Tao Dice

The basic rules for combat were already explained in the Quickstart (reattaching it here for convenience). But one mechanic I still would like to add is what I'm calling at the moment as "Tao Dice".

Basically, the combat is yet too "stiff", in my opinion. You define your Elemental Stance (which Element you will be attacking and defending with all this Round), good. You roll the dice, you hit, the enemy hits you, if so, take Damage. That simple. The absence of conventional turns and initiative are things that takes us near to what a wuxia movie is. The fighters are fighting against one another (or against others in lesser martial power or narrative importance), they can even hit blows out of their turns! Sometimes one has the advantage, sometimes he retreats, just like the system of actions. All of this is working fine so far, but maybe a little more complexity is needed. That is where the Tao Dice come in.

Tao Dice come, naturally, from a Tao Pool. All the sides in a Fighting Scene start with 0 dice in this pool. At the end of every Round, all the sides in the Fighting Scene gain one die to the pool. Any character in the Fighting Scene may spend any available dice on his/her Action for the Turn.

It means that the longer the fight, the more mortal it becomes. For both sides. People will have a lot of dice, what may mean a lot of Damage in a decisive attack. But we can make this better.

Tao is ruled by the "tides" of Ying-Yang. So, what is growing must decrease at some point, for this is the cycle of nature. In mechanics system, what I've in mind is that some other effects (like the Celestial Swordsman Fighting Style) mess with the Tao Dice. For your allies and enemies.

So, depending of the Elemental Stances one side has used during one Turn, some effects may act over the Tao Pool, at the end of each Round:

• If someone chose Water as their Elemental Stance, and there is no die in the Tao Pool, this pool gets +1 Tao Die.
• If someone chose Wood as their Elemental Stance, and there is at least one die at this Tao Pool, this side gets +1 Tao Die.
• If someone chose Fire as their Elemental Stance, and they chose to spend all the dice at the Tao Pool, this character gets +1 Tao Die for the roll.
• If someone chose Earth as their Elemental Stance, the Tao Poll always gets +1 Tao Die.
• If someone chose Metal as their Elemental Stance, and they chose to spend but not to spend all the dice at the Tao Pool, this character gets +1 Tao Die for the roll.

Naturally, it means that a group where the characters keep using diverse Elements in the same Round may get a very better use of this mechanic. I think it encourages larger groups, and diversity in higher Elements, this way, the group can work better and get a better momentum in a fight against another group where all the components have the same high point. Also, coordinate with your friends when to spend and when to add dice to the pool is a cool mechanic, I think, and that may intercede in funny and interesting ways with the "Elemental Dominance" aspect, already mentioned in the Quickstart.

Earth Tao is too op for always giving dice? I honestly don't know. Playtest hopefully starting soon...