D1001-combat

Combat

Combat decides the outcome of small-scale skirmishes between individuals or groups. When combat breaks out, time compresses down to Combat Turns of about 10 seconds each

Turn Structure

Each turn is comprised of two distinct phases, the Status Phase and the Action Phase.

Status Phase

The Status Phase marks the beginning of a new combat Turn. Each Status Phase, perform the following:

1. Players and DM roll for Initiative. This happens every Status Phase
2. Other stuff that says it happens in the Status Phase

Initiative is rolled by each player character individually. The DM, however, rolls a single time for all enemy combatants (though some particularly fast or powerful foes may get extra Initiative dice to represent extra Rounds they get each Turn). Both sides roll the same way, a Chance Roll of a single d6. Each Player that rolls higher than the DM gets to take their Round before the enemies while each Player that rolls lower goes after them. Anyone (Players or DM) rolling the exact same number takes their action simultaneously.

For characters with multiple Initiative Dice, slot the result of their die into order as best as is possible. For instance if the DM rolls a 5 for Initiative and a Blink Dog in the fray rolls a 2 on their extra Initiative Die, then any PC rolling 6 or more goes first, any PC rolling 3 or 4 goes after the bulk of the enemy forces but before the Blink Dog's second Round and any PC rolling 1 or less goes after all DM-controlled characters.

Followers of the PCs take their turn at the same time as their PC leader. For friendly DM-controlled NPCs, they take their turn alongside other DM-controlled characters, ie at the same time as the monsters.

Action Phase

The Action Phase makes up the bulk of every Combat Turn and is when each combatant will have a Round in which to take their actions. During each Action Phase each participating character gets one Round, which consists of two phases itself, the Upkeep Phase and the Main Phase. These are nested inside the Action Phase

Combat Rounds

Upkeep Phase

1. Check for expiry of effects that last until the character's "next Upkeep"
2. Spells with a duration of Concentration can be kept up by the mage who cast them at this point, otherwise they will expire as well
3. Other stuff that says it happens in the Upkeep Phase

Main Phase

The vast majority of all time spent in combat is done during the characters' Main Phases. This is the time in which each character takes their actions, including movement, attacking, casting spells, interacting with the environment, etc

Combat Actions

During each Combat Round, characters can take any combination of two Simple Actions and one Reaction (characters with more than one Round each Turn will specify what specific actions can be taken during these extra Rounds). These actions can be taken in any order. A character can also combine forfeit their two Simple Actions and instead take a Complex Action during their Round.

One limitation on choice of how a character can act is that only one Limited Action can be taken each Round unless specified otherwise. This means that while a character could both Aim and Attack with a ranged weapon, they cannot generally both Attack and Cast a Spell in the same Round.

Example Simple Actions

• Make a single Basic Attack with a ranged or melee weapon (Limited)
• Cast a Spell (Limited)
• Move within about 30'
• Use an equipped or Readied magic item (some items may have Limited abilities)
• Most class abilities will take a Simple Action unless otherwise noted
• Quickly interact with an object without being too precise
• Hit the deck or take cover
• Drink a potion, apply an oil, or use some other item that has been Readied
• Aim a ranged attack
• Any other relatively small, easy to perform action

Example Complex Actions

• Make a Bull Rush
• Make a Reckless Attack
• Ready a Stowed item
• Interact with an item with more intention
• Perform a complicated action, usually if it requires an Action Roll, it will be a Complex Action in Combat

Attacks & Damage

Attacks

Melee attacks use melee weapons and the Close Range Combat stat. Ranged attacks use ranged weapons and the Long Range Combat stat. An Attack Roll is a Conflict Roll resolved as:

2d6 + (CRC or LRC) + modifiers
If the total is equal to or greater than the target's Defense, the attack hits

If the two dice in a successful Attack Roll show the same face (both 3, both 5, etc), the attack is a Critical Hit. Similarly, if an unsuccessful attack has two dice showing the same face, it is a Critical Miss. Without other abilities that specifically trigger off of Critical Hits, this does not have any special effects. However many attacks may cause a Critical: Knockdown or a Critical: Burning effect. If an Attack Roll has any dice modifications, then at least two of the dice use to calculate the final total must match to be a Critical ie: the dropped die on an Edge does not count towards Criticals, a Boosted roll does not require all three dice to match, etc.

Damage

A successful attack deals damage to its target according to both the weapon used by the attacker and the armor of the target. A Damage Roll is a Conflict Roll resolved as:

2d6 + Damage Rating of the weapon + modifiers. 
Subtract the target's Armor from this total.  The difference is the amount of HP the target loses

Because of the way damage is calculated, it is very possible for particularly weak weapons to deal no damage on a successful attack against heavily armored opponents.

Special Rules

Status Effects damage types fatigue attack modifiers bull rush/reckless attack keywords