Combat is turn-based and is generally divided into turns and rounds. During turn, each character involved in combat gets a round in which they get to make their actions.
Combat action order
At the start of combat, each character makes a Reaction Check and the highest score goes first. Then the second highest character gets her turn after that and so on.
In the event of a tie, whoever has the highest reaction score wins. If scores are tied, resolve by rerolling.
Special: A character who only maks Minor or Free Actions during a round can choose to recheck reaction at the end of that round – and possibly get a better result.
Actions
As a standard, each character gets two actions per round. Four main categories of actions exist.
- Minor Actions (MI) – can be taken more than once per round.
- Aim
- Attack of opportunity
- Move
- Parry
- Stand up from prone
- Major Actions (MA) – can only be taken once per round
- Grappling
- Disarming
- Drinking a potion
- Pushing
- Striking
- Tripping
- Full Round Actions (FR) – counts as two actions
- Attack with two dual-wielded weapons
- Bullrush
- Burst Attack
- Full Auto Attack
- Wrestling
- Free Actions (FA) – don’t count towards the number-of-actions-per-round-limit
- Drop an item
- Drop to the floor
- Shouting a command
- Stand up from behind cover
- Take a step (in a round where no move actions are made)
Actions can be done in any order, though some naturally happen as reactions to actions that take place beforehand (ex. parrying, attacks of opportunity).
Characters who are surprised check as usual, but do not get to take an action in the first round.
Making an attack
Attacking is an action which is done with a skill check. The character should pool the appropriate attribute and combat skill. Typically, they are :
- Unarmed: Agility + Brawl
- Melee: Agility + Melee
- Shooting from the hip: Agility + Shooting
- Shooting while aiming down sights or scope: Perception + Shooting
For ranged attacks, increase the difficulty to hit a target by 1 for every 5 metres distance between the target and the shooter when shooting from the hip and by 1 for every 10 metres when aiming.
Reach
In order to hit with a melee or unarmed attack, the opponent has to be within reach.
If opponents are closer than maximum reach, damage may be halved; see Damage#reach.
Grappling
The end goal of grappling in combat is usually to start a wrestle (see Wrestling). Grappling starts with a grapple attack (brawl check) at reach-1 and moving to make the attack may provoke an attack of opportunity.
- Small characters have to be in the same square on the grid to grapple
- Medium characters need to be in adjacent squares on the grid to grapple
The attack can be deflected (as usual), but only if the character attacked is also able to take a step away from the attacker, which she must immediately do if she manages to deflect the attack.
If the grapple attack is successful, the two characters are locked in a wrestle in the space occupied by the attacker.
Wrestling
Wrestling is actually a subcategory of actions. These actions, as well as countering these actions, are considered full-round actions.
Two characters locked in a wrestle compete for the Upper Hand. The character who successfully initiated the grapple is considered to have the Upper Hand initially. The character with the Upper Hand gets to go first in her round and not having Upper Hand gives a disadvantage of -1 to brawl-checks.
Wrestling is divided up into tiers of actions (not considered attacks). Ex. if a character manages to keep upper hand for a full round, she then gets access to locks, pin or break free.
- Clinch (standing up grapple)
- Break free
- Choke
- Strike (reach penalty to damage may apply)
- Throw (causes damage + winded, ends wrestling with opponent from prone)
- Trip (ends wrestling with opponent from prone)
- Wrestle (initiates ground fighting)
- Head / arm / leg-lock (disadvantage increases to -2)
- Head : choke out
- Arm : disjoint
- Leg : break limb
- Pin (disadvantage increases to -2)
- Follow up : ground & pound (punch surprised opponent)
- Head / arm / leg-lock (disadvantage increases to -2)
Standard check : Strength + Brawl
Every time an action is somehow countered, the combatants move back one in the hierarchy of actions. For example, if a character who is being ground & pounded wins a deflect against ground & pound, she goes back to being pinned. If she deflects an attempt to pin her, the two goes back to wrestling and upper hand needs to be maintained again in order to to do a lock, pin or break free.
Special: If two characters of different sizes are wrestling, the smaller character suffers a penalty. For every two more health slots her opponent has, she gets a -1 to wrestling rolls.
Optional rule: wrestling is really tiring. A character becomes winded when she has wrestled continously for as many rounds as her endurance score (Ex. Lisa has an endurance of 3 and would become winded in round 4).
Characters engaged in a wrestle are considered surprised or off-guard to others. If wrestling characters are attacked by others not involved in the wrestle, the GM decides the effect the attack has on wrestling.
Prone
Prone characters are regarded as surprised or off-guard.
Winded
A character who becomes winded during combat suffers the following effects:
- Loses any remaining actions during her round (if any)
- Must reroll initiative at -2
Aiming
As a minor action, a character can choose to Aim. Aiming allows the subsequent ranged attack(s) to be done using perception instead of agillity and often bestows a bonus to the attack roll (see weapons). This bonus is specific to each weapon.
Certain situations will break a characters aim:
- Moving more than by taking a step
- Dodging or deflecting an attack
- Losing line of sight
- Taking damage and failing subsequent fortitude save
A character can end a round aiming and start the next round with an Aimed Shot.
Taking a step
If, during a round, no move actions are made, a character can take a step to move as a free action. The character can move as many spaces as up to her natural reach (generally 1 space for kids, 2 for teenagers/adults).
Dodging or parrying melee attacks
Melee attacks can be dodged or parried with opposing attack rolls. If the counter roll scores higher than the attack roll, the attack is avoided. When parrying with a melee weapon, the weapon’s parry modifier is added to the skill check. Dodging or parrying counts as an action.
Attacks of opportunity
Various situations bestows a character the chance to immediately make an attack, regardless of initiative. Note that such attacks still normally count towards a character’s total amount of actions during a round and if a character has no remaining actions for that round, she cannot take attacks of opportunity.
Situations that provoke attacks of opportunity for a character:
- Someone (or something) moves (not steps) from one space threatened by the character into another space also threatened
- The character wins a dodge or parry roll
- Opponent becomes surprised or off-guard
Cover
Cover is useful for hiding behind, either to avoid detection or being hit with projectile weapons and the like. Cover might be a wall, a garbage can or even just diving to the ground. The GM is free to handle cover bonus and penalties as he or she sees fit, but a general suggestion is given below.
| Cover % | 10 % | 20 % | 30 % | 40 % | 50 % | 60 % | 70 % | 80 % | 90 % | 100 % |
| Diff. To hit | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 | +8 | +9 | +10† |
| Cover bonus | +1 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +4 | +4 | +5† | |
| Atk. penalty | -1 | -1 | -2 | -2 | -3‡ |
- † Only characters with the appropriate special trait are allowed to hit characters under full cover
- ‡ Only characters with the appropriate special trait are allowed to shoot from full cover
Cover makes a character hard to hit. However, characters generally have to restrict their movement in order to stay behind cover and are considered off-guard.
Cover also makes certain things easier. Reflex
It is also harder to shoot from higher categories of cover. From 60% and upwards, firing from behind cover adds penalty to the shooting skill.
Off-guard & surprised
If a character is off-guard, her agility is not added to the difficulty of hitting her.
If a character is surprised, she gets to roll reaction against the attack roll to see whether or not her agility should be added to the difficulty of hitting her or if she is allowed to counter (if she has actions left). Success on this reactiom roll means the character understands where the attack is coming from and so can react accordingly.