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Actions & Time

During play, most of your actions are handled in a free-form manner, with the GM only loosely tracking time. When timing and the order of actions become important, Eclipse Phase uses action turns to measure time in scenes. The type of actions you can make break down into four types -- automatic, quick, complex, and task actions.

An action turn represents roughly 3 seconds. During each turn you may undertake one of the following:

  • 1 complex action and 1 quick action
  • 1 task action and 1 quick action
  • 3 quick actions

Additionally, you may take any number of automatic actions per action turn. The GM may allow you to make additional quick actions, depending on their nature.

Also note that basic movements such as walking or running is an automatic action (see Movement). More complex forms of movement, however, may require a quick, complex, or even task actions.

Automatic Actions​

Automatic actions are always "on" reflexive, or otherwise require no effort to initiate. This includes base and full movement. Examples include: base move, basic perception, breathing, defending against an attack, dropping prone, dropping something, full move, resisting damage, speaking a simple sentence or two.

Quick Actions​

Quick actions take a fraction of a second or require so little cognitive effort that you can do them while undertaking something else. Examples include: activating or deactivating a device, conveying complex information, detailed perception, drawing a weapon, ducking behind cover, gesturing, jumping, opening a door, picking something up, quick aim, standing up, taking a drug, etc.

Complex Actions​

Complex actions require a few seconds of concentration and effort. Examples include: attacking in melee, examining, finding something in a bag, full aim, full defense, non-standard movement, reloading a weapon, rushing, shooting a gun, using a complex device.

Task Actions​

Task actions require more than a few seconds to complete. Each task action has a timeframe, the base amount of time required to finish it. Timeframes may be measured in action turns, minutes, hours, days, or even months. The actual time to complete a task is equal to the timeframe adjusted by any superior results you score on the test. You may interrupt your work on a task and continue it later, unless the GM specifically rules the task requires uninterrupted effort.

For task actions with timeframes of one day or longer, it is assumed that eight hours of effort equals one day of work. If you spend more or less time per day, adjust the time taken accordingly.

if you fail a task action, you expend 25% of the timeframe, +25% per superior failure, before you realize you have failed.

Examples include: Climbing, hacking, infiltration, medical examination, programming, repairing, scientific analysis, searching a room, swimming, thorough investigation, recharging.

Taking Time​

You may take extra time on a test, gaining a bonus for careful and methodical work. For each minute you take completing a test as a task action that normally only requires a quick or complex action, apply a +10 modifier, up to a maximum of +60. At the GM's discretion, you automatically succeed once your target number exceeds 100. For task action tests that already require time to complete, the timeframe must be increased by +25% for each +10 bonus.

Rushing the Job​

You may try to finish a task action in less time by accepting a penalty for your test. For every 25% you reduce the timeframe, you incur a -20 modifier, up to a maximum of 75% reduction (-60 modifier). Though this timeframe reduction is compatible with other reductions, no timeframe may be reduced more than 75% total.

Initiative​

Timing in an action turn can be critical -- it may mean life or death for a character who needs to get behind cover before an opponent draws and fires their gun. The order of actions between multiple characters within a turn is determined by the Initiative. This is reflected by your Initiative stat equal to (Intuition (INT) ++ Reflexes (REF)) ÷\div 5. This score may be further modified by ware, drugs, psi, or wounds.

Initiative Order​

At the beginning of an action sequence, every character rolls for initiative. Roll 1d6 and add your Initiative stat. The highest total goes first, followed by the other characters in descending order. In the event of a tie, characters go simultaneously (or resolve by highest REF or roll-off). In Initiative order, declare and resolve the actions you will take that action turn. Once everyone has gone, a new action turn starts, using the same Initiative order. When it is no longer necessary to minutely keep track of who goes when, you can drop out of Initiative order and return to free-form game time.

Taking the Initiative​

You may spend Vigor to go first in Initiative order. You may also spend Insight to go first, if you are only taking mental or mesh actions and no physical movement. You return to your regular Initiative roll order the next round. If multiple characters spend Insight or Vigor, they go in Initiative order first, followed by everyone else.

Delaying Actions​

You may choose to delay until later in the Initiative order. You can specify when you want to act (before or after another character, for example), a specific condition that will cause you to act (i.e., if someone attacks you), or simply go on standby. You can interrupt another character acting later in the Initiative order once they have declared their action and go before them. You may interrupt another between their actions or before they take an extra action.

Once you act, your place in the Initiative order in subsequent turns becomes the count on which you took the delayed action. If you delay past the end of the turn and into the next, your Initiative order will change, but you will only get your delayed action that turn.

If multiple characters delay and choose to act at the same time, the one with the lowest Initiative roll must declare their action first, and the higher Initiative character can choose to interrupt or go after.

Extra Actions​

You may spend Vigor or Insight for an extra physical or mental action each turn. These extra complex or quick actions take place at the end of the turn, after everyone else has gone. If multiple characters take extra actions, they are handled in Initiative order. You cannot take more than two extra actions in a single turn.