Combat Circumstances And Status Effects
Table of Contents
Combat Circumstances
Circumstance | Details |
---|---|
Actions | |
Running | Whenever a character uses the Running action, until the start of the character's next turn, BS attacks against the character take a -20 penalty, whilst WS attacks take a +20 bonus. This stacks with the Hard Target talent, which makes it -40 for BS and flat for WS. |
Cover | |
Cover | Cover offers characters protection in battle. Characters using cover may designate body parts which are considered to be shielded (they must have their arms and head exposed in order to make valid ranged attacks). Attacks against those body parts hit cover instead. The attack resolves against the cover first (attack damage vs. Cover AP). If the attack deals damage in excess of Cover's reduction, then any excess damage is applied to the character and the Cover's AP value is depleted. |
Depleting Cover (Ranged) | Whenever a ranged attack deals damage in excess of the reduction provided by Cover, its cover value depletes by an amount equal to the weapon's Penetration, Blast value and Acid Value combined. So a weapon with Pen 3, Acid 2 and Blast 1 will deplete Cover by 6. |
Depleting Cover (Melee) | Whenever a melee attack deals damage in excess of the reduction provided by Cover, its cover value depletes by an amount equal to the weapon's Penetration added to the attacker's Strength Bonus, plus 1 per 2 DoS on a Charge. So a Pen 3 weapon wielded by an SB 4 character with a charge of 2 DoS will deplete Cover by 8. |
Environmental | |
Difficult Terrain | Terrain with a Difficult Terrain Value (DTV) count as Difficult Terrain, and you incur a -5 penalty to Weapon Skill and Agility tests per point of DTV. Attempts to run or charge through Difficult Terrain requires an Acrobatics or Agility test; on a failure you stop in the Difficult Terrain and fall prone. If you possess abilities that reduce a DTV to 0 or less, then it no longer counts as Difficult Terrain. |
Higher Ground | Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill tests made whilst positioned on a higher terrain than your opponent take a +10 bonus. This includes parry tests. |
Fog/Smoke/Mist | Ballistic skill tests against targets in fog, smoke, mist or deep shadow take a -20 penalty. Perception tests using sight also take a -20 penalty. Concealment tests within fog/smoke/shadow take a +10 bonus. |
Low Light | Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill tests against enemies in Low Light take a -10 penalty. Perception tests using sight also take a -10 penalty. Concealment tests within Low Light take a +10 bonus. |
Darkness | Weapon Skill tests take a -20 penalty; Ballistic Skill tests take a -30 penalty. Perception tests using sight also take a -30 penalty. Concealment tests within Darkness take a +20 bonus. |
Weather | WS and BS tests made during strong weather events- rain, storms, blizzards, etc- take a penalty depending on the severity of the event. Penalties range from -10 to -30. |
Melee | |
Engaged in Melee | A character who ends their turn next to their enemy may declare themselves to be engaged in melee with them. This is also the case if one attacks the other. |
Ganging Up | If a group of characters in a melee outnumber their opponents by 2 to 1, they gain a +10 bonus to WS tests. If they outnumber their opponents by 3 to 1 or more, they gain +20 instead. |
Guns in Melee | Only pistols can be used in melee, and they do not gain any bonuses due to range. |
Shooting into Melee | Ballistic Skill tests against targets in melee take a -20 penalty. If the target or their only opponent is stunned, helpless or Unaware, this penalty is ignored. |
Misfires | |
Scattering | If an attack with a Blast weapon or a thrown weapon misses, then roll a 1d10 on the Scatter Diagram; the attack moves in that direction away from the target spot by 1d5 metres. Non-thrown blast weapons instead move 1d5metre, plus another metre per degree of failure. |
Weapon Jams | If a ranged attack rolls a 96 or higher, it jams; apart from being an automatic miss, the weapon may not be fired until it is cleared as a Full Action, which requires a Ballistic Skill+20 test, +10 for having the Specialised or Mastery talents for that weapon (cumulative). If you do not possess any proficiency with the weapon, the test is -20 instead. If the test is passed, the jam is cleared, but any ammo within is lost and the weapon must be reloaded. Burst fire also increases the chance of a jam; see their entry for details. |
Missile and Grenade Jams | In the case of a jam with a missle or a grenade, roll a 1d10; on a 1-9, the weapon is simply a dud and is expended without anything happening. On a 10, however, it instantly explodes in the user's hands, causing an effect centered on them. If the weapon was loaded into a launcher, then the launcher is also destroyed. |
Ranged Attack Distance | |
Point Blank | Ranged attacks at a distance of 3 metres or less take a bonus +30 bonus to hit. |
Short Distance | Ranged attacks at a distance of half or less (rounding up) of the weapon's Range value take a +10 bonus to hit. |
Long Distance | Ranged attacks at a distance exceeding the weapon's Range take a -10 penalty to hit. |
Extreme Distance | Ranged attacks at a distance of 1.5 (rounding up) the weapon's Range take a -30 penalty to hit. |
Maximum Distance | The maximum range of a ranged weapon is triple its Range value. |
Pinning | |
Pinning | A Pinned character only gains a single Half Action on their turn, although they may use Reactions and Free Actions as normal. They suffer a -20 penalty to Ballistic Skill tests, and they must move toward cover relative to the pinner. If they are already in cover, then they may move only in order to retreat, so long as they remain in cover. If no cover is available then they must move away from the pinner as far as possible. A character may make a Willpower test at the end of their turn as a free action to recover from Pinning. If they have not been shot at since their last turn, or are under cover, then this becomes a Willpower+30 test. Characters engaged in melee may not be pinned and are freed from Pinning; however, they may not initiate melee combat in an attempt to escape from pinning. |
Other Circumstances | |
Dazed | Attack tests to hit a dazed target take a +10 bonus. |
Fatigue | If you possess a level of Fatigue you take a -10 penalty to all tests. |
Helpless | Weapon Skill tests to hit a helpless (usually sleeping or unconscious) target automatically succeed, gaining a number of DoS equal to your WSB. BS tests instead gain a +20 bonus. In either case, when rolling damage against a helpless target, you roll the damage die twice and add both results together (damage mods are only added once). |
Prone | Weapon Skill tests to hit a prone target take a +10 bonus; grapple tests gain a total of +20. Ballistic Skill tests instead take a -10 penalty unless the target is at point blank range. Furthermore, prone characters take a -10 penalty to Weapon Skill tests (including Parry) and a -20 penalty to agility tests. |
Size | Characters with a size category other than 4 are easier or harder to hit. For every category below 4, attacks to hit them take a -10 penalty; for every category above 4, attacks to hit them take a +10 bonus. |
Stunned | Attack tests to hit a stunned target take a +20 bonus. |
Unaware | If a character has no idea they are about to be attacked, then they count as Unaware. Attacks against an Unaware target take a +30 bonus to hit, and the character is unable to attempt to take any evasive action, such as dodge or parry. They may deflect with a magical shield, so long as it doesn't require them to use an action. |
Status Effects
Physical Status Effects
Name | Effect | Duration |
---|---|---|
Bleeding | You roll Toughness once per round. On a failure, you take 1 Rending Critical Damage to body (ignoring soak). | Until staunched |
Blinded | You auto-fail BS tests, take a -30 to WS and Agility, and if you make a Charge or Run movement, you must test Agility or fall. | Until Cured or wears off |
Crippled (X) | Affects a location. If you perform anything more than a Half Action per round, you take X rending damage to that location, ignoring soak. If this would deal Critical Damage, Crippled is instead removed and replaced with Bleeding (starting at 0 Critical Damage). | Until the end of the Encounter, or until you are healed of all wounds. |
Dazed | You may take only a single half action on your turn. Furthermore, enemy attacks against you take a +10 bonus to hit. | Until Cured or wears off |
Deafened | You auto-fail any test that relies on hearing. Enemy attacks against you take a +10 bonus to hit. | Until Cured or wears off |
Debilitated | The TP costs of all your Physical abilities are doubled. | Until Cured or wears off |
Enervated | All characteristic scores take a -20 penalty, and you must test toughness once per round or take a level of fatigue. | Until Cured or wears off |
Exhausted | All characteristic tests take a -10 penalty (stacks with Fatigue), and you take extra damage on all attacks that do damage equal to Fatigue in excess of your Fatigue Threshold. Any tests made in Narrative Time take twice as long. | Until fatigue is reduced below Fatigue Threshold |
Frozen | You take a -20 penalty to Evasion tests. | Start of sufferer's next turn |
Helpless | Attacks auto-hit you and do double damage. | Until source of helplessness is removed |
Immobilized | You cannot use any action with the Movement subtype, and you take a -20 penalty to parries. | Until Cured, wears off or source of immobility is removed |
Prone | Enemies take +10 WS to hit you and -10 BS to hit you unless they're Point Blank. You take a -10 to WS and a -20 to agility tests. | Until you stand up |
Stunned | You may make no actions, and enemies take a +20 bonus to hit you. Replaces Dazed. | Until Cured or wears off |
Mental Status Effects
Name | Effect | Duration |
---|---|---|
Addled | Whenever you make an action or reaction with the Concentration subtype, you must test Willpower. On a failure, nothing happens and the action is wasted. | Until Cured or wears off |
Charmed | You are now controlled by the caster, who can give simple commands as a free action ("Attack that target" or "Retreat", for example). You may still make Reaction actions against attacks not from the caster. You may make a free WP test at the end of the next round and every round thereafter to remove the effect. | Until cured, you snap out of it or the source is removed |
Confused | You must roll on the hallucinogenic table. Enemies take a +10 bonus to hit you. You may make a free WP test at the end of the next round and every round thereafter to remove the effect. | Until cured, wears off or you are struck with an attack |
Distressed | You flee at top speed away from the source of your distress. You may take evasion actions no matter what. This counts as a Fear effect. You may make a free WP test at the end of the next round and every round thereafter to remove the effect. | Until cured, you snap out of it or the source is removed |
Dominated | You are completely controlled by the caster, and can do nothing without their permission. The caster may split their actions with you (eg. Giving one of his half actions to you). You may not act unless the caster grants you one of these actions. You may make a +20 Willpower Test to break free if an order is particularly suicidal or self-harming. You may make a free WP test at the end of the next round and every round thereafter to remove the effect. | Until cured, you snap out of it or the source is removed |
Frenzied | You gain a +10 to WS and WP and gain the Unnatural Toughness (1) and Strength (1) traits, but you cannot evade or make actions with the Concentration subtype, and you must attack the nearest foe. You may make a free WP test at the end of the next round and every round thereafter to remove the effect. | Until Cured, you snap out of it, or all enemies are dead |
page revision: 1, last edited: 09 Jan 2017 06:18