Combat

Combat is, of course, some form of physical altercation, and in Masquerade terms, it is managed in a set time-based turn order in three phases as detailed below. Many factors can affect combat and damage, including powers, armor, weapons, environmental factors, and the condition of the characters involved. Asterisks denote modifications for house rules and/or mechanics borrowed from other iterations of the system rather than taken directly from VtM.

Phases
Each combat round lasts 3 seconds with the following three phases:


 * 1) Initiative
 * 2) Attack
 * 3) Resolution

Initiative
Initiative determines the turn order for all combatants. Rules related to it are as follows:


 * Rolling Initiative = 1d10 + the total of your Wits + Dexterity.
 * Various modifiers may further influence the total, and some outcomes or abilities may cause or allow persons to temporarily change their place in the initiative queue.
 * Declaring Actions: Actions are declared in ascending order (lowest to highest) each round prior to their occurrence.
 * Laying out the intentions for the round in this way allows for faster characters (higher initiative) to react to slower characters (lower initiatives) as befits the scene.
 * Once declared an action cannot be changed without expending a point of Willpower unless aborting an action to defend yourself.*
 * Multiple Actions: Multiple actions can be made on a turn in line with the Dice Rolling rules.
 * Defending Against Multiple Attackers: If a character is attacked by more than one person in a round, they can defend against each of them by taking Multiple Actions in a round, which will reduce their defensive roll by one per attacker. If the character also makes an offensive action, because it is multiple actions in a single turn, it will also have a modifier.
 * Action Order: After all declarations are made, the events occur in the prescribed order.

Attack

 * Attack rolls are made in initiative order per the Dice Rolling rules, unless the fight's outcome has been pre-determined due to invocation of the Down and Dirty mechanic* outlined below.
 * Players should narrate their character's attempt before rolling their dice.
 * The type of attack determines what combination of traits are rolled, and some actions may suffer modifiers in exchanged for more precise or severe results.
 * All Willpower expenditures, blood boosting/pumping, and any other modifications to rolls, including benefits to damage, should be declared prior to rolling the dice.
 * If a target character has any Merits, conditions, or abilities which affect the attacker's attempt, those should also be declared prior to the dice rolling.
 * Combat rolls can only be re-rolled with Super Dice.*
 * It should be noted that some Kindred disciplines may be less than effective or unusable during combat depending on the rules for the power.
 * A character's performance can be affected by Frenzy, as well as conditions, either general or combat/environmental specific conditions known as Tilts.*
 * Several books in the system have various options for Combat related Merits which can improve a character's aim or martial capacity.
 * For more information, see the following pages:
 * Armor
 * Combat Maneuvers
 * Cover
 * Damage
 * Tilts
 * Weapons

Resolution

 * After each attack roll, the resolution is determined.
 * Resolution = Winner (if roll was resisted) + damage calculated + target's attempt to soak if able.
 * Damage Calculation is based off the "victory margin," that is, the number of successes above their opponent's plus any applicable modifiers based off the type of attack as outlined on the Combat Maneuvers page.
 * If the roll is a tie, the defender takes no damage.
 * Successful weapon parries against brawl attacks can harm the attacker. See Combat Maneuvers for more detail.
 * Damage Type is determined by the weapon or ability used to attack.
 * Soak Roll = Stamina + Fortitude as outlined in the damage rules.
 * All incapacitation rolls will be made on the affected character's turn, but as Soaking is a reflexive action, it is part of attack resolution.
 * After all actions in a round have been resolved, the round ends and the next begins, with the fight continuing until all opponents are down, out of range, or the conflict is otherwise diffused.

Down and Dirty Combat*
Sometimes a fight occurs, but it isn't the focus of the scene or an event that the group wants to spend an extended amount of time resolving, particularly in one on one fights. Therefore the Storyteller may invoke or Players may ask to resolve a combat via the Down and Dirty mechanic wherein a single roll determines the outcome of the fight, which then allows the Storyteller and Players to narrate the scene without having to spend time rolling the outcome of each attack. Rules for fights resolved in this manner are as follows:


 * Contesting rolls with all reasonably applicable modifiers are made using the most applicable traits for each party.


 * The party with the winning total of successes achieves their outcome and the scene is narrated accordingly.

One on One Down & Dirty

 * The individual with the highest Wits + Dex acts first.
 * Each person makes a single attack roll vs their opponents defending roll.
 * The individual who deals the most damage against their partner is declared the winner.
 * One a tie, the outcome is determined by a Chance Roll with the Player calling their preferred option of high or low.

Group Down and Dirty

 * The individual with the highest Wits + Dex acts first.
 * Each individual involved rolls their preferred attack.
 * The successes are totaled for each party and compared.
 * The group with the highest score wins.
 * The successes of the each side are divided evenly among the opponents for the purposes of calculating damage accrued unless circumstance, that is the particular goals of the respective parties, dictates otherwise.

Sources: VtM, VtR 2.0, and House Rules.