.: Help for fire

Shoot a ranged weapon at a target in your room or an adjacent
room. Also answers to shoot.

Usage: 

  fire 
      Shoot a target in the same room.

  fire  
      Shoot into the adjacent room in that direction and strike
      a target there.

━━━ One Action ━━━

Firing readies the next round by itself. You do not need a
second command, and there is no reload step to remember: your
hands find the next round while your eye is still on the mark.

Each shot draws one round of ammunition from a matching bundle
in your pack, arrows for a bow, bolts for a crossbow, shot for
a sling or pistol. You will be told when you spend the last of
them, and told again if you try to shoot with nothing left.

Each shot uses your combat round. Cross-room fire does not
automatically pull you into melee; the target must close the
distance to engage.

Firing spends Stamina and requires full payment. Carried load
raises the price, while ranged-combat skill lowers it. If
you are too spent, you do not shoot or consume the round.

━━━ Shooting From Cover ━━━

A shot taken while hidden is an ambush. It hits far harder, and
it gives your hiding place away when it lands, so you get one
per fight. Hide first with sneak, then fire.

You cannot slip out of sight again while something is fighting
you, which is what limits the ambush rather than any timer.

A shot from an adjacent room is never an ambush, however well
hidden you are. Distance already protects you there.

━━━ Aiming ━━━

An aimed shot needs light. In a dark room you cannot line one
up, and the shot is refused before it costs you anything. Carry
a light source, or see in the dark by other means. Swinging in
melee has no such requirement, so a close fight is still an
option when you cannot shoot.

You cannot steady an aimed shot while something is attacking
you. The shot still fires, but it is weaker than one taken with
the room clear. Break away, or let someone else hold their
attention.

━━━ Progression ━━━

Ranged-combat improves through use. Shots that connect have a
chance to advance the skill. Perception governs aimed-shot
accuracy and damage.

See also: help ranged-combat,
  help stamina, help equip,
  help sneak, help skullduggery,
  help ambush, help special