Dueling Guide

My lords and ladies of the Ringward, I'm sure it does not need saying that we are above the common rabble with their brawling with bare fists over some drunken slight in taverns or city streets. Even here, so far from your respective countries, some level of decorum is expected and the formal declaration of a duel, whether by written word or word of mouth is a much more refined way to solve one's issues. If a man has offended your sense of honour at the local pub, invite him to test his mettle against you when he is sober and has his wits about him, or scorn him for his cowardice should he decline. Duels may also be fought over property, be it land or chattel, for titles, as a trial of combat to prove one's innocence under the eyes of the Gods, to challenge a rival for the hand of a lover, and for many other reasons.


After the challenge has been made, both parties should appoint their “Seconds”. Seconds are tasked with ensuring that the duel will be honourable on both sides, if they themselves cannot find a way to resolve the duelists' conflict without violence. Should either participant be physically unable to duel due on the selected day to an unrelated injury, illness, infirmity or absence, it is up to their second to take their place. Failure to provide a Second in these circumstances result in immediate forfeiture and a large stain upon one’s good name, even more than declining the duel in the first place.


The terms of the duel must be set and agreed upon prior to the day of the event and those terms consist of things such as what melee weapons may be used, as well as the conditions required to win a duel; namely if the contest will be to first blood, incapacitating injury, or death. A noble who demands satisfaction over an insult, whether to themselves or their families may demand a duel to first blood, but is unlikely to require the grievous maiming of either party though it is not unheard of. Why, I remember on one occasion where a noble by the name of Stojan Kotnik threw a mug of ale on Mauro of the Casa del Sorra Rui, calling him a cod-swallowing son of a pox-ridden whore. Mauro immediately challenged Stojan to a duel as it was well within his rights, set for the next afternoon. When they and their Seconds arrived the next day, Stojan had a vicious hangover but declared himself still fit to fight much to his own misfortune and he quickly proved  himself unfit to fight by vomiting into the nearby bushes. Mauro the saw fit to add physical injury to Stojan’s pride by slashing Stojan’s backside. Of course, Mauro was fined for wounding a man who was obviously unfit to duel, but Stojan couldn’t sit down for weeks!


Duels for property- land, slaves and Fallen- demand at least a cry of mercy, severe injury or loss of consciousness to prove the victor. For instance, Marte fra Ragnor challenged Alenka Kolar to a duel for her Fallen and, believing that he could not possibly be bested by her, put his own Fallen up as her reward for proving him wrong. He found himself not only deprived of the Fallen he controlled when he lost the duel, but also of his left hand thanks to his over-confidence. It was only thanks to the quick work of the Ringward’s healers that stopped him from bleeding out all over the colored stones of the Central Plaza.


While deaths do happen accidentally, duels to the death are typically reserved for when a person has committed a crime so heinous that they face execution and demand a trial by combat to prove their innocence. Many were displeased when Thorild aflost Niko slew Rajmund Plavolas during his trial by combat, everyone knew that he had kidnapped and murdered the daughters of a rival lord. But, when Rajmund’s  head was severed from his shoulders, they were forced to proclaim him innocent under the eyes of the Gods.


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Duels use a dice system called Combat Momentum. Combat Momentum represents fatigue, slipping technique, and the sheer chaos of two fighters going at each other over increasing amounts of time. Mistakes become more and more potentially damaging as fights linger on.


Each fighter begins each fight with 50 HP, simply representing your ability to continue fighting. You cannot be knocked below 1 HP except by a legitimately failed roll (1-7).


Initiative is determined by d20 high roll.


Attacker attacks (as normal)

Defender rolls Combat Momentum (d10) and adds that number to the current count. This number continues increasing every round.

Defender rolls defense (d20 as normal)

On a success, they take no damage.

On a middling roll, they take 4 damage.

On a failure, they take damage equal to the current Combat Momentum, and the Combat Momentum is reset to zero.


On a critical success, gain 8 HP.

On a critical failure, the defender takes double damage.