Combat Oracles & How I Use Them
You asked and I'm delivering...
I made a few posts over the past couple of months outlining some combat oracles for OSR-style games. Since I got so much positive feedback, I thought I’d drop another one.
If you missed those other posts, check them out here:
OSR Oracles - Spice Up Your Combat
Combat Oracles 2 - Tavern Brawls
Battlemap Combat Oracles - Grasslands
Additionally, my oracles for story building in sandbox and emergent narrative games were well-received. That article is here:
This article includes an amount/degree and difficulty oracle. I find these extremely useful for solo or low-prep play. Rather than just including the oracles, I added a bit of narrative on how to use them.
These are system-agnostic. It’s up to you to decide what kind of bonuses or penalties apply and how they affect the story.
So, I’ve included two sample situations from different game genres. Fantasy and apocalyptic settings. I’d also like to announce I’m in the process of creating a comprehensive resource book for these, which I’ll make available on my itch.io page.
The oracles and write-ups in this article are from the draft of that upcoming resource.
BTW - This project was prompted by a comment from on my grassland battlemap generator.
Thank you for the idea and support!
Amount/Degree Oracle (1d6)
1 – None / Absent / Nothing
2 – Small / Few / Low
3–4 – Moderate / Some / Average
5 – High / Many / Considerable
6 – Massive / Overwhelming / Abundant
Examples in Gameplay
Basic Fantasy
Mavyn and Nirra (two 3rd-level thieves) scout an orc encampment while the others wait several miles back. Their mission is stealth, not combat. The two slip past the first picket and near the camp when Mayvn fails a stealth check.
Three nearby orcs spot her, axes at the ready. Nirra comes to her aid. A surprise attack nearly drops one. Nearly. The women didn’t want a fight. But now there’s no choice.
Two uninjured orcs close and attack. The third falls back. Bleeding and scared, he blows the bone horn around his neck to alert the camp.
Is this the end? Roll and see how many come to their aid.
A roll of one might mean he’s too weak from the injury to sound the alarm. Maybe the raucous drumming of the camp party drowns out the alarm. No one helps. Best case scenario.
On a three or four, they could still manage to get out alive. Take these guards out quickly and move fast.
Get a six, and they’ve got a serious situation. The whole camp is on the way. Maybe they were gearing up for a night raid anyway. Good luck, ladies.
Post-Apocalyptic
When he rolled into this blasted-out ghost town, he thought it deserted. At least until the mutant sprinted out of the alley. Treek put it down hard with a load of buckshot. He realized that was a mistake.
They were everywhere.
One gunshot was all it took to draw their attention. The whole street was fangs and claws and scaly skin. Four of them were between Treek and his car. He did what he had to – run like hell.
He dove into the only building they weren’t pouring out of. Solid door. But not against that many. Treek piled every piece of furniture and scrap metal behind it. The first one slammed against the outside. Then another, and another.
Just how strong is that barricade? Roll to determine its strength.
A roll of one might mean he’s mutant meat if he doesn’t have an ace up his sleeve.
Getting a three or four means he’s got some time to make a plan. Perhaps find a way out of this mess.
Hopefully, he gets a six. With a strong barricade, the mutants may give up. Or he could slip out the back while they keep at it and get to his car.
Difficulty Oracle (1d6)
1 – None / No effort
2 – Easy / Minimal effort
3–4 – Moderate / Requires focus
5 – Hard / Significant effort
6 – Impossible / Beyond capability
Examples in Gameplay
Spy Thriller
HQ planned everything perfectly. Agent Hartmann’s infiltration was flawless, they suspected nothing. Her catering van was registered. It was on the list. The guards waved her in. Security was tight, so comms were out of the question.
Hartmann slipped through the kitchen and out the back. Fake eyes, designed by agency engineers, beat the biometric lock. She assembled the suppressed rifle with practiced ease. The CEO would speak in moments.
She had to take him out in one shot. Her target stepped out on the deck. She exhaled and found him through the optics.
Oh, no! Someone was tipped off. Three security officers stood near him. They spoke privately, then hurriedly ushered him towards a car. Each one hugged the CEO closely.
How difficult is it to hit him between the guards?
Roll a one, and nothing has changed. Perhaps Agent Hartmann’s angle is still ideal or even better than before.
A three or four means she can still take the shot, but not at center mass. His head is the only thing she can see. Much smaller target. Harder to hit.
Rolling a six on the table means the opportunity’s over. The guards shield him well. He’s completely covered in a split second. A failed mission. Command won’t like this.
Grimdark Fantasy
All he could hear was his own breathing, and occasionally the off-pitch howl of the pack. Thist stumbled down the overgrown trail. He’d lost his axe fording the river yesterday. Unarmed now. Hunted.
If not for the stench, he’d have likely missed the corpse impaled to the tree. A commoner. Bloated and fly-blown. A rusty sword pierced his chest and dug deeply into the trunk.
Who suspended the poor wretch a foot off the ground and why? It didn’t matter. Nothing did. Everyone had it coming eventually. By blade or fang, death was certain. But he wouldn’t go without a fight.
The scourgehounds had found him. Hairless, scabrous, and hungry. As the pack trotted close. Thist decided to free the weapon if he could. Perhaps he could take one or two of the beasts with him.
How difficult is it for Thist to pull out the sword?
Roll a one and it comes out with almost no effort. Perhaps gravity has weakened its grasp. He may be able to fight them off.
On a three or four, it’s stuck. Thist could free it with some effort. A little luck wouldn’t hurt either.
A six means the blade is buried too deep. Someone (or something) much stronger than him drove it in. He’ll have to face the scourgehounds unarmed. Poor Thist. Nice knowing you.
Let us know when you get these up on Itch. I’ll be first in line to purchase! 😊 #oraclelove
A quick and descriptive way to measure threat, I will be using these in my campaign starting immediately haha. I could see adding advantage/disadvantage to certain situations as needed, if it's more likely that there would be less, or more, danger.