MELEE
Fighting hand-to-hand or with non-ranged weapons is called melee. Characters must be within 2 meters of each other to engage in melee.
Basic Chance to Hit
Players can use either one-half of their Strength or one-half of their Dexterity, whichever is higher, as their basic chance to hit in melee. A player need not use the same ability all the time.
Melee Weapon Combat Procedure |
1. | The basic chance to hit equals one half of the firing character's Dexterity or Strength, rounded up. | 1/2 DEX or STR |
2. | Add 10% for each level of skill the character has with that weapon. | +10 per skill level |
3. | Add the weapon modifier, if a weapon is being used (see Melee Weapons table) | + weapon modifier |
4. | Add 20 if the target is being hit from behind or is stunned. |
| Attacking from behind | +20 |
| Target is stunned | +20 |
|
5. | Add 20 if the attacker is a Yazirian in Battle Rage. | +20 for Battle Rage |
6. | Add 10 if the target is encumbered. | +10 if target is encumbered |
7. | Subtract 10 if the attacker is encumbered. | -10 if attacker is encumbered |
8. | Subtract 10 if attacker's Stamina is reduced by half or less by wounds | -10 if attacker is wounded |
9. | Subtract 15 if the target is defending itself. | -15 if target is defending |
Number Of Attacks
A character gets one bare-hand attack for each arm-leg pair he has. Humans, Vrusk. Yazirians and Sathars always get to make two attacks. A Dralasite can attack twice if it has four or five limbs, three times if it has six or seven, etc. A character using a weapon in melee gets only one attack per turn.
Damage
The amount of damage a character inflicts with his bare hands (or claws or pseudopods) depends on the character's Strength score. The Punching Table shows the damage caused by characters with different Strengths. This damage is constant.
Punching Table |
| Weapon | 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-110 |
| Points of Damage | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Knockouts
As in ranged combat, any roll to hit of 01-02 knocks a character unconscious. In addition, an opponent who is not wearing a helmet is knocked out if he was hit with a blunt weapon (including bare hands) and the number that was rolled ended with a 0. For example, a character is attacking with a club. He can hit his opponent with a roll of 35 or less. A roll of 01 -2, 10. 20 or 30 will knock the opponent unconscious. A character that is knocked out will stay unconscious for d100 turns.
Stunning
Characters can be stunned with sonic stunners and electrostunners. A stunned character can not attack, move or defend himself for as long as he is stunned. Anyone who attacks him gets a +20 modifier to hit.
Melee Weapons
Many different weapons can be used in melee. The most common ones are described on the Melee Weapons Table. The referee can use these as guides if characters use other items as weapons.
The "damage" column shows how many points of damage the weapon causes. The attacker's normal punching damage is added to the amount rolled. However, characters using shock gloves, sonic knives, sonic swords or stunsticks just roll damage, and do not add their punching score. The numbers under "modifier" are added to or subtracted from the attacker's chance to hit.
Special Actions
Besides simply hitting an opponent, characters can try to pin him to the ground, take away his weapon or defend themselves from an attack.
Wrestling
A character can try to grab an opponent and pin him down by twisting his arm, throwing a headlock, etc. Wrestling is resolved after movement but before other attacks. The attacker can not use a weapon when wrestling. If the attack succeeds. the character can maintain his hold automatically each turn, and automatically inflict points of damage equal to his punching score each turn. A character can release a hold whenever he wants.
The character who was pinned can not do anything except try to break out of the hold. To do this, he must wrestle his opponent; a successful roll means the character has twisted free, but has not grabbed his opponent.
A character or creature can only wrestle opponents that are the same size or smaller than itself. Only one wrestling attempt can be made per turn.
Hitting a Pinned Opponent
A character who is being held can be hit by up to two other characters automatically each turn.
Disarming
A character who tries to force his opponent to drop a weapon must make a roll to hit with a -20 modifier. If the attack succeeds, the opponent drops the weapon but does not take any damage. Either character can try to pick up the weapon; doing so requires a d100 roll that is equal to or less than the character's Dexterity score.
Defending
A character who does not attack can defend himself. The player simply declares that he is defending himself, and anyone trying to hit, grapple or disarm him automatically has a -15 modifier on his chance to hit.
Battle Rage
Yazirians have the special ability to work themselves into a fighting fury, gaining a +20 modifier on their chance to hit in melee. A Yazirian must roll a number less than or equal to its battle rage score on d100 to enter battle rage. A Yazirian can try to enter battle rage once per combat.
Skills
There are two skills that apply specifically to melee: martial arts and melee weapons. These are explained in detail in the section on SKILLS.
Number Of Attackers
A character can be attacked by up to three opponents at once, if the opponents are the same size as the character. If the attackers are larger or smaller than their opponents, the referee must decide how many of them can attack at once.
Guns
A character who is involved in melee can shoot a pistol at an opponent that is in melee with him, but can not shoot at anyone that is not involved in the melee. Rifles also can be fired in melee, but there is a -30 modifier to hit. |