Action Rolls use 2d10. If the 2d10 result is less than or equal to the Action Roll in question, the Action is successful. The Quality of the success is found by subtracting the die roll from the target number (the Action Roll). When a 1 shows up on one of the dice, that die can be re-rolled, and its second result subtracted from the first. Example: a player rolls 2d10, for 1 and 7, this totals to 8, but the 1 is rolled again; the next die comes up 6, which is subtracted from 8, for a total of 2.
Many rolls will have a Bonus Pool also. Look up the Bonus Pool on the Sphere Chart, for the bonus/penalty to the Action Roll.
Only one action can be initiated on any segment. No action (except passive actions) can be initiated while another action is in progress. Initiating a passive action moves all pending actions back one segment.
Q can usually be used to reduce the Performance Time. Three points are required to half the Performance Time. (One point can reduce by 10%, 2 points by 20%.) For example, a character with an Action Roll of 15 is deciphering a cipher, and taking 12 hours to do it. The character rolls 7, for 8 Q points. Three points of Q bring this time to 6 hours. If the character applies Six Q points, it will only take 3 hours to solve the cipher.
The player can transfer quality from one action to the next on a two-for-one basis. The next action must be started immediately after the first action is finished, and it must be the same kind of action. For every two quality points ‘saved’, one is added to the next action’s bonus pool.
Once an Action Roll is made, the player can continue to use that roll, as long as the action is continuous. The player can also choose to re-roll the Action Roll (with the same performance time) to rearrange the Q distribution. If the action is not continuous (such as a Combat Roll or a Throw Roll), an Action Roll must be made for each performance of the action.
If Q can be applied to more than one thing for continuous actions, Q can be redistributed each segment.
There is no problem dropping most sustained actions once the performance time has been completed. Dropping an action during it’s performance time is a little trickier. Dropping an action is itself a passive action that takes 10 segments. It requires a roll vs. Learning (Sphere) plus Agility (Sphere). There is a bonus equal to the Q of the action being dropped, and a penalty equal to the number of actions in progress (including the action to be dropped and the drop an action). The roll automatically reduces Defense by 1, although the player can apply Q to bring it back up (but not by more than 1).
If the roll is failed, the character’s Defense is reduced by the failed amount until the next non-Passive action, and the failure amount is applied to all Action Rolls that follow, as for surprise (see Combat). Dropping an Action starts at row 6 for EP use. On a failure, the character can either choose to try again, or pay extra EP equal to the amount missed by (the Defense and Action Roll penalties will still apply).
Many Action Rolls use EP. If the action is a sustained action (such as lifting an object), the EP cost is per round. If the action is a single action (such as throwing an object) the EP cost is per attempt. An action normally has an EP cost of 5 EP (Row 9 on the EP Use Chart). The Quality of the Action Roll can usually decrease EP cost, with each Quality Point reducing the EP Use Row by 1.
EP Use Row EP Cost
0 no EP cost
1 1/day
2 1/hour
3 1/ten minutes
4 1/minute
5 1/round
6 2/round
7 3/round
8 4/round
9 5/round
10 6/round
+1 +1/round
Often, a player will want to re-roll a sustained Action Roll in order to reduce EP cost (or, in the case of the Move Roll, to increase speed). The character doesn’t pay the EP cost for these re-rolls, unless the EP cost is greater than what the character has already paid since starting the action (or the last Payment Segment, whichever was closest). If the EP cost is greater, only the difference is paid. So, if a character starts an action at 3 EP/round on segment: 15, and makes another roll on segment: 35, which results in an EP cost of 4/round, only 1 EP is paid.
Passive actions (such as Running) can be started while the character is still within the Performance Time of another action. The character must wait at least one tenth the Performance Time of the previous Action, rounded up, before starting the passive action. For example, Maria begins firing her rifle on Segment 39. Her Performance Time is 15. She can’t start a Passive action until 2 segments later, or Segment 41.
Starting an Action during the Performance Time of another action (or actions) adds 1 to the Performance Time of the action or actions in progress (adds 1 to the Pushback--see Combat).
Magic Rolls (Casting Spells) are passive, and wizards can start casting new spell(s) before the old spell(s) is completed. For example, if Cerest-Ranon casts a spell that takes 50 segments, she can start casting another spell 5 segments later. If she starts casting fly on segment 23, she might start casting night vision on segment 28.