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Combat

Stage One: Intent

  • The players and the Storyteller describe what their characters want out of the fight.
  • Decide whether characters can surrender and become Beaten Down.

Stage Two: Initiative

  • If the attacker springs an ambush or otherwise strikes when the defender isn’t able to counter, the defender rolls Wits + Control contested by the attacker’s Dexterity + Stealth. If the defender fails, she doesn’t act on the first turn of combat and cannot apply Defense against attacks.
  • Everyone rolls Initiative:** the result of a single die roll + Dexterity + Control. If the character has a weapon readied, apply its Initiative Modifier.

Stage Three: Attack

TODO: this is wrong and has to be updated - Unarmed Combat: Strength + Brawl - opponent’s Defense - Melee Combat: Strength + Weaponry - opponent’s Defense - Ranged Combat: Dexterity + Firearms - Thrown Weapons: Dexterity + Athletics - opponent’s Defense
A character’s Defense is normally subtracted from any attack dice pools where it applies. If she chooses to Dodge, the defender rolls double her Defense as a dice pool against each attack. Each success reduces the attacker’s successes by one. If the attacker is reduced to zero successes, the attack does nothing. If the attacker has successes remaining, add any weapon modifier to the number of successes to determine how many points of Health the target loses. All weapons deal lethal damage.

Stage Four: Description

The Storyteller describes the attack and wounds in narrative terms.

Possible Modifiers

  • Aiming: +1 per turn to a +3 maximum.
  • All-Out Attack: +2 with Brawl or Weaponry attack; lose Defense.
  • Armor Piercing: Ignores amount of target’s armor equal to item’s rating.
  • Autofire Long Burst: 20 or so bullets, no target limit pending Storyteller approval. A +3 applies to each attack roll; -1 per roll for each target after the first.
  • Autofire Medium Burst: 10 or so bullets at one to three targets, with a +2 to each attack roll; -1 per roll for each target after the first.
  • Autofire Short Burst: Three bullets at a single target with a +1 to the roll.
  • Charge: Move at twice Speed and attack with Brawl or Weaponry in one action; lose Defense.
  • Concealment: Barely -1; partially -2; substantially -3; fully, see “Cover.”
  • Cover: Subtract Durability from damage; if Durability is greater than the weapon modifier, the attack has no effect.
  • Dodge: Double Defense, roll as a dice pool with each success subtracting one from the attacker’s successes.
  • Drawing a Weapon: Requires instant action without a Merit and could negate Defense.
  • Firing from Concealment: Shooter’s own concealment quality (-1, -2, or -3) reduced by 1 as a penalty to fire back (so, no modifier, -1, or -2).
  • Offhand Attack: -2 to attack roll.
  • Prone Target: -2 to hit in ranged combat; +2 to hit within close-combat distance.
  • Pulling Blow: Target gains 1 Defense; the attack can’t deal more than chosen maximum damage.
  • Range: -2 at medium range, -4 at long range.
  • Shooting into Close Combat: -2 per combatant avoided in a single shot (not applicable to autofire); -4 if grappling.
  • Specified Target: Torso -1, leg or arm -2, head -3, hand -4, eye -5.
  • Surprised or Immobilized Target: Defense doesn’t apply.
  • Touching a Target: Dexterity + Brawl or Dexterity + Weaponry; armor may or may not apply, but Defense does apply.
  • Willpower: Add three dice to a roll or +2 to a Resistance trait (Stamina, Resolve, or Control) in one roll or instance.