Core Extension - Combat

Combat can become quite complex. This is a very simple and straightforward implementation of several additional combat mechanics that aren't covered by EMCore system.

Again, because EMCore is very simplistic with how it handles combat, the rules found here can greatly enrich the combat experience during a game.

Combat is turn-based, thus it is broken down in sequences that are called "turns" where everyone makes an action according to the various rules. The combat rules can be used for any intense and dramatic action scene that doesn't necessarily involve combat.

Generally speaking, any character or creature has a single action each turn. A character's action is represented by their full Movement score, and can actually be broken down into smaller segments or "minor actions". The following example actions illustrate how different actions can be combined within a single turn.

• Immediate Action: Fight in close combat while maintaining your guard (Cost: Movement - 1)
• Immediate Action: Disengage from melee combat (Cost: Movement - 1)
• Movement: Move 1 unit hastily, while keeping your guard up (Cost: 1)
• Movement: Run 2 units recklessly, making yourself a target of opportunity (Cost: 1, need to roll adeptness)
• Movement: Charge to cover a distance that leads into a melee engagement (Cost: 1 per 2 units of movement)
• Movement: Maneuver carefully past an obstacle (Cost: 2+)
• Movement: Take cover from ranged attacks (Cost: 1)
• Recovery: Get up after having fallen down (Cost: Movement / 2)
• Reaction: Dodge an incoming attack (Cost: 1)
• Reaction: Make an attack of opportunity (Cost: 1)
• Minor Action: Shout a phrase (Cost: 1)
• Minor Action: Draw, or sheathe a weapon. Pull an item from belt or purse. (Cost: 1)
• Minor Action: Knock an arrow on a bow (Cost: 1)
• Minor Action: Shoot an arrow, or throw a weapon in haste (Cost: 1)
• Minor Action: Quaff a potion (Cost: 1)
• Minor Action: Engage someone in melee combat (Cost: 1)
• Standard Action: Invoke a talent or power. (Cost: Movement / 2)
• Standard Action: Evasion. Attempt to avoid one or more attacks headed your way. (Cost: Movement /2)
• Committed Action: Make a well-aimed ranged attack (Cost: Movement - 1)
• Committed Action: Prepare and cast a spell (Cost: Movement -1)
• Readied Action: Prepare any action to be unleashed under a specific trigger any time in the next turn. (Cost: Movement)

Let's elaborate further on each type of action, dividing them broadly in 3 phases:

• Immediate actions occur simultaneously at the beginning of the turn at no initiative order. They happen too fast and in too chaotic a way to actually figure out what is going on. Melee Combat is a simple example of an immediate action. Because of its intensity, immediate actions consume all of the character's energy leaving little to do during the rest of the turn, except for a single movement point that can either be used as a reaction or a small movement adjustment. If someone is engaged in melee combat and for some reason is unable to commit the Immediate action needed to participate in melee combat, they become a target of opportunity. (Cost: Movement -1)
• Movement Phase. Most action types occur after the Immediate phase. Characters can make any Movement, Recovery, Minor or Standard Actions during the Movement phase. They perform their actions in Initiative Order. Initiative is based on Insight Aspect Level but receives various adjustments. Characters who have made Immediate actions, or who have issued Committed actions can make a small movement adjustment during the Movement Phase, or make another minor action. (Cost: Variable)
• Commitment Phase. The end of the turn marks the time when more complex and methodical actions, called Committed actions, are unleashed. Again Initiative Order is applied between these actions as well, but they all happen after the Movement Phase is concluded. (Cost: Movement -1)

There are three types of actions that can happen during any time in the turn. These are the following:

• Reactions are actions that can be triggered only through specific circumstances. When a character is attacked and they are not already otherwise guarded (through a melee combat roll, for example), then they can make a reaction if they can spare the movement points. Similarly when a target of opportunity appears within melee attack range of an enemy, the enemy can choose to spend their reaction to attack the target. 
• Readied actions, are actions that have been committed from a previous turn and set to be unleashed on a specific trigger (eg. when X begins to attack Y). Readied actions can also be unleashed during a specific moment in a turn.
• Forced actions, are actions that were triggered by the character in moments of dire need, by spending 1 Willpower / Destiny. Usually Forced actions happen when the character runs out of actions but still needs to make an urgent reaction, or a sudden movement adjustment. Sometimes they are a desperate attack against a target of opportunity.

Melee Combat / Engagement Resolution

Melee Combat occurs during the Immediate Phase by identifying engagements and resolving them.


An engagement is a situation where all participants involved are locked in combat with one another. A character within a threat-range of another combatant, in a situation where both combatants can act and react simultaneously, is considered engaged.

Normally, engaged characters are involved with combat, and must act in the immediate phase, or attempt to disengage.

Engagement resolution has all players roll for melee combat simultaneously, while instantly committing their actions, when necessary. The storyteller must decide opponent actions before asking the players to reveal their own, and should not feel tempted to change these actions later.

If more transparency is needed, action cards can be designed so that the players can commit their action "face down", before all actions are revealed. The players and storyteller must declare appropriate targets for their actions before rolling.

The default Aspect for melee combat rolls is Force, but this can change through the use of Talents.

Once the rolls are made, the engagement is resolved as follows:
- The character who scored the most successes in a contest is victorious against a target with less successes. (In engagements with multiple combatants, and attacks with multiple targets, a character's combat roll counts as their "defense" against all attacks in the engagement, but it counts as their "attack" only against the valid targets they've declared. This makes it entirely possible for someone to wound one of their targets, but get wounded in turn by another combatant.). Note that through talents or other abilities, some characters are able to make attacks that attack many targets at once.

- The contest winner / attacker calculates their base damage, which for melee attacks is based on Might and may be further adjusted by the weapon used. Then he adds the remaining net successes from the roll contest to their base damage.

- The contest loser rolls Fortitude to soak their base damage, applying any modifiers for armor, active talents, etc. If they rolled equal or more successes to the damage, they've managed to soak the attack's damage, and avoided being wounded. Otherwise they receive at least one wound, and maybe need to make additional soak rolls, or may need to otherwise check if they receive additional wounds.

It is possible to declare an action to attempt to break from the engagement, in which case the player in question forfeits their chance to roll for combat, rolling an evasion action, instead. With at least 1 success in the action, the disengagement is successful, but the player can still get wounded by incoming attacks.

Once the engagement is resolved, it is determined who remains engaged or who is no longer engaged. In the movement phase those who have any actions left can choose to flee or pursue and attempt to re-engage.

Ranged Combat and Turn Resolution

Ranged attacks can actually occur any time during the Movement phase as well. However, most of those attacks are hasty, not well-aimed, and have a rather small chance of causing damage.

Hasty ranged attacks are minor actions. Players roll their attack as normal (usually ranged attacks are an Adeptness roll, but this can change via Talents), but only count critical successes as regular successes. On top of that, no base damage is added to hasty ranged attacks.

Regular ranged attacks and magic spells, and perhaps other similarly methodical and complex actions are all considered Committed actions because they require a combination of concentration, aim, thought and timing.

Once unleashed the process of calculating damage and soaking it is same with melee attacks. Characters who wish to avoid a ranged attack can make a dodge action, or characters who expect they will take a lot of ranged attacks and have no cover can make an evasion action which will be their defense against any ranged attacks they receive during the turn.

The most effective defense against ranged attacks is to end one's movement turn by taking cover. Characters who are taking cover make an Adeptness roll and count the successes opposite any incoming ranged attack. When attacking someone who has cover with a ranged attack, only critical successes contribute to the roll's successes (but the value of critical successes is not diminished, they still count as 2 successes each).