Combat System Charts

Attack

• Projectile Guns: Dexterity + Firearms.
• Hypertech Force Guns: Dexterity + Energy Weapons.
• Thrown Weapons: Dexterity + Athletics.
• Hand-Held Weapons: Dexterity + Melee.
• Bare-Hand Attacks: Dexterity + Brawl, Martial Arts, Athletics, or Do.
• Magickal Attacks: Arete. If attack involves a strike or weapon, roll appropriate Trait as above.

Defense

• Dodge: Dexterity + Athletics, Difficulty 6. Each success removes 1 attacker success.
• Block: Dexterity + Brawl or Martial Arts, Difficulty variable.
• Parry: Dexterity + Melee or Martial Arts, Difficulty variable.
• Desperate Defense: Dexterity + Athletics, -1 die per attacker after first.
• Countermagick: Arete, Difficulty 8, as a dodge; see Countermagick, Casting Magick, Step by Step.

Damage

• Damage: As attack type, Difficulty 6; dice pool is attacker’s damage roll + numbers of successes after the first.
• Soaking: Stamina roll, Difficulty 6; each success removes 1 damage success.
• Bashing: All characters can soak.
• Lethal: Humans cannot soak without armor, except under the Cinematic Damage optional rule.

Magick and Violence

• Violence as Focus: 1 action, 2 rolls: Arete/Enlightenment, to see if magick succeeds; and attack roll (as above) to see if attack succeeds. If violence is focus and character cannot perform one without the other, then player does not need to divide dice pool as if performing multiple actions.
• Violence Enhances Magick: 2 actions, 2 rolls: roll attack normally; each success lowers Difficulty for subsequent Arete roll by -1 (maximum modifier -3).
• Magick Enhances Violence: 2 actions, 2 rolls: Arete roll to cast Effect; each success reduces Difficulty of subsequent attack by -1 for each success (maximum modifier of -3).
• Fast-Casting: Improvised magickal attack; +1 Difficulty on Arete roll.

Spirit Combat

• Initiative: Spirits roll Willpower for initiative.
• Attack: Spirits roll Willpower, Difficulty 6, unless using a Charm. (For specifics, see Charm entries.)
• Defense: Spirits roll Willpower, Difficulty 6, to dodge; or else split Willpower dice pool between attack and dodge.
• Damage: Spirits roll Rage, Difficulty 6; each success inflicts 1 health level of damage. Said damage may be Lethal or Aggravated, depending upon Charm. Mages with Spirit/Dimensional Science Sphere can soak spirit damage, Difficulty 6; mages without Spirit can soak with Arete, Difficulty 8.

Health Chart

*Does not affect Avatar, soak, or Arete rolls.

Healing Damage

Bashing Damage

Lethal and Aggravated Damage

*Recovery times cumulative; see Recovery Time.

Targeting Locations

Cover and Concealment

General Hand-to-Hand Maneuvers

Notes:

• #1 Attacker rolls Dexterity + Melee at +1 Difficulty; if successes exceed opponent’s Strength score, xe drops weapon. If not, attacker inflicts usual damage. On botched roll, attacker loses own weapon. Bare-handed disarm is Dexterity + Brawl, Difficulty 8, minus 1 die from usual attack pool. (See also Martial Arts Disarm.)
• #2 = Resisted roll, observer’s Perception + Combat Ability against opponent’s Wits + Combat Ability. Successful observer adds 1 die per success to the dice pool to perform next action.
• #3 = Knockdown: if blow succeeds, antagonist winds up on ground.
• #4 = Requires at least 2 yards to achieve effective momentum. Each combatant needs a successful Dexterity + Athletics roll (Difficulty 6 for the attacker, Difficulty [6 + the attacker’s successes] for the target) or wind up on ground. May damage attacker.

Dirty Fighting Maneuvers (min. 3 dots in Brawl)

Notes:

• #1 = Enemy blinded for 1 turn per success, loses 2 dice from zir dice pools until ze recovers. May cause lasting injury, depending on attack.

Ranged Combat Maneuvers

Notes:

• #1 = As Full Auto; damage dice are divided evenly between all targets.
• #2 = Divide dice pool between both weapons. +1 Difficulty to shots from off hand weapon.

Martial Arts Maneuvers

Notes:

See also Minimum Ability and soft or hard style listing for each maneuver, under full descriptions.

• #1 = Resisted roll of Dexterity + Martial Arts against attacker's Dexterity + Brawl, Melee, or Martial Arts; success deflects attack and may Throw.
• #2 = Each success subtracts 1 success from attacker’s roll; if defender scores more successes than attacker, then attacker must roll Dexterity (Difficulty 8) or take own Strength in Bashing damage.
• #3 = As per Disarm above, bare-handed; minimum 3 dots in Martial Arts Skill.
• #4 = If attacker scores at least 3 successes against opponent opponent must make Stamina roll (Difficulty 8) or be stunned next turn.
• #5 = Attacker with Dexterity + Martial Arts pool equal to or higher than opponent’s Dexterity throws opponent up to 1 yard for each success scored. Extra damage possible — see full entry.

Do Special Techniques (min. 2 dots in Do; 4 techniques max.)

Notes:

Do practitioners of all levels may also perform General Hand-to-Hand and Martial Arts maneuvers, choosing between Bashing and Lethal damage; may not perform Dirty Fighting maneuvers at all.

• #1 = Practitioner may give self a 3-turn Stamina bonus of 1 dot for every success in a Stamina + Do (Difficulty 7); frighten enemies by rolling Manipulation + Do (Difficulty is the target's [Willpower + 3]); or hold the Shout in (Charisma + Do, Difficulty 8), adding successes to Expression, Leadership, Intimidation, or performance-based Art roll.

Stunt Maneuvers

Notes:

• #1 = Requires at least 3 dots in Acrobatics, Athletics, Brawl, Do, and/or Martial Arts. Hero can perform stunt once per fight for each dot in Charisma.
• #2 = Negates explosion damage, but inflicts 1 level Bashing damage/success on character.

Weapon Maneuvers

Notes:

• #1 = (Ability) refers to the Ability used by the attacker to employ weapon.
• #2 = 2 rolls, 2 actions. First roll is Manipulation + (Ability), Difficulty 6. Opponent can counter with Perception + (Ability), Difficulty 8; if attacker succeeds, next action is a strike using Dexterity + (Ability), Difficulty 6.
• #3 = Requires 2 actions; subtracts -1 from the Difficulty of attacks against the character that turn.
• #4 = Adds +1 to the Difficulty of the target’s attacks against that character this turn.
• #5 = Maneuver only applies to mooks, not to major antagonists.
• #6 = Follows successful block or parry.
• #7 = Requires successful Grapple attack first.
• #8 = Only with short blades; attacker is easier to hit; useless against Armor 3 or better.
• #9 = Adds +1 success to damage, per success; see full entry for details.
• #10 = 3+ successes inflicts bleeding internal wound.

Axes

Blades

Clubbing Weapons

Fist-Extension Weapons

Improvised Weapons

Whips and Chains^#10

Conventional Weapons

Technocracy Sidearms^#2

Bows^#6

Military Weapons^#8

Other

Special Ammunition Types

Special Gun Sights

Fire Damage

Electrocution

Explosives

Notes

• #1 = See Toxins chart.
• #2 = Bashing damage, not Lethal.
• #3 = Aggravated damage.
• #4 = Might also be incendiary (Aggravated damage + fire) or shrapnel (half armor protection).
• #5 = Strapped to, or inside of, user; kills user upon ignition. Also, #4.
• #6 = Loose gun- or flash powder; also creates blinding flare when ignited.
• #7 = Liquid, unstable; may ignite upon impact.
• #8 = May be shaped for precise explosion area; stable until ignited by electronic detonator.
• #9 = Jellied gasoline; Aggravated damage. Storyteller rolls one die to determine how much flaming napalm hits a given character, then rolls that many dice per turn for 10 turns. Not extinguished by water, only by total lack of oxygen. Successful dodge reduces damage dice pool by one die per success.

Dodging the Blast

T = Threshold; the number given is the minimum number of successes needed to dodge the blast

Barriers

Furniture

Street Objects