How Combat Works
In basic Combat, the opponents roll d20's against each other to see who gets the higher rolls. They will attack and defend until someone disengages or takes so much Damage that they fall. This is a VERY simplified description of a Combat Round, but illustrative nonetheless. Understanding the primary elements of Holy Lands Combat will help you to build your character's more-advanced strategies as your character grows. These are the foundational essentials to basic Combat: Let's assume there are two somewhat comparable opponents with minimal Bonuses and fighting abilities (just to show how Bonuses work). Aehelm the Warrior has +2 to most actions and his opponent, an orc, has +1 to most actions; both combatants have 1 Attack per Round (1 AtR), which means they can only attack one time during each Round. 1. ADVANTAGE – Both opponents roll Advantage (ADV) using a d20 to see who will attack first; the highest roll wins. Aehelm the warrior rolls a 15 and adds his +2 ADV Bonus (17 total); and his opponent, the orc, rolls a 4 and adds his +1 ADV Bonus (5 total). Aehelm wins Advantage. 2. ATTACK – Aehelm then rolls another d20 to Attack (ATT) the orc with his sword. He wants to get a high roll in order to exceed the orc's Armor Defense (aDEF), which is a 9. Aehelm rolls an 8 on the die, which would bounce off the orc's armor by itself because it is not over his aDEF, but Aehelm then adds his ATT Bonus of +2, making his complete Attack a 10. This exceeds the orc's Armor Defense and forces the orc to Dodge or Defend. 3. DODGE or DEFEND – The orc then rolls a d20 in hopes of beating Aehelm's roll and thereby deflecting the blow. He does, rolling a 12 and adding his +1 Defend (DEF) Bonus. Using his axe, the orc defends Aehelm's sword with a 13, stopping the Warrior's blade with a loud clank. The orc could have chosen to Dodge (DOD) the attack but the orc knows he has no Bonuses to Dodge, so he has a better chance of Defending. Note: If Aehelm had more than 1 AtR at this point, he could attack the orc again, but he does not so the Warrior's attacking Round is over. 4. RETURN ATTACK – Since the orc was not hit, he still has his Attack for this Round, and Aehelm just used his. The orc can now strike back. With his axe, he swings at the Warrior rolling a 15 on a d20 and adding his +1 ATT Bonus. This total of 16 exceeds Aehelm's aDEF of 11 and so Aehelm must roll to Dodge or Defend in order to avoid taking Damage. 5. DODGE or DEFEND – With Aehelm's sword, he elects to Defend the orc's Attack. Rolling a d20 to Defend; Aehelm gets a 5 and adds his +2 DEF Bonus, the sum of which is 7, and is not enough to successfully stay the blow. 6. DAMAGE – The orc's axe cuts deep into Aehelm's skin. The orc rolls Damage for the axe, which is 2d6, and he adds his +1 Damage (DAM) Bonus causing Aehelm 11 points of Damage total. 7. END of ROUND – Since both combatants have used their 1 Attack that Round, the Round ends and a new one can begin again. To do so, the combatants start again at Advantage and play through the dice rolls again. | 
