Danger and Combat

Violence is quick, loud, and difficult to undo. Establish the surroundings, what each side wants, and what can change before resolving attacks.

Rounds and turns

At the start of each round, roll Initiative equal to DEX × 2; lower rolls act first, with higher DEX winning ties. On your turn, take one action and move up to your Move Rate. You may attack, Dodge, Parry, cast, use an item, aim, grapple, or disengage. A weapon with attacksPerRound above 1 may make that many attacks during its Attack action, subject to ammunition.

Attacking

Roll d100 against the appropriate weapon skill after range and circumstance modifiers. A Critical 01 deals maximum weapon damage plus your damage bonus and ignores ordinary armor. An Extreme success deals maximum weapon damage. Hard and Regular successes deal rolled damage. Subtract the target's Armor Value, to a minimum of 0, unless the result ignores armor.

At point-blank range, firearms gain +10%; Medium is −20%, Long −40%, and Extreme −80% or impossible. Aiming takes a full round and grants +20% to the next ranged attack, stacking to +60% after three rounds. Movement, damage, or another action ends the aim. Track ammunition and check the weapon's separate malfunction threshold.

Defending

If you have not used your action, you may Dodge one perceived attack using DEX × 2, or Parry with a ready suitable melee weapon using half your Melee skill. Firearms cannot be Parried. You may make only one defensive roll each round; additional attackers gain +20% against you after the first.

Wounds

Your maximum Hit Points are floor((CON + SIZ) ÷ 10), minimum 1. A single hit dealing at least half your maximum HP is a Major Wound: make a CON check or fall unconscious. At 0 HP, you are unconscious and lose 1 HP each round until stabilized. You die at negative CON HP. Armor is flat damage reduction and does not stack; use the highest value worn.

At 0 HP an ally can attempt First Aid or Medicine once per round. A Regular success stabilizes you; an Extreme success also restores 1d3 HP. Once safe, home care restores 1 HP per day, clinic care 1d3, and hospital care 2 HP per day after treatment.

Chases

Use range bands—Engaged, Close, Medium, Far, and Lost—when pursuit offers meaningful choices. Each round, move and take one additional action. Resolve Athletics, Drive Auto, Stealth, Survival, or another fitting skill using the normal percentile ladder. Success maintains or improves the gap; failure loses a band; a fumble creates a hazard or immediate engagement.