Definitions

General

Round

A combat round comprises one turn for every combatant. Each combatant can take only one turn per round. Turn order within a combat round is determined by Initiative.
The round ends once every combatant has finished their turn; a new round begins if at least two opposing sides remain able to fight.
A combat round represents about 6 seconds of “real time.”

Turn

Each combatant has one Attack Action, one Utility Action, and one Movement Action per turn.
A creature has one turn per combat round. A turn ends once the creature has taken or forfeited all of its actions.

Phase

A Phase is a period of roughly 15 minutes. This unit matters only outside of combat.

Combat

Actions

Attack Action

An Attack Action can take one of the following forms:

• A basic attack with an equipped weapon
• An offensive skill
• An offensive spell
• A grapple
• Item usage

Utility Action

A Utility Action can take one of the following forms:

• A defensive or utility skill
• A defensive or utility spell
• Weapon swap
• Item usage

Movement Action

A Movement Action can take one of the following forms:

• Movement (up to the acting creature’s maximum Movement Speed)
• A movement skill
• A spell with the tag MOVEMENT

Reaction

Each combatant has one possible reaction during every combatant’s turn. A reaction can take one of the following forms:

• A reactive skill
• A reactive spell

Free Action / Reaction

Some abilities can be used as Free Actions or Free Reactions. A creature has an unlimited amount of Free Actions during its own turn, and an unlimited amount of Free Reactions at any point in or out of combat.

Hidden Action

Some skills and spells can be used as a hidden action; the action specifies a governing attribute. Other creatures may attempt a PER check against the action attribute’s DC to identify the action.

Basic Attack

Melee Attack

A melee attack is a simple attack with a combatant’s melee weapon against a target in reach.
Procedure:

1. Attacker rolls 1d20 + Attack Value
2. Defender may dodge, parry, or block the rolled value

If the defender fails to dodge or parry, they take damage equal to the attacker’s rolled weapon damage.

Ranged Attack

See Ranged Combat for details.
A ranged attack, like a melee attack, is a simple attack with a ranged weapon against a target within range.
Procedure:

1. Attacker rolls 1d20 + Attack Value (see Ranged Combat for Advantage, etc.)
2. Defender may dodge the rolled value (see Ranged Combat for Advantage, etc.)

If the defender fails to dodge, they take damage equal to the attacker’s rolled weapon damage.

Block

The defender attempts to intercept an incoming attack with a weapon or shield.
Roll the block check (Block Value + 1d12) and compare it to the attacker’s roll.

• Block roll ≥ attack roll:
  Block succeeds. Incoming damage is reduced by Block Strength.
• Block roll < attack roll:
  Block fails. Defender takes full damage.

Parry

The defender attempts to deflect an incoming attack with their own weapon.
First, roll the parry check (Parry Value + 1d12) and compare it to the attacker’s roll.

• Parry roll ≥ attack roll and d12 ≥ 10:
  Perfect parry; defender takes no damage.
• Parry roll ≥ attack roll and d12 < 10:
  Parry succeeds; defender chooses the hit zone.
  Defender may roll another d12. If it meets or exceeds the previous result, they take no damage.
• Parry roll < attack roll:
  Parry fails; defender takes full damage.

After parrying, the defender has four options:

1. Do nothing
2. Move 2 meters*
3. Reduce the opponent’s next defense roll by [weapon proficiency value]
4. Use Counter, if learned

*The attacker’s Opportunist perk is not triggered, but nearby enemies’ may be.

Dodge

Characters can dodge weapon attacks and projectiles. To succeed, match the attack roll with DEX-MOD + PER-MOD + 1d12. On success, all damage is avoided; on failure, the character takes full damage.

Weapon Damage (Melee)

Melee weapon damage consists of:

• The weapon’s base damage value
• STR-MOD multiplied by the weapon’s damage rating (DR) (e.g., for a rapier STR-MOD * 0.5)
• Any bonuses from skills, rituals, or spells

For ranged weapon damage, please refer to Ranged Combat.

Hit

An attack is a hit if it overcomes the target’s Armor Value (AV) or Magic Defense (MD).

Hit Zone

The hit zone of a successful melee attack or projectile attack is determined by a 1d10 roll:

• 1–5: Torso
• 6–7: Arms
• 8–9: Legs
• 10: Head

Backstab

Attacks from outside the target’s field of view count as backstabs.
Each attack counted as a backstab has Advantage 1 on the attack roll.

Mounted Combat

Rider and mount always act simultaneously on the rider’s Initiative.

Attacks

All basic and ranged attacks made from the back of a mount have Disadvantage 1 if the mount moved this turn.

Defense

Mounted dodge checks have Disadvantage 1 but are eased by the value of the civil skill Riding. Use the mount’s DEX.
The rider can block and parry basic attacks normally, even if the attack targets the mount.

Movement

The mount gains one free movement or sprint action per rider turn. To perform an additional action (attack or utility), the rider must spend one of their own actions.

Magic

Ethereal Effects

If not otherwise specified in the spell description, most spells and freecasts produce ethereal effects. This means that any objects or elements conjured dissolve into pure mana after one Phase has passed, or earlier at the caster's discretion. If the summoned object has been consumed or otherwise absorbed by a non-ethereal creature or object, it takes 1d6 absolute damage per spell tier once the Phase ends.
For example, the water produced by a wizard's Water Jet cannot be used to permanently fill a pond. However, if the wizard instead uses Kinetic Manipulation to draw pre-existing groundwater to the surface, it will not disappear.
Stone spells are usually not ethereal.

Foci

If not otherwise specified, all spellcasting traditions require specific enchanted items to channel magic. If a caster does not have access to their focus, they have Disadvantage 1 on all magic-related rolls, and all targets have Advantage 1 on all saves against their magic.

Spell Types

Spell Attack (SA)

A spell attack sets the target value for a successful save against a spell’s effects. Its attack value is 1d20 plus the attribute modifier listed in the syntax.

Syntax

SA Attack Attribute Modifier vs Save Attribute Modifier

Projectile Attack (PA)

Projectile attacks are similar to most ranged attacks. They can be dodged like regular projectiles, blocked with a shield, and sometimes parried if the character has the necessary perks. Their attack value is 1d20 plus the attribute modifier listed in the syntax.

Syntax

PA Attribute Modifier

Spell Defense (SD)

A Spell Defense roll is used by defensive spells that counter enemy melee attacks and projectiles (magical or mundane), e.g., Arcane Barrier.
Like other defensive options (Block, Dodge, Parry), it uses 1d12 plus the attribute modifier(s) in the syntax. If the result meets or exceeds the attack value, the defensive spell takes effect.

Syntax

SD Attribute Modifier(s)

Determined Cast (DC)

See Determined Check.In regards to spell usage, a determined cast is a simplified Spell Attack that uses a flat 10 instead of a 1d20 roll.

Syntax

DC Attack Attribute Modifier vs Save Attribute Modifier

DC+

The DC+ is a special type of Determined Cast, where a 1d20 is rolled to determine the result, but any die result below 10 is ignored and considered a fixed 10.

Surecast

A Surecast spell does not require an initial check from either caster or target, but may require a roll determining the effect, e.g. Shield. Most support spells are Surecast spells.

Syntax

SURECAST

Spell Keywords

Affliction

Spells with the keyword AFFLICTION usually cause negative status effects.

Concentration

Spells with the keyword CONCENTRATION maintain their effects as long as the caster can concentrate on the spell.
A creature can concentrate on only one spell at a time unless modified by perks.
A creature may freely choose on its turn or at any time as a reaction to end Concentration.
When the caster is hit, they must succeed on a CON or WIL save (“concentration save”) equal to half the incoming damage or 10, whichever is higher. On a failure, concentration ends.

Control

Spells with the keyword CONTROL usually cause some form of crowd control through status effects, zoning or displacement.

Field

Spells with the keyword FIELD trigger their effect when a creature enters a square within the radius or begins its turn there.
The effect is triggered again for every subsequent square entered.

Heal

Spells with the keyword HEAL usually provide magical healing.

Meta

Spells with the keyword META usually interact with other spells instead of directly with creatures or the environment.

Movement

Spells with the keyword MOVEMENT usually cause the caster to change position in some way.

Ritual

Spells with the keyword RITUAL can be cast only outside of combat and usually require several minutes to hours (or even days) of preparation. In return, their effects are comparatively strong or last a long time.

Support

Spells with the keyword SUPPORT usually cause positive status effects.

Terrain

Spells with the keyword TERRAIN usually shape the battlefield in a physical manner.

Zone

Spells with the keyword ZONE trigger their effect when a creature enters the radius or begins its turn there.

Upcast

If a spell has the UPCAST X keyword, the caster can amplify the spell for increased MP cost. MP costs increase roughly following the Fibonacci sequence; the effect increases linearly.
Example:
Arcane Barrier has the keyword UPCAST 5. Upcasting produces the following result:

Cast Level	Cost (MP)	Effect
1	1	1d6
2	2	2d6
3	3	3d6
4	5	4d6
5	8	5d6

Movement and Miscellaneous

Sneaking

To move unseen, a creature makes an DEX check against the opponent’s PER-DC (PER-MOD + 10).
Apply:

• Total cover: +2 Advantage
• Full cover: +1 Advantage
• Half cover: +0 Advantage
• No cover: −1 Advantage
• Open field: −2 Advantage

Use the least-covered square the creature crosses within the opponent’s line of sight for the check.
Additionally, consider the lighting conditions. Dim light grants an additional +1 Advantage, while total darkness grants +2.

Jumping

A creature can attempt to jump to any spot using any action. First determine the jump score (STR-MOD + DEX-MOD + 1d20).
If the jump score exceeds (jump height * 4) + (jump distance * 2), the jump succeeds. If it is lower than ((jump height * 4) + (jump distance * 2)) * 2, the creature becomes off-balance.

Example

A creature wants to jump 2 meters high and 6 meters far, so the DC is b + (6*2) = 20.
To land without losing balance, meet twice that value: 40.

Fall Damage

Falling creatures take 1d4 absolute damage for every meter of fall distance. The total damage is increased by 1 for each point of Total Weight above the Carry Limit.

Fall Check

When a creature begins to fall, it may attempt a fall check (DEX-MOD + Athletics) against the highest of these values, if they are applicable:

• the DC of whatever caused the fall
• half of the incoming damage of the attack that caused the fall
• 10 (default)

On success, the creature manages to stabilize itself during the fall and reduces the falling distance considered for the damage calculation by DEX-MOD.
Example:
Creature X has an DEX-MOD of 3 and falls 5 meters. If it fails the fall check, it takes 5d4 absolute damage. If it succeeds, it only takes 2d4 absolute damage.

Grappling

A creature with suitable limbs may, as an Attack Action, attempt to grab another creature and immobilize it.
First the grappler must succeed on an unarmed melee attack. This attack deals no damage.
If the target fails to parry or dodge, it becomes grappled.