GM tools to create dynamic antagonists and combat scenarios quickly. Tier is an opponent’s threat level. Role is a keyword used to guide its behavior in battle to vary its tactics. Battlegrounds make the environment a proactive or obstacle-ridden part of the scene. Mix these for dynamic combats.
Make the location an important, proactive part of the scene. Identify environmental elements to bring into play.
Note: Enemies gathered into a single task pool are listed with the dice in front (4d Enemies). Challenges are shown with a | after the pool (8d | Challenge).
When a fight breaks out, the action flows naturally, following the spotlight. There are no specific rules that differentiate combat from any other scene.
There’s no turn order. The GM describes the impending danger in the current situation and asks how the PCs respond, or the PCs take action on their own. The spotlight is often on the PCs, and the world’s actions flow from what they do. You make enemies more proactive by Foreshadowing events and following up after, or spending suspense to make impact moves. This results in a cinematic ebb and flow to combat.
Battles occur in the theater of the mind, using the group’s shared imagination to keep track of each participant’s fictional positioning to map fiction to rules. However, using battlemaps or sketching maps with minis or markers to track locations during a fight works well, too. This helps organize the chaotic situation, makes sure everyone gets time to shine, and keeps everyone’s imagination aligned. Don’t get caught up in detailed tracking — update the map with big changes.
You map the fiction to the rules just like any scene, making rulings to fill in gaps. However, in combat you’ll often see the same scenarios come up, so for the sake of consistency, some common rulings:
Movement: Moving usually accompanies another action — the goal isn’t just to get somewhere, but to get there and do something. If an interesting obstacle blocks the way, it needs an action roll.
Weapons: Compare the weapons in play and use common sense to resolve any issues. Most weapons are evenly matched; the roll only shifts if there’s a clear imbalance.
Melee combat: Most melee attacks use Brawn, while light, fast weapons rely on Agility. Dirty tricks call for Wits, but rarely work more than once.
Ranged combat: Precision attacks roll Agility, while thrown weapons use Brawn or Agility based on weight and range. Charging an enemy with ranged weapons is reckless, adding +1t or requiring a separate action to close the gap.
Defense Rolls: The GM selects the stat to test. Melee attacks are dodged with Agility, blocked with Brawn (using armor or shields), anticipated with Wits, or keeping your nerve with Presence.
Armor: Armor and shields are represented by talents. Otherwise, they are vantage and set dressing for defense rolls.
Vulnerabilities: Exploiting a vulnerability can lower thorns, drop 1 before rolling a pool, or even bypass the need for a roll. In some cases, finding a vulnerability is required to attack at all.
Ranged vs. Melee: Precise ranged attacks demand focus, which is tough with nearby threats. Inflict +1t to these rolls when under immediate danger.