Combat

Combat occurs when a player attacks or gets attacked by an enemy - an entity that poses a threat to them.

Combat is one of those situations where it is essential to determine the exact order of unfolding events. Going into it, the gameflow switches to Rounds, in which entities take Turns to Move and perform Actions.

Conversely, a hostile entity that poses no real threat to its target does not warrant the same minutiae. Instead, the situation isresolved through narration, roleplay and skill rolls.

Entering Combat

When violence erupts, your party’s Leader makes a leadership roll against the enemy leader. The side with the highest total acts first. In case of a tie, the players always go first.

Success Roll determines how many party members get 4 Paces of free movement before combat starts.

Success Roll	Result
1 - 4	No free movement
5 - 8	A single player gets 4 Paces
9 - 12	All players get 4 Paces

Surprise

A party is Surprised into Combat if it fails to perceive a threat before the GM switches to Action Time. In such a case, there are no leadership rolls, and the surprised party automatically goes last. A surprised party cannot accrue FOG in the first round of combat.

Leaving Combat

Combat ends when all players or enemies have died, fled or become unable to fight. The game flow switches from Rounds to Freeform.

All players gain a number of Experience Points equal to the total FOG spent by all entites ÷ the number of surviving players.

May 1st, 2024 July 29th, 2024

During Combat

Rounds

Rounds represent how long it takes for all entities to have their Turn in the spotlight once. They serve as a unit of measurement for the length of abilities, effects and events of all kinds.

Rounds must always unfold in the same order: Round Start, Fast Turns, Upkeep, Slow Turns, End of Round.

Round Start - Choosing a turn

Players declare whether they want to take a Fast or a Slow turn, and the GM silently does the same for all other entities.Some abilities (like the Spawn Hunter’s Predator Instinct) can force the GM to reveal their choice before the players commit to theirs.

A turn is a way to give ownership of a specific moment in time. Entities take their turn one after another to execute their actions. Whether it takes 3 seconds or 10 minutes, It is about doing a consequential thing fitting the time scale. You take two Actions to move in and search a room. The enemies do the same to set an ambush on the other side of the door. Combat starts, time compresses to seconds and swings of swords.

Turns are either Fast or Slow, and choosing which to take every round has consequences

Fast Turns (2 Actions)

Fast turns sacrifice flexibility to gain momentum. In exchange for doing less, you get to do it first. Will you rush to finish off an enemy, or save yourself before they do it to you?

Upkeep

This phase is used to resolve recurring effect, hazards and timed events. This is where you accrue the recurring FOG to sustain spell and roll said spell’s effect, where you take your recurring damage from poison, where the water level increases and where reinforcements flood the scene.

Slow Turn (Base Movement, 2 Actions, Bold Action)

Slow Turns are reactive and flexible, but no less lethal. On top of your 2 Actions, they allow you to move without cost and to use one of your bold actions, your Path’s unique abilities.

End of Round

This phase is where effects entering in their last round of duration run out.

Base Movement

During your turn on every round, you can move up to 4 Paces. This can be done all at once or in multiple stints, before, between or after you take your actions. You can use one or both Actions for extra movement (see Actions).

Going prone costs 1 Pace of your base movement.

Actions

Actions are your bread and butter. They are simple concepts, quick to explain and execute.

Move 4 Paces. Unlike base movement, this movement cannot be split.
Make a skill roll
Make an attack. (If this is the second attack you make this turn, you have disadvantage on your skill die for the attack roll. Attacks that do not require you to pay an Action cost are exempt from this rule.)
Techniques: Additional effects that can be tacked onto an attack. Unlocked by investing in skills.
Cast a spellroot (If this is the second spellroot you cast this turn, you have disadvantage on your skill die for the roll. A cast that does not require you to pay an Action cost are exempt from this rule.)
Perform a simple object interaction pick or drop a weapon, drink a potion, throw a rock, activate a simple magic item. A complex interaction might require 2 Actions (GM's discretion).
Any other uncodified action of similar complexity not listed here (at GM's discretion).

All Actions are recovered at the end of your turn of combat, not the beginning of the next. This opens up tactical possibilities worth considering.

Bold Actions

Your Bold Actions are the special abilities granted by your Character Path. All have a cost in FOG, which you must roll for every use. Uniquely, Bold Actions can also be used as bargaining chips with your GM, for times where your desired action is slightly out of reach or not strictly defined by the rules.

May 1st, 2024 July 31st, 2024

Attack, Defense, Damage

Attack

An attack is functionally a skill roll with additional variables.

Choose a method of attack (weapon, spellroot)
Choose a skill that gives proficiency in that weapon or spellroot (if any).
Roll 1d12 along with the skill's die. If you have no skill to choose from, replace that die by a result of 1.
Take the highest result, add an Attribute as bonus (determined by weapon or spellroot), then add any other bonuses. if it is higher than the target’s Difficulty, the attack succeeds. You succeed on tied rolls, unless you rolled without a skill die.
Take the lowest result without any bonuses to see how much impact your attack has, For each 4-points range your result falls within, you deal an increased degree of damage (as shown on your weapon) or effect (as shown in your spellroot's description).

Fumbles & Counterattacks

When all dice land on 1 you Fumble and make a clumsy attack full of openings. While your attack can still succeed, the defender can punish your mistake with a Counterattack As with all other attack rolls, you can stake FOG before the roll is made. You cannot counterattack if you have fumbled this round.

Defense

Threats to your life will be varied and sudden, and you will have to Brace, Defy, Dodge and Handle your way out of harm. Each defense has its own purpose. In combat, attacks are generally Braced or Dodged, spells are Braced, Dodged or Defied, and traps are Dodged or Handled. Your GM will state your options and the Difficulty Level (DL). Unlike rolling for Skills, where announcing the DL publicly is a matter of play style and situation, a Defense's DL should always be announced.

A defense Roll functions like a skill roll.

Roll 1d12 along with a Defense die
Take the highest result and add your defense bonus. If the total is higher than the DL, you succeed.
Take the lowest result without any bonuses and compare it to the table below. Each Defense behaves differently.

	Brace	Defy	Dodge	Handle
Failure	Stamina Damage Reduction = 1x Toughness	Get hit by the spell	Suffer full damage from the attack	The trap triggers normally
1 - 4	Stamina Damage Reduction = 2 x Toughness	Resist a targeted spell	1 Pace of movement backwards	Stall the trap for 1 round
5 - 8	Stamina Damage Reduction = 3 x Toughness	Resist a targeted spell	2 Paces of movement backwards	Reset the trap
9 - 12	Avoid all Stamina Damage	Resist a targeted spell	3 Paces of movement backwards	Disable the trap

Brace

Holding your ground as you block a heavy blow, not loosening your grip on a rope as you suffer incredible pain, keeping mobile under the effect of a numbing poison.

Brace is the only way to defend against attacks made on a Fast Turn.

Dodge

Deftly avoiding a weapon's swing range, diving outside of a bomb's blast radius, squeezing yourself between two stakes as you fall in a pit trap.

Some traps must be Dodged.

Defy

Resisting the effects of a a spell, Fighting back against the Fog's influence, Keeping your composure when confronted to your greatest fear.

Intangible spells must be Defied, but tangible spells can also be Braced against.

Handle

Catching a sneaky insect before it burrows in your ear, putting things back exactly where they were in mere seconds, Interrupting a trap's activation by thinking fast and instantly placing a counterweight.

Useful facts

Some traps must be handled

Damage

When you fail on your defense roll, the attack's damage is first applied to your Stamina. When no Stamina Points are left, damage carries over to your Health pools. When your Torso's pool reaches zero, you must Defy to stay conscious, and must be healed before the end of combat, otherwise you die. When your Head's pool reaches zero, you immediately die.

To determine which limb suffers the attack, roll 1d6.

1	Head	2	Torso
3	Left Arm	4	Right Arm
5	Left Leg	6	Left Leg

Some abilities or hazards target Health Points directly. which makes it possible to die even if you still have Stamina left.
Some damage-dealing class abilities are only usable *after* an attack is confirmed to hit. The damage from these abilities is considered a separate source of damage to which Damage Reduction applies independently.

Dev Notes

Max attack
best of 2d12(style) + 6(attribute)+5(Path)
18DEF against that is 75% hit chance.

May 5th, 2024 August 7th, 2024