Encounters

Encounters that deal with combat between armed or spellcasting opponents is broken up into separate time blocks as a mechanic for controlling who does what when. Encounters which involve discussions or other social interractions are played out without breaking them up.

Initiative

Combat encounters takes place over a number of 10 second rounds, during which period each combatant gets the opportunity to move and take an actions, major actions include striking with a weapon or casting a spell whilst minor actions are things such as opening a door or picking up an object. Combat with weapons is a series of manoeuvres, feints, thrusts and parries not a simple strike. Ranged weapons require the attacker to pick the right moment when they can best see th eopponent and judge where they'll be when the missile reaches them

At the beginning of each round an initiative die is rolled for each party character and one general roll for the opposition to determine the order of events each round. If individuals of the opposition have modifiers to their initiative they will apply those modifiers for themselves only.

The initiative die roll is

d10

This gives the second in which the characters make their strike or wizards/priests start casting, low initiative going first. Anything lower than 1 counts as zero, anything higher than 10. Spells/prayers are always completed by the end of the 10th second (if necessary it is assmed they started casting a little earlier. Characters with the same initiative act simultaneously and if they interract a critical event occurs between them.

What you can do on your initiative

In a round a character may take a major action (also just called an action), a manoeuvre (move) and a minor action.

Action Striking with a weapon or casting a spell/prayer.
Manoeuvre Move up to your speed through a battlefield, Dash for 1SP, Perform a manoeuvre feat, pick up an item.
Minor action Battlespells, Continuing a CONCENTRATE action, attack of opportunity, Draw a sidearm, some feats...
Free Some feats, held actions, Reaction spell

Everything occurs on your initiative.

Major actions may be used as a manoeuvres and a manoeuvres as a Minor action.

You may have multiple free actions in a round up to the "Don't take the mickey" limit. There is a limit of 1 spell/prayer per round (broken only by feats and monsters).

You may make a second skill attempt action, each additional action you take adds a penalty of -3 to all rolls. Additional skill attempts run on a separate initiative, you do not get additional movement for this second action.

Surprise

If characters are surprised they act as DAZED that round and the next round the attackers have initiative advantage.

Ambusher

Creatures ambushing generate a suprise modifier to generate a success level. It is more difficult to hide an army in a tree than a single person: The difficulty is assuming an average group of 4-8 characters, fewer than 4 gains a +1 bonus and more than 4 a -1 negative

Suprise attack = 2d8+ INT + stealth +3

Monsters may add special modifiers to the result of the roll

Defender

Defenders roll

Spot vs Suprise attack

Modifiers depending on the general level of alertness of the party being ambushed..

State of alert Bonus Typical situation
Expecting something 0

e.g. dungoneering

Guard duty

 -1

first three hours then -2 per additional hour

Normal travel

 -2

e.g. horses between places

Totally unexpected

 -4

e.g. towns, safe areas

Each defending character rolls spot and reacts individually.

Monsters roll once for group whether surprising or being surprised.

Asleep

When waking characters from sleep to fight it requires 1/2 round (5s) of shaking or a loud noise from the time the shaking starts, they may then roll their initiative and add it to the current initiative; they are unlikely to be able to do anything that round.

  1. Shouting to wake - PRONE and DAZED (No action)
  2. Shaken to wake - PRONE and FROZEN

If you are woken by shouting the second round you act as if FROZEN

Reach

Creatures using weapons with REACH get the first attack as the other approaches. The longest REACH weapon strikes first when both have it. Some creatures have natural REACH due to their size.

Movement in combat

During combat characters are assumed to be moving as quick as reasonable possible whilst keeping a look out for what is happening on the battlefield. The characters race determines their base movement speed (Human base is 25').

Characters dashing (moving at double speed) use up 1 SP per dash. Remember you may use a major action as a manoeuvre so could dash dash twice for a second SP.

When charging you are dashing.

Outside of combat speed is doubled as you are not concerned with threats.

Disengaging

You can disengage from an opponent without any consequences as a minor action. It is assumed that you are not actually standing within easy reach of their weapon so you can move backwards a step using a minor action. However, You cannot use a melee attack and disengage during the same turn without suffering an opportunity attack.

Blocking

A character may block a 10' path against a single character with a one handed melee weapon or against two characters with a two handed weapon

If a character uses an actiuon to try to get past, the defender will get an attack of opportunity at combat advantage with any success blocking the way.

If there are more than the minimum number of attackers then only the first will be attacked at advantage, the second at normal, the third at disadvantage the fourth and additional ones will sweep past.

Flying opponents

If your opponent is flying and capable of staying out of range then your only melee attack opportunity comes when they decide to close the range and attack you. Their parry defence has been adjusted to account for this reduced window of opportunity.

Prone

If you are prone and want to stand up it takes your full manoeuvre (no dashing) unless you have the manoeuvre feat Flip Up when it only requires a minor.

Threatened areas

Each creature creates a threatened area around it according to its size and weapon reach. They can attack anyone in this area. In general a sidearm will threaten a 5' square and a 2 handed weapon a 10' square. If closing through a threatened area the side with the larger threatened are will get an free opportunity attack.

If you are in a threatened square and perform an two handed action other than melee attack/defend, you must use dodge defense.

e.g.

Opportunity Attacks

Some actions that you do when within melee distance will provoke an opportunity attack by the opponent. This is a free action. The target can't use feats like riposte if the attacker misses.

 

Opportunity attacks occur when:

Alternatively the opponent may forgoe the free attack and on their next initiative take combat advantage (for when they find it difficult to hit you normally).

Aiming / Positioning

The system is designed to provide the best compromise between attack and defence. In some circumstances characters may be finding it difficult to hit in which case they may improve their chances by using their action to aim, create an opening or even concentrating on the arcane enchantment.

In any case missing an action in combat allows the next skill to be performed at advantage.

Other actions

Charging

Charging gives you a bonus to hit and damage but lowers your defence as you are not as nimble, you need to be at charging speed (dash). After hurling a weapon on approach you need easy access to your primary weapon as you have to draw and ready it. Charging in you make yourself an easier target as you can't easily dodge.

As you are charging directly forward the modifier for hurling on the move (-3) is not counted. You may target a creature 5' either side of your charge taking a -1 penalty.

The feat Hurling charge will let you hurl and charge without incurring a 2nd action penalty.

Pop-up missile shots

If popping up from cover to take a shot this is a minor to pop up, a spot and shoot. As these are two actions you suffer the double action penalty of -3. Spot difficulty is a base 9, failure indicates there was no foe close enough to where you were looking for you to react to. The advantage is that only enemies waiting for you to pop up at that location may target you. They can fire irrespective of initiative.

Morale

All NPCs and creatures have morale. Characters determine their own morale, they generally know when to run (that the ones which are still alive). Morale is rolled on 2d10. Each NPC will have their own morale however if their master or leader is present it will be modified by their leadership ability.

Morale will only fail when it looks like the characters side may lose the battle. Morale checks are made in the following circumstances.

When morale fails the amount of failure determines the actions of the characters

Fail by

Action

Unlucky

Disengage and retreat running

Bad

Panic drop weapons in hands and run

Appalling

Throw down weapons and plead for mercy / berserk attack if no escape

Catastrophic

Berserk - will attack anyone in their path of retreat with weapon in hand.

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