Jedi Combat

Jedi sometimes face situations that cannot be solved by skill alone and they are required to use violence.

The most iconic case is that of a Jedi facing another Jedi (or Sith) in a lightsaber duel. This situation forms the default for the combat mechanism, and other variations (Jedi facing multiple opponents, multiple Jedi facing a single opponent, non-Jedi opponents, etc) are based around this concept.

Quick start:

• Combat Start (Round 0)
• Unarmed Combat

In combat, Jedi have three Rings of Defence, the Outer Ring, Middle Ring and Inner ring, each lying closer to the Jedi's body.

Outer Ring ( / ) attacks involves grand sweeping blows and large slashes to attack at range. These blows are very powerful and can cut a Jedi in half. Such attacks are generally avoided by dodging out of their way.

Middle Ring ( / ) attacks are quick, short slashes and cuts. Such attacks are generally less spectacularly destructive, but since lightsabers are rather powerful, being cut by one is generally fatal as the trauma to the body is enough to send a body into shock. The attacks are avoided by blocking, as the force behind them is lower, making them easier to block.

Inner Ring ( / ) is attacked with piercing strikes aimed to penetrate the body. To defend against them, blows are deflected away from the body, which may leave the opponent open to counter attack

Note that these attacking and defensive moves are a general indicator, not a hard requirement - for example, You can roleplay that you dodge an Inner Ring attack instead of deflecting it. But you still use the inner ring rating to defend.

Regardless, these indicators provide the names for the six values that each Combat Style holds:

• Slashing, Cutting and Piercing for attack values,
• Dodging, Blocking and Deflecting for defence values.

Combat Styles are used by Jedi during combat. Each combat style has six values, three offensive rings and three defensive rings, these are described above. Combat Styles may have prerequisites (such as other Combat Styles, skills or Force powers) and they may have limitations on their use - most Combat Forms require the use of a lightsaber, for example.

Combat Styles that are better at attacking are generally worse at defending and vice versa. Combined with the Parry mechanism, this allows you to put an opponent on the defensive - a good attack will require them to choose a style with a higher defensive value, which in turn means their attack will not be as strong, allowing you to pick an even better style next round.

See Combat Styles for more information

As detailed later, each players both attacks and defends during the same round! They attack using the defensive Combat Style and weapon of the previous round and they defend with combat style and weapon of their choice (which will be their attack style next round).

This method is known as the Parry Mechanism and is based around the concept of parrying. You defend against an opponents attack and use the opening for your next attack. (Roleplay note: this isn't necessary a blow by blow parry, but a more tactical one which may involve multiple blows, various movements, etc. A round is not a single move with the saber.)

Combat takes place in rounds. Rounds are announced by the Storyteller. Each player (and each NPC) involved in the combat gets to make one post every round. As a general rule, NPC's go last, but actually there is no set order. All actions during a round are executed simultaneously regardless of posting order.

Once everyone has posted, the Storyteller announces the end of the round and processes it. At this point, the success or failure of any actions is determined and the result is posted by the Storyteller, after which the next round begins.

Rounds have no defined length either IC or OOC. IC length depends on the speed of the combatants, the circumstances of the battle and even the actions taken. OOC, this is a play by post so notably slow - as a matter of courtesy, however, players are encouraged to post regularly to keep things flowing.

Before combat starts, every player who is aware of their opponent chooses a Combat Style and a Weapon to use. These wil be used for offence in the first round of combat.

If a player is not aware, by default they have no active combat style which limits their attack capability. Since Jedi can sense disturbances in the Force, it will be a rare case for a Jedi to be surprised in this way.

During combat, each player gets to do three things each Round: Choose Defensive Style and take a Combat Actions, and Attack and Defend. Next to that, you can freely move (within reason).

Any offensive action taken by the player uses the combat style and weapon they declared in the previous round (or in the before combat phase in case of the first round). The offensive action is countered by the defensive action taken this round. If you do not have an active combat style you can not make an attack.

During each round, a player may change combat styles and weapons as they see fit. When doing so, this should be obvious from the roleplaying post. When in doubt, add an OOC note about it. If they do not change, a player continues using the same combat style and weapon they were beforehand.

If you do not meet the Usage Limitation of a combat style you can not use it to attack or defend with, so make sure to switch to a usable combat style if you get disarmed!

Each round you may attack and defend. In addition, you may take an action.

Actions can change the circumstances of the battle or may aid in your attacks or defences. For example, you might toss a crate at your opponent, cut a rope holding up a chandelier or maybe kick over a table. In principle, you may take at most one action during each round. Depending on the action, a check may be required following the regular rules for Skills and Force Powers.

There are three types of actions (detailed on Jedi Combat Actions):

• Direct Combat Actions: A Direct Combat Action is not just an attack. It's an attack that takes advantage of an action, gadget or trick during combat.
• Advantage Actions: Advantage Actions gain you a long term advantage.
• Non-Combat Actions: Non-Combat Actions are not combat related and thus provide no combat bonuses, but they may help accomplish secondary objectives.

You may choose not to attack during your round. You should state this in your post. Doing this gives a +5 bonus on an action. During your next round, you do not receive any combat style bonuses, either defensive or offensive, as you struggle to get out of the advantage you gave your opponent by not attacking them and thus not forcing their hand.

We have mentioned offensive and defensive stats but we have not specified how the final number used in each round is determined.

The final rating for each attack and defence value is determined as follows:

Force Level + Style Values + Weapon Bonus + Direct Combat Actions + Advantages + Circumstances

Your Force Level forms the basis, to which the values you have in your given Combat Style are added. Add to this any bonuses from your Weapon (set values from the type of saber used as well as special features of the weapon such things as especially powerful crystal). Circumstances may provide a bonus or a penalty, usually between 1 and 3 in either direction. Circumstances include terrain and general surroundings and multiple circumstances may apply. Direct Combat Actions also provide a bonus, depending on the action.

Be careful of how it all fits together. For example, if you describe your large slashing blows in great detail, you may gain a bonus in your Outer Ring Attack, but if you also describe how you keep your lightsaber close to your body to deflect the enemies piercing attacks, since your movements are now less realistic (is your saber close to your body defending or far away attacking?), it might even reduce your bonus on your Outer Ring Attack. Quality over quantity here!

Important: During the first round, players suffer a -2 penalty on all their attack as they measure up their opponent and try to determine their ability.

You can only attack one opponent during a round (though you may attack a different one each round as you choose), but you may find yourself fighting multiple attackers. In such a case, both players attack as normal to determine their offensive scores. The defender must defend against the highest result of each opponent.

For example, Jedia and Jedib are attacking Sith. Jedia has a final score of 6 / 2 / 4 , Jedib has final scores of 4 / 4 / 2 . Sith must now defend against the raings 6 / 4 / 4 .

As a general rule, no more than three individuals can attack one opponent at a time. You don't want to get your allies lightsaber in your face by accident.

If an attack, after all modifiers are applied, has a lower or equal value in all offensive rings than in the opponents defensive rings, or if only one attack value out of three is higher, no hits are scored and combat continues as normal.

If an attack, after all modifiers are applied, has a higher value in two out of three offensive rings than in the opponents defensive rings, but the defences are higher or equal in one, the attacker scores a minor injury. The defender may suffer a second degree burns as the saber slashes too close for comfort or the defender may suffer a serious kick to the head.

If an attack, after all modifiers are applied, has a higher value in each of the three offensive rings than in the opponents three defensive rings the opponents defences are breached and they are either wounded or killed, determined by the Storyteller (As a general rule, player characters are always wounded rather than killed).

Minor injuries place the opponent off balance, which give them a -1 penalty on attack and defence in their next round.

Being off balance lasts one round - other than this, minor injuries have no negative effect on the Jedi or their ability to fight. Being put off balance can also occur from non-injuring conditions, such as slipping or a sudden change in gravity, however such cases are determined by the Storyteller rather than being effects that you can easily cause in combat.

Being wounded is a very bad thing - it may involve a loss of one or more limbs and if unaided the wounded individual may bleed to death or die from shock. Regardless of the type of wound inflicted, the wounded individual is no longer able to fight and are limited to minimal movements. A wounded individual might drag themselves to a communications panel to call for help, but obstacles like closed doors or stairs are almost insurmountable. In regards to opponents, they are considered to be helpless and a ruthless opponent may kill them if they are not otherwise engaged (such as fighting another individual).

Combat ends when there is no more opposition. This can be due to all opponents being Wounded, or when they have fled or surrendered. Note that fleeing is usually impossible if an opposing Jedi is intent on continuing the combat.

In general the Storyteller determines when combat is over.

In combat, a multitude of weapons can be used.

It is hardly possible to make a serious Jedi without having a lightsaber. Lightsabers have a significant impact on combat and the Combat Styles you are able to use. For example, lightsabers provide bonuses to various Combat statistics and many Combat Styles are limited to certain types of lightsabers.

Choosing the right saber is a difficult personal choice, influenced by many factors. Jedi craft their own lightsabers so as to fit them to their personal style and in this they have many options available for saber colour, hilt design and blade length.

You may take at most 2 blades (that is '2 blades' as in 2 single-blade lightsabers, or 1 dual-bladed lightsaber) with you on a mission.

See Lightsabers for details on lightsabers.

Some weapons, such as Blasters, Rocket launchers, Grenades and the likes function at range. These weapons may be used by Jedi as actions to gain advantage in saber combat - those rules are found in Direct Combat Actions. However, some opponents, especially non-force users, use these weapons to the exclusion of a lightsaber.

When using these weapons, you generally use the Trained Combatant Style. Additionally, you only attack on one ring.

See Non-saber Combat for details on non-saber weapons.

Even when unarmed, Jedi are formidable foes in combat. Jedi (and other combatants) can engage in unarmed combat without knowing specialized combat styles. In that case, they will use the Trained Combatant Style, but knowing a specialized unarmed combat style allows you to excel in these engagements.

See Trained Combatant Style for further information on unarmed combat.

These rules assume that all combatants are Jedi (or Sith).

However, other combatents also use these rules. Each type of combatant is characterised by the number of rings needed to defeat to Wound the combatant. We distinguish three types of combatants:

• 3-ring operatives: Jedi, Sith and other highly dangerous foes including massive monsters and such
• 2-ring operatives: Operatives, trained assassins, elite soldiers
• 1-ring operatives: Civilians, normal soldiers such as Storm Troopers

An N-ring operative is wounded when their N of their defensive rings are overcome, and off-balance when N-1 rings are overcome. The exception to this is 1-ring operatives, they do not go off-balance.

The rings of attack that can be used be a combatant are limited by the weapon the combatant uses (unless special cases apply, such as a combat style explicitly allowing a wider attack). So, for example, a Jedi using a blaster will be limited to a single ring, unless he knows a combat style that specifically states otherwise.