RANGED COMBAT
RANGE
When you attack someone from a distance, you roll MARKSMANSHIP. You need a ranged weapon, even if it's simply something to throw. The table on page 103 describes various weapons and indicates the maximum range at which the weapon can be used. When you shoot at someone, it is harder to hit your target the further away they are. At SHORT range, you get a –1 penalty, and at LONG range it's a –2. At ARM'S LENGTH, you get –3 since it's very hard to draw a bead on an opponent that close to you. This does not apply if you are shooting at a defenseless or completely oblivious opponent at ARM'S LENGTH – in that case, you get a +3 bonus instead. |  |
ACTIONS
The actions available in ranged combat are not as numerous as in close combat, but there are a few options.
READY WEAPON : Fast action. Before you can fire your bow or sling, you must READY it – prepare the weapon by nocking an arrow or placing a stone in your sling. Once you have READIED your weapon, you can't take any slow action other than SHOOT and no fast action other than AIM (see below) – if you do anything else, you must READY the weapon again before you can SHOOT. Note that the FAST SHOOTER talent allows you to fire bows and slings without using an action to READY the weapon. Crossbows don't need to be READIED. Instead, you must LOAD a crossbow (slow action) before each shot. You can carry a LOADED crossbow around as long as you like.
AIM : Fast action. Before you SHOOT, you can AIM. This gives you a +1 bonus to the attack. You must AIM and SHOOT in the same round – you cannot save the bonus for a later round. Please note that you cannot READY your weapon, AIM and SHOOT in the same round, as that is a total of three actions. It's possible if you have the FAST SHOOTER talent, however. You can't AIM at an aware opponent at ARM'S LENGTH – he is too close for you to be able to draw a bead on. | SHOOT : Slow action. Roll for MARKSMANSHIP and the weapon's Gear Bonus. Can be DODGED, but to PARRY a ranged attack the target must have a shield. If you hit, your target takes Weapon Damage on his Strength. For every additional x rolled, the damage increases by 1. If the target suffers a critical injury, roll on the table for stab wounds if you used a bow or throwing knife and use the table for blunt force if you used a sling or a thrown rock. |
DODGE : Fast reactive action. You throw yourself out of the way of your opponent's attack. Roll MOVE (not MELEE). Every x you roll eliminates one x from the attacker's roll. Any excess x have no effect. When you DODGE, you fall prone. You can choose to remain standing, at the cost of a –2 penalty. | PARRY : Fast reactive action. To be able to PARRY a ranged attack, you must either have a shield or a weapon with the PARRYING feature and at least level 2 in the talent for the relevant weapon type (see Chapter 4). Roll using MELEE and the weapon's Gear Bonus. Every x you roll eliminates one x from the attacker's roll. Any excess x have no effect. |
REACTIVE ACTIONS Just like in close combat, your opponent must declare if he intends to DODGE or PARRY before you roll to attack. DODGE and PARRY are reactive actions and break the normal initiative order in the round. | EXAMPLE
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