Table of Contents
Combat
Basic notes
Armor is of limited use, as most weapons can punch through most armors, but it is good to have it as it limits the amount of damage you take.
Use of cover is essential. If you cannot get cover, concealment will also help as it is hard to hit targets that are not visible.
Having a shield on armor is very useful.
There is no “step”, all movement is done with normal move.
Extra effort in combat: You can only use one extra effort/turn. If you use a extra effort on defense outside your turn you cannot use it on your next turn.
Combat postures
- Prone (laying down or being down on fours or any such posture): movement costs *4
- Kneeling (any low posture, be it very low crouch or actual kneeling): Movement costs *2
- Standing:
Combat modifiers
Ranged attack
Attacker’s Maneuver
- All-Out Attack (Determined): +1
- Move and Attack: -2 or -Bulk of weapon, whichever is worse. For melee thrusting weapons only -1/2 bulk.
Attacker’s Situation
- Affliction (coughing, retching, etc.): see Afflictions (p. 428)
- Bad footing: -2 or more (GM’s option)
- Close combat: a penalty equal to the weapon’s Bulk statistic (see Weapons for Close Combat,p. 391)
- Damaged weapon: -HP of injury received last turn
- Major distraction (e.g., all clothes on fire): -3 or more (GM’s option)
- Minor distraction (e.g., part of clothes on fire): -2
- ST below that required for weapon: -1 per point of deficit
Opportunity Fire
- Checking target before firing: -2
- Hexes watched: 0 if 1 hex; -1 if 2 hexes; -2 if 3-4 hexes or a line; -3 if 5-8 hexes; -4 if 9-15 hexes; -5 if 16-31 hexes watched and so on.
Other Actions by Attacker
- Aim for one turn: +Accuracy of weapon
- Braced weapon: +1 if took brace action
- Dual-Weapon Attack: -4/-8 with primary/off hand (-4/-4 w. Ambidexterity)
- Extra Aim: +1 for 2 seconds, +2 for 3+ seconds
- Off-hand attack: -4 (no penalty w. Ambidexterity)
- Pop-up attack: -2, and no Aim possible.
- Quick shot: pop up or sideways from cover, fire an un aimed shot at -4 and pop down.
- Rapid fire: 0 if 2-4 shots; +1 if 5-8 shots; +2 if 9-12 shots; +3 if 13-16 shots; +4 if 17-24 shots; +5 if 25-49 shots; +6 if 50-99 shots; +7 if 100-199 shots; etc
Target
- Shooting through light cover: -2
- Target behind someone else: -4 per intervening figure
- Target kneeling or lying down: an extra -2 to hit torso, groin, or legs
- Target only partly exposed: -1 to -5
Hit locations
Gaps:
- Shooting for chinks in armor: - Armor TL (10 in most cases). Note that a successful evaluate with armoury(body armor) halves this penalty(round up)
There are fewer hit locations:
- Head: -4 to hit, Take penetrating x2 damage for any type attack.
- Torso: Take normal modified damage.
- Arms: -2 to hit, take penetrating x1 damage from anything except cutting at x1.5
- Legs: -2 to hit, take penetrating x1 damage from anything except cutting at x1.5
In any hit location you can try for “vital hit” by taking -4 extra, Also any critical hit is considered a vital hit. This causes x1 more damage and special effects as follows:
- Head: Pain, Take -1/injury taken as penalty to everything and a additional -1 to perception rolls/injury taken, both are reduced by 1/second.
- Torso: Pain, Take -1/injury taken as penalty to everything, this is reduced by 1/second.
- Arms: Temporary lose use of arm. Roll HT every second at -1/injury taken +1/second to regain use. Drop anything held in hand.
- Legs: Temporary lose use of leg. Roll HT every second at -1/injury taken +1/second to regain use. Roll a Balance roll to remain standing at -1/injury taken. Movement speed 1/4 normal until regain use.
Random hit locations
- 1 head
- 2-4 torso
- 5 leg
- 6 arm
Targeting Systems
- Laser sight: +1
- Scope: +1 per second of Aim, to a maximum of the scope’s bonus
- Vehicular targeting system: +1 to +50 if shooter took a turn to Aim
- Unfamiliar weapon or targeting system: -2
Visibility
- Cannot see foe: -6, or -4 if you know his location to within 1 yard*
- Darkness, fog, smoke, etc.: -1 to -99 (GM’s option)
- Target has light concealment (e.g., bushes): -2
Range
Combat uses Abstract range:
- Close (0-5 meters): 0 Can touch rival, at least some of the time and can melee, pistol fights and melee.
- Short (6-20 meters): -4 Can talk to enemy, or toss things at him, best smg/carbine range.
- Medium (21-100 meters) -8 Can only shout at rival; need a gun to attack him. Typical rifle combat range.
- Long (101-500 meters) -12 Opponent is out of earshot, at scoped rifle range.
- Very long (501-2 kilo meters) -16 Rival difficult or impossible to see or shoot.
- Extremely long (2-10 kilometers) -20 Usual range for cannon fire on large targets and similar.
- Beyond visual (10-50 kilometer) -24 Range for missile combat.
- Long beyond visual (51-200 kilometers) -28 Range for long range missile combat
- Close space (200-1 000 kilometers) -32 space combat range band
- Short space (1 000-5 000 kilometers) -36 space combat range band
- Medium space (5 000-20 000 kilometers) -36 space combat range band
- Long space (20 000-100 000 kilometers) -40 space combat range band
- Extreme space (100 000-500 000 kilometers) -44 space combat range band. There is significant light speed lag. Average of almost 1 second one way.
- Beyond normal space (500 000-2 million kilometers) -44 Space combat range band. Normally cannot hit at this range, but projectiles against non maneuvering targets are possible. There is significant light speed lag. Average of about 3 seconds one way.
- Outside orbital (2 million kilometers-10 million kilometers) -48 There is significant light speed lag. Average of about 16 seconds one way.
- Short interplanetary (10-50 million kilometers) -52 There is significant light speed lag. Average of more than a minute one way.
- Medium interplanetary (50-200 million kilometers) -56 There is significant light speed lag. Average of more than five minutes one way.
- Long interplanetary (200 million kilometers-7 Astronomical units) -60 There is significant light speed lag. Average of about half an hour one way.
- Extreme interplanetary (7-20 Astronomical units) -64 There is significant light speed lag. Average of more than two hours one way.
- Close deep space (20-100 Astronomical units) -68
- Medium deep space (100-500 Astronomical units) -72
- Long deep space (500-2000 Astronomical units) -76
- Extreme deep space (2000 Astronomical units-0.05 parsec) -80
- Close interstellar space (0.05-0.25 parsec) -84
- Medium interstellar space (0.25-1 parsec) -88
- Long interstellar space (1-5 parsec) -92
- Extreme interstellar space (5-20 parsec) -96
Action points
Your action points are equal to your speed. Different advantages and skills give extra action points that are only usable for certain things as below.
Note that being reeling halves your speed and thus action points(round up). If you are damaged to reeling in middle of your turn the effect starts at beginning of your next turn(however see “stagger” below).
Try harder: Can try extra effort and on success get +2 action points immediately. This can normally only be done in beginning of your turn, except:
- You are hit in middle of your turn and suffer stagger. Get +2 action points only usable to counter stagger.
- You are diving for cover as defensive drop: Get +2 action points only usable to move to cover/further from explosion.
Advantages:
- Combat reflexes: +1 action point only usable on defenses,stagger and perception rolls.
- Enchanted dodge: +1 action point only usable on dodge defenses.
- Extra move: +1 action point/level only usable on movement.
- Enchanted time sense: +3 action points only usable on defenses,stagger and perception rolls(includes the +1 for combat reflexes).
- Hard to Subdue: +1 action point/level only usable on stagger.
- Enchanted parry: +1 action point only usable on parry defenses.
- Fit/very fit: +1/+2 action point only usable on movement.
Skills: A skill of 20+ in any of these give +1 action point for the given thing, each full 10 over that gives one extra.
- Running: movement(not acrobatic movement)
- Acrobatics: Acrobatic movement/dodge.
- Jumping: jumps and Vault a low obstacle
- Weapon used: attack
- Assess situations: The suitable skill for the given assess situation gives action points for use of it.
Typical combat options
Attacks
- Quick shot: pop up or sideways from cover, fire an un-aimed shot at -4 and pop down, takes 3+attack action points total(move,steady, attack, move).
- Shot: Fire an unaimed shot. Costs 1 action point/point of recoil. (If you do not have enough points to shoot, points above 1=the recovery, can come from next round)
- Power: Use a psionic or other special attack. Costs 1 action point for activation. For attack type powers cost extra 2 for attack.
- Aim: Aim at a given target or hex. Takes full round action.
- Melee: Make a melee attack. Costs half the weapon bulk in action points.
- Melee shove attack: Push an enemy back. Does 1/2 normal damage, but knock back is *2 the unmodified damage. Costs half the weapon bulk in action points.
- Unarmed strike: costs 1 action point.
- Throws: Cost 2 action points. Note that with judo you can do this as parry. If you have the action points after successful throw, you can drop and grapple for 2 action points as continued attack.
Movement
Note that if you are tired, all the move actions cost double action points.
If you do any move action on your turn you get worse of -2 or -weapon bulk to hit with attacks. (half that for thrusting melee)
- Acrobatic maneuvers: All these count as acrobatic dodge(+2) for all opportunity attacks taken during the acrobatic maneuver. Repeated acrobatics rolls in same second are at -4 each.
- Roll from cover to cover: Do acrobatics -2 check and move sideways with each hex sideways costing 3 move points during the roll.
- Acrobatic roll: you can move forward at half move (each hex in the roll costs 2 action points) with acrobatics roll. You can also use this after a drop, but in that case you end up prone at end of move.
- Vault a low obstacle: Do acrobatics or jump check and use 1 extra action point to move over low obstacle and continue either running or rolling.
- Combat leap: Do a jump check and use 1 extra action to jump over small gaps and such.
- Acrobatic get up. Each extra action point used reduces the penalty by 1(decide before rolling).
- Acrobatics -6 to get up to from prone to standing, takes 1 action point.
- Acrobatics -4 to get up to from prone to kneeling, takes 1 action point.
- Acrobatics -2 to get from kneeling to standing, takes 1 action point.
- Normal move:
- Turning 60 degrees: 1 action point
- Move in any of the 3 forward hexes 1 action point.
- Move in any of the side and rear hexes: 2 action points.
- Change posture:
- Each step upward in posture takes 5 action points(but see Acrobatic get up above).
- Each step downward in posture takes 1 action point.
- Take cover: see below
Defenses:
- If you do not have the action points you can still do the action, but the action point is used from your next turn.
- If you are tired, all these cost double action points.
- Also see the acrobatic maneuvers above.
- All the options can be combined.
- Each defense costs a base 1 action point, except judo throw that is 2 action points.
Modifiers:
- Drop gives +4 to dodge against all attacks you suffer for that turn in that hex, cannot be combined with acrobatic dodge, costs 1 extra action point. You end up prone in your current hex and one of the three forward hexes. However if you have move points left you can continue your movement with acrobatic roll or acrobatic get up. Cannot be used if prone.
- Acrobatic dodge: gives +2 dodge against all attacks you suffer for that turn in that hex, costs 1 extra action point.
- Try harder: +2 dodge against all attacks you suffer for that turn in that hex, costs 1 extra action point and one FP
- Took All out defense as your last maneuver: Get +2 to all defenses, cannot take any attacks and all other actions cost double action points.
Utility:
- Assess situation:
- All have base cost 1 action point and roll at +0 in your forward hexes, -2 side and -4 rear and reduce by range penalty and enemy cover penalty.
- Can be combined with a pop up-down action by use of 2 extra action points, this causes -4 to the roll.
- Can use extra action points to increase the roll. Each extra action point used gives +2 up to a maximum bonus of your base skill.
- Types:
- Perception: Roll to detect all enemies, friendlies ground features and so on.
- Assess an enemy: Roll to assess a single enemy, can select one of the options below. Success and success by 10/critical give different results
- Tactics: (0)Enemy level of training and if they are trained in a style you are familiar with, you get +1 to defenses against their attacks as you recognize the style. (10) Combat skills and gear.
- Psychology: (0) Aggressiveness level/morale (10) likely actions (1-3 typically) and if they are trained in a style you are familiar with, you get +1 to defenses against their attacks as you recognize the style.
- Observation: (0) Combat skills and gear. (10) likely actions (1-3 typically) and if they are trained in a style you are familiar with, you get +1 to defenses against their attacks as you recognize the style.
- Armoury(body armor): (0) Armor type and protection (10) weak spots, halving the chinks in armor shot penalty for armor.
- Armoury(force shields): (0) shield type and protection (10) weak spots, halving the chinks in armor shot penalty for shield.
- Armoury(small arms): (0) Enemy weapon base stats. (10) ammo used.
- Computer hacking +0, computer programming -5 or computer use -10 for automated defense turrets and the like: Get success by/2 to any defenses against it due to their predictability.
- Computer hacking +0, computer programming -5 or computer use -10 for AIs: As Psychology above.
- Naturalist(correct planet type) for any animal enemy: (0) Find the vitals (10) likely actions (1-3 typically)
- Exchange weapon: 3 seconds, down to one second with two successful fast draw rolls:one for the old weapon, one for the new at -2, Reduce 1 second for grip mastery(weapon) perk. Each second reduced costs 1 action point on the first action second after.
- Reload weapon 3 seconds. Reduce 1 second on successful fast draw(ammo). Reduce 1 second for quick reload(weapon) perk. Reduce 1 second for Quick fingers perk. Each second reduced costs 1 action point on the first action second after.
Damage
Taking any damage causes stagger: Roll HT roll with a penalty equal to damage taken:
- You lose action points equal to fail by.
- If you are in middle of your turn and you run out of action points your action ends.
- If you are not in your turn, you lose the action points from your next action and have the penalty for your next turn.
- If the total is more than your full action points you are considered stunned until you get your next actual action. (You drop anything you are holding, have -4 to defenses, cannot retreat and so on). Each time you would have a turn reduce the stagger by your action point total.
There are no separate major wounds or shock.
Cover
Taking proper cover in combat is not always easy.
Roll soldier for success. Cost 1 action point with +1 to roll for each extra Action point spent.
Modifiers:
- Cover quality: one of:
- Very Small: small pillars barely wide enough and similar: -5
- Small: A typical pillar or 1 meter wide box or a normal vehicle(due to gaps): -3
- Medium: about 2 meter wide solid objects or things like shuttles or a doorway with plenty of space on side. +0
- Large: 3+ meter wide boxes and similar straight objects. +3
- Very large: A curved large wall or 3-4 sides of a box when inside allowing protection from wide angle: +5
- Multiple directions threat:
- Each hex side that some enemy threatens over one: -1
- Critical success: as success, but also allow you to do Assess rolls while in cover.
- Success: You take proper cover and the enemy must shoot though to hit you.
- Failure: You may have partial cover, enemy can hit one or more of your hit locations with an additional penalty. Repeat following until you have a total of fail by points of weakness. Roll 1d6-1 for minimum penalty. Points of weakness is 6-roll. If you have less fail by than the number rolled use 6-fail by as penalty. If more, roll second location and so on until the total is reached. Roll location:
- head
- torso
- left arm
- left leg
- right arm
- right leg
- Critical failure: 1d6 of your locations are not protected at all, roll in the table above.
If you did not do a take cover maneuver, but might be protected, roll as above but at -5.
For concealment only roll as above, except that any failure allows the enemy to hit you at -2 as they can guess where the rest is.
Hits and misses
When rolling to hit: Can only roll if modified skill is 3 or higher.
roll | Normal attack |
3-4 | Critical hit |
5 | Hit |
6-14 | Hit or miss depending on result |
16 | Miss |
17 | Critical miss |
18 | Malfunction |
Effects:
- Each level of unreliable weapon adds +1 to the table for purposes of getting 16-18.
Critical miss: roll 1d
- Hit something you should not have
- Yourself
- Friendly target
- A neutral target
- Something breakable
- Something explosive
- Something very explosive
- Safety was on: need to do ready action to fire.
- eject magazine or similar, need to reload to fire.
- Weapon slides or jumps in your hand: need to take a grip again : 1 action point/bulk penalty.
- Drop weapon
Malfunction:
- Overheat: Add a level of unreliable until cooled (normally several minutes)
- Minor: Need immediate action to cycle weapon.
- Minor: Need immediate action to cycle weapon.
- Some accessory lose/broken Need minor repair
- Broken: Need minor repair and and 1d% of weapon cost in parts.
- Totally broken: need major repair and 3d% of weapon cost in parts.