Action Points

Action Points (AP) describes the time necessary to perform an action each round, usually applied during combat. Though rounds are nominally 12 seconds in length, the time for an action point to be expended depends upon both the relative speed of the actor and the difficulty of the action to be accomplished. Action points manage this time-keeping disparity with an eye to playability by assigning an AP cost to each action. Players and NPCs must decide what to do with the points they have, introducing a strong tactical element to combat.

Action points not spent in the course of each round cannot be saved up and used later. Some actions require multiple rounds to perform, such as spellcasting, loading weapons or searching. These examples presume the actor's efforts are being spent in a single continuous procedure that happens to occur over several rounds due to its nature.

Humanoids, from as small as kobalds to as large as giants, are naturally possessed of 5 action points. There are exceptions, such as the monk. This movement is adjusted by encumbrance, which measures the total weight in gear and other carried objects. The amount of weight a character carries is variable; but it is possible to add so much weight to the character that AP is reduced to zero. At this point, the character must drop something in order to move.

Movement

Stride	Hexes/AP
Wary	1
Normal	2.5
Running	3.5
Sprinting	5

Movement describes the AP cost to cross the distance from hex to hex, each being 5 feet in diameter. There are four manners of movement, or "strides." These strides are wary, normal, running and sprinting; the AP cost for each is shown on the right-hand table. In all cases, fractions are ignored, so that a character moving with a normal stride and expending 1 AP would travel 2 hexes; if they expended 2 AP, they would travel 5 hexes.

Both large and fast creatures, with longer strides or due to their biology, have AP costs per hex that allow them to move faster than ordinary humanoids. Horses have various gaits at which they can walk or run, while gazelles and cheetahs can manage 20 hexes or more per AP. A hill giant walking with a normal stride would travel 3.5 hexes per AP.

Point Costs

Actions	AP Cost
activate object	1
adjust a free object for use	1
adjust lantern shutter	1
adjust lantern turn-key	1
apply a healing salve	3
armour the body, per AC	25
attack with weapon	2
change form	1 round
climbing, per vertical ft.	1
close a back pack/saddle bag	2
discharge a casted spell	1
dismount a camel by kneeling	3
dismount elephant by kneeling	5
dismount horse/donkey/mule	2
dispel active spell	1

Activate object

Includes any object, many of which will be magical in nature, that must somehow be turned on, commanded to act or otherwise activated. Includes uncorking a previously uncorked bottle or drawing out a wand, staff, rod, ring or like item. The action is generally enough to employ the object for its purpose; however, in cases such as the uncorked bottle, the action would not include aiming and throwing the object, which would be another action.

Adjust a free object for use

Describes any situation in which the object has to be manipulated, such as being opened in order to be read, such as a book or a compass; looked through, such as an eyeglass or telescope; turned over; picked up from its location; taken out of a small pocket; or any other like situation in which movement of the object is the intention or requirement.

Adjust lantern shutter

Describes the act of adjusting a bullseye lantern so that the arc of light shining can be widened or narrowed, or closed completely.

Adjust lantern turn-key

Describes the adjustment of a lantern valve that controls the amount of air to the glass bubble, determining the amount of illumination that the lantern will offer.

Apply a healing salve

Gives the time required to feed a healing salve to a willing, conscious patient, or pour the salve into an open wound so that it is drawn into the body, so that its substance will be drawn into the body. If there is no wound, or the patient is unconscious, the time needed to introduce part of the salve into the mouth and rub the rest into the skin of the patient's throat or upper chest will be 6 AP, which can be accomplished in succeeding rounds.

Armour the body

Regardless of the type of armour being applied, the cost indicates the amount of action necessary to improve the wearer's armour class by 1 point. This presumes that part of the armour can be applied (such as hauberk and chausses, greaves, tassets, breast plates, chain shirts, gorgets and so on) even if the whole ensemble is not worn. A character may spend 75 AP dressing in partial chain mail armour, sufficient to improve the character's AC by 3 pts., then forgo the remainder in order to join a fight.

A full suit of Leather armour would require 50 AP to make completely ready, studded leather or ring mail would need 75 AP, scale mail would need 100 AP and so on.

Aid can be received from up to 2 attendants. One attendant helping will reduce the time needed per point of armour class to a cost of 15 AP, while two attendants will reduce the cost to 10 AP per point.

Attack with weapon

The cost of rolling to hit, whether in melee and if firing/hurling a weapon. Combatants using two weapons must pay this cost once for each weapon each round. If the character does not have sufficient AP to do this, they must forgo two attacks. In the case of multiple attacks, which arise from the combatant having achieved the ability to attack twice in a given round, the cost per attack is only 1 AP.

Change form

Includes polymorph and shape-change, by spell or natural ability. Cost in AP equals one complete round, from beginning of change to full assumption of new shape.

Climbing

Refers to climbing upwards. Cost assumes the character has no special climbing ability, such as might be possessed by an assassin or thief. Characters with the sage abilities mountain climbing or tree climbing are able to climb at 2 ft. (natural rock) or 3 ft. (tree) per action point. Movement downwards is double the speed needed to climb up.

Close a back pack

Describes the time needed to close a buckle or draw string, to ensure that items within are secured and won't fall out. Includes closing a saddle bag, locking a box, barring a door and tying closed a scroll case or a belt pouch.