Salt & Steel: On-Foot Combat System

Document Type: Design Specification — Core Systems
Status: Canonical Draft
Last Updated: 2026-04-24
See Also: Skill System | Movement and Controls | GURPS Adaptation Research | Naval Combat

Overview

Salt & Steel's on-foot combat is built on a single, non-negotiable premise: the math runs the game, and the game hides the math. Every swing of a cutlass, every pistol shot, every desperate dodge is resolved by the GURPS 3d6 engine running invisibly beneath the surface. Players never see a dice result. They see a pirate who is exactly as good as she has been built to be — no more, no less, with almost no statistical flukes to undercut her competence.

This is the defining distinction from Path of Exile's flat-percentage combat resolution. In PoE, a character with a 75% hit chance misses one attack in four — and will occasionally miss five in a row. In Salt & Steel, a pirate with Sword skill 15 (95.4% success on 3d6) misses fewer than one attack in twenty, and streaks of failure are mathematically suppressed by the bell curve. Mastery feels like mastery. Incompetence feels like incompetence. The engine does not lie about who you are.

The Soulslike inspiration comes not from Dark Souls' reflex demands but from its commitment to consequence. Every defense is a decision with a cost. Every all-out attack is a gamble with your body. Wounds accumulate on specific body parts. Fatigue is a clock that combat runs down. A fight against three enemies is a different experience than a fight against one — not because the numbers are different, but because the decision-making under simultaneous pressure is different. This is ARPG combat for players who want to think as well as react.

1. The 3d6 Resolution Engine

1.1 How It Works

Every meaningful outcome in on-foot combat resolves through a single function: roll 3d6, compare against a target number, succeed if the result is at or below the target.

The engine runs this function hundreds of times per second, invisibly, on behalf of both the player character and every active enemy. The player never rolls dice. The player sees outcomes: hits, misses, dodges, crits, staggers, and deaths. Those outcomes are the results of a continuous probabilistic simulation grounded in GURPS's most fundamental mechanic.

function resolve_check(skill_level):
    roll = roll3d6()
    margin = skill_level - roll
    
    if roll <= 4 or (skill_level >= 15 and roll <= skill_level - 10):
        return CRITICAL_SUCCESS, margin
    elif roll >= 18 or roll >= skill_level + 10:
        return CRITICAL_FAILURE, margin
    elif roll <= skill_level:
        return SUCCESS, margin
    else:
        return FAILURE, margin

The margin of success or failure feeds secondary effects: a success by 5 or more generates a bonus effect on the attack; a failure by 5 or more triggers an aggravated miss animation that briefly exposes the attacker.

1.2 The Bell Curve Advantage

The 3d6 distribution is not flat. The probability of rolling exactly 10 or 11 is 12.5% each — the center of the bell. The probability of rolling 3 or 18 is 0.46% each. This concentration around the middle means:

Low-skill characters fail consistently. A pirate with Sword skill 9 hits only 37.5% of the time. There is no lucky streak that makes them feel skilled.
High-skill characters succeed consistently. A pirate with Sword skill 15 hits 95.4% of the time. There is no unlucky streak that makes them feel unskilled.
Critical effects scale with mastery. Critical success (roll of 4 or less, or roll ≤ skill−10) becomes increasingly common as skill rises. At skill 15, criticals trigger on rolls of 5 or less — 4.6% of all attacks. At skill 18, on rolls of 8 or less — 25.9%.

What Players Feel: A beginner pirate fighting with improvised weapons feels genuinely uncertain — they cannot land blows reliably. A master swordswoman feels like a master — she hits, she parries, she criticals without the randomness that would undercut the fantasy. This is earned reliability, not false difficulty.

1.3 Critical Success and Critical Failure

Critical Success (CS): The attack lands with exceptional force or precision. Exact effects depend on weapon type and context:

Melee CS: Choose one — deal maximum damage dice result; apply a free status effect (stun, knockdown, or disarm); or open an immediate riposte opportunity.
Ranged CS: The shot pierces light cover; apply maximum damage; or the reload begins instantly (for firearms with the Gunslinger advantage).
Defense CS: A defensive critical on a parry opens an automatic riposte; on a block, applies a stagger to the attacker.

Critical Failure (CF): Something goes wrong beyond a simple miss:

Melee CF at skill < 12: Weapon drop or stumble (off-balance penalty for 0.5 seconds).
Ranged CF: Misfire (flintlocks, crossbows); shot goes wild and may hit allies.
Defense CF: The defense fails entirely and the character is staggered — they cannot attempt another defense for 0.75 seconds.
At skill ≥ 15: Critical failure on 18 only. Masters rarely fumble; when they do, it is dramatic, not comical.

2. The Attack Resolution Pipeline

2.1 Full Resolution Sequence

Every on-foot attack resolves through this ordered pipeline. Each step can terminate the sequence:

Step 1 — Attack Roll The attacker's weapon skill is compared against a 3d6 roll. Modifiers from stance, hit location targeting, environmental conditions, and character advantages/disadvantages are applied to the effective skill before the roll. If the roll fails, the attack misses — no further resolution.

Step 2 — Active Defense If the attack roll succeeds, the defender has a 300ms window to trigger an active defense (see Section 3). The engine also rolls 3d6 against the relevant defense value. If the defense succeeds, the attack is deflected or avoided.

Step 3 — Hit Location If no defense succeeds, the hit lands on a body location. Default target is the torso. Players targeting specific locations apply penalties to the attack roll (Step 1) in exchange for damage multipliers and special effects.

Step 4 — Damage Calculation Raw damage is rolled from the weapon's damage dice (based on attacker's ST and weapon type). The target's Damage Resistance (DR) from armor reduces the raw damage. What remains is penetrating damage.

Step 5 — Wound Multiplier Penetrating damage is multiplied by the wound modifier for the damage type (see Section 5). This is the final damage figure applied to the target's Hit Points.

Step 6 — Knockdown Check If the final damage equals or exceeds half the target's maximum HP, the target must make a 3d6 ≤ HT roll or be knocked down (prone, stunned for 1 second, defenses halved).

Step 7 — Injury Effects Accumulated damage to specific hit locations applies location penalties: crippled arm forces weapon drop; crippled leg halves movement; head injuries apply varying stun durations. These persist until healed.

2.2 Attack Roll Modifiers

Skill is not applied raw. The following modifiers adjust the effective skill level before rolling:

Modifier	Effect on Skill
Combat Stance: All-Out Attack (Determined)	+4
Combat Stance: Committed Attack	+2
Evaluate maneuver (1–3 stacked)	+1 to +3
Combat Stance: Defensive Attack	−2
Targeting specific location	−2 to −7 (see Section 6)
Moving and attacking	−4 (max effective skill 9)
Off-hand weapon (without Ambidexterity)	−4
Feint success modifier applied	−1 to −5 to defender's next defense
Darkness / low visibility	−1 to −4
Wet deck / unstable footing	−1 to −2
Injured (severe wound to attacking limb)	−2 to −4

2.3 Damage Formulas

Weapon damage is derived from the attacker's Strength (ST) through GURPS's Thrust/Swing tables, modified by weapon type:

Thrust Damage (stabbing, thrusting weapons):

ST	Thrust Dice
8	1d−2
10	1d−2
12	1d−1
14	1d
16	1d+1
18	2d−1

Swing Damage (slashing, chopping weapons):

ST	Swing Dice
8	1d−2
10	1d
12	1d+2
14	2d
16	2d+2
18	3d−1

All damage values are multiplied by 10 for ARPG presentation (Thrust 1d at ST 10 → 10d, meaning 10–60 displayed damage before wound modifiers). The underlying ratios remain GURPS-exact; the scale is cosmetically inflated for genre feel.

3. The Active Defense System

3.1 The Heart of Combat

GURPS's active defense system is the single most critical mechanic to translate. It is the reason Salt & Steel's combat has Soulslike feel without requiring Soulslike reflex precision. When an attack lands, the defender chooses a defense. The character's built statistics determine whether that defense succeeds — the player's reflexes determine which defense they reach for and when. Both matter. Neither alone is sufficient.

This is the two-stage success system: the attacker first proves they can hit; the defender then proves they can stop it. Combat is a conversation, not a monologue.

3.2 Defense Types

DODGE

The universal escape. The character's whole body moves out of the attack path — a roll, a sidestep, a backward leap. Dodge requires no equipment.

Value: Basic Speed + 3, rounded down. A character with DX 14, HT 12 has Basic Speed 6.5, Dodge 9.
Cost: 1 FP per dodge. The most expensive defense in the FP economy.
I-frames: A successful Dodge grants 0.3 seconds of invulnerability frames — the character is physically clear of the attack. This matters for area-of-effect attacks that would otherwise continue to deal damage.
When to Use: Against anything — projectiles, magic, area attacks, attacks you cannot parry (two-handed weapons in grapples, supernatural effects). The safe choice that drains your stamina.

PARRY

The weapon-in-hand counter. The defender catches or deflects the incoming weapon with their own. Parry is faster than dodge and cheaper, but narrower in application.

Value: ½ weapon skill + 3, rounded down. Sword skill 16 → Parry 11.
Cost: 0.5 FP per parry. Half the cost of a dodge.
Riposte Window: A successful parry — particularly a high-margin parry — opens a 0.5-second riposte window. During this window, the defender's next attack costs 0 FP and gains +2 to the attack roll. High-margin parries (margin 4+) extend the window to 0.75 seconds and add a free bonus damage die.
Limits: Cannot parry projectiles (without special techniques). Some oversized weapons (two-handed axes, large shields) cannot be parried without a Weapon Master keystone.
When to Use: Against melee attacks where you have the skill to back it. Rewards investment and skill — a Sword-16 character has Parry 11 (83.8% success rate). A Sword-10 character has Parry 8 (25.9% success rate). The difference is enormous.

BLOCK

The shield absorbs the blow. The character interposes a shield, buckler, or improvised barrier between themselves and the attack. The most reliable defense per FP spent, but equipment-gated.

Value: ½ Shield skill + 3, rounded down. Shield skill 14 → Block 10.
Cost: 0.25 FP per block. The cheapest defense.
Partial Block: Even a failed block roll reduces incoming damage by 25% if the margin of failure is 3 or less. The shield catches part of the blow.
Stagger Application: A successful block that lands with margin 3+ staggers the attacker — they lose 0.5 seconds of action time and suffer −2 to their next attack roll. Shields turn defense into counterattack setup.
When to Use: With a shield equipped, this should be the first-choice defense against standard melee attacks. Its low FP cost, partial-block damage reduction, and stagger potential make it the most efficient defense in extended combat.

3.3 Defense Costs and the FP Economy

The three defenses are not equal. Each represents a different investment and risk profile:

Defense	FP Cost	Requires	Success Rate (Skill 12)	Bonus on Success
Dodge	1.0 FP	Nothing	Varies (Basic Speed-based)	I-frames
Parry	0.5 FP	Weapon equipped	Based on ½ weapon skill	Riposte window
Block	0.25 FP	Shield equipped	Based on ½ shield skill	Stagger on attacker

A pirate with 12 FP and Dodge 9, Parry 10, Block 10 can:

Dodge 12 times before FP exhaustion
Parry 24 times
Block 48 times

This means shield builds are inherently more sustainable in extended encounters. Dodge-only characters burn through FP rapidly and must manage their exertion. The combat system implicitly rewards gear choices that support the defense economy.

3.4 Defense Rate Limit

Defenses cannot be spammed infinitely within a window. Salt & Steel enforces GURPS's accumulated defense penalty in real-time:

1st defense in a 2-second window: Full defense value, no penalty.
2nd defense in that window: −1 to defense roll.
3rd and subsequent: −2 per additional defense attempted.
All-Out Defense stance active: Penalties reset; each defense is at +2 instead.

This prevents the degenerate loop of rapid-fire dodge spam (a failure mode in many ARPGs). Against multiple simultaneous attackers, the player must accept some hits — the challenge becomes deciding which attacks to eat.

3.5 Being Surprised

Characters without Combat Reflexes can be surprised. Surprise occurs when:

An enemy attacks from an arc the character cannot defend (back quarter)
An ambush triggers before the character's awareness window
The character is engaged by a new attacker while fully occupied with another

A surprised character cannot use active defenses for the first 0.5 seconds of an encounter or the first attack from an undetected direction. Characters with Combat Reflexes (the keystone advantage) cannot be surprised — they always act before the window closes.

4. Combat Stances

Stances translate GURPS's combat maneuvers into a real-time mode system. The player selects a stance that modifies their entire offense/defense profile for the duration of that stance. Switching stances has a 0.25-second transition time.

4.1 All-Out Attack

Activation: Hold the attack button.
Philosophy: Full commitment. Everything goes into the strike.

Attack roll: +4 to skill
Damage: +2 per damage die (the "strong" variant)
Defense: Cannot use any active defense until the next attack animation completes.
FP Cost: 1 FP additional (on top of standard attack cost)

This is the most dangerous stance in the game. A player in All-Out Attack who misjudges an enemy's attack timing takes full, undefended damage. Against single enemies, it is a high-reward gamble. Against multiple enemies, it is often suicidal. Every boss encounter in the game has at least one phase specifically designed to punish careless All-Out Attack usage.

4.2 Committed Attack

Activation: Directional input + attack (step into the attack).
Philosophy: Aggressive but measured. Push the attack, hold something in reserve.

Attack roll: +2 to skill
Movement: Can step into the attack (one hex of movement incorporated)
Defense: Limited to ONE active defense for the next 0.75 seconds after the attack

The bread-and-butter aggressive stance for experienced players. More damage than standard, a real defense option retained. The single-defense limit forces players to choose their defense before they know which attack is coming — a genuine skill-expression challenge.

4.3 Normal (Attack)

Activation: Standard attack input.
Philosophy: The baseline. Competent offense, full defensive options.

Attack roll: No modifier
Defense: All three defenses available at full value

This is where most encounters should be fought. The modifier stances are tools, not permanent states — dipping into All-Out Attack for a stagger, then returning to Normal. Sustained All-Out Attack is a mistake.

4.4 Defensive Attack

Activation: Modifier button + attack.
Philosophy: Careful. Pick your moment. Don't overextend.

Attack roll: −2 to skill
Defense: +1 to all defense rolls after the attack

Used against enemies with unpredictable timing, in environments where being hit is catastrophic (standing in burning oil, on a ship's edge in high seas), or when the player's FP is low and they need to preserve defense options. The best players know when to slow down.

4.5 All-Out Defense

Activation: Hold the block button without attacking.
Philosophy: Survive. Nothing else matters right now.

Attack: Cannot attack while in this stance
Defense: Either — double your Dodge value (rounded down), OR +2 to all active defense rolls
Defense Penalties: Reset; accumulated defense penalty does not apply in this stance

All-Out Defense is the "oh no" button. Surrounded, FP low, wounded — this stance gives the best possible chance to weather incoming attacks and buy time. It is not weakness; knowing when to go purely defensive is a skill in itself.

4.6 Feint

Activation: Special input sequence (weapon-specific).
Philosophy: Deception as a weapon. Make them defend the wrong thing.

Attack: No direct attack is made
Effect: A Feint is a contested Quick Contest — the feinting character rolls 3d6 ≤ their weapon skill; the defender rolls 3d6 ≤ their own weapon skill
Success: If the feinter wins the contest (higher margin of success), the defender's next active defense suffers a penalty equal to the margin of the feint's victory (minimum −1, maximum −5)
Duration: The defense penalty applies to the NEXT attack made within 2 seconds of the feint

A Feint-into-All-Out-Attack sequence from a skilled swordsman is one of the most devastating openings in the game: feint reduces the target's dodge/parry by 3, then the +4 all-out attack skill bonus lands on a target with a compromised defense. Against high-Defense enemies or bosses, learning to feint is not optional — it is the skill that separates capable fighters from masters.

4.7 Evaluate

Activation: Stand still and watch (no input for 1 second while watching a target).
Philosophy: Patience is a weapon. Read the enemy before committing.

Attack: None during evaluation
Stacking Bonus: Each second of evaluation adds +1 to the next attack roll, up to +3 maximum
Resets: Any movement or attack resets the counter

In regular combat, Evaluate is impractical — standing still invites getting hit. Against major enemies and bosses, the first seconds of a fight spent in Evaluate produce a +3 attack roll advantage on the opening strike. Combined with a Feint, this is the absolute highest-skill opening sequence in Salt & Steel's combat. Characters who invest in this pattern reward patience with lethal precision.

5. Damage Types and Wound Modifiers

Salt & Steel uses GURPS's wound modifier system as the primary damage taxonomy. This is not a flat damage system with elemental resistances bolted on — it is a system where weapon choice has genuine mechanical consequences based on what you are hitting.

5.1 The Six Damage Types

CUTTING (×1.5 wound modifier)

Weapons: Cutlass, sabre, boarding axe, hatchet, machete
Source: Swing attacks, edge-on strikes

Cutting damage is the workhorse of pirate combat. The 1.5× multiplier makes it reliably lethal against lightly armored targets, and all cutting hits cause Bleeding — the target loses 3% of their current HP per second for 8 seconds unless treated or the wound is cauterized. Bleeding stacks (multiple cuts = multiple bleed ticks).

Armor Note: Metal armor (DR 4+) significantly reduces cutting damage. Against a heavily armored opponent, a cutlass loses much of its advantage. The smart pirate switches to a boarding axe (cutting swing + impaling thrust) or a crushing weapon against plate.

IMPALING (×2 wound modifier)

Weapons: Rapier, boarding pike, harpoon, dirk (thrust), stiletto
Source: Thrust attacks, penetrating strikes

Impaling is the highest single-hit damage multiplier in the game. A successful rapier thrust to the torso doubles penetrating damage. Against Vitals (−3 to hit, see Section 6), impaling becomes ×6 effective multiplier (×2 impaling × ×3 vitals) — capable of one-shot incapacitation against most human opponents. Rapier combat is the highest-ceiling, most technical style in the game, rewarding precise targeting with devastation.

Armor Note: Impaling is poor against heavy metal armor. The thin blade concentrates force but finds no purchase against thick plate. Against heavy armor targets (DR 5+), impaling damage is often stopped entirely. The Vitals targeting route bypasses this limitation — thrusting through gaps.

CRUSHING (×1 wound modifier)

Weapons: Mace, boarding club, belaying pin, cannon shot (close range), fist, grapple
Source: Impact attacks, blunt trauma

Crushing has the lowest multiplier but the highest reliable utility. Its benefits:

Best knockdown probability. Any penetrating crushing hit halves the HT threshold for knockdown checks. A hard mace blow to the torso staggers opponents reliably.
Armor-agnostic. Crushing damage ignores 1 point of DR regardless of armor type — blunt force transfers through material.
Non-lethal option. Targeting the head with crushing and restraining the strike allows incapacitation without killing. The only reliable way to take prisoners alive.
Ship equipment. Belaying pins, capstan bars, and improvised crushing weapons are always available aboard ships — the backup weapon that is never out of reach.

PIERCING (varies by size)

Weapons: Flintlock pistol, musket, crossbow, thrown knife (edge), harpoon gun
Source: Projectile attacks

Piercing damage is calibrated by projectile size:

Variant	Multiplier	Typical Source
Small (spi)	×0.5	Light pistol, crossbow bolt, small arrow
Standard (pi)	×1	Standard pistol, medium arrow, crossbow quarrel
Large (pi+)	×1.5	Musket ball, heavy arrow, large crossbow
Huge (pi++)	×2	Blunderbuss, grapeshot at close range

Firearms have the highest burst-damage ceiling in the game. A musket (4d × ×1.5 × 10 = up to 360 displayed damage) against an unarmored enemy is catastrophic. The cost: reload time. A flintlock pistol takes 15 real seconds to reload (abstracted to 12 seconds in game). The combat loop for firearm users is: devastating opening shot, then melee or a second prepared pistol, never reload in active melee.

BURNING (×1 wound modifier)

Weapons: Grenado, fire pot, alchemical oil flask, incendiary shot, Greek fire
Source: Explosive or incendiary area attacks

Burning damage deals its wound multiplier (×1) but has the unique property of Ignition. An enemy who takes any penetrating burning damage is set Alight — they take ongoing burning damage that bypasses armor DR (fire seeps into gaps). Alighted enemies take 1d of burning damage per second for 5 seconds. Multiple ignition sources stack their duration.

Area Effect: Most burning weapons affect an area (radius 1–4 meters). This is the primary crowd control and area denial damage type. Burning oil on a ship deck, a thrown fire pot into a crowd of boarders, a burning pitch cannon shot — these are the tools of asymmetric engagement.

SUPERNATURAL (×1 base, bypasses physical DR)

Sources: Curse effects, Cold of the Deep, Void damage, Spirit attacks
Mechanic: Supernatural damage ignores all physical Damage Resistance. Armor is irrelevant.

This damage type is the exclusive domain of the game's magical enemies and the player's magical abilities. A ghost's touch bypasses even the best plate armor. A Bone Singer's curse deals damage directly to HP and Will simultaneously. Against supernatural sources, the only meaningful defense is Will (for mental curses), magical wards (equipment and ability-based), or cold iron (a material type that blocks spiritual damage).

5.2 Armor Interaction

Armor provides a flat Damage Resistance (DR) value that subtracts from raw damage before the wound multiplier is applied:

Final Damage = max(0, raw_damage - DR) × wound_multiplier

This means: armor is most valuable against small, frequent hits. It becomes less valuable against high-damage impaling strikes (where the base damage is large enough that the DR reduction is proportionally small) and irrelevant against supernatural damage.

Sample DR Values:

No armor: DR 0
Buff coat (leather): DR 1
Breastplate: DR 4
Full plate (rare, heavy): DR 6
Supernatural wards: DR 2 vs. supernatural only

6. Hit Location System

6.1 Targeting Logic

Combat defaults to the Torso — the largest target, no penalty, standard damage. Players who invest in targeting specific locations pay an attack roll penalty in exchange for damage multipliers and location-specific effects.

Targeting is done through stance and technique selection, not cursor precision. The player selects a "Targeted Strike" technique (unlocked through the Skill Atlas) that hardcodes the location target. The engine applies the penalty automatically.

6.2 Hit Location Table

Location	Attack Penalty	Wound Modifier	Cripple Effect
Torso	0	×1 (cutting), ×2 (impaling), etc.	—
Head	−7	×4 all types	Knockdown on any penetrating damage; stun
Neck	−5	×1.5 all types	Choke on crit; major bleeding
Vitals (torso, internal)	−3	×3 (impaling/piercing only); ×1.5 others	Severe organ damage; ongoing HP drain
Arm	−2	×1	Cripple at 33% HP arm damage: drop weapon
Weapon Hand	−4	×1	Cripple at 25% HP arm damage: forced weapon drop
Leg	−2	×1	Cripple at 33% HP leg damage: halved movement
Foot	−4	×1	Cripple: stumble, −2 to all defenses

6.3 The Targeting Decision

Why target the head (−7)? Because ×4 wound multiplier turns a modest hit into catastrophic damage. A cutlass hit to the head (cutting ×1.5 × location ×4) = ×6 effective multiplier. For a +4 Sword skill character with Targeted Attack (Head) technique, this is the finishing blow.

Why target the vitals (−3)? Against impaling or piercing weapons, the ×3 vitals multiplier stacked with the ×2 impaling multiplier = ×6 effective damage. A rapier Vitals strike is one of the highest damage outputs in the game per hit. This is the duelist's answer to opponents who think armor protects them.

Why target the weapon hand (−4)? Disarming is a legitimate strategy, not just a curiosity. An enemy forced to drop their weapon is functionally defeated — they switch to grappling, brawling, or retreat. Against bosses who become radically more dangerous in phase 2 due to their weapon, destroying that weapon (targeting the hand until cripple triggers) is a valid strategic approach.

7. Fatigue Point (FP) Economy

7.1 FP as the Action Resource

Salt & Steel uses a single unified action resource: Fatigue Points. There is no separate mana, stamina, or energy. Every costly action draws from the same pool. This creates genuine trade-off decisions — do you spend FP on extra dodges, or on a powerful spell, or on sprinting to get out of an encircled position?

FP Base Value: Equal to the character's HT attribute. A pirate with HT 12 has 12 FP. Buying up FP on the Skill Atlas costs 3 points per additional FP.

7.2 FP Costs in Combat

Action	FP Cost
Standard attack	0
Dodge	1
Parry	0.5
Block	0.25
All-Out Attack (any variant)	1 (additional)
Feint	0.5
Sprint (per 3 seconds)	1
Spell (varies by spell level)	1 to 10
Swimming (per 5 seconds submerged)	1
Sustained bleeding (extreme blood loss)	0.5 per 10 seconds

7.3 FP Thresholds and Effects

FP at or above 1/3 maximum: No penalty. The character is fresh or adequately rested.

FP below 1/3 maximum: The character is fatigued.

Movement speed reduced by 40%
Dodge value reduced by −2
All attack and defense rolls at −1
Visual indicator: labored breathing animations, sweat effects, stance becomes slightly less precise

FP at exactly 0: The character is exhausted.

Every additional FP spent costs 1 HP instead (the body is paying in life force)
The character must make a 3d6 ≤ HT check each time they attempt a significant exertion (attack, defense, spell) or fall unconscious
Speed reduced to walking pace only

FP below 0: The character is on borrowed time.

HP continues depleting at 1 per FP that would be spent
All physical skills at −4 (the body is shutting down)
HT checks required every 10 seconds to remain conscious

7.4 FP Recovery

Passive in-combat recovery: 1 FP per 30 seconds without any exertion (standing completely still). Impractical in real combat — it exists to prevent a stuck character from being stranded at 0 FP forever.

Out-of-combat passive: 1 FP per 5 seconds while standing, 1 FP per 3 seconds while sitting, 1 FP per 2 seconds while lying down.

Consumables:

Rum (common): Restores 3 FP instantly; -1 effective skill for 60 seconds (impairs fine motor)
Hardtack and Water: Restores 5 FP over 30 seconds (must stop to eat)
Stimulant Draught (rare): Restores 8 FP instantly; no penalty
Cook's Meal (crew benefit): +3 FP max for 10 minutes

Crew Abilities:

Chirurgeon crew member: Can administer a "shot of something" for immediate 4 FP recovery once per combat
First Mate encouragement: Aura ability that grants +1 FP regeneration rate to the captain

Advantage Nodes:

Fit: FP recovers at 1.5× normal rate
Very Fit: FP recovers at 2× normal rate; FP threshold effects are delayed by 50%
Indefatigable (keystone): FP never drops below 1, regardless of exertion (the character always has something left); extremely expensive (25 Skill Atlas points)

8. The Status Condition System

Conditions are temporary states applied by specific attack types, environment, or magical effects. They require active management and can swing an encounter.

8.1 Physical Conditions

BLEEDING

Source: Cutting attacks, any penetrating wound to the neck
Effect: −3% current HP per second per bleeding stack (max 5 stacks)
Duration: Until bandaged or cauterized (active action, 3 seconds)
Visual: Red screen edge; blood particle effects on character
Counter: Bandage (consumable); First Aid skill (self or crew); Chirurgeon crew ability

STUNNED

Source: Head strikes, crushing attacks to the torso that exceed HP/2, critical hits
Effect: Cannot take any action for 0.5–1.5 seconds (duration based on severity); defense halved during recovery
Visual: Stars effect; brief white flash
Counter: HT check each second to recover faster (roll 3d6 ≤ HT); High Pain Threshold advantage reduces duration by 50%

OFF-BALANCE

Source: Failed critical defense (CF on defense roll), knock effects, surprise from behind
Effect: −2 to all attacks and defenses for 0.5 seconds; no All-Out Attack while off-balance
Visual: Character stumbles animation
Counter: Resolve quickly (automatic recovery after duration); Perfect Balance advantage prevents most off-balance triggers

CRIPPLED LIMB

Source: Accumulated damage to a single limb exceeding the cripple threshold
Effect: Arm — forced weapon drop, cannot use that arm; Leg — movement halved, −2 to dodge
Duration: Until medically treated (First Aid restores to wounded but functional; Surgery required for full recovery)
Visual: Character favors the injury; damaged animations for affected limb
Counter: First Aid (functional recovery); Chirurgeon crew (faster treatment); Poultice of the Witch (magical instant recovery, rare)

KNOCKDOWN

Source: Any crushing hit dealing HP/2+; specific heavy attacks; critical failures on defense
Effect: Character is prone (all attacks against them at +2; they cannot use dodge or block while prone); must spend 1 full second to stand (during which they can only parry or crawl)
Counter: Spend 1 second standing; Acrobatics skill check (3d6 ≤ Acrobatics) to spring up instantly without FP cost

ALIGHT

Source: Burning damage (any penetrating hit from fire/incendiary sources)
Effect: 1d burning damage per second for 5 seconds; armor DR reduced by 1 per second on fire (fire seeps into gaps)
Counter: Roll on the ground (1 second action, extinguishes); bucket of water (crew ability); water magic

8.2 Psychological Conditions

DREAD

Source: Accumulated exposure to supernatural events, undead enemies, Fright Check failures
Effect: Each Dread stack applies −1 to Will and all combat rolls (max 5 stacks → −5 to everything)
Visual: Screen desaturation; ominous audio distortion
Counter: Rum (reduces 1 Dread; also reduces skill); Morale Rally (crew First Mate ability); Fearlessness advantage (caps Dread at 2 stacks); leaving the supernatural area

FRIGHTED

Source: Failed Will check against a massive fear effect (sea serpent roar, ghost manifestation, Bone Singer curse)
Effect: Panicked — character attempts to flee for 2 seconds; defenses halved; FP drains at double rate
Counter: Will check each second to recover; High Morale crew buff halves duration; Davy Jones' Nerve keystone makes the character immune

9. Enemy AI and Defense Behavior

9.1 Enemy Attack Tells

Every enemy attack in Salt & Steel is telegraphed before it executes. Telegraphing is the universal design rule — no attack is instant, no attack is hidden. The variety of telegraphs, their speed, and the complexity of reading multiple enemies simultaneously creates difficulty, not information hiding.

Tell Stages:

Wind-up (0.3–1.5 seconds): The enemy prepares the attack. This is the window to begin a Feint, close distance for a riposte, or choose a defensive stance.
Attack (0.1–0.4 seconds): The attack executes. This is the active defense window.
Recovery (0.2–1.0 seconds): The enemy recovers from the attack. This is the counterattack window.

Bosses have more complex telegraphs — multi-phase wind-ups, feigned attacks that reset, simultaneous multiple attack types. Learning a boss's tells is part of the encounter skill expression.

9.2 Enemy Defense Behavior

Enemies have their own skill levels and defense values. A veteran sailor has Sword 13 and Parry 9; a dockyard thug has Brawling 10 and Dodge 8. They make defense decisions based on their AI priority hierarchy:

If heavily injured (< 25% HP): prioritize All-Out Defense or retreat
If player is in All-Out Attack: attempt to counter-attack rather than defend
If player has successfully feinted them: last defense roll at −feint penalty
Normal: rotate through dodge/parry based on their skill investment

Enemy active defenses are real mechanical rolls — not cinematic fake-outs. A high-level enemy captain with Parry 13 is genuinely difficult to hit with a standard attack. Players need to feint, use All-Out Attack, or target body locations to crack through that defense. This is skill on both sides.

10. Environmental Combat Modifiers

Combat does not occur in a vacuum. Salt & Steel's world is dynamic, and the environment shapes combat as much as any weapon choice.

10.1 Ship Deck Combat

Fighting on a moving ship deck applies modifiers based on sea conditions:

Sea State	Attack Penalty	Defense Penalty	Notes
Calm seas	0	0	No modifier
Moderate chop	−1	−1	The sea is doing something
High seas (storm)	−2	−2	Footing is treacherous
Hurricane	−4	−3	Barely standing, let alone fighting

Characters with the Sea Legs advantage (Perfect Balance keystone applied to seafaring) ignore these penalties.

Deck features interact with combat: rigging ropes can be grappled for elevation; mast bases provide cover (DR 4 vs. projectiles); cannon emplacements create chokepoints; wet decks from rain or wave wash apply an additional −1 footing penalty.

10.2 Terrain and Footing

Terrain	Effect
Dry solid ground	No modifier (baseline)
Wet/slippery (wet deck, mud)	−1 all physical checks
Rough/uneven (rubble, coral)	−1 attack, −1 movement
Darkness (night, cave)	−2 to −4 attack and defense; negated by Night Vision advantage or light source
Narrow space (ship corridors)	Cannot use reach 2+ weapons; −1 to attack
Elevated position (crow's nest, cliff)	+2 to attack against targets below; −1 to be hit (angle and cover)
Underwater	All physical actions at −4; cannot fire firearms; see Skill System for details

10.3 Weather Effects on Combat

Active weather persists into combat encounters — it is not suspended when enemies appear.

Rain: Reduces visibility (−1 ranged attacks per 30m beyond 20m); high likelihood of firearm malfunction (+2 to malfunction number)
Heavy wind: Thrown weapons at −2; ranged at −1; certain sails allow ship movement advantage
Fog: Ranged attacks beyond 10m suffer −2; enemies beyond 15m invisible until they attack
Lightning storm: Metal armor is a liability (lightning strike risk); anyone in metal armor during a major storm must make HT checks to avoid being a grounding point (dramatic, not common)

11. Weapons Reference: Core Types

11.1 Melee Weapons

Weapon	Damage Type	Base Damage	Notes
Cutlass	Cutting (swing) / Impaling (thrust)	sw+1 / thr+1	The pirate's default; versatile
Rapier	Impaling (thrust only)	thr+2	High skill ceiling; best damage vs. unarmored; poor vs. armor
Boarding Axe	Cutting (swing) / Impaling (thrust)	sw+2 / thr	Slightly higher swing damage than cutlass; less elegant
Sabre	Cutting (swing) / Impaling (thrust)	sw+1 / thr	Similar to cutlass; longer, slightly better reach
Mace	Crushing (swing)	sw+2	Best knockdown; works against all armor
Boarding Pike	Impaling (thrust)	thr+2, Reach 1–2	Long reach; threatens approach; best boarding weapon
Harpoon	Impaling (thrust)	thr+3, Reach 1	Throwable; can pin enemies with a Technique
Belaying Pin	Crushing (swing or thrust)	sw−1	Always available aboard ship; non-lethal specialist
Knife/Dagger	Cutting (swing) / Impaling (thrust)	sw−2 / thr+1	Off-hand; concealed; Fast-Draw

11.2 Ranged Weapons

Weapon	Damage Type	Base Damage	Reload	Range
Flintlock Pistol	Large Piercing	2d+1	12 sec	20m / 150m
Flintlock Pistol (Brace of 2)	Large Piercing	2d+1 × 2	24 sec total	20m / 150m
Blunderbuss	Huge Piercing (cone)	2d × cone	15 sec	5m effective
Musket	Large Piercing	4d	20 sec	80m / 400m
Crossbow (Light)	Large Piercing	1d+4	5 sec (crank)	30m / 250m
Crossbow (Heavy)	Large Piercing	2d+3	10 sec (winch)	50m / 450m
Throwing Knife	Cutting	thr	Instant	8m / 15m
Grenado	Burning (area 2m)	2d	One-use	10m throw
Fire Pot	Burning (area 3m DoT)	1d × 5 seconds	One-use	8m throw

11.3 Firearms: The Reload Reality

Firearms are the game's highest burst-damage weapons and also the most tactically demanding. A player who fires and then tries to reload while in melee is making a fatal mistake. The reload times (12–20 seconds) are intended to be felt, not abstracted away. This creates genuine tactical texture:

Fire the pistol at a key moment (high-HP boss, flanking enemy, crossing the gap)
Draw a second pistol if carrying a brace
Switch to melee while the pistol is holstered and reloading (auto-reload during melee stance)
The pistol comes back online mid-fight — another powerful moment

The Gunslinger keystone on the Skill Atlas halves all reload times and allows attacks without the aiming window penalty. This is the dedicated pistoleer's build-defining unlock.

12. Design Principles: What Combat Must Always Feel Like

These principles are not mechanical specs. They are the experience goals that every combat mechanic is measured against.

Mastery Feels Like Mastery. A character with Sword skill 15 should dominate a mook with Sword skill 10. The 3d6 engine ensures this — the bell curve prevents low-skill enemies from getting "lucky" too often. Build investment produces consistent results.

Every Defense Is a Decision. The player must think when pressed by multiple attackers. They cannot dodge everything. They cannot parry projectiles. They cannot block without a shield. The resource cost of defenses means choosing which attacks to defend is a constant cognitive challenge.

Wounds Have Texture. A crippled arm that forces a weapon drop mid-fight changes the encounter entirely. The game does not abstract injury into "take X% more damage" — it creates specific, felt, mechanical consequences that the player must adapt to.

The Clock Is Always Running. FP depletion creates tension over extended fights. A fight that should be easy becomes tense when the character is down to 3 FP. The pirate who looked invincible ten seconds ago is now struggling to afford a parry.

The Environment Is Part of Combat. Fights on burning ships, rain-soaked decks, fog-shrouded islands, and narrow ship corridors each feel different. The environment is not a backdrop — it is a modifier. Design every encounter arena knowing what the environment adds to the mechanical mix.

No Attack Is Invisible. Every enemy attack is telegraphed. Difficulty comes from encounter complexity (many enemies, fast tells, overlapping attack windows) and the consequence of failure, never from ambiguous information.

See Also:
Skill System — Weapon skills, magical abilities, and progression
Movement and Controls — How the player moves, dodges, and transitions between modes
Naval Combat — Ship-to-ship combat system
GURPS Adaptation Research — Full mechanical foundation