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artaxerxes
2007-06-14, 07:51 AM
Fantastically over complicated Rules for the Bullfight in my d20 Modern Conversion of the Last Unicorn Game's Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium

Corrida Escuda - The Spectacle of The Houses.

Corrida is not a sport, though some of its detractors refer to it as such; it is, rather, a contest between a man and his courage.

HISTORY

The practice of the Corrida dates back into the dimmest reaches of the history of the Empire: there is considerable evidence that even the First Empire knew of Corrida, during the years when the Empire ruled only a portion of a single planet and did not even know of other worlds.
Legend has the Corrida originating in a land known variously as Iberia, or Hybernia, or perhaps Hyperborea, when the god-hero Manolete fought the god Zeus, who had taken the form of a bull for the combat. Zeus, the most powerful of the pre-Orange Catholic Bible gods, was certain of his victory when he saw that the aspect chosen by Manolete was evidently that of a fencer, or a dancer, since he was wearing clothes which made sense only if freedom of movement was paramount, and his body was not powerful, but lithe and precise.
However, Zeus learned quickly of his mistake, as his charges were repeatedly misled by the dancing Manolete's cape, and the ability of the agile duellist to be mere millimetres from Zeus's horns when he charged by. The contest went on for weeks, with Zeus becoming more and more frustrated, especially now that the duel had attracted the attention of all of the gods of Hybernia, and they were all quite vociferous in their admiration of Manolete's bravery.
Eventually, Zeus realized that the only way he could match the bravery of Manolete was to admit defeat, and he did so, allowing his mortal body to tire, but continuing to drive it against Manolete in one futile, deadly charge after another, turning, twisting, and wheeling about in the most unexpected ways possible, but all the time becoming slower, until eventually, Zeus stood before Manolete, too tired to lift his head, too tired to charge again, and saw Manolete draw his sword for the first time.
The Corrida travelled from Old Terra with its people, though it was apparently not nearly as popular before the Jihad as it was afterwards—a fact that has been held up as an example of the dissolute nature of the populace when in the thrall of the Machines.
However, even before the Jihad, the Corrida was the entertainment of choice of large segments of the population of the Empire. The bull- breeding farms on La Coruna, Saragonna, and Bahamonde were continually busy, keeping the fans of Corrida satisfied. During this time, Corrida was not associated with the nobility to the extent that it would be after the Jihad, and all of the famous matadors of the period (with the exception of Duke Ban Leon, who was not, at any rate, particularly noteworthy as a matador) were commoners.
Among these were "Rodolito", whose real name is unknown; "Little" David Mariante; Lili Kalt, one of the few women matadors; and Jose Martino Vasquez, still famous as "The Tempter" for his (eventually fatal) flirtation with the horns. After the development of the Holtzman Shield, bull-fighting underwent a fundamental change that seated it forevermore firmly in the ranks of upper-class entertainment.
It was probably the Baron of La Coruna who first thought of Shielding the bulls, making them much harder to kill inartistically, while at the same time insulating the bull from distractions and crowd noises.
It is known that the first public display of what was then called Corrida Escuda took place in the Champions' Arena on La Coruna, in 1333 B.G. The Baron had asked his House Matadors to fight the bull, and all but two had refused, saying, quite rightly, that as commoners they were completely unfamiliar with the techniques of shield-fighting.
The two who did volunteer were the Master of the training school and his prize pupil, the then-unknown Tial. Both had had experience in shield-fighting: Master Barkan as part of his twin duties as Trainer of the Levy, and Tial because Barkan had seen this development coming a long time before and wanted to be ready for it.
The Corrida that day is still spoken of in hushed tones by aficionados of the ring. It is said that the audience was stunned silent by the beauty of the pair of battles fought that day, and did not utter a sound during either Corrida, but when each kill was made, the pandemonium in the stadium could not be controlled. Both matadors made their names that day, and could have retired then and there as rich men, but neither did.
Both survived the Corrida that day, but Barkan, aghast at the level of competency required, resolved to continue his training programs at heretofore unknown levels, knowing that the old skills were now merely deadly delusions. He was the first to train the sew breed of noble matadors, and under Barkan's instruction and Baron La Coruna's patronage, the Corrida underwent a renaissance that has continued to this day.

VARIATIONS OF THE TRADITIONAL CORRIDA

There are as many different styles of Corrida as there are Matadors' schools, and there are usually several different schools on any given planet. In addition to mere variations in style, there are some Houses that considered the Corrida to be too tame: these tend to be outlying Minor Houses, though some of the Houses Major also are, counted in this number.
These are the main practitioners of a variation of the Corrida more properly known as the Arena, since their sole purpose was to provide the spectators with a bloody spectacle: usually, the combat was between an armed (though unshielded) man and some particularly dangerous example of the local fauna; or else the combat was between two human participants, either because they were professionals, or because they had a grudge to settle.
The many variations and the incredible history of the Arena cannot be done justice in the short space available here.

Further references: History of the Arena through Four Empires (Caladan: INS Books).

DUNE RULBUK (D20 Modern RULES) for the Corrida Escuda

Gladiators, Toreros and the Crowd

The presence of the crowd can inspire or demoralise.

Treat the crowd as a single NPC, and use it's attitude toward each gladiator to track the morale bonus or penalty he receives. If the crowd is friendly toward a gladiator gets a +1 morale bonus on attack, damage rolls and skill checks. If the crowd is helpful the gladiator gets a +2 morale bonus. An indifferent or unfriendly crowd confers no bonus or penalty, but a crowd that is hostile to a gladiator confers a -1 penalty on attack, damage rolls and skill checks.

Unless a particular gladiator is exceptionally well known, the crowd starts indifferent to each combatant. Each gladiator typically makes some form of Perform Check to influence the crowd before the bout begins.

Once the fight begins only certain actions change the crowd’s attitudes as described in the table below. Note the reaction to each gladiator is tracked separately. It is possible for two inept gladiators to be loathed by the spectators, and two veteran gladiators can both have the crowd on its feet cheering them on.

Attitude Means Possible Actions
Hostile Will take risks to hurt you Attack, interfere, berate, flee
Unfriendly Wishes you ill Mislead, gossip, avoid, watch suspiciously, insult
Indifferent Doesn’t much care Socially expected interaction
Friendly Wishes you well Chat, advise, offer limited help, advocate
Helpful Will take risks to help you Protect, back up, heal, aid
Fanatic Will give life to serve you Fight to the death against overwhelming odds,

In more exotic gladiatorial matches, there may be other ways to influence the crowd. In a match featuring gladiators on horseback, for example, being knocked from the saddle might worsen the crowd’s attitude toward you by one step. If the crowd is composed of Harkonnens, a successful coup de grace that reveals your opponent’s heart may improve the crowd’s attitude by two steps.

While one-on-one gladiator contests are the most common, team matches are also popular (and may be more convenient, because all PCs can participate). One common variation pits a single Large or Huge creature against a team of smaller gladiators. Occasionally, a gladiatorial match includes mounted combat or ranged combat.

It’s also commonplace for match organizers to add terrain elements to make a fight more memorable or deadly. Sometimes two gladiators fight atop tall platforms, attempting to bull rush each other to their doom. Some organizers hide weapons all over the arena, leading to a mad scramble as the gladiators arm themselves. Sometimes a maze or stockade is built inside the arena, although spectators will not likely pay to attend a gladiator match they can’t see.

Table; Gladiator Crowd Reaction
Situation Check Consequence1

Gladiator rolls natural 1 Attitude toward gladiator worsens
Gladiator confirms critical hit Attitude toward gladiator improves
Successful feint in combat Bluff vs. Sense Motive2 Attitude toward opponent worsens
Successful demoralize opponent Intimidate vs. level check2 Attitude toward opponent worsens
Successful tumble DC 25 Tumble Attitude toward you improves
Successful Perform check DC 20 Perform Attitude toward you improves
Destroy opponent’s weapon See sunder rules Attitude toward you improves
Trip opponent See trip rules Attitude toward you improves3
Disarm opponent See disarm rules Attitude toward you improves3
Attitude toward opponent worsens
Bull rush opponent 10 feet4 See bull rush rules Attitude toward you improves
Gladiator caught cheating Attitude toward gladiator worsens by two steps

1 All attitude changes are one step (for example, indifferent to unfriendly) unless otherwise noted.
2 Special modifiers apply to this check. See the appropriate skill description in the Player’s Handbook.
3 If you are tripped or disarmed yourself in a failed attempt, the attitude toward you worsens.
4 If you fall prone during a failed attempt, the attitude toward you worsens.

A recent winner of a Gladiatorial bout generally gets a bonus (+2 for routine contests and +4 for championship events) to improve an NPC’s attitude if the NPC saw the victory.


Corrida Escuda
A specialised form of the gladiatorial arena is the exclusive Corrida Escuda. Here man faces a battle with his own courage. Treat the Matador and Bull as Gladiators, however the Crowd always begins with a Friendly rating towards the Bull. If the Crowd consists of aficionados then the Matador must perform to a higher degree. Any misstep loses the Crowds pleasure, any triumph is only grudgingly accepted.

There are three matadors in a bullfight, and each faces two bulls. The Matador is not merely competing against the bull, but his fellow Matadors. In a mano a mano bullfight two rival matadors take turns fighting several bulls each.

Structure
The basic structure of a the bull fight is three acts.; Tercia de Lances, the Act of Lances, Tercio de Banderillos and Tercio de Capote, the Act of the Cape.
A pass of the bull with the cape is called a Lance, a set of three to five Lances is a Faena, and a set of Faenas is a Tandas. In game terms each lance, or pass, is composed of a Manoeuvre, coupled with one or more Flourishes (noted below).

It is assumed that the Matador has refocused his initiative. Making it unlikely that the bull can defeat the initiative count. Certain unusual circumstances can change this assumption. The bull always attacks, unless the bull is deficient in some fashion.
Cloak Dance is considered an essential feat. Hand of God, Stand Still are common feats amongst bullfighters. Heroic Surge has obvious applications.
Tercia de Lances
The first Tercio, is an performed purely with the full Cape, the Capote.

Perform(Dance) is used with the Cape. Coupled with the full round Cloak Dance feat, which offer total concealement and hence a 50% miss chance. The DC of the Perform Check, if successful, is added to this 50%. In the absence of the Cloak Dance feat, then use the DC as miss chance.

The Bull charges in response to the Perform check. It will attempt to gore the matador. It is considered the height of drama for the Bull to appear to connect, i.e. successfully strike the AC of the Matador, but for the Cloak Dance to prevent actual injury. The bull often continues its charge past the Matador, unless the Stand Still feat is used. Such control of the movement of the Bull please the aficionado.

Manoeuvres with the Cape

Abanico DC 10 "fan", two-handed cape manoeuvre, usually to bring bull to picador.
Alto, Pase por DC 12 - high right-handed muleta pass
Arrucina DC 15 - muleta held in right hand behind legs
Chicuelina DC 10 - cape is pulled in tight against body
Farol DC 12 - two-handed cape pass where it is flipped over and round man's head
Manoletina DC 17 - muleta is held behind one's back and lifted over bull's head
Mariposa DC 20 - "butterfly", a spectacular pass with cape held behind one's back
Media Veronica DC 10 - pass where the cape is gathered up on the hip, ending series
Firma, pase de la DC 20 - pass in which muleta is snatched from bull's face
Natural DC 12 - usually refers to left-handed muleta pass without sword being used
Revolera DC 15 - a swirling remate [enthusiastic] pass with the cape
Serpentina DC 15 "serpentine", a swirling cape pass
Trincherazo DC 12- right-handed muleta pass
Veronica DC 10 - the fundamental two-handed cape pass named after St.Veronica
Flourishes

Adorno A pose, such as touching the bulls horns as it passes. Perform DC +5. On a failed check; provokes an attack of opportunity.
Ayudado "helped", pass in which muleta is helped with the sword in other hand. You may use your Attack Bonus with the Estoque rather than perform Dance. This also allows multiple manoeuvres to be performed.
Ceñirse to pass the bull very close. Reckless. +2 on Skills and Attacks, -4 to AC.
Mirando al publico cape or muleta pass performed while looking at the crowd. DC +5. On a failed
Perform check the Bull attacks as if invisible.
Molinete muleta pass where matador spins round after the horns have passed. Adds a second Perform Dance check at the same DC as the initial pass. Success will please the aficionados, failure invites an attack of opportunity.
Muerte, Pase de la "pass of death", matador stands motionless. Matador is considered flatfooted.
Rodillas, de a pass done while kneeling. -4 on Perform(Dance), and Attacks, and AC.
Templar "to moderate", to move the cape or muleta very slowly/smoothly. Raise Perform(Dance) DC +5.
Tremendismo almost foolhardy brave style which gets the spectators excited. +2 on Skills and Attacks, -4AC, invokes an Attack of Opportunity.

Tercio de Banderillos
The second Tercio is performed with the cape and banderillos (little flags). Again a series of Lances, but each involves a one handed pass, and the placement of a Banderillo. The Banderillos cause blood loss and weaken the Bull. Thus preparing the bull for the Estocada, the killing strike with the estoque, in the following Tercio.

Perform(Dance) is used again, but this time the Cloak Dance feat can only be performed as a Move Action, giving rise to only a 20% mischance + the DC of the successful Perform Dance (unless Heroic Surge is employed for a full round action Cloak Dance).

The rest of the combat round is used to insert a Banderillo – or little flag. This is a standard attack. Each successful placement of a Banderillo gives a successive -1 on Fortitude saves (which becomes important in the Estocada, the Massive Damage Strike that ends the Third Tercio). The Banderillos themselves deal 1-4 damage.

The matador can abandon the cloak completely, and adopting the form of the bull, approach with a banderillo in each hand. Use normal combat rules. This was preferred archaically. However it offers no chance to sway the crowd.

Tercio de Capote
The third, Tercio de Muerte, the Act of Death, is the act of the Cape, the Muleta, and Sword. Passes are performed, sometimes with the aid of the Estoque, the sword of the Matador. This act climaxes with the Estocada – the driving of the Estoque into the neck of the bull.

As in the first Tercio Perform(Dance) is used with the Cape. Coupled with the full round Cloak Dance feat, which gives 50% miss chance, the DC of the Perform Check, if successful, is added to this 50%.

The Matador can also use the Sword attack bonus in place of the Perform(Dance), as in this round he is armed with the Estoque. The sword can be used to guide the Cape. This allows multiple attacks to be employed (as well as feats that depend on attack actions such as Combat Expertise). The Bulls shielded AC is used as a target. Each successful attack may be totalled to give the final miss chance, less the AC of the Bull. Single Sword Manoeuvres can also be combined with a partial action Cloak Dance in a manner akin the second Tercio for 20% base miss chance.

The Tercio Muerte ends with the Estocada, one final Lance brings the Bull to the Matador. There the Matador attempts to kill with one stroke of the Estoque. Feats such as Power Critical and the Hand of God (MSRD Power Critical) will aid the Matador. The bull already weakened by the Act of Banderillos should then succumb to the Matador.

Equipment

Traje de Luces – the suit of Lights
Estoque – the balanced killing sword of the Estocada.
Banderilla – the hooked darts, used to weaken the Bull.
Muleta – the small Cloak of the Bullfighter
Capote – the large Cloak of the Bullfighter.