Powers & Perils Meets Harn Combat

[Paul L. Ming]

Hiya.

    Well, I've had a lot of time lately to sit and think about how to mix
these two.  I *think* I've came up with something that works.  It is a bit
more complex than normal P&P combat (naturally), but it's still fairly
straight forward.  Any comments?
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Powers & Perils with Harn Modifications:
Combat
Preface:
Harn has an interesting and well thought-out combat system. It is realistic,
but simple. Powers & Perils has an interesting and heroic combat system. It
is not exceedingly realistic, but it is rather simple. The purpose of this
document is to try and bridge the two systems.
General Understandings:
    Harn uses three attack areas; upper, mid and lower.
    Harn uses a test-vs-test to determine results.
    Harn uses 4 defenses; Block, counterstrike, dodge and ignore.
    Harn uses 4 levels of injury; Minor, serious, grievous and killing.
    Harn uses locations.

    P&P uses 1 attack chart/area.
    P&P uses test-with-modifiers to determine results.
    P&P uses skills as defense.
    P&P uses 3 levels of injury; Hit, severe and deadly.
    P&P does not use specific locations.

    Both systems use d100 to determine combat results.
    Both systems have the potential to be instantly fatal for an opponent.

Powers & Perils Meets Harn Combat System:
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    Ok, what about simply using the Harn method. The ELx10 is used as the
EML of the Harn version. Example, a character with EL6 in Boradsword would
have an EML of 60. The defender, however, uses his ELx5 in his weapon for
Counterstrike, ELx10 for using a  shield to Block, current DVx10 for Dodge.
    Normal 'rolling methods' as per Harn determine CF, MF, MS, CS.

    Simple example; Arnold attacks Bill. Arnold has EL6 in Broadsword; Bill
is using a simple shield, and he's EL3 in it. Arnolds EML with his sword is
60; Bills EML in shield is 30.

    Now, determining damage. In order to determine damage, in place of
rolling a d6 a number of times equal to the number determined by the attack
and defense (as per Harn), the EL of the appropriate person is used in place
of that d6. Also, a characters adds his (SB+StB/2)ru to that number.

    Continuing the Above Example: Arnold decides to attack high (keep
reading for it's effect), suffering a -10 on his EML (bringing it down to
50; 60, -10for attacking High, as per Harn), and Bill decides to Block.
Arnold rolls a 30; CS. Bill only rolls a 19;MS. Looking at the Harn chart,
we get A^1. Arnold has EL6 in his sword, so his Effective Impact is 6 (1x
6EL = 6). However, Arnold is also a monster of a man, having a SB+3 and
StB+2. This means he can add +3 to that 6, bringing him up to an Effective
Impact of 9!

    Allrightythen. Now we move on to the fun part. Determining the actual
damage and location. Simply follow the normal Harn rules; roll for actual
location, but when it gets down to the Injury Table...
    M = Half normal damage (rd)
    S = Normal Damage
    G = Serious Damage
    K = Deadly Damage

    Simple enough, but now we adjust it based on just how hard a whack was
given (as indicated by the number on the Injury Table). For every number
above 1 that is there, the attacker can add (EL/2, rd) in the weapon used.

    Continuing the Above Example: We know Arnold stuck poor Bill for an
Effective Impact of 9 (6 for EL and +3 for his SB/StB adjustment) with a
strike to the upper area. Arnolds player rolls d100 and gets a 06. Nice!
(well, not good for poor Bill!) Looking across, we see a result of "S3"
under the 9+ column (remember, Arnold did 9 Effective Impact). So, a "S"
type impact is equivilant to a P&P "Normal Hit" (remember that little chart
above?). Arnold's damage turns out to be 1d6+4, rolling, he gets a total of
8 (all this is as per normal P&P rules for damage). Now, the number after
the "S", a 3 in this case, means he gets to add his (EL/2, rd) two more
times. His EL in broadsword is 6, giving him +3 damage per "extra point of
damage" indicated on the Harn chart...so Arnold tacks on another (3+3)= 6;
bringing his damage up to 14 to poor Bills head.

    **Ok, thats it for the combat system. But read on...**


    Right, now for the obligatory P&P Options;

--==OPTIONAL==--:
    See those cute little symbols after and before the Letter/Number's on
the Harn Injury Table? Yeah, the triangle and diamond? Well, they indicate
"Amputation Roll" and "Fumble/Stumble Roll", respectively. Well, if you
really want....

    An "Amputation Roll" is this; ...if the weapon was edged only!..., the
defender must roll a Moderate S+St test. The S+St is modified by d6 times
the number on the Injury Table. If the defender fails the roll, the
indicated body part is chopped off. Nasty indeed. The DM, as usual, will
need to use some common sense here, and also figure out some specific rules
for people running around in a battle with a leg whacked off.

    A "Fumle/Stumble Roll" is this; The defender must roll a Moderate A test
(if the hit body part was 'big'; leg, abdomen, etc), or a Moderate D test
(if the hit body part was somewhere in the arm), modified by d6 times the
number indicated on the Harn Injury Table. If it's an A test, and the
defender fails, down he goes. If it's a D test, and the defender fails, the
defender fumbles whatever was in that hand/arm (modified by d6 per 'point').
If the weapon was held with 2 hands, the defender can make another Difficult
D test; failure indicates the weapon was dropped, success indicates that it
is still being held by the 'other' hand.  **There is no modifier to this
second roll**

    Example; Lets say Bill drops, when all of a sudden, out of the darkness,
springs a big panther! Forgoing the combat parts, lets just assume the
panther cuts Arnold across the hip and the result indicates "[diamond]S3".
In addition to the normal damage the cat scores, Arnold must make a Moderate
A test, with a modifier of.....(3d6 roll for the cat = 12).... -12. Arnold
has an Agility of 33. So, 33-12=21. A moderate A test, is 2xStat, or 2x21 =
42. Arnolds player rolls and gets a 56...fails. Arnold is spun around by the
large cat, and falls against a stone sarcoffagus. The DM rules that Arnold's
PMR is reduced by 2 as he stands up to face the cat.
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    So, what do you all think?  Way out of whack? Nigh perfect?  Pretty good
concidering? Or maybe just "What the hell are you thinking?!?"  ;-)

^_^

Paul L. Ming