GURPS : COMBAT

Turn Sequence
Combatant with highest Basic Speed goes first, then the one with the next-highest Basic Speed and so on. If tied,
the one with the highest DX goes first. If still tied, roll.

Maneuvers
– Movement and Maneuvers
Move and Move and Attack maneuvers allow to move up to full Move score in yards. Other ones limit movement
to a step (1/10 of Move, min 1 yard). Cannot move if Change Posture or Do Nothing.
– Free Actions
Talk, Drop an item, Crouch.
– Do Nothing
Someone who is conscious but stunned or surprised must take this maneuver. Attempt a HT roll (physical stun) or
an IQ roll (mental stun) to recover at the end of this turn. No movement, any active defense allowed (-4 until next
turn if stunned, even recovering).
– Move
Move up to full Move score in yards, any active defense allowed.
– Change Posture
Valid postures are standing, sitting, kneeling, crawling, lying prone and lying face up. Standing <-> Kneeling can
replace the step in a maneuver (no need for Change Posture then). No Movement, any active defense (with
penalty if not standing).
– Aim
Full-turn maneuver. Allow to add weapon accuracy to next Attack or All-Out Attack with the same weapon on the
same target. If braced, +1 to accuracy. Extra rounds of Aim give further bonus (max +2). Combined bonus from all
targeting systems cannot exceed weapon's base accuracy. Movement : step, except if using a braced, two-handed
weapon. Any active defense but Aim benefit is lost. If injured while aiming, Will roll or lose bonus.
– Evaluate
Equivalent of Aim in melee. +1 to skill for Attack, Feint, All-Out Attack or Move and Attack against that opponent
on next turn. Multiple consecutive Evaluate allowed to a maximum of +3. Movement : step. Any active defense,
does not spoil Evaluate.
– Attack
Move : step. Any active defense.
– Feint
Roll quick contest of Melee Weapons (or Cloak / Shield / DX if better for the defender). If Feint fails or if defender
has as many success as attack, nothing happens. If Feint is successful and defense fails, substract success margin
to active defenses for next 1 second. If both succeed, substract defense margin from attack one, this gives the
penalty to defense for next 1 second. Movement : step. Any active defense.
– All-Out Attack
Determined : single attack at +4 to hit with melee or +1 with ranged.
Double : two attacks against same foe.
Feint : make one Feint then Attack.
Strong : +2 damage or +1 per die if better.
Movement : up to half Move score, but only forward. No active defense until next turn.
Suppression fire.
– Move and Attack
Ranged attack at -2 or weapon's bulk rating if worse. Melee attack other than slam at -4 and adjusted skill cannot

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exceed 9. Movement : as Move maneuver but at -2 on any roll. Active defense : dodge or block only, no parry or
retreat.
– All-Out Defense
Increased Defense : +2 to one active defense (Dodge, Parry or Block) until next turn.
Double Defense : apply two different active defenses against the same attack.
– Concentrate
Concentrate on one primarily mental task. If forced to use any active defense, injured or distracted, roll Will-3.
Movement : step. Any active defense.
– Ready
Pick up, draw any item and prepare it for use.
– Wait
Do nothing unless a particular event specified in advance occurs before next turn.
Wait with a ready ranged weapon : cover a one-yard area.
Stop thrust : brace a thrusting weapon to receive a possible enemy charge.
Movement : none until wait is triggered. Any active defense (but can't be followed by an All-Out Attack then).

Movement and Combat

– Movement
Standing : Full Move
Sitting : No Move
Kneeling : Move * 1/3
Crawling : Move * 1/3
Lying Down : Move 1
– Step
1/10 of Move, rounded up, never less than 1 yard.
– Moving through other characters
Evading : quick contest of DX with :
-5 if foe is standing up
-2 if foe is kneeling
+2 if approaching from side
+5 if approaching from behind
+5 if foe is lying down

Melee Attacks
– Deceptive Attack
For every -2 on attack skill, -1 to foe's active defenses.
– Rapid Strike
Replace one attack by two attacks at -6.
– Grabbing
Attack using DX or grappling skill with usual penalty to hit hand (-4). Defense as usual. On hit, foe's weapon is
grabbed. Roll ST contest on next turn : success takes the weapon, loss releases grip on the weapon.
– Grappling
Only available in close combat. Attack using DX or grappling skill. Defense as usual. No damage but foe has -4 to DX
while held.
– After a grapple : takedown
Quick contest of ST, DX or grappling skill (each one chooses the highest one). Win : the victim falls down and loses
his grapple. Loss : attacker falls down and lose grapple ! Tie : nothing happens.
– After a grapple : pin

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If foe on the ground and grappled at torso : ST contest. The larger fighter gets +3 per Size Modifier above. The
fighter with most free hands gets +3. Win : foe is pinned and helpless. Lose or tie : nothing happens.
– After a grapple : choke or strangle
Quick contest of ST vs higher of foe's ST or HT, at -5 if using only one hand. If SM exceeds foe's one, it is possible o
crush torso, in which case roll is at -5. Win : foe takes margin of victory as crushing damage. DR protects normally.
Injury to the neck is multiplied by 1,5. If any damage penetrates DR, victim suffocates : loses 1 FP on next turns until
escape.
– After being grappled : Attack or All-Out Attack
Cannot use grappled limb, only unarmed attack or weapons with range C.
– After being grappled : ready
Ready an item with a free hand, must succeed a DX roll.
– After being grappled : break free
Win a contest of ST. Foe is at +5 if grappling with two hands. If pinned, foe rolls at +10 or +5 if using only one hand,
can attempt to break free only once every 10 seconds.
– Slam
Roll against DX, Brawling or Sumo Wrestling to hit. Foe may dodge, block or parry. If he dodges, move at least 2
yards past him. If hit : attacker and foe each inflict dice of crushing damage equals to HP * velocity / 100 where
velocity is the number of yards attacker has moved this turn added to the distance the foe has moved. If damage is
less than 1d : 0.25 -> 1d-3 / 0.5 -> 1d-2 / 0.5+ -> 1d. If attacker does more damage, foe rolls against DX or fall down.
Twice the damage = automatic knock down of the loser.
– Shove
Roll against DX or Sumo to hit. Foe may dodge, block or parry. If hit : roll thrust/crushing damage (at -1 per die if
using only one hand) and double it. This inflicts knockback but no physical injury.

Ranged Attacks
– Size Modifier
Add target SM to skill.
– Target's range and speed
Add target's speed (in yards per second) to its range. When target is moving at human speed, neglect speed
unless it is sprinting, flying or something similar.
Distance (yards) Modifier
2 0
3 -1
5 -2
7 -3
10 -4
15 -5
20 -6
30 -7
50 -8
70 -9
100 -10
150 -11
200 -12
300 -13
500 -14
700 -15
1000 -16
1500 -17
2000 -18
3000 -19
5000 -20

– Thrown weapons

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The range of a thrown weapon is usually a multiple of ST. A thrown weapon travels fairly slowly : target has the
choice to block or parry instead of dodge.
– Muscle-powered missile weapons
Range and damage is determined by ST or bow's ST.
– Rate of fire
If RoF is 1, the weapon can fire one shot per attack. If RoF is 2 or more, it is capable of firing more than one shot
per attack.
– Reloading and shots
Reloading requires a number of Ready maneuvers and restores the weapon's full number of shots, except if
loading time is designated « i » for is per shot.
– Rapid fire
Weapons with R0F2+ can fire multiple shots per attack, up to a maximum equal to their RoF. Rapid-fire weapons
use the Recoil (Rcl) statistic. To find the number of hits, compare margin of success on the attack roll to weapon's
recoil : an attack scores one extra hit for every full multiple of Recoil. Firing a large number of shots per attack also
gives a bonus to hit.
Shots Bonus to hit
2 -> 4 0
5 -> 8 1
9 -> 12 2
13 -> 16 3
17 -> 24 4
25 -> 49 5
50 -> 99 6
Each x2 +1 to hit

Defending
– Injury and active defenses
If stunned, any active defense is at -4. Active defenses don't take penalty from shock.
– Shields and defense bonus
Shields or cloaks add their Defense Bonus to any Dodge, Parry or Block against an attack coming from front or
shield side.
– Dodge
Dodge = Basic Speed +3 (dropping all fractions) – Encumbrance
– Acrobatic Dodge
Once per turn and with at least one point in Acrobatics skill. Roll Acrobatics test. Success: +2 to Dodge roll. Failure:
-2 to Dodge roll.
– Sacrificial Dodge
Roll dodge after foe's attack but before friend's defense. If success : attack hits dodger instead of friend.
– Blocking
Block = 3 + half Shield or Cloak skill (dropping all fractions)
Only one block per turn.
– Parrying
Parry = 3 + half weapon skill + weapon mod (dropping all fractions)
Parries after first one are at a cumulative -4, -2 if fencing weapon or trained by a master or weapon master, -1 if
both. Parry with offhand is at -2 unless Ambidextry advantage.
Parrying thrown weapons : -1 or -2 for small thrown weapons.
Parrying unarmed attacks : if successful parry, free attack with the weapon used to parry (at -4 if attacked is using
Judo or Karate). If attack succeeds, foe doesn't get any defense roll, damage are rolled normally,
Parrying unarmed : 3 + half DX or skill. Parrying a weapon is at -3, unless it is thrust or using Karate / Judo.
– Retreat
Take a step away from attacker, add +3 to Dodge, +1 to Block or Parry (+3 to Parry with Fencing weapons, Boxing,

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Judo or Karate). Attacker still gets all his attacks for this round. If the attacker hasn't taken his step, he can follow.
Only one retreat per turn.
– Dodge and Drop
Same as retreat but for ranged attack, +3 to Dodge.
– Sacrificial Dodge and Drop
Same as Sacrificial Dodge, except that with 3 or more success, no one is hit. Both defender and friend are lying
prone after this.
– Diving for Cover
Roll dodge. If success, reach cover or move one step before explosion.

Damage and Injury

– Half Damage for Ranged Weapons
Damages are rounded down.
– Damage Resistance and Penetration
Substract armor Damage Resistance (maybe divided by armor divisor from weapon) from dealt damages and
multiply penetrating damages according to weapon.

Small Piercing (pi-) * 0,5

Burning, Crushing (cr), Piercing (pi) *1
Cutting (cut), Large Piercing (pi+) * 1,5
Impaling (imp), Huge Piercing (pi++) *2

– Flexible Armor and Blunt Trauma

For every full 10 points of cutting, impaling or piercing damage or 5 points of crushing damage stopped by DR, 1 HP
of injury due to blunt trauma. If even one point of damage penetrates DR, there is no blunt trauma.
– Hurting Yourself
If striking unarmed a target with DR 3+, take one point of crushing damage per every 5 points of basic damage to a
maximum of target DR. Own DR protects against this damage.
– Knocback
For every full multiple of target's ST-2, the target moves 1 yard away from attacker. Anyone who suffers knockback
must roll against DX, Acrobatics or Judo (highest), -1 per yard after the first. On a failure, fall.
– Effects of Injury
Halve Basic Speed and Move if 1/3 or less HP. This affects Dodge. At 0 of fewer HP, roll vs HT each turn to remain
conscious. If fully negative, HT roll, failure means death. Roll once again at -2*HP, -3*HP and -4*HP. -5*HP is death.
– Shock
On next turn, -1 to IQ and DX per HP lost. If 20 or more HP, -1 per (HP/10) lost, rounded down. Shock penalty cannot
exceed -4.
– Major Wounds
If a single injury exceed 1/2 of total HP, HT roll. Failure : stun and knockdown. Failure by 5+ : pass out.
– Stunning
-4 to active defenses, cannot retreat, do nothing on next turn. At the end of the turn, attempt HT roll to recover.

Critical Hits and Misses

– Critical hit
Foe does not get an active defense roll and roll on Critical Hit Table (p 556).
– Critical success on defense roll

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If defending against a melee attack -> foe rolls on Critical Miss Table (p 556). No special effect against ranged
attack.
– Critical miss
Roll on appropriate Critical Miss Table (p 556). If critically missing a dodge, lose footing and fall prone. On block,
lose grip on shield and take a turn to ready it before being able to block again.

Mounted Combat
– Mounting up
Mounting a horse takes two maneuvers. To leap astride in one turn : roll Riding, Acrobatics, or Jumping at -3 (no
penalty if using stirrups). Failure : fall off.
– Movement and Maneuvers
Roll Riding+2 to get any mount (not war-trained) to charge or perform risky maneuvers.
Use Change Posture to dismount if the mount hasn't moved or has only made a step. Otherwise, take a Move or
Move and Attack Maneuver and make an Acrobatics or Jumping roll.
– Falling off
If the mount makes a successful DX roll for a difficult action, roll against Riding. On a failure, rider is unseated. If
the mount fails its roll, check Mount Loss of Control Table.
– Spooked Mounts
If a mount is spooked, the rider must make a Riding roll and take a Ready Maneuver every second to regain
control. A critical success or three ordinary successes in a row calm the mount ; a critical failure or three failures in a
row mean a total loss of control.
– Attacks by Mount
When charging directly toward foe, foe must make a Will roll or run away. Combat Reflexes gives a +6.
– Cavalry Weapons
Use lowest of Melee Weapon skill or Riding skill. If mount's velocity is 7 or more relative to foe, attack has -1 to hit
but +1 damage.
Use lowest of Ranged Weapon skill or Riding skill. If firing a noisy weapon, make a Riding skill : on a failure, the
mount is spooked ; on a critical failure, lose control. Can't benefit from extra turns of Aim or targeting systems.
– Mounted Defense
Mount can only dodge. Rider can dodge, block or parry ; reduce active defense by the difference between 12 and
rider's skill.
– Mounted Combat Results
A stunned rider must make a Riding roll at -4 or fall off. Any knockback causes the rider to fall unless he's using
saddle and stirrups : he gets then a Riding roll at -4 to stay on.
If an attack misses the rider by 1, it hits the mount. If an attack misses the mount by 1, it hits the rider.
If the mount is hit, rider rolls vs. Riding minus the shock penalty suffered by the mount to keep it from spooking.

Surprise
– Total Surprise
Defenders are completely taken by surprise, they freeze. They can't react for 1d turns and are mentally stunned.
They can try to recover afterwards. Combat Reflexes prevent from freeze.
– Partial Surprise
Occurs when defenders were expecting trouble or when each party surprised the other.
The leader of each sides roll 1d. +2 if leader has Combat Reflexes, +1 if someone else does (not cumulative). The
leader with higher IQ gets +1. Having a point in Tactics gives +1, 20+ in Tactics gives +2. If leaderless, GM rolls with a
-2. The highest roll gets initiative and the others are mentally stunned. Get a +1 to recover on 2nd turn, +2 in 3rd and
so on. If initiative roll is a tie, nobody is surprised.

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 Hit Location
– Torso
No penalty, no effect on damage. Default target.
– Vitals
-3 to hit, impaling and piercing get a wounding modifier of *3.
– Skull
-7 to hit, extra DR 2, wounding modifier is *4, knockdown rolls are at -10 and critical hits use Critical Head Blow
Table (p 556).
– Eye
-9 to hit, impaling and piercing are at *4, if injury over HP/10, the eye is blinded.
– Face
-5 to hit, -5 to knockdown rolls, ignore DR if open helmet, crits use Critical Head Blow Table, major wound blinds
one eye, full HP injury blinds both.
– Neck
-5 to hit, crushing at *1,5, cutting at *2.
– Groin
-3 to hit, males suffer double shock from crushing damage and get -5 to knockdown rolls.
– Arm or Leg
-2 to hit (-4 for shield arm), large piercing, huge piercing and impaling are reduced to *1. Any major wound cripples
the limb but damage beyond HP/2 are lost.
– Hands or Feet
-4 to hit (-8 for hand holding shield), crippling major wound with HP/3.

Special Ranged Combat Rules

– Malfunctions
A malfunction is a mechanical failure of the weapon.
TL Malf
3 12
4 14
5 16
6 or higher 17

A fine or very fine weapon gets +1 to malf ; a cheap weapon gets -1. Regardless of skill, a weapon will malfunction
on any unmodified attack roll equal or greater than its malf.
– Cover
Target a location that is not behind cover with usual penalty ; extra -2 if only half exposed.
Roll randomly for hit location : no penalty but shot might hit cover instead of target. Half exposed : roll 1d ; 4-6
strikes cover instead of target.
Shoot through cover : -2 to hit and cover adds its DR.
– Overpenetration
Attack overpenetrates if basic damage exceeds target's cover DR.
Cover DR = [ DR (on both side) + HP (for flesh) | HP/2 (for machine) | HP/4 (for homogenous object) ] / armor divisor
– Automatic weapons and full-auto only
Full-auto only weapons fire at minimum RoF/4 or shots remaining (whichever is less).
– Shotguns and Multiple Projectiles
If range is less then 10% of 1/2D, don't apply RoF multiplier but multiply both basic damage qnd DR by half that
value, rounded down.
– Spraying Fire
RoF5+ weapons can attack multiple targets. If RoF <= 16, lose 1 shot per yard between targets, if RoF = 16+, lose 2

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shorts per yard. Effective recoil against 2nd target is at +1, +2 against 3rd target, etc.
– Suppression Fire
Select a target zone two-yard across at some point within range. Any target entering that area before attacker
next turn will be affected. Attacker must specify how many shots are to be used. If RoF 10+, multiple adjacent two-
yard zones can be covered (at least 5 shots in each).
Final effective skill cannot exceed 6 + rapid-fire bonus or 8 + rapid-fire bonus with vehicle or tripod-mounted
weapons.

Special Ranged Weapons

– Crossbows
Crossbow ST <= user ST : 2 seconds to ready weapon.
Crossbow ST = user ST+1 | ST+2 : 6 seconds to ready weapon.
Crossbow ST = user ST+3 | ST+4 : 20 seconds to ready weapon with goat's foot.