Actions
Turn Actions and Interrupt Actions
Turn actions and interrupt actions are the temporal currency of Utopia.
When you are faced with a time-sensitive situation, such as during combat, everything you do will require a number of turn actions or interrupt actions. When time is of the essence, you will enter a turn-based encounter.
Turn order
Each turn is 6 seconds, regardless of the number of turn actions somebody takes. 1 turn action generally corresponds to 1 second, though interrupt actions vary depending on what the creature is responding to. There are 10 turns in 1 minute, and turns are not simultaneous. Your turn is 6 seconds, and your enemy's turn will be another 6 seconds.
If you're in a time sensitive situation but not necessarily interacting with other creatures, it's possible that your turn actions will be independent of other creatures'. For instance, if your party is stuck in a room with only 1 minute of oxygen, your party may be granted 60 turn actions each to escape.
There is an optional rule about turn orders, where each creature goes after each action, (see actions below), and turn round ends only after each creature expended it's TA. It is harder to track, but allows for simultaneous attacks on one enemy.
Its usage is up for deabte.
Turn Actions
For brevity, they are shortened as "TA". On your turn, you are granted 6 turn actions to use, though you do not have to use all of them. There is an Ultimate specialist talent that increases your TA up to 9.
Interrupt Actions
For brevity, they are shortened as "IA". When it's not your turn, you are granted 2 interrupt actions. The number of interrupt actions you have available resets at the beginning of each other creature's turn. There is an Ultimate specialist talent that increases your IA up to 3.
Interchanging Actions
If you would like to take an action that requires turn actions when it's not your turn or respond to something on your turn, you may exchange actions in the following way:
- You may spend 2 interrupt actions as if they were 1 turn action.
- You may spend 1 turn action as if it was 1 interrupt action.
If you possess a weapon, that uses 1TA to attack, you are allowed to use your 2IA to attack on OTHER creature's turn! Be careful, though: if you spend your IA on an attack, you cannot defend, until it's the next creature's turn. But more often than not, your allies weren't going to hurt you anyways.
Or did they?
Standard Actions
Standard actions are actions that any creature is capable of, given it can foot the necessary costs. It's important to be aware of your capabilities during tense moments such as combat. When deciding what the turn order is, every applicable creature will make a Speed test. Those who rolls the highest will go first, continuing with each creature descending, until the one that rolled the lowest going last. A creature may choose to put themselves lower in turn order, but not higher.
Attack
The Attack action allows a creature to make an attack against a creature or object. If not using a weapon, this requires 2 turn actions. Weaponless attacks naturally deal 1d8 + Power Mod Physical damage.
Otherwise, the amount of turn actions necessary is depicted by the used weapon. If you would receive bonus damage from an effect such as Imbuement or equipment, the additional damage does not obtain the properties of your weapon. For instance, if a weapon ignores SHP and is imbued with an additional 2d6 Heat damage from a spell, the weapon will ignore SHP, but the Heat damage will not.
Multi-weapon Attacks
A creature may attack with any number of weapons simultaneously, given it can use all functionally this way. When making an attack this way, the number of turn actions required is equal to the highest needed of the weapons Rolls made this way are reduced by half, rounded down. Modifiers, although, are still calculated as normal when attacking this way.
Ranged Weapons
Ranged weapons should have two separate metrics: a close range and a far range (often detailed as close/far or 30/60, for example).
When you make an attack with a ranged weapon, you must make a Dexterity test against the number of meters away the target is. If it's within the weapon's close range, you gain a point of Favor, whereas you gain a point of Disfavor for targets within the weapon's far range. Upon failing the test, you miss the attack.
When taking the talent "Sniper" from Tactics talent tree, your close range is doubled. Most ranged weapons you will find or create always have their close range being half of a far range.
Therefore, by RAW, your ranged weapon transforms into a "Close/Out of range" weapon, that gives 1 Favor in range and 1 disfavor immediately after.
Aim
The Aim action allows you to spend 1 turn action to increase your accuracy on a ranged attack. Whenever you take the Aim action, you gain 1 additional point of favor on your next ranged attack. If you take any actions after the Aim action but before making a ranged attack, you lose the effects of aiming.
Travel
The Travel action allows a creature to spend 1 turn action to move a number of meters equal to its travel distance. If less than the full Travel distance is used during the action, the remainder is lost. There are 3 types of travel: Land travel, Water travel, and Air travel.
For more info, read Travel
Stealth
If you would like to take an action while remaining inconspicuous, you must make a Stunt test contested against each other present creatures' Awareness score. The following conditions may affect this roll:
- If any number of creatures were suspicious of your presence or have information on your potential location, you gain a point of disfavor.
- If you were already seen by creatures you're attempting to remain inconspicuous from, they instead make an Awareness test against your Stunt test. You gain a point of disfavor and each other creature gains a point of favor.
- If you are entering an unsuspecting creature's line of sight, you gain 2 points of disfavor.
- For creatures that are gifted in Awareness, you must contest against double its Awareness score.
- If the terrain or circumstance is distracting for potentially suspecting creatures, you gain a point of favor.
You may spend double the amount of time while attempting to remain inconspicuous to gain a point of favor on the test. This effect may be used up to twice per action.
Deep Breath
The Deep Breath action allows a creature to spend 1 turn action to regain 1 stamina.
Out of combat time still flows (normally), and if you do nothing, you restore up to 60 stamina per minute! But other actions like walking or talking reduce that number significantly, so to achieve maximum stamina regeneration you must take a short rest.
Leap
The Leap action allows a creature to spend 3 turn actions and 3 stamina to leap. The distance or height a creature can leap is equal to its Power score.
If a creature used at least 2 meters of travel directly prior, its leap distance is equal to its Strength score instead.
Environmental Effects
If a creature takes the Leap action in circumstances other than basic terrain under Pia's gravity, the distance a creature may leap may change. On Uto, the distance a creature can leap is multiplied by 6.
Block
If a creature is subject to damage from an instance it is aware of, it may spend 1 turn action or 1 interrupt action to take the Block action. It rolls its Block Rating, reducing a single instance of damage dealt by the roll. A creature cannot block or dodge a single source of damage more than once.
More about Block: Damage and Defences > Block
Dodge
If a creature is subject to damage from an instance it is aware of, it may spend 1 turn action or 1 interrupt action to take the Dodge action. It rolls its Dodge Rating. If the roll is equal to or higher than the single instance of damage that would be dealt after defenses, all damage is prevented. A creature cannot block or dodge a single source of damage more than once.
More about Dodge: Damage and Defences > Dodge
Take Cover
If a creature is subject to damage from a source they are aware of, it may spend 1 turn action or 1 interrupt action to take the Take Cover action, doubling its Block Rating and Dodge Rating for the rest of the turn. In order for a creature to be able to take the Take Cover action, there must be an applicable obstacle against the source of damage.
Grapple
The Grapple action allows a creature to spend 3 turn actions and 2 stamina to attempt to restrain another adjacent creature that is no more than one size larger.
The targeted creature must make its choice of a Strength or Agility contest against the grappler's Agility test. The grappler will gain a point of disfavor for each size category smaller or larger the defending creature is. If the targeted creature fails, it becomes grappled.
Grappled creatures cannot take the Travel action. Whenever the grappler moves, the grappled creature moves similarly, though the grappler's Travel distances are halved, rounded up. When grappled, the Attack, Block, and Dodge action requires twice the number of actions if it targets a creature other than the grappler.
A creature may spend 1 interrupt action or 2 turn actions as well as 2 stamina, up to once per turn, to attempt another contested Strength or Agility test against the grappler. If the grappler chooses to attempt the test, its stamina is reduced by 2.
Scale
The Scale action allows a creature to spend 3 turn actions and 4 stamina to attempt to climb onto another adjacent creature that is the same size or larger.
The targeted creature must make a contest (Strength if it's equal size, Agility if it's larger) against the scaling creature's Agility test. The scaling creature gains a point of disfavor for each size category larger the defending creature is. If the targeted creature fails, the scaling creature successfully scales it.
When scaled, the Attack, Block, and Dodge action requires twice the number of actions if it targets the creature scaling it. If the weight of the scaling creature surpasses its carry capacity, the creature becomes encumbered. Whenever a scaled creature moves, the scaling creature moves similarly.
A creature may use 1 interrupt action or 2 turn actions, up to once per turn, to attempt another contested Strength or Agility test against the scaling creature. If the scaling creature chooses to attempt the test, its stamina is reduced by 2.
Hold Action
The Hold action allows a creature to conserve 2 turn actions for use of 1 interrupt action on a later turn. A creature holding an interrupt action may use it only once before it is expended.
Held actions are depleted if not used by the creature's following turn.
Assist
When another creature within applicable range takes an action, a creature may take the Assist action to aid. Outside of standard aid, the level of aid the action-taking creature receives and the number of interrupt actions required is up to GM discretion.
- A creature may spend an interrupt action to add 1d4 to a blocking creature's Block Rating or 1d12 to a dodging creature's Dodge Rating, any number of times per event. Creatures aided this way must be within 1 meter.
- A creature may spend an interrupt action to aid a touching creature taking the #Leap action, adding the aiding creature's Power score to the leaping creature's leap distance.
- A creature may spend 2 interrupt actions to aid an adjacent grappling creature, adding its Agility test to the grappling creature's.
- A creature may spend an interrupt action to aid another creature making a test. Some tests, such as Strength tests, may add the aiding creature's roll to the aided creature's. Otherwise, such as with Awareness tests, the aided creature is given a point of favor, as well as any points of favor or disfavor that the aiding creature would have received. Its roll is also increased by the aiding creature's modifier, minimum of +1.
Casting a spell
Casting a spell normally requires 3 Turn Actions and your actions determined by your spellcasting flavor. To read more about spellcasting, see: Casting Requirements
Equipment Actions
Putting on or taking off items
Unless otherwise stated, it takes 3 turn actions to don or doff a neck or ring item and 6 turn actions to don or doff any other type of armor.
Sheath or Unsheath a Weapon
A weapon may be sheathed or unsheathed with 1 turn action, though a creature may unsheathe a weapon without using turn actions if it's directly followed by an attack using the given weapon.
See next: Equipment