Attack rules

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When a creature or creatures attack, they first choose their attack options and determine their the minimum value they must roll, then roll one six-sided die (d6) per attack. After rolling a set of attacks, distribute the hits among the targets. When attacking multiple targets that don't all have identical chances to hit, use the number you need to roll to hit the hardest-to-hit-one by itself minus 1, but no more than half of the successful hits may be distributed to targets that were hardest to hit.

An attack hits if the die value plus the Accuracy is equal to or greater than the target's appropriate Defense (AD or GD). The target's Defenses are common knowledge, as are the attack modifiers that would apply when attacking them. A die roll of 6 counts as 9 (and risks a Critical).

Area of effect attacks don't get redistributed among targets after rolling hits, except for multiple members of the same regiment.

Attacks with different damage types, values, or attack options must be rolled separately.

Critical Hits

On rolls of 6, if the attacks would hit, the attacker gets a chance to critical hit, and should roll another handful of attack rolls equal to the number of 6s just rolled, with the same target value. Any successful critical hits multiply the damage bonus and number of damage dice by 2. Any 6s rolled on the critical hits should then be rolled again in the same manner for a chance to increment the multiplier by 1, until no more 6s are rolled. For example, consider a mob of bandits attacking with their fists (Accuracy +1, Damage 1d6-1) punching a creature with AD 5. After making 20 attacks, twelve of the dice come up 3 or less, and miss completely, while four of the dice are 6s. The bandits therefore roll 4 dice for crits: 1 was a 2, two were 5s, and the last was another 6. That means they roll 1 die for a super crit, getting a 4 (4+1 accuracy is 5, which hits). Therefore, the bandits do 5 instances of 1d6-1 damage, 2 instances of 2d6-2 damage, and 1 instance of 3d6-3 damage to the creature.

Automatic Hits

Conscious creatures can choose to be hit by attacks against them, and some effects cause automatic hits that are guaranteed to deal damage. For such things, a d6 is still rolled to determine if the hit is a critical; if it is, the additional attack rolls granted have the capacity to miss in the normal manner.

Choosing To Be Hit

Conscious creatures can choose to be hit by an attack, so long as the total modifier on the attack, after penalties, is 0 or greater. If the modifier is less than 0, the creature can only reduce its AD and GD against that attack to 2.

Attack Options

Time Lapse Attack.jpg

Attacks normally target AD, unless otherwise specified. If damage is dealt in multiple types, the values are added together after reductions and vulnerabilities alter the individual types. When a bonus to damage without a type is listed, use whatever type the damage die has.

When you make an attack, and the attack doesn't already describe itself as "an attack against AD" or "an attack against GD", you may choose from one of the following applicable options:

Normal Attack: The target is a creature or unattended object, and the attack is versus AD. Each hit deals damage equal to the weapon's total calculated damage roll.

Incapacitate: The target is a creature, and the attack is versus GD. The attack does not inflict wounds, but if it deals damage equal to or greater than twice the target's current HP, they skip a move action on their next turn. If they were already going to skip a move action due to an Incapacitate attack, they skip a standard action instead. If they were already going to skip a standard action due to an Incapacitate attack, further Incapacitates have no additional effect.

Grapple (unarmed only): Make an unarmed attack against a creature versus GD. If you would wound the target (ignoring armor), no wounds are inflicted, but both you and the target are grappled.

Break Free (unarmed only): Make an unarmed attack against a creature who is grappling you versus GD. If you would wound the target (ignoring armor), no wounds are inflicted, but you stop being grappled by the target.

Disarm: You suffer a -1 penalty to accuracy if ranged. The attack targets GD. Don't damage the targeted creature, but if you rolled damage equal to or greater than half of its Toughness, it drops what it's holding. If you used an unarmed attack to Disarm, you may now be holding what they dropped.

Shove (non-piercing, physical damage only): You suffer a -1 penalty to accuracy if not unarmed. The attack targets GD. Instead of inflicting wounds, you fling the target a number of meters away from you equal to the number of wounds you would have inflicted (ignoring armor).

Sunder: As a normal attack, but against a held or worn item instead of its holder, with a -1 penalty if melee or a -2 penalty if ranged. Use the holder or wearer's AD. Nonmagical items of wieldable size generally have 5 Toughness and 1 HP, while magical or psychic items typically have 8 Toughness and 2 HP.

Trip: Make an attack against a creature versus GD. If you would wound the target, one less wound is inflicted, and the target is knocked prone. You may choose to ignore armor but inflict no wounds while knocking the target prone.

Strangle: Make an unarmed attack against a creature you are grappling versus GD. The first wound that would be inflicted by this attack instead prevents the target from breathing or vocalizing for one round or until they break out of the grapple.

Pickpocket: You suffer a -1 penalty to accuracy if ranged. The attack targets GD. Don't damage the targeted creature, but if you rolled damage equal to or greater than half of its Toughness, a non-clothing, non-armor, non-implanted, non-held item of your choice falls off that creature. If you used an unarmed attack to Pickpocket, you may now be holding the item that fell off.

Reverse Pickpocket (unarmed only): Make an unarmed attack against a creature at a -1 penalty, versus GD. Don't damage the targeted creature, but if you rolled damage equal to or greater than half of its Toughness, an item you were holding is now attached to that creature, in a pocket or slid under a strap. If the creature has no non-held, non-implanted equipment, it cannot be Reverse Pickpocketed.

Ride (unarmed only): Make an unarmed attack against a creature you are grappling versus GD. If you hit, you may have one of you be riding the other.

Attack Modifiers

When you make an attack, the accuracy for the attack may be adjusted by various modifiers.

Melee-Only Modifiers

High Ground (Accuracy +1): The place you're standing is at least one-quarter the target's height farther up than the place they're standing.

Ranged-Only Modifiers

Far (Accuracy -1 per increment beyond the first): Target is beyond some number of range increments (those numbers separated by slashes).

In Melee (Accuracy -1): Aiming is difficult when you're within a hostile creature's reach.

Wind (Accuracy -1): The path of the shot contains at least 12 meters of Light Wind or 4 meters of Strong Wind.

Unstable (Accuracy -1): Being in flight, or standing on a shaking rope or something of that nature makes it harder to aim.

Single-Target Modifiers

These modifiers apply to both ranged and melee attacks, but not to attacks that target everything in an area, like blasts and sprays.

Spatial Reasoning (Accuracy -1): If attacking the target requires you to figure out where the target is in relation to you in a more complicated way than direct line of sight along the path of attack, it is more difficult to hit them.

Uncertain Location (Accuracy -1): Trying to attack a target when you only know where they are from someone else's description is difficult, as is trying to attack someone when you have determined their correct location by wild guessing.

Common Modifiers

Cover (Accuracy -1): Stone walls and trees in the path of the shot need to be avoided, unless you choose to attack through those obstacles.

Total Cover (Accuracy -1): Characters directly hiding behind a particular tree or arrow slit take careful timing to hit, as they may not even be in view some of the time. Targets with total cover also have cover. As with cover, choosing to attack through an obstacle means that it does not count for total cover.

Through Multiple Creatures (Accuracy -1 per additional creature): You can fire through creatures like you would fire through objects. An attack goes through one creature to the next if the damage was enough to wound it at least once, and wounds it to 0 or less HP. The next creature gets hit with reduced damage: the penalty to damage is equal to the amount of damage it took to inflict the required wounds on the previous creature (wounds that reduce the creature below 0 HP don't reduce the damage).

Stationary (Sets AD/GD to 2 if higher): Unconscious or immobilized people, and objects, are Stationary.

Multiweapon Fighting (Accuracy -2): People who attempt to use multiple weapons during the same round have difficulty aiming. The penalty increases by 2 for every additional weapon beyond the second. However, certain actions, like Assaults, Ranged Guards, and Melee Guards grant additional attacks when wielding multiple weapons. In order to get the penalty and the bonus attack, the wielder must actually attack with each such weapon at least once. It's not possible to use the same hand to wield multiple handed weapons in a single round, even if the character is fast enough to drop one and pick up another, except by wielding the same semiautomatic or automatic weapon multiple times.

Leaving Range (Accuracy -2, optional): If a target becomes untargetable, or acquires additional targeting modifiers in the time after the attack is declared, you may choose to take a -2 penalty in order to attack the target as though they were still in their original situation.

Weapon Attributes

Each weapon can only be used to make attacks by one attacker per round.

Heavy: Heavy attacks can also cause a critical hit on a roll of a 5, although on a critical hit, further rolls to increment the multiplier for the attack still only multicrit on a 6. As specified elsewhere, many types of methods for attacking do not allow you to use Heavy attacks. A Heavy weapon is one that can only be used to make Heavy attacks.

Piercing: Piercing attacks are better at firing through objects and armor than non-Piercing attacks, but are less effective at destroying large structures. Piercing attacks get +2 Demolition.

Grenade: When thrown, target a place on the ground and attack against AD 5. If you miss, the grenade lands 2 meters away from the target place for every point by which you miss, in a random direction. If you would miss by 8 meters or more, the grenade lands at your feet instead. Like with throwing melee weapons, the throwing range is doubled for every 2 points of Muscle the thrower has; however, the number of meters you miss by is also doubled in the same way.

Automatic: If used to perform a Ranged Guard or Melee Guard, you may accept a -2 penalty to all attacks during the Ranged Guard or Melee Guard in exchange for being able to take as many attacks as there are opportunities for them. You can also choose to Spray & Pray when attacking, for a +3 bonus to Demolition, but the attack loses the Piercing attribute if it had one and uses 5 attacks'-worth of ammo.

Semiautomatic: If used to perform a Ranged Guard or Melee Guard, you may accept a -2 penalty to all attacks during the Ranged Guard or Melee Guard in exchange for being able to take twice as many attacks as you normally would, provided you get opportunities to take them. You can also choose to Spray & Pray when attacking, for a +1 bonus to Demolition, but the attack loses the Piercing attribute if it had one and uses 2 attacks'-worth of ammo.

Rope: The weapon's attacks attach to the target, for potentially being used for movement.

If the rope is attached to an unsecured unattended object, held object, or creature that's lighter than the roping creature, the target is pulled instead. Treat this as an unarmed disarm (with the object being flung up to 4 meters towards you if it weighs less than your carrying capacity), trip, or shove (but towards you instead).

Self-Retracting Rope X meters: This works as a rope, but it pulls itself and whoever's holding it automatically X meters per round. This distance may be divided between multiple hooking attacks. The distance is halved for vertical travel. By detaching the hook at the last moment, one may hurtle past the grappled target and travel as much as the full possible distance.

When used to pull a target like a disarm or shove, the distance pulled is X meters.

Thrown: A Thrown melee weapon has no Throwing penalty.

Muscle-Damage: A Muscle-Damage weapon adds your Muscle to the damage and half your Muscle, rounded down, to the Demolition.

Magic-Damage: A Magic-Damage weapon adds your Magic Power to the damage.

Muscle-Area: For every three points of Muscle you have, a Muscle-Area weapon doubles the radii and lengths of its area of effect.

Incremental Reload: Some weapons have an Incremental Reload weight. Any creature can contribute an amount of weight equal to its Carrying Capacity to the reload by taking a move action. The weapons are fully reloaded and ready to fire again when the full amount of weight has been contributed. Effects that reduce the amount of time it takes to reload do not speed up Incremental Reloads. If a creature's Carrying Capacity is at least twice the total Incremental Reload weight, it can reload the weapon fully once per round as a Lesser Action. If at least four times, the creature can reload the weapon as part of any attack with it.

Trigger Grip: This weapon is difficult to use one-handed, and gives a -2 penalty to Accuracy unless your Carrying Capacity is at least 10 times its weight (including ammunition), or you use it in two hands.

Loud X meters: This weapon can be heard from a distance of X meters when fired. If no number is specified, the distance is 1000 meters.