004: COMBAT TURNS

Combat is often fluid, with multiple things happening at the same time or overlapping with each other. For simplicity within the game, a more rigid structure is applied to timekeeping during combat, a series of three-second combat turns used to regulate matters. Each combat turn has three distinct stages: Initiative, Attack and Resolution.

STAGE ONE: INITIATIVE

Players roll initiative, and the player with the highest score acts first, then the others in descending order.

• Initiative rating: Wits + Dexterity
• Initiative Score: Initiative rating + D10
• Actions are nominated in reverse order to reflect the ability of faster characters to react to slower ones.
• If two characters have the same score, the one with the higher basic initiative rating goes first. If initiative ratings are also tied, the characters act simultaneously.
• Wound penalties subtract directly from a character's initiative rating.

STAGE TWO: DECLARE STANCE

There are three stances that players can declare, Offense, mixed, Defense.

• Offense: Character can only Soak or Parry, not Dodge. Character gets actions on their initial initiative and again at initiative -10 or 0, whichever is higher.
• Partial Defense: Character can Soak, Parry or Dodge. They only act on their initiative and not again.
• Defense: Character may not attack, but gets a +4 dice to add to any Soak, Parry or Dodge rolls.
• Moving: Characters can move their up to their full walk speed and still attack. There are maneuvers discussed later that can effect movement, like Charging.

STAGE THREE: ATTACK/DEFEND

Players roll a dice pool of Attribute + Ability. The base difficulty for most attacks and defenses are 6. If the player rolls no successes, the attack fails and inflicts no damage. If the result is a Botch!, adverse effects may occur. If the defense maneuver fails, the attacker rolls full damage and you are left to Soak it all.

Basic Combat Maneuvers

• Brawl (Dexterity + Brawl): This is an attack with bare hands and feet.
• Melee (Dexterity + Weaponry): This is an attack with a hand weapon.
• Bows & Crossbows (Dexterity + Archery): This is a ranged attack with a projectile.
• Thrown weapons (Dexterity + Athletics): This is a ranged attack with a thrown weapon.
• Spellcasting (See spell description): This is an attack or defense with a spell.
• Blocking (Dexterity + Brawl): A block is an interception of an incoming attack with the defender's bare hands or another body-part.
• Parrying (Dexterity + Melee): A parry is a block using a melee weapon or shield.
• Dodging (Dexterity + Dodge): A dodge is an effort to avoid an incoming attack altogether, and it is useful against any attack the defender can sense coming (Storyteller's discretion).

Special conditions apply to ranged combat based on the weapon and situation.

Although they are not the only actions that one can take, attacks are at the heart of the combat turn. As with general skill use, each attack requires the player to roll dice equal to an Attribute + Ability combination dependent on the type of combat.

The difficulty for most attacks is 6. It can be adjusted for situational modifiers (long range, weapon type). If the player rolls no successes, the attack fails and inflicts no damage. If the result is a Botch!, not only does the attack fail, but the character may be subject to adverse effects: A bowstring breaks, a blade shatters, or she strikes an ally!

STAGE FOUR: RESOLUTION

• Action Takes Effect: Unless the action's specific description says otherwise, the actions takes effect immediately, if the action is not an attack AND the action does not otherwise cause damage AND the acting player is left with net successes the action is automatic.
• Determine Damage*: Determine the attack's base damage and add any net attack successes beyond the first (unless the attack is with a thrown weapon, in which case the additional successes are ignored for damage). Roll that many dice against a difficulty of 6.
• Roll Soak: The defending character rolls soak (assuming there are any damage successes). Any soak successes reduce the net damage successes.
• Apply Attack Damage: Apply any net damage successes as lost health levels to the defender. Wound penalties take effect immediately. Characters who reach Incapacitated collapse (or may even die).
• Dazed: When suffering more damage than Stamina.
• Repeat for Subsequent Actions: For each additional action, repeat the steps under Declaration, Action and Resolution, and the previous point. Players keep their Initiative scores but now declare their second actions, take them and resolve them. Those without further actions cannot act - although they may suffer at the hands of those who can.
• Extended and Delayed Effects: Extended actions that end this turn, and any action that says it takes effect at the end of the turn, takes effect.

*Damage rolls cannot Botch! and 1's do not take away successes, but zero successes means no damage is inflicted.