Combat Changes and Modifications

Combat Changes and Modifications

Judgement Calls & Rules Lawyering New Rules Pushing Types of Opponents

Defenses	Defensive powers can provide other defenses, depending on the special effect of the attack and defense. If it would make sense that the character would be defended against an attack, the character will receive the defense even if he technically shouldn't. For example, Force Walls that are bought as opaque to a sense will provide Flash Defense (to that sense) equal to the Wall's DEF.
Non-Combat Movement	You may never use non-combat multiples in combat. If we're using the speed chart the answer is "No."
Levels	Skill levels only help when you have time to think about what you're doing. You may not add levels to instantaneous and half-phase actions, observations or perception rolls. This does not apply to levels that modify your CV. Unless you're expecting combat your combat skill levels aren't active. If you are, their default is in DCV - you can change them at the beginning of your Phase.
Area Effect, Autofire and Colateral Damage	I'll be drawing out the battlefields and placing normals in the area, and from time to time I'll see where the misses from your 2d6 Autofire RKA go. Keep in mind that all misses go somewhere, but I'll usually ignore them unless it's a dramatic moment.
Encumbrance	I'm going to ignore this unless you get ridiculous.
Foci	You will be able to tell if a focus is Accessible or Inaccessible by looking at it. Accessible foci are always susceptable to Disarm and Grab, even if they're not being used at the time.
Hit Locations	For the most part I will not be using the hit location chart, but I'll use it for called shot modifiers. Armor bought with an activation roll may be defined as covering certain locations, and if you want I'll roll the location of an attack to see where it goes.
Spreading Energy Blasts	Energy Blasts may be spread for an OCV bonus. You get a +1 OCV for each Damage Class or 5 active points you lose. For example, spreading 6d6 EB Armor Piercing to 4d6 is losing 15 points of effect, so you get +3 OCV. You may also spread DCs to hit multiple opponents in adjacent hexes, using one DC for each additional opponent you want to make an attack roll against and one for every hex you want to fire into.
Pulling Your Blow	Energy Blasts may be pulled just like punches. Take a -1 OCV penalty for every three dice you're throwing and do half BODY. If you hit exactly you do normal damage and on a critical failure you do maximum damage. You may not pull base weapon damage or Killing Attacks.
Grabs	Once you hit with a grab make a contested STR vs. target's Casual STR roll. If the defender wins then your Grab has no effect whatsoever - the target just shook you off. If you keep the hold you can immediately (as part of the same action) squeeze, throw or hold. See below for throwing, squeezing does STR damage, holding means the target is at ½ DCV and can't use any Accessable foci. On the target's Phase they can try to break out with a contested STR roll. This costs them END and, if successful, counts as a half-Phase action. As soon as they break out or you let go they regain full DCV. Martial Grabs must make the contested STR roll, but you get to add in any Damage Classes and the +10 STR bonus. The same options (throw, squeeze or hold in the same Phase) follow a Martial Grab. If you let go and perform another martial maneuver, the target is still at ½ DCV (only for you and only for this maneuver). A Martial Throw against an immobile target gains the +10 STR for both damage and distance purposes, but you have to have the raw STR to lift the target in the first place.
Throws	You can throw a thing down, in which case it lands in an adjacent hex and takes full STR damage plus damage from the knockback (unless the floor breaks). Unless they're CON-stunned they immediately get their full DCV back. Breakfall will not prevent this damage. You can also throw something (or someone) away, using the throwing chart for distance. Whatever you threw takes damage as for knockback, generally 1d6 per 2" thrown. A successful Breakfall roll will negate this damage - a second one will put you back on your feet. Martial Throws operate the same way, with Damage Classes adding to damage or throwing distance (+5 STR on the throwing chart per DC). A Martial Throw that interrupts a moving target will gain either the velocity-dependent damage or add their velocity/2 to the throw distance.
Move Throughs	If you decide to roll more than your normal STR damage, you will take full damage instead of half. On a critical success you take no damage.

New Rules

These rules differ significantly from the rules in the book. Read 'em over and let me know what you think.

Perception Rolls	A basic PER Roll is a half-Phase action and you have your full DCV, but you may only use one sense (usually sight or hearing). If you spend a full phase you may use all your senses and add any appropriate skill levels.
Holding an Action	You need to state what you're waiting for. If something unexpected happens you will lose your held action. If you want to interrupt someone you need to win a contested DEX roll. It'll be obvious you're hold an action and what the general action you're set to do (attack, dodge, etc.) but if you're not a Martial Artist, you can't tell which martial maneuver is being held.
Recovering	When you recover you have your full DCV and may spend END to maintain minimum power levels (such as hovering). You may not hold an action to recover.
Stunning	'Recovering from being Stunned' is a half-Phase action. This is meant to more accurately reflect the brief woozy effect that being stunned is supposed to portray.
Knockout	While combat is in progress, an unconsious character may attempt a CON roll on each of their Phases and at post-segment-12 in order to take a recovery. This roll is at -1 per 5 STUN under zero and each time the roll is failed add +1 to the next roll. Once you make the roll, take a recovery and start over. If you receive a blow that would be sufficient to stun you before your Phase, you don't get to roll on that Phase. This rule is meant to make sure no character is considered totally out of a fight, and to give the PC's a slight edge. At -30 or more I usually will not keep trying to recover for the NPCs, but PCs may get back into a fight from much larger deficits. It also simulates the heroic ideal that a battered and bruised hero can get back into it, but a villain will generally stay defeated. Once combat is over this rule no longer applies and you recover as per the chart. Instead of using multiples of 10 to see when you're allowed to take Recoveries, I will use multiples of your REC or 10, whichever is better. Also, Regeneration will add one STUN (in addition to one BODY) no matter how unconsious you are. Going into a three-week coma will be reserved for dramatic effect and player vacations.

Pushing

The following rules by Steve Otte will be used when you want to go above and beyond the normal limits of your powers.

First the good news: Powers may be pushed by up to 20 active points, at a cost of 1 END per point.

Now the bad news: When pushing a power you must roll a certain number of dice.

If pushing by 5 active points, roll 1 die.
If pushing by 10 active points, roll 1+2 = 3 dice.
If pushing by 15 active points, roll 1+2+3 = 6 dice.
If pushing by 20 active points, roll 1+2+3+4 = 10 dice.

Count the number of ones on the dice. If there are any, you lose use of the power you pushed for a certain amount of time as follows:

One 1: Power is lost momentarily. The character gets his/her REC in active points back with every recovery, including post 12's.
Two 1's: Power is lost until the character gets a good rest. Generally this means it's lost until the next game session.
Three 1's: Power is lost for an extended time. It recovers active points as if it were BODY damage. (Regeneration does not help.)
Four or more 1's: Power is lost indefinitely, until some special cure is found (GM's option).

The loss of power represents some injury that happens because you overused the power. For example, pushing your running and rolling one 1 means you twisted your ankle. Two 1's would indicate a sprain, three 1's would mean a broken leg, and four would mean a crippling injury. For powers which come from devices that could easily be rebuilt, it's going to be harder to justify this rule. In such cases I will probably only allow pushing by 5-10 active points if at all.

For Power Frameworks a broad class of slot types will be unavailable while the power is lost. For example, if you push your energy blast and lose it, you will be unable to do any ranged damage attacks (any EB's or RKA's).

Note that the power always works at the pushed level for the phase in which you pushed it. Any loss takes place in the next segment.

And when you push more than one power, add the dice together and apply the result to all powers.

These rules make pushing a power somewhat risky; something to do only when there is a real need, not just because you've got gargantuan amounts of END anyway and you wouldn't mind the extra dice. This might be characterized as "pushing your luck". Note that if you push by 2 damage classes, the maximum normally allowed push, there is no chance of losing the power indefinitely and only a small chance of losing it for an extended time.

Types of Opponents

In order to streamline combat I'm standardizing the majority of people you'll be fighting. I'm taking the term "Mook" from the game "Feng Shui" to indicate a minor character, someone who's above average but not dangerous enough to make the heroes do more than pause.

You'll generally be able to tell what catagory a person is. If you're not sure, a successful PER roll will tell you. The equipment catagory is not fixed, but merely an indication of what type of equipment is available to that catagory. The "teenagers with AK-47's and AP cop-killer ammo" scenario is a classic exception and will force the players to think about how to deal with an eggshell armed with a sledgehammer.

Target Examples Characteristics Equipment How to safely take them out of the fight

Who fits into this catagory Speed, DEX, CV and non-resistant defenses What they carry that matters in combat What to hit them with and their effective DCV. If you hit, don't roll damage - just remove the figure from combat. You are assumed to be pulling your blow.

Incompetant Normal The very young, very old, fragile, clumsy and people generally unsuited for physical activity. SPD 1-2, DEX 6-8, CV 2-3, Def 1-2 Canes, purses, tricycles and the like - 1d6 normal on the outside. You cannot safely knock these folks unconsious, throw them or use most normally harmless attacks. Flash, Drain, Entangle and the like are likely to cause BODY damage. About all you can do is pick them up and carry them somewhere else.

Normal Most of the people out there. SPD 2, DEX 8-10, CV 3, Def 2-3 A few people carry light handguns but most people will grab an improvised club - 1d6 Killing (gun) or 4d6 normal (club). 4d6 vs. DCV 4 (DCV 3 + 1 for pulling the blow)

Mook People with some combat training and experience - most police, soldiers, martial arts students, muggers, thugs and the brute squad. SPD 3, DEX 11-13, CV 4, Def 3-4 Knife, gun or club, leather jacket (DEF 1-2) - 2d6 Killing or 5d6 normal. 6d6 vs. DCV 6 (DCV 4 + 2 for pulling the blow)

Agent Highly-trained people with lots of experience, most Johnny-one-shots, PRIMUS Assault agents, Iron Guard and FIST guys without their armor. SPD 3, DEX 14-16, CV 5, DEF 4-6 Knife, big gun & fancy ammo, various grenades, gadgets, Kevlar vest (+6 DEF) - 2d6 Killing or 6d6 normal. 9d6 vs. DCV 8 (DCV 5 + 3 for pulling the blow)

Super Metahumans, high-end technological power armor and PCs. You can't one-punch these guys. SPD 4+, DEX 18+, CV 6+, DEF 15+ Varies widely, depending on who you're facing. Figure on 10-12d6 ranged or 12-15d6 in melee. Make sure they can take it, then hit 'em with everything you've got.