5.8 Universal Abilities
All creatures can use the following abilities.
5.8.1 Strikes
A strike is the most common type of attack. There are three kinds of strikes: melee, projectile, and thrown. Many abilities allow you to make one or more strikes. Whenever you make a strike, you can choose which kind of strike to make.
Your accuracy with a strike adds the accuracy modifier from the weapon you are attacking with. Your damage with a strike is normally equal to your weapon damage with the weapon you hit with (see Weapon Damage).
There are many special rules that can modify how you make strikes. For example, dual strikes allow you to attack with two weapons instead of one. The rules for strikes listed here simply define the normal behavior.
| Basic Strike – Melee |
Usage time: Standard action.
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Make a melee attack vs. Armor using a weapon against something adjacent to you. You must have line of effect to the target.
Hit: You deal the target weapon damage from the weapon.
| Basic Strike – Projectile |
Usage time: Standard action.
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Make a ranged attack vs. Armor using a Projectile weapon against something that you have line of effect to. If the target is adjacent to you, you take a -4 accuracy penalty. If the target is at long range from you, your accuracy takes a -4 longshot penalty (see Weapon Range Limits).
Hit: You deal the target weapon damage from the weapon.
| Basic Strike – Thrown |
Usage time: Standard action.
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Make a ranged attack vs. Armor using a non-Projectile weapon against something that you have line of effect to. If the weapon has the Thrown weapon tag, use its defined range limits. Otherwise, your range limits are 10/20, and you take a -2 accuracy penalty since you are not proficient with that usage of the weapon (see Weapon Proficiency). If the target is at long range from you, your accuracy takes a -4 longshot penalty (see Weapon Range Limits).
Hit: You deal the target weapon damage from the weapon.
5.8.2 Dual Strikes
If you are wielding two weapons, you can attack with both at the same time whenever you make a strike. This is called a dual strike. You need a Dexterity of at least 2 to make a dual strike. In addition, you cannot use a shield to make dual strikes, even if you are proficient with using it as a weapon.
When you make a dual strike, you treat both of your weapons as a single combined weapon. You sum the accuracy modifier and weapon damage from both weapons. However, your weapon damage bonus from power only applies once to the combined weapon, not once for each weapon. If your power modifier to damage is different between the two weapons, use the higher power modifier.
All weapon tags, magical properties, special material bonuses from both weapons apply to the combined weapon if possible. Numeric modifiers from both weapons stack, even if you have the same magical property or weapon tag on both weapons. For example, using two magical Flaming weapons would provide 2d4 extra damage, and using two Resonating weapons would impose a -4 Armor defense penalty on a damaged target.
Some weapon tags have special rules for they work in a dual strike.
- Ammunition: Only the Ammunition weapon breaks after making the dual strike.
- Bow: You cannot make dual strikes with Bow weapons.
- Compact: Only functions if both weapons are Compact.
- Heavy: You take a -1 accuracy penalty for each Heavy weapon.
- Impact: If you use two Impact weapons, you get a glancing blow when you would miss by 8 or less.
- Light: You gain a +3 accuracy bonus if both weapons are Light, or a +2 accuracy bonus if only one weapon is Light.
- Long: Only functions if both weapons are Long.
- Projectile: You can only make dual strikes with Projectile weapons if both weapons have the Projectile tag. Use the lower range limits of the two weapons.
- Subdual: Only functions if both weapons are Subdual.
- Thrown: Only functions if both weapons are Thrown. Use the lower range limits of the two weapons.
Normally, you take a -4 accuracy penalty when making a dual strike. If you are using at least one exotic weapon, this accuracy penalty is increased by 1.
Putting this all together, here are some examples for a creature with less than 4 Dexterity:
- Broadsword and smallsword: +1 accuracy, 1d6+1d4 damage, Sweeping (1)
- Two kukris: +2 accuracy, 2d4 damage, Sweeping (2).
- Two rapiers: +1 accuracy, 2d4 damage, Keen+ (+4 accuracy with critical hits).
- Two totokias: -5 accuracy, 2d10 damage, Impact+ (glance if miss by 8 or less)
- Throwing axe and handaxe: -1 accuracy, 1d8+1d4 damage, Thrown (30/60)
- Warhammer and light hammer: -2 accuracy, 1d8+1d6 damage, Resonating+ (-4 Armor on hit), Versatile Grip (usually irrelevant)
Split Strikes
Whenever you make a dual strike, you can designate it as a split strike. A split strike deals half damage, but you can choose an additional target of the strike. Unlike the Sweeping weapon tag, this works with both melee and ranged attacks. Narratively, this represents you hitting one creature with one weapon and a different creature with your other weapon.
5.8.3 Special Combat Abilities
This section lists combat abilities that all characters can use. Many of these abilities are Brawling abilities. You use your Strength instead of your Perception to determine your accuracy with Brawling abilities (see Brawling Accuracy).
| Ability | Usage Time | Brief Description | Tags |
| Charge | Standard | Move and make a strike |
— |
| Desperate Exertion | Non-action | Reroll an attack or check with a +2 bonus | — |
| Escape Grapple | Standard | Stop being grappled | Brawling |
| Grapple | Standard | Start grappling with a foe | Brawling, Size-Based |
| Maintain Grapple | Free action | Continue grappling with a foe | Brawling, Swift |
| Overrun | Movement or standard | Move through enemy spaces | Brawling, Size-Based |
| Ready Reaction | Standard | Ready an action | — |
| Recover | Standard | Regain HP and DR, remove conditions | Swift |
| Shove | Movement or standard | Move a foe | Brawling |
| Sprint | Movement or standard | Move at double speed | — |
| Total Defense | Standard | Gain +2 to all defenses | Swift |
| Throw | Standard | Throw a held object | — |
| Trip | Standard | Trip a foe | Brawling, Size-Based |
| Charge |
Usage time: Standard action.
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After you use this ability, you briefly take a -2 penalty to all defenses. This ability does not have the Swift tag, so it does not affect attacks made against you during the current phase.
Move up to your speed in a single straight line. At the end of your movement, you can make a melee strike.
| Desperate Exertion |
Usage time: Triggered (see text).
Cost: Two fatigue levels.
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You reroll any attack or check you just made and gain a +2 bonus, keeping the new result if it is higher than your original result. You can decide to use this ability after you learn whether the original roll succeeded or failed. You can even use it after you learn what the effects of a successful attack or check would be, if that is information you could normally learn if it succeeded. However, you must use it before using any other abilities or ending your turn.
You cannot use this to affect rolls that are not attacks or checks, such as vital rolls. You cannot use this ability multiple times to affect the same roll. Finally, you cannot use this ability to affect actions that take longer than one minute to complete.
| Escape Grapple | Brawling |
Usage time: Standard action.
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Make a brawling attack against any number of creatures that you are grappled by. You can use the Flexibility skill in place of your brawling accuracy (see Flexibility).
The defense of each creature is equal to the result of the attack it made with its maintain grapple ability, or 0 if it did not use that ability. For each target, if you hit that target with this attack, it stops being grappled by you and you stop being grappled by it.
| Grapple | Brawling, Size-Based |
Usage time: Standard action.
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Make a brawling attack with a free hand against the Fortitude and Reflex defenses of one creature you touch.
Hit: You and the target are grappled by each other. For details, see Grappling.
Critical hit: You also control the grapple (see Controlling a Grapple).
Usage time: Free action once per round while you are grappling another creature.
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Make a brawling attack against each creature that you are grappling (see Grappling). This attack has no immediate effect. The result of this roll determines how difficult it is for a creature to escape the grapple during the current round using the escape grapple ability. If you do not use this ability while you are in a grapple, then creatures can easily escape the grapple with the escape grapple ability.
| Overrun | Brawling, Size-Based |
Usage time: Movement or standard action.
Cost: One fatigue level if used as a movement. No cost when used as a standard action.
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Move up to your movement speed in a straight line. You can try to move directly through creatures in your way during this movement. Each creature in your way can choose to avoid you, allowing you to pass through its square unhindered. If a creature does not attempt to avoid you, you make a brawling attack vs. Fortitude against it.
If you move into a creature’s space with this ability, but you do not move out of it, you and the creature are usually considered squeezing (-2 Armor and Ref) as long as you continue sharing space (see Squeezing).
Hit: You can continue your movement through the target’s space.
Miss: You end your movement before entering the target’s space.
| Ready Reaction | Swift |
Usage time: Standard action.
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When you use this ability, you declare another standard action that you intend to take during this phase as soon as it becomes possible. For example, you could declare your intent to make a melee strike against a creature that is not close to you, or cast a targeted spell on an enemy that you can’t see behind a wall.
While your enemies are resolving their actions, if your intended action ever becomes possible, it happens. Otherwise, you do nothing. Any attacks you make in this way are reactive attacks, so you can’t use the desperate exertion ability or similar effects. Your reaction resolves after the enemy has fully completed their action, even if the completion of that action would make your ability impossible again. This means that you can’t use this ability to kill an enemy before their attack hits you, and an enemy can’t invalidate your reaction by briefly moving in range and then moving back out again.
| Recover |
Swift |
Usage time: Standard action.
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After you use this ability, you increase your fatigue level by two, and you cannot use it again until you finish a short rest.
You remove all conditions affecting you. Then, you regain all of your damage resistance and half of your total hit points. Because this ability has the Swift tag, the removed conditions do not affect you during the current phase.
| Shove | Brawling |
Usage time: Standard action normally, or movement while grappling.
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If you are grappling or being grappled by a creature, this ability affects all creatures grappling with you (see Grappling). Otherwise, the target is something you touch. You must be strong enough to push each target (see Weight Categories).
Make a brawling attack vs. Fortitude against each target. If a target is not able to use any of its movement speeds, such as if it is being carried by a flying creature, its defense is treated as 0.
Hit: You can move up to half your movement speed. During this movement, you can push each target 5 feet for each 5 feet that you move. If you push a target so it stops being adjacent to you, you stop being able to push it further.
Critical hit: If you are strong enough to carry the target, you can move up to your full movement speed.
| Sprint |
Usage time: Movement or standard action.
Cost: One fatigue level if used as a movement. No cost when used as a standard action.
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You cannot use this ability while you are carrying or moving another creature in any way. You can use this ability in the middle of a phase after noticing that your movement is insufficient to keep up with an enemy’s reactive movement (see Movement Abilities).
You can immediately take another movement. For the duration of that movement, you double your speed with all movement modes.
| Throw | Brawling |
Usage time: Standard action.
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You throw an object or creature you hold in at least one hand. The object’s weight category must be below the maximum weight category you can lift normally (see Weight Categories). In order to throw an unwilling creature, it must already be grappled by you, and you must hit it with a brawling attack against its Fortitude defense.
Weapons with the Thrown weapon tag can be thrown up to their range limits. Your normal throwing distance for an arbitrary object is equal to 10 feet plus 5 feet per 2 Strength. Some objects are much easier or harder to throw than others, at the GM’s discretion. If an object is particularly easy to throw, such as a small dense sphere, you can throw it up to ten times your normal throwing distance. Likewise, a feather or extremely fragile object may be difficult to throw more than a few feet.
If you throw the target at a creature or object, you can make an attack roll to hit with it, as the basic strike – thrown ability (see Strikes). That attack roll is rolled separately from the attack roll to throw an unwilling creature, if any.
| Total Defense | Swift |
Usage time: Standard action.
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You gain a +2 bonus to your defenses this round. Because this ability has the Swift tag, this improves your defenses against attacks made against you during the current round.
| Trip | Brawling, Size-Based |
Usage time: Standard action.
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Make a brawling attack vs. Fortitude using a free hand against a creature you touch.
Hit: The target becomes prone (half speed, -2 Armor and Ref).
5.8.4 Grappling
A grappling creature is physically struggling with at least one other creature. While grappling, you suffer certain penalties and restrictions, as described below. Other than these restrictions, you can act normally.
- One of your hands cannot be used for any purposes other than using Brawling abilities, including maintaining the grapple. This prevents humanoid creatures from taking any actions which would require having two free hands, such as attacking with Heavy weapons. Monsters without hands must generally use an appropriate appendage, if possible.
- You take a -2 penalty to Armor and Reflex defenses. This penalty is removed if you control the grapple (see below).
- You cannot move unless you push all creatures grappling you, such as with the shove ability (see Shove). In addition, you cannot push a creature grappling with you so it stops being adjacent to you. However, you can use the shove ability to affect creatures you are grappling with as a movement instead of as a standard action.
- You can use the escape grapple and maintain grapple abilities to stop or continue grappling (see Special Combat Abilities).
Controlling a Grapple
Normally, when you use the grapple ability, neither creature controls the grapple. If you get a critical hit against every grapple participant, you control the grapple.
If you control a grapple, you gain two benefits. First, you do not take the normal -2 penalty to Armor and Reflex defenses for being in a grapple. Second, you can escape the grapple as a free action, without having to use the normal escape grapple ability.
To take control of an existing grapple, you can use the grapple ability. If you hit against the controlling creature, no creature has control of the grapple. On a critical hit against each participant, you gain control of the grapple.