SURPRISE ATTACKS AND INITIATIVE
When the PCs surprise a group of adversaries, or vice versa, the surprised party may not be able to react immediately. In this case, the attackers should get one or more “free turns.” The GM is responsible for determining when the attackers have achieved surprise. A character with Combat Reflexes is rarely surprised, and will never “freeze.” He also gets +6 on all IQ rolls to recover from surprise. Note that many wild animals have Combat Reflexes – see Chapter 16 for examples. Total Surprise When the defenders are taken completely by surprise, they “freeze.” The GM rolls 1d. This is the number of seconds that pass before the defenders can react at all. Until that time is up, they are mentally stunned and must take the Do Nothing maneuver. Exception: Those with Combat Reflexes never freeze, and treat total surprise as partial surprise. Adventurers, guards, etc. rarely suffer total surprise unless they are actually asleep. But total surprise would be appropriate if a group of werewolves came charging through the door of the local library. (In fact, such an extreme case might justify a Fright Check – at least for the librarian.) After the initial “freeze” ends, each defender must roll against his basic IQ at the start of his turn until he recovers. On a success, he must take Do Nothing that turn, but can act normally for the rest of the combat. On a failure, he is still mentally stunned; he may roll again at the start of his next turn. A low-IQ character, taken totally by surprise, could miss the whole combat! Partial Surprise This may occur when the defenders were expecting trouble . . . or when each party surprised the other! The GM should require each side to roll for initiative. To determine who gets the initiative, the leader of each side rolls 1d. A leader with Combat Reflexes gets +2, or +1 if he doesn’t have Combat Reflexes but someone else on his side does (this bonus is not cumulative for more than one character). The leader with the higher IQ gets +1. Having even one point in Tactics skill gives +1 on initiative rolls; Tactics at level 20+ gives +2. The GM can apply other modifiers as he sees fit; e.g., if he thinks one side was more alert than the other. If one side is totally leaderless, the GM rolls for them. They get an automatic -2 to initiative. (This does not apply to animals or any other group with IQ 5 or less.) The side that gets the highest roll gets the initiative, and can move and act normally. Everyone on the other side is mentally stunned, and must make IQ rolls on their turns, as described for total surprise, to snap out of it. However, with partial surprise, there is a +1 bonus to IQ on the second turn, +2 on the third turn, and so on . . . even low IQ characters catch on after a few seconds. Note that animals often have Combat Reflexes, which counteracts their low IQ. If the initiative roll is a tie, nobody was taken by surprise.
VISIBILITY
A combat situation where some fighters can’t see their foes affects attacks and defenses. Attacker cannot see anything. If the attacker is blind or in total darkness, he can make a Hearing-2 roll – or use some other method – to discover his foe’s location. If he fails his Hearing roll, he may attack in a randomly chosen direction (on a map, he must specify the hex). He attacks at -10 (-6 if he is accustomed to being blind). Roll hit location randomly. Attacker cannot see his foe, but can see his other surroundings. If only the attacker’s foe is invisible, use the rules above, but the attack penalty is only -6. Attacker cannot see his foe, but knows his location for sure. If the foe is in a single smoke-filled hex or the like, use the rules above, but no Hearing roll is required and the attack penalty is only -4. Defender cannot see his attacker. If the attacker (including his weapon) is invisible but the defender is aware that he is being attacked, he may dodge at -4. If the defender makes a Hearing-2 roll, he may also parry or block – still at -4. If he is completely unaware of his attacker, he gets no defense at all! If the attacker is in smoke or unnatural darkness, but the defender is not, he defends normally, since he can see the weapon coming. Note also that an unseen fighter can safely try things that a normal fighter could never do – or he may just wait in a corner until his foe is exhausted! Torches and Flashlights A torch or flashlight reduces the penalty to attack rolls for darkness. Assume that any such light within line of sight reduces the penalty from -10 (total darkness) to -3. Almost every light source has a limited range or radius – see the item description for details. You can also use a torch as a weapon: treat it as a baton that does one point of burning damage as a linked effect (see Linked Effects, p. 381). A torch can set things afire, given enough time. Most oil you’re likely to encounter in a medieval world catches fire after three seconds of contact with an open flame; ordinary clothing ignites after four seconds, and kindling after 10 seconds. Other things are left to the GM’s judgment. It’s possible to carry a light in your “off” hand, leaving your weapon hand free for combat. It’s even possible to parry with it – at the usual penalties for using the off hand. A torch or ordinary flashlight will smash on the first blow if it is used to parry a weapon three times its weight or more! TL7+ “police” flashlights are serviceable batons: triple the cost and weight for an ordinary heavy flashlight (see Camping and Survival Gear, p. 288).
SPECIAL MOVEMENT
Most forms of enhanced mobility have significant effects on combat. HIGH-SPEED MOVEMENT It’s possible to go so fast that you can’t easily stop or change course. Such “high-speed movement” occurs whenever your present velocity exceeds your Basic Move. These rules apply equally to living beings and to fast-moving vehicles. You may decide to accelerate to high speed at the end of any turn during which you’ve moved your full Basic Move – modified for encumbrance, if any – in one direction, more or less (no more than one 60° turn). You must have taken either a Move or a Move and Attack maneuver that turn, and you must be standing up. Once you switch to high-speed movement, you move as described under Sprinting (p. 354). You may start the next turn with a velocity up to 20% greater than your Move (at minimum, +1 Move). If you have the Enhanced Move advantage, or are a vehicle with a top speed greater than your Move, you may start your next turn with a velocity up to 100% greater than Basic Move. In all cases, use the high-speed movement rules below. Velocity Keep track of your velocity (in yards per second). You can increase it or decrease it at the end of each turn; see Accelerating, below. You must move as fast as your velocity – that is, if your velocity is 17, you must move 17 yards that turn unless something (e.g., bad footing) slows you down. Maneuvers During High-Speed Movement If you’re moving at high speed under your own power, you should take either a Move or a Move and Attack maneuver. This applies to a mount, but not to riders or vehicle crew. If you don’t (or if no one is controlling a vehicle), see Losing Control, p. 395. Direction and Turning Radius At high speeds, it’s hard to change direction quickly. You must continue to move in a generally forward direction. A major change of direction (up to 60°) is only possible after you’ve moved straight ahead for a distance equal to at least (current velocity/Basic Move) yards, rounded down. This number is your turning radius. For instance, if your current velocity is 13 and you have Basic Move 5, you must move at least 13/5 = 2.6 yards, which rounds to 2 yards, between each change of facing. Until you have moved a distance equal to your turning radius, you must continue to move forward. If you are using the Tactical Combat rules, you can move into any of your three front
hexes, but without changing facing. If you have legs or similar, you can roll against DX or Jumping to cross obstacles; otherwise, you collide with anything you can’t maneuver around or which doesn’t dodge out of the way. Note: These rules are cinematic but easy to use. A more realistic turning radius would be (velocity squared)/10 yards; those who enjoy complexity are welcome to use this. If your Basic Move is 0, do not use the rules above. You cannot turn at all under your own power! You can only drift. To execute a turn, you must be pushed, towed, etc. Attacking and Defending You can fight normally during high-speed movement, subject to the limits of your combat maneuver. You can dodge, but you cannot retreat or dive for cover. The GM should always apply speed modifiers when you’re under attack – or attacking! Accelerating If your velocity is less than your top speed at the end of your turn, you can increase it by an amount up to your Basic Move, to a maximum of your rated top speed. Top speed is 20% over your Move if you are sprinting and don’t have the Enhanced Move advantage. Decelerating Instead of accelerating, you can decelerate, reducing your velocity by an amount up to your Basic Move (or more, with some risk – see below). If your deceleration reduces your velocity to Basic Move or less at the end of your turn, you are no longer at high speed, and may use the ordinary movement rules next turn. Pushing the Envelope You can try to decelerate by up to Basic Move ¥ 2. You can also attempt to change direction before you’ve moved the requisite distance. Either requires a DX+3 roll – or a vehicle operation skill roll, modified by the vehicle’s Handling statistic, if you are driving a vehicle. Hasty deceleration requires a roll at -1 per two full yards/second beyond Basic Move by which you cut your speed. For instance, if your Basic Move is 5 and you decelerate by 9 yards/second, you must roll at -2. An earlier turn (or a tighter turn; e.g., 120° instead 60°) calls for a roll at -1 per full increment of Basic Move by which your velocity exceeds your Basic Move. For instance, if you’re moving at 23 yards/second and have Basic Move 3, you must roll at -6. If you fail, you lose traction and fall or spin out of control – see Losing Control, below. Tactical Movement If you are using the tactical movement rules with high-speed movement, your movement points equal your velocity at the start of your turn. You cannot sidestep or step back. Turning radius limits facing changes: a 60° turn is a one hex-side facing change. Minor obstructions and bad footing cost movement points as usual (see Movement Point Costs, p. 387), and also decelerate you at the end of your turn by an amount equal to the extra movement points paid. For example, if your high-speed velocity is 14 and you run through six yards of mud (+1 movement point per hex), you’ll automatically decelerate to a velocity of 8 at the end of the turn. Add this to any voluntary deceleration. If the total exceeds your Basic Move, roll as described for Pushing the Envelope, above. If it exceeds Basic Move ¥ 2, you lose control automatically. Losing Control If you are running on the ground and lose control, you trip. You fall over, skid for 1/4 your remaining movement straight ahead (unless you hit something), and then stop. If you land on the ground and skid to a stop without hitting anything, you suffer damage for a fall at your current velocity; see Falling (p. 431). If you hit something, you suffer (and inflict) collision damage instead; see Damage from Collisions (p. 430).
You also lose control if you are knocked out, or take any combat maneuver but Move or Move and Attack, while moving at high speed. For instance, if you were stunned and forced to Do Nothing, you would trip as described above. Exception: If you are moving on three or more wheels, you’re more stable. The GM may rule that you merely decelerate your maximum safe deceleration each turn instead of tripping, unless your loss of control was the result was a critical failure or injury (stunned, etc.).
Optional Rule: Changing Posture in Armor For enhanced realism, you can let encumbrance level affect the time it takes to perform a Change Posture maneuver. At encumbrance level 0 (None) or 1 (Light), Change Posture takes one second, as usual. At level 2 (Medium), it takes two seconds to change posture – and so on. While you are partway through a posture change, you are considered to be in the old posture. This rule may slow play, but it can also give a realistic edge to lightly armored combatants.
High-Speed Flying and Swimming Only use Basic Move if you are moving on the ground. Use basic air Move when flying, and basic water Move when swimming (see Move in Other Environments, p. 18). If you lose control in the air or water, you don’t trip; instead, you must move your current velocity straight ahead and then decelerate by your maximum safe deceleration. You can do nothing else – this effectively ends your turn! MOUNTED COMBAT Knights, cowboys and Indians, and other adventurers often fight from the saddle. A mount not only provides additional mobility, but its extra height and momentum can make the rider’s attacks more effective, while the shock of a mounted charge can panic unprepared opponents. Some mounts even fight in their own right. With the exception of the occasional camel or elephant, mounted warriors usually ride horses, and these rules assume that. For the differences between horses and various mounts from fantasy and science fiction, see the pertinent animal descriptions. Ordinarily, a rider can direct a wartrained mount by voice and foot pressure, leaving both hands free for weapon use. However, all Riding rolls are at -3 for “no hands,” or -1 if only one hand is on the reins. Riders who need both hands to control their mount may drop what they are holding. It requires a Ready maneuver and DX-3 roll to return a weapon to its scabbard while a mount is bucking; a critical failure means you drop it! Nonsapient mounts without war training (see War-Trained Mounts, p. 459) are liable to “spook” at danger – especially at the sounds of gunfire and injured animals of their own species! All combat Riding rolls are at -3 for a well-broken mount without war training – and at -6 or worse for one that is not fully broken. The rider must make a Riding+2 roll to get any mount except a wartrained mount to charge into or over any obstacle, or onto bad footing, or to perform risky maneuvers like jumps, tight turns, etc., unless they’re a matter of life and death for the mount! Failure means the mount disobeys; see Spooked Mounts, p. 397. Mounting Up Mounting a horse or similar creature takes two consecutive maneuvers: Move to jump or climb up, followed by Change Posture to seat yourself. You can leap astride in only one turn if you make a Riding, Acrobatics, or Jumping roll at -3 (no penalty if you are using stirrups) – but on any failure, you fall! When you are using Tactical Combat, a rider is in the center of a 3- hex mount like a horse, or the front of a 2-hex mount like a gryphon. An elephant or similar mount would have a flat back, and a rider could stand up and move around; traditionally, an elephant carries the driver, or mahout, on its neck, and a howdah, a platform with several fighters, on its back. Movement and Maneuvers See Riding and Draft Animals (p. 459) for the Move of various mounts. The animal’s Basic Move is the pace it can achieve while walking or trotting; its Enhanced Move is for a gallop, and uses the rules under High-Speed Movement (p. 394). Encumbrance penalties apply normally (see Encumbrance and Move, p. 17) . . . but few mounts willingly carry more than Medium encumbrance. In combat, the mount can take any maneuver, unless it’s moving at high speed. Then it is limited to Move or Move and Attack. The rider can take any maneuver. Use Change Posture to dismount safely from a mount that hasn’t moved, or that has moved only a step. Otherwise, the only way to get off is to jump or fall. To jump off safely, take a Move or Move and Attack maneuver and make an Acrobatics or Jumping roll. On any failure, you fall!
Falling Off: If the mount makes a successful DX roll for a difficult action like a jump, tight turn, or hasty deceleration, the rider must make a Riding roll. On a failure, the rider is unseated, even though the mount performed the maneuver. If the mount fails its DX roll for a risky action, see result 12 on the Mount Loss of Control Table (below) for effects. Spooked Mounts If a mount fails a Fright Check, or refuses to perform a particular feat, it will usually shy and buck. The rider must make a Riding roll and take a Ready maneuver every second to regain control. A critical success calms the mount immediately; three ordinary successes in a row will have the same result. Three failures in a row, or a single critical failure, means a total loss of control (see below). A long alternation of successes and failures means you spend your time fighting your mount instead of the enemy! Fortunately, a bucking mount is still free to dodge, as is the rider – although no other defenses are possible. Mount Loss of Control Table Roll 2d on the following table if you completely lose control of a mount. Also refer to the appropriate result – without rolling – whenever a rider is thrown, a mount falls, etc. 2 – You are thrown from your mount. Take damage for a three-yard fall (adjust this for an unusually tall or short mount). If you remain conscious, you may attempt an immediate Animal Handling-3 roll to call your mount back. If you fail, you may make a repeated attempt every 5 minutes. 3 – You lose your grip and fall. Take damage for a two-yard fall; a Jumping or Acrobatics roll will negate this. Otherwise, as 2, above. 4 – You drop whatever you were holding. Now roll again! 5 – The mount charges directly toward the foe, hazard, etc. 6-7 – The mount is exhausted and will not fight, or move at faster than a slow walk (Move 2), until it gets several hours of rest. 8-9 – The mount seems to settle down, but is now fractious: -1 to all Riding rolls for the rest of this engagement. If you get this result multiple times, the penalty is cumulative. 10 – The mount charges directly away from the foe, hazard, etc. 11 – The saddle comes loose. All Riding rolls and attack rolls made while riding are at -3 until you dismount and spend 4d seconds tightening the straps. If you’re riding without a saddle, treat as 3, above. 12 – The mount falls! It must make a DX+1 roll or it breaks a leg. In any case, the rider must roll vs. Riding- 2. On a failure, he is unseated and takes damage for a three-yard fall. On a success, he must make another Riding roll, this one at a penalty equal to his Encumbrance, to leap clear of the falling mount. On a success, he leaps clear and takes damage as per 3, above. On a failure, the mount falls on him, inflicting thrust/crushing damage based on its ST, plus the damage for a 2- yard fall. Attacks by Mounts A war-trained mount can attack if it takes an appropriate maneuver; see Chapter 16 for details. A horse can bite, kick with hooves, or trample; iron horseshoes give +1 to kicking or trampling damage. The rider’s attack is at an extra -2 if the mount attacked on its last turn. Panic: If a mounted fighter charges directly toward an NPC who is unused to facing cavalry (GM’s option), the GM may require him to make a Will roll to stand his ground and fight. If he fails, he’ll try to run instead. Anyone with Combat Reflexes gets +6 to this roll. Those with a SM equal to or greater than that of the mount do not have to roll! Cavalry Weapons Melee Weapons: A rider uses melee weapons at the lower of his Melee Weapon skill or Riding skill. Thus, a trained rider has no penalties to use melee weapons while mounted. If the mount’s velocity is 7 or more relative to the foe, the attack has -1 to hit but +1 damage. Use the same rules when attacking from a motorcycle or similar open vehicle (substitute Driving skill for Riding skill above). Lances: Lance skill appears on p. 204. To couch a lance, a rider must have a saddle and stirrups. A couched lance’s damage depends on the mount’s mass and velocity. Work out damage for a collision between the mount and the target – (mount’s ST) ¥ (distance moved last turn)/100 dice of damage, rounded down – and add the lance’s thrust/impaling bonus of +3. Example: A ST 25 warhorse charging at Move 8 inflicts 2d+3 impaling damage. Tournament jousting uses blunted wooden lances, specially designed to break if they strike very hard. These inflict the same amount of damage, but it is crushing – and if the damage exceeds 15 points, the lance snaps, limiting damage to 15 points. Using Ranged Weapons While Mounted Attack: Firing from atop a moving animal tests both marksmanship and riding. Roll against the lower of Riding or ranged weapon skill to hit. If you are firing a noisy weapon (e.g., an unsilenced gun), you must make a Riding roll after each attack. On a failure, the mount is spooked (see Spooked Mounts, above); on a critical failure, you lose control (see Mount Loss of Control Table, above). Aim: You may Aim a ranged weapon while mounted, but if the mount moves more than a step, you suffer the same penalties that you would if firing from a moving vehicle: you can’t benefit from extra turns of Aim, or from telescopic scopes and other targeting systems. Tricks: To turn in the saddle and fire at the foe behind you: -4 to weapon skill, and -1 to any Riding roll made that turn. To hang on the far side of the mount and shoot over it or underneath it: -6 to weapon skill, -3 to any Riding roll. This latter move means your foe’s only targets are your foot, face, eyes, skull, and one hand. But if he attacks and misses by 4 or less, he hits your mount! Mounted Defense A mount’s only defense is Dodge. Some mounts may have barding (see Horse Armor (Barding) Table, p. 286) or natural DR.
A rider can Dodge, Block, or Parry. If he has Riding at 12+, all of these defenses are at normal levels. For a less-skilled rider, reduce active defenses by the difference between 12 and the rider’s skill; e.g., someone with Riding-9 would have -3 to all active defenses. Height Difference A cavalryman on horseback is effectively three feet above a standing foe. See Combat at Different Levels (p. 402). Mounted Combat Results A rider who is stunned must make a Riding roll at -4 or fall off. A rider who suffers any knockback is automatically knocked off unless he has a saddle and stirrups, in which case he gets a Riding roll at -4 per yard of knockback to stay on. If any attack aimed at a rider misses by 1, it hits the mount unless it makes its active defense roll; the reverse is true for attacks aimed at the mount. Of course, either may be attacked intentionally! If the mount is hit, the rider must roll vs. Riding, minus the shock penalty suffered by the mount, to keep it from spooking (see p. 397). If the mount is crippled and falls, effects are as per result 12 on the Mount Loss of Control Table. Multiple Riders On a horse-sized or larger mount, a second human-sized or smaller rider can hang on behind the one controlling the mount. The controlling rider has an extra -1 to Riding skill. The passenger uses the lower of the controlling rider’s skill or his own ST on any roll to avoid falling off, but does so at -3. FLYING COMBAT Heroes may fly using advantages (Flight, Telekinesis, etc.), magic spells, antigravity belts, and so forth. A few special rules apply to combat while airborne. Aerial Movement If the ceiling is high enough, fliers can move over other fighters! Humans normally fly in a horizontal position (so that they can watch the ground and see where they’re going); treat them as two-hex figures when using the Tactical Combat rules. Changing Height: Vertical movement costs the same as horizontal movement. Moving a yard vertically and a yard horizontally simultaneously (diagonal movement at 45°) costs the same as 1.5 horizontal yards. Steps and Retreats: Use your basic air Move to calculate the distance you can step or retreat during combat (see Step, p. 368); flyers are often fast enough to step 2+ yards. If a flyer retreats as part of an active defense, he can specify that he is doing so vertically. Flying Fast: See High-Speed Movement (p. 394). A diving flyer can accelerate faster: add +10 to basic air Move and double top airspeed on any turn spent diving and doing nothing else (a Move maneuver). Cannot Hover: If you are flying under your own power using Flight with the Cannot Hover, Controlled Gliding, or Gliding limitation, you must take a Move or Move and Attack maneuver and move at least 1/4 your top airspeed each turn, or you’ll stall and start to fall. You might also stall if you lose control during high-speed movement (p. 394) and suffer sudden deceleration that pushes you below 1/4 your top airspeed. You may recover from a stall by turning your fall into a dive and regaining speed. Roll vs. DX-4 each turn to do so. Flight Ceiling On Earth, an unprotected human has trouble breathing past 6,000’, and needs an oxygen mask or an advantage such as Doesn’t Breathe past 20,000’; see Atmospheric Pressure (p. 429). On worlds with greater air pressure, higher flight is possible. On worlds with little atmosphere, the reverse is true. If you use wings to fly, you can’t fly in a trace atmosphere or a vacuum. Aerial Attack and Defense There is no penalty to attack or defense rolls in flight. Flyers are normally no less stable than fighters on the ground. Attack: When flyers attack foes on the ground, use the Combat at Different Levels rules (p. 402). Weapon reach becomes very important! Don’t worry about the relative height of two battling flyers – as long as they’re close enough to engage at all. Defense: When a flyer retreats, he can retreat out of the plane of an attack – not merely away from his attacker. If a flyer can hover, and has enough space to move one step up or down, he gets +1 over and above the usual retreating bonus when he retreats. To perform an Acrobatic Dodge (p. 375), use Aerobatics skill.
HIT LOCATION
When you strike at an enemy, you can usually choose what part of his body to attack. Some body parts, or “hit locations,” are harder than others to hit in a fight; some are more (or less) vulnerable to specific damage types. There are a few exceptions: • Completely unaimed attacks – Wild Swings, stabs in the dark, grenade fragments, etc. – cannot deliberately target a hit location. Use Random Hit Location (p. 400) instead. • Attacks that cover a large area – such as an avalanche or a cone of dragon fire – make hit location irrelevant. See Large-Area Injury (p. 400). • Fatigue damage always ignores hit location. Deciding Where to Attack Where to hit a foe depends on many things – your skill, your foe’s armor, and whether you want to kill him! A humanoid target has the locations listed below (see the hit location tables on pp. 552-554 for nonhumanoids). Each location gives the penalty to attack rolls to hit that location (in parentheses), followed by any special damage effects. Torso (0): The chest and abdomen. No penalty to hit, and no effect on damage. This is the default target for attacks: if you don’t specify a hit location, you are attacking the torso.
Vitals (-3): The heart or lungs (from the front) or the kidneys (from behind). Certain attacks can target the vitals for increased damage. Increase the wounding modifier for an impaling or any piercing attack to ¥3. Increase the wounding modifier for a tight-beam burning attack (see box) to ¥2. Other attacks cannot target the vitals. Skull (-7): The part of the head that houses the brain. The skull gets an extra DR 2, the wounding modifier for all attacks increases to ¥4, knockdown rolls are at -10, and critical hits use the Critical Head Blow Table (p. 556). Exception: None of these effects apply to toxic damage. Eye (-9): Impaling, piercing, and tight-beam burning attacks can specifically target the eye. Injury over HP/10 blinds the eye; otherwise, treat as a skull hit without the extra DR 2! (As with skull hits, toxic damage has no special effect.) Face (-5): The jaw, cheeks, nose, and ears. Many helmets have an open face, allowing this attack to ignore armor DR! Knockdown rolls are at -5, and critical hits use the Critical Head Blow Table. Corrosion damage (only) gets a ¥1.5 wounding modifier . . . and if it inflicts a major wound, it also blinds one eye (both eyes on damage greater than full HP). Neck (-5): The neck and throat. Increase the wounding multiplier of crushing and corrosion attacks to ¥1.5, and that of cutting damage to ¥2. The GM may rule that anyone killed by a cutting blow to the neck is decapitated! Groin (-3): The lower torso. Jackets and light armor don’t always cover this area. Treat as a torso hit, except that human males (and the males of similar species) suffer double the usual shock from crushing damage (to a maximum of -8), and get -5 to knockdown rolls. Arm or Leg (-2): A good way to disable without killing! Against a living target, reduce the wounding multiplier of large piercing, huge piercing, and impaling damage to ¥1. Any major wound (loss of over 1/2 HP from one blow) cripples the limb – but damage beyond the minimum required to inflict a crippling injury is lost. Note: The penalty to hit an arm with a shield is -4. Hands or Feet (-4): As for an arm or leg, but damage over 1/3 HP in one blow inflicts a crippling major wound (excess damage is still lost). This gives you a chance to cripple the foe with little real damage. However, your foe might just switch hands (or hop) and finish you off! Note: The penalty to hit a hand holding a shield is -8. Weapon (varies): The place to strike if you need to take the foe unharmed, if you have to disarm a friend, or if you just want to show off. See Striking at Weapons (p. 400).
Tight-Beam Burning Attacks A “tight-beam burning attack” is any ranged burning attack that isn’t a jet, cone, area-effect, explosion, or follow-up attack. For instance, a laser is a tight-beam burning attack, while a torch or a flamethrower is not. Such attacks can target the eyes and vitals for bonus damage, but divide damage by 10 for the purposes of Making Things Burn (p. 433) and Catching Fire (p. 434).
Targeting Chinks in Armor You may use a piercing, impaling, or tight-beam burning attack to target joints or weak points in a suit of armor, vehicle, etc. Roll at -8 to hit a chink in the foe’s torso armor, or at -10 for any other location (face, eyes, vitals, arm, etc.), instead of using the usual hit location penalty. If you hit, halve DR. This is cumulative with any armor divisors.
Grappling and Hit Location Halve hit location penalties (round up) if you are grappling a body part – it’s easier to grab a body part than to strike it. This does not apply to grabbing a weapon! Random Hit Location You never have to target a hit location – you can always just strike at “whatever target presents itself.” To do so, attack with no modifier for hit location. If you hit, and your foe fails to defend, roll 3d on the appropriate hit location table to find out where the blow fell; see Hit Location Tables (p. 552). The GM decides what table to use for non-humanoids. Use random hit location for a Wild Swing (p. 388), shooting blind (p. 389), suppression fire (p. 409), fragmentation damage (p. 414), and any other situation where the GM feels targeting a location is unrealistic. If a random attack comes from directly above, treat “feet” as “hands” and “legs” as “arms.” Injury Tolerance and Hit Location The Injury Tolerance advantage (p. 60) can alter the effects of hit location. Diffuse or Homogenous: Ignore all knockdown or wounding modifiers for hit location. (Eyes and limbs can still be crippled.) All injuries use the wounding modifiers from Injury to Unliving, Homogenous, and Diffuse Targets (p. 380). No Brain: Hits to the skull get no extra knockdown or wounding modifier. Hits to the eye can cripple the eye; otherwise, treat them as face hits, not skull hits. No Eyes, No Head, or No Neck: You lack the hit location(s) in question, and your foes cannot target it. No Vitals: Hits to the vitals or groin have the same effect as torso hits. Unliving: Hit location has its usual effect, save that piercing and impaling damage to any location other than the eye, skull, or vitals uses the wounding modifiers from Injury to Unliving, Homogenous, and Diffuse Targets. Large-Area Injury Some attacks affect much or most of the victim’s body – for instance, dragon’s breath, a bomb blast, a huge fire, or immersion in an acid pit. In particular, any damage described as being “area effect” or “cone,” and any external explosion, inflicts large-area injury. A melee attack from an attacker whose Size Modifier exceeds that of his target by seven or more is also a large-area injury – if the attacker is striking unarmed or with a weapon scaled to his body size. (If he wishes to target a hit location, his tiny victim must be pinned or otherwise immobile.) Damage Resistance protects normally against large-area injury – but if your DR varies by location, your “effective DR” is the average of your torso DR and the DR of the least protected hit location exposed to the attack (which could still be your torso), rounding up. If your DR varies against different attacks, “least protected” refers to the location with the lowest DR against that particular type of attack. A location protected by cover or masked by the body does not count as “exposed to the attack.” Against an explosion or cone, only locations facing the blast or cone are exposed (e.g., if you’re turned away, your face and eyes aren’t exposed). For damage caused by immersion in a hazardous environment (e.g., fire or acid), only the immersed locations are exposed. Against a true area effect, all locations are exposed. Don’t modify large-area injury for hit location (that is, treat it as a torso hit) unless only one location is exposed. If a single limb (hand, arm, etc.) is exposed, damage in excess of that required to inflict a major wound is lost. Hit Location for Non-Humanoids and Vehicles It is impossible to supply hit location rules for every type of animal or machine. Instead, we provide some guidelines: see Non-Humanoid Hit Location Tables (pp. 552-554) and Vehicle Hit Location Table (pp. 554-555). STRIKING AT WEAPONS You might strike at a weapon because you want to take its user alive . . . or because the weapon is the only thing you can reach, or is less wellarmored than its wielder. State whether you are striking to disarm or to break the weapon, and then roll to hit. You are at -5 to hit a reach “C” melee weapon (e.g., a knife) or a pistol; -4 to hit a melee weapon with reach 1 (broadsword, mace, etc.) or a medium-sized firearm (e.g., a carbine or sawed-off shotgun); and -3 to hit a melee weapon with reach 2+ (spear, greatsword, polearm, etc.) or a rifle. Attempts to disarm are generally at an extra -2, but see next page.
Striking at Weapons in Tactical Combat: A reach “C” weapon is in its wielder’s hex. A weapon with a oneyard reach is in the user’s hex and in the hex directly in front of him. A 2- or 3-yard weapon is in the two or three hexes directly in front of the user. See the diagram on p. 400. However, you can always strike at a reach 2+ weapon on your first turn after it was used to attack or feint against you.
Subduing a Foe At times, you want to subdue an enemy without killing him. Knockout gas, high-tech stunners, magic, and similar tricks are the best ways to take prisoners – most weapons are entirely too final! But if you need to defeat someone without harming him, and you have only ordinary weapons, you still have several options: Disarm him. You can do this by striking at his weapon to knock it out of his hand or break it. Of course, he might not surrender, even then . . . Pull your punches. You do not have to strike at full strength. You can choose to use any ST value less than your own when you strike with bare hands or a melee weapon, thrown weapon, bow, or sling (but not with a crossbow or a firearm). For example, if your normal ST is 10, you could strike at only ST 9 in order to deliver a lighter wound . . . or tap at ST 1 to touch your foe without doing any harm. Turn your blade. You can strike with the flat side of any swing/cutting weapon (sword, axe, etc.); this turns its usual cutting damage into crushing damage. You can also poke with the blunt end of a thrust/impaling weapon (spear, halberd, etc.); this reduces damage by 1 point and makes damage crushing. Reversing a reach 2+ impaling weapon to attack with its blunt end requires a Ready maneuver. Pin him. If you can grapple your foe, you can “pin” him (see Unarmed Combat, p. 370) and then tie him up. This takes about a minute with ropes, two seconds with ready handcuffs. For another option, see Arm Lock (p. 403). Suffocate him. For details, see Choke or Strangle (p. 370), Choke Hold (p. 404), and Suffocation (p. 436). Strangulation and Smothering It is possible to render someone unconscious – or even kill him – through suffocation without inflicting significant HP damage. See Suffocation (p. 436) for details. If you do not wish to choke your victim (see Actions After a Grapple, p. 370), you must somehow prevent him from breathing, or restrict the flow of blood (and thus oxygen) to his brain, without crushing his throat. If he is restrained, unconscious, or otherwise unresisting, you have many options: hold his nose and mouth shut by hand, cover his face with a pillow or similar object, or constrict either of his carotid arteries (on his neck). If you are conscious and being smothered, you can choose not to resist and feign unconsciousness. In most cases, you can only fool your attacker if he has been smothering or strangling you for at least 10 seconds. You must make a Will roll to lie passively in the grip of an assailant who is suffocating you! Winning a Quick Contest of Acting vs. your attacker’s IQ may fool a hasty or squeamish foe into believing you’re unconscious.
Defending Your Weapon Dodge: You can dodge normally to protect your weapon. Parry: You can only parry using the weapon that was attacked – and only if it’s ready. If you have a broadsword in one hand and a knife in the other, and your foe targeted the knife, you can’t parry with the sword. A parry represents turning your weapon so that the foe’s blow misses or slides off harmlessly. Blocking: You cannot block an attack on your weapon. You may combine a dodge or a parry with a retreat to get the usual bonus. The Defense Bonus of a shield provides no benefit whatsoever. Knocking a Weapon Away A strike to disarm is an attempt to knock or twist the weapon out of your foe’s grasp without damaging it. Only a weapon that can parry can attempt to disarm, which limits disarming to unarmed attacks, melee weapons, and certain thrown weapons. You have an extra -2 to hit unless you use a fencing weapon (main-gauche, rapier, saber, or smallsword). If you hit and your foe fails to defend, roll a Quick Contest of weapon skills with your foe; if you’re attempting to knock away a missile weapon, your opponent rolls against DX. Either of you may opt to make a ST-based skill roll instead of the standard DX-based one, if that would be better. You get +2 if you use Jitte/Sai or Whip skill (having it is not enough!). Your foe gets +2 if he is using a twohanded weapon. If you win, you disarm your foe; his weapon flies one yard in a random direction. If your foe wins or ties, he keeps his weapon, but it will be unready unless he won by 3 or more. If you roll a critical failure, you are the one disarmed! Breaking a Weapon You can instead target a weapon with the intent to chop through, shatter, or otherwise wreck it. You may make such an attack with any weapon – even a firearm. If you hit and your foe fails to defend, roll your normal damage against his weapon. See Damage to Objects (p. 483) for effects. A weapon’s weight and composition will determine its DR and HP. (For weapons bought as advantages, see Gadget Limitations, p. 116.)
SPECIAL MELEE COMBAT RULES
These rules add additional options – and complexity – to melee attacks and defenses. ATTACK FROM ABOVE Ambush from above is a good surprise tactic. Roll a Quick Contest to see if it works: your Stealth vs. the victim’s Vision. A victim walking along a trail, alley, etc. is at -2 to notice someone lurking above, unless he specifically states he is looking in the trees, high windows, etc.; then he gets +2 (but -2 to notice things on his own level!). Peripheral Vision is of no special value in this situation. If you win the Quick Contest, your victim fails to spot you. He gets no active defense against your attack! At the GM’s option, a particularly unwary individual might “freeze up”; see Surprise Attacks and Initiative (p. 393). Even if you lose – or your target is warned – your victim’s active defenses are at -2 against your attack. However, an alerted foe can take a Wait maneuver and make a “stop thrust” when you drop (see Wait, p. 366). You can drop from any height before attacking (a special kind of “step”). You have an extra -2 to hit. Regardless of the results of your attack, you take falling damage if you dropped from more than two yards – see Falling (p. 431). You may attempt an Acrobatics roll to reduce this. Natural ambushers-from-above (e.g., jaguars) have Catfall (p. 41). You can opt to drop onto your victim instead – animals often attack this way! Resolve damage to yourself and your target separately from your attack. Note that a victim is a soft thing to land on, unless he has DR 3+.
Size Modifier and Reach If your SM is greater than 0, you have a longer reach with your arms. Increase the upper end of the reach of any melee weapon according to the table at right. You also get +1 to hit when you grapple per +1 SM advantage you have over your target. Example: A giant with SM +3 gets +2 to the upper end of reach – a weapon with reach 2-3 has reach 2-5 in his hands! If he grapples a human (SM 0), he gets +3 to hit. He gets no bonus to grapple another giant. SM Reach +1 +0* +2 +1 +3 +2 +4 +3 +5 +5 +6 +7 +7 +10 +8 +15 +9 +20 +10 +30 * A reach “C” weapon increases to reach 1, but there are no other effects.
COMBAT AT DIFFERENT LEVELS Suppose you want to jump onto a table and strike down at a foe? Or fight your way up a staircase? If you and your foe are at different levels, the vertical distance affects combat. This rule is for melee combat. For ranged weapons, see Firing Upward and Downward (p. 407). One foot of vertical difference, or less: Ignore it. Up to two feet of vertical difference: Ignore it unless you are using hit locations. In that case, the higher fighter has -2 to hit the feet or legs, and +1 to hit the head (skull, face, or eyes) or neck. The lower fighter has +2 to hit the feet or legs, and -2 to hit the head. These modifiers are in addition to normal hit location penalties. Up to three feet of vertical difference: As above, but the lower fighter is at -1 to any active defense, while the upper fighter is at +1 to his active defenses. Up to four feet of vertical difference: As above, but the lower fighter is at -2 to defend, while the upper fighter is at +2. The upper fighter cannot strike at the lower fighter’s feet or legs. Up to five feet of vertical difference: The lower fighter cannot strike at the upper fighter’s head, and the upper fighter cannot strike at the lower fighter’s feet or legs. The lower fighter is at -3 to defend, while the upper fighter is at +3. Up to six feet of vertical difference: The upper fighter may only strike at the lower fighter’s head. The lower fighter may only strike at the upper fighter’s feet or legs. Neither gets any special bonus or penalty to attack. The lower fighter is at -3 to defend, while the upper fighter is at +3.
Over six feet of vertical difference: Combat is impossible unless the fighters adopt some strange position; e.g., the upper fighter lies down and reaches over the edge. In that particular case, he would effectively bring himself three feet closer, and his foe could strike at his head and arm. The GM may offer appropriate bonuses and penalties for any odd tactics that the players employ. Effects of Reach If your weapon or Size Modifier gives you more than one yard of reach, each yard past the first brings the foe three feet closer to you. This does not bring you any closer to your foe! For example, a greatsword (two-yard reach) would let you fight as if your foe were three feet closer. If you were standing six feet below him, you would fight as though he were only three feet higher. He would not enjoy a similar benefit unless he, too, had long reach. Typical Distances Set distances by common sense and mutual agreement (beforehand, if possible). Some examples: Ordinary stairs rise eight inches per step (for simplicity, you may want to call them one foot). The seat of a chair is less than two feet tall. An ordinary dining table is less than three feet tall. The counter in a shop is about four feet tall. The hood of a car, or the bed of a wagon, is about three feet tall. The roof of a car, or the seat of a wagon, is over four feet tall. SPECIAL UNARMED COMBAT TECHNIQUES Here are some additional options for unarmed fighters who are not content merely to punch, kick, and grapple. Most require Brawling, Judo, Karate, or Wrestling skill. You can improve your ability with some of these techniques – see Sample Combat Techniques (p. 230). Arm Lock An arm lock is an attempt to restrain or cripple an opponent by twisting his arm. It uses Judo or Wrestling skill. To perform an arm lock, you must have two hands free and make a successful barehanded parry with Judo or Wrestling against your opponent’s melee attack. On your first turn following the parry, you may attempt to capture your attacker’s arm if he is still within one yard. This is an attack: step into close combat and roll against Judo or Wrestling to hit. Your foe may use any active defense – he can parry your hand with a weapon! If his defense fails, you trap his arm in a lock. Your foe may attempt to break free (see Actions After Being Grappled, p. 371) on his next turn, but you are at +4 in the Quick Contest. If he loses, he has a cumulative -1 on future attempts to break free. On your next turn – and on each turn thereafter, until your foe breaks free – you may try to damage the trapped arm. Roll a Quick Contest: the highest of your Judo, Wrestling, or ST vs. the higher of your victim’s ST or HT. If you win, you inflict crushing damage equal to your margin of victory. The target’s natural DR (unless it has the Tough Skin limitation) and the DR of his rigid armor protect normally. Flexible armor has no effect! If you cripple your victim’s arm, he drops anything in that hand. You can inflict no further damage on a crippled limb, but you can continue to roll the Contest each turn. If you win, your target suffers shock and stunning just as if you had inflicted damage. The rolls to inflict damage are completely passive and do not count as attacks! You can simultaneously make close combat attacks on your opponent, who defends at -4 in addition to any other penalties due to the damage caused by the lock itself. You can also use this ability offensively. Instead of waiting to parry an attack, grapple your foe normally with Judo or Wrestling skill. If he fails to break free on his next turn, you may attempt an arm lock on your next turn, just as if you had parried his attack.
Choke Hold This Judo and Wrestling technique involves locking one forearm around the target’s neck and applying pressure to the windpipe. The more the victim struggles, the tighter the choke becomes. This can quickly subdue an opponent. To apply a choke hold, you must grapple your victim from behind using both hands. Treat this as a normal grapple (see Grappling, p. 370), but roll against your Judo at -2 or Wrestling at -3 to hit. A victim who is aware of you may attempt any legal defense, but suffers the usual penalties for an attack from behind. On your foe’s next turn and on subsequent turns, he may attempt to break free. You are at +5 in the Quick Contest. But note that you control your victim’s neck and head – not his arms and legs. He can attack you with a Wild Swing (p. 388), Back Kick (p. 230), etc., at the usual -4 for being grappled. On your next turn – and on each turn thereafter, until your foe breaks free – your victim loses 1 FP, per Suffocation (p. 436). If you wish, you may choke him for crushing damage at the same time (see Actions After a Grapple, p. 370), and get +3 to ST for this purpose. Elbow Strike You can attack an enemy behind you in close combat by jabbing backward with your elbow. Roll against Brawling-2 or Karate-2 to hit. There is no modifier for not facing the enemy, but apply an extra -1 to hit if you target a specific hit location. On a hit, roll your usual punching damage. Treat an elbow strike at a foe in front of you as a normal punch. Knee Strike This is a vicious, snapping blow with the knee. Unlike a kick, it only has reach C. Roll against Brawling-1 or Karate-1 to hit. If you have grappled your target, he defends at -2 . . . and if you grappled from the front, you may attack his groin at no penalty! On a hit, roll your usual kicking damage. Lethal Strike This is a blow that focuses all of your strength onto a single narrow point: a toe, a few stiffened fingers, etc. It is an option for any punch or kick with Karate. Roll against Karate to hit, but at -2 over and above any other penalties. You get -1 to damage, but your blow is piercing instead of crushing. This lets you target the vitals or eyes! There is a down side: the Hurting Yourself rule (p. 379) applies if your target has DR 1+ (as opposed to DR 3+). Neck Snap or Wrench Limb This brute-force technique consists of grabbing and suddenly twisting the victim’s head to break the neck, or a limb to dislocate or break it. You must first grapple your opponent by the neck or desired limb using both hands; see Grappling (p. 370). Your victim may attempt to break free on his turn. If he fails, then on your next turn, roll a Quick Contest: your ST-4 vs. the higher of your victim’s ST or HT. If you win, you inflict swing/crushing damage on the neck or limb. Damage to the neck has the usual ¥1.5 wounding modifier for hit location. The target’s natural DR (unless it has the Tough Skin limitation) and the DR of his rigid armor protect normally. Flexible armor has no effect! You may make repeated attempts on successive turns, but your opponent may attack you or attempt to break free, subject to the usual limitations of being grappled. Trampling You can trample a victim if your Size Modifier exceeds his by 2 or more – or by only 1, if he’s lying prone and you’re not. Trampling is a melee attack: roll vs. the higher of DX or Brawling to hit. The victim’s only legal defense is a dodge. If you hit, you inflict thrust/crushing damage based on your ST; if you have Hooves, add +1 per die of damage. If you knock down a foe in a collision or slam and keep on moving, you automatically overrun and trample your opponent. Do not make any attack or defense rolls – roll damage immediately, based on half your ST, rounded down. In all cases, if your SM exceeds your victim’s by 3 or more, don’t worry about hit location – your attack counts as a large-area injury (see Large-Area Injury, p. 400).
Improvised Weapons You sometimes want to hit a foe with something other than a “real” weapon. If so, the GM should treat the object as the weapon it resembles most closely: a stick would be a baton, light club, or quarterstaff; a heavy tool would be equivalent to a mace or a maul; a length of chain would serve as a clumsy morningstar; and so on. If an improvised weapon is especially clumsy, add a penalty of -1 to -3 to hit or parry with it, or increase the minimum ST required. If it is shorter or lighter than a “real” weapon of the same type (or not very sharp, for a blade), reduce damage.
SPECIAL MELEE WEAPON RULES Some melee weapons are more complicated than others! Below are some special cases. Cloaks You can snap a cloak in your opponent’s face or use it to block his vision; treat either as a Feint (see Feint, p. 365). You can also use a cloak to grapple. Roll against Cloak skill to hit; reach is C, 1. Otherwise, treat this just like an unarmed grapple (see Grappling, p. 370). Fencing Weapons The “ready” position of a fighter using Main-Gauche, Rapier, Saber, or Smallsword skill keeps his weapon pointed toward his foe at all times. As
well, the “fencing weapons” used with these skills are light and maneuverable. These factors make it easy for a fencer to recover from a parry or fall back in the face of an attack. With a fencing weapon, you get +3 to Parry instead of the usual +1 when you retreat (see Retreat, p. 377). You also suffer only half the usual penalty for multiple parries (see Parrying, p. 376). However, your Parry has a penalty equal to your encumbrance level, and you cannot parry flails at all. Flails A weapon with a length of chain between the handle and the head is a “flail.” Because of the chain, a flail can wrap around a foe’s weapon or shield when he tries to defend against it. Any attempt to parry a flail is at -4; fencing weapons, with their light blades, cannot parry flails at all! Even a shield is less useful against a flail: all blocks are at -2. Garrotes A “garrote” is a cord or wire used for strangling. You can only use it on an unaware or helpless victim, and you must attack from behind (this often requires Stealth rolls!). Once you are in position, roll against Garrote skill to hit. You must target the neck, at the usual -5 to hit. In most cases, your target is unaware, so you can safely make an All-Out Attack (Determined) for +4 to hit. The victim may attempt to parry with his hand or a ready close-combat weapon, but he does so at -3. Unless he has Combat Reflexes, he is most likely mentally stunned, for an additional -4 to his defense roll. On a success, he manages to put his hand or weapon between his throat and the garrote. The hand takes no damage unless you are using a wire garrote. On the turn of the attack and every subsequent turn, you may choke the victim (see Actions After a Grapple, p. 370), and get +3 to ST in the ensuing Quick Contest. Treat the damage as crushing (¥1.5 to the neck) for a rope garrote, cutting (¥2 to the neck) for a wire one. In addition, your victim starts to suffocate (see Suffocation, p. 436). To break free, the victim must win a Quick Contest of ST-5, Judo-3, or Wrestling-3 against your Garrote skill. An improvised garrote (almost any piece of rope) gives -2 to skill. A wire garrote must be equipped with handles, or you will take thrust/cutting damage to each hand! Picks Melee weapons that inflict swing/impaling damage – picks, warhammers, etc. – do a lot of damage, but may get stuck in your foe! At the start of the turn following any attack that penetrates the foe’s DR and inflicts damage, you must either relinquish your weapon and leave it stuck in your foe (a free action), or attempt a ST roll to free it (a Ready maneuver). On a successful ST roll, your weapon comes free. If it is one that must be readied after an attack (any weapon with “‡” next to its ST statistic), you can ready it next turn. On a failure, it is stuck. You can’t use it or ready it – and if you wish to move, you’ll have to let go. On later turns, you have two choices: let go of your weapon or try another ST roll. Should you ever get a critical failure on the ST roll, the weapon is permanently stuck (but you can retrieve it from a fallen foe after the battle).
When the weapon comes free, it does half as much damage as it did going in. For example, if the original wound was 4 points, it does another 2 points. Failed ST rolls cause no extra damage. If your foe tries to move away while your weapon is stuck in him, roll a Quick Contest of ST. If he wins, he pulls the weapon from your grasp! If you win, your foe can’t move. On a tie, the weapon comes free and does damage as above. Shields A shield is an excellent defense against low-tech weapons, but you can also use it offensively: Shield Bash: A shield “bash” is an ordinary melee weapon attack. A shield can only hit foes in your front or shield-side hexes. See the Melee Weapon Table (p. 271) for statistics. Shield Rush: A shield “rush” is an attempt to knock your foe down by running into him shield-first. See Slam (p. 368) for details. You cannot do this with a buckler. Whips Whips are effective disarming weapons. When you strike to disarm with a whip, you get +2 in the ensuing Quick Contest; see Knocking a Weapon Away (p. 401). You may try to entangle your opponent instead of his weapon. This attack is at an extra -4 to hit, and inflicts no damage, but follows the Lariat rules (p. 411) if successful. Whips are poor defensive weapons, and get -2 to Parry. Whips are also unbalanced, and cannot attack and parry on the same turn – and long whips actually become unready after an attack or a parry. It takes one turn to ready a two-yard whip, two turns to ready a whip three yards or longer. Additional rules apply, depending on the type of whip: Whip: You can “crack” an ordinary bullwhip – this is the sound of the tip breaking the sound barrier! This requires an attack at -4 to skill, but inflicts +2 damage. Any whip blow is painful: anyone who suffers a whip wound to his arm or hand must roll against Will, modified by the shock penalty for the injury. On a failure, he drops anything in that hand. Kusari: This is a weighted chain. You can adjust reach from 1 to 4 yards with a Ready maneuver. Treat it as a whip when disarming, entangling opponents, or readying. Treat it as a flail vs. enemy defenses: -2 to block and -4 to parry. If someone parries your kusari with a weapon, make a skill roll immediately. On a success, your kusari entangles his weapon. A failure has no special effect; a critical failure means you drop the kusari! Your opponent may disentangle his weapon on his turn. This requires a free hand and a DX roll. If he does not, you may make a disarm attempt on your next turn without rolling to hit first: state that you are attempting to disarm and immediately roll the Quick Contest. This still counts as an attack. You cannot use a kusari if there is no headroom, or in an area full of obstacles (nearby people count as obstacles). On a critical miss, a roll of 3, 4, 17, or 18 indicates that you have hit yourself in the face! Monowire Whip: An ultra-tech whip made of superfine wire. A control allows you to vary length from 1 to 7 yards, changing both reach and ready time. Adjusting the length requires a Ready maneuver. When used to snare an opponent or a weapon, the whip cuts into its target, inflicting thrust+1d(10) cutting damage every turn it is pulled taut until the victim escapes. A “drop weapon” critical miss indicates that you have hit yourself or a friend.
Dirty Tricks Creative players will constantly invent new combat tricks – for instance, throwing sand in the enemy’s face to blind him. This presents a problem for the GM. On the one hand, creativity should be encouraged; it makes the game more interesting. On the other hand, tricks only work when they’re new and original. If sand in the face worked every time, barbarian warriors would leave their swords at home and carry bags of sand instead! The best solution is to let “tricks” work once – maybe twice – and then assume that word has gotten around. If you, as the GM, think that the players’ clever idea is a good one, you should give it a fair chance to work. But remember that elaborate tricks can fail elaborately . . . and word gets around. The first Trojan horse was a great success. It hasn’t worked since then. IQ and Dirty Tricks Often, the GM will find it appropriate to require an IQ roll when a fighter attempts a clever trick. Depending on the circumstance, the GM may: • Make the trickster roll vs. his IQ to pull off the trick properly. • Make the victim roll vs. his IQ to see through the trick. • Require a Quick Contest of IQ to see who outsmarts whom. There’s no hard-and-fast rule! Just remember: nobody who takes an IQ 8 fighter should be allowed to play him as a genius! Liquids in the Face This is one of the most common “dirty tricks.” Treat liquid tossed in the face as a thrown weapon with Acc 1 and Max 3. Remember the -5 to target the face! On a critical hit, the liquid gets in the victim’s eyes, blinding him for 1d seconds (the GM rolls secretly). On any other hit, the target may defend normally – but note that it is impossible to parry a liquid. If he fails to defend, he must make a Will roll to avoid flinching. On a failure, he flinches: -2 to further defenses that turn, and -2 to any DX or Sense roll on his next turn. On a success, the attack has no effect . . . unless the victim has Bad Temper! This assumes a relatively harmless substance, like beer. Acid, poison, etc. have their usual effects.
SPECIAL RANGED COMBAT RULES
The following rules add extra detail in ranged combat situations. MALFUNCTIONS This optional rule applies only to firearms, grenades, and incendiaries. A “malfunction” is a mechanical failure of the weapon; e.g., a misfire or a jam. Unlike a critical failure, a malfunction does not normally endanger the user. For the purpose of this rule, firearms, grenades, and incendiaries have a “malfunction number,” or “Malf.,” a function of TL. TL Malf. 3 12 4 14 5 16 6 or higher 17 A fine or very fine firearm gets +1 to Malf.; a cheap weapon gets -1. Specific types of weapons might have a higher or lower Malf., as indicated in their descriptions. The GM is free to lower a weapon’s Malf. for mistreatment, lack of maintenance, or damage. Regardless of the attacker’s skill, a weapon will malfunction instead of firing on any unmodified attack roll equal to or greater than its Malf. The exact effects depend on the weapon. Firearm Malfunction Table When a weapon malfunctions, roll 3d on the following table: 3-4 – Mechanical or electrical problem. 5-8 – Misfire. 9-11 – Stoppage. 12-14 – Misfire. 15-18 – Mechanical or electrical problem, and possible explosion. Mechanical or Electrical Problem The weapon fails to fire. A successful Armoury or IQ-based weapon skill roll (takes a Ready maneuver) can diagnose the problem. Once the problem is known, make an Armoury skill roll to correct it. Each repair attempt takes one hour, and any critical failure destroys the weapon. Grenades: This represents a fusing problem: the weapon detonates 1d seconds late. Misfire The weapon fails to fire. A successful Armory+2 or IQ-based weapon skill roll (takes a Ready maneuver) can identify the problem. If the weapon is a revolver, the next shot will fire normally. Otherwise, each attempt to fix the problem requires three Ready maneuvers, two hands free, and a successful Armoury+2 or IQ-based weapon skill roll. Critical failure causes a mechanical or electrical problem. Grenades: The grenade is a dud, and will never explode. Stoppage The weapon fires one shot, then jams or otherwise stops working. (Treat the fired shot as a normal attack.) Each attempt to clear the stoppage requires three Ready maneuvers, two hands free, and a successful Armoury roll, or IQ-based weapon skill roll at -4. A success fixes the weapon. Failure means it isn’t fixed yet, but you can try again. Critical failure causes a mechanical or electrical problem. Beam weapons: Treat as a mechanical or electrical problem. Grenades and other single-use weapons: The weapon is a dud; it will never fire or explode. Explosion Any TL3 firearm or TL4 grenade, breechloader, or repeating firearm may blow up in the gunner’s face, inflicting 1d+2 cr ex [2d]. If the weapon uses an explosive warhead, use the warhead’s damage instead. TL5+ weapons do not explode – treat as a mechanical or electrical problem. FIRING UPWARD AND DOWNWARD Firing downward increases the distance you can throw or fire a projectile; firing upward decreases it. This effect is unlikely to matter at short distances, but can be important at long range. Ignore it entirely for beam weapons like lasers! Firing Downward: For every two yards of elevation you have over your target, subtract one yard from the effective distance, to a minimum of half the real ground distance. (Example: You are 40 yards away from your target, and 10 yards higher. Subtract 5 yards from effective range. You fire as though you were only 35 yards away.) Firing Upward: For every yard of elevation your target has over you, add one yard to the effective distance. (Example: You are 40 yards away from your target, and 10 yards lower. Add 10 yards to effective range. You fire as though you were 50 yards away.) COVER To take cover behind an obstacle, simply move so that it is between you and your attacker. You might also have to kneel or lie prone, depending on the obstacle’s height. Cover protects one or more hit locations, making you harder to hit with ranged weapons. You must normally expose your skull, eyes, face, and neck to see a target. You must expose your weapon arm and hand to fire a one-handed weapon. You must normally expose both arms and hands to fire a twohanded weapon, plus half of your torso and vitals, unless you are firing through a narrow slit. Your groin, legs, and feet can remain hidden if the cover is sufficient to protect them. You might have to expose more of your body if the cover is partial, or if you are unable to kneel, sit, or lie prone behind low cover.
If your foe is partially behind cover, you have three options: • Target a location that is not behind cover. Your attack takes the usual hit location penalty. If the location is only half exposed, you have an extra -2 to hit. • Roll randomly for hit location. Your attack takes no hit location penalty, but shots that hit a covered location strike the cover instead. For shots that hit a location that is only half exposed, roll 1d: on a roll of 4-6, the shot strikes cover, not the target. • Ignore the cover and try to shoot right through it! This is only likely to be effective if you have a powerful weapon or your target is behind light cover. You have an extra -2 to hit. (Exception: If your foe is completely concealed by cover, you suffer the usual penalty for shooting blind, typically -10.) The cover adds its “cover DR” against the attack. For structures, this is typically the barrier’s DR + (HP/4); see the Structural Damage Table (p. 558) and Cover DR Table (p. 559) for more information. For the cover DR of living things, see Overpenetration, below. Cover is normally only effective against ranged weapons, but certain obstacles might interfere with melee attacks as well. You can fight across a low obstacle if your attacks have sufficient reach to strike past it. Thus, two fencers could duel across an intervening table, but could not strike each other’s legs or feet. OVERPENETRATION When you inflict piercing, impaling, or tight-beam burning damage with a ranged attack, there is a chance that damage might pass through your target and harm something on the far side; e.g., an innocent bystander. Similarly, a powerful attack might go right through cover (see Cover, above) or a shield (see Damage to Shields, p. 484) – or even penetrate a building or vehicle, damaging it and its occupants. The GM decides who is likely to be hit due to overpenetration. A hit is automatic if the second target is immediately behind the first; e.g., someone taking cover or blocking with a shield. Otherwise, see Hitting the Wrong Target (p. 389) and Occupant Hit Table (p. 555) to determine who is hit. An attack only overpenetrates if its basic damage exceeds the target’s “cover DR.” To find this value, add together the target or cover’s DR – on both sides, for a person in armor – and HP (for flesh), 1/2 HP (for a machine, vehicle, or other Unliving target), or 1/4 HP (for a Homogenous object). Use the object’s DR alone if it’s a thin slab, like a wall or a door. Finally, apply any armor divisor. If the attack does enough damage to penetrate cover DR, determine if anyone on the other side is hit. If so, they get the cover DR plus their own DR against the damage. Example: Special Agent Ira Gray spots an assassin with a rifle, and throws himself in front of the VIP he’s protecting just as the gunman fires. The armor-piercing rifle bullet – a 7d(2) pi- attack – hits him in the chest! The bullet’s basic damage is 20 points. Gray’s DR 8 ballistic vest stops only 4 points due to the armor divisor of (2). Gray takes 16 points of penetrating damage. Halved for small piercing, this inflicts an 8 HP wound. What about the VIP? Gray’s vest gives DR 16, since both sides count, and Gray has 12 HP. The total cover DR is 28, halved for the armor divisor of (2) to give DR 14. Since the bullet’s basic damage was 20, it overpenetrated. The VIP wasn’t wearing armor, so he takes 6 points of damage, halved for small piercing, and suffers a 3 HP injury. He’s wounded, but not badly – Special Agent Gray saved his life. SPECIAL RULES FOR RAPID FIRE The following additional rules are for use in conjunction with Rapid Fire (p. 373). They only apply when making a ranged attack at RoF 2+. Automatic Weapons and Full-Auto Only Automatic weapons – firearms with RoF 4+ – use the Rapid Fire rules. Most can fire both controlled bursts and “full auto” (that is, for as long as the trigger is held down). Some automatic weapons (e.g., machine guns) can only fire full auto; they lack a semi-automatic or limited- burst setting (“selective fire”). A weapon that is “full-auto only” has a “!” after its RoF statistic. The only way to fire a short burst with such a weapon is to hold down the trigger for a fraction of a second. Minimum RoF is one-quarter full RoF (round up) or shots remaining, whichever is less. Rapid Fire vs. Close Stationary Targets Rapid fire generally results in only a fraction of the shots fired hitting the target. This is realistic . . . except when the target is up close and unable to move. This situation arises when shooting your way through a wall, door, or parked car with a shotgun or assault rifle – or when performing an execution.
If your target is totally immobile (for instance, an inanimate object, or someone who is completely restrained or unconscious) and has a Size Modifier high enough to completely counteract the range penalty, a successful attack roll means that half the shots fired (round up) hit. If the attack succeeds by the weapon’s Recoil or more, all of the shots hit. Example: When shooting at a door with SM +2, this rule would apply at any range up to 5 yards (range modifier -2). If the target were a man (SM 0), this would only apply at a range of up to 2 yards (range modifier 0) – and only if he were tied up or unconscious. Shotguns and Multiple Projectiles A weapon with a RoF followed by a multiplier (e.g., RoF 3¥9) fires shots that release multiple, smaller projectiles. The most common example is a shotgun. The first number is the number of shots the weapon can actually fire; this is how much ammunition is used up. When resolving the attack, however, multiply shots fired by the second number to get the effective RoF. Example: Father O’Leary’s shotgun has RoF 3¥9. He chooses to fire three times at a demon flapping toward him. For the purpose of the Rapid Fire rules, he his three shots are an attack at RoF 3 ¥ 9 = 27, because each shell releases multiple buckshot pellets. At extremely close range, multiple projectiles don’t have time to spread. This increases lethality! At ranges less than 10% of 1/2D, don’t apply the RoF multiplier to RoF. Instead, multiply both basic damage dice and the target’s DR by half that value (round down). Example: Father O’Leary’s shotgun has 1/2D 50, so once that demon flies to within 5 yards, it is close enough that the pellets won’t disperse much. If O’Leary fires three times, his RoF is 3, not 27. But since the attack is a ¥9 multiple-projectile round, a ¥4 multiplier applies to both basic damage and the demon’s DR. The shotgun’s basic damage is 1d+1, so O’Leary rolls 4d+4 for each hit (up to three, depending on how well he rolls). However, the demon’s DR 3 becomes DR 12 against the damage. Spraying Fire A weapon fired at RoF 5+ can attack multiple targets. All the targets must be in the same general direction (within a 30° angle), and you must engage them in succession – from right to left or from left to right, your choice. Announce how many shots you will fire at each target before you roll to hit. You may split up your RoF however you wish. If the targets are more than one yard apart, traversing between them wastes some shots. For RoF 16 or less, you lose one shot for each yard between targets. For RoF 16+, you lose two shots per yard. These “wasted” shots may hit unintended targets (see Hitting the Wrong Target, p. 389). Make a separate attack roll against each target. Your effective RoF for each attack is just the number of shots you fired at that target. Since a weapon is harder to control when you swing it to engage multiple targets, add +1 to effective Recoil for your attack on the second target, +2 to Recoil when you engage the third target, and so on. Example: Sgt. Kelly, Special Air Service, kicks open the door and sees three armed terrorists. With no hostages in sight, Kelly opens fire! His weapon is a 4.6mm PDW (see p. 278). He sprays fire at all three terrorists, using his weapon’s full RoF of 15. The first two terrorists are standing 2 yards apart; the third is 4 yards from either. Kelly fires 5 shots at the first, wastes 1 shot traversing to the second, fires 4 shots at him, wastes 3 shots traversing to the third, and fires his last 2 shots. He resolves this as three separate rapid-fire attacks: one at RoF 5 with the PDW’s normal Recoil of 2, one at RoF 4 and Recoil 3, and one at RoF 2 and Recoil 4. Suppression Fire If you have a weapon with RoF 5+, you can lay down “suppression fire.” This involves holding down the trigger and “hosing down” an area with fire. This will affect anyone who enters the area before the start of your next turn. There needn’t be a target in the area when you start! To use suppression fire, select a target zone two yards across at some point within your weapon’s range, take the All-Out Attack (Suppression Fire) maneuver, and start shooting. This maneuver takes an entire second; you can do nothing else that turn. Specify how many shots you are firing, up to your weapon’s full RoF. If your weapon has RoF 10+, you can suppress multiple two-yard zones, as long as they are adjacent and you fire at least five shots into each zone. Your effective RoF in each zone is the number of shots you fired into that zone, not your total shots.
Once you start suppression fire, you must attack anyone – friend or foe – who enters the zone or a swath that extends one yard to either side of a line drawn from you to the center of the zone. With the exception of penalties for target visibility, all normal attack modifiers apply – including the rapid-fire bonus for your effective RoF and any bonus for aiming prior to suppressing. Your final effective skill cannot exceed 6 + your rapid-fire bonus for most weapons, or 8 + your rapidfire bonus for vehicle- or tripodmounted ones. If you hit, use Random Hit Location (p. 400) – you cannot target a particular hit location with suppression fire. This may result in some shots hitting cover (see Cover, p. 407). If all your shots somehow manage to strike targets, you can score no further hits that turn. SPECIAL RANGED WEAPONS Certain ranged weapons are “special cases,” and require additional notes. Bolas The bolas is a thrown entangling weapon. The target can dodge or block, but if he tries to parry, the bolas hits his parrying arm, with effects as described below. (Exception: A successful parry with a cutting weapon cuts the cords, ruining the bolas!) You may aim a bolas at any body part. If it hits, it does its damage and wraps around its target. To escape, the victim requires a free hand, and must make three successful DX rolls. Each attempt counts as a Ready maneuver, during which time the victim may take no other actions. Animals roll to escape at -3 for paws or at -6 for hooves. If you hit a weapon, or an arm or hand that is holding something, roll a Quick Contest: your Bolas skill vs. the target’s ST. If you win, the target drops what he’s carrying (this does not affect a shield strapped to the arm). If you hit a leg or foot, you entangle two legs; a running target must make a DX roll or fall, taking 1d-2 damage. If you hit the neck, the bolas cuts off the target’s breathing (see Suffocation, p. 436) until he escapes. Crossbows When you buy a crossbow, you must specify its ST. It takes two seconds to cock any crossbow of your ST or less. A stronger bow does more damage but takes longer to cock. A crossbow with ST 1 or 2 greater than your own takes six seconds to cock. A crossbow with ST 3 or 4 greater than yours requires a “goat’s foot” device to cock (takes 20 seconds). You cannot cock a stronger crossbow, except using slow mechanical devices. You can still fire it! Remember that in addition to cocking time, it takes one turn to ready a bolt – unless you have Fast- Draw (Arrow) – and one turn to load the bolt into the crossbow. Flaming Arrows A flaming arrow is made by wrapping oil- or fat-soaked cloth, grass, etc. around the shaft just behind the arrowhead; it takes 10 seconds to prepare, and must be used within three seconds of preparation. It is clumsy in flight, giving -2 to hit. If it hits, treat it as an arrow that does one point of burning damage as a linked effect (see Linked Effects, p. 381). The chance of the flame spreading depends on what the arrow strikes. Hand Grenades It takes a Ready maneuver to grab a hand grenade from your belt, web gear, etc. To use it, you must arm it (“pull the pin”); this requires a second Ready maneuver. After that, you can throw it normally. Most grenades have a fixed delay (typically under 5 seconds), but some detonate on impact. If the grenade has
a delay, you can take one or two seconds to Aim (and hope no one shoots you!) before you throw it. Otherwise, it is just barely possible for the enemy to pick up a grenade that lands next to him and throw it back! It takes him one second to kneel down, one to ready the grenade, one to throw . . . Harpoons Most harpoons are barbed. Use the rules under Picks (p. 405), except that the tether lets you attempt the ST roll to free the weapon at a distance. A harpooned victim can move, but no farther than the tether’s length; to go further, he must win a Quick Contest of ST to pull the tether out of your hands. He might have to beat ST 50 (or even higher!) to escape if the tether is made of thick rope and tied securely to something solid (e.g., a ship). Lariats Like a harpoon, treat a lariat as a thrown weapon, despite the fact that you hold onto one end. You may aim a lariat at any body part. Your target may dodge or parry – and if he successfully parries with a cutting weapon, he damages the lariat as if he had tried to cut it (see below). But if he tries to parry and fails, you automatically ensnare his parrying arm! If you hit the target’s arm or torso, you ensnare it. On subsequent turns, you must take a Ready maneuver to keep the victim snared. Roll a Quick Contest of ST on your turn. If you win, you immobilize your opponent; if you lose, he pulls the lariat from your grasp. If you lasso the neck, use the same rules, but your victim is at -5 in the Contest. If you win, the lariat cuts off the victim’s breathing – see Suffocation (p. 436). If you rope the foot, the target must make a DX roll to remain standing (this is instead of the Contest above). He rolls at -4 if he was running. If he falls, he takes 1d-4 damage – or 1d-2 if he was running. On subsequent turns, use the rules above to keep him entangled. You must keep the lariat taut at all times to immobilize or suffocate your victim. This requires a Ready maneuver each turn. If your horse is trained to do this for you, substitute its ST for yours in the Quick Contest. To escape from a taut lariat, cut the rope (DR 1, 2 HP). To escape from a limp lariat (including one pulled from the attacker’s grasp), use the rules given under Bolas (p. 410). A lariat takes 1 turn per 5 yards to ready after a miss. A typical lariat is 10 yards long. Molotov Cocktails and Oil Flasks A “Molotov cocktail” (TL6) is a bottle filled with gasoline and fitted with a burning “fuse” – often just a rag. Once you have it in hand, it takes a Ready maneuver to light its fuse (if you have a torch or lighter) and an Attack maneuver to throw. In theory, the bottle bursts upon hitting a hard surface (anything with DR 3+), spilling the gasoline, which immediately catches fire. In reality, Molotov cocktails are notoriously unreliable. They have a Malf. of 12, regardless of tech level (see Malfunctions, p. 407): on any attack roll of 12+, the fuse separates from the bottle in flight, the bottle fails to break, or the fuel doesn’t ignite. If your target is a person, he may dodge or block, but not parry. If he dodges, the bottle shatters on the ground at his feet. The same thing happens if he fails to defend but does not have DR 3+ (the bottle bounces off without breaking). If he blocks, it breaks on his shield. If your target is the ground, or if you targeted a person but hit the ground instead, the Molotov cocktail sets fire to a one-yard radius; see Area- Effect Attacks (p. 413). On a battle map, the target hex is filled with flame. If the Molotov cocktail bursts on the target, it inflicts 3d burning damage, and then 1d burning damage per second. Most DR protects at only 1/5 value; sealed armor protects completely. If you hit the target’s shield, it takes this damage instead, and the wielder may continue to use his shield until it is destroyed (the fire is on the outside). Use the Damage to Shields rule (p. 484), or just assume that he must discard his shield after the battle. If you hit the ground, the flame does 1d-1 burning damage per second in a one-yard radius. In all cases, the flame burns for 10d seconds. “Greek fire” (TL3) consists of naphtha – a light petroleum product distilled from crude oil, roughly similar to gasoline – mixed with fat or tar and saltpeter to make it sticky and burn hotter. It should be very expensive! Treat earthenware flasks filled with Greek fire as Molotov cocktails. This is the classic fantasy “oil flask.” Below TL3, flammable, hot-burning liquids are unavailable in realistic game worlds. Note that these weapons are fragile. Roll 1d for each bottle if you fall; it breaks on a roll of 1-4. A foe may strike at a bottle on your belt (-5 to hit); it breaks automatically if hit. Either result soaks you in flammable liquid: any burning damage will set you on fire! Nets A net is a thrown entangling weapon. The target may dodge or parry it. If he successfully parries with a cutting weapon, he damages the net; treat a net of any size as a diffuse object with DR 1 and normal HP for its weight. If the target fails to defend, he is entangled, and cannot move or attack until freed. To escape, the victim requires at least one free hand, and must make three successful DX-4 rolls. Each attempt counts as a Ready maneuver, during which time the victim may take no other actions. Animals roll at an extra -2, as do humans with only one hand available; rolls to escape from a small net are at +3. If the victim fails three consecutive rolls, he becomes so entangled that he must be cut free. It is also possible to escape a net by damaging it. The victim can only use attacks with reach “C,” but they hit automatically. Use the Breaking a Weapon rules (p. 401) – but treat a net as diffuse (see Injury to Unliving, Homogenous, and Diffuse Targets, p. 380). You may also use a small net as a melee weapon. It has a reach of 1 or 2 yards. Handle the attack as per Lariats (above) and the victim’s attempt to break free as per Bolas (p. 410). FIREARM ACCESSORIES These rules cover the effects of the firearm accessories mentioned in Chapter 8.
Bipods and Tripods If a weapon has an attached bipod, a prone shooter may treat it as if it were braced (see Aim, p. 364) and reduce its ST requirement to 2/3 normal (round up). To open or close a folding bipod requires a Ready maneuver. A heavy weapon may be mounted, on a tripod or similar device. The gunner cannot move or step on any turn he fires the weapon, but he can defend normally. He may ignore the weapon’s ST requirement while it is on its mount. Removing a weapon from its mount, or reattaching it, requires three Ready maneuvers – more, for some very heavy weapons. Laser Sights These devices use a low-powered laser beam to project an aiming dot onto the target. Some use a visible beam; others use a beam visible only to infrared or ultraviolet vision. Laser sights have a maximum range at which they are effective; beyond that range, the dot is too dispersed to be visible. If no maximum range is given, assume the sight’s range is matched to the 1/2D range of the weapon on which it is mounted. If you can see your own aiming dot, you get +1 to hit, regardless of whether you took an Aim maneuver. But if the target can see it, he gets +1 to Dodge! Activating a laser sight is a free action; specify whether it’s on before you Aim or Attack. Scopes A telescopic sight, or “scope,” gives a bonus to hit if you take an Aim maneuver. With a fixed-power scope, you must Aim for at least as many seconds as the scope’s bonus. With a variable- power scope, you may Aim for fewer seconds, but this reduces your bonus by a like amount. Scopes are variable-power unless otherwise noted. A scope may be integral to a weapon, attached, or part of a vehicle’s sighting system. Telescopic Vision (p. 92) also gives a scope bonus. You can only use one scope (including Telescopic Vision) at a time. Some advanced scopes also function as night-vision devices. Silencers A silencer muffles the sound of gunshots. Someone several rooms away indoors, or out of your line of sight outdoors, gets a Hearing+5 roll to hear an unsilenced shot. This roll may be at up to +4 for a high-powered weapon or quiet environment, or down to -4 for a low-powered gun or noisy environment (GM’s discretion). A typical silencer gives an extra -4, while the best commercial silencers might give -6. Anyone who is in front of your weapon and exposed and close enough for you to attack with it automatically hears the shot – even with a silencer. However, the silencer makes the sound difficult to localize: the listener must make an IQ roll (not a Hearing roll) to deduce your location unless you’re in plain sight. Silencers are most common for auto pistols and submachine guns, but exist for many other weapons. GUIDED AND HOMING WEAPONS Some weapons can be steered, or steer themselves, once launched. This makes it easier to hit distant targets! These weapons appear late in TL6, and are commonly available from TL7 on. Most are rocket-propelled, save for underwater torpedoes – but magical or exotic examples may exist in some game worlds.
Semi-Active Homing Weapons “Semi-active” laser or radar homing is common on TL7+ missiles. The seeker head on this type of projectile detects and homes in on the reflections of a laser or radar beam directed at the target. As for other homing weapons, the firer does not need to do anything once the weapon is launched. However, someone (the firer or an ally) must aim a properly modulated laser or radar beam at the target until the missile hits. Modern soldiers often sneak up close to their targets and use riflesized “laser designators” to direct laser-homing “smart bombs” or missiles launched by distant aircraft or artillery. Designating a target requires continued Aim maneuvers and a DX-based roll against Forward Observer skill (p. 196); failure means the weapon misses its target.
Guided Weapons A “guided” weapon is a projectile that can receive steering commands in flight. This enables the firer to keep it on course. The weapon relies on the operator’s skill to reach its target. Early guided missiles had to be steered by the operator using a joystick. Modern systems merely require him to keep the launcher’s sights trained on the target; the missile and launcher’s electronics do the rest. Most reference works categorize guided weapons according to how the launcher communicates with the projectile. For instance, a “wire-guided” missile or torpedo receives commands via thin wires that spool out behind the projectile in flight, while a “radio-guided” weapon receives commands via radio. There are many other systems! Treat an attack with a guided weapon exactly like any other ranged attack, except for these special rules: Aim: If you Aim a guided weapon before you Attack, you receive its Acc bonus – but you don’t have to aim. If the projectile takes multiple seconds to reach its target (see Time to Target, below), the attack is automatically aimed and gets its Acc bonus. Attack: If the target is within the weapon’s 1/2D range, the weapon can hit on the turn you fire it. Use an Attack or All-Out Attack maneuver to fire. If the target is more distant, use a Concentrate maneuver – and since the projectile will be in flight for several
seconds, you will also have to take Concentrate maneuvers on one or more subsequent turns. Modifiers: Treat a guided weapon as any other firearm when assessing modifiers, but ignore range modifiers! Your target might have “electronic countermeasures” (ECM) that give a penalty to hit. Details depend on the ECM and the guidance system, and are outside the scope of the Basic Set. Homing Weapons A “homing” weapon is a projectile that steers itself to the target. It has its own homing sense – called a “seeker head,” on a missile – that determines how it tracks its target. This equates to a sensory advantage; e.g., an infraredhoming missile uses Infravision, while a radar-homing missile uses Scanning Sense (Radar). Some weapons have multiple homing senses! Use the weapon’s homing sense(s) instead of your senses when assessing combat modifiers; e.g., radar ignores darkness but can be jammed. Homing weapons use the usual ranged combat rules, with these modifications: Preparation Time: Some launchers require several seconds to insert batteries, turn on and warm up electronic systems, etc. These activities require Ready maneuvers, but are already factored into the time to ready a new shot, as listed with the Shots statistic. Aim: Your weapon must “lock on” to the target before you can fire. This takes an Aim maneuver, and usually requires you to be able to see the target. This special Aim maneuver requires a roll against your weapon skill: Artillery (Guided Missile), for homing missiles – not Guns or Gunner. Attack: Fire a homing weapon using a Ready maneuver, not an Attack maneuver – the projectile attacks on its own! If the target is within the weapon’s 1/2D range, the weapon attacks on the same turn; otherwise, see Time to Target, below. When you make the attack roll, do not roll against your skill to hit. Instead, use the weapon’s skill of 10, adding its Acc if you made your skill roll for “lock on.” Modifiers: Homing missiles ignore range modifiers and all modifiers for your injury, movement, posture, etc.! Base visibility modifiers on the projectile’s homing sense, not on your senses. Anything that jams this sense (e.g., radar jammer vs. radar homing) gives a penalty to hit. All other ranged combat modifiers (for size, speed, etc.) apply normally. Time to Target If a guided or homing attack has a 1/2D statistic, do not halve damage. Instead, read this as the attack’s speed in yards/second. The projectile can hit a target at up to its 1/2D range on the turn you launch it. It requires multiple turns to reach a more distant target. Defer the attack roll until the projectile actually reaches its target. The projectile continues to close at a speed equal to its 1/2D until it has traveled a total distance equal to its Max (that is, for Max/speed seconds, including the turn of firing). If it still has not hit, it will crash, self-destruct, etc. Thus, it’s possible to “outrun” a guided or homing attack . . . if you’re fast enough! Some further special rules: Guided Weapons: Take a Concentrate maneuver each turn to steer the weapon. Should you lose sight of the target while the attack is en route, your attack misses automatically! You must make an Attack or All-Out Attack (Determined) on the turn the projectile reaches the target. Resolve the attack as if you had fired the weapon that turn. If you cannot make an Attack or All-Out Attack, the projectile will fly past the target and crash. Homing Weapons: You are no longer in control of the projectile once you launch it. It will home on its own. The projectile itself will take an Attack maneuver on the turn that it reaches the target. AREA AND SPREADING ATTACKS Some attacks – dragon’s breath, gas bombs, etc. – affect a wide area. Damage from all such attacks uses the Large-Area Injury rule (p. 400), unless the victim is so big that only a single body part is contained within the area. Area-Effect Attacks Gas bombs, Molotov cocktails, and similar attacks – including anything with the Area Effect enhancement (p. 102) – affect everyone within a specified radius. Damage does not usually decline with distance. On a miss, use the Scatter rule (see p. 414) to determine where the area is centered. Active defenses don’t protect against an area attack, but victims may dive for cover or retreat out of the area; see Dodge and Drop (p. 377). Cone Attacks Dragon’s fire, wide-beam microwave and sonic weapons, and anything with the Cone enhancement (p. 103) are examples of cone attacks. A cone attack requires a roll to hit . . . but it might still catch the target in the area of effect on a miss! On a hit, the cone is on target; otherwise, use the Scatter rule (see p. 414) to determine a new target point. Once you know the target point, imagine (or trace on a battle map) a line between the attacker and that point. The cone spreads to either side of this line, out to its maximum range. A cone is one yard wide at its origin, but increases in width at a “rate of spread” equal to its specified maximum width divided by its maximum range. For instance, a cone with a maximum range of 100 yards and a maximum width of 5 yards would spread by one yard per 20 yards of range; out at 60 yards, it would be three yards wide. If maximum width is unspecified, assume the cone spreads by one yard per yard of range. A cone affects everyone within its area, but anyone who is completely screened from the attacker by an object or person is behind cover, which protects normally. Targets may attempt a dodge defense to leave the area or get to cover; see Dodge and Drop (p. 377). Dissipation Certain cone and area attacks dissipate with distance. This is common for realistic wide-area beam weapons and area-effect burning attacks. Attacks with the Dissipation limitation (p. 112) also use these rules.
In the case of a damaging attack (e.g., Innate Attack), damage declines with the target’s distance from the center of the area or the apex of the cone. For a cone, divide damage by the cone’s width in yards at the target’s distance from the apex. For an area effect, divide damage by the distance in yards between the target and the center of the effect. For an attack that allows a HT roll to resist (e.g., Affliction), find the “damage divisor” as above, but do not apply it to damage (if any). Instead, use the divisor as a bonus to the HT roll to resist; e.g., two yards from the center of an area effect, add +2 to HT.
Attacking an Area You can deliberately attack an area of ground with an area-effect or explosive attack. For a Molotov cocktail, grenade, etc., this means you lobbed it in a high arc. Roll to hit at +4. There’s no defense roll, but anyone in the area can dive for cover; see Dodge and Drop (p. 377). When an area-effect, cone, or explosive attack misses its target, it’s important to know where it actually ends up! If you fail your attack roll, you missed your target by a number of yards equal to your margin of failure, to a maximum of half the distance to the target (round up). If the enemy dodges, use his margin of success to determine distance instead. Exception: If your target was flying or underwater, or you’re using the Artillery or Dropping skill to fire upon or bomb a target you can’t see, you miss by yards equal to the square of your margin of failure. This does not apply to a dodge. To determine the direction of your miss, roll one die. Take the direction you are facing as a roll of 1, 60° clockwise (the next facing, on a hex map) as a roll of 2, and so on. Your attack misses in that direction, by the number of yards determined above.
EXPLOSIONS
Certain attacks, such as hand grenades and Explosive Fireball spells, produce a blast when they hit. Such attacks have the notation “ex” after their damage type: “cr ex” for a crushing explosion, “burn ex” for a burning explosion, and so on. In addition to doing the listed damage to whoever was struck directly, an explosion inflicts “collateral damage” on everything within (2 ¥ dice of damage) yards. For instance, if an explosion does 6d¥2 damage, everyone within 24 yards is vulnerable – although some might be lucky enough to take little or no damage. The listed damage only applies “as is” to the target struck. For everything else caught in the blast, roll this damage but divide it by (3 ¥ distance in yards from the center of the blast), rounding down. Roll damage individually (but the GM can save time by using one roll for several NPCs). Use torso armor to determine DR against explosion damage. If an explosive attack has an armor divisor, it does not apply to the collateral damage. For example, the shapedcharge warhead of an anti-tank rocket has an armor divisor of (10), but this only reduces the DR of a target it actually strikes; those nearby get their full DR against the blast. Explosions are considered incendiary attacks, and can start fires; see Catching Fire (p. 434). Anyone caught in a blast may attempt an active defense roll to dive for cover from the explosion’s collateral damage and fragmentation; see Dodge and Drop (p. 377). Fragmentation Damage Many grenades, bombs, and artillery shells have metal casings designed to shatter when they explode, producing a storm of sharp fragments. Some are packed with
extra material (pellets, nails, etc.) to enhance this effect. Fragmentation damage, if any, appears in brackets after explosive damage; e.g., “[2d]” means 2d fragmentation damage. Everyone within (5 ¥ dice of fragmentation damage) yards is vulnerable. For example, that [2d] attack would throw fragments out to 5 ¥ 2 = 10 yards. The farther a target is from the blast, the less likely the fragments are to hit him. A hit is automatic if the explosive attack actually strikes the target. The fragments attack everyone else in the area at skill 15. Only three modifiers apply: the range modifier for the distance from the center of the blast to the target, the modifier for the target’s posture (prone, etc.), and the target’s Size Modifier. It is possible for several fragments to hit! For every three points by which the attack roll succeeds, one additional fragment strikes the target. The only active defense against fragments is to dive away from the explosion that produced them; see Dodge and Drop (p. 377). For each hit, roll hit location randomly. If that location is behind cover, the fragment hits cover. Fragmentation damage is cutting. Note that if an explosive attack has an armor divisor, this does not apply to the fragments it produces. Airbursts: Against an airburst, do not apply posture modifiers – lying prone under an airburst does not decrease the body area exposed to the rain of fragments! Only overhead cover protects. Incidental Fragmentation: An explosion with no listed fragmentation damage can still create fragments if there is any loose or frangible material at the explosion site. Incidental fragmentation damage ranges from 1d-4 for ordinary earth to 1d for an explosion on loose scrap. Hot Fragments: White phosphorustype smoke warheads produce this effect. The fragments typically inflict 1d(0.2) burning damage every 10 seconds for one minute. Demolition Sometimes the only way to deal with a problem is to blow it up! If the adventurers are using or facing explosives, the PCs or GM should decide how many dice of damage – in multiples of 6d – the blasting charge is supposed to do, and what kind of explosive it is. Explosives normally do crushing damage with the Explosion modifier (p. 104) – and often the Fragmentation modifier (p. 104). How Much Explosive? An explosion doing 6d¥n damage takes (n¥n)/4 pounds of TNT. If you are using an explosive other than TNT, divide the weight required by its relative explosive force (REF) – see the Relative Explosive Force Table, below. How Big a Blast? Reverse the formula to determine how much damage a given weight of explosive will do: damage is 6d ¥ square root of (weight of explosive in lbs. ¥ 4 ¥ REF). Example: A 1920s Chicago safecracker plans to blast through a bank vault. Estimating the toughness of the vault (see p. 557), he decides he needs a blast that does 6d¥8 damage. He’s using dynamite. The weight of dynamite he needs is (8 ¥ 8)/(4 ¥ 0.8) = 20 lbs.
Relative Explosive Force Table TL Type REF Description 3 Serpentine Powder 0.3 Standard gunpowder, pre-1600. 4 Ammonium Nitrate 0.4 Common improvised explosive. 4 Black Powder 0.4 Standard gunpowder, 1600-1850. 5 Black Powder 0.5 Standard gunpowder, 1850-1890. 6 Diesel Fuel/ Nitrate Fertilizer 0.5 Common improvised explosive. 6 Dynamite 0.8 Commercially available for mining, demolition. 6 TNT 1.0 The basic, stable, high explosive. 6 Amatol 1.2 TNT-ammonium nitrate. Fills bombs & shells in WWII. 6 Nitroglycerine 1.5 Unstable! If dropped, detonates on 13+ on 3d. 7 Tetryl 1.3 Common for smaller explosive shells and bullets. 7 Composition B 1.4 Another common explosive filler. 7 C4 Plastic Explosive 1.4 Standard military and covert-ops explosive. 9 Octanitrocubane 4 Theoretical advanced explosive. 10 Stabilized Metallic Hydrogen 6 Exotic science-fiction explosive.
Explosions in Other Environments Other Atmospheres: These rules assume Earth-normal air pressure. A thicker or thinner atmosphere enhances or reduces the blast effect. Underwater, divide collateral damage by range in yards instead of 3 ¥ range in yards. In a vacuum or trace atmosphere, with no medium to carry the shockwave, damage comes only from the expanding gases themselves: divide damage by 10 ¥ range in yards. Contact Explosions: A person can throw himself on a grenade, etc. to protect his friends; see Sacrificial Dodge and Drop, p. 377. He takes maximum possible damage; his DR protects him normally. Everyone else gets his torso’s DR + HP as “cover DR.” Internal Explosions: If an explosive goes off inside someone – e.g., a follow-up attack penetrates the target’s DR, or a dragon swallows a hand grenade – DR has no effect! In addition, treat the blast as an attack on the vitals, with a ¥3 wounding modifier.
SPECIAL DAMAGE
These rules cover attacks that don’t simply bash through the target’s DR to injure him. AFFLICTIONS An “affliction” is any attack that causes a baneful effect – blindness, choking, stunning, etc. – instead of damage. Examples include tear gas, stun guns, the Affliction advantage (p. 35), and most other “nonlethal” weapons and powers. The target of an affliction always gets a modified HT roll to resist; e.g., HT-3. His DR normally adds to this roll; for instance, DR 1 gives +1 to HT. However, afflictions often have armor divisors or special “penetration modifiers” (see below) that bypass some or all of the target’s DR. For example, DR gives no HT bonus against a follow-up affliction if the “carrier” attack penetrates DR. On a failed HT roll, the victim suffers the effects of the affliction: stunning for high-tech stun guns, choking and partial blindness for tear gas, etc. See Afflictions (p. 428) for descriptions of the most common effects. Since afflictions represent a huge variety of different attacks – from beam weapons to chemical agents to psionic mind blasts – you should consult the footnotes to the relevant weapon table for full details. Linked Afflictions: Some attacks that inflict ordinary damage have an affliction “linked” to them. For example, a cattle prod does burning damage and requires the victim to make a HT-3 roll to avoid stunning. Anyone hit by such an attack must attempt his resistance roll or suffer the affliction, regardless of whether any damage penetrates his DR. Side Effects: Certain damaging attacks cause an affliction as a “side effect” . . . if they inflict injury. The victim gets a HT roll to resist, but typically at -1 per 2 points of injury. SPECIAL PENETRATION MODIFIERS In addition to armor divisors (see Armor Divisors and Penetration Modifiers, p. 378) and follow-up attacks (see Follow-Up Damage, p. 381), there are several other “penetration modifiers”: Blood Agent: The attack must reach an open wound or mucous membrane (eyes, open mouth, nose, etc.) to be effective. If it does not, it has no effect at all. See Blood Agent (p. 110) for detailed rules. Contact Agent: This is most common for contact poison, nerve gas, and exotic “hand of death” effects. The attack must touch bare skin or porous clothing to have any effect. Any DR stops it, unless the DR is limited with Tough Skin. Exception: If the attack is an Area Effect (p. 102) or Cone (p. 103), it affects everyone in the area who lacks the Sealed advantage (either innate or granted by a sealed suit). Respiratory Agent: The attack affects only those who inhale it. DR has no effect – but the attack cannot harm those who are holding their breath, breathing supplied air (e.g., in a vacuum suit), or using a gas mask or respirator. It is also totally ineffective against anyone who has either the Doesn’t Breathe or Filter Lungs advantage. Sense-Based: The attack is channeled through one or more of the victim’s senses (e.g., vision or hearing), as specified for the attack. It can only affect someone using the targeted sense. See Sense-Based (p. 109) for details.
CINEMATIC COMBAT RULES
The following rules are shamelessly unrealistic and strictly optional, but can be fun in larger-than-life games! Bulletproof Nudity PCs with Attractive or better appearance can get a bonus to active defenses simply by undressing! Any outfit that bares legs, chest, or midriff is +1. Just a loincloth or skimpy swimwear is +2. Topless females get an extra +1. Total nudity gives no further bonus to defense, but adds +1 to Move and +2 water Move. Cannon Fodder The GM may rule that minor NPCs are mere “cannon fodder,” with these effects: 1. They automatically fail all defense rolls . . . yet never All-Out Attack. 2. They collapse (unconscious or dead) if any penetrating damage gets through DR. If they are unprotected, or if the hero’s attacks are such that damage would always penetrate, there’s no need to roll damage at all. In any event, don’t bother keeping track of HP! Cinematic Explosions In reality, a grenade or anti-tank rocket will almost certainly kill an unarmored man. In cinematic combat, explosions do no direct damage! Ignore fragmentation, too. All a blast does is disarray clothing, blacken faces, and (most importantly) cause knockback. Every yard of knockback from a cinematic explosion causes a token 1 HP of crushing damage. Cinematic Knockback In reality, guns cause little or no knockback. But in cinematic combat, a big gun can blast foes through windows and even walls! Work out knockback for a piercing attack just as if it were a crushing attack. In addition to rolling to see if he falls down, anyone who suffers knockback from any attack must make an IQ roll or be mentally stunned on his next turn. This roll is at -1 per yard of knockback. Flesh Wounds Immediately after you suffer damage, you may declare that the attack that damaged you (which can include multiple hits, if the foe used rapid fire) was a glancing blow or “just a flesh wound.” This lets you ignore all but 1 HP (or FP) of damage . . . at the cost of one unspent character point. If you have no unspent points, the GM might let you go into “debt”: he will subtract these points from those you earn for the adventure. Infinite Ammunition PCs always have spare ammunition or power cells. If they use up all they are carrying, they immediately find more. Furthermore, weapons never malfunction. Melee Etiquette If a PC chooses to fight unarmed or with melee weapons, his opponents always face him one-on-one, one at a time. Unengaged NPCs can dance around the fight uttering shrill cries of encouragement, but wait their turn to attack. If the foe is a super-strong monster that could kill or maim the hero with a single blow, it rarely strikes to inflict damage directly. Instead it slams the hero, or grabs him and tosses him around! TV Action Violence If struck by a potentially lethal attack (including a rapid-fire attack that inflicts multiple hits), the hero can choose to convert his failed defense roll into a success. This costs him 1 FP and he loses his next turn. The hero cannot spend FP to avoid unarmed attacks or melee or thrown weapon attacks that inflict crushing damage (or no damage, such as a grapple), unless they would hit the skull or neck. Likewise, he cannot avert attacks on his weapons or nonliving possessions. With this rule in effect, those involved in a fight with lethal weapons “duck for cover” and are forced “onto the defensive” until they’re exhausted.
Dual-Weapon Attacks This optional rule might be cinematic . . . but it is balanced enough to use in a realistic campaign. The GM has the final say. If you have at least two hands, you can strike with two hands at once using an Attack maneuver instead of an All-Out Attack (Double) maneuver. Each hand can attack unarmed, with a one-handed melee weapon, or with a pistol. Of course, if your ST is high enough, you can wield a two-handed weapon in one hand! Each attack is at -4 to hit, but you can learn the Dual-Weapon Attack technique (p. 230) to reduce this penalty. You have an extra -4 (total -8) with your “off” hand, unless you have Ambidexterity (p. 39) or learn Off-Hand Weapon Training (p. 232). Roll to hit separately for each hand. You can attack one target or two – but to strike two foes with melee attacks, they must be adjacent. If you aim both attacks at a single opponent, he defends at -1 against them, as his attention is divided! If you already have multiple attacks – for instance, from an Extra Attack (p. 53) – you may “trade” only one of these for a Dual-Weapon Attack. All your remaining attacks must be simple, single-weapon attacks.
This is the end of the file.