Action Point System

In the REC forum we make use of a system to determine the number of actions you may take per post and how much of your personal stamina it exhausts to do so. The Action Point System makes use of AP, Action Points, to determine these things for your character. Of course, first, you need to know how to calculate your AP, which is simple enough, just look at your Endurance amount and then add it to the below:

Level 1: 30 AP + Endurance
Level 2: 50 AP + Endurance
Level 3: 80 AP + Endurance
Level 4: 130 AP + Endurance

Now that may seem like quite a few points to be spending all at once, but thats because the system has flood-control and won't allow you to use them all up in a single post, even if you're capable of doing so (which is unlikely). The amount of AP you can spend in any single post is based on your Dexterity amount, which also has a base amount that the Dexterity is added into to.

Level 1: 3 AP + 1/5 Dexterity (1 AP Recovery)
Level 2: 5 AP + 1/5 Dexterity (2 AP Recovery)
Level 3: 7 AP + 1/5 Dexterity (3 AP Recovery)
Level 4: 10 AP + 1/5 Dexterity (5 AP Recovery)

You could easily expend all your AP in a battle, especially at low levels where it takes less than 15 posts for you to consume all of your AP and thus be left stranded. Fortunately, stamina is not a limited thing, and instead it recovers over time as you fail to use it. The recovery rate of AP is stated in parenthesis above, and this amount is regained every post that no action is taken that consumes AP, typically resting or sleeping. The recovery cannot exceed the maximum amount of AP a character possesses.

If a being runs out of AP, they are forced to rest by falling on their knees and collapsing into a coma until they regain at least half of their total AP through normal regeneration of AP. If they do this a second time, then they have a 25% chance of dying every post they spend recovering. If they do this a third time, they automatically die.

Actions of most sorts consume AP and time during a post to perform. When not specified, the action does not take any definite amount of time and may be stacked with other actions during a post so long as the AP to perform them exists. Some actions take more time, and if this is so it is noted, some actions taking a whole post or half of a post to perform. Two half actions occupy a complete post, and a full post occupies a whole post, either way, other actions cannot be taken if the post is occupied. No number of other actions add up to a full post or half post action.

Below is a list of common actions and their AP consumption along with special rules that may be appropriate.

Movement (1AP+): Movement within a post less than 5ft consumes .5 AP, with an additional +1 AP per 5ft added within the limit of the being's Speed alloted movement per post. Dodging attacks using movement consumes the appropriate AP needed to move along with the AP cost of the attack being dodged, plus 1/5th of the attacker's Dexterity. The dodge chance represents an instinctive dodge, the two are not the same as the action is a purposeful dodge that consumes AP.

(Note: Moving up or down is also considered into the movement action, thus jumping, ducking, turning, etc. are included. Using this actions to dodge attacks is considered using the dodge action.)

Attack, Unarmed (2 AP): An unarmed attack with a hand, elbow, knee, foot, or other appropriate body part that deals 2 damage, plus Strength as is appropriate, and consumes 2 AP. Multiple attacks may be made per post, though the AP cost remains per attack, thus making it very expensive to make constant unarmed attacks against opponent.

Attack, Melee (1 AP): All attacks with melee weapons use up 1 AP, and the weapon itself determines the damage and effects. Of course, some weapons are more difficulty to wield and thus consume more AP, but changes such as those are noted in the description of any weapon with such a penalty.

Attack, Firearm (.5 AP): All attacks with firearms use up .5 AP, being easy to use and not requiring much energy either. Guns are, however, limited on ammo and the weapon's clip, once exhausted, must be reloaded. Typically only one bullet is fired per post, but some skills and weapons break this rule.

Attack, Projectile (1 AP): All attacks with thrown projectile weapons, arrows, darts, or other similar things consume 1 AP since they are more difficult to throw then a gun is to fire and are more on par with a melee strike. Some weapons may have special rules which are noted in the weapon's details.

Defend, Self (1 AP): Acting defensively to defend your own body is often done reflexively, but intented defensive actions can also be taken, albeit at the cost of not being able to take other actions in posts in which this action is taken. While defending yourself damage is reduced by 1 point per point of Endurance, rather 1/2 for each point.

Defend, Other (2 AP): This action takes a half post and causes one character to watch another in order to alert the other of any incoming attacks at the cost of losing focus on themselves. While using this action the user is considered as having -5 Dexterity while the person they are watching is considered as having +5 Dexterity. If the person being watched uses the dodge action then they receive a -2 penalty to the AP cost as well.

Reload Firearm (3 AP): Reloading a firearm is a very simple thing in most cases, but its not the sort of thing that can be done without close attention, as the placement and insertion of bullets is usually precise. A bullet on the floor is worse than not in the gun, now you have to bend down and pick it up, leaving yourself vulnerable. Reloading can depend on the gun that is being reloaded, so make sure to take into account any special rules.

(Note: Reloading other forms of weapon are assumed to consume the same amount of AP as reloading a firearm unless it is otherwise specified in its description or special section.)

Change Ammunition (2 AP): Changing ammunition can be done similar to reloading but it is less demanding, though the ammunition you change must still be loaded properly. Changing ammunition is the physical act of withdrawing a change of bullets, new bullets, a new clip, etc. while actually reloading the gun with new ammunition is a separate action.

Switch Weapons (2 AP or .5 AP): Switching weapons is fairly easy, simply store one weapon and pull out another, but that doesn't make it take less time to do. You may opt to just drop a weapon instead of restoring it, which consumes .5 AP instead of the normal 2 AP, though you have to take a .5 action to pick the weapon back up and a 2 AP action to restore it to its appropriate storage location.

Others (? AP): Actions not mentioned may be added in the future as they occur, but in most cases unusual actions have an appropriate AP cost mentioned, or the action is so small that it is considered as not consuming AP (the Action Point system is not designed to handle small movements like nodding, leaning, tilting, breathing, stretching, and other similarly unimportant things in a combat system.) If they are not mentioned, please PM a Staff member and they will see if it needs to be added, or if it consumes no AP.