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This page explains the timekeeping model and action economy that Trinity uses.
  
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If you are familiar with standard d20, some of this page will make sense to you, but a lot of new concepts are presented here to expand the scope of timekeeping beyond combat.
! colspan="9;" style="background:#CD950C;" align="center"|<div style="margin-left:0px;"><font color="white" style="font-size:13.5px; font-family:tahoma;">The Archer</font></div>
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|-
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|width="5%"|'''Level'''
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|width="10%" align="left"|'''BAB'''
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|width="15%"|'''Fort'''
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|width="15%"|'''Ref'''
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|width="15%"|'''Will'''
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|width="40%" align="left"|'''Special'''
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|1 || align="left"|+1 || +0 || +2 || +0 || align="left"|Point Blank Shot, Archery
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|-style="background:#FFD94F;"
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|2 || align="left"|+2 || +0 || +3 || +0 || align="left"|Bowcraft, Take Aim
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|3 || align="left"|+3 || +1 || +3 || +1 || align="left"|Archery
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|-style="background:#FFD94F;"
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|4 || align="left"|+4 || +1 || +4 || +1 || align="left"|Defensive Shot
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|5 || align="left"|+5 || +1 || +4 || +1 || align="left"|Favored Bow, Archery
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|6 || align="left"|+6/+1 || +2 || +5 || +2 || align="left"|
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|-
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|7 || align="left"|+7/+2 || +2 || +5 || +2 || align="left"|Archery
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|8 || align="left"|+8/+3 || +2 || +6 || +2 || align="left"|
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|-
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|9 || align="left"|+9/+4 || +3 || +6 || +3 || align="left"|Archery
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|-style="background:#FFD94F;"
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|10 || align="left"|+10/+5 || +3 || +7 || +3 || align="left"|Archer Talent
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|-style="background:#FFD94F;"
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|12 || align="left"|+12/+7/+2 || +4 || +8 || +4 || align="left"|Archer Talent
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|-style="background:#FFD94F;"
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|14 || align="left"|+14/+9/+4 || +4 || +9 || +4 || align="left"|Archer Talent
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|16 || align="left"|+16/+11/+6/+1 || +5 || +10 || +5 || align="left"|Archer Talent
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|18 || align="left"|+18/+13/+8/+3 || +6 || +11 || +6 || align="left"|Archer Talent
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|20 || align="left"|+20/+15/+10/+5 || +6 || +12 || +6 || align="left"|Archer Talent
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=Timekeeping and Action Economy=
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The notion of proper timekeeping being a necessary component of tabletop RPGs goes all the way back to Gygax. I find this ironic given that the early editions of D&D largely lacked a sensible timekeeping model and action economy, and the idea of tracking literal minutes in an adventuring day is cumbersome at best and absolutely insane at worst. That said, there is certainly merit to the idea, and - indeed - to accommodate more interesting mechanics that cover more territory than just combat, we need more means of tracking time that aren't annoying.
  
=Archer=
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==Combat Time==
[[Image:archer.jpg|thumb|375px|right|Silaqui, iconic archer]]
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The smallest units of time we track is ''combat time'', which is something of a misnomer because it also covers things like navigating cliffs or other exploration hazards. However, this part of the timekeeping system in Trinity is a legacy holdover from D&D, in which it was used exclusively for combat, so: there it is.
: ''"Quieter than a gun, better range than a sword."''
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The archer excels in combat at a distance, using skill, speed, and accuracy to deadly effect. A standard and distinct fantasy archetype, unlike any other warrior focused on a specific weapon or weapon group, the archer has little use for the typical trappings of warriors – she values agility and skill over brute force and weapon prowess. An experienced archer can be more adept than a fighter bowman, more dedicated than the ranger stylist, faster than a hasted barbarian, and deadlier than the most cunning assassin – and can bring all four down in a storm of arrows.
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''Combat time'' is tracked in ''rounds'', units of time that cover 6 seconds. Each participant in the encounter (generally) has a ''turn'' in each ''round'', in which they can take a number of ''actions''. Some effects allow characters to have more than one ''turn'', while other effects can cause a character to lose their ''turn''.
  
Archer is a profession often pursued by humans, elves, and half-elves.
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===Initiating Combat Time===
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When an encounter occurs, all participants roll ''initiative''. This is d20 + your level bonus + the best of your Dexterity, Intelligence, and Bravery modifiers. Some effects may give you a bonus or penalty to this roll.
  
==Game Rule Information==
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Once all participants have rolled ''initiative'', play proceeds in order from highest to lowest ''initiative''. Once the participant with the lowest ''initiative'' has taken their ''turn'', the ''round'' ends and a new one begins, starting with the participant with the highest ''initiative''.
Archers have the following game statistics.
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'''[[The_Forces#Force_Alignment | Force Alignment]]:''' None.
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===Combat Action Economy===
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During your ''turn'', there are four primary types of actions you can take: ''full'', ''standard'', ''move'', and ''free''.
  
'''[[The_Forces#Force_Resistance | Force Resistances]]:''' None.
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On a normal turn, you gain one ''standard'' and one ''move'' action. You can combine one ''standard'' and one ''move'' into a ''full'' action. You can convert a ''standard'' into a ''move''. You can take as many ''free'' actions as you like, within reason (typically three or four at most).
  
'''Abilities:''' Dexterity is absolutely vital to the archer, as her prowess with the bow and ability to dodge blows depend upon it. Wisdom and Strength also benefit many class skills, with Strength allowing her to wield mighty bows. Lightly armored, the archer benefits greatly from a high Constitution score to survive attacks.
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===Basic Actions in Combat Time===
  
'''Hit Die:''' d8.
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===Combat Time at the Table===
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In general, after each of your actions, the DM will acknowledge it and, if appropriate, let you know what the effects of your action were.
  
'''Class Skills:''' The archer’s class skills are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spot (Per), and Survival (Wis).
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Due to the very small timescales involved, the overall situation will generally not change much, though there are exceptions. Combat is fast and fast-paced; in general, you probably won't find it necessary to talk much or analyze the situation too greatly, beyond what's necessary to use your abilities as you see fit.
  
'''Skill Points at Each Level:''' 4 + Int.
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==Exploration Time==
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One step above ''combat time'' is ''exploration time''. This is an entirely novel concept to Trinity (and is partially imported from ''Journey'', a game system we worked on for several years) and is not in any iteration of D&D, so this is where things start to get weird if you're used to that. This time track is used when exploring a particular location, like a city or a dungeon, but not used for overland travel.
  
'''Alignment:''' Any.
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''Exploration time'' is tracked in ''hands'' and ''watches''. A ''hand'' is a unit of time that covers roughly 12 minutes, while a ''watch'' covers 20 ''hands'', or 4 hours. So five ''hands'' equal an hour, and six ''watches'' equal a day.
  
'''Starting Age:''' As a fighter.
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The real-world duration of a ''hand'' comes from an interest in codifying the amount of time a ''short rest'' takes, which in D&D 4e, is "about 10 minutes." "Rounding" that up to 12 minutes lets us fit 5 in an hour, which is a good number for multiplying when we try to figure out how many "exploration turns" a day or a few hours consist of.
  
'''Starting Gold:''' 6d4 x 10gp.
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During a ''hand'', characters are assumed to be taking their actions more or less simultaneously. Thus, while we use ''initiative'' in exploration time, this is primarily for bookkeeping purposes and to ensure that everyone gets to act; during your turn, you only declare actions, you don't get to see their resolution until the end of the ''hand''. Once all characters have declared their actions, those actions are all resolved simultaneously.  
  
'''Favored By:''' [[Selkie | Selkies]].
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===Exploration Action Economy===
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During each ''hand'', there are four primary types of actions you can take: ''broad'', ''narrow'', ''traversal'', and ''quick''.
  
==Class Features==
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On a normal turn, you gain one ''narrow'' and one ''traversal'' action. You can combine one ''narrow'' and one ''traversal'' into a ''broad'' action. You can convert a ''narrow'' into a ''traversal''. You can take as many ''quick'' actions as you like, within reason (typically three or four at most).
All of the following are class features of the archer.
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'''Weapons and Armor Proficiency:''' Archers are proficient with all simple weapons and all martial bows. They are proficient with light armor but not with shields.
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===Basic Actions in Exploration Time===
  
'''Archery [1st/3rd/5th/7th/9th]:''' The archer masters the bow and arrow. At the indicated levels, she gains the benefit of one of the following feats for which she qualifies: Deflect Arrows, Far Shot, Improved Critical (Any bow), Improved Mounted Archery [CWar], Improved Precise Shot, Improved Rapid Shot [CWar], Manyshot, Mounted Archery, Precise Shot, Ranged Disarm [CWar], Ranged Pin [CWar], Ranged Sunder [CWar], Rapid Shot, Sharp-Shooting [CWar], Shot on the Run, Snatch Arrows, or Weapon Focus (Any bow).
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===Exploration Time at the Table===
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Exploration time is significantly more "fast and loose" than combat time. After the DM describes the results of actions taken during a given ''hand'', you should feel free to discuss with other players what you discovered, if anything, and decide what your next actions will be.
  
'''Point Blank Shot:''' She receives the Point Blank Shot feat for free.
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Remember that a ''hand'' represents twelve minutes' worth of actual time. Unless you're being actively stealthy, that gives your characters quite a bit of time to discuss options and what's going on around them.
  
'''Bowcraft [2nd level]:''' The archer receives a +2 bonus on all Craft (Bowmaking) checks.
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==Adventuring Time==
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Above exploration time is ''adventuring time'', which is used to track overland travel.
  
'''Take Aim [2nd level]:''' By aiming carefully, she can dramatically increase the accuracy of her arrow. As full-round action, the archer can Take Aim at a stationary target with a single arrow, granting her a +4 circumstance bonus to her attack roll. She can choose to continue to Take Aim for an additional number of rounds equal to half her archer level. Each additional round spent Taking Aim requires a Concentration check (DC 15 + 2 for each round aiming beyond the 1st round); success adds another +2 bonus to her attack roll with the pending arrow, failure requires her to let loose her arrow the round she fails the check or lose any accumulated bonuses. The archer can accumulate a maximum Aim bonus no higher than 4 + her archer level.
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''Adventuring time'' is tracked in ''compasses'' and ''cycles''. A ''compass'' covers about 60 minutes, while a ''cycle'' covers roughly a day, so there are 24 ''compasses'' in a ''cycle''. You might ask - why have a separate term for day? Because some settings might have weird days that last 28 hours or something, and we don't want to make assumptions about the setting.
 
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While aiming, the archer is considered to have a readied action to fire her arrow should the target move or attempt to move out of range. She loses all aiming bonuses if the target moves more than 5 feet from its position when the archer began to Take Aim.
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If she takes damage while Taking Aim, the archer must succeed at a Concentration check (DC 10 + damage dealt) or lose any accumulated Take Aim bonuses and have her aim disrupted. Even succeeding at the check requires her to let loose her arrow that round or lose her accumulated bonuses. Take Aim does not stack with other bonuses based on aiming at a target.
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'''Favored Bow [5th level]:''' The archer’s arrows strike with deadly effect. She gains the Weapon Specialization feat in any bow in which she is proficient, even if she does not qualify for the feat.
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'''Defensive Shot [8th level]:''' She learns to fire her bow even in the heat of battle without leaving herself vulnerability to attacks. The archer gains the Defensive Shot feat for free, even if she does not qualify for the feat, allowing her to fire a single arrow each round without provoking an attack of opportunity from threatening foes.
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'''Archer Talent [10th/12th/14th/16th/18th/20th level]:''' The archer learns unusual maneuvers with the bow and arrow, such as ricocheting arrows off walls or peppering her enemies with volleys of arrows. At 11th level and every three levels thereafter, she may select one of the following special abilities; unless otherwise noted, each special ability can selected only once:
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* ''Advanced Archery:'' The archer can select an additional feat from the Archery class feature, which she enjoys when in no more than light armor. In addition to those feats on the Archery list, the archer can select as a standard bonus feat (which she enjoys regardless of armor worn) one of the following feats for which she qualifies: Greater Weapon Focus (Any bow), Greater Weapon Specialization (Any bow), Weapon Focus (Any bow), or Weapon Specialization (Any bow). She may substitute her archer level for any required fighter level when qualifying for a feat selected. New feats are listed at the end of this post. Advanced Archery can be taken multiple times.
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* ''Armored Archery:'' She can now use her Archery feats when wearing no more than Medium armor – although this special ability does not grant proficiency in any armor. Taken twice, Armored Archery allows her to use Archery feats regardless of armor worn.
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* ''Bow Mastery:'' She selects any bow in which she enjoys Weapon Specialization, such as her Favored Bow. When using this weapon, she enjoys an additional +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls. Bow Mastery can be taken multiple times, applying to a different bow each time.
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* ''Critical Shot:'' She selects any bow in which she enjoys Weapon Specialization, such as her Favored Bow. When using this weapon, the threat range is increased by 1 (from 19-20 to 18-20, for example), which stacks with other effects increasing threat range, and the archer enjoys a +2 bonus to her confirming critical rolls. Critical Shot can be taken multiple times, applying to a different bow each time.
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* ''Deadly Precision:'' As a standard action, she can fire a single arrow at a target that deals an additional 1d8 points of damage; she may use this ability in conjunction with Take Aim and Sneak Attack. Deadly Precision can be taken multiple times.
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* ''Eagle-Eyed:'' Her eyes are sharp. Any ranged penalty the archer suffers when using a bow is decreased by 1. For example, an archer using a longbow now suffers only a –1 penalty when firing at targets between 100 and 199 feet away, a –3 penalty to targets between 200 and 299 feet away, etc. Eagle-Eyed can be taken multiple times, each time reducing the penalty by –1 (to no lower than -1).
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* ''Evasion:'' If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. An extraordinary ability, Evasion can be used only if the archer is in no more than light armor, carrying no more than a light load, and not rendered helpless.
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* ''Pepper Shot:'' Once per day as a full attack action, the archer can fire a flurry of arrows at a single target. She can fire two additional arrows at the target than her BAB would normally allow, and each arrow strikes at her highest BAB with a –2 penalty. For example, an archer with a +14/+9/+4 BAB can fire five arrows at a single target at +12/+12/+12/+12/+12. Pepper Shot cannot be combined with other effects that increase the number of arrows fired per round, such as Rapid Shot.
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* ''Ricochet Shot:'' As a full round action, the archer can fire a single arrow at a target within 20 feet of the face of a wall (but not against the wall), ricochet the arrow off the wall, and strike the target, which is considered flat-footed for the purposes of Sneak Attack damage even if aware of the archer’s presence. Trick Shot also allows the archer to ignore one step of a target’s cover (three-quarters becomes one-half, etc.), if any, and to strike an unseen target just around a corner as if it only had three-quarters cover, as long as the archer is aware of the target (can see a shadow, can hear its voice, etc.) and the target is within 10 feet of the targeted wall.
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* ''Snipe:'' She gains +1d6 Sneak Attack damage on ranged attacks against targets within 30 feet. Each time Snipe is selected, the bonus increases by +1d6.
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* ''Trick Shot:'' Whenever the archer uses a special attack with her bow, the maximum range is increased by 30 feet. You can take this talent multiple times.
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* ''Volley of Arrows:'' As a full attack action, the archer can fire an arrow at each target within range, to a maximum of one target per 2 levels of archer. Each arrow uses the archer’s highest BAB bonus, and each enemy can only be targeted by a single arrow.
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[[category:Trinity]]
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Latest revision as of 21:58, 26 March 2017

This page explains the timekeeping model and action economy that Trinity uses.

If you are familiar with standard d20, some of this page will make sense to you, but a lot of new concepts are presented here to expand the scope of timekeeping beyond combat.

Timekeeping and Action Economy

The notion of proper timekeeping being a necessary component of tabletop RPGs goes all the way back to Gygax. I find this ironic given that the early editions of D&D largely lacked a sensible timekeeping model and action economy, and the idea of tracking literal minutes in an adventuring day is cumbersome at best and absolutely insane at worst. That said, there is certainly merit to the idea, and - indeed - to accommodate more interesting mechanics that cover more territory than just combat, we need more means of tracking time that aren't annoying.

Combat Time

The smallest units of time we track is combat time, which is something of a misnomer because it also covers things like navigating cliffs or other exploration hazards. However, this part of the timekeeping system in Trinity is a legacy holdover from D&D, in which it was used exclusively for combat, so: there it is.

Combat time is tracked in rounds, units of time that cover 6 seconds. Each participant in the encounter (generally) has a turn in each round, in which they can take a number of actions. Some effects allow characters to have more than one turn, while other effects can cause a character to lose their turn.

Initiating Combat Time

When an encounter occurs, all participants roll initiative. This is d20 + your level bonus + the best of your Dexterity, Intelligence, and Bravery modifiers. Some effects may give you a bonus or penalty to this roll.

Once all participants have rolled initiative, play proceeds in order from highest to lowest initiative. Once the participant with the lowest initiative has taken their turn, the round ends and a new one begins, starting with the participant with the highest initiative.

Combat Action Economy

During your turn, there are four primary types of actions you can take: full, standard, move, and free.

On a normal turn, you gain one standard and one move action. You can combine one standard and one move into a full action. You can convert a standard into a move. You can take as many free actions as you like, within reason (typically three or four at most).

Basic Actions in Combat Time

Combat Time at the Table

In general, after each of your actions, the DM will acknowledge it and, if appropriate, let you know what the effects of your action were.

Due to the very small timescales involved, the overall situation will generally not change much, though there are exceptions. Combat is fast and fast-paced; in general, you probably won't find it necessary to talk much or analyze the situation too greatly, beyond what's necessary to use your abilities as you see fit.

Exploration Time

One step above combat time is exploration time. This is an entirely novel concept to Trinity (and is partially imported from Journey, a game system we worked on for several years) and is not in any iteration of D&D, so this is where things start to get weird if you're used to that. This time track is used when exploring a particular location, like a city or a dungeon, but not used for overland travel.

Exploration time is tracked in hands and watches. A hand is a unit of time that covers roughly 12 minutes, while a watch covers 20 hands, or 4 hours. So five hands equal an hour, and six watches equal a day.

The real-world duration of a hand comes from an interest in codifying the amount of time a short rest takes, which in D&D 4e, is "about 10 minutes." "Rounding" that up to 12 minutes lets us fit 5 in an hour, which is a good number for multiplying when we try to figure out how many "exploration turns" a day or a few hours consist of.

During a hand, characters are assumed to be taking their actions more or less simultaneously. Thus, while we use initiative in exploration time, this is primarily for bookkeeping purposes and to ensure that everyone gets to act; during your turn, you only declare actions, you don't get to see their resolution until the end of the hand. Once all characters have declared their actions, those actions are all resolved simultaneously.

Exploration Action Economy

During each hand, there are four primary types of actions you can take: broad, narrow, traversal, and quick.

On a normal turn, you gain one narrow and one traversal action. You can combine one narrow and one traversal into a broad action. You can convert a narrow into a traversal. You can take as many quick actions as you like, within reason (typically three or four at most).

Basic Actions in Exploration Time

Exploration Time at the Table

Exploration time is significantly more "fast and loose" than combat time. After the DM describes the results of actions taken during a given hand, you should feel free to discuss with other players what you discovered, if anything, and decide what your next actions will be.

Remember that a hand represents twelve minutes' worth of actual time. Unless you're being actively stealthy, that gives your characters quite a bit of time to discuss options and what's going on around them.

Adventuring Time

Above exploration time is adventuring time, which is used to track overland travel.

Adventuring time is tracked in compasses and cycles. A compass covers about 60 minutes, while a cycle covers roughly a day, so there are 24 compasses in a cycle. You might ask - why have a separate term for day? Because some settings might have weird days that last 28 hours or something, and we don't want to make assumptions about the setting.