<strong>Combat</strong><br/><br/>Timing:  Each turn lasts about three seconds of game time.<br/><br/>Initiative:  Those who initiate combat get a free turn.  Otherwise, roll Agility+Alertness, which can be modified by Traits or other factors.  Highest goes first, and on down to the lowest.  Roll Agility in case of a tie.  If you want, you can hold your action, but lose it if the turn ends.<br/><br/>Actions:  Each character may make one action (attack, or move, or a defensive action) without penalty.  You can perform multiple actions during your turn, but suffer a cumulative -1 step Skill penalty to all actions in the turn.  Two actions bring a -1 step penalty, three bring a -2, and so on.  You can include defense rolls (dodging or parrying) in your total of actions.  (For example, "I shoot the thug, and dodge as someone shoots back at me," both actions would suffer a -1 step penalty).  You can add defense rolls after your turn has ended, but they count against the next turns limit.  (Say, you take 2 actions, they are at -1.  Then, you have to dodge two more attacks, they would be at -3, and count as two actions taken when the next turn rolls around.)  Some actions, such as taking a quick look around, speaking a short phrase, or an innate defense roll, do not count against the total actions in a turn.<br/><br/>Move:  Most folk have a base speed of 15 feet per turn.  Spending an action allows you to hustle, doubling that, and spending two actions lets you run, distance covered is twice base speed plus Agility+Athletics/Running roll.<br/><br/>Defending yourself:  Standing still makes you an Easy (3) target.  If you are aware of an attack, you can try an Innate Defense, roll Agility, and that becomes the number needed to hit you.  An Innate Defense roll does not count as an action.  Or, you could spend an action, and roll Agility+Athletics/Dodge to avoid duck out of the way of a bullet or thrown weapon, or Agilty+weapon skill to parry a hand-to-hand or melee attack.<br/><br/>Cover:  Ducking behind a piece of terrain like a large rock or upturned table can make you harder to hit.  Light Cover, something that hides up to half of you, or laying down on the ground), gives a +4 to the difficulty needed to hit you.  Medium cover, more than half of you is concealed, gives a +8 to the diffculty.  Heavy cover, such a peering around a corner, gives a +12, and total, such as peeking thru a keyhole, gives a +18.  So, if you are standing still, peeking thru a keyhole, they need a 21 to hit you.<br/><br/>Range:  All ranged weapons have a range measured in increments.  Within 10 feet, there is a +1 Step bonus to skill, no modifier for the listed range, -2 Step to skill at the second range increment, and -4 Step for the third.  (As an example, a weapon with a range increment of 100 feet would get a +1 Step within 10', no modifier from 11 to 100 feet, -2 Step from 201 to 300, and -4 Step from 301 to 400.)<br/><br/>Special Options:<br/>Aim:  You aim a ranged weapon for up to 3 turns, gaining a +1 Step bonus per turn.  You can take no other actions.<br/>All-Out Attack:  You get a +2 skill Step bonus if you make no effort to defend yourself.  Cannot take this option if you have any carry over actions from last turn.<br/>All-Out Defense:  You do nothing but defend, you get +2 skill Step bonus to all defensive rolls.  Cannot take this option if you have any carry over actions from last turn.<br/>Called Shot:  To shoot a specific body, it is a -1 skill Step to target a limb, -2 skill Step to target a vital area (head, groin) getting a +2 Step modifier to damage, and -4 skill Step to shoot a miniscule target (heart or kneecap), getting a +4 Step modifier to damage.<br/>Disarm:  Knocking an opponent's weapon out of his hand is -2 skill Step with a melee weapon, -4 skill Step with a ranged weapon.  The target must get an 11 or better rolling Agility+Willpower.<br/>Feint:  Sucker an opponent, hand to hand only.  Roll Alertness+Attack skill versus foe's Alertness or Intelligence/Perception/Intuition.  If successful, for can only use Innate Defense.<br/>Grapple, Push, Knock Down:  Roll Agility or Strength+Unarmed Combat to get the attack.  Agility+Strength to break free.<br/>Sneak Attack:  A target caught unawares is an Easy (3) target.<br/>Thrown Weapon:  A weapon not designed to be thrown suffers a -1 to -4 skill Step penalty.<br/>Prone:  If you are prone, it takes an action to get back up.  Take a -2 Attribute Step penalty while attacking.  If you are lying flat, you have the benefits of light cover.<br/>Crowds:  Firing into a crowd  or at somone in hand to hand combat is a -2 skill Step penalty.  Botching hits unintentional target.<br/>Covering:  If you want, you may watch an area, getting to attack anyone who moves into that area.<br/>Threatening:  If you have someone dead to rights, you get a +2 skill Step bonus to attack if the target takes any sort of action, as a free action outside your normal Initative order.<br/>Automatic Weapons:  Can be fired in one of three modes:  Single shot, which is a standard attack, Burst, which allows you to make three attack rolls, all with a -2 skill Step penalty, and Autofire, which targets an area 5 to 10 feet wide.  Roll 3+ to hit the area, if successful, everyone in the area must defend against the attack roll or be hit.<br/>Explosions:  To target a grenade, you have to get an Average (7) attack roll.  Anyone within the first range increment of the explosive takes that much damage, losing 1 die per range increment.<br/><br/>Damage:  When you hit, check to see how much you made your attack roll by.  The target takes that much damage, divided into Stun and Wounds, favoring Stun.  (For example, you needed a 3 to hit, and rolled a 8.  The target takes 3 Stun and 2 Wounds.)  Then, roll the damage for the weapon used.  (To continue the example, a shotgun would roll D10W, say, in this case, 7 more Wounds.)  Target may spend Plot Points to lessen the effects.  (In this case,  target spends 3 Plot Points, to roll a D6, and rolls 4, meaning they end up taking 3 Stun and 5 Wounds.)<br/><br/>If you take an amount of Stun and Wound damage equal to your Life Points, roll an Average (7) Vitality+Willpower to stay conscious.  Every turn thereafter, the roll is made with a cumalative +4 to the Difficulty.<br/><br/>Shock:  Any Stun taken after unconscious is treated as Shock points.  An unattended character with Shock Points is out for an hour, then must roll Average Vitality+Willpower to reduce Shock by one per hour.  With medical care, 1 Shock Point is Easy to remove, with a cumalative +4 to the Difficulty for each additional Shock Point.  Once Shock is healed, Stun can start to heal.<br/><br/>Wounds:  If someone takes half of their Life Points in Wounds, they are at -2 Step penalty to all Attributes.<br/><br/>Dying:  If Wound damage equals or exceeds Life Points, must roll a Vitality+Willpower each minute, starting at Easy (3), going up one level of Difficulty per minute.  Anyone who has taking twice their Life Points in Wounds is dead, and beyond all hope.<br/><br/>Burn Damage:  Burn damage, including that from lasers, heals at half-rate, and may leave disfiguring scars.<br/><br/>Healing<br/><br/>Stun:  Once per day, you may roll Vitality or Willpower, (you pick) and shake off that many stun.  1 Stun point is healed per 2 hours of low activity, while rest heals 1 Stun per hour.<br/><br/>Wound:  To see if a character is on the mend, roll Vitality+Willpower.  The Difficulty is 3 for 3 or 4 Wounds, 7 for 5 or 6 Wounds, 11 for 7 or 8 Wounds, etc.  If the roll is made, character heals 1 Wound every 2 days of rest.<br/><br/>First Aid:  To stablize someone in danger of dying requires a Hard (11) Alertness+Medical Expertise/appropriate speciality.<br/>Reviving the dead:  To revive someone who has expired, roll a Formidable (15) Alertness+Medical Expertise/appropriate speciality.  The roll goes up by +4 for each minute the character has been clinically dead.  If successful, the character is allowed another Vitality+Willpower check at the last Difficulty to come back to life.  Further first aid is required to stablize the patient.<br/>Surgery:  Sugery is treated as a complex action, the difficulty is 15 for 3 or 4 Wounds, 35 for 5 or 6 Wounds, and so on.  If successful, the patient is considered on the mend.<br/>Waking the Unconscious:  Cold water, light slap, loud shout, can allow a knocked out character to roll Vitality+Willpower, and on 7+, they wake up, groggy and unable to engage in only the easiest of activities, but can recover normally.  Painkillers give a number of Stun back on a temporary basis.  Sedatives give Stun to a character.<br/>Painkillers:  An Easy (3) Intelligence+Medical Expertise/Specialty check lets someone diagnose the correct amount of painkillers, which negate the Wound penalty.<br/><br/>