Combat

Basics

Combat is central to the Game and designed to be quick, tactical, and fun. 

There are no maps or miniatures. Distance and position are not tracked in any definitive way. Instead, it is assumed a player can always get to their target because…well, because they are a bad ass. 

Combat Structure

There is no initiative order, and each round unfolds as follows:

Players take their turn:

• There is no initiative, players can act in any order.

• They get two actions. An action is usually used on an attack or special ability.

• They can use as many powers as desired. Each power can only be used once per turn. 

Powers can be cast so long as the player has miasma and do not require a roll, they always succeed. Each power can be used once per turn.

• The GM takes their turn and may:

• Resolve any player consequences

• Have one or more enemy act

• Introduce a change to the battle

• Generate drops for defeated enemies

Enemies do not have individual turns and act on the GM turn or in reaction to a player roll. They also don’t roll to hit and deal automatic damage. 

Drops are usually health or miasma and are shared between players however they decide.

Actions

A player gets two action per turn in combat. There are several ways to use an action. 

Types of Actions

• Attack with a weapon (requires a roll)

• Use a class special ability (Taunt, Placate, Operate, Enervate)

• Satisfy an enemy condition (example: move to attack an elevated enemy with a melee attack)

• Use a basic action (see below)

• Use a special action (special actions are mission/encounter specific and will be described in game, they will usually require a roll)

Basic Actions

• Defend: Take the next 2 damage meant for a character, NPC, or drone

• Rest: Recover 2 health

• Take Cover: Reduce all incoming damage by 1 until your next turn

Skill Actions

Most traditional RPG skills can be translated into a Vigor, Motion, or Focus check. There are some specific actions where bonuses are available through a profession or other source. They are as follows: 

• Athletics (Vigor or Motion): attempt a difficult physical feat

• Demolitions (Vigor): create or handle explosives

• Hacking (Focus): gain access to or control of a computer system

• Research (Focus): learn new information about a specific topic

• Stealth (Motion): avoid detection by enemies or surveillance devices

• Sway (Vigor): attempting to manipulate somebody through intimidation or persuasion

Rolling for an Outcome

If the success of an action is in doubt, the player rolls a pool of six-sided dice equal to the attribute score being used. They keep the highest result which determines the outcome of the action:

      1-3: The action fails and there is a consequence

     4-5: The action succeeds but with a consequence

         6: The action succeeds 

Consequences are what best fits the scenario as determined by the GM. It might be an enemy attacking and dealing damage or calling for help. 

Miasma and Powers

Characters can call upon a small set of powers while on a mission. These powers are activated through use of Miasma. Each power costs 1 miasma to use and can be used once per turn. Classes start with a base miasma pool which can grow as the character progresses. 

Characters can do the following for 1 miasma:

• Use a power

• Reroll one die when taking an action

Health, Damage, and Death

Characters start with health based on their class and may gain more as they progress. 

Damage is dealt in set numbers, 2 rather than 1d6 for example, so there are no damage rolls.

When an enemy gets to zero health, they are dead. Players are much harder to kill. 

If a player drops to zero health, they have fallen. This is not the end and they do not have to roll a new character. Players can rise from fallen in a number of ways:

1. They can be healed by a fellow player. 

2. A fellow player can use the Recover power. 

3. They can consume a health drop X times per mission where X = the character's Vigor  

4. They can use Revive themselves to full health at the cost of an attribute point (see below). 

Revive: roll a six-sided die to determine which attribute is decreased: 

1-2 for Vigor

3-4 for Motion

5-6 for Focus. 

This decrease only lasts until the end of the current mission. 

Characters cannot do the following while fallen:

• Take actions

• Use powers

• Regain health through a passive regeneration effect

Combat Drops

• When enemies are defeated they drop something useful to the party, much like in looter-shooter video games. 

• Most often this is health and miasma, but there are other boons as well. 

• There are two lists of drops and the number and threat of enemies defeated determines how many drops are generated from each list. List 2 contains better drops. 

• Drops are randomly determined by the GM via Synch, the game bot. 

• Players can pick up any number of drops as a free action on their turn and can feel free to flavor this however they like.

• Drops disappear at the end of the round after they are generated

Mission Loadout

Going into a mission players must decide on a loadout for their character. The loadout identifies what weapons, gear, and powers the character will have access to during the mission. 

A loadout contains the following:

• Your default class-exclusive power (Unstoppable, Build Up, Surge, Psionic Scream)

• Up to 3 other powers (you can acquire additional powers using progression points)

• Up to 2 weapons (you can acquire weapons using progression points or purchase them using tender)

• 1 gear item. Gear is usually defensive in nature. 

Additional power, weapon, and gear loadout slots can be purchased using progression points.