Dice Combat - Actions: Hostile

Other dice rule sections

Dice Combat - A basics guide
Dice Combat - Actions: Hostile (you're here!)
Dice Combat - Actions: Movement
Dice Combat - Actions: Self-preservation
Dice Combat - Weapons & Damage

⚔️ Attacking

Damaging your opponent.

Describe your attack with a /meloud.
Select your target by clicking their name in the turn order. Click the same name again to deselect them.
Press Attack / Throw.

The system then does the rest:

It reads the weapon in your primary hand and rolls d20 + weapon traits + other modifiers. Guns also get a range modifier based on the distance to your target.
It rolls your target's defence automatically:
- Defend (close) against unarmed and melee attacks.
- Defend (ranged) against guns, crossbows, thrown weapons and explosives.
If your total is equal to or higher than the defence, you hit and the damage is applied.
Critical successes and failures are applied automatically (see Critical Hits and Fails).
Your turn ends as soon as you attack. Do your moving first.

Guns and crossbows:

You cannot attack with an empty weapon ("Your weapon is not loaded").
Each attack uses up ammo automatically: 1d3 rounds for pistols, SMGs and rifles, and 1 for shotguns and crossbows. If fewer are loaded, it fires what is left.

You cannot attack a combatant who is knocked out or has surrendered.

🛡️ Your opponent defends

Defend (close) and Defend (ranged) are both d20 + defence traits + modifiers. Cover adds +2 against ranged attacks. Poison is -2. If the defender set advantage or disadvantage, it applies to this roll.

⚖️ Ties

If the attacker's roll equals the defender's roll, the attack succeeds.

🪃 Throwing

Throwing covers weapons and explosives. What you can throw:

Explosives (Molotovs, fire bombs, pipe bombs, aerosol bombs, grenades): everyone.
Short blades and short blunt weapons: only characters with Strong Arm.

Everything is thrown up to 10 tiles (15 with Strong Arm). Learn more about throwing and explosives in Weapons & Damage.

🏹 Reloading

Loading bullets or bolts into your weapon.

Reloading a crossbow counts as an action. Reload, then press Finish turn.
Reloading a rifle, pistol or any other gun does not count as an action.

⚠️ The system has no reload button and does not count this action; it only checks that your weapon is loaded when you attack.

🔃 Changing Weapons

Switching from one weapon to another.

Switching from a melee weapon to a ranged weapon, or the other way round, counts as an action. If you change weapons on your turn, you cannot take any other action that turn. Press Finish turn afterwards.
If you begin combat unarmed, you may equip a weapon without it counting as an action.
After throwing an explosive your hands are empty, and equipping a new weapon counts as changing weapons and takes an action.
Quickdraw loses its initiative bonus as soon as you no longer hold a pistol.

🔥 Critical Hits and Fails

On your attack roll you can land a critical success (normally a natural 20: +1d4 damage if you hit) or a critical failure (normally a natural 1: automatic miss, and your turn ends). When defending, a critical failure means the attack hits no matter what, with +1d4 damage. Wildcard and Even Keel change these numbers.

To learn everything about it, check Dice Combat - Weapons & Damage.

🫳 Grappling

For those times you want to stop someone from moving.

A grappled character cannot move freely: their movement is locked as long as the grapple is held. Grappling is not the same as restraining, which is not part of our PvP rules.

How to grapple

Grappling is an action.

You may grapple if your target is in melee range (1 tile, diagonals included).
You need one free hand to grapple someone.
A player can only be grappled by one person at a time.
Restraining or handcuffing someone during combat is not allowed.

To grapple:

Describe your attempt.
Select your target in the turn order and press Grapple. Wrestler gives +2.
The system rolls your opponent's Defend close automatically.
If your roll is higher than or equal to your opponent's, the grapple succeeds. The system gives you the Grappling status and your opponent the Grappled status.
Your turn ends as soon as you grapple, whether it succeeds or not. Do your moving first.

The system refuses the grapple if your target is further than 1 tile away, is already grappled, or if you are already grappling someone.

The grappler

Must keep one hand free to hold the grapple.
May still attack anyone in range (melee or ranged), but only with one-handed weapons.
May not move unless they release the grapple.
May release the grapple during their turn as a free action: press Release grapple. Both statuses are removed.

The grappled

May still attack anyone in range (melee or ranged).
May not move until the grapple is broken.
May attempt to break free (an action).
Cannot escape, and does not trigger attacks of opportunity.

Breaking a grapple

Breaking free is an action and can only be taken on your turn.

To break free:

Press Break free (the Grapple button changes to this while you are grappled). Wrestler's +2 applies.
The system rolls the grappler's Defend close automatically.
If your roll is higher than or equal to theirs, you break free and both statuses are removed.
Your turn ends, whether you break free or not.

When a grapple ends by itself

The system removes the Grappled and Grappling statuses automatically when either character is knocked out, surrenders, or leaves the combat.