Combat Advantage

Combat Advantage is a catch-all term for holding an advantage over your foe in some way, whether because he left himself open to your attacks or because you took the initiative to seize the high ground or out-flank your enemy. The bigger your combat advantage, the more difficult it is for your enemy to defend himself successfully against your attacks. 
While you hold combat advantage over a foe, you might be able to make use of certain abilities which requires combat advantage.
==Combat Advantage Condition==
If you are able to gain combat advantage from numerous sources at once (such as having high ground, your opponent dropping his guard, or you succeed on a Subdue Action), your foe might be more vulnerable than usual.
COMBAT ADVANTAGE	COMBAT ADVANTAGE	Condition
Succeed 	Off-Balance 	1 penalty to Defense against your attacks, Susceptible to your Surprise Attacks
Succeed by 5 	Flat-Footed 	Lose Defense ranks (but not Dexterity), Susceptible to everyone's Surprise Attacks
Succeed by 10 	Helpless 	Lose whole Defense Modifier, Susceptible to everyone's Surprise Attacks
Recovery 	Automatic 	1 round
* Off-Balance: If you gain combat advantage against a foe once, your foe is Off-Balance, taking 1 penalty to Defense against your attacks, and becoming susceptible to your Surprise Attacks.
* Flat-Footed: If you gain combat advantage against a foe who you already hold combat advantage over from another source, your opponent is Flat-Footed. Flat-Footed characters lose their Defense ranks (but not Dexterity), and are susceptible to ever character's Surprise Attacks
* Helpless: If you gain combat advantage against a foe who is already flat-footed, or if you succeed by 10 or more on a Subdue action, your foe is treated as Helpless.
===Recovery===
How a character recovers from Combat Advantage depends on how the foe gained combat advantage in the first place. In most cases, a character automatically recovers from Combat Advantage as a free action at the start of his or her turn. This includes characters who have been unable to act this turn or have fallen victim to a successful Subdue action.
In certain circumstances, a character may need to spend actions to recover. This includes recovering from certain maneuvers or injuries, or moving away from a disadvantageous position (such as standing from a chair, fleeing from an opponent who has the high ground, or disengaging from combat with foes with the proper feats who are flanking you or the like).
==Gaining Combat Advantage==
You can gain combat advantage over your foe in one of the following ways:
* Subdue: If you succeed at a Subdue action, you will have combat advantage over your foe.
* Positional Advantage: If you manage to take a position on the battlefield which is advantageous over your foe, you can gain combat advantage so long as you can maintain that position. While there could be countless types of terrain or positions relative to your enemy which could be considered advantageous, the most common ones are listed below.
** Concealment: If your foe cannot see you because you have concealment, you are treated as having combat advantage over that foe.
** High-Ground: If you are on higher ground than your enemy (usually at least 3 feet, such as a few steps up a staircase, or atop a table), then you have combat advantage over all foes you are engaged in melee with who are on lower ground.
* Risky Action: Especially risky or foolhardy actions in combat may require a character to lower his or her guard. At the GM's option, characters who drop their guard in combat by doing things such as rooting through a large backpack for an item, crawling across the floor in search of a dropped contact lens, or the like grant their opponents Combat Advantage.
* Inaction: Foes who do not or are ineligible to take actions during a given round are Flat-Footed. This includes enemies who are stunned two or more times, who have been rendered helpless, or foes who are not able to act during a surprise round. Using an action to Ready still counts as using an action, so characters who only Ready an action are not considered flat-footed.
==Surprise Attacks==
One of the big benefits of Combat Advantage is the ability to make Surprise Attacks against your foe. A surprise attack requires a little extra time, or for your foe to let his guard down, to use successfully. This may include needing to get very close to an enemy (such as a vampire's bite) or the just a foe who can't defend him or herself adequately (such as an assassin stabbing an enemy in the kidney). It doesn't matter how you gain Combat Advantage, or what level of Combat Advantage you hold. Even a foe who is just Off-Balance is a valid target for a Surprise Attack.
Category:Rulebook
Category:Action
Category:Combat
Category:Combat Advantage