When using the Player Facing Combat option, the Adventure Guide never rolls the dice during combat. Character Attack Checks are resolved in the standard fashion, but when an NPC or Antagonist attacks a character, the player makes an Action Check to defend against the Attack instead of the Adventure Guide making an Attack Check for the Antagonist.
The Player Facing Combat option does not change the Encounter format or available Actions. It also does not change how Challenge Points, Wounds, Body Points, Mind Points, or Spirit Points are tracked. The only change is to who rolls the dice when a monster attacks and how you determine the number of Points the character loses if they are hit.
NPC Attacks #
When an NPC or Antagonist attacks a character, the character makes an Defend Check to avoid the Attack. The Difficulty Score is the monster’s Attack Action Score. If the Defend Check succeeds, the character avoids the Attack. If the Defend Check fails, the character may lose Body, Mind, or Spirit Points.
Defend Check Action Score #
The Action Score for a Defend Check is the character’s appropriate Defense Score.
Defend Check Difficulty Score #
The base Difficulty Score for a Defend Check is the NPC’s Action Score for the weapon they are using. If the NPC is using one of the standard Attack Actions listed in their statblock, use the Attack Score shown for that Action AS the base Difficulty Score. If the NPC is taking some other type of Attack Action, calculate their Action Score AS you would under the standard rules and use the result AS the Difficulty Score.
Warheart is facing an orc Warrior from the northern wastes. The Adventure Guide announces the orc is attacking with its war axe. Warheart declares he is going to try to dodge the orc’s Attack.
The orc statblock shows its war axe has Attack Action Score 5, so the base Difficulty Score for Wargar’s Defend Check is DS 5. The battlefield is also strewn with broken weapons and bodies, so the Adventure Guide applies a Drawback to the Defend Check’s Difficulty Score. The total is DS 6 (5 Orc Attack Action Score + 1 Drawback = 6).Benefits and Drawbacks #
AS per the standard rules for determining Action Scores and Difficulty Scores, anything that makes it easier for the character to avoid the Attack adds a Benefit to the Action Score for their Defend Check, and anything that makes it more difficult for them to avoid the Attack adds a Drawback to the Difficulty Score.
Losing Points #
If the Defend Check succeeds, the character dodges, blocks, parries, or otherwise avoids the Attack.
If the Defend Check fails, the character loses a number of Points (Body Points, Mind Points, or Spirit Points AS appropriate) equal to the amount by which they rolled under the Difficulty Score plus the Attack’s Effect modifier. Armor reduces the loss of Points AS per the Core Rules.
Warheart’s Body Defense is 6, so his base Action Score for the Defend Check is 6 (2d6). Warheart’s player rolls 2d6 and gets a 4. This is 2 less than the Difficulty Score, so the orc’s base Effect is 2. In addition, the orc’s war axe has a +2 Effect. Fortunately, Warheart’s armor provides Protection of Armor (Body) 1. Warheart loses 3 Body Points. 2 (amount rolled under DS) + 2 (war axe Effect modifier) - 1 (Armor) = 3 Body Points lost