Glossary

These are the terms that commonly appear throughout *Pages and Polearms*.

A character will have three armour scores; each one corresponding to a type of attack: *slash*, *pierce* and *strike.* This score represents that character's armour's ability to reduce damage. As such, the score indicates how much damage of a particular type is subtracted from an incoming attack.

For example, a character is hit by a piercing attack that would deal 6 damage. However, they have a *Pierce Protection* score of 3. They would only take 3 points of damage.

Armour also reduces a character's critical threat range.

### Attack Bonus

A score that determines how effective a character is at breaking the opponent's guard and landing a blow. It is affected by a variety of things, including a weapon's accuracy and a character's Skill modifier. In general, *Attack Bonus*and *Accuracy*are used interchangably.

### Base Initiative

The abount of Initiative a character begins an enounter with, before it is increased by the initiative roll. This value defaults to 10, and is modified by a variety of factors.

### Block

How effectively a character can deflect incoming ranged attacks. Defaults to 10, and is modified by a character's shield, among other things. Ranged attack rolls are made against this score.

### Critical Bonus

A character's ability to inflict critical hits.

**Critical Hit Bonus = A character's Scale Bonus, to a maximum of their Skill modifier**

For example: A character is wielding a longsword, whose damage scales with Strength and Dexterity. They have a Skill, Strength, and Dexterity of 14. They would have a scale bonus of +4. However, because their Skill modifier is only +2, so too is their bonus to Critical hits. Thus, a character with a critical range of 16-20 would have a range of 14-20 against this character.

### Critical Range

*Main article:*Critical Hits
A character's vulnerability to critical hits. By default, a character has a crtical range of 14 to 20, which is modified by armour. However, a character's critical threat range is also affected by their opponent's skill and scaling bonus, as well as their own.

**Critical range = Default + Skill Modifier + Armour + Opponent's Critical Bonus**

### Energy

A character is able to recover from strenuous activity after a short rest, but there is a limit to how much strenuous activity a character can take in a day. A character begins each day with an Energy score equal to three times their Base Hitpoints. For each hitpoint a character recovers naturally, they also lose one point of energy. A character's energy is replenished after an eight hour sleep.

### Fumble Rating

How likely a character is to fumble when attacking another character. Defaults to 1, and is increased by 1 for each point an opponent's Skill modifier exceeds their own.

### Guard

How difficult it is for an attacking opponent to land a solid blow. Defaults to 10, and is modified by a variety of things, including weapon bonuses, and the character's Skill modifier.

### Hitpoints

Hitpoints are a representation of a character's ability to shrug off minor injuries and continue fighting. A character regains one hitpoint for each upkeep during which they take no combat actions or damage.

#### Base Hitpoints

A character's default maximum hitpoints. Equal to their Constitution score.

#### Current Hitpoints

Self-explanatory.

 66% to 33%
 32% or less
 0% or below
 Below their negative hitpoint total

#### Maximum Hitpoints

The highest value a character's current hitpoints can reach. Normally, this is the same as Base Hitpoints. However, this value can be raised, such as by certain effects, or lowered, such as by Wounds.

### Initiative

This is the most important number in the entire game; the number around which combat revolves. Out of all the stats, this is the one that changes the most.

### Padding Rating

The total number of armour pieces worn which possess the Padding keyword.

### Plate Rating

The total number of armour pieces worn which possess the Plate keyword.

### Poise

When an attack deals damage, in addition to reducing the target's *hitpoints*, it also reduces their *initiative* by half that amount. *Poise* reduces the amount that their *initiative* is reduced by.

Speed

When at least one character is within melee range of another, *Speed* determines who may act first in the event of an *Initiative* tie. Affected by a variety of factors, including weapon speed.

## Other Terms

### Attack of Opportunity

An attack of opportunity is an additional attack a character may make in a variety of situations. They are provoked by a variety of situations, such as advancing towards the wielder with a weapon possessing the Fend Off  or Repel qualities.

### Bleed

Bleed is inflicted by critical hits made with attacks that deal slashing damage. During upkeep, a character loses one hitpoint for each point in Bleed they have.

### Cancel

Cancel is a condition that applies to abilities or actions. When an ability granted by a keyword or action is Cancelled for a character, the next time it could be used or taken by that character, they are instead unable to.

For example:

Player A is wielding a greatsword, which has the Fend Off keyword. They make a regular attack against Player B with it, which Cancels the Fend Off keyword. Player B then moves towards Player A. Since Fend Off is Cancelled for Player A, they may not make an Attack of Opportunity in this instance. After this, however, they may again make Attacks of Opportunity, provided they haven't Cancelled their greatsword's Fend Off keyword.

### Critical

A critical hit represents a particularly sneaky, clever or above all effective blow. While lost hitpoints recover after a battle, a critical hit results in damage that lingers after the battle. By default, a critical hit is scored on a natural roll of 14 to 20. However, this is modified by a variety of factors including armour and Skill. When a critical hit is scored, a number of things happen:

* This attack ignores the damage reduction offered by armour.
* The damage dice are rolled twice, and the higher result is taken.
* For every three points of damage inflicted (rounded down), the target receives one point in either Bleed, Fracture, or Wound, depending on whether the attack deals Slashing, Strike, or Piercing damage, respectively.

### Facing

*Main Article: Facing*
One of eight possible directions a character can face, corresponding to each of the sides and corners of a square. This determines which squares a character threatens.

### Focus

When one character focuses on another, it means that they are concentrating their attention on them. They can still guard and make attacks against other characters. Normally, a character can only focus on one other character at a time.

### Fracture

Fractures are inflicted by critical hits made with attacks that deal strike damage. For each point in Fracture, a character takes a cumulative -2 to base initiative.

### Fumble

A character blunders while attacking, and leaves themselves vulnerable. When a character rolls within their fumble range on an attack roll, not only do they miss, but they provoke an attack of opportunity, and lose their guard bonus against this attack.

### Pierce

A piercing attack is an attack made by a thrusting or stabbing weapon, such as a spear or an arrow. Critical hits made by this kind of attack inflict wounds.

### Priority

The character with the highest initiative has priority. That is to say, it is their turn to act. After an action has resolved, if the turn player's initiative is no longer the highest, priority passes to the player with the highest initiative. Unlike many games, it is entirely possible for priority to be passed back and forth between two players before a third player takes a turn.

### Puncture

Puncture is a condition which applies to pieces of armour with the *plate*keyword. Whenever a character wearing a piece of armour with this condition takes an action other than moving or turning, the following occurs:

* The character takes 1d4 points of damage, minus their Padding rating.

This is applied for *each*piece of equipment the character is wearing.

### Scale Bonus

A scale bonus is the bonus given to a weapon's damage and critical threat range from its scaling, before applying a bonus for wielding two-handed.

For example: A character has 14 strength and 14 dexterity, and is wielding a longsword. The scale bonus would be +4.

### Upkeep

Upkeep occurs when a character's initiative drops to zero or lower. The following occur:

* The effects of Bleed take place.
* Any effects with a duration have their duration reduced by one.
* All characters' ability to steal initiative is restored.
* All characters' initiative is increased by their base initiative. It cannot be raised above 20.

### Weapon Size Modifier

When an attack is made, the user's attack bonus is then modified by comparing the size of the attacker's weapon to the size of the defender's weapon, according to the following table:

The weapon in the first column is the attacking weapon.

### Wound

Wounds are inflicted by critical hits made with attacks that deal piercing damage. For each point in Wound, a character's maximum hitpoints are reduced by 2.