Errant

Welcome to Errant, my attempt at recreating medeival cobat and social structures in the form of a TTRPG.

You may be wondering what the point is, as loads of other systems already do this. Almost any system you pick up involves swinging swords at other people with swords, so what makes Errant so special? Well, it is inspired by Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), and aims to recreate a more authentic feeling combat experience by using HEMA as a base inspiration. The goal of Errant is to create a combat system that feels real and impactful.

There are a few core philosophies that I am building Errant around, they are as follows:

While this is a (mostly) true statement about Errant, it is also true of all Hit Point (HP) based systems. I don't remember the origin of this concept (but if you do, please contact me), but the idea is that all creatures have only one HP, the very last one, and every other point exists purly to protect the one TRUE HP. Errant takes this idea to the extreme. Every combatant has one HP, and their job is to protect their single HP while trying to take their enemy's.

Stamina somewhat replaces HP in this game, as you use it up when attempting to block or avoid an enemy's attack. The difference, however, is that you also spend stamina when taking actions, such as attacking or moving. This means that every action has a cost, and you have to manage your stamina like a resource, because when you run out, you are no longer able to defend yourself.

Tactics are the combat abilities available to a combatant. These tactics provide a number of benefits, but all come at a cost. Most tactics are also restricted to specific equipment types, as you cannot treat an axe like you treat a sword, and vice versa. Most tactics also must be learned, which is the main form of character progression in the game.

In combat, wearing your enemy down is not the only way to end a fight. A single, decisive strike can kill, maim, or incapacitate an enemy in an instant. This is where Martial Standing (MS) comes in. A combatant's MS represents the control they have over a battle. Every combatant has a base MS that represents their skill as a martial artist, but this score is affected by things such as armor, weapons, and battle tactics. If a combatant is confident that they are at a martial advantage, represented by having a higher MS score than their enemy, they may execute a martial tactic. The combatant must then roll above their target's MS score, but below their own, as to represent that they are performing a maneuver that is within their abilities, but greater than what their enemy can defend. Success means an incapacitated enemy, as well as other possible benefits, but failure comes at a cost. These are risky moves, but very rewarding if performed correctly.

All of these elements, once properly combined and balanced, should create an experience that is immersive, strategic, and challenging. Please, join me on this journey as a build a system for nerds like me (and hopefully like you as well).