Chapter 07 · Core Rules
Martial Combat and Defenses
An attack normally lands unless the defender avoids it. A dodge moves out of its path; a parry intercepts it with a shield or weapon. Both use a Reflex duel. If the attack gets through, subtract the defender's DR from its damage.
Basic Weapons
The tables give damage dice, critical multipliers, and handling for common weapons. The GM can adjust these benchmarks; exceptional weapons give their own values. Damage does not include Strength; add it as described in Weapon Damage below.
Melee Weapons
| Weapon | Damage | Critical | Hands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger, knife | 1d4 | ×2 | 1 |
| Shortsword, mace, hatchet, spear | 1d6 | ×2 | 1 |
| Longsword, flail, morningstar | 1d8 | ×2 | 1 |
| Battleaxe | 1d8 | ×3 | 1 |
| Staff, club | 1d6 | ×2 | 2 |
| Trident-staff | 1d8 | ×2 | 2 |
| Pike, longspear | 1d10 | ×2 | 2 |
| Greatsword | 1d12 | ×2 | 2 |
| Greataxe, maul | 1d12 | ×3 | 2 |
Ranged Weapons
| Weapon | Damage | Critical | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sling, thrown dagger | 1d4 | ×2 | — |
| Shortbow, light crossbow | 1d6 | ×2 | — |
| Longbow | 1d8 | ×3 | caps usable Strength (see below) |
| Heavy crossbow | 1d10 | ×2 | slow reload |
Bow Strength. A mundane M1 bow can use no more than +5 Strength, even when its wielder is stronger. From M2 onward, a superior bow can use up to +10 Strength; this limit does not rise at M3, M4, or M5. Magical and ironwood bows always use the wielder's full Strength. These limits apply only to the attribute added to damage, not other bonuses from the weapon, character, or feats.
Shields. A shield primarily parries, but can strike for 1d2 when necessary. Its price and other supply costs appear in Adventuring Equipment.
Weapon Damage
A weapon deals its listed damage dice plus Strength, according to how it is wielded. Equipment, Crafting, and Materials gives material and quality bonuses.
| Weapon Use | Strength Added to Damage |
|---|---|
| Thrown or ranged weapon (bow, thrown dagger) | 1× Strength |
| One-handed melee weapon | 1× Strength |
| Two-handed melee weapon | 1.5× Strength |
| Firearm | none |
Feats can increase these multipliers. Bows limit how much Strength they can use; see Bow Strength above.
Dexterity. When Dexterity exceeds Strength, use it for damage with the same multiplier. This happens automatically for a weapon suited to finesse. The GM decides when a weapon requires Strength, such as a heavy maul. Firearms add neither attribute.
Accuracy. An attack bonus from an item or feat adds to the attacker's Reflex roll when the target tries to dodge or parry.
Damage and Critical Hits
Roll the attack's damage dice and add its fixed bonuses. An axe dealing 1d12 + 8 rolls 1d12, then adds 8.
Roll a d20 alongside the damage. A natural 20 produces a critical hit. Multiply both the number of damage dice and the fixed bonuses by the weapon's critical multiplier: ×2 by default, or the value given by the weapon.
An axe dealing 1d12 + 8 with a ×3 critical rolls 3d12 + 24.
Apply percentage damage bonuses before the critical multiplier, unless the feat, spell, or item gives another order.
Subtract DR last, separately from each attack. Three attacks against DR 16 each lose 16 damage. DR reduces the damage of a critical hit in the same way.
Armor Categories
Armor reduces incoming damage by its Damage Reduction (DR). Subtract DR from each attack that reaches the wearer, then remove the remaining damage from HP.
DR does not distinguish blade from spell. Spell damage reaching the character is reduced in the same way, whether a parry has already blocked half or the full effect lands.
The category indicates how much of the body is covered. Each material gives the physical DR of medium armor; then apply the coverage factor. Functional armor always retains at least 1 DR after rounding.
| Category | Physical DR Factor | M1 Iron DR | M1 Iron Price | M1 Steel Price | Time to Equip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | ×0.5 | 1 | 10–15 gp | 20–30 gp | 3 ticks |
| Medium | ×1 | 2 | 50 gp | 100 gp | 1 minute |
| Heavy | ×2 | 4 | 250 gp | 500 gp | 10 minutes alone, 5 with help |
These are benchmarks for functional M1 metal armor. Leather, reinforced cloth, wood, and bone have their own constraints; see Metals and Crafting Materials. Custom work and exceptional quality cost more. Mithril and adamantine have no fixed price: the GM considers purity, quantity, mine of origin, politics, and the object's history.
Light Armor
Light armor reduces neither Speed nor Reflex. It can generally be hidden under clothing, worn during a true rest, and used without unfavorable circumstances for stealth, swimming, climbing, or acrobatics. When prepared and accessible, equipping or removing it requires one general action during each of three ticks.
Medium Armor
Medium armor imposes no numerical penalty to Speed or Reflex. It does create an unfavorable circumstance when silence, flexibility, or swimming genuinely matters. Sleeping in it normally provides no true rest.
Heavy Armor
Heavy armor favors parrying and endurance over dodging.
- Its physical DR is twice the material's medium-armor DR.
- Speed decreases by 10 ft or 20%, whichever reduction is greater. Calculate this from Speed before armor, then round final Speed down to the nearest 5 ft.
- Reflex rolls to dodge take −5 or −20%, whichever penalty is greater. Apply the percentage to the total Reflex modifier before the d20. Attacks, parries, and other uses of Reflex are unaffected.
- It creates a strongly unfavorable circumstance for stealth, swimming, climbing, and acrobatics, and normally prevents true rest while worn.
- Against a weapon attack, it reduces the critical multiplier by 1, to a minimum of ×1. A ×2 critical becomes an ordinary hit; a ×3 axe critical becomes ×2. DR then applies normally.
For example, a Speed of 60 ft loses 12 ft rather than 10, then becomes 45 ft after rounding down to the nearest 5. A character with a +40 Reflex modifier takes −8 to dodge rather than −5.
Add magical DR after physical DR, using the table in Enchanting Magic Items. The armor category does not multiply this bonus.
Choosing a Defense
Choose one personal defense before the Reflex duel. A failed dodge or parry spends its resource; the target cannot then try the other against the same attack or group. An ally can interpose when a feat permits it.
| Dodge | Parry | |
|---|---|---|
| Resource | One dedicated dodge | One attack token |
| Action Board | No slot | One free slot during the current tick |
| Requirement | Room to move | A suitable shield or weapon of sufficient level |
| Successful Defense | Avoids the attack | Stops a physical attack; blocks half a damage spell |
Resolve the defense with a Reflex duel against the attacker. If the defender wins, apply the successful defense above. Otherwise, the attack lands normally.
Dodging
A dodge uses movement to avoid a perceived attack: an axe swing, a visible arrow, a thrown rock, or a trap triggered underfoot. Weapon level does not limit a dodge. Spend one dedicated dodge from the round's reserve.
Dodging requires room and working legs. A Prone character cannot dodge melee attacks through movement. When a character is Grappled, immobilized, pinned against a wall, or crowded by combatants, the GM refuses the dodge or allows a prescribed chance check. See Conditions for their other effects.
A character cannot dodge or parry an attack they cannot perceive; see Perception and Stealth. A dedicated dodge also cannot avoid a damage spell or area effect. Use Magic and the effect's rules for Saves, including an exceptional Reflex Save to leave an area.
Grouping Dodges
When many attacks arrive at once, the GM can resolve several dodges with one Reflex duel. The defender first declares how many dodges they spend. A win cancels one attack per dodge; a loss cancels none. The dodges are spent in either case.
A defender spending 5 dodges against 12 attacks cancels 5 on a win. Resolve the remaining 7 attacks separately, including damage, criticals, and DR.
Parrying with a Shield or Weapon
Declare a parry after the attack is announced, before the Reflex duel and damage. Spend one attack token and one free Action Board slot during the current tick. Several parries are possible in a tick if enough tokens and slots remain.
The equipment must be strong enough to intercept the attack:
| Parrying Equipment | Highest Weapon or Spell Level It Can Parry |
|---|---|
| Shield | Its own level + 2 |
| Weapon | Its own level + 1 |
A Level 8 shield can parry a Level 10 weapon. A mundane weapon can parry a Level 1 enchanted weapon. In either case, the defender must win the Reflex duel.
Use Deflect Projectiles to parry arrows and other physical projectiles. Firearms gives the equipment that can intercept bullets.
Grouped Attacks and Volleys
The GM can group attacks for one parry when they target the same creature, begin at the same time, arrive from similar directions, and can be intercepted by one movement. Declare the groups before rolling.
A line of archers firing together can form a volley. Archers surrounding a target form several groups according to direction. Melee attacks remain separate unless the position and movement allow a shared defense.
The group makes one Reflex duel against the defender. A successful parry blocks every attack in that group. On failure, resolve each attack separately with its own damage dice, critical d20, and DR. The shared defense roll does not produce a critical.
A shield can intercept a volley. A weapon needs a feat or property that permits it, such as Deflect Projectiles.
Parrying a Spell
Resolve the Reflex duel when the spell is released. Use the spell's level for the equipment requirement above.
A successful parry blocks half the damage, then DR reduces the remainder. This applies to both shields and weapons. Only spells that deal damage can be parried; spells such as Dominate, Hold, or curses resolve through their Saves.
An enchanted object's description can change these limits. A shield may block all fire damage, for example, or a blade may parry spells one level beyond the usual limit.
Grappling
Grappling uses the body to hold, trip, move, pin, or disarm an opponent. Resolve an uncertain technique with one prescribed chance check, from the attempting character's perspective.
The GM compares both combatants' Strength, Dexterity, size, and experience. Strength supplies force; Dexterity supplies footing and timing; size determines reach, weight, and possible holds. Experience includes level, class, feats, training, and character history. A class or feat granting more grappling experience gives level more weight in this comparison.
A stronger but less agile combatant may have even chances. A huge creature may be hard to hold but vulnerable to a trip that exploits its footing. The GM announces the chances under Prescribed Chance. Certain outcomes need no roll, and impossible maneuvers cannot be attempted. There is no preliminary Reflex duel.
A technique costs one attack and takes one tick, unless stated otherwise. Escaping a hold also costs one attack, with one escape attempt per tick. Releasing a hold is free.
Grapple Techniques
Hold. On success, the target becomes Grappled. The attacker keeps at least one hand or suitable limb occupied. The hold lasts until released or until the target succeeds on a prescribed chance check to escape.
Trip. On success, the target becomes Prone. If the attacker already holds the target, they can keep that hold by falling with them or maintaining suitable leverage. A trip alone does not hold the target.
Forced Movement. Requires a Grappled target. On success, move the target up to half the attacker's Speed and follow them. This movement provokes no opportunity attack. A passage too narrow for the target or a solid obstacle stops it.
Immobilize. Requires a Grappled target. On success, pin the target's entire body. They cannot move, take −5 on Reflex duels, and retain the Grappled restrictions. The attacker uses at least two limbs to maintain the pin and must use Forced Movement to move with the target.
Disarm. Grab the weapon or the limb holding it. On success, the target drops one chosen held object into its space. Disarming alone does not hold the target.
Chapter Summary
- Add Strength, or Dexterity for a suitable weapon, to weapon damage. Firearms add neither.
- A natural 20 on the critical d20 multiplies damage dice and fixed bonuses. Apply DR last to each attack separately.
- Choose one defense: a dodge spends one dedicated dodge; a parry spends one attack token and one Action Board slot. Both use a Reflex duel.
- A shield can parry up to two levels above its own; a weapon can parry one level above. A successful spell parry blocks half the damage before DR.
- A volley can share one parry. Each attack that gets through retains its own damage, critical d20, and DR.
- Grappling uses one prescribed chance check based on Strength, Dexterity, size, and experience. Each technique costs one attack and takes one tick.