Base Rules (Hellfire)

## Rolls

### Skill-Checks

Most actions require a Talent check to succeed. To do so a player must combine two Talents of different categories (e.g. Host + Spirit -> Strength + Focus to punch) and roll an equal amount of 6-sided dice. Every result of a 4 or higher counts as a success. The player either rolls against a set difficutly (e.g. 3) or another character and must roll an equal or higher amount of successes.

### Essence

A character may spend a point of Essence to reroll a *Talent check* or *Evocation Roll*.

## Focus

Some action a character performs require direct ***Focus***. Multitasking can be a tideous task and the more actions are performed simultaneously, the less ***Focus*** remains. Engaging into a duell while trying to keep up several illusions in the background will severly weaken the characters combat prowess for instance. To describe how much of their attention is occupied by an ongoing task, there are four types of Focus:

* **No Focus**
* **Faint Focus**- Tasks that require some though in the back of your mind but arent too complex. Examples are conversations, running or sneaking.
* **Intense Focus-** Tasks that require most of a characters attention and are exhausting to perform. Examples are fighting, playing an instrument, picking a lock or reading a book.
* **Absolute Focus-** Tasks that are so demanding that one has no energy left for anything else. Walking, talking or even being aware of ones surroundings become a task too great to undertake simultaneously. Examples are sleeping or specific Evocations.

When attempting to perform an additional task on top of the current one, the following modifiers are applied:

* **Faint Focus**- Reduces the characters dicepool by 2.
* **Intense Foucs**- Halves the characters dicepool (before applying negative modifiers but after applying positive ones).
* **Absolute Focus-** Reduces the dicepool to 0.

## Casting

Both Neverborn and Halfbloods have access to Evocations, supernatural abilities that allow them to shape the world around them. These Evocations each belong to a Road, a supernatural Lore which a character follows as their powers increase.

A character can learn up with 3 Roads which up to 5 Evocations each. Every Road contains a list of various Evocations, of which each can be learned on any level. The higher the level is at which the power was learned, the stronger it will become. Every Evocation has a ***Level Bonus*** that will increase with a higher slot. When learning a new Evocation its level can be switched with a single other Evocation already learned.

No Evocation has a predefined Skillcheck. Sometimes the Storyteller may still require a Roll, which should be customised to the specific situation it is used in.

### Evocation Rolls

Every Evocation requires an *Evocation Roll* to cast it. First the player needs to consult the strength of the Veil; which determines the difficutly of the Evocation Roll. In most material areas it is 9 or 10. For an Evocation Roll a player rolls two 10 sided dice; their combined result must be equal or exceed the current Veil Rating. Should they fail the chosen power is not cast.

In their Archform all Evocations can also target Neverborn.

Should the character roll a **double**, any Neverborn within reach will be alerted that someone broke through the Veil.

### Other Actions

* **Neverborn Aura-** When investing *Faint Focus* the Neverborn can make cosmetic changes to their enviroment to display their supernatural presence. These will never have a direct rule implication, but may serve to set the mood, bring in flavour or intimidate mortals.
* **Healing-** Outside of combat healing a point of Health requires roughly 10 minutes of *Absolute Focus*.

## Combat

### Initiative

A characters Initiative decides the order in which they are able to attack or take actions; meaning the chracter with the highest Initiative will always go first. In order to perform an action like shooting a gun or dodging an attack the character needs to spend their Initiative. This limits how many actions they can take within a round. After taking an action they can only take another when their remaining Initiative is again the highest.

Initiative refills at the start of every combat-round.

### Offensive Actions

All Offensive Actions require 5 Initiative.

* **Ranged Attack-** When firing a ranged weapon they character needs to make a Precision + Precaution Roll against Difficulty 1 or the targets Dodge Roll as long as they are within the weapons range. Targets that stand still/move slowly recieve *Lethal* instead of *Physical Damage* from the *Weapon*. They cause damage equal to the margin successes + Weapon Damage. Certain weapons can also be fired from the hip. When doing so the character can choose to fire any amount of shots at their target, but never more than their weapons Firerate. For every margin success a single bullet will hit; additional bullets miss their target.
* **Melee Attack-** When making a melee attack the character needs to make a Strength / Agility + Focus Roll against Difficulty 1 or the targets Dodge Roll. They cause damage equal to the margin successes + Weapon Damage.
* **Stealth Attack-** When making a Stealth-Attack a character first needs to make an Agility + Focus Roll against their characters Perception + Precaution. Should it succeed they may attack without their target being able to defend themselves; and should they kill their target it will be unable to alarm those around them. Should the Roll fail the target can either cry out or intercept an attack with a Strength/Agility/Firearms + Precaution Roll.
* **Casting an Evocation**

### Defensive Actions

All Defensive Actions require 3 Initiative.

* **Parry-** Should the character be attacked in melee (and possess a sufficient weapon) they can parry an incoming attack. To do so they must make a Strength + Focus Roll and exceed the result of the attackers attack-roll.
* **Dodge-** Should the character be attacked by a melee/throwing weapon or be in reach of Cover they may make an Agility + Focus Roll. Should the result exceed the attackers hit-roll they have dodged the attack and suffer no damage.
* **Sidestep-** Should no cover be in reach a character can attempt to sidestep a ranged attack. Targets convert *Lethal* into *Physical Damage* when doing so and may add their Agility Rating on their Soak Roll.
* **Casting a defensive Evocation**

### Other Actions

* **Movement**- Every character may move equal to their *Speed Rating* for free once every round.
* **Sprinting [3 Initiative]-** A character may increase their movement range through sprinting. This requires a Speed Roll and allows them to move equal to their successes in meters.
* **Healing [3 Initiative]-** A character may mend their wound through their unnatural powers, regaining D3 points of Health. This can only be done once per round however.

### Damage

There exist several types of damage:

* *Physical Damage:* Can be soaked normally and reduces a targets Health.
* *Mental Damage:* Can be soaked normally and reduces a targets Essence / Vigor.
* *Lethal Damage:* Can´t be soaked and reduces a targets Health.
* *Arcane Damage:* Can´t be soaked or reduced by Durability (vehicles). It can be chosen to reduce a targets Health or Essence / Vigor.

### Cover

When in sufficient cover (>50% of the targets body covered) the damage from ranged attacks is halved. In addition targets in range of the cover many make dodge actions.

#### Soaking

When recieving (most types) of damage the character must make an Endurance + Willpower Roll where every success reduces the incoming damage by 1.

#### Death

A character having their Health reduced to 0 doesn´t necessairly mean their death; but only the state in which they are too hurt to fight on.

Should a Neverborn/Halfblood have their Health reduced to 0 they will make a Healing action with Initiative 0 in the following round; allowing them to become active again. This can be done as often as they are left room to do so; the only way to really kill them is attack again when they haven´t healed yet.

When narrativly appropriate a human with Health 0 can be saved if provided with first aid fast enough.

## Might

Characters gain Might through:

* Making a pact with a mortal or pushing them in a direction that will lead their soul into the characters Realm
* Making a significant step towards the Hosts Desire
* Fufilling the Hosts Desire and therefor permanently binding their soul to their personal Realm

Might can be used to activate a Neverborns Archform.

## See also

* Arch-Form
* Character Creation
* Weapons
* Items