Combat

Combat
The adventurers in your campaign will spend the majority of their time split between three key activities; exploring, solving puzzles, and fighting. Depending on the disposition of your players and how well they manage to get along with others, combat will likely be at least half of their playing experience.

Phases
Each instance of combat has three main phases; initiative, combat, and recovery.

Initiative

 * This phase determines the order in which both players and NPCs will take their turns during combat. Upon engaging an enemy party, each player rolls 1d20. The DM also rolls 1d20 for each NPC. Players add in their initiative bonus to this roll, giving them their total initiative score. Turn order then goes from the player or NPC with the highest score down to the player or NPC with the lowest score. If two players end up with the same score, those two players will roll 1d6 and the player with the higher number goes before the other player. If a player and an NPC end up with the same score, then the player will always get to go before the NPC. If two NPCs end up with the same score, then the DM may chose which will go before the other.

Combat

 * The combat phase is where all the action takes place once turn order has been determined. Combat is then broken down further into turn phases, which consists of each player and NPC taking their turn. Combat itself consists of a number of action types. During their turn, a player can take 1 of each of these actions


 * 1) Prepared Actions - This is an action that was readied ahead of time. A prepared action must be declared before combat occurs. Any ability a player knows can be set as a prepared action. The prepared action can then be used once as a free action in combat, consuming no AP for that instance. Once the prepared action has been used, it then counts as a normal combat action any time it is subsequently used in that combat phase, consuming AP as it normally would.
 * 2) Ready Actions - This is an action that prepares you to take another action. Certain abilities or equipment require you to use a ready action before they can be used. A ready action must also be used if the player wishes to
 * 3) Draw, change, or equip a weapon
 * 4) Draw, change, or equip a shield
 * 5) Change or equip armor
 * 6) Change or equip a trinket
 * 7) Get a potion out of a pocket or pouch
 * 8) Get a shard out of a pocket or pouch
 * 9) Combat Actions - This is any action that enacts upon another player, NPC, or the enviroment. Combat actions include
 * 10) Attacking an enemy. Types of attacks include;
 * 11) *Normal - This is an ordinary straight forward attack against an opponent who is likewise fighting back.
 * 12) *Surprise - This is any attack against a battle ready opponent who is unaware the attack is coming. A surprise attack ignores 1 point of the targets armor score.
 * 13) *Opening - This is an attack against an enemy that was unprepared for battle, usually because the initiator was stealthed or because an attack was unexpected. An opening attack ignores 2 points of the targets armor, but can only be initiated on opponents who are not yet in combat.
 * 14) *Backstab - This is an attack dealt to the enemies backside, where they are less protected. A backstab ignores 1 point of the targets armor score and gains a +1 bonus to hit rolls, but can only be done upon an enemy facing away from the initiator.
 * 15) Using any ability or spell
 * 16) Using a potion
 * 17) Using a shard
 * 18) Using a trinket or artifact
 * 19) Any other action the DM considers to be combative.
 * 20) Movement Actions - Any action that moves your character, whether it be jumping a pit, climbing a rope, or simply walking a few spaces, requires you to use a movement action.
 * 21) Defense Actions - This is any action in which the player tries to defend themselves from actions performed against them. Defense actions can be taken at any time so long as the player has not already taken a defense action this turn phase. Defense actions include
 * 22) Using an equipped shield or magical artifact/trinket to reduce incoming damage
 * 23) Attempting to dodge an attack or hazard
 * 24) Defending another player from taking damage
 * 25) Free Actions - Free actions are actions that do not hinder the heroes ability to perform normal combat and can be taken at any time during the turn phase. A player can use as many free actions as the DM deems reasonable. Free actions are usually special scenario actions, such as
 * 26) Heroes speaking to one another or to NPCs
 * 27) Looking at/examining an object or person
 * 28) Using a prepared action
 * 29) Certain abilities, trinkets, or artifacts may include a free action use
 * 30) Any other action the DM deems to be unhindering to the hero performing it.

Recovery

 * The recovery phase comes after all foes have been defeated, fled, or subdued. It gives the players a chance to rest, look for treasure, and heal up. This also allows the DM to hand out any special bonuses, experience, or skill points earned for surviving the encounter. During this phase, heroes heal HP equal to 3 plus 1d6 plus their constitution modifier.

Hit Rolls
To engage in a normal attack with an opponenent using a weapon you have equipped, you first have to be able to hit them hard enough to do damage through any armor the enemy is wearing. To determine if this is successful you roll 1d20. If the resulting number is higher than the targeted opponents armor score, then you make a succesful hit and roll for damage.
 * Critical damage - Getting a high number on your hit roll will result in dealing critical damage to the target. Critical damage cannot be negated by blocking and often deals bonus damage depending on the weapon used. Most weapons require a roll of 19 or 20 to deal critical damage, though some have a lower requirement.

Large/Heavy weapon penalty
If you choose to wield a large or heavy weapon in one hand, you will suffer a -2 penalty for large weapons and a -3 penalty for heavy weapons when making your hit rolls.

Offhand Weapons
Any hero can have a small weapon equipped in their off hand. You must make a seperate hit roll when attacking with this weapon, which suffers a -2 penalty. Any damage dealt with this weapon is automatically reduced by half.

Defense
Sometimes it is much better to try and reduce the amount of damage you take in a fight rather than toughing it out. The deifference between life and death can often come down to a few well timed defenses.

Blocking Damage
A player can attempt to block 1 source of incoming non-AoE damage per turn. To block, the player must have a defensive action available to them that turn and then declare they are blocking. The player then rolls 1d4 and adds any bonuses from shields, equipment, or abilities to this number. The incoming damage is then reduced by the total amount.

Spell Casts
Just casting a spell isn't enough. You have to be able to hit your target, too. This is hindered by two elements; spell resistance and movement. If the target is stationary and an ally, then the casted spell succeeds every time. Casting a spell on a stationary enemy, however, requires a roll against the enemy's spell resistance. Roll 1d20, and if the result is higher than the target's spell resistance, then the spell successfully hits the target. If the target is moving, whether ally or enemy, you must also roll another 1d20 and get a roll lower than your total intelligence score to be able to hit them with the spell while they move.

Spell Decay
Each time you cast a spell upon a specific target, that targets spell resistance against that particular spell increases by 1, up to a total of +5. This resistance fades by 1 each turn that enemy is not targeted with the same spell.

Melee
Melee weapons and abilities must be used on a target no more than 5 feet from the hero.

Ranged
Ranged weapons can be used up to the ditance set as their maximum range. Ranged weapons can only be used on targets that are visible to the hero using the weapon.

Spells
The range at which a spell can be cast is determined by the casters intelligence score. Spells can only be cast upon targets that are visible to the caster.

Damage Types
The damage that can be dealt to your enemies, or by your enemies to you, goes beyond just physical. You'll find that certain creatures and races have weaknesses or strengths against specific damage types.

Physical
This is the basic type of damage dealt. When attacking with a non-enchanted weapon or bare-handed, you deal physical damage. Few creatures have any sort of 'resistance' to physical damage, making it a decent means of combating just about any enemy. There's no bonus effects to causing physical damage, but at the same time it has few weaknesses.

Elemental
Elemental damage is dealt by using the natural forces of the planet. There are four types of elemental damage;
 * Fire - Fire damage often leaves a lingering burn on it's victim, slowing down their healing and sometimes causing additional damage over time. If an enemy is hit with fire damage and they attempt to heal themselves, the healing effect is automatically reduced by 1/2.
 * Lightning - Lightning delivers a shock to the target, which can sometimes cause them to become momentarily stunned. Especially effective against constructs. Enemies hit by lightning damage must make a Fortitude save or else they lose 1 combat action on their next turn.
 * Cold - Cold damage is exactly what it says on the tin; really cold. It can cause your enemies to have a harder time reacting or even freeze them in place. Enemies hit by cold damage lose 15 feet off their in combat movement speed on their next turn.
 * Poison - Poison damage often leaves a lingering damaging effect that continues to harrass your target if they exert their bodies too much. An enemy hit by poison damage takes the same amount of damage again if they attempt a combat action on their next turn.

Holy
Holy damage is rendered unto your foes by the will of the gods themselves. It deals extra damage to undead and demon class monsters, and can even cause healing effects to nearby allies. Undead and demon class enemies hit by holy damage take 1.5 times the damage. If an enemy is damaged by holy energy within 5 feet of the player or an ally, they are healed for an amount equal to the damage done.

Arcane
Arcane damage is wrought by upsetting the natural magical flow of your enemy, which can cause them to have trouble casting spells or using magical artifacts. Being hit by arcane damage causes the target to falter at any spells they were in the middle of casting, and they will need to make a Will save on their next turn in order to cast a spell or use a magical artifact.

Sonic
Sonic damage is from the sudden compression and decompression of soundwaves, usually through an explosion or a loud noise being focused upon a target. Enemies that take sonic damage must make a Will save or else they are confused on their next turn, causing them to harm themselves for an equal amount of any damage they deal to others.

Supernatural
Supernatural damage is dealt by spirits from the lingering dead, and can harm even the most heavily armored foe. Any supernatural damage dealt to an enemy ignores half of their armor score.