Ogre:CharacterCodex:Combat:Sequence

Combat

This section describe all the rules to be use to resolve combat in the game.

1. Combat Statistics
2. Combat Sequence
3. Combat Exhaustion
4. Combat Modifiers
5. Combat Maneuver
6. Injuries and Death

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Combat Sequence

Each combat have a count that start from 0. A segment represent one increment of that count. At each increment, characters may be able to make decision or act in a certain way. A segment is equal to half a second in real life. An action that take 10 segment to resolved take 5 seconds in real time. To resolve a combat, follow the following steps:

1. Each combatant starts out with a flat-footed condition, meaning that the combatant have a No Defense condition and a No Opportunity condition.
2. Determine the starting distance between each opponent group and if each combatant are aware of each other.
3. Each combatant rolls for their initiative.
4. Gamemaster start to count segment.
5. Once a combatant reach it's reaction time segment, he or she is no longer flat-footed. He or she can also declare an action that will be resolved at a later segment when the action will be completed.
6. When the segment reach the count where an action will be completed, the action is resolved and a new one is declared for later resolution.
7. Continue segment count until combat finish.

Starting Combat

When a combat start everybody have a flat-footed status meaning they are not yet ready for combat.

Determining starting distance and surprise

If the opponents are not already aware of each other, roll spot checks to see at which distance an opponents group see the other one. The distance between opponents group is the maximum distance you can see with your Spot check. If a group see the other group before the other one and they have range attack, the group not aware of the attack is surprised. If they need to get in melee to attack, no group is surprise since both group will eventually see each other.

You can also use Stalk checks to approach enemies. If the enemies do not beat your Stalk check with it's spot check, the group is surprise even if you attack in melee.

Example : The best Spot check in the characters party is 15 and in the enemy party is 12. Both are in gentle hill meaning that for each 3 ranks of success, you see at a 10 feet distance. The character party see the enemy at 50 feet distance while the enemy sees the character party at a 40 feet distance.

If the character party have range weapon, they can attack the Orc that will be surprised, resulting in a surprised reaction time for the Orcs.

If the party have only melee weapon, it charge the Orc that will notice them at 40 feet. The combat will then start at 40 feet.

Since the party have seen the Orc before them, they do not need to engage combat immediately. Party members might flee to avoid combat, prepare themselves for the fight by drawing their weapon or try to sneak on the orcs by hiding in the hills to surprise the Orcs in a melee combat.

Initiative

Everybody then roll their Initiative which is a d10 roll adding their reaction time. The initiative result is the first segment when a character will be able to act.

Acting in Combat

When you reach the segment for your initiative, you can declare an action. Actions are not resolved until the action is completed meaning that you add the number of segment taken by your action to the current segment at that will give you the next segment where you will resolved the action. If the action ask for concentration and you are attacked during that time, you must successfully make a Concentration check.

When the segment to resolve is reached, the action happens. You make the appropriate checks for your actions. After resolving your action, you can declare another action.

Each action take a certain number of segment to resolved depending on their type of initiative category.

Example : You encounter an Orc. You both roll a d10 for initiative and add your base reaction time. You roll 8 + your reaction time 8 (You have + 2 dexterity bonus) for an initiative of 16. The Orc roll a 4 + base reaction time of 10 for a total initiative of 14.

First, everybody is flat-footed. The first opponent to act, the Orc, will be at segment 14. The Gamemaster can start counting from segment 14 since nothing will happen on other segment. At segment 14, the Orc lose it's flat-footed status. He declare an attack on you. Attacking is a standard action that will take 10 segments to resolved. The Orc action will be resolve at segment 24. At segment 16 you will lose your flat-footed status and choose to attack the Orc. Your attack will be resolved at segment 26 (16 + 10 for a standard action). The Orc resolve it's attack at segment 24, you resolve yours at segment 26.

Acting Fast

In certain situation, you might need to act quickly and do not have enough time to resolve an action. When declaring your action, you can declare it as a fast action. The action is done quicker by one speed category. You can declare any action as a fast action except immediate action.

Because you hurry, you have more chance to fail your action. A fast action suffer a -8 penalty modified by your Dexterity Bonus. This penalty is reduce for high Dexterity and worsen for low Dexterity. If you have a Dexterity bonus of +1, your fast action penalty is -7. If you have a Dexterity penalty of -1, your fast action penalty is -9.

For action that normally do not ask for a skill check, make an ability check with DC 15 to see if you can make the action without problem.

During a fast action, you do not have any time to use a feat related to that skills.

Example 1

Your opponent is almost dead, but have enough energy left to make a last attack against you. You are pretty wounded too so you do not want to take the chance to fall before your enemy. So you decide to declare a fast melee attack. Your melee attack is now a short action, but you make your attack with a -8 penalty but since you are a pretty good swordsman, you know that you will probably hit him anyway.

Example 2

You want to draw your weapon as a quick action instead of a short action. Normally drawing a weapon do not required any checks, but because you hurry, you need to make a Dexterity check DC 15. If you failed, you cannot draw your sword in time.

Taking your time

You can take more time to do an action to have more chance to succeed in it. You can take up to two category slower your action. If you use 1 category slower, you receive a +4 bonus. If you use 2 category slower, you receive a +8 bonus.

Action Types

There is three type of action you can make in combat : Action, Reaction and Opportunity.

Action

It is any use of a skill in an active manner.

Reaction

Reaction are actions that you make only when a certain events occurs, like being attacked, without even declaring them. They are essentially defensive in nature. They do not break your current action even if your current action ask for concentration and they are always resolve immediately. Having a reaction make your current action harder to resolved though, you suffer a penalty to your current action depending on your reaction initiative category. You don’t have to make a reaction if you don’t want to.

Reaction Initiative category	Current action penalty
Instantaneous	0
Immediate	-1
Quick	-2
Short	-4
Standard	-8
Long	-16
Very Long	-32
Slow	-64
Very Slow	-128

Opportunity

Sometimes a combatant in a melee lets his guard down. In this case, combatants near him can take advantage of his lapse in defense to quickly act against him. These actions are called attacks of opportunity. Two kinds of actions can provoke attacks of opportunity: moving out of a threatened square and performing a non combat action within a threatened square.

Moving: Moving out of a threatened square usually provokes an action of opportunity from the threatening opponent unless you use a withdrawing action.

Non combat act: Check skills description to see if using a particular skill provoke an attack of opportunity when used in combat.

Making an Attack of Opportunity: When an opponent in your threaten area provokes an attack of opportunity, you can either resolve your current offensive action against him or make a new offensive action. If you resolve your offensive action immediately on this opponent, you do not suffer any penalty except the normal penalty for changing target if the opponent was not your current target. If you make a new offensive action, your action is considered a reaction with the appropriate penalty to your current action. You don’t have to make an attack of opportunity if you don’t want to.

Action initiative category

An action initiative category essentially tells you how long the action takes to perform in combat segment. There are nine initiative category: Instantaneous, Immediate, Quick, Short, Standard, Long, Very Long, Slow and Very Slow.

Instantaneous : An Instantaneous Action take no time at all in a combat round.

Immediate and Quick: Immediate and Quick actions consume a very small amount of time and effort.

Short: A short action allows you to make a quick move or perform an action that takes a similar amount of time.

Standard: A standard action allows you to do something, most commonly make an attack or use a skill.

Long: A Long or Very Long Action are actions that can take time to make. They can be some precise combat technique or other complex actions.

Slow: A Slow or Very Slow Action are actions that you should normally not do in combat, but for some reason, you need to to that action during a combat.

Consult the skill you want to use to know their initiative category. For other actions, consult the following list of action.

Instantaneous Actions

Cease Concentration: You can stop concentrating on any skill or active spell as an instantaneous reaction.

Immediate Actions

Drop an Item: Dropping an item in your space or into an adjacent square is an immediate action.

Drop Prone: Dropping to a prone position in your space is an immediate action.

Speak: In general, speaking is an immediate reaction. Speaking more than few sentences is generally beyond the limit of an immediate action.

Fast Mount or Dismount: You can mount or dismount as an immediate action with a DC 20 Ride check. If you fail the check, mounting or dismounting is a short action instead.

Quick Actions

Quick Move : You can take a quick movement of any natural movement skill. When doing a quick move, you can only move from one square.

Quick Follow : When your current action target an opponent and that opponent move, you can follow him as a reaction while continuing your current action. You can follow a target for one square only. When following an opponent, you do not provoke attack of opportunity for your opponent and your opponent do not provoke attack of opportunity for you. But you provoke attack of opportunity from all other opponents that threaten you before you move.

Short Actions

Short Move : You can take a short movement of any kind you are able to do. When doing a short move, you cannot go faster than your normal speed.

Short Follow : When your current action target an opponent and that opponent move, you can follow him as a reaction while continuing your current action. You can follow a target at your normal speed only. When following an opponent, you do not provoke attack of opportunity for your opponent and your opponent do not provoke attack of opportunity for you.

Draw or Sheathe a Weapon : Drawing a weapon so that you can use it in combat, or putting it away so that you have a free hand, requires a short action. This action also applies to weapon-like objects carried in easy reach, such as wands. If your weapon or weapon-like object is stored in a pack or otherwise out of easy reach, treat this action as retrieving a stored item.

Ready or Loose a Shield: Strapping a shield to your arm to gain its shield bonus to your Defense, or unstrapping and dropping a shield so you can use your shield hand for another purpose, requires a short action.

Manipulate an Item: In most cases, moving or manipulating an item is a short action. This includes retrieving or putting away a stored item, picking up an item, moving a heavy object, and opening a door.

Direct or Redirect a Spell: Some spells allow you to redirect the effect to new targets or areas after you cast the spell. Redirecting a spell requires a short action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity or require concentration.

Stand Up: Standing up from a prone position requires a short action and provokes attacks of opportunity.

Mount/Dismount a Steed: Mounting or dismounting from a steed requires a short action.

Dismiss a spell: If one of your spell is active, you can cancel it's effect.

Standard Action

Aid another: When aiding another person with a skill, the helper's action is a standard action.

Use an item: Most item that have a usefulness in combat is a standard action unless otherwise noted in the item description.

Move : A normal movement including running at any speed.

Follow : When your current action target an opponent and that opponent move, you can follow him as a reaction while continuing your current action. You can follow a target at any speed. When following an opponent, you do not provoke attack of opportunity for your opponent and your opponent do not provoke attack of opportunity for you.

Long Action

Extinguish flames: If you are on fire, you can try to extinguish the flames by rolling on the floor.

Withdraw: Withdrawing from melee combat is a long action. When you withdraw, you can move normally. The square you start out in is not considered threatened by any opponent you can see, and therefore visible enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against you when you move from that square. (Invisible enemies still get attacks of opportunity against you, and you can’t withdraw from combat if you’re blinded.) If, during the process of withdrawing, you move out of a threatened square (other than the one you started in), enemies get attacks of opportunity as normal.

Difficult Move : In some situations, your movement may be so hampered that you don’t have sufficient speed even to move 5 feet (a single square). In such a case, you may take a long action to move 5 feet (1 square) in any direction, even diagonally.

Charge: Charge melee maneuver is a move action combine with an attack. See Combat maneuver below.

Special Initiative Actions

There are ways to change when you act during combat by altering your place in the initiative order.

Breaking Action

Voluntary breaking : You can cancel an action that you declare anytime, but you lose the segment that have already pass. When you break the action, you can declare what your next action will be.

Involuntary breaking : When an action ask for concentration and you lose it or you are stun during an action, you lose the segment that have already pass for that action. On the segment that you recover from the event that break your action, you can declare what your next action will be.

Delay

By choosing to delay, you declare no action on your segment but wait for any other segment to declare your action. The segments that you let pass this way are lost to you.

Ready

The ready action lets you take an action but resolved it at a later segment. The segments that you let pass this way are lost to you. You can use a ready action to wait for an opponent to do a specific action and break his action.

Distracting Spellcasters: You can ready an attack against a spellcaster. If you damage the spellcaster, she may lose the spell she was trying to cast (as determined by her Concentration check result).

Readying to counter a spell: You may ready a counterspell against a spellcaster. In this case, when the spellcaster starts a spell, you get a chance to identify it with a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If you do, and if you can cast that same spell (are able to cast it and have it prepared, if you prepare spells), you can cast the spell as a counterspell and automatically ruin the other spellcaster’s spell. Counterspelling works even if one spell is divine and the other arcane.

A spellcaster can use dispel magic to counterspell another spellcaster, but it doesn’t always work. Readying a Weapon against a Charge: You can ready certain piercing weapons, setting them to receive charges. A readied weapon of this type deals double damage if you score a hit with it against a charging character.