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Reactions & PP

A soldier's turn is not the only time they act. Reactions are answers given off-turn — a shield stepped in front of an ally, a blow turned aside, a riposte delivered before the attacker has lowered their arm. They are written on the writ like rules, and paid for from a separate purse.

Screenshot · A Bodyguard reaction firing
Passive · Bodyguard — she steps in, taking half the blow.

PP — the passive purse​

Each soldier carries Passive Points beside their AP: granted at the muster, never more than 4, and spent one reaction at a time. Every reaction has a PP cost; when the purse is empty, the soldier stops answering. Four points must last the whole battle — which makes when a reaction is allowed to fire (its When conditions on the writ) as important as which reaction it is.

The order of answers​

When a hostile action is declared, the answers come in a fixed sequence — always the same, never doubled up:

  1. Cover. Squadmates of the threatened soldier are polled, quickest first. The first willing Bodyguard steps in and becomes the one the blow actually falls on — taking only half of it. One cover per blow, and nobody covers themselves.
  2. Pre-hit. The soldier about to be struck may answer before the blow resolves: Parry turns the attack aside entirely — it simply misses — while Brace hardens them so this very hit lands softer.
  3. The blow resolves. Hit, crit, guard, armor — as always.
  4. Counter. If the defender was struck, hurt, and still stands, they may answer in kind: Riposte swings a heavy slash back, Return Fire snaps off a shot. A miss, a parried blow, or a killing blow draws no counter — the dead do not riposte.
  5. Aid. If real damage was done and the defender lives, their squadmates may answer the wound: Mender's Reflex closes it on the spot.

Two laws keep this honest:

  • Reactions never chain. A counter cannot be covered, parried, or countered in turn. One action, one round of answers, done.
  • The stunned and the fallen never react. A reaction is a choice, and neither can choose.

Writing reactions​

On the writ, reactions live below the rules, marked When instead of If — when I am struck and still standing, answer with Riposte; when an ally takes a wound, answer it at once. Like rules, they can carry conditions: a Own PP 2 Or More gate keeps a cheap reflex from draining the purse you were saving for Parry, and a HP Below 50% filter makes a mender answer only wounds that matter.

The six reactions, their costs, and their triggers are listed in the reaction reference.

PP is a budget, not a habit

A soldier who answers every blow spends four points on the first four things that happen to them. The strong play is choosing which four moments of the battle deserve an answer — and writing the When conditions that pick them.