Actions
Actions give our characters the ability to interact with their environment and supporting characters mechanically. While an attempt may be made to do practically anything, the actions which we have unlocked make for easy determinations of outcomes.
Proactive Vs. Reactive
There are two major categories of Actions. Proactive and Reactive.
Proactive Actions: These Actions may only be activated during your Active Phase. They do not inherently have a Trigger Condition. Though some specific effects or unlocked upgrades may change this element for a particular action or set of actions.
Reactive Actions: These Actions have at least one Trigger Condition and may be activated anytime a Trigger Condition is present and all other Activation Requirements are met.
Activating, Executing, and Resolving Actions
All Actions have three basic phases; Activation, Execution, and Resolution. Not all Actions will detail each of these phases, usually only showing Cost & Function, it is important to know the basic phases implied in every Action.
Activation: We ensure we meet all the requirements to activate the action then we pay all up front costs for the action.
Celerity: All Actions have Celerity. This is the base Time or Action Slots we spend to activate the action.
Resources: Stress Accumulation, Resource Consumption, etc.
Declarations: Determine Targets, Subjects, or Victims.
Execution: During Execution we pay any additional resource cost associated with the Effect Description.
Variable Determination: Any Variables are checked and totaled.
Additional Effects: Any additional effects are enacted.
Resolution: The Final Phase is where apply results and handle any Mitigation.
Reactive Action Conditions
If any part of a action creates a Trigger Condition, the Reactive Action pauses the ongoing action and is resolved first.
Story Guide’s Notes: Layered triggers may get confusing if several people jump in at once. Possibly with the exception of Combination Actions. As a Story Guide taking notes on what actions are being used may be an easy way to keep things sorted. Once we have released the Lordock Applications, these things will be tracked automatically if all the players are using it.
Action Debt
Certain effects such as Stun apply Action Debt.
When Action Debt is applied you immediately lose a number of Action Slots each to the Action Debt.
If Left Over Action Debt remains while you have 0 Action Slots, it remains on your Status Panel as Left Over Action Debt.
When you next gain Action Slots or Bonus Action Slots, you must pay the Left Over Action Debt.
You can not Suffer or Accumulate more Action Debt than your Agility Score on any given Full Round.
Self Incurring Action Debt
You may choose to accumulate Action Debt to perform Actions during your Active Phase. Doing so deals 10 Raw Damage to you in addition to accumulating 1 Action Debt for every Action Slot you burn this way. This Action Debt is paid immediately upon entering Dormancy.
Action & Effect Structure
The structure of mechanical designations of Actions and Effects determine some implied applications of the mechanics. These designations make the core function and source of the nature of Actions and Effects. These designations are included at the top of the resource page for each Action and Effect and apply to everything on the page unless there is a designation override in the descriptive blocks.
Effect Tree Designation
Root, Branch, Stem, Leaf, Lesser Crown, Greater Crown, and Canopy are the Effect Tree Designations. This designation is important because there are routines, actions, and effects which may include in their target these designations. More specifically this hierarchy of designations declare a routine, action, or effect is dependent on having unlocked requirements. A root effect typically does not have any requirements, while higher tier designations depend on having the root unlocked.
Root: These actions and effects are the foundations of Effect Trees. Root effects typically don’t have unlocking requirements other than the initial Potential cost.
Branch: These actions and effects build on the Root and require the Root to be unlocked to learn.
Stem: These actions and effects build on the Branch and require the Branch to be unlocked to learn.
Leaf: These actions and effects directly modify the action or effect they are connected and have no application outside the branch, stem, or crown they are grown on.
Lesser Crown: Lesser Crown effects are stand alone actions and effects. They usually only require the Root of an effect tree to be unlocked but may also require a specific branch or stem be unlocked.
Greater Crown: These effects require multiple branch and stem effects to unlock and are the most significant and powerful functions of any given effect tree.
Canopy: These actions and effects are the pinnacle of potential and usually specify the Greater Crown of three or more effect trees as their requirements.
Primary Action & Effect Type Prefix
Mystical, Psyche, and Physical are the only action and effect prefixes. These designations are important when used as a reference for whether something is magical, mundane, or mind over matter. There are many effects which target these designations. The actual actions and effects which these are assigned to may border the others, but the designation is there for determining the interaction of other actions and effects.
Mystical: If the effect is magical, comes from a divine source, or is a function of fantasy it is considered Mystical.
Physical: If the effect is an application of sci-fi and semi-realism it is considered Physical. This includes the function of machinery and the body.
Psyche: If the effect is a function of mental power manifesting and its source is will or concentration, it is considered a Psyche effect. Psyche in many places will border the Mystical.
Core Action & Effect Types
Action, Boon, Culmination, Combination, Conditional Passive, Passive, Triggered Action, Routine, Response, and Action Rider are the Core Action & Effect Types.
Action: The most basic form of the Core Action & Effect Types. These may only be performed during your Active Phase or as an Instigation.
Boon: Boons are items which tend to have more than one action or effect attached to them, they usually do not have a suffix.
Culmination: Culminations tend to require a specified sequence of general events.
Combination: Combination Actions require two or more activators. The original activator declares the action, and another may join in, spending their Action Slots and other resources as required to complete the action.
Conditional Passive: As long as the condition for the passive is met, the effect is active.
Passive: Passive effects are always active.
Triggered Action: Triggered Actions may be activated any time their trigger happens provided all other requirements are met and are resolved immediately, if multiple Triggered Actions happen simultaneously, resolve them in the order which they were called.
Routine: Routines cost Routine Paths to activate and may have other requirements.
Response: Response Actions may be called at any time when their conditions are met but do not resolve until after the action which qualified their activation.
Action Rider: These effects apply to actions which qualify for their conditions. Their activation requirements are paid in addition or subtraction to the original action and modify the outcomes of the original action in one way or another. Unless specified otherwise in description, only one Action Rider may be applied to any given action. Your Action Riders may only be activated on actions and effects you activate.
Action & Effect Suffix
Assault, Bond, Buff, Craft, Enchantment, Enfeeblement, Execution, Social and Safeguard are the suffixes for actions and effects and in a broad way describe the general function of the action or effect at a glance. They are often used as target criterial for other actions and effects. Actions and effects may have multiple Suffixes.
Assault: This action or effect deals damage, usually requiring an Effect Accuracy Check.
Bond: These actions and effects are companion related and both grant companions and additional actions for already acquired companions.
Buff: Positive conditions applied to defined mechanics and statistics for characters and units.
Chain: These actions are performed in the way described and change depending on their description. Action Chains depend on the success or failure of previous actions or may be alterations to activation requirements based on the flow of events.
Craft: This action or effect creates items, required materials are consumed in the process.
Enchantment: Adjustment or condition applied to the defined mechanics and statistics for equipment and items.
Enfeeblement: Negative condition applied to defined mechanics and statistics for characters and units.
Execution: These actions and effects may only target subjects or victims with the Vulnerable condition.
Provoke: These actions and effect apply Threat Heat above the natural scale.
Sense of (type): These effects apply directly to a specified sense. There are 6 senses; Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, Hearing, and Mind.
Social: These actions and effects revolve around social encounters and the Threat Panel.
Safeguard: Safeguard actions and effects include interactions with the Injury Panel and Status Panel. It is also a general term for healing, defensive actions, and effects.
