Combat
Combat in Metanoia uses the same dice pool mechanic as everything else. The structure below describes how turns are ordered, how movement works, and the specific rules that govern violence as a confrontation type.
The Turn
Section titled “The Turn”Each turn consists of:
- Movement: Move up to your Stride in Range Bands.
- Resolution: Take one action (an ability, an attack, a skill attempt, etc.).
These can happen in any order. You can move, act, then stop. You can act first and then reposition. You can split movement before and after your resolution if the situation allows it.
Free actions do not consume your resolution. Drawing a weapon, flipping a table, shouting a warning, picking something up: these are free actions. The number of free actions you can take per turn is equal to your Realm.
Tempo and Initiative
Section titled “Tempo and Initiative”Initiative in Metanoia is binary and team-level, not individual.
One side has Tempo. The other does not. Tempo is established narratively: whoever acts first, initiates the confrontation, or seizes the moment has it. In ambiguous situations, the GM decides.
When a side has Tempo, they act first. Losing Tempo does not mean you cannot act; it means your side acts second this round.
The Shift Tempo boon allows initiative to swap mid-round when spent.
The Response Rule
Section titled “The Response Rule”When you affect a creature with your resolution, that creature gets their turn next, regardless of where it falls in the order.
This creates a reactive rhythm rather than a rigid sequence. An attack triggers a response. A response can trigger another response. Combat flows through interaction rather than down a fixed list.
A Zone forms when two characters are within Range Band 4 (Nearby) of each other. Inside a zone, exact positioning is relational only. You are in the zone or you are not; fine-grained distances within the zone do not matter unless an ability specifies otherwise.
Zone order: Resolve all turns within a zone before moving to the next zone. Characters who are outside all zones (Outliers) act last.
Range Bands in Combat
Section titled “Range Bands in Combat”Movement and ability range are tracked in Range Bands. For the full table, see Reference Tables.
Ability projection range is limited to your Awareness range band. An ability set to Extended awareness reaches out to the band your Extended sense covers. An ability set to Focused can target anything you can specifically perceive.
What Counts as a Hit
Section titled “What Counts as a Hit”When you make an attack and your Magnitude is positive, you deal Strain to the target equal to the Magnitude. Armor at the hit location absorbs Strain first. Any remaining Strain reduces the target’s pool and also creates a wound condition.
Hit location is determined by the base d8. See Armor and Hit Locations.
Dying in Combat
Section titled “Dying in Combat”If a character reaches 0 Strain while wounded, they enter a dying state. Allies have 1 round to stabilize them. See Wounds and Conditions.
Ally Dice Contribution
Section titled “Ally Dice Contribution”Players can contribute dice to an ally’s pool in two ways:
- Abilities that explicitly grant dice to others.
- Simultaneous timing: if you could plausibly act at the same moment, you can donate dice to their roll. This requires narrative justification and GM judgment.
Dice donated by allies do not cost the acting character any Strain.