RPG House Rules of Combat
Gamemaster: I compiled this set of charts in order to make the combat setup clearer for the player group. Hopefully this will allow you to visualize your options better, feel free to mark this page and return here for ideas whenever you wish. These rules are based on Palladium game play, but are modified in such ways as to allow more realistic gameplay. If you have any concerns over these rules or questions, please tell me so we can make the game more enjoyable for everybody.
There are some game style changes that I would like you to take note of. First, I have decided that skill rolls and perception tests will be made by me, based off of the stats I have for your characters on the site. This will be done to play out situations in a realistic manner where characters are never fully certain of their success or awareness until something happens (or doesn't happen). Similarly, combat rolls will also be conducted by the GM, allowing players to concentrate more on what their actions are and how they perform them rather than on how well they roll. This particular style is new to us, so this is not permanent. I wish to test this to give everyone a feel for what it's like. Be creative, experiment with what your characters do and how they do it. This isn't freestyle, but the objective is to loosen up things a little. After all, the most important part of an RPG is to build character and have fun!
Player A has two attacks per melee, but does not have paired weapons.
<< Melee >>
[1st Attack]
--> Primary Action - character can move and do one of the following:
Player B is piloting a Veritech Fighter and has four attacks per melee, but does not have paired weapons.
<< Melee >>
[1st Attack]
--> Primary Action - character can move and do one of the following:
Player C is piloting a Veritech Fighter, has four attacks per melee, and has paired weapons.
<< Melee >>
[1st Attack]
--> Primary Action - character can move and do one of the following:
Player D is piloting a Veritech Fighter so maneuverble that it has the leap dodge ability. He has four attacks per melee, but does not have paired weapons.
<< Melee >>
[1st Attack]
--> Primary Action - character can move and do one of the following:
Player E is piloting a Veritech Fighter so maneuverble that it has the leap dodge ability. He has four attacks per melee and has paired weapons.
<< Melee >>
[1st Attack]
--> Primary Action - character can move and do one of the following:
Combat Terms
Action: This takes place when a character chooses to perform a specific task during a melee attack, such as passing a weapon to a teammate or picking one up off the ground. An Action can also be used to observe things, such as looking around and taking note of who's damaged most among the enemy and amongst friendlies. This is a very broad term and covers many various areas, making this a popular choice. Among the things it covers is giving orders to subordinates and other communications messages. This is why it's good thinking to tell subordinates what to do before they enter battle, which makes it all the more important to have a well-functioning team in the heat of combat. Checking personal inventory or sensory equipment also counts as an action. Some skills can be used as actions, but this is highly dependant on how long a period of time they require, and always cancels the "secondary" action. A simple action is when the character takes the time to do something such as fall prone or kneel, changing their stance in some way or gesture. The only skill that can be accomplished by use of a simple action is the Weapon Systems test. Note that if an action requires the use of both hands, or results in both hands being occupied with various tasks, the character has nothing with which to parry unless they are hiding behind a barrier.
Aim: This is the act of spending an extra second targeting or taking aim at a small or sensitive part of an opponent. This allows an attacker to fire a limited amount of well placed shots that could quite possibly cripple an opponent or kill them within a single shot. The aiming character must inform the Gamemaster what subsystem they are aiming at, or else the shot will default to the main body with an added +3 to strike. Must still roll a 12 or better to successfully strike a target's subsystem, but there are absolutely no penalties unless GM rules otherwise. Snipers have an automatic bonus of +6 to strike, and have the ability to spend their secondary simple action using their snipering skill to aim at their target. Doing so awards them the ability to hit their target's vulnerable spot or subsystem with a 5 or better, unless the target attempts to dodge.
A.R. (Armor Rating): This value is assigned to various forms of body armor (both natural and unnatural), and can also be assigned to barriers that cover some portion of a character's body. The A.R. indicates what an attacker must roll in order to do damage to the defender. Example: If a character has an A.R. of 10, an attack must roll an 11 or better to strike (bonuses included) in order to damage the character. In the example's case, a roll of 1 thru 4 would have completely missed, and a roll of 5 thru 10 would have only damaged the character's armor. Body armor A.R.s are listed elsewhere, but barriers are as follows:
| Coverage | A.R. |
| 25% | 8 |
| 50% | 12 |
| 75% | 16 |
A character may not have more than 75% coverage if they wish to participate in combat. The only exceptions to this are combat armor that is designed to completely cover a character, or when a character has a camera mount on their weapon (only done in some Special Forces units). Such a weapon modification can only be made to a rifle or smaller projectile or energy weapon. Weapons larger than that require too much support to be fired from around a corner.
Dodge Anyone attempting to move out of the way of an attack while in Battloid or Guardian modes must roll to dodge. The result, after bonuses are calculated in, must be equal to or greater than the attacker's roll to strike. A natural roll of 20 will always save the defender, even if the attacker also rolls a natural 20. As with all combat rolls, a roll to dodge is made with a 1d20 (twenty-sided die).
Entangle: Anyone attempting to grapple with an opponent in an effort to trap his or her weapon or arm must roll to entangle. The result must be equal to or greater than the attacker's roll to strike. Characters with paired weapons may attempt to use their secondary strike to aim the entangled weapon at another opponent as it's firing. Another move is to sneak up behind an opponent and entangle their arms, preventing them from dodging another teammate's attack. Since all mecha are equipt with modern sensor equipment, sneaking up in such an attack is impossible without the opponent knowing. In this case, the result must be greater than the opponent's roll to dodge. As with all combat rolls, a roll to entangle is made with a 1d20 (twenty-sided die). Rolls to entangle enjoy the benefit of a character's bonus to strike.
Maneuver: Anyone attempting to move out of the way of an attack while in Jet mode must choose from the list of maneuvers and roll percentile dice (1d100). The result must be equal to or less than their piloting skill after penalties are figured in. Failing to roll under the penalized piloting skill's limit results in a botched maneuver, conditions vary with the maneuver type. Here is a quick table of maneuvers to select from:
| Maneuver | Description |
| Emergency Landing | Required Time: Time till ground impact. Penalty: -30%. Success: The aircraft has made a somewhat graceful emergency landing, taking little or no serious damage. The pilot and passengers are unharmed aside from a few bumps and bruises (1D4sdc damage to everybody). Failure: Results ina crash landing, GM will roll on the appropriate table. Description: The pilot attempts to level out and lessen the momentum of the aircraft as it approaches the ground, in an effort to save the bulk of the aircraft and protect the occupants from serious injury. |
| Evasive Action | Required Time: Full melee. Penalty: -45%. Success: Opponent(s) cannot successfully strike or follow the evading aircraft, unless the attacker(s) engages in a “dog tail” chase. Failure: Opponent(s) can successfully strike or follow the evading aircraft, but are -4 to strike when attacking it. Description: Fleeing or dodging another aircraft, obstacle, missiles or other forms of attack by moving out of the way or in an obscure patter designed to disorient and shake off attacker(s) in hot pursuit. The pilot of the evading aircraft cannot strike any enemies unless they come directly into his/her path, but they are -4 to strike. A copilot or gunner has the same penalties, unless they are operating a turret. In that case, they may fire at any opponent(s) that come into their field of fire, but are -8 to strike from any angle other than straight ahead. |
| Dog Tail | Required Time: 2 full melee attacks to initiate; 1 full melee attack every other melee to maintain. Penalty: -35%. Success: Pilot may strike the target they are tailing, with little or no fear of a counterstrike unless the target is able to fire a weapon from behind. Roll once every other Melee to maintain dog tail position, or once for every evasive or stunt maneuver the target makes. Failure: The target has momentarily slipped out of striking range/area. Description: The pilot closely pursues a target aircraft from behind while locked in combat. This is the only maneuver that can pursue a vehicle taking evasive action. In the time it takes to determine if a pilot has successfully dog tailed their target or not, the target has two attacks with which it can use to either maneuver and attempt to lose their opponent or to strike at their opponent if they can fire a weapon from behind. |
| Tilt Dodge | Required Time: A secondary action. Penalty: -35%. Success: Pilot has dodged a single blast or missile from an opponent's attack and may now use their primary action to either strike at their target. Pilot suffers a penalty of -2 to strike. Failure: A bad dodge, the aircraft is hit and takes full damage. The pilot may still strike their target. Description: The pilot chooses to perform an offensive maneuver designed to evade an opponent's attack by quickly tilting or jerking out of the way at the last minute. In this way, the pilot can stay on course and continue their own attack (if any). If a pilot wishes only to dodge an attack and to risk no chance of taking damage, then they should use a stunt maneuver. Tilt dodges can only avoid a single blast or missile. To avoid multiple/simultaneous weapon fire or volleys, the pilot must perform an evasive action. |
| Stunts | Required Time: 1 full melee attack. Penalty: -30%. Success: Pilot successfully loses any volleys of missiles or may have shaken an opponent that was dog tailing them. Pilot has also successfully dodged any strikes that were made against them during this attack. Failure: Any strikes made against the aircraft during this attack hit and inflict full damage. Any opponents that are dog tailing are still there (no piloting test required of them), and both speed and altitude are reduced by 25% for 1 full melee (no affect while in space). There is a 15% chance of losing control within an atmosphere, GM will roll on the appropriate table. Description: These are sudden, severe or highly difficult maneuvers including dives, sharp turns, dead-man's drop (nearly straight down drop at high speed), tumbles, somersaults and similar actions. |
| Shadow | Required Time: Entire period of pursuit, or else position will be given away. Penalty: -30%. Success: The pilot attempting to shadow their opponent will appear as a radar shadow or aberration to the opponent, if noticed at all. Failure: The pilot has slipped up and is now an obvious bogey on their opponent's sensor screens. Description: The pilot attempts to pursue another vehicle without detection by flying above the pursued craft, using clouds for visual cover. Penalty is raised to -50% if there is no cloud cover above or below the pursued craft. Roll for each mimicked maneuver the pursued craft makes. |
Natural Twenty: This is the result of 20 when rolling a twenty-sided die. A strike with a natural twenty will always be a critical strike. If someone with a strike bonus of +2 rolls an 18, then they have an attack roll of 18 plus unnatural, bonus modification; NOT a natural twenty, and not a critical strike. A natural twenty beats all other rolls and can only be parried or dodged by another natural twenty.
Parry: Anyone attempting to block an attack with an arm, weapon, or shield must roll to parry. A character may decide to hide behind a barrier (building corner, wall, door or other such obstruction) and shoot from there, ready to swing back behind it, using it as a shield. Otherwise, such a barrier will only give them an Armor Rating, the value of which depends on the object itself. This is also considered a form of parrying. The result, after bonuses are calculated in, must be equal to or greater than the attacker's roll to strike. As with all combat rolls, a roll to parry is made with a 1d20 (twenty-sided die).
Roll: Anyone attempting to take the somewhat easier option of reducing damage from an opponent's attack must Roll with Punch, Fall, or Impact/Explosion. Characters cannot roll with energy weapon or bullet attacks. The result, after bonuses are calculated in, must be equal to or greater than the attacker's roll to strike. As with all combat rolls, a Roll with Punch, Fall, or Impact/Explosion is made with a 1d20 (twenty-sided die). Falling characters must roll a 14 or higher, in order to reduce damage by half. Characters may not roll with anything other than a Punch, Fall, or Impact/Explosion.
Strike: Anyone attempting to hit an opponent must roll to strike, unless they have spent a melee attack aiming at their target. As with all combat rolls, a roll to strike is made with a 1d20 (twenty-sided die).
