Combat

THIS IS NOT OFFICIAL. At some point, it is expected to gain at least some level of quasi-official-ness.

'+rules combat' says "Combat rules come from the character's sphere respective book", however this doesn't account for combat involving characters from multiple game lines. This is an attempt at a common set of rules suitable for such situations. Players can use different rules if they all agree (+policy hand waving).

• Typical base difficulty for all rolls is 6
  • If a roll is stated in terms of a primary ability, then a relevant secondary ability can be substituted at -1 difficulty
  • If a roll is stated in terms of a secondary ability, then a relevant primary ability can be substituted at +1 difficulty
  • If a substitution is explicitly mentioned below, then it's reiterating these clauses, not stacking with them
• Actions without a roll are automatically successful
• "Reflex" rolls don't count as actions
  • Spending from a pool is a reflex
• General combat maneuvers described here are allowed
  • Pack Tactics (WtA Revised pages 212-213) are allowed
• Special combat maneuvers (including Kailindo, Do, Martial Arts, etc.) are not used
  • Attacks can be described in terms of such maneuvers, but still use the game mechanics of general maneuvers
• Standard weapons and armor use WtA Revised stats (page 206 for armor, 207 for ranged weapons, 208 for thrown weapons, 210 for melee weapons)
• Rules for taking multiple shots with a bow are taken from Werewolf: the Wild West.

Basics

Initiative

Determining initiative

Each character's initiative is their initiative rating (Dexterity + Wits) + 1 die

• Recalculated each turn
• PCs: '+combat/init'
• NPCs: '+combat/init <NPC's name>=<sum of NPC's Dexterity + Wits>'
• Wound penalty reduces your initiative
  • '+combat/init' doesn't apply this or any other modifier automatically, you must account for them manually

Declaring actions

Characters declare intended actions in order of initiative, low to high

• Characters performing multiple actions, using supernatural powers, or spending Willpower must declare those things during this step

Performing actions

Characters act in order of initiative, high to low

• A character can delay their action and take it at any point later in the turn
• If two characters have the same initiative (or delay until the same moment), then the one with the higher initiative rating acts first. If their initiative ratings are also equal, then they act simultaneously

Timing of multiple actions

• Main phase: Each character acts once (unless they lose their action due to being stunned, etc.)
• Extra phase: Any characters with multiple actions perform the rest of their actions in the usual order of initiative
  • Even if multiple actions are described by a book or +note as simultaneous, the player must choose an order for the purpose of determining their outcomes, and only the first one occurs in the main phase

Attack

Close combat

Roll:

• Without a weapon: Dexterity + Brawl
• With a weapon: Dexterity + Melee

Modifiers:

• If you don't have the appropriate talent, roll Dexterity at normal difficulty
• +(variable) difficulty for wearing armor / shield
• +1 difficulty for melee with a weapon designed for throwing

Ranged combat

Attacker rolls:

• With a gun: Dexterity + Firearms
• With a thrown weapon: Dexterity + Athletics (or Dexterity + Throwing at -1 difficulty)
  • Average range = 10 * Strength
• With a bow: Dexterity + Archery (or Dexterity + Athletics at +1 difficulty)
  • Before shooting a bow, a character must spend an action nocking and drawing an arrow
  • On a botch, the bowstring snaps. Repair requires a spare bowstring and an action (Wits + Archery, or Wits + Crafts at +1 difficulty)
• With a crossbow: Dexterity + Archery (or Dexterity + Firearms at +1 difficulty)
  • Before shooting a crossbow, a character must spend two actions reloading it

Modifiers:

• If you don't have the appropriate skill, roll Dexterity at +1 difficulty
• +(variable) difficulty for wearing armor / shield
• +1 difficulty for throwing a weapon designed for melee

Resolution

Damage

Attacker rolls damage

• A botch just counts as a failure
• If you got multiple successes on the attack roll, add 1 damage die for each one beyond the first

Soak

Target rolls soak

• Reflex
• A botch just counts as a failure
• Unsoaked damage decreases target's health (Corpus for Wraiths/Risen)
• If an attack is described as "unsoakable" or "cannot be soaked", then it cannot be soaked at all, even if the target can normally soak that type of damage
• Vampires:
  • Firearms do bashing damage unless head is targeted (VtM Revised page 215)
  • Electricity does lethal damage unless soak botches (VtM Revised page 227)
  • Unsoaked bashing damage is halved (round down) (VtM Revised page 217)

Race	Bashing	Lethal	Aggravated
Vampire	Stamina + Fortitude	Stamina + Fortitude	Fortitude
Ghoul	Stamina + Fortitude	Fortitude	Fortitude
Werewolf	Stamina	Stamina (see below)	Stamina (see below)
Changeling	Stamina	Stamina (house rule)	none
Wraith	Stamina	Stamina	Stamina
Demon	Stamina	Stamina (apocalyptic form only)	none
Other	Stamina	none	none

When does a werewolf's Stamina apply to soak?

• Silver
  • For homid or lupus in breed form, silver does whatever damage it would do to a normal human or wolf with same stats, and Stamina applies
  • Otherwise, touching silver does aggravated damage, and Stamina doesn't apply
• Other lethal/aggravated damage
  • In breed form, Stamina doesn't apply
  • Otherwise, Stamina applies

Armor:

• Generally adds to soak, regardless of severity (bashing / lethal / aggravated)
• May not apply, depending on damage type (kinetic, fire, electricity, mental, etc.)
• Doesn't apply if an unarmored body part is successfully targeted
• If damage (before soak) is at least twice the armor rating, then the armor is damaged until the wearer has time to repair or replace it
  • Only if the armor applied to that attack

• Werewolves trying to heal during combat: Stamina, +2 difficulty, reflex

Running out of health:

• Health 0 -> incapacitated
• Incapacitated and take more bashing -> convert it to lethal
• Incapacitated and take more lethal -> vampires go into torpor (VtM Revised page 216), others die
• Incapacitated and take more aggravated -> die
  • Once per scene, a werewolf who would otherwise die can roll Rage (difficulty 8) to avoid death and heal one health level per success, but start next turn in berserk frenzy

General maneuvers

Aborting actions / Changing actions

• Requires succeeding at a Willpower roll or spending a Willpower, unless your declared action is now pointless (e.g. attacking a target that was already killed)
  • Reflex
  • Spending a Willpower this way need not be declared ahead of time
• New action is +1 difficulty unless it's defensive

Ambush

• Can't target someone already in combat
• Resisted roll, attacker's Dexterity + Stealth versus target's Perception + Alertness
  • Attacker wins: one free attack, each additional success adds 1 die to attack roll
  • Tie: attacker acts first but target can perform a defensive action
  • Target wins: determine initiative normally

Blind fighting / Blind firing

see Complications -> Blinded

Flank attacks / Rear attacks

• Attack from target's side: +1 die
• Attack from target's rear: +2 dice

Movement

• Movement while performing another action:
  • Limited to half your running distance
  • Doesn't count as multiple actions, but the action is -1 die per yard moved
  • Specific types of movement (e.g. leaping, tumbling) may require an action to perform

Multiple actions

• If you declare N actions, then subtract N dice from the first, N+1 from the second, N+2 from the third, etc.
  • Doesn't apply to desperate defense
• Extra actions from supernatural powers:
  • Not included in the above penalty
  • Can't be split further
  • Can occur in the same turn as multiple non-supernatural actions, in which case they occur last
  • Example: A vampire with Celerity 3 spends a blood point to activate it. Next turn, he declares 2 actions (N = 2) in addition to the Celerity effect; his first action is -2 dice, his second is -3 dice, and his last three (from Celerity) are all normal.
• Specific supernatural powers
  • Celerity: spend a blood point, next turn get one extra action per dot of Celerity
  • Rage (Certain Shifters Only): this turn, get one extra action per point spent (maximum = half your Rage)
    • If you perform more actions in a turn than either Dexterity or Wits, all actions are +3 difficulty
      • Dexterity is the only limiter during Frenzy, Wits is ignored.
  • Distort Time (Time 3): next turn, get one extra action per 2 successes
  • Quicksilver (Wayfare 2): next turn, target gets one extra action per success (Scene realm with multiple targets: successes must be divided among them)
  • Dream Time (Chronos 3): next turn, get one extra action per turn, maximum 5 (actions? turns?), can't cast on same target more than once per scene
  • Faith (some apocalyptic forms): this turn, get one extra action per point spent; first extra action is -1 initiative, second is -2, etc.
  • Tempus Fugit (Pandemonium 5): Starting next turn, get one extra action per success each turn for the rest of the scene. Can only be attempted once per scene.

Targeting

• May bypass armor or cover
• Medium (arm, leg, briefcase): +1 difficulty, normal damage
• Small (hand, head, laptop): +2 difficulty, +1 damage
• Precise (eye, heart, lock): +3 difficulty, +2 damage
  • Stake through heart: target vampire's heart and do 3+ damage (after soak); vampire is conscious and can use Auspex, but can't move or spend blood

Defensive maneuvers

Each of the target's successes cancels one of the attacker's successes.

Block

• Dexterity + Brawl
• Close combat only
• Can't block lethal or aggravated unless you can soak it

Dodge

• Dexterity + Dodge

Parry

• Dexterity + Melee
• Close combat only
• Requires weapon or shield
• If you parry an unarmed attack with a lethal or aggravated weapon and get more successes, you damage the attacker, adding 1 damage die for each extra success

Desperate defense

• Declare that you'll spend the entire turn performing defensive actions
• Instead of the usual penalties for multiple actions, just subtract 1 die from the second action, 2 from the third, etc.

Close combat maneuvers

Bite

• Vampire in clinch or hold, or a turn after successfully tackling
• Werewolf (Crinos/Hispo/Lupus)
• Dexterity + Brawl + 1
• Damage = Strength + 1 aggravated
  • Vampire can drain blood instead (up to 3 per turn)

Claw

• Vampire with Feral Claws (Protean 2, aggravated) or bone spurs (Vicissitude 3, lethal)
• Werewolf (Crinos/Hispo, aggravated)
• Dexterity + Brawl
• Damage = Strength + 1

Clinch / Grapple

• Strength + Brawl
• On success, attacker does damage = Strength
• Either character already in a clinch can use their action to:
  • Do damage = Strength
  • Escape (succeed at resisted Strength + Brawl versus Strength + Brawl)
  • Something else that doesn't require moving limbs

Disarm

• Target their weapon with your weapon: Dexterity + Melee, +1 difficulty
  • Target their weapon without a weapon: Dexterity + Brawl - 1, +2 difficulty
• If damage (before soak) exceeds target's Strength, their weapon is knocked out of their hand
• Target doesn't take damage
• Garou can only do this in Homid/Glabro/Crinos

Hold

• Strength + Brawl
• On success, attacker holds target (no damage)
• Either character already in a hold can use their action to:
  • Escape (succeed at resisted Strength + Brawl versus Strength + Brawl)
  • Something else that doesn't require moving limbs

Jab pistol

• Dexterity + Melee with pistol
• On success, shoot for +2 damage
  • Rubber bullets do normal damage, but lethal instead of bashing
• Target can try disarm if they act before you

Kick

• Dexterity + Brawl, +1 difficulty, damage = Strength + 1
• Garou can only do this in Homid/Glabro/Crinos

Multiple opponents

• Attack and defense are +1 difficulty per each additional attacker, maximum +4

Riposte

• Successful parry with weapon, next action is attack with that weapon against that character: +1 die

Strike / punch

• Normal brawl attack
• Garou can only do this in Homid/Glabro/Crinos

Sweep

• Dexterity + Brawl (leg) or Melee (weapon)
  • Garou in Crinos can sweep smaller target with arm
• +1 difficulty
• On success:
  • Damage = Strength (leg) or normal (weapon)
  • Target knocked down unless they succeed at Dexterity + Athletics (+2 difficulty, reflex)

Tackle / Body slam

• Strength + Brawl
• +1 difficulty
• On success:
  • Damage = Strength + 1
  • Attacker knocked down unless they succeed at Dexterity + Athletics (+1 difficulty, reflex)
  • Target knocked down unless they succeed at Dexterity + Athletics (+1 difficulty, reflex)
  • Target is +1 difficulty to all actions next turn
• On botch, attacker is knocked down or takes damage = target's Stamina

Weapon length / Close distance

• Target's weapon longer than yours: -1 die

Weapon strike

• Normal melee attack

Ranged maneuvers

Aiming

• Requires Firearms 1+ for a gun or Archery 2+ for a bow
• Can't be used with shotguns or SMGs
• Spend one or more turns doing nothing but aiming
• +1 die per turn (maximum of your Perception)
• Additional +2 dice (regardless of number of turns) if using a scope or laser sight
• Target must be moving no faster than walk

Automatic fire

• Requires SMG or assault rifle with clip at least half full
• +2 difficulty, +10 dice, empty clip
• Damage isn't increased, except by extra successes as usual
• Can't target specific body parts
• Counts as a single action

Cover

• Light (lying prone, behind telephone pole / streetlight): +1 difficulty to be hit, normal difficulty to hit
• Good (behind wall): +2 difficulty to be hit, +1 difficulty to hit
• Superior (only head exposed): +3 difficulty to be hit, +2 difficulty to hit
• Relic bullets discorporate upoon hitting a solid Skinlands object

Multiple shots

• Multiple-action penalties apply as normal
• Can't exceed weapon's rate of fire

Range

• Within 2 yards: -2 difficulty
• Outside normal range: +2 difficulty
• Outside maximum range (twice normal range): automatic miss

Reloading

• Takes an action
• While readying another arrow for a bow normally takes an action, if the archer has prepared additional arrows for easy acceess beforehand - such as by stabbing them tip-first into the ground in front of them - they may freely split pools and otherwise take extra shots as normal without having to spend actions on reloading (at least until they run out of prepared arrows).

Strafing / Spraying

• Requires SMG or assault rifle with clip at least half full
• +2 difficulty, +10 dice, empty clip
• All targets must be within 3 yards of each other
• Successes divided evenly among all targets, attacker chooses how to assign leftovers
  • If only one target, successes are halved
• Damage isn't increased, except by extra successes as usual
• Dodging such an attack is +1 difficulty
• Can't target specific body parts
• Counts as a single action

Three-round burst

• Requires rate of fire 3+
• +1 difficulty, +2 dice
• Damage isn't increased, except by extra successes as usual
• Counts as a single action

Two weapons

• Multiple-action penalties apply as normal
• Off hand is +1 difficulty unless you have the Ambidextrous merit

Complications

Blinded

• Attacking a blinded target: +2 dice
• Close combat or other vision-dependent action while blinded: +2 difficulty
• Ranged combat or other vision-dependent action while blinded: +6 difficulty
• Partly/fully reduced by:
  • Heightened Senses (Auspex 1, penalty halved)
  • Eyes of the Beast (Protean 1, no penalty)
  • Blind Fighting skill (close combat only, Perception + Blind Fighting without applying blindness penalty, reflex)
    • A success reduces your penalty by 1 or reduces bonus to attack you by 1
    • Each 2 additional successes reduce your penalty by 1 or reduce bonus to attack you by 1
  • Other relevant supernatural effects

Dazed / Stunned

• Occurs when damage successes (after soak) exceed target's Stamina (mortal or mortal+) / Stamina+2 (supernatural)
• Target loses all actions next turn
• Attacking a dazed target: -2 difficulty

Immobilized

• Attacking a partly immobilized target: +2 dice
• Attacking a fully immobilized target: automatic success

Knockdown

• Dexterity + Athletics (reflex)
  • Success: get up immediately, but -2 initiative next turn
  • Failure: getting up requires an action
  • Botch: 1 bashing, unsoakable
• Until you get up:
  • Close combat attacks by you are -2 dice
  • Attacks against you are +2 dice

Movement

• Attacker moving faster than walk: +1 difficulty
• Target moving faster than walk: +1 difficulty