The Cinematic Combat Philosophy
Imagine directing an action movie where Superman fights Doomsday. You need to choreograph every punch, every blast of heat vision, every moment when our hero gets knocked through a building. The scene must feel epic, but also follow logical rules about cause and effect. Champions combat works the same way - it provides a framework for creating those amazing comic book fight scenes while maintaining dramatic tension and tactical depth.
Unlike turn-based systems where everyone politely waits their turn, Champions uses a Speed-based system that mirrors comic book action. Fast characters act multiple times while slower ones are still winding up their punches. It's like watching The Flash zip around while everyone else moves in slow motion.
The Turn Sequence: Twelve Seconds of Action
Champions divides time into 12-second "Turns" - roughly equivalent to one comic book page of action. Each Turn is split into 12 one-second "Segments". Your Speed (SPD) characteristic decides how many Phases (chances to act) you get in a Turn and which Segments they fall on; the Speed Chart below lists them. Combat always starts on Segment 12, so everyone with a Phase there (which is everyone) acts first, and then the Turn rolls on from Segment 1.
Speed in Action: The Flash vs. Regular Heroes
🏃♂️ The Flash (SPD 12)
Acts on Segments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Phases per Turn: 12 (acts every Segment!)
Real-world feel: Blurs around the battlefield, seemingly everywhere at once
🕷️ Spider-Man (SPD 4)
Acts on Segments: 3, 6, 9, 12
Phases per Turn: 4 (acts every 3 Segments)
Real-world feel: Quick reflexes, but normal action frequency
🦸♂️ Superman (SPD 3)
Acts on Segments: 4, 8, 12
Phases per Turn: 3 (acts every 4 Segments)
Real-world feel: Powerful but deliberate, thinks before acting
👨🚒 Normal Human (SPD 2)
Acts on Segments: 6, 12
Phases per Turn: 2 (acts every 6 Segments)
Real-world feel: Cautious, needs time to aim and plan
The Speed Chart
Find your SPD and read off the Segments where you get a Phase:
- SPD 2: 6, 12
- SPD 3: 4, 8, 12
- SPD 4: 3, 6, 9, 12
- SPD 5: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12
- SPD 6: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
- SPD 7: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
- SPD 8: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12
- SPD 9: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12
- SPD 10: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
- SPD 11: 2 through 12
- SPD 12: every Segment, 1 through 12
Inside a Phase
- DEX order: When several characters have a Phase in the same Segment, the one with the highest DEX goes first.
- Half Phase and Full Phase Actions: A Phase holds two Half Phase Actions (a Half Move, for example) or one Full Phase Action. You can make a Half Move and then attack, but attacking ends your Phase.
- Holding your action: You can hold your Phase (or the rest of it, after a Half Phase Action) and act later, when the moment is right.
- Aborting: When an attack is coming your way, you can give up your next Phase to take a defensive action such as a Dodge or Block right now, even out of DEX order.
- Post-Segment 12 Recovery: At the end of every Segment 12, every character gets a free Recovery: add your REC to your current STUN and END.
Action Resolution: The 3d6 System in Action
When a character attempts something with an uncertain outcome, you roll 3d6 and try to roll equal to or under a target number. It's like playing limbo - lower is better, and the bar height depends on how difficult the task is. Skill and Characteristic Rolls use 9 + (Characteristic ÷ 5), so DEX 18 gives a 13- roll; attack rolls use 11 + OCV − DCV. Whatever the target, a roll of 3 always succeeds and a roll of 18 always fails.
Understanding Target Numbers
Easy Tasks (Target 14- or better)
Success Rate: 90.7% or better (never quite 100%, because 18 always fails)
Examples:
- Spider-Man swinging through familiar neighborhood
- Superman flying in clear skies
- Batman using basic detective skills
- Iron Man operating familiar technology
Moderate Tasks (Target 11- to 13-)
Success Rate: 62.5% to 83.8%
Examples:
- Hitting a moving target in combat
- Performing acrobatics under pressure
- Hacking a secured computer system
- Persuading a hostile witness
Hard Tasks (Target 8- to 10-)
Success Rate: 25.9% to 50.0%
Examples:
- Dodging a surprise attack
- Performing surgery under fire
- Negotiating with arch-nemesis
- Flying through a tornado
Extreme Tasks (Target 5- to 7-)
Success Rate: 4.6% to 16.2%
Examples:
- Catching a bullet bare-handed
- Convincing a mind-controlled enemy
- Defusing a bomb with seconds left
- Threading dimensional portal needle
Attack Resolution: Bringing the Pain
Combat in Champions follows a clear sequence that mirrors comic book action panels: the hero winds up, takes aim, unleashes their power, and we see the dramatic result. Every attack tells a story.
The Four Steps of Attack Resolution
Step 1: Attack Roll
What happens: Attacker rolls 3d6 and hits on 11 + their OCV − the target's DCV or less. Mental attacks use OMCV against DMCV the same way.
Comic book moment: "Spider-Man lines up his web-shooters..."
Modifiers:
- Range: Harder to hit distant targets
- Target size: Easier to hit big targets
- Maneuvers and surprise: Some maneuvers change your OCV or DCV, and a target caught by surprise defends at reduced DCV
- Cover: Partial protection reduces hit chance
Step 2: The Defender's DCV
What happens: There is no defense roll. The target's DCV is already built into the attacker's roll, so the defender's choices happen before the dice hit the table.
Comic book moment: "The Green Goblin twists away at the last second..."
Options:
- Dodge: Raise your DCV against every attack until your next Phase
- Block: Use limbs or weapons to stop a hand-to-hand attack
- Dive for Cover: Get behind protection
- Abort: Give up your next Phase to do any of these right now
Step 3: Damage Roll
What happens: Roll dice based on attack power
Comic book moment: "The web hits home with tremendous force!"
Damage types:
- Normal Damage: Punches and Blasts, the bread and butter of superhero fights
- Killing Damage: Lethal attacks (bullets, claws, swords)
- Mental Damage: Psychic attacks that strike the mind
- Other effects: Powers that don't hurt but incapacitate, such as Entangle or Flash
Step 4: Apply Damage and Effects
What happens: Subtract defenses (PD against physical attacks, ED against energy attacks), then apply what gets through
Comic book moment: "The Goblin crashes through a billboard!"
Results:
- STUN damage: Shock and pain; take more STUN than your CON from one attack and you're Stunned
- BODY damage: Real injury, permanent until healed
- Knockback: Flying backward from impact (see below)
- Special effects: Entanglement, blindness, etc.
The Two-Track Damage System
Champions uses a brilliant two-track system that captures both the stunning impact and actual injury from attacks. Think of it like the difference between being winded by a punch (STUN) versus having your ribs broken (BODY).
🥊 STUN Damage: The Knockout Track
What it represents: Shock, disorientation, being winded, temporary incapacitation
Comic book examples:
- Getting punched and seeing stars
- Being stunned by a flash-bang
- The "impact lines" around a character getting hit
- Characters shaking their heads to clear them
Game effect: Take more STUN than your CON from a single attack (after defenses) and you're Stunned, losing your next Phase. Run out of STUN and you're Knocked Out, unconscious but not seriously injured.
🩸 BODY Damage: The Injury Track
What it represents: Real physical damage, cuts, burns, broken bones
Comic book examples:
- Blood from a cut
- Limping from injured leg
- Torn costume revealing wounds
- Characters grimacing in pain
Game effect: When BODY drops below 0, you're dying: you keep losing BODY over time until someone stabilizes you, and if it falls far enough you die
Rolling Damage: Normal vs. Killing
- Normal damage (most Blasts, every punch; 5 STR adds 1d6): the STUN is the total of the dice. For BODY, count each die: a 1 is 0 BODY, 2 to 5 is 1 BODY, and a 6 is 2 BODY. A half die (½d6) adds half its roll, rounded up, to STUN, and 1 BODY on a 4 to 6.
- Killing damage (Killing Attacks): the BODY is the total of the dice. Then roll ½d6 (1 to 3) for the STUN Multiplier: STUN = BODY × the multiplier.
- Example: An 8d6 Blast rolls 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6. That's 30 STUN and 0+1+1+1+1+1+2+2 = 9 BODY.
Defenses
PD (Physical Defense) stops physical attacks and ED (Energy Defense) stops energy attacks. Against normal damage, subtract the defense from both the STUN and the BODY. Against killing damage, only Resistant defenses (such as Resistant Protection or armor) reduce the BODY; your full PD or ED still reduces the STUN. That's why a hero with sky-high PD but no Resistant defense can still be cut by a sword.
Damage in Action: Superman vs. Doomsday
Doomsday's Phase: The Bone Spike Attack
Attack Roll: Doomsday's OCV 9 against Superman's DCV 8 means he needs 11 + 9 − 8 = 12 or less. He rolls 10. Hit!
Damage Roll: The bone spike is a 4d6 Killing Attack. The dice come up 3, 4, 5, 6 = 18 BODY. The ½d6 STUN Multiplier rolls a 3, so STUN = 18 × 3 = 54.
Defense: Superman has 30 PD, 12 of it Resistant.
BODY Damage: Only the Resistant PD counts: 18 − 12 = 6 BODY (a real wound!)
STUN Damage: His full PD counts: 54 − 30 = 24 STUN. His CON is 30, so he isn't Stunned.
Narrative Result: "Doomsday's bone spike punches through Superman's chest! The Man of Steel staggers backward, a look of shock on his face as he sees his own blood. The wound is real (BODY damage) and the impact rattles him (STUN damage), but he stays on his feet and swings back on his next Phase."
Getting Back Up: Recovery
Your REC (Recovery) characteristic is how fast you bounce back. Every Post-Segment 12 you get a free Recovery, adding your REC to your current STUN and END, and you can also spend a Phase catching your breath to take one. Knocked Out characters wake up the same way, though the further below 0 their STUN has fallen, the less often they get to recover. BODY heals far more slowly, over days of rest.
Knockback
When a big hit lands, roll 2d6 (add 1d6 for a Killing Attack; subtract 1d6 if the target is in the air) and subtract the total from the BODY the attack rolled, before defenses. If the result is negative, nothing happens. If it's 0, the target is knocked down. Each point above 0 sends the target flying 2 metres. Our 8d6 Blast above rolled 9 BODY; if the Knockback dice come up 5, the target is hurled 4 × 2 = 8 metres, maybe straight through a wall.
Environmental Combat: The World as Your Weapon
Superheroes don't fight in empty white rooms - they battle on rooftops, in burning buildings, while flying through asteroid fields. The environment should be as much a character in the fight as the heroes themselves.
🔥 The Burning Skyscraper
Tactical Elements:
- Smoke: Blocks vision, causes choking
- Collapsing floors: Time pressure and falling hazards
- Trapped civilians: Moral complications
- Fire spread: Environment changes each turn
Creative Uses:
- Ice powers to create temporary bridges
- Super strength to support failing beams
- Flight to rescue people from upper floors
- Force fields to contain fire spread
🚀 The Space Station Battle
Tactical Elements:
- Zero gravity: Movement in 3D space
- Hull breaches: Explosive decompression
- Limited oxygen: Time pressure
- Delicate equipment: Collateral damage matters
Creative Uses:
- Magnetic powers to control movement
- Energy shields to seal breaches
- Telekinesis for precise maneuvering
- Ice powers to plug holes temporarily
🌊 The Underwater City
Tactical Elements:
- Water resistance: Slows movement and attacks
- Pressure effects: Crushing depths
- Limited visibility: Murky water
- Breathing concerns: Drowning risk
Creative Uses:
- Electrical powers conduct through water
- Sonic attacks travel farther underwater
- Water control for devastating effects
- Heat vision to create steam barriers
Teamwork and Combination Attacks
The best superhero teams don't just fight alongside each other - they create synergistic combinations that are greater than the sum of their parts. Think Cyclops providing cover while Wolverine charges, or Iron Man's repulsors amplifying Thor's lightning.
Teamwork Mechanics
Famous Combination Attacks
🏈 The Fastball Special
Team: Colossus + Wolverine
Mechanics: Colossus throws Wolverine as a living projectile
Game Effect: Wolverine's claws + Colossus' strength + increased range
When to use: Surprise attack or reaching distant enemy
⚡ Lightning Conductor
Team: Thor + Iron Man
Mechanics: Thor's lightning channels through Iron Man's armor
Game Effect: Massive electrical attack with technological precision
When to use: Overwhelming single target or powering equipment
🌪️ Fire Tornado
Team: Human Torch + Storm
Mechanics: Storm's winds shape and amplify Johnny's flames
Game Effect: Area attack with fire and wind components
When to use: Multiple enemies or environmental control
Making Combat Dramatic: The Story Stakes
Great superhero combat isn't just about reducing hit points - it's about dramatic stakes, moral choices, and character moments. Every fight should advance the story and reveal character.
Elements of Dramatic Combat
⏰ Time Pressure
Examples:
- Bomb will explode in 3 minutes
- Building is collapsing
- Villain escaping with hostage
- Portal closing soon
Effect: Forces quick decisions over perfect plans
👥 Innocent Bystanders
Examples:
- Civilians in crossfire
- Hostages as human shields
- Family members in danger
- Other heroes mind-controlled
Effect: Limits tactical options, adds moral complexity
🏗️ Environmental Stakes
Examples:
- Dam that mustn't break
- Hospital during surgery
- School bus on bridge
- Nuclear plant cooling system
Effect: Restrains power use, creates secondary objectives
💭 Personal Stakes
Examples:
- Fighting former ally
- Protecting secret identity
- First time using new power
- Overcoming personal fear
Effect: Creates character development opportunities
Try It at the Table
Exercise: Combat Choreography
Design the first three Phases of a fight between these characters:
Hero: "Shockwave" (Sonic Powers)
- Sonic blasts (ranged attack)
- Sound barriers (defense)
- Enhanced hearing
- Flight via sound waves
Villain: "Silence" (Sound Absorption)
- Absorbs all sound in area
- Redirect absorbed sound as attacks
- Creates zones of absolute quiet
- Immune to sonic attacks
Setting: Metropolitan Opera House during performance
Stakes: 2,000 audience members, delicate acoustics, priceless instruments
Your task: Plan each Phase showing how their powers interact, what tactics they use, and how the environment affects the fight.
Exercise: Team Combination Design
Create three unique combination attacks for this superhero team:
- "Prism": Light manipulation (bending, lasers, invisibility)
- "Tremor": Earth control (earthquakes, stone shaping, tunneling)
- "Mindbridge": Telepathy (mind reading, mental links, illusions)
- "Catalyst": Chemical control (acids, gases, molecular changes)
Requirements:
- Each combo must use exactly 2 team members
- Describe the visual effect and tactical purpose
- Explain what makes it more effective than individual actions
- Give it a cool codename the team would use
Exercise: Environmental Challenge Design
Design a combat environment that specifically challenges these power types:
Challenge Flight Powers
Design an environment where flying is dangerous or impossible
Consider: What makes air travel hazardous? How can ground-based opponents threaten flyers?
Challenge Super Strength
Create a scenario where raw power creates more problems
Consider: What breaks easily? When is gentle touch required?
Challenge Blasters
Design a situation where ranged attacks are problematic
Consider: What amplifies or redirects energy? When does collateral damage matter most?