Battlefields exist to help you and your group get a real sense of immersion. Battlefields are simple enough, just pick anywhere you can imagine, and that is where the battle takes place.

The Grid. You can play DBU with or without a grid. Without a grid, you can still use squares to represent distance, but it is generally advised to use a grid where possible – as the Squares of a grid are used for many effects and for creating the Battlefield (See below)

Typically, DBU is played as a two-dimensional game where flight (a very common occurrence within Dragon Ball from Z onwards) is mostly flavor, rather than actual mechanics, for the sake of simplicity. It’s mostly depicted through the Soar Maneuver for changing to a high Battlefield, though you should limit Characters flying outside of Combat Encounters if they do not have access to the Soar Maneuver. If you would like to add more in-depth mechanics for Flight in your game, the Flight Optional Rule (see — Flight) has rules to allow for more three-dimensional combat.

Battlefields and Squares

Battlefield. At the start of each Combat Encounter, an area should be established that is the Battlefield – this effectively serves as the area that the fight is occurring within. A Battlefield can be expanded as Characters move to and through its limits, but having a defined space for a Combat Encounter allows you to figure out factors such as: how far away a Character would have to move to no longer be focused upon in combat, when someone can stop being relevant for a Combat Encounter if they attempt to flee, and generally (if some players are not involved in a Combat Encounter while others are) give an idea of where in your world this fight is taking place.

When setting up a Battlefield, you should give a quick explanation of the site – how many Squares (x-axis) by how many Squares (y-axis) the Battlefield is, if there’s the possibility to escape (see — Ending a Combat Encounter), and the identification of each Square (usually done in clusters, rather than individually).

Leaving a Battlefield. If there is the possibility to flee the Battlefield, then to do so, a Character must spend at least 2 Actions attempting to flee while on the edge of the Battlefield (see — Hide and Seek). If, by the start of their next turn, they have not been hit by an Attacking Maneuver, then they may successfully leave the Battlefield and thus the Combat Encounter.

Squares. Each Square on the Battlefield has a multitude of things to consider:

• Square Material. What is that Square made of? And what is its Hardness Rank? For more detail, see Battle Terrain below.
• Occupation. Is this Square occupied by a Feature or a Character? If so, then you cannot enter it.
• Square Environment. What Battle Environment is the Square in? For example, while a majority of a Battlefield may be of the Standard Environment, certain Squares may be of the Underwater Environment – potentially representing the Battlefield being on an island. For more information, see Battle Environments.
• Square Weather. What Battle Weather is affecting that Square? Battle Weather will generally affect an entire Battlefield, but there are many effects that may create more localized weather effects. For more information, see Battle Weather.
• Square Visibility. What level of light is affecting this Square? In many cases, the Light Level will be decided for the entire Battlefield, but there are many circumstances where a particular area may be brighter or darker than the rest of the Battlefield. For more information, see Light Levels.

Battle Terrain

Battle Terrain represents the ground, buildings, and general features of a Battlefield. It is used throughout the system to represent the various effects that are common in Dragon Ball, such as being knocked into a mountainside or having your face ground against a glacier.

Features. Battle Terrain is divided into Features. Features are the buildings, plateaus, and unfortunately unattended trucks that litter the battlefield. Each Feature occupies a number of Squares decided by your ARC in whatever shape they desire. When making a Feature, an ARC also has to decide the material of the Feature (or various Squares on it, if there is a change in material).

Destroying a Feature. Features can be targets for any Attacking Maneuver, just like Characters can. However, you always automatically hit a Feature and only inflict Damage equal to your Tier of Power. Each Feature’s Life Points are equal to their Hardness Rank. For every 2 Energy Charges applied to an Attacking Maneuver, treat your Tier of Power as if it was 1 higher when calculating Damage to a Feature.

When anything collides with a Feature, it takes Collision Damage. However, the Damage inflicted is equal to 1/2 (rounded up) of the Tier of Power of the Character whose Maneuver or Effect caused the Collision.

Cover. If a Feature on an Adjacent Square to you is between you and an Opponent that is targeting you with an Attacking Maneuver, increase your Dodge Roll by 2(T) for the duration of that Attacking Maneuver and reduce the Damage you would suffer by twice the Hardness Value of that Feature. This effect does not apply if the Attacking Maneuver possesses an AoE that also includes the Feature as a target.

Material. The material is what a Square, Feature, or other object is made out of. While generally, the material is decided by the ARC and then an appropriate Hardness Rank is selected for that material, some Features may possess Feature Qualities (once again decided by the ARC). Below is a list of potential Feature Qualities that may apply to a Feature:

• Rubbery: If you would Collide with this Feature, halve the amount of Collision Damage you would receive and then move a number of Squares equal to the Hardness Value directly away from the Feature in a straight line. You can only apply this effect once per Combat Round on each individual Feature.
• Fragile: If you Collide with this Feature, it is destroyed regardless of its Hardness Rank, halve the Collision Damage you take and you continue your movement. If you have already hit a Fragile Feature during this movement, cease your movement as usual upon colliding with the second Fragile Feature (it is still destroyed).
• Splintering: If this Feature is destroyed, all Characters within a Minor Sphere AoE (centered on this Feature) receive Collision Damage equal to its Hardness Value.
• Burning: If you receive Collision Damage from this Feature, gain a stack of the Broken Combat Condition for 1 Combat Round (ending on the end of this turn, next Combat Round).
• Shocking: If you receive Collision Damage from this Feature, suffer from the Impediment Combat Condition for 1 Combat Round (ending on the end of this turn, next Combat Round).
• Sharp: If you receive Collision Damage from this Feature, gain 2 stacks of Damage Over Time for 1 Combat Round (ending on the end of this turn, next Combat Round).
• Resilient: Double the Life Points of this Feature. Additionally, anyone benefiting from Cover due to this Feature may reduce the Damage they suffer by the Hardness Value of this Feature, even if hit by an Attacking Maneuver that possesses an AoE.
• Metallic: This Feature is made of metal. It must have a Hardness Rank of 3+.

Hardness. Hardness represents the resilience of Features and how much they would hurt to be knocked into it or struck with. Hardness is separated into Hardness Rank and Hardness Value. The Hardness Rank is presented first in the list below, while the Hardness Value is stated afterwards in square brackets and scales based on the base Tier of Power of the individual who Collided with the Feature (see — Collision, below). The easiest way to remember it is that (aside from Hardness Rank 1), the Hardness Value is twice the Hardness Rank multiplied by the base Tier of Power of the Character who is suffering the Collision Damage. There are 5 Hardness Ranks: 

• 0 [1(bT)]: This Hardness Rank represents substances that are not structurally sound, such as sand or the surface of water. Features cannot have a Hardness value of 0, but the Squares themselves can.
• 1 [2(bT)]: This Hardness Rank represents structures made of wood or a collection of harder substances, like gravel.
• 2 [4(bT)]: This Hardness Rank represents structures made of stone, bone or cement. 
• 3 [6(bT)]: This Hardness Rank represents structures made of metal or more resilient stone.
• 4 [8(bT)]: This Hardness Rank represents structures that are made from reinforced metals.
• 5 [10(bT)]: This Hardness Rank represents structures forged of Katchin, the strongest metal in the universe, or other comparable materials.

Collision. When you are moved by an effect other than the Movement Maneuver that would move you into the Square occupied by either a Feature or another Character, you Collide. There are four types of Collision:

• Feature on Feature Collision. If a Feature collides with another Feature, compare their Hardness Rank. The Feature with the lower Hardness Rank is destroyed.
• Feature Collision. If you are moved into a Square containing a Feature (or vice versa) by the Maneuver or effect of another Character or the Battle Weather, you collide with that Feature: your movement stops just before the Square occupied by the Feature and you receive Collision Damage: reduce your Life Points by the Hardness Value of the Feature you Collided with (see — Hardness).
• Ground Collision. If you leave the Low Sky Environment due to Vertical Launch (see — Battle Environment), you suffer Ground Collision. You suffer Collision Damage: reduce your Life Points by the Hardness Value of the Square you landed upon.
• Character Collision. If you would be moved into a Square containing another Character by the Maneuver or effect of another Character or the Battle Weather, undergo Collision. Both Characters receive Collision Damage as if they had a Hardness Rank of 2 and are knocked Prone.
  
  If you are about to have another Character collide with you due to their movement, you may spend a Counter Action to either: use the Movement Maneuver as an Out-of-Sequence Maneuver (this applies before Collision) or you may make a Might Clash against the Character responsible for the movement (if it was due to a Battle Weather generated by a Character, then they make a Might Clash against that Character). If it was due to an effect not initiated by a Character, treat it as if you automatically succeeded that Might Clash. If you win, the movement stops and neither Character suffers Collision. If you lose, undergo Collision as normal.