COMBAT RULES | NocturneV2 Copy

COMBAT

Combat can be done at any time anywhere but we advise to keep in mind that New Orleans is a large, populated city, there are NPCs to represent the crowds but we can also imagine that streets are much more crowded. This means that if you wish to have a small brawl thats fine in public areas, but using supernatural powers and trying to kill someone is something that likely should be avoided or it will result in terrible outcomes for your character.

Since the outcomes of your actions based on your dice rolls, do not post the outcomes right away, leave it open ended. Such as 'threw a punch in Johnny's face' or 'attempted to punch him' NOT 'punched Johnny right in the face'.

NOTE: Be mindful of what modifiers you are stacking up, as there are several things that do not stack.

Any Claw like transformations obviously do not stack with weapons. (Ex: feral claw bonus for vampires wont stack with any weapon. Razor Claws gift from garou wont stack with any weapon).
Be mindful of your defenses, such as neither armor or stamina like bonuses add to your Dexterity + Athletics dodge.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COMBAT ORDER OF EVENTS SUMMARY

ROLL INITIATIVE

Decide the order of posts based on initiative order (see below)

MAKE ATTACK ROLLS IN ORDER

Highest initiative acts first

NEW COMBAT PHASE

Other characters may be added to the combat following the conditions below

The joining characters may join IF they have legitimately OBSERVED the combat or ran into it happening while being in 40 meters distance of it when it started.
Everyone agrees to the severity of the outcome.
Current participants are not required to roll initiative again. Their post order is LOCKED.
The new characters add themselves to the end of the current post order (in order of initiative within their group).
Combat is generally fast and while our posts may take minutes the combat itself mostly happens under 1 minute in most situations. This means that you may not run across sim to help someone even if they somehow managed to send for help. If something like this occurs or you have questions, involve a storyteller. The ONLY time when you are able to jump into a combat in snap of a fingers from distance is when you can teleport and even then your character must know exactly where the combat is happening.

STAGE ONE: INITIATIVE

Roll Wits + Dexterity, the combat order is set from highest rolled to lowest rolled.

If the attacker springs an ambush or otherwise strikes when the defender isn’t able to counter, the defender rolls Wits + Perception contested by the attacker’s Wits + Stealth. If the defender fails, she doesn’t act on the first turn of combat.

STAGE TWO: ROLLS

Emote your attack and then roll

COMBAT ATTACK ROLLS

NOTE: MAXIMUM ROLL MODIFIER POSSIBLE IS 25

Use the Hud to target another player. (CLICK VERSUS ROLL)
Select their name
in the description field NAME your attribute + Skill + attack bonuses and negative modifiers so they can be checked
Add your attribute + Skill + attack bonus values as a SINGLE NUMBER (Subtract any negative modifiers from the overall )
Roll
Target is prompted to defend
It is impossible to list all permutations of ATTACK bonuses here but they fall into 3 categories. Weapons/ Active Powers or Status effects.

BRAWL (unarmed hand to hand attack)

ROLL : STRENGTH + BRAWL + ATT bonus if any

DIFFICULTY the Hud will work out if you are successful

MELEE (using a hand weapon)

ROLL : DEXTERITY + MELEE + MELEE WEAPON ATTACK BONUS + Any other ATT bonus

DIFFICULTY the Hud will work out if you are successful

RANGED GUN

ROLL : COMPOSURE + FIREARMS + FIREARM ATTACK BONUS + Any other ATT if any

DIFFICULTY the Hud will work out if you are successful

EMOTE MUST BE SHOUTED

(Unless it is a silent weapon, or fired inside of a location Firearms draw attention) If you fail to shout an unsilenced gunshot, trust us the person you are shooting at WILL do it on your behalf)

NOTE: The HUD does not have a shout function you will need to copy & paste the core of the emote and press ctrl+enter to submit it as a shout.

CALLED ATTACK

This attack can be performed with melee or ranged weapon. It targets opponents limbs and must be called out in attackers emote. This attack comes with -3 penalty (eliminated if you have appropriate weapon mastery), and at 5+ successes it disables targeted limb (See Damages).

THROWN ITEM

ROLL : STRENGTH + ATHLETICS + ATT bonus if any

DIFFICULTY the Hud will work out if you are successful

GRAPPLE

ROLL : STRENGTH + BRAWL

RESIST ROLL : STRENGTH + BRAWL (to wrestle or clash) OR DEXTERITY + ATHLETICS (to dodge)

DIFFICULTY the Hud will work out if you are successful

SPECIAL : Just one success is required. A grapple does no damage. It simply renders a target held fast. While Grappled, the victim is immobilized. The victim may not attack and can only defend with "BRACE/SOAK" defense (See Defense Rolls)

ESCAPING GRAPPLE: Every turn a victim may spend their action to either

Break out via STRENGTH + BRAWL vs STRENGTH + BRAWL Roll
Slip out via DEXTERITY + ATHLETICS vs STRENGTH + BRAWL Roll

GRAPPLE FOLLOW UP: Every turn the grappler may Roll STRENGTH + BRAWL either to

Continue the hold if victim tries to resist (no damage done)
To Bite (damage and type of damage depending on race and or power used) vs STAMINA + ATHLETICS + ARMOR DEF
To Clinch or Body Slam (lethal damage) vs STAMINA + ATHLETICS + ARMOR DEF
Attack. If you are smart about your grapple, you may leave room for follow up attacks. Such as neck clench from a front can be followed by a knee for example. In this case roll TRENGTH + BRAW vs STAMINA + ATHLETICS + ARMOR DEF

COMBAT DEFENSE ROLLS

prompted by your HUD

You do not emote your defense until your turn. On your turn acknowledge the attack and the outcome of your previous defence rolls as well as your follow up attack (if any)

Your Hud will prompt you that you have been attacked.
Enter your attribute + Skill + def bonus values (Subtract any negative modifiers from the overall )
In the description field NAME your attribute + Skill + def bonuses and negative modifiers so they can be checked.
Roll
You will be told if your defense was successful or how much damage (successes ) you take.
It is impossible to list all permutations of DEFENSE bonuses here but they fall into 4 categories. Armor/Melee Weapons/Active Powers or Status effects.
NOTE: The attackers skill/attribute/attack bonus and your skill/attribute/def bonus names will be revealed if they aren't the defense or attack are voided as they cannot be checked for legitimacy. This is why you are prompted in the description field to name all ranks and bonuses being used.

DODGE

ROLL : DEXTERITY + ATHLETICS +/- ARMOR DEF + DEF bonus if any

DIFFICULTY the Hud will work out if you are successful

NOTE: Can defend against any physical attack, even ranged attacks.

BRACE / SOAK

ROLL : STAMINA + ATHLETICS + ARMOR DEF + DEF bonus If any

DIFFICULTY the Hud will work out if you are successful

NOTE: This is rolled as a defense if you cannot defend yourself normally (being unconscious or tied up or in any other way immobile.)

PARRY

ROLL : DEXTERITY + MELEE + WEAPON DEFENSE BONUS + Def bonus if any.

DIFFICULTY the Hud will work out if you are successful

NOTE: Restricted to defending against brawl and melee attacks.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BLOCK

ROLL : DEXTERITY + BRAWL + ARMOR DEF (if any) + Any other Def Bonus.

DIFFICULTY the Hud will work out if you are successful

NOTE: Restricted to defending against brawl attacks. Unusable vs melee, firearms, or claws.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BOTCH CONDITIONS (Natural 1's Ignore 2's)

NOTE: some abilities have botch conditions in their power conditions in such instances use the condition listed under the power

BOTCHES: Register on the hud as occurring on natural rolls of 1 or 2. IGNORE 2's, The hud is wrong.

BOTCHED ATTACK AND BOTCHED DEFENCE

In rare cases both parties can botch, However the golden rule is the -first- botch counts in opposed cases. This means ONLY the attacker botch counts as the botch condition lands before the attack, in such cases the botched attack -fails- to inflict -any- damage.

ATTACK BOTCH

BOTCHED ATTACK MELEE = Disarm yourself, spend one turn picking up your melee weapon, before using it again.

BOTCHED ATTACK BRAWL = Injure yourself take 1 point of bashing damage and suffer a minus 1 dot penalty on next attack/def roll

BOTCHED ATTACK FIREARMS = Malfunction. The weapon requires 1 full action to fix before it can be used again. In guns this is a Jam, in bows this is loose draw strings, find a reason for the malfunction based on weapon type. It requires a full action to fix regardless.

BOTCHED ATTACK THROWN ITEM = Suffer 1 bashing damage as you accidently hit yourself with your own missile, having messed up the timing for releasing your grip. Suffer a minus 1 dot penalty on your next attack/def roll.

DEFENCE BOTCH

BOTCHED DEFENCE DODGE = Knockdown (see states of being below) You fell over and suffer 1 point of damage type the attack would cause on top of any successes the opponent rolled.

BOTCHED DEFENCE BRACE/SOAK = Knockdown (See states of being below) you are knocked down and suffer 1 point of damage type the attack would cause on top of any successes the opponent rolled.

BOTCHED DEFENCE PARRY = Disarmed and suffer 1 point of damage type the attack would cause on top of any successes the opponent rolled.

BOTCHED DEFENCE BLOCK = Wracked with pain, suffer a minus 1 dot penalty to your next attack/defence and suffer 1 point of damage type the attack would cause on top of any successes the opponent rolled.

CONTESTED TOUCH

Some powers work on the ability to touch someone, in most cases the power itself can be contested with a stipulated condition, however in other cases the power in question might not have a defence associated with it. In such cases a character may wish to allow the touch, or they may wish to contest it. The process follows a regular brawl attack but in reverse order. The contester rolls their brawl or dodge defence vs the touchers brawl attack. If the defence is successful the touch is avoided, or brushed off, if the brawl is successful the touch was successful. Meaning the power is also successful. No additional damage is caused, as the brawl attack is not a punch or kick but a simple -touch-

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

STATES OF BEING

The following are common combat complications.

BLINDED

Character suffers -3 penalty to all physical and perception rolls.

IMMOBILIZATION

Immobilized Characters can ONLY roll STAMINA + ATHLETICS + ARMOR DEF to defend from attacks. Characters held in a grapple are Immobilized.

KNOCKDOWN

The victim falls down. After suffering a knockdown the target must spend ONE FULL action to stand. While Prone you have your attack rolls halved, round up.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RETREAT

To retreat a character must

Be conscious.
Be capable of movement. (Not held in a grapple or otherwise physically restrained)

RETREATING

Retreating is an extended action taking around two or three turns.
At the start of your turn, do the following.

DELCARE: Retreat attempt and Forfeit any other actions during their turn unless it is to activate a speed boost or teleporting ability.

ROLL: Initiative vs Attackers. (Wits + Dexterity + any initiative bonuses)

WIN: You may move at your full movement speed, your attackers having lost the initiative will have to start their pursuit the following turn.

LOSE: You may only defend this turn, having forfeited your attacks in order to break combat.

ESCAPED:

A character is considered to have -completely escaped- if they win 2 initiative rolls within 3 rounds. If they do not they may try again until they are beaten unconscious (thus captured) or they succeed in winning 2 initiative rolls within a 3 round set. Remember when trying to escape you forfeit attack.

MOVEMENT SPEED: DEXTERITY + STAMINA +10 Meters per turn during an active combat scene

Running doubles this speed and counts as a full action.
Other speed powers can increase this range further. (Such as Celerity)

SPECIAL RULES:

Teleportation and "Side Stepping"

TELEPORTATION:

Teleportation can be achieved by some uses of correspondence (Mage) Or uses of Wayfare (Changeling) there are other abilities possessed by Wan Kuei, and Demons (And thralls) that count as teleportation as well. There are numerous abilities and the descriptions of the powers are listed under the relevant powers. Teleportation is defined as -instantaneous- travel between one spot and another with no -movement- required.
A character that is capable of teleportation needs only to activate the ability successfully in order to escape, pursuit is not possible even if other characters possess the same abilities, as teleportation doesn't allow for tracking.
WARDS: There are anti teleportation wards that can prevent teleportation and generally these will be rolled against the ability in question

SIDE STEPPING

Garou ,Mage, Wan Kuei, Wraith, Hecata and others can cut through the physical realm and enter the spirit realm physically, this process is known as side stepping.
A character who side steps, enters the penumbra physically (not in spirit form). If their attacker is able to enter the penumbra in the same way then 2 initiative rolls must be won as per usual. If the attacker is not able to follow, then "Teleportation" rules apply.
Side Stepping only cuts through the "Penumbra", which is for all intents and purposes is the "Lobby" that leads to the Low, Middle, High Umbra. The penumbra may look different to each species, but they can still interact in the "Lobby" regardless of species. It's only when it comes to the underworld, the dreaming, the spirit wilds, etc where individual species lose one another.
Some creatures enter the penumbra in -spirit- form, but when they do this they leave their physical bodies behind, therefore it is not a valid -retreat- option, as only their spirit has escaped the scene.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DIRTY TRICKS

BLINDING:

ACTION TYPE: FULL

ROLL : STEALTH + DEXTERITY Versus Opponents Block/Parry/Dodge/Brace roll.

DAMAGE: NONE Every success = one round of blindness -see the blinded state at top of page-

SPECIAL : Raking the enemy’s eyes, throwing dirt in them, spraying his face with chemicals or using some similar method, the attacker tries to render her opponent sightless.

TAUNT

ACTION TYPE: FULL

ROLL : MANIPULATION + PERFORMANCE (public speaking/acting is the best use of this) VS Opponents WITS + COMPOSURE

DAMAGE: NONE

SPECIAL : Every success = one dot lost from the targets next action. A group of taunting could collectively reduce the targets dots to zero in which case the target can do nothing but make defensive rolls during their turn.

Characters that CAN frenzy must make a roll. Difficulty 16+
Mages with mind self-empowerment effects currently running are immune to taunting.
TAUNTING: Can be used as subtle assists. Although they are not -that- subtle.

EYE GOUGE

ACTION TYPE: FULL

ROLL : STRENGTH +BRAWL - 2 Versus Opponents Block/Parry/Dodge/Brace roll.

DAMAGE: Normal but every successes causes a round of the blinded state.

SPECIAL : If the amount of damage exceeds the victims stamina by five or more, the victims eyes are destroyed and the blind state is permanent, unless the victim has supernatural healing abilities.

TEAM WORK

SPECIAL BONUS.

when attacking as a group there are special advantages such as more attacks per turn and generally a combined health pool, while individuals in the group may be taken down, the group will have more health points an enemy has to take down than an enemy has individual health points.

SYSTEM:

1 on 1 no bonus exists. 2 v 1 adds + 1 to the larger groups melee/brawl defence rolls. 3 v 1 adds + 2, 4 v1 adds + 3 and so on. This bonus may take each individual to a maximum of 25+.
The victim who is outnumbered has no bonus or penalty.
Outnumbering an opponent only adds the bonus to brawl and melee attacks. It does nothing to firearm or magic attacks.
ONLY conscious and engaged members of the group count for calculating the bonus. The bonus goes down as members are rendered unconscious.
This bonus is essential for low stat characters to fend off particularly powerful foes who have earned their bonuses with xp.
Team work is a survival tactic but also an advantage.

____ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IMPROVISED WEAPONS

An Improvised weapon roll allows you to find an object to use as a melee weapon. These weapons are usually fragile and inferior to purpose built melee weapons. The weapon is considered destroyed at end of scene or on a botched attack/def roll.

NOTE: To use an improvised weapon you must have a minimum of 1 dot in melee and dexterity.

ROLL: Wits + Melee

DIFFICULTY: 12+

SUCCESSES:

1 -3 You find a melee weapon that grants you a + 1 attack bonus for the scene. It causes bashing damage.
4 You find a melee weapon that grants you a +1 attack bonus and +1 Def bonus (Versus brawl + melee) for the scene. Lethal damage.
5+ You find a melee weapon that grants you a +2 attack bonus and causes lethal damage.

FAIL: No weapon found.

BOTCH: You find something that is entirely useless your next attack or defence is rolled with a minus 10 modifier

NOTE: a spork, plastic hanger, or any other sort of unsuitable weapon will -not- work, be sensible with the item found , if you aren't then your attack will simply not succeed period. Thus is the price for trolling.

MUTLIPLE ACTION ASSULTS

There are no multiple actions (rolls) permitted in nocturne , instead attacks that target multiple targets are treated as AOE attacks. No character can NATURALLY do this and Multiple Action assaults usually requires the use of some supernatural ability or firearm modes.

SYSTEM

Attacker rolls their attack at a difficulty of 10+
All targets roll their defence at a difficulty of 10+ and compare their successes individually to the attacker.
Attackers successes minus Individual Defenders successes = damage taken to individual
Note: Some powers may have a higher difficulty to defend or roll, in this case the individual powers system description takes precedence.

OPTIONAL HANDICAP MASQURADE

Attribute + Skill only contest (No supernatural buffs, just your basic abilities, this actually helps maintain the masquerade and can make an encounter more challenging )
No immunity contest. (No supernatural healing or immunity from a damage source, of course you aren't really damaged, but your character treats the encounter as though they were damaged, further reinforcing the masque, this can actually be useful for lulling other characters into a false sense of security and thereby underestimate your character, perhaps you want to be captured and listen to their evil plans, before you turn the tables on them, there are numerous reasons your char might want to handicap themselves in such a way.)