Certámen

Some alternative rules for certámen, inspired by the duelling rules in Castle Falkenstein (which were probably inspired by Lace and Steel). The aim is to make playing certámen a bit more interesting, independent of the description of the phantasms. They also make certámen skill a larger factor in the resolution of the contest.

They are completely unplaytested at the moment, and sufficiently different from the Falkenstein rules that I can't assume parasitic support. Any comments welcome (they are now House Rules for my Saga, at least until I find out whether they are broken).

Basic Concepts

A certámen still takes place in a Technique and Form combination. Each participating magus has a Shield with a strength equal to the total of the relevant Technique and Form. certámen skill and intelligence have no influence on this total. Magi know the strength of their own Shield at all points during certámen, but do not know the strength of their opponent's.

Example: Potentia of Flambeau is involved in a Creo Ignem certámen with Voluntus of Tremere. Potentia has Creo 20 and Ignem 27, and thus has a Shield of 47. Voluntus has Creo 12 and Ignem 7, and thus has a Shield of 19.

There are three types of action that a magus may take during certámen: Attack, Defend, and Rebuild. Attacks aim to damage the opponent's Shield, Defends to stop Attacks, and Rebuilds aim to strengthen your own Shield.

Actions all have strengths, which can range from 1 to 9. In a round, a magus may take a number of actions, as long as the total strength of these actions is equal to or less than his Int + certámen total. If he has no certámen score, the total strength must be less than or equal to Int. Basic Hermetic training covers enough certámen to let you take part. Note that you may take less than your full allowance, to lull an opponent into a false sense of security. Each round is divided into three segments, and actions in one segment only interact with other actions taken in that segment.

Example: Potentia has an Intelligence of +2 and a certámen score of three, and may thus take actions with a total strength of five or less: she could defend in each segment with a strength of one in one segment and two in others, or attack in one segment with a strength of five, giving up all actions in other segments. Voluntus has an Intelligence of +3 a certámen score of six, nad may thus take actions with a total strength of 9 or less. Thus, he could defend in each segment with a strength of two each time, and attack in one of them with a strength of three.

Resolution

Attacks and Defends are in direct opposition. If your Attack in a segment has a higher strength than your opponent's Defend in that segment, you subtract your (Tech + Form)/5 (round up) + a stress die total from her Shield. If this would reduce her Shield below zero, you remove fatigue levels. For every five points or part thereof by which the Shield would be reduced below zero, she loses one fatigue level. The Shield cannot be reduced below zero, however. If you botch the attack roll, subtract (Tech + Form)/5 + a quality die from your own Shield.

Example: Voluntus has a Technique + Form total of 19. If he successfully Attacks Potentia, she will lose 4 + stress die points from her shield. He rolls a five, so she loses nine points. If her Shield was already down to six points, her shield would go to zero, and she would lose a fatigue level (there are three points left over from the attack). If her Shield was already at zero, she would lose two fatigue levels, for the nine points of damage.

Rebuilds increase the strength of your Shield after it has been damaged. Multiply the strength of the Rebuild by your Int + certámen total, and add that many points to your shield, up to a maximum of its initial value (the sum of your Technique + Form). If your opponent successfully Attacks you in the segment in which you attempt a Rebuild, you gain nothing. If she Attacks, but you Defend successfully, the Rebuild takes place successfully. Note that you may Rebuild your Shield at any point when it has a lower value than it started with, even after it has been reduced to zero. You may not, however, recover any Fatigue Levels you may have lost.

Example: Potentia has an Int + certámen total of 6. If she played a three point Rebuild, she would gain 18 points in her shield, but this could not raise it above 47. If Voluntus Attacked her during that segment, she would gain nothing, and lose 9 points from Voluntus's attack.

The certámen ends when one participant either concedes, or falls unconscious.

Cards

Actions can be represented by playing cards: Spades for Attacks, Diamonds for Defends, and Hearts for Rebuilds, with the number of pips indicating the Strength. Both sides should play their cards for each segment simultaneously. Court cards may be used as 'dummy cards', so that you can play three cards every segment, keeping your opponent off balance. You should play one segment at a time, thus allowing the magi to choose tactics for the rest of the round.

Complications

Fatigue

The subtraction due to lost Fatigue should be applied to the maga's Int + certámen total, and also to the total strength of the actions that may be taken in a round.

Vis

Vis may be spent in certámen. Each pawn spent (Vim or either the Technique or Form in use in the certámen) adds five to the maga's Shield. This doesn't take any actions, but you may only spend a number of pawns of vis equal to your certámen score in a single round. The Shield is still limited by the maga's Technique + Form total.

Affinities and Knacks

Relevant affinities add to the Technique + Form total for calculating the strength of the Shield and of Attacks. Knacks with certámen add to both the Int + certámen total and the total possible Action strength per round.

+1 Hermetic Virtue: Strong Shield. Add 50% to the strength of the magus's Shield in certámen, rounding up. Example: a magus with a Technique + Form total of 15 would have a Shield of 23 with this virtue.

The Phantasm

These rules severely change the nature of certámen, by allowing the participants to change the Technique and Form while the duel is in progress. They also give the description of the phantasm a more prominent role, and this is their purpose.

A new type of action, a Shift, is introduced. These can be represented by Clubs, and they have Strengths like other actions, and these strengths come from the same pool.

In every segment, after declaring the actions to be taken, each participant describes what their part of the phantasm does. On the following segment, each may try to Shift the certámen to a Technique or Form that the phantasm used in the previous segment. If only one magus plays a Shift, the Shift takes place with effect from the following segment. If both do, the higher takes effect. If the Shifts are equal, there is no change. It is possible to try to Shift to the current state, if you are happiest there. You may only change one of the Technique and Form in a segment, and only one participant's Shift takes effect even if one is trying to change the Technique and the other, the Form.

After a Shift, the magi must recalculate their maximum Shield, and the damage that they do with an attack. If their current Shield is higher than the new maximum, it drops to the new maximum. Otherwise, it remains at the current level until attacked or rebuilt. These new values apply from the beginning of the next segment. That is, the segment in which the Shift takes place is resolved according to the Technique and Form in effect before the Shift.

Example: Voluntus and Potentia are in Creo Ignem certámen. In one segment, Voluntus describes the flames billowing forth from him being drawn together into the form of a burning man, who strikes at Potentia with his fist (an Attack). In the next segment, Voluntus could try to Shift to either Rego (the flames were controlled) or Corpus (the shape was human).