Combat

Time

In combat, time is divided into Melee Rounds (MR). Each MR is about 12 seconds, so 5 MR are 1 minute. A MR is further divided into 12 Strike Ranks (SR, 1–12) that define the order in which actions happen.

Action Declaration & Resolution

At the start of a MR, combatants declare their actions: casting spells, attacking, moving, and so on. These actions are resolved in order of SR, from 0 to 12.

Declarations can be changed in reaction to others' declarations, within reason. Once resolution begins, changes come at a cost.

Actions mostly fall into four categories:

• Attacks and defenses.
• Spellcasting.
• Taking miscellaneous actions.
• Movement, which can mostly be combined with other actions.

If an action would require more SR to perform than the combatant has available in a MR, the SRs "roll over"; e.g. an action started at SR 2 and requiring 13 SR to perform would finish on the next MR, at SR 3.

Characters who become incapacitated generally lose actions that would have resolved after they are incapacitated.

Casting Spells

Spellcasting begins at DEX SR, and takes a variable number of SR:

• Battle magic: Intensity + boosting MP SR.
• Sorcery: (2 × total manipulation) + boosting MP.
• Spirits: All MR; spirit manifests on SR 12.
• Rune magic: No time; resolves at DEX SR.

Casting can roll over into the next MR (e.g. SR 16 would be SR 4 on the next MR).

Characters can cast multiple spells in a MR, but it takes 5 SR to prepare the second spell. (This cannot roll over; multiple spells are only possible if all finish in the same MR.) Characters who cast a rune spell cannot cast any other spells (including rune magic) in that MR.

Using a spirit charm or fetish begins at DEX SR, and finishes at the end of the MR. The spirit acts in the next MR. Using a charm or fetish also requires a free hand and the ability to speak, at least at a whisper.

Characters cannot move while casting spells.

A character who takes damage, parries, or dodges while casting a spell must make an INT×3% test or be interrupted and lose the spell; they can start anew 5 SR later.

Creatures with no DEX that are capable of casting spells are treated as having DEX SR 1.

Attacking

Attacks are completed at DEX SR + SIZ SR + weapon SR for melee attacks, or DEX SR for missile attacks. This may be delayed by movement: if a human (Movement 3m) must move 6m to get within melee range of an opponent, the attack will be delayed by 2 SR (or 1 SR if they run). Combatants with multiple melee attacks need the full SR for each. Missile attacks have their own rates. Attacks cannot "roll over."

Combining Spells & Attacks

Characters can cast spells and attacks in the same MR, e.g. casting Speedart on an arrow before shooting it.

Defending

Defenses must be declared before an attack test is rolled. They are resolved on the same SR as the attack, and do not delay other actions (but can interrupt spellcasting).

Movement

Characters can move freely at their normal Movement rate during a MR. A character can run at double the rate, but only in a relatively straight line. Only one continuous running movement can be taken in a MR. Moving less than the full Movement rate still takes a minimum of 1 SR. If two combatants move to engage each other, add up their movement rates to figure out how many SR it takes for them to connect.

Characters can move up to (12 × Movement rate) meters per MR, double that if running, if they take no other actions. On the MR a character begins a longer movement, they can only move ([12 - DEX SR] × Movement rate) meters (double if running). Running characters cannot dodge or parry.

Changing Actions

Changing your declared action during a MR delays action by the combatant's DEX SR. If an attack is pushed past SR 12, it is lost.

A combatant may be forced to change actions, e.g. if the target of their attack dies.

Aborting Actions

A character taking a prolonged action (e.g. spellcasting) can abort it to take a different action, but the new action will be delayed by the combatant's DEX SR + the SR the action was aborted on.

Characters who are taken by surprise cannot take actions (attack, move, etc.) in the first Melee Roundbut may dodge and parry at half skill (characters holding two weapons, or a weapon and a shield, can parry with both).

Fighting

Melee combat takes place between characters engaged in melee, within striking distance of each other. Combatants make attacks and try to parry or dodge.

Each round, characters get one attack and one parry. Characters wielding a weapon and a shield, or two weapons, get an extra attack OR parry using the shield or second weapon. Multiple attacks each require their full SR. Characters have unlimited dodges, but each one after the first suffers a cumulative -20% penalty.

A weapon can be used to both attack and parry in the same MR, even on the same SR; there are various techniques to combine attack and defense.

Modifiers to combat tests may be bonuses/penalties or multipliers. Apply multipliers first, then bonuses and penalties.

Multiple Actions: Characters with a base skill rating of 100% or higher can split their skill between multiple attacks or defenses. The minimum rating assigned is 50%, but otherwise the rating can be split in whatever proportion. Multiple attacks each take their full SR.

If a combatant's skill is being multiplied, this is calculated before the skill is divided, and the multiplier may allow or disallow dividing the skill. Bonuses and penalties are applied after the skill is divided.

Engagement

Characters who are engaged with each other form a melee. Generally, any participant in a melee can attack any other, and small movements and changes of position are assumed to happen as necessary. Use common sense: e.g. in closed formation combat, combatants are only engaged with nearby combatants. If miniatures are used, adjacent combatants are engaged, and anyone who moves adjacent to a melee or an enemy becomes engaged.

For human-sized combatants, engagement range is about 3 meters or less. Monsters or larger creatures can technically engage at longer range, but GMs and players should not worry about this too much. Use common sense and the Strike Rank system.

Disengaging

Once engaged, combatants are not automatically free to leave a melee or move. Leaving a melee is called disengaging.

• Outnumbering: If one side is outnumbered, their opponents can disengage freely. Obviously, once the numbers are equal, this is no longer the case. Creatures cannot be outnumbered by enemies half their SIZ or less.
• Fighting Retreat: A combatant can retreat at their normal Movement rate, parrying or dodging as normal. The opponent can pursue, in which case both move and make their attacks (or cast spells) at their usual SR. An entire melee, or part of one, can move in this fashion.
• Fleeing: A combatant can run away at double Movement rate. They cannot cast spells or attack this MR. Any enemies who cannot be paired off with engaged opponents get to make an immediate melee attack against the fleeing combatant, which cannot be parried (but may be dodged at ½ skill). This attack counts against the enemy's attacks that round!

Charging

A combatant can charge at an opponent to engage them, running at double Movement rate in a roughly straight line. (Obstacles may call for a Jump test to avoid tripping and forfeiting actions that MR; a Fumble would result in falling prone.)

Combatants on foot gain no special benefit, but charging may allow them to reach and attack an opponent before the opponent is able to attack. However, if the opponent does attack first, the charging combatant would not be able to dodge or parry.

Mounted Charge & Lance

Mounted combatants who charge at least 20m and attack with a lance or spear have several benefits: the attack's SR is the weapon's SR + the SR required for the movement (ignoring DEX SR and SIZ SR), and the attack uses the mount's damage bonus instead of the rider's.

Bracing for a Charge

A combatant wielding a spear who is charged can brace the spear to receive the attack. They attack at the weapon's SR + the SR required for the charging movement (ignoring DEX SR and SIZ SR), and the attack uses the charger's (or their mount's) damage bonus instead of the wielder's. The bracing combatant cannot dodge or use the spear ot parry. Bracing also helps against knockback.

Charging Past

A combatant may charge past an opponent, not becoming engaged. If their attack resolves before the earliest SR that the target could attack, the attacker can keep moving freely. Otherwise, the target gets an attack as if the charger were fleeing.

Attacks & Defenses

Combatants get one attack and one parry. These rules apply both to melee and missile attacks, but missile attacks also have their own rules.

Fighting with Two Weapons

Combatants wielding two melee weapons (including shields) get an extra attack or parry using that weapon. Attacks each require their full SR (e.g. a character with two weapons, each with SR 6, would attack at SR 6 and 12). Creatures with multiple natural attacks have their own attack routines; some make simultaneous attacks, some take the full SR for each, some make them 5 SR apart, and some must choose an attack.

Attacks and parries are treated separately for skill splitting.

Procedure

1. Defender decides whether to parry or dodge.
2. Attacker makes weapon skill test.
3. Defender makes weapon or dodge skill test.

The test is not opposed, but rather the degrees of success are compared to find the result. See the Attack vs. Parry and Attack vs. Dodge Matrixes.

• Attack Hits: Normal damage.
• Special Hit: Special damage.
• Critical Hit: Special damage, ignores armor (but not magical protection).
• Parry: Attack damage reduced by weapon HP.
• Deflected: Attack deals no damage.
• Miss: Attack misses, no damage.
• Fumbles: Combatant must roll on Fumble table.

Unarmed Parries

Unarmed parries use the HP of the bodypart used (usually arm, sometimes leg) as the weapon HP; thus, the parrying limb may take damage. Any AP on the hit location will reduce this damage as usual.

Martial Arts parries are treated as having weapon HP equal to twice the location HP.

Parrying Natural Attacks

If a parry against a natural or unarmed attack damages the attacker's weapon, it deals damage to the hit location that made the attack. As usual, this damage is reduced by any AP.

Parrying Impaling Weapons

Most impaling weapons will not damage weapons that parry their attacks.

Parrying Missile Weapons

Obviously, a missile weapon cannot be damaged by a parry, unless it is a thrown weapon.

Parrying with Hafted Weapons

Most hafted weapons—axes, maces, and spears—will not damage weapons that they parry; but they should inflict damage when parrying natural attacks.

Shield Parries and Impales

If a shield parries an impale (special or critical hit with impaling weapon), the weapon is stuck in the shield. Add up the total ENC of stuck weapons:

• ENC below 1: No effect.
• ENC 1 to 2: Shield used at half skill.
• ENC over 2 (or attacker is holding on to weapon): Shield cannot be used.

The attacker may try to immediately pull out the weapon with a weapon skill test at half rating. Otherwise, pulling a weapon out of a shield takes a full MR (interrupted by any attempt to parry or dodge) and requires a STR×3% test; either combatant can do this. After 5 attempts, the weapon is pulled out automatically.

If the attacker is holding on to the weapon, the shield-user may try to wrench it away from them with an opposed STR vs. STR test.

Alternatively, the character holding the shield may try to break the weapon, which will count as freeing it.

Knockback

If the rolled damage of an attack (before AP is deducted, etc.) is higher than the target's SIZ, the target is knocked back 1 meter for every 5 points of damage (or part thereof). The target needs to make a DEX×5% roll or fall prone. If the attack impales the target, there is no knockback. Some attacks, like bites, do not inflict knockback.

Bracing: A defender who is bracing uses STR + SIZ instead of SIZ, but cannot dodge. Bracing with a spear can also be used against a charging opponent.

Colliding: If knockback causes a combatant to collide with another combatant (no more than twice their SIZ), that combatant must also make a DEX test or fall prone. If a combatant is knocked back at least 3m and collides with another creature or solid object, both creatures or creature and object take 1D6 damage per 5m to a random melee hit location.

Mounted Knockback: A mounted combatant makes a Ride test: on a Success, they add their mount's SIZ to their SIZ, and both mount and rider suffer any knockback; on a Failure, the rider uses their own SIZ and, if knocked back, is knocked off their mount.

Ranged Combat

Unengaged characters can use missile weapons to make ranged attacks. They get the usual 1 attack, 1 parry, and dodges. Thrown weapons (but not bows, slings, etc.) allow for splitting the skill for multiple attacks 5 SR apart.

Ranged weapons have a variety of attack rates:

• 1/MR: One attack per MR, at DEX SR.
• S/MR: Multiple attacks per MR, the first at DEX SR, subsequent attacks take 3 SR to prepare and DEX SR to make (e.g. SR 2, 7, and 12, or SR 1, 5, and 9, etc.).
• 1/xMR: One attack every x MR, at DEX SR. The intervening MR must be spent reloading, doing nothing else except moving at normal rate. If reloading is interrupted, it must be begun from scratch.

Range

Each ranged weapon has a certain range. Up to that range, attacks are made at full skill. Past that and up to double that range, the attacker's skill is halved. Past that, attacks are assumed to miss (although the GM may give e.g. a 5% chance of a miraculous hit).

Defending vs. Missiles

Ranged attacks can be dodged or parried with a shield, but not parried with other weapons - except for unarmed Martial Arts parries, which work as normal.

Moving & Shooting

A character can make missile attacks while moving at normal rate (but not running), but their skill is halved.

Moving Mounts & Shooting

A mounted character only halves their skill if the mount is running.

Shooting Into Melee

Any missile attack on a combatant engaged in melee is at half skill. If the attack misses, but would have hit if the skill was not halved, it hits a random participant in the melee. Any Fumble hits a friendly melee participant.

Fumble Table

Fumbles on attack, parry, and dodge tests have special results: roll on the following table when they occur.

The GM should use common sense and good judgement; if a result is not applicable, roll again (e.g. dropping a weapon when fighting unarmed).

Damage

Successful attacks deal damage equal to weapon damage plus (or minus) the attacker's damage modifier.

Missiles & Damage Modifier: Thrown missiles benefit from the full damage modifier; others (bows, slings) use half the damage modifier (halve the die size). Some (bellybows, blowguns, lassos) gain no damage modifier at all.

Attacks strike a random hit location: use the appropriate melee or missile hit location table for the target.

The location's armor points (AP) are deducted from the damage, and any remaining damage is deducted from the location's HP and the target's total HP.

Attacks that deal damage to multiple hit locations deal damage to total HP for each hit location.

Mounted Hit Locations

A mounted combatant rolls 1D10+10 for hit location when making melee attacks against combatants on foot. Attacks on mounted combatants can only hit locations on the attacker's side; attacks that would hit the opposite side instead hit the mount (in the fore- or hindquarters).

Alternative Hit Locations

When combatants are of greatly differing SIZ, the GM should use their judgement for determining hit locations based on where the attacker is in relation to the target, rolling a smaller die (with a bonus to account for positioning) or simply deciding what hit location is struck.

Special Damage

Special and Critical hits deal special damage, based on the weapon type:

• Crushing: Double damage modifier (+1D6 becomes +2D6, etc.).
• Impaling: Weapon base damage is doubled (1D6+1 becomes 2D6+2, etc.) and the weapon impales the target.
• Slashing: Weapon base damage is doubled (1D6+1 becomes 2D6+2, etc.).
• Cut-and-Thrust: As impaling or slashing, at the attacker's option.

Bonus points of damage (e.g. Bladesharp) are not increased, but if the weapon's base damage is increased (e.g. Fireblade, Truesword) it can be doubled.

Pulling Blows

An attacker can declare they are pulling a blow before the attack is resolved. If the attack hits, the attacker can reduce the damage: any die (weapon damage or damage modifier) can be reduced to a smaller die (down to 1D3), damage modifier may be dropped entirely, or bonus points to the damage (e.g. the +1 in 1D8+1) may be reduced down to 0.

If the damage modifier is negative, it cannot be reduced or dropped.

Impale

When a weapon impales a character (dealing any damage after parry and AP), it is stuck. A melee attacker can make a weapon skill test at half rating to immediately free the weapon. If this fails, further attempts take 1 MR each (parry or dodge interrupts); after 5 MR of failed attempts, the weapon is freed.

An impaled character suffers half the weapon's damage (roll, halve, and round; no damage modifier) each MR they move or fight. The injured location cannot be healed while the weapon is stuck in. The character can try to remove it with First Aid or CON×3% tests (1 MR each, parry or dodge interrupts, automatic after 5 failed attempts).

An impaling weapon parried by a shield is stuck in the shield instead, even if damage got through.

If the attacker is holding the weapon, neither can move or disengage. The impaled character can make an opposed STR vs. STR test to wrench the weapon away, but will suffer half weapon damage (as above) regardless of success.

Breaking an impaled weapon does nothing, since part of it is stuck inside.

Injuries

Different amounts of damage to different hit locations have the following effects. The highest degree of injury applies; they do not stack.

If a location is healed back above an injury threshold, the injury effects end immediately.

Damage Less than Location HP

A location with 1+ HP has a minor wound; no special effect.

Damage Equal to Location HP

A location reduced to 0 HP or less has a serious wound.

• Limb: Limbs are disabled. They cannot be used to attack.
  • Arm: A disabled arm cannot wield weapons or shields; it can still hold objects.
  • Leg: The combatant cannot run. If half or more of a combatants' legs are disabled, they also move at half rate.
• Chest, Abdomen: Combatant must make a CON test at the end of each MR or lose 1 total HP to bleeding; this stops on a Special/Critical Success, any successful First Aid, or a Heal 2+ spell (or healing rune magic). Each injury bleeds separately.
• Head: Combatant must make a CON test or be knocked unconscious for 1 minute per point of damage dealt (test again for new injuries in this range).

Damage Equal to Double Location HP

A location reduced to or below negative HP equal to location HP is maimed.

• Maimed locations bleed: CON test at the end of each MR or lose 1 total HP (see above).
• Arm: Arm cannot wield weapons or shields, cannot attack or parry, cannot hold objects.
• Leg: If half or more of a combatant's legs are maimed, they cannot stand (crawl at 1m rate, or e.g. fly); if a quarter or more (round up), move at half rate and cannot run.
• Vitals: CON test or become incapacitated by shock until healed, unable to take any action. CON test at the end of each MR or lose 1 total HP to bleeding (as above).
  • Abdomen: Cannot stand or walk.
  • Chest: Cannot fight, cannot move faster than a stagger (1m rate), can use magic or First Aid.
  • Head: Knocked unconscious until healed.

Damage Equal to Triple Location HP

A location reduced to or below negative HP equal to twice location HP is mangled.

• Limb: Limb is mangled or severed; it is useless (as maimed) and bleeds 1 total HP per MR. Special/Critical First Aid or Heal 6+ (or rune magic) can stop bleeding.
• Vitals: Instant death (decapitation, etc.).

Death

A character reduced to 0 total HP or below is killed. Mangled vitals and certain spells or effects can also cause death.

Dead characters cannot do anything, with some rare exceptions. The soul, spirit, or essence of a dead character will take to the Path of the Dead and find its way into the Underworld over the next 7 days. During this time, the deceased can be resurrected (by e.g. the rune spell Resurrection), but afterwards, only great magic - like a heroquest - can bring them back to life.

Resuscitation

A fatally injured character (but not one killed by Sever Spirit, etc.) can be resuscitated and saved from death within 12 SR (1 full MR). Fatal injuries (total HP, mangled vitals, poison) must be healed, usually by magic.

Healing

Injuries heal differently depending on their severity. They can be treated with First Aid or magical healing, or allowed to heal naturally.

When a location's HP are healed, a corresponding amount of total HP are healed. Neither healing amount can exceed the amount of HP the location was missing.

First Aid

Administering First Aid takes 1 full MR and requires a skill test. An injured hit location can be treated with First Aid once, until it is injured again.

• Minor Wound (1+ HP)/Serious Wound (0 HP): Stops bleeding; Success heals 1D3 HP, Special heals 2D3 HP, Critical heals 1D3+3 HP.
• Maimed (-X HP): Stops bleeding.
• Mangled (-2X HP): Special or Critical stops bleeding.

First Aid may be used to heal loss of total HP unrelated to injured hit locations, at the GM's discretion (e.g. from asphyxiation).

Magical Healing

Magical healing is usually instant, but some spells have limitations; e.g. Heal only heals minor or serious wounds, and Treat Wounds works like First Aid. Multiple spells, or multiple castings of the same spell, can be applied to a single injury (except for Treat Wounds, since it works like First Aid).

A 2-point Heal battle magic spell can stop bleeding (a mangled limb requires a 6-point Heal spell). Any healing rune magic will stop bleeding. Severed limbs can be re-attached by Heal Body, or if healed for 6+ points by Heal Wound. Severed or mangled limbs that are not re-attached on the spot can be healed over time with Regenerate or Regrow Limb.

Natural Healing

Natural healing depends on a character's Healing Rate. Minor wounds will heal if left alone; more serious injuries will not begin healing naturally until treated with First Aid or healed at least partially. Natural healing requires rest; strenuous activity (GM's discretion; travelling by foot counts, as does heavy labor and any fighting). Each hit location heals separately.

• Minor Wound (1+ HP)/Serious Wound (0 HP): Recover HP equal to HR at the end of each day.
• Maimed (-X HP): Recover HP equal to HR at the end of each week.
• Mangled (-2X HP): Recover HP equal to HR at the end of each season. Mangled limbs never fully heal naturally: they remain useless.

If a character is missing total HP but has no injured hit locations, treat total HP as its own minor wound for the purposes of healing. Thus, injured hit locations heal first.

Treatment

Treatment by a healer can speed natural injury: the healer must attend to the patient regularly, and makes a First Aid test for the time period above; a Success grants +1 HR, a Special Success grants +2 HR, and a Critical Success grants +3 HR.

Special Attacks

Instead of regular attacks, combatants can use certain special attacks. Most special attacks are only possible in melee.

Remember that bonuses and penalties are applied after the skill is halved.

Aimed Attack (½ skill)

An attacker can halve their skill in order to choose a hit location instead of determining it randomly.

Attack Weapon (½ skill)

An attacker can halve their skill in order to strike an opponent's weapon or shield. The target can defend normally, either parrying or dodging. Any damage (including special damage) in excess of the targeted weapon's HP reduced the weapon HP. On a critical hit, the targeted weapon's HP is reduced by the full damage rolled. If the parry is made with a different weapon, that weapon becomes the target instead. Parrying does not reduce the damage; however, a special or critical parry, or any successful parry against a failed or fumbled attack, damages the attacker's weapon as per usual for attacks vs. parries.

Attack Object (full or ½ skill)

Attacking a non-weapon object held or carried by another combatant is at half skill, and the bearer can defend against the attack. Attacking an unattended object is at full skill. A successful attack reduces the object's HP by the amount the rolled damage exceeds them by. A critical success reduces the object's HP by the full damage rolled.

Disarm (½ skill)

Melee only. An attacker can try to disarm an opponent of a weapon. This is an opposed test of weapon skills, and the attacker's skill is halved. If the defender parries, the attacker's weapon can be damaged as usual, regardless of the result of the opposed test; the defender may also dodge to avoid the attempt entirely. If the attacker wins, the defender's weapon is knocked out of their hands (if it matters, it lands 1D6 meters away in a random direction). If the attacker used a fist or grapple attack, they can hold the weapon instead.

Grappling

A successful Grapple attack grabs hold of a hit location. This prevents the target from disengaging. The attacker can release their hold at any time. Two combatants can both grapple each other. Once grappled, there are several combat options (each is resolved at the attacker's grapple SR; multiple actions require splitting the attacker's skill):

• For any grappling option, an Unarmed or Martial Arts test can be substituted for a characteristic test.
• On a Failure, the attacker retains their grip on the target. On a Fumble, they lose their grip.
• If a grappling attack is parried without dealing damage to the grappler, the grappler instead seizes the parrying weapon, and can choose to hold on and try to pull it out of the defender's hands with a STR vs. STR test.
• Immobilize: If the attacker has grappled a limb, they can immobilize it with a STR vs. STR test. An immobilized limb cannot be used—held objects are not dropped, but e.g. no attacks or parries can be made. An immobilized leg prevents movement. An immobilized head prevents speech, at the attacker's option. The location remains immobilized until the attacker releases it or the defender breaks the hold (see below).
• Choke: Immobilized head only. If the attacker wins a STR vs. CON test, the target begins to asphyxiate (see Environment), and continues to until the hold is released or broken.
• Damage: Immobilized limbs only. If the attacker wins a STR vs. STR test, they deal 1D3 + damage modifier to the limb, bypassing any armor.
• Drag: With an opposed STR vs. SIZ test, the attacker can move, dragging the defender along. Movement starts on the SR following the grapple resolution.
• Throw: The attacker throws the grappled opponent with a STR vs. SIZ test. On a success, the defender is thrown up to 1 meter, plus 1 meter per 3 points by which the attacker's STR exceeds the defender's SIZ (if any). The defender must make a DEX test or take 1D6 damage to a random melee location. If the defender is thrown into another combatant (no more than twice their SIZ), that combatant must make a DEX test or be knocked prone.
• Break Hold: A defender can, as their grapple action for the MR, make a STR vs. STR test to break a hold on a hit location, including an immobilized location.

Push

Melee only. Instead of dealing damage, the attacker tries to inflict knockback on the target. Use the attacker's STR+SIZ instead of damage. A parry does not prevent the knockback, but can damage the weapon used (or the attacker, if they used a natural or unarmed attack).

Stun (½ skill)

Melee only. The attacker makes an aimed attack at half skill, choosing a hit location. If the attack hits, it deals no damage; instead, there is an opposed test between ([damage] - [AP])×5% and the target's CON×5%. If the attacker wins, the effect depends on the targeted hit location.

• Arm: The arm is disabled for 1D6 MR, unable to hold weapons or other objects. Anything held is released or dropped.
• Leg: The leg is disabled for 1D6 MR; if half or more of the target's legs are disabled, they move at half rate and cannot run.
• Head: The target is knocked unconscious for 1 MR per point of damage dealt (after armor). At the end of this time, they get a CON test to wake up; otherwise, they remain unconscious for 1D6 minutes, then get another CON test to wake up, or remain unconscious for 1D6 hours. After the initial unconsciousness, they can be woken up by 1 MR of attention.
• Other Vitals: The target is incapacitated for 1 MR, unable to act (including parry or dodge).

Circumstances

Various circumstances can grant bonuses and penalties to combatants.

Cover

Hiding behind an obstacle grants a combatant cover, making them harder to hit.

Hard Cover

Solid objects provide hard cover, and any attack that would hit a covered location strikes the cover instead (at the GM's option, the cover may act as armor, and the attack may still penetrate it). A critical hit bypasses the cover: re-roll for a hit location that is not covered.

Soft Cover

Soft or flimsy objects provide soft cover. If most of the combatant is hidden, attacks are at ½ skill; the attacker may make an aimed attack at an uncovered hit location instead.

Shields as Cover

Shields can be used to cover hit locations, granting them AP equal to ½ the shield's HP. The shield cannot be used to parry. If the shield is penetrated by an attack, it loses 1 HP. The number of hit locations that can be covered depends on the size of the shield. If the head is covered, the combatant is considered blinded, at least against attacks from the front.

Contiguous hit locations are anatomically adjacent; e.g. the head, arms, and abdomen are contiguous with the chest. Use common sense.

Underwater Combat

In addition to the Swim and asphyxiation rules, non-aquatic characters attack, parry, and dodge at ½ skill. Only impaling or cut-and-thrust weapons may be used; no throwing or missile weapons may be used (except for bellybows, which have 1/10th range). Underwater opponents have an extra 3 AP (critical-proof) on all hit locations. Characters up to their armpits in water halve their skills; characters up to their waists dodge at ½ skill.

Other Actions

Combatants may perform various other actions during combat. Most allow the combatant to also defend themselves without interrupting the action, and some can be performed while moving (but not running). Others preclude movement, or are interrupted (and must be begun anew on the next round) by having to dodge or parry. Each action takes a certain amount of time, and most are begun at DEX SR (plus any movement required).