Ages ago, I ran a basic sample encounter to see where I had questions in the rules. Dvang and others were kind enough to weigh in with answers. I'd always intended to repost the corrected version and here it finally is.
I've tried to clean up my mistakes (large and small) and make this a cohesive example of the combat rules in action. Hopefully there aren't too many mistakes remaining, but if you see some - sing out.
The characters used used in it came from the A day Late... scenario.
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Birgitta Tageslicht the Roadwarden pursues a cutpurse into the city sewers - only to lose sight of them when her torch falls into the ankle-deep water (**** chaos stars).
When she finally re-ignites the torch, its light reveals a dark figure rising out of the water nearby. Steel flashes in its- paws??
Begin Combat
Birgitta is at close range with the figure (a Gutter Runner), but is not engaged with it. She has her pistol in one hand and her torch in the other.
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Birgitta Tageslicht (Roadwarden)
Strength 4 Intelligence 3
Toughness 3 Willpower 3
Agility 4 Fellowship 3
Wound Threshold: 12
Longsword DR 5/ CR 3
Father’s Pistol DR 6/ CR 2
Pierce 1, Reload, Unreliable 2, Close Range
Leather Armor: Defense 0, Soak 2
Buckler: Defense 1, Soak 0
Fortune Points: 3
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Gutter Runner
Strength 3 Intelligence 3 (+1 fortune)
Toughness 3 Willpower 3
Agility 5 (+1 fortune) Fellowship 3
Wound Threshold 10
Throwing Daggers(3) DR 4/ CR 4
Damage 4
Soak 2
Defense 2
Aggression 2
Cunning 4
Expertise 2
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Initiative Rolls
Birgitta has an Agility of 4 and is in a neutral stance.
She rolls: 4 blue dice
-and gets no successes at all.
Birgitta is at position 0 on the initiative track.
The Gutter Runner has an Agility of 5 (+1 fortune) and is in a conservative stance 2. The GM rules that the Runner will get an advantage (+1 fortune) because it was lying in wait.
The Runner rolls: 3 blue dice / 2 green dice / 2 white dice
-netting 3 successes and a Delay.
The Runner is placed at position 3 on the initiative track, but the GM chooses to use the Delay to move it down to position 2.
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Gutter Runner's 1st action:
The Runner does not alter its stance (GMs have enough to do). It uses its free maneuver to draw a throwing dagger.
It then uses the Quick-Quick, Kill-Kill action to throw it at Birgitta.
Its Agility is 5 (+1 Fortune) and it's in a conservative stance 2. The GM elects to use an Expertise die and both of the Runner's 2 Aggression dice (+2 Fortune dice). A melee attack has a base difficulty of easy, or 1 purple challenge die.
Birgitta's buckler is unslung (no help there) but she will declare a dodge reaction, which adds 1 black misfortune die (Coordination is untrained, downer).
The Runner rolls: 3 blue dice / 2 green dice / 1 yellow die / 3 white dice / 1 purple die / 1 black die
The Runner nets 2 successes, four boons, and a delay. The delay moves the Runner down to position 1 on the initiative track.
The two successes mean the attack hits and the GM can add a recharge token to one of Birgitta's actions. The GM puts the token on her Ranged Shot card (no pistol for you!)
The damage ends up as
5 (Runner’s Agility)
+ 4 (Dagger’s DR)
9 Potential Damage
9 Potential Damage
- 3 (Birgitta’s Toughness)
- 2 (Birgitta’s soak value - Leather Armor)
4 wounds
Birgitta’s wound threshold is 12, she’s nine wounds from unconsciousness.
The four boons are enough to meet the throwing dagger's CR - it's a critical hit. (True, a non-named NPC would not normally have a CR - but four boons is a helluva roll and the Runner is using a weapon with a known CR.) One of Birgitta's wounds is flipped over to reveal - Internal Bleeding (3) (Your Melee Attacks and Ranged Attacks gain *Chaos Star* = Suffer 1 wound.)
It gets worse. A gutter runner has the poison ability. Poison means that the Gutter Runner’s critical hits also deal fatigue equal to their severity. Internal Bleeding is severity 3, so Birgitta takes 3 fatigue.
Runner's Status: Wounds: 0
Aggression 0
Cunning 4
Expertise 1
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Birgitta’s 1st action:
She's in serious trouble, alone and wounded with no option to fire her pistol this round. (In the excitement, let's say her player forgets about taking the recharge token off Ranged Shot using a Fortune point.)
She’ll stay in a neutral stance.
With her free maneuver, she'll sling her buckler and drop her torch.
Sssss, lights out.
She will then take 1 fatigue to gain an additional maneuver and move to medium range (closer to the sewer entrance, with its natural light).
She will then perform the Assess The Situation action.
Her INT is 3 so
Birgitta rolls: 3 blue dice
She nets 3 successes. A great roll, but all it means is that she will recover her fatigue point back - and gain a defense bonus (+1 Misfortune) until her next turn.
At the end of her turn, she takes a recharge token off her dodge action (leaving 1) and removes the only recharge token on her Ranged Shot action.
Birgitta's Status: Wounds: 4 (3 normal wounds + 1 critical wound: Internal Bleeding) / Stress: 0 / Fatigue: 3
Actions recharging: Dodge (1 token)
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Gutter Runner's 2nd action:
For its free maneuver, the Runner draws another throwing dagger.
It elects to take a second maneuver to move to close range. Since it can’t take a fatigue, this will cost it one wound. Grr!
It then uses a basic Ranged Shot action to throw its dagger at the Roadwarden.
Again, its rolling 5 dice (+1 fortune) for its agility in a conservative stance of 2 (3 blue / 2 green / 1 white).
The GM opts to throw the Runner’s last Expertise die in as well.
1 purple challenge die for base difficulty.
Birgitta's buckler is now slung, which gives her a Defense of 1 (+1 Misfortune), her successful Assess the Situation also helps (+1 Misfortune) - and she will declare a Block reaction, which adds yet another (+1 Misfortune) Resilience is untrained, another downer. Total of 3 misfortune dice.
The Runner rolls: 3 blue dice / 2 green dice / 1 yellow die / 1 white die / 1 purple die / 3 black dice
The Runner gets three successes, but they are cancelled out by three challenges. A miss.
He gets 3 boons though, which gives the Runner a free maneuver.
He chooses to engage with Birgitta. She must not escape!
Runner's Status: Wounds: 1
Aggression 0
Cunning 4
Expertise 0
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Birgitta's 2nd action:
It's now or never for Birgitta, so she goes all out.
She uses her free stance shift to move 1 space deep into the Reckless stance.
She chooses to suffer 1 stress to move an additional space into the Reckless stance (Reckless 2).
She then uses her free maneuver to draw her sword in her off hand, and
-declares the Execution Shot action!
She'll roll 4 dice for her agility, since she's 2 deep in the Reckless stance (that's
2 blue and 2 red). Birgitta's wishing she'd trained in Ballistics, sad.
She's opting for the additional difficulty option of following it up with a melee attack - so instead of 1 purple challenge dice, she'll face 2.
The Runner has a defense of 2 (+2 Misfortune) and is out of Aggression & Expertise dice. Cunning dice cannot be used for physical defense, so the runner is stuck.
Since this is a go-for-broke move, Birgitta is spending all her fortune points - 3.
Birgitta rolls: 2 blue dice / 2 red dice / 3 white dice / 2 purple dice / 2 black dice
She nets 3 successes, but 4 banes. Her shot hits!
Three successes allows her to use the 3 success line and add +2 to this attack’s damage.
4 (Birgitta’s Agility)
+ 6 (Pistol’s DR)
+ 2 (Bonus damage for 3 successes)
12 Potential Damage
12 Potential Damage
- 3 (Runner’s Toughness)
- 2 (Runner’s soak value)
7 wounds
Normally that would be 7 wounds, but Birgitta's pistol is Pierce 1, so it ignores 1 of the Runner's soak.
12 Potential Damage
- 3 (Runner’s Toughness)
- 1 (Runner’s soak value, less pistol’s pierce value of 1)
8 wounds
The Runner waivers, but is still standing.
The banes mean she adds another recharge token to the Execution Shot action, and suffers 1 stress.
Birgitta accepted an additional challenge die for Execution Shot, so she immediately gets to use a Melee Attack.
Birgitta's making her melee attack with her longsword.
Strength 4 is four dice, in her Reckless 2 stance (again, 2 blue and 2 red).
1 yellow die for being trained in Weapon Skill
1 challenge die for the default melee difficulty-
And the Runner still has a defense 2 (+2 Misfortune), and still has no dice to use for defense.
Birgitta rolls: 2 blue dice / 2 red dice / 1 Yellow die / 1 purple die / 2 black dice
She nets 2 successes, a bane, a chaos star, and 1 exertion. Hit.
4 (Birgitta’s Strength)
+ 5 (Longsword’s DR)
9 Potential Damage
9 Potential Damage
- 3 (Runner’s Toughness)
- 2 (Runner’s soak value)
4 wounds
The Runner has taken 12 total wounds. It’s wound threshold is 10 - it’s down.
The chaos star means Birgitta takes another wound, thanks to her critical wound. (Internal Bleeding = bad.)
The exertion from one of her reckless dice translates into a fatigue (since this is a physical action), she now has 4 fatigue.
Lastly, Birgitta takes a recharge token off of her Execution Shot and Block actions, leaving 3 and 1 remaining, respectively. She then takes the last recharge token off of her Dodge action.
Birgitta's Status: Wounds: 5 (4 normal + 1 critical wound: Internal Bleeding) / Stress: 2 / Fatigue: 4
Recharging actions: Execution Shot (3), Block (1)
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With the Runner face down in the water, Birgitta considers leaving him to drown slowly - but she unslings her buckler and raises her sword for a killing stroke.
"Aye, kill the rat," a voice suddenly called. "But leave your blade in his back, and back off."
A figure, arm raised, hovered on the edge of the light. It stepped forward and a glint of steel caught her across the face.
"Looks like I'll be keeping this purse after all..."
The man still held the silken purse he'd taken off the merchant.
His other hand held a hand axe. "...and I'll be taking that pistol, too."
Birgitta slew the ratling and leaned on the pommel heavily.
Sigmar be good...it was just a fat man's purse... why did I ever come in here?
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Edited by murph