Cortex Steampunk: Rules Reference

[IsabellaRose]

I'm posting the basic rules and custom build info here. This will be edited, but locked to prevent it getting messy.

LEADS, FEATURES, AND EXTRAS
Your stories will be populated by all sorts of characters: heroes and villains, damsels in distress, plucky sidekicks, untrustworthy scoundrels, and everyone else who lives wherever you set your story. Characters come in three flavors in the Cortex Dramatic Roleplaying Game: Leads, Features, and Extras.

• Leads are the characters that your stories are about; a different player controls each Lead. It’s the players’ job to tell an interesting and compelling story with their characters. Each Lead has a sheet of information and game stats that describes him: what’s important to him, how he gets things done, and a few other details.
• Features are the characters that fill significant roles in the rest of the story. Features push the Leads to act, whether by hatching some fiendish plot or by falling prey to one. Each Feature also has a sheet, which looks a lot like a Lead’s sheet.
• Extras are the characters that mostly live in the background. Sometimes they have names, sometimes they’re just sort of there. While they may get the Leads to react, they’re almost always acting under someone else’s orders. Extras don’t have a sheet like Leads or Features; you can record any necessary details on an index card, sticky note, or whatever.

 

Character Creation

Spoiler

Character Sheet Template

Values

• d4 Honor (statement)
• d4 Glory (statement)
• d4 Passion (statement)
• d4 Justice (statement)
• d4 Power (statement)
• d4 Truth (statement)

Relationships

• d4 Name (statement)

Distinctions/Traits

• d4 Trait Name (description and SFX)

Abilities/Powers

• d4 Ability (effect, descriptor(s), limits, and SFX)

Signature Assets

• d4 Signature Asset (die rating, effect, descriptor(s), limits, and SFX)

Resources

• 2d4 Resource (specialty 1, specialty 2)

Values

Spoiler

Values represent how much specific things matter to the Leads and, in turn, how much they influence the outcome of tests and contests. They can embody such things as societal mores, cultural principles, or elements of a code of honor or behavior. As with Relationships, a high rating in a value doesn’t mean your character likes or stands out as a paragon of that value, but rather that they are more invested and concerned about that value than if they had it at a lower die rating. A d10 in Truth could still mean the character is a liar, but the concept of truth and falsehood is one of the things that drives them the most to succeed. Values show that what motivates a character and what they believe in is more important than physical or mental attributes. 

Values List

Our custom values list for the steampunk/weird west game is listed below, along with a couple opposing example statements for each.

• Honor: Motivated by personal codes, sworn oaths, and promises kept. Honor could mean dueling at dawn or refusing to betray your gang.
  “A person’s word is worth more than gold.”
  “If my honor’s questioned, blood will spill.”
• Glory: Motivated by praise, renown, and a place in history. Glory is the songs sung about you, the statues raised, the stories whispered after you’re gone.
  “I’ll be remembered, one way or another.”
  “Better to burn bright than fade away.”
• Passion: Motivated by love, lust, desire, and raw emotion, for a person, an ideal, or even a thrill.
  “I’ll gamble it all for the fire in my heart.”
  “Love’s a weapon, and I know how to use it.”
• Justice: Motivated by fairness, law, or vengeance. Justice might mean carrying the badge, standing up for the powerless, or taking the law into your own hands.
  “No outlaw rides free.”
  “If the law won’t punish them, I will.”
• Power: Motivated by control, dominance, and influence over people, machines, empires, or fate itself.
  “Power is the only real currency.”
  “Better to rule in hell than serve in heaven.”
• Truth: Motivated by what you believe is real and unshakable, whether that’s science, faith, superstition, or the old ways.
  “The facts speak for themselves.”
  “The spirits never lie.”

Rating Values

Values have the same range of dice as any other set of attributes. There is a difference with values, though. When a value changes, either stepping up or stepping down by a die size, one other value must change at the same time in the opposite direction. Thus, the total number of die steps in the dice assigned to values should always stay the same. Values can never be lower than 4 or higher than 12. The die rating of a value measures how much the value matters to the character, as follows:

• d4: “I’m really not into this.”
• d6: “Sure, this matters. But so do a lot of things.”
• d8: “This is definitely on my radar.”
• d10: “I’m all over this thing.”
• d12: “This is my heart and soul.”

Statements

Anyone can go to a dictionary and read the definitions for justice, truth, love, etc., but what we really want to know is how your PC defines these Values. Each character has a different
idea of what Justice means to him or what Passion really is, and these differences get to the heart of why our PCs behave the way they do, why they stand up and fight, what path they’re
walking into the future.

In Cortex Drama, even the most seemingly mundane PC is secretly amazing. They can all do marvelous and interesting things, or they have access to powerful and remarkable resources. But the most important thing that differentiates them is how they qualify, not quantify, their Values.

Example: Let’s have another look at Cody's values and his Value statements. You can see here how Values are presented, too, with the name of the Value, its statement in italics, and the die rating.

• Honor I must honor my parents’ hopes for me d8
• Glory Standing up to greed gives people hope d6
• Justice I must protect the innocent d10
• Passion I am passionate about safeguarding my family and friends d8
• Power Power corrupts d6
• Truth The truth is often dangerous d4

All of these statements reflect both the weight given to the Value and the personal worldview of Cody at this point in his life.

The statements for your own Lead reflect a particular view of each Value, and your options are endless. If Glory is your most important Value at a d10, how does your PC live up to this? Is he an attention seeker who believes even bad PR is good PR? Or does he, paladin-like, willingly martyr himself in the quest for renown?

Of course, everyone’s Values change and grow as you move through life. The same is true for your PC. You will have opportunities in the game to change the die rating of a Value and
to rewrite your Value statements as appropriate.

Using Values

Once you’ve established what motivates your PC, you’ve settled on your die rating and polished up your Value statements, you’re ready to show off your character. It’s time for a Test.

The GM declares it’s time to pick up some dice and resolve a situation; this is your cue to assemble your dice pool. Start with Values. Declare the action (or reaction) you wish to make and begin by asking, Why am I doing this? Is there a Value that speaks to this deed more than the others? By committing this action, will you live up to your Value statement? (If not, see
Challenging Values below.)

Example: Let’s say Cody’s trying to stop a bomber from blowing up the newspaper office. The first question is, “Why is Cody doing this?” We can argue a few things:

• Honor: Cody knows his parents want him to do the right thing.
• Glory: If people see him saving a building, they will have hope.
• Justice: By stopping the bomber, Cody is protecting innocent people.
• Passion: If some of Cody's friends are in the building, he can argue that he’s protecting his friends.
• Power: If the bomber is corrupted by his power, she needs to be stopped.
• Truth: By blowing up this building, the bomber could expose some dangerous truth to the world that will cause even greater chaos and harm.

You should make sure that you’re not inventing story elements just so you can use a Value: if Cody doesn’t have friends in the building, then he can’t use Passion, for example. But if it’s
already been established, then it’s totally appropriate. The point is that you can make a lot of different arguments depending on the situation. In this case, rolling Justice d10 is the best choice because it a) is the most plausible answer, b) speaks directly to Cody's most important Value of Justice, and c) gives the player the strongest die to roll.

ACTING AGAINST YOUR VALUES
What happens when one of your Value statements conflicts with what you think your Lead would do? That’s okay; in fact, that’s good and is likely to happen often. Not all of your Lead’s
actions will fit seamlessly with your Value statements. When they don’t, this is an opportunity for your Lead to grow. You can challenge a Value when the action you wish to take is in conflict
with your declared Value statement.

Challenging Values

It’s been a long hard week filled with pitched battles and intrigues, and you’re getting in too deep. Your friends and allies want to help you out, but there are things you learned that, if
they were revealed right now, might ruin everything you’ve worked for. So what happens when your Value statement conflicts with the action you want to take? Maybe you’re trying
to roll your Truth The truth must come out d10 to misdirect a close ally and keep him from knowing the Real Deal about your discoveries, but your statement doesn’t work. If it were I must
keep the truth safe, you could justify it. So what can you do?

In these situations, you are challenging your Values. Because drama happens (and it happens a lot), you have the opportunity to roll in opposition to your statement and to challenge your Lead’s Values. In game terms, this means you can roll triple the die rating of your Value die; however, the challenged Value steps back by one for the rest of the episode. You’ll determine the long-term consequences of this challenge at the end of the episode during the tag scenes.

When you challenge your Values, your worldview is shaken up just a little bit. Maybe you discover something about yourself you didn’t realize before, or maybe someone you hold in esteem
(or even contempt) has taught you something. There are a lot of ways you can work this into the game and it can add some exciting layers to the drama onion you are all working to create.

Example: Cody's cornered the bomber in the stables behind the hotel. She tells Cody that she and others have been “marked” by Bad Bart and are living on borrowed time. If Cody can tell her where to find Bad Bart, she’ll go off and take care of it herself. In this case, Cody wants to convince the bomber that she should let him deal with Bad Bart. He knows she’s out for blood, so what Value is he using here? It isn’t really about protecting the innocent; Cody knows Bad Bart is guilty. It’s not really about safeguarding his friends and family, since Bad Bart is more of an antagonist than an ally. Cody's player, decides to make this about Power, saying that Cody can convince the bomber that with his skills and reputation, he has a better chance of taking on Bad Bart's boys and resources. But this is in opposition to Cody's Power corrupts statement; he’s trying to tell her that his superior power actually makes him better capable of dealing with this. Cody's player takes up three six-sided dice and adds them to his pool for this roll, but he also has to step back his Power to d4 until the end of the episode.

TO CHALLENGE A VALUE, YOU:

• Declare the challenge.
• Roll triple the die rating you currently have in this Value.
• Step the challenged Value back by one for the remainder of the episode.

 

Relationships

Spoiler

Relationships are traits that represent the intensity and importance of a character’s connection to another character or group of characters. This connection may be positive or negative in nature, so long as it motivates and empowers the character who has it. Leads start with relationships with other Leads and some Features but can add more during play. This makes relationships flexible and not as limited as some other trait sets. A relationship contributes its die rating to a dice pool when the test or contest involves the character the relationship is linked to, or when that character has influence over or inspires the Lead. 

Rating Relationships

A relationship’s die rating indicates the intensity of the character's feelings or attachment to the subject of the relationship. A high die rating doesn’t mean you necessarily like the subject more than a low one; in fact, your 10 relationship might be a really intense hatred, or a particularly strong jealousy.

• d4: I don’t feel anything for this person.
• d6: This person matters, but so do a lot of people.
• d8: I’m invested in this person.
• d10: This person matters more than most.
• d12: There’s nobody who matters more than they do.

Relationships between Leads start at d4 and are assigned and stepped up during the Pathways segment of game/character creation. 

During play, a d6 relationships can be created using a PP, much like a temporary asset. The relationship lasts for the duration of the session; when experience or growth is resolved, it can either be dropped or made permanent. If made permanent, the relationship remains as a d6 until stepped up in later sessions.

If a Lead has no relationship to a character for any given test or contest, they can either create one with a PP or use a d4 default relationship value.

Statements
Your opinion about someone is what really matters. You definition of a Relationship not only adds more detail and drama to the story, it also gives your GM ideas for exciting storylines and confrontations.

Your statement for each Lead and Feature you have a Relationship with defines your opinion of that character. Your statement should be one short sentence that sums it all up: The
love of my life. I can’t stand him. She frightens me. I would follow him anywhere. He is reckless. I don’t trust her.

This is a game where drama comes first. As you play, your experiences and impressions of the other Leads will grow and change. You will be able to challenge your Relationships and alter
your statement for these characters to reflect those experiences.

Using Relationships
Drama happens when two or more characters interact, and drama is at the heart of everything that happens in this game. There is more to an action than a simple roll of the dice. There
are reasons why you do what you do, people your actions affect, and consequences that may follow.

When you make a roll, you typically include one Relationship die in your dice pool. When deciding which Relationship to add, ask yourself two questions: Who am I performing this action for or against? Does this action agree with the Relationship statement I’ve written for this Lead or Feature?

If you answer yes to the second question, describe how your character’s Relationship drives his dramatic action. If your answer to the second question is no, consider challenging the Relationship.

Example: Cash is breaking into the Sheriff's office at night to steal incriminating evidence that was left on the Sheriff's desk. If the Sheriff sees the photos, he might get it in his mind to investigate the old mine where Lucinda and Bass are setting up a new lab. The player has to think about Cash's Relationships here and see which one’s going to help him get that evidence. He has Bass won’t make the hard decisions d8 and Lucinda will someday realize she loves me d10. The player could justify this as a nod to Cash's pining for a chance at romance with Lucinda, but there’s no way it’ll work with his statement about Bass. However, Cash also has Sheriff Brown always gets in the way d10, which is not only more suitable but brings a bigger die. Perfect!

Challenging Relationships

Like all Traits dependent on emotions, Relationships are not stagnant. They change and grow at the speeds of the seasons, tides, or even hours of the day. This is doubly true in Cortex
where the day-to-day drama can cause hell and high water in the blink of an eye. Old friends become bitter enemies. Longtime foes find friendship and love. Odd acquaintances discover common ground on which to join forces.

Like Values, when you wish to take an action that’s in conflict with your Relationship statement for that Lead or Feature, you can challenge your Relationship and roll three dice
instead of one in a Test or Contest. That Relationship steps back by one die rating for the rest of the episode, but in the tag scenes you can rewrite your statement and redefine your connection to regain the original die rating, if you wish.

Example: Cash has been busy trying to deal with the family he left, the Boone clan, and their patriarch's plans to buy up the town, but he’s not sure he can leave the work to anyone else. Buck is the ideal choice, but may need convincing since he might not be on board with Cash's efforts to rehabilitate his family. The solution? Cash challenges his Buck is reckless d8 Relationship, which not only makes it appropriate to use in this case (he’s depending on Buck to do things with caution) but it brings in three times the dice. Cash’s player adds 3d8 to his roll, steps back his Buck d8 to a d6 for the remainder of the episode, and makes a note to address the statement in a tag scene between Cash and Buck.

TO CHALLENGE A RELATIONSHIP, YOU:

• Declare the challenge.
• Roll triple the die rating you currently have in this Relationship.
• Step the challenged Relationship back one die for the remainder of the episode.

Rewriting Relationships

Just as your own Values may shift and change over the course of a story, so too can your investment in other people. In fact, your Relationships with other Leads and Features can change frequently, often dramatically. This is all part of the unfolding narrative in any Cortex drama story, and it keeps things interesting.

Your Relationships can be stepped back during the course of the episode by challenging them, but this doesn’t immediately affect your statement. Just as with challenged Values, at the conclusion of the episode, you have a chance to rewrite your Relationship statement and how your Lead sees the other person. This happens during a tag scene that involves that other Lead or Feature, or at least your Lead’s experiences with that person.

Any Relationship that was stepped back during the episode may be restored during the tag scene to its previous rating, but because you challenged it, you rewrite the statement to
reflect your new perspective. Alternately, you can leave it at the reduced rating and add a die equal to its original rating to your Growth Pool. Unlike Values, your Relationships can come and
go without any reciprocal stepping up or back of other Traits. You may also step up a Relationship during a tag scene by using your Growth pool, just as you would with Assets and
Resources. You have to put work into a Relationship to make it better.

Distinctions/Traits

Spoiler

Distinctions answer the question of who you are and how you do what you do. Maybe you believe in Truth, Honor, and Justice, but your Distinctions define how you differ from everyone else that believes in those very same things.

You can divide Distinctions into three broad categories:

• Personality: This covers attributes of your personality. Are you brilliant, athletic, or artistic? Do you have such a big heart that you always give in to help others? Or are you mean and sarcastic, always with a harsh word on the tip of your tongue?
• Skills: You might have spent years sneaking into buildings or training to be the best pugilist. You might be able to build a steam engine in your sleep or shoot the wings off a fly at a hundred yards.
• Heritage Distinctions: These are a special variation that says, “I belong to this culture/weird group/species” and ties you to Abilities in a specific way. Clark Kent has a Kryptonian Heritage, Aquaman has an Atlantean Heritage, and so on.

These things set you apart from everyone else, which is why Distinctions are important. These aren’t superpowers. These are the Traits that anyone might develop or learn, depending on
their background and potential.

How Distinctions Work

Each Distinction has a die rating and three pairs of characteristics called SFX. The die rating for a Distinction ranges from d4 to d12 like all other Traits. Roll this die when the Distinction applies. For example, your Sharpshooter d8 gives you a d8 when you are, well, taking the time to make a nearly impossible shot, but not when target shooting. Why would you make a roll for target shooting, anyway, unless you made it a contest with someone else?

The SFX of a Distinction is set up as a benefit paired with a drawback. When you invoke the benefit, the drawback is triggered, or vice versa. The die rating determines how many
of the Distinction’s triggers you have access to. At d4 level, you may only use the first trigger; at d8, you may use the first two; at d12, you have a choice of any of three triggers. Your character sheet generally won’t list the triggers you don’t have access to; you add them as you get them. When you write your own Distinctions, you don’t need to define the higher-level triggers until you upgrade the trait and gain access to them.

Most importantly, the player always invokes a Distinction; no one else can do it. If you’re playing an attractive gunslinger, she’s only going to draw unwanted attention when you say she is, so you have invoke that SFX when you want to pick up a Plot Point at the cost of drawing unwanted attention. The GM doesn’t invoke Distinctions to penalize players for doing things their PCs “aren’t supposed to do.” Those decisions are always the player’s choice to make. But the GM can suggest things like, "how would you like to earn a plot point by invoking your attractive Distinction?"

The Big List of Distinctions/Traits for 1880s Steampunk Western RPG

Spoiler

Distinctions for the 1880s Steampunk Wild West Game

AGILE: You’re quick and nimble, able to move your body effortlessly like a dancer or duelist. Roll the Distinction’s die when grace and speed are in your favor.

• d4: Reroll a die in an Agile roll when you Choose to drop everything you’re carrying.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Decrease your opponent’s Injured or Exhausted Stress pool.
• d12: Add a d10 to Trouble to escape,  without Giving In, Contest or Test in which you have used your Agile die.

ATHLETIC: Hard work and physical exertion have made you strong. Roll the Distinction’s die when endurance, muscle, or training give you an advantage.

• d4: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in any Athletic roll.
• d8: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose brute force instead of finesse.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Increase your Afraid or Insecure Stress pool.

ATTRACTIVE: Your looks stop people in their tracks. You’ve long since learned to use that to your advantage. Roll the Distinction’s die when your beauty or striking appearance helps you.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your looks draw you unwanted attention.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in an Attractive roll.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a second die in an Attractive roll.

BACKHANDED: You always have a witty comeback. When someone annoys you, you usually have two or three righteous barbs ready to unleash. Roll the Distinction’s die when your razor-sharp wit might give you the upper hand or when you’re responding in kind to someone else’s attempts to cut you down.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point for another Lead and Increase your Angry or Insecure Stress pool against him.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Decrease another Lead or Feature’s Angry or Insecure Stress pool against you or another character.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die in your Angry or Insecure Stress pool.

BIG BROTHER/BIG SISTER: You like to keep tabs on other people, just in case they do something that requires your help or Intervention. This kind of behavior can easily snowball into paranoia or suspicion and often ends badly. But information like this frequently comes in handy and it’s for their own good, right? Roll the Distinction’s die when your constant awareness of your friends and enemies, your network of spies, or your voyeur nature would help you achieve a goal.

• d4: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reveal that a witness saw a Lead or Feature’s actions.
• d8: Add a d10 to Trouble to Reroll a die whenever secrets you know come into play.
• d12: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to end your existing surveillance of or destroy your files on a Lead or Feature.

BIG-HEARTED: You’re a good soul, honorable and kind. Compassionate almost to a fault, you often go far out of your way to help someone in need. Roll the Distinction’s die when your warm and consoling nature might help, or when the motivation for your brave actions is someone other than yourself.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to buy somebody’s sob story.
• d8: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to the Trouble pool when you risk yourself to help somebody in need.
• d12: Give your opposition a d6 to roll against you and Increase your Insecure or Afraid Stress pool against them when they try to talk you out of helping somebody.

CLEVER: You’re quick-witted and cunning, usually coming up with the solution before the question has even been asked. Roll the Distinction when your intelligence would be a factor in influencing the outcome of an action. Compare this Distinction to Genius, which is more about the strength of your intellect and ability to process information, or Streetwise, which covers common sense.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to show off your smarts in some annoying or frustrating way.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you know a useful piece of trivia.
• d12: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when your clever plan goes off the rails.

CONNECTED: You know people from all walks of life who are willing to help you out in some way. Some may owe you a favor; some may expect something in return. Either way, the connection is there. Roll the Distinction’s die when your network of contacts or the threat of using them would positively influence your outcome.

• d4: Spend a Plot Point to Gain a d8 Relationship with a Feature for the rest of the scene.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal you “know a guy” who can provide you with information or material goods.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Gain a 2d8 Location that you’d normally not have access to.

CORSET TEASE: You weaponize clothing, posture, and innuendo. Roll when your charming outfits, teasing smile, and subtle innuendo sway others.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when you flirt with someone dangerous.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you’ve captured someone’s attention or obsession.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die when desire clouds an opponent’s judgment.

COSMOPOLITAN: You’ve been all over the world, or know enough about other cultures to not seem like a tourist when leaving your little corner of the world. In fact, you can even strike up conversations in other languages when traveling abroad. Roll the Distinction’s die when your broad experience of other cultures and locations is useful to you.

• d4: Give your opposition a d6 to Reroll a die when dealing with other cultures.
• d8: Give your opposition a d10 to Reroll two dice when dealing with other cultures.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you have spent time in a foreign culture.

DANGEROUS LIAISONS: Your entanglements are always risky: outlaws, rivals, married folk, or powerful figures. Roll when intimacy with danger drives the scene.

• d4: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal a complication from a past or current liaison.
• d8: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when your choice of partner causes chaos.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a Contest when gambling with intimacy or risk.

DARING: You sometimes cross the line between brave and foolish, but you’ll try almost anything once. Roll the Distinction’s die when recklessness or boldness helps you. Roll this Distinction’s die when your bravery and confidence would help you achieve what you want to do. Compare this Distinction to Trouble Magnet, which is about blundering yourself into bad situations unintentionally,

• d4: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die in a Daring roll.
• d8: Add a d10 to Trouble to Reroll two dice in a Daring roll.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Decrease your opponent’s Injured or Insecure Stress pool.

DISCIPLE OF THE SCARLET PATH: You follow the forbidden teachings of esoteric masters, alchemy of the body, sorcery of the flesh. Desire is your medium, ecstasy your fuel. In ritual or passion, you channel occult forces through the mingling of breath, touch, and will. But indulgence is a dangerous path: every spell leaves you hungrier, every ritual risks binding you as much as your target.

• d4: Gain 1 PP when your pursuit of pleasure, ritual, or lustful energy complicates the scene, whether it’s unwanted attention, suspicion, or your own craving clouding your judgment. (Overindulgence)
• d8: Spend 1 PP to Step Up a die when casting a spell fueled by intimacy, temptation, or seduction. If you fail, Step Up your Stress. (Ecstatic Power)
• d12: Spend 1 PP to create an Asset on an ally (Empowered by Ritual d8, Enflamed Desire d8) after drawing them into a ritual or act of passion. (Shared Ecstasy)

FAMILY NAME: Your kin are known - proud, notorious, or disgraced. Roll when reputation, debts, or obligations sway things.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Give your opposition a d6 when your name causes trouble.
• d8: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reveal a connection or ally tied to your family.
• d12: Add a d10 to Trouble to Reroll a die in social interaction involving your family.

FAST TALKER: You’ve lost track of the problems your mouth has caused over the years. But you’ve learned to use it to your advantage, and it’s now your first line of defense. Roll the Distinction’s die when bluffing or browbeating somebody, giving evasive answers, or otherwise using your rapid-fire communication skills to your benefit.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Give your opposition a d6 when you’re caught in a lie or exaggeration.
• d8: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die in a Fast Talker roll.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Gain a 2d8 Extra that you have already fast-talked into giving you ssistance.

FEMME FATALE / CHARMING ROGUE: Mystery and allure are your sharpest tools. Roll when seduction or intrigue is in play.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when you conceal your true intentions behind charm.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Gain a d8 Relationship with someone you’ve ensnared — for this scene.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in any social Contest that leans on desire or risk.

FIXER: You’re called in to “fix” a problem when no other solution can be found. Through a mix of know-how and contacts you can make things happen in just the right way. Roll the Distinction’s die when trying to leverage an opportunity in the black market, secure an illicit transaction, or deal with the sorts of people who hire people like you.

• d4: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reveal that you have access to small, non-unique items you’re not supposed to have.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal you “know a guy.”
• d12: Add a d6 to the Trouble pool to Reroll a die in any social interaction with your former clients.

GENIUS: You’re an intellectual giant. Either you’ve already established yourself in the scientific or academic community, or you demonstrate a great deal of promise. Roll the Distinction’s die when your analytical and logical skills would be of use in achieving a positive outcome, or when squaring off against somebody in a battle of the brains. Compare this Distinction to Clever, which is more about cunning and swift thinking, or Streetwise, which covers common sense.

• d4: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you’ve studied a subject and know its basics.
• d8: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when you assume others can’t follow your complicated thinking.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll any academic or intellectual roll.

GUILTY: You’ve done something terrible that you can’t reconcile in your life. You might not even have been at fault, but you blame yourself anyway. It’s so overwhelming that you’re constantly seeking to make amends for your misdeeds, often putting yourself in harm’s way in the process. Roll the Distinction’s die when your desire to address these mistakes, regardless of the cost, helps you achieve your goals.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Give your opposition a d6 when your guilt stymies or confuses you.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die on any roll when trying to make amends.
• d12: Earn a Plot Point to Increase your opposition’s Injured or Insecure Stress pool against you.

GUNFIGHTER: You’re quick and deadly with pistols, rifles, or shotguns. Roll when shooting or intimidating with firearms.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to run out of ammunition.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a Gunfighter roll.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die in a Gunfighter roll against a named rival.

HEARTBREAKER: You leave broken hearts, and grudges, in your wake. Roll when past or present lovers complicate the moment.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when a former flame reappears to cause trouble.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal a d8 Relationship with someone who still pines for (or hates) you.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die in a Contest with someone emotionally entangled with you.

HONEYPOT: You know how to make people want you and how to turn that desire into opportunity. Whether through calculated charm, feigned affection, or dangerous intimacy, you lure others into vulnerability and extract what you need: secrets, access, or obedience. You can fake love, but the danger lies in sometimes feeling it for real. Roll this Distinction’s die when romantic, sexual, or emotional manipulation could give you an advantage.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your false relationship becomes emotionally complicated for you OR when someone discovers your deception and turns your tactics against you.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal (or begin without resistance) a romantic or sexual connection (past or present) with an NPC, granting you temporary leverage or access.
• d12: Add a d8 to Trouble to Step up your Effect die when manipulating a target who already desires or trusts you.

IMPULSIVE: You seem to lack what some people call “better judgment.” That means you tend to leap before bothering to look. This works out for you...some of the time. Roll the Distinction’s die when you’re taking immediate action, especially if you’re doing it without knowing all the facts or the lay of the land. Compare this Distinction to Trouble Magnet, which is about blundering yourself into bad situations rather than acting impulsively, or Daring, which covers bravely or foolishly pushing on even when you know it’s a bad idea.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when you act rashly.
• d8: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to Interfere in a Contest.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die when acting first would work to your advantage.

INVESTIGATOR: You’re adept at finding clues and putting the pieces together to find a criminal or solve a case. Often this technique is learned in places like the Metropolis Police Academy, but sometimes it’s the gift of an inquisitive mind. Roll the Distinction’s die when you’re snooping about, trying to uncover clues, or getting the scoop on something that’s unknown or hidden.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to spend a scene investigating instead of taking immediate action.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll an Investigator Investigation roll.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble to Reveal a clue from a prior scene in which you Chose to investigate.

LIKEABLE: Whether it’s your looks, your personality, or your lovely smile, people seem to like and trust you. It doesn’t seem to take much for you to win them over—a wink and a smile and a few well-placed words and you can avoid most unsavory confrontations. Roll this Distinction’s die when your appealing nature would be a factor in getting what you want.

• d4: Give your opposition a d6 to Reroll a die in a Likeable roll.
• d8: Earn a Plot Point when you Decrease your own Afraid or Insecure Stress pool.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in an argument with someone that likes you.

MAD SCIENTIST: Your mind is a lightning storm of invention, obsession, and dangerous brilliance. You see possibilities where others see only wreckage, and your experiments push the boundaries of science, morality, and sanity. Roll the Distinction’s die when your bizarre contraptions, reckless theories, or scientific fervor give you an edge, or get you into trouble.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your obsession with an experiment causes chaos or distraction at the worst possible time.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you happen to have a strange device, concoction, or half-finished invention on you or nearby that provides a d8 Useful Detail in the scene.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die when your wild science bends reality, logic, or nature in your favor.

MANIPULATIVE: You thrive on twisting others to do your bidding or concede your point of view. You have a tendency to get others to do what you want them to do, even when they know full well you’re pulling their strings. Roll the Distinction’s die in situations that hinge upon your persuasive or convincing nature.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Give your opposition a d6 when you ask for trust you don’t deserve.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Gain a d8 Relationship for one scene with a Feature you don’t already know.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a Contest with someone you’ve been manipulating.

MARKSMAN: With a ranged weapon: bow, gun, or whatever, you can hit nearly any target you can see, provided it’s within the weapon’s range. Hit a penny at three hundred yards? You don’t even need a scope for that. Roll the Distinction’s die when making attacks from a distance, sniping at a target, or getting a bead on an opponent’s position.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to run out of ammunition.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a Marksman roll.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die in a Marksman roll.

MASTERMIND: Your talents run to the strategic rather than the tactical. Most of the time, you can come up with flawless plans. The only problem is getting others to execute those plans as flawlessly. Roll the Distinction’s die when formulating a plot and getting others to go along with it successfully, or when trying to puzzle out the plots of others.

• d4: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die when dealing with characters you have a history of manipulating.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you’ve planned for this eventuality and have the resources necessary for your plan.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die when your plan comes to fruition.

OBSERVANT: You keep yourself very aware of your surroundings and are prepared for any eventuality. It’s not paranoia, but you’re not above keeping one eye open when you sleep. Roll the Distinction’s die when being alert, aware, or constantly on the lookout would be helpful. Compare this Distinction to Investigator, which is more about snooping about for clues or secrets.

• d4: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll your first roll in a Contest or Test where you’ve been surprised.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point and Reroll a die in an Observant roll when you’re sure there’s more to see.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Decrease your opposition’s Insecure or Angry Stress pool with damning evidence.

ON A MISSION: You have a rather one-track mind and have dedicated your life to one specific task that is all-Encompassing. You go out of your way for your mission and put nearly anything at risk to complete it. Everything else takes a back seat. Roll the Distinction’s die when carrying out actions that directly forward your mission, or when your resolve to stay on task is being tested. Compare this Distinction to Daring, which is less about being driven and focused and more about bravery or recklessness.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when you foolishly pursue your mission despite the risk.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a roll that directly contributes to your mission.
• d12: Earn a Plot Point and Increase your opponent’s Insecure or Angry Stress pool against you when you try to recruit others to your cause.

PUGILIST: You’ve been in more fights than you can count, and most of them without weapons. You don’t need fancy forms or exotic techniques, just your fists, grit, and the willingness to take a hit to land one. Whether in a saloon brawl, prize ring, or on the streets, your knuckles do the talking.

• d4: Earn 1 PP when you solve a problem with your fists when talking would have worked.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Step up your Effect Die when using fists or improvised melee weapons (bottles, chairs, brass knuckles).
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to ignore Physical Stress or Complication from a single punch, kick, or blunt attack.

PRIVILEGED UPBRINGING: You grew up with wealth from railroads, mines, or industry. Roll when privilege, connections, or resources sway others.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when privilege gets you in trouble.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die by calling in a family favor.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reveal access to a major resource (rail line, airship berth, mine).

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME: You have the uncanny knack of being where you need to be. It doesn’t always work out the best for you, but it does seem as if the stars keep aligning the way you need them to in order to get the scoop or save the day. Roll this Distinction’s die when you’re trying to get into a situation others don’t want you to be in, trust to the fates, or get others to believe that you’re where you need to be. Compare this Distinction to Trouble Magnet, which is really more about being in trouble, or Daring, which is about having the courage or recklessness needed to push forward.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Give your opposition a d6 when somebody confronts you about your presence somewhere off-limits, secret, or prohibited.
• d8: Add a d6 to Trouble to join a scene you weren’t in.
• d12: Add a d10 to the Trouble pool to add both yourself and another Lead or Feature to a scene you’re not in.

ROUGH LOVER: Your passions: fighting, flirting, or otherwise, always run hot and hard. Roll when intensity tips the balance.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your fiery intensity alienates someone.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die when your intensity creates vulnerability in others.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Recover one of your Stress pools after giving in to passion or violence.

RUMORED VAMPIRE: Your alabaster skin, burning eyes, and nocturnal habits have earned you the town’s fear and fascination alike.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your unsettling appearance causes someone to fear or shun you, or when gossip about your condition costs you an opportunity.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die when using your reputation or mystique to intimidate, seduce, or awe others.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble and Recover Insecure or Afraid Stress after a display that reinforces the rumor, like drinking a crimson elixir, emerging from shadow, etc.

SALOON DARLING: You belong in the saloon: on stage, at the tables, or in private rooms. Roll when nightlife, performance, or companionship gives you leverage.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your profession draws unwanted advances.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal a contact from saloon life.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die tied to gambling, performance, or seduction.

SAVAGE: You’re a monster that should be feared by your foes for the things you’re capable of, someone with a feral side that comes out when you’re threatened, angry, or betrayed. Roll  the Distinction’s die when your brutal nature would help you strike back against somebody who opposes you, let you get what you want by force, or terrify others. Compare this Distinction to Vicious, which is more about knowing the way to hurt someone the most.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble whenever you act upon your base instincts.
• d8: Add a d6 to Trouble to Increase your Injured or Afraid Stress pool.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point when you draw on your primal rage to Recover your own Injured or Afraid Stress.

SHAMELESS FLIRT: You just can’t help yourself... a wink, a touch, a bold line whispered in someone’s ear. Trouble follows your teasing. Roll when flirtation, innuendo, or bawdy humor sway things.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when you flirt with someone you shouldn’t.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal a detail from your “worldly experience” that impresses or tempts.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll any die in a Shameless Flirt roll when teasing or innuendo takes center stage.

SHOWBOAT: You crave spectacle and thrive in the spotlight. Roll when drawing attention helps (or hurts) you.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your need for flash puts you in danger.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die when performing for an audience.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reveal your dramatic action caught more attention than expected.

SMARTASS: You inevitably end up shooting your mouth off with sarcastic comments. Roll the Distinction’s die when cracking wise, goading others, or stirring up trouble in social situations. Compare this Distinction to Backhanded, which is more about insulting or turning another’s words against them, and Vicious, which covers knowing how to wound your target.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Give your opposition a d6 when you’re being a Smartass in a dangerous situation.
• d8: Give a d10 to your opponent, and if you win in the contest, you get to Step Up your Effect die.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll any die involving your verbal taunts and insults.

SNAKE OIL SALESMAN: You could sell anything with charm and fast talk. Roll when bluffing, pitching, or lying.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Give your opposition a d6 when caught in a lie.
• d8: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die in a Snake Oil roll.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal you’ve already conned your way into a resource or ally.

SNEAKY: You’re fantastic at getting in and out without being seen, with equal parts hiding in shadows, moving without making a sound, and natural agility. You have it all in spades. Roll the Distinction’s die when you’re trying to remain hidden, quiet, or off the radar. Compare this Distinction to Agile, which is about acrobatics and graceful moves, or Right Place, Right Time, which is more luck and good timing than stealthy behavior.

• d4: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll any die in a Sneaky roll.
• d8: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a second die on a Sneaky roll.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you’ve palmed a small object from a previous scene.

SOLDIER: Maybe you’re an enlisted or retired member of the armed forces and have the skill and experience to show for it. Maybe you’re warrior-born, ready to fight side-by-side with your fellow veterans. Or maybe you’re a former gang member, used to an organized approach to violence and combat. Whatever your background, you may roll this die when drawing on your military or combat training, either to help you in a pitched firefight or to manage a small tactical unit.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to follow orders, stick to protocol, or maintain strict discipline when it would benefit you more to do otherwise.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll any die in a Soldier roll because of your discipline and training.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble when you draw upon your military expertise to Increase your Injured or Afraid Stress pool.

STREETWISE: You’ve managed to avoid the failings of other intelligent people. You’re not naïve and don’t walk through life with the blinders that intellect can sometimes subject you to. Roll the Distinction’s die when you rely more on your intuition and down-to-earth judgment to reach a positive outcome, or when you’re cutting through somebody’s line of bull. Compare this Distinction to Clever, which is more about cunning and swift thinking, or Genius, which is the strength of your intellect and ability to process information.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to buy a reasonable lie.
• d8: Earn a Plot Point and Give your opposition a d6 when confronted with a problem that defies normal common sense or logic.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a Contest or Test when you’re convinced you’re being lied to, swindled, or distracted.

TINKERER: Steam, brass, and clockwork are your passion. You have a healthy appreciation for all things mechanical, which is dwarfed only by your knowledge. Roll the Distinction’s die when applying your mechanical expertise to repairs, retrofitting, or reconstruction, or when it would otherwise be of use to know a ratchet from a rocket.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to stop everything to admire or fiddle with a gadget.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal a small but useful device you were “working on.”
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die when using, repairing, or improvising with technology.

TROUBLE MAGNET: Trouble finds you, and you always go deeper. You frequently jump into situations past your depth, and somehow seem to thrive on the challenge. Roll the Distinction’s die when pursuing a goal that gets you further into hot water, goes against common sense, or flies in the face of reason, or when complications or bad luck drive the scene. Compare this Distinction to Daring, which is knowing you’re facing trouble but going in anyway.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Add d6 to Trouble when you get into trouble over your head.
• d8: Add a d6 to Trouble to Increase your Insecure or Angry Stress pool against opponents who outclass or capture you.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die when trying to gain important information when you’re in over your heada

VELVET VOICE: Your voice, sultry, soothing, or commanding, makes others lean in close. Roll when your words seduce or sway.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your alluring voice draws unwanted attention.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die when using your voice to persuade, soothe, or seduce.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reveal someone overhearing is now enchanted or obsessed.

VICIOUS: When you take off the kid gloves, the claws come out. You know exactly what to do or say to cause the greatest possible pain and anguish. Whether you elect to deal in threats, intimidation, cutting remarks, or dark secrets, you know how to hurt other people in every possible way. Roll the Distinction’s die when you bring a violent, deadly, or ice-cold approach to a situation that could otherwise have been handled differently. Compare this Distinction to Savage, which is more about having a brutal nature, or Backhanded, which relies more on wit and taunting than twisting the knife.

• d4: Add a d6 to the Trouble pool to Increase your Angry or Afraid Stress pool.
• d8: Add a d6 to the Trouble pool to Increase your Insecure or Exhausted Stress pool.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Increase your Injured or Afraid Stress pool. You can combine this with the d4 trigger to Increase two dice in your Afraid Stress pool.

VIRTUOSO: Music is more than skill to you, it is breath, fire, and soul. Your hands move with instinctive grace over strings, keys, or pipes; your voice resonates with power that can hush a crowd or stir them to tears. Whether in a saloon, a cathedral, or around a campfire, your performance holds people spellbound. Even without supernatural influence, you know how to make your music heard.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your music draws you unwanted attention (hecklers, rivals, over-eager fans).
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a performance-related roll (whether calming a tense room, impressing an audience, or competing with another performer).
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll any die when your musical reputation precedes you or when your artistry inspires emotions in others.

WANTED: You’re notorious. Roll when your reputation as outlaw, fugitive, or rebel sways others.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Give your opposition a d6 when your wanted status complicates things.
• d8: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reveal that someone recognizes you — a hunter, admirer, or rival.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die when leaning into your notoriety.

WEALTHY: You have enough money to buy your way out of nearly any trouble you inevitably get into. But it also makes you a target. Roll the Distinction’s die when pulling out your wallet, signing a check, or drawing on your vast fortunes would improve your odds at success.

• d4: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll one die in a Contest or Test swayable by money.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you own a large non-unique item such as a car, call center, or evil corporation as a d8 Useful Detail.
• d12: Add a d6 to the Trouble pool to Increase your Insecure or Afraid Stress pool when bringing up your vast fortune in a Contest or Test.

WEAPONS MASTER: You’ve spent years honing your ability to swing a tomahawk, drive home a cavalry saber, or brandish a spear. Your training encompasses the use of melee weapons of all kinds, but let’s face it, everyone has a favorite. Roll the Distinction’s die when you’re getting medieval on somebody, identifying specific archaic weapons, or trying to impress someone with your mastery of the blade.

• d4: Spend a Plot Point to Decrease your opponent’s Injured or Afraid Stress pool against you when you’re armed.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Increase your Injured or Afraid Stress pool when you’re armed.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to make a wild, sweeping attack with your weapon. Roll your own dice instead of Trouble in a Test that each affected character must beat to avoid taking Exhausted or Injured Stress.

WILLFUL: You’re probably too stubborn and proud for your own good; you’ll act the way you choose despite the better judgment or advice of others. Roll the Distinction’s die when not doing what others tell you would work in your favor, at least in the short term.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when you put your foot down.
• d8: Add a d10 to Trouble to put your foot down and Reroll a die in a Willful roll.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Decrease your opponent’s Insecure or Afraid Stress pool against you.

 

Heritage Distinctions

Spoiler

(copied wholesale from the Smallville rules with Smallville examples just to get it in quick)

Some characters simply aren’t human, or they benefit from belonging to a culture or lineage that provides amazing powers and abilities. Clark Kent is the premier example of someone like this, but the Smallville universe is home to many others, such as John Jones, the Manhunter from Mars; Arthur Curry, who inherits his Atlantean abilities from his mother; Maxima, the Queen of Almerac; and the three young visitors from the Legion of the future. This sort of metahuman or alien origin is represented in the game by Heritage Distinctions.

Typically, your character can only acquire a Heritage Distinction at two points, both of which happen in Pathways: at the Origin stage and at the Life-Changing Event. You acquire a
Heritage Distinction at d4, then you can use any Distinction step advancement to improve it. On its own, a Heritage Distinction is useful for rolling into Tests and Contests that depend on you knowing, understanding, or being a representative of your special heritage. For example, Clark rolls his Kryptonian Heritage when he’s trying to understand a Kryptonian artifact, or appeal to the Kandorian clones’ sense of community. He doesn’t roll it when he’s using his Abilities, unless he’s trying to do something different or new with them.

Heritage Distinctions are associated with a number of Abilities. Having the Distinction doesn’t automatically give you those Abilities, however. Instead, you may roll the Heritage Distinction in with your Growth pool when rolling for a Heritage-connected Ability in a tag scene. Additionally, the triggers on some Heritage Distinctions allow you to use a Special Effect from a Heritage-connected Ability you don’t have. These Special Effects still require you to spend a Plot Point to activate them, so if the Heritage Distinction calls for a Plot Point to use this trigger, you need to spend a total of two Plot Points.

Every Heritage Distinction comes with one or more Limits which apply to all Abilities connected to it (in addition to any Limit the Ability may have by itself). Kryptonians all have the
kryptonite and magic limits, for example, which helps to offset the Heritage’s potency.

Sample Steampunk / Weird West Heritage Distinctions

Spoiler

Heritage Distinction: Bloodless Physiology: You have replaced your body’s natural functions with alchemical substitutes, various elixirs, serums, and distillates that circulate in place of blood. You are pallid, light-sensitive, yet strangely radiant. The rumors say you are a vampire… perhaps not entirely false. Roll this Heritage when your altered physiology helps you resist disease, survive blood loss, or endure poisons and toxins, or when your unnerving appearance commands awe or dread.
Connected Abilities: Regeneration, Immunity, Super Speed, Super Senses, Night Vision
Limit: Sunlight Sensitivity, Serum Dependency.

• d4 Earn a Plot Point when your alchemical condition draws unwanted suspicion or fear, OR when you choose to worsen your Exhausted or Injured Stress due to exposure to sunlight or heat.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to gain a d8 Useful Detail such as “can see in the dark” or “moves silently under moonlight,” OR to Recover your Injured Stress by drawing upon the strange alchemy flowing in your veins.
• d12 Add a d6 to the Trouble pool to ignore Exhausted or Injured Stress caused by lack of serum or physical damage for the remainder of the scene. The effect fades when your serum wears off.

Heritage Distinction: Automaton Heritage: You were not born, but built... metal bones, brass gears for joints, steam for breath, and perhaps an alchemical spark for soul. Your strength is unmatched, your endurance mechanically tireless. Yet humanity looks at you with awe, fear, or suspicion, and the same science that gave you life can be turned against you. You may be a marvel, but you are also a machine.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your Abilities are Shutdown by technological interference, sabotage, or loss of power.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to directly interface with a piece of technology, analyzing or controlling it as if it were an extension of your own systems.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to use a Special Effect from a connected Ability you don’t have, describing it as an overlooked function or hidden gear revealed within your automaton design.

Connected Abilities: Magnetism, Rail-Jack, Steam Armor, Steam Leap
Limits: Electromagnetic Surge: Your Abilities are Shutdown when exposed to strong electrical discharges or magnetism, which lock up gears or scramble your alchemical spark; Maintenance Required: If deprived of fuel, winding, or proper repair for too long, your Abilities are Shutdown until you are serviced or restored.

 

Heritage Distinction: Magical Legacy: There are various and mysterious ways to gain a magician’s legacy. The power to wield magic may be passed from generation to generation; learned through the study of esoteric tomes, or it might come from an artifact or otherworldly source. Regardless of how you come by it, magic’s one of the most powerful and troublesome heritages around.
Connected Abilities: Blast, Flight, Illusion, Hypnosis, Precognition, Healing
Limits: Mute, Binding

• d4: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll any die due to your magical “luck.”
• d8: Add a d10 to Trouble to use a Special Effect from an Ability you do not have, connected or not.
• d12: Add a d10 to Trouble to Reveal that you know a spirit, demon, or sorcerer with information you need.

 

Heritage Distinction: Esoteric Sex Magician: You draw your power from desire itself... lust, devotion, and the charged spaces where the body meets the spirit. Whether a disciple of forbidden texts, a practitioner of occult tantra, or a devotee of Crowley’s new Aeon, your very heritage is steeped in sex magic. This power is potent but perilous: as intoxicating to you as it is to those who cross your path.
Connected Abilities: Illusion, Persuasion, Hypnosis, Precognition, Healing (through intimacy)
Limits: Abstinence: If you are denied intimacy, desire, or indulgence for too long, your Abilities are Shutdown until you indulge again; Sanctified Wards: Your Abilities are Shutdown in the presence of wards, relics, or holy symbols that suppress lust or bind desire.

• d4: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll any die due to your magical “luck.”
• d8: Add a d10 to Trouble to use a Special Effect from an Ability you do not have, connected or not.
• d12: Add a d10 to Trouble to Reveal that you know a spirit, demon, or sorcerer with information you need.

 

Heritage Distinction: Witchcraft Heritage: From the cradle, your bloodline or upbringing has been bound to the old ways. Whether born into a family coven, marked by an otherworldly ancestor, or apprenticed to a crone at the edge of town, you carry the heritage of witchcraft. Your power comes through herbs, charms, rituals, and spirits. It is feared as often as it is revered.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your Abilities are Shutdown by wards, iron, or holy rites.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to reroll a die in a Test or Contest by invoking omens, charms, or divination.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to use a Special Effect from a connected Ability you don’t have, describing it as a ritual working, spirit’s favor, or hex taking hold.

Connected Abilities: Illusion, Precognition, Healing, Elemental Control, Mind Control, Teleportation, Possession
Limits: Binding Circle: If you are trapped inside a properly drawn ritual circle, your Abilities are Shutdown until you break free or the circle is broken; Cold Iron: Direct contact with forged iron (chains, nails, cages) shuts down your witchcraft, severing your connection to the unseen until removed.

 

Heritage Distinction: Spirit-Walker Heritage: You carry a legacy bound to the land, the beasts, and the restless dead. Whether through visions, animal totems, or communion with spirits, you walk in two realms at once. But the same spirits that empower you can turn their backs, or be silenced by taboos, wards, and sanctified ground.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your visions or omens distract you or cause others to doubt you.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to step up or double your Distinction die when you call on spirits, totems, or visions to guide you.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to use a Special Effect from a connected Ability you don’t have, describing it as a spirit’s intervention, animal guidance, or prophetic trance.

Connected Abilities: Animal Control, Precognition, Healing, Super-Senses, Possession, Spirit Control, Elemental Control
Limits: Sanctified Ground: Your Abilities are Shutdown while on ground consecrated to other faiths (churches, shrines, wards). Cold Iron: Direct contact with worked iron (manacles, bars, nails) severs your link to the spirit world until removed.

 

 

Abilities

Spoiler

With the possibility for automatons, esoteric adepts, and folk magic come abilities. Abilities allow characters to do things far beyond the capabilities of the normal person. They allow you to roll dice in appropriate Tests and Contests based on their Effects, but each has one or more Special Effects that directly impact the outcome of many scenes. Super-strength, for example, gives you a die to roll when you bring your muscles into play. You might use Super-strength’s Special Effect, however, when exhibiting a massive feat of strength like holding up a collapsing
building long enough for your friends to escape or stopping a speeding locomotive before it careens off the destroyed bridge. Abilities also come with Descriptors and Limits. Descriptors are keywords that further define how the Ability manifests, such as heat, cold, magic, and so on. Limits are proof that no Ability is absolute.

The most important thing to remember about Abilities is that not everyone has them, so each one is special. Some might have no Abilities, some only have one or two. While a PC with a single Ability is rather limited in the number of superpowers he has, he will usually be very good at using it. Other characters may bear a whole array of potential abilities tied to a Heritage Distinction. PCs with Heritage-connected Abilities may have more options than their single-talent friends, but they also have to deal with additional Limits, opponents who target them because of their Heritage, and more. They’re also going to sacrifice quality for quantity.

Using Abilities

Each Ability has a die rating that you can roll in any Test or Contest that might benefit from the assistance of your Ability. The Effect helps establish how you can use an Ability’s die.
However, that’s not the be-all and end-all of an Ability’s benefits. In addition to its Effect, each Ability has three other elements (Descriptors, Limits, and Special Effects) that all work
together to flesh out the extent of the Ability’s usefulness.

EFFECTS
The Ability’s Effect suggests ways that you might roll the Ability into a Test or Contest. There are six Effect types.

• Attack Effects are pretty cut and dry. Dice from this Effect hurt people; you use them in rolls to give others Stress.
• Sensory Effects allow the character to better perceive and understand his surroundings; you roll them into perception-based Tests and Contests.
• Movement Effects help characters get from place to place in unusual ways, so roll the dice into Tests or Contests that depend on speed or travel.
• Control Effects allow characters to manipulate aspects of their surroundings. Use the Ability die to influence the outcome of a Test or Contest by altering the environment.
• Defense Effects protect the character from some type of harm. Roll the die when it would help you against attacks or rolls to inflict Stress.
• Enhancement Effects let you change, shift, boost, or alter your body or talents in some amazing way. Roll in this Ability when your enhancements give you an advantage.

DESCRIPTORS
Descriptors establish the details of how and why an Ability works or specify something about how the Ability contributes to the story.

LIMITS
Limits show the chink hidden in the armor. Even powerful magic may be useless if the character doesn’t have the use of her hands or voice.

• If someone uses your Limit against you, he triples the die representing that Limit.
• If your Limit is associated with a Heritage Distinction, your opposition can choose to give you a Plot Point and Shutdown your Ability if the Stress die he would have inflicted on you is equal to or greater than your Ability die rating. He can do it without a Plot Point if he Stresses you Out.
• You can also choose to Shutdown an Ability if you would prefer not to take Stress and your Ability was targeted by something that affects its Limit.

Once the Limiting condition is removed from the scene or out of range, any Shutdown Abilities are restored. Usually this requires a Plot Point (creating a Useful Detail), but another Ability’s Descriptor can be used in this way for free.

The Big (non-exhaustive) List of Abilities

Spoiler

ABSORPTION: You can absorb one kind of energy, whether directed at you or at characters in the same scene as you. Sometimes this energy can be stored and released later; sometimes it can be used to power your body to perform great feats. Roll the Ability’s die rating when you absorb, release, or use energy.
Effect: Defense
Descriptors: Electricity, Heat, Radiation
Limits: Broken Concentration, Cold, Grounding
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Absorb energy to Decrease your opponent’s Injured or Exhausted Stress pool against you or another character.
• Absorb the energy out of an attack on you or another character.
• Use absorbed energy to perform feats of super-strength
• Release the energy you have absorbed to power technology.
• Release absorbed energy behind you, propelling you forward at great speed.

ADAPTATION: Your body is able to survive in, and in fact may prefer, an environment that’s normally hostile or hazardous to others. This can be as simple as thick, hairy skin to resist the effects of extreme cold temperatures, or as complicated as gills to allow you to breathe underwater. Some people with this ability can change their physiology to adapt to different environments, though it’s not usually an instantaneous process. Roll the Ability’s die rating when you are fighting to overcome the elements or when your adaptation gives you an advantage.
Effect: Enhancement
Descriptors: Amphibious, Heat Shield, Modification
Limits: Dehydration, Cold, Heat, Vacuum
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Adapt your physiology to new conditions.
• Extend your adaptation to other characters as long as you touch them.
• Blend in to your chosen environment.
• Reveal additional details of your chosen environment.
• Find useful resources in your chosen environment.

ASTRAL PROJECTION: You can leave your physical body behind and travel as a psychic entity or ghost. While in this form, your body is usually unconscious and defenseless, but your astral form is nearly invisible to normal detection and can walk through solid objects as if they were not there. Roll the Ability’s die when you invisibly eavesdrop or in any Contest with other Astral Projected characters.
Effect: Movement
Descriptors: Psychic, Magic, Spirit
Limits: Psychic Feedback, Electromagnetic Fields, Tethered to Body
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Take another character with you.
• Disrupt electronics while astrally projected.
• Astrally project one body part to see or touch the astral world.
• Project “deeper” into otherworldly spirit realms.
• Take along material objects defined by the scope of your Ability die rating.

BLAST: You wield elemental or energy powers and damage your foes in such a way that primitive societies would have called you a god. Whether it’s primal forces like water, lava, and fire or energy sources such as light, heat, or electricity, the Blast Ability covers a wide spectrum. When weaponized, these can be quite scary. This Ability must be acquired multiple times if you want to project more than one kind of energy or element, and should be renamed to suit. Superman’s Heat Vision is Blast with the Heat Descriptor, while his Super-breath is Blast with the Cold Descriptor. Roll the Ability’s die when you’re using your Blast to threaten, scare, or injure an opponent.
Effect: Attack
Descriptors: Ice, Fire, Water, Lava, Heat, Electricity, Shadow, Light
Limits: Heat, Ice, Rubber, Lead Shielding, Cold, Vacuum
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Create a wide-angle sweep effect that inflicts Insecure or Afraid Stress.
• Destroy an inanimate object as big as a car. Spend two Plot Points for an object as big as a house. Spend three for an object as big as a skyscraper or a river.
• Make geysers of your element shoot up from the ground beneath your foes.
• Create a sweep effect fireball that explodes on contact, inflicting Injured or Exhausted Stress.
• Encase a person or an object in ice for a scene due to ice blast or super-breath blast. Breaking free requires a Test with your Ability die Aiding Trouble.

BODY TRANSFORMATION: You can change the molecular makeup of your body to change into another element. In most cases, you can only turn into one type of form, but there are rare individuals that can take on multiple forms. When in other forms, you take on the aspects of that form: metallic forms are subject to magnetism, fiery forms can be doused with water, and gaseous forms are dispersed by high winds. Roll the Ability’s die when you use the aspects of your form to your advantage.
Effect: Enhancement
Descriptors: Steel Skin, Liquid Body, Gaseous Body
Limits: Corrosion, Heat, Wind
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Turn to a gaseous or liquid form and escape through a crack.
• Become a rock-hard statue for a scene, ignoring Injured or Exhausted Stress.
• Turn another character into your chosen element.
• Turn yourself into living fire, Increasing your Injured or Afraid Stress pool.
• Hide in a large amount of your chosen element.

CLAWS: Through use of long claws, nails, or knives you slash and hack at your foes. It causes as much fear as it does blood and gore. You can roll the Ability’s die for causing fear or bodily harm, as well as for other uses of your claws, such as climbing or wedging open blast doors.
Effect: Attack
Descriptors: Metal Nails, Energy Claws, Natural Talons
Limits: Electricity, Magnetism, Terrifying
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Increase your Injured or Afraid Stress pool.
• Rip apart solid, inert obstacles.
• Stop your fall by using your claws as pitons.
• Regrow your claws if they are damaged or broken.
• Cling to a surface with your claws despite adverse conditions.

COMBUSTION: You create explosive charges that can detonate and cause damage commensurate to the size of the bomb. The larger the bomb, the bigger the blast. Given enough time and energy, you could blow up a building or possibly much, much more. Roll the Ability’s die when you use your bombs to destroy, threaten, or distract.
Effect: Attack
Descriptors: Explosion, Heat, Psychic
Limits: Time, Water, Vacuum
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Cause an explosive sweep effect that inflicts Injured Stress.
• Reveal that you left a bomb in a location you were in earlier in the episode.
• Draw everyone’s attention to an explosion so you can escape a scene.
• Create shaped charges that can take down obstacles without damaging the surrounding structure.
• Create a time bomb set to go off after a certain amount of time has passed.

COMPREHENSION: You’re a savant, able to understand strange languages and decipher impenetrable codes. Even if you’ve never seen or heard the language before in your life, or the ciphers are alien or otherwise impossible to understand, you have a handle on it. If it’s encoded in symbols, you can puzzle it out. Roll the Ability die when reading or deciphering strange languages or codes, or when using what you’ve learned.
Effect: Sensory
Descriptors: Psychic, Networking, Intuition
Limits: Auditory, Visual, Time
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Instantly understand a spoken language you’ve never heard before.
• Figure out unfamiliar technology well enough to use it… once.
• Deduce the language or code’s origin in general terms.
• Write or speak in response to what you’ve deciphered.

CRYOKINESIS: You control cold, ice, and all things related. You can draw moisture from the air to create structures of ice, or mess with the temperature of a room. Roll the Ability’s die when you drop the temperature, ice things over, or manipulate chunks of ice.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Ice, Cold, Frost
Limits: Heat, Sunlight, Passion
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Entomb another character in ice, in a form of suspended animation.
• Create walls of ice to block a path or pursuer.
• Jam mechanical devices with frost and ice.
• “Skate” across ice.
• Freeze a large mass of liquid or even gas into a solid state.

DENSITY CONTROL: You have the ability to change the space between molecules in your body making you more and less dense. In effect, you can potentially walk through walls, become hard as stone, or both. Roll the Ability’s die whenever your altered density benefits you.
Effect: Enhancement
Descriptors: Phasing, Hardening, Intangibility
Limits: Electricity, Water, Wind
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Walk through a wall into a scene in progress.
• Become hard as stone and Decrease your opponent’s Injured or Exhausted Stress pool.
• Reach into another character’s body—as an attack or as medical attention.
• Decrease your density to the point where you float on air.
• Make your fists super-dense and Increase your Injured or Exhausted Stress pool.

DREAM MANIPULATION: Entering people’s dreams is a tricky thing. You get to know parts of them they keep hidden. For you, it’s an art. You must see the sleeper to enter her dreams. Once inside, you are not subject to the rules of the dream. You can control elements within the dream and leave when you choose to do so. Roll the Ability’s die whenever you are within a dream, whether you are mining for information, inflicting Stress through nightmares, or soothing the subject’s fears.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Psychic, Magic, Memory
Limits: Psychic Feedback, Strong Emotion, Dreams About You
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Bring other characters into a dreamscape with you.
• Create an item, location, or event within a dream.
• Force a dream to recall a memory of the dreamer.
• Make the dreamer sleepwalk.
• Enter the dreams of a comatose dreamer.

DUPLICATION: There is more than one of you. Perhaps there are a finite number of you; perhaps you can make more yous when you wish. By default, only one of you has your Abilities. Each of your duplicates has its own set of Stress traits. Roll the Ability’s die when you gang up on another character, work “together” with yourself, or when being in two or more places benefits you.
Effect: Enhancement
Descriptors: Holographic Copy, Clones, Magic
Limits: Psychic Feedback, Pain Transference, Split Attention
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Create a duplicate with one of your Abilities, stepped back by one. Spend additional Plot Points to give your dupe additional Abilities.
• Have a stashed dupe in a convenient place you’ve been in before.
• Merge two dupes together, sharing memories.
• “share” Stress across dupes, splitting die steps among them.
• Duplicate a hand-held item along with yourself.

EARTH CONTROL: You can control the very ground beneath your feet, bending it to your will. Roll the Ability’s die when you create earthquakes, volcanic vents, or other tectonic disturbances, or when you mold stone or sand to trap your foes or shield your friends.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Seismic Manipulation, Lava Control, Glass Manipulation
Limits: Must be Grounded, Cold, Water
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Encase another character in stone.
• Create a sweep effect of quakes that inflict Exhausted or Afraid Stress.
• Raise a barrier of stone before you or others, Decreasing your opponent’s Injured or Exhausted Stress pool.
• Seal a corridor with a wall of stone.
• Make the earth swallow up a vehicle, a building, or a whole town.

ELECTROKINESIS: Electricity is your plaything, whether it’s man-made or naturally occurring. You might emit the electricity yourself or need to have an external source, but the end result is the same. Roll the Ability’s die when you create a spark of electricity, override some electrical device, or disperse the power in an electrical cable.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Electricity, Lightning, Magic
Limits: Grounding, Rubber, Conductive Materials
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Create a powerful storm.
• Channel lightning to a point on the ground.
• Charge your body or conductive material with electricity to be released at a later point.
• Activate electronic devices using your electrical abilities.
• Create an electromagnetic pulse to disable all electronic devices within a scene.

FLIGHT: You can break the pull of gravity without an aircraft and soar through the skies. You may use wings, gusts of wind, or anti-gravity, or just have the superpower to defy humanity’s evolutionary misfortune of being a land-bound mammal. Roll this Ability’s die when performing evasive maneuvers in mid-flight, chasing down another flying opponent, or getting a bird’s eye view of a situation.
Effect: Movement
Descriptors: Wings, Gliding, Levitation
Limits: Short Distances, Sonic Boom, Wind
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Carry something large or ungainly along with you.
• Support a falling object such as a floundering aircraft.
• Dive bomb an enemy and Increase your Stress pool for this attack.
• Change direction quickly to fly around an obstacle; you may use this obstacle as a d8 Useful Detail.
• Join another scene you are not a part of, even if you cannot get there by ground.

FORCE FIELD: You can create a barrier of energy or force. It might be a visible energy field or an invisible bubble. It can protect you and your friends, or even trap your foes while you figure out what to do with them. Roll the Ability’s die when you’re using your Force Field to help you in conflicts or emergencies.
Effect: Defense
Descriptors: Energy Shield, Telekinetic Field, Electric Shield
Limits: Psychic Feedback, Mental, Concentration
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Decrease Injured or Insecure Stress on all characters within the force field.
• Entrap another character in a force field.
• Fly short distances within a force bubble.
• Slip from the grasp of an adversary by sliding out of your force field.
• Keep all forms of gas in or out of the field; this can provide a bubble of breathable air in an airless environment or keep harmful gases in or out.

HEALING: You can heal physical or mental trauma inflicted on others, sometimes with just a touch. Curing physical wounds—Injured Stress—might end in you getting the Stress in place of the Roll this Ability’s die in any situation that calls upon your restorative talents.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Physical Healing, Mental Healing, Repair
Limits: Emotional Trigger, Damage Transfer, Touch
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Recover another character’s Angry or Exhausted Stress.
• Recover another character’s Afraid or Insecure Stress.
• Stave off a disease or other affliction, such as blindness, for a short period of time.
• Identify any poison or toxin in your subject’s body.
• Remove another character’s Injured Stress and add it to yourself.

HYDROKINESIS: You have complete control over water, ice, and steam, allowing you to create structures like walls or orbs of water as well as move water as though through telekinesis. Use this Ability’s die in Tests or Contests involving water or aqueous liquids.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Water, Ice, Steam
Limits: Cold, Heat, Sand
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Create small storm or thick fog within a scene; you may use this as a d8 Useful Detail.
• Create bubbles of air to allow others to survive underwater.
• Create huge tidal waves.
• Turn any large body of water, such as a lake, into steam or ice or vice-versa.
• Create a moving wall of water capable of Decreasing the Injured or Exhausted Stress pool of your opponent or an ally’s opponent.

ILLUSIONS: You can create images that others can see and hear and which seem very real. This Ability’s die might help you when you’re trying to pull the wool over somebody’s eyes, trick them with some sleight of hand, or create misdirection.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Mental, Magic, Visual
Limits: Psychic Feedback, Concentration, One Target
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Create illusions so real that another character thinks they can be seen, heard, smelled, and even touched.
• Create illusions that appear for all characters in a scene.
• Create an illusion of a scene, changing the surroundings.
• Create an illusion pleasing enough to Decrease an Afraid or Insecure Stress pool.
• Create an illusion scary enough to Increase an Afraid or Insecure Stress pool.

INSECT CONTROL: You can communicate with and control insects, usually of a single type. In some circumstances, you might be seen as a hive or a queen by the insects; in others it’s simply a form of mind control. Regardless, the connection can have side effects such as transference of pain as well as seeing through the eyes of the insects, which could get quite confusing. Roll your Ability’s die when the situation involves insects or could be improved by controlling vermin in the area.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Bees, Locusts, Ants
Limits: Pain Transference, Psychic Feedback, Bug Spray
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• See through the eyes of an insect in another scene.
• Swarm insects on another character for a scene. Any other character can use the swarm as a d8 Useful Detail.
• Take on aspects of the insects that you control.
• Call insects of the type you control to you.
• Direct insects to infest large electronic or mechanical devices in the scene to disrupt them and render them inoperable.

INVISIBILITY: You can disappear from view at will. This might be a result of a mass telepathy convincing others you’re not there, you might simply turn transparent, or you might refract light around you so others see what is behind you instead of you. If vanishing from sight would help you in a Test or Contest, roll the Ability’s die.
Effect: Enhancement
Descriptors: Perception, Blending, Magical
Limits: Mental, Scent, Audible
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Disappear and escape from a scene.
• Hide for an entire scene to listen in without being noticed.
• Shadow someone for a whole day without them noticing you at all.
• See other invisible people or objects.
• Turn another person or object invisible for a scene.

INVULNERABILITY: You can avoid pain and trauma. This might be because you’re simply tough and hardened, or your body might be plastic or even liquid and thus impossible to hurt. Roll this Ability whenever you’re engaged in a struggle to resist or oppose physical attacks, showing off your impenetrable skin, or ignoring hostile conditions to achieve some goal.
Effect: Defense
Descriptors: Mental, Physical, Magic
Limits: Energy, Electricity, Magic
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Decrease an opponent’s Injured or Exhausted Stress pool.
• Recover your Injured or Exhausted Stress.
• Ignore the effects of exposure to extreme temperatures such as arctic cold or volcanic cores.
• Ignore hunger or exhaustion due to lack of sleep.
• Ignore the need to breathe in an airless environment such as underwater.

LIGHT CONTROL: You can control coherent light, using it to blind or daze or light up a dark room without a flashlight. Roll this Ability’s die when manipulating the ambient light around you would help you achieve something tangentially related (like impressing somebody) or when you’re trying to perform well in an overly bright or dark environment.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Light, Laser, Flash
Limits: Shadow, Diffusion, Mirror
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Create a dazzling blast, temporarily blinding everyone in a scene.
• Create a dizzying light show, hypnotizing anyone that can see the lights.
• Use a focused light beam to burn through an inanimate object or burn a message onto a surface.
• Shine brightly into the ultraviolet spectrum, imitating sunlight.
• Create holographic shapes from light that can remain for an entire scene.

LUCK: Things have a tendency to go your way, whether this is a conscious decision or not. There are people with the opposite ability to cause bad luck to happen to other people. They are not fun to be around. Add this Ability’s die to any roll that hinges almost entirely on luck or chance, rather than skill or effort.
Effect: Enhancement
Descriptors: Luck, Jinx, Magic
Limits: Mental, Emotional Trigger, Magic
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Reroll a die in a Test or Contest that includes a Complication.
• Force your opponent to reroll the highest die in a Test or Contest.
• Allow another Lead or Feature to Reroll a die in a Test or Contest that includes a Complication.
• Chance upon a clue when you aren’t looking for it.
• Decrease an Injured or Afraid Stress pool that would have obviously hurt you.

MAGNETISM: You can affect not only the massive magnetic powers of the planet, but the minuscule magnetic properties in every piece of metal, allowing you to create walls of metal to defend yourself or perhaps even slow the blood in a human body due to the iron content. Roll this Ability’s die when a situation’s outcome might be affected by magnetic forces.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Magnetism
Limits: Electricity, Plastics, Concentration
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Wrap metal around a character, trapping him.
• Wipe computer data storage and memory banks.
• Scramble electronic devices for the remainder of the scene.
• Manipulate the iron in the blood of another person to stun him or cause Injured Stress.
• Move big metallic objects around as defined by the scope of your die rating.

MECHANICAL INTUITION: You sense the rhythm of pistons, the turn of gears, the breath of boilers. Steam engines whisper to you; clockworks reveal their secrets. You can coax, soothe, or compel mechanical constructs as though they were living things.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: mechanical, intuitive, empathic, steamwork, clockwork
Limits: Electrical Interference, Overload, Emotional Feedback
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Awaken a dormant machine or automaton as a d8 Useful Detail.
• Coax a jammed or hostile mechanism into obedience for the rest of the scene.
• “Listen” to a device’s last few moments of operation to learn what it experienced.
• Control a vehicle, turret, or automaton as though physically operating it.
• See through the “eyes” of electronic devices (if the possess optical sensors) in scenes other than your own.
• Override security on doors and vaults.

MIND CONTROL: You can control or influence other people’s minds without them realizing, although usually you’ll find it difficult to make them do things that go against their deepest beliefs. How you do this can vary from psychic influence to pheromones to subsonic vibrations. Roll the Ability’s die when trying to coerce, seduce, influence, or mislead someone. Mind Control is best when you are present in the same scene; its effects may be overcome in later scenes by a Test, especially when your influence is in conflict with the subject’s true convictions.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Mental, Magic, Pheromones, Tech Implant
Limits: Psychic Feedback, Eye Contact, Auditory
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Insert a post-hypnotic suggestion in your target to be acted upon later.
• Erase a memory, such as a secret identity.
• Insert false memories into a target.
• Make a target into your stalwart defender without having to maintain control over every action.
• Make a target oppose his friends without having to maintain control over every action.

THE OTHER THEORY: When you play, your music doesn’t just move hearts, it opens minds. You open yourself up to The Theory and perform with an uncanny and unearthly immensity. Notes spill from your instrument or voice like a bridge to the Other World, luring listeners into a state of suggestible reverie. Sometimes it’s a captivating distraction; other times it stirs deep emotion in the listener... calm, rage, longing, even lust. With focus, you can even plant a subtle idea, a whisper woven into melody that lingers long after the last chord fades. 
Effect: Influence
Descriptors: musical, emotional, resonance, otherworldly, hypnotic
Limits: Performance (requires an instrument and the act of playing), Feedback (prolonged use inflicts Exhausted or Insecure Stress as the resonance feeds back into you)
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to...

• Captivate an entire audience, distracting them from events around them. (Musical Distraction)
• Inflict a d8 Emotional Complication (Calm, Rage, Longing, Ecstasy, Despair) on all who can hear your music. (Resonant Performance)
• Plant a fleeting idea or impulse within one listener’s mind. It feels like their own thought, fading after a few hours unless reinforced. (Subtle Suggestion)
• Inflict d8 Stress as the emotional tone of your performance lingers beyond the scene, influencing those affected for the rest of the day (Angry - crowds riot, Aroused - friends become lovers, Insecure - soldiers lose heart, Afraid - people cower in their homes). (Lingering Echo)
• Add your current Aroused or Exhausted Stress die to a roll OR Step Up your Effect Die. After, step that Stress up by one as the resonance tears through you.

PARALYSIS: You can lock someone in place, making him incapable of moving or doing anything physical. This could be due to some sort of ray or beam, perhaps some kind of mental control, or even a poison that causes paralysis instantly on contact. Roll this Ability’s die when immobilizing someone—whether to terrorize him or escape from him—would be to your advantage.
Effect: Attack
Descriptors: Mental, Poison, Stun
Limits: Psychic Feedback, Touch, Duration
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Make another character unable to move, speak, or act.
• Release a paralyzing agent that slows everyone in a scene except you. You may use this as a d8 Useful Detail.
• Stun a target from a distance so that he can no longer run away.
• Make a target fall asleep.
• Increase your Afraid or Insecure Stress pool.

PHEROTECH: Through a blend of alchemy, bio-mechanical glands, and chemistry, you can exude a subtle haze of engineered pheromones that tweak emotions and instincts. The effect is invisible, almost imperceptible until it’s far too late.
Effect: Influence
Descriptors: chemical, scent, alchemy, manipulation
Limit: Gear
SFX (Spend a Plot Point to...)

• Flood a scene with tailored pheromones to shift mood or influence behavior, calming rage, sparking desire, inspiring trust, or inciting panic, as a sweep effect.
• Create or step up a d8 Relationship or “Swayed by Scent” Asset with one person for the rest of the scene, representing their unconscious attraction or trust toward you.
• “Read” the target’s biochemistry or emotions, learning their dominant mood, attraction, or secret (e.g., “fear response indicates deception” or “increased pulse when they look at X”).
• Make your pheromones persist beyond the scene. For the rest of the session, those exposed to your scent recall you with fascination, guilt, or longing (which may create Complications later).
• Weaponize your scent: induce nausea, confusion, or distraction instead of charm. Inflict Exhausted or Insecure Stress on a small group as a “chemical flashbang.”
• Mask your own scent entirely. For the rest of the scene, you cannot be tracked by animals, alchemical sensors, or other pheromone-based abilities.
• Decrease another character’s Afraid or Insecure Stress pool. Your pheromones act as a calming influence, lowering tension and restoring confidence.
• Heighten emotions to fever pitch, seduction, jealousy, or obsession takes hold of everyone nearby, creating a d8 “Distracted by Desire” Complication for affected NPCs.
• Inflict d8 Aroused stress on a single target.

PLANT CONTROL: You can command plant life to grow or wither at will, to wind around your enemies, and to communicate with you as if it were another person. Roll this Ability’s die when the plant life around you could help you achieve your goals.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Tree, Spore, Fungus
Limits: Pain Transference, Psychic Feedback, Cold
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Make vines burst from below, binding a character to the ground. Anyone but the target may use the vines as a d8 Useful Detail for the rest of the scene.
• Send messages through plant life in scenes you’re not in.
• Grow a large plant pod to escape a scene through the ground.
• Speak to plant life in the scene you are in to ask for residual memories.
• Cause plants in a scene with you to secrete toxins. You may use the toxins as a d8 Useful Detail.

POISON: Your touch or scent can destroy the inner workings of the human body. Sometimes this may involve breathing in your released vapors or a venomous injection. Sometimes, your deadly dealings may be given with a simple kiss. Add this Ability’s die when trying to overcome someone with your toxic or chemical talents.
Effect: Attack
Descriptors: Gaseous, Kiss, Injection
Limits: Touch, Wind, Water
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Make your poisonous gas affect everyone in a scene as a sweep effect.
• Infect a target with a poison that will activate one or more scenes later.
• Conceal the toxin from normal medical science.
• Recover yourself or somebody in the same scene from any Stress caused by a toxin.
• Increase an Injured or Exhausted Stress pool with your poison.

POSSESSION: You can inhabit another’s body for a short time. Often the victims of this kind of control have no memory of the event. Roll this Ability’s die when you’re possessing someone and want to hide your possession, convince people your host is still in charge, or engage in psychic warfare with the mind of the host.
Possession includes a few special rules. When you possess someone, you use your own Drives, but you may use your host’s Assets where appropriate. If you attempt a Test or Contest while in your host’s body in which his Drive (Value or Relationship) die rating is higher than your own, he may attempt to shake your control by spending a Plot Point and interfering with his own roll. If he rolls higher than you, the possession is ended. Possession for more than a single Contest or Test requires a Contest against the target in addition to the Plot Point spend; if you succeed, you step in and act while the Lead or Feature takes a backseat.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Mental, Magic, Spirit
Limits: Psychic Feedback, Duration, Concentration
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Seize control of an Extra in the same scene as you for the rest of this episode, or until they break free of your control.
• Control all Extras in a scene. Rather than inhabiting everyone’s body, you are merely in the back of their minds, making suggestions that everyone seems to agree are good ideas. The effects only last for this scene.
• Use someone else’s Special Effect for the rest of the scene.
• Take control of a Lead or Feature in another scene for a single Contest or Test.
• Take control of a Lead or Feature for the remainder of the scene or until they break free. This also requires a Contest against the target.

POWER LEECH: You’re the bane of the powered community, existing to either imitate other Abilities or temporarily take them away. You roll this Ability’s die when facing down someone else with Abilities or when trying to control stolen Abilities. To actually take Abilities away requires the use of Special Effects.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Kryptonite, Power, Magic
Limits: Uncontrollable, Touch, Concentration
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Gain an Ability possessed by another Lead or Feature in the same scene. The die rating of the stolen Ability is the lower of your Power Leech die rating and the stolen Ability’s original die rating.
• Shutdown an Ability possessed by another Lead or Feature in the same scene. Your die rating must be equal to or greater than their Ability’s die rating.
• Use a Special Effect possessed by Gear in the same scene.
• Step up another Ability of yours by stepping back an opponent’s Ability.
• Spend a Plot Point and step this ability back by one to step back all Abilities in the same scene as you by one.

PRECOGNITION: You can see things before they happen—sometimes only seconds before; sometimes far, far ahead. This power does not mean you can automatically understand the context of what you’re seeing; it simply means that you see something that is coming. You can roll this Ability’s die when trying to solve a problem, understand information, or get insight into something using your precog talent.
Effect: Sensory
Descriptors: Mental, Magic, Touch
Limits: Traumatic Flashes, Psychic Feedback, Uncontrollable
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Sense an opponent’s next move in a fight. Remove the highest rolling die from his next roll.
• Learn about an object or person’s future just by touching him.
• Act on your precognitive abilities—reroll your entire pool, minus any Complications.
• Have gained a precognitive clue that leads you to a scene you are not a part of.
• Have left a clue or message in a scene you are not a part of but have visited before.

PYROKINESIS: Your control over fire and heat allows you to manipulate temperature as well as flame. You might create your own flame or require something else to make the flame for you, but the end result is the same. Add this Ability’s die when handling fire, impressing others with your grilling techniques, or sensing heat sources in your area.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Fire, Heat, Temperature
Limits: Water, Cold, Vacuum
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Melt an inanimate object with a scope defined by your die rating.
• Create a ring of fire, trapping another character.
• Absorb existing fire and heat into your own body.
• Surround yourself with flames and Increase your Injured or Afraid Stress pool.
• Create a wall of flame to Decrease your opponent’s Injured or Exhausted Stress pool against you.

REGENERATION: You can heal physical or mental trauma you’ve been subjected to. You can roll in your Ability’s die when your regenerative talents would let you successfully struggle through painful or harmful situations.
Effect: Defense
Descriptors: Physical, Mental, Magical
Limits: Emotional Block, Elemental Trigger, Vampirism
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Recover Exhausted or Injured Stress.
• Recover Afraid or Insecure Stress.
• Grow back a severed limb or other body part.
• Cure yourself from any ailment or disease.
• Return from the dead. You must step this Ability back by a step as a consequence.

SHADOW CONTROL: A creature of shadow, you can create shadows where there are none and cause existing shadows to do your bidding. Roll this Ability’s die in when shifting shadows around, drawing them closer, or dispersing them would help you achieve your goals.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Shadow, Magic, Darkness
Limits: Light, Fire, UV Light (including Sunlight)
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Turn someone else into a shadow.
• Restrain another character with his own shadow.
• Attack someone with his own shadow.
• Envelop an entire scene in darkness, snuffing out all light.
• Temporarily blind everyone in a scene by covering their eyes in their own shadows.

SHADOW WALK: You can dive into shadows or move as a shadow to get from place to place. Roll this Ability into any Test or Contest where your unique talent at moving in and through local shadows would be an advantage.
Effect: Movement
Descriptors: Shadow, Magic, Darkness
Limits: Light, Fire, UV Light (including Sunlight)
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Slip into holes and cracks too small for pursuers to follow.
• Jump into one shadow and out of another.
• Spread a shadow across a scene to jump in one end and out the other.
• Jump into another person’s shadow and jump out of the same person’s shadow at a later point in time.
• Jump into a shadow on a flat surface like a wall and out on the other side of the surface as if the shadow was a doorway or portal.

SHAPESHIFTING: You can alter your appearance or shape to imitate other people, creatures, or even inanimate objects. Roll this Ability die when you’re trying to pass off your assumed shape or appearance as your own, engaged in a fight where changing shape might help you out, or retaining your shape while fatigued or hurt. If you’re Stressed Out, you might return to your native form unless you keep it stable.
Effect: Enhancement
Descriptors: Imitation, Animal, Object
Limits: Concentration, Scent, X-Rays
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Change shape into an object the same size as yourself.
• Imitate another character down to fingerprints and retinal patterns.
• Grow in size to two or three times your normal height.
• Shrink to miniscule size.
• Change into an animal that would be indistinguishable from the real thing at a genetic level.

SONIC BLAST: You can let loose a cacophony of noise that could take out a city block. Roll this Ability’s die when you’re using your sonic attack to harm someone, freak them out, or break a lot of glass.
Effect: Attack
Descriptors: Sonic Scream, Music, High Frequency
Limits: Silence, Requires Vocals, White Noise
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Affect everyone in the scene that can hear you. Roll your own dice instead of Trouble in a Test that each affected character must beat to avoid taking Exhausted or Injured Stress.
• Emit a low frequency scream and cause a localized earthquake.
• Emit a high frequency scream that scrambles electronics in a scene and calls to all nearby canines.
• Emit a scream of the exact frequency required to shatter a specific glass object in the same scene as you.
• Emit a scream of such force that it deteriorates concrete and other materials back to its rocky and sandy origins.

STRETCHING: You can bend and twist to nearly any shape, becoming both like liquid and stretching far beyond human reach. Roll your Ability’s die when your elastic or rubbery nature would help you get a positive outcome.
Effect: Enhancement
Descriptors: Plastic, Rubber, Putty
Limits: Electricity, Cold, Heat
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Force yourself through narrow spaces including pipes and cracks.
• Stretch long distances to reach great heights.
• Stretch in all directions like a net in order to catch a falling object or person.
• Change your appearance in minor ways to hide your identity.
• Decrease your opponent’s Injured or Exhausted Stress pool against you.

SUPER-SENSES: Your senses are broader and keener than any mortal’s senses should be. This could be due to superhuman versions of your five senses, or all-new senses outside of the human spectrum. With time, you can develop your senses to cover multiple channels. Start with one kind of super-sense at d4, and add a new one every time you step the rating up or add a new Special Effect. Roll your Ability’s die when you’re using your super-senses to help you stay alert, aware, or aid you in perceiving things in your immediate environment.
Effect: Sensory
Descriptors: Super-Hearing, Telescopic Sight, X-ray Vision, Infrared Vision, Radar
Limits: Lead, Overload, Interference, Magic
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• See through objects to find specific people or objects.
• Hear or see into a nearby scene you’re not in.
• Get the scent of any person or object and track the scent to its source.
• See microscopic details greater than what is possible with an electron microscope.
• See in all directions at once.
• Hear signals along the radio band or see beyond the electromagnetic spectrum.

SUPER-SPEED: You can move so fast you’re rarely seen as more than a colored blur. Roll this Ability’s die whenever your ability to move quickly might directly help you out, whether it’s to get something done faster or to cover more distance. If you’re dealing with anybody else with Super-speed, you can spend Plot Points to keep the pace with them or counter their Super-speed effects; this turns it into a Contest.
Effect: Movement
Descriptors: Quickness, Kinetic, Hypersonic
Limits: Unstoppable, Sonic Boom, Out of Touch
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Join a scene or switch to a new scene regardless of distance.
• Run so fast you run up a vertical surface.
• Perform multiple (non-Test or non-Contest) activities in the time it takes others to perform a single activity.
• Run fast enough to cross water as if it were solid ground.
• Change direction quickly to zip around an obstacle you have avoided; you may use this obstacle as a d8 Useful Detail.

SUPER-STRENGTH: You’re capable of staggering feats of superhuman strength. You may not even look like you can achieve the things you do. Roll this Ability’s die in when your amazing strength would directly help you succeed. If you are facing another character with Super-strength, you may Spend a Plot Point to counter a Special Effect he uses against you; this makes it into a Contest.
Effect: Enhancement
Descriptors: Muscles, Tactile Telekinesis, Size
Limits: Uncontrollable, Anger Trigger, Needs Focus
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Perform a fantastic feat of strength.
• Throw or knock another character out of a scene.
• Pound on the ground, creating a shockwave sweep effect and knocking everyone in the scene off their feet.
• Break through a wall, even a brick or stone wall, to grab a target or object on the other side.
• Wield a large inanimate object, like an automobile, as a weapon (and as a d8 Useful Detail).

SWIMMING: You can move through the water at great speeds, more like a dolphin or shark than a human. Usually this Ability includes an adaptation for surviving underwater, making it possible for you to sustain those speeds deep underwater without coming up for air. If you don’t want this to come with underwater breathing, add that as a Limit. Add this Ability’s die into any roll that involves aquatic activity or movement.
Effect: Movement
Descriptors: Swimming, Water, Fins
Limits: Dehydration, Ice, Earth, Not Amphibious
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Move through water at high speeds—join another scene regardless of distance if it’s accessible by water.
• Escape a scene by jumping into a nearby body of water and disappearing into the depths.
• Leap from the water onto a nearby shore, boat, or low-flying aircraft to surprise your foes.
• Resist the pressure of very deep water without a pressure suit or submarine.
• Decrease any Injured or Exhausted Stress while you are in the water by dodging around your opponent.

TELEKINESIS: You can levitate and move people, objects, even yourself with your mind. Telekinetics can usually maintain flight and create shields to stave off physical trauma. With this Ability you may be able to create telekinetic bolts to damage an enemy or throw another person aside like a rag doll. Roll this Ability’s die whenever you’re using your mind to help you manipulate something.
Effect: Control.
Descriptors: Mental, Magic, Spirit
Limits: Psychic Feedback, Concentration, Emotion Trigger
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Knock a character out of a scene.
• Create a telekinetic shield to Decrease an opponent’s Injured or Afraid Stress pool.
• Push, pull, or lift something really heavy.
• Fly or levitate a short distance. Spend another Plot Point if you want to carry others with you.
• Shoot bolts of telekinetic force.

TELEPATHY: You can enter the minds of others, conveying messages or even reading thoughts and memories. Roll this Ability’s die when you’re using telepathy to help you communicate with others, get a read on somebody, or sense the presence of stray thoughts in a room.
Effect: Sensory
Descriptors: Mental, Magic, Spirit
Limits: Psychic Feedback, Concentration, Eye-contact
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Read another character’s surface thoughts.
• Send messages psychically to a character in a different scene.
• Create a mental shield to block other mental powers from invading your mind.
• Sense the location and well-being of any one person that you have met before.
• Attack another person with a mental blast.

TELEPORTATION: You can move from one place to another without moving at all. You might be able to open a large portal like a doorway from one place to another miles away, or you might just blink out of existence and re-appear someplace else. Some with this Ability dissolve into glowing light, then reform with a similar light show somewhere far away. You can roll this Ability’s die into Tests and Contests where teleporting and jaunting around might directly affect the outcome.
Effect: Movement
Descriptors: Portal, Magic, Mental
Limits: Concentration, Slow, Mental
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Join a scene or switch to a new scene regardless of distance.
• Quickly teleport away to escape from a scene.
• Take another character with you.
• Create a small portal capable of teleporting objects.
• Create a portal that alters your falling trajectory, landing safely or off to the side.

TUNNELING: You can dig deep under the ground as fast as a person can walk, allowing you to make tunnel passagesways to and from your destinations. As a result, you probably don’t need to worry about tight or confined spaces, and you might even have some wicked claws. Roll this Ability’s die when moving through dirt, spraying up loose earth, or slashing away at stone or an opponent.
Effect: Movement
Descriptors: Stone, Earth, Dirt
Limits: Misdirection, Water, Earthquake
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Make tunnels that last for the remainder of the episode in the form of d8 Useful Details.
• Escape a scene by digging an escape tunnel.
• Find a weak point in any floor by digging beneath it; this becomes a d8 Useful Detail you can use for the rest of the scene.
• Make tunnels collapse behind you so that you cannot be followed.
• Use your claws to Increase your Injured or Afraid Stress pool.

WALL WALKING: You can move up and down walls and across ceilings as easily as walking across your living room floor. You can even stick to a ceiling and stay there where no one can see you. It’s not like anyone looks up anyway. If you’re making use of your clingy condition in combat or hiding up in the rafters, roll the Ability’s die to help.
Effect: Movement
Descriptors: Magnetic, Sticky, Spines
Limits: Slow, Slick Surfaces, Water
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Hide on a ceiling, making it easy for you to jump down into the middle of those below.
• Escape a scene by use of a convenient window or similar exit leading to an outside wall.
• Take another person with you as you walk off on the wall or ceiling.
• Jump from wall to wall, keeping your grip as if on a flat surface.
• Decrease an Injured or Exhausted Stress pool when a structure or building you’re clinging to collapses or falls.

WIND CONTROL: You have the power to control the movement of air, whirling it around or redirecting powerful winds. Roll this Ability’s die to use whirlwinds and gusts of air to tilt a Test or Contest in your favor.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: Wind, Air, Storm
Limits: Grounded, Dirt, Vacuum
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to…

• Fly a short distance.
• Create a localized tornado.
• Create a powerful wind as a sweep effect inflicting Exhausted or Insecure Stress.
• Lift another person or inanimate object off the ground and into the air.
• Hold a target, object, or even a moving car in place with powerful gusts of wind.

Custom Gear

Spoiler

Alchemascope: A brass-and-glass contraption of swiveling lenses, prism filters, and softly glowing alchemical vials, the Alchemascope transforms perception into science. It lets you peer beyond the mundane spectrum, seeing heat signatures, energy residue, hidden toxins, and the composition of metals and minerals in dazzling chromatic patterns. Every turn of its dials hums with potential discovery, but its lenses are fragile, and its chemical filters must be carefully recharged between uses. Roll this Ability’s die when analyzing materials, identifying compounds or toxins, discerning hidden mechanical flaws, or detecting the residue of alchemical processes. You might study the faint shimmer of an alloy to determine its source, detect poison on a goblet’s rim, or trace a chemical trail invisible to normal sight.
Effect: Sensory
Descriptors: materials, analysis, tinkering, craftsmanship, precision optics
Limit: Gear, Magic, Recharge
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to:

• Instantly identify the composition or purity of a substance or alloy (Spectral Analysis)
• Reveal hidden contaminants, poisons, or chemical residues in your surroundings (Toxic Trace)
• Spot weak points or concealed flaws in a mechanism, structure, or invention before it fails or as it’s about to (Structural Insight)
• For the remainder of the scene, ignore penalties caused by darkness, smoke, or visual obstruction as the lenses adjust the visible spectrum (Refracted View)

 

Alchemical Elixirs & Tonics: You’ve mastered the volatile art of brewing shimmering elixirs and tonics that push the boundaries of flesh, spirit, and reason. Each vial you carry is a gamble of science, a measured dose of brilliance and madness. Whether distilled in your hidden laboratory or hastily mixed in the field, your concoctions can sharpen reflexes, numb pain, heighten senses, or fortify the mind. Roll this Ability’s die when your physical tonics or restorative concoctions would give you an advantage. Examples include injecting yourself with an elixir to shrug off fatigue, using a stimulant to perform rapid manual work, concocting a tonic to resist poison or cold, or drinking a clarity draught to steady your nerves before danger.
Effect: Enhancement
Descriptors: alchemy, chemistry, concoctions, performance boosters, restorative tonics, stimulants
Limit: Gear
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to:

• Agent of Asclepius: Recover your own Exhausted or Injured Stress.
• Elixir of Savitar: Perform multiple non-Test or non-Contest actions in the time it takes others to perform one (e.g., reloading, analyzing, tinkering, or treating allies).
• Essence of Eirene: Recover your own Afraid or Insecure Stress.
• Nostrum of Nike: Step Up a die for one Test or Contest involving speed, endurance, or physical prowess.
• Solution of Shiva: Ignore the harmful effects of extreme environments such as arctic cold, desert heat, or volcanic conditions for the remainder of the scene.

 

Ferroburst Pistol: A single-shot “pistol” of brass, iron, and dangerously over-charged voltaic coils, the Ferroburst Pistol fires a disc of compressed magnetic force that detonates into a short-lived pulse field. It was never designed to kill, only to bend the laws of polarity. When the trigger is pulled, the air sings with metallic vibration and every scrap of iron within a dozen paces leaps to obey its magnetic tantrum. Roll this Ability’s die when manipulating ferrous metal or using magnetic bursts to shape the battlefield, deflecting incoming rounds, wrenching open iron doors, halting machinery, or scattering opponents behind a curtain of flying debris.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: magnetic, voltaic, polarity, iron, electromotive engineering
Limit: Gear, Reload Time, Ammo
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to:

• deflect a hail of bullets or metallic projectiles.
• immobilize or jam the motion of ferrous mechanisms (armor, doors, gears, or firearms) until the end of the scene.
• unleash a storm of nearby iron debris, forcing everyone in the area to make a Test or take Exhausted or Injured Stress.
• drag a ferrous object or armored opponent toward you, or yourself toward it, closing distance dramatically or pulling someone out of harm’s way.
• repel or attract nearby iron items to yank weapons from hands or fling them away.
• short out nearby mechanical or electrical devices (locks, automatons, steam rifles, voltaic lights, etc.) until the end of the scene.

 

Pherosol: A marvel of couture and steam-age ingenuity, the Pherosol is a custom-crafted parasol whose articulated frame conceals a dozen miracles of chemistry and clockwork. Its owner can waft moods through perfume-grade pheromones, fend off gunfire with layered alchemical silk, float from rooftops like a sky-born debutante, and perform mechanical marvels from lockpicking to field surgery, all with one graceful motion of the wrist. It’s equal parts weapon, shield, and symbol of impossible poise. The Pherosol represents a fusion of multiple Abilities into a single Gear item, combining Pherotech (diffused chemical manipulation of emotions), Shield (defensive barrier), and Flight (steam-assisted gliding). Each mode can be used independently, but all share the same intricate housing and the same weakness: damage or malfunction to the parasol can compromise them all.
Effect: Control (with added Abilities, also Attack, Sensory, Movement, Defense, Enhancement.)
Descriptors: multitool, lockpick, grappling hook, welding, torch, chemical, scent, alchemy, manipulation.
Limits: Gear, Supply.
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to...

• Fire a line to cross a gap, reach a high ledge, or make a dramatic swing to safety. (Grappling Line)
• Unfold a tiny alchemical lamp or voltaic torch to banish darkness or reveal hidden details; create a d8 “Illuminated Area” asset for the scene. (Portable Beacon)
• Splice into a telegraph or aetheric line to intercept, transmit, or trace communications. (Signal Tap)
• Perform an intricate feat of engineering like cutting, prying, rewiring, or sealing, with inhuman speed or accuracy. (Mechanical Precision)
• Substitute the Multitool for a technical Specialty you do not have for a single roll (Lockpicking, Engineering, Gadgeteering, etc.). (Utility Override)
• Reveal a previously unseen function of the Multitool appropriate to the situation (e.g., “Extendable Mirror Lens,” “Telescopic Armature,” “Micro-Welder,” or “Steam Torch”). (Adaptive Mechanism)
• Use the Multitool for a task it was never meant for. It works, but one of its other functions is Shutdown until it is repaired. (Improvised Solution)

 

 

Resources

Spoiler

Drives (Values & Relationships) are the core of Leads, and Assets (Distinctions and Abilities) further define that core. Resources, on the other hand, are completely external and include things like minor characters, Extras, and the stages on which the Leads and Features play out their drama, Locations. Each is rated in dice, like other Traits, but Resource dice come in pairs,
such as TOWN SHERIFF 2D8 or RANGER CAMP 2D6. This doubled die rating is important for both keeping track of the Resource’s use in an episode, and for how it helps you out. You’ll see how this works in the following sections.

Although most Extras and Locations show up as items on your character sheets, the GM (and other players) can introduce more of them as the episode plays out. Generally, though, if a
character in the story isn’t a Lead or Feature, isn’t listed on a character sheet, or isn’t “owned” by a Lead, he won’t really have any game stats. You similarly don’t need game stats for a street corner or a supermarket unless it’s important to someone. This means you can freely bring these into any scene as a Temporary Asset, or even create them on the spot as Extras or Locations,
using Plot Points. Otherwise, they’re just colorful background.

Extras
Not everyone gets the face time of the Leads. In fact, the vast majority of people in your game are going to be something of a silent majority... a name, a face, and a couple of dice to represent what they can do. Anyone can call on the help of an Extra, to some degree. But you can use the assistance of the Extras listed on your character sheet for free.

Extras come in all sizes and shapes, from the sharpshooter, to the homesteader, to the shady gambler, to the brilliant tinkerer. Often, Extras are simply the everyday passersby on the street. However, an Extra listed on your character sheet has a special arrangement with your Lead. Extras of this sort are usually family, friends, or coworkers, people that you trust enough to rely on for help. Perhaps they work for you, hired to do a job with no questions asked. Perhaps they swore to live and die by your word hundreds of years before your current enemies were even born. Or perhaps they simply owe you big time. It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that, through thick and thin, they will do their best to help you out when they can.

While Extras are limited in the type of help they can offer, you don’t have to make a roll to convince them to pitch in, as you would with a Lead or Feature. They just may not be available to help if you call on their assistance too often in too short a period of time. After all, they have lives, too. Heck, you can even call on the help of the nameless stranger lucky (or unlucky) enough to be in the same scene as you. But the big question isn’t who an Extra is. The big question is: What can an Extra do for you?

USING Extras
Extras don’t have complete character sheets of their own. They usually only do one or two things in the context of the game, their specialties, and they are rated in a pair of dice. For example, you might have Dr. Emil Hamilton (Science, Medicine) 2d8, while another player benefits from their Pinkerton Security Team (Security, Retrievals) 2d8. Extras can Aid you in pretty much the same fashion as another Lead would. Wait, I know what you’re thinking. They aren’t Leads or Features, so how can Extras Aid? Simple. As long as the Extra can have some impact on your action (i.e., is in the same scene as you or somehow inspires or motivates you) you roll the Extra's dice, too. Make sure you have some way of telling those dice apart from yours: roll them separately. Then, just as if another Lead were Aiding you, you take the highest of the Extra's dice and add it to your result. You then reduce the Extra's die rating by one die. Once your Extra's been tapped twice, he’s out for the rest of the episode.

All too often you need the help of an Extra only to find that he’s nowhere close by. In that case, it’s a simple matter of spending a Plot Point to bring him into the scene. Just beware: once that Extra's in the scene, you’ve painted a big bull’s-eye on his back for the GM's attention! Not always a good thing. 

Example Extras
The Extras that follow are examples of archetypal citizens that you can insert into almost any scene. You can also use them as templates to help create the Extras on your character sheets. Adapt the specialties to suit how the Extra is used in your game. Notice that none of these lists of specialties have die ratings attached to them. The die rating is a subjective relationship that exists only in relation to the Lead who uses the Extra. 

Extra Resources

• Sheriff Caldwell (Law, Intimidation) – Upholds order but can be swayed.
• Mad Inventor Hiram Fitch (Gadgets, Explosives) – Eccentric tinkerer with dangerous toys.
• Snake-Oil Salesman Silas Quill (Deception, Rumors) – Knows the gossip and shady routes.
• Railway Magnate Beatrix Lyle (Wealth, Connections) – Rich, powerful, and manipulative.
• Spirit-Touched Guide Red Moon (Survival, Lore) – Knows cursed trails and sacred places.
• Bounty Hunter Jane “Six Shot” (Tracking, Firearms) – Relentless when on the trail.
• Preacher Ezekiel Brand (Faith, Persuasion) – Charismatic, fire-and-brimstone speaker.
• Undertaker Morgan Graves (Anatomy, Secrets) – Hears the whispers of both dead and living.
• Saloon Singer Ruby LaRue (Charm, Distraction) – Captivates audiences and smooths over tension.
• Professor Thaddeus Brass (Engineering, Airships) – Scholar of steamcraft and dirigibles.

 

Locations
Some Locations can provide bonus dice to people that control them or are spending a scene in them. That’s not to say that everywhere you go is going to yield you some dice. No sir, sometimes a grassy field is just a grassy field. However, sometimes a grassy field has all of that tall grass because it hides the entrance to an underground base filled with technology that’s capable of sustaining a small army in a bid for military insurrection. And no, Locations don’t always have to be so aggressive. What makes a Location worthy of a space on your character sheet is a blend of familiarity and usefulness. 

USING LOCATIONS
Just like Extras, Locations don’t have full character sheets. In fact, exactly like Extras they can only lend their dice to help in one or two things. Sensing a trend here? When the scene you’re in takes place in one of your Locations and you’re rolling for something that the Location could reasonably Aid you with, roll the Location’s dice. Use differently colored dice for the Location or roll separately. Take the highest die and add it to your result. This is exactly as if another Lead were Aiding you on this roll. Just like with Extras, using your Location like this removes a die from the Location’s rating. Tap the Location twice in an episode and it’s out.

No matter how cool your favorite Location is, you can’t always be cooped up in a single place while the rest of the world goes about their day. On the other hand, you can’t very use a location if you’re miles away, or maybe you’re wishing you brought that thing hidden in the lock box in the back room of your bunker. Sometimes it pays to plan ahead. If you know you’ll need assistance from your Location later, you can set yourself up to use the Location’s qualities in a later scene. Maybe you want to do your research in the library and later throw it in the faces of the bad guys. To do this, spend an entire scene in the Location getting ready ahead of time (researching, prepping the explosives, writing the term paper, etc.). Then, later in the
episode when you actually need the dice the Location can give you, even if you are no longer in that Location, the dice are available for you to use. So go to town! Roll the Location’s dice
as if you were in the Location at that time.

Example Locations
The Locations that follow are general examples of places that might show up in your story. They will need to be made specific, given names and specialties, to fit into your episodes. You can also use them as templates to help create the Locations on your character sheets. Like the Extras, none of these lists of specialties have die ratings attached to them. The die rating is a subjective relationship that exists only in relation to the Lead or Feature who uses the Location.

Locations (Place Resources)

• The Gilded Spur Saloon (Gambling, Rumors) – Neutral ground where secrets flow.
• Clockwork Foundry (Repairs, Invention) – Forge of brass and iron where miracles are made.
• Abandoned Silver Mine (Hiding, Supernatural) – A refuge, but haunted by echoes.
• Desert Shrine of the Ancients (Spirits, Healing) – A place of power and visions.
• Airship Dock at Prosper Gulch (Travel, Trade) – Gateway to far-flung towns and fortunes.
• Ranger Camp on Deadman’s Bluff (Survival, Tactics) – Rough men and women of the wild.
• Ghost Town of Perdition (Ambush, Haunting) – Deserted streets perfect for schemes.
• Union Pacific Rail Depot (Transport, Industry) – Hub of rail power and influence.
• Velvet Noose Brothel (Seduction, Secrets) – Where passions and information are traded alike.
• Frontier Newspaper Office (Research, Public Opinion) – Shapes reputations across the territory.

 

Stress

Spoiler

Stress

Instead of using hit points or complications to track injury, damage, or other negative personal effects on characters, we use a distinct trait called stress. Complications are still be in play, but they represent external hindrances, obstacles, or other problems that aren’t direct injury or negative personal conditions like exhaustion or pain.

Stress replaces the rule about players choosing to spend a PP to take a complication instead of being taken out. Stress doesn’t require players to spend PP; any time a failure at a test or contest might take you out or cause harm, you take stress instead.

Any attack or effect that can take you out:

• Inflicts stress equal to the effect die in the attack (if the PC currently has no stress or a lower die rating of stress than the new stress die).
• Steps up stress (if the PC already has a stress die rating equal to or greater than the new stress die).

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Example: An Engineer character has d8 stress and takes d8 additional stress. This steps up the existing stress to d10. If she has d8 stress and instead takes d12 additional stress, this replaces the current d8 stress die with d12 stress.

Stress rated at d4 functions just like a complication rated at d4; it goes into a player’s dice pool instead of being added to the opposition dice pool and earns the player a PP. Right after that test or contest, it either goes away or, if the player rolls a hitch on one of their dice, gets stepped up as the injury gets worse.

Only one type of stress can be used against a character at any given time, unless the GM pays the player a PP to add an additional stress die to the opposition dice pool. Characters can be affected by both stress and complications at the same time, however.

Types of Stress

Afraid, Angry, Aroused, Exhausted, Injured, Insecure

Recovering Stress

Additionally, players may setup Tag Scenes at the end of a session to help each other recover from Stress. All stress die ratings are always stepped down by one at the end of a session.

Stressed Out

If any stress die rating is ever stepped up past d12, the character is taken out (or stressed out) and no longer takes part in the scene. By default, you can’t spend a PP to delay this effect, though certain SFX or other rules may be implemented to do that. When you’re stressed out, you are assumed to have d12 stress for the purposes of taking any additional stress, even though you can no longer act in the scene.

Pushing Stress

Players may choose to have their character push through their pain and suffering and use it as a motivator rather than a setback. To do this, you spend a PP and instead of adding the stress to the opposing dice pool, you add it to your own dice pool for that test or Contest.

Using stress in this fashion has an additional cost. After the test or contest is resolved, the stress die included in your dice pool is stepped up by one. This may result in the PC being stressed out if the die is stepped up past d12.

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Example: A PC has an existing stress of Exhausted d10.

If the PC doesn't involve their stress, they build their dice pool, the GM can add the d10 to their own dice pool, and the PC’s stress of Exhausted d10 remains the same.

If the PC spends a PP, then they can include the d10 Exhausted stress in their dice pool, representing their heroic effort to push through their exhaustion. But the PC’s stress of Exhausted d10 steps up to d12 after the Contest is resolved (or by more if hitches are rolled).

Trauma

Trauma is like long-term stress. Any time a PC’s stress is stepped up past d12, they’re stressed out of the scene, and they gain d6 trauma of the same type of stress that just increased. Trauma functions just like stress but is much harder to recover.

During any scene in which a character is stressed out and has taken trauma, additional stress to the character goes directly to trauma. Once trauma is stepped up beyond d12, the character is permanently out of options... they’re dead, hopelessly incoherent, lost to their own psyche, or whatever seems most appropriate.

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Example: A PC has incurred the trauma of Exhausted (see below table for values) from a previous contest. They become stressed out again before recovering their trauma.

• If Trauma is d6, then it is stepped up to d8.
• If the Trauma is d12, the character is taken out of the game permanently.

If the next scene is a recovery, transition, or otherwise restful scene in which the PC can be taken care of or allowed to recuperate, the PC’s stress automatically steps down by one, but the trauma remains at the level it was at the end of the previous scene. Recovering trauma requires a test using any appropriate traits vs a base difficulty of 2d8 plus the trauma die.

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Example: A PC has incurred a trauma of Exhausted d6 and is trying to recover their trauma. They will assemble a dice pool and roll against a target set by the GM rolling 2d8+1d6 (the stress die rating.)

• If the PC beats the difficulty, the trauma die rating is stepped down by one (in this example, from d6 to d4).
• If you fail to beat the difficulty, the trauma does not get any better or worse. You can’t try to recover that trauma again until time passes.
• If you beat the difficulty but roll a hitch, the GM may hand over a PP and introduce either a complication that will hinder the PC in the next scene or inflict stress of a different type than the trauma that was being recovered, starting at d6 (or stepping up by one if the PC already had stress of that type).
• If you fail to beat the difficulty and roll one or more hitches, the trauma gets worse, stepping up by one for each hitch rolled. If this steps the trauma up past d12, that’s all, folks.

 

SFX

Spoiler

SFX and Other Tricks

SFX is short for “special effect.” It’s usually some kind of benefit or bonus that only occurs under certain conditions. In Cortex, SFX are used as a way to introduce exception-based rules for trait sets that possess them. They’re a way to break the rules of the game, modify the outcome of tests and contests, and add more texture to the story. In games with power sets or pre-set distinctions, SFX provide ways to further define and shape what those traits actually represent.

All distinctions get the “Gain a PP when you switch out this distinction’s d8 for a d4” Hinder SFX for free, and other trait sets may have one or more SFX to give context to the traits in the set.

In a heroic fantasy game using power sets, two different power sets with the same powers, such as Superhuman Strength d10 and Superhuman Durability 
d10, might be distinguished from one another with names like Ogre Blood and Forged of Living Iron, but mechanically-speaking they’re identical. Using SFX to give Ogre Blood something like “Spend a PP to double an Ogre Blood die when engaged in battle with fey” and Forged of Living Iron something like “Earn a PP and create a Sinking d8 complication when you enter any large body of water or liquid” lets you sharpen these two power sets not just in the narrative, but in the game as well.

Creating SFX

One way to look at SFX is as a combination of a cost and a benefit. The standard SFX for all distinctions has the cost of “use the distinction as a d4” with the benefit of “earn a PP.” 

Here’s a list of sample costs to choose from:

• Spend a PP (very common)
• Step down a beneficial die (usually an attributes, skill, or asset)
• Step up a non-beneficial die (usually a complication)
• Choose to do or introduce something risky/ill-advised/complicated (“When you walk right into a volatile situation and start causing trouble…”)
• Create a d8 complication
• Shut down a trait set (the trait set can’t be used until restored)

Here are some useful benefits:

• Earn a PP
• Add a d6 to the Trouble Pool
• Step up a beneficial die (usually a specialty or asset, like “step up Pistols”)
• Double a beneficial die (usually a specialty or asset, like “double Pistols”)
• Step down a non-beneficial die (usually a complication)
• Introduce a non-mechanical story detail (“Hey, I think I know that guy’s brother...”)
• Rename a complication (“I’m not Sickened, I’m Angry”)
• Reroll a single die
• Create a d8 asset for the rest of the scene

Some SFX may switch out the cost for a different sort of triggering condition. This can include rolling a heroic success, or some roleplaying-based triggering effect.

SFX often combine both a cost and a triggering condition, especially if the benefit is broader or more potent than usual. In some cases, an SFX may include a narrative condition that explains when and how it’s used to give context to the SFX.

Stepping Up, Stepping Down, Rerolling, and Doubling

SFX use these dice tricks a lot, so here’s a summary of what these actually mean.

• Stepping up means increasing the size of a die by one step, i.e. a d6 to a d8, or a d10 to a d12.
• Stepping down means decreasing the size of a die by one step, i.e. a d8 to a 
• d6, or a d12 to a d10.
• Rerolling means rolling a die or dice again, ignoring the previous result and using the new result.
• Doubling a die means adding another die of the same size to the dice pool before the dice are rolled.

Aside from rerolling, most SFX tricks affect the unrolled dice in the pool, although SFX that call for stepping up or stepping down an effect die obviously take place after an effect die is chosen.

Good SFX make it unambiguous when an effect takes place, usually after a specific trigger and before the total is declared or effect dice are put into play.

The Logic of SFX

Because SFX are used to break the rules or provide additional ways to earn and spend PP, create assets, or alter die rolls, they’re a mechanical way to represent special abilities, tricks, or maneuvers your character has knowledge of. SFX are best when they allow you to differentiate your character from other characters with otherwise similar traits, and to flesh out trait sets that form the core of a character.

When you use SFX with distinctions, they let you further define what a character with that distinction can do beyond just getting the d8 in a dice pool. When you use them with power sets or skills, they allow you to attach fun and interesting tricks to those traits without having to create narrow or specific traits. And they provide an ideal means of tracking character growth, especially when they’re used in pre-built character archetypes; distinctions can come with three or more SFX that the player can unlock over time and experience.

Six Standard SFX

SFX are the fiddliest part of Cortex Prime and take some effort to get right for some players and GMs, so it might help to look at the examples of Power SFX in the Prime Lists chapter. In a pinch, however, use one of the following standard SFX when creating new distinctions.

• The Exchange: Step up or double one useful die for the scene but step down one other die in exchange until you do a recovery action.
• The Price: Step up or double one useful die for the scene or take a d8 asset for the scene (choose one benefit here, not both), but also take a d8 complication.
• The Swap: Spend a PP to use a different die than would normally be appropriate for a given action, based on your distinction.
• The Edit: Spend a PP to declare a beneficial thing to be true in the fiction, based on your distinction.
• The Folly: Earn a PP when you choose to do something detrimental related to the distinction.
• The Shutdown: Earn a PP when you declare that, due to appropriate circumstances based on your distinction, you have lost access to one or more of your attributes/skills/roles/etc. for the scene and cannot use it for any actions.

Limits

A limit is an SFX mod that introduces vulnerabilities that provide PP. A hero is nothing without his flaws and weaknesses; most superheroes have an Achilles’ heel, even if it’s just that their powers wear them out!

Most limits use the shutdown cost with the earn a PP benefit. With a shutdown cost, there’s always a specific situation in which the character can restore the shutdown trait, even if it’s just “restore the trait at the beginning of the next scene” or something along those lines.

The GM can also activate limits in some circumstances by spending a PP (or Trouble Pool die, if that mod is used). If the GM chooses to do this, they should first offer the player the option to activate it themselves, in order to gain the PP benefit. If the player decides not to, the option then goes to the GM, and the PP the GM spends goes to the pile, not to the player.

Trouble/Doom Pool

Contests/Tests

Growth

Spoiler

Growth

The best dramatic heroes grow with the story and are changed by the challenges they face. Indeed, to some, that’s the very definition of a hero or, at the very least, a protagonist. Even antagonists, if they’re interesting, change over the arc of their story. PCs gain new traits and advance current traits through a mechanism called the Growth Pool, which is a pool of dice you build up over the course of the game. This method uses your Trait Statements extensively but can be adapted in other ways depending on your game.

You can get dice for the growth pool in two ways:

1. Challenging a trait statement.
2. Successfully recovering stress or complications with someone else’s help.

You can then use that growth pool to add new traits or improve existing ones at the end of the session, in a special kind of scene called a tag scene.

Tag Scenes

At the end of every session you have the opportunity to do a special kind of scene called a tag scene, where you can try to improve your character’s traits. Tag scenes shouldn’t be very long, just enough narration for everyone to get an idea of how you want your PC to change. After that, you get to do two things: rewrite statements and step up traits.

Rewriting Statements

For every trait statement you’ve challenged in the session, you get to make a choice: did your PC change perspectives? If so, you can rewrite your statement to reflect your new belief about the trait and put it back to its original die rating. "d8 Jason would never let me down" might become "d8 Jason isn’t the friend I thought he was" or "d8 Jason will answer to me".

If your PC didn’t change perspectives, you can keep the statement the same, but the trait it’s attached to must stay at the reduced die rating. For values that share a fixed number of steps, pick another value or values to increase by that same amount, so your total number of die steps remains the same. So, if you stepped down Love from d10 to d6 (two steps) during a session and decide to stay there, you’d pick one value to step up by two, or two values to step up by one.

For relationships or other traits that aren’t governed by a fixed number of steps, if you stay at the lowered die rating, add another die to your growth pool equal to the new die rating. So, if you stepped down Jason from d8 to d4, you’d add a d4 to growth in addition to the d8 you added when you originally challenged it.

Stepping Up Traits

You may select one trait to step up or pick a new one to add. New traits begin at d4. You can’t step a trait up higher than d12.

To raise the trait, you must succeed at a test. You roll your growth pool plus the highest stress or complication you had during the session, even if it was recovered. The GM sets the difficulty at one die equal to the trait level you want to step up to and a second die based on what kind of trait it is:

• Attribute or Affiliation d12
• Distinction, Role, or Power d10
• Skill, SFX, or Value d8
• Relationship, Resource, or Signature Asset d6

Unlike other tests, you can’t use PP to affect the outcome of this one. Ignore all hitches. If you win, you get to step up your trait or add a new one and the dice in the growth pool are used up. If you lose or tie, you can do it anyway, but you have to step something else down to compensate; the dice in the growth pool stick around for next session.

Pathways

Spoiler

Pathways Descriptions
Each stage of Pathways is more fully detailed and explained below. Here’s a brief guide to what to expect.

PATHWAYS MAP
This is the set of directions for all players so that they know what to write or draw on the Pathways Map. It’s a more fleshed-out version than the icon-heavy instructions given on
the charts. Take turns in following the directions; some players might want to wait until there are more circles or diamonds on the Map before they decide where to draw those arrows.

THE FIVE CHOICES
This lists the five different choices you have available at this stage of the chart. Each of the choices presents a bit of a story element for you to consider, some questions to make you think, and the changes you can make to your Lead sheet. While the story element and questions are entirely optional and just there to give you some ideas, the instructions for stepping up or adding to your Lead are part of the process. Don’t skip any of those!

A Note of Assets: In the charts below, you will be asked to add or step up Values, Relationships, Distinctions, Resources, Heritages (a special kind of Distinction), and sometimes assets. An Asset is either a Distinction OR an Ability. 

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of stepping up Relationships. You will use a Relationship in every dice pool. You will be tempted to include a higher quantity of Distinctions at lower dice values. I know I was when I started this system. But I can tell you from experience, fewer Distinctions at higher dice values is much more useful.

Without further ado, let's get to the Pathways Steps!

 

Step 1: Origin

Spoiler

This is how and where it all began. Whoever brought you into this world, family, machine, coven, or fate, this was your start in life. Choose one of the five options and follow the instructions below it.

Pathways Map

• Draw your Lead square.
• Draw arrows from your square to all other squares (don’t label yet).
• Draw an arrow to a new circle (NEW NPC) and label it.

 

Privileged

You were born into wealth and influence. The child of a railroad baron, an industrialist, or a family with deep ties back East (or perhaps even back to Europe), you’ve never known real hunger or want. But privilege carries both enemies and expectations. What industry was your family’s fortune built on? Railroads, mining, banking, gunsmithing? Did you embrace or resist the life of privilege? How has wealth marked your relationships with others?

• Step up Honor or Power twice, or step up each once.
• Add a Distinction (Recommended: Family Name, Wealthy, Cosmopolitan).
• Add a Resource.
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

Common-Born

You were raised plain and ordinary, in a homestead, ranch, or frontier town. You know the weight of work, the value of neighbors, and the hardship of surviving where the land is often cruel. What kind of work defined your family? Farming, smithing, ranching, shopkeeping? Did you feel content with this life, or long for something greater? What struggles shaped your character?

• Step up Passion or Justice twice, or step up each once.
• Add a Distinction (Recommended: Likeable, Athletic, Big-Hearted).
• Step up a Relationship.
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

Prodigy

From an early age, you were marked as exceptional. Perhaps you were a mechanical tinkerer, a scientific genius, an artist, or a skilled shot. You drew attention, admiration, or suspicion that set you apart. What gift defined your youth, and who nurtured or exploited it? How did people respond to your brilliance? Did you embrace your gift, or try to hide it?

• Step up Glory or Truth twice, or step up each once.
• Add a Distinction (Recommended: Clever, Genius, Tinkerer) OR add a new Ability.
• Add another Distinction or step up a Distinction.
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

Outlandish

Your upbringing was never ordinary. Maybe you were raised among natives, carnival folk, occultists, revival preachers, or dreamers chasing gold in strange lands. You grew up set apart from the “normal” world. Who or what shaped your outlandish childhood? Did you love the eccentricity, or wish for normalcy? What made you different from your peers?

• Step up Glory or Power twice, or step up each once.
• Add a Distinction (Recommended: Daring, Trouble Magnet, Shameless Flirt).
• Step up a Resource.
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

Constructed / Touched

You were not born like others. You may be an automaton, a revenant raised by alchemy, or a child marked by occult power. Whether built, reborn, or cursed, your very origin sets you apart. Were you made by a hand of science, the will of spirits, or a mixture of both? Do you seek to blend in, or to embrace your difference? Who knows the truth of what you are?

• Step up Honor or Truth twice, or step up each once.
• Add a new Heritage (custom Heritage for your type of character).
• Add a new Ability or step up a Heritage.
• Add a Distinction (Recommended: Tinkerer, Observant, Supernatural Legacy).

Step 2: Youth

Spoiler

The frontier shapes the young quickly. Whether you were raised on the edge of survival, steeped in strange teachings, or already hungry for progress and recognition, your youth forged the lens through which you see the world.

PATHWAYS MAP

1. Draw an arrow from your square to a new diamond (NEW Location). Label the connection (line) to define it. Add it to your sheet as a Resource. Post about it in the Discussion thread so we all know what it is.
2. Draw an arrow from a circle or diamond that you added to any another circle or diamond. Label the connection to define it. Post about it in the Discussion thread so we all know what it is.

 

Apprentice

You grew up under a master’s wing whether blacksmith, gunsmith, inventor, or occultist. Your hands were shaped by tools and your mind by lessons that may have saved you or caged you. Who trained you, and what was their craft? Did you respect their guidance, or resist it? Do you still honor their legacy, or seek to surpass them?

• Add or Step Up a Distinction (Recommended: Gearhead, Observant, Clever).
• Step Up a Resource.
• Step up a Relationship, Distinction, Ability, or Resource.

 

Drifter

You never stayed long in one place. Your youth was a trail of dusty towns, wagon camps, and fleeting friendships. You learned freedom  and rootlessness. Who did you travel with, and why did you keep moving?  Did you enjoy the road, or ache for a home? What lesson of the wandering life has stayed with you?

• Add or Step Up a Distinction.
• Step Up a Location.
• Step up a Relationship, Distinction, Ability, or Resource.

 

Rebel

Authority never sat well with you. Whether against parents, preachers, or lawmen, you pushed back, sometimes for justice, sometimes just for the thrill of it. What were you rebelling against? Were you defying injustice, or only chasing freedom? Did your rebellion earn respect, fear, or hatred?

• Add a Distinction.
• Step Up a Distinction.
• Step up a Relationship, Distinction, Ability, or Resource.

 

Believer

Your youth was steeped in faith whether religious, occult, or even scientific. Doctrine gave you strength but also left you with burdens or doubts. What creed or power did you serve? Were you devoted, or did you question it early? How does that belief shape you now?

• Add or Step Up a Distinction.
• Step Up a Relationship.
• Step up a Relationship, Distinction, Ability, or Resource.

 

Outsider

You never fit the mold. Maybe you were too strange, too clever, too mechanical, or too cursed. Your difference shaped how you saw others  and how they saw you. What made you an outsider? Did you hide, lash out, or embrace it? Who, if anyone, saw past the strangeness?

• Add or Step Up a Distinction.
• Add or Step Up an Ability or Distinction.
• Step up a Relationship, Distinction, Ability, or Resource.

 

Step 3: Focus

Spoiler

Your Focus directed your attention and guided your priorities. There may have been many nuances to your center of attention, but this one was the granddaddy. Keep in mind that your Focus can be something you strive for but never quite seem to attain.

Pathways Map

• Draw an arrow from any circle or diamond to another circle, diamond, or square.
• Draw an arrow from your square to a new or existing circle (NEW Extra or Relationship) or diamond (NEW Location).

 

Fortune

Gold, silver, iron, coal, or the strange ore pulled from the mountains, fortune drives this land. Whether you dug it from the earth, won it at cards, or swindled it from the gullible, you kept your eye on wealth. Money may not buy love, but it can buy bullets, whiskey, and a fast horse. Were you born into wealth and determined to keep it flowing? Do you scrape and scheme, always one card game away from losing it all? Did you chase the dream of a strike that never came, leaving only dust and debt?

• Add a Distinction.
• Step up a Resource.
• Step up a Relationship.

 

The Gun

In a world where the law is thin and the frontier wide, steel and powder speak louder than words. Whether a lawman’s badge, an outlaw’s six-gun, or a soldier’s rifle, you focused on life by the bullet. Did you pick up the gun to defend the innocent… or yourself? Who taught you to shoot? A sheriff, a brother, a bandit? Has the gun been your salvation, or your curse?

• Add a Distinction.
• Step up a Resource.
• Step up a Relationship.

 

Reputation

On the frontier, your name is worth more than gold. A reputation, good or bad, opens doors, draws followers, and makes enemies. Whether you’re known as a hero, a villain, or a charming rogue, people already whisper when you walk by. What story made your name spread? A duel? A song? A scandal? Do you trade on your name, or struggle to live it down? Whose respect matters most to you? Whose fear?

• Step up a Distinction.
• Step up a Resource.
• Step up a Relationship.

 

Invention

Steam, gears, and the spark of genius… or madness. You fix, build, or tinker, whether in the name of progress or profit. The frontier is full of broken tools and hungry buyers, and there’s always a new contraption to cobble together. Did you learn at the knee of a mad scientist, or invent alone in a dusty shed? Do you dream of changing the world, or just making a quick sale? Has your tinkering saved lives… or nearly ended them?

• Add an Ability with the Gear or Mad Science Limit.
• Add or step up a Distinction or Gear.
• Step up a Relationship, Distinction, Ability, or Resource.

 

The Supernatural

Spirits, saints, hexes, and horrors walk this land as surely as cattle and miners. You studied, feared, or embraced them, and they’ve left their mark. Was your fascination a childhood story, or the scar of a real encounter? Do you call yourself medium, witch, shaman, or charlatan? Are you hunting the supernatural, or has it already claimed you?

• Step up or add an Ability.
• Step up or add a Heritage.
• Step up a Relationship.

 

Step 4: Road

Spoiler

As you pursued your Focus, your Road was the path you chose to reach it, the way you justified your means. Out on the frontier, there’s more than one kind of road: rail lines and wagon trails, back alleys and mountain passes, backroom deals and holy pilgrimages. Your Road tells the story of how you chase what matters most, whether you walk it upright, crawl through the mud, or ride it hellbent for glory.

PATHWAYS MAP

• Draw an arrow back to a Lead square.

 

Reckless Trail

You rode hard and took chances. Every goal was a wager, every plan a game of cards with Fate herself. You put your hide, your heart, and sometimes your soul on the line to reach what you wanted. Did your boldness win you renown… or leave bodies and debts in your wake? Have your gambles cost someone close to you their fortune, freedom, or life? When the smoke cleared, did you still believe the risk was worth it?

• Step up Glory OR Power x2 or step up each x1.
• Add or step up a Distinction.
• Step up a Resource.
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

 

The Straight Rail

While others strayed, you kept to your course. You walked the righteous path, served the law, or simply lived by your own unshakable code. The rails might be crooked, but your spine wasn’t. Were you a deputy sworn to the badge, a preacher to your faith, or a craftsman proud of honest work? Do others mock you for being too rigid or naive? When temptation came calling, did you stay true or stumble?

• Step up Honor OR Passion x2 or step up each x1.
• Add or step up a Distinction.
• Step up a Relationship.
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

 

Skyward Path

You set your sights high, maybe too high. Your goals reached beyond the horizon: glory, invention, redemption, transcendence. You sought greatness, and whether the world called you a visionary or a fool depended on the day. Did you chase your dream to lift others up, or to rise above them? Did your faith, science, or cause lift you to wonder—or bring you crashing down? Do others see you as inspired or obsessed?

• Step up Glory OR Truth x2 or step up each x1.
• Add or step up a Distinction.
• Step up a Resource.
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

 

The Backroads

You learned early that the straight path doesn’t always lead where you need to go. You cut deals, ducked the law, made friends in low places. In the shadows and the smoke, you found opportunity. Did you walk the outlaw’s path or just work around the rules? Who owes you favors that can’t be spoken aloud? How far would you go to protect the secrets of your trade or your allies?

• Step up Truth OR Justice x2 or step up each x1.
• Add or step up a Distinction.
• Step up a Relationship.
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

 

The High Road

The frontier is full of sin and temptation, but you kept your boots clean. You believed in something higher... fairness, mercy, compassion, and lived like your choices mattered. You didn’t just talk about integrity; you lived it, even when it cost you. What belief drives you to stay the course? Have your morals ever been used against you? What have you sacrificed to keep your conscience clear?

• Step up Justice OR Passion x2 or step up each x1.
• Add or step up a Distinction.
• Step up a Relationship.
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

Step 5: Life-Changing Event

Spoiler

This is where everything changed. Despite your development up to this point, one day something happened that was essentially out of your control, and it changed your life forever. It happens in and around Smallville all the time. People from all walks of life, doing what they do, living their lives, and suddenly BAM! Nothing is the same again.

• Your choice here comes with a significant boost in Traits.
• You also have the option of pruning one of your Resources or Relationships that no longer has any relevance to your Lead and acquiring a new one at the same die rating.

PATHWAYS MAP

• Draw an arrow from your square to a new or existing circle (NEW Extra) or diamond (NEW Location).
• Draw an arrow back to a Lead square.
• Optional: Switch out any Relationship or Resource currently on your sheet for a new Relationship or Resource at the same die rating and draw an arrow to a new or existing circle or diamond as appropriate.
• Optional: Remove any d4 Relationship or 2d4 Resource and step up another Relationship or Resource.

 

 

RECKONING

Sometimes, the world catches up. Maybe it was a duel gone wrong, a deal that soured, or justice riding up to your doorstep. The day you were forced to face the consequences of what you’d done, or what you refused to do, changed everything. Who came looking for you: the law, a ghost, your own conscience? Did you repent, or double down? Who stood beside you when the hammer fell… and who walked away?

• Step up Justice or Honor twice, or step up each once.
• Step up a Value of your choice.
• Step up or Add a Distinction.
• Step up two Relationships once, or one Relationship twice.
• Step up an Extra (or Location, if no Extras exist).
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

 

THE INVENTION

You built something that changed everything… maybe for you, maybe for the world. A mechanical marvel, a weapon of terrible precision, or a gear-driven miracle. Whether by brilliance or hubris, your creation redefined what was possible… and what was forbidden. What did you build, and what did it cost you to make it? Did it save lives, or end them? Who’s trying to copy, steal, or silence you now?

• Step up Truth  or Power twice, or step up each once.
• Step up a Value of your choice.
• Add an Ability (preferably something related to the invention).
• Step up an Ability or Distinction.
• Step up a Distinction.
• Step up two Locations or one Location twice.

 

THE VEIL PARTED

The moment your blood sang, the runes burned, or the veil thinned, that was the day you stopped being like everyone else. Maybe it was a ritual gone wrong, a magical inheritance revealed, or the blessing (or curse) of a power older than men or machines. Magic chose you… or remembered you. Was this the first time you felt it, or the moment you finally accepted it? Does your power frighten you, thrill you, or consume you? Who witnessed your awakening and what did it cost them?

• Step up Power.
• Step up any Value twice or two Values once.
• Add a Heritage (Recommended: Magical Heritage).
• Step up an Ability or Distinction.
• Step up a Distinction.
• Step up two Locations or one Location twice.

 

THE MISSION

There are whispers of secret agencies, intelligence bureaus, and shadow orders, of groups that operate above law and below God. Whether you were recruited, blackmailed, or stumbled into their web, you’ve seen the machinery behind the curtain. The things you know now, you can’t unknow. Who brought you in: a handler, a patriot, a liar? Do you serve willingly, or are you just trying to stay alive? What’s your cover, and what’s really your job?

• Step up Duty or Truth twice, or step up each once.
• Step up a Value of your choice.
• Add a new Distinction, Gear, or Heritage.
• Step up three Relationships once, or step up one by two steps and one by one step, or step up one by three steps.
• Step up a Resource.

 

THE PROPHECY

You can fight it, deny it, or curse the stars, but the cards, the clockwork oracle, or the whispering spirits all say the same thing: you have a part to play in what’s coming. Whether it’s salvation, ruin, or rebirth, fate has your name etched in brass. Who first told you your destiny, a preacher, a seer, a machine, a ghost? Have you embraced it or tried to change it? What sign or omen proves it’s real?

• Step up Duty.
• Step up any Value by two steps or two Values by one step.
• Add or step up a Distinction, Heritage, or Ability.
• Step up a Resource.
• Step up two Relationships once or one Relationship twice.
• Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource.

 

 

Edited November 5 by IsabellaRose