Combat Rules
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Before Combat - The Reaction Roll
When the characters encounter a potentially opposing group or creature, unless combat is predetermined by the gamemaster, the first thing that should happen is a reaction roll. The reaction roll determines the initial response of the encountered creatures, and it is modified by several factors below:
- Characters are in the creature's territory / lair uninvited, -1 Edge / +5 DL
- Characters have already demonstrated hostility, -1 Edge / +5 DL
- Creatures are hunting / raiding, -1 Edge
- Creatures have young / or are guarding valuables nearby, -1 Edge / +5 DL
- Creatures have non-aggressive intent, +1 Edge
- Characters have clear advantage / strength over creatures, +1 Edge
Once the reaction Edge modifiers are determined, the GM rolls on the reaction table to determine how the creatures respond. If they are immediately hostile, the GM calls for initiative. On any other result, the GM calls for a reaction from the players, describing the reaction state of the creatures; do they seem imminently hostile, wary, or open to dialogue? The characters then have the option of initiating diplomacy. The Diplomacy DL is listed next to the creature's reaction, but this DL is further modified based on the Edge modifiers above. 
| Reaction Roll Table | ||
|---|---|---|
| D20 | Reaction | Diplomacy DL |
| 1 | Immediately Hostile | 30 |
| 2-7 | Likely Hostile | 20 |
| 8-13 | Uncertain | 15 |
| 14-19 | Likely Friendly | 10 |
| 20 | Immediately Friendly | 5 |
Example of Play
The party is traveling the highlands west of Headow Keep in search of a lost tomb. Seemingly out of nowhere, a gnoll hunting party emerges from the rocky hills. The gnolls are hunting game, but they are also open to unexpected spoils. The GM determines that the roll is at -1 Edge for hunting, the two groups seem to be at equal strength, and the gnolls are not automatically aggressive. The GM decides the reaction roll is only at minus one Edge. The GM rolls twice, getting a 7 and 10, so the gnolls are likely hostile. There are no additional modifiers to the diplomacy DL, leaving it at DL20. It is now up to the party to react. Do they attack, or attempt to avoid violence? They quickly confer, and the Laurel makes a diplomacy check and Calliope will try to assist. Laurel has the diplomacy proficiency and +7 influence, and Calliope has a +9 to Influence. Rolling with +1 Edge, Laurel gets a 6 and a 10, +7 gives them 17. Calliope only needs to beat half the DL; she rolls a 7, +9 for 15. That means Laurel can add half of Calliopes skill total, rounded is +5, bringing Laurel's total to 22. Success!
Holding up their hands, they announce "We come in peace", opening up further dialog options. It will likely be a tense encounter, but everyone has a chance to walk away unharmed.
The Combat Round
Combat occurs when characters begin a fight with opponents of any kind. Combat uses action rounds the way that skill challenges or other dynamic situations are, but it does have two unique elements, those being initiative and turn order.
Turn Order
Combat is comprised of a series of rounds, during which time each combatant acts in a pre-set turn order starting with whomever wins initiative. The easiest turn order is table order (clockwise). For virtual games, turn order should be established with a visible round tracker and should be static.
Initiative
The initiative roll is what determines who goes first each round. An initiative roll is a d20 plus the combatant’s initiative bonus. A creature’s initiative bonus is the sum of its dexterity ability score bonus and its wisdom ability score bonus. There are no proficiencies or traits that modify initiative, but some classes have initiative modifiers.
Characters make their initiative checks at the beginning of every round. Whoever scores the highest acts first, and action proceeds in clockwise order around the table. The GM rolls separately for Allied NPCs and Monsters. If any PC rolls highest, all characters go in turn order starting with that PC, and the GM acts last. As soon as the last combatant acts, everyone rolls again, then calls out their initiative number and repeats the process.
- Natural 20s and Natural 1s: To Further enhance the chaos of combat, any player rolling a natural 20 is "inspired" for the round; they have a rush of adrenaline and gain one action. Any player rolling a 1 is confused or knocked off balance, losing an action for the round.
- Turn order is determined by the highest total. Rolling a Natural 20 only grants a bonus action, and does not automatically determine who goes first.
- Inspired: Gain 1 action. 
- Off Balance: Lose 1 action.
- If the GM rolls a 20 or 1, only one combatant is affected, not all of them. They can choose one at random or give the 'inspired' to an NPC/Monster that has the highest initiative on the team or give the 1 to the creature with the lowest.
- Any combatant stunned or slowed, or that otherwise only has one action for the round that rolls a 1 has no actions, however they can still move. 
- Any combatant inspired for the round may take a combined action (move, plus two actions) and still take one additional action. 
Ties
If there is an initiative tie, whomever has the highest actual bonus should go first. If those numbers are the same, then the characters who tied should immediately roll a D20 and whoever gets higher on the die goes first.
Surprise Turn
At the beginning of a combat in which not all of the combatants are aware of the impending fight, there may be a surprise round. The most common scenario for this is an ambush, where one side gets the jump on the other side. In a surprise round, every combatant that is aware of the other combatants gets to perform a turn in initiative order. Awareness is determined in most cases by a contest between perception and stealth. Any combatants that did not perceive their opponents do not get to act in the surprise round. Any attacks made during a surprise round against surprised opponents are made with a bonus Edge.
Surprise Reactions
In cases where there is a surprise round, but one or more characters are aware of the surprise, and one of those characters wins initiative over the attackers, they have the opportunity to warn their allies of the surprise, giving them a reaction.
For example, say a party of four adventures are walking along a dirt road where bandits are laying wait. The bandits plan on shooting arrows at the party as they get into range. The party gets a perception check to notice the hidden bandits, but only Shifty the rogue notices movement. Everyone rolls for initiative, and Shifty wins against the bandits. “Ambush!” he shouts, as he draws his rapier and runs into the brush. As the bandit’s fire, the rest of the party can take reactions such as dodging, diving for cover, or raising their shields. The bandits still gain an edge on their attacks, but Shifty gave them at least a chance to avoid injury.
Actions In Combat
During one turn, characters can move, take two actions, and shout one or two short phrases.
Actions
Each combatant can take up to two actions. Some actions include drawing a weapon, attacking, preparing or casting a spell, running, drinking a potion, or loading a bow.
Combined Actions
A combined action uses both of your actions and your movement for the turn. Unless the action says otherwise, you cannot take additional actions. Some combined action combat maneuvers do include movement as part of the combined action.
Reactions
Reactions are available, unspent actions taken out of turn. Reactions are a response to another action, such as parrying or dodging an attack, or as a conditional reaction. Only one Reaction can be taken per trigger, but it is possible to spend both Reactions before your turn.
Conditional Reactions and Movement
Conditional reactions are saved actions that a character can use out of turn as a declared, specific response to another action. This could include holding a shot, closing a door, pressing a button - whatever the reaction, it can be performed when the trigger occurs. This applies to movement to. If a character has available combat movement after their turn, they can declare a trigger for when they will use that movement, such as following an ally through a door, moving into flanking position, or cutting off a charging opponent.
Unspent Actions
If a character reserves one or both actions to use as reactions, but the trigger for those reactions does not occur, those actions go unspent for the round. A character cannot save actions to simply use as floating actions without a declared trigger.
Movement
In addition to two actions, all combatants can move a number of spaces equal to their combat movement speed. Movement can be performed before, between, or after their two actions, divided up as desired.
Speech
Speech is only available to characters not already performing an action that requires speech (such as casting a spell or using a troubadour performance). Speech is limited to two short phrases per turn.
| Combat Actions |
|---|
| Additional Move |
| Attack |
| Cast a spell |
| Draw / Sheath a weapon |
| Drink a potion (in hand) |
| Drop an item (carefully) |
| Drop prone (carefully) |
| Mount / Dismount |
| Open / Close typical door |
| Parry |
| Perform a skill |
| Pick up an item (in your space) |
| Reload mechanical bow |
| Retrieve / Stow item from a pouch |
| Stand up from prone |
| Use a power / ability |
Combat Morale
Morale is the mood, confidence, and discipline of an individual or group. Through the course of play, morale will affect NPC’s, such as hirelings traveling with the characters or allies fighting alongside the characters. Morale will never dictate a character’s actions; the GM can tell a player that their character feels miserable, or is afraid, but a character’s morale will never break. The only time a player will lose autonomy over their character is due to a spell effect.
Daily Hireling Morale is detailed in the Additional Rules chapter in the Hireling section. Combat morale comes into play during combat and affects all NPC's including hirelings and foes. Combat Morale checks are Discipline (Courage) checks. The base morale difficulty is DL10 and is further modified by one or more triggering events from the Morale Check Triggers table. If a morale check is triggered, each affected combatant must make their Discipline (Courage) check at the start of their next turn. This is a D20 +Discipline +/- DL modifiers. Hireling Loyalty is not added to Combat Morale checks. The Morale Checks table determines the outcome.
Morale Check Triggers
| Morale Check Triggers | DL Modifier |
|---|---|
| At 50% Health | -1 |
| At 25% Health | -5 |
| 50% Allies down | -1 |
| 75% Allies down | -5 |
| Leader downed or fled | -1 |
| Outnumbered 2 to 1 | -1 |
| 50% Enemies down | +1 |
| Outnumber opponents 2 to 1 | +1 |
Morale Check Table
| Morale Checks | ||
|---|---|---|
| <=1 or UM1* | Flee / Rout | Combatant flees at their fastest speed and will not return to combat.  |
| 2-9 | Retreat / Surrender | Combatant immediately stops fighting other than to defend themself. They will safely retreat if that is an option or surrender if they believe that they will be given quarter.  |
| 10-19 | Continue Fighting until next event | Combatant will continue fighting until another event is triggered.  |
| >=20 | Fight to the death | Combatant is filled with confidence and fights until ordered to retreat or they are the last one standing, which will trigger another morale check.  |
*A natural 1 always results in a rout, even if the discipline bonus would increase the result. 
Ally leaders can make Influence (Leadership) checks to bolster their allies. The leadership DL is equal to the morale check DL. If successful, their allies gain a Morale bonus tot their checks equal to the value that the leader beat the DL by, but if the leader is downed or another event occurs, at the GM’s discretion, NPC’s may need to make a morale check sooner.
Combat Statistics
There are many different number scores that come into play during combat. All of these values are derived from the combatant’s skills, stats, or equipment.
Move
Move is the number of spaces that a combatant can move on his turn. A combatant can spend an action to move his combat speed twice, or by spending two actions, a character can run and move a total of three increments of their combat speed. If a character runs, they must move in a straight line or change facing by one diagonal (45 degrees) over the course of the move. Be aware that all forms of movement will provoke reactions if you move out of threatened squares without first disengaging.
Strength Attack Bonus
Strength Attack Bonus is the value added to an attack roll when making most melee attacks. A melee attack is any natural, physical, or armed attack such as a punch, tackle, claw, or sword. A character’s Strength Attack Bonus is derived by dividing his combat skill ranks by 2 and adding his STR bonus.
Spell Attack Bonus
Spell Attack Bonus is the value added to a spell attack roll when trying to hit with any type of directed spell such as a bolt or a ray. A character’s Spell Attack Bonus is derived by dividing his spellcraft skill ranks by 2 and adding his INT bonus.
Dexterity Attack Bonus
Dexterity Attack Bonus is the value added to an attack roll when making ranged attacks or certain light weapon melee attacks. A ranged attack is any thrown, projected or shot attack such as a rock, sling, or bow. A character’s Dexterity Attack Bonus is derived by dividing his combat skill ranks by 2 and adding his DEX bonus.
Defense Bonus
A character's Defense Bonus represents how difficult it is to hit the character with any type of attack. A character’s defense bonus is his Dexterity stat plus Armor DR, plus any passive magical defenses.
Parry Bonus
A character’s Parry Bonus is used as a reaction to focus on blocking. A character’s parry equals ½ their combat ranks plus their Defense Bonus. A character can only parry if they have a weapon, shield, or object to parry with, or they have a martial arts form that lets them perform an unarmed parry against weapons.
Multiple Parries
With 5 Ranks in Combat, a character can parry two opponents with the same reaction, plus an additional opponent for each 5 ranks after.
Spell Parry Bonus
A character’s Spell Parry Bonus is used as a reaction to parry a spell. The spell parry bonus equals ½ his spellcraft ranks and adds to his Defense Bonus. A character can only use his spell parry if he has a wand, staff, amulet, or similar magic item to parry with.
Dodge Bonus
A character’s Dodge Bonus is for when a combatant uses a reaction to dodge an attack. It is assumed that combatants are always actively trying not to get hit, however the dodge bonus represents diving for cover or otherwise taking a more defensive posture to get out of the way of an attack. A character’s dodge bonus is equal to ½ his athletics ranks and adds to his Defense Bonus when dodging. Characters cannot parry AND dodge at the same time, nor do shields add to dodge.
Damage Reduction
Damage Reduction, or DR, is a value added to a combatant's Dexterity stat based upon a character’s armor, hide or magic spells.
Wounds
When a creature is struck by a critical hit, for every 5 points of damage they sustain a wound (5 points for a Minor, 10 points for a Major, and 15 points for a Mortal wound. See Injury and Healing.
Stun
When medium-sized or smaller creatures are struck for 5 points or move of damage, they may suffer stun or bleeding. Stun damage represents the shock and pain of getting hit, possibly being disoriented, or have one's breath knocked out. For each point of stun taken, the combatant loses one action. 
Bleeding
When a combatant takes bleeding damage, at the start of their next turn and each subsequent turn, they lose a number of hit points equal to the points of bleed. These hit points are deducted from the right side of the character's hit point tracker. Bleeding can be stopped by magic healing, but damage taken from bleeding does not get healed by magic healing or herbal remedies.
Dazed
Some effects may cause a creature to be dazed for one or more rounds. Dazed creatures do not lose any actions but are at -1 Edge to any action performed that round. 
Facing
Facing is the direction a combatant is facing. Facing is determined by what square the front of a character’s pawn is oriented towards. There are eight facings.
Range and modifiers
The Base Range is the distance in spaces that a ranged weapon can effectively hit an opponent. Most weapons other than bows and slings do not have ranges. The range listed by the weapon is the base range. Attacks made within the base range gain the benefit of the bonus damage (the +X after the damage range). Attacks made at a longer range do not get this bonus damage. Furthermore, firearms and mechanical bows gain plus one edge when fired at point blank range, which are attacks made at 20 feet or less.
For each range increment beyond the base range, the attack is made at minus one edge.
Throwing an axe at a target eight spaces away would be at minus one edge. The same goes for a crossbow; if the target was four hundred feet away, this would be at the third range increment, the attacker would be at minus two edge and would not get the mechanical bow damage bonus. Conversely, if the target was at twenty feet, the attacker would be at plus one edge and would get the damage bonus.
Unless a weapon is designed to be thrown (e.g., it has a range listed) it will always be at minus one edge to throw it. Additionally, short weapons (reach 3 or less) will have a range of 4 and longer weapons will have a range of 2.
For example, an arming sword (reach 3) doesn’t have a range. It could be thrown up to 4 spaces at minus one edge, increasing the penalties for each increment beyond that, whereas a Longsword, (reach 4), could be thrown up to 2 spaces at minus one edge.
Reach
There are five degrees of reach, Close Reach, Short Reach, Medium Reach, Long Reach, and Extended Reach. Close Reach weapons can only be used in Close Combat (attacking within the same space). Short and Medium Reach weapons can attack adjacent spaces. Long Reach weapon can attack up to two spaces away, and Extended Reach weapons can attack even further, as specified in the number after it.
Reach is a combination of how long a weapon is and how tall a combatant is, which determines how far away a weapon can be used to strike an opponent. Reach is very important in melee combat, as combatants with longer reach frequently have an advantage over those with shorter reaches. Each melee weapon has a reach attribute which is somewhat derived from the length of the weapon. Each combatant has a reach modifier, which is determined by their height, and adjusts the reach of their weapon. Most characters will have a reach modifier of -1 or 0.
Combatants with a longer reach than their opponents gain +1 to Pressing Attacks, +1 to Parry, and get a Reaction attack if an opponent steps within their reach without engaging. 
Reach can only be adjusted one degree down without penalty, and two degrees down at minus one Edge. This is the maximum reach adjustment possible with most weapons.
For example, Brawn the fighter is wielding a longsword. His longsword has a Medium Reach. He can attack opponents in adjacent spaces, but to lower his reach down to Close would be two degrees and he would be at minus one edge to make close combat attacks. A character with a short reach weapon could lower their degree down to Close without penalty.
Reach and Diagonal attacks
Combat on a square grid calculates reach 1 to 1 for orthogonal attacks, and the first diagonal attack is treated as one space. However, with an extended reach weapon attacking diagonally, the second diagonal space is treated as two spaces, and then alternates one and two spaces.
Shields
Shield bonus is a value determined by a combatant’s shield. A small shield can be used against a single, front facing opponent. A medium shield can be used against two adjacent, front-facing opponents. A large shield can be used against three adjacent, front-facing opponents or against a field of fire. A shield bonus adds directly to the defense bonus and does not require a reaction to use as long as the wielder has the Shield Use proficiency; a shield can be used to take a parry reaction.
Spaces
Space is the term for where combatants are on the battlefield. In Adventure’s Edge, when characters are in tactical play (meaning they have pawns on a visible map), all characters and creatures occupy spaces on the grid. Medium-sized creatures occupy one space represented by a 5’ x 5’ area. Creatures with at least a 5’ reach can threaten spaces adjacent to them, which means they can make attacks against those adjacent foes on their turn.
Engage
In combat when someone moves into reach of a facing opponent with a longer reach, they need to engage the opponent or risk provoking an attack. If a character moves into a threatened space without engaging, and that opponent has a longer reach, they immediately provoke a reaction attack if their opponent has an available reaction to use. To safely Engage an opponent a combatant must be facing their opponent and spend spaces of movement.
Disengage
Leaving an engagement from an opponent that threatens a character’s space requires a disengage action. If Combatant A wishes to disengage from Combatant B, they must spend two spaces of movement to back away one space away from B, maintaining their facing towards their foe. A and B are then disengaged, allowing A to change facing and continue their movement, unless that opponent has Long or Extended reach. Disengaging does immediately invite their opponent to follow as a reaction, unless that opponent has a shorter reach, in which case the disengagement succeeds automatically. If the opponent has the same or longer reach and follows, both combatants stay engaged.
Closing
If an opponent has reach, and a combatant wants to move inside of that reach, that combatant must take a Closing action. To do so without provoking an attack, they must make a combat check and beat their opponent's Defense Bonus. If they are successful, they can safely move up next to them. If they fail, they provoke a reaction attack. If the attack misses, or if the defender does not have an available reaction, the closing combatant succeeds in moving into close combat. If the reaction attack hits, the closing combatant must end their move and cannot close this round.
Close Combat
Combat is not always neatly arrayed with everyone in their own spaces. Sometimes combatants physically engage with each other in close combat. Close combat occurs when one combatant closes into the other combatant’s space. This could be for any number of reasons, from wanting to tackle or pin them, to pummel them with fists or go hand to hand in a knife fight. Whatever the reason, this works exactly like closing. If combatant A and combatant B are adjacent, and B decides to close into A’s space, he has to make a combat check against A’s Defense Bonus. If successful, he moves into A’s space as an action and can then take a standard action against A such as to try and tackle him. Once two combatants are in close combat, they continue to share the space until one of them leaves the space and the other person chooses not to follow. Combatants in close combat with each other still have facing (though usually they are facing each other). Any attacks from other opponents into the shared space have a good chance of hitting either of them. Targeting a specific combatant with a ranged weapon is at -2 Edge, and with a melee weapon is at -1 Edge. If you miss your target by 5 or more, apply the higher of the dice against the other person in the shared space, scoring any hits if applicable. Combatants engaged in close combat are very preoccupied with each other, and any attacks against other combatants are at minus one Edge. Additionally, combatants in close combat do not threaten other spaces, and presuming that they are facing each other, cannot attack spaces through their immediate opponent.
Attack Type
Weapons have four attack types: Dexterity, Dexterity (Reload: X), Strength, and Strength / Heavy. Strength and Dexterity weapons can be used to attack with each action. Strength / Heavy weapons take one action to attack once, but additional attacks in the same round are at minus one Edge unless both attacks are made as a combined action (which means the attacker does not take any movement). Reload weapons are primarily mechanical bows; they have a reload time which is a number of actions between attacks that must be spent reloading the weapon. This means that making the attack takes one action, but it still takes time to reload the weapon in-between attacks.
Off-Hand Attacks
Characters dual-wielding weapons are at minus one Edge for their off-hand attacks. This Edge penalty can be removed by taking the Dual Wielding combat style. Only light weapons can be used in the offhand. Characters with the Dual Wielding style can take the parry Reaction without spending an action in conjunction with making two attacks.
| Table: Damage Type & Effect | |
|---|---|
| Damage Type | Damage Effect |
| Crush | S, S, B |
| Slash | B, S |
| Pierce | B, B, S |
| Crush/Pierce | BS, B, S |
| Crush/Slash | BS, S, B |
| Force | S |
| Fire/Cold | S |
| Electricity | S |
| B=Bleeding, S=Stun, BS=Bleeding & Stun | |
Attack Roll and Damage
An attack roll is the primary roll made during combat. It is what an attacker rolls to hit a defender and to calculate their damage dealt. A character can make an attack action on their turn, or as a reaction on another combatant's turn.
To make an attack roll, an attacker must have a valid target. To make a melee attack, there must be an opponent within reach. To make a ranged or spell attack, there must be an opponent within range.
Roll 1d20 and add the appropriate Attack Bonus. If the total meets or exceeds the target’s defense bonus, the attack hits. If it is less than the defense bonus, the attack misses.
The damage dealt is the difference between the attack roll and the Defense Bonus, with a minimum and maximum result determined by their weapon. 
Determining weapon damage
Every weapon or directed spell attack has a damage range presented as two hyphenated numbers, followed by +X for some weapons, such as 1-6 or 1-8+1. This represents the damage range based on the success of the hit, and the second number is bonus damage. If an attack total equals or exceeds the target's Defense Bonus, the attacker subtracts the defender's DB from their attack roll to determine the base damage, then adds any bonus damage.
Weapon damage ranges increase based upon the attack type. Strength attacks increase the base damage range by the attacker's Strength stat bonus and Dexterity attacks increase the base damage range by 1/2 the attackers Dexterity stat bonus. 
Example of Play
Surprise Round
Brawn has just come face-to-face with a pair of goblin guards at the bottom of a steep slanted shaft. The GM had them roll reactions and got a 1 for hostile. Everyone rolled their initiatives. 
GM: Brawn and the Goblins will be acting in a surprise round. Once the rest of you hear combat you can join in. Brawn gets higher than the goblins and acts first. Brawn is about eight feet from the nearest one.
Rob (Brawn): Brawn was already holding his longsword out. He stands up and moves to the closest goblin and slashes at him!
GM: The goblins are holding spears with shorter reaches, so he does not need to engage and does not provoke a reaction attack. Roll your attack.
Rob (Brawn): Brawn rolls his attack. He has a +7 Attack Bonus with his longsword, and he rolls a 15 on the d20 for a total of 22.
GM: The goblins are both wearing crude leather jerkins, but they are quick on their feet and have a defense bonus of 15. The goblin uses a reaction to parry Brawn with his spear, raising his defense to 17. Brawn still hits!
A medium longsword has a base damage of 1-8+1, but Brawn's strength stat bonus is +3, so he increases this to 1-11+1, and his Weapon Mastery increases it further to 1-11+2. Take the attack of 21, subtract the defense of 17 and the base damage is 5, plus 2 bonus damage for a total of 7 damage.
Damage = Attack Total - Defense
Because Brawn inflicted 5 points of damage with a slashing weapon the goblin also suffers a 1-point bleeding wound, but he is not stunned and is still in the fight.
Natural 1’s and Mishaps
In combat things do not always go as planned. Sometimes weapons break, get dropped, or even worse sometimes a combatant strikes an ally. If you roll a natural 1, the attack misses. If the attack total is 5 or more below the target’s Defense Bonus, a mishap occurs. If the attack roll is at minus Edge and two or more Natural ones are rolled, regardless of the total, a mishap also occurs. When this happens, roll 1d20 and consult the table, Table: Combat Mishaps. Drop weapon: The character’s weapon slips from his hand. Roll 1d20 and consult the Table: Drop Location to see what square it lands in. 17-20 lands in your space.
| Attack Mishaps | |
|---|---|
| 1-5 | Weapon takes 1 damage.
Missile weapons break strings on ones. |
| 6-7 | Drop weapon. Roll drop location. |
| 8-10 | Strike adjacent ally. Use Luck to decide.
Ranged attacks can target any ally in range. If no targets available, lose the action. |
| 11-19 | Open up defenses and provoke attack. |
| 20 | Injure self. Take 1 HP damage. |
| Table: Off Target Results | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 3-4 | 5-6 |
| 15-16 | 17-20 | 7-8 |
| 13-14 | 11-12 | 9-10 |
Damage Weapon: All weapons have a breakage score. When a weapon takes damage, record it next to weapon. Once a weapon reaches its breakage value the weapon is broken. Some weapons may be repairable by a craftsman, but others, once broken, remain useless.
If the combatant is attacking with a natural weapon, they instead take 1 point of damage.
In the above example picture, Brawn has been having a rough go of it and his longsword has taken 5 damage. He has a fine longsword, with a breakage of 7. He can probably repair his weapon to a degree, but if it takes two more damage, his sword will be broken and irreparable without magic or a weaponsmith.
Open up defense: Overextend yourself or otherwise expose yourself to an attack. Any adjacent opponents can attack you with a reaction, and you are unable to parry or dodge. If there are no available opponents, lucky you!
Injure self: Your character mishandles their weapon in an extraordinary fashion. Roll damage against them using only the weapon damage dice and do not add any damage modifiers.
Strike adjacent ally: The character overswings or misfires their attack and strikes an ally. If attacking with a ranged attack, any ally within a forward or rear facing field of fire can be targeted. In both cases, make a second attack roll at -1 Edge against your ally. If there are no eligible allies nothing happens. If there are multiple allies adjacent, make luck rolls to determine who is struck. If there are no allies adjacent, nothing happens.
The two goblins facing off against Brawn consider their options. One of them is injured and bleeding, but they still outnumber him. The injured goblin is adjacent to Brawn. He already used a reaction on Brawn’s turn to parry, so he only has one more action. “Flank him!” he yells to his friend, and takes a step to Brawn’s side, thrusting with his spear. It is not his day, as he rolls a natural 1. Because the attack missed by 5 or more, he then rolls 1d20 and gets an 11 and consults the Combat Mishaps. Underestimating Brawn’s skill, he opens himself up wide for a counterattack.
Brawn already used one action to attack, but he still has an action available. He could reserve that to action to parry the second attacker or make the reaction attack against his exposed enemy.
Critical Hits
Any time a combatant rolls a natural 20 the attack hits, regardless of the total. If the damage calculation results in zero damage, the attack will do 1 point of minimum damage. On critical hits, the attacker rolls a second 1d20 to determine the hit location and calculates the total damage using the Defense Bonus of the struck location. Additionally, the potential damage range is doubled.
Furthermore, any time an attacker scores a critical hit, the defender's armor struck takes a point of damage. 
Brawn takes advantage of his opponent's misstep and attacks. He rolls a natural 20. He adds his +7 for a total attack of 27. Brawn then rolls 1d20 to see where his blow landed and rolls a 16 for the lower right arm - which is not protected by the goblin's armor. The goblin's unarmored defense is only 14, so 27-14=13. Brawn's base max damage is 11+2, but that max is doubled to 22+2 so he does a full 15 points of damage!
The GM determines that Brawn slices the goblins arm off. He is bleeding 2 per round. He started the fight with 14 Health Points, and Brawn already did 7 damage to him. With only 7 Health Points remaining, Brawn’s second hit drops the goblin to -8 Health Points. The goblin has a 14 constitution and dies at -15 HP. Though still alive, he is armless and gushing blood. Without intervention he will bleed out in three rounds.
The second goblin is enraged seeing his friend dying on the ground. He engages Brawn. He also has a spear. “You’ll pay for that!” he snarls, thrusting at Brawn.
Brawn already used his reaction to make the opportunity attack at the first goblin, so he cannot parry which puts him in a bad position. Fortunately, he does have a heater shield ready. goblin #2 has an Attack Bonus of 4, and Brawn’s shield defense is 20. The goblin rolls, getting 17+4, or 21, a hit!
The spear has a base damage of 1-6, increased to 1-7 by the goblin's strength. The attack of 21 - 20 defense is only 1 point of damage.
The goblin still has one action left so he makes one final attack for the round. Wanting to bypass Brawn's gambeson, he makes a targeted attack at Brawn's forearm - losing an Edge on the attack. He rolls a 14 and 15; using the lower number and adding his +3 gives him a 17 to attack. Brawn's unarmored defense with the shield is 16, so it's a hit on Brawn's arm! The attack of 17 minus defense of 16 is still only 1 damage. Brawn has now lost 2 HP, he has downed one foe, but the remaining foe is uninjured. They then both roll initiative! 
Targeting
In combat it is possible to aim at a specific part of your opponent, perhaps in an attempt to bypass a better armored part of their body or to disable them in some way. Aiming at an appendage is minus one edge on the attack, and because it is assumed the attacker is being risky during this attempt they cannot parry or dodge against the attacker on the same round.
Aiming at an opponent’s head, neck, or specific smaller vital area works the same way, but the attacker is at minus two Edge.
Cover and Prone
If an opponent has at least half their body blocked by an intervening barrier, attacks made against them are at minus one Edge. If at least 75% of them is blocked or obscured, attacks are at minus two Edge. Ranged attacks at an opponent through an intervening opponent of the same size are at minus one Edge, and ranged attacks through an intervening opponent one size larger are at minus two Edge.
Medium-sized or smaller creatures that are prone are more difficult to hit outside of a ranged attackers first ranged increment, and attacks are made at minus one Edge. For example, a short bow has a range of 25. If their target was 30 spaces away and dropped prone, it would be minus one Edge for the range, and minus one Edge for being prone.
Conversely, melee combatants attacking a prone target within reach are at plus one Edge.
High Ground Advantage
If a combatant in melee range is standing waist high to their opponent (their feet are approximately as high as their opponent's waist AND their total comparative height is 1/3 higher than their opponent, they gain +1 to attack and +1 to defense. The higher combatant cannot target the lower half of their opponent, and the lower combatant cannot target the higher half of their opponent. On critical hits re-roll invalid locations.
Facing, threatened spaces, shields, and the vagaries of square combat
In early editions of tabletop games, combat was tracked on hexagonal battle maps. The advantage of hexagons is facing visually makes more sense and diagonal movement is easier to calculate. The downside to hexagons is maps are more difficult to create on the fly without the convenience of straight lines and squares. At some point along the way after the adaptation of square spaced maps, facing was abandoned by many mainstream games. Adventure’s Edge uses a mix of ideas – square spaces and making facing critical to battlefield strategy.
There are eight faces, or directions, a combatant can point towards, which are the orthogonal and diagonal directions from the space he is in. The five spaces forward make up threatened spaces, and the three spaces behind are vulnerable spaces, which are where flank and rear attacks can come from.
Changing facing
In combat, anyone can change facing as part of their move or by spending one or more movement in response to other attackers. As part of any movement (except running) you can change facing two times (90 degrees). Each additional 90 degrees uses one movement. This means to spin around in your space (180 degrees) takes two movement. Additionally, as a reaction, a character can change their facing up to 90 degrees. Turning your back or flank to an adjacent, threatening opponent provokes a reaction.
Threatened spaces
Depending on which way you are facing, medium-sized creatures without reach weapons threaten the five spaces in front of them. The space directly behind a combatant is their rear, and either side of the rear space are the flank spaces. Attacks made from a flank space gain a bonus Edge, and attacks made from the rear gain two bonus Edge.
Spaces that a combatant threatens means those are the spaces that he is able to strike or control in combat. Enemies that enter or run through a threatened space without engaging will provoke a reaction attack. If an enemy enters or passes through a rear or flank position, they do not provoke a reaction attack as they are not in a threatened space.
Press and Stand
If a combatant is engaged with a foe in melee, they have available movement, that foe is less than twice their height in size, and they did not already retreat this round, they can make a pressing attack. A pressing attack is where the attacker is pushing towards their opponent, but not with the intent to engage in close combat. Performing a pressing attack grants the attacker a flat +2 to their attack unless their opponent retreats. If the opponent retreats, both the attacker and defender move one space, and the attack is resolved without a bonus; this does not break the engagement.
A combatant that is pressed must have movement available in order to retreat, and retreating can be combined with a reaction to parry.
If an attacker presses, and the defender stands, the attack is made with the flat +2. If the attacker misses, they are off-balance, and the defender can use a reaction to attack back, also gaining the flat +2, and the attacker cannot parry. Pressing attackers gain an additional flat +1 if they have the longer weapon.
Round 1 Brawn wins the initiative and presses the attack. The remaining goblin can retreat, moving one space backward, or stand in hopes of getting in a counterattack. The goblin stands. Brawn has the longer weapon, which gives him +3 to his attack. The goblin parries with his spear, increasing his defense to 17. Brawn rolls an 18 on the die, +3 for pressing with the longer weapon, +7 for his attack, totaling 28. Bad luck for the goblin. That comes out to 13 damage, 1 point of bleeding AND 1 point of stun. Seeing the goblin knocked back, Brawn opts to continue attacking. He rolls a 12, plus 6, +3 for pressing this round making it a +21 attack. The goblin is stunned and gets just one parry per reaction so there's nothing he can do. 21 versus the goblin's defense bonus of 15 inflicts 6 more points of damage and yet another point of bleeding. The goblin has now lost 16 HP and is bleeding at 2 per turn and cannot act again this round. He started the fight with 15 health points and is downed. He now must roll a DC11 Discipline check to stay conscious, and if he can't stop his bleeding in the next five rounds it is all over for him - assuming that Brawn doesn't elect to finish him off first.
Moving through threatened spaces
When moving about on the battlefield, combatants threaten facing spaces adjacent to them, or possibly farther out if they have longer reach weapons. Any time one combatant that is not engaged with another combatant moves into a space that that person threatens, they provoke a reaction attack from them.
Moving through Allied spaces
Combatants can move through allied spaces UNLESS that ally is engaged in melee combat, in which case their space is obstructed. The ally in melee could forgo attacking for the round to allow someone to pass through, but the combatant passing through would provoke a reaction attack if the space was threatened. 
Combat actions
In addition to attacks with weapons and spells, combatants can use their actions to perform combat actions. Combat actions are specific types of moves or attacks that are either common or learned as part of combat styles. There are many different actions that characters can perform. The specifics of the combat style actions are covered under the Combat Styles section. A few common actions will be covered here to better explain how they function in combat.
Drop handheld items
Handheld items can be dropped in combat. An item can be safely dropped to the ground at a combatant’s feet as an action. Alternatively, an item can be recklessly dropped using one point of movement. Items dropped this way suffer a drop (see Breakage) and may bounce. Roll on the drop location chart to see where items end up.
| Table: Off Target & Drop Results | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 3-4 | 5-6 |
| 15-16 | 17-20 | 7-8 |
| 13-14 | 11-12 | 9-10 |
Drop Prone
Sometimes combatants might want to drop prone to gain cover or get out of line of sight. Whatever the reason, dropping prone can be performed with an action, which represents a controlled drop, or by using a point of movement which means the character does not catch himself. Dropping prone in this manner results in 1 impact damage, which is not negated by armor.
Grappling
Grappling is a common combat action. There are specific combat style grappling maneuvers, but common grappling does not require those. Anyone can attempt to grab and hold another combatant. Grappling requires the use of two hands to effectively perform; one-handed grappling is possible but is always rolled at minus one Edge. Grappling a foe requires the combatants to be in close combat. In the close combat example above, combatant B successfully closed on combatant A, after which he could attempt to grapple A. To do this he would make a Strength Attack against A’s Defense Bonus. If he was successful, he has grabbed on to A, and the two of them are now grappled with grappler B in control of the grapple. Attempting to grapple a facing opponent invites a Reaction attack. Successfully grappling an opponent invites a Reaction to break free of the grapple.
Once two opponents are grappling each other, the same rules for close combat apply in regard to them attacking other adjacent foes or being attacked. Additionally, the grappler in control of the grapple has the upper hand on his opponent. The grappler being controlled is at minus one edge to perform any actions.
Taking control of a grapple
The grappler initiating a successful grapple starts with control. Each turn as an action, the grappler not in control can attempt to take control. They make their Strength Attack (at minus one edge) and have to beat the Strength of their opponent. If successful, they take control. If they fail, they trigger a reaction from their opponent if their opponent has a combat style action that acts in response to a failed control attempt.
Grappled movement
Movement in a grapple is determined by the controlling grappler. If both grapplers are upright, the controller can attempt to push or pull his opponent. He makes a Strength Attack against their Strength, and if he is successful, he pushes or pulls his opponent one space. For each success of five or more, he could push or pull his opponent one additional space, but no more than half of his combat speed regardless of the success.
Take down in a grapple
Taking down is an attempt by either grappler to bring their opponent to the ground. It requires a successful Strength Attack against their opponent’s Strength, and if successful both grapplers are now prone and grappled. Without a combat style action, the grappler in control remains in control regardless of who initiated the takedown. When grapplers are prone, they can still pull and push each other (generally in the form of rolls), but they are limited to moving one space.
There are numerous grappling moves listed under the combat style section. Only initiating a grapple, pushing, pulling, taking control, and taking down are common actions.
Tackling
Tackling is another common combat action. Tackling is the act of charging into an opponent in an attempt to knock them off of their feet and drive them to the ground. Tackling is different from a takedown, in that the combatants are not in a grapple, nor do they start in close combat. A tackle requires the attacker to move at least one space before entering the target’s space. This always provokes a reaction attack, so ideally a tackle should come from behind or while a target is distracted by another combatant. To succeed on a tackle, the attacker uses an action and moves into the target’s space. The attacker makes a strength attack against the target’s Defense Bonus. If successful they both fall prone into the defender’s space. If the attack beats the defender’s defense by 5 or more, they both fall prone into the defender’s adjacent space in the direction that the attacker was moving. This distance can increase an additional space for each additional five or more if the attacker has the movement available.
If the tackle fails by 5 or more the attacker instead falls prone in the defender’s space. In all of these outcomes, combatants are now in close combat.
If the attacker and defender are different sizes, the attacker gains an edge for each size category larger than the defender and loses an edge for each size category smaller than the defender that he is.
For example, combatants B and C are engaged and trading blows. C attacks B, and B uses a reaction to parry, not anticipating A’s impending tackle. On his turn A charges at B to tackle him. His combat speed is 4, so he moves half his speed before entering B’s space from the flank, giving him a bonus edge. He rolls a 5 and an 18, and his Strength Attack Bonus is a 6, giving him a total of 24. B’s Defense Bonus is 14, so B beat A’s defense by 10. This means that A plows into him and drives him forward with enough force to push B two spaces. Both A and B are now in close combat and prone.
Health Points
A creature’s Health Points are an abstracted way to measure how much injury it can sustain before becoming disabled or dying. A creature’s base Health Points are determined by its size and its constitution ability score as presented in the Skills section under the Conditioning skill.
Each time a creature takes hit point damage, it is taking minor wounds in the form of bruises, cuts, abrasions, burns, etc., depending on what inflicted the injury. When a creature takes damage from a critical hit that meets or exceeds their Toughness they take a Major Wound. Wounds are detailed in the Injury and Healing chapter. If the damage was not from a critical hit, but the damage meets or exceeds its wound threshold, it does not take a wound but does inflict stun and bleeding.
Killing blows
If an adjacent foe is helpless, as a result of being asleep, unconscious, paralyzed or pinned, it is possible to use a combined action to perform a killing blow on them and target any location desired. The attacker makes a killing blow attack roll; if the attacker rolls a 1, a mishap occurs. On any other result, treat the attack as a natural 20, striking any location desired. All other rules for damage and wounds apply and the final calculated damage is doubled.
Round 2
GM: Both goblins are down and bleeding. Last round Laurel said she was climbing down the shaft too. She reaches the bottom. The rest of the group is still in positions at the top of the shaft. What do you want to do Emma?
Emma (Laurel): "Brawn, are you ok?" she asks and looks around assessing the situation and walks over to one of the goblins on the ground. 
Rob (Brawn): "I'm fine, just a few cuts." Brawn listens for more goblins.
GM: Ok, Rob, give me a perception roll. Laurel sees that both goblins are still breathing but bleeding badly. One of them is missing his lower right arm. The other one just has a long slash down his side.
Emma (Laurel): That's not good. I put the one with both hands out of its misery with my rapier. 
GM: Ok, you thrust at the goblin's throat. Make a roll. Anything but a 1 is a killing blow.
Rolling a d20, she gets a 7, and since it is not a 1, she scores a crit. Her hit location is unarmored. She adds her attack bonus of +6, for a total of 26. 26-0 is of course 26, but the weapon is capped at 7. Her opponent is helpless and has a defense bonus of 0. The base rapier damage is 1-6, but this is increased by 1 for 1/2 her Dexterity bonus making it a 7. This then doubled to 14 for a killing blow. This inflicts a two-increment wound to the goblin's neck plus a 2-point bleeding wound. The goblin was at -1 HP, and with 14 more points of damage and a 2-point bleeding wound, with his 14 constitution she gives a clean thrust, and he dies immediately.
Mounted Combat
Controlling a combat trained mount in combat requires a DL10 Handle Animal check which uses an action. Learning the Mounted Combat style allows for rolling this check without using an action. Non-combat trained mounts require Handle Animal checks each round at minus one Edge.
Attacking with a melee weapon from a stationary mount is at -1 Edge, and from a running mount -2 Edge. Learning the Mounted Combat style reduces this by one.
Attack with a ranged weapon from a stationary mount is -1 Edge, and from a running mount -2 Edge. Learning the Mounted Archery style reduces this by one.
Horses occupy a 2x1 area. Riders occupy the horse's area for the purpose of being struck.
Mounted combatants cannot attack straight forward over the mounts head without a long reach weapon.
Mounts move independently; riders can attack at any point during the move.
Riders cannot dodge, only parry.
Riders cannot swing two-handed weapons, nor can they shoot long bows.
Riding by opponents and leaving their space provokes reaction attacks as normal, but a running mount does not.
Combatants cannot engage while mounted, so they do provoke attacks from longer weapons.