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Combat
Distance
The game assumes you're using a battlemat, so movement and weapon ranges are listed in inches. Each inch is equal to two yards.
Time
- Game time is broken down to rounds of about six seconds each. Ten rounds to a minute.
- A round is an entire countdown of Action Cards from the Ace to the Deuce.
- A character's “turn” occurs when his Action Card comes up in the countdown.
Initiative
Action Cards
Savage Worlds uses a single deck of cards with two Jokers as the method of determining initiative. These are called “Action Cards.”
Each round, every Wild Card is given an Action Card (though some Edges change how this works). Any Allies that a player controls acts on their own Action Card.
Extras are given Action Cards as a group, such as all zombies in a scene act at once or are grouped with an enemy wildcard such as the goblin commander having his minions act on his card.
The Countdown
Turn order goes from Ace down to Two. If there are any ties, they are resolved by suit order:
- ♠ Spades
- ♥ Hearts
- ♦ Diamonds
- ♣ Clubs
(This is reverse alphabetical order).
Jokers
Anyone drawn a Joker gets to act whenever they want to in the round, even interrupting another's action. They also add +2 to all Trait and damage rolls that round!
Whenever a player draws one, all players gain a Benny, when a foe draws one, the GM and his Wild Cards gain a Benny.
Turns
On a player's turn they can move and perform one regular action at any point in their movement without penalty. Movement does not count as an action.
Free Actions
Talking, falling prone, resisting a spell, or dropping an item are all examples of free actions. You can generally perform several simultaneous free actions on their turn.
Attacks
Melee Attacks
The Target Number to hit an opponent is equal to the opponent's Parry score (2 plus half his Fighting die type; 2 if he has no Fighting skill).
Ranged Attacks
The Shooting skill covers everything from bows to pistols to rocket launchers.
Throwing grenades, knives, spears, or other thrown weapons uses the Athletics skill.
All ranged weapons have a Range statistic written like this: 5/10/20 or Short/Medium/Long Range.
The base Target Number to hit something at Short Range is 4. Firing at longer ranges inflicts penalties to your roll (or according to this table:
| Range | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Short | — |
| Medium | -2 |
| Long | -4 |
| Extreme (see notes) | -8 |
Extreme Range is up to 4x a weapon's Long Range. Firing at such a distance requires the Aim action. This doesn't reduce the penalty of shooting at extreme range. Just allows you to even attempt the shot.
You cannot throw weapons at Extreme Range
Rate of Fire
Rate of Fire is how many shots (Shooting dice) a ranged weapon can fire in one action. A pistol with a RoF of 1, for example, can fire one shot per action. For example, a machine gun with a Rate of Fire of 3 can fire three shots per action. When you use a weapon with a Rate of Fire higher than 1, declare how many of the shots are aimed at each target,
The Wild Die can only replace one of these rolls.
Firing more than one shot in one action from a weapon subtracts 2 from the attacker's Shooting rolls due to Recoil.
Damage
You roll damage after a successful attack. Ranged weapons do fixed damage as listed for the weapon in question. Most pistols, for example, cause 2d6 damage.
Hand weapons cause damage equal to the attacker's Strength die plus a second die, which depends on the weapon. So a fighter with d12 Strength and a long sword (d8 damage) rolls d12 + d8 damage.
This isn't a Trait roll so Wild Cards do not add a Wild Die to this roll, but these rolls can Ace.
Unarmed damage by default will just use your Strength die.
Bonus Damage
If you get a Raise on your attack roll, you add +1d6 to the damage roll (this can also Ace!). All attacks including spells can deal Bonus damage.
Applying Damage
If the damage roll is less than the target's Toughness the victim is beaten up a bit, but there is no game effect. If the damage is equal to or greater than the target's Toughness, they become Shaken. Each raise on the damage roll also inflicts a Wound. If the target is already Shaken, they do not become Shaken a second time, they instead take a Wound.
Damage Effects
Damage can result in three possible effects: Shaken, Wounds, and Incapacitation.
Shaken
Shaken characters are nicked, bruised, or otherwise rattled. They can only take free actions, such as moving (including running).
At the start of their turn, Shaken characters must attempt to recover from being Shaken by making a Spirit roll as a free action.
Failure. The character remains shaken and can only perform free actions.
Success. The character is no longer Shaken, they can act normally during their turn.
At any time (even when it is not their turn) a player may spend a Benny to instantly remove their Shaken status
Wounds
Every raise on the damage roll inflicts a Wound. Extras are Incapacitated if they take a single Wound.
Wild Cards can take three Wounds and still function, more if they have certain Edges. Damage beyond their Wound limit then Incapacitates them.
Each Wound a character suffers causes a -1 penalty to their Pace (minimum of 1“) and all Trait rolls, up to a maximum penalty of -3.
Incapacitation
Incapacitated characters may not perform actions but are dealt Action Cards for the remainder of the encounter in case they recover or must roll for other effects such as Bleeding Out.
When Incapacitated by damage or injury, he must make an immediate Vigor roll:
- Critical Failure: The character dies.
- Failure: Roll on the Injury Table. The Injury is permanent and the character is Bleeding Out.
- Success: Roll on the Injury Table. The injury goes away when all Wounds are healed.
- Raise: Roll on the Injury Table. The Injury goes away in 24 hours, or when all Wounds are healed (whichever is sooner).
You cannot take actions while Incapacitated.
Movement
Characters can move a number of tabletop inches equal to their Pace each turn. Non-standard movement such as climbing, crawling, or swimming use 2“ of Pace. Difficult terrain such as a thick forest or slippery ice also use up 2” of Pace.
If moving is hazardous for some reason, such as walking a tightrope, the GM may require an Athletics roll.
Running
A hero can choose to “run” increasing her Pace for the round by her Running die (a d6 by default) at the cost of a -2 penalty to all actions that turn. Running dice never Ace.
Jumping
Characters can jump 1“ (2 yards) horizontally or 0.5” (1 yard) vertically as a free action. Double these numbers if you can run at least 2“ (four yards) prior to the jump. You can make an Athletics roll as an action to increase the distance another inch. Jumping can't exceed your Pace for the turn. (IE don't say you jump every single turn in order to make it further.)
Prone
A character may fall prone as a free action during your turn and while Prone you may crawl. Standing is a free action but takes up 2 Pace.