Tactical rules

:add actions

:add successes

:add movement

:add cover

:add rest of stuff

A battle grid consists of a grid of 25mm squares. Each of these squares represents a 1.5m square in the game world.

Combat is cyclical; everybody acts in turn in a regular cycle of rounds. Combat follows this sequence:

1. Each combatant starts out aware and with normal Defense unless stated otherwise by the GM in which case the unaware opponent uses only his flat-footed Defense during the first round. This first round is then counted as a surprise round in which all aware act but can only make one action or some other specific action. If no one or everyone starts the battle aware, there is no surprise round.
2. Those aware roll initiative checks each and act accordingly, the first one to act being the one with highest initiative. Combatants who were unaware do not get to act nor roll initiative.
3. Combatants who have not yet rolled initiative do so. All players act according to their respective initiative (this may allow unaware combatants to act, in the first regular round of combat, before those that acted in the surprise round). All combatants are now ready to begin their first regular round of combat.
4. When everyone has had a turn, the combatant with the highest initiative acts again, and steps 3 and 4 repeat until combat ends.

Each round represents 6 seconds in the game world; there are 10 rounds in a minute of combat. A round normally allows each character involved in a combat situation to act.

Each round’s activity begins with the character with the highest initiative result, and then proceeds in order. When a character’s turn comes up in the initiative sequence, that character performs his entire round’s worth of actions (for exceptions, see Attacks of Opportunity).

When the rules refer to a “full round”, they usually mean a span of time from a particular initiative count in one round to the same initiative count in the next round. Effects that last a certain number of actions end just before the same initiative count they began on.

Each Character can take one full round action or one each of Standard action, Move action, Free action. Standard actions can be instead used as extra move or free action if you wish. Move actions can be instead used as extra free action if you wish.

You can take the different action types in any order if not taking full round action.

Every round, each combatant gets to do something. The combatants’ initiative checks, from highest to lowest, determine the order in which they act.

Initiative Checks: At the start of a battle, each combatant makes an initiative check. An initiative check is a Dexterity check. Each character applies his or her Dexterity modifier to the roll. Initiative is from highest result to lowest, and each character acts in turn.

In every round that follows, the characters act in the same order (unless a character takes an action that results in his or her initiative changing; see Special Initiative Actions).

If two or more combatants have the same initiative check result, the combatants who are tied act in order of total initiative modifier (highest first). If there is still a tie, the tied characters should roll again to determine which one of them goes before the other.

Inaction: Even if you can’t take actions (for instance, if you become paralyzed or unconscious), you retain your initiative score for the duration of the encounter.

When a combat starts, if you are not aware of your opponents and they are aware of you, you’re surprised.

Sometimes all the combatants on a side are aware of their opponents, sometimes none are, and sometimes only some of them are. Sometimes a few combatants on each side are aware and the other combatants on each side are unaware. The GM determines who is aware of whom at the start of a battle. He may call for Perception checks, or other checks to see how aware the adventurers are of their opponents.

The Surprise Round: If some but not all of the combatants are aware of their opponents, a surprise round happens before regular rounds begin. In initiative order (highest to lowest), combatants who started the battle aware of their opponents each take one standard or move action and one free action during the surprise round.

If no one or everyone is surprised, no surprise round occurs.

Unaware Combatants: Combatants who are unaware at the start of battle don’t get to act in the surprise round. Unaware combatants are flat-footed until the start of regular rounds.

Note that a full round action counts as

These take no time and you can do any reasonable number

This section summarizes the statistics that determine success in combat, and then details how to use them.

An attack roll represents your attempt to strike your opponent on your turn in a round. When you make an attack roll, you roll a d20 and add your attack bonus. (Other modifiers may also apply to this roll). If your result equals or beats the target’s Defense, you hit and deal damage.

Automatic Misses and Hits: A natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1) on an attack roll is always a miss (“fumble”) and uses special rules. A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a hit. A natural 20 is also a threat – a possible critical hit (see the Critical Hits and Critical Failures chapter).

Your attack bonus with a melee weapon or unarmed attack is: Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + size modifier + other modifiers

With a ranged or thrown weapon, or a ranged touch attack, your attack bonus is: Base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + size modifier + range penalty + other modifiers

Strength Modifier: Strength helps you swing a weapon harder and faster, so its modifier applies to melee attack rolls.

Dexterity Modifier: Dexterity measures coordination and steadiness, so your Dexterity modifier applies to attacks with ranged weapons and ranged touch attacks.

Other Modifiers: These bonuses are related to attack modifiers gained from other sources, such as feats, powers, weapon enhancements, class features, abilities, etc

Size Modifier: The smaller you are, the bigger other creatures are relative to you. Since this same size modifier applies to Defense, two creatures of the same size strike each other normally, regardless of what size they actually are.

Range Penalty: The range penalty for a ranged weapon depends on the weapon and the distance to the target.

All ranged weapons have a range increment. Any attack from a distance of less than one range increment is not penalized for range. However, each full range increment causes a cumulative -2 penalty on the attack roll.

Thrown weapons, such as grenades, have a maximum range of 5 range increments. A projectile weapon, such as an assault rifle, can shoot up to 20 range increments and snipers up to 30.

Drawing a weapon is a move action. The quick draw feat changes it to a free action.

Reloading a box magazine weapon with a new magazine requires a move action(or free with quick draw) to draw the new magazine and eject the old one, followed by a move action to insert the new magazine and chamber the next round.

Belt fed weapon requires following move actions: one to remove the current belt end, one to draw the new belt, one to insert it, one to prepare the gun for firing. If you have a loader, you can both do two move actions to do the loading.

Revolvers and internal magazine weapons: Using a speed loader as using a box magazine. Single shots: Requires following actions: draw rounds(This is a move action or free with quick draw). The the following in order, you can do two/move action: eject old rounds(open action for non revolvers), load one round(repeat this as many times as you need to do), close and prepare for fire. This is for modern break open revolvers. For loading gate ones the process times are doubled.

Reloading a box magazine is draw the rounds and then insert 2 rounds/move action.

If you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll, roll critical failure below d20:

If you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll, roll critical failure below d20:

1. Attack self (full damage) - Deal full damage to self.
2. Attack self (half damage) - Deal half damage to self.
3. Throw weapon - The weapon flies 1d6 squares in random direction.
   • powers: the power goes on cooldown for 1d6 times normal time and does not work.
   • unarmed/natural: Fall down oe square away in random direction.
4. Drop weapon - the weapon is on the ground in the same square as you are
   • powers: the power goes on normal cooldown and does not work.
   • unarmed/natural: Fall down
5. out of power
   • Any powered weapon loses power and cannot be used until recharged/battery changed
   • Guns: Drop magazine out to ground.
   • bows/crossbows and thrown weapons: projectile falls down.
   • powers: lose all the resources of type used(biotic points, tech points etc)
   • unarmed/natural/unpowered melee weapons: Become tired
6. Misfire
   • Self-loading Guns: Must use one action to be ready to fire again
   • Revolvers and multi-barrel guns: no effect, that round is just wasted.
   • powered weapons: fuse triggered, Must use one action to be ready to fire again.
   • bows/crossbows and thrown weapons: projectile falls down.
   • Powers: The power does not work and you must use one action of concentration to be able to use any powers.
   • unarmed/natural/unpowered melee weapons: awkward angle. -2 to attack for one action, then -1 for one action and then normal.
7. Distracted - You did not actually attack and are off target for the next 2 actions.
8. Safe mode:
   • Guns: Must use one action to be ready to fire again as safety was on.
   • powered weapons: turned off, Must use one action to be ready to fire again.
   • bows/crossbows and thrown weapons: you almost drop the weapon, so holding on loses this action.
   • Powers: You lose concentration in middle. Use resources but the power does not trigger and does not go on cooldown.
   • unarmed/natural/unpowered melee weapons: defensive stance. Decide to take an all out defense instead.
9. Random attack
   • ranged and powers: target a random target in a cone with same width as length, use half normal attack bonus.
   • melee attack: target a random adjacent target(or random target 2 squares away for reach weapons), use half normal attack bonus.
10. Overheat
    • Self-loading Guns: Each round chambered after a shot has 1 in 4 chance to cook off, firing in random direction immediately after previous shot.
    • Multi-barrell guns/revolvers: 1/12 to have a multifire where all remaining shots go off. In a multi-barrell gun they just attack in random direction. A revolver is ruined and for each shot fired 50% chance to ricochet or shrapnel from the frame and do half damage to shooter.
    • Powered weapons: The weapon shuts down until it has time to cool.
    • powers: The power get double normal cooldown. If it doe not normally have a cooldown, get a 2 action cooldown instead.
    • other weapons/unarmed: Normal miss
11. Hit some inappropriate object
    • Ranged attacks: hit some object that is inconvenient, like some switch if inside a vehicle, maybe a sprinkler if in a public building or some such.
    • melee: weapon has to make a fort save vs DC 10+tour STR modifier.
    • unarmed: Take one hp of damage
12. Normal miss
13. Normal miss
14. Normal miss
15. Normal miss
16. Normal miss
17. Normal miss
18. Normal miss
19. Normal miss
20. Normal miss
21. Fail badly: Roll 1d4 times on this chart and get all effects.

Random direction for failures: roll 1d6:

• 1-2: forward
• 3-4: backwards
• 5-6: roll 1d6:
  1. left forward
  2. left
  3. left rear
  4. right forward
  5. right
  6. right rear