Day 8 of my Adventure Calendar. For 24 days, up until Christmas, I plan to release a lil bit of RPG content. Want to join as well? Join the jam!
Image: Duel by Antonio J. Manzanedo
Block, Dodge, Parry has duel rules. However, we can make the challenge before the actual duel a thing too. After all, tension builds before combat, with the violence being the exclamation mark.
Challenging Someone for a Duel
If a player challenges an NPC for a duel, there’s likely something at stake; it can be personal honor, or perhaps a duel is proposed to prevent unnecessary bloodshed between groups or even entire armies.
I’d say that there are 5 different outcomes of a challenge to a duel, ranked from worst to best:
- Refusal: The opponent refuses the duel. They consider the player beneath them, and might even be insulted for proposing this. An additional follow-up could be an immediate order for the opponent’s allies to attack.
- To the Death: A high-stakes, intense outcome. The duel doesn’t end up until someone is dead.
- In Block, Dodge, Parry, this would mean ‘until the NPC is dead, or the PC is dead’.
- In D&D 5e, this would mean, well, death. Kick ’em while their down. All Death Saving Throws have to run out.
- First to Fall: A more ‘standard’ form of duel.
- In Block, Dodge, Parry, this would mean ‘until a combatant fails a Critical Damage Save‘. For players, this does not necessarily mean death, but does probably mean a grave wound.
- In D&D 5e, it means “running out of HP and going unconscious”.
- First Blood: A refined form of dueling, like ‘blood from the chest’. Still carries a risk though. You’re playing with knives.
- In Block, Dodge, Parry, this would mean ‘until a combatant has to make a Critical Damage Save’. Succeeding the Save means you live, but lose the duel. There is the risk of failing the save. Optionally, rule that both combatants don’t intend to kill at all, meaning that it’s ‘until a combatant takes STR damage’, with no Critical Damage Save required.
- In D&D 5e, I suppose this would mean ‘being at half HP’.
- Friendly (Best Outcome): This is a low-risk, high-sportmanship outcome, focusing on skill demonstration rather than harm. It’s a great ‘best’ outcome as it allows for the duel to happen without serious consequences.
- In Block, Dodge, Parry, you could only use HP and check who runs out of HP first, with damage not ‘overflowing’ into STR. When using the dueling rules, simply keep track of who wins the Clash, but don’t deal damage. Optionally, make it best out of 3.
- In D&D 5e, do not make damage rolls, but simply keep track of who lands hits. Best out of 3.
We’re gonna roll 2d6 for this. Assign modifiers at will, for example:
- A -3 modifier if the player is a despised enemy of the opponent, and known to be dishonorable.
- A -2 modifier if accepting a duel would mean personal dishonor or disadvantage.
- A -1 modifier if the opponent doesn’t really trust the player.
- A +1 modifier if the player is known to be honorable.
- A +2 modifier is the player is highly respected and well-known.
- A +3 modifier if the player is highly respected, and if the opponent would also rather see this matter resolved without further waste of life.
As for the table itself:
| 2d6 | Result | Base Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2-4 | Refusal | 17% |
| 5-7 | To the death | 42% |
| 8-9 | First to Fall | 25% |
| 10-11 | First Blood | 14% |
| 12 | Friendly | 3% |
Getting Challenged for a Duel
The player’s decision on whether to accept a duel is completely up to them. I would define clear stakes, and use the above table beforehand to determine what kind of duel the challenger desires.
As for the stakes, make it clear that denying a duel will have consequences; perhaps hirelings, troops, retainers etc. have little desire to fight and die for someone who wouldn’t do the same for them, giving narrative/in-fiction stakes to the proposal.