ADDING DAMAGE

Unless noted otherwise, the standard rules for Adding Damage (6E2 99) apply to Multiple Attack. Any method used to add damage applies equally and in full to all attacks in the Multiple Attack that it can affect; it doesn’t have to be “divided” among the various attacks.

A character can use any Combat Skill Level that can apply to a Multiple Attack (see above) to increase the damage done per the usual rules (see 6E1 70). The damage bonus from the CSL applies to every attack that hits a target; the character doesn’t have to divide his CSLs among the attacks.

With the GM’s permission, a character can use a Combat or Martial Maneuver to add damage to a Multiple Attack — for example, use a Martial Strike from a weapon-based Martial Art to add damage to the sword and dagger the character’s

making a Multiple Attack with. However, if a Multiple Attack involves two or more different attacks (whether against a single target or multiple targets), a character may only use Combat/Martial Maneuvers that could apply to any of the indi- vidual attacks involved. The Maneuver provides its full damage bonus to all the attacks involved, and its OCV/DCV modifiers (if any) apply to the char- acter’s overall OCV and DCV with the Multiple Attack in the usual manner.

Example: Yeung Li is in combat against four

martial artist of lesser skill. Since he wants to impress their master (who’s watching carefully), he decides to make a Multiple Attack using his Punch (Martial Strike) to hit two of them and his Kick (Offensive Strike) to hit the other two. That’s four attacks, so he suffers a -6 OCV penalty for the Multiple Attack. He also suffers the worst OCV and DCV modifiers from the two Maneuvers: -2 OCV from Offensive Strike, and +1 DCV from Offensive Strike. So he’s at -8 OCV altogether, and his DCV’s increased by 1 before being halved.

Yeung Li has STR 20 and has bought +2 Extra DCs for his Martial Arts. Therefore he does 8d6 Normal Damage with his Martial Strike and 10d6 Normal Damage with his Offensive Strike. He’s also got some CSLs he can use: +2 with All HTH Combat and +2 with Martial Arts. He decides to devote 2 CSLs to improving his OCV, and 2 to increasing the damage of his attacks. Therefore he’ll do 9d6 with Martial Strike and 11d6 with Offensive Strike, and he’s only at -6 OCV because the 2 CSLs cancel out part of the penalty he’s suffering.

Example: Severin d’Compeigne is a skilled fencer.

He’s facing two honorless bravos from a rival social club who plan to teach him a lesson about flirting with “their” women. He wants to show them who’s the better man by making a Multiple Attack with his sword. Since he doesn’t want to risk injury, he decides to use his Slash (an Offen- sive Strike). The Maneuver adds +4 DCs to his weapon damage for each attack; he doesn’t have to “split them up” between the two attacks.

Extra DCs bought for Martial Maneuvers increase the effects of all Martial Maneuvers used in a Multiple Attack. They do not apply to non- Martial Maneuvers used as part of the Multiple Attack.

If both attacks used in a Multiple Attack involve adding STR to the damage (such as HA and HKA), the character may add his full STR to both attacks. Similarly, if a character uses velocity to add damage to a Multiple Attack involving two or more attacks that are affected by velocity, the velocity adds its full effect to both attacks.

DEFENSES

When a Multiple Attack succeeds, the target applies his defenses (if any) separately to each part of the attack. The attacks in a Multiple Attack sequence can affect different defenses (such as a Blast and an RKA, or a Drain and a Flash). If

one of the attacks reduces or affects the target’s defenses or CV (for example, a Drain PD or a Flash), the other attack applies first. However, if the circumstances of the attack change the target’s DCV in some way (for example, if one attack frees him from an Entangle, Flashes him, or Knocks him Out), then the GM may rule that the target’s DCV changes for all attacks thereafter.

The damage from a Multiple Attack that hits a single target multiple times isn’t added together for purposes of determining if he’s Stunned. Each attack applies to his defenses individually, and the damage he takes is compared to his CON indi- vidually to find out if he’s Stunned.

Since a Multiple Attack against a single target involves multiple Attack Rolls, a character who wants to Block the Multiple Attack must make one Block roll for each Attack Roll, at the normal penalty for making multiple Blocks in the same Phase (see 6E2 58). For example, to Block a three- blow Multiple Attack involves one normal Block roll, a second roll at -2, and a third at -4. The same rule applies to Deflecting or Reflecting a Multiple Attack with Ranged attacks.

OTHER RUlES

There is no penalty for using Multiple Attack to attack multiple targets (other than the Maneuver’s standard OCV penalty) or for tracking a Ranged attack(s) across an area. However, all targets of a Ranged attack that’s part of a Multiple Attack must be within the character’s front 180-degree line of sight.

A character cannot spread his Multiple Attack over multiple Segments (e.g., one attack in Segment 12, one in Segment 1, one in Segment 2, and so forth). All attacks are made in the Segment in which the character has a Phase and uses the Maneuver.

To determine the Knockback caused by a Multiple Attack, determine the Knockback for each attack used, and then apply only the best result. For example, if a character uses a Blast and an RKA in a Multiple Attack, and one did 12m Knockback and the other 6m Knockback, the target takes 12m Knockback.

A character can only Spread a Multiple Attack if he can Spread all the powers used in the attack. He must Spread both of them equally, and though the Spreading reduces both powers’ DCs, he only gets one OCV bonus. For example, if a character has a Blast and an RKA, he can reduce both by 3 DCs to obtain +3 OCV with them in a Multiple Attack (he only gets +3, not +6).

Off Hand penalties do not apply to Multiple Attacks even if the special effect of the attack is that the character makes an attack with each hand, fights with two weapons, or the like. The overall attack is considered to be made with the charac- ter’s good hand.

If one or more attacks in a Multiple Attack have the Requires A Roll Limitation in any form, the character must make the roll each time that attack’s used in the sequence. A failed roll qualifies as a “miss,” thus ending the sequence.

A target successfully Blocking one of the attacks in a Multiple Attack sequence does not count as a “miss”; the attacker may continue with the rest of the sequence. However, if a character successfully Dodges an attack in a Multiple Attack sequence, or avoids it by Diving For Cover, that is a miss that ends the sequence.

poWer FraMeWorks

A character can make a Multiple Attack with two or more slots in a single Power Framework, provided he has enough reserve/Pool points to allocate to the two or more slots used in the attack simultaneously.

A character can use slots from two or more different Power Frameworks to perform a Multiple Attack, assuming he obeys all the rules for such attacks. For example, a character could combine his Flame Blast (Blast 8d6, bought as a slot in a Multipower) with his Firebolt (RKA 2d6, bought as a slot in a VPP) into a Multiple Attack.

A character can make Multiple Attacks with a slot in a Power Framework and a power that’s not in any Framework.

eXtra tiMe

If an attack has the Extra Time Limitation, usually that means a character cannot use it as part of a Multiple Attack. However, the GM should consider the nature of the Limitation and the special effects involved. For example, if the Limitation only applies to activating the power the first time, but not thereafter, a character might be able to Multiple Attack with it after it’s been activated.

volume 2: combat and adventuring n chapter three 79

SET

This Combat Maneuver represents the effects of taking extra time to aim at a target with a Ranged attack, thereby improving one’s accuracy. Set does not work with HTH Combat attacks.

An attacker who wants to Set must spend a Full Phase aiming at the target (this is known in some genres as “drawing a bead”). During this time he cannot move, change clips of ammunition, attack the target, or perform any Actions other than Zero Phase Actions. A character who has Set on a target receives a +1 OCV to all attacks against that target until he loses his Set. A character must Set on a specific target (either an individual or an object); he can’t just Set until a target presents itself.

A character who has Set can attack on a Phase, then continue aiming at his target for several Phases, and then attack again, all without losing his Set bonus. However, the character loses the Set bonus if he doesn’t attack or aim at the target, or is forced to stop aiming at the target for any reason (for example, he becomes Stunned or Knocked Out). He also loses the Set bonus if the target moves out of sight. Of course, a character can regain his Set bonus by spending another Phase aiming at the target.

A character can Set and Brace in a single Phase, thereby getting both bonuses. However, the char- acter has to fulfill the requirements for both Modi- fiers — he must take a Full Phase and be ½ DCV.

SHOVE

Shove allows one character to push another. A character performing a Shove is at -1 OCV, -1 DCV.

Typically Shove only works on opponents that can fight back; characters cannot ordinarily use it against inanimate objects. However, the GM can permit this, if desired.

eFFects oF shove

When one character Shoves another, the victim is moved back 1m for every 5 points of STR the Shoving character uses (assuming he doesn’t somehow resist, or some other factor doesn’t affect the distance moved; see below).

Shoving does no damage to a target unless he’s Shoved into a surface such as a wall. In that case, he takes the attacker’s STR damage, but cannot take more damage than the PD + BODY of the object he collides with. (If the campaign uses Hit Locations, this is just generalized damage.)

The GM may, if he wishes, allow a character with less than 5 STR to still Shove someone 1m.

resisting shove

A character hit with a Shove doesn’t have to passively stumble backward. There are several things he can do to resist being moved (and potentially taking damage).

First, the target can use his STR or Flight to resist Shove. Use the same rules as for resisting Knockback (6E2 117).

Second, a Shoved character can make a DEX, Breakfall, or Acrobatics roll (his choice) at -1 for every point by which the Shoving character made his Attack Roll to fall down at any point during his “move.” This eliminates any further movement and halves the damage the Shove would have caused (if any). However, the fallen character is at the same disadvantage as a Thrown character: he’s prone (and thus at ½ DCV); he has to spend a Half Phase getting to his feet; and the Shoving character gets to attack him first on their next Phase regardless of relative DEX (if they both have their next Phase in the same Segment).

Third, a character with Clinging may try to activate his Clinging as he’s stumbling back- wards to stop himself from moving further (if his Clinging was already being used, the rules below apply instead). If he succeeds with a DEX Roll at -1 per 10 points of STR the Shoving character used to Shove him, he succeeds in stopping himself. The GM determines exactly where he stops; usually the halfway point is a reasonable choice.

other Factors

Some external factors may affect Shove as well. Anything that affects Knockback (6E2 114) can affect Shove. This includes the environment (being in the air, underwater, in space...), Rolling With The Punch, and using Clinging. Every -1d6 of Knockback equals +5 STR for the Shover (only to determine distance Shoved, not damage); every +1d6 is -5 STR for the Shover (again, only to affect distance).

The rules for Knockback and mass also apply to Shove. The heavier a character is, the harder he is to Shove backward.

At the GM’s option, every -1m of Knock- back Resistance reduces Shove distance by -1m. (However, if the Knockback Resistance represents a character’s weight, do not also use the modi- fier for mass discussed above; choose one or the other.)

The GM can apply the rules and guidelines for resisting Throws with Powers (see below) to efforts to resist Shove, if appropriate and desired. For Clinging, use the standard “STR versus Clinging” rule on 6E1 182 to determine if the Shove can move the character at all; even if the Shove works, the Clinging still reduces the effect as described above.

STRIKE

This is the basic attack Maneuver. It includes attacks such as punches, kicks, elbow smashes, headbutts, attacks with weapons, firing a gun or a longbow, and just about any other way a character can hit another character. The basic OCV, DCV, and damage modifiers are +0, but the OCV modi- fier and the damage may vary by weapon type.

A Strike performed with a fist (or foot, elbow, or knee, for that matter) does a maximum of the character’s STR/5 in d6 of Normal Damage (1d6 for every 5 STR). For example, a STR 20 person could do up to 4d6 Normal Damage with a Strike. The GM may award a particularly creative Strike with a Surprise Move bonus. For instance, a sudden headbutt or back kick may be worth an OCV bonus.