The ‘thwack’ of a fist striking against a target; the sonic boom of a combatant moving at supersonic speeds. A brilliant flash of light from an explosion as it blooms from an energy blast. The sharp smell of petrichor filling the battlefield as rain begins to downpour. Flurries of blows, shouts of conquest, cries of agony… Combat in the DBU RPG can be messy, fatal, and electrifying. Whether it’s a skirmish against a handful of thugs, or an all-out battle with soldiers and their ruthless sovereign, combat is the staple of DBU. In a typical turn, you will use your Actions (see – Actions & Combat) to mount an attack, test your enemies’ defenses, and inflict damage on them. This section will cover all the mechanics, guidelines and rules related to attacking.
Attacking Maneuvers
Attacking Maneuver. An Attacking Maneuver is any type of Maneuver that has both a Strike and a Wound Roll. Any Attacking Maneuver that is not a Signature Technique is considered a Basic Attacking Maneuver.
Ki Wager. When making any form of Attacking Maneuver, you may make a Ki Wager by spending any amount of Ki Points up to your Capacity Rate. Increase the Wound Roll for that Attacking Maneuver by an amount equal to the amount of Ki points spent. For example, if you wagered 10 Ki Points then you would increase the Wound Roll by 10.
If an effect requires you to make a Ki Wager (such as through the Compelled Combat Condition) but you do not have enough Capacity Rate or Ki Points to make the Ki Wager, spend your Life Points instead of your Ki Points for that Ki Wager.
Anatomy of an Attack. When making any type of Attacking Maneuver, there are multiple events that occur in order and each one must be passed through for the next event of the Attacking Maneuver to occur. The sequence of events occurs in the following order:
- Attack Declaration. When any type of Attacking Maneuver is declared, the target(s) must also be declared. If that Attacking Maneuver has an Area of Effect, the attacker will declare the Area of Effect given by that Attacking Maneuver and all Characters within that Area of Effect will be the target(s). Unless otherwise specified, any effect that occurs when making an Attacking Maneuver occurs at this point. Instant Maneuvers can be declared in response to Attack Declaration and as a result, occurring before the Attacking Maneuver itself (see — Instant Maneuvers). You pay the Ki Point Cost for an Attacking Maneuver (including any for a Ki Wager) at this point of an Attacking Maneuver, however, any effects that occur ‘when making’ an Attacking Maneuver or at Attack Declaration occur before you would pay any Ki Point Cost or declare your Ki Wager.
- Defense Declaration. When a Character is declared as a target, they must declare if they will use a Dodge Roll or spend a Counter Action to use the Defend Maneuver. Only one Counter Action can be spent at a time. Any time the defender would forgo their Dodge Roll, treat its Dice Score as 0 for any effects.
- Clash. The attacker will roll their Strike Roll against the Opponent’s defense – be that a Dodge Roll or another option provided by a Counter Action. If the attacker wins or the defender does not roll a Dodge Roll or alternate Clash (meaning a roll against the attacker) option through the Defend Maneuver, move on to the next event. If the defender wins their Dodge Roll or other Clash, the Attacking Maneuver fails against that target and any further events do not apply to that target or, if they were the only target, the Attacking Maneuver ends here.
- Damage. After successfully hitting an Opponent with an Attacking Maneuver, make a Wound Roll. The Dice Score of the Wound Roll is then reduced by the Opponent’s Soak Value (depending on the Damage Category) – the leftover figure, if any, is known as the Damage. The Damage is deducted from your Opponent’s Life Points. Any effects that occur when an Attacking Maneuver has hit an Opponent occur before this and any effects that occur when an Attacking Maneuver has dealt Damage is applied after this, if there is any Damage to begin with (the Dice Score of the Wound Roll exceeded the Soak Value).
- End of the Attack. After calculating Damage and applying it to the Life Points of the attacked Opponent, the Attacking Maneuver ends. Any relevant effects, such as the Bonus Momentum rule, apply now.
Energy Charges. Typically done through effects, using an Ultimate Signature Technique or the Energy Charge Maneuver, you can gain a number of Energy Charges on an Attacking Maneuver that drastically increases its power. Each Energy Charge gained increases the Wound Roll of an Attacking Maneuver by 1d6(T), or 1d8(T) if that Attacking Maneuver is a Signature Technique.
The maximum number of Energy Charges an Attacking Maneuver can possess is equal to your Force Score for Physical Attacks and Energy Attacks, or equal to your Magic Score for Magic Attacks. Regardless of Attribute Scores, your maximum number of Energy Charges cannot be below 3.
Diminishing Offense. During each Combat Round, for each Attacking Maneuver you make after your third during this Combat Round, reduce your Strike Rolls for your Attacking Maneuvers by 1(bT) until the end of the Combat Round.
Diminishing Defense. Even if you are on guard all the time, no one is completely unaffected by the danger of an attack. After each Attacking Maneuver that has targeted you, reduce your Defense Value by 1. Increase this penalty by 1 for every 2 base Tier of Power reached after Tier of Power 1. At the start of each Combat Round, remove all penalties inflicted from Diminishing Defense. To help remember it, refer to the table below:
Tier of Power | Diminishing Defense (per Attacking Maneuver) |
---|---|
1~2 | -1 |
3~4 | -2 |
5~6 | -3 |
7 | -4 |
Attack Range
Melee Range. This represents the range at which you can physically reach another character, typically your Melee Range will only include all Adjacent squares to your character. Your Size Category (see – Size) typically decides your Melee Range, however, and many characters of larger sizes will have a much larger Melee Range.
Long Range. Attacks in Dragon Ball can encompass incredible distances and move with mind-boggling speed. While the distance between the attacker and target may thus seem irrelevant for us, those who fight at such speeds are able to prepare easier against attacks that come from further away. Characters are considered to be at Long Range, from your character’s perspective, if they are 9+ Squares away from your character.
Long Range Penalty. Reduce your Strike Rolls against any character at Long Range by 2(bT).
Taking Damage
Soak. Soak is the ability to stave off damage from attacks and to weather damage through natural toughness. Soak is a passive Aptitude that is equal to your Tenacity Modifier. You have a Minimum Soak Value of 1(T) regardless of your Tenacity Modifier (this Minimum Soak Value can be reduced through other factors). Whenever you are hit, reduce the Wound Roll Dice Score by your Soak Value. The remaining Damage is removed from your Life Points.
Damage Reduction. Before you apply Soak, there’s another thing to consider: Damage Reduction. As the name implies, Damage Reduction is a reduction to the Dice Score of an Opponent’s Wound Roll when you are hit by an Attacking Maneuver. Unlike Soak, Damage Reduction is not reduced by the Damage Category of an Attacking Maneuver.
Damage Category. There are three different Damage Categories that an attack can inflict to a target. The most common Damage Category in the game is Standard Damage. Unless otherwise stated by the attack, all attacks are considered to inflict Standard Damage to a target. Damage Categories are numbered from 1-3, which can be increased or decreased through various Traits or other effects.
Each effect that increases or decreases the Damage Category of an Attacking Maneuver is a numerical +1 or a -1, depending on the effect. If multiple effects occur at once that would change the Damage Category of an Attacking Maneuver, figure out the final Damage Category by using the default Damage Category’s number for that type of Attacking Maneuver, adding any increases to Damage Category then removing any decreases to Damage Category – if the end result is lower than 1 or higher than 3, set that number to 1 (Standard Damage) or 3 (Lethal Damage) respectively.
- Standard (1). This type of damage has no special qualities. All attacks do Standard Damage unless otherwise stated.
- Direct (2). When a target suffers Direct Damage, their Soak Value is reduced by 1/2 for that attack.
- Lethal (3). Lethal Damage bypasses a target’s Soak altogether; targets cannot use their Soak to reduce the damage of a Lethal attack.
Foundations & Profiles
There are 3 Foundations: Physical, Energy and Magic. Each one has its own set of Profiles, listed below, that you can use freely when allowed to make an Attacking Maneuver (unless specified otherwise). They can be used to create Signature Techniques (see – Signature Techniques) or simply used through the Basic Attack Maneuver.
An attack that is of a Foundation can be referred to as an X Attack – where ‘X’ is replaced by the Foundation (i.e. Physical Attack).
Minimum Ki Point Cost. The Ki Point Cost of an Attacking Maneuver cannot be reduced to lower than 1/2 of the listed KP Cost of that Attacking Maneuver’s Profile (except Sphere or Spell).
Physical Profiles
Physical Attacks can only be made against Opponents within your Melee Range, unless specified otherwise. Add your Force Modifier onto the Dice Score of any Physical Attacks.
Simple: A basic punch or kick.
–KP Cost: 0
–Effect: None.
Blitz: An attack made as part of a high-speed charge.
–KP Cost: 6(T)
–Effect: This Attacking Maneuver gains the Charging Assault Advantage for free (this does not increase the KP Cost, or the TP Cost if it is a Signature Technique). If you move a number of Squares that exceeds your Normal Speed due to the effects of Charging Assault, you score a Critical Result on the Wound Roll regardless of the Natural Result.
If this Attacking Maneuver is a Signature Technique, reduce the KP Cost by 3(T).
Combination: A combination of several attacks done in sequence.
–KP Cost: 4(T)
–Effect: After you hit an Opponent, roll your Strike Roll for this Attacking Maneuver against the Dice Score of their Dodge Roll or Strike Roll (if they used the Defend Maneuver) an additional 3 times. The first time one of these Strike Rolls exceeds their Dice Score, increase the Wound Roll by 4(T) and for every additional time your Strike Roll exceeds their Dice Score, increase the Wound Roll by an additional 2(T).
Crushing: A heavy strike with the intent to break bones or cause internal damage.
–KP Cost: 6(T)
–Effect: The base Damage Category for this Attacking Maneuver is Lethal. Reduce the bonus to your Wound Roll from your Force by 1/2.
Powered: A single, powerful punch or kick charged to the brim with ki.
–KP Cost: 8(T)
–Effect: Double the bonus to your Wound Roll from your Force and gain a free Energy Charge on this Attacking Maneuver.
Soaring: A physical attack that launches a concussive shock wave at a distant opponent.
–KP Cost: 8(T)
–Effect: Your Melee Range for this Attacking Maneuver is increased by 11. The base Damage Category for this Attacking Maneuver is Direct. Increase the Wound Roll by 1(T) for every 4 Squares away you are from your target (max. 6(T)).
Sweeping: Through a spinning kick, some kind of physical shock wave, or any other form of attack, the user strikes at multiple enemies simultaneously.
–KP Cost: 4(T)
–Effect: Increase your Melee Range by 1 Square for this Attacking Maneuver and all Opponents within your Melee Range become targets. If you deal Damage with this Attacking Maneuver, double the Diminishing Defense penalty your Opponent would receive from this Attacking Maneuver.
Energy Profiles
Energy Attacks can be made against an Opponent at any distance from you within the Battlefield, but tend to cost more Ki Points than Physical Attacks. Like Physical Attacks, you increase the Wound Rolls of Energy Attacks by your Force Modifier. You cannot use an Energy Attack if your Force Score is below 3.
Sphere: A simple spherical blast of ki.
–KP Cost: 2(T)
–Effect: None.
Beam: A concentrated beam of energy that has incredible power.
–KP Cost: 10(T)
–Effect: The base Damage Category for this Attacking Maneuver is Direct and this Attacking Maneuver has a free Energy Charge.
Blast: A cone-shaped wave of energy that can harm multiple characters.
–KP Cost: 5(T)
–Effect: This Attacking Maneuver has a Standard Cone AoE. If this Attacking Maneuver only hits one Opponent, increase the Wound Roll by 1d4(T).
Cutting: A disk or arc of energy focused to possess a cutting edge.
–KP Cost: 6(T)
–Effect: The base Damage Category for this Attacking Maneuver is Lethal. You only add 3/4 of your Awareness and 1/2 (rounded up) of your Haste to the Strike Roll for this Attacking Maneuver.
Explosion: A huge explosion of energy that strikes a large area.
–KP Cost: 8(T)
–Effect: This Attacking Maneuver has a Standard Sphere AoE. Increase your Strike Roll for this Attacking Maneuver by 1(T).
Kiai: A shock wave that can’t be seen with the naked eye and is therefore difficult to predict.
–KP Cost: 5(T)
–Effect: Reduce the Critical Target for Strike and Wound Rolls by 1 for this Attacking Maneuver. This Attacking Maneuver gains the Knockback Advantage for free (this does not increase the KP Cost or the TP Cost).
Rapid Fire: A barrage of ki blasts focused onto a target.
–KP Cost: 5(T)
–Effect: After you hit an Opponent, roll your Strike Roll for this Attacking Maneuver against the Dice Score of their Dodge Roll or Strike Roll (if they used the Defend Maneuver) an additional 3 times. The first time one of these Strike Rolls exceeds their Dice Score, increase the Wound Roll by 4(T) and for every additional time your Strike Roll exceeds their Dice Score, increase the Wound Roll by an additional 2(T).
Magic Profiles
Magic Attacks can be made against an Opponent at any distance from you within the Battlefield and use your Magic Modifier instead of Force Modifier to increase the Wound Roll. You cannot use a Magic Attack if your Magic Score is below 3.
Spell: A simple blast of magical energy.
–KP Cost: 2(T)
–Effect: None.
Elemental (Dark): Using the powers of darkness, you launch powerful, demonic spells at your opponents. Burn your own life to empower your spell.
–KP Cost: 6(T)
–Effect: Increase the Ki Wager of this Attacking Maneuver by 1 for every 4 Ki Points spent. Reduce your Life Points by the amount your Ki Wager increased through this effect.
Elemental (Earth): Using the powers of the earth, this attack throws rocks at the opponent for surprising amounts of damage.
–KP Cost: 5(T)
–Effect: Any target hit by this Attacking Maneuver also receives Collision Damage as if they collided with Hardness 2 Terrain. You can only Ki Wager up to 1/4 of your Max Capacity on this Attacking Maneuver.
Elemental (Fire): Using the powers of fire, you launch plumes of flames at your opponent that break down their defenses.
–KP Cost: 8(T)
–Effect: The base Damage Category for this Attacking Maneuver is Direct. If this Attacking Maneuver knocks an Opponent through a Health Threshold, they suffer from 2 stacks of the Broken Combat Condition until the start of your next turn.
Elemental (Ice): Using the power of ice, you create frigid winds of icy projectiles to assault your opponents and try to freeze them in place!
–KP Cost: 8(T)
–Effect: The base Damage Category for this Attacking Maneuver is Direct. If this Attacking Maneuver knocks an Opponent through a Health Threshold, they suffer from a stack of the Slowed Combat Condition until the start of your next turn.
Elemental (Light): Using the powers of light, you create constructs or shattered fragments of light to assault your foes. The more energy spent, the more lethal the spell.
–KP Cost: 6(T)
–Effect: If your Ki Wager for this Attacking Maneuver is equal to 1/3 of your Max Capacity or higher, the base Damage Category for this Attacking Maneuver is Direct but if it is higher than 2/3 of your Max Capacity, it is Lethal.
Elemental (Lightning): Using the powers of lightning, you electrocute an opponent.
–KP Cost: 8(T)
–Effect: The base Damage Category for this Attacking Maneuver is Direct. If this Attacking Maneuver knocks an Opponent through a Health Threshold, they suffer from Impediment until the start of your next turn.
Elemental (Water): Using the powers of water, you strike with waves of potent water to knock them over.
–KP Cost: 8(T)
–Effect: The base Damage Category for this Attacking Maneuver is Direct. If this Attacking Maneuver knocks an Opponent through a Health Threshold, they are knocked Prone.
Elemental (Wind): Using the powers of the wind, this attack is able to blow away opponents with great force.
–KP Cost: 5(T)
–Effect: This Attacking Maneuver gains the Knockback Advantage for free (this does not increase the KP Cost, or the TP Cost if it is a Signature Technique). Any Collision Damage suffered as a result of this Attacking Maneuver’s Knockback is doubled (this applies to both the target of the Attacking Maneuver and any other character that they may collide with).
Mega Flare: By focusing as much energy as possible, this magic is devastating.
–KP Cost: 10(T)
–Effect: Double the amount of Energy Charges gained through the Energy Charge Maneuver for this Attacking Maneuver.