Actions (FiD)

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Starting Actions

• Attune: 5 Occultist, Animism, Chosen, Soulsworn, Spirit
• Command: 4 Fighter, Sorcery, Soulsworn, Theurgy
• Consort: 4 Mastermind, Mountebank, Swashbuckler, Orphic
• Finesse: 2 Mastermind, Swashbuckler
• Hunt: 3 Ranger, Soldier, Wizardry
• Prowl: 4 Bravo, Rogue, Animism, Chi, Monster
• Skirmish: 3 Fighter, Chi, Sorcery
• Study: 5 Occultist, Savant, Artificing, Theurgy, Wizardry
• Survey: 3 Ranger, Mystic, Spirit
• Sway: 4 Mountebank, Chosen, Mystic, Orphic
• Tinker: 3 Rogue, Savant, Artificing
• Wreck: 3 Bravo, Soldier, Monster

Attune

When you Attune, you open your mind to the ether or channel nearby etheric energy through your body. You might communicate with a spirit or understand aspects of spectrology. You could try to perceive beyond sight in order to better understand your situation (but Surveying might be better).

GM Questions

• How do you open your mind to the ether? What does that look like?
• What energy are you attuning to? How are you channeling that energy? What do you hope the energy will do?

The ether is somewhat ambiguous, by design. It’s the energy channeled from the distant elemental and astral planes, the echoes of events in the recent past, and the medium in which spirits exist. It’s a dangerous and strange element that should never feel safe or tame. To Attune is to connect to a crackling source of power that can easily snap out of control. Bring your ideas of strange arcane energy into play and ask the other players what they think about it, too.

When you Attune to the ether you can see echoes of recent events or sense things beyond sight (the Occultist's fine spirit mask allows them to see more detail). Surveying is usually the action you’d use to get a sense of a location or to spot hidden things, but Attuning can work—often with a worse position since you’re risking danger from the ether.

Any PC can Attune. It’s not a supernatural gift. The ether is always there, just at the edge of the mind, ready for a connection. Occultists and power users Attune as the basis for supernatural powers. Without the ether, these powers can’t manifest.

In Greyhawk the ether is not inherently hostile, instead reflecting the land it is adjacent to.

Command

When you Command, you compel swift obedience. You might intimidate or threaten to get what you want. You might lead a gang in a group action. You could try to order people around to persuade them (but Consorting might be better).

GM Questions

• Who do you command? How do you do it—what’s your leverage here?
• What do you hope they’ll do?

When you Command someone, you don’t care about what they want. You tell them what to do and expect them to do it—out of fear, respect, or some other motivating factor (this is your leverage over them). Consorting can be better if you’re trying to get along with someone and work together. When you Command a friend or contact, they can feel disrespected, so your position will probably be worse.

Command is almost always the right action for leading a cohort or sending an NPC group to do something according to your instructions. Handle it as a “group action” teamwork maneuver with you rolling Command and the cohort rolling quality.

You might be able to Command another PC. Ask the player if their character has reason to follow your orders—fear, trust, respect, etc. If they do, then your action can force them to comply. If they don’t, then your action can only disrupt them somehow. You might frighten them with intimidation (inflicting harm), cause them to hesitate at a crucial moment, make them look weak in front of others, etc. Command isn’t mind-control but it is an intense interaction. The other player will judge if their character can be ordered around or not.

Consort

This action covers socializing, from streetwise in the slums to fine court etiquette. When you Consort, you socialize with friends and contacts and play along in social conventions. You might gain just escape notice or make a play to gain access to resources, information, people, or places. You might make a good impression or win someone over with your charm and style. You might make new friends or connect with your heritage or background. You could try to direct your friends with social pressure (but Commanding might be better).

GM Questions

• Who do you consort with? Where do you meet? What do you talk about?
• What do you hope to achieve?

When you Consort with someone, you care about what the other person thinks and feels and in turn, they care about what you want (at least a tiny bit). You’re being a charming, open, socially adroit person. You can Consort with people you already know or try to “fit in” in a new situation so you make a good impression.

To Consort, you need an environment that isn’t totally hostile. You might Consort with the chain gang when you’re thrown into prison but it’s usually hopeless to Consort with the assassin sent to murder you. When you Consort with people related to your background or heritage, you can expect a better position and/or increased effect.

You might be forced to Consort in an unfamiliar situation in order to create an opportunity for another action. For instance, if you want to talk to Lord Scurlock at a party, you’ll have to at least try to Consort with the other guests to make your way to his table. Commanding or Swaying are options, sure, but expect a rather sudden escalation of trouble if things go badly.

Finesse

When you Finesse, you employ dextrous manipulation or subtle misdirection. You might pick someone’s pocket. You might handle the controls of a vehicle or direct a mount. You can leverage this momentum in a ride-by or strafing attack. You might formally duel an opponent with graceful fighting arts. You might pull off fancy dance moves. You could try to employ those arts in a chaotic melee (but Skirmishing might be better). You could try to pick a lock (but Tinkering might be better). You might balance across a tight passage, but Prowl might be better.

GM Questions

• What do you finesse? What’s graceful or subtle about this?
• What do you hope to achieve?

When you employ Finesse, you’re graceful, stylish, and subtle. You might think of it as the polar opposite of Wreck. To use Finesse, you’d prefer some time and space to do things ‘just so’ rather than rushing into something and getting sloppy. If you have to hurry up or act on someone else’s terms, Finesse becomes challenging pretty quickly. It’s all well and good to want to duel an opponent with your fancy sword arts, but if they insist on kicking the table over and throwing fire bombs at you, you’ll have to get desperate. Skirmishing is the best option when the fight becomes a savage melee, but one-on-one, in a fight that you’re ready for, Finesse can be just as good.

In a way, the reverse is true for sleight-of-hand and inconspicuous Finesse. Picking a pocket or slipping away unnoticed is less perilous when the situation is chaotic, crowded, or otherwise distracting for the target in question. (Contrast this with Prowl, which is best done in darkness, avoiding people.) When people wrestle you to the ground to manacle you, that’s a great opportunity to lift the keys off one of them.

Hunt

When you Hunt, you carefully track a target. You might follow a person or discover their location. You might arrange an ambush. You might attack with precision shooting from a distance. You may hide in a stakeout or ambush position. You could try to bring your guns to bear in a melee (but Skirmishing might be better).

GM Questions

• How do you hunt them down? What methods do you use?
• What do you hope to achieve?

When you Hunt a target, it’s all about precise and skillful execution—your talent brought to bear against the target, your victim. Like Finesse, Hunting is about performing on your own terms—you stalk the target to their lair, you select the ambush point, you line up the target in your sights and take the shot. Hunting is all about the maneuvers before the fight. When you try to Hunt after the chaos begins, you’ll probably find yourself in a desperate spot. Time and distance are your allies. Contrast with Skirmishing, which is at its least effective when the enemy is far away and disengaged.

There’s no “shooting” action in Blades, by design. The action roll system is designed for players to choose the action they perform in any given situation, which the GM then judges for position and effectiveness. When the fight is on, do you Hunt? (Or Skirmish, or Finesse, or something else?) It’s up to the player to decide their approach. Hunting is usually the most effective action when taking an aimed shot at a distance. But if you’re in the middle of a brawl and blast someone with your pistol, Skirmish works, too.

The Hunt action is broader in scope than mere marksmanship. It’s the ideal action for tracking, stalking, and discovering the location of anything or anyone.

Prowl

When you Prowl, you traverse skillfully and quietly. You might sneak past a guard or hide in the shadows. You might run and leap across the rooftops. You might attack someone from hiding with a back-stab or blackjack. You could try to waylay a victim in the midst of battle (but Skirmishing might be better). You may wak a tightrope (but Finesse might be better).

GM Questions

• How do you prowl? How do you use the environment around you?
• What do you hope to achieve?

When you Prowl, you use the features of your environment to move around skillfully. The more conducive the environment, the better your position. Prowling is more than just “stealth”—it’s all of the related physical skills of movement as well as an instinctual awareness of where to go and the right timing to employ. You can think of Prowling as general athletic ability (running, climbing, jumping, swimming, etc.) tuned for quiet, efficient movement.

You might use this movement to hide out of sight and backstab an enemy. Waylaying someone this way is similar to Hunting a target from an ambush point—this is one area where the actions overlap. Prowl is often used as a setup action or to establish position for some other roll. Prowl group tests are common when the crew moves into position.

Skirmish

When you Skirmish, you engage in close-quarters combat. You might fight with knives, swords, or pistols in hand-to-hand ranges. You might wrestle or brawl. You could try to shoot someone at point-blank range (but Hunting might be better).

GM Questions

• Who do you engage in combat? What’s your tactic or style?
• What do you hope to achieve?

When you Skirmish, you get up close and personal, grappling, brawling, or fighting in tight spaces with short-range weapons. Skirmish can represent dirty fighting or more refined martial arts, depending on how the player describes the action. In situations where you have to engage multiple opponents or fight in chaotic conditions, Skirmish is usually the most effective action. Unlike Finesse, which is about elegant precision, Skirmishing is often messy and desperate, relying more on instinct, aggression, and physical prowess than on careful technique. In a pure one-on-one duel, Finesse may be better, but in a fight where tables are overturned and fists are flying, Skirmish is your go-to action. Skirmishing is also the right choice for gunplay at short range, where precision is less important than getting the shot off in the chaos. The key here is the proximity of your opponents—when things are close and messy, you Skirmish.

Study

When you Study, you scrutinize details and interpret evidence. You might gather information from documents, newspapers, and books. You might do research on an esoteric topic. You might closely analyze a person to detect lies or true feelings. You could try to examine events to understand a pressing situation (but Surveying might be better). You might remember general information and make educated guesses about where to find more.

GM Questions

• What do you study? What details or evidence do you scrutinize?
• What do you hope to understand?

When you Study, you concentrate on small details—expressions, tone of voice, innuendo, tiny clues—to find what’s hidden, determine facts, corroborate evidence, and guide your decisions.

Studying is often used to “read a person”—this is a gather information roll to judge whether or not they’re lying, what they really want, what their intentions are, etc. (See the list of questions you might ask on the bottom of your character sheet.) When you Study someone in this way, you can ask the GM questions while you interact with them if you want, so you might wait until they say something fishy, and then ask the GM, “Are they telling the truth?”

If you want to get a feel for the current situation or scout out a location, that’s Surveying. A survey glosses over details in favor of big-picture stuff. Study does the opposite—it’s about precise facts and details. Are they lying about that? Is the safe hidden behind a wall in this room?

Studying is also the action for research of all kinds (often a long-term project). Want to find out which noble has the best art collection with the worst security? Want to know how many rioting prisoners it would take to overwhelm the guards at Ironhook? Virtually any fact can be discovered through Study.

Survey

When you Survey, you observe the situation and anticipate outcomes. You might spot a good ambush point or detect the telltale signs of trouble. You might uncover opportunities or weaknesses. You could try to perceive beyond sight into the ether (but Attuning might be better).

GM Questions

• What are you surveying? How do you go about it?
• What do you hope to learn or find?

Surveying is about gathering information from your surroundings, using your senses and instincts to read a situation. You’ll often use Survey before things go wrong, spotting trouble before it happens. It’s good for identifying danger, noticing weak points, or seeing patterns that others miss.

When you Survey, it’s about staying ahead of the situation. You take the time to study the area and make sure you’re prepared for what’s coming. Attune can also be used to perceive unseen things, but it’s riskier because you’re engaging with the ether. Surveying is more practical and often safer for purely physical or tactical information.

Survey is ideal when you’re out in the field, in an unknown environment, or trying to assess a target or location from a distance. The better prepared and more perceptive you are, the better your position will be when danger strikes. Survey can stake out a place, but Hunt might be better. Survey can be used to spy, but Prowl might give you a better vantage point. Survey might discern a lie, but Study might be better.

Sway

When you Sway, you influence someone with guile, charm, or logic. You might lie convincingly. You might persuade someone to do something they don’t want to do. You might argue a point or try to seduce with charm. You could try to intimidate someone (but Commanding might be better). You could mingle, but Consort might be better. You can hold a convincing speech, but Commanding might be better at firing up a crowd.

GM Questions

• How do you sway them? What do you say or do?
• What do you hope they’ll agree to?

Swaying someone involves using words, logic, and charm to get them to see things your way. Unlike Command, where you compel someone to obey, Swaying requires a bit of finesse. You might lie or deceive them, or you might use a more subtle form of persuasion. It’s important to note that Sway is less about raw power and more about social manipulation.

Sway tends to work best when the person is already somewhat inclined to listen to you or be convinced. You’re trying to nudge them in the right direction. If you’re dealing with a complete enemy, you may have a tougher time Swaying them, and Commanding might be more effective.

Sway also covers seduction or charm, but it’s not always romantic in nature. It can be about building rapport and convincing someone of your point of view, whether by telling the truth, lying, or spinning a complex web of deceit. Success often depends on how well you’ve prepared the target to be receptive to your message.

Tinker

When you Tinker, you fiddle with devices, mechanisms, or substances. You might repair a clockwork device or pick a lock. You might craft a gadget or create a poison. You could try to handle an arcane machine, but Attuning might be better. You can run a mechanical vehicle, but Finesse might be better. You can use explosives to demolish, but Wreck might be better.

GM Questions

• What do you tinker with? How do you approach it?
• What do you hope to achieve?

Tinkering involves the careful and skilled manipulation of physical devices, tools, and substances. Whether you’re creating, repairing, or disabling, you’ll rely on a deep understanding of how things work. Tinkering is the go-to action for those who specialize in invention and machinery, and it’s often paired with the crafting system for more elaborate creations.

Tinkering isn’t limited to mundane technology. It can also be used for arcane devices, though working with those might involve some Attuning as well, depending on the situation. If you’re trying to understand or repair something magical, you might need to use a combination of both skills to achieve the desired effect. Locks, traps, gadgets, and poisons all fall under the purview of Tinkering. It’s a versatile action that rewards creativity and technical expertise, allowing you to manipulate the environment or create specialized tools to give your crew an edge.

Greyhawk: The crafting of objects is traditionally organized into guilds with very specialized skills. Tinker cannot do this, unless you get a special ability making it so. Tinker makes a wide variety of functional items, but they're prototypes, less elegant and less precise that what guilded craftsmen makes.

Wreck

When you Wreck, you unleash savage force. You might smash down a door or wreck a barricade. You might employ chaos and destruction to create distractions or disturbances. You could try to destroy someone’s resolve (but Swaying might be better).

GM Questions

• What do you wreck? What method do you use?
• What are you hoping to destroy or disrupt?

Wrecking is about brute force and causing destruction, whether it’s physical or psychological. You might tear down a structure, break an object, or cause widespread chaos to achieve your goal. Wrecking isn’t subtle, but it’s effective when you need to create a distraction or remove an obstacle in a hurry.

Wrecking isn’t always about violence—it can also be about destabilizing a situation. For instance, you could Wreck someone’s confidence or mental fortitude by relentlessly breaking down their arguments or turning the crowd against them. However, in most cases, Wreck is about physical destruction, and it’s best used when subtlety has gone out the window.

Wrecking is about raw strength, and this can be used to do impressive physical tasks such as heavy lifting, short climbs, and resisting physical strain.