Rules Reference

When in turn-based play (during combat, for example), you may choose to spend 3 actions on a task that would normally take only one action. Doing so grants +1 bonus die to any rolls associated with that task. For example, you could Fully Commit to an attack against an enemy; doing so uses 3 actions and grants +1 bonus die on this attack.

To determine how well-executed and concealed an ambush is, the ambushers roll a Stealth or Subterfuge check (using the highest skill rank among them). This may range from 1 (sloppy) to 5 (near-perfect); see the table below.

Successive attacks you make on your turn are harder to make effectively. Every attack you make on a turn (after your first attack) suffers +1 penalty die to its roll.

Holding two one-handed weapons allows you to attack with each using normal attack rules. There are no bonuses or penalties to dual wielding weapons in this way, but you must declare before each attack which weapon you are using.

Weapons with the Two Handed keyword require both hands to operate; attempting to use a two-handed weapon one-handed imposes +1 penalty die to your attack roll. In the case of a two-handed melee weapon used one-handed, it also deals half its regular damage on a hit (rounded up).

When prone and using a ranged weapon, if you Fully Commit to an attack, gain an additional +1 bonus die. Attacks with a ranged weapon against a prone target outside of Very Near range gain +1 penalty die.

If you attack an enemy and roll 4+ over your weapon’s Use DC (taking into account cover and anything else that might affect the DC), you have hit with an Extreme Success, which is considered a critical hit. Critical hits deal additional damage according to the critical hit table below.

On a critical hit, the target gains +1 Stress in addition to stress they would gain by being injured.

Whenever you and your allies outnumber enemy characters in melee combat, you receive +1 bonus die to your attacks against those enemies. The opposite is also true; if you are outnumbered in melee combat, enemies receive a bonus die to their attacks.

When melee attacking while prone, you gain +1 penalty die to your attack rolls. If the target is prone, you gain +1 bonus die to attack rolls against them. Thus, if you and your target are both prone, you gain both +1 penalty and +1 bonus die which cancel each other out and give you a straight roll.

You may choose to take a penalty die to your attack roll to try to hit a specific part of your target. To make a called shot, you must have direct line of sight with the part of your enemy you are trying to shoot. Thus, making a called shot on an enemy’s head is impossible when their head is reasonably determined to be hidden from view.

• Head

• Double damage the target receives (after adjusting for armour protection)

• Legs/feet

• Impose +2 movement penalties to target until end of combat or treated with First Aid (DC6)

• Inflict -1 damage on this attack

• Hand

• Target must drop what it’s holding

• Inflict -1 damage on this attack

The GM may allow other called shot locations using the above examples as a guideline.

Functionally, these are the same as ranged attacks. If a melee attack is made at a target outside of Melee range, the attack automatically fails.

Attacking without a weapon uses the Melee (unarmed) skill and deals damage equal to half your character’s PHYS or REF, rounded up.

Improvised weapons can be anything from a chair leg to a computer terminal. Improvised weapons count as melee weapons for attack rolls and other rules. They commonly have a Use DC of 10 and deal damage equal to 1 + half your character’s PHYS or REF, rounded up.

The GM may decide to lower or increase either the Use DC or the damage of an improvised weapon as they see fit. They usually break on an extreme failure, or after a few solid hits (GM discretion).

Any weapon may be thrown at an adversary. To do so, roll a throw check, as described below. Most weapons are not designed with throwing in mind, and for this reason a weapon without the Thrown keyword imposes +1 penalty die on the attack roll. A thrown weapon has a range of Very Near and counts as a ranged attack.

Unless a weapon has the Thrown keyword, throwing it always uses a character’s PHYS attribute. It does damage equal to ½ the weapon’s bulk, rounded down (minimum 1 damage).

Thrown Weapon Use DC = 8 + weapon’s bulk

Some damage sources deal ‘unmitigated damage’. Armour does not reduce this type of damage at all.

At the start of combat as well as the start of each of your turns, you gain 1 reaction.

A Character performs a reaction in response to external stimuli (called the trigger; this is described by the reaction). A reaction may be performed at any time, not just on his turn. To use a reaction, a character must use an action (if he has no remaining actions this round, he cannot use a reaction).

Note: unless otherwise stated, a reaction takes place before whatever triggered it is completed. Thus, a character using the Parry reaction will declare the reaction and make the roll required after an attack is declared against him (the trigger for the reaction), but before the attack is completed and he takes any damage.

Free actions may be done at any point during your turn without requiring the use of an action. Making a free action when it’s not your turn may be done at any point, but requires the use of 1 reaction.

• When they make the check, you may spend a Use Held Action reaction to assist them.

• If you do, they gain +1 bonus die on that roll.

• You must have at least 1 rank in the skill being aided.

• Attack actions cannot be aided.

• Extreme success: no effect.

• Success: enemy gains +1 movement penalty.

• Failure: enemy gains +1 stress and +1 movement penalty.

• Extreme failure: enemy gains +1 stress and immediately falls prone, ending their movement.

• Extreme success, target suffers +2 stress and is Demoralized.

• Success: target is Demoralized.

• Extreme Success: you and each targeted ally all gain +1 bonus die to any roll before the start of your next turn.

• Success: each targeted ally gains +1 bonus die to any roll before the start of your next turn.

• Success: target dies.

• Failure: no effect.

• Success: no effect

• Failure: suffer +1 stress.

• Extreme failure: suffer +2 stress.

• Extreme Success: you may immediately use 1 additional reaction to attack your attacker.

• Success: attack against you fails.

• Extreme success: you may catch or deflect object away from you (choose a location within Very Near range to deflect it to).

• Success: you may catch or deflect object away from you (GM decides where). If the object would deal damage on impact, take half that damage.

When attacked by an enemy using a ranged weapon, a character may use a reaction to Dive for Cover providing:

• They are aware of the incoming attack (can see the enemy pointing the weapon at them, for example) OR they succeed a DC7 Instinct check.

• They are standing up.

• They are not grappled or otherwise immobilized.

Diving for cover allows you to leap up to 10 feet in any direction and hit the ground, ending up prone. This can get you out of or farther away from danger. When you dive for cover, the enemy attack against you is made at +2 DC. This does not apply for subsequent attacks, however if you dive for cover behind partial or full cover, then subsequent attacks against you are made using cover rules as normal. The initial attack you dove for cover to avoid is not subject to increased DC based on you getting behind cover, as the attack occurs while you are moving (before cover is reached).

Lying prone behind a park bench, standing behind a tree, or throwing a table onto its side and kneeling behind it; these are examples of partial cover, which is defined as being obscured from an attacker in such a way as reasonably blocks direct line of sight of up to half a character’s body. Being behind partial cover gives a character a +2 to the DC of anyone trying to attack them.

Kneeling behind a car, lying prone behind a large log, or standing in a trench are all examples of full cover, which is defined as being obscured from an attacker’s view in such a way as reasonably blocks direct line of sight of almost the entirety of the character’s body. Characters behind full cover receive a +4 to the DC to hit them.

In order for cover to be effective, it must be able to withstand an attack meant for the character using it. If an attack is intended for a character but hits the cover instead, would that cover stop the attack? Depending on the type of cover, it may be effective at stopping many attacks (kneeling behind a car), a single attack (lying prone behind a park bench), or part of an attack (kneeling behind an overturned table). The GM determines the durability of the cover available to you. If cover is unable to block even a single wound of damage, it cannot be considered cover. It could still potentially serve as camouflage, depending on the situation.

Cover takes damage when an attack made against the person using the cover misses. The amount of damage taken is equal to the damage from the attacker’s weapon. If more damage is dealt to the cover than it has remaining durability, there is a 50% chance the remaining damage is transferred to the character behind the cover. This is rolled by the GM.

If an object that provides full cover is reduced to 0 durability, the GM has a choice to make. Either the cover is destroyed completely (as might be the case of a car struck by the main turret of a tank) or the cover level is reduced to partial and given new (probably lesser) durability in its new state. This might be the case if a table were shot by a pistol. If the cover was partial cover and its durability reaches 0, it is no longer capable of providing cover.

Using a character as cover is possible. The character should be treated as partial cover for the character behind them and the same rules for damage should be applied.