The Combat Sequence

A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides, a stupefying haze of weapons fire, shouted orders, automated targeting systems, rushes for cover and explosive blasts. The Startroid game organizes the chaos of combat into a cycle of rounds and turns.

• Round: In a round, each side takes a turn. A round represents 6 seconds in the game world.
• Turn: On your side's turn, you take actions: a standard action, a move action, a minor action, and any number of free actions, in any order you wish. See "Action Types," [pp] for what you can do with these different actions.

The actions in a combat encounter happen almost simultaneously in the game world, but to make combat manageable, combatants take turns acting. The order of squad turns is determined at the beginning of a combat encounter, when combatants determine initiative.

A combat encounter follows these steps:

1. Determine surprise. The DM determines whether any combatants are surprised. If any combatants notice enemy combatants without being noticed in return, the aware combatants gain a surprise round.
2. Establish positions. The DM decides where the combatants are positioned on the battle grid. For example, if the PCs have just opened a portal into a room, he DM might draw or arrange a depiction of the portal and the room on the battle grid and then ask the players to arrange their pogs near the door. THen the DM places pogs that represent the enemies in the room.
3. Flip for initiative. Which team goes first could make all the difference, or it might become meaningless after an extended battle. Teams take turns together, and simply select an order for themselves every round.
4. Take surprise round actions. If any combatants gained a surprise round, they act. After this round, every combatant enters regular combat.
5. Teams take turns. Teams act together, deciding an order of actions within their team turn at the start of their turn. (Combatants can also take certain actions on one another's turns)
6. End the encounter. Repeat step 5 until the combatants on all but one side are captured, fleeing, unconscious, or dead. The encounter ends when the remaining side then takes a short rest or extended rest, or begins another encounter.

Initiative

The first team to go is decided by a coin toss. There is no way to influence this in your favor. Getting the drop on your enemies will let you maximize your efforts before initiative comes into play, however.

Combat Awareness

Not every combatant is instantly aware that their squad has joined in battle. Surprised combatants do not get actions in combat (among other things, see "Conditions" [pp]). When an encounter begins, the DM determines whether any combatants are surprised. These combatants remain surprised until made aware of the combat in one of a few ways:

Combat Awareness: Combatants can act in rounds following those in which any of the following happen to them.

• Being attacked: If you are attacked, you are made aware of combat.
• Seeing or hearing action: If you notice an enemy make an attack, you are made aware of combat. This sometimes requires a Perception check.
• Being alerted: An ally may use a free action to make you aware of combat by shouting. You must be able to hear the ally.
• Leader is aware: If your group leader is aware of combat, you are made aware of combat.

The more of your opponents you can keep in the dark, the more attacks you can get without reprisal. This is a shortcut to victory.

Action Types

A combat round is made up of actions. Firing a weapon, activating a device, running across a room, opening a portal—each of these activities, along with many others, is considered an action. You use different action types to do different things. For example, most attack powers are standard actions, and moving from one spot on the battlefield to another is normally a move action. Some powers don't require any action to use. See "Actions in Combat" [pp] for rules on many specific actions.

A typical combat round includes actions of five types: standard actions, move actions, minor actions, free actions, and opportunity actions.

The Main Action Types

• Standard Action: Standard actions are the core of combat. You can normally take one standard action on your turn. Most attack powers, charging an enemy, and using your second wind typically are standard actions.
• Move Action: Move actions involve movement from one place to another. You can normally take them only on your turn. Walking and shifting are move actions.
• Minor Action: Minor actions are simple motions, usually for preparation. You can normally take them only on your turn. Pulling an item from a storage pocket, opening a portal or drawer, picking up an item are all minor actions.
• Free Action: Free actions take almost no time or effort. You can take as many free actions as you want during your or another combatant's turn. If your free action would involve an attack, you may only make one such attack per turn. The DM may restrict the number of free actions in a turn. Speaking a few sentences, dropping a held item, or letting go of a grabbed enemy are all free actions.

Opportunity Actions

Like the other action types, you get one opportunity action per round. Unlike the other action types, your opportunity action has a trigger. Certain powers, called reaction abilities, use your opportunity action. Usually, the order of events is as follows: something happens that triggers your reaction ability, you use your reaction ability, combat proceeds as normal. The triggering event is completely resolved before you take your reaction. For example, Tanzaj the Shakuran sniper is in combat with his squad, a Zerg Roach unburrows and attacks Nyarlathotep, one of Tanzaj's allies. The attack happens and damage is calculated on Nyarlathotep. Then Tanzaj uses his Surprise Attack reaction ability because the attacking Roach triggered it. Tanzaj attacks that Roach. Keep track of what is going on in combat while it isn't your turn to look for moments you can use your reaction ability. In some circumstances, your power may let you interrupt an action rather than wait for it to complete. In all cases, abide the language of the power or reaction ability to resolve the action.

Taking Your Turn

When your turn comes up, it's time for you to act. Your turn has three parts: the start of your turn, your actions, and the end of your turn.

The Start of Your Turn

Before you act, you keep track of certain effects. The start of your turn always takes place, even if you're unconscious, and it represents no time in the game world.

The Start of Your Turn

• Ongoing Damage: If you're suffering ongoing damage [pp], you take the damage now.
• Regeneration: If you have regeneration [pp] you regain hit points now.
• Other Effects: Deal with any other effects that occur at the start of your turn (they'll say so in the effect description).
• End Effects: Some effects end automatically at the start of your turn.
• No Actions: You can't take any actions at the start of your turn.

Actions on Your Turn

During your turn, you can take a few actions. You decide what to do with each, considering how your actions can help you and your allies achieve victory. See "Action Types," above, for definitions of the different actions you can take.

Actions on Your Turn

• Your Actions: You get the following three actions on your turn:
  • Standard action
  • Move action
  • Minor action
• Free Actions: You can take any number of free actions on your turn.
• Any Order: You can take your actions in any order you wish, and you can skip any of them.
• Substitute Actions: You can take a move action or a minor action instead of a standard action, and you can take a minor action instead of a move action.
• Extra Action: You can take an extra action by spending an action point [pp].
• Other Combatants' Actions: Other combatants can take free actions on your turn, and you might take opportunity actions on other combatants' turns.

The End of Your Turn

After you act, you keep track of any effects that stop at the end of your turn or that continue. The end of your turn always takes place, even if you're unconscious, and it represents no time in the game world.

The End of Your Turn

• Saving Throws: You now make a saving throw [pp] against any effect on you that a save can end.
• Check Actions Spent: Some powers and effects can be sustained for multiple turns (see "Durations" [pp]). Check that you spent the action required to sustain a power or an effect during your turn. If you didn't spend the action, the power or effect ends now.
• End Effects: Some effects end automatically at the end of your turn.
• No Actions: You can't take any actions at the end of your turn.

Actions on Other Turns

Most of your actions take place on your turn. But you can take free actions on anyone's turn, and an event or another combatant's actions might provide an opportunity for you to take an opportunity action on someone else's turn. See "Action Types," above, for definitions of the different actions you can take.

Actions Out of Turn

• Opportunity Actions: You can take one opportunity action per round.
• Reaction Abilities: Each reaction ability specifies the type of action it uses, most commonly your opportunity action.
• Free Actions: You can take any number of free actions on other combatants' turns (but only one of them per round may be an attack).