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Combat

Combat is handled in more detail than most other situations. When any character enters a combat situation–by either attacking another character or non-player character or being attacked–game time “slows down.”
The following rules are provided to allow players and GMs to determine the outcome of combat encounters in their game. And let’s face it, there is likely to be a lot of combat–or potential combat–in any cinematic game.

Combat Turns
Each turn lasts for 3 seconds of “game time.” Each character may perform one action per turn (see Taking Actions).

Initiative
During combat, characters act in order of Initiative (INI). To determine initiative, each player rolls 1d6 and adds the number rolled to his character’s INI score. The GM rolls once, for the leader (usually the bad guy with the highest PRE or Persuasion), using the leader’s INI +1d6 to determine the Initiative for all of the bad guys. The character with the highest initiative score acts first that turn, the character with the next highest initiative score acts second, and so on.
In the case of ties, the character with the highest Intellect acts first. If both characters have the same Intellect scores, then the actions are simultaneous (see Initiative).
Characters with a different length weapon than their opponent may receive a bonus to their INI when at the optimal distance for their weapon (see Weapon Size).

Modifying Target Numbers
In combat, the Target Numbers listed in the Difficulty and TN Table do not take into account the opponent’s abilities. Rather than using the generic difficulty modifiers in melee combat, the Target Number for attacks against other characters is equal to the target’s DEF (see Defensive Target Number). The target’s base DEF is 10, to which modifiers may be applied.

DEF Modifiers
There are a number of situations that affect a character’s DEF score and, therefore, an attacker’s TN. Some examples and suggested DEF modifiers are listed below. All listed modifiers are applied to the target character’s DEF score.

Character/target is…DEF Modifier
aware of attack+ REF
using a combat skill to defend+ Skill score
at optimal distance for his weapon and
fighting an opponent with a different
length weapon+3
Diving or Dodging+3
Blocking or Rolling+2
Grabbing another character-2
Armor & Encumbrance
Unencumbered (< STR kg)No modifier
Partially encumbered (< Carry wt.)-1
Greatly encumbered (> Carry wt.)-3

Combat Modifiers
A variety of situations can affect a skill roll made to hit a target in combat. For example, skill rolls for ranged attacks are modified by the distance, size, and speed of the target. If a target is close, it will be fairly easy to hit. If a target is far away and moving quickly, it will be much harder to hit.
Some examples and suggested modifiers are listed below. All listed modifiers are applied to the skill roll for the attack.

Combat Modifiers Table
Target SizeModifier
Gargantuan, 32m or more (ship, bridge)+12
Huge, 16m or more (whale, house)+6
Very large, 8m or more (city bus, big mecha)+4
Large, 4m or more (horse, car, tree, sm. mecha)+2
Medium, 2m (human)0
Small, 1m or less (dog, barrel)-2
Very small, 1/2m or less (cat, head, limb)-4
Tiny, 1/4m or less (mouse, bullseye)-6
Target VisibilityModifier
Completely obscured/invisible-5
Mostly obscured (heavy fog, good cover)-3
Partly obscured (light fog, poor cover)-1
Target Behind CoverModifier
Half body visible-1
Head and shoulders only visible-2
Head only visible-3
Target silhouetted+2
ElevationModifier
Target higher than attacker (uphill, mounted)+2
Target lower than attacker (downhill, prone)+1
AimingModifier
Aiming+2 per turn (+6 max)
Braced (stable base, bipod, pintle mount)+2
Hip shot-2
Miscellaneous ConditionsModifier
Surprise Attack-5
Improvised weapon (rock, bottle, small girder)-2
Distance (ranged attacks only; offset by ACC)Modifier
1 meter0
2-3 meters-1
4-5 meters-2
6-15 meters-3
16-25 meters-4
26-35 meters-5
36-50 meters-6
51-100 meters-7
101-150 meters-8
151-200 meters-9
201-300 meters-10
301-400 meters-11
401-600 meters-12
601-800 meters-13
801-1,000 meters-14
Target MovingModifier
3-4 m/turn (walking)-1
5-8 m/turn (jog)-2
9-16 m/turn (running)-4
17-32 m/turn (sprinting)-6
33-64 m/turn (24-42 mph)-8
65-128 m/turn (highway speeds, train)-10
129-256 m/turn (small plane, helicopter)-12
257-512 m/turn (racing car)-14
513-1024m (1km) /turn (passenger jet)-16
1025-2048m (2km) /turn (F-18, sound barrier)-18
2049+ /turn (F-15 on afterburners)-20

Ranged Combat Example
A character with REF 5 is standing 40 meters away. His base DEF is 10 + REF (5), or 15. If someone 40 meters away shoots at our character, the GM applies the -6 range modifier to his attack roll against the 15 DEF, making the total TN for the shot 21!

Action Modifiers
A number of actions that are available to characters impose a modifier to a skill roll, the character’s DEF or both. Below is a condensed list of available actions and their modifiers.
For a more detailed description of each action, see Available Actions. Note: “Skill Mod” represents the modifier to the attacker’s skill roll to perform that action.

Skill
Defensive ActionsDEFModNotes
Block+2+1+4 INI vs. melee attacks next turn if block is successful
Dodge+3+0Up to ½ MOV in meters
Roll with the blow+2+0½ damage
Skill
Movement ActionsDEFModNotes
Crawl+1+0No REF bonus to DEF
Climb+0+0Up to ½ MOV
Dive+3+0Up to ½ STR; req. Leaping roll (TN 10 +2/ meter)
Roll+2+0Roll along ground or over obstacle; up to ½ MOV
RunVar.+0Up to 2x MOV plus one non-movement action at -3; DEF bonus for velocity
SprintVar.+0Up to 4x MOV; plus one non-movement action at -6; DEF bonus for velocity
Walk+0+0Up to MOV plus one other non-movement action
Skill
Offensive ActionsDEFModNotes
Aim+0+2/turn+2 per turn (+6 max); No REF bonus to DEF
Bind Weapon+0-1Opponent’s weapon immobilized; requires contested (STR + combat skill + 3d6) to break.
Disarm+1-2Disarms opponent
Drag+0+0Drag resisting person (STR+1 - opponent’s STR) meters; max distance = MOV.
Drop+0+0Fall with Grabbed or Restrained opponent; 2d6 dmg
Grab-2-2Grab one item or limb.
Restrain+0+0Fully restrains a Grabbed character; -2 to overcome.
Take-away+1-3Takes opponent’s weapon away.
Throw+1-1Inflicts normal STR dmg as B/S; victim thrown to ground
Unarmed Strike+0+0Does STR damage as B/S
Weapon Strike+0+0Does dmg as per weapon
Skill
Special ActionsDEFModNotes
Fast Draw+0-3+2 INI
Load Weapon+0+0Load a weapon & make ready
Mount+0+0No REF bonus to DEF
Wait+0+0Wait to act later in same turn

Autofire
A weapon with autofire “puts a lot of lead downrange,” as they say.
When making an autofire attack, the player makes a single attack roll using his REF + Weapon Skill + 3d6 against the target’s TN. To determine how many rounds hit the target, the effect number is divided by a number based on the type of attack being made.

Burst
A burst autofire (or “autoburst”) attack consists of firing a short, controlled burst of fire at a single target. The shooter makes an attack roll against the target , with any modifiers for size, distance, and so on. On a successful attack roll, the target is hit by one projectile plus an additional projectile for every 2 full points of effect number. The maximum number of rounds that may be fired in a burst is 4.
Mike is playing Sergeant Larry Craft, a SWAT team member. Larry has a REF 6 and Submachine-gun skill +6. He is carrying a submachine-gun with a RoF of 20. During a drug raid, Mike’s character spots a gunman and fires a burst of four rounds, with a TN of 18. Mike makes his skill roll and gets a total of 24. Because Mike’s effect number is 6 (24–18=6), his target is hit by 3 rounds of the burst. Mike rolls the damage separately for each round that hits his target.

Stream
A stream autofire attack consists of aiming the weapon at a single target and releasing a stream of rounds or projectiles at it. This is sometimes referred to as “hosing” a target. The shooter makes an attack roll against the target at a –1 penalty for every 10 rounds (or fraction) in the attack, plus any modifiers for size, distance, and so on. On a successful attack roll, the target is hit by one projectile plus an additional projectile for every 2 full points of effect number. The maximum number of rounds that may hit a target is equal to the RoF for the weapon.
Sergeant Craft spots another gunman. Mike’s character fires a stream of 10 bullets at the gunman, with a base TN of 18. Because Mike’s character is firing more than a burst, he suffers an additional –1 penalty to his skill roll. Mike gets a 26, minus 1 for the stream penalty, for a total of 25. Because Mike’s effect number is 7 (25–18=7), his target is hit by 3 rounds from the burst. Mike rolls the damage separately for each round that hits his target.

Spray
With a spray autofire attack, the shooter can attempt to hit multiple targets at once. The width of the area (in meters) must be defined by the player before the attack roll is made. This area is called the “fire zone.”
The maximum number of rounds that can hit a given target in the fire zone is equal to the total width (in meters) in the fire zone divided by the number of rounds being fired, rounding down.
The attacker makes a skill roll for each target, with a -1 penalty for every 10 rounds (or fraction) in the attack, plus any modifiers for size, distance, and so on. On a successful attack roll, the target is hit by one projectile plus an additional projectile for every 3 full points of effect number.
Sergeant Craft spots three gunmen spread out in a warehouse, and fires a full 20 rounds into a 10-meter-wide area, hoping to hit them all. Each target can be hit by a maximum of 2 rounds (20 divided by 10 = 2). The adjusted Target Number (after counting all modifiers) for each target is 15. Jim (Sgt. Craft’s player) makes a skill roll for each target, and gets a 14, 19, and 25, respectively. The first target is missed, the second is hit by 2 rounds, and the third is hit by 2 rounds (Jim’s effect number was high enough to score 3 hits, but only 2 rounds entered his area in the fire zone).

DivideMax rds.
MethodModifierEN byper target
Burst024
Stream-1 per 10 rds2RoF
Spray-1 per 10 rds3RoF/Fire zone (m)

Explosions
Explosive attacks cause damage in an area. Any targets in the area of effect of the explosion are automatically hit by the attack. The type and form of damage depends on the type of explosive attack (see the table below).

Type/FormExample
Blunt/StunningRubber pellet grenade
Blunt/LethalHE grenade or artillery round
Penetrating/StunningFlash grenade, stun energy grenade, sound/kinetic wave
Penetrating/LethalAnti-personnel mine, HEAP artillery round

Targeting Explosive Attacks
Explosive attacks may be targeted at a person or object (such as a vehicle), using the normal rules for combat. Because explosive attacks do damage over an area, however, its simpler to use a point on the ground (or a specific hex, if using a hex map) as the target.
Treat a 1 square meter area (or a 1 meter hex) as having a TN of 10 (similar to attacking a person with a base DEF of 10 but no REF bonus), and add any other applicable modifiers to the skill roll, such as modifiers for range, obscured visibility, and so on.
If the attack roll is successful, the attack lands in the intended spot.
If the attack roll fails, the attack misses the target. To see where the attack hits, roll 1d6 to determine the direction from the target, then roll another 1d6 to determine the distance the attack lands from the target (see table next page). The distance an attack misses the target by is equal to the number of points the attack roll missed by for thrown, simple missile weapon and small arms attacks. Multiply this number times 2 for heavy weapons.
The maximum distance the attack can miss the target by is one half the total distance from the attacker to the intended target.

Direction Missed Attack Lands

1d6Attack lands…
1Left (attack lands to left of target)
2-3Long (attack lands beyond target)
4-5Short (attack lands short of target)
6Right (attack lands to right of target)

Damage Reduced by Range
The farther a target from the center of the explosion, the less damage is done to it. An explosive attack does the listed amount of damage in a 1 meter radius. For every additional meter of distance from the center, the damage is reduced by 3 points. Treat damage below 1 point as 0. The maximum distance at which 1 point of damage is caused indicates the maximum effect radius of the blast. The blast radius of an attack is defined as the number of meters equal to one third of the total damage points done by the attack. (Damage points/3 (round down) = Blast radius in meters)
An anti-personnel grenade explodes doing 25 points of penetrating lethal (P/L) damage. Any targets within 1 meter of the grenade when it explodes are hit by a 25 point piercing lethal attack; targets 2 meters away suffer a 22 point attack; targets 3 meters away suffer 19 points, and so on, up to 8 meters away, where targets suffer a 2 point attack. Eight meters is the effective “blast radius.” Targets nine or more meters away from the explosion’s center suffer no effect from the blast.

Average Blast Radius
Rather than calculating the bast radius of the grenade based on the actual damage rolled, GMs can determine the average blast radius for an attack by adding the number of dice of damage for the explosion +1. The resulting number is the maximum blast radius for the explosion, in meters.
The GM decides to use the average blast radius of the grenade. Because the grenade’s listed damage is 6d6, the average blast radius of the grenade (when it goes off) is 6+1=7 meters.
Using the average blast radius of an explosion can save the GM a lot of time during the game. For instance, if a 6d6 explosion goes off, the GM knows that the average blast radius of the explosion is only 7 meters. If the closest character is 10 meters away from the explosion, the GM doesn’t need to roll any damage dice at all; none of the characters are close enough to suffer any damage from the explosion. Instead of rolling the damage dice to determine the blast radius, the GM can simply describe the explosion and move on to the next character’s action.