Combat

 

⚔️ Action Scenes and Epic Moments

In Arkaders, combat isn’t just about who hits harder.
It’s a story within a story, a moment where heroes shine, chaos explodes, and decisions matter.

Combat is fast, narrative, and driven by imagination. You won’t be counting squares or checking grids—you’ll be diving off hover-trains, casting spells in rhythm duels, and swinging pixel-forged axes while laughing in the face of doom.

📌 When Does Combat Begin?

The Master decides when the stakes are high enough for structured action.

Combat begins when:

  • An enemy steps forward to challenge the party

  • A chase escalates into danger

  • A scene demands turns for clarity

  • The group enters a situation that’s time-sensitive, explosive, or theatrical

Examples of combat triggers:

  • Fighting a corrupted knight in a temple made of mirrors

  • A spell duel on a collapsing bridge made of light

  • Racing to deactivate a ticking data-bomb

  • A musical battle where riffs deal radiant damage

🎮 Combat in Arkaders is a stage. Make it legendary.

🕒 Simplified Turns – Fast & Flexible

Each player takes one turn per round. A turn includes:

  1. One main action:

    • Attack

    • Cast a spell

    • Use a Token Card

    • Activate an item

    • Perform a wild stunt (yes, even “ride a dragon’s tail to uppercut a drone”)

  2. Movement or Positioning:

    • Run, hide, leap, flank—describe it!

  3. Quick speech:

    • Yell orders, banter with enemies, shout catchphrases, or cry out for help

🧑🏫 The Master can decide the order narratively—who acts first based on creativity or urgency. Or, if your group prefers structure:

🎲 Everyone rolls 1d20 at the start of combat → Highest roll acts first.

🔁 What Can You Do in Combat?

Almost anything—if you can describe it, you can try it. But here are the basics:

  • Attack an enemy (use Strength or Agility, depending on your style)

  • Cast a spell or use tech (roll with Magic)

  • Inspire, defend, or support (roll with Spirit)

  • Do something creative, chaotic, or unexpected

    • Flip a table for cover

    • Use a Token Card to summon a lightning aura

    • Push a golem into a lava pit with a hover-crate

    • Dive onto a hoverboard mid-air to rescue a friend

🎮 Combat is where heroes become legends. Don’t just hit—create scenes people will talk about later.

🎲 How Combat Rolls Work (Updated for Difficulty System)

Here’s how a standard combat action works under the Arkaders roll-over system:

🎭 1. The Player Describes Their Action

“I swing my hammer into the mech’s power core!”

🎯 2. The Master Sets the Difficulty and Says Which Attribute Applies

“That’s Strength. Difficulty: 16. It’s a tough mech.”

The attribute used depends on the nature of the action:

  • Strength → Brute force, physical hits, lifting, smashing

  • Agility → Dodging, quick strikes, parkour, stealth

  • Magic → Spells, tech, logic-based control

  • Spirit → Defense, healing, morale, psychic resistance

🎲 3. The Player Rolls

  • Roll 1d20

  • If your Class or Item boosts the attribute in use → Add +1d6

🧠 4. Total the Roll and Compare to the Difficulty

  • If your total is equal to or higher than the Difficulty → ✅ Success!

  • If it’s lower → ❌ Failure (but it might still have fun or dramatic consequences)

🎬 5. The Master Narrates the Outcome

This is your moment. The Master uses the result to tell what happens:

  • Did you damage the enemy?

  • Did something explode or shift?

  • Did your failure still change the scene somehow?

🧪 Example 1 – Smashing a Beast

🧑🏫 Master: “The plasma beast charges. To hit it, Difficulty 15.”
🔴 Player (Red Class – Strength boosted):
“I grab a metal pipe and swing hard at its leg joints!”
🎲 1d20 = 10
🎲 +1d6 = 5 → Total = 15
✅ Success!

🧑🏫 Master: “CRACK! The pipe slams into its leg, sparks fly, and the beast crashes to one knee. The crowd roars.”

🧪 Example 2 – Missing but Creating a Twist

🧑🏫 Master: “The rogue sentinel is escaping. Difficulty to intercept: 17.”
🟢 Player (Green Class – Agility boosted):
“I wall-run and leap to tackle it mid-air!”
🎲 1d20 = 7
🎲 +1d6 = 3 → Total = 10
❌ Failure

🧑🏫 Master: “You leap—and miss! But you land on a console, accidentally activating a force field that blocks the sentinel’s escape. The fight isn’t over yet.”

🔥 Combat = Story + Action

In Arkaders, combat is never just numbers. It's an invitation to:

  • Act like a hero

  • Fail like a legend

  • Roleplay through action

  • Push the scene forward

⚡ Swing with style. Cast with flair. Say something cool.
🎲 Let the dice roll. Let the story roar.


15. 📉 Receiving Damage & Falling in Battle

In Arkaders, damage isn’t just a number.
It’s the impact of failure, the price of risk, and the crackle of consequence when things go wrong.

When you take a hit—whether physical, magical, digital, or emotional—you lose Life Points. But the how can vary depending on your group's style of play.

❤️ What Are Life Points?

  • Your Life Points are equal to your Power Level.
    (If your Power Level is 11, your Life = 11.)

  • When damage reduces your Life to 0, you’re not dead—just knocked out or downed.

  • You can recover with time, healing, support—or a dramatic comeback moment, if the Master allows it.

💥 How Damage Works

In Arkaders, damage can be handled in two main ways. Choose the one that fits your group best—or switch between them based on the scene!

📖 Option 1: Narrative Damage (Default)

This is the fast, simple, story-driven method.

Here, the Master decides how much Life a character loses based on the intensity, drama, and impact of the moment—no rolling required.

🔧 Master Damage Examples:

  • A weak goblin punch → Lose 1 Life

  • A sword slash from a mini-boss → Lose 3–5 Life

  • A blast from a corrupted war-god → Lose 6–10 Life

  • An enemy using a Token Card x5 → Lose 5 extra Life (added to base damage)

🎭 “You get hit hard in the ribs by a plasma hammer. Take 4 damage. You’re still standing—but barely.”

✅ This method is great for:

  • Younger players

  • Narrative-focused tables

  • Fast-paced action

🎲 Option 2: Random Damage (Optional Rule)

For groups who enjoy more tension and unpredictability, you can roll dice for damage after a successful hit.

🧪 Suggested Damage Dice:

Attack Type Damage Roll
Light hit 1d4
Strong or cinematic hit 1d6
Critical strike or special move 1d10
Boss attack
1d12 or 1d20


🎴 Token Cards and Damage

When a Token Card is used in an attack, it adds its number (x2–x10) as bonus damage, instead of multiplying your roll.

🎲 Example:
You roll 1d6 for damage = 5
You played a Token x4
Total damage = 5 + 4 = 9

This keeps the math simple and gives Tokens real, punchy power in combat!

🎮 Combat Example – Full Scene

🎭 Master: “The mechanical beast rises before you—claws spinning, eyes glowing red.”
🔴 Kai (Red Class): “I charge with my energy hammer and play a Token x3!”
Master sets difficulty = 14
🎲 1d20 = 10 + 1d6 = 4 → Total = 14 ✅ Success!
🎲 Damage roll = 1d6 = 3
➕ Token x3 = +3
🧨 Total Damage: 6

🎭 Master: “Your hammer slams into its metal shell. Sparks fly and it stumbles back—its armor cracked and systems flickering.”

🧠 Optional Rule – “Staggered but Not Slain”

When a hero reaches 0 Life Points:

  • They collapse, glitch out, or fall unconscious

  • They can’t act unless:

    • Healed

    • Protected

    • The Master triggers a dramatic comeback

No instant death—unless the story demands it.

“Your body hits the ground in slow motion… but something glowing pulses from your belt.”

🧠 Final Master Advice

Use Narrative Damage for:

  • Younger players

  • Fast sessions

  • Big action with fewer numbers

Use Random Damage Rolls for:

  • Epic boss fights

  • Dice tension and tactics

  • Experienced or older groups

✨ Reminder about Token Cards in Damage:
If a Token Card is used to enhance an attack, its number (x2 to x10) is added as bonus flat damage, not multiplied.
Example: A Token x6 adds +6 damage to your damage roll.

⚡ Bonus Tip: Choose What Fits the Scene

You can switch between both damage styles depending on tone and energy. What matters is fun, fairness, and cinematic energy.

Token Cards = bonus +X damage
Combat = story in motion
You = legend in progress