Environment
Combat | Attacking | Stunts | Environment | Extras | Morale | Special Attacks | Mass Combat | Social Combat
Outside of gladiatorial arenas, most battles do not take place on an open, empty field or in a 10’ x 10’ featureless room. Terrain and unit placement has a substantial effect on combat's outcome, whether it's a personal brawl or a clash of armies. Moreover, many aspects of the environment are dynamic or timing related, such as surprise or being surrounded.
Flight
Through Charms, sorcery or wondrous artifacts, some Exalted can take to the skies in the course of battle. Likewise, some creatures, such as mospids and hybrocs, naturally attack from the air, descending upon prey to rake it with their talons. Flying targets may be attacked normally with ranged weapons (provided they are within range, of course). However, ground-based opponents can attack them in close combat only on the actual tick in which they dive to attack someone on the ground. The actual target of a fly-by makes such attacks at no penalty, but any allies must be close enough to strike and do so at a -2 external penalty (or -1 if using spears or other long weapons). As a rule, defenders must assume a guard stance, waiting to abort that defensive posture with an attack as soon as the opportunity presents itself, giving fliers an enormous tactical advantage.
Mounted Combat
Control Rating
| Control Rating | Examples |
|---|---|
| 0 | Automata, Artifact Vehicles, Undead |
| 1 | Simhata (ridden by Exalted), Marukani Finest |
| 2 | Trained Warhorse |
| 3 | Horse, Mule, Yeddim, other conventional mounts |
| 4 | Wild/Unbroken Horse |
| 5 | Simhata (ridden by un-Exalted), Domesticated Claw Strider, other predators |
| 6+ | Tyrant Lizard, other super-predators |
Providing superior height, speed and the ability to trample infantry opponents, battle-worthy steeds offer considerable advantage to their masters. However, mounted characters must split their attention to keep the animals under control. While mounted, characters recalculate all attack pools and Defense Values such that they use the lower of the Ability in question or their Ride rating. For example, characters with Ride 3 and Melee 4 have an effective Melee of only 3 while mounted. Conversely, a master horseman with Melee 3 and Ride 5 uses her full Melee.
In addition, every mount has a control rating (see sidebar).
If a character's Ride matches or exceeds the control rating of a mount, it obeys her without any particular effort on her part. Otherwise, she cannot reliably command it. Instead, she must either devote full attention to riding her mount (represented by a Ride roll as a miscellaneous action) or flurry to take other actions following this roll. The difficulty is the control rating of the mount. If the Ride roll fails, the mount acts as it pleases, preventing any additional actions the character may have planned for a flurry. Herbivores generally panic and try to leave combat, but they do not try to buck their riders unless the control roll botches. Carnivores generally pick prey of their own choosing and lunge toward it or buck and attack their riders on a botch. Passengers on a mount do not need to make control rolls, but they suffer the usual cap of their Ride rating to use combat Abilities.
Mounts big enough to carry a howdah use slightly different rules. The driver must control the beast as normal, but other passengers may use combat Abilities without suffering a Ride cap. Instead, those with dots in Ride act without penalty, while those who lack Ride suffer a -1 external penalty. In the event that the mount panics, passengers can jump and roll to freedom with a successful reflexive (Dexterity + Dodge) roll or stay on the howdah despite the bucking with a successful reflexive (Wits + Ride) roll. Both rolls are made at a difficulty of the beast's control rating.
As noted previously, mounted opponents add one to their DV against close combat attacks, while those in a howdah add two (and may only be attacked using close combat weapons with the reach tag, such as spears). Characters attacking from a howdah may use only those close-combat weapons that have reach to attack opponents on the ground. These bonuses also apply to the mount itself. Opponents on the ground subtract these values from their own DV versus close combat attacks from cavalry.
Unstable Footing
Characters might find themselves in situations where they must struggle just to stand upright, let alone fight. Such situations are handled using the same general rules as for controlling a mount, except that characters use Athletics in place of Ride and the situation's instability rating replaces a mount's control rating. This means characters must have a sufficient Athletics rating to keep their balance, or else, they must combine an Athletics check into a flurry to do anything else. Failing the (Dexterity + Athletics) roll means the character struggles to avoid falling and cannot take any other actions she might have planned as part of a flurry. A botch (or a failure if the difficulty is twice the number of successes rolled) means the character falls prone (at best), although truly precarious situations (such as fighting on a narrow bridge over a chasm) may result in worse falls. Characters struck by an attack require a new Athletics check at the usual difficulty, but this roll is reflexive, so it uses the character's full dice pool. Guiding a mount over unstable terrain changes its control rating to the instability rating of the setting or (control rating + 1), whichever is greater, but the controlling Ability remains Ride rather than Athletics.
The instability rating of terrain depends on a range of cumulative factors:
- Slickness (+1 for frost or puddles; up to +3 for oil-coated floors or smooth ice)
- Narrowness (+1 for a parapet or bridge to +4 for a tightrope)
- Wind/buffeting force (+1 for a gale through +3 for a hurricane)
- Moving ground (+1 for a pitching deck of a ship in rough seas; up to +3 for a major earthquake)
And any other pertinent modifiers the Storyteller assigns. For example, a fight on a thin, swaying, iced rope bridge in the middle of an arctic squall would be difficulty 7, throwing all but the most nimble combatants to their doom.
Water or Muck
Characters standing in liquid shallower than ankle depth act without any penalty. Those in liquid up to knee depth or mud/slime up to mid-calf make appropriate Dexterity or movement based rolls at -1 external penalty and can walk or run at only half speed. This penalty increases to -2 for liquid up to waist height or mud up to the knees, and it drops Speed to 1/4 of normal. Characters who are swimming do not suffer these penalties, but they might treat the liquid as unstable terrain if they are trying to stay on the surface during especially choppy conditions (difficulty 1 for rough seas up to difficulty 5+ for staying afloat in a whirlpool or hurricane-tossed waves). In such conditions, Athletics caps combat Abilities, and characters must flurry to swim while doing anything else. Failure causes the character to flounder, forfeiting any actions she had planned as part of a flurry. A botch (or a failure if the difficulty is twice the number of successes rolled) means the character sinks and starts to drown as normal (see Holding Breath).
Characters swimming underwater must hold their breath unless they have gills or magic that allows for breathing underwater. However, they can simply move and act without flurrying to stay afloat (though flurrying may be necessary to fight strong currents). While underwater, characters suffer a -2 external penalty to appropriate Dexterity or movement-based rolls unless they are aquatic or amphibious by nature. Certain weapons such as bows and wide bludgeoning instruments do not work underwater because of resistance, as determined by the Storyteller.
Multiple Opponents
In open terrain, a human-sized character can be attacked in close combat by only five human-sized opponents. Even if a larger group coordinates (see Coordinating Attacks), they simply don't have the room to cluster any tighter. In cramped quarters such as a hallway, stairwell or doorway, the maximum number of opponents that may engage a character in close combat drops to three (or even less at Storyteller discretion). This number increases proportionally for smaller attackers, so characters run a real risk of being torn apart by a mob of frenzied hatra or a school of razor fish. Conversely, large opponents such as buck ogres or tyrant lizards can flank only one to each side at most, even in the most open terrain. Anyone who is pressed inside a maximum permitted cluster of combatants has no room to maneuver and cannot choose to move or dash away using an action. Furthermore, such a character also suffers a -2 Dodge DV penalty unless she uses a stunt or magic to somehow evade without giving ground. Worst of all, if she cannot maneuver (either from being ganged up on by a maximum cluster of opponents or because of the terrain), one of her opponents gains the benefits of an unexpected attack. The player of the character trapped in a group chooses which opponent she exposes her back to. No restrictions limit the number of opponents that may attack a character with ranged attacks, making a concentrated archer volley the best means of ganging up on a single adversary.
Unexpected Attacks
Characters might not always perceive every attack made against them, whether as a result of ambush or a treacherous knife in the back. Unless a character has a magical means of detecting unexpected attacks (such as Surprise Anticipation Method) or a magical defense that guards against unperceived attacks (as most defensive Charms do), the attack is unblockable and undodgeable. That is, the character has a Dodge and Parry DV of 0 automatically, but matters such as cover can improve the value.
In the case of ambush or an opening attack by an invisible opponent, roll the attacker's (Dexterity + Stealth) against the victim's (Wits + Awareness). If the victim is distracted by conversation or focused on some other activity rather than casually looking around (or if the attacker is completely outside the field of her senses, as by being directly behind), the victim suffers a -2 internal penalty to this roll. Conversely, add one die if she is actively wary and suspects danger.
Setting up an ambush from plain view is also possible (such as in the case of an assassin who wishes to throw a knife at someone during a peaceful banquet without telegraphing her aggressive intentions in advance), but doing so adds two to the difficulty of the Stealth roll and requires that the scene is not currently in combat. Make this roll immediately before rolling (Wits + Awareness) as part of a Join Battle action. If the defender wins, she notices the attack in time to respond to it normally with a block or dodge. Her DV still drops normally if faced with an invisible opponent, but she can defend, which beats the alternative. If the attacker wins, the defender suffers from an unexpected attack and must rely on passive defenses or magical defenses that work against surprise.
Players of Exalted characters should keep in mind that Melee Charms require that an Exalt be armed with a ready weapon to use them. As such, characters whose magical defenses focus on evasion will have an advantage against ambush unless the parry expert expects trouble enough to unsheathe her blade.
Reestablishing Surprise
Unexpected attacks normally open hostilities but are not often a factor once fighting is underway. Once a traitor stabs his master in the back or an assassin shoots a blowdart from his concealed perch, everyone present reacts by initiating a Join Battle action. Regaining the considerable advantage of surprise is not easy. The character must try to hide while alert opponents do everything in their power to track his movements. Even invisibility does not guarantee a new surprise attack, although it certainly helps.
Whenever a character wishes to hide, doing so is a miscellaneous action that may be part of a flurry as normal. Roll the attacker's (Dexterity + Stealth), and make independent reflexive opposed rolls of (Wits + Awareness + 2) for all witnesses. If the hiding character is invisible or similarly obscured from senses, add two bonus successes to the Stealth roll. Using a distraction, movement, or some aspect of the environment to aid in hiding is a stunt, adding bonus dice as normal. If the environment affords no hiding spots and the character cannot hide or cloak himself magically, he cannot attempt concealment. Any witness who loses the contested roll loses track of the character entirely and cannot continue to attack or interact with him until he reveals himself—or until someone else who still sees him points or calls out the general location or direction. The hidden attacker may launch new surprise attacks against anyone who doesn’t know his present location, granting the full benefits of surprise.
Once the character launches a new surprise attack, he gives away his location to everyone until he can hide again. Until then, any character can take a miscellaneous action to try to find the character (potentially as part of a flurry), rolling a (Perception + Awareness) check against a difficulty of the successes on the roll to hide. Those who find him can immediately shout out to others (subtract two successes from the Stealth roll for alerted searchers) or keep the knowledge to themselves.
Extras
As a cinematic high-action game, Exalted assumes that protagonists and major supporting characters will scythe through legions of minions and flunkies with comparative ease. Within the combat rules, the concept of extras reinforces this idea. Simply put, an extra is a nameless, faceless adversary of no particular consequence, dangerous only in mass numbers. From a narrative sense, extras serve several functions. First, they provide animate scenery upon which protagonists can show off their phenomenal skill and powers. On the reverse side, they slow down the Chosen and/or force them to waste precious Essence before they can face the "real" enemies. The following rules define the extra template:
Reduced Health: Extras have only three health levels of damage. They can be Unhurt, -1, -3, Incapacitated or Dead, with their -3 level treated as -4 for the purpose of impaired movement. Extras usually die as soon as lethal damage reduces them below Incapacitated rather than spending a period of time dying. However, the Storyteller may relax this rule for dramatic purposes so a mortally wounded soldier can deliver a final report or an enemy can gloat how his master will destroy the heroes, et cetera. If a creature already has three or fewer health levels before being classified as an extra, use those instead.
Automatic Damage: Damage is not rolled against extras. Instead, divide the final raw damage after soak by three, rounded up. Apply the result as levels of the appropriate damage type. This does mean that any attack that hits an extra will inflict at least one level of damage.
Not Heroic: Extras do not count 10s as two successes, nor are they normally capable of stunts. If a scene requires a measure of drama that qualifies as a stunt, the Storyteller may relax this limitation on a rare case-by-case situation. Extras do not spend Willpower for bonus successes or to channel Virtues except in defense of their Motivation.
Profile Statistics: Most extra profiles have full statistics, if only because they may serve another role in the story. However, every member of that profile uses the same statistics, allowing the Storyteller to keep notes for "Generic Zombie" or "Varangian Militia" or "Veteran Mercenary" as needed for encounters. Sone sample profiles for a variety of basic character types may be found in Mortals page.
Morale
| Difficulty | Opposition/Example* |
|---|---|
| 1 | Adversary of roughly equal perceived strength (or an equivalently threatening group of lesser opponents)/other militia |
| 2 | Enemy of slightly superior combat strength (or equivalently dangerous band of weaker enemies)/veteran soldiers, barbarian warriors |
| 3 | Blatantly superior enemy or daunting numbers of weaker opponents/elite soldiers, undead, hobgoblins, Wyld mutants |
| 4 | Overwhelming superior opponent or equivalent/Dragon-Blooded, lesser demons and gods, Fair Folk cataphractoi |
| 5 | Enemy seems invincible; fighting is suicide/Celestial Exalted, greater spirits |
* Examples assume that an average mortal soldier faces the listed opponent.
As any good commander knows, psychological warfare plays a significant role in determining the outcome of a battle. When hostilities first begin, players of characters who perceive their enemies to be a real threat need to make Valor checks for them unless their Valor exceeds the difficulty of the roll. If a character perceives that the opposition is more dangerous than he originally thought, a new roll must be made. If the situation improves, players make new checks and use their results if they are better than what the last check resulted in. Note that the difficulty of a morale check is based on perception of threat rather than actual threat. Brigands assaulting an unknown Solar Exalt might initially believe that their numbers will prevail. Only after the Chosen reveals his prowess will they reconsider their odds.
If they are confronted with an unknown but obviously supernatural opponent, mortals will normally assume the being is more dangerous than she actually is. To have a character delib erately appear to be more dangerous than she actually is requires a ([Charisma or Manipulation] + Presence) roll, with the number of successes over the witnesses' Valor determining the maximum effective threat level of the bluff. Of course, as soon as the character does not evince the prowess she alleges, a new check will allow opponents to recover from their initial fear. Success on a morale check means the character acts without penalty. Failing a morale check results in a -2 internal penalty from fear. A botch means the character flees the scene or may drop weapons and cower as appropriate. When applying morale to groups of extras, the Storyteller should probably divide the group into smaller pieces and roll for each piece to cut down on the number of rolls. This does not apply to actual military units. If a character's Valor rating is greater than the difficulty of a Morale check, she automatically succeeds without a roll.
Non-extras may elect to substitute another Virtue for Valor when making morale checks, provided the Virtue is appropriate to the situation. For instance, a mother protecting her child may use Compassion, while an Immaculate monk might use Conviction to challenge a demon. Given their status as the champions of the highest gods, the Exalted are exempt from Morale checks. Only magic can rout the Chosen.
Special Attacks
Combatants attack to wound and kill by default, but sometimes, they wish to use more specialized techniques. See also Special Attacks Category.
Grappling
Adjusting Tone
The various penalties and bonuses associated with conditions ranging from terrain to cover to called shots strike a delicate balance between epic high action and gritty realism. In almost every case, the Exalted hold innumerable advantages over mere mortals without making them so invincible that they become boring to play. However, some Storytellers might wish to dispense with the complexity of stacked modifiers in favor of a more freeform high-action approach, toning "up" the cinematic quality of battle. Such games can gloss over details such as height bonuses and the external penalty for pulling a blow, allowing the flexibility of stunts to govern the degree to which characters use their environment to their advantage. Conversely, games focused on mortal protagonists might need to tone down some of the more extreme rules for the sake of believability, dispensing with the concept of extras and halving the lifting/breaking feats possible with a particular (Strength + Athletics) score. Storytellers should always inform their players what rules they plan to ignore or change, so that everyone knows exactly what to expect before starting a series.
Moving While Clinched
The basic grappling rules do not clearly address the reality of wrestlers moving and slamming each other into the environment while locked in their struggle. Although characters who control a clinch cannot take other actions without a flurry, reflexive actions do not count as actions in this sense any more than normal, so it is still possible to take a move action (but not a dash). However, because the character must also drag the opponent along to maintain the clinch while moving, he can only do both if his (Strength + Athletics) total is sufficient to pull the opponent's weight. As stated in the basic grappling rules, the controller can't block or dodge while gripping an opponent except through a stunt or magic. Characters held in a grapple may not move of their own accord despite being able to take reflexive actions.
Seizing an opponent in a clinch or pinning him down requires a grapple attack using ([Strength or Dexterity] + Martial Arts). The maneuver has Speed 6, Accuracy +0 and Rate 1. This attack can be dodged or parried normally, and it inflicts no damage if it hits. Clinching can be part of a flurry, and with a stunt or magic, it is possible to try holding two or more opponents at once by repeatedly flurrying with every new clinch roll. If the attack does not hit, the attacker's ineffectual pawing accomplishes nothing. If the attacker hits, he seizes the opponent in a clinch and controls it. The victim's action shifts immediately to inactive. The aggressor may do any of the following tasks with that control:
Break Hold: This can involve throwing the opponent a number of yards back equal to the aggressor's Strength (possibly resulting in a knockback dramatic effect as appropriate and definitely prompting an immediate knockdown check to avoid going prone). Alternatively, the aggressor can hurl the opponent to the ground, leaving him automatically prone. Finally, the aggressor can simply release the opponent without further violence.
Crush: The aggressor inflicts bashing damage equal to Strength plus the remaining successes on the clinch roll. This is a piercing attack.
Hold: The aggressor pins the opponent motionless without inflicting injury.
For as long as a character maintains a clinch, he can do nothing else without a flurry, and he must use every subsequent action to renew the clinch. Without a stunt or magic, he cannot block or dodge. The held opponent cannot block or dodge either, as per the inactive action, but she may use reflexive Charms or actions, as well as other Charms designed to function while held in a clinch. When renewing a clinch, reroll the ([Strength or Dexterity] + Martial Arts) of the aggressor, reflexively resisted by the victim's same pool. The winner controls the clinch and may perform any of the clinch tasks listed, adding net successes to damage if electing to crush. If a character held in a clinch turns the tables on his opponent, then his action immediately switches to attacking and the former aggressor switches to inactive, resetting the appropriate speed of each from that tick.
When multiple opponents "dogpile" onto a single victim, handle this action as limited teamwork with each helper adding a bonus die to the lead aggressor's clinch roll. Because a clinched victim is helpless to resist, anyone wishing to join in the clinch needs only a single success on the initial attack roll. If successful, she adds her bonus die to the lead character's next clinch roll for as long as she holds on. She does not make a clinch roll, but simply attacks without a roll to contribute the bonus or lets go at any time. Should a victim break free, he breaks free of everyone holding him except the leader, whom he can damage, throw or hold normally.
Called Shots
Whenever a character directs an attack more precisely than normal, the attack uses the following rules. Each variation of these techniques imposes an external penalty as noted in parenthesis and must be declared along with an attack. As external penalties, these are applied during step 5 of the Order of Attack Events.
Pulling Blows (-1)
By striking with the flat of the blade or applying less force than usual, a close combat attack that normally inflicts lethal or aggravated damage can be made to inflict bashing damage instead. With the aid of a stunt or magic, thrown weapons can also be pulled (like hurling a dagger so the pommel strikes). Arrows cannot be pulled, though most bows can fire blunt-tipped fowling arrows that inflict bashing damage. Directing a coup de grace to inflict maiming is also a form of pulling a blow (see p. 152 <-- ??for what??).
Showing Off (-1 to -4)
Characters may attack small targets for dramatic purposes, like cleaving a rope with an arrow or cutting fruit in half with a sword as it falls. In a similar vein, characters may decide to graze opponents in a way that marks them without inflicting sufficient injury to qualify for levels of damage. If a marking attack successfully hits and could inflict minimum damage or better (i.e., penetrates Hardness and similar defenses), the attack leaves the desired mark. Marking someone's clothing does not even require that the attack overcome Hardness. The Storyteller should assign the penalty for showing off based on the complexity of the task.
Disarming (-2 or -4)
Knocking a weapon out of someone's hand has a -2 external penalty with a close combat attack or -4 using ranged. If the attack hits, it inflicts no damage, but the victim's player must reflexively roll (Wits + the appropriate wielding Ability) against a difficulty of the net successes on the attack roll. For every success by which the victim fails to meet the difficulty, her weapon flies one foot away from her grasp. Retrieving a dropped weapon is a difficulty 1 (Dexterity + wielding Ability) roll and is only possible if a character can feasibly do so. Duels fought over looming chasms or aboard a ship might not afford such a luxury. Note that characters cannot be disarmed of their natural weapons (fists, feet, claws, fangs, etc.), nor can they have weapons taken from them that are actually strapped to the body such as a cestus or tiger claws. If players regularly take advantage of disarming as a prelude to executing a helpless victim (instead of using the maneuver for dramatic purposes), the Storyteller should feel free to raise the penalty imposed by the technique. With a flurry, it is possible for an attacker to disarm and then use a retrieval action to take the weapon for himself, provided he has hands free to take it. Doing so almost always involves a stunt.
Fierce Blows (-1)
A character may strike in fury, sacrificing accuracy for a slight increase in damage (+2L/A or +3B, depending on the type of damage the attack inflicts).