Arena Rex Forums

To add some more variety to the terrain I have the following proposals for houserules regarding Terrain.

Fire:
If any part of a model's base touches a Fire, roll a single D6.
On rolls of 1 and 6 the model is consumed by flame and dies. Mark any remaining Vitality boxes and resolve their Effects (if any). Then remove the model from play. Any aditional successes after a model is pushed are lost.
On rolls of 2 to 5 the model recieves 3 damage (this damage ignores ARM).
Flaming Frenzy: Bezerkers may choose to leap through the flames and as such ignore the dice roll but recieve 3 damage (ignoring ARM) and 1 Fatigue. The model is then repositioned on the opposite side of the terrain.

Trapdoor:
If any part of a model's base touches a Trapdoor, roll a single D6.
On rolls of 1 and 6 the model is deftly leaps clear of the Trapdoor moments before it opens. The model is repositioned on the opposite side of the terrain and gains 1 Fatigue.
On rolls of 2 to 5 the model is too slow and plumets to a horrible death. Mark any remaining Vitality boxes and resolve their Effects (if any). Then remove the model from play. Any aditional successes after a model is pushed are lost.
Note: These effects apply only to Gladiators within the Mars Class. Larger Gladiators immediately trigger the trapdoor and fall to thier doom.

Ok comments and suggestions?

To be honest, not a huge fan.
Trap door just seems like a different type of pit that's less fun. The concept of it being a trap is that your gladiators wouldn't know where it is, but they would. And pushing onto a trap door shares this same defect.

As for fire, could be a cool idea, but when showing spikes through your body, of just stabbing it a bit only does 3 damage, 1D6 might be a bit harsh when someone's having a bad/lucky day, but the concept of leaping through the flames would be interesting when combined with pits, perhaps a jump distance for each model on a certain roll or whatever.

Some nice thoughts, but I'd say they were going a little away from the stream lined combat of AR. Home rules, these are nice, and maybe if you wanted to make it a little more in depth (with jumping, burning, each player setting up one trap before the game and hiding it out of sight of their opponent until they trigger it.)

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The idea behind the Trapdoor was to add an element of luck to the terrain.

I really don't like the idea that a nible gladiator can be just pushed towards a pit and then removed from the game. I think that if I was being pushed towards a hole of certain death I would at least try and jump it. Adding the doors to the pit gave the ability to play that option of "chance your luck". Hence whay the bigger Gladiators don't get this option.

As you say a hidden trapdoor would be almost impossible to play and far too complicated.

Maybe another Reaction Rule could be Leap of Faith and a roll to aviod the obstacle? Much more specific than React: Movement.

As for the Fire, I initially was going to treat this as a Fire Pit,. However, as I don't agree with the fatal nature of Pits, as explained above, I set the damage at 3 as being burned hurts just as much as being pushed into a spike wall I would say (okay I haven't actually tested it but both would bloody hurt) and both would have a lasting impact on the Gladiator. But the risk of catching fire on an oiled linen clad gladiator is still there and fire would have to also provide a fatality threat. Hence the Luck roll.

I will probably adopt these as houserules anyway but am always open to suggestions for ways to better them.

Really like the leap of faith reaction. ALOT.

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I'm in agreement on pits. I know it bolsters some gladiators who do not do much damage. It is easier for them to use the pits. Right now the pits may be used as a shortcut.

Every gladiator right now is the same size. I assume some of this could go away with larger models which cannot be pushed. Someone mentioned that in one of the other threads that the size differential was not reflected in the rules right now.

The potential objectives, mentioned elsewhere, could change some of the nature of the game. I'm not sure whether they are needed.

It was suggested in my group a point system with greater values for more different types of kills as well as a missio style bailout to deny full points to essentially win. Nothing was worked up. At a certain point spectators may not see people pushed into pits as a very glorious death. It's like a boxing match where it ends after a minute. Not very fulfilling. Certainly the player who experienced it feels more anxious for a rematch because of it.

I'm all for alternative methods so that you have many path. I have no offerings at this time.

Can't help but feel that it you don't like the idea of being having pit deaths, perhaps just don't put them into your arena? I mean, it'll make it more fun for you which is the key really and there's still a nice array of other hazards which aren't as.... harsh?

You'll feel just as cheated if you made a bad 'leap of faith'/trap door roll as you would if you had just outright been pushed in. So if that's how you want to play, play it like that.

I can't really see how being pushed into a pit would every allow you back in the game at a price. For me that idea just doesn't work, so its like, pits or no pits.

But who knows what RRG has up their sleeve in terms of alternate pit rules (which they hinted at) and as your say optional objectives.

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Not at all. I'd at least have had a chance to survive, how could I possibly feel 'cheated'?

Don't get me wrong, I think that the pits should still prove to be fatal and I'm going to line mine with spikes to make sure.

But I can't help thinking that the current rule of you touch it - you die is wrong. For me to die, I want at least to be pushed into the pit, thrown bodily into it and not just pushed close to the edge.

I get what you mean, but looking at this rule from a writers point of view, if a player creates a board in which the pits are just that, 3D holes. In this case, if a model is going to have say, half its base hanging over the edge, but has made some kind of 'balance' roll to keep him from falling in, there becomes a real issue of the player not actually being able to have their model on the table. Which is lame.

So yeah, touch pit, loose footing on sands, fall to incapacitation. Easy.

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You've lost me there, Dude09.

Are you saying that with a relaxing of the Touch and Die rule that you will get models balanced half over the edge of the pit?

Then all the more reason to have a Leap option to save this happening? This still has your element of mortal peril but is fairer than loosing a 2" push attack that has your base touching the very edge of the pit, when the attack ends.

Model pushed to edge of pit; base touch; roles for luck; is removed or moved to opposite side of pit. No precariously balanced figures.

Thinking about this more I also feel that adding 1 Fatigue may not be enough to balance the impact of a Leap of Faith rule. I think the model should probably gogain 2 Fatigues as this counters the fact he has just escaped death. It also prevents/reduces the likelihood of him running away or defending himself from an opponent on the opposite side.

After all the Trapdoor rule was initially intended as a once only rule. As the trapdoor would open regardless and present a pit obstacle after the first luck test.

And I'm liking this Leap of Faith idea more.

It adds agility to the Gladiators and would produce a more spectacular show for the crowd.

Maybe a Favor dice element should be introduced, which it would be if it is treated as a Reaction.

How about - Leap of Faith:
If any part of a model's base touches a Pit or Fire, the model may spend a single Favor dice and perform a Leap of Faith.
On rolls of 1 and 6 the model deftly leaps clear of the obstacle moments before certain death. The model is repositioned on the opposite side of the terrain and gains 1 Fatigue.
On rolls of 2 to 5 the model is too slow and suffers a horrible death. Mark any remaining Vitality boxes and resolve their Effects (if any). Then remove the model from play. Any aditional successes after a model is pushed are lost.

Okay, I can roll with that but here are some issues. Firstly the roll. if its going to be a 2 in 6 chance, just say 5+ or death, its easier to understand.
Then the main problem. You're now going to have an exhausted model on the other side of a (suggested I think) 2x4" pit. This can be easily moved around but any model. Then exhausted on wont be able to come back until a clear turn (probably not this one) and will have the previous model come round in like... 1 turn and get a free push just from it being exhausted. Pushing it into the pit anyway.

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