Situational Modifiers

Flanking

A character is flanked when he has an enemy on two opposite adjacent squares. Flanked characters  take a -1 circumstance penalty to all defence rolls made against any attack, not just ones made by the flanking enemies. Flanked characters are also vulnerable to sneak attacks and other abilities.

Crouching and Prone

Characters can crouch or go prone to make themselves smaller targets. A crouching character gains +1 Target against ranged attacks, while a prone character gains +2. However, these same bonuses apply as penalties against melee attacks. These bonuses do not exactly stack with cover. Instead, ignore the bonus (and penalty) from crouching or prone, and instead increase the cover value by one step (while crouching) or two steps (while prone). So, a character crouching in an open field gains +1 Target from ranged attacks but -1 from melee attacks, while a character crouching behind light cover gains +2 Target against all attacks (the light cover counts as medium). Crouching or going prone each take 1 second. Going from one to the other takes a second as well. Standing up from a crouch takes 1 second, standing up from prone takes 2.

Cover

Light Cover: Light cover is any cover that covers approximately ¼ to ½ of the target. Increase the target‚s Target score by +1, and if the creature is hiding behind it, +1 to its visual perception DC to see. Light cover includes low walls, tree branches, etc.

Medium Cover: Medium cover protects around ¾ of the target‚s vital areas. Medium cover adds +2 to the target‚s Target score and, if the creature is hiding behind it, +2 to its visual perception DC to see. Medium cover includes shooting around corners, chest-high walls with parapets, etc.

Heavy Cover: Heavy cover covers around 90% or more of the target, and adds +3 to the target‚s Target score, and if the creature is hiding behind it, +3 to its visual perception DC to see.  Heavy cover also allows the target to dodge as if he had the Evasion technique. Heavy cover includes arrow slits.

Total Cover: Total cover completely blocks the target. You can attempt to attack targets through the cover (see Hitting the Cover, below) but anyone on the other side is treated as being Invisible.

Hitting the Cover: If it is ever important to determine if the cover gets hit (i.e., it is weak, expensive, explosive, or alive) then follow this method: if the attacker missed by less than the bonus the cover provides, he hit the cover but missed the target. If he missed by more than the cover provides, then he missed both the cover and the target. Beating the Toughness on the cover reduces its value by one step (total to heavy to medium to light to no cover) because there are big holes in it. Attacks that defeat the Toughness on the cover continue and can hit the target hiding behind it, who can use the cover‚s Durability score as a defence bonus that does not stack with armour. Wounds to the cover can also hit the target behind, but deal -3 damage. The target behind the cover can still defend normally against attacks, and may count as invisible.

Concealment, Lighting and Invisibility

Concealment: Your target has concealment when he is, for whatever reason, hard to see but not totally invisible. Cover or concealment is necessary for a character to make a Stealth check. Even if the character isn‚t hiding, concealed creatures add +1 to Target. Example: smoke, fog, tall grass, an Invisible creature covered in dust or flour, darkness without lowlight vision.

Lighting: For game purposes, lighting comes in three types: clear, hazy, and total darkness. In clear light, characters operate without penalty. In hazy light, everything has concealment. In total darkness, everything is invisible.

Invisibility: When a creature or object cannot be seen, it is invisible. Invisibility is relative „ a hiding character who made a DC 6 stealth roll is invisible to characters who rolled 5 or lower on perception, but visible to those who rolled 6 or higher. If you try to attack an invisible character, you must first locate its square „ there are a few ways to do this, (guessing,  having it pointed out, etc.) but the most common way is simply by hearing the target. Invisible creatures get +4 Target.

Speed

If you move 30 squares or more in a single turn (whether deliberately running, or falling, or being thrown, etc.), you add +1 to your Target score. Every additional 30 squares after that you move in the same turn adds a cumulative +1.

A melee attack made against or by an extremely fast-moving creature can deal extra damage. Such an attack, if the GM deems it appropriate, deals its normal weapon damage +1 per 5 squares/second that the fastest-moving creature is moving at. Squares use the scale of the creature taking damage. For example, a human with strength 3 normally deals 1d8+3 damage with an arming sword. However, from the back of a charging mount moving at 18m/s against a stationary human deals an additional +3 damage (18m divided by 5 1m squares rounds down to 3).

For high-speed collisions, see “Falling and Collisions,” below.

Surprise

A target caught by surprise is treated as Flat-Footed. Surprised targets are those who are attacked by foes they didn‚t know were there, such as invisible or stealthy creatures. Flat-footed characters take a -1 circumstance penalty to all defence rolls made against the creature that surprised them, and are vulnerable to certain abilities (such as Sneak Attack).

Called Shots

A called shot is an attack against the target's head, hands, limbs, feet, stomach, tentacles, etc. Since the target area is smaller, they are harder to hit. See the chart for details „ the "Target Modifier" is what is added (or subtracted) to the creature‚s normal Target score, the "Toughness Adjustment" column refers to how much easier it is to hurt that location, and the "Minimum Toughness" and "Toughness" columns show what happens when you meet or beat the target‚s minimum toughness or regular toughness, respectively.

Attacking a Worn  or Held Item

This functions much like a called shot. An attack against an enemy can instead be directed to something he is wearing or carrying. A melee weapon deducts its wounds from damage, and a ranged weapon deducts its wounds from damage and attacks. Wounded firearms jam when a …1‚ is rolled on an attack die. Destroyed weapons can‚t be used for their intended purpose, but might make good improvised weapons. Here‚s a chart of some common items and their toughness scores. The chart is for weapons made for scale 0 creatures. At increased scale, add +3 to toughness and -1 to target for every increase.

Mounted Combat

A character with ranks in Ride riding a trained warhorse has a significant advantage in battle. Fighting from horseback (or another animal) works just like fighting on foot, with the following changes:

1.   Controlling a mount without special techniques takes the equivalent of 2 seconds of effort every round.
2.   Controlling the mount takes one hand, unless the mount remains stationary.
3.   Your mount always acts on your initiative count under your control, but may take its own actions at your command. For example, your mount could spend its entire turn running forwards, while you still have 4 seconds (because 2 are used controlling it) with which to use a combo or cast a spell.