Tactical Exploits

**Tactical Exploits**:

Some actions in combat are not direct attacks, but instead represent an attempt to control the opponent’s positioning on the battlefield. These actions are called Tactical Exploits.

To initiate Tactical Exploits, the attacker must first successfully make a melee touch attack against the target. This attack can be made while unarmed, or using a weapon with the ‘exploit’ special property. All weapons have the ‘disarm’ special property. Additionally, all bludgeoning weapons have the ‘sunder’ special property, and all shields have the ‘shove’ special property.

Upon a successful touch attack, the attacker makes a Tactical Exploit check. The attacker adds their base Tactical Exploit Bonus (TEB), which is equal to their Combat Bonus + their Power modifier + their Stature modifier. This roll is made against the target’s Tactical Exploit Defence (TED), which is equal to 16 + the creature’s Combat Bonus + their Power modifier + their Stature modifier. When targeted by a trip, disarm, steal, or foul play exploit, a creature may choose to use their Grace modifier in place of their Power modifier to calculate their TED. This choice cannot be made if the creature is flat-footed or otherwise prevented from adding Grace to their AC.

When using an enhanced weapon to perform an exploit, the weapon’s bonuses are also added to the TEB, and to any damage if applicable.

Some exploits can be performed in place of an attack. In this case, the creature’s TEB is calculated using the CB used by the replaced attack. For example, if Te’Kel’s CB is 3/1 and they make a full attack but choose to use both attacks to trip, their TEB for the first trip is 8 as shown above. However, the second trip uses the lower CB giving a TEB of 6. Any exploit which is performed in place of an attack must replace an attack granted by their CB, Flurry bonus, or in place of an opportunity attack. They may not make additional exploits by use of any feats which allow them to make additional attacks, such as Two Weapon Fighting.

A creature’s Tactical Exploit Defense (TED is equal to 16 + their Combat Bonus (CB) + Power (P) + Stature (S)

Te'Kel’s TEB is CB(3) + P(4) + S(1) = 8

Te'Kel’s TED is 16 + CB(3) + P(4) + S(1) = 24

**Types of Tactical Exploits:**

(P/G) The defender may choose to use either Grace or Power to determine their TED.

**Disarm(P/G):** As an attack. The attacker attempts to strike a target’s weapon or other held object, knocking it from their grasp. If successful, the item drops into the square of the defending creature. The item also takes fall damage.

**Foul Play(P/G):** As a standard action. The attacker uses a variety of dirty fighting techniques to impede the target. Before the attack roll is made, the attacker selects one of the following conditions: *blinded*, *entangled, deafened*, *sickened*, or *shaken*. If the exploit is successful, the target gains this condition for one round. On the target’s turn, they can choose to remove the effect as a move action.

**Grapple:** As a standard action. The attacker attempts to gain physical control of a target. Targets with more than two arms gain a +2 bonus to grapple, per additional arm. Grappling with only one arm incurs a -6 penalty. Grappling is more complicated than most other exploits and has several components. Firstly, the attacker attempts to initiate a grapple. If their roll is successful, the target gains the *grappled* condition. The grappling creature is considered flat-footed and *entangled* while they continue to grapple a target. Against a grappled opponent, you can make a grapple check in place of an attack to deal damage, against TED as usual. The damage dealt is equal to the damage of the weapon used to grapple. Lastly, a grappling creature can choose to make a grapple check as a standard action to pin the grappled creature, granting it the *pinned* condition. While the target is pinning another creature, they take a further -2 penalty to their AC. Escaping from grapple requires a grapple check or Acrobatics check from the target, with a DC equal to the grappling creature’s TED. A creature may also use a grapple or Acrobatics check to escape a pin does not escape entirely, but is *grappled* instead of *pinned*.

**Overrun:** As a free action during a movement.The attacker may attempt to pass through a target’s space. This exploit does not require a touch attack against the target. If the exploit is successful, the movement does not provoke an opportunity attack. If it fails, the attacker's movement ends in the square directly before the target’s square. This exploit can only be performed once per movement. The total distance traveled during this movement is reduced by 10 unless the overrun succeeds by 10 or more. If this reduces the remaining movement distance to 0 or below, the attacker’s movements ends just after overrunning the target.

**Reposition:** As a standard action. The attacker moves both themselves and the target in a selected direction. The distance moved is equal to twice the natural threatened range of the attacker. A failure results in neither the attacker nor the defender moving.

**Shove:** As an attack. The attacker pushes the target in a straight line, directly away from themselves. The distance moved is equal to the natural threatened range of the attacker.

**Steal(P/G):** As a standard action. The attacker takes one item on the target’s person. This item must be one that could be hypothetically retrieved as a move action or less by the target. Additionally, the attacker must be aware of the item’s location.

**Sunder:** As an attack. The attacker damages the target’s weapon, armor, or shield. If the TEB check is successful, the damage roll occurs as normal for the weapon used in the sunder, but is dealt to the targeted object instead of the target. The weapon used must have hardness equal to or greater than the material targeted. Refer to the Materials section in the ***Game Master’s Guide*** for specific rules on damaging and destroying objects.

**Trip(P/G):** As an attack. The attacker knocks a target off-balance and forces them to fall over. If the exploit is successful, the target falls in their current square and becomes *prone*. If a trip attempt fails by 10 or more, the attacker falls prone.

Note that other scenarios may occur which could use TEB or TED. This is left to the GM’s discretion.

**Armor Class:**

Armor Class, or AC is used to numerically measure the defensive and evasive abilities of a creature: in short, how hard is it to land a hit? Mechanically, creatures attacking a target must roll equal to or above the target’s AC in order to successfully hit.

A creature’s base armor class is equal to 16 + its Grace modifier - ½ its Stature modifier. In this case, the Stature modifier is always rounded down. For example, the character Te’Kel with G16 S13 would have an armor class of 16 + G(3) - ½ S(0)  = 19.

Wearing armor gives a creature an armor bonus, increasing their AC but limiting their maneuverability. Functionally, this means that heavy armor restricts or caps the Grace bonus received to AC. So if Te'Kel wore full plate armor, which has an armor bonus of 6 and a max Grace bonus of 1, their armor class would be 16 + G (max 1) - ½ S + armor bonus = 16 + 1 - 0 + 6 = 23.

Natural armor can also increase the armor class of a creature. Unlike manufactured armor, natural armor does not have a maximum Grace bonus. If Te'Kel picked up a magic item which granted them +1 natural armor,  their armor class would be 16 + 1(Gmax1) - 0 (S) + 6 (armor) + 1 (natural armor) = 24. Note that natural armor stacks with armor to determine AC.

Some attacks instead target a creature’s touch AC or flat-footed AC. Touch AC is calculated without factoring in bonuses from armor, natural armor, and shield bonuses. Flat-footed AC doesn’t factor in Grace bonuses, Dodge bonuses, and shield bonuses. If an attack targets flat-footed touch AC, all these factors are ignored.

A creature that is unable to react to danger, such as a target who is surprised or being physically restrained, is flat-footed.

Some magical effects, like ray spells, only need to make contact in order to take effect. So for the purposes of calculation, they target touch AC.

The following types of AC Bonuses (or penalties) are used to calculate touch AC:

Grace, Stature, Dodge, Deflection

The following types of AC Bonuses (or penalties) are used to calculate flat-footed AC:

Armor, Natural Armor, Stature, Deflection, Enhancement

The following types of AC Bonuses (or penalties) are used to calculate flat-footed touch AC:

Stature, Deflection

The following bonus are not used to calculate flat-footed or touch AC:

Shield