Combat

Martial Spheres

Combat/Martial Spheres

Combat Stances

Risky Strike

Prerequisite: BAB +1
Action: Free Action

You can choose to take a –1 penalty on all attack rolls to gain a +2 bonus on all damage rolls.

When your base attack bonus reaches +4, the penalty increases to –2 and the bonus to damage increases to +4.

You must choose to use Risky Strike feat before making an attack roll and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.

Blocking Stance

Prerequisite: BAB +1
Action: Move Action

When you are in an blocking stance, you can defend against one attack as an immediate action. You may choose to do this after an enemy has made an attack and hit you, but before damage is rolled. You cannot defend against an attack that hit with a natural 20.

Choose a weapon or shield that you are wielding to block with. Roll a standard attack roll with that weapon against a DC equal to the opponent’s attack roll. A natural 20 on a defense roll is an automatic success.

On a success, the opponent hits (and potentially damages) the item that you were using to block. Resolve the damage as a successful Sunder attack. Even if the item is broken, you are not hit.

The dodge bonuses from Defensive Stance and Total Defense are also added to Block rolls.

Defensive Stance

Prerequisite: BAB +1
Action: Free Action

You can choose to take a –1 penalty on melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class.

When your base attack bonus reaches +4, the penalty increases to –2 and the dodge bonus increases to +2.

You must choose to use Defensive Stance before making an attack roll and its effects last until your next turn.

This replaces the ability to fight defensively.

Evasive Stance

Action: Move Action

When you are in an evasive stance, you can defend against one attack as an immediate action. You may choose to do this after an enemy has made an attack and hit you, but before damage is rolled. You cannot defend against an attack that hit with a natural 20.

Roll d20 + dex bonus + dodge AC bonus with a DC equal to the opponent’s attack roll. On a success, the opponent’s attack misses. A natural 20 on a defense roll is an automatic success.

This stance last until the start of your next round, or until you move.

Total Defense

Action: Standard Action

You get a +4 dodge bonus to your AC for 1 round. Your AC improves at the start of this action. You can’t combine total defense with fighting defensively or with the benefit of the Combat Expertise feat. You can’t make attacks of opportunity while using total defense.

Combat Parlay

Full Defense

When taking the Total Defense action, you buy enough time to exchange some banter with your opponent. Generally a maximum of five sentences between the pair of you.

Submit For Parlay

On your turn, before taking any actions, you may Submit for Parley. If everybody agrees, everybody can take a 5-foot step so they are no longer next to an opponent, and there is a lull in the combat allowing conversation between the two sides. If the parlay suggests it, more movement may take place, or the combat may be ended entirely.

Anyone can restart the battle by making an attack or other aggressive action with a standard action, after which the battle continues from the initiative of the combatant that initiated the Parlay.

Death and Dying

States of Being

Able

You are alive and able as long as your hit points are above 0.

Disabled

Once you reach 0 hit points you are considered disabled.

While you’re disabled, you must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the number of hit points below zero) any time you take damage (including the damage which resulted in you becoming disabled). If you fail this save you fall unconscious.

In addition, if the damage is at least 3 points, and is not the result of bleeding, you must make a second Fortitude save vs the same DC and consult the Injury table farther below.

A disabled character move at half speed and may only take a partial action each round. Disabled characters who perform a standard action (or any other strenuous action, such as casting a quickened spell) take 1 hp of damage after the action.

A disabled character who does not receive medical attention might still end up dying. Each day a disabled character must make a 10% roll to start healing naturally. If they fail this check, they also suffer 1 hp of damage and must check again the next day. A character automatically starts healing the first time they are subject to the Long-Term Care task of the Heal skill, whether or not the task succeeds.

Unconscious

An unconscious character have a 10% chance of waking up each hour. An untended character who fails to wake up takes 1 hp of damage with each failed check.

An unconscious creature cannot make Reflex saving throws and gets a -10 penalty to Will saving throws, but can make Fortitude saving throws without penalty.

Dead

You are dead if your current hit points are below your death threshold, or have received a lethal injury. Your death threshold is a negative number equal to your maximum hit points or your Constitution score (whichever is greater). For example, if you have a maximum of 23 hit points, then your death threshold is -23.

Dead characters automatically lose 1 hp per round.

Injury table

Fortitude Save	Injury
Failed by 1-2	Cool scar - Bleeds 1 hp / round. Will leave a cool scar. Roll d20: 1 – Head or neck. 2 – Right hand or wrist. 3 – Left hand or wrist. 4 – 5 Right arm. 6 – 7 Left arm. 8 – 10 Right leg. 11 – 13 Left leg. 16 – 20 Torso.
Failed by 3	Ragged scar - Bleeds 2 hp / round. Will leave an ugly scar. Roll d20: 1 – Head or neck. 2 – Right hand or wrist. 3 – Left hand or wrist. 4 – 5 Right arm. 6 – 7 Left arm. 8 – 10 Right leg. 11 – 13 Left leg. 16 – 20 Torso.
Failed by 4	Shaken - The character takes a -2 penalty to all physical actions until fully healed up. The character also bleeds 1 hp / round.
Failed by 5	Lightly Concussed - You take a -2 penalty to all mental actions until fully healed up. Any spell-casting requires a DC 5 + spell level Concentration check. The character also bleeds 1 hp / round.
Failed by 6	Broken Digits - Roll a d8: 1 – Break thumb + 1d4 – 2 digits from right hand. 2 – Same for left hand. 3 – Break 1d4 digits from right hand. 4 – Break 1d4 digits from left hand. 5-6 Break 1d5 digits from right foot. 7-8 Break 1d5 digits from left foot.
Failed by 7	Seriously concussed - You take a -8 penalty to all mental actions until fully healed up. Any spell-casting requires a DC 15 + spell level Concentration check.
Failed by 8-9	Broken Appendage - Roll a d8: 1 – 2, the character has broken her right right hand. 3 – 4 left hand. 5-6 right foot. 7-8 left foot.
Failed by 10-11	Broken Limb - Roll a d8: 1 – 2, the character has broken her right right arm. 3 – 4 left arm. 5-6 right leg. 7-8 left leg. The character also bleeds 1 hp / round.
Failed by 12-13	Niggling Wound - Get a -2 penalty to 1d6: 1 – maximum hit points. 2 – Fortitude saving throws. 3 – Reflex saving throws. 4 – Will saving throws. 5 – Acrobatics checks. 6 – Athletics checks. The character also bleeds 1 hp / round.
Failed by 14-15	Niggling Injury - Lose 2 points from 1d6: 1 – Strength. 2 – Dexterity. 3 – Constitution. 4 – Intelligence. 5 – Wisdom. 6 – Charisma. The character also bleeds 2 hp / round.
Failed by 16	Facial Wound - Roll a d6: 1 – lose nose. 2 – lose right ear. 3 – lose left ear. 4-6 – get grievous facial wound that’ll turn into a scar. The character also bleeds 1 hp / round.
Failed by 17	Lost Eye - The character loses sight in one eyes, whether by losing the eye entirely, or merely being blinded. From now on the character takes a -4 penalty to ranged attacks and Perception checks related to vision.
Failed by 18	Lose Digits - Roll a d8: 1 – Lose thumb + 1d4 – 2 digits from right hand. 2 – Same for left hand. 3 – Lose 1d4 digits from right hand. 4 – Lose 1d4 digits from left hand. 5-6 Lose 1d5 digits from right foot. 7-8 Lose 1d5 digits from left foot. The character also bleeds 2 hp / round.
Failed by 19	Lost Appendage - One of the character’s appendages has been severed or otherwise completely destroyed. Roll a d8: 1 – 2, the character has lost her right right hand. 3 – 4 left hand. 5-6 right foot. 7-8 left foot. The character also bleeds 3 hp / round.
Failed by 20	Lost Limb - One of the character’s limbs has been severed or otherwise completely destroyed. Roll a d8. On the roll of 1 – 2, the character has lost her right right arm. 3 – 4 left arm. 5-6 right leg. 7-8 left leg. The character also bleeds 3 hp / round.
Failed by 21-30	Mortally Wounded - The character is bleeding heavily and takes 5 points of damage at the end of every round. This bleeding does not stop unless the character’s is magically healed to at least 0 hit points, or a full round is used to make a successful DC 25 Heal check.
Failed by 31+	Lethal Injury - The character dies instantly from his wounds.

Bleeding from Injuries

Bleeding takes place at the end of a round. Bleeding can generally be stopped by using the Heal skill. Minor bleeding also has a chance to stop on its own every round. Before taking damage check if the bleeding stops.

Bleeding per round	Chance of stopping
1 hp / round	20%
2 hp / round	10%
3+ hp / round	no chance

Scars from Injuries

Any 6+ injury result will result in a minor scar if caused by a slashing or piercing weapon.
Any 12+ injury results in a major scar no matter the kind of weapon used.

Other Types of Damage

Constitution Score Damage

Characters reduced to 0 Constitution are dead, but still have whatever hit points were left to them. They still lose 1 hit point per round until their Constitution is raised to at least 1. If their hit points drop below their death threshold, it will be necessary to raise both their Constitution and their hit points in order to return them to life.

Death Effects

Any special ability or spell that results in death instead causes 4d6 points of Constitution damage. On a successful save, the special ability or spell causes 2 points of Constitution damage (instead of whatever effect a save would normally have).

Massive Damage Threshold

There is no massive damage threshold.