Rules of Kombat

During combat, the players may describe an action (Kick him in the face! or perhaps, Sweep out his legs and punch his throat! Throw a bolt of lightning!) and then roll a 1d100. The higher the result, the more likely it is to happen. The GM then rolls his own dice in secret, or there may be a flat value the attack has to beat. A roll of 100 will always succeed and a roll of 1 will always fail; only those two rolls can cancel each other out. If the attack is successful, the enemy will be damaged. If the attack is unsuccessful, the protagonist will be damaged. Sometimes, depending on how close the rolls are, neither will be damaged and the fight will proceed until one user is beaten. As this is a story-driven game, story will take priority over combat, and sometimes events beyond player control will occur. The choices players make will also affect combat; sometimes, an ally may come to their aid.

Though it seems obvious, players cannot roll to make a character do something they physically impossibly cannot do, such as throwing a fireball when the character does not possess the power to do so.

Bonuses to combat rolls are handed out at the GM's discretion, but a new feature is being implemented: enhanced special moves, breakers and X-Ray moves. The protagonist can only perform three of these enhanced moves during a battle, and each one confers a +10 to the roll, in addition to any other bonuses that are applied. The players can attack with special moves as many times as they like, but only three enhanced moves can be used per fight. There must be a period of rest between fights in order to gain these enhanced moves back; a continuous battle in which the protagonist fights one opponent immediately after the other or multiple opponents at once will not recharge them.

A breaker can be used to break through an opponent's offense, and uses two slots that could be used by enhanced special moves. A breaker will actually lower the threshold of an opponent's rolls, making it easier to defeat them. While it does not do any damage on its own, it makes an opponent easier to defeat.

An X-Ray uses all three slots and is a devastatingly powerful move, usually involving snapping a limb or breaking a jaw or some other powerful attack. Players can perform an X-Ray and describe what they want to happen, but keep in mind that X-Ray moves, while they would likely kill a normal man, are not fatal. The fighters of the realms are hardy and can often bounce back from the most severe of injuries, even after their leg has been broken three times. It's best not to look too closely at the over-the-top gore and bone-shattering attacks.

Finally, there are moments when the GM will allow players to FINISH HIM! (or HER!). The players can all describe a fatality, brutality or any such form of death-dealing finisher and roll a 1d100. The highest-rolling will be used and the GM will write the finisher with spectacle. Players can also choose to be merciful, should they be so inclined.