Chapter 10 · Core Rules
Combat Examples
Osseur and Séra confront Maelis in a harbor warehouse. Her bodyguard Brant stands between them. This scene follows one round, from the first arrows to Maelis's escape behind a magical wall.
The Combatants
Osseur starts 60 ft from Maelis, with Brant halfway between them. Séra watches from a catwalk 80 ft from Maelis. Scattered crates provide light cover, but leave a clear route across the floor. Everyone has their weapons or casting materials ready.
| Séra | Osseur | Maelis | Brant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class and Level | Rogue 5 | Barbarian 3 | Wizard 5 | Fighter 4 |
| STR / DEX | +4 / +9 | +10 / +8 | +4 / +5 | +6 / +7 |
| Maximum and Starting HP | 128 | 240 | 96 | 120 |
| Reflex | +14 | +11 | +10 | +11 |
| DR | 2, leather | 2, leather | 4, enchanted robe | 2, iron mail |
| Weapon | ironwood shortbow, 1d6+9, ×2 | greataxe, 1d12+19, ×3 | — | battleaxe, 1d8+7, ×3 |
| Attacks | 10 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| Spell Actions | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Dedicated Dodges | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| General Actions | 10 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Slots per Tick | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Osseur's axe adds 15 from his two-handed grip and 4 from Osseur's Fighting Style. Séra's ironwood bow uses her full Dexterity. Brant carries a Level 2 shield and has Opportunity Attack and Deflect Projectiles.
Maelis casts red magic at CL 8. She knows Fireball 1, Elemental Wall 2, and Hurl Rock 1, and has Quicken Spell. She begins with at least two Level 1 slots and four Level 2 slots available. Damage exceeding 24 HP during a casting interrupts her spell.
The GM uses the +5 declaration bonus. All critical d20s in this example fall below 20, so damage uses the ordinary dice and bonuses. The GM resolves the arrows separately.
Tick 1 — Arrows during Casting
Séra: Three arrows at Maelis. Maelis: I cast Fireball at the catwalk and move behind the crates. Osseur: I advance toward Brant. Brant: I hold my ground.
Séra declares first and gains +5. Her three shots spend three attack tokens and occupy three of her four slots this tick.
Maelis begins Fireball, spending one spell-action token and one Action Board slot. Her Speed is 45 ft: 35 from her class and 10 from Dexterity. Casting allows half of that movement; she moves 15 ft sideways behind scattered crates. They provide light cover, adding +2 when she defends against Séra's arrows.
Osseur advances 30 ft to Brant. His Speed is 66 ft, so he can cover that distance and stop. The GM resolves these movements before the arrows. No priority duel is needed between the shots and Fireball's release: the spell finishes next tick.
- First arrow: Maelis spends her only dodge. Séra rolls 11 + 14 + 5 = 30; Maelis rolls 14 + 10 + 2 = 26. The arrow hits. Its d6 rolls 4: 4 + 9 − 4 DR = 9 damage.
- Second arrow: Maelis has no dodge left. The GM gives Séra 4 chances in 5 to find an opening through the light cover. The chance roll succeeds. The d6 rolls 2: 2 + 9 − 4 = 7 damage.
- Third arrow: Another successful cover check lets the arrow through. Its d6 also rolls 2, dealing 7 damage.
Maelis has taken 23 damage and has 73 HP left. Fireball continues: she has not exceeded 24 damage. Another 2 damage before release would interrupt it.
Tick 2 — Fireball's Release
Osseur: I pass Brant and strike Maelis. Séra: Three more arrows. Maelis: I release Fireball.
Osseur declares first for +5. Maelis is within his remaining approach distance: he can move his full Speed while attacking. Leaving Brant's reach will trigger an Opportunity Attack.
This time, priority matters. Any arrow that reaches Maelis before release will interrupt Fireball. The three combatants roll:
| Combatant | Roll | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Maelis | 17 + 10 | 27 |
| Séra | 12 + 14 | 26 |
| Osseur | 9 + 11 + 5 | 25 |
Maelis releases first. She spends her second spell-action token and its board slot. Fireball 1 at CL 8 deals 8d12, rolling 52 damage, in a 20 ft radius on the catwalk. Séra has neither total cover nor equipment to parry it. Her dodges cannot avoid Fireball. DR 2 reduces the damage to 50, leaving her at 78 HP.
Séra fires. She spends three more attack tokens and board slots. Two of her three cover checks succeed. Those arrows roll 5 and 3 on their d6s, dealing 10 and 8 damage after Maelis's DR. Maelis falls to 55 HP. Fireball has already been released, so these wounds cannot interrupt it.
Osseur passes Brant. Brant uses Opportunity Attack before Osseur leaves his reach. It costs no attack token or board slot. Osseur keeps his dodges and takes the blow: 5 on the d8 + 7 − 2 DR = 10 damage, leaving 230 HP.
Osseur reaches Maelis and spends one attack token and one slot. The crates do not cover her from this direction, and she has no dodge left. His axe rolls 8: 8 + 19 − 4 = 23 damage. Maelis has 32 HP left.
Tick 3 — A Wall of Stone
Osseur: I strike again. Maelis: A quickened stone wall between us. Then I retreat. Séra: If the wall blocks my shot, I shoot Brant twice.
Maelis casts Elemental Wall 2, using Hurl Rock 1 as its source. Quicken Spell reduces its casting time to one tick. She spends her last spell-action token and one board slot. The casting costs one Level 2 slot for the wall, one Level 1 slot for the source, and three additional Level 2 slots for Quicken Spell.
Osseur declared first. He rolls 8 + 11 + 5 = 24, against Maelis's 9 + 10 = 19. His attack lands before the wall forms. The axe's d12 rolls 2: 2 + 19 − 4 = 17 damage, leaving Maelis at 15 HP.
The quickened spell can still be interrupted, but these 17 damage do not exceed her threshold of 24. Damage from the previous casting does not carry into this one. The wall rises across the passage, blocking both Osseur and Séra's line of fire. Maelis retreats 15 ft behind its total cover.
Séra takes her two announced shots at Brant. He declares a separate shield parry against each, spending two attack tokens and both board slots this tick. Deflect Projectiles adds 25% to his Reflex roll, rounded down:
| Arrow | Brant's Parry | Séra's Attack | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | (18 + 11) × 1.25 = 36 | 6 + 14 = 20 | Parried |
| Second | (3 + 11) × 1.25 = 17 | 13 + 14 = 27 | Hits |
The second arrow's d6 rolls 4. Brant takes 4 + 9 − 2 = 11 damage, leaving 109 HP. Séra has spent eight of her ten attacks this round.
End of the Round
| Combatant | HP Remaining |
|---|---|
| Séra | 78 / 128 |
| Osseur | 230 / 240 |
| Maelis | 15 / 96 |
| Brant | 109 / 120 |
Action reserves and dedicated dodges refill for the next round. Maelis's spent spell slots remain spent. The stone wall separates her from Osseur, while Séra and Brant still have a clear line of fire between them.