LunarsAreFine/Combat

• LunarsAreFine/CombatAttacks
• LunarsAreFine/CombatDefenses
• LunarsAreFine/CombatTactics
• LunarsAreFine/Combos

This is probably going to get lengthier, so I broke it out into subsections. -- BillGarrett

Combat Without Deadly Beastman Transformation

This is a section discussing Lunar combat options without taking DBT.

General Discussion

There are several animal shapes that have tremendous/unique combat potential. (the obvious mammoths and tyrant lizards [with a Strength that high, your clinch attacks will have a ton of dice-- think a mammoth wrapping up a human-sized target via trunk], bears, big cats, wolves, claw striders, kodomo rat, snakes [both venomous and super-strong constrictors], hybroc, shark, killer whale, rhino, eight-tailed mole hound, gorilla, birds of prey, and so on and so forth). It is also important to remember that Lunar Charms do not depend on being in human or beastman form. The only limitation on Lunar Charm use in animal form is that too much Peripheral Essence use will lock them into one of their true forms.

If you have access to a strong or large enough form, you may be able to do more than simply punch at someone to do damage. Think on this - how many different environmental hazards (which generally bypass armor and are rolled on Stamina + Resistance) can you create with your animal forms?

Power Combat

It's a quirk of Power Combat that minimum damage is equal to Essence, regardless of what you are attacking with, regardless of what the defender is using or does, and so forth. The Power Combat rules also lay out how to handle "fly-by" attacks. Finally, you keep your Dexterity attribute in animal form, and can freely use Charms, provided you spend most of your Essence from your personal pool.

So how about attacking as a peregrine falcon? You can dive at a stunning velocity, probably faster than any existing flying spell or Charm allows. Your regular flight speed is at the high end of the scale for non-sorcerous flight modes. Finally, you may or may not have a Charm that turns damage dice into automatic successes. Your problems at this point boil down to:

• Stacked persistent defenses
• Counterattacks
• Ranged attacks

Specific Combat Charms

• Lightning Stroke Attack BillGarrett - an unblockable, undodgeable thrown attack, easy to boost.
• Halting the Scalet Flow Clebo - If you are an allround fighter, with decent soak and stats, you can exchange blows with opponents. Their major problem is that you heal, and they don't.
• Snake Body Technique Clebo - Depending on how you interpret this charm (some make it undodgable and unblockable), this is one of the most powerful charms for Lunars.
• Tyrant Lizard Strike Clebo - I know, it does depend a bit on stats, but consider the notion that rarely should a Lunar go all out so, even if the Lunar only can increase 4 dice per attack, this is very useful when splitting.

Need more expansion here.

Comments

I don't know if it's all right to write here, but I wish to add some charms that I consider very useful for Lunar No DBT Combat..Clebo

This is a wiki, go to town. -- BillGarrett

I dispute the notion that rarely should a Lunar go all out. Their combat strength is going all out, and if the opponent isn't dead, fleeing and coming back another time. You're a predator, not a duellist. -TheMyriadOfShades

IIRC, predators don't usually go all out. They expend just enough energy to get the next meal or two and retreat if something starts giving them too much resistance. Weather this makes a viable combat stratagy, I have no idea. --BrilliantRain

This is the basis of the hit-and-run strategy, based around ground movement and Charms such as Ground-Denying Defense to focus on a single target. Run in, hit someone hard, run away. If attacked, defend and run away. -- BillGarrett