How Combat Works

Combat is cyclical; everybody acts in turn in a regular cycle of rounds. Combat follows this sequence:

When combat begins, all combatants roll initiative.
Determine which characters are aware of their opponents. These characters can act during a surprise round. If all the characters are aware of their opponents, proceed with normal rounds. See the surprise section for more information.
After the surprise round (if any), all combatants are ready to being the first normal round of combat.
Combatants act in initiative order (highest to lowest).
When everyone has had a turn, the next round begins with the combatant with the highest initiative, and steps 4 and 5 repeat until combat ends.

Initiative

At the start of combat all participants must determine the order in which they act. An initiative check is a Dexterity check. Each character applies his or her Dexterity modifier to the roll, as well as other modifiers from feats, spells, and other effects. The GM rolls the initiative of NPC's and then characters act in order, counting down from the highest result to the lowest.

Ties : The tied characters simply roll against each other to determine which of them goes first.
Joining a Battle : If a character enters a battle after it has begun they make an initiative check before entering combat. At the start of the round they are inserted into combat and take their turn according to their initiative.

Surprise

When a combat starts, if you are not aware of your opponents and they are aware of you, you're surprised.

Sometimes all the combatants on a side are aware of their opponents, sometimes none are, and sometimes only some of them are. Sometimes a few combatants on each side are aware and the other combatants on each side are unaware.

Determining awareness may call for Perception checks or other checks.

The Surprise Round: If some but not all of the combatants are aware of their opponents, a surprise round happens before regular rounds begin. In initiative order (highest to lowest), combatants who started the battle aware of their opponents each take a standard or move action during the surprise round. You can also take free actions during the surprise round. If no one or everyone is surprised, no surprise round occurs.

Unaware Combatants: Combatants who are unaware at the start of battle don't get to act in the surprise round. Unaware combatants are flat-footed because they have not acted yet, so they lose any Dexterity bonus to AC.

Flat footed

When a combatant us unaware of an attack (Surprised, or Snuck up on) they loose their dexterity bonus to your Ref defense. (some feats or skills mitigate this)

The Combat Round

Each round represents 6 seconds in the game world; there are 10 rounds in a minute of combat. A round normally allows each character involved in a combat situation to act.
Each round's activity begins with the character with the highest initiative result and then proceeds in order. When a character's turn comes up in the initiative sequence, that character performs his turn's worth of actions.
Each turn a character has 3 actions - Standard, Move, and Swift some skills and feats require a full round action, this combines the 3 actions. No other action (except free actions) can be taken in that round. You may substitute a Move action for a Standard action. You may also Substitute a Swift action for a Move action. This means you could end up with 3 swift actions in a turn. You may not reverse the substitutions.
Once every character involved in the combat has completed their turn a round of combat has completed.

Actions

Actions are considered all the things you can do while in combat. The actions are Standard, Move, Swift, Full-Round, Free, and Reactions.

Free Action : An action that requires almost no time or can be done with almost no thought. These can be done at any time and are not considered to take any perceivable amount of time. It is up to the GM to determine if something is a free action or requires one of the other action types to be done.

Yelling a warning to others.

This must be short and simple, it is not reciting details on the position, what species, what they are wearing and what someone is doing but more like "Look Out, on the left"
Can be directions but must be simple, if they wish to dialog they might have to use a swift action to do so.

Taunting an Opponent.
Seeing what someone in your line of sight is doing.

Reactions: Are instinctive or trained responses to someone else's actions. These responses occur at the time of the original action that triggered them and are considered to be done at the same time as the offensive action.

Making a perception check to notice when someone new enters combat.
Activating a force power to absorb damage from an incoming blaster bolt
Dodging or blocking an incoming attack.

Standard Action : This is usually your main action, and can consist of an attack of some type, or Aiding another.

Making an attack with a weapon is one of the most common standard actions
Some skills requires a standard actions to use.
Activating a Force Power takes a standard action
You can defend yourself as a standard action. You get a +4 ref bonus for 1 round. Your defense improves at the start of this action. You can't make attacks of opportunity while defense is active.

Movement : Represents movement while in combat.

Moving : you may move 1/2 your speed during your movement phase (If your speed is 6 you may move 3 squares)

Understanding movement is understanding time and space.

A round is 6 seconds you have a movement phase which is basically 1/2 of that time.
Each square is considered 5 feet.
So moving 15 feet in 3 seconds is what a normal sized person can do.

If you change your standard action to a move action you can then move 15 more feet for a total of 30 feet in those 6 seconds while walking.

Exception is if you wish to sprint or run, sprinting and running are a full-round action. Running allows you to move 2x your standard speed (if your speed is 6 you may run 12 squares), and sprinting will allow you to move 3x your standard speed, but can only be done in a straight line (if your speed is 6 you may sprint 24 squares). You may not do any action and if something interrupts you (a successful attack on you, failed acrobat check etc.) The movement is cut in 1/2. Running will move you 1 down the condition chart, sprinting moves you 2 down the condition chart.

Manipulating an item : Doing something that requires your concentration for a few seconds these can include

Drawing or holstering a weapon
Picking up an item
Opening a door
Pushing something over
Opening a closed container

If you wish to retrieve something from the closed container it would require an additional move action

Changing position : When crouching or laying prone it requires a move action to stand up. Climbing up a box, diving over a wall or any other mindful move requires move action as well.

Swift Action
A swift action is actions that require very little time or thought. Some actions, feats or talents require more than one swift action. This can be done by substituting a move action for a swift action. Unless the feat or talent specify otherwise all the swift actions must be done in the same round and can not be spaced out over time.

Activating an item : Flipping a switch, starting an engine, turing on a computer, lighting a lantern are all acceptable swift actions.
Using 2 swift actions you may take aim at a target, When aiming you get a +1 on your ranged attack roll, but you take -1 to your ref defense for that round. Careful Shot, Deadeye and the Sniper feats require you to Aim before they can be used.
Dropping an item is a swift action (picking one up is a movement action)
Switching weapon mode. Some weapons come with multiple weapon modes. You may switch modes using a swift action

Examples: Changing a blaster pistol from lethal to stun. Switching a blaster carbine from autofire mode to single shot.

Falling into a prone position requires a swift action. If you are trained in acrobatics you may fall prone as a free action with a successful DC 15 check.
Recover : you must spend 3 swift actions to move + 1 up on the condition track. You may spread out your recovery over 3 turns or take them all at once by changing your move and standard action to swift actions.

Full-Round Action
A full-round action requires an entire round to complete. Thus, it requires you to use your Standard action, Move action and swift action together to complete.

Full Attack. When you make more than one attack in a round this is a Full Attack. A Full attack requires 2 weapons, a double weapon or a special ability that grants extra attacks. You do not need to specify the targets of your additional attacks ahead of time. You can see how the earlier attacks turn out before assigning the later ones.

Attacking with 2 weapons: As a Full-Round action a character armed with 2 weapons may attack once with each weapon. Because of the difficulty of this maneuver the character takes a -10 on all attacks for this round. (if the character is not proficient with this weapon take an additional -5 penalty on the attack roll)
Attacking with a Double Weapon: As a Full-Round action a character armed with a double weapon may attack once with each end of the weapon. Because of the difficulty of this maneuver the character takes a -10 on all attacks for this round. (if the character is not proficient with this weapon take an additional -5 penalty on the attack roll)
Double and Triple Attack Feats: Allows a character to make an additional attack with a -5 attack penalty on all attacks until the start of their next turn. The triple attack feat allows a third attack at an additional -5 (for a total of -10) attack penalty till the start of their next turn. (This is only one additional attack if you have 2 weapons you may choose one weapon to use this extra attack with. A double weapon can only use one end with a double attack.)

Coupe de Grace: As a full round action you may attack a helpless creature in an adjacent square using the Coupe de Grace. If hit automatically score a critical hit (minimum damage is double the normal damage). If the target of the Couple de Grace has 0 or less hp they automatically are killed. You may not do a coupe de grace on an object or vehicle. (you may do it to a droid)
Running or Sprinting: Running allows you to move 2x your standard speed (if your speed is 6 you may run 12 squares), and sprinting will allow you to move 3x your standard speed, but can only be done in a straight line (if your speed is 6 you may sprint 24 squares). You may not do any action and if something interrupts you (a successful attack on you, failed acrobat check etc.) The movement is cut in 1/2. Running will move you 1 down the condition chart, sprinting moves you 2 down the condition chart.

Combat Modifiers

Defense:
Defenses are divided into 3 parts, Reflex, Fortitude and Will.

Reflex measures how well you react to incoming dangers, either dodging out of the way or shielding yourself from the brunt of the attack

Reflex is 10 + ½ Hero Level + Armor Bonus + Dexterity modifier + class bonus + Racial armor bonus

Fortitude is your ability to endure physical stress, poison, intense pain

Fortitude is 10 + ½ Hero Level + Constitution modifier + class bonus + racial bonus

Will is your willpower in fighting against effects that try to affect your body or mind

Will is 10 + ½ Hero Level + Wisdom modifier + class bonus + racial bonus

Offense:
Offences are divided into 2 parts, the attack and the damage

Attack Bonus are added to determine if your attack actually hits the target.

Roll a d20 add your bonus and compare against your targets defense. If you are higher than their defense your attack hits, if it is lower you missed.

Each Hero has a base attack bonus that is determined by their class.
Fighting style

Ranged fighting you add your base attack bonus to your dexterity modifier to determine your attack bonus
Melee fighting you add your base attack bonus to your strength modifier to determine your attack bonus

Damage is determined by the weapon you wield, in addition if you are using a melee weapon you add your strength modifier to the damage.

Conditions

Certain debilitating attacks reduce one's combat effectiveness instead of one's hit points. (Damage Threshold, stun grenades, a forced march, poison, exposure to extreme temperatures) Prolonged or multiple conditions have a cumulative effect and can quickly move a creature from its normal state to unconsciousness.

Physically debilitating attacks are usually made against the target's Fort Defense, while mentally debilitating attacks target one's Will Defense. Either type of attack pushes the target along the same track.

Damage Threshold:
Damage Threshold is Fort Defense + any Feats or skill modifiers
When an attack deals more damage than your Damage Threshold it will impair or incapacitate you regardless of how many HP you still have moving you 1 down on the condition track.

If you fall below 0 by an attack that breaks your damage threshold, you may use The Force to avoid death, you remain at 0 hp and fall unconscious.

Condition Track

Normal	Inconvenienced	Distressed	Hurt	Disabled	Helpless
0	-1	-2	-5	-10	Unconscious

The condition track shows how effective you are during a given fight. Each level Reduces your Defense, attacks, ability checks and all skill checks by the given amount.

If you are hurt you will have a -5 to all defenses, -5 to your attack rolls and -5 to your ability and skill checks

Reaching the bottom of the track results in unconsciousness or incapacitation. The character can not act during the round if they are helpless. A character may move up 1 step on the condition track by using 3 swift actions. This can be done all at once, or spread out over time.

Persistent Conditions:

Some things cause persistent conditions that cannot be removed except in certain circumstances. (disease, poisons or dismemberments) The persistent condition will lower your max HP and move you to a fixed point on the condition track that you may not recover above unless the certain requirements are met to fix the condition. You may still fall lower and recover up to the fixed point on the condition track normally. Once the persistent condition is removed by its special requirements you regain any lost HP and will move back to Normal on the condition track.

It is possible to be affected by more than one persistent condition. Each condition is treated as individual and is cumulative when dealing with HP and the condition track.

You may have a disease that has a -1 to your conditions chart.
If you are then poisoned that also has a -1 to your condition chart.
You are then moved to -2 or Distressed as your new fixed position.

Special Combat Rules

AOE attacks
Autofire
Attack of Opportunity
Concealment
Cover
Difficult Terrain
Encumbrance
Flanking
Helpless Opponents
Ion Damage
Line of Sight
Moving through occupied spaces
Prone Targets
Reach
Shield Rating
Special Initiative Actions
Stunning
Unarmed Attacks

Starting Day

Combat