Combat Sequence
The sequence of events in combat Is outlined below.
- Check to see if characters are surprised.
- Roll for initiative. (Throughout this section, the side that gets initiative will be called side A and the side without initiative will be called side B.)
- Announce what each character will do. Side B declares first.
- Side B moves. Characters on Side A may be able to shoot at opponents who move through their field of fire.
- Side A moves. Characters on side B who did not move may be able to shoot at opponents who move through their field of fire.
- Side A resolves any wrestling attempts, remaining weapon fire, grenade tosses and melee. Wrestling attempts are resolved before other types of attacks.
- Side B resolves any remaining attacks.
Surprise
If there is a chance characters will be surprised by an attack, the referee should let characters make Intuition checks. The referee must decide which characters get to make checks. For example, only the last character in a marching line has a chance to notice a sneak attack from behind.
If a character fails the check, he does not suspect anything and will be surprised. When a character or group is surprised, it automatically loses initiative for the first turn of combat and can do nothing that turn except move and take cover.
If a character passes the check, he notices something unusual: footsteps behind him, a gun barrel poking around a corner, or anything else appropriate to the situation. The player must decide how to react to this information. lf he makes a bad choice, he may still be surprised. For example. a group of adventurers is driving down a dirt road with tall grass on both sides. Suddenly, a flock of flying lizards takes off ahead of the vehicle and flies away. The characters decide the animals were frightened by their Explorer and continue driving. Within moments, a group of rebels hidden in the fields opens fire on the ATV.
Spotting Distance
When characters have an encounter, one factor that will affect whether they can be surprised is how far they can see. A character standing on flat, level ground can see a man-sized object up to 1 km away, but can not see any details about the object. A character can see details at a distance of about .6 km. Binoculars, magnigoggles and telescopic sights will multiply these distances by three. Weather conditions such as fog, rain, blowing dust or heat shimmers can reduce these distances to half or less. A character can see farther if he climbs to a higher elevation, but the distance at which he can see detail does not change with elevation.
Initiative
One player on each side rolls 1d10 and adds the highest Initiative modifier on his side to the result. The side with the highest total has initiative and is side A this turn. lf the results are tied, the side with the highest modifier has initiative.
If there are more than two teams in a fight, simply add more sides (C, D. etc.) to the sequence as they are needed. The side with the lowest initiative roll always moves first, with the other sides following in order. lf only a few characters are involved in a fight, the referee can treat each character as a separate team and have everyone roll their own initiative.
<POSSIBLE CHANGE TO INITIATIVE BECAUSE THIS IS A PBEM GAME>. Each players makes one initiative roll and declares their actions in their email turn. The GM will resolve in the order of highest to lowest initiative, keeping in mind that those with high initiatives can react to the declared actions of those with lower initiatives. If the character gets multiple actions, divide the initiative by the number of actions to determine when subsequent actions occur. For example, Bobo gets two attacks per round with Punching and rolled an initiative of 13. His first attack goes on 13 and his second goes on 6.5, rounded up to 7. If he was firing a pistol (3 shots per round) they would go off on initiatives 13, 9 and 5.
Holstered and Slung Weapons
If a character's weapon is in a holster or slung over his shoulder, the character must subtract 3 from his Initiative modifier when rolling for initiative. If the character is rolling initiative for a group, the modifier applies to the entire group.
Declaration
All characters must decide what they will do at the start of each turn, and declare their intentions before the first move. Side B must declare first, allowing side A to react to side B's moves.
Declarations should be as realistic and specific as possible. For example, instead of saying, "I will throw a grenade," the player should say, "I will throw a doze grenade at the Yazirian, and then duck back behind the rock wall." Characters must declare how many shots they will fire, what power settings they will use and whether they will fire a burst (see Rate Of Fire, Variable Power Settings and Bursts). If opposing sides in a fight can not see each other, the referee may ask for declarations before the roll for initiative. This forces players to act without knowing what their opponents will do.
Sighting
A character must be able to see his target in order to shoot or throw a grenade at it. A character can see his target if a straight line from the center of his square to the center of his target's square is not blocked by a building, a cliff or some other obstacle. If the character is in a position where he can lean around the obstacle to shoot, it does not block his sight.
Movement
Characters on side B move first. If a character moves through an opponent's field of fire, the opponent may be able to shoot at him as he moves. (Everything in front of a character is in his field of fire; see Opportunity Shots.) Side A moves after side B. lf a character from side A moves through an opponent's field of fire, and the opponent did not move this turn, the opponent may be able to shoot as the character moves.
Melee Distance
If a character started the turn within 2 meters of an opponent who declared he would attack in melee, the character can not move. If both characters declare they will attack in melee, the character on side B gets to move into his opponent's square.
Dodging
Dodging is a special type of movement Instead of running straight across an opponent's field of fire, a dodging character ducks, weaves and zigzags through a dangerous area. Dodging makes a character harder to hit, but also slows him down; characters who dodge move at one-half their running speed.
Weightless Combat
Whenever a character in freefall attacks with a ranged weapon or in melee, he must make a Reaction Speed check. If he fails the check, the character has lost his balance and is spinning out of control. A spinning character can do nothing until he regains control.
To regain control, the character must pass a Reaction Speed check. The character can make a check at the end of every turn, starting the turn after he loses control. If he passes the check, he has regained control and can move and attack on the next turn.
Characters who are wearing magnetic or velcro-soled boots and characters who are firing beam weapons never lose control.
Fighting Animals and Robots
Animals
Combat with animals usually will start with ranged combat. If an animal has a special ability that lets it attack from a distance, it follows normal ranged combat rules. If the animal is still alive when it reaches melee distance, the normal melee rules are used. All animals are given an attack number, which is their basic chance to hit in melee or ranged combat.
Robots
A robot's basic chance to hit is 30% plus 10 x the robot's level. This number is used in both ranged combat and melee. A robot's Initiative modifier is its level plus three. Other modifiers apply as usual.
Remote weapon systems usually are controlled by computers using Robot Management programs. They have a basic chance to hit of 30%, plus 10 x the program's level. Their Initiative modifier is their level plus three.
More details on robots in combat is given under EQUIPMENT: Robots.
Optional Critical, Grievous and Fumble Rules
Critical and Grievous Hits
Use the following table to determine whether your roll resulted in a critical or grievous hit. For example, if your chance to hit is 75 and you roll an 11 or less, it is a critical hit. If you roll a 4 or less, it is a grievous hit. A critical hit causes double damage. A grievous hit is the same as a critical (2x damage) and also has a chance of causing a Grievous Wound (see Grievous tables).
If the target is wearing a defensive screen or armor that totally negates damage, such as a sonic screen or albedo suit, critical and grievous hits are ignored and treated as normal hits.
Modified To Hit | Grievous | Critical |
01…09 | - | 01 |
10…16 | 01 | 01…02 |
17…23 | 01 | 01…03 |
24…28 | 01 | 01…04 |
29…36 | 01…02 | 01…05 |
37…43 | 01…02 | 01…06 |
44…49 | 01…02 | 01…07 |
50…56 | 01…03 | 01…08 |
57…63 | 01…03 | 01…09 |
64…69 | 01…03 | 01…10 |
70…76 | 01…04 | 01…11 |
77…83 | 01…04 | 01…12 |
84…89 | 01…04 | 01…13 |
90…96 | 01…05 | 01…14 |
97…103 | 01…05 | 01…15 |
104…109 | 01…05 | 01…16 |
110…116 | 01…06 | 01…17 |
117…123 | 01…06 | 01…18 |
124…129 | 01…06 | 01…19 |
130+ | 01…07 | 01…20 |
Fumbles
The chance of a fumble occurs any time the character rolls a 96 or higher to hit. The character must roll less than or equal to ((DEX / 2) + (weapon skill * 10)) to avoid a fumble. If the weapon is fumbled, it lands 1d10 feet away in a direction as determined by the following table.
Character Facing |
1,2 | 3 | 4,5 |
6 | * | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 |
Note that, regardless of how skilled the character is with their weapon, if the second roll to see if the fumble occurs is a 96 or higher, the weapon is fumbled. |