Combat

Combat in Alacrity is meant to be fast and exciting. Each round lasts ten seconds. During that period, characters take turns acting based on their initiative scores, resolving their actions, and reacting to the changing battlefield. The goal is to keep the story moving while giving everyone a chance to shine.

Rather than relying on heavy charts, you’ll make a few quick rolls. Most actions are skill checks—roll under your skill on a d100 to succeed. Attacks are a prime example: you roll against your Armed Combat, Unarmed Combat, or other relevant skill. If the target tries to defend, such as using Dodge, you compare your margins of success to see who comes out on top.

 In Alacrity, multiple actions are possible in a single round, but there are penalties for stretching yourself too thin. You can also make certain reflexive moves, such as quick Dodges or passive Vigilance checks, without burning through your declared actions. This system emphasizes cinematic action, where characters can take bold risks but face a rising chance of failure when overextending.

Actions in a Round

Each combat round in Alacrity represents roughly ten seconds of dynamic action. During this time, characters can perform various maneuvers, attacks, spells, and reactions. To manage this flow, actions are categorized based on the time and focus they require. Understanding these categories is key to planning your turn and anticipating the consequences of trying to do too much at once.

There are four types of actions:

Declared Actions

These are the significant, deliberate actions your character intends to perform during the round, requiring focus and effort. Examples include making an attack, casting most spells or Effects, moving a significant distance (like sprinting or vaulting), actively using skills like Athletics or Thievery under pressure, or reloading complex weapons.

At the very start of each round, before initiative is rolled, you must declare how many Declared Actions (from 1 to 5) you plan to attempt. This number sets the base multi-action penalty for the round, which applies to all rolls requiring one (Declared, Free, and Reflexive). The penalties are:

• 1 Declared Action: No penalty (0%)
• 2 Declared Actions: –10% penalty
• 3 Declared Actions: –20% penalty
• 4 Declared Actions: –30% penalty
• 5 Declared Actions: –40% penalty

Once declared, this number generally cannot be changed mid-round, so choose carefully, as committing to many actions makes each one harder to succeed at.

Changing Circumstances and Invalid Actions: Combat is chaotic, and sometimes the target or situation for a declared action changes before you can perform it. If a Declared Action you announced becomes impossible or irrelevant (for example, the intended target of your attack dies, the ally you planned to assist moves out of reach, or the object you meant to interact with is destroyed) before you take that specific action, you don’t automatically lose the action entirely. Instead, you may use that Declared Action slot to perform the same type of action against a new, valid target or under the new circumstances, if one is available and performing the action is still feasible.

• Example: Bob the Fighter declares 3 Melee Attacks (-20% penalty) targeting the Ogre Chieftain. On his first pass, he attacks the Chieftain once. Before his second pass, Elara the Wizard kills the Chieftain with a powerful spell. When Bob’s turn comes up again on the second pass, he cannot attack the Chieftain. However, he can use his second declared Melee Attack slot to attack a nearby Goblin instead. If he still has his third declared Melee Attack slot remaining when his turn comes on the third pass, he could attack the Goblin again, or another enemy within reach. His multi-action penalty for the round remains -20%, as that was based on his initial declared intent to perform three significant actions.
• Limitations: You can only substitute the same type of declared action (e.g., a Melee Attack remains a Melee Attack, a declared Cast Effect action remains a Cast Effect action, though potentially targeting someone else if the spell allows). If no valid target or situation exists to perform that same type of action when your turn comes, then that declared action slot is lost. You cannot swap a declared Melee Attack for a Move Action or casting a different Effect mid-round just because your original target disappeared.

Free Actions 

These represent very quick actions or abilities that require minimal effort but still have a mechanical impact. They must be specific Effects or maneuvers explicitly tagged as “Free Action” in their description, or common minor combat actions like drawing a readily accessible weapon, dropping prone, or shifting your grip on/briefly readying a weapon you are already holding. Using a Free Action does not count toward the number of Declared Actions you announce at the start of the round. However, any roll required for a Free Action is subject to the base multi-action penalty determined by your number of Declared Actions. Crucially, while the first Free Action used during your turn adds no additional penalty beyond this base, using a second Free Action in the same round increases the round’s overall penalty by one step (e.g., from -10% to -20%). Each subsequent Free Action used beyond the second also increases the penalty by another step. This cumulative penalty increase applies immediately and affects all subsequent rolls (Declared, Free, Reflexive) made by you in that round. This prevents limitless use of Free Actions without consequence.

Reflexive Actions (Reactions) 

These are actions taken instinctively in response to a trigger, often occurring outside of your normal turn sequence. They represent immediate reactions rather than planned efforts. Examples include making a Dodge roll when attacked, making a Perception or Vigilance check when something unexpected happens, or potentially attempting a Parry (if using those rules). Reflexive Actions do not count as Declared Actions or Free Actions. However, any roll made for a Reflexive Action is subject to the round’s final, potentially modified, multi-action penalty (determined by your Declared Actions and the number of Free Actions you used). If you declared many actions or used multiple Free Actions, your reflexes will be less effective.

Incidental Actions 

These are minor descriptive elements that generally have no mechanical impact on the game. Examples include shouting a short warning (“Look out!”), uttering a battle cry, making a simple gesture, dropping an item you are holding, or speaking a brief sentence. Incidental Actions cost nothing, do not need to be declared, and incur no penalties. The GM has the final say if a requested action is truly incidental or requires a more involved action type.

Summary: Plan your significant efforts as Declared Actions at the start of the round, understanding the base penalty they impose. Weave in specifically tagged Free Actions sparingly, knowing the first adds no extra penalty step but subsequent ones do increase the difficulty for everything else. Rely on Reflexive Actions like Dodge when needed, remembering they’re affected by your overall effort level for the round. Use Incidental Actions freely for flavor and communication.

Movement in Combat

Moving strategically around the battlefield is crucial for gaining advantageous positions, reaching objectives, or avoiding threats. Here’s how movement works within the action system:  

Calculating Movement Rate: Your character’s maximum Movement Rate per round (in feet) is calculated based on their statistics, typically using the formula: Movement = ((Dexterity + Strength) / 2) * 10. (This derived statistic is calculated during character creation, see Chapter 2). This represents the total distance you can move within the 10-second round if you dedicate a major action to moving.

Taking a Move Action:

• Cost: Moving tactically or covering significant distance requires you to use one Declared Action. This is often simply called a “Move Action.”
• Effect: When you take a Move Action, you can move up to your full Movement Rate in feet. This movement can be broken up during your turn. For example, you could move part of your distance, perform another Declared Action (like an attack), and then move the remaining distance, as long as the total distance moved does not exceed your Movement Rate and you have the necessary passes/opportunities to act (see Rhythm of Battle, p. XX).
• Penalty: Remember that taking a Move Action counts as one of your Declared Actions for the round when determining your multi-action penalty. If you Declare a Move Action and an Attack Action (2 Declared Actions), both your attack roll and any skill rolls related to movement (like Athletics to jump over something mid-move) would suffer the -10% penalty.

Minor Repositioning (Free Movement): Not all movement requires a full Declared Action. Characters are not static statues between actions.

• What it is: You can make minor shifts in position without using a Declared Action or Free Action. This includes things like taking a 5-foot step back after striking, adjusting your footing to face a different opponent adjacent to you, turning around, or shifting slightly to allow an ally to pass. Think of it as the small adjustments anyone would naturally make while engaged in activity.
• Limit: This minor repositioning is very limited, generally no more than 5-10 feet total during your turn, and it cannot be used for significant tactical gain like moving into or out of melee range with an enemy you weren’t already adjacent to, reaching cover across the room, or making progress towards a distant objective. It’s part of performing your other actions, not a separate tactical move. The GM has the final say on whether a desired move is minor repositioning or requires a Move Action.
• Cost: None. This minor movement does not count as a Declared Action or a Free Action and adds no penalties.

Difficult Movement:

• Terrain: Moving through difficult terrain (rubble, thick snow, steep slopes, crowded spaces) typically halves your Movement Rate (or applies other reductions/penalties as the GM determines).

Being Prone

A character might drop prone voluntarily to gain cover or be knocked prone by an attack or effect.

• Dropping Prone: You can drop prone on your turn wherever you are currently standing. Doing so is a Free Action.
• Effects of Being Prone: While prone, you present a smaller target to ranged attacks but are more vulnerable and less mobile in melee.
  • Ranged attacks made against you suffer a Challenging (-10%) difficulty.
  • Your own Melee Combat attacks suffer a Challenging (-10%) difficulty.
  • Your Movement Rate is halved (round down, minimum 5 feet), representing crawling speed.
• Standing Up: Standing up from a prone position requires concentration and effort amidst combat. It costs 1 Declared Action to stand up. This action is solely dedicated to standing and does not grant any movement distance itself (though you could potentially declare a separate Move Action in the same round if you declared enough actions, subject to penalties).

Initiative

The moment blades flash and spells begin to hum, every combatant measures instinct against chance. To decide who moves first, each creature rolls a d100 and subtracts its Quickness score; think of the result as the time it takes that combatant to act. The lowest number, including any negative value, reacts fastest and takes the opening turn, followed by the next‑lowest, and so on. When two results match, the swifter Dexterity settles the matter; if even that remains equal, the actions occur together.

Once this order is set it stays in place for the rest of the fight, so players can plan their gambits without re‑rolling every round. Anyone who joins the fray later simply makes the same roll on arrival and slips into the existing sequence at the appropriate point.

If one side springs an ambush—its Stealth having already out‑matched opposing Vigilance—the attackers claim a single free action each before initiative is rolled. After that brief moment of surprise, the encounter proceeds according to the normal order. A combatant may always choose to hesitate, acting at any later point in the current round, but delaying never allows a jump ahead of the established slot in a later round unless the character again holds an action specifically for that purpose.

When the battlefield grows crowded—perhaps twenty soldiers clashing against a company of goblins—the Game Master may condense the process by rolling once per side, using the best Quickness available on that team. Everyone on the faster side then acts before the slower side, and within each faction, the Game Master or players decide who steps forward first. This keeps grand melees moving quickly while preserving the edge of lightning reflexes.

Rhythm of Battle

Combat in Alacrity unfolds as a pulse of ten‑second rounds. At the very start of each round, every combatant decides how much effort to pour into the next heartbeat of action, announcing anywhere from one to five deliberate maneuvers. The more you promise, the heavier every roll will feel: minus ten percent for a second action, minus twenty for a third, and so on. With those wagers placed, initiative is rolled once—d100 minus Quickness—and that order remains fixed for the entire fight.

The round then proceeds in passes that mirror the initiative ladder. When your turn arrives on the first pass you may spend a single declared action. Instead, you can hold that action in reserve, waiting for a more opportune moment. Held actions sit in your pool until one of two events occurs: your name comes up again in a later pass, or the very last pass of the round closes. In either case you may release any or all remaining actions, one after another if you wish, before the clock resets. Fail to spend them by the round’s final heartbeat and they vanish, though the penalties you accepted at the outset have already weighed on every roll you made.

This rhythm means a character who declared three actions, for example, might strike on the first pass, wait while events develop, unleash a second attack on the third pass, then loose an emergency Dodge at the round’s end when the ogre’s club is about to land. Initiative never changes; what shifts is the choice of when, within that fixed cadence, you let each promised effort fly.

Instinctive reactions—sidestepping an arrow you spotted at the edge of vision, keeping perfectly still to maintain Stealth—normally cost no declared action. They are woven into the skill roll itself, already burdened by any multi‑action penalty in effect. If a reflex demands real exertion, such as a diving roll across a banquet table, the Game Master may rule that it burns an unused action or, if you are already overdrawn, piles an extra ten‑percent penalty onto the desperate attempt.

When the final withheld actions are spent the round expires, penalties clear, and every combatant once again declares how many feats of daring they dare to cram into the next ten seconds of steel, sorcery, and breathless choices.

Attacking and Defending

When making an attack, roll under the relevant skill (Armed Combat, Unarmed Combat, Handguns, etc.) on a d100. If your target has a chance to defend, such as with a Dodge skill, both sides compare their margins of success.

Margin of success = skill score – d100 roll

Whichever side has the higher margin succeeds. If the attacker’s margin is higher, the strike lands; if the defender’s is higher, the attack misses. When no defense is possible (for example, the target is helpless or unaware), the attacker simply needs to roll under their modified skill to succeed.

Remember to apply any relevant situational modifiers for cover, range, injuries, and so forth, as well as the multi-action penalty you declared at the start of the round.

Passive Skill Checks

Some skills represent basic instincts or reflexes that require no deliberate effort. Such abilities are considered passive—they’re effectively “always on” unless a circumstance prevents them. When a character has a chance to react to something without making it a full-blown action, the Game Master should treat that as a passive skill check.

    Dodge is a good example of this principle. If a character sees a threat coming and only needs a quick sidestep or minor movement to evade, this reflex shouldn’t cost one of the player’s declared actions. Instead, the Game Master can call for a Dodge roll at the character’s full skill level (adjusted for injuries, etc.). Remember that significant evasive maneuvers—like a desperate dive across the floor—still count as an action due to the time and effort involved.

    Other skills can function passively in the same way. Vigilance often applies whenever the character might notice something out of the corner of their eye or overhear a faint noise. The Game Master may ask for a Vigilance check or roll it secretly to determine if the character spots danger. Similarly, a Stealth check can remain in effect while the character stays still or performs minor, careful movements. Only if the character attempts to dart from shadow to shadow or break into a run should it count as a full action.

    Consider the effort and focus involved when deciding whether a skill is used passively or actively. It can be passive if it’s an involuntary reaction or a sustained, low-exertion state (like casually staying quiet). It should be an active action if it requires focus, dedicated movement, or a conscious decision.

Threading the Needle

Every so often, the only path to victory is a single, perfect touch—sliding a rapier through an eye‑slit, slipping a dagger between dragon scales, or lodging an arrow in a rune the size of a coin. When a player declares such a called shot, the Game Master first decides whether the attempt is even possible. A moving visor slit while the target whirls in darkness might be ruled out entirely; a steadier moment at close range could earn a nod.

If the strike is allowed, assign a penalty that reflects the size of the chosen mark:

• No penalty for broad targets such as an unarmored torso.

• –10 percent for narrow spots—arms, legs, shield gaps.

• –25 percent for fine points like a hand, weapon grip, or knee joint.

• –40 percent for minuscule areas—a ring on a finger or the seam in plate mail.

• –50 percent for legendary pin‑pricks: a visor slit, gemstone focus, or arrow‑splitting.

These modifiers stack with every other factor already in play: range, cover, wounds, fatigue from multiple actions, and so forth.

Patience helps. Devoting an entire round to nothing but lining up the blow—steadying the bowstring, gauging sword reach, waiting for the exact angle—reduces the called‑shot penalty by ten percent. The benefit applies once only; no amount of extra waiting improves it further. Declare the aim, hold your breath through that round, and deliver the strike the moment the next round begins.

Roll the attack with all modifiers applied. A success strikes the precise point, bypassing armor that does not protect it; a miss fails outright, glancing off steel or slicing empty air.

Perfect precision is rare, but in Alacrity, the chance to end a battle with a single deft touch lies waiting for any hero bold enough to try.

Damage and Effects

Hit Points and Stun Points represent your character’s ability to withstand harm. When you suffer damage, deduct it from your Hit Points. You incur escalating penalties to all rolls if you ever drop below certain thresholds of your maximum Hit Points (25%, 50%, 75%, etc.). Once your Hit Points reach 10% or less, you are incapacitated and can take no further actions.

Stun Points function like Hit Points regarding thresholds and penalties, but heal much faster. When you lose 5 Stun Points, you also lose 1 Hit Point. These lost Hit Points must heal as normal.

Armor absorbs a portion of incoming physical damage. A specific number of dice rates each type of armor. For example, a Kevlar vest might be 4d10. When you are hit, roll that many dice and subtract the total from the damage. If the result is zero or less, no Hit Points are lost.

Critical successes occur when you roll above 97% on a d100 skill check, while critical failures happen if you roll below 3%. The exact outcome depends on the situation and the Game Master’s judgment. A critical success with an attack may inflict more damage or create an advantageous situation; a critical failure might mean you lose your grip on a weapon or open yourself up to a counterattack.

Armor Soak

Soak represents a character’s or creature’s ability to resist or absorb incoming physical damage through various forms of protection, be it worn armor, natural toughness, or magical defenses. It is measured by a Soak Value, expressed as a number of ten-sided dice (e.g., 2d10, 5d10).

The Soak Mechanic When a character or creature with a Soak Value is successfully hit by an attack that deals physical damage (such as from melee or ranged weapons, claws, etc., unless an Effect specifies otherwise), the defender rolls their total applicable Soak dice. The total result rolled on these dice is then subtracted from the incoming damage before that damage is applied to the defender’s Hit Points or Stun Points.

• Example: A warrior with 4d10 Soak is hit for 18 points of physical damage. They roll their 4d10 Soak dice and get a total of 15. They subtract this 15 from the incoming 18 damage, ultimately suffering only 3 points of damage (18 – 15 = 3).
• Minimum Damage: Soak can reduce the damage taken to zero, but it cannot reduce it below zero (i.e., armor doesn’t heal you). If the Soak roll result equals or exceeds the incoming damage, the character takes no damage from that hit.

Sources of Soak and Stacking Rules

Soak can come from several sources. Determining the total number of Soak dice to roll involves understanding how these sources interact:

1. Base Soak (Worn Armor or Natural Armor): Most characters and creatures rely on a primary source of protection. This is typically either Worn Armor (like Leather, Mail, Plate – see Chapter 6) or Natural Armor (like thick hide, scales, chitin – listed in monster stat blocks). A creature generally benefits from only the single highest base Soak value available to it; Soak from worn armor and natural armor (or multiple layers of worn armor) do not normally add together. Choose the best applicable value.
2. Shields: A wielded shield provides bonus Soak dice (e.g., Medium Shield Soak +2d10) when actively positioned to block an incoming attack (see Shield rules, Chapter 6). These bonus dice are added to the character’s Base Soak (from either worn or natural armor).
3. Temporary Additive Magical Effects: Some magical Effects (like the Monk’s Iron Body or Paladin’s Divine Shield) grant additional Soak dice, often temporarily or against a single attack. These specified bonus dice stack with all other sources – they are added on top of Base Soak and any Shield bonus.
4. Replacement Magical Effects: Some powerful defensive Effects (like Arcane Shield) provide a specific Soak value (e.g., 6d10) that replaces the character’s normal Base Soak (from worn or natural armor) for the Effect’s duration. Bonus Soak from Shields and Temporary Additive Effects can still typically be added on top of this magically granted base Soak value, unless the Effect’s description explicitly forbids it.

Calculating Total Soak In summary: Total Soak Dice = Base Soak (Highest of Worn or Natural) + Shield Bonus (if applicable) + Temporary Additive Effects (if active). If a Replacement Effect is active, use its Soak value as the Base Soak in this calculation.

• Example: Our Dwarven Axeman (Base Natural Soak likely 0) wears Heavy Mail (Base Soak 5d10) and wields a Medium Shield (Soak +2d10). He activates a temporary ‘Stone Skin’ Effect granting +3d10 Soak vs the next hit. When hit by a physical attack he can block, his total Soak roll is 5d10 (Mail) + 2d10 (Shield) + 3d10 (Stone Skin) = 10d10 Soak for that one hit. If he instead cast Arcane Shield (6d10 Soak, replaces armor), his Soak would be 6d10 (Arcane Shield) + 2d10 (Shield) + 3d10 (Stone Skin) = 11d10 Soak for that hit.

Special Combat Situations

Certain scenarios call for special rules:

• Ranged Attacks. Most ranged attacks are resolved like any other skill check (bows, thrown spears, etc.), with modifiers for range (Short = +10%, Medium = no modifier, Long = –10%). The Game Master may also rule additional penalties or bonuses based on wind, poor visibility, or other conditions.
  • Cover and Concealment. If a target has partial cover, the attacker suffers a penalty (usually –10% to –30%, depending on how much of the target is obscured). Total cover typically makes a target impossible to hit unless the attacker moves to gain a clear line of fire.
  • Stealth and Surprise. When someone tries to remain unseen, use their Stealth skill. If they succeed and the observers fail their Vigilance checks, the stealthy character may surprise their foes, potentially gaining a free uncontested action before normal initiative order begins.
  • Grappling and Wrestling. If two characters engage in a clinch, the Game Master can treat it as an Unarmed Combat roll vs. Unarmed Combat. The winner determines the outcome (pinning the opponent, throwing them, etc.).
  • Other Situations. Explosions, vehicle chases, environmental hazards—anything else that arises is resolved with the same principles: a quick skill or stat check with situational modifiers. If no direct rule applies, the Game Master makes a ruling on the spot and keeps the action moving.

Movement and Positioning

Each character’s movement rate is determined by the formula:

Movement = ((Dex + Str) / 2) × 10 (in feet per 10-second round)

You can split your movement across different actions. For instance, you might rush forward to swing a sword, then step back. If you plan any major repositioning or fast maneuvers (like running behind cover), that typically counts as one of your declared actions and is subject to the penalty for multiple actions.

When characters engage in a chase or race to a location, the Game Master might call for Athletics checks or compare Movement rates if one side is clearly faster. Terrain, obstacles, and the need for stealth can also factor in.

Morale and Retreat

Not every combat is a fight to the bitter end. Characters and creatures often break morale if they are badly hurt or outnumbered. A simple way to handle this is a Mind-based roll (e.g., Mind × 5 as a percentage) whenever a combatant sees their allies fall or suffers severe wounds. Failure means they may flee, surrender, or take other actions to avoid further harm.

If a character attempts to flee, the Game Master decides whether any nearby opponents get a free attack or if the fleeing character must take action to disengage safely. Players and NPCs with a strong reason to fight on might gain bonuses to their morale checks.

End of Combat

When a fight wraps up, check for injuries. Characters with less than 25% of their maximum Hit Points may need First Aid or Medicine to prevent worsening conditions or further loss of Hit Points. If you intend to loot the battlefield, remember any time-sensitive elements (reinforcements, urgent objectives, or pressing wounds).

Once combat is fully resolved, move the story forward. This is a chance to roleplay the aftermath—patching wounds, questioning survivors, or regrouping for the next challenge. The pace of Alacrity encourages quick transitions so everyone can stay immersed in the adventure.

 

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File Created: 04/28/2025
Last Modified: 04/28/2025