Combat
For Variable Fighter basics, go here.
For Advanced Dodge/High-G Manuvering rules, go here.
The Combat Round
Combat is conducted in a series of rounds, in which each character states their intended actions against the enemy. When all characters have had a chance to act, the GM posts a resolution which contains the actions of the enemy and other non-player characters in that round, the result of every character's actions, and provides a starting point for the next round. The GM resolution can be thought of as a summary of everything that is happening in the battle each round.
Actions
Each character can perform a number of actions each round equal to their Speed score (but never less than three). For example, a character with a Speed of 5 would receive 5 actions per round, a character with a Speed of 3 would receive 3 actions per round, but a character with a Speed of 1 would still receive 3 actions per round.
Basic Action Examples
- Aim - Increase the chance of hitting a target.
- Block - Attempt to block enemy fire with the mecha's shield, if equipped with one. Cannot be used in fighter mode.
- Dodge - Increase the chance of avoiding an attack.
- Fire Weapon - Attack a target using a specified weapon - eg, "Fire gunpod" or "launch x missiles".
- Move - Change speed and/or perform a maneuver. A character may perform a maneuver (as simple as turning or as complex as a Cobra) and change speed in the same action.
- Punch/Kick/Throw - Each type of physical attack counts as one action.
Some actions are considered free actions, meaning that you do not spend an action by performing them:
- Communication - Transmit a brief radio message, such as a warning to squadmates: "Hey, look out!"
- Transform - Transform your fighter between fighter, gerwalk, and battroid modes.
Success or Failure
The success or failure of most actions, such as attacks or complex maneuvers, depends on the outcome of a skill check. When the GM rolls a skill check, they add the value of the skill being used, the primary characteristic linked to that skill, and the result of a d20 roll. Therefore, the basic formula is:
Characteristic + Skill + d20
When a skill is used against an opponent, the result of the skill check is compared against the result of an opponent's skill check, and the higher number wins. For example, if John's attack using Hand-to-Hand results in a skill check of 13, and Jill's attempt to dodge using Evade results in a skill check of 15, Jill successfully avoids John's attack.
When the skill is used to accomplish a task that does not involve an opponent (such as kicking in a door or jumping over a fence), the skill check result must be greater than a certain Difficulty Value, a number set by the GM to reflect the difficulty of the task.