Editing FANGS: Normal Combat

[[Category:FANGS]]
[[Category:Combat]]
{{Template:FANGSHeader}}
==Monsters ==

==Normal Combat==

There are four phases to combat round using Normal Combat:

* Initiative
* Missile
* Melee
* Post-Melee

The Missile, Melee, and Post-Melee phases each have:

* Attack Rolls
* Defense Rolls
* Damage Rolls

==Initiative==

Each combatant moves through the following phases in AG order, highest first. A combatant can always Hold an action to see what slower combatants are doing. The held action can be taken any time later in the combat round, pre-empting or even interrupting (such as attacking someone in the middle of a move) the action of a slower AG combatant. Once the intention to break the Hold has been stated, the character must act. To pre-empt or interrupt a faster AG who has also held and is now acting, each combatant must make an AG roll and the highest result acts first. But both must still act or lose their turn entirely. A Held action cannot be one that would take the entire round to perform, such as Change Weapons, Retreat, Run, or Charge.

''Example: Fast Eddy, with an AG of 17, is the highest AG in the combat. His player Holds. Dagmar the Deadly at AG 15 is the next highest AG, her player also Holds. Later in the round, Fast Eddy decides to attack Pirate Jenny as Jenny moves past him. Dagmar attempts to intervene. Both players roll d20 and add it to their AG. As it happens, they both roll 8, making Eddy's roll a 25 and Dagmar's a 23. Fast Eddy gets to attack Jenny without Dagmar stopping him. Dagmar must still attack Eddy, since the intention to intervene was stated. ''

To add variety to the rounds when there are only a few participants, the players can roll a d20 and add it to their AG at the start of each round (or perhaps just once per combat) to determine the initiative for that round (or combat). GM and players must agree to use this option.

The possible maneuvers in a combat round are Draw Weapon, Change Weapon, Move, Engage, All-out-Attack, Attack, Dodge, Melee Dodge, Disengage, and Retreat.

==Maneuvers==

A character performing any of these maneuvers may always Dodge if attacked before he performs the maneuver, even if he starting to perform the maneuver, such as engaging an enemy. The Dodge negates the maneuver and the maneuver can be attempted again the next round. Exceptions are noted in the maneuver descriptions. A Dodge may be used against either melee or distance attacks. A parry can only be used against melee attacks.

When a character is described as being able to parry with his shield, this refers to shields, parrying weapons, barstools, capes, or whatever he may be holding in his off hand. It can even mean his bare hand, though the hand will take damage except under special circumstances. If the character is using a two-handed weapon, it may be used twice if the character is allowed to parry with weapon and shield during the maneuver, but only once if the character can only parry. See maneuver discussion below. A parry can only be used against melee attacks.

* '''All-Out-Attack''' -- Choose a target for the character and he gets to attack it twice. However, the character cannot parry or dodge. The character can move only 1/4 his MV in paces. A character intending an All-Out Attack cannot hold his attack. An All-Out Attack must be started on the character’s normal initiative. If using a melee weapon, he must be already engaged with his target. The Two Weapon ability allows a 3rd attack. This maneuver cannot be used with weapons that have an extended reload time, such as heavy crossbows or single-shot firearms.

* '''Attack''' -- Choose a target and the character gets to attack it once. (But see two weapon attacks below.) The character can parry one attack with his weapon and one attack with his shield, but he may not Dodge. Alternately, he can Dodge once, but not Parry at all. If he is using a melee weapon, he must be engaged with his target. The character can move only 1/4 his MV in paces to engage an opponent on the same round he attacks. 

* '''Change Weapon''' -- The character is dropping or sheathing one weapon, and drawing another. If he is attacked during this round he may Dodge, but the weapons do not change. He may move only 1/4 his MV in paces. He cannot Hold to change weapons. You can only Hold to do something that does not take a full round to accomplish.

* '''Charge''' -- A character can move up to his MV in paces and attack once. He may parry his target's attack - no one else's. He cannot Dodge or make use of a second attack, even if he has the ability. The character must be free of engagement at the start of the round, and the character cannot Hold a Charge. If the Charging character attacks and misses, or does no damage, his target gets a free attack.

* '''Disengage''' -- The character attempts to disengage from melee from his attacker. He can parry one attack with his weapon and one attack with his shield, but he may not dodge or attack. The character must be free to move to his rear, or he must use the Dodge maneuver. He can move up to 1/2 his MV in paces. The character cannot Hold to Disengage.

* '''Melee Dodge''' -- The character defends itself against melee attacks without attacking. He can dodge any and all melee attacks, but he may not parry. You may also choose for the character to attempt to move past an attacker, however, the attacker gets one extra chance to attack the character as he tries to slide past. The character can move up to 1/2 his MV in paces.

* '''Draw Weapon''' -- The character is drawing a weapon for use in combat. If he is attacked during this round, he may parry once with his shield/parrying weapon, but not with the weapon he is drawing, and he may not dodge. The same restrictions apply to readying a Parrying weapon/shield. He may move only 1/4 his MV in paces. For convenience of play, a character who does not move at all can be considered to get from empty-handed to completely ready for combat in one round. Similarly, changing from one combat set (such as a bow and arrows) to another (such as sword and shield) also takes one round. In neither case can the character either parry or dodge while making the transition.'''

* '''Dodge, Melee''' -- The character defends itself against melee attacks without attacking. He can dodge any and all melee attacks, but he may not parry. You may also choose for the character to attempt to move past an attacker, however, the attacker gets one extra chance to attack the character as he tries to slide past. The character can move up to 1/2 his MV in paces. 

* '''Dodge, Missile''' -- A character who is only facing missile fire can attempt to Dodge missiles as many times as necessary. The character can move up to 1/2 his MV in paces. If facing an autofire weapon, he must make the Dodge by as much as the attacker made the Attack, or take the difference in successful hits.
::Example: ''Gru 738 attempts to Dodge the Troll-Martian’s autofire attack. Gru makes a Dodge roll of 24. The Troll-Martian makes an Attack roll of 27. Gru 738 is hit three times.''

* '''Engage''' -- Choose a target for the character to close in on in order to attack it (if it hasn't already closed in on the character.). He may move up to 1/2 his MV in paces in order to engage his target. If the character is attacked during this round he may parry once with his weapon and once with his shield/parrying weapon. An Engage Move can be Held.

* '''Move''' -- If the character is not engaged, he can move freely up to 1/2 his MV in paces. If attacked, he can parry once with his weapon and once with his shield/parrying weapon (or twice with a two-handed weapon), and he may dodge once. If he is engaged, the character must use the Melee Dodge or Retreat maneuvers instead. A Move can be Held.

* '''Retreat''' -- The character runs from his attacker up to his MV in paces. The character may not dodge, but he can parry one attack. The character's attacker has a +2 bonus to hit the character during this round. However, the character escapes being re-engaged by his target during the next round. The character must be free to run from the attacker, or he must use the Dodge maneuver instead. A Retreat maneuver cannot be Held.

* '''Run''' –- If the character is not engaged, he can run his full MV (plus more if a successful Run Skill roll is made – see Skills) as long as he doesn’t run into something or someone. A Running character can Dodge but not Parry.

* '''Run and Dodge ''' –- The character can Run 1/2 his MV and Dodge all incoming attacks. He cannot attack or parry.

==Maneuver Tables==

<table border=1 cellspacing=1 cellpadding=3>
<tr>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Maneuver'''</td>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''If using Melee Weapon…'''</td>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Move'''</td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">All-Out-Attack </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Must be Engaged </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1/4 his MV in paces </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Attack </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Must be Engaged </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1/4 his MV in paces </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Change Weapon </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Anytime </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1/4 his MV in paces </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Charge </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Must not be Engaged, Free to Move </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">His MV in paces </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Disengage </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">must be Engaged, Free to Move </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1/2 his MV in paces </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Dodge </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Anytime </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1/2 his MV in paces </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Draw Weapon </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Anytime </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1/4 his MV in paces </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Engage </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">must be within 1/2 his MV in paces of target </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1/2 his MV in paces </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Move </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Must not be Engaged </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1/2 his MV in paces </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Retreat </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Must be Engaged, Free to Move </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">His MV in paces </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="">Run</td>
<td style="">Must not be Engaged</td>
<td style="">His MV in paces</td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Run & Dodge</td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Must not be Engaged</td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1/2 his MV in paces</td></tr></table>

&nbsp;

<table border=1 cellspacing=1 cellpadding=3>
<tr>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Maneuver'''</td>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Attacks'''</td>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''W/Parry'''</td>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''S/Parry'''</td>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''& Dodge'''</td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">All-Out-Attack </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">2 </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">No </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">No </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">No </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Attack </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1 </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Change Weapon </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">None </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">No </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">No </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">No </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Charge </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">No </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Only target </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">No </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Disengage </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">None </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1 </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Dodge </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">None </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">No </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">No </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">All </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Draw Weapon </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">None </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">No </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">No </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Engage </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">None </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1 </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Move </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">None </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">1 </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Retreat </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">None </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">No </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">1 </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">No </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="">Run</td>
<td style="">None</td>
<td style="">1</td>
<td style="">1</td>
<td style="">No</td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Run and Dodge</td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">None</td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">No</td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">No</td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">All</td></tr></table>

==Phase Order Table==

<table border=1 cellspacing=1 cellpadding=3>
<tr>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Phase'''</td>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Process'''</td>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Order'''</td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Initiative:'''</td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Actions </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">AG Order </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">&nbsp; </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Move </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">AG Order </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Missile:'''</td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Attack Rolls </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">AG Order </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">&nbsp; </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Defense Rolls </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">As Attacked </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">&nbsp; </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Damage Rolls </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">As Attacked </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Melee:'''</td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Attack Rolls </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">AG Order </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">&nbsp; </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Defense Rolls </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">As Attacked </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">&nbsp; </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Damage Rolls </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">As Attacked </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#9CC;">'''Post-Melee:'''</td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">2nd Attack Rolls </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">AG Order </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFC;">&nbsp; </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">Defense Rolls </td>
<td style="background:#FFC;">As Attacked </td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background:#FFF;">&nbsp; </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">Damage Rolls </td>
<td style="background:#FFF;">As Attacked </td></tr></table>

==Attack Rolls==

* '''Missile Phase''' -- After movement, but before melee combat is resolved, missile attacks of non-engaged combatants is calculated. If more than one attacker is using missiles, the combatant with the highest AG attacks his target first. Defense Rolls and Damage are calculated. If a character with a lower AG is damaged beyond being able to act (see Damage) he loses his action. This attacker is then followed by the combatant with the next highest AG, which continues until the combatant with the lowest AG attacks with a ranged weapon. Any character using ranged weapons cannot use melee weapons in the same round. Legitimate targets include any target who '''started''' the round unengaged, even if his movement has brought him to an engaged situation before missiles are resolved. A missile user may fire into a melee situation (two combtants who have been engaged for one round) but the GM is free to adjudicate a chance (based on relative size and positions) that the attack will hit the wrong target.

* '''Melee Phase''' -- Next the attacks of engaged combatants is calculated. The combatant with the highest AG attacks his target first. Defense Rolls and Damage are calculated. This attacker is then followed by the combatant with the next highest AG, which continues until the combatant with the lowest AG attacks. Again, a combatant with a lower AG who is damaged beyond fighting capacity before his turn takes place loses his turn.

* '''Post-Melee Phase''' -- Any second attacks are done during this phase; such as the second attack of an All-Out-Attack, a second weapon used in an off hand, or the extra attack due to a Dodge Past. If there are multiple attackers able to attack twice, the attacker with the highest AG attacks his target first. No humanoid attacker can attack more than two times during a round except when using the two weapon Advantage. If an attacker has a dagger or a second weapon in their left hand and has not used it to parry during this round, the player can choose to attack with a penalty of -10 using the weapon.

* '''Two Weapon Work''' -- A character who has the two weapon Advantage can attack twice in a round and still parry with each weapon. If the character is Ambidextrous, there is no penalty to his skill. If the character is not Ambidextrous, one attack is at normal skill and the other attack, the character's choice, is at -4, rather than the -10 penalty normal combatants get for a second attack and parry.

==Special Defenses Against Attack==

* '''Disengage Maneuver''' -- If a target tries to Disengage before being attacked (based on AG order,) the attacker loses his attack and has two choices -- move up to 1/2 his MV in paces to re-engage the target for an attack during the next round, or allow the target to disengage. In either case the attacker may not attack or change his target this round. A disengaging character cannot be Charged by his opponent in the same round he disengages.

* '''Retreat Maneuver''' -- If the target Retreats before being attacked (based on AG order,) the attacker has three choices. The attacker can attack the target with a +4 bonus to hit as he leaves, but may not engage the target on the next two rounds. Or the attacker can chase the target up to 1/2 his MV in paces and attempt to engage on the next round, or the attacker can just stay where he is and allow the target to retreat. The attacker may not otherwise attack or change his target this round. The attacker cannot Charge on this round, though he can do so on the following round.

==Defense Rolls==

* '''Missile Defense''' -- Missile attacks can only be (1) dodged or (2) thrown (but not shot) missiles can be parried with a shield, not with a weapon.

* '''Melee Defense''' -- If the attacker succeeds in his attack roll, the target has the opportunity to defend unless the target chose Change Weapon, Retreat, or the All-Out-Attack maneuver.

* '''Dodge''' -- With the Move maneuver the target can dodge one attack. With the Dodge maneuver, he can Dodge any and all attacks against him during that round. A Dodge is rolled for each attack separately, and if successful, the attack misses. If not, the target takes normal damage. Remember, each SP of armor of the target character is wearing is a penalty of -1 from his Dodge skill.

* '''Dodging Past''' -- If the target tries to Dodge past his attacker, the attacker gets 2 chances to hit (the target can try to dodge both) before the target can pass. If the first dodge is a Special and the attack normal, the target slips by his attacker without an additional dodge roll.

* '''Parry''' -- Usually the target parries or attacks once with his shield, and parries once with his weapon.
** Each one-handed weapon or shield used with another weapon or shield in the other hand can only parry one attack during a round. 
** However, a shield or weapon used alone can be used to parry twice because the user can concentrate on the single weapon’s use.

* '''Shield Parry''' -- If the target successfully parries with his shield, he successfully blocks some damage from the attack with the shield. See Damage Rolls.

* '''Weapon Parry''' -- If the target successfully parries using his Weapon Parry Skill, the target successfully blocks some damage from the attack with his weapon.

* '''LH Weapon Parry''' -- A knife in the left hand (main gauche) or some other weapon can be used to parry if the target is using LH Knife (Weapon) Parry Skill. The weapon may be used in an attack with a penalty of –10 to to Attack and to Initiative. See rules above on Ambidexterity and Two Weapon Talent.

* '''Monster Parry''' – Unintelligent, non-humanoid creatures have a "monster dodge" ability that is the equivalent of a parry and is treated as such. The monster does not lose Stun or Hit Points from this parry.

==Damage Rolls==

* '''Successful Attack''' -- If an attack was successful, damage is rolled based on the weapon and the attacker's damage modifier. This damage is subtracted from the target's Stun Points. One-half (50%) of these points are also subtracted from Hit Points (rounded up). For instance, if 11 points of damage are rolled, that's 11 points of Stun and 6 points of Hit Point Damage.

* '''Armor''' -- If the target is wearing armor, the SP of the armor is subtracted from the damage received after Stun and Hit Point damage is calculated. Each is applied against the armor separately. Armor does not lose SP like weapons and shields do. (Although the GM may require players to repair their armor to maintain its SP from adventure to adventure.) For instance, if 11 points of damage hit 4 points of armor, the Stun that gets through is 7 (11-4) and the hit points are 2 (6-4).

* '''Dodged Attack''' -- If an attack was dodged, the target does not take any damage.

* '''Parried Attack''' -- If an attack was parried, roll the damage. If the SP damage is equal to or exceeds the SP of the weapon or shield, the remaining damage is subtracted from the target's Stun Points. Then 50% (1/2) of these remaining points (rounded up) are subtracted from Hit Points. If the Stun damage exceeds the SP of the weapon or shield, it is 'nicked' and looses 1 SP. A weapon with less than 50% of its SP is unusable as a weapon, but the character may still parry with it. A weapon or shield with 0 SP is shattered and unrepairable. If the HP of an attack exceeds the SP of the parrying item, the entire difference is subtracted from the SP of the item.

* '''Special Attack''' -- If there is a Special with a weapon (a roll of 20 for a skill of 0-9, or 19 or 20 for a skill of 10 or greater) and the weapon cannot impale, the weapon does maximum normal damage (100% against SP and 50% against HP) less any armor the target is wearing. If the weapon can impale, 100% of the rolled damage is taken against both Hit Points and Stun Points (less any armor), and the weapon is stuck in the target's body. It takes a check against STx2 (for the attacker) or STx1 (for the target) to remove the weapon. However, for each round the weapon is impaled the target takes normal rolled damage (100% against SP and 50% against HP) with no additional attack rolls necessary and no effect from armor. This extra damage can be avoided by holding very still and not moving. This is unlikely on a battlefield, but a character impaled and then left for dead might be able to manage it.

* '''Critical Attack''' -- If there is a Critical with a weapon (a Special followed by a successful second Skill Check) the damage from the Special Attack ignores armor. It does not ignore magical defense spells (or superscientific force fields) but it still ignores any underlying armor.

* '''Special or Critical Attack vs. Dodge''' -- This is treated the same as a successful (non-Critical) attack.

* '''Special or Critical Attack vs. Special or Critical Dodge''' -- This is treated as a miss.

* '''Special or Critical Attack vs. Parry''' -- If there is a successful parry to a Special or Critical attack, the weapon does maximum damage and the parry blocks the damage as with a normal attack. However, the full excess damage is subtracted from the parrying weapon or shield rather than the usual 1 SP. Also, if the attack was parried with a weapon and more than 50% of its SP is lost, the weapon breaks. If the attack was Critical and it was using an impaling weapon and it was parried by a shield, the weapon is impaled in the shield, and it requires a ST check to remove the weapon.

* '''Attack vs. Special Parry''' -- With a Special parry to a successful (non-Special) attack, the target takes no damage, but the attacking weapon takes damage to its SP (this is the only time a shield can do damage to a weapon.)

* '''Attack vs. Critical Parry''' -- With a Critical parry to a successful (non-Critical) attack, the target takes no damage, but the attacker takes normal damage (100% against SP and 50% against HP) from the shield or parrying weapon as if it was an attack.

* '''Special or Critical Attack vs. Special or Critical Parry''' -- This is treated like a successful parry to a successful (non-Critical) attack.

* '''Fumbled Attack''' -- A Fumble with an attack usually means that the attacker has failed miserably. The GM decides if the attack hits another player, hits the attacker himself, or if he just drops the weapon (usually determined by a Luck Roll.)

* '''Fumbled Dodge or Parry''' -- A Fumble with a Dodge or Parry against a normally successful attack means that the attacker gets to do damage as if he had done a successful Special attack, roll normally to see if the Special is a Critical.

* '''Special or Critical Attack vs. Fumbled Dodge or Parry''' -- This is not good at all -- the target takes max. damage to both HP and SP ignoring armor. If the weapon can impale it impales. If it was a Dodge the target stumbles to the ground. If it was a fumbled Parry, the parrying weapon or shield is broken.

==Tactical Maneuvers==

A combatant can also attempt to control the effectiveness and damage done by an attack by manipulating the combat values of the attack.

* '''Trading Skill for Power''' -- An attacker can announce that he is reducing his chance of hitting by any number up to his actual Skill with the weapon. Thus, if Gru has a normal 12 with his Sword, and 7 of that is actual Sword Skill rather than natural ability, his player can announce that Gru is reducing his attack by up to 7 points. If the attack is still successful, Gru gets to add those 7 points to the damage done by the attack. This works just like a Damage Modifier and is added '''directly to the DM. '''

'''Example''':''' Gru normally has a DM of +1. He adds the 7 points of Skill to the DM to get +8. This means he can add the roll of a d8 to his damage if he hits.''

There are, of course, limits. The additional damage cannot be more than the normal maximum damage of the weapon. A Broadsword, for instance, has a maximum damage of 10 points. So Gru could not put more than 10 Skill Points toward damage. The limit is the base damage of the weapon. Normal adds for damage bonus or magical enchantment do not count toward the base damage, though some very special magical weapons might contradict this rule. And, of course, magic does add to the increased damage, just as it would normally.

* '''Trading Defense for Attack''' -- The attacker can also increase his chance of hitting by reducing his Parry chance. Again, only the actual Skill points can be exchanged, not the natural ability. And the attack chance can be increased by no more than the base attack Skill, no matter how much Parry the character has. The increase in attack lasts for one attack. The reduction in Parry lasts until the character's next initiative AND ALSO REDUCES THE CHARACTER’S DODGE BY THE SAME AMOUNT FOR THE SAME TIME. Note that this works in reverse. A character can reduce his Attack Skill and apply the points to the Parry Skill with the same durations as given before.
* Parry points CANNOT be switched to Attack and then converted to damage as above. However, a character CAN split Attack points to damage and Parry. A character can also put Attack Points toward damage and Parry Points toward Attack.

==Bare Handed Combat, Subdual Combat==

Inevitably, PCs get into situations that do not call for killing. Bar fights, captures of witnesses who need to talk, and subduals of animals/creatures for resale later are all situations that call for an attack that doesn't kill the target.

In these situations, the GM should rule that only the Stun component of attacks are kept track of. Any Health damage is strictly temporary and can be recovered quickly and need not really be kept track of. There are some points to keep in mind, however.

* Using weapons causes Health damage. This can be avoided by specifying that the attacker is using the &quot;flat of the blade&quot; or the haft or the pommel, whatever, so the business end of the weapon doesn't come into contact with the target. However, the user does not get the benefit of the damage done by the weapon. Instead, the attacker is using the equivalent of a club, either one or two-handed, and only gets the equivalent damage of that kind of weapon.

* A Fumble with the weapon can, if the GM thinks it would be good dramatically, turn into a health-damaging strike that might even kill the target, particularly if keeping the target alive is the point of the combat.

==Grappling==

Wrestling with an opponent is a special case that needs a few extra notes.

* A Grapple can only be Parried with the Grapple Skill. A Dodge works normally.

* A successful Grapple attack binds two limbs (including the head as a limb) of the target. The other limbs can still be used with allowances for awkward situations. Grapplers with more than two manipulative limbs (tentacles, extra arms, prehensile tails, etc.) can bind as many other limbs as they have extra limbs.

* Once Grappled, a target must break free by making a higher Grapple roll than the attacker does. This takes place on the target's normal initiative.

* A Grappled target cannot Dodge or Parry (assuming the parrying limb has been Grappled).

* A Fumbled attack on a Grappled target by a third party probably hits the Grappler or vice versa if, for instance, attempting to kill an octopus grappling a comrade (GM's decision).