Combat Rules

Initiating Combat

Whenever you engage in a confrontation with one or more parties, combat begins.

The Combat Initiation Steps are as follows:

Determine Ambush: The DM decides if this situation qualifies as an Ambush.
Establish Positions: The DM defines the battlefield (using a map or other means) and arranges the positioning of all parties within it.
Roll Initiative: All participants roll for initiative, and the DM uses these rolls to determine the order of combat.
Begin Combat: Combat commences, and creatures take turns in the established initiative order.

Ambush

An Ambush occurs when one party engages the other without being seen. This applies the surprise status to the party being attacked for one turn, and the attacking party rolls their initiative with an advantage.

The surprise status gives the ambushed party a disadvantage on their initiative rolls and sets their Reaction Points to 0.

Initiative

Initiative determines the order in which creatures act during combat rounds. The creature with the highest Initiative goes first, followed by the next highest values.

If combat was initiated by a hostile action, such as an attack, the creature responsible for the attack always goes first in the initiative order, regardless of their initiative roll.

To determine initiative, roll 1d10 and add your initiative value. In the event that two creatures roll the same initiative, they engage in an opposed agility check, with the winner taking their turn first.

Simultaneous Turns:

If two or more allies take their turns one after another without any hostile or neutral party in between, they can choose to take their turns together. In this case, they can take actions in any order they wish until they have all completed their actions, at which point the turn ends.

Turns and Actions

Rounds

A round represents a period of 6 seconds during which each participant takes a turn.

Actions and Turns

During a creature's turn, it can use its action points to perform any number of actions. Once the creature is out of action points or no longer wishes to take actions, its turn ends.

Make sure to announce an action before performing it, as creatures could react to your action, potentially changing the outcome.

At the start of a turn, all action points are replenished.

Below you will find a list of possible actions:

List of Actions

Move

Action Points: 1

You can move a distance up to your movement speed. In water while swimming, your speed is half your move speed. If you have swim speed or flight speed, you can use that instead when appropriate.

Climb

Action Points: 1

You can climb a vertical surface, advancing a distance equal to Half-your move speed on it. Your DM determines if the surface can climb.

Jump

Action Points: 1

You jump a distance equal to half your Strength or Agility in meters (x3 for feet), with the maximum height you can jump being equal to half your jump distance.

Brace

Action Points: 2

You brace yourself for incoming attacks, causing creatures attacking you to have a disadvantage on their attacks, while you gain an advantage when making saving throws.

Anticipate

Action Points: X

You can convert any number of Action Points into Reaction Points, but it cannot exceed your Reaction Point maximum.

Use a Skill

Action Points: X

Perform an action granted by your skills. The Action Points cost is indicated on the skills, and some of them might require you to use Willpower Points, which you need to be able to afford.

Cast a Spell

Action Points: X

You cast a spell you know. The Action Points cost is indicated on the spell, and some of them might require you to use Willpower Points, which you need to be able to afford.

Use an Item

Action Points: X

You use an item in your bags or within reach. The Action Points cost is indicated on the item, and some of them might require you to use Willpower Points, which you need to be able to afford.

Use a Weapon

Action Points: X

You perform an attack or special attack with a weapon you have equipped. The Action Points cost is indicated on the weapon, and some of them might require you to use Willpower Points, which you need to be able to afford.

Interract

Action Points: X

This action allows you to interact with elements present around you such as doors, levers, or others. The Action Point cost is determined by the DM.

Hide

Action Points: 2

You attempt to conceal yourself by moving out of the line of sight of non-allied creatures. To do so, you make a Stealth check. On their turn, creatures can make a Wits (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check against your Stealth check. If they succeed, they will know where you went. While hidden, creatures cannot target you. Taking any other action reveals your location.

Toss

Action Points: 2

You toss an item a distance equal to half your Strength in meters (x3 for feet). If thrown at an ally, they can spend 1 Reaction Point to catch it.

Shove

Action Points: 2

You can attempt to shove a creature in melee with you, making a contested Strength Check. If you win, the creature is pushed a distance equal to half your Strength in meters (x3 for feet). For every 1 meter (3 feet) of size difference, the creature with the bigger size gains one advantage on the roll.

Grapple

Action Points: 1

You grapple a creature that is in melee with you. Until the start of your next turn or until you take an action, the creature must succeed in a contested strength check against you to be able to move. For every 1 meter (3 feet) of size difference, the creature with the bigger size gains one advantage on the roll.

Swap Weapon

Action Points: 2

You can swap the weapon(s) you are holding, including both hands. This means you can switch from a two-handed greatsword to a shortsword and shield, for example.

Investigate

Action Points: 2

You can investigate your surroundings by making a Wits (perception) or Intelligence (investigation) skill check. A succesful roll might reveal infromation about the batle ground or the enemies. The information given is at the DM discretion.

Stabilize

Action Points: 2

You stabilize an unconscious creature. While stabilized, the creature will not take damage at the start of their turn from being unconscious.

Spellcasting Rules

Skill Rules

Weapon Rules

Item Rules

Reactions

At the start of combat, all creatures gain a number of Reaction Points equal to half their maximum.

Whenever a creature takes an Action or Reaction, you can use your Reaction Points to perform a reaction. However, you cannot take a reaction during your turn or react more than once in a single creature's turn.

A Reaction can be any Action for which you can afford to pay the Action Points cost in Reaction Points.

Reactions always resolve first. In cases where there is more than one reaction, you start by resolving the reactions in reverse order from when they were announced. The only expection to this rule is move actions which always resolve last.

Example:

It is Bob's turn, and he announces that he is going to use the move action.
The evil wizard (DM) announces that he uses 3 Reaction Points to cast Stone Wall as a reaction to Bob taking the move action.
Emily announces she uses 2 Reaction Points to use the Throat Punch skill as a reaction to the Evil Wizard (DM) taking the cast action.
Emily resolves her action first, paying the Willpower cost and making a successful attack roll. Throat Punch forces the Evil Wizard to make a successful Strength check or cancel the spell he is casting, losing the reaction points and Willpower points the spell cost in the process.
The Evil Wizard succeeds the strength check.
The Evil Wizard resolves his reaction, spending the appropriate points and casts Stone Wall, erecting a 3-meter tall and 12-meter wide wall between himself and Bob.
Bob resolves his move action, allowing him to move 4 meters. However, the Stone Wall changes his plan since he is no longer able to run straight to the evil wizard and has to walk around the wall.

Damage, Health and Statuses

Health Points

Health points represent how much damage you can take before you go down. Spells, skills, and other actions can often increase or lower your current health. Your health can never exceed your maximum.

When a creature's health reaches 0, it goes unconscious. While unconscious, a creature is unable to act.

Uncouncious

When taking damage from any source that would bring you to 0 health, you fall unconscious. Any damage over the amount needed to reduce your current health to 0 is marked down as a negative value for your current health.

You can still be attacked and take damage while unconscious, and you automatically fail saving throws. Any damage you take while unconscious is counted as additional negative health. If the damage brings your negative health to a value equal to or higher than your maximum health, you die.

When an unconscious creature's turn starts, they bleed out and take damage equal to twice their level, skipping their turn. The "stabilize" action can be used to stop them from taking damage from bleeding out.

Getting back up

There are three ways to bring back a creature to conciousness:

Short Rest: An unconscious creature that survives a short rest regains consciousness at the end of it with 1 Health Point.
Long Rest: An unconscious creature that survives a long rest regains consciousness at the end of it with half their maximum Health Points.
Healing: Restoring a creature's health to at least 1 Health Point brings them back to consciousness. However, they only have half their action points usable on their next turn.

Death

Death occurs when a creature's negative health value equals or exceeds its maximum health points. Upon death, a creature's soul departs its body, leaving behind a lifeless husk that will begin to decay. The soul contains memories and will.

Ressurection is the only way to bring a creature back to life. During a ressurection, the soul is called back into existence, and a body reforms around it. This process requires a person with a strong attachment to the deceased. However, individuals or objects capable of performing resurrections are rare, making death a more common and final outcome.

Damage

Damage dealt has a type based on the source of the damage. Some creatures have resistance or even immunity to certain types of damage. The damage types are as follows:

Lightning Damage

Lightning damage is caused by electrical energy, often in the form of powerful electrical discharges. It can shock and incapacitate creatures, making them lose control of their actions.

Fire Damage

Fire damage is caused by intense heat or flames. It can burn and scorch targets, causing excruciating pain. Fire can ignite flammable objects and creatures, causing additional damage over time.

Cold Damage

Cold damage is the result of extreme cold, often originating from ice or frost-based attacks. It can freeze and slow down creatures, making them more vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Cold damage can also freeze water or other liquids, creating obstacles or barriers.

Psychic Damage

Psychic damage is inflicted by attacks that target the intricate workings of the mind. These assaults can lead to various mental and emotional afflictions, causing confusion, trauma, or even the intrusion of intrusive thoughts and psychic scars.

Sacred Damage

Sacred damage is born of divine or otherworldly forces, directly impacting the essence of a creature's soul. It is often associated with radiant and holy powers, capable of cleansing or purifying the spirit while delivering harm to those it deems unworthy.

Decay Damage

Decay damage is the result of malevolent effects that systematically dismantle organic matter, whether through the insidious spread of rot, the venomous effects of poisons, or the putrefaction of living tissue. It represents a slow and inexorable decline, eating away at the vitality of the afflicted.

Sharp Damage

Sharp damage is the consequence of weapons, objects, or forces that excel at slicing through or piercing targets. Whether it's the bite of a well-aimed arrow, the cutting edge of a sword, or the keenness of slicing winds.

Blunt Damage

Blunt damage occurs when tremendous force is applied by blunt objects, including maces, boulders, or even powerful blows from fists. Rather than penetrating, this damage type delivers crushing and concussive impacts.

Force Damage

Force damage emerges from the sudden and intense application of pressure, often associated with explosive forces or concussive impacts.

Resistance and weakness

For each elemental damage type, there are different statuses a creature can have:

Weakness: When a creature is weak to a damage type, the damage taken from that type is doubled.
Resistance: When a creature has resistance to a damage type, the damage taken from that type is halved.
Immunity: If a creature is immune to a damage type, it takes no damage from that type.
Absorption: When a creature has absorption for a damage type, instead of taking damage, it is healed by that damage type.

These statuses can significantly affect how a creature interacts with different types of elemental damage.

Healing

Certain skills, spells, and items can allow your character to restore health. Healing cannot bring you above your maximum health.

When healing an unconscious character, you have to heal through the negative health. For example, if a spell would restore 10 Health to an unconscious character who is at -11, they would be at -1 after the healing.

Shield

Some skills, spells, and abilities can grant you shield points. Whenever you have shield points, they are consumed before your health, acting as a protective barrier. However, your total shield points cannot exceed half of your maximum health.

Terrains and Positioning

The environment in which you engage in combat can significantly impact the outcomes of your actions and the strategies you employ. Whether you're battling in a cramped, dimly lit cave, a wide-open field, a bustling city street, or an ancient, trap-filled ruin, the terrain, obstacles, and hazards present can shape the flow of battle and force you to adapt your tactics accordingly. Different locations can offer advantages or disadvantages to both you and your adversaries, making environmental awareness a crucial aspect of combat strategy.

High ground

If you make a range attack against a creature who is at least 2 meters ( 6 feet) below you. That attack is made with advantage.

Flanking

An enemy is considered flanked when you make a melee attack against a creature, and on the opposite side of that creature in melee, there is an ally. In this scenario, you gain an advantage for the attack.

Cover

When possible, you can take cover to protect yourself from attacks:

If at least half of your body is behind cover, you have half-cover. Ranged attacks against you are made with disadvantage, as your partial cover provides some protection.
If your entire body is behind cover, you have full cover. In this case, creatures cannot target you with ranged attacks that require them to see their target, as you are effectively shielded from view.

Underwater

Creatures that do not have a swim speed fight with disadvantage when underwater. Non-magical fire does not have an effect underwater.

Difficult Terrain

When on difficult terrain, your move action cost is increased by 1. Difficult terrain can include rubble, dense vegetation, or tar, and your DM will alert you when it is the case.

Hazard

Some fights might have other hazards that affect how your actions behave. Using the investigate action would unveil that information.

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