free fate v0.4
TRANSCRIPT
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Free
FATE
v0.4
Open Game Content collated, modified and augmented by R Grant Erswell
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Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................. 3What is Roleplaying? .............................................. 3
Character Creation ...................................................... 4Create a Concept ..................................................... 4Choose Aspects ..................... .................................. 4Choose Skills ........................................................ .... 4Choose Stunts .......................................................... 5Finishing Things Off ............................................... 5
Rules ...................................................... ....................... 6Making a Test .......................................................... 6Contests .................................................................... 7Time Consuming Tasks .......................................... 8Fate Points ............................................................ .... 8
Aspects ............................................... .......................... 9Invoking Aspects .................................................... 9Tagging Aspects ...................................................... 9Introducing Aspects ............. ................................ 10Compelling Aspects .............................................. 10What is a Good Aspect? ....................................... 11
Skills ............................................................................ 12Skill List ..................................................... ............. 12Assessments ........................................................... 12
Declarations ........................................................... 12Knowledge Tests ................................................... 13Research ................................ ................................. 13Skill Descriptions .................................................. 13
Stunts .......................................................................... 17Stunt Templates .................................................... 17
Conflicts .................................. ................................... 19Running Conflicts ............................ ..................... 19Attacks .................................................................... 19Manoeuvres .............................................. ............. 20Other Actions ........................................................ 21
Stress and Consequences ..................................... 22Other Sources of Injury ........................................ 25
Supporting Characters ............................................. 27Extras ...................................................................... 27Minions .................................................................. 27Companions .......................................................... 28Advances ....................................................... ........ 29Named Characters ................................................ 29Aspects and Fate Points ....................................... 30Sample Minions ............................................ ........ 30Sample Companions ............................................ 30
Chases ..................................................... ................... 31Chase Conflicts.............................................. ........ 31Chase Scenes.......................................................... 31Passengers.............................................................. 33Chase Example ...................................................... 33
Equipment ................................................................. 34Melee Weapons ..................................................... 34Ranged Weapons .................................................. 34Armour ........................................................... ........ 35Explosives .............................................................. 35Vehicles .................................................................. 36
Workplaces ............................................................ 37Miscellaneous Equipment ................................... 37Damaging Equipment .......................................... 37
Character Development ........................................... 38End of Session .................................... ................... 38End of Story ........................................................... 38
Appendix A ............................................................... 39Sample Benefit Stunts ............ .............................. 39
Legal Information ..................................................... 47Whats Changed? .................................................. 47
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IntroductionFree FATE is your gateway to exciting adventures,
suspenseful tales and thrilling action! This guide
helps you and your friends to tell interactive
stories, otherwise known as a roleplaying game.
The Free FATE rules are a cut down & condensed
version of the FATE System (Fantastic Adventuresin Tabletop Entertainment), and are intended to
appeal to gamers who prefer uncomplicated rules
and to act as an introduction to the full system.
The FATE system was developed by Robert
Donoghue and Fred Hicks of Evil Hat Productions,
and based upon the Fudge System of Grey Ghost
Press. The FATE system is, and will be, used in a
number of great games such as:
Spirit of the Century (Evil Hat Productions)
The Dresden Files (Evil Hat Productions)Starblazer Adventures (Cubicle 7)
Legends of Anglerre (Cubicle 7)
Diaspora (VSCA Publishing)
Bulldogs! (Galileo Games)
To learn more about FATE visit the website:
www.faterpg.comFree FATE requires the use of two six-sided dice
(D6s) of different colours.
What is Roleplaying?A roleplaying game is a means by which a group
of friends can tell a story, a story in which all but
one of them take on the mantle of the protagonists.
The other player acts as Games Master, or GM; she
creates the outline of the plot, describes the
scenery, plays the supporting characters, and
arbitrates over the success or failure of the
characters actions. The GM has a lot to do, but it
can be a very rewarding experience!
The players declare how their characters react tothe scenes presented by the GM and the story
progresses through a verbal interaction between
players and Games Master.
Sarah is a Games Master and she has decided to run a
modern day supernatural thriller. She has constructed
a simple plot outline, below, for her two players:
David, portraying a brusque, recently widowed,
police detective called Trevor Maples.
Maria; who is playing Alison Havers, a university
lecturer in the field of parapsychology.
Maria and David previously agreed that Alison was a
close friend of Trevors late wife, Caroline, and that
Trevor and Alison helped each other through their grief.
Scene 1 Alison and Trevor are visiting Carolines
grave when they hear a commotion within the church.
If they investigate (and Sarah expects them to!) they
find that the interior of the church is a mess yet no one
is present. Written in the wax of some spilt candles is a
message Help Adam.
Scene 2The characters will likely want to investigate
who Adam is and his connection with the church. Untilrecently Adam was an altar boy, he ceased attending
church after the death of his brother Mark, now buried
in the graveyard.
Scene 3 The characters can visit Adams home but
will be told by his parents that he has run away. An
investigation of his room and computer will point to his
involvement with a gang.
Scene 4 The characters are likely to want to track
Adam down, when they do they realise he has taken to
drugs to escape his grief over his brothers death. The
characters must try to convince Adam to leave withthem and return to his parents. They must also deal
with the aggressive gang members.
EpilogueThe next time the characters visit Carolines
grave, they will see words being drawn in the dirt by an
unseen handThank you.
The example set up and plot above illustrate a few
storytelling techniques. Firstly the player
characters have a reason for knowing each other.
The GM has also given a motive for the player
characters wanting to help; in this case it was
Alisons professional interest in the supernatural
and both characters empathy with Adam over the
loss of a loved one. Quite how obvious an
incentive needs to be will depend upon both the
players and their characters.
Despite a fairly straightforward plot, quite how
this story plays out depends upon the choices of
the players. For example, how will the player
characters find out who Adam is? They could ask
the vicar, speak with members of the congregation
or search through the churchs records.The Games Master will need to determine how
successful the characters are in these endeavours,
using the Rules, common sense, and judgement of
the players roleplaying and choice of approach.
More importantly the Games Master cannot be
sure that the players will follow the plot line at all.
As such she should plan some ways to get things
back on track, or expect to improvise and let the
story evolve into something unexpected.
The important thing to remember is to have fun,
being a Games Master and playing a character arethings that improve with practice. Encourage each
other and provide constructive criticism to help
each other tell better and better stories.
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Character CreationCharacters in Free FATE are composed of four
main traits, Concept, Aspects, Skills and Stunts.
However, a character only becomes more than a
set of words and numbers when a player role-
plays his personality.
Create a ConceptThe first step in creating a character is to come up
with a concept, a few words or phrases that
describe the characters personality and role.
Some examples of concepts could be hard nosed
detective, inquisitive, yet cowardly, con artist , or
even a reclusive scientist with an alcohol problem.
The concept should provide the player with an
idea of the characters motives, values and
behaviour. It should also help the player whenchoosing Aspects, Skills and Stunts.
Choose AspectsAspects are an extension of the character concept
that together paint a picture of who the character
is, what hes connected to, and whats important to
him (in contrast to the what can he do of Skills).
Aspects are purely descriptive in nature and have
no numerical rating. They can describe
relationships, beliefs, catchphrases, aptitudes, lifeevents, items or pretty much anything else.
Some example Aspects are shown below
Always in the thick of it
The death of his partner still haunts his dreams
Never without his trusty .45
Aspects should reflect both positive and negative
features of a character, as they can be used to help
a character accomplish tasks, and also to limit a
characters behaviour to his detriment (though the
player gets a Fate Point as compensation, see
Compelling Aspects on page 10).
At character creation a player should select up to 8
Aspects to describe his character. If the GM agrees
the player may elect to define some of his Aspects
during the game as personality quirks and
relationships get fleshed out.
For example, David is creating a character for a modern
day supernatural campaign. His concept is a brusque,
domineering, out of shape, detective who has been
recently widowed and has turned to drink. David
chooses the following Aspects:Police Detective Inspector
I want results!
Slave to the demon drink
Let the youngunsdo the running
Trained by Commander Morse Davidson.
Haunted by wifes death in a hit & run accident.
A policemans notebook is his greatest weapon
David asks his GM, Sarah, to choose his last Aspect
once the game has begun. Sarah agrees.
Choose SkillsThe next step in creating a character is to choose a
number of Skills and assign them a rating. Skills
can represent both learned ability and also natural
aptitudes and abilities.
Skills are given a descriptive and numeric rating
according to the following chart, known as the
Ladder.
Table The Ladder
Description Rating
Legendary +8
Epic +7
Fantastic +6
Superb +5
Great +4
Good +3
Fair +2
Average +1
Mediocre +0
Poor -1
Terrible -2
Abysmal -3
A full list of Skills is provided in the Skills chapter
along with an explanation of what each does.
Skills should adhere to a pyramid type structure;
during character creation this means a player
should select 1 Great, 2 Good, 3 Fair, and 4
Average skills. All other Skills that a player does
not select for his character are assumed to be at thedefault rating of Mediocre (+0).
David now turns his attention to Skills for his detective,
who he has decided to call Trevor Maples.
David knows that he wants his character to have some
good investigation related Skills and a smattering of
supporting Skills that would cover such things as
forensic knowledge and combat abilities.
David chooses the following Skills and assigns the
ratings appropriately.
Great (+4): InvestigationGood (+3): Contacting, Intimidation
Fair (+2): Alertness, Leadership, Resolve
Average (+1): Drive, Guns, Science, Stealth
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Choose StuntsStunts are benefits, special abilities, specialisations
or different ways to apply skills that characters
without the Stunt are unable to do. Stunts are
described in more detail within the Stunts chapter.
During character creation a player should choose
four stunts that relate to his chosen skills. The GMmay allow a player to postpone the selection of
one or two Stunts until after the game has begun.
David looks through the list of Stunts and selects the
following to reflect his characters status within the
police and the abilities he has built up over his career:
Concentration Criminal Snitches: Gain a +1
bonus to Contacting when gathering information
about criminal activity in the city.
Specialisation Police Interrogation: Gain a +2
bonus to Intimidation when interrogating a suspect
in an official police interview.Skill Switch Surroundings Read: Roll
Investigation instead of Empathy to get a read on
someone when speaking with them in their home,
workplace, car or favourite hangout.
Ally Police Backup: Can call on police officers to
provide physical backup. Backup will consist of six
Fair (+2) Minions with police authority.
Finishing Things Off
Stress TracksA character has two Stress Tracks that measure
how much physical and social injury he can
suffer before being taken out in a conflict.
The Physical Stress Track reflects the amount of
physical punishment a character can suffer,
whether inflicted by punches, kicks, gun shots, a
fall or burns from a fire.
The Physical Stress Track has 5 boxes which is
increased if the character has an Endurance Skill
above Mediocre (+0).Table - Stress Track Boxes
Skill Rating (Endurance or Resolve) Boxes
Mediocre (+0) 5
Average (+1) or Fair (+2) 6
Good (+3) or Great (+4) 7
Superb (+5) or Fantastic (+6) 8
The Composure Stress Track reflects the amount of
insults, embarrassment, temptation and self-doubt
a character can suffer before they lose a social
conflict, be it a debate, a negotiation, or a seduction
attempt.
The Composure Stress Track has 5 boxes which is
increased if the character has a Resolve Skill above
Mediocre (+0).
David notes that as he did not choose the Endurance
Skill for his character his Physical Stress Track has 5
boxes. Trevor Maples does however have a Fair (+2)
Resolve skill and thus his Composure Track has 6 boxes.
Fate Points Refresh RateFate points give players the ability to take a little
bit of control over the game, either by giving their
characters bonuses, or by taking over a small part
of the story. Fate points are described more fully
in the Rules and Aspects chapters.
A character begins each adventure with a number
of Fate Points equal to his Refresh Rate which is
calculated at character creation as 10 minus the
number of Stunts the character has (so if all four
stunts are selected at character creation, theRefresh Rate would be 6).
If a character finishes a scenario with more Fate
Points than their Refresh Rate, they keep these
excess points to use in the next adventure.
EquipmentA player can choose a number of items of
equipment with a cost (the purchase Difficulty) of
Mediocre for every defined Aspect and Stunt his
character has.
In addition, a player can choose one item with acost equal to his Resources skill rating, two items
at a cost of one less, three items at a cost of two less
and so forth down to items with an Average cost.
Trevor Maples does not have the Resources Skill and so
David can only select 11 Mediocre cost items; for his 7
Aspects (one Aspect remains undefined) and 4 Stunts.
Maria defined all 8 Aspects and 4 Stunts for her
character Alison Havers, and also gave her a Good (+3)
Resources skill. Maria therefore can choose 12 Mediocre
cost items and an additional one item with a cost of
Good (+3), two items at a cost of Fair (+2) and threeitems with a cost of Average (+1).
Character Creation Summary1. Create a character concept2. Choose 8 Aspects3. Choose 10 skills (1 Great, 2 Good, 3 Fair, and 4
Average)
4. Choose 4 Stunts5. Calculate Stress Tracks (5 boxes, more if
Endurance and / or Resolve Skills are chosen)
6. Calculate Fate Point Refresh Rate (10 lessnumber of Stunts chosen)
7. Choose Equipment based upon Resources.
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Rules
Making a TestWhenever a player wants his character to perform
an action where the outcome is in doubt a Test is
made pitting a characters Skill against a Difficulty
chosen by the Games Master.
A Test is resolved in the following manner:
1. Determine the Skill to use2. Determine a Difficulty3. Roll the dice & modify the Skill Rating4. Determine Success or Failure5. If successful, determine EffectDetermine the Skill to useThe GM should determine what Skill is
appropriate to the task at hand, for example,Athletics to climb a wall, Rapport to charm
someone, and Fists to swing a punch.
David is trying to shoot a thug who is assaulting his
friend Alison. The Games Master Sarah determines
that this is a test using the Guns Skill.
Determine a DifficultyThe Games Master should gauge how difficult she
believes the task to be. Difficulties, like Skill
ratings, are based upon the Ladder.
Table The Ladder
Description Rating
Legendary +8
Epic +7
Fantastic +6
Superb +5
Great +4
Good +3
Fair +2
Average +1Mediocre +0
Poor -1
Terrible -2
Abysmal -3
Sarah, judges that shooting the thug would normally be
a Mediocre task as he is unaware of Trevor and thus
unable to seek cover. However as the conflict takes place
in a dark alley and Trevor does not want to accidentally
shoot Alison, Sarah deems this a Fair (+2) Difficulty.
For many tasks, the GM may use another
characters Skill rating as the Difficulty Number,
e.g. haggling may use the supporting characters
Resolve Skill rating as a Difficulty.
If the thug had been aware of Trevor the starting
Difficulty would have been the thugsAthletics skill.
Roll the dice & modify the SkillOnce the Skill and the Difficulty have been
determined the player should roll two six-sideddice (abbreviated as D6s) to reflect the role of
random chance.
One die should be designated as the Plus Die, the
other designated as the Minus Die. When the dice
are rolled the player need only pay attention to the
die that rolled the lowest number.
If the lowest die result was on the Plus Die,
that number is added to the Skill Rating.
If the lowest die result was on the Minus Die,
that number is subtracted from the Skill.
If the two dice results are the same, there is nolowest die, and the Skill goes unmodified.
The modified Skill rating is known as the Effort.
Effort = Skill +/- Lowest Die Result
David rolls two D6s and gains a 4 on the Plus Die and
a 5 on the Minus Die. The lowest result is on the Plus
Die, so that is added to his Guns Skill of Average (+1)
for a final Effort of +5; a Superb result on the Ladder.
Determine Success or FailureThe Effort should now be compared to the
Difficulty; if it equals or exceeds the Difficulty the
character has succeeded, otherwise he has failed.
David compares Trevors Effort of Superb (+5) to the
Difficulty of Fair (+2); Trevor has succeeded.
If successful, determine EffectSometimes it is not enough just to know that a
character has succeeded; it can be important to
know how well that character has succeeded.
The amount by which a characters Effort exceeds
the Difficulty is known as the Effect and is
measured in Shifts. The greater the Effect the more
successful the character has been.
Effect = Effort Difficulty
An Effect of zero shifts is barely a success; the
character has accomplished most of what was
hoped for, but not all. This usually means further
action is required to complete the task.
Previously in the adventure, Trevor was forced to leap
from one rooftop to another to escape a fire. David made
an Athletics test and achieved a success with an Effect
of zero shifts. Sarah declared that Trevor barely jumpedthe gap and is left hanging on by his fingertips. A
further Might Skill test was called for in order for
Trevor to pull himself up and out of danger.
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Using Shifts
Shifts may be spent to affect the outcome of a roll.
Often, the GM will implicitly spend shifts in
accordance with the players description of his
characters actions. Sometimes, players may
explicitly spend shifts as well.
Basic uses for one shift include:
Reduce time required: Move the time requiredby one shift along the Time Increments table.
Increase quality of outcome: Improve the
quality of the job by one step.
Increase subtlety: Make the job harder to
detect by one.
Inflict Stress: In a conflict, each shift on a
successful attack inflicts one point of Stress.
Gain Spin (requires 3 shifts): See Spin below.
David determines the Effect of his charactersGuns test.
Trevors Effort was Superb (+5) and the Difficulty wasFair (+2), therefore the Effect is 3 shifts; as this was an
attack roll a base of 3 Stress is inflicted on the thug.
Spin
Spin is a special effect that occurs when a character
achieves an Effect of 3 shifts on a Test and doesnt
use those shifts for any other purpose (e.g.
reducing the time taken, inflicting Stress etc).
Normally Spin simply indicates that the character
performed extremely well, perhaps gaining
admiring glances or special recognition. However,
in some cases, gaining Spin can result in an actual
game effect. Specific effects are detailed elsewhere
in these rules.
ModifiersModifiers reflect circumstances that make a task
easier or more difficult to perform. Modifiers
impact the test by adding to, or subtracting from,
the Difficulty.
For each complicating factor increase the Difficulty
by one shift up the Ladder, so a Fair (+2) task
which is complicated by 3 factors becomes a
Superb (+5) tasks to perform.
In the example above, the darkness in the alley was one
complicating factor and Trevors wish to avoid hitting
Alison was another factor.
Combining SkillsOccasionally a secondary Skill will have an impact
on the task at hand, for example trying to shoot a
gun (Guns Skill) whilst maintaining balance on a
precipice (Athletics Skill).
If the second Skill is of greater value than the first,
it grants a +1 bonus to the roll; if the second Skill is
of a lesser value, it applies a -1 penalty to the roll.
Secondary Skill > Primary Skill = +1
Secondary Skill < Primary Skill = -1
When the second Skill can only help the first,
which is to say it can only provide a bonus, it
complements the Skill. A complementing Skill
never applies a -1, even if its lower than the
primary Skill. This usually happens when the
character has the option of using the secondarySkill, but doesnt have to bring it to bear.
If the secondary Skill comes into play only to hold
the primary Skill back, it restricts the Skill,
meaning it can only provide a penalty or nothing
at all. A restricting Skill never applies a +1, even if
its higher than the primary Skill. Often Skills like
Endurance or Resolve are restrictive Skills as you
get more tired, you wont get better, but if youre
resolute, you may not get worse.
Modifies Can provide a bonus or a penalty
Complements Can only provide a bonus
Restricts Can only impose a penalty
ContestsAs mentioned previously, sometimes the Difficulty
of a task is based upon another characters Skill
rating. When one skill opposes another in this
manner it is known as a Contest.
When a Contest occurs only one party should
actually roll the dice and modify his characters
Skill rating, the opposing Skill is left unmodified
and acts as the Difficulty.
If the Skill Test result only equals the Difficulty,
then the Contest is actually a tie; the guard hears a
noise but doesnt spot the sneaking character, the
characters come to a stalemate in negotiations, or
both characters grab the gun at the same time.
Further tests or action may be necessary to
determine ultimate success or failure, e.g. the
guard may investigate the source of the noise, new
offerings may be made in the negotiations, or a tugof war begins over the gun.
If the Test fails the opponent has won with an
Effect equal to the number of shifts by which the
Test failed.
If a Contest is between a player character and a
supporting character, in nearly all circumstances it
should be the player who rolls the dice. This
allows the players to feel more in control of the
fate of their characters, and also frees up the GM
from having to grab dice and roll them.
Occasionally however it may be more appropriatefor the GM to make the test for the supporting
characters, using the player characters Skill rating
as a Difficulty.
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This may be useful when the act of asking for a
dice roll may tip off the player that something is
up; for example asking for an Empathy test may
clue the player into the fact that the supporting
character is deceiving him in some way. Secretly
rolling a Deceit test with a Difficulty of the player
charactersEmpathy may be a better option.
Equally, it may be quicker to roll a single Stealthtest for a supporting character and compare it to
all the player characters Alertness Skill ratings,
than have four or five players all rolling dice.
Time Consuming TasksCertain tasks require an extended period of time to
perform; it can take minutes to crack open a safe
and weeks to write a computer program.
Base Time
If a Games Master feels a task requires longer thana few instances to complete then she should assign
the task a base time period in which it can be
accomplished. The table below lists appropriate
base times to assign to a particular task.
Table Time Increments
Time Period
Instant
A few moments
Half a minute
A minute
A few minutes
15 minutes
Half an hour
An hour
A few hours
An afternoon
A day
A few days
A weekA few weeks
A month
A few months
A season
Half a year
A year
A few years
A decade
A lifetime
Generations
Centuries
Actual Time
When the Test is made to determine the success or
failure of the task, the player can elect to spend
any shifts of Effect to reduce the time. Each shift
used in such a manner reduces the time taken by
one increment on the table.
Trevor Maples is conducting a police interview with a
suspect. The GM, Sarah, has stated that such aninterview has a base time of an hour.
David rolls Trevors Intimidation skill to perform the
interrogation and succeeds with an Effect of 2 shifts.
David elects to use both shifts to reduce the base time
from an hour to 15 minutes, but his Effect is now
effectively zero; he gets enough of a confession to follow
a new lead, but not enough to charge the suspect.
Alternatively, if a character fails the test, the GM
may allow him to spend more time to complete the
task. The time taken is increased by one increment
for every shift by which the character failed. Thiscannot be used to increase the Effect.
Fate PointsFate Points allow a player to nudge fortune in his
characters favour. Spending a Fate Point can
provide one of the following benefits:
add +1 to the total of any Skill Test Effort, or to
the Skill rating if being used as a Difficulty in a
contest.
to power a Stunt if it is particularly powerful.
to make a minor narrative declaration, for
example introducing an item into the scene
that wasnt described as previously being
there, e.g. a fire extinguisher. The Games
Master has veto power over this.
Fate Points however can be used to achieve more
potent effects when used in combination with
Aspects; see the Aspects chapter, below, for more
information.
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Aspects
Invoking AspectsAs described previously, Aspects are descriptive
qualities of a character; however they can have a
mechanical impact on a game as well. Whenever a
player states that his character is performing some
action that is very much in line with an Aspect, he
may invoke that Aspect.
The player should ask the GM whether he can
invoke the Aspect, explaining why he feels the
Aspect will have an impact on the situation. If the
GM agrees, the player spends a Fate Point and can:
add +2 to the Effort (or to the Skill rating if
being used as a Difficulty in a contest),
...or...
have the dice re-rolled, taking the new result.Davids character Trevor Maples is speaking with a
pathologist in the hopes of getting some leads from the
corpse he and Alison discovered earlier, however the
pathologist is being far from co-operative.
David elects to have Trevor use his Good (+3)
Intimidation Skill to convince the pathologist that he
should give his corpse priority and work into the night
if needed. Sarah the GM set the Difficulty at Average
(+1), the pathologistsResolve Skill rating.
David rolls the dice and gets a 6 on the Plus Die, and a
4 on the Minus Die; as the Minus Die shows the lower
of the two results David reduces the Skill Rating of
Good (+3) by 4 shifts to Poor (-1). Seeing the result,
David knows he will fail, so he looks to his characters
Aspects to see if any are applicable.
David turns to Sarah and asks whether he can invoke
his I want results! Aspect, explaining that Trevor
will have gained a reputation for making a persons life
a misery if they dont produce the goods.
Sarah is convinced and David hands over a Fate Point,
stating that he will play it safe and take the +2 bonus,turning his Poor (-1) Effect into an Average (+1) Effect
and just scrape a success!
Invoking for EffectA player can also invoke an Aspect for effect, using
it for a benefit that is not related to a dice roll or
Skill use at all. This costs a Fate point like any
other invocation does. For example, a player could
invoke an Aspect that describes a secret
organisation to declare that the group has a
chapter in town.
This is subject to the same sort of restrictions as
spending Fate points for minor declarations (see
page 8) but is more potent due to the focus of the
Aspect. When an Aspect is part of a declaration, it
can make the less plausible more plausible, thus
allowing the player to get away with more.
Trevor is following up a rumour that a local journalist
managed to take some photos of a crime in progress, but
gets the brush off when making enquiries at the
newspapers office; it seems someone has threatened the
journalist and she is refusing to talk to anyone.David asks Sarah to invoke his Haunted by wifes
death in a hit & run accident Aspect to state that the
journalist was the one who covered the death of his wife,
and that she had been sympathetic to him back then.
Despite this not being part of Sarahs original notes for
the scenario, she thinks it will be a nice tie-in to the
characters back story and allows it, asking David to
spend the Fate point. In return, Sarah role plays the
journalist as recognising the police inspector and
opening up a little because of their past relationship.
Tagging AspectsIt is not just player characters who have Aspects,
supporting characters, items, locations and even
the scene itself can have Aspects too. These
Aspects can be invoked by a player just like his
own characters Aspects; this is known as
tagging the Aspect.
Trevor has just interrupted a back room poker game at a
pub known to be the hangout of a suspect. Sarah
describes how the poker players, all local neer -do-wellsincluding the suspect look up worriedly, an atmosphere
of nervous tension settling over the proceedings.
David asks Sarah whether atmosphere of nervous
tension is an Aspect of the scene; thinking about it, she
says it is. David then asks whether he can spend a Fate
Point to tag that Aspect for a Bonus when using
Investigation to get a read on the suspect, Sarah agrees.
David plays out the use of his Skill Switch
Surroundings Read Stunt Thats quite a sum of
money in the pot there Jimmy, and single malt Scotch,
not the blended stuff you usually drink? Come intosome money recently?
David rolls his Investigation Skill against a Difficulty
of Jimmys Deceit; with the bonus from tagging the
scene aspect, he succeeds and Sarah reveals that Jimmy
has the Guilty conscience Aspect.
Instead of one of the usual benefits for invoking an
Aspect the GM may allow a player to Tag an
Aspect to use a different Skill to accomplish a task
than he normally would. E.g. tagging a scene
Aspect of Fear & Trepidation may allow
Intimidation to be used in a negotiation rather than
Rapport; rather than a charming negotiation it
becomes a set of bullying demands and threats!
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Tagging for EffectSimilar to the way in which a player may invoke
his characters Aspects for effect, so may he tag
Aspects not belonging to the character for effect.
As normal, the GM has the power to veto any
suggestion.
A tag for effect can be used to compel the way in
which a supporting character will act; though onlyin general terms (it cannot dictate specific actions).
The victim of a tag for effect receives a Fate Point if
the effect is to their detriment.
Having learnt that Jimmy has the Guilty conscience
Aspect, David asks the GM to tag that Aspect and
compel Jimmy to try to get away when his character
Trevor asks him to accompany him to the station.
David knows that Trevor has already called in backup
and so Jimmy is unlikely to actually escape, but he
hopes that an attempt to flee will give him the excuse to
arrest Jimmy and help prove his guilt.
Sarah agrees to the tag, however she informs David that
it is entirely up to her just how Jimmy tries to get away
will he charge past Trevor to the door, try to crash
through a window, or up end the table with the cash on
it hoping the confusion provides cover? The specifics are
Sarahs call.
Introducing AspectsPlayers can, through their characters actions,
discover Aspects that were previously hidden oreven create new Aspects for a scene, location or
person via a declaration or a manoeuvre in a
conflict. When this occurs the player should be
awarded a free tag of that Aspect, i.e. he does not
have to pay a Fate Point to tag it for the first time
(if used to tag for effect to the detriment of a
character, that character still gets a Fate Point).
Such a free tag is subject to one key limitation; it
must occur immediately or very soon after the
Aspect has been brought into play. This usually
means that the free tag must be taken within the
same scene that the Aspect was introduced.
In the example above, David discovered a previously
hidden Aspect of Jimmy ; Guilty Conscience. When
David attempted to tag it for effect Sarah allowed this to
occur without requiring David to spend a Fate Point.
The player may pass his free tag to another
character if he so wishes. This can allow for one
character to set up an ally who is better positioned
to take advantage of the newly revealed Aspect.
For further information on exactly howAssessments & Declarations work see the Skills
chapter. Manoeuvres are explained in the
Conflicts chapter on page 20.
Compelling Aspects Just as players can tag a supporting characters
Aspects to dictate the way in which he should
behave, so the GM can tag the Aspects of a player
character to compel him to act in a certain manner,
usually to the characters detriment. This is known
as Compelling an Aspect.
Alternatively the GM may Compel a characters
Aspects to add a complication to the task at hand,
force an automatic failure of an action, or even
introduce difficulties off-screen such as have a
loved one mentioned in an Aspect kidnapped!
Though this may seem like a bad thing for a
player, a Compel can lead to interesting and
exciting situations, but more immediately a player
who accepts a Compel receives a Fate Point.
Accepting a Compel is the primary way for a
player to gain Fate Points, and as such it is wise tomake sure a character has a number of Aspects
that can easily be Compelled by the GM.
Just as David requested, Sarah has the suspect Jimmy
make a break for it, pushing over the table of cash and
barging past Trevor. Knowing that he requested the
police constables cover the back of the pub, David states
that Trevor will give chase.
Sarah states she is Compelling Trevors Let the
younguns do the running Aspect, stating that Trevor
will only have two exchanges to catch Jimmy before
having to give up wheezing and out of breath. Davidaccepts the Compel and receives a Fate Point.
Voluntary CompelsSometimes it is the player, rather than the GM,
who identifies a situation where his characters
Aspects may be compelled. In such cases the
player may bring this to the attention of the GM.
The GM can either agree and hand over a Fate
point, or defer, offering a brief explanation.
Refusing a Compel & EscalationIf a player really does not want to accept theCompel, they can refuse it but doing so costs a Fate
Point rather than earning one.
Rarely, in moments of high tension or drama, the
Games Master can choose to escalate a Compel.
This is an optional rule, and should really only be
used when the character getting compelled is
having a defining moment in his story.
When a player refuses a Compel, the GM can elect
to offer two Fate Points instead of one. If the player
accepts he spends no Fate Points and insteadreceives two. However if the player really does
not want to accept he can still refuse, but now it
will cost him two Fate Points.
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What is a Good Aspect?Thinking of Aspects that describe a character, can
be easy, however creating Aspects that lend
themselves well to the mechanics of invocation,
tagging and compels is quite a bit trickier!
Aspects serve a number of purposes in a Free
FATE game and a good Aspect is one that fulfils
most if not all of these needs.
Is it a Hook?Aspects should say something about how the
character fits into the larger world. Such an Aspect
can provide story hooks, be they supporting
characters, organisations or past events.
David wants an Aspect that indicates that Trevor
Maples is well trained in deductive reasoning and
investigation. Rather than simply have an Aspect of
Investigator, or even Trained investigator, he
chooses Trained by Commander Morse Davidson.
The commanders nickname is a reference to the
fictional Oxford detective and suggests that Trevor was
mentored by the best and is a clever, observant and
intuitive investigator. But better still, it introduces a
supporting character that the GM can use to pull
Trevor into a story, or that David can call upon by
invoking his Aspect.
Can it be Invoked?
In order to see whether an Aspect will likely seeuse in a Free FATE game, you should try to think
of at least two or three different ways it could be
invoked to provide a benefit to the character?
If you are struggling to come up with more than
one, the Aspect may be too narrowly focused.
Slave to the demon drink would seem to be largely a
weakness, but David could invoke it to explain Trevor
having a bottle of whisky in his pocket to use as a bribe,
or to create a Molotov cocktail.
It could also be invoked to enhance a Contacting Teststating that Trevor knows all the pubs and bars in the
area, and which miscreants frequent each one. Equally,
this Aspect could enhance a Stealth Test to remain
undetected when observing an illicit meet in a bar.
Can it be Compelled?A good Aspect is often a double edged sword; a
benefit in some circumstances, and a hindrance in
others. This allows Fate Points to be earned as
well as providing the opportunity to spend them.
Like invocations you should be able to think of a
few different ways in which the Aspect could be
compelled in such a way that the consequences
resulting from accepting the compel would make
for a more interesting and exciting story.
Trevors I want results! Aspect could be Compelled to
encourage David to have Trevor accept a suspects
statement as true if it could lead to a quick arrest, even
though David knows it is likely a red herring and will
lead to trouble with a local crime boss if acted upon.
Alternatively, the GM may agree with Davids selfcompel to have Trevor plant evidence to get a
conviction, on the understanding that it will come to
light at some point and Trevor will suffer because of it.
If youre struggling, to come up with Aspects that
can both be invoked and compelled then try to
make sure that a character has at least some
Aspects that can be invoked and some that can be
compelled; providing a balance overall.
Make it Snappy & then Discuss
Aspects should be short, catchy phrases, notparagraphs of text. However, the brevity of an
Aspects name means some things are left
unspoken, so a player should discuss what they
feel an Aspect means with his GM.
As Sarah was not familiar with the Morse novels and
TV series, David needed to explain what he meant by
Trained by Commander Morse Davidson.
Aspects are also a way that a player can explicitly
inform his GM of what he wants to see happen in
the game; if the player picks an Aspect like Death-
Defying then he is telling the GM to put hischaracter into death defying situations.
The GM should pay close attention to the Aspects
of his players characters, as they will inform her of
the type of adventure she should be creating.
Sample AspectsAlways in a rush
But it works for me!
Curiosity killed the cat
Dont I know you from somewhere?
First on the scene
Girl in every port
Heart of Gold
Lying comes easy
Never trusts a man who wont look him in the eye
Odd coincidences
Paparazzi dog my every step
Quiet as a mouse
Reckless Fun Lover
Something to proveWe need more! Much more...and bigger!
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SkillsSkills reflect both natural aptitudes and learned
abilities. Skills are rated on the Ladder as
described in the Rules chapter, above.
Skill ListAcademics Intimidation
Alertness Investigation
Art Leadership
Athletics Might
Burglary Mysteries
Contacting Pilot
Deceit Rapport
Drive Resolve
Empathy Resources
Endurance ScienceEngineering Sleight of Hand
Fists Stealth
Gambling Survival
Guns Weapons
AssessmentsCertain Skills allow characters to observe, study
and interact with people and locations in order to
discover useful information about them. Using a
Skill in this manner is known as an Assessment
and usually requires anywhere from a few minutes
to a few days.
Assessments can even be used to uncover
previously hidden Aspects of a character or locale.
Trevors ex-con associate Mickey is helping him
investigate a factory from which a number of people
have disappeared. Mickeys player Joe asks the GM to
use his Burglary Skill to case the factory. Sarah the
GM sets a Difficulty and Joe makes the Burglary Test,
succeeding.Sarah reveals that the factory has an Aspect of Poorly
maintained fencing, an Aspect that could be tagged
(free of charge) in the immediately following scene to aid
an Athletics Skill test to enter the factory grounds.
The Difficulty for the Skill roll to determine
whether an Assessment is successful is set by the
GM. For locations and items, a default Good (+3)
Difficulty will allow characters to successfully
make an Assessment, though this may be
increased if special efforts have been taken to
conceal the Aspects, features and flaws.For Assessments that focus on other characters, the
Difficulty will often be set by that characters
appropriate Skill rating, e.g. Deceit or Resolve.
Assessments as DeclarationsIf the GM is amenable, an Assessment may also
allow a player character to discover an element
that the GM hadnt even thought of previously. In
this manner the Assessment works like a
Declaration (see below) with the player stating that
his character has identified a weakness, Aspect or
other feature. The GM sets a Difficulty for the Skillroll to see if the character was correct in his
Assessment, or whether he was mistaken. If the
roll fails, the GM may wish to impose a temporary
Aspect on the assessing character to reflect this, for
example Mistakenly believes the security cameras
to have a blind spot.
DeclarationsA Declaration allows a player to use his characters
Skills to introduce entirely new facts and Aspectsinto play by making a statement and testing to see
whether it is true. Declarations are often, but not
exclusively, the domain of knowledge Skills such
as Academics, Art, Mysteries and Science.
Unlike Assessments, a Declaration takes no in-
game time to perform as they represent a character
recalling previously learnt knowledge.
Marias character Alison Havers is helping Trevor
Maples investigate the death of noted psychic and artist
Ray Bremmond. When reviewing the crime scene
Trevor inspects the deceaseds latest painting and asksAlison whether there is anything special about his work.
Maria asks the GM to make a Declaration using her
Average (+1)Art skill stating that Ray Bremmond
always included Veronese green somewhere in the lower
left corner of his paintings as a secondary signature.
The Difficulty for a declaration should be based on
how interesting the proposed fact or Aspect is.
Ideas which would disrupt the game or are just
unreasonable should simply be vetoed.
For reasonable suggestions, these are the questions
to ask when determining Difficulty:
1. Is the declaration interesting or funny?2. Will the declaration have interesting
consequences if its acted upon but is wrong?
3. Does the declaration propose a specific andinteresting or heroic course of action?
Each no adds 2 to a base difficulty of Mediocre.
Sarah the GM thinks this is a reasonable declaration
and asks herself the three questions. The idea of a
secondary signature is interesting, and if the declaration
is wrong but believed to be true, Alison and Trevor maydeclare a number of Bremmonds paintings to be
forgeries potentially embarrassing and also creating
some red herrings!
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However the declaration would not prompt a particular
course of action and so Sarah sets the Difficulty at Fair
(+2)for a no to question three.
Maria succeeds at the test and her Declaration is now a
fact within the game; something that can be used to help
authenticate Bremmonds paintings.
Often a Declaration can be used to assign a new
Aspect to an item or scene, when this occurs thedeclaring character gets one free tag of the Aspect.
Maria asks Sarah whether Signed with Veronese
green can be an Aspect of all of Bremmonds paintings
and Sarah agrees.
Knowledge TestsWhen a player wants to see if his character knows
about a certain topic or area of study then a test
can be made using an appropriate skill e.g.
Academics to recall details of an historical battle,whilst Guns might be used to identify a particular
firearm and who manufactures it.
The Knowledge Difficulty table can be used as a
guide to assign a Difficulty to the task. The greater
the Effect, the more detailed the knowledge the
character has about the subject.
Table - Knowledge Difficult
Obscurity Difficulty
Common knowledge Average (+1) to
Good (+3)
Expert knowledge Great (+4)
Leading expert knowledge Superb (+5)
Known only to one or two
people in the world
Fantastic (+6)
Lost knowledge Epic (+7)
ResearchIf a character fails a Knowledge Test, he can spend
time researching or experimenting to find the
answer as long as he has access to a good library orlaboratory in some form. The amount by which the
knowledge Skill Test failed is the length of time in
time periods (page 8) required to find the answer,
beginning at 15 minutes for failing by 1 shift.
The Quality of the library or laboratory determines
the hardest possible question that can be answered
within it; so if the Knowledge Skill Test had a
Difficulty of Good (+3) then a Good library or
better is required.
Alison Havers is attempting to identify an occult
symbol left on the body of a murder victim. Sarah the
GM asks Maria to make a Mysteries Skill Test for her
character, setting the Difficulty at Superb (+5).
Alison has theMysteries Skill at Great (+4), but
unfortunately Maria rolls a 5 on the Plus Die and a 2
on the Minus Die, meaning her Effort is only Fair (+2).
Sarah tells Maria that Alison is unable to identify the
symbol. Maria therefore elects to return to her
university Arcane Library (which luckily is of a Superb
quality) to search for the answer.
As Maria failed the Test by 3 shifts Superb (+5)Difficulty less the Fair (+2) Effort it will take Alison
an hour to find the answer.
Skill DescriptionsAcademics
Academics measures a characters book
learning; any knowledge that would not explicitly
fall under Science, Mysteries, or Art.
Academics is often used to make Assessments and
perform Declarations (see page 12). In addition,Academics covers knowledge of other languages;
each step above Mediocre gives the character
knowledge of one extra language.
Alertness
Alertness is a measure of the characters passive
awareness, his ability to stay on his toes and react
to sudden changes in his environment. Alertness
is also the basis for initiative in a physical conflict.
Active searching falls under the Investigation Skill.
ArtArt measures the characters overall artistic ability,
covering the gamut of endeavours, from painting
to dance to music. This includes knowledge,
composition, and performance. Art can also be
used to perform Declarations (see page 12).
Athletics
Athletics measures the characters general physical
capability, excepting raw power, (which is Might)
and long term endurance (which is Endurance).
Athletics covers running, jumping, climbing andswimming. It determines movement and acts as a
defensive Skill in physical conflicts.
Burglary
Burglary represents the ability to overcome
security systems, from alarms to locks. Burglary
also includes knowledge of those systems and the
ability to assess them (see Assessments, page 12).
Contacting
Contacting is the ability to find things out from
people. A character may know a guy, who knowsa guy, or maybe he just knows the right questions
to ask. Whatever his methods, he can gather
information by asking around.
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Deceit
Deceit is the ability to hide the truth and convey
falsehoods convincingly. Deceit can be used to fast
talk a security guard, carry out elaborate
confidence schemes or create simple disguises that
can withstand casual inspection (but not close
scrutiny, i.e. any use of the Investigation Skill).
Deceit is often opposed by Empathy, Alertness orInvestigation. Deceit (modified by Rapport) can
itself be used to oppose the use of Empathy to get
a read on a character (in place of straight Rapport).
Drive
Drive is the ability to operate a ground or water
based vehicle, be it a car, hovercraft, boat or
submersible. It is often used in chases (page 31).
Empathy
This is the ability to understand what other people
are thinking and feeling. It can be used to spot aliar or help tell someone what they want to hear.
Empathy is usable as a defense against Deceit, and
is the basis for initiative in a social conflict.
Finally, Empathy can be used to get a read on
someone by performing an Assessment (see above)
using a target charactersRapport as the Difficulty.
Endurance
Endurance is the ability to keep performing
physical activity despite fatigue or injury. Its a
measure of the bodys resistance to shock andeffort. In addition to fatigue, Endurance measures
how well a character shrugs off poisons and
disease. Finally, Endurance determines the
number of boxes on a characters Physical Stress
track (see Stress Tracks, in Character Creation).
Engineering
Engineering is the understanding of how
machinery works, for purposes of building,
repairing and even sabotaging it. Engineering is
often complemented by the Science Skill (see
Combining Skills, page 7).
Table Repair Times
Repair Undertaken Time Period
Remove all Stress A few hours
Remove a Minor Consequence A few hours
Remove a Major Consequence A day
Remove a Severe Consequence A week
Remove an Extreme Consequence A month
Engineering can be used to repair devices, given
the right tools and enough time (see the table
above). The GM should set the Difficulty for the
Engineering roll, if in doubt use the highest value
of the device, or its Resources cost. Repairs also
require a Workshop (see page 37) with a Quality
Rating equal to the Difficulty of the repair minus 2.
Rules for creating items can be found on page 37.
Fists
Fists represents a characters ability to fight and
defend himself whilst unarmed. Despite the name,
this Skill can be used for kicks, headbutts and bites
as well as the use of bare hands. Fists is used in
Physical Conflicts (see page 19).
Gambling
Gambling is the knowledge of how to gamble and
moreover, how to win when gambling. It also
includes knowledge of secondary things like
bookmaking and risk taking.
Finding a game to sit in on can simply be a matter
of going to a casino; private games require a
Contacting Test to find. The stakes of a game are
assigned a rating on the Ladder, this is theDifficulty for the Gambling Test.
If the Gambling Test is successful, and the stake is
cash or easily liquidated assets, the gambler gets to
make a single Resources Test using the rating of
the stake rather than his own Resources Skill.
If the Gambling Test fails, the gambler must make
a Resources Test with a Difficulty of the stakes. If
this succeeds, the gambler can pay his dues,
otherwise he is in debt preventing him from
gambling any more until he can make payment.
Guns
The Guns Skill is used to shoot any type of
personal weapon that fires at range from bows to
pistols to automatic rifles. The Guns Skill is used
in Physical Conflicts (see page 19).
Intimidation
Intimidation is the Skill of unsettling and
sometimes outright scaring another person
through physical threats of violence or more subtle
psychological means. This is also the Skill to use
for interrogation. Using Intimidation is often a
blatant social attack, which someone can defend
against with their Resolve.
Investigation
Investigation is the ability to look for things and,
hopefully, find them. This is the Skill used when
the character is actively looking for something,
such as searching a crime scene or trying to spot a
hidden enemy.
It is also useful for eavesdropping or any other
activity where someone is trying to observesomething over a period of time. When looking for
deep patterns and hidden flaws, Investigation may
be used to make Assessments.
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Leadership
Leadership is a multi-faceted Skill. A good leader
knows how to direct and inspire people, but he
also understands how to run an organization. As
such, the Leadership Skill covers acts of both
types, from inspiring comrades to make one last
push on a battlefield, to navigating the maze of
bureaucracy of a corporation.The GM may allow Leadership to Complement
other characters Skills if organisation is an
important factor (see Combining Skills on page 7).
Might
This is a measure of pure physical power, be it raw
strength or simply the knowledge of how to use
the strength one has.
Table Breaking Things
Difficulty Description
Mediocre (+0) Paper or glass.
Average (+1) Flimsy wood.
Fair (+2) Cheap wood, bamboo, some
light plastics.
Good (+3) Non-reinforced wooden board,
an interior door.
Great (+4) Strong wood, hardwood
boards, exterior door.
Superb (+5) Reinforced wood, heavy door
Fantastic (+6) Security door
Epic (+7) Bending prison bars
Legendary (+8) Safe of bank vault door
A character can carry a default amount of weight
as shown on the table below. If carrying more
than this, for each step heavier the character takes
a -1 penalty on all other physical action up to a
maximum of a -4 penalty (up to four steps higher).
A Might Skill Test with a Difficulty of his own
Might will allow a character to push himself into a
category five steps higher for a total -5 penalty.
Table Lifting
Might Carry (lbs)
Mediocre (+0) 15
Average (+1) 25
Fair (+2) 50
Good (+3) 100
Great (+4) 150
Superb (+5) 200
Fantastic (+6) 250Epic (+7) 300
Legendary (+8) 350
Might may be used indirectly as well, to modify,
complement, or restrict some Skill uses, for
example in combat, Might may complement Fists
and Weapons if force is a very significant element.
Furthermore, a successful manoeuvre may allow a
character to begin grappling with his foe, allowing
Might to be used instead of Fists.
Mysteries
Mysteries is knowledge of the supernatural, the
occult and psychic phenomena. It covers
everything from experience with hypnosis
techniques to a sense that there is something else
beyond the material world.
Mysteries is often used to perform Declarations
(see page 12). In certain circumstances the GM may
allow Mysteries to be used to make Assessments
(page 12) to discover hidden Aspects of a locale or
person (by reading an aura for example).
A GM may allow a Mysteries Test as she would an
Alertness Test, to notice strange and mysterious
things, in effect it is a sixth sense.
A Mysteries Test with a Difficulty of a willing
participantsResolve Skill will allow the character
to put the participant into a hypnotic trance. This
can be used to help the participant recall memories
or calm them down.
If appropriate, Mysteries may be used like the
Engineering Skill to create and repair arcane and
magical items. Rules for creating items can befound on page 37.
Pilot
Pilot is the ability to fly aircraft, whether they be
propeller fighter planes, helicopters, or commercial
jet airliners. It is most often used in chases (see
Chases on page 31).
Rapport
Rapport is the ability to talk with people in a
friendly fashion and make a good impression, and
perhaps convince them to see ones side of things.Any time a character wants to communicate
without an implicit threat, this is the Skill to use,
which makes it appropriate for interviewing.
Rapport is the fallback social Skill. While Empathy,
Deceit, and Intimidation are fairly specific in their
applications, Rapport is the catchall that covers
everything else.
Resolve
Resolve is a measure of a characters self-mastery,
his courage and willpower. Its an indicator ofcoolness under fire and also represents the drive
not to quit. It can play a key part in efforts to resist
torture or strange powers.
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Resolve is almost always rolled in response to
something, rather than on its own. Its primary role
is as defence against most kinds of social
manipulation or distraction.
Finally, Resolve determines the number of boxes
on a characters Composure Stress track (see Stress
Tracks, in Character Creation).
Resources
Resources is a measure of available wealth, the
specific form this takes, from a family trust fund to
a well invested portfolio, can vary from character
to character (and may be indicated and enhanced
by their Aspects).
Resources is used to determine starting equipment
(page 5) and can be used to purchase items. The
cost of items is measured as a purchase Difficulty
on the ladder and many items are detailed in the
Equipment chapter.
A character can buy reasonable quantities of
anything of a value less than his Resources without
worrying about it. For items greater than or equal
to his Resources, the player needs to roll against
the cost of the item. If successful, the character can
afford the item; if not, he cant. Characters can only
make one Resources roll per scene.
When a character is in a place where he cant draw
upon his usual resources, the GM may increase the
Difficulty of making a purchase anywhere from
+1 for a modest amount of red tape, to a +4 if thecharacter is limited solely to the already-converted
local currency he happens to have in his pockets.
Science
Science holds the promise of revealing all of
natures secrets. This Skill represents a broad
knowledge of scientific method, and includes the
field of computers (including hacking) and
medicine.
Science is often used to make Declarations (see
page 12). In certain circumstances the GM may
allow Science to be used to make Assessments
(page 12).
Sleight of Hand
This Skill covers fine, dexterous activities like stage
magic, pick pocketing, and replacing an idol with a
bag of sand without tripping a trap. While
Athletics is appropriate for gross physical
activities, most things requiring manual speed and
precision fall under this Skill (that said, if youre
picking a lock, use Burglary).
Using Sleight of Hand is usually a contest against atargets Alertness Skill, if the target is on guard
they gain a +2 bonus, however a distraction can
negate this.
Stealth
This is the ability to remain unseen and unheard.
Directly opposed by Alertness or Investigation,
this ability covers everything from skulking in the
shadows to hiding behind a door.
Environmental conditions can greatly affect the
ability to use Stealth, the table below suggests
some modifiers to apply to the Stealth Skill roll.
Table StealthSkill Modifiers
Modifier Environment
+4 Pitch black, no visibility
+2 Dark, smoke, thick fog, no clear line of
sight, greatly diminished visibility
0 Dim lighting, cluttered line of sight.
-2 Good Lighting, clear line of sight
-4 Bright lighting, clear area
Survival
Survival is a very broad Skill covering virtually
every sort of outdoor activity from wilderness
survival to animal handling and riding.
For determining whether a character is able to
survive in an environment, the GM should set a
Difficulty appropriate to the harshness of the
environment; success allows the character to
survive. If required the character can also help a
number of other characters equal to the Effect to
survive as well.
When handling animals Survival is often used in a
Contest against the animalsResolve.
A successful Survival Test against a Mediocre (+0)
Difficulty allows for a hide to be built that allows
Survival to complement Stealth whilst in it. The
hide lasts for one day, plus a number of extra days
equal to the Effect.
Weapons
This is the Skill for fighting with weapons,
including swords, knives, axes, clubs and whips.The Weapons Skill also covers the ability to throw
small handheld weapons up to one zone away, or
to use weapons (like a whip) with unusually long
reach to attack adjacent zones, so a character
would use this Skill to be a good knife fighter and
knife thrower.
As a combat Skill, Weapons inherently carries the
ability to defend oneself in a fight and as such,
may be rolled for defence.
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StuntsStunts exist to provide guaranteed situational
benefits, special abilities and even minor powers,
under particular circumstances.
A Stunt may grant a character the ability to use a
Skill under unusual circumstances, such as using it
in a broader array of situations, substituting it foranother Skill, or using it in a complementary
fashion to another Skill. A Stunt might allow a
character to gain an effect roughly equal to two
shifts, when used in a specific way, or otherwise
grant other small effects. Put more simply, Stunts
allow the usual rules about Skills to be broken or
at least bent.
Games Masters, and players under GM
supervision, are encouraged to create their own
Stunts to fit their game. To help with this process
Free FATE suggests five templates for Stunts.
These templates provide guidelines on how to
create distinct and balanced Stunts. Players and
GMs are encouraged to give a name to a particular
implementation of a template for ease of reference.
By doing this, it is possible to build up an
extensive list of different Stunts.
Stunt Templates
ConcentrationA concentration stunt provides a character with a
+1 bonus to a particular Skill when using that Skill
in a particular manner. The scope of this use is
quite broad (but does not cover all uses of the
skill).
For example, a concentration stunt for the
Weapons skill could be when wielding bladed
weapons be they swords, knives or axes. A
character would gain a +1 bonus to Weapons Skill
Tests when using such a weapon, but not when
using clubs, staffs or whips.When David was creating his character Trevor Maples
he and Sarah his GM created a Concentration Stunt
that they called Criminal Snitches; Trevor gains a +1
bonus to the Contacting Skill when gathering
information about criminal activity in the city. This
bonus is not gained when using Contacting to learn
about any other subjects (e.g. political funding sources,
which actor is secretly seeing that new pop star etc).
Specialisation
A specialisation stunt provides a character with a+2 bonus when using a Skill in a very specific way.
For example, a specialisation stunt for the
Weapons skill could apply when a character is
wielding a particular type of sword, for example a
katana.
If the character also has a concentration stunt that
overlaps with this specialisation, only apply the +2
bonus from the specialisation.
David also created a specialisation stunt for his
character called Police Interrogation. Trevor gains a
+2 bonus to the Intimidation Skill when interrogating asuspect in an official police interview.
David and Sarah agree that this means an interview in
a police station interview room, with another police
officer present and the interview being recorded.
Skill SwitchA skill switch stunt allows a character to use one
Skill in place of another when performing a
particular task. The scope of such use is similar to
that of a concentration stunt.
For example, a skill switch stunt may allow theAthletics Skill to be used instead of Survival to ride
horses and other mounts.
David and Sarah devised the skill switch stunt
Surroundings Read, which allows the Investigation
Skill to be used instead of Empathy to get a read on
someone when speaking with them in their home,
workplace, car or favourite hangout. If trying to assess
someone away from those environments David will need
to use Trevors Empathy Skill; which defaults to
Mediocre (+0).
AllyAn ally stunt provides the character with an ally;
another character who can help in specific types of
conflicts and who may also have the ability to
provide assistance outside of conflicts too.
The ally is by default a Companion character
which the player can improve with four advances
(see Companions on page 28 of the Supporting
Characters chapter). If the player chooses the
Strength in Numbers advance the ally is instead a
group of three Minions (more if the Strength inNumbers advance is chosen more than once).
If desired a second and third ally stunt can, rather
than provide more allies, provide an additional
three advances each to spend on an existing ally
(for a maximum of 10 advances).
BenefitA benefit stunt is the catchall category for any
other stunt that doesnt conform to the previous
four templates. Benefit stunts can provide a
character with access to resources, equipment,special abilities and other qualities.
When creating benefit stunts some will appear
more powerful than others, if the GM and players
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are happy to have such stunts available, then they
should feel free to incorporate them into their
game.
However, if such imbalance is not desired, there
are a few methods to limit the power such benefit
stunts may have, so that they are in line with other
stunts.
Fate Point Expenditure
One simple manner to limit any possible abuse of a
powerful stunt is to require the player spend a Fate
Point in order to gain access to the stunts benefit.
Joe wants to create a Stunt that lets his ex-con character
Mickey act first in every exchange of a conflict. Sarah
finds this too overpowering, however requiring a Fate
Point to be spent each exchange provides a more
balanced stunt, one which Joe calls Im on Top of it!
Pre-requisites
Some Stunts may have prerequisites in the form ofother Stunts that have to be gained before the
benefit stunt can be used. This makes the more
powerful stunt more difficult to obtain, and any
character who does meet the pre-requisites has
shown a particular degree of focus on one concept
that may leave weaknesses in other areas. Thus,
the powerful stunt is more balanced against stunts
that any character can take.
Joe is really focused on making his character Mickey
able to act first in a conflict and suggests another stunt
that provides a +1 bonus to his Alertness Skill Ratingwhen determining initiative in a physical conflict.
Sarah thinks this is reasonable as it is effectively just a
Concentration stunt.
However, Joe wants to be able to take the stunt multiple
times with the bonuses stacking with one another.
Sarah thinks that this may be too powerful, but not
wanting to say no, she allows it but enforces a pre-
requisite. In order to take this new stunt (which Joe
calls Ready for Anything) a character will need the
Im on Top of it! stunt. Sarah reasons that at least
this means a character will have one less stunt available
to use to take Ready for Anything.
Joe happily agrees and uses up three of his characters
stunts to take Im on Top of it! and two instances of
Ready for Anything.
It is also possible to have pre-requisites in the form
of Aspects rather than other stunts. This ensures
there is always a particular aspect to compel in
exchange for taking the stunt.
David suggests to Sarah a stunt that will allow his
character to call upon a number of police officers sixFair (+2) Minionsto act as backup.
This is actually an ally stunt (with the Quality,
Strength in Numbers x2 and Summonable advances),
but one that Sarah feels provides an additional benefit in
that these Minions will have official authority to enforce
the law.
Sarah states that such an ally stunt requires the
character to have an Aspect that identifies him as an
active member of the police (or other security service).
This will allow her as GM to compel the Aspect to
sometimes make the backup unavailable, and also toensure the character has some motivation to use the
backup responsibly.
David agrees to the pre-requisite and names the ally
stunt Police Backup.
Uses per Session
A third way of limiting the power of a benefit
stunt is to impose a restriction on the number of
times it can be used per game session.
Joes character Mickey is also a gambler, and Joe
suggests a stunt that will allow him to use MickeysGambling Skill instead ofResources to make purchases.
Joe argues that this represents the winnings his
character accumulates in games of chance off screen.
This initially sounds like a skill switch stunt to Sarah,
except for the fact that Joe hasnt suggested a reduced
scope in which the switch can occur; Joe wants to be able
to use Gambling all the time instead ofResources.
Knowing Joe has already assigned Mickey a Great (+4)
Gambling Skill and has a number of gambling related
Aspects he could invoke to gain further bonuses, Sarah
is reluctant to allow this stunt without a severerestriction. She states Joe can have the stunt but it can
only be used once per game session, explaining that
even with this limit Mickey will likely be able to buy
something with a cost of Great every session. Joe
accepts and names the stunt simply Winnings.
Combined Limits
Some especially powerful stunts may still seem too
imbalanced even with one of the above
restrictions. In these instances more than one type
of restriction may be needed in order to balance
the stunt.
In a previous FATE game Maria played a burly soldier,
able to suffer a lot of punishment. In addition to having
a high Endurance Skill, Maria created the One Hit to
the Body stunt that allowed her character to pay a Fate
point and ignore the effects of one attack per game
session. Maria found this stunt extremely useful
despite the two restrictions and saved it to avoid attacks
where an enemy got an especially lucky shot in with a
powerful weapon.
Sample Benefit StuntsA number of sample Benefit Stunts are provided in
Appendix A; these can be used by players and
GMs when creating characters.
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ConflictsThe stories often include moments of intense
action and social interaction, times when the
insults and lead starts flying or swords start
swinging whilst wits are challenged.
Running ConflictsOnce a conflict begins, the GM should regulate the
flow of the action using the following pattern.
1. Frame the scene2. Establish initiative3. Begin exchange
a. Take actionsb. Resolve actionsc. Begin a new exchange
Framing the SceneThe GM briefly describes the location in which the
conflict occurs, declaring any obvious Aspects of
the scene. If the scene takes place in a broad area,
the GM declares the zones the scene will cover,
and in which zone each character begins.
The GM should also determine whether any
participants begin the conflict surprised (e.g.
failing an Alertness Test to spot an ambusher). A
surprised characters first Defence is considered to
be only Mediocre (+0).
Zones
Zones are loosely defined areas that help
adjudicate which characters may interact with each
other. Generally, people in the same zone can
touch each other; people one zone apart can throw
things at each other, and people two (and
sometimes three) zones apart can shoot each other.
Moving from one zone to another may be
relatively simple; however sometimes there are
barriers to moving between zones walls,
staircases, chasms, doorways etc that require acharacter use a bit more effort to move zones.
Establish InitiativeThe order of characters actions is determined at
the beginning of the conflict, with characters acting
from highest to lowest Alertness Skill (for physical
conflicts) or Empathy (for social conflicts).
Ties in initiative are resolved in favour of
characters with a higher Resolve. Any remaining
ties are in favour of the player characters (if a tie is
between a player character and a supportingcharacter), or the player closest to the GMs right
(if the tie is between player characters).
The initiative order is used for the entire conflict.
Begin ExchangesAn exchange is a variable period of time during
which all characters involved in the conflict get to
act. Actions occur in order of initiative as
determined in the previous step.
In turn, each player (or the GM for supporting
characters) announces the action his character is
going to take. This action is usually either an:
Attack an attempt to directly inflict Stress
and / or Consequence onto an opponent, or
Manoeuvre an attempt to change the
situation in some way, affecting the
environment or other people, but not in a way
that directly harms them
Once the action is declared, the GM and player
resolve the action according to the rules described
previously and guidance given below.
Once the action has been resolved the nextcharacter gets to act. Once all actions have been
taken a new exchange is started.
AttacksAn attack is an attempt to force the attackers
agenda on a target, by attempting to injure them,
by bullying them, or by some other means.
An attack is resolved as a contest, with the player
rolling his characters attack Skill against a
Difficulty equal to the supporting characters Skill
used in defence, or the player rolling his
characters defence Skill against a Difficulty equal
to the opponents attack Skill, depending upon
whether the player character is attacking or being
attacked. If for some reason a player character is
attacking a player character, only the attacking
characters Skill is rolled.
Not all attacks are necessarily violent. An attempt
to persuade or distract someone is also a sort of
attack. When determining whether or not the
attack rules apply, simply look for two charactersin conflict, an agenda (or want) pushed by the
acting character, and the target or obstacle to that
agenda; the defending (or responding) character.
The Skills used to attack and defend depend on the
nature of the attackers agenda.
Table Attack and Defence Skills
Purpose Attack Skill Defence Skill
Wound or
kill
Fists, Guns, or
Weapons
Fists, Athletics, or
Weapons
Deceive Deceit Resolve or Empathy
Scare Intimidation Resolve
Charm Rapport Resolve or Deceit
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A successful attack inflicts an amount of Stress on
its target equal to the number of Shifts on the
attack (the amount by which the attack skill
exceeded the Difficulty, or the amount by which
the Defense skill failed by) plus any weapon Stress
bonus and less any Stress reduction due to armour.
As described on page 7, Davids character Trevor shot a
thug and achieved 3 shifts on the attack roll. The thugsuffers a base of 3 points of Stress plus the bonus from
the weapon (+2 for a handgun) for a total of 5 Stress
points. As this was a physical attack this Stress is
marked off against the thugs Physical Stress Track.
Defence and Spin
If a character who is defending against an attack
achieves an Effect of 3 or more shifts he gains
Spin. Spin provides a +1 bonus or -1 penalty to
the very next test made by anyone in the conflict.
The only qualifier for using Spin is that the player
must explain how his character was able to help or
hinder, even if its just as simple as shouting some
encouragement or providing a distraction. A
player might not always be able to justify using
Spin. Spin that isnt used on the next action simply
goes away.
Carrying on from the example above, Sarah the GM has
the thug try to grab Marias character Alison to use as a
shield against any further attacks by Trevor.
Sarah states that this will be an attack using the thugs
Fair (+2) Fists Skill. Maria elects to have Alison try toduck out of the reach of the thug by using her Average
(+1) Athletics Skill. Maria rolls the dice, resulting in a
4 on the Plus Die and a 5 on the Minus Die.
Maria applies the Plus Die result to increase her
Average (+1) Skill Rating for a Superb (+5) Effort. This
exceeds the thugs Fists Skill by 3 shifts and so Alison
dodges the thugs grasp and gains Spin. As it is
Alisons action next Maria elects to take the +1 bonus to
Alisons action.
ManoeuvresWhen a character tries to jump to grab a rope,
throw dust in an enemys eyes, draw eyes upon
himself in a ballroom, or take a debate down a
tangential path thats a manoeuvre.
A manoeuvre is either a simple action or a contest,
with the Difficulty determined by the nature of the
manoeuvre. A manoeuvre that doesnt target an
opponent is resolved as a simple action.
Most simple manoeuvres like this result in a
character rolling against a GM set Difficulty anddoing something with the resulting shifts,
potentially adding a temporary Aspect to the scene
(such as Barn on Fire!).
A manoeuvre can also target an opponent, and, if
successful, place a temporary Aspect on him. The
opponent can either accept the temporary Aspect,
or spend a Fate point to avoid accepting it.
Introducing an Aspect by performing a manoeuvre
provides one free tag of that Aspect as described in
Introducing Aspects, page 10.
Maria as