LANIK 2.0 - Combat Guide
Contents
Introduction
Combat styles
The seven combat styles
Dominant combat style
Hand combat
Order of attacks
Break defense
Damage
Close combat and duels
Melee combat
Group division
Order of attacks
Manoeuvers
Close melee
Phalanx combat
Charging attacks
Order of attacks
Damage
Missile combat
Order of attacks
Break defense
Damage
Attack modifiers
Mixed hand and missile combat
Artillery combat
Special situations
Optional rules
Damage to weapons and armor
Alternative forms of combat
Large battles
Units
Battle
The Lanik combat system is designed to combine both realism, interesting tactics and ease of play. These three requirements put conflicting demands on the system. The outcome is a moderately elaborate set of rules, which can be expanded when needed.
This guide covers all aspects of martial combat in the Lanik system,
except the weapons used, which can be found in the weapon guide.
Examples of the combat system in use can be found in the combat examples.
Lanik discerns seven different styles of combat. Each corresponds with a combat skill. Here are the styles with short descriptions:
In close combat, fighters are in or nearly in bodily contact with each other. There is little or no room for swinging blows, instead one must wrestle and launch short jabs to gain the upper hand. Most unarmed fighting styles fall under the close combat style.
A duel is a combat between two fighters. In it, distance between the fighters is dictated by the reach of their weapons, which may be unequal
and is always greater than in close combat.
The fighter with the longest weapon will try to keep the other at bay,
while the other will try to quickly move in for an attack and then possibly rapidly out again.
There is room for swings, thrusts and an occasional grappling manoeuvers.
Melee is a fight between one fighter and several opponents.
If there are two parties involved, Lanik divides the melee in two or more seperate combats, where one side always has but one fighter.
These smaller combats can be either duels or melees, depending on the number of fighters involved.
In melee, the single fighter has to fend of attacks coming from multiple directions.
Large swinging blows can be useful here to keep opponents at a distance, but lunges can be vital to score a hit.
The larger party will try to surround the single fighter and if numbers and cover permit, attack him from the sides and the rear.
The single fighter will try to do the opposite, manoeuvering to get his opponents to hinder each other.
In a phalanx formation, multiple fighters stand side by side in close order to form a wall of weapons, and often shields, that is hard to penetrate. This is mainly a defensive formation, though it can press forward to attack too. Fighters fighting in phalanx style receive a +2 bonus to combat defense score (see ahead). Opponents will try to break a hole in the wall, forcing the phalanx fighters into melee, at which they may be disadvantaged. A phalanx can be used when opponents cannot outflank the formation fighters, either through the presence of other fighters or of obstacles to the sides.
The charge is more a single manoeuver rather than a fighting style. It involves a headlong running attack at an opponent. This is dangerous for defender and attacker alike. Long spears and lances are the favorite weapons of charging warriors, especially when the other side is armed with like weapons. The ultimate example of the charging attack is the cavalry charge.
Missile combat encompasses attacks with all single person missile weapons. Manoeuverability is less important here, strength and stamina even more so. In missile combat, it comes down to rate of fire, range, accuracy and penetration power. Many of these factors are determined by the weapon wielded and sometimes by the weather, though the missile fighter is still the prime controller of where the missiles land.
Artillery involves the operation of siege machines, but also field artillery, that need more than one person to operate. Artillery team members must be able to work together efficiently and understand the possibilities and unpossibilities of their weapon. The rate of fire of a missile engine is very low, but its damaging potential is huge.
In combat, each fighter will try to adopt the combat style that suits his skill and weapons the best. If the preferred combat style is the same for both sides, then that is style that is used. If there is a difference, initially one party will get its way and the other is forced to fight in the preferred style of the other - at least for the moment. Below are rules to determine the dominant combat style.
To keep things simple, we will start to describe the Lanik combat system by explaining how things work with a duel between two hand combat fighters. Later on we will proceed to the other styles and special situations and modifiers.
In combat, time is divided into segments of 6 seconds length. One fighter is allowed an "attack" each segment. Of course able fighters will probably make more attacks, but most will be feints, probes and preparations that are ignored by the combat system to maintain simplicity.
At the start of a fight, initiative is determined. In hand combat, the initiative score of a fighter is:
initiative score = d6 + body size + combat attack score
The formula for combat attack score can be found in the next section.
If initiative scores are equal, the fighters attack simultaneously. That is, both are allowed an attack and the effects of possible damage resulting from these is applied only after both attacks have been made. In dire situations, this can lead to a "mutual kill", in which two fighters strike each other down at the same time.
If the attack of a fighter fails, the other is allowed a counterattack in the next segment. In every subsequent segment, attacker and defender switch roles, unless an attack of one of them does damage. If this happens, the fighter that is hit is hurt, confused, pinned down, disarmed and/or thrown off-balance. He is not allowed to counter attack, instead his opponent keeps the role of attacker in the next segment. The attacker sticks to this role until he fails to do damage. At that moment attacker and defender switch roles again.
To reach an opponent, an attacking fighter must first break through his defense. This is a test of the combat skills of both fighters. In combat, most actions by fighters are contested by their opponents. Therefore attacks require a skill check which is penalized by the counter skills of the opponent. The resulting skill check is called the break defense roll. For the attack to succeed, the roll must be equal to or lower than
10 + attacker's combat attack score - defender's combat defense score
The attack and defense scores are determined by the following formulas:
combat attack score = body size + combat skill + weapon combat factor - encumbrance penalty + multi weapon bonus
combat defense score = body size + combat skill + weapon combat factor - encumbrance penalty + shield bonus + phalanx bonus
Where:
NB: A die roll of 1 always breaks defense, even if the limit is 0 or lower. Likewise, a die roll of 20 is always a failure, even if the limit is 20 or higher.
Once the defense of the defender has been breached, the attacker can try to do damage. This can be done in several ways. The Lanik combat system presents five possible methods of doing damage, but the system is extensible and GM and players may develop new ones. Each method requires different skills and attributes, both in attack and defense, leading to a damage attack score and a damage defense score. Note that these are not the same as the combat attack and defense scores.
Each attempt to cause damage requires a damage roll. If the damage attack score is higher than the damage defense score, then damage done is determined as follows:
damage result = d(attacker's damage attack score - defender's damage defense score)
If the damage defense score is equal to or higher than the damage attack score, a different roll is used:
damage result = 2 - d(2 + defender's damage defense score - attacker's damage attack score)
Negative end results mean zero damage. As you can see, in the latter case maximum damage done is one point and the chance of achieving this decreases if the difference in damage attack and defense score increases.
The five standard ways of causing damage are listed in the subsections below.
The attacker tries to stab, slash or pummel the opponent into submission. Wounds decrease the defender's health and thereby his ability to fight.
attack score = (strength / 3) + combat skill + weapon wound
defense score = body size + combat skill + armor absorption
X points of wound damage correspond with x points loss of health. Health loss decreases levels of physical skills.
◎Optional rule: Wound damage can be applied either exactly, or rough.
With the exact method, the actual level of the combat skills is recalculated every time that a fighter suffers damage.
For instance, a skill level of 10 (expert) will count as 3 points when calculating attack and defense scores.
When the fighter suffers 1 point of damage, his level will drop to 9, but this is still expert so any attack and defense scores are not affected.
One more point of damage will lower the skill level to 8 (skilled), which will lower corresponding attack and defense scores by 1.
As fighters can have different levels in different skills, this can involve quite some bookkeeping.
The rough method is an alternative. Here, combat penalty is simply [wound total / 3], rounded down,
for all attack and defense scores, regardless of actual level.
This method will sometimes diverge from, but is on average almost equal to the exact method.
Here the aim is to knock the opponent out, or at least down. It causes less damage than wounding, so is suitable for keeping opponents alive.
attack score = (strength / 3) + combat skill + weapon impact
defense score = (2 * body size) + combat skill
In case of impact damage, half the damage is wound damage and the other half is concussion damage.
If there damage is uneven, the last point has a 50% of being wound damage and 50% concussion damage.
Concussion damage effects the fighters like wound damage, but heals at a rate of 1 point per minute (10 segments).
Every impact blow has a [concussion damage / full health] change of knocking the victim out.
NB: Only the concussion damage of the blow is counted, not the accumulated total.
This is divided but the victim's full health, not his current health.
This is the wrestling attack, which aims to pin the opponent down so that he cannot use his limbs anymore for attack or defense. Grappling attacks can only be made while fighting in close combat style. Also, the atacker must have one hand free, so cannot wield a secondary weapon or a shield.
attack score = (strength / 3) + combat skill + weapon grapple
defense score = body size + (strength / 3) + combat skill
Grappling damage partially or completely immobilizes a fighter.
Two points of damage, rather than three, count as a -1 penalty to attack and defense score.
When a defender has accumulated 16 points or more grapple damage points, then he is completely immobilized.
Before that point is reached, he can try to negate penalties resulting from grappling attacks by making counter attacks when he regains initiative.
If successful, the grappler can either loosen his grip or absorb the damage.
If the defender is also using grappling damage, then this damage cannot be absorbed.
In this case the grip is always loosened.
If the grip is loosened but the damage from the defender who tries to free himself is greater than the current grappling penalty,
then the remainder is actual damage.
The attacker seems to deprive his opponent of his weapon. This type of damage can only be applied if the defender is wielding a weapon.
attack score = 2 * combat skill + weapon disarm
defense score = 3 * combat skill
The degree of success of the attack depends on the damage points of the attack, as follows:
If any fighter is forced into a combat style that is disadvantageous to him, he will of course not meekly submit to that.
Normally fighters make damaging attacks to each other, trying to disable their opponent.
Instead, a fighter in a bad position can make a switching attack.
To succeed, he must first break defense.
If this succeeds, he must try a switch combined with a "normal" damaging attack.
If the damage result is greater than zero, then the defender does not suffer any damage,
but the attacker can switch the combat to a different style.
Possible changes are:
A shield cannot be used effectively in close combat, i.e. it does not give a bonus to combat defense score.
As stated before, combat between multiple fighters is always split up into separate fights where one fighter faces one opponent (close / duel) or multiple ones (melee). The GM decides on this division, based on preferences of the fighters involved, their sizes, skills and positions.
Initiative works different in melee combat.
In each segment, every fighter who has not received damage in the previous segment, is allowed to make an attack.
These attacks are effectively simultaneous, i.e. any damage is applied only after all attacks have been made,
so is effective from the start of the next segment onward.
Note that the single fighter, in order to attack, has to escape damage from the attacks of all his opponents (possibly minus one who he has damaged),
while he himself can normally take the initiative from only one opponent at a time, unless he is much larger than his adversaries (see ahead).
If a loner faces 6 or more opponents, they may surround him. This allows two of his opponents to attack him from the rear, with back attack bonus applied (see ahead). Normally six is the largest number of opponents that may attack a loner in a round. More opponents only block each other. If the opponents are larger or smaller, this number is changed, see the table below.
| Opp.\Lon. | Tiny | Small | Normal | Large | Huge | Giant | Gargantuan |
| Tiny | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 |
| Small | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Normal | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 16 |
| Large | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| Huge | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Giant | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Gargantuan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
The lonely fighter generally is not able to move around much, busy as he is defending himself. If in a segment he inflicts damage on an opponent and no opponent is able to do the same to him, he may move a distance roughly equal to his body length in that segment.
This way the loner may find cover for his backside, for instance against a wall. This reduces the maximum number of opponents that may attack during the same round to the next lower category denoted in the table, minimum 1. It also eliminates back attacks. If the loner is able to retreat into a corridor or niche, the number of opponents is reduced one category more, again minimum 1. A particularly narrow hideout may further reduce the number one category, of course to a minimum of 1. In corridors without opponents at one's back the retreat manoeuver is again possible, in shallow niches not.
While large creatures can be attacked by a multitude of smaller ones, their reach and weaponry are usually so large that they can sometimes attack multiple smaller creatures with only one attack. To determine the number of creatures that can be attacked simultaneously, look up the appropriate value in the table below.
| Opp.\Lon. | Tiny | Small | Normal | Large | Huge | Giant | Gargantuan |
| Tiny | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Small | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Normal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Large | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Huge | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Giant | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gargantuan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Fighters engaged in melee can try a breaking attack to switch to close style.
If this succeeds AND the attacker was not damaged by the lone fighter in the same segment,
then the attacking fighter and his opponent are locked in close combat from the next segment onwards.
The loner and his opponent must roll initiative before they engage in close combat, to decide who begins.
This is normal close combat, with fighters taking turns in initiative unless one of them is damaged.
If one of the close fighters breaks style back to melee, or disables his opponent, the fight turns into a melee again.
Any surrounding melee fighters can no longer participate in normal melee, while this close combat is going on. The number of fighters that can reach the enemy is halved. One half has to stand aside and wait for a change. The other half have three options:
Large groups of fighters, contrary to duelists, often fight in phalanx formations. These are broad but usually not deep, tight-packed formations where a fighter's sides are covered by his companions to the left and right - the enemy is not supposed to be able to attack from behind or the flanks.
Phalanx fighting requires at least three men in a row to perform (though two are enough in narrow corridors). A phalanx also requires that the density of frontline fighters is one per 1.5 mtrs minimum (for human sized fighters). In graphics:
| v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v |
| ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ |
| phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx |
| phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx |
The normal way to break a phalanx is to punch holes into it, penetrate these and then attack the enemy from unprotected sides. In Lanik terms, this means making a switching attack and forcing phalanx fighters into melee combat. Whenever a fighter is disabled, his companions on the left and right sides become vulnerable:
| v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | idle | v phalanx v | v phalanx v |
| ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | |
| phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx |
| phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx |
In such a situation, an attacking fighter may try to wedge himself into the defending formation.
Any defenders directly oppositie to him or directly to the side of him can try to prevent this by counter attacking.
In this case the attacker must make a successful switching attack to force trough.
Note that defenders moving in from the side effectively break formation when doing this, switching from phalanx to melee combat,
as they now have to fight both the penetrating attacker and the man opposite to them.
Furthermore, if they close the gap, they create a new gap themselves right before their previous opponent.
Therefore it is usually up to the man moving in from the rear to close the gap.
The defenders to the side still lose their phalanx advantage, because their side cover is gone.
For example:
| v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v duel v | v duel v | v phalanx v | |
| ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ duel ^ | v duel v | ^ duel ^ | ^ phalanx ^ |
| phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | ^ duel ^ | phalanx | phalanx |
| phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx |
If the switching attack of the attacker fails, the gap in the defense can be filled and the formation restored. This can also be done by disabling the attacker. In this case any defender moving into to fill the gap must make a successful switching attack to conquer the space that is now vacant again. In graphics:
| v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v | v phalanx v |
| ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ | ^ phalanx ^ |
| phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx |
| phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx | phalanx |
In order to start a charge, a fighter must have sufficient free room to accelerate to at least one third of his maximum sprinting speed,
before he crashes into the defense.
Fighting in charge style lasts only for one segment.
After that, the combatants must switch to close, duel, melee or phalanx.
A party that wants to charge again will have to turn, suffering at least one round of back attacks, outrun their opponents who may well give chase,
widen the gap to an acceptable length, turn again and charge anew if they still have breath to do so.
In a charging attack, the longest weapon always attacks first. Thus initiative is not rolled, unless both weapons are of equal length.
The speed of the charge and the weight of a mount can significantly increase the force behind an attack with a thrusting weapon. The following table gives an overview:
| human speed | wound damage | impact damage | horse speed | wound damage | impact damage | |
| lumbering run | 0 | +1 | trot | +1 | +3 | |
| fast run | +1 | +2 | canter | +2 | +4 | |
| gallop | +3 | +5 |
Note that this damage increase counts for thrusting weapons only and applies to both attacker and defender.
Missile combat uses slightly different formulas for attack and defense, damage rules remain unchanged. The speed of missiles makes it very difficult to evade them, thus forcing defenders to rely mostly on passive defenses (armor and shields). This can render skilled fighters, almost untouchable in hand combat, vulnerable to attacks from squads of missile fighters.
Missile fighters cannot attack as fast as melee fighters, as they must reload their weapon / take and ready a new one after firing.
The rate of fire for each weapon is listed in the weapon guide.
A fire rate of ROF means that the missile fighter can shoot once every ROF segments.
If the missile fighter has a loaded weapon ready, he can fire in segment 1, then has to wait until segment [1 + ROF] to fire again, etc.
If he must load his weapon first, his first shot is in segment ROF, the next in segment [ROF+ ROF], etc.
If two attacks fall in the same segment, initiative is determined. The formula is almost, but not completely, the same as that for hand combat:
initiative score = d6 + combat attack score
If the fighter that wins initiative does not do damage, his opponent shoots back in the same segment, not in the next one as with hand combat. If instead the opponent is hurt, his counterattack is delayed by one segment, regardless of whether he was reloading or ready to fire.
In missile combat there are also differences regarding breaking defense. The basic chance of doing so is higher:
12 + attacker's combat attack score - defender's combat defense score
But the attack and defense scores differ also, with some potentially large penalties for the attacker:
combat attack score = combat skill + weapon combat factor - range penalty - wind penalty
combat defense score = cover + movement bonus
Where:
The range penalty depends on the percentage of the maximum range that that weapon is being fired on. See table below. Missile weapon ranges can be found in the weapons guide.
| Range | point blank | short | medium | long | extreme |
| % of max. range | 0 - 20% | 21 - 40% | 41 - 60% | 61 - 80% | 81 - 100% |
| Attack modifier | 0 | -2 | -4 | -6 | -8 |
The wind penalty depends on the force of the wind and the weight of the missiles. See table below.
| Wind force | Wind penalty |
| 4- | 0 |
| 5 | -1 |
| 6 | -2 |
| 7 | -4 |
| 8 | -8 |
| 9+ | impossible |
There are several ways to lower the chance of missiles of hitting you. Below are some guidelines as to the effectiveness of different kinds of cover.
| Type | Description | Missile defense bonus |
| Shrinking | Crouching | 2 |
| Shrinking | Lying down (on higher position than the missile fighter) | 5 |
| Cover | Standing / moving with shield in front | 3 * shield bonus |
| Cover | Crouching behind shield | 5 * shield bonus |
| Cover | Solid barrier | 16 * % of body covered |
| Cover | Nonsolid barrier (hedge, bush) | 8 * % of body covered |
| Movement | Engaged in hand combat | 2 |
The formulas for wound damage are different in missile combat:
attack score = body size + combat skill + weapon wound - (range penalty / 2)
defense score = body size + combat skill + armor absorption
The formulas for impact damage are also different:
attack score = body size + combat skill + weapon impact - (range penalty / 2)
defense score = (2 * body size) + combat skill
The formulas for grapple and disarm damage are unchanged. Note however that most missile weapons are very unsuitable for disarming, having a damage attack score of 0, and are usually completely unusable for grappling. The "entanglers" weapon group is an exception to this.
If a missile weapon user shoots at a group of opponents, he may either target a specific opponent or the group in general. The latter method rewards him a bonus to missile attack score, depending on the size and density of the group:
| Group size | Attack bonus | Group density | Attack bonus |
| 0 - 12 | 0 | close formation | +2 |
| 13 - 24 | +1 | open / chaotic formation | +1 |
| 25 - 36 | +2 | very sparse | 0 |
| 37+ | +3 |
The different types of battle formations are described ahead. When targeting a group instead of an individual, the target is determined at random.
If the missile fighter fires at a specific target instead, but misses it, he may hit another member of the group. This happens when the attack result is equal to or less than [- (nr. of opponents in the group) / 12], rounded down. If such a secondary target is hit, it is determined at random from the entire group.
An example: An archer tries to help his three friends, who are engaged in a melee with no less than eleven orcs.
He fires an arrow at the orc leader but misses by only 1 point. As this is less than [(3 + 11) / 12] = 1.16, he will hit somebody else.
He now has a 10/13 chance of hitting an orc (not the leader), but also a 3/13 chance of shooting one of his own people ...
Dissatisfied with these odds he aims his next shots blindly at the group.
The total group size (14) falls in the 13 - 24 range and because they are engaged in dense melee with relatively short weapons,
the density is "open".
This gives the missile fighter a [1 + 1] = 2 point bonus to attack, 11/14 chance of hitting an orc and 3/14 chance of hitting one of his comrades.
The ranges in the table are averages. To calculate a more realistic range, multiply with the marksman's strength score, divided by 12. This adjustment applies only to thrown weapons, not to slings or bows, unless your character has a specially prepared strength bow with greater tension strength.
Strictly viewed fights of missile weapon users against hand combat fighters are impossible. Marksmen can fire upon hand weapon users from a distance with the latter being able to counterattack, unless they start shooting themselves, making the fight a missile combat fight. At close range nad combat manoeuvering makes the use of missile weapons impossible, thus forcing marksmen to use hand weapons.
Melee combat fighters can generally approach missile combat users at high speeds. Check the rules for movement to determine how fast they can bridge the space between them and the marksmen. These can in turn flee from their attackers, covering themselves by backfiring. The movement decreases their fire rate, however. For instance an archer may spend two segments retreating, one reloading and one shooting, decreasing his rate of fire from 1 in 2 segments to 1 in 4.
If a fighter has for some reason dropped his weapon on the ground, he may try to retrieve it by picking it up. This takes one segment. A successful attack from an opponent prevents the manoeuver in that segment.
If a fighter stands at a lower position than the man above him, he gets a -1 penalty to attack score. The above fighter must have weapon that can reach the lower fighter, and cannot fight in close combat style. The fighter below does not need a longer weapon because he may opt to attack the legs of his adversary.
If cavalry- and infantrymen attack each other, their weapons must be long enough to reach their opponents,
though the infantry fighter can still use a short weapon to attack the mount, which is sometimes more effective.
The infantryman gets a one point penalty to attack score in attacks against the horseman and the rider gets a one point bonus to attack.
In a fight between two mounted fighters the minimum length for weapons and combat modifiers do not apply.
If a missile weapon user fires his weapon from horseback while the horse is moving, a penalty to attack roll is applied. This penalty is -1 for a walking horse, -2 for a trotting horse and -4 for a galloping one.
When fighting under water, use your swimming instead of running speed for body speed. The greater drag of water slows weapons down. Weapons that are swung around receive a -3 penalty to attack, thrusting weapons a -1 and mixed weapons, like the longsword, a -2 penalty.
The exhaustion rule explained above has even more severe impact underwater. Apply a -6 penalty to endurance when making exhaustion endurance checks. If this check fails, make another without penalty. If this one fails too, the character receives a 2 point exhaustion penalty instead of 1.
Flying creatures often make melee attacks in series of charges,
with two almost simultaneous attacks alternated with long periods of turning and preparing for a new attack.
Only very nimble flyers (like a swallow or better) can fight like land creatures do on the ground.
When firing missile weapons, the same attack penalties apply as with firing from a moving land-based mount.
Fighters who cannot stabilize themselves in the air cannot fight effectively, rotating helplessly with every move.
Missile fighters on the ground can fire up into the air to try to hit aerial creatures. Their missile ranges are shortened by a factor of 0.7
Normal combat takes place while the fighters are standing on their feet on solid flat ground, have good and unhampered senses, etc. However, both the environmental situation as actions from opponents can place them at a disadvantage. Below is a summary of all kinds of combat modifiers.
| Situation | Effect |
| Attack from above | +1 penalty to attack score |
| Attack from below | -1 penalty to attack score |
| Attack from behind | +2 penalty to attack score |
| Lying on the ground | -4 penalty to attack score (hand combat only, missile combat not possible), -4 penalty to defense score (hand combat only) |
| Deaf | Extra -2 penalty to defense score from back attacks only |
| Limited lighting (moonlight) | -2 penalty to defense score, -2/-3 to attack score for hand/missile combat |
| Very limited lighting (starlight) | -4 penalty to defense score, -4/-6 to attack score for hand/missile combat |
| In darkness / blind | -6 penalty to defense score, -6/-9 to attack score for hand/missile combat |
| Surprised | attacker wins initiative, -4 penalty to defense score on first attack; assassination attack possible |
| Asleep | unable to act while asleep, defense score = 0, health is lowered to 0 minus attack damage and wakes up - this takes d3 segments, during that time effectively stunned |
Weapons tend to do a lot of damage, but they can be damaged themselves too. Whenever a natural 20 is rolled on the break defense attack roll (a clear miss) there is a chance that the weapon of the attacker is damaged. It strikes a wall nearby, is hit perpendicular near the tip, rammed right onto a plate breastplate and pressed too hard, the bowstrings snaps, or the weapon suffers a similar misfortune. The weapon has a [break score / 20] chance of suffering damage.
weapon break score = weapon quality + weapon material strength factor - attacker combat skill level
Where:
If a weapon fails the check it breaks and becomes unusable. If the check is successful by 0 - 5 points, it is damaged (a notch in the blade, a crack or dent) and the quality of the weapon is lowered by one catagory. If the quality catagory is lowered below shaky, it breaks. Damaged weapons can be repaired at an average cost of 1/3 of their original value. If the check is successful by 6 points or more, the weapon is undamaged.
Armor can be damaged in the similar ways as weapons are, by taking hard hits in weak areas. Check damage to armor on a natural 1 on a break defense attack roll. The breaking chance is again [break damage / 20].
armor break score = armor quality + armor material strength factor - defender armored fighting skill level
Where:
The rules on breaking armor are similar to those of breaking weapons.
A psychic duel is a kind of mental conflict in which two warriors measure each other's strength without actually engage in physical combat.
In "primitive" societies, it often involves a grand display of strength, dexterity, weaponry and colors.
The opponents are intimidated by dance, shouts, insults and jeering.
When one party is overpowered in numbers, energy and/or apparent strength, it usually backs down.
Alternatively it can be a very silent but tense affair, like the samurai psychic duel, in which the only means of attack is stare.
Here the fighters each check the other's will and determination, bravery, alertness, nerve and control.
The fight ends when one of them breaks, which can be through averting the eyes, brushing away a fly, stepping back one pace,
giving in to the urge to grasp a weapon, etc.
In Lanik rules, the duel is a series of break defense rolls alternating between the opponents.
Here, the combat attack/defense score is the sum of at least the combat skill and charisma.
Optionally, the GM can include factors as body size, armor and shield, weapon combat factor and/or ability scores as strength, dexterity and willpower,
if he deems that both parties consider these factors important in assessing each other's strength.
In a psychic duel, breaking defense is not followed by a damage roll.
Instead, each successful attack deals one point of psychic, virtual damage.
The fight usually ends when one side has scored a significantly more points than the othe, or when a stalemate forms.
A psychic duel can take place before physical combat, but not after - "real" combat provides a more undeniable test of power. When a psychic duel ends and is followed by physical combat, the loser of the former duel receives a one point penalty to attack and defence score for the duration of the physical fight due to decreased morale.
This kind of fight is used most often by experienced fighters who want to check each other without actually engaging in mortal combat.
When handling very large battles, the rules listed above are too cumbersome to use.
Moreover, large battles have a different character, with less stress on individual skill and more on holding formation, morale and manoeuvering.
Lanik does not present a finished set of rules for large battles.
instead the text below outlines the important factors in this type of combat.
In large battles, individual warriors are grouped into units. Very often they wield the same weapons and armor, in order to be able to perform the same manoeuvers and tactics. The men also travel, work and sleep together, creating a bond of mutual trust that is needed when facing the enemy in battle. In large battles, the unit is the smallest entity that is considered by the game rules. NB: units can have different sizes.
Below are listed the battle statistics of units, with explanation.
The weapons, armor and steeds of a unit are the average of that of its warriors. All fractions are rounded down as heterogenity leads to confusion and mismatches. As said, warriors of the same unit often wield the same equipment. Leaders may be better equipped but as they tend to be few, this usually does not affect the average much.
The same holds for experience, i.e. martial skill levels.
One warrior in each unit must be designated as unit leader. The unit leader is a central figure in keeping the unit together and direct its manoeuvers. In Lanik, the effectiveness of a commander is strongly linked to his troop commanding expertise skill level.
A unit leader can have one or more subordinates who pass on his orders to the ranks. If the unit leader is killed or disabled, a subordinate can take over his position, if some kind of protocol has been established for this and understood by the unit members. This can be something simple as a designated second-in-command stepping in, or somebody grabbing a unit banner and raising it up.
A whole army is coordinated by an field commander, who keeps an eye on the overall picture, rather than the fate of individual units. Army commanders are often generals or kings, or both. Large armies tend to employ lieutenants that supervise parts of the army, relieving some of the burden for the field commander. As a substantial number of feudal or barbarian armies require their commandar to fight in the front ranks, where it is almost impossible to retain an overview of the battlefield, the presence of lieutenants can be vital.
When a field commander or one of his lieutenants is disabled, the army suffers a severe setback. If command is not quickly taken over by somebody else, confusion and disorder may ensue. Often an army commander is a political figure too. If he is killed, the whole cause of the battle may fall apart and with it the motivation of the army itself.
For a fighting army, morale is paramount.
Morale is generally built on a cause to fight, for instance, revenge or the promise booty.
Leaders that are held in high esteem boost morale and good weapons and use of mounts also have a positive effect.
Experience and a history of victories, accross battles or within an actual battle, are great morale improvers.
It is decreased by losses, death of commanders the sight of superior enemies and often by the use of magic by the enemy.
Morale can go up and down during a battle. If it sinks below a basic level, soldiers may start to flee. When that happens, often the whole unit routs immediately. It falls into dispersed formation and the men run as fast as they can, sometimes dropping their weapons to gain more speed. If the enemy has faster troop available, these may give chase and cut the cowards down like ripe corn. In battle, most losses are taken during flight, rather than during fighting that precedes it. If a unit can outrun its enemies, commanders can try to rally it. If morale is not too low, the unit may be restored to fighting order, assume proper formation and be sent back into battle.
Contrary to morale, a unit with low discipline has problems with attacking rather than fleeing. Units composed of eager young warriors or boastful knights are good examples of troops wit low discipline. These may actually charge into battle before the order is given by the army commander. This can compromise the cohesion or the army as a whole, but it can also frighten enemy units with low morale.
The fighting strength of a unit is the ratio of its number of "enabled" warriors and the total number. Normally a unit enters a battle fresh and with all of its warriors in good shape and its fighting strength at 100%. During battle, soldiers can be killed, wounded, knocked out, lost in the dark, desert or succumb with fear or otherwise be disabled and the fighting strength drops.
When the fighting strength goes down, the combat ability of a unit usually is not immediately compromised.
Often only the front rank(s) is/are involved in actual combat, with other ranks waiting in reserve.
If men in the front rank(s) fall, reserves can step in and take their place.
Of course a dwindling number of reserves is a sign of weakness and the coming closer of the point where the unit's formation will be broken.
Heavy losses often causes the unit's morale to break and the men to rout, well before all reserves are used up.
A cohesive unit is a unit where everybody is at the right place, where there are no gaps and where the enemy faces a solid wall of weapons and possibly shields. Lanik discerns four degrees of cohesion, from high to low:
The space occupied by a single fighter varies with body size. In closed formations the sides of a soldier's square are for T ½, S ¾, M 1, L 1½, VL 2, H 4, G 8 mtrs. In open formations the sides of such a square a roughly double these sizes. Note that these are averages and assume that the creatures are standing upright. Many large creatures walk on all fours and occupy a space about twice as deep as wide.
A unit that takes heavy losses or is smashed by a fierce charge may partially lose cohesion. This generally reduces its fighting effectiveness.
Being able to move around quickly is very important in a battle.
Units, especially phalanx formations, are weaker at their left and right side than at their front, and very weak in the rear.
Units fighting from higher ground have a strong advantage, especially in defense.
Heavy cavalry can be devastating on flat ground, but is easily defeated on steep hills and in dense foliage.
The faster unit is often able to dictate the place where actual fighting takes place.
Experienced units also have an advantage in that they can rotate, change formation dimensions and move quickly without losing cohesion.
Manoeuvering must be done with care, because too much moving around will exhaust the soldiers and/or mounts, especially if with heavy equipment, rough terrain and/or high temperatures. Tired units also fight less effectively and their maximum speed goes down.
Defending armies often put themselves in an advantageous position by retreating to a stronghold. This can be something simple as a natural obstacle like a hill or river, or it can involve a construction like a fortified camp or a castle.
In sieges, manoeuver takes on a whole new aspect. The attacker can try to engage the defender in his stronghold, but he will normally be at a severe disadvantage because of the higher ground and missile cover that a stronghold usually offers. Storming the defense is an option, but there are alternatives in bombarding, penetration of the defenses with commando troops, bribery and starving out.