Superiority

‘We know their turf. We know their routine. They’ll never see us coming.’

— Interrogator Julios Macrio

In the grim darkness of the far future violence is all but unavoidable. Canny individuals will look for every advantage they can find before risking
life and limb by wading into lasgun fire and confronting chainsword wielding foes. Once combat has begun, characters should continue looking for any advantage and seek to put their enemies on the back foot at every opportunity. Combat is lethal in Imperium Maledictum, and approaching it with anything less than total commitment is likely to end in disaster.

Given the high stakes, researching your enemies, building a plan, or using shock and awe to gain the upper hand are often key to success. Superiority is a group resource that represents the power of your party’s preparation and momentum during combat.

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The Effects of Superiority

You can use Superiority to gain an SL bonus to one Test of your choice each turn. This bonus is equal to the party's total Superiority. Once you
have used this bonus on a Test, you can't use it again until the start of your next turn. Superiority also interacts with an NPC stat called Resolve. If, during combat, the party’s total Superiority is greater than the Resolve of their enemies (or their Leader, if present), they become Desperate. In some cases this will lead to their foe retreating or even surrendering. In other circumstances, Desperate enemies may simply fight harder or mount a final, reckless attack on the party.

Gaining Superiority Before Combat

Superiority is always gained against a specific enemy or group of enemies. Learning the tactics and armament against a specific gang
of Infractionists, for example, will not aid the characters in fighting off an ambush by Cultists!

Regardless of preparations, the maximum amount of Superiority that can be gained before combat is +3. There are three ways to gain Superiority before battle: Know Thy Foe, Know Thy Battlefield, and Know Thy Players.

Know Thy Foe

Learning important information about your enemy allows you to gain Superiority before combat has begun. This should be vital, secretive information that you can exploit in your tactical planning. It is not enough to know that your enemies are armed with Laspistols, for example. However, learning that they have no heavy weapons and that their helmets restrict their field of vision, or that they are local bullies who have never faced a determined foe, is useful information that can be taken advantage of to gain +1 Superiority.

Know thy Battlefield

Knowledge of the landscape where your battle will take place can be the difference between a swift and commanding victory, or finding yourself another corpse in a hab vent. Identifying aspects of the battlefield that could give you a tactical advantage grants +1 Superiority. This could take the form of scouting an ambush area, occupying the high ground, locating kill zones, undermining enemy defences, finding an unexpected approach, or learning specific Environmental Traits.

Know Thy Players

The limitless ingenuity of players means they will come up with many unorthodox strategies to gain an advantage over their foes. While the GM shouldn’t be unduly generous, inspired schemes are to be encouraged and the most promising rewarded with +1 Superiority.

Gaining and Losing Superiority During Combat

The back and forth of combat means that Superiority is not a static number, and it will vary throughout the battle as the fortunes of each side rise and fall. During battle, you can increase Superiority in the following ways:

Defeating the enemy Unknown
Defeating an enemy Unknown
Defeating a number of Troops equal to or greater than their Resolve in a single turn

Superiority is hard won and easily lost. You lose a single point of Superiority every time one of the following happens:

The first time each party member receives a Critical Wound.
If a party member is defeated.
If the party are taken by surprise by unexpected reinforcements or a sudden change in the battlefield, such as a ship's hanger suddenly being exposed to the void.

June 20th, 2023

Resolve

Each non-player character (NPC) in Imperium Maledictum has a Resolve score. This represents their general willingness to oppose the party. While a fixed Resolve score is given for each NPC, the GM should be open to changing this number. Having a leader on the field will usually mean that NPCs use the leader’s higher resolve instead of their own. NPCs defending their home turf gain +1 Resolve, while NPCs who see little to gain from a fight can have their Resolve lowered by 1. If an NPC has its Resolve reduced to zero, they are not interested in a fight at all, and will join combat only to protect themselves or their honour.

If the party has Superiority equal to or greater than a character’s Resolve, they become Desperate unless the GM rules otherwise. Desperate is a special Condition applicable only to NPCs. Desperate characters are in a bad situation and they know it. They’ll be looking for a way out, and may surrender, flee, or otherwise step aside to let the party succeed.

However, this is not guaranteed. There are plenty of scenarios where fleeing is not an option for the opposition, or they are simply too insane or mindless to flee even when the odds are against them. Some NPCs will, when Desperate, actually fight harder or start using riskier tactics. Any of the following are possible:

Flee!: If the NPCs can back down, step aside, or get out of the way they do.
Surrender: If the NPCs could reasonably surrender and live, they do so.
Charge!: If the NPCs are left with no way out, they try to go out in a blaze of glory. They break cover, charge, or otherwise go ‘all out’ in a desperate final attempt to win.

In general, once an enemy becomes Desperate the GM should start thinking about bringing the combat to a close. The outcome is likely decided
unless circumstances change drastically.