[ Back ]

Combat proceeds like this:

1. Roll Initiative (all participants) once per combat.
   1. Roll 1d10 and add the result to the character's static DEX + COMP values
2. Execute turns in descending order (highest result to lowest). For ties, see miscellany section.
3. Dodge can be declared at any point by anyone before their turn (uses up their Action for the turn)
4. Take any number of Reflexive Actions at any point in the round, including on your turn (as permitted by GM)
5. On your Turn, take 1 Move, 1 Action, and N Reflexive Actions
6. Attack is the main combat Action; attacker rolls appropriate (ATTR + Skill + Weapon Bonus Dice) - (Defense + Armor Rating for that damage type).
   1. Minimum 1 success is required to do damage.
   2. Successes apply as Damage to defender's health boxes, the damage type determined by weapon.
7. On to next person in the turn order.

Things that take up your Action on your turn:

• Actions
  • Attack
  • Move a second time
  • Aim
  • Reload
  • Clear jam
  • Dodge
  • Rise from prone
  • Draw weapon (can be downgraded w/certain Merits)
• Delayed Action: A person can choose to go on later in the same round.

Specific Actions:

• Attacking: Roll (ATTR + Skill) - Defense dice. Ex: (STR 3 + Brawl 2) - Defense 4 = Roll 1 die.
  • Melee attacks use STR as the attribute usually
  • Ranged attacks use DEX as the attribute usually
  • Zero attack dice make a Chance Roll
  • Improvised Weapons (p136) levy a -1 die penalty on attack roll. Use chart on p136 to determine the approx stats for the improvised weapon.
  • Modifiers are listed on p154
• Aim for a round gives you a +1 bonus to your ranged attack (max 3).
• Dodge action double's your Defense but burns your action for your turn.
  • You can still move on your turn while dodging.
  • Can be declared at any time before you take action in the round (even not on your turn).
  • Multiple attacks reduce Dodge total by -1
• Grapple (p157)
  • Attacker, on their turn, rolls to initiate clinch: STR + Brawl - Defense. 1 or more successes means the target is clinched.
  • Defender, on their turn, rolls to escape clinch: STR + Brawl - attacker's STR. 1 or more successes breaks the hold
  • Grappling an opponent prevents you from using Dodge (p156)
  • Grappling an opponent prevents you from using ranged attacks
  • All-out attacks cannot be used while grappling an opponent
  • While clinching, the attacker can roll STR + Brawl to perform the following things:
    • Render opponent Prone; +2 bonus to attack prone person
    • Damage opponent; success become bashing damage against clinched target
    • Immobilize opponent; if successful, no more rolls need to be made by attacker to maintain clinch. Only action a clinched opponent can STR + Brawl - attacker's STR, and must exceed to break free. Immobilized opponent has a Defense of 0 to outside melee attacks.
    • Draw weapon; your own, on your opponent's person, or nearby.
    • Attack with drawn weapon; STR + Brawl + weapon's bonus dice, using the weapon's damage type.
    • Turn a drawn weapon; you gain control of a weapon your opponent had drawn
    • Disarm opponent; you pry a weapon from your opponent's hand
    • Use opponent as cover; p162

• Combat is executed in Turns
  • One round (generally) allows all characters involved in the combat to get 1 turn in (circumstances can change this).
• Initiative is : roll 1d10 and add the result to the static DEX + COMP values.
  • Highest total value goes first; and everyone else goes after, in order of the highest to lowest total value.
  • Rolled once at the beginning of combat for each character involved in combat! Surprise may delay this roll 1 round for certain characters.
  • Ties: Highest of DEX + COMP goes first. If still tied, roll 1d10 for each, and highest goes first. Keep rerolling if still tied.
• Movement: Move your Speed in yards on your turn before or after your action. Movement cannot be split. Burn your action as well to move 2x Speed on your turn.
• Defense: Subtract defense value from the attacking character's die pool
  • Does not apply against Firearms attacks, unless close-combat range
  • Defense gets -1 for every attack after first in the round. Refreshes on your next turn.
  • Not reduced via wound penalties
• Armor, Weapons lists are on pgs 169-170

• Surprise aka Ambushes, roll WITS + COMP to determine if you can act or if you're ambushed.
  • 1 or more successes and your character can act normally. Roll Initiative
  • 0 successes and you cannot act, and your initiative is rolled during the next turn
  • Surprised characters have no Defense in the first turn of combat. Armor still applies.
  • Targets already in combat cannot be surprised.
• Delayed Action: A person can choose to go on a later tick in the same round.
• Defending against Multiple Attackers reduces your Defense rating by -1 each time after the first attack.
• Charging move twice your speed and still attack: you lose your Defense for that round
• Prone
  • Takes one action to stand.
  • Defense still applies.
  • Melee attacks against prone characters gain +2 bonus dice.
  • Ranged attacks attacks against the target take -2 penalty.
• Called Shots: Use these as guidelines for how to penalize the roll: -1 torso, -2 leg or arm, -3 head, -4 hand, -5 eye.
• Multiple Attacks performed by a single person on their turn is not allowed.
• Offhand Attacks are made at -2 penalty unless you have the Ambidextrous Merit.
• Concealment: Apply concealment penalties to the attacker's ranged (only) roll
  • Determined by GM: -1 for barely, -2 for partially, -3 for substantially concealed (-3 max)
  • If completely covered, consult the Cover section
  • Firing from Concealment levies an attack penalty of one less than the concealment rating (-3 concealment yields -2 to attack roll)
• Cover:
  • Deal damage normally to the cover material
  • If the cover material's Durability is exceeded, apply remaining successes to damage against the target
• A Stunned character loses his next action
• Knockout: called shot to the head (-3) that equals or exceeds the target's Size. A failed STA roll means he's knocked out.
• Knockdown: DEX + Athletics roll allows the character to maintain their footing. Upon failure, the character goes Prone.
• Coup-de-grace: No roll needed to kill unconscious, paralyzed, or restrained (tied-up) characters.

• Damage Types imply different mechanics and heal times
  • Bashing: Caused non-edged weapons/attacks, marked as a / in each level of the health pool
  • Lethal: Caused by edged weapons, marked as an X in each level of the health pool
  • Aggravated: Special damage that you are particularly vulnerable to (e.g., fire for vampires), marked as an * on in each level of the health pool
• Damage Marking
  • Mark the most severe type of damage first, starting on the left most of your health boxes.
  • Migrate damage to the right as you go. So if you already had 1 bashing and acquire 1 lethal later, the / in your first box becomes X and / is moved to the 2nd box.
  • Bashing rolls over to lethal, if you have more bashing damage than boxes.
  • Lethal rolls over to aggravated, if you have more lethal damage than boxes.
  • If you fill up on bashing and/or lethal, roll STAMINA as dice (not subject to wound penalty) to stay conscious.
  • Stamina rolls continue from turn to turn until you fall unconscious or are healed.
  • If you fill up with all lethal damage, you start bleeding out. Upgrade 1 lethal to 1 aggravated per minute if you are not treated.
  • If you fill up all health boxes with all aggravated damage, you are dead.
• Damage Penalties: last 3 boxes of your health track are -1, -2, -3 respectively (to all die pools)

Determined by damage type (p175). Supernatural templates may alter this mechanic (such as Vampire).

• Bashing: one point regained every 15 minutes
• Lethal: one point regained every 2 days
• Aggravated: one point regained per week