Actions (IB)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark space hack

Actions represent what your character does in the world, from sneaking through shadows to breaking down doors or persuading a crowd. Each action is broad, covering a variety of skills and approaches, and they overlap in ways that let you choose how to tackle challenges. Your approach determines the action you roll—whether it’s brute force, careful precision, or quick thinking.

Actions are about consequences: if there are no consequences you usually don't bother to roll. A failed or opposed roll can lead to unexpected complications, while what happens on a success depends on your effect. Think creatively, play to your strengths, and remember that even failures can drive the story forward.

Even situations that seem simple has a controlled position, with the consequence being that increase the difficulty of future actions; they became more alert, your method of choice is not applicable.

List of Actions

The actions of Icarus Burning, sorted alphabetically by attribute.

Insight	Prowess	Resolve
Hack	Lunar	Command
Helm	Micro	Consort
Mark	Rig	Judge
Study	Terran	Sway

Attribute and Action Descriptions

Insight

Insight is a measure of intellectual width and the ability to see problems before they happen. It is used to resist consequences from using related actions and intellectual conundrums. Your value in Insight is equal to the number of related action you have at least one dot in.

Study

When you Study, you collate information, scrutinize details, and interpret observations to uncover hidden truths, corroborate evidence, and guide decisions. Study is often used to Gather Information or Set Up another action by identifying problems and opportunities.

Study can convince others through debate using facts and logic. This is a niche use and works best on those who are also learned in Study. The facts of the matter are important; debating someone into believing a falsehood is difficult.

Study excels in research, whether preparing for a score or pursuing a long-term project. You use Study to gather information from documents, newspapers, books, or research an esoteric topic. You can make educated guesses about where to find information. Do you want to learn which noble has the best art collection with the worst security? Estimate how many rioting prisoners it would take to overwhelm the jail guards? Study provides precise answers when you take the time to focus.

Use Study to "read" a person, judging whether they’re lying, what they want, or their intentions. Study notices small details—expressions, tone, or subtle clues that reveal hidden truths. During interactions, you can gather information by asking the GM questions such as, “Are they telling the truth?”

Study can also reconstruct events. Ask questions like, “What happened here?”, “What did they want?”, “Who left this track?” This overlaps with Survey, which scans for big-picture insights, and Hunt, which follows trails to locate a target. Study focuses on precise, detailed understanding, whereas Survey and Hunt excel in broader or more active contexts.

Languages If your game tracks knowledge of languages, you know Common, your racial language, and a number of additional languages equal to your Study rating. Learning root languages offers broader understanding, while exposure teaches you the dialects you’ve encountered.

• Study evidence of a spirit, though Attune offers deeper insight at greater risk.
• Understand a society or court. Consort is quicker but less precise and helps you fit in.
• Analyze a mechanism. Any action can help you understand equipment you use, Tinker can both identify and modify things.

GM Questions

• What do you study?
• What details or evidence do you scrutinize?
• Would someone of your background know this?
• What do you hope to understand?

Effect The effect of Study is less direct than other Actions, often providing critical context or uncovering opportunities:

• Limited effect: You gain general warnings or surface-level information. “They have flamethrowers!”
• Standard effect: You analyze the situation and uncover useful context. “These are veterans from the wars—they know how to use their flamethrowers!”
• Great effect: You identify specific vulnerabilities or key details. “Those backpacks hold high-pressure napalm—blast them!”

Consequences Study consequences often cause delays, but serious consequences may lead to poor decisions:

• You realize you lack sufficient knowledge and must find a source to learn more.
• Your findings are incomplete or contain false details.
• Time becomes critical: “Just a few more minutes…”
• You make a breakthrough but require something specific: “I know a cure! Now we just need silvershine flowers!”

Powers Analyze and learn the history of your Form.

Playbooks: Artificer, Cleric, Occultist, Sage, Wizard.

Prowess

Prowess is a measure of physical sturdiness and the ability to roll with blows. It is used to resist consequences from using related actions and physical ailments. Your value in Prowess is equal to the number of related actions you have at least one dot in.

Resolve

Resolve is a measure of self-confidence and integrity and the ability to control your own decisions and reactions. It is used to resist consequences from using related actions as well as mental and spiritual effects. Your value in Resolve is equal to the number of related actions you have at least one dot in.

Command

When you Command, you compel swift obedience. You might intimidate, threaten, or assert authority to get what you want. You might lead a gang or team in a Group Action. You might leverage power, rank, status, or social expectations to enforce compliance.

You can use Authority when you have the right or are their superior. You only need to roll if the situation is tense, you're ordering them to take risks, or there are conflicting orders or hierarchies; when there is a no danger and a clear chain of command, Authority is automatic.

Intimidation involves commanding those over whom you have no authority, leveraging violence, economic power, social status, or other advantages. More advanced intimidation can include verbal threats or subtle one-upmanship woven into conversation, aggravating the target less and causing less Heat while still getting things done.

Command can partly overcome language barriers, but commands must be simple, clear, and direct. It can even apply to non-sapients, such as animals or monsters. Commanding animals trained with or imprinted on you is a form of Authority. Commanding other creatures is essentially Intimidation and requires leverage, which can be as simple as a whip. Commands to non-intelligent creatures or across language barriers must be simple, such as: heel, stay, attack, or guard.

You use Command to lead a Group Action. You coordinate efforts, while the rest of the group's actions solve the problem. This is particularly useful for leading cohorts or NPC groups: you roll Command, and the cohort rolls its quality. Your Command represents leadership and coordination, while their rolls represent their execution of the task.

Command is a brutally direct social interaction. Consorting may be better if you’re seeking mutual understanding, while Sway might work better for negotiation or manipulation. Consort can be used to disguise yourself as someone who has authority, working as a Set Up action for your Command. Commanding a friend or ally can be disrespectful and may worsen your relation unless you have explicit authority or a strong justification.

• You can Command to compel action, but Sway can convince without leverage.
• You can assert authority to gain respect, but Consort fosters stronger bonds.
• You can lead a group action using Command, but other participants must contribute the appropriate Actions.

GM Questions

• Who do you command, and how do you do it? What’s your leverage?
• What do you hope they’ll do, and what might happen if they refuse?

Effect Command has two main functions: authority and intimidation. Both require leverage (rank, status, or threat). In asserting authority, the required effect depends on your relative position of power or influence. For intimidation, the effect determines how subtle your methods can be while remaining effective.

Effect Levels for Command

Effect Level	Authority	Intimidation
Limited	Command those under your authority, such as lower-ranked members of your organization or when a police officer commands a civilian.	Physical intimidation (e.g., gestures, threats of violence).
Standard	Command subordinates not under your direct authority, such as lower ranks of a different organization.	Spoken intimidation (e.g., direct threats or stern orders).
Great	Command equals in your organization or social inferiors in general.	Subtle intimidation while maintaining decorum.

Consequences of Command: Using Command can create risks or complications based on the situation, such as:

• Resentment leading to Heat.
• A group action faltering or group members suffering due to poor cohesion or defiance.
• Escalating conflict with a rival faction or authority figure.
• Immediate backlash leading to a setback or Harm.

Consort

This action involves socializing, from navigating slums with streetwise charm to mingling with high society using courtly etiquette.

When you Consort, you engage with friends, contacts, or strangers by following social conventions. You might gain access to resources, information, people, or places, make a good impression, or win someone over with charm and style. Consorting can help you forge new connections, reinforce old ones, or tap into your heritage or background.

Consort works when both parties care (even slightly) about what the other thinks. It relies on openness, charm, and social skill. You can Consort with people you know or try to “fit in” and make a good impression in unfamiliar settings.

Consorting requires an environment that isn’t overtly hostile. For instance, you might Consort with fellow prisoners in a chain gang, but not with the assassin sent to kill you. Engaging with those tied to your heritage or background grants better position and/or increased effect.

Sometimes, Consorting sets up another action. For example, to speak with Lord Scurlock at a party, you may need to Consort with guests to reach his table. Sway often follows Consort to convince new allies to act on your behalf, or for more complex or intimate requests. Command rarely pairs well with Consort, as subordinates lack freedom for genuine interaction.

Consort also covers adopting roles, such as acting or disguising yourself to fit into a social setting. Proper attire often plays a crucial role in success.

Consort faces challenges with Tier. When interacting with lower Tiers, your power or status can hinder instead of helping. Dressing down might be necessary to blend in. Conversely, lower-ranked crew members often find it easier to socialize with those of similar status.

Performances: Your Consort rating determines how many performance arts you know, such as playing instruments (string, percussion, wind, keyboard), dancing (stage or social), or conjuring (sleight of hand and fake magic).

• Use Consort to direct others with social pressure, though Command or Sway might fit better.
• Blend into a crowd, but Prowl may work better for stealth, and Finesse might help move quickly through a throng.
• Understand social hierarchies, but Study might provide deeper insights.
• Engage in social dancing; use Finesse for intricate moves or Sway for intimate dances.
• Dress appropriately for a setting, but Command might help maintain an assumed social rank.

GM Questions

• Who are you Consorting with? Where are you meeting them? What are you discussing?
• What are you hoping to achieve?

Effect The effect required for Consort depends on how familiar you are with the situation. You only need to roll Consort when interacting with strangers or trying to gain favors.

• Limited Effect: Mingling with friends or established social settings.
• Standard Effect: Acting in an unfamiliar setting or with important strangers present.
• Great Effect: Consorting with absolute strangers or aliens.

Consequences: Consort consequences often stem from your environment or the tensions of social ambition. Simple interactions with friends rarely require rolls.

• In a ballroom, you’re unexpectedly asked to dance.
• At a slum gathering, someone picks your pocket.
• That punch was spiked!
• While negotiating with a strange tribe, you discover they consider redheads witches to be burned.

Sway

When you Sway, you influence someone with guile, charm, or logic. You might lie convincingly, persuade someone to act against their instincts, or argue a point with charisma. Sway works best when there’s some common ground, allowing you to nudge the target toward agreement.

Sway is about convincing people to do things they otherwise wouldn’t. Routine interactions, like renting a room from an innkeeper or buying legal goods from a merchant, typically don’t require Sway rolls. Bargaining might involve Sway, but only in scenes where the stakes or outcomes are significant.

Sway covers seduction and charm, though it’s not always romantic—it can involve building rapport, creating trust, or spinning a web of deceit. Success depends on how well you’ve prepared the target to be receptive to your message. Shared goals or mutual benefits strengthen your case: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” or “We both profit from this deal.”

Sway faces challenges when dealing with people of lower Tier, just like it has issues with character of higher tier. The poor often distrust the powerful, so using a middleman or disguise can help. Crew members who appear humble or of lower rank may find persuasion easier. This Tier penalty applies to personal conversations but not to public displays like grandstanding or speeches.

Swaying someone involves blending words, logic, and charm to get them to see things your way. While pure logic falls under Study, Sway mixes reasoning with enthusiasm and charisma to make your case compelling.

Sway relies on finesse and subtlety, using social manipulation to persuade, deceive, or build trust, while Command compels obedience through direct force and authority. Sway works best when the target is inclined to listen—you’re nudging them rather than forcing them. For complete enemies or resistant targets, Command may prove more effective.

• You can cajole a manifested spirit, but Attune can communicate with spirits in the ether.
• You can trick someone with fear or authority, but Command is more direct.
• You can hold a convincing speech, but Command might be better at inspiring or rallying.
• You can interrogate, but Command may be faster, and Study may yield clearer information.
• Sway mingles with individuals, Consort lets you engage the entire room.

GM Questions

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

Effect Sway is about convincing people, so who can you convince?

• Limited effect: Convince people to follow expectations or act in their own self-interest.
• Standard effect: Convince people to do something that doesn’t involve risk or make a fair transaction.
• Great effect: Convince people to take risks or do foolish things that give others an advantage.

Consequences

• They misunderstand or miss certain points in your agreement.
• They have second thoughts or report the incident.
• They bargain for more favors from you.
• The negotiations take more time than expected.