Combat

## Definition of Terms

* **Action** – What a character does when it is their Turn during a combat Round.
* **Initiative** – A measure of how quickly a given character reacts compared to other participants in combat.
* **Round** – A unit of time, 3 to 10 seconds in length, during which all participants in combat have an opportunity to take Actions.
* **Turn** – The opportunity for an individual character to take Actions during a combat Round. Under normal circumstances, every participant in combat has one Turn, which takes place on their Initiative.

## Sequence of Events

A combat Round unfolds in the following stages:

* **Stage 1:** Initiative – An Initiative Roll is made at the beginning of every round of combat. The result of this roll, called the Initiative Score, determines the order in which all characters will act. At the end of a Round, characters roll for Initiative once more and begin a new round.

* **Stage 2:** Turns – The bulk of a combat Round involves each individual participant taking their Turn. When this stage begins, the character with the highest Initiative Score takes their Turn first, and may take any legal Action. A character may choose to delay taking their Turn, and instead allow the character with the next highest Initiative Score to take their Turn. After that, the character who delayed their Turn has the chance to take it or delay again, and so on. If every participant Delays their Turn, then the participant with the lowest initiative score is reached he must take his Turn, then the Round ends.
* **Stage 3:** Reactions – Combat is fluid and dynamic and sometimes an event occurs that triggers a Reaction. A Reaction is an action a character may perform when the set conditions apply. If no conditions are applicable reactions take place at the end of a Round.

## Initiative

The Initiative roll is dependent on Perception and Reflexes. You roll the highest of the two and keep the lowest. So, if a character has Perception 3 and Reflexes 4, that character would roll 4k3.

Conditions and effects from previous rounds may affect subsequent Initiative rolls.

## Actions

During a combat Round, every character may take Actions on their Turn. Although a character’s Stance can limit what kind of Actions they may take, in general, a character may take one of the two following options:

* **Free Actions** are minor activities that do not disrupt a character’s ability to perform other tasks during the course of their Turn. Unless otherwise specified, a character may only perform each Free Action a maximum of once per Round.
* **Simple Actions** are more complicated tasks that require more of a character’s attention, but not so much that he is not capable of taking more than one action at a time.
* **Complex Actions** are elaborate or time-consuming efforts that require all of a character’s attention in order to complete.

### Converting Complex Actions

You can convert a Complex Action into two Simple Actions, or four Free Actions.

## Attack Stances

Any attack a character makes against an opponent requires a Weapon Skill Roll tied to a specific weapon type like Swords. Attacks may be melee or ranged in nature, depending upon the weapon being used. These Attack Rolls are made using the rules included for Skill Rolls, and the result of an attack roll is compared to the opponent’s Armor TN.

You can also attack with a spell using a Magic Skill roll tied to a specific Link like Air. Any spell that targets an opponent, be it their Armor TN or one of their Link x5, is still considered an Attack Roll.

When you make a Weapon Skill Roll, or Magic Skill Roll, to attack someone in combat, you may choose the type of stance you take when doing it. If you do not choose anything, you take the Normal Attack Stance.

* **Normal** **Attack** – Attack is the standard Stance adopted by most warriors in a combat situation, and is linked to Water in that it is fluid and versatile. A character in the Attack Stance has no restrictions on the kind of actions he may take.

* **Full Attack** – Full Attack is linked to Fire, raging, and consuming all in its path.
* A character in the Full Attack Stance gains 2 Free Raises on their next attack roll. However, the character may not add Reflexes to his Armor TN.

* **Full Defense** – The Full Defense Stance is linked to Earth, reserved, unmoving, and unassailable. Upon declaring his Stance, a character in the Full Defense Stance gains Deflection and Cushion equal to their Defense Skill. However, except for Defense rolls, the TN's on all other rolls this turn is increased by +10 and the character is Slowed (See Conditions).
* **Focus** – The Focus Stance is linked to Air, calming, and reactive. You may spend your Turn focusing on the perfect attack. Each Turn you spend Focusing you gain a Free Raise on your next attack roll. You may Focus for a number of Turns equal to your Air Link. If you plan on attacking, you and your target can not move at any time during this Stance or all bonuses are lost.

Certain Conditions will give a character penalties to their Attack rolls (or rolls in general). The most typical are the penalties you get from Wound and Strain ranks. (See below). But many Conditions, such as Dazed, also give a penalty to you Rolls. (See Conditions)

## Defense

All characters have an Armor TN that is calculated by multiplying their Reflexes Trait by 5. Other bonuses include those granted from Stances, Techniques or from the character wearing armor, using shields of some kind. If the result of the attack roll meets or exceeds the target’s Armor TN, then the attack was successful and the opponent was struck with the weapon in question. Damage must now be rolled.

Certain Conditions might lower a character's Reflex Multiplier. For example, a character who is Immobilized only has his Reflex x 1 + Armor = Armor TN. (See Conditions)

### Deflection and Resistance

Various situations give a character, or an enemy increased amounts of defense. Usually, this is portrayed with Deflection and/or Resistance.

Deflection comes from impenetrable armor or deflective actions. This value determines which dice rolls you must drop. If you have Deflection 2 all *attack* rolls against you must discard dice rolls of 1 and 2.

Resistance is the passive toughness of an object or character. Resistance uses the Deflection value but works a little differently. If you have Resistance 2 all *damage* rolls against you must discard rolls of 1 and 2.

Deflection and Resistance may apply to all types of attacks and damage or only certain types. A fire spirit might have exclusive Resistance against fire damage and a gelatinous cube might have exclusive Deflection against weapon damage.

### Cushion

A Cushion rating is a value that you subtract from the damage you take. If you have Cushion 3 and take 6 damage, you only take 3 damage after Cushion has been taken into account.

If you hit a character with an unarmed attack, and that character has Cushion, you take Cushion Return damage equal to the Cushion amount, or the damage you dealt, whichever is lower.

## Movement

Since battlefields are commonly filled with obstacles, affected by weather conditions, lighting, and other characters fighting, having a constant movement speed for a character is unrealistic. The game operates in three very loose terms of range that is always up to Game Master fiat:

* **Close Range.** Everything that happens within 0-5 meters.
* **Medium Range.** Everything that happens from 5 to 10 meters.
* **Long Range.** Everything that happens from 10 to 20 meters.

### Move Actions

Thus, to traverse these ranges, the game offers three different Move Actions a character may take. They use up an Action, as described above, so choose carefully.

* **Free Move Action**
	+ A tactical sidestep in that takes an instant to do.
	+ Up to 5 meters
	+ Is a Free Action
* **Simple Move Action**
	+ You dash out of, or into, melee; or maybe you charge an enemy.
	+ Up to 10 meters
	+ Is a Simple Action
* **Complex Move Action**
	+ You traverse the entire drawbridge to ram the gate.
	+ Up to 20 meters
	+ Is a Complex Action

### Terrain

Movement is modified by the type of terrain where characters are located. It is far easier to run down a city street, for instance, than a rocky beach. It is ultimately up to the Game Master to determine what level of terrain any particular area falls under. However, as movement becomes more difficult, it requires more effort to achieve.
Terrain types and the movement penalties they incur include:

* **Basic Terrain**
	+ City streets, plains, sparse forests, etc.
	+ A character has no movement penalties in basic terrain.
* **Difficult Terrain**
	+ Thick underbrush, rocky foothills, soggy terrain, etc.
	+ You are Slowed unless you succeed a TN 10 Water Link roll.
* **Treacherous Terrain**
	+ Thick thorny bramble, a ledge on a wet mountainside, a slippery ice floe, etc.
	+ You are Slowed unless you succeed a TN 20 Water Link roll.

## Melee Combat

In most instances making an attack requires s weapon skill roll. But there are cases where the character handles melee a little differently.

### Maneuvers

When you wanna something specific with your attack, other than simply harming your opponent, you can call a raise to do so. The most common raise to call is one to perform an extra attack. Although you are not limited by maneuvers to show off your combat prowess, they are the guidelines for the number of raises you need to make.

But, as a general rule, raising an attack roll to perform a Maneuver doesn't require any actions, it's simply just a higher TN for you to beat. See the Maneuvers page.

### Wielding a Medium Weapon in Two Hands

If you lose your shield, or your off-hand weapon, and want to get the most out of your medium-sized main weapon, wielding it in two hands gives you a slight edge. When you perform the Parry Maneuver you get a free raise.

### Off-hand Weapons & Multiple Attacks

Many players are interested in having their characters use two weapons simultaneously. This is not particularly common practice. A character’s handedness is determined by the player.

* A character that wishes to attack with their off-hand can do so as a Complex Action. But since it isn't their primary hand all TNs are +5.
* If you have the Ambidextrous Advantage, and you wield a Small weapon, you get no penalty to attack rolls with your off-hand.
* If a character performs the Extra Attack Maneuver, with their main hand, and designates their off-hand as their secondary attack, their off-hand weapon determines the Extra Attack Maneuver's cost of Raises.

To summarize, if a character wields a Medium weapon in their main hand and a Small weapon in their off-hand, they would need to make 4 Raises to perform the Extra Attack Maneuver, since their off-hand weapon is Small. The TN for their off-hand attack would still be +5, unless they bought the Ambidextrous Advantage.

## Ranged Combat

The most common way to perform a ranged attack is with a bow. Although not the most common method of fighting, since it is impossible to use bows in the mist, and the most basic air spell thwarts ranged attacks, there are certain circumstances where it is useful. Hunting is a good example.

### Bows

A ranged attack with a bow requires a Complex Action. Pulling arrows from a cocker is a Free Action. This means, that most movement is rather restricted while using a bow. If you want to attack more than once, you can use the Multishot Maneuver.

You can shoot twice the distance of the Long Range increment without penalties. That's around 40 meters depending on weather conditions and lighting. If you wish to increase the range by an increment you simply need to perform the Farshot Maneuver. Bows maximum range is 180 meters.

An opponent who is attacked in Close Range with a bow has +10 ATN.

### Crossbows

A ranged attack with a crossbow requires a Simple Action. Reloading a crossbow is also a Complex Action. This means, that movement is very restricted while using a crossbow. Unless you have a special crossbow that lets you load more than one bolt, you can not perform the Multishot Maneuver.

You can shoot twice the distance of the Long Range increment without penalties. That's around 20 meters for a crossbow. If you wish to increase the range by an increment you simply need to perform the Farshot Maneuver. Crossbows maximum range is 80 meters.

### Thrown Weapons

To throw a weapon you should use the Throw Maneuver. Note that opponents who are attacked by a thrown weapon in Close Range does not receive a bonus to their ATN.

The Throw Maneuver can be combined with either the Farshot Maneuver to increase the range by an increment. Small-sized thrown weapons have a maximum range of Strength x 5, medium-sized is Strength x 3 meters, and large-sized weapons is Strength x 1 meters.

## Hit Points and Wound Ranks

All characters have Wound Ranks that describe the condition the character is in, and Hit Points which dictates how powerful each Wound Rank is. When a character receives damage the number it is subtracted from the Hit Points in the Wound Ranks. The resilience of each Wound Rank is determined by Advantages, Techniques, Spells and most importantly, a character's Earth Link.

As soon as a character suffers damage that begins to deplete a particular Wound Rank, the character is then considered to be in the state described by that Rank. Once that Rank has been depleted, additional damage goes to the next Rank. The ranks are as follows:

* **Roll Penalty**. If you have taken enough damage to gain a Wound Rank, you begin rolling less dice than usual. You can never roll and keep less than 1k1.

### Mangled, not Dead

If a Player Character is about to die from losing all his Hit Points he may instead declare that he wants a limb to be Mangled instead.

Which limb the player wants Mangled is chosen by the player but is up to GM fiat.

A player can do this once every combat.

Getting rid of a Mangled condition is something that requires high-level spells, prosthetics, or a miracle. See more about Mangled under Conditions.

### Recovering Hit Points

When a character is wounded, the magnitude of damage is crucial. For game purposes, three classifications of Injuries are recognized – Lightly, Moderately, and Heavily Injured– based on what Wound Rank that character left the combat with.

You can recover Hit Points by using Skills, Spells, or Magical Items. The most common method is a full day of rest. You can rest wherever you want, but in order to get the full benefit of a full day of rest, you need to be safe and have a comfortable place to relax.

At the end of a Rest you recover Hit Points as noted below. If a character is going from one level of Injury to another, the number of Hit Points they recover changes to the new state.

#### Lightly Injured

A Character ending combat on the Healthy or Bloodied Wound Rank counts as Lightly Injured.

Lightly Injured Characters recovers a number of Hit Points equal to Earth Trait x 4 with a full day of rest. Moving around while Lightly Injured reduces the number of Hit Points recovered to Earth Trait x 2.

#### Moderately Injured

A Character ending combat on the Injured or Crippled Wound Rank counts as Moderately Injured.

Moderately Injured Characters recovers a number of Hit Points equal to Earth Trait x 3 with a full day of rest. Moving around while Moderately Injured reduces the number of Hit Points recovered to Earth Trait x 2.

#### Heavily Injured

Finally, a character that ends combat on the Down or Out Wound Rank is considered Heavily Injured.

Heavily Injured Characters recovers a number of Hit Points equal to Earth Trait x 2 with a full day of rest. Moving around while Heavily Injured reduces the number of Hit Points recovered to 1.

## Sanity Points and Stress Ranks

Characters are agents of fate and when they meddle too much with chaos their psyche falters. Just like Wound Ranks all characters have Stress Ranks. These indicate a character's state of mind and each rank has Sanity Points that dictate how strong it is.

When a character is subject to unearthly terror or mind-affecting spells he takes Sanity Damage. The resilience of each Stress Rank is determined by Advantages, Techniques, Spells and most importantly, a character's Intelligence and Willpower Links.

When a character takes Sanity damage he subtracts that from his current Stress Rank. Once that Rank has been depleted, additional damage goes to the next Rank. The character is then considered to be in the state described by that Rank. The ranks are as follows:

### Breakdowns

Breakdowns are short, wildly erratic and destructive fits of insanity that takes over your character. When you gain a Stress Rank you roll a Sanity Roll, which is a Willpower / Intelligence roll (roll highest, keep lowest), to see if you have a Breakdown. The severity of the Breakdown, and the TN, is dependent on your current Stress Rank as shown in the table above.

If a single instance gives you so much Sanity damage that you gain more than 1 Stress Rank, you add +5 to the Breakdown TN per skipped Stress Rank.

If you fail the test, you have a Breakdown and must roll a 1k1 + Stress Rank to see which mental Affliction you must suffer, on the Breakdown table:

### Aftermath

When you are rid of the Breakdown you recover a bit of sanity and become temporarily hardened to new stressful influence.

You may reduce the next Sanity damage you take by an amount equal to the severity of the Breakdown. If you had a Breakdown while moving into Stress Rank 3: Delirious, you now have a mental "cushion" against Sanity damage of 3. On the flip side, your mind is drained, and you suffer -Xk0 to all Social skill rolls, where X is the Severity of the Breakdown. They also stack with the Unfazeable advantage and the Asocial disadvantage.

The aftermath of a Breakdown last until the Character has had a nice long rest, in a comfortable bed, in safe environments.

### Recovering Sanity Points

The safest way to treat stress is total relaxation. An extended rest, in a comfortable bed, recovers 1 Stress Rank per day.

Certain potions, herbs, skills, and spells can heal Sanity Points even faster. Some have drawbacks, some just take the edge off. But if you have none of the above, you can always choose to receive an Omen.

### Omens

Any time during play, as a complex action, you can let off some mental steam by directing all that penned up stress to get a glimpse of the beyond. You perceive hidden patterns, gleam a vision from the future or divine a sign from the gods. An omen that is both beneficial and mischievous.

Omens change the way to player perceives the world, because once the veil is lifted, nothing is as it was. This boon mostly affects the character that received the omen. But some residue usually spills out and affects everyone else as well.

When you choose to take an omen, you gain some of your Sanity back. You must roll or be subject to DM fiat for which omen you receive. The roll is 1d50 and the table is secret.

Once a character receives an Omen, he cannot receive any other, until he is rid of that Omen. Like regular Sanity Recovery, extended rest in safe environments whisks the Omens away... if that is the character's wish.

## Poise and Strain Ranks

Equipment weight is not the only factor when determining your character's posture and general ability to act freely. Odd sized weapons, huge ball gowns, and loosely fitted armor can be an equally, or greater hindrance when determining this. Likewise, crippling diseases, debilitating attacks or exhaustion may also play a part. Poise encompasses all these factors and the worse off you are, the more strain you have.

All characters have Poise equal to their 5 + Stamina + Strength in their first Strain Rank. All other ranks have a fixed value.

Each piece of equipment has a negative Poise value indicated. This is subtracted from each Strain Rank, starting with the first one. Characters that gain Strain Ranks move slower, respond sluggishly, and fail to execute the most basic tasks properly.

As long as you wield or equip items that cost Poise you remain in your current Strain Rank.

* **Movement Penalty**. Your Water Link determines your movement speed. With each Strain Rank it becomes more and more difficult to move. Until, at last, you become immobile.
* **Roll Penalty**. When you gain a Strain Rank, you roll less dice. You can never roll less than 1 dice.

### Regaining Poise

If you take Poise Damage from an attack or spell, it is only temporary, and by taking a breather, you can recover a bit of that poise, until your reach you general Strain Rank (see above).

By taking the Attack or Full Defense Stance you may recover a bit of Poise at the start of your Turn.

* The Attack Stance lets you recover your Earth x 1 Poise.
* The Full Defense Stance lets you recover your Earth x 2 Poise.

## Ambush & Other Surprises

Under certain circumstances, it is possible for one group of combatants to surprise another. Usually this is resolved by making a Contested Stealth (Ambush) / Agility roll opposed by the unaware group’s Investigation (Notice) / Perception before the first Stage of the combat begins. This roll may either use the Cumulative Skill Rolls rule or, if the GM prefers, or simply be individual contested rolls.

* If the ambushing party wins they get a bonus to the first Initiative roll equal to the difference in the Contested roll.
* If the ambushing party wins with more than +20 on their roll, they get to act for a whole round before regular combat begins, and their targets are Flatfooted (see Conditions)
* If the ambushing party loses, then nothing happens and regular combat begins.

## Falling

Other than combat, the most common environmental risks of damage a character faces are from falling. Falls of less than about 3 meters will typically not inflict meaningful damage, although the GM can use discretion for unusual circumstances (such as falling onto sharp rocks). Falls from higher than 3 meters causes increasingly more and more damage.

* 3 meters - 1k1
* 6 meters - 3K3
* 9 meters - 6K6
* 12 meters - 12K12
* 15 meters - 24k24 etc.

## Swimming and Drowning

A character can swim in calm water for a number of minutes equal to Earth x 10. Earth x 5 if a character is wearing Light Armor. Earth x 2 if a character is wearing Heavy Armor.

After that period characters require an Athletics(Swimming)/Strength at TN 10 each minute to stay afloat. This TN is 15 if the character is wearing Light Armor, and 20 if the character is wearing Heavy Armor.

The GM may increase this TN to reflect difficult circumstances such as a storm-tossed sea.

Once the character fails the roll, he can hold his breath for a number of Rounds equal to his Stamina, during which time he can continue trying to make the Athletics roll to resume swimming. If he is still underwater when his Stamina runs out, he begins drowning, taking 2k2 points of damage per Round. A drowning character is helpless and cannot take any Actions until rescued.

## Holding Your Breath and Suffocation

A character can hold his breath for a number of Rounds equal to his Stamina x 10 if he takes no Actions. If a character only takes Simple Actions, he may hold his breath for a number of Rounds equal to his Stamina x 5. If he wants to hold his breath, with no restrain to any actions, can hold his breath a number of Rounds equal to his Stamina x 1.

Note, characters who hold their breath, cannot speak and cannot cast any Air spells.