A typical combat encounter is a clash between Squads, a flurry of weapon swings, feints, parries, footwork, and gunfire. Initiative organizes combat into a cycle of rounds and turns.
A round represents about 6 seconds in the game world. During a round, each participant in Initiative takes a turn. The order of turns is determined at the beginning of the encounter, where everyone rolls Initiative.
Once everyone has taken their turn, the combat continues to the next round if neither side has defeated the other.
ORDER OF COMBAT
STEP 1: GATHER YOUR SQUAD
A "SQUAD" is a collection of 2-5 players who are similarly aligned in a combat, i.e, faction members, safehouse members, etc. The maximum amount of players within a Player-versus-Player combat encounter is 10 people, 5 maximum in each Squad. Independent or singular players may be involved in combat without being part of a squad, but they still contribute to the 10 player maximum.
STEP 2: ROLL INITIATIVE
Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant rolls Deft to determine their place in the Initiative order. Highest roll goes first, second highest goes second, and so on. Initiative is limited to 10 players total, and Squads may only have a maximum of 5 players. Turn order is locked after Initiative order has been determined.
SURPRISE AND COMPROMISE
If combat starts and you are in a compromised position, i.e, your back is to your opponent, a knife is to your throat, or a gun is aimed at you, those compromised are placed at the bottom of Initiative order.
STEP 3: TURN ORDER & YOUR TURN
Once Initiative is rolled, players will be placed from Highest to Lowest. Turns consist of Movement, and an Action; that of which can occur in any order during your turn. Event Directors may place Monsters or NPC's at the top of the turn order, or may intermix them with players.
Remember that every round is six-seconds long. Every turn that occurs in a round is happening, in tandem, during that six-second period.
ACTIONS
Players may take the following actions in PvP; Attack, Dash, Dodge, Heal, Flee Combat, Inspire, Intimidate, and Intercept.
Hide, Taunt, Improvise, and Help are PvE-Only actions.
Your turn can include a variety of flourishes that require neither your action nor your move. You can communicate briefly however you are able as you take your turn. Think, "What can I say in six seconds?" You may also interact with one object or feature of the environment for free, during either your move or your action. A second item interaction will use your main action.
APPLY STATUS EFFECTS
As Initiative progresses, the HP of combatants will rise and fall, combatants may be knocked down, gravely injured, or too terrified to move. There are five Status Effects; Stable, Wounded, Unconscious, Prone, Bleeding, and Frightened. Ensure that these are being applied as appropriate.
PROFESSION ABILITIES
After rolling, you may use an applicable Profession ability to reroll. You must call out that you will be using your Profession ability before the next person in Initiative takes their turn.
STEP 4: REINFORCEMENTS
Anytime past the third round of combat, reinforcements can be summoned IG through the Safehouse or Faction radios. Once reinforcements arrive, they are added to the end of turn order in the order they arrive.
STEP 5: FINISH IT.
Combat Encounters, like all other good things, must come to an end. Combat concludes when one Squad is either entirely brought to 0/5 HP, or forfeits. Following combat, Consequences and Wounds are applied.
APPLY CONSEQUENCES
The following consequences can be applied by the Winning squad; Left for Dead, Severe Wound, Theft, and Character Kill.
WOUNDS
After a fight, you may leave with Moderate or Severe Wounds. Reaching 0/5 HP automatically applies a Moderate Wound. Severe Wounds are applied as a Consequence at the end of combat.
"DOWN AND OUT"
Along with being a wound you must roleplay, Moderate and Severe Wounds have an OOC timer that called "Down and Out". While Down and Out, you may not go over 2/5 HP; in, or our of Initiative.
INITIATIVE
INITIATIVE
Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant rolls Deft to determine their place in the Initiative order. (Highest roll goes first, second highest goes second, and so on.) Initiative is limited to 10 players total, and Squads may only have a maximum of 5 players. Turn order is locked after Initiative order has been determined.
SURPRISE AND COMPROMISE
If combat starts and you are in a compromised position, i.e, your back is to your opponent, a knife is to your throat, or a gun is aimed at you, those compromised are placed at the bottom of Initiative order.
SQUADS
A "SQUAD" is a collection of 2-5 players who are similarly aligned in a combat, i.e, faction members, safehouse members, etc. The maximum amount of players within a Player-versus-Player combat encounter is 10 people, 5 maximum in each Squad. Independent or singular players may be involved in combat without being part of a squad, but they still contribute to the 10 player maximum.
REINFORCEMENTS
Anytime past the third round of combat, reinforcements can be summoned IG through the Safehouse or Faction radios. Once reinforcements arrive, they are added to the end of turn order in the order they arrive.
YOUR TURN
ON YOUR TURN
On your turn, you can move a distance up to your movement speed and take one action.
You decide whether to take your move or action first.
OTHER ACTIVITY ON YOUR TURN
Your turn can include a variety of flourishes that require neither your action nor your move. You can communicate briefly however you are able as you take your turn. Think, "What can I say in six seconds?"
You may also interact with one object or feature of the environment for free, during either your move or your action. For example, you can open a door as you move towards the attacking party, or you can swap your weapon as part of the same action you use to attack. A second item interaction will use your action.
MOVEMENT
In combat, characters and NPC's are in constant motion, often using movement and position to gain the upper hand.
On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed. You may use as much or as little of your speed as you like on your turn, following the rules here;
Your movement can include jumping, climbing, and swimming. These different modes of movement can be combined with walking, or they can constitute your entire move. However you're moving, deduct 1 tile of movement from your move speed until it is used up or you are done moving.
BREAKING UP YOUR MOVE
You can break up your movement on your turn, using some of your speed before and after your action. For example, if you have a speed of 5 tiles, you can move 2, take your action, and then move the remaining 3 tiles.
STATUS EFFECTS
As Initiative progresses, the HP of combatants will rise and fall, combatants may be knocked down, gravely injured, or too terrified to move. There are five Status Effects; Stable, Wounded, Unconscious, Prone, Bleeding, and Frightened.
STABLE
If you are at 3/5 HP or above, you are considered Stable. Stable players roll unencumbered, as normal, and are considered to be uninjured and healthy.
WOUNDED
If you are at 2/5 or less HP, you are considered Wounded. Wounded players roll the ATTACK action at Disadvantage.
UNCONSCIOUS
If you have 0 or less HP, your character falls unconscious. To become conscious again, a successful Wit roll (DC 16) needs to be performed on your character. Following this, you cannot attack for 1 turn, and your HP is raised to 1/5.
BLEEDING
On the start of your turn, you take 1 HP damage. To remove the status, you must have the Heal action performed on you by yourself or someone else.
PRONE
"Prone" can only be assigned by ED's. You may be given the Prone Status Effect after failing an appropriate save. For each turn that you are Prone, you roll the ATTACK action at Disadvantage. To lose the Prone status effect, you must use your full movement to stand up.
FRIGHTENED
On the start of your turn, you may do one of the following
- Fight. Run towards the target at the most direct route, and attack them at disadvantage
- Flight. Run away from the target at the most direct route.
ACTIONS
When you take your action on your turn, you may take one of the actions presented here. Many NPC's have action options of their own in their stat blocks. In PvE, you may describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules and the ED will tell you whether the action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure.
ATTACK
PvP | PvE
You may Attack using the following;
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Melee Attacks = Brutal
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The target of the Melee Attack must be in ENGAGEMENT range.
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Ranged Attacks = Sharp
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If you are ENGAGED, roll at Disadvantage.
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Thrown Attacks = Deft
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If you are ENGAGED, roll at Disadvantage.
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ENGAGEMENT
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When a player enters within one tile of a hostile player, both players are considered 'engaged'.
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Engaged players receive disadvantage on Sharp and Deft rolls to attack.
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Players who leave engagement range without using the Dodge action prior to their movement invokes a free Brutal attack from the opposing player.
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You may not use the HEAL action on yourself while in Engagement Range.
Note: This Brutal attack does not require a roll, therefore, it cannot be retaliated against.
ATTACK RANGES
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BRUTAL ATTACKS have a 1 tile radius.
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SHARP ATTACKS have a 16 tile radius.
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DEFT ATTACKS have a 6 tile radius.
ATTACK VALUES
Attack > Defense
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By 1 point: Inflict 1 HP of damage.
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By 10 points: An extra point of damage.
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CRITICAL SUCCESSES are guaranteed hits, regardless of opposing number rolled.
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CRITICAL FAILURES will always miss, regardless of the opposing number rolled.
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This damage can stack.
Draw | Attack = Defense
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No damage is dealt.
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No damage is taken.
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REROLL.
Defense > Attack
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By 1 point: No damage is dealt.
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PVE ONLY: By 10 points: The attack is countered and you deal 1 HP of damage to the attacker.
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PVE ONLY: By 20 points: The attack is countered and you deal 2 HP of damage to the attacker.
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CRITICAL SUCCESSES guarantee that the attacker does not hit, regardless of the opposing number rolled.
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CRITICAL FAILURES guarantee that the attacker will hit, regardless of the opposing number rolled.
HEAL
PvP | PvE
Roll Wit (DC10), on a Success, heal a player for +1 HP and clear a Status Effect.
Healing a player at 0/5 in a PvP encounter can circumvent CK auths if done before Initiative ends.
In or Outside of combat you may not heal past Stable (3/5 HP).
FLEE COMBAT
PvP | PvE
You must roll Deft higher than those who attacked you in the current round of combat. If you are first in Initiative when combat starts, you only need to roll Deft against the next person in initiative if they intend to use the Attack or Grapple action on you.
Fleeing combat prevents you from entering another Initiative for 15 minutes after the initial combat with the fleeing party has ended.
GRAPPLE
PvP | PvE
Roll Brutal V. Deft to attempt to restrict another's movement. On a success, the Grappled player cannot use their Movement, Dash, or Flee Combat on their turn.
[GRAPPLE] must be upkept each turn. A player is only grappled once, at any given time.
Grapple does not inflict HP damage, but is considered an 'Attack' in reference to other actions or systems.
DASH
PvP | PvE
Consumes your action to give you double your movement.
INSPIRE
PvP | PvE
Roll Charm (DC 10). On a success, give an ally ADVANTAGE on their next roll.
DODGE
PvP | PvE
Avoids the next Attack against you. Used to break from [ENGAGE]
INTIMIDATE
PvP | PvE
Roll Charm (DC 10). On a success, give an enemy DISADVANTAGE on their next roll.
INTERCEPT
PvP | PvE
Intercept an Attack meant for another player within your movement by using your Action and Movement. This action can occur at any point in the turn order.
INSTRUCT
PvP | PvE
Roll Wit (DC 10). On a success, target a player. Until the end of the targeted players next turn, the target player gains +1 damage.
Note: If the next Attack is a failure, the Instruct is wasted! Instruct may not stack!
SPECIAL ITEMS
PvP | PvE
Special Items Crafting and Actions can be found here.
ATTACK
DOGS
An alternate form of attack on your turn can be utilizing an Attack Dog. The following lists rules and guidelines for their proper use.
MAUL
PvP | PvE
To tell an Attack Dog to MAUL, assign a target within 6 tiles of the handler and roll Charm. The target rolls Deft. Charm V. Deft. If multiple Attack Dogs are present, they attack as one unit.
Attack Dogs may attack. Attack Dogs must be present in the scene prior to Initiative being rolled for the player to utilize "Command". Once an Attack Dog is brought into combat, then, and only then, are they subjected to being harmed. Once an Attack Dog is assigned an owner in Initiative, it cannot swap owners.
Attack Dogs share Hit Points (HP) and Initiative with the player. An attack on an Attack Dog is an attack on the player. Using "Maul" is another action that a player can take if their Attack Dog is present in combat.
Since Attack Dogs share HP and Initiative with the player, they cannot be knocked to 0/5 HP themselves. The player reaching 0/5 HP, in terms of the Attack Dog, is a representation of the Attack Dog no longer having their owner present to guide them. To destroy an Attack Dog, you may enact the consequence END COMPANIONSHIP. This Consequence kills the Attack Dog.
REINFORCEMENTS
Anytime past the third round of combat, reinforcements can be summoned IG through the Safehouse or Faction radios. Once reinforcements arrive, they are added to the end of turn order in the order they arrive.
To join in to initiative as a reinforcement, the squad you are joining must not be at the maximum of five members. If you are joining as a third party, the number of participants in combat cannot exceed 10. Priority is given to the existing squads. Each squad can have a maximum of one wave of reinforcements.
I.E, On turn 3 of combat, North Haven called for reinforcements. They arrived at the 4th turn. They had 2 combatants, plus the additional 1 reinforcement. Even though they are not at the maximum of 5, they may not have any additional reinforcements. The reinforcement is added to the end of turn order, and combat continues.
Gathering people through Discord, whether on our server or elsewhere, for combat is considered metagaming and will result in administrative punishment.
CONSEQUENCES
Once combat has concluded, the winning party (the Squad that has less players at 0/5 HP) may institute one of four consequences on the losing party (the Squad that has more than 0/5 HP.)
HP is a measure of your will to continue on; the below consequences do not all mean that a player has been knocked unconscious, simply that they cannot resist the below consequences and are unable to continue fighting or rolling offensive actions.
If you are a member of the winning party and you reach 0/5 HP, you automatically take the "Wound" consequence of the "Moderate" level.
LEFT FOR DEAD
If there are no active Character Kill authorizations, you may enact "LEFT FOR DEAD". ICly, leaving someone for dead means that you have brought them to 0/5 HP in combat and your character has presumed them to be dead.
SEVERE WOUND
You may consider the damage dealt to bring them to 0/5 HP as lethal and give the player a Severe Wound. Severe wounds make players "Down & Out".
THEFT
You may steal from the player who was brought to 0/5 HP. You may request to search for 3 total items, and if the player has them, must pass them over. If the player does not have the 3 items requested, you may not make additional requests as your "search" period of the body is considered unsuccessful.
Stacked items count as 1 requested item. I.E, if someone asks for the Engine Parts in your inventory, and you have 100.. they will be stolen!
CHARACTER KILL
Upon obtaining a Character Kill authorization from Management, players have the option to conclude a character's story once Initiative has ended. To initiate a CK, the player must reach 0/5 HP during combat and maintain this state until Initiative concludes.
END COMPANIONSHIP
End Companionship kills the target of the Consequences' Attack Dog.
WOUNDS
The world of Pandemonium is a dangerous place. Player-Characters will be burned, shot at, bitten, and stabbed. Some of these injuries are easier to deal with than others. In the old world, some wounds would present a minor inconvenience. In the new, some prevent life-threatening complications.
To read more about how wounds are meant to be portrayed, visit our Wounds page.