Introduction.

When I play RPG's I want a fast, and realistic combat system. There is nothing more unrealistic than a slow battle, without tempo, or feeling that it takes minutes to fire a single shot. I have found that the ones you find in most commercial RPG's are either fast and unrealistic OR slow and realistic. In my combat system I try to compromise between realism, and swiftness. I will try to describe a system I like, and use.

Skill and attributes have a 1 to 20+ range.

I use these Skills:
Melee combat
Handguns
Rifles
Automatic firing.

I use these attributes:
Constitution
Agility

And these secondary abilities:
Endurance = Constitution x 5 +30
Healing   = Constitution/4

Distances are in meters, weights in kilograms, prices in dollars.

* You have skill values in the range 1 to 20+. You use a D20 to determine the successful use of skills.
* Instead of calculating the effect of a skill check by calculating difference between the dice result and skill value, you use the dice result itself to determine the effect, provided that the throw was successful of course. If you think of it, it will give the same effect as calculating difference, but it's faster.
* Each weapon used has a weapon effect, that tells us how much damage that particular weapon at least can inflict. This is used to make a weapon wound table.
* Initiative in combat is determined by the AGL value of the combatants.

General.

Rounds.

In combat, the time is divided into rounds. Each combatant has at least one action he can perform within this time. This time is approximately 2 to 4 seconds.

Initiative.

Who goes first then? The order of battle is determined by the AGL values of the combatants.
The one with the highest AGL goes first, second highest AGL goes next, and so on.
If two combatants has the same AGL value their actions are considered simultaneous.

Is the target hit?
 
Does the player succeed with a D20 equal or below his skill score with the particular weapon? If he does, he hits. When using a SMG or Automatic Rifle for single shot action, you use handgun skill, or rifle skill. Only when you use automatic fire you use automatic firing skill.

Here are some suggestions for modifications to the skill score in specific situations. If you feel you can handle modifications without this table, don't use it.
 

Action	Skill score modification
Aiming at specific body part	-5
Has been aiming for 1 or 2 rounds	+5 or +7
Moving target	-3 and more
Poor visibility	-5 and more
Above RN/2 of weapon	-5
Above RN of weapon	-10


How much effect does the hit have?
 

The die throw equals the skill effect (SE). Each weapon has a specific weapon effect (WE). This will be added to the skill effect (SE) to calculate the total effect (TE). A TE of less than 1 causes no damage.


Calculating injuries.

 

TOTAL EFFECT	<0-4	5-11	12-17	18+
WOUND	SCR	LW	SW	FW

You can also make an individual table for each weapon by subtracting the weapon effect to the values in the table. Then you replace total effect with skill effect. A negative interval means that this weapon can not inflict such wounds. For your convenience this has been made for a number of weapons in the weapon table below. To add values for weapons that are not included, check their category, and caliber, and use the appropriate WE and wound table values.


Multiple actions.

 
If you want to make more than one action in a combat round, your skill score will be modified according to the table below. The skill score will be modified for every action in that round. Really simple actions (GM's decision) like dropping something, or taking one step, can be done without modifications.
 

AGL	Multiple action mod
1-7	-5/action
8-15	-4/action
16-25	-3/action

Example: Jerry has AGL: 13 and Handguns: 18. He wants to perform three actions in one combat round. Get up behind a car, shoot at the monster, and go down again. By looking in the table we find out that Jerry gets a Multiple action mod of -4. For all skill checks, he then receives a 2 (number of extra actions) x -4 skill score penalty. If Jerry wants to do what he says, he will have Handguns: 10  (18 minus 10)


Knock out
 

When you hit, if the effect (die result) is equal to or greater than the victims Constitution x 2, the victim has been knocked out. A hit to the head gives +3 to the effect, using a hard object to strike with gives +2, and a blackjack gives +5.


Automatic firing.

When you fire automatic fire, you use a skill called automatic firing, instead of handgun skill for SMG's, or rifle for automatic rifles. You can fire a short burst (3 bullets) or long burst (10 bullets). Provided you succeed with the automatic firing skill, you hit with Skill Effect (dice result) number of bullets (no more than fired) minus the range in meters to the target. Each bullet that hits causes a light wound (because you can not aim very good). If there are several targets, the bullets that hit are divided between them. The closest target takes most hits. If no bullets hit because the distance to the target is greater than your Skill Effect, then you miss all your bullets, even if the skill throw was successful.

Shotguns.

Provided you succeed with the rifle skill, you hit with Skill Effect (dice result) number of bullets minus the range in meters to the target. Each bullet that hits causes a scratch. If there are several targets, the bullets that hit are divided between them. The closest target takes most hits. If no bullets hit because the distance to the target is greater than your Skill Effect, then you miss all your bullets, even if the skill throw was successful.

Wounds.

SCR=Scratch
LW=Light wound
SW=Serious wound
FW=Fatal wound

Number of wounds you can take are determined by the Constitution (CON) (or Stamina) attribute. When all SCR are filled, they become a LW , and the old scratches are erased. When all LW are filled, they become a SW, and all LW's are erased and so on. This means you can die by a large number of scratches.
 

Constitution	SCR	LW	SW	FW
1-5	3	2	2	1
6-10	4	3	2	1
11-15	4	3	3	1
16-20	5	4	3	1
21-25	6	5	3	1
26-30	7	6	4	1
31-35	8	7	4	1
36-40	9	8	4	1

Wound descriptions.

Scratch
A tiny wound, that quickly stops bleeding by itself.

Light wound
A rather nasty wound that better be bandaged. It bleeds rather much.

Serious wound
A life threatening wound, that has to be bandaged unless you want to bleed to death. It has to be stitched, and the injured person has to stay in bed at least a few days.

Fatal wound
When a human being receives a FW, a vital organ is hit so badly it ceases to work. The wounded needs immediate medical attention to survive. A person who receives more than one FW, or receives a FW in the head dies immediately.
 

Time before you die of a FW
Base time	1D10 minutes
Modifications
Successful use of First Aid	+5 minutes (can be used every 5 minutes)
Successful use of Medical skill	+5 minutes (can be used every 5 minutes)
Treatment modifications
Under medical attention in ambulance	+30 minutes
Under medical attention in hospital	If the wounded makes a successful  Constitution x 2 throw he survives.

Effects of wounds

Endurance

Endurance is calculated as Constitution x 5 + 30
Endurance is regained by one point every three minutes.

When you reach zero endurance you become unconscious.
When you reach a negative Endurance that is equal to your Endurance you are dead.

Effects

Endurance loss
Immediate loss when the wound is received.

Bleeding loss
This is how much endurance you loose before the wound has been bandaged with a successful First Aid or Medical throw.

Max Endurance
Your maximum Endurance is lowered until your wound is healed.
 

Wound type	Endurance loss	Bleeding loss	Max Endurance
Scratch	10	-	-5
Light wound	20	5/min¹	-20
Serious wound	30	2/round	-40
Fatal wound	60	4/round	-

¹) Does not bleed more than 5 minutes

Armor.

A piece of armor lowers the grade of the wound by the value of Armor Point (AP). With an AP of 1, a SCR doesn't hurt you, a LW becomes a SCR, and so on. With an AP of 2, a LW doesn't hurt you, a SW becomes a SCR, and so on. With an AP of 3, only a FW will hurt you, and will then become a SCR. You need to consider what parts of the body the armor protects. If you don't aim at anything particular you can use the armor, but if somebody aims and hits in your head, the bulletproof vest doesn't help much.
 

Armor type	AP	Cost
Bulletproof vest	2	500
Kevlar vest	3	900
Army helmet	1	20
Kevlar helmet	2	200

Healing.

You also have a secondary ability called 'Healing'.  Healing equals one fourth of your maximum constitution. The higher your healing value is, the faster you heal.
 

Wound	Healing time	Medical attention
Scratch	7days-(Healing x 2)	-
Light wound	14days-Healing	Recommended
Serious wound	30days-Healing	Requiered
Fatal wound	Operation (see below)	Requiered

A fatal wound needs to be operated. If the operation is successful (good hospital 90%) the FW is turned into a SW. If the wounded cannot take more serious wounds, he dies. Most doctors realize that the patient needs to heal before surgery, in that case. The chance they realize this is 90% in a good hospital

AVA = Availability
WT = Weight in Kg
L/I = Legal/Illegal
MAG = Magazine ('/' marks different types)
WE = Weapon Effect
RN = Range in meters
LT = Load time (1 bullet/Clip)
 

Category	Weapon	AVA	Length	WT	L/I	COST	TYPE	MAG	WE	SCR	LW	SW	FW	RN	maxRN	LT
Revolvers	S&W Bodyguard	2	25.0	1.1	L	350	.38	6	5	-	1-6	7-12	13+	20m	120m	4/2
	S&W CBT	2	30.0	1.33	L	380	.357M	6	7	-	1-4	5-10	11+	30m	180m	4/2
	Ruger Redhawk	2	27.9	1.8	L	300	.44M	6	9	-	1-2	3-8	9+	40m	240m	4/2
	Colt Python	2	25.0	1.1	L	580	.357M	6	7	-	1-4	5-10	11+	30m	180m	4/2
	Colt Detective Special	2	15.4	0.7	L	240	.38	6	5	-	1-6	7-12	13+	20m	120m	4/2
	S&W CBT M29	2	30.0	1.33	L	380	.44M	6	9	-	1-2	3-8	9+	40m	240m	4/2
Derringers	Am. Derringer	2	13.8	0.67	L	400	.357 Derr.	4	3	1	2-8	9-14	15+	5m	30m	4
	Am. Derr. Semmerling	2	13.0	0.67	L	900	.45 Derr	4	4	-	1-7	8-13	14+	5m	30m	4
Pistols	Glock 17	2	18.8	0.7	L	550	9mm	15	5	-	1-6	7-12	13+	30m	180m	2
	Berretta m92F	2	21.6	0.95	L	420	9mm	15	5	-	1-6	7-12	13+	30m	180m	2
	Colt Commander	2	20.0	1.0	L	450	.45 ACP	9	6	-	1-5	6-11	12+	30m	180m	2
	Browning HP	2	19.7	0.9	L	350	9mm	15	5	-	1-6	7-12	13+	30m	180m	2
	Desert Eagle	2	25.4	1.9	L	570	.50AE	7	9	-	1-2	3-8	9+	30m	180m	2
	Sig-Sauer P220	2	19.7	1.0	L	440	9mm	15	5	-	1-6	7-12	13+	30m	180m	2
	Linebaugh	2	25.5	2.0	L	575	.50AE	7	9	-	1-2	3-8	9+	30m	180m	2
Submachineguns	H&K MP5	5	68.0	2.9	I	650	9mm	25/30	6	-	1-5	6-11	12+	30m	180m	2
	Ingram Mac-10	5	54.8	3.8	I	480	.45 ACP	10/15/30	5	-	1-6	7-12	13+	30m	180m	2
	Uzi	5	65.0	4.1	I	525	9mm	25/30	6	-	1-5	6-11	12+	30m	180m	2
	Skorpion m61	5	26.7	2.0	I	400	7.62mm	10/15/30	7	-	1-4	5-10	11+	30m	180m	2
	Kalashnikov AKR	5	68.6	3.3	I	420	7.62mm	10/15/30	7	-	1-4	5-10	11+	30m	180m	2
Automatic rifles	Steyr AUG	5	79.0	4.09	I	750	5.56mm	30	7	-	1-4	5-10	11+	70m	420m	2
	H&K G3 A3	5	102.0	4.4	I	450	7.62mm	20	8	-	1-3	4-9	10+	80m	480m	2
	M16 A2	5	99.0	3.64	I	600	5.56mm	30	7	-	1-4	5-10	11+	70m	420m	2
	AK 74	5	86.9	4.3	I	330	5.56mm	30	7	-	1-4	5-10	11+	70m	420m	2
	FN FAL	5	114.0	5.0	I	500	7.62mm	20	8	-	1-3	4-9	10+	80m	480m	2
Sniper rifles	Dragunov SVD	3	122.5	4.38	L	650	7.62mm	10	8	-	1-3	4-9	10+	100m	600m	3
	WA 2000	3	90.5	6.9	L	800	.300Win.M	6	10	-	1	2-7	8+	100m	600m	3
Hunting rifles	Ruger m77	1	105.5	3.1	L	350	.22 LR	5	5	-	1-6	7-12	13+	50m	300m	4
	Winchester 70 XTR	1	106.8	3.4	L	350	.30-06	3	9	-	1-2	3-8	9+	60m	360m	4
Shotguns	Sawn-off shotgun	2	50.8	3.1	I	100	Sawn-off	2	5	-	-	-	-	5m	30m	4
	Double barrelled	1	76.2	5.8	L	250	D.B.	2	7	-	-	-	-	20m	120m	2
	H&K Bullpup CAW	5	76.2	5.8	I	850	12 Gauge	6/9	7	-	-	-	-	20m	120m	4
	Mossberg Bullpup	5	72.4	5.8	I	450	12 Gauge	6/9	7	-	-	-	-	20m	120m	4
	Spas m12	5	93.0	4.7	I	500	12 Gauge	6/9	7	-	-	-	-	20m	120m	4
Daggers/Knifes	Dagger	0	40	0.5	L	50	-	-	-1	1-5	6-12	13-18	19+	-	-	-
	Switchblade	0	25	0.3	L	20	-	-	-3	1-7	8-14	15-20	21+	-	-	-
Throwing Weapons	Throwing knife	0	15	0.2	L	25	-	-	-2	1-6	7-13	14-19	20+	5m	30m	-
Impact weapons	Blackjack								-3	1-7	8-14	15-20	21+
	Hammer								1	1-3	4-10	11-16	17+
	Nunchaku								-1	1-5	6-12	13-18	19+
	Steel pipe								0	1-4	5-11	12-17	18+
	Baseball bat								0	1-4	5-11	12-17	18+
Natural Weapons	Fist								-4	1-8	9-15	16-21	22+
	Kick								-3	1-7	8-14	15-20	21+
	Throw								-4	1-8	9-15	16-21	22+
	Head butt								-4	1-8	9-15	16-21	22+
Creature Weapons	Claw								-3	1-7	8-14	15-20	21+
	Bite/Fang								0	1-4	5-11	12-17	18+
	Beak								-1	1-5	6-12	13-18	19+
	Horn								0	1-4	5-11	12-17	18+
	Tail								-2	1-6	7-13	14-19	20+

Finally...

This system is the result of much thinking by me and my friend Joakim Ekberg. Some ideas are his, some are mine, and some are taken from other RPG's. I hope you enjoy this system, and find it pretty fast and realistic. If you don't like this system, don't flame me about it. If you have suggestions or comments, you are welcome to share them with me.