COMBAT
Mortisphere is a violent universe.
Most conflicts eventually come down to one simple question:
Which creature, machine, organism or entity remains when everything else has stopped moving?
Combat in Mortisphere is not about exchanging attacks until a number reaches zero.
Every confrontation represents a struggle between beings of different levels of existence. A desperate survivor may overcome something far greater than itself. An ancient monster may be brought down by a creature nobody considered important.
Nothing is guaranteed.
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ENTERING COMBAT
When opposing crew members occupy the same Area and one attempts to harm another, combat begins.
Combat is resolved through opposed dice rolls.
The members involved use their own dice to determine the outcome of the conflict.
A larger die represents greater potential, but it does not guarantee victory.
The universe has a habit of allowing insignificant things to accomplish impossible tasks.
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ATTACKING
When a crew member attacks, both sides roll according to the combat rules.
The result determines what happens to the participants.
A successful attack may:
- Damage an opposing member. - Reduce their strength. - Remove them from the conflict. - Create another consequence described by the scenario or abilities involved.
The exact result depends on the final combat resolution rules.
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DEFENDING
A member under attack is not simply waiting to see what happens.
The defender may have choices available depending on their nature, equipment and current condition.
Some beings survive through strength.
Some survive through speed.
Some survive because they are too stubborn, too strange or too difficult to properly kill.
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EXISTENCE AND DAMAGE
In Mortisphere, damage is not simply losing health.
A creature's die represents what remains of it.
When a being is weakened, damaged or changed, its existence may diminish.
A powerful entity can become a weaker version of itself.
A once-terrifying creature may continue fighting as a damaged remnant.
A survivor may continue long after they should have stopped.
Death in Mortisphere is not always the end.
Sometimes it is merely another state of existence.
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THE VALUE OF SURVIVAL
Every crew member that survives a battle carries the consequences of that battle forward.
A victory may create a legend.
A defeat may create a scar.
A damaged creature may become something different from what it was before.
This is why every member matters.
A crew is not valuable because every member is powerful.
A crew is valuable because every member has a history.
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COMBAT UNKNOWNS
The following combat details remain to be fully defined:
- Exact opposed roll procedure. - How damage changes a die. - Whether all creatures follow the same damage system. - The exact difference between being damaged, defeated and destroyed. - How defensive choices interact with activation and engagement.
These rules will be established in the final combat system.