Page 31 - GM EBOOK

declare this act. Understanding and applying allow them information that is obvious to their loca-
the rules for Knockout Coma and Death from tion. Also, to be fair, NPC characters are allowed the
pages 48 in the Ninja vs. Samurai RPG Player same privilege of information.
Manual is vital.
Weapons Combat
Making Decisions about Actions for NPCs
When a character has a weapon with them, the
A difficult decision for the GM is deciding what an same digression about movements needs to be taken
appropriate movement should be for an NPC, espe- with using the available instrument. A Champion
cially when using a character with a lot of experience personality type will use more advanced movements C
points, or one who has reached the final levels in a more quickly in a situation before an Idealist person- h a
martial art. Should an NPC give chase? Will an ality type. p t
NPC chose to attack head on or use stealth? Will this e
NPC want to eliminate a character quickly using a Non-projectile Weapon Combat r
Mystic Art Attack or not? With all of these decisions The rules of weapons combat mirror hand-to-hand
being the responsibility of the GM with every charac- combat in rules and responsibilities for the GM, how-
ter the task can become daunting. ever, non-projectile weapons combat requires the
GM to be attentive to a few details of information to
Depending on the situation, the character, and the
character’s personality and a character’s quirks one keep game play fair and consistent. Understanding
the advantages to having weapons in combat
movement may be more appropriate than another. (especially for Control Roll) is paramount. Keeping
Some characters find difficulty harming another to the Ninja vs. Samurai RPG Player Manual will be
the point of not using devastating attacks. Others
may find this task an easy decision. It is up to the handy. Finding the weapon being used in Chapter
GM to decide. Understanding that a character who five to see the Range (Rng) attribute will help the
has developed into an advanced grappler will more GM maintain accuracy when governing bonuses to
likely elect to wait on defense than use striking skills the Control Roll.
to end conflicts is something to consider. As well as Projectile Weapon Combat
is the notion that the Performer personality type will The rules for projectile weaponry are much differ-
chose to attempt to restore peace in a situation before ent than non-projectile usage. This form of weapon
jumping into combat in the manner of a Champion. requires three stages to fire the weapon. These three

The Addition of New Combatants stages are marked through the use of Stamina Points
which signifies each stage being completed. Before
During the course of combat between any combi- the implementation of a weapon the players involved
nation of entities in a game or scenario outside inter-
ests may find their way into the confrontation to add will be perform a Control Roll to determine which
reinforcements to either of the sides. If this ever character is starting the confrontation. The technique
should occur the GM needs to be aware of a couple “Long Shot” can be used during this stage of an en-
of rules that come with the addition of characters. counter should the target be within a particular range
and the player wants the character to escape that
First whether the new combatants are allies or foes range and gain the range advantage associated with
they should enter between rounds. That is, they wielding a projectile weapon. Using this technique,
should enter after the reaction rolls and damage is character’s is able to step away from the target and
taken from all initial combatants. given the player a bonus to the Control Roll. A coun-

Secondly, the new combatants can only react to the ter movement of the technique “Quick Step” can be
things that they are aware of and vice versa. New- performed to nullify this movement.
comers are aware that there are combatants, but they The initial stage of projectile combat is known as
are not aware of the locations of all combatants until “Readying the Weapon”. A 1D6 Odds & Evens roll
they discover them or the combatants who are not is to be cast where an even number determines if the
visible reveal themselves. If a PC enters a fray, only character has successfully completed the preparation

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