Approved Mechanics & Maneuvers

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[Movement]
Walking Speed: 7 yards/turn.
Jogging Speed: 14 + Dexterity yards/turn.
Running Speed: 20 + (Dexterity x 3) yards/turn.
Swimming Speed: 8 (12 with Athletics specialty) + Dexterity yards/turn.
Climbing: 3.3 yards per success, 1.6 if under harsh conditions, and 5 ~ 6.6 if under ideal conditions.
Spirit Movement: 20 + Willpower yards/turn.

[Falling Damage]
Falling damage inflicts one die of bashing damage for every 10 feet (3.33 yards) that your character falls before hitting something solid. Falling damage may be soaked normally. Landing on sharp objects can change the damage from bashing to lethal at the Storyteller’s discretion. If your character plummets 100 feet (33 yards) or more, she reaches terminal velocity. The damage effect reaches a maximum of 10 dice at this point, and it is considered lethal damage. Additionally, any armor your character wears in a terminal-velocity fall functions at only half its rating (rounded down), since it’s not designed for this sort of punishment.

[Fire Damage]
The most fearsome form of death, fire fries skin, devours tissue, cooks organs, cracks bones, and consumes the body’s essential water supply. Burns kill not only from shock trauma and tissue damage but from dehydration as well… and burns can kill long after the fire itself has passed. Fire also increases in 1 size per turn, provided there are flammable materials nearby, or a character is set on fire. Furthermore, fire bypasses all armor, save for flame-resistant suits, which halve the burn damage. Lastly, fire can only be soaked with appropriate supernatural powers (e.g. Fortitude).
Candle: 1 Aggravated/turn (difficulty 3 to soak).
Palm of Fire: 1 Aggravated/turn (difficulty 4 to soak).
Campfire: 2 Aggravated/turn (difficulty 5 to soak).
Bonfire: 2 Aggravated/turn (difficulty 7 to soak).
Inferno: 3 Aggravated/turn (difficulty 9 to soak).

[Electrocution Damage]
Minor shocks from tiny self-contained battery-powered units, such as tasers, TENS units, or car batteries, inflict shocks of bashing damage. On the other hand, household currents, third rails, lightning bolts, or even Tesla coils, cause lethal damage: burnt tissue, organ trauma, disrupted body functions, and the like. Both sources cause astonishing pain and tend to lock muscles into uncontrollable spasms or rigid immobility (requires a Strength roll at difficulty 9 to pull away).
Wall Socket: 2 Lethal/turn.
Protective Fence: 4 Lethal/turn.
Junction Box: 6 Lethal/turn.
Subway Rail: 8 Lethal/turn.

[Explosion Damage]
Explosion damage is determined by the Blast Power detailed for each explosive (see Approved Weapons). Explosions may consist of pure kinetic energy or a combination of kinetic energy and fire, resulting in a fiery ball or mushroom cloud. The Blast Power, essentially the Damage Dice Pool, is rolled at a difficulty of 6 for pure kinetic energy explosions, or at a difficulty of 4 for fireball explosions.
- Characters who are caught in the Blast Power and take Cover behind an object, gets the protection of that object's Durability and Structure (see Objects and Surfaces).
- Characters who are fool enough to take Cover behind glass will suffer 2 extra Lethal damage.
- Characters who are caught in the Blast Power and drop on the ground (Dexterity + Athletics/Acrobatics) suffer 2 damage less, provided the explosion is purely kinetic.
- Dodging an an explosion can only be done by characters who's Running Speed is at least twelve times the Blast Area.
- When wearing a full-body armor, the armor converts one point Lethal-explosion into Bashing per point of protection it offers, half-body armor (e.g. Kevlar) only convert half their protection rating (rounded up).

[Drowning and Suffocation]
Living characters can hold their breath for a duration determined by the chart below, with the option to extend it by 30 seconds for each Willpower point they expend. Once this duration elapses, they begin to suffer one unsoakable Bashing damage per turn spent without oxygen. If a character's health drops below Incapacitation due to lack of oxygen, they immediately die. Additionally, if a character with First Aid training (Medicine 1+) reaches a drowned or suffocated character within ten minutes (or thirty minutes in unusually cold water) of the incident, they can attempt to resuscitate them with a successful Wits + Medicine roll. The difficulty starts at 6 and increases by +1 for every five minutes thereafter.
Stamina 1: 30 seconds
Stamina 2: 1 minute
Stamina 3: 2 minutes
Stamina 4: 4 minutes
Stamina 5: 8 minutes
Stamina 6: 15 minutes
Stamina 7: 20 minutes
Stamina 8: 30 minutes
Stamina 9: 45 minutes
Stamina 10: 1 hour

[Ramming and Slamming]
Ramming into, or being rammed by characters or solid objects may inflict one die of Bashing damage for every 3.3 yards of velocity at the time of impact. Thus, a dude who sprints ten yards before slamming into a door would suffer 3 dice of Bashing damage.
- If that object's Durability (see Objects and Surfaces) is higher than the character's Stamina rating, add one more automatic Bashing damage to the result.

[Toxins]
Drugs and poisons cause this damage one or two times per ingestion unless the player makes a Stamina roll (below), whereas long-lasting diseases inflict that damage once per week or perhaps – as in the case of slow killers like cancer – once per month or longer.

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[Objects and Surfaces]
Durability is essentially the object's "automatic soak rating" while Structure is the object's "health levels".
Certain attacks that deal Aggravated (e.g. Mystic fire or Werewolf Claws) may halve the object's Durability rating.

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[Damage Dice Pool]
Attackers receive one extra die to their Damage Dice Pool for every success they accumulate beyond the first on the attack roll.

[Aborting Actions]
You can abandon your character’s declared action in favor of a defensive action as long as your character hasn’t acted in the turn. Actions that can take the place of a previously declared action include block, dodge, and parry. A successful Willpower roll versus difficulty 6 (or the expenditure of a Willpower point) is required for a character to abort an action and perform a defensive one instead. When spending Willpower for an abort maneuver, a character may declare the Willpower expenditure at the time of the abort. A Willpower roll to abort is considered a reflexive action (see Defensive Maneuvers).

[Ambush]
Ambushes involve surprising a target to get in a decisive first strike. The attacker rolls Dexterity + Stealth in a resisted action against the target’s Perception + Alertness. If the attacker scores more successes, she can stage one free attack on the target; she then adds any extra successes from the resisted roll to her attack dice pool. On a tie, the attacker still attacks first, although the target may perform a defensive maneuver. If the defender gets more successes, he spots the ambush, and both parties determine initiative normally. Targets already involved in combat with the would-be ambusher cannot be ambushed.

[Flank and Rear Attacks]
- Characters attacking targets from the flank (side) gain an additional attack die.
- Characters attacking from the rear (behind) gain two additional attack dice.
- If the targeted character has a higher initiative and retaliates (or simply turns around) before the attacker strikes, the attacker's hit is no longer considered a Flank/Rear hit.

[Targeting]
Aiming for a specific location incurs an added difficulty, but can bypass armor or cover, or can result in an increased damage effect. The Storyteller should consider special results beyond a simple increase in damage, depending on the attack and the target.
Medium (briefcase, limb): +1 difficulty.
Small (hand, cellphone): +2 difficulty, +1 damage die.
Medium (eye, heart, lock): +3 difficulty, +2 damage dice.
Head: +2 difficulty, +2 damage dice (+1 damage die versus undead targets)

[Opponent Reading]
This maneuver is allows a combatant to read their opponent. The combatant spends a full action to read their opponent, and makes a contested Perception + Ability (whichever the opponent is likely to use) roll versus the opponent's Wits + Ability. The remaining successes will count as additional dice for the combatant's next action.
- This maneuver can only be performed by combatants who has at least two dots of Wits and two dots in the appropriate Ability.

[Combat Mobility]
A character may move half of her running distance (see Movement) and still take an action in a turn. Other maneuvers such as leaping or tumbling may be considered separate actions, depending on their complexity.

[Multiple Actions]
If you declare multiple actions, declare the total number of actions you wish to attempt and determine which of the dice pools is the smallest. Then, divide that number of dice between all of your actions. If a character performs only defensive actions in a turn, use the appropriate block, dodge, or parry system.

[Multiple Opponents]
A character who battles multiple opponents in close combat suffers attack and defense difficulties of +1, cumulative, for each opponent after the first (to a maximum of +4).

[Invisible Opponent]
A character who battles an invisible opponent is at +2 difficulty to attack or defend from the opponent.

[Weapon Length]
It is difficult to get in range with a punch or knife if someone else is wielding a sword or staff. A character being fended off with a longer weapon must close in one yard/meter before striking, losing a die from her attack roll in the process.

[Off-Hand]
Characters without the Ambidextrous Merit suffer from +1 difficulty for performing actions with their off-hand.

[Range]
Every Ranged Weapon has a certain listed Range as part of its entry. That Trait shows the weapon's medium effective range; within this distance, the difficulty is considered to be 6. A given weapon can be fired up to twice that listed Range at difficulty 8 (possibly higher at the Storyteller's call). Within two yards or less, however, the characters are within point-blank range and the difficulty drops to 4.

[Cover]
Cover increases an attacker’s difficulty to hit a target (and often the target’s ability to attack back). The difficulty penalty for attacks made by a character who is under cover are at one lower than listed below.
Light (lying prone): +1 difficulty
Good (behind wall): +2 difficulty
Superior (only head exposed): +3 difficulty
- When taking cover from Explosions, the character gets the protection of that object's Durability and Structure (see Objects and Surfaces).

[Desperate Defense]
Rather than having to divide your dice pool among multiple defensive actions, you may declare that your character spends an entire turn defending. The normal multiple-action rules are not used in this case. Instead, you have a full dice pool for the first defensive action, but lose one die, cumulatively, for each subsequent defense action made in the same turn. It is still difficult to avoid several incoming attacks, but not as difficult as trying to attempt multiple things at once.

[Martial Arts Guidelines]
- Unlike normal fighting, study of the Martial Arts requires discipline and concentration. Characters under extreme effects such as Frenzy and Rötschreck cannot use Martial Arts.
- When using the Martial Arts skill instead of Brawl the difficulty for certain maneuvers change in accordance to the following chart:

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[Block]
A Dexterity + Brawl maneuver using your character’s own body to deflect a hand-to-hand bashing attack. Lethal and aggravated attacks cannot be blocked unless the defender has Fortitude or is wearing armor. The difficulty of this maneuver is generally 6, though the difficulty of blocking thrown objects is +2 higher.

[Dodge]
A Dexterity + Athletics maneuver useful for avoiding attacks of all types. Your character bobs and weaves to avoid Melee or Brawl attacks (if there’s no room to maneuver, she must block or parry instead). The difficulty of this roll is usually 6. However, attempts to dodge fast-moving objects, such as arrows and throwing stars increase the difficulty to 8. Attempting to dodge bullets is nearly impossible, raising the difficulty to 9.
- This maneuver can also be used to take Cover, provided the distance (in yards) between the character and the cover does not exceed their Dexterity rating.

[Parry]
A Dexterity + Melee maneuver using a weapon to block a Brawl or Melee attack. If a character makes a Brawl attack and the defender parries with a weapon that normally causes lethal damage, the attacker can actually be hurt by a successful parry. If the defender rolls more successes than the attacker does in the resisted action, the defender rolls the weapon’s base damage plus the parry’s extra successes as a damage dice pool against the attacker.

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[Punch]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl (or Martial Arts) (difficulty 6).
Damage: Strength / Bashing.


[Kick]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl (or Martial Arts) (difficulty 7).
Damage: Strength +1 / Bashing.


[Grapple/Clinch]
Roll: Strength + Brawl or Dexterity + Martial Arts (difficulty 6).
Damage: None or Strength / Bashing
Notes: Grappling an opponent is merely holding them still, while Clinching will also deal damage. Grappled/Clinched opponents are unable to take any action until they break free or reverse the hold. Breaking free requires matching or surpassing the attacker on a contested Strength + Brawl roll (difficulty 6).
- Agile characters with a total Dexterity rating of 4 or higher may use Dexterity instead of Strength when only trying to break free (not reverse).
- In cases where the held character surpasses her holder by 2 or more successes, they may chose to reverse the grapple.
- Clinches made by characters with spikes, barbs, or certain Vicissitude alternations will result in Lethal damage.


[Disarm]
Roll: Dexterity + Melee (+1 difficulty)
Damage: Special
Notes: In case the amount of successes exceed the opponent's Strength (+ Potence) rating, they are disarmed and no damage is dealt. Any lower number of successes will simply deal damage as usual. Botching this roll will result the attacker dropping their own weapon.


[Disarm (Barehanded)]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl -1 (or Martial Arts) (difficulty 8/7)
Damage: Special
Notes: In case the roll is Brawl, the difficulty is 8 and the dice pool is one lower. In case the roll is Martial Arts the difficulty is 7 and no dice penalties apply. However, it requires Martial Arts rating of at least 3. The effect of this maneuver is akin to the one presented above.


[Sweep]
Roll: Dexterity + Melee (or Brawl/Martial Arts) (difficulty 8)
Damage: None
Notes: Successful attack results the opponent being Knocked Down. This maneuver is performed with a melee weapon or the attacker's feet. In case a melee weapon is used and the attacker is using Martial Arts with Weapon Forms specialty, the bonuses apply.


[Tackle]
Roll: Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7)
Damage: Strength / Bashing
Notes: This maneuver requires at least 2 yards of distance between the two. Successful attack results the opponent being Knocked Down. The only way to dodge/resist this attack is with a counter Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 6 + Attacker's successes).
-  If the tackler possesses an exceptionally heavy body (such as Cyborgs), exhibits intense heat (like magma-flesh), or features spikes (due to Vicissitude alterations), they will inflict Lethal damage instead of Bashing. Moreover, engaging in a tackle against such formidable foes will result in damage to the attacker, with the inflicted damage is Lethal and is equal to the Attacker's Strength.
- A would-be tackler who botches suffers from one of the following consequences:
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • Trips and falls (inflicting Knock Down, and one die of damage upon herself for every yard she ran).
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • Slams into something else (inflicting the negative amount of successes + her Strength damage upon herself);
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • Crashes into her target and bounces off (suffering the opponent’s Stamina in damage and leaving the target himself unharmed).
In order to determine the outcome, simply roll 1 die. 1-3 = first option, 4-6 = second option, 7-9 = third option.


[Bite]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl +1 (difficulty 6).
Damage: Strength +1 / Bashing, Lethal, or Aggravated.
Notes: Requires the target to be clinched, held, tackled, or cooperative. The damage type is Bashing if it's a human or small animal bite, Lethal in cases of dangerous animals, and Aggravated in cases of supernatural teeth.


[Claw]
Roll: Dexterity + Subterfuge (difficulty 9).
Damage: Strength +1 / Bashing, Lethal, or Aggravated.
Notes: The damage type is Bashing if it's cat-like scratches, Lethal in cases of dangerous animals, and Aggravated in cases of supernatural claws.

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“Folks raised on the streets have nasty ways of taking a person down. It’s sheer survival in such environments...”

The following collection of brutal blows demands at least three dots in the Brawl Ability, plus a background that includes such dirty tricks (gang membership, violent neighborhood, rape-prevention classes, and so on). Supernatural creatures under the effect of Frenzy also have access to these maneuvers, as their primal instincts take over.


[Blinding]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 6).
Damage: Special
Notes: This maneuver requires access to Dirty Fighting. Scratching an enemy’s eyes, throwing dirt in his face, spraying him with chemicals or using some similar attack, the brawler tries to render her opponent sightless.
- Five successes or more might permanently destroy the victim's eyes to the point of blindness.
- Truly vicious strikes (gouging with claws, showering him with acid, etc.) might inflict a health level or two of lethal damage in addition to the blindness.


[Body Slam]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 6).
Damage: Strength +2 / Bashing or Lethal (Aggravated in extreme cases).
Notes: The attacker lifts their foe over their head, and tosses them at the nearest surface.
- The opponent must first be Grappled or Clinched in by the attacker before performing this action.
- In case the surface happens to be edgy, sharp, or extraordinarily hot, the damage is Lethal.


[Curbstomp]
Roll: Strength + Brawl (difficulty 6).
Damage: Strength +2 / Lethal.
Notes: An ugly way of rearranging someone’s face involves propping said face against a curb or other hard surface (sometimes with the mouth open, for extra effect) and then kicking or stomping down on the back of his head.
- Requires a Stunned or Immobilized target, plus one turn to place the opponent's face into position.
- This attack may inflict lasting and horrific injuries (broken teeth, shattered jaw, ruined face, etc.) at the Storyteller’s discretion.


[Haymaker]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 7).
Damage: Strength +2 / Bashing.
Notes: A serious jaw-cracking blow that typically knocks the opponent back a yard or so unless he makes a Strength roll (difficulty 8) to resist its effects.
- Botching a Haymaker roll results in the attacker hitting the ground (Knock Down).


[Head Butt]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 6).
Damage: Strength +1 / Bashing or Lethal.
Notes: In a close-clinch situation, the attacker can smash their head into the face or stomach of their opponent.
- This attack can be used while being Grappled or Clinched.
- In case the target soaks all of the damage inflicted by the attack, the attacker is Stunned for one turn.
- In cases where the attacker has a horned head, spiked helmet, steel skull, or other lethal implement, the head butt inflicts lethal damage.
- Anyone stupid enough to head butt a cyborg or other unyielding opponent suffers the damage they would have inflicted and gets Stunned for a turn as well.


[Jab Pistol]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 6).
Damage: As per firearm +2
Notes: Jamming a firearm directly into the opponent’s body, and firing away. The attacker blasts a rather large hole in the target. Due to the fact the gun is being used hand-to-hand, the maneuver employs Brawl instead of Firearms.
- This maneuver requires the attacker to get close and personal with the opponent.
- Only pistols can be used this way, and the results are… disgusting.


[Pistol Whip]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 7).
Damage: Strength +2 / Lethal
Notes: The brawler cracks his opponent's skull with a gun or other small, hard, heavy object – a crowbar, brew mug, laptop, etc.
- This blow stuns the opponent for one turn if they fail a Stamina roll (difficulty 8)… and for two turns if they botch that roll.


[Low Blow]
Roll: Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 7).
Damage: Strength / Bashing, Lethal or Aggravated
Notes: The brawler strikes at a critical location – kidneys, septum, genitals, etc. – that’s sure to hurt a lot.
- On a successful attack roll, the target must succeed on a Stamina roll (difficulty 8), or wind up Stunned in agonizing pain for one turn for each health level inflicted after the soak roll.
- Low blows typically deal Bashing damage. However, low blows struck with claws, teeth, blades, and the like will result in lethal or Aggravated damage.

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“People have been beating each other senseless since the dawn of time. These last few decades, though, have witnessed the refinement and popularity of hundreds of martial art disciplines. Skills that had been, until recently, the secret arts of elite warriors have since become sports, pastimes, and self-defense techniques for almost everyone. And though the average person is merely brawling when he opens up the Whup-Ass canister, a skilled martial artist fights far more effectively than that...”

Most disciplines go far beyond combat maneuvers. Additional Abilities like Athletics, Acrobatics, Meditation, and Esoterica (with specialties like Herbalism, Yoga, Body Control, Chinese or Ayurvedic Medicine, and various philosophies) are part of the essential training for many martial arts. Game-wise, a character should have several dots in such Abilities, reflecting both the physical training and the spiritual and philosophical basis of the art. For more information on Martial Arts, please check Martial Arts Guidelines above.


[Elbow/Knee Strike]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (difficulty 5).
Damage: Strength +1 / Bashing.
Requirements: Martial Arts 1
Notes: A quick, brutal blow with an elbow or kneecap, usually directed at a vulnerable spot at close range.


[Snake Step]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (difficulty 5/6).
Damage: N/A
Requirements: Martial Arts 1, Athletics or Acrobatics 1.
Notes: This defensive maneuver allows the martial artist to shift away from the blow, deftly sidestepping a close or ranged attack. Naturally, they must be able to see it coming first. A successful roll acts as a dodge attempt with an additional three-dice bonus.
- Successful Snake Step positions the martial artist on the flank of the attacker (see Flank and Rear Attacks).
- The difficulty of this maneuver is 5 for Martial Arts (Soft), and 6 for Martial Arts (Hard).


[Throw]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (difficulty 6 [Soft]/7 [Hard]).
Damage: Opponent's Strength / As per surface.
Requirements: Martial Arts 2.
Notes: This maneuver allows the martial artist to slam a Grappled/Clinched/Counter Thrown opponent into a convenient surface.
- In order to perform this maneuver the martial artist's Dexterity + Martial Arts rating must match or surpass the opponent's Dexterity rating.
- The martial artist can throw the opponent up to one yard for each success scored on the maneuver roll.
- If the opponent was rushing at the martial artist before being thrown, the martial artist gains +1 die for every 10 yards the opponent had traveled (+10 dice maximum).
- If more than 3 Health Levels were inflicted by this maneuver, the opponent must succeed a Stamina roll (difficulty 8) to avoid getting Stunned for a turn.
- This maneuver allows the martial artist to throw an opponent at the direction of another opponent, inflicting damage to both of them in the process. However, there are some mechanical changes:
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • The difficulty of the roll increase by +2.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • The damage inflicted to the thrown opponent remains the same.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • The damage dice pool on the other opponent is the thrown opponent's Stamina rating + additional momentum dice (see above).


[Joint Lock]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (difficulty 5).
Damage: Strength / Lethal.
Requirements: Martial Arts 2, Athletics or Acrobatics 2.
Notes: This maneuver allows the martial artist to Grapple an enemy with a Dexterity + Martial Arts roll (difficulty 6), followed by an instant application of pressure on joints and pressure points with another Dexterity + Martial Arts roll (difficulty 5). This maneuver can dislocate or break limbs, joints, or possibly even the neck.
- The martial artist does not need to split their dice pool between the two rolls, they both happen with a full dice pool.


[Nerve/Pressure Point Strike]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (difficulty 7).
Damage: Strength +3 / Bashing.
Requirements: Martial Arts 3.
Notes: Targeting a vital location, the martial artist directs precision force against it.
- In case 3 or more successes were rolled on this maneuver, the target must succeed on a Stamina roll (difficulty 8) or else be Stunned on the next turn.


[Soft Strike (Soft)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Soft) (difficulty 6).
Damage: Strength +1 / Bashing.
Requirements: Martial Arts 1 (Soft).
Notes: This maneuver is a basic combat blow, focused with more skill than a wild punch. This blow typically involves tripping the opponent or otherwise using his own force to hurt him.


[Counter Throw (Soft)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Soft) (difficulty 6).
Damage: As per Throw.
Requirements: Martial Arts (Soft) 1, Athletics 1.
Notes: When the martial artist is being attacked in close-combat, they may make a Dexterity + Martial Arts roll against the attacker's roll. This maneuver will direct the attacker’s momentum against them, the martial artist will send the attacker flying into the nearest wall… or the ground… or worse.
- Matching the attacker's successes merely results in a successful side-step dodge.
- Scoring more successes than the attacker is not only going to deflect the attack, but allow the martial artist to Throw the attacker in the same turn with full dice pool!


[Deflecting Block (Soft)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Soft) (difficulty 6).
Damage: Attacker's Strength / Bashing.
Requirements: Martial Arts (Soft) 2, Athletics or Acrobatics 2.
Notes: This is a defensive maneuver. The martial artist evades the attacker’s blow, and redirects the attacker’s force against themselves.
- If the martial artist scores more successes than the attacker, then the attacker must roll Dexterity (difficulty 8) or else fall to the ground (or smash into a nearby surface), taking their own Strength in bashing damage.


[Withering Grasp (Soft)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Soft) (difficulty 7).
Damage: Strength / Bashing.
Requirements: Martial Arts 3 (Soft).
Notes: This maneuver allows the martial artist to grab an opponent in a painful hold, inflict damage, and disarm them as well.
- In case where 3 successes were scored on this roll, the opponent drop their weapon.
- In case where 5 successes were scored on this roll, the martial artist may snatch the weapon and use it on the following turn.


[Mantis Strike (Soft)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Soft) (difficulty 7).
Damage: Strength or Strength+1 / Bashing.
Requirements: Martial Arts 3 (Soft).
Notes: This maneuver allows the martial artist to deliver an open-handed blow to an opponent's vital organ or (against undead opponents) Chi gates and vitae centers.
- Upon a successful attack, undead victims will lose 1 Blood/Chi point.
- The damage dice pool of this hit is the martial artist's Strength, or Strength +1 if the opponent is not undead.


[Hard Strike (Hard)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Hard) (difficulty 5).
Damage: Strength +1 / Bashing.
Requirements: Martial Arts 1 (Hard).
Notes: This maneuver is a basic combat blow, focused with more skill than a wild punch. This blow involves a clenched fist or rigid fingers (the Tiger Claw technique).


[Snap Kick (Hard)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Hard) (difficulty 5).
Damage: Strength +1 / Bashing
Requirements: Martial Arts 1 (Hard)
Notes: By focusing energy on a simple yet effective kick, the martial artist directs their lower body strength into a blow.


[Dragon Tail Sweep (Hard)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Hard) (difficulty 8).
Damage: Attacker's Strength / Bashing.
Requirements: Martial Arts (Hard) 1, Athletics or Acrobatics 1.
Notes: This maneuver allows the martial artist to perform a spinning leg sweep that knocks an opponent sprawling.
- In game terms, the effects work like a Throw, but the martial artist doesn’t need to grab her opponent first.


[Flying Kick (Hard)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Hard) (difficulty 7).
Damage: Strength +2 / Bashing.
Requirements: Martial Arts 1 (Hard), Athletics or Acrobatics 1.
Notes: By leaping through the air, the martial artist combines their body weight and momentum into a powerful blow.


[Vital Strike (Hard)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Hard) (difficulty 7).
Damage: Strength / Lethal
Requirements: Martial Arts 2 (Hard).
Notes: This maneuver is allows the martial artist to deliver a sharp-handed blow to an organ or joint, and inflict a lethal injury.


[Damaging Block (Hard)]
Roll: As per Block.
Damage: Strength / Bashing
Requirements: Martial Arts 2 (Hard), Athletics or Acrobatics 1.
Notes: This maneuver allows the martial artist to block incoming attacks by striking the attacking limbs.
- In case the successes achieved on this block roll surpass the successes achieved by the opponent on their strike by 3, the martial artist also inflict damage to the opponent.


[Spinning Kick (Hard)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Hard) (difficulty 6).
Damage: Strength +3 / Bashing
Requirements: Martial Arts 2 (Hard), Athletics or Acrobatics 2.
Notes: The martial artist spins around and plants a solid kick into the object of his attention.


[Death Strike (Hard)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Hard) (difficulty 5).
Damage: Strength +2 / Lethal.
Requirements: Martial Arts (Hard) 3.
Notes: Aiming a rigid hand at an organ, joint, or other incapacitating location, the attacker directs devastating force at that target.


[Thunder Kick (Hard)]
Roll: Dexterity + Martial Arts (Hard) (difficulty 7).
Damage: Strength +3 / Bashing
Requirements: Martial Arts 3 (Hard), Athletics or Acrobatics 2.
Notes: This maneuver is a devastating flying kick. The martial artist hurls themselves through the air, by focusing their chi and mass into a strike potent enough to end most fights immediately.
- In game terms, each success (including the first) grants an extra die of damage to the kick’s damage.
- A character cannot use the Thunder Kick more than once every five turns, as it demands intense focus and commitment to the blow. This limitation can be overcome by expending a point of Yin or Yang Chi, provided the character is even capable of harnessing Chi to begin with.

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[Aiming]
Roll: Dexterity + Firearms (difficulty 6 (+2 if beyond range)).
Notes: This is an extended roll, in which the aimer spends an entire action adjusting their aim over their target. This roll benefits the aimer with +1 die for each action spent to aim at their target.
- The maximum amount of dice that can be gained in this fashion is limited to the aimer's Perception rating.
- This maneuver requires at least one dot in Firearms (or Archery).
- Scopes add +2 dice (and sometimes reduced difficulty) to the first shot after aiming.


[Firing]
Roll: Dexterity + Firearms (difficulty 6).
Damage: Weapon


[Three-Round Burst]
Roll: Dexterity + Firearms (difficulty 7)
Damage: Weapon + 3.
Notes: Fires three rounds.


[Full-Auto Firing]
Roll: Dexterity + Firearms (difficulty 8)
Damage: Weapon + 10.
Notes: Requires at least half a clip (rounded up) loaded into the weapon. Once this maneuver is performed the clip is emptied.


[Strafe Full-Auto Firing]
Roll: Dexterity + Firearms (difficulty 8)
Damage: Weapon + 10.
Notes: Requires at least half a clip (rounded up) loaded into the weapon. Once this maneuver is performed the clip is emptied.
- Successes on the firing roll are split between all individuals in front of the shooter.
- If the number of successes is less than the number of individuals in front of the target, the Storyteller decides who gets shot and who is being missed.


[Reloading Firearms]
Roll: Dexterity + Firearms (difficulty 6) (Not always required)
Notes: Reloading speed can vary depending on the weapon.
- Characters with Firearms rating of at least 1, who use an automatic weapon, and have an extra full clip ready, may reload and fire at the same turn (only suffering from -2 dice on the firing roll). Under harsh circumstances however (being Mauled, reloading in a speeding car, or while splitting actions), reloading would take a full turn and require a Firearms + Dexterity roll (difficulty 6).
- Characters who use Speed-Loaders to reload a Revolver may also fire at the same turn (and suffer -2 dice).


[Thrown Weapons]
Roll: Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty as per weapon + modifiers).
Damage: Strength + Weapon / Bashing, Lethal or Aggravated.
Notes: The difficulty to operate Thrown Weapons can vary, depending on the circumstances.
Below 2 yards: +2 difficulty
2 to 5 yards: -1 difficulty
Maximal throwing distance: Strength x5
- The maximal throwing distance is reduced by 5 yards for every 2 pounds the object weighs.
- A flying object loses one die of effect after the first 6.6 yards unless it’s self-propelled or aerodynamic, two dice after 9.9 yards, and three after 16.6 yards (only applicable for improvised weapons (e.g. Tables)).


[Firing Arrows]
Roll: Dexterity + Archery (difficulty as per bow)
Damage: Weapon
Notes: Botching this roll will result in the bowstring snapping.
- Repairing a Bowstring requires an extra bowstring and a Wits + Crafts (or Archery at +1 difficulty).
- Archers with less than 3 dots in Archery must first nock and and draw their bow before they can shoot again (requires no roll, but a full turn).
- Crossbows require a full turn to reload after each bolt (regardless of the Archery rating).
- Staking a Vampire with arrows is possible, provided the archer has properly targeted the vampire's heart (see Targeting), 5 successes were achieved on the firing roll, and 3 Health Levels were inflicted (after soak).

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[Blindness]
A character who’s been blinded by injury or darkness cannot dodge, parry, or block incoming attacks. He also adds +2 to the difficulty of all visually dependent actions until he’s able to see again.

[Knockdown]
Someone who’s been knocked off his feet must take one action to scramble back up. If he can’t do so, consider him temporarily Immobilized until he regains his feet.

[Immobilization]
When a character gets held down, paralyzed, or otherwise rendered unable to move, any other character who attacks him reduces her difficulty by -2 if the target can still move around a bit, and the attacker may hit him automatically if he cannot move at all.

[Stun/Daze]
If – after the soak roll – a character suffers health-level damage that equals or exceeds her Stamina rating, she’s stunned until the end of the following turn. The stunned character can’t do anything except perhaps stumble around in a daze. Attack rolls against her during that time reduce their difficulty by -2. Dazing a vampire is significantly more difficult (see Vampire House Rules for more information).