Skirmish

Skirmishes, or combat in small groups, will not be uncommon in sessions of The Lens, as the savage nature of the Shadow can bring the influence of terror and betrayal to the most unlikely settings. The sections that follow describe how to use the fundamental Challenge system to resolve combat from beginning to end.

HOW DO SKIRMISHES WORK?

Skirmishes are handled using the Fundamental Resolution system at several points, and are managed by the use of Momentum. The five things you need to know when managing Skirmishes are:

SURPRISE: Determining who, if anyone, is unprepared for initiation of hostilities.
INITIATIVE: Determining whether party members act before or after their enemies, or at any time they like.
MOMENTUM: The currency that allows Characters to act or react during their turn in the skirmish
ACTIONS: Resolving the actions of Characters during their turn, including attacks, spellcasting, and movement
REACTIONS: Resolving the reactions of Characters while enemies act, including passive and active defenses.

HOW DO I DETERMINE SURPRISE?

Surprise can be inflicted on players being actively stalked by a hostile group, or on opposing groups when successfully stalked by the party.

HOW DO WE DETERMINE INITIATIVE, AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

Initiative decides the order in which both Characters and their opponents act during a skirmish. Each monster has an “Initiative” value; the highest Initiative in an Encounter Group, becomes the Target Number (TN) of the Initiative Challenge that Players must resolve.

Each PLAYER rolls a CHALLENGE using the CHARACTER’S ABILITY they feel most applies to the situation.
Challenge outcomes result in the following Initiative Brackets, which persist for the entire combat:

ROLL	BRACKET	DESCRIPTION
BOTCH	Confused	Character acts after opponents and loses 1 MOMENTUM per round.
SACRIFICE	Off-Balance	Character acts after opponents, OR acts before opponents but loses 1 MOMENTUM that round.
SUCCESS	Prepared	Character acts before opponents.
TRIUMPH	Fluid	Character acts before OR after opponents AND gains 1 MOMENTUM per round for the combat.

WHAT IS MOMENTUM AND HOW DO I USE IT?

MOMENTUM is the currency that CHARACTERS spend to take both ACTIONS and REACTIONS during a Skirmish.

Each Character begins each Skirmish Round with 3 Momentum
- Available Momentum can be increased by ABILITIES like Quickness, Reflexes, or Swiftness.
- Available Momentum can be either reduced or increased by an especially good or bad Initiative Bracket.
Each ACTION or REACTION a Character takes during a Skirmish Round spends 1 Momentum.
When a Character runs out of Momentum, they can only take Passive Actions (like mitigating attacks with armor).
Any unspent MOMENTUM at the end of a Round is converted into RECOVERY, which can be applied on a 1:1 basis to any ASPECT POOL whose current value is less than its maximum value.

WHAT ACTIONS CAN CHARACTERS TAKE?

When it’s a CHARACTER’s turn to act, they can take any of the below ACTIONS at will, assuming they have enough MOMENTUM to do so.

Engaging in any of these ACTIONS will spend 1 MOMENTUM. They may also need to make a Challenge Roll with the given ABILITY against the Target Number (TN) to determine a result.

ACTION	ABILITY	TN	DESCRIPTION
ATTACK	Weapon Use	Target Defense	Strikes at a target with an in-hand weapon.
CAST	Spell School	Target Abjuration	Casts a Prepared spell.
MOVE	Maneuvering	Difficult Terrain	Allows a Character to move the equivalent of 30'
TAG	Variable	-	Attaches a special effect to a weapon Attack.
USE	Variable	Variable	Attempts to use an object, either in hand or in the environment.

Specifics for attacking are covered in the next section; specifics for spellcasting are handled in the Magic Playspaces section of the rules.

HOW DO I ATTACK?

Attacking a MONSTER is a simple affair:

Roll your WEAPON USE Ability, using the MONSTER’s DEFENSE attribute as your Target Number.
Challenge Outcomes generate the following results:

OUTCOME	EFFECT
BOTCH	Attack fails to connect and Player’s turn this round is ended. Reactions are still possible.
SACRIFICE	Attack fails to connect, or attack hits, but 1 extra Momentum is spent.
SUCCESS	Attack connects.
TRIUMPH	Attack connects and adds an additional Tag of the PLAYER’s preference

Note that when attacking, some defenders will have other defenses beyond just their Defense Rating, so simply connecting may not be enough to do damage to your target.

HOW DO I DO DAMAGE WITH MY WEAPON?

If your attack has connected and any other monster defenses are ineffective, then you’ll do your Weapon Damage to your target and inflict any TAGS you readied your attack with.

Weapon damage is determined by both the SIZE and the QUALITY of the weapon, where

The SIZE of the weapon determines how many dice are rolled, and
The QUALITY of the weapon determines the number of sides on the dice (refer to the Challenge Difficulty table).

While there are exceptions, in general you can expect weapon damage to adhere to the following table:

WEAPON SIZE	HANDS TO WIELD	EXAMPLE	# DICE
TINY	1	Dagger	1
SMALL	1	Short Sword	2
MEDIUM	1	Long Sword	3
LARGE	2	Two-Handed Sword	4

For example, a crude Two-Handed sword would roll 4d2 for damage, while a Legendary Dagger would roll 1d12.

HOW DO I DO CAST SPELLS?

This section is TBW but uses the same mechanics. In short:

Create the spell using spellcasting rules.
Determine the Complexity of the spell by adding its parameters together. This is the spell’s Target Number (TN). This costs 1 MOMENTUM.
Your Source Roll determines if you’re able to open a portal big enough to support your spell. Any Spell with a Complexity of half of your Source Ability can be automatically cast.
Once the spell is cast, roll your School Roll for the spell using the Target’s Abjuration as your Target Number (TN). Each time you cast your spell costs 1 MOMENTUM.
If you keep casting the same spell, you do not have to keep checking against the Spell’s Complexity to form it - this is considered already complete. You do have to keep rolling against targets’ Abjuration to cause the spell to affect a target, however.

HOW DO I MOVE DURING A SKIRMISH?

This section is TBW but uses the same mechanics. In short:

All characters can move up to 30 feet in a combat round by spending 1 MOMENTUM point.
Note that any character with the Gift of Speed will have additional MOMENTUM they can spend each round beyond the usual 3 points.

HOW DO I TAG AN ATTACK?

This section is TBW but in essence:

Tags, as seen in the section on them, produce special effects when used.
All weapons have tags by default - slashing, overbearing, etc. are all tags.
Spells or environmental effects can add tags - an arrow lit afire will have the burning tag, and a sword affected by a Chilling effect will have the freezing tag.
You can apply any active offensive tag which is applied to your weapon to an attack.
The number of tags you can apply to an attack is limited by your Training Level: Novices can only apply one, while Masters can apply five.

HOW DO I USE AN ITEM?

This section is TBW but in essence:

Each item has a size associated with it - from TINY to IMMENSE.
The size of the item determines the amount of MOMENTUM it costs to use in combat. For example, TINY items require 0 momentum, and IMMENSE items require 7.
If the amount of MOMENTUM is greater than the Character has, using the item will take multiple rounds.

WHAT REACTIONS CAN CHARACTERS TAKE?

At any time, if a CHARACTER has remaining MOMENTUM, they may choose to REACT based on actions going on in the battle. The reactions they can take and the triggers that open up the opportunities to do so are listed below.

Engaging in any of these REACTIONS will spend 1 MOMENTUM. They may also require a Challenge Roll with the given ABILITY against the Target Number (TN) be made to determine a result.

ACTION	TRIGGER	COST	DESCRIPTION
ASSIST	Nearby Ally takes Action	1	Ally may roll both their AND assister’s Talent Die and take the best result.
DEFEND (ACTIVE)	Character Attacked	1	Character can take an Active Defense to try to nullify the attack.
DEFEND (PASSIVE)	Character Attacked	0	Character can mitigate attack with Armor to lessen attack.
INTERFERE	Nearby Enemy takes Action	1	Enemy rolls both their AND interferer’s Talent Die and takes the worst result.

Specifics for defending are covered in the next section; specifics for spellcasting are handled in the Magic Playspaces section of the rules.

HOW DO I DEFEND MYSELF WHEN I’M ATTACKED?

The Lens is a system which uses PLAYER-FACING rolls, which means that the MONSTERS don’t roll to attack your CHARACTER - instead, you roll to defend against them.

When a Monster has declared an attack against you, that attack will fully succeed against you unless you make a passive or active defense.

Passive defenses require 0 Momentum to use, so you can use them an unlimited number of times in a Skirmish Round.
The results of a Botch, Sacrifice, Success, and Triumph are different based on which defense you choose
Only one defense can be selected per Attack.
Requirements for each kind of Defense are noted first:

DEFENSE	TYPE	ABILITY	REQUIRES	EFFECT
Abjure	Passive	Abjuration	Consciousness	Resists magical attacks
Mitigate	Passive	Armor Use	Worn Armor	Reduces damage by Armor Rating (AR)
Block	Active	Shield Use	Equipped Shield	Blocks attack entirely, chance to stun
Dodge	Active	Maneuvering	Adjacent open square	Dodges attack entirely, move to open square
Parry	Active	Weapon Use	Equipped Weapon	Parries attack entirely, chance to riposte

HOW DO I BLOCK WITH A SHIELD?

Spend 1 Momentum and roll your SHIELD USE Ability, using the attacker’s Attack Rating as its Target Number.

A SHIELD must be equipped to be able to BLOCK.
BLOCKS are ineffective against attacks with the [CRUSHING] Tag.

OUTCOME	EFFECT
BOTCH	Full attack effect [and] defender gains [STUN]
SACRIFICE	Full attack effect [or] attack blocked but BLOCKS locked for rest of round.
SUCCESS	Full attack blocked
TRIUMPH	Full attack blocked [and] attacker gains [STUN]

HOW DO I DODGE ATTACKS?

Spend 1 Momentum and roll your MANEUVER Ability, using the attacker’s Attack Rating as its Target Number.

There must be a free space adjacent to the character in order to attempt to DODGE.
DODGES are ineffective against attacks with the [SWEEPING] Tag.

OUTCOME	EFFECT
BOTCH	Full attack effect [and] defender gains [PRONE]
SACRIFICE	Full attack effect [or] attack dodged but defender gains [HAMSTRUNG].
SUCCESS	Full attack dodged; move for free to open adjacent space.
TRIUMPH	Full attack blocked; move for free to open adjacent space, [and] attacker gains [PRONE]

HOW DO I PARRY ATTACKS WITH A WEAPON?

Spend 1 Momentum and roll your WEAPON USE Ability, using the attacker’s Attack Rating as its Target Number.

A WEAPON must be equipped in order to PARRY. Most Natural Weapons allow parries.
PARRIES are ineffective against missile attacks, or melee attacks with the [HEAVY] Tag.

OUTCOME	EFFECT
BOTCH	Full attack effect [and] defender gains [DISARMED]
SACRIFICE	Full attack effect [or] attack parried but defender gains [HAMSTRUNG].
SUCCESS	Full attack dodged; move for free to open adjacent space.
TRIUMPH	Full attack blocked; move for free to open adjacent space, [and] attacker gains [PRONE]

HOW DO I MITIGATE ATTACKS WITH MY ARMOR?

Simply roll your ARMOR USE Ability, using the attacker’s Attack Rating as its Target Number. MITIGATION does not completely avoid an attack, but it can reduce the effects of the attack.

ARMOR must be worn in order to MITIGATE. Any Natural Armor will also suffice.
MITIGATION is ineffective against attacks with the [PIERCING] Tag.
For normal attacks, DAMAGE can be reduced by the full value of the ARMOR RATING.
For special attacks with TAGS, any one TAG (except PIERCING) can be removed via Mitigation.
PLAYERS must decide whether to mitigate DAMAGE or a TAG under these circumstances.

OUTCOME	EFFECT
BOTCH	Character takes full Damage and all Tags plus the Armor Rating value.
SACRIFICE	Character takes full Damage and all Tags [or] Damage reduced by Armor Rating, but
SUCCESS	Damage reduced by Armor Rating [or] 1 Tag from a special attack removed.
TRIUMPH	Damage reduced by Armor Rating [and] 1 Tag from a special attack removed.

PEET’S DEFEAT

Surprise can be inflicted on players being actively stalked by a hostile group, or on opposing groups when successfully stalked by the party.