Page 93 - Chronicles of Darkness

A character who is concealed and wants to fire at some- Going Prone
one else takes a penalty to his Firearms attack that’s one
less than the penalty afforded by the character’s protection When a character can’t find cover, the next best thing
— so if he’s substantially concealed, he can fire back with when bullets are flying is to drop flat to the ground. Ranged
a –2 die penalty. and thrown attacks against him suffer a -2. A standing at-
If a target’s entirely hidden by something substantial, he’s tacker using Brawl or Weaponry to attack instead gains a +2.
in cover. If the cover’s Durability is greater than the weapon A character can drop prone at any point before his action.
modifier, the bullets can’t penetrate the cover. Otherwise, Dropping to the ground costs his action for the turn, as does
subtract the cover’s Durability from the attacker’s damage getting back up from a prone position.
roll. If the cover is transparent (bulletproof glass, for example), All-Out Attack
subtract half the cover’s Durability, rounding down. Both the
object and the target take any remaining damage. A character can sacrifice her Defense for the turn in order

Shooting into Close Combat to gain a +2 to her attack with Brawl or Weaponry, throw-
ing caution to the wind and leaving herself open to be more
If a character fires or throws a ranged weapon at a target aggressive. If she has already applied her Defense against an
who is involved in close combat with other characters she attack before her action occurs, she can’t do an all-out attack.
doesn’t want to hit, like allies or bystanders, the player takes Offhand Attack
a -2 to her attack for each combatant she wants to avoid, or
-4 for a combatant who is currently in a grapple. This rule If a character attacks with her non-dominant hand,
doesn’t apply to autofire (see above). whether because her dominant hand is injured, carrying
Human Shields something, or otherwise occupied, or because she’s wield-
ing two weapons at once, the player takes a -2 to her attack.
Sometimes, the only available cover is another person — be he
a terrified member of the public or a lifelong friend. Characters Pulling Blows
who use human shields treat them as cover, with Durability equal Sometimes a character wants to beat the fight out of some-
to the victim’s Stamina + any armor. Unlike normal cover, the one without killing him. She can choose to pull her blow,
victim takes all of the damage from the attack. not putting full force behind the attack. The player chooses a
Using a human shield is almost certainly a breaking point maximum amount of damage for the blow that can’t exceed
(see p. 73). For a human, this means a pretty severe modifier the higher trait in her character’s attack pool — for example,
(-3 or more) if the victim dies. if the character has Strength 2 and Brawl 4, the player can
Reloading choose between 1 and 4 points as her maximum damage.
If she would deal more damage with the attack, any extra is
Reloading a firearm is an instant action. If a character ignored. Because she’s holding back, it’s easier for the oppo-
needs to load bullets separately, she cannot apply her Defense nent to ward off the blow; the defender gains +1 to Defense.
on the same turn. If she has a magazine or speed loader, she At the Storyteller’s discretion, a character can reflexively
doesn’t lose her Defense. spend a point of Willpower when pulling her blow with a
weapon to deal bashing damage. Otherwise, the only way to
General Combat Factors avoid dealing lethal damage is to stop using a lump of metal

or wood to inflict trauma.
Some actions apply to all kinds of fights. Specified Targets
Movement Attacking specific body parts has its benefits. In addition

A character can move his Speed in a single turn and still to ignoring armor (see “Armor,” p. 94), strikes to the limbs
take an instant action. He can give up his action to move at and head can have added effects, represented by Tilts (see
double his normal Speed. below). These attacks take dice penalties depending on the
body part targeted, noted below.
Charging • Arm (-2): A damaging hit can inflict the Arm Wrack
A character can sacrifice her Defense for the turn to move Tilt if it deals more damage than the target’s Stamina
up to twice her Speed and make a Brawl or Weaponry attack
in the same action, charging in heedless of incoming threats. • Leg (-2): A damaging hit can inflict the Leg Wrack Tilt
If she has already applied her Defense against an attack before if it deals more damage than the target’s Stamina
her action occurs, she can’t Charge. • Head (-3): A damaging attack can inflict the Stunned
Tilt if it deals at least as much damage as the target’s Size

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infernal engines -dramatic systems