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The Riddle of Steel FAQ

This TROS FAQ is based on Frequently Based Questions in my own home game, and what I've helped others with online many times over. Some of the items are indeed official replies gathered from the TROS Forums, but I make no distinction between them really, so use what you like and discard the rest.

Newbie Help

So how do you run The Riddle of Steel for the first time, for gamers that are completely new to the system? This is a question asked so frequently online that I assembeled a PDF of the essential materials to help starting players. You can also download a Combat Pools PDF. It discusses your odds versus larger and smaller Combat Pools, and lists common Combat Pools for NPCs. Lastly there's an NPC Sheet for tracking various NPCs during the game.

Condensed Damage Tables

I have condensed the damage tables to two PDF documents. One for humanoids and one for beasts. They do not replace the need of owning the Core Rules Book or Of Beasts and Men, where the tables first appeared. The documents merely summarize the tables for quick reference during actual play.

Parrying with Light Weapons

All weapons noted as "Light" have two DTN values listed. The first, and higher number, is for defending against thrusting attacks and other light weapons. The second, lower number is used when defending against cutting attacks from non-light weapons.

In other words, the low, better DTN applies towards:

  1. Attacks from other Light Weapons
  2. All Thrusting Attacks, regardless of weapon type

In all other situations the higher, worse DTN applies.

Heavy Weapons

The previous ruling on Parrying with Light Weapons helped clarify which weapons counted as Heavy Weapons. It is listed here just for completeness, if you should prefer it or have another house rule that applies to Heavy Weapons.

All weapons wielded two-handed should be considered "Heavy" for purposes of defending with Light Weapons such as rapiers.

If the weapon is not listed as Heavy, but can be used either single-handed or two-handed, then a given weapon is considered "normal" when used single-handed, and "Heavy" used two-handed. So a longsword wielded single-handed (which would be fairly unusual but not unheard of, as from horseback) is normal, while used in the normal two-handed fashion it would be considered Heavy.

Weapon Reach

How the weapon is grasped in combat will also play a role in determining effective reach. Single handed use confers longer reach, weapons with a relatively short hilt have longer reach than hafted weapons of the same length etc. A four foot axe gripped near the middle has a shorter effective range than a four foot sword gripped at the very end, and a sword wielded single handed has a slight range advantage over a sword wielded two handed.

Here's an updated Reach table based on the stats in TFOB:

Reach # Inches Feet Sample Weapons
Hand 0 <12 <1 Fists, daggers, knee-strikes, grappling
Short 1 <30 <2.5 Hatchets, short swords, long knives
Medium 2 <42 <3.5 Arming swords, flails
Long 3 <66 <5.5 Greatswords, bastard swords, spears
Very Long 4 <90 <7.5 Long spears, pole arms
Extremely Long 5 >90 >7.5 Pikes, lances

Grappling Rules

Grappling and wrestling is something that has confused a lot of TROS fans. Here's my own interpretation of the rules. I have basically stripped it down to the four maneuvers listed in the core book, but updated them to go with the format of the maneuvers in The Flower of Battle.

Improving Mental and Temporal Attributes

Alright, this is just my interpretation of the chart in the core rules, the TROS Companion has since showed that I was incorrect. However, I much prefer my own chart and will stick with it.

From To SA Cost
0 1 1
1 2 2
2 3 4
3 4 7
4 5 10
5 6 13
6 7 16
7 8 19
8 9 22
9 10 25

Resisting Spells

There are two options for resisting spells, based on the spell effect.

  1. Resisting all-or-nothing effects (e.g. suicide):
    Resist TN = CTN + casting successes
    A single success on the resistance check negates the spell
  2. Gradual effects (e.g. damage):
    Resist TN = CTN
    Each resistance success cancels a casting success

Hobbits

Oh wouldn't you know it, the second TROS campaign we started was a translation of our old D&D campaign set in the Kingdoms of Kalamar. Of course, the official KoK setting use the tiny little Halflings of D&D infamy, but we wanted real Hobbits in TROS, and this is what I cooked up.

Race Priority
C
Attribute Modifiers
-1 to Wits, ST, and TO
+1 to AG, Per, and WP
Free Skills
Climbing TN 7
Sneak TN 7
Camouflage TN 7
Thrown Objects Proficiency
+2
Flaw
Little (-2 Reach, -2 Move, Partial Evasion TN 6, Duck & Weave TN 8)

The lower reach is due to Hobbits' lack of height, and the same applies to the move penalty. The lower TNs for Partial Evasion and Duck & Weave maneuvers apply vs man-sized opponents. While being small helps with some evasions, it does not help with the Full Evasion/Retreat maneuver, as the Move penalty evens out the advantage of being smaller.

Creature Size

Try the following modifiers based on the combatants comparative size.

Creature Size Reach Move Examples
Gargantuan +8 +8 Wyrms (Dragons), original TROS Trolls
Huge +4 +4 Giants
Large +2 +2 Ogres, Gorem, Hef, Minotaurs
Medium (man-sized) +0 +0 Humans, Orcs, Fey-Elves, Gols, Sslassks, Werewolves
Little -2 -2 Hobbits, Dwarves, Goblins, Meres
Tiny -4 -4 Imps, Pixies, Troglodytes, Homunculus

Anything smaller than Tiny cannot physically attack a Medium-sized creature or larger.

The Move modifier is used mainly if you create player character races and would like to know how fast they move, such as my Hobbit. Do with it what you will. It should be noted that the TROS rules don't allow Giants (Creature Size Huge) to Sprint due to their huge size.

Size Reach Modifiers

Use common sense when applying the Creature Size Reach modifiers. If a fighter wants to swat at a dragon's head, he can do so when it comes in to attack him, and the Size Reach modifiers wouldn't apply. If the same fighter wants to attack the creature's relatively weak underbelly, he must succeed with a Duck & Weave maneuver first, or just overcome the massive Reach advantage of the dragon.

Of course combatants of the same size should disregard the Creature Size Reach modifier altogether, as it evens out between them. Consider treating Natural Weapons as having a Reach of Hand if they are the target of an attack. Example, a fighter is targeting a dragon's head, so when it comes in for a bite the fighter actually has the Reach advantage, not the dragon.

Evasions When the Combatants are of Different Size — Take 1

All Evasion TNs remain the same, but larger combatants face an increased Activation Cost for performing Evasions, while smaller combatants receive a CP Bonus.

The Evasive Combatants Size Compared to His Opponent Evasion Size Modifier
3+ Levels Larger 3 CP extra Activation Cost
2 Levels Larger 2 CP extra Activation Cost
1 Level Larger 1 CP extra Activation Cost
Same Size None
1 Level Smaller +2 CP
2+ Levels Smaller +4 CP

Evading Multiple Opponents of Varying Sizes

When Evading multiple opponents roll only the smallest number of CP applicable to all opponents, then roll extra dice as applicable vs each smaller opponent in order. Sounds complicated, but it really isn't, see the following example.

Example: You are an Ogre and one level larger than the human your fighting, but one level smaller than his hill giant companion. So you will get +2 CP vs the human opponent and pay one extra CP in AActivationCost versus the hill giant. Say you were going to roll 5 CP for your evasion, now roll just 4 CP which is your total versus the hill giant, then roll 3 more dice that only count versus the human.

Evasions When the Combatants are of Different Size — Take 2

Full Evasion TN is always 4, due to the decreased speed of the smaller combatant, and increased speed of the larger combatant.

The Partial Evasion and Duck & Weave TNs, however, do change.

The Evasive Combatants Size Compared to His Opponent Partial Evasion TN Duck & Weave TN
3+ Levels Larger 10 13
2 Levels Larger 9 12
1 Level Larger 8 10
Same Size 7 9
1 Level Smaller 6 8
2+ Levels Smaller 5 7

Evading Multiple Opponents of Varying Sizes

When Evading multiple opponents compare your dice totals versus each TN that applies.

Knockback and Knockdown

I came up with this rule based on the above section on creature size. How can a regular man really block, or parry a swat from a giant's club? Well in this case you deduct the Defender's ST from the Attacker's ST to come up with a Knockback/Knockdown TN. The TN is the number of feet you go flying if you score no successes when making your Knockdown Pool roll, but each success deducts 1 foot from the final distance.

You might chose to apply this rule only when an Attacker with a Creature Size advantage is Blocked or Parried by a smaller Defender, or always use it like the Headshots rule on page 82 of the core rules. You could also use the difference in Creature Size as a bonus to the Knockback TN.

Knockback/Knockdown TN
The Aggressor's ST - the Defender's ST
Distance Knocked Back
Knockback/Knockdown TN - # of Successes in Feet


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