PENANCE: QUICK REFERENCE

Absolution Through Steel • One-Page Reference for All Core Mechanics

TURN STRUCTURE

Player Turn (4 Phases)

1. REFRESH

• Restore SP to maximum
• If Heat 5+: Roll Strain (1d6 + Heat)

2. ACTION PHASE

• Play cards (costs SP)
• Move (1 SP per hex)
• Rotate facing (free, once per turn)
• Continue until out of SP or pass

3. DRAW PHASE

• Draw to hand size 6
• If deck empty: Reshuffle + add 1 Damage card

4. END TURN

• Resolve end-of-turn effects
• Next player goes

SP MAXIMUM (by Casket Type)

Casket Type	SP Max
Light	6 SP
Medium	5 SP
Heavy	4 SP
Assault	3 SP

Modified by destroyed Chassis (-1 SP) or Flesh Bargain (+1 SP)

COMBAT RESOLUTION (WITH DICE)

Attack Sequence

1. Play attack card (spend SP), declare target component
2. Calculate To-Hit Number:
   • Base: 5+ (roll 2d6 Attack Dice)
   • + Range (Short +0, Medium +1, Long +2, Extreme +3)
   • + Attacker movement (1-3 hexes +1, 4-6 +2, 7+ +3)
   • + Defender movement (1-3 hexes +1, 4-6 +2, 7+ +3)
   • + Hex-side (Front +0, Weapon +0, Flank -1, Rear -2, Shield +1)
   • + Cover (Light +1, Heavy +2)
   • + Elevation (Higher -1, Lower +1)
3. Roll 2 Attack Dice, add values:
   • 5-6 = Hit | 7-8 = Strong Hit (+1 dmg)
   • 9 = Critical (+2 dmg, bypass 1 Def) | 10 = EXECUTION (destroy component)
   • <5 = Miss | 2 = Catastrophic Failure (weapon jams)
4. If hit, Defender plays reactive card (optional, 0 SP)
5. Defender rolls Defense Dice (1d6 per damage):
   • Count blocks: [SHIELD], [ABSORB] (each blocks 1 dmg)
   • Apply effects: [CRITICAL] (+1 Component Dmg), [HEAT] (+1 Heat), [PIERCE] (no reactives)
6. Defender discards final damage (original - blocks) from hand/deck

Component Damage

• Primary Weapon cards discarded → +1 Component Damage
• Defense Dice [CRITICAL] → +1 Component Damage
• 3 Component Damage = Component Destroyed

COMPONENT DESTRUCTION EFFECTS

Component	Effect
Right Arm	Lose all Primary Weapon cards from hand
Left Arm	Lose all Secondary Equipment cards
Legs	Movement costs +1 SP per hex
Head	-1 to ranged attacks, no Sensor Sweep
Chassis	-1 SP maximum (permanent)

FACING MODIFIERS (6-HEX SYSTEM)

Hex-Side	To-Hit Mod	Damage Bonus	Def Penalty	Shield Blocks?
1 (Front)	+0	+0	0	Yes
2 (Weapon)	+0	+1	-1	No
3 (Flank-R)	-1	+2	-2	No
4 (Rear)	-2	+3	-3	No
5 (Flank-L)	-1	+2	-2	No
6 (Shield)	+1	+0	+1	Yes

Rotating: Free action, once per turn. 1 SP per additional rotation.

HEAT SYSTEM

Heat Zones

Heat	Zone	Effect
0-4	Safe	None
5-9	Danger	Roll Strain at start of turn
10+	Critical	Auto-fail Strain

Strain Table (1d6 + Heat)

Roll	Effect
1-5	+1 Heat
6-8	-1 SP this turn
9-11	Take 2 damage
12+	Component malfunction

Removing Heat

• Emergency Vent card (2 SP): Remove 3 Heat
• Water hexes: Remove 2 Heat per turn
• Pass entire turn: Remove 1 Heat

DICE QUICK REFERENCE

Attack Dice (2d6)

Symbol	Value	Name
[GLANCE]	1	GLANCE
[BLOOD]	2	BLOOD
[STRIKE]	3	STRIKE
[DOUBLE STRIKE]	4	DOUBLE STRIKE
[DEATH BLOW]	5	DEATH BLOW
[JAM]	0	JAM

Results: 5-6 Hit | 7-8 Strong Hit (+1) | 9 Critical (+2) | 10 EXECUTION | 2 Catastrophic Failure

Defense Dice (1d6 per damage)

Symbol	Effect
[SHIELD]	SHIELD - Block 1 dmg
[ABSORB]	ABSORB - Block 1 dmg
[BLOOD]	FLESH WOUND - Take dmg
[CRITICAL]	CRITICAL - Take dmg + 1 Component Dmg
[PIERCE]	PIERCE - Take dmg, no reactives
[HEAT]	HEAT - Take dmg + 1 Heat

Suffering Dice (Church/Events, 1d6)

Symbol	Effect
[SHIELD]	DIVINE MERCY - No harm
[BLOOD]	BLOOD PRICE - Discard 2
[STRIKE]	ZEALOT'S FURY - Discard 1, +1 dmg all attacks
[HEAT]	PENANCE - Discard 1, +1 Heat, +2 dmg next
[CRITICAL]	MARTYRDOM - Discard 3, +3 dmg next
[ABSORB]	ABSOLUTION - Discard 1, recover 1

TERRAIN TYPES

Terrain	Movement	LOS	Cover	Special
Clear	1 SP	Yes	No	...
Forest	2 SP	Yes	+1 Def	...
Rubble	2 SP	Yes	+1 Def	...
Wall	Impassable	BLOCKED	N/A	...
Water	1 SP	Yes	No	Remove 2 Heat/turn
Elevated	2 SP (up)	Yes	No	+1 dmg if higher

COMMON MISTAKES

SAMPLE TURN (WITH DICE)

Church Confessor (6 SP, 2 Heat, 24 HP)

1. REFRESH: 6 SP, Heat check = Safe Zone (skip)
2. ACTION:
   • Rotate (free) → Face enemy
   • Move 2 hexes (2 SP)
   • Play Blood Offering (0 SP) → Discard 2 cards, buff active (+3 dmg)
   • Play Faithful Thrust (2 SP) → Attack for 4 dmg + 3 buff = 7 dmg
   • To-Hit: Base 5+ | Moved 2 hexes +1 = Need 6+
   • Roll: [STRIKE](3) + [DEATH BLOW](5) = 8 → Strong Hit (+1 dmg) = 8 total dmg
   • Enemy rolls 8 Defense Dice: [SHIELD][SHIELD][BLOOD][BLOOD][CRITICAL][HEAT][PIERCE][BLOOD] = 2 blocks, 1 Critical, 1 Heat
   • Final: 6 damage + 1 Component Damage to enemy
   • Pass (2 SP unused)
3. DRAW: Draw 2 cards (hand back to 6)
4. END: Next player's turn

Result: 22 HP remaining, enemy took 6 dmg + 1 Component Dmg + 1 Heat