Combat in Fallout: Roswell is thematic and cinematic rather than hyper-realistic. These rules prioritize speed, flexibility, and ease of use over realism. These scenarios can include wonderful tension and character drama if the Storyteller or players involved properly set the tone.

 

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Combat Terminology​

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Order of Operation

Initiative:  When combat is agreed upon by both sides, each player should open the hud and roll initiative.
    -The initiative order will be from highest to lowest. The highest roll goes first, and the lowest roll goes last. 

 Turns: Once everyone has rolled, the first round will begin and the player with the highest initiative will take their turn.

Combat Actions: 
Combat turns consist of two actions; Playing a Card and making an Attack.

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 Play A Card: During your turn, you may use a card action.

    -This includes using an item card or SPECIAL perk card ability.
    -Some cards are specific to in or out of combat, as well as use only once per combat or once per turn so be sure to check the card's description before use. 

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Card Types:

    -Items- These cards are purchasable through the HUD with caps or from players with the appropriate crafting cards and can heal or give your character various buffs. You may use them in or out of combat depending on what the card description specifies.
    -Automatic- The modifiers from these cards are automatically added to your rolls
    -Semi-Automatic- The modifiers from these cards may have special circumstances and must be manually added to your rolls.
    -Manual- The cards must be manually played. (Ex: Name: Grim Reaper's Sprint-(MANUAL) If you defeat someone in battle, you instantly may make another attack. Can be done only once per turn.)

Attack and Defense: During your turn, you may make an attack attempt against another player's defense.
    -To do this you will make roll 'Attack' on the HUD, and the other player should then roll 'Defense' 
    -Attack rolls should be made AFTER posting, and Defense rolls should be made immediately in response to the attack roll. 
    -A successful attack will do 1 point of damage unless it is a crit, which will do 2.

Once the first player has taken their turn, the next player in the initiative order should take theirs. Once all players have taken their turns, the initiative cycles back through from highest to lowest until either party is reduced to 0 hearts, surrenders, or flees.

Additional Rules and Mechanics:

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Critical Hits: If a player rolls a natural 100 (or lower depending on cards that lower the crit threshold), it will count as a critical.

    -Critical Attacks do 2 points of damage rather than one.
    -Critical Defenses automatically defend unless the damage is Unavoidable (I.e Hits from Mysterious Stranger), even if the opposing roll is higher with modifiers. 

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Critical Shits: If a player rolls a natural 1 on either Attack or Defense, they will lose their next action. 

    -A player may still use a card on their next turn, but may not make an attack or flee action.

Fleeing: Before combat begins, a player may Autoflee. During combat, they may make a flee attempt.   

    -Auto-flee: If for whatever reason you do not wish to fight someone who wants to fight you, you may opt to automatically flee.
    -Mid-Combat Flee Attempt: If you decide you want to flee during combat, you will forgo all other available actions and make one Agility Roll vs each of your opponent's Attack. Should you win the roll, you may flee the scene. Should you lose the roll, you will take 1 damage per successful attack and remain stuck in combat. 
    -After a successful flee, you may not return to the same combat encounter. Meaning if you leave comrades behind, you cannot rejoin the fight to help them or use an item to heal outside of combat and then immediately try to fight the same person again. 

Health: Each player has 3 hit points represented by the hearts above their heads.

    -When you take damage, you lose the respective number of hit points.
    -If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you are considered defeated. This does not mean your character dies, but they are no longer able to fight.

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Health Points: Each player has 3 hit points represented by the hearts above their heads.

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Radiation Points: Each player can gain up to 3 radiation points, each point gives a -5 modifier to both attack and defense rolls, unless specified elsewhere.

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    -When you take damage, you lose the respective number of hit points.
    -If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you are considered defeated. This does not mean your character dies, but they are no longer able to fight.

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Healing: After losing hit points, you will be able to recover them over time, through roleplay, or with item cards.

    -You naturally recover 1 heart per 24 hours.
    -You may recover 2 hearts if you receive medical treatment from another player through roleplay, up to once per 24 hours.
    -You may use various item cards to heal outside of combat so long as your character's race allows you to use them. 

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Captivity and Death: Should the winning player choose to try to capture or finish off the defeated party, they may only do so with the defeated player's OOC consent.

    -A character must remain in captivity for 24 hours before they can escape.
    -Captivity does not equal consent to sexual abuse, mutilation, or death. 
    -Please discuss these things with each other OOCly to establish limits and consent. 
    -However, if a player abuses this system and continuously uses their limits to avoid reasonable consequences for their actions, please notify a Moderator.

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First Round Right:  No player can be downed within the first round of combat.

Changing Gear: During combat, players are not allowed to change the loadout of their weapons, armor or perk cards until combat is finished. What you enter the fight with is what you exit with.

Reinforcements: Once initiative has been rolled and the order is determined, no further entries may be allowed to participate in combat. You may be in the scene, but you may not roll attacks, provide items, etc. Exceptions can be made only if BOTH parties agree to allow additional people into the scene. To be clear, this is NOT to be considered the norm.

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Base Battles: Both opposing parties should agree a time and place to fight. Typically this would take place between two different factions . Both factions are to agree to the terms of the fight, parties may add factors / variables they want to add to make the fight more interesting or complicated. One faction may take control of another faction's base if it is agreed on.

Charisma Rolls: Rolls made with Persuasion and Intimidation are only successful with the consent and discretion of the targeted player. Even if you win the roll, the other player is not forced to do what your character says. These rolls are purely incentive for deeper roleplay. Players may not ignore these rolls in their posts, but how their character reacts to being persuaded or intimidated is up to them as we do not wish to force players into doing anything they are not comfortable with.

That being said, these rolls will always work against NPCs during storyteller events within reason.

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