In this sytem, you get an amount of AP. The exact amount you get is determined by the following formula: 20 + STR + DEX + 2xEND. You get a bonus to this from your athletics skill. Each point raises your AP pool by 2 points. There are also some feats and traits which will give you additional AP, and enchanted items can directly or indirectly increase your AP.
You can spend 10 AP to take a move action. This move action must be uninterrupted (ie. you can't move part of it, attack and then move again on the same move action) and allows you to move up to your character's speed.
To make a basic attack will usually cost 10 AP, but it is based on the weapon you are using. Some light weapons will allow you to attack for less AP and some heavy weapons may require more.
If you are using a machine ranged weapon, once it is out of ammo, you will need to spend AP to reload it. The exact amount varies from weapon to weapon. Thrown weapons would be equipped rather than reloaded and bows do not need AP to be spent to reload.
To equip a weapon costs a different amount of AP depending on the size of the weapon. A 2 handed weapon will cost 10 AP to equip. One handed weapons cost 5 AP. Light weapons cost 2 AP.
For ranged weapons: both archery and machineweapons will cost 10 AP to equip. Thrown weapons cost 1 AP.
To make an attack, a character must decide upon a body part to target and then roll a d20, adding their attack bonus.
A character's attack bonus is calculated by adding their relevant stat bonus for the weapon with any other relevant bonuses. For example, an attack with a longbow would be the sum of the character's dexterity bonus and their Archery skill level.
Choosing a body part wisely is an essential strategic decision. Torsos are usually the most heavily armoured section of the body, but bringing it to 0 hp will render the target unconscious. The head will have the least HP and likely be less heavily armoured, but attacking it comes at a -4 penalty to hit.
The defender of the attack must decide if they wish to attempt to dodge the attack or parry it before the attacker makes their roll.
Dodging an attack will cost 5 AP. Parrying will cost 10, but comes with a free counter attack.
In order to dodge the attack, there must be a vacant tile adjacent to where they’re currently standing. The defender must declare which tile they are dodging into before the attack roll is made. If the defender chooses to dodge the attack, and are able to, the attacker must simply roll higher than the defender’s dodge score to land the hit. If this attack roll is unsuccessful, the defender will move into the tile they declared they would dodge into. Additionally, if you have already dodged from a tile this round (resets at the start of your own turn) then you cannot dodge back into it. If you are in a confined space against multiple foes, dodging all attacks will likely not be an option.
If they choose to parry the attack, the defender will roll a d20 and add their parry score. If their parry roll is higher than the attacker’s attack roll, they will avoid damage and be able to attempt a counter attack. Attacks made as a counter after a successful parry cannot be parried but can be dodged.
You may parry with any weapon, but ranged weapons usually come with penalties to parry. You may parry any attack but ranged attacks are nearly impossible to parry, coming with a flat -10 penalty to parry them.
Your parry score is equal to your attack bonus - 5 and + any other relevant bonuses (eg. from enchantments)
Consecutive attacks on the same body part give the defender a +2 bonus to parry.
When a character takes damage directly to their health, they will be in pain and will be less capable at taking actions.
Until the end of the character's next turn, they will take a penalty to their dodge score, parry rolls and to attack rolls. The penalty taken is determined by the following formulae and based on endurance, the damage taken and where the attack was landed.
All one-handed and light weapons can be wielded in your off-hand. Wielding a weapon in your off-hand gives a -2 penalty to your main attack, but gives a second basic attack with penalties. It may be required for some special moves.
Wielding a one-handed weapon in your off-hand will grant you an extra attack with a -5 penalty to hit, and a -3 penalty to damage.
Wielding a light handed weapon in your off-hand will grant you an extra attack with -3 penalty to hit and a -1 penalty to damage. You will also receive a parry bonus determined by the weapon’s governing attribute (usually DEX).
Beyond basic attacks, you can create your own custom special moves. You gain more slots for these as you put points into combat related skills and can combine abilities from different skills you have available.
Each special move is made up of multiple special abilities. These unlock as you raise different combat related skills. Each ability confers a cost, making you able to use the ability a fewer number of times per rest.
You can use a special ability 10 + Character Level - Ability Costs per day. Additionally, each rest, you may choose one special move per character level to use one additional time per day. You may choose the same special move more than once with this bonus (eg. if you are a level 7 character, you could choose one special move to use 7 extra times per day).
Note that if a special move would have a negative number of uses per day, each of these extra uses will still only add one use. ie. If a level 4 character has a special move with a total ability cost of 16, this would result in the special move having -2 uses per rest. The character would need to use up three of their four extra special move uses to bring this to one use per rest.
Combat manoeuvres are available to everyone in combat, but may require specific equipment to do.