Encounter Sequence
Any time characters encounter something unusual, or which may require combat or other time sensitive action, the gamemaster must begin to keep very accurate account of the time. The Energion combat system uses seconds as the basic unit of time during an encounter. The encounter sequence describes combat, but may be used for other timed events.
- Check perceptions, taking environmental skill and covert actions into account. When the first member of any party to an encounter spots one of another the counting of seconds begins. (See Chapter 3.)
- Check reaction times. Any time a character has not prepared a set reaction, so that he or she must decide and then react, reaction time is required. Reaction time begins AFTER perception! (See Chapter 3.)
- Take Battle Initiative times. This is the time taken in preparing for an action. It may be reduced or increased by circumstances, such as a sword already drawn, or perhaps one which is not in its accepted place. Battle Initiative is a minimum of 0 seconds, no matter what the results of modifications to the roll are.
- Attack. Assuming the characters have decided to fight rather than talk, combat begins. Do not consider the speed gap before the first attack.
- Roll hit
- Roll parries or dodges
- Check hit success by comparing your roil to your chance to hit minus your opponent armor value.
- Figure damage. This is based on the quality of hit and the potential damage of the weapon
- Take weapon speed, a minimum of one (unless character is a martial artist) as a delay before the next attack.
- Continue to repeat 4a-e until an interruption occurs in combat which might require change of actions.
Speed and Initiative Calculation (Step 3)
Weapon speed is taken from the chart and indicates how fast a weapon may he wielded or used. Characteristics such as agility, coordination and strength affect this value. One handed speed adjustment is used for weapons wielded with one hand, or any for which strength is not a major consideration in speed. Two handed speed adjustment is used for those wielded with two hands, or where strength is the key consideration. Two handed weapons include crosshows cocked with a winch/pulley arrangement and most artillery.
Speed Adjustment Formulas
1H speed adj=AGbonus/10+CObonus/30
2H speed adj=STbonus/10+CObonus
Your initiative adjustment is half that figure. Initiative is tne time in seconds it takes a person with 100 stats to prepare the weapon for first action. Speed is the time in seconds between uses of the weapon. Both figures are designed to show how effective the weapon is in use by a character with 100 stats (average human).
A weapon may he defined as 1) in hand, 2) at hand or 3) unready. A weapon which is in hand may be used immediately and with normal speed penalties for following attacks. A weapon which is at hand (not in holster, etc) may be used after its modified speed. Any unready weapon requires its full initiative prior to use.
Changing weapons in combat may be accomplished in two ways: 1) drop current weapon and grab another, which simply requires one second plus the initiative of the new weapon; or 2) put previous weapon away safely, which requires the initiative period of each weapon. Intermediate steps may take various amounts of time in accordance with the care taken with each weapon.
Hit Chance Calculation (Step 4a)
Your base cnance to hit is the Skill% calculated under your combat skill. Your base chance to hit with a general category of weapons will differ. Melee weapons are those weapons which you wield directly with your hand, while missile weapons are those fired mechanically. Hurled weapons, thrown by hand, and thus automatically counting your strength, also use the same bonuses as melee weapons.
Bonus for Melee/hurled:
MeleeBonus=STbonus/2+CObonus/4
Bonus for mechanical:
MechBonus=COBonus/2+STbonus/4
Shields:
Shields are rated in four sizes, each varying in speed and protection. There is no particular benefit to hardening a shield in terms of the basic parry, hut that improvement will be very significant in keeping the shield from breakage or damage.
The following figures apply to all shields. The plus to parry also applies to the character’s basic armor class:
| Buckler | +10% parry | Speed 2 |
| Small | +20% parry | Speed 4 |
| Medium | +30% parry | Speed 6 |
| Large | +40% parry | Speed 8 |
A shield without significant weight, such as a forcefield used as such would a remain at speed 2. These speeds are modified in the same manner as for weapons. A shield may he used for a parry only as often as it could be used for attacks if it were a weapon. Figure Speed for shields in the same way as for weapons.
Calculation:
Hit determination is fairly simple. Subtract the target’s armor value versus the weapon used from the character’s chance to hit, then subtract the value rolled from the result. If the number is positive, a hit has been scored, go on to figure damage.
The formula for determining hit success is:
HitQuality=WeaponHit%-TargetArmorValue-HitRoll
Calculating Damage (Step 4d)
Damage Bonus for Strength
DB=STBonus/20
DB is Damage Bonus.
When you roll a hit, you subtract your roll and your opponent’s armor value, plus any bonuses for cover or evasion from your chance to hit, in order to produce a multiplier for your damage (See Step 4c).
Damage Calculation Formula:
DMG=TRUNC((HitQuality+1O)/1O)/1O*D
D=BaseWeaponDamage+DB+WpnDmgBonus+SkillDmgBonus
Roll=amount of percentage roll
DMG=damage done. This results in a sequence of multipliers from .1 to about 3 times the base damage given.
In addition, hit chances and damage vary with range. Base values, as described above, are for short range. For each range other than short there is a factor for damage and hit cnances. These are: PointBlank=1.1; Short=1.0; Medium=.9; Long=.8; and Extreme=.7
The Formula is:
RangeWeaponHit%=WeaponHit%*RangeFactor
Armor Chart
| Name | Field Plate | Force Field | Plate | Chain Suit | Studded Leather | Leather Suit | Cloth |
| 1 | 85 | 40 | 75 | 40 | 25 | 15 | 5 |
| 2 | 70 | 30 | 60 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 1 |
| 3 | 50 | 25 | 40 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 0 |
| 4 | 70 | 15 | 55 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| 5 | 60 | 15 | 45 | 10 | 15 | 10 | 1 |
| 6 | 60 | 30 | 45 | 30 | 15 | 10 | 1 |
| 7 | 50 | 25 | 35 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 0 |
| 8 | 130 | 75 | 110 | 75 | 70 | 45 | 10 |
| 9 | 100 | 40 | 80 | 40 | 35 | 20 | 6 |
| 10 | 60 | 25 | 50 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 2 |
| 11 | 85 | 45 | 75 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 1 |
| 12 | 40 | 15 | 30 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| 13 | 70 | 15 | 60 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| 14 | 40 | 15 | 30 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| 15 | 90 | 30 | 75 | 30 | 15 | 10 | 4 |
| 16 | 85 | 40 | 70 | 40 | 15 | 10 | 2 |
| 17 | 115 | 60 | 95 | 45 | 30 | 20 | 8 |
| Weight | 35 | 0 | 35 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 1 |
| Encumbrance Factor | 2 | 0 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Damage | 74 | 0 | 60 | 29 | 20 | 12 | 5 |
| Maneuver Factor | 0.8 | 0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Weapons
Weapon descriptions consist of the following information:
- Initiative – the time to draw the weapon from normal carry
- Speed – the time required to recover from one attack before engaging in another.
- Hands required whether the weapon is one or two handed
- Type – the type of weapon for armor resistances (see Armor)
- Mechanical/Melee – is the weapon primarily driven by the strength of the wielder or -is it mecnanical?
- Ranges – divided into five: Point Blank, Short, Medium, Long, and Extreme. Note that Point Blank is not usea technically, out simpiy means a “can’t miss” range. All Melee weapons are used at point blank obviously
- Base damage – the damage which the weapon will do when unenhanced and wielded by a person with 100 ST.
On the following page are descriptions of a number of weapons usable -in a fantasy campaign.
Weapon Chart
Weapons are organized by training classes. Some weapons will occur in more than one training class. The weapon definition appropriate for the character’s training class should be used.
Daggers
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Dagger, Normal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 0 |
| Use normal dagger for all not listed. | ||||||||||||
| Dagger, Parrying | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 20 |
| This is a common item throughout Energion. | ||||||||||||
| Dagger, Assassin | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Tanto | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 10 |
| Dagger, Throwing | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 0 |
| Dart | 16 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 5 | 0 |
| Poniard | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 |
| Kris, Wavy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 0 |
| If this is a straight bladed weapon, treat as normal dagger. | ||||||||||||
| Sword, Short (Dagger Skill) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| This is a short sword as the high end of dagger skill. For a character with sword skill, use the alternate short sword if you are using the training class rules. | ||||||||||||
| Knife | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 0 |
Thrown light missiles
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Shuriken | 16 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| Rock, Small | 15 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| Rock, medium | 15 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 0 |
| Rock, Large | 15 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 0 |
| Dagger, Thrown | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 0 |
| Kris, Wavy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 0 |
| When straight, use as normal dagger | ||||||||||||
| Dagger, Normal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 0 |
| Someone with dagger skill should use a thrown dagger at an unskilled level unless they have taken the time for the thrown light missiles skill. | ||||||||||||
| Knife | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 0 |
Blowguns
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Blowgun, Small | 13 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 20 | 50 | 80 | 110 | 4 | 0 |
| Blowgun, Medium | 13 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 25 | 60 | 95 | 135 | 5 | 0 |
| Blowgun, Large | 13 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 40 | 80 | 110 | 140 | 6 | 0 |
Bows, Short/Medium
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Bow, Self, Short | 13 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 75 | 120 | 150 | 15 | 0 |
| Bow, Compound, Short | 14 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 50 | 120 | 200 | 260 | 18 | 0 |
| Bow, Compound, Medium | 13 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 70 | 140 | 210 | 275 | 19 | 0 |
Bows, Long/Giant
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Bow, Self, Long | 14 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 40 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 18 | 0 |
| Bow, Compound, Long | 14 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 80 | 160 | 240 | 290 | 20 | 0 |
| Bow, Compound, Giant | 14 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 50 | 140 | 220 | 380 | 450 | 40 | 0 |
Crossbows
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Crossbow, Hand | 13 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 20 | 60 | 100 | 130 | 8 | 0 |
| Crossbow, Light | 13 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 60 | 120 | 180 | 210 | 15 | 0 |
| Crossbow, Medium | 13 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 70 | 140 | 210 | 250 | 18 | 0 |
| Crossbow, Heavy | 14 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 80 | 160 | 240 | 290 | 24 | 0 |
| Crossbow, Repeating | 13 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 40 | 80 | 110 | 150 | 10 | 0 |
| Crossbow, Siege | 14 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 20 | 15 | 100 | 180 | 280 | 340 | 30 | 0 |
| Ballista | 14 | 2 | 1 | 35 | 30 | 50 | 140 | 220 | 380 | 450 | 40 | 0 |
Siege Weapons
No weapons in this training class are in the database at this time.
Slings
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Sling | 15 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 40 | 90 | 180 | 210 | 14 | 0 |
| Sling, Draw | 15 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 40 | 70 | 8 | 0 |
Maces
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Mace, Small | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
| Mace, Large | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Mace, 2 Handed | 5 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Club, 1 Handed | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 0 |
| Club, 2 Handed | 5 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
Hammers
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Hammer, 1 Handed | 4 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 0 |
| Hammer, 2 Handed | 5 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Hammer, Throwing | 15 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 0 |
Swords, 1 hand
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Sword, Short | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Sword, Long | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Sword, 1 1/2 Hand | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 |
| Rapier | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Scimitar | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Use for any non-straight sword. | ||||||||||||
Swords, 2 hand
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Sword, 1 1/2 hand (2 hand) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Sword, 2 Handed | 3 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Sword, Zweihander | 3 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Simply a larger version of a two handed sword. | ||||||||||||
| Sword, Flammard | 3 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
Axes
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Axe, hand | 6 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 0 |
| Axe, 1 hand | 6 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Axe, 2 hand | 7 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
Spear
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Spear, throwing | 13 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 18 | 0 |
| Spear, stabbing | 10 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 18 | 0 |
| Trident | 10 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 21 | 0 |
Body Weapons
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Hand | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Foot | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Staff
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Staff | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Bullwhip
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Bullwhip | 8 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Lance
| Name | T | H | M | IN | SP | PTB | SHT | MED | LNG | EXT | DMG | Parry |
| Lance | 10 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Account for actual length of lance | ||||||||||||
Weapon Types:
For purposes of determining how they interact with various types of armor, Energion weapons are divided into 17 types. Gamemasters may wish to modify this list, and this is done simply. Just modify the armor chart to reflect the new groupings. The Armor values and the weapon types work together.
| 1 | Daggers and Knives | Includes swords up to 5 decimeters |
| 2 | Swords,One Handed | Includes hand-and-a-half, one hand |
| 3 | Swords,Two Handed | |
| 4 | Bludgeon,One Handed | Clubs |
| 5 | Bludgeon,Two Handed | Same as 4 but 2 handed |
| 6 | Axes, One hand | |
| 7 | Axes, Two hand | |
| 8 | Whips | |
| 9 | Staves | Thin bludgeon |
| 10 | Pointed, Long | Spears, lances, etc. |
| 11 | Bladed, Long | Any blade at end of pole |
| 12 | Pointed, Short | Short stabbing spears |
| 13 | Missile, Light | Up to medium crossbow |
| 14 | Missile, Heavy | Heavy crossbow, longbow |
| 15 | Missile, Blunt | Sling stone |
| 16 | Missile, Bladed | Thrown knife or dagger |
| 17 | Body (Hand/Foot) |
Weapon Proficiency
Most characters will at one time or anothoer try to gain skill in various weapons useful in combat. Each weapon so learned takes practice time for the initial skill, and continued use to maintain this proficiency. Since weapons use is so closely connected with combat skill, however, weapons are not each considered a separate skill. Proficiency maintenance is instead covered by modifying the Level Factor of the character’s combat skill. All training points earned in weapon skill apply to combat (100% overlap) but not all combat skill is in weapons.
A character may maintain as many weapon proficiencies as he/she desires. Basic weapon skill is free. Any ;luses to skill, which are possible up to 40%, result in one half their value being added to the Combat Skill level factor. Thus a grand master of a weapon would add 20% to the lefel factor, resulting in an 86% level factor for a normal combat specialist, or a 96% factor for a martial artist.
Weapon training is accomplished through points, and is figured in the same way as any other skill. The major difference is that the training points earned for a weapon also apply to the combat skill level–the figure required for the individual weapon simply represents the extent of specialization. Also, use only coordination or strength as applicable for the prime stat for a weapon. This will help to even the number of skill points for mechanical and/or melee weapons.
Most weapons have a basic training point cost of 1000. Some more difficult ones have a higher cost, up to 4000 base for a long composite or giant bow. The chart follows:
| Daggers | 1000 |
| Thrown light missiles | 1500 |
| Blowguns | 2000 |
| Bows, Short/Medium | 2000 |
| Bows, Long/Giant | 4000 |
| Crossbows | 1500 |
| Siege Weapons | 2000 |
| Slings | 1500 |
| Maces | 1000 |
| Hammers | 1000 |
| Swords, 1 hand | 1000 |
| Swords, 2 hand | 1500 |
| Axes | 1000 |
| Spear | 800 |
| Body Weapons | 800 |
| Staff | 1000 |
| Bullwhip | 2000 |
| Lance | 2000 |
Modifications for Martial Artist Combat:
- Martial Artists have a minimum of 1 on initiative (the same as other characters) and a minitmam of 0 on speed (1 less than other characters).
- Their open hand attacks are treated as one handed bludgeon for weapon type, while their kicks are two handed bludgeon.
- They may dodge in combat to avoid damage as per Acrobatics. (AGbonus/4+1% per level).
- They gain 1% per level chance to hit with open hand attacks and 1 point of damage bonus per 5 levels (also to open hand). Treat this as automatic weapon training required for their combat style, but don’t modify their level factor.
- They may choose to kick or punch in any one second, but they may only attack twice (as in the use of two weapons) in any one second.
- The second following any kick is considered to be recovery time. The character may attack with punch only, and use of any attack will require an AGbonus roll.
- Double kick requires a two second recovery, but has a knockdown effect (see combat procedures chart below.)
Grappling and Non-standard Combat
It is possible to strike to subdue. If you do, a damage point total greater than the target’s damage points will knock that person out. If the attacker fails to strike the target unconscious, only half damage is done, and the procedure is repeated as necessary.
The following combat procedures have special effects:
| Procedure | Applicable Armor | Damage | Effect | Avoidance | Mod | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Kick | Normal | 2*Foot | KD | .5AG | None | 2 sec recover |
| Flying Tackle | AG/Luck | F | KD | Parry Roll | -20 | 2 sec recover |
| Overbear | AG/Luck | 1 | KD/Pin | Parry Roll | -30 | one time dmg |
| Hold Down | AG/Luck | 1/2s | Pin | Parry Roll | -1 | optional dmd |
| Trip | AG/Luck | Fall(1) | KD | AG | None | |
| Partial Hold | AG/Luck | None | P/Disable | Parry Roll | None | |
| Full HOld | AG/Luck | None | Disable | Parry Roll | -1 |
KD=Knock Down; 1/2s=1/2 point per second.
A person falling in an uncontrolled fall for one to three meters, such as in a trip will take 1d10 of damate.
A person who is holding someone down successfully may inflict 1/2 point per second if desired, or if possible in connection with the method of hold, may do other things. Simply holding someone down does not do the damage.
Avoidance is by rolling under the appropriate number, such as .5*AG, or full AG, or making a standard parry roll. The avoidance may be rolled subsequently each second that the character has an action until the hold is broken.
Luck armor refers to god blessing, or any type of luck charm the character may have. Non-tangible armor, which operates without regard to penetration by weapons comes under this heading. Agility is counted, because the character may still dodge. Heavily armored characters are often vulnerable to this type of attack.
Pin (abbreviated P) means to pin the part of the target’s anatomy aimed at and immobilize it.
Special Combat Situations
Cover:
Cover is treated the same way as target size–cover affects the available target size which may be hit. Cover may be either random, such as that provided when running through woods, or stable, such as that provided by a parapet or a tree behind which the character is hiding. In the case of random cover, a die is randomly roiled to determine which part of the target is hit. In the case of stable cover, the individual situation will indicate which portions of the target were visible to the attacker. In particular, it should be noted that persons firing from cover may have full cover between shots and only be visible to an attacker for the second of an attack.
Aiming:
Aiming requires that the gap (your modified weapon speed) of the attack also he spent visible. Unaimed shots are treated as a standard 100% penalty to the attacker’s hit percentage, but may be profitable in any case.
Extra aiming will provide a bonus of ten points per second up to 10 seconds of aim time. The target and the attacker must be stationary or moving steadily. Any unusual or unpredictable movement will ruin the aim time.
Formula for aiming bonus:
Bonus=MIN(10*AimTime,100)
Target Size:
Standard target size is from 50 sq decimeters (1 meter * .5 meters, the minimum size for an Ertziu) to 1 sq meter (about the size of a Gerdlu). Sizes smaller than this are figured in percentages of the minimum (% of .5 sq meters) and those larger as percentages of the maximum (% of 1 sq meter). These target sizes apply to any direct fire weapons. Standard target size for indirect fire weapons is 9 sq meters. All modifications are made upward or downward from this one figure.
The formula for penalty/bonus to hit a specific target size is:
Penalty=(100-PercentageofBaseSize)*RangeFactor
Range Factors Are: PTB=1; SHT=2; MED=3; LNG=4; EXT=5
Subtract the resulting figure from the attackers chance to hit.
Relative Speed:
Relative speed is a penalty to the attacker’s chance to hit of 1 point per meter-per-second of relative speed. If the target is specifically maneuvering, this figure is multiplied by the defender’s AGB/8. Characters with Acrobatics or Martial Arts skill may also dodge. Cover advantage is combat skill/4% reduction of effective target size (use unmodified combat skill percentage.
When a character is running through potential cover, various parts of the body will be randomly presented as targets. Use the following chart to determine the target available on any particular second. Roll multiple times to fill out the percentage of the body which should be visible. The Percentage of DP column reflects the percentage of the character’s damage points which must be done to the particular part to cause that part to be unuseable. For certain body parts this results in a fatality.
The Percent column may also be used to show the approximate percentage of the body’s profile occupied by the part listed. This is used when a character is aiming at a portion of the target’s anatomy.
| Percent | Target | Percentage of DP | Disabled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01-10 | Head | 25% | Death |
| 11-30 | Chest | 40% | Death |
| 31-50 | Abdomen | 40% | Death |
| 51-60 | Right Arm | 20% | unusable |
| 61-70 | Left Arm | 20% | unusable |
| 71-85 | Right Leg | 30% | unusable |
| 86-100 | Left Leg | 30% | unusable |
| Joint 10% – unusable | |||
Consider carefully before you use these rules on hitting specific body parts. It might be better to leave them out as once you get started, players will try to get more and more specific when it is advantageous to their characters. Choose something that works and stick with it.
Relative Speed and Charging Bonuses:
When a character is charging another, more damage may be inflicted due to weight and momentum. Be sure to consider the relative movement rate, that is, if two characters are charging each other, the multiple of damage will be increased. The formula is:
DamageMultiple=Speed/4
Speed must be stated in meters per second.
Armor and Hit Location:
Unless the target area is unarmored, such as in the absence of a helmet for a head hit, all targets on a person are treated as the same armor value. If the area is unarmored, the unarmored resistance is figured for that hit.
Spells:
Spells have casting times stated in real time units. Tactical spellcaster and manipulator spells have values from one to ten seconds. A character who desires to begin casting a spell must roll for battle initiative in the same manner as any other character, including time to prepare for casting. If focuses are in inaccessible places, the gamemaster must rule on the length of time taken to retrieve them. At least one second must pass between the completion of one spell and the beginning of casting for another. Unless speciai circumstances intervene, any taking of damage, or reaction to any situation outsiue of spellcasting win interrupt casting. Spell initiation requires one second.
Unable to React:
Characters may he unable to react to a situation because they are unaware of the event. Take care to make sure to limit the out of character knowledge the players may have in order to keep their actions appropriate to their knowledge. Unaware characters may not react to an attack, and their agility bonus to armor value will not be applied. Treat unaware characters as having an agility of zero for such attacks. characters who are disabled will have limited reactions. These must he handled individually according to the particular disability incurred. Characters who are unconscious obviously have no reactions. Passive armor will still apply, however.