Combat structure

Combat is structured into rounds, each consisting of a players’ turn and an enemies’ turn. Initiative is determined at the beginning with the winning group taking their actions first. Subsequently, actions unfold in order from highest to lowest initiative. Within one groups turn, there’s no strict sequence of actions to avoid players having to wait to coordinate their efforts. After one group’s turn concludes, the other group takes their turn. However, actions can also be taken outside of ones’ turns through mechanic called delayed action. They occur independently of the players’ turn, offering additional tactical options. These groups taking actions in a turn always consist of players and at least one enemy group. Additionaly there might be a seperate group for events, and champions or bosses in a round. Initiative is retained until combat concludes with new parties (groups) joining initiative at the begining of a round.

Actions in combat

In combat, players typically have one action available, whether it’s a delayed action or one performed during their turn. As adventures progress, players may gain additional actions, but initially, most will have only one action per round. During this action, they can execute whatever they find useful, but they should consider that one round of combat equates to approximately 6 seconds. This means that some actions may need to be spread out over multiple rounds. A general guideline is that you can perform one substantial action per turn. Actions can vary in the time they consume, with some being quick and others more time-consuming, such as standing up, attacking, using items, reloading guns, or climbing. Checks made during combat must account for the time they take, potentially affecting their difficulty. For example, jumping over a wall might be easier than repairing a jammed musket quickly.

Players can undertake various actions in combat, including attacking, getting up, interacting with the environment, casting Spells and Miracles, reviving or stabilizing friends, singing Tales, using items, changing weapons, or assisting others. There’s no strict limit to what you can do; if you have an idea, simply inform the GM, and they will assist in determining the feasibility and mechanics of your chosen action.

Initiative

Initiative is determined by order from highest to lowest. Within the group of players, the player with the lowest Body Attribute performs a Speed check. This resulting value represents the speed of the entire player group. The GM rolls for initiative for other groups in combat, and the initiative order is revealed.

When it is time for players to take their actions, they can perform their actions in any order they prefer. After all players have completed their actions, the next group in the initiative order takes its turn. Players make decisions for their characters, while the GM handles actions for all other entities. Once every group has taken its actions, the round concludes, and a new one begins with the same initiative order.

Immediate action

These quick actions are essentially instantaneous and do not require much time. Furthermore, they do not trigger opportunity attacks. Tasks like grabbing an item attached to your belt, drawing an arrow from a quiver, or unsheathing a sword are classified as immediate actions. Players can perform one such action on their, and any subsequent ones may be considered regular actions. These immediate actions can also be seamlessly integrated into larger actions that players take during their turn and need not be explicitly mentioned.

For instance, if a player intends to throw a grenade, they do not need to split the action into taking it out as a free action and throwing it as a regular action. However, it’s crucial to bear in mind that there are limitations to how many objects a player can juggle simultaneously. Additionally, even though an action is immediate, it can still be interrupted by other characters or events.

Delayed action and interruption

Players in the game can perform actions during their turn, but they also have the option to use a “delayed action”. This enables them to perform an action outside of their designated turn, allowing for tactical flexibility. Delayed actions are declared during a player’s turn. It ensures that those who win initiative in the first turn of the combat gain an advantage. Additional delayed actions can be acquired through various means, such as development trees, items and breakthroughs.

When a player decides to take a delayed action, they inform the GM in players turn. When the time comes to execute the delayed action, the player declares their intended action and specifies whether it interrupts another action (eg. preventing an enemy from using a horn) or not. If the player’s action must be quicker than an opponent’s action, both parties roll for Speed, with the participant rolling higher going first. If the player wins the Speed check, they carry out the declared action, but it still requires all the necessary checks to succeed (like a Magic check or Attack check).

If multiple players wish to perform a combined action as a delayed action, they must all win the Speed check against the enemy. In the event of a tie in the Speed check, the winner is determined by comparing the Speed Skill value, with the player having a higher Skill prevailing.

Additionally:

• Players capable of performing multiple actions in a turn can execute only one action (attack, spellcast, item usage etc.) as a delayed action.

• Players who already possess an additional delayed action (from a development tree or another source) cannot perform more than 1 delayed actions.

Attack check

The Attack check is determined by the weapon used and the type of attack. For melee weapons, the attack formula uses Body and for ranged attacks formula uses Senses:

D10 + Body/Senses + bonuses

Bonuses may include weapon modifiers, spells, miracles, potions, assistance from comrades, or special abilities. The result is then compared with the enemy’s Hit difficulty value, and if the player’s result is equal to or greater than the enemy’s Ev with modifiers, it indicates a successful hit on that enemy.

Hit difficulty

The difficulty of landing a hit in combat is primarily determined by the Evade Attribute of the target. This factor can be modified by various elements, both on the player’s side and due to external factors, such as objects like shields, armor, potions, and supernatural forces like magic and faith. Environmental conditions can also affect a player’s Evade Attribute.

In practice, if an enemy has an Evade Attribute of 7, your total Attack check must be 7 or higher to land a hit on them. However, if that enemy is wearing heavy armor and carrying a big shield, their Evade Attribute might increase substancially beyond capability of landing a hit. in such cases it’s important to note that if player rolls 10 on a die they always land a hit. Such heavily armored enemies often suffer from other negative effects due to the size and weight of their equipment, making them more vulnerable in other ways.

Damage calculation

Damage dealt is determined by the weapon you wield. Depending on the tool employed, a D10 can be divided differently. Standard weapons like swords and bows inflict D10 damage, while smaller weapons may deal D10/2 or even D10/3 damage. Guns and more devastating weapons like warhammers or greatswords deliver 2D10 damage higher because of the Deadly property. Weapons can also possess additional traits that characterize their combat damage properties, such as being Penetrating, Defensive or Stunning. For details on specific items and their descriptions, see equipement chapter.

After successfully landing a hit, player calculates damage dealt using Body Attribute for melee/thrown weapons and Senses for ranged weapons: 

Weapon damage + Body/Senses + bonuses.

Damage sustained is deducted from your total Life points. Various factors can influence the damage you receive, with most revolving around the Toughness Attribute. Elements that can enhance your Toughness Attribute encompass armor, spells, miracles, and potions. While these effects are often temporary and subject to changes during an adventure, the increased Toughness gained from development trees is permanent.

To calculate the effective damage, subtract the Toughness from the damage received, and then deduct that value from the character’s Life Points.

Damage – Body – Toughness – Bonuses

Aimed attacks

Aiming for a more precise hit is an option in both melee and ranged combat. Aimed attacs provide +3 to your roll. When choosing to aim, the player in their turn declares an aimed attack against a specific enemy, and they execute that action after the enemies’ turn, but before the next players’ turn. You can execute the attack as a delayed action but enemy can attempt to dodge (by performing a Speed check against player and adequate dodge check after). If you have a delayed action remaining, you can choose to execute it right after the aimed shot or strike. However, if the target of your aimed attack disappears from your range or sight, and the attack cannot be executed, the aimed attack is considered wasted.

Dodge and parry

When someone is targeted by an attack, they have the option to dodge the attack if they have an available action. To do this, they must make a Dodge check. The difficulty of this check is determined by the attacker’s Attack check result and further adjusted based on the type of weapon used. Dodging a heavy two-handed weapon is considerably easier than evading a rapier attack or a bullet. The difficulty of the Dodge check is increased by 3 for ranged weapons and by 5 for guns. Successfully dodging an attack results in receiving zero damage, but failing the check results in receiving the damage and consumes the dodging character’s action.

Critical hit

When a player rolls a 10 on the damage dice, they have the opportunity to roll for a critical hit. In this case, they must roll again for an Attack check, and if they succeed in this second attack roll, they deal additional damage equal to another instance of the weapon’s damage. This results in a total of 2 times the weapon damage (2 dice rolls for damage) plus the corresponding attribute bonus and all other related bonuses. If players roll another 10 on the secound damage roll they don’t roll for the third time.

2 x Weapon damage + Body/Senses+ bonuses

Consciousness check

When a character’s Life Points drops below 0, they do not die but can faint. They must make a Consciousness check to determine their fate. The difficulty of this check is determined by the amount of damage the character received below 0, with an additional +5 modifier. Regardless of the outcome of that check they receive 1 Fatigue point. For example, if a character is 6 points below 0, the difficulty would be 11. The formula for the Consciousness check is as fallows:

D10 + Willpower + Pain Resistance.

If the character succeeds on the Consciousness check, their health resets to 0, regardless of the amount of damage they previously received. However, if the character fails the Consciousness check, they fall unconscious and are removed from the ongoing fight, unable to take any actions. Other players can attempt to revive the unconscious character by making a Survival or Medicine check, with the difficulty matching the failed Consciousness check (more details in Healing and reviving, see page $). If an unconscious character receives damage equal to their total health points, they die. Unconscious player characters who were not revived by anyone during the combat will awaken at the end of the battle with 0 health points.

Healing and reviving

There are several methods to regain life points in the game:

1. Resting after combat: After engaging in combat, a short rest of approximately 30 minutes allows all characters to recover D10\3 + Body, Life Points.

2. Long and uninterrupted break: Taking a long rest, lasting around 2 hours, enables characters to regain D10/2 + Body of their life points.

3.Sleep: A good night’s sleep allows players to regain ½ of their total Life points + Body.

4. Potions, Spells, and Miracles: Certain magical items, spells, and miracles possess the ability to restore life points in significant quantities, providing a substantial boost to the character’s health.

5. Healing through Medicine check: Characters can perform a Medicine check to heal themselves or others. The difficulty for this test is 10, and both the character being healed and the healer must be out of combat. The amount of Life points regained by the character being healed is equal to 1 Life point for each point the healer’s roll exceeds the test difficulty of 10.

When a character falls unconscious, players have the option to revive them using either a Survival or Medicine check. Similarly to healing, both of the characters have to be out of immediate danger to attempt the revival. The difficulty of the check is determined by the difficulty at which the character failed their Consciousness check. If the player succeeds with a Survival check, the character is revived with 0 Life points. If they use a Medicine check, the character comes back with 0 Life Points plus 1 Life point for each point the roll exceeds the difficulty level. Failing the check results in the character remaining unconscious and the action being wasted.

Opportunity attack

In combat, players have a dual role—they need to both attack their enemies and avoid getting hit. This dynamic means that they can’t engage in other activities while fighting, as they are actively dodging enemy attacks, and enemies are actively trying to strike them. If someone decides to move close to a combat situation, they can provoke opportunity attacks. Essentially, those engaged in combat can attempt to attack individuals who pass by them. The same rule applies to enemies. If you decide to move near enemies, they will attack you as long as you stay in close proximity. This rule primarily applies to melee weapons and fists, as other forms of attacks wouldn’t make much sense in this context. Other actions that can provoke opportunity attacks include running, using items and objects, firing ranged weapons, reloading, casting spells (with the exception of touch-range spells), performing miracles, and reviving friends. In essence, if players are doing something unrelated to finishing their combat engagement and aren’t cautious, they can be attacked opportunistically.

Players do have the option to disengage from combat if they wish to do so, but there must be a factor that prevents the enemy from continuing their attacks. Players can try to withdraw cautiously or simply flee from combat, although this may also provoke opportunity attacks. In such situations, the GM is the one to consult to determine whether an action will or will not provoke an opportunity attack. Keep in mind that enemies still need to successfully land a hit to make these attacks.

Ambush and passive perception

When players want to set an ambush, the first step is for them to hide. They make standard Stealth checks, taking into account any bonuses from preparations and equipment. The difficulty for the Perception check of the ambushed party is determined by the lowest value of the Stealth checks among all the characters who are hidden. If the ambushed party is not aware of the ambush and is not actively looking for one, their passive perception is used. Passive perception is calculated by summing the Perception Skill and Senses Attribute of the character with the highest values in both categories.

For example, if a character has 2 in Senses and 3 in Perception, their passive perception would be 5. If someone attempting to hide rolls lower than that value, they will be spotted by that character. However, if the ambushed party actively seeks signs of an ambush, the GM should initiate a Perception check for that group. If they spot the attackers, the Initiative roll follows.

When the ambush occurs, the ambushing party gets a free turn of action before the initiative is rolled, and they receive a bonus of +3 to all checks regarding ambush in that turn.

Stun check

In combat, if the intention is to knock an enemy out, their life points must be reduced to 0, and then they must fail the Consciousness check.

However, if the goal is to knock someone out outside of combat, certain conditions must be met. The attacker must target a character who is unaware of their presence, similar to an ambush. If a stun attack is made, it receives a +3 bonus to hit from ambush. If the attack successfully lands, it deals stunning damage instead of the regular damage. Weapons with Stunning trait add their stunning damage bonus after the multiplication. Stunning damage is calculated by the formula:

(Weapon damage + Body\Senses + bonuses) × 2 + Stunning damage

If the stun attack does not deal enough damage to bring the enemy’s life points to 0 or below, no regular damage is inflicted. The enemy then rolls for a Consciousness check, and if they fail, they fall unconscious. If they pass the Consciousness check, they lose life equal to the amount of stunning damage received below 0.

Fistfights

Engaging in combat without the use of weapons comes with certain disadvantages. If a player has a Brawl Skill of 0, they receive a -2 penalty to their unarmed attacks, as fists are considered to have the Inaccurate trait. Unarmed strikes with fists deal D10/3 damage, and this damage can be increased by using brass knuckles. While there are varying qualities of brass knuckles, most of them deal D10/2 damage and are technically indistinguishable from using fists. However, they offer no protection against attacks from proper weapons. The Brawl Skill allows the player to add its value to the Attack check, increasing the chance of landing a hit.

Bare hand attacks deal half damage against enemies wearing armor. 

Thrown weapons

When it comes to using objects as weapons, throwing an item that is not designed to be thrown turns it into an improvised weapon, which incurs a -4 penalty to hit as it is considered to have the Missing property. However, certain objects may have the Thrown property, allowing them to retain their statistics and gain a +2 bonus to hit, as they are considered to be accurate when thrown.

Guns in combat

When it comes to black powder weapons, they are the most dangerous, but they also have some drawbacks. Every gun is a mechanical device, and because of that, they are prone to jams and misfires. When the damage roll ends with a double (1 1, 2 2, 3 3, etc.), it indicates a malfunction, and the player must roll to determine the issue using the Table of Gun Jamming (as seen below). Not all guns are created equal, and their precision, reliability, and lethality may vary depending on factors like the weapon’s quality and modifications made by inventors, gunsmiths, and other creative individuals.

After landing a hit, players deal 2D10 damage higher, meaning that they roll 10-sided dice twice and choose the higher value, making the attacks potentially more dangerous. Aditionally, all guns possess the Penetrating porperty.

Every black powder weapon has a reload time noted next to its name. Usually, there are three values provided for each gun, and they can be lowered by obtaining developments from the Gunslinger development tree. With time, your characters will become more proficient in handling and reloading the weapon, making the reload time shorter. Guns can take from a couple of turns to reload to as little as an immediate action.

Folk often have more than one gun to compensate for the long reload time. The most competent shooters usually have the main gun that they can reload in the blink of an eye and something for close-range encounters. Pirates and other ruffians who have little to no skill are known to carry many pistols, but that lowers their mobility and poses a danger in the form of accidental misfires.

Shooting in the mist

When firing in the mist, players must use a special gunpowder called hazeblast. Regular gunpowder burns too slowly in the mist to propel a bullet, causing it to simply roll out of the barrel. Hazeblast works as regular gunpowder in the mist, but explodes too quickly outside of it. If fired in normal conditions the player has to immediately roll for the Table of Gun Jamming.