So here's the deal…
I'd like to test the Fate system before we jump into Episode 3. The point of the test is to determine whether Flat Earth adopts Fate or we just stick the d20 thing I made up (or even some sort of hybrid).
So it's not a total departure from the Flat Earth characters, this episode will cover the training session of Vincent's daughter on Roku-Roku Island. That said… it's a play-test. If any current Flat Earth players want to jump in with their current characters, that's fine.
Regardless, you need to create a Fate character. First, I'll show you MY play-test character… then I'll explain the steps.
ID: Name and description are self-explanatory. It's that huge number 3 that might throw you. Your character starts with 3 Fate points. Those allow you to do invoke an aspect, which will accomplish one of the following:
• +2 to your skill roll
• Reroll all your dice
• Teamwork: +2 to another character’s roll versus relevant passive opposition
• Obstacle: +2 to the passive opposition
ASPECTS: You can have up to five aspects. The first one is a "high concept" aspect. Lily is either the greatest beast-rider on the island, or she thinks she is. The second aspect is labeled "trouble," which is either a personal struggle or a problem with relationships. Lily is kind of grumpy, but she's very comfortable in the wilderness; therefore, she understands beasts more than men.
According to the Fate PDF, the idea of an aspect is that it should be a double-edged sword—something that may get your character into trouble, but also something that can get her out of trouble. The PDF also said you can leave some aspects blank, then add them later while the game's in-progress.
One sample aspect in the PDF is called smashing is always an option. Lily is destructive, so I might use that for her. If Lily topples a log-pile, for example, she can use a Fate point to make the obstacle she created difficult to overcome. If she's riding a beast and trying to escape an enemy, this may prove useful.
SKILLS: There are 20 generic skills to choose from. All skills can be used to overcome an obstacle or create an advantage. Most skills can be used to defend, and Fight, Shoot, Provoke and Magic are the only attack skills.
For a detailed list of skills, download the Fate Core System PDF (by clicking HERE, then scrolling down to the words "Fate Core System") and refer to p.97.
Here are the skills at a glance:
#1-18 are from the Fate PDF; #19 & 20 are skills I added. Flight is like athletics, only better, and with some limitations. For example, wet wings impede flight. If the Fate PDF, magic became lore attack, lore defense. I prefer keeping magic and lore separated. An ignorant, uneducated pixie can still be great with magic. I still want to keep magic as it was—no MP, with the possibility of charging spells. Fate's system makes that work. (More on that when we get into combat.)
When choosing skills, you get:
Of skills #1-18, you can roll for any of them, but without the modifier. If you don't have a modifier for skills #19 & 20, it means you can't fly or use magic. Most players can't fly.
EXTRAS: I'm using this space for items you found in-game. For the play-test, let's not have extras. One less thing. I gave Lily one just for having a sample. It may not have any use at all in the play-test, since it only affects one kind of animal.
STUNTS: You can either have 3 of these, OR you can have up to 5 by sacrificing "refresh" points. When I read the PDF, I noticed that some stunts required Fate points while others didn't. Also, some stunts are "once per ____." I prefer that stunts DON'T use Fate points, and simply have a "one per encounter" limit if they're overpowered.
A stunt is directly related to a skill. It's basically saying, "here's how I use my skill." You can take stunts from the PDF or make them up, but let me give a few suggestions.
According to the Fate PDF, you don't need to commit to your 3 stunts up-front. You can add them as you think of them.
STRESS and CONSEQUENCES: Honestly, we need to start a battle to see how this works. The good news is that, as long as I understand it, the game can run. That said, here's the short version of what you're looking at on Lily's sheet.
Lily has 4 physical stress boxes. Having 3-4 points in physique allows her to add 2 stress boxes. Let's say Lily is punched in the face by a bear. The bear rolls a 6 and Lily uses athletics to dodge, but rolls a 3. So the bear beat her by 3 points. That box with the 3 on it gets an X.
Now let's say her student Ariel refused to do push-ups, so her physique is moderate (meaning it's not on her skill list). Bear rolls 6; Ariel rolls 3. Only… Ariel doesn't HAVE a stress box #3. So now what? She suffers a consequence. A mild one, you hope… but no. Mild consequences happen when you fail by 1 or 2 points, and the #1 and #2 stress boxes are gone. Poor Ariel suffers a moderate consequence, such as a "deep cut." She is in need of medical attention.
Here's a bit of home-brewing…
Pixies have small bodies. As a result, they are more prone to physical stress. (One stress box, unless you add physique for tiny little pixie muscles.) That's it for pixie limitations. If you WANT a pixie who can fight, sell it. She has a little sword like you put in drinks. The sword's name is Olivesbane and it's laced with a stinging toxin. I see no reason why your tiny fairy can't have access to any skill. In addition, her small body can get her into small places humans can't access, and she can fly if you want her to.
Mentalists read minds. As a result, they are more prone to mental stress. That's it for the mentalist. If you want a non-magic mentalist, you can have one. Skills that involve reading people will work normally. As Ireth can attest to, mind-reading can result in information coming to you whether you were looking for it or not. Mind reading + any of the Fate mind skills should prove a useful combination. Also, it's been established that fooling a mentalist is possible. The Deceive skill will be the official way to do that, and there may be a stunt that guarantees a block vs. one specific mentalist. Demons and deities may have an innate ability to prevent mind-reading.
For every other class, the 18 skills the game comes with should allow you to create the perfect huntress, amazon, pirate, etc. Fate is more about creating characters than classes, so if you see your character as more of a Princess than an Amazon, build her as such.
I realize this is a lot to take in, so I'll wait until we have play-test characters before I go on. If you're playing, here's what I need from you:
ID: Name and description.
ASPECTS: 2-5 of them: 1 "high-concept" aspect, 1 "trouble" aspect, and up to 3 more aspects.
SKILLS: 1 great, 2 good, 3 fair, and 4 average skills from the list of 20 shown above.
STUNTS: Up to 5 of them. You can wait for combat to start if you want to, but if you add stunts up-front, you can have up to 5. Note that if you have more than 3, you sacrifice the number of Fate points you start with.
APPEARANCE, so I can draw your character.
I'd like to test the Fate system before we jump into Episode 3. The point of the test is to determine whether Flat Earth adopts Fate or we just stick the d20 thing I made up (or even some sort of hybrid).
So it's not a total departure from the Flat Earth characters, this episode will cover the training session of Vincent's daughter on Roku-Roku Island. That said… it's a play-test. If any current Flat Earth players want to jump in with their current characters, that's fine.
Regardless, you need to create a Fate character. First, I'll show you MY play-test character… then I'll explain the steps.
ID: Name and description are self-explanatory. It's that huge number 3 that might throw you. Your character starts with 3 Fate points. Those allow you to do invoke an aspect, which will accomplish one of the following:
• +2 to your skill roll
• Reroll all your dice
• Teamwork: +2 to another character’s roll versus relevant passive opposition
• Obstacle: +2 to the passive opposition
ASPECTS: You can have up to five aspects. The first one is a "high concept" aspect. Lily is either the greatest beast-rider on the island, or she thinks she is. The second aspect is labeled "trouble," which is either a personal struggle or a problem with relationships. Lily is kind of grumpy, but she's very comfortable in the wilderness; therefore, she understands beasts more than men.
According to the Fate PDF, the idea of an aspect is that it should be a double-edged sword—something that may get your character into trouble, but also something that can get her out of trouble. The PDF also said you can leave some aspects blank, then add them later while the game's in-progress.
One sample aspect in the PDF is called smashing is always an option. Lily is destructive, so I might use that for her. If Lily topples a log-pile, for example, she can use a Fate point to make the obstacle she created difficult to overcome. If she's riding a beast and trying to escape an enemy, this may prove useful.
SKILLS: There are 20 generic skills to choose from. All skills can be used to overcome an obstacle or create an advantage. Most skills can be used to defend, and Fight, Shoot, Provoke and Magic are the only attack skills.
For a detailed list of skills, download the Fate Core System PDF (by clicking HERE, then scrolling down to the words "Fate Core System") and refer to p.97.
Here are the skills at a glance:
- Athletics - think dexterity; it's also useful for dodging attacks
- Burglary - seems a bit shady for a non-evil character, but lock-picking and such may prove useful
- Contacts - you know a lot of people, whether in high society or on shady barstools
- Crafts - Pidge the sugarplum fairy likes to create machinery, but even a chef can make use of this skill
- Deceive - in a world full of mind-readers, knowing how to lie well or conceal thoughts may prove useful
- Drive - this is a skill for driving vehicles, but I would apply it to horseback riding or steering a ship
- Empathy - quoth the PDF, "It's basically the emotional Notice skill," and it's also used to recover consequences that are mental in nature (more on that later)
- Fight - close combat, attack or defense, armed or unarmed
- Investigate - you gain detailed info through in-depth scrutiny
- Lore - you're knowledgeable and/or highly educated
- Notice - you gain info at a glance
- Physique - think strength; also, having points in physique lets you withstand more physical stress
- Provoke - quoth the PDF, "It's the 'being a jerk' skill," and it's actually used to attack, causing mental stress
- Rapport - this skill is used to make connections with people (and I say animals, too)
- Resources - you're rich, or you have good business sense
- Shoot - ranged attacks, but not defense (athletics is used to dodge bullets)
- Stealth - you're sneaky
- Will - mental fortitude, used to defend vs. "provoke;" also, having points in will let's you withstand more mental stress
- Flight - winged characters have this skill; characters who grow wings may learn it (more on that much later)
- Magic - mentalists and pixies can start with this skill; anyone can learn it
#1-18 are from the Fate PDF; #19 & 20 are skills I added. Flight is like athletics, only better, and with some limitations. For example, wet wings impede flight. If the Fate PDF, magic became lore attack, lore defense. I prefer keeping magic and lore separated. An ignorant, uneducated pixie can still be great with magic. I still want to keep magic as it was—no MP, with the possibility of charging spells. Fate's system makes that work. (More on that when we get into combat.)
When choosing skills, you get:
- 1 great skill (+4)
- 2 good skills (+3)
- 3 fair skills (+2)
- 4 average skills (+1)
Of skills #1-18, you can roll for any of them, but without the modifier. If you don't have a modifier for skills #19 & 20, it means you can't fly or use magic. Most players can't fly.
EXTRAS: I'm using this space for items you found in-game. For the play-test, let's not have extras. One less thing. I gave Lily one just for having a sample. It may not have any use at all in the play-test, since it only affects one kind of animal.
STUNTS: You can either have 3 of these, OR you can have up to 5 by sacrificing "refresh" points. When I read the PDF, I noticed that some stunts required Fate points while others didn't. Also, some stunts are "once per ____." I prefer that stunts DON'T use Fate points, and simply have a "one per encounter" limit if they're overpowered.
A stunt is directly related to a skill. It's basically saying, "here's how I use my skill." You can take stunts from the PDF or make them up, but let me give a few suggestions.
- Samurai - "Quck-draw" [FIGHT] +2 to FIGHT when drawing the katana, able to strike 3-4 opponents if you succeed with style. (That means you out-roll your opponent by 3 "shifts" (3 points).) Once per encounter; sheathed katana required.
- Shield Maiden - "Protect" [FIGHT] +2 to an ally's defense, but -2 to your own defense. Shield required.
- Brawler - "Grapple" [PHYSIQUE] +2 to grapple roll. (This one's in the Fate PDF, but I think it's perfect for the brawler. Note that grappling is not an attack; it's using physique to create an advantage. This means that you grapple one turn, then on the next turn you get to put on the hurt with the FIGHT skill.)
According to the Fate PDF, you don't need to commit to your 3 stunts up-front. You can add them as you think of them.
STRESS and CONSEQUENCES: Honestly, we need to start a battle to see how this works. The good news is that, as long as I understand it, the game can run. That said, here's the short version of what you're looking at on Lily's sheet.
Lily has 4 physical stress boxes. Having 3-4 points in physique allows her to add 2 stress boxes. Let's say Lily is punched in the face by a bear. The bear rolls a 6 and Lily uses athletics to dodge, but rolls a 3. So the bear beat her by 3 points. That box with the 3 on it gets an X.
Now let's say her student Ariel refused to do push-ups, so her physique is moderate (meaning it's not on her skill list). Bear rolls 6; Ariel rolls 3. Only… Ariel doesn't HAVE a stress box #3. So now what? She suffers a consequence. A mild one, you hope… but no. Mild consequences happen when you fail by 1 or 2 points, and the #1 and #2 stress boxes are gone. Poor Ariel suffers a moderate consequence, such as a "deep cut." She is in need of medical attention.
Here's a bit of home-brewing…
Pixies have small bodies. As a result, they are more prone to physical stress. (One stress box, unless you add physique for tiny little pixie muscles.) That's it for pixie limitations. If you WANT a pixie who can fight, sell it. She has a little sword like you put in drinks. The sword's name is Olivesbane and it's laced with a stinging toxin. I see no reason why your tiny fairy can't have access to any skill. In addition, her small body can get her into small places humans can't access, and she can fly if you want her to.
Mentalists read minds. As a result, they are more prone to mental stress. That's it for the mentalist. If you want a non-magic mentalist, you can have one. Skills that involve reading people will work normally. As Ireth can attest to, mind-reading can result in information coming to you whether you were looking for it or not. Mind reading + any of the Fate mind skills should prove a useful combination. Also, it's been established that fooling a mentalist is possible. The Deceive skill will be the official way to do that, and there may be a stunt that guarantees a block vs. one specific mentalist. Demons and deities may have an innate ability to prevent mind-reading.
For every other class, the 18 skills the game comes with should allow you to create the perfect huntress, amazon, pirate, etc. Fate is more about creating characters than classes, so if you see your character as more of a Princess than an Amazon, build her as such.
I realize this is a lot to take in, so I'll wait until we have play-test characters before I go on. If you're playing, here's what I need from you:
ID: Name and description.
ASPECTS: 2-5 of them: 1 "high-concept" aspect, 1 "trouble" aspect, and up to 3 more aspects.
SKILLS: 1 great, 2 good, 3 fair, and 4 average skills from the list of 20 shown above.
STUNTS: Up to 5 of them. You can wait for combat to start if you want to, but if you add stunts up-front, you can have up to 5. Note that if you have more than 3, you sacrifice the number of Fate points you start with.
APPEARANCE, so I can draw your character.
Last edited:
Mythic Scribe