Combat

Rounds and Actions. Each five-second round grants one Combat Action, one Movement Action, and one base Reaction. Also known as action economy, Combat Round, Combat Order, Withdraw, Set Weapon, Intimidate, surrender.

Close means within 2 metres. Anything farther away is Ranged.

At the start of combat, every participant rolls 1D10 + Combat Order. Act from highest total to lowest; a tied character with higher DEX acts first. If DEX also ties, reroll 1D10 between them.

Each five-second round grants:

• one Combat Action, usually an attack or skill use;
• one Movement Action; and
• one base Reaction, used when its trigger occurs.

Combat and Movement Actions happen in Combat Order. A Reaction interrupts that order only long enough to resolve its trigger. Unspent actions do not carry into the next round.

A character cannot choose an option that forfeits or restricts an Action or Reaction they have already used in a way incompatible with that option.

Common Combat Actions

• Make one standard Close Combat, Unarmed Combat, or Ranged Combat attack.
• Start or escape a grapple.
• Aim a ranged weapon.
• Set a weapon against a Charge.
• Use a skill or object that can reasonably be handled in about five seconds.
• Cast or maintain Shaping when its rule requires a Combat Action.
• Intimidate an enemy or a whole group into surrendering or fleeing.
• Delay: act after a chosen participant later in the round. To interrupt an action already beginning, make an opposed test using the relevant skills; the winner acts first.

Common Movement Actions

• Move up to Movement in metres.
• Stand up or drop prone.
• Disengage and move away. An enemy who can reach you may spend a Reaction on an Opportunity Attack.
• Ready one item or nock an arrow while moving no more than half Movement. Stowing one item and drawing another, or readying two items, consumes the whole Movement Action.

Reloading crossbows uses its own rule and is never shortened by a generic Ready action.

Withdraw

Spend the Combat and Movement Actions to move up to normal Movement without triggering Opportunity Attacks caused by that movement. The character retains their base Reaction.

Set Weapon

Spend the Combat Action to set a ready weapon with the Set tag. If an opponent Charges into its reach before the wielder’s next turn, the wielder makes one Close Combat attack at +1B before the Charge attack resolves. This spends no further Action or Reaction, works once, and then the weapon is no longer set. It is not a standard attack and cannot trigger an extra off-hand attack. Taking any Action, Movement Action, or Reaction before the trigger also unsets it.

Sprint

Spend the Combat and Movement Actions to move up to twice Movement. The character retains only their base Reaction, and it may only be used to Dodge. No other Reaction is available that round.

Charge

Spend the Combat and Movement Actions and forfeit all Reactions. Move at least 5 metres and no more than twice Movement along a straight, unobstructed, passable route, ending adjacent to the target; then make one Close Combat attack. A hit gains +1D6 damage. A Charge allows no other movement and is not a standard Close Combat attack for extra off-hand attacks.

Intimidate

Spend the Combat Action to demand surrender or drive an enemy off. Declare a single target or the whole group, then oppose the character’s Influence against the target’s Persistence. A group rolls once on its leader’s Persistence, or on the leader’s Influence when that is higher.

Apply the one modifier that best describes the enemy to their resisting roll; the modifiers are not cumulative.

While the enemy is at full strength or outnumbers the characters, only a Critical Influence against a failed Persistence forces a surrender. A fumbled Persistence routs them outright.

A shared language is not needed, but the character must be able to make themselves understood by sign, gesture, or bearing. The Gamemaster decides who can be targeted and whether the attempt is possible at all.

Attacks and Reactions. Roll the relevant combat skill to hit; an aware defender may spend a Reaction to Dodge, Parry, or make an Opportunity Attack. Also known as attack roll, Dodge, Parry, Opportunity Attack.

Roll D100 against Close Combat for a held weapon, Unarmed Combat for an unarmed or natural attack, or Ranged Combat for a weapon used at distance. A roll at or below the relevant skill hits; a higher roll misses. Bonus and Penalty dice alter the roll, not the skill.

After a hit, an aware defender may spend an eligible Reaction before damage is resolved. A failed Reaction changes nothing. Only one Reaction may answer a single attack or trigger, even when a character has more than one available. Compare critical results using the combat result matrix.

Reactions

• Dodge: roll Dodge. An ordinary success avoids an ordinary hit. Ranged attacks impose -1P. A character may Dodge no more than once per round, and only with their base Reaction.
• Parry: roll Close Combat with a ready weapon or shield, or Unarmed Combat against an unarmed attack. A successful Parry reduces an ordinary hit according to item Size. Ranged attacks require Active Guard.
• Opportunity Attack: make one Close Combat attack when an adjacent enemy disengages or creates another clear opening. It does not trigger an extra off-hand attack.

Parry Size

Compare the attacking weapon with the ready item used to Parry. Unarmed attacks and projectiles from bows, crossbows, and slings are Light. Natural weapons use their listed Size, or Medium when none is listed. Thrown weapons retain their listed Size.

Apply armour only after a Parry has changed the damage.

Special techniques are not available by default. A character must buy the relevant Talent to disarm, trip, subdue, rush with a shield, or trade defence for extra attacks.

Active Guard. An aware character can actively Parry missiles or an individually targeted Projected Shaping with a ready shield. Also known as missile Parry, shield against arrows, active shield defence.

Using Active Guard

After a ranged attack or individually targeted Projected Shaping succeeds, an aware defender with an eligible item ready may React with Active Guard before resolution.

Against a mundane attack, roll Close Combat using the critical matrix, then Parry Size. Against a Projected Shaping, oppose Close Combat with the Shaper’s original Shaping result; if the guard wins, use magical Impact Size. Thrown weapons keep listed Size; arrows, bolts, and sling projectiles are Light. Shields are Medium, Heavy, or Huge, so each fully blocks those Light projectiles on ordinary success.

Shields give no passive penalty except through Shield Cover; terrain remains separate. Missile Guard removes listed penalties. A shield unavailable while wielding a two-handed item is not ready. Weapons cannot guard Projected Shapings.

Ranged Combat. Ranged attacks use simple range bands, terrain cover, active defence, and weapon-specific reload rules. Also known as missile combat, range bands, cover, crossbow reload.

Make a Ranged Combat test against a target within the weapon’s listed Range. Beyond Range but no farther than twice Range, attack at -2P. A farther target cannot be hit.

Thrown attacks add Damage Modifier. Bows, crossbows, and slings use only their listed damage unless a Talent says otherwise. A ranged weapon with the Close tag can instead attack within 2 metres using Close Combat. Any other ranged weapon used there becomes an improvised Light club (1D6 + DM) and attacks at -1P.

An aware target may Dodge at -1P. Thrown attacks and physical projectiles may also be eligible for Active Guard.

Aim

Spend a Combat Action to aim at one visible target. The next ranged attack against that target gains +1B. The benefit is lost if the character takes any Reaction, loses sight of the target, or does not make that attack with their next Combat Action.

Cover

Cover penalises the attack; it does not reduce damage.

Use only the best penalty from terrain and the Shield Cover Talent; they do not stack with each other.

Common Situational Modifiers

Illumination applies its own vision penalty. Obscurity below is separate.

Use only the strongest version of the same condition, such as movement, obscurity, or wind. Modifiers from different causes combine under the normal +3B/-3P cap.

Crossbows

• Light crossbow: reloading spends the Movement Action and base Reaction.
• Heavy crossbow: reloading consumes the whole round: Combat Action, Movement Action, and all Reactions.

A generic Ready action never shortens either reload.

Firing Into a Crowd

Apply any cover normally. An ordinary failure simply misses; only a fumble may hit a fairly or randomly selected nearby target, dealing normal rolled damage after armour.

Grappling. Establish one controller and one held participant with an opposed Unarmed Combat test; escape with another, or use Wrestler for advanced holds. Also known as grapple, break free, wrestling, parry a grapple.

Establish and escape

Only one controller can hold a target at a time. To seize an adjacent target, spend a Combat Action. The attacker needs at least one free, usable grasping limb. Before the establishment test, they commit one limb and may commit a second, then test Unarmed Combat against the target’s choice of Dodge or Parry. Parry uses Close Combat with a ready weapon or shield, or Unarmed Combat with nothing in hand. This opposed test is the whole attack: it spends no Reaction, is not limited by the once-per-round Dodge limit, and calls for no separate Reaction roll.

If the target wins the contest with a successful weapon Parry, the hold fails and the weapon deals the attacker 1 HP ignoring AP. This applies only while trying to establish a hold. A failed weapon Parry that still wins the opposed contest deals no damage; neither does a shield or unarmed Parry.

A failed attempt to establish the hold leaves the attacker’s limbs free. If the attacker wins, they are the controller and the target is the held participant. While the grapple lasts, both participants:

• cannot take a Movement Action;
• suffer -1P on every test; and
• may attack or Parry only with Unarmed Combat or a ready Light one-handed weapon.

A committed limb is occupied: it cannot attack, Parry, or qualify for an off-hand option.

Limbs and Leverage

A participant may commit a second usable limb before an establishment test. During a grapple, either participant may add or release a second committed limb freely at the start of their own turn. While that limb remains committed, it grants that participant +1B on establishment, escape, Wrestler, and opposing grapple tests. A held participant commits one free, usable limb when they first make an escape, Wrestler, or opposing grapple test; that first limb grants no bonus by itself.

The controller cannot release their last committed limb without ending the grapple. Every committed limb becomes free when the grapple ends.

Escape, release, and assistance

Only the controller may release the grapple freely on their own turn. The held participant must escape: spend a Combat Action and win an opposed Unarmed Combat test against the controller. A successful escape, separation, the controller’s incapacitation, or loss of their last committed limb ends the grapple. The participants remain adjacent after an ordinary release or escape.

A target already held by one controller cannot be independently grappled. Adjacent helpers may instead provide ordinary combined Assistance for one grapple test, following the normal Assistance rules. Each helper commits one usable limb for that test, but a helper never becomes the controller.

Size and Circumstances

Size, anatomy, footing, and similar circumstances remain matters for the Gamemaster. One clear circumstance gives one side either +1B or -1P, never both Bonus and Penalty dice for the same circumstance. An overwhelming difference may be worth +2B, +3B, -2P, or -3P, or make the attempt impossible. The second limb’s +1B is separate from this judgment.

The Wrestler Talent adds damaging holds, forced drops, and throws.

Fighting With Off-Hand Options. Two ready one-handed items grant either one penalised off-hand attack or one penalised off-hand Parry or Opportunity Reaction each round, never both. Also known as off-hand attack, two-weapon fighting, fighting with two ready items, weapon and shield, extra Parry.

Choose One Option

A character holding two ready one-handed items may use one of the following options once per round. An empty hand counts as a ready one-handed item — a punch or kick is a weapon for the purpose of attacking — so a weapon and a free hand qualifies, as do a weapon and shield or two bare hands. Wielding a two-handed item leaves no hand free and does not qualify.

• Extra attack: immediately after a standard Close Combat or Unarmed Combat attack, make one free attack with the other item, or unarmed with a free hand, at -1P. It spends no Action or Reaction. Apply Damage Modifier to both attacks normally.
• Extra off-hand Reaction: reserve the other item for one additional Parry or Opportunity Attack at -1P.

The two options are mutually exclusive: after using either, the other is unavailable until the next round. The character retains their base Reaction in both cases.

The extra Reaction cannot Dodge or activate Protector. Any rule that forfeits all Reactions also suppresses it. An Opportunity Attack never produces an extra off-hand attack.

Off-Hand Mastery removes the -1P from both options, but does not grant more uses or allow both in one round.

Critical Hits and Fumbles. Critical attacks overpower ordinary Reactions, while only a critical Reaction stops them completely. Also known as critical matrix, combat results, fumble.

An attack is critical when it succeeds and its D100 result is at or below the skill’s integer tens digit, minimum 01 for any skill above 0%: skill 59 has a critical range of 01–05, while skill 100 has 01–10. Below skill 100, rolls of 99 or 00 fumble; at skill 100, only 00 fumbles. A fumble overrides success.

Combat Result Matrix

A critical hit grants no free manoeuvre, attack, or Talent. If a Talent was declared before the roll and replaces damage with another effect, follow that Talent; the critical adds no further effect.

For the unopposed Critical result above, ignore negative Damage Modifier. That result replaces normal damage, so do not add other bonus dice or fixed damage from an action or Talent.

On a fumble, the Gamemaster applies one immediate consequence suited to the risk: fall prone, drop or damage equipment, expose the character, or endanger someone nearby. Avoid consequences that decide an entire fight without regard to the situation. Firing into a crowd has its own concise fumble rule.

Damage and Wounds. A post-armour hit at least equal to Major Wound Level causes Wounded and Bleeding; at 0 HP the victim is unconscious and Dying. Also known as Major Wound, Bleeding, Dying, Surgery.

On a hit, roll weapon damage, add Damage Modifier when applicable, then add any extra dice or fixed damage from the declared action or Talent. Resolve any successful Parry, subtract Armour Points, and reduce current HP by the remaining damage, to a minimum of 0 damage. Current HP cannot fall below 0. Critical hits change this procedure as stated in their result matrix.

Damage Modifier applies to Close Combat, Unarmed Combat, and thrown attacks. Bows, crossbows, and slings use only listed damage unless a Talent says otherwise.

Major Wounds

When one post-armour hit deals damage equal to or greater than the target’s Major Wound Level (MWL), apply the HP loss and both conditions:

• Wounded: -1P on every test.
• Bleeding: lose 1 HP at the end of every Combat Round.

These conditions do not stack. Further Major Wounds still deal damage and can restart Bleeding after it was removed, but do not create wounds that must be tracked separately.

Dying

At 0 HP, a character falls unconscious and becomes Dying. If still Dying at the end of the third Combat Round after reaching 0 HP, the character dies.

To stabilise a patient, an adjacent helper spends a full round—Combat Action, Movement Action, and all Reactions—and succeeds at a Healing test while both remain stationary. Success removes Bleeding and Dying but restores no HP; a patient at 0 HP remains unconscious. The test requires a Healing Kit or suitable improvised supplies and suffers -2P without them.

After stabilisation, successful Surgery or equivalent treatment restores 1 HP and unlocks natural recovery. Wounded ends after that treatment once current HP is greater than MWL. See healing and recovery for recovery time and equipment.

Do not make a Resilience test or roll on an injury table for a Major Wound.

Hero Points

When a hit would cause a Major Wound, spend 1 Hero Point to keep the full HP loss but prevent Wounded and Bleeding from that hit. Treat it as ordinary damage: it creates no Major Wound that requires Surgery.

At 0 HP, spend 1 Hero Point to Avoid Death. The character becomes stable and unconscious rather than Bleeding or Dying, awakens after the scene at 1 HP, and remains Wounded if that condition already applied. Preventing a Major Wound does not also Avoid Death; if the retained damage reaches 0 HP, that costs another Hero Point.

Position and Mounted Combat. Facing, footing, visibility, elevation, and mounts create compact Bonus or Penalty dice rather than separate subsystems. Also known as flanking, higher ground, darkness, mounted combat.

Use a modifier only when the situation clearly warrants it. Combine different causes under the normal +3B/-3P cap.

The darkness rows use the illumination bands defined in Light and Darkness.

An unaware defender cannot React. Being behind or beside a target does not itself create surprise; the fiction determines awareness. Battle Awareness can negate the flanking or rear-attack bonus without negating genuine surprise.

Mounted Combat

A mounted combatant gains +1B on Close Combat attacks and Parries against an adjacent opponent on foot. The opponent on foot suffers -1P on Reactions against the rider. Do not apply these modifiers when the opponent is as tall as the mounted combatant or uses a weapon at least two Sizes larger than the rider’s weapon.

• Use the mount’s Movement instead of the rider’s.
• On a Charge with a lance, use the mount’s Damage Modifier instead of the rider’s.
• A mounted character’s weapon skill is capped at their Riding skill.

At the start of each round, the rider of a mount unused to battle tests Riding. On a failure, the mount Sprints away at its first opportunity that round.