[File FUDGE4a, #4 of 10.]

       FUDGE: Freeform, Universal, Do-it-yourself Gaming Engine
                   A Free Role-playing Game (RPG).
              Copyright 1992, 1995 by Steffan O'Sullivan
                         Version: June, 1995

=========
4  Combat
=========

4  Combat, Wounds & Healing
   4.1  Combat Terms
   4.2  Melee Combat
      4.21  Story Elements
      4.22  Simultaneous Combat Rounds
      4.23  Alternating Combat Turns
   4.3  Melee Combat Options
      4.31  Melee Modifiers
      4.32  Offensive/Defensive Tactics
      4.33  PCs vs. NPCs
      4.34  Multiple Combatants in Melee
      4.35  Hit Location
      4.36  Fancy Stuff
   4.4  Ranged Combat

Unless one participant is unaware of an attack or decides to ignore
it, combat is an Opposed action in FUDGE.  The easiest way to handle
combat in FUDGE is as a series of Opposed action.  This can be done
simply or with more complexity.  The author of FUDGE uses simple and
loose combat rules in order to get combat over with quickly and get
back to more interesting role-playing.  This chapter, largely
optional, is for players who prefer combat options spelled out in
detail.

Melee combat and Ranged combat are treated separately.

-----------------
4.1  Combat Terms
-----------------

Melee: any combat that involves striking the opponent with a fist or
   hand-held weapon.  Any attack from further away is a Ranged attack.

Story Element: a distinct segment of the storyline in the game.  In
   combat, the interval between story elements can be a practical
   place for a die roll.

Combat Round: an indeterminate length of time set by the GM - around
   three seconds seems reasonable to some people, while that seems
   grossly short or absurdly long to others.  A given GM's combat
   round may vary in length, depending on the situation.  Generally,
   when each character involved has made an action, a given round is
   over.

Offensive damage factors: those which contribute to damaging an
   opponent: Strength (if using a Strength-driven weapon), Scale, and
   deadliness of weapon.

Defensive damage factors: those which contribute to reducing the
   severity of a received blow: Scale, armor, and possibly Damage
   Capacity.

Total damage factor (or simply damage factor): the attacker's
   offensive damage factor minus the defender's defensive damage
   factor.

-----------------
4.2  Melee Combat
-----------------

FUDGE gives three options available for handling the pacing of melee
combat: moving from story element to story element, using simultaneous
combat rounds, or alternating combat turns.  An individual GM may
devise others.

- - - - - - - - - - -
4.21  Story Elements
- - - - - - - - - - -

In the simplest combat system, the GM explains the situation in as
much detail as is apparent, then asks the players to describe what
their characters are doing.  The more complete the description of
their characters' actions, the better the GM know how to assess the
situation.  This can be important if she has something that won't be
revealed until the middle of a battle.  Die rolls, if any, are
required by the GM for each *story element*.

A story element is the smallest unit of time in this type of combat
resolution.  The GM may break the battle down into several story
elements, or treat the whole encounter as one element.  This depends
on the GM's style, the importance of the battle, the number of
participants, whether or not there are unexpected surprises, etc.
Each element should be a dramatic unit.
   
   For example, the PCs are faced with a detachment of guards at the
   door while the evil mastermind is trying to activate the Doomsday
   machine at the back of the room.  The fight with the guards might
   be one element while the confrontation with Dr. Doomsday could be a
   second.  Another GM might treat the whole battle as one story
   element, while a third GM would treat each five-second segment
   separately.  Whatever the number of elements, keep the battle
   description as word-oriented as possible.

The GM may ask for a single die roll from a player occasionally, or
require three rolls and take the *median* roll.

(The median is the middle value die roll, which may be the same as
either the high or low die roll.  For example, if the player rolls a
Good, a Mediocre, and a Superb result, the median is Good, since it's
the result in between Mediocre and Superb.  But a result of Poor,
Great, and Great gives a median die roll of Great.  Using a median
tends to soften the role of extreme luck.  Some GMs use a median when
a single die result represents many actions.)

Once the GM has decided which trait (or traits) each PC should use for
this combat, she then gives them a modifier, ranging from -3 to +3.
The most common modifier should be 0.  The modifier is based partly on
how well the PCs' plan would work, given what the GM knows of the
NPCs, and partly on circumstances: fatigue, lighting, footing,
surprise, weapon superiority, bravery or cowardice of NPCs, wounds,
etc.

Here is a long example of story element style of combat:
   
   Gunner, separated from the other PCs, surprises five members of a
   rival gang in a garage.  The player announces that Gunner will
   shout and charge the rival mob, carrying his Tommy gun as if he's
   about to fire - they don't know it's irreparably jammed.  He hopes
   to see them run away, hit the dirt, or freeze in fear.  He'll then
   use his Tommy gun as club, starting at the left end of their line.
   He'll keep his current opponent in between him and the others as
   long as possible.  He hopes to then roll up their line, one at a
   time, keeping the wall to his left side as he charges.
   
   The GM makes a Situational roll for the mob: Mediocre.  The mob
   members don't recover quickly from their surprise, so she gives
   Gunner a +1 to his Brawling skill of Good for this plan.  She also
   decides that one mobster will run away and the others won't draw
   their guns until Gunner has already engaged the first enemy.  His
   Running skill is Great, so she gives him another +1, since he can
   cover ground quickly.  Total modifier for Gunner is +2, bringing
   his Brawling skill to Superb for this combat.  Since this is a
   fairly long action and she doesn't want a single unlucky roll to
   ruin Gunner's chances, she asks him for three Brawling skill rolls
   (at the +2 modifier), and to use the median roll.
   
   Gunner rolls a Good, Superb, and Great result, in that order.  The
   median roll is Great, and the GM decides this is good enough to
   have downed the first two mobsters, and describes the battle so far
   in entertaining detail.  Now Gunner is facing the last two thugs,
   who finally have their pistols out and could probably plug him
   before he charges that far.  The GM asks, "What does Gunner do
   now?"
   
   Gunner hurls the Tommy gun into the face of one gunman while making
   a low diving tackle for the other, hoping to dodge under any
   bullets.  The GM calls for a single roll against Brawling to cover
   this whole action: Gunner gets a Fair result.  The GM rules that
   Gunner throws the Tommy gun well enough to distract one gunman, but
   not harm him.  He does, however, manage to tackle and subdue his
   other foe, whose shots all go wild.
   
   At this point, the GM rules that the mobster grazed by the thrown
   Tommy gun now steps over and points his pistol to Gunner's head
   while he's kneeling over the other mobster.  Gunner wisely heeds
   the call to surrender and hopes his friends can rescue him . . .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
4.22  Simultaneous Combat Rounds
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Those who like their combat broken down into discrete bits can use
combat "rounds."  In simultaneous action rounds, all offensive and
defensive maneuvers happen at the same time.  This is realistic: few
real combats consist of fighters taking turns whacking at each other.

The GM determines which traits the combatants should roll against.
This depends largely on which weapon they are using, which might
simply be a fist.  Weapon type also affects damage - see Section 4.5,
Wounds.

Each combatant makes an Opposed action roll.  On a relative degree of
0, the combat round is a stand-off - the fighters either circled each
other looking for an opening, or exchanged blows on each other's
shields, etc. - nobody is hurt.

A minimum result of Poor is needed to hit a (roughly) equal-sized
opponent.  That is, a human needs to score a Poor blow (and still win
the Opposed action) in order to hit another human.  If both opponents
roll worse than Poor, the round is a standoff.

If one opponent is *significantly* bigger than the other (of a
different Scale, at least), he needs a Mediocre or even Fair result to
hit his smaller foe, while even a Terrible result will allow the small
fighter to hit the larger.  (Of course, such a blow must still *win*
the Opposed action.)  Extremely small targets, such as a pixie, may
require a Good or even a Great result.  Examples include humans
fighting giants, or very large or small animals.

If the result is a relative degree other than 0, and the minimum level
needed to score a hit is achieved or surpassed, the winner checks to
see if he hit hard enough to damage the loser.  In general, the better
the hit (the greater the relative degree), the greater the likelihood
of damage.

If one combatant is unable to fight in a given round (possibly because
he's unaware of the attacker, or because of a critical result in the
previous round - see Section 3.6, Critical Results), the combat may
become an Unopposed Action for the active fighter, usually with a Poor
Difficulty Level.  If a character can defend himself in some way, such
as using a shield, it is still an Opposed Action, but the defending
character cannot hurt the other character even if he wins the combat
round.

Combat often takes more than one combat round.  Characters are not
limited to attacking each round - they may attempt to flee, negotiate,
try a fancy acrobatic stunt, or any other appropriate action.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
4.23  Alternating Combat Turns
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Using alternating combat turns, each combat round consists of two
actions: the fighter with the higher initiative attacks while the
other defends, then the second combatant attacks while the first
defends.  With multiple characters involved in combat, the *side* with
the initiative makes all their attacks, then the other side makes all
their attacks.  Or the GM may run the combat in initiative order, even
if fighters from both sides are interspersed throughout the combat
turn.

Gaining initiative is an Opposed action.  If the characters don't have
an Initiative attribute or skill - such as Reflexes or Speed - simply
use Opposed Situational rolls.  A gift such as Combat Reflexes can
grant a +1 to initiative.  Surprise may grant a bonus to the roll, or
give automatic initiative.  Initiative can be rolled once for each
battle or once each round.  Perhaps a character could trade skill for
initiative: attack hastily (+1 to initiative that round) but be
slightly off balance because of it (-1 to attack *and* defend that
round).

Each attack is an Opposed Action: the attacker's Offensive skill
(Sword, Melee Weapon, Martial Art, etc.) against a defender's
Defensive skill (Shield, Parry, Dodge, Duck, etc.).  This type of
combat take longer than simultaneous rounds, but some players feel it
gives a character more control over his own fate.

Using these rules, a Defensive parry skill may simply equal the weapon
skill, or it may be a separate skill that must be bought independently
of an Offensive skill.  The GM must tell the players at character
creation which method she is using - or allow them extra levels on the
fly to adjust their defensive abilities.

Some weapons, such as an Axe, are poor parrying weapons.  Players
should ask the GM at character creation if a weapon may be used to
parry and still be used to attack without penalty in the next turn -
and give their characters decent Shield or Dodge skills to compensate
for poor parrying weapons.

All-out offensive and defensive tactics can be used.  A character
forfeits his attack for a round if he chooses All-out defense, and is
at -2 on his defense on his opponent's next turn if choosing All-out
offense - or perhaps gets no defense at all!

The default defense for animals depends on their type: carnivores will
usually have a Defense value one level less than their Offense, while
this is reversed for most prey species.

-------------------------
4.3  Melee Combat Options
-------------------------

The various options listed below may be used with any melee system.
This is not a comprehensive or "official" list of options.  The GM
should, in fact, consider these options merely as examples to
stimulate her imagination.  The GM may wish to import complex combat
options from other games into FUDGE.

- - - - - - - - - - -
4.31  Melee Modifiers
- - - - - - - - - - -

Some situations call for one side or the other's trait level to be
modified.  Here are some examples:

A fighter who is Hurt is at -1, while one who is Very Hurt is at -2.

If one fighter has a positional advantage over the other, there may be
   a penalty (-1 or -2) to the fighter in the worse position.
   Examples include bad footing, lower elevation, light in his eyes,
   kneeling, etc.

Subtract the value of a shield from the opponent's weapon skill.  A
   small shield has a value of +1 in melee combat only, while a medium
   shield has a value of +1 in melee combat and +1 to defense against
   ranged attacks (if the shield material is impervious to the
   weapon).  A large shield (+2 in all combat) is cumbersome to lug
   around.  The larger the shield carried, the more the GM should
   assess penalties for things such as acrobatic and other fancy
   maneuvers.  Shields can also be used offensively to push an
   opponent back, for example, or knock someone over.

Compare combatants' weapon sizes and shields (see Section 4.54, Sample
   Wound Factors List).  If one fighter's weapon + shield value is +2
   (or more) greater than the other fighter's weapon + shield value,
   the fighter with the smaller weapon is at -1 to his combat skill.
   (Example: one fighter has a Two-handed sword: +4 to damage.  His
   opponent has a knife and an average shield: +1 to damage, +1 for
   shield makes a total of +2.  The knife wielder is at -1 to skill in
   this combat since his weapon modifier is -2 less than the sword
   fighter's.)

Aiming at a specific small body part (such as an eye or hand) will
   require a minimum result of Good or Great to hit and also have a -1
   to the trait level.  If a result of Great is needed and the fighter
   only gets a Good result but still wins the Opposed action, he hits
   the other fighter - but not in the part aimed for.

A fighter may have a magical blessing (+1 or more) or curse (-1 or
   worse).

All-out offense, such as a berserk attack, grants a +1 to the combat
   skill (and an additional +1 for damage, if successful).  However,
   if an all-out attacker *ties* or loses the Opposed action, the
   other fighter wins, and gets +2 to damage!

An All-out defensive stance earns a +2 to the combat skill, but such a
   combatant cannot harm his foe except with a critical result.

A successful All-out Defense and a successful Perception or Tactics
   roll produces a -1 penalty to the opponent on the *next* round.
   The fighter takes a few seconds to scope out the area and maneuvers
   to take advantage of any terrain or conditional irregularity.
   Similar combat subtleties are possible, and encouraged - taking a
   successful All-out defense one round can allow a player to try an
   acrobatics maneuver the next combat round without risk of being
   hit, for example.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
4.32  Offensive/Defensive Tactics
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This optional rule, used with simultaneous combat rounds, allows more
tactical flavor to combat at a small expense of complexity.  This
option replaces the All-out attack and defense options listed above,
and allows for both combatants to be injured in the same combat round.

Before each round, a fighter may choose to be in a normal posture, an
offensive posture or defensive posture.  An offensive or defensive
stance increases combat skill in one aspect of combat (offense or
defense), and decrease the same skill by an equal amount for the other
aspect of combat.

There are five basic options:
   
   +2 to Offense, -2 to Defense
   +1 to Offense, -1 to Defense
   Normal Offense and Defense
   -1 to Offense, +1 to Defense
   -2 to Offense, +2 to Defense

Each combat round, a player secretly chooses a combat stance by
selecting two FUDGE dice and setting them to a result from +2 to -2,
which represents an offensive modifier.  (The defensive modifier shown
above with the offensive modifier is automatically included.)  Both
sides simultaneously reveal their choices.

For those without FUDGE dice, choose one die placed as follows:

[TABLE]
Die face:          Option:
   1               -2 to offense
   2               -1 to offense
  3,4              Normal offense
   5               +1 to offense
   6               +2 to offense
[END TABLE]

Each fighter then makes a single Opposed action roll as normal.  The
result is applied to both offense and defense, however, and will thus
have different results for offense and defense if anything other than
a normal posture is chosen.  The offensive rolled result of each
fighter is then compared to the defense of the other fighter.
   
   For example, a fighter with Good sword skill chooses +1 to offense
   and -1 to defense for a particular combat round: his offensive
   sword skill is Great this round, while his defensive sword skill is
   Fair.  His opponent, a Great swordswoman, chooses normal posture.
   The swordswoman rolls a -1: a Good result for both her offense and
   defense.  The first fighter rolls a 0 result: his offensive rolled
   result is Great, his defense is Fair.
   
   His offense result of Great is compared with her Good defense: he
   wins by +1.  However, her offense result of Good is simultaneously
   compared with his defense of Fair: she also wins the Opposed action
   by +1.  Both sides check for damage, to see if they got through
   each other's armor - see Section 4.5, Wounds.

- - - - - - - - - -
4.33  PCs vs. NPCs
- - - - - - - - - -

If a PC is fighting an NPC the GM can treat combat as an Unopposed
action by assuming the NPC will always get a result equal to her trait
level.  In this case, the PC will have to tie the NPC's trait level to
have a stand-off round, and beat the NPC's trait in order to inflict
damage.  This option stresses the player characters' abilities by
disallowing fluke rolls by NPCs.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
4.34  Multiple Combatants in Melee
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When more than one opponent attacks a single fighter, they have, at
least, a positional advantage.  To reflect this, the lone fighter is
at -1 to his skill for each additional foe beyond the first.  (For
epic-style games, with a few heroes battling hordes of enemies, this
penalty can be reduced, or the GM can simply give the hordes Poor
skills and low Damage Capacity - which is not out of character for a
horde.)

The lone fighter rolls once, and the result is compared with *each* of
the opponents' rolled degrees, one after the other.  The solo
combatant has to defeat or tie *all* of the opponents in order to
inflict a wound on one of them.  If he beats all of his foes, he may
hit the foe of his choice.  If he ties his best opponent, he can only
wound another whose result is at least two levels below his.
   
   Example: Paco is facing three thugs, who have just rolled a Great,
   Good, and Mediocre result, respectively.  Paco rolls a Great
   result, tying the best thug.  He hits the thug who scored a
   Mediocre result (at least two levels below his result) and is not
   hit himself (he tied the best thug).

The lone fighter *takes* multiple wounds in a single round if two or
more enemies hit him.  Usually, he can inflict damage on only one foe
in any given round - his choice of those he bested.  It's also
possible to allow a sweeping blow to damage more than one foe at a
time.  Of course, this slows a slash down: reduce damage done by 1 or
2 for each foe cut through.

A well-armored fighter facing weak opponents can simply concentrate on
one foe and let the others try to get through his armor (that is, not
defend himself at all against some of his attackers).  In this case,
the lone fighter can damage his chosen foe even if he is hit by other,
ignored foes.  This is historically accurate for knights wading
through peasant levies, for example.  There may or may not be a
penalty for the lone fighter in this case.

There's a limit to the number of foes that can simultaneously attack a
single opponent.  Six is about the maximum under ideal conditions
(such as  wolves, or spear-wielders), while only three or four can
attack if using weapons or martial arts that require a lot of
maneuvering space.  If the lone fighter is in a doorway, only one or
two fighters can reach him.

When multiple NPCs beset a lone PC, the GM may wish to use the option
in Section 4.33, PCs vs. NPCs.  This will save a lot of die rolling.

Alternately, she may wish to roll only once for all the NPCs.  The
lone fighter is still at -1 per extra opponent.  The GM rolls 2dF, and
applies the result to each NPC.  For example, if the GM gets a +1
result, each attacker scores a +1.

For those without FUDGE dice, the GM could simply use the 1d6 method
discussed in Section 3.5, Opposed Actions.
   
   Example: Three NPC pirates, complete with eye-patches, scars,
   earrings, sneers and generally bad attitudes, are attacking dashing
   PC hero Tucker.  The pirates (whose names are Molly, Annie, and
   Maggie) are Fair, Good, and Mediocre, respectively, at combat
   skills.  Tucker is a Superb swordsman, but is at -2 for having two
   extra fighters attacking him at once: his skill is Good for this
   combat.  The GM wants to roll just once (applying the result to all
   three pirates) rather than rolling three times each combat round.
   
   Rolling 2dF, she gets a +1 on the first round.  The pirates have
   just gotten Good, Great, and Fair results, respectively.  If Tucker
   scores a Superb result, he could hit the pirate of his choice and
   remain unhit.  On a Great result, Tucker would be unhit, and could
   land a blow on Maggie.  On a Good result, he doesn't hit anyone,
   but Annie hits him.  If Tucker rolls a Fair result, both Molly and
   Annie would hit him.  The process is repeated each round.

- - - - - - - - - -
4.35  Hit Location
- - - - - - - - - -

A light blow to an eye is very different from a light blow to an
armored shoulder, or to a shield.  Using a hit location system adds
flavor to combat and the description of a character's equipment,
wounds - and scars!  Many games have a hit location system, and a GM
can easily translate one she is familiar with to FUDGE.  Or she can
use the simple system given here.

The simplest system is not to worry about "called shots."  Merely say
the better the relative degree, the better the location of the blow.
Winning a battle by +8 will allow the attacker to pierce an eye, if
desired.  Hopefully, the players will describe their actions in such
detail that the GM will know how close they came to their objective
merely by looking at the relative degree.

A more complicated system: an attacker can announce that he is aiming
at a specific body location - this must be done *before* rolling to
hit.  The GM decides the minimum relative degree necessary for such a
shot to succeed, usually ranging from 2 to 4, though extreme locations
(such as an eyeball) are harder to hit.  So if a player wishes his
character to hit his opponent's weapon arm, the GM can respond, "You
have to win by two to do so."  If the player then does win by relative
degree two or more, the weapon arm is hit, and the wound is specific
to that arm.

If the attacker wins the combat round, but not by the minimum relative
degree needed to hit the called target, the *defender* names which
part of the body - or shield! - is hit.  This will most likely be
general body (if there is no shield), but it could be the off-hand,

which would carry a lesser combat penalty than a wound to the torso.
The GM may have to fudge some here.

A damaged specific body part can be described as being Scratched (no
real game effect), Hurt (a penalty to use, but the body part still
functions), and Incapacitated.  After battle is the time to decide if
an Incapacitated body part can be healed, or is permanently
Incapacitated.

A Hurt body part is generally at -1 to its normal use.  A Hurt sword
arm gives a -1 penalty to combat, for example, while a Hurt leg is -1
to any running, acrobatics, etc.  A Hurt eye is -1 to vision, and so
on.

To determine the exact level of the damage, the GM should consider how
well the hit scored, as well as the Strength of the attacker and the
weapon being used.  Winning by the minimum relative degree necessary
to hit the specific body part shouldn't make the victim Incapacitated
unless the attacker is of a much larger Scale than the defender.  On
the other hand, an arm hit with a battle axe wielded by a large,
berserk Viking has a good chance of being cut off even if the Viking
just rolled exactly what he needed to hit the arm . . .

As a guideline, if the attacker surpasses the relative degree
necessary to hit the body part at all, the part is Scratched or Hurt,
depending on Strength and weapon deadliness.  If he surpasses it
significantly, the part is Hurt or Incapacitated.

Species other than humans may have a different list of body parts to
hit, and/or different difficulty modifiers.

- - - - - - - - -
4.36  Fancy Stuff
- - - - - - - - -

A lot of fancy maneuvers are possible in FUDGE combat.  All require a
bit of thought on the GM's part.

What if you want a Speed or Reflexes trait to affect how often you can
strike in combat?  How would you handle someone of Good Speed vs.
someone of Fair Speed?

If someone has a Power that speeds him up beyond the human norm, you
can simply have him attack every other round as if his opponent wasn't
aware of the attack.  That is, every other round, an Unopposed result
of Poor or better hits the foe, with no chance to be hit back in
return.

For more subtle differences, the GM may allow an Opposed action to
determine if one fighter gets to land a blow first: after declaring
their actions, each fighter makes a roll against a Speed trait.  The
winner of the Opposed action, if any, adds the difference to his
weapon skill.

How about FUDGE's "graininess" getting in the way of interesting
combat?  That is, since there are only seven levels in FUDGE, a Good
fighter will often meet another Good fighter, and it doesn't seem
right that you can't meet someone who's just a *little* better or
worse than you.

In this case, the GM can create new levels of combat skills (there's
no point in using this option with other skills).  These new levels
require full experience points to reach, but function only as "half"
levels, called "plus" levels.  Thus, you can have:
   
   Superb +
   Superb
   Great +
   Great
   Good +
   Good

And so on.  In any combat, someone with a "+" has the skill level
listed before the "+", but gets a +1 every other round, starting with
the second round.
   
   So in a combat between Gus (skill Great) and Ivan (skill Good +),
   Gus would have the higher skill on on rounds one, three, five, etc.
   But on rounds two, four, six, etc., Ivan will roll as if he had a
   Great skill, thus being Gus's equal those rounds.

What about swinging on chandeliers and other swashbuckling moves?
Since role-playing games have more to do with movies than real life,
this should be encouraged if the genre is at all cinematic.

In these cases, have the player describe his swashbuckling intentions
as fully and dramatically as he can.  The better the story, the better
the bonus to the die roll - or no roll needed if the outcome is
entertaining enough.  You may then request a roll against Dexterity,
or Acrobatics (or even Chutzpah!) and let that determine how well he
accomplished his aim.
   
   Maybe the swing on the chandelier came off great, but the landing
   on the banister was a little rough, so the slide down to slam the
   villain in the back was a tad off, and instead of knocking him out,
   you merely made him drop his weapon, but then fell on the floor
   yourself, and now he's mad, and maybe you should get up before he
   picks up his pistol, or you could try to yank the carpet while
   you're down there, right next to it, and he seems to standing on it
   a bit off-balance . . .  Whatever is fun!

------------------
4.4  Ranged Combat
------------------

Ranged combat may or may not be an Opposed action.

If the target is unaware of the assault, the attacker makes an
Unopposed action roll to see if he hits his target.  The GM sets the
Difficulty Level based on distance, lighting, cover, etc.  Do not
modify the attacker's skill for range, partial cover, or other
circumstances - that's included in the Difficulty Level.  Equipment
such as a laser sighting scope can modify the attacker's skill,
though.

If the defender is aware of the attack it is an Opposed action: the
attacker's ranged weapon skill against the defender's defensive trait.
(A Difficulty Level for range, lighting, etc., is still set by the GM,
and is the minimum rolled degree needed to hit.)  A defensive roll
should be made against a Dodge skill, or Agility attribute, or
something similar.

If the ranged weapon is thrown, there is no modifier to the defense
roll.  However, a propelled weapon, such as a bow, gun, or beam
weapon, is much harder to avoid.  In this case, reduce the defender's
trait by -2 or -3.  Obviously, the defender isn't trying to dodge a
bullet, but dodging the presumed path of a bullet when an attacker
points a gun at him.

Of course, the defender may decline to dodge, but shoot back instead.
In this case, the action is Unopposed - making the Difficulty Level is
all that is needed to hit.  The GM may make such actions simultaneous.
   
   Example: Nevada Slim and the El Paso Hombre are facing off in a
   showdown. Both are in the open, in the sunlight, so there's no
   lighting or cover difficulty.  The range is obviously the same for
   both - the GM rules it's a Fair task to hit each other.  Slim rolls
   a Poor result, and the Hombre a Mediocre result.  The Hombre's
   bullet came closer to Nevada Slim than vice versa, but both missed
   since neither made the Difficulty Level.
   
   Another Example: Will Scarlet is shooting a longbow from the
   greenwood at Dicken, the Sheriff's man, who has a crossbow.  Dicken
   knows Will is there, because the man next to him just keeled over
   with an arrow through his chest.  Dicken is in the open, in good
   light, so only range is of any concern to Will Scarlet: the GM says
   even a Mediocre shot will hit since they are fairly close.  The
   range for Dicken to hit Will is of course the same, but Will is
   partially hidden behind a log (cover), and just inside the foliage,
   so the lighting makes it hard to see him clearly.  The GM decrees
   Dicken needs a Good roll to hit Will.  Dicken rolls a Fair result,
   missing Will.  Will rolls a Mediocre result, which hits Dicken,
   even though it wasn't as good a shot as Dicken's.

In both examples, the fighters forfeited their Dodges in order to
shoot simultaneously.  Each combatant needed to make the appropriate
Difficulty Level to hit.  Under these conditions, it's possible for
both combatants to succeed in the same combat round.  Had Dicken's
shot hit, Will and Dicken would have skewered each other.

Guns and similar weapons that do not rely on muscle power should be
rated for damage at the beginning of the game.  No detailed list is
provided, but as a rough guideline:  The average small hand gun might
be of +2 to +3 Strength, while a derringer might be +1 or even +0.
Powerful two-handed projectile weapons are at +5 and higher, while
bazookas and other anti-tank weapons are at +10 and higher.  Science
fiction small weapons may do as much damage as a modern bazooka - but
some are designed to capture people without injuring them.

Automatic weapons can be simulated roughly by allowing more bullets to
hit with higher relative degrees.  That is, blasting away with a
weapon that fires 20 bullets in a combat round and hitting with
relative degree +1 - a graze - means only one or two hit the target.
If a relative degree +8 represents maximum amount of ammunition on
target (whatever that may be for a given weapon), then hitting with a
+4 means about half maximum hit the target, while +2 means only one
quarter.

If there is no effective armor, simply add a big damage number if lots
of bullets hit: this is going to Incapacitate anyone, at the very
least.  If armor is at all likely to slow down a bullet, you can't
just add a bigger and bigger damage number if more bullets hit: the
armor has a chance to slow down *each* bullet.  In this case, rather
than roll damage for each bullet, or have them all stopped, the GM
needs to fudge some medium result: give a slight damage bonus if more
projectiles hit the target.

[End of file FUDGE4a.  Chapter 4 continues in file FUDGE4b.]

