Combat Systems Chart

For specific wizard duel systems, see the Magickal Duels section. Order of Battle • Initiative: Initiative Rating (Dexterity + Wits) + one die. • Attack: See whether or not attacks hit their targets. • Defense: See whether or not a defender has avoided an attack. • Damage: Determine how badly the combatants get hurt. 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 one 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 Chapter Ten. 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 one damage success. • Bashing: All characters can soak. • Lethal: Humans cannot soak without armor, except under Cinematic Damage option. • Aggravated: No soak without special protection. Magick and Violence • Violence as Focus: One action, two 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: Two actions, two rolls: roll attack normally; each success lowers difficulty for subsequent Arete roll by -1 (maximum modifier -3). • Magick Enhances Violence: Two actions, two 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 one 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. • Soak Damage: Spirits soak damage with their Willpower Trait. Materialized spirits attack and defend as physical characters. Most physical attacks and weapons cannot harm un-Materialized spirits, nor can Spheres other than Prime and Spirit/ Dimensional Science.