[h1]Primer: ATB System[/h1]
When in combat, most RPGs use some sort of initiative tracking system. Final Fantasy uses the Active Time Battle system which adds a delay between actions. This is done for several reasons, such as allowing the player a little bit of time to consider and input their next move while also allowing for various buffs ([img]https://i.imgur.com/nYJRiin.png[/img]) and debuffs ([img]https://i.imgur.com/Q0UyHzl.png[/img],[img]https://i.imgur.com/3996z3H.png[/img]) that affect how quickly someone can act. 

But we're not looking at specific actions right now. Let's just look at when we can act. We all will start with 3 ATB segments. We can gain one additional ATB segment each through leveling up our Crystarium, unlocking our Summon, and using a weapon that we have upgraded to the final tier. [url=http://www.doctorshrugs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Final-Fantasy-XIII-Battle-Screenshot.jpg]Here's a screenshot[/url] from the game with the active character using 4 ATB slots (Image is of the JPN version). 

Your ATB Gauge generally takes about 4-ish seconds to fill fully, although this number changes based on the number of ATB segments you have. The more ATB Segments you have, the faster each segment fills, but the slower the overall bar fills. It still ranges between about 4.2 seconds with 3 ATBs and 4.7 seconds with 6 ATBs, so it's generally worth it to have more ATB segments. Once your gauge is full, you may act. If multiple people have full ATB at exactly the same time, the order of action will be by whoever is listed first on the public sheet, with enemies acting AFTER all allies.

Your Turn consists of enough Actions to fill your ATB Gauge. Any unused segments will be Canceled which will speed up the time until your next action, but over an entire battle, will allow for fewer Actions. Generally, the more segments an ability uses, the stronger it is. There are several actions that do not take up any segments, such as using items or Tech abilities. I will cover these later. The image I linked above shows Lightning in a COM role using four Attack actions, each with a cost of 1 ATB Segment. She could also have used two Blitz Actions (costs 2 Segments), or 2 Attacks and one Blitz, etc. You may mix and match any abilities as long as ALL abilities come from the same Role (in this case, Commando). In order to change Active Roles, you must use 2 ATB segments at the start of your turn to change your Role. After using this ability, you may select any ability from the Role you switched to, and may no longer use abilities from the previous Role. This is called Paradigm Shifting. 

After you have selected all of your abilities, the next thing you must do is select a target. In the sample image above, Lightning is choosing between three Sahagin. When she selects her target, all of her abilities will target that one enemy. You may only target enemies with damaging or debuffing abilities, and you may only target allies with buffs or healing abilities. SEN always targets himself, and all of his abilities apply to all enemies on the field. You may not split your abilities to target different enemies without first canceling your abilities, but if you defeat an enemy, you will automatically target the next one on the list with the remainder of your actions. AoE abilities target the enemy you select and those just before and after it on the list. Small AoEs (like Blitz and -ra abilities) will target 1 enemy above and below your selected target for a maximum of 3 targets. Wide AoEs (like Area Sweep and -ga abilities) will target 2 enemies above and below your selected target for a maximum of 5 targets. All -ra and -ga MED abilities target the full party regardless of who the initial target is. SYN -ra abilities are single target (confusing, I know), but -ga abilities will target the full party. All of your actions will be resolved before the next party member acts.

[b]A hidden tip[/b] for those wishing to maximize effectiveness: you might have noticed that the AI for Ravagers tends to switch between two different abilities, such as Blizzard and Froststrike or Fire and Thunder. The reason for this is that alternating abilities will increase the chain gauge faster. To see other hidden conditional chain bonuses, check out the Cond Chain tab on the public sheet.

Typically, the actions of one party member do not significantly change the actions of the next. As such, I would like all party members to attempt to provide me with their next turn's actions as soon as they can. Typically, this is after the enemy acts. Waiting until it is your turn generally slows the pace of the battle and forces the group to wait for one individual. Waiting will be inevitable, of course, but the more stacked actions the DMs have, the faster we can go through battles. It is a bit frustrating for all involved to wait for several hours or days between each action when typical actions will be "Attack 3 times." With that said, all players should realize that real life exists, and that sometimes people will be asleep, working, or otherwise unable to respond. All I ask is that people prioritize checking in on the battle when it's active. 

If 24 hrs pass while waiting for an individual and I have not heard from them, I will Auto-Battle their actions. Auto-Battle rules are rather straightforward, but generally not optimal. Your character will target either whoever else is being targeted or their previous target if no one else has an offensive Role. Your character will not Paradigm Shift. Your character will attempt to find weaknesses if unknown (Magic, Phys, elements), and if known, will cycle abilities to raise chain gauge as much as possible. Attacking weaknesses always takes priority. For MED, SAB, SYN, if there are no actions they can take, they will wait and do nothing until the enemy acts or 3 seconds, whichever is sooner. SAB will not refresh debuffs without player input. Cheer, Endless Nightmares, and Endless Blessings will not be used during Auto-Battle. Items and Techniques will also never be used during auto-battle.

Items and Techniques do not take ATB Segments to use, but must be used on your turn. Items will delay your next action by a total of 1 second. It's possible that you will be able to use an Item and then act immediately. In that and most other cases, please state your next action when you ask to use an item. Potions target all party members and Librascopes target all enemies, but most other items require a single target.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask! The battle system is fairly complicated to look at, but once we begin, it should be rather simple to input your Actions.