Actions

Introduction

Actions are used by characters to interact with the campaign environment and also attack/defend during combat. It is often used in context with Action Points (AP) which is a special resource that serves as a limitation to the amount of actions/commands a character can take per turn. By default, characters have 100 AP at the beginning of combat and AP refills at the character's next turn.

Glossary

Action / Command

An Action or Command are interchangable terms to refer to a character skill or ability.

Action Points

Action Points (AP) are a special resource that determines how many actions a character can execute per round. Like HP, all characters have AP regardless of their build or type. AP is an abstraction of time and speed that a character has to act during a combat scenario. When a character has insufficient AP to execute an action, the character runs out of time to complete any action before their turn ends and another begins.

Action Overflow

Action Overflow is a mechanic that can be used by character to execute an action even if they have insufficient AP. This action then becomes delayed until the character's next turn. This is considered a risky manuever because actions delayed like this have a chance to be interrupted by enemies forces and also leaves the user vulnerable to attack (as they are concentrating on executing their action), there is also a chance they could miss an attack if their target moves out of range during their turn.

Action Types

Standard Action

A Standard Action usually costs 50 AP to execute, also known as a basic action, a character may be able to execute multiple standard actions in a turn. Standard actions are the most common type of action performed by a character and any action not specifically referred to by type will be considered to be a Standard action.

Advanced Action

Advanced actions usually cost 100 AP instead of 50. These types are actions are usually called upon for longer and more elaborate movements and abilities. However, since characters gain increased Maximum AP from increased Agility, a character with high Agility may be able to execute multiple advanced actions per round.

Full-Round Action

A Full-Round Action has a fixed cost of All AP, meaning the cost becomes exactly the same as the character's maximum AP. Additionally, the character may only use a full-round action if they have full AP upon execution. Full-Round actions may be used for powerful abilities that really do take up a character's entire turn and cannot necessarily be sped-up or interleaved with other actions.

Mechanics

At the start of each turn, AP is refreshed

After a character executes their actions/commands, ends their turn and is next to play their next turn, they regain AP equal to their maximum AP. This wording is important because in the case of a character using an Action-Overflow, they may consume more AP than they normally should have, this difference is accounted for when the character takes their next turn. If they consume more AP than their maximum then they will not always have maximum AP for their next turn.

AP is required to use actions/commands outside a character's turn

AP is essential for all character actions, in and outside their given turn. If the character is attacked in some way, they may be able to use an action outside their turn if they have the AP for it. If they lack the AP required, then they can only rely on passive defences to protect them. This may not be required if the character puts up their defence before ending their turn, as actions/commands that persist until the character's next turn will remain active even after their original turns ends.

Agility increases Maximum AP

Agility increases the maximum AP for a character by about 30% per point, stacking additively. As Agility determines how quick and concise a character's movements are, the attribute directly increases the possibility of executing multiple actions/commands or by being able to use Advanced actions with Standard/basic ones.