The rough sequence of events is the following

1. Initiatives determine the sequence of actions
2. Attack rolls are made, with successful defensive actions reduce the attack dice pool
3. Damage rolls are made, with successes being cancelled by successful soaking rolls

1.  Initiative

1.1  Score

Every player and NPC computes their initiative score, which is equal to Dexterity+Wits, modified by any wound or other penalties. This can be computed ex ante and kept on the character sheet.

1.2  Roll

A d10 is rolled and is added to the initiative score. Characters with higher initiative score will act faster. There is no action-specific initiative roll.

Starting from the character with the lowest score, each one states their actions for the round. In this way faster characters have a chance to react to slower ones. If one wants to spend blood points or willpower points to raise an ability or perform a particular feat, this should be stated at this time.

1.3  Botching

There is no botching in initiative rolls, a roll of one is just a roll of one.

1.4  Actions

There are different possible actions like:

• Attack [a specific foe with a specific weapon]
• Defend [dodge/block/parry, no opponent needs to specified]
• Cast a spell
• Use an ability or a discipline
• Spend a blood point to raise stats temporarily or heal
• Move
• Do something else

Actions are carried out from the highest to the lowest initiative score, but characters have the option to defer their actions within the round. This is true in particular for defensive actions, which are triggered by an attack.

If defensive actions are not declared, then a Willpower roll is needed for them to take place during the round.

1.5  Multiple actions

If characters have the celerity discipline, then their second and subsequent actions are carried out in the end of the turn. The same holds for characters that want to take multiple actions with the relevant penalties.

1.6  Example

Gordon (G), Tony (T) and Alistair (A) are against David (D) and Michael (M). Say that everyone's stats are:

• Str 4, Dex 3, Sta 2, Wit 3
• Brawl 3, RangeWeapons 2, Melee 2, Dodge 3
• Willpower 5

Alistair and Tony are not using any weapons, and are both in melee against David and William. Gordon is wounded behind a wall, and is trying to get his opponents with a crossbow. David is unarmed, and William is wielding a sword. No actions have been declared, so the players don't yet know who wants to do what.

Initiatives are rolled, and the totals are

• Alistair: 6 (Roll) +3+3 (Score) = 12
• Tony: 5 (Roll) +3+3 (Score) = 11
• Gordon: 5 (Roll) +3+3 (Score) -2 (Wounded )= 9
• David: 9 (Roll) +3+3 (Score) = 15
• Michael: 2 (Roll) +3+3 (Score) = 8

Therefore the order of play is D>A>T>G>M. The order of declarations is M>G>T>A>D.

2.  Attack/defence roll

2.1  Attack/defence dice pool

Given the nature of the attack, the dice pool is

• Unarmed: Dexterity+Brawl, difficulty 6
• With melee weapons: Dexterity+Melee, difficulty 6
• With range weapons: Dexterity+RangeWeapons [Firearms], difficulty 6 modified for cover and distance

2.2  Multiple actions

A character that takes multiple actions suffers penalties in the attack rolls. If the number of actions taken is N, then the dice pool of the i-th action will be penalized by (-N-i+1). The difficulty is not penalized.

2.3  Multiple opponents

If one is facing multiple opponents in melee, then the difficulty is increased by +1 for each opponent beyond the first, to a maximum of +4 [against 5 opponents]. This holds for all attack and defense rolls.

2.4  Behind cover

Firing with a ranged weapon behind cover increases the attack roll difficulty for the opponent by the cover modifier. Staying behind cover also makes it harder to attack: the attack roll of the person hiding will have its difficulty also raised, by the cover modifier minus one.

2.5  Defense

A character can always dodge even if no defense was declared, if there are declared actions left for her to take. A willpower roll is needed for that to happen, and no other action can be taken from this point in the round apart from defending. The dice pool for the dodging roll cannot exceed the dice pool that was available for the action that was aborted.

There is also the option to go full-on defend. Then the penalty for multiple actions is different: at each attack that the character attempts to dodge the dice pool is decreased by one.

2.6  Botching

The attack is botched if a one is rolled, and no successes are scored. This means that if successes were removed by ones, then there is no botch [the rule was changed like that in revised editions]. Defence rolls cannot be botched.

2.7  Special attacks

• Ambush: The character(s) that ambush roll Dex+Stealth, their target(s) roll Per+Alertness. If the ambushers get more successes then they get one free attack and add the successes to their attack roll.If the attacker gets more successes, he gets one free attack and adds any extra successes to the attack dice pool. Otherwise initiatives are rolled.
• Blind Fight: Melee or brawl have a +2 difficulty penalty on the attack roll. Ranged attacks are impossible. "Eyes of the Beast" negates. "Heightened senses" reduce.
• Movement: The character can move 10+0.5*(3 x Dex) yards in a turn and still take one action. No multiple actions if moving. Opponents with range weapons might take a free shot.
• Flank: One extra attack die.
• Rear: Two extra attack dice.
• Aim: Medium target (limb) attack difficulty +1, damage modifier +0; Small target (head) +2/+1; precise target (eye) +3/+2

2.8  Brawl attacks

• Bite: Clinch, hold or tackle is required. Roll: Dex+Brawl, Attack pool modifier: +1, Attack roll: +0, Damage pool: Str+1
• Claw: Dex+Brawl, Att:+0, Dif:+0, Dam:Str+1
• Clinch: Str+Brawl, Att:+0, Dif:+0, Dam:Str
• Disarm: Dex+Melee, Att:+0, Dif:+1, Dam:Special
• Hold: Str+Brawl, Att:+0, Dif:+0, Dam:0
• Kick: Dex+Brawl, Att:+0, Dif:+1, Dam:Str+1
• Punch: Dex+Brawl, Att:+0, Dif:+0, Dam:Str
• Sweep: Dex+Brawl/Melee, Att:+0, Dif:+1, Dam:Str/knockdown
• Tackle: Str+Brawl, Att:+0, Dif:+1, Dam:Str+1

2.9  Ranged attacks

• Aim: one extra attack die for every round spent, up to Perception score. Not available for fast moving targets (ie. in melee or running)
• Cover: Modifies opponents difficulty. Light (prone) +1, Good (wall) +1, superior (head exposed) +2. Also modifies defenders difficulty to attack, by half the modifier (round down).
• Range: Within range difficulty 6. Max range = 2 x Range, with difficulty 8. Point blank is within 2 meters, difficulty 4.
• Multiple shots: as with normal attacks.

2.10  General complications

• Blinded: Attack difficulty +2, no range attacks. All physical difficulties +2.
• Dazed: If one shot damages by more than Sta (mortals) or Sta+2 (vampires) loses next round.
• Held (but struggling): +2 attack dice pool.
• Held (and immobilized): Automatic.
• Knockdown: Victim rolls Dex+Athletics. If successful only +2 initiative penalty. Otherwise loses next action.

2.11  Example

Michael declares (N=2) actions: (i=1) parry with sword, (i=2) attack Alistair with sword. His first dice pool will be (Dex+Melee-N-i+1)=(3+2-2-1+1)=3 dice; his second dice pool will be (Dex+Melee-N-i+1)=2 dice. The difficulty is (Base+2 opponents)=(6+1)=7.

Gordon sees that Michael is exposed to his range weapon attack, and declares one action: fire at Michael. His dice pool is (Dex+RangeWeapon-Wounded-Cover)=(3+2-2-1)=2 dice. The difficulty is 6.

Alistair declares one action: punch David with his fist. His dice pool will be (Dex+Brawl)=6 dice. The difficulty is (Base+2 opponents)=(6+1)=7.

Tony declares (N=2) actions: dodge and punch David. His first (i=1) dice pool will be (Dex+Dodge-N-i+1)=(3+3-2-1+1)=4 dice; his second (i=2) dice pool will be (Dex+Melee-N-i+1)=2 dice. The difficulty is (Base+2 opponents)=(6+1)=7.

Neither Alistair nor Tony will attack Michael with bare hands, as they see that he is parrying with a weapon that can cause them damage if they fail.

David sees that everyone is against him, so he declares to kick Alistair and then dodge twice (N=3). His first (i=1) dice pool will be (Dex+Brawl-N-i+1)=(4+3-3-1+1)=4 dice, his second (i=2) dice pool is (Dex+Dodge-N-i+1)=(3+3-3-2+1)=2 dice, while his third (i=3) dice pool is (Dex+Dodge-N-i+1)=(3+3-3-3+1)=1 die. The difficulty is (Base+2 opponents+1 modifier)=(6+1+1)=8 for the kick, and (Base+2 opponents)=(6+1)=7 for the dodges.

The order of attacks will be:

• round one: D v A, A v D, G v M
• round two: T v D, M v A
• round three: no attacks

D v A: Alistair sees David attacking him and can dodge, an action he had not declared. This means that if he dodges, he has to roll willpower, and if succeeds than he can dodge with a maximum of his dice pool (6 dice). In any case he forfeits all his actions for this round. Alistair does not want to do that, and will not dodge. David rolls (6,2,10), giving him one success.

A v D: As Alistair attacks David, and David attempts to dodge. David's action can potentially remove dice from Alistair's dice pool. David rolls his dodge first, rolling (8,1) which gives him no successes. Alistair rolls his full dice pool to attack (5,2,7,7,9,2), giving him 3 successes.

G v M: As Gordon aims at Michael, Michael decides to dodge. As he had previously declared to parry, this constitutes a new action. He rolls 7 at his willpower roll, which means that he can indeed attempt to dodge, with maximum of 3 dice and his normal Dex+Dodge which is (3+3)=6. Therefore he rolls 3 dice as (8,4,7), scoring two successes. He thus removes two dice from Gordon's dice pool, and Gordon misses as he has no dice left. Michael forfeits all actions for this round.

T v D: Tony has 2 dice to attack David, and David dodges with 1 die, on which he scores a 3. Tony rolls (5,9) on his attack roll, giving him 1 success.

3.  Damage roll

3.1  Damage dice pool

The dice pool for damage is determined by the weapon used, plus the successes of the attack roll minus one. Thus, if a character with Strength 4 attacks with a sword (which has base Strength+2) and has scored three successes in the attack roll, then the damage pool is 4+2+(3-1)=8 dice.

3.2  Difficulty

The damage difficulty base is 6. If a character has the Potency discipline, then he scores automatic successes.

3.3  Damage types

There are three types of damage, Bashing, Lethal and Aggravated.

• Bashing: all brawl attacks, melee attacks with blunt weapons, range weapons against vampires [unless head is aimed at]. Bashing damage can be soaked by all. Bashing damage appears on the character sheet as "/" (or "\" to complete a cross).
• Lethal: melee attacks with edged weapons, range weapons against mortals [or vampires if head is aimed at]. Lethal damage can be soaked by vampires but not mortals. Lethal damage for mortals appears on the character sheet as "X", while for vampires as "\" (or "/" to complete the cross).
• Aggravated: fire for all, acid for mortals, sunlight for vampires. Cannot be soaked, unless the discipline of Fortitude is possessed. Aggravated damage appears on the character sheet as "X".

3.4  Botching

There is no botching in the damage roll. Rolls of one are simple failures to damage.

3.5  Example

D v A: David attacked Alistair with a kick, which does Strength+1 damage. He only scored one success in his attack roll, therefore there are no further modifiers. Thus his dice pool is (4+1)=5 dice. He rolls (5,5,7,8,2) scoring two potential successes.

A v D: Alistair punched David and scored three successes. Therefore his damage dice pool will be (4+2)=6 dice. He rolls (6,8,7,2,2,6) scoring four potential successes.

T v D: Tony also punched David and scored one success. Therefore his damage dice pool will be 4 dice. He rolls (2,1,10,10) scoring two potential successes.

4.  Soaking

After the damage roll is made, the recipient has the chance to soak some damage. The dice pool for the soaking roll is for mortals

• against bashing damage: Stamina+Armor
• against lethal damage: Armor
• against aggravated damage: none

and for vampires

• against bashing and lethal damage: Stamina+Fortitude+Armor
• against aggravated damage except sunlight: Fortitude+Armor
• against sunlight: Fortitude

The difficulty is 6. Every success takes out one success of the damage roll.

4.1  Botching

There is no botching in the soaking roll. Rolls of one are simple failures to soak damage.

4.2  Example

D v A: Alistair can soak David's kick as the damage is bashing, using two dice (as per Stamina). He rolls (3,1) and therefore fails to soak. In the character sheet David puts "\" and "/", losing a full health level.

A v D: David can soak Alistair's punch with two dice. He rolls (6,1) soaking one success, leaving three damage successes. In the character sheet he puts "\", "/" and "\". He has lost one health level, and is halfway for the second.

T v D: David can also soak Tony's punch, again with two dice. He rolls (1,1) and therefore takes full damage. His second health level is now lost, as he puts "/", and he also puts one "\" for the third health level.

5.  Wound modifiers

A character that is wounded is progressively weaker, loses concentration and is generally less able to respond. This is reflected in the dice pool penalties.

These do not apply to

• Characters in frenzy or equivalent
• If a character spends a willpower point to ignore the wounds
• Uses of some (but not all) mechanical devices, e.g. it will be harder to aim with a cross bow, but the damage is not affected
• Soaking rolls
• Most (but not all) willpower, courage and self-control rolls

6.  External links

Some useful links:

• 3rd edition rules in html
• combat rules

What links here?

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