When someone opposes your action (a guard trying to spot you sneaking, someone trying to persuade you to do something), you make opposed rolls. Both sides roll dice for their relevant skills. The side with more successes wins. If both get equal successes against an NPC, that's a compromise - both get something but at a cost. If two player characters tie, they must agree on a compromise or one can push the roll to break the tie.
Combat uses a turn-based system during action scenes. On your turn, you can move and perform one action (attack, defend, help another character). Melee attacks use Close Combat, ranged attacks use Ranged Combat. Against human opponents, your weapons matter - a sword or rifle can kill. Against vaesen, weapons rarely kill but can slow them down, giving time for rituals or escape. In combat, you can suffer Conditions from attacks or from fear/horror of what you encounter.
Vaesen emphasizes that violence rarely solves the problem. You cannot kill most vaesen with bullets or blades - they are supernatural. To truly stop a vaesen, you must understand its nature, discover its weakness, and perform the ritual necessary to bind, banish, or destroy it. This requires Investigation skills, Learning from old texts, and Observation to understand clues. The mysteries reward cleverness and knowledge over combat prowess.