Description: Observing an opponent is a basic action any Actor in an Action Sequence can choose to perform, and indeed is encouraged to do often to try and predict what their opponent intends to do and thereby react to it. As an Action Sequence begins, an Actor simply places this action card face down and invests the desired amount of Action Points into performing it and the ASI that they intend to use to observe one of their opponents, then calculates how many ASI will pass before the outcome is revealed, and notifies the GM what ASI this action will take place on so that they may add it to the ASI timeline for the Action Sequence. Once all of the involved actors have committed to at least one future action by placing their action card stack face down, the Action Sequence can proceed to Resolving Outcomes. Hopefully the Actor who took the Observe Foe action was wise enough to invest few enough Action Points and ASI in this action so that it goes before the action of the foe they intend to observe!

Game Mechanic: chose one or more opponent Actions to observe, invest Intuition Points, and optionally Action Sequence Increments to increase the likelihood of success. Each INT or ASI invested confers a +1 to the effectiveness of the Outcome Score (see below). If more than one Action is being observed, regardless whether the from the same opponent or a different one, Stat Points invested are split evenly between all Actions observed. WIT points may be invested in this action to reduce the ASI when the results are revealed. IMPORTANT: once an Observe Foe Action comes about on the ASI Continuum and is resolved, the player whose action has been discovered or partially discovered MAY NOT abort that action unless later Damage makes it impossible to perform. This represents one combatant in an instant predicting what their opponent intends to do, but their opponent having no way of knowing that and thereby reacting, even though the player at the table saw their opponent look at their Action Stack.

Prerequisite: None, this is a Common Action.

Action Point Cost: One WIT point is required to initiate this Action in an Action Sequence

Stat Point Cost: One or more Intuition Points(INT) may be invested in this Action. Each Intuition Point invested adds one ASI toward determining when the Outcome is Scored. Taking longer will reveal more, but taking too long will allow the opponent to act first… One or more WIT points may be invested to offset the ASI cost of INT points invested.

To determine the outcome, subtract the number or Intuition Points (INT) invested by from the Agility Points (AGI) invested by the opponent in the case of a physical action, or Reason Points (REA) in the case of a mental action like a spell, then consult the resulting score from the list below:

• -2 or more: no information discovered. The opponent is too skilled or tricky and whatever they are doing will come as a total surprise when they act during the Combat Action Sequence!
• -1: the action Classification only is discovered about the opponent's intended action this round. Example: if the opponent intends to take a combat action, mental action, take a social action, etc.
• 0: the action Classification and the Action Type are discovered (see Action Codes). For Example: if the opponent where casting a spell, this would reveal that the action Classification is Mental, and the Action Type is Spell. Or if the opponent were striking with their sword, the defender would discover that Classification is Combat, and the Action Type is Melee.
• 1: the action Classification, Action Type, and the Specific Action to be taken are discovered (see XXX- from Action Codes). For example: if the opponent is intending to attack with their sword, this would reveal Classification is Combat, the Action Type is Melee, and the Action is Melee Attack - Sword. In this case, the Sword Equipment Card would be revealed.
• 2: the opponent's action Classification, Action Type, Specific Action, and attack Location are discovered (see L- from Action Codes). For example: if the opponent is intending to attack with their sword, this would reveal Classification is Combat, the Action Type is Melee, the Action is Melee Attack, and that the opponent intends to strike Body Location 1, as opposed to the two other possible body locations for this strike (2 & 8).
• 3 or more: the opponent's action Classification, Action Type, Specific Action, attack Location, and the Stat Bid are discovered (see -SPAPFPRPIPWP- from Action Codes). For example: if the opponent is intending to attack with their sword, this would reveal their entire Action Stack: Classification is Combat, the Action Type is Melee, the Action is Downward Strike, the opponent intends to strike Body Location 1, and that they bid 2 STR and 2 AGI from their point pools on their Stat Bid.

The card layout below illustrates how the tabletop would look if the result of the Observe Foe action were 2. In this case, the Classification, Action Type, Specific Action, and strike Location cards would be placed face up in a row to the right of the combat stack, but the Action Score and Stat Bid still remain a mystery to the opponent. Note that in a game with more than two players, in practice, the revealed cards would be shown only to the player who performed the Observe Foe action. Other players around the table aren't shared that information.

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