Bulletproof Blues 2e EN:Actions

Time And Distance

Time

Most of the time, time in the game is split into scenes. A scene usually starts when the characters arrive at a place, and ends when they leave. A scene could also be a period of time while the characters are together and moving toward a destination. In some cases, a scene might end even though the characters haven't moved at all, such as when they go to sleep, or when a fight ends and they begin talking about their plans for what to do next.

If the characters are in combat or in some other tense situation, time seems to slow down. Every decision takes on a greater importance. A video game designer from the early 2000s might call this "bullet time", but we just call it combat time.

Combat time is divided into rounds. One combat round is six seconds, give or take, giving us ten rounds per minute. In a round, each character gets a turn. During their turn, a character can travel a distance up to their base movement (walking, typically) and still have time to do something useful, such as making an attack or using a skill, and engage in some banter with their teammates or anyone else nearby, such as telling a henchman to "run, you fools". We call these "task actions", "movement actions", and "roleplaying actions", respectively. A character can perform a task before they move or after they move, but they can't usually break up their movement to perform a task in the middle of it.

Benchmarks

We assign numbers to characters' abilities so that we can tell what they can do. No one wants to guess what their characters can pick up or how fast they can fly. You will notice that the relationship between one rank and the next is not constant. At low ranks, each rank is roughly double the value of the previous rank, while at the highest ranks, the increase is approximately eightfold. In between, each rank is roughly quadruple the previous value. This variation is intentional, to offer greater variety to characters of "human" power level, while permitting truly extraordinary power levels at the highest ranks. All of the numbers in this table are approximate: don't be too concerned about it if something is on the edge between one value and the next. When in doubt, err on the side of the players.

The movement distances in this table are for powers, such as Flight, Super-running, and Teleport. If the character has only their natural movement (running, swimming, and jumping), then their movement distance is based on their Agility and Brawn. See Movement for more information.

Table: Benchmarks

Rank	Breaks	Lifts	Throws (50 lbs)	Affects (radius or range)	Base Move	Double Move	All-out Move
					Per Round	Per Round	Per Round	MPH
1	Cardboard	100 pounds	6 feet	50 feet	50 feet	100 feet	300 feet	30 mph
2	Plastic	225 pounds	12 feet	100 feet	100 feet	200 feet	600 feet	70 mph
3	Wood	450 pounds	25 feet	400 feet	400 feet	800 feet	2,400 feet	300 mph
4	Bone	900 pounds	50 feet	1,600 feet	1,600 feet	3,200 feet	2 miles	1,000 mph
5	Brick	2 tons	200 feet	1 mile	1 mile	2 miles	6 miles	4,000 mph
6	Concrete	7 tons	800 feet	5 miles	5 miles	10 miles	30 miles	20,000 mph
7	Stone	30 tons	4,000 feet	20 miles	20 miles	40 miles	120 miles	70,000 mph
8	Ceramic	100 tons	3 miles	80 miles	80 miles	160 miles	480 miles	300,000 mph
9	Steel	400 tons	10 miles	300 miles	300 miles	600 miles	1,800 miles	1,000,000 mph
10	Diamond	2,000 tons	40 miles	1,200 miles	1,200 miles	2,400 miles	7,200 miles	5,000,000 mph
11	Nanodiamond	10,000 tons	300 miles	10,000 miles	10,000 miles	20,000 miles	60,000 miles	30,000,000 mph
12	Stanlium	100,000 tons	3,000 miles	80,000 miles	80,000 miles	160,000 miles	480,000 miles	300,000,000 mph
13	Siegelite	1,000,000 tons	20,000 miles	600,000 miles	600,000 miles	1,200,000 miles	3,600,000 miles	0.9 c
14	Kirbium	10,000,000 tons	160,000 miles	5,000,000 miles	5,000,000 miles	10,000,000 miles	30,000,000 miles	0.99 c

1. Breaks indicates the strongest substance that the character would be able to break under normal circumstances. The thickness of the material and other factors make this a rough estimate, at best.
2. Lifts indicates the greatest weight that the character can "clean and jerk" (pick up and lift overhead). A character carrying or supporting such a weight can take at most one or two steps per round. A character can move normally while carrying a weight corresponding to one rank less than their Brawn. For example, a character with rank 8 Brawn could carry up to 30 tons and suffer no penalties to their movement while doing so.
3. Throws (50 lbs) indicates the farthest distance that a character could throw a compact object weighing 50 lbs. To see how far a character can throw heavier objects, subtract the Brawn rank required to lift the object from the character's total Brawn rank. Look up the difference in the "Rank" column: this indicates how far the character can throw the object. For example, a character with rank 4 Brawn (the peak of human potential) could throw an object weighing 100 lbs (such as a cooperative slender human) up to 25 feet.
4. Affects (radius or range) indicates the radius around the character that they can affect with their powers if their powers affect a radius, or the maximum range of the power if it affects a single target. For example, (Element) Mastery can move or manipulate the chosen element within this area and can use the element to inflict direct damage to a target up to this distance away. The "radius" value is not used for powers that inflict damage directly unless they have been purchased with the Explosive Damage power enhancement.

XXX add table: How heavy is it?

XXX add table: How fast is it?

Off The Scale

Obviously, there are values which are far below or far above what appears in this table. The Moon, with mass of roughly 8.1 × 10¹⁹ tons, is far more than even a character with rank 14 Brawn could move, while a baby or a housecat has a Brawn less than 1. Don't worry about it. At such extremes, the GM should just use their best judgement, and the rest of the players should roll with it.

Movement

In a round, a character can normally walk ten times their Agility in feet and still have time to take an action (such as attack). This is referred to as the character's base speed. A character's running speed is double their walking speed, and their sprinting speed is triple their running speed.

If the character has only their natural movement (running, swimming, and jumping), then their movement distance is based on their Agility and Brawn. The movement distances granted by powers, such as Super-running, Swinging, and Teleport, are significantly greater. See Benchmarks for more information.

Table: Normal ground movment

Agility	Walk (base move)	Run (double move)	Sprint (all-out move)
	feet/round	feet/round	feet/round	mph
1	10	20	60	7
2	20	40	120	14
3	30	60	180	20
4	40	80	240	27
5	50	100	300	34
6	60	120	360	41
7	70	140	420	48
8	80	160	480	55
9	90	180	540	61
10	100	200	600	68
11	110	220	660	75
12	120	240	720	82
13	130	260	780	89
14	140	280	840	95

A character's base swimming speed is twice their Agility in feet, and their base standing long jump is three times their Brawn in feet. Swimming may be used to "run" (make a double move) or "sprint" (move all-out), but jumping may not. However, with a running long jump, the character's ground movement is added to their long jump distance.

Table: Normal water movment

Agility	Swim (base move)	Fast swim (double move)	Sprint (all-out move)
	feet/round	feet/round	feet/round	MPH
1	2	4	12	1
2	4	8	24	3
3	6	12	36	4
4	8	16	48	5
5	10	20	60	7
6	12	24	72	8
7	14	28	84	10
8	16	32	96	11
9	18	36	108	12
10	20	40	120	14
11	22	44	132	15
12	24	48	144	16
13	26	52	156	18
14	28	56	168	19

Table: Normal jump

Brawn	Long jump (feet)
1	3
2	6
3	9
4	12
5	15
6	18
7	21
8	24
9	27
10	30
11	33
12	36
13	39
14	42

If the character is running or sprinting, they can cover more ground, but skills are more difficult, and their attacks are easier to avoid. A character who is running or making a double move incurs a +3 difficulty modifier on any attacks or task rolls. A character who is sprinting or making an all-out move incurs a +6 difficulty modifier on any attacks or task rolls.

A character using their natural (Agility based) movement may move all-out for up to one minute, but then may move no faster than their base speed for an amount of time ten times as long as they were sprinting. So a character who sprinted for three rounds (18 seconds) may not run or sprint for thirty rounds (180 seconds). This limitation does not apply to characters using a movement power, such as Super-runnng or Super-swimming. A character with a movement power can move all-out without needing to rest afterward (unless they want to, of course).

If a character has a power that increases their movement rate, such as Super-running or Super-jumping, then they move at the speed indicated by the power rather than at the speed indicated by their Agility or Brawn. Movement powers, such as Super-swimming and Teleportation, may also be used to "run" (make a double move) or "sprint" (make an all-out move), and incur the same difficulty modifiers when they do.

Range Bands

Weapons and powers that are useful at a distance have an effective range based on the power's rank. This distance is on the Benchmarks table under "Affects". For example, a rank 7 Blast has an effective range of 20 miles. Attacking targets at more distant ranges is more difficult or impossible (at the GM's discretion). If the GM declares that the attack is possible, the defender gains a +3 difficulty modifier (or defense bonus) for each additional range band.

For example, if a character is being attacked by someone 1,600 feet away (range band 4), and the attacker is using a pistol (which is normally useful up to 400 feet, or range band 3), the defender would gain a +3 defense bonus.

Actions

There are four kinds of actions a character may perform during their turn in a round: free actions, movement actions, task actions, and roleplay actions. Under normal circumstances, a character can perform one movement action and one task action during their round. In addition, a character can perform as many free actions and roleplay actions as the GM deems reasonable.

When it is not a character's turn, they can still react to events around them. Reactions can be attempted at any time, as often as the GM deems reasonable.

Free Action

A free action takes essentially no time. A character can't perform free actions until it is their turn to act in the round, but during their turn, they can perform as many free actions as the GM deems reasonable (perhaps as many as a half dozen). Typical free actions include activating a power (but not attacking with it), deactivating a power, dropping a weapon, crouching behind cover, and so on.

Movement Action

With a movement action, a character may stand up from a prone or seated position, they may move the distance permitted by their Agility and/or Brawn rank (depending on whether they are running, swimming, jumping, or running and jumping), or they may use a movement power to move up to the maximum distance that the rank of their power allows. With the GM's permission, the character may instead perform any equivalent action: opening a bank vault, screwing in a light bulb, or what have you.

Movement does not generally require a task roll, although the GM may require an Athletics task roll if there is some obstacle to the character's free movement (distractions, inclement weather, injury, etc.).

Task Action

With a task action, a character may attempt to perform one task. This could be attempting a skill task roll, attempting to attack an opponent in combat, activating a power and attacking someone with it, or a similar activity. Under normal circumstances, a character may perform a task action before or after a movement action, but not during it.

Roleplay Action

Like a free action, a roleplay action takes essentially no time. During their turn, the character can perform as many roleplay actions as the GM deems reasonable (perhaps as many as a half dozen). Typical roleplay actions include banter with the character's teammates, making fun of an enemy's name or costume, or declaring that the opponent "shall not pass".

Unlike free actions, a character can usually perform roleplay actions at any time, whether it is their round or not. Bulletproof Blues makes roleplaying an explicit action during combat to encourage players to roleplay. In the heat of combat, it can be easy to forget that roleplaying is an essential part of the game.

Reaction

Reactions are usually responses to something another character does, and are usually made at the request of the GM. For example, if a character is hit with a staggering attack, the character will need to make a Willpower task roll to keep from being staggered. A character can perform reactions at any time, as often as the GM deems reasonable.

Rolling Dice

When a character attempts a task, and the outcome is either contested or there is some random element involved, the player rolls 2d6, counts the dots, and adds the result to the relevant attribute. This roll is compared to a difficulty number the GM assigns. The attempt succeeds if the player's roll equals or exceeds the assigned difficulty.

Unopposed Tasks

Unopposed tasks are those tasks where no one is actively opposing against the character. When attempting an unopposed task, the GM simply sets a task difficulty. More difficult tasks have a high task difficulty. The attempt succeeds if the player's roll equals or exceeds the task difficulty.

Easy tasks do not require a roll at all: if a character has any competence at all with an easy task, they succeed. Similarly, routine tasks should rarely require a roll unless there is some dramatic need for it. Most tasks are assumed to be "challenging". A challenging task is one that requires a roll to resolve, and which has a task difficulty of 12. More difficult tasks have a higher task difficulty, requiring a greater roll in order to perform the task successfully. If the task difficulty exceeds the character's relevant attribute (plus bonuses) by more than 12, the task is just too difficult for that character to perform.

(XXX working need more specific examples)

Table: Difficulty examples

Task difficulty		Examples
--	Easy	Operate simple machines
9	Routine	Understand and modify simple machines, operate current technology
12	Challenging	Understand and modify current technology, operate advanced technology
15	Demanding	Design and build current technology, understand and modify advanced technology
18	Frustrating	Design and build advanced technology, operate advanced alien technology
21	Nigh-impossible	Understand and modify advanced alien technology

Opposed Tasks

Opposed tasks are those tasks where the character is actively competing against an opponent. This is often the result of combat, but it may be something non-violent. For example, a computer hacker may be trying to penetrate a system, while the system administrator is trying to close the back door and locate the hacker. The person initiating the conflict rolls the dice, and the attack succeeds if the attacker's roll equals or exceeds the task difficulty. When attempting an opposed task, the task difficulty is equal to 8 plus the defender's relevant attribute.

XXX example

If the circumstances of the conflict favor one of the opponents, the task difficulty may be adjusted upwards or downwards. Generally speaking, circumstances which favor the attacker are applied as attribute bonuses to the task roll (also called an "attack bonus"), while circumstances which favor the defender are applied as difficulty modifiers which increase the task difficulty (also called a "defense bonus").

Generally, only the largest attribute bonus and the largest difficulty modifier apply. For example, if the target of an attack is both blind and helpless, the attacker would gain a +6 bonus, not +12. Similarly, if both the attacker and the defender are sprinting, the defender would gain a +6 difficulty modifier, not +9. One exception to this rule is when attacking an object held by the target. Attacking an object held by a target adds a +3 difficulty modifier, and this modifier is cumulative with any other defense modifier that may be in effect. For example, if the attacker can't see the defender, attacking something held by the defender would incur a +9 difficulty modifier (+6 for not being able to see the target, and +3 for attacking a held object).

Table: Attribute bonuses

Attribute bonus (attack bonus)	Circumstance
+0	Defender is walking (base movement speed)
+3	Defender can't see the attacker
+3	Defender is restrained
+3	Defender is surprised
+6	Defender is completely blind
+6	Defender is unconscious or helpless

Table: Difficulty modifiers

Difficulty modifier (defense bonus)	Circumstance
+0	Attacker is walking (base movement speed)
+3	Attacker can't see the defender
+3	Attacker is restrained
+3	Attacker is running (base move x2)
+3	Defender is sprinting (base move x6)
+3	Attacking a held item 1
+6	Attacker is completely blind
+6	Attacker is sprinting (base move x6)

1. Cumulative with other difficulty modifiers

Extended Tasks

Some tasks are more complex or time-consuming than can reasonably be resolved with a single task roll. For example, constructing a starship and racing through a city might both be extended tasks. When attempting an extended task, the GM sets a task difficulty and the required number of successes. The GM might also set a maximum number of attempts, to indicate tasks which have a time limit or a penalty for failure, such as disarming a bomb before it explodes. If a character attempting an extended task has relevant expertise and rolls an extreme success, this counts as three successes toward accomplishing the extended task. In extended opposed tasks, such as a competition between rival scientists to create a cure for a disease, the first person or team to achieve the required number of successful task rolls succeeds at the task.

Some extended tasks might benefit from a multidisciplinary approach. For example, disabling an alien doomsday weapon would obviously benefit from engineering expertise, but a keen understanding of alien psychology or linguistics could also be helpful. This allows characters with different skills to combine their efforts to accomplish the task.

XXX insert really complicated example

Taking The Average

If the character is under no pressure, and there is no penalty for failure or there is no time limit, the player may "take the average", and assume that they would roll an average amount (rounded up in the player's favor): 7. In effect, the character is treating the task as routine.

Note that opposed rolls -- whether it is physical combat (such as a gunfight), psychic combat (such as a battle of wills), or a social conflict (such as a marital dispute) -- typically involve both a time limit and a penalty for failure.

Taking The Max

If the character is under no pressure, and there is no penalty for failure and there is no time limit, the player may "take the max", and assume that they would roll the maximum amount: 12. In effect, the character is trying over and over until they do the best they are capable of doing.

Note that opposed rolls -- whether it is physical combat (such as a gunfight), psychic combat (such as a battle of wills), or a social conflict (such as a marital dispute) -- typically involve both a time limit and a penalty for failure.

Extreme Success

If the player's roll equals or exceeds the task difficulty, the character succeeds at the task in a completely satisfactory manner: the clue is found, the language is translated, or the lightning bolt hits its target. However, rolling higher than the required task difficulty may grant additional benefits. If the player has expertise in the power or skill, and rolls three or more over the task difficulty, the character achieves an extreme success. So if a character attempted a challenging task (task difficulty 12), and the player rolled 15 or more, this would be an extreme success.

If the player rolls three or more over the task difficulty set by the GM, and the character has expertise in the power or skill, this is an extreme success. If making a skill roll, then perhaps the character has a "eureka!" moment, or perhaps they have found answers to questions they didn't even know they should ask. If the player rolls an extreme success in combat, the attacker may choose one of three bonus effects, unless the description of the power says otherwise: overwhelming the target, slamming the target, or staggering the target.

Overwhelming

An overwhelming attack adds three ranks to the power, solely for the purposes of that attack. For attack powers that inflict Endurance damage, this means that the damage rating of the power is increased by three. If the overwhelming power normally inflicts Endurance damage, then the additional damage rating is also Endurance damage, and the character's protection powers, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, apply as usual to the total damage rating of the attack. For attacks that inflict some other form of damage or have some other effect, the total rank of the power is increased by three, with the commensurate effect on the target.

Slamming

Only attacks that normally inflict Endurance damage can result in a slamming attack. If a character is hit with a slamming attack, they may attempt a Brawn task roll against the rank of the attack (the target rolls 2d6 and adds their Brawn; the task difficulty is 8 plus the rank of the attack power). If the target succeeds with their Brawn task roll, they shrug off the slam with no ill effects. If the target fails their Brawn task roll, they are knocked backward a considerable distance. Compare the amount the target missed their roll by to the Benchmarks table. Look up the rank that matches the amount by which they missed the roll, and match that to the distance in the "Throws" column.

A character who is slammed may take additional damage when they land. This is usually equal to half of the amount that the character missed their Brawn roll by. This is normal Endurance damage, so the character's protection powers, such as Invulnerability and Force Field, apply as usual.

Staggering

Only attacks that normally inflict Endurance damage can result in a staggering attack. If a character is hit with a staggering attack, they may attempt a Willpower task roll against the rank of the attack (the target rolls 2d6 and adds their Willpower; the task difficulty is 8 plus the rank of the attack power). If the target succeeds with their Willpower task roll, they shrug off the stagger with no ill effects. If the target fails their Willpower task roll, they are staggered, losing their next action (their next action on this round if they have not yet taken one; otherwise, their next action on the following round).

Any powers which must be activated, such as Force Field and Growth, normally turn off when a character is staggered. However, a staggered character may attempt a challenging Willpower task roll (task difficulty 12) to keep their powers activated while staggered. Any powers which are deactivated can't be turned back on until the character is able to take their next action.

Combat

Order Of Play

Everything that happens in a round is assumed to occur more or less simultaneously, but the players can't all speak at once. To keep the game orderly, we need a way to determine the order in which characters act when combat starts.

The most important factor in determining who acts before whom is situational awareness. If a character is not aware of their opponent, then they don't have the opportunity to attack. For example, if a hero is lurking on a rooftop and observes a gang of hooligans breaking into an electronics store, there is no need to roll to see who goes first. The hooligans are unaware that there is anyone to fight, so they continue carrying boxes of loot out of the store. In the first round of combat, only hero has the opportunity to act. Depending on what the hero does, and how sneaky they are, it's possible that they might be the only one with an opportunity to act for several rounds. Only after the hooligans become aware of the hero do they get the opportunity to act. At that point, the order of action in each round is the hero first, and then the hooligans. If the combatants become aware of their adversaries in a set order, then that is the order in which they act in combat.

In cases where the various combatants become aware of each other more or less simultaneously, then the order in which characters take their actions during a round is determined by their Perception, Agility, and Willpower. The characters with a higher rank in Perception may take their actions before those who have lower Perception. Of those characters whose Perception ranks are equal, the characters with a higher rank in the Agility attribute may use their actions before those of lower Agility. If two characters have equal Perception and Agility attributes, then the character with the higher Willpower rank may use their action before the character with the lower Willpower attribute. If two characters have identical Perception, Agility, and Willpower attributes then the GM should randomly determine who goes first (flip a coin).

The environment always goes last in a round. Any falling objects (including characters) fall, and any free-rolling vehicles move, after all characters have had the opportunity to use their actions. This does not include thrown projectiles or character-controlled vehicles. If any object or vehicle is under direct control by a character, then the object or vehicle will move when that character moves it or at the end of the round, at the character's option. If a character chooses not to control a vehicle, then the vehicle will move at the end of the round.

Example

XXX This whole example needs to be fact-checked, expanded, etc.

The heroes are ambushed by a trio of villains. Because the villains are aware of the heroes before the heroes are aware of the villains, the villains act first.

Villain 1 Villain 2 Villain 3 Hero 1

• moves
• attacks
• taunts a villain

Hero 2

• shouts encouragement to Player 3
• moves
• attacks

Hero 3

• taunts a villain
• attacks
• moves

etc.

Delaying An Action

If a player does not wish to use their character's action when they have the opportunity, perhaps wanting to wait and see what an opponent does, they may delay their action, with the option of using it later in the round or on a successive round. The character may then pre-empt another character's action later in the round, unless the other character has a higher Perception/Agility/Willpower. If both characters are evenly matched, then they may use their actions simultaneously or use a random method to determine who goes first, at the GM's option.

Examples:

• XXX character delays, has a lower Perception/Agility/Willpower than a later character
• XXX character delays, has the same Perception/Agility/Willpower than a later character
• XXX character delays, has a higher Perception/Agility/Willpower than a later character

Forcing An Action

Sometimes a character might need to take a desperate action before they have had the opportunity to use their action in a round, or after they have already acted in a round. This is known as forcing the character's action. Forcing an action allows a character to sacrifice their next action in order to block, dodge, dive for cover, activate a defensive power, or take another purely defensive action. A forced action can also be used to take a defensive action on someone else's behalf, such as diving in front of an attack to protect an innocent bystander. The character may not force an action which the GM could construe as an attack, such as blocking a bullet with an opponent's unconscious body or running into someone. When a character forces their action, they sacrifice their next available action, whether that action would be in the current round or on the next round. A character may only force an action once per round.

Because a forced action is always defensive, it always take place at the appropriate time, either before or during the attack which triggered it. The attacker does not have the opportunity to "take back" their attack.

Attack

XXX attacks all have three components: a task roll to hit the target, determination of the consequences of extreme success (if the attacker rolled an extreme success), and the determination of the effect on the target

XXX attacks have damage rating (DR), which is how much damage they would do if the target had no protection (PV).

Grabbing

XXX simplify

A "grab" involves using a hand or other extremity (a prehensile tail, perhaps) to grasp an object or another character.

The first step of a grapple, a throw, or a trip is a successful grab attack. Grabbing inanimate objects is generally automatic, unless the GM wants to make it difficult for some reason. Grabbing an opponent requires a Prowess task roll against the Prowess of the intended target.

If the grab is successful, the defender may make a reaction task roll using their Brawn or Agility attribute (whichever is greater) against the attacker's Brawn or Agility (whichever is greater). If the attacker has expertise with grappling, throwing, or tripping (as appropriate for the current attack) and rolls an extreme success, then the attacker's Brawn or Agility is increased by 3 for the purpose of the target breaking out of the grab.

If the defender succeeds on their reaction task roll, they have broken free of the attacker's grab, and they suffer no ill effects from the attack. If the defender fails their reaction task roll, then the attacker has successfully grabbed them, and the attacker may initiate a grapple, a throw, or a trip.

Grappling

XXX simplify

XXX combine grapple with grab, and then say that grabbed characters are "restrained", and that the grabbing character can do one of these things with the grabbed character. See Telekinesis for general format

A "grapple" involves using one's extremities to hold or restrain another character.

If the grab attack is successful, the attacker may then do one of the following during this round:

• Hold: Hold on to the defender and keep them restrained. A restrained character is not helpless, but they can't use normal movement until they break the grapple. Attacking the grappled character is easier (attackers gain a +3 attack bonus when attacking the grappled character), and their attacks are easier to avoid (defenders gain a +3 defense bonus when the grappled character attacks them).
• Squeeze: Exert strength or leverage in an attempt to hurt the grappled character. The damage rating of this attack is equal to the attacker's rank in Brawn or Agility (whichever is greater). Characters with human level Brawn or Agility (rank 3 or less) inflict stunning damage with their grappling attacks. A character with rank 3 Brawn or Agility would have damage rating 3, and any damage inflicted would be stunning, and therefore temporary. A character with rank 4 Brawn or Agility would have damage rating 4, and the damage inflicted would be normal. See Stunning for more details.
• Interpose: Use the grappled character as cover. By using the grappled character as a living shield, the grappling character gains a +3 defense bonus.

Ramming

XXX working -- increased damage? Equal to rank of movement power? that's pretty gross

XXX working -- does the attacker take the same damage? Or just the additional movement based damage?

XXX working -- increased difficulty? Or just treat it like moving all-out (+6 difficulty modifier)?

Throwing

XXX simplify

A "throw" involves using strength and leverage to toss a character a distance through the air.

If the grab attack is successful, then the attacker may throw the defender. The defender flies through the air and lands a distance away. The distance an attacker may throw the defender is based on the Brawn of the attacker and the mass of the defender. First, look up the mass of the defender or object to be thrown in the "Lifts" column of the Benchmarks table (rounding to the nearest weight value), and find the corresponding rank for that weight. Subtract that rank from the Brawn of the attacker, and look up that result in the Benchmarks table. Find the corresponding distance in the "Throws" column for the resulting rank. This is how far the attacker could throw an object of that weight. This rank is also the damage rating (DR) of the impact when the character lands.

Example:

Ganyeka has Brawn 5, and wants to throw Widow, who has failed her reaction task roll to break out of the grapple. Widow weighs 148 pounds, which would be rank 1 in the "Lifts" column in the Benchmarks table. Subtracting 1 from Ganyeka's rank 5 Brawn, we find that Ganyeka can throw Widow 50 feet.

Instead, he throws her at a nearby brick wall. The impact has a damage rating of 4, which is the rank of 50 feet in the "Throws" column in the Benchmarks table. After subtracting Widow's rank 2 Invulnerability, she takes 2 Endurance damage from hitting the wall, and so she subtracts 2 from her current Endurance. The wall, being brick, has rank 5 Invulnerability, and is undamaged by having Widow thrown at it.

Particularly soft or yielding surfaces can reduce the impact damage by as much as half.

Tripping

XXX simplify

A "trip" involves knocking a character's feet out from under them so that they fall to the ground. Tripping is only effective against targets whose feet are on the ground to begin with.

If the grab attack is successful, then the attacker may trip the defender. The defender falls to the ground, and may be injured by the impact. The damage rating of this attack is equal to the attacker's rank in Agility. Characters with human level Agility (rank 3 or less) inflict stunning damage with their trip attacks. A character with rank 3 Agility would have damage rating 3, and any damage inflicted would be stunning, and therefore temporary. A character with rank 4 Agility would have damage rating 4, and the damage inflicted would be normal. See Stunning for more details.

Defense

Defending against an attack typically has two parts: determining the difficulty against which the attacker must roll to successfully hit the target, and withstanding the damage that results from a successful task roll to hit. Avoiding an attack is referred to as defense, while the ability of a target to withstand all or part of the damage is called protection. Invulnerability and Force Field, for example, provide a protection value (PV) equal to the rank of the power.

If the target of an attack is unconscious or unable to move freely to avoid the attack, the attacker gains a +6 attack bonus. This applies to powers such as Telepathy in addition to more overtly damaging powers such as Blast.

Blocking

During their round, or as a forced action, a character may choose to use a task action to block. A block might entail using brute force to withstand the attack, or it might involve using finesse to harmlessly divert an attack away: the choice is up to the player. To attempt a block, the player attempts a Prowess task roll against the rank of the attacker's power or weapon. For example, if the attacker had rank a 9 Blast, the task difficulty to block it would be 9 + 8 = 17.

The defender may continue to block additional attacks until their next action. The difficulty modifier for the block increases by 1 for every attack after the first. For example, a character who has used a forced action to block a Blast may continue to attempt to block each time they are attacked until their next action two rounds later. If the sixth such attack was made by an attacker with Brawn rank 6, the difficulty modifier for the block would be equal to 6 + 8 + 5 = 19.

Normally, only attacks which inflict Endurance damage may be blocked. However, if the defender has the same power as the attacker, they may use that power to attempt to block. For example, a defender with Telepathy may use their Telepathy to attempt to block the Telepathy of an attacker. With the GM's permission, a character may attempt to block with a power that has a similar theme or power source. For example, a GM might permit a character to use their Telepathy to attempt to block an attacker's Mind Control.

A character chooses to block after determining if the attack will successfully hit: there is no need to block an attack that misses. A successful block completely negates the attack. An unsuccessful block has no effect on the attack.

Dodging

During their round, or as a forced action, a character may choose to use a task action to dodge. To attempt a dodge, the player attempts an Agility task roll against the rank of the attacker's power or weapon. For example, if the attacker had rank a 9 Blast, the task difficulty to dodge it would be 9 + 8 = 17.

The defender may continue to dodge additional attacks until their next action. The difficulty modifier for the dodge increases by 1 for every attack after the first. For example, a character who has used a forced action to dodge a punch may continue to attempt to dodge each time they are attacked until their next action two rounds later. If the sixth such attack was made by an attacker with Blast rank 7, the difficulty modifier for the dodge would be equal to 7 + 8 + 5 = 19.

Normally, only attacks which inflict Endurance damage may be dodged. However, if the defender has the same power as the attacker, they may use that power to attempt to dodge. For example, a defender with Telepathy may use their Telepathy to attempt to dodge the Telepathy of an attacker. With the GM's permission, a character may attempt to dodge with a power that has a similar theme or power source. For example, a GM might permit a character to use their Telepathy to attempt to dodge an attacker's Mind Control.

A character chooses to dodge after determining if the attack will successfully hit: there is no need to dodge an attack that misses. A successful dodge completely negates the attack. An unsuccessful dodge has no effect on the attack.

Diving For Cover

Attacks which are particularly large, such as a thrown car or bus, are much more difficult to avoid. The only way to avoid such attacks is to not be under them when they land. If a character is about to be hit by a large attack, they can take a forced action to dive for cover. When diving for cover, the character moves to the nearest open ground beyond the area of the attack or behind the nearest cover, and ends up on the ground prone. A character may perform a forced action to dive for cover from an ordinary attack, if they want, but since it leaves the character prone and vulnerable, and it sacrifices their next action, doing so is probably unwise.

If the nearest safe area or cover is too far away for the character to reach it with a normal move, then there is no benefit to diving for cover. Sorry.

Damage

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In hand-to-hand combat, an unarmed character's damage rating is equal to their rank in Brawn. Characters with human level Brawn (rank 3 or less) inflict stunning damage with their unarmed hand-to-hand attacks. A character with rank 3 Brawn would have damage rating 3, and any damage inflicted would be stunning, and therefore temporary. A character with rank 4 Brawn would have damage rating 4, and the damage inflicted would be normal. See Stunning for more details.

Hand-to-hand weapons such as clubs and knives inflict damage equal to their inherent damage rating (DR), or to the Brawn rank of the wielder, whichever is greater. A knife with damage rating 2 wielded by a character with rank 3 Brawn would have an effective damage rating of 3.

Some attacks modify how much damage is caused, or how a character defends against it.

Exploding

An exploding attack causes its damage to everyone within a certain range of the target. Because an exploding attack does not need to be aimed at a specific target, the difficulty of the task roll is 9. However, because exploding attacks are not targeted at specific individuals, they do not benefit from extreme success.

The damage rating of the explosion diminishes with distance from the center. The damage rating is at its full value within half of the total radius, and at one-half of its full value in the remainder of the explosion. For example, a typical fragmentation grenade would have a damage rating of 5 from the center out to a radius of 25 feet (half its total radius), and a damage rating of 3 from 25 feet out to the limit of its radius of 50 feet.

Penetrating

Damage from a penetrating attack ignores 50% of the defender's protection (round in defender's favor).

Stunning

Damage from a stunning attack is temporary. Record it separately; it all comes back after the fight is over, when the character has had a chance to rest and recuperate.

Protection

After determining the effective damage rating (DR) of the attack, that total is applied against the target's protection value (PV). The protection value is subtracted from the damage rating, and any remaining damage is subtracted from target's appropriate attribute (typically Endurance).

Endurance damage and Endurance protection are the most common, but some attacks inflict other forms of damage, and require other forms of protection. For example, a character attacked with Reason Drain would need some form of protection against Reason damage (Attribute Invulnerability, for example).

Multiple layers of the same type of protection do not stack: only the greatest protection value applies. For example, a character with rank 6 Invulnerability would not benefit from a rank 5 Force Field, nor from wearing an armored vest that provides rank 2 Invulnerability.

Recovery

After a chance to rest and recuperate (maybe half an hour), an injured character recovers half the endurance they have recently lost. After that, injuries normally heal only with extended rest or with medical care. With this rest or medical care, the character will regain one Endurance per day; without it, they will regain one Endurance per week.

If the character has taken some other form of damage, such as Strength damage or damage to one of their powers, this damage is temporary. It all comes back after the fight is over, when the character has had a chance to rest and recuperate.

Death

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Plot Points

Each player begins each game session with one plot point. A player gains a plot point when one of their character's complications causes a serious problem for them during the game, or as a reward when they do something particularly entertaining or interesting, or when they cooperate with the GM to make things more difficult for the characters. Plot points are spent for an automatic success, to gain a temporary increase in power, to gain a temporary power, or to alter the game world in some way.

Gaining Plot Points

Generally speaking, players receive plot points for helping make the game more fun. The most common reasons are listed below. Each player starts each game session with one plot point, and should get one or two more during each game session. It's in the players' best interests to spend these plot points before the end of the game session, because any unspent plot points do not carry over to the next game (unless the GM makes an exception).

It's important for the GM to remember that while plot points are a reward for making the game fun, they also make the characters more powerful. A game in which plots points are handed out by the handful will have a much different feel than one in which they are given out sparingly. Plot points shouldn't be given to a player just for roleplaying their character -- they should be doing that anyway. The GM should really only give out a plot point when the player does something really exceptional or inventive, or if they allow their character to suffer some dramatic setback to make the game more interesting. In a typical three or four hour game session, it's probably reasonable for each player to receive two or three plot points.

Complications

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Rewards

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Cooperation

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Spending Plot Points

The examples listed here are the most common uses for plot points, but they aren't the only ones. If a player wants to spend a plot point to make something fun happen, and it has about the same impact on the game as these examples, the GM should consider permitting it. For example, let's say an invasion of lava pygmies has caused extensive damage to a street, destroyed a few cars, and melted a mailbox. If a character with time control powers wanted to spend a plot point to reverse time and undo this damage after the lava pygmies have been repelled, should the GM permit it? Sure! It's fun, and it doesn't unbalance the game.

Automatic Success

An automatic success is just that: the player spends a plot point, and their character succeeds at the current task roll. This can be a skill roll, or it can be an attempt to hit in combat. If the character has expertise and the player wants to check for extreme success, the player should roll as usual: anything less than extreme success is treated as a normal successful roll. (There is no reason to roll if the character does not have expertise.) The GM may forbid the use of a plot point to achieve an automatic success if the task is simply impossible.

An automatic success lasts as long as the effects of the roll would normally last.

Power Boost

A power boost increases one of the character's attributes or powers by one rank (rank 14 maximum). A character with Brawn 5 could gain a temporary boost to Brawn 6, or a character with Flight 7 could gain a temporary boost to Flight 8. Power boost can also be used to add a power enhancement to a power. For example, a character with rank 4 Healing could use a power boost to add the Diseases and Toxins power enhancement, or a character with the Blast power could use a power boost to add the Explosive Damage power enhancement.

Power boosts usually only last for one round, but they might last as long as a scene if that seems to make sense and the GM agrees.

Power Stunt

A power stunt permits a character to use their current powers in new and creative ways. For example, a character with a rank 4 Ice Blast might use a power stunt to hack into a computer by freezing its memory, giving them a rank 4 in Computing for that purpose. A character with a rank 8 Force Field might use a power stunt to turn their force field into a rank 8 force blade. The outcome of a power stunt is not automatically successful: the player still needs to roll to determine the outcome, if the outcome is contested or subject to some uncontrolled factor. A character who used a power stunt to gain rank 4 in Computing would still need to make a Computing task roll in order to hack the computer.

Power stunts usually only last for one round, but they might last as long as a scene if that seems to make sense and the GM agrees. For example, if a character with a rank 6 Time Control used a power stunt to gain rank 6 Extra Attacks, then the Extra Attacks power should last until the end of the scene or until the six Extra Attacks are used, whichever comes first.

Rally

Under normal circumstances, an injured character recovers half the endurance they have recently lost after they have had a chance to rest and recuperate (maybe half an hour). Spending a plot point allows a character to rally, and recover as though they'd had a half-hour's worth of rest.

Retcon

"Retcon" is short for "retroactive continuity": changing the past in some way that supports the current needs of the plot. This can involve the realization that a needed resource is available, but had previously been overlooked ("Oh, what I wouldn't give for a holocaust cloak"), or it can take the form of a character revealing a previously unknown era in their history, thus giving them new background skills ("As a matter of fact, I spent my senior year of high school studying in Japan").

A good retcon should not overtly violate what has been established in the game: it should build on what has been established in a fun and inventive way.

Retcons are essentially permanent.