Basic Rules


These rules are viewed so that the overall concept of the Combat structure can be utilized.

Maneuver Characteristics
The following is to describe the idea of what each of the term accompanying a maneuver mean.
Initiative: The modifier to the Dice Pool used to determine who moves first in a combat situation. If the character botches an Initiative roll, she cannot act at all that turn.

Accuracy: The modifier to the Dice Pool used to roll to hit an opponent. The base difficulty of any hand-to-hand maneuver (armed or unarmed) is 6, +1 per opponent after the first. For example, if Kevin Yee is single-handley holding off three barghests, his difficulty to dodge their attacks is 8. As always, the difficulty cannot be raised above 10.
Botching a roll to hit has two effects. First, the character fails to hit his target entirely. Second, he suffers a -2 Initiative modifier in the next combat turn.

Damage: The modifier to the Dice Pool used to roll damage.

Move: The modifier to a character's movement in a combat turn. By adding the character's Dexterity and Move modifier, you get the number of hexes he can move per turn.

The Equations for Fighting
Here is a listing of the formulas used to work the actions.

Initiative: Wits + Alertness + the maneuver modifier, if any.

Accuracy: Dexterity + Ability (Athletics, Brawl, Do, Dodge, or Melee) + maneuver modifier - any Health Level penalties = Dice Pool.

Damage: Strength + modifier = Dice Pool. Soaking comes after the character rolls damage. (Some Storytellers may allow a character to add their Brawl or Melee, as appropriate to the damage Dice Pool. This reflects a skilled fighter's ability to strike deadly blows, but can make combat exceptionally lethal or unbalanced. If you choose to use this option, we recommend you subtract the opponent's soak dice directly from the Dice Pool to keep from having to roll obscenely huge handfuls of dice every time somebody's hit.)

Move: Dexterity + maneuver modifier = number of heves moved per turn.


Firearms Rules
These exceptions are just changes for this style of combat and do not need to be used.

Dodging Bullets: When dodging attacks from firearms, a character must now roll Dexterity + Athletics and move at least one hex or drop down to the ground. If a character's move while dodging takes him behind cover, use the standard rules for cover.
The difficulty to dodge bullets is still determined by the availability of nearby cover, as explained in the standard rules.

Full Auto: Characters are not required to use all of the bullets remaining in a clip to fure full auto; however, they must fire at least 6 bullets. The character gets +1 Accuracy and +1 Damage on the attack per two bullets fired, to a maximum of +5 for 10 bullets. On the other hand, the difficulty of the shot is raised by 2, due to recoil. If the character chooses to fire all of the bullets in his clipe full-auto (minimum of 10 bullets required), then use the standard rules.

Reloading: Reloading an empty gun takes up one full combat turn and requires the character's total concentration (and Dice Pool). However, a character may spend a point of Willpower to change the clips on two guns in one turn.

Spray: The full-auto option desrcibed above assums that the character is firing at one target. However, if he so chooses, a character can fire across an area, instead of focusing on one foe. To do this, he must fire at least 10 bullets. The attack has a base difficulty of 5, increased by 1 for every target hex covered by the spray.
The player divides all successes evenly between any targets in the area and rolls damage against each one; however, if there is only on target in the area, she can only receive half of the successes. If the player rolls fewer successes than there are targets, each target takes one success until they are used up. For example, Archodias the nocker is firing at a pack of chimerical giant spiders. He rolls four successes against the group of six; the first four spiders are each hit (with one success), white the others are unaffected.
The difficulty to dodge a spray is increased by 2.

Targeting: Look Below...


Hit Location System

It is possible to add this capability into the combat situations, allowing for certain maneuvers to accomplish certain capabilities. This is optional and an addition as always to the normal combat system applied here.
HIT LOCATION CHART
Location
 Accuracy
 Damage
 Random
Head/Neck
 -3
 +4
 1
Arms/Hands
 -3
 -1
 2 - 3
Chest/Torso
 -1
 +0
 4 - 7
Vitals
 -2
 +3
 8
Legs/Feet
 -2
 +0
 9 - 10


Random: Roll a die: the result shows what area gets hit (for random aiming).


Targeted Damage

Head/Neck: An Injured result to this location means that the victim is Dazed; if he has been hit in the neck he will be unable to speak or shout. A Wounded result causes unconsciousness unless the target makes a Stamina roll (difficulty 8) or spends a Willpower or Rage point. Mauled means that the character's neck is broken or he has suffered massive head trauma; the character is paralyzed for life from the neck down and/or rendered a vegetable (Garou may regenerate from this damage, however). Crippled means death.

Hands/Arms: Any hit to the hands or arms may mean that the victim drops anything he is holding; he must make a Stamina roll (difficulty 7) to hold onto any such items. A Wounded result breaks the limb or otherwise makes it useless; any items held are automatically dropped. A Crippled result means that the limb has been severed or so mangled that amputation will be necessary. Garou may be able to regenerate this if they can find the severed limb and reattach it within a few combat turns; the limb cannot be used until fully healed. (A battle scar always results; see Werewolf, page 199.)

Chest/Torso: A Wounded result indicates the character has had the wind knocked out of him and is Dazed. A Mauled result indicates broken ribs; the character must make a Willpower roll to act each turn (difficulty 8), will suffer one Health Level of damage if he does anything strenuous (i.e., any physical action requiring a roll for success) and will take +2 Health Levels of damage if he is hit in the torso with an unarmed attack or a hand-to-hand weapon. If the character has been attacked from behind and the damage is enough to Incapicitate or kill him, a broken spine and permanent paralysis may instead result at the Storyteller's option (Garou can regenerate this damage).

Vitals: An Injured result indicates the character is Dazed. A Wounded result indicates that the character must make a Willpower roll to act each turn (difficulty 8), will suffer one Health Level of damage if he does anything strenuous (any physical action requiring a roll for success) and will take +2 Health Levels of damage if he is hit in the Vitals with an unarmed attack or hand-to-hand weapon. A Mauled result indicates that the character can take no further actions on his own until he is helped or healed.

Legs/Feet: A Wounded result means that the limb is broken and/or useless; the penalties to the Dice Pool apply to any activity requiring walking or running. A Crippled result means that the limb has been cut off or blown off and/or that amputation of the useless limb will be required. Garou may be able to regenerate this if they can find the severed limb and reattach it within a few combat turns; the limb cannot be used until fully healed. (A Battle Scar will result.)


 Additional Locations
The following are not with the general locations but may be important in case there's a specific location.

EXTRA TARGETS
Location
 Accuracy
 Damage
Heart
 -4
 +3
Eyes
 -5
 +3


Heart: This location is primarily important for characters who are trying to stake vampires.

Eyes: Especially skilled characters may be able to target an opponent's eyes. A Hurt result indicates the character is blind for the next turn, an Injured result for the next two turns. A Wounded result often indicates permanent blindness (Garou can regenerate this damage).