Combat

While combat isn’t the overriding goal of the 99 Towers system, it is one of the most complicated subjects and the system is designed to be thorough without being overwhelming. Just as with any role-playing combat system, abstractions have to be made. Actions that in real-life would be simultaneous are staggered for gameplay purposes. Realism takes a backseat to fast-paced, easy-to-follow action. There are optional rules to make the game more or less realistic.

Note: Once you’re done looking over these rules, you can see them in action in Appendix D – Sample Combat

Time Scales

Combat takes place in “action mode”. It is broken down into small, measured segments for game purposes, but is intended to represent the swirling maelstrom of a fight.

The Combat Clock is the mechanism that 99 Towers uses to control the pace of combat. Usually, it is represented by a 10×10 grid of squares. Each square represents a point in time where actions can occur and is called a phase. When a character first enters an “action mode” situation, he will flip for Initiative to determine how quickly he reacts compared to others. This will set his initial placement within the Combat Clock.

Any action that is taken has a certain amount of time associated with it. Once a person has acted, his position in the Combat Clock is then moved based on the length of time that the action takes.

A round is defined as 10 phases. It lasts from the start of one phase to the start of the 10th phase after that. Certain powers or effects may last for several rounds.

From the time the Combat Clock is started until it ends is considered one encounter. Encounters usually end when the fighting’s done, obviously.

Start of Phase Activities

At the start of each phase, before players act, there may be some effects that take place. Examples of these would be ongoing damage, status effects that may start or stop at the beginning of a phase or a round, and so on. Usually, the order of these Start of Phase activities does not matter. When the order becomes important, the GM decides the order in which he wants to resolve them.

Zero Phases

There are special game effects that take place at the start of the “zero” phases, the phases that end with the number 0 (0, 10, 20, 30, etc.) An example of this would be mana recovery. At the start of each zero phase, magic users would gain back one or more mana into his or her pool.

Entering Combat and Initiative

Usually, combat is preceded by two or more groups of hostiles encountering each other in some way. Both parties may be aware of one another or there could be an element of surprise. If there is no surprise, then all involved members of the combat will flip for Initiative. Initiative [N] is one of a character’s Combat Values. Several factors can influence the flip.

When a character is asked to check for initiative, he flips a number of cards equal to his Initiative <N> rank and keeps the highest card. He then adds his Initiative <N> ranks to the value flipped. This is his Calculated Initiative for this combat sequence and will not change for this encounter. To determine the character’s initial position on the Combat Clock, subtract the calculated Initiative value from 20. If the character’s final calculated initiative value is 20 or higher, it is 20 for purposes of initial placement (and thus he will be placed in the 0 spot on the Combat Clock).

Each phase within the Combat Clock may have more than one occupant. Ties within the Combat Clock are broken by whoever has the higher Calculated Initiative. If more than one person has the same Calculated Initiative, ties are broken by the higher Initiative <N>. If there is still a tie, then whoever has the higher Soft Strength [SS] will go first. If there is still a tie, the two characters flip and the high card will be treated as higher in Calculated Initiative for that entire combat.

Example: “Wrongway” Tony has an Initiative <N> value of 2. He flips two cards: a King and a Four. He keeps the King (value 13) and adds his <N> of 2 to that for a total of 15. He will act for the first time in phase 5 (20 minus 15).

If a character is surprised or unaware of their opponents, they will be delayed in their reactions. This is usually checked using a Notice check. If some combatants are not aware of what is going on, they will automatically be delayed by 10 phases from when they would act normally.

Example: In the above example, if Tony were surprised, he would still make his Initiative check as normal. However, he would act for the first time in phase 15 instead of 5.

Flat-Footed

Until a character acts in combat, he is flat-footed. Flat-Footed characters lose the Soft Strength [SS] bonus they get to Physical Defense <PD>. You also cannot make Opportunity Attacks while Flat-Footed.

Actions and Timings

Contained in this section is a list of actions that a player can take during his turn. He is only allowed to take one when it is his turn unless that action has a time cost of “free” or zero. When the character takes the action, his initiative is then moved on the Combat Clock a number of spaces equal to the cost in phases.

Example: If Tony is acting in phase 15 and wants to use Shift Position. It has a cost of 3 phases. He takes that action and will act next on phase 18.

Reactions

Reactions are a special type of action. They are not directly used by a player during his turn. Instead, they are triggered, usually by the actions of another player or the environment. Many of these are defensive in nature. These do not change a player’s position on the Combat Clock unless specified. You can only use one Reaction per triggering event.

Free and Zero-Cost Actions

A player may take any number of Free actions in his turn limited only by what the GM feels is realistic. Speaking is an example of a free action. It can be done as the player does other things (hence the free cost) but there’s only so much that can be said in the brief period a phase is supposed to take.

Zero-cost actions are slightly different. When a character takes a zero-cost action and others have not yet acted in that same phase, he is moved to the bottom of the order of people to act in that phase. This only matters if more than one person shares the same phase. Anyone who later takes a zero-cost action would then be moved behind that player in the order.

Attack- and Move-Related Actions

Certain Talents or other abilities may grant bonuses when using “Attack-Related Actions”. These are:

• Attack
• Charge
• Power Attack

Likewise, Move-Related Actions are:

• Charge
• Combat Move
• Reckless Move
• Running Leap

Marked Targets

Some talents allow a character to mark a creature or a space. By itself, marking something does nothing. Other game effects may trigger off that mark. Unless otherwise specified, you may only have one marked ally, one marked non-ally, and one marked space at a time. When a new marked target of the same type is chosen, the old mark expires.

When something says a mark is spent, it is removed.

Action List

The following is a list of the normal actions that a player can take. If there is something a player wishes to do that doesn’t necessarily fall into a specific category, the GM and player can attempt to gauge the amount of time it would take based on a similar standard action.

Aid (3 phases)

If you are in a position where you can attack an opponent, you can use this action to aid an ally instead of making an attack yourself. You make a normal Attack check vs. Defense with a (flip+1). If you hit, you don’t damage or harm your opponent directly. Instead, your foe will be at a (flip-1) on his next defensive flip against your chosen ally. This will not stack with other instances of Aid (either by yourself or others).

Aim (5 phases)

The Aim action lets you take special care in choosing when and where to strike your target. It can be used for melee, ranged or spell attacks that require <SA>. Aiming allows a (flip+1) on your next attack. You can aim for multiple consecutive actions to increase this bonus. You may do this a number of times in a row up to half your Physical Attack <PA> or Spell Attack <SA>, depending on the type of attack. If you take any non-Free action other than Aiming before attacking, you lose the benefits of Aiming.

Attack (5 phases)

An attack can be a wide variety of offensive abilities against an opponent or opponents within your range. Attack checks are detailed later.

Cast a Spell (5 phases)

Using this action, you can cast a spell if you have access to magic. See the chapter on Magic for details.

Charge (8 phases)

Charging allows a character to make a Combat Move followed by a single melee attack. The last three spaces of the move must be in a straight line if the character moves that far. You must move a minimum of one space to charge.

Combat Move (5 phases)

Using a Combat Move allows a player to move up to his Speed <SPD>. He may also use the Drop Prone action as part of this move and incurs no additional time penalties. Rules for movement are covered later.

Concentrate (5 phases)

Certain activities may require the user to maintain Concentration. He may take free actions at the start of his turn, but he must use the Concentrate action after those free actions, or else the effect related to Concentration ends. If the action that requires concentration has a target and the target manages to break free of the effects, the character stops concentrating and can act as normal during the next phase.

Discard Chip to Heal (Free)

You may discard a chip to heal some of your STUN or LETHAL. This is discussed in the chapter on Fate and Chance.

Drop Object (Free)

You can drop something that is held in one or both hands.

Drop Prone (3 phases)

You drop to the ground prone. This can be done at the end of a Combat Move for free.

Draw a Weapon (6 phases)

With the Draw a Weapon action, you can get a weapon out of its holster, sheath, scabbard, off your back, etc. If both hands are free and you wish to draw two different one-handed weapons, you may do so with the same action, assuming both weapons are accessible.

Escape (5 phases)

If you are grappled, this allows you to attempt an escape check. See the section on Grappling for more details.

Forced Delay (5 phases)

This action forces the character to effectively waste his turn. You are not allowed to use any free or 0-cost actions in the same phase as Delay.

Full Defense (10 phases)

A character can announce he is going into a defensive posture and will focus entirely on protecting himself, both physically and mentally. He will be blocking, dodging, or trying his best to hide behind cover during this time. A character on Full Defense gains a +1 Defense for all opposed combat checks. He may take no other actions during this time.

Hold (Special)

A character may choose to delay and hold his action until a later time. He announces he is taking this action when it would be his turn. He may hold his action until just before or after someone else acts or until some event takes place. He does not have to announce what he is waiting for. When he chooses to act, he moves into that phase ahead of or immediately behind whoever is normally scheduled to go (if there is someone else in that phase).

You cannot act in the same phase in which you chose to Hold. It must be a later phase.

If two or more people are holding, they may want to go at the same moment. If this is the case, the person who first started to Hold chooses who will go first. A character may choose to come out of his hold based on another character also stopping his hold action. In this case, whoever held first chooses who acts first. If there is a situation where two or more people are waiting with Hold actions and no one wants to be the first to act, they can all be forced to take the Delay action. This is up to the GM’s discretion.

Initiate Grapple (5 phases)

Using the Initiate Grapple action, you can attempt to enter a grapple with an adjacent opponent. See the rules on Grappling for more details.

Interact with the Environment (5 phases)

This is a catch-all that allows things such as opening a door, pulling a lever, or pushing a button. They are things that can be done in a noticeably short period. Something more complicated like picking a lock would not fall in this category and would have to be used with the Use a Skill action.

Interact with Inventory (10 phases)

This allows you to retrieve something in your inventory that is not necessarily easily accessible. It could be used if you were carrying something in your backpack, for example, or hidden deep in a concealed pouch that isn’t easily accessible.

Pick up an Object (3 phases)

You can quickly pick up an object that is in your space or one adjacent.

Power Attack (7 phases)

With a power attack, you are recklessly swinging for the fences, putting effort into maximizing damage even if you are exposing yourself in the process.

You suffer a (flip-1) on your Attack, but your base Damage goes up by 2.

You suffer (flip-1) to Defense scores until the start of your next activation.

You may power attack with melee, ranged and spell attacks.

Reckless Move (7 phases)

Unlike a Combat Move, where you are assumed to be on your guard, a Reckless move sacrifices defenses for speed. When using a Reckless Move action, you can move double your Speed (doubling your base plus and any movement power components) but take severe penalties to defense. You take a (flip-1) for all opposed combat checks until the start of your next activation.

Recover (5 phases)

Sometimes you’re just at your limit. You know your body can only take a little bit more. When you use this action, you may heal STUN equal to your Endurance.

Reload a Weapon (5 phases)

Reloading a weapon refills a single weapon with its maximum number of shots.

Running Leap (10 phases)

A Running Leap action is split into two parts. In the first part, the player must move in a straight line a distance equal to his Speed <SPD>. This takes five phases. When the player’s turn comes up again after 5 phases have passed, he then can make his leap. He will move a distance up to his Speed <SPD> in a straight line again and all of that movement must be over unoccupied squares. He must still land on solid ground, or he will fall using the normal rules.

Shake Minor Condition (5 phases)

You can take this action and immediately remove one minor condition you are suffering from.

Shift Position (3 phases)

A character that chooses to Shift Position may move one space. This square cannot be into difficult terrain unless the character has the Sure-Footed advantage. You do not provoke Opportunity Attacks while using Shift Position.

You can add the Shift Position action to most other actions. You shift the space first and then take the additional action you wish to take. The total time the new combined action takes equals 2 plus the other action’s cost. You cannot do this with zero-cost, free-cost, Delay, or with another Shift Position action. If you combine Shift Position with another movement action, it counts as a single move for the purpose of diagonal movement costs.

When adding the Shift Position action to another action, you no longer ignore the Opportunity Attacks like you would if you were using Shift Position by itself.

Speak (Free)

As long as what you want to say is relatively brief, you can speak for free during your action. This can be talking in a normal tone of voice, whispering, yelling, or even something like whistling.

Stand from Prone (4 phases)

Standing from Prone allows you to get up when you are on the ground. The amount of time this takes can be reduced by making a successful Acrobatics check. The Quick Stand specialization helps as well. See the Skills section for more details.

Use a Skill (Varies)

Certain skills allow use during combat. These are discussed under the sections on skills or when relevant in conjunction with other abilities such as talents.

Use an Item (5 phases)

This action lets you use an item that you are holding in your hand or someplace that is easily accessible on your person. A grenade attached to a bandoleer or a smoke pellet in your utility belt would both count as easily accessible.

Attacking and Defending

A basic Attack check involves the Attacker drawing a number of cards equal to his Physical Attack <PA> or Spell Attack <SA>, modified as necessary by Equipment, Advantages, Disadvantages, and so on. The Defender makes a similar check using either his Physical Defense <PD> or Intangible Defense <ID>, modified as necessary. The highest cards (plus or minus modifiers) are the final values. If the Attacker’s final value is equal to or higher than the Defender’s, the attack hits.

Certain requirements must be met for the attack to take place. The target(s) must be within range. You must be able to see or otherwise perceive your target as well. Line of sight and perception of targets is discussed later.

Combat Modifiers

Just as with skills, there can be flip shifts (shift+X/shift-X) and flip mods (flip+X/flip-X) to checks in combat. Some of these are detailed below. The majority of them will only apply to standard attacks or powers that use Attack vs. Defense opposed checks. The GM is the final arbiter if any of these modifiers should be used in other circumstances.

Attacking from Concealment

If you are attacking someone unaware of your presence, you gain a (flip+1) to your attack.

Elevation in Melee

An attacker gains a (shift+1) when he is attacking from a higher position than his target. This represents having high ground. The elevation level must be significant enough to earn this bonus in the GM’s opinion.

Range Modifiers

Each ranged attack has a ranged increment value associated with it. The first range increment for a weapon goes from 0 spaces to that value. The second range increment is from the value plus one to double that value, and so on. An attack at a distance of up to one range increment (in spaces) takes no penalty. Each range increment after the first, however, suffers negative modifiers to the Physical Attack <PA> flip. Spell attacks only have a maximum range and do not have range increments.

Range Increment	Penalty to Physical Attack <PA>
1	None
2	(shift-1)
3	(flip-1)
4	(shift-1)(flip-1)
Greater than 4	Impossible

Example: A weapon with a range increment of 8 suffers no penalty if the target is between 0 and 8 spaces away, suffers a (shift-1) from 9 to 16 spaces, a (flip-1) from 17 to 24 spaces, both a (shift-1) and (flip-1) from 25 to 32, and can’t be fired at a target further away.

Perception Powers

Perception powers are different from normal ranged attacks. Perception powers do not suffer any penalties due to range, size, or cover. These are mostly related to magical attacks.

Size Modifiers

Differences in size make attacks easier or harder depending on the relative size of the attacker and defender.

Size Modifiers are always (shift+X/shift-X) equal to the inverse of the size rank. The shifts are applied to both the Attacker based on his size rank (applied to Physical Attack <PA>) and the Defender based on his size rank (applied to Physical Defense <PD> or Intangible Defense <ID>).

The modifiers of two individuals of the same size will always cancel out.

Example: A large shadow revenant (Size Rank 1) is attacking Jimmy Arkham, a medium-sized hero (Size Rank 0). The revenant takes a Physical Attack <PA> flip shift equal to the inverse of his size rank, in this case (shift-1). Jimmy Arkham will get no bonus or penalty to his Physical Defense <PD> because he is size 0.

Size Rank	Description
-4	Miniscule
-3	Diminutive
-2	Tiny
-1	Small
0	Medium
1	Large
2	Huge
3	Gargantuan
4	Colossal

Outnumbering

There are benefits to outnumbering your foe in melee. When you make an attack, you count the number of friendly characters involved in the same melee and the number of enemy models in the same melee. If you have more friendly characters involved than enemy characters, you gain a (shift+1). If you outnumber your foe 2-to-1 or more, you gain a (flip+1) instead.

To determine who is involved in a melee, you first start with your character and see which enemies he threatens. Then you look to see which other friendly characters threaten each of those enemies. You then look at which enemy characters threaten those friendly characters and so on. Each character may only be counted once. This allows a “daisy chain” situation where multiple friendly and enemy characters are involved in a big mass of people swinging, dodging, parrying, etc.

Conditional Modifiers

Many conditions impose penalties on an attacker or defender. These are fully discussed in the section on Conditions.

Cover

Taking cover behind a tree, wall, or even another character can make a defender much harder to hit. The bonus the cover provides is based on how much of the target’s body is protected by whatever is intervening. Cover can work against both melee and ranged attacks. Cover is split into three categories: Hard Cover, Soft Cover, and Total Cover.

Hard Cover occurs when more than half of the target is blocked from sight. Hard Cover grants both a (flip+1) and (shift+1) to the Defender’s combat flip.

Soft Cover occurs when part of the target is blocked but more than half can still be seen. Soft Cover grants a (shift+1) to the Defender’s combat flip.

Shooting or using an offensive ranged magical spell past a non-allied intervening character that’s the same size or one size rank larger or smaller than the target counts as soft cover.

Shooting or using an offensive ranged magical power aimed at someone in melee with someone else is always a minimum of Soft Cover and could be more depending on the locations of the combatants (unless that someone else is you and you alone).

Total Cover occurs when the Attacker cannot draw a line from himself to the target. Usually, you cannot make an attack against a target with total cover.

Cover is discussed in more detail in the section on the Tactical Map.

Action Modifiers

Actions such as Reckless Move or Full Defense can provide modifiers. These are discussed in the section on Actions and Timings.

Skill, Aspect, and Attribute Checks

Certain attacks do not always target a character’s Defense value. Indeed, many are compared to a target’s skill ranks instead. Examples of this would be an Acrobatics skill check to dodge an area of effect or a Discipline check to avoid mind control. Likewise, some effects may be compared to the raw Aspect ranks, such as a poison check resisted by External Endurance.

In each case, the attack is made just similar to how a normal attack would be. The attacker still uses the characteristic value specified by the power. The defender also uses whatever value is specified. In the case of a skill check, you do get to use specialization bonuses and also add in the matching Aspect score. In the case of a check against an Aspect score, you do not add in the Aspect. You only take the value of the flip.

Example: Tony is called upon to make a check to resist a deadly poison. The check calls for an attack versus his External Endurance. The poison has an Attack value of 5, which means that 5 cards will be drawn and the highest one kept. Tony has an External Endurance of 2. This means he will draw 2 cards and keep the high one.

There will be times when the check calls for an Attribute check instead of a single Aspect. These will either be “High Attribute Checks” or “Low Attribute Checks”. A High Attribute check means that the target uses the better of the two associated Aspect scores. A Low Attribute check means he uses the lower of the two. These checks are rare but then can happen when an effect can be resisted by either of the two Aspects.

Opportunity Attacks

In combat, small and larger creatures are considered to threaten all spaces adjacent on the map where they could make a melee attack. This is usually the six spaces adjacent to the creature unless they have a weapon with the Reach keyword. If an enemy takes certain types of actions while in those threatened spaces, the enemy is letting their guard down enough for another creature to attack.

Creatures that are tiny or smaller do not threaten adjacent spaces.

If a hostile creature that you can perceive moves out of your threatened area, you can make a single melee attack. If you are wielding a ranged weapon, you may make an unarmed strike to represent attacking with the butt of your rifle, pistol, and so on, but you cannot make a ranged attack or cast a spell without special rules that allow you to do so.

If an enemy is pushed or pulled by a game effect, it does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Actions you take can also provoke an Opportunity Attack. The following is a list of actions that can cause an Opportunity Attack if performed while in a threatened space:

• Moving out of a threatened area
• Attacking with a ranged weapon
• Interact with the Environment
• Interact with Inventory
• Pick up an Object
• Reload a Weapon
• Standing from Prone
• Use an Item

Making an Opportunity Attack is not without its downside. When someone makes an Opportunity Attack, they are moved back three phases on the Combat Clock from wherever they are currently.

An Opportunity Attack is a single melee attack. It interrupts the character that triggered the Opportunity Attack. The attack gets provoked and then is resolved before the initial character can continue his turn. Opportunity Attacks are voluntary and do not have to be taken

A character can make as many Opportunity Attacks as he likes, but he will suffer the three phase delay each time. You can make multiple Opportunity Attacks on the same opponent, but each must be triggered by a different action. If a foe moves out of two threatened spaces with a Combat Move action, for example, you can make an Opportunity Attack only once.

Area of Effects

Some attacks can hit a much larger area than a normal attack with a single target. They work differently than a standard attack because they can have multiple defenders involved.

The different shapes for the Area of Effects are discussed in a section for the Tactical Map.

The attacker performs a single Attack Flip using the standard modifiers. Each defender in the area of effect gets a Defensive Flip. The attack hits each potential target if the Attacker’s flip is equal to or higher than the individual target’s Defensive flip. The defenders will get modifiers based on their location relative to the center of the blast.

Only one damage flip is used to determine the severity of the damage. Each target applies his Resilience individually.

You may target an individual or a space with an area of effect power.

Critical Hits

If there is a Heart in the attacker’s combat flip and the attack hits, it is considered a critical hit. The attack will do LETHAL damage (see below). In addition, certain keywords and other effects will key off a Critical Hit.

Damage

Damage in 99 Towers is broken down into two parts: Stun and Lethal. If an attack successfully hits, it has a chance to do damage. Damage will then reduce the defender’s STUN and may reduce his LETHAL.

STUN Damage

An attack does the amount of damage listed in the attack specifications (tied to the weapon or magical power) plus the amount of Hearts in the attacker’s combat flip.

Example: A longblade has the following profile:

Longblade	1+PA	4+PX	–	$25	3 lbs.	Knight, Blade

When it hits, it does Physical STUN damage equal to four plus the user’s <PX> plus the amount of Hearts in the combat flip.

A hunting rifle has the following profile:

Heavy Rifle

PA

7

12

10

$40

10 lbs.

Two-Handed, Large

When it hits, it does Physical STUN damage equal to seven plus the amount of Hearts in the combat flip.

The Defender’s Resilience (either <ER> or <IR>) may then be subtracted from the amount of damage done. If Resilience or other penalties reduce the amount of STUN damage taken to less than one, a hit will still do a minimum of one STUN. If an attack does “Physical” damage, it will be reduced by <ER>. If the attack does “Arcane” damage, it will be reduced by <IR>. If the source of the STUN does not categorized the damage as “Physical” or “Arcane”, there is no reduction from <ER> or <IR>.

Example: Tony “Wrongway” Wright fires a heavy rifle at a bandit and hits. Tony’s combat flip included two Hearts. The heavy rifle does seven physical damage and the two Hearts add to that total bringing it to 9 STUN. The bandit has an <ER> of 1, which is subtracted from the 9 STUN. He takes 8 STUN damage.

STUN is a representation of how much punishment your body and mind can take before it’s unable to continue to fight. It represents not only minor wounds but also physical and mental exhaustion. When you reach 0 STUN, you fall to the ground prone and unconscious. You cannot fight any further and anyone who chooses to continue to attack you will get bonuses to inflict LETHAL damage.

STUN cannot drop lower than 0.

LETHAL Damage

In addition to the STUN damage, the attack has a chance to do LETHAL damage as well.

For each Heart in the attacker’s combat flip, the attack will do 1 point of LETHAL damage to the target. This damage is not reduced by Resilience. A target cannot take more LETHAL damage than he takes STUN damage.

Example: Tony’s attack against the bandit had two Hearts in the combat flip. His attack would do two LETHAL to the bandit.

Running out of LETHAL is bad news. When you’re not at your maximum LETHAL, you are wounded. When your LETHAL reaches 0, you’re disabled. When it gets under 0, you’re dying. When it gets to a negative amount equal to double your Endurance [[E]], you are dead. So, for example, if a character has an External Endurance of 3, when their LETHAL drops to negative 6, they die.

At the start of every Zero Phase, anyone who is below 0 LETHAL loses an additional point.

When an ability grants +X to damage, that only affects STUN damage unless otherwise stated.

Combined Damage

Some game effects such as traps or falling will cause STUN damage and may cause LETHAL as well. When this occurs, the game effect will list “X STUN and Y damage flips.” The game effect will do a minimum of X STUN. Y cards are flipped and each heart in the flip will do LETHAL and additional STUN.

Example: For every five feet someone falls, they take 5 Physical STUN and 2 damage flips. If a person falls 20 feet, they take 20 Physical STUN and flip 8 cards. For each heart, they take 1 more STUN and 1 LETHAL. Because the damage is categorized as Physical STUN, armor and natural <ER> would reduce it.

Temporary STUN and LETHAL

Some game effects will grant temporary STUN or LETHAL. If someone takes damage, they lose temporary STUN and/or temporary LETHAL first. Leftover damage carries over to normal STUN and/or LETHAL.

Temporary benefits can allow a character to exceed their normal maximum values. Healing does not recover temporary STUN or LETHAL. Temporary benefits can’t be added together. For example, if you have temporary STUN and receive more, you either keep what you have or gain the new ones.

If you are at zero STUN and gain temporary STUN, you are still unconscious.

If you are at zero or lower LETHAL and gain enough temporary LETHAL to bring you back above zero, you are no longer disabled or dying. If you lose enough temporary LETHAL to drop to zero or less, you go back to disabled or dying, as usual.

If you receive temporary STUN or LETHAL, you keep them until they are used, unless the game effect specifies otherwise.

Damage Types

Some damage comes from a specific type of energy or substance. If this is true for an attack, the type will be listed in parentheses. For example, the Bolt of Fire spell has:

Damage: 6 Arcane (Fire)

The type of damage can interact with the following game effects:

Immunity – A creature cannot take STUN or LETHAL damage from the specified type of damage

Susceptibility – A creature takes double STUN (after resilience reductions) and LETHAL from the specified type of damage.

Example: Berhardt Potter is wearing a Ring of Fire Immunity that grants Immunity (Fire) but also Susceptibility (Cold). He cannot take any damage from sources that are categorized as fire (although other effects of the spell or game effect that targeted him would still work). However, when he’s attacked by an effect that does 8 Arcane (cold) damage, for example, the 8 damage is reduced by his <IR> as normal, and then the remainder is doubled because of susceptibility.

Some (but not all) damage types are:

• Acid
• Cold
• Electricity
• Fire
• Poison
• Psychic

Realism?

You may be asking “Why isn’t all damage considered to be LETHAL? How can a bullet or sword just stun a target?” It’s because of how the game system is treating those hits and misses in combat. In 99 Towers, a “hit” means that something significant has happened to your opponent. It doesn’t have to mean that you’ve sliced your opponent open with your sword, hit him with your bullets, etc. It means that somehow your attack has affected him. It can be knocking the wind out of him, tiring him out, etc.

STUN is a way to show your short-term level of effectiveness in combat. You can keep fighting until this is gone and then you are just too exhausted (physically or mentally) to fight anymore. You’re not dead and given a little while to rest you can be right back in the thick of things. Both types of STUN come back quickly, are easy to heal, and are a lot more fluid than LETHAL damage.

LETHAL, on the other hand, is serious bodily injury. This isn’t something you can shrug off and come back from. If you’re taking some LETHAL damage, it’s going to do more than knock you unconscious. Again, we used the professional wrestling analogy earlier in the book and it still applies here.

Healing

Many game effects can heal a character’s STUN and LETHAL:

• If a character is given 5 minutes outside of combat to catch his breath, he will regain all his STUN.
• During combat, a character can use the Recover action to gain back STUN equal to his Endurance.
• LETHAL damage comes back much more slowly. A character gains back 1 point of LETHAL for every 8 hours spent without physical or mental exertion.
• There are also talents, magical spells, and items that can heal back STUN and LETHAL.

Falling

A creature takes 5 Physical STUN and 2 damage flips per 5 feet it falls.

Grappling

Grappling is getting up close and personal with your opponent, engaging him in a no-holds-barred wrestling contest. You can use it to restrain a foe, hamper his actions, throw him around the room, or do damage.

To start a grapple, the target must be within your reach. You then take the Initiate Grapple action. You make a Grapple Test.

Attacker’s Attack <PA> plus Size versus the Defender’s Physical Defense [PD] plus Size

If you win the flip, you have your foe grappled.

During your next action, you may choose to do one of the following using the Attack action:

Restrain

You just maintain a hold on your opponent. By doing this, you will get a positive flip shift on your next Grapple Test during this grapple. These bonuses are not cumulative.

Squeeze

This will do a damage flip with base Damage equal to your Hard Strength plus your size modifier minus the victim’s size modifier (for character’s less than medium treat them as size zero). You will maintain the grapple.

Slam

You take the victim and either slam him against the ground, a nearby wall, or another solid surface. This does the same damage as Squeezing but your foe is knocked down and you break the grapple.

Throw

Once you’ve got a good grip on your foe, you might as well throw him at someone else. To throw your foe, choose a target within range. The maximum range for a thrown object is discussed in the section on Aspects. Range increments for the thrown object will be equal to the maximum range divided by 4.

Choose a space where you wish to throw your opponent. If the space is occupied, make a Physical Attack <PA> roll against the Physical Defense <PD> of the person in the space. If the square is unoccupied, treat the Defense as 0.

If you hit, both the thrown opponent and the target are knocked prone. Randomly determine which direction from the target the thrown character lands.

If you miss, the thrown opponent is prone. The target is unharmed. The target will land in a random adjacent space.

If you are throwing a willing person (usually a teammate) and you hit, you may choose not to knock your target prone. If you choose this, the character you threw will not be prone either. You can choose a space adjacent to the target to place the character you threw.

When grappled, during his turn your opponent only has a few options. He can:

Attempt to Escape

Using the Escape action (5 phases), the victim makes another Grapple Test, still acting as if he were the defender on the flip. If the victim wins, he escapes.

Reverse the Grapple

Using the Attack action (5 phases), with this the victim turns the table against his attacker. To successfully reverse the grapple, he must succeed on a Hard Strength plus size versus Hard Strength plus size check. The person attempting the reversal is at a (flip-1) for his check.

Restricted Attack

Using the Attack action, the grappled target may attempt a restricted melee attack, against either his grappler or another opponent he is adjacent to. If he attempts an attack, he will be at a (flip-1) to his attack, and his Hard Strength will be considered halved for purposes of damage calculations.

Grapples can also be broken by other factors. If the attacker is hit by any attack with Knockback, for example, another Grapple Test must be made to hold onto his target while being thrown about. If the attacker drops to 0 in STUN or LETHAL, the grapple immediately breaks as well.

Improvised Weapons

There are situations where a character wants to just pick up a handy object and hit someone with it. There are some restrictions and guidelines for these impromptu weapons:

Maximum Weight of the Object

The object cannot be so heavy that the user cannot swing it effectively.

Size of the Object

The object has to be something the character could get a grip on. If the object is just too large to hold onto, it can’t be used as a weapon. This is a judgment call that should be made between the player and the GM.

Damage

An improvised weapon would be assigned a Damage value just like other equipment. Like with other melee weapons, you would add the character’s Hard Strength.

Improvised weapons may also have limits on just how much of a user’s strength they can utilize. No matter how big and strong you are, the cardboard tube from inside a paper towel roll you’re swinging can only translate so much of that into a damaging blow. These limitations should be decided on by the GM.

Off-Hand Weapons and Dual-Wielding

Some characters prefer to wield in both hands, whether it’s the longblade and paired shortblade, matching pistols, or some other favored combination.

A player chooses his handedness when he creates the character. If a character attacks with the weapon in his off-hand weapon, he suffers a (flip-1) penalty.

A character dual-wielding with two melee weapons must choose his fighting technique and stance. If he chooses to fight aggressively, he gains +1 <PA> but suffers -1 <PD>. If he chooses to fight defensively, he gains +1 <PD> but has -1 <PA>. He may change his style at the start of each of his actions.

Fighting in melee with two weapons does not allow you to attack with both in the same action. Instead, both weapons are abstracted into the bonus/penalty combinations listed above.

A character dual-wielding ranged weapons or using one melee and one ranged weapon gains no benefit unless he has an Advantage such as Two Guns Blazing.

Dueling

The art of the duel was common among the Knights of Areast, who often used it to settle conflicts rather than have them grow and escalate into large-scale bloodshed. A set of formalized rules and laws was published. The code was expanded with the introduction of firearms, and specialized dueling pistols were manufactured, usually handcrafted, and customized for the individual duelist.

Duels are to the death, incapacitation, or first blood.

When a challenge has been issued and accepted, there are four stages to the ritualized combat.

Stage One: Position

In a melee duel, both combatants start adjacent to one another on the tactical map. This is to prevent someone from winning the Initiative but having to use their first action to move or charge.

In a ranged duel, the distance between the combatants should be agreed upon beforehand. Neither should have any advantage based on the terrain or range of their weapons.

Stage Two: Showdown

In the second stage of the duel, both characters size up one another to determine their capabilities. Each character will try to gather information about his foe.

Each character will make an Opposed Flip using his Dueling skill with the Evaluation specialization against his opponent’s same skill. Each character will be flipping twice – once to find out information and once to resist his opponent’s attempt to do the same). For each point he beats his opponent by, the duelist gets to find out one piece of information about his opponent from the following list:

• The opponent’s Physical Attack <PA> (based on the weapon he is using in the duel)
• The opponent’s Physical Damage <PX> (based on the weapon he is using in the duel)
• The opponent’s Dueling skill rank
• The number of cards the opponent has in his Hand of Fate.
• The number and types of Chips the opponent has left in his pool.
• The opponent’s current STUN and LETHAL.
• The opponent’s character level.

If the character’s flip exceeds that of his opponent by 5 or more, he will get a (flip+1) bonus in Stage Three.

If the duel is to first blood or incapacitation, at this point, either of the duelists can concede defeat, recognizing his opponent as superior. This is considered an honorable act by most knights and confers no shame upon the individual withdrawing. Some see the act of conceding as being the most honorable path forward if the concession is sincere.

Duels to the death cannot be stopped via concession.

Stage Three: Focus

In stage three, both characters will determine their initiative for the duel. However, the character’s Initiative [N] is not used for the flip.

Each character makes a skill check using their Dueling skill. The Focus specialization applies, and just like any normal skill check, the associated Aspect (in this case Soft Strength) is added to the total.

If one of the participants earned a (flip+1) in Stage Two, it would be used at this time.

Stage Four: Strike

Once the calculated initiative values have been determined, the duel works much like any other combat. If the duel is to the first blood, it is over whenever one of the combatants does STUN damage to his opponent that exceeds the opponent’s External Resilience.

Remember, per the Minimum Damage rule, if an attack hits but does equal or less damage than the target has External Resilience, the target still takes 1 point of STUN. However, in a duel to the first blood, this point does not count as winning the duel.

Unlike standard combat, if both combatants act in the same phase, any damage done in that phase is applied simultaneously. If both combatants are wounded during such an event, destiny has intervened. In a duel to the first blood, the duel is considered dropped by both parties and neither is the victor. If the duel is to the death and neither is dead, the fight continues.

Tactical Map

Combat takes place on the tactical map showing the relative locations of the participants. Movement on the tactical map is done using a character’s SPD Combat Value in conjunction with the various actions.

Each space is a cube 5 feet by 5 feet by 5 feet in size. Ranges for weapons and spells will be given in spaces. Spaces are considered adjacent if a side or corner touches.

Counting Spaces

Counting spaces orthogonally is simple. Counting diagonally is slightly more complex. The first diagonal counts as 1. The next counts as 2.

In the above example, the first diagonal takes the count from 2 to 3. The next diagonal costs 2 and takes the count from 4 to 6. The next goes back to counting as 1 (6 to 7) and so on.

Creature Sizes

Some creatures are large enough to take up more than one square.

Description	Space
Minuscule	1/4 x 1/4
Diminutive	1/3 x 1/3
Tiny	1/2 x 1/2
Small	1 x 1
Medium	1 x 1
Large	2 x 2
Huge	3 x 3
Gargantuan	4 x 4
Colossal	5 x 5

More than one tiny or smaller creature can fit into a single space. As long as the sizes added together are 1 or less, the creatures can fit, which can allow moving through spaces without interference.

Moving Through Spaces

You can move into spaces that contain allied characters. You can move into a non-ally’s space using the Acrobatics skill. See the skill section for details. You can only end your movement in a square with another creature if all creatures present add up to less than one in the Creature Sizes chart above.

You can move through Incapacitated and Unconscious non-ally creatures without an Acrobatics check.

Cutting Corners

If two spaces adjacent to one another diagonally are occupied by either impassible terrain or non-allied creatures, you cannot move between them. Incapacitated and Unconscious non-allies can be ignored for purposes of this rule.

In the above example, a character in space one could not move to space 2 because the path is blocked by a piece of impassible terrain and a non-ally. Likewise, the path from 1 to 3 is blocked by two diagonally adjacent non-allied characters.

If the two non-ally (NA) tokens were allies, movement from 1 to 2 and 1 to 3 would be allowed.

Terrain Types

Blocking terrain is things like walls, doors, pillars, and objects. They block movement and line of sight.

Difficult terrain is things like dense undergrowth, rocky ground or rubble, short walls, or other sorts of things that hinder movement in some way. If a square is filled with difficult terrain, it costs 1 more space to move into it. If the difficult terrain is between two squares, like a wall, crossing that line would cost 1 more space while moving. If a creature takes up more than one space (because it is Large or larger), only count difficult ground once if one or more squares the creature takes up moves into or over that kind of terrain.

Line of Sight

Some effects require you to have a line of sight to a target. If you can draw an imaginary line from the center of your space to the center of the target’s space, you have a line of sight. This line is blocked by solid objects, patches of solid darkness, and so on. It would not be blocked by windows, portcullises, or other similar objects with gaps large enough to see through.

If a creature takes up multiple spaces, line of sight can be traced from the center of any space it occupies.

Determining Ranges

Ranges are counted by drawing counting spaces, starting with a space adjacent to the attacker and ending in one of the target’s spaces.

Areas

Some effects take up an area of a specific shape and size.

Aura X

An aura extends out from a creature’s space, extending out a radius equal to X. The number of spaces encompassed by an aura varies depending on the size of the creature. The following diagram shows Aura 1 and 2 for a small or medium-sized creature. Unless specified, an aura does not include the square containing the source of the effect.

Burst X

A burst is similar to an Aura, but it extends out from a target space (which can be a creature other than the character who is causing the effect). Burst 1, for example, would be the target square and the 8 adjacent. Burst 2 would be the 21 squares shown for Aura above.

Burst effects do not depend on the size of a target creature. Bursts emanate from a single square. If the target is Large or larger, the character causing the effect chooses a legal square the target is in, taking into consideration the line of sight.

Cone X

A cone shoots out from a point to a distance of X. Because of alignment to a square grid, cones are often more difficult to determine.

Line X

A line is a sequence of spaces adjacent either orthogonally or diagonally. The target square is at one end of the line and then the area of effect extends from that point.

Pets and Companions

Some characters develop a special connection with an animal companion, either a creature of flesh and blood or a spirit that manifests in animal form. These animal companions are loyal and well-trained, becoming an extension of their master’s will.

These companions are considered allies for the character and the rest of their party. The companion can be affected by spells and talents. They have STUN and LETHAL values and can be killed just like other creatures. The effects of having an animal companion die are determined by your class.

Unless stated otherwise, these companions possess limited animal intelligence and cannot communicate or understand complex commands any better than a well-trained animal. The animal must be able to see, hear, or otherwise detect your commands to follow them.

The animal companions level up as you do, and their statistics and abilities are detailed in the class description.

During a combat encounter, the animal companion is under your strict guidance and control and will act only when you direct it. You and your animal companion activate simultaneously. You choose a single action, and either you or your companion executes it. In essence, each time it’s your turn to act, you decide whether you or your pet will perform an action.

There are exceptions. When you opt for a Combat Move or Reckless Move action, both you and your companion move. One of you must complete their movement before the other begins. If you’re knocked unconscious, your animal companion can still act, but the range of possible actions is restricted to those that are logical (such as attacking wildly or defending your body).

If you take a “Discard a Chip to Heal” action, either you or your companion may benefit.