Neutral Schticks (Action)
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| Heroic Action Role-Play |
These are schticks not tied to a skill or an attribute.
Affiliated
Inherent
This schtick assumes the Organization rules are not in play. If those rules are used, they replace this schtick. You are a member of a guild or organization, giving you a network of connections that help you find information, goods, and services. You must detail what kind of organization this is and select one skill that most closely mirrors your role in the organization. When you roll for contacts using this skill, and these contacts could reasonably come from your organization, you get a +5 bonus on your skill for the purpose of contacts only.
Astrology Focus
Focus
If you know the astrological sign of your targets, you can focus, but that focus is only good if you know the astrological sign of all the targets of an action affecting multiple targets. This schtick is meant to reward research and preparation. Knowing the birth place and location of a creature lets you calculate someone’s astrological sign, and you can use divination power or research to find this out out. This is a schtick version of the Astrology method.
Blunder About
Limit Break
The GM moves you up to a double move towards the most story-relevant hidden feature, secret door, trap, hidden clue, ambush or other surprise (good or bad). If there are no such features about, the GM might even invent one. At the GMs option, when you roll snake eyes near such an interesting location, you fail your intended action, and instead activate this schtick.
Cat and Mouse
Focus
When you have an opponent cornered, with no obvious way out, you instinctively build up for the kill and can focus.
Conditional Methods
Inherent
Select one or more Method compatible with your Tradition when you learn this power. Also select one condition, such as "In combat", "at night" or another kind of condition that you cannot control directly. The selected methods only apply under the chosen condition. They have no effect, good or bad, when the condition does not apply. Alternatively, you can apply different methods to different Forms or even individual powers.
Contagion Focus
Focus
You can focus at any time, but when focusing this way, you can only use your Limit Breaks on those you have you have a personal object or former body part from; others are unaffected. Any such items you have against the target are consumed in use. Your friends can donate such items to you beforehand.
Cornered Rat
Focus
When caught against a wall (literally or metaphorically) with no way out, you can focus. In a fight, if three opponents as close to you as your closest ally, this applies.
Explosive Focus
Focus
You can focus at will using this method, but only once per scene. Doing so invoking a power explosion. This does no harm, but is loud, flashy, and usually causes you to float in the air. It changes your appearance, at the very ruffling your outfit and leaving you slightly crispy. Depending on the campaign and your role, it might even leave you stark naked. You can usually get yourself in order between scenes, but with short scenes you might not have the opportunity. While disheveled, people will consider you rude and vulgar. This is a schtick version of the Power Explosion method.
Familiar
Inherent
You have a magical ally, a Henchman who follows you around and helps your magical abilities when called upon, but which can also be a hindrance. Construct a pet as a Henchman Rabble using your maximum allowed skill as it's highest skill. There is a magical link between the two of you. When you and the Familiar is touching, you can expend one of its Fortune points just as if you had spent a Fortune point yourself. Note that as a Henchman, your Familiar has a fixed number of Fortune points. You are in telepathic contact with your Familiar as long as you remain within a kilometer of each other, and the link still transmits basic empathic messages, even at longer range. Any damage inflicted on your familiar also affects you. When your familiar is sitting on you, it is generally immune to attacks - it can be the victim of stunts directed at you but cannot be attacked by itself. In general your Familiar will not provide any physical services beyond riding on your shoulder and providing power; it wont use its skills and abilities to hep you without being compensated, and is often a pest criticizing your behavior, giving unwanted advice and generally a pain is the ass. If you want a Familiar that actually helps physically, you have to get the Pet schtick as well - which also makes the familiar a lot more competent as it becomes an Extra.
Faith Focus
Focus
When you are in the presence of others who share your faith who ethically support your actions, you can focus. It generally takes about ten people to achieve this, but if you are acting directly in the interests of your faith even a single person will do. This is a schtick version of the Faith method.
Form Mastery
Limit Break
Select one Form when you take this schtick; you must know at least one form to take it. This form remains constant throughout the life of your character, but you can take this schtick several times to get mastery of several different forms. When you use Form Mastery, select one power of the relevant form. For the remainder of the scene, you can use this power as if you knew it.
Gimmick Flexible Pool
Inherent
Once per session you can select any one of gimmick you could reasonably have access to. Each of these can only be used in one scene and are then expended until the next session. See Acquiring Gizmos by Xp
Gimmick Fixed Pool
Inherent
Twice per session you can select a gimmick, all of the same subtype (Alchemic Items, Gadgets, or Gizmos) selected when the schtick is bought. Each of these can only be used in one scene and are then expended until the next session. See Acquiring Gizmos by Xp
Gimmick Flexible Store
Inherent
Any three gimmicks selected when you take the schtick. Each of these can only be used in one scene and are then expended until the next session. The GM may allow substitutions, generally at the start of a session. See Acquiring Gizmos by Xp
Gimmick Fixed Store
Inherent
Any four gimmicks from one specific subtype of gimmicks (Alchemic Items, Gadgets, or Gizmos). Every item must be selected when you take the schtick. Your Stock of each gimmick lasts for one scene. The GM may allow substitutions, generally at the start of a session. See Acquiring Gizmos by Xp
Jack of Trades
Inherent
When using a Stunt or using the perception element of a skill, you have a minimum skill value depending on your maximum skill value, see the table. This does not help you when using Powers or Schticks and does not confer contact or knowledge. Jack of Trades and Tag Skill are incompatible schticks, it is only possible to have one of these schticks.
| Skill Max | 11 or lower | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16 | 17 | 18-19 | 20 or higher |
| Jack of Trades Skill | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
You also become immune to the Incompetent limitation.
Judge of Skill
Inherent
Once per scene per creature you can use the Gauge Skill stunt without expending any shots to do so. To use the limit break version in this way, you need still need to be focused and to expend that focus, but it does not cost you any shots.
Luck
Inherent
When the GM makes a random roll to determine if some lucky or unlucky event strikes, you gain a +1 modifier on rolls that apply to you. The same applies when making rolls who suffer from some random calamity. This does not affect any skill or attribute roll, just dumb luck. You can take this schtick up to three times, with cumulative benefits.
Macguffin Focus
Focus
When you make significant progress towards a non-combat objective in an action scene, you can focus. This is basically any objective besides defeating enemies. Such objectives should be significant, based on the plot or some subplot or personality trait of yours - spurious objectives can work, but only at the GM's discretion.
Mastermind
Limit Break
You are a true mastermind, always one step ahead of the opposition. You make secret master plans that insure your success. You are able to bring hidden resources into play at any appropriate time. This is more common amongst villains than among heroes. At any point during a scenario, you can reveal yet another well-placed resource. This can be followers, equipment, a secret weapons cache, a hidden vehicle; the only limitations are that you must have access to the resource and be able to motivate it as a part of your secret master plan. If this involves some action you secretly took earlier in the scenario, based on information you did not yet have at that point, so much the better. - this is where Masterminds really shine. For example, it is completely reasonable for you to have placed a tracer on the villains car in scene 1, even tough you did not know he was the villain until scene 3, and then use this tracer in scene 5 to find his whereabouts. A master plan will never solve a plot, but it allows you to have the resources and preparations you need to set up interesting scenes and tackle difficult challenges. The main use is to avoid lengthy pauses when you have to stock up on information, gear, and resources.
Mentor
Inherent
You have mentor or employer that sees you as a trusted agent. The mentor is a constant source of information, employment opportunities, and often useless advice. It will provide information, payment, and act as a teacher, patron, and exemplar. The GM is encouraged to use the mentor as an adventure hook, and might tailor benefits and rewards to the mentor’s outlook on you. You can also turn to the mentor for help and advice, but a mentor will not accept being used and will avoid becoming directly involved in the action. The mentor is a powerful figure, which might or might not mean that he is a high-power character. A rich merchant, influential queen, or behind-the-scenes monster can function as a mentor just as well as the classic warrior lord or sage. The exact details of your mentor are up to the DM and unknown to you. A mentor might have a secret agenda and use you as a pawn in it, but is rarely hostile to your ideals.
Mobile Assistance
Trigger Action (Combo)
You can do an Assist action and also move. You can trigger Mobile Assistance before or after the action you are assisting.
Naming Focus
Focus
You can perform Limit breaks without being focused, but only if you know the individual True Name of all your targets. You can learn the true names of your friends with their cooperation, becoming able to focus power on them but also giving you a potentially devastating weapon against them.
This is a schtick version of the Naming method.
Poetic Justice
Finisher
You do not strive to kill your target when fighting him. You try to save him, perhaps to redeem him, but events conspire to bring him to poetic justice. You cannot use this finisher on a helpless target but only on targets just defeated or when another shctick allows you to use a Finisher on them. Somehow, the target's own actions becomes the reason for their defeat, often in a way that is reminiscent of the crimes they have committed in life. A miser is torn apart by the poor, a poisoner accidentally poisons himself, a strangler suffocates. Despite your best efforts to save them, the target falls victim to this poetic justice. For additional drama, the target has the option to accept your help to escape the situation, but to do so, they must confront and give up the way of life that led them into this situation, which generally involves giving in to your demands. The GM is the final arbiter of what happens to a victim of poetic justice, but they generally die (at least until they reappear in the sequel). Whatever happened, it is clearly not your fault, as you tried not to kill them.
Power Word Focus
Basic Action (Focus)
You can focus by shouting aloud the name of the power you are about to use. You must say what Limit Break you intend to use. You can only use this specific limit break this round. This is a schtick version of the Power Words method.
Rebound
Trigger Action
You have some personal source of power, some action or circumstance that restores you to full vigor. This can be things like making love to a new lover, making a blood sacrifice, succeeding with a heroic rescue, speaking out against evil, taking a drinking binge and so on. It must require roleplaying, and be a challenge to achieve or have some negative consequence. When you successfully activate rebound, you recover all lost Hits and Fortune Points, just as if t was a new play session. All lingering harmful effects that are not Curses end.
Restraint Focus
Focus
You can focus when physically restrained. This involves at least three of the following.
- Bound arms prevent physical attacks and most physical manipulation.
- Bound legs prevent movement as a part of normal basic actions. On a full move action, you can take a normal move instead of a full move, crawling or rolling over the ground.
- Blindfolding restricts your awareness, giving you only a rough estimate of objects and creatures in a diameter equal to your [[Mind (Action)|Mind; you are insensitive to things beyond this range.
- Gagging, which prevents mundane speech. Make sure to enforce this strictly.
- Leashing, being tied to another person or fixed location by a short leash which prevents movement beyond one or two meters.
Note that it is possible, even encouraged, to use powers to overcome these handicaps, and that the restraint never imposes any penalties on your use of your powers and you do not suffer Impairment as outlined under Action and Style. This is a schtick version of the Restraint method.
Pet
Inherent
You have an extraordinary pet, a loyal Henchman who follows you around and helps you to the best of its abilities. Construct a pet as a Henchman Extra using your maximum allowed skill as it's highest skill. Pets are not Folk but have some other creature type, most commonly it is an Animal. You can take this schtick several times to have several pets, but generally only one of them accompanies you at a time. Often, the GM will say that the situation is not appropriate for your pet; that it will not or can not follow you into complex, confusing, and dangerous situations, and you must take such limitations in good cheer. The pet is very good at support tasks and can intelligently do errands, deliver messages, guard prisoners, vehicles, or the back door and do other tasks that frees you up to adventure more effectively. If you want a magical pet, look at the Familiar schtick.
Selective Methods
Limit Break
You can turn any one Method off or on with this schtick. When turned off, it has no effect on you. You can only have one method turned off at a time.
Signature Move
Inherent
You have a signature move that you can make, even tough you are not practiced in the skill that would normally cover this maneuver. Choose a single Stunt or Schtick (not a Power). You can use your highest Action Value for the task, regardless of your value in the skill normally used when using this Stunt or Schtick. If you pick a Schtick, you must know that Schtick. If you choose Normal Melee Attack or Normal Ranged Attack, you must also select a specific weapon or inherent ability (that you can use) to attack with. "Maximum skill" in this case cannot be a skill affected by Tag Skill.
Signature Power
Inherent
Select one power you know. This power has become so familiar to you that it has no Origin and is never affected by Power Loss. You can use it just as if was an ordinary schtick, but it still has a Form and can be targeted by effects that are limited to its specific form.
Tag Skill
Inherent
Select one Skill. Your rating in this skill can be one higher than normal. You can only take this schtick once. Jack of Trades and Tag Skill are incompatible schticks, it is only possible to have one of these schticks.
Talent
Inherent
Some people are very good at folding paper kites or riding canoes over waterfalls, without having a high rating in the governing skill of Create or Ride. You have a specific and narrow talent, something that would ordinarily be based on a skill or ability you are not less skilled in. When performing in your specialty field, you use your highest Action Value for the task, regardless of your value in the skill normally used. Natural talents must be fairly specific; flying is too broad, but parachuting or hang gliding qualifies. "Maximum skill" in this case cannot be a skill affected by Tag Skill.