The main aspect of the combat system in Places of Power, and what differentiates it from many other system, is the use of Action Points. Everything you do during combat has an associated Action Point cost. More powerful actions cost more Action Points, and you can spend as many or as few as you like on your turn. Action Points are used for both Offensive and Defensive actions, so it is advisable to not use all of your points during your turn, so that you have the ability to defend yourself for the rest of the round. If you do not have enough Action Points to pay the cost of a given action then you cannot perform it.

At the start of each round all players engaged in the combat receive 3 Action Points (unless otherwise specified). Any Action Points they have remaining from the previous round are carried over, but only up to a maximum of 6 Action Points in total. We will look at the various ways you can spend these Action Points in more detail further down this page.

Action Points

The other major difference with this combat system is that it doesn’t use traditional Hit Points. Instead, everyone involved in combat, both players and NPCs, can take a total of 4 Hits, regardless of any other stats or abilities they may have. Each of these Hits represents a different level of damage that they have sustained, and the effects this damage has on them. The four Hits are as follows:

• Hit 1: Grazed - You have taken a hit, but it is not too bad. It will require some form of treatment to heal, but it will not hinder you in any way. However, if you take another one things will start to get serious.

• Hit 2: Wounded - You have taken a substantial hit and are now Wounded. You must apply 1 Penalty Point to all actions you perform until healed.

• Hit 3: Afflicted - Your wounds are starting to take their toll. You now apply 2 Penalty Points to all actions you perform. The GM may also afflict you with an appropriate Status Effect.

• Hit 4: Helpless - You have been rendered Unconscious. You are unable to perform ANY actions on your own. If you take additional damage you will die. Upon recovery apply Staggered for 2 turns.

As combatants have so few Hits, this changes the focus of combat from inflicting damage to avoiding it. Damage can be avoided actively, by way of Defensive Actions, or more passively, by the use of Armour.

Hits

Many attacks will do more than a single Hit of damage in one go. As such, it is possible to inflict enough Hits on a target that they are taken beyond the Helpless stage. If this happens to an NPC, either friend or foe, then that NPC has been killed outright. If, however, it happens to a player character then there is a bit more wiggle room.

As long as the number of Hits they have taken does not exceed the point at which they would become Helpless by more than two, then that player is simply Helpless, and the usual rules apply. If the number of Hits does however exceed the number needed to render the target Helpless by more than two, then that player is also killed. Please note, if a target is already Helpless and they take another Hit, then they die, regardless of whether they are an NPC or a player character.

Helpless Vs. Dead

When your character is Wounded or Afflicted then they must apply Penalty Points when performing any actions. Penalty Points apply an additional cost to these actions. The possible penalties are listed below, and the Player is free to select the specific penalty or penalties of their choice. Each penalty in the list equates to 1 Penalty Point. You may apply the same Penalty twice if you wish, i.e. increasing the cost of an action by 2 Action Points.

• Increase Roll Difficulty - Increase the Difficulty Level of the Action you are attempting to perform by 1 level. For example, turning a Normal roll into a Difficult roll.

• Reduce Dice Value - Reduce the value of one of the dice you are rolling by one level. Condition effects still apply when choosing this option.

• Increase Action Point Cost - Increase the cost of the Action you are attempting to perform by 1 Action Point.

• Reduce Base Damage - Reduce the Base Damage of the attack you are performing by 1 Hit.

Penalty Points

Status Effects are temporary conditions that affect a character’s abilities or behaviour in combat. These conditions will last either until the end of the round, a set number of turns, or until actively removed by an action, spell, or another condition. When a character becomes Afflicted the GM can inflict an appropriate Status Effect in line with the cause of the Hit. In the majority of cases this is likely to be the effect Bleeding, as knives and swords make up the bulk of weaponry in this game, but other effects can apply.

• Bleeding - You’re wounded and actively losing blood. At the start of each turn you roll a Medical + Stamina check. If you fail then you suffer an addition Hit. Difficulty level for the check starts at Easy and increases by one level every turn until the bleeding is stabilised.

• Burning - You’re on fire, or suffering from intense heat or chemical burning. At the start of each turn you suffer an addition Hit of damage, until the cause of the burning is dealt with. Characters with an Affinity for Rosmere of Level 5 can roll a Normal difficulty Rosmere + Stamina check to see if they burning affects them.

• Crippled - A leg or major joint is impaired, hampering movement. Movement is halved. You cannot use Dash or Climb/Leap actions until this effect is healed.

• Blinded - You cannot see, due to injury, darkness, or a blinding flash. Automatic failure on vision-based checks. All attacks are performed at Disadvantage.

• Deafened - You cannot hear, from an explosion or shockwave. You can’t be alerted by sound. You cannot hear other characters instructions or pleas for help, and you are unaware of anything you can’t directly see. If attacked from behind you cannot mount an active defence until after the first blow.

• Frightened - You’re overcome with fear. Any attacks or checks against the source of your fear are performed at Disadvantage. You cannot choose to move closer to the source of your fear.

• Paralysed - Your body won’t response, as a result of a toxin, a Mere effect, or trauma. You cannot move or act whilst in this condition. All attacks against you can be performed at Advantage. Depending on the cause, this effect generally lasts either a single turn or until healed.

• Staggered - You’re dazed as a result of a Hit or event. You can only perform a total of a single action per turn when in this condition. This applies to both Offensive and Defensive actions.

• Unconscious - You’re out cold, whether due to pain, trauma, or Mere backlash. You cannot act at all. You are rendered Prone and must rely on others for your survival. Until you are healed you can do nothing. 

• Prone - You have been knocked to the ground. Attacks performed against you can be performed at Advantage. You will need to spend 1 Action Point to regain your feet.

• Exposed - Your guard is broken or your cover is blown. All attacks made against you are performed at Advantage OR gain an extra Hit of Base damage.

• Entangled - You’re caught in vines, netting, rubble, etc. You are unable to move until you perform a successful Athletics + Strength/Agility check, difficulty specified by the GM. You may still perform other actions whilst in this condition, at the GM’s discretion.

Status Effects

Every weapon in Places of Power has a Base Damage value, which can vary depending on the Range at which it is used. If an attack successfully hits, it inflicts at least this amount of damage.

When you make an attack, compare your roll to the weapon's Difficulty. If you reach that Difficulty value then your attack succeeded. If, however, your roll reaches higher Difficulty Levels beyond the one required to hit, each additional level gives you one extra Success.

You can spend each of these extra Successes in one of two ways:

• Damage: Increase the attack's damage by 1 Hit.

• Precision: Increase the Difficulty Level the target must roll to defend against the attack by 1 level.

You can divide your Successes between Damage and Precision however you choose. For example:

• You attack an opponent with a Knife at Melee Range. A Knife has a Base Damage of 2 and a Normal (9) Difficulty to hit at this Range.

• You roll 16. This reaches two additional Difficulty Levels: Difficult (13) and Hard (16). You therefore gain 2 extra Successes.

• You could spend both Successes on Damage, increasing the attack from 2 Hits to 4 Hits. The target would still only need to roll Normal (9) to defend against it.

• Alternatively, you could spend both Successes on Precision. The attack would still inflict its Base Damage of 2 Hits, but the target would need to roll Hard (16) to defend against it.

• Or you could split them: spend one Success on Damage and one on Precision. The attack would then inflict 3 Hits, and the target would need to roll Difficult (13) to defend against it.

This gives you a choice about how to use a good attack roll. Spend your Successes on Damage for greater reward if the attack gets through, or on Precision to make the attack harder to avoid.

Damage and Extra Successes

With weapons able to do so much damage, and players having so few Hits, it is important to keep on top of the damage you do take. In the majority of cases it is possible for you, and your allies, to both restore lost Hits and resolve the Status Effects you accrued during combat. Status Effects must always be resolved before you can treat any Hits a target has suffered.

To resolve a Status Effect or restore a Hit you need to roll a Medical check, combining it with whichever Attribute is most appropriate (most commonly Dexterity or Intelligence). The difficulty level at which these checks are rolled depends on the number of Hits the target has taken.

• Hit 1: Grazed - Easy (7)

• Hit 2: Wounded - Normal (9)

• Hit 3: Afflicted - Difficult (13)

• Hit 4: Helpless - Hard (16)

Each Medical check costs 3 Action Points to perform, and can only remove either 1 Status Effect or restore 1 Hit at a time. Remember, if a player has been rendered Helpless then they cannot Stabilise or Heal themselves. Another player, or friendly NPC, will need to do this for them, at least until they are no longer Helpless.

Note: Some Magical Healing effects can restore more than a single Hit at a time. Those will be covered in the page on Magic.

Stabilising & Healing Hits

If you suffer two or more Hits in a single attack, or you are rendered Helpless, then you suffer an Injury. Injuries are ongoing effects that last beyond the combat encounter, and which can take considerable time to heal. Injuries have a number of important features:

• Injuries cannot be healed during combat.

• Injuries do not, individually, cause any mechanical effect on the player when inflicted.

• As soon as you take a third Injury you are immediately rendered Helpless and cannot recover during the combat itself.

• If you enter a fight with three Injuries and suffer any damage beyond the Grazed level, you are immediately rendered Helpless.

Once a fight is over, any newly acquired Injuries need to be treated to see how long they will take to recover from. Injuries have a Base Recovery Time and a Recovery Dice Value. Combined these two values give you the Total Recovery Time for a given type of injury. Injuries are best treated with a Surgery Check, though they can be treated with a regular Medical Check if no one in your party can perform Surgery. The GM will set the difficulty of the check, depending on the type of Injury sustained.

When an Injury is treated, replace the Injury mark on your character sheet with the Total Recovery Time value. See the section on Adventuring for a full breakdown of how Surgery Checks work, but for now here are the key points.

• Successful Surgery - The Total Recovery Time is set to the Base Recovery Time + the rolled Recovery Dice Value.

• Failed Surgery - The Total Recovery Time is set to the Base Recovery Time + the Maximum Recovery Dice Value. A Permanent Condition is applied.

• Critically Successful Medical Check - The Total Recovery Time is set to the Base Recovery Time + the rolled Recovery Dice Value.

• Successful Medical Check - The Total Recovery Time is set to the Base Recovery Time + the Maximum Recovery Dice Value.

• Failed Medical Check - The Total Recovery Time is set to the Base Recovery Time + the Maximum Recovery Dice Value. A Permanent Condition is applied.

• Critically Failed Medical Check - The Injury remains untreated and no Recovery Time is set. The Injury now requires a Surgery Check to resolve, and will result in a Permanent Condition regardless of the success of the Surgery Check.

Every time an in game day passes, the Total Recovery Time of the Injury is reduced by one. When the Total Recovery Time reaches zero, the Injury is considered to be completely recovered and is removed from the players character sheet.

Injuries

Initiative dictates the order of play in combat situations. Both the players involved in the combat and the GM roll a D12 and add their Initiative Modifier to the value rolled. The GM’s Initiative Modifier is highest individual Initiative Modifier value of the enemy NPCs involved in the fight.

Players who roll equal or higher than the GM take their turn before the GM, and players who roll less than the GM take their turn after the GM. The exact order of play within these groupings is specified by the GM, based upon what is going on in the fight and what makes sense narratively.

Initiative is not automatically re-rolled for every round of combat, but only when the GM feels the fundamental aspects of the fight have changed enough that the current Initiative order no longer makes sense. That said, the GM can change the narrative order of play at any time, as long as the players relative position to the GMs turn remains the same.

Initiative Check

On a players turn, they can Move, perform a number of Free Actions, and carry out as many Actions as they can afford with the Action Points currently available to them.

You can perform your movements and actions in any order, and can even split your movement into multiple smaller movements if you wish. The amount of time an individual characters turn take in the world of the game is between 5-10 seconds. Keep this in mind when deciding what you want to try and do, as if it would take longer than this to perform the GM may disallow it.

Turns

Free Actions are minor actions that the player can perform without spending Action Points. You can perform as many of these Free Actions as you like on your turn, but only one of each type. The available Free Actions are:

• Small Change of Position (Quick Movement)

• Pick up an Item

• Drop an Item

• Shout a Command to another player or NPC (a few short words)

• Draw an Available Weapon

Free Actions

As this game is designed primarily to be played in the theatre-of-the-mind rather than on a board, we have aimed to make movement as simple as possible. Everything in a combat encounter is considered to be either at Melee, Close, Near, Far, or Long Range.

• Melee: Objects and enemies in Melee range are right next to the player, literally within touching distance. Players do not have to move to interact with things in this range. As the name implies, this is the range at which the majority of your melee combat will take place. All melee weapons can be used at this range, though spears are treated as Blunt Objects when you are this close to the enemy (the same applies to muskets, even those with a fixed bayonet).

• Close: To reach an object in Close range you will need to use a free action to get near enough to touch it with your hands. However, objects and enemies in Close range can still be reached using a sword, spear, or long stave. Short weapons like Knives, axes, and hammers, as well as brawling, are not useable at this distance.

• Near: Things that are Near of you can be reached on your turn by using your movement action. This is the perfect range for a pistol shot. This distance equates to around 15ft or 5m.

• Far: Any item or enemy described as being Far from the player will required more than a single movement action to reach, but no more than three. You can spend an Action Point to use your Dash ability to reach something that is Far from you in a single turn, but generally it will take you several turns to close the distance. This is generally the maximum distance at which the majority of ranged weapons can be used.

• Long: Things that are at Long range will take at least four turns, or two if you choose to Dash each turn, to reach. Several firearms can reach this distance, but due to the lack of accuracy of such weapons the shot will be a difficult one. On the plus side, it is unlikely that the enemy will be able to hit you from this distance either.

Movement

During combat you can perform a range of different types of action, as long as you have the Action Points available to do so. Here is a list of common actions you can perform, along with the number of Action Points they cost.

• Dash (1 AP): Double your normal movement range for this turn. This will generally allow you to reach something that is Far from you in a single turn. This counts as your movement action for this turn.

• Climb/Leap (1 AP): Sometimes just running across the room, or up the stairs, is not enough. Actions like climbing a rope, or leaping over a gap require you to spend an Action Point, and successfully roll an Athletics Check (difficulty set by the GM based on what you are trying to do)

• Reload Gun (6 AP): Reload a pistol, musket, or rifle. This is a complex action and requires all of the Action Points you can accumulate in two turns. Some ranged weapons, such as volley guns, cannot be reloaded during combat.

• Reload Crossbow (3 AP): Reload a crossbow or similar weapon. This takes a full turns worth of Action Points.

• Notch Arrow (1 AP): Draw and notch a new arrow to a bow.

• Inventory Item (3 AP): Remove an item from a bag or other container you are carrying. This effectively takes a full turn.

• Stabilise (3 AP): Remove a Status Effect manually using a Medical Check. Uses a full turns worth of Action Points.

• Healing (3 AP): Non magical healing attempts to restore a Hit using a Medical Check, will take a full turns worth of Action Points.

• Take Cover (1 AP): If you’ve used all of your movement/free movement actions you can spend an Action Point specifically to take cover behind an object that is, at maximum, within close range of you.

• Non-Combat Tasks (Varied): You may find that you need to perform an action that is not directly related to combat, the cost of doing so will be specified by the DM. This could include everything from opening a door, to starting an engine, to loading a cannon.

• Use Ability (Varied): Use one of your abilities or a special attack.

• Equip/Remove Armour (3 AP): Unless otherwise stated you can equip or remove pieces of armour during a fight. This is however a somewhat long winded process and as such requires a full turns worth of Action Points.

• Non-Lethal Attack (Varied): Perform a non-lethal attack, such as Disarm, or Trip. These generally can only be performed at Melee and Close range.

• Cast Spell (Varied): Cast one of the spells you know and for which you have the require Mere to use.

• Stand (1 AP): This only applies if you have previously been rendered Prone by an attack. You must spend 1 Action Point to get back up again. This does not stop you from subsequently using your Movement action, or your Free Movement action.

Common Actions

Carrying out an attack is generally the most straight forward thing you can do in a fight. There are only three main types of attack you really need to worry about.

• Ranged Attack (1 AP): Fire a gun, a crossbow, or shoot a regular bow.

• Light Melee Attack (1 AP): A quick attack with a melee weapon, dangerous but with not much power behind it.

• Heavy Melee Attack (2 AP): A slower, more powerful melee attack. Add 1 Hit to the base damage of which ever weapon you are using for this attack. Because this is a slower attack, opponents attempting to Parry or Evade a Heavy Melee Attack can roll at Advantage.

When performing an attack you will need to roll your Skill with the weapon you are using, plus Strength for melee weapons, and Dexterity for ranged weapons. The difficulty level you are rolling against is dictated by the type of weapon and the range you are attempting to use it at. Usually this will constitute either a Normal or Difficult roll.

Offensive Actions

When either a player or NPC is attacked, and as long as they still have Action Points available to use, they may attempt to actively defend themselves. Should the target attempt to actively defend themselves using one of the following methods, and fail to do so, then they can still choose to take the hit to their armour in order to negate some or all of the damage (with the exception of Tank).

• Evade (1 AP): You can only Evade Melee Attacks. Roll Athletics + Agility, with the Difficulty level being the Base Difficulty Level of the Attacking roll, plus any additional Levels of Precision that the attacking player was able to add to the attack.

• Parry (1 AP): You can only Parry Melee Attacks, and only if you have a weapon that can be used in melee in your hand. Roll Weapon + Strength, with the Difficulty level again being specified by the incoming attack, as laid out above. If you beat the required value by one or more Difficulty levels then that constitutes a Repost, and you inflict a set 1 Hit of damage back on your attacker. Your opponent cannot use a Defensive Action to block a Repost, but they can block it with Armour.

• Dive (2 AP): You can only use Dive on Ranged Attacks, and only if the attacker was at Near or greater range. Roll Athletics + Agility, with the Difficulty Level again specified in the manner above. Whether successful or not, the player is rendered Prone when attempting this move.

• Tank (2 AP): While you can use Tank for both Melee and Ranged Attacks, it only applies to Ranged Attacks if the attacker was at Near or greater range. No dice roll is required. All incoming damage is reduced down to a single, unavoidable Hit. You cannot use Armour to negate this final Hit. Tank is the only Defensive Action you can use if a previous Defensive Action fails.

There is one more, highly situational, Defensive Action.

• Human Shield (2 AP): If you have successfully Grappled an enemy and are currently in control of the grapple, then you may use them to defend against an incoming attack, causing them to take the damage instead. If this is used against a ranged attack then it can only be done if the attacker was at Near or greater range. If the attack kills the grappled enemy then the grapple immediately ends.

Defensive Actions

In addition to spending Action Points to perform an action, players may wish to spend points to enhance the effect or success chance of their attack. Some players may have player specific modifiers they can use, but the following modifiers are available to all.

• Targeted Hit Melee (1 AP): This allows you to call the target of your hit for maximum or a specific effect. If the Targeted Hit is used to aim specifically for an unarmoured part of the targets body, then the target may not use an armour save to reduce the damage of the incoming attack. They can still use other forms of active defence.

• Targeted Hit Ranged (2 AP): Allows you to target your Hit on a ranged attack. This is harder to do, hence the added cost. Same rules apply as with a melee attack.

• Steady (1 AP): You gain Advantage with the weapon you are using for this attack, increasing your chance of a successful hit.

• Knockdown (1 AP): If your attack is successful in landing a Hit, even if it is blocked by armour, then, in addition to the damage caused, your target is knocked down and is considered Prone until they can regain their feet on their turn.

Attack Modifiers

If an enemy has been knocked down and is laying on the ground they are considered to be Prone. Prone targets are always attacked at Advantage. Prone targets can still attempt to Parry Melee Attacks, though they do so at a Disadvantage, but they cannot Evade or Dive as they are, effectively, unable to move. They can still use Tank and take Hits to their Armour.

Prone Targets

Rather than trying to kill your opponent you can instead attempt to perform a non-lethal attack. While these do no damage, they can potentially end a fight quickly if performed well. Most of these actions can only be used if you are in Melee or Close Range of the target you wish to use them on.

• Disarm (2 AP): The weapon your target is using is knocked from their hands and lands Near to them. Should they wish to pick it up on their turn they must use their movement action to reach it, and their Free Pick Up Action to recover it. This is handled as an Opposed Roll between your skill level with the weapon you are using and your target’s skill level with the weapon they are using. If your target is using a two handed weapon then you roll at a Disadvantage. You cannot Disarm a shield. This Actions costs Action Points for you, but not for your target.

• Trip (2 AP): This action is similar to the Knockdown action, but does not do damage to the target. This is handled as an Opposed Roll between your skill level with the weapon you are using and the target’s Evade skill. If you are successful then your target is knocked down and is considered Prone until they can regain their feet on their turn. This Actions costs Action Points for you, but not for your target.

• Shove (1 AP): You can attempt to move a target that is in Melee or Close range of you further way by shoving them. This is handled as an Opposed Roll between your Athletics + Strength value and your targets Athletics + Strength value. If you are armed with a shield you can Shove with that. Doing so gives you +2 to your roll. If you succeed then your target moves to Near range. If they are on the edge of something and shoving them would cause them to fall then the GM will apply Fall Damage to the target and they will be considered Prone. If your Shove fails then your target does not move.

• Grapple (2 AP): You can attempt to grapple with your target. This can only be used against human targets. This is handled as an Opposed Roll between your Brawling skill and the target’s Brawling skill. This action costs Action Points for you, but not for your target. If you fail then you are knocked down and are considered Prone until you can regain your feet. If you succeed then your opponent is in your grip and unable to move. Whilst they are in this condition you may spent 2 Action Points to inflict 1 Hit of unavoidable damage upon them. You can attempt to perform other actions, but you do so with a 1 Point Penalty. On their turn, your opponent can attempt to break free or turn the tables by way of an Opposed Brawling Roll, with a 1 Point Penalty. This action costs them 2 Actions Points but is free for you. If they win then they can choose to either end the grapple and break free, or turn the grapple on you instead. They can also attempt to perform other actions when grappled, but do so at a 2 Point Penalty. If you are in control of the grapple then you may release your opponent at any time as a free action.

• Demand Surrender (2 AP): You can attempt to get your target to surrender. This can only be attempted on a human target. This is performed as an Opposed Roll between your Persuasion + Strength and the target’s Morale level. If you are successful then your target will immediate drop any weapon they have in their hands. The GM will decide specifically how they act after that.

• Taunt (1 AP): You can attempt to change the targeted NPC’s Combat Stance. Roll Persuasion + Strength with a Difficulty Level of Normal if the target has not yet engaged in the combat, and Difficult if they have. The GM will decide the exact effect this has, but in general the target will shift to either the Aggressive or Defensive stance, depending on their current circumstances.

• Suppression (2 AP): Requires the player to have a loaded ranged weapon, and the target or targets to be behind cover. Fire a shot at the cover to trigger a standard Morale Check in all targets behind it. Any NPCs that fail the check are unable to act this round, and must remain in cover.

• Pull your Punch (1 AP): If you inflict enough damage on a target that the would be killed outright, and they fail to defend against it, you can choose to spend an extra Action Point to reduce that damage down to the point that they would be rendered Helpless instead. However, you do need to re-roll your attack, and succeed, in order to pull this off successfully. If you fail then the target takes the full damage.

Non-Lethal Attacks

When rolling your attack, if you roll a Critical Success then you can apply one of the following additions to your roll.

• Unavoidable Hit: Your target cannot avoid the incoming Hits. They are unable to Evade, Parry, or Dive out of the way. They can still negate the attack with armour however, or use Tank to reduce the damage to a single Hit.

• Bypass Armour: Your attack bypasses the armour of your target. While they can still attempt to Evade or Parry a melee attack, they cannot use armour to negate the impact of this attack.

• Knockdown: In addition to the damage you cause, your target is knocked down and is considered Prone until they can regain their feet on their turn. This applies to both melee and ranged attacks.

• Knockback: The target is sent reeling backwards, moving them one Movement step further away from you. This effect can be used to knock the target off an edge or into a hazard.

• Disarm: The weapon your target is using is knocked from their hands and lands Near to them. Should they wish to pick it up on their turn they must use their movement action to reach it, and their Free Pick Up Action to recover it. Unlike the Disarm Action this does not require you to be in melee combat.

• Inflict Condition: In addition to any damage your attack causes, the target is also inflicted with an appropriate condition.

• Force Morale Check: Once you have rolled and inflicted damage, any remaining enemies must perform an immediate Morale Check. Those that fail this check will flee the battle. The GM can roll a single check for all of the remaining NPCs.

• Refund 1 Action Point: You gain back 1 Action Point.

Critical Hits

While it is possible for you to carry a wide array of different weapons, you can only ever have three weapons active on your character sheet at any one time. These weapons are considered to be “at hand”, meaning you can use your free “Draw Available Weapon” action to swap between them as needed. Any additional weapons you may have on you are counted as Carried Items. Outside of combat you can swap which weapons are “at hand” and which are “carried” whenever you like. During combat however, swapping your weapons in this manner will cost you 3 Action Points per weapon swapped.

Weapons at Hand

There are times when you may find yourself engaged in melee combat without a weapon in your hand. If you have no other choice you can engage in Unarmed Combat. Roll against your Brawling skill plus Strength. All Unarmed attacks have a base damage of zero. This means that you need to roll 1 difficulty level higher than the required value to hit in order to cause any damage.

Unarmed Combat

When using magic in combat, your spells do 1 Hit of Base damage for each level of complexity involved in the spell. A spell that has no modifiers will do 1 Hit of Base Damage, while a spell using the maximum 3 modifiers will do 4 Hits of Base damage. The cost to perform spells, in both Action Points and Mere, also increases with the complexity of the spell. The more complex the spell, the more Action Points it costs to perform, and the more Mere it uses to do so.

Magical Combat

Note: If a spell is used for healing purposes, then the number of Hits healed is equal to the Base Damage associated with the spell’s complexity.

There are times when the smart thing to do in a fight is to pull back, reassess the situation, and try something new. However, if you are stuck in melee combat that is not always the easiest thing to do. If you wish to pull back from melee combat you must spend 1 Action Point and roll an Athletics + Agility Check at Normal difficulty. If you are successful then you automatically move out of range of your opponent. You are then free to move as normal if you want to,  and you still have your Move Action to do so. If, however, you fail the Check then you remain in melee combat for that round. You can only attempt to disengage once per round.

Disengaging

If you fail to roll the target difficulty value, and you roll the same number on both dice, then that counts as a Critical Miss. As well as failing to hit your target, you also suffer a mishap, that causes an additional negative outcome. This can be selected directly by the GM, or rolled using a D6. The GM is also free to make up their own mishap, based on the specific features of the fight.

1. You lose your balance and end up Prone. You will need to spend an Action Point to regain your feet.

2. You are left unbalanced and struggling to keep your feel. You can spend an Action Point to regain your balance, otherwise you cannot use Evade, Parry, or Dive for the rest of this round.

3. Your weapon slips from your fingers and slides across the floor to land Near to you. You must spend your movement action and your Free Pick Up Action to recover it.

4. You crash into your opponent suffering the Weakened Condition. If they armed with a shield then you also become Prone.

5. Your failure leaves you feeling flustered and unprepared. Lose one Action Point. If you have already used all of your Action Points this turn then gain one fewer Action Points at the start of the next turn.

6. Your weapon is damaged. All attacks made with this weapon are performed at a Disadvantage until you can get it repaired.

Critical Miss - Melee

Armour, as in most TTRPG systems, reduces the amount of incoming damage a character takes from an attack. One of the key differences in Places of Power however, is that you can choose whether you take a Hit on your armour or not. This is because Armour, just like the body it protects, can be damaged and destroyed, but cannot be repaired during combat. As such, choosing to take every Hit on your armour, even if it would only leave a Graze, is a sure fire way to have it fail on you when you need it most. Taking a Hit on your armour does not, however, require you to spend Action Points, and so is the only form of defence you can perform if you have no Action Points remaining. You can also choose to take a blow to your Armour if you have already attempted to avoid the damage using Parry, Evade, or Dive.

Most Armour in the game will not defend against a bullet shot on its own. However, you can Layer Armour which will provide some level of protection against firearms. The three layers at which Armour can be applied are Outer (something like a thick coat), Base (generally what you would traditionally think of as Armour, like a leather jerkin), and Skin (a gambeson undershirt for example). You can also wear a Helmet, which, of course, only provides protection for your Head, and does not count as part of the Layer system.

When you take a Hit on your Armour from anything other than a gun shot, the outer most Layer is affected first. This reduces the incoming damage by a set amount, depending on the type of Armour. If there is any damage left over it is transferred to the next Layer, which in turn reduces the damage by a set amount. If you have no additional Layers, or the damage is not negated by all three Layers, then the remaining Damage it taken by the character themselves. Every Layer of Armour that is utilised in the defence also reduces its Durability by one. If the Durability reaches zero, then that piece of Armour is destroyed and cannot be repaired later.

Defending against a gun shot works slightly differently. Firstly, you add up how much total damage reduction your Armour provides (not including any Helmet you may be wearing), and then you subtract one from that total. This tells you how much protection your Armour will provide against a gun shot. In most cases, even a fully Layered Armour set is only just going to defend against a gun shot, and as such more often than not all of your Armour will reduce its Durability by one. However, on the off chance that your Total Armour Value exceeds the gun shot damage, subtract pieces of Armour, starting with your lowest level, until the values match. Only the remaining pieces of Armour suffer a Durability Hit. If you can’t remove a piece of Armour without the Total Armour Value dropping below the gun shot damage, then that Armour is required to negate the Hit, and so its Durability is reduced.

Armour

As well as offering standard protection against blows to the head, helmets also provide you with another way to escape damage under certain conditions. If you are Hit with a Ranged Attack and the attack was specifically targeted at your head, then you may sacrifice your helmet entirely, and render yourself Prone, in order to escape all incoming damage. The helmet is rendered unusable when this happens, and you may only do this once per combat.

Helmet Sacrifice

The Enemies you face in Places of Power work based on Stat Blocks. A Stat Block is a collection of information that describes a character or creature in the game, including their abilities, strengths, weaknesses and any other details the Game Master needs to run them. Specifically in relation to combat, Stat Blocks tell the GM what Actions the Enemy can perform, and what Dice need to be rolled when they attempt them. These Actions include both Offensive and Defensive Actions, as well as Special Actions that can be applied to higher level Enemies.

As the majority of Enemies you will face in this game will be other humans, the GM will play them in combat in a very similar manner to how the players operate their characters. Indeed, in most cases there are only a few difference between a Player Character and an NPC Enemy. These differences are:

• Action Points: As with Player Characters, all Actions taken by Enemies require Action Points. In the first round of combat, all Enemies start with 3 Action Points. However, unlike Player Characters, they cannot carry over Action Points to following rounds. Instead, they start every subsequent round of combat with a set 4 Action Points.

• A Speed value: This dictates how the Enemy moves. Normal means they move like a regular Player Character, Slow reduces their movement to half, and Fast allows them to move as if using the Dash ability, but without paying the Action Point cost.

• Reduced Skill List: Enemies have a greatly reduced list of Skills, paired down to just the things they are likely to need in combat. Weapon Skills are grouped into Melee and Ranged, with Brawling being separate. Mere use is also grouped into a single Skill called Magic. As usual, when rolling an Action, a Skill is combined with an Attribute to get the total value.

• Set Spells: Unlike Player Characters, Enemies, if they use magic at all, have a list of Set Spells they can use. These Spells have a Mere type, a Mere Cost, and a Description of what they do. The Stat Block does not list the Enemies Affinity or Activation Level with the various types of Mere, it is just assumed that if a Spell is listed they have the required connection to the Mere to pull it off.

• Abilities: Again, as with Player Characters, Enemies have a list of certain things they can do, and ways they behave, that set them apart from someone else with the same numerical values. These are grouped together under the heading Abilities. These Abilities can be specific things they can do, such as rolling attacks at Advantage if they forego defence that round. They can also be general behaviours, such as prioritising a target that previously damaged them, or focusing on finishing off one target, even if a better tactical option is available. Together these different Abilities give the individual Enemies a distinct combat personality.

• Set Actions: While the GM is encouraged to play Enemies as living, breathing creatures, and not mindless cannon fodder, each Enemy only has a limited number of Set Actions that they can perform. This applies to both Offensive and Defensive Actions. The GM is free to select which ever Action they think is most appropriate from those available, but they cannot have the Enemy do something that is not listed.

• Special Actions: Special Actions are unique Actions, usually given to higher level Enemies to set them apart. These Special Actions generally change the usual flow of combat, adding bonuses to themselves or their allies, or extra weaknesses to their targets. Only a single Special Action can be used per turn, with some being limited to a single use per Combat.

Below is an example, blank Stat Block. All Enemy Stat Blocks will look essentially like this, just with the specific values and Abilities filled in.

Enemies