Fudge Bunny Skills and Combat

This page last updated July 23, 1998
Since these characters use skills with different names from any published B&B book, here is a brief explanation of some of the skills included.

  • Agility skills: Acrobatics; fancy maneuvers while running to evade predators; leaping from rock to rock; running across a horizontal tree trunk, etc.
  • Bearings: orienting yourself when away from the warren; navigation; finding your way, etc.
  • Buffoonery: entertaining others by deliberately making a fool of oneself; clowning.
  • Burrowing: not only making burrows, but analyzing them.
  • Mimic Non-Rabbit: make sounds like any other animals, even humans. To actually make sense, of course, you have to know the language in question ...
Knowledge of:
  • Court Etiquette: knowing what to say and what not to say so as not to offend Rabbit Kings, Queens, and their hangers-on.
  • Human Dangers: separate from Traps and Poison, which each have their own skill. This includes
    • knowledge of what moving cars are likely to do,
    • the fact that some metal is sharp and can hurt,
    • the fact that some objects may be still now but can become active, damaging machines,
    • that a rifle hanging on the wall might mean they hunt rabbits,
    • etc.
  • Human Habits: what humans are likely to do in a given situation - though never why (except possibly relating to eating bunnies ...)
  • Non-Bunny Habits: what other species of animals are likely to do in a given situation, and possibly why.

Combat

There are three levels of combat skills in this game. Only one skill level is listed for each character, even though the higher levels actually include the lower levels. This is always listed as the first skill on the character sheet Skill List. (Note: On the VG Fudge character sheet, it's listed under the attribute Strength.)

  1. Fighting is your basic bite and scratch - unscientific, instinctual struggle for survival. The average bunny has this level of combat - in fact, the average herbivore has this level.

  2. Brawling is the next level up - those with Brawling have practiced combat more than those who just have Fighting. You can allow such maneuvers as pinning, raking, targeting specific body areas, etc. The average carnivore has this level of combat, as do most PC Bunnies (since PCs are a cut above the average).

  3. Bun Fu is the rabbit version of hard-core martial arts. You can allow leaping attacks, spin kicks against multiple opponents, knowledge of near-paralyzing pressure points (on rabbit opponents, at least) - in fact, most non-weapon maneuvers you've seen in a Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan movie, modified for rabbits. It's a rare rabbit that knows Bun Fu, but the PCs will run into some Bun Fu NPCs now and then. Other species may have versions of this skill, and a carnivorous martial artist is a very frightening thought to a rabbit, and the subject of late-night spooky stories ... However, even a rat martial artist is a dangerous opponent (they know Ka-RAT-te, after all), and you really don't want to think about Skunk Fu, honest.

To-Hit and Damage vs. Other Rabbits:
  • Brawlers get +1 in combat against rabbits with Fighting skill.
  • Bun Fuers get +1 in combat against rabbits with Brawling, and +2 in combat against rabbits with Fighting.
These bonuses affect both "to-hit" and damage. (Of course, you can "pull your punch," allowing you to cuff a rabbit who deserves it without doing any damage at all. You still get the bonus to hit, even though you're forgoing any damage.)

Fighting Non-Rabbits:

There are no to-hit or damage bonuses when fighting non-rabbits. You don't tussle with them often enough to warrant a bonus. Instead, there are PENALTIES for fighting humans or carnivores (but none when fighting neutral or shady animals):

  • Rabbits with Fighting are at -2 in combat against carnivores or humans.
  • Rabbits with Brawling are at -1 in combat against carnivores or humans.
  • Rabbits with Bun Fu fight carnivores or humans at no penalties.
The better your combat skill, of course, the better the maneuvers you can make (both offensive and defensive).

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