Combat
Reactions. Her Reactions in any given round could be three dives, three dodges, three parries, three free attacks or any combination of these.
Reactions are declared after the trigger event has occurred but before its effects are applied. For instance, the trigger event for a dodge or parry is a successful attack upon the character; the dodge or parry resolution occurs after the attack has been determined as a hit but before any damage is allocated.
Only one Reaction may be made in response to a single trigger event, no matter how many Reactions a character has available.
Dodge
Trigger Event: A successful ranged or close combat attack being made against the character.
Restrictions: Helpless characters may not dodge.
Penalties: A mounted character suffers a –30% penalty to his Dodge skill. If a character has his back to a wall, cliff, more enemies or is otherwise impeded from freely dodging in any direction, he will suffer a –20% penalty to his Dodge skill.
A character may choose to try to move out of the way of an incoming attack, avoiding it altogether. This uses the Dodge skill. Note that dodging an attack usually does not mean a wild leap to one side, but rather the character shifts his body just enough (he hopes) to allow the blow to bypass him harmlessly.
A dodge opposes the attacker’s Weapon skill to the target’s Dodge skill in a roll similar to an opposed skill
test, except that the attacking and defending players each roll D100 and compare their results on the Dodge table.
Attack Succeeds as Normal: The dodge attempt failed and the attack resolves damage as normal.
Attack Succeeds and becomes Critical Hit: The dodge attempt was a disaster and the defender opens himself up for worse damage than he was otherwise exposed to – the attack is upgraded to a critical hit.
Attack Fails: The dodge is a success and the attack is evaded. The attack is considered to have missed and therefore causes no damage.
Attack Succeeds but Infl icts Minimum Damage;
Defender Forced to Give Ground: The dodge is partially successful. The attack still causes damage, however the damage is the minimum possible for the weapon in question. Damage modifi ers, such as that derived from statistics, are not minimised. If the attack being dodged was a critical hit, it instead infl icts normal damage. The defender must also Give Ground.
Attack Fails; Attacker Overextended: The dodge is a success and the attack is evaded. The attack is considered to have missed and therefore causes no damage. The defender has also dangerously Overextended his reach.
Giving Ground
A character forced to Give Ground immediately retreats his Movement directly away from the attacker. The attacker has the option of either immediately following up and remaining adjacent to the defender, by making the same Movement, or remaining where he is. Neither
Dodge
Defender’s Roll (Dodge Skill) Attacker’s Roll
(Weapon Skill) Failure Success Critical Result
Failure Attack succeeds as normal Attack fails
Attack fails; attacker Overextended
Success Attack succeeds as normal
Attack succeeds but infl icts minimum damage; defender
forced to Give Ground Attack fails
Critical Result
Attack succeeds and
becomes critical hit Attack succeeds as normal
Attack succeeds but infl icts minimum damage; defender forced to Give Ground
Combat
the movement of the defender or the attacker cost any Combat Actions or Reactions in this case.
If the defender cannot Give Ground their full Movement, they will move as far as possible and then stop.
Overextended
An Overextended attacking character is thrown off balance, as he overreached in an attempt to hit the dodging character. This imposes a –20% penalty on the next Reaction the attacking character takes, as he tries to recover his balance. As soon as the Overextended character performs another Combat Action, he recovers from his Overextension.
Parry
Trigger Event: A successful close combat attack being made against the character.
Restrictions: Helpless characters may not parry. Ranged attacks may not be parried.
Improvisation: Parrying with improvised items, such as crossbows or fallen logs, is usually done using the Shield Skill, though the Games Master may decide a particular Weapon skill is more appropriate in other cases (such as the Club Skill for tree branches).
To make a parry, a character must place his weapon or shield in the path of his attacker’s and try to block or defl ect the blow. As characters will soon discover when fi ghting, some weapons are better at parrying than others, just as some weapons are harder to block. As the player grows in experience with RuneQuest, characters will begin to learn when it is best to parry an attack and when it is best to dodge.
A parry attempt is similar to a dodge attempt. A parry opposes the attacker’s Weapon skill to the target’s Weapon skill (if parrying with a weapon) or Shield Skill (if parrying with a shield), in a roll similar to an opposed skill test, except that the attacking and defending players each roll D100 and compare their results on the Parry table.
Attack Succeeds as Normal: The parry attempt failed and the attack resolves damage as normal.
Attack Succeeds and becomes Critical Hit: The parry attempt was a disaster and the defender opens himself up for worse damage than he was otherwise exposed to – the attack is upgraded to a critical hit.
Attack Fails: The parry is a complete success and the attack’s energy is diverted entirely away from the defender. The attack is considered to have missed and therefore causes no damage.
Attack Succeeds but AP of Parrying Weapon/Shield is Deducted from Damage: The parry is at least partially successful. The attack still causes damage, however the damage is reduced by the AP of the parrying weapon or shield. The amount deducted from the attack’s damage may also be the ½ or double the parrying weapon/shield’s AP, depending on the specifi c result on the Parry table.
Attack Fails; Defender may Riposte: The parry is a complete success and the attack’s energy is diverted entirely away from the defender. The attack is considered to have missed and therefore causes no damage. The attacker has also left himself wide open for a Riposte, which the defender may immediately take advantage of.
Parry
Defender’s Roll (Weapon or Shield Skill) Attacker’s Roll
(Weapon Skill) Failure Success Critical Result
Failure Attack succeeds as normal
Attack succeeds but 2xAP of parrying weapon/shield
is deducted from damage Attack fails; defender may Riposte
Success Attack succeeds as normal
Attack succeeds but AP of parrying weapon/shield is deducted from damage
Attack succeeds but 2xAP of parrying weapon/shield is deducted from damage;
defender may Riposte Attack succeeds but ½ AP
Combat
Riposte
Successfully parrying an opponent can sometimes leave him off balance and in a vulnerable stance, making it easier to strike him. A Riposte is a free attack against the attacker. In order to make the free Riposte attack, the defender must have an available Reaction to spend. Free attacks are discussed below.