Other Combat Rules

Changes and extensions to the OSE game rules
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Advantage and Disadvantage

Advantage means that the actor is in a favorable fictional position. In such cases, the actor rolls any dice twice and takes the higher result
Disadvantage means that the actor is in an unfavorable fictional position. In such cases, the actor rolls any dice twice and takes the lower result

Shields Shall Be Splintered

This rule applies only when an actor is wielding a shield
The actor may choose to forego all damage he would take by an opponent's successful melee or ranged attack and instead indicate that his shield has been shattered by the attack and is now useless
In most cases, this rule does not apply to damage from magic spells or effects unless they clearly mimic a melee or ranged attack. The Referee will decide if this rule applies on a case by case basis
This rule does not apply to any effect which does not deal damage

Back Attack

If an actor can attack from directly behind a target, the target does not get any of the benefits of a shield it may be using
Since all targets naturally pivot to place their shield between themselves and foes, a Back Attack usually only happens when the target is surrounded

Torch as a Weapon

A torch acts like a club, albeit a bit weaker in terms of its construction
When wielding a torch as a weapon (in the main or off hand) and the damage roll for the attack is a natural 6, the torch deals the damage but is splintered and goes out
Lit torches may affect enemies especially susceptible to fire. In this case, the torch is not used as a clubbing weapon but as a burning weapon. It can set alight webs, burn flammable items or creatures or the like. A normal to-bit roll may be required depending on the susceptibility of the target to flame and other aspects of fictional positioning
When a torch is used in combat, the wielder should indicate in what manner the torch is being used (as a club or as a mechanism to set a target alight) before attack dice are rolled

Fire Bombs

This rule applies to attempts to use lamp/lantern oil as a weapon
Oil is sold in thick rubber or leather bladders that resist fire, crushing and cutting and come with an integral nozzle sewn inside for use in refilling lamps
Oil is sold this way to prevent a mistake with fire (or a flaming spell attack) from incinerating the person carrying lamp oil
Given this construction, it is not possible to "light a bladder of oil and throw it" or even hurl a "cut" oil bladder with the intent of having the oil cover the target to be lit later
It is possible to pour oil in an area or over an object and set it alight because this approach does not rely on the breakage of the thick rubber bladder
To make a fire bomb (molotov cocktail) that can be lit and thrown requires a fair amount of delicacy:
- oil must be placed into a glass flask or phial that will break upon impact (this solves the issue with durability of the thick rubber bladders)
- a rag or other wick that burns readily must be placed in the oil and set alight
- the weapon must be thrown accurately
- note that one cannot do these steps in advance - carrying a "prepared flask" in this way is exceptionally dangerous should the carrier be exposed to any sort of flame and the oil will spill out if treated roughly
A safer and more effective approach is to hurl a lit lantern at the target because a lantern keeps the oil and flame apart, is built to withstand jostling and is delicate enough to actually break upon hitting something solid
A successful attack with a Fire Bomb will set the target On Fire

Coup de Grace

A coup de grace can be administered to a Helpless target as a Full Round action
A successful coup de grace is one that is aimed at and actually strikes a critically important organ (e.g. brain, heart) or location (e.g. neck). Note that anatomies of creatures differ and it may take specialized knowledge to locate such a vulnerable place on some targets
A successful coup de grace lowers HP to 0 and the target is Dying