Rune Master: Book 2 Combat...5 Important Scores... 5 Strike Rank... 5 Character Status... 5 Melee Engagement... 5 Tactically Aware... 5 Tactically Unaware... 5 Skill... 5 Weapon... 5 Rounds... 6 Opponent s Reach... 6 Intent... 6 SR Shift... 6 Action... 6 Book Keeping... 6 Movement... 7 Movement... 7 Flying... 7 Facing... 7 Free Fall... 8 Combat Resolution... 8 Advanced Options... 9 Attack... 9 Defense... 11 Injury... 12 Bleeding... 14 Group Tactics... 16 Healing...17 Injuries... 17 Natural Healing... 17 Tourniquets... 17 Infection... 17 Gangrene... 17 Treatment... 17 First Aid... 17 Medical... 18 Death...19 Normal Condition... 19 Shock... 19 Critical Condition... 19 Mostly Dead... 19 All Dead... 19 Unarmed Combat...21 Brawling... 21 Grappling... 21 Combat... 21 Attack... 21 Defense... 23 Martial Arts... 23 Techniques... 23 Arrow Cutting... 23 Block... 23 Combo... 23 Disarm... 24 Double Kick... 24 Double Punch... 24 Fall... 24 Fast Draw... 24 Greased Lightning... 24 Flying... 24 Kiai... 24 Lightning... 24 Nerve Strike... 24 Parry... 25 Redirect... 25 Riposte... 25 Roll... 25 Spin Kick... 25 Sweep Kick... 25 Take Weapon... 25 Triple Punch... 25 Meditation... 25 Blind Fighting... 25 High Jump... 25 Lightning Strike... 25 Nerve Touch... 26 Perfect Balance... 26 Power Fist... 26 Powerful... 26 Silent Kiai... 26 Speed... 26 Toughness... 26 Doing Stuff... 27 Lifting... 27 Throwing Things... 28 Throwing Example... 29 Breaking Things... 29 Siege Engines... 30 Tying Knots... 30 Crafts... 31 Crafting... 31 Equipment... 31 Equipment... 32 Craft Skills... 32 Armorsmith (A)... 32 Baker (A)... 32 Blacksmith (A)... 32 Bowyer (A)... 32 Carpenter (A)... 32 Cobbler (A)... 32 Confectioner (A)... 32 Cook (A)... 32
Tim Doty Embroidery (A)... 32 Engrave Metal (A)... 32 Locks... 33 Fire Pottery (A)... 33 Fletcher (A)... 33 Gem Cutter (H)... 33 Leather Armorer (A)... 33 Locksmith (VH)... 33 Mason (H)... 33 Pottery - Building (A)... 33 Jewelry Workmanship Added Value... 34 Sample Jewelry... 34 Pottery - Wheel (A)... 34 Silversmith (H)... 34 Stone Cutter (A)... 34 Tailor (A)... 34 Tanner (A)... 34 Tatooing (A)... 34 Tinsmith (A)... 34 Tool Leather (A)... 35 Weaponsmith (A)... 35 Wood Carver (A)... 35 Wood Cutter (E)... 35 Herbalism... 37 Using Herbs... 37 Potency... 37 Organization... 38 Storing Herbs... 38 Forms of Treatment... 38 Bath... 39 Compress... 39 Decoction... 39 Infusion... 39 Poultice... 39 Plaster... 39 Oil... 39 Ointment... 39 Syrup... 39 Tea... 39 Tincture... 40 Herbal Formulae... 40 Abate Fever... 40 Abortive... 40 Aphrodisiac... 40 Cleanse... 40 Constipate... 40 Contact Poison... 41 Cramping... 41 Curative... 41 Ease Gas... 41 Ease Pain... 41 Hallucinogenic... 41 Healing... 42 Laxative... 42 Potion... 42 Relax Muscle... 42 Stimulant... 42 Systemic Poison... 42 Trance Inducing... 43 Vomiting Agent... 43 Warming... 43 Dyeing... 43 Hypnotism... 45 Entrancing... 45 Questioning... 46 Implanting... 46 Languages... 49 Native Language... 50 Learning Languages... 50 Literacy... 52 Lore... 53 Visual... Hearing 55 Perception... 55 Illumination... 55 General illumination... 55 Point illumination... 56 Presence... 56 Very Weak (PRE 1)... 58 Weak (PRE 5)... 58 Normal (PRE 10)... 58 Strong (PRE 15)... 58 Very Strong (PRE 25)... 58 Massive (PRE 50)... 58 Overwhelming (PRE 100)... 58 God-Like (PRE 200)... 58 Notes... 58 Shadow... 58 Presence Attack... 59 Effect of Presence... 59 Presence Attack... 59 Presence Attack... 59 Countersurveillance... 59 Antisurveillance... 59 Psychic Discipline... 61 Astral Projection... 61 Boost... 62 Clairaudience... 62 Clairvoyance... 62 Damper... 62 ESP... 62 Heal... 63 Illusion... 63 Mind Blender... 63 Mind Control... 63 Mind Reading... 63 Psychokinesis... 64 Psychometry... 64 Pyrokinesis... 64 Second Sight... 64 Shapeshift [form]... 64 - ii -
Rune Master - Book 2 Shield... 64 Sniffer... 64 Telekinesis... 65 Telepathy... 65 Teleportation... 65 Traveling...67 By Land... 68 By Foot... 68 By Horse... 68 By Sea... 70 Vessels... 70 Weather... 70 Locales... 70 Voyage... 70 - iii -
Tim Doty - iv -
Combat Combat is easily the most time consuming part of the game. This is because it is complicated and has many rules to help maintain consistency. The referee and all players should be familiar with this chapter and, when introducing new players to the game, it is often a good idea to have a mock combat the first session so that they can get their feet wet without risking their precious characters. This can be a good way of letting them know just how mortal their characters are while providing them with some familiarity with the rules. Although it is not strictly required, it is helpful to use hex maps to place figures on during the combat. This makes it easier for everyone to understand what is going on and helps to prevent mistakes. One hex represents five feet of distance. Important Scores A player should be familiar with several of his character s scores to help smooth play. He should know the character s skills with the weapons he will use and the damage that he does with them. Dice to keep handy are 1d100, 1d20 and damage dice for the weapons. He should know his character s CON, HP, Serious Wound Level, Morale, Move and Strike Rank. If the referee is using the fatigue rules then he should also know his END, FP recovery and Enc. Strike Rank Strike Rank is a measure of how quickly the character can act. This is most commonly used to determine when a character s attack occurs, but applies equally to all actions. Morale Normally a character s Morale score is zero at the beginning of a fight. A positive score indicates confidence while a negative score indicates insecurity. The maximum Morale a character can have is equal to his Discipline skill level. A character s morale affects what actions can be taken and modifies the chance of success. Morale Status Morale Status 1+ Confident: Bonus of Morale 5% to all related actions. 0 Normal: no modifiers. -1 Disheartened: Offensive actions at half chance after all other modifiers. -2 Demoralized: Offensive actions at half chance after all other modifers; must retreat or make Discipline roll to avoid losing one point of Morale. -3 Scared: No offensive actions, defensive actions at half chance; must retreat or make Discipline roll to avoid losing one point of Morale. Cornered: Offensive actions at normal chance, no defensive actions. -4 Terrified: Drop weapons; must surrender or make Discipline roll to avoid losing one point of Morale. Frantic: Brawl only, but at +25%. -5 Petrified: No action possible. There are three general categories of action with respect to morale: offensive, defensive and other. An offensive action is an attack: be it unarmed, melee, missile or magical. A defensive action is one which counters some offensive action or otherwise protects the character. All other actions fall into the other category. Casting a spell which is resisted is always an offensive action. Spells which are purely protective or restorative in nature, like healing magic or spell to protect from injury, are considered to be defensive. Spells which have an adverse effect on the target are always offensive. Spells which aid an ally, such as increasing his combat effectiveness, are generally in the other category as they are neither truly defensive, nor are they directly offensive. Character Status From a combat perspective a character is always in one of three states: engaged in melee, tactically aware and tactically unaware. A character s state affects what or how well a character can do something. - 5 -
Tim Doty Morale Status A character s Morale Status is determined by his Morale score. Detailed descriptions of these status is as follows. Confident (1+): All actions the character takes are at a bonus of 5% Morale. A character s Morale score can never exceed hisdiscipline skill level except by magic. Normal (0): The character has self-confidence, but no especial faith. There is no bonus or penalty for being at this status. Disheartened (-1): The character s heart is not in the action at hand which has the effect of halving the chance of success in all offensive actions. Demoralized (-2): The character is demoralized and will back up if possible (looking for an exit). If a retreat is not possible then a Discipline roll is required to avoid losing a point of Morale. The character will not undertake any offensive action. Defensive actions are at normal chance and all others at half chance. Scared (-3): The character is scared and will run away if possible. If a retreat is not possible then a Discipline roll is required to avoid losing a point of Morale. The character will only undertake defensive actions, and those at half chance Cornered (-3*): A Scared character who cannot retreat and succeeds in a Discipline roll becomes Cornered. A Cornered character will only undertake offensive actions, and those at full chance. Terrified (-4): The character is striken with fear and will throw down weapons and surrender if possible. If surrender is not possible a Discipline roll is required to avoid losing a point of Morale. The character will take no combat action, offensive, defensive or otherwise. Frantic (-4*): A Terrified character who cannot surrender and succeeds in a Discipline roll becomes Frantic. A Frantic character will Melee Engagement A character is engaged in melee if the player so wishes and the melee opponent is visible and within the player s reach, or the character is within the opponent s reach. While engaged in melee the character s movement is restricted, but he can attack and defend against the designated opponent at normal chance. Only one opponent can be engaged at a time (unless specified otherwise by magic, such as a Warrior rune master having multiples uses of the Tactic skill) and, unless the advanced rules are being used, an opponent can only be engaged at the beginning of the round. Tactically Aware A character is tactically aware if he is paying attention to what is going on around him. In such a case the character can track the locations and actions of a number of character s equal to his Tactic skill level. Tracking an enemy allows the player to defend against an attack from that quarter or to make a ranged attack. Tracking an ally allows the player to notice when the ally is injured or otherwise needs assistance. This does not give a character eyes in the back of his head, although it is important to remember that a character s head can (normally) swivel. A character who is not participating, but rather is simply observing, can track an additional number of character s equal to his skill level in Notice. This would be useful for a non-combatant medic, or a warrior who was standing by. Tactically Unaware A character is tactically unaware if he is unconscious, asleep, or otherwise not paying attention to his surroundings. In such a case the character can make no attack nor take any defensive action. Rounds To help keep things organized time spent in combat is broken up into rounds, each of which is about six seconds in length. Though the exact duration of any given round is up to the referee these rules assume that, on average, there are ten rounds to a minute. - 6 -
Combat Each round has three phases. The first phase is for intent, the second is for action and the fifth is for book keeping. We ll go over each of these phases one at a time. Intent Unless the advanced rules are being used, players separately and without consultation decide what their respective characters intend to do during the round and make this declaration in turn. The best method is for each player to have a piece of paper on which he writes his declaration. These papers are then passed to the referee who has likewise determined the intent of each non-player character. After all intents have been declared each player rolls 1d10 and applies the adjustment indicated on the SR Shift table. In addition, all melee attacks have their SR adjusted for the opponent s reach if the opponent is engaging in melee. Note that these adjustments can reduce SR below 0. SR Shift Roll Adj 1-2 2, 3-1 4 7 0 8, 9 +1 10 +2 Action All actions taken during a round are resolved at this time in SR order from highest to lowest. All actions resolved in a SR are assumed to be simultaneous. This means, for example, that Movement starts with SR 10 and ends with SR 1. All actions not completed by SR 0 for any reason do not occur. That is, if an action would occur with a negative SR it does not occur. A player can alter a character s declared intent during this phase, though not retroactively. For Skill Skill SR 00-2 01 25-1 26 50 0 51 75 +1 76 100 +2 101 125 +3 126 150 +4 151 175 +5 176 200 +6 ea. +25 (+1) adjsr for Weapon Reach Attacker Target Unarmed -1 +2 Close -1 +1 Short 0 0 Medium 0 0 Long 0 0 Pole +1-1 Extreme +2-2 Spell +2 +3 Generic action +5 +3 Ranged +10 +3 example, if a player decides to shift his character s target of melee attack during SR 9 then the characattempt to engage in melee the nearest opponent and can only use Brawl, but with a bonus of 25%. Petrified: The character is in abject fear and will gibber in terror. In other words the character is completely incapacitated in any functional sense. Shooting upwards A missile can be fired at a target substantially above the character, but only out to half the weapon s maximum range and against a target no higher than half the weapon s maximum range. In addition the attack will do less damage if the target is more than one-eighth the weapon s maximum range above the character. The missile may go slightly higher than half the weapon s maximum range, but at that point it is moving too slowly to do any damage at all. Damage Full Half Quarter None Height Up to 1 / 8 maximum range Up to ¼ maximum range Up to 3 / 8 maximum range Up to ½ maximum range Long Range Shots The more distant the target the higher arcing the missile s trajectory must be to reach it. Past half the weapon s maximum range the missile has slowed so much that it does half damage to the target (and if it were to strike something at the height of its arc it would do very little damage at all). Although not strictly accurate the following is good for quick and simple range rules. Range Ceiling ¼ Max 8' ½ Max 14' ¾ Max 1 / 10 maximum range 90% Max 1 / 5 maximum range Max 1 / 3 maximum range - 7 -
Tim Doty Time of Flight For those desiring some additional realism the time delay between a ranged attack and when it hits can be estimated as follows: if the target is less than 10% of the maximum range (not less than 20 feet) from the attacker then the missile strikes in the same SR as the attack is made. It travels an additional 10% of the maximum range every SR. Thus a crossbow with a maximum range of 700 feet fired at a target 200 feet distant would hit the target 2 SR after being released. If the target is aware of the attack and tracking the missile (using one of his Tactic skill levels to do so) then it will automatically miss if he takes evasive action of at least one hex. ter s SR is reduced by 3. All actions have a duration. Those which have an action SR of 11 or higher have a duration of 1 SR, others have a duration of 12 SR less the action SR. For example, a character with a final SR of 4 has a melee action duration of 8 SR. A general action, such as drawing a sword, has a duration of five SR. To ready a strung bow already held in the bow hand for use takes two general actions (drawing and nocking the arrow) for a total of ten SR. An experienced archer (one whose skill exceeds 75%) can draw and nock the arrow in a single action and thus taking only 5 SR. To make a crossbow ready with a belt claw (that is, to cock and load it) takes 15 SR. Book Keeping This is when all end-of-the-round activities are resolved. This includes things such as bleeding, fatigue, recovery from stun and so on. In general, anything that happens in increments of one round not already covered by a different phase is resolved here. This includes all spell casting that takes more than one action to perform. The total of a character s bleeding points are accrued as damage. All damage due to bleeding is considered to be a single wound. A character loses a number of FP equal to his Enc each round due to fatigue. The only way to escape this loss is to take no movement during either movement phase and to not engage in melee. If a character does this and makes no missile or thrown weapon Movement attacks he is considered to be resting 1 1 hex per 5 SR Mv Distance sufficiently to earn 2 1 hex per 3 SR his FP recovery for 3, 4 1 hex per 2 SR the round. 5 9 1 hex per SR Hedge wizardry 10 14 2 hexes per SR and sorcery spells 15 19 3 hexes per SR often take one or 20 24 4 hexes per SR more rounds to cast 25 29 5 hexes per SR and when they do ea. +5 +1 hex per SR their casting is rolled for in this phase of their last round of casting. Movement A character who is engaged in melee or aiming for a ranged attack can only take a combat move of one hex in any direction with any final facing. This move can be taken on any SR from 10 to 1. Doing anything else interrupts the melee or aiming process and requires that it be started all over again, effectively delaying the attack. A character can normally move a number of feet equal to Mv each SR, starting with SR 10 and concluding with SR 1 for a total of ten SRs of movement. When using a hex map this movement should be rounded down to the closest hex. This is usually 1 hex per SR; consult the Movement table for a more precise breakdown. A character moving into one of his three forward hexes can choose to either maintain his facing moving into the hex or turn to face into the hex into which he is moving. After the move he can change his facing by one hex-side. A character moving into - 8 -
Combat one of his three back hexes expends two hexes of movement doing so and can either maintain his facing or turn to face into the hex he just left. A character can change his hex-side facing to any hexface without moving into another hex by expending one hex of movement. Flying A character who is flying is somewhat more restricted in how they can move. While flying, a character can only move forward, but after each hex of movement can normally change the hex-side that he is facing by one. The maximum number of hexside facing changes that a flying character can make in a round is equal to his Fly skill. Starting to climb or dive counts as a turn; each movement point spent on climbing raises a character s altitude by five feet, each movement point spent on diving lowers a character s altitude by five feet though every ten feet of lost altitude can (at the flier s discretion) increase the effective movement rate for the next round by one point. If the total increase to movement for diving exceeds the character s Fly skill level the character will automatically lose control, tumbling helplessly until the end of the round. At the beginning of each succeeding round he can make an attempt to regain control by rolling against Fly. A character can attempt to turn one-hex face before moving into a new hex by rolling against his Fly skill. Success Result Critical³ Critical² Critical Special Normal Miss Failure Fumble Fumble² Fumble³ Turn up to two hex-faces as free turns Turn one hex-faces as free turn, can turn a second hex-face Turn one hex-face as a free turn, can turn a second hex-face for cost of two turns Turn one hex-face as a free turn Turn one hex-face No turn No turn, counts as one hex-face change No turn, counts as two hex-face changes Character tumbles out of control (direction, etc., are at the referee s whim), roll Fly at the end of each turn to attempt to regain control Character tumbles out of control as above, all rolls to regain control are at a 25% penalty Free Fall A character, creature or object in free fall is subject only to gravity (and wind resistance) and will fall at the rate of 32 feet per second per second (well, less than that once sufficient velocity is attained accounting for wind resistance is beyond the scope of these rules). If the character was motionless before free fall then in the first five SR he will descend 144 feet, or about 29 hexes. Free Fall SR Height Hexes Velocity Mv 1 6' 1 19 fps 12 2 23' 5 38 fps 23 3 52' 10 58 fps 35 4 92' 18 77 fps 46 5 144' 29 96 fps 58 Melee Engagement Günnar is outside of Brand s melee distance. Brand is inside of Günnar s melee distance. - 9 -
Tim Doty 6 207' 41 115 fps 69 7 282' 56 134 fps 81 8 369' 74 154 fps 92 9 467' 93 173 fps 104 10 576' 115 192 fps 115 Combat Resolution An attack is composed of two things, the attacker s attack and the defender s defense. When the intention of an attack is stated the target is allowed to declare a defense. This declaration is a commitment: regardless of whether or not the attack succeeds the defender must make the defense attempt. Of course, the target of an attack can only defend himself if he is aware of the attack and in a position to do something about it. Normally a character only gets an attack with a hand weapon after spending the requisite time engaged in melee with an opponent, which engagement can only culminate in an attack once per round. If the melee process is interrupted for any reason it must be restarted beginning from the following SR. If the character s SR is 11 or higher this process takes only a single SR, otherwise it takes a number of SR equal to 12 minus their SR that round. For example, if a player designates a new target for the melee attack on SR 8 his final SR is reduced by 4. Sometimes a character is given an opportunity to attack. Taking such an opportunity interrupts any melee the character is engaged in, but the opportunity attack itself occurs in the same SR as the opportunity presented itself. An example of an opportunity attack is if the defender turns to run. A character can choose to attack in any SR starting with SR 11. Such an attack has its chance of success halved after all other modifiers have been taken into consideration and of course interrupts any melee the character was engaged in. In any case a hand weapon can only be used to attack someone within reach as illustrated in the Melee Engagement diagram and indicated on the Weapon Reach table. In the diagram, Brand is within melee distance of Günnar, but Günnar is not within Brand s melee distance. Although Brand can defend himself, only Günnar can attack. A lunge delays the attack one SR, causes a penalty of 10% to hit, gives a bonus of 25% to defend against and any subsequent defenses attempted by the character in that round incur a penalty of 25%. Ranged weapons used at a distance having an arcing trajectory which will hit a ceiling that is too low. A thrown weapon can be used on a target out to half the maximum range with an eight-foot ceiling. To hit a target at the maximum range requires at least a fourteen-foot ceiling. A missile weapon does half damage past half the maximum range. Additionally, the minimum ceiling for a given range when using a missile weapon is as follows: Range Ceiling ¼ Max 8' ½ Max 14' ¾ Max 1 / 10 maximum range 90% 1 / 5 maximum range Maximum 1 / 3 maximum range Attack The character s base chance of success with an attack is his skill. This is then modified for the circumstances of the attack. For most characters, any penalty to vision is also applied to an attack. In addition melee attacks are subject to penalties for footing: fighting on ice is tricky business. After all Facing A character s facing is based on the six-faces of a hex and most generally something is either in front of (Front facing) or behind (Back facing). Additionally, it is either to the left (Left facing), to the right (Right facing) or directly in front of or behind. A character can normally see or act on things in his Front facing, but can neither act on or against things or actions originating from his Back facing unless it is an appropriate side facing. For example, a character with a shield could block attacks coming from his Left Back facing or attack someone in his Right Back facing, though in both cases this action is at a penalty of 25%. Front Left Left Back Front Back Front Right Right Back - 10 -
Combat Weapon Reach Reach 0 Hex 1 Hex 2 Hex 3 Hex Close Normal Lunge Short Normal Normal Medium -25% Normal Long Normal Lunge Pole Normal Normal Extreme Normal Normal situational modifiers have been applied 1d100 is rolled and the success (or failure) determined. Modifiers for All Attacks Awareness An attack against a target who is unaware of the attack (such as an attack from behind or an inanimate object) has a bonus of 25%. Morale An attack is modified for the character s Morale score (after all other modifiers) as follows: Morale Modifier Confident (1+) +5% Morale Normal (0) Disheartened (-1) ½ Demoralized (-2) ½ Scared (-3) 0 Cornered (-3*) Terrified (-4) 0 Frantic (-4*) [brawl only] +25% Petrified (-5) 0 Target Size An attack against a target of any but Medium size is modified as follows: Size Modifier Tiny -40% Very Small -25% Small -10% Medium Small -5% Medium Large +5% Large +10% Very Large +25% Huge +40% Gargantuan +60% Shield The size of a shield wielded to defend against an attack penalizes any chance of getting past it. Note Advanced Options Not all attacks are made in the same way: an attacker might try to force an opening or he might try to hit a particular location. Another tactic might be to quickly attack as many times as possible to overwhelm the defender. Any of the following options can only be taken once in a round and are declared as part of a melee attack. Called Shot The location hit by a successful attack can be chosen by the attacker rather than being rolled for randomly, but doing so gives a penalty of 25% to hit and delays the attack 1s6 SR. Powerful Blow A successful hit has damage rolled an extra time and added in (this extra roll is only made once, regardless of the level of success with the attack). However, the attack is delayed 1 SR and the defender has a bonus of 25% to defend against it. Wait for Opening If the attacker chooses to wait for an opening the attack is delayed by 1s6 SR, but has a bonus of 25% to hit. Feint An attempt to feint delays the attack by 1 SR, but gives a penalty of 25% to defend against. Second Attack By expending 2 FP (1 FP for unarmed attacks) the character can make another attack. This attack has to be at least 1 SR after the previous attack. Fast Attack By expending FP equal to (Held Enc + 1) the character can increase his SR by one. Disarm Opponent Penalty to attack is generally 40%. Weapons wellsuited for this purpose receive a penalty of 25%. Weapons specifically designed for this task, such as a sai or jitte, only have a 10% penalty. Attack is resolved per the disarm rules. Circle Opponent A one-hex shift to left or right gives a penalty of 25% to defend against the attack. However, the attack must be made within 1 SR of the move. - 11 -
Tim Doty Rapid Fire If a series of attacks are made with a single success roll, as with an automatic weapon, range and attack consistency, here described by a Control Rating, determine how many of the attacks hit. The Control Rating is determined by two things: the instability of the attack and the rate at which the attacks are made. To see the maximum distance at which a given number of shots will hit consult the Rapid Fire Hits table, cross-referencing the number of shots and the Control Rating. To see the maximum number of shots which will hit at a given range use the column for the Control Rating and read down until the lowest number equal to or greater than the range is reached. Follow that line to the left to determine the maximum number of hits. A special success with a rapid fire attack halves the effective Control Rating for that attack. that if the attack is unsuccessful, but would have hit without this penalty, the blow strikes the shield. Damage is rolled and halved and applied to the shield as per the rules for this under the Defense section. Shield Size Modifier Buckler Large Buckler -5% Small Round -5% Round Shield -10% Large Round -15% Heater -15% Kite Shield -20% Door Shield -25% Facing An attack against a target in any of the front three hexes has no penalty, but one to the side of the weapon hand is made at a 25% penalty. An attack cannot be made across the body to the off-hand side, nor can it be made to the back hex. Only onehanded weapons can attack to the weapon hand side. Movement If the target is stationary (like a boulder) the attack is at a 10% bonus. If the target was moving in the previous SR there is a penalty equal to half the number of feet moved in that SR, not less than a 5% penalty if the movement was at least five feet. If the target moves in the current SR there is a penalty equal to the number of feet moved, not less than a 10% penalty if the movement was at least five feet. All penalties for target movement assume that the target is either moving crosswise to the attacker or is moving evasively. If this is not the case then halve the penalties. These modifiers are not cumulative; use the modifier least favorable to the attacker. Modifiers for Melee Attacks Height or Posture An attacker with a height advantage of three feet or more (defender is kneeling, attacker is on horseback, etc.) has a bonus of 10%. If the attacker is fighting from his knees he has a penalty of 25%. If he is fighting from the ground he has a penalty of 40%. If the target is in the air (just hovering) there is a 15% penalty to hit. Weapon Reach If the weapon s reach for the distance is a lunge there is a penalty of 10%. If the weapon has a medium reach and the opponent is in the same hex as the attacker there is a penalty of 25% Movement If the attacker moves moves during the attack s SR the attack is at a 25% penalty per hex moved. If the attacker moved during the previous SR the attack is at a 10% penalty per hex moved. These modifiers are not cumulative; use the modifier least favorable to the attacker. Footing The quality of the footing modifies the chance to hit as follows: Footing Modifier Smooth, flat pavement +5% Cobblestone road; open field Badly rutted dirt road -10% Rocky ground; shifting ground -25% Muddy ground; thick leaf bed -25% Icy ground; wet cobble stones -40% Modifiers for Ranged Attacks Distance - 12 -
Combat Weapon Bind If a successful attack to disarm has its effective level of success reduced to a Miss due to a defense executed with the weapon targeted by the disarm the two weapons go into a bind. In such a case neither can be used until the bind is ended. A bind can be ended automatically in a single SR if the combatants cooperate. A character trying to free their trapped weapon can do so by making a skill roll adjusted for the other s weapon. Most weapons give a bonus of 25%, some with long quillions or otherwise welldisposed for trapping a blade give no modifier, and those which are specifically designed to trap weapons (such as a sai or jitte) give a penalty of 25%. The final option is to try and disarm the other combatant. To do so requires a STR + DEX + [Weapon] Skill Level resistance roll. Level of success is interpreted as for a disarm attack of one less level of success. Note that if both combatants are attempting this option then the level of success of one reduces that of the other. If the other combatant is attempting to free his weapon then his level of success likewise reduces that of the other. If the target is within Short range there is a 25% bonus to hit. Past Medium range the base chance of success is reduced before making any other adjustments. Out to double Medium range the chance is halved. Out to triple Medium range the chance is one-third. Out to quadruple Medium range the chance is quartered. And so on. Height If the target is in the air (hovering) there is a 15% penalty to hit. Aim A snapshot attack is made on the given SR and has a penalty of 25% to hit. A normal attack is made five SR later and has no modifier for aim. An aimed attack is made ten SR later and either has a bonus of 25% to hit or the attacker can specify the general location struck. If the target is changed after having been declared but before the attack is made all benefits of aiming are lost. The newly declared target is attacked with a SR one less than when the target was declared. A target can only be declared if the weapon is ready to use. If the target was declared in the previous round before SR 10 then the attack has a bonus of 25% to hit and occurs on the given SR. If the target was declared in the previous round before SR 5 then the attack has no penalty if taken on the given SR, or gains a bonus of 25% to hit if delayed at least 5 SR. Obstructed For each occupied hex between the attacker and the target there is a cumulative penalty to hit, the amount of which depends on the size of the obstruction. If the hex just in front of the target is occupied the penalty is 2½ times as much. Size Modifier Tiny -3% Very Small -4% Small -6% Medium Small -8% Medium -10% Medium Large -15% Large -20% Very Large -25% Huge -30% Gargantuan -40% Results of Success If the attack is made to disarm the opponent then the level of success determines what happens to the disarmed weapon using the following table. Success Critical 4 Critical³ Critical² Critical Special Normal Miss Opponent s weapon is thrown to a particular person or location within four hexes of opponent thrown to a particular person or location within three hexes of opponent thrown to a chosen hex within three hexes of opponent thrown 1s6 hexes from opponent in a chosen direction thrown 1s6 hexes from opponent in a random direction dropped in the opponent s hex unaffected If the attack is made for damage (e.g., is not an attack to disarm) and is a success then damage is - 13 -
Tim Doty rolled. If the attack is an especial success different things can happen depending on just how successful the attack was and the type of damage done by the attack. Special Success The exact result of a special success depends on the type of damage being done. Brawl attacks roll damage twice and add. Chop attacks cause knockback. Crush attacks cause knockback. Cut attacks cause one level of bleeding. Fire attacks roll damage twice and add. Grapple attacks roll damage twice and add. Impale attacks take twice the armor to stop. Stun attacks do half their damage as Crush. Tear attacks cause one level of bleeding and do double damage after any reductions (such as that due to armor or magic). Critical Success Each level of critical success causes an additional roll of damage to be made and added to the total. Defense A character rolls against the skill appropriate for the chosen defense. In general there are three types of defenses: parry with a weapon, block with a shield and bodily dodging. The exact result depends on the success of the attack as well as the success and type of defense. Normally only one parry (per weapon being wielded) in a round can be attempted at full chance, any other parry has its chance of success halved after making all other adjustments. Modifiers for Defense Morale A defense is modified for the character s Morale score (after all other modifiers) as follows: Morale Modifier Confident (1+) +5% Morale Normal (0) Disheartened (-1) Demoralized (-2) Scared (-3) ½ Cornered (-3*) 0 Terrified (-4) 0 Frantic (-4*) 0 Petrified (-5) 0 Posture A defense from the knees has a 25% penalty. A defense from the ground has a 40% penalty. Footing The quality of the footing modifies the chance to defend as follows: Footing Modifier Smooth, flat pavement +5% Cobblestone road; open field Badly rutted dirt road -10% Rocky ground; shifting ground -25% Muddy ground; thick leaf bed -25% Icy ground; wet cobble stones -40% Facing A defense against an attack from either the left or right rear hex faces has a 25% penalty. A defense against an attack from behind has a 40% penalty. Note that a defense can only be attempted if the character is aware of or assumes the attack. From Melee Attacks A retreat of one hex away from the attack gives a bonus of 25% if done in the same SR as the attack. A retreat of one hex toward the attack gives a penalty of 25% if done in the same SR as the attack. From Ranged Attacks A defense against a ranged attack at Medium range has a bonus of 10%. A defense against a ranged attack past Medium range has a bonus of 25%. Parry A successful parry against an attack made for damage reduces the damage done by the Parry Value of the weapon, adjusted as for armor (that is, Parry Value is halved against Impale damage type, doubled against Cut damage type, and so on). A special success can be used one of three ways: to deflect a portion of the attack, to attempt a disarm of the attacker, or to riposte. (Note that this choice must be declared when the parry attempt is declared.) A critical success reduces the level of success of the attack, though not below a miss. For - 14 -
Combat example, a double critical will reduce a special success attack to a miss. If the attack was an attempt to disarm the defender and the parry was made with the weapon targeted by the attack and the defense was a success then the level of success of the attack is reduced by one, though not below a miss. If the defense was with a different weapon than the one targeted by the disarm attack and the defense was successful then the level of success of the attack cannot exceed a miss. A character can attempt more than one parry in a round with a weapon, but only one will be at full chance. The others have the chance of success halved after making all other adjustments. Only one parry can be attempted in any given SR, and then only if the character is not making an attack with that weapon. Special Success Special successes are interpreted as follows depending on the type of defense that was declared. Deflect If the attack was made to do damage, the attack s damage is halved before any other consideration. For example, this reduces the potential for knockback. If the attack was an attempt to disarm the defender then the level of success of the attack is reduced by another level, though not below a miss. Disarm This is resolved by reducing the level of success by that of the attack (though not below a miss) and interpreting the result as for an attack to disarm. Thus if the attack was only a normal success and the defense was a special success the attacker is disarmed. This prevents the attack from hitting the defender at all. Riposte A riposte, assuming that the parrying weapon is not locked with the attacker s, allows the defender to make an opportunity attack in the SR following that of the attack. As this is an opportunity it cannot be delayed if not taken the opportunity is lost. Shield A successful shield block interposes the shield the attack must penetrate the shield before it can injure the character. The most damage that can be so blocked is equal to the shield s Block rating. There is a 2 in 6 chance that an attack which penetrates the shield will injure the shield arm, otherwise roll location normally. A special success doubles the amount of damage which can be blocked by the shield. A critical success reduces the level of success of the attack, though not below a miss. Damage blocked by the shield, reduced by the shield s AP, lowers the shield s HP. A shield can be used to actively block more than once in a round at no penalty, though it cannot be used to actively block more than one attack in a single SR. Note, however, that any attack that would have hit except for the modifier for shield is considered to have hit the shield as for a successful block. In such a case the weapon s damage roll is halved. Dodge A successful dodge reduces the level of success of the attack, though not below a miss. Unless the level of success with the dodge exceeds that of the attack the character is off balance for the remainder of the round. Any action attempted by a character who is off balance is at a 25% penalty. Any miss also results in the character being off balance. Any failure results in the character falling down. Any fumble results in the character falling down so hard that they take damage as if for a ten-foot fall. A character can dodge more than once in a round, but can only attempt to dodge multiple attacks in a SR if he retreats away from them. For example, if a character is being attacked from his front three hexes he can attempt to dodge all of them only by retreating backwards (the bonus for retreating applies to only one of the attacks). Each dodge attempt is against a single attack and rolled for separately. Injury The damage rolled is reduced by any armor worn and protective magic. The remainder is applied as damage to the defender. If it equals or exceeds the defender s Serious Wound Level then the character takes a serious wound and 1d20 is rolled to determine the location struck. - 15 -
Tim Doty Blood Loss Size Amount Level Amount Every Tiny ¼ ¼ 10 minutes Very Small ¼ ½ 3 minutes Small ½ 1 minute Medium Small ¾ 2 3 rounds Medium 1 3 round Medium Large 1½ 4 3 SR Large 2 5+ 1 SR Very Large 3 Huge 4 Gargantuan 5 Size Tiny Very Small Small Medium Small Medium Medium Large Large Very Large Huge Gargantuan Knockback Distance 2 feet per point of damage 1½ feet per point of damage 1 foot per point of damage 1 foot per 1½ points of damage 1 foot per 2 points of damage 1 foot per 3 points of damage 1 foot per 5 points of damage 1 foot per 7 points of damage 1 foot per 10 points of damage 1 foot per 15 points of damage Armor The amount by which armor reduces damage is determined by the armor worn and by the type of damage done. Impale damage resulting from a special success attack takes twice the indicated points of armor to stop one point of damage. Brawl damage is unaffected by armor, but for other forms of protection each AP stops one point of damage. Chop damage is reduced by one point for every AP. Crush damage is reduced by one point for every AP, but for every two points of damage stopped one point of stun is done. Any armor in excess of the damage is applied to the stun. For example, cuirbouilli (6 AP) will stop six points of damage, but the character would still take three points of stun. Cut damage is reduced by two points for every AP. Fire damage is reduced by one point for every AP, but if the exposure is constant damage is cumulative against the AP of physical armor. For example, a character wearing cuirbouilli standing in a fire that does one point of damage a round would start to take damage in the seventh round. Impale damage requires 2 AP to stop each point of damage. As noted, if the attack is a special success it takes 4 AP to stop each point of damage. Stun damage is reduced by one point for each AP. Tear damage is reduced by four points for every AP. Excess Damage The most damage that a character can take from an injury to a limb is his HP. The most damage that a character can take from a blow to the body is triple his HP. The most damage that a character take from a blow to the head is five times his HP. Any damage beyond that is ignored. Serious Wound An injury is a serious wound if the damage taken equals or exceeds the character s Serious Wound Level. The location injured is incapacitated and bleeding. The exact effect of incapacitation depends on the location. Head: character falls unconscious. Wing: character loses the use of that wing and is no longer able to fly. In addition there is a two point AGI penalty and a 10% penalty to any Agility skill. Arm: character loses the use of that arm, dropping anything held in that hand. Chest (Forequarters): character collapses, unable to speak or act, but otherwise conscious. Abdomen (Hindquarters): character collapses, unable to stand or crawl, but otherwise conscious and able to act. Tail: character suffers a four point AGI penalty and a 20% penalty to any Agility skill. Leg: character falls down and is unable to stand, though if at least one leg and one arm are functional he can still crawl slowly. A four- - 16 -
Combat Sublocation Table 1d6 Head, front Head, back Arm Leg 1 Throat Neck Hand Foot 2 Face Skull Forearm Lower Leg 3 Face Skull Forearm Lower Leg 4 Skull Skull Forearm Thigh 5 Top Top Upper Arm Thigh 6 Top Top Upper Arm Thigh legged creature can limp with only three legs, but is effectively immobilized with the loss of two. Hit Location To determine the location struck, roll 1d20 for the character s shape (human, pixie, etc.) and the manner or direction of the attack. If the indicated location is not there for whatever reason the hit becomes a miss. There are six possible hit location columns, although not all body shapes have all columns: Unarmed: this column is used for unarmed attacks coming from the front. Melee: this column is used for melee attacks coming from the front. Ranged: this column is used for ranged attacks coming from the front. Front: this column is used for any attack coming from the front. Side: this column is used for any attack coming from the side. Rear: this column is used for any attack coming from behind. If armor is being worn by the piece rather than by the suit a given piece may not protect an entire location. To determine if the armor protects in such a case consider if the blow came from the front or the back for these purposes it is one or the other, there are no side hits. If there is still a question roll 1d6 and consult the Sublocation table to determine the precise location struck. Backplates protect only against hits to the chest or abdomen from behind. Hit Location Human Location Unarmed Melee Ranged Head 19, 20 19, 20 19, 20 Left Arm 16 18 17, 18 17, 18 Right Arm 13 15 15, 16 15, 16 Chest 10 12 11 14 12 14 Abdomen 7 9 7 10 9 11 Left Leg 4 6 4 6 5 8 Right Leg 1 3 1 3 1 4 Pixie Head 20 19, 20 20 Left Wing 18, 19 17, 18 18, 19 Right Wing 16, 17 15, 16 16, 17 Left Arm 14, 15 13, 14 14, 15 Right Arm 12, 13 11, 12 12, 13 Chest 10 11 8 10 8 11 Abdomen 7 9 5 7 5 7 Left Leg 4 6 3, 4 3, 4 Right Leg 1 3 1, 2 1, 2 Brassarts only protect the upper arm. Centaur Hit Location Location Unarmed Melee Ranged Side Rear Head 19, 20 19, 20 19, 20 20 19, 20 Left Arm 16 18 17, 18 17, 18 19 17, 18 Right Arm 13 15 15, 16 15, 16 18 15, 16 Chest 10 12 11 14 12 14 16, 17 12 14 Left Foreleg 8, 9 9, 10 9 11 14, 15 11 Right Foreleg 6, 7 7, 8 6 8 12, 13 10 Forequarters 4, 5 4 6 4, 5 8 11 9 Hindquarters 3 3 3 5 7 7, 8 Left Hindleg 2 2 2 3, 4 4 6 Right Hindleg 1 1 1 1, 2 1 3 Lizardman Hit Location Location Unarmed Melee Ranged Side Rear Head 19, 20 19, 20 19, 20 19, 20 19, 20 Left Arm 16 18 17, 18 17, 18 17, 18 17, 18 Right Arm 13 15 15, 16 15, 16 15, 16 15, 16 Chest 11, 12 12 14 12 14 12 14 12 14 Abdomen 9, 10 9 11 10, 11 9 11 9 11 Tail 7, 8 7, 8 9 7, 8 7, 8 Left Leg 4 6 4 6 5 8 4 6 4 6 Right Leg 1 3 1 3 1 4 1 3 1 3-17 -
Tim Doty Breastplates only protect against hits to the chest or abdomen from the front. Byrnies only protect the upper arm, chest and abdomen. Chausses only protect the legs. Coifs protect the head and neck, except for the face. Cuirasses protect the chest and abdomen. Cuissarts protect only the front of the upper legs. Gorgets protect the throat. Greaves protect the front of the lower legs. Hats protect the top of the head. Hauberks protect the upper arms, chest, abdomen and upper legs. Helmets protect the skull, but not the face or throat. Rerebraces protect the upper arm. Vambraces protect the lower arm. Visored helmets protect the entire head, except for the throat. Bleeding A character is considered to be bleeding if they take damage from a Tearing weapon, a special hit from a Cutting or Tearing weapon, any injury to the head and any serious wound. All of these factors are cumulative. For example, a Tearing attack that is a special success and causes a serious wound to the head is four levels of bleeding. Blood loss is tracked as damage. Damage due to blood loss cannot exceed five times a character s HP. The amount of damage taken depends on the character s size and the rate at which that damage is done depends on the level of bleeding. (1 point is approximately 0.2 pints or about 95 milliliters.) An injury with no bleeding levels indicated above is generally ¼, though for cutting weapons it is ½. Knockback If a chop or crush attack is a special success then the defender is knocked back by the force of the attack. To avoid falling down the character must succeed in a AGI/double knockback distance in feet resistance roll. In any case the character must spend the next 5 Fumble Table Roll Result 01 16 SLIP: Off balance, cannot dodge for the remainder of the round. 17 24 TRIP: Lose balance and next 5 SR is spent regaining balance. (Otherwise the character falls down.) 25 28 FALL DOWN: DEX/20 or drop whatever is held. 29, 30 FALL DOWN: Drop held and roll AGI/20 or take damage as from a 10-foot fall. 31 46 GRIP SLIPS: Fumbled weapon cannot be used until an action is spent regaining grip. 47 54 WIDE OPEN: +25% to be hit for the rest of the round and next attack is -5 SR. 55 58 DROP WEAPON: Weapon falls into the same hex. 59, 60 FLING WEAPON: Weapon is thrown (but not effective for damage) 1d6 hexes in a random direction. 61 76 STRAIN: 10% penalty with limb (two strains become a sprain). 77 84 SPRAIN: 25% penalty with limb and take 1 damage for every CON rounds of continued use (two sprains become a torn muscle). 85 88 TORN MUSCLE: 50% penalty with limb and take immediate damage equal to half the character s SWL (not less than one point) and again after every CON rounds of continued use. 89, 90 DISLOCATED JOINT: Unable to use limb and take immediate damage equal to the character s SWL. 91 94 FUMBLE BADLY: Reroll twice and apply both results (including additional rerolls). 95 97 HIT SELF : Do half normal damage. 98, 99 HIT SELF : Do normal damage. 100 HIT SELF : Do twice normal damage. Roll 1d4: 1 = Right leg, 2 = Left leg, 3 = Right arm, 4 = Left arm Leg: Movement halved, Agility skills penalized Arm: Weapon, Agility and Manipulation skills penalized Injured location is chosen by referee - 18 -