SPECIAL ACTIONS REFERENCE

Things you can do in your Variable Fighter beyond flying, transforming, and shooting.

This is the menu of cockpit procedures, switches, levers, and pilot-body actions available within the combat system. The system is designed off the intersection of jet fighter mechanics + Gundam Wing-era mech operations + Macross-style Variable Fighters — most of these actions have analogs in one or more of those source materials.

If you're unfamiliar with the status-line shorthand used below, see status_line_reference.md.

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How Actions Work

Combat in Cockpit Combat is structured around three action slots per turn (per cockpit_combat_design.txt section 2.2):

• Maneuver slot — what your hands and feet are doing on stick, rudder, throttle.
• Weapon slot — what you're shooting, locking, melee'ing.
• Cockpit slot — switches, dials, mode selectors, pilot-body actions.

Most of what follows are Cockpit actions. They occupy your hands-off-the-stick attention but don't involve flying or shooting. Some are maneuver-slot variants. A few cost multiple slots or cross-turn commitment.

Declare them to the bot in pilot-perspective ("I thumb the radiator deploy switch" rather than "I deploy radiators"). The bot will translate to the airframe response and the status-line update.

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ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Divert Power

Reroute reactor output between systems. Standard cockpit power-distribution switch.

• Maneuver → Weapons — more energy reserve for the next beam shot; slower regen on the maneuver side.
• Weapons → Maneuver — bigger budget for evasive burns; beam weapons go offline if you've cut them too hard.
• Sensors → anything — quieter active emissions but shorter lock range.
• Status effect: EN reserves visibly shift; affected subsystem icons may flicker (SEN:✓ → SEN:◐ if undercut too far).
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Narrate the thumb on the switch and the MFD acknowledging.

Burn Off Reserves (Sustained Boost)

Intentionally consume EN in a sustained boost to close, open, or reach a waypoint.

• Status effect: EN drops 10-20 per turn of sustained boost; HT rises proportionally; speed climbs visibly.
• Cost: Maneuver slot; chains across turns.

Reactor Throttle Down (Stealth Profile)

Reduce reactor output to minimum sustainable. Useful in EMCON, ambush setup, or recovery without revealing position.

• Status effect: EN ceiling drops; HT falls; thermal signature minimal; SEN forced to PASS.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Combat capability degraded while throttled.

Emergency Reactor Restart (Damaged Generator)

If GN is damaged enough to scram, manual restart procedure.

• Status effect: if successful, GN:◐ → ✓ and EN regen restored to nominal.
• Cost: Two cockpit slots across consecutive turns. Read roll for success; failure leaves generator scrammed for the sortie.
• When to use: in a moment of pause, not under direct fire.

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HEAT MANAGEMENT

Vent Heat (Atmospheric)

Open cooling vents to dump heat into atmospheric air.

• Status effect: HT drops 10-20 over 1-2 turns; small drag penalty (slight RSP shift).
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Limited utility in vacuum.

Deploy Radiators (Vacuum)

The only effective way to dump heat in vacuum. Large fragile panels mounted high on the airframe.

• Status effect: RAD field STO → DEP; HT drops over 2-3 turns; LK-IN risk rises substantially (radiators paint a large radar return).
• Cost: Cockpit slot to deploy; another to stow.
• Risk: RAD:◐ or RAD:✗ means heat can't be dumped for the rest of the sortie. Fragile and high-target-value.

Reactor Coolant Flush (Emergency Heat Dump)

Bleeds reactor coolant into airframe heat sinks. One-time hard reset on HT.

• Status effect: HT drops 30-40 in one turn; coolant capacity reduced for the rest of the sortie (heat builds slightly faster afterward).
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Usable once per sortie.

Reactor Scram (Extreme Heat Measure)

Shut down the reactor entirely. Heat drops to zero; so does everything else.

• Status effect: HT → nominal; EN → 0; all energy weapons offline; flight is gliding (atmosphere) or coasting (vacuum); SEN forced to PASS.
• Cost: Two cockpit slots to scram; three turns to bring the reactor back online.
• When to use: runaway thermal event; concealed approach (you become invisible to thermal sensors); suicidal stealth.

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SENSOR AND ELECTRONIC WARFARE

(See lorebooks/23_sensors_information.json for the mode reference.)

Swap Sensor Mode

Switch between ACT (active radar), PASS (passive), IR (infrared), MIX (alternating sweeps).

• Status effect: SEN tag changes (SEN:✓ ACT → SEN:✓ PASS).
• Trade-offs: ACT lights you up but gives best lock; PASS hides you but can't lock independently; IR is short-range, defeats chaff, fails against cold-aspect targets; MIX is compromise.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. The mode switch takes a half-second; some pilots time it to coincide with a break turn.

Snap-Lock (Active Burst)

Momentary active radar pulse to grab a lock fast. Brief but loud.

• Status effect: LK-OUT can jump from -- to LOCK↑ in one turn; LK-IN risk spikes during the pulse.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Risk: anything hunting your emissions finds you now.

EMCON (Emissions Control)

Total emissions silence. No active radar, no comms, no datalink. Passive sensors only.

• Status effect: COM:EMCON; SEN forced to PASS; LK-OUT capability lost except by visual or wingmate datalink.
• Cost: Cockpit slot to enter; cockpit slot to exit.
• When to use: crossing contested space undetected; ambush; recovery without revealing position.

Spoof / Decoy

Generate a false radar return.

• Status effect: Enemy LK-OUT may degrade from LOCK↑ to TRACK or WARN momentarily.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Effectiveness depends on enemy sensor quality and your Read.

Jamming

Broadcast active noise on enemy radar bands.

• Status effect: Enemy lock degraded; your LK-IN may spike (broadcast jammers paint you huge); SEN may be reduced to PASS while jamming.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.
• When to use: breaking a missile lock at extreme range; covering a wingmate's approach; tactical bluff.

Datalink (Allied)

Share or receive sensor data with a wingmate.

• Status effect: If your SEN is damaged, datalink gives you LK-OUT capability you couldn't generate alone. Conversely, sharing your data reveals your position to anyone who intercepts the datalink burst.
• Cost: Cockpit slot to initiate.

Sensor Recalibration

Clear ghost contacts and noise from a confused radar picture.

• Status effect: RWR may resolve previously phantom contacts; LK-OUT may improve.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Takes a moment.

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COMMS AND COORDINATION

Radio Call (Voice)

Send a voice transmission. Command requests, wingmate coordination, distress.

• Status effect: COM activity, briefly detectable.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

Encrypted Burst

Short tight-beam encrypted message. Harder to intercept, takes longer to compose.

• Status effect: Minimal LK-IN risk; data passes if line-of-sight to receiver exists.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Composing complex orders may take a full turn.

Wing-Rock Signal (No Comms)

Visual hand-signal or maneuver-based wingmate communication. No radio.

• Status effect: None on status line.
• Cost: Maneuver slot. Limited bandwidth — standard signals only.
• When to use: EMCON conditions; comm jamming; intent secrecy.

Mayday / Distress

Broadcast distress on guard frequency. Friendly forces in range respond if able.

• Status effect: COM:MAYDAY; reveals position to anyone listening, hostile included.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

AWACS Query

Request situational picture from an AWACS or capital-ship sensor platform.

• Status effect: RWR field may resolve previously unknown contacts; sometimes returns "unable" if AWACS is degraded.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

Channel Hop

Cycle to a backup comm frequency to defeat jamming or evade interception.

• Status effect: COM:JAM may resolve to CLR if the new frequency isn't being targeted.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

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DAMAGE CONTROL AND SUBSYSTEMS

Firefight (Cockpit or Onboard Fire)

Halon extinguisher discharge, vent procedures, or depressurization to handle FIRE:active.

• Status effect: FIRE: active → suppressed → out over 2-3 turns. Ignoring it spreads the fire and accelerates CKP damage.
• Cost: 1-3 cockpit slots over consecutive turns.
• Methods: Halon discharge (most common); depressurize cockpit in vacuum (kills fire instantly, requires SUIT:SLD); manual venting.

Depressurize Cockpit (Vacuum Only)

Intentionally vent the cockpit to vacuum. Kills any interior fire or contaminant instantly.

• Status effect: FIRE eliminated; SUIT must already be SLD; O2 from cockpit supply drops to zero, pilot now on suit O2 only.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.
• Risk: if SUIT is not sealed, this is fatal.

Manual Subsystem Reroute

When a subsystem is damaged (e.g., GN:◐), reroute critical functions to a backup pathway.

• Status effect: Damaged subsystem behaves as healthy for one specific function temporarily; another subsystem may degrade in compensation.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

Manual Weapon Arm (Arm Damaged)

If LA or RA is damaged but not destroyed, hold and fire the weapon via manual arm-actuator command.

• Status effect: Damaged arm fires erratically; one shot per attempt with degraded accuracy.
• Cost: Cockpit slot to attempt; weapon slot to fire.

Master Caution Reset

Acknowledge and clear master-caution warnings to declutter the cockpit.

• Status effect: ATT may drop by 1 (alarms stop eating attention).
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Doesn't fix the underlying problem — just silences the warning.

Manual Hydraulic Override

If actuator damage is preventing a control surface or transformation step, pump it manually.

• Status effect: A blocked transformation may proceed; transformation EN cost increases.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

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WEAPON HANDLING AND COUNTERMEASURES

Chaff Break (Tracked)

Deploy a chaff cloud to spoof radar-guided missiles. Per lorebooks/24_weapons_envelopes.json and the CHF field.

• Status effect: CHF decrements (CHF:1/1 → CHF:0/1); radar-guided LK-IN may degrade or break.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Tier-coded supply: T1/T2 = 1, T3/T4 = 2, T5 = 3 per sortie. Empty CHF means no chaff cloud — the breech clicks dry.

Flare Deploy (IR Decoy)

Deploy flares against infrared-guided missiles. Burns hot to confuse heat-seekers.

• Status effect: IR-guided lock may break.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Flare supply is not currently tracked on the status line; treat as effectively unlimited within reason, or limited by narrative tempo.

Switch Ammunition (Gunpod)

Change gunpod feed type. Some gunpods have AP (armor-piercing), HE (high-explosive), incendiary, or training-round options.

• Status effect: GP unchanged; subsequent shots use new round type with different damage profile.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

Weapon Dump (Jettison)

Drop a weapon, missile pod, external tank, or beam cannon to reduce mass and increase agility.

• Status effect: MSL load drops (if jettisoning a pod); EN regen improves slightly; RSP improves; aerodynamic profile changes.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Irreversible.

Manual Targeting (Sensors Damaged)

With SEN destroyed, fire using the lead-computing gunsight and pilot Eye. Visual range only.

• Status effect: Gunpod usable at visual range; missiles cannot be locked without sensors.
• Cost: Weapon slot (standard fire).

Beam Saber Activate / Sheathe

Energize the beam saber from its hilt. Maintains while active, drains EN.

• Status effect: MEL:BS-active; EN drops 2-5 per turn while active.
• Cost: Cockpit slot to activate or sheathe.

Beam Saber Throw (BAT Mode)

Throw the active beam saber as a one-time melee projectile.

• Status effect: MEL becomes empty; pilot loses primary melee weapon for the sortie unless recovered.
• Cost: Weapon slot.

Magazine Reload (If Equipped)

Some gunpods support in-flight magazine swaps. Resets GP to full from carried reserve.

• Status effect: GP returns to full or near-full; carried-reserve total drops.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Requires Battroid mode and a moment of stability.

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MANEUVERING AND FLIGHT CONFIGURATION

Afterburner / Burner

Maximum thrust setting. Burns EN/fuel fast for short acceleration bursts.

• Status effect: EN drops 8-15 per turn; HT rises 5-10 per turn; speed climbs fast.
• Cost: Maneuver slot. Sustained use chains the cost.

Speed Brake (Atmospheric)

Deploy aerodynamic speed brakes to bleed energy fast.

• Status effect: Speed/Mach drops; RSP may shift to HVY or MSHY.
• Cost: Maneuver slot to deploy; cockpit slot to retract.
• When to use: overshoot prevention; landing approaches; tight turns where energy needs to die.

Dirty Up (Flaps and Slats, Atmospheric)

Deploy flaps and slats. Slower but tighter turn radius at lower speed.

• Status effect: AoA tolerance improves; speed drops; drag rises.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

Trim Reset

Reset trim. Useful after a hard maneuver has left the airframe nose-heavy or nose-light.

• Status effect: TRM:NOSE-HVY or NOSE-LT → OK.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

RCS Pulse (Vacuum)

Fire reaction control thrusters for a brief lateral or rotational impulse.

• Status effect: RXM drops slightly; vector shifts.
• Cost: Maneuver slot.

Counter-Burn (Vacuum)

Burn against a rotation to arrest it.

• Status effect: ROT:TUMBLE → COUNTER → STBL across turns; RXM drops.
• Cost: Maneuver slot per turn until stabilized.

Atmospheric Reentry Burn

Transition from vacuum to atmosphere at controlled angle, speed, and heat tolerance.

• Status effect: RXM drops; HT rises substantially; SUIT:SLD required; airframe HUL stressed during reentry phase.
• Cost: Multiple maneuver slots over turns.

Land / Recovery

Standard landing pattern (atmospheric) or carrier recovery (vacuum or atmospheric).

• Status effect: Status line ends; transition to body status header.
• Cost: Multiple turns to set up; LG must be functional.

Gear Up / Gear Down

Manual landing gear command (most commonly auto, but manual exists).

• Status effect: Drag changes; landing capability toggled.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

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PILOT BODY ACTIONS

Breathe / Steady (Cool Recovery)

Conscious breathing, harness loosen, focus reset.

• Status effect: PLT may shift RATTLED → STDY over 1-2 turns of low-tempo flight.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Cannot be done while taking active fire.

Manual Mask Adjust

Reseat the breathing mask, check the seal.

• Status effect: MASK:LEAK → OK if a partial seal failure caused the leak.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

Pressurize G-Suit Manually

If auto G-suit pressure isn't keeping up, manual override for a hard pull.

• Status effect: G-TOL recovery faster; one-shot use per high-G sequence.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

Sip Water / Take Stim

Cockpit water supply, or military-issue stimulant tablets for fatigue.

• Stim status effect: PLT temporarily improves (SPENT → REDLINE → STDY); crash afterward.
• Water status effect: Minor PLT improvement, hydration; reduces O2-consumption rate slightly.
• Cost: Cockpit slot. Stims are limited per sortie.

Clear Canopy / Wipe Visor

Clear obstructed vision — frost, condensation, blood, debris.

• Status effect: Visual contacts become reliable again.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

Visual Scan

Actively look. Turn the head, check six o'clock, scan canopy frame for visual contacts.

• Status effect: Visual contacts that sensors missed may be acquired.
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

Adjust Harness

Tighten or loosen the harness mid-flight. Tighter = better hard-pull tolerance; looser = better reach.

• Status effect: G-TOL recovery slightly faster (tight) OR cockpit-control reach better (loose).
• Cost: Cockpit slot.

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EMERGENCY AND EXTREME ACTIONS

Eject

Punch out. Standard ejection seat.

• Status effect: Pilot exits airframe; mech is destroyed (or at least abandoned); survival depends on altitude, suit, terrain.
• Cost: All slots, this turn.
• When to use: mech failing catastrophically; cockpit breached; airframe about to break.

Self-Destruct

Detonate the reactor as a final hostile act. Used to deny enemy capture or take an attacker with you.

• Status effect: Mech destroyed; everything in immediate radius destroyed; pilot dies unless ejected first.
• Cost: Cockpit slot to arm; cockpit slot to trigger.
• When to use: boarding action; final stand; denial of intact-capture intelligence.

Manual Flight Override (Avionics Failed)

If the flight computer is dead, fly on pure stick-and-rudder with no automated assistance.

• Status effect: All maneuvers require pilot Read and Aim; AoA and stall margins narrower.
• Cost: Persistent — applies to every subsequent maneuver until avionics restored.

Atmospheric Glide (Engines Failed)

Engines out in atmosphere — glide to a landing.

• Status effect: EN is no longer relevant for flight; pure aerodynamic; pitch and energy must be managed precisely.
• Cost: Maneuver slot per turn of the gliding sequence.

Cold Coast (Engines Out, Vacuum)

Engines off in vacuum — coast on stored momentum until something changes.

• Status effect: EN, HT freeze; vector and velocity stay constant; thermal signature minimal.
• Cost: Persistent. Time to do something else, or wait for rescue.

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QUICK REFERENCE TABLE

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NOTES ON DECLARING ACTIONS

When you declare an action to the bot, pilot-perspective framing produces the sharpest narration (per cockpit_combat_design.txt):

• "I dodge the missile." → the bot translates loosely.
• "I shove the stick hard left and thumb the chaff release on the console." → the bot rewards specific framing with sharp agency.

This document gives you the vocabulary. Use it directly when you want a specific mechanical outcome, or use it loosely and the bot will interpret. The status line at the end of every post tells you what actually happened.

Most of these actions are canonical in the current bot — they map to status-line fields or established mechanical sections of the cockpit combat design. A few (flare supply, gunpod ammo switching, stim limits) are not yet tracked numerically on the status line and run on narrative tempo for now. If you want any of those promoted to tracked status, that's a follow-on system-design change.

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DESIGN INSPIRATIONS BEHIND THESE ACTIONS

• Jet fighter mechanics — chaff/flare countermeasures, speed brakes, flaps, EMCON, AWACS query, channel hopping, mode-switching radar, dirty-up configuration, manual flight override.
• Gundam Wing-era mech operations — reactor scram, beam saber activation, self-destruct, manual subsystem reroute, manual arm control when damaged, depressurize cockpit to kill onboard fire.
• Macross Variable Fighters — mode transformation (FTR/GRW/BAT) as a maneuver action, weapon dump for agility, sustained boost between modes, the cockpit-pilot-body integration that makes pilot-state actions matter alongside mech-state actions.

The combat engine is built to honor what each source did well: the jet's intimate switch-level cockpit, Gundam's reactor-scale stakes and moral pressure, Macross's transforming mech identity. Most of the actions above sit at the intersection of one or two of those traditions.