Action Taxonomy

Purpose

This document defines the base actions available in TDGS.

It establishes:

• The categories of actions (Physical, Mental, Magical, Utility, Defensive)
• The stat pairings for each action
• The cost of each action (Action, Free, or Interrupt)
• Optional expansions for Technology and Psionics
• The foundation that Skills and Abilities build upon

This document builds upon Document 3 (Resolution Mechanics) and Document 4 (Luck). All actions use the core resolution formula defined in those documents.

What Is an Action?

An action is any discrete thing an entity does that requires resolution.

DecimancerD10

"Everything is an action. Swinging a sword? Action. Telling a lie? Action. Praying for divine fire? Action. The only question is: what does it cost you, and what do you roll?"

Meet Decimancer →

Actions have three properties:

• TYPE: What category (Physical, Mental, Magical, Utility, Defensive)
• STATS: What you roll (Your Stat vs Their Stat, or Your Stat vs Difficulty)
• COST: What it takes (Action, Free, or Interrupt)

When an action targets another entity, you roll against their stat. When an action targets the environment, an object, or a challenge with no defender, you roll against a Difficulty, which is a virtual stat assigned by the GM (or defined by the object/challenge itself).

The resolution formula remains constant:

Whether the opposing stat belongs to a creature or is a Difficulty assigned to a lock, a cliff, or a computer system, the math works the same way.

Action Costs

Every action has a cost.

Action

The default cost. You get one Action per turn. Using it consumes your turn's primary activity.

Most things that matter cost an Action: attacking, casting spells, complex maneuvers, focused mental effort.

Free

Costs nothing. Can be performed alongside your Action.

Free actions are limited or restricted in some way. A Step is free but limited to once per turn and adjacent movement only. Simple interactions are free but require no resolution.

Interrupt

Special timing. Fires in response to something else, outside normal turn order.

Interrupts are never free. They come from Skills, Abilities, Spells, or Readied actions. A character with no relevant abilities has no Interrupts available.

"You don't get to react just because you want to. Reaction is a skill. The untrained take hits. The trained have options."

Difficulty as Virtual Stat

When an action has no defender, the GM assigns a Difficulty, which functions as a virtual stat.

The core formula remains unchanged:

Standard Difficulty Scale

A character with a stat of 10 attempting a Moderate (10) challenge has a 50% success rate, exactly as if they were facing an opponent with the same stat.

Objects and Challenges Have Stats

Some objects and challenges have predefined virtual stats:

• A simple lock might have DEX 5
• A quality lock might have DEX 10
• A masterwork lock might have DEX 15
• A legendary vault might have DEX 25

This allows the same formula to handle both opposed actions (fighting a goblin) and non-opposed actions (picking a lock). The goblin has REF. The lock has virtual DEX. The math is identical.

Physical Actions

Actions involving the body: combat, movement, stealth, pursuit.

Tetrahex the ObscureD4

"Step is the dance. Move is the retreat. Know which one you're doing before you do it."

Meet Tetrahex the Obscure →

Mental Actions

Actions involving the mind: persuasion, deception, insight, knowledge.

Breaking Concentration

When you take damage while concentrating, you must make a Concentration check:

Small damage can be shrugged off. Large damage overwhelms focus.

Voluntary End

You may end your own concentration at any time (free action, no roll required).

Multiple Concentrations

By default, an entity can only concentrate on one effect at a time. Starting concentration on a new effect ends the previous one. Abilities MAY override this limit.

"FOCUS IS A FINITE RESOURCE. THE MIND HOLDS ONE THING PERFECTLY OR MANY THINGS POORLY. WHEN THE BLOW LANDS, THE QUESTION IS SIMPLE: IS YOUR WILL STRONGER THAN YOUR PAIN?"

Magical Actions

Actions involving supernatural power: casting, countering, identifying.

"Arcane is what you know. Divine is what knows you. Both bend reality. Neither asks permission."

Utility Actions

Actions that support, prepare, or interact with the environment.

Flamey Eight-ballD8

"Help is the most underrated action in any system. +2 doesn't sound like much until it's the difference between hit and miss, success and death."

Meet Flamey Eight-ball →

Defensive Actions

Actions that protect you from harm. Unlike other categories, Defensive Actions are never available by default. They require Skills, Abilities, or Spells.

Base Defense

By default, your REF IS your defense. Attackers roll against it. You do not roll.

This is not an action. It is simply how defense works. A peasant with no combat training still has REF, and attackers must overcome it.

Active Defense (Requires Ability)

Characters with defensive Skills or Abilities may use Interrupts to enhance their defense when attacked.

• Dodge: Use an Interrupt to add a bonus to your effective REF for one attack. The specific bonus depends on your Dodge skill level.
• Block: Use an Interrupt to reduce damage from one attack. The specific reduction depends on your Block skill level and shield.
• Parry: Use an Interrupt to deflect an attack and potentially counter. The specific effect depends on your Parry skill level.

These are not base actions. They are granted by the Skills system (Document 7: Abilities).

"EVERYONE HAS REF. THAT IS PASSIVE. THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE. WHAT YOU DO WHEN THE BLOW COMES, THAT IS SKILL. THAT IS WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED. THE UNTRAINED STAND THERE AND HOPE. THE TRAINED MOVE."

Extending the Taxonomy

This document defines the base actions available in TDGS, plus optional expansions for Technology and Psionics. It is not exhaustive.

Game Masters may create additional actions appropriate to their setting, following the patterns established in the Technology and Psionics sections:

• Nautical settings: Navigate (WIS vs Difficulty), Command Crew (CHA vs Difficulty)
• Political intrigue: Scheme (INT vs INT), Rally (CHA vs Difficulty)
• Horror settings: Resist Fear (WIS vs Difficulty), Banish (WIS vs Entity's WIS)
• Superhero settings: Power Stunt (varies), Monologue (CHA vs WIS)

When creating new actions, follow this pattern:

1. Name the action
2. Assign the Action Type (Physical, Mental, Magical, Utility)
3. Determine the stat pairing (Attacker vs Defender, or Attacker vs Difficulty)
4. Set the cost (Action, Free with limits, or Interrupt with requirements)

The resolution formula remains constant:

Summary Tables

By Cost

Actions (1 per turn)

• Physical: Melee Attack, Ranged Attack, Grapple, Shove, Hide, Search, Chase, Flee, Move
• Mental: Persuade, Intimidate, Deceive, Insight, Recall Knowledge, Concentrate
• Magical: Cast Spell, Dispel, Identify
• Utility: Use Item, Interact (Complex), Ready, Help
• Technology: Hack, Interface, Scan, Repair, Override
• Psionics: Mind Probe, Telepathy, Telekinesis, Dominate, Psi Sense

Free

• Step (once per turn)
• Interact (Simple)
• Delay
• Telepathy (willing target)

Interrupt (Requires Ability)

• Dodge, Block, Parry
• Readied actions (when triggered)

By Stat Used

Status

This document defines the base action taxonomy for TDGS. All actions in the system either appear in this document or extend from it using the patterns defined here.

Skills, Abilities, Spells, and Traits may create new actions or modify existing ones. Those modifications are defined in their respective documents.