1.9. Abilities

During Freeplay and Encounters, you will often rely on the Abilities listed on your Character Sheet. You can also improvise activities that are not "official Abilities" and are not found on your Character Sheet.

Abilities on the Basic Ability List are available to all characters. The next chapter (2.0. Basic Abilities) will go over each of the Basic Ability and when and how you will use them.

At the top of each Ability you will find a header. This header contains key details about the Ability and when and how you can use it:

Time. (Or "Ability Time") defines how long the Ability takes to start and when it will take effect.
Target. What you can target with the Ability, including how far away the target can be.
Triggers. Conditions that allow you to start the Ability. If the condition does not occur, you cannot use that Ability.
Requirements. Conditions that you must meet to start an Ability.
Components. Conditions that you must meet to start the Ability. Failing to do so will give you a Disadvantage on the Ability Test for each missing Component.
Test. A summary of the Test you will need to make for the Ability.
Saves. A summary of what Saves your targets may need to make to avoid extra effects.
Effects. A summary of what types of effects the Ability will cause.

Following the header, you will find a full description of the Ability and its effects. The Ability's description will add conditions or other details to any header information that had an asterisk next to it.

Ability Time

An Ability's "Ability Time" describes both when you can start it and how long it takes before the Ability will take effect.

Ability Time will matter less in Freeplay, but when an Encounter begins, you will need to pay close attention to your Ability Times. Each Ability Time type will have different rules of when you can start it, and when it will take effect after that.

There're eight Ability Times: Action, Free Action, Reaction, Free Reaction, Passive, Montage, and Episodic.

Action

The most common Ability Time.
You must spend a Beat on a Turn to start an Action. When you start any Ability, you must first choose its targets. You will then perform the Ability's Test to determine its Score, at which point the Ability takes effect.

Once your Action has taken effect, you will gain three Hooks.

Free Action

A "Free Action" is the same as an Action, but you do not spend a Beat and you do not gain any Hooks.

You can improvise Free Actions on your Turn to do simple acts, like opening a door, dropping an item, or talking smack.

Reaction

All Reactions will list a Reaction Trigger. When a Reaction's Trigger occurs, you can spend two Hooks to start the Reaction immediately, regardless of who's Turn it is. You will then perform the Reaction's Test to determine its Score, at which point it will take effect.

If ever more than one character uses a Reaction for the same Reaction Trigger, they can choose their own order or, if they cannot agree, an Artifice Contest determines who goes first.

Each character can use one Reaction or Free Reaction per Reaction Trigger. That said, so long as the triggers are different and you do not repeat the same Reaction Ability, you can chain any number of Reactions off one another.

Free Reactions

A Free Reaction is the same as a Reaction, but you don't spend Hooks to start it. All other restrictions on Reactions also apply to Free Reactions.

Unlimited Free Reactions

Unless the Ability states otherwise, there is no limit to the number of Free Reactions that you can perform in a Round, provided their Reaction Triggers occur and you perform only one Reaction or Free Reaction per Reaction Trigger.

Passives

A Passive Ability is always in effect. You do not need to start them and they don't have an end.

Example: Passive Abilities

The Climber Ability is a Passive that always provides you with the ability to Climb.

Montages

Montages are Abilities that you cannot use in an Encounter and they take around 10 minutes to complete, though they can take longer if the situation dictates it. If you take steps to speed up whatever process you are about to undertake, then the GM may let the Montage happen in less time. The GM may have you roleplay scenes from the Montage, possibly granting you Advantages or Disadvantages on the final Test, depending on how you roleplay it.

Episodics

You can use an Episodic Ability at the end of the Opening Credits of an Episode. Episodic Abilities often grant points that you can spend later in an Episode, though some have other effects, like granting you visions of events to come. You will lose anything you gain through an Episodic Ability at the end of an Episode, so you will want to be sure to use their benefits while you can.

If you forget to use an Episodic Ability, feel free to use it at some other point in the Episode, so long as you only use it once per Episode. If you use an Episodic Ability outside the Opening Credits, Reactions or Free Reactions are not triggered by it.

Example: Episodic Abilities

#David has the 'Visions' Episodic Ability.

A new Episode is starting. #David uses his 'Visions' Episodic Ability.
#David rolls a 10, granting him a vague vision of a danger to come in this Episode.

Targets

Each Ability will lay out what targets are valid for that Ability. This will often include the types of creatures you can affect along with a Distance at which you can affect said targets.

The target of an Ability can also be a Shape. When an Ability targets a Shape, everything touching that Shape will become a target of the Ability when it comes time to make the Ability's Test. see 1.6. Measurements for more on Shapes.

Creature Tags

Some Ability can only target creatures with a certain Creature Tag. You can find a full list of Creature Tags, like Undead or Construct, in the Creature Tag List in the Appendix.

Triggers

All Reaction and Free Reaction Abilities will list a "Reaction Triggers."Reaction Triggers describe the events that will allow you to start a Reaction Ability. You cannot use a Reaction or Free Reaction unless its Reaction Trigger occurs.

Some Reaction Triggers will note that they trigger when a creature "starts an Ability". In these cases, your Reaction Ability will start and take effect after the start of the triggering Ability, but before the triggering Ability's Test and effects. In this way, you can sometimes escape an Ability or otherwise affect it Reactions or Free Reactions.

Requirements

From the Glossary:

Some Abilities will list Requirements. Requirements can be generic, like “hands” or “standing,” or specific, like a point you must spend from your Character Sheet.

An Ability with Requirements instantly Fails its Test if you are lacking any Requirements when the Ability's Test arrives. If an Ability Requires points, you will deduct those points when starting the Ability Test.

Components

From the Glossary:

Some Abilities will list Components needed by the Ability. Components can be generic, like “hands” or “standing,” or a specific, like points from a Point Bank on your Character Sheet. The most common components are #Motions and #Chants, which Spells often need.

If you cannot fulfill a Component when it comes time to roll the Ability's Skill Test, you will receive a Disadvantage for each missing Component. All Components get evaluated when you perform the Test for an Ability, so you do not technically need to be able to fulfill the Component when starting an Ability.

While you have stacks of Concentrating, if a Component of one of your active Concentration Abilities gets interrupted, you will need to make a Tuning Save as described by that Condition.

(See the next section on Ability Tests for more on Concentration.)

Example: Dodge Components

#Bob is getting attacked and is low on Health. #Bob wants to use the Dodge Ability to reduce the Damage that he is about to take.

#Bob looks and sees that the Dodge Ability has a Component of "1 Dodge Point". #Bob has no more Dodge Points. #Bob decides to use the Dodge Ability anyway.

Since #Bob cannot fulfil the Dodge Point Component, he must make the Test for the Dodge Ability with a Disadvantage. #Bob fails the Test, but even with a Low Score, #Bob can reduce the incoming Damage by 1 point, saving his life.

Ability Tests

Abilities describe a Test that you will need to perform. The Score of the Test will determine what effect the Ability has.

Tests will most often use one of the three Exploration Stats as the Modifier for the Test: Might, Artifice, or the Tuning Stat. That said, an Ability can also use Skills, Luck, or any other Modifier from your Character Sheet.

You will modify your Test based on what Components you satisfy, what Status Conditions you have, and what Bonuses and Penalties you have. (More on [[#Bonuses and Penalties]] later.)

When performing an Action, Free Action, Reaction, or Free Reaction, you will perform the Test right after starting the Ability. If someone uses a Reaction or Free Reaction in response to you starting the Ability, you will instead make the Test after their Ability finishes taking effect.

After you roll your Ability Test, the Ability will take effect, as determined by your Score.

Some Abilities list no Test (and no Score Ranges.) For these Abilities, the Test is an automatic "Mixed Score", and the effects are what happen as a result of that Mixed Score. Rare effects can still cause you to Fail these automatic Abilities. In those cases, the Ability will have no effect.

Some Tests will list one of two Status Conditions after their Modifier: Exhausted or Concentrating. When the Ability lists one of these Status Condition, the Test is affected by that Status Condition as described below (for more on Status Conditions, see 3.7. Status Conditions):

Exhaustion

From the Appendix:

Exhausted is always a Persistent Condition.

Abilities with a Test that involves "Exhaustion" (or "Exhausting Abilities") impose one stack of Exhausted on you when you Pass their Test. You lose all stacks of Exhausted at the end of an Episode.

All future Tests that involve Exhaustion have one Disadvantage for each stack of Exhausted that you have.

Exhausted is a Persistent Condition, meaning you will not lose stacks of it at the end of your Turn. You will instead lose all stacks of Exhausted at the end of the Episode. This makes Exhausting Abilities difficult to use more than once or twice per Episode. Exhausting Abilities are generally stronger than all other Abilities.

Example: #Alice uses an Exhausting Ability

The Hag starts her Elemental Blast, targeting #Bob, who is almost dead.
#Alice uses her Delay Ability in Reaction to the Hag's Spell.
The Delay Ability states: "Test: Tuning Exhausted"
#Alice performs her Test for the Ability and gets a High Score. As a result, #Alice gains a stack of Exhausted and the Hag's Spell gets delayed and the Hag will need to wait until the start of her next Turn before she can perform her Ability Test and before her Elemental Blast can take effect. This gives #Bob a chance to get behind cover.
The Hag starts another Elemental Blast, this time targeting #Alice.
#Alice attempts to use her Delay Ability again.
Since #Alice has a stack of Exhausted, #Alice must perform the Test for Delay with a Disadvantage.
#Alice Fails the Test. As a result, #Alice's Delay has no effect, though she does not gain a stack of Exhausted.
The Hag performs her Elemental Blast Test against #Alice and #Alice takes some Damage as a result.
The Hag ends her Turn. #Bob is able to get behind cover. When the Hag's next Turn starts, #Bob is an invalid target of the delayed Elemental Blast, so the Elemental Blast no longer has any targets and is an automatic Fail with no effect.
#Alice will retain her stacks of Exhausted until the end of the Episode.

Concentration

Abilities with a Test that involves "Concentration" (or "Concentration Abilities") impose one stack of Concentrating when they take effect. This stack of Concentrating is persistent and only removed when the Ability or its effects come to an end.

For each stack of Concentrating that you have, you will gain a Disadvantage on future Ability Tests that involve Concentration. If you fail a Concentration Ability Test, all active Concentration Abilities will end. When you Fail such an Ability Test, the Ability that just failed may still take effect (if it describes a Low Score effect.)

While you have stacks of Concentrating, if you take Damage or if one of the Components of one of your active Concentration Abilities gets interrupted, then you will need to make a Tuning Test. This Tuning Test will have a Disadvantage for each stack of Concentrating that you have. If you Fail the Test, all active Concentration Ability effects end.

Example: #Alice uses a Concentration Ability

#Alice uses the Illusion Spell Ability.
The Illusion Spell states: "Test: Tuning Concentrating"
#Alice performs her Test for the Ability and gets a High Score. #Alice creates an illusory image of a book on the altar. This active effect gives #Alice a stack of Concentrating, which will persist while the illusion does.
#Alice attempts to use Illusion again to try to create spooky whispers coming from the book. This time #Alice must make the Test with a Disadvantage, since she has a stack of Concentrating. #Alice gets a Low Score, causing all her active Concentration Ability effects to end, meaning her illusory book disappears. When the book vanishes, so does #Alice 's stack of Concentrating. That said, on a Low Score, Illusion Spell still takes effect, so the whispers begin to chant in the empty spot where the illusory book used to be. While the whispers are active #Alice once again gains a stack of Concentrating that will persist while the whispers do.
#Alice is out of Beats and ends her Turn.

Ability Saves

Abilities that list a Save will require that the targets of the Ability perform a Save after you have finished your Ability Test. The Ability will list which Modifier to use for the Save. This will most often be your Might, Artifice, or Tuning Modifier. The description of the Ability will describe what happens when a target Passes or Fails the Save.

Your Score on the Ability's Test always affects the Save of your targets in the following ways:

[0!] Critical Failure. The target automatically Passes their Save.
[..6] Low. The target must make their Save with an Advantage.
[7..9] Mixed. The target makes their Save with no extra modification.
[10..] High. The target must make their Save with a Disadvantage.
[10!] Critical Success. The target automatically Fails their Save.

Ability Effects

An Ability's header will provide a quick reference of what types of effects the Ability has. Some Reaction Triggers will apply to Abilities that have a particular effect listed. For example, if a Reaction Trigger were to state "When a creature uses a Healing Effect Ability," then you can use that Reaction whenever a creature uses an Ability that lists "Healing" under the "effects" part of its header.

In the body of an Ability, you will find the descriptions of the Ability's effects. These effects will often depend on what Score you got on the Ability Test.

Unless it states otherwise, and Ability's effects are instantaneous and end right after they begin. Abilities that require Concentrate will stay in active and in effect until you lose your Concentration on that Ability. Abilities will also often describe conditions that, when met, will cause the Ability to end.

Flavors

When you take a new Ability that has a list of Flavors to choose from, you must choose your starting Flavor(s) at the time of gaining the Ability. The Flavor that you chose will then remain fixed for the entire life of that Ability. Flavors often change the Damage Type of an Ability or what Saves it can impose on your targets.

Example: Elemental Blast

#Alice learns the Elemental Blast Spell. The Spell has a long list of Flavors to choose from and notes that you must "Pick One". #Alice picks the "Fiery Bolt" Flavor to give her blasts a fire effect. #Alice's Elemental Blast now has the "Fiery Bolt" Flavor, which #Alice cannot change, (unless she replaces the Ability or gains some other Ability that lets her change her Flavor choices.)

Bonuses and Penalties

An Ability will often list Bonuses and Penalties that will change either the Test or the effects of the Ability.

Each Penalty will describe a condition that, when met, means you must apply that Penalty's effect. Most Penalties will give you a Disadvantage on the Ability Test. Bonuses are similar, except you can choose to skip them (unless they state otherwise) and they often grant you an Advantage on your Ability Test. Some Bonuses will require a cost to their activation. You will determine which Bonuses and Penalties to apply when you start your Ability's Test.

Upgrades

Upgrades permanently improve an Ability, often making it deal more Damage or have less restrictions.

To Upgrade an Ability, you must already know that Ability. Whenever you gain the option of Upgrading an Ability, you will need to pay attention to the type of Upgrade gained, as you can only use an Upgrade on Ability Upgrades that match that same type. For example, you can only take a Spell Ability's Upgrades when you gain a Spell Ability Upgrade.

The Upgrade types are:

Basic Ability Upgrades - Usable on Basic Abilities.
Fighter Upgrades - Usable on Fighter Abilities and some Basic Abilities.
Rogue Upgrades - Usable on Rogue Abilities and some Basic Abilities.
Mage Upgrades - Usable on Mage Abilities and some Basic Abilities.
Item Upgrades - Usable on Items. Getting a good Score on an Item Search often grants Upgrades for one instance of the item. When you gain a permanent Item Upgrade, you will, from then on, always be able to apply the Upgrade to new instances of that Item (in addition to the one-time Upgrades gained from Item Search itself.)
Spell Upgrades - Usable on Spell Abilities.
Prestige Upgrades - Usable on any Ability to gain any Upgrade, ignoring Requirements. Some Abilities will also explicitly list "Prestige Upgrades" that you can only gain using a Prestige Upgrade. Upgrades listed as "Prestige Upgrades" are stronger and should be your first consideration when choosing a Prestige Upgrade.

You can find all Upgrades for an Ability at the bottom of the Ability. Much like Abilities themselves, you may need to reach certain Levels or other Requirements before you can take on those Upgrades.

Some Upgrades share the same name and have a number in parenthesis after them (as in Powerful(1) and Powerful(2).) These Upgrades are a series. You must take each Upgrade in a series in order. Each Upgrade in a series will supersede the effects of the one before it for a stronger effect.

Prepared Abilities

Some Abilities, when used, will "Prepare" a different Ability. Until that Ability is Prepared, it will be unusable. For example an Ability may "Prepare a Reaction" or "Prepare a Free Reaction" etc. When this happens, you get to add Prepared Ability to your Character Sheet for a limited time.

Each Prepared Ability will stipulate a different case for when it expires (or when its once again removed from your Character Sheet.) For example, if a Prepared Reaction "expires after one use," then you will only be able to use it once, at which time it will becoming unavailable again. Most Prepared Abilities will expire after a certain span of time or if you lose Concentration on the Ability that Prepared it.

Glyphic Spell Ability Rules

You can use Glyphic Spells to create security systems and magical mechanisms. The Glyphic Spells rely on shared sets of rules that allow them to connect to form complex networks of magical machinery. Magical shops often use Glyphs to protect their merchandise and strongholds will rely on Glyphs for extra defense.

Learning the shared Glyphic Spell Rules will help when you encounter security systems and traps. Masting these rules will also let you create Glyph combos of your own.

Unless otherwise stated, all Glyphs created by Glyphic Spells have the following shared rules:

A Glyphic Spell creates a Glyph that appears as a rune, set of runes, sigil, or magic circle that is Invisible.
Glyphs always gain one Beat on their Turn, which they will most often use to perform Reactions. Glyphs can also use Free Reactions.
Each Glyphic Spell lists a set of Glyph Abilities that its summoned Glyph can use. When summoning a Glyph, you must specify all the Glyph Abilities that you are assigning to a Glyph before the Glyphic Spell takes effect. You must also specify the targets, Glyph Commands, and any other details of those Glyph Abilities before the Glyphic Spell takes effect. Unless otherwise stated, you can add the same Glyph Ability to a Glyph more than once, provided you specify different details each time. You cannot alter the details of a Glyph Ability after the Glyphic Spell takes effect.
When starting a Glyph Ability, you can connect a Glyph to any other Glyph within Swinging Distance(1u) of it. Most Glyph Abilities can send out a Glyph Command as a part of its effects. When a Glyph is about to send out a Glyph Command, it shines with visible light for a moment (of a color of the creator's choice.) At the start of the next Round (or 6 secs later) all connected Glyphs, and the glyph itself, will receive the Glyph Command which, in-turn, may trigger their Glyph Abilities. Since triggered Glyph Abilities can also issue Glyph Commands, a network of connected Glyphs can create a chain reaction of Glyph Abilities that activate one Round after another in response to the previous Round's Glyph Abilities. A skilled Glyph hacker may be able to interrupt this chain or figure out what Glyph Commands to inject to twist the network to their will.
You can attach some Glyphs to surfaces. If two connected Glyphs are ever moved more than a Spitting Distance(4u) apart, their connection is permanently broken.
All Glyphs can have the following shared Glyph Abilities:

Dismiss

Time: Free Reaction Target: Self
Trigger: Upon receiving a predefined Glyph Command

Permanently dismiss this Glyph.

Deactivate

Time: Free Reaction Target: Self
Trigger: Upon receiving a predefined Glyph Command

Temporarily disable this Glyph for a specified amount of time.

Next Up: 2.0. Basic Abilities