OtherSpace:Millennium Combat

This combat system is used to resolve conflicts involving violence when a set source of arbitration is needed. Most of the time, a staff member will be called in to supply modifiers, guided by the examples set forth in this article.

How Attributes are Used In Combat
Dexterity: At the beginning of some combat, judges (or players) can use reaction rolls to determine who makes the first move such as in a face-to-face pistol duel. If the characters start on even ground, the modifier is 0. If one character has a distinct advantage or disadvantage, modifiers may be applied. To dodge an attack with raw dexterity, the modifier starts at -2.

Strength: The strength statistic partially determines a character's ODF. It may also come into play in shoving matches and other contested actions where brute force is a factor.

Constitution: Constitution partially determines a character's capacity for enduring punishment. In the game, constitution reduces the amount of damage taken from any given blow.

Perception: Perception represents the ability to see a trap before it springs, sense an attacker behind you before you're stabbed in the back, identify a concealed weapon or locate useful cover in the middle of a firefight, among other things.

Willpower: Willpower most often comes into play in psionic combat. Willpower is normally rolled at 0. Those with the Psi Resistant gift roll at +2, generally.

Intelligence: Intelligence is not normally rolled in combat, however, the intelligence of a character determines the innate defense one has against psionic attacks.

Psi: The Psi attribute itself is rarely rolled in combat, except by psionists as a substitute for willpower. This attribute, however, amplifies the power of psionic skills, and can be used to detect the use of psionics.

Charisma: Charisma is not normally rolled in combat.

How secondary attribute are determined
Secondary attributes are those stats that are relevent in combat, but are not raised directly. They are determined by other variables.

How combat skills work
Combat skills work differently depending on whether the skills are ranged or melee.

Ranged Weapons
Range weapons are fired, and, depending on their range from the target, have a modifier applied. These modifiers are different for each weapon, and the skill rolled depends on the nature of the weapon. Each weapon has a different set of range modifiers. OS considers five major ranged categories of weapons. When burst fire weapons are involved (as in weapons that may fire more than one shot a round), they must all be fired at the same target.

Combat ranges defined
For ranged weapons, in their help file, they give modifiers for range, the modifiers are defined as:

Close: 0-3 feet. This is also the range melee combat is assumed to take place at.

Short: 4-20 feet.

Medium: 21-100 feet.

Long: 100-1000 feet.

Extreme: 1000+ feet.

Melee Combat Skills
Melee combat skills are the skills that fight in close quarters. Individual melee skills have different advantages.

Blunt weapons are small weapons (one handed, generally), that do not have sharp edges. The main advantage of this category is that they may be used to stun an opponent, instead of do longer lasting harm. These weapons average about 35 base ODF.

Polearm weapons are large weapons that put a great deal of space between the wielder and the opponent. An opponent takes -1 on the round they approach in melee if they do not use a polearm as well. Polearm users also have the option to take a -1 on their attack roll to move backwards. This does in fact force an attacker to take a -1 on their next attack as though they were entering the polearm's range again. These weapons average about 35 base ODF.

Swords have the highest melee ODF, averaging about 50 base ODF.

Knives have lower damage, but are quick to wield. Knife fighters gain +3 to the initial dexterity roll to determine who goes first in a combat situation. These weapons average 15 base ODF.

Unarmed/claw combat has the lowest damage of all, but has the same +3 dexterity benefit to see who goes first, and requires no weapon. Base ODF starts at 10 for those with claws, 0 for those without.

Armor Skills
Armor skills allow a character to effectively use armor. Skill level determines the efficiency of armor use.

Non-Existance: 0% Terrible: 20% Poor: 40% Mediocre: 60% Fair: 80% Good: 100% Great: 100% and negative modifiers related to wearing armor decrease by one. Superb: 100%, negative modifiers related to wearing armor decrease by one, and an additional 10 DDF.

Defending
A defender will defend with either dexterity at -2 or a relevant combat skill if possible. Melee skills may be used to defend against combat skills in melee range. Dexterity at -2 is the only direct defense against guns. Multiple instances of defending after the first attack in a round suffer a cumulative -1 penalty. Thus, the second defense in a round suffers -1, while the third suffers -2, and so on.

These negative defense modifiers may be negated by forgoing an attack for the round and assuming a 'full defense' like position.

If someone defends a melee attack with four or more levels of success above the attacker, they may take a 'free action' counterattack at their normal modifiers. This does not negate a full defense position.

In the case of ranged attacks with multiple attacks in a round, such as assault weapons, there is no penalty for dodging each salvo at once. However, if a second salvo is fired in a round, the dodge penalties would be at -1. The third salvo at -2. The attacks from multiple attack weapons do not incur penalties for each multiple shot burst. If a weapon has three attacks a round, all three attacks may be made without additional penalty for quantity of attacks.

Combat modifiers
In addition to the above listed modifiers, some other modifiers may be applied to a situation. Listed below are some examples of modifiers.

Dual Wield
Dual wielding is the act of using two weapons at once, most often guns. However, since this has a detrimental effect on accuracy, the first weapon is at a -2 modifier, while the second is at a -3 modifier.

Movement
Movement is a part of combat: Ducking, dodging, positioning. Those are included as part of the skills. However, substantial movement, as in changing firing location, and trying to attack incur penalties as well. Walking and firing a gun, for instance, is a -1 penalty. Running while trying to fire that same gun is at -2.

Cover
Trying to hit someone behind a substantial amount of cover incurs penalties as well. The person behind cover will roll defense like normal. The attack will be at a penalty for the attack. With guns having a substantial advantage when hitting, finding cover as fast as possible is highly advisable.

25% cover: -1 penalty

50% cover: -2 penalty

75% cover: -3 penalty

90+% cover: -4, or, in this case, it may be deemed that the target cannot be hit from the current location of the attacker.

Blind
Shooting blind with only a minimal idea as to a target's location incurs a -6 penalty.

How combat progresses
In general circumstances, a fight will start with requiring the involved characters to make dexterity rolls. Most of these are at 0. However, if characters have a distinct advantage or disadvantage modifiers may be applies. Ties are rerolled between those who tied. The turn order for the combat scene is then considered to be the character with the highest reaction roll down to the character with the lowest reaction roll.

The character who wins the dexterity roll contest may pose taking an action first. The ref of the scene may then declare the relevant skill to be rolled and at what modifier. After the player makes the roll, the defender rolls the relevant defense. The defender poses the result on their turn. This cycle continues until the end of the scene, or the end of combat.