= 1. Character stats and combat rules =

[Gravedust]

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======= OVERVIEW ===========================================
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This section goes over what is needed to understand character stats and how they relate to combat, as well as rules for combat. It is recommended to read this before the other sections and gain at least a general idea about the stats and rules. The GM is there to help you in game, and to answer any questions before and during.

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======= INDEX ==============================================
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(Don't panic! There may seem to be a lot of here, but most of them are short, or common sense, or both.)

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CHARACTER STATS
============
+ Attributes
    - Strength
    - Dexterity
    - Agility
    - Endurance
    - Magic
    - Intelligence

+ Combat Stats
    - Hit Points (HP)
    - Magic Points (MP)
    - Melee Attack (MA)
    - Ranged Attack (RA)
    - Defense (DEF)
    - Armor (ARM)
    - Movement (MOVE)
    - Visibility (VIS)
    - Focus (FOCUS)
    - Level (LV)
    - Experience (XP)

+ XP gain, Leveling and Char. Advancement

==============
==== GEAR ======
==============
+ Gear level requirements

+ Gear Slots
    - Enhancement Slots (Enh.slot)
    - Spellstone Slots (Spl.Slot)
    - Strike Slots (Str.slot)

=============
==== ITEMS ====
=============
+ Overview

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==== SKILLS ======
===============
+ Overview

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==== SPELLS =====
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+ Overview

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==== COMBAT =====
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+ Number Rounding
+ The Mission Map
    - Walls
    - Obstacles
    - Decorations
    - Difficult Terrain
+ Turn order
+ Damage
    - Damage notation
    - Damage categories
    - Physical Damage
    - Nonphysical damage and damage resistance
    - Minimum damage
    - Mixed damage types
+ Death
+ Range
+ Line of Sight (LOS)
+ Fog of War
+ Visibility and character detection
+ Attacks of Opportunity
+ Buffs and Debuffs
+ Contested Rolls
+ Chance Rolls

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COMBAT ACTIONS
==============
+ Movement Action
+ Standard Actions
+ Free Actions

================
STANDARD ACTIONS
================
+ Melee Attacks
    - Auto-hits and misses
    - Melee crits
    - Dual Wielding Attacks
+ Ranged Attacks
    - Ranged attack prerequisites
    - Attack of opportunity Provocation
    - Ranged Crits
    - Auto-hits and misses
+ Casting Spells
+ Using Skills
+ Focus
+ Recover
+ Search
+ Sneak
+ Use An Item
+ Trade an Item
+ Pick up an item
+ Switch Weapons or Spellstones

===============
THE CHARACTER SHEET
===============
+ Overview

===================
GIVING ORDERS IN COMBAT
===================
+ Movement Orders
+ Attack or Action Orders
+ Conditional Orders
+ Contacting the GM (GM rulings)
+ Order of Execution
+ Correcting Orders

[Gravedust]

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======= CHARACTER STATS ====================================
========================================================
Your character's abilities in the game are defined by their Stats.

The first main group of stats are you character's Attributes, which represent their innate physical capabilities.
( i.e. how innately strong, smart, dextrous, etc. they are.)
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[ ATTRIBUTES ]
--------------
Attributes record your character's raw physical (and mental) capabilities.
They contribute to the Combat Stats which are used in battle, as well as Attribute Checks,
(If you want to jump over a Ravine, your Agility will factor into that, etc.) as well as many Skills.
Attributes all begin at 1, but may be adjusted depending on what race you choose for your character.
Attributes will further increase as your Character levels.

+ STRENGTH (STR) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strength adds bonus damage to melee attacks, based on the kind of weapon being used.

+ DEXTERITY (DEX) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dexterity Increases the chance of hitting with ranged or melee attacks, and the chance of Critting for bonus damage.

+ AGILITY (AGI) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Increases chance to avoid melee and ranged attacks.

+ ENDURANCE (END) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Increases your character's HP, allowing them to survive more hits in combat.

+ MAGIC (MAG) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Increases MP, a resource used for spellcasting.

+ INTELLIGENCE (INT) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allows the character to use more Skills and improves the effects of many Skills and Spells.

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[ COMBAT STATS ]
----------------
Combat stats are a combination of the character's Attributes, and bonuses from Gear your character has equipped.
You can think of Combat Stats as building up on the foundation set by Attributes.
Combat stat values are used in battle, and can be temporarily altered by buffs, debuffs, and other effects.

+ Hit Points (HP) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HP is reduced by damage. If reduced to 0, that character dies.
Each character has a HP base of 5, and each Point of END increases maximum HP by 5. (Since Characters have 1 END to being with, they will start with 10 HP.)
Bonus HP can be found on Armor and sometimes Shields.

+ Magic Points (MP) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic points are spent in order to cast Spells or use Spellstones.
Each point of MAG the character has increases the character's maximum MP by 1.

+ Melee Attack (MA, or M) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MA improves the chance to hit with Melee Attacks, and the ability to Crit for extra damage.
Each point of DEX increases MA by 1. MA bonuses can be found on many melee weapons.

+ Ranged Attack (RA or R) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RA improves the chance to hit with Ranged Attacks, and the chance to Crit for extra damage.
Each point of DEX increases RA by 1. RA bonuses can be found on many Ranged weapons.

+ DEFENSE (DEF) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEF increases the chance that enemy ranged and melee attacks will fail to cause damage to your character.
Each point of AGI increases DEF by 1. Bonus DEF can be found on many armors, and especially shields.

+ ARMOR (ARM) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each point of Armor decreases Physical damage taken by 1 point. Armor is increased only by equipped gear, though certain Spells or Skills may temporarily increase it further.

+ MOVEMENT (MOVE) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How many map squares the Character can travel in one turn. Base Movement is 10, reduced by the movement penalties of Gear your character has equipped.

+ VISIBILITY (Vis) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The number of squares your character will be detected at, if they are in line of sight of an Enemy.
Base Visibility is 10, and is increased by most weapons and armor.

+ FOCUS (FOCUS) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Focus is the amount of MP that a Character can regenerate in a single turn.
It has a base value of 1, and can only be increased by gear.

+ Level (LV) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your Character's Level is a relative measurement of their power and capability. It is occasionally a factor in some Skills.
All characters begin at Level 1, and their Level will increase as they gain experience.

+ EXPERIENCE(XP) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your character's progress towards their next Level.

+ GOLD ($) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The amount of gold your character has. Gold can be found while adventuring, given out as quest rewards, or gained by selling items.

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[ XP GAIN, LEVELING AND CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT ]
----------------------------------------------
XP is normally awarded for defeating enemies and completing quests.
XP gain for kills depends on the difficulty of the enemy. However the amount earned will be reduced by the character's current Level.
For instance; a level 1 character defeating a creature worth 5XP will receive 4XP for it (5-1 = 4), while a level 3 character defeating the same creature will receive 2 xp. (5-3 = 2).

XP gains are shared by all members of a party. Quest XP is based on the difficulty of the quest.
The amount of XP your character needs to increase their level is equal to their current level times 10. (So 30 XP at level 3, 40XP at level 4, etc.)

When your character reaches a new level, you may choose one Attribute to add a point to.

In addition, if your character's has a Leveling Attribute Bonus, every 5 levels they will gain a bonus point in that attribute.

After leveling the character's XP is reduced to 0, plus any remaining XP that was gained that was over the last level's cap. (I.e. at level 3, a character with 32 XP will rise to level 4, with 2 xp remaining)

[Gravedust]

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======= GEAR ================================================
============================================================

Gear can be equipped by your character to further improve their Combat stats.

Combat Stat adjustments from gear are added directly on top of the Combat Stats from Attributes.

Each character has 4 slots for gear:

2 'Hand" slots for melee weapons, ranged weapons, shields, or caster foci.

1 "Body" slot for armor of varying kinds.

1 "Artifact" slot, for special kinds of items with unique effects.

Gear can be bought in towns or sometimes found while adventuring or given as quest rewards.

Each piece of gear will indicate what kind of slot it can go into, and what it's stat bonuses are.
Positive bonuses are listed [in brackets] while negative qualities like movement penalties or visibility increases will be listed (in parenthesis)

+ Gear Level requirements -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some gear pieces may require that a character may be a certain Level or higher before equipping them.
This level requirement will be placed in [brackets] before the Gear's Name.
(Ex: "[5]Example Sword" Indicates a a level requirement of 5.)

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[ GEAR SLOTS ]
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Better types of gear can come with Gear Slots, which will allow you to modify the gear's stats by applying Enhancement Items.
On a character sheet, Gear Slots are shown as a boxes underneath the Gear's stats. If they are gray than those slots are not available.

There are several kind of slots:

+ Enhancement Slots (Enh.Slot)(black) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enhancement slots can be filled with Enhancement Items (which can be bought or found), and which will the weapon's Combat Stat bonuses.
Note that once filled, an Enhancement Slot will permanently alter the items's stats, and cannot be removed.

+ Spellstone slots (Spl.slot)(Aquamarine) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spellstones can be fitted into Spellstone slots, which will enable the use of that spell for the character.

+ Strike slots (Str.slot)(Orange) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strike slots are found exclusively on weapons and will also fit certain Spellstones. However the associated spell is cast automatically on a successful attack with the weapon, on the target of that attack. (assuming there is MP available).

The Spellstones in Spellstone and Strike slots are interchangeable and can be swapped out.
However Enhancement Slots cannot be removed or exchanged. Once used they are part of the weapon or armor forever.

[Gravedust]

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======= ITEMS ================================================
============================================================

All characters have 6 slots in which they can carry various Items.

Items can be used in combat, and can have a wide variety of effects.

Some items can 'stack', meaning more than one of that item will fit in a single Item slot.

In addition to actual items, Spellstones can also be stored in Item slots.

[Gravedust]

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======= SKILLS =============================================
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Skills are special abilities that you character learns that can be used in Combat.

Characters can have 1 Skill equipped in a Skill Slot for every point of Intelligence the have, up to a maximum of 12.

(Characters can know more Skills that they have open Skill slots for, but can only swap them out between missions, with some exceptions)

Each Skill starts with 1 Activation, and Skills can only be used if they have Activations remaining.
However higher level characters can 'bank' multiple Activations of most skills, with sufficient Attribute scores.
(the Attributes needed to gain bonus Activations depends on the skill)

Once used, each skill has a 'Cooldown' counter which increases at the end of the character's turn.
when the Cooldown counter reaches it's maximum, the skill regains an Activation. Cooldown times vary from skill to skill.

Skills are usually taught by Training Masters in cities, but some may be earned by other means.

Skills and their effects will be listed in their own section, when they are available.

[Gravedust]

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======= SPELLS =============================================
============================================================

Spells are abilities that do not have limited Activations, but instead consume MP when cast.

There are two ways to gain access to casting a spell.
Spells may be learned and occupy a Skill slot, in the same manner as Skills.
Spells may also be cast if the character has a Spellstone equipped in their Gear (not just in their inventory) that has that spell.

Spells are usually taught for a fee by special trainers, but can be obtained by other means.

Spells and their effects will be covered in their own section when it becomes available.

[Gravedust]

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======= COMBAT ===============================================
============================================================

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[Number Rounding]
--------------------
In ALL cases, Any number that is not a whole number (i.e. 5.2, 1.7, ect.) is ALWAYS 'floored' (Rounded down to the nearest whole number.)
So 3.2 is floored down to 3, 3.5 similarly becomes 3, and even 3.9999 is still reduced to 3.

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[ THE MISSION MAP ]
----------------------
The Mission Area will be shown as a grid of squares, (with these squares being the unit of measurement for movement, attack ranges, etc.) with character icons in the squares they occupy. Grey areas on the map represent parts that no-one has seen yet, and will be filled in as you explore.

Enemy units will be shown when they are discovered.

+ Walls -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walls are impassible (except by certain special effects) and cannot be seen through (will block LOS)

+ Obstacles ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obstacles on the mission map will have a variety of appearances, but generally are large objects such as trees, boulders, tables, etc. Obstacles cannot be moved through normally, but usually
do not block vision.

+ Decorations --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Decorations will also appear on the map, though these do not effect movement or vision at all. They may exist to make the map look nicer, or might have some impact on gameplay.

+ Difficult Terrain -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Areas such as broken ground or swamps that make it harder to pass through an area count a Difficult Terrain, and will be indicated by the GM. Squares that count as Difficult Terrain cast 2 movement to move into, instead of 1.

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[ TURN ORDER ]
----------------
Each Round will begin with an image showing the stats of the characters, and the mission map.
Players may then give orders, explaining what they want their Characters to do that turn. The GM will act these out for their character.
Each round, all player characters act first, followed by all enemies.
The actions of both sides will be shown on the updated map at the beginning of the next Round.

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[ DAMAGE ]
------------
+ Damage Notation -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weapon, Skill or Spell damage text may look something like this: " 2d6+[INT/2] Fire damage "
In this case 2d6 refers to the total of 2 separate 6-sided die rolls.
[INT/2] means to then add 1/2 the character's Intelligence Attribute (floored) to the above total.
Fire identifies the damage's category as fire.

+ Damage Categories --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Damage dealt can be in a number of Categories. The main category is Physical damage, but Spells and enemy special abilities can often have other damage types.

+ Physical Damage ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Physical damage is reduced directly by a Character's armor. (a hit for 6 damage against an Armor of 2 results in 4 damage)
If a damage type is not specified (Fire damage, Poison damage, etc.) then the damage should be considered Physical.

+ Non-phsyical damage, and Damage Resistance ------------------------------------------------------
Non-Physical forms of damage are reduced by like-kinded Resistances (Fire Resistance, Poison Resistance, etc.) in the same manner as Armor reduces Physical damage.
Resistances are usually gained by using special Items or magic. 'Resist All' counts against all forms of damage except Physical.

+ Minimum damage ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All attacks that deal damage will always deal at least 1 damage if they are successful.

+ Mixed damage types -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If more than one damage type is combined in a singe attack, (Ex: [1D6]+[1 Acid damage]) apply each damage type independently.
Note that damage minimums apply to each damage category, (so the above attack would cause a minimum of 2 damage, 1 for the physical category, and 1 for the Acid category.)


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[ DEATH ]
----------
If a character takes enough damage to reduce them to 0 HP or lower, they die. (Though this can be temporarily averted by certain spells and item effects)
There is no way to return from death with your mind, will, or soul intact. Be careful!

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[ RANGE ]
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Ranged attacks, some spells, and certain Melee attacks, have a Range stat.
Range refers to the farthest distance away the target of that attack, or spell can be, measured in squares.
Note that Range is measured in 'manhattan distance' i.e. the total number of horizontal and vertical squares
that need to be crossed to get from the attacker to the target. Do not count diagonally when figuring range.

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[ LINE OF SIGHT (LOS) ]
-------------------------
Ranged attacks and some spells may indicate they require LOS, meaning they cannot target a character who is obscured by walls or other obstacles.
On the Mission Map, if a straight line can be drawn from the center of the Attacker's square to the center of the target square that does not cross through any part of a square containing a Wall, then the attack has LOS.
You can ask the GM to confirm LOS for you, if you are not sure.

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[ FOG OF WAR ]
----------------
If you are in a location what has not been visited previously, unexplored areas of the map will be obscured by grey tiles, which will hide the map and anything in the unexplored region. The grey tiles will be removed from squares once at least one character has LOS to them. Note that Fog of War tiles are cleared based on the character's position at the END of their turn (to avoid an huge workload on the GM's part).

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[ VISIBILITY AND CHARACTER DETECTION ]
--------------------------------------------
Your character's Visibility determines when they will be noticed by enemies on the map. If there is LOS between an enemy and a Character, and the distance between the two is lower than the character's Visibility, they will be noticed by that enemy. (Note that Visibility can be reduced by half by using a Sneak action.)

Note that some enemies with exceptionally keen senses may have a Detection bonus, allowing them to detect characters from further away than normal.

For Gameplay's sake, most enemies will be detected as soon as a friendly character has a LOS to them, regardless of their Visibility rating. (Some stealthy enemies may still need to be revealed through visibility checks)

Note that a character who makes a Melee or Ranged attack, or casts a spell that debuffs or causes damage will automatically be detected by any enemy in LOS, regardless of Visibility.

To reduce the GM's workload, Visibility check for players and enemies are made at the beginning and end of their respective turn every round, but not at any point in between.


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[ ATTACKS OF OPPORTUNITY ]
------------------------------
Certain Actions, Situations, Skills or Spells may cause an Attack of Opportunity, (AoO) which allows a character to make a Ranged or Melee attack (which must target the unit that triggered the AoO) when it is not their turn.

Ranged or Melee AoO attacks must be made at the moment that are triggered, and must meet the same prerequisites that the attack would normally have to have (target must be adjacent for melee attacks, in LOS for ranged attacks, etc.)

Ranged and Melee AoOs exist in separate categories, with Ranged AoOs being less commonly triggered. If the kind of AoO is not specified, it is a melee AoO only.

An example of a situation where an AoO might be triggered is when a character uses a Bandage to heal themselves.
The Bandage item states: "Provokes Ranged and Melee attacks of Opportunity"
(Because to Bandage themselves requires both concentration and to remain still for several seconds, giving any attacker ample time to take advantage of their relative defenselessness)

At the point in their turn when they use the Bandage, it triggers the attack of opportunity, and every enemy that can make a Ranged or Melee attack against them at that point may do so.
(For purposes of expediency in the Forum game, it will be assumed that all characters that CAN make AoOs will, unless otherwise indicated by the player.)


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[ BUFFS AND DEBUFFS ]
-------------------------
Certain Spells, Skills or Effects can add Buffs (positive effects) or Debuffs (negative effects) in a character, usually for a limited duration.
Any buffs or debuffs currently active on a character will be listed in the character sheet, along with effects and duration.
Buff and Debuff duration is measured in turns, and for each character automatically ticks down at the END of that character's turn.
Once their Duration is reduced to 0, a Buff or Debuff wears off the character and no longer has any effect.

Note that except when otherwise noted, if a buff or debuff is applied to a character that has the exact same effect already present,
those effects will not stack. Instead the Duration will be reset to higher of the two effects.
If the magnitude of the new buff or debuff is higher than the old one, it will replace the older magnitude.

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[CONTESTED ROLLS ]
----------------------
Most rolls in the game are formatted as Contested rolls, where the character doing an Action rolls to succeed at that action against an enemy character, or a standard difficulty.
Contested roll instructions will include the keyword "roll" and will look something like this:
" Roll [1D10+MA] Vs. [DEF] "
The instruction on the left side of the "Vs." is always rolled by the Attacker, and on the right is always rolled by the defender.
If the Attacker's side is Higher than the Defender's side, the roll succeeds.
If less than or equal to the Defender's side it fails, and (unless otherwise specified) nothing happens.

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[CHANCE ROLLS ]
------------------
Chance rolls are indicated by the keyboard 'Chance' in an effect:
"If it hits, this attack has a 30% Chance of reducing the Target's MA by 2."
When making Chance rolls, roll a D100 (if you have one) if the result is equal to or under the Chance, then the effect occurs.

Or alternately, use a d10 to make the roll, and divide the Chance value by 10. (30/10 = 3, so roll 3 or under to succeed.)

[Gravedust]

========================================================
[ COMBAT ACTIONS] ==========================================
========================================================
Your Character can perform a number of actions during their turn. These include:
+ 1 Movement Action
+ 1 Standard Action
+ Any number of Free Actions.

----------------------
[ Movement Action ]
---------------------
Movement actions are used to move your character around on the map. Simply note the direction and number of squares your want your Character to move:
ex: Move Right 3 squares, Up 4 squares.
+ Movement may occur after other Actions, but you cannot move, use an action, then Move again.
+ Your Character cannot move more squares than their MOVE stat.
+ Your Character cannot move though Walls or Obstacles. (these will be noted by GM)
+ Your Character cannot move diagonally. (for purposes of simplicity)
+ Your Character cannot move into or through squares occupied by enemies, unless a Skill or Spell allows them to.
+ Your Character cannot stop in square that is occupied by any other Character.

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[ Standard Actions ]
-------------------
One Standard Action can be performed per turn. Some common standard actions are:
+ Melee Attack
+ Ranged Attack
+ Cast a Spell
+ Focus
+ Recover
+ Sneak
+ Use a Skill
+ Use an Item
+ Trade an item
+ Search
These actions will each be covered individually later in the Standard Actions Section.

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[ Free Actions ]
----------------
Your character can perform any number of different Free Actions during their turn, though each Free Action may only be performed once per turn.
Often times these will be Skills that amplify your character's Standard Actions, or provide passive bonuses.
There are also some standard free actions:
+ Talk (Speak with friendly characters, NPCs, or even enemies)
+ Look (not quite the same thing as a Search action, but your character can glance at something in order to find out more about it.)
+ Drop items (Any number of items can be discarded from the inventory. They will usually remain where dropped, but may disappear if left too long.)

[Gravedust]

===============================
STANDARD ACTIONS ==============
===============================
Standard actions are Actions that every character has access to. Only one may be performed per round.

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[ Melee Attacks ]
----------------
Characters who are adjacent (including diagonally) to an enemy can make a melee attack against them.

+ Melee attack roll::: [1d10+MA] Vs. [DEF]
On a success (Attacker's roll is greater than the defending side), roll for damage against the target.

[ Auto-Hits and misses] ----------------------------------------------------------------------
On a roll of 1 on the attack die, the attack will always miss, regardless of the Target's Defense.
On a roll of 10, the attack will succeed, regardless of the Target's Defense.
(Skill or Spell effects that cause an attack to always succeed or always fail will supersede this effect)

[ Melee Crits ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If the results of a melee attack roll are more than 10 higher than the target's DEF, a Crit is scored.
(Ex: an attack roll of 21 vs. a Defense of 10 results in a crit.)
when a Crit occurs, roll double the number of the usual damage dice rolled for the weapon.
(i.e. if the weapon's damage die is a 1d6, roll 2d6. If it is 2D6, roll 4d6.)

[ Dual Wielding Attacks] ----------------------------------------------------------------------
If a character has more than one Melee Weapon equipped, they will make dual wielding attacks, and
roll 2 attacks against the target for each Attack Action or Melee Attack-based Skill they make, both with a -5 penalty to the attack roll.

(If this seems harsh, remember that the character will be getting +MA bonuses from both weapons)

Note that if a special Skill is used that effects melee attacks it will only effect the FIRST of the two attack rolls made,

and whichever weapon is in the Character's top slot will be considered as the weapon used for that attack.

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[ RANGED ATTACKS ]
------------------
Ranged attacks have number of prerequisites:

- They often need some kind of Ammunition Item.

        - Ammunition is deducted automatically from the Inventory.  If you have multiple ammo types, specify which you want to use.

        - High quality ammunition may improve MA, add damage, or have other special effects.

- They require LOS between the Attacker and the Target.

- They require that the Target be within the Range of the weapon.

+ Ranged Attack Roll :: 1D10+[RA] Vs. [DEF] + [range from attacker to target] + [Penalties]

The Penalties mentioned above are as follows:
 +2 for each time a shot passes through a square occupied by a Character or Obstacle. (That must be shot around) (obstacles that take up more than one square only count once)
 +2 if the Attacker performs (or intends to perform) a Movement action either before or after the Ranged Attack. (Giving them less time overall to aim.)

[ Attack of Opportunity Provocation ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Performing a Ranged attack provokes Melee Attacks of Opportunity.

[ Ranged Crits ] -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If the results of a Ranged attack roll is more than 10 higher than the target's DEF, add 1 bonus damage for every point that is is higher.
(Ex: A ranged Attack roll of 18 vs a defense of 6 results in 2 bonus damage.)
This bonus damage cannot exceed the character's Level. (I.e. if the character's Level is 4, the maximum bonus is 4 damage)

[ Auto-Hits and misses] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As with Melee attacks, natural 1 always misses, natural 10 always hits. See Melee section for more details.

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[ CASTING SPELLS ]
--------------------
To cast a spell, the character must either know the spell (have it equipped as a Skill) or have the spell in one of their Gear spell slots.
The character must also have the MP required to cast the spell.
In most cases, casting a spell does not cause an attack of opportunity, unless otherwise noted.
Note! Unless otherwise specified, Offensive Spells will effect ALL Characters caught in the effect, not just enemies.

-----------------
[ USING SKILLS ]
-----------------
A Character can use a skill that they know and is equipped, provided that skill is ready to be used.
Once a skill is used it goes on Cooldown and will need to be recharged before it can be used again.
Skill recharging happens automatically, at a rate of 1 per round at the end of the player's turn.
Note that some skills may be fee actions. this will be indicated with the skill's info.
Note that a Cooldown of 1 essentially means that a skill can be used every round.
As with Spells, many Skills will effect friendly characters as well as enemies, if they are caught in the effect.

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[ FOCUS ]
----------
The Focus action allows the user to regain MP equal to their FOCUS stat. (FOCUS is mostly determined by Gear)
Using Focus provokes Melee attacks of opportunity.

-------------
[ RECOVER ]
-------------
Recover allows the user to regain an about of HP equal to their END Attribute, plus any +RECOVER bonuses from gear, buffs, or other effects.
Using Recover provokes Melee and Ranged attacks of opportunity.

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[ SEARCH ]
-----------
With the Search action, a character checks every square adjacent to them for the presence, of traps, secret doors, or hidden items.
Roll a single [D10+INT] versus the 'Hidden' stat of any hidden object, passage, etc, that is adjacent to the character. On a success, that object is revealed.

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[ SNEAK ]
----------
Using the Sneak Action reduces the Character's Visibility and Movement by half for that turn.

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[ USE AN ITEM ]
----------------
A character may use a single item from their inventory.

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[ TRADE AN ITEM ]
------------------
A character may move an inventory slot item or item stack from their Inventory to the Inventory of an adjacent friendly character,
assuming the receiving inventory has room and the recipient is willing. This does not require an action from the receiving character.

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[ PICK UP AN ITEM ]
--------------------

A character can pick up an loose item or item stack from the square they occupy nor an adjacent square on the Mission map.

---------------------------------
[ SWITCH WEAPONS OR SPELLSTONES ]
---------------------------------
A Charter may switch one of their equipped weapons, shields, or other handheld Gear for another hand item carried in their inventory. Doing so provokes melee attacks of opportunity.
Likewise, a character may replace a spellstone in one of their spellstone slots with a different spellstone from their inventory. This provokes Melee and Ranged attacks of opportunity.

[Gravedust]

===============
THE CHARACTER SHEET
===============
When on a mission map, your character will have a character sheet that shows their stats, gear and items.
It will look like this:



(NOTE: the character sheets were designed at a minimum size to allow for a lot of them on the screen at once, but if they are hard for your to discern, let me know and I can increase the size. Increasing the browser's magnification level may help as well.)

At the top you can see the character Portrait, Map icon, and Name.
Racial bonuses will be displayed here as well.

Below that is a line showing their Attributes ( STR | DEX | AGI | END | MAG | INT ) and their current values.

Beneath the attributes is a block made up of the character's various Combat Stats, which are color coded.
M refers to Melee Attack, and R refers to Ranged Attack.

Beneath the Combat stats are 4 vertical boxes that hold the character's equipment. The last Equipment slot, Artifact, is empty.
Each equipment box shows the level requirement and name of each item,(top left) and the type of item it is (top right, gray)
Below the gear's name are all the combat stats it effects.

Underneath each Gear's text stats are 4 boxes that represent the gear's Enhancement slots.
(Since this is low-level melee gear, most of them don't have any, however this character bought a caster focus which has 2 Spellstone slots, which are filled with Reknit and Missile)

Underneath the gear boxes is a grid of 12 boxes which hold the character's active skills. two are unlocked (white) but only 1 is currently filled. The blue/gray boxes have not been unlocked yet.

This character knows the Quick Focus skill. The number [in brackets] is the number of Activations remaining, and the number (in parentheses) is the skill's Cooldown.

The 6 boxes below the skills are the Item slots, which are all unlocked. This character has just two Items, a Minor Health Potion and a minor Mana potion.

At the bottom of a list of buffs and debuffs that are on the character. Right now there are none.

[Gravedust]

=======================
GIVING ORDERS IN COMBAT
======================

It is the GM's job to handle the moving Characters and enemies on the Mission Map, and processing their actions.
During a mission, players should indicate what actions they want their character to take, including Movements, and any actions / free actions, etc.
In order to make it easier for the GM to find and correctly interpret these instructions it is recommend to keep ores separate from any other information in the post (such a role-play flavor text, or talking with other characters or players)
In order to make orders stand out, it recommended they be bolded, as well.

> Using carats like this may also help orders stand out.

+ Movement Orders -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Movement instructions should use cardinal directions. ('Up, Down, Left, Right' or 'North, west, east, south' etc, where 'up' or 'north' correspond to the top side of the Mission Map. )
Movement instructions should also include the number of squares to move in those directions.
(Ex: > Move 2 North, 3 West, and 1 South. )

You can also give objective-based movement orders, ( > 'move across the bridge' or '> 'move next to the Ratlin' ) but be aware that the GM may no execute your orders exactly in the way you intend. If exact positioning matters, it is ether to use distance and direction.

+ Attack or Action orders ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When specifying an attack, or using a skill or spell that has a definite target, be sure to clearly identify that target. Target may be given a label on the map, ( ratlin A, B, C etc.) but if not, you can also use cardinal directions from your character to indicate the right target: ( > 'Ranged attack against the ratlin to 4N,3E, using Standard ammo' )

When using multiple free actions, make sure to arrange them in the order your want them used:

> Activate Charge
> Move 4 North
> Activate Ferocity
> Activate Power Strike
> Melee Attack Ratlin to North.

+ Conditional orders ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conditional orders are allowed, such as: "If the Ratlin to the north is still alive melee attack it, otherwise move South 5."
but these should be kept fairly simple, and should not involve judgement calls on the part of the GM.

+ Contacting the GM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are unsure about some aspect of the rules, or need advice on whether or not there is LOS on a target, write the questioning the current thread, but then please contact the GM via PM (or any other way that gets their attention immediately) so they can answer it quickly and you do not have to delay giving your orders. (since other people might be waiting to see what you do before giving their own.)

+ Order of Execution ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generally characters will act according to post order; Players who posted first will have their characters act first during the the player's turn in the round. However you can specify that you want to act after a certain other Character even if you posted before them. The GM will also try to manually adjust action order to try to get player actions to work out as intended. (such as a friendly player moving out of range before a character who intends to case a beneficial spell on them can do so) Whenever possible, the GM will try to resolve these.

+ Correcting orders ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you post orders and then change your mind, do not make a new post, instead edit the original post and change it to the orders you want.
Orders are not evaluated until right before the round is processed.



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