Combat

The Nature of War in the 41st Millennium

"In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war." That isn't hyperbole; it's the default state of the setting. Combat in Wrath & Glory uses the same test as everything else (a pool of d6s, Icons against a DN; see Core Mechanics), with a few extra steps for damage and injury.

Who Goes First: No Initiative Roll

Many games open a fight with an initiative roll. Wrath & Glory doesn't. Each round, the players choose which of their characters acts first. Then the sides alternate, one turn at a time: a player character, then an enemy, then another player character. If one side has more combatants, its extra turns run in order at the end of the round.

Seizing the Initiative

Players: spend Glory to Seize the Initiative
GM:      spend Ruin to Seize the Initiative for the enemy
Effect:  break the alternating order so your side acts out of turn

Why the Order Still Matters

Your Turn: What Can You Do?

On your turn you get a set budget of actions. Spend it wisely, because the enemy is spending theirs trying to kill you.

Action Economy

Each turn you get:
- Movement: up to your Speed in metres
- 1 Combat Action: an attack, a psychic power, and similar
- 1 Simple Action: e.g. Aim, drawing a weapon, a quick task
- 1 Reflexive Action: a reaction when something triggers it
- Any number of Free Actions: speaking, dropping an item

Full-Round Actions (use your whole turn):
- Charge: rush an enemy and make a melee attack (+1 die)
- Sprint: move much further than normal
- Full Defence: give up attacking to make yourself harder to hit

You can also try to do several things at once with a Multi-Action, at the cost of a higher DN on every test involved. Check the rulebook for the exact penalty.

Movement: Positioning for Survival

Standing in the wrong place doesn't just mean missing an opportunity; it means becoming a corpse. Movement is about controlling sightlines, using cover and forcing enemies into bad positions. How far you go is your Speed, set by species rather than by an attribute.

Attack Resolution: Dealing Death

When diplomacy fails and there's nowhere to run, violence becomes the only option. Every attack follows the same sequence: hit the target, roll damage, then compare it to the target's Resilience.

The Attack Sequence

Step 1: Declare target and weapon
Step 2: Build the pool
          Melee:  Initiative + Weapon Skill
          Ranged: Agility + Ballistic Skill
Step 3: DN = the target's Defence (cover adds to it)
Step 4: Roll; Icons at least the DN = a hit
Step 5: Shift spare Exalted Icons for +1 ED each
Step 6: Damage = weapon damage + ED rolls (+ Strength in melee)
Step 7: Subtract Resilience; the rest are Wounds
Step 8: Wrath die 6 on a hit = Critical Hit

Damage, Resilience and Wounds

Wrath & Glory tracks harm on two lines. Wounds are real injuries: broken bones, torn flesh. Shock is fatigue, fear, bruising and near misses. Whether a hit causes either depends on Resilience.

How a Hit Turns into Harm

Damage = weapon damage + Extra Damage (ED) dice (+ Strength in melee)
         Each ED die: 1-3 = +0, 4-5 = +1, 6 = +2
         Glory: +1 damage per point spent

Resilience = Toughness + 1 + armour rating
         AP (armour penetration) lowers the armour part of Resilience

Damage above Resilience  -> that many Wounds
Damage equal to it       -> 1 Shock
Damage below it          -> no effect

Wounds, Shock and Staying Alive

Wounds: Serious Physical Damage

Max Wounds = (Tier x 2) + Toughness

Any Wounds:          Wounded - +1 DN to all tests
Past Max Wounds:     Dying - fall Prone and gain a Memorable Injury
Wounds while Dying:  each becomes a Traumatic Injury (a lost eye, a lost limb)
More than Tier + 1 Traumatic Injuries: dead

Shock: Combat Fatigue and Minor Trauma

Max Shock = Willpower + Tier

Past Max Shock: Exhausted
- Only basic actions
- No Determination rolls
- Any further Shock becomes Wounds instead

Recovery: spend Wrath to recover Shock; rest clears more

Determination: Toughing It Out

When Wounds land, you can roll Determination to turn some of them into Shock: each Icon converts one Wound. A 1 or 6 on the Wrath die does nothing special on this roll. It's the game's way of letting heroes shrug off a hit that would drop a lesser soul, at the cost of wearing them down.

Mortal Wounds

Some attacks, like the psychic power Smite or being On Fire, deal Mortal Wounds. They ignore Resilience entirely and normally can't be reduced with Determination (a few rare abilities and Power Field armour are exceptions). If you see "Mortal Wounds", believe it.

Armour and Protection: Your Last Line of Defence

In the 41st Millennium, armour isn't fashion; it's the difference between going home and becoming a statistic. Armour doesn't roll a save. Its armour rating adds straight onto your Resilience, so every point raises the damage an attack needs before it hurts you.

How Armour Interacts with Weapons

Armour rating: added to Resilience (Toughness + 1 + armour)
AP (armour penetration): weapon trait that lowers the target's
    Resilience for that hit - the better the AP, the less armour counts
Invulnerable armour: AP doesn't reduce it
Cover: when shooting through cover, its bonus is added to Resilience
Mortal Wounds: ignore Resilience entirely

Exact armour ratings and traits (such as Powered, Bulk, Shield or Power Field) are in the rulebook's wargear chapter.

Weapons: Tools of Destruction

Your weapon is your best friend, your last hope and often the difference between survival and a glorious death for the Emperor. Every weapon has a damage profile written as a number plus Extra Damage dice, such as a boltgun's 10 + 1 ED or a laspistol's 7 + 1 ED, along with AP, range, Salvo and traits.

Reading a Profile

Damage 10 + 1 ED   flat 10, plus one ED die (4-5 = +1, 6 = +2)
AP                 how much of the target's armour it ignores
Range              how far it reaches, in metres
Salvo              how far a Reload can cut the Multi-Attack penalty
Traits             special rules, listed below

Weapon Traits: Special Properties

Traits are where weapons get their personality. The core list includes Agonising, Arc, Assault, Blast, Brutal, Flamer, Force, Heavy, Melta, Parry, Pistol, Rad, Rapid Fire, Reliable, Rending, Silent, Sniper, Spread, Supercharge, Unwieldy, Waaagh! and Warp. A few worth knowing early:

Heavy (X):   needs Strength X, or you must Brace first
Blast:       hits an area, not just one target
Flamer:      sprays fire over an area
Pistol:      a sidearm, small enough for close quarters
Supercharge: overcharge it for more damage, at a risk
Parry:       a melee weapon that helps you defend

Combat Options: Beyond Basic Attacks

Combat offers more than "I shoot the enemy". These options let you pull off the cinematic actions the setting is known for.

Aim: Precision Over Speed

Action: Simple Action before your attack
Benefit: a bonus to the attack that follows
Best Use: Long-range shots, high-value targets

All-Out Attack: Fury Over Defence

Requirement: Melee attack
Benefit: +2 dice to the attack
Drawback: -2 Defence until your next turn
Best Use: Finishing a dangerous enemy right now

Called Shot: Precision Targeting

For each +1 you add to the target's Defence (the DN),
your attack gains +1 ED if it hits.

Multi-Attack: Many Targets at Once

+2 DN for each target after the first; damage is rolled once
Ranged: spend a Reload to cut the penalty by the weapon's Salvo value
Weapons with Salvo "-" can't Multi-Attack

Pinning and Interaction Attacks

Pinning: suppressing fire tested against the targets' Resolve
Interaction attack: a skill such as Intimidation or Deception
    against the target's Resolve; success leaves it
    Vulnerable or Hindered
Brace: steadies a Heavy weapon you aren't strong enough to swing freely

Environmental Hazards: The Universe Wants You Dead

The environment is often more dangerous than the enemy. From toxic atmospheres to collapsing structures, the galaxy offers countless ways to die. These are GM tools: pick an attribute or skill test, set a DN, and decide what failure costs (usually damage, Shock or time).

Big Battles: When Wars Collide

Sometimes the Agents find themselves in the middle of a battle involving thousands. Don't roll for every soldier. Make the battle the backdrop and give the players objectives inside it: hold the gate, silence the heavy bolter, rescue the Lord-Militant's aide. The wider battle shifts depending on whether they succeed.

Try It at the Table

1: Run a Round

2: Does It Hurt?

Work out the result of each hit:

• 13 damage against Resilience 8
• 9 damage against Resilience 9
• 11 damage against Resilience 12
• 12 damage, AP −2, against Resilience 11 (including at least 2 points of ordinary, non-Invulnerable armour)

3: Build a Guardsman's Tracks

A Tier 2 Guardsman veteran has Toughness 4 and Willpower 3. What are his Max Wounds and Max Shock? How many Traumatic Injuries can he survive?

4: Plan the Fight

1. The Sniper's Gambit: Aim plus Called Shots
2. The Berserker Rush: Charge plus All-Out Attack
3. The Suppression Screen: Pinning plus movement
4. The Glory Spike: Save Glory for one huge hit

5: Design a Hazard Fight

• A fight on a collapsing bridge over a lava flow
• A battle in zero gravity aboard a derelict ship
• A firefight during a toxic gas leak in a manufactorum
• A skirmish in a raging lightning storm

Combat Tactics by Enemy Type

Fighting Chaos Cultists

Fighting Orks

Fighting Tyranids

Key Takeaways

Combat in Wrath & Glory is fast, deadly and unforgiving. Learn these systems and your characters might live long enough to become the heroes the Imperium desperately needs. Next, the warp itself: Psychic Powers.