Combat Guide

In the unlikely, but sometimes inevitable situation where combat is triggered in a server event, this guide will outline Havoc's systems for handling that situation. This guide goes hand-in-hand with the Character Creation Guide and the Roleplay Guide which will help contextualize some of the character traits and attributes referenced here.

Please note this guide is only for combat involving NPCs or Event Characters. For PC combat, you are expected to be more collaborative with your peers.

## Initiative

Characters must roll for initiative, which will determine an OOC turn order. The command to do this is `/initiative` (**Dexterity**). Once the overseeing staff (For simplicity, we'll refer to them as the 'GM' and it could be anyone on the staff team depending on who is overseeing the event) has made the turn order list, each character will get their turn in sequential order starting from highest to lowest. NPCs will also get rolls and they will be interspersed in the order too. For transparency, the turn order will be posted to the Discord and the players involved will be pinged so they might reference it too. Staff will announce in `/event` when turns are over and the next one begins. Once everyone on the list has had their turn, a round of combat is completed.

Combat has no set length, but if it begins to drag on for too many rounds the GM might take action to shorten things so that things will go more quickly.

## Turn Actions

During their turn, characters have some options they might do. Characters get the option to make a movement and an attack.

### Ranged Attacks

For an attack, They could attempt to fire on the enemy with their blaster, which would require one of the following commands depending on what you want to do and what weapon you have;

* `/firearms` (For most weapons)
* `/firearmsburst` (Only for semi-automatic/automatic weapons)
* `/firearmsaimed` (Requires a round of setup + spending your movement to fire; See below)
* `/akimbo` (Dual-wielding pistols)
* `/gatling` (For gatling-like weapons)

These rolls are affected by the class trait you chose at Character Creation & influenced by attributes, and the place on the enemy you are trying to hit is random unless you are rolling an aimed attack. You may hit an enemy in any of these places on their body;

* **Head**
* **Neck**
* Weapon
* Left Shoulder
	+ Left Upper Arm
	+ Left Forearm
	+ Left Hand
* Right Shoulder
	+ Right Upper Arm
	+ Right Forearm
	+ Right Hand
* Chest
	+ **Heart**
	+ **Left Lung**
	+ **Right Lung**
* Torso
	+ **Spine**
	+ Stomach
	+ Liver
* Pelvis
	+ Left Hip
	+ Right Hip
	+ Groin
* Left Upper Leg
	+ Left Knee
	+ Left Shin
	+ Left Foot
* Right Leg
	+ Right Knee
	+ Right Shin
	+ Right Foot
	+ Right Foot

Some locations are more desirable than others. If you hit an enemy NPC in any of the bolded locations, they will be *immediately* killed, disabled or otherwise out of combat, as the shot is considered instantly fatal or crippling. This rule only applies to NPCs. However, keep in mind you also have a much lower chance of hitting these locations randomly, with roughly 2x the likelihood to hit a nonfatal location. If you hit an enemy in any of these nonfatal locations, it will deduct 1 HP as normal.

If you hit an enemy in their weapon, they are considered 'disarmed' for the next turn of combat and must rearm themselves before making another attack. They do not lose any HP.

#### Aimed Attacks & Precision Shots

Aimed attacks are made with far more degree and care than blindly shooting down the range at your foes. Thus, they require special attention in combat and roleplay to complete. In order to make an aimed ranged attack, you must spend a turn setting up your shot, being able to fire on your turn in the subsequent round. Then, on your turn to fire, you must spend your movement as well as your action to do so, essentially grounding you in place for that turn, and if you do decide to move, the process is reset and you must spend another turn preparing. Aimed attacks, like other firearm rolls, have randomized locations, but this can be changed if you are also making a Precise Shot.

A Precise Shot (also known as a 'Precision Shot') is a check that can be made three times an OOC day by a PC in combat. By making a Precision Shot, you are able to override the randomized bodypart roll with instead a target specified in your RP or by yourself in LOOC/OOC. However, you must *also* pass a DC 5 Perception check in order to successfully target an enemy bodypart, which is done after rolling your desired firearms roll. If you fail the Perception check, you hit the randomized target specified in your initial roll.

All firearms rolled are affected by the **Strength**, **Accuracy**, **Perception** and **Dexterity** attributes.

#### Throwing Items/Weapons

In some situations, you may be forced to or have the option to throw an object or an item at an enemy or target, like a knife or a rock. The command for this is;

* `/throw`

Similar to a ranged attack, if your /throw check beats an enemy or target's threshold your object/weapon will connect.

Throwing is affected by **Strength** & **Accuracy**.

### Melee Attacks

Or you might attempt a melee attack. Melee requires you to either sneak up on or approach the enemy prior to get into a reasonable range for a melee weapon, which means spending your movement for that turn. To make a melee attack you will only be using one command;

* `/melee`
* `/parry`

To attack a foe with a melee weapon you use the melee command. If you fail to roll above an enemy's threshold and they have a melee weapon active, or if you have a melee weapon and an NPC fails roll above your threshold, they/you may immediately attempt a parry roll. If the parry roll beats the melee roll, they/you get a free counterattack and may attempt a /melee for a free hit.

All melee rolls are affected by the **Strength** & **Dexterity** attributes.

If you are a Jedi, you also have access to;

* `/shiicho`

Which is identical to melee but accounts for the Force in your melee attacks.

#### Lightsaber Combat

A lightsaber is an elegant weapon, and thus when it is involved in combat it is treated differently when compared to other weaponry. Lightsabers are used with the specialized Form commands, with which form you use in the roll determined by your Jedi class trait.

* `/shien` (**Strength** & **Stamina**)
* `/makashi` (**Dexterity** & **Stamina**)
* `/niman` (**Willpower** & **Dexterity**)
* `/soresu` (**Willpower** & **Stamina**)
* `/juyo` (**Strength** & **Willpower**)
* `/ataru` (**Dexterity** & **Willpower**)

In Lightsaber combat, the goal is to beat your enemy's Form roll. For example, say you are a Guardian who uses Makashi. If you are in combat against someone who uses Juyo, they will make a /juyo attack and you will make a /makashi attack. Whoever has the higher number will win. If the number rolled is the same, then it is a tie and no damage is taken on either side. When one side runs out of HP, they are at the mercy of the victor.

Lightsaber combat is inherently more freeform and offers more options to the combatants as it is meant to be written based on the roll outcomes and not merely spamming Form rolls until one side is dead. Therefore, it is heavily encouraged and expected that those engaged in Lightsaber combat will use the Form roll outcomes as a guide for which side 'wins' a round and writes accordingly.

As Lightsaber combat is a form of Melee, you *are* capable of using the `/parry` command to attempt an immediate counterattack should an enemy fail to roll over your thresh in a turn.

All Form rolls are affected by **all attributes**, with each form being weighed differently based on the lore of their fighting style. The attributes which affect certain rolls are listed beside their base Form roll command in the list above.

#### Blocking Blasterfire

One of the more famous uses of a Lightsaber in combat is to deflect blaster bolts. In tandem with the Force, a Lightsaber is capable of diverting an enemy's shots, either away into a nearby surface or back into the aggressor for the ultimate attack of opportunity.

If you're under blaster fire (Slugthrowers *do not apply*), have the **Force Sensitive** trait and are wielding a lightsaber, you may attempt to either block or divert enemy fire using the following command;

* `/block`

A block is successful if you beat the enemy's firearms check. On it's own, `/block` will only divert a shot into a nearby surface, thus sparing you or others from harm. If you would like to attempt to divert the shot back into either the same enemy, a different enemy, or otherwise a specific target, you must make a standard `/firearms` check immediately after your successful block. If you beat your target's threshold, the shot is diverted successfully and they take damage.

#### Dual-wielded Lightsaber Combat

If you opt to use two Lightsabers in combat as opposed to one, you are entitled to use a special set of commands. For each Form command exists a separate 'dual-wield' command that is meant to be used only when you are dual-wielding lightsabers within that Form. These commands are identical in terms of Class prerequisites and Attribute modifiers, the only difference being that they make two attacks in a round of combat versus one, however the second attack receives a penalty to hit.

* `/shiendual`
* `/makashidual`
* `/nimandual`
* `/soresudual`
* `/juyodual`
* `/atarudual`

### Special Attacks/Actions/Benefits

If you took a character ability trait that affects combat (Defender1, HSF2, Rapid Stabbing, Throwing Specialist3, Rogue, Executioner4, Berserker5, Aggressive Negotiations6, The High Ground7, Red Dead), you may substitute your combat action for your unique command. These might not be damage inflicting, and instead offer bonuses to your allies or yourself -- It depends on the trait used.

#### Advantage Rolls

If you are entitled to an advantage roll in a combat setting, refer to the Advantage Rolls section of the Roleplay Guide for how they are handled.

### Movement

In addition to taking an attack/action, you are entitled to move during combat to a reasonable degree. Due to the limitations of GMOD not having any real fixed or measurable distance system, movement is more or less played by ear. If a GM believes you wouldn't be able to move that far in combat, you must adhere to their judgement.

An enemy may attempt to restrict your movement for a turn, if they are next to you, by grappling you (`/grapple`). You must immediately make a grapple check to resist, and if you fail to beat the number the NPC rolled, then you are successfully grappled until your next turn. While grappled, and on their turn, the NPC is free to take you with them during their movement to a new location.

On your next turn you may attempt another grapple check, and if you successfully beat their counter roll, you are considered free of the grapple and may make an action, as freeing yourself from a grapple counts as a movement that turn.

## Threshold, Hitting Enemies & Health Points

In order to hit an enemy, you must beat their threshold. Threshold is determined by a few OOC factors and NPC threshold is not publicly known, though you can certainly deduce it over time.

In order to be hit by an enemy, they must beat your threshold. Currently, *Characters have a static threshold of **5*** and this may be able to be improved in the future. Droids, for example, get a +1 to their threshold due to being inorganic. If an NPC beats your threshold, you are hit for damage. If an NPC rolls a number 1 below your threshold, you must use the `/dodge` command. This will determine whether you are able to avoid the hit, or are hit for a graze. A graze is not a life-threatening injury, and it only deals half-damage. Dodge rolls are affected by **Stamina** & **Perception**.

Each standard attack, if rolled above the threshold, will deal 1 damage to your HP. NPCs and Characters alike have HP. NPC HP is not publicly revealed though can be figured out pretty quickly in the midst of combat. *Characters begin with a static HP of **6*** and this may be able to be improved in the future.

If you are grazed in a dodge attempt, you take .5 damage. Critical hits, when rolled, deal x2 the damage and always hit. Failures mean you or the enemy wildly miss and nothing happens, with no HP deducted.

You can only fire on an enemy you have line of sight to. This means you must be able to see them in the game and be feasibly able to hit them in the situation at hand. If you are unsure on if you are able to hit an opponent, don't be afraid to ask the GM for clarification.

Some weapons have better range than others. If, for example, you are trying to hit someone across the map with a holdout blaster, the GM may step in regardless of rolls due to the fact that would be impossible. This is handled by a case-by-case basis and is highly dependent on what weapon you are using. If you're using common sense with your weaponry and within reasonable range, this will definitely not come up as an issue in combat.

When a NPC's HP is depleted in combat, they are usually deceased unless action was taken by the PC to preserve their life (I.E, stun bolts or blunt weaponry). If a Character's HP is depleted in combat, they will enter an unconscious state. Unless treated by a character with the Doctor trait following the end of combat, *they will die.* If a Character's HP is depleted by more grazes vs damaging hits once they hit zero, they will still enter an unconscious state but won't be at risk of death once combat is over.

## Stealth

Stealth is an option for characters, though it is only a wise one for some. Many classes and traits give you a bonus to sneak around, meaning you might be able to enter combat without giving the enemy a chance for an action -- They can't hit what's not there, after all. In order to sneak, you must first not be in active combat. They already know you're there, so trying to hide is pointless. If you aren't in active combat, you can use `/sneak` to start your sneaking. Enemies will roll perception checks (`/perception`) against you.

If you consistently roll higher than their perception results, you will remain hidden and, when close enough/in range, can perform a sneak attack or a surprise attack to get a free attack in outside of combat. If you manage to stay undetected following your killing and adequately hide the evidence, you may continue to sneak against the next enemy's perception rolls.

If you have the **Rogue** trait, you will have -2 to enemy threshold to hit a /backstab while sneaking and undetected by your target.

Sneak is affected by **Stamina**, and Perception is affected by **Perception**.

## Starship Combat

We have a separate system, similar to this one, for combat involving starships. Check out the Starship Combat Guide for more information.

## Creativity in Combat

If you are attempting an action not listed here, essentially 'being creative' in combat, a standard d100 dice will be used and the enemy will roll against you. Bonuses or negatives may be applied as the GM sees fit to account for the situation.

## Notes

1 - Defenders spend their combat action to protect a chosen ally and must use /defend to roll to beat shots fired/melee attacks against their ward. If they can't beat the enemy's roll, the ally is hit. If they can, they (the defender) take the damage as a graze.

2 - You must indicate to staff that you plan to use HSF at *the beginning of a combat round*, so you may take your action first. Failure to do this means you cannot use HSF until the start of the next round.

3 - Throwing Specialist's `/throwaimed` operates under the same rules as aimed firearm attacks, except it does not require the prior setup. It has a randomized target and still requires a Precision Shot to hit a specific target, though.

4 - Executioners cannot execute during combat, only after combat has ended. This command auto-kill any unconscious, prone or captured NPCs regardless of remaining HP, size or armor, and it may have other uses at a GM's discretion.**IT CANNOT BE USED IN COMBAT.**

5 - Berserker is limited to 3 times an encounter. Once Berserker is used, your character becomes fatigued, and their next two rolls will be accompanied by a luck roll (maxing out at 5), which you will then subtract from said rolls.

6 - You must attempt intimidation before Initiative rolls are rolled. You *cannot* use Aggressive Negotiations in the midst of combat.

7 - THG is *extremely* situational. Use common sense. Unlike Obi-Wan, you won't receive the enemy negative just for standing on a box over your enemy, for example.