The Foot Combat

The Foot Combat is where much of the fighting of the Tourney is done. In the Foot Combat two unmounted knights fight each other with swords, axes, flails, and anything else that they can get their hands on, trying to force the other to yeild, or to incapacitate them! For young knights, without the Prestige, Equipment, or Skills for the Lists, the Foot Combat is the way to go!

Finding an opponent

The first step in entering the Foot Combat is to find an opponent. You may challenge any other knight present, but one with 5 or more Prestige than you can turn you down without penalty. Any other knight to refuse you loses 1 point of honor!

Entering the Combat

Once you have an opponent you must pay 10gp to enter the combat. You may also attempt to win the favour of either the King or Queen on your combat. See the rules on the King and Queen. If you do not have the 10gp for the combat you cannot enter. Assuming that you pay the fee you eneter the combat with one weapon, a shield (if you have one), and up to one other weapon in reserve. If you have a squire, however, then you may have any number of extra weapons on reserve. No weapons are dishonorable for the Foot Combat, but you cannot use a Lance.

Laying a Wager

If you have an Honor of -3 or less you may lay a wager on the outcome of the fight so long as your opponent is of equal or higher prestige than you. Your wager may be any sum, but cannot be more than 10 times your gambling skill. If you win the fight you get back double your wager.

Fighting the Combat

Once you enter the combat you must fight till one or the other Knight collapses or yeilds (and is accepted). The combat is carried out in a number of rounds. In each round first one Knight takes an action, then the other. The first knight to take an action on the first round of the combat is the one who wins a Weapon Test using the skill for the weapon they are carrying. If you could go first and you let your opponent do so then gain 1 honor.

In their action a knight may do one of the following

• Attack
• Change Weapons
• Ready a Weapon
• Attempt to stand (if fallen)
• Offer help (to a fallen foe)
• Offer a weapon (to a foe)
• Yield

  Attacking

An attack is handled as per the basic rules in the Dice Rolling section. Use the Weapon skill of the weapon you are holding. If you fumble your attack or defence then roll a dice. On a 1-3 you fall down, on a 4-6 your weapon is damaged. You can always choose to have your weapon damaged instead of falling down however.

Using Shields in Combat

If a knight is hit in combat and is carrying a shield then they may try to block the blow. The decision to block is made after its known whether you are about to be hit or not. If you do decide to block then make a test on your shield skill. If your result exceeds the roll that hit you then you block the attack, otherwise it has no effect. Note that you cannot block a flail. If you fumble while blocking your shield breaks automatically, and roll a dice, on a 1-3 you also fall down.

You may try to block a critical attack, but you will only do so by making a critical block roll. Any other roll counts as a fumble!

Change Weapons

In any round you may choose to change wepaons instead of attacking. Perhaps your weapon is damaged and you wish to save it. If your weapon is broken then you must change weapons if you can. If not you must yeild. You can only change to a weapon you are carrying unless you have a Squire, in which case you can change to any weapon you own.

You may try to attack someone while they change weapons. Doing so is dishonorable and makes you lose 1 point of honor. If you do this then your opponent can choose not to defend, and continue to change weapons, or defend, but fail to change weapons.

Ready a Weapon

If you have a weapon that becomes unready (e.g. a Flail) then you must take a round to ready it before you can use it when it is unready (after attacking with it). You cannot defend with it while it is unready, but you may still block.

Attempt to Stand (if fallen)

If you have fallen you must use an action to stand, or be forced to yeild. To do so make a test of Health (using your current health). If the total is 6 or more you stand, otherwise you remain on the ground. If the total is 9 or more, or a critical, then you can immediatly attack as well. If you are wearing Heavy Armour then your roll is at -1.

If you cannot rise for 3 or more rounds in a row then you must yeild.

You may try to attack someone who is on the ground. Doing so is dishonorable and makes you lose 1 point of honor. If you do this then your opponent has their defensive roll roll reduced by 3! Once you have attacked a foe on the ground you do not lose more honor by doing so again in the same combat.

Offer Help (to a fallen foe)

If your foe has fallen and fails to get up on their first round you can offer help. Offering help gives them a +3 bonus on their test. Offering help to a fallen foe is very honorable and you gain 1 honor. You do not gain more than 1 honor for helping the same foe more than once per fight however.

Offer a Weapon (to a foe)

If your foe has lost their weapon and has no weapon to change to then they must yeild. However if you have a spare weapon that they can use then you can offer it to them to let them continue the fight. If you do so then gain 1 honor. You can gain honor for offering weapons more than once in a fight should they lose the second weapon too! If you have a squire then the offered weapon can be any weapon you own.

Yield

At any time you may yeild to your opponent. Do this if you think you are losing, or cannot beat them, to prevent yourself being vanquished more fully. If you have no weapon and have none to change too or cannot rise for 3 or more rounds in a row, you must yeild. If your yeilding is accepted the fight is over and you have lost.

You may refuse to let another yeild and attack them. If they have no weapon you hit automatically, if they are on the ground use the rules above. Doing so is dishonorable and makes you lose 1 point of honor.

After the Combat

After the Combat three things happen, both the winner and loser gain money, prestige and experience. How much of these you gain depends on you and your opponent.

For the Winner

Money

The winner gains a number of gold pieces equal to the prestige of his opponent x 20 plus 10gp. So for defeating a Knight with prestige 4 the Knight gains 90gp. If the defeated Knight is of 5 or more Prestige less than you then taking the money is dishonorable, and costs you 1 honor, if you have 5 or more Honor. After all there is little honor in being paid to defeat your inferiors. If you have less honor than this then this is not a dishonorable act, no one will think less of you for paying your costs!

Prestige

You gain 1 Prestige for winning.

Experience

You gain experience equal to the loser's prestige, unless it is more than 2 points lower than yours, in which case you gain only 1/2 that amount (rounded down), or it is more than 5 lower than yours, in which case you gain a 1/3. This is sumarised as below

Relative Prestige	Points
Greater than yours	Equal to Prestige
Equal to yours	Equal to Prestige
1 less than yours	Equal to Prestige
2 less than yours	Equal to Prestige
3 less than yours	1/2 Prestige
4 less than yours	1/2 Prestige
5 less than yours	1/2 Prestige
6 less than yours	1/3 Prestige
7+ less than yours	1/3 Prestige

For the Loser

Money

The Loser gains no money

Prestige

You gain no Prestige.

Experience

You gain 1 Experience Point