Combat can be complicated by numerous possibilities, some of which are addressed below. These are often special features of weapons or attack types that confer unique bonuses or rules variants. Your Storyteller should feel free to come up with others as a situation warrants.
- Armor Piercing: A weapon or ammunition type that is capable of overcoming targets’ armor or protective layers. The item is typically rated 1 to 3 and that many points of armor are ignored in an attack. Armor piercing rating is not usually added to attack pools as dice. It simply reduces the number of dice removed from an attack pool due to a target’s armor. (See “Piercing Durability,” p. 138, for more information.) The Damage rating of a gun from which an armor-piercing bullet is fired is still added to a Firearms roll as bonus dice. If armor-piercing ammunition is fired at a target wearing “bulletproof” armor (a kevlar vest, flak jacket or full riot gear), the bullet might penetrate that armor. If the rating of the ammunition (1 to 3) exceeds the armor’s rating against Firearms attacks, the armor is ignored altogether in the attack. No dice are lost due to armor in the attack roll and damage inflicted is not downgraded from lethal to bashing (see “Armor,” p. 166). If a target wears no armor, your character’s shot gains no special effects or bonuses from the ammunition used (the gun itself still applies a dice bonus, though).
- Wound Type: The power or weapon delivers a different type of damage than normal: bashing, lethal or aggravated. A sword with a silver blade does lethal damage against an ordinary person, but does aggravated harm against a werewolf, for example.
- Attribute Damage: A poison, drug or supernatural power doesn’t cause Health points of damage, but reduces a victim’s Attribute dots. The kind of Attribute is probably specific, such as Physical or even Strength. Attributes may be recovered as if they were Health points lost to bashing damage (see “Healing,” p. 175). So, one is regained every 15 minutes. More harmful Attribute loss would be recovered as if it were lethal damage (one point every two days). Crippling Attribute loss would be recovered as if it were aggravated damage (one point a week). See the “Attribute Dots” sidebar on p. 43 for the effects of an Attribute that falls to zero dots.
- Continuous Damage: A mystical power or cruel weapon continues to deliver damage over successive turns, like a continually burning flame. It might be a fixed number, such as three. So, an attack roll is made normally with successes determining damage done, but every turn thereafter an additional three damage is done automatically, ignoring the victim’s Defense and armor. Damage is ongoing until a time limit such as two turns is passed, or until some recovery action such as cleaning the wound is performed.
- Stun: Some weapons pack such a wallop that if damage successes inflicted in a single attack equal or exceed the target’s Size, he loses his next action.
- Knockout: A single blow delivered to the head (-3 penalty to hit) that equals or exceeds the target’s Size in damage might knock him unconscious. A Stamina roll is made for the victim. If it succeeds, he behaves normally. If it fails, he is unconscious for a number of turns equal to the damage done.
- Knockdown: A power, weapon or effect forces a target off his feet. A successful Dexterity + Athletics roll allows him to maintain his footing as a reflexive action. If the roll succeeds, the character behaves normally. If the roll fails, the character is forced to go prone (see “Going Prone,” p. 164). If he has not performed an action in the turn, he loses his action that turn. He cannot perform any tasks and cannot travel that turn; he just hits the ground. He can rise again as an action in a subsequent turn. Or once he lands, he always has the option of remaining prone. In case of a dramatic failure on the Dexterity + Athletics roll, a character falls hard or at an odd angle and suffers one Health point of bashing damage (which may be absorbed automatically if armor is worn).
- Immobilization: When your character attacks someone involved in a grapple (see p. 157), the target’s Defense applies against the attack. For example, your character approaches two people who are grappling. If he makes a close-combat attack on one of them, the target’s Defense penalizes his attack.
If, however, the target is immobilized in the grapple (see p. 158), the target’s Defense is lost against outside attacks. So, if your character’s intended target has been immobilized in the grapple, your attacks on him do not suffer a Defense penalty.
- Killing Blow: A target who is tied up, unconscious or paralyzed not only gets no Defense, he can be felled by a single blow. A roll need not be made for an attacker; the damage points he inflicts equal his dice pool, modified by any armor worn by the target. Damage done is automatic, as is armor’s protection. No attack roll is required.