Order (Action Powers Form)
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| Heroic Action Role-Play |
Order is the system of the world; the ordered universe of space and matter we are all familiar with. It is associated with what science calls low entropy; a completely ordered universe has no content but enormous potential.
- Alternate Names: Harmony, Harmonics, Law.
Associations
- Creature : Virtues
- Skill : Ride
- Attribute : Mind
- Sense : Harmonics, as in music
- Mood : Serene
- Blast: Sonic
Order Cantrips
Basic Action
You can avoid chance, making worn objects last, longer or making a die or coin spin without falling on any of its faces. You can calculate odds on simple events, such as dice or cards. You can spot the weakest part in a mechanical structure. You have true pitch and can tell the frequency of sound (tough you may express it in less technical terms). You can keep an exact pace or beat, like a metronome.
Charm Order
Detect Lie
Inherent
You can detect spoken falsehood; when a creature within your Charm meters of you tells a deliberate falsehood, you know of it. You cannot penetrate deceit unless lies are involved. True but misleading statements are not detected.
Formal Dance
Basic Action
Everyone dances to your music. Make an opposed Charm check against all creatures you select in a diameter equal to your Mind. Those you succeed must spend a Basic Action dancing when their next shot comes up. Those against whom you get an outcome matching their Mind join a stately dance until the end of the next round or until they are attacked or directly threatened.
Dancers will move along with you, at their normal Move. They will not take double moves to follow you. If they are ever further away from you than your Charm in meters when their turn comes up, the charm is broken.
Mean
Trigger Action
When a character you see (including yourself) within Charm meters is about to make a roll that is either Confident or Stymied you can use this to suspend these effects, making the roll normal.
Message
| Charm | Range |
| 8 | 400 meters |
| 9 | 630 meters |
| 10 | 1000 meters |
| 11 | 1,600 meters |
| 12 | 2,500 meters |
| 13 | 4,000 meters |
| 14 | 6,000 meters |
| 15 | 10,000 meters |
| 16 | 16 kilometers |
| 17 | 25 kilometers |
| 18 | 40 kilometers |
| 19 | 60 kilometers |
| 20 | 100 kilometers |
Basic Action
This power carries spoken words between you and others. Message can carry messages up to a range depending on your Charm skill, but cannot pass soil or sound-dampening materials. It can pass hard barriers like stone, concrete, brick, or metal. If any target is out of your reach even momentarily, the power fails for them.
You can send messages to a certain spot instead of to a specific target and try to send to creatures you are not sure are in range; these are power stunts. Message lasts for a scene.
Perfection of Effort
Trigger Action
Whenever you see someone else taking an action, you can support that action by invoking perfection on it. Make a confident Charm roll against the skill you are trying to assist; if you are successful the skill check becomes Routine. You cannot help yourself in this manner.
Quest
Basic Action or Finisher
You can bind someone to a promise he has made. When someone pronounces an oath or solemn promise, you can reinforce that oath as a Basic Action with an opposed Charm roll. You can also force someone to accept an oath of your choice as a finisher.
As long as the quester acts to fulfill their oath, the get the benefits of Discipline. But should they stray, they will notice that fate turns against them, and they lose a Fortune point for each decision they take that moves them away from fulfilling the oath. When their Fortune runs out, they instead suffer a Finisher of your that you know. A Quest lasts until the oath is fulfilled or until dispelled as a Curse. Note that the oath bound person cannot himself strive to have the oath removed, or he will suffer from the dire effects of the Quest.
Status Quo
Basic Action
By unifying the power of public opinion, you prosecute the minority and create unity in the community. There must be a crowd of 50 or more people, and they must believe in your declaration of what is the status quo, though they need not be sympathetic to what your cause or agree with the values expressed in the status quo. As long as the dissidents and troublemakers form less than 25% of the crowd, they are Stymied on any action expressing their disagreement for the rest of the scene.
Create Order
Activate Machine
Basic Action
You activate a machine or device, making it perform its intended function. A trap will spring, a vehicle move, a door open and so on. If the device is capable of continuous operation, you have started it up but it might further guidance to continue to work - in this case the power only lasts while you are operating the device. In many cases this requires a Create roll to do successfully, using the normal difficulty but overcoming limitations due to lack of tools or proficiency.
The main use of this is to overcome security limitations on who can activate a device, so some people consider it a misuse of order - using the intent of the machine (to function) against the limitations imposed upon it trough security. Some see this as a perversion or order, others see it as invoking a state of perfect function.
Meliorate Machine
Limit Break
You repair a damaged or destroyed machine or object, restoring it to full functionality. You must have at least 95% of the parts, or replacement materials and a good working knowledge of the object to be repaired. This power is geared to personal objects; anything larger than a van might require several applications of the power to restore various sub-systems.
Perpetuum Mobile
Basic Action
You invoke order over an item, usually a vehicle or other machine. This reduces wear and tear on the machine, making it perform its intended function flawlessly without need for maintainable. This does not prevent intentional damage to the object, but prevents fumbles when operating it, reduces fuel or power cinsumption by half, and removes any penalties the device might impose due to damage, design flaws, or whatever.
This power lasts as long as you remain in the general presence of the machine - usually within a hundred meters or so. Invoking this over a large machine involves many, many applications of the power, taking hours or even days for huge things like battleships.
Resonance
Basic Action
You link a set of objects equal to your Mind, preferably ones that are resonant, such as metal blades or sea shells. Any sound near one of these objects is transmitted to all the others, in a very muted form. Speaking directly to the object transmits the speech to all the other objects in the set. This works somewhat like a normal open radio channel; allowing communication over long distances with the same kind of requirement for communication discipline. The range is equal to your skill in kilometers. The power lasts for a session. You can-de attune items from the set and attune new items each time you use the schtick, but the number of attuned items can never be higher than your Mind.
Dodge Order
Discipline
Stance
You discipline yourself to overcome adversity and maintain your resolve; you will not waver. Any stunt that fails to cause a setback does not affect you at all. You never fumble.
Harmony of Body
Stance
You may substitute your Mind for your Body and Toughness when soaking the damage of Melee attacks.
Home Ground
Limit Break
You bless a place and the people therein, giving them the benefits of Discipline. You must genuinely believe these people have a right to this place. As long as they are on Home Ground, they remain blessed, and so is anyone else who they accept as a part of their group. They can temporarily leave the area and still get the bonus when they return. If they all desert the place the power ends.
Law of Averages
Focus
When you or another creature that directs an action at you roll a die roll of ±0, you can focus. The GM might disallow this if you abuse it by making die rolls for meaningless actions. You can reroll the dice after you've focused, for example by using Fortune, and the focus is still valid.
Impress Order
Amplify
Basic Action
You amplify the speech and music you and allies make until the end of the scene, giving your Impress stunts based on sound Long range.
Mark of Justice
Finisher
You mark the target in a way that is culturally recognized as a symbol of shame and crime. The target is Branded. This is often tied to the Ego Focus limitation.
Curb Advantage
Basic Action, Limit Break, or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress, on a success the target's highest Attribute value suffers a penalty of -1 until the end of the scene. This can be increased by various factors:
- If performed as a Limit Break, the penalty is increased by two.
- If the attack scores an Outcome matching the target's Mind, the penalty is increased by two.
- If performed as a Finisher, the penalty is increased by two and the effect is a Curse - including any previous use of Curb Advantage.
Down by Law
Limit Break
Read out loud a judgement made by a court with jurisdiction in the area where your target committed a crime. This judgement must name your target, the crime, and a punishment. The judgement can be against a group the target belongs to. Make an opposed Impress roll. On a success, the target suffers a finisher appropriate to the punishment. A default Finisher if a better one can not be found is Mark of Justice. You need not know this finisher. On a failure, you cannot use this power against that target again this session.
Here and Now
Basic Action
Make an opposed Impress roll to prevent the target from using teleport powers or from being granted extra actions (like those from Instant Action or Hands-On Leadership) for the rest of the scene.
Oathbinding
Limit Break
You can only use this power against someone who has broken an oath or solemn promise in the recent past (generally in the current play session, but for important vows this may linger forever). Make a pronouncement declaring the oath he has broken. If you succeed at an an opposed Impress roll, you can use a Finisher against him, just as if you had defeated him in combat.
Power Shout
Limit Break
You make an opposed Impress against all enemies within an area with a diameter equal to your Mind, you must be in this area. On a success, targets lose 3 shots. On an Outcome matching a target's Body you also inflict one Hit.
Roar of the Lion
Trigger Action (Combo)
You manifest your power in a stunning and terrifying yell, shocking your foe and breaking his nerve. Use this ability just before making a Melee attack. You can immediately make a Browbeat or Scare attempt.
Summon Virtue
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Virtues.
The Imperial Whisper
Basic Action
The Imperial Whisper allows you to give a command which cannot be disobeyed. The target immediately executes your command, not waiting until his next shot comes up and not expending any shots.
In practical terms, this means you can give one simple, direct, non-conditional order or task that he will do immediately. You cannot order him how he is to fulfill the task, nor can you order him into inaction, so an order to "attack silently" or "stand still" is meaningless. The command generally cannot be longer than three words. Typical examples are "Attack that man!" or "Cut my bonds!". Within these limitations, the target immediately does his best to obey the spirit of your instructions, without nefarious twists.
You must succeed on an opposed Impress roll. The target must understand the language you speak. Anyone closer to you than the target is will be able to overhear the command. A willing target does not require a roll.
Know Order
Analyze Order
Basic Action
You can analyze both physical and social structures. Examples of physical structures include most architecture and static construction, as well as crystalline matrices and such. Social structures include dependencies and hierarchies; you can tell who commands who and detect the members of rigid social hierarchies, such as most military and some highly organized syndicates, criminal or otherwise. You can sense what physical laws and constants are in relation to the other places you know. This is mainly useful when traveling to other planes.
Dispel Order
Limit Break
| Age of Effect |
Minimum Difficulty |
| Three days | 12 |
| One Month | 14 |
| One year | 16 |
| A decade | 18 |
| A century | 20 |
| A millennium | 22 |
| Ten millennia | 24 |
You can end the effects of other powers. You can only dispel powers you know of (though a vague description, such as "whatever is making Bert turn green" is ok). You can try to dispel a single Finisher, Limit Break, or any power that has been in effect for a week or more, or you can try to dispel all powers except those mentioned above on one creature or in an area with a diameter equal to your Mind. When dispelling several powers at once, you can choose to ignore some of them as long as you know of each power you want to make an exception for.
A power that has been dispelled cannot be used again by that creature in this scene, and another creature that tries to use the same power in the same general area must match your Know with the stunt the power is used with, or it fails.
This will not negate a Curse, but will tell you how to defeat the curse if the roll is successful.
Inherent powers cannot be dispelled.
The difficulty is the skill of the most skilled creature involved in making the effect. Effects that have been around a long time are harder to dispel: see the table. Use the highest relevant difficulty.
You can dispel any power of the Order form or which affects a virtue. You can also dispel effect that twist the natural order of physical reality, especially effects that break natural rhythm or periodic events. Likewise, you can overwhelm powers of the Flux form.
Laws of Power
Finisher
Select a Method appropriate to the target's Tradition. From now on, this method applies to all the targets use of powers. This is a Curse.
Measure Difficulty
Trigger Action
When you face a task, you can determine how difficult it is by analyzing order. Make a Know roll against the difficulty of the task analyzed. On a success you learn the difficulty and what skill and equipment/schticks/powers are relevant to the task. If several skills can be used for the task, you roll against the lowest of the difficulties involved and you learn of all possible skills. On a failure you simply learn that it is more difficult than the result of your roll.
If you have the necessary schticks/powers/equipment to perform the task, there is a +5 bonus to the Know roll. If the task requires no special schticks or powers, you always get this bonus.
Natural Order
Trigger Action
You can defend the natural order of the universe against powers. Whenever a power is used in your presence, you can oppose it, which sets a minimum difficulty for the action equal to your Know +3.
Silence
Limit Break
You invoke stillness and harmony in an area with a diameter equal to your Mind in meters. You can make this area stationary or center it on an object or creature. If the creature or wearer of the object is unwilling, you must succeed on a Know roll against it's Dodge.
Silence lasts the remainder of the scene. While in the silenced area, creatures cannot speak (which triggers many Methods and Power Loss Limitations). Sneak stunts in the area allow movement without requiring new rolls, and silenced opponent's have trouble communicating your location. Silence hinders sonic attacks in the area, allowing targets of sonic attacks that pass through the area to use your Action as their soak attribute.
Maneuver Order
Advantage of Order
Basic Action
You imbue a creature with perfection, giving it Advantage. The creature must use this advantage when its next shot comes up.
Unfailing Technique
Stance
You are calm and collected, able to do Maneuver tasks without distraction or imperfection. You treat all Maneuver tasks that are not opposed as Routine.
True Form
Trigger Action
You can return to your true form at any time when you are transformed. This includes even Curses. You do not heal any damage, but if the transformation is the result of a Setback you negate the setback and do not suffer any other consequence of that Setback.
Virtuous Shape
Limit Break
You assume the form of another creature decided when you gain the power. You must have created a variant form for yourself using your normal points and limits. If you do not have such a creature description ready, you cannot use this power. This creature cannot have higher value in any particular skill than you do. You can add powers of the same form the creature has and keep schticks and powers you already have, but you cannot otherwise add powers or schticks. This power cannot be used to imitate a specific individual; you remain yourself in mannerisms and detail while changing race, species, and creature type.
You remain in this form for a scene or until you fall asleep or unconscious or will yourself back to your normal form (a Basic Action). You can learn this power several times to learn to transform into several different creatures.
You can only assume the form on a Virtue with this version of the power.
Melee Order
Hug of the Bear
Limit Break
Do a Clinch maneuver. If successful, the clinch prevents your target from taking any action except trying to break free. The only action your victim may take when his shot comes up is a Dodge check against your Melee; on a success the hold is broken.
Paw of the Bear
Basic Action
Do a Clinch maneuver. If successful, the clinch prevents your target from taking an action against anyone but you.
Sonic Strike
Inherent
You can make melee attacks that do Body +4 Sonic damage, soaked by Body. It does +3 additional damage against hard, inanimate objects, +5 against those of a crystalline structure such as rocks or glass. Most nearby windows will shatter gratifyingly.
The Bell Tolls
Basic Action
Make a Melee attack that is clearly telegraphed but of great power. Unless the target uses an Active Defense to defend against this attack, you get a +3 bonus to this attack.
Thunder Touch
Stance (Damage Boost)
You can imbue a Melee or Shoot attack with an additional type of damage. The damage of the attack increases by +2. Against a target that has different soak values against the two types of damage, use the lesser soak value but decrease the damage by 2. Sonic Blast does energy/sonic damage soaked by Body. It does +3 additional damage against hard, inanimate objects, +5 against those of a crystalline structure such as rocks or glass. Most nearby windows will shatter gratifyingly.
Recon Order
Locked Gaze
Finisher
The target is compelled to look at you, or to look for you when you are not visible. Charm and Impress checks you make against the target are Routine, and any Recon checks the target makes to see anyone except you are Stymied. All of this applies whenever you and the target are in the same scene. You can make the target look at another creature you specify when using the curse, but you must then make an opposed Recon check or the finisher fails.
Sense Disorder
Basic Action
You can sense the lack of order and structure at a distance. Concentrate on a particular type of structure, creature, or ordered system, make a skill roll; this is the range in meters. You can only sense gross disorder; things associated with the Flux form and creatures and structures that are markedly less orderly than their surroundings. You must make an opposed Recon check to sense a creature that is Sneaking or an object in such a creature's possession.
Sense Order
Basic Action
You can sense the presence of order and structure at a distance. Concentrate on a particular type of structure, creature, or ordered system, make a skill roll and multiply the result by 10; this is the range in meters. If the system detected is in range of your physical senses, you also gain a basic understanding of it and how it works. You must make an opposed Recon check to sense a creature that is Sneaking or an object in such a creature's possession.
Ride Order
Harmony of Space
Limit Break
You ward an area against teleportation. Any attempt to Teleport into or out of the area has a minimum difficulty equal to your Ride; if the Outcome was less than your Mind the teleport succeeded, but made an awful noise and dazed the teleportee, making him Surprised.
Harmony of Space covers a radius equal to your Ride skill in meters and lasts for an hour. If there are chimes, bells, or some other recurring sound in the area each day, the effect can be sustained so that it resumes for an hour after each time the sound is made.
Path of Destiny
Inherent
You never become lost, intuitively sensing the path to your personal destiny. You are never too late, always arriving at the exact time your path requires. Tough your travels might seem aimless, you are on the golden road to your glorious doom. You might be a relentless quester or a fool drifting on the winds of fate, but you are never completely lost and never wander aimlessly. If you are wandering deep in the woods or wide-open desert it is because there is a meaningful task or lesson for you there. You might have to struggle to survive, as that might very well be the lesson. But boring and mundane travel for travel's sake is not an issue for you; the time you spend traveling is never wasted and distance is not an impediment when you are in search of adventure.
This power can take you anywhere your destiny lies, even to faraway or fantastical times and places, and you can lead a small band of companions there. Basically, this gives you an excuse to appear in an adventure regardless of how strange or ridiculous it might seem, being a more extreme variant of Drifer. It can also give the GM an excuse to make adventures in places and locations far outside the normal scope of the campaign, tough you have no control over this. Your destiny can be open or specific, and you can suggest adventures and places to the GM that you think your destiny ought to take you to. Generally, you can easily pass a source of supplies on your travels, but if the adventure is about lack of supplies, you are as badly pf as your team.
Truth Rider
Basic Action
You carry an aura of truth along with you until the end of the next round. Creatures within Ride meters and to all who can see you are affected and find it very hard to lie or even utter unintentional falsehoods.
Any action based on a lie is Stymied. A creature that rolls lower than your Ride cannot knowingly lie and has to remain silent. A creature that rolls lower than your Mind cannot speak an untruth, even if they believe it is true.
World Spin
Limit Break
Give me a fixed point, and I will move the world - Archimedes.
You can Teleport from one place to another or even to other planes. You must keep some aspect of your surrounding constant while changing all others. For example, you could focus on a rock and teleport to another location with a very similar rock. It generally takes a number of such shifts to arrive at a destination, and the intervening places you pass by can be harrowing.
To simplify the use of this power, the GM can call for a single Ride check with a difficulty depending on how different your goal is from where you are now. On a success, you get there with one use of the power. On a failure, you get there after a harrowing journey involving either a long delay or some concrete danger or plot. If you fail by a margin wider than your Mind you get lost and end up in an unexpected place - this is either one that is hard to get out of, or one that is deceptively similar to what you were looking for, but not the same.
| Condition | Difficult |
| Only random details differ | 14 |
| Same general environment | 16 |
| Different environment but same world | 18 |
| Different but similar world | 20 |
| Similar world with very specific details | 22 |
| Alien world | 24 |
| Completely alien setting | 26 |
| Alien setting with specific details | 28 |
Going to a well known location is a Routine task.
Shoot Order
Laughter of the Dragon
Basic Action
You blast everyone in a cone; a triangle with you at one corner. You can control the exact dimensions of the cone when you create it, with some limitations. The base of the triangle can be as wide as your Mind and both the other sides have the same length and can be as long as your Shoot. All measurements are in meters. Damage is Mind +2, or more if you are using an Implement. Make a separate attack roll against each target, including friends and bystanders. Laughter of the Dragon does Sonic damage soaked by Body, but causes no Hits. Instead, targets are pushed one meter away from you for each point the damage result exceeds the soak value. Laughter of the Dragon has no effect on objects but can affect constructs and robots.
Scream
Limit Break
You blast everyone in a cone; a triangle with you at one corner. You can control the exact dimensions of the cone when you create it, with some limitations. The base of the triangle can be as wide as your Mind and both the other sides have the same length and can be as long as your Shoot. All measurements are in meters. Damage is Mind +2, or more if you are using an Implement. Make a separate attack roll against each target, including friends and bystanders. Sonic Cone does energy/sonic damage soaked by Body. It does +3 additional damage against hard, inanimate objects, +5 against those of a crystalline structure such as rocks or glass. Most nearby windows will shatter gratifyingly.
Sonic Blast
Inherent
You can make a Ranged Attack - either the basic stunt or using some other stunt, schtick, or power. Damage is Mind +2, or more if you are using an Implement to improve damage.
Sonic Blast does energy/sonic damage soaked by Body. It does +3 additional damage against hard, inanimate objects, +5 against those of a crystalline structure such as rocks or glass. Most nearby windows will shatter gratifyingly.
The Great Shout
Limit Break
You can blast all enemies in a globe with a diameter equal to your Mind; you must be somewhere in this area. Your control of this attack is so precise that you can avoid any friends in the area. Damage is Mind +2, or more if you are using an Implement to improve damage. Make a separate attack roll against each target.
The Great Shout does energy/sonic damage soaked by Body. It does +3 additional damage against hard, inanimate objects, +5 against those of a crystalline structure such as rocks or glass. Most nearby windows will shatter gratifyingly.