Rolling and DCs
Not everything always goes to plan, fate can always swing one way or another. This is represented by the use of dice. There are several types of rolls listed as follows:
- Saves (1d20 + Ability/Skill Score vs. DC)
- Contests (1d20 + Ability/Skill Score vs. 1d20 + Ability/Skill Score)
Save DCs are either determined by the GM or by taking the afflicted character’s relevant Ability Score, then adding 10 (i.e., a Strength of 4 would create a DC of 14.)
Advantage and Disadvantage
Advantage allows you to reroll the affected d20 roll and take the desired roll. Disadvantage requires you to reroll the affected d20 roll and take the lowest result.
Multiple instances of Advantage or Disadvantage can stack, but not exist at the same time. A single instance of Advantage negates a single instance of Disadvantage, and vice versa.
Criticals
Whenever a player would roll an unmodified 20, it is counted as a Critical.
- Attacking, you roll double dice for damage.
- Defending, you gain +1 AP.
- Advancing Challenge Clocks, you get a Breakthrough and +1 segment filled.
Rounds, Turns, and Initiative
A round is approximately 10 seconds total with every turn occurring within that time frame. Each player and NPC in a scene will have a turn within a round. At the start of each round, the initial order of turns (Initiative Order) is determined by rolling a Dexterity Contest.
Action Points
Nearly every action that a character can perform costs 1 Action Point (AP), 3 AP is gained at the start of every round, after determining Initiative Order. Any unspent AP is carried over to your next turn, up to your maximum of 5. AP can be spent to perform the following actions:
Attacking and Defending
Attacking is done by rolling a 1d20 + Ability Score. The Ability Score used for both attacking and defending is determined based on the weapon the attack is being made with unless specified elsewhere. The steps listed below explain how attacking and defending are carried out.
- The attacker expends AP, states the weapon and Maneuver they are using, and declares a valid target(s) within range, then the attacker rolls.
- If attacking a defender who is Facing you, the defender may expend 1 AP to:
- The defender rolls.
- If successful, the attacker rolls damage (including the Ability Score used to make the attack) and states the damage type they are dealing, which is reduced by Block, then DR.
Maneuvers
A Maneuver is a variation of any standard attack taken during your turn, provided your target is within range of the weapon being used. Everyone can perform them with Unarmed weapons, but Abilities are required to perform them with any other weapon type. You must be wielding at least one Unarmed weapon to perform the following Maneuvers:
- Grapple: The defender has the Tethered (1) condition applied to them with the attacker as the source. This condition can be ended by the defender performing an Interaction on their turn and succeeding in a Strength vs. Strength Contest against the attacker.
- Trip: The defender halves their Speed until the end of the next round.
- Disarm: The target is forced to drop an item held in their hand (attacker’s choice) within one Pace of themselves (attacker’s choice).
- Push/Pull: The attacker moves the defender horizontally by two Paces (attacker’s choice).
More Maneuvers can be learned by spending EXP on Abilities to learn them.
Threatened
The squares in front of a character, in the direction they are facing, and within range of their currently held weapon are considered Threatened; this excludes Ranged weapons.
Movement and Pivoting
On your turn, you can expend 1 AP to gain movement equal to the character’s Speed. When you expend AP to take the Movement action, you can freely change where you are facing (this is not Pivoting). Every other diagonal taken costs two Paces. A character cannot move through another’s occupied space.
Additionally, at the start of your turn, if you are not on a Threatened space you can take Movement equal to your Speed without expending AP.
Pivoting allows you to change the direction a character is facing. A defender can choose to expend 1 AP to Pivot after an attack is resolved or at the start of anyone’s turn.
A Pace is approximately a yard, meter, etc. It is typically represented by 1 ‘space’ (block, tile, square, etc).
If you are forced to move, but terrain or another character would block you, the forced movement that failed is converted into bludgeoning damage.
- For terrain, take 1d6 damage for every space you would have moved.
- For terrain you were spawned inside of, take 1d6 damage for every space you had to move to no longer be in terrain. You take this movement at the end of the current turn freely and it must be the shortest path possible.
- For characters, both take half of 1d6 damage for every pace you would have moved.
Interaction
All things listed here consume at least 1 AP to perform, if it is unlisted the GM will specify or it is assumed to be able to be done freely within reason.
- Picking up an item from the ground. Each Bulk (#) of an item costs that amount (#) of AP to pick up.
- Unlocking a door that you have the key to.
- Swapping a drawn weapon with another one.
- Saddling a horse you are standing next to.
- Speaking an additional 25 words.
Casting
You can Cast spells you have created when using the rest action Delve the Arcane, the AP cost is listed on each spell. All spells require line of sight from the caster to their target.
Wait
This action costs no AP and cannot be taken unless no AP has or will be spent on their turn. Immediately skip the remainder of the turn and gain +1 AP. On the next round, you roll your Dexterity Contest to determine Initiative Order with Advantage (1).
Attacking a Stagnant Target
You can elect to attack an unmoving target (the ground, a wall, a table), the DC for the Save is equal to the number of Paces away it is from you, plus five. Inanimate objects have HP and DRs.
Speaking
You can freely speak a total of 25 words every round, resetting at the start of your turn.