Other Combat Actions

COMPLICATE ACTION

The complicate action is an umbrella term for a variety of actions that involve blocking or stopping another person from performing a task. The character must declare this action as part of their mixed action on their turn. This can be used to defend another character, defend an object, or stop a character from operating machinery. As long as the Storyguide thinks it is possible for the character to stop another character from performing the action (For instance, it is very difficult to stop a person from opening their eyes in combat time) it is possible to complicate the action. Complicate action inflicts a Complication (Blocked) on any character attempting to perform the stated action equal to the number of successes spent on Complicate Action. If a character chooses not to buy off this Complication, then they automatically fail to perform the stated action.

Skill Used: Varies based on the action declared, usually Athletics or Close Combat.

THROWING

To throw a person or an object into someone else, you must first be able to lift it, requiring an Athletics + Might roll, or to put a wiggling, living target into a grapple. Once lifted, the object or person can be thrown as if it had the tags Thrown, Pushing. It is Storyguide discretion whether or not a thrown object is Lethal or Bashing, or if it might inflict the Stun tag as well. If throwing a living person, the damage dealt to the target is also dealt to the person being thrown. In the event of throwing a car, or a pillar from a temple to Zeus or other large object, the thrown object also gains the Shockwave tag.

MODIFIERS TO ATTACK/ DEFENSE ACTIONS

GOING PRONE

Hitting the dirt is a good option when someone is shooting at you but is significantly less good when someone is trying to kick you in the head. A prone target takes a −1 penalty to their Defense against characters in close range with them, and a +2 bonus to their Defense against attacks at any other range.

ON THE GROUND/STANDING UP

When prone, it is normally a simple thing to get up (reflexive action). However, if you are prone with an enemy in clash range then standing up gets more difficult. If there is an opponent in close range with a prone character, then the prone character must stand up as part of a mixed action. Standing up is an Athletics roll with a Complication of 1. If the player fails to buy off the Complication, his character takes an Injury Condition as his opponent punishes his attempt to stand.

AMBUSH

Sometimes, the best way to win is before your opponent even knows there is a fight. When attempting to surprise someone with a prepared ambush, the ambushers roll Agility + Dexterity vs. the opponent’s Integrity + Cunning to represent sneaking up on them. Players can also make a case for different dice pools if the situation calls for it, such as Empathy + Cunning to distract an opponent, or to convince them that the ambusher is harmless before the attack.

If a group is trying to surprise another group, pool the successes on both sides and divide them by the number of people on each side (round down).

The target’s roll becomes the Difficulty for the ambusher. After the ambusher overcomes the Difficulty, she may spend any remaining successes on the following effect:

Surprise (Variable): Impose a Complication on the Initiative roll for the opposing team by one for each success spent. If anyone on the opposing team cannot buy off the Complication on their initiative roll, then they do not get an action on the first turn of combat.