Combat basics

Combat.  A staple in any RPG.  No matter how many eloquent words, deals, bribes, puzzle solving, and the like that can be used to get around a situation sometimes you just have to hack someone in the face to get things done.

My goal is to create a system where players and GMs don't have to pause a scene to go searching through the books to figure out one little thing (like how to grapple someone).
I've always wanted a simple, easy to jump into system.  I haven't found it, so I hope to make it.
First, a little added bit with skill rolls I did not mention in a previous post.
Degrees of Success and Failure
Some rolls need more than just a "pass" or "fail".  Knowledge based skills, opposing others, etc..  You just need to know HOW well or poorly you did.
However many your total is (dice roll +/- modifiers) above or below the target to beat is your degree of success of failure.

Say you were researching a cult of silent wizards, trying to find out more about them.  You start asking around on the streets for info, which goes with the skill Inquiry.  The difficulty to learn anything at all is a 10.  You roll your D20, roll a 14, and add your Inquiry skill of 4.  You now have an 18, 8 steps above your target!
If you had just made a 10, you would of gained very basic knowledge of how they present themselves to the townspeople.
Since you are 8 steps above, you get better info, maybe even hear some rumors of possible hide outs for the cults.

The other way, if you failed horribly, instead of not finding info, you may be given false info.

Ok, enough looking for that cult of magic mimes, back to glorious combat!

Attacks are made the same as opposed skill rolls.  The attacker rolls 1d20 + their skill in the weapon type they are using (unarmed, melee, firearms, etc...).  +/- any modifiers.

The victim of the attack then makes an appropriate skill roll to defend against the attack.  This could be athletics to jump out the way, toughness to take the hit and shake it off, or using melee to parry an attack with a sword.  These are just a few examples. 
All abilities, special moves, magic spells, etc... are skill rolls.  Shooting a fireball at someone?  Roll sorcery skill for your attack value, defender rolls something apropriate to try and beat it to not get set ablaze.

It also allows the option for counter attacks, which in my opinion make combat go a bit quicker.  

Ties go to the attacker (they must meet or beat the defenders roll).  If the counter attack option is being used, ties mean both attacks hit (think of two boxers hitting each other at the same time).
You are successful with an attack, roll damage.

Now, something a little more meaty than the basics.
In addition to the standard damage attacks we all know and love, there are attacks that can give pentalties to the opponent depending on the situation. 
Lets look at Grappling.

Say you want to grapple an opponent, one of those silent wizard cultists is getting a bit uppity with the fireballs and needs to hit the ground.

You make an attack using your unarmed skill, the wizard tries to use athletics to sidestep you but fails.

You have succeeded in grappling the wizard.  What does this mean?

This means 2 things.
1) You have put the wizard at a disadvantage, whatever your degrees of success were in the attack, is now a negative modifier for the wizard to defend (until he gets out of the grapple)
2) Players must use common sense! (oh noes).  That's right, things that would make sense for the situation are applied.  GM has final say as always, but it's safe to say that in the example of the Grapple, the wizard is not going to be able to simply run away and must do something to get out of the Grapple.

Common sense is not a hard thing to use in obvious situations like this.  When the situation is a bit more murky, the GM's word is law and everyone should move on.

People who want to sit and argue after the GM makes a call can be pummeled with empty soda cans, stale chips, or anything else around your gaming table.