Abilities are rare, powerful skills or talents that set your character apart from ordinary folk. They represent a lifetime of experience, an intense period of training, or perhaps a fateful encounter that granted your character unique capabilities. Abilities are not just another tool in your character’s arsenal; they define them, allowing you to face challenges in ways few others can. They shape your legend, marking you as someone who stands out in the world.
Gaining an ability during gameplay should be an important moment, something woven deeply into the story. Perhaps you acquired it by defeating a formidable foe, mastering a complex skill, or discovering something ancient and hidden. When you unlock a new ability, think carefully about how it came to be, and make sure it becomes part of your character’s ongoing narrative.
Abilities in Play
In play, abilities can give you an edge, such as changing the fiction, creating a facet as an advantage, or turning outcomes for the better. They amplify your strengths, making it possible to achieve feats beyond the ordinary. All playbooks have their own abilities and may vary greatly in composition and balance, depending on its role and purpose.
Below are a few examples of abilities and how they can shift the narrative and gameplay in powerful ways:
Battle Commander – You are a seasoned military leader. Once per scene, when you lead a group in combat, you can create a tactical upper-hand facet for any nearby ally as an advantage for their next challenge. Example during play:
GM: “The enemy forces are pressing hard, and your companions and their hirelings look uncertain. Their morale is wavering under the relentless attacks.”
Player: “I shout orders to each of them, positioning them strategically to hold the line. I’ll use my Battle Commander ability to boost their courage and coordination.”
GM: “Alright, your allies will get a tactical upper-hand as an advantage on their next challenge as long as they follow your direction. Let’s see if they can rally under your command and push back against the enemy’s advance.”
Shadow Step – You can naturally move unseen with ease without facing a challenge, as long as there is cover or darkness to hide in. However, in situations where detection is possible, you must still face a challenge, but you do so with an advantage. Example during play:
GM: “The city guards are patrolling the docks heavily, their torches lighting up the area and leaving few places to hide.”
Player: “With my Shadow Step ability I easily move unseen through the night, slipping between crates and barrels to avoid their line of sight.”
GM: “Alright, but given the increased patrols with oil lamps, you’ll still need to face a challenge. But thanks to being unseen, you’ll get an advantage. Sum up your dice pool and let’s see if you can slip past them undetected.”
Arcane Shield – You have mastered the ability to quickly ward off both physical and magical harm, by swiftly weaving an Arcane Shield and take a mark of discord. It counts as massive protection for the duration of a scene. If the challenge succeeds, the sorcerer may also add either a mystic barrier stopping an enemy or object in its tracks towards you, or a dissipation effect to your defense, weakening an ongoing spell working against you. Example during play:
GM: “The dark sorcerer sweeps his arms around himself in the air while uttering ancient words, clearly weaving a harmful curse at you.”
Player: “I raise my hands to protect myself, conjuring magic power to counter it with an Arcane Shield to protect myself against the attack.”
GM: “Alright, face a challenge with your Spirit trait to see how you fare. First, take a discord mark slot, then desacribe what it all looks like, and assemble your dice pool. Regardless of outcome, the Arcane Shield will provide a massive armor-like protection. But if you succeed, you can also chose to add either a mystic barrier to stop the sorcerer’s advance, or a magic dissipation to weaken the curse further. What do you want go for?”
