Combat

I figure it is time to cover combat and how it works. Keep in mind, this is a game originally written in 1983 (or about there) so the combat is reflective of that time in gaming, and of the Horror genre.

Combat happens in rounds. The order of attack is as follows (assuming no one is surprised):

Each subcategory goes in order of Dexterity from highest to lowest. So someone with 18 Dex acts before a character with10 Dex.

1st - All firearms that are readied and aimed fire.
2nd - All skills and casting
3rd - All hand-to-hand actions, firearms that needed to be drawn (or rifles shouldered), and those who are firing for the second time in a round (some guns can fire up to three times a round)
4th - Guns that fire a third time

Knockout attacks can be made with Fist, Headbutt, Grapple, or blunt objects.

Parry - Hand-to-hand attacks can be parried. Long swords, like foils and rapiers can parry and attack in the same round. Fist and Kick can count as an attack and a parry. Shotguns and rifles can parry or attack in a round, but not both. Guns used this way take damage from a parry and can be destroyed.

You cannot parry against a weapon without a weapon. But you can grapple, and then in the next action, disarm the opponent.

Impales - Like the DnD critical, when you impale someone you do more damage. Only pointy weapons and bullets can impale. If you roll less than 20% of your skill in a weapon, you achieve an impale. Impales with knives mean the item is stuck in the defender and must be pulled out next round - this requires a successful combat skill roll.

Grapple - When you grapple with someone you roll your grapple skill against the target's grapple, if you succeed, you may then do one of several things in the next round.

• Knock the target down (automatic success)
• immobilize the target (Str vs Str and then indefinitely immobile)
• Disarm the target with a second grapple roll
• Damage the target with 1d6 on a second grapple roll
  

Damage - For our game, you fall unconscious at Zero, you die at -5. You bleed 1 pt per round starting at Zero.

First Aid and Medicine skills - can head 1d3 on each wound. So if you are hit twice, you can have first aid done twice on you.

If you are treated by someone with the Medicine skill, you gain 2d3 per week.