6. Combat

Combat is an inevitable part of Legend. Violence, whether it is a squabble descending into fisticuffs between childhood rivals, a drunken bar-room brawl, or a duel to the death between mortal enemies, is handled using these rules.

Legend combat has certain hallmarks that are worth bearing in mind; these are as follows:

• Combat is a deadly business, irrespective of an Adventurer’s level of skill. A well-placed blow can take down the hardest or best armoured Adventurer.

• Combat is tactical. Good tactical decisions or choices can greatly influence the outcome of a battle. The combat rules are designed to support tactical options.

• Combat should be fun. Although it deals with violence – and does so seriously – there is little like a good, well orchestrated melee to get the pulse racing and the adrenalin flowing.

• Legend combat aims to be cinematic. What is meant here is that melees and ranged combat can emulate the feats seen in television and movies – be they dashing, swashbuckling duels; gritty, bloody one-on-one combats, or large-scale, epic stand-offs between heroes. The combat rules are designed to handle all such confrontations.

Combat

Alaric’s Tale

Alaric, Thrace and Lilina have penetrated the underground layer of the troll Illsa Skessa, the troll Alaric believes was responsible for his father’s murder. Creeping through the narrow tunnels of the underground complex the three companions emerge into a large cavern which, the frail light of their torches shows, is filled with debris, discarded bones from eagerly devoured troll-meals and, over in a corner, slowly roasting something they have captured, a group of goblin guards. The goblins look up and squint as torch-light falls over them; hands fall to nearby weapons. Alaric, Thrace and Lilina are in no mood to run but are eager for a fight. Combat is about to commence…

Components of Combat

Most combats consist of very similar components using very similar timeframes. These components are as follows:

Combat Skills and Styles

Combat skills are purchased as styles. Learning the style ‘Broadsword and Shield’ costs the same skill points as learning ‘Greataxe’, thus avoiding the necessity of having to train each weapon in a combination separately. Alaric, for example, has the Combat Style ‘Spear and Shield’; this Combat Style combines the techniques of spear attack and shield defence but does not cost Alaric two separate skills to gain – they are trained together.

There is a myriad range of different Combat Styles and Adventurers can create their own combinations to mirror personal preferences, cultural fighting styles or professional requirements.

Some typical examples are:

Sword and Shield (any one-handed sword and any shield type); Mace and Shield; Sword and Dagger (any one-handed sword coupled with a dagger which is used for parrying but may also be used for attack); Two-Handed Sword (a large sword requiring two hands to stabilise but inflicting greater damage). In situations where the user of a ‘two weapon’ or a ‘weapon and shield’ Combat Style is unable, for whatever reason, to utilise part of the combination, then the wielder’s skill is unchanged but he does lose the advantage of having two weapons or the defensive capabilities of his shield.

Adventurers trying to decide what sort of Combat Style to select should consider the following:

• Two handed weapons normally grant an advantage in both inflicting and parrying damage and give the user a greater reach (see Weapon Reach ).

• Shields allow the user an extra Combat Action per round, as well as protecting against missile attacks – which most other weapons cannot parry.

• Using two weapons simultaneously also permits the wielder an extra Combat Action per round and maintains their effectiveness if one weapon is pinned, entangled or dropped.

Secondary off hand weapons must be one size category smaller than the main weapon, unless both are small.

• One handed weapon styles do not give an extra Combat Action, but allows one hand free for casting Sorcery spells and touch-range spells.

• Unarmed Combat Styles have few direct benefits save that the user is always able to fight and protect themselves when lacking a weapon and can freely combine unarmed attacks with any other combat style at no penalty (as long as the opponent is within reach). An unarmed attack can be made with any part of the body, except for the torso. Thus limbs, wings, tails and even the head can be used.

Missing Weapons: An Adventurer who is missing some of the weapons for his Combat Style does not suffer any further penalties. For example, if Alaric is forced to use his Spear and Shield Combat Style when he lacks a shield, he loses the protection of the shield and the bonus Combat Action from having an off-hand weapon but there is no penalty to his skill.

Substituting Weapons: AnAdventurer can use weapons other than the ones he specialises in but at a penalty. Firstly, any weapons used must be of the same type as those he normally uses in his Combat Style. For example, an Adventurer can substitute a short sword for a long sword but not a mace for a longsword as the mace is used as a bludgeon, not a cutting edge. Secondly, the Combat Style skill is penalised as follows:

• –10% for using a different weapon.
• –10% for each Size category difference between the two weapons.
• –10% for each Reach category difference between the two weapons.
• –5% for each point of ENC difference between the two weapons.

These penalties cannot take an Adventurer below his base STR+DEX attack skill.

For example, if Alaric were forced to use a Longspear instead of his preferred shortspear, he would suffer a penalty as follows:

• –10% for using a different weapon.

• –10% for the Size difference (shortspears are Medium, Longspears are Large).

• –10% for the Reach difference (Long vs Very Long).

• No penalty for ENC, as they both weigh the same. For a total penalty of –30%.

Combat Rounds

Since fights in Legend often involve a large number of Skill Tests for attacks, parries and such like, combat is divided into rounds to ease book keeping. Each round represents a period of five seconds during which time Adventurers can perform their full number of Combat Actions.

Each Combat Round begins with the participant (Adventurer, adversary or monster) with the highest initiative acting first, spending one of his Combat Actions. This is followed by whoever has the next highest initiative and so forth until the participant with the lowest initiative has acted. Then, if anyone still has any Combat Actions remaining, the cycle repeats until all available Combat Actions for all available participants have been spent. At this point the round ends. If the participants are prepared to continue fighting, a new round begins; if they withdraw from combat or cannot continue to fight, actions revert to Local Time and the combat is over.

Alaric’s Tale

_The goblin guards are some metres distant from Alaric, Thrace and Lilana but it is clear that a fight is likely. ‘What are you going to do?’ The Games Master asks each player. ‘We ready our weapons and prepare to fight,’ Alaric’s player says and the others agree. ‘Okay,’ the Games Master replies and reaches for a sheet of paper to start recording initiative, hits, damage and other combat information, ’we’re moving to Combat Rounds; five second bursts measured by Combat Actions. Everybody ready? Good…

Initiative rolls please…’_

Initiative

Who acts first and the order of action is crucial in combat. Initiative is the method of determining in which order the participants act. Initiative is measured in Strike Ranks and rolled at the start of a fight, remaining in play unless something occurs to force Initiative to be re-rolled. This is up to the Games Master to decide but at the very minimum an Initiative roll lasts for an entire Combat Round.

Calculating Initiative

To calculate Initiative, each participant rolls 1D10 and adds his Strike Rank. The highest result acts first, followed by the next highest and so on. If two participants tie scores, then they act simultaneously. If both are attacking simultaneously, a weapon being used to strike cannot also be used to parry a simultaneous blow.

Armour Penalty

Strike Rank Penalty = (Totalled Armour Points worn on all locations) divided by five.

As discussed on page 92 Armour has a negative impact on Initiative; the heavier the protection worn, the bigger the hindrance to moving and reacting quickly. An Adventurer’s Strike Rank is reduced by one fifth of the totalled value of AP worn on all locations (rounded up).

For example a full suit of chainmail armour with a closed helm (36 points in total) creates a –8 Strike Rank penalty.

Movement in Combat

In a Combat Round, an Adventurer may move up to his standard Movement allowance. This movement is divided across all of the Adventurer’s Combat Actions. Each Combat Action may include all, some or none of the Adventurer’s remaining Movement in addition to an attack or other action. For example, an Adventurer with a Movement of 8m and 3CA could:

1 st Combat Action: Move 3m, make an Attack 2 nd Combat Action: Move 1m, make an Attack 3 rd Combat Action: Move 4m, make an Attack or

Alaric’s Tale

The Games Master has called for Initiative. This means Alaric, Thrace and Lilina must roll 1D10, add their Strike Rank score and then apply any modifications for armour. Here are the core results of the Initiative Rolls: _Alaric rolls 6. Strike Rank of 15 means he has a total Strike Rank of 21.

Thrace rolls 1. Strike Rank of 12 means he has a total Strike Rank of 13.

Lilana rolls 10. Strike Rank of 14 means she has a total Strike Rank of 24._ The Games Master treats all the goblins as having the same Strike Rank of 12; he rolls 3, so the goblins have Strike Rank 15. However, armour needs to be factored into all of this. Alaric wears soft leather (2 AP) across four Hit Locations for a total of 8 AP. Dividing this by five and rounding up gives Alaric a –2 Armour Penalty, so his Strike Rank is reduced to 19. Thrace wears similar armour to Alaric and so he, too, has a –2 Armour Penalty, bringing his Strike Rank down to 11. Lilana wears her grandmother’s leather breastplate, greaves and vambraces, plus her bronze, plumed helmet. Her armour totals 16 AP which, divided by five and rounded up gives a –4 Armour Penalty; her Strike Rank is reduced to 20. The goblins wear a few scraps of armour that create just a –1 Armour Penalty. Their Strike Rank becomes 14. With Strike Ranks calculated and adjusted for armour, the order of combat is thus: Strike Rank 20 Lilana Strike Rank 19 Alaric Strike Rank 14 Goblins (three of them) Strike Rank 11 Thrace Each round of combat proceeds in this order unless something happens that causes Initiative to be calculated again. 1 st Combat Action: Move 0m, make an Attack 2 nd Combat Action: Move 0m, make an Attack 3 rd Combat Action: Move 8m, make an Attack.

The total amount moved may not exceed the Adventurer’s Movement (except when Sprinting).

Combat Actions

Combat Actions (CA), calculated during Adventurer Creation, are used when attempting any kind of activity during a combat; for example, to attack, defend, change engagement distance, cast spells and so forth.

When a Combat Action is spent, it is gone; Adventurers therefore need to assess how they use CA according to the nature of the opponent and the odds being faced.

How an Adventurer’s Combat Actions are used is completely up to the player, who may be as aggressive or defensive as he wishes When combined with Initiative, CA take on a dynamic nature; since how they are used can depend on the order of when one acts in the round.

For example, Alaric is forced into a fight. He has 3 CA and has rolled a better Initiative than his opponent. Going first he decides to attack and the foe succeeds in parrying. Both have used one CA for that round. Then it is the opponent’s turn and he counter-attacks, forcing Alaric to parry. Now both have used two CAs. Since the lowest Initiative has been reached but both combatants still have a Combat Action remaining; the GM cycles back to the highest Initiative again – allowing Alaric to attack a second time that round. His opponent again parries the blow and the round ends, since both foes have no more Combat Actions remaining. Thus going first allowed Alaric to use his CA to attack twice and parry once. The following are activities an Adventurer can attempt by spending one Combat Action during their turn. Cast Spell, Evade and Parry are special in that they can be used at any time during the Combat Round as a reaction to an incoming threat.

• Attack : The Adventurer can attempt to strike with a hand-to-hand weapon or fire a missile at an opponent.

• Cast Spell : The Adventurer can attempt to cast a spell.

• Change Distance : The Adventurer can attempt to change the range at which he is fighting, either closing with his opponent or putting distance between them (see Closing and Disengaging on page 139).

• Change Stance : The Adventurer can shift from standing to prone or vice versa and anything in between.

• Delay : The Adventurer may pause to assess the tactical situation. This changes his Strike Rank to the number when he finally does act. If no action is taken before Strike Rank reaches zero, then the Combat Action is lost.

• Do Nothing : An Adventurer can decide to simply spend his Combat Action doing nothing useful.

• Evade : Adventurers can attempt to dive or roll clear of missiles or a charging attack. This action can also be declared in advance of an anticipated attack (see Parry). The CA available on the character’s next Strike Rank following an Evade attempt cannot be used to make an Attack. This penalty carries over to a new round if the Adventurer uses his last available CA in a round to Evade.

• Mount/Dismount : The Adventurer can mount or dismount a riding beast.

• Move : If unengaged, tthe Adventurer may move his full movement rate.

• Outmanoeuvre : The Adventurer can engage multiple opponents in a group Opposed Test of Evade skills. Those who fail to beat his roll cannot attack him that Combat Round. See the section on Outmanoeuvre on page 137.

• Parry : The Adventurer can attempt to deflect an incoming attack. As well as being a reactive response, this action can also be declared in advance of an expected attack by adopting a defensive stance. However, once committed, the CA cannot be converted back to any other type of action and is lost if not used before his next Strike Rank occurs.

• Ready Weapon : The Adventurer may draw, sheath or reload a weapon. Dropping a weapon costs no CA. However retrieving a dropped weapon within reach costs two CA: one to retrieve the weapon and a second to return to a readied stance.

Alaric’s Tale

Alaric has three Combat Actions whilst Thrace and Lilina have 2 CA each – as do the three goblins.

Thus, Alaric has a slight edge over his opponents.

Weapon Size and Reach

Every weapon possesses two ratings, Size and Reach. These are used to determine both the weapon’s ability to parry damage and its reach in combat. The size categories are Small, Medium, Large, Huge, and Enormous. Further sizes are beyond the scope of mere mortal encounters. The reach categories are Touch, Short, Medium, Long and Very Long.

The Equipment chapter provides more information on sizes, along with the reach categories for each weapon in Legend. However, as a simple guide, use the following to calculate which size category a weapon belongs to.

• Small – Human unarmed combat and light single handed weapons less than a kilo in weight; a dagger, for example.

• Medium – Single handed weapons over a kilo in weight; a scimitar, for instance.

• Large – Long hafted thrusting weapons such as polearms or spears.

• Huge –Two handed slashing, chopping or bashing weapons, like great axes.

• Enormous – Weapons used by very large creatures: tree trunks used by giants, for example.

Reach categories use the following guidelines.

• Touch – Human reach in unarmed combat, knuckledusters and so on.

• Short – Weapons less than half a metre long; such as a short sword.

• Medium – Single handed swung weapons longer than half a metre, like a ball and chain.

• Long – Single handed thrusting weapons, or two handed swung weapons, e.g. a great sword.

• Very Long – Two handed thrusting weapons, spears or polearms for example.

The unarmed attacks of animals and monsters are assigned categories to determine their reach and how difficult they are to parry.

Combat Mechanics

Fighting in Legend is a brutal recreation of close combat. Most battles are resolved in a blow by blow progression, each attack representing a single swing of a weapon. Even if an Adventurer manages to roll a successful strike at an opponent, the foe is allowed their own roll to see if they can parry the blow. The same mechanism is used whether the attacks are missile weapons against opponents diving for cover, a ferocious wrestling match, or trying to evade a charge of angry dinosaurs.

Attacks and Parries

To make either an Attack or Parry both the attacker and the defender must spend a Combat Action and roll against their appropriate Combat Style. The attacker’s and defender’s results are noted because the difference between them, if a difference in level of success exists, is crucial to the outcome of the exchange.

The intention to parry must be declared before any attack roll is made. However, if the attack misses then the parrying participant can opt not to complete the parry, thereby saving his CA from being spent. This does mean, though, that he will not gain a defensive Combat Manoeuvre (see Combat Manoeuvres, page 134), for the exchange.

Successful Roll

If the attacker succeeds with the attack, he rolls weapon damage and adds his Damage Modifier (if any).

If the defender succeeds in his Skill Test, then he can reduce the attacker’s damage, if any, according to the comparative size of their weapons.

• Parrying an attack with a weapon or shield of equal or greater size deflects all damage.

• Parrying with a weapon or shield of one size less only deflects half damage.

• Parrying with a weapon or shield two or more sizes less fails to deflect any damage.

For example, parrying a great axe with a greatsword would block all damage; parrying it with a target shield would halve the damage and parrying it with a dagger would stop no damage at all.

If the attacker has missed then obviously no damage will be inflicted. However, the defender should still roll to see if his parry succeeds, in case he manages to beat the attacker’s level of success – granting them the choice of one or more opportunistic Combat Manoeuvres.

Unsuccessful Roll and Fumbles

If both combatants fail, then the attack/parry sequence ends and combat continues on to the participant with the next highest initiative. No opportunistic Combat Manoeuvres may be selected.

If either combatant rolls a fumble, then they must also make a roll on the fumble table appropriate to their weapon or combat type. Fumbling during a combat can have disastrous results and always results in a roll on the appropriate Fumble table.

There are three Fumble tables; one for Close Combat fumbles (including parries and evading), one for Natural Weapons and one for Ranged Weapons. When a Fumble occurs, roll on the appropriate Fumble table for the action involved.

Close Combat Fumble Table

1D20 Result Effect
01–03 Falter Cannot attack on next active Combat Action but may
defend.
04–06 Drop Weapon Weapon falls 1D4 metres away.
07–09 Lose Balance Lose next 1D3 Combat Actions.
10–12 Damage Weapon Weapon takes damage from opponent's parrying weapon
directly to its HP, ignoring its Armour Points. Else weapon
strikes an inanimate object (tree, wall, ground and so on) and
does damage to itself.
13–14 Stumble Trip and fall prone. Forfeit next 1D3 Combat Actions. All
defensive actions at a –20% penalty.
15–16 Lose Armour Roll for Hit Location where the armour fell from. If not armoured, roll again.

17–18 Hit Ally Accidentally strike a nearby companion for normal rolled
damage. If no ally within reach, hit self instead.
19 Unlucky Roll twice, ignoring any rolls of 19 or 20.
20 Doomed Roll three times, ignoring any rolls of 19 or 20.

Natural Weapon Fumbles

1D20 Result Effect
01–03 Hesitate Cannot attack on next active Combat Action but may
defend.
04–06 Numb Limb Limb is temporarily paralysed until a successful Resilience roll is made, starting next Combat Action.

07–09 Entangle Self Lose next 1D3 Combat Actions.
10–12 Damage Limb Limb is injured from striking opponent's parrying weapon, armour or an inanimate object (tree, wall, ground and so on) and does damage to itself.

13–14 Sprawl Trip and fall prone. Forfeit next 1D3 Combat Actions. All
defensive actions at a –20% penalty.
15–16 Injure Limb Limb is reduced to 0 Hit Points, suffering a Serious
Wound.
17–18 Hit Ally Accidentally strike a nearby companion for normal rolled
damage. If no ally within reach, damage is done to self
instead from wrenching a random location.
19 Fated Roll twice, ignoring any rolls of 19 or 20.
20 Cursed Roll three times, ignoring any rolls of 19 or 20.

Ranged Weapon Fumbles

1D20 Result Effect
01–03 Disoriented Attacker loses target and next active Combat Action.
04–06 Drop Weapon Weapon falls 1D2 metres away.
07–09 Snare Weapon Lose next 1D3 Combat Actions.
10–12 Lose Weapon Weapon string either snaps or weapon is lost when
thrown.
13–14 Damage Weapon Weapon, when fired or thrown, suffers rolled damage to itself ignoring Armour Points.

15–16 Hit Ally Accidentally strike a nearby companion for normal rolled
damage.
17–18 Misfire Inflict normal damage on self.
19 Bedevilled Roll twice, ignoring any rolls of 19 or 20.
20 Damned Roll three times, ignoring any rolls of 19 or 20.

No Combat Actions Remaining/Taking No Action

In a situation where a defender has no Combat Actions remaining or taking no action, or elects not to parry, he is treated as having automatically rolled a Failure.

Success Levels and Combat Manoeuvres

After both sides have rolled for attack and defence, compare the success levels of the attack and parry Skill Tests. Differences in levels of success are calculated by how many steps lie between the two. In other words, if both combatants roll a critical, then the difference between them is 0.

The Levels of Success table summarises the differences in success levels depending on the attacker and defender’s rolls.

Gaining a level of success over an opponent allows the combatant to perform an opportunistic Combat Manoeuvre. Combat Manoeuvres can be used to put down an opponent quickly, or render them helpless in some other way. These are fun to use, encourage tactical thinking and encourage the adoption of less lethal combat resolution.

Levels of Success

Attacker's Roll
Critical Success Failure Fumble
Defender's
Roll

Critical — Defender gets 1 Defender gets 2 Defender gets 3
Success Attacker gets 1 — Defender gets 1 Defender gets 2
Failure Attacker gets 2 Attacker gets 1 — —
Fumble Attacker gets 3 Attacker gets 2 — —

For example, an attacker rolling a critical success against the defender’s success gives the attacker a level of success and therefore 1 Combat Manoeuvre. A defender rolls a success against an attacker’s fumble giving the defender two levels of success and therefore 2 Combat Manoeuvres. For each level of success over their opponent, the winner selects a Combat Manoeuvre from either the Offensive or Defensive list, depending on whether the winner was attacking or defending. So, for example, if the defender beats the attacker by two levels of success, then he chooses two manoeuvres.

Some of the choices are common to both attack and defence – Damage Weapon, for example - whilst others are specific to either attack or defence. Some manoeuvres are also specific to a particular type or weapon; and, some manoeuvres are only available if the winner of the outcome has rolled a critical success.

The Combat Manoeuvre chosen must be selected before any damage and/or Hit Location is rolled.

Some manoeuvres can be stacked. For instance, a successful attacker with two levels of success could choose Maximise Damage twice rather than choosing two separate offensive manoeuvres.

Combat Manoeuvres Summary Table

Offensive Manoeuvres Defensive Manoeuvres
Bash Opponent Blind Opponent^2
Bleed Change Range^1
Bypass Armour^2 Damage Weapon^1
Bypass Parry^3 Disarm Opponent^1
Change Range^1 Enhance Parry^3
Choose Location Overextend Opponent^3
Damage Weapon^1 Pin Weapon^2
Disarm Opponent^1 Redirect Blow
Grip Regain Footing
Impale Riposte
Maximise Damage2, 3 Slip Free
Stun Location Stand Fast
Sunder Take Weapon
Tangle Trip Opponent^1
Trip Opponent^1 —

(^1) Both an Offensive and Defensive Manoeuvre. (^2) This manoeuvre can only be selected if the winner of the outcome has rolled a critical success. (^3) This manoeuvre is stackable.

Offensive Combat Manoeuvres

Bash opponent – Attacks can be used to deliberately bash the opponent off balance. The recipient is forced backwards by one metre for every five points (or fraction thereof) of damage rolled. Bashing works only on creatures up to twice the attacker’s SIZ. The calculation uses the damage value originally rolled by the attacker, before any subtractions due to armour, parries and so forth. If the bash forces the opponent into an obstacle then the recipient must make a Difficult (–20%) Athletics Skill Test to avoid falling prone.

Bleed (Cutting Weapons) – Causes a wound that begins to bleed critically, if the attack overcomes Armour Points and injures the target. The defender must make an opposed roll of Resilience vs. the attacker’s original attack roll. If the defender fails, then a major artery or vein is cut and the wound inflicts a level of Fatigue at the start of each new Combat Round. Bleeding wounds can be stopped by the successful use of the First Aid skill but the recipient can no longer participate in any strenuous or violent action without opening the wound up again. Fatigue levels gained by blood loss remain until sufficient time has passed for the body to recover.

Bypass armour (Critical Success Only) – The blow finds a gap in the defender’s protection.

This counts against worn armour or the natural skin/fur/shell of creatures. If striking a target that has both natural protection and wearing armour, then the attacker must decide which one is bypassed. Physical protection gained from magic is considered as being worn armour.

Bypass parry – The defender’s parrying weapon is treated as being one size level less. For example, Alaric uses Bypass Parry against a troll champion he is fighting. The troll is parrying with a glaive (size Large). This means that, for the purposes of parrying, the troll’s glaive is treated as size Medium for countering Alaric’s attack. Change range – Allows the Adventurer to freely change the engagement range between himself and the opponent. This can be used to select a more favourable distance for a particular weapon, or even to disengage from the fight completely if desired (see Weapon Reach ).

Choose location – The attacker may freely select the location where the blow lands, as long as that location is normally within reach.

Damage weapon (Attack and Defence) – The opponent’s weapon is damaged. The winner rolls the damage for his weapon and applies it to his opponent’s. The opponent’s weapon uses its own Armour Points for resisting the damage. If reduced to zero Hit Points the weapon breaks.

Disarm opponent (Attack and Defence) – The opponent must roll an opposed test of his Combat Skill vs. the original attack roll (if the attacker won) or the original parry roll (if the defender won). If the recipient of the disarm fails, he loses his weapon. Two handed or entangling weapon wielders may add a bonus of +20% to their skill for this check. Disarming works only on creatures of up to twice the attacker’s STR. If the attacker has a hand free, he can grab the opponent’s weapon on a successful Disarm.

Entangle (Entangling Weapons Only) – Weapons such as whips or nets immobilise the location struck. If an arm, the target cannot use whatever he is holding; if a leg the target cannot manoeuvre; if the head, chest or abdomen the target suffers a –20% penalty to all activity. On his next action the wielder may spend a Combat Action to make an automatic Trip Opponent attempt. An entangled opponent can attempt to break free by either pulling the entangling weapon away from the wielder with Disarm Opponent , escaping with Slip Free, or cut himself free using Damage weapon.

Grip (Unarmed) – As for Pin Weapon but requires that the limb used is not holding anything.

Being gripped prevents an opponent from disengaging by use of the Evade skill. Breaking free requires the spending of a CA and winning an Opposed Test of the Unarmed skill.

Impale (Thrusting Weapons Only) – Weapons such as spears or daggers may impale. Impaling weapons may roll damage twice with the attacker choosing which damage result to use for the attack. If armour is penetrated and damage results, then the attacker has the option of leaving the weapon in the wound, or to yank it free. Leaving the weapon in the wound inflicts a skill penalty; –10% per size category of the weapon (for example, –10% for small weapons such as arrows or daggers, –20% for medium weapons and so on). Successfully withdrawing an impaled weapon during melee costs a Combat Action and requires a successful Brawn roll. This causes further injury to the same location equal to the normal damage roll for that weapon but without any Damage Modifier. Armour does not reduce withdrawal damage. Whilst it remains impaled, the attacker cannot use his impaling weapon for parrying.

Maximise damage (Critical Success Only) – One of the weapon’s dice automatically does maximum damage. For example a warsword, which normally does 1D8 damage, would instead be treated as an 8 whereas a greatsword with 2D8 damage would inflict 1D8+8 damage. This does not affect the Damage Modifier of the attacker, which must be rolled separately.

Stun Location (Bludgeon Weapons, Attacker Only) – Weapons such as maces, hammers and so on, can temporarily numb the location struck. The defender must roll an opposed test of his Resilience vs. the original attack roll. If the defender fails, then a limb is rendered useless, a torso blow causes the foe to stagger winded (may only defend), or a head shot renders the foe unconscious. The duration of incapacitation is equal, in Combat Actions, to the damage that penetrated the armour. If no damage penetrated, then the impact was insufficient to stun.

Sunder (Two-handed Weapons, Attacker Only) – Damages armour worn by the opponent.

Apply the weapon damage (after reductions for parrying or magic) against the AP value of the armour. Any surplus damage in excess of the AP is then used to reduce the AP value of that armour location. If any damage remains after the armour has been reduced to zero AP, it carries over onto the Hit Points of the location struck. This effect may also be used on the natural armour of creatures, as the blow opens up a horrific gash in their hide, smashes chitin and so forth.

Trip opponent (Attack and Defence) – The opponent must roll an Opposed Test of Evade vs.

the original attack roll (if the attacker won) or the original parry roll (if the defender won). If the opponent fails, he falls prone. Quadruped opponents may substitute their Athletics skill for Evade and gain a +20% bonus to their skill for this test.

Defensive Combat Manoeuvres

Blind Opponent (Critical Success Only) – The defender somehow blinds his opponent. It could be kicked sand or dust, thrown clothes, sunlight glancing off the shield, or some other manoeuvre that manages to blur the attacker’s vision. The Attacker makes an Opposed Test of his Evade skill (or Weapon style if using a shield) against the Defender’s original Parry roll. If the attacker fails he cannot attack for 1D3 CA.

Enhance parry – The size of the parrying weapon is treated as one step larger for the sake of blocking damage.

Overextend opponent – Opponent cannot attack on his next Strike Rank.

Pin Weapon (Critical Success Only) – Prevents the opponent from using the pinned weapon or shield, until he spends a CA to wrestle or manoeuvre the weapon free. This requires an Opposed Test of combat skills, the winner of which can free their weapon, or continue the pin as desired.

If the Adventurer with the pinned weapon desires, he may substitute Brawn for his Combat Skill. Whilst pinned, the item may not be used for attack or defence and the foe can only avoid an attack by using a weapon in his other hand, disengaging completely (using the Evade skill) or by switching Combat Style.

Redirect blow – The Defender redirects the attack so that it strikes him in a different location, as long as that location is within reach of the Attacker. The Defender cannot avoid the damage; he merely chooses where it will land.

Regain Footing – A prone or similarly disadvantaged Defender uses the momentum of the attack to roll back up to their feet, or grasps the Attacker’s extended limb or weapon to pull himself upright.

Riposte – The Defender uses a CA to make an immediate counter attack with one of his defending weapons or shield.

Take Weapon (Unarmed Only) – As for ‘Disarm Opponent’ but only when using Unarmed skill. If successful, the Defender ends up with the Attacker’s weapon in his own hands.

Slip Free – An Entangled , Gripped or Pinned character may break the hold on himself or his weapon.

Stand Fast – Skilful or braced footwork allows the defender to avoid the Knockback effects of any damage received.

Combat Manoeuvres – Optional Rule

Each time that a specific tactic is repeated during a fight, the opponent gains an additional 10% bonus to his next roll in the combat against the repetitive combatant – be that an opposed roll to resist the manoeuvre, or their next attack or parry roll. This reflects the advantage gained by the opponent recognising and taking advantage of the increasingly predictable strategy. The bonus is cumulative and does not reset until the fight (against that particular opponent) ends, even if other tactics are interspersed during the combat.

Close Combat Situations

Various modifiers may be applied when using a weapon, or as the result of a Combat Manoeuvre, as shown on the Situational Modifiers table. These modifiers are applied to attacking, parrying and evading equally. The skill modifier applies directly to the skill in question and multiple modifiers stack.

Close Combat Situational Modifiers

Situation Skill Modifier
Target is helpless Automatic Critical Hit
Target surprised +20%
Target prone or attacked from behind +20%
Attacking or defending while prone –20%
Attacking or defending while on unstable ground –20%
Attacking in a confined situation (for example, a right-handed
swordsman hard up against a wall on his right side)

–10%

Defending while on lower ground or against mounted foe –20%
Fighting in partial darkness –20%
Fighting in darkness –40%
Fighting while blind or in pitch black –60%

The following tactics and circumstances also affect Close Combat. Each has its own guidelines to reflect the action being undertaken.

Cover

If a target is in cover or partially covered by an object (such as a wall, door or fence), any attack that hits a covered location will instead hit the object. See Inanimate Objects on page 91. Cover affects both Ranged and Close Combat attacks.

The normal way of negating cover is to use the Choose Location Combat Manoeuvre to aim at the visible parts of the target – or to strike through the cover if the weapon is capable of penetrating it.

If the cover is total but the attacker knows his attack will penetrate the cover, he cannot use Choose Location to target a specific location and must rely on randomly determining a location (using 1D20) as per normal. In addition, the attacker suffers a –40% penalty to his attack. Note that this only applies where the Attacker:

• Is 100% certain that the target is behind the cover.
• The cover is not so extensive as to permit the target to move freely behind it.

Thus, a target lurking behind a bush can still be attacked, even though the attacker might not be able to see his quarry. However a target behind a lengthy hedgerow is completely obscured and the attack will automatically fail.

Evading

Some attacks such as missile fire, destructive spells, charging creatures or even dragon’s breath, can be very difficult to avoid. In these circumstances all an Adventurer can do is hurl himself to the ground, or dive behind cover to escape the effects.

Evasion attempts are always treated as Opposed Tests, pitting the relevant attack skill against the Evade skill of the Defender. If the Attacker wins then inflict damage as normal. If the Defender wins damage is completely avoided. Whatever the result, the evasive gambit momentarily places the Defender at a disadvantage as he regains his balance, preventing him from performing an attack with the CA available on their next Strike Rank.

If the winner of the Opposed Test achieves one or more levels of success over his opponent, the result of the roll may be modified by applicable Combat Manoeuvres as per normal combat.

Some circumstances prevent a character from evading:

• The Adventurer is helpless or prone.

• There is nowhere to evade to (balancing on a rope above a lake of lava, for example).

• A mounted Adventurer may evade only by rolling out of the saddle, automatically dismounting.

If an Adventurer is facing a close combat attack against which he has no applicable defence – either because his weapon has been broken, dropped or because the attacking weapon is simply too big to successfully parry – then he may choose to defend himself by using Evade. However, using Evade as a melee defence involves giving ground or leaping aside, placing the Defender at a disadvantage.

Knockback

Any attack which causes more damage than the SIZ of the recipient automatically results in a knockback. The recipient must immediately make an Athletics test to avoid falling prone from the force of the blow. He is also shoved one metre for each five points of damage (or fraction thereof) exceeding the target’s SIZ. This calculation uses the original damage roll before subtractions due to parrying and armour.

Note that Knockback is different than the Bash Combat Manoeuvre. A Bash is a deliberate tactic based on timing and technique, whereas a Knockback is the accidental side effect of awesomely powerful blows. The former is not directly affected by SIZ, whereas the latter is.

Leaping Attacks

Some creatures leap upon their targets in order to knock them prone. A leaping attack requires a Combat Action to initiate, using an Opposed Test of the creature’s Athletics skill against the Defender’s Evade skill. The Defender may also Parry with a shield if he has one ready. If the leaper wins the test then the Defender is knocked prone and cannot recover his feet for the next 1D3 Combat Actions. Otherwise he suffers no other damage. If the Defender is a quadruped, then it may substitute Athletics for Evade and gain a +20% bonus to roll to avoid falling over.

A leaping attack only affects targets less than twice the SIZ of the Attacker.

Mounted Combat

Whilst mounted, the combat skills of a warrior cannot exceed the value of the Ride skill.

However, the warrior gains the following benefits:

• A mounted warrior rolls a 1D10+10 for Hit Location if using a small or medium weapon.

• Using a CA the rider may substitute either his own Combat Style or Ride skill instead of his mount’s, to defend the mount against attacks.

• The warrior may add the SIZ of his mount to his own for the purposes of avoiding Knockback, as long as he can make a successful unopposed Ride Skill Test.

• He can use the Damage Modifier of his mount instead of his own when charging with a braced weapon. A weapon braced for a charging attack cannot be used for defence until the charge has been completed. Weapons which impale during a charge remain in the body of their target and will be lost if the mount continues past (See Charging).

Multiple Opponents

No penalties are suffered if facing multiple opponents. The inherent disadvantage occurs simply in the fact that the combatant will become swamped by his enemies and run out of Combat Actions for parrying before his attackers run out of attacks. An attack against an opponent who cannot parry treats the Defender, by default, as having automatically failed their roll.

If outnumbered in an environment where movement is still possible (not pinned against a wall or forced into a corner, for example), a Defender may expend a Combat Acton to outmanoeuvre his foes for the remainder of that round. The attackers participate in a single (group) Opposed roll matching their Evade skill against the Evade skill of the Defender. Those who fail to beat the Defender cannot attack that round, as they become blocked by the position of their allies. Those opponents who win against the Defender may freely attack as per normal. Unless the Defender wishes to disengage entirely and run away, the number of opponents cannot be reduced to less than one.

An example of how this works in practice would be a swashbuckler using the tables, chairs, stairs and chandeliers in a tavern to block his multiple foes, whilst he whittles them away one-by-one.

Multiple Opponents – Optional Rule

Constant manoeuvring in combat is extremely exhausting. At the end of each round it occurs, the Defender must make an Opposed roll of Athletics versus the best Athletics skill of the attackers. If failed, the Defender gains a new level of fatigue. Eventually even the greatest fighters can be worn down.

Pulled Blows

Sometimes an Adventurer wants to hurt or incapacitate, but not maim or kill, his opponent.

By using Pulled Blows, which also includes using the flat of a blade, as well as limiting the force applied, the Adventurer can deliberately halve the damage inflicted for a successful hit.

The Adventurer must declare that he is pulling a blow before making the attack; otherwise the damage is applied as per a normal attack.

Surprise

Surprise is gained when one side in a combat manages to launch an attack without the other side being aware of the intention and is thus unprepared for it. A carefully staged ambush is the most common situation for surprise to occur but there will be other circumstances.

A surprised Adventurer is one who:

• Has completely failed to notice an impending attack through a Perception roll.

• Is attacked when completely unprepared (asleep, perhaps, or absorbed with another activity).

In these circumstances modifiers to combat rolls reflecting the surprised Adventurer’s status (a –20% penalty for a freshly awoken and groggy character, for example) may apply.

The effects of surprise are as follows:

• The surprised party suffers an immediate –10 to his Initiative for this round of combat. For the following round Initiative is determined as normal.

• The surprised party is only able to use CA to defend against attacks (not make them), including Evading, for this round, and can only use CA in response to attacks made after his own Strike Rank.

Unarmed Combat

Adventurers or creatures who can reach an opponent with their natural weapons may use their Unarmed skill interchangeably with any other weapon style they may be using. Punches, kicks, head-butts and all other Unarmed attacks do 1D3 points of damage.

Users who succeed in an opposed unarmed attack may either: inflict damage, establish a grapple, or break free. Grappling can only occur if the appendage being used is empty and capable of gripping. The effects of a grapple depend on the location held. Grappling a limb prevents that limb being used to attack, defend or move. Grappling the head or torso inflicts a –20% penalty to all activity attempted by the victim. Combatants with a poor unarmed combat skill may instead substitute their Brawn skill to maintain or break free of grapples.

Once the grapple is established it continues automatically until the grappler lets go or the opponent breaks free. Whilst the hold is maintained, on his Strike Rank the grappler may make unarmed attacks to inflict damage on the location held, by gauging, twisting, crushing or strangulating the location. The Defender may oppose with his Unarmed or Brawn skill in order to reduce or block the damage.

Unusual Combat Conditions

Whilst climbing an Adventurer’s Combat Skill cannot exceed the value of his Athletics skill.

Bipedal Adventurers may only use a single limb to attack or defend, requiring the others to cling to the surface they are scaling.

Whilst swimming an Adventurer’s Combat Skill cannot exceed the value of his Swimming skill.

Only thrusting weapons capable of impaling can be used successfully when immersed in water and those will only inflict half damage. All other weapons are impotent. Natural attacks which involve ramming, biting or strangulation are unaffected.

Weapon Reach – Closing and Disengaging

Weapon Reach, Closing and Disengaging are optional rules for those desiring more realistic combat. Roughly speaking, a weapon has a reach equivalent to its size. In circumstances where the size of combatants’ weapons are different in length by two or more steps, then the wielder with the shorter reach cannot directly attack the opponent with the longer reach. They are, quite simply, out of range.

The threat of longer reach is one of the advantages granted by two handed weapons, offsetting some of the benefits lost by not using a shield. The only method of overcoming this situation is if the wielder with the shorter reach closes on their opponent.

Although a combatant may be out of range, unable to hit their opponent, they can reverse the situation by the use of Combat Manoeuvres… such as endeavouring to disarm or damage the opponent’s weapon; or by changing the engagement distance.

In the case of huge monsters using unarmed combat, the appendage being used to strike with can be targeted directly and in this case there are no hindrances to counter attack it.

Closing

An Adventurer whose reach is two sizes less than their opponent, needs to actively close into Close Combat range, otherwise remain unable to strike at them. Closing on an opponent requires a Combat Action (if not taking advantage of a Combat Manoeuvre) and requires the opponent to decide whether he wishes to counter the closing action, or whether to strike at the closer instead. Either option uses a Combat Action.

If the opponent decides to counter the closing action, then the closer and the opponent make an Opposed Test using their Evade skills. The winner either closes or maintains distance as desired.

However, if the opponent decides to use the closing action to take an attack instead, then the opponent resists the Evade Opposed Test with his Combat Skill. Whether or not he is hit, the closer succeeds in reaching Close Combat distance.

Once within the reach of the opponent’s weapon, the advantage switches to the wielder of the shorter weapon. The opponent now cannot parry with his weapon until he reopens the distance.

Disengaging

Adventurers that have been closed upon by opponents with a shorter reach are at a serious tactical disadvantage. Their only escape is to disengage from combat and in so doing, restore the original range between them. This works in exactly the same manner as Closing. To disengage requires a Combat Action (again, if not taking advantage of a Combat Manoeuvre) and the opponent must decide whether he wants to remain in Close Combat distance, or whether to take an attack at the disengaging combatant instead. Either option also requires a Combat Action to use.

If the opponent decides to remain in close combat, then the disengaging combatant and the opponent make an Opposed Test using their Evade skills. The winner of the contest either retreats or maintains distance as desired. However, if the opponent decides to use the disengaging action to take a free attack instead, he resists the Evade Opposed Test with his combat skill.

Whether or not the blow lands, the disengagement succeeds and the advantage returns to the combatant with the longer reach.

Ranged Attacks

Ranged weapons include bows, slings and thrown melee weapons such as spears and daggers.

Just as with close combat, ranged combat participants use the skill or style associated with their ranged weapon to attempt a successful attack – as long as they are within range of the target.

Ranged attacks can usually only be parried by shields: Defenders lacking a shield have the option to dive for cover using Evade (see page 136). What this means is that, unless an opponent can take evasive action or parry, an aAttacker using a ranged weapon has an immediate advantage because attacks that are undefended automatically gain the aAttacker an appropriate Combat Manoeuvre. This is a deliberate design mechanic highlighting the potential lethality of ranged weapons in the hands of a competent warrior.

Certain specific notes concerning ranged attacks are as follows:

Aiming

By increasing the amount of time spent in aiming a missile weapon, an Adventurer can increase his chance to hit. For every Combat Action that an Adventurer spends aiming, he gains a bonus

to his Ranged Weapon skill equal to his critical range (10%) in that skill. For example, Alaric

has 3 CA and has Sling 46%. By aiming for two CA he would gain two additional +5% bonuses, taking his chance to hit to 56%.

Loading Ranged Weapons

When a ranged weapon is readied, it is either in hand (for throwing weapons) or loaded (for bows and other projectile weapons). While readying most ranged weapons takes only a single Combat Action, others may take more. The number of Combat Actions it takes to load a ranged weapon is listed in its statistical entry in the Ranged Weapons table, page 109.

Ranged Attack Situational Modifiers

Situation Skill Modifier
Wind^1
Light wind –5%
Moderate wind –10%
Strong wind –50%
Gale force and above Attack
automatically fails
Target Movement^1
Target has moved 10m or more since attacker's last Combat Action –10%
Target has moved 30m or more since attacker's last Combat Action –20%
Target Visibility^1
Target obscured by smoke, mist or is in partial darkness –20%
Target obscured by thick smoke, fog or is in darkness –40%
Target Size^1
Per 1 SIZ target is under SIZ 5 –10%
Per 10 SIZ target is above SIZ 20 +10%
Target Condition^1
Target is helpless +10%
Target is completely obscured Automatic Failure
Target prone –20%
Attacker Condition
Attacker is prone –20%
Attacker is underwater –40%
Attacker is on unstable ground –20%
Attacker is blinded Automatic failure

(^1) Modifiers within these sections are not cumulative. However, modifiers from different sections are cumulative. Therefore, shooting at a target within a mist that has moved more than 10m since the Attacker’s last Combat Action imparts a –30% penalty.

(^2) Attacker condition modifiers are cumulative.

Damage Modifier

If an Adventurer’s Damage Modifier can be applied to the damage of a ranged weapon, this is stipulated in that weapon’s entry on the Ranged Weapons table in the Equipment chapter.

Firing into a Crowd

When firing a ranged weapon into a crowd, Close Combat or any group where the target is adjacent to one or more other potential targets, there is always a chance the Attacker will hit someone other than the target he was aiming at.

When firing into a crowd, the Games Master should determine which locations of the target have cover from the ranged attack. The ranged attack is then resolved as normal for a target behind cover (see page 136).

If a covered location is hit by the attack, the firer has hit one of the individuals adjacent to the target (the Games Master will decide who). The accidental target may try to evade or parry this attack as normal. If the attack damages the accidental target, roll the Hit Location randomly.

If the accidental target successfully evades a ranged attack, the projectile continues on its original path and may strike the intended target. The intended target may also attempt to evade or parry the attack as normal.

Firing on the Move

Ranged weapons can be used from horseback or chariots but the chance of success cannot exceed the Attacker’s skill with either Ride or Drive, as appropriate. If an Attacker is running then his attack percentage cannot exceed his Athletics skill. Ranged attacks may not be used if the attacker himself (rather than a mount) is charging.

Impaling Ranged Attacks

An Adventurer that impales an enemy with a Ranged attack (a thrown spear or fired arrow) obviously does not have the option of immediately attempting to yank out the projectile.

Range

A target within the weapon’s Range may be attacked without penalty. A target within double the weapon’s Range may be attacked but the Attacker’s effective Weapon skill is halved (before other modifiers are applied). Attacks against targets beyond the weapon’s Range automatically fail.

Full-Round Manoeuvres

Some manoeuvres take up almost all of an Adventurer’s effort and attention in combat. An Adventurer who makes a Full-Round Manoeuvre must dedicate all but one of his Combat Actions for the round to the manoeuvres (usually moving). Full-round manoeuvres must be declared when the Adventurer first acts in the round.

Full-round manoeuvres include:

• Charging (below): The Adventurer moves a total of 3x his normal Movement and attacks along the way. During the round, all the Adventurer’s Combat Actions but one must be spent on Move, but in each action he moves up to 2x his normal Movement.

• Sprinting (see page 93): The Adventurer moves up to 5x his normal Movement. During the round, all the Adventurer’s Combat Actions but one must be spent on Move but in each action he moves up to 3x his normal Movement.

_For example, Alaric is in the middle of a pitched battle between his clan and another band of barbarians.

He is currently unengaged with any particular foe as the battle swirls around him. In the distance, he sees Thrace being menaced by a trio of foes. Alaric decides to sprint to his friend’s side. At the start of the next round, when it is Alaric’s turn to act, he declares that he will spend this round Sprinting. Alaric’s movement allowance for this round increases to 40m (5x his normal Movement of 8m). For his first Combat Action, Alaric moves 16m. For his second, he moves 16m. He still has one Combat Action left, and as he has spent all but one of his Combat Actions on moving and thus fulfilled the requirements for Sprinting, he can spend this last Combat Action to move 8m and make a sling attack on his foes._

Charging

Charging gains a number of benefits but is subject to a number of additional rules:

• During the round in which he charges, all of the Adventurer’s Combat Actions but one must be spent on Move, but in each action he moves up to 2x his normal Movement.

• During a charge a bipedal creature improves its Damage Modifier by one step. Quadruped creatures improve their Damage Modifier by two steps. For example, a charging horse with a Damage Modifier of +1D6 would improve its Damage Modifier to +1D10.

• The recipient of a charge has the choice of either standing firm to receive the charge, or attempting to evade the charge.

• Standing firm allows the recipient the opportunity to strike at the charging opponent but he will potentially suffer the brunt of the charge attack, usually resulting in serious damage and/or knockback. If the opponent is mounted they might also face a potential further attack from the mount or be trampled by it. Unlike normal initiative, whichever combatant has the longest reach attacks first (see Weapon Reach ).

• Evading the charge permits the recipient to make an Opposed Test of his Evade skill verses the charging opponent’s attack skill or Combat Style (as required). If the recipient wins he throws himself completely clear of the charging opponent (and the mount if they are riding one). If he loses he is instead caught at an inopportune moment and is treated as being defenceless. Using Evade prevents the recipient from making a counter attack.

• If the recipient possesses a long shafted impaling weapon (such as a two handed spear or polearm) he may set it against the charge and use the Damage Modifier of the charging opponent (or its mount if the opponent is riding) instead of his own.

• Any charge made against a static formation of defenders, which does not inflict Knockback on the target, staggers the charging creature into immobility. The charger can also be stopped if one of its legs is incapacitated (assuming it does not have six or more legs!).

• A mounted Adventurer has the choice of continuing (if he has enough movement left to get clear of the enemy’s Weapon Reach) after the Combat Action or stopping. If the charging Adventurer is on foot, then the defender may choose to let the charger continue; if he does not, then the charger is now engaged with the Defender and must stop moving.

• If the charging creature continues, the charge only allows a single Combat Action for the Attacker, their mount (if combat capable) and the Defender during that round, because the speed of the charging creature carries it clear of the engagement zone. The recipient of a charge may not make a further ‘Free’ Attack if the charger continues past and away, since charging is different from disengaging.

• If the charging creature stops, he is now engaged in Close Combat with his opponent.

Treat Flyby Attacks the same as Charging.

Damage and Wound Levels

If an attack strikes successfully, it causes damage according to the damage rating for the weapon (see the statistical entries for Close Combat and Ranged weapons in the Equipment chapter, pages 101 and 107). A shortsword, for instance, inflicts 1D6 damage.

The rolled damage for the weapon or attack is modified in the following ways:

• Add or subtract the Damage Modifier for the Adventurer making the attack.

• Modify the damage from any weapon enhancing (or reducing) magic.

• If parried, reduce the damage appropriately.

If a Hit Location is armoured (physically and/or magically), subtract the Armour Points value.

Hit Locations

A successful attack damages a specific Hit Location. To determine which location has been hit, roll 1D20 and compare the number rolled with the Humanoid Hit Location table.

Humanoid Hit Locations

1D20 Hit Location
1–3 Right Leg
4–6 Left Leg
7–9 Abdomen
10–12 Chest
13–15 Right Arm
16–18 Left Arm
19–20 Head

Some unusual creatures have slightly different Hit Location tables to reflect their own unique physiology. Such creatures have their modified Hit Location tables listed with their description.

If the damage inflicted by the attack is above zero, then the Hit Location sustains that amount of damage, with the damage total being immediately removed from the location’s Hit Points. Note how many Hit Points the location has remaining and the wound category that results.

Use the following rules if a location receives a Serious or Major wound. Note that wounds requiring Resilience checks must test them in an Opposed Test against the value of the original attack roll. This reflects the ability of highly skilled warriors to make more deadly strikes.

Resilience rolls are not repeated unless the location is wounded again.

Minor Wound (Hit Location has positive Hit Points)

Minor wounds are cuts, scratches, bruises and contusions. They hurt, they may bleed but are not significant enough to slow down or hamper the victim.

Serious Wound (Hit Location is Zero Hit Points or

Below)

If a location is reduced to zero Hit Points or below, the victim receives a Serious Wound. The location is permanently scarred and the victim cannot attack (but can still parry or evade) for the next 1D3 Combat Actions due to being stunned or distracted by the pain of the wound.

An Adventurer suffering a Serious Wound to a limb must immediately make an Opposed Test of his Resilience versus the successful attack roll of his enemy. Failure results in the limb being rendered useless, until the location is restored to positive Hit Points. If a leg, the victim drops prone. If an arm, he drops whatever he is holding unless the object is strapped on (use common sense here).

An Adventurer suffering a Serious Wound to the Abdomen, Chest or Head must immediately make an Opposed Test of his Resilience versus the successful attack roll of his enemy. Failure results in unconsciousness for a number of minutes equal to the amount of damage sustained in the attack causing the Serious Wound. First Aid or Healing skills can be used to help an unconscious victim regain consciousness but he will not be able to rejoin any combat until he has received further healing to the Seriously Wounded location.

Major Wound (Hit Location has lost twice its starting

Hit Points)

If a location is reduced to a negative score equal or greater than it’s starting Hit Points, the Adventurer receives a Major Wound. The location is permanently maimed and the Adventurer is immediately incapacitated, unable to continue fighting.

A limb is considered to be severed, transfixed, shattered or ripped off by a Major Wound. The Adventurer drops prone, physically incapacitated and must immediately make an Opposed Test of Resilience versus the successful attack roll of his enemy. Failure results in unconsciousness from the agony. If a severed, punctured or ripped-off location is not treated within a number of minutes equal to the Adventurer’s CON+POW, the Adventurer dies from blood loss and shock.

The victim of a Major Wound to the Abdomen, Chest or Head drops unconscious, totally incapacitated and must immediately make an Opposed Test of Resilience versus the successful attack roll of his enemy. Failure results in an instant and gratuitous death (decapitated, chopped in half, impaled through the heart, torn apart and so forth). If he survives and the location is not treated within a number of rounds equal to half the Adventurer’s CON+POW, he still dies from blood loss and shock.

Since most Major Wounds require some form of surgery or major magic to heal, the sufferer will be very unlikely to recover from a major wound in time to rejoin combat.

Heroic Last Actions

In special cases where key Adventurers receive a Major Wound, the Games Master might allow a heroic last action – such as spitting out one last spell, attempting to cut down their slayer, crawling away to hide, or trying to tourniquet their own wound. They must have working limbs applicable to the action and burn a Hero Point. They get a single opportunity to attempt their desire and then immediately collapse into unconsciousness and probable death.

Optional Combat Rules For Non-Player

Characters

One of the most time consuming elements of handling Non-Player Characters (NPCs), such as monsters, enemies and so on is keeping track of locational Hit Points during a fight, especially where several NPCs are involved. This can become confusing and often slows-down a game considerably. Legend offers are several optional ways of dealing with this issue.

General Hit Points

First, reserve locational Hit Points for major villains and enemies. For all other foes, use General Hit Points instead. General Hit Points are calculated on the average of the CON and SIZ Characteristics, rather than on their sum. So, a foe with CON 12 and SIZ 16 would have 14 Hit Points (12+16, divided by 2).

• Every NPC has a ‘Critical Wound’ rating equal to half the General Hit Points (rounded up).

Thus, in our example, a foe with 14 HP has a Critical Wound rating of 7.

• Weapon damage is removed directly from the Hit Point total. When Hit Points reach zero, the NPC must make a Resilience test to remain conscious. If the test is successful a Resilience test must be made every combat round until Hit Points are brought up to 1 or more. If the NPC loses consciousness, death results within a number of Combat Actions equal to the Critical Wound value, unless Hit Points are brought up to 1 HP or more.

• If General Hit Points are reduced to a negative amount equal to the Critical Wound rating or more death is instantaneous. In our example, if the foe sustains 14 or more points of damage, he dies automatically.

• If the NPC suffers a single wound that exceeds his Critical Wound rating in one blow, the Games Master may make a roll on the Critical Wound table to determine what additional effects are suffered. The armour value being worn is subtracted from the D20 roll.

• If the blow inflicted by the Adventurer is a Critical Hit, add the damage to the 1D20 roll.

• In addition to the effects detailed in the Critical Wound table, the target always receives an impressive-looking scar as a permanent reminder of the experience.

NPC Critical Wound Table

1D20 Critical Wound Category Game Effects
01–02 Dazed Target cannot attack for 1D3 Combat Actions.
03–04 Target knocked back 1 metre and Dazed.
05–06 Target knocked prone and Dazed.
07 Target Dazed and must make a Resilience test to
avoid being knocked unconscious.
08–09 Stunned Target forfeits 1D3 Combat Actions.
10–11 Target knocked back 1 metre and Stunned.
12–13 Target knocked down and Stunned.
14 Target Stunned and must make a Resilience test to
avoid being knocked unconscious.
15 Arm Disabled Target's arm is disabled (broken or paralysed).
Target is Dazed and anything held by that arm is
dropped.
16 Leg Disabled Target's leg is disabled (broken or paralysed). Target
is Dazed and falls prone.
17 Abdominal Injury Target Stunned. Must make a Resilience test to
avoid death and spilling intestines over the floor.
18 Chest Injury Target Stunned. Must make a Resilience test to
avoid death and coughing up gouts of blood.
19 Head Injury Target Stunned. Must make a Resilience test to
avoid death from a slashed throat, thrust through
eye and so forth.
20 Fatal Injury A vital location is struck (heart, throat, brain and so
on) and target dies instantly!

Example: Alaric is battling a broo. The broo has 12 General Hits Points and wears 3 points of armour. On the first blow Alaric hits and inflicts 7 points of damage (after armour has been taken into account), which exceeds the broo’s Critical Wound level of 6. The Games Master rolls 1D20 and scores 13. This is reduced to 10, taking into account the broo’s armour. The broo is dazed (losing its next Combat Action) and needs to make a Resilience test (which it does) to avoid unconsciousness. On the next blow Alaric again scores a hit, delivering a further 5 points of damage. The broo is now reduced to zero Hit Points. Since it has been reduced to zero Hit Points it must make another Resilience roll or fall unconscious. This time it fails and Alaric spends his next action to give it a coup-de-grace.

Underlings

Underlings are competent but inconsequential foes usually sent en-masse to harass Adventurers.

A simple way to handle fights involving lots of underlings is to radically adjust Hit Points to lend the advantage to the Adventurer. Whilst they still have combat abilities and can dispense damage as easily as anyone else (and indeed, they should certainly try), they are there to be sword-fodder for the heroes of the story. If you choose the Underlings option:

• Underlings have a number of Hit Points equal to their CON divided by 2. Damage is sustained as normal, with armour protecting but when Hit Points reach zero, the Underling is dead.

• A Critical hit inflicted by an Adventurer always incapacitates an Underling, rendering it unconscious. No Resilience roll is necessary.

• If half the Underlings’ number is incapacitated, the rest flee.

Use this option only when the Adventurers are facing a ravening horde of relatively inconsequential adversaries which are, to all intents and purposes, completely expendable. Competent NPCs and major villains should be treated differently.

Alaric’s Tale – The Goblin Fight

This part of Alaric’s Tale continues the description of the battle with the three goblins, picking- up after Initiative and Combat Actions have been determined. The example uses the full combat rules and does not use the Optional Combat Rules from page 146.

Our heroes are facing three angry goblins.

Alaric is armed with a short spear (1D8+1damage, Size Medium, Reach Long, 4 AP and 5 HP) and a heater shield (1D4 damage, Size Large). His combat style is Spear and Shield at 80%. As Alaric uses a shield he gains an additional CA, bringing his CA total to 4.

Lilina is armed with a long sword (1D8 damage, used one-handed, Size Medium, Reach Long, 6 AP and 12 HP) and a heater (1D4 damage, Size Large). Her combat style is Sword and Shield at 64%. As she uses a shield she gains a CA, bringing her total to 3.

Thrace is armed with a long spear (1D10+1 damage, , Size Large, Reach Very Long, 4 AP and 10 HP). His Combat Style is Spear 58%. As he uses only one weapon, he gains no additional CA so his CA total remains at 2.

The goblins are armed with short swords (1D6 damage, Size Medium, Reach Short, 6 AP and 8 HP) and bucklers (1D3 damage, Size Medium). They all have the same combat style of Sword and Shield at 50% and gain a CA for this style, bringing their CA total to 3.

Having determined the order of Initiative, by Strike Rank, and knowing how many Combat Actions each participant in the fight has, the first round of combat begins.

The Games Master asks each Adventurer, in Strike Rank order, what they intend to do in this first round of combat. Lilina says she will attack the closest of the three goblins with her sword, defending with her shield. Alaric says he will attack the larger of the goblins, attacking with his spear and defending with his shield. The Games Master states that the three goblins are prepared for a fight and are closing for the attack. Two goblins have singled-out Alaric, as the largest of the humans and one is advancing on Lilina. Thrace says he is intending to try to circle around the group of goblins to try and take the pair attacking Alaric by surprise.

First Combat Round

Lilina acts first on Strike Rank 20 and rolls for her Sword and Shield, scoring 55 – a successful hit. This costs her one of her 3 CA. The goblin attempts a parry, rolling 12 – a successful parry.

There is no difference in the success levels, so neither gains a Combat Manoeuvre; however, Lilina can roll damage, scoring 7 with her 1D8 longsword damage. Her sword is Medium Size and the goblin’s buckler is the same: he counters all Lilina’s damage with his shield and has spent one of his CA doing so. The action now passes to Alaric on Strike Rank 19.

Alaric faces two of the goblins and singles out the meaner-looking of the two for a lunge with his spear, rolling 94 – a miss. This costs him one CA. The goblin was attempting to parry with its buckler and scores 19 – a successful parry. The goblin has one level of success better than Alaric (a successful defence against a failed attack) and so gains a Combat Manoeuvre chosen from the Defensive options. The goblin chooses ‘Trip Opponent’. Alaric is caught by surprise by the goblin’s sudden sidestep and must roll against his Evade skill against the goblin’s original parry of 19 to avoid losing balance. With a 46 Alaric succeeds and easily wins the Opposed Test, thankfully remaining upright. The action now passes to the three goblins on Strike Rank 14.

The goblin facing Lilina has two CA remaining to use this round and makes an attack with its short sword, rolling 39 – a success. Lilina has already said that she is parrying and uses a CA to do so, rolling 69 – a failure. The goblin has thus achieved one level of success over Lilina and can both inflict damage and select a Combat Manoeuvre. The manoeuvre must be chosen before damage is rolled and it opts for Impale. This manoeuvre lets the goblin roll damage twice, taking the best result: it rolls 5 and a 4, so the goblin retains the first roll. He thrusts his sword into Lilina’s right arm (a roll of 13 on 1D20). Lilina’s armour on this location is leather, offering only 1 AP of protection. She therefore takes 4 points of damage to her right arm and, as she only has 3 HP in this location, sustains a Serious Wound (her right arm HP are now –1) and cannot attack for the next 1D3 Combat Actions. However, the Impale result for the goblin allows it to either leave its sword embedded in her arm or withdraw it, causing further damage, if the goblin can succeed in a Brawn roll. This costs it another CA, meaning that it has used all three of its CA for this round but the Brawn roll is a success. The goblin inflicts a further 1D6 damage, with the lucky result of 1, taking Lilina’s right arm down to –2 HP. Her wound level remains at Serious for that location and she must make an Opposed Test of her Resilience against the goblin’s successful attack roll. Her Resilience is 45% and she rolls 53, failing. Her arm is badly injured and drops her long sword from pain, her arm rendered useless until healed.

The action now passes to the two goblins tackling Alaric. The meanest looking goblin has two CA remaining, having parried Alaric’s spear lunge and the other has three CA. Alaric has three CA left this round and will defend against both his foes.

The mean looking goblin slashes with its short sword scoring 53, a miss. Alaric is parrying and so still rolls. His roll is 59, a success, and gains a defensive manoeuvre. He chooses Pin Weapon, slamming his shield onto the goblin’s sword blade and wedging it against the ground. The mean goblin needs to spend a CA to free its weapon but must wait until his Strike Rank comes round again. Until freed, the mean goblin cannot attack with its pinned sword.

The second of the two facing Alaric also lashes out with its short sword. Alaric spends his third CA to parry and fails but fortunately the goblin rolls 00 – a fumble! As neither succeeded in their rolls, Alaric does not get a defensive manoeuvre – but since the goblin has fumbled, it must roll on the Close Combat Fumble table. The 1D20 result is 4 – the goblin’s sword slips from its grasp and lands a metre distant. Although it cannot attack with the sword until it is recovered, it can still use its buckler to hit him instead, if it wishes.

The Initiative moves now to Strike Rank 11 and Thrace, who is yet to act. Thrace asks the Games Master if he has seen what is happening with Lilina and can he do anything about it? The Games Master rules that, as Thrace has not done anything yet and because Lilina is quite close, Thrace can act against the goblin that has injured her. He thus makes an attack against it.

The goblin has spent all its CA for this round and so cannot parry Thrace’s attack. The Games Master also rules that Thrace is coming at the goblin from the side and awards Thrace a +20% bonus for flanking. Thrace now rolls against an adjusted skill of 78% and scores 06 – a critical success! With the goblin’s automatic failure to defend, Thrace has two levels of success, resulting in two Combat Manoeuvres. And, with a critical roll, Thrace can select from those manoeuvres that can only be made on a critical success. Thrace chooses Bypass Armour and Maximise Damage. The first manoeuvre means that the goblin’s scraps of armour, wherever they might be, will not protect it. Maximise Damage ensures Thrace’s long spear will inflict its full 11 points of damage, in addition Thrace also adds his +1D2 Damage Modifier, which he must roll, for a total of 13 damage. The Hit Location he rolls is 11 – Chest. Thrace drives his spear straight between the goblin’s ribs: the amount of damage results in a Major Wound which, for the chest, means the goblin must match its Resilience of 38% against Thrace’s attack score of 06. To survive, the goblin must roll a critical success on its Resilience and gain a higher roll than 06. As this is plainly impossible to do with a 38% Resilience, the goblin screams as Thrace plunges the spear into its heart and dies instantly.

The action has now cycled through each participant in Strike Rank order. The Games Master quickly notes CA remaining for each combatant:

Lilina – 3 CA but has spent two and cannot attack on her next Strike Rank due to her wounded arm. She has one CA remaining in this Combat Round.

Alaric – 4 CA and has used three: one attack and two parries.

Goblins – the one who attacked Lilina is dead. The mean-looking one has its sword pinned to the ground by Alaric’s shield but has one CA remaining. The other goblin who dropped its sword has two CA remaining.

Thrace – has one CA remaining and has saved Lilina in spectacular fashion.

Alaric can now act with his fourth CA. With one goblin pinned and the second weaponless, Alaric thrusts his spear at the mean goblin. The goblin can only parry with its buckler and uses its last CA to defend itself. Alaric rolls 24, a success, and the goblin fails to parry. Alaric receives one Combat Manoeuvre and chooses Impale. He thrusts his spear into the goblin’s abdomen (9 on 1D20). Of the two rolls for damage – 3 on the first and 8 on the second, he naturally chooses the 8 result. His Damage Modifier of +1D2 takes the overall damage to 10 points. With only 2 AP protecting its stomach and 5HP in that location, the goblin is reduced to –3 HP: a Serious Wound. This forces the goblin to immediately make an Opposed Test of its Resilience versus Alaric’s successful attack roll of 24. The goblin’s Resilience is 38% but it fails with a 69, falling unconscious from the shock and pain. The mean goblin is out of the fight.

However the goblin that lost its sword bears down on Alaric and prepares to make an Unarmed Attack. Alaric’s spear is still rammed into the mean goblin’s chest up to its crossbar but since he has no CA remaining he cannot parry anyway. The goblin’s Unarmed is 33% and its scores 09 - a success. Alaric is treated as automatically failing. The goblin selects Disarm Opponent as his offensive manoeuvre and Alaric makes an Opposed Test of his weapon skill against the goblin’s original attack of 09. He rolls 98% and is shocked when his shield is ripped out of his grasp, incidentally taking 2 HP damage to his shield arm from the goblin’s claws! Action moves back to Thrace and his final CA for the round. He sees that Alaric has his spear jammed into a possibly dead goblin whilst being battered by another. He also has enough room to Charge – but he can’t Charge this round, as Charging is a Full-Round Manoeuvre that has to be declared at the start of a round. He could just move up and attack the goblin, but Thrace wants the damage bonus from charging. Instead, he casts a quick Magnitude 2 Bladesharp spell on his spear. As the spell’s casting time is equal to half its Magnitude, it takes only one Combat Action to cast, and gives a +10% bonus to hit and a +2 bonus to damage.

Second Combat Round

Usually Initiative is maintained for a fresh round but given that two goblins are down, and Lilina hurt, the Games Master calls for new Initiative rolls. The outcome is:

Alaric 20 Goblin 18 Thrace 17 Lilina 16

Thus, Alaric acts first.

With a goblin bearing down on him and his spear still stuck, Alaric decides to cast a Dragon Breath spell that he recently learned instead of attacking with a weapon. This Common Magic spell only takes 1 CA to cast and so takes effect, if successful, on this CA. Alaric rolls against his Common Magic of 64% and scores 28 – a success. Alaric’s chest swells and he exudes a burst of flame at the goblin bearing over him. The goblin unwittingly tries to parry this magical fire with its buckler, immediately failing and thus grants Alaric a combat manoeuvre: he chooses Choose Location and directs the burst of fire straight into the goblin’s face. Dragon Breath inflicts 1D10 damage and the result is 3. The goblin is wearing a leather helm which protects for 1 AP, so it sustains only 2 points of damage. It has 4 HP in the head and is thus reduced to 2 – there is the sickly stench of burning skin but the damage is not enough to put the goblin down. Alaric has also just used two Magic Points for the spell.

Now the goblin can act. Angered by the burst of fire it lashes out with its buckler and lands Alaric a critical blow on a roll of 02. Lacking any shield Alaric attempts to parry with his Unarmed Combat Skill but rolls 85 – a failure. The goblin has two levels of success now and chooses Maximise Damage and Bash Opponent. It inflicts 3 points of damage and hits Alaric in the abdomen; the force of the blow, with Bash Opponent, means that Alaric is knocked backwards by a metre; Alaric staggers backwards and as his spear is still lodged in the mean goblin, the Games Master rules that he has been forced to release his grip on it, unless he wants to spend a CA now in making a successful Athletics roll to keep hold. Alaric decides to take the consequences and is sent reeling under the force of the blow. The damage is not enough to seriously hurt him since he has 6 HP in his abdomen; but he will have a nasty bruise.

It is now Thrace’s turn and he is charging. With a blood curdling scream Thrace runs at the goblin, spear levelled. The goblin knowing its buckler cannot stop all the damage from a longspear, uses his last CA in an attempt to dive clear using its Evade of 35%. Thrace rolls 13 – a successful Long Spear check and the goblin rolls 49, failing to avoid the attack. Thrace slams into the goblin and gains a Combat Manoeuvre too. He chooses Choose Location, opting for the head. Because he is charging, Thrace’s Damage Modifier increases by one step from +1D2 to +1D4: his total damage is 6 points for the spear, 3 points for the Damage Modifier and 2 points for his Bladesharp spell. The goblin takes 11 points of total damage to its head, its 1AP helmet reducing it to 10. Already damaged in the head from Alaric’s spell, this is a Major Wound for the goblin and it must make a Resilience roll, opposed by Thrace’s 13 attack, to remain conscious: it rolls 55 and expires with the spear rammed into one eye.

All three goblin are either dead or incapacitated. Lilina’s arm is bleeding badly and Alaric is standing shieldless and weaponless, sore from the punch to the guts but Thrace’s fast thinking and skill with his spear have saved the day. Thrace grins as he cleans his spear tip on the goblin’s rags and names his spear ‘Goblin Smiter’ – The Games Master likes the touch and awards Thrace a Hero Point for his actions. Alaric goes over to the injured Lilina and prepares to heal her wounded arm…