Combat

Combat Sequence
An encounter begins whenever one responsive system (which includes PC's, NPC's, automated sentries, creatures, etc.) becomes aware of a potential target. If that system decides to attack the other, combat begins. Therefore, one of the first tasks is to determine if one or both sides are aware of the other. If the target is not aware, they can be surprised by overt action, such as being attacked; in this case, they will be unable to react for at least one round. Following this, they may make a Reflexes roll (TN 8) at the beginning of each phase to be able to begin calling actions. Each phase that this is failed the character receives a +1 to this roll.
Once both sides are able to declare actions, each side declares and resolves actions as normal. At the beginning of any phase a character may declare a new action he must roll initiative to determine the order of declaration.

Initiative and Actions
Combat situations are resolved just as other encounters; each character may make actions of varying length, which will normally be in an attempt to harm an enemy or defend oneself. Each phase, a character may declare a new action, provided they are not waiting for an action to resolve. Actions resolve at the end of the time period they require, with shorter actions resolving before longer actions, i.e. a phase action is resolved before a round action, a round action before a turn action, a turn action before a minute action. This applies to actions resolving in the same phase. All actions of a given type resolve simultaneously.
Actions are declared in order of Initiative, lowest to highest.

For example, two enemies enter a bar and see each other. The encounter begins on Phase 1. Leroy has an Initiative total of 16, while Earl totals 21 (so Leroy must declare actions first). Leroy declares that he will draw and ready his sidearm, a phase action; hearing this, Earl declares the same, but adds that he is going to attempt to use his fastdraw skill, which would make it a free action. He rolls and succeeds. This means that he still has a phase action available here, so he declares that he will target Leroy's head. At the beginning of phase 2, Initiative is rolled; Earl again wins. Leroy declares that he will drop his gun back in its holster and uses his free action to tell Earl he surrenders.

Combined Actions
It is often possible to effectively gain extra actions by planning ahead; that is, by calling a round or turn action that subsumes several phase actions. For example, a character with a semi-automatic firearm may make the "target and fire" action, which is a round action; the first phase is a Targeting action, which is just the same as the phase action of the same name, and the second phase allows the character to actually fire - but he is allowed to fire two shots, instead of the normal one. Obviously, the downside to this is that he is telegraphing his intent to everyone around him. Combined actions work in exactly the same manner as a normal round or turn action would, so characters may not change targets during the action, or otherwise change the action other than to cancel it.

Ranged Attacks
Prior to making any ranged attack, a character should make a Targeting action. Targeting is a phase action that lines up the character's weapon with his target. If this action is not taken, any shots fired at that target are wild shots. Wild shots cannot be "called", cannot have the Aim action used to improve them, and receive a -2 to hit. A Targeting action only needs to be taken prior to firing at a new target; once this action is taken, it is "good" as long as the target remains in view, nothing interferes with the line of sight, and the character does not switch targets. Note that certain distracting events may also cost the character his Targeting.
Once a target has been hit, the location of the hit must be determined. If the attack was a called shot, this is obviously the called area. If it was not then the following charts should be consulted. If a called shot achieves a partial success, it follows this pattern: head to chest, to one arm, then the other, then to abdomen; arm to chest, to abdomen, to near leg, then to the other arm, then to the head; leg to other leg, then to abdomen, then to near arm, then to far arm, then to chest; chest to abdomen, then to one arm, then to other arm, then to head; abdomen to chest, then to one leg, then to other leg, then to arms. Each point away from the TN moves the location one area. This can also be used if an impossible location is rolled.
Human Hit Locations

Roll	Location
1	Head

Special Ranged Attacks
Three-Round Burst:
Full Auto: Firing a fully automatic weapon is a round action; if the character wishes to only fire for a phase, it is considered a 3-round burst.
Suppresive Fire:

Melee Attacks

Damage and Wounds
There are two types of wounds in the game: flesh wounds, which represent small cuts, bruises, and other small wounds which have few long term consequences; and traumatic wounds, which are crippling injuries that can lead to death. Almost all damage causes flesh wounds (the exception are stunning attacks and the like), but only some hits will lead to traumatic wounds. Almost every attack has the potential to cause trauma, however, and certain attacks are virtually guaranteed to cause such grievous injuries.