Attacking

Attacks are what Combat revolves around. Using your martial prowess to inflict damage onto opponents. But how does it work? What kind of attacks can you use? Keep reading.

**Basic Attacks:** Basic attacks are made by rolling a 20 sided dice, adding any relevant modifiers, and your strength for melee or your speed for ranged. A basic ranged attack has a range of 7 squares.

**Alternate Basic attacks:** Instead of physically striking an enemy, basic attacks can be used to make Grabs, Knock backs, and Trip attempts.

**Combo system:** At every tier, the amount of attacks you can make during a single standard action increases by one. From 1 at first tier (levels 1-10) to 4 at 4th tier (levels 31-40).

The first attack always targets Reaction. A successful hit causes the next attack to target Reaction -2. Another success allows you to target Reaction or Repulse -2. Another success allows you to target any defense -2. A missed attack DOES NOT reset this target.

**Using an attack power:** An attack power has a description that tells you everything you need to know about it. Including action type, range, stat dependancy, and damage dice. Powers are usually standard actions, and can target all three defenses.

**Charging an attack power:** Some attack powers have charge effects. To charge, you must spend at least 1 power surge. A power surge spent toward charging DOES NOT grant PUB to the attack or damage. If you charge an attack, you may not spend a power surge to apply PUB. It's one or the other.

**Making a called shot:** A player may target a specific part of his opponents body with attacks. Doing so is referred too as a “called shot.” Called shots are more Difficult to land than normal attacks and require a full round action. To begin, a -2 penalty is imposed against an opponent who is two size categories smaller than you, each size after adding an additional -2. The inverse is also true, the players gaining a +2 against creatures two size categories larger than them and increasing by +2 every category after. A negative between 2 and 6 is then applied depending on how hard to strike an opponents limb would be. 2 for the arms or legs, 4 for the head or groin, and 6 for the eyes or throat. If you deal one quarter of an opponents total hit points to the same limb using called shots, you break the limb and the opponent suffers the crippled condition. Attacks with an area of line, beam, wide beam, Giant beam, burst, or blast can not be called shots.

**Grabbing:** You may attempt to grab a foe as a combo action. Rolling strength vs Repulse. On success you grab the enemy. While grabbed you and an enemy share the same square. At the start of the opponents turn they may roll an opposed strength check against you, on success breaking the grab. If the opponent fails, on your turn, you may Strike at an opponent with a single strong melee attack that ignores five points of their reaction. This attack deals tier+4 additional damage but immediately breaks the grab. Pin, which knocks you both prone but keeps the enemy from moving. Throw, a strong knockback effect that lets you knock the enemy back in a direction of your choosing strength x3 squares, but obviously breaks the grapple. When you grab a creature two or more size classes smaller than you, you automatically grip them instead. check the Size Classes page for more info on grip. You can not grab a creature two or more size classes larger than you.

**Tripping:** You may attempt to trip any opponent on the field you are engaged in melee with. To trip, you roll a basic attack against an opponents reflex defense. If you succeed, the opponent falls prone. While on the ground they are easier to hit with melee attacks. The prone opponent has two choices. Crawl half his move speed away, provoking attacks of opportunity, or use his move action to stand up, provoking attacks of opportunity.

**Charging:** As a full round action a character may declare a charge on an enemy in range. The charge allows the character to move double his move speed and make a single basic strong melee attack. Powers can not be used during a charge unless otherwise noted. When charging, you are able to move double your normal move range to reach the enemy, but only in a **STRAIGHT** line. No part of a charge provokes the targeted enemy, but un-targeted enemies may still take an AoO if you pass them.

**Knockback:**  As a Standard action, the character may make a basic melee attack against the opponents repulse defense. On hit instead of taking damage, the opponent is pushed in a direction of your choice strength squares. If you fail, the opponent does not move. Enemies who slam into an object take 1d6 damage that pierces all DR from armor. If someone is knocked back towards you, the attack roll targets your reflex, but takes a -2 penalty for every square the body must go through to hit you. If you are struck by someone being knocked back, both of you take a D6 damage that ignores DR from armor.

**Martial Clash:** A Martial Clash can be started by any character rolling a basic melee attack against an opponents reflex as a standard action and stating you wish to do such. This opening attack will deal no damage, but starts the clash. The clash is represented as opposed Martial Tradition checks. If both characters in a clash roll a result that is equal or within 4 of each other, neither is able to get an advantage and must continue clashing. If a character gets a result 5 higher than the other they are able to make a basic attack with a +2 bonus, and continue clashing. If the character rolls a result 10 or higher than his opponents, he makes a melee basic attack that automatically lands, deals an additional damage die, and knocks the opponent back strmod squares; The clash then ends and the player gains combat advantage against his opponent. A clash automatically ends after one player has managed to land three attacks on his opponent. While clashing the characters must focus on the clash, and can not take any actions other than their martial check. Also be aware that any ranged attacks fired at an opponent while they're clashing have a 75% chance to hit the friendly instead.

**Beam Struggle:** A beam struggle occurs when two energy attacks collide. Despite the name, they need not be beams. During this action, the character can take no actions aside from struggling. To struggle, both parties roll opposed Ki Manipulation checks. If the results are within 3 of each other or equal, the struggle is a stalemate. If one result is 4 or more higher than the other, that counts as a win. If one party wins three rolls (consecutive or not), they win the struggle, and their ki attack strikes the opponent, dealing an additional number of damage dice equal to half the rounds the struggle lasted. If the struggle lasts 5 or more rounds, both parties are fatigued for half the total number of rounds afterward. Beam struggling creates a zone of high pressure due to the colliding and overflowing ki's within the area. All creatures within 3 squares of the struggle, except the ones struggling, are pushed back. This zone can not be entered without passing a strength check (DC: 10 + average level of the strugglers + whoever's tier is highest). Ranged attacks thrown into this zone have a -5 penalty for every square of the zone they have to pass through. A creature stuck in the MIDDLE of the collision suffers 1d10+wismod damage from BOTH sources. If struck by an attack while struggling, you take a -5 penalty to your ki roll.

**Combat advantage:** Combat advantage is a term applied to any situation in which you have an advantage over an enemy, or an enemy has an advantage over you. When you have combat advantage you roll all attacks twice, and use the highest result. If any part of your attack calls for multiple rolls, only ONE of the attacks gets the re-roll.

**Criticals:** A critical hit (the dice shows 20 without modifiers) is a devastating blow. On these attacks you automatically deal maximum damage + 1d6 per tier, All damage ignores any DR the enemy might possess. Inversely, a critical fail (The dice show 1 without and modifiers) causes your attack to automatically miss, and you grant combat advantage to the target for 2 rounds.