Strike
This is the "normal" attack. The character swings a slashing or crushing weapon or thrusts with a piercing weapon. Most weapons have a base difficulty of 6, certain weapons that are heavy or improvised often have higher base difficulties per the weapons chart.
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Melee
Base difficulty: Normal
Base damage: Normal
Bypass Armor with a dagger
A dagger can be used to pierce a heavily armored target by stabbing through the gaps such as the eye holes of a helmet or the joints in suit of mail. This maneuver cannot be attempted until the target either has to be lying prone or engaged in a grapple.
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Melee
Base difficulty: +1, +2 if using a short sword, +3 if not using a weapon other than a dagger or short sword
Damage: Regular weapon damage +4 dice.
Disarm
The attacker tries to remove his opponent’s weapon by knocking or pulling it away. The attacker rolls to attack with Dexterity + Melee (normally difficulty 7). Damage is rolled normally but it is not applied against the target or the target’s weapon. If the attacker scores more successors than the defender has dots in Strength, the disarm maneuver is successful. If the attacker scores successes but not enough to disarm his opponent it is treated as a weapon bash.
If the attacker’s weapon has the Disarm trait such as a trident or chain weapon, he receives a bonus die on making her attack roll.
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Melee
Base difficulty: +1
Accuracy: +1 bonus die if using a trident or chain weapon
Base damage: Damage-1 in bashing.
Doubling up on a one-handed weapon
A character wielding a one-handed weapon with two hands adds one bonus die to damage, but suffers a +1 difficulty penalty when parrying.
No, you cannot have your character briefly let go with one hand when parrying to avoid the penalty. Fighting two handed this weapon alters the character's grip and stance and this is where the penalty comes from.
Shield Bash
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Melee
Base difficulty: 7 for most shields, but 8 for large shields.
Base damage: Damage-1 in bashing for wooden shields and buckler. Full Strength for metal shields. Plus after effects.
Shields are not designed for use as weapons but some warriors use shield bashes as an attack of opportunity, often against an opponent’s face.
Shield bashes are not especially damaging but they are disorienting. A target hit by the shield bash suffers a +1 difficulty on all actions for one turn.
If attacker botches a roll while attempting a shield bash maneuver, check for shield breakage using the wielder’s Strength +3 as the damage pool.
Shield Sunder
Rather than attacking the target’s body the attacker aims for his shield and strikes as hard as he can intending to break it. Since the defender wants the weapon to hit the shield and the attacker wants the weapon to hit the shield, parries are less effective than normal. The character cannot miss due to the defender’s parry attempt, but the parry roll can still prevent extra damage for the attacker, so the defense roll is not useless.
If the sunder attack rolls no successes the attacker missed the shield entirely.
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Melee
Base difficulty: +1
Base damage: Base Damage for hard armor targets, but weapons with the shield breaker trait do an extra die of damage.
Subdual Strike
The character pulls the damage attempting to subdue rather than kill or maim such as striking an opponent with the flat part of the axe or striking someone with the pommel of a sword. Damage is bashing rather than lethal. This raises the difficulty of the attack by +1. Weapons with the “convertible” trait can allow the player to inflict bashing damage with no penalty.
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Melee
Base difficulty: +1
Base damage: Damage-1 in bashing.
Trip Attack
In a sweep, the attacker attempts to knock her opponent to the floor by sweeping her legs from under her with his weapon. If the attacker’s roll is successful, the target takes normal damage and must immediately make a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 8) to keep their footing and avoiding a Knockdown.
If the attacker is using a pole weapon or a chain weapon, he receives a bonus die on making her attack roll.
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Melee
Base difficulty: +1
Accuracy: +1 bonus die if using a trip weapon
Base damage: Damage-1 in bashing.
Weapon Bash
Disarming an opponent is a tricky proposition, and in many cases deflecting an enemy’s weapon temporarily is enough to win a decisive advantage.
Strikes against an opponent’s weapons are normally difficulty 8. Damage is rolled per normal but instead of rolling against the enemy target’s soak, the damage successes are applied as a difficulty penalty to the enemy’s next attack (maximum 10).
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Melee
Base difficulty: +2
Base damage: Special
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