Types of Actions

Actions represent things your character do. Every kind of action can be categorized in one of the following five types.

Influence

These actions revolve around influencing and manipulation.

Movement

These actions are about repositioning yourself, and potentially others.

Interaction

These actions are about manipulating and interacting with items in the environment.

Combat

These actions are about fighting.

Triggered

These actions are performed in response to a trigger.

Instant Actions

During your time playing Contingency RPG you may come across effects that let you perform a specific action as something known as an Instant Action. These typically occur when you are perform other actions, an may be granted to you as an effect of that action or as a bonus effect from Omens.

Any action that is performed as an Instant Action as considered to be part of the action that triggered them and are mechanically considered to be the same action for calculating bonuses and penalties. This becomes important when running combat or other tactical encounters (See Running Combat chapter) when:

• accounting for action penalties; as they are considered the same action they only incur a single -2 Action Penalty.
• performing an action multiple times; the instant action is considered a continuing effect of the original action and do not count towards the restriction of not performing the same action more than once in a round.

Actions That Require Concentration

Some actions will require your character to maintain concentration to keep up the effects it produces. These actions will contain the Concentration trait, along with a multiplier value, for example Concentration 1 represents a single unit of concentration, while Concentration 3 is three units.

While maintaining concentration on one or more actions, you will need to perform the Maintain Concentration action at the start of every round to see if you are able to keep your concentration.

Additionally, each time you sustain an injury, while maintaining concentration, you will need to add a damage token to one of the actions you are maintaining concentration on, for each unit of damage you sustain. These damage tokens may be split up across multiple actions.

You may end your concentration on any actions at any time as a free action. You cannot maintain concentration on the same action multiple times simultaneously.

Actions List

Influence Actions

Anticipate

Influence

You can attempt to predict the actions of a target.

Roll either Wisdom+Tactics or Charisma+Tactics against a target you can see, that is engaged, close or near to you. If the target is not sapient, then make this roll with disadvantage

On a success the target must choose on of the following options:

• Mark one unit of Stamina (Taxing).
• Declare its next action, marking two units of Stamina if it performs a different action.
• Reveal one of its weaknesses.

Player Omens

⍟ Muddling remove one of the available options.

Feint

Influence

You can attempt to perform a maneuver designed to distract or mislead a target who is engaged with you, giving the impression that you are going to perform a certain action, but instead doing something different, throwing the target off their focus.

Roll either Agility+Deception or Charisma+Deception against an engaged target. If, during the previous round, you had succeeded on a Defend role against the target then make this role with advantage.

On a success the target must choose one of the following options:

• Mark one unit of Stamina (Taxing).
• Fall prone or drop an item (onl if it is holding one).
• Grant advantage to the next Combat action made against it this round.

Player Omens

⍟ Muddling remove one of the available options.

Intimidate

Influence

You can attempt to frighten or threaten a target.

Roll either Strength+Coercion or Charisma+Coercion against a target that is either engaged, close or near to you. If the target believes it is weaker than you, then make this roll with advantage. If the target believe that are in control then make this roll with disadvantage.

On a success the target must choose one of the following:

• Mark one unit of stamina (Taxing).
• Use a movement action this round to stand frozen in place and cannot target you with a Combat action.
• Use a movement action this round to move as far as possible from you.

Player Omens

⍟ Muddling remove one of the available options.

Parley

Influence

Roll either Willpower+Empathy or Charisma+Empathy against a target that is either close or near to you. The difficult is determined by the target performing the Focus triggered action, if they can.

Roll with advantage if you apply one of the "Success" effects to yourself. Roll with disadvantage if you, or those they consider to be your allies, attacked the target or its allies during the previous round.

On a success the target must choose one of the following:

• Mark one unit of stamina (Taxing).
• Use the Recover action this round instead of what they intended.
• Drop or sheathe a weapon or grant advantage to the next action made against it for the remainder of the round.

Player Omens

⍟ Muddling remove one of the available options.

Taunt

Influence

Roll either Finesse+Mockery or Charisma+Mockery against a target that is either engaged, close or near to you. If you also use your movement action this round to dance in place or make insulting gestures, then make this roll with advantage, taking two units of stress if you fail to perform the movement action. If you were hit by an attack during the previous round, then make this roll with disadvantage.

On a success the target must choose one of the following:

• Mark one unit of stamina (Taxing).
• Use its movement action to move as close to you as possible. If they are already engaged with you, grant advantage to the next action performed against the target for the remainder of the round.
• Use a combat action to target you with an attack this round.

Player Omens

⍟ Muddling remove one of the available options.

Fortify

Influence

You drop into a defensive stance. You have advantage on all Defend actions until the end of the round.

Movement Actions

Reposition

Movement

Take an action to reposition yourself on the battlefield. Roll Agility+Mobility and be able to move between a number of zones up to half the result rounded up.

Take Cover

Movement

Take an action to crouch behind an area of adequate protective cover. For the remainder of the round, you have advantage on Defend (Dodge) rolls made against attacks originating from the other side of the cover. You cannot perform combat actions while you are taking cover.

Disengage

Movement

You are attempting to escape from an opponent who is engaged with you and you are not restrained or grappled. Roll either Agility+Reflex or Finesse+Reflex against the target's Defend (Dodge). This action can be used when you are engaged with multiple opponents, using the Cooperation rules for the targets.

On a success you are no longer engaged with the opponent.

On a failure mark one unit of stamina.

Hide

Movement

If you are not engaged and attempting to:

• blend in with your physical surroundings, roll Wisdom+Stealth.
• dash out of sight before you are spotted, roll Agility+Stealth.
• avoid losing your nerve while hiding, roll Willpower+Stealth.
• blend in with a crowd or remaining inconspicuous, roll Charisma+Stealth.

Your skill roll is mage against the opponents Knowledge+Awareness.

On a success you are hidden from creatures who failed to detect you. If they were unaware of your presence, they continue to be unaware.

Interaction Actions

Escape

Interaction

You are attempting to escape a grapple or restraints, roll either Strength+Unarmed or Finesse+Unarmed against the target's Defend (Guard).

On a success you are no longer restrained or grappled.

On a failure mark one unit of stamina.

Recover

Interaction

Restriction: You cannot use this action if you are breathless, suffocating or grappled.

Roll Willpower+Endurance and clear a number of stamina units up to the result.

Roll with advantage if you are behind cover or hidden from any threats or dangers.

Roll with disadvantage if you are engaged with a threat or in immediate danger.

Pick Up Object

Interaction

You are not engaged with an adversary and are attempting to pick up an object that is on the ground within the same zone as you. If there are no adversaries or obstacles within the zone you automatically succeed at picking up the object, however you may still choose to make the skill roll if there are Omens that you could potentially utilize in the current situation.

Roll Finesse+Dexterity with a difficulty determined by how crowded the zone is.

• 1: you are alone and there are no major obstacles.
• 3: there are a couple of characters or creatures in the zone
• 5: there are a few characters or creatures in the zone
• 7: the zone is heavily crowded
• 9: the zone is over capacity with little to no space to move about.

However, if you are competing with an adversary in picking up the same object then roll Agility+Dexterity or Reflex against the same skill roll by the target. The character with the higher result picks up the item. If both characters roll the same result then the item is not picked up by either character and remains where it is.

Combat Actions

Strike

Combat

Requirement: You are wielding a melee weapon.

Range: Engaged unless your weapon has the Reach trait, then use your weapon's range value.

Choose to either:

• Harry

  Roll Agility+Weapon's Skill.

  On a success the target takes two units of stamina.

  On a failure the target takes one unit of stamina.

• Clash

  Roll Strength+Weapon's Skill.

  On a success the target takes damage according to your weapon's damage rating.

Shoot

Combat

Requirement: You are wielding a ranged weapon.

Range: See weapon's range attribute

Roll Finesse+Accuracy for non-mechanical weapons or Wisdom+Accuracy for mechanical weapons, against a target within the weapon's range.

Roll with disadvantage if you performed a movement action this round or you are engaged.

Throw

Combat

Requirement: You are wielding a thrown weapon.

Range: See weapon's range attribute or Close for non-thrown weapons.

Roll Strength+Accuracy or Finesse+Accuracy against a target within the weapon's range.

Roll with disadvantage if you are throwing a non-thrown melee weapon or you are engaged.

Game Moderator Omens

⍉ Embedded: On a success the thrown weapon becomes embedded or attached to the target and does not fall to the ground.

Brawl

Combat

Range: Engaged

Choose to either:

• Jab

  Roll either Strength+Unarmed or Agility+Unarmed against a target you are engaged with.

  On a success: The target takes one unit of stamina. If you rolled with strength and the target is tiring, it takes an injury with a severity of 1 - Minor Injury.

• Wrestle

  Roll either Strength+Unarmed or Finesse+Unarmed with disadvantage unless you make clever use of the environment or target's weaknesses (at the GM discretion).

  On a success select one of:

  • The target's held item is dropped.
  • The target falls prone.
  • The target is grappled by you.
  • If rolled with Strength, move the target to an adjacent zone, and they are no longer engaged with you.

Triggered Actions

Focus

Triggered

Trigger: You are targeted by an action with the Influence trait.

Make a roll with Willpower+Discipline against the influence's difficulty.

Resist

Triggered

Trigger: You are targeted by a toxin.

Make a roll with Constitution+Fortitude against the toxin's difficulty.

Hold Breath

Triggered

Trigger: You are required or choose to hold your breath.

You begin to hold your breath, gaining the Breathless +1 trait.

Brace

Triggered

Trigger: You fall from a height grater than you.

Make a roll with Agility+Mobility and reduce the fall damage dice face values by a number equal to the result, to a minimum of one (1) per dice. You may choose to divide this damage reduction across multiple dice, as long as the combined reduction does not exceed the result of this skill roll.

Player Omens

• ⍟ Wind Resistance (repeatable): Remove one fall damage dice if it has a result value of three (3) or lower.
• ⍟⍟ On Your Feet: When you land you do not take the Prone trait.
• ⍟⍟⍟ Skilled Falling: Reduce the dice type of the fall damage dice by one size (eg d8 -> d6) down to a minimum of d4.

Defend

Triggered

Trigger: You are being targeted by an attack.

Choose to either:

• Dodge

  Roll Agility+Reflex against the attack's difficulty.

  On a successful dodge you are not hit by the attack.

• Guard

  Roll Strength+Endurance against the attack's difficulty and take one unit of stress.

  On a successful guard you are not hit by the attack. If the triggering attack is a melee attack, then the attacker marks one unit of stamina.

Maintain Concentration

Triggered

Trigger: at the start of a round you are maintaining Concentration on one or more Actions.

Roll Willpower+Discipline. If the result of the roll is less than the combined Concentration requirement of the Actions you are concentrating on and the number of damage tokens you have on those actions, then end Concentration on a number of those actions until the remaining combined requirement is below the roll result.

Remove all the damage tokens from the actions you are concentrating on.