Fighting Smart

Wasteland 2, page 44

Strategic Thinking

Great for a combatant that might have more brains than brawn.

Battle Plans

Roll against Tactics. If successful, the bad guys' tactical plan will be revealed (they are trying to protect this item, they are stalling for reinforcements, these two guys look like they will try to rush and block you while their buddies snipe, etc.). On a failure, the GM will lie to you. For some foes "They are just trying to kill us" is a valid reason.

Encouragement

Roll against Leadership and speak a few words of encouragement on your turn. Success gives +1 to your entire team's Fright Checks or self-control rolls for disadvantages that would affect combat. Critical success gives +2! These bonuses are not cumulative with others' words.

Got Your Back

You may choose one friend to watch out for. This allows the lookout to use Observation as a Complementary Skill for all of the target's Active Defenses. The target may choose to ignore the advice if they believe it to be untrustworthy.

This also allows the target to use their Active Defenses against attacks from behind at a -2 even on a failed roll (cumulative with the Complementary Skill bonus) as long as they do not ignore the advice.

Posturing

These are useful for a combatant that has some social skills to their repertoire.

Taunting

If you wish an opponent to target you instead of your allies, you may take a Concentrate Maneuver and make a Quick Contest between your opponent's IQ or Will (whichever is higher) and your Fast-Talk (for IQ 6+ targets), Animal Handling (for IQ 0-5 targets), or Naturalist (for sentient plants).

If you win, the foe decides to attack you from now on! A tie means they continue to fight as usual. If you lose, they target a hurt or otherwise vulnerable party member. On a critical success or failure, the foe will also make an All-Out Attack on their next turn.

Blustering

You may attempt to Intimidate an opponent that does not have Indomitable and/or Unfazeable. Take a Concentrate Maneuver and roll a Quick Contest between your Intimidation skill and the foe's IQ or Will (whichever is higher). You may attempt to step inbetween your foe and an ally in an attempt to protect them.

If you win, the foe must attack someone other than you and move away from you (at least a step) this turn. If you roll a Critical Success, your foe flees from battle. If you fail, your foe attempts to kill you!

Distracting

You may use any one of Acting, Fast-Talk, Intimidation, Public Speaking, or Sex Appeal to attempt to distract a target. You may take a Concentrate Maneuver, choose a target, and choose whether you want to penalize their offense or defense. Roll a Quick Contest vs the better of the target's IQ or Tactics and your chosen skill. The target resists at +5 after the first turn of combat.

If you win, the target's next attack or active defense is at -1 (or -2 if you won by 5+). If you lose, however, they are at +1 (or +2 if you lost by 5+), as they see through your ploy.

Playing Dead

This is a free action at any time. You can just fall down, drop your weapon, and stop moving! If an enemy is thinking about attacking you, roll a Quick Contest of your Acting skill vs. the higher of their IQ or Perception. They get a bonus for any special senses. You get a bonus of +1 at half HP, +2 at 0 HP, +3 at -HP, +4 at -3xHP, and +5 at -4xHP.

The Element of Surprise

There are people who are great at dishing out damage, but not as great at taking it. These are the tactics that the sneakier of us would benefit from.

Strike from the Shadows

When combat starts, you may attempt a Stealth roll to duck behind cover or into the shadows (modifiers: a basic -5, encumbrance penalties, +5 if your team is ambushing, -5 if you've been ambushed, -5 if there's no cover).

Success lets you get into position for sniping next turn. A critical success, lets you begin sniping this turn. Alternatively, you may slip behind the nearest foe and attack them immediately (a critical success allows lets you get at any enemy). You get a +4 to hit on this attack (as you get to make a "telegraphic" attack). You may use Serendipity to negate the -5 for no cover (it just happens to be there) or you can choose your victim.

Disappearing

A really stealthy hero can vanish into the shadows during combat! Take a Move Maneuver to reach concealment (even if only briefly). You can then attempt the Stealth roll as above, but at a basic penalty of -10 instead of -5 and without ambush modifiers.

Failure means you've been spotted and are still in the fight. Success lets you leave the fight or vanish into the shadows for as many turns as you like. Whenever you reappear, you can be up to Move yards away per turn of absence, in any location you could reach.

If you choose to reappear behind an enemy, you may attack them with a +4 for a "telegraphic" attack and they cannot defend against it (unless someone's observing them with Got Your Back above).

Sniping

Once you are hidden by any of the means above, you may make a stealthy ranged attack. Your first victim gets no defense.

After each turn, roll a Quick Contest of your Stealth vs. the bad guys' best Perception. They are at a +10 if you're using a firearm. If you lose, you're spotted.

Hidden Weapons

To conceal a weapon for surprise use, roll vs. Holdout, adjusted for your weapon size (use the same penalty to Disarm). Success means the first strike with that weapon will be hard to see coming and the target will be at a -2 to defend. Attacks after that are no longer difficult to defend against.