Combat
Melee combat
A blow is DEX + skill + d10 against the target's Evasion. Melee weapons halve armor; fists depend on BODY. Grab, Choke and Throw are here too.
How to hit
DEX + skill + d10 against the target's DEX + Evasion + d10
In melee anyone can dodge, not just those with REF 8+: a knife is easier to dodge than a bullet. Roll higher than the Evasion roll — you hit. A tie is a miss.
You can reach anyone within 2 meters. Nearly all melee weapons and fists strike twice per Action (ROF 2), except very heavy ones.
Melee weapons
The skill is Melee Weapon. Damage depends on the weapon's class, not on what exactly is in your hand:
| Class | For example | Damage | ROF | Can be concealed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | combat knife, tomahawk | 1d6 | 2 | yes |
| Medium | baseball bat, crowbar, machete | 2d6 | 2 | no |
| Heavy | lead pipe, sword, spiked bat | 3d6 | 2 | no |
| Very heavy | chainsaw, naginata, sledgehammer | 4d6 | 1 | no |
Armor is halved. A melee weapon blow subtracts only half of the target's armor from the damage, rounded up. An SP 11 armorjack stops a machete blow like SP 6 armor.
How many hands. As many hands as the weapon needs — but with BODY 8+ a two-handed melee weapon can be held in one hand.
Fists
The skill is Brawling. Damage depends on BODY:
| BODY | up to 4 | 5–6 | 7–10 | 11+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage | 1d6 | 2d6 | 3d6 | 4d6 |
With a cyberarm, punch damage is never less than 2d6, even with BODY 4 or lower.
Unlike weapons, fists do not halve armor — it stops the full blow. A brawl against someone in an armorjack is a bad idea; that's what Martial Arts are for.
Grab
A Grab is an Action. You need a free hand, which can't be used for anything else while you hold on. You and the target both roll DEX + Brawling + d10. Win — choose:
- wrest an item from the opponent's hands with your free hand, or
- grab the opponent themselves.
While you hold on, both of you take −2 to all actions. The one held can't move on their own — they're dragged along when you move. Neither of you can use two-handed weapons, even with more than two hands.
You can let go at any time, for free. Breaking free is a Grab action against the one holding: win — both are free.
A Grab is what you need to choke, throw or use a human shield.
Choke
An Action while you hold an opponent. Damage is your BODY, straight to HP, past armor, and the armor doesn't ablate. Brought them to 0 — they're left with 1 HP and pass out. Choke them three Rounds in a row — they pass out no matter how much HP is left.
Throw
An Action while you hold an opponent: you throw them to the ground. Damage is your BODY, past armor. The Grab ends, the −2 is lifted from both of you, and the opponent ends up prone — they need the Get Up action to rise.
Throwing an object is throwing, a ranged attack.
Related: Martial Arts, Armor and damage, Evasion