Combat

Central to almost any roleplaying game are the mechanics for describing fighting. Everything from a friendly brawl to massive battles between hundreds of opponents. Though the two likely have somewhat different rules sets due to the scale difference, the basic mechanics will stay the same. In this chapter we will focus on combat towards the smaller end of the scale, perhaps ten members on each side at any one time. Once the system moves beyond that it starts becoming cumbersome and you should look to future rules supplements to handle larger battles.

Timescale

Combat is always fought in rounds, typically a few seconds in duration. Assume that over most combat they average out to about five or six seconds per round, although in some situations they may last longer or shorter.

Initiative

Initiative should be determined at the beginning of combat. All participants capable of independent action roll Perception or the appropriate tactics specialization. The highest total goes first, followed by the lowest total. When the lowest total has finished, the highest begins again. The GM will make one or more checks for the opponents. This can be done to speed resolution or to distinguish between 'heroic' enemies.

It is possible to adjust your position in the initiative order. By spending an action to make an opposed initiative roll, a character can move up the initiative ranking by one slot. Even allies must be challenged (although the ally can give up the slot as discussed below). The challenger declares this at the beginning of the acting character's turn, and it is resolved immediately. A failure counts as an action for the acting character's turn until the challenger's second turn (i.e. until the character has acted and is able to act again). This can be done for up to two slots in the initiative order on one turn, both counting as an action. It must be called at the beginning of the turn of the first acting character, but is resolved one at a time, with the waiting challenged character resolving first, then with the acting character. Again, this will count as two actions until the character's next turn.

You can also voluntarily hold your action, sliding in initiative order, at any time. This does not count as an action and may be used by an ally to voluntarily exchange places. Before any subsequent character's turn, you may take your action. If no action is taken before when the character would have normally had the next action, you may retain your previous action slot, having taken no action on that turn.

Difficulties

Difficulties vary for ranged and melee weapons depending on the difficulty of use and the range to the target. Melee weapons generally have a difficulty to use and the defender may parry using the proper skill (see dueling and martial arts rules below) and select either the base difficulty or the parry or dodge total.

Ranged weapons have their difficulty based upon the range band the target lies in. Point-blank targets are Very Easy, short range targets are Easy, medium are Moderate, and long are Difficult. Some weapons (at the gamemaster's approval) may fire out to twice their maximum long range distance at Extreme range, where the base difficulty is Very Difficult to Heroic. Also, at extreme range most projectile and beam weapons will suffer a -1D penalty to their damage ability due to the extreme range. Some, i.e. missiles, will not, but each case is decided by the GM.

Hit Locations (Under Construction)

Based on GURPS CII hit locations. Roll 3D:

3-4: Brain

  • Aiming modifier: -6D , miss by 1 hits Torso
  • Damage Multiplier: Energy: 4x Physical: 4x
  • Max Damage: none
  • Special Effects: Most species have a skull giving an additional +1 to CON to resist. Physical damage doing 0 or more damage or energy doing 4 or more damage requires a CON check at 5+(2*damage) to avoid blackout.

Eyes

  • Aiming Modifier: -8D (-10D if through armor slit), miss by 1 hits Head
  • Damage Multiplier: Energy: 1x Physical: 1.5x
  • Max Damage: Energy: CON*3 Physical CON*2, any surplus has two-in-six chance of going on to Brain, and skull does not protect.
  • Special Effects: More than stun damage blinds the eye.

5: Head or Face

  • Aiming Modifier: -4D, miss by 1 hits Torso
  • Damage Multiplier: Energy:2x Physical: 1.5x
  • Max Damage: Energy: CON*3 Physical CON*2, surplus has one-in-six chance of going on to Brain
  • Special Effects: No protection from helmets without full face protection. Physical damage doing more than 0 damage requires a CON check at 5+(2*damage) to avoid blackout.

Nose

Jaw

Neck

6: Far arm

7: Hand (roll randomly for left/right)

8: Near (weapon) arm

9-11 Torso

  • Aiming Modifier: 0
  • Damage Multiplier: 1x
  • Max Damage: Energy: CON Physical: CON, surplus goes on to Vitals
  • Special Effects: -

12 Far leg

  • Max Damage: CON

13-14 Near Leg

15-16 Foot (roll randomly for left/right)

17-18 Vitals (projectiles or impaling attacks only)

  • Aiming Modifier: -2D, miss by 1 hits Torso
  • Damage Multiplier: Energy: 3x Physical: 3x
  • Max Damage: Energy: CON*6 Physical: CON*3
  • Special Effects: Any physical attacks doing 0 or more damage requires a CON check at 5+(2*damage) to avoid blackout. Impaling, bullet, or blaster shots have a one-in-six chance of hitting the Heart instead if from the front, Kidneys from behind.

Heart

  • Aiming Modifier: -3D, miss by 1 hits Torso
  • Damage Multiplier: Energy: 3x Physical: 3x
  • Max Damage: Energy: CON*6 Physical: CON*3
  • Special Effects: Any time damage is done in excess of CON*3, a CON check at damage*3 is required to avoid instant death (assuming one heart)

Kidneys