Combat Special Abilities and Maneuvers

Last updated: 01.2025

The DSA5 system in Foundry VTT fully supports combat special abilities and maneuvers. These can be activated in the combat dialog and automatically affect check modifiers.

Categories of Combat Special Abilities

The system distinguishes between different categories:

Category	Description
Base Maneuver	Basic combat techniques
Special Maneuver	Advanced combat techniques
Combat Style	Passive combat style bonuses
Combat Style Extended	Active combat style techniques
Passive	Permanently active effects
General	General combat abilities
Brawling	Unarmed combat techniques

Using Maneuvers in Combat

1. Open Combat Dialog

When you start an attack or parry, the combat dialog appears with available special abilities.

2. Activate Maneuvers

• Left-click on a maneuver: Activates it (or increases the level)
• Right-click: Deactivates it (or decreases the level)
• Activated maneuvers are displayed highlighted

3. Tiered Maneuvers

Some maneuvers have multiple levels (I, II, III):

• The current level is displayed as a Roman numeral
• Higher levels have stronger effects and higher penalties

Automatic Modifiers

Activated maneuvers automatically affect:

• AT modifier (Attack)
• PA modifier (Parry)
• DP modifier (Damage Points)
• Range and other values

The total modifier is displayed in the dialog and included in the check.

Maneuver Restrictions

System Setting: Limit Combat Special Abilities

There's an optional setting limitCombatSpecAbs that restricts which maneuvers can be combined:

• Base maneuvers are mutually exclusive
• Special maneuvers are mutually exclusive
• Only one maneuver per category can be active

When enabled, selecting a maneuver automatically deactivates an already active one from the same category.

Opportunity Attack

When Opportunity Attack is enabled:

• All special abilities are automatically deactivated
• No new ones can be activated
• This simulates the limited options during a reactive attack

Passive Combat Special Abilities

Some special abilities are permanently active and don't appear in the combat dialog:

• Combat Styles (COMBATSTYLE)
• Passive Combat Style Extensions (COMBATSTYLE_EXTENDED_PASSIVE)
• Passive Abilities (PASSIVE)

These are automatically applied as effects to the character and included in combat values.

Common Maneuvers

Maneuver	Effect	AT Mod	PA Mod
Wuchtschlag I	+2 DP	-2	-
Wuchtschlag II	+4 DP	-4	-
Finte I	-1 PA for defender	-2	-
Defensive Kampfweise	+2 PA	-2	+2
Gezielter Stich	Bypass armor	-4	-

Tips

• Know Your Options: Review available maneuvers before combat
• Situational Use: Different maneuvers suit different situations
• Stack Wisely: Consider the cumulative penalty when combining abilities
• Character Build: Some maneuvers require specific prerequisites

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See also:

• Combat
• Character Sheet
• Hit and Armor Zones