Combat

Peace and combat

You stand at peace until you draw the weapon you wear. The ` key and the stance button on the combat panel both draw it and put it away, and drawing takes 400 milliseconds. You cannot attack or guard at peace. Pressing F at a creature draws the weapon for you.

One press of F is enough for a whole fight. You run to your target if it is out of reach and keep attacking until it falls, you press Esc or you pick another target. Any movement key of your own ends the run. Moving or guarding pauses your attacks, and they begin again when you stand in reach.

The fight goes on while you look at another window or tab. You keep attacking the target you engaged until it falls, and you run after it if it moves off. The keys you were holding are let go, so your own movement stops and your guard comes down. You fight that one target and no other, so the rest of a pack is yours to deal with when you come back.

The three weapons

The damage shown is that of the plain weapon every traveller starts with. A weapon you find or make has its own, set by what it is made of and how well. See Items. Your Speed changes the times shown: high Speed makes them up to 15% shorter, and low Speed up to 10% longer.

A sword strikes whatever stands in a 90 degree arc in front of you. An arrow or a bolt of the wand flies to one target, and cover between you stops it. A shield needs a free arm: while a bow is in your hand a worn shield is slung on your back and does nothing until the bow is put away.

The attack roll

Every attack lands. Your skill with the weapon is rolled against the target's defense. A good roll hits in full. A poor roll is a glancing hit for 25% of the damage. A creature's blows are rolled the same way against your Melee, Missile or Magic Defense, by the kind of blow it is.

A full hit has a 5 percent chance to be a critical hit, which does 2 times the damage. Some gear raises that chance.

Armor

Armor takes a share off every blow that reaches you. Each point counts for a little less than the one before: the damage is multiplied by 100 and divided by 100 plus your armor.

Some pieces carry a property that counts as more armor against one kind of blow only, and cloth counts for more against magic. Both are on Items.

Power attacks

Hold F through the longer preparation and the attack becomes a power attack. It does 2 times the damage, costs more stamina, recovers 200 ms slower, and breaks a raised guard.

Guarding

Hold X with your weapon drawn to raise your guard. It turns blows that come from a 120 degree arc in front of you, slows you to a walk, and costs 4 stamina a second while none returns.

A guard breaks when a blow costs more stamina than you have left, or when a heavy blow or a power attack lands on it. A broken guard leaves you opened for 2.5 seconds: the next blow on you does 2 times its damage. A creature whose heavy blow catches nobody is opened in the same way, so dodging one is your best opening.

Reading a creature

A creature shows its blow before it lands. Step away from a sweep, get clear of a slam, and put cover between you and a shot, then strike while it recovers. Most creatures use a heavier blow every third time.

A creature notices a traveller who comes within its sight, and anyone who attacks it from farther off. Creatures that stand together are one pack: an attack on one brings the rest. A creature leaves the traveller it is after for another only when the other has done 1.5 times the damage. It gives up the chase when it is drawn too far from home, and then it mends slowly.

Everyone who lands a blow shares the experience, by the damage each dealt. The bestiary lists every kind.

Fighting other travellers

A blow on another traveller does 25% of its damage. Select a traveller and press J to challenge them to a duel, to accept theirs, or to yield. A duel is fought to the last point of health and costs the loser nothing.

The holder of a combat office can be attacked by a qualified challenger outside town squares. See Grandmaster offices. Members of one allegiance cannot hurt each other.