What is the CAN system?

[Bill Bisco: Isometric Imp]

Have we analyzed how many attacks it takes to go down with the CAN system? Just eyeballing it says to me it would likely take ~8 successful attacks if you have equal level people fight it out.

It's about 6 successful attacks, or probably about 8 or 9 actual attacks if you're using good attack/defense matchups or good tactical positioning. Probably more like 10-12 combat actions considering that you'll likely be throwing some defensive maneuvers around.

-Username17

What is the CAN system and where can I find it?

[TavishArtair]

It's a game design concept for an alternative to straight HP or save versus infinite doom.

[Username17]

There are two basic versions of CAN, with one major underlying theme. It stands for Combat Advantage Number. The underlying theme is that there is a number that represents the difference between your combat awesomeness and that of your opponent, modified by circumstances and personal conditions. That number determines how difficult it is to drop your opponent with an attack.

• Option One: Mortal Kombat
  In this version, the current level of CAN is knowable and known between different combatants, because it actually determines what attacks you can use. Characters normally only finish enemies with "finishing moves" that are unlocked when they have a large CAN relative to their opponent. Lesser CANs allow moves that reduce the enemy's defensive bonus, thereby making larger CANs available on subsequent turns.
  
  Option Two: Critical Existence Failure
  In this version the moves are basically static, but the effect they have is dependent upon the CAN that is in place when they go off. An attack would roll its dice and modify the result by the current CAN and check against effect thresholds to determine whether it scratched the opponent or vaporized them.

-Username17