Attacks

Creatures can make attacks with either manufactured or natural weapons. These can be further divided into two categories: ranged or melee attacks. All attack rolls are made by rolling 1dW and adding the appropriate modifiers. If this total modified number meets or exceeds the target’s armor class, it is considered a hit.

The attack bonus for melee attacks can be calculated using the creature’s Combat Bonus plus their Power modifier minus half their Stature modifier: CB + P -  ½ S. Odd Stature modifiers are rounded down, and a negative Stature modifier does not grant a bonus to hit.

For ranged attacks, the attack roll uses Finesse instead of Power. Accordingly, the attack bonus can be calculated using CB + F - ½ S.

All weapons and armor have a Stature Minimum (SM)—as the name describes, this measures the minimum Stature that a character requires to effectively wield the weapon. The SM for most weapons and armors are listed under Weapons. A creature that does not meet a weapon’s Stature Minimum takes a -2 penalty to their attack roll for every point by which they do not meet the requirement. This penalty has a maximum of -10, after which the creature is unable to wield the weapon entirely. Wielding a weapon in two hands decreases the weapon’s effective Stature Minimum by 5. Dual wielding increases the Stature Minimum of both weapons by 5. This means that although a greatsword has a Stature Minimum of 20, a human with 15 Stature can wield it two-handed and consequently take no penalty.

**Melee Damage**:

The base damage for melee weapons is listed under Weapons. Depending on how the weapon is wielded, different modifiers are then added to this base damage. A weapon wielded in two hands adds 1.5 times the attacker’s Power modifier (min 0), plus their Stature modifier (min 0). A weapon wielded in one hand has its damage modified by the attacker’s Power modifier (min 0) plus half their Stature modifier (min 0). If the attacker is wielding two weapons, the off-hand weapon does not add the attacker’s Stature modifier to damage. Natural weapons are all considered to be one-handed weapons for the purpose of damage modifiers, unless otherwise stated.

Thrown weapons deal damage using the same rules as melee weapons. A weapon thrown with two hands deals damage as a two-handed weapon. Using both hands to throw individual weapons counts as dual wielding.

**Ranged Damage**:

The base damage for ranged weapons is also listed under Weapons. Note that damage dealt by projectiles is not modified by the Power modifier of the attacker, unless otherwise specified.

**Multiple Attacks**:

A creature can spend a full-round action to make a series of attacks, instead of one. As shown by the table above, as a creature’s Combat Bonus, or CB, increases, they gain an additional attack for every increment of 3.

Natural weapons follow slightly different rules for full attacks. A creature with natural weapons may attack once with each natural weapon they possess. All natural weapons use the highest CB of the creature, but all natural weapons after the first attack take a -2 penalty to hit. A limb cannot be used for both a manufactured and a natural weapon in the same turn.

Let’s look at an example. We have a character with a bite attack, a stinger attack and two claw attacks, who is also wielding manufactured weapons. The character could make their bite attack at +7 and their stinger attack at +5. Because they are using their hands to hold weapons, they cannot make attacks with their claws. After the natural attacks are resolved, the creature can then make a number of weapon attacks as designated by their Combat Bonus. Let’s say this character is a level 5 warrior. Then their Combat Bonus would be 3, and grant a corresponding full attack bonus of +3/+1 on a full attack. While wielding a single shortsword, they can make one attack at +7 and another at +5. If this character had the Two-Weapon Fighting feat and was wielding two short swords, they could then make two shortsword attacks at +6 and two attacks at +4.

Creatures with additional arms can make additional weapon attacks, albeit at increasing penalties. This is outlined in “multiweapon fighting”.

**Opportunity Attacks**:

In combat, an enemy may occasionally leave an opening in their defenses. This allows any threatening creature to make a melee attack as a quick action. This attack is called an ‘opportunity attack’ and is made using the creature’s highest CB. In order to make an opportunity attack, they must be aware that the target has provoked this attack. Additionally, the target must be within the threatened range of the threatening creature’s weapon, and the threatening creature may not be flat-footed against this target. Finally, if a target takes damage while performing any action that requires a 1dW roll, they take a penalty to that roll equal to the damage taken.

The most common situations which provoke opportunity attacks include:

Leaving a creature’s threatened range.

Casting spells with somatic or material components (if the spell doesn’t require a touch attack).

Making ranged attacks.

Reloading weapons.

Drinking items.

Standing from *prone* (as a move action).

Opportunity attacks can also be provoked in more situational cases, which are outlined in the relevant sections of this book.