Topic: Arms Law Question

[Eisenmann]

I'm trying to decide whether to first get Arms Law or the Combat Companion.  I have a quick question.

In Arms Law what are the 16 options for adding detail and depth to your combats?

[Thom @ ICE]

Are you using any other books?
Specifically, Character Law or RMX?  This will help with the recommendation.

[Eisenmann]

RMX

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

One thing that Arms Law has that Combat Companion does not is a fuller list of the actions that could be taken in a round along with their activity percentages.


Options in in Arms Law

1 ) Generous Weapon Bonuses for Missile Weapons - add bonuses from bow and arrow - standard is to use the larger bonus.

2 ) Consevative Bonuses for Missile Weapons - use the smallest bonus only

3 ) Shield Bash - attacking with a shield

4 ) One Handed Spears - using spears and javelins one handed.

5 ) 2-Handed Weapons in One Hand - rules for using a 2-handed weapon in one hand.

6 ) Natural Attacks as a Skill - guidelines for determining cost of natural attacks.

7 ) Martial Arts Grappling - using martial arts for wrestling type skills

8 ) Smaller Steps - round resolution done in 2 steps of 50% activity each. This option suggests using smaller resolution steps (and thus more resolution cycles).

9 ) Multiple Parry - guidelines for allowing characters to parry multiple foes

10) Resetting Initiative - take most of a round to get highest initiative you can the next round

11) Single Initiative Combat - only roll initiative once per combat

12) Fully Open Ended Attack Rolls - allows for attack rolls to be open-ended low as well as open-ended high

13) Wrapping the Attack Charts - basic guidelines for breaking 150

14) "Must Parry" as Stun - makes "Must Parry" results into rounds of stun (stun, stun no parry, down, out), so that it stacks with them.

15) Additional Effects of "Stun" Rounds - option for knocking a foe out due to too many rounds of stun

16) Knock Back Damage - rules for knocking foe across the room when you hit him...

[Eisenmann]

Ah, thank you very much.

[Nders]

Also it has much greater detail on its attack tables

[Eisenmann]

I read in one of the descriptions that Arms Law has stats for animals and creatures so it sounds like a really nice way to round out RMX a bit and build up from there.

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

Yes, it stats (but no descriptions or details about special abilities) for over 100 animals and creatures.

I think that getting Arms Law first is definitely a good move. Then you can expand outward from there to the more optional material like that found Combat Companion.

[Nders]

Off topic I know but what exact creatures are there in RMX? without CRT or C'nM?

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

In RMX:

Giant Ant, Small Bear, Great Bee/Wasp, Large Beetle (Jadeback), Small Boar, Small Cat, Young Cave Drake, Centaur, Gargoyle, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Small Ogre, Lesser Orc, Skeleton, Lesser Giant Spider, Trapping Plant (General), Forest Troll, Lesser Warhorse, Werewolf, Wolf, Wolverine, Land Wyvern, Zombie


In Arms Law:

Animals: Alligator, Baboon, Barracuda, Bat, Bear, Bees, Birds (2 types), Boa Constrictor, Boar, Bull, Cat (leopord, etc.), Cheetah, Condor, Crab, Deer, Dolphin, Eagle, Elephant (male & female), Elk, Falcon, Gorilla, Hawk, Horse, House cat, Hyenas, Killer Whale, Kraken, Lion, Lizard (general), Lizard (large), Lobster, Maatajtay, Mongoose, Moose, Moray Eel, Octopus, Owl, Pike, Piranha, Rats, Rhinoceros, Sabertooth Tiger, Scorpion, Shark, Snake (2 types), Spider (ants, etc.), Squid, Tiger, Turtle (2 types), Weasel, Whale, Wildcat, Wolf, Wolverine


Monsters: Giant Ants (2 types), Giant Ape, Basilisk, Giant Beetle, Centaur, Chimera, Cockatrice, Giant Crab, Demons (Pale I - Pale VI), Doppelganger, Dragon (typical adult), Giant Eagle, Efreet, Elemental (4 types Weak, 4 types powerful), Gargoyle, Genie, Giant (small, medium, and large), Goblin, Golem (5 types), Gorgon, Griffin, Harpy, Hippogriff, Hobgoblin, Hydra, Lich, Medusa, Ogre (small & large), Orc (4 types listed), Pegasus, Roc, Sphinx, Titan, Troll (2 classical types, 2 civilized types), Undead (Class I - Class VI), Unicorn, Werewolf, Werebear, Wyvern

[providence13]

I hope that wasn't from memory..
Seriously, buy all the books you can, but AL is all you need for a long while.

[pastaav]

I'm trying to decide whether to first get Arms Law or the Combat Companion.

One thing to be aware of is that Arms Law does not include attack tables for magical attacks. Those are instead found in Spell Law. I think you could keep using the RMX tables for spells and switch to Arms Law tables for ordinary weapons. 

Combat Companion do include attack tables for both weapons and magic, but there has been much discussions on the forum that tables for spell attacks has serious flaws. I have not seen any convincing arguments for that the ball attack in Combat Companion work at all in actual play without heavy houseruling. There are also people, me included, who have concerns about higher armors in Combat Companion in essence only offering a flat DB bonus instead of the Arms Law style where different type of Armor classes excel towards different types of attacks.

Personally I consider the Armor by Piece system in Combat Companion best be reviewed as a sneak peak on a upcoming different combat system than a actual system I would like to employ in my campaigns. Of course your millage may be different if you run a different kind of game than I do. I would suggest you go with Armslaw and Spell Law, but Combat Companion has excellent other material also besides Armor by Piece so don't be afraid to buy that book.