Page 169 - World of Darkness

• Knockout: A single blow delivered to the head (-3 attacks. So, if your character’s intended target has been
penalty to hit) that equals or exceeds the target’s Size in immobilized in the grapple, your attacks on him do not
damage might knock him unconscious. A Stamina roll is suffer a Defense penalty.
made for the victim. If it succeeds, he behaves normally. Killing Blow: A target who is tied up, unconscious
If it fails, he is unconscious for a number of turns equal to or paralyzed not only gets no Defense, he can be felled by
the damage done. a single blow. A roll need not be made for an attacker; the
• Knockdown: A power, weapon or effect forces a tar- damage points he inflicts equal his dice pool, modified by
get off his feet. A successful Dexterity + Athletics roll al- any armor worn by the target. Damage done is automatic,
lows him to maintain his footing as a reflexive action. If the as is armor’s protection. No attack roll is required.
roll succeeds, the character behaves normally. If the roll fails,
p. 164). If he has not performed an action in the turn, he Weapons
the character is forced to go prone (see “Going Prone,”

loses his action that turn. He cannot perform any tasks and Anyone who enters a violent confrontation is quick
cannot travel that turn; he just hits the ground. He can rise to resort to weapons. One’s own body can be used as a
again as an action in a subsequent turn. Or once he lands, weapon, but far more effective are tools such as bats,
he always has the option of remaining prone. bottles, knives, swords, axes and guns. When dealing with
In case of a dramatic failure on the Dexterity + Ath- mysterious creatures, sometimes wielding weapons is ab-
letics roll, a character falls hard or at an odd angle and solutely essential to survival — or completely useless.
suffers one Health point of bashing damage (which may Weapons are generally classed as melee and ranged.
be absorbed automatically if armor is worn). Each weapon has a Strength requirement to be used
• Immobilization: When your character attacks effectively. A sword or shotgun might be too powerful for
someone involved in a grapple (see p. 157), the target’s a weak or frail person to use properly. For melee weapons,
Defense applies against the attack. For example, your char- compare a wielder’s Strength to the item’s Size. For ranged
acter approaches two people who are grappling. If he makes weapons, a Strength requirement is stipulated on the
a close-combat attack on one of them, the target’s De- Ranged Weapons Chart. If your character’s Strength is
fense penalizes his attack. lower than that required for a weapon, attacks suffer a -1
If, however, the target is immobilized in the grapple penalty.
(see p. 158), the target’s Defense is lost against outside

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Chapter 7- COMBAT