WarQuest Campaign Setting Rules

Drawing Aggro

Drawing aggro is shorthand for acting in a way that convinces foes you are the biggest threat and must be dealt with first, even if other characters are being more effective in dealing damage or eliminating foes. Drawing aggro is part a matter of battlefield posturing, part intimidate and aggressive behavior, and part just being so provoking that targets want to kill you first.

Mostly aggro is only a matter of concern for tanks and DPS roles. This isn’t how most MMORPGs work, but is designed to keep things simple. Also just tracking aggro for those two roles doesn’t men it doesn’t apply to other classes. A tactical foe may well wish to kill a healer… but may have difficulty doing so if a tank has drawn its aggro.

The Tank Role

A character role is selected at 1st level, and once this choice is made it cannot be changed. Every PC must select a role, and a GM may given NPCs roles as long as all their HD don’t come from npc classes.

Characters taking the “tank” role can draw aggro once per round as a free action when making an attack. This applies to all targets of that single attack. The targets must make a Will save [DC 10 +1/2 tank’s HD + tank’s ability modifier that added to the attack’s damage [normally Strength, occasionally Dexterity]), or gain two points of aggro toward the tank. As long as a creature has aggro toward a tank, any attack it makes (with “attack” as defined by the invisibility spell) must include the tank it has the greatest aggro towards as a target, or include that tank in its area.

When a tank draws aggro, the tank may choose (before making the attack roll) to deal half damage to gain a +2 bonus to attack, increase the DC of the draw aggro by +4, and increase the aggro drawn from 2 points to 4 points.

Each time a target makes an attack that includes the tank as a target or has the tank in its area, it eliminates open point of aggro towards that tank. each time some creature other than the tank attacks a target, that eliminated one point of aggro from the tank the target has the most aggro against. After being out of combat for 1 minute, a creature loses all aggro.

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