Combat

Note on Weapons and Armor tables below: The Cost column gives the minimum resources you must have to purchase a standard quality item of this type. The Strength columns give the minimum Strength rating you must have in order to effectively use the item without a penalty.

Combat Turns & Initiative
When Combat begins, time begins to be measured in Combat turns, which are approximately 3 seconds in length, and during which all participants should be able to act.

At the beginning of Combat, Initiative is rolled by rolling a single die and adding your character's Initiative Modifier. The highest total goes first, followed by the second highest, and so on until the lowest total goes. At this point, the turn is over and the new one begins with the character with the highest initiative total again. This is repeated until the combat is over with.

Attack Dice Pools
There are two basic forms of attack, melee (close combat) and ranged (using distance weapons). Melee attack rolls are typically split between armed and unarmed, and the pools for them are calculated as follows:


 * Unarmed: Strength + Brawl + Specialty (if appropriate) - Target's Defense - Armor
 * Armed: Strength + Weaponry + Specialty (if appropriate) + Weapon Damage - Target's Defense - Armor

Ranged attacks are typically split between projectile and thrown, and the dice pools for these are calculated as follows:


 * Thrown: Dexterity + Athletics + Specialty (if appropriate) + Weapon Damage - Target's Defense - Armor
 * Projectile: Dexterity + Archery + Specialty (if appropriate) + Weapon Damage - Armor

For every success scored on an attack roll, the target typically takes a point of the type of damage listed for the weapon. Unarmed attacks typically inflict Bashing damage.

Basic Modifiers
These are some basic actions that one can take in combat beyond a straightforward attack:
 * Aiming: +1 per turn to a +3 maximum
 * All-Out Attack: +2 with Brawl or Weaponry attack; lose Defense
 * Concealment: Barely -1; partially -2; substantially -3; fully
 * Dodge: Double target's Defense
 * Drawing a Weapon: Requires one action (one turn) without a Merit, and could negate Defense
 * Firing from Concealment: Shooter's own concealment quality (-1, -2 or -3) reduced by one as a penalty to fire back (so, no modifier, -1 or -2)
 * Offhand Attack: -2 penalty
 * Prone Target: -2 penalty to hit in ranged combat; +2 bonus to hit when attacker is within close-combat distance
 * Range: -2 at medium range, -4 at long range
 * Shooting into Close Combat: -2 per combatant avoided in a single shot
 * Specified Target: Torso -1, leg or arm -2, head -3, hand -4, eye -5
 * Surprised or Immobilized Target: Defense doesn't apply
 * Touching a Target: Dexterity + Brawl or Dexterity + Weaponry; armor may or may not apply, Defense does apply
 * Willpower: Add three dice or +2 to a Resistance trait (Stamina, Resolve, Composure or Defense) in one roll or instance

Tournament Rolls
A list of rolls used in various tournament events. For those with stationary targets, a negative may be added (-2, -3, etc) to indicate the target being moved further back.

Archery
 * Unhorsed:'
 * Dexterity + Archery+ Bonuses
 * Horsed:
 * First roll Horsemanship: Dexterity + Ride + Bonuses
 * Then roll: Dexterity + Archery+ Merit Bonuses

Knife/Axe Throwing
 * Unhorsed:
 * Dexterity + Athletics + Bonuses
 * Horsed:
 * First roll Horsemanship: Dexterity + Ride + Bonuses
 * Then roll: Dexterity + Athletics + Bonuses

Unarmed Combat
 * (Strength + Brawl + Bonuses) - (Defense + Armor)

Footrace:
 * Stamina + Athletics + Bonuses +Speed
 * For every success over 3, they get 10 yards ahead. If below 3, -10 yards. Botch, get a cramp/stumble and looses 30 yards

Horse Race:
 * Dexterity + Riding + Bonuses
 * For every success over 3, they get 10 yards ahead. If below 3, -10 yards. Botch, the horse pulls up and looses 50 yards

Sword Fighting: (Strength + Weaponry) - (Defense + Armor).
 * Each success does 1 pt of damage by blunted weapon.

Joust:

Generally, eight passes are done. The first four are with a light lance that has a higher probability of breaking, lower one to unhorse. The last four are made with a heavier lance that is less likely to break, but higher probability to unhorse someone.


 * No initiative is rolled, both participants roll to hit at the same time. The roll is Strength+Weaponry+Damage Rating - Defense-Armor
 * Each participant then rolls Dexterity+Ride-Damage Taken on this Pass. One success is necessary to remain on your horse. If you take enough damage to pass out, you fall off automatically.
 * Points awarded:
 * 1-2 successes: 1 point for a hit
 * 3+ successes: 5 points for a broken lance
 * If opponent fails their ride and falls off: 10 points for unhorsing

Basic Melee Weapon List

 * †: Indicates a weapon requiring two hands to wield.

Ranged Weapons

 * Bows: These weapons are very customizable, able to be built for any combination of Size and Strength. This leads to the damage rating being equal to the minimum Strength that the weapon was built for, the Size of the weapon to be one less than the Size of the intended user, and the short range of the weapon to be three times the sum of the current shooter's Strength, Size, and Athletics (with medium range two times this number, and long range four times it).
 * Crossbows: A normal crossbow has Armor Piercing: 2. An arbalest has Armor Piercing: 4
 * Hatchet: This weapon, when thrown, can be used to inflict bashing damage instead by timing the throw so that the haft of the weapon strikes the target rather than the blade.
 * Thrown and Aero Range: Thrown range is considered to be the thrower's Strength + Dexterity + Athletics - Weapon Size for short range. Aero range is twice this number.

Armor

 * Shield: Shields provide a Defense bonus rather than Armor, but at the cost of a penalty on attacks made. Attacks made while using a Shield suffer a -2 penalty, -1 if you have the Ambidexterity merit.
 * Vambraces: Vambraces provide a Defense bonus rather than Armor, but at the cost of a penalty on attacks made. Attacks made while using a Shield suffer a -1 penalty, with no penalty if you have the Ambidexterity merit.  They must, however, be worn as a pair, or you get no benefit at all.