Character Difficulty Rating

A character's Difficulty Rating determines how difficult it is to hit the PC during melee combat (unarmed, edged or blunt weapons). This is also affected by a number of factors. The base DR is the average of Aptitude and Dexterity. Round down if this Reflex is an odd number. After that, DR goes up or down depending on the situation:

DR Rating Modifiers

• Taking Cover - Taking cover behind a suitable object gives a +1 bonus to DR.
• Fortified - Taking shelter in a fortified position gives a +2 bonus to DR.
• Hiding - Hiding and undetected means a character can only be hit through unintentional means (a grenade, for example). Detected but hiding gives a +1 bonus to DR.
• Darkness - High levels of darkness give a +2 bonus to DR, low light situations give a +1 bonus to DR.
• Distance - far distances can also provide a bonus to DR, depending on the type of attack being used.
• Tagged - a player who is "targeted" gets a -1 mod to DR; perhaps a player decided to use themselves as a distraction or uses the Incite trick
• Incapacitated - a player who is incapacitated gets a -2 mod to DR.
• Consumables - some consumables can lower DR.
• Poison - some poisons can lower DR.
• Maimed - getting maimed can lower DR.

Gamemaster Tip

Dealing with multiple players with multiple Character Difficulty Ratings may become cumbersome, especially if you're rolling for NPCs. To simplify things, it may be helpful to roll 1 die and pit the result against a player character's DR. For example, if a PC has a DR of 4, simply roll a d10 and a number greater than 4 is a success. This can make combat more streamlined, allowing for faster calculations and fewer dice rolls.