Combat: Attacking
Attacking is based on your natural ability to fight; whether that is with martial arts, melee, ranged/throwing, advanced weaponry, or magic. To determine what your attack is you add your accuracy to a d10 roll. Accuracy is based on different combat skills, which are shown in the accuracy section below.
Accuracy + 1d10 = Attack Roll
You made attack rolls versus an opposed defense roll. The result of the attack roll must equal or exceed the total of the defense roll to be successful. Some exceptions based on the type of defense apply; see defense later in this chapter.
Attacking uses actions based on the type of attack. Regardless of the combat skill used, you always have to spend two actions for your first attack. You consider every attack after the initial attack an off-hand attack unless striking with the same weapon twice in a row. Each attack after the initial attack is an off-hand attack when dual wielding. See single-handed weapon attack and off-hand weapon attack actions earlier in this chapter for more information.
Accuracy
All attacks require you to have accuracy. Depending on the attack, depends on which type of accuracy you use. The table below shows which combat skill represents your accuracy for each type of attack.
Appropriate Combat Skill = Accuracy
Accuracy By Type of Attack
Increasing Accuracy
Regardless of the type of attack performed, you can improve attack accuracy by enhancing the skill used in the attack. For example, attacking with a claymore uses the Two-Handed skill. Increasing the skills total increases your accuracy with the claymore.
Higher Combat Skill Total = Higher Accuracy
Called Shot (Special Attack)
During combat, there will be times when you might want to attack a specific area of an opponent’s body. To do that, you make a Called Shot.
You can target specific areas of the body, such as the head, limbs (arms, feet, hands, or legs), and the torso. When you score a critical strike in these areas, you can inflict different wounds based on the damage type being used.
To make a called shot, you must declare it before you roll your attack. Once you have declared that you’re making a called shot, you exchange the d10 with a d8. Called shots that result in a seven or eight on the die are critical strikes.
Body called shot = 1d8 + accuracy
Head called shot = 1d8-1 + accuracy
7-8 on the die = critical strike
It is assumed that called shots that can remove limbs find the weak point in armor joints, allowing the weapon to pierce through and remove the limb.
Headshot
Making a called shot to the head differs from other parts of the body. While a d8 is still used, you also have a -1 to the attack.
Head called shot = 1d8-1 + accuracy
This type of damage is unique compared to the others, as you can only deal it through a called shot. Critical strikes to the head result in doubling the total damage, while a standard attack adds a base damage die.
If the target is wearing a helmet, the helmet will take the initial damage. After the helmet is destroyed, the target will receive the remaining damage. You can double the damage of a standard attack by landing a critical strike.
Limb & Torso Shots
Called shots to a limb is attacking any appendage that is not the head or torso (mostly used for movement and manipulating objects). Failing to make a critical strike but still successfully striking the limb adds one additional base damage die to the damage.
Successful Standard Attack = +1 Base Damage Die
Critical Strike = Critical Strike & Wound
Torso Shot
Called shots to a torso is attacking the main/largest section of the target’s body (typically where most of the target’s vitals are located). Failing to make a critical strike but still successfully striking the torso adds one additional base damage die to the damage.
Refer to wounds for more information if you make a critical strike.
Charge (Special Attack)
When you charge towards your target, it grants you a +2 to your accuracy and +1d6 damage, but a -2 to your defense until the start of your next turn. Charging requires additional space in order to build up the speed needed for the attack. When charging, you must have a minimum of ten feet between you and your target and you must be running.
Critical Strike
A critical strike occurs when the result of the die during an attack is within the critical strike range of the weapon. The critical strike range starts at ten, but players can decrease it by increasing their skills and masteries. When you succeed on a critical strike, you can add additional damage equal to one extra base damage die of the weapon. Some weapons have multiple damage dice, but you can add only one additional die to the critical strike damage. You automatically chained the first roll of the extra die with maximum damage.
So, if you have a grade one long sword, the weapons damage dice are 1d8 for the base damage die and 1d4 for the weapon being upgraded to grade one. If you critically strike using the long sword, you roll 2d8 plus 1d4 for your damage and add might once at the end. Here, let’s say that we roll the 1d4 and get two and a six on the base damage die (not the extra die) for eight damage to start. Since the extra damage die automatically chains its first roll, we will add eight (maximum on the die) to the damage as if it chained once already for a total so far of sixteen damage. Then we roll for the second chain of the extra damage die and get a four. Therefore, you did twenty damage for your critical strike.
Critical strike damage = +1 weapon base damage die that starts as if it chained its first roll
Some weapons have special abilities that give additional effects on critical strikes. Read the descriptions of your abilities, damage types, spells, and weapons before using them.
Unless the target is using Dodge as their defense and they roll a Critical Defense, critical strikes are automatic hits.
Called Shot
Critically striking when using the called shot mechanic has a chance of inflicting a wound. The wounds and called shot section in this chapter provide information on the different wounds that a player can inflict.
Critical Strike Wound
When a critical strike is successful, it automatically applies a wound to the torso of the target. See wounds for more information.
Damage Reduction Bypass
When a critical strike hits a target who has damage reduction, it bypasses it and they take the full amount of damage as if they didn’t have the damage reduction.
Durability Damage
On a successful critical strike, the following cause one durability damage to the target’s armor, should they be wearing it:
- Armor Penetration
- Blunt Damage
- Crossbows (excluding pistol crossbows)
- Arms (Guns)
Disarm (Special Attack)
To disarm an opponent, you make a martial art called shot to the target’s hand. You can only disarm one hand at a time.
Critically striking during a disarm attempt automatically causes disarm to succeed. Normal critical strike rules do not apply.
Disarming with a Weapon
You can disarm opponents with some weapons. To do this, use a called shot as if attacking with the weapon. If a critical strike happens when disarming with a weapon, standard critical strike rules apply with the hand being the target area.
Critical strikes ignore the regular disarm rules and allow disarming without damage.
Dual Wielding Weapons
Drawing two swords while staring down your enemy can be an invigorating feeling. However, making sure you know how to dual wield those weapons is an important bit of knowledge. Dual wielding weapons is based on the type of weapon being wielded.
Archery Weapons
You cannot dual wield archery weapons (bows and crossbows). The only exception to this is the Pistol crossbow, which is considered an arm if choosing to dual wield.
Arms
If a person takes at least rank one of the Ambidextrous Mastery, they can dual wield advanced ranged weaponry that are Short Arms. Otherwise, you have unlucky rolls on your attacks.
Melee Weapons
Your One-Handed and Off-Hand skills determine your accuracy when dual wielding melee weapons. You use your One-Handed skill for your main attack (costs two actions) and your Off-Hand skill for off-hand attacks (costs one action). Regardless as to if your skills are expertise or untrained, you still use them as your attack’s accuracy. See actions in this chapter for different attacks and the skills chapter for more information on the specific skills.
The melee weapons that you can dual wield can be any single-handed weapon that does not have the two-handed or heavy property. Ambidextrous Mastery enables you to use heavy and two-handed weapons as one-handed weapons.
Flanking
When two characters are on opposite sides of an opponent, they are flanking. When flanking your attack roll is lucky.
Flanking = lucky attack roll
If you have the Sneak Attack Mastery, the masteries damage applies to flanked targets who are not currently engaged with you.
Grapple (Special Attack)
When attempting to pin, grab, or restrain an opponent, an opposed guts check is performed. The grappled target cannot attack or perform any physical actions until they have broken free from their grapple.
Guts Instinct vs. Guts Instinct
You can move grappled targets around but at half movement and for every fifteen feet of movement they can make a guts check to break free. While grappled the target trying to break free must have the amount of actions for their check.
Grappling with a weapon
Some weapons allow you to use them to grapple with opponents. To do this, use a called shot as if attacking with the weapon except instead of adding your combat skill, you add your grapple as your accuracy. On critical strikes, normal critical strike rules apply unless you declare you are using non-lethal force.
Attacked While Grappling
If you are struck from an attack while grappling a target, the grappled target can make a lucky grapple check to break free.
Attacking Your Grappled Target
Attacking a target that you are grappling is possible if you have a free arm or use martial arts to attack with parts of your body not being used to pin the target. You can only use weapons of dagger size or smaller to attack with a free arm. However, if attacking the grappled target, they have a free action to break free before the attack. If their guts check fails and they remain grappled, their defense changes to that of an inanimate object.
Breaking Bones (includes neck)
To break the neck or limb of a grappled target, the attacker makes an unlucky grapple check (the defender makes a standard check). If successful, the defender then makes a stamina check using the already rolled unlucky grapple check as the difficulty rating. However, if the attempt fails, the defender takes damage equal to the attacker’s might and is still grappled.
For example, Shirazar the Karak Onca Halfoid has grappled a Blood Goblin and is attempting to break its neck. Shirazar rolls her unlucky grapple check and gets thirteen. The opposed grapple check by the Blood Goblin results in a failure as it rolls a ten. Following Shirazar's unlucky grapple attempt, the Blood Goblin makes a stamina check with a difficulty of thirteen. The Blood Goblin rolls getting a fourteen and instead of dying from a broken neck, it takes damage equal to Shirazar’s might and is still grappled.
Grappled & Tied Up
Someone may tie you up and grapple you in certain situations. When grappled this way, your guts check to break free is versus the object’s health that is binding you. The durability of the object needs to be converted to health for this difficulty rating.
While tied and bound, you can perform actions that do not require too much physical movement. Examples of such actions are channeling a spell that only requires your conduit to be touched, and the spell is memorized (assuming you have your conduit and it can be reached), rolling up to five feet per ten seconds (if you’re not bound to a surface), or giving nasty glares towards your abductors.
Size Differences
Whether your grapple check is successful depends on the size of the creature you are trying to grapple. The size difference is based on your size category versus their size category. The larger the creature—compared to you—the harder it is to grapple. Likewise, if a creature is significantly smaller than you, the grapple becomes equally difficult.
The attacker always receives the modifier to grapple based on the size category, and not the defender. Unless the defender is Teeny, and the attacker is a larger size, as they have lucky defensive grapple checks because of their size.
Grappling Smaller Creatures
Grappling Larger Creatures
Improvised Weapons
Mundane objects used as a weapon have the stats of the weapon they relate to the most. For example, a table leg mostly resembles a club. If used as a weapon, it would have the stats of a club. If an object doesn’t have a resemblance to a weapon, its damage is based on its weight. For every five pounds, the object deals 1d6 damage and objects that weigh less deal 1d4.
When using improvised weapons, the attack is based on the offensive combat skill you have as expertise. So, if you have martial arts as expertise, then it’s based on martial arts. However, if you have one-handed, it’s based on one-handed. If you have both, you choose.
Improvised weapons also are affected by martial art masteries. So, if you have Fist of the Dragon, the extra damage is applied when using the weapon.
Inanimate Objects & Creatures
Attacking an inanimate object is a standard attack, based on the weapon being used, versus the object’s defense of ten. If the object or target area is smaller than one square foot, the defense increases to fourteen.
> 1 Sq. Ft. = Defense of 10
< 1 Sq. Ft. = Defense of 14
The object’s health is based on its durability, which is multiplied by ten to determine its health. Once the health of the object is reduced to zero, it gets destroyed. When attacking an object this way, you apply standard damage.
Inanimate Creatures
Creatures that are helpless, unconscious, pinned, or unable to move their entire body (i.e. paralysis) become inanimate. Their defense changes to the indicated amount listed above based on their size in square feet.
Knocking Out & Strangulation
When attempting to knock someone out, a guts check is made versus the target’s stamina check. If the guts check result is greater than the stamina check, the target becomes unconscious. The target is unconscious for one hour if the guts check is one higher than the stamina check. For every point, the guts check is higher than the stamina check add one hour. So, if the guts check result is a fifteen and the stamina check result is a thirteen, the target is unconscious for two hours.
Guts Instinct vs. Stamina Instinct
If you are knocking out a target by strangulation, you can continue to hold the strangulation for an additional minute to kill them.
Mounted Combat
A mount is any creature that you can straddle and control or guide using a signal or physical force (reigns, the creature’s hair, special verbal commands, etc.). You cannot ride a mount that is smaller than your size category. Mounted combat has only a few differences between itself and standard combat.
When mounted, your size automatically increases to one size category larger than your mounts size category. However, if a massive dragon is carrying you and it is in control, you are not considered mounted but a passenger according to the description of a mount. You can communicate with your vessel and guide them to the location you wish to head, but you do not control them.
Mount Defense
When attacked, all mounts use their natural defense, which is listed in their stats. You can upgrade this defense using mount armor. See marketplace for more information.
Channeling While Mounted
Channeling when riding a mount requires the Mounted Channeling mastery. See the masteries chapter for more information.
Different Size Category
When fighting a mounted target that has a different size category than you, the following applies:
- Smaller creatures who perform called shots to the upper body are unable too unless using a reach or ranged weapon.
- You split critical strike damage between the rider and mount.
- The smaller creature gains +1 to attacks when targeting the mount, but a -1 to attacks when targeting the rider.
- If the difference in size categories is greater than two, the smaller creature gains a +1 to defense.
Mounted Ranged Attack
When making an attack with a ranged weapon while on a moving mount, the attack suffers a -2. You can remove this penalty with the Shot on the Move mastery. See the training chapter for more information. You ignore this penalty if the mount is stationary.
Same Size Category
When you are using a mount and you are fighting a target who equals your size category, standard combat rules apply.
Trampling
To use your mount to trample a target, the Trample mastery is required. See the training chapter for more information.
Sneak Attack
A sneak attack requires the Sneak Attack Mastery and is a lucky attack made at a target who is unaware of your presence or you are flanking (see flanking). It also bypasses many damage reductions as it is a strike at the vulnerable spots on the target.
Melee weapons that are not heavy or two-handed are the only ones allowed for a sneak attack. Some weapons are exceptions to this rule. The weapons descriptions specify if they are an exception.
On a successful sneak attack, the sneak attack damage applied to the target besides the normal weapon damage. You can chain sneak attack damage.
Surprise Attack
It is possible to surprise your opponent by leaving them off guard and exposed. All surprise attacks are lucky attacks. When attacking from a hidden position or a position where the target is unaware of your presence, it is a surprise attack. Surprise attacks have armor penetration.
When making a surprised attack and using your hide skill but the attack misses, you remain hidden using your previously rolled hide check result. However, anyone looking in the general direction of the failed attack can make a perception check to reveal your presence to them.
Throwing Weapons
A throwing weapon’s range is based on might. While technically any weapon can be thrown, some weapons are specifically designed for throwing, such as throwing daggers. Since throwing a weapon is based on your physical strength, it is not possible to throw them farther than your natural strength.
Throwing Weapon Range
Throwing weapons max range is five times your character’s might. So, if you have a four might, you can throw a throwing weapon up to twenty feet. Some throwing weapons offer a bonus or penalty to your range based on their size.
5 x Might = Throwing Weapon Range
Non-Throwing Weapon’s Range
Throwing objects or weapons that are not classified as a Throwing Weapon is also based on your character’s might. However, you can throw it five times your character’s might minus five feet per five pounds the object weighs (minimum -5ft. regardless of the weapon’s weight). In addition, if you do not have the Throwing Weapons mastery, the standard penalties apply for using equipment you are untrained in.
So, if you are trying to throw a long sword that has a weight of 3lbs. it would have a -5ft. to the range. Say you have a might of five, that would mean you could throw the long sword twenty-five feet minus the five feet for the long sword’s weight. Which results in only being able to throw it twenty feet. However, without the Throwing Weapons mastery you also have a -2 to the attack.
5 x might – 5ft. per 5lbs. = non-throwing weapon range
Thrown Equipment with Area of Effects
Some equipment can cause an area of effect when thrown. When you miss with this equipment, it changes the location of its area of effect. The new area is based on a d8 roll, with one being directly behind the target. Two through eight rotate clockwise around the target. The center point for the d8 roll is the target who you missed.
If the attack misses with a difference of 5 or greater, you throw the equipment an additional +5ft away from the target.
Tripping
Like disarm, tripping a target requires a martial art called shot to a leg or foot. If the target has more than two legs, at least half of them must be affected for the trip to be successful. For example, a giant spider would require four of its legs to be struck or bound for the trip attack to be successful.
Critically striking during a trip attempt automatically causes the trip to succeed. Normal critical strike rules do not apply.
Tripping with a weapon
Some weapons allow you to use them to trip opponents. To do this, use a called shot as if attacking with the weapon. On critical strikes, normal critical strike rules apply unless you declare you are using non-lethal force.
Weapon Range Limit
Attacking a target outside of a ranged weapons range causes a -1 to the attack for every 10ft. beyond the weapons maximum range.
