[4.1] The Combat Round
[4.1.1] Initiative Roll
The first step in a round is for everyone to make an Initiative roll. A character's Initiative score for a combat round is their Reaction attribute plus 1d10, adding in any initiative modifiers. Possible initiative modifiers are:- [4.1.1.1] Surprise: An unexpected occurrence
is harder to react to. The person doing the surprising naturally has an
advantage over his victim. When surprised, a character can have a modifier
ranging from -5 to -10, depending on just how unexpected the other person's
action was, or how quickly they perform it.
- [4.1.1.2] Quickdraw: When a person attempts to draw a weapon and use it in the same round, they have to make a Quickdraw skill check with a difficulty modifier of +0. If they fail the skill check, they cannot attack this round: drawing the weapon is one of their Actions, and the weapon can't be used in the same round it is being drawn. If, however, they succeed their Quickdraw skill check, a modifier of their Quickdraw skill rating - 10 is applied to their Initiative roll.
[4.1.2] Declaring Actions
After all persons involved have made their initiative rolls, it is time for them all to declare their actions for the round. The exact nature of Actions and possible choices are explained in Section 4.2: Actions. Each character has one or more action that can be done in a round. The number of actions depends upon the person's Agility score.
| Agility | # of Actions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 action |
| 2-3 | 2 actions |
| 4-7 | 3 actions |
| 8-9 | 4 actions |
| 10 | 5 actions |
The character(s) with the lowest initiative roll declare their actions for the round first. Then, the next highest initiative goes, then the next, ending with the person with the highest initiative rolled that round. What this does is let the characters with the fastest reflexes (highest initiatives) know what the slower people are doing and react to them. If two people share the same initiative roll, use their Reaction attribute as a tie breaker (lower Reaction score has to declare first). If those match as well, have them do their best to declare simultaneously (GM's discretion).
When declaring an action, players must be clear about all details. The
target, if applicable, must be identified, as well as any appropriate numbers,
such as how many shots are going to be fired from a gun.
If a player so decides, they can yield their turn in the round to the next
player in line (next highest initiative). After that person has gone, the
person who yielded may decide to complete their actions or yield again. If
a player yields to a character who also yields, the next person after
both of them may go, afterwhich the first player to yield can go (or yield),
followed by the next person who yielded. Please note, though, that the player
with the lowest initiative of the players who have not yet gone for that round
cannot yield their turn. This means that the characters cannot get into an
endless loop of yielding to one another.
Alternatively, a character can decide to cancel their declared actions and
do nothing at all. This may be done to save ammo by not shooting an already
dead opponent, not entering a vehicle that is now on fire, or for any other
reason. Passing a turn has no penalties, and it is possible to cancel one
or more actions while still performing the others that were declared.
[4.1.3] Performing Actions
Now that all characters have declared, the actions are brought into play.
The first actions enacted are those of the character with the highest
initiative roll. All actions are considered to happen simultaneously, with
regards to game play. After the actions of that character are completed, the
next highest initiative roll goes, making the necessary rolls, etc.
[4.2] Actions
