5.1 Combat Rounds

The combat system is based upon all characters having simultaneous actions. As a result, characters are allowed to complete all of the actions they declare each round. This means that it is, in fact, possible for two archers to shoot each other or two swordsmen to stab each other. In certain cases it is possible for one character to take a penalty in order to ensure that their actions take place before someone else's. It is left to the GM's discretion when this is appropriate and what the penalty will be.

5.1.1 Action Sequence
 
 

1. Players and GM decide their offensive actions and, when appropriate, defenses from possible ranged attacks.
2. Players engaged in melee combat announce individuals they will be attacking. Players engaged in ranged combat attack announce targets they will be firing upon. Players who feel they may come under fire from ranged attack declare defense.
3. GM announces previously decided non-player character's offensive actions and ranged defenses. GM then announces NPC melee defense for NPC's under melee attack.
4. Players under melee attack announce melee defense.
5. All characters decide on attack and defense strength
6. All characters roll their dice bonus and add it to their attacks and defenses.
7. Damage is determined and distributed. The next round begins.

The system designed for melee combat intricately links attack and defense. A character's weapon skill is allotted between their attack and defense each round. This allows characters to choose to attack strongly, while leaving themselves more vulnerable, or fight defensively. Character's who are not fighting with a weapon are assumed to be using their Unarmed Combat skill. After the points have been divided, players roll five dice and add them to their attack skill. The dice are rolled again and added to their defense. These totals are then compared with the opponents attack and defense to determine damage.

5.2.1 Multiple Attacks
If a character wishes to attack an opponent multiple times in one round, they can do so by allotting a larger amount of their skill points to their attack of the opponent..

5.2.2 Multiple Opponents
Characters facing multiple opponents at one time must allot their skill among the opponents. In order to block attacks from multiple sources, the character must divide their skill among the opponents. The same is true for attacks at multiple opponents.

Example: Jain is searching through the keep when he suddenly comes upon two Trollocs. The Trollocs grunt in surprise and turn to attack him with a hungry look in their eyes. Jain has a Blade skill of 40. He decides that he should start off defensive and attack only one Trolloc. The Trollocs, feeling hunger more than caution, attack and do not defend. Jain decides to defend against both. He then allots his points, 10 to his attack, and 15 to each defense. He is also using a Sabre, a nice offensive weapon but no so good at blocking clubs.  This gives him an Attack Modifier of +5 and a Defense Modifier of +1.  The Trollocs each have a skill of 15 which they spend on their attack.  They're using cudgels, rather unsophisticated weapons for which both the Attack and Defense Modifier is 2. Time to roll the dice. Jain rolls a 12 for his attack, and a 15 and 18 on his defense, giving him an attack of 27 (10 + 5 + 12), and defense totals of 31 (15 + 1 + 15) and 34 (15 + 1 + 18). The Trollocs both roll 14 on their attacks, giving them attack totals of 31 (15 + 2 + 14), and roll 8 and 13 for their defense, giving totals of 10 (8 + 2 + 0) and 15 (13 + 2 + 0).  Really, this isn't as complex as it sounds.

5.3 Damage

Combat damage is based upon the degree of success of the attack causing the damage. In this manner, an attack which is nearly blocked will most likely only cause light damage to the opponent. However, an attack which slices through the opponent's defenses, or an attack in which there was no defense, will most likely cause a lot of damage. When totalling the damage dealt during an attack, the defender's defense total is subtracted from the attacker's attack total. The resulting number is multiplied by the weapon's damage multiplier to find the total damage done to the target.

Example: Jain's attack total was 27. Since the Trolloc did not defend well, he hits, beating their defenses of 10 and 15. With the blade damage multiplier of 4, he does 68 points of damage to the first Trolloc and 48 to the second. The Trollocs attack totals of 31 are compared with Jain's defenses of 31 and 34. They both miss (ties going to defenders), doing no damage, but just barely.  Okay, I was wrong, this is too complex.  No one likes math in roleplaying.  Switch to damage modifiers (+4, +8, etc) instead of multipliers?  The downside is a minimum damage on every hit.  Hmm.  Rethink this.

5.4 Weapons

5.4.1 Melee Weapons
 
 

	Damage Multiplier	Attack Modifier	Defense Modifier
Axes
Blades
Long Sword
Sabre	4	5	1
Scimitar
Clubs
Cudgel	4	2	2
Mace
Knives
Polearms
Halberd
QuarterStaff
Staff
Spears
Lance
Short-spear
Spear

5.4.2 Ranged Weapons
 
 

	Damage Multiplier	Range
Bow
Crossbow
Knife
Sling

5.5 Armor

5.6 Health and Healing