HYPERBOREA / Combat: Order within Phases

**Posted by CptMuffincubes** 12/14/2019 2:46 pm

Could anyone confirm whether RAW, there is an internal order within each phase? For example, in BX D&D combat plays out in the order Movements, Missile, Spells, Melee. Then the next group in initiative order goes down the same sequence.

I'm not sure I could find a corresponding quote from the rulebook concerning Combat Sequence. But Talanian made a comment here. I wasn't sure if the comment was relevant to the current AS&SH 2e.
odd74.proboards.com/post/111930/thread
"There is no internal order within each phase; it's a little more abstract in that sense. So, while the phases themselves are ordered as you note, there is no specific order between melee, magic, missiles, and movement. "

My reading is that during each phase the initiative winner can perform any of the action types and then the next group in initiative order can perform any of the sequence in any order.

**Posted by rhialto** 12/15/2019 4:20 am

CptMuffincubes wrote:
My reading is that during each phase the initiative winner can perform any of the action types and then the next group in initiative order can perform any of the sequence in any order.

Yes, I believe this is the most succinct way to understand the combat phases: they just separate combat actions into those which can be completed fairly quickly (Phase 1: stationary magic and missiles; 1/2-moves; up to 1/2-move melee and charge attacks) and those which take a little more time to complete (Phase 2: 1/2-move magic and missiles; other 1/2 moves {i.e., completion of full moves initiated in Phase 1}; full-move melee and charge attacks).

Things I Worked On · **Posted by Ynas Midgard** 12/15/2019 6:23 pm

Think of it as having four steps:
1. winners of initiative perform their Phase 1 actions
2. losers of initiative perform their Phase 1 actions
3. winners of initiative perform their Phase 2 actions
4. losers of initiative perform their Phase 2 actions

**Posted by rhialto** 12/15/2019 9:51 pm

Ynas Midgard wrote:
Think of it as having four steps:
1. winners of initiative perform their Phase 1 actions
2. losers of initiative perform their Phase 1 actions
3. winners of initiative perform their Phase 2 actions
4. losers of initiative perform their Phase 2 actions

Succinter!