Against the Darkmaster · System Reference

Combat

The Tactical Round

Combat is a serious matter in Against the Darkmaster. Even the most skillful fighter must approach combat cautiously, because a single blow from a less skilled opponent can wound or kill them outright.

A Round (rnd) is a convention for a short time interval during which a series of tactical actions take place. We can assume a standard Tactical Round lasts about ten seconds of game time — though the exact duration is less important than the fact that Rounds give everyone a clear, countable unit to work within. A Round lasts exactly as long as it needs to for every character to act; after one Round finishes, the next begins immediately.

Tactical Round Sequence

The Tactical Round Sequence (TRS) is a nine-phase list used to determine the order in which actions are declared and resolved each Round. Phases with nothing to resolve are simply skipped. Common sense must always be used to judge whether a specific event or condition alters the normal flow (for example, an effect that interrupts a character's action before it resolves).

Assessment Phase

The first Phase of every Round. Use it to track lasting effects — the duration of Spells and ongoing Conditions such as Bleeding and Dying. Characters who are confused, disoriented, or caught unaware may make a special Perception Skill Roll (the Assessment Roll) as a Free Action to assess their situation.

This roll is made only when a specific effect demands it (such as a Fumble result), or when the GM deems it appropriate. Situations that can require it include: being ambushed; waking from sleep or unconsciousness mid-combat; falling, tumbling, or being knocked down; being blinded by a bright flash or sudden darkness.

If the Perception Roll fails, the character cannot declare new actions in the following Action Declaration Phase that Round. They can still Parry with up to half their maximum available CMB, or continue whatever they were doing in the previous Round.

Action Declaration Phase

Players declare their characters' actions and intended targets for the Round. The GM declares NPC actions first; players then declare their characters' actions in any order they wish. Once all actions are declared, they are resolved in the order of the remaining Phases.

Move Phase

Characters move across the battlefield and perform maneuvers involving movement and position: sprinting, tumbling, climbing to higher ground, and so on. Movement is generally considered simultaneous. If it becomes necessary to determine who moves first, or if one character's movement would be interrupted by another action, use the Conflicting Actions rules.

Spell Phase A

The first volley of Spells is resolved. This Phase covers two categories: Spells prepared at least one full previous Round and held until now (which gain the bonus for preparation rounds, excluding the current Round); and Instant Spells (marked with a * symbol). If two Spells must be ordered, the one from the higher-level caster goes first. Ties are broken by the higher Spell Casting Roll bonus.

Ranged Phase A

The first volley of ranged weapons fires. This Phase covers: loaded and aimed missile weapons that have been fully reloaded for a complete Round or more before the current one; and readied thrown weapons already held in hand. If attack order matters, compare CMBs — higher CMB fires first. Ties are treated as simultaneous.

Melee Phase

Combatants at melee range exchange blows. Attack order is determined by weapon length. There are four weapon lengths:

The longer the weapon, the earlier it attacks. Ties are broken by the higher CMB. Identical CMBs are treated as simultaneous.

Positional Bonus. A Positional Bonus applies when an attacker has a positional advantage: attacking from Higher Ground (or while mounted); Flanking a foe; attacking from the Rear. An attacker with a Positional Bonus treats their weapon as one step longer for purposes of attack order. A longsword becomes Longest; a handaxe becomes Long.

Dashing Attack. A Dashing Attack is an audacious lunge intended to land the first blow. It imposes a special -30 CMB penalty, but the attacker's weapon is treated as one step longer for attack order purposes. A character who makes a Dashing Attack cannot Parry in the same Round — all CMB must be committed to the attack.

Ranged Phase B

The second volley of ranged weapons fires — all missile and thrown weapons not already fired in Ranged Phase A, including weapons reloaded during the current Round.

Spell Phase B

All unprepared Spells (those not prepared in a previous Round) resolve in this Phase.

Other Actions Phase

Characters use Skills and take other actions not already handled in the preceding Phases — including Disengaging from melee, resolving Martial Moves, and similar activities.

Action Types

Characters can perform three types of actions each Round.

Full Actions require most of the character's attention, leaving little room for anything else. Examples: making a melee or ranged attack, casting a non-instant Spell, moving at full Move Rate. A Full Action takes place in the appropriate TRS Phase. Characters normally perform a single Full Action per Round.

Half Actions are simpler activities that can be performed alongside other actions. Examples: readying an item or drawing a weapon, casting an Instant Spell, taking a Half Movement. A Half Action may take place in the appropriate Phase or alongside another Half or Full Action. Combined with a Full Action, both suffer a -20 penalty to any roll involved. Combined with another Half Action, there is no penalty.

Free Actions require essentially no effort: talking, singing, chanting, making an Assessment Roll, dropping a held weapon or item. A Free Action can be taken at any time during the Round. Only one Free Action per Round is allowed; subsequent actions that would normally be Free must be taken as Half Actions instead.

Combining Actions

Each Round, a character may take actions in one of the following combinations:

Readied Actions

A character can voluntarily hold an action until a specific circumstance arises. A Readied Action does not resolve according to the TRS — instead it can be triggered at any time, regardless of Phase. If two characters have Readied Actions that trigger simultaneously against each other (such as a shooting duel), resolve them using the Conflicting Actions rules.

Multi-Round Actions

Some actions span more than one Round: reloading a heavy crossbow, scaling a wall, holding a door shut. Multi-Round Actions are adjudicated by common sense, or have a specific duration noted in brackets — for example, "Load (2)" means the action takes 2 Rounds. A Multi-Round Action counts as an uninterrupted sequence of Full Actions: interrupting the sequence loses the action entirely and the character must start over. Multi-Round Actions cannot be combined with other actions except Free Actions.