Apex Combat
Developer Notes: The Apex Combat System is of the college of swift and deadly engagements. The Active Phases of each Character should last no longer than one minute. The majority of Actions taken by the Players are Triggered Actions.
Active Phase System
Instigation • Active Phase Cycle • re:Cycle
Instigation
The Active Phase Cycle begins with Instigation.
During Instigation our Characters determine the Active Phase Order by checking Initiative.
Initiative: (v:20 + Agility + Awareness)
Privilege of the Instigator: The Instigator of a Combat Engagement determines their Initiative as (20 + Agility + Awareness)
Note: If the Instigator is a Unit, Special Unit, or Ultimate Unit, their Action happens prior to Initiative.
Initialization
During this phase all Initialization Actions are Activated and Resolved.
Only one Initialization Action may be Activated per Character.
Player Active Phase Cycle
At the beginning of each Active Phase Cycle all Player Characters gain their Action Slots. The Cycle follows the Active Phase Order. Characters may spend their Action Slots at any time if a Trigger allows them to, but once they’re out of Action Slots, they are affected by Dormancy.
Story Guide Active Phase Cycle
All Units, Special Units, and Ultimate Units may be Activated at any time during the Active Phase Cycle. We recommend a rare touch when it comes to Activating a Unit during the Active Phase of a Character, spreading their few granted actions in between Characters. With the exception of Interjections.
Active Phase
The Active Phase is a Character’s time to shine.
During the Active Phase, a Character must use all their remaining Action Slots, or discard them and begin Dormancy for the Round.
Dormancy
A player who is completely out of Action Slots from either using Triggered Actions or completing their turn by using or discarding their Action Slots in the Active Phase Order may not use any more Actions until re:Cycle is completed.
re:Cycle
Once the last Character in the Active Phase Order uses or discards their last Action Slot and the Story Guide has completed all Unit Actions, re:Cycle begins. During re:Cycle we quickly go around the table in the Active Phase Order and apply or resolve any re:Cycle effects such as healing or damage over time and countdowns. At the end of re:Cycle all the Characters gain their Action Slots and the next Active Phase Cycle begins.
The Story Guide’s Notes
Dormancy
Dormancy in a general note includes the Character or the Character’s Player holding off on speaking. At least at my table it is considered rude to interrupt when Dormant, your Character has already held the spotlight for all their available Action Slots for the round. Action Tagging is expected while Characters have Action Slots. They can jump in and combo actions, spend an Action Slot to shout to other Characters, and burn their slots on the variety of Triggered Actions available in the game. Once they’ve used up those slots, for the sake of moving the round around to re:Cycle, when everyone’s had their turns, and then everyone gets more Action Slots at the end of re:Cycle.
Initiative & Dormancy
Initiative is a huge element of table top roleplaying games. Dormancy as a mechanic is very important. With freeform turns built in, we don’t want any of our players to get left behind or shut out of the spotlight. The Active Phase of a Player is their time to shine while Triggered Actions let others face immediate threats and take opportunities to combine their efforts with the Active Phase Player.
Mechanical Notes: Action Economy
Agility: Our main Attribute influencing Action Slots is Agility.
The base number of Action Slots a Character gains when the Active Phase Cycle begins is (5 +/- Agility).
Enhanced Alacrity: A Character or Unit may only benefit from one source of Enhanced Alacrity, when multiple instances of Enhanced Alacrity are present, the Strongest Source (The one which gives the most Enhanced Alacrity) is used to determine total Enhanced Alacrity.
Bonus Action Slots: In any given Round a Character may only benefit from one source of Bonus Action Slots. Additional Sources simply fail to add more Bonus Action Slots.
Time Dilation: Effects which give Characters or Units additional Action Slots from Time Dilation may be stacked indefinitely. As Temporal Sickness applied by these effects also stack, and Desynchrony is usually Fatal.
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 pay all the up front costs associated with the Action and ensure we meet the requirements to Activate the Action.
Celerity: All Actions have Celerity, this is the default total Time or Action Slots the Action requires to Activate.
Stress: Stronger and Complex Actions often take a toll on our Characters in one way or another.
The Stress of an Effect is also applied during Activation.General: Additional Prerequisites that are part of Activation. This includes determining Range, Area of Effect, and any Conditional Statements, such as choosing multiple Targets, Subjects, or Victims. During this phase of an Action, any Interrupts or Interjections must be declared and resolved.
Notes: Speeding through Activation to prevent Interrupts is generally in bad taste, likewise, waiting until the end of the Activation Phase 1 to state an Interrupt is also considered to be in bad taste.
Execution: During Phase 2: Execution, once we begin this phase, our Action may no longer be Interrupted. During Execution we pay any additional cost associated with description. This may be sacrificing Hit Points, consuming an item, or other components. Then we apply the effects of our Action to its Targets, Subjects, or Victims.
Resolution: In an Actions’ Final Phase, we handle Resolution. While in Execution we see what total damage or effects are applied, during Resolution Mitigation and Responsive Actions are handled.
Responsive Actions: There are multiple Action Types which are reactive to specific triggers and also process through Activation, Execution, and Resolution mechanics. To Activate an Action as a Responsive Action all of its Trigger Conditions must be met.
Triggered Actions: Triggered Actions always pause the ongoing process of an Action, such as movement triggering a trap, and all the effects of the Triggered Action is resolved before the Triggering Action continues.
