Combat

Combat runs in rounds. Each round, every combatant takes their turn, in and around roughly ten seconds of fiction.

Initiative

At the start of a fight, everyone rolls 2d6 plus a number of d6 equal to their Dexterity level. The highest total acts first, then the next, on down the line. Ties go to the higher Dexterity level; if still tied, the players choose the order among themselves. The GM narrates the opening beat of the fight, then hands the table to the highest roller.

Your turn

On your turn you get as many Actions and Minor actions as your Intelligence dictates, in whatever order you like. Everything a character could possibly do falls into one of these two states. Actions are big things: moving, attacking, pushing an object, using magic, or some other difficult or time-consuming task. Minor actions are little things: shouting a command, performing a highly practiced task, or something that can be done quickly or with little effort.

Not your turn

During combat, certain Actions taken by other characters can prompt you to react. Whenever this happens, every "reaction" you take is drawn from your pool of Actions and Minor actions on your next turn: if you only have one Action and you take a reaction that costs one Action, you will have no Actions on your next turn.

Movement

You can move up to your Movement upon choosing to move. Your Movement is determined by your Dexterity level.

Attacking

To attack, roll 2d6 plus one d6 per level of the relevant Trait and Core Skill, against the Standard Difficulty Model plus any Cover/Concealment modifiers.

Melee use Strength and the Melee skill.

Vectored Weapons use Presence and the Melee skill.

Guns and bows use Dexterity and the Firearms skill.

Unarmed strikes use Strength and the Martial Arts skill.

Magic attack uses Presence and the Magic skill.

If the number of successes equals or exceeds the SDM target, it hits and deals the weapon's full damage, first to Armor and then to HP.

If the number of successes does not equal the SDM target, except in the case of a Salvation, it still hits, but the target of the attack is given an Opportunity. More specific weapon stats can be found in the Weapons chapter.

Opportunity

When an attack fails to meet the SDM target, the target gains an Opportunity, one of three options: Dodge (spend one action to avoid the attack), Disengage (once damage is resolved, if still alive, spend one action to move up to half your Movement), or Counter (spend one action to attack right after the attacker's turn ends).

Armor

Armor acts as a first layer of health. But when it takes enough damage, the armor 'Breaks' and stops granting damage reduction. DR is how much damage the armor absorbs per attack before the wearer takes damage; HP is how much total damage the armor can take before it breaks. More specifics on armor and its stats can be found in the Armor chapter.

Hit points and injury

Your maximum Hit Points, or HP, is the abstraction of a character getting hurt and keeping going. When damage drops you to 0 HP, you fall down: incapacitated. You'll have the chance to recover on your own, but it won't be easy. Or an ally can take an Action to stabilize you with a lower requirement. Information on healing both in and out of battle can be found in the HP and Healing chapter.

Total Party Knockouts and General Character Death

Eventually, your party will pick a fight that leaves all of you at 0 HP. This isn't necessarily the end. Maybe. When one or more of you drop to 0 HP and no one can save you, whether because no one's left standing or you had to run, death isn't automatic. A death should carry narrative weight. Sometimes that means dying pointlessly in a street brawl, but usually players want to finish their character's arc; having it cut short because some dipstick goblin rolled fourteen improbably good rolls in a row sucks. So instead of instant death, the GM and player work together to decide whether this is the right moment in the character's story. If it isn't, the GM should find a way the character survived, can be rescued, or can be reconnected with, so the player can finish their arc. That's not always possible though: walk into the Cave of No Return alone and die, and you can't just claim 'I never found my mom' and force the GM to make it the Cave of No Return Except for That One Specific Way I Didn't Mention.

Resting and recovery

"Getting shot sucks. But getting shot and surviving, that sucks a lot more, it'll just be over a lot longer so you probably won't notice it sucking after a while." - A guy about to shoot someone.

Getting injured is a serious affair, both for you and your foes, and most characters should do their best to avoid it if at all possible.