Last Revised: October 2007
General Information
This package is intended to clarify the rules governing combat. Unless stated in this package any rule is exactly as stated in the MET books and/or supplementary OWBN packets.
The bulk of this package is intended to clarify what is written in the MET books/OWBN packets, however, there are parts that will supersede these previously written materials.
The objective is three fold:
* Simplify combat
* Speed up combat
* Clarify conflicting powers
Combat Sequence
One turn consists of the following phases. All combat will take place in the following sequence:
1. Alacrity Actions
2. Normal Mental Actions
3. Normal Social Actions
4. Normal Physical Actions
5. Swiftness Actions
6. Legerity Actions
7. Any other additional action not covered above—ex. Black Metamorphosis
The number of traits determines the order in which characters act during each phase. The character with the highest traits states their action and acts first, second highest states their action and acts, and so on until all characters with actions for that phase are done. Ties may act simultaneously or one character may defer to the other.
Mental/Social actions may be taken during the Alacrity Phase (as per LotN pg 140).
Resolution will take place as the end of every phase.
A character with high traits can hold their action until later in the same phase.
Actions cannot be held over to a different phase, i.e. Alacrity Actions cannot be held into the Mental/Social, Normal or any other phase.
General Rules Updates
“The Courtesy Rule” LotN pg 194
* If the initial use of a Mental/Social Discipline fails there should be a 5 minute break before it can be reattempted by the same character on the same target.
* This includes use in combat—i.e. 5 minutes worth of combat rounds not 5 minutes spent throwing combat chops.
* This does not confer invulnerability to the Mental/Social Discipline in question; merely to its user—i.e. Ten Giovanni use Soul Steal. You win the first challenge; that Giovanni cannot attempt to Soul Steal you again for 5 minutes, however, you still have 9 more challenges before you’re out of the woods.
* Mental/Social Disciplines that are resisted by Physical traits do not follow this rule—i.e. most Thaumaturgy.
* Intended to prevent characters from rapid-firing Mental/Social Disciplines at a target and reducing role play to a series of chops.
If you have a question about whether use of a certain power qualifies under this rule ask an ST.
Surprise Attacks
* Offer a free turn and retest to the attacker.
* To achieve a Surprise Attack a character must declare “Surprise Attack” and count to 3; “1”, “2”, “3”. The target has until the count is completed to respond in turn with expenditures and declaration of actions.
* If the target does not declare an action before the count is completed, the attacker can initiate combat as normal—including use of disciplines including Celerity. The defender cannot retest, run, dodge or act in any way except to declare a soak in their defense. Testing down with Fortitude and the use of Aegis are considered reflexive and are usable by a character relegated to soaking.
* Obfuscated and Silent characters may mouth “Surprise Attack” and hold up fingers to “count”.
* Using either Quietus (b): Silence of Death and/or Obfuscate (b): Unseen Presence reduce the surprise attack count by one—these abilities are stackable.
Forbidden Rituals
The following rituals are forbidden and cannot be used or effect events in the L:tRE chronicle:
* Chill of the Wind Saber
* Nectar of the Bitter Rose
* Night of the Red Heart
* Diamond’s Doom
* Any Home Brewed Rituals
Called Shots
Require three traits to be bid and inflict one additional level of damage. The STs will be the final arbiters for any dramatic effects as a result of truly ingenious maneuvers.
Grappling
A character can attempt to grapple and restrain another character. The initial test to grapple another character is exactly like any other Brawl combat. If successful the attacking character can choose to act (if he has actions) before the target regardless of the difference in Celerity or Traits. The target can break the grapple with a successful physical test. Each round the grapple is maintained gives the defender a 1 Trait penalty against further attempts to break the hold. The attacker can inflict normal brawl damage on the target through a number of means (beating them against a wall or the floor for example). Some weapons will provide a bonus for attempts to Grapple (whips, Garrotes, nets). Targets can mutually grapple each other.
Firearms:
Rate
Firearms have a capacity called rate, which governs their interaction with Celerity and similar powers. The number of times a firearm is fired in a single turn cannot exceed its rate. Other special weapon capabilities may be employed without affecting rate.
(As per Dark Epics pg 86)
Firearm Add-ons
Rules for add-ons (Scopes, laser sights, etc) and special ammunition can be found in Dark Epics page 88.
Use of special ammunition must be declared before initiating the challenge.
Special Weapon Capabilities
Rules for special capabilities (i.e. high caliber, mass trauma, etc.) can be found in Dark Epics pages 81-82.
Carrier Attacks
Any attack delivered by touch is considered a Carrier Attack. The character only needs to state that he is using a “Carrier” to everyone involved in the combat but should tell the ST the specific information prior to the test—i.e. Quietus toxins, Thaumaturgy delivered via touch, etc.
Puissance and Melee Weapons
Weapons with 3 or greater bonus traits will not break under normal use—Note: hitting objects like doors or vehicles may be considered beyond the normal use and subject the weapon to breaking.
Ability Aptitudes
The Merit: Ability Aptitude NEVER applies in direct combat applications. This applies to ALL Ability Aptitudes. i.e. Ability Aptitude: Firearms will put you up 2 Traits when trying to clean your gun or reload on the run, but never when firing; just as AA: Occult will put you up two traits on personal rituals and non-combat Thaumaturgy, but never when dropping Firestorms.
Conditional Modifier: Stun
Stun can be achieved in a number of ways: disciplines, flash bang grenades, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD) effects, etc.
* A character who is Stunned gains the negative Mental trait Oblivious and cannot except to soak on their following action. A character who is stunned in combat also loses any remaining Celerity actions for the turn.
Ability Rules Updates
Rebids
The only appropriate rebids for Physical combat are Melee, Brawl, Dodge, Firearms, Archery, Athletics and Survival.
Firearms
Having this ability allows the use of Mental traits in place of Physicals in related challenges.
* Without this ability the player must use their Physical traits when using a firearm.
* Shooting a firearm is a Physical action and takes place during the appropriate phase.
Archery
Having this ability allows the use of Mental traits in place of Physicals in related challenges.
* As with firearms, each bow has an applicable rate of fire.
Combat Specializations—Brawl, Dodge, Melee
* Provides a one trait bonus to a particular ability.
* One specialization can be purchased at level 4 and an additional specialization at level 5.
* The same specialization cannot be taken twice; however if they overlap a 2 Trait bonus may be taken to appropriate actions.
* The first specialization—taken at ability level 4—costs 1 xp.
* The second specialization—taken at ability level 5—costs 2 xp.
Two-Weapon Combat
Characters may use an additional weapon in their off hand, but they must have special training in order to achieve the benefits of doing so. If the character has four or more levels of the Ability appropriate to the weapon being used (i.e., Firearms, Melee, etc.), he may add one to the number of Bonus Traits given by the weapon he is using. Characters using a weapon and a shield are required to have only one level of Melee to make use of the shield’s additional Trait(s).
During the challenge, only one weapon is considered to have a damaging effect, while the other simply aids with parrying or spraying. Therefore, a character with Incendiary ammunition in one pistol and Armor-piercing rounds in the other may not take advantage of both types of ammunition in the same attack (although rounds from both guns would be expended). For another example, a character with Baal’s Caress on his sword, and a Ward versus Kindred on his dagger could not apply both effects to the same attack.
(Dark Epics pg 71)
A new element to the Melee specialty Two-Weapon Combat is that it now provides one additional defensive action.
* The extra action can take place any time after your initial action—i.e. you can’t use this action to defend from an attack that preempts yours.
* This extra action is used in lieu of sacrificing an action later in the turn or resorting to soaking—i.e. say you have used your Normal action in Alacrity, you may make a defensive response to a Normal Action with your Two-Weapon Fighting action instead of sacrificing what could have been your offensive Swiftness Action.
* By taking an additional defensive action you forgo the normal 1 Trait bonus applied to specialty actions—unless you have a second overlapping specialty i.e. you are using the dual specialization system for both Two-Weapon Fighting and a specific weapon.
* Firearms: Two-Weapon Combat does NOT give you the benefit of this extra action; however, you do benefit from having a larger reservoir of bullets and a second firearm at the ready in-case your main one jams.
* A character must have Two-Weapon Combat specialties in both Melee and Firearms to use a gun/sword (or similar) combo. In this case, the character does gain the extra defensive action offered by Two-Weapon Combat.
Martial Arts
The new Martial Arts system is part of the two-tier specializations now available in Brawl, Dodge, or Melee.
All Martial Arts taken must be a named, extant style—i.e. no made up or lost forms.
* Each ability is tied to a different style of martial arts based on their application—Hard being unarmed attacks, Soft being dodging and parrying, and Weapon being a blending of the two incorporating a martial weapon.
* The same specialty MUST be taken twice in order for the bonus to stack—i.e. being Adept in two forms of Martial Arts only gives you 1 Trait, not 2. This is the only instance in which the same specialty may be taken twice.
* Taking Martial Arts counts as a specialization in that ability—i.e. taking Martial Arts does not allow you additional specialties in Brawl, Dodge, or Melee.
Martial Arts Specializations
Adept; 1 xp
* This is the first specialization purchased after achieving level 4 in one of the requisite abilities. This ability adds 1 Trait to related actions as per normal specializations.
Mastery, 2 xp
* This is the second specialization purchased after attaining level 5 in one of the requisite abilities. This ability adds 1 Trait to related actions and stacks with the previous specialty for a total of 2 Traits.
Discipline Rules Updates
General Rules
Retests
Actions invoking supernatural effects (i.e. Obtenebration) use the Occult ability for retests. Actions involving combat with a supernatural effect use Brawl or Melee as the retest. Example: Attack or defense with the tentacles of Black Metamorphosis use Brawl, Melee, Dodge, and Survival not Occult.
Suicidal Suggestions
“Suggestive” Mental and Social Disciplines—Command, Mesmerism, Entrancement, etc.—will fail automatically if the instructions given are suicidal or attempt to coerce the target into a gross sin against their Nature. Examples - sleep in the middle of combat or Mesmerizing a Caregiver to “Kill an innocent”.
Specific Discipline Rules
Animalism
Quell the Beast
Quell can be used to bring a character out of Frenzy or to force them into a state where they gain the Submissive Trait and cannot expend Willpower; not both. A character who wishes to perform both will have to successfully quell the frenzying character twice, first to bring the character out of Frenzy and again to place them in a submissive state.
A character who is quelled can still expend PERMANENT Willpower to use Aegis. Expenditure of Permanent Willpower is considered reflexive for this use.
Auspex
Astral Projection
Only effects and disciplines powered by Willpower can be used on the Astral Plane. Any actions involving the Astral Plane will require an ST. Any Discipline effect—other than those of Auspex—that requires eye contact or line of sight requires the user of this power to manifest.
Celerity
General
A character gets 3 steps during their normal action (if an Alacrity action is taken in lieu the steps may be taken then if appropriate). A character with Swiftness gains +1 step, with Legerity gains +1 step for a total of 5 steps.
Chimerstry
Permanency
This means permanent; any modification of a “permanent” item will require a new invocation (and test if necessary).
Horrid Reality
The sensations conveyed by Horrid Reality must be those the user has past and/or personal (i.e. no Telepathy) knowledge and experience of. Note: The user may pry images telepathically from their target, however, any sensations that Horrid Reality attempts to convey must be related to those experienced by its user—i.e. One cannot create the sensation of burning flesh without having first felt the searing pain of fire.
Dementation
General:
Characters inflicting another character with Dementation cannot “pick” what the target feels—though you may specify the methods you are employing to cajole your target’s psyche one way or the other. All Dementation effects are subject to the interpretation of an ST.
Total Insanity
Derangements generated by use of Total Insanity will be chosen at random from the Derangement Deck held by the ST staff.
Dominate
General
All uses of Dominate require eye contact and some form of personal interaction.
Possession:
Flight from a possessed body occurs at the end of the turn. If the body is killed prior to flight, the character is in torpor upon their return unless the user personally has—and uses—Aegis.
Fortitude
General:
Traits bid to test down damage must be declared prior to the test. If a character possesses Aegis, they no longer have to expend a Trait to win on challenges to test down damage.
Temp. Aegis:
A player may spend a temporary Willpower point to ignore all damage from a single source—i.e. a single attack not a single person. Use of this power is considered reflexive.
Aegis
A character with Aegis wins ties to test down damage.
A player may expend a permanent Willpower point to ignore all damage from all sources for a single turn.
Obfuscate
General:
“Vanishing” or otherwise fading from sight occurs at the end of the turn.
Obtenebration
General:
Each tentacle can wield a single one-handed simple melee weapon. The weapon cannot have more bonus traits than the tentacle’s physical traits. Tentacles cannot wield firearms or weapons requiring more than one hand to guide properly—i.e. no chainsaws.
Shroud of Night
Dropping a Shroud is a Social action and takes place during the Mental/Social phase. If the character has Celerity and enacts it they may use Shroud of Night during the Alacrity round.
Potence
Puissance
Leaping with Puissance allows a character to leap 3-feet per physical trait. For distance, this leap is determined by a parabolic arc—i.e. if you don’t have enough clearance overhead you may not make your mark.
Presence
Summons
A character’s Haven background (personal only—no stacking for communal havens) may be expended to add character’s Social traits for purposes of ties when resisting a Summons.
If the target knows they are being summoned, i.e. has previously been threatened by the summoner or at the location summoned to, they can ignore a successful summons—this condition will be arbitrated by an ST.
The only obligation of a successfully summoned target is to travel to the summoner. The target may not deviate to pursue other tasks before responding to the Summons. This does not preclude talking with other people in your vicinity (or over the phone), traveling with other people, etc. You cannot, however, go out of your way to pick up someone you want to come with you. You must respond to the Summons via a normal, reasonable means of travel—i.e. you don’t have to drop everything, but you can’t Sunday drive.
If summoned by multiple people, the lowest generation summoner is the priority. If both summoners are equal in generation, the target will travel to whoever summoned the target first regardless of relative distance.
Majesty
Majesty cannot be used to negate Majesty.
Quietus
Taste of Blood
Poison generated by this power inflicts 2 levels of aggravated damage per blood trait. The character can expend their generational limit in blood traits in a single turn—i.e. an 8th Generation Assamite (3 blood per round) with 2 Celerity actions (1 Blood) could use Taste of Death twice (2 Blood and 2 actions). Characters cannot spit more than one Blood trait in a single action.
Thaumaturgy
Movement of the Mind – Flight
Targets of Flight Snare may use the benefits of both Celerity and Potence to resist. Weapons—other than hook or rope weapons used to anchor yourself—do not add traits to resisting an initial Flight Snare challenge. If the target is successfully Snared and the target cannot push off of a nearby surface—in this case using a weapon to push off would add its traits—they lose the benefits of Celerity and Potence when further resisting.
Movement of the Mind – Control
Targets of Control may use Celerity and Potence to resist the initial challenge. Weapons do not add their traits when attempting to resist Control. Once affected the target may only use the benefits of Potence to aid in breaking free. If the target breaks free of Control all of its effects on the target immediately cease—dropping them from where they are suspended, freeing their limbs, etc.
Pavis of the Foul Presence
Use of this ritual grants the ability to reflect Presence powers up to Majesty. Pavis also requires the appropriate prop. Powers reflected with Pavis use the Traits of the power’s user. Learning Pavis of the Foul Presence requires ST approval.
