: In the event that you suspect or know you don't have enough pips in your action pool to successfully perform an action, or you have left over dice which you did not use this time interval, you can also bank those unused dice until the next time interval, adding their existing pips to your next attempt's action pool. You must expend one die each interval for each die you wish to bank, and you generally expend all the lowest die results to bank all the highest die results. This simulates making 'ranging shots' to get your weapon dialed in, or writing practice scrolls, or lining up your angle on a hard hill to climb. There is no limit to the number of dice you can bank each turn within these limits, and banked dice do not affect how many dice you get to roll due to your Skill roll in future rounds.

• You can't split dice: Note that pips from d6's in your action pool cannot be split up. That is, you must use all of the pips on a single die if you use any of them. This means if you wish to purchase an expenditure which costs 12 pips, and you have three 5's on your action pool dice, you must spend all three dice to pay for the 12 pip cost, effectively wasting 3 pips of your action pool. Alternatively, you could bank your dice until next turn, and hope that your next turn's action pool dice allow you to divide your results less wastefully. Note that once pips are banked, they may be spent as you wish and you do not have to track how many pips were on each die.

Note that your BAB or CMB have no effect upon these rules. You may gain bonuses (inherent or enchantment) from circumstances or proper equipment and environments, along with any assists from allies or NPC's, and that's all. Furthermore, Stat bonuses do not count: No matter how high your Str or Dex, it does not help you to aim a battering ram or write a sonnet. Similarly, Feats and magical bonuses from items and spells do not count either, unless they specifically boost the proper Skill.

Third

Abstract Mode and Real Time Mode can be switched back and forth. In a naval campaign, there may be a days long contest of skill between two sailing captians as they each seek to maneuver against the other. But when the two ships are finally done firing cannon volleys at each other at long range, there may be an exciting boarding action, and the GM may declare that the boarding action is resolved in Real Time Mode, using the conventional D20 system rules. Another example could be siege warfare, where Abstract mode is used to represent days of catapults and bombards battering at the castle gate, but when a battering ram closes in, Real-Time mode can be used to show the heroes sallying forth to try and disable or destroy the Ram before it tears down the gates.

Fourth

In general, all action in Real Time mode is resolved in Real Time mechanics, and all action in Abstract mode is resolved in Abstract mechanics. If you have a pair of airships in a long stern chase, the groups Ranger, and archer of legendary prowess, may get on the deck and pepper the pursuing ship with arrows. But, as long as the encounter is working in Abstract mode, the Ranger has to resolve their attacks by a Skill Check (such as Profession, Soldier or Profession, Siege Engineer) to generate Action Dice. The player then rolls those Action Dice to generate Pips that she may use to attack the crew of the enemy ship. This abstracts the Ranger firing many dozens or hundreds of times.

Fifth

As a rule, almost all activity performed at a distance or scale of greater than fifty feet can be resolved in Abstract Mode. Almost all activity at a distance greater than two miles MUST be resolved in Abstract Mode. The reason for this is the simple fact that most gaming mats used for play are less then a few dozen squares across. In all cases, the DM adjudicates whether an action is resolved using Abstract Mode or Real Time mode, and adjudicates when you switch between the two modes of play.

Sixth

Abstract mode is the "default over ride" mode. In all cases, when an initiative roll is made, that indicates that Real Time mode is beginning. This means that unless the GM has declared an initiative roll, all resolutions are made using Abstract Mode. Vehicle Combat and Siege Weapons/Mass Warfare are usually resolved mostly in Abstract mode, with the occassional exciting bout of Real Time mode combat.

Seventh

In the movies, it is extremely common for the hero to 'level up' with a classic 'training montage'. Of course this is resolved in Abstract mode! All out-of-combat activities can be thought of as variations of Abstract Mode activities, and are almost always resolved as Skill Rolls (or other D20 rolls), to either determine success or failure directly, or to build up Action Dice and Action Pips to determine success or failure. The Action Dice/Action Pips mechanic is a good way of emulating a task that can be completed eventually with enough effort, no matter how big or complicated. Building a pyramid begins by banging two rocks together, and if you bang thos rocks rogether long enough and just keep working, eventually you will finish, no matter how long it takes.