Definitions:

 

Attack Skills: represent offensive use of melee weapons (including bare hands)

Note: If a Player Character chooses not to learn ANY personal combat skills, then as in the real world they don't know how to fight. In a special situation, a character could, GM willing, use a non-combat Skill to suffice IN THAT INSTANCE. Examples: Utilities to wield an edged weapon, acrobatics to kick, etc.

 

Repost Skills: are specialized attacks resulting from successfully Parrying an attack.

 

Parrying: involves using a weapon(or your bare hands) to block an attack made against you, unlike dodging, which refers purely to avoiding an attack. A successful parry allows the use of a corresponding repost attack.

Basic Combat

Attacker's number of Successes determines the Hit Point damage inflicted, as well as the level of the Manifest Injury. (ie., an Attacker with a 5 in Martial Arts Attack, who rolls 4 Successes against the Defender who fails to Dodge or Parry, inflicts 4 Points of damage. From the Manifest Injury Chart (see below) the Defender's Level reduces the Manifest Injury taken from the base level of 5 to 3, which corresponds to a Severe Laceration. (depending on Hit Location chosen by the Attacker, the GM would determine game effects/description of this injury.)

Note: Regarding conflicts arising wherein a Manifest Injury is determined to have a fatal result, but the actual Hit Point damage received is nowhere near fatal, the GM has the final say. Hit Points (and thereby Stamina as well), in the final analysis, merely refer to the full body's capacity for injury. A precision attack against a single organ upon which the entire rest of the body depends logically SHOULD be fatal, depending on the level of success. (see above)

 

Dodging: Just as the Attacker's number of Successes is used to determine damage, Opponents try to Dodge using their Speed to equal or exceed the Attacker's number of Successes.

 

Number of Attacks per Turn: Determined by Agility on chart

Agility 5 or less: 1 Attack per Turn

Agility 6 to 8: 2 Attacks per Turn

Agility 9 or above: 3 Attacks per Turn

 

Weapons in Combat: this works similarly to the above sample, with the Attacker's Skill in the weapon being the sole factor in determining Successes. The weapon's 'Weapon Factor' only comes into play if the attack is successful. Then, the Weapon Factor increases the severity of the Manifest Injury. (ie., an attack Roll wherein the Manifest Injury would've been a 2 on the chart, if done with a Weapon Factor 3 weapon would result in a Manifest Injury at level 5 on the chart.) As with above, exactly WHICH organ is effected should be determined by the overall level of success of the Attacker.

SIMPLE Armor System

There are two Types of Armor

Energy: temperature extremes, lasers, sonics, flames, radiation, etc.

Concussive: punches, falls, kicks, punctures, telekinesis, etc.

Though it is possible for Armor Tech Level 12 or higher to be a combination of both types, one will always act as the primary type, with the secondary being at least one Armor Rating lower. (ie., a TL 14 suit of combat armor could be Rating 4 Concussive, but versus Energy attacks it could only go as high as Rating 3.)

Effects of Armor in Combat: Attack Successes are reduced equal to Armor's Rating. (with Manifest Injuries being thusly lowered as well.)

SIMPLE Manifest Injury Chart:

Damage Successes minus Defender's Level* on Chart, With Organ Type Determined by Hit Location.

1.) Bruise

2.) Laceration-mild

3.) Laceration-Severe. Scarring Will Occur

4.) Organ Damaged

5.) Organ Ruptured

6.) Organ Destroyed

 

* Targets level is not subtracted in situations were target is incapacitated or surprised.

 

Injury examples: a.) Head Shot; Organ Damaged = 1 Eye Temporarily Blinded. b.) Leg Shot; Organ Ruptured = Broken Bone. and so forth.... GMs' common sense should dictate how to describe any particular Manifest Injury.

 

Note that this chart is meant solely as a guide