I'm referring to these sources:
- Arivor's Doom scenario, page 27 (AD)
- Compendium, page 141 (AC)
- Warring Kingdoms sourcebook, page 80 (WK)
Here is how I understand the joust goes according to the books:
- Prerequisites: Mounted Combat and Tilt special abilities, 8/5 tournament armor, supply of tournament lances, horse.
- Encumbrance: Mounted combat reduces tournament armor encumbrance by 2 (AC p230), so effectively the armor has 8/3. Encumbrance affects riding checks according to AC p230 and Core Rules p192, but that would make the riding checks very hard even in the best case.
- Horse's INI determines who rolls first, but since both attacks occur simultaneously this has no actual in-game effect.
- Make a riding check to charge the opponent (AD), or do not make a riding check (AC, WK).
- Roll attack using combat technique Lances, keeping in mind the armor's encumbrance.
- Opponent rolls parry using combat technique Shields, keeping in mind the armor's encumbrance.
- Damage is 1d6+8, minus 8 from PRO, so 1d6. This 1d6 of damage is halved if the parry is successful (WK). AD and AC don't mention whether the damage is halved after subtracting PRO or before. Before doesn't seem to make much sense, since effective damage would always be 0.
- Opponent makes a riding check with a penalty of DP/2 (AD), or DPx2 (AC, WK). DPx2 seems to make it next to impossible to stay in the saddle after failing to parry (up to -12), and still very hard after a successful parry on a good damage roll (up to -6).
- Regardless of outcome, opponent takes 1 level of Stupor for a time depending on the outcome of the riding check. Neither book states the stupor duration on a failed riding check (i.e. being unhorsed).
My questions:
- Does encumbrance apply to riding checks? (AC/Core Rules: generally yes, but not specifically mentioned during joust)
- Does the rider need to roll a riding check before making the lance attack or not? (AD: yes, AC/WK: no)
- On successful parry, is it correct that damage is halved before subtracting PRO? (WK: yes, AD/AC: not mentioned)
- What is the penalty to the riding check after getting hit? (AD: DP/2, AC/WK: DPx2)
- How long does the stupor last on a failed riding check?