Basic attack and defense

The attacker rolls their attacking skill (usually a weapon skill such as Spear & Shield, or a skill like Wrestling).

The defender rolls an appropriate defense skill (usually also a weapon skill, or a specific defensive skill such a Dodge).

The highest roll wins. (A successful attack roll must also be at least Poor or higher.) Ties are considered to be a successful defense.

The rolled degree determines the hit location. This is the difference between the attack roll and the defense roll. A Thraka may choose to hit any location requiring a *lower* rolled degree (in these combat rules use of the word Thraka includes Dowmgaday).

Rolled Degree	Result
1-2	Limb Hit
3-4	Body Hit
5+	Head Hit

Special Maneuvers

The thraka zhoosha gives two values:
a) a number of attacks per round, as in the book (1 attack at 1st rank, 2 at 3rd, 3 at 5th, 4 at Legendary).
b) a attack pool of points equal to the zhoosha rank.

Other Zhoosha get one attack per round at all levels and may not perform special maneuvers

The points may be spend to carry out attacks and also to perform more flashy maneuvers.

A basic attack costs 1 Combat Pool Point.

Defending does not normally use up any action points. A Thraka may defend against a number of attacks equal to their Zhoosha rank in a round without penalty. (Note that this is attacks not opponents). Additional attacks are defended against at -1 to the defender's skill per attack. Spending an action point will cancel the penalty on a single defense.
e.g. A rank three Zhoosha may defend against three attacks without penalty. A fourth attack in the same round would be defended against at -1 skill, a fifth at -2 skill. The defender now spends an action point, allowing them to defend against the sixth attack without penalty. A seventh attack in the same round would be then defended against at -3 to the defender's skill.

Therefore Thraka with high zhoosha will:
a) get more attacks per round
b) be able to fight off more opponents
c) be able to add in more flashy moves around the attack. Bonuses may be to hit, or damage.

e.g. A very highly skilled cavalry Thraka (zhoosha 5) could carry out the following sequence in 1 round: attack an unmounted foe, Fast Turn, Feint, attack with a bonus and either attack again (leaving the reindeer more or less stationary at the start of the next round) or Kick On to get the reindeer quickly into a gallop and reach another foe next round at speed.

Less skilled orks may work together. e.g. one thraka spends their attack on a leg sweep to give the ork next to them a bonus when they attack the unbalanced foe.

When fighting heavily armoured opponents, such as shtoontee, Orks will pretty much have to work together. Only the Thraka with the Household spear will have a weapon capable of penetrating Shtoontee plate, but the other Orks can genuinely contribute by using other maneuvers to increase his chance to hit. (See the opening story in Orkworld.)

Maneuver	Cost	Description
Counter Attack	1	An Ork who has been hit may make a second roll. If this beats the opponent's previous successful attack, they may land a hit at -2 damage. By using this skill a Thraka may exceed their Zhoosha limit on attacks, e.g. a level 2 zhoosha may make one attack and one counter attack in a round.
Mighty Blow	1	+5 to damage roll, cannot defend this round.
Trip Foe	1	A successful attack knocks the foe to the ground (no damage roll). The foe is at -2 attack and defense skill until they regain their feet.
Zha (Charge)	1
Defensive Stance	1	Must be spent before attack. Character cannot hit opponent but adds +2 to the any defense roll that round.
Tackle	1	Opposed Strength roll to drag foe to the ground. The tackler may keep hold on subsequent rounds on a successful opposed Strength roll but they may not take any other action (including defending). The tackled foe is at -2 attack, defense and all other rolls until they break free and get back to their feet (standing up takes one action, two if heavily armoured). If the rolled degree is greater than their strength, the tackled foe is pinned and helpless. Multiple tacklers may add their rolled degrees for purposes of restraining foes (up to a maximum of four tacklers per target).
Fake 'em	1	Opposed Cunning check. If successful the rolled degree can be used as a bonus on the next attack. This works only once per opponent.
Shield Barge	1	Knock foe back and make an opposed strength roll to stun them for the next round (No attack). -2 to attacker's defense on next round.
Brace	1	Set to receive a charge with a spear. +2 defense against cavalry and a succesful defense by the braced ork causes damage to the reindeer and rider as if the defender had made a successful attack roll. May not move this round or next round.
Disarm	2	A successful attack with a rolled degree of at least 2 disarms the foe.
Shield Punch	2	Knock foe back and make an opposed strength roll to stun them for the next round (No attack). No defense penalty next round.
Knock 'em off!	2	Successful attack with a rolled degree of at least 2 forcibly dismounts an enemy cavalry ork. The attack also does damage as normal.
Pick up (cavalry manuever)	1	Pick stuff up from the ground in combat without losing speed. Requires a Riding skill check.
Ride 'em Down! (cavalry manuever)	1	Use the reindeer to run down foes. A failed attack roll might result in damage to the reindeer.
Fast Turn (cavalry manuever)	1	Return to attack at foe passed at speed; allows an attack with the next action or at the beginning of the next round.
Leap	1	Can leap over prone foes or other obstacles. May require a riding roll in diffucult circumstances (e.g. getting the reindeer to leap over armed foes).
Kick on	1	Get the reindeer into a fast gallop from a standing start. No roll required.

Weapons and Armour

1. When a character first acquires a weapon, a record should be made of the armour type it is designed to match. This is the type of armour which the weapon will penetrate easily with a good solid blow.

* Designed to pierce armour

WEAPON/ARMOUR MATCHING
	NONE	LIGHT	MEDIUM	HEAVY	VERY HEAVY
ARMOUR	-	Padded Leather Thick Skins	Chain Cuirbouille	Iron Plate	Dwarven Plate
MELEE WEAPONS	Fist Knife	Human sword Ork Fighting Spear Club	Axe Heavy Club Dwarven Sword	Halberd Poinard*	Dwaven War Axe
MISSILE WEAPONS	Sling stone	Broadhead arrow	Ork throwing spear	Bodkin arrow*	Human ballista bolt Dwarven Crossbow bolt

2. Weapons have a damage potential, which can be modified in various ways (see below). These should be noted for each weapon.

WEAPON DAMAGE POTENTIAL
SLIGHT	SMALL	AVERAGE	LARGE	VERY LARGE
Knife Bodkin Arrow Sling Stone	Broadhead Arrow Club Ork Throwing Spear Poinard	Ork Fighting spear Axe Heavy Club Human Sword Dwarven Sword Dwarven Crossbow Bolt	Halberd Dwarven War Axe	Ballista bolt

3. In each combat, the damage potential of the weapon is modified by the armour of the opponent. This can be noted in advance for a character's weapons:

ARMOUR DAMAGE MODIFIER
Opponent's Armour is...	Normal Weapon	Armour piercing weapon
2+ classes lighter (or unarmoured)	Increased (+1 Damage Potential)	Full
1 class lighter	Full	Full
Matched to the weapon	Full	Full
1 class heavier	Reduced (-1 Damage Potential)	None
2+ classes heavier	None	None

4. The damage done by a weapon matches the creature it is designed to be used against. If a creature significantly smaller or larger than normal is hit with a weapon, the amount of damage done to the creature will be proportionately increased or reduced.
In most cases, combat is against creatures of the same size class as humans, so it may not be worth using space to record modifiers for each weapon.

TARGET SIZE CLASS
Smaller than a rabbit
Dog
Human or Ork
Horse or Ogri
Elephant
Larger than elephant

TARGET SIZE MODIFIER
Opponet's Size is...	Weapon Damage Potential Modifier
2 classes smaller	+2
1 class smaller	+1
Matched to the weapon	0
1 class larger	-1
2 classes larger	-2

5. For ranged weapons, the WDP may be modifed by range using the following table. These modifiers are only for the extremes of range:

Range	Weapon Damage Potential Modifier
Close range	+1
Normal range	0
Long range	-1

Damage

6. The final damage result is calculated by rolling d8 and looking up the weapon's damage potential on the following table. Combat maneuver and magic weapon damage bonuses should be added to the dice roll NOT the Weapon Damage Potential.

WDP	DAMAGE
	NONE	SCRATCH	HURT	WOUND	MAIM	DESTROY
LESS THAN SLIGHT	1-7	8-13	14+	-	-	-
SLIGHT	1-3	4-8	9-13	14+	-	-
SMALL	-	1-2	3-6	7-8	9-13	14+
AVERAGE	-	-	1-2	3-6	7-8	9+
LARGE	-	-	-	1-2	3-6	5-8+
VERY LARGE	-	-	-	-	1-2	3-8+
MORE THAN VERY LARGE	-	-	-	-	-	1-8+

7. Hitting a previously injured hit location gives a bonus to the damage roll as follows:

Previous Damage	Bonus
Scratched	+1
Hurt	+2
Wounded	+3
Maimed	+4

8. Hit locations are classified in two ways:
- Fragile/Robust: how quickly damage begins to reduce function
- Critical/Non-critical: How vital the location is to the life of the creature.

Injures are classified as: None, Scratched, Hurt, Wounded, Maimed and Destroyed. The precise effects of these terms on a hit location depend on the F/R C/NC rating.

*Penalties are applied only after the combat has finished, for ease of accounting and to simulate the adrenalin rush of combat. In FUDGE a small penalty is -1 or, a large penalty would be -2 or -3, or even more. Penalties would be modified by factors such as pain medication and relation of wound to the activity (typing is easier with an injured leg than an injured arm).

ORK HIT LOCATIONS
Damage	HEAD (F/C)	TORSO (R/C)	LIMBS (R/NC)
NONE	-	-	-
SCRATCHED	Headache. Possible mild concussion. Small penalty to mental skills.	-	-
HURT	Headache. Concussion. Penalty to mental skills.	Small penalty to physical skills.	Penalty to physical skills.
WOUNDED	Serious concussion, possible fracture. Large penalty to mental skills. Penalty to agility.	Penalty to all actions.	Penalty to strength, endurance and all physical skills.
MAIMED	Fatal.	Large penalty to all actions. Countdown to death unless bleeding stopped.	Unusable.
DESTROYED	Fatal.	Fatal.	Countdown to death unless bleeding stopped.