Combat in Shadow Slave is not heroic. It is desperate, fast, and unfair. You win by preparation, cruelty, and knowing when to run.
The combat round
Each round, everyone declares intent in order of lowest Dexterity first (the slow commit, the fast punish), then resolves in order of highest Dexterity first. Ties break by rank, then by a d20 roll-off.
On your turn you get one Action + one Move + one free Utterance (speaking your True Name, commanding an Echo, triggering one Memory enchantment).
To strike
Roll d20 + STR or DEX modifier + proficiency vs. 10 + target DEX modifier + armor Memory bonus.
- STR for heavy, cleaving, grappling. DEX for fast, precise, ranged.
- Nat 20: critical — double damage dice, and the Spell notes it. Nat 1: the Spell punishes you — weapon slips, footing fails, old wound reopens.
- Damage = weapon Memory dice + STR/DEX modifier, reduced by armor and Toughness. Humans bleed, break, and tire. Track HP, Essence, and Fatigue.
Essence and soul
Awakened hold Essence — the fuel of Aspect Abilities and Memory enchantments. A Sleeper has almost none. Spending your last mote leaves you hollow: −2 to everything until you rest in the Soul Sea.
Enter your Soul Sea only in safety — to commune with cores, change Memories, or speak to your shadow. Doing so mid-battle leaves your body empty for a full round.
Wounds, not hit points
HP is flesh, not plot armor. At 50% HP: Bloodied — disadvantage on STR/DEX. At 25%: Crippled — move halved, one Action only. At 0: Dying — death saves, DC 12 CON each round. Three failures and the Spell writes: [Your Name] has slain...].
Humans follow Absolute Human Realism: broken knees don't heal mid-fight, fear freezes hands, exhaustion kills aim.
Shadows, positioning, terror
- Shadow step / ambush: attacking from darkness or unseen grants advantage. Sunless built a legend on this.
- Outnumbered: each extra attacker beyond the first gives +1 to hit. Nightmare abominations hunt in packs.
- Terror: when facing a creature two ranks above you, make a WIS save (DC 10 + rank gap × 2) or gain Shaken — you cannot advance, only retreat or freeze.
Spoils
Whoever lands the killing blow earns the kill — Memories and Echoes drop to them alone. The Spell decides the drop. Begging it does not help.
