9.0 Combat

General Rule: Combat may occur when a party encounters monsters. Combat between the party and a monster or group of monsters consists of a number of Combat Rounds. Each Round is divided into several Phases. Once combat is joined, it may not be stopped until either the party or the monsters are killed. Thus combat will usually take several rounds to complete.

Procedure: Before combat may begin, the players must determine the type and number of monsters encountered as per 8.0. The players then set up the monster march order after determining the Wound Point total for each (see 3.2), and combat is joined and the Combat Sequence (9.2) begun.

Cases:

9.1 To resolve combat, the march order of the party is used and the march order of the monsters is set up.

If there are more than 3 monsters, place the 3 with the highest number of Wound Points in the first row. The remaining monsters are placed in the second and third rows (more if necessary). The players may choose which monster is deployed in front of each character within the above limits. If there is one monster, place it in the middle space of the march order. If there are two, place one monster in the first space and one in the third.

9.2 After all monsters' Wound Points have been determined and the two sides have been set up, the Combat Sequence is performed, in order, until one side or the other is eliminated.

1. Party Combat: Each member of the party in the front row may attack a monster in the monster's front row. Party members in the second row may fire bows, throw daggers, and cast spells. Combat results are applied immediately.
2. Monster Combat: Each monster in the front row attacks a party member in the party's front row. Such attacks may be melee or spell attacks. Thus, evil magicians may cast spells from the first row, unlike party magicians. Monsters in the second row fire bows or cast spells if possible. Combat results are applied immediately.
3. Hellgate Combat: This combat is only undertaken if the party is in the same Segment as the Hellgate. If so, the Hellgate may cast 3 Blast spells (even if it occupies a space in the third row of the March Order). See 16.0 for details.
4. Party Reorganization: A Player may move one character from one row in the party's march order to another row. However, at the end of this movement, no row may contain more than 3 characters.
5. Monster Reorganization: The monster's march order must be arranged so that 3 monsters occupy the first row (if possible). To do so, one monster (only) must be moved forward to fill a space in the march order closest to the character march order.

Each completion of the above 5 steps is called a Round. Once a Round is completed the Combat Sequence is begun again with Party Combat.

9.3 The target attacked by a character or monster depends on the relative position of the two in their respective march orders.

When there are three characters facing three monsters, each must attack the enemy directly opposite it in the enemy march order.

1 2 3
A B C

A would attack 1, B would attack 2, C would attack 3; and vice versa.

When there are less than three characters or monsters in one or both of the march orders, each must attack the enemy in its front unless there is more than one enemy at an equal distance from the attacking unit. Targets attacked by monsters will often be determined by a die roll.

1 2 3
A B

If A and B were monsters, then A would attack 1 and B would roll 1D6; on a 1-3 he would attack 2, 4-6 he would attack 3. If 1, 2 and 3 were monsters, then 1 would attack A and 2 and 3 would attack B. If 1, 2 and 3 were characters, they would attack like the monsters in the previous sentence. If A and B were characters, B would have his choice of targets 2 or 3 instead of rolling a die as was done for the monsters.

1 2 3
  A

If A above was a character, he would have his choice, of targets 1, 2 or 3. If A was a monster, roll 1D6; a result of 1 or 2 and he attack 1; 3 or 4 he attacks 2; 5 or 6 he attacks 3.

The above examples do not cover all the possible combinations of character and monster march order positions, but using them as an example, the players will be able to reason out who attacks whom. When attacking from the second row, a character may attack any monster in the front row of the monster march order. A monster attacking from the second row (or third for the Hellgate) would determine its target in the character's front row by a die roll if there is more than one target.

9.4 Characters may attack only during the Party Combat Phase, and Monsters attack only during the Monster Combat Phase.

Before combat is resolved during the Party Combat Phase, each character must be assigned to fight with one of his two weapons. He may change weapons by not attacking during a Party Combat Phase. Both the Party and Monster Combat Phases are governed by the following rules.

1. A character/monster may attack only once per Friendly Combat Phase.
2. A character/monster may never attack more than one enemy unit in a single Combat Phase.
3. A single character/monster may be attacked by as many enemy units as are allowed (up to a theoretical maximum of 6; 3 in the first row and 3 in the second).
4. Damage inflicted on an enemy takes effect immediately.

9.5 To resolve a weapon or monster attack (see 10.0 for magical combat), refer to the Combat Results Table (9.9), roll 1D6, locate the number rolled on the table to determine the number of Wound Points inflicted on the target.

The die roll is modified by Weapon Skill and Combat Bonus. These modifiers are totalled and added to the die roll on the Combat Results Table to increase the die total. Example: The Hero Almuric is attacking; the die roll is 4, and to this is added his Weapon Skill of 2 (+2 Sword since he is using the sword in the attack) and his Combat Bonus of 3, to give a die total of 9. This number is then located on the Combat Results Table under the "Sword" column. Throwing daggers may only be thrown once per combat. They may be retrieved after the combat is over. Bows may fire any number of times during combat, but only once per Friendly Combat Phase and only from the second row of the march order.

9.6 Unarmed monsters use the monster column on the Combat Results Table, and armed monsters (see 8.2) use the column of their weapon type.

Monsters which use weapons have the letter W on their counter in addition to a Combat Bonus. The weapon carried is found on the Monster Characteristics Chart. The Combat Bonus of a monster is added to the die roll on the Combat Results Table.

9.7 As a result of combat, the monster or character that is attacked may suffer damage, expressed in Wound Points.

The number of Wound Points incurred is the number listed opposite the die roll for a given attack on the Combat Results Table. Each time a character or monster suffers damage, the number of additional Wound Points it may absorb is reduced. Reductions in Wound Point totals are recorded on the Character Record for characters and on the scrap of paper for monsters. When a character or monster has suffered a number of Wound Points equal to or greater than his Wound Points total, he is dead.

9.8 As a result of combat losses the rows of a party's or monster's march order may need reorganization.

During the Friendly Reorganization Phase a single character or monster may be moved.

Party Reorganization

1. A character may be moved to a different space in the same row so long as the moving character does not move "over" another character.
2. A character may be moved from his row to a row in front or behind his position.
3. A character may move diagonally when changing rows.
4. If there is only one character in the first row, the only move that may be performed (and must be performed) is to shift a character from the second row to the first row.
5. If there are only 2 characters in the first row, neither may be moved back to the second.

Monster Reorganization

1. If there are fewer than three monsters in the first row, one must be moved forward from the second row to the first row.
2. If the first row contains three monsters, one monster may be moved up from one row to the next row forward.
3. Monsters may move diagonally, but if there is a case where there is more than one space available to the monster, a die roll is made to determine which space is entered.
4. Monsters may not shift within the same row or move backwards.

9.9 Combat Results Table

(see charts and tables)