So this is an interesting topic, and I'm just going to throw my own point of view on this, as I don't often get to yammer about FIGHTAN. I will note that oddly, even though I play a weenie mage who probably couldn't punch someone properly to save his life, that I do have some RL combat experience insofar as things like various martial arts, straight brawling, grappling, and weapons fighting. I've been in a number of tournaments with varying rules, done even more sparring from little to full contact, got in fights with other people out in the world, and fought people with weapons (same weapon, different weapon, disarming weapons, etc.). I know there are differences between sparring, 'actual fights', and tournament fights by experience, and I can tell when things are choreographed or make no actual sense in terms of media vs RL fighting. Basically media is pretty bad about it, but their job is to entertain, not necessarily be accurate.
And I'll agree with Sylas, in that a lot of it is luck, but skill is also a factor. However, a character's strengths in certain areas also have a lot to do with where they fall back in others. In order to be able to move at all, I was always taught that if you have your guard and focus in one place, you will always have an opening somewhere else. For instance, I myself am not the bulkiest person out there. However, I can be incredibly quick on my feet. I'd be a 'lightweight', and know that if I get in too close with a bigger opponent (and stay there) I'm likely to get either hit hard, or literally thrown around. Not the best place to be. Despite this, I've still been able to beat / take down a number of bigger opponents than me, because I'm faster and they sort of barrel around full force while I can get out of the way / predict their movements and hit hard to vulnerable targets. Or because they dropped their guard that one moment to a fake, and I managed to sneak a nasty hit in. At the same time, I've, somedays, also been completely annihilated by bigger opponents, who have been able to charge me before I could move, or my guard just wasn't there when they dealt a nasty blow to the head and I dropped like a sack of flour.
In 'realistic' fights, it's just as easy for something to go as expected as to go completely unexpected. Again, echoing Sylas, terrain, mental state, how awake a person is that day, where they get hit, and specifically what it is they're up against all have any number of factors. Someone excellently skilled and trained in fighting on flat ground could easily make an embarrassing slip while fighting up on a steep hill, and may very well pop out a knee from the fall. (Which may or may not be speaking from experience. *sobs*) They can be hit from someone less skilled who has managed to see that hole in their guard, and use it to their advantage, or maybe they picked something up to throw at a person that knocked them off their feet.
Fights in general are typically pretty quick, and not long, drawn out affairs, unless someone manages to get away and get more distance. Or it's, as noted, a more controlled environment with particular rules (I'm honestly more used to these). There are also some things that most people just will not be able to handle well, such as hard strikes to the throat, anything that knocks the wind out of someone, groin shots to most guys, shots to the eyes, hard hits to the back of the head, various joint locks that leave people no choice but to go along with unless they want to dislocate / break something; and this is regardless of skill level, it's just how a body works. You can't keep going if you can't breathe, can't see, or are in too much pain to move. And then there are the 'lesser but still often debilitating' things like hard blows to the shins, stomping on feet, cracks to the jaw (especially with an elbow), 'raking' the face, blowing out knees, and so on. ... And that's mostly in terms of close, unarmed combat.
I've honestly never fought in armor, just padded gear on occasion, so it's hard for me to say just how much this affects things like movement, reaction time, and overall stamina as to keep swinging the extra weight around, but I would imagine someone heavily armored might have a more difficult time keeping their balance now and then. They could take more hits, but might be easier to knock over in certain scenarios.
I do know with things like staff fighting, (where both people have staves) you never actually think about how much your hands are going to be smashed up to hell during this until you actually do it. So many cracks to the knuckles and fingers. I think things like that are important to consider too; how the wear of the fight might take a toll, especially in terms of wielding weapons. Can't much hold them or move them very well if your hands / arms take too much of a beating.
Then finally, there's magic, which is a whole different game entirely; I'd say that there'd need to be some sort of 'rules of physics' in place to know how this would go. Most people have their own headcanons, which is fine, but in terms of this, with people who you are unfamiliar with (since RL can't really be the basis) I'd figure a roll system would be best. Actually, I figure a roll system would be best for both, physical fights and magic, considering all the factors, unless you're RPing with people you know and have a particular thing in mind.
TLDR: There are a ton of things to consider, even as a master fighter, and while this is something that other players could definitely consider while they face your character, I think it's best to realize that even masters can lose to any number of unexpected odds. What they train for and what they're good at doesn't make them immune to what can befall anyone, and those things are perfectly capable of being dealt by someone of lesser skill in the right scenario. Chance / luck is always a huge factor to this.
And I'll agree with Sylas, in that a lot of it is luck, but skill is also a factor. However, a character's strengths in certain areas also have a lot to do with where they fall back in others. In order to be able to move at all, I was always taught that if you have your guard and focus in one place, you will always have an opening somewhere else. For instance, I myself am not the bulkiest person out there. However, I can be incredibly quick on my feet. I'd be a 'lightweight', and know that if I get in too close with a bigger opponent (and stay there) I'm likely to get either hit hard, or literally thrown around. Not the best place to be. Despite this, I've still been able to beat / take down a number of bigger opponents than me, because I'm faster and they sort of barrel around full force while I can get out of the way / predict their movements and hit hard to vulnerable targets. Or because they dropped their guard that one moment to a fake, and I managed to sneak a nasty hit in. At the same time, I've, somedays, also been completely annihilated by bigger opponents, who have been able to charge me before I could move, or my guard just wasn't there when they dealt a nasty blow to the head and I dropped like a sack of flour.
In 'realistic' fights, it's just as easy for something to go as expected as to go completely unexpected. Again, echoing Sylas, terrain, mental state, how awake a person is that day, where they get hit, and specifically what it is they're up against all have any number of factors. Someone excellently skilled and trained in fighting on flat ground could easily make an embarrassing slip while fighting up on a steep hill, and may very well pop out a knee from the fall. (Which may or may not be speaking from experience. *sobs*) They can be hit from someone less skilled who has managed to see that hole in their guard, and use it to their advantage, or maybe they picked something up to throw at a person that knocked them off their feet.
Fights in general are typically pretty quick, and not long, drawn out affairs, unless someone manages to get away and get more distance. Or it's, as noted, a more controlled environment with particular rules (I'm honestly more used to these). There are also some things that most people just will not be able to handle well, such as hard strikes to the throat, anything that knocks the wind out of someone, groin shots to most guys, shots to the eyes, hard hits to the back of the head, various joint locks that leave people no choice but to go along with unless they want to dislocate / break something; and this is regardless of skill level, it's just how a body works. You can't keep going if you can't breathe, can't see, or are in too much pain to move. And then there are the 'lesser but still often debilitating' things like hard blows to the shins, stomping on feet, cracks to the jaw (especially with an elbow), 'raking' the face, blowing out knees, and so on. ... And that's mostly in terms of close, unarmed combat.
I've honestly never fought in armor, just padded gear on occasion, so it's hard for me to say just how much this affects things like movement, reaction time, and overall stamina as to keep swinging the extra weight around, but I would imagine someone heavily armored might have a more difficult time keeping their balance now and then. They could take more hits, but might be easier to knock over in certain scenarios.
I do know with things like staff fighting, (where both people have staves) you never actually think about how much your hands are going to be smashed up to hell during this until you actually do it. So many cracks to the knuckles and fingers. I think things like that are important to consider too; how the wear of the fight might take a toll, especially in terms of wielding weapons. Can't much hold them or move them very well if your hands / arms take too much of a beating.
Then finally, there's magic, which is a whole different game entirely; I'd say that there'd need to be some sort of 'rules of physics' in place to know how this would go. Most people have their own headcanons, which is fine, but in terms of this, with people who you are unfamiliar with (since RL can't really be the basis) I'd figure a roll system would be best. Actually, I figure a roll system would be best for both, physical fights and magic, considering all the factors, unless you're RPing with people you know and have a particular thing in mind.
TLDR: There are a ton of things to consider, even as a master fighter, and while this is something that other players could definitely consider while they face your character, I think it's best to realize that even masters can lose to any number of unexpected odds. What they train for and what they're good at doesn't make them immune to what can befall anyone, and those things are perfectly capable of being dealt by someone of lesser skill in the right scenario. Chance / luck is always a huge factor to this.
