Combat Quick Reference for MCs

This contains basic combat rules along with a list of maneuvers and conditions that might come up.

Initiative

Initiative is an AWR 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.

Tactical Advantage and Disadvantage

When you have Tactical Advantage (TA), add +1 to d20 rolls you make to attack with a weapon. You can have multiple sources of TA, and they accumulate indefinitely. Similarly, when you have Tactical Disadvantage (TD), subtract -1 from d20 rolls that you make on any kind of attack (weapon, spell, maneuver, etc.). You might have several sources of TA and TD at once, so be sure to account for all sources!

You gain TA through clever implementation of Conditions, such as attacking a Prone target.

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.

Action Points

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 (see below), 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.

Any AP that you do not spend during your turn becomes Reactive AP, which you can spend during the round of combat before the start of your next turn.

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. (I.e., 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 “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.

Movement

All adventurers start with a base speed of 20 ft. You can spend 1 AP to move up to your Speed. This movement endswhen 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 2ft of movement for every 1ft 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.

Jump

While moving, you may need to jump. You cannot jump farther than you can move.

Your vertical jump distance is 3ft + 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.

Attacks

Weapon Attacks

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.

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 Tactical Disadvantage for each hostile creature within 5 ft of you.

Damage

There are 11 types of damage, divided across three categories:

Physical Damage: Blunt, Sharp

Elemental Damage: Cold, Corrosive, Electric, Fire, Toxic

Energy Damage: Necrotic, Psychic, Radiant, Sonic

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, you can take whichever would give you more Shield HP.

Resist

A creature with Resist X gains the specified number as a bonus to their defenses against any attack roll that would deal that type of damage.

If an attack deals multiple types of damage, and the defending creature has Resist against one of those damage types, check if the attack would hit without the Resist bonus. If it would, check if the attack would hit with the Resist bonus. If the attack would still hit, then the defending creature takes all of the damage. But if the attack would miss if Resist applies, then the defending creature only takes the damage that they do not resist.

If an attack would deal half damage on a miss, but the defending creature has Resist against that type of damage, then that creature takes no damage from the missed attack.

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. Vulnerable also always trumps DR and DT. No benefits are gained from DR or DT against a damage type to which the creature is Vulnerable.

Immune

If a creature is Immune to a damage type, they can never take damage of that type.

Damage Reduction

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.

If a creature has DR, they subtract the number of their DR from all Damage they take from all sources, unless they are Vulnerable to the type of damage they are taking. 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. For example, a creature with DR 5/Fire would take full damage from fire, and subtract 5 from all other sources of damage. A creature with DR 15/Silvered would take full damage from silvered weapons, and subtract 15 from all other damage.

Damage Threshold

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.

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 maximum HP, you gain 4 Death Points.

Critical Hits

If you crit on an attribute check, then you achieve the best outcome that it was feasible for you to achieve. A crit does not defy reality. If you crit on a STR check with the Athletics skill, for example, then you still cannot lift an entire castle, but you might lift more than you have ever managed before.

When making an 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.

Weapon Crit

Additionally, 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.

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.

No matter how many abilities you have that let you increase your crit range, your crit range can never be larger than 16-20.

Arcane Magic

Note that magic crits have additional effects if from the Arcane Source. See the Arcane Source for more information on critical casting

Dying

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 Rest, remove all Death Points.

Combat Maneuvers for Creatures

Basic Maneuvers

Maneuvers are actions that creatures can take in combat to gain an edge in certain circumstances. Any creature can use any Basic Maneuver.

• Dodge (1 monster action). Gain +2 to your AR and Physical Defenses until the start of your next turn.

• Drop Prone (0 creature actions). You gain the Prone Condition.

• Grapple (1 monster action). You may attempt to Grapple a creature (see Conditions below). Make a STR or DEX attack roll against the target creature’s REF or FORT (their choice). If you hit, they are Grappled.
• Shove (1 monster action). Make an attack against a creature, using your STR and targeting their FORT. If you hit, push the creature 5 ft in a direction of your choice. You cannot do this to a creature that is more than 1 Size larger than you.

• Stand (1 monster action). You stand from being Prone. You cannot do this if your speed is 0. A monster can do this in place of moving if it used its Move feature.

• Trip (1 monster action). Make an attack against a creature, using your STR and targeting their REF. If you hit, the creature falls Prone.

Advanced Maneuvers

Some creatures have the ability to use advanced maneuvers. If an ability does not specifically give a creature access to an advanced maneuver, then that creature cannot use that maneuver.

• Exploit (1 monster reaction). When a creature within your Melee weapon’s Reach does one of the following actions, you may make an attack against that creature immediately.
  • 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

• Disarm (2 creature actions). Make a STR attack against a creature’s REF or FORT (they choose). If you hit, choose an item that the creature is holding; they drop that item.

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.

If you want to knock an NPC unconscious, then use this system if the alternative would be the NPC gaining death points (some major villains may have this feature, at the discretion of the MC). If the NPC is assumed to die immediately, you can immediately knock it unconscious instead.

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.

Combat Maneuvers for PCs

Basic Maneuvers

Maneuvers are actions that creatures can 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.

• Drop Prone (0 AO). You gain the Prone Condition.

• Grapple (2 AP). You may attempt to Grapple a creature (see Conditions below). Make a STR or DEX attack roll against the target creature’s REF or FORT (their choice). If you hit, they are Grappled.
• 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. If you hit, push the creature 5 ft in a direction of your choice. You cannot do this to a creature that is more than 1 Size larger than you.

• Stand (1 AP). You 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. If you hit, the creature falls Prone.

Advanced Maneuvers

Some creatures have the ability to use advanced maneuvers. If an ability does not specifically give a creature access to an advanced maneuver, then that creature cannot use that maneuver.

• Exploit (X Reactive AP). When a creature within your melee weapon’s reach does one of the following actions, you may spend 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.
  • 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

• Disarm (3 AP). Make a STR attack against a creature’s REF or FORT (they choose). If you hit, choose an item that the creature is holding; they drop that item.

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 are only considered to 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. When you have total cover, you are also Concealed.

Conditions List

During combat, you might impose conditions on your enemies or have them imposed on you. Conditions are specific words referenced in monster abilities. These conditions are written specifically to adjudicate how monster actions work. The same conditions are worded to interact with an adventurer’s AP on the Conditions page.

Affinity

When a monster has an Affinity with a type of damage, it takes 1⁄2 of that type of damage, and deals +3 additional damage whenever it deals that type of damage.

Bleeding

A creature suffers Bleeding at the beginning of each of their turns, taking the amount of physical damage specified. This might be a set number or a die roll, such as Bleeding (1d4). The effect is ended by receiving any amount of magical healing, Catching your Breath, or by receiving a successful Intelligence (Medicine*) check. The Difficulty of this check is the Bleeding damage + 10. Attempting this check costs 2 creature actions. The creature can make the check themselves or have an ally make the check on them, provided that the ally is within 5ft of them.

Blinded

A creature cannot see or gain any benefits from any ability requiring sight. All creatures are Unseen.

Bloodied

A creature gains the Bloodied condition when it has equal to or less than 1⁄2 its maximum HP.

Broken

A creature is Frightened and Shaken. It must use all available movement to retreat from perceived danger.

Burning

A creature suffers Burning at the beginning of each of their turns, taking the amount of fire damage specified. This might be a set number or a die roll, such as Burning (1d4). The effect is ended by being doused in water or by rolling in dirt or mud by falling Prone and spending 2 monster actions.

Charmed

A creature looks upon the creature that Charmed it as a friendly acquaintance. It will not intentionally harm the creature that Charmed it. When that creature targets your ANT, LOG, or WILL, they get TA. When that creature makes an INT or CHA check to interact with the charmed creature, they roll 2d20 and use the higher result. Unless stated otherwise, the creature knows it was charmed after this condition fades.

Chilled

A monster can take one fewer actions than it normally would (minimum one action).

Concealed

A creature is Concealed when Line of Sight is interrupted by fog, smoke, foliage, or other obscuring phenomena, but not sufficiently enough to remove Line of Sight altogether. While Concealed, a creature has TA on attacks provided that it can see its enemy, and attacks against it have TD.

Cover

If at least 1⁄2 of a creature’s body is protected by an object that would block physical damage, then it has Partial Cover. Its AR and physical defenses gain between +1 and +3 against ranged attacks, determined by the MC and the amount of cover the creature has. When a creature has Total Cover, it cannot be targeted by ranged attacks or any effect that requires Line of Sight to it.

Dazed

The creature’s current number of creature actions is reduced to 2, unless it was already 2 or lower. It must take one fewer creature actions than normal on its turns while Dazed, and cannot take reactions.

Deafened

A creature cannot hear and is immune to effects that require hearing. It automatically fails any roll that requires it to be able to hear. Casting magic that requires verbal input requires it to roll 2d20 and take the lower result.

Demoralized

All attacks against a Demoralized creature gain TA.

Dying

Typically, when a creature reaches 0 HP, it immediately dies or falls unconscious. The MC may decide that particularly important creatures or NPCs use the same Death Point and Unconsciousness system that heroes use.

Engaged

A target that is Engaged provokes a free Reactive Attack when it leaves the reach of the creature that has Engaged it. If the attack hits, the creature takes damage as normal and its speed is reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn.

Enthralled

A creature is Charmed and loses its sense of self, following the instructions from the creature that Enthralled it even to the point of putting itself in danger. The Enthralled creature will not intentionally harm the creature that Enthralled it, and will not undertake actions that will obviously lead to its death. For example, an Enthralled creature may attack their ally, but would not fall on their own sword. When a creature that Enthralled another creature attacks its ANT, LOG, or WILL, or makes a check against it using INT or CHA, they roll 2d20 and use the higher roll.

Fatigued

If a creature suffers Fatigue, it immediately gains 1 Death Point and becomes Fatigued. While Fatigued, it does not remove Death Points when it Recoups or Takes a Rest. Instead, when it Takes a Rest, it removes the Fatigued condition if it eats and drinks the minimum amount needed to sustain it.

Flanking

Flanking 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 5ft, it counts as Flanking if it threatens a space on the opposite border or corner from an enemy creature.

A creature is only considered to threaten a square if it is able to melee attack that square. A Prone creature can flank, for example, but an Unconscious one cannot.

Focused

A creature gains TA against a specific target. When it gains this Condition, it will specify which target it gains TA against.

Frightened

A creature has TD while the source of fear is in sight, and cannot willingly move closer to the source of its fear.

Grappled and Grappling

If a Grappled creature is the same or a smaller size Category than the creature Grappling it, the Grappled creature’s Speed becomes 0ft and the Grappling creature’s speed is halved.

If the Grappled creature is 2 or more size categories smaller than the Grappling creature, the Grappling creature’s speed is unaffected.

If a Grappled creature is 1 or 2 size categories larger than the creature Grappling it, the Grappled creature’s speed is halved, and the Grappling Creature’s speed becomes 0ft.

If a Grappled creature is 3 or more size categories larger, the Grappled creature’s speed is unaffected, and the Grappling creature’s speed becomes 0.

On its turn, a Grappled creature can try to break out of a Grapple once per turn by spending 1 creature action to make an STR attack against the FORT, or DEX attack against the REF, of the creature that is Grappling it. On a success, the creature frees itself.

A creature who is Grappling can let go at any time without spending AP. Forced Movement does not end the Grappled Condition. If the Creature who is Grappling is subjected to Forced Movement, the Grappled is moved with it. If the Grappled creature is subjected to Forced Movement, the Grappling creature decides if the Grappled creature moves or not.

Grounded

A creature cannot teleport or move to a different plane, nor can an external effect impose teleportation or plane shifting effects on it.

Helpless

When a creature takes Melee damage, it loses all of its HP.

Paralyzed

A creature is Helpless and it can take no creature actions or reactions while Paralyzed.

Phobic

A creature is Frightened when it can see the subject of its phobia. This effect is permanent until removed.

Pinned

A creature is Prone, Grappled, and gains an additional TD on attacks. Creatures making melee attacks against it gain TA, and creatures making Ranged attacks against it have TD.

Prone

A creature has TD on all attacks while prone, and cannot make attacks with two-handed weapons. Additionally, melee attacks against it have TA, and ranged attacks against it have TD.

Protected

A creature gains +2 to its AR and Physical Defenses while Protected.

Rallied

A creature cannot be Demoralized, Frightened, or Shaken. If it is already suffering from one of these Conditions, the effects are suppressed while Rallied.

Restrained

A creature is Grappled. When attacking a Restrained creature, roll 2d20 and use the higher roll. Unless otherwise stated, escaping the Restrained condition is the same as escaping the Grappled condition, but requires 2 creature actions.

Shaken

A creature suffers a -2 penalty to all d20 rolls.

Sickened

Whenever rolling a d20, roll 2d20 and take the lower result.

Silenced

A creature cannot vocalize. It automatically fails any roll that requires the ability to speak or use verbal components.

Slowed

A creature’s speed is halved.

Staggered

A creature can take only 1⁄2 the creature actions that it normally would.

Stunned

The creature’s current number of creature actions is reduced to 1, unless it was already 1 or lower. Its maximum number of creature actions cannot be raised above 1 while Stunned.

Suffocating

After Suffocating for a number of rounds equal to a creature’s END + 1, it gains a Death Point at the start of each of its turns.

Suppressed

You cannot use your AP to move.

Surprise (Complete)

Complete Surprise only occurs when a creature attacks an enemy under all of the following conditions:

• The target does not perceive the attacker and is unaware of their presence.

• The target is not in a heightened state of awareness or on alert. For example, an alarm being raised, or being actively in combat, even if it’s with a third party, disallows a full surprise round.

In this instance, the creature who begins combat is granted double their AP or number of creature actions and takes a single turn.

If the defender survives this attack, that creature and its allies are Partially Surprised and combat begins. If the creature that is attacked is reduced to 0 HP or knocked unconscious and the attacking creature is Unseen, the victim’s allies that are within 30ft make an AWR check against the attacker’s DEX. If the attacker wins all skill contests, it remains Unseen and combat does not begin. Otherwise, Initiative is rolled and Partial Surprise rules apply to all Surprised creatures.

Surprise (Partial)

If creatures are surprised, they don’t act on the first round of initiative and have TD on the second round. They cannot use reactive actions until after their first turn in which they can take action, and do not carry over AP until after their first turn in which they can take action.

Creatures that are not surprised have TA on the first two rounds of combat against creatures that were surprised.

Taunt

A creature has TA when attacking the creature that Taunted it, and has TD attacking other creatures.

Unconcious

The creature must roll three dice and take the lowest result to perceive checks that rely on sound. They automatically fail checks that rely on vision. A creature can be shaken awake by another creature who expends 1 monster action as long as they have at least 1 HP. Taking any damage automatically ends this effect. An Unconscious creature is Helpless.

Unseen

An unseen creature gains TA, and when it makes an attack, it rolls 2d20 and takes the higher result. It cannot be targeted by Line of Sight effects. Unseen Creatures are also considered Concealed. Unless the source of the Unseen condition states otherwise, the following would cause you to lose the Unseen condition:

• You make an attack or cast a spell that deals damage

• You are struck by a melee attack

• A creature would occupy the space you are in as part of their movement

• You are hit by an attack where the attacker indicated which square they thought you were in

• You move into the clear line of sight of a creature, such as into bright light, out of concealment, or something similar

When trying to spot an Unseen creature, you can spend 1 monster action once on your turn to attack an Unseen target’s ANT with your AWR. If you win, you know what square it is occupying, but it remains Unseen. If it is more than 60 ft away from you, you automatically lose.

If you are the target of a ranged attack or effect from an Unseen creature, you know which direction the attack came from. If you are the target of a melee attack from an Unseen creature, you know which square you were attacked from.

When attacking an Unseen creature, indicate which square you are attacking, roll 2d20, and take the lower result. You know if the attack hits, but gain no information from missing.

Monster Diseases

Below is a list of diseases that one may contract from creatures.

Disease	Rarity	Leathality	Transmissibility
Beasian Boils	Very Rare	Medium	High
Deepshroom Poisoning	Rare	High	Low
Fleshling Fever	Rare	High	Low
Gift of the Chosen	Rare	High	Medium
Stonerot	Uncommon	Low	High
Vampirism	Rare	Low	Low
Zombie Plague	Uncommon	Extreme	High