Combat

Melee combat is not an easy activity where opponents stand facing each other slugging at one another until one or the other drops. Opponents often gage one another during combat and also try to keep an eye on their companions. Combatants also must be physically and mentally prepared to fight.

When making any attack (attack, charge, feint, etc...) the user should declare the type of attack one performs from the types of damage that a weapon can apply. So a sword can commonly pierce, slash, chop or bludgeon an opponent, while a club can only bludgeon. When used in an attack it determines the damage you will apply to your target.

In this game system I use a fatigue system to limit combatants and force them to think more critically about what they do in combat to keep it from becoming a mindless slug fest. The combatants start will zero fatigue counters. When they get to 4 they are exhausted and unable to do anything but defend, with negatives.

Most melee and ranged combat makes use of PAP. Spells and powers mainly use MAP, but can use PAP or a combination of both. A race with very high physical abilities will most likely have a much smaller group of mental abilities. So even if you are playing a race of powerful bipedal dragons, breathing fire may cause fatigue with one use.

Characters earn a fatigue counter by spending their PAP (Physical Action Points) or MAP (Mental Action Points). The PAP and MAP starts as the total of all Physical and mental abilities, but not including natural armor and ego. These are your max values and can limit your combat choices. Once you spend either the PAP or MAP you earn a fatigue counter and reset your PAP and MAP values at half the max value. The next fatigue counter earned will reset PAP and MAP to 1/4 and the next after that is 1/8 max values. Once the last fatigue counter is earned you are exhausted and must rest to regain them.

Recovery from all fatigue takes rest. If you can not get a full eight hours of rest, in a 24 hour period, you will start the next day with 1 fatigue counter and 1/2 of max PAP and MAP.

Combat Actions

When a character makes an attack they should state what type of damage they are going to use. The damage type available depends on the weapon they are using. A sword allows for piercing, slashing, chopping and bludgeoning while a mace has only bludgeoning.

Combat Order

Before combat begins combatants need to determine who gets to go first. This is determined with a 1d20 rolled by each character/unit. The highest roll goes first and then each lower value goes after. Determine ties with highest agility, if tied again roll a 1d20 until determined. Once characters/units are in the order of combat the first character/unit can start.

Whenever a character/Unit attacks, their combat order can change based on the speed of the weapon they use. Think of combat order as a strip of numbers from 20 to 1. Then join the ends together like a wheel. Now say a character goes on 20 and they are using a flail, with a -4 speed. After they attack, they set their next attack at 16 of the next round. Once they attack again they set their combat order to 12 of the following round.
Now if the character had been using daggers with a +2 speed to attack and starting on 20 they would go again on the same round on 2, the next attack will place them on 4 of the following round.
If the character performs a action other than an attack their combat order stays the same.

Attack vs. Defense

When a player makes an attack they are adding together the following to determine an attack value; Attack ability + [Skill1] Levels + [Skill1] additional attack bonuses + miscellaneous attack bonuses + 1d20.
The attacker can use any of a number of attack options depending on distance and circumstance. They can; attack, bash, charge, disarm, dive, feint, fly, full attack, grapple, lunge, overrun, run, slam, stand up, stun, swallow whole, swarm, touch, trample or, walk
A critical hit is simple scoring 20 points over you opponent and does double weapon damage.

The defender has a similar set of values to add together for their defense value; agility - armor penalty + [Skill1] levels + [Skill1] additional defense bonuses + miscellaneous defense bonuses + 1d20. The defender can perform any of the following combat actions; defend, deflect, full defend, plant or, unmount.

Taking Damage

Once a hit is scored on an opponent the attacker totals their damage using; strength + weapon's damage by type of attack + [Skill1] additional damage.

The defender then reduces that damage by the following; Shield Protection(if not used in a deflection attempt) + armor value vs that damage type + natural armor. Anything over that value reduces your health and 1/2 the damage absorbed by armor (not natural) and shield reduces their health.

Death

Units die at 0 health, characters go unconscious at 0 and will die in a number of rounds equal to their health score. Once down you will bleed 1 point per round until your wounds are healed or you roll a successful stabilize roll (see life points). Regardless of the amount of damage you take you will die in a number of rounds equal to the characters health ability. Once this amount of time has elapsed, your character has died. Recovery is based on regaining life points at +1 per 8 health per day. If the whole party is dropped then your fate will reside in the NPCs that dropped you and of course the dm.
This does not mean you are bound to make a new character. You may be healed to find you have been captured and facing interrogation. A wander adventurer may have ran off your opponents, a predator attack what downed you and they both died, you wake up after days of laying in the forest with no idea why you are alive, or any other solution the dm feels fits the bill. But if not captured, one of the party should parish and the DM can determine who.
Having a single character death allows for the campaign to continue with only a minor change. The new character may have been the reason the rest of the party is alive...just could not save that last fellow in time.

1Skill refers to the combat skill required for the weapon in hand. Natural weapons (claws, bite, etc... use melee)