Combat Rules

Combat is measured in Rounds of six seconds each (10 rounds per minute). Each round Initiative is drawn (see below) and all active combatants have an opportunity to act.

A Turn is a period of 10 minutes, which is used to measure movement and actions of exploring a dungeon or building. Many spells have a duration of 1 turn, representing the amount of time a single fighting encounter. If a spell description or monster attack description refers to “1 turn”,“single fight” or “per battle” or “per fight” this refers to a single 10-minute turn. Unless there is fresh pursuit or extreme haste, every fighting encounter is considered to last a full 10-minute exploration turn, allowing for time to catch one's breath, adjust equipment, bind up smaller scratches.

Downtime, overland travel and other character interactions are measured in regular seconds, minutes and hours.

We'll use standard Lords of Hack card initiative for this game. Use a deck of standard playing cards (make sure to leave both Jokers in) and deal one to each player including the GM. Now count down from the Joker to the Ace and on down from there. To resolve ties, Spades come first, then Hearts, Diamonds, and lastly Clubs. When a player's card comes up, they may do the actions for the round for their character and all NPC retainers. The GM may choose to draw different cards for different individuals or groups of monsters.

A player who draws a Joker can go whenever they want, but may not interrupt another player's turn. They add +2 to all skill, ability check, attack, magic, damage, heal dice or morale roll made during the turn by all units acting on that initiative card! After a round where one or more Jokers are dealt, the deck is reshuffled for the next round's initiative.

A player may decide to hold their action by flipping their card over. They may hold from round to round in which case they are not dealt a new card. A player with a held action may choose to take their turn after any subsequent round. However, they may not interrupt another initiative unless they have drawn a Joker.

A morale check is a test to determine whether a group of monsters or characters will stand and fight or give up. A morale check is rolled in the following circumstances:

• A group is attacked by surprise/stealth. (Does not apply to PCs)
• The leader of a group is killed, captured, disabled or flees. (Does not apply to PCs)
• Half of the group's numbers have been defeated. (Does not apply to PCs)
• A spell, magic item or monster description calls for a morale check. (Does apply to PCs)
• A demon, ghost or spirit that has been driven out of a person by divine means. (Does not apply to PCs)

The Roll: The check is rolled with 1D20 + WIS modifier and Proficiency (for PC's) or with 1D20 plus Morale number (NPC's and monsters). Some monsters never check morale (such as many undead, all constructs).

The Effect: If the total of the roll is 11+, the check is passed and the characters/monsters suffer no effect from the roll. If the total of the roll is 10 or less, the check is failed. Those who fail gain the Routed condition, i.e., the must find the nearest, safest way to flee. If they cannot escape, they become Frightened and will fight back with Disadvantage, if the enemy they are fighting is known for showing mercy and taking live prisoners, the Frightened opponents will surrender. Routed characters/monsters may recheck morale every exploration turn once they have escaped the vicinity of their defeat to attempt to return to normal, but the GM may rule them to be Demoralized if the defeat was especially severe.

Rally: A character or monster that has not failed a Morale Check, may attempt to return Routed or Frightened allies to normal. He must use an active action, and rolls a Charisma check. If he scores 11 or better, the affected allies may re-roll their morale check (at disadvantage if they are Frightened.) If the one attempting to rally other is not normally their leader, his CHA check is at Disadvantage.

• Monster Armor Class is determined by adding one of the 3 modifiers to 10, as determined by monster type.
• Player Character and NPC Armor Class is determined by taking base number of the armor worn (10 for no armor, 12 for non-magic light armor, or 14-17 for various grades of Heavy Armor) and adding DEX bonus if you are wearing either no or light armor, and +2 if you are wielding a shield in one hand.
• Magic items and spells can add additional points of Armor Class, see the Magic Item's description.
• However, no creature or character's Armor Class can ever exceed AC 22.

• You need Knightly Combat Proficiency (all Knights and Templars automatically have this) or else suffer Disadvantage when making melee attacks from horseback.
• All characters suffer Disadvantage when making a ranged attack from a moving horse.
• Men on foot suffer Disadvantage when attacking a mounted man in melee, unless the footmen are using a Long Spear or a Bill.
• A rider proficient in Knightly Combat scores double damage when charging with a lance from a Heavy Warhorse.
• A rider proficient in Knightly Combat attacks a footman in melee with advantage unless that footman is in a shield wall, or is using a long spear or bill.
• A rider proficient in Knightly Combat attacks with advantage against any footman who attacked his horse on his last attack.
• A riding horse, mule, pony or draft horse must make a morale check before closing with an enemy and every round of combat to avoid bolting away from the fight. These mounts will only attack if they are attacked, cannot flee, and have no rider.
• A warhorse will attack with its hooves (trample) when the rider makes a charge, and will strike out with its hooves any combat round when it does not move.
• Mounting a horse takes a full round, forfeiting your Quick, Move, and Active Actions. Dismounting from a horse takes a Move Action. You can attempt to mount or dismount from a horse as a quick action, but must make a Riding or Acrobatics check. If you fail the check you fall Prone and forfeit the rest of your round.

• A prone target is attacked with Advantage in melee, but with Disadvantage in ranged combat.
• Getting up from a prone position, while carrying combat arms, takes an entire round's actions. If one leaves one's weapons/shield on the ground, or was not holding anything in their hands to begin with, it only takes an Active action. One can attempt to leap to one's feet fully armed as a quick action, but must make an Acrobatics or Athletics check. On a failure, the attempt fails and one remains prone.
• An unconscious or incapacitated target is hit automatically in melee (not ranged).
• Two or more attackers gain Advantage if they attack a lone footman.
• Four or more human attackers gain Advantage when attacking a large monster, the size of a horse, grizzly bear, hooger or ogre.
• Human sized attackers cannot gain Advantage from numbers alone when attacking huge monsters such as dragons or titans. Neither do numbers grant Advantage when fighting Constructs.
• Five or more attackers gain Advantage if they attack two footmen who are side-by-side or back-to-back.
• Two or more horsemen or footmen with Long Spears or Bills get Advantage attacking a lone horseman.
• If footmen make a close formation that is at least four men wide, and all of them are wielding round shields, they are said to be in a Shield Wall. All attacks (ranged or melee) made against a Shield wall are made with Disadvantage. It takes half of one's move allowance to form or maintain a shield wall.
• If someone is scaling a wall, fence, rampart or stockade, he will attack at Disadvantage and be attacked with Advantage. Also, when scaling he may attack (no two-handed weapons) or use a shield, not both. Scaling a fortification wall, tower or building requires a ladder or pile of something. Scaling a fence or rampart doesn't require a ladder, but does require an athletics/str check to succeed. Horses cannot scale walls, fences, ramparts, walls, towers or buildings.
• An attacker has Advantage if they are unseen by their target through either stealth or magic.

• Ranged and thrown weapons are noted as such in their descriptions.
• Thrown weapons have a maximum range of 50' (10“) while ranged weapons may reach the entire battlefield.
• Ranged attacks are at disadvantage at 150' (30”), while thrown attacks are at Disadvantage at 25' (5“).
• Targets with cover also impose Disadvantage on ranged or thrown attacks.
• In addition to the targeting Disadvantage, a target in a roofed area through a window, is automatically minimum AC 17.
• In addition to the targeting Disadvantage, a target behind an arrow slit is automatically minimum AC 21.
• Shooting into a melee that includes an ally is at Disadvantage, and any critical failure hits the ally instead of the target.

• Instead of fighting with a shield or two-handed weapon, some fighters use a weapon in each hand.
• Neither weapon may be a two-handed weapon (obviously), and neither weapon may be a spear or lance. Only one of the weapons may be a martial weapon. This technique cannot be used on horseback.
• With the exception of a few class archetype features and special feature abilities, two weapon fighting does not grant a second attack.
• The dual wielder gains a +1 bonus to attack. On a successful hit, the dual wielder rolls the damage of both weapons, but chooses which one to use based on which roll was better and/or which of the two damage types (piercing, slashing or bludgeoning) might be more advantageous.

• Spirits, such as ghosts, demons, etc. are not corporeal and thus cannot attack or be attacked by physical means. No weapons, even magical ones can do any damage to them. Holy Blessed weapons (see the 5th level Divine spell Holy Weapon) are the only exception.
• Arcane Magic that does physical damage do not generally effect Spirits, unless specifically noted in the spell description.
• Divine Magic spells that do points of damage, however, do inflict damage on non-corporeal spirits. Holy Water also affects Demons, Ghosts and Spirits, as long as their are in the open, but cease to do so once they've possessed a body.
• When disembodied spirits attack, they remove their target's INT, WIS or CHA. When a character's INT is reduced to 0, he becomes feeble minded. When a character's WIS is reduced to 0, he becomes stark-raving mad. When a character's CHA is reduced to 0, he has been possessed by the Spirit, who now controls his body.
• If a possessing spirit is driven out of a person, that person returns to 1 CHA, but is Frightened until healed to 3 points of Charisma or higher. People driven Stark-Raving Mad or Feeble-minded by Spiritual attack are useless and under DM control unit they have been healed to 3+ Wisdom or Intelligence.
• Spiritual attacks are not ranged attacks, the spirit must move into contact with the target.
• If a spiritual attack is made against a creature that does not have the Ability Score rated such as a monster or NPC, rate the creature as having a score equal to 7 plus its modifier (for damage purposes only.)
• Spiritual creatures will have a standard attack and damage listed, but this is only used when fighting other spirits.
• If a disembodied spirit is brought to 0 hit points, it is not killed. Demons are sent back to Hell, other spirits are dissipated, both for a number of days equal to 100 divided by their HD, round up.

1. Spiritual Attacker rolls an attack using his Strong modifier. The defender rolls a check with his WIS, INT, or CHA modifier depending on what is being attacked, no proficiency bonus, at disadvantage. If the attacker wins, he inflicts the listed damage to the defenders ability score.
2. The defender's disadvantage is negated if at least one of these things is true:
   • He has been baptized
   • He is a circumcised Jew
   • He has spoken the Islamic Shahada aloud in Arabic read directly from the Quaran
   • He has participated in a pagan sacrificial feast and is wearing a hammer of Thor amulet.

Furthermore, the defender gets his proficiency bonus if he has been confirmed in the Church or undergone Bar Mitzvah. The defender gets advantage to defense if he has undergone Communion in the last week.