Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Combat

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Dexterity and the Order of Attack
Determine the order of attack by ranking the combatants' DEX from
Skill Checks highest to lowest. On a draw, the higher combat skill goes first.
Combined Skill Rolls Readied firearms gain +50 DEX for initiative.

Some rolls may be compared to more than one skill.

Surprise Attack
Opposed Rolls Keeper may allow a Listen, Spot Hidden or Psychology roll to avoid
the surprise attack; Use attacker's Stealth skill to determine Success
Both sides make the appropriate roll; the best Level of Success
Level required; Surprise attacks are either automatically successful or
prevails; cannot be Pushed; the higher raw skill/ability score wins tie.
require a skill roll with a Bonus die (Firearms and Thrown weapons
Charm, Fast Talk, Intimidate and Persuade can be opposed by the
always require a skill roll).

same skill or Psychology.

Against an NPC’s skill or characteristic

Melee (Brawl) Attacks
• Below 50: Regular difficulty required
Attacks Effects
• Above 50: Hard difficulty required
Fight Back Highest level of success wins. Draw = initiator
• Equal to or above 90: Extreme difficulty required
winds. Both fail = no damage inflicted.
Dodge Attacker wins with higher level of success. Draw =
Rolls defender wins. Both fail = no damage inflicted.
• Bonus Die: Roll an additional “tens” die, use the lowest result.

• Penalty Die: Roll an additional “tens” die, use the higher result.
Do Nothing Attack is either an automatic success or gets a
Multiple bonus and penalty dice can apply at once, but they cancel bonus die (as if a Surprise Attack); failure may only
each other out to find a net modifier. occur on a Fumble.
Roll Effects Flee May trigger a Chase based on the Move rate of
each combatant.
01 Critical Success
1/5 Skill (under or equal) Extreme Success
Fighting Maneuver
1/2 Skill (under or equal) Hard Success
• Decide what outcome you're trying for (disarm, knock down, push
Under Skill (or equal) Regular Success off a cliff, pin, etc.).

Over Skill • Compare Build; for each point bigger the target is, add a penalty die
Failure
to attacker's roll; if difference is 3 or greater, you can't do the
96+ If Skill is under 50%: Fumble Maneuver; no Bonus if attacker's Build is larger than defender.
100 Fumble • Target declares Dodging, Fighting Back or a Maneuver and makes
an opposed roll against attacker. If successful, the desired outcome
On a success with no Luck points used, check the skill box.
occurs.

• A successful Fighting Maneuver can put the target at an ongoing

Spend Luck disadvantage (e.g., pinned or held), resulting in either a Penalty or
You can spend as many points as you have, even purchasing a higher Bonus die against the target on subsequent attacks. To escape from
level of success or a critical. Can't escape a Fumble by spending Luck. a pin/hold/grapple, the target needs to make their own Fighting
No skill check is earned if Luck is spent. Cannot spend Luck on Luck Maneuver on a subsequent round.

rolls, damage rolls, SAN rolls.

Extreme Damage/Impales
Pushing the Roll Attacker score an Extreme success (not when Fighting Back)
Justify how/why you could try again. Failing a Pushed roll is typically • Blunt weapons: max weapon damage + max damage bonus
dire. Only skills, can’t push Luck, SAN, SAN loss, Combat, Damage • Penetrating weapons): max weapon damage + max damage bonus
rolls and opposed roll. Can't Push a Roll and then spend Luck.
+ one extra weapon damage roll

Sanity (SAN: POW at start; Max SAN: 99 - Cthulhu Mythos Skill)

Outnumbered
Once you’ve fought back or Dodged a Brawl attack during a combat
• When confronted by horror, roll 1D100 equal to or under SAN for round, any subsequent Brawl attacks on you get a Bonus die. Does
minimal SAN loss. Fail and lose greater SAN loss. A fumble results in
not apply when a single creature is using multiple Brawl attacks against
the maximum of SAN lost.

you.

• Any time you fail a SAN roll, you suffer some involuntary reaction like
jump, cry out, startle, lash out, freeze…

• First instance of Mythos-related insanity adds 5 points to Cthulhu Ranged and Thrown weapons
Mythos. Further episodes add 1 point.
You can Fight Back against a thrown weapon only if you’re within DEX/
5 feet of the attacker. You can always Dodge a thrown weapon. Half
SAN lost Effects
the attacker’s damage bonus is applied to thrown and missile
5+ in a roll Make INT roll; if you fail, you suppress the memory; weapons.

otherwise go Temporarily insane for d10 hours

1/5 in a day Indefinitely insane. Lasts until cured over a period of
months.
Reach 0 Permanently insane, become an NPC.
Firearm attacks
You cannot Dodge or Fight Back against firearm attacks.

Wounds and Healing

Major Wound
Ranged and Firearms weapons
Single attack that do more or equal to 50% of max HP. Target falls
prone and makes a CON roll to avoid unconsciousness.

• Base range: Requires a Regular success to hit

• Long range (base x 2): Requires a Hard success to hit.

• Extreme range (base x 4): Requires an Extreme success to hit.

Zero Hit Points (Unconscious)
At very long range, when only an Extreme success will hit the target, an • If HP fall to zero while you have a Major Wound, you are
impale only occurs with a critical hit (a roll of 01). unconscious and Dying.

• If damage greater than max HP are taken in one attack, you die.

Bonus dice

Aiming: Take a round to aim. Lost advantage if damages or move.

Dying
Point blank: 1/5 of DEX in feet of the target.
Make a CON roll at the end of each round. If you fail you die.

Large Target: Build 4 or more.

First Aid
Penalty dice
First Aid supplied within an hour of the wound restores 1 HP; if Dying,
Cover: At least half of the target
the application stabilizes (stops the CON checks each round) and
Fast-Moving Target: Target if moving at full speed (MOV 8+)
gives 1 temp HP, but additional CON checks for slipping back into
Reloading Firearms: Reload 1 round in a chamber and shot.
dying are required each hour unless Medicine is successfully used
Handguns, Multiple shots: Firing 2 or 3 shots in a round. 1 penalty after the stabilization. Can only be used once per “combat” (instance
for each shot.
of damage) on a particular character.

Firing into melee: Firing into melee. A fumble hit an ally.

Small Target: Build -2 or less.

Medicine
Dive for Cover: Successful Dodge roll. Doing this sacrifices target’s Medicine restores 1D3 HP if used on the same day as the wound; if
next attack; if you Dive for Cover, you can still Dodge a subsequent used later, requires Hard success. Must be used on a stabilized dying
Brawl but can’t Fight Back.
character to prevent him from lapsing back into Dying status. Can only
be used once per “combat” (instance of damage) on a particular
Automatic Fire
character. You can have both First Aid and Medicine used on the same
Divide firearms skill by 10 round down. You fire volleys of bullets with wounds.

this number of bullets in each volley (min. 3 bullets). Determine how

many bullets you want to fire (up to magazine size). Roll to hit for Recovery
each volley. Each volley after the first suffers an additional penalty
If no Major Wound, recover 1 HP per day; otherwise make a CON
die. After 2 penalty dice, increase the success level required to hit.
Roll damage for each volley and multiply by number of bullets in the check for removal of Major Wound each week. Standard success adds
volley. 1D3 HP/week; Extreme success adds 2D3. Major wound unchecked
when you get an Extreme success or current HP rise above half of full
value.

Multiple targets
• Comfortable environment or Medical care: Add a bonus die.

Waste one bullet per meter/yard between targets. On a successful hit, • Poor environment or doctor’s fumble: Add a penalty die.

half of the shots fired hit. On a Extreme success, all shots fired hit the
target and the half impale. If the difficulty was Extreme, it’s just a
normal hit, not an impale.
Development Phase
Improvement Checks
Malfunctions
For each checked skills, roll 1D100. If over your skill or over 95 add
Equal or is higher than the weapon’s malfunction number.
1D10 to your skill. Add 2D6 SAN if a skill attains 90%.

• Revolver, break-open gun or bolt-action rifle: Do not fire

• Lever-action: Jam
Activities
Fixing a jam takes 1D6 rounds and a Mechanical Repair or a Firearms Check Credit: Check if credit change (p. 96).

•
skill success. A fumble can hit an ally or the wielder. Use contacts: Roll the most appropriate skill (p. 97).

•
• Recovering Luck: Make a Luck improvement check.

Armor • Training: Improve a skill for each 4 months of study.

Reduce damage received. Note that armor will not reduce damage • Aging: Check if age change (p. 98).

from magical attacks, poison, drowning, etc.

• Keeper Award Sanity: SAN Improvement roll.

• Reduce Sanity limits: Keep track of the SAN lost to any given
Mythos entity. Reduce those numbers by 1 (p. 169).

Chases • Psychotherapy: Doctor’s Psychoanalysis Roll. Add 1D3 on a

Make a CON or Drive roll to determine if there is a modifier to your success. Lose 1D6 on a Fumble. Can remove phobia or mania. Need
MOV rating. If the adjusted MOV of the fleeing character is higher than a psychoanalysis success and a SAN Roll Success. A Fumble on
the pursuer, then the fleeing character gets away. Otherwise initiate one roll remove 1D6 SAN.

the chase (see separate chase rules).

• Self-Help: On a successful SAN Check add 1D6 SAN. On a failure
lose 1 SAN. Key Connection, add a bonus dice and remove an
Indefinite Insanity on a success. On a failure, lose the Key
Magic (Magic equal 1/5 of POW at the start of the game)
Connection.

Casting a spell for the first time require a POW (Hard) success. Can be
pushed. Check failing a pushed casting roll on page 178.

• Regain 1 magic point per hour.