Combat

This page covers the basic mechanics for combat in this system.  For information (for GMs) to handle antagonists in combat, see here.

The combat system is used whenever non-trivial(for the player characters) hostilities break out.

Combat consists of rounds in which each character receives a turn.

Roll Initiative

At the beginning of any combat, everyone involved must roll initiative.  The GM rolls on behalf of the NPCs involved.  Initiative is rolled immediately, even if there’s a surprise attack or ambush happening; no one gets to attack before initiative is rolled.

Your initiative dicepool is typically Mental + Physical Awareness.  Some powers may change this.

Sort your initiative from highest to lowest, like so:

Each character takes their turn when the person above them in the initiative order has finished their turn.

We suggest marking off who has had their turn this round, like so:

Action Types

This section describes the types of actions that can be taken during your turn during combat.

Complex Action

This is the most time-consuming action type.  A single Complex Action completes your turn, although you may still make Free Actions before moving on to the next character’s turn.

Simple Action

Simple Actions are not as time-consuming as Complex Actions.  Using two Simple Actions is equivalent to one Complex Action.  After performing two Simple Actions, your turn ends.  Most attacks consume a simple action.

Free Action

Free actions do not consume your turn, but they can only be performed during your turn.

You get 1 free actions per turn.

Interrupt Action

Interrupt Actions may be used regardless of who’s turn it is.  Interrupt Actions are typically gained via powers.

Combat Actions Table

Combat Area: Spaces

The geographic area in which combat happens is divided into spaces.

Spaces do not have a defined measure, such as the 5′ by 5′ squares used in some systems.  Instead, the size of spaces are flexible, vague, and set by the GM on a case by case basis.  For example, a wide ranging naval battle would have larger spaces than a battle taking place on the deck of a single ship.  Multiple characters can fit into a single space without issue, even if the spaces are relatively small.  In fact, you’re not in melee range if you’re not sharing the same space.

Most combat areas will be 12 x 12 x 12 spaces.  Vertical spaces need to be considered for certain environments (cliffs, castle walls, under water, etc).  Vertical spaces will also be needed for characters with lots of mobility powers or flying vehicles.

Utilizing a map with a grid over it is optional, and decided by the GM on a case by case basis.

Cover

Cover provides protection from attacks for those behind it.  Cover rarely provides 360 degree protection, though fortifications & some powers may make this possible.

Cover is terrain dependent.  Finding cover never requires any kind of dice roll.  Areas with potential cover may be obvious if a map is used, otherwise the GM may give a brief description of the battlefield which may reveal areas with cover.  Cover is not always available in every space; you may need to move one or more spaces to find cover.  Whether or not cover is available in a given space, and what direction the cover faces, is always up to the GM.

Cover Types

There are 3 types of cover: Full Cover, Medium Cover, & Light Cover.  Details for each type are below.

Full Cover

The cover is so complete that no part of the person taking cover behind it can be seen – at least not from the angle of the attacker.  The attacker may attempt to blindly fire through the cover.

This grants a +8 modifier to the defender’s defense roll.

Medium Cover

Small portions of the target can be seen through the cover.

This grants a +4 modifier to the defender’s defense roll.

Light Cover

Large portions of the target can been seen through the cover.

This grants a +2 modifier to the defender’s defense roll.

Cover & Close Combat Attacks

Defense roll modifiers granted by cover are halved against melee attacks.

Combat Movement

A character can move up to their speed in a single simple action.

A character can move up to their speed a second time in the same turn by paying 1 energy and expending their final simple action.  This is commonly referred to as “sprinting”.

Speed

A normal person on foot has a speed of 1.  A person with a speed of 1 moves 1 space per simple action they spend on movement.

Vehicles & Mobility powers can increase speed, and thus increase the number of spaces one can traverse in a single simple action.  Someone with a speed of 2 can move up to 2 spaces in a single simple action.

Diagonal Movement

Characters may move diagonally through spaces.  If a space has a corner touching another space, they are considered adjacent.

Plugin: Hexagonal Spaces Instead of Squares

You may use hexagons instead of squares.  It really makes no difference, given the diagonal movement rules.

Rough Terrain

Some terrain is hard to move through.  Slogging through a swamp or walking around hot lava can be slow & dangerous.

These situations call for an (Physical + Mobility) OR (Mental + Pilot) roll, the difficulty of which is set by the GM depending upon the terrain.  Failure to hit the difficulty of this roll results in the involuntary expenditure of 2 energy.  If you cannot spend 2 energy, you must accept a critical or dramatic failure.  Accepting a critical or dramatic failure on this roll can result in damage or further hardship, as decided by the GM.

A character only needs to make the test  against rough terrain once per space.  For example, you may make the test when they move into the rough terrain space, or out of the rough terrain space, but not both.

Vertical Movement

Vertical movement is (typically) only possible if a character is swimming, climbing, falling, or flying.  Rules for swimming, climbing, falling, and flying (in combat) are below.

It is important to note that these rules only apply to vertical movement in combat.  When time is not of great concern, these rules do not apply.

Swimming

Swimming in combat is difficult for most humanoids, unless certain powers are applied.  In order to move, you must pay 1 energy.  Additionally, your speed is lowered by 1, to a minimum of 1.

These rules are for when characters have no choice but to swim.  Characters who are merely waist deep in water do not suffer from these rules.

The Perfect Swimmer power takes care of these issues for your character.

Climbing

Climbing in combat is difficult for most humanoids, unless certain powers are applied.  Climbing any surface is considered rough terrain.

When climbing, your speed is reduced by 1 to a minimum of 1.  Moving upward always costs 1 energy.  Moving downward  or side to side does not cost any energy.

The Perfect Climber power takes care of these issues for your character.

Falling

Characters in a free fall will move down 2 spaces per round on their turn, whether they want to or not.  They need not pay 1 energy, nor do they need to pay any actions for this movement.

Characters may not control their fall, nor take move actions during the fall, unless they have powers that allow it.

Each space fallen before hitting the ground inflicts 2 damage per space fallen, to a maximum of 6 spaces (12 damage).  No rolls are needed, the falling character simply takes the damage.

The Free Fall power takes care of the damage taken from falling.

Flying

Flying is typically only possible when using a flying vehicle.  Flight doesn’t generally require any tests or rolls unless the pilot is attempting something dangerous such as flying too close to the ground, flying under a bridge, etc.   The mechanics of flying in combat are simple: All of the normal combat movement mechanics apply, with the only difference being that you can move vertically without the need to climb something.

There are powers that allow for personal flight without a vehicle.  These powers typically have special rules regarding flight, and should be read carefully.

Chases or Otherwise Moving Battles

Chases are handled via the normal combat movement rules.    The battle ends if the withdrawing character gets 12+ spaces away from the nearest enemy.

The outcome of chases will often be determined by the speed of each party, and the number of energy they have available.

If a stalemate occurs in which neither the withdrawing party nor the chasing party can gain the advantage, the GM is encouraged to end combat, and state that the withdrawing party gets away.

More information on chases & moving battles is here.

Vehicles

Vehicles have their own page, which contains specific information regarding vehicles in combat.  A brief summary of that information is here:

Vehicles replace the pilot’s & passenger’s combat movement rolls with the pilot’s skill rolls.  Vehicles also use their own energy instead of the pilots’ and passengers’.  A vehicle’s energy symbolizes a combination of fuel use, and the amount of pilot-inflicted abuse that the vehicle can take, before needing maintenance. All vehicles start out with 5 energy .  Used energy can be regenerated by refueling or performing maintenance.  It is generally impossible to restore the vehicle’s energy during combat, but some powers can change that.

Attacking & Defending

This section covers the mechanics of attacking and defending in this TTRPG system.

An attack is not a single slash of a sword or a single pull of a trigger.  It is a dramatic action which can include multiple shots, slashes, maneuvers, acrobatics, and gambits.

Attack & Defense Descriptions

The winner of the dice test gets to describe the action.  Their description should be appropriate to the outcome of the test.  It should also be fun, cool, evocative, or funny.  Players can earn rewards for good action descriptions.

See Action Descriptions for more details.

Critical Failure

Critical failure is not possible for an attack or defense test.

Attacking

Attacking typically requires expending a simple action, but some powers may change this.  Defending never requires you to expend an action.

Attacks are resolved with a simple Attacker vs. Defender contested roll.

Subtract the defender’s hits on their dice from the attackers hits on their dice.  If 0 or less hits remain on the attackers dice, the attack misses and no damage is dealt.  If 1 or more hits remain on the attackers dice, the attack hits and damage equal to the attacker’s net hits is dealt to the defender.

Ranged Attack Dicepool

(Physical) + (Ranged Combat)

Close (Melee) Attack Dicepool

(Physical) + (Close Combat)

Defenses

When defending, you have the option of Dodging, Parrying, or Soaking.  You may only apply one of these defenses per attack.  You may choose which defense to apply to each attack.

Dodge Dicepool

(Physical) + (Mobility)

Parry Dicepool

(Physical) + (Close Combat)

Soak Dicepool

(Physical) + (Protection)

OR

(Physical) + (Armor Rating)

Undodgeable, Unparryable, & Unsoakable Attacks

Some powers create attacks which penalize or even nullify one of your defense options.  For this reason, it is wise to have a backup defense which your character is good at.

Flawless Defense

Flawless Defense is a trait that makes all defense dice automatically successful.  No roll is made; every die is a hit.

Flawless Defense is granted by any of the following:

• A difference in size
• Troops
• Certain powers
  • Full Defense

Recommended Plugin: Defense Static Values

This plugin makes defense much more reliable.  Getting very unlucky on a defense roll never feels good.  This plugin solves that problem.

Divide the defender’s dicepool by 2 and round up.  This is their static defense value.  No roll is made.

If you are using the single D10 resolution plugin in combination with this plugin, instead of rolling a D10, you simply take 5.  You do divide your defense dicepool by 2.

If you are using the single D20 resolution plugin in combination with this plugin, instead of rolling a D20, you simply take 10.  You do not divide your defense dicepool by 2.

Ranged Combat

Ranged Combat is the skill with which you make ranged attacks.

Ranged Combat Advantages

Ranged attacks have an obvious advantage over melee attacks: you can attack enemies who are far away.  Given the combat movement rules of this system, Ranged Combat is more efficient in terms of action economy;  ranged attackers will generally get to make more attacks than melee attackers.  To counter-balance this, the Ranged Combat skill comes with some disadvantages.

Ranged Combat Disadvantages

Ranged attacks suffer a penalty to your dicepool equal to the number of spaces from you to your target.  If a target is 6 spaces away, you will suffer a -6 modifier on your ranged attack dicepool.

You are vulnerable to opportunity attacks.

Ranged attacks lack the breadth and depth of options that melee attacks have: grappling, disarming, opportunity attacks, and more.  However, some Ranged Combat linked powers can grant access to similar abilities.

Close Combat

Close Combat is the skill with which you make melee attacks.

Melee attacks require you to be within the same space as the enemy you are attacking.

This section goes over some core powers which come for free with the requisite Close Combat skill rating.  These powers provide tactical options that Ranged Combat simply doesn’t have access to.

Opportunity Attacks

A combatant within melee range (within the same space) of an enemy can use opportunity attacks, which are an interrupt action.

The opportunity attack only triggers if you have a close combat Weapon equipped, which can include empty hands.

There are two conditions that trigger an opportunity attack:

• An enemy moves to leave the space that you’re currently sharing.
• An enemy makes a ranged attack while occupying the same space as you.
  • First, resolve the opportunity attack, then resolve the ranged attack that triggered the opportunity attack.

The attack & defense dicepools behave as normal.

Blitz Attack

Build up speed and charge your enemies head-on.

Blitz Attack is a power which you get for free at Close Combat skill rating 3.

This power is fundamental for Close Combat characters, which is why we’re explaining it in detail here.

The activation cost is 2 energy.

Blitz Attack is a simple action.  It allows you to move up to your speed in spaces, followed by a melee attack, with a +4 modifier to your attack dicepool.  This means that you can take your normal movement action, moving up to your speed in spaces, followed by Blitz Attack.  This essentially allows you to move twice and still get to attack.

Disarming

You may attempt to disarm a foe by rolling your close combat attack dicepool against whatever defense they choose.  The defender gets to know in advance of rolling that a disarm is being attempted.  A successful disarm attempt results in the victim dropping their weapon, which will require them to use a free action to pick up their weapon, and a simple action to ready their weapon.

When making a disarming attack, your close combat attack dicepool is penalized by -6 if you are using a weapon without the disarming mod on it.

Some powers can enhance your disarming, and some may allow you to perform a disarm with a ranged weapon.

Grappling

Initiate a grapple with a close combat attack against whatever defense the defender chooses.  The defender gets to know in advance of rolling that a grapple is being attempted.  Net hits for the attacker are recorded, but do not inflict damage.  These net hits, referred to as your “Grappling Pool”, may be spent to inflict penalties upon the grappled target, or to activate certain grappling related powers.  The penalty inflicted is equal to the number of Grappling Pool points spent to create the penalty.  The grappling assailant can spend their Grappling Pool as an interrupt action BEFORE the grappling victim makes a roll.  1 point of your Grappling Pool is automatically spent per round just to hold the grapple.

When making a grappling attack, your close combat attack dicepool is penalized by -6 if you are using a weapon without the grappling mod on it.

A grappled victim can make attacks and defend himself as normal, although their assailant may spend their Grappling Pool to penalize them.

Maintaining A Grapple

Your grapple is broken as soon as you have 0 left in your Grappling Pool.  You can add more to your Grappling Pool by making subsequent grappling attacks on your turn(s).  You may spend from your Grappling Pool to penalize your victim’s defense when you make an attack against them.

Escaping A Grapple

• Escape is an automatic, interrupt, action which takes place in any of the following circumstances:
  • If the assailant’s Grappling Pool is lowered to 0.
  • A grappled victim can escape a grapple simply by paying an amount of energy equal to the remaining Grappling Pool.
    • This can be done as an interrupt action.
  • A grappled victim can make an attack against their assailant.  Net hits on this attack can be spent to reduce net hits remaining in their assailant’s Grappling Pool.  Net hits spent this way do not inflict damage.
    • The grappling assailant can choose to spend some of their Grappling Pool hits to penalize this attack.

Grappling & Movement

• A grappled victim cannot take a move action while grappled.
• A grappling assailant can take move actions, dragging their victim along with them, by paying 1 from the Grappling Pool per space moved.
  • Speed is reduced to 1 when moving a grappling victim.
    • Unless the grappling assailant has a larger size than the victim.

Allies & Grappling

Allies to the grappling victim or grappling assailant can attack either party as normal.  Allies of the victim may choose to spend the net hits on their attacks to drain the grappling assailant’s Grappling Pool at a 1:1 trade.

Grappling & Size

• You cannot normally grapple an opponent who has a larger size than you.
  • The Anti-Large Grappling power adds your [Potency] attribute to your size for the purposes of grappling attacks, which can allow you to grapple larger opponents.

Grappling While Grappled

You can grapple someone who is grappling you.  The rules laid out above allow for this to happen, intentionally.  Nothing about those rules change when a 2-way grappling fight is happening.  To clarify your options: You can attack the person currently grappling you.  You can choose to spend your net hits on that attack in 3 different ways:

1. Deal damage to them.
2. Reduce their remaining Grappling Pool by spending your net hits at a 1:1 ratio.
3. Initiate a grapple of them, placing your net hits into your Grappling Pool.

Multi-Grapple

Without a special power, it isn’t possible to grapple more than 1 enemy at a time.  The name of the power needed is: Multi-Grapple.  It allows you to grapple up to [1 + Potency] enemies at once.  This power does not provide extra attacks; it does not allow you to grapple 2 targets with a single attack.

Grappling & incapacitation

If a grappling assailant’s Grappling Pool is greater than or equal to the grappling victim’s remaining health, the victim is incapacitated.  This incapacitation will last for as long as the grappling assailant maintains the grapple.  If the victim is incapacitated, the assailant’s Grappling Pool no longer loses 1 per round.

Upon being incapacitated by a grapple, the victim is given the option to spend as much energy as they wish to reduce their assailant’s grappling pool, which may save them from incapacitation.  This choice is only given once.

If the grappling assailant has restraints such as rope, zip ties, manacles, or similar, they can place these on the grappling victim as a free action.  This will cause the victim to remain incapacitated after the assailant stops maintaining the grapple.

Health & Damage

A character’s total health is equal to (Physical + Size +3).  For example, a character with Physical 4 and Size 1 would have a total of 8 health.  A character with 8 health can take 8 damage before being incapacitated.

Incapacitation

Being incapacitated means you are no longer able to move or take combat actions.  Depending on the context of your incapacitation, you may still be able to take social actions.

Incapacitation isn’t always caused by damage to your health.  A character in manacles would count as being incapacitated, even if they are unharmed.  A character under the effects of general anesthesia would also count as being incapacitated.

If attacked while incapacitated, you may only roll your Soak defense dicepool.

Incapacitation from wounds generally lasts for the rest of a scene, even if first aid medical help is used.  Some medicine powers can change this.

Some actions and powers require that the target be either consenting, or incapacitated.  For example: it is hard to perform cosmetic surgery on a patient that is fighting you.

Death & Dying

Being incapacitated doesn’t mean you’re automatically dead.  You can take 2X your total health in damage before dying.  Once incapacitated you will automatically take 1 damage per round, on your turn.  This automatic damage is not taken if you were incapacitated by a non-lethal attack.  This automatic damage can be stopped with the use of the Stabilize power that comes for free with a Medicine skill rating of 1.

The Last Words power allows you to make a final social action before death.  This power cannot be bought, only given by the GM.

The Plot Armor power can do a lot to prevent deaths.  This power cannot be bought, only given by the GM. This power provides several benefits when you are incapacitated: Any damage from an attack over & above what was needed to incapacitate you is nullified. Attacks against you cannot deal more than 1 damage while you are incapacitated.

Non-Lethal Attacks

When attacking, if you wish to incapacitate someone without potentially killing them, you can take a -3 dicepool penalty to your attack roll.  Weapons with the “Non-lethal” weapon mod do not suffer from this penalty.

Incapacitating someone with a non-lethal attack removes the automatic 1 damage per round that they would take from a lethal attack.  It also prevents death even if you deal 2x their maximum health in damage with your non-lethal weapon.

Non-Lethal damage heals at a rate of 1 damage per 10 minutes.

Wound Penalties

Characters can suffer from mounting wound penalties.  Each time damage is taken, the GM will roll a number of dice equal to the amount of damage that was taken.  Successes on these dice are added to the characters wound penalty.

Wound penalties penalize any & all dicepools rolled by the wounded character.

Wound Penalty Resistance

There is a power called Wound Penalty Resistance.  Each purchase of it reduces the number of dice in the wound penalty dicepool by 1.  It can be purchased a number of times equal to your [Potency] rating.

Healing From Damage

Without special powers, healing from damage is a slow process.  A character heals 1 damage per week.  There’s a reasonably good chance that the wound becomes infected without medical intervention.  See the Medicine skill page for more information on healing.

Wound penalties are reduced at the same interval as damage, until the wound penalty reaches 0.  Often, you will cease suffering from wound penalties long before you’re fully healed.

Different Sizes In Combat

Some enemies are huge.  Their sheer size can make it difficult to bring them down.

When two battling entities are the same size, there is no additional effect in combat, and these rules can be ignored

When two battling entities are different sizes, the larger entity gains flawless defense for all soak defense rolls.  Additionally, the larger entity adds the difference between its size and the attacker’s size to their soak defense rolls.  For example, Sam (size 1) is attacking a bus (size 3).  The bus calculates its soak sefense dicepool as 2 higher than normal due to the difference in size.  Flawless defense causes all of the dice in the buses dicepool to be automatic successes.

There are powers (Anti-Large Attacks passive power) which can mitigate the disadvantages that a smaller attacker suffers.

Size chart for reference: