TranzFuzion

Now that you've created a character, its time to use him or her in the gaming environment. This means learning how Time (and Turn Order), Facing, Distance and Movement work in the Fuzion system.

It's FUZION TIME!
Fuzion uses two ways of measuring time. The first, Roleplaying Time, works just like it does in real life; dividing reality into seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, etc.

The Time Table

1 phase = 3 seconds

1 Round=12 seconds

5 Rounds= 1 minute

5 minutes

20 minutes

1 hour

6 hours

1 day

The second way, Combat Time, is far more exacting. In Combat, time is divided into 3 second combat PHASES. (Note: In HERO, this is roughly equivalent to Speed 4.) Anything that takes longer than a phase is considered to be a long action, and will take at least 12 seconds to complete. In extreme cases, you may even want to use minutes or hours to describe especially long actions.

Who Goes First?
Each Phase, every player (who isn't unconscious or otherwise out of the fight) gets to do something during the phase. But who goes first? This is decided by determining initiative. There are two Switch Positions for determining initiative:

Switch 1: (better for group of characters vs. Ref-run melees.) The character with the highest REF always acts first in a phase. They may also be allowed to hold their action (see Wait under Advanced Actions) and act later in the phase. The character with the next highest REF score acts next and so on. If the characters are still tied, then roll a die to break ties at the start of combat; the higher number goes first.

Switch 2: (best for Character vs. Character melees) At the beginning of each phase, each character rolls 3 dice and adds their REFLEX Characteristic. The character with the highest total acts first for that phase (they are also allowed to hold their action and act later in the phase.) The character with the next highest total acts next and so on. Roll an additional die to break ties; high number goes first.

Once the phase order has been determined, each character takes their TURN. Then the next character gets a chance to do their action, until all characters have had their chance to act. Then the sequence begins again with a new phase.

So It's My Turn. Now What?
Once your turn comes up in the phase, you can start taking ACTIONS. Actions are basically things you can do within the span of a few seconds, like use a weapon, dodge, or even start an Action that may stretch over several phases (like picking a lock).

What Can I Do As An Action During My Turn?
You can do one thing each Phase. This could include:

ATTACK MOVE DODGE NON-COMBAT ACTION

Each one of these things would be considered an Action.

Free Actions
These are things you can do automatically, without spending any of your Actions. An example would be standing up, using Breakfall, maintaining a Power (Darkness, Telekinesis, Force Field and Invisibility to name a few) that's already been turned on, or any power that doesn't require a roll. To be sure, ask the GM of your campaign what Actions are free in his game.

Speed
In order to give the proper flavor to superheroic combat, we've added the Speed Characteristic to this rev of Fuzion. A character's Speed is the number of Phases the character may act in one Round. Normally in Fuzion, every character gets 4 Phases in each Round. When using the Speed characteristic, each Round is divided into 12 Segments of 1 second each. Refer to the Speed Chart to find when your character takes a Phase. The character's Speed is across the top of the chart, and the Segment is listed along the left; each X indicates when a characters gets a Phase. For instance, a character with a Speed of 5 gets to act on Segments 3, 5, 8, 10, and 12.

Each Round, the GM should begin by counting off the segments ("Segment 1, segment 2...") until a Segment is reached where a character has a Phase. All characters with a Phase in that Segment get to act, following the usual rules for determining who goes first. Combat usually begins on Segment 12, giving everyone a chance for an action and then a free Recovery (at the end of each Segment 12, all characters get a free Recovery without having to use a Recovery Action). Targets that are surprised would not act in Segment 12.
Characters can choose to act at a lower Speed in a Round (thus saving Endurance). The character's acting Speed must be chosen before Segment 1, and the character must stay at that lower Speed for the entire Round.

					Character's Speed
Phase	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	19	11	12
		1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	X
		2	-	-	-	-	-	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
		3	-	-	-	X	X	-	-	X	X	X	X	X
		4	-	-	X	-	-	X	X	-	X	X	X	X
		5	-	-	-	-	X	-	-	X	-	X	X	X
		6	-	X	-	X	-	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
		7	X	-	-	-	-	-	X	-	X	-	X	X
		8	-	-	X	-	X	X	-	X	X	X	X	X
		9	-	-	-	X	-	-	X	X	-	X	X	X
		10	-	-	-	-	X	X	-	-	X	X	X	X	
		11	-	-	-	-	-	-	X	X	X	X	X	X
		12	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X

An Alternative to Speed
A shorthand way to deal with reaction times is to give players extra actions instead of using a Speed chart. For every 4 points of Speed (or 8 pts of REF) the character has, he gets one additional Action each phase (essentially Speed 4 in the HERO system).

Character Speed 1-4 5-8 9-10 11-12 13-16 17-18
Actions each Phase 1 2 3 4 5 6

Facing
Facing is the direction you are pointing. Since many Fuzion games are played "in head" (without maps), the rule is that you can face anything positioned forward of your shoulders.
When using a standard gaming hex map, characters can normally "face" through any three adjacent sides (not corners) of the hex they are standing in.

A Note about Using Figures
One reason we've used the meter-yards formula for computing distances in Fuzion is that it corresponds pretty well with a generic 6 foot character (ok, a meter isn't exactly 6 feet, but for convenience's sake, it works well enough). This allows you to use almost any size of figure in play-the actual figure becomes a useful 2 yard "yardstick" to measure distances. Army men, action figures, even fashion dolls-anything can work with this simple scale system.

Line of Sight and Firing Arc
Facing is only part of the story. The other part is whether or not you can actually see (and attack) your intended target. This is called Line of sight.

Shooting Blind
When something is between you and your target, it blocks your line of sight. You may still shoot at it (assuming your weapon can penetrate the obstacle), but will have to attack blind (making a Perception Roll with a Difficulty Value determined by the GM. A successful roll allows you to shoot at a -2 to your REF; an unsuccessful roll increases this to -4.)

Partial Cover
An obstacle may also only partially block your line of sight, allowing you to try and shoot around it. Determine how much of your target is exposed, then reduce your Attack roll as below:

DISTANCE & MOVEMENT

Distance in Fuzion can be measured in either meters or yards (we admit to fudging the numbers a bit to allow us to use the same values for each; in reality a meter is slightly longer). Measurements will always be listed in both, usually with the abbreviation "m/yds". Either way, you should pick one unit of measure and stick with it.
Movement is the distance a character or vehicle can move in a phase-this value is always determined by your MOVE characteristic. As a rule, there are two scales of Movement used in Fuzion. The first scale is Figurative Movement; the raw MOVE score compared to another MOVE to see which is faster overall. This is best for simple speed decisions.
The other is Literal movement; a measurement of actual distance. This is best for realistic distances. As a general rule:
Multiply the MOVE of the character or mecha by 2 m/yds per phase to determine its "combat" or "running" distance.Multiply the MOVE of the character or mecha by 3 m/yds per phase for it's non-combat or sprinting distance.

Hint: We don't really recommend even bothering with literal movement above speeds of 50. Most of the time, you'll want to just use a general speed, determined as below:

• To get KPH ground speeds, multiply the non combat or combat move of the object by 3 kph. Example: with a non combat move of 18, I run at 54 kph.
  
• To get MPH ground speeds, multiply the non combat or combat move of the object by 2 mph. Example: with a non combat move of 18, I run at 36 mph.

Special Case: Mach Airspeeds
To get most KPH airspeeds, you'll multiply the combat move of the object by 3 kph. However, if the vehicle is especially fast, it may be able to apply the Afterburner Rule which allows it to increase it's non-combat velocity to Mach values (@1125kph) for every 100 points of MOVE. Example: at a MOVE of 250, my jet moves at an "afterburner" move of Mach 2 (roughly 2,244 kph).
To get combat MPH airspeeds, you'll multiply the non combat or combat MOVE of the object by 2 mph. Applying the Afterburner Rule to those with that option will allow them to move at a non-combat velocity of Mach 1 (750mph) for every 100 points of MOVE.

Example: at a MOVE of 200, my jet moves at a non-combat "sprint" of Mach 2 (roughly 1,500 mph).

Movement Rules
A few basic rules govern how you move during a phase:

In Fuzion, objects accelerate or decelerate at a rate of 10 MOVE per phase.
You may not move (or shoot) through any solid person, object or thing (see illustration above).
Your movement will be slowed by the type of terrain you cross over. Terrain is rated as Easy, Rough and Very Rough and reduces your overall MOVE characteristic in the following manner:

Note: that the roughness of the terrain doesn't mean that it's full of rocks; just that it's hard to cross. Rough terrain could include choppy waves, turbulent air, or light brush. Very rough might be mud, snow, ice or thick brush. Easy would be grass, sidewalks and open skies.

The terrain type is decided on by the GM, and is based on the majority of terrain you will be crossing over that phase. For example, if you ran over 4 m/yds of Easy terrain and 6 m/yds of Rough, the GM would probably rule that you were moving through Rough Terrain that phase.

TAKING ACTION
Whenever your character tries to do something (called taking an Action), there's always the question of whether he'll succeed or fail. Sometimes the task is so easy that it's obvious; for instance, taking a step forward without falling down. In those cases you'll just tell the GM what you're doing, and no die roll is needed.

But if you're trying to take a step on the deck of a ship pitching wildly in a driving rainstorm, walking might be very difficult indeed. That's where TASK RESOLUTION comes in. All tasks in Fuzion are resolved with the same formula: take the relevant CHARACTERISTIC and add to it the relevant SKILL, resulting in an ACTION VALUE [AV] Then add a die roll to your AV to create an ACTION TOTAL [AT]. Compare the resulting AT to a Difficulty Value. If you equal or exceed the Difficulty Value, you succeed!

The formula is:

Your AV (CHARACTERISTIC+SKILL) + a DIE ROLL

vs. the DV (DIFFICULTY VALUE) + 10 (or a DIE ROLL)

WHICH CHARACTERISTIC DO I USE?
Usually common sense will tell you what Characteristic to use:

• INTELLIGENCE Memory, problem solving
• WILLPOWER Ability to face danger, fear, stress
• PRESENCE Interactions with others.
• TECHNIQUE Manipulating tools, instruments
• REFLEXES Fighting and driving/control skills
• DEXTERITY Physical Abilities. Dodging, athletics
• CONSTITUTION Resistance to pain, disease, shock
• STRENGTH Muscle mass and physical power
• MOVEMENT Running, swimming feats
  ...or the GM can decide if it's in dispute.

WHICH SKILL DO I USE?
The GM will usually decide which Skill fits the task best. Example: when attacking with a weapon, use the Weapon Skill for that weapon or Hand to Hand if you're using your fists. If Driving a car, use your Driving Skill instead, and so on.

WHICH DIE ROLL?
This is one of the basic decisions you have to make before you begin playing Fuzion: what Dice should you use? While standard 6-sided dice are always used for damage, in Fuzion, you can use either 3 six-sided dice (the HERO Option) or one 10-sided die (the Interlock Option) for resolving actions. The GM should decide at the start of the campaign what kind of dice will be used; this will then be in effect for all characters within that campaign.

WHAT'S THE DIFFICULTY VALUE [DV]?
The DIFFICULTY VALUE [DV] is a number you must roll equal or higher than with your combined ACTION VALUE and a DIE ROLL. DIFFICULTY VALUES come in two flavors: OPPOSED and UNOPPOSED:

Opposed:
When attempting a task against another character, such as attacking someone, the DIFFICULTY VALUE (aka DEFENSIVE VALUE) is determined by the CHARACTERISTIC+ SKILL of the character opposing you.

Unopposed:
When attempting a task involving non-living objects or an ability, the DIFFICULTY VALUE is given to you by the GM, based on how tough he thinks the task is. These DVs do not add die rolls or a value of 10. They are determined by using the Universal Difficulty Value Table below:
Description DV Description DV

In general, if a character has a Heroic Characteristic and an Heroic Skill, he has about an even chance to succeed at a Heroic task. GMs should use these values as guidelines; feel free to use Modifiers to make it more or less difficult.

Difficulty Values, The Easy Way
If the GM doesn't have the Universal Difficulty Value Table handy, there's an easy way to get the right Difficulty Value: Ask the player for their Action Total, then assign a Difficulty Value in relation to that total: A really easy task adds -4 or -3 to the DV, an easy task adds -2 or -1, a tough task adds +1 or +3, and a really tough task adds+5 or +6.

A DIE ROLL OR STRAIGHT 10?
Fuzion's unusual "parentage" offers you two ways to resolve the DV side of the outcome. The first is the HERO Option (from the Champions side of the family), which uses a straight value (10) instead of a die roll. This option gives your campaigns a more predictable feeling; once your skills are high enough, you can depend on almost always making the grade. Remember; when using this option, the Attacker should roll three six sided dice.
The second is the Interlock Option (named after RTG's core system used in Cyberpunk and Mekton ), in which a 1D10 die roll is added to the Difficulty (aka Defensive) Value of the Defender. This option tends to give your campaigns a more unpredictable flavor; even the toughest characters will have to depend on Luck against an equally skilled opponent. Remember, when using this option, the attacker should always roll a single ten sided die. Either option works equally well and both are scaled to fit the Difficulty Value Table at left

Or Do You Even Need to Roll at All?
The GM can also choose to automatically count as a success any task where the player's Characteristic+Skill total already meets or beats the Difficulty Value.

USING YOUR SKILLS
Using your Skills is the most common kind of Action outside of Combat. The first step in using a skill is determining what Characteristic you're going to use and what Skill to pair it up with when you do something:

WHAT CHARACTERISTIC DO I USE?
In general, common sense should tell you which Characteristic to use for a particular task, or the GM of your campaign can decide if there's a dispute. However, the following guidelines will usually apply in almost any case:
The most important thing is to look at the type of task you're trying to perform first. This will determine the most applicable Characteristic upon which to base your Skill. One side effect of this method is that you may often find the same Skill being combined with different Characteristics, depending on circumstances and the way in which you want to use that Skill. For example, if you're playing a piece of music and trying to make it technically perfect, you might use your Technique characteristic in combination with your Performance Skill. But if you were trying to sway an audience to tears with the beauty of your playing, you could use your Personality Characteristic in combination with your Performance Skill instead. Each uses the same Skill, but each choice stresses very different aspects of using that skill!

WHAT SKILL DO I USE?
The overriding rule here is that the GM will always be the final arbiter of what Skill should be used to make an attempt at a task. Beyond that, common sense is the best guideline. If you're using a weapon, your Skill choice may be pretty simple; use the Skill that describes the weapon best. But if it's an interpersonal issue, you may be able to convince your GM to give you a lot more leeway; maybe your Social Skill may be far more useful in convincing the gang leader to release the hostages than your Persuasion, especially if you can call upon a little known gangland code that requires he honor your request! The ability to bend Skills around to fit circumstances allows you to use one of the best strengths of the Fuzion system: flexibility.

When You Don't Have a Skill
Sometimes, you just don't have a Skill to use. In these cases, there are two options the GM can use. The first is the Outta Luck option: you just don't get a Skill to add to your characteristic. You just don't know anything about what you have to do, and you're totally relying on a Characteristic and dumb luck (a good time to use that LUCK you've been hoarding).
The second route is the Cultural Familiarity option. In most societies, there are very few things that can be done that aren't described in some manner or other; people shoot guns in movies; legends describe how the hero used his sword, Tom Clancy novels tell all about how submarines work. Cultural Familiarity assumes the more widely educated you are, the more chance you may have run across something relating to what you're about to attempt. Therefore, whenever you don't have a Skill that will apply, you can gain one point for every three points of Education you currently have. And since most people start with at least 2 points of Education, one point of ADDITIONAL Education may be enough to get you a start. Use of the above rule is, of course, subject to the decision of the GM.

IMPROVING Skill Use
Besides the basic ways of using skills, there are a few other variations that can improve your chances:

Trying Again
If you fail a Skill Check, you can't try again until your check has improved for some reason; you took longer, used a better tool, or made a complementary Skill Check.

Complementary Skills
A Complementary Skill Check is where the use of one skill directly affects the use of a subsequent skill. For example, if you were a singer and needed to sway a crowd, a very good Performance check would make the swaying (Persuasion) a lot easier. As a rule of thumb:

1) At the GM's discretion, a good roll in one skill may have a bonus effect on the subsequent use of a related skill. This bonus will be in a ratio of +1 additional bonus point for every 5 points the related skill succeeded by. Example: Sue wants to convince Bob to go out with her (Persuasion). By making a really good Wardrobe and Style roll, she could increase her Persuasion by dazzling Bob with her sexy wardrobe.

2) As a rule, this bonus will usually only affect a subsequent attempt once. One really high Wardrobe and Style roll won't allow Sue to convince Bob to marry her; it just helps get her the date. The rest is up to fate.

3) As a rule, this bonus should only involve the interaction of one skill attempt on one other Skill attempt.

Taking Extra Time
Taking extra time can also give you a bonus to your Skill Roll. For every level on the Time Table used beyond the amount of time the GM assigns to the task, add +1 to the Skill Roll. Example: The GM says a task will take 1 minute. If the character takes 5 minutes to perform the task, he gets a +1 bonus to the Skill Roll.

• The Time Table
• 1 phase = 3 seconds
• 1 Round= 12 seconds
• 5 Rounds= 1 minute
• 5 minutes
• 20 minutes
• 1 hour
• 6 hours
• 1 day
  

Critical Success
A critical success is when you get lucky and manage to succeed at something you normally would have no chance in Hades to accomplish. In game play, this is simulated by allowing you to roll additional dice which are then added to the original roll to enhance it's effects. The rules for this depend on which dice option you are using:

• If you're rolling D10: On a natural roll of 10, you've scored a critical success. Roll an another 1D10 and add the result to your first roll. If you roll another 10, you may not score another critical success.
• If you're rolling 3D6: On a natural roll of 18, roll two additional D6's and add this result to your original roll.
  ...and Critical Failure
• Sometimes even the best of the best have a bad day.
• If you're rolling D10: On a natural roll of 1, Roll an another 1D10 and subtract the result from your first roll.
• If you're rolling 3D6: On a natural roll of all 1's, roll two additional D6's and subtract the result from your first roll.

Performing Actions
In Fuzion, each player can perform one action per phase. But what kind of actions can you perform when your chance comes up? And how do they all work together? In general, there are two kinds of Actions in Fuzion: Basic Actions, which are simple descriptions of tasks you'll want to perform during your turn, and Advanced Actions, which represent more sophisticated maneuvers that add strategy and tactics to your game play. Both have advantages; Basic in speed, Advanced in subtlety.

The following section discusses Basic Actions a character can perform, each explained. Advanced Actions are described on the following page in their own section. Both also have useful summary pages to recap what each action means.

Basic Action SUMMARY

TURN SEQUENCE SUMMARY
Each Phase, roll one die and add your REF. During this 3-second segment, do the following:

[A] Choose Your Action You have 1 Action each Phase. These actions can be Attacks or involve other types of activity. If attacking go to [B]; if not, skip down to [D].

[B] Check Line of Sight You can attack anything positioned forwards of your shoulders, as long as nothing else is in the way.

[C] Check Range Each attack has a range, listed in meters/yards. If using figures, assume one figure is equal to 2 meters (or @6 feet) of range from top to base. If you are in range, you can attack.

[D] Resolve Action See Taking Action [pg.141]. In general, roll 1die and add to your Characteristic+ Skill. If the action was an Attack, go to [E]. If not, go on to NEXT PHASE [F].

[E] Resolve Damage If you hit, roll a number of 6-sided dice equal to the Damage Class.

[F] Go to Next Phase Start again with the process.

ADVANCED ACTIONS
These are other Actions you can take besides the Basic ones. Remember that even this list is only a fraction of the possible maneuvers you may want to invent or add to your campaigns.

Advanced Action SUMMARY

Advanced Action Descriptions

Abort:	Characters who are being attacked, and who have yet to take their turn, may 'abort' to a defensive maneuver (Block, Dodge, or Dive For Cover) using their upcoming action. Characters continue to do this defensive action until they can act again in the next phase.
Aim:	This action allows you to improve your chances to hit with a ranged weapon (only). Each action taken aiming adds +1 to your attack, up to three actions total. Aiming assumes a steady, braced position, no movement, and a clear chance to track your target.
Choke Hold:	A two hand or one arm Grab maneuver (unless you're really big and your GM allows you to use one hand or arm). Once a successful Choke hold is established, the choker will do 2D6 in killing damage unless the Choke is broken by the victim.
Disarm:	On a successful Attack roll, you have a chance to knock something from the opponent's hand at no penalty. The attacker gets a STR + Hand to Hand roll versus the defender's STR + Hand to Hand roll; if the attacker wins, the defender drops the weapon. Use the area effect table to determine where the weapon falls, with your opponent in the center.
Dive For Cover:	This action allows you to get out of the way of explosions and area effect attacks. You make a Defense roll (using an appropriate Hand To Hand or Athletics roll if allowed by the GM), against a Difficulty Value based on the distance (base of 8 for 1m +1 difficulty for every extra 1 m/yds). If the roll is failed, you didn't dodge fast and/or far enough and were caught by the attack effects. Diving for cover can be performed by holding an action (just in case) or by aborting to your next action if you have not yet taken your turn.
Draw & Attack:	By declaring this action at the start of the round, you are effectively trying to "fast draw" on your opponents. This allows you to draw and use a weapon in one action, instead of the normal two, but imposes a -3 penalty on your attack.
Entangle:	This allows the character to use any entangling type of attack (whips, nets, tentacles, etc) to immobilize an opponent. The attack is made using the skill for that weapon against the target's defense roll. An entangled character must act as though a Grab has been made; he can't move or attack until he escapes.
Escape:	This is the action of freeing yourself from physical holds, chokes, entanglements or simple traps (like snares or nets). This requires a separate roll using your STR+ Athletics (or Hand to Hand skills) against the holder's Athletics (or Hand to Hand) skills plus their Strength. Example: Although Fox's Athletics is 7, her STR is only 3. Brick's Athletics is only 3, but his STR is 10. The extra 3 point edge easily allows Brick to hold Fox immobilized. If pitted against a trap, you will use your STR+Athletics Skill against a Difficulty Value set by the GM. On a successful roll, you are free of the hold and may move again. Hand to Hand or Tech-based Skills may also be used in default of Athletics if the GM agrees.
Haymaker:	You throw caution to the wind and put everything into a single full-out physical move (a swing, punch or blow). This gives you a damage bonus of +3 dice, but imposes a -3 penalty to hit (because you're not worrying about keeping your balance or aiming, etc.).
Move:	This action allows you to move up to half your Run (or other Combat Movment power) distance, and perform one other action, except for Run, Sprint, Move By, Move Thru, Recover or any action the GM rules to take a Full Action (or longer.)
Move By:	This action lets you use up to your full Move and make a Hand-to-Hand or Melee attack (only) at any point along that movement, at a penalty of -2 to your REF and DEX. You do your half STR damage plus 1 die for every 10m/yds moved. You will also take one third of that damage yourself.
Move Thru:	This action lets you use up to your full Move and make a Hand-to-Hand or Melee attack (only) at the end of that movement, at a REF penalty of -1 for every 10m/yds moved and -3 to DEX. You do your STR damage plus 1die for every 5m/yds moved. You also take half that damage yourself.
Recover:	Recovering gives you back Stun (and Endurance, if using that Derived Characteristic) equal to your Recovery score. If you choose to Recover for your action, you can do nothing else that phase. If you suffer damage while recovering, you may not recover Stun points that phase. You are at -5 DEX while Recovering.
Sweep/Trip:	You put out a foot and send him sprawling. On a successful Hand to Hand roll, the attacker is knocked to the ground. He will be -2 to his next attack, you will gain +2 on your next.
Wait:	Allows you to interrupt another player's actions during their turn. Waiting is best used when you want to wait until an opportunity exposes itself. To Wait, you must announce, when your part of the phase comes up, that you are planning to Wait. The important word to include in this announcement is until, stating what condition must be met before you will act. An example might be, "I wait until Bob moves." or "I wait until I can see the whites of his eyes." If the conditions of your wait are not met, you must stand there, waiting, until the next round. When the specified condition has been met, you can elect to interrupt someone else's action immediately; after all, this is what you have been waiting for. An example would be: "I wait until my opponent pops his head up from behind the wall, then I'll shoot." The moment your opponent pops up to shot at you (his action), you could then interrupt and fire. You need not roll to interrupt; it's automatic. This can also be used to cover an opponent-i.e.; hold a ready weapon on him-you interrupt his action (BANG!) if he attempts to escape.

LIFTING & THROWING

Strength FEATS
One action that doesn't fall into the realm of the everyday in Fuzion are feats of strength. This is one place where reality must compromise with fiction, since many Fuzion settings deal with superheroes as well as more realistic types.
For most characters you can simply use one Strength scale to determine one's might. But how do you explain the abilities of most superheroes? How can a well built (but not exceptionally so) hero,-or a shapely fashion model with a thong and no visible muscles at all-lift a battleship and throw it a mile? Even if a human could lift a battleship, the distribution of weight around him would either (a) drive him into the ground like a nail; (b) punch a man-sized hole through the hull of the battleship, or (c) break the battleship in half. After all, what's holding up the parts of the battleship where our hero's hand's aren't?
It's pretty obvious that "entertainment" physics isn't like regular physics. That's why the Strength table (below) can be "dialed" to suit the reality level of your campaign. That way, characters with incredible Strength can lift the amazing tonnages that they do in comic books and manga; even though reality doesn't support this concept (or them).

The Strength table below is for deadlifting the weight to waist (or dragging it). Pressing it overhead would be half of your Lift, carrying (at 1/2 normal MOVE), pushing or lifting it for throwing would be reduced to one fourth of the listed weight.

If STR is above 34, double the previous value for each additional level

Pushing
In a campaign like Champions, where Endurance is used, the GM may allow characters to exert extra effort in emergencies; this pushing allows the characters to increase their STR up to a maximum of two additional levels. Pushing costs 5 points of END per phase for every extra level of STR you are calling upon; when you run out of END, you burn STUN points instead, until you pass out. The GM may even allow greater pushes (over 2 extra STR) in extraordinary circumstances, by requiring a successful WILL + Concentration roll be made at the time.

Throwing stuff
Another area where the everyday goes beyond reality in some Fuzion settings is throwing. For when superhumans and demigods start tossing cars around, throwing stuff can get a lot more interesting:

1) Compare the weight of the object to the closest approximate weight on the Weight Modifier table.

Important: You must be able to lift the object in order to throw it (no cheating!).

2) Subtract the Throw Modifier value from your current Throw (STR+4). Add +1 if the object is aerodynamic; also add +1 if it's balanced for throwing. Find your new Throw on the Distance Table (below) to determine how far you can throw the object. If the Throw is below .5, you can't throw it.

Throw Table
.5 2m		11 240m 	22 491km
1 6m 		12 480m 	23 983km
2 14m		13 960m 	24 1,957km
3 24m 	14 1,920m 	25 3,932km
4 36m 	15 3,840m 	26 7,862km
5 50m 	16 8km* 	27 15,725km
6 66m 	17 17km 	28 31,450km
7 84m 	18 31km 	29 62,899km
8 104m 	19 61km 	30 125,798km
9 125m 	20 123km 	31 251,597km
10 150m 	21 246km 	32 503,194km

*Km values rounded to nearest .5 decimal place. To get miles from km, divide by 1.5

Throw Modifier Table
Weight (Kg) Weight (Lbs) Example Modify Throw

Less than 2 kg Less than 4lbs Baseball -0
2kg/4lbs........................................-1
4kg/9lbs........................................-2
9kg/20lbs.......................................-3
18kg/40lbs......................................-4
36 kg/72lbs				Small Child...............-5
72 kg/158lbs			Adult Male,Lamp post......-6
143 kg/317lbs 			Manhole Cover.............-7
287 kg/634lbs 			Motorcycle................-8
575 kg/1,265lbs 		Small Car.................-9
1.15 tons/1.265tons 	Large car................-10
2.5 tons/2.75tons 		Small Semi-truck.........-11
5 tons/5.5tons 			Light Tank...............-12
10 tons/11tons			Small Jet................-13
20 tons/22tons 			Battle Tank, Whale.......-14
40 tons/44tons 			Large jet................-15
80 tons/88tons..................................-16
160 tons/176tons		Small Freighter...........-17
320 tons/352tons................................-18
640 tons/704tons 		Destroyer.................-19
1.25 kt/1.375kt.................................-20
2.5 kt/2.75kt...................................-21
5 kt/5.5kt......................................-22
10 kt/11kt 				Building..................-23
20 kt/22kt				Loaded Train..............-24
40 kt/44kt......................................-25
80 kt/88kt......................................-26
160 kt/176kt....................................-27
320 kt/352kt....................................-28
640 kt/704kt			Battleship................-29
1.25 mt/1.375mt			Nuclear Submarine.........-30
2.5 mt/2.75mt			Aircraft Carrier..........-31
5 mt/5.5mt......................................-32
10 mt/11mt......................................-33
20 mt/22mt......................................-34
40 mt/44mt				Mount Everest.............-35

MELEE & HAND-TO-HAND ATTACKS
Strike-this basic Attack Action includes punches and kicks, as well attacks using swords, clubs, knives and other melee weapons. In general, a strike can be defined as any attack made with a body part or that is powered by the strength of the body. The simplest Attack, it involves only four steps: Facing, Range, Line of Sight and Modifiers.

FACING & RANGE
Facing is the direction you are pointing. Since many Fuzion games are played "in head" (without maps), the standing rule is that you can clearly face anything that is positioned forward of your shoulders. When using a standard gaming hex map, characters "face" through any three adjacent sides of the hex they are standing in.

Range:
Can I Reach Out and Smack It?
As a rule, Melee attacks can hit any target within 4m/yds of you; this defined as MELEE RANGE. Polearms and other long melee weapons can hit anything within 6m/yds of you; this is Extended Melee Range and is applicable only to these weapons.

Line of Sight:
What's in the way?
Line of sight deals with whether anything's between you and your target.

Line of sight can either be:

• Clear There's nothing in the way; go ahead and swing.
• Obscured There's something that may block a clear view, but won't block a swing, such as smoke, or darkness. You can't see who you're fighting (the enemy is invisible, in darkness, in ambush or because you're dazzled), each phase you must make a Perception Roll (GM sets the Difficulty Value) If the roll is successful, the penalty is --2 to all subsequent Attack and Defense Valuesthat phase. If the Perception roll is unsuccessful, the penalty increases to -4.
• Blocked There's something in the way that you can't get through. Or, if the target is only partially blocked, swing at what you can reach. Determine how much is exposed, then modify your roll .

Cover Modifier

• Half Body -1
• Head and Shoulders Only -1
• Head only -2
• Behind someone else -2

Modifiers:
What Are My Chances to Hit?
Combat Modifiers take into account the conditions of the battle. Modifiers are always applied to Offensive Rolls. You may use some, none, or all of these rules:

Situation Modifier

A Special Modifier:
Surprise! It's an Ambush!
An attack that surprises the target, such as an ambush or a backstab, gives the Attacker a +5 Offensive bonus for that attack (but no initiative bonus).

To lay an ambush requires the following conditions:

• The opponent is unaware of your location and intention to attack. He may only detect you with a successful Perception roll.
• The opponent's attention is distracted or focused on another situation, such as another attack or a difficult task.

Making The Attack
In combat, the Attacker combines his Skill in his chosen Weapon or Hand to Hand skill with his REF and a die roll to create an Attack Totall. He may also have to add or subtract certain modifiers from this Attack Total to determine the final outcome. Example: an attacking character with a REF Characteristic of 5 a Hand to Hand Skill of 6 and a die roll of 6 has a Attack Total of 17. A -2 mod for an aimed shot in turn brings this down to 15.

The Defender combines his DEX, Athletics (or another skill like Fencing or Hand to hand if GM permits) skill and a die roll (in HERO, a flat value of 10 can be substituted for the roll) to produce a comparable Defense Value. Example: a character with DEX of 4, an Athletics skill of +6 and a die roll of 3 has a Defense Value of 13. The two rolls are compared; if the Attack Total is equal or greater than the Defense Value, you hit!

A Built-In Modifier: Weapon Accuracy
Weapon Accuracy [WA] reflects the difference in quality between weapons, and their effect on their user's abilities; the better and easier to use the weapon, the better you use it (and the worse the weapon...). WA's are not always used in Fuzion games, as their use varies from campaign to campaign. When they are brought into play, you will always find them listed in the description of the weapon. To use them, just apply the WA to your Attack roll as with any other Modifier.

GENERIC MELEE WEAPONS LIST
Following is a list of typical weapons found in many adventuring genres. including Cost, Damage Class (how many 6 sided dice it throws for damage), Accuracy Modifier, and the Minimum Strength required to use the weapon.

Archaic/Fantasy Melee Weapons

Type Cost DC Accuracy Min.STR Notes
Battle Axe 5 6 -1 5 2h
Hand Axe 2 2 +0 3 1h
Quarterstaff 3 3 +2 3 2h/Stun
Spear 4 2 +2 2 2h
Polearm 5 5 +2 3 2h
Mace 4 5 -1 4 1h
Club 1 1 +0 1 1h/Stun
Broadsword 4 4 +0 5 2h
Short Sword 3 2 +1 3 1h
Dagger 1 1 +0 1 1h
Knife .05 1 +0 1 1h
Whip 1 1 -1 1 1h
Javelin 3 2 +1 3 1h
Rapier 5 3 +2 2 1h
Saber 5 3 +2 2 1h
Katana 6 4 +2 2 2h

 

High Tech Melee Weapons
Type Cost DC Accuracy Min.STR Notes
Cyber Hand Blades 6 3 +1 1 AP
Energy Saber 5 4 +1 2 2h
Monoblade 3 2 +1 2 1H, AP

RANGED COMBAT
Ranged Combat occurs whenever you shoot at something. Any ranged weapon or attack can be "shot"-energy beams can be shot from a superhero's hands, bullets can be shot from a gun, stones can be shot from a sling. In general, if it strikes the target from a distance, it's Ranged Combat.

Line of Sight:
Is there anything in the way?

Line of sight deals with whether anything's between you and your target.

Line of sight can be:

• Clear There's nothing in the way; go ahead and shoot.
• Obscured There's something that may block a clear view, but won't block an shot, such as shrubbery, smoke, or darkness. If a character can't see who they are fighting ( enemy is invisible, in darkness, behind cover, in ambush or the character is dazzled), each phase they must make a Perception Roll (Difficulty Value determined by the GM) On a successful roll, the penalty is -2 to all Attack and Defense Values that phase. This increases to -4 with an unsuccessful roll.
• Blocked There's something in the way that you can't shoot through. If the target's only partially blocked; you can try to attack what you can reach. Determine how much is exposed, then reduce your Attack Total:

Cover Modifier
Half Body 							-2
Head and Shoulders Only 		-3
Head only							-4
Behind someone else 				-4
Target prone 						-2
Target crouched or kneeling 	-1

RANGE:
Is it Close Enough to hit?
In Fuzion, "shooting" ranges aren't based on how far the gun can shoot, but on how easy it is for a marksman to clearly see a target (if you can't see it, you're firing blind no matter how far your gun reaches).

This means that weapon ranges tend to overlap until they reach their Extreme ranges; as reflected in the table below. The Modifiers for each range are listed in [brackets] as well:

Melee [ +0] Within4m/yds or less of the target. This is also basic Melee and Hand to Hand range.

Close [ -2 ] Within 10m/yds of the target.

Medium [ -4 ] Within 50m/yds of the target.

Long [ -6 ] 51m/yds up to the listed range of the weapon.

Extreme [ -6, plus -1 for every full 50m/yds past listed Range. If listed range is < 50m/yds, -4 applies to distances between Close range and listed range.] This can be "bought down" by aiming, using scopes, bracing and other things. Example: a rifle has a listed Range of 400 m/yds. If I shoot something at 600m/yds, that raises the range modifier from -6 to -10).

NOTE: Mecha multiply above ranges by 10; i.e. 10m/yds=100m/yds.

NUMBER OF SHOTS & RATES OF FIRE:
Unlike Melee weapons, most ranged attacks have a limited number of Shots (arrows, bullets, charges, etc.); this will usually be listed in the attack's description.

Rate of Fire [ROF] is how many times the attack can be "shot"in a 3 second phase. Most ranged weapons have an ROF of 1 or 2, but others may have the capacity for automatic fire and ROFs of 20 or more. Like Shots, this will also be listed in the attack description.

Modifiers:
What Are My Chances to Hit?
Combat Modifiers take into account the conditions of the battle. Modifiers are always applied to Attacks. You may use some, none, or all applicable modifiers to make the combat in Fuzion more exciting and realistic.

Situation Modifier
Moving target -1 per 10m/yd target moves
Target silhouetted +2
Vehicle mounted, no turret -4
Aimed body shot chest [-1], vitals, head [-6] , legs, hands, feet [-4]
stomach [-5], arms, shoulders, thighs [-3]
Firing shoulder arm from hip -2
Aiming +1 per phase, up to +3 max
Braced +2
Tiny Target (bullseye, eye, vital area) -6
Small Target (less than 1m/yd, head, limb) -4
Large Target (trees, cars, large animals, etc.) +2
Very Large Target (trucks, planes, walls, side of barn) +4
Surprise Attack +5
Target Prone -2

A Built-In Modifier: Weapon Accuracy
Weapon Accuracy [WA] reflects the difference in quality between weapons, and their effect on their user's abilities; the better and easier to use the weapon, the better you use it (and the worse the weapon...). WA's are not always used in Fuzion games, as their use varies from campaign to campaign. However, when they are in play, you'll find them listed in the description of the weapon. To use them, just apply the WA to your Attack roll as with any other Modifier.

Making the Attack
In combat, the Attacker combines his Skill in his chosen Weapon with his REF and a die roll to create an Attack Total. He may also have to add or subtract certain modifiers (such as range, cover, etc.) from this Attack Total to determine the final outcome. Example: an attacking character with a REF Characteristic 5 a Firearms Skill of 6 and a die roll of 6 has a Attack Total of 17. A -2 modifier for range in turn brings this down to 15.

The Defender combines his DEX, Ranged Evade skill and 10 (or a die roll i h the Interlock option) to produce a comparable Defense Value. Example: a character with DEX of 4, an Ranged Evade skill of +6 and a die roll of 3 has a Defense Value of 13. The two; Attack Total and Defense Value, are compared. If the Attack Total is equal or greater than the Defense Value, the attack succeeds.

Vehicles: When attacking a vehicle, the attacker will use his skill with the appropriate vehicle weapon or vehicle attack skill (such as Gunnery or Heavy Weapons). He attacks as usual, opposing his target's skill in controlling the vehicle (such as Driving or Piloting). The resolution is completed the same as all other Combats.

Targeting Against Range: Sometimes, you need to hit an apple, or a tree or something else without Skills or Characteristics. In these cases, the GM will set a Difficulty Value based on the range.

Melee (4m/yds or less) 4
Close (10m/yds or less) 8
Medium (50/yds or less) 12
Long (out to listed range of weapon) 16
Extreme (beyond listed range) 16, +2 per +100m/yds

SPECIAL ATTACKS

Area Effect Attacks
Area Effects are attacks (Energy Blasts, Shotguns, Flamethrowers, Stun Fields, Gas and other effects) that strike an area rather than a character. The area affected depends on the kind of attack made and will always be described as part of its description or construction. The outcome is determined by each defender in the area defending against a single attack total; those who fail take damage.

Explosions
For these, the attacker rolls against a Difficulty Value assigned by the GM (see ). Characters take the damage in the ratio of 2 less points for every m/yd they are away from the center of the attack.

Typical Area Effects Effect Radius
Shotgun (per barrel) 1m/yd
Grenade (per die of damage) 1m/yd
Explosive (per die of damage) 1m/yd
Flamethrower (per die of damage) 1m/yd
Heavy Weapons (per Kill of damage) 4m/yds

If the character fails the Attack Roll, the center of the attack shifts 1 m/yd for every 1 point the Attack Roll was missed by, up to a maximum of 1/2 the total range to the target. Roll 1D6 to see which direction the center of the attack scatters and consult the table above. Then roll 1D6 to determine how many meters/yards the round fell in that direction.

GENERIC RANGED WEAPONS
Here are a few classic ranged weapons found in most common genres. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but can serve as a benchmark with which to establish your own guidelines.

Ranged Weapons	Range (M/Y)	DC	ROF
Colt Revolver	50	4	1
Light Pistol	50	2	2
Medium Pistol	50	3	2
Large Pistol	50	4	2
Magnum Pistol	50	5	2
Bolt Action Rifle	100	6	1
Shotgun (12-ga.)	40; Area Affect	5	2
Shotgun (10 gs.)	40; Area Affect	6	2
Magnum Hunting Rifle	700	10	2
Submachine Gun	200	3	20
Assault Rifle (5.56mm)	300	6	25
Assault Rifle (7.62mm)	400	9	20
Machine Gun	800	10	10

Autofire Attacks
Shooting a lot of something (bullets, fireballs, etc.) in one attack is called autofire. Many guns, superpowers and other ranged attacks have the possibility of using the autofire option (this is defined by the weapon or power used). In autofire, the weapon (or attack) fires as fast as it can in a 3 second turn. This is called a "rate of fire" [ROF] and is usually defined as part of the weapon or attack.

Autofire allows for a wide variety of combat techniques:

Burst: A burst is a limited autofire attack, usually 3 shots. Since the weapon isn't bucking around as much, there is no attack penalty. Make an Attack roll; if the defender fails his roll, he takes 1D6/2 bullets.

Hosing Them Down: When using autofire against a single target,a normal Attack is made. To determine how many shots hit, use the Autofire Ratio listed below. For every X points the Attacker's AV exceeded the Defender's DV by, one additional round hits the target, up to the maximum number of shots fired.

Campaign Style	Autofire Ratio
Everyday	1
Compentent	1
Heroic	2
Incredible	2
Legendary	3
Superheroic	4

Example: The Autofire Ratio is set at 2. This means for every 2 pts. I roll over what I need to hit, 1 shot hits. Round the fractions up.

The Catch? There's a 1 point attack penalty for every 10 shots fired (your gun is jumping around).

Another Example: Jake Gronski is using a M-16 to hose down an evil cult. Jake is from a Legendary campaign with the Autofire Ratio set at 3. Jake, being a talented shot, has a AV of 12. (He's got a REF of 7, an Autofire Weapons skill of 5, a WA [Weapon Accuracy Bonus] of +1, and a -1 modifier for firing 10 shots; we haven't rolled the dice yet.) His target has a DV of 8 (a DEX of 6 and a Ranged Evade Skill of 2 + 10 [using the HERO Option]). Jake, on his 3d6 roll, scores a 12, so his total AV for this attack is a 24. The AV of 24 minus the DV of 18 results in a difference of 6. Jake hits. The Autofire Ratio is 3, so we divide that result of 6 by 3, for a total of 2. Jake will hit the cultist with 2 shots.

Archery Attacks
Bows are a special category of ranged attack because they're Strength-based ranged attacks. Bows do 1D6 of damage and have 20m/yds of range for every 1 point of STR, to a maximum STR of 7. Compound bows and longbows have a maximum STR of 10. Crossbows work like normal firearms.

Energy Blasts, Spells & Mental Attacks
Energy Blasts are made much in the same way as other ranged attacks, taking range and skill into account with other modifiers. The range of these attacks is based on the number of Power points spent on the attack: For every point spent on the power, you'll increase the range by 10m/yds (Example: spending 20 points gives you a 200m/yd ranged energy blast). To hit, you will use REF+Use Power Skill.
In most cases, Mental attacks have no range limitations; they are simply direct line of sight-if you can see it at all, you can hit it, no matter how tiny it is. The exceptions are Mental Attacks based on CON; these operate with the same range determiners as Energy Blasts; and Mind Scans, which do not require line of sight to be effective. To hit, you will use WILL+Use Power Skill.

Presence Attacks
A powerful personality can have a strong effect on other people by words, actions, or sometimes by their mere presence. We call this effect a Presence Attack. A Presence Attack can be many different things, depending on the intent of the attacker: Fear, awe, surprise, surrender, rage, courage, hope, commitment, or other emotions or actions.
Making a Presence Attack does not require a combat Action, though sometimes performing a combat Action makes a Presence Attack more powerful (see Presence Attack Modifiers table). Usually a Presence Attack consists of a well-chosen phrase, such as "Surrender or die!" or "Champions to the rescue - follow me!" or even just "Stop!" Roll 1D6 for every 1 point of PRE; you may add or subtract dice depending on the GM's judgement (see the Presence Attack Modifiers table for suggested modifiers). Total the dice and compare the total against each target's Resistance value to find the effect.
Presence Attacks depend heavily on the circumstances, so the GM should feel free to modify the number of dice in the attack. The table below has some suggested modifiers:
The modifiers and the effects of Presence Attacks really depend a great deal on exactly what's happening and what is intended. The GM should use Presence Attacks to increase the drama of a situation or make things more interesting.

VEHICLE/MECHA ATTACKS
In general, mecha combat is considered Ranged Combat [pg.43] and follows similar rules.The one exception is missile combat; missiles are defined as any weapon that can follow its target independently. How good it is at this job (and thus the Difficulty Value to beat when avoiding it) is based on how smart it is; does it just sniff a heat signature or is it smart enough to outthink you?

To avoid a missile hit, you must make a Piloting+REF+Die roll for at least 1D6/2 consecutive rounds. This can be modified by the use of countermeasures, which add +2 to your Piloting rolls. Make the rolls, you're clear; miss, and you're hit. In the case of clusters of missiles fired at one time, one missile roll is made once for all missiles fired, with one missile hitting the target per point by which your Defense failed. Example: 10 missiles are fired at a jet. The jet fails its roll by 7, so 7 of the 10 missiles hit.

Maneuvering
Any time you try to make a vehicle do something unusual, you'll need a Maneuver roll. This is done by combining your REF+Piloting (or appropriate Skill for controlling the mecha), and a die roll vs a roll and a difficulty based on the type of maneuver you're making (see below), plus any appropriate modifiers for weather, driver or road conditions.

If the maneuver isn't described above, pick the closest appropriate one to work from. If the roll is successful, you will be able to pull the maneuver off. If not, you will lose control. In a walking unit, you'll just fall over; you must then get back up. In a ground unit, this will be a skid (miss by 4 or more and you'll continue straight for 1D6 meters per 10mph) or spin (miss by 4 or less; treat as a skid, but roll 1D6 to determine new facing: 1=backwards. 2=forwards. 3-4=facing right. 5-6=-facing left.). In an aircraft, you will probably stall (miss by less than 4) or spin (miss by 4 or more). Both require a roll be made to regain control. It's a Difficulty Value of 18 to Regain Control from a spin, and look out for that ground thing coming up at you !

Dogfighting
Sometimes, the best option is to outfly your opponent with a combination of skill and ability to maneuver. Start by determining the position of the combatants at the start; is one closing on the other, or are they headed right at each other? This intercept can be determined by making a Perception roll on either side with the high roll choosing positions, or at GM's discretion.
To find out the result of an aerial or space dogfight, each participant rolls their Piloting Skill+REF+Roll plus their vehicle's Maneuver Value. The player with the highest roll has the Advantage position, based on how many points they won the roll by. The result is compared with the chart on the left; the player who has won can shoot or flee at his option. The key position is the Tailing one; because it adds +2 to your Attack roll that phase.
To break off a dogfight requires either mutual agreement, or one player making an escape. The player with the current Advantage announces his intention to break off combat at the start of the Round, and must maintain his Advantage for as many Rounds as the GM determines at the time intention is announced.

DAMAGE
So far, we've been concentrating on how to do things in Fuzion. Now, we're going to tackle stuff you won't want to do; like get hurt, knocked out, or even killed-in short, Damage.

DAMAGE AND DAMAGE CLASSES (DCs)
Damage is an abstract measure of how much something can be harmed before it is either killed, destroyed or bludgeoned into unconsciousness.

In Fuzion, most damage is measured in six sided dice, with each "D6" representing a unit called a Damage Class (or DC). Example: 1D6 is Damage Class 1 (or DC1).

Each point of DC represents one six sided die when rolling for damage. You roll the specified number of dice, add the results together, and the total is the amount of damage done to your target: Example: I have a DC3 handgun. I roll three dice and get a 5, a 6 and a 3. I do 14 points of damage with that attack.

Determining the DC of an Attack
With the exception of bows and spears, ranged weapons always do Damage based on the DC of the weapon. However,Damage caused by any part of the body is determined by the Strength of the attacker, with fists doing one DC of Stun damage for each point of Strength the attacker has (a kick does an extra DC on top of your STR, but suffers a -1 Attack Total penalty). Example: my Strength is 5; this means I do 5 dice (DC5) with fists, 6 for a kick.

Minimum Strength
This is the minimum STR at which you can use a melee weapon with no penalty. Below this level, you take a -1 Reflex penalty for every -1 STR and a -1 die damage penalty as well Example: Aunt Meg, STR 2, tries to use a Battle Axe with a 5 STR Min. She'll only do 2D6 Killing damage when she hits, and takes a -3 REF penalty.

Extra Damage
Strength based attacks using weapons have a damage each weapon can do. This value is equal to the weapon's listed Damage Class (DC). For every point of STR you have above the minimum STR required to wield the weapon, you will do one additional die of damage, up to twice the weapon's listed Damage Class.

Example: Bob, STR 5, wields a dagger (STR minimum of 1). Bob had 4 more STR than he needs, so he expects to gain 4 extra dice on his attack. But since the dagger's maximum damage is only twice it's listed DC (1x2=2), Bob only gains 1 extra DC. On the other hand, Grog the Barbarian, STR 10, wields a battle axe (STR min. 5). Grog gains 5 extra dice, and since 2x's the Battle axe's listed DC (6) is 12, he gets to use all of his extra dice.

Damaging People: Hits & Stun
But what is the damage taken from? That's where Hits and Stun come into play.
In Fuzion, all living things have Hits; points which represent how much damage they can take. A character generally has as many Hits as his BOD characteristic x5. One point of damage from a weapon or attack will remove one Hit.
Living things also have Stun points; a measure of how much damage they can take before they pass out from pain and shock. One point of damage from a body blow or stunning weapon will remove one point of Stun.

Damaging Objects: Structural Damage POINTS (SDP)
"Soft targets" like living things take damage differently than "hard targets" (structures and vehicles). So in Fuzion, inanimate structures, vehicles and other non organic objects (commonly called "hard targets") have Structural Damage Points instead of Hits or Stun. SDP is different from Hits, but works the same way-one point of damage will remove one SDP.

KILLS: Let's talk Big Guns. Really, Really Big Guns.
|In Fuzion, really big weapons do such staggering amounts of damage that they are measured in a larger scale called Kills, to represent the kind of massive forces associated with military level hardware, very large objects or extremely powerful attacks. Conversely, very large or tough things (tanks, giant robots, aircraft carriers, etc.) are also defined as having Kills of structure or armor to represent the huge amounts of punishment they can take.
Unlike DCs, Kills represent whole values rather than numbers of dice; a way of simplifying the bucketfulls that such attacks would normally require. So when attacking objects with Kills with weapons that do Kills, you will simply subtract the damage done from the Kills remaining, instead of rolling dice for damage.

Kills vs Hits & SDP
But there's a catch to the above: really big guns are designed to hit and damage really big targets. It's nearly impossible to apply the full force of a huge attack to a small target (like a man) because the majority of the damage just doesn't have a big enough surface area to expend itself on. Really big damage is also more likely to expend its force by hurling a small target out of the way than directly applying all of its force to the target. By contrast, it takes a lot more force to move a large object and it has a lot more surface area to absorb that force, so it stands there and takes it all.

Therefore, in Fuzion, small targets (things with damages measured in Hits and SDP) are damaged differently by large scale attacks. Small Targets (a.k.a. people, cars, motorbikes, etc) do not take the full force of Kill rated attacks. Instead, they scale down the huge damages done by Kills into smaller, dice based Hits or SDP, representing the results of this effect. As a rule, the first Kill of a Kill-rated attack will always be equal to 14DC. Each additional Kill of damage adds only 1D6 to the base 14D6, because the remaining damage effects just don't have a big enough surface to expend themselves on.

The Bad News: All that force didn't just vanish, you know. It's just been converted into Knockback. And since knockback subtracts the BODY (or Kills) of the target from the TOTAL DC done, chances are you still got blown several meters away. Ouch.

Example: A tank shoots a 4-Kill shell at a man wearing 45KD armor. The attack will do 14D6 for being a Kill or more, plus another 3D6 for each additional Kill; the armored fellow winds up facing DC17. The average is 60 points of damage, which is 15 points of damage after armor. He might even survive; once he gets done flying through the air from knockback.

note: this convention more closely mirrors the effects of big weapons in most common roleplaying genres (science fiction, animé, superheroes, action movies), where characters are more likely to be maimed and/or hurled through the air by blast, fragmentation, or overpressure effects rather than just obliterated on the spot.)

SUPERDAMAGE
or "Then There's Those Pesky Superheroes..."

So far, so good. But what if you had small objects that could deal out superpowerful attacks? As a rule, small objects that can do Kill-scale damage (superheroes, power suits, etc.), can apply all of their damage to a very large target, simply because it's so big. So when a very powerful superhero punches a tank, all of his force ends up expended right on the tank. Therefore, whenever a small object delivers more than 13 DC in an attack on a large object, we scale its damage up to the Kill level, with the first 14DC representing one Kill, and each additional DC representing one additional Kill of damage.

However, when superheroes bash each other, the damage remains measured on the DC scale instead of shifting up to Kills; even if Superguy can deliver the power of a tank to his enemies, it doesn't mean they can absorb it from him any better than they could from the tank!

Note: This scaling up isn't entirely realistic; but it does closely mirror the abilities of superheroes and other godlike beings as depicted in comics, movies and animé. It's also self limiting, because only superheroes or other non-realistic people will ever be able to do this sort of damage; in a realistic genre, they won't exist and in a superheroic genre, they're supposed to hammer tanks apart with their bare hands. If it makes you feel better, simply think of Superguys' mighty fists as paired HESH or KEAP anti-tank rounds-they're about the right size!

Damaging People
There are two kinds of damage that you can take from an attack; Stun Damage and Killing Damage. Stun Damage is damage that creates pain and shock, but not serious injury. It's "fistfighting" damage, impacts done with the parts of the body, such as hands, feet, head (or if you have them, tails, tentacles and other blunt body parts). As a general rule, if it's part of the body and isn't sharp, it does Stun damage (the exception to this rule is futuristic "stun" weapons or "stunning" attacks).

Stun damage is always subtracted from your character's pool of STUN points, after being reduced by the higher of either your character's SD or his Armor. When his STUN points are at 0, his body will react by shutting off the pain-and passing out.

Killing Damage, on the other hand, is serious injury that can maim or kill. Anytime you are hit by a weapon, even if it's just a club, you will take Killing damage. In addition, any sharpened part of the body (fangs, claws, horns, etc), can also do killing damage.

Killing damage is always subtracted from your character's pool of Hits. When this is reduced to zero, your character is dying.

Important Tip: Avoid Dying. It really puts a crimp in your roleplaying.

Collateral Damage
Since killing damage also causes a fair amount of pain and shock, you'll take 1 point of STUN for every 1 Hit you lose, until you run out of Stun points. (Note: you don't get your SD!) And sometimes a Stunning blow is powerful enough that a small amount of serious damage is also done, equal to 1 point of Killing damage for every 5 STUN that penetrate.

Stun Rollover
When you have lost all of your Stun points, any subsequent Stun damage you take will continue to convert into Killing damage at the 1/5th rate, reducing your remaining Hits-If you're beaten senseless and the beating continues, you could well be beaten to death!

Stunned
If you take more than 1/2 of your total Stun in one attack, you are Stunned. A Stunned character cannot act in the next phase and is -5 to all Primary Characteristics. He can't move, and he may take no other actions. He will remain stunned for 1 phase, becoming "unstunned" next phase.

Knocked Out
Your character is knocked out whenever your Stun is reduced to 0 or below: you are automatically unconscious. You are effectively knocked out, but will regain consciousness once you have recovered enough Stun to put you back over 0 again (see side table for how long this takes).

Stun level Recover Stun
0 to -10 Every Phase
-11 to -20 Every Round
-21 to -30 Every Minute
>30 Up to GM(a long time)

Impairing Wounds
Whenever your HITS have been reduced enough, you will become impaired. At half of your total Hits, all of your Primary Characteristics will be reduced by 2; at 1/4 of total, they will be reduced by 4 points: a Characteristic cannot, however, be reduced to less than 1.

DEAD. Mort. Finito.
When you reach 0 Hits, you are dying. You will be able to keep moving if you've still got Stun left, but you'll be at -6 (GM's Option) to all Primary Characteristics. You will also lose 1 additional Hit (in shock and blood loss) per round (4 Phases)-when you lose up to 2x your BODY Characteristic, you are dead.

Applying Damage to Objects
You can't stun an inanimate object. Therefore, objects will always take both Stunning and Killing damage the same way, subtracting it from their SDP.

Hit Locations
Where you hit can often be just as important as whether you hit. While Fuzion usually uses a single pool of points to determine how much damage or stun your character can absorb, individualized hit locations do play a part in determining the severity of that damage (getting hit in the head, for example, is far more lethal than being hit in the arm). Hit locations also help determine if armor is being worn over a particular area or not; useful if you neglected to wear your power armor's helmet this morning! They are also used to determine the Hit Modifiers for attacking a specific area (or you can choose a location by using the Modifiers on the right). Warning: This rule makes dying a LOT easier!

When using the Hit Location Charts below, roll three six sided dice and modify damage as appropriate. Note: damage is multiplied AFTER penetrating armor:

Roll3D6 Location Hit Effect (after armor) Hit Modifiers

3-5 head double damage -6
6 hands/forepaws* 1/2 damage -4
7-8 arms/forelimb* 1/2 damage -3
9 shoulders* 1x damage -3
10-11 chest 1x damage -1
12 stomach 1.5 x damage -5
13 vitals 1.5x damage --6
14 thighs* 1x damage -3
15-16 legs/hindlimb* 1/2 damage -4
17-18 feet/hindpaws* 1/2 damage -4
* if it isn't obvious, roll 1die: even=right, odd=left

Vehicle Hit Locations
Vehicles are especially vulnerable to being hit in critical places. The following table lists most of the locations to be hit on typical vehicles (Animorphics and Humanoids have their own Hit Location table). To use this table, roll dice based on orientation to the target:

• Attack from side: Roll 3D6 ·Attack from Front: Roll 2D6+1
• Attack From Rear: Roll 2D6+6

Vehicle Hit Table
ROLL Ground Vehicle Aircraft Boat Effect (after armor) HIT MOD
3-6 Front Wheels (5%) Flaps (5%) Bow 1x damage -6
7 Controls (5%) Controls (5%) Controls (5%) 1x damage -4
8 Engine (10%) Engine (10%) Engine (10%) 2x damage -3
9- Body Fuselage (20%) Hull (20%) 1x damage -3
10 Body Cargo Cargo 1/2damage -1
11 Fuel Fuel Fuel 2 x damage Ý -5
12 Weapon Weapon Weapon 1/2 damage --6
13 Crew** Crew** Crew** Damage to pilot only -3
14 Cargo Propeller (5%) Rudder (5%) 1x damage X
15-18 Rear Wheels (5%) Rudder (5%) Prop/jets (5%) 1/2 damage -4

* if it isn't obvious, roll 1die: even=right, odd=left If location not there, rollagain.
Ý if Fuel is flammable, this is 3x damage * *if shot penetrates armor

Humanoid/Animorphic Mecha Hit Table [Roll 3D6]
3D6 Location Hit Effect (after armor) Hit Modifiers
3-5 head double damage -6
6 hands/forepaws* 1/2 damage -4
7-8 arms/forelimb* 1/2 damage -3
9 Torso 1x damage -3
10-11 Torso 1x damage -1
12 Weapon 1/2 damage -5
13 Powerplant 2xx damage --6
14 Pilot** Damage to pilot only -3
15-16 legs/hindlimb* 1/2 damage -4
17-18 feet/hindpaws* 1/2 damage -4
* if it isn't obvious, roll 1die: even=right, odd=left. If location not there, rollagain.
*if shot penetrates armor

Knockback
Such mighty blows are delivered in some types of combat (especially between superheroes, giant robots and kung-fu action heroes), that the combatants are often knocked all over the battlefield. This phenomenon is known as Knockback (in its realistic form, it becomes Knockdown).
To determine the amount of knockback taken, subtract the BODY characteristic (or KILLS) of the targeted character from the total DC (or KILLS) of the attack plus 1D6. For every DC remaining, the character is knocked back one knockback "unit." The unit of measurement is determined by the style of campaign, then applied by moving the character that far straight back from the impact.

In the event that some-thing's in the way, move on to Collisions and see how badly you were hurt. Note: If using Kills vs Body, convert Kills to DC at a ratio of 1Kill=14DC, plus 1 for each additional Kill; if it's DC vs Kills, there is no effect until you reach 14 DC, then add 1 Kill for each additional DC.

Critical Effects
A vehicle need not be totally destroyed to make it non-functional. (You don't have to actually destroy an entire battleship to stop it. You only have to put a big enough hole in the bottom) One way to do this is to use the critical effects rule on the Vehicle Hit Location Tables below. Boldfaced listings signify critical hit locations; the value in parenthesis (X%) is the percentage of overall SDP that must be destroyed to incapacitate the vehicle:

In general:

Destroying controls, engines, rudders, props or jets will automatically render a vehicle immobile or uncontrollable.

Destroying up to a 20% of the hull of an aircraft or water vehicle will cause it to either sink of break up.

Example: The Quadracer Z is a superpowered speedboat with 80SDP. Its engine is worth 10% of the total (8SDP), and its hull is worth of 20% (16SDP). A 8SDP hit on on the engine will render the Quadracer immobile; 20 or more points of damage will sink it.

ARMOR

DEFENSE & ARMOR
So how do you avoid getting knocked out or killed? The first way is to just stay out of the way; use your Skills and Characteristics to ward off the attack. But if that doesn't work, you've still got another option: a DEFENSE.
|A Defense is anything that gets between you and the Damage first; clothing, armor plates, scales; even energy fields that deflect or absorb damage. All defenses have a value which is subtracted on a point for point basis from damage before it is taken from your Hits or Stun;
Armor is the best line of defense, you use that whenever possible. While most Armor provides Physical Defense, other types can protect against energy attacks (EKD) or even Mental attacks! Armor reduces damage just like any other defense, and will stop both Stun and Killing damage.
Your natural physical toughness (the Stun Defense on your character sheet) is your next defense, but will only stop Stunning Damage. You'll use this as a last resort, and mostly in fistfights and other non-lethal engagements. Example: My CON is 5, giving me a SD of 10. If 15 points of Stun hit me, only 5 (15-10) would get through.

IMPORTANT: If stopping Stun damage, always take the higher of either the armor's PD or the character's SD. If stopping Killing damage, use only the highest Armor PD.

GENERIC ARMOR LIST
Following are typical Armors found in many genres. The table not only lists the Armor's Physical Defense (PD), but also its defense against Energy Attacks [EKD], just in case. Armors with are at 1/2 against bladed weapons.

Fantasy, Archaic & Natural Armors
Type PD/Cost EKD Description
Heavy Cloth, Soft Leather, Fur 2 NA Thief Gear
Heavy Leather, Padded Cloth 4 NA Animal Hides, scales
Boiled Leather, Curi-bolli 6 NA Barbarian Armor
Heavy Animal Hide 6 NA Tough Animal Hides
Brigantine, Ring Mail 8 NA Bardic Chain
Scale Mail, Bezainted 9 NA Dragon Scales
Chain Mail, Laminated 10 NA Samurai armor
Plate & Chain, Plate Mail 11 NA
Field Plate 12 NA Typical Knight

Modern Armors
Type PD/Cost EKD Description
Light Kevlar 6 NA Armored Clothing
Skin Weave 12 NA Subdermal body armor
Kevlar 14 2 Lt. Armorjackets
Medium Kevlar 16 5 Med. A.Jacket
Flack 18 5 W/inserts, cable weave
Metalgear Plate 25 10 Plastic/Kevlar plate

Futuristic Armors
Type PD/Cost EKD Description
Space Suit 5 5 Light skinsuit
Industrial Space Suit 8 5 Hvy. metallized fabric
Military Space Suit 10 10 Metal fabric w/Plates
Body Armor 18 25 "Stormtrooper" plate
Personal Force Screen 10 25 Against Stun damage
Advanced Force Screen 14 30 Against all damage

 

SPECIAL ARMOR RULES FOR MECHA
The weaponry and armor used by mecha are subject to a few special cases. Take note that ALL of these special cases are OPTIONAL.

 

Special Case 1: Staged Penetration
In combat, attacks on mecha will always be subtracted from armor, then from the mecha's SDP. However, even the heaviest armored machines will become vulnerable after a long fight. To represent this, Kill-rated (i.e., mecha) armor uses the idea of Staged Penetration. Each time any area of Armor is penetrated by an attack of one Kill or greater, that area loses armor protection.

Special Case 2: Chinks in the Armor
Almost every kind of mecha has a weak spot somewhere, and in combat, it's possible for you to hit that weak spot. When making an attack, if you beat your Difficulty Value by more than 10, your attack ignores the PD of the mecha's armor. In the case of autofire attacks, only those hits which beat the Difficulty Value by 10 or more will ignore armor.

Special Case 3: Powered Armor Damage
Powered Armor (i.e., armor worn by a character which has SDP as well as PD) has a very spread-out structure which is tightly integrated with its pilot. Therefore, any damage which gets through Powered Armor's PD is divided by two; one half affects the Powered Armor's SDP, the other half is applied to the wearer's Hits. All Powered Armors use this rule.

Special Case 4: Structural Integrity
Whenever a hit penetrates mecha armor, roll 1D10: If the result is greater than the number of fractional kills remaining, the mecha (or the location taking the hit) is destroyed! For example: 1.1K get through to a K mecha; with 0.5K remaining, on a roll of 6+ on 1D6 it's scrapped.

THE ENVIRONMENT & RECOVERY

THE ENVIRONMENT
Guns and swords aren't the only thing that can hurt you. The world is full of potential dangers; falls, illness, drowning, even being hit by lightning. All of this falls under the heading of the Environment:

Cumulative Environmental Effects: Shock, Poison/Drugs, Burns, Disease & Asphyxiation.

Each of these are effects of the environment that harm you through accumulation; shock and poison by continual damage to your body or will, asphixation through accumulated lack of air.

Electricity and Fire are always ranked by intensity of the effect (GM's decision), with damage occurring each phase you are exposed to the source.

Type Mild Intense Deadly
DC DC1-4 DC5-10 DC11-20
Electricity Battery Wall socket Lightning Bolt
Fire Wood Fire Gasoline Fire Thermite

Like electricity, Poison & Drugs are ranked by the power of the drug or poison. Damage effects occur each minute, not phase, while Illness takes place over days, weeks or even months (Ref's choice).

 

Type mild strong Powerful
DC DC1-4 DC5-10 DC11-20
Poison Belladonna Arsenic Stonefish Venom
Drug Alcohol Sodium Pentathol LSD
Illness Measles Pneumonia Plague

A drug or poison need not be fatal; sleep or "truth drugs" also work by accumulation; "damage" is subtracted from different point pools depending on the type of effect. Example: Morgan administers a strong dose of Mind Control Serum (DC5) to Jake, hoping to find out the Cyber Cabals' secrets. Each turn, the drug does 5 to 30 points to Jake's Resistance. At 0, he gives in.

 

Asphyxiation: This does 3DC per Phase, taken from your Hits. Sitting quietly, you can hold your breath up to 1 phase for every 2 points of Endurance (a tough character could hold his breath for about two and a half minutes.). If activity, such as swimming or running is required, this rises to 4 pts.

 

Falling & Collisions.
These are all types of damage that come from hitting something at high speed.

Falling: Using the table at right, compare the closest approximate weight of the object to the closest distance fallen (shaded top portion of the table). The result is how many DC are taken (1K=14DC, plus 1DC per additional KILL added). Note that at terminal velocity, you will have no increase in speed or damage.

0-10 11-30 31-60 61-100 101-150 Terminal Veloc.
<50 lbs 1 2 4 6 8 10 12 1K 2K 3K 4K
50 lbs 2 4 6 8 10 12 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K
100 lbs 4 6 8 10 12 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K
200 lbs 6 8 10 12 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K
400 lbs 8 10 12 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K
800 lbs 10 12 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K
1600 lbs 12 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K
1 ton 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K 11K
2 tons 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K 11K 12K
4 tons 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K 11K 12K 13K
6 tons 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K 11K 12K 13K 14K
8 tons 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K 11K 12K 13K 14K 15K
10 tons 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K 11K 12K 13K 14K 15K 16K
20 tons 7K 8K 9K 10K 11K 12K 13K 14K 15K 16K 17K
40 tons 8K 9K 10K 11K 12K 13K 14K 15K 16K 17K 18K
80 tons 9K 10K 11K 12K 13K 14K 15K 16K 17K 18K 19K
100 tons 10K 11K 12K 13K 14K 15K 16K 17K 18K 19K 20K
+100 tons 11K 12K 13K 14K 15K 16K 17K 18K 19K 20K 21K
NOTE: 1K=14DC. Each additional Kill adds 1 DC.

Collisions: Compare the weight of the object to its closest approximate speed. The result is the DC .

Ramming: If head on, add the speeds of both objects together and compare the weights of each to that speed; the result is the damage done to the opposing object. If a side ram or swipe, treat as a collision (above). If rear ended, subtract the speed of the object in front from the speed of the trailing object, then treat as a head on ram.

RECOVERY

Getting Better:
Recovering from Stun, Wounds & Death

Assuming you aren't reduced to vapor in an unfortunate accident, the next step is to get better. That's where RECOVERY comes into play.

Stun
Recovery from Stun Damage: Your Recovery Characteristic determines how fast your character recovers Stun points He will get back this many Stun points each phase he rests.

Waking Up: Once you're knocked out, you may stay that way for only a few moments or for a long time. You will regain your REC in stun points based on how far below zero you are:

Stun level Recover Stun
0 to -10 Every Phase
-11 to -20 Every Round
-21 to -30 Every Minute
>30 Up to GM(a long time)

A simpler option is to make a CON+Concentration roll equal to the number of Stun you've taken beyond your total: if successful, you will wake up with one Stun.

Wounds (Lost Hits)
Recovery From Killing Damage: Your Recovery Characteristic also determines how fast you regain Hits. For every 24 hours you spend resting and with medical care, you will recover as many Hits as your REC score. Example: I take 30 hits. My Recovery is 10. I will be back to my full hit level in 3 days.

Optional Rule:
Realistic Recovery rates:
Though this isn't as much fun, realistically it should take much longer to heal back from serious injury. In this case, a realistic rate would be to recover your Recovery rate in Hits every week that you are laid up; the above example would take three weeks of medical care.

Death
Saving a dying character is still possible. Another character, making a successful Physician or first aid skill roll can stabilize you at any point beyond 0. The Difficulty for this task is 2x the number of Hits beyond 0. Example: Lazarus, is now at -7 Hits. To save him, Fox must make a Medical skill roll against a Difficulty of 14 (2 x 7).