Basic Combat

The combat system of any roleplaying game is probably one of the most important aspects of the whole game, even if combat isn't itself meant to be the focus of the game. In some ways, it is the only part of the system that can lead to character death - even a botched etiquette skill check in front of a king will only kill you if the combat system says that you can't dodge or fight the guards.

Yags combat is reasonably detailed, providing a lot of choices to players and their characters, both at character design time and during combat itself. However, the aim is for something that is simple and fast flowing most of the time, with options for doing complex stuff when the need arises.

In terms of style, Yags tries for a gritty-cinematic approach. Combat can be deadly, especially if you try to bite off more than you can chew. A single lucky roll is unlikely to kill you, but it can put you on the floor bleeding to death. Unless you are very good, taking on multiple opponents can be suicide, and the core system is meant to be reasonably realistic in this regard.

However, Yags does allow for very skilled characters. A sword thrust, or a bullet, can kill anyone, however much of a hero they think they are. On the other hand, if you are of the skill of Azumi, Beatrice Kiddo or River then you should be able to disarm, kill or evade everyone before they get to stick you with something sharp.

Organisation of These Rules

These rules have been organised so as to keep the simple stuff first, then go into more detail later. The first few sections actually gives you everything you need to know to run combat using Yags. If all you want is a simple and fast combat system, then you can stick with that.

The later sections go into more detail however, providing a bit more colour to the rules, and covering situations more extensively.

General Terminology

The following terms are used frequently within these rules, so they are described up front. A full description of how they are used will be given later.

Automatic strike

An extra attack which may be taken immediately against a given opponent. The opponent does not get a defence roll, so the attack is against the base difficulty to hit the target.

Body levels

Every creature has a number of body levels, which represent their ability to absorb damage. The number of body levels determines how many wounds and stuns a creature can take before it falls over.

Combat bonuses

The three statistics which define the bonuses a weapon provides to skill and damage rolls in combat (attack, defence and damage).

Counter strike

An extra attack which make be taken immediately after the opponent's action which triggered it, but otherwise treated as a free strike.

Damage

Damage normally causes either stuns or wounds. It is reduced by a creature's soak before being applied.

Distance

The distance to a target for missile weapons, measured in metres. This affects how hard it is to hit the target, and my be modified up or down depending on other factors (such as if you're running whilst trying to shoot).

Exhaustion

Exhaustion is similar to fatigue, but can only be recovered with sleep. It is gained from long term physical activity such as hiking or heavy labour.

Fatigue

Fatigue is a measure of how tired a creature is. Unlike wounds and stuns, the amount of fatigue a creature can handle is based on their health. Fatigue can be recovered with a short rest.

Free strike

An extra attack which may be taken immediately against a given opponent. The opponent gets a free defence roll, at the same penalty as other defence rolls that round if multiple defenses have been declared.

Ineffective damage

As stun damage, but the number of stuns applied is halved (rounding down). Stun attacks may be reduced to ineffective damage, but no attack does ineffective as standard.

Initiative

Initiative determines the order in which everybody acts, from highest initiative to lowest. Actions are split into fast, normal and slow. All fast actions happen first, then normal actions, then slow actions.

Load

A character can carry a load equal to the square of their strength without penalty. Weapons, armour and equipment carried add to load.

Martial weapon

Any melee weapon which does better than stun damage and has a reach greater than zero.

Mixed damage

Mixed damage is half stuns, half wounds with odd damage going on stuns. Many animals and light bludgeoning weapons cause mixed damage.

Range band

The effective range of missile weapons, measured in metres. This is unaffected by modifiers to the Distance, and effects how much damage the weapon does.

Round

A round is a unit of time, averaging about five seconds. Each round, a character has chance to perform a single action - normally an attack or a move.

Soak

Soak is how good a creature is at resisting (soaking) damage. An adult human will usually have a base soak of 12. Any armour worn adds to this.

Stance

Stance determines how a combatant is fighting, the most common being normal, aggressive and defensive. Prone and unsteady are two stances which a character can be forced into.

Stuns

Stuns are non-serious injuries which rarely kill, being generally limited to stuns and bruises. Excessive stun damage may lead to wounds however.

Wounds

Wounds are serious injuries which have a good chance of causing death. Most weapons cause wound damage.

Combat skills

There are a number of different skills used in combat, each skill covering a particular style of fighting. It is not necessary to learn a different skill for every weapon - a skill with single weapon will allow you to use any one handed melee weapon for example.

The detailed combat system provides differences between how these skills are used. For now though, the only difference is in which weapons they can be used with. See the descriptions of these skills in the Skills section for more details.

Weapons

Every melee weapon provides three combat bonuses - attack, defence and damage which add to the attack, defence an damage rolls of a character.

There are plenty of other statistics for each weapon, but these three are the primary ones which are used in the basic combat system.

Armour

Every creature has a basic soak score, which reduces the damage done to them in an attack. Armour gives a protective bonus which adds to this soak, thereby reducing the damage done in an attack.

The Combat Sequence

Once characters enter into a combat, game time is measured in rounds of approximately five seconds. At the start of each combat everybody determines their initiative which remains fixed for the entire combat. Initiative is rolled using:

Determining Initiative
agility x 4 + d20

If you fumble your initiative roll, then you may not act for the first round of combat. If you were in the middle of doing something (running, picking something up) then you may continue doing that however (but cannot attack, or declare defences).

The Combat Round

Each round of combat follows a set series of steps. Once a round has been completed, combat either ends or everyone starts a new round. Initiative is very important in combat, since a high initiative gives a character a big tactical advantage over everyone else.

1. Everybody declares their actions in increasing initiative order. Attacks, number of defences, movement and other actions are declared at this point.
2. All fast actions are performed in decreasing initiative order.
3. Perform all normal actions in decreasing order of initiative.
4. Perform all slow actions in decreasing order of initiative.
5. End of round book keeping, including making rolls to remain conscious and alive (if necessary) and any required morale checks.

Declaring Actions

At the start of each round, all combatants declare their actions in order of increasing initiative. This gives characters with a high initiative a big tactical advantage over everybody else. Initiative should be thought of as an abstraction of both physical speed and tactical ability.

All declared actions are public, even if someone is out of sight at the start of the round. If you are hidden and out of sight, and wish to declare that you are leaping out to attack someone, then anyone who has a higher initiative than you gets the opportunity to react to your action before you do it - effectively they get to act between you making yourself visible and actually performing the attack.

Declaring Attacks

You may declare an attack against a target. Any movement required in order to make the attack is implied. The weapon and skill being used, plus any special actions, must be declared at this point.

Declaring Defenses

You must declare the number of defences though do not need to declare who they are against. Each declared defence will defend against any number of attacks from a single attacker. Defending against multiple attackers means you suffer a penalty to all attacks and defences that round.

Defences	Penalty
1	-0
2	-10
3	-20
4	-40
5	-60
6	-80

There is a maximum number of defences that you may declare in a round. Normally this is equal to the average of your agility and perception (rounded up), which is 3 for typical characters.

If you are making a melee attack but do not declare a defence against the target, then they get a counter strike against you after your attack has been resolved.

Waiting

If you have lost the initiative, you may declare a wait action. You must say what event you are waiting for, and what you will do if it occurs. If the event doesn't happen, then you don't do anything that round.

Movement

You may declare a move as part of your action. You can normally move up to a number of metres equal to half your Move score without penalty.

If you wish to move further, you can move your full Move, but can only perform a standard attack which is slow. Movement faster than this precludes making an attack action.

Performing Actions

Once everyone has declared their actions, then everyone gets to perform their actions in decreasing order of initiative. First, everyone who has a fast action will act (in initiative order), then all normal actions and finally all slow actions.

Making an attack

When an attack is made, the defender must declare whether they are using a defence action before any rolls are made. If they do not do so, then the target difficulty of the attack is 15.

To attack, make a melee attack roll using your relavent combat skill modified by the attack bonus of the weapon. Most melee skills are based on dexterity, though Brawl is based on agility.

Attack roll
attribute x skill + weapon attack bonus + d20

If the target is defending, then they get to make a defence roll. If not, then the base target difficulty is 15.

Defence roll
attribute x skill + weapon defence bonus + d20

If the attack roll is equal to or greater than the defense roll, then the target has been hit, and damage should be determined.

Inflicting Damage

If you have successfully hit your target, then make a damage roll. A damage roll never fumbles.

Damage roll
strength x 4 + weapon damage bonus + d20

The target now makes a soak roll to try and resist the damage. Soak rolls never fumble.

Soak roll
soak + armour bonus + d20

If the damage roll is equal or greater than the soak roll, then damage has been caused, otherwise the blow was not of sufficient strength to cause any real harm. One wound is caused, plus a further wound for every 5 points of damage above the soak roll. If you are already wounded, then any new wounds add to the existing wounds. If you have two wounds (light, -5), and receive another two wounds, you will now have four wounds (heavy, -15).

Wounds	Effect
0	Okay. Completely uninjured.
1	Minor. Scratched and bruised, but no penalty.
2	Light (-5). Lightly wounded, with a small (-5) penalty to all actions.
3	Medium (-10). Moderate wounds, significant pain.
4	Heavy (-15). Heavily wounded, with a large penalty.
5	Critical (-25). Critically wounded. Most people will stop fighting at this point. Heroes and professional warriors will probably continue however.
6+	Fatal (-40). A fatally wounded person must make health rolls to remain conscious and alive every round. Without medical aid, they will die.

As long as you are alive, you will never be in a state worse than fatally wounded.

As soon as you receive damage that takes you to fatally wounded or beyond, you must make a health check at a target of 20 + 5 per extra wound. So, if you were heavily wounded (4 wounds), and took 3 wounds of damage, you would be making a check against a target of 25 (fatal, +1 extra).

If you fail this check, then you die, otherwise you fall unconscious. If you make a good success, then you can continue fighting, but must make another check at the end of each round at a target of 20. If you are unconscious or resting you only need to make a check every minute.

Stun Damage

Whilst wounds represent damage that is likely to kill you, stuns represent scratches and bruises that will heal naturally within a few days.

Brawling and similar attacks will do stun damage. Stuns are inflicted in much the same way as wounds are, with an opposed damage and soak rolls. However, stuns are not cumulative. If you receive more stuns in a single blow than you currently have, then the new number of stuns replaces what you had previously. If you receive at least half your current stun level, you gain one stun.

Stuns	Effect
0	Okay. Completely uninjured.
1	Minor. Minor scratches, no penalty.
2	Light (-5). Slightly bruised and in some pain, but likely to be recovered after the battle. Visible bruises and marks.
3	Medium (-10). Moderate stuns, will look to be in quite bad shape.
4	Heavy (-15). Heavily stunned, probably with most of body covered in bruises and cuts and in quite a bit of pain.
5	Critical (-25). Critically stunned. Most people will stop fighting at this point, since they are quite close to falling over.
6+	Beaten (-40). A beaten person must make a health check to remain conscious every round they wish to act.

For example, you are currently uninjured, but are punched by someone who does you two stuns. You are now lightly stunned (at -5). You are punched again for two stuns. This gives you one extra stun, taking you to three stuns (moderate, -10). A third punch only does one stun, and since this is less than half your current total, it does no damage.

The fourth punch is much harder, and does 5 stuns of damage. This is greater than your current total (3), so puts you immediately at 5 stuns (critical, -25).

If your stuns ever reach beaten, then you must make a health check as for wounds, but failure makes you unconscious, and success leaves you standing.

Note that stuns and wounds are kept track of seperately, and their penalties add together. If you have 3 stuns (moderate, -10) and two wounds (light, -5) you have a total penalty of -15.

Mixed Damage

The final type of damage is Mixed. Mixed damage is split between stuns and wounds, with the first going on stuns. Mixed damage adds cumulatively to both stuns and wounds. If you have four stuns, and take one level of mixed damage, you take one stun, giving you five stuns total.

End of Round

At the end of each round, any general book keeping can be performed. If health rolls are needed to remain conscious, then they are made now.

Damage, Stuns and Wounds

Damage can take many forms, but it all comes down to one of the three types - either wounds, stuns or mixed. Related to damage is fatigue and exhaustion.

Wounds

Wounds represent serious injuries that penetrate the skin and potentially affect internal organs. They can lead to bleeding, infection and death. Wounds heal over a period of many weeks.

Stuns

Stuns represent cuts and bruises which will generally heal naturally within a few days. They will rarely lead to death

Fatigue

A character's fatigue is measured in a similar way to wounds, though the number of fatigue levels they have is based on their health, ranging from OK to Exhausted. If a character becomes Exhausted then they must immediately rest.

Fatigue is normally short term, and can be lost in minutes. Exhaustion is gained through long term effort or lack of sleep, and can only be lost through a night of sleep. Exhaustion and fatigue stack together on the same track - two levels of fatigue and two levels of exhaustion add up to four levels on the fatigue track, and count as a single penalty as if the character had four levels of either.

It is suggested that fatigue is kept track of on the character sheet by crossing off fatigue levels with a single line, and exhaustion with a cross. Exhaustion is always first on the line, and last to be lost.

If you are exhausted through a combination of fatigue and exhaustion, and gain more fatigue or exhaustion, then one level of fatigue is changed to be exhaustion.

Size effects on Damage

Damage against a creature which is 10 size points or more higher than the attacker have the damage type shifted down by a category (so wounds become mixed, mixed become stuns and stuns become ineffective).

If the target is 15 size points larger, then the damage is shifted down two categories. These effects make larger weapons (spears and great swords for example) more effective against large creatures, since they offset this to some extent.

The converse is also true. If the attacker is 10 size points or more larger than the target, then the damage type is shifted up one category, and up two categories if they are 15 size points higher. There is no damage category above wounds, so such damage is unaffected.

Vehicle Scale Weapons

The use of Vehicles in Yags is covered more fully in a separate article. Vehicle mounted weapons can, if they hit, be very effective against human targets. Vehicle damage is either Major (similar to wounds) or Minor (similar to stuns). Either type of vehicle damage is treated the same against characters. Unless a character is in Heavy armour, a character gets no soak against vehicle scale weapons.

A character in heavy armour has their total soak roll halved, and always suffers wounds.

Character scale weapons against vehicles have their damage roll halved, and only cause Minor damage. Damage may also be shifted down due to the Size of the target. Character scale weapons shifted down have no effect against large vehicles (there is no ineffective damage against vehicles).

If vehicle damage is shifted up a category against characters, then heavy armour is ignored, but there are otherwise no extra effects.

Most man-portable firearms are considered to be Size 5. Anti-vehicle weapons (such as a tank's main gun) are normally Size 10 regardless of the size of the firing vehicle. Naval guns and artillery are Size 20.

Damage types

Explosive damage

Explosive damage tends to affect all targets within an area, with less damage being caused to targets at the edge than near ground zero. When weapons cause explosive effects, they are listed as Ex-X, where X is the base radius of the explosion in metres.

Out to the base radius, targets receive the full force of the explosion, and suffer wounds. Out to twice the radius, targets receive only mixed damage (but the damage rating is itself unchanged) and out to triple the radius stuns are caused.

An explosion which does less than wounds will have a similar drop in damage types, but may do no damage at x2 or x3 ranges.

Very large explosions

The above assumes small explosions, normally those designed to be effective against characters. Larger explosions are treated as Vehicle weapons, and hence cause vehicle scale damage. Anything which is the equivalent of a pound or more of TNT is generally considered to be vehicle scale.

A vehicle scale explosion does Major damage out to the blast radius, and Minor damage out to twice this. For each doubling of the radius beyond this, reduce the damage by 100 (explosions causing less than +100 damage will only damage out to twice the radius).

One pound (about 0.5kg) of TNT does +50 damage and has an explosive radius of 2 metres. It is considered to be a Size 10 weapon. Every doubling of the TNT amount causes +10 damage, each ten fold increase doubles the radius, and each thousand fold increase raises the Size by +10.

TNT	Damage	Radius	Size
1 lb	50	Ex-2	10
10 lb	65	Ex-4	10
100 lb	115	Ex-8	10
1000 lb	150	Ex-16	20
1 T	160	Ex-16	20
1 KT	260	Ex-128	30
1 MT	360	Ex-1024	40

The most accurate results for working out the effects of TNT come from playing with logarithms, but simply assuming that damage etc only changes after a doubling is a simple solution which works reasonably well.

How big is my bomb?

So, you've just dropped a 4000lb bomb on someone, and want to know how much damage it does. The simple answer is a lot. In most cases, the result is an instant (messy) death.

If they're in a tank, or it's not a direct hit, then it gets a bit more tricky. As a rough guide, assume the following conversion for basic explosives.

A single pound of TNT (since pounds is what TNT is normally measured in) does +50 damage Ex-2. Each doubling of the amount of explosive does an extra +10 damage. Each ten fold increase in amount of explosive doubles the radius.

Healing and First aid

Untended Wounds

Surviving the battle isn't always enough, and many more people may die of their wounds after a battle than during it - especially if there is no access to modern medicines.

Fatal Wounds

If you have been fatally wounded, then you will never recover naturally until you receive medical attention. Every minute if inactive, or every round if active, you must make a health check at a target of 20 or die. If you fumble the check, then you also die.

Critical Wounds

If you have been critically wounded, then you must make a health check at a target of 20 every day if inactive, or hour if active. Failure or fumble will cause your wounds to worsen to fatally wounded and you fall into a coma. Continue to make similar checks every day, with another failure resulting in death.

Other Wounds

If you have been wounded (but not critically or fatally), and you do not receive medical attention within an hour, then you must make a health check at a target of 20. Failure means that the wound will worsen by one level, then stabalise (so no further checks are required). Success causes the wound to stabalise naturally.

If you fumble this check, then the wound becomes infected. It will continue to worsen by one level each day until you die. Basic first aid is not able to aid you at this point (though herb lore, medicine and other such skills may).

Stuns

Stuns do not require tending before they will begin to heal, and no health checks are required to see if they worsen. An immediate First aid check after getting stunned is still a good idea however, since it can enable you to recover from stuns immediately.

First aid

It is generally a good idea to get your wounds tended to by another. Tending a wound takes one minute, and requires an intelligence x First aid check at a base target of 10. The target is modified by the total of your wound and stun penalties halved (round up).

For example, you have moderate (-10) wounds and light (-5) stuns, so the first aid difficulty will be 10 + (10 + 5)/2 = 18. If you are beaten and fatally wounded, then check difficulty would be 50.

On success, the wounds are stabalised. On a good success, one level of wounds is immediately healed.

Stuns can be first aided as well, except that the base target is 0, with the same modifiers. On success, one stun is healed, and each level of success beyond that heals another stun.

You may first aid yourself, though since you suffer your full penalties whilst trying to do so, it may be much harder than having someone else do it.

Natural healing

Recovering from stuns

Stuns heal themselves after a full night's rest. Each morning, a health check is made at a target of 0, modified by half the total wound and stun penalties currently suffered. Each level of success causes one level of stun to be healed.

Recovering from wounds

Wounds heal naturally after a week. Each week, the character gets a health roll at difficulty 10, modified by their total stun and wound penalties halved. On a success, a single level of wound is healed.

If the character fumbles their health roll, then their injury worsens, and they gain an extra wound level. A character who is already fatally wounded will die.

If the wounded individual is spending the time resting, and they are being looked after by someone who has the first aid skill (spending at least an hour a day with them), then they receive a bonus equal to the healer's first aid score to their healing check.

A patient looking after themselves in this way only receives half the normal bonus (rounded up).

Recovering from Fatigue

The only way to recover from fatigue is through rest. For each level of fatigue or exhaustion a character has, it takes five minutes to recover one level of fatigue.

Exhaustion counts towards fatigue, but cannot be lost through a few minutes of rest. Four hours of good sleep with remove all fatigue and one point of exhaustion for every two points of health (rounded up, so 2 exhaustion is recovered by someone with a health of 3 or 4).

Melee Combat

The basic rules for combat describe a simple and fast system for resolving fights. This section describes melee combat in more detail, providing more options for characters, and describing how to handle some situations in more detail.

Fighting Styles

There are many different ways of fighting, each being known as a style and having its own skill associated with it. The style may dictate the sort of weapons used, but generally a single style covers a broad range of weapons, and a skill is not required for each individual weapon.

If a weapon combination is used with the wrong style (such as just a sword with the weapon and shield style, or a greatsword with the single weapon style), then the following penalties apply.

1. All attacks are slow, regardless of stance used.
2. No techniques may be used (even ones which apply to any melee skill).
3. Unless the brawl skill is being used, attack and defence rolls fumble on a 1-2 instead of a 1.

Brawling

Brawling is the simplest style of fighting, involving punching, kicking and grappling. It also covers the use of simple weapons such as a knife, dagger or broken bottle.

1. Attack and defence rolls are based on agility.
2. Attack, defence and damage bonuses of a weapon add to the combat rolls.

Melee weapon

This is a generic style of fighting with any melee weapon or combination of melee weapons. It has no techniques associated with it, and doesn't get many of the other benefits of more specialist styles. However, it is likely to be learnt by someone in a technological society where firearms are common and melee weapons anachronistic.

Modern or SF settings may wish to ignore the other melee skills and just use this one together with Brawl.

1. Attack and defence rolls are based on dexterity.
2. Attack, defence and damage bonuses of a weapon add to the combat rolls.
3. If using a second weapon, half (round up) of the attack and defence bonuses of the second weapon are added.

Single weapon

A fighting style involving a single melee weapon, such as a dagger, sword or mace. Most one handed weapons can be used with this style.

1. Attack rolls are based on dexterity, defence rolls are based on the highest of agility and dexterity.
2. Attack, defence and damage bonuses of a weapon add to the combat rolls.

Weapon and shield

This fighting style uses a combination of a one handed weapon and a shield, to give what is possibly the best combination. Any type of shield, and any one handed weapon can be used with this style (anything which has a style of single in other words).

1. Attack and defence rolls are based on dexterity.
2. Attack, defence and damage bonuses of both the weapon and shield add to the combat rolls.
3. You get a free defence against the target of your first attack.

Great weapon

The great weapon style allows use of a single weapon which requires two hands to use it. It suffers from lack of defence, but such weapons can be very good at cleaving through armour.

1. Attack and defence rolls are based on dexterity.
2. Attack, defence and damage bonuses of the weapon add to the combat rolls.
3. If the reach of the weapon exceeds the reach of the target, then the penalty to attack rolls because of multiple defences is halved.
4. When attacking, a great weapon grants a +50% bonus to the Size of the attacker, for the purposes of shifting damage types up or down.

Two weapons

This style of fighting involves the use of two one handed weapons at once. Though this gives an edge over only using one weapon, it does not grant two attacks in a combat round. Further, it is generally not as good as using a shield instead of a second weapon, but it does have its advantages.

1. Attack and defence rolls are based on dexterity.
2. Attack, defence and damage bonuses of the primary weapon plus half (round up) those of the second weapon add to the combat rolls.

Longshaft weapon

This style of fighting uses a single two handed weapon such as a long spear, quarterstaff or lance, or single handed versions of the same. A shield may be used if the weapon is one handed, as if using the Weapon and shield style.

1. Attack and defence rolls are based on dexterity.
2. Attack, defence and damage bonuses of the weapon add to the combat rolls. If a shield is used, its bonuses are added as well.
3. When defending, if your weapon has a greater reach than the attacker's weapon, then you get a +5 to defence and don't suffer a penalty to attack if fighting defensively.

Chain weapon

Includes flails and other weapons consisting of weights connected by a chain or rope to a haft. They can be used with or without a shield.

1. Attack and defence rolls are based on dexterity.
2. Attack, defence and damage bonuses of the weapon add to the combat rolls. If a shield is used, its bonuses are added as well.
3. When using either the aggressive or defensive stances, the bonus is +10 instead of +5.
4. If an attacker has a weapon with shorter reach than your chain weapon, he fumbles on a 1-2 when making attack rolls.

Advanced Weapons

Each weapon has a number of properties which represents how effective it is. These give a bonus to a character's skill checks in combat. All bonuses are zero or positive - no weapon gives a negative adjustment to combat actions.

Creatures which have natural attacks have their own combat modifiers, depending on the nature of their natural weapons. Generally, these are worse than those of man made weapons. Size, reach and sharpness all have a say in how effective natural weapons are for a given type of creature.

Weapon attributes

The following apply to all weapons.

Attack

This provides a bonus to hit the target. It is a measure of accuracy and also weight and reach.

Defence

This adds to the character's defence roll. It represents parrying, but also how good the weapon is at keeping the enemy away from the user.

Damage

The weapon's damage modifier adds to the damage done by the attacker. This property also includes the type of damage done - either stun, mixed or wounds.

Reach

The reach of the weapon is how far forward it can be effectively used. Reach gives an advantage against shorter weapons, though can be a disadvantage in confined spaces.

Strength

The minimum strength needed to use a weapon. A weapon being used two handed adds 50% (round up) to the user's effective strength for this. If the user's strength is one point below that required, there is a -5 penalty to attack and defence. Two points below, this penalty is -15. Weaker characters cannot use the weapon at all.

Martial and non-Martial Weapons

Martial weapons are any melee weapon which does more than stun damage. They are items designed to kill people, rather than improvised heavy objects. Natural attacks do not normally count as martial weapons, regardless of the damage type they do.

Martial weapons

Martial weapons are any melee weapon which does more than stun damage and has a reach greater than zero.

Unarmed attack

An unarmed attack (or defence) is one using only natural weapons (such as a fist, or a bite) or one using non-martial weapons with a reach of zero.

When making an unarmed attack against someone who is defending with martial weapons, the attacker risks being harmed. If the defender makes a successful defence, then they get an immediate counter strike against the attacker.

Special properties

Some weapons have special properties which affect how it is used, or how effective it is in a given situation. By default, a weapon will have none of the following properties.

Blocking

A blocking weapon can be used as a shield. When used as a shield (using the weapon and shield style), weapon attributes are not halved as they would be if the weapon was simply treated as a second weapon. The weapon's damage bonus is ignored however.

Crushing

Crushing weapons are good at causing knockback, and get a +5 bonus to damage for purposes of knockback. This increases the chance of causing stun damage, even if the attack didn't get through the target's armour.

Heavy

A heavy weapon is good at getting through armour relative to its size. Against light armour, heavy weapons use the 'half armour' column for figuring the soak of the target.

Impaling

Impaling weapons are good at getting through some types of armour such as mail and cloth. Against impaling weapons, such armour only gives half protection.

Light

Light weapons aren't very effective at getting through armour. Against heavy armour, they do damage of one worse type (i.e. wounds become mixed, mixed becomes stuns, stuns become ineffective).

Strong

The weapon is well made, and less likely to break compared to similar weapons.

Throwable

The weapon is designed to be thrown as a missile weapon. Though any melee weapon can be thrown, throwable weapons have better ranges.

Thrusting

A thrusting weapon, when used two handed, counts as impaling.

Two handed

The weapon is designed to be used two handed, and can be used with the great weapons fighting style.

Weak

The weapon is poorly made and is more likely to break.

Reach

The Reach of a weapon is a measure of its length and effectiveness at engaging targets at a distance. Spears are the best reach weapons, knives and daggers are amongst the worst.

Long weapons are best in open spaces, especially when used in massed ranks. In a narrow corridor, they can actually be a hindrance to the user. Examples of various weapon reaches is given in the table below.

Reach	Examples
Close (0)	Fist, knife, dagger.
Short (1)	Short sword, club, hand axe, shield, mace.
Medium (2)	Broad sword, battle axe, javelin.
Long (3)	Long sword, broad axe, spear, great sword, quarterstaff.
Very long (4)	Long spear.

Close weapons can be used in pretty much any circumstance without penalty, including when grappled with someone. Longer weapons require a greater amount of space, and may suffer a penalty if used in confined conditions.

1. If the attacker has a longer weapon, then they ignore a free strike from the defender.
2. If the defender has a longer reach, then they get a free strike before the attacker gets a chance to hit.

A weapon that is too long for the situation, or which is being used against a foe that has closed to within the weapon's reach, gives a -5 to attack rolls for each excess level of reach.

Ranked Fighting

If a group of warriors are fighting in two or more ranks, than it is possible for people in the second rank to attack through the first rank against the enemy if they have thrusting weapons with sufficient reach.

If the second rank has weapons at least two reach greater than the target, then the target can be attacked. All such attacks are slow, and count as being an attack by the first rank (i.e. if the target is being attacked by two ranks, it only uses one defence slot). The second rank can only use the normal stance.

Free Strikes

There are some actions which are very unwise to perform in a combat situation, since they leave you open to an attack from your foe. Within Yags, these are handled as free strikes.

Free strikes always occur immediately before the action that triggers them. If an action triggers multiple free strikes, then all are merged into a single automatic strike (see below). If an action triggers strikes from multiple foes, then each foe handles their strikes independently (in initiative order).

Some actions may trigger a counter strike after it has been completed. These are similar to free strikes except they occur after the action. Multiple counter strikes are ignored - a single foe will only get one counter strike against you for a single given action. However, multiple foes may each get a strike.

Some circumstances allow you to ignore free strikes. In this case, the number of strikes against you is reduced by one. An automatic strike becomes a free strike, two counter strikes become a single one (which effectively means no effect).

Free Strikes

If you gain a free strike against someone, then you get an immediate attack roll against them. This does not affect your other actions that round, and you may make multiple free strikes in a single round.

A free strike is defended against in the same way as any other attack. Since a declared defence affects all attacks by a single attacker, the target of a free strike does not need to declare new defences unless they weren't defending against you at all that round.

1. If you are attacked by someone with a shorter weapon, you gain a free strike against them.
2. If someone tries to grapple or trip you, you gain a free strike against them.
3. If someone tries to run past you in combat without attacking, and within reach of your weapon, then you gain a free strike against them.

Automatic Strikes

An automatic strike is like a free strike but better. They occur if you do something really stupid, and don't permit any defence - the automatic strike is simply against your basic hit difficulty (normally 15).

Counter Strikes

Counter strikes are treated in the same way as free strikes, in that you get a defence against them. They are normally gained in response to an attack, and may be based on how well they defend against your attack.

1. If someone attacks you without declaring a defence against you, then you gain a counter strike if you are still standing.
2. If you have a martial weapon, and your attacker does not, you gain a counter strike if you make a good defence.

Advanced Armour

There are no hit locations, so the protection given by armour is averaged over the whole body. Armour is chosen in a piecemeal fashion, with the protective bonus of each item being totalled.

Properties of armour

As for weapons, different types of armour may have special properties. Unlike weapons, there are two properties which all armour types are one of - whether they are heavy or light.

A whole suit of armour is considered to be either heavy or light, even if the suit consists of some heavy and some light components. By default, armour is light. If heavy armour covers either the torso and arms, or the torso and legs, then the whole suit of armour is considered heavy.

Bullet Proof

Does not get halved against firearms. Does not automatically count as heavy.

Heavy

Any light weapon will do damage of the next less effective type (e.g. wounds become mixed).

Light

All heavy weapons halve the total protective value of the armour.

Mail

Impaling weapons halve the protective bonus of any mail armour.

Noisy

The armour is noisy, and reduces agility by the given value when the wearer is trying to be stealthy.

Restrictive

The armour is difficult to move in, and reduces agility by the given value for combat (including initiative) and athletic actions.

Soft

The protection value of soft armour is doubled against stun and mixed attacks but halved against impaling attacks.

Vitals

The armour protects the vitals - this is generally limited to heavy armour which protects the torso and head. It provides the value given as a bonus to health checks to survive/remain conscious immediately after being hit.

Choosing armour

A full set of armour can consist of several parts, and a character can mix and match according to preference and finances. Unless otherwise stated, armour cannot be layered (if it is, simply take the best protection value).

Each item of armour has a protection value, and a load. The total load and protection of all worn items is totalled to give the final value. So, a character wearing soft leather trousers (with a protection of 2) and a soft leather jacket (also 2), would have a total armour protection of 4.

Coif

Covers the head, neck and shoulders. May be worn under a helm.

Greaves

Covers the legs. Values given are for a set of greaves, one for each leg.

Hauberk

A term used to describe a mail jacket that covers the torso, arms and legs down to the knees.

Helm

Protects the head.

Jacket

Covers the torso, arms and upper thighs.

Trousers

Covers the legs and lower abdomen.

Vambraces

Protects the arms. As for greaves, values given assume a complete set of vambraces. However, if vambraces are worn on only one arm, the full armour bonus is still gained as long as the other arm is fully protected by a shield.

Vest

Covers the torso and shoulders.

Stacking Armour

Normally, it is not possible to layer armour on top of other armour - if it is managed, only the highest protection value is applied. However, some types of armour are designed to layer, and in this case the protection values are added together.

Soft leather armour can be worn underneath chain or plate armour. Plate armour such as greaves, vambraces and breastplates can be worn over chain armour. It is possible to wear plate over chain over leather.

The other layering combination is that a helm can be worn over a chain mail coif.

Stance

When declaring your action at the start of the round, you may declare a stance. Stance affects how you fight - normally either aggressively or defensively but other stances are possible. Sometimes stance is inflicted upon you - prone is a stance you are forced into if you are knocked to the floor for example. The various stances, and the modifiers they give in combat, are described below.

Aggressive

An aggressive stance risks leaving the character open to attack, but has the benefit of better offense. All attacks are fast, and attack and damage rolls are at +5, however defence is at -10.

Defensive

A defensive stance values defense over offense. Defence rolls are at +5, however attack rolls are at -10, and actions are considered to be slow. Character also adds one to the maximum number of defences they can make that round.

Prone

All actions of a prone character are considered to be slow. Attack and defence rolls whilst prone are at -10. The character can move up to 3m a round.

A prone character can use their action to get to stand up.

Focused

A focused character is performing some action that requires their full attention, and they may not make any defence rolls.

Grappled

A grappled person is holding, or being held by, another person. Neither can defend against attacks made by others, nor can they attack anyone other than the person they are grappling. All combat rolls are made using the brawl skill. If a weapon is being used, then all rolls for that weapon are made at -5 per point of reach of the weapon. Shields cannot be used.

Fumbles in Combat

When making an attack or defence roll, if you roll a natural '1', then a fumble occurs. Some situations may increase this fumble chance. When a fumble occurs, one of a number of possible outcomes results. You get to choose the fumble result unless your opponent has a higher skill, in which case they choose.

Fumbling an attack

A fumbled attack roll is always an automatic miss. You (or your opponent) get to choose from one of the following results.

1. You gain a point of fatigue.
2. You lose your weapon (your are disarmed, or simply drop your weapon).
3. Your primary weapon breaks, but only if it is weak. If it is not weak, then you cannot choose this option.

Fumbling a defence

A fumbled defence roll does not mean an automatic hit for the attacker, unless this option is chosen.

1. Defender gains a point of fatigue.
2. Defender looses weapon (disarmed, choose which weapon if have multiple weapons).
3. Defender's weapon breaks, but only if it is not strong.
4. Fail defence, use base difficulty only.

Other Actions

Drawing a weapon

A weapon may be drawn and used in the same round. Because everything is happening more or less simultaneously, a character may defend with a weapon they are drawing that round, even if their action hasn't come up yet.

Drawing a weapon gives a penalty to all attack and defence rolls of -5 per reach of the weapon that round.

Putting a weapon away

It is normally considered a full action to put a weapon away. Dropping a weapon is free however, so a weapon may be dropped, another one drawn and an attack made in the same round. In this case, any defence rolls are made with the new weapon at the normal penalty, even if you are attacked before your initiative comes up.

One weapon may be put away, and a second drawn in a single round, though other actions cannot be taken that round except for defences, at a penalty equal to 5 + 5 x (total reach of both weapons).

Re-evaluating Initiative

If you got a really bad initiative, you may spend the round re-rolling it. This takes the entire round, and you may not move, attack nor defend that round. At the end of the round, roll initiative again and keep whatever is rolled.

Retreat

If things are going really bad, then you may want to start considering retreating from combat. If you use the defensive stance, and give ground to your attacker, you can gain a bonus to your defense rolls.

You may retreat up to a number of metres equal to your agility, and each metre gives a +3 bonus to your defence roll. However, you may not make any attacks that turn.

Stunts

If the situation allows it, then you may attempt to take advantage of the scenery to give yourself an advantage in an attack by performing a stunt. A stunt may be as simple as leaping straight at your foe, or as complex as jumping over a banister or swinging on a rope.

The base difficulty of the stunt depends on how useful a stunt it actually is. An agility x athletics check is made, and if it succeeds it can be immediately followed by the attack roll. If it fails, then the attack is considered to be a fumble. Stunts are always slow actions.

A successful stunt gives you a +5 to attack or damage per level of success of the stunt. The difficulty of the stunt is up to the GM.

Melee Manoeuvres

Manoeuvres are special actions which anyone can try to perform. They must normally be declared at the time that the attack is declared, and often require a good or better attack success. Failure to achieve the required level of success results in failure.

The available melee manoeuvres are listed below. The required level of success is provided in parenthesis after the name of the manoeuvre. If a stance is also listed, then that stance must be used when making the attack.

Some manoeuvres cause a level of fatigue to be gained. The fatigue is gained immediately after the manoeuvre completes (only on success), so any fatigue penalties do not affect the manoeuvre itself.

Attack Manoeuvres

Charge through (unarmed)

A charge through is an attempt to run through a person, possibly knocking them down, and must always be declared. The defender has the option to either to step aside, or to stand their ground - in either case they get a free strike against you if they wish.

If the defender decides to dodge, then no rolls are made and you charge through the area uncontested. If they try to block, then it is a contest of strength x Brawl. The loser of the contest is knocked prone.

Disarm (excellent)

You disarm your foe. They loose a single weapon of your choice, which falls to the ground within a few metres of them. If made as an unarmed attack, then invokes an additional counter strike if it fails. On a superb success, you may grab the disarmed weapon if you have a free hand.

Grapple (good, unarmed)

Unarmed combat manoeuvre where you try to grab the target's limbs or neck in order to get a hold. Requires a good attack against a limb, and an excellent attack against the neck.

On success, the target is held and an immediate contest of strength x brawl is made to see if the attacker can keep hold. A second success means that the defender loses the rest of their declared actions that round (if any).

Once a target is grappled, they are at -1 to their attribute for any actions. Each extra level of success of the strength check by the attacker increases this penalty by one. If this penalty equals or exceeds the target's Strength or Agility, then they can no longer act.

Improved Damage (excellent, aggressive, fatigue)

Your attack does +5 damage if it hits. If you fail to get an excellent attack, then your entire attack fails completely.

Knockdown (good, aggressive, fatigue)

Your attack aims to force your foe to the ground. If your damage roll (ignoring armour and soak) is greater than your foe's strength x 10, then they are knocked to the ground prone. Damage caused is stun damage, regardless of the weapon.

Massive Damage (superb, aggressive, fatigue)

Your attack does +10 damage if it hits. If you fail to get a superb attack, then your entire attack fails completely.

Overwhelming attacks

Rather than attacking to harm, you aim to prevent your foe from striking. If you succeed, you do no damage, but your foe receives -5 per level of success to any further attacks or defences that they make that round against anyone.

Trip (good, unarmed)

Covers either grabbing a person and throwing them to the ground, or pushing or knocking them off their feet. Generates a free strike. On a good attack, the target is grabbed and a contest of strength x brawl is made. If the second attack roll succeeds, then the defender is thrown and considered prone, otherwise the grab is considered broken.

Each extra level of success for the final throw allows the attacker to cause one stun if desired.

Vital strike (excellent, aggressive, fatigue)

By aiming for your foe's vitals, you can try to take them out in a single blow. If you hit, you cause damage as normal, and your foe must make a health x Size check at 20 + 5 x wounds caused. Failure means that they immediately fall to the ground fatally wounded. Only wounds, not stuns, are considered, and at least one wound must be caused.

Defensive Manoeuvres

Escape hold

If you are being grappled, you may attempt to break free. This must be declared at the start of the round, and does not use a standard attack but is an opposed check between you and the person who has you held.

You both roll strength x brawl, and you suffer a penalty to strength depending on the quality of the hold. If you win, then the hold is broken, otherwise there is no effect.

Grapple Manoeuvres

The following actions may be performed if you have previously grabbed your foe. Remember to reduce their defence by any penalties for being grabbed.

Improve Grapple (good)

If you are currently grappling someone, you may attempt to improve your grapple. Make a standard agility x brawl attack against them, and on a good success their penalty to actions is increased by 1. Each level of success beyond this increases it by another 1.

Break limb (good)

If you are grappling someone, you may attempt to break one of their limbs. A standard agility x Brawl attack is made requiring a good success. If achieved, roll damage as normal, and if two or more levels are caused, then the limb is broken. The target suffers one immediate wound on a broken limb and they are at an additional -40 to all attempts to use it.

Break neck (excellent)

This is the same as breaking a limb, except that an excellent success is required, and three levels of damage need to be caused. On success, the target drops to fatally wounded and must make a health x 4 check to remain alive against 10 + number of levels caused.

Results of a broken neck may be paralysis or suffocation if the victim doesn't die immediately.

Mounted Combat

Fighting from horse back can be tricky, but for a skilled rider it can be a big advantage. Warriors who wish to fight from horseback should look at the mounted combat and mounted archery techniques, since these mitigate most of the problems.

If a character wishes to make a melee attack from the back of a mount, then they must make an agility x riding check at difficulty 15. One roll is required each round that the character has declared any attacks or defenses.

Failure of the riding roll means that the character becomes unstable and loses their attack. Make a second roll at the same difficulty to remain on the horse. If the rider is not using saddle and stirrups, then both difficulties are increased by 5.

The character's ride skill adds to attack rolls made from horseback, against either infantry or other mounted opponents. Characters with the mounted combat technique add this bonus to all their melee rolls (initiative, attack, defence and damage), as well as not needing to make ride rolls each round.

Archery from Horseback

As for melee combat, and missile combat requires a riding roll if firing from horseback. The distance to the target is doubled when firing from horseback.

Missile combat however suffers no penalty if the horse is stationary. No roll is required to stay mounted, and the distance is not doubled.

Mounted charge

A mounted charge is a special kind of attack that uses a lance from horseback, and can only be used after at least a full round of charging. This can only be done from a trained warhorse.

On a successful mounted attack, damage is done with a bonus equal to the strength of the mount (on top of any bonuses due to the ride skill). Furthermore, for each wound dealt, a stun is dealt as well from the shock of the attack.

Fighting Large Animals

It is always possible for someone on foot to strike directly at the mount. Mounts are often quite large however, and some may be more resistant to damage than the rider.

Any animal that has a Size which is 10 levels higher than the attacker (i.e., 15+ if attacked by a Size 5 human) causes all damage against it to be reduced by one level of effectiveness - wounds become mixed, mixed becomes stuns and stuns become ineffective.

The reverse is also true - if a creature's Size is at least 10 levels higher, then the damage is increased in effectiveness. Stuns become mixed, mixed becomes wounds. Wounds are already as deadly as it is possible to be, so are unaffected.

Very large animals, those which have a Size 15 levels higher than that of their opponent, cause damage to be shifted by two categories. In this case, stuns do no damage if shifted down.

Missile Combat

Missile combat includes all forms of ranged combat, from throwing sticks and stones to spears, bows, modern firearms, RPGs and laser weapons. Missile combat happens at the same time as melee combat (in initiative order). As with everything else, all attacks are sort of simultaneous - if your target moves behind a solid wall before your attack comes up in the initiative, you can still shoot at them, but they may count as being in partial cover, since they were in cover for some of the round.

Initiative

As with melee weapons, you may choose whether to act fast, normal or slow when attacking with a missile weapon. Unless otherwise stated, all attacks are assumed to be normal.

Snap shots

You can take a quick shot without any aiming, which is a fast action. This doubles the effective distance to the target. Special manoeuvres may be used unless otherwise stated.

Careful shots

If you take your time over a shot, then your actions are slow. This has the advantage of halving the effective distance to the target. You may combine this with special manoeuvres unless otherwise stated.

Drawing a weapon

As for melee weapons, a missile weapon can be drawn and used in the same round. Regardless of what else you are doing, drawing a weapon means that any attack with it will be a snapshot, and will be slow.

You also suffer a -5 penalty to the attack, plus a further -5 per reach of the weapon.

Rate of Fire

If a weapon has a Rate of Fire greater than one, then it is possible to make multiple attacks in a single round, as long as all the attacks are against a single target. For every full 4 points of skill you have, one extra attack can be made. You cannot make any defence or move actions in a round when firing multiple shots like this. The Recoil of the weapon will take into account all penalties (recoil, reloading etc) for subsequent shots.

If the weapon is listed as being Automatic or Semi-automatic, then use the rules for these types of weapons instead of the above rules. Generally, the above only applies to bolt-action rifles.

Reloading Weapons

Some weapons must be loaded before they can be fired. Loading a weapon takes time, which may be several rounds. The weapon may be fired as a slow action on the round after loading has finished.

Such weapons will be marked as Lo-X, to denote the load time. If X is zero, then the weapon may be loaded and fired in the first round, though as a slow snap shot. Bows are examples of Lo-0 weapons.

If you have zero skill in the right weapon skill, then the load times are increased by one or doubled (whichever is greater). Modifiers (such as techniques) which bring the load time to less than zero may ignore delays due to reloading weapons.

Magazines and reloading

Some weapons may have a magazine capacity and a reload time. In this case, the reload time is to reload the magazine - reloads between each shot is not required.

Reach and Close Combat

Missile weapons, like melee weapons, have a reach defined for them. Though they are not meant for use in melee combat, the reach determines how slow the weapon is to aim, and how clumsy it is in close quarters battle. A low reach is generally good, though high reach weapons tend to be more accurate.

Missile weapons with a high reach are not effective against very close targets, either because they are hard to aim, or just because the defender can easily knock the weapon aside or dodge within its length.

Very close ranges are divided into three different threat bands for missile attacks - Close, Melee and Move.

Close (Reach 0)

Grappling, or fighting with reach 0 melee weapons, such as fists or knives.

Melee (Reach 1)

Melee combat is anytime the target is fighting you with a melee weapon (of any reach), or if they are within 3m.

Move (Reach 2)

Move range is within the target's combat move (not your combat move). For most people this is 6m.

If a missile weapon has a reach less than the associated threat band above, then the weapon is unaffected by combat at that range. A pistol can be used normally against anyone at Melee distance or beyond, a typical SMG (reach 1) at move distance or greater.

Impaired

If a weapon has a reach equal to the threat band, then they are impaired. The target always gets their full defence (even against firearms), and the weapon does not get its attack bonus.

Crippled

If the weapon has a reach greater than the threat band, then it is crippled. All the penalties of being impaired apply, plus all attacks are automatically slow, and the attack roll is halved.

Weapons with a reach of 3 or greater will be crippled in any close quarters s