|
MechanicsTestsAt one point or another you are going to want to know if your character knows something or if they can do something. Perhaps you want to pick a lock, or you want to know more about a particular exotic flower. With a few exceptions every use of a skill involves a test.Every test has a difficulty, which is a number, and a type, which is either a statistic or a statistic and a skill. In order to determine if you are successful, you multiply the appropriate statistic by the appropriate skill (if there is one—otherwise just take the unmodified statistic). If this number is equal to or greater than the difficulty then the character succeeds. If a skill is required and you don't have it at all, you use half of the appropriate statistic. In most cases the difficulty will be set by the GM in accordance with how difficult the task to be performed is. In general, the GM will inform you as to what the difficulty is. There are some rare cases that you will not be told, such as with Ritual Magic, though characters with high Skill may get a range in which the difficulty may fall.
Sometimes your test will be directly against another player. In that case you will each calculate a total score (usually a statistic times a skill, although not always the same ones for both characters) and the higher one wins. (In the unlikely event of a tie, the defender, as determined by the GM, wins.) If your character attempts something that they could not ordinarily accomplish there are three things that they may do to increase their chance of success. First and most basic, you can spend any number of Luck points to increase your Skill for the purposes of one test by a number of levels equal to the number of Luck spent. Note that this can increase your Skill to beyond 5. Second, you may spend time role playing the action that would be necessary to accomplish the task (within reasonable limits). To do this you should indicate to a GM what you intend to do if it is not otherwise obvious. After performing the action a GM may award a character an increase of 1 level in the Skill for the purposes of accomplishing that task. Third, your character may get help from other characters. This applies to any Skill that may benefit from outside assistance. A character may contribute half of their relevant Statistic if they have the Skill in question. Otherwise a character may add 3 points. CombatCombat begins only when a character actually takes a violent action against another character, at which point they should yell "combat," and everyone within earshot should stop, since they are now participants in the combat (even if they choose not to get involved).Combat is divided into rounds, and each combat round consists of two phases, declaration and resolution. During the declaration phase, the GM will count from five to twenty. Each number is called a tick. When your character's quickness is called, you declare your action for the combat round from the list below; if the action is attack, you may also choose to declare a single maneuver. During the resolution phase, the GM will count down; starting with your quickness (possibly modified, see below), you begin your action. If you are moving, you may move take one normal size step on that number and on every third number after (for example, if your quickness is 16, you take a step on 16, 13, 10, 7, 4, and 1). ActionsThe possible actions are:AttackYou must specify who you are attacking. Any time after your quickness is called you may make an attack on that person as long as it is physically possible (you are within reach of someone you are making a melee attack on or you can see someone you are making a ranged attack on). Unless a maneuver is being used, an attack always hits and deals a number of wounds equal to your base weapon damage plus your skill. You may also move during this round (before or after your attack for a melee attack, or only before your attack for a ranged attack). If the opportunity does not present itself or you choose not to take it, it is possible that you will not be able to attack this round.DefendYou get as many defense points as your (melee) weapon skill plus weapon base damage. For each defense point, you may reduce the wounds dealt by a melee attack by one. These points may all be spent against one attack, or may be split among several, and may be spent on attacks that happen before your quickness.EvadeYou begin movement when your quickness + evade is called and may take one step on every number if your evade is at least 1 (if your evade is 0 you still move on every third number). Note that this is declared on your quickness, even though you will act earlier than that during resolution. You may take other small actions that don't directly involve other people (like drawing a weapon or opening a door) while evading.DeferYou specify some simple condition on which you will attack someone (such as, "I will shoot the first person who walks through that door"). Any time after your quickness is called, if that condition has been met, you must make that attack unless you succeed at a quickness test of difficulty 13, in which case you may choose not to. Having succeeded at this test, you may still choose to make the attack if someone else triggers the condition in that round. Any condition which involves distinguishing whether new arrivals are friends or foes is not simple enough to satisfy. Distinguishing among current participants is simple enough ("I will hit the first enemy in this room who gets within reach.")AimYou must specify a target that you could attack with your ranged weapon when this action is declared. At any time after your quickness is called, you may choose to fire or to hold fire until a later number, as long as the target is still in sight. If you wait more ticks than the base damage of your weapon plus your skill, you deal an amount of damage equal to the number of ticks you waited. when calculating damage. Note that the target must be in sight for the entire period; if they ever leave your line of sight, you must start over saving up ticks from when they reappear.OtherYou may do something else or use a (non-combat) skill.Weapons and Damage
Death and DyingIf your wounds at the end of a round are equal to or exceed your willpower, your character falls unconscious (a player may choose for their character to fall unconscious before this if they feel it is appropriate).If your wounds at the end of a round exceed your resilience, your character is dying. If you are not successfully given first aid within five minutes, your character dies. The difficulty of the test is 10 for every wound beyond your resilience. (Note that it is possible for a strong-willed character to be dying but still conscious and fighting, or holding themself together long enough to make it to medical aid.) Given appropriate medical care, you recover one wound every other day. Note that for wounds beyond resilience, this requires care by someone with a medicine score of at least three. Characters who fail to receive appropriate care will recover at a slower rate determined by circumstances. ManeuversThese must be declared during the declaration phase. You may only declare one maneuver in a given round (unless you spend luck specifically for this purpose).Quick Draw (melee)Requirements: Appropriate skill at 3 or higherTest: None A character may draw and attack in the same round at their quickness-5 as an attack action. The character may begin moving as normal (quickness). Note: a character still declares their action on their quickness Quick Draw (handgun/thrown)Requirements: Appropriate skill at 3 or higherTest: None A character may draw and attack in the same round at their quickness-10 as an attack action. The character may begin moving as normal (quickness). Note: a character still declares their action on their quickness Run and GunRequirements: Appropriate skill at 4 or higherTest: None A character may continue moving after they fire as part of an attack action. Trick ShotRequirements: NoneTest: Dex × skill versus set difficulty On a success, a character may perform some unusual trick which may not deal damage, or otherwise directly affect an enemy. The difficulty of the trick is obvious to all onlookers. DisarmRequirements: NoneTest: Str or Dex (your choice) × skill versus their Str or Dex (their choice) × skill This must be done with a melee attack in place of inflicting damage. On a success, they lose their weapon, on a failure, nothing happens. If you do not have a weapon, their skill is considered two higher. TripRequirements: NoneTest: Dex × melee skill versus their Dex × melee skill or evade On a success they fall to the ground and may not continue moving this round. They may still perform other actions, including attacking, if they otherwise could. GrappleRequirements: NoneTest: Str × melee skill versus their Str × melee sill or evade On a success you grab them and they may not continue moving. They may still perform other actions, including attacking, if they otherwise could. They do not continue to be grappled the next round unless you repeat this maneuver before they can act. Mighty BlowRequirements: NoneTest: Str × melee skill versus their Str or Dex × melee skill or evade On a success you inflict your strength divided by four in additional damage. On a failure you do no damage. Rapid AttackRequirements: NoneTest: Dex × melee skill versus their Str or Dex × melee skill or evade On a success you inflict your dexterity divided by four in additional damage. On a failure you do no damage. Follow-upRequirements: NoneTest: Str × melee skill versus their Dex × melee skill or evade On a success you hit them a second time on a return swing; the combined hit inflicts double base weapon damage plus skill in total damage. On a failure you miss entirely and do no damage. Accurate StrikeRequirements: NoneTest: Dex × melee skill versus their Str × melee skill or evade On a success you hit them in a vulnerable spot inflicting base weapon damage plus double your skill. On a failure they prevent you from getting an opening and you don't get a hit in. Double tapRequirements: NoneTest: Dex × ranged skill versus their Quick × evade On a success you inflict double base weapon damage plus your skill. On a failure you do nothing. This consumes two units of ammunition. MarksmanRequirements: NoneTest: Dex × ranged skill versus their Quick × evade On a success you inflict base weapon damage plus double your skill. On a failure you do nothing. ArmorArmor decreases wounds taken by its defense rating.
ShieldsShields defend against melee attacks with your skill as its defense rating. Shields do not degrade.Luck in CombatBesides being used to increase your skill in any test normally, you may spend a luck point to:
|