Introduction
This is a guide that will explain step by step what to do and how to battle in the Way of the Ninja game system. Explanations will be given in the usual order that a combat takes place in, while also explaining special attacks, and special offensive and defensive maneuvers.
Combat Starts: The initiation Check
Before the fight starts, both players roll an initiation check. This basically reflects your character's quickness of reaction, and will determine who gets the first attack in the fight. The initiation check for both players is determined by the following formula:
[Initiation check] = d20 + [dex mod]
Once all opponents have rolled, the order in which the fight takes place goes from the highest check to the lowest one. It is that simple!
Attacking
Depending on the type of attack you decide to launch at an enemy, they way it will connect will vary. This demonstration will be done in three segments: basic elements, taijutsu, and nin/gen/fuuinjutsu.
I - Basic Attacking Principles
There are basic elements to all kinds of attacks, you will find those invariably no matter what type of attack you launch. We will analyze how you calculate an attack roll and how many attacks your character has.
1. The Attack Roll
The first thing you will need to know before you launch an attack will be your character's base attack bonus. This stat will determine both your character's accuracy and his ability to chain different attacks together in a single combo. As you will see in your character sheet, the formula to determine your Base Attack Bonus is this one:
[Base Attack Bonus] = [Character Level]
The base attack bonus itself will be the same whether you attack with your fists, a weapon, a projectile, or a puppet. What will vary is the mod you add to it depending on the nature of the attack.
For a melee attack (weapon or fist):
[Attack Melee] = [Base Attack Bonus] + [Strength Modifier]
For a ranged attack (kunai, shuriken, bow, etc.):
[Attack Ranged] = [Base Attack Bonus] + [Dexterity Modifier]
For a puppet attack (see specific thread for more details):
[Attack Puppet] = [Base Attack Bonus] + [Puppet Play Skill / 2]
2. Number of Attacks
Next, you have determine how many successive attacks your character can launch in a single attack turn. This will be determined solely by your character's level. Basically, your character gets one dice roll per turn for every 5 character levels. However, the attack bonus will not be the same for every attack. The reason is because, your character cannot maintain the same intensity throughout an entire combo and your opponent can slowly adjust to your speed and start better anticipating your attacks.
So, as was explained, your character will get one attack per turn per five levels and every new attack will start with a base attack bonus of 1 and increase with every level. Read the following example so you may better understand how to calculate the number of attacks and their base attack bonus.
Level/Base attack/Extra attack
01 - 1
02 - 2
03 - 3
04 - 4
05 - 5
06 - 6 / 1
07 - 7 / 2
08 - 8 / 3
09 - 9 / 4
10 - 10 / 5
11 - 11 / 6 / 1
12 - 12 / 7 / 2
13 - 13 / 8 / 3
14 - 14 / 9 / 4
15 - 15 / 10 / 5
16 - 16 / 11 / 6 / 1
17 - 17 / 12 / 7 / 2
18 - 18 / 13 / 8 / 3
19 - 19 / 14 / 9 / 4
20 - 20 / 15 / 10 / 5
21 - 21 / 16 / 11 / 6 / 1
22 - And so on.
II - Taijutsu Attack