Dragon Knights of Pogue

Creating Dragon Knights

Creating “Dragon Knights” is a simple affair. Dragon Knights, as they
stand, are defined largely by three different things -- their physique, their Dragon
Riding skill, and their ability to talk trash on other Dragon Knights. Write these
three things down on a blank sheet of paper, thus:

Physique
Dragon Riding Skill
Talking Trash

Now, next to each of these three things, you’ll need to write a number.
What number? Well, that depends on you. You begin with 10 points to distribute
amongst these things. The more points that you allocate to a given trait, the
better your Dragon Knight will be for it.
The only restriction on allocating these points at the present time is that
each of these three traits must have at least 1 point allocated to them. All of
these traits are important, so while you may be tempted to skimp on some of
them, my advice is as follows - don’t.
Finally, after you have done the above two things, take a few moments to
give your Dragon Knight a name and define their personality, as well as what
royal House they ride dragons for.
Now that you’ve created a Dragon Knight, whose role you will assume
during actual play, you need to create the dragon that they will ride.

Creating Dragons
Creating dragons is simple. Dragons are initially defined by two different
qualities – their range of motion and their physical health. Write these two things
down on your sheet of paper, as shown directly below:

Range of Motion
Physical Health

As was the case with your Dragon Knight’s traits, you’ll need to allocate
some points amongst your dragon’s traits, as well. Here, you have 15 points that
you may allocate amongst these two things, with more points allocated to a trait
indicating more X (X being said trait).
Again, the only restriction on allocating these points at the present time is
that each of these two traits must have at least 1 point allocated to them. Both of
these traits are important, so while you may be tempted to skimp on some of
them, my advice is as follows - don’t.
Now, after you have allocated points to your dragons’ basic traits, as
described above, you’ll need to strap some optional attachments onto its body in
order to give your Dragon Knight a fighting chance in the arena. Here’s how
customizing your dragon works....

Customizing Dragons
All dragons in the world of Dragon Knights are quadrupeds, having a
head, torso, and four legs. Each of these body parts has a number of spaces to
accommodate equipment and/or weaponry – heads have 3 spaces, torsos have
3 spaces, front legs have 3 spaces each, and rear legs have 2 spaces each.
By default, every dragon in the Dragon Knights setting comes pre-
equipped with the following gear, none of which takes up spaces:

Saddle Package: An equipment package that includes a Dragon Knight’s

harness and reins.

Emerald Lense: A magical enemy detection device with an effective range of

15".

Natural Claws
Damage Rating: 1
Effective Range: 1"
Very sharp bone claws that protrude from a dragon’s front legs.

Natural Maw
Damage Rating: 2
Effective Range: 1"
A big mouth full of very large, very sharp, teeth. .

Past these stock features, you’ll need to choose what other armor,
weapons, and genetic enhancements that your dragon will be equipped with.
What follows is a list of equipment, with specific space requirements noted.
Choose equipment until you have filled the spaces available to you.

Acid Breath
Spaces Required: 1 (Head)
Damage Rating: 2
Effective Range: 4"
A large cone of acidic liquid expelled from a dragon’s mouth, fire breath is
largely ineffective against other dragons.

Ejection Assembly
Spaces Required: 1 (Torso or Head)
A spring loaded ejection mechanism that, when triggered, launches the
Dragon Knight’s saddle (and the Dragon Knight) from the dragon. If your dragon
is KO’d and your opponent is closing in for the kill, ejecting early could save your
bacon. Mechanically speaking....
 If your dragon is perilously close to being destroyed, ejecting will allow you
to escape your dragon’s fate to fight another day (even if it costs you some fans
in the process).

Fire Breath
Spaces Required: 2 (Head)
Damage Rating: 4
Effective Range: 6"
A large cone of liquid fire expelled from a dragon’s mouth. Arguably a
classic enhancement amongst arena dragons.

Hell Mouth
Spaces Required: 2 (Head)
Damage Rating: 4
Effective Range: 2"
A finely worked, artificial, metal jaw lined with multiple rows of teeth and
capable of extending the range of a dragon’s bite. This alteration replaces a
dragon’s natural maw.

Ice Breath
Spaces Required: 2 (Head)
Damage Rating: 3
Effective Range: 4"
A large cone of ice shards expelled from a dragon’s mouth. Not a common
weapon amongst Dragon Knights, but still popular with the fans.

Improved Cerebral Capacity

Spaces Required: 2 (Head)
This dragon has undergone special conditioning to enhance its self
awareness, allowing Dragon Knights to aim their ranged weapons with more
precision by working in concert with them. Mechanically speaking....
A dragon with improved cerebral capacity grants Dragon Knights a +2
bonus to their Dragon Riding Skill when making ranged attacks against another
dragon or other target that within range of their Emerald Lense.

Improved Emerald Lense

Spaces Required: 2 (Torso or Head)

This lense upgrade adds invisibility detection capability to a dragon’s basic

senses, and increases its effective scanning distance to 30" inches. Mechanically
speaking...
A Dragon Knight whose dragon is equipped with an improved Emerald
Lense suffers no penalty when attempting to fire on soft targets (i.e., targets not
visible to the naked eye, such as invisible opponents).

Improved Musculature
Spaces Required: 1 per Limb
Enhanced muscles grant a dragon a greater Range of Motion in the arena,
making them very dangerous opponents. Mechanically speaking....
Improved musculature adds two to a dragon’s Range of Motion rating and
allows the Dragon Knight to make one additional attack every round spent in the
arena. In order to benefit from a musculature upgrade, new muscle bundles must
be transplanted in all of a dragon’s limbs.

Invisibility
Spaces Required: 1 (per Body Part)
A powerful incantation cast over a dragon’s physical form, rendering it
invisible to the naked eye and forcing a Dragon Knight whose dragon doesn’t
have an improved Emerald Lense to target it manually. Mechanically speaking....
A Dragon Knight whose dragon is not equipped with an improved Emerald
Lense suffers a -3 penalty to their Dragon Riding Skill when attempting to target
a dragon cloaked in invisibility. Note that a dragon’s entire body must be
enchanted in this manner in order for invisibility to function.

Magical Shield
Spaces Required: 1 (per Body Part)
A series of enchantments cast upon the exterior of a dragon’s body which
protects it against damage from all thermal-based weapon (e.g., fire breath) or
corrosive weapons (e.g., acid breath). Mechanically speaking....
The Dragon Knight of a dragon protected by a magical shield subtracts 3
from any corrosive or thermal damage dealt to it. Note that, in order for a magical
shield to be effective, the entire surface of the dragon must be enchanted.

Metal Barding
Spaces Required: 1 (per Body Part)
A series of ornate metal plates affixed to a dragon’s body which protect
against all forms of kinetic damage (e.g. dragon melee attack, etc). Mechanically
speaking....
The Dragon Knight of a dragon fitted with metal barding, subtracts 4 from
any kinetic damage dealt to it. Note that, in order for metal barding to be
effective, the entire surface of the dragon must be protected.

Mithril Claws
Spaces Required: 1 (Any Limb)
Damage Rating: 3
Effective Range: 1"
Finely worked and very sharp metal claws grafted to a dragon’s bones and
reinforced for use in melee combat. These altered claws replace a dragon’s
natural claws if they are mounted on the creature’s forelegs.

Sonic Blast
Spaces Required: 2 (Head)
Damage Rating: 8
Effective Range: 5"
An augmentation of a dragon’s vocal cords that allows it to emit a high-
frequency sonic pulse that is capable of structurally damaging solid objects.

Sonic Dampening
Spaces Required: 1 (per Body Part)
A thin coat of alchemical brew applied to a dragon’s skin, sonic
dampening absorbs airborne vibration, reducing damage from all sonic-based
weapons. Mechanically speaking....
If your dragon has been coated with sonic dampening, subtract 5 from any
sonic-based damage dealt to it. Note that, in order for sonic dampening to be
effective, the entire surface of the dragon must be coated.

Wings
Spaces Required: 1 per Leg (or 2 torso)
Wings are utilized in pairs, mounted on the back of a dragon’s torso.
Wings grant a dragon more mobility in the arena. Mechanically speaking...
Having wings grafted to a dragon grants Dragon Knights a +2 bonus to
their Dragon Riding Skill when checking for Initiative on the battlefield during
combat.

In the Arena
The smell of blood, the sounds of gnashing teeth, the hundreds of
screaming fans in the spectator box – the crux of this game is, of course, arena
combat. Dragon combat is the most popular form of public entertainment (and
the only job opportunity for former wartime dragon Dragon Knights). Here’s how
arena combat works in Dragon Knights....

Staging
Before an arena combat ever formally begins, staging takes place. During
staging, the support team of each Dragon Knight whose dragon is involved in a
combat moves said dragon to a starting position of their choice within the arena -
provided that their chosen starting position is agreeable to all other Dragon
Knights who will be involved in the combat being staged.
If any Dragon Knight thinks that a starting position gives an opponent an
unfair advantage, he may veto the use of said starting position. Dragon Knights
have a total of three such veto votes that they may enact per arena combat -
after a Dragon Knight has invoked all three of their vetoes, they can no longer
voice their opposition to dragon starting positions during a given combat staging.
After all participating dragons have been assigned a starting position that
is satisfactory to all participating Dragon Knights (i.e., after any and all opposition
has been voiced and resolved).

Round Breakdown
 The following is a detailed breakdown of an arena combat round between
dragons.

1. Determine Initiative
Dragon Knights determine who can act when.

2. Take Movement
Dragon Knights take movement in initiative order.

3. Attack and Defend

Dragon Knights attack or defend in initiative order.

4. End of the Round

If only one opponent left standing, then combat is over. If multiple
opponents remain, a new round begins.

Determine Initiative
Every Dragon Knight involved in an arena combat begins a round by
rolling a number of six-sided dice equal to the rating of their Dragon Riding Skill,
plus any other bonuses (see also Wings). After these dice are rolled, collect all
even results (e.g. 2, 4. 6) and push any odd results (e.g. 1, 3, 5) to the side.
Dragon Knights take action during a round in descending order of highest
number of even results rolled to lowest number of even results rolled. Dragon
Knights who roll the same number of even results take action simultaneously
(i.e., their players act one after another, but the action outcomes are applied
simultaneously).

Take Movement
During a round, a dragon may move a number of inches on the tabletop
up to its Range of Motion rating (e.g. a dragon with a ROM rating of 8 may move
up to 8 inches on the tabletop per round). All movement must be taken at this
time or be forfeited.

Attack and Defend

To attack another dragon, a Dragon Knight rolls a number of six-sided
dice equal to their Dragon Riding Skill, plus any other applicable bonuses. After
these dice are rolled, all even results are collected and odd results are pushed
aside. Now the target gets a chance to defend.

In order to strike an opponent with an attack, they must be within the effective range of
the weapon being used to make the attack.

To defend against an incoming attack (by way of parrying or dodging), a Dragon

Knight rolls a number of six-sided dice equal to their Dragon Riding Skill, plus
any other applicable bonuses. After these dice are rolled, even results are
collected, and odd results discarded.
Whichever Dragon Knight rolled more even results gains the upper hand
in the conflict (i.e., their action succeeds, and their opponent’s action fails). If a
defensive maneuver succeeds, then no damage is dealt to the targeted dragon -
if an attack succeeds, however....

Damage equal to the Damage Rating of a weapon, plus the difference

between the number of even results produced by the Dragon Knight who initiated
an attack and the Dragon Knight who tried to defend against it, is subtracted from
the Physical Health of the dragon that the attack in question successfully hit.
The good news is that, if a dragon has any armor equipped, it may protect
them a bit from damage, allowing the dragon to ignore a given number of
damage points. Such ignored damage is subtracted from the total amount of
damage dealt, reducing it.

Systems Damage
Any time that a dragon sustains damage as the result of a successful
attack, the Dragon Knight who is mounted atop the damaged dragon needs to
roll one six-sided die - if the result of this die roll is an odd number, then one of
their dragon’s natural abilities or artificial enhancements has been Rendered
Useless.
When an ability or augmentation is rendered useless, it fails to function
and, if it grants any bonuses to the Dragon Knight, they lose those bonuses. The
good news is that, when it is determined an ability or alteration is rendered
useless, the Dragon Knight who is Dragon Riding the damaged dragon gets to
decide just what ability or augmentation it is that no longer functions.

Dragon Knock Outs

If a dragon’s Physical Health rating is ever reduced to zero (or less), that
dragon is out of commission - it (and its Dragon Knight) are out of the match.
That said, the dragon isn’t destroyed just yet - this requires that an opponent take
one final, cruel, action.
Where dragons that have merely been knocked out can be repaired for
future arena combats, destroyed dragons cannot be salvaged. Destroyed
dragons are utterly demolished, hulks of rusted metal and burned slag.

End of the Round

After all Dragon Knights and dragons have taken movement and made an
attack (or attacks, if their dragon’s alterations permit them) during a round, a
round comes to an end. What that means depends on two things, as follow.
If only one dragon is left standing at the end of a given round, the combat
is over and that dragon (as well as their Dragon Knight) is deemed the victor,
winning a few more fans and some much needed prestige.
If more than one dragon is left standing at the end of a round, then a new
round begins and combat continues until a clear victor can be cited by the panel
of judges.
On the Street
Professional dragon Dragon Knights have no real personal life outside of
the arena, but they do manage to fraternize with other Dragon Knights in local
taverns. That said, such fraternization often leads to trash talking and fist fights,
Dragon Knights being the egotistical blowhards that they are....

Brawl Breakdown
The following is a detailed breakdown of a barroom brawl between Dragon
Knights.

1. Picking a Fight
A Dragon Knight initiates verbal parley.

2. Talk Trash
Dragon Knights spew some insults at one another.

3. Attack and Defend

Dragon Knights attack or defend in the established acting order.

4. End of the Brawl

If one Dragon Knight has issued a challenge and another accepted it, then
the brawl is over. If no challenges have been made, or if a challenge has been
made, but not answered, the brawl continues.

Picking a Fight
Less complex than initiating combat in the arena, initiating a barroom
brawl is as easy as tapping a fellow Dragon Knight on the shoulder and saying
“You, know Vladimir - you really suck!” or some other such offensive remark. This
Dragon Knight, obviously, acts first in the brawl and the object of his ire acts
second.
In order to determine when other Dragon Knights act during the brawl,
their players need to roll a number of six-sided dice equal to their Talking Trash
rating, collect the even results, and push the odd results to the side (much as
they did when determining initiative in the arena).
These bystanders take action during a brawl in descending order of
highest number of even results rolled to lowest number of even results rolled.
Dragon Knights who roll the same number of even results take action
simultaneously (i.e., their players act one after another, but action outcomes are
applied simultaneously).
If you like, you may want to think of picking a fight as being the social
equivalent of combat staging.

Talking Trash
Verbal sparring is part and parcel of the Dragon Knight lifestyle - those
Dragon Knights who can talk trash pull in the biggest crowds. As wrestling fans of
our own time have discovered, a good off-screen enmity adds a lot to an on-
screen brawl. The same holds true in this game's default setting.
When talking trash, Dragon Knights issue a scathing verbal attack aimed
at a given opponent, and then, to determine its impact on the intended target,
roll a number of six-sided dice equal to their Talking Trash rating, collect the even
results and discard the odd results.
The target of such an attack is granted the opportunity to deflect it with a
witty remark of their own, also by rolling a number of six-sided dice equal to their
Talking Trash rating, collecting the even results, and ignoring the odd results (as
per normal).
Whichever Dragon Knight rolled more even results gains the upper hand,
knocking their opponent down a notch, and reducing their cool....

Losing Your Cool

Points equal to the difference between the number of even results
produced by the Dragon Knight who initiated a volley of insults and the Dragon
Knight who tried to deflect them, are subtracted from the Talking Trash rating of
the Dragon Knight who got knocked down a peg.
Should a Dragon Knight's Talking Trash rating be reduced to zero or less
in this manner, they go off the deep end, exploding in a violent rage and
attacking their antagonist with their fists. Which brings us to....

Attack and Defend

To attack an opponent, a Dragon Knight rolls a number of six-sided dice
equal to their Physique rating. After these dice are rolled, all even results are
collected and odd results are pushed aside. Now the target gets a chance to
defend against this attack.
To defend against an incoming attack, a Dragon Knight rolls a number of
six-sided dice equal to their Physique rating. After these dice are rolled, even
results are collected, and odd results discarded.
Whichever Dragon Knight rolled more even results gains the upper hand
in the conflict (i.e., their action succeeds, and their opponent’s action fails). If a
defensive maneuver succeeds, then no damage is dealt to the Dragon Knight - if
an attack succeeds, however....
Damage equal to the Damage Rating of a hand weapon (if any), plus the
difference between the number of even results produced by the Dragon Knight
who initiated an attack and the Dragon Knight who tried to defend against it, is
subtracted from the Physique rating of the Dragon Knight that the attack in
question successfully hit.
The good news is that, if a Dragon Knight has any armor equipped, it may
protect them a bit from damage, allowing them to ignore a given number of
damage points. Such ignored damage is subtracted from the total amount of
damage dealt, reducing it.

Common hand weapons in the default setting of this game include knives (DR: 1), swords
(DR: 3), and spears (DR: 4). The fists and feet of Dragon Knights lack a Damage Rating.
Dragon Knight Knock Outs
If a Dragon Knight’s Physique rating is ever reduced to zero (or less), that
Dragon Knight is laid out on the floor of the bar. Delivering such a public beating
is considered tantamount to issuing an arena challenge, and receiving such a
public beating is considered tantamount to accepting said challenge (See Below).
Note that a Dragon Knight who has been laid out isn’t actually dead just
yet - this requires that an opponent take one final (and illegal) action. Although it
may be barbaric, the default setting of this game still has no place for cold-
blooded murder - there’s no honor in killing a defenseless man.
If one Dragon Knight should ever murder another outside of the arena,
they’ll only be riding a dragon one more time - in a match versus Leviatan; a
colossal dragon equipped with numerous secret weapons specifically designed
to mete out punishment upon criminals.

End of the Brawl

After each Dragon Knight involved with the brawl has talked some trash
and at least one of them has lost their cool and taken a swing at their foe, then
the brawl may be over, provided that one of the parties issued a challenge during
the action (i.e., dared their opponent to step into the arena).
If a challenge has been issued and accepted, then the brawl is over - the
Dragon Knights involved rush off to the arena. If a challenge has been issued,
but not accepted, then the brawl continues, possibly sucking in a number of
bystanders (if they haven’t been involved by this point in time already).
Finally, if no challenge has been issued or answered, the brawl continues
until these conditions are met - in this game's default setting, honor can only be
redeemed in the arena!

Stalemates
When two opponents have the same number of even die roll results
generated on their behalf, a stalemate occurs (i.e., for the time being, neither
side of the conflict being resolved gains the upper hand).

After Battles
After a brawl or an arena combat has been resolved, all reduced traits
(e.g., Trash Talking, Physique, Physical Health, etc) are fully replenished
(provided that a given Dragon Knight or dragon hasn’t been killed or destroyed).
Additionally, the victor of a given arena battle (i.e., the Dragon Knight
whose dragon is left standing when the dust clears) is awarded a point of
Prestige. These points may later be “cashed in” by a player in order to boost the
traits of their Dragon Knight or their dragon, with an increase of one point in
either costing an amount of Prestige equal to the trait’s current rating.
Afterword
This document serves as an example (albeit a hastily compiled one) of
how the Combat Engine can be altered to accommodate concepts other than
giant robot combat. This, of course, is only the tip of the iceberg – it took me
roughly an hour to compile this document. Think of what you could do with a few
days, a great idea, and the Combat Engine!

------------------------------------------------------------
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Jox, Copyright 2006 by James D. Hargrove; author James D. Hargrove

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Dragon Knights of Pogue, Copyright 2006 by James D. Hargrove, author James D. Hargrove