When resolving a situation calls for force, time becomes broken into rounds. Within these rounds, three steps occur: (1) generating initiative; (2) attacking and defending; (3) determining damage; (4) repeating the steps, if necessary. Discover herein what happens in each of those steps.
To give you an idea of how all this works, here’s a typical exchange between a player’s character and one of her opponents.
Gamemaster: Okay, we’re in combat rounds now. Everyone make a Perception roll. (All players and the gamemaster roll their dice.) Anyone roll higher than 20?
Rachelle: Yeah, I rolled a 23!
Gamemaster: All right, what do you want to do?
Rachelle: Ah, that depends. What’re the mercs doing?
Gamemaster: As one runs across the warehouse toward you, the other two set up some kind of large, tripod-mounted weapon near the entrance, which is about 15 meters away from you.
Rachelle: I’m going to take two actions. First, I’ll shoot at one of the mercs with my rifle, and them I’m going to dodge out of the way.
Gamemaster: Okay, you lose 1D from each action and you don’t get the full defense bonus, since you’re taking two actions.
Rachelle: (Rolls her character’s marksmanship dice.) I rolled a 6 on the Wild Die! (Rolls the Wild Die again.) All right: that’s a total of 21!
Gamemaster: Let’s see... he’s at Short range, which doesn’t modify the base combat difficulty of 10. So, you nailed him! Roll damage.
Rachelle: (Rolls her rifle’s damage dice.) I rolled an 18.
Gamemaster: (Using the Wounds system, he rolls the merc’s Physique to resist the damage.) Whoops! I rolled a 1 on the Wild Die. That leaves a total of 2. Well, that’s 16 points over the resistance total, putting him at the Dead level! Your rifle shot catches him right in the chest and he’s thrown backward into the wall. Okay, now make your dodge roll. (Note that if the gamemaster had decided to use the Body Points system, the merc would not have made a resistance roll, instead taking the full 18 points of damage.)
Rachelle: (Rolls her character’s dodge dice.) Well, I rolled a 13, but something tell’s me that’s not going to be high enough, so I’m going to spend a Character Point.
Gamemaster: Okay, roll another die and add it.
Rachelle: (Rolls one more die.) I rolled a 5, so that’s a total of 18. I’ll stick with that.
Gamemaster: Okay, the mercs get to go now. The one rushing toward you fires his handgun. (Checks range and then rolls the merc’s marksmanship dice.) That’s a 17.
Rachelle: I rolled an 18 for my dodge this round. Good thing I spent that Character Point!
Gamemaster: That’s right. As the bullet heads straight toward you, you just barely manage to jump out of the way. On to the next one...
Once rounds have been declared and depending on the situation, the gamemaster applies one of three methods to determine in what order everyone goes. Determining initiative does not count as an action.
Method 1
The first method is to allow whoever makes the first significant action (such as those surprising other characters in an ambush) to act first in the rounds. The characters retain the same order until the scene ends.
Methods 2 and 3
The other two ways start out the same, by requiring the characters involved to make Perception rolls to generate initiative totals. The gamemaster makes one Perception roll for each character or group of characters he controls, depending on the number and how important each character is to the adventure. The character with the highest roll takes her action first. The character with the second highest roll then takes his action, and so on. After the last character performs her action, the round ends and a new one begins. Note that a character rendered unconscious, immobile, or otherwise unable to act loses his action for that round if he hasn’t taken it already.
The gamemaster may chose then to have everyone roll initiative once for the entire scene (the faster method) or roll at the beginning of each round (the more realistic yet slower way).
The gamemaster and players may use Character Points, but not Fate Points, to increase their initiative rolls if they want. Spending one Character Point, for example, allows the player or gamemaster to add the result of one extra Wild Die roll to the initiative roll.
Ties/No Rolls
In the event of ties, or if the gamemaster chooses not to have the players roll to determine initiative, comparing attribute and skill die codes can decide the order of actions. The character with the highest value in the characteristic goes first, and so on. Once a character has a spot in the order, it doesn’t change, regardless of how other characteristics compare. Ties are broken by moving to the next factor and looking at those values. The order: (1) ability or talent that allows the character to go first, (2) Perception, (3) search, (4) Reflexes, (5) dodge, (6) special equipment or situation that allows the character to go before another character.
Optional Initiative Bonus
For every 2D over the base attribute in search (round down) or 4D in Reflexes (round down), a character receives +1 to his initiative roll. Every six ranks in a Skill Bonus or Increased Attribute Special Ability that affects Reflexes or search provides a +1 bonus.
This is where the interesting stuff happens. The person whose turn it is gets to decide what type of action her character is going to do. Once she chooses, she makes a skill roll.
Note that a character need not attempt to engage in combat, but this chapter only discusses what to do if the player decides to attack, defend, or (typically with a multi-action penalty), do both.
The base difficulty to attack someone is 10 (called the target’s passive defense value) or the target’s active defense value, modified by range and other factors.
The target character can opt to use an “active defense,” which affects all attacks that occur after the defender’s turn in the current round but before the defender’s turn the next round. Active defenses are defensive maneuvers that the target consciously exercises, such as dodging, blocking, or parrying. Each of these is represented by a skill and counts as an action.
A character may make an active defenses only when his turn comes up in the initiative line, but the total for the roll is effective for all relevant attacks made against the character that occur after the character’s current turn but before his turn in the next round.
Remember: if a character acts later in a round than the character attempting to hit him, he cannot take his turn sooner and use an active defense to replace the passive defense value — his reactions just weren’t fast enough.
If the roll is lower than the passive defense value, the character has succeeded in making himself easier to hit — by miscalculating where the attack would be placed and actually getting in its way.
The active defense total is modified as the situation dictates.
Dodge: The character attempts to anticipate the final location of an attack from any source and be in another place when it comes. This is done by rolling the dodge skill.
Block/Parry: The character attempts to stop his opponent’s attack by intercepting it and either stopping it with a block or deflecting it with a parry. The character may roll his brawling or melee combat (if he has something in his hands) to block it. If the character uses a sharp or energized weapon (sword or dagger, for example) to parry an unarmed blow and is successful at the block, the attacker takes damage from the weapon. However, do not add the defender’s Physique to the listed weapon damage score when determining injuries inflicted this way.
If the opponent strikes at the character with a bladed or energized hand weapon and the character uses any part of his body to intercept the attack, the defender always takes the weapon’s damage total. If the block was successful, then the attacker’s Strength Damage is not added to the listed score. If the block was unsuccessful, then the target character takes damage as normal. The character may avoid this aspect by having armor, a special ability, or a suitable close combat specialization in melee parry.
A character who foregoes all of her actions for a round to completely protect herself from attacks makes a full defense. The total rolled by the skill plus 10 takes the place of the base combat difficulty from the time the character makes the full defense on her turn to her turn in the next round.
Full active defense value = any active defense skill roll + 10
A character who chooses to do something else in addition to guarding against attacks may take a partial defense. In this case, the active defense roll replaces the base combat difficulty from the time the character takes his turn in one round to his turn in the next round.
Partial active defense value = any active defense skill roll
Since the character is taking multiple actions, the multi-action penalty applies.
The gamemaster may call for a partial defense roll (as a free action) if he decides that the character might have a little awareness of an impending attack, yet not enough foresight to prepare for it.
For every 2D in Reflexes or dodge above 4D (round up), a character receives a +1 to her passive defense value. This modifier does not affect the character’s active defense total. For every 2D in acrobatics above 4D (round up), a character receives a +1 to her active or passive defense value for attacks at Short range or greater. Every six ranks in a Skill Bonus or Increased Attribute Special Ability that affects Reflexes, dodge, or acrobatics provides a +1 bonus, as specified for the skill in question.
Example: A character with 4D in Reflexes gets no bonus, while a character with 7D in acrobatics has a +2 bonus.
| Range | Distance to Target | Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| Point Blank | 0–3 meters | -5 |
| Short | 3 meters to first value* | 0 |
| Medium | First to second value* | +5 |
| Long | Second to third value* | +10 |
Gamemasters who aren’t interested in looking up weapon ranges and figuring out the distance to the target can estimate what modifiers to use with these guidelines.
• A target within a few steps of the attacker is a Point Blank range.
• An attacker firing a rifle at a target across a rather large chamber shoots at Short range, while an attacker with a handgun shoots the same target at Medium range.
• Most projectile combat taking place outdoors is at Medium to Long range.
| Situation | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Light smoke/fog | +1D (+3) |
| Thick smoke/fog | +2D (+6) |
| Very thick smoke/fog | +4D (+12) |
| Poor light, twilight | +1D (+3) |
| Moonlit night | +2D (+6) |
| Complete darkness | +4D (+12) |
| Object hides 25% of target | +1D (+3) |
| Object hides 50% of target | +2D (+6) |
| Object hides 75% of target | +4D (+12) |
| Object hides 100% of target | * |
Here are a few of the most frequently used modifiers to the combat difficulty. Others are discussed in “Combat Options” chapter. Regardless of the number of modifiers used, the total combat difficulty may never go below 3.
The gamemaster rolls the indicated modifier and adds it to the combat situation. A standard modifier is included in parentheses after the die modifier, should the gamemaster prefer not to roll.
Range: The effectiveness of a punch, weapon, Special Ability, or any other attack made at a distance depends on its range. All range modifiers are added or subtracted from the combat difficulty.
Note that, unless a special maneuver allows otherwise, characters may use unarmed close combat attacks at Point Blank range only. In most cases, this is true for using various melee weapons as well, though the distance can be increased to Short range if the weapon is longer than two meters. For instance, a character with a support beam can whack an opponent at Point Blank or Short range.
Cover: When a target is protected by something — poor lighting, smoke, fog, a table — it makes her harder to hit. This is represented by a cover modifier, which is added to the combat difficulty.
When characters use vehicles, the basic combat rules are the same; the difference exists in which skill to use. Vehicles cannot block or parry. The driver may only make defensive maneuvers (“dodge”); he uses his piloting plus the vehicle’s Maneuverability rating to determine the new combat difficulty. Ramming or sideswiping with a vehicle requires the driver to make a piloting roll (see the “Vehicles and Aerial Characters” section of the “Movement” page for details).
Aiming: Aiming involves careful tracking of the target. Characters may perform it against moving targets, but they cannot themselves do anything else in the round in which they aim. Each consecutive round of uninterrupted aiming adds 1D to the characters’s marksmanship, missile weapons, or throwing skill, up to a maximum bonus of +3D.
Once the combat difficulty has been determined, the attacker rolls the die code in his character’s combat skill and compares the total to the combat difficulty. If it equals or exceeds the combat difficulty, the attack hit, probably doing damage or having another effect that the attacker intended. If it was less than the combat difficulty, then the attack missed.
If a character successfully hits his target, he may have done damage to it. To determine the amount of injury caused, roll the damage die code for the weapon, including any modifiers from a special combat action, such as a sweep attack or hit location. Some weapons list their score as a die code with a plus sign (“+”) in front of it; in this case, add the damage die code to the attacker’s Strength Damage die code, add modifiers, and roll. If the gamemaster chooses to use the optional damage bonus, this is added to the total at this time.
After the player or the gamemaster has figured out how much damage is done, go to the “Damage” chapter to determine how much of that damage the target sustained.
To figure the Strength Damage die code, drop the pips from the character’s Physique or lifting die code (but include any relevant Disadvantages or Special Abilities), divide the number by 2, and round up. The Increased Attribute: Physique Special Ability affects the total.
Example: A character with 3D in Physique has a Strength Damage of 2D. A character with 6D+2 in lifting has a Strength Damage of 3D.
The combat skill roll is supposed to reflect the accuracy of an attack. Therefore, gamemasters may reward high rolls for players’ characters and significant gamemaster characters with a bonus to damage. Subtract the difficulty of the successful attack from the skill total and divide this number by 5, rounding up. Add this damage bonus to the damage total before comparing it to the resistance total. If the gamemaster uses the damage bonus in combination with a called-shot hit location, the bonus is in addition to the damage modifier except for attempts on an arm, leg, or hand. In those cases, ignore the damage bonus.
For Special Abilities and Extranormal skills that require a combat roll to target them, the gamemaster may allow the combat roll’s damage bonus to apply to the ability’s roll.
Base combat difficulty = defense total
If the attacker’s combat skill total plus any modifiers equals or exceeds the target’s defense roll, the attack succeeds and may do damage.
Damage total
Damage resistance total
If the damage total is greater than the damage resistance total, the target was injured. If the damage total is less than or equal to the damage resistance total, the target was not injured.
If the target was injured, subtract the damage resistance total from the damage total. Then either subtract this from the target’s current Body Total or compare the value on the “Wound Level” chart.
Players sometimes want their characters to do some pretty fancy maneuvers during combat. This section offers guidance with several common ones.
| Difficulty | Damage | |
|---|---|---|
| Option | Modifier | Modifier |
| Burst fire as single | 0 | -2D |
| Full auto | -2D (-6) | +2D |
| Single fire as multi | -1D (-3)* | +1D* |
| Sweep | -2D (-6) | -3D |
*Modifiers are per additional round of ammunition, up to maximum that the weapon holds.
| Difficulty | Damage | |
|---|---|---|
| Option | Modifier | Modifier |
| All-out | -2D (-6) | +1D |
| Grab | +2D (+6) | * |
| Lunge | +1D (+3) | -1D |
| Knockdown, trip | +2D (+6) | * |
| Push | +1D (+3) | * |
| Sweep | -2D (-6) | -3D |
| Tackle | +1D (+3) | * |
| Difficulty | Damage | |
|---|---|---|
| Option | Modifier | Modifier |
| Low gravity | -1D (-3) | 0 |
| No gravity | -2D (-6) | 0 |
| Heavy gravity | +3D (+10) | 0 |
| Difficulty | Damage | |
|---|---|---|
| Target is... | Modifier | Modifier |
| 10 to 50 centimeters long | +1D (+3) | * |
| 1 to 10 centimeters long | +4D (+12) | * |
| Less than a centimeter long | +8D (+24) | * |
*See text for options.
The attacker is blind or blinded: +4D (+12) to the combat difficulty.
The target is blind or blinded: -4D (-12) to the combat
All modifiers listed in this chapter and in the “Combat” chapter are cumulative, though the gamemaster doesn’t need to include all of them. Modifiers may never adjust the total combat difficulty below 3.
The gamemaster rolls the indicated modifier and adds it to the combat situation. A standard modifier is included in parentheses after the die modifier, should the gamemaster prefer not to roll.
Burst Fire as Single: A character may perform this attack only with a weapon capable of burst fire (like an assault rifle) and switching to single fire. The firer fires only one shot instead of a burst; it is primarily used to conserve ammunition.
Full Auto: This attack is only possible with weapons that can fire at fully automatic settings (such as assault rifles, submachine guns, and machine guns). Since the character is taking quite a bit of time to “hold down the trigger” and pump ammo into the air, the extra “to hit” and “damage” bonuses are somewhat compensated for by the modifier to the character’s defensive value during the round he is performing a full auto attack.
Single Fire as Multi: The character fires a weapon (such as a pistol) several times in a round at the same target. Characters may use this option only when a weapon automatically reloads itself after firing a single shot or when it is fairly easy to ready it for firing again (such as a .45 automatic, which puts a new cartridge in the slide as soon as the first one clears the barrel). It increases the character’s chance to hit a target, as well as the damage. It does not count as a multi-action as long as the shot is taken at the same target. One target, one die roll, one damage total.
Sweep (Ranged): The character wants to “spray an area” with ammo. Only characters with weapons that go full auto, burst, or single fire as multi (in general, just about any automatic weapon) can perform this maneuver. The gun uses the amount of ammunition needed by whichever setting is used. They gain a positive modifier to hit (because of the sheer volume of shots), but this “non-targeted” attack results in a lower damage total.
Acrobatic Tricks: Acrobatics can also enhance brawling and melee combat attacks. The character must perform the acrobatics trick and the attack on the same turn. The gamemaster determines the exact difficulty of the acrobatics attempt. The player may add one-half of the difference (rounded up) between the difficulty and the successful acrobatics roll to the amount of damage done (not to the combat skill roll). One acrobatics trick roll can affect one attack only.
All-out Attack: The character attacks with no thought to the consequences. This maneuver increases the chance of the character striking the target, but, in that round, the attacker cannot perform any other action at all — not even to actively defend.
Lunge: The character takes a step forward to jab at an opponent, usually with an edged weapon. This adds about a half-meter (more or less depending on the stride) to the range of the attack, but it lowers the effectiveness of the attack.
Knockdown/Push/Trip: Using brawling or a blunt melee weapon in the usual way, the attacker causes his target to stumble and, instead of taking damage, the opponent loses 2D from her next Reflexes or Reflexes-based skill roll. If this is a knockdown or trip attempt, she must also spend one action to stand up again. Generally, unless the character has special training, he may only knockdown or push a character whose Physique (including Special Abilities or Disadvantage modifiers) is equal to or less than his own.
Sweep (Close Combat): These attacks, usually foot sweeps or roundhouses, are used when the character wants to make certain she hits the target, regardless of how much injury is caused.
Tackle: Tackling is much like grabbing, except that the attacker seeks to overcome the target entirely. Characters may perform this with brawling only. If successful or the target chooses not to struggle, the character captures the target and may, if desired, do normal damage. The target, meanwhile, may make no other actions than attempt to escape (see the escape rules herein). On subsequent rounds, the attacker may choose to do her Strength Damage only (no modifiers).
Grab: The attacker physically grasps a target. Few melee weapons allow this option, so it is used generally only in brawling attacks. What effect this has on the target depends on the type of grab. (The ones listed here are choke, flip, hold, slam/throw, and arm pin.) See the escape rules in this chapter for details on getting out of grabs. On subsequent rounds of a grab, attackers who defeat an escape attempt or against a defender who chooses not to resist may do their Strength Damage only (no modifiers except those from Special Abilities or equipment). Some grab variations may offer other options.
Choke: Ropes and hands can cut off the target’s source of air. Damage on the first round equals the character’s Strength Damage plus any modifiers. See the general grab rules for damage on subsequent rounds.
Flip: The character reaches out, grabs his opponent’s wrist, arm, leg, or similar body part, and jerks violently, causing the opponent to fall to the ground. The opponent takes 3D in damage from slamming into the ground and must spend the next round getting to her feet (if she can).
Hold: The character does less damage (-3D or more, at the player’s option, to the damage total), but she has hold of the target with a successful attack.
Slam/Throw: The character grabs or picks up his opponent and hurls him into the ground, a wall, a bus, or another obstacle. Lifting the opponent counts as an action (using the lifting skill), as does slamming or throwing the target (which uses the throwing skill). The character must be strong enough to pick his opponent up to use this maneuver.
Once slammed into an object, the target takes the damage score of the object (usually determined by its Toughness, but the gamemaster may adjust this) plus the attacker’s Strength Damage. The object being slammed into takes the Strength Damage of the opponent.
Arm Pin: The hero grabs his target’s arm and forces it around behind her, pinning it there. After the first round, the player has three choices as to what his character can do. Each option counts as a separate action.
Option 1. The character does his Strength Damage only for each round he has the arm pinned.
Option 2. The character tries to break the opponent’s arm. The attacker must make a successful Physique or lifting roll versus a breaking difficulty.
If the opponent does not resist, the difficulty equals two times the target’s Physique or lifting die code plus the pips plus any relevant protection. Failing to beat the breaking difficulty in this case means the target takes damage as in option 1.
If the target chooses to resist, she may make no other action in the round, but she may move her turn up. Instead, the player rolls her character’s Physique or lifting and adds 5 and any relevant protection to the total to generate the breaking difficulty. Failure by the attacker to beat the breaking difficulty in this case means that the target wrenches free and may freely take action on the next round.
Option 3. The character may attempt to force the target to the ground while maintaining his hold on the arm. The attacker rolls his brawling against a submission difficulty.
If the opponent does not resist, the submission difficulty equals two times her Reflexes die code plus the pips. Failing to beat the breaking difficulty in this case means the target takes damage as in option 1.
If the target chooses to resist, the opponent may make no other action in the round, though she may move her turn up. Instead, the player rolls her character’s Reflexes and adds 5 and any relevant modifiers to the total to generate the submission difficulty. Failure by the attacker to beat the difficulty in this case means that the target wrenches free and may freely take action on the next round.
Use the demolitions skill guidelines in the “Example Skill Difficulties” chapter for determining the effect of damage on items.
The character chooses a specific target, like a gun in a thug’s hand, and aims for that. This is represented by a called-shot modifier, which is added to the combat difficulty. On a successful attack, he knocks the item out of the target’s hand, grabs the limb, pins the target to a wall, or does +1D (or more, at the gamemaster’s discretion) to the damage. The exact result depends on the situation and the player’s intent.
If the disarm attempt is successful and the target character has not made an action yet, she may move up her action to try and keep a grip on the item she’s holding. The defending character makes a Physique or lifting roll against the amount of damage done. If the defender’s roll is greater than the damage, the target character retains the item. If it is less than or equal to the damage, she drops it.
A hero throws an entangling weapon at her opponent. On a successful marksmanship, missile weapons, or throwing roll (as appropriate), the end of the weapon wraps itself around the target. Unless the weapon is spiked, electrified, or enhanced in some other way, it does no damage, but it prevents the target from doing any action except for trying to break free. The target may escape by snapping the bonds or slipping free, each of which counts as an action. To break the weapon, he must make a Physique or lifting roll that meets or beats the damage total of the weapon. To slip free, he needs to roll a Reflexes total equal to or higher than the weapon’s damage total.
To break free from any hold, the character must make a successful opposed Physique or lifting roll versus the holder’s Physique or lifting. This counts as an action.
This is a coordinated action. See the description of the command skill in the next chapter for details.
| Difficulty | Damage | |
|---|---|---|
| Option | Modifier | Modifier |
| Head | +1D (+3) | +12 |
| Heart | +4D (+12) | +12 |
| Chest, abdomen | 0 | 0 |
| Left or right arm | +1D (+3) | -2 |
| Left or right leg | +1D (+3) | -1 |
| Left or right hand | +4D (+12) | -2 |
At the gamemaster’s discretion, sufficient damage to a particular hit location can affect the target’s ability to use that part. Except for blows to the chest, the modifier lasts until the character heals that portion (which typically takes a few days, as Body Points or Wounds are recovered for the body as a whole, not just a specific part). When the medicine skill or a healing spell is applied, it can be specified to repair one particular location.
Hit location modifiers are in addition to Wound level modifiers. If you are using them instead of the Wound level modifiers, then all -1 modifiers increase to -1D modifiers.
Chest: The character can do no more than passively defend in the next round.
Foot or leg: -1 to all acrobatics, sneak, movement, and initiative totals.
Hand or arm: -1 to all acrobatics, brawling, climbing, melee combat, missile weapons, sleight of hand, throwing, lifting, and any other rolls involving the hand or arm.
Head: -1 to all Knowledge, Perception, and initiative totals.
Hit locations are a special kind of called shot that allows a character to shoot or strike a specific point on his target’s body. The table is used to determine the modifiers for hitting a target of Human proportions in different areas of his body. Note that aiming at an arm or leg actually causes less damage — this is because the character took extra care to shoot an area that is “less vital.”
This option does only half of the normal damage, but it can render the target immediately unconscious with a successful attack. It requires a successful called shot to the head. If, after the resistance total has been subtracted, the target sustains at least two Wound levels or 50% of his maximum Body Points in damage, then he falls unconscious for a number of hours equal to difference between the combat skill total and the combat difficulty or until he’s awoken by some external force, whichever comes first. The target receives only half the Wound levels or Body Point damage inflicted (round down).
Weapons that characters can use with one hand and in either hand, such as knives or most guns, may be employed at the same time in the same round. The character incurs a multi-action penalty.
Attacking a target that is crouched on the ground adds 1D (3) to the combat difficulty. If the target is moving while crouching, then the combat difficulty increases by 2D (6), but the defending character’s normal Move, free Move, or running result is halved.
For prone targets, subtract 2D (6) from the combat difficulty when attacking at Point Blank or Short range, but add 2D (6) to combat difficulty when attacking at Medium or Long range.
Characters who willingly get low to the ground or make themselves small may get into and out of the position as a free action. However, character forced into that position, such as a result of being thrown, need to make an effort to stand, which counts as an action.
This option allows the character to act rapidly or draw and fire a weapon in the same round as one action. The character may use any combat skill or appropriate specialization. If she is also using a weapon, it must be suitable for quick drawing (a bow and arrow, a loaded pistol, a dagger, a shuriken).
Before initiative is rolled, the player must announce that she intends for her character to draw her weapon quickly. The player may then take some of the skill dice and add them to the Perception die code for purposes of increasing initiative for that round only. The player must leave at least 1D in her skill. If the character wants to make multiple attacks, she subtracts 1D for each attack beyond the first from the number of dice in the skill she’s using before the player moves dice around. She does not take a penalty for the draw.
All attacks by the hero in the same round must be made with the same skill, though the results are determined differently and they all occur at the same die code because the multiaction penalty was already figured in.
Example: A crime fighter wants to smack her arch-nemesis with her shuriken before the villain can draw his weapon. The crime fighter has 4D in Perception and 8D in throwing. She may take up to 7D and add it to her Perception die code to determine initiative. The crime fighter, however, wants to throw two shuriken. After subtracting 1D for the extra attack, she now has 7D in the skill, which allows her to add up to 6D to the initiative roll. She decides to move only 3D. This gives her 7D in Perception to determine initiative and 4D in throwing. Now both the hero and the villain make their initiative rolls.
Once initiative is determined, at the character’s turn in the round, she uses the remaining dice in the skill to determine her accuracy.
It takes one action per item to draw a gun, unsheathe a knife, reload a rifle, or something similar. Although this generally does not require a skill roll, the gamemaster may require one related to the weapon in question for particularly stressful situations. Additionally, drawing and using the weapon in the same round incurs a multi-action penalty. The gamemaster may add further modifiers for attempting to get out an item from a restrictive location or ready an unwieldy weapon.
Occasionally, objects of vastly different sizes get involved in fights. The scale modifier accounts for the fact that bigger items are easier to hit, and usually can take more damage, than smaller ones. Use the accompanying chart as a guide for determining the appropriate value for the two combat participants. Gamemasters may further subdivide between levels.
If both opponents are either larger than or equal to a Human or smaller than or equal to a Human, subtract the larger number from the smaller one to calculate the scale modifier. If one opponent is smaller than a Human while the other is larger, then add together the two values.
| Example Participant | Size Value |
|---|---|
| Aircraft carrier | 50 |
| Jumbo jet | 46 |
| Eight-story building | 24 |
| Four-story building | 20 |
| Two-story house | 14 |
| City bus, tank | 10 |
| Elephant | 8 |
| Average car | 6 |
| Motorcycle, horse | 3 |
| Average Human | 0 |
| Human child, guard dog | 3 |
| Bread box, house cat | 6 |
| Fashion doll, rat | 9 |
| Action figure, mouse | 12 |
| Plastic army figure, coin | 15 |
| Ant | 21 |
For most cases, use these rules: If the attacker is larger than the defender, then the scale modifier is added to the combat difficulty and the damage total. If the attacker is smaller than the defender, then the scale modifier is added to the attacker’s combat skill total and the defender’s damage resistance total.
Example: A thief has snuck into a laboratory defended by toy tanks with working weapons. The tanks have a scale value of 6. With the thief’s scale value of the zero, the scale modifier is 6 (6 - 0). Because the tank is smaller than the thief, the tank gets a +6 to its marksmanship roll, while the thief gets a +6 to his damage resistance total. When the thief attacks the tank, the scale modifier is added to the thief’s combat difficulty and to his damage total, if he manages to step on it.
In some cases, the object may be large but lightly constructed (such as a parade balloon). At these times, the gamemaster should not add the scale modifier to the damage resistance total.
Typically, a weapon’s scale when determining how much damage it does is the same as the person holding it or the thing it’s mounted on. So, a rifle has a scale value of 0, while a full-size tank’s gun has a scale of 10. These would differ if someone targeted just the weapon.
A hero who surprises her opponent may either act first in the round (if initiative hasn’t already been determined) or gain a +1D or more to her action. Attacks from behind, an ambush, or unexpected sources (such as a companion) make up the most common sources of surprise.
Melee weapons longer than 60 centimeters, objects that are hard to throw or grasp, ones relying on technology with which the user is unfamiliar, or any weapons otherwise difficult to wield may incur a +5 or more modifier to the combat difficulty. The gamemaster may decide that such factors as experience, strength, and features of the weapon (such as a well-balanced sword) lower this modifier.
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