Combat: Shooting, Melee and Injuries – Playtest v1.6

ARTICLE BASED ON THE v1.6 PLAYTEST RULES – SEE THE UPDATED VERSION HERE

Hello folks! A lot of things have happened in the past few weeks, with the release of 1.6.2 and 1.6.3 playtest rules updates, the brief but intense parenthesis at PLAY Bologna and the 1.6.3 Campaign Rules update. We’ll get to the last topic soon, don’t worry. in the meantime we return to our breakdown of the Trench Crusade rules. Today we’ll tackle the most important topic a wargamer wants to know about, because you know, all the fancy movement and maneuvering and capturing objectives is important, but the real fun lies in (figuratively) whacking the opponent’s little soldiers and make their lives miserable.

In Trench Crusade, this is done via the Ranged Attack and Melee Attack ACTIONS; as one would expect, these ACTIONS have intrinsic differences which depend on the nature of the attacks themselves. However they have several important features in common so it’s worth discussing how attacks work in general and then focusing on the specific characteristic of each.

A model can make Ranged or Melee Attack ACTIONS depending on the weapons it is equipped with (with all models able to attack unarmed in melee, if they don’t have any weapon equipped). Regardless of the type of attack, in order to make such an ACTION a model needs to go through the following steps:

1. Choose a weapon the model is equipped with. Save for some notable exceptions we’ll discuss in detail later, Melee weapons can only be used to execute a Melee Attack and Ranged Weapons can only be used to execute a Ranged Attack.
2. Choose an enemy model as the target of the attack (see also “Friendly Fire” below). The attacking model must be able to see the target, who must also be within the range of the weapon used for the attack. The range is 1″ for melee weapons, while ranged weapons have it listed in their profile.
3. The attacker rolls to hit the target, applying the Melee or Ranged Characteristic of the model to the roll, as appropriate, as well as any relevant +/- DICE modifier (i.e. any modifier that affects the “hit roll” or “attack roll”). Then, depending on the result, one of the following outcomes applies:
   • If it is successful (final result 7+), the attack has hit its target. Roll on the Injury Chart to determine what happens to the target (see below)
   • If it is a Critical Success (final result 12+), the attack results in a Critical Hit. Roll on the Injury Chart as above, with a +1 DICE modifier (+2 DICE instead if the weapon used to attack has the keyword CRITICAL).
   • On a failure (final result of 6 or less), the attack misses the target. The model can continue its activation as normal unless the weapon used has the keyword RISKY: in that situation a failed attack roll causes the immediate end of the model’s activation.
4. Some weapons, such as the Machine Gun or Submachine Gun, have the ability to execute multiple attacks during a single Attack ACTION. In that situation, restart the sequence by choosing a target (which might be the same or a different target, depending on the weapon’s restrictions) and going through the whole attack process again.

BLOOD and BLESSING MARKERS: as with any other ACTION, the opponent can spend any number of BLOOD MARKERS from the attacking model to inflict a -1 DICE modifier to the Melee or Ranged attack roll for each BLOOD MARKER spent.

On the other hand, the player controlling the attacking model can spend 1 or more BLESSING MARKER: each grants a +1 DICE modifier to the roll to hit.

Friendly Fire: Unless explicitly allowed to attack friendly models, a model can only choose an enemy as the target of a Ranged or Melee Attack ACTION. However some situations may arise in which a model is inadvertently hit by an attack made by a friendly model. The most common are the following:

• Area of Effect: Some attacks hit every model in an area, be it a sphere such as with BLAST weapons or a line, such as the Brazen Bull’s Flame Cannon. In this situation any model in the weapon’s BLAST area or path is hit, regardless of their affiliation.
• Shooting into Melee Combat: When making a ranged attack, it is possible to choose an enemy engaged in Melee Combat as the target. However, since models in melee are constantly moving and shifting around, hitting the intended target is not guaranteed: When shooting in melee, after choosing a target but before rolling to hit, randomly assign each shot to models involved in the Melee Combat by rolling a d6 for each: on a 1-3 the shot hits a random friendly model within 1″ of the target, while on a 4-6 it hits a random enemy model within 1″ of the target (which includes the target itself).

Note that whenever you have to roll on the injury chart for a model, regardless of the source of the injury, it’s always the opponent of the player controlling the model who gets to decide how to spend BLOOD MARKERS on the Injury roll.

Making a Ranged Attack

A ranged attack is any attack made at more than 1″ of distance, using a ranged weapon, such as a rifle shot, a machinegun burst or a grenade throw. Barring any special rules that may provide exceptions, a model:

• can only make a single Ranged Attack ACTION per turn;
• cannot make a Ranged Attack while in melee combat (i.e. within 1″ of an enemy);
• cannot Charge and make a Ranged Attack in the same activation, in any order, unless by shooting with a weapon with the keyword ASSAULT.

A Ranged attack might be affected by the following (note that, unless specified, all +DICE/-DICE modifiers to the attack roll are cumulative):

Line of Sight: Trench Crusade uses a “true line of sight” approach: a model can be targeted by a ranged attack any of its parts can be seen from any part of the attacking model. It is assumed that models are constantly moving around so they are not constrained by the static poses of their miniatures. As Trench Crusade is not meant to be an ultra-competitive game, a bit of lenience and sportsmanship on both parts is advised here: the targeted area must be at least be part of the model itself: weapons extremities, ornaments and such could not be enough to properly target the model.

Long Range: If the target is wholly beyond half the maximum range of the weapon used for the attack, the attack roll suffers a -1 DICE penalty. Some weapons, such as Grenades, don’t suffer from Long Range penalties.

Cover: If the target is visible, but is in Cover, the attack roll suffers a -1 DICE penalty. In order to gain Cover a model must satisfy the following conditions.

1. The model must be in contact with a terrain element;
2. The terrain the model is in contact with must be at least as wide as the model’s base;
3. The model is not completely visible from the attacker’s point-of-view.

Elevation: A model gains a +1 DICE modifier if it stands on a surface that is 2″ or higher than the surface the target is standing on. If the target is on a 50mm or larger base, however, the attacking model must be at least 4″ above it in order to claim an Elevation bonus.

Automatic Hits: Some weapons, such as Flamethrowers, work by saturating an area with gas or flammable liquids and automatically hit their target. This means that when you make a Ranged Attack action with that weapon, you count the attack roll as a success and proceed directly to the injury roll. Note that since you are not rolling to hit, the attack ignores any Cover or Long Range modifiers and can never result in a Critical Hit.

BLAST weapons: Some weapons cause an explosion that can hit multiple target at once. When using a BLAST(X”) weapon, choose a target and roll to hit as normal. If you hit, all models, friend or foe, within X” of the center of the BLAST (i.e. the center of the target’s base on attacks that target a model), are hit and suffer an injury roll. A model that cannot be seen from the center of the BLAST, for example because it’s behind a wall, is not hit by this attack. Roll separately on the Injury Chart for each model hit. On a Critical Hit, the additional +DICE to the injury roll apply to all models hit by the attack.

As per normal ranged attack rules, if an attack with BLAST(X) misses, it will have no effect whatsoever. The grenade or shell is a dud, or it lands off-target without doing any real harm.

Ground-Targeted Attacks: A few particular attacks do not directly target models, but can be directed towards a 1mm x 1mm point on the battlefield the shooting model can see.

Once a point is selected, the attack is resolved as usual by making a roll to hit and applying the appropriate modifiers, such as the Ranged characteristic of the shooting model. As no model is targeted, Cover modifiers do not apply, while the attack is affected by Long Range and Elevation unless the description says otherwise.

On a hit, the attack lands in the chosen point. This kind of attack normally has the keyword BLAST(X) so every model, friend or foe, within X” of the point is hit per normal BLAST rules (i.e. models not visible from the center of the BLAST are not hit). If this attack misses, however, it will scatter: the opponent will choose a direction, and the landing point is moved along that direction of a number of inches equal to the “degree of failure” (i.e. 7 – the result of the roll to hit). For example if the attack roll is a 5, the detonation point will deviate 7 – 5 = 2″ inches away from the declared spot. Resolve the effects of the attack counting the new position as the center of the BLAST(X).

Multiple Attacks: Some weapons allow the wielder to make two or more Ranged Attack ACTIONS in the same activation when used. When using those weapons, each shot is treated as a single, independent, Ranged Attack ACTION: choose a target, check distance and make a separate to-hit roll on the Action Success Chart each time the weapon fires and individually resolve any roll on the Injury Chart caused by each attack before resolving the next. Unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that all the attacks performed this way must be resolved in an uninterrupted sequence so for example a model cannot take the first attack of a Submachine Gun, make a Move ACTION and then resolve the second attack.

Note that each attack counts as a distinct ACTION, which means that effects that influence a single ACTION roll, such as the -1 DICE inflicted by spending BLOOD MARKERS or powers like Charm of Acedia only affect a single attack and not the Ranged Attack ACTION as a whole.

Making a Melee Attack

Models in Melee Combat can make Melee Attack ACTIONS against enemies they are engaged with. Melee Attacks are resolved according to the general rules described above, with the following differences.

• A model cannot make a Melee Attack ACTION unless it is within 1″ of an enemy.
• The number of Melee Attacks a model can make during an activation is limited by the number of melee weapons it can wield at a given time: even if some situations can allow a model to carry more weapons, it can only use a single two-handed melee weapon or up to two one-handed melee weapons (one of which as Off-Hand) to attack. Models with mode than two arms are subject to different rules which will be detailed in their description.
• A model that is equipped with multiple Melee Weapons can make multiple Melee Attack ACTIONS in an activation, one for each weapon (up to the number of available hands). These are separate ACTIONS and it is implied by the rules (and confirmed by the designer) that other ACTIONS can be taken between each attack, if the model is allowed to do so.
• A model that is not equipped with any Melee Weapon can still make a single Unarmed Melee Attack ACTION during an activation. This attack applies a -1 DICE penalty to both to-hit and injury rolls. Note that a model cannot use an unarmed attack as an Off-hand weapon as an excuse to gain extra attacks: it is used only in a situation in which the model has no other Melee Attack ACTIONS available to use.

When making a Melee Attack ACTION, the following modifiers apply:

Defended Obstacle: A model that attacks an enemy behind a Defended Obstacle suffers a -1 DICE penalty to the roll to hit. A model is considered behind a Defended Obstacle if:

• It is not Down;
• It is in contact with a terrain element at least 1/2″ high (above the target’s base);
• The terrain element is between the model and the attacker.

Off-Hand Weapons: A model carrying two one-handed melee weapons can make two separate Melee Attack ACTIONS in each activation. One of those weapons must be used as an Off-hand weapon and will suffer a -1 DICE penalty to the rolls to hit.

FEAR: A model that makes a Melee Attack ACTION suffers a -1 DICE penalty if the target of the attack has the keyword FEAR. A model with the keyword FEAR is itself immune to FEAR and will not suffer this penalty.

Diving Charge: A model that makes a successful Diving Charge (see our previous article about movement for a description of the rules) gains a +1 DICE modifier to both the roll to hit and to the injury roll, and on top of that it ignores the modifiers for a Defended Obstacle.

Pistols: Although they are ranged weapons, pistols and automatic pistols can be used in Melee Combat following the normal rules for a Melee Attack (including the possibility to be used as Off-hand weapons, with the associated penalty), with the exception that they attack using the Ranged characteristic of the model.

Off-Hand Weapons: A model carrying two one-handed melee weapons can make two separate Melee Attack ACTIONS in each activation. One of those weapons must be used as an Off-hand weapon and will suffer a -1 DICE penalty to the rolls to hit.

Polearm: A model armed with a Polearm inflicts a -1 DICE penalty to the attack roll of enemies who make a Melee Attack against it in an activation in which they charged.

The Injury Roll

When a model is hit by an attack, the attacker rolls on the Injury Chart to see what happens to them.

Normally this is done by rolling 2d6 and adding the results together, applying specific modifiers, such as +/- DICE and modifiers to the score due to armour. Based on the final result after all modifiers have been applied, one of four possible outcomes can happen:

• 1 or less: No effect. The attack bounces off the target’s armour and inflicts no significant harm.
• 2-6: Minor hit. The target suffers 1 BLOOD MARKER.
• 7-8: Warrior Down! The target is knocked Down and suffers 1 BLOOD MARKER. A model that was already Down when suffering this result receives an additional BLOOD MARKER (for a total of 2). While Down, a model:
  • cannot move through its own actions during its activation;
  • suffers a -1 DICE penalty to all ACTIONS;
  • applies a +1 DICE modifier on Injury rolls it suffers.
• 9+: Out of Action. The model is removed from play.

There are several ways to affect an injury roll.

Critical Hits: A result of 12+ on the roll to hit is a critical hit, and it applies a +1 DICE modifier to the subsequent roll on the Injury Chart. If the attack is from a weapon with the keyword CRITICAL, then the injury modifier becomes +2 DICE instead.

Weapon modifiers: Several weapons apply a modifier to injury rolls they cause. Weak attacks might call for a -1 DICE modifier while more powerful attacks can inflict a +1 DICE modifier or even +2 DICE or more. Some weapons apply a “flat” +1 or even +2 modifier to the final score. Finally, some extremely deadly weapons, such as the Catherine Wheel wielded by an Anchorite Shrine allow the attacker to roll 3d6 instead of 2d6 on the injury roll, adding the scores together.

Remember that when an effect allows you to roll a different amount of dice than 2 in the base pool, you’ll have to use the modified number of d6s as the base for applying +/- DICE modifiers. For example, if an attack from a Catherine Wheel is modified by spending 2 Blood Markers for +2 DICE, the final injury roll would be of 5d6 (base of 3, +2 DICE), with sum of the 3 higher dice compared against the Injury Chart.

Armour: Armour worn by a model applies a net negative modifier to the final score of any injury roll it suffers.

• Trench Shield: -1
• Standard Armour: -1 (can be combined with a Trench Shield for -2 total)
• Reinforced Armour: -2 (can be combined with a Trench Shield for -3 total)
• Machine Armour: -3 (cannot be combined with a Trench Shield)

Some particularly resilient models may have an intrinsic armour value. The rules will dictate how much protection it will provide, and whether it can be combined with a shield or not. Generally speaking, -3 is, by design, the maximum amount of armour usually available to a model. The only notable exception so far is the Sorcerer of the the Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent that can use its Blessing of The Serpent Moon spell to apply further modifiers to injury rolls (up to an additional -3 by spending a whooping 6 BLOOD MARKERS).

Some weapons will negate the protection provided by armour. This only applies to the penalty to injury rolls and not to other effects that the armour grants, such as the ability to convert Down results into Minor Hits of a Mechanized Armour worn by New Antioch models.

In addition, some special types of armour, such as the Holy Icon Armour, Holy Icon Shields and Infernal Iron Armour, offer an “unignorable” armour modifier. These modifiers are always applied, regardless of any effect on the attack that negates armour.

Blood and Blessing Markers: BLOOD MARKERS and BLESSING MARKERS on the target of an attack can affect an injury roll on that model in three distinct ways. Remember that it’s always the opponent who chooses how to spend BLOOD MARKERS on a model, while the use of BLESSING MARKERS is decided by that model’s controller.

• By spending BLOOD MARKERS, the opponent can add +1 DICE to the injury roll for each BLOOD MARKER spent.
• BLESSING MARKERS can be used by the player controlling the model suffering the injury, applying a -1 DICE modifier to the injury roll for each Marker spent.
• By spending 6 BLOOD MARKERS (or 3, if the target is Down), the attacking model can execute a Bloodbath. This allows the model to add 1 additional dice to the pool of the injury roll and add the scores together, which will usually mean rolling 3d6 instead of the usual 2d6 (modified by +/- DICE as discussed above). On an attack that already allowed you to roll 3d6, triggering a Bloodbath will further increase the base pool by another 1 dice, for a final roll of 4d6.

Note that in order to execute a Bloodbath on a model, all BLOOD MARKERS must come from that model. INFECTION MARKERS inflicted by some models and equipment of the Black Grail can be used to cause a Bloodbath as well (as they can be spent with the same effects BLOOD MARKERS have) and it is possible to cause a Bloodbath by combining BLOOD and INFECTION MARKERS together.

Attacking a Downed Model: All attacks against models who are Down are resolved with a +1 DICE on the Injury roll (remember that this applies when aiming for a 3 BLOOD MARKERS Bloodbath vs a downed enemy, meaning the injury roll will be at least 4d6, keeping the highest 3). In addition a Downed model that suffers a Warrior Down! result again will take one more BLOOD MARKER from that attack (for a total of 2 BLOOD MARKERS).

Resistance to Injuries: Due to innate resilience or special equipment, some models are more difficult to harm by attacks of a given type, such as FIRE or GAS, or Melee Attacks, or even by all kinds of attacks. These models benefit from a -1 DICE (or, more rarely, -2 DICE) modifier to injury rolls against attacks of the listed types. Some notable examples:

• Due to their inhuman anatomy, Takwin Creatures built by Jabirean Alchemists, such as Lions of Jabir or Brazen Bulls, have an innate -1 DICE modifier to all injury rolls they suffer.
• Likewise, Martyr Penitents are sustained by the mysterious power of the Seventh Meta-Christ and they have an innate -1 DICE modifier to all injury rolls they suffer as well.
• Most creatures created by the Black Grail are undead monstrosities that feel no pain. They apply a -1 DICE modifier to all injury rolls they suffer, unless the injury is caused by a weapon with the keyword FIRE, in which case no modifier is applied. An Amalgam is even more resilient, applying a -2 DICE modifier to all injuries (included those caused by FIRE!).
• Models wearing a Gas Mask have a -1 DICE modifier to injury rolls caused by weapons with the keyword GAS.

Finally, we take a quick look at some additional effects that often come into play when injury rolls are involved, and while don’t affect the roll itself, will alter its outcome, often in a significant way. Almost all of these are managed via keywords, so we’ll just hint at them here. Don’t worry, we’ll take a deeper look in a future article.

FIRE, GAS and SHRAPNEL: Weapons with the keyword FIRE, GAS or SHRAPNEL inflict one BLOOD MARKER to a model hit by these kinds of attack, in addition to any other effect the injury caused (including an outcome of “No Effect”). This additional BLOOD MARKER is assigned after the injury roll is made, so it cannot be spent immediately to affect the outcome of the roll.

“Injury Replacement” Effects: some effect or abilities replace the outcome of an injury roll with another outcome, usually less severe. For example a Machine Armour worn by a NEW ANTIOCH model grants the wielder to replace any Warrior Down! result suffered into a Minor Hit. The most powerful replacement effects, of course, are those who prevent a model from going Out of Action: GOLEM and TOUGH (who turn an Out of Action result in a Warrior Down!) and the War Prophet’s Memento Mori, who completely disregards the first attack who would take the model Out of Action.

And that’s it. Whoa, was that long, but at least now we have all the basics we need to know in order to play. Next time well take a look in details at the keywords and how they affect gameplay. See you soon!