Actions
Taking Turns
You do not roll initiative. The GM will declare a thread's scene type and then set the scene with a descriptive post. After the GM makes a post, everyone else in that thread can take 1 turn to post in any order. This continues with everyone merely waiting for the GM's next "turn". The actions your character takes should be feasible within the time allotted.
TAKING ACTION
You do not have 1 action, 1 bonus action, and movement. You simply declare what you are intending to do and make 1-3 rolls to accomplish the activity based on whatever skills are relevant. If more than 3 rolls are needed, you cannot perform the action within one round and can only do 3 rolls worth. If you take the same action more than once, you suffer a cumulative -5 penalty to each subsequent action (the exception is entering/exiting a grapple, melee, or scene which gives you a cumulative +5 bonus instead so long as you take no other actions between).
Remember, every action you attempt to take that does not have a guaranteed chance of success requires a roll.
If you attempt to take actions that are not guaranteed to succeed and fail to roll for them, you are instead assumed to fail by default which can retcon your other actions, possibly wasting them. Doing anything other than breathing, speaking, or ceasing an ongoing action (such as dropping an item) is considered an action in the game and consumes 1 roll, even if the DC is 0.
Moving, picking up an object, drawing or sheathing a weapon, opening or closing a door, etc. are all actions. If you're not sure if doing something consumes an action or requires a roll or not, assume it does require an action and make your best guess as to which skill to roll. The GM will let you know if you succeed or fail.
REACTIONS
You do not interrupt turn order with reactions. When your reaction is provoked, you make all the rolls and put it in the same post first before listing everything you do on your turn. The effects of the reaction take place immediately before the start of your turn, even if your reaction or other actions were made inapplicable since it was provoked (such as the target moving out of range or you being incapacitated after it was provoked).
EXAMPLE
You're in a long hallway dimly lit by torches. The walls are made of stone and there is only one window and one doorway (exit) with a locked steel door. On your turn, you declare throwing a rock at the window (Dexterity check since this is an attack) and then running down the hallway (Dexterity or Strength check since this is movement) to kick down the door (Strength check since this is an attack). The GM has a Dex DC to pick the lock and Str DC to smash the window but no DC listed to smash the door. So your turn would end upon making the attempt to smash the door while you await the results determined by the GM.
List of Actions
Below is a list of actions. You can make up your own but work with the GM if you do so.
ASSIST ❖
You lend aid to an ally. Select 1 ally within your reach and a course of action. Roll a check against a DC 5 points lower than the DC the action would normally require (minimum DC5).
- Critical Success: They gain advantage on the check.
- Success: They gain edge on the check.
- Failure: Nothing.
- Critical Failure: They lose edge and, if they fail, it's probably somehow your fault.
ATTACK ❖
Whether you are swinging a sword, shooting firearms, or brawling with fists, you make one melee or ranged attack roll against a single target creature, object, or 5-foot space and compare it to the target's Defense Rating (DR).
You must be wielding an appropriate weapon to make an attack with the chosen skill. Most physical weapons require Brawn, Finesse, Marksmanship, or Melee but some special tools or magical devices may use other skills.
Some attacks may have two or more attributes listed for attack and/or defense. If two or more options are listed for attack, you pick which attribute to attack with. If there are multiple options listed for defenses, then you must hit the lowest of those defenses if an "or" is listed or the highest of those defenses if an "and" is listed.
- Critical Success: As a success but automatically maximum damage and 1 random critical effect.
- Success: The suffers the damage of your weapon + base condition it inflicts.
- Failure: Nothing.
- Critical Failure You suffer a random critical effect.
| Example Attacks: |
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DASH ❖
As a single action you move in a straight line up to twice your normal speed. However, if you encounter any obstacle or difficult terrain that you were not aware of at the start of your movement, you suffer a -2 penalty to checks to resist the obstacle in addition to being caught off-guard and other such effects. You have a +2 bonus to checks to jump after making a dash of at least 2 spaces but only if the direction of the jump is the same direction as the dash (otherwise it's -2 instead).
DEFEND ❖
You focus entirely on defending from attacks. Select one ally within your melee reach or yourself. Until the start of your next turn, any attack roll made against the target has disadvantage if you can see the attacker and you make Strength and Dexterity saving throws with advantage. These benefits are lost if you are incapacitated or immobilized.
FOCUS ❖ or ❖❖ or ❖❖❖
You can regain 1 FP as a single action, 3 FP as a 2-action activity, or 6 FP as a 3-action activity up to your normal maximum.
HAGGLE Downtime
Normally, merchants pay only 50% of an item's full price but you can use Deception or Diplomacy to haggle.
- Make a check vs. DC10 + merchant's Wisdom save or skill bonus (whichever is higher).
- Failure: The merchant pays 2% less per point you failed by (minimum 1%).
- Success: The merchant pays 2% more per point you beat the DC by.
HIDE ❖
When you take the Hide action, make a Dexterity (Stealth) check in an attempt to hide. If you have cover and beat the Wisdom (Perception) DCs of onlookers, you successful escape their line of sight and become hidden. As long as you not reveal yourself (such as by attacking) attackers must make a Wisdom (Perception) check against your Dexterity (Stealth) DC to find your location. If they choose to guess your location the GM rolls a die randomly to determine which melee or creature outside of melee is their accidental target.
IMPROVISE ❖
Your character can do things not covered by the actions in this chapter, such as breaking down doors, intimidating enemies, sensing weaknesses in defenses, or calling for a parley with a foe. The only limits to the actions you can attempt are your imagination and your character�’s ability scores. See the descriptions of the ability scores in chapter 7 for inspiration as you improvise.
When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules, the GM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure.
INCOME 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month
You can declare working 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month straight without adventuring or other interruptions (other than eating, sleeping, resting, etc.) and then make an Income check with a skill you can use as a profession.
- 1 day: check result * level = copper earned (1 copper = 1 credit)
- 1 week: check result * level = silver earned
- 1 month: check result * level = gold earned
INITIATIVE Free; triggered at the start of an encounter
You usually roll Wisdom (Perception) to join initiative to spot a foe before they spot you. However, in circumstances where you're already sneaking up on a foe before you get close, you can roll Dexterity (Stealth) instead. If combat interrupts a social scene, you roll Wisdom (Insight) or Charisma (Deception) instead.
EXAMINE ❖ or 1 day
You analyze, ask around, research, or search for a specific area, creature, object, or phenomena in an attempt to find them or otherwise gather or recall information about them. It takes only 1 action to search a single space or 1 day to research a bigger topic. You make an appropriate skill check based on the topic at hand.When you examine a target you ask a question about it that is answered with a one-word response on a success. You might get no answer instead of a one-word response if your inquiry doesn't make sense for the target. For example, if you asked "Who is their best friend?" but the target has no best friend, you'd get no information even on a success. On a critical success, you would indeed surmise that they have no best friend and can get up to 10 words in response.
You can analyze vulnerabilities, resistances, immunities, etc. based on the skill you use.
- Critical Success As a success but the GM may give you even more information or temporary bonuses.
- Success You find learn a relevant and helpful piece of information about the target or find it (if it's nearby) or it's trail/direction (if far away). If the target is not relevant to the situation/story, the GM typically informs you of this.
- Critical Failure You misremember or mistake the target for someone or something else, gaining false information.
| Example Investigations: |
| Charisma (Diplomacy): Chat up the locals and ask around to see if anyone's seen any suspicious activity in the area lately. Wisdom (Biotics): Search for nearby herbs to be used as a remedy for a wounded ally. Intelligence (Mechanics): Search for an exploitable problem with the controls or layout of the ship you're on to slow it down or create a distraction. Wisdom (Perception): Search for hidden doors, passageways, or creatures laying an ambush. |
MANEUVER ❖
Some attacks attempt to impose negative conditions on a target rather than damage. Some attacks may have two or more attributes listed for attack and/or defense. If two or more options are listed for attack, you pick which attribute to attack with. If there are multiple options listed for defenses, then you must hit the lowest of those defenses if an "or" is listed or the highest of those defenses if an "and" is listed.
- Critical Success As a success but minor 1 minute or moderate for 1 round.
- Success You deal a trivial condition to the target for 1 minute or minor condition for 1 round. Disarmed and prone have no duration but are always "instant".
- Critical Failure You provoke an opportunity attack from the target.
| Example Attacks: |
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MOVE ❖
You attempt to enter or escape a grapple, melee, or scene. See above for rules on entering or exiting a melee or grapple.
READY ❖❖
Decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger. When the trigger occurs, you can either take your reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger. Remember that you can take only one reaction per round. You can ready actions but not activities, operations, or rituals. If your concentration is broken, the readied action dissipates without taking effect. Examples: If the soldier steps on the trapdoor, I'll pull the lever that opens it, and if the orc steps next to me, I move away.
SHOVE ❖ or ❖❖
You can easily lift an object in your hands that weighs up to your light load (half that in one hand and half that again to be wielded as a weapon). If you want to push/pull/knock over heavier objects or creatures, you make a Strength (Brawn) check against the greater of the target's Str DC or Dex DC. Inanimate objects have a Str DC due to weight but no Dex DC. An object's Str DC2 is it's approximate weight.
Objects have a Str DC equal to 10 + size modifiers + weight modifiers. Objects are categorized as very light (-10), light (-5), average (+0), heavy (+5), or very heavy (+10). Most things made of flesh, wood, or similar organic materials are average in weight. Most things made of hard stone or heavy metal are heavy or very heavy. Most things made of cloth, paper, plastic, or similar materials are light or very light.
Trying to push/pull something on wheels and on a flat surface gives you +10 to your check to move it.
Shoving something and remaining still is 1 action, shoving something and moving with it is 2 actions.
TINKER ❖ or more
The Tinker action allows you to manipulate an object in a simple way such as drawing or sheathing a weapon, pulling a lever, pushing a button, opening or closing a door, and so forth. More complex actions such as operating computers or computerized devices, vehicles, or steering mounts may require more than 1 successful Tinker action to achieve the desired effects. The skill needed to make this check varies based on what type of item you're tinkering with. Some devices may have a failsafe, so a certain number of failures may trigger a trap and/or disable the device requiring it to be repaired before it will work again.
- Critical Success: As a success but you gain a critical benefit from it.
- Success: You succeed in basic operations of the device or counter an existing effect.
- Failure: Nothing.
- Critical Failure: You suffer a random critical failure effect.
Most skills are used for skill checks or attack rolls but some can allow you to make a saving throw in with them instead of a normal save.
| Example: |
| You can use Wisdom (Perception) instead of a Wisdom save against Illusion effects and a Dexterity (Acrobatics) instead of a Dexterity save against obstacles and traps you trigger as a result of your movement. Your GM determines which skills you can use and they are usually the same attribute anyway. |