Each creature in combat—whether hero, adversary, or something in between—gets to take a main action, a maneuver, and a move action on their turn (explained later in this chapter). Each combatant can perform their maneuver and main action in any order, and can break up the movement granted by their move action before, after, or between their maneuver and main action however they like. You can also turn your main action into a move action or a maneuver, so that your turn can alternatively consist of two move actions and a maneuver, or two maneuvers and a move action.
The Movement section below breaks down how your move action works, while the Maneuvers and Main Actions sections break down the baseline maneuvers and main actions your character can undertake. For any activities not specifically covered in those rules, such as cutting down a chandelier to drop on enemies, the Director decides whether such an activity is a maneuver or a main action.
Triggered Actions and Free Triggered Actions
Your hero might have one or more unique triggered actions, each of which has a specified trigger that allows the action to be used. You can use one triggered action per round, either on your turn or another creature’s turn, but only when the action’s trigger occurs. For instance, a fury hero can use the Lines of Force triggered action to force move a target, but only after an enemy has first tried to force move the fury or another nearby creature.
A free triggered action follows the same rules as a triggered action, but it doesn’t count against your limit of one triggered action per round. For instance, a shadow hero can use their Hesitation Is Weakness ability to take their turn in response to the trigger of another hero ending their turn. But because that ability is a free triggered action, the shadow can still use their In All This Confusion triggered action later in the round.
If multiple triggered actions occur in response to the same trigger, any heroes and other player-controlled creatures taking a triggered action or a free triggered action decide among themselves which of those triggered actions are resolved first. Then the Director decides the same for creatures they control.
Any effect that prevents you from using triggered actions also prevents you from using free triggered actions.
Free Maneuvers
Boring stuff like opening an unlocked door, picking up an arrow from the ground, giving an object to an adjacent ally, or drawing a weapon doesn’t require a maneuver or a main action. Rather, you can undertake such straightforward activities as free maneuvers on your turn. A free maneuver follows the same rules as a regular maneuver, but you can typically take as many free maneuvers as you like.
At the Director’s discretion, circumstances could make something that is typically boring more impactful and exciting. For instance, if you need to pick a magic arrow up off the ground during a violent earthquake, what would otherwise be a free maneuver could require a maneuver or a main action to accomplish.
Likewise, the nature of an activity might make it too complicated for a free maneuver. For example, picking up the body of an unconscious talent ally to carry them to safety can probably be done as a free maneuver. But if your Might is lacking and you need to pick up a tactician ally decked out in the Shining Armor kit, the Director might determine that you need to use a regular maneuver to hoist their armored form over your shoulders.
Any effect that prevents you from using maneuvers also prevents you from using free maneuvers.
No-Action Activities
Free maneuvers cover most of the simple activities you might want to undertake on your turn. When it isn’t your turn, you can typically undertake even simpler activities requiring no action with the Director’s approval. For instance, shouting out a warning to an ally or dropping an item so another creature can pick it up require no action.
The Director can limit what kinds of no-action activities you can attempt when it isn’t your turn. For instance, shouting out a warning about an unseen foe to an ally on the ally’s or the foe’s turn requires no action. But the Director might stop you from giving that ally complex tactical advice when it isn’t your turn, saying that doing so instead requires a free maneuver on your turn.