During Combat, the game changes into a turn based battle.
In Combat, an actor will receive a certain number of Activations each round (usually one to three), determined by their SPD stat and a number of other factors.
A creature's Activation is composed of two Simple Actions.
Simple Actions are relatively quick to perform without much thought behind them, including some simple Status Moves!
Beyond this, there are other Action Types—such as the Complex Action—many of which are composed of one or more Simple Actions.
Complex Actions require more complicated interactions. Most directly offensive attacks are a Complex Action. Complex Actions consume two Simple Actions, so if you’ve used a Simple Action during an Activation, you cannot use a Complex Action at that time.
Priority Actions are specific actions that allow you to speed up your next Activation. Priority is always defined on an Action with the [Priority X] Trait, where X ranges from 1 to 5. After resolving a [Priority X] Action, the user’s next Activation is advanced forward (AV is decreased) by 10% times the value of the Priority Trait (X).
Interrupt Actions are Actions that allow you to interrupt the flow of events, even when it's not your Activation! These Actions are defined by the [Interrupt X] Trait. Interrupt Actions are tied to a Trigger, which outlines the specific condition when the Interrupt Action can be Activated. Upon using an Interrupt Action, you consume the Action Cost from your next Activation. The amount denoted by the [Interrupt X] Trait denotes the hierarchy of Interrupt priority in the case of multiple Interrupt Actions being declared: Highest Interrupt Level to Lowest, and Lowest Base AV to Highest in case of Interrupt Level ties.
Free Actions are the easiest actions, requiring very little focus to do. These are normally part of another action or require a specific trigger to perform. Free Actions do not cost Activations to perform, and can be activated as many times so long as you meet the requirements to activate them, though many tend to be during the Action Phase of your Activation. Free Actions resolve after the triggering action or, if used as part of another action, resolves at the point it was initiated. If an Free Action is an Interrupt, it resolves before the triggering action fully resolves.
Delay Actions are telegraphed actions. Like Priority Actions, these have a level denoted by the [Delay X] Trait, where X ranges from 1 to 3. When you declare an action with [Delay X], it resolves after X activations have passed. These Actions can only be declared on your Activation.
On your turn, you can declare the “Hold!” Action, a Free Action that allows you to give [Delay X] (setting X to a number of your choice, between 1 and 3) to a Complex Action you possess. When doing so, you can instead specify a Trigger for the action to become an [Interrupt 1] Action instead. The Trigger you specify can be as general as “anything that enters range will be targeted and attacked” or more specific as needed. Keep in mind that if the Trigger doesn't occur, the action is lost. If the Delay Action is triggered as an Interrupt, you must pay the Action Cost from your next Activation as if it was a regular Interrupt Action.
In order to make an attack, the player must first declare that they are intending to do so. Afterward, determine the targeting of the attack appropriately (whether Area of Effect, etc).
The system will automatically spend the necessary PP, but you may have to deduct additional PP manually in the event of using Move Traits such as [Pass-X].
When initiating the attack by clicking on the attack's icon in your HUD, it will bring up any applicable automation. Here you will be able to see any range increment penalties being applied, and any modifiers that may need to be manually activated or de-activated. Here, you also have the ability to have the attack not consume PP, such as in case of certain Moves like [2-Strike]s.
After resolving the attack, the GM can override Hit and Critical Hit status if necessary by clicking on the hit/miss indicator. A small targeting reticule also will be present on the chat card. Targeting can be overriden and the attack re-resolved (such as in the case of an Intercept) against the new target by holding the ALT key and clicking this reticule.
Declaration: First, the Action is “declared”. The player or GM controlling the creature states their intent to use the Action and determines the target(s) of the Action. Any Actions that react to or trigger off of an Action being “declared” or a creature being “targeted” are triggered here. This is also when PP is consumed, if appropriate.
Accuracy Roll: Next, is the Accuracy Roll. As mentioned above, this is where the user goes through the automated roll, applying modifiers as necessary. This is where many ACC/EVA changes and effects, (passive, triggered, or otherwise) are triggered and apply.
Hit: Following an Accuracy Roll, is the “hit” step. If the Accuracy Roll is successful against a target (or the Action lacks an Accuracy value), the target is considered to be “hit”. This step has a number of sub components, that play out in the following order:
Hit Confirmation: Never explicitly stated as such in triggers or effects, this covers the mere act of being hit by an Action. Actions or effects not from the user of the “hitting” Action that trigger “on hit” may be triggered here.
Damage: This is when damage-calculated damage is effectively determined applied, and Critical Hits come into play. Any Actions or effects that trigger based on calculated damage (and Critical Hits/”damage from a Critical Hit”) come into play here.
User Effect: If the “hitting” Action has an effect that occurs “on hit” (like Poison Sting’s chance to inflict Poison), it is applied at this step, and Actions or effects that trigger against these sorts of effects may be triggered following this step.
Resolution: Once an Action completes the Declaration through Hit steps, it is considered to be resolved. “On resolution” Actions or effects activate at this step, and so may Actions or effects that trigger based on those.
All Actions, not just Attacks, and including Abilities, have both a Target and a Range. Targeting impacts how a target for an Action is selected, and whether or not a template may be used. These targets are as follows:
[Contact] Actions function a little differently - their Range is influenced by the user's Reach, with their Range being
ActionRange + UserReach - 1.
Note: Actions, in their effect text, may specify additional conditions to fulfill, or even an additional or expanded range/targeting mechanic past the Action's Targeting field. Make sure you're always reading effect texts carefully!
Changes to Range: Any additons or reductions to the Range of an Action are additive, prioritized first by whole numbers, then percentage changes. Any increase to an Action's range are always minimum 1 – so any increase is always by +1m, and any decrease is by -1m.
Range Increments are the “effective range” of an Action, where it’s most effective. Past the first Range Increment (RI1), you receive compounding Range Increment Penalties (RIP) that affect your effective accuracy for the attack:
When you would accrue more than -6 ACC when at RI2 or further out, an Attack fails: not dealing damage, nor activating secondary effects, nor activating on-miss effects.
Area of effect and [Contact] Actions do not interact with Range Increments at all - they miss against targets outside of their listed/modified Range.
A number of Actions or Effects have Triggers, which are specific conditions that outline the conditions the Action or Effects can be activated. Usually, these are in the "Trigger" field of the Action or Effect, but in some occasions may be found in the Effect Text.
After a “triggering condition” occurs there is a window for any other combatant to trigger a reaction effect (aka something that has a trigger that is now met due to the activation of this effect), and this can chain infinitely in theory before returning to the original triggering condition.
When an Effect is declared, or due to occur, actors can trigger effects of their own, as many triggers that are met from this condition but each only once in response to that Effect.
If multiple actors wish to trigger their own effects in response to an Effect, those triggered Effects are resolved in current initiative order. This means that the resolution of a triggered effect from a "faster" actor can invalidate the trigger for a future actor (when an attack hitting is the trigger, Actor B activates Protect in response, and Actor C's "when an ally hits an enemy" triggering effect fails because the trigger is no longer applicable)
There are instances where an Action’s Effect will call for the use of another Action or gameplay mechanic (such as Movement), explicitly listing any modifications to the called Action or mechanic, such as changes to PP consumption, range, Power, etc. (potentially saying something like “consuming PP as normal”).
Note: Any and all changes to called Action in the context of an effect are always explicitly written with it, either in the same sentence or the next one. Please inform one of the developers if an Action is missing these clarifiers.
Often appearing as part of Triggered Effects, an Action’s effect text may preface the use of another Action or gameplay mechanic by saying something like ”the user may freely use...". When the word freely is used by itself, with no other qualifiers around it, the Action/mechanic it calls 1) is used as a Free Action, 2) does not consume PP, and 3) is used ignoring its preexisting requirements and conditions. This also applies to Movement: when the text says “freely Move”, the creature is able to Move ignoring their Movement Allowances or already-spent Movement as dictated in the rest of the effect text.
A number of these “freely” cases may include other qualifiers around the word like normally calling Additional Actions would, such as still needing to consume PP.
Grapple is a unique battle state that can be initiated with the "Grab" Action. Grappling, like in other TTRPGs, is used to pin down opponents and for more physical battlefield control.
By default, a creature can initiate a Grapple using the Grab Action, though other Actions, Attacks, and Abilities can result in a Grapple. Grab is used as Status-Category Attack with 90 Accuracy.
On a hit, the user then makes a Lift check, with a Challenge Rating set based on the difference in Weight Classes between the user and the target.
(userWC-targetWC) / 2 rounded up if positive or down if negative.
On a success, the user and target gain the Grapple Condition, with the user being in control of the Grapple.
While creatures possess the Grapple Condition, they have their default ACC and EVA each decreased by 1, and may only take Actions that possess the [Grapple] Trait. Creatures that are not in control of a Grapple are also considered to be Bound, whereas the creature in control of the Grapple may still move themselves normally.
However, the creature in control is treated as having the other participant(s) Mounted onto itself, imposing a penalty to the creature's Movement Scores, equal to:
Penalty = mountWC - riderWC + mountLift/10, where:
Penalty < 0riderWC is calculated by summing up all of the passenger creatures' weightsIf this penalty causes a creature to drop to 0 Movement Score overall, they are unable to move themselves and the Grappled creature(s).
Hostile actions in a Grapple, with the exception of the Grab action, must target actors within the grapple.
Whenever anyone uses the Grapple Action, any creature that has both the initiator and target of the Grapple within their Reach may voluntarily join the Grapple with the "Co-Grapple" Action on whichever side they choose.
For the purposes of any Skill Checks made due to an Action with the [Grapple] trait, that include either the Size or Weight class of the participants in their calculation, you add the total Size / Weight class values of all participants on a side together, including the initial Accuracy Roll and Lift Test.
When grappling, set-up moves may still resolve but must target a creature involved in the grapple, whether that is self-only or your grapple opponent.