Tactical Mode

Initiative

When the party engages with a threat or dangerous situation in which every second counts, then the GM will announce that they are entering Tactical Mode. Each participant is allocated to a unit. Typically, all the player characters comprise a single unit, with all the enemy combatants comprise another. But if there are multiple factions at play, or environmental effects, then there may be more than two units. A unit could even be comprised of a single creature, such as a large monster.

Each unit will then roll for initiative to determine the turn order. Each unit has its own turn in which all members of that unit can act in an order of their choice. One character from each unit must make an initiative roll to determine the order in which the units act. This roll can be modified based on whether the unit was prepared or surprised, and how many characters are assigned to the unit (see below).

The character that makes the initiative roll is typically the one leading the unit at the time. In the case of the player characters, the PC that is most active in the situation that results in Tactical Mode being invoked is typically the one to make the roll. The players and the GM can work together to determine which character rolls.

The skill used for the initiative roll also depends on these circumstances. Here are the most common examples:

• Roll Discipline when you are acting as a sentry or are otherwise on watch.

• Roll Guile when you are trying to remain undetected.

• Roll Presence when you are instigating a fight while in a social scenario.

• Roll Might when you are pursuing or escaping at speed.

• Roll Reflex when you are caught off-guard. This roll is typically made with -1 or more edge due to being surprised (see below).

The GM may allow different skills to be used based on the circumstances leading up to the roll and the nature of the encounter.

After every participating unit has rolled for initiative, Tactical Mode begins, with each unit acting in descending order of initiative results. In the case of a tie, the unit with the higher event die result acts first. If it's still a tie, determine which unit acts first using a coin flip. Units without characters, such as environmental hazards, act at a point in the turn order of the GM's choice.

When a character rolls for initiative, they have access to the ⮝ Act Quickly boon:

⮝ Act Quickly (18-20). Before Tactical Mode begins, up to three members of your unit (of your choice) can each use a single maneuver.

Prepared and Surprised

A unit's initiative roll gains +2 edge if they are prepared, or -2 edge if they are surprised. Most of the time, units at the start of Tactical Mode are neither prepared nor surprised, making their initiative rolls normally. Player characters who want to get the jump on their enemies should try to prepare ambush scenarios or infiltrate enemy territory as a group. The GM ultimately decides when a unit is prepared or surprised.

Army Penalty

Add -1 edge to the initiative roll for every 3 characters in the unit beyond the first 3. For example, a unit with 1-5 characters would have no army penalty, while a unit with 6-9 characters would have an army penalty of -1 edge, and a unit with 13-15 characters would have an army penalty of -3 edge. This represents the added difficulty of mustering a larger unit as opposed to a smaller, more agile force.

Turns and Rounds

During a unit’s turn, each character in that unit can use an ◕ action and a ➲ maneuver. Characters within the same unit can act in any order they choose, even splitting up their action and maneuver to occur at different points within the turn.

Characters can also use any number of ⨭instants, which are abilities that can be used at any time, even on another unit's turn. However, the same instant cannot be used more than once in the same round (except for Reactions, which can be used any number of times).

A character can spend their action to use a maneuver instead. The ⨭Exert instant allows a character to take 1 Stress (Taxing) on their turn to gain an additional maneuver for that turn. When used together, these two options can allow a character to use 3 maneuvers in a single turn, at the expense of 1 Stress and their action.

See the list of Basic abilities for use in Tactical Mode at the bottom of this page.

Once all members of a unit have acted, the turn moves to the next unit in the initiative sequence. Once every unit has acted, a new round begins, following the same initiative sequence as the first round. The rounds continue until the encounter comes to an end.

Ending Tactical Mode

The end of a Tactical Mode encounter comes when there are no longer any dramatic questions to answer on a round-by-round basis. This could mean one unit makes a hasty retreat, or both sides come to an understanding, or one unit is completely defeated, or a number of other outcomes in which such fast-paced stakes are no longer relevant.

Partway through a combat, the GM may even determine that the results of the encounter are predictable enough that the group may end Encounter Mode and narrate the rest of the encounter rather than playing out every single turn. This option should usually only be implemented when the PCs are clearly on the winning side, however.

Positioning

Typically, when the game shifts into Tactical Mode, the relative positioning of the different participants with regard to the environment is an important aspect to track and manage. This helps establish the distance between spaces for the purposes of movement and range.

Tactical Grid

SOJOURNER is built around the use of a map grid and miniatures or tokens, which are used to track positioning. However, some groups may prefer to use Theater of the Mind or Open Terrain styles of play (see below). Square and hex grids are the most commonly used grid types.

• Square Grids. The benefit of square grids is that they are easy to draw, and you can draw straight lines to represent box-shaped rooms and buildings. The downside is that diagonals are difficult to work with in larger areas, and calculating areas is a chore. For distances, it is recommended to count every second diagonal square as 2 spaces instead of 1.

• Hex Grids. The benefit of hex grids is that they feel much more natural. It’s much easier to approximate distances and areas. The downside is that they don’t work as well in box-shaped areas unless you chop off a row of hexes in half. In this case, you can simply allow characters to occupy these half-hexes as if they were full spaces.

Spaces

A “space” is a generic measure of distance, approximately 3-7 feet, or roughly 1-2 meters. Normal-sized characters occupy a single space by default, and can use the ➲ Reposition maneuver to move a number of spaces up to their speed. Each square or hex counts as 1 space, and each character occupies a single space unless otherwise specified (Large creatures usually occupy several spaces at once).

For maps with verticality—such as underwater scenes, multi-level buildings, and hilly terrain—, spaces can extend upward as well. A space's height is equal to its width. Creatures are assumed to have a height roughly equal to their width in spaces, unless specified otherwise by the GM. For example, an average human occupies an area of 1 space, including vertically.

When measuring a distance that spans both horizontally and vertically, use this rule of thumb to get a quick result: take the greater of the two distances, then add half the lesser, rounded down. For example, a target 5 spaces away horizontally and 7 spaces up is considered to be 9 spaces away (7 + half of 5, rounded down).

Creature Sizes

Most creatures come in three basic sizes: Small, Medium, and Large. Small creatures range in size from insects to domestic cats, and Large creatures are ones larger than most horses. Medium creatures occupy the middle range. Very Small and Very Large creatures are rarely encountered. See the below table for more approximations of these creature sizes.

Occupying Spaces. Two or three allied Medium characters can occupy the same space if they squeeze together and each only occupy 1 space normally, though squeezing in this way causes each character to suffer -1 edge on all Physical skill rolls. A Medium creature that occupied 2 Spaces (such as a horse) can occupy the same spaces as its Medium rider that normally occupies 1 Space. Small and Very Small creatures can usually occupy the spaces of other creatures without issue. A swarm of Small creatures might occupy 1 or more spaces until its numbers are diminished.

Alternate Positioning Options

When it comes to describing the positions of characters, structures, and terrain in Tactical Mode, you essentially have three options available to you: Tactical Grid (described above), Theater of the Mind, and Open Terrain. Remember that you can use these different options for different situations. A GM might use open terrain or a tactical grid for intense battles, but rely on theater of the mind for simple combats in tight spaces or with only a few enemies.

Theater of the Mind. The GM and the players keep the positioning in their shared imagination. In a pinch, the GM can decide whether a target is within 10 or 50 spaces based on what has been described. This method is useful because it doesn’t rely on battle maps, miniatures, terrain, or advanced preparation. You can launch right into the action without preamble, and imagination can be a powerful tool. Theater of the Mind is also very helpful for small altercations involving only a few characters. Some GMs may switch between this method and another as fits the situation. The downside to Theater of the Mind is that complex Tactical Mode situations involving more than ten or so combatants can quickly become tricky to keep in your mind. Also, some players enjoy the board game-like feel of using miniatures on the table.

Open Terrain. Most war-gamers are familiar with this method of miniature positioning. Rather than using a grid, the players simply build out an area of miniature terrain pieces. Nothing needs to conform to any particular grid shape, so you can create much more unique and natural-feeling environments. Movement is tracked in inches or centimeters on a tape measure (typically one inch per Space of movement), and plastic templates are used to gauge area effects. The downside of this method is that it requires more careful preparation and custom-built or expensive terrain pieces in order to achieve an impressive battlefield.

Movement

Movement is an essential aspect of Tactical Mode. It allows creatures to move into more advantageous positions, or to force others into disadvantageous ones. Abilities with the Move trait almost always allow a creature to move at least 1 space.

Speed

A character’s Speed is the distance they can move in spaces whenever they use the ➲ Reposition maneuver. It doesn’t equate to a faster movement when traveling long distances on foot, and is used exclusively in Tactical Mode.

A player character’s base Speed is 4, but this can be increased permanently or temporarily by various abilities and effects. Whenever a character is able to move up to half their Speed, it is rounded down, as normal.

When a character moves a distance of spaces, they choose the direction, and can make it a winding path to move around obstacles. Creatures can move through the spaces of allied creatures, but moving through an enemy space is more difficult, requiring use of the ➲ Tumble maneuver to do so unless the two creatures have different size category traits. For example, a Small creature can usually move through spaces occupied by Medium or Large creatures without issue.

Difficult Terrain

Some spaces in a battlefield might contain debris, undergrowth, knee-deep water, or other obstacles. This is referred to as “difficult terrain,” and tends to slow anyone who attempts to move through it using their Speed while on the ground. Entering a space of difficult terrain costs one additional Space of movement.

Some spaces might only be considered difficult terrain when entering them from certain directions. For example, walking up a steep hill might be considered difficult terrain, but moving sideways or downhill wouldn't.

Jumping

As part of a character’s movement, they can jump to overcome obstacles like walls or chasms. Jumping across a horizontal distance of 2 Spaces and/or a vertical distance of 1 space is simply done, and typically doesn’t require a roll. Attempting to jump over larger gaps or obstacles usually requires a roll, however.

The roll made to jump long distances is typically Might, against a base difficulty of 4. Slick or gravelly surfaces might make the jump more difficult, and jumping from a higher elevation typically make the jump easier (GM discretion). On a success, the character can jump up to 4 spaces horizontally and/or spaces vertically. If the character had a running start of at least 2 spaces, they have +2 edge on the roll. On a failure, the character only jumps up to 2 horizontal spaces and/or 1 vertical space. Jumping consumes movement spaces as normal.

Climbing

Climbing uses a character’s movement Speed as normal. Simple climbs such as gradual slopes, low walls, and steep hills are simply treated as difficult terrain. More advanced climbs, such as rocky cliffsides and smooth walls necessitate a roll to determine whether a character can make any progress.

When a character attempts to scale up or down a treacherous climb, they make a Might roll, with a difficulty based on the difficulty of the climb itself as set by the GM. On a failure, the character is unable to make any progress up the climb. On a success, they can move up or down as if it were difficult terrain for the duration of that ability's movement. If a character fails the roll with a bane, the GM might provide a more dire consequence, and have the character fall off whatever they’re attempting to climb.

Swimming

Characters can swim in water or other liquids as part of their movement. Under normal circumstances, swimming is a simple task, and characters can take their time to adjust their equipment and pace themselves. But in dangerous situations like combat, falling overboard in a storm, or diving deep underwater, things get a little more complicated.

When a character attempts to swim through water in a situation such as these, they must make a Might roll. The difficulty is generally higher if the water is choppy or fast-moving against the character’s intended direction. On a success, they can swim through the water as if moving through difficult terrain. Otherwise, they can make no progress, and they might even slip below the surface and have to use the ⨭Hold Breath instant to prevent from drowning.

Falling

Gravity adds another layer of danger when characters decide to go traipsing around on rooftops or engage in swordplay on loose scaffolding. The ◇ Absorb Impact instant contains the full rules that apply when a character falls from a height greater than 1 space (typically more than 10 feet or 2 meters). The character must make a Reflex roll, reducing their potential Damage by the roll’s result.

Occasionally, it may be important to determine exactly how far a character falls over the course of one or more rounds. Unless extremely tall heights are at play, characters will simply fall and hit the ground instantaneously. Otherwise, a character falls roughly 80 spaces (approximately 400 feet or 120 meters) at the end of the first round of falling, 160 spaces (800 feet or 240 meters) at the end of the second round, and 180 spaces (900 feet or 280 meters) on each subsequent round of falling. This represents terminal velocity. A character may be able to speed or slow their descent somewhat by shaping their body to sculpt the flow of air in different ways.

Arc

Some effects refer to an “Arc.” Like the Radius, the Arc has a source space. But rather that extending outward in all directions, the Arc is limited to an angle. The effect will specify how far the Arc reaches, such as "Arc 2". The character creating the Arc can usually decide which direction to orient the Arc from the source space. An Arc has an angle of roughly 90-120 degrees, and affects two adjacent spaces to the source space, then three spaces beyond that, then four spaces beyond that, and so on, until the total distance of the Arc effect has been reached. If dealing with three-dimensional space, the Arc is considered a cone extending not only side to side but also up and down as it extends, expanding vertically at the same rate it does horizontally.

Line

The most self-explanatory of the area effects, a Line is simply denoted by a number indicating the number of spaces that are affected. For example, a Line 7 effect extends outward from the source space for 7 spaces, affecting everything within spaces that cross its path. If you're using a grid map and the Line crosses the spaces at an awkward angle, use your best judgment for which spaces are affected by tracing from the center of the source space to the center of the ending space. If a Line would perfectly straddle multiple pairs of spaces on a hexagonal grid, choose left or right when you place the Line and default to having the Line affect the hexes on the chosen side; you cannot choose for each individual point along the Line.

Harm in Tactical Mode

Vitality and Stamina are two halves of the same coin, and relate to a character's general wellbeing. A character’s Vitality represents their capacity to withstand physical harm, while Stamina is a measure of their energy and stability. See the corresponding sections in the Character section for more information about these character statistics.

Blocking and Preventing

Certain effects and abilities allow you to block Stress and Damage from incoming Attacks. Wearing Armor or wielding a Shield are reliable way of blocking Stress and Damage from Attacks. When Stress or Damage is blocked, it doesn't affect the defending creature.

Some Stress and Damage is specified as "unblockable," particularly with the ⮝ Parry and ⮝ Pierce boons found on certain Weapons. This Stress and Damage cannot be blocked, but it can still be prevented by other means, unless the Stress or Damage is denoted as "unpreventable."

Death and Defeat

Player characters die when they take too much Blight or when both their Vitality and Stamina are depleted due to any combination of Damage, Blight, or Fatigue. At this point, the character has no vigor remaining to survive. However, NPCs can be defeated more easily than this. Whenever an enemy NPC's Vitality is depleted, they are considered defeated. The player who defeats the NPC generally has narrative control on what exactly that defeat entails. Sometimes, it might be death. Other times, it might be a simple knockout or injury that prevents them from fighting any longer. Or perhaps the NPC loses their courage and turns tail to run away, though this option is more subject to GM discretion.

⮝ Boons in Tactical Mode

When you generate a boon for a roll in Tactical Mode, you can either choose a pre-packaged effect or use your creativity to improvise another benefit (subject to GM approval), or a combination of the two!

What boons can I use? The Basic Tactical boons (seen in the section below this one) are always available, no matter the situation. Some boons are associated with certain traits. For example, the Attack trait means you can use the ⮝ Skirmish boon when you make an Attack. Some abilities come with their own set of unique boons only usable with that ability, such as the ◕ Motivate ability. Finally, your own abilities and items may grant you the use of additional boons for certain rolls.

Remember than whenever a player makes a roll, they can use the ⮝ Critical Success boon if they roll a 20 on the event die, including during Tactical Mode.

Basic Tactical Boons

⮝ Discern (15-20). Learn something interesting or significant about your environment, usable once per scene.

⮝ Quick Rally (17-20). Use the ➲ Rally maneuver as an instant (move up to 1 Space without triggering instants and remove 1 Stress).

⮝ Banter (18-20; instant). Once before the end of your next turn, you can use ◕ Motivate or a Basic Control ability as a maneuver.

⮝ Assist (19-20). An ally of your choice gains 1 Luck that expires at the end of their next turn.

⮝ Critical Success (20). On a failure, the roll instead becomes a success, but the GM may use any applicable bane (except one that only triggers on a 1). On a success, the player may use any other two applicable boons (except ones that only trigger on a 20), or succeed in an otherwise extraordinary way.