Making An Attack

Attacks take the form of ranged attacks or melee attacks. A ranged attack uses a bow, gun, thrown weapon, or other form of ranged weapon. A melee attack is either unarmed (punches, kicks, claws, bites, and the like) or uses a melee weapon such as a sword or club.

Making An Attack

Spending attack dice is an important part of combat, and without it a character may find it difficult to do much damage. It is fundamental to the way that powerful or accurate attacks do a lot of damage or achieve special effects. The larger your dice pool, the more you have to spend on damage and effects. Follow this process:

1. Form your dice pool from attribute + skill + equipment up to your maximum dice pool.

2. Adjust the dice pool for positional factors (cover, range, etc.)

3. Choose how much of the dice pool to spend on damage and effects. Add any bonuses or costs from exploits.

4. You may add LUCK dice, which enables you to exceed your maximum dice pool. Spending on damage. 

Spending on effects. Your exploits tell you what effects you can spend attack dice on. You can spend dice on knockdowns, disarms, blinding attacks, trips, arm-locks, and many more effects.

Remember, the maximum dice pool limit applies to the initial attribute + skills + equipment dice pool. Positions, exploits, and LUC can all exceed that limit once it has been formed.

Attack Rolls

Attack rolls are attribute checks, and are made as follows:

• A melee attack is performed by rolling a STR or AGI check (attacker's choice unless otherwise noted) against the target's melee DEFENSE.

• A ranged attack is performed by rolling an AGI or INT check (attacker's choice unless otherwise noted) against the target's RANGED DEFENSE. Longer ranges can reduce the number of dice rolled.

• On a successful hit, the attacker rolls damage(in d6s) according to the weapon. Armor reduces this damage by its SOAK value. The resulting damage is deducted from the target's HEALTH.

• Magical attacks work like other attacks (typically a MAG check against the target's DEFENSE or MENTAL DEFENSE) and do damage or have effects according to the spell's description.

• Psionic attacks use a PSI check vs the target's DEFENSE or MENTAL DEFENSE.

• Called shots, area attacks, poisons, and other attacks vs. a target's consitition are made vs the target's VITAL DEFENSE.

Attack Options

When you make an attack, choose one of the following options as long as (a) it makes sense, and (b) the target is not immune to that condition or action. You cannot, for example, disarm a tiger, trip a snake, or grab a hologram.

• Damage. Make any attack normally and if you hit you inflict your normal damage.

  • Power attack. You can pay 1d6 to do +1d6 damage. You can stack as many bonus damage dice as you wish by paying 1d6 for each extra die of damage.

• Grab. Make an unarmed melee attack normally and if you hit you grab your target, giving it the Restrained condition. You must pay an additional 1d6 for each size category that the target is larger than you, and also if the target has more than two legs or has no legs. You can apply this condition twice to increase the level of the Restrained condition.

• Escape. Make an unarmed melee attack or an attack with a small melee weapon normally and if you hit you escape a grab and remove the Restrained condition.

Called Shots

Alternatively, you may pay 2d6 to make a Called Shot and if you also beat the target's VITAL DEFENSE you can apply one of the following effects. 

• Push. Make a Called Shot with a melee or ranged attack and if you hit you move your target one square (plus up to one square for each size category by which you exceed the target in melee, or by which your weapon exceeds the target at range). You must pay an additional 1d6 for each size category that the target is larger than you, and also if the target has more than two legs or has no legs. The movement must be one which makes sense, and if it is a result of a blow or ranged attack, will always be a push away from you.

• Trip. Make a Called Shot and if you hit you knock or trip your target prone. You must pay an additional 1d6 for each size category that the target is larger than you, and also if the target has more than two legs or has no legs.

• Disarm. Make a Called Shot and if you hit you disarm your opponent, giving it the Disarmed condition. This only applies to an opponent wielding a weapon.

• Injure. Make a Called Shot and if you hit you disable your target, giving it the Slowed condition.

• Other. Make a Called Shot specific to that target as outlined in its stat-block.

Damage

Damage is indicated as a dice range, and is deducted from the target's HEALTH.  SOAK reduces damage before it is applied to HEALTH.

Spending on damage. Everybody can spend attack dice on damage; this allows you to choose between easier, less damaging attacks or more difficult, more damaging attacks. Before making an attack roll, spend one die for each extra die of damage you wish to do. A base attack, with no dice spent on extra damage, will often be easy but have little effect.

• Even if all damage is SOAKED, each 6 rolled for damage does 1 point of damage anyway.

• A critical hit is scored when the attacker rolls three or more sixes on their attack roll and the attack roll is high enough to hit the target and the target is not immune to the damage type (note that if the attack roll is not high enough to hit the target, three sixes is an automatic hit, but not a critical hit).

SOAK

There are three types of SOAK: natural, armor, and special (which includes SOAK granted by magic). The different types of SOAK don’t stack with each other; you use the best available. For example, if you have 5 natural SOAK and 8 armor SOAK, you apply 8 SOAK any time you are struck by an arrow.

These types of SOAK interact differently with certain damage types. You always use the best which applies against the specific damage type involved.

In addition to most weapon damage, natural SOAK protects against falling, acid, and gas- and liquid-based damage. Armor SOAK, on the other hand, does not protect against falling, acid, or gas- or liquid-based damage.

Psychic/psionic damage is only SOAKed where specified.