Combat, Fighting Back & Maneuvers

Source: Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Investigator’s Handbook

7e Official
📜

Rule Summary

Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition combat sequence, attacker vs defender resolution, maneuvers, and outnumbering.

Quick Reference Check:

Initiative by DEX. Defender chooses Fight Back (highest success hits) or Dodge (equal/higher avoids). Outnumbered defenders grant +1 Bonus Die.
### Initiative Order Combat rounds are resolved in descending order of **Dexterity (DEX)**. Characters with firearms drawn and ready act with +50 to their DEX for initiative. ### Melee Combat: Fight Back vs Dodge When targeted by a melee attack, the defender chooses ONE response: 1. **Fight Back**: Both attacker and defender roll their combat skill. - The combatant with the **higher level of success** deals damage. - If tied, the **attacker** wins and deals damage. 2. **Dodge**: The defender rolls Dodge. - If the defender **equals or beats** the attacker’s level of success, the attack misses completely. ### Outnumbering & Multiple Attacks Once a character has fought back or dodged once in a combat round, subsequent melee attackers in the same round gain **one Bonus Die (+1)** on their attack rolls. ### Fighting Maneuvers To disarm, push, pin, or tackle an opponent: 1. Compare **Build**: If target’s Build is larger than yours, you suffer 1 Penalty Die per point of difference. If target is 3+ Build larger, maneuvers are impossible. 2. Roll an opposed Fighting (Brawl) check against defender's Brawl or Dodge. 3. On success, the maneuver takes effect without direct damage.