Deeds of Valor — Advanced Old School Revival

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Heroic deeds of valor are cinematic actions Martial heroes are any class of hero that is not a spellcaster. martial heroes can take to bolster their efforts in encounter and exploration modes. Whenever you can act (as an action, bonus action, or reaction), you may spend one or more deed dice to take cinematic action.

Here are some examples of cinematic action:

Deft Deed

You use your action to steal the artifact, and now a giant boulder is hurtling your way. You can't double your movement to run away (since that takes an action), so you spend a deed die to fling a grappling hook, making it possible to use your regular movement to climb to safety.

Mighty Deed

You're surrounded by enemies and need to break free. You use your action to parry their attacks, but spend a Mighty deed die to shove them out of the way, creating a clear path for your escape.

SMART Deed

You quickly assess the battlefield, identifying a key point of distraction amidst the chaos. After using your action to fire an arrow into the fray, you spend a Smart deed die to toss a smoke bomb, diverting the attention of your foes.

Rolling for Deeds

Roll + Attribute+ Skill(vs. TN)

Making a check for a deed is no different than any other attribute check: the GM may call for an opposed or unopposed roll or a success check, depending on the circumstances. You always add an attribute that matches the deed die, and can apply skills and story tags as you would any other attribute check.

Deeds create exciting, action-oriented opportunities for martial heroes. If you've ever wanted to swing across the hall on a chandelier, land among the guards to attack them, and then scoop up the waify prisoner all while twirling your mustache in a single turn: then deeds are for you.

Example Deed in Action

Peter Paul the Merry needs to kidnap the prince from the Queen’s evil clutches. He enters the throne room on a balcony and sees a throng of guards below that stand between him and the throne.

Peter Paul the Merry: All right, I’m going to trade blows with those scoundrels below, but not before dazzling them with a display of my fancy footwork.

GM: Go on…

Peter Paul the Merry: First, I want to shoot the chain out of that chandelier and then ride it crashing down into that throng of well-armed ne’er-do-wells!

GM: Okay, you’re such a good shot, Peter, that knocking the chain with your pistol is no problem, but it’ll cost you a Smart deed. For the chandelier surfing, I’ll need a Deft deed and a Reflexes check. (Peter rolls and succeeds.) The chandeiler crashes amidst the guards (the GM rolls to see how many are distracted), sending them all into disarray except one near the throne! Now what?

Peter Paul the Merry: I’ll use my action to knock out the guard with the butt of my rapier! (Makes an unarmed attack and applies the Knockout tactic, succeeds). Huzzah!

GM: The Queen hisses with displeasure as you approach, clinging to her sweet, sweet boy Prince. What do you do?

Peter Paul the Merry: I’ll use a Deft deed to scoop up the Prince and point the rapier at the Queen’s neck. “Times up, you golden trollop! Call off your men or this waif gets it!”

At this point, Peter has used his action and moved a melee space, and he’s all out of deed dice (he’s 3rd level and he spent 3). Peter’s turn ends and the GM recalls the spotlight.

Deeds in Action

Deeds of valor are quick, cinematic actions that piggyback onto actions you're already taking in the round. That is, a deed functions as a bonus action on top of what you're already doing.

Deeds of valor can be anything you can imagine, but they do come with some restrictions. Here are the things you can't do as a deed of valor:

Activate abilities

Deeds can't be used to make extra attacks, cast spells, or activate any other defined ability on your character sheet. (Grappling and tripping are unarmed attacks, as examples, but using a weapon for non-combat action is permissible.)

Deal Damage

Deeds can't be used to cause damage directly. You can spend a Mighty deed die to topple over a stone column that might cause damage if it falls on your enemies, but hurling a stone column at them is an improvised attack.

confer status effects

Deeds can't be used to apply a status effect or the effects of a weapon tactic directly. You can use a Deft deed to kick sand in your enemy's eyes (which would likely temporarily blind them) or shove an enemy to the ground (which will likely confer the prone status if you succeed) but you can't lead with the intended mechanical result.

Take Extra Movement

Deeds don't add to your movement in the round. Anything you do as a deed has to make use of whatever movement you already have.

Deeds & Simultaneous Initiative

If you and another hero act on the same initiative, you can set up interesting situations by performing deeds in coordination to fictionally position your allies in favorable ways.

For example, if you are fighting off a horde of enemies but your ally needs to get across the lava pit to the sacred artifact, you could use your attack to fight off the horde but push a column down and create a bridge for your ally as a deed, so that they can then run across and seize the artifact all in the same turn.

Success & Failure with Deeds

If the GM calls for a check on your deed of valor, success means the deed happens; failure means it doesn’t. In the case of a success check, the deed of valor has lesser effect.

The outcome of the deed may or may not have an impact on your action in the round (e.g., if landing among the guards to attack them is dependent on your Deft deed to swing into the room via a chandelier, then you'll need to change your plan of attack on the fly if the check for the deed fails!).

The GM is encouraged to always defer to the law of the fiction.

Sequencing Deeds in Action

The use of a deed need not always follow your action—in the example above, Peter's action in the round is to attack the guards, but he's spending a bunch of deed dice to do cool things surrounding that action. In the same vein, you can use deeds to take bonus actions on top of reactions, if you have any in the round. For example, if you are a Swashbuckler and choose to counterattack as a reaction, you can spend a deed die to take other cinematic action when you do so.

Earning New Deed Dice

You start with a single deed die and gain 1 per level.

Each deed die is tied to a specific attribute: Mighty, Deft, or Smart.

When you gain a new deed die, you choose which attribute it's assigned to.

Choose wisely! You don't get to change your deed dice after you assign them.

Recovering Deed Dice

Deed dice recover when the scene ends or when you rest to recover HP and MP.

Effects that restore your hero to full health (such as the spell Restore) also refresh all deed dice, at the discretion of the GM.

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