The Combat Round Sequence is specifically designed to allow faster characters to be able to react to the declared actions of slower characters while still resolving those actions in order from the slowest to the fastest.

Step 1: Roll Initiative

Each player should roll 2d10 and add in his Speed Stat Bonus, his Wisdom Stat Bonus and any other special modifiers. This is the character’s base Initiative Point (IP) for the entire combat.

Initiative is only rolled once per combat. This may be altered by certain actions or events, but the character’s IP will always return to its starting value once the action or event that altered it is passed.

If an initiative roll is not required, such as by combatants entering a melee already in progress, then this step is skipped.

Step 2: Declare Actions

Players, and the GM for the NPCs and monsters, should declare their actions for the round in initiative order, from lowest to highest.

Any declared actions that alter the character’s DEF will have that adjustment apply for the entire round.

Players may not declare actions that will resolve in another round, unless that action also requires all of his AP for this round. Thus a player cannot declare both a Dodge (2 AP) and a standard Melee Attack (4 AP) in a round, since the Melee Attack could not resolve until the following round, but he would be able to declare a Power Attack (7 AP) since it requires all 5 of the AP for the round it is declared and 2 AP of the following round.

Step 3: Resolve Actions

Once everybody’s actions have been declared, it is time to resolve them, in initiative order, from the highest to the lowest.

If a character has multiple attacks in one round, he resolves the first at his normal IP, and then all other additional attacks are resolved after everybody else has resolved their initial actions. If more than one person has multiple attacks, then they are resolved in initiative order, same as the initial actions were resolved.

Step 4: End Round

Once everybody’s actions have been resolved, it is time to move on to the next round. However, before that is done, any upkeep for the round must be performed. This is when any hits lost from bleeding are removed from the character or monster. If the character is dazed or stunned, this is when the total number is reduced by one.

Once this phase of the round is complete, then the new round begins. Step 1 should be skipped unless there is a character or monster that needs to make an initiative roll.