Combat & Tactics — Advanced Old School Revival

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Combat Encounters

When it's time for a fight, the cadence of the conversation becomes discrete, and action is handled on a turn-by-turn basis.

Heroes roll for initiative, which determines the turn order in which they take their action. Once everyone has acted, this is called a round, and we roll for initiative again to determine a new turn order. This repeats until there is no longer a need to resolve the combat (the threat to the party is gone, or another game mode is invoked).

Rolling for Initiative

Roll + 2 Perception

When it’s time to roll for initiative, each player rolls a d6. Add +2 if you have the skill Perception. The GM will roll separately for the enemies as a group (though he may create a separate initiative for special opponents like BBEGs or bosses). Each player and their opponents get to act once on their turn in a the round. Generally, each turn is a few seconds long, and each round is one minute in duration.

Resolving Initiative

After initiative is rolled, the GM goes around the table and ask each player what they're doing on their turn. You can choose to Hold your turn (provided you are not the last person to act), which means you wait to see what others do before you act. If you chose to Hold, you may interrupt the action of those who rolled lower than you, and take your turn before their action is resolved. This is because you're reacting faster in the round than they are, so you can act before they do.

Simultaneous Initiative

If you roll the same initiative as another character, that means both of you resolve your action on that turn. PCs get priority over NPCs, but all action is resolved simultaneously. This means, if you and your opponent both act on turn 3, and you are beheading your opponent while he's casting a spell, he will complete his spell, its effects will occur, and you will behead him at the same time.

Encounter Actions

On your turn, you can move within a melee space and take one of the actions below. Your action can’t take longer than a few seconds to carry out, otherwise the GM may penalize you by making you act later in the round. Talking to other characters is not an action (and you may talk to anyone at any time during the round), so long as your conversation does not last longer than a few seconds.

Attack

You attempt to deliver harm or peril via your weapon or maleficence.

Cast

Use your magic in the form of a sorcery, psionic, or thaumaturgy spell.

Dodge

Spend your turn focusing on dodging attacks to improve your defense in the round. You confer disadvantage on any attacks made against you in the round.

Parry

Make an opposed attack roll with your weapon, shield, or maleficence: if you succeed, their attack misses. (If you have more than one attack available to you in the round, such as via bonus actions, you can trade an attack for the option to parry at any time during the round.) You can also sacrifice your shield to parry an attack; this is called a shield sacrifice.

Perform

Perform an ability, such as a kit ability, talent, technique, or skill.

React

Act in response to someone else's action, outside of your turn (if you have an ability that allows you to do so, such as Counterspell or the kit ability Swashbuckler.) Reactions do not count as your action in the round, and you can take as many reactions as you have available whenever the trigger that causes them happens.

Run

Move an encounter space (depending on the size of the scene) instead of a single melee space.

Use

Use an item with finesse, such manipulate a magic item that requires activation; equip armor or shields; or read a scroll. Note that most items do not require finesse to use. Drinking a potion, picking up a weapon, or flipping a switch does not require finesse and therefore does not count as an action. Always confer with your GM when in doubt.

Switch Focus

At the start of the round and before your turn, you may slot a different stance into your focus for 1 MP. This is considered a bonus action.

Use A stance

Most stances function as reactions or bonus actions, but some stances are actions unto themselves. The stance will always specify when it can be used in its description; if it does not, then it can be used as a bonus action on your turn in the round, or it happens at the same time as the action you take described in the stance.

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