The arms list of Mythic Bastionland sees some shuffling around compared to Electric Bastionland and Into the Odd. The most notable additions are Specialist Weapons that grant a bonus in a specific situation, and Swords, which let you roll two dice. A longsword, for example, rolls 2d6, keeping the highest.
While this means you’re doing more reliably high damage with your attacks, it also means you’re more likely to roll a 6, which triggers an Onslaught in the new combat rules, letting you carry out an extra effect.
While the weapons list lacks prices, there’s a rough separation into Common, Specialist, and Rare Arms, with swords placed firmly in the latter. This is because swords are special.
Most Knights don’t begin the game with a sword. Getting hold of one can be a story in itself. Perhaps you’ll find one while investigating a myth, a grateful ruler might grant you one, or you might find a smith with enough expertise you forge you a brand new blade. If you find a Knight you consider to be unworthy of their sword then do the world a favour and take it for yourself.
There is also The Blade, but that’s a story for another time.
But what if we wanted to make a really special sword? Well we’re always rolling two dice, so let’s say there’s a special effect when those dice match.
Swords of Power
These swords all do 2d6 damage. When these two dice match reference the value of the matching dice to the table for the sword being wielded. These powers only work in real combat, not mere sparring.
Brand of Cursed Blessings
1: You feel the weight of your past failures. Gain Malice. 2: You feel the true weight of the sword. Gain Fatigue. 3: You feel blood-thirst rising. Gain Wrath. 4: You feel unsatisfied. Gain Passion. 5: Treat this result as 10. 6: Treat this result as 12.
Eye Cutter
1: The wielder is blinded until the end of the combat. They are Exposed and their attacks Impaired. 2: The wielder is dazzled until the end of their next turn. They are Exposed and their attacks Impaired. 3: The sword glows, a steely scream from within. Foes of weak mind face Wavering Morale. 4: A searing light flies from the blade. This is an extra attack for d6 damage, ignoring armour. 5: The enemy is dazzled until the end of their next turn. They are Exposed and their attacks Impaired. 6: The enemy is blinded until the end of the combat. They are Exposed and their attacks Impaired.
Fang-o-Fortune
1: Place a die aside showing 1. You can switch any future roll made by the GM with this die. 2: You must declare a vision of the future, which must be uncertain but achievable by the end of the day. If you do not achieve it by the end of the day, gain Wrath. 3: The fang haunts you with visions of your failure. Gain Dread. 4: An alternative present emerges. Remove one Scar gained by yourself or an Ally. 5: Helpful visions relieve one Burden gained today by you or an Ally. 6: Place a die aside showing 6. You can switch any future roll made by you with this die.
Multiple attackers now pass their dice to an attack leader to make the roll. No mechanical impact, but purely a table-management thing that I think could help keep things running smoothly.
Replaced d100 rolls with d6 and d12 for mostly boring practical reasons.
Also trying d6+d12 in place of 3d6 for ability scores, very much on a trial basis. This gives a wilder distribution of rolls while still weighting things toward an average of 10. All results between 7-13 are equally as likely, so hopefully you’ll get fewer characters that are like 10s and 11s across the board.
2 new Knights/Myths.
MAC Attack also got a bit of an overhaul. In short:
SIMPLER MACs
BIGGER GUNS
MORE MELTDOWNS
I’ve also seen some talk about the lack of to-hit rolls in Into the Odd, and Yochai has reminded me of the original post that inspired me to go down this route, over at bxblackrazor. Go and check it out.
Coming Soon
This week on Patreon I’m doing a bit of an experiment.
What if initiative was the only roll in a combat system?
Less a question of "can I murder this horrible horse?" and more "can I murder it before it murders me?"
Expect the full post next week.
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