How to Wage Combat
Remember that most creatures consider combat a last resort -- any fight is likely to be messy. All fighting is done in small chunks of action called Quints. Each quint represents a moment of fighting, and in any given quint a fighter can perform one of the following actions, if they are able. Outside of combat, a quint is equivalent to about three to five seconds. This list serves only as a general guideline of examples.
-- Nock and fire a bow.
--Draw a weapon and make a single strike.
--Get an item from their pack (this may take longer than a quint if the item is
buried)
--Load a crossbow (if experienced)
--Attack with their full number of attacks if weapon is already drawn.
--Prepare a spell (or cast a spell, if invocative).
--Begin a retreat.
--Say something (this can usually be done in addition to one other action)
First, determine if either party has Surprise. This simply means that the attackees are not aware of the attackers. If this is the case, those surprising get the Initiative, and those attacked will probably not get to roll their Defense. The ST should take the surprised person's Perception score and their Reaction score into consideration when deciding if the surprised person should get a Defense roll.
Second, if neither party has Surprise, roll for Initiative. This is done by each individual rolling a d10 and adding their Reaction score. The highest numbers go first, and the others follow in descending order. Initiative is determined individually -- not by party.
Third, whoever has the Initiative may perform whatever actions they like, as outlined above.
If the person attacks, they roll their % to Hit for their full number of attacks. (If the attacker does not make their % to Hit for any given attack, it is considered a miss and does no damage.) Then, the person being attacked attempts to roll under their Defense score. Any attack that hits and is not Defended is considered a strike. Remember that a person only gets a defense roll if they are aware of the incoming attack.
Now the person who scored the strike rolls a d10 and adds their Damage Base score for the striking weapon. This determines the amount of damage the strike does.
The struck person then subtracts their Protection score from the damage done, and then subtracts the remainder from their Damage Points score. This is the actual damage they have absorbed.
At this point, look at the Grievous Injury chart. If a certain number of actual damage is done, it will show a % to determine if the wound did extra damage. The striker should attempt to roll under this percent. If they do, they roll again on the Grievous Injury chart which applies to their weapon type, and the extra damage and effects are applied to the person struck. This probably all sounds complicated right now, but it becomes very easy after a bit of practice. Here's a quick outline.
--Attacker attempt to hit
--Attackee rolls Defense
--Actual Damage is determined. (Actual damage=Attacker's Damage Base+d10 -
Attackee's Protection).
--If actual damage is sufficient, the Grievous Injury table is consulted.
--Extra damage and effects of the grievous injury are applied.
Fourth
, the next person who has Initiative can perform their action.If anyone attempts to use a spell, they must first state how much time the spell will take to cast. The appropriate number of quints must then be spent in incantation and gathering of magic. If the spellcaster is struck, they must start over, but if they succeed, they can cast their spell in the next quint. If the caster is an invocative practitioner, they can prepare and cast a spell all in one quint, as long as they aren't struck before they get their chance to cast.
If a retreat is attempted, it must be done during the retreater's attack turn. The opponent will usually get a free strike, to which the fleeing person may attempt a Defense roll. If the enemy pursues, the Speed Rating of those involved must be observed. The ST may modify the Speed Rating of any party based on injuries sustained.
When any creature is reduced to 0 Damage Points, they fall unconscious. Death occurs at -10 Damage Points, so to kill a person, additional damage must often be done even after they fall. If a person is suffering continual damage due to bleeding (see Grievous Injury tables), they will continue to bleed after unconscious until they die or their wounds are staunched by their companions.
Finally, although this combat system runs quite smoothly during small-scale combat, it can bog down if too many fighters are involved. Like all aspects of the game, the ST should decide when dice are appropriate or not appropriate. Although an ST shouldn't usually rob characters of their chances to score a strike or block an attack, all the dice-rolling on the side of the opponents can be done away with if the ST simply decides which attacks hit or miss. Also remember that fights involving large numbers of opponents will be affected by the psychology of group behavior -- ie. a group might be either enraged or set to despair if one of their members falls. Seldom, however, will a large group fight to the last person standing.