Re: Learn Hero Here
There are block and dodge maneuvers, each does a seperate thing. Kevlyn is kind of right, depending on what you have done the previous phase.
Block, you roll your combat roll and try to hit/beat the attackers OCV at which point you block the attack. If you are facing multiple attacks, you need to block each one, but with a culumative -2 per block attempt. You do not have to block, after the first attempt.
Dodge, you increase your DCV by +3. You are considered Dodging until your next action.
Be aware these are the standard values and can change with Martial Arts or Combat Skill levels.
Now both Block and Dodge, are as Kevlyn explaing are "abort" actions, which means that to use them you need to use your next phases actions. Thus you will miss a phase. You can only abort your next phase, so if you have aborted to a block you cannot abort to a dodge until the phase in which you would have acted has gone.
However if you use a half action in a phase at that was not an attack action, then you can hold a half action until your next phase. Both Block and Dodge are half actions.
Example 1: Rayne is attacked has speed 3 and dex 18. He is against Dash, who has speed 4 and dex 19. In phase 12, Dash moves 12m to close with Rayne, and Rayne does the same. In phase 3, Dash attempts to hit Rayne, who decides to dodge(aborting his phase 4). In phase 4, Rayne cannot do anything as he aborted his action. So combat moves to phase 6, where Dash tries again to hit Rayne. At this point Rayne changes to block(aborting his phase 8), which succeeds. Phase 8 comes and Rayne cannot act. So phase 9, Dash attacks again, this time Rayne elects to block again (aborting his phase 12). On phase 12 Dash goes first having a higher Dex. Dash attacks Rayne, however Rayness only availible action is to continue blocking as he has already aborted his 12 to a block.
Now as most combat starts with all characters acting on phase 12, it could have gone differently. If Rayne had only moved 6m in the first phase 12, then he could have held the remaining half action to dodge an attack prior to his phase 4 action.