Attacks

Ultimately combat is about violence, and attacking an opponent is likely to be one of the most common actions characters take. Unless a trait specifies otherwise, you may only make one attack per turn.

Making an Attack

To perform an attack, first choose a target and then make an attack test. This typically calls for a combat skill—most commonly Melee or Projectiles—with a Target Number equal to the opponent’s Defense total or Willpower total this round (see page XXX). Generally speaking, physical attacks target Defense, while mental attacks target Willpower.

To attack an opponent, they must be within range of your weapon. If they are not, you need to move until they are within range (see page XXX).

If the attack test is a success, you have scored a hit. For most attacks this means you then deal damage to the target. If the attack’s total is twice the opponent’s Defense total—or Willpower total, if that score was targeted—then you have scored a critical hit. This means you deal a Grave Wound instead of a Wound consequence (see page XXX).

Keep in mind that before a hit is resolved, the opponent may choose to employ a defensive reaction (see page XXX).

Azure is attacking a colony saboteur with her knife. She makes a Melee test and gets a total of 13. Since the saboteur’s Defense total this round is 9, she scored a hit. If her attack total had been 18 or higher (twice the saboteur’s Defense total), she would have scored a critical hit.

Damage

When you score a hit, determine your margin of success and add its value to the damage of your weapon. This is the amount of damage that you deal. For more information on damage, see page XXX.

Critical Hits

If you score a critical hit, you deal a Grave Wound to your target (see page XXX).

Attack Options & Circumstances

Below are a variety of attack options or other circumstances that can affect attacks.

Area Effects

Area effects target all characters within a specified area. A target caught in this area may take a Dodge reaction and make a Defense-12 test. On a success, she moves a meter away or dives for cover, if available. This might move the character out of the affected area. Having cover halves damage.

Some area effects, such as blasts, may have a primary and secondary area. Characters caught in the primary area suffer the full effects, while those caught in the secondary area suffer half damage or some lesser effect specified in the attack’s description.

If necessary, calculate the damage for each target by comparing the result of the test to invoke the effect to each target’s Defense or Willpower TN, as appropriate. Margin of success adds to the base damage (see page xxx). Margin of failure subtracts from the base damage.

Automatic Fire

Some weapons are capable of firing a rapid string of shots at a target. These have the Auto property (see page XXX). When choosing automatic fire, the attack gains a ⊕, but a number of shots are expended equal to the weapon’s Auto rating. Furthermore, an additional hit on the target is scored for every Margin 5 in the success. Reduce the damage of each subsequent hit by five, subtracting an additional five with each additional hit. If the attack is a critical hit, only the first hit deals a Grave Wound.

Gan fires a gun with Auto 5. He benefits from a ⊕ on his attack, using 5 bullets and scoring a critical hit with Margin 11. This means he gets two additional hits. Since his gun has Damage 5, he deals 16 on the first hit, 11 on the second and 6 on the third. Only the Damage 16 hit results in a Grave Wound. Both the Damage 11 hit and Damage 6 hit result in Wound consequences.

Concealment

Conditions such as darkness, smoke or heavy foliage may obstruct sight on a target, making her harder to hit. This imposes ⊖ or ⊖⊖ for moderate or heavy concealment.

Cover

Targets behind hard cover are more difficult to hit because of the obstructing object. This imposes ⊖ or ⊖⊖ for moderate or heavy cover, respectively.

Dual Wielding

When wielding a weapon in each hand, you may attack or parry with either. This means that if one weapon is pinned or disarmed, you still have a weapon with which to attack. However, offhand attacks are made with a ⊖ (see page XXX).

Grappling

Grappling is a special unarmed attack which involves grabbing a foe and bodily wresting control. When you grapple an opponent, make an unarmed attack. On a hit, the foe gains the Hindered consequence and may not take reactions until the grapple is broken. On a critical hit, the foe is dealt two Hindered consequences.

In future rounds, additional grapple attempts may be made. Each hit imposes an additional Hindered consequence. Once the foe has three such consequences, you have her pinned and she may not take physical actions until you release the grapple.

Otherwise, on her turn, she may attempt to break free. Doing so is an unarmed attack targeting the initial grappler. On a hit, she may remove a Hindered consequence. If this would remove her last consequence from the grapple, she may choose to either break free of the grapple entirely, or impose the Hindered consequence on her target, thereby continuing to grapple, but as the party in control.

While in a grapple, you may not take offensive or defensive reactions if your foe is in control. Even as the controlling party, you must voluntarily break the grapple in order to take one of these reactions. In addition, you may not take move actions while in a grapple, unless you both have control and your Strength is twice that of your foe.

When being grappled by multiple foes, add the Hindered consequences together to determine if you are pinned.

Only weapons with the Close property may be used in a grapple unimpeded. At the GM’s discretion, other weapons might be usable in an improvised manner, suffering a ⊖ to attack tests and dealing half damage.

Grenades

Deploying a grenade or similar weapon calls for a Projectiles-10 test, modified by range. Thrown grenades are treated as requiring Strength 3 (see page XXX). On a success, the grenade arrives at the targeted location. On a failure, it deviates in a random direction a number of meters equal to the margin (capped at half the target distance).

Grenades are an Area Effect (see page xxx). Anyone caught in the grenade’s blast is subject to its damage or other effect. Unless specified otherwise, grenades are treated as having Blast 1/3 (see page xxx), meaning anyone within a meter is within the grenade’s primary area and anyone within three meters is within its secondary area. Those caught within the secondary area usually take half damage or a lesser effect; see the weapon’s description for full details.

A target caught in either area may opt to take a Dodge reaction and make a Defense-12 test. On a success, she moves a meter away or dives for cover, if available. This might move the character out of the affected area. Having cover halves damage.

Calculate damage for a grenade by comparing the result of the throw to each target’s Defense TN. Margin of success adds to the weapon’s base damage (see page xxx). Margin of failure subtracts from the weapon’s base damage.

László throws a frag grenade at a group of three cultists clustered together. As the center of the cluster is 20 meters away and László only has Strength 8, this throw suffers a ⊖ due to range. He gets a total of 9 on the test, which is a failure with Margin 1, so the grenade stays from the intended spot 1 meter in a random direction (determined by the GM). Despite being off-target, two of the cultists are still caught within the blast.

One of the cultists spends an AP to Dodge and gets a 13 on the test, meaning she was able to dive for cover. The other has no AP to spend, and thus cannot dodge. Both cultists are within the primary blast area.

The base damage of a frag grenade is 8 smashing. László then compares the result of his throw (9) with each cultist’s Defense TN for the round (11 and 6). This gives the attack margin of failure 2 and margin of success 3, respectively, meaning it deals 3 damage (6, halved for cover) and 11 damage.

Improvised Weapons

In a pinch, many objects can be picked up and used as weapons. At the GM’s discretion, improvised weapons might deal damage as either a knife or baton. Others might only function as an unarmed attack (see page XXX).

Line of Fire

Ranged attacks that miss might still hit someone within their line of fire. This is worrisome if the line of fire includes allies!

At the GM’s discretion, when you suffer a critical failure with a ranged attack, you hit the next nearest character in your line of fire. If that character is aware of your attack, she may take the Dodge reaction to automatically avoid it.

The possibility of this expands to any miss with an odd result if firing a ranged weapon into a melee engagement. This happens with any miss when firing into a grapple!

Ranged Attacks in Melee

You may not make a ranged attack while engaged in melee combat, unless your weapon has the Close property.

Offhand Attacks

Attacking with a weapon held in your offhand imposes ⊖ on the attack.

Pulling Punches

You may opt to pull your blow in order to be less lethal. This must be declared before the attack test is made. If you choose to do this, you deal half damage, and if the attack would impose a Grave Wound, you instead deal a Wound and render the target unconscious for 1d10 hours.

At the GM’s discretion, pulling your blow might not be possible with certain weapons, such as grenades. Additionally, some enemies may be immune to being rendered unconscious.

Strength Requirements

Not everyone is strong enough to lift a heavy weapon and use it effectively! For one-handed weapons, if your Strength is less than the damage value of your weapon, you suffer a ⊖ on all attacks you make with it. For two-handed weapons, you suffer this penalty if your Strength is less than half the weapon’s damage value.

Stunts

Sometimes you may want to do something tricky that goes beyond a simple attack. To do do, first describe what you are attempting, then make an attack test with a ⊖. If it is a success, the GM should come up with some extra benefit, based on your description. For example, you might be able to achieve any of the following:

  • Called Shot: You may attack a specific location on a target’s body. On a hit, the attack has an additional consequence determined by the GM. For example, aiming for the eyes might impose the Hindered consequence until the blood can be wiped away.

  • Disarm: You may attempt to disarm your target. On a hit, she must make a Strength test with a TN equal to your attack total. If she fails, she is disarmed, with her weapon falling to the ground near her feet.

  • Driving Attack: You may attempt to drive the foe backward. On a hit, you and the target move a meter in the foe’s direction. At the GM’s discretion, this might not work for foes that are two or more Sizes larger than you.

  • Targeted Weakpoint: You may target a weak spot in your foe’s armor, should one exist. The GM determines whether this is possible and whether a successful hit halves your enemy’s Armor or whether it bypasses her Armor entirely. Particularly small gaps in armor may require a successful critical hit for this effect to be applied.

  • Unbalancing Attack: You may attempt to unbalance your target. On a hit, the target must make a Speed test with a TN equal to your attack total. If she fails, she gains the Prone consequence.

Suppressive Fire

Any weapon capable of automatic fire can put enough shots in the air to make moving around potentially lethal. To do this, fire your weapon at its full Auto rating and choose a 20° cone originating from your position. Until your next turn, anyone entering this area must first succeed at a Det-12 test.

Furthermore, anytime a character enters or begins her turn in the affected area, roll 1d10, then add +1 or +2 for moderate or heavy cover, respectively. If the result is equal to or less than your weapon’s Auto property, she is hit. Treat the value on the die as the margin of success for the purposes of calculating damage.