Tough Guy (or Gal)

Requirement: none
Effect: +1 Endurance for creating Health Stress Track

Maybe you got knocked around as a kid, or maybe you just naturally have a high pain threshold, or maybe you have unusually hard bones, but you do not suffer from physical damage as much as the next guy.  When creating your Health Stress Track (which tracks the physical damage you have taken), create it as if your Endurance is one level higher.

Ambidextrous

Requirement: Athletics 3+

You are equally skilled with both hands.  If you are forced, due to injury or confinement, to use your off hand to shoot, pick a lock, or whatever, then you do not have the -2 penalty that would normally be applied.  In addition, at the GM's discretion, this either eliminates the supplemental action penalty or provides a free taggable aspect to tasks in which both hands are doing something complex, such as playing most musical instruments, performing field surgery while both you and the target are dangling from ropes, or disarming a bomb while attempting to stay balanced on a tiny ledge.

Attuned to all vehicles

Requirement: Driving and Piloting both 2+ and not specialized
Effect: +1 to one Driving sub-skill and one Piloting sub-skill without the normal specialization penalty
- OR -
Requirement: Driving and Piloting both 3+ and not specialized
Effect: +1 to two Driving sub-skill and one Piloting sub-skill or +1 to one Driving sub-skill and two Piloting sub-skills
- OR -
Requirement: Driving and Piloting both 4+ and not specialized
Effect: +1 to two Driving sub-skills and two Piloting sub-skills

Cars, trucks, planes, watercraft – they're all just vehicles to you.  You just have a feel for vehicles and an intuitive sense for how to make them go where you like.  While there are some with which you're especially skilled, that hasn't come at the cost of skill with others.

Casing the Joint

Requirement: Burglary/Disable Security Systems 3+ AND Mechanical/Construction 3+
Effect: Infer the internal layout of a building from the outside, and use Mechanical/Construction skill or +1 Investigation for noticing anomalies withing a building.

Your experience breaking into places, plus your basic knowledge of how buildings are put together have taught you how to get along without blueprints.  Just from the placement of windows, doors, fire escapes, and vents you can figure out the likely layout of the building's internals.  This skill could also be applied if you are inside a building and have scouted half of it.  At that point, you would be pretty sure of the layout of the other half.

If you actually have a blueprint, you will immediately notice the interesting points: the best access, the likely location of cameras, of a wall safe, etc.  (Depending on how well these things are hidden, the GM might require you to make a roll using the better of the two skills in the requirement.  In this case, he would have a target skill level in mind which you must beat, much like making a burglary roll.)

Finally, if you are looking for construction anomalies, such as the location of a secret passage or a hidden safe room, you can choose either to use your Mechanical/Construction skill instead of Investigation, or add one to your Investigation skill, whichever works out better.

Gunslinger

Requirement: Athletics/Eye-hand coordination 3+
Effect: +1 Alertness when establishing order of attack with any ranged weapon; for one ranged weapon specialty, +1 to Ranged combat and an additional +1 Alertness when using that weapon
- OR -
Requirement: Athletics/Eye-hand coordination 5+
Effect: +2 Alertness when establishing order of attack with any ranged weapon;  for one ranged weapon specialty, +2 to Ranged combat and an additional +1 Alertness when using that weapon

Your impressive speed and talent with your hands translates to a quick draw and more accuracy with one type of ranged weapon. This stunt affects only one ranged weapon specialty, whether or not you have specialized your ranged weapon skill. It may be a different specialty from your own specialization if you have one, or it may be the same as your specialization. Also, this stunt can be taken multiple times to affect different ranged weapon specialties, but the increase to Alertness with all ranged weapons does not stack.

Hush

Requirement: Stealth 2+, Empathy/Leadership 1+
Effect: -1 Stealth roll, applied to yourself plus others, up to your Leadership ability of others.

You have a talent for helping others be nearly as quiet and as slippery as you are.  When you are leading others, pointing where they should stand, etc. then the whole group acts nearly as stealthily as you could on your own.  Of course, this only works if the others are trying their hardest to follow your instructions.  Make a single roll for the entire group, where the size of the group (not counting yourself) is up to your Leadership skill level.

Note that if some of the people following have their own Stealth ability which meets or exceeds the adjusted ability of the player, then they can roll on their own and not be counted as part of the crowd.

Brings out the best in people

Requirement: Empathy/Leadership 4+
Effect: Spend a FATE point to improve another's skill by +3 for one use
-OR-
Effect: Spend a FATE point to improve another's skill by +2 for an entire scene
-OR-
Effect: Spend a FATE point to improve a skill of several people by +1 for an entire scene

You know just how to give the pep talk that can inspire others to perform greater than they otherwise would be able.  Whether instilling courage and skill in the engineer just before he tries to disarm the bomb, or giving a speech to a group of warriors just before combat, your words are just what the listeners needed to hear in order to do their very best.

The player can choose which effect at the time of spending the FATE point. When a player is affecting more than one person, it must be the same skill for all the recipients. He should announce his intention to spend the FATE point, and then make a leadership roll to determine how many people he can affect (as many as the result).  He could choose to spend another FATE point to improve the leadership roll via an aspect.

Con Man

Requirement: Deceit/Spoken: 5+ and NOT Counterfeiter
Effect: +1 to Resources

You always get a deal. You can cajole, threaten, say whatever it takes to get the supplies you need.  Note that, because the costs are on a logarithmic scale, +1 is really pretty significant.

Counterfeiter

Requirement: Deceit/Forgery: 5+ and NOT Con Man
Effect: +1 to Resources

You are able to supplement your real cash with a bit of funny money.  For major purchases, the people you are purchasing from are likely to be a little angry when they find out, which might lead to further adventures.  Note that, because the costs are on a logarithmic scale, +1 is really pretty significant.

Fosters Cooperation

Requirement: Empathy/Leadership 4+
Effect: Spend a FATE point to get people cooperating productively to reach a common goal.

When a player has a single important skill roll, typically others can assist by (each) spending a FATE point to help, improving his roll by 1. However, a true leader can get several people working in harmony. Once someone has declared that he will be attempting a task, and others have agreed to help how they can, your help is to coordinate the effort. The result is that the person with the highest relevant skill will roll, and he will get +1 for every person your stunt affects. You should announce your intention to spend the FATE point, and then make a leadership roll to determine how many people you can affect. The people being affected must have some skill rated at least Fair (+2) that credibly help.

For example, suppose the heroes are at 4000 feet altitude when their airplane's engine bursts into flame. One character is a Great (+4) Mechanic but the GM decides that this is going to take a legendary deed to repair in mid-air before a crash. The mechanic spends his last FATE point on an aspect to gain him +2, but it will still take a lucky roll to succeed. Another character is also a fair mechanic, so he can help; the skilled pilot says that he can glide the plane, buying the mechanic some time; and the electronics expert can reroute some of the circuits around the damaged area.

They could each spend a FATE point to each provide +1 to the mechanic's effort, or the leader with this stunt could spend a single FATE point. As long as he makes a leadership roll of Great (+4) or better, then he coordinates the efforts of all four members. The mechanic is rolling his Great (+4) ability, adds +2 from his own aspect (which he spent his own FATE point for), and he adds a total of +3 for the three teammates helping, each in their own way. This inspired bit of teamwork has the mechanic rolling at +9, so a Legendary result is reasonably achievable.

Note the the GM:  You really shouldn't be putting your players in a "Make a Legendary Result or Die" situation very often, or really ever.  But it's ok to make them think they are in such a situation now and then.  Perhaps if they had failed, they'd be on a tough survival adventure in the mountains, but now they made it and you have to scramble for where they are headed.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:34, Tue 23 June 2020.

Member of a Secret Society

Requirement: Humanities/Language +1 and spend one language slot
Effect: no penalty to Empathy/Contacting Network for being outside your home turf

You are a member of a secret or semi-secret society that spans the continent.  This could be the Freemasons, La Cosa Nostra, the KKK, or many others.  Anywhere you go, you will have the ability to contact others in your society, which you recognize by signals, special handshakes, or special phrases that sound like mumbling or unimportant phrases to non-members.  These other members will automatically be well-disposed towards you, so you can use your normal Empathy/Contacting Network skill wherever you go.

You must have at least one extra language slot and you must spend that slot on the secret society language.  The language is not so complete that you could talk about any subject without others understanding; but you would be able to communicate your standing and position in the society, you would be able to discuss topics that are important to the society, and you would be able to set up a time and place to have a more private conversation.

Say What They Want to Hear

Requirement: Empathy : 3+
Effect: +1 to Deceit/Spoken OR +1 Diplomacy/Information Gathering OR +1 Diplomacy/Convincing Others
- OR -
Requirement: Empathy : 5+
Effect: +2 to Deceit/Spoken OR +2 Diplomacy/Information Gathering OR +2 Diplomacy/Convincing Others OR +1 to all three

Your ability to read people facilitates your ability to lie to them, and/or get information from them, and/or convince them to do what you want. By making a read of what they are hoping to hear, you can modify your conversation to make the subject more pliable.

Which effect you get from the stunt must be decided when the stunt is taken. If the character already has the stunt and achieves the higher requirement somehow, at that point he must decide if he will improve the existing effect to +2 or apply his new-found ability to the other two options (that is, convert to the “+1 to all three” choice).
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:54, Thu 04 Feb 2021.

Separate Persona

Requirement: Deceit/Disguise: 4+
Effect: +2 Deceit/Disguise for one specific disguise

You have a Disguise that you have used so much and are so adept at constructing that people know him as a different person. They are so used to seeing this other person that they do not even think to question that it is really you. Also, you can switch between personas in only minutes. This stunt can be taken multiple times for different additional personas. (Pro tip:  Don't use the names Clark Kent or Peter Parker for the alternate persona.)

Split Personality

Requirement: Deceit/Disguise: 5+, Separate Persona
Effect: Replace five skills, two aspects, and one stunt when in alternate personality

Your embodiment of your alternate personality is so complete that you have fooled yourself. Your other persona actually has different skills, different aspects, and a different stunt that you do not have. From your skill tree, replace one skill you have at Great (+4), one skill you have as Good (+3), one that you have as Fair (+2), and two that you have as Average (+1). Note that these refer to the slots that the skills sit in.  If you have specialized the skill, so that one sub-skill is a level higher and the others are lower, ignore the specialty – it is the overall level for the skill that matters.  Also, you can not replace the Deceit/Disguise skill.

The new skills that you take for the alternate personality can be specialized normally.  If you take a skill that is also one on your primary list, but specialized differently, or at a different level, this still counts as one of your five skill replacements.

In addition to replacing five skills, you replace two aspects and one stunt.  Of course, the new stunt must be one that your new personality qualifies for.  Finally, you can not replace Separate Persona or Split Personality.

You have to change your disguise to gain the benefit of the other personality, and you should be secretive about it. Even if your comrades know of your separate persona, you should be unhappy about letting them actually see you change.

You must have the correct clothes/gear/makeup/wig available in order to make the change, and it will take up to five rounds of reasonable calm and privacy to do so.  However, if you are pressed for time, make a Deceit/Disguise roll to determine how long it will take and apply the following table.

Takes One to Know One

Requirement: Deceit/Spoken: 3+
Effect: +1 to Empathy/Reading Emotions
- OR -
Requirement: Deceit/Spoken: 5+
Effect: +2 to Empathy/Reading Emotions

As an accomplished liar, you’re especially able to figure out when someone else is lying as well.

Clever Facade

Requirement: Say What They Want to Hear or Takes One to Know One.

Whenever the character is the target of an Empathy “read”, decides to put a false face forward, and wins the contest, he not only provides a false aspect to the reader, he also gets a read on the reader himself (revealing an aspect). The reader has fallen for your clever trap!  This aspect that the player has gleaned can be freely tagged in the following rounds to gain an advantage.  However, it should have diminishing returns – it is not a free +2 against the character for the rest of his life.  If the opponent is a recurring character, then the GM should feel free to have the character grow and change in the same way that player characters do.  Once the player character has exploited it successfully once or twice, the opponent will patch this hole in his repertoire and not be vulnerable to the same trick next time.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:35, Sun 25 Oct 2020.

Unflappable

Requirement: None
Effect: +1 Resolve for the purposes of creating the Composure Stress Track

You are not easily embarrassed, intimidated, or confused.  When creating your Composure Stress Track (which tracks the social or mental damage you have taken), create it as if your Resolve is one level higher.

Actor

Requirement: Arts/Performing 3+
Effect: Deceit/Disguise +1
-OR-
Requirement: Arts/Performing 5+
Effect: Deceit/Disguise +2

All that practice on stage has improved your ability to create a disguise and the confidence to pull it off.

Dazzling Brilliance in Arts

Requirement: None

When trying to deceive someone on a subject covered by Arts, you can use your Arts skill instead of your Deceit skill. If you have a specialty within the skill, then use the appropriate ability for the subject about which you are trying to dazzle someone. The person being dazzled will be able to defend using the same skill, if that is higher for him than Resolve.

Dazzling Brilliance in Humanities

Requirement: None

When trying to deceive someone on a subject covered by Humanities, you can use your Humanities skill instead of your Deceit skill. If you have a specialty within the skill, then use the appropriate ability for the subject about which you are trying to dazzle someone. The person being dazzled will be able to defend using the same skill, if that is higher for him than Resolve.

Dazzling Brilliance in Science

Requirement: None

When trying to deceive someone on a subject covered by General science, you can use your General science skill instead of your Deceit skill. If you have a specialty within the skill, then use the appropriate ability for the subject about which you are trying to dazzle someone. The person being dazzled will be able to defend using the same skill, if that is higher for him than Resolve.

Linguist

Requirement:  Humanities/Languages 3+

Normally, someone may only speak a number of additional languages equivalent to the value of his Humanities/Languages skill. With this stunt, the character doubles this number.

Gift of Tongues

Requirement:  Linguist and Humanities/Languages 5+

There is no “mainstream” earthly language you cannot read or speak – no need to pick those languages. Instead, you may use your usual language “slots” (not doubled from Linguist) to choose languages that you have no business having learned, such as small regional languages, clan languages, or secret society languages.

While you know the phrases and gestures that would get you initially accepted by members of La Cosa Nostra, they probably will find out, eventually, that you aren't really a member.  And they really don't take jokes well.  However, knowing the language would let you identify who is giving the secret handshake or the code phrase, even if you don't respond in kind.  Overhearing a conversation that the speakers think is not understandable to anyone outside the organization also has its merits.

See the stunt Member of a Secret Society for limitations on secret society languages.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:39, Sun 25 Oct 2020.

Golden Voice

Requirement: Arts/Performing 3+
Effect: Deceit/Spoken +1
-OR-
Requirement: Arts/Performing 5+
Effect: Deceit/Spoken +2

You understand the tone and modulation needed to make your words believable.

“The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you've got it made.” Jean Giraudoux (or possibly George Burns)

Serious Bit Head

Requirement: Electronics and Electrical/Computer hardware and misc.: 3+
Effect: +1 to any one specialty of Computer software
- OR -
Requirement: Electronics and Electrical/Computer hardware and misc.: 5+
Effect: +2 to any one specialty of Computer software OR +1 to all specialties of Computer software

Your deep understanding of how computers are put together improves your ability to program them. Dropping into machine code to take a little shortcut on the programming is not a problem for you.

Which specialty the stunt affects has must be decided when the stunt is taken. If the character already has the stunt and achieves the higher requirement somehow, at that point he must decide if he will improve the existing effect to +2 or apply his new-found ability to the other specialties.