Combat

Violence is a daily occurrence in the World of Exterminis. While warriors are the undisputed masters of combat, all heroes who wish to survive in the brutal World of Exterminis should learn how to protect themselves and dispatch their enemies effectively.

Combat Resolution

When combat begins, the first step is to determine who goes first. This is called Determining Initiative. The combatant with the highest Speed score goes first, followed by the next highest, and so on until everyone has had a turn, at which point a new round begins and the turn order goes back to the top.

To make an attack against a target using a weapon or natural weapon, roll your Physical Attack dice. If you are using a small or ranged weapon, add your Agility score to the roll. If you are using a medium or large weapon, add your Strength score.

To defend yourself against an attack, roll your Physical Defense dice. If you are unarmored or wearing Light Armor, add your Agility score to the roll. If you are wearing Medium or Heavy Armor, add your Endurance score to the roll.

If the attacker rolls higher than the defender, then the attack causes damage. However, if the defender rolls higher than the attacker, then the attack misses.

Successful attacks cause wounds according to the size of the weapon used. Damage is taken off of the defender’s Health Point total. If the defender is wearing armor, they may deduct the damage or any portion of it from their Armor Points instead.

If your Armor Points reach zero, the armor is destroyed and must be repaired before it can be used again. If your Health Points reach zero, you are knocked unconscious and will bleed out in a number of turns equal to your Endurance score. Any hero may stabilize any other hero by spending a turn and a single Akasha tending to the wounds. Heroes who have been stabilized in this manner remain unconscious, but they will not die unless they are hit by another attack, in which case they die instantly.

Combat Modifiers

Certain situations arise in combat that might give one combatant an advantage or a disadvantage over the other combatants. It is up to the Game Master to determine when a combatant has an advantage, and just how big the advantage is. However, generally speaking, advantages and disadvantages come in three categories: Slight, Regular, and Huge.

• A slight advantage gives a +1 to the roll, while a slight disadvantage incurs a -1 penalty to the roll.
• A regular advantage gives a +2 to the roll, while a regular disadvantage incurs a -2 penalty to the roll.
• A huge advantage gives a +5 to the roll, while a huge disadvantage incurs a -5 penalty to the roll.

Situations and conditions can affect the Physical Attack roll, the Physical Defense roll, or both. However, don’t apply the same modifier to both rolls. For example, if you give an attacker a -5 penalty because they can’t see, don’t also give the defender a +5 bonus because they can’t be seen! No double-dipping!

As with all things, the Game Master has the final say about which conditions offer an advantage or disadvantage, and just how severe it is. However, here are a few examples to get you started.

• Slippery/Difficult Terrain: -5
• Blinded: -5
• Surrounded (two or more enemies within 5 feet): -5 or
• Surrounding (at least one ally within 5 feet): +5
• Partial Cover: +2 Defense
• Full Cover: +5 Defense
• High Ground: Automatic Victory. Just kidding. +2
• Low Light (Negated by Night Vision): -2