FATE AND DICE
The game rules are basically an hack of Fate
Accelerated, but let’s start with something
slightly different, just to make sure you’re
paying attention.
As stated in the introduction document, every
player and the GM need a pair of dice, of
different colors. For the sake of clarity, let’s
everybody have a white die (or light or bright
die, such as yellow, red, green) and a black die
(or anyway dark like blue, brown, purple).
When you need to roll, roll both dice together.
Subtract the black die from the white die for
your result.
This mean you want to roll the white high and
the black (bad luck) die low. The result will be
somewhere between a -5 to a +5 but more
often somewhere between -2 to +2. Extreme
results are very unlikely, and fun.
This is anyway one of the options available for
Fate, although less used than others.
And now for what’s actually basically the same
as Fate Accelerated:
ASPECTS
Aspects are at the core of the Fate system, and
are used also in Fate Of Heroes. Every
character begins the game with at least three
aspects, up to a maximum of five; they don’t
need all to be filled in advance, but can be
revealed during play (always to a maximum of
five aspects at any given moment).
Also the GM will make a heavy usage of
aspects; using them for scenes, environments
and setting, for organizations and places, for
NPCs and monsters and so on.
More about the aspects is described in the
playbooks for the various characters, and in
the GM section of the game.
APPROACHES
Also approaches are used here, same as in Fate
Accelerated. The approaches available to the
characters are:
* Powerful * Careful
* Swift * Smart
* Sneaky * Charming
If you do it POWERFULLY you somehow use
sheer force, violence, martial training, pure
will, aggressive words or attitude.
If you do it SWIFTLY you use agility, speed,
quick reactions, wits, with physical
grace or elegance.
If you do it SNEAKY you do
it silently, subtly, covertly;
you exploit a weakness or use
lies, flattery, and backstab with
no regrets.
If you do it CAREFULLY you take
your time to prepare, to assess the
situation, you ask questions, minimize
the damage if any.
If you do it SMARTLY you know what
you’re doing, you have the knowledge or
training or experience for it, you know
your way around.
If you do it CHARMINGLY you seduce
or entertain, get attention or distract,
convince or scare; it’s always looking
exactly as you say it looks.
Every approach usually can be
used in all types of actions, from
physical to mental, social etc. But the player
must be able to justify how - if it would not be
the standard approach for the given action.
Sometimes it just takes a bit of rewording;
sometimes it’s plainly impossible, and the GM
has the last word about it.
Art: an evil Elf or maybe a Shadow
MOVES (OR STUNTS)
Moves are similar to stunts, perhaps just
slightly more verbose. I prefer the label “move”
to “stunt” which sounds to TVish, so bear with
me on this. Call them moves.
Since the setting of the game is somehow
defined, and the characters roles are drafted in
the archetypes, some stunts are provided
within the various characters playbooks.
Every character begins with a given number of
stunts (see in the playbooks), which also
influence the value of the refresh stat.
REFRESH AND FATE POINTS
You begin your game and every session with a
given number of fate points. This number is
defined by the value of your refresh stat.
By default, a generic character would have
three moves (stunts) and three refresh - so
three fate points to start every session with
(unless they had more than three from the
previous session).
By default every move besides the third is
acquired at the cost of reducing the refresh of
one point. Thus a character with four moves
will have a refresh of two - more powers, but
less fate points to start the session with.
In Fate Of Heroes, though, you start with a set
number of Moves and a certain Refresh value,
and you have specific instruction for
improving.
FATE POINTS work in the same way as in Fate
Accelerated:
* spend a fate point to invoke an aspect
* spend a fate point to determine a fact in
fiction, at your advantage
* gain a fate point for accepting a compel for
an aspect at your disadvantage
* gain a fate point for conceding a conflict,
and a fate point for each consequence suffered
ROLLS
When something important happens, when the
characters try to do something relevant, when
the fiction is at a crossroad, the GM call for
the dice to roll.
You do not need to roll for:
* trivial actions of no importance
* boring sequences of tasks
* minor details of conflicts or actions
Usually you do not need to roll also for things
that a character aspect defines as clearly within
the powers of the given character.
In other words, you roll when:
* there is an active opposition or a passive
and relevant difficulty
* there is a chance to make things interesting
both on success and failure
WHEN YOU ROLL, you very briefly state your
goal and your approach. The GM might give
you a few words of warning about the possible
outcome in case of failure, but not always.
Then:
* Roll 2d6 (white and black), subtract the
black die from the white die for a +5/-5
starting score
* Add or subtract the value of the relevant
approach, and moves (stunt) if they apply
* Compare the result with the target number
determined, openly and in advance, by the GM
The result will be:
~ FAILURE for a result below the target
~ TIE for the same result as the target
~ SUCCESS for the result higher than the
target
~ SUCCESS WITH STYLE if the result is at
least three points (shifts) more than the target
booklet 3
There are ways to increase your chances of
success, as follows:
* Get some help: every character gives you a
simple +1 if they are in condition to help
* Get an advantage: roll before to gain some
advantage, or have someone do it for you
* Invoke aspects, at the price of one fate point
each. Each aspect gives you +2. You can invoke
the same aspect only once per roll, unless you
succeeded with style on Create an Advantage
DIFFERENT ACTIONS
When the dice are called for, the various
actions fall within one of the following
domains:
* Create an advantage
* Overcome
* Attack and/or defend
The actions are described briefly here, and in
details in the next sheet.
You CREATE AN ADVANTAGE when you do
something to help your character or another.
You OVERCOME when you face an obstacle or
some opposition and strive to get past it.
You ATTACK OR DEFEND when you aim to
inflict harm or subdue an opponent, or defend
yourself from similar danger.
Remember some terminology:
* SHIFTS are the difference between two
scores, for example your roll and the target.
* Shifts MISSING TO SUCCESS are target plus
one minus your score.
* A TIE is a 0 shift.
* A BOOST is a temporary aspect that goes
away after the first invocation, while an aspect
remains after all invocations are used.
CREATE AN ADVANTAGE
When you do something to help your character
or another. You can create a new aspect,
discover an existing one, or take advantage of
an existing aspect.
IF YOU FAIL you create or discover no aspect
(often boring) or just don’t manage to exploit
it, or the GM creates this new aspect at your
disadvantage and gains a free invocation of it,
or the existing aspect turns against you for a
free invocation from the GM, or the GM will
offer you a hard price for your success
IF YOU TIE you create or discover the aspect
but it’s just a boost (invoke it once, then it’s
gone - you cannot invoke it with fate points); if
it existed already you gain an invocation
IF YOU SUCCEED you create or discover the
aspect and add a free invocation to it; same for
an existing aspect, add a free invocation
IF YOU SUCCEED WITH STYLE with at least
three shifts, create or discover or take
advantage of the aspect, with two free
invocations. You can invoke twice the same
aspect for the single roll, in this case
OVERCOME
When you face an obstacle or some opposition:
IF YOU FAIL the GM will offer you a hard
price for success, or make things more
complicate because of the failure
IF YOU TIE you obtain your success at a minor
cost
IF YOU SUCCEED you overcome your obstacle
or the opposition
IF YOU SUCCEED WITH STYLE with at least
three shifts, you also gain a boost
ATTACK OR DEFEND
Careful, it is not exactly like Fate Accelerated.
When you aim to inflict harm or subdue an
opponent, or defend yourself from similar
danger:
IF YOU FAIL you inflict no harm but instead
suffer harm for the shifts missing to a success
or you suffer harm according to shifts when
defending, plus the GM gains a boost against
you
IF YOU TIE you can inflict one harm or gain a
boost; the same goes for the GM against you
IF YOU SUCCEED you inflict harm for your
shifts; if you’re defending you protect yourself
completely
IF YOU SUCCEED WITH STYLE with at least
three shifts, you inflict harm for your shifts
and you can reduce it of one to gain one boost
or of two to create an aspect with a free
invocation; if you’re defending you protect
yourself and gain a boost
OVERCOME VS ATTACK: why are attack and
defend in the same action? When do you apply
attack and when defend? Attack and defend
imply that the opposition is active and trying
to harm you back. This is why you can be
harmed on failure.
If the opposition is passive or unaware of your
attack, use instead the Overcome action, or
perhaps attack to Create an Advantage. With
Overcome, if reasonable, you might get rid of
the opposition in a single action.
You are only defending when:
* You are caught by surprise and can just
defend; in this case you cannot inflict damage
* You want to inflict no harm: in this case you
voluntarily forfeit inflicting harm, but gain a +2
to your defensive roll
Art: a Shadow of the Wild
CHALLENGES
Challenges are complex situations that require
multiple rolls for different actions. Multiple
characters can be involved. Resolve the rolls in
order and deal with the results one by one.
Basically, the core of a challenge is that a single
failure might compromise the entire operation.
A tie or a success will allow you to continue to
the next step(s). A success with style will give
you a boost for the next single step.
You can prepare for a challenge by creating
advantages, for a maximum of one per
character, and expect some harsh price to pay
for failure in this phase.
CONTESTS
Contest is used when there is a competition
between two characters, of some sort, but not
an open fight which requires inflicting some
harm (physical or not).
In every turn (exchange) every participant rolls
the appropriate overcome action. The single
character with the highest result obtains one
victory, or two victories if it’s a success with
style and nobody else got it with style.
If there’s a tie, nobody gets the victory, but
some twist occurs; the GM will add a new
aspect to the situation.
The contest ends when one character reaches
three victories.
You can prepare for a contest by creating an
advantage, but try only once. If you fail, your
opponent(s) get a boost to invoke free against
you during the contest.
CONFLICTS
A conflict aims to kill, subdue, to defeat some
active opposition. It can be about physical
harm or other kind of damage.
To setup for a conflict define:
* Which sides are involved
* Which zones define the conflict arena
* Which are the stakes (just defeat? or even
death? if death is an option, say it)
* Define the turn order, in a turn every single
participant can make a single action
To define THE TURN ORDER:
* in a physical conflict, highest Swift go first;
break ties with Sneaky then Powerful
* in a non-physical conflict, highest Smart go
first, break ties with Charming then Careful
* unless stated otherwise, the characters go
before NPCs and monster if they decide to
attack first; otherwise the GM goes first
IN YOU TURN you can:
* Move to a near zone for free if there are no
obstacles
* Take one or two simple free actions like
shouting orders, opening doors, diving for
cover, extracting a weapon and so on
* Make an action that requires a roll
* Roll to defend, without bonus and without
inflicting harm, one time
The ACTIONS AVAILABLE in a turn are:
* Create an Advantage to exploit a tactical
situation at your benefit
* Overcome in case you attempt something
difficult
* Move of more than one zone or Overcome
(with a roll) an obstacle between zones
* Attack once, pick your target
As in any other moment, you can create
advantages for your companions to exploit.
booklet 4
STRESS & CONSEQUENCES
When you suffer harm, it’s equal to the shifts
of difference between scores. You mark harm
on stress and consequences.
Scores can be the rolls + any bonus of two
characters, or the roll + bonus of a character vs
the target number defined by the GM for a
monster or NPC.
Every stress and consequence box on your
character sheet has a value: you must absorb
all the harm of a hit in a stress box of equal
value or greater. If you cannot, then you must
take a consequence. You cannot add stress
boxes, but you can add a stress box and a
consequence, to absorb harm.
Also:
* Whenever you want, you can CONCEDE the
conflict: get a fate point, plus one for each
consequence you suffered, and retreat.
* TAKEN OUT: if you have no stress and
consequences to absorb harm, you’re taken
out. The GM determines what it means.
* YOU RECOVER FROM ALL STRESS at the
end of the conflict, as soon as you can catch
your breath. Stress can be both physical or
mental but is a superficial harm.
* CONSEQUENCES are more severe: each of
them is described by an aspect, and can be
invoked by the opponents spending fate points,
and who inflicts it has a free invocation.
* YOU RECOVER FROM CONSEQUENCES
depending on how serious they are:
* At the end of the next scene for a Mild one
* After one session for a Moderate one
* After two sessions for a Severe one
Time for Moderate and Severe assume that the
character gets APPROPRIATE TREATMENT
and some rest for the recovery. Without it, the
consequence will take twice the time to heal.