This page outlines the main terms and concepts that organise combat in ReQuest. It is largely based on the "combat" chapter of the RQ core rules with expansions from supplements. It is one of several pages dealing with combat in ReQuest.

The Combat Round

Combat is divided into "combat rounds". There are 12 combat rounds in every minute; a single round translates to five seconds of time, during which a character can perform one or more actions. Each round is broken into three steps: Initiative Step, Action Step and Wrap-Up Step.

Initiative Step

In ReQuest there is no Initiative roll. A character's SR depends on the action it is taking. When using a skill, the SR is equal to skill%/10 (round up). When using a non-skill action (e.g. moving), the SR is equal to the character's DEX.

Action Step

Each action step consists of 1 or more Combat Action Phases (CAP). During a CAP, each character with at least one combat action remaining may perform one action. Characters may not perform more than one action in each Combat Action Phase. During a CAP, the character with the highest Strike Rank will act first, followed by the character with the second-highest Strike Rank, and so on until the character with the lowest Strike Ranks acts. Reactions, such as parries or dodges, are made during this process as appropriate. There is no limit to the number of reactions that a character may take during a CAP.

Combat Action Phase(s).

Characters Take 1st Action: Each character involved in the combat performs one Action in Strike Rank order. If there are any characters with combat actions left, perform another combat action phase. If there are no more characters with remaining actions, move to the Wrap-up step.

If a character has an action available during a CAP and doesn't use it, it is lost unless the character wishes to "carry over" the action.

Wrap-up Step.

Fatigue is determined now as are all rolls that are made at the “end of the round”. If there are characters still engaged in combat with enemies, another combat round begins.

Main terms and concepts

Engaged

A character is either engaged in close combat, engaged in grapple combat or is unengaged. While a character is engaged in any type of combat, its potential actions are reduced because it must spend so much attention on any foes it is engaged with. A character that is engaged must make a breakaway action in order to disengage from combat.

A character may find itself surrounded by multiple foes all of whom are engaging it in close combat. If the character has no cover, up to 6 foes of roughly its size may engage it at once.

Close Combat Reach

Most close combat occurs at a normal reach in which all close combat weapons can be used with equal ability. Occasionally, characters may wish to try to set the combat to different reaches:

Short/touch reach close combat: The participants may be physically grappling. Any weapon which is not a short or touch reach weapon must be used as an Improvised Weapon.

Long reach close combat: The participants are incapable of touching each other. If a combat is at long reach and an attacker with short or touch reach weapon wishes to attack a foe who has a long (or extra long) weapon, then the defending character can spend a reaction to make an opportunity attack against the intended attacker before the regular attack resolves.

Grounded, mounted, flying

A character is:

• grounded if it is fighting on foot.
• mounted if it is riding a mount.
• flying if it is airborne.

A character riding a flying mount is both flying and mounted.

• A flying character can always breakaway from non-flying foes.
• A mounted character can always breakaway from grounded foes.

Strike Ranks

A character's SR determines its earliest possible time to act (perform an action) during a CAP. When a character's action requires performing a skill then the SR is equal to that skill's learned value (before any modifier) divided by ten and rounded up. Even if no skill roll is required. If the action does not require a skill (usually moving) then the character's DEX is used.

Examples: Fahir is 1H sword skill 74% therefore he is SR 8 for using his sword. He also has Rune Cast Disruption at 47% and can perform that action on SR5. His DEX is 14 so if he wants to move, he can do so on SR14.

A character does not have to act on its SR, it can wait until later in the round, but it cannot act before then. Example: Fahir has an arrow knocked in his bow with which he is at 65% skill (SR 7). On SR 7 he has no viable targets so waits. On SR4 a broo comes into view and Fahir decides to fire at it.

SR minimum. A character's Strike Rank can never be reduced below 1. If modifiers would reduce a SR to below 1 then it is set to 1.

Strike Rank clashes: If two or more characters can act in the same Strike Rank, the characters will act in order of their DEX, with the highest going first. If two or more characters acting in the same Strike Rank have the same DEX score, they will act simultaneously.

Surprise

A surprised character suffers a –10 penalty to his Strike Rank. A character can become "unsurprised" as a trivial action when it performs a combat action. While surprised, a character cannot trigger reactions. Most characters will take a move action, if possible, in order to be able to react quickly to an attack. E.g. if surprised by an archery attack, a run for cover action is a good option.

Overextended

Certain combat situations leave a character "overextended". Such a character is off-balance. While a character is overextended, all of its skills are at -20%. A character can recover from being overextended as a trivial action along with another action.

Vulnerable

Certain combat situations can make a character "vulnerable". Such a character is badly off balance. A vulnerable character is -20% to all skills, -2 to SR and takes 2 additional damage whenever hit. A character can recover from being vulnerable by taking a Defense combat action to recover. This action does not trigger opportunity attacks.

Flanking and surrounding

A character is flanked if at least two foes are engaging it, no friendly character is adjacent, no friendly character is engaging the flanking characters and the foes state that they wish to flank. There needs to be room in front of and to the side of the flanked character. The flanked character can nominate one character to focus on and that character does not get a flanking bonus. All other characters get a Flanking Bonus of +10% to hit.

Surrounded. A character is surrounded if at least 3 foes are engaging it, there are no friendly adjacent characters, there are no other characters engaging the surrounding characters and there is room for all the surrounding characters. To surround a character the surrounding characters need to be fairly evenly spaced around the target. The surrounded character can nominate one character to focus on: that character does not get the surrounding bonus. All other get a surround bonus of +20% to attack. The bonuses for surrounding and flanking are not cumulative: the characters who wish to flank or surround must choose to do one or the other.

There is no specific move or manoeuvre to flank or surround: use normal moves or manoeuvres to position yourself in order to create a flanking/surrounding manoeuvre, or to try to prevent one from forming, or to try to get out of one.