Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 65: Preparing for Battle

"Actually, our real-life Cthulhu RPG Game's combat round is quite straightforward. Players begin by making various checks, and the results of these checks determine their next actions and the subsequent impact."

"Let me give an example. Suppose Tina faces an attack check from a Formless Offspring's whip and fails her dodge check. After calculating the damage, it's determined she'll lose 5 HP. If Tina's description of her actions is detailed and logical, she might reduce the HP loss to 4, 3, or even 1 point. On the contrary, if a player's description is average or they choose not to describe their actions, the damage calculated initially will apply. Of course, there's also a special scenario called 'All or Nothing.'"

"In situations where a player faces an attack that could be fatal, they can opt for an 'All or Nothing' description. Here, players can describe actions that might not align with their character's background or logic. For instance, Tina, who normally doesn't have the agility to perform a complex series of acrobatic moves like a front flip with a 360-degree twist followed by a roll, can attempt it under 'All or Nothing.' This can be seen as unleashing the human body's latent potential, but it requires fulfilling a precondition and passing a special 'All or Nothing' check."

"Firstly, the precondition: the game master (kp) will assess your 'All or Nothing' description and determine how much more agility you need to complete the action. For example, if Tina lacks 50 agility points to perform the action I just described, she can't proceed to the 'All or Nothing' check without bridging this gap. The missing agility points can be compensated for with other attribute points."

"At this stage, players can 'spend' other attributes to gain the missing 50 agility points. However, it's important to note that the attributes used for this 'purchase' will be permanently lost, whether the 'All or Nothing' check succeeds or not."

"After meeting the precondition, we move to the special 'All or Nothing' check. It's unique because its success rate comprises two parts. The first part is a base value determined by the player rolling a 1d50 dice. The second part is an additional value, converted from the player's luck points, where each point of luck is worth one additional value. However, for every 10 luck points spent, you get an extra 5 points. Once spent, these luck points are also permanently deducted."

"Finally, the 'All or Nothing' value is the sum of the base and additional values. If the check is successful, the player performs the extraordinary action and achieves the intended effect. If it fails, however, there are consequences. Taking Tina's example again, if she fails, she might cramp up during the jump, fall, and temporarily lose the ability to move."

"Lastly, I must mention that going all-in doesn't always lead to great success or failure. It can only be used during defense and evasion, so it's not possible during an attack. The reason you can't go all-in while attacking is because, before the last update of the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, a player used this tactic, sacrificing 450 attribute points, to instantly kill a Ghoul Elder with just 20 HP left..." KP Cao lamented, "That Ghoul Elder was even more embarrassing than the Formless Offspring you are facing now."

KP Cao's lengthy discourse was immensely enlightening for the newbie, Liu Xing, clarifying the nuances of combat rounds.

Of course, what intrigued Liu Xing the most was this concept of going all-in, essentially trading attribute points for a chance at survival, a last resort of sorts.

In the real-world Cthulhu RPG Game, descriptions usually just add flair and enhance immersion. Surprisingly, in this true-to-life Cthulhu RPG Game, the role of descriptions is significantly magnified. A good description can directly sway the outcome of a battle.

Liu Xing now felt somewhat fortunate that he had a solid foundation in literature. Having grown up reading wuxia novels and later exploring web novels, he felt quite confident about his descriptive skills required for the combat rounds.

However, Liu Xing couldn't help but complain about KP Cao's close relationship with Tina, frequently taking jabs at her. It was a good thing that Tina couldn't speak now, or else they would have witnessed a fiery exchange of words between her and KP Cao.

Of course, if this were a tabletop game, Tina might have resorted to using 'persuasion (physical)' on KP Cao.

"Now, let's officially enter the combat round, starting with the check phase. Since the agility of the Formless Offspring matches the player with the lowest agility, its agility will now be 20. The players' agility will each decrease by 10 points due to sprinting, and Tina, carrying Nan Xiaoniao, will lose an additional 15 points of agility. Now, for every 2 points your agility exceeds that of the Formless Offspring, your chance of successfully evading its attack increases by 1 point, though any fractions will be disregarded," KP Cao stated seriously.

After hearing KP Cao's explanation, Liu Xing began to calculate. His agility was 50 points, which would decrease to 40 after the reduction, 20 points higher than that of the Formless Offspring. This meant his evasion value would increase by 10 points.

Since evasion value is half of the agility, Liu Xing's final evasion value would be 30. He realized that if he were to be attacked, his situation would be quite precarious.

KP Cao paused for a moment before continuing, "Next, I will roll a 1d3 to determine the number of players the Formless Offspring will attack this round."