The Methods of Modern Battle

When the pleasantries of civilization melt away and the wild frenzy of violence begins, the concentration of the warrior splits between the meting of violence and the preservation of self. In combat, the actions of every moment count, and the way that a fighter spends them can make the difference between victory and defeat, survival and death.

# Preview

* Everyone in a combat gets 3 *Focus* per Turn, with which they can take *Actions* and *Anticipations*
* *Actions* allow characters to do things, such as moving with *Maneuvers*, striking foes with *Attacks*, etc.
* *Anticipations* spend *Focus* ahead of time to gain *Reactions*
* *Reactions* allow characters to respond to enemy *Actions* with *Ambushes* or *Defenses*

# The Basics

> *See **Combat Structure** to learn about Turns and Rounds*
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Everything a character can do is either an **Action** (if proactive), an **Anticipation** (if preparatory), or a **Reaction** (if in response to something else). In order to take an Action or Anticipation, the character must spend one or more of the 3 **Focus** he has per Round in combat. Reactions are gained differently.

## Focus

The ability of a character to do things in combat is referred to as **Focus**. Focus is a combination of the time required to physically carry out the activity as well as the necessary mental concentration to effectively perform the task.

As a general rule, characters have **3 Focus per Combat Round**. Most tasks take 1 Focus by default, but some require more or present the option to spend more Focus to increase their effects.

## Actions

Actions are taken on the character's side's Turn, of his own initiative. As long as it is his Turn, a character can spend his Focus to take any Actions he wishes, either alternating with his allies or going all at once.

There are eight types of Actions:

* **Maneuver**: Move to a new location
* **Attack**: Attempt to destroy an enemy
* **Reposition**: Get into a better position to mitigate danger
* **Observe**: Analyze the engagement area to assess the situation
* **Recover**: Deal with the stresses of combat
* **Aid**: Help an injured ally
* **Support**: Assist or protect a teammate
* **Hinder**: Impair or imperil an enemy

## Anticipations

Anticipations are also taken on a character's side's Turn, but do not result in any immediate Action. Instead, they are a way to spend Focus to gain Reactions for use in response to an enemy Action.

There are two types of Anticipations:

* **Watch**: Keep an eye out for enemies to **Ambush**
* **Guard**: Look out for threats that require a **Defense**

## Reactions

Reactions are taken in response to something an enemy does.

There are two types of Reactions:

* **Ambush**: Interrupting enemies with an Attack
* **Defense**: Protecting oneself from an enemy Attack

Reactions are responsive in nature, so they are always taken when an enemy declares an Action. Each enemy Action can only invoke one Reaction from a single character; he cannot make multiple Ambushes against an enemy based on a single Maneuver, for instance. Nor can he make several Defense Reactions against a single Attack.

There are three methods to gain a Reaction:

#### 1. Taking an Anticipation

A character can gain a Defense or Ambush Reaction that can be used before the start of his next Turn by spending 1 Focus on a **Guard** or **Watch** Anticipation, respectively. This Reaction has extra benefits based on the Anticipation he takes to gain it.

Characters may take up to two Anticipations on any given Turn.

#### 2. Steal 1 Focus from next Round

If, during the enemy's Turn, a character needs to make a Reaction but he does not have enough of them set aside through Anticipations, he can steal 1 Focus from his next Turn to make an immediate Reaction. This does not gain the extra benefits that Watch or Guard grant on its own, though it can continue to benefit from them if one was also taken previously.

Stealing 1 Focus from the next Round means that the character will have only 2 Focus on his next Turn. On any given Round, only one Focus can be stolen from the next Turn in this way.

#### 3. Abandoning an Action

If taking an Action invokes an enemy Ambush Reaction (see Making an Attack, Step 2), the character can cancel his original Action in order to make an immediate Defense Reaction. Abandoning the Action in this way completely nullifies any effects of that original Action, including any associated costs such as Breath or Ammo.

This is the **only** way to gain a Defense if an Action triggers an enemy Ambush.

# Actions

The following are all Actions that can be taken on the character's Turn on his own initiative.

## Maneuver

Spend Focus to relocate to a different Zone. See the Movement rules for more information on Maneuvers.

## Attack

Spend 1 Focus to make a Rushed Attack, attempting to injure or kill an opponent. This Attack can be a basic Attack with no Advantages or Drawbacks, or you can add 1 Advantage at the cost of 1 Drawback to specialize the Attack.

Spend 1 or 2 additional Focus on the Attack to upgrade it to a Deliberate or Concerted Attack, respectively, adding an equal number of Advantages to the Attack. Note that Attacks are limited to 2 Advantages, so a Concerted Attack only has one option. See the Attack rules to learn more about how Attacks work.

 **Deliberate Attack** | 2 Focus
 **Concerted Attack** | 3 Focus

## Reposition

Spend 1 Focus to change Stance to better fare against the threats of combat in the following ways:

* Gain Covered
* Become Concealed
* Go Down
* Return to Mobile, standing up from Down or abandoning Cover or Concealment, usually in preparation for a Maneuver

## Observe

Spend 1 Focus to make an Intellect (Investigation) Test that can be used in one of two ways:

1. As a Spotting Test to identify the location of any Concealed enemies, allowing them to be Attacked.
2. To study the battlefield for a tactical advantage on an upcoming Action, having the effect of a **Support Action** but with a personal benefit.

## Recover

After losing some Breath earlier in the battle, spend all three Focus taking a Breather, including making a Resilience Test for the potential of regaining additional Breath.

Bring a piece of gear to bear, restore equipment to working order, refill ammunition or supplies, or see to any other efforts that require time to set up.

Treat self injuries.

This Action is a work in progress. Ignore for now.

## Aid

Medical attention [ADD HYPERLINK]

Help prop up or even carry someone slow or injured.

## Support and Hinder

Support and Hinder are Actions that cover any attempt to improve an ally's capabilities, or reduce an enemy's capabilities, respectively. The exact manifestation of these attempts is up to the player narrating his character's efforts, adjudicated by the Gamemaster determining how effective his stated method would be.

Here are the steps in detail, though they can be streamlined once the Gamemaster and players are more familiar with the process:

### 1. Description

The player starts by describing what the character is doing and how it will assist an ally or undermine an enemy. The more tactically impactful or situationally clever the described method is, the greater the bonus the Gamemaster should give the player in step 3.

### 2. Skill and Costs

#### Skill Used

The player and the Gamemaster can work together to figure out which Skill would be most relevant to accomplish the stated effort, or which other Skills might be substituted at a penalty to Effectiveness (see Step 3).

#### Associated Costs

The Gamemaster will determine any expenditures, either mandatory to attempt the Action in the first place, or optional to improve the odds of success. The player can suggest additional expenditures to try and improve his Effectiveness.

* Always at least 1 Focus, possibly more Focus for more lengthy activities.
* Expending some of his Vitalities such as Breath or Fire.
* Material expenditures, such as using Ammo or depleting a resource like using up a consumable item.
* Determine whether the Support/Hinder makes the character Exposed.

### 3. Effectiveness and Difficulty

The Gamemaster then determines the Effectiveness of the Support/Hinder Action. He does this by assessing how relevant the described method of helping or hindering would actually be at affecting the ally or enemy respectively. Take into account the relevance of the Skill being used as well as the expenditure (or lack thereof) of helpful resources.

For Support Actions, the Skill Test will be a Standard Test, for which the Difficulty is always 4, with the Effectiveness bonus/penalty adding or subtracting Advances from the Skill Test (see below).

For Hinder Actions, the Gamemaster must also determine which Skill the target will be using to resist and roll that Test. Hinder Skill Tests are Opposed Tests, so the Difficulty for the Hindering character is set to the **number of Advances scored by the target plus 1**.

### 4. Roll Skill Test

At this point, the player rolls his Skill Test and applies any Effectiveness bonus or penalty and compares to the Difficulty as determined in Step 3.

### Support/Hinder Test Results

The effects of Support and Hinder are identical but opposite. Support grants a Difficulty-reducing bonus to allies when successful, whereas Hinder inflicts a Difficulty-increasing penalty to enemies when successful:

* **Victory**: Apply a **Moderate (-2/+2) Modifier** to the next Test the target makes, and:
	+ ✠ (1 VP) **Invigorate/Impair**: Increase the modifier by 1, to a **(-3/+3) Modifier**
	+ ✠✠ (2 VPs) **Bolster/Disrupt**: Apply the modifier to all Tests the target makes until the end of his next Turn
* **Success**: Apply a **Moderate (-2/+2) Modifier** to the next Test the target makes
* **Dilemma**: Choose one:
	1. **Paltry**: Apply a **Minor (-1/+1) Modifier** to the next Test the target makes
	2. **Strain**: Apply a **Moderate (-2/+2) Modifier** to the next Test the target makes at a cost, such as losing 1 Breath, Ammo, or Focus
* **Failure**: No effect
* **Disaster**: Gamemaster may choose, with some options including:
	+ Give an a +1/-1 Advance Effectiveness modifier to the target on his next Test
	+ Apply a **Moderate (+2) Penalty** to the next Test the acting character makes
	+ Apply **Minor (+1) Penalty** to all allies within the same Zone on the next Test they make

### Limitations

Support Actions and Hinder Actions must have a means of reaching the character they are meant to effect:

* For any methods that require touching the target, the character must be in the same Zone.
* For any methods involving conveying ideas to the target, the character must be within communication range, either close enough to speak, employing methods of voice magnification, or some other way of transmitting his words in a way that the target can hear. If the characters are far apart or conditions are noisy, penalties may apply.
	+ The characters must be capable of understanding each other as well, either by speaking the same language, having shared understanding of body gestures, employing mutually intelligible symbols, etc.
* For any methods requiring the ability to see the target, the character must be able to see him. Any Visibility penalties apply, as well as Distance penalties [ADD HYPERLINK].
* For any methods requiring throwing items to or shooting weapons at the target, the character must remove the object or expend Ammo. Any Visibility penalties apply, as well as Distance penalties [ADD HYPERLINK] (other Attack Circumstances usually don't apply, since a Hinder Action is not an Attack).

# Anticipations

Anticipations are taken during a character's Turn, but do not cause an immediate Action. Instead, they grant a Reaction that can be used at any point before the start of the character's next Turn.

### Focus Costs

The amount of Focus that must be spent to take an Anticipation changes depending if it is the first one taken on a single Turn, or the second one:

* First Anticipation: 1 Focus
* Second Anticipation: 2 Focus, for a total of 3 Focus to take two Anticipations

A character is limited to two Anticipations during a single Turn. The Focus costs may be altered by Talents.

## Watch

* First Watch: Gain an **Ambush Reaction** that can be used any time before the start of your next Turn.
* Second Watch: Gain a second Ambush, not necessarily of the same type as the first, or upgrade the first Ambush with an additional Advantage. The benefit must be chosen when going on Watch.

Note: You only gain the Ambush after the Watch Anticipation has been completed, meaning if going on Watch triggers an enemy Ambush, you cannot counter-Ambush immediately.

There are two benefits to going on Watch which apply to all Ambushes taken before the start of the next Turn:

1. The Ambush can be triggered by any Action an enemy takes, not limited to just Maneuvers.
2. A Concealed enemy can be Ambushed with a successful Intuition (Awareness) Spotting Test.

There are three types of Watch, chosen when the Watch Anticipation is taken:

* **Arc (Ranged Weapon)**: Choose a direction (a 60° arc), in which you can Ambush enemies. Any Ambushes made still suffer from the Unwieldy penalty [ADD HYPERLINK].
* **Specific Zone (Ranged Weapon)**: Select a distant Zone which you are Watching. Any Ambushes made against enemies in that Zone do not suffer from the Unwieldy penalty.
* **Immediate Surroundings (Melee Weapon)**: Ambush any enemy within or passing through your current Zone.

## Guard

Gain a **Defense Reaction** that can be used in response to any enemy Action at any point before the start of your next Turn.

There are three benefits to going on Guard which apply to any Defenses taken before the start of the next Turn:

1. A Defense can be taken against an Attack made by a Concealed enemy with a successful Intuition (Awareness) Spotting Test.
2. A Defense can be taken against an Attack using a weapon with the Instant Trait using Intuition (Awareness).
3. A Defense Reaction can be taken on behalf of an ally within the same Zone, if one can be narratively justified.

# Reactions

Reactions are a response to an enemy Action, either defensive or offensive in nature. See the rules for how to take a Reaction above.

## Ambush

An Ambush is an Attack made in response to an enemy Action. Ambushes act exactly like a normal **Attack Action**, usually a Rushed Attack, though taking two Watch Anticipations can upgrade a single Ambush to a Deliberate Attack.

### Limitations

* An Ambush can only trigger based on an enemy **Maneuver** or a different Action type taken while Vulnerable (such as an Attack with the Reckless Drawback)
* An Ambush cannot target Concealed enemies

These limitations can be bypassed by taking a **Watch Anticipation** during the Turn preceding the Ambush.

## Defense

Defense Reactions are Skill Tests made in response to an enemy Attack, to attempt to avoid the danger.

### Limitations

* The intent to make a Defense **must** be declared before the enemy makes the Attack Test. This can only be waived in rare circumstances, such as more experienced soldiers making a Defense against weapons with the Delay Trait.
* A Defense cannot be made against Weapons with the Instant Trait (such as a single sniper shot or other weapons that do not give any warning time to defend against)
* A Defense cannot be made against Attacks from Concealed enemies.

The latter two limitations can be bypassed by taking a **Guard Anticipation** during the Turn preceding the Defense.

### Skill Selection

When a character attempts to protect himself via a Defense Reaction, the player should describe his method of self-preservation and choose the most relevant Skill to match. Below are some descriptions for ways Skills can be used to defend, as well as some unique benefits to be gained from each Skill:

* **Coordination (Dexterity)**: Grab a Thrown Weapon with the Delay Trait and toss it away, applying the Defense Test results to others within the Zone as well. The difficulty of this maneuver applies a +2 Difficulty Penalty to the Defense Test.
	+ Victory: ✠ (1 VP) **Return**: Make an immediate and free Thrown Weapon Attack to throw the weapon back at the Attacker, with the Wild Drawback (-2 Advances). This Attack loses the Delay Trait.
* **Coordination (Gymnastics)**: Dodge, jump, or roll out of the way to avoid danger.
	+ Victory: ✠ (1 VP) **Dive**: Go Down at the end of the Defense Reaction.
* **Coordination (Reflexes)**: Sidestep an Attack or move erratically to avoid it.
	+ Victory: ✠ (1 VP) **Weave**: Remove Vulnerable if applicable, or else gain Evasive until your next Action, if you did not already have it.
* **Fitness (Assault)**: Block an enemy Melee Attack.
	+ Victory: ✠ (1 VP) **Deflect**: Inflict Vulnerable on the attacking enemy until the end of his next Action.
	+ Victory: ✠ (1 VP) **Brace**: Negate an enemy's Charge (removing his free Fierce Advantage).
* **Fitness (Athletics)**: Flee a dangerous spot to escape an Attack by Weapons with the Burst and Delay Traits. Normal Speed characters suffer a +2 Difficulty Penalty, Slow characters suffer a +4 Difficulty Penalty, but Fast characters do not suffer a Penalty.
	+ Victory: ✠ (1 VP) **Flee**: Expend 1 Breath to travel to any adjacent Zone. This **does** count as a Maneuver for the purposes of granting enemies an **Ambush**.
* **Intuition (Awareness)**: Notice the impending danger a moment before the Attack and avoid it. This Defense Reaction can only be used if a Guard Anticipation was taken, and it allows taking a Defense against a weapon with the Instant Trait.
	+ Victory: ✠ (1 VP) **Warn**: Grant all allies within the same Zone a -2 Difficulty Bonus on any Defense Reactions against the Attacking enemy until the end of that enemy's current Turn.

### Defense Test

Upon selecting the most relevant Skill, the player makes the Skill Test against a standard starting Difficulty of 4, and gains the following effects, plus any additional Success effects and the ability to spend Victory Points on the specific Skill's options (if any) as listed above.

* **Victory**: Increase enemy's Attack Test Difficulty by +2, and:
	+ ✠ (1 VP, repeatable) **Self-preservation**: Increase enemy's Attack Test Difficulty by an additional +1
* **Success**: Increase enemy's Attack Test Difficulty by +2
* **Dilemma**: Choose one:
	1. **Strenuous**: Increase enemy's Attack Test Difficulty by +2 at the cost of 1 Breath
	2. **Sluggish**: Increase enemy's Attack Test Difficulty by +1
* **Failure**: No effect
* **Disaster**: Give the enemy 1 free Advance on the Attack Test