AoE Combat

Return to AoE Main Page =Time= Combat is broken into rounds. Each round lasts 10 seconds. Every minute has 6 round, every hour has 360, and every day has 8640.

=Actions= Each combat round, all participants will have some chance to act. Each character gets 2 actions every round. Most activities take one Action, although some take none, and others may take two or more.

Examples of things you can do include:

Zero Action
 * Speak
 * Reactionary Attack
 * Defense

One Action
 * Move Speed
 * Take Stance
 * Use Skill
 * Delay
 * Gather Essence
 * Channel Essence
 * Cast Spell [usually]
 * Single Attack I [feat]

Two Actions
 * Basic Attack
 * Charge Attack

=Initiative= At the start of combat, every character makes an Initative Roll. Each round, characters act in order of initative, from top to bottom. In the case of a tie, the person with the higher skill goes first. If the skills are tied, the person with higher attributes goes first. If attributes are tied, flip a coin.

Actions

At the start of your initiative count, the character receives their 2 Actions, known as Refreshing. They make take any actions they choose, and at the end of their initiative count, any unused actions are forfeited.

Delaying

As an Action, you may choose to delay and attempt to go at a more advantageous or tactical initative count. If you delay to the end of the round, you continue to delay at the beginning of the next round, and may act when you choose to do so. If you took your other action, and then Delayed as your final one, you may change your initative order, and once you have set it, you will Refresh as normal on the next round, on that initiative count. If you are Delaying when the round ends, and a new one begins, you do not Refresh until the next round.

=Movement=

Tactical movement is played on a Hexagonal Grid. Each hex is 3 ft. across, and takes a certain amount of speed to enter, based on the terrain. If you do not have enough speed left, then you may not enter a hex. With one action, you may move up to your speed. You may take the action to move as many times in the round as you want, and you may do other actions in between if you choose.

Terrain : Speed required
 * Flat, packed earth or smooth stone road : 3
 * Grassy hill, lightly uneven ground : 4
 * Light underbrush, light woods : 5
 * Heavy underbrush, thick woods : 6
 * Low wall : +1
 * Rubble : +2
 * Uphill, Moderate : +1
 * Uphill, Steep : +2
 * Downhill, Moderate : -1
 * Downhill, Steep : -1 or -2 (acrobatics check required for -2)

=Attacking & Defending= The attacker chooses a target within his threatened area, spends the actions(s), and makes his attack(s). If he can make multiple attacks as part of an action, they may be used against different targets, but the attacker may not move from his hex inbetween attacks. With his target declared, the defender makes his attack roll.

The defender chooses his defense, refers to the Defense Modifer Table for any circimstancial modifiers to his roll, and makes his defense roll.

Before the attacker or defender know the results of each other's rolls, either may spend luck to attempT a better roll if they so choose.

Once rolls are finalized, the defender informs the attacker of his roll. The attacker subtracts the defender's roll from his own, and consults the Combat Results Table. If the rolls are tied, the combatant with the higher skill (BAS+WGS+Feats vs BDS+DGS+Feats) wins. If skills are tied, it goes to natural ability. If abilites are tied, it goes to circumstantial modifiers. If those are tied, flip a coin.

=Combat Results Tables= The result of any opposed combat roll can be determined from the table below. The tables are arraged from the attacker's perspective. Results on the positive side of the table happen to the defender, results on the negative side of the table happen to the attacker.

Block

 * +20 : Disarmed / Unshielded
 * +10 : Hit
 * +1 : Hit
 * -1 : Blocked
 * -10 : Blocked
 * -20 : Disarmed

Dodge

 * +20 : Prone
 * +10 : Unbalanced
 * +1 : Hit
 * -1 : Dodged
 * -10 : Unbalanced
 * -20 : Prone

Parry

 * +20 : Grievously Hit
 * +10 : Disarmed
 * +1 : Hit
 * -1 : Parried
 * -10 : Riposted
 * -20 : Disarmed

Feint

 * +20 : Choose Defense
 * +10 : Deny Defense
 * +1 : Normal Attack
 * -1 : Normal Attack
 * -10 : Lose Attack
 * -20 : Riposte

=Hits and Wounds=

Normal Attacks
Normal attacks that succeed deal normal hits. Normal hits deal STA damage, and DR applies.

Normal Defenses
Normal defenses that succeed cause normal attacks to miss. A normal defense that is successful against a critical attack causes it to do STA damage instead of CON damage.

Critical Attacks
Crititcal attacks always hit a normal defense. Critical attacks deal critical hits. Critical hits normally do CON damage. Critical hits always do full damage, ignoring DR.

Critical Defenses
Critical defenses always cause a normal attack to miss. A critical defense that succeeds against a critical attack causes it to miss.

Fumble
Fumbled attacks always miss. Fumbled defenses cause the attack to hit and ignore DR.

Hit Matrix
Attack vs Defense : Result
 * Normal > Normal : Stamina Damage (DR applies)
 * Normal < Normal : Miss
 * Critical > Normal : Constitution Damage (DR does not apply)
 * Critical < Normal : Stamina Damage (DR does not apply)
 * Normal > Critical : Miss
 * Normal < Critical : Miss
 * Critical > Critical : Constitution Damage (DR does not apply)
 * Critical < Critical : Miss
 * Fumble <> Normal : Miss
 * Normal <> Fumble : Stamina Damage (DR does not apply)

=Status=