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Combat Encounter Templates

Purpose

These templates prove that the simplified combat model can stay readable while still supporting depth across beasts, undead, escorts, storms, swarms, and bosses.

Template Format

Each template uses:

  • goal
  • visible tags the player should see
  • key phase
  • the most relevant skills
  • failure risk

That is enough for both UI and resolver logic.

  • goal tells the player what success actually means
  • key phase tells the resolver where the encounter should hit hardest
  • best skills defines the main skill families that should feed the phase checks
  • failure risk defines what starts going wrong first when the character handles the encounter badly

1. Wolf Pack Field Cull

  • type: basic hunt
  • goal: stop the pack before it gets the first clean swing
  • visible tags: beast, open, ambush
  • key phase: Approach
  • best skills: Tracking, Archery, Polearms
  • failure risk: opener damage and early control loss

2. Thornboar Thicket Drive

  • type: dangerous hunt
  • goal: survive the first charge and keep the line standing
  • visible tags: beast, rough, pursuit
  • key phase: Clash
  • best skills: Shielding, Polearms, Field Medicine
  • failure risk: frontline collapse and wound spikes

3. Marsh Rot-Swarm Purge

  • type: pest control and recovery test
  • goal: clear the swarm without losing the expedition to poison afterward
  • visible tags: swarm, poison, marsh
  • key phase: Recovery
  • best skills: Herbalism, Field Medicine, Campcraft
  • failure risk: poison escalation and attrition loss

4. Grave Road Restless Dead Patrol

  • type: road-clearing contract
  • goal: break the undead patrol without losing morale control
  • visible tags: undead, dark, fear
  • key phase: Clash
  • best skills: Warding, Restoration, Leadership
  • failure risk: morale break and corruption pressure

5. Grain Caravan Bridge Raid

  • type: escort defense
  • goal: keep the caravan intact through the raid
  • visible tags: brigand, escort, cargo_priority
  • key phase: Recovery
  • best skills: Shielding, Leadership, Pack Handling
  • failure risk: cargo loss and broken retreat order

6. Storm Coast Reef Drake Run

  • type: storm escort and elite hunt
  • goal: survive the storm opener and keep the escort moving
  • visible tags: drake, storm, escort, shock
  • key phase: Approach
  • best skills: Routefinding, Warding, Pack Handling
  • failure risk: escort destabilization before the main fight settles

7. Blizzard Pass Supply March

  • type: long-route escort
  • goal: deliver supplies without the route destroying the convoy first
  • visible tags: storm, long_route, escort
  • key phase: Recovery
  • best skills: Weather Sense, Campcraft, Pack Handling
  • failure risk: convoy breakdown, exposure, and supply loss

8. Barrow Procession Interdiction

  • type: ritual interruption
  • goal: stop the ritual before corruption snowballs
  • visible tags: undead, wave, corruption
  • key phase: Clash
  • best skills: Warding, Restoration, Combat Judgment
  • failure risk: corruption buildup across repeated waves

9. Barrow Warden Chamber

  • type: boss fight
  • goal: survive the full boss cycle, not just the first damage window
  • visible tags: boss, undead, ruin, fear
  • key phase: Clash
  • best skills: Warding, Restoration, one strong attack specialization
  • failure risk: fear spiral and accumulated wound pressure

Template Design Takeaway

These examples show the core rule of the simplified combat system:

  • each encounter should have one clear goal
  • each encounter should hit hardest in one main phase
  • each encounter should fail in one obvious way first
  • combat and skills integration
  • skill catalog