Strength Combat

'' ... I can kill you, Corwin. Do not even be certain that your blade will protect you, if I can get my hands on you but once ...''

Gérard, Sign of the Unicorn

Strength moves and Choices

Unlike Warfare, where various stratagems and deceptions may fool an opponent, Strength is clear and straightforward. For example, attempting to fake superiority is silly. If you've got the better Strength, you can break your adversary. And vice verse. In other words, superiority in Strength is a sure thing.

One other point. Just as characters with Warfare get fast reflexes along with their military training, so characters with high ranking in Strength get martial arts style expertise along with their muscles.

Grab or Grapple

The Strength version of an all-out assault. You count on being a lot stronger, and being able to establish a controlling hold.

If you don't have Strength superiority, and you attempt a Grapple, you're going to be pretty helpless. Whatever the other wrestler chooses to do will likely succeed, and you won't be able to do much to stop it.

If you and your challenger are a fairly even match, the Grapple is probably not going to succeed. It's even risky, if the enemy uses the time to go for your throat.

If you've got clear superiority in Strength this is bound to succeed (except for weird cases where you're battling something with too many arms, or too slippery to hold). Once the control is obtained, the controller has several options:

Pick 'em up and carry 'em

This is what Gérard did, carrying Corwin over to the cliff and dangling him up-side-down.

Swing your partner

Occasionally controlled victims are useful in other parts of combat. As shields, battering rams, and even as thrown projectiles.

Go for the Knock-out

The idea is to either whack 'em, or strangle 'em, until they go unconscious. Once a victim is in the power of superior Strength, they are pretty much helpless against blows and holds.

Make 'em hurt

The idea is to inflict pain, pure and simple.

Break 'em

Damage is pretty much optional. Choices include things like sprains and broken bones, all the way up to actions more grotesque...

Go for the Throat

Something to do only if you think you're in a close battle, and you're willing to take it to the death.

Corwin did this on a couple of occasions, relying on his brute Strength to win out. This usually turns into a mutual thing, with each trying for the fatal snap before the other.

Although it's usually a matter of sheer Strength, where the one with the greater Strength kills the weaker, there is one factor.

If the fighters are closely matched, then Endurance can come into play, and the one with the weaker Endurance will run out of steam.

If it turns out that you're a lot better in Strength, then your opponent will be helpless to resist this attack. At that point you'll have a choice of actions, strangling the foe into unconsciousness, or committing murder, or giving quarter.

Wiggle Out of It

Escape, and defending yourself, are your primary concerns.

If you're better or equal in Strength, and facing a Grab or Grapple, then you should succeed in getting free.

If the opponent is Going for the Throat, you'll only get free if you are much stronger. You'll be stuck in any kind of even match of this kind.

If you're measurably weaker than your enemy, someone Going for your Throat, all this does is buy you a little time.

If the foe is going for a Grab or a Grapple, and you have a much lower Strength rank, then Wiggling Out of It will fail utterly.

Feigned Strength Inferiority

This is easy, since all you've got to do is pretend not to be quite so strong.

If you are considerably better than the enemy then you've got many choices. You can pretend to be just a little bit better, and win just about anything you attempt. Or you can pretend to be inferior.

You can even, if you like, pretend to get killed. Of course, lying around helplessly can be a little risky, especially if somebody decides to ''just make sure''.

If you're only slightly stronger, or actually weaker, then you better hope that your foe is merciful. Otherwise, pretending to be weak can lead to broken bones, or a broken neck.

Using Warfare in a Strength Battle

Getting back to fighting dirty. In a contest of Strength, there's always the option of cheating. Get a weapon, and, so long as your opponent has left you a hand free, it might be possible to get in a strike or a shot.

This can work before things are completely resolved, or in the middle of Going for the Throat. However, once someone has put you in a Grapple, you're pretty much helpless. And if you're in a Grab, then the opponent is going to be aware of your pulling the weapon, and will have a chance to react to it.

Switching Between Warfare and Strength

These are the two major choices of Combat. Benedict's way, that of skill, speed and accuracy, or Gérard's way, that of brute strength.

Just to illustrate the principle, here's an abstract of a few elder Amberites and how they'd fare against each other, just using their best combination of Strength and Warfare.

The characters are as follows:

Benedict, definitely first in Warfare, and fifth in Strength.

Bleys, we'll rate him second in Warfare, and third in Strength.

Corwin, put him right under Bleys, third in Warfare, and fourth in Strength.

Julian, rank fifth in Warfare, and second in Strength.

Gérard, we'll call him first in Strength and fourth in Warfare.

So, in Warfare we've got Benedict, Bleys, Corwin, Gérard and Julian. The ranking in Strength is roughly the opposite, with Gérard, Julian, Bleys, Corwin, and Benedict.

Once characters get their hands on each other in a Strength battle, whoever has the best Strength rank wins.

Let's look at how things come out differently when the characters start with a sword duel. The difference is that Warfare controls the swordplay, but it's still possible to switch the battle to Strength by grabbing an opponent.

Corwin versus Gérard: Corwin's Warfare can hurt Gérard, that's clear so long as the battle stays with swords. But Gérard isn't all that much worse than Corwin. If Gérard chooses to take a hit, buying a handhold on Corwin in exchange for the wound, then he can switch things to pure Strength. In this case Gérard probably beats Corwin.

Corwin versus Benedict: Corwin is significantly inferior to Benedict in Warfare, and he doesn't have enough of a Strength advantage to make a difference. Corwin is doomed.

Corwin versus Bleys: Corwin is outmatched in both Warfare and Strength. Unless he can bring in some other factor, Corwin gets cut up badly by Bleys.

Corwin versus Julian: Corwin, clearly superior in Warfare, has the drop on Julian. Julian can't switch the fight to Strength unless Corwin makes a major error.

Bleys versus Gérard: Bleys has Gérard in Warfare. Unless he makes a big mistake, the fight shouldn't move to Strength.

Bleys versus Benedict: Benedict should win this. His first rank in Warfare gives him an advantage greater than the single difference in rank. But if he's too cocky, and if Bleys can force the Strength issue, it could swing the other way.

Bleys versus Julian: Bleys, being superior in Warfare and not much worse in Strength, should beat the snot out of Julian.

Gérard versus Benedict: Benedict with vastly superior Warfare, will keep out of Gérard's grasp. Benedict wins.

Gérard versus Julian: Julian, behind in Warfare, and only close in Strength, loses to Gérard.

Benedict versus Julian: Benedict's Warfare cuts up Julian.

Monday, August 25, 1997
Suhuy
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