Quartz 5

New Combat Stunts

10 min read

New Combat Stunts

Combat Complication

This refers to any condition gained in the midst of combat through mundane stunts. These conditions last until after your opponent’s next action at which point they are automatically resolved. Some actions are not automatically resolved, if this is the case, it is pointed out in the text of the stunt.

If a stunts cost is ‘Variable’ then the user can spend up to 3 stunts to inflict a complication of varying difficulty. The Difficulty of the complication is equal to the stunts spent to inflict the complication. Unless otherwise stated the difficulty to buy off or resolve this complication is equal to the stunts spent to create this complication.

Resolving a Complication

You can spend a Simple Action to do nothing but resolve a Combat Complication. You make an appropriate task roll to attempt to avoid, fix or heal a complication against you. The difficulty is equal to the difficulty of the lowest difficulty Combat Complication you have. You may spend stunts to resolve additional Combat Complications. If you choose to take no other actions on your turn, you gain a +2 enhancement on this task roll.

Defensive Stunts

A character’s standard Defense is 1. A character can defend to increase the Difficulty an attack must overcome to successfully hit its target. In response to an attack, the player may reflexively roll the highest of her Resilience Attributes without any Skills. Apply the successes on this roll to generate Defensive Stunts. Defensive Stunts persist until the end of the round. Penalties to Defense from sources such as Injury Conditions can never bring the character’s Defense below 1.

A character may want to spend her action in the round to take a Full Defense. To do this, roll double the character’s Defense pool. Each success increases the Difficulty required to inflict Injury (effectively providing soft armor — see below), or may be split among other Defensive Stunts (including any Defensive Stunts granted by Knacks or other powers). This is a simple action, and may not be part of a mixed action.

  • Defend: Unlike most Stunts, Defend generates successes, which an opponent must overcome in order to inflict an Injury. If this roll generates no successes, use the standard Defense.
  • Dive to Cover (Difficulty 1): In response to a ranged attack, you move up to one range band away to reach cover established in the Field. Cover utilized by this stunt absorbs Injuries as hard armor (p. 125).
  • Roll Away (2s): Move away from the attacker one range band. This cannot be used while knocked down or grappled.
  • Resolve Complication (Variable)****: You can resolve a Combat Complication equal to the stunts spent.

Inflict Damage Stunts:

In order to inflict damage against a target wearing soft armor, you must spend stunts equal to your opponent’s soft armor. Once these stunts are bought off, the costs of the stunts are as follows. You can buy as many of these stunts as you can afford, but each one can only be bought once (except as stated)

  • Inflict Damage (0s): Deal an Injury Condition to your target.
  • Inflict Scale Damage (1s): Can only be used if you are acting at a Scale higher than your opponent. Deal an additional Injury Condition to your target. This can be purchased once for every level of difference in Scale between you and your opponent. (This stunt is used rather than the normal rule for damage at scale)
  • Critical (4s): Deal an additional Injury Condition to your target.
  • Lethal Critical (6s): Deal 2 additional injury conditions to your target. If this would ‘Take Out’ an opponent, they are dead (this does not apply to player characters). This stunt cannot be used with the ‘Stun’ tag.
  • Smite (8s): You deal 3 additional Injury Conditions to your target. If this would ‘Take Out’ an opponent, they are vaporized (this does not apply to player characters). This stunt cannot be used with the ‘Stun’ tag.

Any Combat Stunts:

  • Counterattack (Variable): You ready your weapon to wait for an opening or you continue wild attacks to prevent them from acting. Your opponent gains the Complication ‘Countered’ equal to the stunts spent. If they do not buy off this Complication on their next action, they receive one automatic injury condition relevant to the damage of the weapon.
  • Knockdown/Trip (Variable): Knock your opponent prone where they stand. The target must buy off this complication in order to regain their footing. If you do not buy off or resolve this Condition, it persists until resolved or bought off.
  • Disarm (variable): You use your weapon as leverage, pulling or twisting your opponent’s weapon or item out of their hand. The difficulty of this complication is equal to the stunts spent to create this complication. You can choose to also include the effect ‘The item is thrown a Short distance away’ (doing this decreases the difficulty of buying off this stunt by one). If this stunt is not bought off on your opponent’s next action, they lose the item. You can spend 1 stunt to knock the weapon away a single range band. If you are in a position to take hold of their weapon, you can choose to try to grab their weapon or item and keep it in your possession. Doing so halves the difficulty to buy off or resolve the complication. If this complication is not bought off, you now possess the target item.
  • Feint (Variable successes): For every success spent on Feint, you generate Enhancement on your or an ally’s next attack against the opponent you’re attacking. You must designate the ally gaining the enhancement bonus when you make this attack.
  • Blinding (Variable): **Inflicts the condition ‘**Blinded’ on all applicable rolls that require sight. If this not bought off, the action fails automatically.
  • Knock Back (1s or 3s): You knock the opponent into another range band. Knocking them a Short range band away requires 1 success. Knocking them back into a medium range band requires 3 successes.
  • Sunder (Variable): You use your weapon to damage your opponent’s gear (weapon, armor or otherwise), making it useless for the rest of the scene. The difficulty of this complication is equal to HALF the stunts spent to create this complication. If this stunt is not bought off in your opponent’s next action, the item becomes useless the rest of the scene.
  • Take The Measure (2s): You gain the benefit of one of the following investigation stunts as it regards your opponent: Extra Clue, Interpretation, Q&A.

Close Combat stunts

  • Break Up Grapple (per difficulty of ‘Grapple’ complication): When targeting a character who is part of a grapple (that you are not in) you may use this stunt to break up their grapple.
  • Establish Grapple (Variable): You force your opponent into a grapple. Both you and they can only make grappling physical actions until someone breaks free. The person who initiates the grapple is “in control.” The difficulty of this complication is equal to the stunts spent to create this complication.
  • Flat of the Blade (1s): If your weapon would normally have the Lethal tag you apply the Bashing tag. If your weapon would normally have the Bashing tag, you gain the Lethal tag instead.
  • Severing Blow (2s): This stunt requires at least 1 Inflict injury to be applied in the same action. The injury given by this condition reflects the maiming nature of this blow. If this blow would cause an opponent to be ‘Taken Out’, then this can reflect a decapitation or being cut in half.

Grapple

You wrestle with your opponent. As part of a close combat attack, you can choose to place both yourself and your opponent in a grapple (see above). While grappling, you are normally limited to grappling Stunts in physical combat unless you Break Free before using some other maneuver. The person who initiates the grapple starts with control of the grapple. The grapple action is only taken when you are already in a grapple. To initiate a grapple, you must use a close combat attack. While in a grapple you can only use weapons with the “grapple” tag. While in a grapple and not in control of it, you cannot use the Withdraw Defense action.

  • Break Free (Variable): You break out of the grapple. If you are in control, this requires no successes. If you are not in control, this requires you to spend success equal to the number of successes your opponent spent establishing the grapple.
  • Gain Control (Variable): You maneuver yourself to be in control of a grapple. The cost of this Stunt is equal to the number of successes equal to at least 1 more difficulty of the “Grappled Condition” you possess. Your opponent gains the “Grappled” condition equal to the difference. This Stunt can only be purchased when you are not in control.

These stunts are only available while you are in control of a grapple:

  • Pin (Variable). The Defense of both grapplers is decreased by 1 per stunt spent. Neither of the participants of the grapple gain this benefit against each other. Must be in control to initiate.
  • Position (Variable): You generate an Enhancement bonus that applies on your next grappling attack against the target equal to the number of successes spent on this Stunt.
  • Takedown (Variable): You render both yourself and your opponent prone. You maintain the grapple. Must be in control to use. You both you and the opponent gain the complication ‘Prone’ equal to the stunts spent to inflict this complication. Neither of these complications can be bought off as long as either party remains grappled by the other.
  • Throw (3s): You can throw your opponent up to a Short Range away to point of your choosing. Your opponent may get an defense roll if thrown into an unsafe area. This action ends the grapple.

Ranged Attacks

  • The Last Shot (3s): You fire the last of your ammunition. You can no longer use this weapon until you have refilled, reloaded or retrieved ammunition. Deal an additional Injury Condition to your target.
  • Reload (2s): During your action, you refill, reload or retrieve your weapon. This allows you to resume using your weapon after using ‘The Last One’. If your weapon has the ‘Slow’ tag, it is ready to use on your next turn.
  • Bank Shot (2s): The Weapon gains the benefit of the “Arcing” tag even if does not possess it.
  • Shooting Dive (1s): If cover is within Short range, you dive while firing and land behind cover as you attack.

Thrown Attack

  • Draw Another (0s): If you possess multiple of this item, you draw another item of the same type.
  • The Last Shot (3s): You throw the last of your pieces of equipment of this type. You can no longer use these weapons until you have refilled, reloaded or retrieved your thrown weapon. Deal an additional Injury Condition to your target.
  • Reload (2s): During your action, you refill, reload or retrieve your weapon, if retrieving, you move into close range of the weapon. This allows you to resume using your weapon after using ‘The Last One’. This cannot be used in the same action as ‘The Last Shot’. If your weapon has the ‘Slow’ tag, it is ready to use on your next turn.
  • Bank Shot (2s): The Weapon gains the benefit of the “Arcing” tag even if does not possess it.

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