SRP: Simple Role Playing Rules
Rules for Combat and Contests

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TOC
Magic Combat
Spirit Combat
Physical Combat
Special Combat Actions
Missile Combat

Combat Related Rules (in main rules)

Magic Combat
To cast a spell, the spell is automatically cast and the mana to cast it is spent. To affect a target the Personal Mana (PM) of the target needs to be overcome. Overcoming uses the Opposed Roll system, see above. If the PM is overcome, the magical defenses need to be overcome. If the mana of all the spells on a target in a round are not greater than the magical defense, the target is not affected. If all mana is greater, then the target is affected. Note: some spells are diminished in effect by the power of the magical defenses (for example, Paralysis and Wither).

Spirit Combat
Spirit combat is resolved by opposed rolls. Each round, whoever wins causes the Personal Mana (PM) of the target to drop by one. If either side does anything but participate in the spirit combat that round (even move or cast spells), the opposing side can cause them to loose one PM. When either side drops to -1 PM, the pass out (and do not recover to zero for one hour.) When dropped to -1 PM in spirit combat one loses one point of Spirit permenantly (not gained by the opposer). When Spirit of all opponents of one side of the Spirit combat drops to zero, the other side can force the end of the combat (or continue).

Some spells can be cast against spirits with a PM of zero, allowing the caster to command, bind, ally, etc. the spirit. If the spirit combat is one against many, one spirit of the many side is designated the lead each round and its spirit is used for the combat. Only the lead spirit can take the mana loss but each extra spirit helps the lead spirit by one point on the opposed roll. Example, Andrea (spirit 5) fights three ghosts (spirit 4, 3, 2). Each round a lead is chosen (the 4 for example) and one for each extra spirit is added to the opposed die roll (+2). If Andrea succeeded, the lead enemy spirit (4 in this case) would drop to 3 PM.

Physical Combat
Overview: For physical combat, three dice are rolled, one for attack (d20), one for defense (d20), and one for damage (d6). All three rolls rolled at once by the attacker.

Details: Attacking character rolls 2d20 and a d6. The d20 matching the d6 is for the attack (ATT) and non-matching d20 is for target's defense (DEF). The d6 is for the damage if the attack is successful. The attack succeeds if the roll is equal to or under the current effective skill. A roll of 20 is an automatic failure, regardless of skill, spells, abilities, etc. The defense succeeds if the roll is equal to or under the current effective skill. See chart below for effect.

Attack Chart	Defense Success			Defense Failure
	with Weapon	with Shield	with Avoid
Attack Success one level better	Normal damage	Shield lowers special damage	Normal damage	Special damage
Attack Success	No Effect	Shield lowers damage	No Effect	Full damage
Attack Failure	No Effect	No Effect	No Effect	No Effect

Success one level better: see Special and Critical (Ex. normal Defense success against a special Attack success)

Rear Attack: Anyone attacking an opponent from the rear receives +4 to skill

Special and Critical: Special: add 4 to damage, Critical: target AP halved and a minimum of at least one hit. A special occurs with a roll one third of skill (rnd down, minimum 1) and a critical occurs with a roll of one tenth of skill (rnd down).

Skill	Special	Critical
1-5	1	--
6-8	1-2	--
9	1-3	--
10-11	2-3	1
12-14	2-4	1
15-17	2-5	1
18-19	2-6	1
20	3-6	1-2
21-23	3-7	1-2
24-26	3-8	1-2
27-29	3-9	1-2
30	4-10	1-3

Defense (DEF): Assume enemies to have a base defense of 10. Referee will review each roll for final resolution, announcing skill when it becomes known. AP is usually obvious and stated by the referee or on the enemy counter.

Shields: successful defense with shield adds the shield's AP to armor: 4 for buckler, 6 for medium, 8 for large shield.

High Skill Extra Damage Rule: for high skill, damage is increased, see table below. This is total skill at the time of attack with all modificaitons due to magic or other factors.

Skill	Damage
21-25	+1
26-30	+2
31-35	+3
36-40	+4

Hits: for each two points (rnd up) that damage is above AP, the target loses a hit. Hits are marked with a die or counter. Example. 5 AP and 10 DAM equals 5 DAM over armor for 3 hits (2.5 rounded up).

Long Weapons
Normally each combatant has a 1.5 meter diameter zone of control except in the 90 degree area directly behind them. Moving into a zone of control stops further movement. Combatants can move from zone of control to zone of control or leave one and still make a full movement. Long weapons currently have effect on the zone of control.

Long weapons expand the zone of control to 3 meters or 4.5 meters. Enemies have to stop upon entering the expanded zone of control, unless they charge through. Charging through allows the defender to get an extra attack on the person (one extra attack per round max), but does allow the person to move through the expanded zone of control. A similar rule could be used for moving past (or through) any zone of control (even adjacent). Attacks with long weapons can only be made at the long range.

Special Combat Actions
Some weapons allow the use of special combat actions other than normal attacks. Instead of normal attack, attacker declares use of a special combat action instead. In the weapon listings, weapons with the special code letters have these special combat actions.

• Disarm (D): If Defend with weapon is missed (and attack is successful), the defender's weapon is pulled from their hand and it falls on the ground. The defender looses an action to pick it up.
• Entangle (E): If Avoid is missed (cannot use if character is not using Avoid), then the weapon entangles the defender. The defender can only make minimum moves and the attacker cannot use their weapon.
• Grappling (G): Similar to entangle. If Defense is missed (any type), then the opposed character is grabbed. Following rounds after the grapple attack, attack actions by the Grappling character automatically hit. To break a grapple, a grappled character needs to spend two actions and make a simple roll under their Defense to get away. Grappled characters can only minimu move and can only use one handed weapons to attack with.
• Stun (S*): Not a separate special attack, but a special effect if the target is hit with a special roll the weapon stuns the target for one round in addition to the damage it causes.

• Unhorse (U): If Defense is missed (and attack is successful), mounted defender is pulled from the saddle. Both the attacker and defender lose one action next round while the defender stands and the hooking weapon is unhooked.

Missile Combat
Normal defense is for melee only, missile defense is based on shield size 8 for buckler, 12 for medium, 16 for large, 19 for pavise. Shields identified by AP notation: buckler .#., medium (#), large [#]

Missile damage is modified only by weapon damage, except thrown weapons that have damage modification addition of one half (round up). Ex. Dam +2 is +1 for a thrown missile, example a hefty warrior with Dam+2, throwing a javelin (base +2) would do +3 damage (+2 halved +2 base).

Aimed fire with bows reduces rate of fire to one per round when in effective range and skill is full. ROF greater than 1 is at half skill. Long range bow fire is halved skill (rnd down) with one shot per round or normal ROF at one-third skill (rnd down).

For other Rules related to combat see Rules/Combat Related