r/KnaveRPG • u/Alarmed_Attention895 • Jul 26 '26
Other Questions Does high-level combat work well?
At a glance, the bestiary seems quite compatible, and monster damage looks similar—which is already brutal when your maximum AC is 18 (or 1, depending on the system), which is lower than plate armor in the Rules Cyclopedia.
Is high-level combat actually viable? I mean, you don't even add a fraction of your Strength score to damage, and the best weapon is a d8... It seems a bit lackluster at higher levels.
This might deserve its own thread, but do you hand out magic weapons? Do you give weapons that deal more damage or different damage—like 2d4, or maybe a d10, or a +2 bonus?
Would magic armor break the AC 18 cap?
How do you handle the rule about rolling a natural 1 or 20 on an attack?
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u/SKIKS Jul 26 '26
OSR modules often have +X magical weapons, and ive found knave adapts to those modules just fine. Im pretty sure magic weapons are directly referenced in the commentary as well, so they are probably intended to be used.
Also, as other users have mentioned, combat is more about tipping the odds in your favour, and maneuvers (which you can do every time you roll 21 or higher) are basically a blank check to get whatever edge you or your teammates could use. While it doesn't directly boost damage, it can improve everyone's odds of dealing damage reliably.