CandyLand Concept Work: Grappling

[the_taken]

Grappling and Restraints

An important part of the setting is people grabbing and holding each other down, so that somebody else can have free reign over the area, or Tom can use his Magical Candy Cane without fear of having his pecans obliterated.

To simulate grappling, I've come up concept I like to call Grab Nodes. Every entity has a finite number of points they can allocate to grappling. Most have two, which is the minimum, while there are CandyGirl abilities and traits that increase the number of Grab Nods they have or circumvent their limit to a limited degree.

Initiating a Grapple involves an attack with the Grab descriptor. Then the use allocates whatever number of Grab Nodes they want, up to what they have available. For most entities, allocating one Grab Node is sufficient, and represents them using their arms, usually. Allocating both nodes makes them lose their mobility, emulating someone adding their legs to grappling, and giving a +4 Bonus to the grappling roll. For entities with more than two grappling nodes, they maintain their mobility as long as they have one Grab Node unallocated, but gain a +4 bonus to grappling another entity for every node they allocate to grappling it. Grab Nodes usually represent pairs of limbs.

The Grapple roll functions just like an attack, and uses the same rules. However, unless someone has an ability to do otherwise, opposing a grapple can only be done with Strength and Agility. Most attacks with the Grab descriptor are going to be Strength and Agility based.

When grabbing, the user and their target count as Attached, for the purposes of being targeted by AoEs. Also, grabing another entity opens up a host of options, such as preventing the other entity from moving, or even enabling the use of many abilities. The most basic Grab ability that everyone has is Tackle, which uses up every Grab Node and renders the target immobile for as long as the Grapple is maintained.

Targets of grabs have a number of choices to fighting back, which the attacker has as well, since both are grappling each other.

• They can allocate a Grab Node of their own to prevent whatever special option their assailant is attempting to do.
• They can allocate Grab Nodes to try and escape the grapple.
• They can allocate Grab Nodes to use whatever Grab ability they have of their own.
• Allocate Grab Nodes to be ready to counter any ability their assailant may try to use next.

Some abilities do not use up Grab Nodes, and are usually ranged attacks. They are easier to escape from... sometimes.

More than two entities can enter into grapples, allocating Grab Nodes to specific targets, or holding them in reserve for defense.


Thoughts?

[CCarter]

Possibly writing the rules around the "grab notes" concept is complexifying up the rules to an extent here. I'm not sure its actually justifiable as extra handling, unless characters that do have excessive numbers of nodes are quite common in the rules (Without the node concept you can just write the rules more explicitly by saying "you can't move" in cases where you'd use 2 nodes).

Other than than, the (1 node = 2 arms) you may end up using "half nodes" at some point - it is possible to grab someone with just one arm in some cases (i.e. carrying a cat, holding a hostage). Using "limbs" rather than "nodes" may be more straightforward.

[the_taken]

Possibly writing the rules around the "grab notes" concept is complexifying up the rules to an extent here. I'm not sure its actually justifiable as extra handling, unless characters that do have excessive numbers of nodes are quite common in the rules (Without the node concept you can just write the rules more explicitly by saying "you can't move" in cases where you'd use 2 nodes).

Most characters will have two nodes, but it won't be unheard of for character to get more nodes by virtue of sprouting another pair of arms, tentacles of something. Heck, you can even use equipment to free up your nodes after you have grappled someone. They're called ropes, cuffs and chains.

Other than than, the (1 node = 2 arms) you may end up using "half nodes" at some point - it is possible to grab someone with just one arm in some cases (i.e. carrying a cat, holding a hostage). Using "limbs" rather than "nodes" may be more straightforward.

I don't think this is exactly a problem. I never said a character loses the ability to do stuff with their arms if the node is being used up, after all, one node is actually used to grapple the ground so that they can move around. So, carrying a little pet animal won't prevent you from throwing a soda can, but it will prevent you from allocating a node to grappling. I guess, if something is being held and isn't resiting, then the holder can keep the held thing (entity or object) without being debilitated in anyway. So yeah, bring your favorite doll into a fight. But if you intend on wrestling, either drop it or use your legs to hold your foe down.

The exception to this would be something like whips, where it takes a node to grab the whip, but it also grants you a node while you use it.

[Josh_Kablack]

I like the basic concepts here, but I think "grab node" is confusing terminology. Something less rulesy and more straightforward like "pair of limbs" might be better.

[Vebyast]

The problem with "Pair of limbs" is that plenty of things use their mouths, their tails, or tentacles. Even weirder, I can easily envision a trilaterally symmetric something that uses groups of three arms to grapple. I do think that we need a more general term. Manipulator might work. Grapple Point? Grapple Slot? "Nodes" does sound right to me, though that's probably because I already use the term a lot when programming.

Another suggestion, though though I suspect people won't like it: have lots of nodes, and operations consume varying numbers of nodes. For example, a human would have four nodes, one for each arm and one for each leg. Initiating a grapple would require at least one free node, more nodes giving you a bonus to the initiation attempt. If you succeed, though, you must immediately use all of them to execute grapple operations. Operations are things like "Grab On", which consumes a single node, or "Entangle", which consumes a variable number of nodes and attempts to deny some number of nodes from the opponent. For example, a human that's really good at Judo might use all four nodes to boost his chance of initiation, then use one node to grab on, two nodes to immobilize his opponent, and then the last node to break his opponent's arm. Grapple modifiers boost your chances of success but also make successes better: if a wizard tries to grapple a barbarian, the wizard might have to use all four of his nodes to immobilize even one of the barbarian's, but the barbarian would just as easily be able to tie down all four of the wizard's nodes with just his left leg.

[Grek]

I would go with limbs. You need 2 limbs to start a grapple, and if you use 2 more, you get a +4 bonus. A grapple can be sustained with 1 limb at a penalty, but you can't use 3 limbs to get a +2. As long as you have at least 2 limbs free, you can still move yourself.

[Archmage]

If you want to use something that sounds less technical or whatever, you could seriously just call them grabbers. Which in my mind evokes the image of those little plastic claw things where you squeeze the grip to close the claw around an object.