Slugfest (Combat)

Slugfest (Fighting Ability Combat)
Slugfest combat is a general term referring to hand-to-hand combat. it is the most common form of battling, and includes both attacks with the bare fists, and those with blunt and edged weapons.

For Slugfest combat to occur, the combatants must generally be adjacent. Certain Powers. such as elongation, may allow a character to engage non-adjacent targets (examples are Mr. Fantastic and Doctor Octopus).

Slugfest combat is resolved on the Universal Table using the attacker's Fighting ability. The result (white, green, yellow. or red) is then noted on the Effects Table directly above the Results Table. There are two columns of results depending on whether the individual used a blunt attack or edged attack.

Blunt Attack
A Blunt Attack is an attack with bare hands, flat of a blade. or other blunt weapon. A character making a blunt attack may score a hit, slam, or stun result. 'A hero using blunt attack may always choose to inflict less damage than maximum. A hero may choose to pull his punch, doing less than full damage, or inflict a lesser color result (yellow instead of red).'

• A character scoring a Miss result inflicts no damage. He has missed the target and normally will not have any further effect (also see Luring).

• A character scoring a Hit result inflicts her Strength rank number in damage to the opponent.

• A character scoring a Slam result inflicts her Strength rank number in damage, and may in addition Slam the opponent.

• A character scoring a Stun result inflicts his Strength rank number in damage, and may in addition Stun his opponent.

A character using bare hands (or gauntlets, etc.) inflicts his Strength rank number in damage. A character using a blunt weapon inflicts up to that item's material strength; if the material strength of the item is greater than the Strength rank of the user, the user's Strength rank is increased to the lowest value of the next rank for damage. Aunt May (Feeble Strength) uses a lead pipe (Excellent material) in the drawing room on Col. Mustard. Aunt May would inflict two points damage normally, but inflicts three points (minimum damage of next higher rank) instead. Daredevil (Good Strength) using the same lead pipe would inflict 16 points damage (minimum damage of next higher rank), and the Thing (Monstrous Strength) would inflict Excellent damage (20 points). (That is why Ban Grimm does not normally use lead pipes in combat -- when he uses a blunt weapon, its purpose is usually to reach a non-adjacent target, and he has a preference for lightpoles.)

Edged Attack
An Edged Attack is an attack with claws, teeth, or edged weapons such as knives, swords, or hatchets ect. A character making an edged attack may score a Hit, Stun, or Kill result. An edged attack will always inflict a minimum of the damage listed for that weapon. A character who can normally inflict higher damage may inflict damage equal to his Strength or the material strength of the weapon, whichever is less. Such damage may not be reduced in effect. • A character scoring a Hit result inflicts damage as set for that particular edged attack.

• A character scoring a Stun result may inflict damage as set for that weapon or attack form, and may in addition Stun his opponent.

• A character scoring a Kill result inflicts damage as set for that weapon, and may in addition Kill his opponent.

Body Armor, force fields. and other Powers may affect the ultimate success and damage in any form of Fighting combat.