combat d20 rules in nyambe

[ghostdog]

hello, I have found very interesting this african setting, the same that I found very interesting northern crown.

My problem is that although I am used to play d20, I don´t think that it works well in settings without armour. You must work a very well rule about parry or evade in order to caught the "millieu" of the setting.

I would like to know how it works in nyambe. Thanks very much in advance

[Severion]

There is a feat (Sanguar) that all natives of Nyambe recieve for free that helps compensate for the lack of armor. non-natives must find another solution

[Ltlconf1]

Hello Folks,


We felt the same and while the feat mentioned helped, when play tested againts decently armed and armoured foreigners, we often found Nyambans lacking. While true to history, it was little fun in a RPG. So we went hunting. Our GM is also a Conan freak, so he had the new Conan RPG using a heavily modified version of D20 rules. As in the novel the characters often have little to no armor (most like Conan are too poor to have such) so the rules worked accordingly.
Basicly your Dex and other factors go into your ability to avoid being hit while armor simply absorbs damage. The more armor you wear, the easier it is to hit you, but the less damage overall you take. The less you wear, the less likely you are to be hit but the more damage you take. Be noted, missle weapons are truly WICKED in this system as they pretty much can go through anything armor wise, so it better to dodge them, hence why many who play this system avoid overly heavy armor. Itg kinda balances out. You want to go toe to toe with big honking weapons in a mass melee you prefer heavy armor. If you prefer one on one alot of the time, go with medium to light. If you are a missle type guy, you can get by with none alot of the time.
There is a catch. Weapon damages and the damage system in general is truly wicked. A dagger in this system, with a good role, can kill a 10th level character! No kidding, I've done it. At 3rd level! This does mean however that the lightly armed Nyamban tribal warrior can dish it seriously out with a spear and hold his own. My Kunutse in the Conan RPG was a spearman only and was FEARED by just about everyone who crossed him and survived! The damage system also explains why a guy with a axe can bring down a freakin elephant.
Lastly the classes in the system are different, being based on feats and skill bonuses, not on stat bonus tables and hit dice. Sounds very "un-" D&D but when we applied it to the setting it worked and again made the Nyambans truly unique and boosted their toughness factor. After all, from my own experience, Africa is likely the harshest continant that is capable of large scale inhabitation. Every African I've met has been one tough SOB health wise, routinely shrugging off diseases and workloads that would flatten a American farmboy! So I don't see this as Munchkinism. The foreigners still have the technological edge and heavier arms, but the Nyambans have agility, toughness and local lore on their side (represented by a larger number of skill bonuses and feats), thus they're likely to win long term.

[bodry]

also, why are the foreigners running around in armor anyway? The whole reason the natives don't use heavy armor is that it's too hot... those foreigners should be dropping of heat stroke. Plus, if they are in the rain forest area, their armor will be rusting away...

[ltlconf]

Hello Folks,


If they were from a psuedo Europe, yeah, heat stroke cometh. But remember the Near-Easterners logicly come from a region just as hot. Believe me, I've been to both regions (Africa and Middle East) and both are equally hot. Contrary to popular belief, the soldiers of the Middle East wore chainmail, lammeler and other heavy (50ib plus) armors, often for hours. They were adapted and aclimatized to this from childhood of course. Now, to be sure they did NOT were it all day as European knights were wont to do as even the Arab farsi (their equivelent of the knight) was not THAT tough, and if they did, they did take regular breaks in any shade to be found.
To give you an idea, I wore over 80 pounds of body armor and gear int he Gulf, plus long sleeved cotton uniform (and occasionaly MOPP gear) for up to 10 hours, marched in it, and even engaged in multiple fire fights (where you move alot FAST). You are exhuasted for sure and drenched in sweat, but ready to go after a short rest and some water. But then most of us were American rural Southerners used to working in humid heat of up to 95+. Those from up north or from more relaxed backgrounds had trouble, but only for a little while. After a few weeks they also adapted and did just as well.
What I'm saying is a desert dwelling Near Easterner is every bit as able to handle the heat as a local if not more so. This latter statement is based on the fact that Middle Easterners wore heavy armor, and did so by pacing themselves and drinking alot of water. Conversely the Nyambans could learn to do the same (and Africans historicaly did wear heavy armor). Even Europeans could do so by similar tactics as Middle Easterners, after acclimatizing of course. Will you lose men to heat stroke? Of course. But then you'll lose men to heat stroke no matter what: Battle does wear you out even in tee-shirts.

[ltlconf]

Hello Folks,


Just to add on to the last statement as some may be asking "What African culture worre heavy armour?" Well, let me answer; Surprisingly, quite a few! However for brevity let me mention three.
The first I came across was the dual kingdoms of Kanem-Bornu. This powerful and long lived state(s) centered on Lake Chad had armies of mounted men wearing chain mail from head to foot and wielding lances. The Christian Kingdoms in what is now Central and Southern Sudan (and were the Christians being butchered today in Sudan come from) also had mail clad mounted warriors. The vast empires and varied states of the Niger River valley had mail, leather and padded armored warriors afoot and mounted using swords and battle axes along side the spears we associate with Africa.

Now I know we who have grown up with movies and RPGs do not think of chain mail as being heavy, well, I've found out different. Research force upon me for a semester paper led to this little discovery: Chain mail when worn as a full suit (head to foot, wrist to ankle, coif and all) weighs a staggering 60+ pounds! And get this: Full plate weighs around 60ibs and feels lighter! Why? It seems that the weight of all that chain is hanging on your shoulders. Imagine fighting with a pair of 30ib weights on your shoulders. Now the plate is distibuted all over you muscle mass causing it to have to work less and spread the labor more or less evenly. I found I could do cartwheels and flips in plate and when I tried it mail I was very clumsy doing it. While mail gave me more freedom of movement over all, the plate was easier to wear. The trade off was this: Mail was COOLER to wear for a long period, plate just doesn't breath for obvious reasons.

[Nyambefan]

Thanks for the practical experience insights on this, ltlconf.

While doing research for various Nyambe projects I came across this book. It is an incredible book but hard to find. I got it through a minitex search at my local library.

Spring, Christopher. African Arms and Armor. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993. 144pp

There is a very informative review on Amazon.com about this book here www.amazon.com/gp/product/1560983175/sr=8-1/qid=1139684867/ref=sr_1_1/103-4005426-5349463?%5Fencoding=UTF8

On a less historical/accurate gaming note:
Note that the Nyambe rules don't prohibit armor it just is not that wise to wear it during the middle of the day. While possible to do as ltlconf shows you WILL get exhausted and wont be as effective.

However, as you game you will notice that higher level characters will wear armor because they can often gamble that they will make their FORT saves against the heat, esp. the warriors in the group. Also, there are several spells such as Resist/Endure elements which will let you get past the heat effects. Also, many armors that you do run into will be magical so couple that with a sanguar bonus (even limited by armor) and a fetish or two and ... well, BEWARE a Nyamban wearing armor. It is a good indication of their level, power and affluence/influence.

Happy gaming.

[ltlconf]

Hello Folks,


Yeup, East Africa is freakin hot! But bearable. My character M'Gande is only now (6th Lvl) discovering armor is a rather useful item, but hates helmets and refuses to use a wooden shield ;D. My Gm likes quirks like that and gives bonuses for such roleplaying.
Noting there is nothing resembling the Sahara desert on scale, trade north to south would be easy (relatively speaking) and so would the spread of technology (relatively speaking). I've had M'Gande disdain armor, but not be all that shocked by it. He'd heard of it and seen a few caravan guards and such wear lighter stuff before while growing up, but no real experience with it (which led to a amusing reaction in combat once). Our GM considers this appropriate and is running with this idea. However I am interested in everyone's opinion here on this matter.