annasimps979-jpg

The Combat Round

The standard unit of time that each battle is divided into is known as a round. After the Initiative Order is determined and all other pre-battle steps are taken into consideration, the first round of combat begins. This round, and each subsequent round, are divided into three phases which take place in order:

The Action Phase. This is the phase in which each character on the field takes their turn in the order determined by the results of calling Initiative.
The Effect Phase. This is the phase in which any environmental effects and effects caused by abilities take place, such as the turning of a boat or a Priest’s Prayer ability. This is also the phase in which either side can advance if the situation is appropriate. Sometimes, multiple effects can occur at once during the Effect Phase. When this happens, damage takes precedent, followed by healing, followed by statuses, followed by everything else.
The Paradigm Phase. During this phase, each player on the field can choose to switch jobs. Doing so does changes out their abilities and the bonuses to their statistics due to their job but does not affect any statuses, buffs, or debuffs on them or any other character. This is also the phase in which Antagonists may take Paradigm Actions. If an Antagonist takes a Paradigm Action, it happens before the player characters can switch jobs. An extra Paradigm Phase also takes place at the beginning of the first round of every battle.

The time during a round when a given character is allowed to act is called their turn. Each action you take costs an amount of a resource called Action Points, or AP for short, that depends on the type of action you are taking. Once you run out of Action Points during your turn, your turn ends and the turn of the character next in the initiative order begins. Once there are no characters left in the initiative order, the round enters the Effect Phase. Characters of tier 1-5 have 2 AP per turn, while characters of tier 6-10 have 3 AP per turn. Most actions cost 1 AP unless otherwise specified.

During the Effect Phase, if there are no characters in the front row on one or both sides of combat, then the opposing side can choose to advance. When they do so, all of the characters on the former side now count as being in the front row instead of the back row. If both sides are in the back row during the Effect Phase, the players may choose whether or not to advance before their enemies do.

On a character’s turn, they are limited to performing the following actions:

Name	Cost	Description
Basic Attack	1 AP	Make a colorless physical attack against a single enemy. By default, this counts as a Melee ability.
Use Ability	Variable	Use one of the abilities they have currently available per their archetype and job.
Use Item	1 AP	Use one of the items in the party inventory on a target or targets of your choice. Once an item is used, it is permanently removed from the party inventory.
Move	1 AP	Move from the front row to the back row, or from the back row to the front row of your respective side.
Summon Eidolon	3 Anima	Your character summons their eidolon. When they do so, neither they nor their allies are able to act but also cannot be targeted by enemies until the eidolon disappears. An Eidolon acts during the turn of the character that summoned it with the amount of Action Points its summoner has, which on the turn it is summoned is the amount of AP they have remaining after the Summon Eidolon action has been taken. At the beginning of each subsequent round that a character’s Eidolon is in play, they must spend 1 Anima to keep the eidolon on the field, after which the eidolon also acts during their summoner’s turn. Otherwise, it disappears, and all characters are able to act again as normal. If the eidolon drops to zero HP, it also disappears, and all characters are able to act again as normal. While on the field, the eidolon counts as being in the front row, and may only use its listed abilities.
Hold AP	1 AP	During your turn, you may spend one of your remaining AP to designate it as held. When you do so, choose a character that is acting after you in the initiative order. You will have an extra turn after that character’s turn called a held turn in which you have only 1 AP to act. You cannot use this action more than once per round.
End Turn	N/A	If you still have AP remaining, you can choose to end your turn early without acting. You will lose your remaining non-held AP, but you will still get the chance to act on your held turn if you have one.
Interact	Variable	During some battles, there will be contextual objects present that characters can interact with by using the Interact action. Performing simple actions, such as flipping a switch, asking a question, or breaking a window, requires 1 AP, while performing more complex actions, such as logging into a computer or lowering a drawbridge, may require an entire turn or more to complete.
Swap Equipment	1 AP	Put your weapon away, equip a weapon you are proficient with from your inventory, take an accessory off, or put an accessory from your inventory on. You cannot take armor on or off during battle.
Flee	N/A	If you still have AP left, you can end your turn immediately to flee the battle. If you do so, you leave the battlefield at the end of the Effect Phase, and can no longer act or be acted upon for the remainder of the battle. If all player characters flee, the battle ends, and you do not gain any XP or items. What happens after player characters flee and whether or not they can flee in the first place is determined by GM fiat. In order to Flee, characters must be in the back row.