Combat

Roll 3d6 against your Initiative stat. Any weapon's Initiative modifier adjusts the target; if you're ambidextrous and have a weapon in each hand, the one with the better modifier is used.

The result is shown as Rank: X — the higher, the earlier you act. (Behind the scenes, X is the usual margin of success: target minus modified roll. A natural 3 wins ties.)

Once the order is set, it sticks for the rest of the encounter. Speed adds extra actions, not a new order.

Every round, each combatant rolls 1d6 and adds their Speed stat. The result drops into the character's Speed Bank. When the bank reaches 10 or more, the Use Extra Action button lights up; spending it costs 10 points and grants one additional action in the current round. Whatever's left over stays in the bank for next round.

Speed isn't a defence or an attack roll — it's purely the "do I get a bonus turn?" tally.

Attacking is a 3d6 check against Agility + weapon skill (or Agility + Unarmed Combat when you have no weapon equipped). Failing the roll is an automatic miss; you don't even bother rolling damage.

Hits cost Stamina:

• Armed: max(1, weapon's required Strength ÷ 4).
• Unarmed: max(1, your Strength ÷ 4).
• Each level of Use extra strength adds +1 Stamina.

Situational modifiers (Surprise Move, Charge, Placed Shot, Extended Aim, Bracing, and the rest) live on Combat moves.

Defend with weapon or shield: 3d6 against (max of weapon skill or shield skill) + Agility. Available whenever you have a weapon or shield equipped and aren't fighting unarmed. Parry does not apply against firearm or other projectile attacks — those you Dodge (or use cover). Western gunfights lean on Dodge; see Western and Western for GMs.

Your parry interacts with damage in two ways:

• A successful parry reduces the attacker's effective hit score. Pass it to the GM during Take Hit.
• If you carry a shield, its Resilience joins your armour only when the attacker's hit score is at most 2 above your parry score. A bigger margin overwhelms the shield — see Damage, armour & recovery.

A modest parry is still useful: it lets the shield do its job. A great parry can turn a lethal blow into a graze.

Defend without weapon or shield: 3d6 against Agility + Unarmed Combat.

The Armed Opponent (−2) modifier is pre-selected because that's the common case — clear it only when the attacker is unarmed. Optional additions:

• Surprise Move (+1 to +3) — an unexpected evasion.
• Supporting Skill (+1 to +3) — Acrobatics, or similar.
• GM modifier — terrain, lighting, surprise.

Dodge needs room. If you can't move freely against a melee attacker, the GM will tell you to parry instead. Against a firearm or projectile, you still Dodge (or stay in cover) — you cannot parry/block a bullet.

If the Hit succeeds (and the defender's Parry or Dodge didn't cancel it), the attacker rolls Damage: a number of d6 equal to the weapon's damage class, read against the Impact or Piercing table.

The defender opens the Take Hit dialog with the attacker's hit score, damage class, damage type, and any flags. The app absorbs resilience and applies net damage. Full tables: Damage, armour & recovery.

Stamina and Body may go negative. The combat panel flags the state:

• Stamina < 0 → Stunned. You can attempt a Willpower roll to stay active; the GM may add a penalty equal to the negative Stamina.
• Body < 0 → Unconscious. You're out of the fight. What happens next is the GM and the fiction — see When a character falls.

Recovery (3d6 vs Constitution) is the in-fight way back from Stunned. Body needs rest and care — healing rates.

Most opponents are not paid enough to die. When a sizeable chunk of their side is out, or they've taken serious wounds, the GM calls for a Willpower roll to stay engaged. A failed roll means they start looking for a way out — not necessarily a panicked rout.

Players' morale isn't usually mechanical. The GM picks the modifier if a speech or a horror sways the other side.