Combat

Switch to Combat Rounds when there’s a chance a fight will break out. Combat Rounds are roughly 3 seconds, a Moment. I’ve never seen this matter, but it might.

If someone, or someones, attacks by surprise, they get to act before Initiatives are rolled for a round. Unless the targets being ambushed have an ability to not be surprised, then they can attempt to act on this round, as normal, per the wording of their ability. Once all ambushers have acted, Initiatives are rolled normally.

Initiative

Each round of combat, PC’s must roll their Wisdom. Success means they act before the enemies. Failure means they act after their enemies. PCs may act in any order they wish as, technically, they’re acting simultaneously. Some unusual enemies may act out of order, multiple times, or even impose a penalty to Pc’s Wisdom.

Action Economy

On their turn, PCs or enemies may do ONE of the following, plus move about 60’:

• Make an Attack against a target
• Run about 60’
• Activate Gear
• Reload a weapon
• Attempt a Combat Maneuver
• Attempt to remove a Fatal Wound from a target

Talking, dropping an item, or retrieving one from their Quick Inventory can all be done freely, even on other’s turns. Spending a Help Point may also be done, specifically, on other people’s turn (See Hit Points below).

Attacking

Roll under Attack, modified by the target’s Defense, to hit.

Example: Miguel, a level 3 Street Samurai wielding his family heirloom katanas, tries to hit a Rent-A-Cop in light armor. Miguel’s Attack is 11 plus his Template bonus of 4, or 15. The Rent-A-Cop’s Defense is 12, due to Armor, imposing -2 against Miguel. The Player must therefore roll 13 or below for Miguel to bypass the Armor and do damage.

Defense

Roll under Defense, modified by the attacker’s Attack, to defend.

Example: The Rent-A-Cop, badly wounded but still in the fight, draws his light pistol on Miguel and fires with a 12 Attack. Miguel, in Medium Armor, has a defense of 14. Miguel’s player must roll 12 to successfully Defend.

Combat Maneuver

Whenever you attempt to shove or trip an opponent in combat, make a contested roll based on the maneuver, using the target’s Attack as penalty. If you succeed, you perform the maneuver and the target takes the condition you’re trying to inflict. If you fail, the target gets an automatic hit against you.

Opposed Strength: for shoving and grappling

Opposed Dexterity: for tripping and disarming

The core rules have Combat Maneuvers split into two rolls. However, in the spirit of combining rolls where possible, they’ve been combined into one.

Damage

When you fail to Defend, you’re going to take damage.

• Light Weapons (daggers, pistols) deal 1d6 damage
• Medium Melee Weapons (clubs, automatic pistols, rifles) deal 1d8 if they take up one hand or 1d10 is wielded two handly.
• Medium Range Weapons such as automatic pistols deal 1d8, but offer a free hand. Rifles deal 1d10, must be fired with both hands.
• Heavy Weapons (chainsaws, BFGs) deal 1d12, but take two hands to operate.

Hit Points

When you take damage, it’s going to affect your Hit Points (HP). Usually negatively. Hit Points represent the injuries you can take before facing serious complications. There are no mechanical effects for being at 0 HP, however any additional damage you take is Lethal Damage, which involves a roll on the Death and Dismemberment table.

HP is equal to your Constitution as modified by your level, per the Base Character table. They max out at 20.

I insist a Hit Point check can be a thing, I’m just not sure for what yet.

Past Level 4 you begin to accrue Assists, at a rate of 1 per level. Again, Templates and Augments may adjust this.

Assists

Assists are assistance inside of combat that allow you to modify an ally’s roll by an amount equal to the number spent, up or down. Much like assisting someone in a Strength check to provide a bonus, only in combat. They are spent on other people’s turns, multiple people can contribute simultaneously, and there is no limit to how many can be spent at once.

The only limit is that you must be feasibly able to affect your ally’s action.

• The Face shouts a warning, and the Street Sam is able to catch an unseen club on his forearm, rather than the back of the head.
• The Street Sam reaches out her riot shield, stopping a bullet meant for the distracted Hacker.
• The Tweaker, seeing his Face buddy in a fight he can’t win, gets close to the attacker and starts doing some tweaking shit, distracting the attacker mid-swing.
• The Tweaker, still tweaking, now shirtless and raving about the Unseen Agents of the Hand, presents a larger source of fear than the Face, allowing the Face to pop off a few successful shots against his previous attacker.

If it seems plausible and reasonable, let ‘em be badasses. No blocking bullets when they’re a block away.

Assists are renewable with a good night’s rest in a Safe House.