Surprise can occur when a character is not aware of his attackers. Surprise happens before combat begins. Characters who are already engaged in combat may not be surprised.
Before a surprise is sprung, the ST must give the player being surprised a special perception check that allows them to detect the surprise, be it a hidden bomb, an ambush in the warehouse, or a sudden attack on their headquarters. The ST does not need to tell the players why rolls are being made, or even the OV of the rolls.
For this special perception check, the INT/WILL of the defender is the AV/EV, and the INT/WILL of the attacker who set the ambush or trap is the OV/RV. Any positive RAPs means that the ambush, trap, or surprise has been detected one phase before it occurs.
The Danger Recognition sub skill of the military science skill may be substituted for the AV/EV. Also, the potentially surprised characters might have powers that make the surprise easier or more difficult to detect. In either case, the APs of these powers may be used instead of INT/WILL as the AV/EV.
If wanting to use surprise, it must be announced.
The effects of the surprise are as follows:
- Surprised characters may not make any dice or automatic actions during the first phase of combat (they have no initiative).
- Surprised characters have their Opposing Value moved -2 column shifts to the left on the action table.
Blindsides are a type of surprise that can happen during combat when a character is struck from behind or from a vantage point which he cannot see. The defender must not be aware of the precise location of the attack or attacker for a blindside to be called. It is up to the ST to rule whether or not an attack is a blindside.
Sensory powers such as Full vision, or perhaps a lucky glance in the right direction at the right time, could make a character aware of an attacker's position, but if the attack comes from out of sight or beyond the range of the sensory power, then the character is blindsided.
When a character is blindsided, his OV is shifted -1 column shift to the left on the action table for all attacks form that attacker until he can locate the source of the attack using a perception check
When a physical attack occurs in natural darkness, the attacker must be able to see the defender in order to hit him. In the dark, normal sight can recognize shapes up to 100 yards away (5 APs distance). A full moon will double this range to 6 APs.
Even if seen, the defender receives +2 OV column shift to the right in natural darkness.
This rule covers only naturally occurring darkness. The darkness that results from the use of the darkness power is discussed in the powers section.
An attacker can compensate for the natural darkness penalties by using an appropriate power, such as ultra vision, thermal vision, or flash.
The ST must announce it when characters are under darkness affect.
When characters are taking part in an underwater adventure, the following rules should be applied. However, the water freedom power negates all underwater penalties except for thrown items.
- Add +1 column shift to the right on any dice action's RV involving movement.
- Subtract 2 from all movement rates except swimming.
- Submerging to a great depth will harm characters. Each AP of depth over 5 causes the descending character to suffer a physical attack with the APs of depth as the AV/EV and the character's STR/BODY as the OV/RV. A new attack is made every time the character descends an additional one AP of depth.
- Subtract 5 from the Initiative score of each character that is underwater.
- A character may hold his breath for 5 APs of time (two minutes). If he stays underwater beyond this time, the character must make an action check using his STR/STR as the AV/EV and his BODY/BODY as the OV/RV. Hero Points may be spent on both the AV and EV. Any positive RAPs, up to a maximum of 5, are the APs of time that the character may remain underwater before having to return to the surface. If the character does not receive any RAPs (or if he cannot reach air in the time gained), he will take 1 point of physical damage per minute (4 APs of time) until he reaches 0 BODY and fall unconscious.
- Water is not always clear. Normal vision underwater is 5 APs (300 Feet). For every 2 APs of depth, 1 AP is subtracted from the normal range of vision due to darkness. At the ST's discretion, vision may also be impaired by mud or dirt suspended in the water.
- Items that are not continually propelled, such as thrown rocks or arrows, have a range that is 2 APs shorter than normal when fired though water.
- All attacks made using powers or skills underwater suffer a +2 column shift penalty to OV. The ST may rule that some powers are inoperative underwater, or he may use the universal modifier table to determine any further penalties when performing actions underwater.
- If a character has a running or super speed of 12 APs or greater, he may run across the surface of the water as if it were solid.
If characters end up in outer space without the benefit of a spaceship, they will be faced with a number of problems. Apply the following rules to characters in space:
- All dice actions attempted by a character in space have their OVs increased by +3 column shifts. This is reduced to +2 column shifts if a character has some means of controlling his position (i.e. Flight, Telekinesis, a jet pack, etc.) and is reduced to a +1 column shift if a character has the space craft sub skill of vehicles, regardless of experience, all characters suffer a minimum +1 column shift modifier to OVs.
- The ST may rule that some powers are inoperative in space, or he may use the universal modifier table to determine any further penalties when performing actions in space.
- Unless a character in space has the sealed systems power, he will begin to suffocate in the airless vacuum. Use the rules for drowning in the underwater section, except that the OV/RVs of the action check are increased by +2 column shifts unless the character has the spacecraft sub skill of vehicles.
- Only characters with the flight power may move freely; other characters can try to push off larger objects, throw an object, or fire a weapon with the recoil to gain momentum, but this will be difficult. Any such attempt to move requires a perception check to determine the proper launch angle against OV/RV of 8/8 (6/6 if character has space craft sub skill of vehicles). Failure indicates that the character drifts off target. In any case, the character will free-fall at a speed equal to his STR attribute, with a maximum speed equal to the weight of the object pushed off of (or the EV of the weapon fired). Of course it is equally difficult to slow or change direction as well.
- Objects moving in space continue to move in a constant speed and direction until acted upon by some outside force. Characters moving as described above will continue in the same direction until they hit another object or are grabbed or pushed by another character. Any impact is treated as a charging attack with AV/EV equal to the character's speed and OV/RV equal to the character's BODY/BODY.
- Thrown objects and projectiles have an unlimited potential range, but the character using them must be able to see his target in order to aim his shots. Add the APs of distance that exceed the maximum range of the weapon to the OV of the attempt. Telescopic Vision will extend the maximum range of such attacks to the APs of power.
Whenever a character falls a distance greater than 10 feet (0 APs), he runs the risk of injury. Make an action check using the APs of distance that the character falls multiplied by 2 as the AV/EV, and the character's BODY/BODY as the OV/RV.
If the distance that the character is falling is greater than 7 APs, treat it as 7 APs; 14/14 is the highest possible AV/EV of a fall.
Explosives are area effect attacks; they do full damage to everyone in the target area ( a circular area with a diameter of 10 feet, or 0 APs) and less damage in the area around the target area.
Each target character is attack equally and separately. Each character can receive RAPs from a successful attack, although the RAPs are still determined by using the acting and result tables.
The effect of an explosion diminishes rapidly as distance from the blast increases. Each AP of distance from the target area reduces the blast's AV/EV by 2 APs. Thus, if a character is standing 3 APs from the target area of a 10 AP howitzer blast,
the AV/EV is reduced by 6 APs to 4/4. A character that is standing 4 APs away from the same blast would be attacked with an AV/EV of 2/2. If double ones are rolled for the attack, the explosive was a dud.
Explosive attacks are not considered multi-attacks, and there are no column shift penalties if the explosion affects more than one target. Each individual in the radius of an explosion is attacked separately.
