Combat

Combat Actions

Beyond making Attack Rolls, characters in combat have several options available to them: trading offensive power for defense by Parrying, using the environment for Cover, pressing into melee range, and attacking from a distance with missile weapons or Spells.

Parrying

Parrying means sacrificing offensive capability to protect oneself. The word "Parry" covers all conscious defensive attempts: weapon blocks, shield deflections, dodges, and evasions.

When a character Parries, they subtract any amount up to their total CMB and add the same value to their Defense (DEF) for the current Round. This bonus applies against one or more incoming attacks from the same opponent the character is facing.

The following special rules apply:

• Unarmed characters cannot Parry armed attacks, but can Parry unarmed and animal attacks.
• Characters wielding a missile weapon count as unarmed for the purpose of Parrying.
• Ranged attacks from missile weapons, thrown weapons, or Spells cannot be Parried unless the defending character is wielding a shield.
• A character can only Parry attacks from a single opponent per Round, and only attacks from the opponent they are facing.
• A character wielding a shield can Parry all attacks from multiple opponents on the shield's side in a single Round.
• Stunned characters can only Parry with up to half their CMB, regardless of weapon.
• Incapacitated, Held, or Surprised characters, or any character whose condition prevents them from applying their DEF, cannot Parry at all.

Cover

Objects and terrain features can be used to gain Cover against incoming attacks, making the character harder to hit. There are two types:

• Partial Cover (+20 DEF): hard objects covering roughly half the character's body, soft objects completely obscuring them (such as foliage or a web), or fighting in Dim Light. The bonus applies only against attacks blocked by the Cover.
• Full Cover (+50 DEF): almost entirely behind a hard object or obstacle. The bonus applies against attacks blocked by the Cover.

The two types do not stack. Use whichever provides the higher bonus. It is possible to have different Cover types against attacks from different directions.

Any character benefiting from Cover, of either type, can Parry ranged attacks and two-handed weapon attacks as if they were wielding a shield.

Diving for Cover

A character who is aware of an incoming attack may drop Prone or move behind any Cover within 1.5 meters as a Free Action, at any time.

Melee Attacks

Melee attacks are made against opponents who are adjacent to the attacker or within the reach of their weapon. Any character who receives a melee attack becomes Engaged with the attacker. Engaged characters cannot take Movement Actions unless they Disengage or Run Away first.

Disengaging

A character can opt to Disengage from melee by spending a Full Action. While Disengaging, the character may use their CMB to Parry, but cannot make attacks of their own. The character stops being Engaged at the end of the Other Actions Phase.

Running Away

A desperate character may attempt to simply flee, turning their back to their attackers and Running Away. Running Away is a Conflicting Action, resolved with an opposed Athletics Skill Roll:

• Any character rolling a Critical Failure trips and falls Prone.
• If the fleeing character wins, they may immediately use a Full Action to move away from their attackers.
• If the attackers win, they may strike at the fleeing character (gaining the On Rear bonus) before they can get away. The fleeing character may then move out of reach if still standing.
• On a tie, the attackers may strike at the fleeing character at half their normal CMB, after which the fleeing character may move away.

Ranged Attacks

Ranged attacks allow characters to strike targets from a distance. Missile weapons, thrown weapons, and certain Spells all use the ranged attack rules. To make a Ranged Attack, the character must have a clear Line of Sight to the target (they can see at least part of it) and the target must be within the weapon's attack range.

Range Bands

Each missile and thrown weapon has a Base Range value. The distance to the target determines which range band applies and what CMB modifier is incurred:

Reloading

Missile weapons must be loaded before each attack. The number of Rounds required to reload is listed in the Weapon Table. As a general rule:

• Reloading a missile weapon is a Full Action or a Multi-Round Action, depending on the weapon.
• Weapons with the Quick Load property can be reloaded as a Half Action, allowing the character to attack in the same Round.
• Readying a thrown weapon is always a Half Action.

Bolt and Area Attack Spells count as Ranged Attacks but are still resolved in the Spell Phase of the TRS rather than the Ranged Phase. See Bolt and Area Attack Spells for details.