WEAPON RANGES (Character Scale)

Type of Weapon	Point Blank (no penalty)	Short (-2 attack)	Medium (-5 attack)	Long (-10 Attack)
Heavy Weapons, Gatling Cannons	0-50 Squares	51-100 Squares	101-250 Squares	251-500 Squares
Pistols	0-20 Squares	21-40 Squares	41-60 Squares	61-80 Squares
Rifles	0-30 Squares	31-60 Squares	61-150 Squares	151-300 Squares
Simple Weapons	0-20 Squares	21-40 Squares	41-60 Squares	61-80 Squares
Thrown Weapons	0-6 Squares	7-8 Squares	9-10 Squares	11-12 Squares
Vehicle-scale Railguns, Missiles, Torpedoes	0-450 Squares	451-900 Squares	901-2250 Squares	2251-4500 Squares
Pulse Lasers1, Ion Encumbrance System	0-120 Squares	121-240 Squares	241-600 Squares	601-1200 Squares
Nano-Missiles	0-150 Squares	151-300 Squares	301-750 Squares	751-1500 Squares
Light Gas Gun	0-600 Squares	601-1200 Squares	1201-3000 Squares	3001-6000 Squares

¹Pulse Lasers function poorly in the atmosphere, due to the blooming effect, which causes the laser to defocus and disperse energy into the surrounding air.  In an atmosphere, halve the range of Pulse Lasers.  In fog, smoke, or dust clouds, halve the range again (range is now 1/4th of normal).

WEAPON RANGES (Starship Scale)

Type of Weapon	Point Blank (no penalty)	Short (-2 attack)	Medium (-5 attack)	Long (-10 Attack)
Railguns, Missiles, Torpedoes	0-3 Squares	4-6 Squares	7-15 Squares	16-30 Squares
Pulse Lasers, Ion Encumbrance System	0-1 Squares	2 Squares	3-4 Squares	5-8 Squares
Nano-Missiles	0-1 Squares	2 Squares	3-5 Squares	6-10 Squares
Light Gas Gun	0-4 Squares	5-8 Squares	9-20 Squares	21-40 Squares
Gatling Cannons	0-1 Squares	2 Squares	3 Squares	4 Squares

 

 

Standard Actions

Attack with a Melee Weapon

With a melee weapon, you can strike any enemy in a square you can threaten. Small and Medium creatures threaten the squares adjacent to them. Bigger creatures may threaten a larger number of squares, as defined by their reach.

Two Handed Melee Weapons: When you wield a melee weapon two-handed, you add double your Strength bonus (if any) to the damage. This higher Strength modifier does not apply to light weapons (weapons smaller than your size).
Improvised Weapons: Sometimes objects not crafted to be weapons get used: chairs, bottles, crates, and so on. Because these objects are not designed for such user, characters who use improvised weapons are treated as not proficient with them and take a -5 penalty on their attack rolls. The GM determines the size and damage dealt by an improvised weapon.

Attack with a Ranged Weapon

With a ranged weapon, you can throw or shoot at any target within your line of sight. A target is in line of sight if there are no obstructions (including other characters between you and the target). The maximum range of a ranged attack depends on the weapon used.

Improvised Thrown Weapons: Sometimes objects not crafted to be weapons get thrown: small rocks, vases, pitchers, shoes, and so forth. Because these objects are not designed for such use, characters who use improvised thrown weapons are treated as not proficient with them and take a -5 penalty on their attack rolls. The GM determines the size and damage dealt by an improvised thrown weapon.

Aid Another

As a standard action, you can aid an ally’s next skill check or attack roll, or you can interfere with an enemy’s attacks.

Aiding a Skill Check or Ability Check: You can help another character achieve success on her skill check or ability check by making the same kind of skill check or ability check in a cooperative effort. If you roll a 10 or higher on your check, the character you are helping gains a +2 bonus on her check. You can’t take 10 on a skill check or ability check to aid another.

Aiding an Attack Roll: In combat, you can aid another character’s attack by forcing an opponent to avoid your own attacks, making it more difficult for him to avoid your ally. Select an opponent and make an attack against a Reflex Defense of 10. If you succeed, you grant a +2 bonus on a single ally’s next attack against that opponent.

Suppressing an Enemy: In combat, you can distract or interfere with an opponent, making his attacks more difficult. Select an opponent and make an attack against a Reflex Defense of 10. If you succeed, that opponent takes a -2 penalty on its next attack roll.

Attack an Object

Sometimes you need to attack an object such as a door, a control console, or a held weapon, either to destroy it or bypass it. An unattended, immobile object has a Reflex Defense of 5 + its size modifier; an unattended, moving object has a Reflex Defense of 10 + its size modifier. If you hit it, you deal damage as normal. However, an object usually has damage reduction (DR), which means that any attack that hits it has its damage reduced by the indicated amount. An object reduced to 0 hit points is disabled. If the damage that reduces the object to 0 hit points also equals or exceeds the object’s damage threshold, the object is destroyed instead.

Like characters, objects become increasingly debilitated if they take a lot of damage at once. If an object takes damage from a single attack that equals or exceeds its damage threshold, it moves -1 step on the condition track. An object that moves -5 steps on the condition track is disabled.

Held, Carried, or Worn Objects: A held, carried, or worn object is much harder to hit than an unattended object and has a Reflex Defense equal to 10 + the object’s size modifier + the Reflex Defense of the holder (not counting armor bonus or natural armor bonus, if any).

Charge

As a standard action, you can move your speed (minimum 2 squares) in a straight line through unobstructed terrain, and then make a melee attack at the end of your movement. You gain a +2 bonus on your attack roll and take a -2 penalty to your Reflex Defense until the start of your next turn. You cannot charge through low objects, difficult terrain, or squares occupied by enemies, but allies do not hinder your charge.

Disarm

As a standard action, you may attempt to disarm an opponent, forcing him to drop one weapon (or other object) that he is holding.

Making a Disarm Attack: Make a normal melee attack against your opponent, who gets a +10 bonus to his Reflex Defense. If your opponent is holding the weapon with more than one hand, you take a -5 penalty on your attack roll to disarm him.

If the attack succeeds, your opponent is disarmed. If you successfully disarm your opponent with an unarmed attack, you can take the disarmed weapon. Otherwise, it’s on the ground at your opponent’s feet (in his fighting space).

If your disarm attack fails, your opponent can make an immediate free attack against you.

Fight Defensively

As a standard action, you can concentrate more on protecting yourself than hurting your enemies. You can take a -5 penalty on your attack rolls and gain a +2 dodge bonus to your Reflex Defense until the start of your next turn. If you choose to make no attack until the start of your next turn (not even attacks of opportunity), you gain a +5 dodge bonus to your Reflex Defense until the start of your next turn.

Acrobatics: If you are trained in the Acrobatics skill, you instead get a +5 dodge bonus to your Reflex Defense when you fight defensively, or a +10 dodge bonus if you choose to make no attacks.

Grab

As a standard action, you can make a grab attack. A grab attack is treated as an unarmed attack except that it doesn’t deal damage and you take a -5 penalty on the attack roll. You can only grab an opponent up to one size category larger than yourself, and only one opponent at a time.

Until it breaks the grab, a grabbed creature takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls unless it uses a natural weapon or a light weapon. Additionally, it cannot move until it breaks the grab. Breaking the grab is a standard action and automatically clears one grabber per character level. (The grabbed creature chooses which grabbers it clears if there are any left over.)

Grapple

A grapple attack is an improved version of the grab attack. You can only make a grapple attack (a standard action) if you have the Pin feat, the Trip feat, or both. You can only grapple an opponent up to one size category larger than you, and only one opponent at a time.

A grappling attack is treated as an unarmed attack except that it deals no damage. If the grappling attack hits, you and the target immediately make opposed grapple checks. A grapple check is 1d20 + base attack bonus + Strength or Dexterity modifier (whichever is higher) + size modifier (see below). If your check result equals or exceeds the target’s check result, the target is grappled.

The effects of a grapple depend on the specific feat or combination of feats you are using: Pin, Pin and Crush, Trip, or Trip and Throw.

Alternatively, if you are armed with a light weapon, you may deal damage with that weapon if you win the opposed grapple check; no attack roll is necessary.

Size modifiers for the grapple check are as follows: Fine, -20; Diminutive, -15; Tiny, -10; Small, -5; Medium, +0; Large, +5; Huge, +10; Gargantuan, +15; Colossal, +20.

 

Move Actions

Move

You can move up to your speed as a move action. Even moving 1 square is considered a move action. Nonstandard modes of movement are also covered by this type of action, including climbing and riding an animal.

Draw or Holster a Weapon

Drawing or holstering a weapon is a move action.

Manipulate an Item

Manipulating an item includes picking up an item, loading a weapon, opening a door, or moving a heavy object.

Retrieve a Stored Item: Retrieving an item out of a backpack, carrying case, or other closed container requires two move actions, one to open the container and one to get the item. Holsters, utility belts, and bandoliers are not considered to be closed containers for this purpose.

Stand Up

Standing up from a prone position requires a move action.

Withdraw

You can withdraw from combat as a move action. To withdraw, the first 1 square of your movement must take you out of your opponent’s threatened area by the shortest possible route. If you must move more than 1 square to escape the threatened area, you can’t withdraw. You can move normally (take a move action) in order to escape an opponent, but you provoke an attack of opportunity when doing so.

Once you clear the threatened area, you may continue to move, up to a total of half your speed.

You can disengage from more than one opponent in the same action, but only if you can clear all threatened areas in your first 1 square of movement.

Disengaging protects you from attacks of opportunity during your first square of movement, but you may provoke attacks of opportunity later in your turn.

 

Swift Actions

Activate an Item

A swift action allows you to activate an item. Starting a vehicle, turning on a computer, and lighting a fusion lantern are all examples of activating an item.

Aim (2 Swift Actions)

You can take two consecutive swift actions in the same round to more carefully line up a ranged attack. When you do so, you ignore all cover bonuses to your target’s Reflex Defense on your next attack roll. You must still have line of sight to the target, however.

You lose the benefits of aiming if you lose line of sight to your target or if you take any other action before making your attack.

Catch a Second Wind

As a swift action, you can catch a second wind, healing you for one-quarter your maximum hit points, or your constitution score, whichever is greater. You can only catch a second wind once per day. Only heroic characters can catch a second wind; nonheroic characters, objects, devices, and vehicles cannot.

Drop an Item

Dropping an item is a swift action (but picking one up is a move action). You can drop an item so that it falls on the ground in your fighting space or lands in an adjacent square.

Fall Prone

Falling into a prone position requires a swift action.

Recover (3 Swift Actions)

You can spend three swift actions in the same round or across consecutive rounds to move +1 step on the condition track. You cannot use the recover action while affected by a persistent condition.

Switch Weapon Mode

Some weapons have multiple mode settings. Examples include machine pistols, which have both a single-shot and an autofire mode. Switching to another weapon mode takes a swift action.

 

Full-Round Actions

Coup de Grace

As a full-round action, you can use a melee weapon to deliver a coup de grace to a helpless creature. You can also use a ranged weapon, provided you are adjacent to the target. You automatically score a critical hit, dealing double damage (or drawing a card from the crit deck). A defender reduced to 0 hit points by the coup de grace dies instantly. An unconscious defender hit by a coup de grace also dies instantly. You can’t deliver a coup de grace against a vehicle or object.

Full Attack

As a full-round action, you can make more than one attack. To gain extra attacks, you must be wielding two weapons, wielding a double weapon, or using a special ability that grants extra attacks. When making multiple attacks, you may resolve your attacks in any order desired, declaring the target of each attack immediately before making the attack roll. Extra attacks granted from different sources are cumulative. Any penalties associated with gaining an extra attack apply to all attacks that character makes until the start of his next turn.

Attacking with Two Weapons: As a full-round action, a character armed with two weapons can attack once with each weapon, but the character takes a -10 penalty on all attacks for the round. This penalty assumes that the character is proficient with the weapon in hand; apply an additional -5 penalty on the attack roll if the character is not proficient with the weapon.

A character armed with three or more weapons still only gains one extra attack, but that character may choose which weapon it wishes to use for this extra attack each round.

Attacking with a Double Weapon: As a full-round, a character armed with a double weapon can attack once with each end of the weapon, but the character takes a -10 enalty on all attacks for the round. This penalty assumes that the character is proficient with the weapon in hand; apply an additional -5 penalty on the attack roll if the character is not proficient with the weapon. (A character who chooses to attack with only one end of a double weapon can do so as a standard action.

Run

You can run as a full-round action, moving up to four times your speed in a straight line (or three times your speed in a straight line if wearing heavy armor or carrying a heavy load. See the Endurance skill for running rules.

 

Area Attacks

Autofire: Autofire targets a 2-square-by-2-square area. If you are using a weapon capable of autofire, you may brace your weapon by taking two swift actions in the same round immediately before making your attack. When you use a braced weapon set to autofire, you only take a -2 penalty on your attack roll when making an autofire attack or using the Burst Fire feat. Only heavy weapons, rifles, and pistols with an extended stock can be braced.

Burst Radius: Grenades and explosives usually have a burst radius. When you make an area attack with such a weapon, you must decide where to center the burst before you make the attack roll. The center of a burst is always on the corner of a square.

Splash Weapons: Some weapons have a splash radius. When you make an attack against a target, that target takes full damage if your attack equals or exceeds its Reflex Defense, and half damage if the target misses. Also compare your attack roll against the Reflex Defense of every target adjacent to the primary target; these adjacent targets take half damage if the attack hits or no damage if the attack misses.