Taking Your Turn
In the How to Play section, we discussed Using Skills and Powers and how certain actions can only be used on your turn and how other actions can be used outside of your turn. The following will outline in more detail what actions can be taken on your turn, while other actions will be detailed in the following section: Taking Taking Off-Turn Actions.
Standard Actions
Standard Actions are the most common type of actions, and include include movement, using a skill, drawing a weapon, picking an item up off the ground, securing a rope, and making a weapon attack. Standard Actions may only be taken on your turn, and cannot be used when you are prevented from taking actions (such as when Stupefied, Asleep, or Unconscious).
All Standard Actions have a Recovery Time, which determines the amount of time between performing that action and your next turn. When Moving, the Recovery time is determined by your Movement Mode. When making an attack, the Recovery Time is determined by your Weapon's speed. When using a skill, the Recovery Time is determined by how your are trying to use the skill (GM Discretion). When using a power, the Recovery Time will be determined by the power. Refer to the list of Common Standard Actions for example recovery times.
Tasks that take longer than a few moments are generally too time consuming to complete in a single combat round.
Cast Actions
Cast Actions function similarly to Standard Actions in that they can only be completed on your turn. In addition to a Recovery Time, however, Cast Actions have a Casting Time that must be completed before the effect of the ability occurs. Cast Actions are used to create magical or supernatural effects.
When you want to use a Cast Action, you will announce on your turn that you are Casting a Power. The Casting Time is then added to the current segment to determine when the effect of the power occurs. For the duration of the Casting Time of the power, you must maintain Concentration (more on that later). After the Casting Time completes, the effects of the power occur and attacks are made (if applicable). After the effect of the power has been completed, you will then wait the power's Recovery Time before your next turn.
For example, if you wish to cast the spell Magic Missile, you begin casing when your turn comes up in Segment 4. The spell has a Casting Time of 2 and a Recovery Time of 4, so the effects of the power will occur in Segment 6. In Segment 6 you finish casting the spell, you attack with your magic missiles and deal damage to any targets hit. After you complete the effect, you must wait the Recovery Time of 4 segments before your next turn, which will be in Segment 10.
Components
Cast Actions typically also have components, which are combined during the Casting Time of the power to produce the powers effects. A Verbal (V) component signifies that your character must speak a word or incantation to cast the power. A Somatic (S) component signifies that your character must make hand or arm gestures in order to complete the casting. A Material (M) component suggests that the power requires a physical object in order to function (and this object is consumed by the power when cast). A Focus (F) or Divine Focus component signifies that the power must be cast through a specific object (this object is not consumed by the power). The specific components required will be determined by the power you cast.
Concentration
During the Casting of a power, you must maintain Concentration. This means that your mental energy is focused on the Casting of the power, and cannot be utilized for anything else. If you Concentration is disrupted, your cast immediately ends, the effect of your power does not occur, and you are Delayed until the next segment. See Concentration for more details on what causes Concentration to be disrupted.
Holding a Cast
After you complete Casting an ability, you may choose to hold onto the power instead of immediately releasing its effects. When doing so, you suspend the Recovery Time of the cast power until after you release the power as a Free Action. While Holding a Cast you may move your Shift or Skirmish Speed, speak freely, or do other simple actions (GM Discretion), though it increases the Recovery Time for those actions by 1 (for Shift) or 2 (for Skirmish and simple actions). While Holding a Cast you cannot take Immediate, Interruptive, or Reactive Actions and you cannot Sprint, make Weapon Attacks, or Cast new powers.
For Example, you finish casting Ray of Frost in segment 4, but have lost sight of your target. You decide to move 15 feet to regain sight of your target. Since you are Holding your Cast, the Recovery Time from your movement is 5 segments (instead of 3). Moving the short distance gains you line of sight to your target, allowing you to release the Ray of Frost as a Free Action. You now must wait the Recovery Time for the spell (4 segments) in addition to the recovery time from your Movement (5 segments) for a cumulative Recovery Time of 9 segments. Your next turn will then be in Segment 3 of the next round.
While Holding a Cast, you must still maintain Concentration. If your concentration is disrupted while Holding the Cast, you lose the effects of the power and any energy expended to cast the power.
Focus Actions
Focus Actions are very similar to Cast Actions, except that they have a Focus Time instead of a Cast Time. During the Focus Time for the power, you must maintain Concentration. As with Cast Actions, if your Concentration is disrupted, your Focus immediately ends, the effect of the power does not occur, and your next turn is Delayed 1 segment. Additionally, Focus Actions do not require components.
Recovery Action
The Recovery Action allows you to make a Saving Throw against any one condition or Status Effect that a save can end (indicated as SE on the issuing affect). The Recovery Action always has a Recovery Time of 2 segments (unless your Recovery Times have been globally changed: such as from an injury, by the Slowed condition, of from a Haste spell). The Recovery Action is unique in that it can be used even when you are prevented from taking other actions (such as when Asleep or Unconscious), though the Recovery Action may still only be taken on your turn. Saving Throws will be discussed in more detail in the Effects of Powers section.
Delaying your Turn or Readying an Action
Sometimes your turn comes up, and your are not quite sure what to do. When this happens, you can choose to Delay your Turn until you are ready to act. You may then choose to act at any time, taking your turn in Initiative Order, but you cannot interrupt another creature's turn. Therefore, if you decide to act in response to another creature's action, you must wait until that creature's turn finishes before you can take your turn (and then you may also have to wait for any other creatures with a higher Initiative Order).
Alternatively, you can choose to Ready an Action which allows you to choose the action you will plan to complete and the condition that allows you to complete it. For example, you can say "I hold action to fire my bow as soon as I see a viable target." As soon as the condition is met, you can complete your action. Unlike Delaying your Turn, this does allow you to interrupt a creature's turn to take your action, however your triggering condition must be met in order to take the action.
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