Combat

Work in Progress - Unofficial until completed.

Listed here is all the HR information about how combat related mechanics should be run on NuMetal. Whenever possible they stick to the listed game mechanics of 20th anniversary edition. Whenever they conflict, we've specified the default rule to be used here.

• Typical base difficulty for all rolls is 6.
  • If a mechanic is stated in terms of a primary ability, then a relevant secondary ability can be substituted at -1 difficulty.
  • If a mechanic is stated in terms of a secondary ability, then a relevant primary ability can be substituted at +1 difficulty.
  • If you don't have the ability at all, then consult the clarifications for untrained Abilities listed here.
  • If a substitution is explicitly mentioned below, then it's reiterating these clauses, not stacking with them.
• Actions without a roll are automatically successful.
• "Reflex" rolls don't count as actions.
  • Spending from a pool is a reflex, unless otherwise noted.
• General combat maneuvers described here are allowed.
  • If you don't have a relevant stat/level/maneuver, you can still ICly attempt something similar while not benefiting from the system/bonuses and sticking with the game mechanics of general maneuvers.
• All non-magical weapons and armor use the stats on this Equipment page. All players must follow the guidelines for what equipment must be requested and approved. Individual notes are not valid for anything that is mundane.
• For mounted combat, see C20 page 279
• Specialties may apply to combat.

Basics

Initiative

Determining initiative

Each character's initiative is their initiative rating (Dexterity + Wits) + 1d10

• Optional: For a more dynamic flow of combat, this can be recalculated each turn
• PCs: '+combat/init'
• NPCs: '+combat/init <NPC's name>=<sum of NPC's Dexterity + Wits>'
• Wound penalty reduces your initiative
  • '+combat/init' doesn't apply this or any other modifier automatically, you must account for them manually
• Gurahl are -2 init during winter

Declaring actions

Characters declare intended actions in order of initiative, low to high

• Characters performing multiple actions, using supernatural powers, or spending Willpower must declare those things during this step
• Characters will act in the opposite order (high to low), thus slower characters telegraph their intent and faster ones can take it into account

Simpler alternative (mostly for PRPs)

Characters declare and act in order of initiative, high to low

• This should be agreed upon before combat starts
• First character declares and rolls, then types their pose while the next character is declaring and rolling, and so on
• OOCly faster and simpler, no one has to deal with a large stack of upcoming declared actions
• PRP runner should consider declaring for NPCs at start of turn, so that they still telegraph

Performing actions

Characters act in order of initiative, high to low

• A character can delay their action and take it at any point later in the turn
• If two characters have the same initiative (or delay until the same moment), then the one with the higher initiative rating acts first. If their initiative ratings are also equal, then they act simultaneously

Timing of multiple actions

Extra Actions consist of but are not limited to Celerity, Rage, Split Dice Pools, Etc.

• Main phase: Each character acts once (unless they lose their action due to being stunned, etc.)
• Extra phase: Any characters with multiple actions perform the rest of their actions in the usual order of initiative
  • Even if multiple actions are described by a book or +note as simultaneous, the player must choose an order for the purpose of determining their outcomes, and only the first one occurs in the main phase
  • Players may spend rage OR split dice pools for extra actions but not both. (W20/266) Taking more actions than the lowest of your Wits or Dex actions results in a +3 Difficulty penalty to ALL actions for that round. (W20/288)

Attack

Close combat

Roll:

• Without a weapon: Dexterity + Brawl
• With a weapon: Dexterity + Melee

Modifiers:

• If you don't have Brawl, roll Dexterity at normal difficulty
• If you don't have Melee, roll Dexterity at +1 difficulty
• +(variable) difficulty for wearing armor / shield
• +1 difficulty for melee with a weapon designed for throwing

Ranged combat

Attacker rolls:

• With a gun: Dexterity + Firearms
• With a thrown weapon: Dexterity + Athletics (or Dexterity + Throwing at -1 difficulty)
  • Maximum range = (5 * Strength) yards
  • This is for objects up to 3 pounds (e.g. grenades, knives); -5 yards for every 2 additional pounds, down to minimum of 1 yard
  • If you can't lift it, you can't throw it
• With a bow: Dexterity + Athletics (or Dexterity + Archery at -1 difficulty)
  • Before shooting a bow, a character must spend an action nocking and drawing an arrow (house rule: Archery specialty eliminates this requirement)
  • On a botch, the bowstring snaps. Repair requires a spare bowstring and an action (Wits + Archery, or Wits + Crafts)
• With a crossbow: Dexterity + Athletics (or Dexterity + Archery at -1 difficulty or Dexterity + Firearms at +1 difficulty)
  • Before shooting a crossbow, a character must spend two actions reloading it (house rule: Crossbow specialty reduces this to one action)

Modifiers:

• If you don't have the appropriate skill, roll Dexterity at +1 difficulty (stacked with other modifiers)
• +(variable) difficulty for wearing armor / shield
• +1 difficulty for throwing a weapon designed for melee

Resolution

Damage

Attacker rolls damage

• A botch just counts as a failure
• If you got multiple successes on the attack roll, add 1 damage die for each one beyond the first

Soak

Race	Bashing	Lethal	Aggravated
Vampire (V20/272)	Stamina + Fortitude	Stamina + Fortitude	Fortitude
Ghoul	Stamina + Fortitude	Stamina (unless out of Vitae) + Fortitude	Fortitude
Shifters	Stamina	Stamina (see below)	Stamina (see below)
Changeling (C20/282)	Stamina	Stamina (chimerical only)	none
Mage	Stamina	none	none
Mortal	Stamina	none	none

Target rolls soak

• Reflexive
• Cannot botch, counts as a normal failure
• Unsoaked damage decreases target's health

Armor

• Generally adds to soak, regardless of severity (bashing / lethal / aggravated)
• May not apply, depending on damage type (kinetic, fire, electricity, mental, etc.)
• Doesn't apply if an unarmored body part is successfully targeted

Running out of health

• Health 0 -> incapacitated
• Incapacitated and take more bashing -> convert it to lethal
• Incapacitated and take more lethal:
  • Vampires go into torpor (V20 page 283)
  • Werewolves and other shifters fall unconscious but remains in whatever form they were if the damage is bashing. If the damage is lethal (or becomes lethal) they may spend Rage to remain active, otherwise they revert to breed form, but die if they take any more damage of any type (W20 page 255)
  • Others (NPCs) just die
• Incapacitated and take more aggravated -> die (Most shifters may still be able to Rage-heal, see below for details)

Vampires

• Vampires, and only vampires, consider firearms attacks to be bashing damage as well — unless the bullets are aimed at the

head (difficulty 8), in which case they are considered lethal. (V20/284)

• Fire and the rays of the sun inflict terrible wounds on the undead. (agg damage) (V20/285)
• After the soak roll, any bashing damage applied to a vampire is halved (round down) (V20/285)

Shifters

Shifter	Vulnerable to silver/gold/etc?
Ajaba	Yes: Silver?
Ananasi	None (CB20/60)
Bastet	Yes: Silver?
Corax	Yes: Gold (CB20/94)
Garou	Yes: Silver (W20/2556)
Gurahl	Yes: Silver?
Kitsune	Yes: Silver, but damage is Lethal, diff 8 to soak (CB20/126)
Mokole	Yes: Silver and Gold (CB20/142)
Nuwisha	None (CB20/167)
Ratkin	?
Rokea	Yes?

When does a Shifter's Stamina apply to soak? (W20/255)

• Silver/Gold (depending on specific vulnerabilities as noted in the side table)
  • For homid or lupus (or equivalent) in breed form, silver follow normal damage rules, and Stamina applies.
  • Otherwise, touching silver/gold does aggravated damage, and Stamina does not apply.
• Other lethal/aggravated damage
  • In breed form, Stamina does not apply.
  • Otherwise, Stamina applies

• Shifters trying to heal during combat (or other stressful or physically intensive activity): Reflexive Stamina roll difficulty 8, failure means no regenerative heal that round. (W256)

Wound penalties and healing

• Wounds may subtract dice from your action dice pools.
  • Not reflex dice pools
  • Not damage dice pools
  • Not Arete rolls unless mage is incapacitated
• Wounds may also limit your movement.
• Spend a Willpower to ignore all wound penalties for one turn, unless you're incapacitated or worse

Damage	Description	Penalty	Time to heal 1 bashing	Time to heal 1 lethal/agg
1	Bruised	none	1 hour	1 day
2	Hurt	-1	1 hour	3 days
3	Injured	-1, half speed	1 hour	1 week1
4	Wounded	-2, walk	1 hour1	1 month1
5	Mauled	-2, hobble (3 yards/turn)	3 hours1	2 months1
6	Crippled	-5, crawl (1 yard/turn)	6 hours1	3 months1
7	Incapacitated	cannot act or move	12 hours1	5 months1
1 Requires medical care (a character with Medicine 2 or better) to avoid further effects Without such treatment, an injured character suffers more-or-less permanent impairment until someone has an opportunity to fix that damage with supernatural powers. (M20/408)

Supernatural healing

Vampires:

• Do not heal due to passage of time like mortals. (V20/268)
• Blood spent per turn (healing or otherwise) is limited by generation. (V20/121)
• A level of aggravated damage may be healed only with a full day of rest and the expenditure of five blood points (though a vampire may, at the end of the full day’s rest, cure additional aggravated health levels by spending an additional five blood points and one Willpower point per extra aggravated health level to be healed). (V20/285)

Ghouls (V20/501):

• Subject to same rules as vampires, except they do heal due to passage of time like mortals.
• They can also regenerate limbs, though not automatically. To make a regeneration attempt, a ghoul must spend a Willpower point, spend an appropriate number of blood points (one for a finger or eye, two for a foot or forearm, three for an entire limb) and make a Stamina roll (difficulty 8). If the roll fails or is botched, the ghoul may never regrow the limb. Elder ghouls find regeneration easier: for each century of age, the difficulty of the roll decreases by one.

Shifters:

• Homid and lupus (or equivalents for fera) only regenerate this fast in non-breed form. In breed form, they heal 1 per day in critical condition, otherwise they heal like mortals. (W20/256)
• Metis (or equivalents for fera) regenerate this fast in all forms. (W20/256)
• If engaged in combat or other stressful activity, roll Stamina vs 8 (reflex). Fail = no healing that turn, botch = no healing until they rest. (W20/256)
• Once per scene, a werewolf (or other shifter with Rage) past incapacitated can roll Rage (difficulty 8) to heal one health level per success (can avoid death this way), but start next turn in berserk frenzy. This is not a soak roll and is not applied to the damage done, but is rather counted from Incapacitated backwards. Example: 3 Successes on the Rage vs 8 roll puts you at Wounded regardless of damage taken. (W20/356)
• Ananasi do not regenerate like most other Changing Breeds. Instead, they use the blood from their blood pool to heal both normal and aggravated wounds. Unless a werespider uses blood to heal damage, she heals at the same rate as normal humans do. Ananasi may spend blood for healing while in any form but Crawlerling. (CB20/60)
• Kitsune do not regenerate like Garou in any of the ways described in this section. (CB20/126)
• Squamus Rokea immersed in salt water regenerate even in breed form. (CB20/199)

Mages (M20/407):

• A mage healing another person directly requires Life 3.
• Mages healing aggravated damage is vulgar and costs 1 Quint per level of agg healed.

Changelings (C20/290):

• Chimerical damage heals at an accelerated rate, and healing times are further halved if she recuperates in a freehold or glade. If she is in the Dreaming, these health levels heal at the rate of one per 15 minutes, regardless of their severity. Changelings reduced to Incapacitated outside of the Dreaming must be taken to a freehold, glade, or other strong source of Glamour in order to recover.
• Physical damage heals at the normal rate, unless the changeling is taken to a freehold, glade, or similar strong source of Glamour, in which case the wounds heal at the rate chimerical wounds heal outside of a freehold or glade. Changelings reduced to Mauled or below on the health level track must receive medical attention in order to heal if they are not taken to a freehold or glade.
• Aggravated damage must heal at the natural rate, and cannot be enhanced by magic. Even if the changeling recuperates in the freehold or glade, healing times are only halved, with a minimum of one day per health level required — even in the Dreaming, aggravated damage only heals one health level every 12 hours.

Chimerical Damage Healing Times (C20/291)
Level	Bashing	Lethal
Bruised	30 Minutes	Six Hours
Hurt	30 Minutes	12 Hours
Injured	One Hour	One Day
Wounded	One Hour	Six Hours
Mauled	One Hour	12 Hours
Crippled	Three Hours	One Day
Incapacitated	Six Hours	Six Hours

Power Healing	Cost/time to heal 1 bashing	Cost/time to heal 1 lethal	Cost/time to heal 1 agg	Ref
Vampire, ghoul	1 blood per level / 1 turn	1 blood per level / 1 turn	5 blood / 1 day	V20/268,285
Ananasi	1 blood, 1 turn	1 blood, 1 turn	5 blood, 5 turns	CB20/60
Shifter	0 / 1 turn	0 / 1 turn	1 day	W20/256

General maneuvers

Aborting actions / Changing actions

• You can abandon your character’s declared action in favor of a defensive action as long as your character hasn’t acted in the turn. Actions that can take the place of a previously declared action include block, dodge, and parry. A successful Willpower roll versus difficulty 6 (or the expenditure of a Willpower point) is required for a character to abort an action and perform a defensive one instead. (V20/274) (M20/416)
• If your character fails her Willpower roll, she must perform her originally declared action, unless she spends a point of Willpower. (C20/276)
• When spending Willpower for an abort maneuver, a character may declare the Willpower expenditure at the time of the abort. A Willpower roll to abort is considered a reflexive action. (V20/274) (M20/416)

Ambush (M20/416) (C20/276) (V20/274)

• Can't target someone already in combat
• Resisted roll, attacker's Dexterity + Stealth versus target's Perception + Alertness
  • Attacker wins: one free attack, each additional success adds 1 die to attack roll; the target cannot perform any sort of defensive maneuver, and the target cannot even abort a previous action to perform a defensive maneuver.
  • Tie: attacker acts first but target can perform a defensive action
  • Target wins: determine initiative normally

Flank attacks / Rear attacks (V20/274) (C20/276)

• Attack from target's side: +1 die
• Attack from target's rear: +2 dice
  • Does not apply if the target is not actively engaged with an opponent in melee and can turn to face the attacker.
  • If the target is engaged in melee with one opponent, the target can turn to the side against both to avoid being attacked from behind, giving +1 to both opponents rather than allowing +2 from one.
    • Target does not have this option on the first round if they are successfully ambushed.

Movement

• Walk: 7 yards
• Jog: 12 + Dexterity yards (V20/258)
• Run: 20 + (3 x Dexterity) yards (C20/252)
• Swim: 8 + Dexterity (unskilled)/ 12 + Dexterity (skilled) yards (M20/401)
• Climb: 10 feet (3.3 yards) per (Dexterity + Athletics) success normally; 15-20 feet under ideal conditions; 5 feet per success under poor conditions.
  • Crinos Form: Move an additional 2 yards per turn by dropping to all fours. (W20/269)
  • Hispo Form: Move at one and one-half times human speed.
  • Wolf Form: Move at twice human speed.
• Movement while performing another action (V20/258):
  • Limited to half your running distance
  • Doesn't count as multiple actions, but the action is -1 die per yard moved
  • Specific types of movement (e.g. leaping, tumbling) may require an action to perform

Multiple actions

• If you declare N actions, then subtract N dice from the first, N+1 from the second, N+2 from the third, etc.
  • Doesn't apply to Desperate Defense
• Extra actions from supernatural powers:
  • Not included in the above penalty
  • Can't be split further
  • Cannot occur in the same turn as multiple non-supernatural actions, must choose either to split or use multiple actions.
  • Must be declared with initial action, cannot be added on later.
• Specific supernatural powers
  • Celerity: spend one blood point per extra action up to the number of dots he has in Celerity at the beginning of

the relevant turn; this expenditure can go beyond her normal Generation maximum. Extra actions occur at the end of the round. (V20/142)

• • • Celerity extra actions must be physical, not mental like Dominate. (VtM 153)
  • Rage: this turn, get one extra action per point spent (maximum = half your Rage)
    • The 'half your Rage' cap applies only to Rage spent for extra actions, you can spend more Rage on other things in the same turn (WtA 205)
    • If you perform more actions in a turn than either Dexterity or Wits, all actions are +3 difficulty
      • Dexterity is the only limiter during Frenzy, Wits is ignored.
  • Distort Time (Time 3): next turn, get one extra action per 2 successes
  • Quicksilver (Wayfare 2): next turn, target gets one extra action per success (Scene realm with multiple targets: successes must be divided among them)
  • Dream Time (Chronos 3): next turn, get one extra action per turn, maximum 5 (actions? turns?), can't cast on same target more than once per scene

Targeting

• May bypass armor or cover (C20/276) (V20/274)
• Medium (arm, leg, briefcase): +1 difficulty, normal damage
• Small (hand, head, laptop): +2 difficulty, +1 damage
• Precise (eye, heart, lock): +3 difficulty, +2 damage
  • Stake through heart: target vampire's heart (+3 diff) and do 3+ damage (after soak). An immobilized victim is conscious (and may use perception powers, such as those in the Auspex Discipline), but may not move or spend blood points. (V20/280)

Defensive maneuvers

• Each of the target's successes cancels one of the attacker's successes on the attack roll.
• Even if you have lower initiative, you can declare a defense against an anticipated attack that hasn't been declared yet. If the attack does occur, then your defense resolves at the same time (though it may turn out to be ineffective, e.g. trying to block a gunshot).
• To abort to a defense, see "Aborting actions / Changing actions".

Block

• Blocking is using a body part to deflect an attack.
• Dexterity + Brawl
• Melee combat only

Dodge

• Dodging is avoiding contact with an attack.
• Dexterity + Dodge
  • Difficulty may vary based on how much cover is available (see Cover) and how far away it is (see Movement) (M20/411) (W20/289)
    • Each success on this roll subtracts one success from the attacker’s roll (M20/411) (W20/289)
• Versus Melee or Brawl: requires enough room to bob and weave (V20/275) (M20/411)
• Versus Firearms: requires moving at least one yard and ending up behind cover, or dropping to the ground (V20/275)
• Kitsune can't botch Dodge rolls (counts as simple failure) (CB20/126)

Parry

• Dexterity + Melee
• Close combat only
• Requires weapon or shield
• If you parry an unarmed attack with a lethal or aggravated weapon and get more successes, you damage the attacker, adding 1 damage die for each extra success

Desperate defense

• Declare that you'll spend the entire turn performing defensive actions
• Instead of the usual penalties for multiple actions, just subtract 1 die from the second action, 2 from the third, etc.

Against combat magic

• If a magic power/item would do damage to a character, then that character can defend against it (e.g. with Dodge), subject to the same mechanics as defending against a normal attack.
  • Exception: If the power specifically locks onto the target (e.g. mage using Forces + Life and allocating a success to the latter), and the target doesn't specifically have something that negates that (e.g. another Mage with a Life shield already up and running). See also When Are Pattern Spheres Required?
  • Exception: Area-of-effect attacks require escaping the area of effect.

Close combat maneuvers

Attacks that require you to either directly touch the target, or hold a weapon that does so.

Bite

Breed	Bite / claw	Bite (extra damage) / claw	Bite
Ajaba	Crinos	Crocas	Hyaenid
Ananasi	Lilian		Pithus (also claw)
Bastet	Crinos	Chatro	Feline
Corax (claw only)	Crinos
Garou	Crinos	Hispo	Lupus
Gurahl	Crinos	Bjornen	Ursus
Kitsune (bite only)		Koto	Juko
Mokole	Archid		Suchid
Nuwisha	Manabozho	Sendeh	Latrani
Ratkin	Crinos
Rokea	Gladius	Chasmus	Squamus

• Vampire in clinch or hold, or a turn after successfully tackling
• Shifter in appropriate form
• Redcap (must spend a Glamour, must call upon the Wyrd to make it non-chimerical)
• Dexterity + Brawl + 1
• Damage = Strength + 1 aggravated
  • Increased to Strength + 2 for Redcaps and shifters in appropriate form
  • Reduced to Strength - 1 for Gila monster Mokole in Suchid
  • Vampire can drain blood instead (up to 3 per turn)
  • Redcap can attempt to sever a limb
    • +3 difficulty
    • If redcap gets 5+ successes (3+ if target is grappled first), then limb is severed (head/neck may just be severely traumatized): +3 damage
    • No additional penalty/bonus for targeting

Claw

• Vampire with Feral Claws (Protean 2, aggravated) or bone spurs (Vicissitude 3, lethal)
• Shifter in appropriate form (aggravated)
• Dexterity + Brawl
• Damage = Strength + 1

Clinch / Grapple

• Strength + Brawl
• On success, attacker does damage = Strength
• Either character already in a clinch can use their action to:
  • Do damage = Strength
  • Escape (succeed at resisted Strength + Brawl versus Strength + Brawl)
  • Something else that doesn't require moving limbs

Disarm

• Target their weapon with your weapon: Dexterity + Melee, +1 difficulty
  • Target their weapon without a weapon: Dexterity + Brawl - 1, +2 difficulty
• If damage (before soak) exceeds target's Strength, their weapon is knocked out of their hand
• Target doesn't take damage
• Garou can only do this in Homid/Glabro/Crinos

Hold

• Strength + Brawl
• On success, attacker holds target (no damage)
• Either character already in a hold can use their action to:
  • Escape (succeed at resisted Strength + Brawl versus Strength + Brawl)
  • Something else that doesn't require moving limbs

Jab pistol

• Dexterity + Melee with pistol
• On success, shoot for +2 damage
  • Rubber bullets do normal damage, but lethal instead of bashing
• Target can try disarm if they act before you

Kick

• Dexterity + Brawl, +1 difficulty, damage = Strength + 1
• Garou can only do this in Homid/Glabro/Crinos

Multiple opponents

• Attack and defense are +1 difficulty per each additional attacker, maximum +4

Riposte

• Successful parry with weapon, next action is attack with that weapon against that character: +1 die
• If you plan to do a split action with parry/riposte, and fail the parry, you still get the attack action, but without the +1 die.

Strike / punch

• Normal brawl attack
• Garou can only do this in Homid/Glabro/Crinos

Sweep

• Dexterity + Brawl (leg) or Melee (weapon)
  • Garou in Crinos can sweep smaller target with arm
• +1 difficulty
• On success:
  • Damage = Strength (leg) or normal (weapon)
  • Target knocked down unless they succeed at Dexterity + Athletics (+2 difficulty, reflex)

Tackle / Body slam

• Strength + Brawl
• +1 difficulty
• On success:
  • Damage = Strength + 1
  • Attacker knocked down unless they succeed at Dexterity + Athletics (+1 difficulty, reflex)
  • Target knocked down unless they succeed at Dexterity + Athletics (+1 difficulty, reflex)
  • Target is +1 difficulty to all actions next turn
• On botch, attacker is knocked down or takes damage = target's Stamina

Weapon length / Close distance

• Target's weapon longer than yours: -1 die

Weapon strike

• Normal melee attack

Ranged maneuvers

Aiming

• Requires Firearms 1+ for a gun or Archery 2+ for a bow
• Can't be used with shotguns or SMGs
• Spend one or more turns doing nothing but aiming
• +1 die per turn (maximum of your Perception)
• Additional +2 dice (regardless of number of turns) if using a scope or laser sight
• Target must be moving no faster than walk

Automatic fire

• Requires SMG or assault rifle with clip at least half full
• +2 difficulty, +10 dice, empty clip
• Damage isn't increased, except by extra successes as usual
• Can't target specific body parts
• Counts as a single action

Cover

• Light (lying prone, behind telephone pole / streetlight): +1 difficulty to be hit, normal difficulty to hit
• Good (behind wall): +2 difficulty to be hit, +1 difficulty to hit
• Superior (only head exposed): +3 difficulty to be hit, +2 difficulty to hit
• Relic bullets discorporate upon hitting a solid Skinlands object

Multiple shots

• Multiple-action penalties apply as normal
• Can't exceed weapon's rate of fire

Range

• Within 2 yards (point-blank): -2 difficulty
• Outside normal range: +2 difficulty
• Outside maximum range (twice normal range): automatic miss

Reloading

• Takes an action
• While readying another arrow for a bow normally takes an action, if the archer has prepared additional arrows for easy acceess beforehand - such as by stabbing them tip-first into the ground in front of them - they may freely split pools and otherwise take extra shots as normal without having to spend actions on reloading (at least until they run out of prepared arrows).

Strafing / Spraying

• Requires SMG or assault rifle with clip at least half full
• +2 difficulty, +10 dice, empty clip
• All targets must be within 3 yards of each other
• Successes divided evenly among all targets, attacker chooses how to assign leftovers
  • If only one target, successes are halved
• Damage isn't increased, except by extra successes as usual
• Dodging such an attack is +1 difficulty
• Can't target specific body parts
• Counts as a single action

Three-round burst

• Requires rate of fire 3+
• +1 difficulty, +2 dice
• Damage isn't increased, except by extra successes as usual
• Counts as a single action

Two weapons

• Off hand is +1 difficulty, unless you have the Ambidextrous merit at either 1 or 2 dots
• Multiple-action penalties apply as normal, unless you have the Ambidextrous merit at 2 dots and take no other actions that turn
  • See '+explain Ambidextrous' for further details
• Some weapons require both hands, though the +1 difficulty does not apply (all relevant +equip templates include 'Two-Handed: Y')

Complications

Blinded

• Attacking a blinded target: +2 dice
• Close combat or other vision-dependent action while blinded: +2 difficulty
• Ranged combat or other vision-dependent action while blinded: +6 difficulty
• Partly/fully reduced by:
  • Heightened Senses (Auspex 1, penalty halved)
  • Eyes of the Beast (Protean 1, no penalty)
  • Blind Fighting skill (close combat only, Perception + Blind Fighting without applying blindness penalty, reflex)
    • A success reduces your penalty by 1 or reduces bonus to attack you by 1
    • Each 2 additional successes reduce your penalty by 1 or reduce bonus to attack you by 1
  • Other relevant supernatural effects

Dazed / Stunned

• Occurs when damage successes (after soak) exceed target's Stamina (mortal or mortal+) / Stamina+2 (supernatural)
• Target loses all actions next turn
• Attacking a dazed target: -2 difficulty

Immobilized

• Attacking a partly immobilized target: +2 dice
• Attacking a fully immobilized target: minimum 1 success

Knockdown

• Dexterity + Athletics (reflex)
  • Success: get up immediately, but -2 initiative next turn
  • Failure: getting up requires an action
  • Botch: 1 bashing, unsoakable
• Until you get up:
  • Close combat attacks by you are -2 dice
  • Attacks against you are +2 dice

Movement

• Attacker moving faster than walk: +1 difficulty
• Target moving faster than walk: +1 difficulty

Magic during combat

Limits by race

• Vampires are limited only by how much blood they can spend per turn. (VtM 139)
  • House rule: If a power involves spending more blood than your Generation permits in a single turn, then you can spend the blood over multiple turns (reflex, does not count as an action) and then take an action during the last turn to use the power, unless the power explicitly prohibits this.
  • See "Multiple actions" for limits on Celerity.
• Shifters can't spend Rage and Gnosis in the same turn, unless a single action requires both, or they have an exception (e.g. Chaos Mechanics gift). (WtA 126)
  • See "Multiple actions" for limits on Rage for extra actions.
  • Possessed with Berserker power: "The host is infused with Rage just like a werewolf's, with all the attendant advantages and disadvantages" (Possessed 109), including limits mentioned above.
• Mages can only cast one Arete effect per turn. (MtA 155)
  • Triggering an Artifact/Invention uses your Arete (but gives you more oomph per success) and thus counts against your limit. Continuously active items don't need to be triggered. (FbDF 15-16)
  • Triggering a Talisman/Device uses the item's Arete and thus doesn't count against your limit; you and the item can each cast one Arete effect per turn. (FbDF 46)
• Demons can only perform one Lore evocation per turn, but can have multiple evocations simultaneously in effect (number equal to their permanent Faith). (DtF 171)
• Kuei-jin can normally not spend both Yin and Yang chi on the same turn, though they can ignore this restriction if they have Equilibrium 1+. (KoTE 102)
  • How much Demon Chi a Kuei-jin can spend during a single turn is capped by their Stamina, not their Dharma Rating. (KoTE 91)

Durations

• One-turn duration ends at the end of the turn in which the power was used, unless the power specifies otherwise (e.g. Celerity gives extra actions during the turn after you use it).
• In general, the power's stated effect is part of the same action, unless it explicitly sets up for a future action (e.g. Lore of Winds 3: the evocation's effect is limited to forming the dice pool, then you use it on a later action).

Additional fera stuff

• Corax in Crinos or Corvid: -1 diff Athletics
• Gurahl in anything but Homid: -2 diff Perception based on smell, +2 diff Perception based on sight
• Rokea in Chasmus or Gladius have jagged skin (hit them barehanded -> 2 levels lethal, soakable if you can soak lethal)