Combat Quick Reference for MCs
Combat is one of the most technical aspects of MythCraft. Like many RPGs, combat is resolved in a series of rounds where all creatures act in Initiative order. Each round in combat represents 10 seconds of in-world time, and while creatures take turns individually, you can narratively assume that all actions in a given round happen more or less simultaneously.
The Flow of Combat
Combat is resolved in a series of rounds. Each round consists of one turn per hero and one turn per creature.
On a hero’s turn, they may spend a number of Action Points (AP) to perform any action available to them.
On a creature’s turn, it may use a set of predetermined actions.
Initiative
Combat begins when all creatures involved roll Initiative. Initiative determines the order in which creatures take their turn during combat.
Initiative is an Awareness check: each creature rolls 1d20 and adds their AWR. The one with the highest roll goes first, followed by the second-highest, and so on. After the last creature takes its turn, the first creature takes its second turn. Initiative order is repeated until combat is resolved. In the event of a tie between one or more creatures, the creature with the higher AWR goes first out of those creatures. If one or more creatures tie and have the same AWR, roll unmodified d20s for each tied creature; the highest roll goes first out of those creatures, then the second highest, etc.
Remember that if you are encumbered, you must set down all items that are causing you to be encumbered before you can equip a weapon or a shield. Rules on encumbrance can be found here.
Action Points
Adventurers track their capacity to perform different actions using Action Points (AP). AP is used for most actions such as moving, attacking, battle maneuvers, magic, and using objects. The AP Cost (APC) of an action varies depending on how much effort that action would take.
At the start of each turn, you gain 3 AP, and then gain additional AP based on your COR. If you had any Reactive AP, you may add some of it to your new pool of AP.
| Coordination (COR) | Bonus AP |
|---|---|
| -3 | -2 |
| -2 to -1 | -1 |
| 0 to 1 | 0 |
| 2 to 3 | 1 |
| 4 to 5 | 2 |
| 6 to 7 | 3 |
| 8 to 9 | 4 |
| 10 to 11 | 5 |
| 12 | 6 |
You may spend your AP as you deem appropriate on your turn.
If you do not spend all of your AP, this turns into Reactive AP that you may spend on someone else’s turnif you have an ability allowing you to do so. This is referred to as a Reactive Action.
When you start your next turn, you can carry over a finite amount of Reactive AP. You can retain no more Reactive AP than 1⁄2 your level + 1. (e.g., a level 1 or 2 character can retain 2 Reactive AP, a level 3 or 4 character can retain 3 Reactive AP, etc.) At the start of your turn, you add this remaining Reactive AP to your new pool of AP
Note: Some features, like the berzerker’s Blood Rage and the cleric’s Holy Support ability, allow you additional AP (respectively, “Rage AP” and “Holy Support AP”) that follow special rules. You can only ever have one source of special AP. If you would gain more than one source of special AP, you can choose which type of special AP you keep.
Actions
Actions cost varying amounts of AP, referred to as Action Point Costs (APC). You can do any combination of things on your turn, in any order you wish, provided you have enough AP to spend, and you can spend AP on the same action multiple times in a turn.
Movement
Move
All adventurers start with a base speed of 20 ft. You can spend 1 AP to move up to your speed. This movement ends when you spend your next AP.
If you have a climb, swim, fly, or burrow speed, that means that you can do those kinds of movements as well. If you combine movements (say you run, then fly over a trench, then keep running) – you use the largest movement number for your total movement (instead of adding them together), and cannot move more than your maximum speed in any specific type of movement. For example:
If you have Speed 20, Swim 20, and Fly 30, then for 1 AP:
- You can run 10 ft, swim 10 ft, and fly 10 ft
- You cannot swim 30 ft
If you do not have a climb speed or a swim speed, but wish to climb a surface or swim, it costs 2 ft of movement for every 1 ft that you actually move. If the surface might be challenging to climb, then your MC might also require you to make a STR check, and if you have the Athletics skill, you can add that bonus to checks of this nature.
A climb speed automatically allows you to climb vertical surfaces, but not upside-down (such as ceilings).
Difficult and Hazardous Terrain
Difficult Terrain costs 2 ft of movement for every 1 ft that you actually move. Hazardous Terrain costs as much movement as Difficult Terrain, and will also specify an amount of damage that you take for every 5 ft actually moved.
Jump
While moving, you may need to jump. You cannot jump farther than you can move.
Your vertical jump distance is 3 ft + a number of ft equal to your STR.
Your horizontal jump distance is double your vertical jump distance.
Moving Through Creatures
You may move through an allied creature’s space, but this counts as Difficult Terrain. You may not end your turn in an allied creature’s space.
You may not move through a hostile creature’s space unless that creature is Paralyzed, Restrained, Unconscious, or at least 3 Sizes larger than you. In that case, moving through a hostile creature’s space counts as Difficult Terrain.
Weapon Attacks
When a creature is in range, you may make an attack. To make an attack, you roll 1d20 and apply a modifier based on one of your attributes (usually STR or DEX). You compare your total modified roll to the target’s appropriate defense (usually their Armor Rating); if your attack equals or exceeds the target’s defense, then you hit them and they take some form of damage. If your attack roll is lower than the target’s defense, then your attack misses.
Each weapon specifies how many AP it takes to make an attack with it. Some have set numbers of AP, and others have high APCs that you can lower through training.
Spells and Magic
Spells will specify how many AP you need to use them.
Spells also require you to expend SP; if you are out of SP, you cannot cast a spell.
Cantrips, chants, and prayers specify how many AP you need to use them; they do not cost any SP, so they can be done as many times as you wish.
Rituals and invocations take a significantly longer time to cast; each ritual or invocation will specify how long it takes to cast it.
Combining Magical Effects
Spells and magical effects of exactly the same name cannot stack on a target. The newer effect always replaces the older effect.
Ranged Attacks in Melee
If you make a ranged attack or thrown attack with a weapon, spell, or any other effect and a hostile creature is within 5 ft of you, you suffer 1 TD for each hostile creature within 5 ft of you.
Maneuvers
Basic Maneuvers
Maneuvers are actions that you might take in combat to gain an edge in certain circumstances. Any creature can use any basic maneuver.
Dodge (2 AP). Gain +2 to your AR and physical defenses until the start of your next turn.
Equip/Stow (X AP). Equipping or stowing a weapon or shield costs 0 AP unless it is unwieldy, in which case it costs 1 AP. Stowing a weapon or shield and drawing a new one on the same turn, regardless of type, also costs 1 AP.
Drop Prone (0 AP). You fall Prone.
Grapple (2 AP). You may attempt to Grapple a creature. Make a STR or DEX attack roll against the target creature’s REF or FORT (their choice). If you hit, you are both Grappled. As the initiator of being Grappled, you may end the Grappled condition for both you and the other creature at any point for 0 AP.
Hide (1 AP). When you are Concealed, you may attempt to hide, rolling DEX/Sneaking against the AWR/Perceiving of creatures within 30 ft of you. On a success, you are Unseen.
Shove (2 AP). Make an attack against a creature, using your STR and targeting their FORT. On a hit, you push the creature 5 ft in a direction of your choice. You cannot do this to a creature that is more than one Size larger than you.
Stand (1 AP). Stand from being Prone. You cannot do this if your speed is 0.
Trip (2 AP). Make an attack against a creature, using your STR and targeting their REF. On a hit, the creature falls Prone.
Advanced Maneuvers
Some creatures have the ability to use advanced maneuvers. You might gain this ability by taking talents or lineage abilities. If an ability does not specifically give you access to an advanced maneuver, then you cannot use that maneuver.
Disarm (3 AP). Make a STR attack against a creature’s REF or FORT (they choose). On a hit, choose an item that the creature is holding; they drop that item.
Exploit (X AP). When a creature within your melee weapon’s reach does one of the following actions, you may spend Reactive AP to make an attack against that creature immediately. The amount of Reactive AP that you must spend equals the normal AP you would spend to make an attack with that weapon on your turn.
You can Exploit when a creature:
- Moves out of your melee weapon’s reach.
- Administers a potion (drinking it themselves or feeding it to another creature).
- Makes a ranged attack while within your melee weapon’s reach.
Potions
Drinking a potion costs 1 AP. Feeding a potion to a willing or conscious adjacent creature costs 2 AP.
Flanking
The Flanking condition is achieved when two friendly targets threaten a border or corner opposite of one another. If a creature is larger than one square, or has a reach of more than 5 ft, it counts as the Flanking condition if it threatens a space on the opposite border or corner from an enemy creature.
You only threaten a square if you are able to melee attack that square. A Prone creature can flank, for example, but an Unconscious one cannot.
Cover
By hiding behind a barrier of some sort, you might gain Cover. This will enhance your AR and physical defenses, or might make it impossible to target you altogether.
Cover is a physical barrier that can block attacks, while something that obscures you but does not physically block you from a source of danger might give you the Concealed condition.
Damage
When you hit with an attack, you often deal damage.
Dealing Damage
When you hit with a weapon attack, magic attack, and the like, you often deal damage. Roll the amount of damage specified by your weapon, spell, etc.; the creature that you hit loses that many HP, subtracting it from their current HP. Weapons are unique in that they add one of your attributes to the amount of damage dealt. The attribute is specified by each weapon type (Ch. 6 “Weapons”). Your attack will also deal a specific type of damage.
Unless otherwise stated, when resolving an attack that targets an area (such as a line or radius), you make a single attack and damage roll, applying the attack and damage to each target in the area.
Damage Types
There are eleven types of damage, divided across three categories:
Physical Damage: blunt, sharp
Elemental Damage: cold, corrosive, fire, lightning, toxic
Energy Damage: necrotic, psychic, radiant, sonic
Critical Hits
Sometimes, fate turns decisively in your favor or sways brutally against you. When you roll d20 and the number is a 20 before adding any modifiers, this is considered a critical hit (or a crit). Conversely, if you roll a 1 before adding any modifiers, this is a critical fail (or a crit fail).
When making any attack, you automatically miss on a critical fail, even if you would have a high enough bonus to hit normally. Likewise, you automatically hit on a crit, regardless of the target’s defenses.
If you crit with a weapon (including unarmed and natural weapons), you deal critical damage. When dealing critical damage, maximize the amount of damage that you would normally do (including any modifiers), and then roll your damage dice a second time. Furthermore, you add your LUCK score to your damage total when you deal critical damage.
If you crit with a magical ability, you add your LUCK to your damage. Magic crits from the Arcane Source may have additional effects. See the Arcane Source for more information on critical casting
Various abilities might let you expand your crit range. This means that you crit on a lower d20 roll, allowing you to crit more frequently. If you would normally crit on a roll of 20, and you have an ability that increases your crit range by +1, then you crit on a roll of 19-20.
Note: No matter how many abilities you have that let you increase your crit range, your crit range can never be larger than 16-20.
Massive Damage
Sometimes, brutal amounts of damage can devastate you in a single strike. If you take enough damage that you would reach negative HP equal to your max HP, you gain +4 Death Points.
Shield HP
Shield HP is a special type of HP that temporarily bolsters a creature. When you take damage, subtract that damage from your Shield HP first, then from your actual HP. You cannot benefit from multiple sources of Shield HP at once; if you would receive multiple sources of Shield HP or would receive multiple instances of Shield HP from the same source, you can take whichever would give you more Shield HP. You lose all Shield HP when you Take a Rest.
Resistances and Vulnerabilities
Resist
Some creatures have the ability to avoid or reduce specific types of damage.
Resist adds the specified number to a creature’s defenses against that type of damage. When a creature with Resist X is attacked, and that attack would deal damage or impose a condition specified by the Resist feature or is made using a weapon type or magic source specified by the Resist feature, then the creature adds their Resist number to their defenses, making it less likely that they are hit. If an attack does multiple types of damage or would do damage and impose a condition, this could result in separate attack values.
Resist is more powerful when it specifies a weapon type or a magic source, because if a creature Resists Primal then they apply their Resist to every attack roll that targets them if it is Primal Magic.
When an attack misses a creature and would deal 1⁄2 damage on a miss, if the creature Resists that kind of damage, they take no damage instead of 1⁄2.
Vulnerable
A creature with Vulnerable X subtracts the specified number from their defenses against any attack roll that would deal that type of damage. Furthermore, when a creature attacks a Vulnerable creature with that type of damage, the attacking creature’s crit range is increased by the Vulnerable number.
Vulnerable always supersedes Resist or Immune.
Immune
If a creature is Immune to a damage type, disease, poison, or condition, they are not damaged or affected by it.
Damage Reduction (DR)
If a creature has Damage Reduction (DR) X, they subtract their DR number from all damage they take, unless they are Vulnerable to the type of damage that they are taking. If damage specifies that it ignores Resist, it also ignores DR. The DR number may be followed by a weapon tag, magic source, or damage type. This means that creature takes full damage from a weapon with that tag or damage type.
Damage Threshold (DT)
Damage Threshold (DT) is a very rare defense that is typically seen on structures and vehicles. DT determines how much damage a creature must deal at once to deal any damage at all.
For the purposes of overcoming DT, “damage dealt at once” is determined by a single expenditure of AP. Each expenditure of AP for an attack is a new roll against DT; you cannot stack attacks to overcome DT.
Dying and Death Points
When you are reduced to 0 HP, you begin dying. If you end your turn with 0 HP, you gain +1 Death Point. If you would take damage and have 0 HP, you gain +2 Death Points.
Once you have 8 Death Points, you die.
While Catching your Breath, you do not gain Death Points, even if you end your turn with 0 HP.
Each time you Recoup, remove 1 Death Point.
Each time you Take a Rest, remove all Death Points.
You can find more information on Resting here.
Knocking Unconscious
A creature that deals blunt damage can choose to deal nonlethal damage.
- When a creature reduces you to 0 HP with nonlethal damage, you regain 1 HP and become Dazed. If you were already Dazed, you regain 1 HP and become Stunned.
- If you were already Stunned, you regain 1 HP and fall Unconscious.
- When Dazed or Stunned in this way, you remove the condition when you are no longer Bloodied or when you have 15 or more HP (whichever is lower), or when you Catch your Breath.
The MC may determine whether or not NPCs follow this process to fall Unconscious.
Mounted Combat
You can use these rules when riding a mount in combat.
Defining a Mount
- A mount is a willing creature. Riding an unwilling creature would be considered Grappling instead of mounting.
- A mount must be at least one Size larger than you.
- A mount must have approximately the appropriate anatomy for riding. If uncertain, consult with your MC.
Mounting
Mounting and dismounting both require 1 AP.
Forced Dismounting
- If an effect moves your mount against its will while you are on it, you move with it.
- If an effect moves you against your will, you are dismounted, and fall Prone at the end of the movement, unless that effect moved your mount the same distance and direction as well. If you fall Prone in this way, take 1d4 falling damage.
- If you or your mount are knocked Prone while mounted, you must make a DEX/Balancing check to stay mounted. The check’s DC is determined by your MC, and a table is provided below to help the MC make this calculation. If you succeed, you remain on your mount; if you fail, you dismount and fall Prone, taking 1d4 falling damage.
Riding DC
Start the DC at 15 (as remaining on a mount while Prone is challenging), and modify based on these situational data points.
| Situation | DC Mod |
|---|---|
| Effect knocking you prone is a spell | +X equal to 1⁄2 the spell’s SPC |
| Creature knocking you prone is larger than you | +3 per 1 Size larger than you |
| You are Focused and/or Rallied | -5 |
| You are Frightened, Shaken, or Demoralized | +2 per condition |
| You are Dazed, Staggered, or Stunned | +3, 6, or 9 |
Mounted Combat Actions
If your mount is under your control, you gain your mount’s Mounted Combat Action Points (MCAP). The Move and Dodge (benefitting the mount) actions cost 1 MCAP. You lose any excess MCAP at the end of each of your turns and can only use MCAP for Movement, the Dodge action, or an action that specifically states it uses MCAP on the mount’s stat block.
If the mount is intelligent (with an INT of 0 or higher), it uses its own Initiative and acts on its own turn.
Flanking
For the purposes of Flanking, a mounted creature and its rider are considered to be one creature. If the mounted creature is considered flanked, then the rider is as well.
Reach While Mounted
The rider of a mount is located at the center of the creature they are mounted on. If the mount is only one Size larger than the rider, then the rider can make melee attacks against any creature within 5 ft of the mount.
If the rider is 2 or more Sizes smaller than the mount, then they might need a weapon with the Reach property in order to make melee attacks against other creatures, depending upon how large the mount is.
Reactive Attacks
Only the mount can trigger reactive actions (such as reactive attacks) from movement.
Tactical Advantage and Disadvantage
Tactical Advantage (TA) and Tactical Disadvantage (TD) are situational bonuses and penalties that can accrue in combat.
Each TA is a +1 bonus, and TD is a -1 penalty. TA and TD can accrue indefinitely. When you roll a d20, add all your sources of TA and TD together and add the sum to your roll.
You might have several sources of TA and TD at once, so besure to account for all sources! You may also gain TA through clever implementation of conditions, such as attacking a Prone target. Your MC might also grant you TA for narrative reasons, such as having the high ground while dueling your corrupted apprentice.
Conditions
Conditions are effects that might be imposed during combat that work in your favor or against you. A complete list of conditions can be found in here.
If a condition does not specify a duration, or a way to resolve it (such as spending AP to stand from Prone), it lasts for one full round. The condition lasts until the end of the affected creature’s turn.