Combat

Combat Sequence

Each participating side rolls 1d8, with the player’s side adding the highest DEX from among their Delvers. Starting with the side with the highest roll, each member of that side takes all of their actions in whatever order they’d like. Once every member of a side has acted, the next highest side repeats the process. This repeats until all sides have acted, and then begins from the top in the same order. Initiative is not re-rolled.

Surprise

If a group is caught entirely unawares they may suffer surprise, granting their enemies a full free round of action before initiative can be rolled. The GM decides when surprise applies, possibly calling for an opposed Dex/Sneak (for a stealthy approach) skill check or Str/Exert (to kick a door in) versus the target’s Wis/Notice.

Groups cannot be surprised if they are actively anticipating the possibility of combat. Delvers moving carefully through a dungeon can not be surprised unless the enemy is specifically Hidden.

Combat Action Types

Attacks, movement, spellcasting, and other combat activities all require one of the following four types of actions.

Main actions are a character’s primary action during a combat round, such as attacking an enemy, applying first aid to a downed ally, casting a spell, frantically evading incoming spears, or something else that takes less than ten seconds to do. A combatant gets one Main action per round.

Move actions involve moving the character’s normal movement rate of 30 feet or performing some other relatively brief bodily action, such as getting up from prone. A combatant gets one Move action per round, but can spend their main action to get a second.

Free actions are brief, simple acts that require only a moment’s concentration. Activating certain abilities or speaking a few words might constitute a Free action. A character can take as many Free actions on their round as the GM finds plausible.

Instant actions are special, most being provided only by certain powers or certain special actions. Instant actions can be performed even when it’s not your turn in the round, even after the dice have already been rolled. The Veteran’s Luck class ability provides one such Instant action, allowing the Delver to treat a missed attack roll as an automatic hit. A Delver can use as many Instant actions in a round as the GM finds plausible. Instant actions performed at the same time are resolved simultaneously, with the GM adjudicating any ambiguities.

Combat Actions

Make a Melee Attack (Main Action)

Attack a target in melee range with an unarmed attack or melee weapon. Such weapons use either the Brawl or the Stab skill, depending on the type of attack.

Make a Ranged Attack (Main Action)

Attack a target with a bow or thrown weapon. The Shoot skill is used for these attacks, though Stab or Exert can optionally be used for thrown weapons. If there is an enemy attacker in melee range, one-handed ranged weapons and thrown weapons suffer a -4 penalty to hit, while bows and other two-handed ranged weapons cannot be fired at all.

Make a Snap Attack (Instant Action)

As an Instant action, give up your Main Action and either Make a Melee Attack or Make a Ranged Attack at a -4 penalty to hit. As an Instant action, you can Make a Snap Attack even when it’s not your turn, but you must not have taken your Main Action this round yet. Only well-trained and disciplined NPCs have enough focus to Make a Snap Attack.

Make a Swarm Attack (Main Action)

Target an enemy within range of your weapon and take this action until up to four allies have Made a Swarm Attack on that target this round. At that point or any point beforehand, one of these assailants can Make a Melee Attack or Make a Ranged Attack on the target with a +2 bonus to hit and +1 bonus to damage for every other assailant, up to a maximum bonus of +6 to hit and +3 damage. This bonus damage does not add to the attack’s Shock and cannot make it do more than its usual maximum damage. Any Shock inflicted by this attack is always applicable, however, even if the target’s AC is too high, they’re using a shield, or have some power that makes them immune to Shock; the damage a Swarm Attack does isn’t really Shock, but a reflection of the inevitable hazards of being swarmed by numerous armed foes.

Charge (Special Action)

Spend both your Main Action and your Move action to move up to twice your normal movement rate in a straight line, making a melee or thrown ranged attack at the end of it with a +2 bonus to hit. You must be able to charge at least 3 meters to build up sufficient momentum and you suffer a -2 penalty to your Armor Classes until the end of the round.

Screen an Ally (Move Action)

Move up to your normal movement rate to get adjacent to an ally. You then physically block attacks against them until the start of your next turn, provided they remain within 5 ft of you. Enemies who attack your ward must make a successful opposed combat skill check against you using either Str or Dex and the most applicable combat skill. If the enemy succeeds, their attack targets your ward normally. If you succeed, their attack instead targets you. You can screen against a number of attackers each round equal to your highest combat skill; thus, you need at least level 1 in a combat skill to successfully screen. Multiple defenders can screen the same target, in which case the opposed skill check is compared to all defenders and targets the worst-rolling successful defender. You can only screen against attacks you could feasibly physically parry or body-block.

Total Defense (Instant Action)

Give up your Main Action to focus entirely on dodging and evading incoming perils. Your Melee and Ranged Armor Classes increase by +2 and you become immune to Shock until the start of your next turn, including the otherwise-unavoidable damage from a Swarm Attack. You cannot take this action if you have already spent your Main Action for the round.

Run (Move Action)

Move your normal movement rate in combat, which is 30 feet for an ordinary human. If you start your movement adjacent to an armed melee combatant, they get a free melee attack against you as you flee. To avoid this, you must make a Fighting Withdrawal first.

Fighting Withdrawal (Main Action)

Disengage from an adjacent melee attacker, allowing you to move away from them without incurring a free attack as you retreat. You do not actually leave melee range with this action alone, and your enemy can simply re-engage you next round if you don’t actually take a move action to retreat.

Use a Skill (Main Action)

Perform first aid on a downed comrade, cry out an appeal for parley, or otherwise use a skill that wouldn’t normally take more than six seconds.

Ready or Stow an Item (Main Action)

A character can Ready an item for use from their pack or stowage or Stow it, as per the encumbrance rules. Sheathing or holstering a Readied weapon without actually Stowing it does not require this action, though the GM may disallow rapid weapon swaps if they start to become implausible.

Reload a Weapon (Main Action)

Reload a crossbow from a Readied case of quarrels. Bows and crossbows may be reloaded as a Free action if the shooter has at least Shoot-1 skill; otherwise it’s a Move action to nock a new arrow in a bow.

Pick up an Item (Move Action)

Scoop up a dropped item within melee range, leaving it Readied in your hand.

Stand Up (Move Action)

Rise from a prone position, picking up any dropped items as you do so.

Go Prone (Free Action)

Fall prone, applying a -2 penalty to ranged attacks against you and a +2 bonus to melee-range attacks against you. Your normal movement rate is halved while you remain prone.

Hold An Action (Move Action)

Spend your Move action to delay acting on your side’s turn. You may trigger the rest of your turn’s actions as an Instant action at any point until the end of the round, after which they are lost. If your held action is taken in response to someone else’s action, yours resolves first.

Combat Attack Rolls

When an assailant makes an attack, they roll 1d20 and add their base attack bonus, the weapon’s relevant attribute modifier, their relevant combat skill level, and any magical bonuses from their weapon. If the total is equal or greater than the target’s relevant Armor Class, they hit. If less, they miss.

Every weapon listed in the equipment section is listed as using one or more attributes, such as either Str or Dex for a dagger. The attacker may choose either attribute for modifying the weapon’s attack and damage rolls.

NPCs usually do not have attribute modifiers or skill levels. Instead, the attack bonus of a trained NPC combatant is usually equal to their hit dice, often with an additional bonus to reflect particularly good training or talent.

Some common situations can modify an attack roll, granting a bonus or penalty. GMs may add others depending on the situation.

Damage

If an attack hits, it inflicts hit point damage equal to the weapon’s damage die plus the weapon’s relevant attribute modifier. Special weapon mods or abilities may increase this damage.

If you are making a purely unarmed attack you may add your Brawl skill to the damage.

If the result is less than your Shock damage, inflict that much instead.

Shock

Some melee weapons inflict Shock on a missed attack roll. This damage reflects the inevitable harm a poorly-armored combatant suffers when engaging in armed combat. Shock for a weapon is recorded as a point value and target Armor Class, such as “Shock 2/15”. If the wielder misses a target with this weapon that has a Armor Class equal or less than the weapon’s Shock rating, they suffer the listed amount of damage anyway. Thus, if that weapon were to miss a victim with Melee AC 13, it would still do 2 points of damage.

Some attacks apply Shock on a miss regardless of the target’s Armor Class. This benefit may be granted by certain abilities, or it may be part of a dangerous NPC’s talents. Such Shock ratings are recorded with “-” as the affected AC, such as “Shock 5/-”. This automatic Shock is still negated by shields or abilities that grant a subject immunity to Shock.

The only modifiers that add to Shock damage are the wielder’s relevant attribute modifier for the weapon and any damage bonuses that explicitly add to Shock.

A person using a shield can ignore the first source of Shock they would normally suffer in a round. Some other Feats or special actions such as Total Defense can also render a subject immune to Shock.

An attack that hits can never do less damage than the Shock that would have been inflicted on a miss.

Combat Maneuvers

Shoving

To knock a target down or force them elsewhere, the attacker must first hit the target normally for no damage and then succeed in an opposed Str/Brawl or Str/Exert skill check. If the attacker succeeds in the skill check, the target is forced into an adjacent square or knocked prone.

Grappling

To grapple a foe, the attacker must first hit with an unarmed attack, doing no damage, and then both must make opposed Str/Brawl skill checks. If the attacker wins, the defender is grappled and remains that way until released or until they spend a Main Action and succeed in a new opposed check. An attacker can grapple only one target at a time, though multiple attackers can cling to the same luckless defender. In such cases, the defender’s single skill check is compared against all of their foes.

While grappling, neither attackers or defenders can move from their current location, nor can they fight with anything but unarmed attacks. At the end of each round in which a defender remains grappled, they suffer damage from each attacker as if hit with an unarmed attack from each foe grappling them.

If the attacker wishes to move the target, they must spend a Main Action and succeed in an opposed Str/Brawl skill check. If they win, the target is either moved ten feet along with them, or thrown five feet and knocked prone. If they lose, the defender breaks free.

These rules assume both targets are man-sized. Grappling or shoving significantly larger but still humanoid targets is done at a -2 penalty on all skill checks by the attacker. Doing so to creatures only barely plausible for such manhandling is done at a -4 skill check penalty.

Dual Wielding Weapons

Some attackers prefer to use two weapons at once. Delvers who wish to do so must have at least level 1 in the relevant weapon skills, such as Stab-1 and Shoot-1 for dual-wielding a knife and hand crossbow.

When making an attack while dual-wielding, the attacker chooses which weapon they wish to use, rolling the attack roll accordingly. On a hit, the weapon does +2 damage so long as the target is within range of both wielded weapons. This bonus does not add to Shock.

Managing two weapons at once is difficult, and applies a -1 penalty to all hit rolls.

Execution Attacks

A target that is entirely unsuspecting of danger is subject to execution attacks. A subject that is expecting danger or alert to potential harm cannot be targeted by an execution attack.

A ranged execution attack requires one full minute of aiming, waiting, and adjusting on the part of the would-be sniper. Any disturbance during this time will spoil the shot. After spending this time, the assassin may make a Dex/Shoot skill check. The difficulty is 6 for an attack within two meters, 8 for an attack within the weapon’s normal range, or 10 for one at the weapon’s long range. On a success, the attack hits; the victim’s Armor Class is ignored.

A melee execution attack requires one full minute of near proximity to the target, watching for just the right opening and getting to within melee range of the victim. If this time is granted, the assassin may make a melee attack, automatically hitting.

When a target is hit with an execution attack they must make a Physical saving throw at a penalty equal to the assailant’s combat skill. On a failure, they are immediately reduced to zero hit points and Mortally Wounded, or knocked unconscious if the weapon was non-lethal.

If they succeed on the save, they still take maximum damage from the hit.