DECLARE ACTIONS

Each combat round begins by each creature or group being given a chance to declare their actions or intentions.

1. NPCs Declare Actions. The Game Master will note opponents and NPC intentions during the upcoming round. This is typically done by notation without knowledge of the PCs.

2. PCs Declare Actions. The Player Characters will each state their declared actions. If casting a spell, the specific spell (and item focus if using an item to cast) must be named.

3. The GM will (privately) list any spells for resolution during Spells phase (see E. Spells).

Many actions do not need to be declared. However, if you want to perform an action that is noted as requiring declaration or a complex action, you MUST declare the action before the round begins. Otherwise, the GM will inform you that the activity will take place next round (the GM may allow you to complete a complex action on your initiative turn next round in that case).

This gives the individual the option select an action during their group's initiative.

That said, it is sometimes useful to declare an activity as it indicates you are ready to do something (like targeting a charging opponent with a missile weapon or announcing your intent to set a weapon against an opponent's charge attack).

CONSIDERATIONS

Spells. All spells must be declared and all spell casting must begin on segment 1 before any other activity by the caster. See Spells below and E. Spells.

Targeting. When declaring an action, even missile fire or an ability or spell, you do not need to name the target. However, for spells, you must name the target during your group initiative, as part of the Innate Abilities phase.

Waiting or Readying (Delay). While you can always announce your intent to wait for something, it won't change the order of combat. Essentially, you can declare your intent to delay (which offers a benefit versus simply waiting). See also Delay.

Talking or Coordinating. During declaration, the PCs should have the ability to have some brief verbal exchange, basically announcing intentions ("I'm fireball-ing the group over there!") or perhaps a quick question and answer between two parties. Note that whatever is being said will be heard by those nearby. If the GM determines the group or a specific individual is dithering or taking too long, they will inform the group or individual(s) they will be delayed during the round.

Changing Your Mind. If you declare an action and you can act during HIGH initiative, you can instead announce you will do something else (indicating a Delay, see Action Types below) and act instead on LOW initiative. If you act on LOW initiative and change your mind, you lose your action for the round. If you declare the use of a Spell and change your mind, the magic fails, is used up if applicable, and you lose all further activity for the round other than 10 feet of movement.

ACTION TYPES

See Action Types.

TIME REQUIRED TO COMPLETE AN ACTIVITY

Each individual will normally be able to act during a round on their group's initiative. The group that wins initiative acts first during HIGH initiative and the group that loses acts on LOW initiative. If tied, both groups act on HIGH initiative.

Actions resolve during the group's initiative based on the action (during the appropriate phase of combat). Time to complete an action can be important so this is typically noted clearly in the description of the action.

Most actions are listed in the following format:

> Ability. <limitations on use if any; e.g. 1/day> [initiative phase; magic type] (activity type) and/or (<declaration required?>; <grants delay?>; <action type>, <time required to activate>; <special attributes>) Description of the ability.

Examples:

• Hug. [immediate] If a claw attack roll is successful and scores a natural 18 or better, the defender is automatically dragged into a hug as an immediate action. The victim takes an additional 2d6 rending damage and is grappled (hug) until the end of the round before being released.

• Petrifying Gaze. [innate; gaze] (minor) A medusa has a gaze attack with a range of 30-ft. Living creatures that meet the medusa's gaze must make a save vs. Petrify or permanently turn to stone (save negates). This gaze attack can extend into the astral or ethereal plane affecting even some incorporeal creatures (per the GM). A medusa does not have any special resistance to their own gaze—if their gaze somehow reflected back, it must also save or turn to stone.

Innate Abilities. Innate abilities are magical abilities without a casting time. Most can be initiated in 1 segment. They occur in order of initiative. If a specific segment is required, it will typically occur on segment 1. Delays will mean the effect happens on the opponents initiative die used as the segment.

Missile Weapons. Missile weapons are fast and generally do not have a defined time component. Timing is variable and depends on initiative and what others are doing ahead of the missile fire.

Melee. Note on Weapon Speed Factor. The “speed factor” attribute given in Weapons is not directly related to segments, although it is a time indicator as to whether a weapon is quick or slow to use and recover after a swing/thrust. It is used primarily in resolving ties in initiative turn order between opponents, whether using weapons with speed factors or spells.

Movement. Movement is always at 1/10th the creature's listed speed per segment spent moving. For undeclared movement, timing is variable and depends on initiative and what others are doing ahead of the movement.

Other Activities. These activities most often come in three types: Simple, Delaying, or Complex. Simple actions are typically (but not always) minor actions consuming 1 segment, Delaying actions only happen on LOW initiative, and Complex activities consume the whole round. Any delay to a complex activity means it completes on the creature's group initiative in the succeeding round. See also D4. Other.

Spells. All spells (which include incantations—cast by spell casters and invocations—generated by magic items) have a defined casting time, must be declared, and all such activity begins on segment 1. The spell caster selects any targets during group actions [innate], but the effects of the magic are normally resolved after all group actions. A spell with a 1 round casting time means the caster is considered to Go Last in initiative (and TIED with other 1 round spells being cast or Go Last activities).

Effects with a Duration of 1 Round

A duration for any effect that lasts "1 round" will complete at the end of the succeeding round. Otherwise, a duration spanning multiple rounds will count the round begun as "round 1" (even if the action/casting took 1 round) and will end at the end of the last round of the duration. While this may seem like a discrepancy, it reduces the amount of book keeping and tracking segment-by-segment timings.