Combat

When it comes down to it, sometimes the best way to handle enemies is with a well-placed weapon in their gut. The rules presented here are meant to keep combat flowing as smoothly as possible, and offering a variety of options for players to use in the midst of combat.

Actions

Each character has a set number of actions (and receive one of each unless otherwise listed). These actions fall into a few different categories. Characters can use lesser actions again by expending their major actions. Example: You can perform a swift action again by expending your move action, but not the other way around. The same can be done by expending your standard action to perform a move, or expending your standard action to perform yet another swift action.

• • Standard Action: Standard actions are usually the most important, and are the most often used. This includes attacking, casting a spell, tossing items, and so on.

  • Move Action: Move actions are usually some kind of physical movement that doesn't involve attacking. This includes moving your speed, standing up from prone, opening a door, drawing a weapon, and so on. You can perform two move actions in a turn if you sacrifice your standard action.

  • Swift Action: Most swift actions are done through use of feats, talents, or other such things. This includes activating a command word for a magic item, or switching a firearm's firing mode. You can perform two swift actions in a turn if you sacrifice your move action, or three in a turn if you sacrifice your move and standard actions.

Along with these three actions, there are Full-Round Actions, Immediate Actions, and Free Actions.

• • Full-Round Action: This is an action which ends up consuming time, effectively using up the character's standard and move actions. This includes making multiple attacks.

  • Immediate Actions: An instantaneous effect which takes place before something occurs, even if it is outside of the user's turn. This includes making Awareness checks to notice people using Stealth, or even certain spells.

  • Free Actions: Also regarded as the "non-action", this takes no time or effort to do. This includes talking to allies (within a reasonable limit while in combat), dropping weapons, or falling prone.

Lastly, there is the special action known as the step. A step is a 1-square movement that doesn't provoke any attacks of opportunity, and allows the mover to still take a full-round action after using it. If a character takes a step action, they can't take a move action on their turn to move.

Special Combat Rules

Combat sometimes includes peculiar rules and situations which require specific clarification. These rules are indicated below.

Area Attacks

Attacks which cover a multi-square area. Select the square you want to target first, and then measure out from the target square. Example 2-by-2 square radius. Other such effects like the Lightning Bolt spell cover a special area (in this case, a line). Use the user as the origin, and measure out from there in a straight line.

Attack of Opportunity

Squares adjacent to characters who are armed are considered "threatened squares". Some weapons or racial abilities allow for reach, giving characters a larger amount of threatened squares. If an enemy moves through the character's threatened square(s), they get an attack of opportunity on them. Using the "step" action doesn't provoke, and entering a threatened square doesn't provoke. The following other actions provoke attack of opportunities, as listed below.

• • Reloading a firearm/crossbow

• Picking up an item

• Retrieving a stored item

• Using skills which require concentration (such as using Stealth to disable a trap)

Characters can gain multiple attacks of opportunity through the Combat Reflexes feat. This grants an additional amount of attacks of opportunity equal to the character's Dexterity (minimum of 1).

Ability Damage or Ability Drain

Ability damage is a certain type of damage only dealt to a creature's ability score. This is typically done through poisons, diseases, and other debilitating effects. Ability damage can be recovered after 8 hours of rest. If a character reaches -10 in an ability score due to ability damage, effects occur that are varied by which ability score is affected. Ability drain is similar to ability damage, but can only be recovered through magic.

• Strength: At -10 Strength, the character is unable to hold themselves up and is permanently prone until they recover.

• Dexterity: At -10 Dexterity, the character is unable to move their muscles and is effectively paralyzed until they recover.

• Constitution: At -10 Constitution, the character has lost all of their life energy and is unable to keep living. They die instantly.

• Intelligence: At -10 Intelligence, the character's brain is unable to function properly and they fall unconscious until they recover.

  • Wisdom: At -10 Wisdom, the character has become a bestial version of themselves and are under the effect of insanity until they recover.

• Charisma: At -10 Charisma, the character effectively becomes a vegetable and loses the ability to take actions until they recover.

Burst Radius

Grenades and other similar explosives cover a "burst" instead of an area attack. When doing a burst, choose a corner of the square you want to affect, measuring out from the corner.

Charge

Charging allows a character to move at twice their movement speed (typically 12 squares) and you gain a +2 bonus to attack. This is a full-round action.

Concealment

Poor lighting, gas, smoke, foliage, and many other environmental effects can grant one concealment, making it harder for the enemy to hit you (though this doesn't represent a physical object blocking attacks). Concealment imposes a 20% chance of failure (1-20 on a d% = failure) on attack rolls.

Total Concealment

A more severe form of concealment, this happens when one has line of effect on a target, but not line of sight (example: being blinded). This imposes a 50% chance of failure (1-50 on a d% = failure) on attack rolls. You cannot make attacks of opportunity against enemies with total concealment.

Cover

Characters and/or terrain features can provide cover against attacks. Characters with cover gain a +5 bonus to Reflex Defense. Granting cover could be; trees, walls, a car, or even just boxes. You can make attacks of opportunity against characters with cover.

Coup de Grace

A Coup de Grace is a full-round action which can only be taken against opponents who are helpless, paralyzed, or unconscious. This is an attack made against their flat-footed Reflex Defense, and is counted as a critical hit. If the damage dealt bypasses their Fortitude Defense, they die. Regardless of whether it kills them or not, they're brought one step down the condition track. If this would normally make them unconscious, they instead die.

Partial Cover

Characters only partially covered by things that would be granting cover (for example, standing up from behind a car and your upper torso and above is exposed). This reduces the bonus to Reflex Defense down to a +2.

Total Cover

If you don't have line of effect to your target (you can't draw a line from your square to the target's square without crossing a solid barrier), he is considered to have total cover. You can't make an attack against a target that has total cover.

Improved Cover

In some cases, such as attacking a target through an arrowslit, cover may provide an additional bonus. In such situations the bonus is doubled (+5 to Reflex Defense becomes +10 to Reflex Defense).

Damage Reduction

Creatures, objects, and other such things may possess "Damage Reduction" which reduces damage from physical attacks. Damage Reduction will be listed on a sheet such as DR 5/- or DR 5/Magic. If the DR reduces the damage to 0 or below it is counted as not dealing damage (it can't be reduced beyond 0). If the DR has a title listed after the slash (the Magic part of DR 5/Magic), it means the DR can be overcome by that specific requirement (in this case, magic weapons).

Drawing a Weapon

Drawing a weapon from its sheath or from otherwise being buried is a move action unless the character has a way to make the act of doing so quicker. If the character has an attack bonus of +2 or higher they can draw a weapon from its sheath as part of a move or charge action. You are not able to "draw" unarmed strikes or natural weapons from a 'sheath' as they are always considered equipped, though they cannot have anything held within them (except for gauntlets or similar apparatuses for unarmed) and must drop the held weapon as a free action to 'equip' their natural weapon.

Energy Resistance

Creatures, objects, and other such things may possess "Energy Resistance" which reduces damage from certain special attacks such as fire damage. On a sheet, Energy Resistance will be listed like so: Fire Resistance 10, Electricity Resistance 10, etc. If the Energy Resistance reduces the damage to 0 or below it is counted as not dealing damage (it can't be reduced beyond 0). Energy Immunity is the stronger form of Energy Resistance, instead granting the subject total immunity from that type of damage. Energy Weakness is the opposite of Energy Resistance, and enemies with a weakness (say Fire) take +50% more damage from those attacks (a d8 roll results in a 4, 4 * 1.5 = 6 for a total of 6 damage).

Energy Absorption is another form of Energy Immunity, save that the damage dealt isn't just negated - it heals the target of your attack instead.

Diagonal Movement

When moving diagonally, every second diagonal movement counts as 1 more square than it actually is. (For example, moving diagonally one to the south east would be a 1 square movement, and moving another diagonal step to the south east would instead be 2 squares of movement. The total amount of movement spent would be 3. With this rule, the character could move 3 paces north, south, east, or west, or continue moving diagonally 2 more squares).

Difficult Terrain

Broken ground, steep stairs, or even climbing up a mountain can provide difficulty in movement. It costs twice as much to move through spaces that are difficult terrain. Creatures of large size and larger must pay the cost for difficult terrain if any part of their token lands upon a square containing difficult terrain.

Flanking

When two characters are between an enemy, and a straight line can be drawn from one corner of one flanker's square to the other. When flanking, the flankers gain a +2 bonus to attack.

Partial and Total Defense

As a standard action, a character can take a 'Partial Defense' action and grant themselves a +2 bonus to all of their Defenses, steeling themselves for an incoming attack. If they spend a full-round action, they instead receive a +5 bonus to all of their Defenses as they enter a 'Total Defense' state. If the character in question has 5 or more ranks in Acrobatics they receive a +4 bonus for Partial Defense and +8 bonus on a Total Defense.

Helpless

Opponents knocked down the condition track to a point of unconsciousness or otherwise unable to move are helpless. They are considered flat-footed, and anyone attempting to attack them while helpless receives a +5 bonus to their attack. Ranged attacks cannot benefit from this bonus.

Ion/Electricity Damage

Robots, vehicles, and other electrical devices can be heavily affected by ion weapons or weapons which deal electricity damage. Non-mechanical beings or beings without cybernetics only take 1/2 damage. Mechanical beings, vehicles, or organic beings with cybernetics take full damage and are moved two steps down the condition track if the damage beats their damage threshold.

Moving Through Occupied Squares

Moving through ally/non-enemy squares doesn't impose any penalty, nor does moving over dead/unconscious enemies. Characters who are three size categories smaller than the enemy they're moving through don't incur any penalties. Otherwise, one needs to make an Acrobatics attempt against the target's Reflex Defense + 5.

Prone Targets

Being prone imposes a -5 penalty to attacking with melee, and grants enemies attacking a prone enemy a +5 bonus to hit. Enemies attempting to hit a prone enemy from range take a -5 to hit however. Being prone (ex: behind a wall) could grant total cover.

Withdrawal

A withdrawal is a full-round action in which the character moves at twice their speed, and the first square of movement they take doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. In addition, they receive a +2 bonus to Reflex Defense against attacks beyond the first square.

Reach

Characters normally have a reach of 1, and are either medium or small sized. Large sized creatures possess a reach of 2 squares, Huge creatures possess a reach of 3 squares, etc. Creatures smaller than small sized have an effective reach of 0, and need to be occupying the square of the creature they're fighting to hit them (entering this square provokes an attack of opportunity without using the tumble action).

Regeneration

Creatures with regeneration recover an amount of HP on their turn equal to that of their listed regeneration. For some creatures, this regeneration can be suppressed by certain weapons or effects. For example: Regeneration 5 (Cold) means the creature recovers 5 HP on its turn, and this regeneration is stopped if it takes cold damage. Regeneration is suppressed for 2 rounds.

Shooting/Throwing Into Melee

When using ranged weapons at an enemy who is currently engaged in melee, the shooter can choose one of two things: take a -5 to prevent the risk of hitting your allies, or take no penalty and take the risk of hitting your allies. If the latter is chosen and the shooter misses the target's Reflex Defense by 5 or more, or rolls a natural 1, they instead hit someone they're engaged in melee with (GM's choice).

Spell Resistance

Spell Resistance represents a special Defense a magic user must overcome in order to make their spell work effectively, otherwise the spell fizzles out and is useless on the creature (though area attacks still function unless the creature targeted was the origin). Spell Resistance is calculated with 10 + 1/2 Hit Dice (minimum 1) + Casting Stat (alternatively, use the highest mental stat if it is higher or if they aren't a caster).

Refooting

Sometimes a character receives horrible luck during the initiative phase, and rolls poorly. Yet, this doesn't mean they're stuck with this! Once per encounter at the end of a round, characters may choose to 'regain their footing' or do 'refooting' before a new round is started. Those who wish to reroll their initiative may do so, but if they must take the new result even if it's worse.

Nonlethal

Damage which is nonlethal is made in an attempt not to kill someone. This includes hitting someone with the blunt of a weapon to knock them out, or using a spell to stun their systems. Nonlethal damage is counted on top of lethal damage, the only difference being that once a character reaches 0 HP due to nonlethal damage they fall unconscious and don't go beyond 0 HP. Instead they are unconscious for 1 hour per nonlethal damage over 0 they've taken. Characters who have been knocked unconscious through nonlethal damage can be woken up before the hours are up, counting themselves as being at 1 HP.

Most if not all weapons can be used to deal nonlethal damage, but those without the nonlethal tag take a -4 penalty to hit normally.

Combat Maneuvers

Combat isn't always about attacking and damaging. Sometimes it's about hitting enemies in a certain way, or even forcibly moving them across the battlefield. The following are combat maneuvers one can perform below. If a character doesn't have an attack bonus of at least +1, they cannot perform these actions without provoking an attack of opportunity.

All of these attacks, unless otherwise stated, go against an opposing Reflex Defense. If a character has multiple attacks per round, they can substitute one attack for a combat maneuver and continue with the rest of their attacks.

Trip: If you succeed on your attack against the target, they are knocked prone.

Grapple: If you succeed on your attack against the target, they take a -2 penalty to Reflex Defense and cannot attack with weapons that aren't light. On subsequent rounds you must spend a swift action to maintain the grapple on your target or let go.

Disarm: If you succeed on your attack against the target, their weapon falls from their hands in a square adjacent to them. If you fail on your attack roll by 5 or more you end up disarming yourself.

Sunder: If you succeed on your attack roll against the target, it takes damage as if it were a creature. A chart below will detail HP and hardness for objects.

Bull Rush: If you succeed on your attack roll against the target and they're no more than one size category larger than you, you push them 1 square back. For every 5 that your attack beats their Reflex Defense, they move back 1 more square. If the target would end up hitting a wall, they take a d6 for every square the wall stopped them from moving (4 squares would be 4d6). The attacker can move with the target of their bull rush and stop at any point mid-movement.

Overrun: If you succeed on your attack roll against the target, you pass through their square (and their threatened squares) without provoking attacks of opportunity. If your attack is 5 or more over the target is knocked prone as well.

Reposition: If you succeed on your attack roll against the target, they're moved from their square and into an adjacent square. For every 5 over the target's Reflex Defense, they are moved 1 more square in a straight line.

Steal: If you succeed on your attack roll against the target, you take a single item on their person (that is within reach) and you now hold their item.

Feint: On a successful Deception check against the target's Will Defense, they lose their Dexterity to their Reflex Defense. This lasts until the target's next turn.