II.C. The Combat System - Melee
Whenever a character engages in melee combat, the player must first state a course of action. This is the character's statement of intent. Once all players have established their character's intent, then the character's begin resolving their actions. Examples of actions or intents include a character moving, preparing to cast a spell, or engaging in melee.
Combat resolves on a second to second time frame. When combat begins, an increasing count representing passing seconds begins. While the time count for combat does not necessarily measure exactly 1 second for 1 second, it assumes a close approximation.
Every statement of intent has an associated initiative. This represents the time to complete this action during the stress and chaos of battle. When the initiative for the action completes, the resolution for the action begins, i.e. an attack roll is made, a skill check is made, etc.
After determining the results of the action, the player makes a new statement of intent for the character. This new course of action follows the same process, i.e. determine initiative, all the action to take place, resolve the action. This process repeats untill the combat concludes.
Once a character engages in melee, and makes his or her statement of intent, the character must make an initiative roll. For most actions, the Game Master assigns a range of time to complete the action, and then the player rolls to see how long it takes his or her character to complete the action. For a list of common actions, please look at Table II.C.2-a, Common Action Initiatives.
When making an attack, the speed of the weapon used determines the random initiative of the attack. Table II.F. lists the speed of each weapon. A speed of 12, e.g. a battle axe, generates an initiative between 1 and 12 (1d12), and a weapon speed of 6, e.g. a dagger, generates an initiative of 1d6. When a character decides to attack his or her opponent, the statement of intent should include the method of the attack, i.e. slashing, thrusting, etc.
A character may use the Agility Modifier to subtract from the weapon speed. For example, a character with an Agility Modifier of +2 attacks with a weapon with speed 12, and the resulting initiative check is 1d10 (12 - 2 = 10). If the character applies his or her Agility Modifier to Initiative, i.e. makes a Fast attack, he or she cannot apply it to the Weapon Skill. No matter how fast the character can react or what additional bonuses may apply, one cannot act before one starts, i.e. no initiative can be negative. Initiative speed is an exception to the general rule that a bonus is always added, and a penalty subtracted.
The reach and threat range of a weapon play an important aspect of combat as well. To simulate this, the attacker with the longer weapon receives a bonus to initiative equal to every foot of difference between each weapon's reach, while the attacker with the short weapon receives an equal penalty.
Once the initiative count starts, and the character begins his or weapon speed count, a change to intent or disengagement requires a two second penalty. When the character reaches the weapon speed initiative, the attack roll is made.
After the attack roll the character must wait until the next second to make the next statement of intent, repeating the cycle until concluding the conflict.
Three elements contribute to a character's attack bonus: raw natural aptitude, experience and skill in combat, and skill with the weapon used.
Calculate the the first element by adding the character's Strength (STR), Agility (AGI), and Perception (PER) together. This total represents the natural aptitude of the individual.
The character's level adds to his or her Combat Skill Level, and represents the character's experience and skill in combat. To determine the Combat Skill Level, add the total of all Learning Points (LP) that the character has assigned to the appropriate weapon and combat related skills, and finding the Skill Level (SL) that results.
For this purpose, combat skills are grouped into three categories - Melee, Hurled, & Missile. Melee includes all melee combat skills, from melee weapons, maneuvers, fast-draw melee weapon skills, and such skills as blind fighting. The Melee Combat Skill also plays a significant role in determining the amount of stamina a character has, as described in rules for Damage. Hurled combat skills include all hurled weapon skills and fast-draw hurled weapon skills. Missile combat skills include all missile weapon skills (normally, bow, crossbow, and sling) and all fast-draw missile skills.
The Combat Skill total includes a limited amount of Learning Points from non-weapon skills. The following skills contribute in this manner to the Melee Combat Skill: Alertness, Balance & Footwork, Blind-Fighting, Shield, Tactics.
Finally, the third element is the skill the individual has with the weapon. For SL 1-3, the individual receives a bonus of 1 point per SL. The character gains +2 for each SL from 4 to 7, +3 for each SL from 8 to 11, +4 for each SL from 12-14, and +5 for each SL from 15-20. The chart below maps out the these bonuses. Other benefits may be gained from having high weapon skills, but the individual weapon skill description should be consulted for details.
| Weapon Skill | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|
| 1 | +1 |
| 2 | +2 |
| 3 | +3 |
| 4 | +5 |
| 5 | +7 |
| 6 | +9 |
| 7 | +11 |
| 8 | +14 |
| 9 | +17 |
| 10 | +20 |
| 11 | +23 |
| 12 | +27 |
| 13 | +31 |
| 14 | +35 |
| 15 | +40 |
| 16 | +45 |
| 17 | +50 |
| 18 | +55 |
| 19 | +60 |
| 20 | +65 |
A character may apply his or her STR or AGI modifier to the Weapon Skill. The AGI modifier only applies if it was not used on Initiative. The STR modifier only applies if it is not used for Damage. A character uses the Effective Skill Level of the weapon to determine his or her attack bonus.
The player rolls percentile dice to determine the success of the character's attack. The player then adds the Attack Bonus and all appropriate modifiers. If the total equals or exceeds 100, then the character connected. If not, then the character has failed to make connection with his or her opponent.
A natural roll of 05 or lower indicates the chance for a critical miss. A second percentile roll should then be made, and the Critical Miss chart consulted for the results.
A natural roll of 96 or higher indicates that a critical strike has been made. An unmodified 96 should be treated in all ways as though the player rolled 105, a 97 as though the character rolled 110, a 98 as though 115 were rolled, a 99 as though 120 were rolled, and a 100 as though 125 were rolled. A second percentile roll should then be made, and the Critical Hit chart consulted for the results of the critical strike. A character may make a critical strike, and still miss.
If the opponent has any active defenses, then these must be overcome as well. Active defense includes such things as the Agility Dodge Modifier, the Shield Bonus, and Paries. If the attack total is not greater than 100 plus the sum of all active defenses, then the blow did not connect with the opponent, either being dodged or blocked.
All active defenses act in one of two ways. They either move the target out of the way of a blow that would have struck, or they block a blow that would have struck. A defender may always use his or her Dodge Modifier for an active defense. If this modifier is a penalty, then the target is actually easier to hit than others.
If the Defender has a shield, then in addition to the armor benefits to the arm of having a shield, the defender adds a Deflection Bonus based on the skill with a shield. This bonus is the same as the bonus for Weapon Skill, i.e. +1 for SL 1-5, +2 for SL 6-10, etc. When used to parry, a shield user calculates his or her bonus for skill in the same manner. However, when making an attack with a shield, the skill shield based should be used instead.
If a blow connects, then it must still penetrate passive defenses to do damage. Armor is the most common form of passive defense. As a suit of armor does not provide the same protection to all parts of the body, the hit location must be determined when rolling an attack. By use of the hit location chart, the area of the body hit may be determined if necessary, and accurate armor points can be matched against an attacker's to hit roll.
For example, an individual with a standard suit of plate mail might have the following protection:
| PL+SM+Q | SM+Q | |
|---|---|---|
| Slash AP | 60 | 30 |
| Chop AP | 54 | 24 |
| Thrust AP | 45 | 15 |
| Impact AP | 12 | 9 |
Different numbers in the above listing represent areas covered by plate (PL), single mail (SM), and quilt (Q), e.g. the chest, the shoulders, knees, etc., and areas covered only by mail and quilt (SM+Q), e.g. the joints, the rear of the legs, etc.
If the total Attack Roll plus Attack Bonuses and modifiers is greater than 100 plus all Active Defenses, then the attacker applies any penetration bonuses. If the total Attack Roll plus Penetration Bonus is equal to or greater than 100 + Active Defenses + Armor Points, the attacker does damage.
The weapon used determines the damage done. The character may modified the range of damage with the Strength Bonus. Therefore, a battle axe with base damage of 9 wielded by a person with a Strength bonus of +2 could do 1d11 points of damage. Every full 10 points of connection that penetrate through all of the opponent's defenses increased the minimum damage rolled by 1. The damage first reduces the opponent's stamina, if any, and then opponent's physical points.
The number of physical points that an attack inflicts never exceed the amount by which the attack penetrated all defenses. If an attack penetrated exactly, no physical damage is done. If the attack penetrated only by 1, then the amount of physical damage is limited to 1, etc. This limitation has no effect on stamina damage.
All actions and tactics must be declared during the statement of intent phase. They cannot be adopted after rolling initiative and starting an attack.
A character may brace a weapon to receive a charge. In doing so, the character places the weapon such that the ground, wall, or other surface fixes the weapon in place. Bracing a weapon takes only 1 second, but may only be done with weapons that have sufficient size to be braced beyond the character's body, i.e. generally pole arms. On a successful strike, thrusting weapons add the opponent's STR bonus to damage when braced against a charging opponent. A braced weapon may not be used for a Defensive Stance, Fast Attack, Power Attack, Feint, Disarm, or Parry.
When moving at a jog or faster, an attacker may decide to charge an opponent. By doing so, the attacker does not have to slow down when he or she engages the opponent. The attacker receives +10% to connection roles, and adds a STR bonus equal to the movement per second. In addition, if the attacker makes a charge mounted on a steed with stirrups and a saddle, then the attacker may use the STR bonuses of his or her stead rather than his or her own. Charging attacks do not require normal initiative checks. Instead, the reach of the weapons involves determines the attack sequence.
When this maneuver, for every point of Attack Bonus sacrificed, the attacker may shift the Hit Location an equal amount towards the desired location. For example, an attacker may reduce his or her Attack Bonus by 15, and then shift any connection roll by 15 towards a specified target, such as the head, or the left hand.
When adopting a defensive stance, the attacker focuses more on his or her attention on defense than normal. The Dodge or Deflection bonus of the attacker is increased by 1 for every 1 point reduction in the Attack Bonus. The bonus of a defensive stance applies to only once facing at a time. However, a character can take multiple defensive stances, e.g. 10 points to the front, and 15 points to the right, for a total of 25 points off the character's attack bonus. A character can not use a defensive stance to defend against attacks from attacks he or she cannot perceive, e.g. from invisible opponents, or from the rear, unless he or she has a way to perceive these attacks, e.g. a mirror.
The attacker may trade off accuracy for speed. He or she may reduce the Initiative check range by 1 for every 5 points by which the Attack Bonus is reduced. This acts just as an Agility Modifier to Initiative.
The attacker may sacrifice accuracy for power. For every 5 point reduction in the Attack Bonus, the attacker may add 1 to the Damage roll, if the attack is successful.
The attacker may attempt to disarm his or her opponent. The attacker makes an attack roll. For every 5 points of connection above 100, the attacker increases the difficulty of the Weapon Skill check to resist the Disarm by 1.
As part on an attack sequence, a character may focus on drawing his or her opponent out with an elaborate feint beyond the normal sequence of feints and probes in melee. To do this, the intent to feint must be declared before rolling initiative. Such elaborate feints will extend the initiative, and the player must decided how many additional seconds he or she will spend in building his or her feint. To determine if a feint is successful, a resisted skill check is made against the opponent's Melee Combat Skill. The attacker's skill is equal to the number of seconds spent preparing a feint, but may not exceed the character's weapon skill. Once the initiative and feint sequence concluded, the skill check is made. The attacker's connection roll rises by 5 for every success on the feint check, and drops by 5 for every failure. An attack may be abandoned if the feint goes poorly, and a new attack sequence may be started at that point.
When an attacker makes an attack roll, the defender may break of his or her own attack roll, and attempt to parry with his or her weapon. The defender makes a parry roll, adding his or her Attack Bonus as normal. The amount over 100 is then added as a deflection bonus. The initiative roll for the parry is then added after the parry to the original attack initiative. One may not parry while recovering from a parry. A character may parry for someone else, if their weapon has enough reach to do so. Doing so incurs a -10% penalty.
The attacker may attempt to trip his or her opponent. The attacker makes an attack roll. For every 5 points of connection above 100, the attacker increases the difficulty of the Balance & Footwork check to resist the Trip by 1.
A character may fight with a weapon in each hand. Fighting with two weapon differs significantly from fighting with only one weapon. The the secondary hand suffers a -4 SL penalty in addition to the -4 penalty for using a weapon with in your off hand. Ambidextrous characters do not suffer the off hand penalty, of course. If trained to use weapons in that style, the primary hand has no penalty, and the secondary hand receives only a -2 SL penalty, though the -4 penalty for using the off hand still applies.
While an off-hand weapon may be used to parry with normal rules, attacking with an off-hand weapon has additional initiative penalties. The speed of the primary weapon adds to the speed of the off-hand weapon when determining the initiative for the off-hand. For example, attacking with a hand-axe in the primary hand (Speed 10), and a dagger in the off-hand (Speed 6), the initiative for attacking with the dagger would be 1d16. A shield bash is an untrained two-weapon attack with a shield.
An off-hand weapon and a primary weapon have certain maximum size limitations based on the size and strength of the attacker. The Weapon Usage section details the rules for this. Off-hand weapons must also include any appropriate benefits or penalties for the difference in of the attack weapon versus the defending weapon.