Combat: Difference between revisions

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Combat is played out in rounds, and in each round everybody acts in turn in a regular cycle. Com­bat usually runs in the following way.
<div class="toclimit-1"><div style="float:right; margin-left: 20px">__TOC__</div></div>
There are two types of Combat. Ground Combat and Space Combat. You can skip to Space Combat by clicking [[Combat#Space_Combat|here]].


# Characters and opponents (usually controlled by the GM) all determine the play order with initiative. Initiative determines the order that players take their turn.
Ground Combat is played out in rounds, and in each round everybody acts in turn in a regular cycle. Rounds have 5 phases too them. The 5 phases are listed below:
# It is determined if a surprise round is necessary by asking the question: "Are all combatants aware of their opponents?". If there are combatants that not aware of their opponent then they cannot act in this round. It is a surprise to them.
# The first round of combat officially starts. The question is raised of advantages and disadvantages there may currently be and then they are applied.
# Combatants act in initiative order taking into account any advantages and disadvantages and be aware if an action changes that.
# Once all combatants have finished the turn is over and it starts over at step 3 again. If there are any round counters such as a fire burning, or poison effects you would move the counter now. This cycle continues until combat is declared over.


== Initiative (Step 1) ==
# '''Initiative''': Characters and opponents (usually controlled by the GM) all determine the play order with Team Initiative. Initiative determines the order that different teams of players take turns.
Initiative is a repersentation of a players reflexes and mental focus in combat. It is a score that is: DEX + WIS + MISC. It can also be a check when necessary. d20 + DEX + WIS + MISC. In a battle senerio the player with the higher Initiative score goes first. If there is a tie the person with the higher Dex score goes first. If that is still a tie then a Initiative check is rolled on both sides until the tie is resolved.  
# '''Surprise''': It is determined if a surprise round is necessary by asking the question: "Are all combatants aware of their opponents?". If there are combatants that not aware of their opponent then they cannot act in this round. It is a surprise to them.
# '''Advantages/Disadvantages''': The first round of combat officially starts. The question is raised of advantages and disadvantages there may currently be available because of the environment.
# '''Action''': Combatants act in Team Initiative order and attempt to defeat the opponents while taking into account any advantages and disadvantages.
# '''Counters''': Once all combatants have finished the turn is over and it starts over at step 3 again. If there are any round counters such as a fire burning, or poison effects you would move the counter now unless it has yet to effect anyone. This cycle continues until combat is declared over.  


For battles with more then two people however the Initiative is group based. Combatants by default move together as a team in their respected groups. A groups Initiative score is: SUM of all Characters Initiative Scores divided by the number of Characters in the group round down. In other words its the average round down. Normally this number can be caculated at the start of each game so you do not need to do much of that evil math stuffs. If there is a tie between groups then the groups compare the initiative of their highest member and that group goes first. If there is still a tie then the highest player does a Initiative check.  
Below are the phases in more detail. After an example combat encounter.


In groups the players have multi options for acting in turn. There is some flexability here. The goal here is to make combat quick and streamline.
== Example Start of Combat Encounter ==


* The first and default approach is to have each player go in order from the person with the hightest Initiative to the lowest handling ties just like if they where in one on one combat. They would only need to resolve the tie once and that counts for the rest of combat. The DM can also have a house rule that lets players roll Initiative ties at the start of a gaming session so that order doesn't have to be re-addressed every combat incounter. 
<pre style="white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word; white-space: -o-pre-wrap; white-space: -pre-wrap; white-space: -moz-pre-wrap;">
The GM: "The fog clears and before you is your worst nightmare! Four of the meanest looking Space Bears where awoken by the sound of the explosion. They stare with both anger and surprise at the unexpected guests. You have woken up a din of Space Bears! Prepare to battle!"


* The Second option is the simplest. This is to have the turn order be counter clock wise. One option is to at the start of a gaming session figure out the turn order the default way using Initiative score and then have the players be setted in that order so there is no confusion. Again the goal here is to make combat as quick and smooth as possible.  
(The group is made up of 4 people. But only 3 are there at the time. Brandon(Tracer), James(Electo-Mancer), and Art(Xenophile). The forth isn't there yet, Katie(Helix Warrior) she is in the other room and just heard the explosion. Brandon being a sneaky bastard had declared that he went into stealth before the group entered the room. His stealth roll was an 18.)


Also remember that the above options are regarding turn order for your group in combat. This doesn't mean that because the GM sits in the middle that he gets to go in the middle of the groups turns. Whether or not the GM controlled characters go before the Player controllered characters in combat is completely baised on the Initiative rules noted at the top of this section.
  Katie: "Do I hear the explosion?"
   
Characters may have taken certain feats or talents that improve initiative by adding additional bonuses. Your Character Sheet should have a "Misc" section for Initiative which is why we have a spot for Initiative instead of just saying "Do a Dexterity check". Some of these bonuses can be added not just to the individuals Initiative bonsus but to the group. Meaning that you get the average score from the group and then add the bonus to the total.


'''Flat-Footed''': At the start of a battle, before the character has had a chance to act (specifically, before the character’s first turn in the initiative order), the character is flat-footed. A character can’t use his or her Dexterity bonus to Defense or make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed. Flat-Footed is a status normally seen as a disadvantage to the Character. The Character Sheet has a convenient place to store the Flat-Footed value so that you do not need to calculate it.  
The GM: "Yes! But you are in a different room. You cannot act in the first round."


'''Acting out of Turn''': A player can attempt to withhold/delay action for the right moment. Acting inbetween enemies. This requires an initiative check against the player they are acting before (If its an opponent). And will require that for every sequitial attempt. This also causes them to forfit their current turn as they are holding it. If they fail the Initiative the player still loses his turn.
Katie: "I yell! 'I am coming! What the devil did you guys do! Don't forget this is a possible crime scene! DUH!'"


'''Joining a Battle'''
The GM: "You are all 'Shaken' by the explosion but just for one round. As a reminder that means all three of you take disadvantage on attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks. However, the explosion has 'Stunned' one of the bears."
If characters enter a battle after it has begun. If they are a third party and not part of any group his or hers Initiative is compared to the other groups. The same goes for multi people joining combat as a new group. Their group Initiative is compared to the other groups to determine what the turn order is. If you are joining a group then you simply slip into the correct spot in the groups turn order as noted by the rules above. However this does not change the groups current Initiative score. The score that is at the start of combat is what is used until combat is done unless a feat or spell or some other action states otherwise. Joining a group doesn't change that groups initiative.


Brandon: "What about me? I was in stealth?"


=== Example Game Play ===
The GM: "Your stealth didn't protect you from the explosive trap."


The GM: "The fog clears and before you is your worst nightmare! 4 of the meanest looking Space Bears where awoken by the sound of the explosion. They stare with both anger and surprise at the unexpected guests. You have woken up a din of Space Bears! Prepare to battle!"
The GM: "The bears initiative is lower than your group thanks to Katie not being part of the group. Her lower initiative would have knocked the average down below them. You guys go first!"


(The group is made up of 4 people. But only 3 are there at the time. Brandon(Infiltrator), James(Electo-Savant), and Art(Special Forces). The forth isn't there yet, Katie(Investigator) she is in the other room and just heard the explosion. Brandon being a sneaky bastard had delcared that he went into stealth before the group entered the room.)
The GM: "But before you go! Brandon, you are in stealth the bears do not know you exist yet. You get to act in the surprise round."


Katie: "Do I hear the explosion?"
Brandon: "Buwahahahaha... I will attack the closest bear with my silenced pistol."


The GM: "Yes! But you are in a different room. You cannot act in the first round."
(Brandon Rolls dice for an accuracy check. He rolls a d20 and one 1d2. The extra 1d2 is because he is shacked and is the disadvantage he has to subtract the result from his total. His shot misses)


Katie: "I yell! 'I am comming! What the devil did you guys do! Don't forget this is a possible crime sence! DUH!'"
The GM: "Ok! Now the normal round starts. You guys group goes first. Katie is still on her way."


The GM: "You are all 'Shaken' by the explosion but just for one round. Dont forget to take off 2 points from your groups total init."
(Brandon and Art and James all decide their plan of action and roll the appropriate dice. Brandon chooses to hide again, Art uses a ranged attack on one of the Space Bears. James uses a Technique to shock one of the other bears.)


Brandon: "What about me? I was in stealth?"
The GM: "Now one of the space bears is wounded but still in the fight and they all retaliate with there claws."


The GM: "Your stealth didn't protect you from the explosive trap. And you are still part of the group right? So your init will be counted"
(Space bears attack the 2 in the room that they can see. The one stunned bear, however, cannot move because of the Condition of being 'Stunned ')


The GM: "The bears initiative is lower then your group thanks to Katie not being part of the group. Her lower init would of knocked the average down below them. You guys go first!"
The GM: "Alright round one coming to a close!. Moving the stunned counter down from 1 to 0 on the first stunned bear it is now no longer stunned! However James the bear you stunned with your Techinque is still stunned. Moving his counter down from 2 to 1. Katie, you have entered the room and see a sight you never thought you would behold. Giant angry Space Bears are clawing there way through your friends! What do you do?"


The GM: "But before you go! Brandon, you are in stealth the bears do not know you exist yet. You get to act in the surpise round."
Katie: "I join the fight!'"


Brandon: "Buwahahahaha... I will attack the closest bear with my silienced pistol"
The GM: "Alright, even though Katie would have brought the init down below the bears she is joining late, so the groups init doesn't change for this combat."


(Brandon rolls the dice hits the bear and the surpise round is now over)
(The next battle starts now Katie is in the fight. The whole team attacks the Space Bears. Next the bear's attack and finally the round is over.)


The GM: "Ok Now the normal round starts. You guys group goes first. Katie is still on her way. Brandon you have the highest init you go first. Then Art and then James."
The GM: "That bear is no longer stunned James! You notice that he can move again."


(Brandon and art and james all take turns attacking the space bears. James shocks on of the bears for 2 rounds.)
James: "No so fast!"


The GM: "Now the space bears wounded but still kicking retaliate with there claws"
(The next round starts the group finishes off the space bears before the bears can go. The battle is concluded)</pre>


(The space bears attack the 3 in the room. The one shocked bear however cannot move because of the Condition of being 'shocked')
== The Initiative Phase (Step 1) ==
The initiative is a representation of a players reflexes and mental focus in combat. It is a score that is: DEX + WIS + MISC. It can also be a check when necessary. d20 + DEX + WIS + MISC. The '''Team Initiative''' is simply the average Initiative score roundup. In a battle scenario, the Team with the higher Team Initiative score goes first. If there is a tie, the Team that has a Character with the higher Dex score goes first. If that is still a tie, then an Initiative check is rolled on between opposing teams until the tie is resolved.


The GM: "Alright round one coming to a close!. Moving the shocked counter down from 2 to 1 on that bear you hit james. Katie you have entered the room and see a sight you never thought you would behold. Giant angry space bears are clawing there way through your friends! What do you do?"
If the battle is between just 2 people, then the same rules apply it's just a Team of One.
 
Katie: "I join the fight!"
Characters may have taken certain feats or talents that improve initiative by adding additional bonuses. Actions that are done in the Action phase happen at the same time for Players that are on the same Team. So turn order is only the order that each Team goes in. Usually, this is just the Players Team and the enemy team. The Players themselves can all go at the same time. Read more about this in the [[Combat#Order_of_Actions_and_Initiative|Order of Actions and Initiative]] section below.
 
The GM: "Alright, even though Katie would of brought the init down below the bears she is joining late so the groups init doenst change. However katie you go last in the group. So its Brandon, Art, James, and lastly Katie"
 
(The next battle starts now Katie is in the fight and goes at the end of the groups turn. Next the bears attack and finially the round is over.)
 
The GM: "That bear is no longer shocked James! You notice that he can move again"
 
James: "No so fast!"
 
(The next round starts... the group finishes off the space bears before the bears can go. The battle is concluded)
 
== Surprise! (Step 2) ==
When a combat starts, if a character was not aware of his or her enemies and they were aware of the character, that character is surprised. Likewise, a character can surprise his or her enemies if the character knows about them before they’re aware of the character.
 
'''The Surprise Round'''
If some but not all of the combatants are aware of each other, a surprise round may happen before regular rounds begin. The combatants who are aware of the opponents can act in the surprise round. There has to be a character or a group of characters who are completely aware of all the other opponents while also the opponent or group of opponents are completely unaware of the character/s. If an opponent is part of a group that is aware of the character/s then it isn't considered a surprise. The people acting within the surprise round have to be completely unknown by the opponent and the group the opponent belongs too. They act in the order that the Initiative states from step 1 just skipping the surprised combatants. The only people that can act are the people who are unknown and only to the characters that do not know that they are there. If no one or everyone is surprised, a surprise round does not occur.
 
'''Unaware Combatants'''
Combatants who are unaware at the start of battle do not get to act in the surprise round. Unaware combatants are still flat-footed because they have not acted yet. Because of this, they lose any Dexterity bonus to Defense.
 
Actions that can be done in surprise round and advantages and disadvantages that can be applied are explained in below sections.
 
'''Examples''':
Examples for this is like the one in Step 1. This is where a group of 3 people walk into a room and one of them is stealthy. They have to fight space bears. The space bears are unaware of the stealthed character. When combat starts the stealthed character gets to attack one of the bears. If one of the bears had been able to see the stealthed character and sense all the bears are in a group together the surprise round would not happen.
 
Another example is a group of people hidden in a hotel room to jump a bad guy once that person enters the room. The bad guy doesn't know the people are there but they know he is there. They are all able to start combat with a surprised round.
 
== Determining Advantages and Disadvantages (Step 3) ==
 
There are multi things that can give characters advantages or disadvantages in combat. An advantage is anything that gives a bonus to a combatant. A disadvantage is simply anything that is a detractor/penalty for a combatant, in other words the opposite of advantage.
 
In the start of combat ALL combatants (unless noted otherwise) have the disadvantage "Flat-Footed". More about what "Flat-Footed" means down below. Once a combatant's turn starts they are no longer considered Flat-Foot'ed unless told otherwise.
 
There is a lot of different modifiers that can be considered disadvantages in combat just remember that they all boil down to a detractor to some modifier when doing a dice roll. Basically if you have a disadvantage of any kinda it just means that when you roll your dice you subtract a number where normally you may add a number to the total outcome. Or simply do not apply a bonus where you normally do. This is suppose to show that it is more difficult to preform that action because you are at a disadvantage.
 
Just like disadvantages there are a lot of advantages in combat but they all result in the same thing. A bonus you get to apply too your dice roll that helps to increase your chance of success. This is suppose to show that your character has the advantage when performing that action.
 
There are also [[Conditions]] a player may be in. Some conditions simply change modifiers. For example the condition of "Sickened" gives you a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, skill checks, and ability checks. Obviously the "Sickened" condition would be considered a Disadvantage. Although other conditions such as "Unconscious" just describe that the combatant is knocked out and helpless.
 
There are different levels of Advantages/Disadvantages that simply say how much of a bonus/penalty a combatant gets. The 3 different levels are as follows:
* Minor: +/- 1
* Moderate: +/- 2
* Major: +/- 4
 
The idea here is to make it easy for a GM and Player to know what to add or subtract if necessary. A GM can for some creative reason within the game declare that a Player has the advantage or disadvantage. This doesn't mean that you can simply throw out anything willy nilly. Below is a list of Modifiers that can be used as examples. Some condition, that can be explained, has to effecting the combatant. The GM can declare it a minor/moderate/major condition. The condition can effect either Attack Rolls or Defense rolls. Some conditions can also effect checks and damage rolls.
 
To the right is a list of Attack and Defense Modifiers/Conditions.
class="wikitable"  style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;"
|+ Table: Attack Roll Modifiers
! style="text-algin:left;" | Attacker is
! Melee
! Ranged


|-
<pre style="white-space: pre-wrap;
| Dazzled ||–1  ||–1
white-space: -moz-pre-wrap;
|-
white-space: -pre-wrap;
| Entangled ||–2  ||–2
white-space: -o-pre-wrap;
|-
word-wrap: break-word;">
| Flanking defender ||+2  ||—
Editing Character Sheet: At the top of the first page next to Affinity Die there is a box for 'Initiative'. You can record your character's current Initiative here.
|-
</pre>
| Invisible ||+2  ||+2
|-
| On higher ground ||+1  ||+0
|-
| Prone ||–4  ||—
|-
| Shaken or frightened ||–2  ||–2
|-
| Squeezing through a space ||–4  ||–4
|}


{| class="wikitable" style="10px;"
'''Joining a Battle''': If characters enter a battle after it has begun they do not affect the Team Initiative. If they are a third party and not part of any Team his or her Initiative is compared to the other Teams. The same goes for multi people joining combat as a new Team, their Team Initiative is compared to the other groups to determine what the turn order is.
|+ Table: Defense Check Modifiers 
! style="text-algin:left;" | Defender is  
! Melee
! Ranged


|-
'''Opposing Initiative Checks''': In different situations inside and outside of combat a Player may wish to perform an action before another or stop another Character or NPC from acting. Whenever this sort of conflict occurs, an '''Opposing Initiative''' check between the Characters is used to see who goes first. If there is a particular action that is being contested between multiple people there can only be one winner. So if there is a tie then simply roll again.
| Behind cover ||+4  ||+4
|-
| Blinded ||–2  ||–2
|-
| Concealed or invisible ||See Concealment
|-
| Cowering ||–2  ||–2
|-
| Entangled ||+0  ||+0
|-
| Flat-footed ||+0  ||+0
|-
| Grappling (but attacker is not) ||+0  ||+0
|-
| Helpless ||–4  ||+0
|-
| Kneeling or sitting ||–2  ||+2
|-
| Pinned ||–4  ||+0
|-
| Prone ||–4  ||+4
|-
| Squeezing through a space ||–4  ||–4
|-
| Stunned ||–2  ||–2
|}


== The Surprise Phase (Step 2) ==
When a combat starts, if a character was not aware of his or her enemies and they were aware of the character, that character is surprised. Likewise, a character can surprise his or her enemies if the character knows about them before they know of the character.


'''The Surprise Round:''' If some but not all of the combatants are aware of each other, a surprise round may happen before regular rounds begin. The combatants who are aware of the opponents can act in the surprise round. They act in the order that the Initiative states from step 1 just skipping the surprised combatants. They can also choose not to act and instead remain hidden. Before combat starts make sure that characters have an opportunity not to be surprised '''if''' there is the possibility to spot/see the trap/hidden combatants. For example, if an enemy is in stealth the combatants should be able to use [[Perception#Passive_Perception|Passive Perception]] against the enemies stealth to not be surprised. If they are actively looking for targets or are 'on the alert,' then they can roll a normal Perception skill check against the enemies stealth. However, there also can be situations where it is impossible for a character to see the coming combat and in that situation, the GM should not feel obligated to have them roll.


'''Advantage/Disadvantage Stacking''':
'''Unaware Combatants:''' Combatants who are unaware at the start of battle do not get to act in the surprise round. Unaware combatants are considered [[Conditions#Flat_Footed|'''Flat-Footed''']] because they have not acted yet. Because of this, they lose any Dexterity bonus to AC.  
# Advantage's can stack but you can only add 1/2 of ever bonus on top of the largest bonus. So if you have 3 bonuses. One Major, one moderate, and one minor the total would be a +6 advantage bonus. That would be the Major (+4), Moderate (+2 / 2) , and Minor which will also be just +1. If two of your advantage bonuses are both the highest simply pick one to be the base and add 1/2 the other. Like so, Major (+4) + Major (+4 / 2) + Moderate (+2 / 2) = (+7) total bonus. The max a Character can have is +12.
# Disadvantage's can also stack however no extra math is necessary. Simply add the disadvantages together for a total. If you get a -20 or more then you auto fail the check/attack/damage. So if you have a -20 to your Attack Values you cannot even attempt an attack until you are no longer posses -20 worth of penalties. As for Ability scores you do not die if you get -20 in CON. Nor does any other negative disadvantage in Abilities effect your actual score. Only temporarily effects the modifier.  
# There is not stacking of conditions that do not effect each other. For example if you have a disadvantage in your ability score for DEX a disadvantage for STR would not stack or gain the other abilities disadvantage.
# Advantages and Disadvantages do not cancel each other out. You simply add the advantage and then subtract the disadvantage.  


Visit the [[Conditions]] page for a full list of [[Conditions]] and there effects.  
Actions that can be done in the Surprise round and advantages and disadvantages that can be applied are explained in the below sections.


Actions done by a player may change the conditions in the round. It is up to the GM to confirm and keep track of all conditions and to insure that players are aware of there own Conditions. It is a good idea for a Player to be wise to the different conditions a combatant can be in and what conditions may they themselves have or could have. Much of the strategy of combat in this game is about moving combatants into conditions that weaken them while avoiding the same fate.
== Advantages and Disadvantages Phase (Step 3) ==


== The Combat Rounds (Step 4) ==
Advantages and Disadvantages rules are noted [[Advantage|here]]. This Phase is here as a reminder for both the GM and Players of anything that could affect their dice rules.


Step 4 is repeated multi times until combat is finished. Usually the longest part of combat because each player has to figure out what to do and roll for their action. What action a combatant can do and how it effects himself and others are laid out here. This is also the largest section as it attempts to explain all that can be done.  
:1) '''[[Proficiency Tree]]''': If the Character is proficient in the weapon they are using they automatically get an advantage. If not proficient in the armor or weapon then the Character gains disadvantage.
:2) '''[[Conditions]]''': Many [[Conditions]] provide disadvantages to a Character.
:3) '''[[Feats|Feats]]/Talents''': Some feats may provide advantages under certain circumstances. Talents are special abilities provided by Character Classes.
:4) '''[[General_Equipment|Items]]''': Some [[General_Equipment|items]] may provide bonuses to certain actions. Although most of the time they are actions outside of combat.
:5) '''Situation Specific''': This is usually up to the GM but the players may try to turn the situation in there favor such as having their Characters flank the enemy.


=== Combatants Actions ===
Actions done by a player may change the conditions in the round. It is up to the GM to confirm and keep track of all conditions and to ensure that players are aware of there own Conditions. It is a good idea for a Player to be wise to the different Advantages and Disadvantages a combatant can have. Much of the strategy of combat in this game is about providing Advantages to your team while giving Disadvantages to the enemy team thus weakening them while avoiding the same fate.
 
The fundamental actions of moving and attacking cover most of what a character wants to do in a battle. They’re described here. Other, more specialized options are touched on later.
 
Each Combat Round represents about 3 seconds in the game world. A round is an opportunity for each character involved in a combat to take an action. Anything a person could reasonably do in 3is seconds, a character can do in 1 round. Each round begins with the group or character who has the highest initiative and then proceeds, in order, from there. Each round of a combat uses the same initiative order. When a character’s turn comes up in the initiative sequence, that character performs his or her entire round’s worth of actions. (For exceptions, see Attacks of Opportunity and Special Initiative Actions.) For almost all purposes, there is no relevance to the end of a round or the beginning of a round. A round can be a segment of game time starting with the first character to act and ending with the last.


== The Action Phase (Step 4) ==
{| class="wikitable"  style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;"
{| class="wikitable"  style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;"
|+ Table: Complete List of Actions
|+ Table: Example List of Actions
! Attack Actions
! Move Standard Actions
! Attack of Opportunity
|-
|Attack (melee weapon)||No
|-
|Attack (Combat Maneuver)||Yes
|-
|Attack (Ranged)||Yes
|-
|Attack an object||Maybe
|-
! Move Actions
! Attack of Opportunity
|-
|-
|Move your speed||Yes
| Move your speed
|-
|-
|Use a piece of equipment||No
| Climb, Crawl, Swim (Half Speed)
|-
|-
|Climb, Crawl, Swim (Half Speed)||No
| Switch Weapons
|-
|-
|Draw a weapon||No
!Attack Standard Actions
|-
|-
|Holster a weapon||Yes
| Attack (Melee Weapon)
|-
|-
|Move a object||Yes
| Attack (Combat Technique)
|-
|-
|Open a door slowly||No
| Attack (Ranged)
|-
|-
|Stand up from prone, sitting, or kneeling||Yes
| Attack an object
|-
|-
|Load a weapon||Yes
!Full-Round Actions
|-
|-
! Full-Round Actions
| Combat Techniques
! Attack of Opportunity
|-
|-
| Combat Maneuver (Sometimes) || Maybe
| Full Attack(Extra Damage)
|-
|-
|Coup de grace||Yes
| Sprint
|-
|-
|Full attack(Extra Attack Feat)||No
| Withdraw
|-
|-
|Sprint||Yes
| Make a dying character stable
|-
|-
|Withdraw||No
!Simple Actions
|-
|-
|Make a dying character stable||Yes
| Bonus Attack
|-
|-
|Total defense||No
| Drop to prone, sitting, or kneeling
|-
|-
! Free Actions
| 5-foot step
! Attack of Opportunity
|-
|-
|Drop an object||No
| Draw/Holster Weapon
|-
|-
|Drop to prone, sitting, or kneeling||No
!Free Actions
|-
|-
|Speak||No
| Drop an object
|-
|-
|5-foot step||No
| Speak
|-
|-
! Action Type Varies
! Action Type Varies
! Attack of Opportunity
|-
|-
|Reload a firearm*||Yes
| Reload a Firearm
|-
|-
|Use a skill||Usually
| Use a Skill/Feat/Talent
|-
|-
|Use a feat||Varies
|-
|Delay||No
|}
|}
Usually, where the most time is spent because each player has to figure out what action to take and then what to roll for that action. There is a lot of options so this section lays out the basic actions a player usually does during combat. For a more detailed overview of all the actions that can be done please visit the [[Complete Combat Actions]] page.
=== Different Action Types and Timing  ===


Remember that each round represents 2 seconds of in-game time. The below table may help explain.
Each Combat Round represents roughly 3 seconds in the game world. Anything a person could reasonably do in 3 seconds, a character can do in 1 Action phase. Below is a table detailing the different Action types and the amount of time they represent.  


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Table: Time and actions in a round of combat.
|+ Table: Time and actions in a round of combat.
!
!
! colspan="3" | ---- Time (2 seconds) ----
! colspan="4" | ---- Time (3 seconds) ----
|-
|-
! rowspan="3" | ACTIONS
! rowspan="3" | ACTIONS
|-
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Standard Action <br /> (Move Action or Attack Action) || Free Action
| colspan="2" align="center" | Standard Action <br /> (Move Action or Attack Action) || Simple<br />Action ||Free<br />Action
|-
|-
|  colspan="3" align="center" | Full Round Action  
|  colspan="3" align="center" | Full Round Action || -
|}
|}


To the right is a full list table of all the actions that can be done in combat. You may also noticed the column "Attack of Opportunity" This is an important part of Combat and will be explained further later in this section.
By default, the player gets one '''Standard Action''' which may be used to move the Character or have the Character attack. This loosely represents 2 seconds of time. They also have a '''Simple Action''' which loosely represents 1 second of time and is often used to quickly reload or open a door for examples. Players also gain a '''Free Action''' which is meant to represent a very simple action that can be done simultaneously with other actions the more common example of which is speaking. Lastly, there is a '''Full Round Action''', this action represents the Character concentrating and committing the whole round to a single purpose.


=== Character Placement/Location ===
=== Common Actions ===


Future Path uses squares as a way to help visualize combatants location,range of attack/movement/reach and who they can see and hit. You do not need a square mat to play as some groups prefer to imagine the whole thing and may feel that visual help hampers the imagination. However it is also nice for at least the GM to have some scratch graphing paper to help insure rules are followed.  
Below are examples of the most common Actions and their Action Type. These actions are the things that Characters are likely to do the most in an average combat scenario but they are not the only things that can be done. For a full list of actions visit the [[Complete_Combat_Actions|Complete Combat Actions]] page.


Each square is considered 5 square feet. Each player according to there size takes up at least 1 square as there personal space. This means that if one player moves through another friendly players space they cannot sprint. A combatant cannot move through a enemy's square, at least not unless that combatant is in someway unable to move and is considered helpless such as having the condition of unconscious.  Each combatant has a 5ft melee attack radius known as the Threat Range. Normally its just 5ft unless specified otherwise. Usually this can be changed by different type of melee weapon. Such as a halberd or a whip.
==== Moving ====


When moving a character can move in any 8 directions. Forward, Backwards, Left, Right as well as the diagonal directions Forward Left, Forward Right and Backwards Left, Backwards Right. There is also up and down and so on for ships in space if they have that ability. We will get into movement in space at a later time.
Whether it is dashing toward the enemy or crawling from one firing position too another they are all the same Standard Move Action. The default moving speed is 30ft however, if the character is climbing, swimming, or crawling the movement speed is halved. If the character wishes to '''Sprint/Dash''' they can go up to x2 their movement speed so usually 60ft however a Sprint action is considered a Full Round Action instead of a Standard.  


==== Movement ====
By default, there is no role for movement unless the GM specifies. Examples of reasons for rolling are difficult terrain and Zero-G environment. Under these and other circumstances the player will have to roll a Dexterity Ability Check or an Acrobatics Skill check to see if they make it all the way. Most of the time though moving is pretty simple, as the Player just declare that your Character is going to move from one location too another.


Moving around is pretty simple. A character has a certian amount of range they can run durning combat. By default that range is 30 ft. (Remember that each around is suppose to roughly represent about 3 seconds and that running is a realitive term to explain a speed. You can also sprint which is 60 feet). You can review the different kinds of Movement you can do [[#Move Actions|here]]. Each square is 5 feet. So 30 ft of movement means 6 squares in any direction including diagonal. You also do not have to have things line up perfect. For example a wall can end in the middle of a square. So that the distance between walls in a corrador is 2.5 squares. That space is still a valid space however smaller then normal spaces have special conditions. Characters that try to do combat maneuvers in smaller then normal will get penilities (usually just minor or moderate) and if a character tries to sprint ONLY across a square or set of squares that are resaonally smaller then the 5ft square then they have to roll an Acrobatics check. For example a tight rope, or tiles on the floor that if you step out of them a trap triggers.  
There is also a 5ft step which you can learn more about [[Complete_Combat_Actions#Simple_Actions|here]].


Squares can have other attributes then just the size being smaller then 5ft. You can have different terrian. Terrian only effects a characters movement speed and possibly either or not opponents have some degree of concelment. GM's can use discretion on if the terrian they describe/imagine has any credible effect on the characters movement. Such as rocky/uneven may give a -10ft movement speed reduction.
==== Attacking ====


Movement takes up the majority of your turn. You will have to decied either or not its wise to have your player move to a better location/different opponent/etc... or if they should attack. If you do your then the default movement speed running which is 30ft, such as a sprint 60ft then the movment is considered a full round action. The only other thing your character can do is use the Speak free action.  
Now we get to the real action! Pew pew the lasers! Attacking is the most common action players will use. And thus there are a lot of different attack options. To explore them all please visit the [[Complete_Combat_Actions|Complete Combat Actions]] page.  


You may also notice that there are other movements that you can do without leaving your square. Such as going prone or opening a door slowly. These moves are space cases. You can read up more about them in the [[#Move Actions]] section.
There are two primary attack actions. '''Melee Attack''' and '''Range Attack'''. They are both Standard Actions. Both require rolling an '''Accuracy Check''' first and then a '''Damage Roll''' second only if the first roll was successful.  


=== Attack of Opportunity ===
;Melee Attack: <u>Accuracy Check:</u> d20 + Advantage Die + Strength Mod + Misc Mod. <u>Damage Roll:</u> Weapon's Damage Die + Strength Mod + Misc Modifiers
;Range Attack: <u>Accuracy Check:</u> d20 + Advantage Die + Dextarity Mod + Misc Mod. <u>Damage Roll:</u> Weapon's Damage Die + Misc Modifiers


Sometimes a combatant in a melee lets her guard down or takes a reckless action. In this case, combatants near her can take advantage of her lapse in defense to attack her for free. These free attacks are called Attacks Of Opportunity. Combatants who cannot preform melee against the combatant who has invoked an attack of opportunity cannot make the free attack. Basically attacks of opportunity are melee only attacks that are a result of another combatants actions. A combatant who is holding a Ranged weapon but is less then 5 feet of the combatant who has provoked an attack of opportunity can preform an improvised weapon attack by using the butt of their gun.  
: '''Note''': The Advantage Die is only added to weapons where the player is proficient in. The proficiency counts as an [[Advantage]]. Do not forget that disadvantages can cancel out advantages even a weapon's proficiency.


In the "Actions" section above there is a table with a list of actions. That table also states if that action provokes an attack of opportunity. This is one way to know if an attack of opportunity will happen. Another that the table doesn't touch on is movement. How a player moves may provoke attacks of opportunity from other combatants. If a combatant moves out of or past another combatant melee attack range also knows as a Combatants Melee Threat Range they evoke an Attack of Opportunity from that combatant.  
As a Character levels up they can gain a Stat called 'Extra Damage'. This allows the Player to roll the Weapon's Damage Die another time. A Character can gain this status multiple times. However, the only way to use this is to commit the attack action either Melee or Ranged to a Full Round Action. If the Character attacks with a Standard Action in order to still be able to use a Simple Action regardless if they actually use the Simple Action and regardless if the Character has Extra Damage or not the Player still only gets to roll Weapon Damage once.


A Character also has a '''Bonus Attack''' which is also called the '''Off Hand Weapon Attack'''. You can learn more about this as well a '''Criticals''' [[Complete_Combat_Actions#Attack_Actions_in_Detail|here]].


;Example: If a combatant is fighting an opponent and then they decide to move behind cover and switch to a ranged weapon when they move out of the melee attack range of the opponent they where fighting that evokes an attack of opportunity. The opponent instantly gets a free simple melee attack. This attack is rolled and damage given before the combatant can safely get to cover. Following this same scenario as this combatant is running for cover they run past another enemy opponent. The combatant enters the Melee Threat Range and upon exiting it evokes another attack of opportunity now from the second opponent. Needless to say avoiding free attacks is an important thing in combat and keeping track of where you are in relation to the enemy can help avoid the opponents from sneaking in extra damage.  
==== Reloading ====
Does what is says exactly. The player will need to reload ranged weapons from time to time. Each weapon has an Ammo attribute that tells the Player how many rounds the weapon can be fired before it needs to reload. By default, reloading a Weapon takes a '''Standard Action'''. However, a variety of things including Feats, Talents, and weapon upgrades can bring the reloading of a weapon to a Simple Action or even a Free Action.  


Avoiding attacks of Opportunity from movement is possible. There are two options. One is the "Tactical Retreat". This is considered a full round action and if following the above scenario out this would stop the first attack of opportunity from happening. It would allow the combatant to retreat from the person they are engaged in melee with. However this does not avoid attacks of opportunity from opponents that you pass through. The second is simply take a 5 foot step. However remember that 5ft steps cannot be done if you already have done a move action and they also are a way to declare the end of your turn. This would however avoid both attacks of opportunity as you do not evoke it with the first opponent and you never got far enough to pass through the second opponents threaten range.
Be aware of how often you need to reload the weapon as well as the time it takes to reload it. Some Weapons even require Full Round Actions to reload. So just because it does a lot of damage doesn't mean it is the obvious choice. A Pro tip is that dropping something a Character is holding is considered a Free Action and some weapons can be quickly drawn as a Simple Action allowing you to quickly switch from an empty high powered weapon to a smaller but a fully loaded weapon.


==== Talents/Specials ====


Character's as they level up gain Talents and even [[Techniques]] in some cases. Techniques are similar to spells in Fantasy RPGs. These abilities often allow the Character to do actions in combat. By default, these actions count as Full Round Actions unless specified otherwise. It is important to know the different abilities your character has.


Below is a detailed explaination of the 'Complete List of Actions ' table. (which happens to totally not be complete.. but whatever titles).
=== Order of Actions and Initiative ===


=== Free Actions ===
The order of combat is determined by '''Team Initiative'''. Team Initiative is the average Initiative score of the participating members of the team rounded up. There is no need for an Initiative roll to start combat and the Characters within a Team act at the same time in a Round. During the Action phase, all the Players can talk to each other about there plan of action and they can roll at the same time.


Lets first talk about Free actions in combat. A free action is anything that can be easily done in less then a second if necessary or be done while preforming other actions. So the table isn't a truly complete list. For example dropping an object merely requires that a combatant lets go of the object this can be done in a split second even if the object takes much longer to hit the floor. Or talking which can be done in the middle of preforming other actions.  
As noted above some actions do not require rolling while other actions do require rolling to resolve the effect. Actions that do not require rolling are resolved first and then actions that do require rolls are resolved afterward. It is also important to note that rolling for damage is not the same as rolling to see if an action is successful or not. Therefore attack actions like Techniques which often do not require rolling before rolling for damage go at the same time other actions such as Move actions.


Free actions can add up. You can only preform one free action a round without it taking up a standard action slot. If you preform multiple free actions you have to either choose the standard attack action or standard move action to sacrifice for that round. 4 or move free actions are considered to take a full round and both standard actions are taken.  
Simple or Free Actions that do not require rolling can happen before or after Standard Actions. If a Simple Action or Free Action for whatever reason requires rolling it has to go after the Standard Action or become a Standard Action.  


Below is the actions mentioned in the table show previously explained in more detail.
Players that have committed to actions that require rolling cannot roll for their action until all other actions that do not require rolling have been resolved '''AND''' all other Player's have committed to action.


;Drop an object:
=== Tactical Opportunity ===


:This is simple. Simply let go of whatever the Player is having his character hold onto. Anything that is not connected in any other way except by a single directly accessible way of release. Wither that is simply releasing your hold on the item or its on an easily release clip. A player can preform this free action more then once in a turn without it being considered more then a single free action. However that only works if the character is able to let go of all the objects simultaneously.  
In some games Character's actions to lead to something called Attacks of Opportunity. In this game, these are called '''Tactical Opportunity'''. A Tactical Opportunity temporarily gives an opponent an Advantage to both Accuracy Checks and Damage Die.  


:This also implies even in low or zero gravity. As long as the character do not care the direction that the object is sent or the lack of motion from the object. For example you may be very concerned about a grenade as it would simply float around you. You would require to throw the object as you care about the direction. However if you simply wanted to leave the grenade there and flee the area then letting go of the grenade becomes a free action.  
The way a Character can cause this misfortunate circumstance is to move out of a Character's melee '''Threat Range'''. By default most Melee weapons have a '''Reach''' of 5ft, in other words, the Character can attack anything standing adjacent to them and this is their Threat Range. If a Character was to move out of or through an enemies threat range this creates a Tactical Opportunity temporarily for one round.  


;Drop to prone, sitting, or kneeling:
If the Character is holding a Ranged weapon this still counts but there Threat Range is only 5ft.
:A simple action similar to drop an object except you cannot preform this more then once a turn without it being considered multi free actions. Also with the exception of low/zero gravity. This action cannot be considered a free move while in low/zero gravity. It is considered a standard action.  


;Speak:
A Player can commit to the '''Withdraw''' action which is a Full Round Action. This allows the Character to move at normal speed for the terrain they are in but negates this effect. However, this is a Full Round Action and they cannot move faster.
:This may seam like a simple action and indeed it is however there is a lot of stipulation around this. It can be done as a free action during your turn and over laps all other free and standard actions meaning it never counts as an additional free action. Speaking is truly a free action. It can even be done when preforming a full round action which normally removes the ability to do a free action. The one rule is your words are limited to only a few seconds worth of speech per turn. You can even reply out of your turn. Just your words should not add up to more then ~2 seconds per round. Thus your conversation during the combat must be quick and is likely to take multi turns to make convey any complex ideas. This is a roll-playing game and combat is suppose to be fast and intense. At least it should seam that way too your characters. Pausing for out of game player conversation is always a nice feature of a strategy game but also can be abused. GM's should make sure that the players are not being information from "beyond the 4th wall (oooooohaaaaah)" into there characters knowledge. In other words knowledge gained from player communication that is considered outside of the actual game play should never mix with ingame character knowledge and characters should not act on ideas players discussed without having there characters also discuss them.


:If you have your characters rollplay a complex discussion in battle it will either have to be around roll dice for attacks and defense or the players active in conversation must take full round actions dedicated to the conversation. Like to people behind a barrier talking about how ridiculous the battle is and what to do about it. People may still shoot at them but they are not having to directly react unless they are actually hit which breaks the conversation.
== The Counter Phase (Step 5) ==


:Of course how much this rule is followed is dependent on how well the GM enforces it and how much fun the group would fine that enforcement to be. Just remember that roll-playing is fun because it is a game of the imagination and having to overcome these imagined barriers can be challenging and interesting.
'''Round Counters''':
Here is where the GM or Player can subtract from any round counters. Any effects/conditions that last longer than one round need to have a counter to keep track of how many rounds have happened. It's usually the GMs job to keep track of such things. If the player/s with the effect condition haven't gone yet then the counter shouldn't be moved down. For example, if on the last turn a character poisons an enemy that poison has the effect of doing 1d4 CON damage per turn for 4 turns. But since the person he poisoned hasn't even gone yet the counter is merely setup but not moved down on the first round.  


:One way to get around this to some degree is to declare that your statement is wrapped up in a gesture. A simple (Attack here, defend that) gesture can be done at the same time someone moves, talks, attacks with a single handed weapon. You can rollplay the hand singles or simply speak what you intend without it taking away from the amount of words you can say. However communication via hand gestures are limited to one gesture per round.  
'''Adding new Combatants''':
It is at this point that if new players or NPCs (GM controlled characters), want to join the combat they can. The player deiced if they want to join a group or be on there own. The new player to combat may also be a surprise to the enemy. If so this new player starts out in the Surprise phase before moving to step 3. They also determine the advantages and disadvantages that they should have if any now that they are in the combat as well as any advantages or disadvantages they bring to combat.  


;5-foot step:
'''Back to Step 3''':
:Much like Speaking this is not so simple. 5-foot step also has a lot of stipulation around it. 5-foot step can only be done once. The 5-foot step adds on top of any other free action except Speak. The 5-foot step is considered a turn ended move. It also cannot be done if any standard move action is done.  
Now its back to Step 3 and the combat continues. Unless of course all the enemies are defeated.  


:5-ft steps are a way to temporarily escape the reach of a melee attack. Or to move behind cover after an attack.
'''Left over Effects/Conditions''':
 
If all enemies are defeated then the combat ends. However, people may still be poisoned or have an assortment of effects/conditions. Each round is considered 3 seconds. Characters with these negative effects should immediately deal with these conditions before normal gameplay starts back up. In the poison example, the character still has 2 more rounds to go of poisoned. Now that character will have to take the damage for both rounds. And poison requires CON checks. So the player would also have to roll twice for that character. If a character wishes to heal themselves or has someone that can heal the poison or another lasting effect/condition the character can try do to do. But '''cannot''' take 10 or 20 and for each time a character tries and is unsuccessful is a turn for the affected character.
=== Move Actions ===
 
;Move your speed:
:During combat all combatants are expected to be running or at least jogging from location to location. You can claim that your character causes not to run from the massive firy explosion from behind but instead walk away from it. In this case you take 1/2 of the speed of your normal movement. Most movement is 30 feet. So 15 is your walk speed in combat. Remember that is how much you can walk is roughly 2-3 seconds.  


:Moving out of an melee threat range provokes an attack of opportunity. You can choose to move twice and sacrifice your attack standard action. You still get a free action as this is not considered a full round. However this always you to move twice your normal distance.
== Space Combat ==


;Sprint/Full movement (Full round move action):
[[Space Ships|Space Ship]] Combat is completely different from normal player combat. In Spaceship combat, each player is a crew member of a ship and has a role. Each round of combat has 3 phases and every ship combatant acts at the same time for each phase. Also, all actions within a Phase happen at the same time. So players that are acting in the same phase may take their action and/or roll dice without waiting for others. What happens in that Phase is played out after all rolls are complete. Different Crew members act in different phases and have special abilities that can impact the ship.
:Although sprint is considered a Full Round Action we mention it here because it is indeed a movement. Sprint is the ability to increase your run speed but requires a full round to preform. Instead of going twice your move distance you can now go tree times. If a characters normal move distance is 30 and the player decides to have that character sprint it can move 90 feet or 18 squares.  


:This also can provoke attacks of opportunity just like moving can.
To learn about the different Crew positions go [[Space_Ships#Ship_Positions|here]]. To learn about the different actions an Officer or Ship Functions has go [[Space_Ships#Officer.2FShip_Functions|here]].


;Climb, Crawl, Swim (Half Speed):
==== (1) The Support Phase ====
:This is fairly simple. These are other move actions that require additional skill or simply hinder the speed at which you can move. If you wish to move at twice the speed of a normal climb/crawl/swim you must take a full round action. Attacks of opportunity still apply.  
----
Support Phase involves the Commander/Captain giving an order and applying leadership skills/feats to help the other crew members. And the Science Officer who can provide buffs to ship systems.


;Draw/Holster a weapon:
* ''(1)'' [[Captain_Position|Captain]] can provide a boost to the rest of the crew by giving orders and using special leadership skills. Usually, this provides an advantage to a particular Crew member that this round above all needs to be successful. For example, the ship may be attempting to flee combat and so the Captain may provide assistance to the Pilot.
:Again fairly simple. If a player doesn't declare that her character already has a weapon drawn then one of the first move actions in combat may be to do so. The player can still do another move action if they are willing to sacrifice there attack action. But drawing a weapon without any feats that modify this requires a standard move action. The same for holstering a weapon.  
* ''(2)'' [[Science_Officer|Science Officer]] is similar to the Captain except instead of providing a bonus to a Crew member instead the Science Officer can provide a bonus to ship abilities by [[Boost|boosting]]. The Science Officer perform hacking actions and operate Clocking or Crypto functions.


:Drawing/Holstering a weapon provokes an attack of opportunity if the combatant is within an enemy melee threaten space.  
==== (2) The Action Phase ====
----
The Action Phase involves the Pilot attempting to fly the ship in a particular manner, the Communications/Sensor Officer performing actions such as Scanning for Ship Weakness and the Weapon officer rolling for possible Battle Damage. Lastly, if the Science Officer holds his action in the Support Phase then the Officer can perform a different kind of action in the Action Phase such as hacking or counter hacking.


;Move a object:
* ''(3)'' [[Helm_Officer|Helm Officer]] acts in the Action Phase and pilots the ship. The pilot can attempt to fly the ship in different ways. For example, they can fly [[Fly_Offensively/Defensively|Offensively or Defensively]] or they can attempt to get [[Close/Widen_Distance|closer or further]] away from a target. They can also attempt to [[Ram]] a target.
:Moving any object requires strength. If a character has no strength they are unable to even move themselves. Strength can determine how much a character and left over there head,to there waste, and drag on the ground. It also tells how much weight a character can pack and carry during a journey/adventure and not become encumbered. The below tables explain both.  
* ''(4)'' [[Comms_Officer|Communications/Sensor Officer]] also acts in the Action Phase and normally operates [[Scan|scanners]] and is the first to be informed of communications. They also have other rolls they can help with such as [[Hack|Hacking]] or Counter hacking, Cryptology and signal [[Jam|Jamming]].
* ''(5)'' [[Weapons_Officer|Weapons Officer]] Can only act in the Action Phase and sole role is to operate the ships Hard Points. They can use the weapons in different ways however when the situation is needed. Visit the following page to learn more about [[Giving and Receiving Damage in Space Ships]].
* ''(Optional)'' The [[Science_Officer|Science Officer]] or [[Chief_Engineer|Chief Engineer]] can choose to act in this round. The Science Officer must not act in the Support Phase and the Engineer forfeits there ability to act in the Response Phase. They must choose to do this at the start of the Action Phase before the outcome of the phase is determined or any rolls from other players are noted. In doing so the Science Officer can do actions such as Hacking and the Chief Engineer can perform the [[Grapple]] function and both can assist the [[Cloak]] if of course, the ship has these functions available.  


:Moving any object starts out at 1/2 speed. If you wish to increase the speed you would have to take a full round action and it would only double it. Attacks of Opportunity apply the same way regular movement do except now Dexterity is removed from a players defense.  
==== (3) The Response Phase ====
----
The Response Phase allows the Engineer and Medical Officer a chance to respond to any damage to the ship and crew caused during the Action phase. The Engineer can also choose to act in the Action Phase to provide support but if that is the case forfeits the ability to act in the Response Phase. Response Phase can also stop a ship from being crippled or exploding. If the ship has just received its max amount of Battle Damage the effect doesn’t happen until the next turn this means the Engineer can respond and if successful remove Battle Damage before the next round keeping the ship in the fight.


;Open a door slowly:
* ''(6)'' [[Medical_Officer|Medical Officer]] acts only in the Response Phase and their main job is to ensure the Crew is able to maintain there post with nothing impeding them. They can heal injured crew members and try to remove any negative conditions.  
:This is simply an example of other generic move actions that can be done. Most any action that will take move then a split second to preform is considered a move action while in combat. Remember that each turn is roughly 2 seconds of time.  
* ''(7)'' [[Chief_Engineer|Chief Engineer]] primarily acts in the Response Phase and their main job is to [[Repair]] the ship's Battle Damage.  


;Stand up from prone, sitting, or kneeling:
:Hitting the dirt or going prone is considered a free action as long as you are not in low or zero gravity. But the opposite is not. Getting up is a standard move action and can provoke and attack of opportunity if within a melee treated space.


;Load a weapon:
* '''NOTE''': The ''(number)'' before the crew position is there to explain the order if the GM didn't want each player in that phase trying to roll at the same time. It is a suggestion of who goes first. Just note that all Captains of all ships act at the same time and so do all other Crew positions, pilots, weapons officers, all perform their action at the same time. So if the Weapon's Officer rolls for damage the GM should also roll for the enemy ships Weapon's Officer.
:There are special feats that help with this but normally reloading a weapon is considered a move action and you will have your guard down so it also can provoke and attack of opportunity if again within a melee threaten space.
* '''NOTE''': Giving and Receiving damage in Space combat is completely different than ground combat and uses a different rule set. Visit [[Giving_and_Receiving_Damage_in_Space_Ships|Giving and Receiving Damage]] page for more information. This greatly affects the role that the Weapon Officer plays and what dice is used. Please review all the rules around this which also includes, but not limited to, concepts like [[Giving_and_Receiving_Damage_in_Space_Ships#Swarm_Combat|Swarm Combat]] and [[Giving_and_Receiving_Damage_in_Space_Ships#Specified_Targeting|Specified Targeting]]. Both which change the strategy of the game.


=== Attack Actions ===
==== Turn Summary ====
----
When combat starts no ship 'acts' before another unless there is a surprise round. If the enemy ship is detectable by the Characters Ship's Passive Sensors then the Ship can be alerted that the enemy ship is preparing to fire. If the ship is not detectable and the Character Ship is not trying to actively scan for them, IE: The Ship's Sensor Officer is not roller for a [[Scan]] then the enemy ship is allowed to perform the Weapon Officers action in the Action Phase before normal combat starts.


This are the standard attack options.  
Before each round, the Player's are encouraged to talk with each other on how they want there round to play out. Each Player should know there Character's Crew Position, what Phase they intend to act in and what [[Space_Ships#Officer.2FShip_Functions|Ship/Officer functions]] are available to them. A crew member can only perform 1 action per round.
; Attack (melee weapon):
:The Character preforms an attack with a melee weapon. The weapon would have to be drawn. And the character would have to hit a target that is within the melee threat range.  


::The Attack Roll is: d20 + Affinity Bonus + Strength Modifier
Each round should start in the Support Phase with the Captian giving an order or assisting in some way or another. If the ship doesn't have a Captain that position is skipped. The same goes for any other out of action Crew Positions. Next is the Science Officer, however, the Science Officer can roll while the Captain is rolling or withhold their action since they intend to act in the next Phase. The next Phase starts once all possible actions, if any, are done in the pervious phase. The next phase is the Action Phase, usually the Helm Officer, Sensor Officer, Weapons Officer act in this phase. Lastly, the Response Phase goes where the Medical Officer and Chief Engineer have a chance to assist the effect that the battle has had on the Crew and the Ship and attempt to correct problems.
::The Damage would be: Weapon Damage Dice Type (dX) + Strength Modifier


;Attack (Combat Maneuver):
Battle Damage given in the Action Phase starts to have an effect in the Response Phase and last until the next round's Response Phase. The Medical Officer and Chief Engineer have a chance to reduce or remove negative effects in the Response Phase before they hit the rest of the crew next round.


:The Character preforms a Combat Maneuver. These are special types of Melee attacks that are more likely to cause a condition on another opponent then damage. There will be a section dedicated to Combat Maneuvers and there options. Some CMs also evolve movement such as the "Charge" attack. Those Combat Maneuvers require both the Attack and Move standard actions and thus if a Character does one of those CMs they can only preform a free action afterward.
Combat is over once all enemy ships have the maximum Battle Damage then they can handle. Ships can handle between 0 and 5 Battle Damage. If a ship has the maximum amount of Battle Damage then it is considered adrift and helpless. If it receives more Battle Damage then it explodes within 1 round.


::The Attack Roll is the Character's CMO or: d20 + Affinity Bonus + Strength Modifier + Size Modifier
==== Giving and Receiving Damage Summary ====
::The Damage will be variable depending on the type of the Maneuver preform.
----
This is just a summary. For the complete rules for Spaceship combat damage including Swarm Combat, Specific Targeting, Hacking, Distance, Size variations please visit the [[Giving_and_Receiving_Damage_in_Space_Ships|Giving and Receiving Damage in Space Ships page]].


;Attack (Range):
Weapon's Officer rolls d10s now. The number of d10s is determined by the number of hard points used against the target. The roll is against the target ship's BD-DC or Battle Damage Difficulty Check. The default of which is 4,4. This means it requires 4 successful d10 rolls and a successful d10 roll is if the d10 lands a 4 or higher.


:The Character preforms a ranged attack. Using a weapon such as a rail gun or particular laser. Or even a low tech weapon such as a bow and arrow/spear. The weapon should be drawn and ready. The Character will receive penalties for targeting opponents outside of the weapons predetermined range.  
The target ship's Armor Mod can provide a bonus to the number of successful d10s. For example, an Armor Mod of +2 will make a BD-DC of 6,4 meaning it now requires 6 d10s to land 4 or higher. Likewise, the target ship's shields also act as a bonus. If the same ship also has a Shield Mod of +3, then the BD-DC would be 6,7. That means a successful d10 requires that the roll lands a 7 or higher and that there needs to be 6 of them.  


::The Attack Roll is: d20 + Affinity Bonus + Dexterity Modifier
The ship is not without offensive bonuses. The Weapon's Mod allows the Weapon's Officer to re-roll successful d10s. For example, a Weapon's mod of +3 will allow the Weapon's Officer to re-roll 3 times as long as there is a successful d10 available to re-roll. An already re-rolled d10 that lands a success counts. A Weapon's officer doesn't need to do an accuracy check before attempting damage, as long as the target ship can be detected by Passive Sensors the enemy ship is available to hit. However, a [[Scan]] done by the Sensor Officer can provide the Weapon's Officer with a bonus to each d10 equal to that of the ship's Sensor Mod. For example, a Sensor Mod of +2 will allow the Weapon's Officer to add +2 to each d10 rolled if the [[Scan]] is successful.
::The Damage would be: Weapon Damage Dice Type (dX)


 
If the Weapon Officer succeeds at deliver Battle Damage then they roll the Battle Damage Die, 2d6 and use the [[Battle_Damage_Chart|Battle Damage Chart]] to determine the repair DC and any side effects.
:Range attacks can provoke Attacks of Opportunity is the combatant attacking with a ranged weapon is within a melee treated square of an enemy combatant and the shooter is not shooting the enemy combatant. In other words if there are two enemies in a room and the character decides to turn and fire at an opponent across the room while the other opponent is only 5-ft away from him that character provokes an attack of opportunity from the enemy he is standing next too.
 
;Attack an Object:
:You can declare that you are attacking what appears to be an inanimate object. Such as a door or a wall. This attack can be a Melee/Combat Maneuver/Ranged. And attack of opportunity apply based on what type of attack you do. Items/Objects have Hardness ratings. Which are effectively there HP. In order to break the object a Character must bring the objects hardness below zero.
 
=== Full Round Actions ===
 
;Combat Maneuvers
:Some combat maneuvers are considered full round actions instead of simply an attack action. The list is: Charge, Overrun, Bull Rush.
 
;Coup de grace
:Pronounced "coo day grahs". The change to fully finish off an opponent. This is only possibly if the opponent is completely helpless and unable to move. Being knocked unconscious, having a strength of 0, or having a HP score of 0 or below. The character doing the Coup de Grace does not need to do an Attack roll they automatically hit and score a critical hit. If the defender survives the damage, (there HP doesn't go below the negative there Constitution Score) the opponent must make a Constitution save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or die.
 
:A Coup de grace provokes attacks of opportunity.
 
;Full Attack
:If a combatant wants to take advantage of there "Extra Attacks" ability granted to characters at certain levels they must take a full round and will be unable to move, even 5-foot steps. The only other free action available to them is to Speak.
 
;Sprint
:Mentioned earlier in the "Movement" section this is considered a full round action is you move x3 your normal combat speed.
 
;Withdraw
:A tactical move that allows a character to carefully retreat from the melee threatened square of there opponent without provoking an attack of opportunity. However this does not make the person immune to all attacks of opportunity while moving. Only those from people that the character was already within there melee threatened space. If while in withdrawal the character moves through, into and then out of, the threatened space of another, they still can provoke attacks of opportunity from them.
 
;Make a dying Character Stable
:Characters can die once there health goes below negative their Constitution Score. So if their score is 16 then -16 or 16 points below 0 would me that character is dead. A field medic can do no more for the character. However if the Character is between 0 and 15 there is still hope. If a Character hits 0 they start to bleed out. Each turn they loose another point of health, not also counting other factors that could reduce health points as well. A character can attempt to stabilize a dying character. This requires a field medical kit and at least a single rank in the Treat Injury skill. If successful the character gains a single point of HP and any ill effects that may cause the person to instantly go back to 0 has been removed.
 
;Total defense:
:Total defense is a representation of holding action and focusing on being aware of your surrounding and on your over all defense. The default stance of any no combatant NPC in a combat zone that may unwilling become a target getting in total defense increases a characters dexterity bonus by +4 associated with defense.
 
 
=== Varies Action Types ===
 
;Reload a firearm
:This task can very depending on the type of firearm and certain feats. The details for a weapon should inform the player what action is require for reloading it.
 
;Use a skill
:In combat some skill checks are useful or necessary. They require time to preform and the skill details will explain what action it requires. If it doesn't it takes a standard action.
 
;Use a feat
:The same as using a skill. Feats normally do not require any type of check. And normally they require either a free action or standard action.
 
;Delay/Ready
:To delay an action or ready an action allows a player to strategist his characters movements and attacks and coordinate with other players. A player can declare that his Character will delay an attack action or move action until another event has occurred. Such as another combatant's attack or death. An example may be that one Character readies and melee attack action with an improvised weapon, a hard cover book, next too the door awaiting for her assailant to open the door. When the assailant busts through the door the Character can automatically attack even if it still isn't her turn.
 
:In order to Delay/Ready an action a Player must declare it to the GM and sacrifice that action in there current turn. They must be able to sacrifice that action and they do not get it back if it isn't used.
 
:Player's can also choose to coordinate actions with other players. The Player has to announce that they will coordinate all actions with another friendly players. The turn order of players in combat now changes and the two players get the lowest Initiative between the players which was obtained in step 1. When it becomes there turn the players get too choose who goes before the other sense they are working as a team. Players cannot coordinate actions with other players that cannot interact with and/or communicate with.
 
== Combat Cycle Ending (Step 5) ==
 
'''Round Counters''':
Here is where the GM can subtract from any round counters. Any effects/conditions that last longer then one round need to have a counter to keep track of how many rounds have happened. Its usually the GMs job to keep track of such things. If the player/s with the effect condition haven't gone yet then the counter shouldn't be moved down. For example if on the last turn a character poisons an enemy that poison has the effect of doing 1d4 CON damage per turn for 4 turns. But sense the person he poisoned hasn't even gone yet the counter is merely setup but not moved down on the first round. However if the player didn't go last but instead went first and before the end of the turn the enemy takes 1d4 CON damage and the end of the turn the GM should move the counter down.
 
'''Adding new Combatants''':
It is at this point that if new players or GM controlled characters want to join the combat they can. The player deiced if they want to join a group or be on there own. They also determine the advantages and disadvantages that they should have if any now that they are in the combat as well as any advantages or disadvantages they bring to combat.
 
'''Back to Step 3''':
Now its back to Step 3 and the combat continues. Unless of course all the enemies are defeated.
 
'''Left over Effects/Conditions''':
If all enemies are defeated then the combat ends. However people may still be poisoned or have any assortment of effects/conditions. Each round is considered 3 seconds. Characters with these negative effects should immediately deal with these conditions before normal game play starts back up. In the poison example the character still has 2 more rounds to go of poisoned. Now that character will have to take the damage for both rounds. And poison requires CON checks. So the player would also have to roll twice for that character. If a character wishes to heal themselves or has someone that can heal the poison or other lasting effect/condition the character can try do to do. But '''cannot''' take 10 or 20 and for each time a character tries and is unsuccessful is a turn for the effected character.

Latest revision as of 20:01, 26 April 2019

There are two types of Combat. Ground Combat and Space Combat. You can skip to Space Combat by clicking here.

Ground Combat is played out in rounds, and in each round everybody acts in turn in a regular cycle. Rounds have 5 phases too them. The 5 phases are listed below:

  1. Initiative: Characters and opponents (usually controlled by the GM) all determine the play order with Team Initiative. Initiative determines the order that different teams of players take turns.
  2. Surprise: It is determined if a surprise round is necessary by asking the question: "Are all combatants aware of their opponents?". If there are combatants that not aware of their opponent then they cannot act in this round. It is a surprise to them.
  3. Advantages/Disadvantages: The first round of combat officially starts. The question is raised of advantages and disadvantages there may currently be available because of the environment.
  4. Action: Combatants act in Team Initiative order and attempt to defeat the opponents while taking into account any advantages and disadvantages.
  5. Counters: Once all combatants have finished the turn is over and it starts over at step 3 again. If there are any round counters such as a fire burning, or poison effects you would move the counter now unless it has yet to effect anyone. This cycle continues until combat is declared over.

Below are the phases in more detail. After an example combat encounter.

Example Start of Combat Encounter

The GM: "The fog clears and before you is your worst nightmare! Four of the meanest looking Space Bears where awoken by the sound of the explosion. They stare with both anger and surprise at the unexpected guests. You have woken up a din of Space Bears! Prepare to battle!"

 (The group is made up of 4 people. But only 3 are there at the time. Brandon(Tracer), James(Electo-Mancer), and Art(Xenophile). The forth isn't there yet, Katie(Helix Warrior) she is in the other room and just heard the explosion. Brandon being a sneaky bastard had declared that he went into stealth before the group entered the room. His stealth roll was an 18.)

 Katie: "Do I hear the explosion?"

 The GM: "Yes! But you are in a different room. You cannot act in the first round."

 Katie: "I yell! 'I am coming! What the devil did you guys do! Don't forget this is a possible crime scene! DUH!'"

 The GM: "You are all 'Shaken' by the explosion but just for one round. As a reminder that means all three of you take disadvantage on attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks. However, the explosion has 'Stunned' one of the bears."

 Brandon: "What about me? I was in stealth?"

 The GM: "Your stealth didn't protect you from the explosive trap."

 The GM: "The bears initiative is lower than your group thanks to Katie not being part of the group. Her lower initiative would have knocked the average down below them. You guys go first!"

 The GM: "But before you go! Brandon, you are in stealth the bears do not know you exist yet. You get to act in the surprise round."

 Brandon: "Buwahahahaha... I will attack the closest bear with my silenced pistol."

 (Brandon Rolls dice for an accuracy check. He rolls a d20 and one 1d2. The extra 1d2 is because he is shacked and is the disadvantage he has to subtract the result from his total. His shot misses)

 The GM: "Ok! Now the normal round starts. You guys group goes first. Katie is still on her way."

 (Brandon and Art and James all decide their plan of action and roll the appropriate dice. Brandon chooses to hide again, Art uses a ranged attack on one of the Space Bears. James uses a Technique to shock one of the other bears.)

 The GM: "Now one of the space bears is wounded but still in the fight and they all retaliate with there claws."

 (Space bears attack the 2 in the room that they can see. The one stunned bear, however, cannot move because of the Condition of being 'Stunned ')

 The GM: "Alright round one coming to a close!. Moving the stunned counter down from 1 to 0 on the first stunned bear it is now no longer stunned! However James the bear you stunned with your Techinque is still stunned. Moving his counter down from 2 to 1. Katie, you have entered the room and see a sight you never thought you would behold. Giant angry Space Bears are clawing there way through your friends! What do you do?"

 Katie: "I join the fight!'"

 The GM: "Alright, even though Katie would have brought the init down below the bears she is joining late, so the groups init doesn't change for this combat."

 (The next battle starts now Katie is in the fight. The whole team attacks the Space Bears. Next the bear's attack and finally the round is over.)

 The GM: "That bear is no longer stunned James! You notice that he can move again."

 James: "No so fast!"

 (The next round starts the group finishes off the space bears before the bears can go. The battle is concluded)

The Initiative Phase (Step 1)

The initiative is a representation of a players reflexes and mental focus in combat. It is a score that is: DEX + WIS + MISC. It can also be a check when necessary. d20 + DEX + WIS + MISC. The Team Initiative is simply the average Initiative score roundup. In a battle scenario, the Team with the higher Team Initiative score goes first. If there is a tie, the Team that has a Character with the higher Dex score goes first. If that is still a tie, then an Initiative check is rolled on between opposing teams until the tie is resolved.

If the battle is between just 2 people, then the same rules apply it's just a Team of One.

Characters may have taken certain feats or talents that improve initiative by adding additional bonuses. Actions that are done in the Action phase happen at the same time for Players that are on the same Team. So turn order is only the order that each Team goes in. Usually, this is just the Players Team and the enemy team. The Players themselves can all go at the same time. Read more about this in the Order of Actions and Initiative section below.

Editing Character Sheet: At the top of the first page next to Affinity Die there is a box for 'Initiative'. You can record your character's current Initiative here.

Joining a Battle: If characters enter a battle after it has begun they do not affect the Team Initiative. If they are a third party and not part of any Team his or her Initiative is compared to the other Teams. The same goes for multi people joining combat as a new Team, their Team Initiative is compared to the other groups to determine what the turn order is.

Opposing Initiative Checks: In different situations inside and outside of combat a Player may wish to perform an action before another or stop another Character or NPC from acting. Whenever this sort of conflict occurs, an Opposing Initiative check between the Characters is used to see who goes first. If there is a particular action that is being contested between multiple people there can only be one winner. So if there is a tie then simply roll again.

The Surprise Phase (Step 2)

When a combat starts, if a character was not aware of his or her enemies and they were aware of the character, that character is surprised. Likewise, a character can surprise his or her enemies if the character knows about them before they know of the character.

The Surprise Round: If some but not all of the combatants are aware of each other, a surprise round may happen before regular rounds begin. The combatants who are aware of the opponents can act in the surprise round. They act in the order that the Initiative states from step 1 just skipping the surprised combatants. They can also choose not to act and instead remain hidden. Before combat starts make sure that characters have an opportunity not to be surprised if there is the possibility to spot/see the trap/hidden combatants. For example, if an enemy is in stealth the combatants should be able to use Passive Perception against the enemies stealth to not be surprised. If they are actively looking for targets or are 'on the alert,' then they can roll a normal Perception skill check against the enemies stealth. However, there also can be situations where it is impossible for a character to see the coming combat and in that situation, the GM should not feel obligated to have them roll.

Unaware Combatants: Combatants who are unaware at the start of battle do not get to act in the surprise round. Unaware combatants are considered Flat-Footed because they have not acted yet. Because of this, they lose any Dexterity bonus to AC.

Actions that can be done in the Surprise round and advantages and disadvantages that can be applied are explained in the below sections.

Advantages and Disadvantages Phase (Step 3)

Advantages and Disadvantages rules are noted here. This Phase is here as a reminder for both the GM and Players of anything that could affect their dice rules.

1) Proficiency Tree: If the Character is proficient in the weapon they are using they automatically get an advantage. If not proficient in the armor or weapon then the Character gains disadvantage.
2) Conditions: Many Conditions provide disadvantages to a Character.
3) Feats/Talents: Some feats may provide advantages under certain circumstances. Talents are special abilities provided by Character Classes.
4) Items: Some items may provide bonuses to certain actions. Although most of the time they are actions outside of combat.
5) Situation Specific: This is usually up to the GM but the players may try to turn the situation in there favor such as having their Characters flank the enemy.

Actions done by a player may change the conditions in the round. It is up to the GM to confirm and keep track of all conditions and to ensure that players are aware of there own Conditions. It is a good idea for a Player to be wise to the different Advantages and Disadvantages a combatant can have. Much of the strategy of combat in this game is about providing Advantages to your team while giving Disadvantages to the enemy team thus weakening them while avoiding the same fate.

The Action Phase (Step 4)

Table: Example List of Actions
Move Standard Actions
Move your speed
Climb, Crawl, Swim (Half Speed)
Switch Weapons
Attack Standard Actions
Attack (Melee Weapon)
Attack (Combat Technique)
Attack (Ranged)
Attack an object
Full-Round Actions
Combat Techniques
Full Attack(Extra Damage)
Sprint
Withdraw
Make a dying character stable
Simple Actions
Bonus Attack
Drop to prone, sitting, or kneeling
5-foot step
Draw/Holster Weapon
Free Actions
Drop an object
Speak
Action Type Varies
Reload a Firearm
Use a Skill/Feat/Talent

Usually, where the most time is spent because each player has to figure out what action to take and then what to roll for that action. There is a lot of options so this section lays out the basic actions a player usually does during combat. For a more detailed overview of all the actions that can be done please visit the Complete Combat Actions page.

Different Action Types and Timing

Each Combat Round represents roughly 3 seconds in the game world. Anything a person could reasonably do in 3 seconds, a character can do in 1 Action phase. Below is a table detailing the different Action types and the amount of time they represent.

Table: Time and actions in a round of combat.
---- Time (3 seconds) ----
ACTIONS
Standard Action
(Move Action or Attack Action)
Simple
Action
Free
Action
Full Round Action -

By default, the player gets one Standard Action which may be used to move the Character or have the Character attack. This loosely represents 2 seconds of time. They also have a Simple Action which loosely represents 1 second of time and is often used to quickly reload or open a door for examples. Players also gain a Free Action which is meant to represent a very simple action that can be done simultaneously with other actions the more common example of which is speaking. Lastly, there is a Full Round Action, this action represents the Character concentrating and committing the whole round to a single purpose.

Common Actions

Below are examples of the most common Actions and their Action Type. These actions are the things that Characters are likely to do the most in an average combat scenario but they are not the only things that can be done. For a full list of actions visit the Complete Combat Actions page.

Moving

Whether it is dashing toward the enemy or crawling from one firing position too another they are all the same Standard Move Action. The default moving speed is 30ft however, if the character is climbing, swimming, or crawling the movement speed is halved. If the character wishes to Sprint/Dash they can go up to x2 their movement speed so usually 60ft however a Sprint action is considered a Full Round Action instead of a Standard.

By default, there is no role for movement unless the GM specifies. Examples of reasons for rolling are difficult terrain and Zero-G environment. Under these and other circumstances the player will have to roll a Dexterity Ability Check or an Acrobatics Skill check to see if they make it all the way. Most of the time though moving is pretty simple, as the Player just declare that your Character is going to move from one location too another.

There is also a 5ft step which you can learn more about here.

Attacking

Now we get to the real action! Pew pew the lasers! Attacking is the most common action players will use. And thus there are a lot of different attack options. To explore them all please visit the Complete Combat Actions page.

There are two primary attack actions. Melee Attack and Range Attack. They are both Standard Actions. Both require rolling an Accuracy Check first and then a Damage Roll second only if the first roll was successful.

Melee Attack
Accuracy Check: d20 + Advantage Die + Strength Mod + Misc Mod. Damage Roll: Weapon's Damage Die + Strength Mod + Misc Modifiers
Range Attack
Accuracy Check: d20 + Advantage Die + Dextarity Mod + Misc Mod. Damage Roll: Weapon's Damage Die + Misc Modifiers
Note: The Advantage Die is only added to weapons where the player is proficient in. The proficiency counts as an Advantage. Do not forget that disadvantages can cancel out advantages even a weapon's proficiency.

As a Character levels up they can gain a Stat called 'Extra Damage'. This allows the Player to roll the Weapon's Damage Die another time. A Character can gain this status multiple times. However, the only way to use this is to commit the attack action either Melee or Ranged to a Full Round Action. If the Character attacks with a Standard Action in order to still be able to use a Simple Action regardless if they actually use the Simple Action and regardless if the Character has Extra Damage or not the Player still only gets to roll Weapon Damage once.

A Character also has a Bonus Attack which is also called the Off Hand Weapon Attack. You can learn more about this as well a Criticals here.

Reloading

Does what is says exactly. The player will need to reload ranged weapons from time to time. Each weapon has an Ammo attribute that tells the Player how many rounds the weapon can be fired before it needs to reload. By default, reloading a Weapon takes a Standard Action. However, a variety of things including Feats, Talents, and weapon upgrades can bring the reloading of a weapon to a Simple Action or even a Free Action.

Be aware of how often you need to reload the weapon as well as the time it takes to reload it. Some Weapons even require Full Round Actions to reload. So just because it does a lot of damage doesn't mean it is the obvious choice. A Pro tip is that dropping something a Character is holding is considered a Free Action and some weapons can be quickly drawn as a Simple Action allowing you to quickly switch from an empty high powered weapon to a smaller but a fully loaded weapon.

Talents/Specials

Character's as they level up gain Talents and even Techniques in some cases. Techniques are similar to spells in Fantasy RPGs. These abilities often allow the Character to do actions in combat. By default, these actions count as Full Round Actions unless specified otherwise. It is important to know the different abilities your character has.

Order of Actions and Initiative

The order of combat is determined by Team Initiative. Team Initiative is the average Initiative score of the participating members of the team rounded up. There is no need for an Initiative roll to start combat and the Characters within a Team act at the same time in a Round. During the Action phase, all the Players can talk to each other about there plan of action and they can roll at the same time.

As noted above some actions do not require rolling while other actions do require rolling to resolve the effect. Actions that do not require rolling are resolved first and then actions that do require rolls are resolved afterward. It is also important to note that rolling for damage is not the same as rolling to see if an action is successful or not. Therefore attack actions like Techniques which often do not require rolling before rolling for damage go at the same time other actions such as Move actions.

Simple or Free Actions that do not require rolling can happen before or after Standard Actions. If a Simple Action or Free Action for whatever reason requires rolling it has to go after the Standard Action or become a Standard Action.

Players that have committed to actions that require rolling cannot roll for their action until all other actions that do not require rolling have been resolved AND all other Player's have committed to action.

Tactical Opportunity

In some games Character's actions to lead to something called Attacks of Opportunity. In this game, these are called Tactical Opportunity. A Tactical Opportunity temporarily gives an opponent an Advantage to both Accuracy Checks and Damage Die.

The way a Character can cause this misfortunate circumstance is to move out of a Character's melee Threat Range. By default most Melee weapons have a Reach of 5ft, in other words, the Character can attack anything standing adjacent to them and this is their Threat Range. If a Character was to move out of or through an enemies threat range this creates a Tactical Opportunity temporarily for one round.

If the Character is holding a Ranged weapon this still counts but there Threat Range is only 5ft.

A Player can commit to the Withdraw action which is a Full Round Action. This allows the Character to move at normal speed for the terrain they are in but negates this effect. However, this is a Full Round Action and they cannot move faster.

The Counter Phase (Step 5)

Round Counters: Here is where the GM or Player can subtract from any round counters. Any effects/conditions that last longer than one round need to have a counter to keep track of how many rounds have happened. It's usually the GMs job to keep track of such things. If the player/s with the effect condition haven't gone yet then the counter shouldn't be moved down. For example, if on the last turn a character poisons an enemy that poison has the effect of doing 1d4 CON damage per turn for 4 turns. But since the person he poisoned hasn't even gone yet the counter is merely setup but not moved down on the first round.

Adding new Combatants: It is at this point that if new players or NPCs (GM controlled characters), want to join the combat they can. The player deiced if they want to join a group or be on there own. The new player to combat may also be a surprise to the enemy. If so this new player starts out in the Surprise phase before moving to step 3. They also determine the advantages and disadvantages that they should have if any now that they are in the combat as well as any advantages or disadvantages they bring to combat.

Back to Step 3: Now its back to Step 3 and the combat continues. Unless of course all the enemies are defeated.

Left over Effects/Conditions: If all enemies are defeated then the combat ends. However, people may still be poisoned or have an assortment of effects/conditions. Each round is considered 3 seconds. Characters with these negative effects should immediately deal with these conditions before normal gameplay starts back up. In the poison example, the character still has 2 more rounds to go of poisoned. Now that character will have to take the damage for both rounds. And poison requires CON checks. So the player would also have to roll twice for that character. If a character wishes to heal themselves or has someone that can heal the poison or another lasting effect/condition the character can try do to do. But cannot take 10 or 20 and for each time a character tries and is unsuccessful is a turn for the affected character.

Space Combat

Space Ship Combat is completely different from normal player combat. In Spaceship combat, each player is a crew member of a ship and has a role. Each round of combat has 3 phases and every ship combatant acts at the same time for each phase. Also, all actions within a Phase happen at the same time. So players that are acting in the same phase may take their action and/or roll dice without waiting for others. What happens in that Phase is played out after all rolls are complete. Different Crew members act in different phases and have special abilities that can impact the ship.

To learn about the different Crew positions go here. To learn about the different actions an Officer or Ship Functions has go here.

(1) The Support Phase


Support Phase involves the Commander/Captain giving an order and applying leadership skills/feats to help the other crew members. And the Science Officer who can provide buffs to ship systems.

  • (1) Captain can provide a boost to the rest of the crew by giving orders and using special leadership skills. Usually, this provides an advantage to a particular Crew member that this round above all needs to be successful. For example, the ship may be attempting to flee combat and so the Captain may provide assistance to the Pilot.
  • (2) Science Officer is similar to the Captain except instead of providing a bonus to a Crew member instead the Science Officer can provide a bonus to ship abilities by boosting. The Science Officer perform hacking actions and operate Clocking or Crypto functions.

(2) The Action Phase


The Action Phase involves the Pilot attempting to fly the ship in a particular manner, the Communications/Sensor Officer performing actions such as Scanning for Ship Weakness and the Weapon officer rolling for possible Battle Damage. Lastly, if the Science Officer holds his action in the Support Phase then the Officer can perform a different kind of action in the Action Phase such as hacking or counter hacking.

  • (3) Helm Officer acts in the Action Phase and pilots the ship. The pilot can attempt to fly the ship in different ways. For example, they can fly Offensively or Defensively or they can attempt to get closer or further away from a target. They can also attempt to Ram a target.
  • (4) Communications/Sensor Officer also acts in the Action Phase and normally operates scanners and is the first to be informed of communications. They also have other rolls they can help with such as Hacking or Counter hacking, Cryptology and signal Jamming.
  • (5) Weapons Officer Can only act in the Action Phase and sole role is to operate the ships Hard Points. They can use the weapons in different ways however when the situation is needed. Visit the following page to learn more about Giving and Receiving Damage in Space Ships.
  • (Optional) The Science Officer or Chief Engineer can choose to act in this round. The Science Officer must not act in the Support Phase and the Engineer forfeits there ability to act in the Response Phase. They must choose to do this at the start of the Action Phase before the outcome of the phase is determined or any rolls from other players are noted. In doing so the Science Officer can do actions such as Hacking and the Chief Engineer can perform the Grapple function and both can assist the Cloak if of course, the ship has these functions available.

(3) The Response Phase


The Response Phase allows the Engineer and Medical Officer a chance to respond to any damage to the ship and crew caused during the Action phase. The Engineer can also choose to act in the Action Phase to provide support but if that is the case forfeits the ability to act in the Response Phase. Response Phase can also stop a ship from being crippled or exploding. If the ship has just received its max amount of Battle Damage the effect doesn’t happen until the next turn this means the Engineer can respond and if successful remove Battle Damage before the next round keeping the ship in the fight.

  • (6) Medical Officer acts only in the Response Phase and their main job is to ensure the Crew is able to maintain there post with nothing impeding them. They can heal injured crew members and try to remove any negative conditions.
  • (7) Chief Engineer primarily acts in the Response Phase and their main job is to Repair the ship's Battle Damage.


  • NOTE: The (number) before the crew position is there to explain the order if the GM didn't want each player in that phase trying to roll at the same time. It is a suggestion of who goes first. Just note that all Captains of all ships act at the same time and so do all other Crew positions, pilots, weapons officers, all perform their action at the same time. So if the Weapon's Officer rolls for damage the GM should also roll for the enemy ships Weapon's Officer.
  • NOTE: Giving and Receiving damage in Space combat is completely different than ground combat and uses a different rule set. Visit Giving and Receiving Damage page for more information. This greatly affects the role that the Weapon Officer plays and what dice is used. Please review all the rules around this which also includes, but not limited to, concepts like Swarm Combat and Specified Targeting. Both which change the strategy of the game.

Turn Summary


When combat starts no ship 'acts' before another unless there is a surprise round. If the enemy ship is detectable by the Characters Ship's Passive Sensors then the Ship can be alerted that the enemy ship is preparing to fire. If the ship is not detectable and the Character Ship is not trying to actively scan for them, IE: The Ship's Sensor Officer is not roller for a Scan then the enemy ship is allowed to perform the Weapon Officers action in the Action Phase before normal combat starts.

Before each round, the Player's are encouraged to talk with each other on how they want there round to play out. Each Player should know there Character's Crew Position, what Phase they intend to act in and what Ship/Officer functions are available to them. A crew member can only perform 1 action per round.

Each round should start in the Support Phase with the Captian giving an order or assisting in some way or another. If the ship doesn't have a Captain that position is skipped. The same goes for any other out of action Crew Positions. Next is the Science Officer, however, the Science Officer can roll while the Captain is rolling or withhold their action since they intend to act in the next Phase. The next Phase starts once all possible actions, if any, are done in the pervious phase. The next phase is the Action Phase, usually the Helm Officer, Sensor Officer, Weapons Officer act in this phase. Lastly, the Response Phase goes where the Medical Officer and Chief Engineer have a chance to assist the effect that the battle has had on the Crew and the Ship and attempt to correct problems.

Battle Damage given in the Action Phase starts to have an effect in the Response Phase and last until the next round's Response Phase. The Medical Officer and Chief Engineer have a chance to reduce or remove negative effects in the Response Phase before they hit the rest of the crew next round.

Combat is over once all enemy ships have the maximum Battle Damage then they can handle. Ships can handle between 0 and 5 Battle Damage. If a ship has the maximum amount of Battle Damage then it is considered adrift and helpless. If it receives more Battle Damage then it explodes within 1 round.

Giving and Receiving Damage Summary


This is just a summary. For the complete rules for Spaceship combat damage including Swarm Combat, Specific Targeting, Hacking, Distance, Size variations please visit the Giving and Receiving Damage in Space Ships page.

Weapon's Officer rolls d10s now. The number of d10s is determined by the number of hard points used against the target. The roll is against the target ship's BD-DC or Battle Damage Difficulty Check. The default of which is 4,4. This means it requires 4 successful d10 rolls and a successful d10 roll is if the d10 lands a 4 or higher.

The target ship's Armor Mod can provide a bonus to the number of successful d10s. For example, an Armor Mod of +2 will make a BD-DC of 6,4 meaning it now requires 6 d10s to land 4 or higher. Likewise, the target ship's shields also act as a bonus. If the same ship also has a Shield Mod of +3, then the BD-DC would be 6,7. That means a successful d10 requires that the roll lands a 7 or higher and that there needs to be 6 of them.

The ship is not without offensive bonuses. The Weapon's Mod allows the Weapon's Officer to re-roll successful d10s. For example, a Weapon's mod of +3 will allow the Weapon's Officer to re-roll 3 times as long as there is a successful d10 available to re-roll. An already re-rolled d10 that lands a success counts. A Weapon's officer doesn't need to do an accuracy check before attempting damage, as long as the target ship can be detected by Passive Sensors the enemy ship is available to hit. However, a Scan done by the Sensor Officer can provide the Weapon's Officer with a bonus to each d10 equal to that of the ship's Sensor Mod. For example, a Sensor Mod of +2 will allow the Weapon's Officer to add +2 to each d10 rolled if the Scan is successful.

If the Weapon Officer succeeds at deliver Battle Damage then they roll the Battle Damage Die, 2d6 and use the Battle Damage Chart to determine the repair DC and any side effects.