Combat

The Order of Combat

The game organizes combat into a cycle of rounds and turns. A round represents about 6 seconds in the game world. During a round, each participant in a battle takes a turn. The order of turns is determined at the beginning of combat when everyone rolls Initiative. Once everyone has taken a turn, the fight continues to the next round if neither side is defeated.

Pre-Combat Steps

First: Set Up And Describe The Visible Areas

Second: Establish the Positions and Conditions of the Creatures Involved

Third: Roll The Initiative Order

The Initiative Order determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant rolls Initiative; they make either a Quickness, Perception, or Awareness check, it is their choice. That determines their place in the Initiative Order based on the result going from the highest to the lowest.

Ties

When ties are rolled resolve in the following order:

First: Players Choice, they can choose to go before or after the ones they are tied with in the Initiative Order, the choice lasts the whole combat.

Second: Awareness goes before Perception which goes before Quickness.

Third: Pick a second Ability and check it, with Awareness goes before Perception which goes before Quickness.

Fourth: Pick the last Ability and check it, Awareness goes before Perception which goes before Quickness.

Fifth: Each rolls a d6 with the highest going first. Repeat as necessary.

Initiative Modifiers

Creature is Unconscious -2

Creature is Unaware, Distracted, or Overconfident -1

Creature is not Seen by an opponent +1

Creature is Hidden or Imperceivable to the an opponent +2

Combat

Combat unfolds in these steps:

First: All Creatures Involved Take Turns The Initiative Order

Second: The End Of Round Activities Are Performed Including Adding 1 to the Round Count

End or round activities are things that don't require an Initiative Order but that still need to be resolved.

Your Turn

On your turn, you can move and take one action. You always move first and then take your.

The main actions you can take are listed in "Actions" earlier in this chapter. A character’s features and a monster’s stat block nay also provide additional action options. "Movement and Position” later in this chapter gives the rules for movement.

Communicating. You can communicate however you are able—through brief utterances and gestures—as you take your turn. Doing so uses neither your action nor your move.

Extended communication, such as a detailed explanation of something or an attempt to persuade a foe, requires an action. The Influence action is the main way you try to influence a monster.

Ending Combat

Combat ends when one side or the other is defeated, which can mean the creatures are killed or knocked out or have surrendered or fled. Combat can also end when both sides agree to end it.

Movement and Position

Creatures occupy spaces of varying sizes. This Displacer Beast occupies
a 10-by-10-foot space, while the adventurers occupy 5-by-5-foot spaces

On your turn, you can move a distance equal to your Speed or less. Or you can decide not to move.

Your movement can include burrowing, climbing, crawling, flying, jumping, and swimming (each explained in the rules glossary). These different modes of movement can be combined with your regular movement, or they can constitute your entire move.

However you’re moving with your Speed, you deduct the distance of each part of your move from it until it is used up or until you are done moving, whichever comes first.

A character’s Speed is determined during character creation. A creature’s Speed is noted in the creature's stat block. See the rules glossary for more about Speed as well as about special speeds, such as a Climb Speed, Fly Speed, or Swim Speed.

Difficult Terrain

Combatants are often slowed down by Difficult Terrain. Low furniture, rubble, undergrowth, steep stairs, snow, and shallow bogs are examples of Difficult Terrain.

Difficult Terrain has the effect of making the Areas Smaller.

Playing on a Grid

If you play using a square grid and miniatures or other tokens, follow these rules.

Squares. Each square represents 5 feet.

Speed. Rather than moving foot by foot, move square by square on the grid, using your Speed in 5-foot segments. You can translate your Speed into squares by dividing it by 5. For example, a Speed of 30 feet translates into 6 squares. If you use a grid often, consider writing your Speed in squares on your character sheet.

Entering a Square. To enter a square, you must have enough movement left to pay for entering. It costs 1 square of movement to enter an unoccupied square that’s adjacent to your space (orthogonally or diagonally adjacent). A square of Difficult Terrain costs 2 squares to enter. Other effects might make a square cost even more.

Corners. Diagonal movement can’t cross the corner of a wall, a large tree, or another terrain feature that fills its space.

Ranges. To determine the range on a grid between two things—whether creatures or objects—count squares from a square adjacent to one of them and stop counting in the space of the other one. Count by the shortest route.

Dropping Prone

On a creature you can see's turn, you can give yourself the Prone condition (see the rules glossary) as long as you are not incapacitated.

Creature Size

A creature belongs to a size category, which determines the width of the square space the creature occupies on a map, as shown on the Creature Size and Space table. That table lists the sizes from smallest (Tiny) to largest (Gargantuan). A creature’s space is the area that it effectively controls in combat and the area it needs to fight effectively.

A character’s size is determined by species, and a monster’s size is specified in the monster’s stat block.

Creature Size and Space

Size Space (Feet) Space (Squares)

Tiny2½ by 2½ feet4 per square

Small5 by 5 feet1 square

Medium5 by 5 feet1 square

Large10 by 10 feet4 squares (2 by 2)

Huge15 by 15 feet9 squares (3 by 3)

Gargantuan20 by 20 feet16 squares (4 by 4)

Moving around Other Creatures

During your move, you can pass through the space of an ally, a creature that has the Incapacitated condition (see the rules glossary), a Tiny creature, or a creature that is two sizes larger or smaller than you.

Another creature’s space is Difficult Terrain for you unless that creature is Tiny or your ally.

You can’t willingly end a move in a space occupied by another creature. If you somehow end a turn in a space with another creature, you have the Prone condition (see the rules glossary) unless you are Tiny or are of a larger size than the other creature.

Making an Attack

Whether you strike with a melee Strike!, a ranged Shot!, or a Magic Spell, an attack has the following structure:

1. Choose a Target. Pick a target within your attack’s range: a creature, an object, or a location. Any Creature in the same area as the Target that does not have the Engaged By (Creature) Condition can instead declare itself the Target.

2. Determine Modifiers. The DM determines whether the target has Cover (see the next section) and whether you have Bonuses or Minuses against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll.

3. Resolve the Attack. Make the attack roll, as detailed earlier in this chapter. On a hit, you roll damage unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage.

Cover

Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide cover, making a target more difficult to harm. As detailed in the Cover table, there are three degrees of cover, each of which gives a different benefit to a target.

If the Cover can be manipulated it can add to the over all Cover. If a creature can Crouch it can generally improve its Cover by one Level.

Cover

1/4 Cover +0

1/2 Cover +1

3/4 Cover +2

7/8 Cover +3

Unseen Attackers and Targets

When you make an Attack against a Target you can't see you take a -1

When you make an Attack against a Target you can't perceive you take a -2

When you make an Attack against a Target that can't see you take a +1

When you make an Attack against a Target that can't perceive you take a +2

If the Target is Seen or Unperceived by you.

You can only make a Counter Strike! against, on the Counter Strike! you always go last regardless of Reach.

You can only make a Shoot! with an Area Of Effect.

You cannot make a Spell! Attack.

Hidden

If you are hidden when you make an attack roll, you give away your location when the attack hits or misses.

Shoot!

A Shoot! is a Ranged Attack.

When you make a Shoot!, you fire a bow, hurl an axe, or otherwise send projectiles to strike a foe at a distance. There is Magic that also involves making a Shoot!.

A Shoot! Attack requires a Ready! weapon or spell. It happens during another Creature's Turn. You can take this Shoot! Attack before or after the Creature Moves or Acts.

Range

You can make Shoot! attacks only against targets within a specified range listed in Areas. Shoot attacks take a Penalty for the Range to the Target as listed below.

Range Penalty

0 0

1 -1

2-3 -2

4-7 -3

8-15 -4

Speed

The Speed of the Target moving at a fast speed takes the following Penalties

0 0

1 -1

2-3 -2

4-7 -3

8-15 -4

other modifiers

You are Engaged By 1 Creature -1

You are when Engaged By 2-3 -2

You are Engaged By 4 or more Allies -3

You could not see at the Target at start of the Turn -1

The Target is Charging You -1

Target Engaged With (Ally Creature) -1

Target Engaged With (Ally Creatures) x2-x3 -2

Target Engaged With (Ally Creatures) x4 or more -3

Strike!

A strike is a melee attack. A Strike! can be done when allowed by your Action, or as a Counter Strike! to a Strike! made on you, or as a Free Strike! made against someone you are Engaged With that didn't strike you. A Strike! must be against a target in your Area. A Strike typically uses a handheld weapon or an is Unarmed. There is Magic that also involves making a Strike!.

Counter Strike!

Every Strike! provokes a Counter Strike! from the Target, sometimes even before the original Strike!

Check the Reach of both creatures involved, the one with the longest Reach gets to Strike! first!

Free Strike!

When you Strike! a Target you gain the Engaged With (Target) Condition. When that Target takes an Action that does not involve a Strike! on you, you get a Free Strike! on it and this attack does not provoke a Counter Strike. You can take this strike before or after the Creature Moves or Acts.

Engaged With (Target)

This condition begins when you Strike! the Target and ends when you Strike! or Counter Strike a new Target which you then begins a new Engaged With (Target) Condition.

Engaged By (Target)

You are Engaged By (Target) and only ends when they end it by becoming Engaged With (Target) other than you or by either one of you taking the With Draw Action.

Strike! Modifiers

Target Charged +1

Target Engaged By 1 other +1

Target Engaged By 2-3 others +2

Target Engaged by 4 or more others +3

Spell!

Spell! Attack is a Magical Attack. Some creatures can make Shoot! or even Strike! attacks with their magic but those are not actual Spell! Attacks they are resolved by the Shoot! or Strike! rules accordingly.

A spell attack is a lot like a Shoot! attack except if you can see a target you can hit the target regardless of cover, range, speed.