Dice Combat - Weapons & Damage

Other dice rule sections

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

🩸 Damage, Weapons and HP

Learn which weapons deal what damage and how Hit Points work.

Everyone starts with 12 HP. At 0 HP you are knocked out (see Basics guide → Hit Points).

🔎 How the system decides your weapon class

The system looks at the item in your primary hand at the moment you roll:

Nothing, or an item that is not a weapon: Unarmed
An explosive (pipe bomb, aerosol bomb, grenade): Bomb
A fire weapon (Molotov, fire bomb): Molotov
A gun firing shotgun shells: Shotgun
A weapon firing bolts: Crossbow
One-handed automatic guns: SMG
Any other two-handed gun: Rifle
Any other one-handed gun (pistols, revolvers, machine pistols): Pistol
A two-handed melee weapon: Two-handed melee
A one-handed melee weapon: One-handed melee

🥊 Melee weapons

Unarmed: Damage dealt: 1 HP. Defender rolls: Defend (close).
One-handed melee: Damage dealt: 2 HP. Defender rolls: Defend (close).
Two-handed melee: Damage dealt: 3 HP. Defender rolls: Defend (close).

Melee range is 1 tile, which includes the diagonal tiles.

🏹 Ranged weapons

Pistols (and revolvers): Maximum range: 15 tiles. Damage dealt: 3 HP. Ammo used per attack: 1d3 rounds. Weapon Group: Close.
SMGs: Maximum range: 15 tiles. Damage dealt: 4 HP. Ammo used per attack: 1d3 rounds. Weapon Group: Medium.
Shotguns: Maximum range: 15 tiles. Damage dealt: 4 HP. Ammo used per attack: 1 shell. Weapon Group: Close.
Rifles: Maximum range: 20 tiles. Damage dealt: 4 HP. Ammo used per attack: 1d3 rounds. Weapon Group: Long.
Crossbows *: Maximum range: 20 tiles. Damage dealt: 4 HP. Ammo used per attack: 1 bolt. Weapon Group: Long.
Throwing a weapon: Maximum range: 10 tiles (15 with Strong Arm). Damage dealt: 2 HP (3 with Strong Arm).

* Reloading a crossbow counts as an action.

Guns must be loaded. You cannot attack with an empty gun. The system removes the rounds from your gun for you; if fewer are loaded than it rolled, it fires what is left.
Range: press Gun range to see your throw range, 15 tiles and 20 tiles as rings. A tile counter shows the exact distance to where you hover.

🪛 Scrap weapons

All scrap ranged weapons do 1 HP less damage. The weapon's tooltip in the tracker shows when this applies.

📏 Range modifiers

Guns get a bonus or penalty on the attack roll depending on how far away your target is.

Close range: 1 to 5 tiles
Medium range: 6 to 12 tiles
Long range: 13 tiles or more
Shotguns: +2 at close range, -4 at long range
Pistols: +1 at close range, -2 at long range
SMGs: -2 at long range
Rifles: -4 at close range, +1 at long range
Crossbows: -2 at close range, +1 at long range

🎯 Gun Range Groups

Gun traits (Snapshooter, Gunslinger, Rifleman, Dead-Eye, Spotter, Longshot) give extra attack while using guns in a certain group.

Close: Weapons: Pistols, revolvers, shotguns, hand crossbows. Traits with a bonus here: Snapshooter, Gunslinger.
Medium: Weapons: SMGs, machine guns, all sawn-off guns. Traits with a bonus here: Rifleman, Dead-Eye.
Long: Weapons: Crossbows, rifles. Traits with a bonus here: Spotter, Longshot.

💣 Explosives

Fire bomb / Molotov: Area: 3x3 (target tile + 1 around). Maximum range: 10 tiles. Damage dealt: 1 HP right away, then 1 HP at the start of each of the victim's next 2 turns (3 HP over 3 turns).
Aerosol bomb, pipe bomb, grenade: Area: 5x5 (target tile + 2 around). Maximum range: 10 tiles. Damage dealt: 4 HP.

Lucky shortens the burning by 1 turn and Unlucky lengthens it by 1 turn. A scrap Molotov or bomb deals 1 less, never below 1.

🔃 Changing Weapons

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.
If you begin combat unarmed, you may equip a weapon without it counting as an action.

🏹 Reloading

Reloading a crossbow counts as an action.
Reloading a rifle, pistol or any other gun does not count as an action.

❌ Dual Wielding

❗ You may have one weapon equipped at most. Wielding more than one weapon is not allowed. The system only ever reads your primary hand.

🪃 Throwing weapons

Throwing is an action. What you can throw:

Explosives: Molotov, fire bomb, pipe bomb, aerosol bomb, grenade: Everyone
Short blades and short blunt weapons: Only characters with Strong Arm

To throw a weapon:

Describe your attempt.
Select the target and press Throw weapon.
The system rolls your attack and the target's Defend (ranged).
If your roll is higher than or equal to your opponent's, the throw hits for 2 HP. Strong Arm adds +1, and scrap weapons deal 1 less.

Maximum range is 10 tiles, or 15 with Strong Arm.
Your melee category traits (Hewer, Cutter, etc.) do not apply to throws.
After the throw, hit or miss, you must move OOC to your opponent's tile, drop the weapon there, then return to your tile. The system does not remove a thrown weapon for you.

💣 Explosives

Throwing an explosive has its own mechanics.

Throwing an explosive is an action. You can throw any explosive up to 10 tiles.

Explosives cannot be used in the first round of combat.
Hold the explosive in your primary hand and use Attack / Throw or Throw weapon on a target. The item is deleted as soon as you roll.
Explosives require two hands. After throwing, your hands are empty, and you must use the Change Weapon action on a later turn to hold a weapon again.
Explosives affect everyone in the combat inside the blast area, including allies, yourself, and knocked-out or surrendered combatants.
You cannot strap explosives to your body.

Resolving an explosive attack

The attacker chooses a target. The explosion is centred on that target's tile.
The attacker rolls once.
Everyone inside the blast area rolls their own Defend (ranged) against that roll. Cover gives +2.
Anyone whose defense is equal to or lower than the attack is hit and takes the explosive's damage. A Molotov also sets them on fire.
Your turn ends.

Critical success: explosives never deal critical-success damage. A victim who fumbles their defense still takes +1d4 (see Critical failure (defending)).

Critical failure: the throw goes wide.

The system rolls 1d3: the explosive lands that many tiles from the target, in one of 8 random directions.
It goes off there. Everyone inside the new blast area rolls Defend (ranged) against your original roll, including you and your own side.
Roleplay the bad throw: a slipped grip, a bad bounce, a panicked lob.

🔥 Critical Hits and Fails

Sometimes a blow lands heavy on your opponent. Other times, their attacks seem more brutal than usual.

Criticals are based on the natural die: the kept d20, before any modifiers. The system spots them and rolls the extra damage for you.

Normal: Critical success: Natural 20. Critical failure: Natural 1.
Wildcard: Critical success: 19-20. Critical failure: 1-2.
Even Keel: Critical success: Never. Critical failure: Never.

Lucky and Unlucky do not change criticals; they change how long status effects last.

Critical success (attacking)

If your natural roll is a critical success and your attack hits, the system adds 1d4 bonus damage to your weapon's damage.

Your opponent still rolls to defend. A critical success does not guarantee a hit: a defender with a high roll plus defense bonuses can still beat it (for example, 19 + 2 = 21 beats a natural 20).
It does not apply to explosives.

Critical failure (attacking)

If your natural roll is a critical failure:

Your attack misses automatically. Your opponent does not roll to defend, and your turn ends.
The log shows CRITICAL FAILURE.
Explosives: the throw goes wide (see Explosives).

Critical failure (defending)

If your defense roll is a critical failure, the attack hits no matter what the totals say, and 1d4 is added to its damage. This applies to normal attacks, explosions and attacks of opportunity.

A defense fumble and an attacker's critical success can happen together, adding both 1d4 bonuses.

Roleplaying a critical failure

The player who rolled describes the outcome of their critical failure.
A critical failure may only affect your own character. You cannot accidentally hit, injure or otherwise negatively affect other players or their characters.
Stay realistic. If you describe an injury, it must be reasonable for the situation.
Not allowed: hitting or injuring another character because of your failed roll, or any outcome that removes another player's agency or forces them to react in a specific way.