Actions

In a normal round, you have access to 3 actions. 

Most Basic Actions take only 1 Action. Basic actions are self-contained, and their effects are generated within the span of that single action.

Some actions, known as Full-Round Actions, take all 3 actions in a round.

Reactions have triggers, which must be met for you to use the reaction. You can use a reaction anytime its trigger is met, whether it’s your turn or not. In an encounter, you get 1 reaction each round. You can gain additional reactions by taking the Combat Reflexes feat.

Free Actions don’t cost you any of your actions per turn, nor do they cost your reaction. A free action with no trigger follows the same rules as a single action (except the action cost), and a free action with a trigger follows the same rules as a reaction (except the reaction cost).

Simultaneous Actions

You can use only one single action, activity, or free action that doesn’t have a trigger at a time. You must complete one before beginning another. For example, the Charge action states you move 2 range and then make an attack roll, so you couldn’t use an Interact action to open a door in the middle of the movement, nor could you perform part of the move, make your attack, and then finish the move.

Free actions with triggers and reactions work differently. You can use these whenever the trigger occurs, even if the trigger occurs in the middle of another action.

Actions with Triggers

You can use free actions that have triggers and reactions only in response to certain events. Each such reaction and free action lists the trigger that must happen for you to perform it. When its trigger is satisfied—and only when it is satisfied—you can use the reaction or free action, though you don’t have to use the action if you don’t want to.

There are only a few basic reactions and free actions that all characters can use. You’re more likely to gain actions with triggers from feats.

Limitation on Triggers

The triggers listed in the stat blocks of reactions and some free actions limit when you can use those actions. You can use only one action in response to a given trigger. For example, if you had a reaction and a free action that both had a trigger of “your turn begins,” you could use either of them at the start of your turn—but not both. If two triggers are similar, but not identical, the GM determines whether you can use one action in response to each or whether they’re effectively the same thing. Usually, this decision will be based on what’s happening in the narrative.

This limitation of one action per trigger is per creature; more than one creature can use a reaction or free action in response to a given trigger.

Gaining and Losing Actions

Conditions can change the number of actions you can use on your turn, or whether you can use actions at all. The slowed condition, for example, causes you to lose actions, while the quickened condition causes you to gain them. Whenever you lose a number of actions—whether from these conditions or in any other way—you choose which to lose if there's any difference between them. For instance, the haste spell makes you quickened, but it limits what you can use your extra action to do. If you lost an action while haste was active, you might want to lose the action from haste first, since it's more limited than your normal actions. 

Some effects are even more restrictive. Certain abilities, instead of or in addition to changing the number of actions you can use, say specifically that you can't use reactions. The most restrictive form of reducing actions is when an effect states that you can't act: this means you can't use any actions, or even speak. When you can't act, you don't regain your actions and reaction on your turn. 

Disrupting Actions

Various abilities and conditions, such as an Attack of Opportunity, can disrupt an action. When an action is disrupted, you still use the actions or reactions you committed and you still expend any costs, but the action’s effects don’t occur. In the case of an activity, you usually lose all actions spent for the activity up through the end of that turn. For instance, if you began a Cast a Spell activity requiring 3 actions and the first action was disrupted, you lose all 3 actions that you committed to that activity.

The GM decides what effects a disruption causes beyond simply negating the effects that would have occurred from the disrupted action. For instance, a Leap disrupted midway wouldn’t transport you back to the start of your jump, and a disrupted item hand off might cause the item to fall to the ground instead of staying in the hand of the creature who was trying to give it away.

Basic Actions

Aid (Reaction)  ◐

You try to help your ally with a task. To use this reaction, you must first prepare to help, usually by using an action during your turn. You must explain to the GM exactly how you’re trying to help, and they determine whether you can Aid your ally.

When you use your Aid reaction, attempt a skill check or attack roll of a type decided by the GM. The typical DC is 15, but the GM might adjust this DC for particularly hard or easy tasks. The GM can add any relevant traits to your preparatory action or to your Aid reaction depending on the situation, or even allow you to Aid checks other than skill checks and attack rolls.

Arrest a Fall ◐

You attempt an Acrobatics check to slow your fall. The DC is typically 15, but it might be higher due to air turbulence or other circumstances.

Attack of Opportunity (Reaction) ◐

An attack of opportunity is a special melee attack you can make against a target you are in Melee with, even if it is not your turn. You can use your reaction to make an attack of opportunity against an opponent in any of these three cases:

• When you are in Melee with an opponent, and the opponent moves out of Melee by using any action other than Guarded Step or Withdraw.

• When you are in Melee with an opponent, and the opponent attempts to use one of the following actions:

  • Ranged Attack

  • Interact

  • Rote Channeling 

  • Stand 

• When an opponent attempts to enter into Melee with a target Behind you

You can only make an Attack of Opportunity with a melee weapon you have in hand. If you are wielding a firearm, you may use a Pistol Whip or Riffle Butt attack instead.

Autofire (3 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

Spray and pray. If you are wielding an Automatic firearm, you can make a Firearms attack roll against the Dodge defence of all targets in a cone with a range equal to your weapon's short range. If you hit, the target takes damage as if struck normally by the weapon.

Autofire uses up 10 bullets, and can only be used if the firearm currently has 10 bullets in its clip.

Avert Gaze (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You avert your gaze from danger. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Defences against visual abilities that require you to look at a creature or object, such as a medusa's petrifying gaze. Your gaze remains averted until the start of your next turn.

Board (3 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

You board or disembark from a vehicle, such as a car, truck, or plane. If you're using a vehicle with a simple step-on or step-off boarding process, such as a bike or ATV, you use the Mount action isntead.

Burrow ⬤ ◌ ◌

You dig your way through dirt, sand, or a similar loose material at a rate up to your burrow Speed. You can’t burrow through rock or other substances denser than dirt unless you have an ability that allows you to do so.

Charge (3 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

Charging is a full action that allows you to move up 2 Range and make a melee attack at the end of the movement. You can draw a melee weapon during a charge attack if you possess at least 1 rank in Melee Weapons.

Charging carries tight restrictions on how you can move. You must move at least 1 Range, and all movement must be directly toward the designated opponent. You must have a clear path toward the opponent. If there is any obstacle, difficult terrain, or creature in the way, you cannot charge. If you don’t have a line of sight to the opponent at the start of your turn, you can’t charge that opponent.

Attacking on a Charge: After moving, you can make a single melee attack. You gain a  +2 bonus to the attack roll and a take –2 penalty to your Armor until the start of your next turn. 

Concentrate (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

Choose one ability or spell with a duration of Concentration you have in effect. The duration of that spell continues until the end of your next turn. Some spells might have slightly different or expanded effects if you sustain them. Concentrating on ability or spell for more than a number of minutes equal to your Consitution score ends the spell and makes you fatigued unless the spell lists a different maximum duration (such as “sustained up to 1 minute” or “sustained up to 1 hour”).

Crawl (3 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

If you are prone, you can Crawl to move up to 1 Range as a full-round action while staying prone.

Delay (Free Action) ◌

You wait for the right moment to act. The rest of your turn doesn’t happen yet. Instead, you’re removed from the initiative order. You can return to the initiative order as a free action triggered by the end of any other creature’s turn. This permanently changes your initiative to the new position. You can’t use reactions until you return to the initiative order. If you Delay an entire round without returning to the initiative order, the actions from the Delayed turn are lost, your initiative doesn’t change, and your next turn occurs at your original position in the initiative order.

When you Delay, any persistent damage or other negative effects that normally occur at the start or end of your turn occur immediately when you use the Delay action. Any beneficial effects that would end at any point during your turn also end. The GM might determine that other effects end when you Delay as well. Essentially, you can’t Delay to avoid negative consequences that would happen on your turn or to extend beneficial effects that would end on your turn. 

Dismiss (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You end one spell effect or supernatural effect. This must be an effect you are allowed to dismiss, as defined by the spell or effect. Dismissal might end the effect entirely or might end it just for a certain target or targets, depending on the spell or effect.

Draw (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You can draw or sheathe a weapon, item, magazine, or other object stored in a place that's easy to reach. 

Drawing weapons from hidden or secured locations (backpack pouches, concealed holsters, etc.) takes 3 Actions instead.

Drive  (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You can pilot a vehicle at its drive speed, which is noted in the Speed entry of the vehicle’s statistics (see page 228) as a move action. You can turn as needed throughout that movement, and you set your heading at the end of the drive action.

Vehicles provoke attacks of opportunity while driving, and when you are in a vehicle that’s driving, you similarly provoke attacks of opportunity if you take any actions that would normally do so (including making ranged attacks) unless the vehicle provides total cover.

Drop Prone (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You fall prone.

Execute (3 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

As a full-round action, you can deliver a special Execution Attempt on a helpless opponent within one Distance Increment. You convert all damage dealt by an Execute Attempt as Wound Damage. This action provokes an Attack of Opportunity.

Fight Defensively (Free Action) ◌

You can choose to Fight Defensively at the start of your round. Until the start of your next round, you take a -4 penalty to all attack rolls, and gain a +2 bonus to Armor.

Fly ⬤ ◌ ◌

You move through the air up to your fly Speed. Moving upward (straight up or diagonally) uses the rules for moving through difficult terrain. If you Fly to the ground, you don’t take falling damage. You can use an action to Fly 0 feet to hover in place. If you’re airborne at the end of your turn and didn’t use a Fly action this round, you fall.

Follow (3 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

Choose an ally attempting a recurring skill check, such as Athletics for climbing, Stealth for sneaking, or Street Smarts for navigating a city. While Following, you match their tactics, and can take no other actions. You use their skill ranks instead of your ranks for these checks. 

Grab an Edge (Reaction) ◐

When you fall off or past an edge or other handhold, you can try to grab it, potentially stopping your fall. You must succeed at a Dodge Check, usually at the Climb DC. If you grab the edge or handhold, you can then Climb up using Athletics.

Guarded Step (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You carefully move into or out of Melee. Unlike most types of movement, a Guarded Step doesn't trigger reactions, such as Attacks of Opportunity, that can be triggered by move actions or upon leaving or entering a square.

If you use a guarded step, you cannot take a Move action this round.

Interact (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌ 

You use your hand or hands to manipulate an object or the terrain. Using interact, you can:

• draw  a weapon from a sheathe or holster; this includes releasing a firearm's safety

• sheathe or store a weapon

• draw a stored object

• pick up an unattended object

• push or pull a heavy object

• open a door

• input a security code into a door, security alarm, or computer

• start up a standard vehicle

• other similar effects

You might have to attempt a skill check to determine if your Interact action was successful. 

Intercept (Reaction) ◐

You have to Ready to use an Intercept action.

When you have Intercept readied, you can choose to move and intercept any enemy in Close range who attempts to enter into Melee with any of your allies. If you leave Melee during an Intercept action, you prove attacks of opportunity. 

Mount (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You move onto a creature or vehicle that is 1 Size larger than you and willing to serve as your mount, and ride it. This includes mounting animals such as horses or camals or vehicles such as bikes or motorbikes. 

If you're already mounted, you can use this action to dismount. Doing so while your mount is in motion requires a successful Acrobatics check.

Move (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You move up to 1 Range (or more, if you have a higher speed). Many nonstandard modes of movement are also covered under this action, including burrowing (using your natural burrow speed, if you have one), climbing and swimming (using either the Athletics skill or your natural climb or swim speed, if you have one). 

Point Out (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You indicate a creature that you can see to one or more allies, gesturing in a direction and describing the distance verbally. That creature is hidden to your allies, rather than unnoticed. This works only for allies who can see you and are in a position where they could potentially detect the target. If your allies can't hear or understand you, they must succeed at a Awareness check against the creature's Stealth DC or they misunderstand and believe the target is in a different location.

Race (3 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

When making a race action, you pilot a vehicle at full speed in a straight line at its current heading using 3 actions. You must succeed at a Drive check (DC = 10 + your vehicle’s manoeuvre rating) to race. If your vehicle is starting from a dead stop (that is, it didn’t move last round), the DC of the check increases by 5. 

If you fail this Drive check, the vehicle’s behaviour depends on the circumstances of the check and the surrounding terrain. If you were attempting to race from a dead stop, the vehicle stalls and doesn’t move at all. If the vehicle was already moving, its behaviour depends on the terrain. Rough terrain slows the vehicle, causing it to move at half its full speed at its current heading. On flat terrain, the vehicle usually moves at full speed but goes significantly off course, per GM discretion.

A vehicle can’t safely race through difficult terrain or over obstacles unless outfitted with special gear, nor can it safely race to a destination you can’t see unless you’ve thoroughly scanned the destination. If you force a vehicle to race unsafely, you must attempt a Drive check at a DC determined by the GM (usually 20 + the vehicle’s manoeuvre rating) when you encounter the difficult terrain or obstacle. If you fail or the vehicle is uncontrolled, the vehicle crashes or spins out, as determined by the GM.

After taking a race action, a vehicle doesn’t slow down immediately. On your next turn, you have four options: you can use another 3 action to continue to race at full speed, use 1 action to drive at the vehicle’s drive speed, use 1 action to stop short, or relinquish control of the vehicle as a free action. If you take a free or single action, you can also take additional action during that turn. For instance, you could race one turn, then on your next turn, you could fire a weapon as a single action and then drive as your move action.

A racing vehicle provokes attacks of opportunity, but it gets a +2 bonus to its Armor against them due to its speed.

Many vehicles have extremely high full speeds compared to creatures’ speeds, so racing at full speed is often tantamount to exiting a battle entirely, unless other vehicles get involved.

Ready (2 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ◌

You prepare to use an action that will occur outside your turn. Choose a single action or free action you can use, and designate a trigger. If the trigger you designated occurs before the start of your next turn, you can use the chosen action as a reaction (provided you still meet the requirements to use it). You can’t Ready a free action that already has a trigger.

If you have a multiple attack penalty and your readied action is an attack action, your readied attack takes the multiple attack penalty you had at the time you used Ready. This is one of the few times the multiple attack penalty applies when it’s not your turn.

Recall Knowledge ⬤ ◌ ◌

You attempt a skill check using an Intelligence skill to try to remember a bit of knowledge regarding a topic related to that skill. The GM determines the DCs for such checks and which skills apply.

Critical Success You recall the knowledge accurately and gain additional information or context.

Success You recall the knowledge accurately or gain a useful clue about your current situation.

Critical Failure You recall incorrect information or gain an erroneous or misleading clue.

The following skills can be used to Recall Knowledge, getting information about the listed topics. In some cases, you can get the GM's permission to use a different but related skill, usually against a higher DC than normal. Some topics might appear on multiple lists, but the skills could give different information. For example, Life Science might tell you that a certain snake is venomous, whereas Medical Science could evaluate the effects of that venom on a victim.

• Business: various major businesses in an industry, organizational structure, employee titles and responsibilities

• Computer Science: operating systems, programming languages, computer applications

• Engineering: architecture, how a mechanical device should function, vehicle operation

• Language: rules for grammar and spelling in a language, common sayings and phrases in that language

• Law: relevant laws and regulations, criminal codes, legal and political institutions, law enforcement

• Life Science: agriculture, biology, botany, genetics, zoology

• Medical Science: diseases, poisons, wounds, fitness, diets, forensics

• Occult Lore: arcane secrets, parapsychology, occultism, ghost stories, conspiracy theories, fringe science, and psychic lore

• Physical Science: astronomy, chemistry, meteorology, physics, geology

• Social Science: archaeology, anthropology, current events, foreign affairs, film, fine art,  genealogy, history, linguistics, performing arts, politics, popular culture, sociology, sports, theology

• Tactics: military strategy, public speaking, persuasion and propaganda

Release (Free Action) ◌

You release something you're holding in your hand or hands. This might mean dropping an item, removing one hand from your weapon while continuing to hold it in another hand, releasing a rope suspending a chandelier, or performing a similar action. Unlike most manipulate actions, Release does not trigger reactions that can be triggered by actions with the manipulate trait (such as Attack of Opportunity).

If you want to prepare to Release something outside of your turn, use the Ready activity.

Reload (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

Unless otherwise stated, reloading is a single action that includes grabbing ammunition you have readily available. Some weapons require different actions to reload; see the weapon’s description.

Run (3 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

You can run as a full action. When you run, you can move up to 4 Range. You gain the flat-footed condition, and you can’t run if you must cross difficult terrain or can’t see where you’re going. Running provokes attacks of opportunity. You can run for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution score. 

Seek (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You scan an area for signs of creatures or objects. You might take a penalty if you choose an area that's far away.

If you're using Seek to search for objects (including secret doors and hazards). The GM might determine you need take more actions or even minutes or hours if you're searching a particularly cluttered area.

The GM attempts a single secret Awareness check for you and compares the result to the Stealth DCs of any unnoticed or hidden creatures in the area or the DC to detect each object in the area (as determined by the GM or by someone Concealing the Object). A creature you detect might remain hidden, rather than becoming observed if an effect (such as invisibility) prevents the subject from being observed. 

In certain circumstances, you might use Investigate instead of Awareness to perform Seek actions, especially if you're engaging in a thorough search of an area.

Sense Motive (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You try to tell whether a creature's behaviour is abnormal. Choose one creature, and assess it for odd body language, signs of nervousness, and other indicators that it might be trying to deceive someone. The GM attempts a single secret Composure check for you and compares the result to the Deception DC of the creature, the DC of a spell affecting the creature's mental state, or another appropriate DC determined by the GM. You typically can't try to Sense the Motive of the same creature again until the situation changes significantly.

Speak (Free Action) ◌

While actually trying to convince someone using a skill takes actions, banter and quips are a hallmark of fantasy stories, and the game wouldn’t flow naturally if you could only talk in initiative order. Thus, you can speak an amount that makes sense, at the GM’s discretion, without spending any of your actions, as long as you can act, even if it isn’t your turn.

You don’t need to spend any type of action to speak, but because a round represents 6 seconds of time, you can usually speak at most a single sentence or so per round. Special uses of speech, such as attempting a Deception skill check to Lie, require spending actions and following their own rules. You can't speak if you're denied actions, such as by being paralyzed or stunned.

All speech has the auditory trait. If you communicate in some way other than speech, other rules might apply. For instance, using sign language is visual instead of auditory.

Stand (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You stand up from prone. If you are in Melee, you provoke an Attack of Opportunity reaction.

Stop (Free Action) ◌

You can stop a vehicle after a drive action without difficulty and without spending an action.

Sustain (Free Action) ◌

At the end of your turn, if you have an ongoing ability or spell that allows you spend Anima or Terror to extend its duration, you may spend that resource to extend its duration to the end of your next turn.

Take Cover (1 Action) ⬤ ◌ ◌

You press yourself against a wall or duck behind an obstacle to take better advantage of cover. If you would have standard cover, you instead gain greater cover, which provides a +4 circumstance bonus to AC; to Dodge Defence against area effects; and to Stealth checks to Hide, Sneak, or otherwise avoid detection. Otherwise, you gain the benefits of standard cover (a +2 circumstance bonus instead). This lasts until you move from your current space, use an attack action, become unconscious, or end this effect as a free action.

Total Defence (2 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ◌

You spend most of your round defending yourself. Starting at the beginning of this action, you get a +4 bonus to your Armor Class until the start of your next round. You can’t combine total defense with other actions that increase your AC, nor can you make attacks of opportunity while benefiting from total defense.

Withdraw (3 Actions) ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

Withdrawing from melee combat is a full action. When you withdraw, you can move up to 2 Range. You are not considered threatened by targets you start off in Melee with, and therefore visible enemies don’t get to make attacks of opportunity against you when you move from that square. Unseen enemies still get attacks of opportunity against you, and you can’t withdraw from combat if you’re blinded and have no other precise senses (such as blindsight).