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hperantunes
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Reactive actions and multiple initiative cards per round

Tue 14 May 2019, 05:09

Some monsters and NPCs have the ability of drawing and keeping more than one initiative card during combats, allowing them to act more than once per round. How does that work with reactive actions?

For example, an NPC with two initiative cards is being attacked by three different opponents before her first action: can she parry thrice (no talents considered)? Only twice? When do her fast and slow actions for each initiative cards are available and when do they refresh?
 
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Fenhorn
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Re: Reactive actions and multiple initiative cards per round

Tue 14 May 2019, 07:14

If you are allowed to have two Initiative cards (usually only special monsters) then you have two fast actions and two slow actions. The monster acts and each initiative card "refreshes on its own initiative(see edit below). When it comes to reactive actions, I usually use the the closest initiative action available. So if a monster has initiative 5 and 8 and is attacked during initiative 3, I use the fast action on the initiative 5 (the monster will only have a  its slow action left there). If the monster is attacked again during initiative 4, I use the fast action from the monsters initiative 8 card. If we assume the monster is attacked twice during initiative 4 (by a guy with two weapons for example) then I will use the other action on initiative 3, leaving only one action for the monster (a slow on initiative 8).

edit: now when I thinking about it, actions are of course refreshed at the start of a round before anyone has done anything. In MY0 though this approach will not work since there you "borrow" you next action (slow action in FbL) when you parry (it is a different melee system in MY0).
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hperantunes
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Re: Reactive actions and multiple initiative cards per round

Mon 27 May 2019, 05:41

Yes, as we've discussed in a different topic, it seems actions should refresh at the beginning of a round.

Would this approach imply that monsters and NPCs with more than one initiative card per round have 2 actions (one slow and one fast) per card, "available" for reactions at any moment in a given round? I can't think of any other way.
 
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Fenhorn
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Re: Reactive actions and multiple initiative cards per round

Mon 27 May 2019, 05:47

Yes, as we've discussed in a different topic, it seems actions should refresh at the beginning of a round.

Would this approach imply that monsters and NPCs with more than one initiative card per round have 2 actions (one slow and one fast) per card, "available" for reactions at any moment in a given round? I can't think of any other way.
That's how I see it as well.
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maelkor
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Re: Reactive actions and multiple initiative cards per round

Mon 27 May 2019, 06:17

I beg to differ. Given how they get N initiative cards (and can act in those initiative lines), it'd make sense to get one set of actions at the start of the round and subsequent set of actions whenever they get their Nth action line. Otherwise, there's nothing preventing them from unloading once they get their first line, or dodging / parrying / running away with multiple fast actions.

It's one thing to give monsters the ability to act multiple times in order to present a challenge (specially if we're talking "boss" type of monster). It's another thing entirely to stack all those actions in one line and have the monsters absolutely decimate players without a chance to fight back.
 
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Fenhorn
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Re: Reactive actions and multiple initiative cards per round

Mon 27 May 2019, 06:40

"unloading" ? I don't get what you mean here. A monster with multiple initiative cards will use two actions when each initiative comes. Reactive actions (block/dodge) can of course be used out of initiative. So a dragon with init 3 and 5 that fights a hero with init 4 will use his two first actions at init 3, then the heroes two actions follows and then lastly the dragons next two actions follows and of course any reactive actions uses one of you actions that you have left.
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hperantunes
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Re: Reactive actions and multiple initiative cards per round

Mon 27 May 2019, 06:51

... Otherwise, there's nothing preventing them from unloading once they get their first line, or dodging / parrying / running away with multiple fast actions.

I'm talking exclusively about reactive actions, not fast actions.
 
maelkor
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Re: Reactive actions and multiple initiative cards per round

Mon 27 May 2019, 06:54

Edit: Faulty reading on my part. Disregard this post.
Last edited by maelkor on Mon 27 May 2019, 07:11, edited 3 times in total.
 
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hperantunes
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Re: Reactive actions and multiple initiative cards per round

Mon 27 May 2019, 06:57

Unloading as in unleashing all their abilities in one go, without giving a change to fight back. Likewise, if a monster found itself in a scenario it wasn't likely to win, it could just run without a chance of being caught. 

You're mixing up different rules. A monster or NPC can't flee a combat with reactive actions.

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