Quick Guide: Here you will find a quick guide to how combat works. We've divided it up into three stages. This is just a 1,2,3 guide of how combat is run. For more details on each stage, please see below.
Stage One: Initiative
- Roll initiative. Everyone declares their actions, starting with the person that rolled the lowest initiative. The character with the highest initiative performs her action first. Actions can be delayed to any time later in the order of initiative.
- Declare any multiple actions, reducing dice pools accordingly. Declare Discipline activation and Willpower expenditure.
Stage Two: Attack
- For unarmed close-combat attacks, roll Dexterity + Brawl.
- For armed close-combat attacks, roll Dexterity + Melee.
- For ranged combat, roll Dexterity + Firearms (guns) or Dexterity + Athletics (thrown weapons).
- A character can abort to a defensive action (block, dodge, parry) at any time before her action is performed, as long as you make a successful Willpower roll (or a Willpower point is spent).
Stage Three: Resolution
- Determine total damage effect (weapon type or maneuver), adding any extra dice gained from successes on the attack roll. A damage roll is Strength+overages diff 6. Don't forget to put your Potence for auto successes!
- Targets may attempt to soak damage, if possible. A soak role is Stamina diff 6. Don't forget to use your Fortitude for auto successes!
Alright here is where we break it down with a little more detail. If after reading this you still have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. We're here to help in any way we can.
*Initiatives*
Dice Roll: !inits [Dexterity + Wits]
Ex. !inits 3 2
Ex. Result: Sinful`Dice Lena's Dex: 3, Wits: 2 plus Init Roll: 9. Initiative = 14
Each player rolls their initiative. The character with the highest result acts first, with the remaining characters acting in decreasing order of result.
Ties: If two characters get the same total, the one with the higher initiative rating (Init Roll #) goes first. If that is a tie, use the Wits rating, then Dex... or just each roll a die, highest number goes first.
The lowest roller declares what their character will do when it's their turn to go, so declaration is in reverse order of initiative.
Declarations include but are not limited to: Attacking, Rising from a Knockdown, Movement, Fleeing, Blocking/Dodging, Use of Disciplines, and/or the spending of Willpower and blood points, as well as delaying to see what others are going to do.
Delaying: If your character delays their action, in which case their maneuvers happen when she finally takes action. Your character may act at any time after their designated order in the initiative, even to interrupt another, slower character's action. If two characters both delay their actions, and both finally act at the same time, the one with the higher initiative score for the turn acts first.
Defensive Actions: Your character may perform this at any time as long as they have an action left. You either spend a Willpower point, or make a Willpower roll at a difficulty of 6 to abort your declaration and defend. If your roll fails, you carry out your declared action.
Multiple Actions: This includes the use of Celerity. All multiple actions happen at the end of the turn. If two or more characters take multiple actions, the actions occur in order of initiative rating. An exception is made for defensive multiple actions, such as multiple dodges, which happen when they need to happen in order to avert attack. If you declare multiple actions, subtract dice from the first dice pool equal to the total number of actions taken. Each subsequent action loses an additional die (cumulative).
Ex. Dex: 3 Brawl: 3 Action #1: Punch, Dice Pool: 4
Action #2: Strike, Dice Pool: 3
So if you want to take two actions, subtract two dice from your first roll's pool. The second action automatically loses one die for rolling. Each action after the first subtracts a die from the rolling pool. The discipline Celerity negates the need to split actions and the dice penalty.
*Attacking/Defense*
You use a certain Attribute/Ability combination depending on the type of combat in which your character is engaged. See the chart for rolls. In combat, each success above the first you get on an attack roll equals an additional die you add automatically to your damage dice pool! This creates fatal and cinematic combat.
*Damage Types:*
Remember: In combat, each success above the first you get on an attack roll equals an additional die you add automatically to your damage dice pool!
Bashing: Punches and blunt trauma. All characters use their full Stamina ratings (and Fortitude) to resist bashing effects, and the damage heals fairly quickly. The damage from bashing is halved for the undead.
Lethal: Attacks meant to cause immediate and fatal injury to the target. Stabbing, gunfire and so on... Mortals may not use Stamina to resist lethal effects, and the damage takes quite a while to heal. Vampires may resist lethal damage with their Stamina and Fortitude.
Aggravated: Certain types of attacks are deadly even to the undead. Fire, sunlight, and the teeth and claws of vampires, werewolves and other supernatural beings are considered aggravated damage. Aggravated damage cannot be soaked except with Fortitude, and it takes quite a while to heal.
Damage dice pools can never be reduced to lower than one die; any attack that strikes its target has at least a small chance of inflicting damage, at least before a soak roll is made. Moreover, damage effect rolls cannot botch; a botched roll simply means the attack glances harmlessly off the target. Damage is a character's strength, plus Potence, and any additions from items at a difficulty of 6.
*Soaking*
After an attack hits and inflicts damage, the defender may make a soak roll to resist. This is considered a reflexive; characters need not take an action or split a dice pool to soak. Unless otherwise stated, soak rolls are made versus difficulty 6. Each soak success subtracts one die from the total damage inflicted. As with damage rolls, soak rolls may not botch, only fail.
Ex. A character with Stamina 3 and Fortitude 2 has five soak dice against bashing and lethal damage, two soak dice against aggravated damage.
*Resolution*
During this stage, you determine the damage inflicted by your character's attack, and the Storyteller (or opposing character) describes what occurs in the turn. Resolution is a mixture of game and story; it's more interesting for players to hear "Your claws rip through his bowels; he screams in pain, dropping his gun as he clutches his bloody abdomen" than simply "Uh, he loses four health levels."
Subject: Combat 101 
Tue Dec 27, 2011 4:19 pm