Difficult Skills

While it is assumed that most skills default to Mediocre, that is not necessarily the case. Certain rare or esoteric skills may begin with a lower default, such as Poor, Terrible or even Abysmal (which is practically the same as "none"). These skills are bought up like any other skill, except that it may take several ranks to get them up to Average. The good news is, until those skills reach Average, they are not counted for purposes of balancing the pyramid.

Advancement

The key element to advancement is the character's goal. This is the aspect the character is looking to pursue next, such as Master Thief or Officer. When it comes to the point in the story where it is appropriate to distribute advancement, the character gains a single skill rank. This skill rank should be spent on a skill appropriate to the goal.

These skill ranks should be distributed over the course of a game arc, with the goal of awarding the fourth skill rank when the arc concludes. When that fourth rank is achieved, the character achieves their goal, and may add the aspect to their character sheet. The player now selects the character's next goal.

Jirelle Montgard, Explorer

Well-Educated
Adventurous
Well Travelled

It is important that the GM work the goals into the story arc so that the conclusion is satisfactory for everyone involved. If that is not feasible, the player and GM should sit down and discuss how to make the goal work, and if it's not workable the player should be allowed to pick a different goal. The player should not be penalized in situations like that.

Exactly how long an arc should be and how few and far between advancement sessions should be is a matter of taste, and should be suited to the specifics of the game in question. In general, err on the side of caution - characters may move from fighting killer midgets to demon princes over the course of some games, but it's a phenomenon rarely seen in literature.

The pyramid needs only to be balanced when the character chooses a new goal - it may get unbalanced by the single skill point advancements. The GM should help the player keep track of this. Players should be spending skill levels in such a way that balancing the pyramid will be possible by the time a new goal is chosen. That said, if the character reaches their goal and the pyramid is unbalanced, the situation needs to rectified. Ideally the GM and player can come to some agreement, either modifying some skill levels or laying out exactly what the next few skill purchases will be. The first time this happens, it is very important to try to work with the player, and not penalize them.

Of course, if the pattern repeats to the point of abuse, penalties become more appropriate - specifically, the GM is now responsible for spending the player's advancement skill ranks on whatever she sees fit, until the pyramid is rebalanced.

Off Screen Advancement

Advancement can also occur during downtime. If the GM determines that an extended period of time should occur between story arcs, it may be appropriate to allow an advancement phase to occur. This is treated just like a normal phase in character generation. The character may choose to buy their goal aspect during this phase - if so they should pick a new goal. There is nothing that mandates this during downtime - it's just a nice option.

Fate Points as Rewards

If advancement is slower than players are comfortable with, a good compromise is to award Fate points in lieu of more traditional advancement. The exact pace they are awarded at is up to the GM, but even a single Fate point per session (beyond those gained with aspects) can be a significant award.

Alternate Advancement

If the players are not comfortable with coming up with character goals, the GM may choose to simply award skill advancement, and let players choose the aspect when they have accumulated enough skills to earn it.

Changing Aspects

Over the course of play, a character's aspect may become inapplicable. The villain they've sworn vengeance against is dead, or the quest they set themselves to is completed. During an advancement, the character may change that aspect to something different, which reflects the experience the character went through in resolving the previous aspect. For example: If that character's father is an aspect, and his father is killed, "Vengeful" might be an appropriate replacement. Replacement aspects should be discussed with and agreed upon by the GM.

Lost Extras

If an extra is lost or destroyed, it does not have the kind of plot protection that aspects have. If the player can restore it in play, then all is well, but if a character reaches a goal and are still missing an extra, they may re-spend those skill ranks on other extras, or recover lost extras through whatever explanation the GM can think of.

Skill Column

Ser Dylan the Humble

Knight
Proud
Indebted

The pyramid structure results in more low level skills, with Greats and Superbs being areas where the character truly excels. However, the model does not work for every genre - some games call for more highly skilled characters.

Games like that are better served following a columnar pattern, where you must have as many skills in the rank below to support the skill you like. As such, to have one Superb skill, the character needs only have one Great skill, one Good skill, one Fair skill and one Average skill. Obviously this results in fewer total skills, but with more high level skills. This is not as egregious as it initially appears: since the column must be checked each phase, it's impossible to build directly up to too high a spike without widening the base.

Aspect Caps

It is generally assumed that there is no hard cap on the number of ranks a character may have in any particular aspect. However, the GM is entitled to place caps on how high an aspect can be bought, either in a general sense (e.g. no aspects over 3) or on case-by-case basis (if you buy one more aspect in the Church, they'll make you pope, which is great for you, but not so much for the game). As with all things, common sense and good judgement are the watchwords. For those desperate for a hard and fast rule, try this: no more than half of a character's aspect ranks may be in a single aspect or no aspect may be higher than the character's highest skill.

8. Combat

The first thing to determine in a given combat is its pace. This is a choice that is best determined by the dictates of circumstance and the tastes of the players involved. It's reasonable to decide that one pace or another is an appropriate default for a game, but there's no harm in occasionally running a fight at a different pace, if appropriate. The three paces available are Scene Based, Exchange Based and Turn Based.

In a scene based combat, each participant makes only a single roll, and the overall outcome is determined by the overall result. Exchange based combats are composed of multiple rolls, each representing an exchange of blows or maneuvers. A turn based combat breaks things down to the finest grain possible, with each roll representing a single attack or defense. All three paces operate on a similar mechanical principle - two rolls are compared, and the victor's margin of success is used to determine an outcome according to the table below.

Table 1: Combat Outcomes

MoS	Track	Effect
0		Scratched - A negligible result. A near miss, or a hit which fails to have any real impact.
+1		Clipped - A noticeable result. A hit or maneuver that provides a momentary advantage to the attacker, such as knocking a blade out of line or knocking his opponent back a step. In general, getting clipped applies a -1 penalty to the next action.
+2-+4		Hurt - A palpable result. A hit or maneuver that grants a persistent advantage, such as a shallow cut or a disarm. Getting hurt usually applies a -1 penalty to all actions for the duration of the scene
+5-+6		Injured - A significant result. A hit or maneuver with impact that carries on beyond the immediate scene - a serious injury being the most obvious example. Injuries apply a -1 penalty per box to most actions until the injury is healed.
+7 and up	X	Taken Out - A decisive result. A hit or maneuver that ends the fight right there, either from a knockout or perhaps passing out from injuries. It's worth noting that this is not automatic death - that is left to out-of-combat decision.

It might not be immediately obvious, but the above is just a highly detailed chart for a dynamic challenge (see "Dynamic Challenges" on page 12).

Simple Combat

Jack and Bob have pulled knives, each intent on mugging the other. Both have the knife skill, Jack at Great, Bob at Fair. Both roll. Jack gets a , which is a Superb result. Bob gets a which is a Fair result. Jack wins the exchange by a margin of 3, which means a hurt outcome against Bob. Bob, seeing which way the wind is blowing, hands over his wallet and runs

Scene Based Fights

Scene based fights are, mechanically, the easiest fights to run. However, they can be very challenging to make interesting. As such, the two situations when it is best to use a scene-level pace are:

• When players want to play out fights in a primarily narrative manner, and just want to get the mechanics out of the way.
• The fight is tangential to the game, and is best resolved quickly, such as fights involving only one player which leave everyone else twiddling their thumbs.

At the beginning of the scene, everyone involved states their goals and how they're going to go about them, and the GM states the opposition's goals and methods in general terms. Then everyone rolls and rerolls as normal. Ideally, the GM should be able to eyeball the results and work with the narratives to figure out how things went.

That sort of improvisation, while useful, is not always an option, and for those looking for guidelines, there are a couple of possibilities. The simplest is to look at the total numerical difference between the outcomes of each side, and determine the overall outcome based on the difference between those figures - the Combat Outcomes table on page 36 provides useful guidelines in that regard.

For a slightly more complicated resolution, consider pairing off the sides, either by player choice or based on the narrative, and resolve the larger fight as multiple sub-fights, using the same guidelines above.

However it's resolved, the fight should end in a way that allows things to move onto the next scene. It was assumed that if there was a safe way to retry the effort, it's done as part of the scene. As such, continually re-attacking a fortified position in hopes of getting lucky is not an option.

Injuries and Penalties

The combat outcome table is a good yardstick for the sort of consequences a fight can have. However, the more minor outcomes (clipped and hurt) have less bearing, as they don't tend to extend beyond the scope of the scene. As such, treat those outcomes as follows:

• Scratch - Close thing. No advantage or disadvantage
• Clipped - Minor Inconvenience. The character isn't badly hurt, but they look like they've been in a fight, and may have suffered minor wear and tear on gear, items or reputation.
• Hurt - Major Inconvenience. As Clipped, but it's something that could be a real problem unless its dealt with - a damaged weapon or saddle, for example. Alternately, it can be an injury that's too small to provide a blanket penalty, but which could cause a problem under specific circumstances (running, using the left hand, etc.). This generally creates a -1 penalty that the GM can apply in appropriate situations.
• Injured or Taken Out - These are resolved normally, see "Injuries and Advantages" on page 39.

A Scene Based Fight:

Cyrus and Finn are lost in the depths of the Blistered Citadel. Finally managing to find an exit, they need to get past the four guards blocking it. Finn's not much of a fighter, so he declares that his goal is to round the corner at a sprint and make it out past the guards before they have time to react. Cyrus is less subtle, and is just going to engage them, hoping the element of surprise will allow him to get the drop on them and get him the opportunity to get past. The GM declares that the guards will try to stop them.

Everyone rolls. Cyrus gets a Great result on his sword skill, and Finn rolls badly and gets an Average result for running. The GM rolls for the guards and they get two Averages, a Fair and a Good. Cyrus looks at that and spends a fate point to increase his outcome to Superb. Finn checks off a box of his Athletic aspect and rerolls, bumping up to a Good.

The GM looks at the factors involved - minor element of surprise, the discrepancy of numbers, the goals, and the skill rolls, and figures our heros are going to succeed, but not decisively. As the scene gets described, Cyrus draws their attention, allowing Finn to get free, and Finn in turn provides distraction enough for Cyrus to break free. One of the guards is down, but the other 3 are still up, which means they could potentially give chase, or raise the alarm (or both). All in all, it's taken more time to read this than it probably took to play it out.

Exchange Based Fights

The exchange pace is considered the default for Fate. It's well suited to striking a balance between drama and tactics, and allows tension to grow over the course of an extended fight. While it has many of the earmarks of traditional combat systems, it still falls strongly on the narrative end of the spectrum.

An exchange begins with all involved parties declaring their intended actions. These actions should only be things that take a few moments to perform, such as attacking someone, or jumping onto a rope and swinging to safety. Those involved roll their dice and compare them against whoever they are acting in opposition to (or against a GM-determined difficulty, if there are no opponent). Those individual exchanges are resolved against the Combat Outcomes table. If the fight is still going on, a new exchange begins.

GMs are encouraged to play a little fast and loose with things; the above is only a guideline. There's nothing wrong with handling individual exchanges one at a time; the important thing is to keep the overall flow of things moving and not let anyone get bored.

Injuries and Penalties

A clipped result means taking a -1 to the next exchange, while a hurt, injured or taken out result mean the character is, well, hurt, injured or taken out (see "Injuries and Advantages" on page 39).

Example of an exchange based fight:

(Note: This fight uses the rules from "Other Combat Modifiers" on page 43) Cyrus and Finn have settled in for a pint when the three guards they got past burst in, swords drawn. Cyrus jumps from his seat, drawing his sword to defend himself, and Finn dives under the table. The guards split, two (A & B) going after Cyrus and one (C) chasing Finn. Cyrus rolls his swords skill and gets a Great result, guard A gets a Fair and guard B gets an Average. Normally, this would allow him to damage one of them, but he was getting his sword out and defending himself, so he is simply successful. Finn is not so lucky - he only rolls a Fair tumbling result, while guard C rolls a Good. That's a clipped result, and puts Finn at a -1 on his next roll. The GM rules that the guard pulled the table aside one handed, and Finn is now exposed.

The next exchange begins, with Cyrus mixing it up with his opponents, who are getting a +1 to their rolls for outnumbering him. Finn is in a tough spot, and decides he's going to try to kick the guard and knock him away and buy himself some time. The guards simply continue attacking.

Cyrus gets a Good, guard A also gets a Good, and guard B gets a Great - the Good is just a scratch, but the Great is a clipped result, so Cyrus is going to be at -1 next round - combined with the guard's +1, that's not very good for him. The GM describes that the guards have managed to move into flanking position.

Meanwhile, guard C rolls a Fair, and Finn rolls a Great, modified to a Good with the penalty. That would be enough for Finn's kick to clip the guy, but he wants to really knock the guy back, which the GM has determined requires a Hurt result. As such, he spends a fate point to bring his roll back to Great. That's a Hurt outcome, and Finn opts to knock him across the room and out of the fight for the next exchange or two rather than inflict the level of Hurt.

Cyrus knows he's got a pile of pain coming his way and hoping Finn will cover his back. Finn obliges and takes advantage of the opportunity to pull out a knife and throw it at the back of one of the guards on Cyrus.

Cyrus rolls a Good. It's modified down to a Fair from the clipped result. A & B roll a Good and a Fair respectively. They get a +1 outnumbering bonus beyond that, raising things to a Great and a Good. Cyrus checks off a box of his Brawler aspect for a reroll. He turns one of his dice into a and manages to bump up to a Great. He spends a Fate point for a Superb, and hurts one of the guards - he chooses guard A because his back is to Finn. Finn throws the knife at guard A, and the GM gives Finn a +1 on his roll because the guard is not expecting it. Finn rolls spectacularly, and gets an Epic result, which his +1 bonus brings up to Legendary. The knife is now sticking out of Guard A's back, he is now injured and hurt, and thus at a -2 to all actions.

Cyrus smiles the smile of the psychotic as Finn throws another knife. The Guard who was knocked back is dragging himself to his feet this round. The injured guard can't safely disengage, so he and his buddy concentrate on Cyrus. Cyrus fights fully defensive this time, gaining a +1 to his roll. He gets a Fair, which the bonus raises to a Good. A&B get an Average and a Good. Both gain a +1 bonus for outnumbering Cyrus, but A also takes a -2 penalty (-1 for being injured, -1 for being hurt), so their final results are a Mediocre for guard A and a Great for guard B. Cyrus is clipped by the Great. Finn rolls a Great, but checks off a level of Underhanded to get a reroll, and pushes it to Superb. Guard A isn't outnumbering Finn, so he doesn't get to count the +1, and his Mediocre drops to a Poor. Superb vs. Poor is a MoS of 6, so Finn spends a fate point to bring his roll up to an Epic (and a MoS of 7), and the guard is taken out.

The fight continues, but at least it's fair now...

Turn Based Fights

Turn based fights work similarly, except they require a lot more die rolling. Initiative is determined by rolling alertness, with ties broken by tactics skill, then the combat skill being used. Characters act in the order of initiative, each taking an action. The actor rolls dice to attack, and if they beat the defender's roll to defense, damage is dealt according to the combat outcome table. The only real difference is that clipped results affect the next attack roll, and have no effect on defense rolls. Obviously, since it has the most rolls, this method can burn through aspects very quickly.

This is generally not the recommended combat system for Fate, but there are many players who swear by it, so it's included for completeness.

Injuries and Advantages

The core of the wound system can be summarized with the following chart.

Table 2: Wound Track

MoS	Effect	Track	Result
O	scratched		None
1	Clipped		-1 to next action
2-4	Hurt		-1 to actions for the scene
5-6	Injured		persistent -1 per box checked
7+	Taken Out	X	Unconscious or Disabled

Using the chart is simple: when the character suffers a particular result, mark off a box of the appropriate type. If there are no boxes of that type left, mark off a box of the next category down the chart. So if both hurt boxes are marked off and a character takes another hurt result, mark off an injured result. Of course, this means if both injured boxes are full, the character goes directly to being taken out.

Clipped results generally result in a -1 to the next roll in the combat, but have little lasting effect beyond that. Clipped can be described as a very minor injury, but is better suited to some sort of momentary advantage. Practically speaking, there is rarely any need to actually mark off clipped boxes, since they go away so quickly. Multiple clipped results do not increase the penalty beyond -1, though they could conceivably spill up to a hurt result.

Hurt results generally put the character at a -1 to all actions for the duration of the scene. Generally, problems that qualify as Hurt may be bad, but can be taken care of with a bit of downtime - a small cut over the eyes, for example. As such, Hurt is the general yardstick for problems which can be remedied by action, such as a disarm or cutting someone's belt. If any hurt boxes are checked, the character is at a -1 to combat actions until the issue is resolved (generally the end of the scene).

Injured results generally mean the character has been hurt, and hurt badly. Characters take a -1 to actions for each injury. This -1 to all actions extends beyond the scene, and continues until the wound heals. How long a wound takes to heal depends greatly on the severity of the wound and the resources available. Assume it takes 2 weeks of rest or 3 weeks of light activity to heal a wound, with one day removed per MOS above Average of an applied healing skill.

Taken Out is not killed. Killing usually should occur after the fight, be it by cutting throats or by leaving opponents to die. Characters tend to be sufficiently willing to kill themselves through their own enthusiasm that there's no need to help it along with a bad throw of the dice.

In general, use common sense when applying the wound penalty to rolls. If someone is bedridden with injuries, and people are bringing him books, there isn't at any penalties to read, converse or listen. The penalty comes in when the character would have to move.

The Power of Clipped

If there is one thing to take away from the combat system, it is this - all of the results emphasize the end effect, not how it's achieved. What does that mean? It means that someone could have every box on their wound track filled in, and not have a scratch on them. Clips, Hurts and even injuries are just as often the result of a momentary advantage or disadvantage, the psychological upper hand, a physical impediment, embarrassment or nearly anything else that reduces effectiveness. Bearing that in mind, and combining it with the rules for challenges (see "Tests and Challenges" on page 9) means that the combat system is easily extended into other conflict, like debate.

Changing Wound Boxes

While the wound boxes as presented are the default for the system, there's no reason that they cannot be changed to make combats more or less brutal.

The Death Spiral

One effect of wounds overflowing into the next category is that over the course of a long fight, small injuries may accumulate to the point of becoming lethal. It also means that the more injured you are, the less well you'll be fighting and the more likely you are to be injured some more. The impact of these compound penalties is called "the death spiral" and while some players like the effect it has, others are very uncomfortable with it. In the latter case, the issue is easily addressed by adding more wound boxes, or simply removing overflow entirely.

Non-Lethal Damage

In certain circumstances, characters may deal or be dealt non-lethal damage, such as from fists or padded weapons. This has no impact on things during combat, but any injured results delivered in this fashion heal much faster, anywhere from at the end of the scene to within a day or two, depending on their nature.

Long Term Injuries

Exactly how long an injured box stays filled depends on how the injury was inflicted and the general tone of the game. An injured outcome from fisticuffs may fade quickly, but one from an assassin's dagger may linger for some time. In a gritty game, that injury may trouble the character for weeks or months, while in a more cinematic game, it can be quickly shaken off.

By default, assume an injury from a dangerous source (like a weapon, fire, falling or poison) takes one week to recover from. This may be reduced by making a medicine (or similar skill) check against a difficulty of Fair, and reducing the duration by 1 day per MoS. This is a cinematic assumption: more realistic games may extend that time two, three or even four times.

Combat Options

The exact rules for weapons and armor tend to be a matter of taste, so we have included a number of possible options. While we have broken these down into three categories (dramatic, simple and advanced), mixing and matching is encouraged. There's no reason one could not use dramatic weapons with advanced armor, for example.

Dramatic Weapons and Armor

(This is the default for Fate)

Weapons are not judged in terms of highly specific statistics, but in terms of the advantage they provide in combat. The rule is simple: superior weaponry provides a +1 bonus. As such, two combatants facing each other, one with a mace and the other with a sword, are on roughly equal footing, so no penalties are applied. Situation also plays into this - if one combatant has a sword and one has a knife, and there's lots of room to maneuver, the one with the sword gains a +1 advantage. If they have the same fight in a cramped sewer tunnel with little room to swing the sword, the dagger gains a +1.

Armor operates on a similar principle - superior armor grants a +1. In most circumstances, superior armor is easy to determine just by looking. The only exception is when armor becomes a true detriment, a such as underwater or in quicksand, in which case the lighter armor is superior. (Simply being in an open area is not enough to invoke "superior mobility".)

The dramatic system works on a very simple principle: modifiers are only necessary to represent an advantage, not every specific detail of a fight. The assumption is that if two opponents are fairly matched, with roughly equivalent position, equipment and plans, the matter is settled purely by skill. However, if a character uses better equipment and smarter tactics, they will have an advantage over their opponent, and that's what modifier are there to reflect. Guidelines for what sort of things provide modifiers can be found in "Other Combat Modifiers" on page 43.

Tactical Crunch

The dramatic system may not immediately appeal to players looking for tactical depth - after all, so simple a system can hardly reflect the complexities of combat. It's a common assumption, but one we suggest revisiting. In the end, all tactics come down to the simple question of who has an advantage, and by how much - no system can ever fully capture all of the subtleties and minute details of combat. However, a GM's judgement is far more adaptable and a GM can apply their understanding of tactics to any situation. This means that the dramatic system allows whatever level of tactical complexity that the GM is most comfortable with.

Simple Weapons and Armor

This approach introduces a finer degree of granularity to weapons and armor. Both have ratings, generally ranging from 0 to 4. After a successful attack (one which produces a Scratch result or better), add the weapon's rating, then subtract the armor's rating, and consult the Combat Outcome table on page 36 for a result.

For melee weapons, the weapon's rating equates to the penalty to carry it concealed. For armor, the rating translates into a penalty for activities requiring full mobility.

Simple Weapons

rating	weapon
0	Unarmed
1	Knife, Small Club, Martial Arts Strikes, Holdout Firearm
2	Sword, Mace, Club, Pistol
3	2-handed Sword, Polearm, Rifle
4	Ludicrously oversized 2-handed weapons, Heavy Firearm

Simple Armor

rating	armor
0	None
1	Leather, Studded Leather
2	Chainmail, Ringmail
3	Partial Plate, Light Plate, Scale
4	A Wood Stove

These numbers are really just guidelines. A particularly deadly (or "realistic") game might have much larger numbers.

Simple Weapons & Armor

Cyrus swings his broadsword (rating 2) at a thief in leather armor (rating 1) - He succeeds by 1, which would normally be a Clipped result. However, he adds 2 for his sword and subtracts one for the armor and produces a MOS of 2 (1 + 2 - 1 =2), a Hurt outcome.

Advanced Weapons and Armor

Armor

A somewhat more sophisticated model for armor breaks it down into general categories (roughly equivalent to the ratings of simple armor).

Table 3: Armor Types

Outcome	Armor Type
	0	1	2	3	4
Scratched	0	0	0	0-1	0-1
Clipped	1	1-2	1-2	2-3	2-4
Hurt	2-4	3-4	3-5	4-5	5
Injured	5-6	5-6	6	6	6
Taken Out	7+	7+	7+	7+	7+

If someone wants to represent something beyond AT4:

Table 4: Special Armor Types

Outcome	Armor Type
	4	5	6	7	8
Scratched	0-1	0-1	0-2	0-2	0-2
Clipped	2-4	2-4	3-5	3-6	3-6
Hurt	5	5-6	6-7	7-8	7-9
Injured	6	7	8	9	10
Taken Out	7+	8+	9+	10+	11+

Armor's protection is generally limited to preventing wounds. As such, it does not change the difficulty of maneuvers. When fighting someone in plate mail, it is easier to disarm them, a hurt outcome equivalent (AT 0, 2-4) than it is to actually hurt them (AT 3, 4-5).

Weapons

It is possible to have an even finer grain of difference between weapons by assigning specific attributes to them. For example:

Armor Piercing (AP) - Armor Piercing weapons reduce armor rating by 2, but are -1 to use. Extremely potent armor piercing weapons (APx2) reduce armor rating by 4, but suffer a -2 penalty.

Flexible (Flex) - Flexible weapons grant a +1 to maneuvers like disarms, but provide a -1 penalty in any fight where both parties have reasonable mobility.

Vicious (Vcs) - Vicious weapons are designed to rip and tear flesh, and increase their damage by 1 points. However, any armor greater than 0 is considered 2 levels higher against the attack. Vcsx2 weapons increase damage by 2 but improves existing armor by 4.

Locking (Lock) - Weapon locks to the user's gauntlet (or is part of it). As such, the weapon cannot be disarmed, but it also takes a -1 penalty to any maneuvers requiring finesse.

“Mad” Lady Chesterson

Bloodthirsty
Reputation
The Hag’s Teeth
“Don’t touch the hat”

Other Combat Modifiers

A number of other elements can affect the direction of a fight, including:

Superior Position - this is something of a catch-all to cover situational modifiers. Possible reasons for receiving this modifier include:

• Elevated position
• Cover
• Fighting from horseback

In general, these situations shouldn't provide more than a +1 bonus, save in the most egregious of circumstances.

Outnumbering - +1 bonus for outnumbering your opponent.

Flanking - +1 bonus for getting in a position where your opponent's back is exposed. Cumulative with Outnumbered.

Surrounding - +1 bonus for completely surrounding your opponent. This is cumulative with outnumbered and flanked - since it's hard to surround someone without outnumbering and flanking them, this generally means a +3 bonus total.

The Drop

If a character is not expecting an attack and has no reason to be on the defensive, the character's skill is considered to be Mediocre or equal to their Alertness, whichever is higher.

Multiple Opponents

When fighting multiple opponents, a character still only makes one roll. All members of the attacking group who beat the character inflict damage as normal. If the character beats all members of the attacking group, he may select one opponent (usually the one who rolled worst) and inflict damage on them.

Defense

If a character is unarmed, or does not wish to attack, many physical skills (especially Tumbling or Acrobatics) can be used in lieu of their combat rolls. If the defender wins the exchange, no matter how much they win by, it's treated as a scratch, though the GM may allow some defensive maneuvers, if in keeping with the skill - leaping out of the way of a sword blow is in keeping with leaping off a balcony.

If a character is using their combat skill and wishes to fight defensively, they may add +1 to their skill, but if they win the round, they inflict no damage. They may use this roll to perform maneuvers, such as getting away from their opponent, but may not perform maneuvers which affect their opponent.

Fighting defensively must be declared before dice are rolled.

Table 5: Default Combat Modifiers

Situation	Modifier
Superior Weapons*	+1
Superior Armor*	+1
Superior Position	+1
Superior Numbers	+1
Flanking Opponent	+1
Surrounding Opponent	+1

* See simple (page 41) and advanced (page 42) rules for alternate arms and armor rules.

Fighting Defensively

Cyrus (Great sword skill) is fighting a mirror image of himself (also Great sword skill). Cyrus is hoping help will arrive soon, and chooses to fight defensively. Cyrus rolls a Superb outcome, while his doppelganger rolls a Good. Cyrus gains a +1 bonus for fighting defensively, and his outcome is bumped up to Epic. Cyrus defeats the reflection by 3 (Epic vs. Good = 3), which would normally result in the copy being hurt. However, because Cyrus fought defensively, the outcome is reduced to a scratch.

9. Magic and Supernormal Powers

There are few things less satisfying than a truly generic magic system. Magic adds color, flavor and texture to any fantasy setting, and if those elements are generic, the impact on the setting is obvious. Because Fate is designed to be plugged into a setting and reflect its specifics, a generic system would hardly be appropriate. Instead, we've included a variety of sample systems to give a sense of some possible approaches. Any one of them is usable, but they are ultimately more useful as guidelines towards the sort of customization that will help bring out the specific feel of a setting.

In general, magic systems are based off the initial purchase of one or more magical aspects, which then open up special skills or extras that can be purchased. Purchasing more magical aspect levels may open up additional new skills and extras.

Level Based Magic: The Great Library

In the world of Ald, magic is a structured, academic affair, and there is no greater center of magical learning than the Great Library. It is said that every spell ever written is somewhere in its miles and miles of bookshelves.

Characters looking to be mages must purchase a Magical Talent aspect. After that aspect is bought, the player may purchase a Cast Cantrips skill, as well as the aspect Magical Initiation. A character may potentially purchase up to 9 circles of Magical Initiation, and with each level a new Circle spellcasting skill (such as "First Circle Spellcasting") is available.

Mages must prepare their spells at the beginning of the day by studying them from spellbooks. The number of spells in a given Circle which the mage can have prepared is equal to the number of skill ranks invested in the skill (equal to the skill value +1). Once cast, spells are no longer available until prepared again. By default, spells do not require a skill roll to cast. However, the skill roll may be called for to target a spell, or to cast it under particularly trying circumstances.

Ideas for adapting

This system assumes that there is a pre-existing spell list, broken into 10 levels from 0-9, and that a high degree of character advancement (enough to accumulate 10 aspects) is appropriate. If perchance no such system is available, it can easily be adapted to other level-based systems simply by changing the number of levels, usually reducing them. If an even larger list of spells is desired, simply increase the number of spell levels in a Circle. For instance, in a system with 20 spell levels, each Circle (and thus aspect level) might represent 5 spell levels; the skill level in that Circle would determine how many spells in that Circle could be cast each day.

Combinative Magic: The Brass Compass

The world is balanced perfectly between the four points: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Hedge witches may claim some power over one element or another, but true mages know that power comes from the balance of the four, and the danger that comes of imbalance.

There are 4 magical aspects and 4 magical skills in this system. The Aspects are Initiate of Fire, Initiate of Earth, Initiate of Air and Initiate of Water, each representing a tie to the respective elemental force. To be a mage requires only one level of one of these aspects, but such a mage will have access to a far more limited range of power than a more well rounded practitioner of magic would.

The four magical skills (and their uses) are:

Evocation - Evocation is the preferred skill for combat, and is used for quick, usually forceful, expressions of power. For more sustained effects, summoning and mastery are usually more appropriate, but what it lacks in duration and finesse, it makes up in speed and power. Evocation is the favored skill of Fire Mages.

Summoning - The skill for bringing amounts of an element into existence and roughly shaping it (mastery is more useful for that, and the two skills are highly complementary). It is also useful for summoning creatures of the elements, but mastery is required to bind them. Summoning is favored by Earth Mages.

Mastery - Mastery is the ability to shape and control existing elements. It is arguably the most potent of the skills of magic, but it is also entirely dependant on the presence of material with which to work. Mastery is favored by Air Mages, who are rarely without a source of their element.

Dispelling - Beyond removing elemental matter, this is also the skill best suited to protection. While Mastery may allow a mage who takes his time to protect himself, only dispelling is fast enough to be usable in combat, and against evocations. Water mages favor this skill and its propensity to wear away any resistance with time.

Spellcasting is started by determining what element and skill is involved. Usually this is obvious, but in some cases more than one element may apply. In those situations, the GM may either allow a partial effect (such as destroying just the water in mud) or may rule that the mage must use their weakest aspect or skill. It is worth noting, living beings are considered to be a perfectly balanced combination of elements (Earth for form, Water for blood, Air for breath and Fire for life), so are very hard to target directly with any magics.

The next issue to determine is one of scope - how much of an element is summoned, shaped or dispelled, or how much force is deployed in an attack. The maximum scope is determined by the aspect level of the appropriate element. Scope is best judged roughly by the amount of material worked with, which breaks down according to the table below.

After element and scope have been determined, the character rolls the appropriate skill against the difficulty listed in the table. If appropriate, that difficulty is also the number a target must roll against to resist an effect.

Table 6: Elemental Magic

Rank	Scope*	Difficulty
-	Spark	Average
1	Finger	Fair
2	Fist	Good
3	Body	Great
4	Horse	Superb
5	House	Epic
6	Castle	Legendary

* - Dispelling generally works as one level higher scope against summoned material. As such, 2 ranks of Fire magic could dispel a fist sized natural fire, or a body-sized magical one.

The character may not generate an effect with a scope greater than their appropriate aspect level. It is also possible for a mage to summon elementals. These are simple creatures defined by a single aspect - Elemental (of the appropriate type). The level of that aspect is equal to the rank required to summon one and sets its difficulty. Thus, a tiny fire elemental (Fire Elemental 1) is a difficulty of Fair.

To bind an elemental, the character must first summon it (roll summoning skill vs. difficulty) then bind it (mastery vs. difficulty). A Mage may only have one elemental bound at a time. It's worth noting that elementals are fairly obvious and have no real means to hide themselves. An elemental may be dispelled with a successful Dispel against their difficulty, using either their element or the opposed one (Fire v. Water, Earth v. Air).

Ideas for adapting

Long winded as it may be, the underlying principle is simple - a set of aspects and a set of skills, with aspects determining power and skills denoting, well, skill. What exactly the aspects and skills are is almost irrelevant. Elements were used in this example because they're a classic motif, but a solid magical system could be built off any logical (or mythical) combination. Imagine similar systems where the aspects are the Seven Deadly Sins, the Muses, the seasons, the phases of the moon, a different set of elements or anything else that strikes one's fancy.

Improvisational Magic: The Door to Shadow

The gates have opened, and evil walks upon the earth in ways it has not for centuries. Around the corner and just out of the corner of your eye, it lurks, growing in power. Our only hope are those unlikely few, the mad, the destined and the unlucky, who have seen this threat for what it is and are fighting to stop it.

This is a simple, narrative system for playing a somewhat fast and loose game where magic is important, but it is not necessarily central. Mage characters need to purchase a Magical Talent aspect and a spellcasting skill. It is possible that those go under other names, such as Wicca or Thaumaturge with their Old Magick and Thaumaturgy skills. Generally speaking, this is just for color, but it may have some game effect (see below). The spellcasting skill (in whatever form it takes) can be bought without an appropriate aspect, but trying to use it to cast spells is exceptionally dangerous (see Feedback, below).

To cast a spell, simply determine its difficulty and make a spellcasting roll to meet or exceed the difficulty level, then mark off a level of the aspect. As such, yes, the aspect limits the number of spells that can be cast per day, and as such, it's dangerous to burn it for a reroll - as such, having another aspect to represent magical education, like Occult Studies or Ancient Lore can be quite useful, and what often allows a more experienced mage defeat a more powerful one.

Difficulty defaults to Average (0), and is increased or decreased by the effects of the spell as follows.

The spell's scope encompasses...

• Nothing: +0
• The Caster: +1
• A room: +2
• A building: +3
• A town: +4
• A state: +5

If the spell targets...

• No One: +0 difficulty
• 1 Person: +1 difficulty
• Small Group: +2 Difficulty
• Neighborhood: +3 Difficulty
• Town: +4 Difficulty

Note: Most spells either have a number of targets or a scope, not both. Thus, a spell to put everyone in a room to sleep would be based on targets, while one to illuminate the room would use scope. When in doubt, use the higher difficulty.

If the spell is...

• Irritating or inconvenient: +1 Difficulty
• Damaging: +2 Difficulty
• Incapacitating: +3 Difficulty
• Fully transformative: +4 Difficulty
• Mind Altering: +2 Difficulty (over and above other modifiers - mind control is effectively incapacitating and affects the mind)
• Instantly Lethal: Impossible

If the Casting takes...

• A few moments (i.e. in combat): +1 Difficulty
• A few minutes: +0 Difficulty
• A few Hours: -1 Difficulty
• A few Days: -2 Difficulty

If the spell requires:

• Nothing: +1 Difficulty
• Easily acquirable, portable components: +0 Difficulty
• Components are very inconvenient or hard to acquire: -1 Difficulty
• Components are very inconvenient and hard to acquire: -2 Difficulty

Note: if the spell requires components, their exact nature is determined by the GM - it's cheating to decide that your spell needs a rare ingredient you just happen to have on hand. This drawback is generally only appropriate for researched spells (see below)

If the spell lasts...

• An instant (generally long enough for a combat attack): +0 Difficulty
• A few seconds: +1 Difficulty
• A few minutes: +2 Difficulty
• A few Hours: +3 Difficulty
• A few days: +4 Difficulty
• A few Months: +5 Difficulty
• A few Years: +6 Difficulty
• Forever: +7 Difficulty

Also, optionally for those with a more dramatic bent:

The spell affects the story by...

• Advancing the plot: -1 Difficulty
• Doing something someone could do with a mundane skill: +1 Difficulty
• Doing something that someone else in the party could do mundanely: +1 Difficulty (in addition to mundane penalty)
• Jumping over a large amount of plot: +2 Difficulty or more
• Bypassing an entire story: +4 Difficulty or more

And lastly, one unique modifier:

• Inconvenient Timing: -1 Difficulty or more. Inconvenient timing is mostly just useful for villains, as it represents spells that can only occur under certain circumstances ("when the stars are right"). This generally gives a plot reason why a villain can be casting a world-destroying spell, but still be at a level that the PCs can manage.

Research

It is also possible to spend some time researching a spell in advance, either preparing it (which requires a magical toolkit of sorts, depending on the type of magic - a big cauldron for example) or researching it (which requires an occult library). In either case, a research roll is made against the difficulty of the spell, and if successful, subtract 1 from the difficulty of the spell. The GM may award additional bonuses for extreme degrees of success.

Researched spells are generally not re-usable. Duplicating an already researched spell requires another research roll.

Feedback

Magic is dangerous stuff. The number of aspects the character has represents the amount they can safely handle, but sometimes a caster needs to push themselves a little farther. If all of the caster's Magical Talent aspects are checked off, and he still wishes to cast a spell, determine difficulty and roll skill as normal. If the spell is successful with at least a MOS of 1, all is well. However, if the spell fails, or succeeds exactly, the powers the character is working with get out of their control. This is treated as an attack on the character with a severity equal to the difficulty of the spell plus the degree by which the character failed (0, if the spell succeed). The character rolls to defend against this attack with their aspect level. Characters without a Magic Talent aspect default to Mediocre on this roll.

Ideas for adapting

As written, this system is functional but bland. Fortunately, it takes only a little tweaking to give it some flavor. It's possible to give the various magical schools some mechanical impact. Generally, it's best to makes this a +1 to skill in certain circumstances and -1 in other circumstances. Try to make the circumstances roughly equal. For example, the Alchemists of Bin-Assam practice a magical tradition rich in potions, smokes and exotic ingredients. The receive a +1 bonus to skill when casting a spell with required components. However, they are given to ornate, overly complicated rituals, and take a -1 penalty to skill when trying to cast spells more quickly than over the course over a few hours.

Modifiers that reflect the "rules of magic" also add a lot to the flavor of a setting. Perhaps spells receive a bonus when you know the target's true name, or have a symbolic link to the target, such as a voodoo doll. Perhaps spells are more powerful at dawn or dusk. Some rules don't even need rules: something like "curses return threefold" is better played out than left to a mechanic.

Stunt Based Magic : The Great Lighthouse

In the city of Ald, the Great Lighthouse has held off attackers of every stripe for generations. At its peak rests and unquenchable flame, which adepts can direct to strike anything out to the horizon. Great as that power is, it only touches the surface of the potential of this mystical flame. Initiates who immerse themselves in it and survive become adepts, carrying a small amount of fire within them, and may use it to fuel their sorceries.

This fire magic is represented by two things: a spellcasting skill, called "Pyromancy", and a number of "stunts". By using the skill, the mage may start fires without kindling or tools, and even produce small fires (Fair=matchlight, Superb=a large torch) from their body without fuel, though this requires too much concentration to be useful in combat (without a stunt). They may control fires (Fair=Torch, Superb = Bonfire) in showy ways, changing colors and sculpting shapes. They may passively use their skill as a defense against fire and heat. More powerful effects require using a stunt.

Stunts

Characters spend skill points for "Stunts". Performing a stunt allows the character to do something more dramatic with the skill. Each stunt bought gives the character a circle next to the skill, which refreshes in the same manner as aspects, and which can be checked off to perform a stunt. Thus, an experienced Fire Mage, with 3 stunts might express it as:

Pyromancy: Good ()

This would cost 6 skill ranks total: 3 to bring the skill to Good, and one for each stunt.

The first skill rank must be purchased in conjunction with the "Pyromancer" aspect.

To use a stunt, simply describe the desired action and check off a circle. Here are some guidelines that may help give a sense of what stunts can do:

• A stunt should never last any longer than a scene.
• A stunt generally translates into a single effect: A bolt of fire, a wall of flame, lighting something on fire. More sophisticated effects require multiple stunts.
• A stunt can allow magic to be used as a combat skill. This is limited by the effect: A bolt of fire might work for only a single attack, but a protective wall could last a scene.
• Spells which affect multiple targets take a -1 penalty to the roll for each target beyond the first.
• Spells which simulate weapons are fine, but they are bound by the general limitations of the weapons - i.e. creating a perpetual flame bolt that is held in the hand and using it as a sword is fine, but creating a 50 foot bolt claiming its a sword isn't really feasible.
• The addition of magic to a fight can grant a situational advantage (i.e. a +1 bonus).

Stunts are refreshed after a full nights rest or meditation in the presence of a (torch sized or larger) fire. A desperate Fire Mage may also immerse his hands (or other parts) and suffer bad burns (automatically suffering an "injured" result) to refresh his stunts.

Sample Pyromancy Stunts

Bolt of Flame - An old favorite, this blast of flame shoots from the caster's hand or eyes with the intent of incinerating the target. Used at range, this attack grants no bonus for superior armor, and if the target is wearing flammable clothes of metal armor, that qualifies as inferior armor for calculating bonuses. Range is usually line of sight, and the exact appearance of the bolt is shaped by the fancy of the caster.

Wall of Flame - Another classic, a wall of flame bursts into existence, either around the caster, or somewhere nearby. Passing through the wall subjects the target to an attack from the caster's skill as if they had been hit by a bolt of flame. It's possible to surround a target in a wall of fire with an attack that generates a hurt result, and it's possible to directly target something with the wall (light it under their feet) with a injured result.

Brave The Inferno - Ignore damage from any single fire for as long as it lasts and as long as the character is exposed to it. This allows ignoring a single attack, walking around in a burning house, or passing through a wall of fire unharmed.

Other_Stunts

• Shape a ladder out of a bonfire and climb it to a nearby window
• Increase the intensity of a forge to the point where it can melt magical metal
• Set something very large on fire
• Make a fire very hard to extinguish
• Study a fire and find out what it's burning
• Read a book by burning it

What Fire Magic Cannot Do

• Boil someone's insides
• Burn something non-flammable (though it can surround it in flame)
• Summon fire creatures or otherwise give life to fire
• Scry or teleport through fires
• Find information from cold ashes

Geas

Pyromancy does have certain limitations. A Fire Magi who is submerged in water (or other liquid) cannot perform any fire magic until the next full moon. Significant partial submersion (even a bad enough rainstorm) is enough, so Fire Magi are very careful around water which has created a legend that it is somewhat more baneful to them than it genuinely is. This has also inspired some peculiar bathing habits. In the south, sand and oil are more common than water anyway, so there is no problem, but in the midlands it's definitely an issue. Interestingly, snow and ice are not considered water (unless they melt), a loophole that the small number of northern Fire Magi take advantage of, though the idea of a "snow bath" is disconcerting to those of a less hardy nature.

Ideas for Adapting

Stunts are really designed to serve as a middle ground between handwaving magical effects and rigid bookkeeping of capabilities. Coming up with additional magic systems is as easy as deciding on the incidental effects, deciding what the stunts are capable of, and determining if there's a geas or other limitations. The exact definition of what a stunt is depends strongly on the campaign. While it is possible that it may represent a concrete limit, that is not necessary. Like aspects, they are more of a narrative limitation, and because of that, GMs looking to blur the line of how often magic can be used are encouraged to allow appropriate aspect boxes to be used in lieu of stunt boxes. Of course, in games where wizards are expected to have a fixed number of spells per day (or some other cycle), no further explanation is really necessary.

Sample Stunt Systems

Air Magic

Caster can create and control breezes, and whisper to anyone within sight with a skill roll. With a stunt, whirlwinds can be created to transport the caster, or be used for attack or defense. Air Mages may not let their bare feet touch the earth or they lose their power until the next full moon.

Healers of St. Barnabas

Healers may use their skill for mundane healing and insure protection from infection and other complications. With a stunt, a healer may cure any wound by taking the wound upon themselves (The transferred wound fades at the end of the scene). Healers of Barnabas may even offer to sacrifice themselves to heal a mortal wound, but St. Barnabas only accepts this sacrifice if the subject is truly worthy. A healer who sheds another's blood on the battlefield loses the saint's blessing until they have performed an act of contrition.

Interpretive Magic: Sorcery on a Budget

Sometimes magic just isn't easy. Whether because of the overwhelming disbelief of the vast swell of humanity, or some natural protection that keeps the world from accepting the supernatural. Whatever the case, necessity has made magic both subtle and rare.

The single most important component of any spell is how blatant it is. Blatancy is mostly a measure of how flashy or obvious the working of power is - it's a measure of how wrong whatever is being done appears to any bystanders. This puts very practical limits on anything done with magic - more often than not, if a task can be done mundanely, it's much easier to do so. This is why most wizards carry guns.

When using magic, players are encouraged to describe effects in terms of how they would appear in the movie version of their story. Now, this method depends on the player wanting to describe things interestingly - if players are more interested in describing things as flatly as possible in an attempt to drive down difficulties, the GM should do two things - raise the difficulties to an appropriate level, and consider using a different magic system.

Magic using characters should have some sort of aspect to describe their type of magic. This can be as general as "Wizard" or as specific as "Mystical Master of Cheese". These give a general guideline as to the types of magic the character can perform, and the GM is perfectly entitled to grant bonuses when she feels a magical effect is particularly in keeping with the aspect, or nix one that seems to have nothing to do with it (unless, of course, there's a really good explanation). The level of this aspect represents the character's "special effects budget" for magic (to wit, the most powerful spell effect they can manage). The character also has a spellcasting skill, which they roll when casting and attempt to meet or exceed the difficulty level for the "budget".

Table 7: Magical Budget

Asp.	Difficulty	Description
1	Fair	A set of bongos and interpretive dance
2	Good	Public access - a couple of guys with a camcorder
3	Great	Cable television production
4	Superb	Television "Mini-Series Event"
5	Epic	Blockbuster Movie
6	Legendary	Spielberg F/X extravaganza

Some budgetary notes:

• The more area or targets a spell affects, the more camera angles required, and in turn, the more budget.
• Remember, the target is part of the audience. As such, spells that quietly and invisibly choke someone or stop their heart won't work, because they won't notice them. You need to invest some in making them feel it. As such, the very least directly damaging spells require a minimum of a cable TV budget. Indirect damage (like burning someone by catching their house on fire) is a different beast entirely.

A character can temporarily boost their budget by checking off aspects. Each aspect checked off in this fashion raises the maximum budget for the next magical effect by one.

Sample

Harry wants to cast a spell to find a lost girl. The GM decides that the difficulty is going to be based on how much information Harry wants to get. A general sense of direction from casting the bones is fairly low budget (difficulty Fair), whereas a series of grainy flash-cuts, of Poor quality and moderate utility, might be Good difficulty. A full video montage is at least great difficulty.

Later, Harry wants to blast an oncoming troll with a firebolt. This troll is pretty big, and while Harry could usually get away with a Superb difficulty for this, he's worried that it won't be enough, so he guns for a serious apocalyptic, comet streaks from the sky sort of effect, which the GM deems of Epic difficulty.

Finally, Harry wants to protect himself from gunfire. In the movie, this would mean lots of little ripple effects around him as the bullets strike his shield. Cable TV can do it, but it'll look cheesy, and as such only provide moderate defense. For more serious defense, he's going to need a higher difficulty.

Ideas for adapting

Right off the bat, GMs may require that magical aspects be a little more specific, with the idea that a real wizard will have aspects in things like Evocation, Thaumaturgy or Summonings. However you think magic should work, toss it in there.

This is an odd system in that it is probably entirely unappealing to a large segment of gamers. It depends on a lot of trust between the players and GM and requires a lot of interpretation on the GM's part. If it doesn't work for you, don't worry about it. However, if this seems like your cup of tea, the possibilities for interpretation are probably already suggesting themselves.

Hedge Magic: Age of Stone and Steel

It is a simple time, where a man's strength and skill can still shape his destiny, and the touch of the gods is still felt upon the earth. It is an age of wonders, and of rough, primal magics. There is magic in the forging of steel, magic in the paths among the trees and magic in this fire we gather around.

Magic is not a thing of spells or incantations. Instead it is a simple thing, tied to mundane actions. Magic is the difference between someone merely knowledgeable in the uses of herbs and a true healer. Magicians (they are never actually called that) can use their skills in ways that exceed simple mundane limitations.

Characters are not necessarily better at their skills, as that is determined by skill ranks. Instead, they may generally do more with their skills. For example:

Herb Lore can be used to heal wounds and disease with simple plant components, or even concoct useful compounds, like a sleep draught or itching powder.

A Blacksmith could produce goods of exceptional quality, resistant to rust and wear, several times as fast as his mundane counterpart.

A Tracker could follow a trail across otherwise impossible terrain, or discern seemingly impossible information from tracks (He's left handed, and is carrying two swords).

While this sort of magic can also be taken with combat skills, it's doubly important to remember that while it does not provide a concrete bonus, it grants the character a lot more flexibility of action. A normal person could probably not knock an arrow out of the air with a sword, or shoot out the center of a playing card blindfolded, but someone with mastery of Sword or Archery could.

The rules are simple. The character buys an aspect with the same name as the skill in question, representing their mystical connection the skill. Specific mechanics are rarely appropriate for this type of magic - most of the benefits are narrative - those who feel the need for a mechanic can apply a simple formula. While there may be no bonuses, situational penalties may be reduced up to a level equal to the level of the aspect. Thus, if the aforementioned feat of archery suffers a -4 penalty for being a blind shot, the penalty is reduced to -1 for a character with Archery 3. Remember, this is limited to situational modifiers, like environment, not combat modifiers. If the card were (improbably) dodging, those penalties would not be reduced.

Ideas for adapting

Hedge magic is very useful in any setting where you want characters to be able to do cool things with skills. The main change in adaptation is the rationale for the power. In the example above, it is a result of a world saturated with magic, but one where formal sorcery has not yet been established. Other explanations might include ideas such as Zen abilities, or some means of tapping human potential. It's worth noting that Hedge Magic was originally the brainchild of S. John Ross and was later adapted for Five Point Fudge by Steffan O'Sullivan. It's a great idea and worthy of further adapting, and I encourage anyone interested to check out the links in the reference section in the appendix.

Minor Powers: Skin Dance

When the Weasel first talked to me I was so drunk that I just took it all at face value. Apparently, I agreed to some serious mojo-binding stuff, and in return I would get the Weasel's power. I guess I must have agreed, because I woke up that morning up inside my left pants leg.

In preparation for a threat only hinted at, the lords of the beasts have approached worthy humans and offered them the gift of skinchanging - the ability to turn into their patron creature. Despite the questionable value of some of these blessings, these skinchangers are prepared to use the little power at their disposal to defend mankind... as soon as they figure out what they're defending it against. Skinchangers buy an aspect in the appropriate animal, and gain the ability to transform into that animal. It's difficult for a human to adapt to the workings of the animal physiology, so it is necessary for them to buy ranks in a skill called (animal) mobility (weasel mobility or what have you). This is a difficult skill to master, so it defaults to Poor (see "Difficult Skills" on page 33 for details on how to handle this). This skill is the general baseline for activity in the creature's form. If the creature can fly, things are doubly difficult, and default to terrible.

Many creatures have special abilities. Some are intrinsic - a weasel is small and a fish breathes underwater, and there's no need to reflect those with skills or aspects. Others have abilities better reflected with aspects - a bloodhound's keen senses or a ferret's speed. These aren't mandatory, but if the player wishes to take advantage of the animal's abilities, buying the appropriate aspects is a good idea. Some abilities are very specific to the creature, such as a skunk's spray. In those cases, the character should buy a skill to reflect that ability. That skill defaults to the same level as the mobility skill did, and can never be higher than the mobility skill.

Some animals are also better suited to combat than others. Any skinchanger can use their mobility skill to dodge, but those gifted with natural weapons should buy a combat skill to use them. This skill has the same starting default as mobility, and can never be bought higher than the current mobility score. Lastly, any form capable of fine manipulation should buy a manipulation skill to represent it. As with other skills, it defaults to the same level mobility does and cannot be bought any higher than the current mobility skill level. This skill is appropriate for simians, but may also be appropriate for some small mammals and birds.

Characters should not have more than one animal form. If they do, the skills for one form do not translate to the other form, unless the forms are very similar, like a squirrel and a chipmunk.

Ideas for adapting

The underlying model here is simple - an aspect that introduces a minor power can work just fine if it also requires at least one skill to use the ability. If the aspect is particularly useful, then it should require more skills. With that idea in mind, it's easy to model any sort of knack or gimmick, from ESP to Breath Control. This is also the idea behind a number of magic systems. This is a good model to simulate a genre with limited powers, like some urban fantasy or pulp.

Martial Arts: Path of a Thousand Steps

There are three things you must learn if you wish to defeat me, my young pupil. First, you must look within yourself and find your core of strength. Second, your mind and body must be in perfect unison. Third...

*WHACK*

Third, stop listening when you should be fighting.

When the magistrates rose to power, they crushed temples across the land, claiming the long-protected rich lands they held. Numerous orders were destroyed entirely, their lore lost to all time. Others fled, taking their secrets with them into hiding. For generations, they have protected these secrets, and waited.

Their time has come. The magistrates war amongst themselves, and the people need hope. Monks and warriors of these ancient orders now walk among the peasantry, protecting them from the corrupt magistrates.

Martial artists trained in these ancient orders have learned to draw upon their own inner fire to perform seemingly impossible feats. This is reflected by the initial purchase of an Inner Fire aspect, representing their ability to draw upon their inner strength. Characters who have bought this aspect, may invest in a Chi Pool.

The Chi Pool is a special mechanic which represents the force available to the character. The pool starts at zero, and increases by one for each skill rank invested in it, in much the same way skill ranks can be invested in extras (see "Extras" on page 24). In general, skill ranks from any aspect related to martial arts or enlightenment can be invested into the Chi Pool.

Martial arts maneuvers have chi costs. When a character performs a maneuver, they check off a number of points from the Chi Pool equal to the cost. If they don't have enough Chi, they cannot perform the maneuver. The Chi Pool refills between scenes.

Chi Example

The Fat Master has a Chi Pool of 3. He performs the Gentlest Touch maneuver, which has a 2 chi cost. He now has 1 point of chi left. If he wanted to perform the Gentlest Touch maneuver again, he would not be able to during that scene, since he does not have enough chi

Martial Arts maneuvers also have requirements. One requirement is always the core skill - usually martial arts, but sometimes it's something else. To learn a maneuver, the character must usually have some combination of aspects and skills. For example, the Resplendent Backfist maneuver requires three levels of the Monkey School aspect, and a martial arts skill of Superb or better. Some maneuvers, generally the more powerful ones, also require knowing other maneuvers

Sample Chi Aspects

Monkey School - The monkey school emphasizes maneuverability and unpredictability. Students of the monkey are trained in a variety of physical skills, like climbing and acrobatics, in addition to martial arts.

Tiger School - Long standing rival of the monkey school, the tiger school is a martial tradition first and foremost. Students are trained as soldiers, and are usually familiar with numerous weapons and other military skills.

Owl School - The scholastic nature of the owl school is reflected in its pupils. Rarely powerful fighters, they are instead scholars and savants of great skill, well trained in academic pursuits. Many great healers come from the owl school.

Kessen Do - While not a formal school, the followers of Kessen Do have been growing in number. Students of the semi-legendary wandering swordsman Ippen Kessen have taken up his wandering lifestyle, offering teaching in return for food and lodging. Formal instruction is limited, followers are expected to find their own path, and most are seasoned travellers as well as skilled bladesmen.

Sample Maneuvers

The Fat Master

Inner Fire
Owl School
Appetite
Resilient

Iron Strike

• Chi Cost: 1 Chi
• Required Aspect: Tiger School 1 or Monkey School 1 or Owl School 2
• Required Skill: Martial Arts: Fair
• Other Requirements: None
• The character channels his inner fire into his hands, turning them into lethal weapons. For the duration of the scene, the character's opponents gain no benefit for superior weapons against the character. The monkey school calls this maneuver Dancing Fist while the owl calls it the Sublime Hand.

Seeking Strikes

• Chi Cost: Special (see Below)
• Required Aspect: Tiger School 1
• Required Skill: Martial Arts: Good
• Other Requirements: Iron Strike
• The character's lightning-fast blows find their way to weak points in armor. Each point of chi spent on this ability allows the character to ignore that many levels of an opponent's armor. (In the dramatic system, spending 1 point of chi is enough to result in the opponent being treated as unarmored by the character, which may allow a superior armor advantage.)

Breaking Blow

• Chi Cost: 2
• Required Aspect: Tiger School 2
• Required Skill: Martial Arts: Good, Smith: Fair
• Other Requirements: Seeking Strikes
• The character strikes at an opponent's armor's weak points, striking buckles and joints and damaging the effectiveness of the armor. The character must declare that they are using this technique and spend the chi before attacking. He makes the attack as if the opponent's armor level was 0, but rather than do damage, he reduces the armor's level by 1 for each level of success (1 for a Scratch, 2 for Clipped, etc.). In the dramatic system, a Hurt result is enough to reduce an opponent to being effectively unarmored.

Stunning Blow

• Chi Cost: 1
• Required Aspect: Tiger School 3 or Owl School 2
• Required Skill: Martial Arts: Great, Medicine: Fair
• Other Requirements: Iron Strike
• Aiming for the pain centers (for the tiger school) or chi flows (for the owl school) of the body to render blows more incapacitating. The character spends the chi before launching the attack, and if the attack succeeds by more than necessary for a particular outcome, it also adds a Clipped result.

Stunning Blow

The Fat Master performs a stunning blow on a corrupt magistrate. He succeeds by 3. Since a hurt result requires a MoS of 2-4, he successfully hurts the magistrate. Additionally, because he only needed to succeed by 2, he also clips the magistrate. Bad day for evil.

Scurry

• Chi Cost: Special (see Below)
• Required Aspect: Monkey School 1
• Required Skill: Martial Arts: Fair
• Other Requirements: None
• The character's acrobatic dodges go a long way towards keeping him out of harm's way. For the duration of the scene the character replaces the usual +1 bonus for fighting defensively with a number equal to the amount of chi spent.

Scamper

• Chi Cost: 3
• Required Aspect: Monkey School 2
• Required Skill: Martial Arts: Great, Acrobatics: Fair
• Other Requirements: Scurry
• The character's leaps and swings defy all logic as he flies furiously around the battlefield. For the duration of the scene, so long as the character has terrain to work with and enough space to move around (branches or rafters overhead, for example, or alley walls), he can gain a +1 superior position bonus as long as he can describe it.

Resplendent Backfist

• Chi Cost: 2
• Required Aspect: Monkey School 3
• Required Skill: Martial Arts: Superb
• Other Requirements: Iron Strike
• The monkey learns to strike when his opponent least expects it. The character spends the chi when declaring a full defense. If the character beats his opponent by at least 2, then the opponent is clipped.

Rapid Falling Leaves

• Chi Cost: 2
• Required Aspect: Owl School 1
• Required Skill: Research: Fair or an appropriate academic skill at Good.
• Other Requirements: None
• The character may read a book in a quarter the time normally required.

Feast of Words

• Chi Cost: 2 (or higher, see below)
• Required Aspect: Owl School 2
• Required Skill: Research: Good
• Other Requirements: Rapid Falling Leaves
• The character may go for day and a night without food or drink, provided that at least half of his waking hours are spent reading and researching works that he is not familiar with. Each day beyond the first that the character uses this ability increases the chi cost by one.

Gentlest Touch

• Chi Cost: 2
• Required Aspect: Owl School 1
• Required Skill: Medicine: Good, Martial Arts: Good.
• Other Requirements: None
• Quick strikes to acupressure points can alleviate certain inconveniences, at least in the short term. The character spends the chi and touches the target (or themselves), and unchecks one hurt box. Gentlest touch may not be used on a target more than once per scene.

Cut the Swallow on the Wing

• Chi Cost: 2
• Required Aspect: Kessen Do 1
• Required Skill: Sword: Good
• Other Requirements: None
• For the duration of the scene, he character may use his sword skill to defend against ranged attacks, including arrows.

Traveller's Broth

• Chi Cost: 2
• Required Aspect: Kessen Do 1
• Required Skill: Cooking: Good
• Other Requirements: A pot
• Followers of Kessen know that hospitality is often limited by means - no one wants their family to go hungry just to be polite, but many feel obligated to do so. This old traveller's trick was originally the purview of the Laughing Monks, and it has survived the destruction of their order. The character needs only fill a pot with water and place some token, usually a stone, therein. Every person looking to eat needs to make some contribution to the pot, however small. The end result will be a tasty, filling gruel in sufficient quantity to feed everyone who contributed (up to the size of the pot).

Ideas for adapting

As strongly tied as the example is to martial arts, the idea is easily adaptable beyond that scope. There's no reason that there couldn't be sailing maneuvers, or observation maneuvers. In fact, if one replaced the martial arts schools with skills-as-aspects (like "Age of Stone and Steel" on page 53), every skill could have its own maneuver tree.

The only real limitation is GM creativity. The common theme among these maneuvers is that they do not simply provide a +1 to a roll, at least not without qualifications.

One other thought to consider: It's possible to introduce very powerful effects, especially if one wants to have anime-style conflicts, with combatants shouting the names of complex maneuvers amidst special effects extravaganzas. That's a reasonable goal, and it's possible to keep "Super Moves" in check by either increasing chi costs, or requiring that certain very powerful maneuvers require an aspect check-off.

For a game in which maneuvers will be more common, the GM may allow a skill rank to purchase three or more points of chi.

10. Utilities

Sample Aspects

Anger

The character's rage simmers just below the surface, awaiting opportunity to burst.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Vent his frustration, usually through explosive action towards whatever he's mad at.
• The GM might invoke this to: Cause the character to lose his temper at an inappropriate moment. Interfere with any action that requires calm.

Bookworm

The character is an academic, well versed in all manner of obscure lore. His knowledge, unfortunately, is almost entirely from books, and theory is not always the same as practice.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Dig up an obscure fact or other bit of knowledge at the right. Research like a fiend.
• The GM might invoke this to: Cause problems when the character is faced with the need to apply his knowledge under the stress of "Real World" conditions.

Cowardly

The character is a firm believer in the better part of valor, either out of meekness, deep self interest, or some other motivator.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Run, hide, or otherwise get away from something dangerous.
• The GM might invoke this to: Inspire the character to flee when he really need to stand his ground.

Curse of Toads

When the character tells a lie, a live toad pops out of his mouth.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Gross someone out, or convince someone who knows of the curse that he is honest.
• The GM might invoke this to: Complicate things when lies would be more convenient.

Duty

The character owes a duty to some one or thing which should come out of creation. Alternately, the character may simply take all of his responsibilities very seriously.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Perform an action which directly upholds the duty.
• The GM might invoke this to: Present a player a choice between upholding his duty or doing something more practical. Raise an issue of responsibility at an inconvenient moment.

Intelligent

The character is smart, simple as that.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Know useful things, or find them out if they aren't known.
• The GM might invoke this to: Unless there are monsters that specifically like eating big brains, there's not much the GM can do with this.

Intelligent Vs. Bookworm

The aspects Intelligent and Bookworm grant almost identical bonuses, but their drawbacks differ greatly. While this may initially appear imbalanced, it's an intentional result of the rules. The Intelligent character is almost never going to be penalized for his intelligence, but neither is he likely to have anything particularly interesting happen as a result of being smart. In contrast, the bookworm's life will likely be more interesting, but more difficult. As a result, the bookworm is more likely to generate fate points. Neither is better than the other in the end. Instead, they are different ways to play the same sort of character, and merely exist to allow players to tune the characters to the style of play they are most comfortable with.

Meticulous

The character is very thorough in his approach to almost everything.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Get a bonus to any task where he has the time and resources to do a thorough job, "discover" that he packed just the right tool.
• The GM might invoke this to: Interfere with the character being spontaneous.

Onianos

A curved blade carved from the purest Moonstone, this sword has been passed down through generations of heroes. In the hands of the unworthy, its edge is dull and its balance shoddy, but in the hands of a true (or potential) hero, it strikes sharp and true.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Swordfight, or have the sword conveniently available.
• The GM might invoke this to: Steal the sword. Require some ritual to renew the sword's magic.

Panasta Dados

Panasta Dados is the Master of Thieves of the city of Alverado, and at some point he took the character under his wing and taught him some of what he knows.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Perform a thiefly task, "Here's a trick Old Pan taught me". Get some information about Alverado, get information directly from Panasta.
• The GM might invoke this to: Have Pan call in a favor. Have Pan's enemies try to strike at him through the character.

Priest

The character is a member of the priesthood, and is expected to support the appropriate dogma, as well as accept whatever duties, responsibilities and powers come with the position.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Give a stirring sermon. Resist the powers antithetical to his faith. Attempt to use the resources of his church.
• The GM might invoke this to: Deliver inconvenient orders from a superior. Present temptations that contradict the Priest's Dogma. Raise the ire of opposed religions.

Self Destructive

For whatever reason, the character seeks his own destruction, though he is unwilling to take direct action to do something about it. Instead, he throws himself wholeheartedly into dangerous situations in the hopes that this time will be his last.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Do something stupid and dangerous.
• The GM might invoke this to: Keep a character from doing the safe, reasonable thing.

Raello

The character's family estate, it is a place of rest and refuge from the troubles of the world.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Draw upon the resources of the house.
• The GM might invoke this to: Threaten the house.

Blake Masterson, Werewolf Hunter

Hunter
Preppy
Educated

Treacherous

The character has a knack for betrayal. He's the one who shows up on the movie screen and everyone watching knows that he's the one who's going to whisper lies in the king's ear and try to seduce the naive princess. Betrayal comes easily to the character, and while he may be steadfast and true in the end, it would be so easy not to be.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Lie, spy or generally connive.
• The GM might invoke this to: Incite suspicious reactions from NPCs, especially when the character is telling the truth. Offer opportunities to stab comrades in the back.

Veteran

The character is the survivor of many battles, and the experience has shaped him. This is appropriate for a seasoned campaigner who has seen many battles (in contrast to Veteran of Gishal Falls, below).

• A player might invoke this aspect to: Keep his wits about him in a fight. Assess a tactical situation. Pitch camp in unfriendly country.
• The GM might invoke this to: Invoke flashbacks. Introduce old rivals from the other side of the battlefield.

Veteran of Gishal Falls

The Battle of Gishal Falls was fought over the course of 4 months in the swampy, disease-infested valley below the falls. Both the Nadulians and the Asts consider the battle a defeat, and the casualty rates on both sides were obscene.

• A player might invoke this aspect to: As Veteran, but also to resist disease or carry on activities in a swamp.
• The GM might invoke this to: As Veteran, but the GM now knows who the opposing side was, and what people think of the battle. Some may consider the character a reminder of the Army's embarrassment, or resent them for surviving while a loved one did not.

More Aspects

Amnesia - The character has a hole in his memory of some size. The good and ill of this are somewhat subject to GM whim.

Banjo - The Demon Horse. He's fast, tough and smart, but he also eats meat. Especially rabbits.

Barbarian - Raised in the wilds, this character may be good at hunting and fighting, but lacking in social graces.

Courtier - Experienced with the ebb and flow of courtly intrigue, this is useful for dealing with those intrigues, but less useful for convincing an angry mob that you're really one of them.

Delusional - The character has some firmly held delusion. This tends to be useful on those occasions the delusion is useful (think Don Quixote), but otherwise problematic.

Fae-touched - The character knows something of the ways of Faerie, but this comes with some drawbacks, such as an aversion to Iron, the necessity of an invitation to enter a home, or just the attention of faeries.

Famous - The character is well known, which is useful for dealing with people who like him, but less useful when trying to avoid attention.

Holy - The character's convictions run so deep as to be a beacon in the darkness. This beacon may provide illumination, but it also is likely to draw attention.

Fop - A cultured gentleman can turn to excess. While Fops are usually skilled in social arts, they are also prone to a variety of vices, and have a most unwholesome reputation.

Gambler - Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, but very rarely know when not to play the game.

Hunted - Someone (or something) is after the character. Useful for evading or confronting pursuers, but with obvious drawbacks

Irish - Useful for drinking, brawling and spinning yarns, less good for stopping drinking and keeping your temper.

Stereotypes Are Bad!

Yes, we know. This particular ethnicity was selected because the author shares it with some enthusiasm. This is not included to encourage thinking that all people of a particular heritage are a certain way, rather it is to point out that it is possible to represent national character, however it is defined, with an aspect.

Kind - Kindness is a virtue treasured by healers and those who bring succor, but it is ill-suited to many of life's cruelties.

Large - Useful when being big and strong comes in handy, but less useful when trying to do things like hide (or buy clothes that fit).

Ninja - Can you ever really have enough ninjas?

Rich - Outside of the events of play, the character has significant wealth. which is useful in many ways. Sadly, what he has, so many others want...

Rival - The character has a rival who he wants to defeat in some fashion. While this aspect may help with the rivalry, the rival himself is likely to cause problems.

Strong - Break things!

Vengeful - The character's been wronged, and seeks to make it right. This is useful for pursuing that revenge, but such focus can often turn into tunnel vision.

Weapon Master - The character kicks ass with weapons. People who kick ass this much tend to draw attention from others out to prove how much they kick ass.

Skill Lists

There is no one skill list that can apply to all games. The nature of the game should shape the skill list to reflect what sort of activities are important in the game. Skills are measures of how characters distinguish themselves. The idea of "party balance" hinges on the idea that each member of the group contributes something unique to the whole. The idea was originally couched in purely tactical terms, but its more broadly applicable. If each character in a given group has a particular area in which they excel, everyone is given an opportunity to take the spotlight from time to time. Naturally, there is also the question of genre - a computer programming skill will be out of place in a game of sword and sorcery.

When creating a skill list, it's important to keep two key elements in mind: there must be enough skills to allow each character an arena to excel in, and skills must be more finely defined in areas that will be important to the game. In the absence of a defined skill list, it's often useful to look at skills in terms of a few broad categories, and whether you want the skills in those categories defined in a broad, general or specific fashion.

Skill Categories

The most general categories of skills are Academic, Artistic, Athletic, Combat, Criminal, Magical, Perception, Professional, Social, Survival, which break down as follows.

Academic

Academic skills are generally oriented towards knowledge, research and learning.

Table 8: Academic Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Languages Lore Research Teaching	Area Knowledge Computers History Linguistics Literacy Mathematics Science	Specific academic skills tend to be refinements of the general skills: History becomes French History, American History and so on. Science becomes Chemistry, Physics and anything else appropriate. At this point, the advanced sciences are very similar to the roles of magical skills. They reinforce the specifics of the genre. In a science fiction game, for example, stardrive engineering might be a very important skill. Often, a game will have a specific selection of specific skills in conjunction with a more general list.

Language and Linguisitics

The issue of languages is often a tricky one. The role of language is near and dear to many people's hearts, and there are a number of ways they can be treated.

When using broad skills, the Languages skill measures what languages the player knows: each rank over mediocre equates to one language when play begins. When using general skills, Languages are split into Linguistics (spoken languages) and literacy (written languages). Languages are learned in the same fashion as with the broad skill. In Broad and General cases, languages are fairly binary: either they're known or not. A poor grasp of a language may be played out, or considered a temporary hindrance, but is mostly in the realm of GM interpretation.

Under specific skills, each language or language family is its own skill. Skill level measures the character's fluency: Average means a heavy accent, Fair is faintly detectable, and Good and better is flawless. At the GM's discretion, the character may be forced to used the lower of a character's language and social skill when attempting to use social skills in another language.

Artistic

Artistic Skills cover the gamut of artistic expression.

Table 9: Artistic Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Art Performance	Acting Dance Painting Play Instruments Sculpture Singing	Each type of art form (Opera, Sketching, Specific musical instruments and so on) is its own skill.

Athletic

Athletic skills cover the general range of physical activities.

Table 10: Athletic Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Athletics Endurance	Acrobatics Climbing Endurance Jumping Running Swimming	Acrobatics Climbing Contortions Disease Resistance Distance Running Drug Tolerance Endurance Running Jump Sprinting Standing Jump Tumbling

GrandMaster Alpha All-Knowing NPC

Smug
Arrogant
Expendable

Combat

Combat Skills are the meat and drink of most games, so they get a somewhat richer treatment than many other skills. Broad combat skills are simple enough: Melee, Ranged and Unarmed. Specific skills are simply one skill per weapon type (Sword, Bow, Longsword and so on). Broad skills are where there are a few more options.

Table 11: Combat Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Melee Missile Unarmed	See below for three possible options.	Dagger Flail Heavy Crossbow Light Crossbow Longbow Longspear Longsword Mace Rapier Sabre Shortbow Shortspear Shortsword Shuriken Staff Throwing Dagger Obviously, this list could extend pretty much indefinitely. Thankfully, it can generally be limited by the culture of the area the game occurs in.

Any of these three options can work as broad combat skills. No one option is really better than any of the others, and the decision should hinge upon whichever approach the GM considers most thematically appropriate.

Option 1: Weapon Category Combat Skills

This list treats the category a weapon falls into as a general skill. In many ways this is potentially the most comprehensive list.

• Bows - Bows, Crossbows
• Brawling - Improvised weapons
• One Handed Edged - Swords, Knives, Axes
• One Handed Blunt - Maces, Clubs
• Polearm - Halberd, Spetum, Staff
• Shield - Facility with a shield - grants an additional +1 if used as skill for an all out defense
• Thrown - Knife, Shuriken
• Two Handed - Two-Handed Sword, Greataxe
• Unarmed Combat - Boxing, Wrestling, Martial arts

Option 2: Style Based Combat Skills

This list is based off fighting styles, with the reasoning that a sword and shield fighter is not much different from a mace and shield fighter, practically speaking.

• Archery - Bows and crossbows
• Fencing - Fighting with light blades, knives, possibly cloaks and canes
• Haft Weapon - Any weapon with a long haft, such as a spear, staff or polearm.
• Improvisational - Fighting with whatever happens to be on hand.
• Mounted - Fighting from horseback.
• Single Weapon - Fighting with a weapon in one hand and nothing in particular in the other.
• Thrown - Throwing things.
• Two Handed - Non-hafted weapons large and heavy enough to require two hands.
• Two Weapon - A Weapon in each hand. Other than looking cool, the main advantage of this style is the difficulty in disarming it.
• Unarmed - Fighting unarmed, be it bare knuckle brawling or some manner of martial art.
• Weapon and Shield - A one handed weapon in one hand, a shield in the other.

As an example, under this model, a character with archery at Good would be Good with any bow or crossbow he picked up.

Option 3: Thematic Combat Skills

This list is divided along more stylistic lines, with each skill representing a group of weapons of combat styles joined by their thematic elements rather than any real tactical similarity.

• Archer - Bows and daggers
• Brawler - Improvised weapons and unarmed attacks.
• Cavalry - Mounted use of swords and bows.
• Cutthroat - Knives, saps, garrotes.
• Duellist - Use of fencing weapons
• Footman - Use of swords, shields and polearms
• Knight - Mounted lances and swords, as well as swords afoot.
• Martial Artist - Unarmed attacks and weapons like staves or oddly curved blades.
• Pirate - Cutlasses and belaying pins.
• Ranger - Bows and swords.

There are many more possibilities for skills, but they should be tied to the world in some fashion - for example one school of duellists may have a different skillset than another.

Butter-Flitter-Bipkin

Cute
Fae
Carnivorous

Criminal

Criminal skills are exactly what they sound like, skills related to crime.

Table 12: Criminal Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Larceny Stealth	Fence Forgery Hide Lockpicking Pickpocket Sneak Streetwise	Once again, the specific skills take the general skills and render them appropriate to a particular area or area of expertise. Skills would include things like Streetwise (New York) or Safecracking, Electronic Security Systems, Counterfeiting Money and so on.

Magical

Magical skills are probably the most genre dependant skills of them all. Some games will have none at all, some may have only one, some many have many, Ultimately, what skills are needed for the magic system is determined by the magic rules being used.

Perception

Perception skills are important in almost any game, with the distinction being what it is important to notice in the game.

Table 13: Perception Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Awareness Observation	Awareness Search Sense Motive Spot	Awareness Danger Sense Detect Lie Direction Sense Investigate Listen Locate Hidden Read Person Spot Surveillance

Levels of Perception

The main difference between many perception skills is a matter of when they're applicable. At the broad level, Observation is used to spot things the character is looking for, and Awareness is for things that he's not looking for, like surprises, or things he might happen to notice in a room. The general category breaks that down further. Awareness fills the same role, but Observation has been split into Search and Spot. Spot is used for quick checks, when the character is trying to take in details at a moment's notice. Search is used when the character takes the time to look for something. The specific breakdown is similar, but many specialized tasks (like finding things that have been hidden) have their own skill.

Professional

Professional is a catch-all category, which includes most domestic, craft and professional skills, as well as most day to day skills.

Table 14: Professional Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Craft Healing Riding	Clerk Cooking Driving First Aid Medicine Smithing Riding Rope Use Stonecutting Woodcrafting	Accounting Administration Appraise Baking Blacksmithing Bureacracy Carpentry Driver Wagon Grilling Haggling Plumbing Ride Camel Ride Horse Silversmithing Obviously, there's an almost infinite number of specific professional skills. Thankfully, there's rarely any need to figure out what they all are.

Social

Social skills govern human (and non-human) interaction.

Table 15: Social Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Deceive Impress	Bluff Contacting Charm Intimidate Lie Seduce	Bluff Contacting (by group) Charm Diplomacy Deceive Etiquette Gossip Intimidate Public Speaking Leadership Unobtrusive Seduce

Survival

Survival skills are generally outdoors skills, though there are a few exceptions.

Table 16: Survival Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Survival	Herbalism Hunting Survival Tracking	Herbalism (by region) Find Tracks Forage Read Tracks Scrounge Shadowing Trapping Survival (By terrain: Desert Survival, Arctic Survival etc.)

Putting Together the Skill List

If a game revolves around courtly intrigue and deceit, it's appropriate to have a wide array of social skills, and perhaps only a small set of combat or craft skills. Similarly, a game with a lot of combat should have a decent range of combat skills to chose from.

A Sample List

Planning for a fantasy game, Lydia considers what kind of skill list to put together. She's looking to have a gritty, urban sort of game. Looking over the various categories:

Academic skills aren't going to be terribly important with a few exceptions, so she opts for the broad selection with a few specific additions.

Area Knowledge (The City)	Area Knowledge (The Court)	Area Knowledge (Underworld)
Lore	Research	Teaching

Artistic skills are also not critical, but since the city has its share of artists, and some of the players may be interested in that, she opts for a general list.

Acting	Dance	Painting
Play Instruments	Sculpture	Singing

She anticipates a lot of running about on rooftops, but it's not so important that it requires a specific list, so she opts for general athletic skills.

Acrobatics	Climbing	Endurance
Jumping	Running	Swimming

Combat will play a fairly major role in the game, but she has no desire to keep track of the minutiae of a specific system, so she wants a general option. Since she likes the general style of the thematic groupings, so she opts for:

Brawler	Cutthroat	Duellist
Footman	Knight	Pirate
Maybe others, if someone has a particular concept.

Criminal skills are also central enough to merit the general list, but not so critical to require specifics.

Fence	Forgery	Hide
Lockpicking	Pickpocket	Sneak
Streetwise

Magic has already been decided, as Lydia has opted to use Pyromancy (see "The Great Lighthouse" on page 49)so there's only one skill: Pyromancy

Perception skills are actually going to be critical, so Lydia opts for the specific list. However, she doesn't like Locate Hidden or Surveillance, so knocks them off the list.

Alertness	Danger Sense	Detect Lie
Direction Sense	Investigate	Read Person
Spot

Professional skills aren't going to matter that much, so she goes for the Broad list. However, she likes the rope use skill for various grappling hooks and piracy activities, and sailing is pgoing to be common so she adds them to the list.

Craft	Healing	Riding
Rope Use	Sailing

Social Skills are going to be similarly important, so she opts for the specific list.

Bluff	Charm	Gossip
Intimidate	Lie	Public Speaking
Leadership	Unobtrusive	Seduce

Survival skills just aren't going to matter much in an urban game. However, the scrounge skill is a great street urchin skill, so she tosses that in.

Scrounge

Survival

The final list looks like:

Acrobatics Acting Alertness Area Knowledge (The City) Area Knowledge (The Court) Area Knowledge (Underworld) Bluff Brawler Charm Climbing Craft	Cutthroat Dance Danger Sense Detect Lie Direction Sense Duellist Endurance Fence Footman Forgery Gossip	Healing Hide Intimidate Investigate Jumping Knight Leadership Lie Lockpicking Lore Painting	Pickpocket Pirate Play Instruments Public Speaking Pyromancy Read Person Research Riding Rope Use Running Sailing	Scrounge Sculpture Seduce Singing Sneak Spot Streetwise Survival Swimming Teaching Unobtrusive

Pyramid Shorthand

Sometimes you need a detailed character on the fly and don't want to mess with the headache of tracking the pyramid. In those situations, the following guidelines may come in handy. These examples represent pyramids optimized to get high skill levels as quickly as possible.

Table 17: Pyramid Shorthand

Phases	Skills
1	2 Average, 1 Fair
2	4 Average, 2 Fair
3	5 Average, 2 Fair, 1 Good
4	4 Average, 3 Fair, 2 Good
5	4 Average, 3 Fair, 2 Good, 1 Great
6	6 Average, 4 Fair, 2 Good, 1 Great
7	7 Average, 4 Fair, 3 Good, 1 Great
8	7 Average, 4 Fair, 3 Good, 2 Great
9	6 Average, 4 Fair, 3 Good, 2 Great, 1 Superb
10	8 Average, 5 Fair, 3 Good, 2 Great, 1 Superb
11	7 Average, 6 Fair, 4 Good, 2 Great, 1 Superb
12	7 Average, 6 Fair, 4 Good, 3 Great, 1 Superb
13	8 Average, 5 Fair, 4 Good, 3 Great, 2 Superb
14	7 Average, 6 Fair, 5 Good, 3 Great, 2 Superb
15	8 Average, 6 Fair, 4 Good, 3 Great, 2 Superb, 1 Epic

Conversion Notes

The aspects model makes conversion to or from many other systems fairly easy. In general, any system that has a single primary index, like levels, increments of 10 points or the like can convert that number into a like number of aspects. Similarly, systems that have only a few elements can often turn those elements directly into aspects.

Risus

S. John Ross' excellent "comedy" system is a pretty flexible, pretty simple d6 based system that measures characters in the number of dice they have in various cliche's. These numbers of dice convert precisely into aspect levels, and vice versa. Risus can be found at www.io.com/~sjohn/risus.htm

Over the Edge

Another great d6 system, this time from Jonathan Tweet. The 4 descriptors (including the negative one) become aspects. By default, the aspect level is equal to the die level - l for advantages and 2 aspects for the drawbacks. For mor information, check out www.atlas-games.com

Level Based Systems

These are often the easiest to convert. One level equals one aspect, with the aspect type usually equating to the Aspect type. As such, a level 3 Thief would have 3 aspects of Thief, and the appropriate skills.

Alternately, a number of other ideas can be imported into a level based game, either as a whole or piecemeal. A phase based character generation can work simply with one phase equating to one level. Granting one aspect per level is generally appropriate, and aspect invocation can usually be used for a reroll.

Flavored Hero Points

Many systems use a hero point system of some variety or another. Some are very similar to Fate Points, simply by another name, but others are a permanent pool of points which can be used up and restored over time. Generally, those are useful for any sort of roll, offering a guaranteed bonus, or an automatic success. By turning that pool into a similar sized or slightly larger pool of aspects, you can use the existing mechanic, but make it more thematic. The only limitation is that since you're replacing a system that is basically positive, negative aspects are generally inappropriate, unless your GM is willing to give a specific reward for their invocation. If a GM wants to do this, one good option is to allow a negative invocation to uncheck any aspect box.

For an example of this sort of system look to the Sidebar.

Lucky Break

Suppose a system includes a Luck stat. This stat is treated as a pool of points which, when used, grant a bonus. This is normally marked on the sheet as:

Luck:

For a character with a 6 luck. Each time luck is used, a box is checked off, and every day, one box is recovered.

Now, this works just fine, but it's a little dull. If you "push your luck", it's pretty much the same every time. In contrast, aspects would give a much stronger sense of what's important to the character.

As a decent rule of thumb, a given pool turns into one and a half as many aspects, to make up for the fact that they're less universally applicable. Our sample Luck of 6 becomes 9 points, which could become:

Conviction
Family
Master
Fast

The mechanic of invoking these is the same as the luck system, but these new aspects give a much stronger sense of what sort of reserves the character has. They are also subject to the same invocation limitations: once they're checked off, the box is used up until it recovers (and recovery occurs at a rate of one per day).

That leads to one other bonus to multiple pools. Each pool of aspects recovers the same way the luck pool does, but they recover independently. Thus, each pool recovers one box per day.

Constructing Organizations with Fate

Organizations are built in much the same way that character's are, with both aspects and skills, albeit from somewhat different lists. While it is possible to build organizations in a phased manner, unless multiple organizations are being created at the same time (such as for a conspiracy game, see below) there is little real reason to do so. GMs are encouraged to make use of the pyramid cheat sheet.

Organizations should be built on the model of 1 aspect per 4 skills, though “freebie” aspects may be appropriate.

Organization Aspects

As with characters, aspects reflect the nature of the organization. It should be possible for someone to read the list of aspects and get a sense of the nature of the organization. As such, organization's aspects should usually encompass the scope and nature of the organization.

The scope of the organization can encompass a number of elements, like the size of the membership or how far-reaching the organization may be. Scope is not synonymous with influence, that's covered by skills, but it is complementary. Scope is rarely measured precisely, but as a rule of thumb it correlates with how many areas of influence (see the influence skill, below) the organization extends to on a roughly 1/1 basis. Scope also sets the default difficulty for many internal activities, especially of an administrative nature. If scope is not clearly implicit in the aspect, assume it to be equal to the highest ranking aspect.

Other aspects should give insight into the nature of the organization, and are things like Sub-Genius, Criminal or Mercantile. These aspects should give a sense of the sort of activities the organization pursues, or what manner of philosophy it follows.

These are not the only aspects an organization may have, but they are the most common. Other aspect may reinforce skills (“Conspiracy” or “Rich”) or may be something else entirely.

Using Scope

In a setting spanning a tightly packed continent, the GM decides there are six major areas of influence: the five main nations and a sixth for "The Wilds" existing at the western end of the known world. In creating the main church for the setting, the GM decides to give it a large scope, represented as:

One True Church

That's an Epic scope, and it means that the church can be found represented almost anywhere in the setting. However, that means that all administration rolls for the church at large have a default difficulty of Epic.

Organization Skills

Skills measure those things the organization can do, such as exercising influence or drawing upon resources. While there are only a few skill types that an organization may take, they are much like knowledge skills in that they may be taken multiple times to specify the area of use (So an organization might have Influence: England and Influence: France).

Organization skills have very specific uses, and as such cannot be freely substituted for each other. As such, if an organization has a great deal of influence, and wants to use that influence to secure resources, that should be represented by a resources skill (or can default to mediocre).

In general, organizations are bound to the same rules regarding the skill pyramid that characters are, though the GM may grant exceptions for special cases.

The usual skills for organizations are as follows:

• Control (Region) - This represents how much overt control the organization holds over a given area, usually in the form of institutionalized rule.
• Sway (Region) - Sway represents non-institutional power over a given area, be it due to respect, fear or any other appropriate motivator. Like control, sway is obvious, and it does much which control does. However, it is less effective than true control, and as such it is at a -1 to all actions.
• Influence (Region) - This represents how much secret sway the organization has. Practically speaking, this works in the same way sway does (albeit at -2 from control), but unlike sway (which is obvious) there is no obvious tie back to the organization.
  Why take Sway instead of Control?

  The single biggest difference between sway and control is one of responsibility. Control is appropriate for ruling bodies and the like, who are tied to the region they control. In contrast, sway provides some amount of power, but it does not carry the responsibility to the region which control does.

  The penalty on Sway and Influence is also somewhat deceptive. The same effect could have been achieved by making them Difficult Skills. However, that would have made it harder to fill a skill pyramid, so we opted for the current model.

  
  
• Information (Region) - This skill represents knowledge of current events in appropriate areas, and is most appropriate for organizations with decent intelligence and espionage arms.
• Arms (type) - Many organizations have access to a number of rough and ready individuals willing to do (or prevent) harm on command. Because these rules are for organizations (rather than nations), the main differentiation is one of quality. A given arms score represents one military aspect of an organization, so if an organization has more than one military arm, more than one skill is appropriate.
• Resources (type) - The type is usually money, but sometimes an organization has a great deal of some other sort of resource, like a trade commodity or a particular type of service.
• Unity - This measures how unified the organization is with higher unity meaning less internal strife. High Unity organizations tend to be more stable.
• Administration - The larger an organization is, the more of its resources it needs to commit to keeping itself in order, and this skill measures how effectively that's done.
• Communication - The other side of the coin is communication, which is a measure of how effectively a message may be communicated within the organization. For a small organization, this skill may be entirely irrelevant, but for a large organization, it can be critical. This skill is also highly complementary to high information skills.

Special Skills

Many organizations will have at least one special skill which represents something peculiar which that organization does which others may not. These special skills could be almost anything, depending on the nature of the setting and the organization, but some of the more common types include:

• Magic - The organization has access to some manner of arcane arts, be it the blessings of the priests or ties to ancient secrets. This generally means the organization has access to spellcasters of some stripe or another, and the skill represents their quality and type. Much like arms, if the organization has access to multiple types, multiple skills are appropriate.
• Assassination - The ability to quietly make people dead. Naturally, this is illegal pretty much everywhere, and had best be accompanied a great deal of secrecy.
• Secrecy - This is a measure of how hard it is to find things out about the organization and (at higher levels) whether or not the organization exists at all. Whether this secrecy is an intentional conspiracy or merely the result of extreme obscurity can be determined at creation.
• Reputation - The opposite of secrecy, this is the public face of an organization insofar as it may deviate from the reality. Most organizations have an implicit reputation based upon their aspects and activities, but it is possible to put on a “false face”, represented by this skill.
• Lore - The organization has access to a large body of knowledge of some sort (as with arms: multiple lores mean multiple skills), and it’s generally implicit that this is knowledge that may be hard to come by under other circumstances.

Holdings

It is also possible for an organization to spend skill points on holdings, such as safe houses or strongholds. The rules for these are similar to the rules for items, with each skill ranks translating into some sort of quality for the holding. Possible qualities include:

• Fortified - The holding is protected in some way.
• Hidden - The holding is difficult to find.
• Isolated - The holding is far from civilization.
• Ornate - The holding is impressive to behold
• Big - The holding is extensive
• Magical - The holding is magical in some way. This may be useful (it’s a node of power) or decorative (it floats over a volcano’s caldera). In general, if the magic provides some additional benefit (like defensibility), other qualities should be purchased

I'm Going Mobile!

The first thing that may occur to a reader is "What about mobile?". It sounds like a great quality - sorcerers with crawling towers and the like seem like a pretty cool option. And it's true, the system supports this (as well as "flying", "alive" or "invisible" or a myriad of others), and in fact, we encourage their use with the simple caveat: do so sparingly. Nothing makes things like this bland faster than overuse.

In general, this shouldn't be a problem since the GM can use their own standards, but if you're running a Conspiracy Game it's worth putting some limits on these things, even if they are increasing costs. Invisible could be treated as buying 3 or 6 ranks of "hidden" or a sufficiently different quality, like mobile, might simply cost 3 or more ranks.

Alternately, the qualities could be on a scale - 1 quality of Mobile might allow very slow movement, or only movement within very limited bounds, and many more ranks may be required to make the holdings really powerful. As ever, this balance is a matter of taste, but it's important to stay aware of this element.

Creating an Organization

The Church of Saint Agnes (CSA) is a small militant order within the Quintarian church, dedicated to a warrior-priestess who martyred herself to protect a cloister of monks. CSA followers generally make themselves available to Quintarian priests traveling to dangerous destinations.

The CSA is a very minor sect, so they’re being built with only 3 aspects. Because they’re a sect of a larger church with no real influence of their own, scope aspects don’t seem appropriate. Instead, 2 aspects of “Quintarian” represent their tie to the mother church, while a single aspect of “Militant” reflects their flavor.

A quick look at the aspect cheat sheet says that’s 5 Averages, 2 Fairs and a Good. Because the pyramid only technically needs 3 Averages, that means 2 ranks could be put into holdings without breaking the pyramid. With that in mind:

The Good obviously goes into Arms to represent the Templars of the church.

They’re fairly well organized and well funded (it’s a popular charity for soldiers) so Administration and Resources (Money) are Fair.

At Average are Sway: Beve, Communication, and the special Skill “Charity”, which represents the good works (and subsequent good will received) the church pursues.

The two remaining ranks are spent on chapterhouses in the Cities of Beve and Anas, with Beve being their main house (Thus the Sway).

The final write up looks like:

Aspects
Quintarian
Militant
Skills
Arms: Templars	Good
Resources: Money	Fair
Administration	Fair
Sway: Beve	Average
Charity	Average
Communication	Average
Holdings
Chapterhouse: Beve	(Fortified)
Chapterhouse: Anas	(Fortified)

Using Organizations

Once play has begun, there are several benefits to having stats for organizations. It provides a good baseline for what various organizations may know and what their interests are. It also provides an excellent shorthand for dealing with NPCs from that organization. If the Knights of Anton have Arms (Knights) at Good, then Joe Nameless Knight can probably be considered to have a “Good” in appropriate military skills.

Additionally, it provides a nicely abstracted way for organizations to come into conflict with one another and to resolve it with a minimum of headache. How likely are Walsingham’s spies (Information (France): Good) to find out about John Ballard’s Jesuit Conspiracy (Secrecy: Fair) to assassinate the queen? Easily determined!

For games which use an “off season”, organization statistics can also be used to represent and resolve longer term conflicts. Organizations may even have their own wound track for GMs wishing to concentrate on this element.

The Conspiracy Game

One interesting option for using this system is as a preamble to another game. Allow each player to construct an organization in a phased fashion, and allow the interactions of the organizations and the choices of the players establish some of the backdrop of the setting. The play of this is simple enough, but a few complications can spice it up:

• Disallow player from making subsequent characters with membership in the organization they created.
• At the end of each phase, have each player secretly write the name of the organizations closest ally or greatest enemy among the group. The GM looks at these secretly, and whenever there is a match up (including enemy to ally!) add an aspect to each organization called “Connection to ”. This means the two groups compliment each other well, but are also vulnerable to each other. After all, in a conspiracy game, what is an ally except an enemy who has not yet shown his stripes?

Option: Nations

It's easy to see that this thinking could be translated into tracking nations, kingdoms or other political holdings (which will be collectively referred to as domains). And There's no reason not to, but a few considerations are appropriate. There are a few more complexities that enter the picture when dealing with a kingdom or duchy, things like borders, physical characteristics and armed forces. Most of these things can be handled by adding additional aspect types and redefining existing ones.

Scope translates into the physical size of the domain, from a humble fief () to a continent spanning empire (). And here's the real trick: Do not bother to even try to balance this - Scope is hugely important in this regard, and in general a domain of a given scope will barely notice the goings on in a domain just 2 steps smaller. When dealing with nations, simply determine how big the scope will be before anything else. Subsequent aspects, like Size and Army, might differentiate between same-scope domains, but otherwise, scope is generally going to tell. As a rule of thumb, the scope of a domain represents how many regions it contains, for purposes of skills.

Borders are aspects. Like scope, they provide no skills, but they are important to have. Similarly, if the domain is in a chain of fealty, aspects for those above and below are appropriate freebies.

Other Aspects: Aspects of dogma and specific resources (army size, geographic features) are the aspects a domains built with (and which differentiate them from other domains)

Skills work the same as they do for organizations, though some (like secrecy) are rarely appropriate. Skills like control are not implicit in creation, so it's strongly suggested that the ruler or rulers rank those skills quite high. Holdings are an excellent way to represent points of interest within the domain.

Sample Organizations

The Amazing Vinka’s Traveling Circus

The circus is one of the most popular shows in the kingdom, but it also has a secret. A mysterious patron provides the circus with much of its resources, and in return uses it as a personal group of spies an infiltrators throughout the kingdom.

The Circus is a 4 Phase organization.

Aspects
Traveling Circus
Spies
Obligation
Skills
Espionage	Good
Secrecy	Good
Reputation (Circus)	Fair
Entertain	Fair
Resources (Patron)	Fair
Communication	Average
Arms (Roustabouts)	Average
Unity	Average
Administration	Average
Holdings
None

Notes: The Circus has 2 special skills, Espionage and Entertain. Espionage works as a targeted Information skill - they can act as if they have an information skill at that level wherever they are physically located. Entertain represents how well they (as a whole) put on a show.

The Star Rangers

The Star Rangers are the law enforcement arm of the Galactic Empire. Their Blue spacesuits and blasto-pistols are recognized throughout the Galaxy and feared by all those who would do wrong! Of course, they are also consistently under funded, outnumbered and outgunned, but all the same, the Rangers always get their man!

The Rangers are an 8 phase organization, and the Galactic empire consists of 5 main regions: The Core, The Rim, The Corporate Zone, Wildspace and the Starbelt.

Aspects
Galactic Law Enforcement
“Always Get Their Man”
Honorable
Skills
Arms (Rangers)	Great
Unity	Great
Information (Core)	Good
Information (Corporate)	Good
Information (Starbelt)	Good
Administration	Fair
Communication	Fair
Resources (Ships)	Fair
Information (Rim)	Fair
Control (Rim)	Average
Sway (Core)	Average
Sway (Starbelt)	Average
Resources (Money)	Average
Information (Wildspace)	Average
Holding
Carrier Group Roland	(Mobile, Fortified)

The rangers have no fixed base, operating instead out of this mobile force, allowing them to deploy to the 6 corners of the galaxy when the need arises.

The Dinner Guests

The guests are the politest of conspiracies. Consisting of members of some of the most powerful families in the city, it is a loosely knit group with a shared desire to maintain the power of the nobility and keep the peace within the city. While some members exercise considerable personal power, the Guests' greatest strength is as an information network. With a more complete picture of the byzantine web of politics supporting the city, members are able to stay a few steps ahead of the bulk of the lords, allowing for complicated political machinations without overt effort.

The Guests are a 3 aspect organization. However, their potence should not be judged solely on this fact - while the organization as a whole has little in the way of resources or sway, its individual members have a great deal of both, and for them the goal of the organization is to provide the information that allows them to use that position most effectively.

Aspects
Social Club
Aristocratic
Skills
Information (Nobility)	Good
Secrecy	Fair
Communication	Fair
Sway (The City)	Average
Information (Tradesmen)	Average
Information (Bureaucracy)	Average
Resources (Money)	Average
Holding
Adolpho's	(Private)

A restaurant on The Hill with a very private clientele.

The Rusted Blade

Servants of Kindalos, Lord of Decay, these zealous assassins pursue a methodical, meticulous agenda of destabilization and decay. The First Law of Kindalos is that the only true growth comes in the midst of chaos and destruction, so the blades seek to promote lawlessness and strife. Their targets are rarely great leaders, instead they are sage advisors and respected experts of the sort whose knowledge and advice keeps things moving smoothly. Needless to say, the mere hint of a cell of blades springing up in an area results in a diligent hunt. Few regimes can afford the sort of attrition in their bureaucracy that the Blades tend to represent.

The Blades are a 6 aspects Organization

Aspects
Cult
Zealous
Decay
Secretive
Skills
Secrecy	Great
Assassination	Good
Administration	Good
Communication	Fair
Arms (Blades)	Fair
Resources (Money)	Fair
Information (Andalla)	Average
Information (Indit)	Average
Information (Kris)	Average
Lore (Kindalos)	Average
Holding
Verdigris Temple	(Hidden, Isolated, Trapped)

A network of caves, riddled with traps, which doubles as a temple of Kindalos

Threat Levels: Handling Issues of Scale

By default, combat assumes that characters are facing opponents of roughly similar size. This is a fair assumption within a certain range - slightly larger opponents can just be considered stronger and more dangerous, but that only scales up so far. However, it breaks down when trying to model significantly larger opposition, like giants, dragons or killer robots. To represent this difference, assign certain opponents assign an aspect called "Threat", which could range anywhere from a single box for an ogre to a few dozen for Smaug. This threat rating provides no skills, but instead allows some specific uses by checking off a box. The default uses are:

1. Can be used as any other aspect in combat, for rerolls, etc.
2. Can be used to increase the MoS in an attack roll by 1 (requires at least a scratch outcome). This expenditure can be countered by the expenditure of a fate point by the target.
3. May decrease the severity of a wound taken by one step (hurt to clipped, clipped to scratched, etc. Checking off 3 boxes can reduce a taken out result to a scratch)

These rules can also be used for opponents who are tougher than the norm but are not actually large, such as ringwraiths or androids.

Example of a Threat

Aaron (Ranger: great) has angered Groth the Pretty, an ogre bandit (Ogre: Good, Threat ). In the first Exchange, Aaron gets off a superb bowshot, against Groth's fair charge. That's a MoS of 3, which would normally be a hurt result. Groth checks off a threat box and reduces that to a clipped result. In the second exchange, Aaron has to drop his bow and pull his sword, so he's at -1 this round, and Groth is at -1 for the clipped result. Groth's mighty club swings and beats Aaron by 2. He checks off another threat box and bumps that MoS up to 3, a hurt result against Aaron. If Aaron had a fate point to spend he could spend it to cancel that and drop it back down to a clipped, but he's all out. When the next round begins, Groth has checked off all his threat boxes, and Aaron is hurt.

Threat boxes generally refresh between scenes unless there is some reason why the threat would not have an opportunity to gather itself, such as continuing pursuit or a dangerous environment.

Threat levels are also a great way to handle certain weaknesses. A dragon may, for example, not be able to use any of its threat effects against an attack from a dragon-slaying arrow. Alternately, a protective ward against spirits might strip a wraith of some or all of its threat levels.

Threats as Special Abilities

Threat level can also be used as a shorthand for other abilities that an opponent may have. A Dragon might need to check off a box of threat to breathe fire, or a wraith may need to check off a box to fade (or perhaps to materialize). While not every threat may need this level of detail, it can prove a handy shorthand. Some possibilities might include:

• Deceptive: Creature is hidden or hard to hit in some way, such as with a projected image or rapid teleportation. Check a box to force an opponent to reroll an attack and take the new outcome
• Fiery Breath: Check off a box to breathe fire. This can be used for all manner of other special abilities that should not be used every round (if only because they would be boring that way).
• Lightning Fast: If an initiative system is being used, check off a box to go first.
• Lycanthrope: Check off a box to reduce all damage from non-silver sources by 2 steps for the duration of the scene.
• Oversized/Multiattack: This opponent is much harder to gang up on. Each box checked off decreases the number of opponents by one, for purposes of determining superior numbers, for the duration of the scene.

Appendix I. One Page Fudge

Rather than attempt to present Fudge as a standalone game system separate from Fate, this appendix is here to cover the few concepts we are assuming as preexisting knowledge.

The Classic Ladder

When something is rated in Fudge it is expressed in terms of a descriptive adjective, instead of a traditional pure-numbers approach. The ladder looks like this:

Fudge Ladder

Value	Descriptor
+3	Superb
+2	Great
+1	Good
0	Fair
-1	Mediocre
-2	Poor
-3	Terrible

Some players will prefer to have the number listed next to the adjective, for easy margin-of-success calculation, while others may feel that the number detracts from the "plain language" advantage Fudge character sheets possess.

Many Fudge GMs prefer to bracket the ladder with a Legendary for +4 and an Awful or Abysmal for -4.

The Dice

Fudge dice - available online and at many gaming stores - appear as six-sided dice with two sides having a plus(), two sides a minus(), and two sides a blank(). Four of these "dF" dice are rolled to produce a center-weighted result from -4 to +4 which is, in turn, applied to a relevant statistic from the ladder. Thus, rolling is a +2 on a standard 4dF roll. Using a skill rated as Good (+1), would give you a Superb (+3) result.

If finding Fudge dice is not convenient, a normal d6 will do, with 1-2 yielding a minus, and 5-6 yielding a plus. Colorizing or otherwise marking the sides may speed reading of the result; Fudge folk across the internet have all sorts of feelings about how best to do this, so if this is the route you're taking, it's worth looking around. If dice math is easy for you, the result is exactly equivalent to a 4d3-8 roll.

One variant worth noting is called 'dF.1', with the 1 referring to the number of sides that have a or on it (on normal dice, counting sixes and subtracting ones). There is a camp of Fudge players who prefer this method, as it makes the center-weighting much stronger -meaning that the character sheet more accurately reflects usual performance.

How Baseline Fudge is Different

Aside from the compressed ladder (above) Fudge, as it comes out of the box, is a more "standard" game than Fate, having attributes, gifts, and flaws instead of Fate's aspects. The alters a few mechanics - for example, in vanilla Fudge, the default level for skill is Poor, but in Fate it's Mediocre.

Fate's Fudge based incarnation also tends to require a fair amount of customization at the start; some argue that Fudge is more framework than system, but there are a few standard builds that folks tend to use, such as "vanilla" Fudge, and Steffan O'Sullivan's 5 Point Fudge. Fudge points are also rarer and more potent in vanilla Fudge.

Fate is meant to join this crowd as a "standard build" in its own right for GMs who are looking for a little less front-loaded effort in their Fudge experience.

Appendix II. Alternate Dice Methods

Fate D6

Six-sided dice(d6) have a lot of advantages for gaming. They're easy to read, easy to count, stackable and, most importantly, when there's a need, they can be rummaged from a couple of old board games. They also can be used very easily - there's no need to explain what these funny plastic shapes are, or what them mean. Most people are already pretty comfortable with the idea of rolling a few dice and adding them together.

When playing Fate with D6 rules, a lot of elements remain the same. The ladder is still in place, but it now has new values assigned to it. Rather than rolling four Fudge dice and adding the value of the adjective, just roll the number of six-sided dice associated with the adjective.

Fated6 Ladder

d6	Descriptor
8d	Legendary
7d	Epic
6d	Superb
5d	Great
4d	Good
3d	Fair
2d	Average
1d	Mediocre
2*	Poor
1*	Terrible
0**	Abysmal

* - Poor and terrible scores are the same as if the player had rolled 1 die and it had come up showing a 1 or a 2. However, the die is considered to be "on the table", so aspects can be used to change the die. Any bonus or penalty dice start out at this value.

** - An abysmal score means there is no chance of success at all. The GM may allow the player to spend an aspect to put a die on the table (which will be treated as if it had rolled a 1), which then allows it to be treated as a terrible skill (above).

Static Difficulties

Difficulties are measured in steps of 5, with the goal being to roll a total that matches or exceeds the difficulty target number (TN). Difficulty descriptions may be found in "Setting Difficulties" on page 14

Fated6 Difficulties

TN	Descriptor
1	Negligible difficulty
5	Simple tasks
10	Challenging tasks
15	Difficult Tasks
20	Daunting Tasks
25	Staggering Tasks
30	Revolutionary tasks

Fate D6 in action

Dan needs to climb over a low brick wall. The GM figures the wall is not too high, and there are numerous footholds in the surrounding vegetation and the like, so he decides the TN is 10. Dan has a Fair (3d6) climbing skill, and he rolls a 3, a 4 and 5 for a total of 12; Dan gets over the wall without a problem. Unfortunately, on the other side of the wall are a number of guard dogs. Dan comes back to the same wall, but this time, with a pack of dogs hot on his heels. He needs to climb the wall quickly, so the GM assigns a 1die penalty. He rolls 3 dice for his skill, +1 die for the penalty, and rolls 2,3,3,4. Because of the penalty, he only counts the 3 worst dice (2,3,3 for a total of 8) and he narrowly fails and has to mix it up with the dogs.

Seeking vengeance, Dan comes back to climb the wall later, and this time he's brought some rope, climbing hooks and gloves. The GM accepts that this is overkill for the task, and grants 2 bonus dice. Dan rolls 5 dice (2,3,4,5,6) and keeps the best 3 (4,5,6) for a total of 15, and he easily clears the wall. Unfortunately, the dogs are ready for him, and he ends up having to run back to the wall. Now he has a 2 die bonus for the gear, but a 1 die penalty for the dogs. A die of bonus cancels out a die of penalty, and he makes the roll with a single bonus die. He gets the same roll as last time (2,3,3,4), but this time he counts the three best dice (3,3,4) for a total of 10, just enough to get clear.

Dynamic Tasks

The difficulty of a dynamic task will almost always be the total of the opponents die roll.

Modifiers

It's easy to add bonuses and penalties to d6 rolls, and there are numerous ways to do it. For Fate, bonuses and penalties are applied as "Bonus Dice" and "Penalty Dice"; for instance, a "+1" modifier becomes one bonus die, while a "-1" modifier becomes one penalty die. Bonus dice are added to the total number of dice rolled, but do not change the number of dice counted. This means that if a player is rolling 3 dice, and gets two bonus dice, they would roll 5 dice, but only count the best 3. Penalty dice work the same way, except the player must count the worst dice. Bonus dice and penalty dice cancel out, so a player should never be rolling both at once.

Modifiers can be applied for a number of reasons. Low quality tools or a lack of tools might add a penalty die (or dice) while having high quality tools may grant a bonus. Similarly, doing a task quickly might cause a penalty, while taking the time to be careful might grant a bonus. Distractions might be penalties, while extra resources on hand may provide bonuses.

Aspects

Aspects are maybe used in Fated6 to do one of 2 things:

1. Turn a single d6 into a 5
   or
2. Reroll all dice

It's important to note that all dice are considered to be on the table for purposes of bonuses and penalties. Thus, if a character with an Average skill rolls with a penalty die rolls 2,2,4, he can check off an aspect to turn the 2 into a 5 to make the result 2,4,5, but he will still need to chose the two worst dice (the 2 and 4). Mind you, in this case, invoking the aspect has changed a result of 4 into a 6, enough to make a difference in many circumstances.

Fate Points

In addition to the dramatic uses of fate points, the mechanical benefit is to add 1 more die to a roll. While auctions are an option, no more than 1 fate die can apply to any single roll.

Appendix III. Design Notes

Why Aspects?

Aspects are a dramatic departure from more traditional attribute systems, and not everyone is entirely comfortable with their use. In this section, we'll separate the underlayers of the aspects concept in an effort to make things a little more plain.

Taking the Focus

In a more traditional system, an attribute like strength would generally provide a modifier that would grant a bonus to all strength-related action. The logic is simple: the character is always strong, so it always matters. Aspects are designed to model a more literary convention, whereby things like strength only matter when the character is doing something interesting and has the focus of the scene. For instance, Porthos of Dumas's "The Three Musketeers" was quite strong, and this strength helped him out of a number of situations. However, the books did not linger on how each of his mighty blows was that much more lethal than those of his compatriots.

That is the thinking aspects are designed to model - the character may always be strong, but it only matters when the camera focuses on them and they call upon that reserve of strength (or passion, or courage, or love of family, or anything else) to make a difference.

Intrinsic Balance

Since aspects can be used up through voluntary invocations within a session, there is a kind of balance that is struck across all aspects. The more player-useful an aspect is - the more likely it is to provide opportunities to reroll - the more quickly those rerolls will run out. In a way, this keeps particularly "powerful" aspects of characters from taking over the story.

Additionally, the more "positive" an aspect is, the less likely it is to incur an involuntary invocation from the GM. This helps to strike the balance against the more negative aspects, in that negative ones are likely to generate a larger quantity of Fate points for the player.

Thus, aspects provide an elegant "point balanced" method to express character qualities both great and small, without a chart of disparate costs. They serve to build a story where the sidekicks are as interesting as the stars, and the flawed members of the team prove to have hidden reserves of strength.

Finally, aspects handle "hybrid" situations fairly well. Suppose you are using an aspect to represent membership in a particular society. With that membership comes a host of obligations and enemies - but also access to privileges and resources. The ability to use aspects as a double-edged sword is one of their secret strengths.

The Essential Differences

In the end, aspects are there to represent what sets the character apart from others. This is why we do away with traditional attributes - an aspect is there to represent the deviation from the norm, whether that's in a positive (e.g. Dextrous) or a negative (e.g. Clumsy) direction. If someone lacks a Dextrous or Clumsy aspect, then they're like everyone else in the agility department.

What's possibly most confounding for newcomers to aspects, however, is the idea that they're all "valued" the same, level for level - even the "bad" ones, like Drunkard, Sickly, or Claustrophobic. And it's in this where the literary roots of aspects begin to show again.

Most RPG systems will offer you a payback for taking a flaw - a trade of a weakness for extra character points. And while there's no inherent problem with this set-up, it can at times seem artificial (as any one armed, one eyed honorable hydrophobic albino can tell you).

Aspects come to the table with the simple proposition that a quality of a character, regardless of whether it's positive or negative, is something that makes the character more interesting and better ties them to the story. Consider the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series: Buffy's superheroic Slayer aspect is on a kind of narrative equal footing with sidekick Xander's Normal Guy aspect. Both aspects bring the characters into the story, in a clear and thematic fashion.

In fact, it's often a character's weaknesses that make them so interesting, much more than the fact that they can kill vampires or fly or cast spells. We care more that they are Paranoid, or are Vulnerable to Kryptonite or have a Dark Secret in their past. Since such entertaining stories can be told around these weaknesses - indeed, some of the best GM's plots are born out of chosen character weaknesses - it almost seems we should be paying more for our weaknesses, if the yardstick used is "story significance".

An Origin Story

The original ideas behind Fate came out of a long car ride to lake Tahoe, where Fred and I managed to drive our wives into the other car through excessive game geeking. Fred had run an amazing game of Amber using Fudge back on the east coast, and he was thinking of taking another swing at it. I'd played in his game, and while the system had worked out pretty well, he was looking to top his past performance. One of the core ideas was to toss a fixed stat list out the window. The thought was that everyone was on roughly equal footing, statwise, and by default no stat was worth mentioning unless it was in some way exceptional. Any stat that a player wanted to pursue would be ranked on a three tiered system, for example, Strong, Stronger, Strongest. These were the first aspects, and after a little kicking around, we realized that these stats could be anything, and the wacky ideas started flowing (Drunk, Drunker, Drunkest!) and we realized the same mechanic could be used for almost everything that was not a skill. What's more, we had been sufficiently impressed with the 7th Sea model of charging points for drawbacks that this seemed a great way to reflect both the good and the bad.

The idea of phased based character creation had come out of some experimental games that had used cards to build characters, and it seemed to dovetail nicely with the aspects idea. The idea of the skill pyramid (originally a column) came out of a desire to keep people from spiking their skills without an escalating cost model. We threw all this together and were pretty pleased with the outcome, and in the end it made for a great game.

There were a few bugs that needed ironing out. In initial tests, characters bought skills or aspects during each phase, and it resulted in some odd unevenness in the characters. Aspects originally provided bonuses to rolls, which resulted in some really scary outcomes, especially in situations where characters could invoke multiple aspects.

The idea of switching from bonuses to rerolls came out of a weekend of camping and considering games like Dying Earth and Trollbabe, which make good use of the mechanic. That and the idea of making aspects more central to character creation were the two ideas the final version of the game crystallized around. Other bits have fallen into place since then, but ultimately, this remains the results of a crazy conversation about trying to tie story and character background a little more tightly to the mechanics.

Final Words

You may also notice that the majority of this book is examples of one sort or another. That's a conscious decision. We think it's much easier to understand how rules should be used with copious examples than with any amount of explanation.

There is a base assumption at work behind almost all of these rules, and that is this: A good rules system supports the preferred style of play. Our hope is not that people will run out and play a game of Fate, but rather that they will take the parts on hand and make a game that explicitly suits them.

Appendix IV. Sample Creation

Lydia: Okay, let's sit down and make the characters. There are a few key aspects that I want you all to be aware of, going into this. As you know, this is going to be a multi-dimensional fantasy game, where your ties to the forces and philosophies of the universe can matter. So the first set of aspects available to you are kind of "alignment" based: Chaos, Order, Goodness, and Evil. I'd like you to take at least one aspect level in one of these, so the first one you pick will be treated as a plot hook and will be worth 5 skill levels.

John: Can we take both Chaos and Order?

Lydia: Sure, why not? But figure on me pulling you in both directions at once throughout the game.

John: Weird. Cool.

Lydia: Okay. The second set of aspects have to do with the elemental forces in the universe, which can be commanded by those who have the appropriate ancestry, from one of the six great houses which are rumored to be descended from the Elemental Princes themselves. The elements are: Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Wood, and Void. There are two kinds of elemental aspects. You can take a 'House' elemental aspect to represent your connection to and recognition by that house, even if you aren't part of the actual bloodline. You can also take an 'Ancestry' elemental aspect to represent actual possession of elemental powers and membership in the bloodline. The elemental powers granted by ancestry will be skills, bought like anything else, each of which will represent a particular trick that fits the theme of the element. These should be relatively minor; Fire might have 'Create Light', 'Provide Warmth', or 'Resist Flame'. Check with me to make sure the skill's in the right scope. Everyone clear on that?

Cass: Yeah, but what about other kinds of aspects - or are these the only ones?

Lydia: I was getting to that. Outside of these, it's pretty freeform. You can take aspects that are like classic attributes - Strength, Intelligence, that sort of thing - flaws, advantages, and connections to people and organizations outside of the elemental houses. If you have an idea, let's talk it out. Okay, I'm going to have you all be about the same age and tie each aspect phase to a bit of a timeline. We'll start with you all in your early teens, with each phase covering two years or so.

Bill: How many phases total?

Lydia: Five. Alright, we'll go around the table and have each of you say a few things about your character at this point - name, appearance if you like, and where you figure you'll be at this point in your life. Cass, you start.

Cass: Okay, my name is Tyrena, and I'm a member of the archivist caste in the Air house. I'm a bit absent-minded, and at age 14, I've been apprenticed in the house's interplanar library.

John: I'm Ro Garrik, a punk redheaded kid with more attitude than brains. I've had plans to enlist in the Earth house's military for a while yet, and while I'm not of age, I've faked it and managed to get into the army before my time.

Bill: Right. I'm gonna play a guy who's working on becoming a necromancer, what house would that be?

Lydia: Void.

Bill: Okay, so, I know I'm going to grow up a little spooky, but I haven't worked it all out yet. The name's Juram. I think I'm a bit lost on concept, here.

Lydia: That's okay, Fate handles 'discovering' your character just fine. I'll throw some circumstances at you from phase to phase and you can make your decisions in reaction to that. I think you'll start out with Gustav, your widower father, who's keeper of the catacombs at the Nexus of Worlds.

Bill: Sounds great!

Lydia: Okay, everyone, pick an aspect that fits their starting circumstances, and use four skill ranks on skills that fit that aspect. Remember the pyramid shape we talked about earlier!

John: Military Training for me.

Lydia: You don't want House of Earth, first?

John: I've just started in at this point. I'm planning on that for next phase.

Cass: House of Air, I think.

Bill: I want a strong relationship with my dad - Connection:Gustav.

Lydia: Sounds good. Take your skills.

John: Swordfighting Fair, Athletics and Alertness at Average.

Cass: I'll pick up four skills at Average: House Lore, History(House of Air), Mythology, Interplanar Navigation.

Bill: Uh...

Lydia: Looking for a little help from Dad?

Bill: Yeah.

Lydia: Okay. As keeper, he's a quiet guy, tends to fade into the background a lot. He also has to watch out for interlopers, thievery, that sort of thing. He'd probably want you doing the same, to help him out around the place.

Bill: Cool. Okay, so, Sneak, Alertness, uh... Area Knowledge (Catacombs)?

Lydia: Sounds good. That's three, so you can put one at Fair and the other two at Average.

Bill: Sneak at Fair, then.

Lydia: Okay. So, these first two years are more about growing up than about the world around you. You all come out of this with a few of your rough edges polished off, but not a lot of world experience yet. As we move into the next two years, there seems to be a rise in tensions across the whole nexus. Juram, Gustav is on higher alert, but won't say why - he's in regular contact with the other void folks, though. Tyrena and Private Garrik see signs of this as well - access to the library gets a bit more restricted, and Garrik, your platoon is kept on a higher state of alert. No news about why comes down from the higher-ups, though, in any of your cases.

Each of you should talk about what you're doing during this phase and then pick an appropriate aspect and skill set.

Cass: I figure that getting further into my studies works out just fine for me. I'm going to pick up my Ancestry of Air aspect at this point, and buy two elemental talents at Fair - Whispers on the Wind, for sending messages, and Lifting Breeze, for lifting and moving small objects and so on, are those okay?

Lydia: Perfect. Bill?

Bill: I think I'm a bit annoyed with Dad for keeping stuff to himself, so I'm going to help out less. Y'know, adolescent rebellion and stuff. What aspect should I take?

Lydia: Well, you haven't taken one of the alignment ones yet...

Bill: Rebellion's sorta Chaos oriented. You said that was a plot hook the first time?

Lydia: Yep, five skill ranks.

Bill: Let's do that, then... but what are the skills of Chaos?

Lydia: You should take skills that fit your circumstances and a chaotic theme. Chaos has a strong vibe of survival of the fittest, adaptability, and independent action...

Bill: Right, so I'll explore the catacombs some more, boosting up my Area Knowledge. I think I get lost for a while at some point... Survival: Underground sounds right. Uh, with those two skill levels spent, that gives me Area Knowledge and Stealth at Fair, and Alertness and Survival at Average. I need another Average to keep the pyramid, and I'm rebelling, so how about a little Brawling at Average, too. But that leaves me with two skill ranks, and I don't see a way I think they should be spent, so now what?

Lydia: Well, you could always pick up some minions or items with those ranks.

Bill: Like an item I take from the catacombs? That'd really twist dad's tail!

Lydia: Right, and it should be chaos themed, so something twisting, winding...

Bill: How about a cloak that lets me change my appearance?

Lydia: Spending two skill levels? Sure, I'll let it provide you some disguise effects.

Bill: Cool, new toy!

Lydia: That's the spirit. Okay, Private Garrik...

John: House Earth, like I said. This is still part of me working with the military, and I'm trying for at least Lieutenant, so let's go with Leadership, Tactics at Average, and Crossbow at Fair.

Lydia: And a fine military career continues. Okay, if everyone's ready... the next two years come to pass. You all are moving out of late adolescence and into early adulthood, now. It comes out that all the tension and hubbub has to do with a war between angels and demons that some think is heading towards the nexus. The houses are definitely moving into a "protect their own" mode at this point; the whole place is jittery now, like world war two London before an air raid. Juram, Gustav sends you to Void House proper, saying that the Catacombs aren't safe enough.

Bill: Dang it!

Lydia: ... And guard duty becomes a very important job, Private. Tyrena...?

Cass: I like the idea that Tyrena sort of ends up untouched by it all with her head stuck in books through all this... Can I take Oblivious as an aspect?

Lydia: No problem, it'll be a good source of Fate points for you as the game goes on, I suspect.

Cass: Yeah. Okay, so Oblivious, a Researching skill at Average, House Lore up one to Fair - that puts me at three Fair, four Average. Concentration and Planar Zoology at Average.

Lydia: That fits. Ro, you can assume your promotion, so...?

John: Excellent. I'm going to take an aspect of Order at this point, if that's okay? I've had the punk kid bits drilled out of me, and it's a good time to come in to my own with that extra skill level. Okay, I've got four Averages and two Fairs to start. Let's take Military History at Average, Survival (Wilderness) at Fair, for three levels .

Lydia: I'm not sure Survival fits the orderly theme we're looking for, here.

John: I'll accept that. Okay, then, let's make that a promotion for Tactics to Fair, so I'm at 4 Averages and 3 Fairs now, and I've got three levels left... can I get your permission to bump up Swordfighting?

Lydia: Hm. Sure, but note down that your training is founded in established forms and discipline. It's a flavor thing, but could be important.

John: Okay, so, yay, Swordfighting at Good, and two skill levels left over. Since I'm at 1/2/4 now, I can add in another Fair... I'll bump Leadership to Fair - but that's 1/3/3, so I need another Average - and pull in some Administration at Average to reflect the paperwork that comes with being an officer. I'm done.

Bill: Well, I said I wanted to be a necromancer of some kind, but I'm not sure if that still works.

Lydia: Well, you're around the House now, so picking up an Ancestry or House aspect would be appropriate.

Bill: Yeah. Okay, then, Ancestry of Void as the aspect... I've got two Fair and three Average, and four skill levels. I can buy a Good outright, how about Voices of the Dead, so I can talk to spirits?

Lydia: That's perfect.

Bill: And one skill level, which I've gotta spend. Time to learn more about my House, I guess... House Lore at Average.

Lydia: And so concludes the early coming of age stuff. We've got two phases left to go. In the next two years, the worst fears are realized. Angels and devils duke it out in the streets, across the planes. A number of interplanar gates are wrecked beyond functioning and the common man cowers in whatever dark corners he can find. The Houses themselves take some collateral damage during this period; as you exit this phase, the war will still be going on.

Bill: Crud, what's up with Dad?

Lydia: No word from him, and the House isn't letting anyone out.

Bill: Argh! Darn it, I'm going to go check on him anyway. Sneak out if I have to. I think another Chaos aspect is in order, to reflect the times.

Lydia: Okay. Just a normal aspect this time, no hook bonus.

Bill: No worries. Right, so, I've got one Good, two Fair, four Average... I'm going to be a skulker here, so I'm going to bump my Stealth to Good and my Brawling to Fair... That puts me at two Good, two Fair, three Average... I need another Fair and another Average, but that'd need three ranks, not two. Crud.

Lydia: Right, picking up another Good at this point would be tough, since you bought that item.

Bill: I can deal. Brawling to Fair still makes sense, and I'll add in Bribery at Average, to help me get out the gate without sneaking. Climbing at Average too, I think, and Intimidation when the soft touch fails me. How's Dad doing?

Lydia: He's turned the catacombs into a regular fortress, and is occasionally sheltering refugees. Got wounded early on, so he's developed something of a limp. He never says it, but you get the feeling he's glad you came along. Lieutenant Garrik...

John: Defending the house should only improve my ties to it, so I'm going to take another level of the House Earth aspect. I want some House Lore at Average, bump my Alertness up two to Good. That's 2/3/4, so the pyramid's balanced, and I have one skill level. I'll spend it on an Ally, in the sense that I've got a house guardsman who regularly works for me as a part of house military duty.

Lydia: I can run with that. We'll work out the details after the rest of character generation.

John: Righto.

Cass: I think this is where Tyrena snaps out of it for a while, studies some medicine, and helps with her house's wounded. I'm going to take a 'Healer' aspect. First Aid at Fair, Herbalism and Chirurgeon at Average.

Lydia: And now the final phase. The war between heavens and hells culminates with a bit of divine intervention. A titanic spear is driven into the center of the Nexus, releasing vast energies and shattering the structure of the planes. Many house holdings are in ruins - yours particularly, so this leaves you all between jobs up to the point of starting the game - and for Gustav and Juram, the catacombs keep a steady crowd of refugees, eating up all of Gustav's time and probably a good bit of Juram's. Tyrena and the Lieutenant should work out how they come into contact with the folks at the catacombs during this time, since I'm going to use that as the launching point for the game...

John: My friend, the ally, he got wounded, and we'd lost our medics... maybe the catacombs were nearby...

Cass: Yeah, and I've probably gone into good samaritan mode at this point - I'm going to take an aspect of Goodness this phase - so maybe I'm the one who tends to your friend, having found my way there and helping the refugees...

Bill: And I'm drawn to you folks out of looking for ways to help Dad but wanting to be around folks my own age... Though I probably give off a bad first impression, what with the conversations I keep having with the ones who don't make it.

Cass: Creepy. Okay, with the 5 ranks from the plot hook bonus, I'm starting with 8 Averages and 4 Fairs. Bump First Aid and Chirurgeon to Good, for three ranks. I'm going to need to calm a lot of ragged nerves during this time too, so I think Diplomacy at Fair makes sense.

Lydia: I can see that all fitting in with your strong tie to Goodness. Lieutenant?

John: I'm one of the folks with military experience still around after this, and there are a lot of refugees. I think it's time for me to take on a Protector aspect.

Lydia: Juicy! I like it.

John: Sword to Great, one. Leadership to Good, two. Athletics to Fair, three. Barricading at Average, four. Done.

Bill: I've got a roomful of refugees and no idea what to do with them. Given my necromantic tendencies, I think I'll be the one who makes sure that last wishes are carried out, and take another level of Void Ancestry.

Lydia: Okay...

Bill: Voices of the Dead is at Good and about where I want it, I think I'll pick up Sense Spirit Realm at Fair, for two, and put the other two into a couple spirit minions who decide to haunt me along the way, who can probably provide me knowledge and answers I wouldn't normally have access to...

Lydia: I could have fun with those, that works. Okay! Looks like we're done.

The Sheets

Juram Void Ancestry 2 Good Chaos 2 Good Gustav the Keeper 1 Fair Alertness Average (0) Survival (Underground) Average (0) House Lore (Void) Average (0) Climbing Average (0) Bribery Average (0) Intimidation Average (0) Stealth Fair (+1) Area Know. (Catacombs) Fair (+1) Brawling Fair (+1) Sense Spirit Realm Fair (+1) Voices of the Dead Good (+2) Other Elements Item: Cloak of Faces (2 levels)    Appearance Changing, Concealment Minions: Spirit Guides (2 Levels) Goal Spooky

Ro Garrik Order 1 Fair House Earth 1 Good Military Training 1 Fair Protector 1 Fair Military History Average (0) Administration Average (0) House Lore Average (0) Barricading Average (0) Tactics Fair (+1) Crossbow Fair (+1) Athletics Fair (+1) Alertness Good (+2) Leadership Good (+2) Sword Great (+3) Other Elements Ally: Guardsman in House Earth (1 level) Goal Champion

Tyrena Goodness 1 Fair Healer 1 Fair Air Ancestry 1 Fair Air House 1 Fair Oblivious 1 Fair History Average (0) Mythology Average (0) Navigation Average (0) Researching Average (0) Concentration Average (0) Planar Zoology Average (0) Herbalism Average (0) Whispers on the Wind Fair (+1) Lifting Breeze Fair (+1) House Lore (Air) Fair (+1) Diplomacy Fair (+1) First Aid Good (+2) Chirurgeon Good (+2) Goal Healer

Appendix V. Tables

Difficulty Breakdown

Difficulty	Climbing	Medicine	Driving	Survival
Mediocre	Climb a ladder	Bandage a cut	Drive a car	Start a campfire
Average	Climb a knotted rope	Apply a tourniquet	Drive a car in the rain	Build a shelter from the rain
Fair	Scale a stone wall with handholds	Stitch a deep cut	Drive a car in a blizzard	Find potable water in the forest
Good	Scale a stone wall with fingerholds	Surgically repair a serious stab wound	Drive a car in a blizzard at high speed	Finding potable water in the desert
Great	Climb a cliff bare handed	Surgically repair a punctured lung	Race a car in the Indianapolis 500	Live in the desert for a week with no supplies
Superb	Climb a cliff in the rain, bare handed	Surgically re-attach a severed limb	Stunt driving in an action movie	Live among the wolves like one of the pack

Table 1: Combat Outcomes

MoS	Track	Effect
0		Scratched - A negligible result. A near miss, or a hit which fails to have any real impact.
+1		Clipped - A noticeable result. A hit or maneuver that provides a momentary advantage to the attacker, such as knocking a blade out of line or knocking his opponent back a step. In general, getting clipped applies a -1 penalty to the next action.
+2-+4		Hurt - A palpable result. A hit or maneuver that grants a persistent advantage, such as a shallow cut or a disarm. Getting hurt usually applies a -1 penalty to all actions for the duration of the scene
+5-+6		Injured - A significant result. A hit or maneuver with impact that carries on beyond the immediate scene - a serious injury being the most obvious example. Injuries apply a -1 penalty per box to most actions until the injury is healed.
+7 and up	X	Taken Out - A decisive result. A hit or maneuver that ends the fight right there, either from a knockout or perhaps passing out from injuries. It's worth noting that this is not automatic death - that is left to out-of-combat decision.

Table 2: Wound Track MoS Effect Track Result O scratched None 1 Clipped -1 to next action 2-4 Hurt -1 to actions for the scene 5-6 Injured persistent -1 per box checked 7+ Taken Out X Unconscious or Disabled

Table 5: Default Combat Modifiers Situation Modifier Superior Weapons +1 Superior Armor +1 Superior Position +1 Superior Numbers +1 Flanking Opponent +1 Surrounding Opponent +1

Simple Weapons rating weapon 0 Unarmed 1 Knife, Small Club, Martial Arts Strikes, Holdout Firearm 2 Sword, Mace, Club, Pistol 3 2-handed Sword, Polearm, Rifle 4 Ludicrously oversized 2-handed weapons, Heavy Firearm

Simple Armor rating armor 0 None 1 Leather, Studded Leather 2 Chainmail, Ringmail 3 Partial Plate, Light Plate, Scale 4 A Wood Stove

Table 3: Armor Types Outcome Armor Type 0 1 2 3 4 Scratched 0 0 0 0-1 0-1 Clipped 1 1-2 1-2 2-3 2-4 Hurt 2-4 3-4 3-5 4-5 5 Injured 5-6 5-6 6 6 6 Taken Out 7+ 7+ 7+ 7+ 7+

Table 4: Special Armor Types Outcome Armor Type 4 5 6 7 8 Scratched 0-1 0-1 0-2 0-2 0-2 Clipped 2-4 2-4 3-5 3-6 3-6 Hurt 5 5-6 6-7 7-8 7-9 Injured 6 7 8 9 10 Taken Out 7+ 8+ 9+ 10+ 11+

Table 6b: Improvisational Magic

Difficulty	Scope	Target	Effect	Preparation	Requirement	Duration	Story Effect
+7						Forever
+6						A few Years
+5	state					A few Months
+4	town	town	Fully transformative			A few days	Bypassing an entire story
+3	building	neighborhood				A few Hours
+2	room	small group	Damaging or Mind Altering			A few minutes	Jumping over a large amount of plot / Doing something that two persons in the party could do mundanely
+1	caster	1 person	Irritating or inconvenient	A few moments (i.e. in combat)	Nothing	A few seconds	Doing something someone could do with a mundane skill
0	nothing	none		A few minutes	Easily acquirable, portable components	An instant (generally long enough for a combat attack)
-1				A few Hours	very inconvenient or hard to acquire		Advancing the plot / Inconvenient Timing
-2				A few Days	very inconvenient and hard to acquire

Table 6: Elemental Magic Rank Scope* Difficulty - Spark Average 1 Finger Fair 2 Fist Good 3 Body Great 4 Horse Superb 5 House Epic 6 Castle Legendary

Table 7: Magical Budget Asp. Difficulty Description 1 Fair A set of bongos and interpretive dance 2 Good Public access - a couple of guys with a camcorder 3 Great Cable television production 4 Superb Television "Mini-Series Event" 5 Epic Blockbuster Movie 6 Legendary Spielberg F/X extravaganza

Table 8: Academic Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Languages Lore Research Teaching	Area Knowledge Computers History Linguistics Literacy Mathematics Science	Specific academic skills tend to be refinements of the general skills: History becomes French History, American History and so on. Science becomes Chemistry, Physics and anything else appropriate. At this point, the advanced sciences are very similar to the roles of magical skills. They reinforce the specifics of the genre. In a science fiction game, for example, stardrive engineering might be a very important skill. Often, a game will have a specific selection of specific skills in conjunction with a more general list.

Table 9: Artistic Skills Broad General Specific Art Performance Acting Dance Painting Play Instruments Sculpture Singing Each type of art form (Opera, Sketching, Specific musical instruments and so on) is its own skill.

Table 10: Athletic Skills Broad General Specific Athletics Endurance Acrobatics Climbing Endurance Jumping Running Swimming Acrobatics Climbing Contortions Disease Resistance Distance Running Drug Tolerance Endurance Running Jump Sprinting Standing Jump Tumbling

Table 11: Combat Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Melee Missile Unarmed	Three possible options: Option 1: Weapon Category - treats the category a weapon falls into as a general skill (e.g. Bows, Brawling, One-Handed Edged, One-Handed Blunt, Polearm, Shield, Thrown, Two-Handed, Unarmed) Option 2: Style Based - based off fighting styles (e.g. Archery, Fencing, Haft Weapon, Improvisational, Mounted, Single Weapon, Thrown, Two Handed, Two Weapon, Unarmed, Weapon and Shield) Option 3: Thematic - divided along more stylistic lines (e.g. Archer, Brawler, Cavalry, Cutthroat, Duellist, Footman, Knight, Martial Artist, Pirate, Ranger)	Dagger Flail Heavy Crossbow Light Crossbow Longbow Longspear Longsword Mace Rapier Sabre Shortbow Shortspear Shortsword Shuriken Staff Throwing Dagger Obviously, this list could extend pretty much indefinitely. Thankfully, it can generally be limited by the culture of the area the game occurs in.

Table 12: Criminal Skills Broad General Specific Larceny Stealth Fence Forgery Hide Lockpicking Pickpocket Sneak Streetwise Once again, the specific skills take the general skills and render them appropriate to a particular area or area of expertise. Skills would include things like Streetwise (New York) or Safecracking, Electronic Security Systems, Counterfeiting Money and so on.

Table 13: Perception Skills Broad General Specific Awareness Observation Awareness Search Sense Motive Spot Awareness Danger Sense Detect Lie Direction Sense Investigate Listen Locate Hidden Read Person Spot Surveillance

Table 14: Professional Skills Broad General Specific Craft Healing Riding Clerk Cooking Driving First Aid Medicine Smithing Riding Rope Use Stonecutting Woodcrafting Accounting Administration Appraise Baking Blacksmithing Bureacracy Carpentry Driver Wagon Grilling Haggling Plumbing Ride Camel Ride Horse Silversmithing Obviously, there's an almost infinite number of specific professional skills. Thankfully, there's rarely any need to figure out what they all are.

Table 15: Social Skills Broad General Specific Deceive Impress Bluff Contacting Charm Intimidate Lie Seduce Bluff Contacting (by group) Charm Diplomacy Deceive Etiquette Gossip Intimidate Public Speaking Leadership Unobtrusive Seduce

Table 16: Survival Skills

Broad	General	Specific
Survival	Herbalism Hunting Survival Tracking	Herbalism (by region) Find Tracks Forage Read Tracks Scrounge Shadowing Trapping Survival (By terrain: Desert Survival, Arctic Survival etc.)

Table 17: Pyramid Shorthand

Phases	Skills
1	2 Average, 1 Fair
2	4 Average, 2 Fair
3	5 Average, 2 Fair, 1 Good
4	4 Average, 3 Fair, 2 Good
5	4 Average, 3 Fair, 2 Good, 1 Great
6	6 Average, 4 Fair, 2 Good, 1 Great
7	7 Average, 4 Fair, 3 Good, 1 Great
8	7 Average, 4 Fair, 3 Good, 2 Great
9	6 Average, 4 Fair, 3 Good, 2 Great, 1 Superb
10	8 Average, 5 Fair, 3 Good, 2 Great, 1 Superb
11	7 Average, 6 Fair, 4 Good, 2 Great, 1 Superb
12	7 Average, 6 Fair, 4 Good, 3 Great, 1 Superb
13	8 Average, 5 Fair, 4 Good, 3 Great, 2 Superb
14	7 Average, 6 Fair, 5 Good, 3 Great, 2 Superb
15	8 Average, 6 Fair, 4 Good, 3 Great, 2 Superb, 1 Epic

FATE : Character Sheet

Index

Corrected from the FATE PDF

• Roll Example in "Rolling the Dice": He succeeds with a margin of success of 2 (the difference between Good and Average (not Fair)
• Combat : Example of an Exchange Based Fight : Round 3: "A & B roll a Good and a Fair respectively. They get a +1 outnumbering bonus beyond that, raising things to a Great and a Good (not "Fair")."
• Injuries & Advantages, below table 2 : "So if all two (not "three") hurt boxes are marked off and a character takes another hurt result,..."
• Simple Weapons & Armor example: "he adds 2 for his sword and subtracts one for the armor and produces a MOS of 2 (not 3!!!) (1 + 2 - 1 =2, not 3), a Hurt outcome."
• FATE d6 Difficulty table: "Challenging" and "Revolutionnary" levels don't match the "Setting Difficulties" rule p.14 ("Mundane" and "Nearly Impossible"). Same remarque on the "Math is Hard" sidebar, first paragraph.
• FATE d6 reroll example: the two worst dice (the 2 and 4, not 3)
• Ro Garrik's character sheet: House Earth 2 (not 1)
• In the Index: references to Magic Supers, Quantum and Supers don't exist (probably a deleted "Superpowers" example...)
• "Word of the Street" sidebar: in the Table, MoS 0 Note should be Good Difficulty, not Fair Difficulty