Combat Rules

  • Being Attacked & Shields

    Each round, there is no limit to the number of times a character enters a combat event initiated by others on the battlefield. Provided that there is space to do so.

    Each character takes up one square of a chess board, each square forward facing for the character (forward, left, right, diagonal left, & diagonal right) is the front of that character. Each square behind the character (behind, diagonal left, & diagonal right) is the rear of that character. This is important for some abilities, such as shields, Stealth attacks, etc.

    If a character wishes to attack another in melee range (generally 1 square) they need to be next to that character (including diagonal squares touching it). This is not possible if all the squares are filled with other characters. Only 1 character is allowed to take up a square at any time, so long as they are alive & fighting. A space occupied by a fallen character may be occupied by another fighting character.

    There is no logical number of unconscious characters that can occupy one space. Literally, the sky is the limit. However, the GM may declare that a space is occupied with enough bodies (or in the case of large races, one body) to have that square designated as terrain. As terrain it may be used as cover & may no longer able to be occupied or traveled through.

    The defending character may swap weapons in any way they choose, at any time they choose. Hence, a bowman can defend a melee attack by using unarmed or by simply switching weapons to another melee style. This gives them the opportunity to respond to any incoming attacks declared against them in any way they choose.

    Unless the target of a projectile attack is within melee distance, they do not get the opportunity to do damage on a counterattack. If they win their contested-roll they would simply succeed in evading the projectile. Contested projectile attack damage can only occur on the turn of the character declaring it. Bows cannot counterattack even if within their range (including within melee range).

    Shield

    Equipping a shield has no Skill requirement. Equipping a shield does have a Stat requirement. For each Tier value the shield is, the user must have that value in their Body stat or higher (ie: a T8 Shield requires Body: 8+).

    Equipping a shield takes 1 round to complete (2 consecutive non-contested actions). This may be changed to a lower number later. But the buff from shields is too great to allow it to be switched to as a free action like other equipment.

    The Shield does not work unless equipped in hand. The rules cannot safely balance wearing shields on the back as armor.

    When attacked from anywhere, regardless of orientation, if the defending character wins the roll; that character will automatically turn to defend themselves from their opponent. If they are in melee range & wielding a melee weapon, they will counterattack using the roll difference in their damage calculation. If they are outside melee range, they will simply dodge the attack instead. Then they will return to facing their declared direction (or opponent, object, etc.) after the attacker’s turn concludes.

    However… If shield user loses a contested-roll while being attacked from the rear, they get no shield bonus.

    ####################
    ####DDDDDDDDDDDD####
    ####DDDDDDDDDDDD####
    ####DDDDDDDDDDDD####
    —–DDDDDDDDDDDD—–
    —–DDDDDDDDDDDD—–
    —–—–—–—–—–

    And… If a character is attacked from a Stealth attack from the rear (after losing a contested stealth check), they will not turn to face their opponent & no shield bonus is applied (nor is any stat, skill, or dice).

    The front arc that a shield protects for large creatures includes all tiles from it’s center-line forward.

    The graph shows “DDDD” to represent a 3×5 draconic creature. The “####” represent where the shield cover functions. The “—–” represent where the shield does not offer protection. That is a 25 foot long creature…

  • Lighting Conditions

    Be Afraid of the Dark

    Being in absolute darkness is meant to be chaotic, stressful & dangerous. The intent of these rules are to provide that sense to the party. The longer you’re in pitch black, the more disorientated each character (& player) will become. Unless you have a light source that fills the room, some weird magic, or dark vision as a racial bonus – Darkness should be treated as a threat to the whole party.

    When any character is in absolute darkness, they get the Blind status applied to them. When any character is blind:

    • They may not do actions or use skills that require sight. Such as reading, setting or detecting traps, tracking, etc. If it seems reasonable to do an action by touch alone, or if you can find a video of a blind person doing it online – It should probably be allowed. Ask your GM.

    • They may only make attacks within their normal unarmed melee range. Including attacks with projectile & 2 handed melee weapons.

    • If another character comes into their space (any adjacent tile), they will be aware of each others presence there. However, they cannot identify them unless they use senses other than sight to do so. This requires 1 non-contested action. If they do not have any remaining actions, they are left to wonder until their next turn unless the other character uses an action to identify them & somehow let’s them know it. Sound, touch, smell, … hopefully not taste. Performing the action of identifying another may alert others in the area because of sounds being created in the process. (It depends. Your GM will have to decide how to deal with any additional sounds on a case by case basis. & whether or not you sniffing that other person alerts others in the area. I’m simply not making a rule for this. It’s a story driven outcome.)

    • They may orient on others using other senses available to them – primarily sound. Such as a pair of other characters fighting across the room, or the guy in full plate tripping & smashing into the wall.

    • If it is because of darkness (as opposed to having your eyes jabbed with a cayenne pepper): if there is a light in the distance that does not illuminate the area around them, they may use that light to orient themselves. They can see & identify those within the illuminated area. Characters within the illuminated area may be targeted with range & projectile weapons from characters inside the darkness, but not vice versa.

    • If any character is inside an illuminated area, they are still treated as being under the Blind status versus any character or object completely in the darkness.

    • When moving, if they cross paths with an obstacle or hit a wall, they take damage equal to the total number of tiles they intended to move with that action & make loud noises that may be heard & oriented on by others. This does not necessarily identify them as friend or foe. This damage does not ignore armor. They forfeit the additional tiles they would have moved with that action.

    • All other characters automatically (for free, without rolling, & without using an action – & even if they are also blind) gain the Stealth bonus against them. This means the Blinded character may not track their movements for their end of turn orientation (instead they may declare to turn to 1 of 8 directions based on their current orientation or toward a sound or some other sensory input). More importantly, they all gain the ability to declare a Stealth bonus attack against them; which is a free action. The free Stealth attack gained this way may only be used one time each round. Any subsequent Stealth checks in the same round must be done in a normal fashion — meaning they must both roll a normal stealth skill check against each other of: 1d20 + Stealth + Prs versus the defender’s 1d20 + Stealth + Prs.

    Let the Chaos Begin

    When darkness falls upon you, your GM will make a small map to track the movements & orientation of all creatures in the area & mark any obstacles. Only the GM & any characters that are not effected by the Blind status effect may see the map.

    When a Blind player character moves, they may only declare the intended distance & one of 8 directions as: forward, left, right, backward, diagonally forward left, diagonally forward right, diagonally backward left, & diagonally backward right. They may request that their orientation at the start of their turn be toward some sound (or other queue) from the previous round. (They may also chose not to move at all or do some other action that makes sense to them at that time.)

    When a Blind NPC moves, unless they are moving toward a sound or other queue, the GM will roll 1d20 to determine their action. If they move twice on their turn, they roll for each of them.

    • 1-2: diagonally forward left
    • 3-4: forward
    • 5-6: diagonally forward right
    • 7-8: right
    • 9-10: diagonally backward right
    • 11-12: backward (they turn around)
    • 13-14: diagonally backward left
    • 15-16: left
    • 17-18: quietly remain in place
    • 19-20: call out! so friends (& foes) may identify them, or make light from a source in their inventory, or load a crossbow – any action other than moving or remaining quiet.

    As all the Blinded characters move around the room, the GM will mark their start point, their end point (with directional orientation), & a line between them. In each round, each time a line is crossed by another, they will have bumped into each other while moving. After any exchanges occur, they will continue to their previously declared end point on the map (even if they crawl there with their last breath). Then, at the end of the turn, each character involved in a crossing event that turn may declare a new end of turn orientation in response to the new event.

    Characters that are not Blind may:
    • Move around the room as normal.
    • Choose if crossing a path line from a Blind character would cause an event. – However, if the Blinded character ends a movement action on an adjacent tile, attacks may be declared.
    • Use a free stealth attack against any Blinded character each round.
    • Roll defense normally if a Blind character attacks them or tries to use any stealth attack against them – Even if the Blind character won a stealth roll against them.

    Low Light Conditions

    Low Light is not as scary. Honestly, not even worth mention… but people will ask, & some GM’s may wish to employ it. So here it is…

    When a character is effected by low light conditions it falls on a gradient. Generally it will be represented as a scale of 1-100. These numbers reflect how far you can identify a target in tiles. The lower the number, the darker it is. Even “Low Light 1” will at least let you identify your allies before you typically swing on them with a melee weapon.

    “Low Light 0” on this scale is treated as total Darkness.

    The bonus for characters rolling stealth in low light is: +1 added to their roll for each tile beyond the Low Light value they are versus their target.

    You can make range & projectile attacks at twice (2x) the declared Low Light level without penalty. So there is still room for hasty mistakes. But if you’re in “Low Light 20” or higher, generally you’ll know who you’re shooting at. Some races may get Low Light immunity as a bonus. Races that have Dark Vision are immune to Low Light effects.

    The penalty for attacking a target greater than 2x the Low Light [Level] will be: The defending character will get a bonus added to their roll of 1 for each tile past the threshold they are.

    Example: Environment is Low Light 2. At 2 tiles you can identify other characters. The unpenalized range is 4 tiles. Player A is 15 tiles from Player B. The range of the Bow is 15 tiles. Player A shoots an arrow at Player B. Player B adds (15-4) 11 to their defense roll against the incoming projectile. Player A misses. Player B viciously mocks Player A.

    Light Sources

    A lit campfire, torch, or candle will project a 5-tile radius of bright light and a secondary 10-tile radius of Low Light 1. A candle without a lamp is susceptible to being put out from wind, or attacks, or many other clever ideas allowed by your GM. The campfire, torch, & candle housed in a hurricane lamp would be much more difficult to put out (possibly taking several rounds).

    The graph below shows a typical light spread from a light source. LS = Light Source, BL = Bright Light, L1 = Low Light: 1, AD = Absolute Darkness.

    ADADADADADADADADADADADADAD
    ADADADADADADADADADADADADAD
    L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1
    L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1
    L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1
    L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1
    L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLLSBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLL1
    L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1L1

  • Dual Wield Melee

    Dual Wielding (& multi-wielding)

    When 2 Melee weapons are used, the character may throw 2d20 & select either one of the 2 rolls for the Hit roll vs their opponent in a Contested action. If they have more than 2 weapons, they may throw an additional 1d20 for each weapon wielded & in range during the contested-action. They still only select one d20 rolled this way.

    Applicable skills are generally Main-Hand Melee, Off-Hand Melee, & Unarmed Melee.

    Unarmed may be used to substitute main-hand, off-hand, or both.

    You cannot use Main-Hand Melee or Off-Hand Melee skills unless you have a melee weapon actively equipped in that hand (you must use the unarmed skill for any hands without a weapon equipped).

    Any character using multi-wielding mechanics will receive the lowest of the applicable skills being used as their skill bonus for this roll.

    Damage for using Dual Wielding is based on the lowest Tier of the weapons used (unarmed is equal to T0).

    For Dual wielding (most common):

    To hit = Rflx + [Lowest skill being used] + 1d20 thrown twice (selecting 1 roll from among them)

    Damage = [Roll Difference] + Body Stat + Tier value (of the lowest weapon equipped)

    A character whom is utilizing dual wielding does not get to roll their additional d20 when receiving ranged attacks unless the attack is declared from within their melee distance.

    A character whom is utilizing dual wielding does get to roll their additional d20 when receiving attacks declared from within their melee distance if both melee weapons they are wielding are within range.

  • Natural Weapons

    Rolling a critical failure with a natural weapon will damage that weapon & reduce it’s effective Tier by 1 (one). Rolling a crit failure with T0 natural weapons uses the same rules found in “Skills – [Weapon] Unarmed Melee]”, dealing 10 damage to the character before normal damage occurs.

    Natural weapons use the “[Weapon] Unarmed Melee” skill for combat rolls, except they deal damage as: [roll difference] + Body Stat + (natural weapon bonus).

    Extended reach natural weapons use the a mix of rules between “[Weapon] 2-Handed Melee” & “[Weapon] Unarmed Melee”. They gain the advantages of the 2-H Melee skill & the disadvantages of unarmed if their natural weapon is reduced to T0. They still only use “[Weapon] Unarmed Melee” skill for combat rolls.

    If the natural weapon grants advantages, such as extended reach, they will still function correctly at Tier 0. The same is true for natural weapons that use any other weapon rules, such as; bow, Dual Wielding rules, etc.

  • Critical Rolls

    Critical Hits

    Whenever a character rolls a natural 20 on a d20 for a contested roll in combat, they may choose to deal damage to their choice of their opponents equipped gear before doing normal damage. This is true whether or not they were the one that initiated the contested roll. Dealing damage to their weapon, armor, or shield will reduce it’s Tier by 1 until it can be repaired after the battle. The damage to the gear happens before the damage to the player is calculated. For long fights this may be a useful tactic to reduce the effectiveness of an opponent.

    A player that rolls a natural 20 may still lose the contested roll.

    Critical Failure

    Whenever a character rolls a natural 1 on a d20 for a contested roll in combat, that player must chose to reduce their equipped Shield or weapon’s Tier by 1 until it can be repaired after the battle.

    When dual wielding and using 2d20 & choosing the higher, if you roll a 1 on one of the dice but not the other, you did not have a critical failure (unless you chose the 1 for the roll).

    Crits with Natural Armor & Natural Weapons

    Crit effects can be applied to natural armor & weapons for the few races & monsters that have it. It would lower the bonus for their natural gear until it is healed. Crit effects cannot reduce the natural armor or weapon bonus below T0 (Tier Zero).

    Natural armor may not be the target of a Critical hit if they have worn armor covering it until the worn armor is reduced to T0.

    Similarly, damage to natural weapons may only be chosen if all equipped weapons or shields are at T0, absent, or destroyed.

    A character rolling a critical hit may still apply damage to a T0 natural weapon to deal additional damage (10 damage) to the character directly, ignoring armor, before normal damage is applied.

    Switching weapons (& all other free actions) cannot be done once dice are thrown until all damage has been calculated. Including crit damage to gear.

    “Even Split” Crit Rule

    For long fights, such as tank vs tank battles where no damage is able to occur, the GM may apply an “even split” rule to expedite the game-play. The “even split” rule applies automatic 1’s & 20’s to both characters involved by a number selected by GM. Then it is ran for a few more rounds to see if the effect changed the game-play. If nothing changes, the GM may call for another “even split”.

    No damage is done to either character when the GM invokes a “even split” unless it is declared against an unarmed opponent’s weapons (their hands) or an opponent with T0 Natural weapons. Any character may switch weapons at any point while the process of of an “even split” is being applied.

    If the GM calls “even split 5’s”, then both characters get to apply 5 critical hits & 5 critical failures to their own weapons & their opponent’s gear. This would technically have occurred over dozens of rounds & GM story telling should describe it as such. By the end, you may end up with two former “combat turtles” in rags, punching each other to death.

  • Unconsciousness & Death

    A character becomes unconscious as soon as their HP becomes 0 (zero) or less. An unconscious character may not use any dice, stats or skills in defense of any attacks against them. They may not declare any actions. They simply lay there… unconscious.

    Unconsciousness is not the same as sleeping. When sleeping, you would awaken after receiving an attack. Or, more likely, become awakened from disturbances nearby.

    Character death occurs when their current HP falls below their total maximum HP in negative value. A character with 100HP will become unconscious at 0HP & will finally die at -100HP (negative 100 Hit Points).

    If for any reason a character has a total maximum HP of 0, they die (Zero is equal to negative zero).

  • Cover & Terrain

    All ranged weapons may be fired from behind cover. 2-Handed Melee, Bows, crossbows, thrown weapons, & firearms are each considered “ranged” weapons.

    The intent of the rules for Cover is from the perspective of the shooter. If their target is obscured in any way from terrain, objects, or people, they will not be allowed make the shot.

    Be it terrain, a pile of bodies, or another character (regardless if friend or foe). To attack from behind cover;
    • the character must be occupying a tile next to the object used as cover
    • the cover must be between them & their opponent
    • they must be at one of the objects edges (you cannot shoot through walls, only around them)

    While behind cover;
    • a character cannot receive any projectile attacks
    • A projectile weapon may not be used through a wall of allies or enemies
    • 2-Handed Melee users may “snipe” enemies from behind a wall of their allies or enemies, & from any terrain or object edge.
    • Nothing can attack through solid walls.

    Because a character cannot receive projectile attacks from behind cover; If you have two bow users, each on either side of a tree – Neither may attack each other without moving first. However, they may still be attacked with any 2-Handed Melee weapons within range if they are near an edge.

    No character may move through occupied squares (& terrain).

    Each character may only move the distance associated with their race each time they declare move action on their turn. The distance can be lower if your GM deems it logical due to terrain or bodies or whatever.

    Climbing and Falling

    Climbing terrain should be allowed when it makes sense. There is currently no official rule to determine the feasibility in every situation. When in doubt, work with your GM to determine if it would be allowed. It would make sense to require a “non-contested action” as a “move action” to climb terrain in most situations where that action is allowed. Additional move actions may be used to climb higher.

    Tiles FallenFeet TraveledDamage Received
    150
    2101
    3152
    4204
    5258
    63016
    73532
    84064

    Falling is fairly brutal. Falling 5 feet (1 vertical tile) will deal 0 damage. Falling 10 feet will deal 1 damage. For each consecutive 5 feet, double that damage. This damage ignores armor and shields. Sometimes it makes sense to jump out of a window 15 feet above the ground for a quick escape. Just know that falling too far is a calculated risk before taking that step. Much like real life, the farther you fall, the harder you hit the ground.

  • Rounds, Turns, & Actions

    The Combat Round

    A combat round starts at the 1st character’s turn and ends at the last character’s turn. The next round begins when the 1st character starts their next turn.

    Most of that time is characters measuring & checking their opponent, trading blows that don’t do much. All leading up to the moment when one of those two characters lands a solid blow on their opponent… or time running out as a solid blow is evaded or soaked by their armor.

    A round is approximately 5-15 seconds.

    There is no defined amount of clock time for each turn taken by a character in a round. It’s loosely defined as simply, “a moment in time”. Many actions from character turns can happen simultaneously within any round.

    Turn Order & Initiative

    For additional simplicity, the most common way to determine turn order is to simply go around the room clockwise or anti-clockwise starting with players going first, then the enemy NPCs (Non-Player Characters) after combat has initiated. This is true regardless of who initiated combat & after the first attack action has concluded — perhaps because of an ambush or a particularly violent player character prompting the battle by attacking pre-combat.

    If it is needed, the GM may instead follow: Once combat has been initiated, the turn order will be determined by 1d20 + reflex bonus rolled by each combatant. With the highest total roll going first and the lowest going last. Any tie will be rerolled to determine turn order placement as a tie-breaker. For instance, if two characters tie for first, then after the tie-breaker, one will be first & the other would be second in turn order. All NPC’s can roll for turn order individually, as multiple groups, or as 1 big group (GM’s choice).

    Turns & Actions

    At the start of each character’s turn, if any effect is in play attached to that character – apply those effects. If an effect ends at the start of their turn, they may declare an action to extend those effects before they wear off. But only if it’s the first action they declare each turn.

    Each turn a character may perform 2 actions in the order of their choosing. During each turn a character may only declare 1 contested action.

    They may use either 1 contested action & 1 non-contested action -or- they may use 2 non-contested actions each round. Their contested action may only be used on their turn.

    A contested action (aka: contested roll, contested attack, or simply “attack”) is any time a character rolls dice against another. These may be combat (usually as an attack) or non-combat rolls (such as stealth). Often referred to as an “attack” when done as the initiator of the contested roll, & as “counterattack” or “defense” when on the receiving end of the contested-roll.

    A non-contested action is any action where characters do not roll against each other. Non-contested actions include: moving, unequipping a shield, grabbing a weapon (or any object) from anywhere other than a worn weapon slot (including from other character’s hands), grabbing ammunition from anywhere other than a ammo pouch, lighting a torch, and reloading (crossbow, firearm, etc). It also may be used in some attacks, such as firing a loaded firearm/crossbow if within guaranteed hit range.

    *Equipping a shield takes 1 round to complete (2 consecutive non-contested actions).

    *Throwing an object, not as an attack, is a non-contested action. Objects may be thrown any distance up to the character’s Body stat value. If the creature’s race has a +1 or +2 to all weapon range, they also can throw an object that much further than their Body stat. The object must be in an item size category that matches their creature size category, or lower. ie: a Gratchen is a (Sm) race & can throw (XS) & (S) sized items. A Orc is a (XL) race & can throw items equal or less than (XL) size category (almost anything not nailed down). For now, this may not be done to deal damage (whatever was there would move before it lands). But it may be done to toss a torch to light an area, or to pile objects to create impassable terrain or cover.

    Free actions can be done at any time simply through declaration. These actions will resolve 1st in, 1st out(meaning 1st to declare is 1st to resolve & any declarations after are in response). Free actions can be used to: equip or switch between worn weapons, sheath or holster a weapon, speak or scream in pain, drop a weapon (or any other object), cast a spell, or use a worn enchanted item. As such, these things can be done at any time, on anyone’s turn, as many times as desired.

    Nothing can interrupt damage. Once dice are thrown for any contested action or damage has been declared from some other action, that damage must be concluded before any other actions can take place. The time to clutch attack with your firearm or spell is before dice are thrown.

    At the end of each character’s turn, the player may declare the direction their character faces. Or they may choose to maintain facing an opponent, object, or ally until their next turn. This is not a action, not even a free action. It is only decided at end of their turn.

    This may seem like a trivial rule. But a player may want their character to focus on keeping their shield facing a group of enemy archers or they may want to continue to turn in place so that nasty rogue-like enemy can’t smack another stealth attack on them.

    Tactical Actions

    A character may trade their contested action for an additional non-contested action to perform 2 non-contested actions in a round. They may perform the same action twice, like moving twice in a round or firing two loaded 1-handed crossbows. Or they may perform 2 different non-contested actions. A character may not trade a non-contested action for an additional contested action.

    A character may choose to hold their non-contested action to be used on another character’s turn. Someone may do this to block a path of an enemy, provide cover for another ally from incoming fire, or utilize any other non-contested action in some clever way. That character still only gets 2 declared actions on each round, & only 1 of them can be a contested roll. They cannot reserve their contested roll this way. If no action is used before the character’s next turn, the reserved action is considered forfeited. All actions are generally “first in / first out”, but this interruption is considered preemptive in nature. The act of reserving an action grants priority to respond to other’s actions with a non-contested action. They may even use this action at odd timings where it makes sense. Such as: “I fire my crossbow on them when they get in range”, may mean you fire when they are in the middle of their movement action before they reach their destination tile.

    If an action is reserved and an attack is made against that character. If they interrupt the attack action to move, the attack action did not happen & the attacking creature can change their action. If the character moves to behind cover to interrupt a ranged attack, the attacking creature can change their action or choose new targets. You cannot “waste” their contested action this way. You can block a moving creature this way. If you do, they move up to the tile next to your new position and lose part of their movement distance from that action. They still get to move at least 1 tile before they can be blocked while using a move action.

    For example, if you wish to block someone else as they move with a reserved or unused non-contested action – The intended action must be declared as they move. If the enemy moves in a path that would be inside the move range of your hero, your hero may move to any tile that blocks their path. The enemy cannot go through your hero, they may not change directions after they are intercepted, & lose any remaining tiles of movement for that action.

  • Damage Cheatsheet

    For melee events:

    Both players involved add 1d20 + reflex + skill, then declare totals. The player with the highest total adds the difference between the two totals to their damage. Only the player with the highest roll gets to add damage for each interaction, regardless of who declared the attack.

    Melee damage = (roll difference + body + weapon bonus) – (armor bonus)

    The calculated damage is temporarily removed from the total HP of the receiver. The “weapon bonus” is equal to the Tier value of the weapon & “armor bonus” is equal to the Tier value of the armor (& shield if applicable).

    If only one player is within range of the other for a melee attack, only the player that is in range can calculate damage. If the player outside of their weapon range wins, no damage is dealt for that event. This is a common mechanic for 2-handed melee weapons & bows.

    For projectile events:

    Both players involved add 1d20 + reflex + skill (defender may add any weapon skill bonus – even if nothing is equipped), then declare totals. If the projectile player wins, they add the difference between the two totals to their damage. If the other player wins, no damage is dealt for that event (even if both units are using projectile weapons), unless the opponent is within melee distance (& they have a melee weapon equipped).

    Bow damage = (roll difference + weapon bonus) – (armor bonus)
    Thrown damage = (roll difference + weapon bonus + body) – (armor bonus)

    *Note that the bow does not get bonus damage from the body stat directly. It does, however, get more damage from the Tier [level] of the bow used. (see- “[weapon] Bow” for more details)

    Crossbow events:

    A crossbow is an automatic hit for any target within the character’s crossbow skill level in tiles or less. The use of a crossbow is not a contested roll – as such, may be used as a non-contested action.

    If a loaded 1-handed crossbow is used as the projectile weapon; reduce the armor of the target by the weapon’s Tier, then damage is equal to the weapon bonus minus the opponent’s remaining armor value.

    If a loaded 2-handed crossbow is used as the projectile weapon, reduce the armor of the target by the weapon’s Tier multiplied by 2. Then damage is equal to the weapon bonus minus the opponent’s remaining armor value.

    *Armor bonus cannot be reduced below 0 (zero).

    1H crossbow damage = (weapon bonus) – (armor bonus – weapon bonus)
    2H Crossbow damage = (weapon bonus) – (armor bonus – weapon bonus x2)

    Firearm Events:

    For firearm attacks – if the weapon is already loaded, and is fired within the guaranteed hit zone — the damage is applied and no roll occurs. If fired in the contested zone, both players throw dice as: 1d20 + reflex + skill (defender may add any weapon skill bonus), then declare totals. If the shooter wins, (the shooter) applies only the weapon’s damage without adding roll difference. No armor is applied versus firearm damage.

    Firearm damage = (weapon bonus x2) + (ammo bonus x2)

    For magic attacks:

    Unless stated in the spell, no dice are thrown & the damage from the spell caster is immediately removed from the total HP of the receiver, and/or the effect is immediately applied.

    Stealth attacks:

    If a character succeeds in a contested Stealth roll against an opponent, they get an attack against the defender without their ability to contest the attack. The contested roll for skill is; both players throw dice as: 1d20 + presence + Stealth, then declare totals. If the character initiating the stealth skill check wins, they get a special attack (as a free action) & their opponent cannot roll or add stat/skill bonus in defense. If the character initiating the stealth attack loses the roll, they failed to find an opportunity during that turn to find an opening & essentially waste their contested action that round.

    Attacking once with stealth, whether with a bow or with a melee weapon, will automatically reveal the location of the attacker to everyone.

    The Stealth skill may be used in combat any time a character is behind their opponent. Regardless if the action is with melee or ranged attacks, or any other kind of action.

    The opponent will be aware of their existence after the attack occurs, & may turn toward them on their next turn. However, if they ignore them (perhaps to face other opponents), the sneaking character may again declare a Stealth skill contested roll against them.

    Stealth damage with melee = (1d20 + reflex + skill + body + weapon) – (armor)
    Stealth damage with thrown = (1d20 + reflex + skill + body + weapon) – (armor)
    Stealth damage with bow = (1d20 + reflex + skill + weapon) – (armor)

  • Combat Gear Basics

    Characters may equip themselves with gear to assist them in combat. Each Quality Level of gear (often denoted as “Tier [value]” or as “T[value]”) will increase the damage or armor rating.

    Combat Gear – Armor & Shields

    Armor reduces the amount of damage receive against most attacks by it’s Tier value. To equip armor, the character must have a Body stat higher or equal to the armor’s Tier. A character may not stack armor to this limitation (ie: Body:5 would allow up to a single T5 armor to be worn. But not a T2 & a T3. However, Cloaks (see bushcraft) can stack & work in such a way that they may wear a T2 armor & three T1 Cloaks with a Body stat value of 5).

    Shields work the same as Armor, & also require a Body stat of that Shield’s Tier or higher to equip, however must be equipped in their hand, reducing available weapon combinations, & only reduces damage when receiving attacks from the front. Shields have no effect when worn(or carried) on the body to armor rating –only when equipped in hand.

    Neither Armor nor Shields require any skill to use. They apply static effects while equipped to the character using them.

    Yes. You can have a +20 total front armor from equipping a Tier 10 armor & a Tier 10 shield. It is a lot. It is supposed to be.

    Combat Gear – Weapons

    Weapons will increase the damage that can be dealt whenever a character wins a Contested combat roll. Weapons require a Body stat equal or higher than the Tier of the weapon used, unless stated otherwise in the skill description.

    While Weapons don’t technically require any skill level to use them, they benefit greatly from having a skill to apply to them when throwing dice in any contested combat roll. Especially since the roll difference can have a massive weight in the total damage dealt, & that winning the roll is required to even apply damage for most weapons.

    The Gist

    The relationship between weapons & armor are similar; both require Body stat higher than them to equip, & both give +1 to their effect in combat for each Tier value that they are. Weapons adding to damage, & Armor subtracting damage received.

    If a character’s gear exceeds their body stat, they cannot move it. They cannot wield nor sheath weapons or shields that are too heavy. If the armor tier is too high, they cannot move in it. Their move becomes 0. This may be the case when adding cloaks, to survive the cold, to a armor set that is already on the cusp of being overweight.