Combat

Mastery combat should feel different than other TTRPGs when it is run as intended. Combat is tactical, meaningful, and brutal. If you expect to survive a combat encounter, you need your allies, you need your equipment to be in good repair, and you need to be prepared with weapon options in addition to being skilled with the weapons you bring along. Being considerate of your surroundings, your options, and strategic in the execution of your actions can make the difference between life and death for you and your companions.

It is helpful to think of a combat round as individual decisions made by combatants and then observing how those decisions play out rather than a combat round as of series of consecutive decisions which each reacts to the decision that came before it. You have some limited ability to alter your decisions or react to events around you, and while changing direction can be helpful, it also can reduce your effectiveness overall.

Time

Combat passes in rounds:

Increment	Duration	Per
Combat Round	10 Seconds	6 Rnds/Minute

Combat Flow

The flow of combat follows this structure:

Determine if Startle or Ambush is appropriate and roll.
Declaration Phase. At the start of each round, before initiative is rolled, all combatants make the following declarations. Players declare openly and may strategize. The GM commits privately for all enemies and NPCs.
Weapon: Declare your equipped weapon and combat style. Combat style is how the weapon is being used: Shield, Single (1H), Two-Handed, or Dual Wield. If switching weapons or changing combat style this round, your phase is determined by the slowest weapon or style involved. Reactive weapon changes (dropping a broken shield, switching grip due to circumstances) can occur mid-round without declaration.
Full-Round Maneuvers: Declare any maneuver that requires commitment at the start of the round (Deflect, Covering Fire, Fend, etc.).
Spells: Declare any spell you intend to cast. The spell's casting speed determines your initiative phase. A weapon you hold but do not declare an attack with does not affect your phase; you can still defend and make reprisal attacks with it. If you declare both a spell and a weapon attack, you act in the slower of the two phases.
Stances: Declare or change your current stance.
Held Actions: Declare that you are holding your action. You must specify one of the following:
- Hold to Phase: Name a phase later than your declared phase. You act in that phase instead. You cannot hold to an earlier phase.
- Hold for Trigger: Name a specific condition (e.g., "the archer breaks cover," "a creature enters this doorway"). Commit AP to the held action. If the trigger occurs during or after your natural phase, you act immediately. If the trigger occurs before your natural phase, you cannot react — your weapon is too slow. If the trigger never occurs, the committed AP are lost.

On your turn, you can take only the actions you declared, plus movement and reactions. If you abandon a declared action, you cannot replace it with one you did not declare, unless an ability allows it. 3. Roll 1d6 to determine which side goes first (1-3 = PCs, 4-6 = Enemies). 4. Resolve Fast phase (winning side, then losing side). 5. Resolve Moderate phase (winning side, then losing side). 6. Resolve Slow phase (winning side, then losing side). 7. Next combat round begins. Applicable conditions are reduced or removed. Return to step 2.

Action Points

All combatants have 2 Action Points (AP) per round. These can be spent proactively during your turn or reactively in response to enemy actions.

Action Costs

All basic actions cost 1 AP: - Movement: Move up to your movement speed - Attack: Make one melee or ranged attack - Defense: Defend against one incoming attack - Interaction: Use an item, open a door, etc. - Casting: Cast a spell (may cost 1 or 2 AP depending on spell)

Use It or Lose It

Unspent AP do not carry over to the next round. AP can be spent: - Proactively on your turn in your initiative phase - Reactively in response to enemy actions (defending, counterattacking, reprisal attacks)

If you end a round with unspent AP and no reactive triggers occurred, those AP are lost.

Initiative Phases

Initiative is determined by weapon speed rather than random rolls. All weapons fall into three categories:

Fast: Light weapons (daggers, shortbows, unarmed, etc.)
Moderate: Standard weapons (swords, maces, spears, etc.)
Slow: Heavy weapons (mauls, greataxes, heavy crossbows, etc.)

Your phase is set by what you declare this round, not by what you hold.

Spell Casting: Spells also have speeds, set by their magan cost (Flame Dart is Fast; Thunderclap, cast at distance over a large area, is Moderate). See Magic Mastery, Spell Speed.

Weapon Switching: Stowing a weapon costs 1 AP. Drawing a weapon costs 1 AP. A full weapon swap (stow old, draw new) costs 2 AP. Dropping a weapon is free, so dropping your current weapon and drawing a new one costs 1 AP, but your old weapon is on the ground. Phase determination for weapon switches is handled in the Declaration Phase (see Combat Flow, step 2).

Shield Removal: Removing a strapped shield (Heater, Kite) costs 1 AP. A Targe is held, not strapped, and can be dropped freely like any held item. Once a shield is removed on your turn, you are in your new combat style for the remainder of the round.

Unarmed: Unarmed combatants are considered Fast unless otherwise specified.

Startle and Ambush

At the start of combat, each creature that is unaware of an enemy, or unaware that combat is beginning, makes a Startle trial. A Startle trial combines how fast your body reacts with how fast your mind reacts: roll your Agility tier die and your Perception tier die. Unlike other sources of Impaired, a Startle trial is not resisted with a Perception trial alone.

Startle

When both sides are unaware of each other, the DC is 6. The GM adjusts it for weather, lighting, and any other aspect of the battlefield.

Ambush

An ambush must be prepared so that one group of combatants is aware of the other before combat begins. The ambushers set the DC rather than a flat value. For PCs, laying an ambush is a group trial: the DC is the leader's Stealth Mastery DC, with any bonus from a Helper. See General Rules, Group Trials. A creature sets the DC as the Monster Manual describes.

A character with Alertness (Danger Sense) may sense an ambush as it is sprung. A Watchman's warning may do the same or give the party additional time, as the GM decides.

Results

A failed Startle trial results in Tier 1 Impaired: Dazed.
A failed Startle trial by 3 or 4 results in Tier 2 Impaired: Stunned.
A failed Startle trial by 5+ results in Tier 3 Impaired: Paralyzed.
A creature affected by the Impaired condition progresses to previous Tier at the start of each combat round until they are no longer afflicted.

Additional Combat Rules

Allies: An ally is a creature on your side other than yourself. Effects that include you say "you and your allies."

Flanking: If you are on one side of a target who is also being threatened on the other side, both you and your ally gain +2 to the attack. The flanking bonus applies to a maximum of one attack per AP spent. If you make multiple attacks with a single AP (such as dual-wielding), only the first of those attacks gains the flanking bonus.

Engaged: If you attack a creature or take either Durability or Health damage from a creature, you are Engaged with it until the beginning of your next turn.

Damage Types

Mundane: Cutting, Cleaving, Crushing, Piercing, and Puncturing damage.

Magical: Fire, Sea, Sky, Stone, Primal, Profane, Sacred, and Void.

Energy: Fire, Sky, Sacred, Void
Material: Sea, Stone, Primal, Profane. Mundane damage is also material.

Damage is mundane or magical by its type. An enchanted weapon still deals its weapon's mundane damage; anything magic adds to a hit, such as Imbue or an enchantment, is a separate portion of the hit with its own type. Spells, and effects created by spells or magical abilities, are magical.

Health Types

Durability. Durability is the amount of integrity that your armor has. The more that you are hit, the more quickly your armor deteriorates. Durability decreases when you take Mundane or Material Magic damage minus any resistances it has.

Health: Health is your physical well-being. It comes from two sources:

Endurance. For each Endurance tier up to your current tier, roll the corresponding tier die and add the result. Each time your Endurance tier increases, roll the new tier die and add it to your health. A character who starts at Endurance Tier 3 has 1d2 + 1d3 + 1d4.
Class. Every 3 levels, add the amount shown in your class table's Health column.

Actions and Reactions

Your 2 AP can be spent as either actions (proactive) or reactions (reactive). Actions occur on your turn during your initiative phase. Reactions occur in response to enemy actions and are always triggered by specific circumstances.

Attack

Refers to a single unarmed or weapon attack.

Weapon attack: an attack made with a manufactured weapon or a shield. Natural attacks (bites, claws, horns) and unarmed strikes are not weapon attacks.

Melee: attacks automatically hit, unless the target spends AP to defend.
Ranged: attacks require an Aiming Trial to hit.
- Aiming Trial: Roll your Perception tier die against DC 2. The DC increases by 1 for Moderate range, by 3 for Far range, and by 1 for each ally adjacent to the target, and Cover and some maneuvers raise it further. A roll of 1 always misses, and a max roll on your tier die always hits.

Attack Formulas: - Melee/Thrown Attack: STR or PHY Tier Die + WEA + Modifiers - Bow Attack: PHY Tier Die + WEA + Modifiers - Crossbow Attack: PER Tier Die + Fixed Weapon Dice + Modifiers

Attack Rules: - Attack dice explode on a max roll. - Attacks always hit unless target chooses to defend. - If target chooses to defend, and defense roll is equal to or greater than incoming attack roll, defense succeeds.

For weapon speeds, attack formulas, style modifiers, and maneuvers, see the Weapon Mastery chapter.

Defense

A reaction to defend against an incoming attack. Costs 1 AP.

When an attack is announced against you, but before the roll is made, you must declare your intent to defend.
If you have no remaining AP, you cannot defend.
You can defend while wielding a melee weapon or nothing at all. The Tier Die used is based on the melee weapon you are wielding; if you have none, use STR or PHY.
A shield counts as a weapon. A character holding only a shield is not unarmed.
You cannot defend while wielding only a projectile weapon or sling unless a maneuver allows it.
If you are unarmed, your defense against a weapon attack has Inferiority.
You cannot make a ranged attack with a projectile weapon or sling while a hostile creature is within 5 feet of you. A crossbow that is already spanned is the exception: you can fire it, but you cannot span it again while a hostile creature is within 5 feet.
If in the middle of casting a spell, you must interrupt the spell to defend.

Defense Formula: STR or PHY Tier Die + Armor Resistance + Shield + Modifiers

Defense Rules: - Defense dice explode on a max roll. - If defense roll is equal to or greater than incoming attack roll, defense succeeds. - Must be wielding a shield to defend against ranged attacks, unless an ability allows it. - Armor Resistance is the static resistance value of your equipped armor.

Passive Defense: If you choose not to defend or have no AP remaining, incoming attack damage is applied directly against your Armor Resistance. Any damage that exceeds your armor resistance is applied to your armor's durability first, then to your health once durability is depleted.

Triggered Reactions (All cost 1 AP)

Counterattack: If you successfully defend against an attack, you can spend 1 AP as a reaction to make a counterattack against your attacker.

Reprisal Attack: If a creature moves out of your melee attack range, you can spend 1 AP as a reaction to make an attack against that creature.

Movement Reaction: You can spend 1 AP as a reaction to reposition on the battlefield or turn to face an approaching enemy. If you leave a creature's attack range, they can choose to make a reprisal attack against you.

Skills, abilities, and spells can grant other reactions, such as Bolster, Pretermit, or a counter (see Magic Mastery, Duels).

Movement

Speed. Your speed is 3 + your Agility tier, minus 1 if you are Small. Each point of speed is one 5-foot square of movement for each AP you spend moving. Creatures add bonuses for size and for running, flying, or swimming (see Monster Manual, Speed).

A single movement up to the creature's movement speed. Costs 1 AP.

If you move less than your movement speed and take a different action, you must use another AP to move again.
Movement can be used as an action, or taken as multiple actions. When taken multiple times in a row, each movement action after the first movement is increased by half (rounded down).
Movement can be used as a reaction to change who you are facing, such as turning to face an approaching enemy so that they are not behind you.
Movement can be used as a reaction to change position on the battlefield, but if you leave a creature's attack range, they can choose to make a reprisal attack against you.

Terrain

Rugged Terrain: Mud, deep snow, sand, dense undergrowth, rubble, shallow water, thick brush.
- Moving through Rugged terrain costs double movement.
Unstable Terrain: Ice, slick stone, mossy surfaces, wet ship decks, loose scree, rain-slicked slopes.
- A creature moving through Unstable terrain must succeed on an Agility trial, as determined by the GM, or fall Prone.
Hazardous Terrain: Fire, acid pools, caltrops, thorn thickets, boiling mud.
- A creature in Hazardous terrain takes 1 damage of the appropriate type. The damage may be triggered by entering or ending a turn in the terrain (e.g., fire) or movement (e.g., caltrops). Specific hazards may impose additional effects at the GM's discretion.
Elevation: A creature with elevation over its target gains Dominance on attack and defense rolls against that target. A creature attacking a target with elevation has Impotence on attack and defense rolls against that target.

Interaction

An interaction is any use of an item or retrieval of an object. Getting an item into your hand costs AP based on where it is; using it then costs whatever that item requires (drinking a potion is 1 AP; a scroll is 2 AP).

Quick Items cost nothing to retrieve, so a quick item costs only its use (therefore, taking a vial of alum from your small pouch and using it to stop bleeding requires 1 AP).
Items on your body (a weapon in its sheath, or gear on a body slot or lashed outside a pack) cost 1 AP to draw.
Items in a container (a backpack, sack, chest, or saddlebag) cost 2 AP to retrieve. One retrieval gets everything you need from that container (therefore, to light a torch from your pack, you retrieve the torch and tinderbox for 2 AP, then light it with the tinderbox for 6 AP, requiring 8 AP total, about four rounds. This is why travelers keep a fire, a lantern, or slow match burning).
Stowing an item requires 1 AP (therefore, stowing your backsword and drawing a rungu requires 2 AP).

Casting

Refers to casting a spell. Costs vary by spell (typically 1 or 2 AP).

You must choose the spell you are casting at the start of the round to determine your initiative phase.
From the start of the round until your spell resolves, you are casting it. Defending, taking health damage, casting another spell, or choosing to stop can cost you the spell and its magan; see Magic Mastery, Interrupted Casting. Because AP are spent when the spell resolves, you can still defend while casting, though the spell is lost.
After the spell is cast, you can only cast another spell during the same round if the spell is a reaction and you have AP remaining. Only Fast spells (1-3 magan) can be cast as reactions, except counters, which are always reactions (see Magic Mastery, Duels). A reaction spell is triggered by circumstances rather than declared at the start of the round (e.g., a defensive ward against an incoming attack, a magical counterattack after a successful defense). See Magic Mastery for full details.
If the spell requires material components and they are not in a Quick Item slot, you must retrieve them first: 2 AP from a container.
You can always cast a spell slower than the indicated casting speed without rolling a Miscast trial.
You can move, as an action or a reaction, without affecting the casting of a spell.

Other Actions

Action Type	AP Cost	Notes
Item, Catch	1	Reaction + Interaction
Item, Drop	0	Free action
Item, Pick Up	1	Action + Interaction
Item, Retrieve Stored	2	Action + Interaction
Item (to ally), Toss	1	Action + Interaction
Mount, Control Frightened	1	Action
Mount, Direct	1	Action + Movement
Mount or Dismount	1	Action + Movement
Open / Close Door	1	Action + Interaction
Prone, Fall	1	Action + Movement
Prone, Stand from	1	Action + Movement
Skill, Active	1	Action
Skill, Use Lore	0	Free action
Trial	0	Free action
Torch / Lamp, Extinguish	1	Action + Interaction
Torch / Lamp, Light	1	Action + Interaction
Torch / Lamp, Light (tinderbox)	6	Action + Interaction
Weapon, Stow	1	Action + Interaction
Weapon, Draw	1	Action + Interaction
Shield, Remove (strapped)	1	Action + Interaction

Lighting with a tinderbox (striking sparks into tinder and nursing a flame) takes 6 AP; the GM may adjust it by 2 AP for conditions. Lighting from an existing flame, or lighting a fuse or primed wick from slow match, is the 1 AP Light action.

Wounds, Injuries, and Trauma

Wounds

A wound is reflected by a decrease in your health pool. When you take damage to your health, you have suffered a wound. Wounds can be healed with rest, food, Healing Supplies, or magic.

Injuries

When you reach 0 health, you suffer an Injury. Treating an Injury requires Healing Supplies (Exploration Round) or magical healing.

Traumas

Traumas are severe physical consequences: broken bones, collapsed lungs, internal bleeding. Traumas occur when you take health damage while at 0 health and fighting on. Each Trauma is rolled on the Trauma table. Treatment for traumas varies based on the severity.

Trauma Table

Trauma settings (optional). The GM chooses how often Traumas occur. Each setting includes those above it.

Realistic: a Trauma occurs when a character takes health damage while at 0 health and fighting on (see Fighting On). This is the default rule.
Brutal: as Realistic, and a character also suffers a Trauma on reaching 0 health (in addition to the Injury), and on rolling a natural minimum on a trial to resist damage.
Deadly: as Brutal, and whenever a character takes health damage from a hit whose dice explode, they make an Endurance trial (Straightforward, 4) or suffer a Trauma.

The Trauma and Insanity settings are chosen separately; a table can run Brutal Traumas with Realistic Insanity, or any other combination.

Roll 1d100 for each Trauma. Each Trauma has a tier:

Minor: heals within days, with rest or a single treatment.
Severe: heals only over weeks of rest or repeated tending; some must be treated first (set, reset, or tended).
Grievous: heals only with magic, while Damage Age still reaches it (Magic Mastery, Restoring Traumas). After that, it is permanent.

Days' rest means full days of downtime with no travel, combat, or work.

Healer treatments use Treat Trauma (Skill Mastery, Trade, Healer Discipline). The tier listed (T2, T3) is the treatment's tier: a healer with the required mastery succeeds automatically, and anyone else rolls against its Use DC.

d100	Trauma	Tier	Mundane recovery
1	Lose your left eye. Penalty -1 on Perception trials that rely on sight and on ranged attack rolls. If you have no eyes left, you are Blinded.	Grievous	None
2	Lose your right eye. As left eye.	Grievous	None
3–5	Close Call! No Trauma.
6	Lose your left hand. You cannot hold anything with two hands, and you can hold only one object at a time. A hook or iron hand can lessen the effect.	Grievous	None
7	Lose your right hand. As left hand.	Grievous	None
8–10	Close Call! No Trauma.
11	Lose your left foot. Movement halved, and you need a cane, crutch, or prosthesis to move. When you move more than once in a round, make a Physique trial (Straightforward, 4) or fall Prone. Penalty -2 on trials to keep your balance. After a year with a prosthesis, or after gaining 5 character levels, you move normally.	Grievous	None
12	Lose your right foot. As left foot.	Grievous	None
13–15	Close Call! No Trauma.
16	Punctured Lung. You have 1 AP per round. If both lungs are punctured, you are suffocating: advance Exhausted by 1 tier at the end of each of your turns.	Severe	Tend (Healer, T3) + 30 days' rest
17–18	Lose a finger. Penalty -1 on trials using fine tools with that hand (does not stack). Roll 1d10 from the left little finger to find which. If a hand loses all its fingers, treat it as a lost hand.	Grievous	None
19–20	Close Call! No Trauma.
21	Lose your left ear. Penalty -1 on Perception trials that rely on hearing. Bonus +1 on Presence (Intimidation) trials. If you have no ears left, you are Deafened.	Grievous	None
22	Lose your right ear. As left ear.	Grievous	None
23	Lose your nose. Penalty -2 on Charisma trials and on Perception trials that rely on smell. Bonus +2 on Presence (Intimidation) trials.	Grievous	None
24–25	Close Call! No Trauma.
26	Blurred Vision. Penalty -1 on Perception trials that rely on sight and on ranged attack rolls.	Minor	3 days' rest
27	Break your left arm. You cannot hold anything with two hands, and you can hold only one object at a time.	Severe	Set (Healer, T3) + 30 days' rest
28	Break your right arm. As left arm.	Severe	Set (Healer, T3) + 30 days' rest
29–30	Close Call! No Trauma.
31	Break your left leg. Movement halved, and you need a cane or crutch to move. When you move more than once in a round, you fall Prone. Penalty -1 on trials to keep your balance.	Severe	Set (Healer, T3) + 30 days' rest
32	Break your right leg. As left leg.	Severe	Set (Healer, T3) + 30 days' rest
33	Ringing Ears. Penalty -1 on Perception trials that rely on hearing.	Minor	3 days' rest
34–35	Close Call! No Trauma.
36–37	Limp. Movement reduced by 1 (5 ft). When you move more than once in a round, make a Physique trial (Easy, 2) or fall Prone.	Minor	10 days' rest
38	Teeth Knocked Out. Penalty -1 on Charisma trials. Spells with verbal components require a miscast trial. A prosthesis removes the effect.	Grievous	Prosthesis
39–40	Close Call! No Trauma.
41	Cracked Sternum. You have 1 AP per round. Whenever you spend AP to attack or cast a spell, make an Endurance trial (Straightforward, 4); on failure, the AP is spent with no effect.	Severe	10 days' rest
42–43	Skull Fracture. Whenever you spend AP to attack or cast a spell, make an Endurance trial (Straightforward, 4); on failure, the AP is spent with no effect.	Severe	30 days' rest
44–45	Close Call! No Trauma.
46–47	Left Leg Bruised to the Bone. Penalty -1 on Strength and Physique trials that use your legs.	Minor	3 days' rest
48–49	Right Leg Bruised to the Bone. As left leg.	Minor	3 days' rest
50	Left Arm Bruised to the Bone. Penalty -1 on Strength and Physique trials that use your arms.	Minor	3 days' rest
51	Right Arm Bruised to the Bone. As left arm.	Minor	3 days' rest
52–53	Close Call! No Trauma.
54–56	Left Shoulder Dislocated. You cannot hold anything with two hands, and you can hold only one object at a time.	Minor	Reset (Healer, T2) + 3 days' rest
57–59	Right Shoulder Dislocated. As left shoulder.	Minor	Reset (Healer, T2) + 3 days' rest
60–61	Close Call! No Trauma.
62–64	Broken Ribs. Whenever you spend AP to attack or cast a spell, make an Endurance trial (Straightforward, 4); on failure, the AP is spent with no effect.	Severe	10 days' rest
65–66	Festering Wound. The wound turns. Advance Infected by 1 tier (interval 24 hours; Endurance DC equal to the inflicting creature's ability DC, Division + 1; for other sources, the GM sets it, default Tricky 6). While the wound remains, a successful trial holds the condition instead of reducing it. While you are Diseased, your maximum health drops by 1 every 24 hours; at 0, you die.	Severe	Tend daily (Healer, T3), 10 successes
67–70	Close Call! No Trauma.
71–73	Open Wound. You lose 1 health every hour until the bleeding is stopped (Healer, T2, one exploration round).	Minor	Stop the bleeding (Healer, T2)
74–76	Internal Injury. Whenever you spend AP to attack or cast a spell, make an Endurance trial (Straightforward, 4); on failure, the AP is spent with no effect.	Severe	Tend daily (Healer, T3), 10 successes
77–80	Close Call! No Trauma.
81–82	Horrible Scar. Penalty -2 on Charisma trials. Bonus +2 on Presence (Intimidation) trials. While Damage Age still reaches the wound, a successful Healer treatment (T3) reduces it to a Minor Scar.	Grievous	Healer, T3, same day only
83–85	Painful Scar. In rain, sleet, hail, or snow, whenever you spend AP to attack or cast a spell, make an Endurance trial (Straightforward, 4); on failure, the AP is spent with no effect. While Damage Age still reaches the wound, a successful Healer treatment (T3) reduces it to a Minor Scar.	Grievous	Healer, T3, same day only
86–99	Minor Scar. No mechanical effect.
100	Broken Back. You lose the use of your legs and cannot walk.	Grievous	None

Death

Reaching 0 Health

When you reach 0 health:

You suffer an Injury (see Conditions).
Your dying timer begins. You have a number of rounds equal to your Endurance tier before you die.
Roll an Endurance trial against the health damage that reduced you to 0. Only the damage dealt to health counts toward this DC, not damage absorbed by armor resistance or durability. On a success, you may choose to remain conscious and continue fighting. On a failure, you fall unconscious.

Fighting On

If you succeed on the Endurance trial and choose to remain conscious at 0 health:

Any health damage you take results in a Trauma.
Each time you suffer a Trauma, roll an Endurance trial against the health damage taken. On a failure, you fall unconscious.
Your dying timer continues to run. If the timer expires, you die regardless of whether you are still standing.

Going Down

If you fail the Endurance trial or choose to fall unconscious:
You are unconscious and cannot take actions.
Your dying timer continues to run. If the timer expires, you die.

Triage

Any character adjacent to a dying creature can spend 2 AP to stabilize them. No trial is required. Stabilization stops the dying timer. The creature remains unconscious at 0 health. Recovery requires medicine treatment (10 minutes) or healing magic.