vbwyrde
2012-11-23T18:06:00Z
This skill is similar to the Parry Dodge skill, except it can only be learned by Monks, and is a 5th Level skill. Here is the Description:

Allows the Character to Parry or Dodge up to three, specified, incoming non-Missile Attacks. It must be Declared BEFORE any of the Attacks are rolled. The Twin Dragon Parry Dodge Skill Level is rolled verses the highest of the incoming Attack Levels to see if the Parry Dodge is successful. If successful, none of the Attack Rolls are made and all blows "Miss". If successful it also allows the Dodger to Move 1 grid unit in any direction to an open grid space, so long as that does not violate any Zone of Control Rule (Stealth can be used to avoid this limitation). One return Attack can be made when using Twin Dragon Parry Dodge. In the event of a Fumble the attempt at using the skill is ignored and the melee rolled as per normal.
grimjester
2012-11-25T13:46:00Z
My response to this is similar to the Parry/Dodge skill. While the other skill worked because it cost you an attack to avoid an attack. I don't feel that rolling against the highest attack in order to avoid all of them feels right. I'm picturing the monk doing a series of contorted flips to avoid getting hit. Just because he's hit by the most skilled, doesn't meant that he has a chance of getting hit by the least skilled. I also recognize that skills with high level requirements yield benefits such as avoiding more than one attacker and ignoring fumbles. Although I'm against complexity, if this is in, I would roll for each attack.

Also, since you branched into kung fu, I will mention something that crossed my mind with parry/dodge. It might use a mystic point. This skill could be simplified in that case by saying that all attacks with a level of 4 or less, automatically miss.

My last point: Why is this skill biased against missile attacks? If my vision of a flipping monk is accurate, why doesn't it apply to arrows and such?
vbwyrde
2012-11-26T08:20:00Z
Kung Fu is inherently better than normal fighting skills. So it adds more advantages. the downside is you must be a monk, and in this case the Twin Dragon Parry Dodge is high level. I got the idea for this skill from watching this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vYS3loASL-0#t=1641s  (Note that there is a good example of what I have in mind within three seconds of where this picks up. In this case he is parrying two blows at once.)

The reason I chose to have the roll against the highest attack is to keep it fast and simple to use. Remember you have other players to consider when rolling combat, and the basic thrust of this rule is to keep each Player getting basically the same number of die rolls per melee (either one or two, usually). I'm not sure it's a great thing to leave the other players waiting while you get to roll several times? The idea is that if you can dodge / parry the highest level attack then you can dodge / parry the lower level ones as well. As for this not working against missile weapons, I felt it might make the skill just a tad bit too powerful, and imagine there is another skill for dodging arrows (remember the old series Kung Fu - they learned dodging missile weapons as a special skill), but I could easily change that for simplicity sake and remove that restriction. Probably should, actually.

Yes, Twin Dragon Parry Dodge should use mystic points. I'll review that. Thanks again for your thoughtful comments!
vbwyrde
2012-11-26T10:58:00Z
In thinking it over a bit more regarding missile weapons, I think that the Parry Dodge Combat Skill (not the Twin Dragons Kung Fu Skill) will remain with the missile weapons limitation. Twin Dragons, however, will allow for parrying and dodging missiles. There is an advantage for being a Monk, and this is one of them. I will also add a higher level Parry Dodge Arrows for Combat, however, so that fighters can get it, too, but at a high level. To my mind that makes more sense in terms of "realism"... Dodging / Parrying a sword is a lot easier to do than dodging an arrow.