Combat Round
Contents
Initiative
At the start of each combat round, each side makes an Initiative Roll to represent the ebb and flow of the battle. The Initiative Roll consists of 1d10. The highest initiative rolls go first, followed by lower rolls.
For example, a party of player adventurers step into a brawl going on between two rival mercenary companies in a fortress. There are three effective sides here - each mercenary company and the adventurers. The DM rolls 3 and 6 for the mercenary companies, the players roll 4. This means that, in each phase, one mercenary company acts first, then the players, then the other company.
A roll of 1 causes a side to go last in order and delay all actions by one phase - including Spell Casting. A roll of 10 causes a side to go first in order and move all actions up by one phase - including Spell Casting. If one or more sides tie they must immediately re-roll. A Combat Event occurs for each re-roll forced in this manner.
Combat Events
Below is listed a series of possible Combat Events that may occur when initiative is tied. If something cannot occur, re-roll. If damage is done to an item or object, roll an appropriate Saving Throw for it based on what happens to it in the narrative!
| Combat Events | ||
|---|---|---|
| D20 | Result | Effects |
| 1-2 | Armour Trouble | Select Random Combatant. Roll 1d6.
1-2 - Helmet Damaged 3-5 - Shield Damaged 6 - Armour Damaged |
| 3-4 | Battlefield Damaged | Select Battlefield Feature or Terrain Feature.
Obstacle, terrain or environmental object damaged - scaffolding breaks, tree uprooted, rope bridge cut. |
| 5 | Battlefield Shifts | All combatants move 1d6 in random direction. Does not Provoke Attacks of Opportunity. |
| 6 | Close Quarters | Select Two Combatants in Threat Range. Both Combatants become Grappled by each other with no checks involved. |
| 7 | Item Damaged | Select Random Combatant. An Item on this combatant is damaged. |
| 8 | Item Dropped | Select Random Combatant. An item held by this combatant is dropped, cut free or spilled. |
| 9-11 | Knock Down | Select Random Combatant engaged in Melee. This combatant is knocked down with no save. The nearest figure, providing they are within touch range, friend or foe, must make a Reflex Save vs. Paralyzation or fall down next to them. |
| 12 | Lucky Break | Select Random Combatant. This target receives a +4 bonus to AC and Saves for this round only. |
| 13 | Lucky Opening | Select Random Combatant. This target receives a +4 bonus on To-Hit rolls for this round only. Characters Save at -2 penalty against this character for one round. |
| 14-15 | Mount or Vehicle Trouble | Select Random Combatant with Mount or Vehicle. Roll 1d6.
1-2 - Off Course - Mount/Vehicle moves at highest speed in random direction for 1d10 rounds, or until rider is able to make Advanced Riding or Driving check as relevant. 3-5 - Bucks Wildly - Rider/Driver must make an Advanced Riding or Driving check. If this fails, all riders or passengers must make an immediate Reflex Save vs. Paralyzation or fall prone - if is a mount or the vehicle is open-topped, they also fall off. 6 - Stumbles and Falls - Rider/Driver must make an immediate Riding or Driving check. If this fails, the mount or vehicle is knocked prone or turned over - all riders or passengers must make a Save vs. Paralyzation or be Stunned for 1d6 rounds. |
| 16 | Reinforcements | Select Random Side. Allies show up to support this side, if they are available. Alternatively, characters may switch sides (at least temporarily) if they have had their Reaction modified during the encounter. |
| 17 | Retreat | Select Random Side. All threatened targets move as though their foe had Pressed The Advantage. |
| 18 | Slip | Select Random Combatant. This character is moved 5 feet in a random direction, drops an item held (if any) and is knocked prone. This character may make a Reflex Save vs. Paralyzation, they may choose to do one of these. If this save is made as a Glancing Hit, they must choose to do two - if they fail, all three happen. |
| 19-20 | Weapon Trouble | Select Random Combatant who attacked in last round. Roll 1d6.
1-2 - Combatant Disarmed unless they make a successful Save vs. Paralyzation. 3-5 - Hard Parry or attack against armour may break weapon - Weapon must make a Saving Throw vs. Crushing Blow or be damaged. 6 - If character attacked opponent in melee in previous round with a slashing or piercing weapon, their weapon is now stuck in the wound and requires a Move Action and Advanced Strength Feat to remove. |
Combat Phases
The combat round is divided into several phases. In each phase, the side with the highest Initiative goes first, followed by the lower Initiatives until each side that can act in a phase has acted.
The Speed Rank is the short-hand term for a phase - for instance, 0 is used for Fast because it is the first phase Spells can be cast in normally and, thus, Spell Speed is added to this.
| Combat Phases | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed Rank | Combat Phase | |||||||||
| S | Starting Phase | |||||||||
| - 3 | Lightning Fast | |||||||||
| -2 | Extremely Fast | |||||||||
| -1 | Very Fast | |||||||||
| 0 | Fast | |||||||||
| 1 | Average | |||||||||
| 2 | Slow | |||||||||
| 3 | Very Slow | |||||||||
| 4 | Extremely Slow | |||||||||
| 5 | Glacially Slow | |||||||||
| F | Final Phase | |||||||||
Starting Phase and Actions Before Base Speed
Any decisions that need to be immediately resolved or things that are planned out can be resolved at this point in the round. Characters may decide to cast spells in this phase, but no spell can be finished casting before the Fast Phase unless specifically stated otherwise.
Speed Rank and Actions
A character may not take any actions sooner than their Base Speed nor attack with weapons before their Weapon Speed. Speed Modifiers adjust these accordingly and are taken away from the Speed Rank. For example, a Human has a Base Speed of Fast - Speed Rank 0. If they have Dexterity 18, this grants them a +1 modifier to Base Speed causing them to have a Base Speed of Very Fast - Speed Rank -1. If they had Dexterity 5, this would have -1 to their Speed Modifier, causing it to be Average - Speed Rank 1.
If a Weapon's Speed is faster than the Base Speed of the character wielding it, it instead uses the Base Speed - no action can be faster than Base Speed except Spell Casting or an action that has been delayed from one round to the next.
A character may accomplish any number of actions in a round, providing they have the actions to spare, unless an action specifically states otherwise or takes place across multiple phases.
Taking Multiple Phases
Some actions occur across multiple phases, such as running, or do not have an effect until a phase later in the round, such as Spell Casting. Some spells may even have a delayed response, even if the casting is complete. If an action is performed in this manner, the action either continues for a number of specific phases or is delayed by that number, all the way until the Final Phase. If an action would take longer than this and would normally be moved after it, it is moved to the Fast Phase of the next round, Speed Rank 0. If the action is not a spell and the character has a higher Base Speed, it is moved to their Base Speed instead.
Any round in which an action has crossed into is considered to take the same action to Sustain it - for instance, if a character is Sprinting, they must continue to Sprint or else immediately cancel the action. If a character casts a Spell that takes longer than a round, they are considered to still be casting that spell, though no additional memorized spells are consumed.
