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" and happens in "Action Time". 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 two steps: the Action Step and the Wrap-Up Step.

In ReQuest there is no Initiative roll or any equivalent, instead a character acts on its Strike Rank (SR). There are two ways of playing ReQuest with SR - the Simple system and the advanced system.

In the simple system, a character's SR is equal to its Dex while in the normal physical world and equal to its POW when in the spirit world.

In the advanced SR system, a character's SR depends on the action it is taking. When using a skill, the SR is equal to the character's learned skill%/10 (round down). When using a non-skill action (e.g. moving), the SR is equal to the character's DEX. It is possible to have a SR of 0 but SR cannot be reduced below zero. Example: if you want to attack a trollkin with a sword and you have a 64% chance with that sword then your SR is 6.

If two characters have the same SR they act for all intents and purposes simultaneously. Thus if two characters attack each other on the same SR it is possible for them to kill each other at the same time.

Action Step

Each action step consists of 1 or more Action Phases (AP). During an AP, each character with at least one combat action remaining may perform one action. Characters cannot perform more than one action in each Action Phase. During an AP, 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 an AP providing that character has enough reactions.

Action Phase(s)

Characters take one action: Each character involved in the combat performs one action in Strike Rank order.

If there are any characters combat actions left, perform another 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 an AP and doesn't use it, it is lost. (See "delaying" later)

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, or one or more characters is involved in some activity that requires the game to continue on "Action Time", 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 an AP.  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 and normally acts on SR 14. On SR 14 he has no viable targets so waits. On SR4 a broo comes into view and Fahir decides to fire at it. 

Interrupting Actions

If a character has waited to a later SR to take an action and still has an action left then it may choose to try to interrupt an opponent's action. Example: As above, Fahir has an arrow ready and can act on SR14 but has chosen to wait and see what happens. On SR4 a Broo leaps out of a bush behind a friend in a bid to attack. Seeing this Fahir wishes to shoot the broo before it can attack. To interrupt successfully, the character must beat the target in a skill contest of the skill they wish to use versus the skill the target is planning to use. If the character succeeds their action is resolved before the target's action, if not, it is resolved immediately afterwards. If anyone involved was not planning to use a skill as such (e.g. shouting a warning, turning around) then the GM or player needs to choose an appropriate skill; usually athletics or acrobatics for physical actions, sometimes Influence or Perception for other types of activities.

Example: Fahir bow 78%. Broo Unarmed attack 45%. On SR4 the broo wishes to make an attack. Fahir has an arrow knocked and still has an action available during this Action Phase so he declares an attempt to interrupt. This requires an opposed roll of Fahir's bow skill (78%) vs the Broo's attack (45%). If Fahir wins the contest, he now makes a bow attack against the broo before the broo can attack Fahir's friend. If the broo wins, the broo's attack is resolved first and then Fahir's attack is resolved straight afterwards. If Fahir fails he is still committed to take the action. Fahir can abort the action but that still counts as taking an action for the turn. The rationale for this is that he tried to fire and realised it was too late and aborted before he did more harm than good. The distraction of doing this however has used his action for the phase.

SR minimum. A character's Strike Rank can never be reduced below 0. If modifiers would reduce a SR to below 0 then it is set to 0.

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 take reactions so, if a character is surprised it cannot dodge or parry. Most surprised 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 (unbalanced)

Certain combat situations leave a character "overextended". Such a character is off-balance. While a character is overextended, other characters get +20% in skills to attack it. A character can recover from being overextended as a trivial action along with another action. (This should be termed "unbalanced").

Vulnerable

Certain combat situations can make a character "vulnerable". Such a character is badly off balance. While a character is vulnerable other characters get +20% in skills to attack it and inflict 2 additional damage whenever they 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

• Flanking. 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.

Aborting Actions

Sometimes plans go horribly wrong and you wish to abort an action. If the GM allows it, the action can be aborted but still counts as the character's action for that phase. The GM may require a skill check in order to abort an action or impose a penalty. Example: Fahir swings at an enemy with an axe only to realise at the last second that it is actually his friend Mikolos. His player asks the GM if he can abort. The GM says that if Fahir can successfully make a sword skill test that he can abort. If he fails, he must carry on with the attack as normal.