Abilities:

A unit's abilities define the things that it can do. Default abilities for a standard soldier are:

Combat: 0
Resistance: 0
Move: 6 Sw 3 Cl 1 Ju 3
Cost: 10

Combat indicates how good a unit is with weapons. Combat +1, for example, gives a +1 bonus to hit its enemies, and its enemies have a -1 to hit it. Combat is sometimes broken up into attack (the modifier for attacking) and defense (the modifier for defending against an attack).

Resistance indicates a unit's chance (on a roll of a 6-sided die) of not taking a point of damage when it is hit, due to natural defenses. Normal units have no natural resistance without armor, and die whenever they are struck.

Move indicates the distance that a unit can move in one round. Normal soldiers have a base move of 6", swim 3", climb 1", and jump 3", although armor and equipment may reduce this.

Cost simply indicates how many points a unit costs, without weapons or equipment. Each army has a total number of points it has to distribute among the units in its army.

More skillful units are also available. Expert troops have +1 to either attack, defense, or damage. Elite troops have +1 combat. Champions have a +1 to combat and can move 9" per round. Heroes have +2 combat and can move 9"/round. Legends have a +2 to combat, can move 9" per round, and can attack twice per round. Standard soldiers cost 10 points, experts cost 12, elite troops cost 16, heroes cost 20, champions cost 25, and legends cost 40.

Combat:

The first thing that must be determined at the start of a battle is who goes first. This is determined by a roll of the die-the army with the highest die roll goes first.

In a single round, a unit can do one of several things. It can move up to its maximum movement rate in any mode. It can concentrate on harnessing mana (magical energy), or cast a spell if possible. Or it can use one of its special abilities. Of course, most often, a unit will wish to attack. 

Number of Attacks:

Most weapons can be used once per round. Crossbows and pistols can be fired once every 2, and muskets once every 3. Catapults and cannons have specific rules for how often they can be fired. A soldier may make up to half its move and still be able to attack at the end of the round. However, to reload a soldier must remain still.

The Attack Roll:

To find if a unit tries to hit another, roll a single 6-sided die (referred to as 1D). If the roll is 4-6, it hits. If the roll is 1-3, it misses. The attacker's combat score adds to its chance to hit, while its defender's combat subtracts from it. If the attacker, for example, has a combat score of +2, 2 points are added to its roll. If a defender has a +2 combat, 2 points are subtracted from the attacker's roll when it is attacked. A unit gains a +1 to hit if striking from behind. A roll of 6 always succeeds, while a roll of 1 always fails.

A standard shield grants a +1 to defense, while a full body shields grants a +2.

A unit can attack even if it has no weapon. If an armed attacker strikes at an unarmed defender, it attacks at a +1 to hit. Likewise, if an unarmed attacker strikes at an armed defender, the attacker suffers a -1 to hit. A unit is unarmed while attacking if he doesn't have a weapon, or is using only small weapons, like knives. A unit is unarmed while defending if he meets the same criteria, unless he has a shield. Most animals (sharks, monkeys, parrots, horses, etc.) are considered armed for purposes of finding attack modifiers.

Damage:

When a unit hits in combat, it must roll to see if it kills the target. The attacker must beat a number equal to the target's resistance score. The weapon in question may modify the roll. For example, an enchanted sword which has a +1 damage modifier causes a +1 modifier to the roll, making it more likely that the unit will be killed.

If a unit has 0 resistance, no damage roll need be made (the target dies automatically), unless the weapon in question has a penalty to damage.

 Stunning:

Unarmed attacks, or attacks with blunt weapons like clubs, will not kill a target if they cause damage-instead, they stun the target. A stunned target is knocked down and must make a roll every round in order to wake up. There are several levels of stun. Unarmed attacks cause stun-1 (the victim must roll a 5 or 6 to regain consciousness). Bludgeoning weapons cause stun-2 (the victim must roll a 6 to regain consciousness). Certain attacks might cause stun-3 (the victim must roll a 12 on 2D to regain consciousness), or stun-4 (the victim must roll an 18 on 3D to regain consciousness). Once a unit is stunned, repeated attacks will increase the stun level by an appropriate number of levels. Once a victim reaches stun-5, he is dead.

Unusual Weapons:

Small weapons such as knives and hooks are sometimes available. A pirate hook or similar weapon causes normal damage if it hits, but it is not treated as if the unit has a weapon for finding attack modifiers. Thus, someone with a pirate hook attacking an enemy with a spear suffers a -1 penalty to hit, as if it were unarmed, if he did not have any other weaponry. A hook hand is not normally considered a hand, and a unit with a hook hand will suffer appropriate penalties for using weapons needing both hands. The only exception is a musket, which may be fired normally.

Peg legs are often used on units who have been resurrected after suffering massive damage. A peg leg allows a unit to move at half normal speed. Furthermore, a peg leg can be used to attack. When used, it is the only weapon that can be used in that round. However, if a unit hits with a peg leg, the target is stunned for 1D rounds and knocked back 1D inches. Note that while a peg-leg is not treated as a weapon in a normal sense (a unit attacking a foe who has nothing but a peg leg gains the usual +1 bonus), while attacking with one, there is no -1 penalty usually associated with an unarmed attack against an armed one.

Equipment costs for weapons are given at the end of the manual.

Armor:

Wearing armor allows a unit to improve its resistance score. A helmet adds +2 to resistance. A great helmet or light armor adds a +3 to resistance. Plate armor grants a +4 to resistance. Enchantments can further improve this bonus.

Guns almost completely ignore any armor. A pistol can ignore up to 3 levels of armor (subtract armor-based resistance by 3), while a rifle can ignore up to 4. If you wish to run a more medieval battle, disallow guns, since a knight's armor is next to useless against one. But in high-seas campaigns, when wearing armor is more of a hindrance than a help, guns should be more prevalent.

Armor tends to reduce a unit's speed. Helmets, light mail, or shields do not slow a soldier down individually, but if two or more are used at once the unit suffers a -1" penalty. Plate mail slows a soldier by 2" per round. A musket slows a soldier by 1" and a pole arm slows it by 2". A lance causes a -3" movement penalty if the soldier isn't mounted. A body shield or great helmet reduces movement by 1".

Range and Ranged Weapons:

To attack, a unit must be within range. This is 1" for normal melee weapons, 2" for spears, and 3" for lances. Any weapon with a longer range is either a missile or throwable weapon.

A gun can fire a bullet a base of 6". A musket can fire a bullet a base of 9". A bow can fire an arrow a base of 1', and a crossbow can fire a bolt a base of 2'. Throwable weapons (daggers, spears) can be hurled a base of 6".

A weapon's ceiling height (as high as the weapon can be fired up) is equal to its base range (as listed above).

For every range increment beyond the base (or fraction thereof) a -1 is given to the attack roll. For example, trying to shoot a gun (base range 6") at a target 9" away gives a -1 penalty to the attack roll, and trying to shoot it 18" gives a penalty of -2. The maximum range of a weapon is equal to the maximum range that a unit can shoot with a -2 penalty (18" for pistols and thrown weapons, 2'3" for muskets, 3' for bows, and 4' for crossbows).