Sumai Bouts
Sumai is an ancient art in Hachigoku, one where two competitors pit their strength and resiliency against each other. While this usually is a ritualized sport popular throughout the Empire, it does see occasional use between those who feel a duel of brute force is necessary to settle a matter of honor. Two duelists involved in a sumai bout are called sumatori.
Judgment: A circle is constructed, either on raised tatami mats with straw boundaries or simply drawn in the dirt, and usually measures 15' in diameter. This is the dohyou, where all true sumai bouts take place. A monk or shugenja is asked to officiate, although a shugenja is preferred. Each sumatori may make a Theology/Awareness roll (TN 15), calling on the aid of the kami and praying to banish any oni, gaki, or kansen nearby. The sumatori who succeeds with a higher roll than his opponent gains the Luck Advantage until the end of the bout. If both sumatori succeed on the roll, the circle and its immediate area acts as if the spell Evil Ward had been cast on it for no Raises. This effect lasts until one of three things occurs: the end of the bout, the death of one of the sumatori, or any one other than the two sumatori or the official enters the ring. These preliminaries can be dispensed with if the two sumatori are engaging in an impromptu duel.
The officiating priest announces the beginning of the bout. Each sumatori rolls their Awareness TN 10. Success allows the sumatori to know one fact about his opponent, and Raises can be made to know an additional fact about his opponent per Raise. Facts include:
Opponent's Sumai Skill Rank.
Opponent's Void Ring Rank.
Opponent's Strength Trait Rank.
Opponent's Reflexes Trait Rank.
Opponent's Insight Rank.
Opponent's current Wound Penalties.
At this point, one sumatori may realize clear superiority of the other, and bow out of the bout by stepping outside of the ring. Doing so is not seen as dishonorable, since avoiding unnecessary violence is commendable. The other sumatori is then considered the de facto victor.
Focus: Assuming both continue with the bout, the sumatori with the highest Awareness roll decides who Focuses or Strikes first. In the case of ties, the decider is the one with the highest Awareness, Void, or Void Points, in that order. Each sumatori begins with a TN to be Hit of 5. The chosen sumatori decides whether to Focus or Strike. If Focusing, the TN to be Hit of both opponents raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other sumatori has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one sumatori calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the TN to be Hit. You can only Focus a number of times equal to your Void Ring Rank, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.
Strike: When the sumatori calls for the Strike, his opponent has the opportunity to strike first. The foe rolls Sumai/Strength (TN 5 + Focuses). If successful his opponent is thrown or pushed out of the sumai ring. If unsuccessful, the sumatori who called for the Strike can make a Sumai/Reflexes roll with the same TN; success on this roll means he has dodged the charge and counterpushed his opponent out of the ring.
With either a successful attack or counterpush, damage is rolled as normal for barehanded damage, +Xk0, where X is the number of Focuses. Since most sumai bouts are for competition, it is considered dishonorable to intentionally inflict grievous harm upon your opponent, but not necessarily illegal. You lose 1 Honor Point every time you keep the highest damage die in sumai competition. If you kill an opponent on purpose in a bout, you are banned from official competition for life.
If both the initial attack and counterpush are unsuccessful, the match becomes a standard Skirmish combat using the Sumai Skill. Any moves other than the four Basic Forms of sumai are considered illegal and will disqualify the offending sumatori, though only the officiating priest may make that call.
Both duelists gain Honor and Glory Points as appropriate.
No comments:
Post a Comment