Strategic Mechanics

Clarifications and quick reference

Quick answers:
* The basic Extra Attack class feature does not allow you to make two attacks on a readied action. (Extra Attack: “Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.”)

Modified Mechanics

Some familiar mechanics have been modified, you can find clarifications below.

Multiple Reactions

Some class features and abilities grant extra reactions. Multiple reactions can’t be stacked to perform the exact same action. For example only one reaction can be spent to make an attack of opportunity against a single enemy, but if another enemy provokes an attack of opportunity the second reaction can be used to attack the second enemy.

Knocked Unconscious

When someone is knocked unconscious, if they already have Wounded status before going down, they gain a level of Exhaustion, otherwise they only gain Wounded status (see below for details on Wounded).

New Mechanics

The following are a set of new mechanics that are used throughout the Bright Future setting and systems.

(Design Philosophy: Additional rules that complement the existing game, aren’t overly obtrusive and don’t take excessive amounts of time to resolve. A focus towards tactical mechanical additions, granting new ways to perform basic attacks without taking away weight from the class features or feats. Additional mechanics will be heavily used in monster, trap, and encounter design for the Bright Future Hazard Guide)

Tactics

Bright Future aims to add more tactical choices from turn to turn. With more tactical options comes more choices, so players are suggested to play off of instinct. Players should treat the game like chess but speed chess, it’s not about trying to find the most optimal decision each turn, but picking a move that’s quick but effective. By the same token, Game Masters shouldn’t overthink the NPC’s turns during combat, focus on keeping the game flowing, plan out a strategy for what you know you’re players are capable of.
* Cover: Cover AC’s have been added to the character sheet because cover is expected to be used a lot more. Some weapons can even defeat full cover: high caliber weaponry, explosive weaponry, and some magic can pierce full cover, although the damage will be split evenly between the cover and the target.
* Reactions: Reactions and Readied Actions may play a bigger part in your game for the strategic benefit. With more enemies trying to use cover, being able to strike them when they leave cover will give you a better chance to hit.
* Tactics: Combat focused classes will be given extra tactics to use, some tactics extend to their allies while others may require specific class features to extend them to their allies.

Called Shot

Take a -5 on an attack to pick a specific region to hit on a target. Humanoids have a generic set of regions and effects listed below. Certain Monsters will have unique rules and special called shot locations, as well as certain Equipment. There are some creatures, features, and equipment that may grant immunity to a specific called shot or all called shots. For example a Riot Shield protects the arm holding it from Called Shots.
Cover and Called Shots: Targets that gain AC from Cover, may limit certain called shots. Cover must be shot through, reduce damage by hardness, and then divide it by two (rounded down), half of the damage is dealt to the cover the other half the target. For example a police officer using a waist high wall as cover can’t have a shot called at their feet, without passing through the wall’s hardness, the Police officer and the wall both take half damage.
Humanoid Called Shot Options:
* Head: Also imposes disadvantage on the attack. Any attack that hits is a critical hit. Doesn’t cause lasting injuries.
* Arms: Strength Save DC 10 or damage divided by 2. Failure results in dropping items in that hand.
* Legs: Strength Save DC 10 or damage divided by 2. Failure results in being knocked prone.

• Armor Defeating: Make the attack against you’re target but use 10 + target Dexterity modifier as their AC.
  Called Shot: Take a – 5 to the attack for a special benefit.

Wounded

When a character suffers a single attack with damage greater than their constitution score or when they reach 0 health, they gain the wounded status. Wounded status is removed after a short rest. Some class abilities trigger off of wounded status, certain monsters have Wounded effects as well. Players suffer no ill effects from Wounded without taking a flaw.

Minions

A subset of enemies, instead of having hit points they have three states: healthy, injured, and dead. Minions have an AC, base save, and a Damage Threshold, if damage dealt goes above the threshold they’re killed instantly, otherwise each attack only drops the status once, from healthy to injured, or from injured to dead.
* AC: Armor Class, works as normal.
* Base Save: Unless specific saves are mentioned, Base Save is used for all saves.
* Damage Threshold: If a single attack deals more damage than the Damage Threshold, the Minion dies instantly.

Minion Swarms

A subset of minions, swarms have a Overkill value, a Size value, and Max. Each minion in the swarm increases their chance to hit, as well as damage dealt, this bonus stops at the Max value. Weak minions will have a low Max value. Any hit against a swarm reduces the Size by one, but reaching and surpassing Overkill can provide a way to reduce size faster.
* Overkill: Rough estimation on minion health. When damage reaches or passes Overkill or a multiple of Overkill, reduce size by one extra each time.
* Size: The number of minions left in the swarm. Each provide a + 1 to Hit, and a + 1 to Damage.
* AC: Armor Class, works as normal.
* Base Save: Unless specific saves are mentioned, Base Save is used for all saves.
* Max: Swarms have a limit to their bonus, but their size can go beyond it.
* Mob Mentality: Immune to charm.
* Merging: If multiple minion swarms of the same type are fighting, when a Minion Swarm drops below Max, they’ll try to join other minion swarms.