IN THE FAMILY
Last Thursday I posted material for Reign of Crows, my A Game
of Thrones-inspired Fate hack. It’s one of three Fate games I’m running
for the Gauntlet Hangouts. It’s the most experimental-- bringing together tools from other systems. We played our second session
on Sunday, video here. This actually dug into scenes instead of world building. I’m puzzling out the game's rhythm amid the great play moments. We’ll discuss that at the start of next session, hunting ideas to tighten the play experience.
As I mentioned in the first post, the players all come from
the same family. I had each of them pick an “archetype.” That comes with a
unique resource, four boxes of that resource, and a set of unique
stunts. These draw from _Core_, DFAE, and elsewhere. I went with 11 stunts for each archetype to ease my work. We’re only
playing four sessions and they can start with up to seven stunts (if they give
up Refresh).
FORCE & MILITARY
LOYAL TROOPS: This is your special resource. You start with
four boxes. You restore one box between sessions. You may mark a box to add a
bonus equal to your highest unmarked box to any larger-scale conflict you send
your troops into.
DEATH TOUCHED: Once per session, you may designate as likely
to die any character embroiled in violent conflict. During that conflict, any
attacks against that character have +2 Weapon.
DUELIST: You are a warrior supreme. You can go toe-to-toe
with forces of foes-- gangs and bands of enemies of one Tier higher. You
operate +1 Tier personally against single enemies, allowing you to crush the
unworthy.
FAMILY BLADE: Once per session when a member of your family
would be involved in a physical conflict, you can arrive on scene to step in
for them. This is a dramatic effect, ignoring logic.
HONORBOUND: Once per session, when you, your family, or an
ally has been insulted you may challenge someone involved in the dishonor. If
they are of your Tier or less, you kill them outright. Otherwise they must
choose to accept or not. If they decline, you still attack and do damage to
their faction. If they accept, make an attack against them. On a success, you
wound or humiliate them. On a success with style you kill them.
MASTER TRAINING: Pick one of your approaches. When you
attack using that approach roll +1.
RECRUITER: When you perform a Recruit action, your recruits
are always one Tier higher. They come with an aspect with a free invoke as
well.
SIEGE MASTER: When you campaign against a specific city,
castle, or fortress, you gain +2 to your Overcome and Attack rolls.
TACTICAL TRAINING: You are a master strategist. When you use
Wits to create an advantage related to formulating a battle plan, gain an extra
invoke on the aspect.
UNRELENTING FURY: +2 to use Force to Overcome or Attack
WARDEN: You have the mandate and authority to track down and
mete out lethal justice to those labeled an outlaw. Gain +1 to attacks of any
kind against anyone so designated.
WOUNDED: Mark this condition to absorb four shifts from any
attack. While this condition is marked, you have an additional aspect
representing your injury. If you’re taken out while Wounded, death is on the
list of potential outcomes, as with the Doomed condition. Begin recovery from
this condition after you’ve received medical attention in a quiet environment
(in other words, not in the field) and someone has succeeded at a recovery
action against Great (+4) opposition on your behalf. You recover fully at the
end of the next session.
COMMERCE & WEALTH
WEALTH: This is your special resource. You start with four
boxes. You restore one box between sessions. In any situation where money can
be a factor, you may mark a box to give yourself a bonus to a roll = to your
unmarked boxes.
ADVENTURER: When you quest as a seasonal action, any
treasure you uncover gains an extra free invoke and grants the bearer a +2 to a
particular action against a chosen faction.
BRIBES: Choose a faction. You gain +2 to any actions against
them.
COLLECTOR: Mark one or more boxes of Wealthy to declare ownership
of something when its need arises. One box suffices for most goods. Two boxes
permits ownership of a rare item, land, or a building.
CRAFTERS: You have access to skills craftpersons from across
the Kingdom. When you Build something as a seasonal action, it happens absurdly
fast.
ENTOURAGE: You have a personal staff member as a minor NPC
with one aspect and +2 in one area of competence. At any time, you may mark a
box of Wealth to declare their convenient arrival in a scene. They are
completely loyal.
FAST AS GOLD: +2 to Defend and Discover with Speed
GOLDEN KEY: Mark a box of Wealth to declare that you have in
some way eluded blame or the law: avoiding arrest, bailing yourself out of
prison, et cetera. Mark two boxes if avoiding a Doomed-level consequence.
HOLDING: You have sway or a city, castle, or fortress. Name
it and mark it on the map. Say what advantages it offers.
LENDER: When you create a "debt" advantage on
someone, you always gain an additional free invoke.
PREPARATION: You have a +2 to "flashback" actions
where you show how you set things up beforehand.
RIDE BY NIGHT: Your wealth enables rapid travel. Once per
session, you may conveniently arrive in a scene in a manner and time of your
choosing without consideration of time or distance.
MAGIC & SECRET
KNOWLEDGE
POWER: This is your special resource. You start with four
boxes. You restore one box between sessions. For each box you mark, you can
increase the Tier of an effect by one. In a personal conflict, you can mark a
box to do additional shifts of stress equal to your highest unmarked box.
AEGIS: You can protect a willing target from harm by hiding
them away from the world. They cannot be tracked and tracked by offensive
magic. In addition the enchantment makes it difficult for social manipulations
to stick on them while they're in that state. They are apart from the world and
cannot act. You may have a number of subjects in this state equal to your
current Power.
ARCHMAGE: You have two additional boxes of Power.
BANE: By marking a box of power, you may add a Trouble
Aspect to a Faction for a season. You may only target a faction with this once.
ILLUSIONIST: You may cast veils and seemings. With a moment
of concentration, you may draw a veil over a person, group, or location hiding
it from sight and other means of detection. Or you may cause a person or object
to appear differently than it normally does. An observer may attempt to discern
the illusion, but to do so, they must have some legitimate suspicion that they
might be seeing a glamour. Use Caution to resist any disbelief attempt.
LOREMASTER: As a scholar of arcane lore and magical theory,
once per session you may declare a new global fact about the world, magic, or
The Threat.
ORACLE: Once per season you may roll to see three of the events
for the next season. If you choose this at game start, we'll roll then. You may
choose to reroll one of the events-- the description and/or the target.
PRACTITIONER: Describe your area of magical talent
(Constructs, Fires, Portals). When you act using that kind of magic, you gain a
bonus effect. Additionally, you may take the condition "Burned Out"
to do a massive scale effect with your magic. While you're Burned Out you may
not use other magics, including your Power talent. Burned Out clears at the end
of the following session.
SECOND SIGHT: Understanding magic is what you do. Gain +2
when you use Create Advantage or Discover from studying a magical effect,
spell, or creature of the supernatural.
SORCERER: +2 to Create Advantage and Attack with Wits
WARDINGS: Once per session, you may declare that you happen
to have a countermeasure on hand that nullifies the effect of scale from a
supernatural condition or stunt for the current scene. At the GM’s discretion,
this stunt can also nullify other effects of supernatural powers.
WARMAGE: You specialize in fighting other wizards. Once per
sene, when opposing another wizard, you may immediately inflict a 2-shift hit
on any defense when your action succeeds with style.
FAITH & POPULISM
CENSURE: This is your special resource. You start with four
boxes. You restore one box between sessions. By marking a box, you can hit a
person or group with public hatred, accusations or heresy or whatever. If you
target an individual they will have to undergo great hardships to restore
themselves. If you target a group, they operate at -2 Strength for the Season
until they do something about it. You can hit the same target multiple times.
BENEVOLENT: You have +2 to all seasonal actions dealing with
relief from a negative seasonal event.
CRUSADE: Once per season, may make an Overcome action at +2
to send another faction against The Threat. This will eat of the action's
attention, do damage to The Threat, and do damage to the faction.
FAITHFUL: Once per session, spend a Fate point to declare
that a campaign NPC is a patron or ritually indebted to your faith. This NPC
will grant one favor of significance, such as allowing access to something
otherwise inaccessible or accomplishing an objective sans opposition. The GM is
the final arbiter of whatever aid you receive.
FOLLOWERS: +2 to Use Charisma to Create Advantage or Defend
HEALER: Provided you are able to reach them, you may attempt
to revive anyone taken out in a conflict due to physical injury. (If they
conceded, you cannot use this stunt on them.) This stunt is a Challenge with
the GM, who rolls (+2).
HIGH PRIEST: You have authority over a vast temple, beloved
shrine, or major pilgrimage site. Name it and mark it on the map. Say what
advantages it offers.
HOLY AURA: You have a +1 against any demons or forces of
darkness. In a conflict with them you act as Weapon 2.
MARTYR: Once per session you may elect to suffer the outcome
of any attack inflicted on any character in your immediate presence, preventing
it from befalling them. This harm is taken at the same value as the original
recipient and you may not roll a separate defense.
PUBLIC STATEMENT: Once per session, you may state that your
community has publicly denounced or supported a certain character, gaining you
an aspect with two free invokes related to the statement’s impact on the
person’s reputation.
RIGHTEOUS BLADES: You have a force of loyal troops at your
command-- paladins, fanatics, etc. You can invoke them for free once per
session in a conflict situation. You can burn them out (requiring a seasonal
action to recruit) for double effect if they have not already been invoked.
SANCTUARY: Once per session, you may declare that your
followers have spirited you away to a secret location, away from any prying
eyes. This allows you to immediately escape any pursuit or scrutiny without
having to participate in a contest, and you get at least one scene before
anyone can try to search for you. Some supernatural methods of detection may be
immune to this at the GM’s discretion.
UNDERWORLD &
SUBTERFUGE
SPIES: This is your special resource. You start with four
boxes. You restore one box between sessions. By marking a box, you may ask a
question about a faction. You may then ask a follow up, or Create Advantage
based on that information with a +2. You can hit the same target multiple
times.
ASSASSIN: +2 to Attack and Overcome with Subtlety
FRAME UP: Once per season, mark Spies to initiate flurry of
scandal around a target of your choice. For the rest of the season, when asked,
the GM must provide the location of the target unless they disappear into a
supernaturally protected space. You also create an aspect for the frenzy, which
you can invoke once for free in any scene in which you interact with people
directly related to the frenzy.
INFORMANTS: When you gather information as a seasonal
action, you always get an additional question on your Discover Action. If
there's a cost involved, you always pay one less.
INSIDER: Mark a box of Spies or gain a Debt to gain access
to a place or person otherwise inaccessible or to obtain secret/guarded
information without having to roll. If you choose to roll and you fail, you may
mark two boxes to ignore that result and succeed regardless. At the GM’s
discretion, any information you acquire is an advantage with two free invokes.
LEGENDARY: You know and are known within criminal circles.
Once per session, upon meeting an NPC involved in that world, you may mark a
box of Spies to declare that you have met them before and create an aspect with
one free invoke to represent your prior relationship.
MASTER OF DISGUISE. When you’re in a situation where you’re
able to slip away unnoticed, you have the option to temporarily drop out of the
game altogether. If you do, spend a fate point or mark a box of Spies to reappear
disguised as a faceless NPC already in the scene
NETWORK: Add +2 boxes to your Spies Resource.
OF SHADOWS: You can see perfectly in the dark and are
immune to any potential effect of normal or magical darkness. Additionally,
once per session, you may declare that you automatically succeed at hiding from
any non-magical attempt to spot you, provided you have a nearby shadow to hide
in.
ON TIME: Once per session, you may announce your presence in
the perfect place to "help" someone, ignoring usual limits of time,
distance, or plausibility.
REPUTATION: People know your face and/or name and may even
fear you, which can be used advantageously. Mark a box of Stress to take +2 to
intimidate or coerce a non-criminal NPC into cooperating. The NPC will not,
remain quiet about the coercion, unless additional steps are taken.
STREETWISE: You are in constant communication with
informants. When you use Wits to create an advantage based on their reports,
the aspect gains an extra invoke.
DIPLOMACY &
SCHOLARSHIP
CONNECTIONS: This is your special resource. You start with
four boxes. You restore one box between sessions. By marking a Box you can
increase your family's Relation with a faction. If this moves your relation to
+1 or to +4, you may create an Advantage with a free invoke.
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS: You have a collection of low-level
talents and friends. Once per session, you may contact them to request
assistance. The GM determines what aid they can provide- while they're
individually minor, together they act at a larger scale of effect.
ENTRAPMENT: You have learned that that the best way to lure
your foe is to pretend at vulnerability. You gain +2 to Create Advantage to
lure your marked quarry into a false sense of security. If targeting a named
individual, they will have an extremely difficult time resisting your gambit.
Consider this a compel, usable against the GMC.
MASTERMIND: Your seasonal actions always have the Hidden
bonus if you wish.
NEGOTIATOR: When you negotiate a surrender, of someone your
family campaigned against or otherwise, you always extract an additional
concession. In addition, if successful, you completely refresh your
Connections.
NEMESIS: You share a mutual loathing with one faction. When
you act against them, you ignore any Relation value and act as if they had a 0.
If this faction's Relation ever becomes positive, you may choose to transfer
your enmity elsewhere or continue your crusade.
PROFILER: You know how to study and learn about people. Once
per session, you may ask the GM to tell you an aspect of any character you
interact with in a scene without having to roll an action. If you choose to
roll, you gain a +1.
RUMORMONGER: You are adept at planting rumors as well as
ferreting them out. Once per session, you may plant an aspect with two free invokes
on anyone you wish, representing something you want others to believe about
them. The aspect lasts the rest of the session.
SCHOLARSHIP: You may mark Connections to leverage the
information you have gathered on the workings of the world. Gain a +2 to
Discover or Create Advantage for each box marked.
SHARP TONGUE: In social conflicts, you always do +2 shifts
of damage on a successful attack.
TRAVELLER: Once per session you may add a permanent Aspect
to a location (city, home, region) with a free invoke.
UTTER CALM: +2 to Use Caution to Overcome or Defend.
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