Movement (stride)

Stride	Hexes/AP
Wary	1
Walking	2-3
Running	4-5
Sprinting	6-8

Movement describes the action point (AP) cost to travel from one combat hex to another, each hex being 5 feet in diameter. By increasing the character's stride, more distance may be covered in the space of a combat round at the same AP cost. There are four types of stride: wary, walking, running and sprinting; the AP cost for each is shown on the right-hand table. The spread enables the combatant to select a specific speed of movement; for example, if running, the character may use 1 AP to move either 4 hexes per point or 5. Both are counted as "running" for game purposes.

Procedure

Prior to movement, the player announces their stride as "stride-n" or "S-n," with "n" indicating the number of hexes per AP they wish to move. The stride used in the previous turn is not considered. Characters may adjust their stride mid-turn one time.

For example, Marcus rushes to join a fight by expending two AP with a stride of 3, travelling six hexes, then use his last AP to reduce his speed to S-2, reaching his destination eight hexes from his original position. Marcus would not, however, be able to start at S-1, increase speed to S-4 and then slow to S-2, all in the same turn.

The character is allowed to change their direction 60° left or right at the end of each spent AP, without possibility of failure so long as the character is wary, walking or running. The turn can be made while sprinting, but the character must make a dexterity check, which indicates the turn is made without fault. A fail within 4 points of the character's dexterity indicates that the character has moved 1 hex beyond their intended turn hex before the turn is made; the rest of the character's movement is made normally. However, if the die is 5 points or more above the character's dexterity, the character is forced to continue straight or else elect to trip over their own feet.

For example, Hof, Woodsoul and Aleksandra have spent 1 AP in order to sprint at S-6, and each wishes to make a turn to the right. Aleksandra makes her dexterity check at "X" and turns right normally. Woodsoul rolls 1 above her dexterity and so she misses her intended turn, drifting into 0404 and then turning right. Hof rolls 6 above his dexterity and continues straight. If Hof were trying to avoid an obstruction, or were turning against a cliff, he would most likely choose to tumble rather than run into or over the obstacle.

Characters can make as many zigzags as they are able during their game turn, rolling dexterity as necessary.

Melee

Melee affects movement by imposing a penalty of 1 AP when attempting to move out of a melee hex. Regardless of the character's chosen stride, this penalty must be paid first by engaged combatants before additional movement is possible.

A Wary stride allows a combatant to travel freely within reach of an enemy without provoking an attack of opportunity. However, if any combatant indicates that they are travelling at a walk, run or sprint during combat, then after the expenditure of 1 AP in travelling, that combatant must pause after having moved that number of hexes while the DM assesses whether or not there are any enemy combatants who are able and willing to attack that combatant by missile or hand-to-hand. This attack does not allow the enemy to travel from one hex to another; nor does it subtract from the enemy's ability to attack in the enemy's next turn. It is a "free attack," and thus an "attack of opportunity." No enemy can attack if they are at that moment engaged in melee. If the travelling combatant is not within one hex of the enemy, the enemy's attack must be a missile attack. Each enemy is allowed only one attack of opportunity. Attacks against walking combatants are done at +1; against running combatants at +2; and against sprinting combatant at +3. This reflects the moving combatant's lack of awareness due to their speed of travelling.

Once the attack of opportunity is resolved, the travelling combatant then continues their move, using the remainder of their AP.

If a combatant finishes their move at a walk, run or sprint, then during the enemy's turn, all attacks against that combatant receive the attack of opportunity bonus as already described (+1, +2 or +3).

Assigning Movement

The above rules represent a change in the game system. All humanoids, regardless of species and size, will have 5 action points, except when adjusted by sage abilities. For monsters and animals, the number of action points will be determined by the number of attacks these creatures have. Each humanoid, animal or monster will include a stride number, depending on the speed, size and nature of the creature. While humanoids will have four measures of stride, monsters will generally have only three: feeding, ambling and strike/flee, depending on whether it is a meat or plant eater. Feeding speed will conform to a wary stride; ambling to walking. Striking or fleeing will describe the creature's top speed when attacking. Because these creatures are biologically developed to attack or flee at these speeds, neither monsters nor animals are subject to attacks of opportunity when moving at maximum speed — however, when attacking either while ambling, combatants do receive a +1 to hit from opportunity.

See Also,
Charging
Drawing a Weapon While Moving
Movement in Combat