Low Tempo Turns for Draw Steel

14 Jan, 2026

I meant to have an introduction proposing reasons one would ever do this. But I'm sick, so now it's an exercise left to the reader. I'll save it for the playtest report & revision.

Initiative: Runs clockwise around the table.
Players may rearrange their seats as they see fit, but you can't take a 2nd turn before the Director takes a turn. I recommend waiting to swap seats until the Director starts taking their turn.
Determine if the director or the players go first as normal. If the players go first, they can choose who starts.

Power Pool: A pool of pre-rolled d10s.
Empty at the start of combat
Each hero has their own power pool.
The Director has 1 pool for all monsters in the combat.

Player Turn:

• 1st: Gain 1 HR instead of normal start of turn HR gain.
  • If you have 0 HR, you can Pray/Appeal to the Muses if you have those features.
• 2nd: Choose 1 option:
  • Take 1 die, roll and save result in Power Pool
  • Move
    • Speed is 4 or less = 1 square
    • Speed is 5-7 = 2 squares
    • Speed is 8+ = 3 squares
  • Main Action, spend 2 dice from Power Pool. Combined result is the Power Roll.
  • Spend 1 die for any of the below. Result is discarded.
    • Take a Maneuver
    • Regain a used Triggered Action
    • Roll a Save (reroll the spent die)
    • Gain 1 HR

Power Rolls: maneuvers, triggered actions, free abilities: If you would ever make a power roll that is not a Main Action, spend 2 more dice and use the result as with a Main Action.
(Remember that if you are granted a signature or heroic ability by some other ability, that counts as a "free ability")
Then take 2 new dice and save the results in your Power Pool.
This means you can use these abilities as often as allowed, but you must have at least 2 dice left in your pool.

Retainers: Use the same Power Pool as their hero.
They take their turn like a player, but can't ever gain HR.

Hesitation is Weakness: Instead this stops a Director from Taking Dice, Moving or Spending Dice on their turn.
Can't activate Hesitation is Weakness again until the Director takes a turn normally.

Director Turn:

• 1st: Gain Malice
  • 4 or less heroes = 1 Malice
  • 5 or more heroes = 2 Malice
  • Half or fewer Initiative Groups remain, +1 Malice
• 2nd: Choose 1 option:
  • Take dice, 1 per undefeated Initiative Group, save results in Power Pool
  • Move all creatures in 1 initiative group (follow same speed conversions as players)
  • Spend dice up to the number of heroes. Can take Main Actions and 1-die options as players do. Some modifications below:
    • Spend 1 die to activate a Faction or Basic Malice ability. Must be the first die spent. Only 1 Faction/Basic ability can be activated each Director turn.
    • Effects ended with a save still last until the end of the Director's turn
    • Make a mark next to a monster when it spends 2 dice for a Main Action. Every monster must take a Main Action before any can take their next Main Action.
    • Instead of gaining 1 HR for 1 die, gain Malice as with start of turn.

Effects that trigger every turn: These activate whenever a creature takes a Main Action.

Rounds: Generally don't need to be tracked.
The Director doesn't gain Malice at the start of a round.
If necessary for some reason, a round "ends" and a new one "starts" after each monster has taken a Main Action.