Changes
'''Every non-combat action has an IS of 0'''. This is fixed and unchanging, even with effects that modify one's Initiative Speed tier, as such effects only affect combat actions. Although it is possible, with enough IS tier modifiers, for a combat action to be so fast, it is ''as fast'' as a non-combat action, it is impossible for a non-combat action to be ''slower'' than IS 0.
When in Combat mode, you may perform a number of non-combat actions, such as:
* '''Cover taking''': See [[Cover]] for more details
* '''Doing nothing'''
** Choosing to do nothing as a non-combat action always succeeds, since you, well, choose to do nothing.
* '''Escaping''': Reaching one of the doors in the room in order to try and leave the area
* '''Manipulating a weapon''': Loading, unloading, reloading, using accessories - anything not related to actually attacking; see [[Weapons]] for more details
* '''Non-combat movement''': Moving to another Side of the Battlespace (see below)
* '''Using an item in the inventory''': See [[Inventory management]] for more details
== Turn order resolution ==
The steps of a typical combat turn are as follows:
* Game Master (GM) declares that a new combat turn is about to begin.(''"Turn X, what are your next moves?"'')
* GM requests the players to describe their next action, while secretly preparing the next actions of every NPC.
** If, for one reason or another, player characters are on opposed sides of a fight and must not reveal their plans to one another, players may instead provide their next actions to the GM secretly.
The battlespace is divided into four quadrants called '''Sides''', as shown in the picture to the right. They can be named after their numbers ('''Side 1''' through '''Side 4''') when in the Uncivilized Area, or after cardinal directions ('''South Side''', '''North Side''', '''East Side''', '''West Side''') when in a Civilized Area.
In the Uncivilized Area, player characters are assumed to enter every new room from Side 1, regardless of the actual direction they're going relative to the world. When Combat mode begins, the Game Master must announce the location of every player character, every other creature and , every object , and every piece of furniture in the room. The presence and location of [[Cover]] must be requested before it can be used - see the relevant page for details on how Cover and stealth works.
Battlespace location is also used to determine weapon range. All attacks may either be '''Ranged''' or '''Melee'''. Ranged attacks may be used against creatures in any Side of the battlespace, with the caveat that cover can be used to guard against ranged attacks. Melee attacks render Cover useless, but requires the attacker and the target to be on the same Side. If an attacker intending to use a Melee attack isn't starting the turn on the same Side as their target, they will move into their target's Side as part of their action.
A particular subset of weapons use Battlespace positioning and movement in order to be used; these weapons are ''planted explosives'' (all of which are [[Class 4 weapons]]). For further details on how they function, see [[Explosives]], or the relevant individual weapon pages. === Non-combat movement === One kind of non-combat action that can be performed in Combat mode is '''non-combat movement''', or in other words, moving from a Side to another Side without doing anything else, and not as part of another action (such as moving into a target's Side as part of a melee attack, for example).
[[Category: Game mechanics]]
