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-====== Attacks ======
-An Attack is an ability that deals damage to a target. "Damage" is a somewhat abstracted concept in Annulus; taking damage might mean getting stabbed, burned or shot but also might mean losing your sanity or sapping your will to continue fighting.
-Attacks are highly customizable and have many, many different upgrades available. Many seasoned adventurers have more than one attack set for different situations.
-All attack sets must start by taking the "Damage" ability. The Damage ability costs one Experience as normal. Further upgrades are required in order to create diversification.
-You can optionally select an elemental "tag" for an attack. Attacks with elements accomplish their effects through some more exotic method than the assumed default of physically hitting the target with a solid object. Note that elements are entirely optional and not required by default for any attack, but might greatly aid your ability to match a given attack with the Fiction Rule. Any given attack cannot have more than a single element. Default elements in the game include:
-  * **Heat.** Heat-element attacks destructively add energy to a target. They often involve fire, lasers, magma, or other sources of energy.
-  * **Cold.** Cold-element attacks are the opposite of heat-element ones and remove energy from a target. Ice, liquid nitrogen, freezing winds, and similar.
-  * **Electric.** Electric-element attacks introduce an electric charge to a target. Lightning is the classic example, as well as more artificial electric weaponry such as tasers.
-  * **Corrosive.** Corrosive-element attacks break the physical form of the target apart at the molecular level. Acid, disintegration rays, etc.
-  * **Force.** Force-element attacks compress or warp the target through the use of vibrations and/or pressure. Weaponized gravity, thunderclaps, shockwaves, and so forth would all be considered Force attacks.
-  * **Baneful.** Baneful-element attacks interfere with the inner workings of a target's body by introducing a hazardous material or circumstance. Poison is the easiest and most obvious example, but things like radiation, parasitic infection, and even a gorgon's petrifying gaze would all be examples of Baneful attacks in action.
-  * **Shadow.** Shadow-element attacks strike at a target's "life force" instead of their body. "Life force" can and will mean very different things depending on the campaign world- everything from an actual, concrete force that grants life to a more abstract quality such as biological imperative or the will to survive.
-  * **Divine.** Divine-element attacks are a result of a supremely powerful being's will that the target be destroyed. Note that "divine" might equal "holy" in some campaign worlds, but definitely not all. A classical fantasy scenario might involve a cleric channeling their deity's displeasure to smite their foes with a divine attack, but Cthulhu's baleful stare would also be a divine attack.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Not all elements will exist in all campaign worlds. For example, a world with neither advanced technology nor magic simply won't have the means for there to be a lot of Electric-element attacks. If you're not sure if a given element will be available for you to use in your attacks, ask your GM. |
-====== Damage (Seed Ability) ======
-"Damage" is the basic seed ability that must be taken first when creating a new attack set. There are actually three separate damage attack abilities: Agility Damage, Toughness Damage, and Insight Damage. You must choose only one, and once chosen the choice cannot later be changed. The choice determines which defense the attack will target- for example, an attack with a Toughness Damage seed ability will always target the Toughness defense of any creatures it is used against.
-When you use an Attack on a subject, roll four dice. You deal damage equal to the number of successes on the dice. The subject of the attack subtracts their relevant defense from the damage dealt. This can reduce the damage a given target takes to 0 but not below 0. Endurance is removed first, then Vitality if a target has no more Endurance. If you remove the last Vitality from a creature, that creature dies.
-Using an Attack costs 1 action. You can target any space within 1 meter of your position (basically, anything within arm's reach). For whatever reason, attacks don't work and cannot be used in airless environments (such as underwater or in vacuum) but can still freely be used against targets in such environments so long as you're attacking from outside them. If you don't have a clear, open line of effect (no walls, other creatures, etc blocking your view) from you to the target, then you cannot use the attack on the target.
-If you successfully deal at least one point of damage with an attack against a creature in the Clueless state and that creature's level is equal to or lower than your own, you instantly kill that creature with no further checks necessary or questions asked. This is known as an "assassination". You cannot assassinate a subject if they are Suspicious or Alert, nor can you assassinate a target whose level is higher than your own. Player-controlled adventurers are immune to assassination, except when performed by other player-controlled adventurers. Attacks that miss (deal 0 damage) do not assassinate their target.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|When choosing which defense (Agility, Toughness, or Insight) an attack will target, the Fiction Rule is intentionally very flexible. For purposes of mechanical balance, it should be assumed that attacks of all three types are equally available in every sort of campaign world. \\ \\ Example: while it might seem like physical weapons such as swords should always target Agility and nothing else, the individual style of the sword-bearer can serve as enough reason to select a different type. For instance, a greatsword wielder that focuses on large, sweeping strikes that are incredibly difficult to avoid could justify making their attack be of the Toughness type, and a rapier wielder that plays mental fake-out games with their opponent to throw them off their guard and leave them open to a quick stab could easily justify having their attacks target Insight. |
-===== Basic Upgrades =====
-The following upgrades can be applied to any attack and have mostly simple, straightforward effects.
-==== Blindfight ====
-You take no disadvantage with the attack when targeting a subject in partial concealment. Cover and solid obstacles still prevent you from attacking effectively, but not concealment. Targets with full concealment still cannot be effectively targeted.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Improved Blindfight |You can target subjects that are in complete concealment with the attack. Doing so gives you one disadvantage. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Anything that helps you target creatures without being able to see them clearly could give you the Blindfight upgrade. Special training, heat-vision scopes, and missiles that home in on their target automatically are all possible justifications. |
-==== Bloody ====
-You can choose to damage your own Vitality instead of spending an action to use the attack. If the attack would normally require two actions to use, you must lose two Vitality in order to use it for free. There is no limit to how many times you may use an attack each round in this manner. You are under no obligation to use an attack this way; the upgrade merely gives you the option if you want it.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|The free attacks from the Bloody upgrade are achieved by physically wounding yourself, making it a particularly good choice for powerful cursed weapons that drink the blood of their wielders. A less sinister justification might simply be that the attack's wielder can trigger a rush of epinephrine on demand, pushing their body past its normal limits but seriously damaging themselves in the process. |
-==== Blowback ====
-Every time the attack is used, you have +1 additional automatic success on the check but take 1 damage that cannot be avoided or reduced in any way. This upgrade may be selected multiple times; each time increases both damage output and blowback by +1.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Similar to the Bloody upgrade, Blowback involves a greater damage output at the cost of damaging one's own self. However, Blowback damage isn't guaranteed to result in self-injury so long as the wielder has enough Endurance to soak it, making it a better fit for those with a reckless fighting style instead of reasoned sacrifice. Blowback attacks frequently have an elemental tag to help explain the lack of control. Some examples might be an overcharged electrical prod that leaks current into its wielder even as it dishes out impressive pain to those on its business end, or a pressurized can of corrosive liquid that splashes wildly. Very highly upgraded versions of Blowback can even simulate a self-destruct attack. |
-==== Bully ====
-When you successfully use the attack on a creature that is smaller than yourself, you deal an additional 1 damage per difference in size that you are. For example, if you are size 5 and use a Bully attack on a Size 4 creature, you deal +1 damage. If you use it on a size 3 creature, you deal +2 instead. You must successfully deal at least 1 point of damage with the attack before applying the Bully modifier in order to benefit from this upgrade.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Almost any attack that takes advantage of its user's superior weight, reach, or destructive potential from their size is a good candidate for the Bully upgrade. Large creatures that habitually come into conflict with smaller ones (such as ogres, kaiju and so forth) will often have it on most or all of their attacks. |
-==== Chestburster ====
-You don't take any disadvantages when attacking a creature from the inside (such as when you have been struck by a Devour trigger upgrade.)
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Chestburster attacks have to be usable in very tight quarters indeed, so it would be difficult to justify taking this upgrade for attacks that take the form of enormous weapons that have to be swung in large arcs. Most chestburster attacks use a sharp sawing edge rather than blunt trauma to deal damage. |
-==== Commando ====
-You may attempt to assassinate targets that are Suspicious instead of making regular attacks against them. Assassination attempts on Suspicious targets carry two disadvantages. If you do not wish to take the disadvantages, you can choose to simply make an ordinary attack without any special disadvantages as usual.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Attacks with the Commando upgrade require some amount of speed or subtlety in order to perform their function (assassinating targets that are actively on the lookout for dangers). If the attack requires its user to stand in the open and sing, then it isn't a good fit for Commando. |
-==== Consistency ====
-After making an attack, you may optionally immediately reroll your check and take the new result. You must accept the new result even if it is worse than the old. You take a disadvantage on the reroll. You cannot reroll more than one attack check per round. Trigger dice, if any, are not rerolled.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Consistency models attacks that are very difficult to evade completely. Attacks that strike a wide area such as fireballs or poison gas clouds are good candidates for this upgrade. Alternately, a Consistency upgrade can represent specialized training with a given attack form that allows its wielder to adjust their strikes mid-motion to hopefully gain a batter result. Another possible justification for a Consistency upgrade is if the weapon or its wielder is inherently lucky in some way, like a leprechaun's shillelagh stick. |
-==== Demolitions ====
-The attack is capable of damaging inanimate objects made of materials of Tier II toughness, such as wood, plastic, glass, sandstone or soft metals like gold. Without this upgrade, you can only use the attack to damage objects of Tier I toughness such as cloth, paper, or flesh.
-Escalation can provide an alternate means of gaining the benefit of the Demolitions upgrade. If Escalation in a given fight is at three or higher, creatures can choose to take three disadvantages on any attack roll but treat the attack as if it had the Demolitions upgrade. If the attack already had Demolitions, it is treated as having the Improved Demolitions upgrade. If it already had Improved Demolitions, it is treated as having the Legendary Demolitions upgrade. This trade-off is strictly voluntary and strictly only available when Escalation is at 3 or higher.
-Similarly, when Escalation is at 6 or higher all creatures can choose to take six disadvantages and treat their attack as if it had two increased steps worth of Demolitions (regular attacks are treated as if they had Improved Demolitions, Demolitions attacks are treated as if they had Legendary Demolitions). This is an additional choice to that given at 3 Escalation and does not replace it. When Escalation is at 9 or higher, creatures can choose to take nine disadvantages and treat any attack as if it had the Legendary Demolitions upgrade.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Improved Demolitions |The attack is capable of damaging inanimate objects made of materials of Tier III toughness, such as steel, granite or similar.  |  Demolitions  |
-|Legendary Demolitions |The attack is capable of damaging inanimate objects made of materials of Tier IV toughness, such as diamond, adamantine, mithril or similar.  |  Improved Demolitions  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|The simplest way to justify an attack having a Demolitions upgrade is to have that attack represent a weapon made of a similar tier of material as it is capable of destroying- for example, a sledgehammer with a steel head (Tier III) would be capable of receiving the Demolitions and Improved Demolitions upgrades, but not the Legendary Demolitions one. It's also worth considering that piercing attacks in particular (such as from rapiers, bullets, and so forth) tend to be highly effective against fleshy opponents but much less so against a stone wall than blunt instruments no matter what kind of material they're made of, and thus probably don't have a good basis to take Demolitions. |
-==== Desperation ====
-The attack gains an advantage if you use it while you have no Endurance remaining.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|As this upgrade allows combatants to fight harder when they are closer to death or serious harm, it is usually justified through strong emotions. The will to survive, the desire to keep unfulfilled promises, and so forth all can spur someone to give it their all when the chips are down. Another potential justification could come from a thrill-seeking or even masochistic combatant who gets a very different sort of rush from the potential for bodily injury. |
-==== Destroyer ====
-When the attack kills a subject, you can choose to completely obliterate that subject's body with no recognizable traces remaining.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Attacks with the Destroyer upgrade very frequently have attack elements, especially the Corrosive element (disintegrate the target into dust or ooze). Other possible elements could be Heat (incinerate the target to ashes), Force (suck the target into a miniature black hole), or Divine (banish the target to another plane of existence). Or, of course, any other way you can think of to instantly get rid of a body. |
-==== Flashy ====
-The attack produces a loud noise, flash of light, psychic shockwave or otherwise has a tendency to draw a lot of attention when you use it, but with its increased profile comes increased strength as well. Everybody in the area immediately increases their awareness state to Alert and knows your general location when the attack is used, but you always have an advantage on checks to use the attack. You cannot use this upgrade and the Stealth one at the same time for obvious reasons.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Versatile |You can choose to use or not to use the upgrade and its benefits/drawbacks as you desire. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Any attack that draws a lot of attention for any reason is Flashy. Firearms are a classic case- in fact, you probably need to take this upgrade to justify having a firearm at all (unless it has a suppressor on it, of course). Fireballs, sonic attacks, and other such attention-getters are also Flashy. |
-==== Giant ====
-You take one fewer disadvantage when attacking subjects whose size is significantly larger than your own than you normally would. The Giant upgrade does not ever give you advantages when fighting larger creatures, only evens the playing field by eliminating disadvantages. Giant does not negate disadvantages from sources other than size disparities such as attacking a subject that has concealment. You can take this upgrade multiple times; each time removes another disadvantage from attacking larger targets.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Giant attacks are almost universally tied to large, even cartoonishly oversized weaponry. Enormous melee weapons like greatswords and sledgehammers are a classic example, as are firearms with unusually high-caliber rounds. It is also possible to justify a Giant upgrade to attacks that are purely mental in nature, as they target the subject's mind instead of their enormous body. |
-==== Inherent ====
-You cannot lose access to the attack via the Disarm condition.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Inherent attacks tend not to be gear or equipment in the fiction, but rather part of the attacker's body such as claws or breath weapons or whatever. Attacks that arise from the attacker's mind (such as spellcasting) can also be considered Inherent. Finally, a clever or determined enough weapon-wielder might also make their weapon "inherent" by physically chaining or attaching it to themselves. |
-==== Integrated ====
-The attack does not take a disadvantage from being used while under the effects of an Armor support effect. This upgrade never gives an advantage, only eliminates the disadvantage from armor. Other negative qualities of armor such as the movement impairment or the use of other attack sets without this upgrade are unaffected.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Integrated attacks are tailored to match one's armor and vice versa. This can mean a physical alteration or simply represent the fruits of training. There are almost no attacks that couldn't gain this tag in some conceivable way if desired. |
-==== Knockout ====
-When you successfully use the attack to remove the last of a creature's Vitality, you may choose to knock them unconscious instead of killing them. Creatures that are knocked unconscious do not lose any Vitality from the finishing blow, but lose all Endurance (if any) and become completely helpless and unaware of their surroundings for several in-game hours. You may knock out targets with assassinations using the attack as well as with ordinary strikes in pitched battle.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Knocking targets unconscious instead of killing them requires a certain degree of control. If it's done up close and personal, a choke-hold or a blunt instrument is a reasonable form for a Knockout attack to take. Any further away, and some kind of attack element is almost a necessity. Particularly viable elements include Electric (stun) and Baneful (knockout drugs), but as always the only limits are your creativity and the rules of the fiction itself. |
-==== Momentum ====
-If you kill a target or targets with this ability, you gain +2 additional automatic successes the single next time you use the attack during the same combat.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Momentum is great for setting up kill-streaks, especially once the Escalation gets high. Most Momentum attacks are justified through some quality of the attack itself (such as an evil sword that grants a burst of strength with every life it takes) or of its wielder (such as a blood-crazed berserker who feels a deep thrill with every foe defeated). |
-==== Opener ====
-You gain an advantage on the attack check when targeting a creature that is completely undamaged (has all of their Endurance and Vitality intact).
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|The Opener upgrade helps in a small way to bring the mighty low, which might suggest effects related to judgment or jealousy. Alternately, it also makes a good match for attacks related to assassination on both a conceptual and mechanical level. |
-==== Precise ====
-You take one fewer disadvantage when attacking subjects whose size is significantly smaller than your own than you normally would. The Precise upgrade does not ever give you advantages when fighting smaller creatures, only evens the playing field by eliminating disadvantages. Precise does not negate disadvantages from sources other than size disparities such as attacking a subject that has concealment. You can take this upgrade multiple times; each time removes another disadvantage from attacking smaller targets.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|The Precise upgrade usually represents training and dedication on the part of the attacker over a quality inherent in the attack itself. Alternately, attacks that hit an area could easily gain the Precise tag (it takes a lot of practice to kill flies with a baseball bat, but much less to do so with a flame thrower). Finally, purely mental attacks can easily justify the Precise upgrade for much the same reasons outlined for the Giant upgrade. |
-==== Ranged ====
-The attack has a maximum range of 5 meters, but cannot be used at ranges of 2 meter or less. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time increases maximum range by two steps on the standard 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, etc scale but disallows targeting any space within a range one step lower than the maximum. See the below chart for a bit of extra clarity if you need it.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Point Blank |The range at which the attack cannot be used is reduced by one step on the standard 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, etc scale. For example, if you had one Range upgrade (disallows attacks within 2m) then the Point Blank upgrade would reduce the forbidden range down one step from 2 to 1. If you had two Range upgrades (disallows attacks within 10m) the Point Blank upgrade would reduce the forbidden range down one step from 10 to 5. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time reduces the minimum range of an attack by one step (minimum 0.) |  -  |
-^Ability ^Maximum Range ^Cannot Target ^
-|Range x1 |5 |2 or less |
-|Range x2 |20 |10 or less |
-|Range x3 |100 |50 or less |
-|Range x4 |500 |200 or less |
-|Range x5 |2000 |1000 or less |
-|etc |etc |etc |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|In its most basic form (5 meters, nothing within 2 meters) the Range ability generally represents a reach weapon such as a polearm or whip. Once it's been taken more than once, however, it's pretty much got to be some form of projectile weapon or supernatural ability. The Point Blank upgrade almost always simply represents training and skill with the ranged attack in question, and is extremely easy to justify taking. |
-==== Sealed ====
-The attack functions normally in airless environments such as underwater or in vacuum. Without this upgrade, attacks cannot effectively be used in such environments at all.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Small attacks with no moving parts such as knives are easy to justify taking Sealed on, but more complex attacks are trickier. Firearms and flame attacks in particular are difficult to justify having the Sealed ability for, as they explicitly require the presence of oxygen to function. Oxygen isn't even the only consideration- Sealed is also considered to bypass or mitigate any other disadvantages of attacking underwater or in vacuum such as water resistance (big, heavy weapons are probably a no-go) or an assumption that everybody probably has their own air supply (inhaled gas clouds are, again, probably incompatible with this upgrade unless you come up with a really good reason.) |
-==== Slayer ====
-You can assassinate targets up to one level higher than your own. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time allows assassination against targets one level higher than before.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Hidden, subtle, and fast attacks are especially useful and conceptually congruent with assassination, making them a good match for the Slayer upgrade as well. |
-==== Stealth ====
-You can make a stealth check to hide the the fact that you are using the ability. Creatures that are successfully targeted by an attack or who see its effects will immediately become Alert as normal regardless of whether you make the stealth check. You cannot have this upgrade and the Flashy one at the same time for obvious reasons.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Improved Stealth |You gain an advantage on the stealth check when using this ability quietly. You may take this upgrade up to three times; each time adds another advantage on related stealth checks. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|All Stealth-upgraded attacks must be, above all, subtle in their execution. A rifle is not subtle, but a dart gun disguised as a violin case might be. A broadsword is not subtle, but a stiletto hidden in a sleeve might be. Purely mental actions such as spellcasting are a good match for the Stealth upgrade (unless spellcasting in your campaign world requires loud chanting and wild hand gestures, in which case it's probably a no-go). |
-===== Trigger Upgrades =====
-Trigger upgrades add additional effects to attacks based on chance. If you have any Trigger upgrades on an attack, then you must roll an additional 12-sided die (called the Trigger Die) every time you roll your normal four dice for damage. The Trigger Die determines if the additional effect is added or not. If you have multiple Trigger upgrade effects, you still only need to roll a single trigger die every time you make a damage roll, and all effects are triggered (or not) based on the result of the single die.
-No matter the result of your Trigger Die, a triggered effect is only applied when you manage to deal at least one point of damage with the attack. If you deal no damage with an attack, the Trigger Die and all Trigger Upgrades are irrelevant for that strike.
-As combat escalates, trigger upgrades on attacks tend to crop up more often. Roll an additional Trigger Die for every three points of Escalation in the current conflict and take the best result.
-Some trigger upgrades inflict "conditions" on the target. A target under the effects of a condition can throw off the condition by making a recovery check. Multiple conditions of the same type do not stack; if a given target already has a specific condition, you cannot inflict the same condition on them again (until they recover from it, anyway). A recovery check is made by spending 1 action and rolling 4 dice. Recovery is successful (and the condition is removed) if the check has 3 or more successes.
-Other trigger upgrades inflict "stings" on a target. Unlike conditions, stings last only a very short time before disappearing. The victim of a sting does not (and cannot) recover from it, but instead must wait a short time for it to go away on its own.
-==== Berserk (Sting) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12, the target gains the Berserk sting. A berserk creature must spend their single next turn attacking the nearest creature to their position to the best of their ability, whether that be friend or foe. Berserk creatures always act first during their side's action phase.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Berserk Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 11+ instead of 12. |  -  |
-|Berserk Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 10+ instead of 12. |  Berserk Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Driving enemies berserk is much more appropriate for attacks that target a subject's mind rather than their body, but can also sometimes be accomplished through a poison or hallucinogenic drug. In either case, adding an attack element such as Shadow or Baneful might be required. |
-==== Blind (Sting) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12+, the target gains the Blind sting. Targets with the Blind sting treat all spaces as having full concealment. Attacking a space with full concealment imposes two disadvantages on the attack check. Attackers striking a creature that cannot see them gain an advantage on the attack check. Blindness does not affect non-visual-based modes of sensory input such as tremorsense, scent or sonar. The creature remains blinded until the end of the blinder's next turn.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Blind Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 11+ instead of 12. |  -  |
-|Blind Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 10+ instead of 12. |  Blind Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Blindness can be accomplished in a number of different ways, potentially including physically covering the eyes of a target, dimming their sight through the use of a poison, wreathing them in supernatural darkness or even something as simple as some pocket sand thrown into their face-areas. |
-==== Burn (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target gains the Burn condition until they successfully recover from it. Targets with the Burn condition take damage that ignores defense equal to the successes on two dice at the end of each of their turns. If a target with a Burn condition enters water or an airless environment, the condition is automatically removed.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Burn Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 9+ instead of 11+. |  -  |
-|Burn Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 11+. |  Burn Trigger Up  |
-|Curseburn |Burn conditions caused by the attack are not automatically removed when the target enters water or an airless environment. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|If a Burn attack doesn't literally work by setting its targets on fire, then it does something incredibly similar. Almost all Burn-upgraded attacks must have the Heat or maybe the Electric attack elements. The Curseburn upgrade adds some flexibility to this requirement, but requires you to either explain what special property the flames have that they can burn without air (special chemicals? magic?) or redefine the effect to not be about fire at all. |
-==== Choke (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 9+, the target gains the Choke condition until they successfully recover from it. Targets with the Choke condition take damage that ignores defense equal to the successes on one die at the end of each of their turns.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Choke Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 5+ instead of 9+. |  -  |
-|Choke Trigger Max |The effect never fails to trigger. |  Choke Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|As the name suggests, Choke attacks can easily be justified by anything that physically prevents a target from being able to breathe properly- covering their face in sticky goo, filling their lungs with water, or just straight up getting your hands around their throat. |
-==== Critical ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12, the attack deals double normal damage. Note that //damage// is doubled, not total successes on the attack roll. If you attack a subject that has a relevant defense of 2 and get 3 successes, you actually deal 2 damage to that subject (1 success over their defense, doubled to 2), **not** 4 (3 successes doubled to 6, then subtract defense) when you critically hit.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Critical Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 11+ instead of 12. |  -  |
-|Critical Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 10+ instead of 12. |  Critical Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Critical hits are more often a product of the training of an attack's wielder rather than an intrinsic property of the attack itself. When a weapon is capable of critical hits independent of its wielder, it often either has an unusual or asymmetric design (like a battle scythe) or is exceptionally light and easy to use (like a fine rapier). |
-==== Daze (Sting) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target gains the Dazed sting. On their next turn, they may take only 1 action instead of the normal 2.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Daze Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 9+ instead of 11+. |  -  |
-|Daze Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 11+. |  Daze Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Blunt trauma, mental distress, hallucinogens, and electric shocks are the most commonly-encountered sources of Daze upgrades. Anything other than blunt trauma will probably require an attack element such as Shadow or Electric. |
-==== Devour ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 10+, the subject of the attack is devoured whole and transported to a stomach (or equivalent storage area) inside you. A devoured subject takes defense-ignoring damage each round on your turn equal to the successes on two dice, plus an additional die for every two points of escalation in the current conflict. You can add an attack element to this damage if desired (most stomachs attack with acid, and thus have the Corrosive element).
-Devoured subjects cannot be attacked by anyone else while inside you, including yourself. A devoured subject cannot attack anyone except the one who devoured them, and takes a disadvantage on all checks to do so. If a devoured subject manages to deal Vitality damage on an attack against their devourer from the inside, a hole opens up and they can escape and appear in any space adjacent to their devourer they please. The hole immediately closes behind them, however- other devoured subjects have to smash their own way out. Devoured subjects do not automatically escape if their devourer is killed, but may do so as a minor action instead of having to attack their way out. Alternately, another creature outside of a dead devourer can cut their allies out as a minor action as well.
-A creature's stomach can hold a maximum of one creature two sizes smaller than themselves. For example, a size 5 creature could devour a creature of size 3, but would then be full and could not devour anything else. Four creatures of a given size are equivalent to a single creature one size larger than themselves. Creatures that die inside their devourer's stomach disappear in 24 hours, clearing space for the devourer to devour something (or someone) else. Creatures in a devourer's stomach are considered to be carried by the devourer and count against their creature carry limit (which is generally irrelevant unless very large/numerous creatures are devoured).
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Devour Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 10+. |  -  |
-|Devour Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 4+ instead of 10+. |  Devour Trigger Up  |
-|Flush |Creatures that die in your stomach are immediately disposed of, clearing up space for you to devour something else. |  -  |
-|Insatiable |You can devour a creature (or multiple creature equivalent) up to one size smaller than yourself instead of the normal two sizes smaller. |  -  |
-|Metabolize |When you deal damage to a creature in your stomach, you recover an amount of Endurance equal to the successes on one die. This happens a maximum of once per round no matter how many creatures you have in your stomach. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|"Devouring" does not always literally mean eating a target by swallowing them whole, although that is certainly the classic case. An ooze monster engulfing a target, a vine beast rapidly overgrowing one, and a sentient hivemind swarm of rats covering one would also be mechanically considered a Devour attack. Odds are that unless you're playing a very unusual adventurer you are unlikely to have Devour attacks at your disposal. |
-==== Disarm (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target gains the Disarm (Set) condition until they successfully recover from it. The disarmed target chooses one of their attack sets. For as long as the condition lasts, they cannot use that set. A single creature can be under the effect of multiple Disarm conditions, so long as each one affects a different attack set in their possession. Disarm conditions have no effect on a creature's ability to use improvised attacks. If a targeted creature has one or more attack sets with the Inherent upgrade that make them immune to this condition, they assign the condition to one of their sets that doesn't have it (if any) before ignoring the effect entirely.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Disarm Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 9+ instead of 11+. |  -  |
-|Disarm Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 11+. |  Disarm Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Disarming usually means knocking or grabbing your enemy's weapon away. Bare-handed attacks are a great match for disarming opponents, as are attacks with weapons that have a grabby component to them like whips or sticky goo. You could also justify a Disarm attack by having an attack force a target to drop their weapon themselves, maybe with a mental/domination flavor or by making their weapon unpleasant to touch in some way. Remember that Disarm can be recovered from just like any other condition, so a Disarm attack by definition cannot permanently remove or destroy weapons, only temporarily remove free access to them. The Inherent upgrade makes an attack immune to being Disarmed. Sometimes an opponent will forget/neglect to add the Inherent upgrade to one of their attacks that probably should have it- in such cases, don't worry too much about how exactly you disarmed them of their teeth or whatever. That's their problem. |
-==== Disrupt ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 10+, any creatures summoned by a Summon support effect or animated by a Necromancy support effect struck by the attack are instantly destroyed. Other creatures not temporarily created by support effects are not affected.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Disrupt Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 10+. |  -  |
-|Disrupt Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 4+ instead of 10+. |  Disrupt Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Summon and Necromancy effects are both more often than not powered by magic or fantastic technology, so odds are good that any Disrupt attack should be as well. Note that Disrupt attacks won't work on just any old undead creature out there, only ones that were specifically animated through a Necromancy effect; this means that you probably shouldn't go with a straight up "anti-undead" flavor for Disrupt attacks. |
-==== Escalator ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12, Escalation for the entire conflict is increased by +1. Escalation from an Escalator attack stacks with and is treated exactly like ordinary Escalation in every way.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Escalator Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 11+ instead of 12. |  -  |
-|Escalator Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 10+ instead of 12. |  Escalator Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Escalator attacks make everybody way more nervous and desperate and thus are often especially messy, capable of inflicting grievous injury with ease and killing quickly but not cleanly. Chainsaws are an excellent example. Alternately, supernatural influence might make a given attack into an Escalator without the extra messiness such as enchanted arrows that seek the hearts of their targets. |
-==== Fatigue (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 10+, the target gains the Fatigue condition until they successfully recover from it. Fatigued creatures cannot restore lost Endurance by any means.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Fatigue Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 10+. |  -  |
-|Fatigue Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 4+ instead of 10+. |  Fatigue Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Fatigue attacks the body, sapping its ability to replenish itself. The Baneful and Shadow attack elements are both great matches for this upgrade. Alternately, Fatigue might be modeled as a purely mental condition (by making a target too reckless to heal, perhaps, or maybe too masochistic). |
-==== Grab (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 10+, the target gains the Grabbed By (Grabber's Name) condition until they successfully recover from it. For example, if Steve grabs Dave, then Dave has the "Grabbed By Steve" condition. Creatures with the Grabbed condition are forced to carry the weight of the creature grabbing them (which may give them an impairment to movement or even immobilize them completely, depending). If a grabbed creature moves, it carries the grabber along with them.
-The grabber must also carry the weight of the target they are grabbing, but the grabber can choose to end the effect at any time as a free action even when it is not their turn. Multiple Grabbed conditions stack, but only so long as they come from different grabbers (so Dave could have separate "Grabbed By Steve" and "Grabbed By Cthulhu" conditions, but not "Grabbed By Steve" more than once.) If a subject is grabbed by multiple attackers, then they and each grabber must carry the weight of every other creature in the grab-pile if they wish to move anywhere. Allies who are all cooperatively grabbing a single creature can choose to coordinate their movement and not count against each other's weight limits.
-If you are grabbing a creature that you can carry without being slowed by their weight, you can use one action to move them to any point within range of the attack you used to grab them with. If you can carry them but it imposes an impairment on your movement, you can move them by taking 2 actions. If carrying them immobilizes you, you cannot move them.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Grab Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 10+. |  -  |
-|Grab Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 4+ instead of 10+. |  Grab Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|You absolutely cannot have a Grab attack without having some way to physically grab a target, although the exact definition of "physically grab" might vary a bit to include things like telekinesis or coating yourself in flypaper. |
-==== Hobble (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 10+, the target gains the Hobbled condition until they successfully recover from it. Hobbled creatures have an impairment on all movement actions. Impairment from being hobbled stacks with all other forms of movement impairment.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Hobble Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 10+. |  -  |
-|Hobble Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 4+ instead of 10+. |  Hobble Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Effects that tangle up or slow down the movement of a target's legs are the most obvious Tangle attack candidates- bolas, icy shackles, huge globs of peanut butter, what have you. Other potential ways to achieve the same result might include impairing the target's balance (by getting them drunk, maybe?) or subtly displacing them in space-time. |
-==== Immobilize (Sting) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target gains the Immobilized sting until the beginning of the attacker's next turn. Immobilized creatures cannot take any movement actions at all.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Immobilize Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 9+ instead of 11+. |  -  |
-|Immobilize Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 11. |  Immobilize Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Anything that works for a Hobble attack (see above) also works for an Immobilize attack if you crank it up to 11. |
-==== Knockdown (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target gains the Prone condition until they successfully recover from it. Targets with the Prone condition have an impairment on all movement actions. Attackers within 5 meters or less of a prone target gain an advantage on attack rolls against them, attackers from 6-20 meters away gain neither advantage nor disadvantage, and attackers more than 20 meters away take a disadvantage on attack rolls. Creatures can make themselves prone at any time if they desire without being hit by this attack, and automatically succeed on recovery checks against self-knockdowns. A subject does not have to be on solid ground in order to be knocked "prone" by this attack effect- subjects in water, flying, etc can be considered to be floundering, off-balance, or topsy-turvy until they recover from the effect and right themselves (with identical mechanical effects to the standard prone state).
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Knockdown Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 9+ instead of 11+. |  -  |
-|Knockdown Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 11+. |  Knockdown Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Knockdown is a pretty straightforward effect, with sweep-the-leg style moves being a very obvious example, Another potential method of knocking a target down would be with gusts of wind, thunderclaps, localized tremors in the earth, and so forth- in which case you'd probably have to also have the Force element. In some cases, Knockdown can also be modeled as a mental effect, such as a divine being's aura of awe forcing those who see it to fall to their knees. |
-==== Pacify (Sting) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12, the target gains the Pacified sting. A pacified creature cannot use any attacks on their next turn, even improvised attacks. Pacified creatures are free to take any non-attack actions they desire.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Pacify Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 11+ instead of 12. |  -  |
-|Pacify Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 10+ instead of 12. |  Pacify Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Pacify is a very mental-based effect. Prevention of any aggressive actions might be accomplished through divine edicts, making a subject hallucinate that everyone they see is their mother, or toxic gas that gives those who breathe it a feeling of zen and oneness with the universe. |
-==== Petrify (Sting) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12, the target gains the Petrified sting. A petrified creature is turned to ultra-hard stone or similarly tough (Tier IV) material, and cannot take any actions (even purely mental ones) at all. While petrified, the creature is immune to all attacks that don't have the required Demolitions upgrade required to destroy Tier IV materials. All attacks against a petrified subject are considered assassinations if they successfully get through the creature's defenses, however. The creature remains petrified until the end of the petrifier's next turn. If a petrifying attack kills a subject, the petrification is permanent. Whatever the material a subject is turned into, it is of little actual value and this attack cannot be used as a money-generator.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Petrify Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 11+ instead of 12. |  -  |
-|Petrify Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 10+ instead of 12. |  Petrify Trigger Up  |
-|Softened |The subject is turned to a Tier III material (stone, metal, etc) instead of a Tier IV, and is damageable via weapons with the appropriate Demolitions upgrade as normal. |  -  |
-|Greatly Softened |The subject is turned to a Tier II material (wood, glass, gold, etc) instead of a Tier IV, and is damageable via weapons with the appropriate Demolitions upgrade as normal. |  Softened  |
-|Paralysis |The subject is not turned into another material at all and can be damaged by all attacks including those without any Demolitions upgrades while the effect lasts. |  Greatly Softened  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Petrification will usually turn a subject to stone in some way (such as a gorgon's gaze or the scratch of a cockatrice) or possibly some other material such as glass, soap, or a pillar of salt. However, it isn't actually mechanically necessary to physically turn a subject into another material type- Petrification also models effects that entomb a subject in material equally well (such as freezing them in a block of ice.) Finally, if properly upgraded with the Paralysis option all need for alternate materials is completely removed from the effect and it can simply be used to model a paralytic toxin, time-freeze or similar. |
-==== Push ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the subject is moved 1 meter directly away from you. If this would move the subject into a solid barrier such as a wall or another creature, that creature is not moved any further than it would be possible for them to move on their own. Push attacks can freely move targets into danger such as into a lava pool or off the edge of a cliff.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Push Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 9+ instead of 11+. |  -  |
-|Push Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 11+. |  Push Trigger Up  |
-|Push Further |Creatures pushed by a Push attack are moved 2 meters instead of 1. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time increases the distance by which the subject is pushed by one step on the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, etc scale. |  -  |
-|Shuffleboard |You can choose to push a subject to any distance up to your normal maximum instead of automatically pushing them only to the maximum range. |  Push Further  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Push upgrades share a lot of thematic similarity with Knockdown (see above) ones- in many ways, a knockdown is simply a downwards push. Push is a little harder to justify as a purely mental attack, though. |
-==== Sap (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target gains the Sap condition until they successfully recover from it. Targets with the Sap condition take 1 damage that ignores defense at the end of each of their turns.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Sap Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 9+ instead of 11+. |  -  |
-|Sap Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 11+. |  Sap Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Sap effects are something of a catch-all mechanic to represent various forms of slow drain other than being on fire (better represented via the Burn trigger) or not being able to breathe (better represented via the Choke trigger). Poison is the classic example, although bleeding out is also a good conceptual match. Being so varied in flavor means that justifications for Sap are also incredibly varied. |
-==== Setup (Sting) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 10+, the target gains the Setup sting. The single next attack against a Setup target gains an advantage on the check and removes the Setup sting.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Setup Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 10+. |  -  |
-|Setup Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 4+ instead of 10+. |  Setup Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Setup attacks are those that make their targets momentarily drop their guard in some way- through distraction, perhaps, or maybe through a more supernatural means such as a curse of unluckiness. Alternately, Setup is also a good match for attack forms that are meant to be comboed, such as a boxer's one-two punch. |
-==== Silence (Sting) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 9+, the target gains the Silenced sting. A silenced creature cannot speak, shout, raise an alarm, or anything else that involves using their voice. The creature remains silenced until the end of the silencer's next turn.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Silence Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 5+ instead of 9+. |  -  |
-|Silence Trigger Max |The effect never fails to trigger. |  Silence Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|The Silence upgrade is very easy to conceptualize and understand- anything that keeps a target from shouting can take the Silence upgrade. due to their close conceptual link, The Silence upgrade is frequently taken together with the Choke upgrade (and any justifications for the one are generally sufficient for the other). For obvious reasons, Silence attacks are most useful for stealth and infiltration. |
-==== Terrorize ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target must immediately make a Morale check.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Terrorize Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 9+ instead of 11+. |  -  |
-|Terrorize Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 11+. |  Terrorize Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Terrorize attacks don't necessarily force a target's morale to break, only force a chance of it happening. Braver targets will be more resistant, just like normal morale checks. Two of the most common ways of inducing terror in targets is through a supernatural or mind-influencing fear effect that projects and weaponizes fear directly, or as a side-effect of attacks that are inherently terrifying or awe-inspiring in some way due to being outside of the norm or very obvious in their ability to cause horrific harm, such as a dragon's breath attack or a chainsaw swipe.  |
-==== Trophy ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12, you gain one Asset which is added to your total. Assets gained from a Trophy attack can be stored and spent like any other asset, and do not allow you to store assets beyond your normal maximum. When Trophy attacks are successfully triggered against a player-controlled adventurer, that adventurer's Assets are reduced by one and the asset so taken is irrevocably lost. Trophy attack upgrades have no special effect when used by GM-controlled creatures on each other.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Trophy Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 11+ instead of 12. |  -  |
-|Trophy Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 10+ instead of 12. |  Trophy Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Trophy attacks are often stealing ones that take something of value from the target (such as their coin purse, jewelry, or one of their impressive scales perhaps). However, assets do not necessarily need to represent physical goods- what you stole from the target might also be an intangible such as luck, karma, or similar. |
-==== Vampiric ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12, you may instantly restore 1 lost Endurance to yourself.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Vampiric Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 11+ instead of 12. |  -  |
-|Vampiric Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 10+ instead of 12. |  Vampiric Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Vampiric attacks generally involve either physically absorbing something from a target (such as the iconic vampire's bite that the upgrade is named for) or otherwise reward/refresh their wielders for inflicting pain (such as the glee felt by a sadist with every crack of their whip). |
-==== Weakness (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target gains the Weakness condition until they successfully recover from it. Targets with the Weakness condition take a disadvantage on all attack rolls.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Weakness Trigger Up |The effect is triggered on die results of 9+ instead of 11+. |  -  |
-|Weakness Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 7+ instead of 11+. |  Weakness Trigger Up  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|The most obvious (and probably easiest) ways of inflicting Weakness would be through sapping a target's strength and/or focus through supernatural or chemical means, although as always more options lie open to especially creative players. Two more ways that come to mind are partially making the target's body incorporeal (making their attacks less solid and thus less damaging) or reducing their aggression somehow (making them slightly more reluctant to inflict harm). |
-===== Alteration Upgrades =====
-Alteration upgrades change the way that the attack is used in some fashion. Alteration upgrades are all mutually exclusive with each other. You cannot have more than one in a single attack set.
-==== Aimed ====
-The attack requires two actions to use instead of one, but gains +2 advantages on the attack check and an additional +1 advantage for every two points of Escalation in the current fight. This bonus stacks with the regular bonus from Escalation granted to all attacks. If the attack also has a Trigger upgrade, you may roll the trigger die twice and apply the higher result.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Versatile |You can choose to use or not to use the upgrade and its benefits/drawbacks as you desire. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Aimed attacks require extra time to use for a comparatively larger payoff. A crossbow (which strikes with a high amount of force but is slow to load) is a good example of an Aimed attack, as are any attacks that are slow, but powerful like a giant's stomp. There is a large amount of conceptual overlap between Aimed attacks and Telegraphed ones, making the actual difference more a matter of personal taste and tactical choice. |
-==== Counter ====
-Pick one kind of attack (Agility, Toughness, or Insight). The type chosen does not have to be the same as the attack set's that this upgrade is in. Once chosen, the type cannot be changed. For example, if you wanted an ability that countered Agility attacks, it would be called Counter Agility. Once per round when you are damaged by an enemy that targeted the selected defense, you can use the attack for free as an immediate reaction against your attacker. If you are attacked but not damaged, you cannot counter. Your attacker must be in range and meet all normal criteria to make them a viable target in order for you to counter them. You cannot counter more than once per round, nor may you counter an enemy's counter. You may still use the attack set that you have the Counter ability in as a normal attack set when not countering with it. You cannot have more than one Counter upgrade in a set even if the extra copies correspond to a different attack type.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Riposte |You can counter attacks that do not actually damage you at all. |  -  |
-|Preempt |You can counter attacks immediately before they are triggered on you rather than immediately afterwards. |  Riposte  |
-|Vengeful |You can counter up to twice per round. |  -  |
-|Crossfire |You can counter an enemy's counter. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Counterattacks can take a variety of different forms, but are always capable of reactive use in addition to normal proactive use. Some potential ways this could work are attacks that transform incoming force into outgoing force (such as many defensive martial arts), supernatural abilities powered by pain (blood magic?) or simply an unusually vengeful personality on the part of the attack's wielder. Note that the Preemptive upgrade to Counter will require even further justification beyond that required by a basic Counter up to and possibly including straight up precognition. |
-==== Flurry ====
-The attack requires two actions to use instead of one, but you roll three times with two disadvantages each time and apply all results to the target. If the attack also has a Trigger upgrade, you may roll the trigger die and apply its effects for each of the three Flurry strikes. Escalation applies to all three rolls with a Flurry attack, making it rather weak in the early stages of a fight but more and more comparatively powerful as time goes on.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Versatile |You can choose to use or not to use the upgrade and its benefits/drawbacks as you desire. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Flurry is an excellent fit for attacks that are fast but inaccurate, such as machine guns or pummelings. |
-==== Gaze ====
-You cannot use the attack normally by spending actions at all, but can use it once per round for free at the beginning of your turn. To use a Gaze attack on a subject, you and the subject must be able to both fully see each other. If either of you is in an area of full or partial concealment, suffering from a Blind sting, or just have your backs turned then a Gaze attack cannot be used.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Gaze attacks are almost exclusively supernatural in origin, such as a gorgon's stone gaze (has the Petrify trigger upgrade) or a vampire's charming gaze (has the Pacify trigger upgrade). In all such cases, there has to be something tangible and describable that happens when the attacker meets the eyes of their target. Almost all gaze attacks have elements such as Baneful, Shadow or possibly Divine. |
-==== Swansong ====
-You cannot use the attack normally by spending actions at all, but can use it once per round for free at the beginning of your turn if you have half or less of your total amount of Vitality remaining (rounded down). Fully-healthy or lightly-wounded creatures cannot use Swansong attacks. For example, if you are level 7, then you can only use Swansong attacks when you have 3 or fewer Vitality remaining.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Since they only start appearing when their user is bloodied and near death, there is a strong conceptual synergy between this upgrade and the Desperation one (although mechanically, they work a bit differently from each other) and thus you could likely use the same kind of justification. Alternately, a Swansong attack might also be one with a more disgusting or horror-oriented theme that conceptually requires serious injury on the part of its wielder to be used, such as an attack where you spray your toxic blood at a target or stab them with your exposed broken bones. |
-==== Telegraphed ====
-When you use the attack, its effects are not immediately applied to its target. You must spend an action giving some sort of physical indication that you are about to unleash a Telegraphed attack that all enemies can recognize and react to. Telegraphed attacks are used at the beginning of your next turn for free before you make any actions. If you can no longer use a telegraphed attack effectively once your next turn comes up (due to all viable targets moving out of range or whatever in the intervening enemy turn) then the attack is wasted. You gain +2 advantages on the attack check when making telegraphed attacks and an additional +1 advantage for every two points of Escalation in the current fight. This bonus stacks with the regular bonus from Escalation granted to all attacks. If a Telegraphed attack also has a Trigger upgrade, you may roll the trigger die twice and apply the higher result. You may only telegraph a single attack per round.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Versatile |You can choose to use or not to use the upgrade and its benefits/drawbacks as you desire. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|As previously noted in the description for the Aimed upgrade, that one and Telegraphed share a lot of conceptual similarity. Telegraphed attacks tend to be those with an elaborate windup or other obvious "tell", such as yelling the name of the attack before you use it or lighting the fuse on the dynamite. |
-===== Area Upgrades =====
-Area upgrades allow an attack to strike multiple targets at once. Area upgrades are all mutually exclusive with each other. You cannot have more than one in a single attack set.
-Area effect attacks do not harm their user, but can and will harm the user's allies if they are standing in the target area. The Range general upgrade does not function with any of the Area upgrades. Walls and other solid barriers prevent the spread of the area attack beyond them.
-All attack sets with an Area upgrade must recharge like boons do. Every time a charged set is used, it becomes uncharged and cannot be used again immediately. At the beginning of each turn, roll a die for every uncharged set you possess. If the result is a 5 or a 6, the set is recharged and can be used again. All rechargeable sets become instantly recharged after combat ends.
-==== Arc ====
-The attack strikes all creatures within a standard 3-meter vision arc of its user out to a distance of 1 meter simultaneously. The attack arc is only 3 meters wide even when Arc attacks are used by very large creatures who have larger visual arcs. If the attack's user is large enough to take up multiple spaces, then they must designate a single one of the spaces that they occupy to be the origin of the effect.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Enlarge |The effect strikes all creatures within 2 meters of its user inside the normal visual arc instead of 1 meter. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time increases the distance from its user that the arc targets by one step on the standard 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, etc scale. |  -  |
-|Variable |Instead of the area effect always being the maximum possible size, you can choose to make it affect any size you have unlocked, or even turn it off completely to make a single-target effect. For example, if you had taken the Enlarge upgrade enough times to affect targets out to 10m, you could choose to strike an area out to 10m, 5m, 2m or 1m every time you use the attack. If you also have one or more Intense upgrades, the maximum effectiveness of them are limited by your chosen area-of-effect size as normal. |  Enlarge  |
-|Intense |The attack gains an advantage against all targets within a distance from the effect's point of origin one step lower on the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, etc scale than the effect's maximum. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time adds an additional advantage against targets one step on the distance scale closer to the effect's point of origin than the time before up to a maximum effect against creatures 1m or closer to the effect's point of origin. For example, if you had taken the Enlarge upgrade twice, then maximum distance would be 5m from the effect's point of origin. If you also had the Intense upgrade, then the attack would have an additional advantage against all targets within 2m of the effect's point of origin. If you then took the Intense upgrade again, then the attack would have two advantages against targets within 1m of the effect's point of origin, one advantage against targets within 2m, and no special advantage against targets within 5m. Taking Intense a third time would have no effect at all unless the area of effect was also enlarged again. |  Enlarge  |
-|Displaced |Instead of using yourself as the effect's point of origin, you may designate any point within range as the effect's new point of origin. Taking this upgrade allows the attack to also use a Range upgrade. Unless you also have a Range upgrade, range is the normal default of 1. Creatures in the point of origin are affected fully by the attack's effects. If you take this upgrade, you lose immunity from your own area-effect attacks. |  -  |
-|Piercing |Solid barriers such as walls do not hinder the spread of the area effect from its point of origin. |  -  |
-|Inhaled |The effect must be inhaled by its targets instead of merely touching them in order to be effective. This gives the attack check two advantages. However, a creature can protect themselves from your Inhaled attack effects by holding their breath (which applies the Choke condition to them until they stop). A creature can only declare that they are starting or stopping holding their breath at the beginning of their turn. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Since an arc's area of effect coincides with a creature's visual radius, it is an excellent choice for attacks that also have the Gaze alteration upgrade. It also is a good match for attacks that spray out material over an area with a good amount of spread, such as sawn-off shotguns, breath weapons and similar (although in these cases, it would probably require the Displaced option to set the origin point adjacent to the user instead of inside the user.) |
-==== Blast ====
-The attack strikes all creatures within 1 meter of its user simultaneously. If the attack's user is large enough to take up multiple spaces, then they must designate a single one of the spaces that they occupy to be the origin of the effect.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Enlarge |The effect strikes all creatures within 2 meters of its user instead of 1 meter. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time increases the distance from its user that the blast targets by one step on the standard 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, etc scale. |  -  |
-|Variable |Instead of the area effect always being the maximum possible size, you can choose to make it affect any size you have unlocked, or even turn it off completely to make a single-target effect. For example, if you had taken the Enlarge upgrade enough times to affect targets out to 10m, you could choose to strike an area out to 10m, 5m, 2m or 1m every time you use the attack. If you also have one or more Intense upgrades, the maximum effectiveness of them are limited by your chosen area-of-effect size as normal. |  Enlarge  |
-|Intense |The attack gains an advantage against all targets within a distance from the effect's point of origin one step lower on the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, etc scale than the effect's maximum. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time adds an additional advantage against targets one step on the distance scale closer to the effect's point of origin than the time before up to a maximum effect against creatures 1m or closer to the effect's point of origin. For example, if you had taken the Enlarge upgrade twice, then maximum distance would be 5m from the effect's point of origin. If you also had the Intense upgrade, then the attack would have an additional advantage against all targets within 2m of the effect's point of origin. If you then took the Intense upgrade again, then the attack would have two advantages against targets within 1m of the effect's point of origin, one advantage against targets within 2m, and no special advantage against targets within 5m. Taking Intense a third time would have no effect at all unless the area of effect was also enlarged again. |  Enlarge  |
-|Displaced |Instead of using yourself as the effect's point of origin, you may designate any point within range as the effect's new point of origin. Taking this upgrade allows the attack to also use a Range upgrade. Unless you also have a Range upgrade, range is the normal default of 1. Creatures in the point of origin are affected fully by the attack's effects. If you take this upgrade, you lose immunity from your own area-effect attacks. |  -  |
-|Piercing |Solid barriers such as walls do not hinder the spread of the area effect from its point of origin. |  -  |
-|Inhaled |The effect must be inhaled by its targets instead of merely touching them in order to be effective. This gives the attack check two advantages. However, a creature can protect themselves from your Inhaled attack effects by holding their breath (which applies the Choke condition to them until they stop). A creature can only declare that they are starting or stopping holding their breath at the beginning of their turn. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Blast is, as the name suggests, an excellent match for any effects that are explosive in nature or otherwise emanate from a central point. If the attack doesn't have the Displaced option upgrade, then everything blasts out of the attacker's body. For grenades and other more traditional explosives, the Displaced option is required. |
-==== Line ====
-The attack strikes all creatures on a straight line 2 meters long and 1 meter wide. The line can be oriented in any direction, but one end of it must be adjacent to the effect's user.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Lengthen |The effect strikes all creatures on a line 5 meters long instead of 2 meters. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time increases the distance from its user that the line targets by one step on the standard 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, etc scale. |  -  |
-|Widen |The attack's area is one meter wider than before. The effect's point of origin is always located as close to the center of the near end of the line effect as possible. |  Lengthen  |
-|Variable |Instead of the area effect always being the maximum possible size, you can choose to make it affect any size you have unlocked, or even turn it off completely to make a single-target effect. For example, if you had taken the Lengthen upgrade enough times to affect targets out to 10m, you could choose to strike an area out to 10m, 5m, 2m or 1m every time you use the attack. If you also have one or more Intense upgrades, the maximum effectiveness of them are limited by your chosen area-of-effect size as normal. |  Enlarge  |
-|Intense |The attack gains an advantage against all targets within a distance from the effect's point of origin one step lower on the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, etc scale than the effect's maximum. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time adds an additional advantage against targets one step on the distance scale closer to the effect's point of origin than the time before up to a maximum effect against creatures 1m or closer to the effect's point of origin. For example, if you had taken the Enlarge upgrade once, then maximum distance would be 5m from the effect's point of origin. If you also had the Intense upgrade, then the attack would have an additional advantage against all targets within 2m of the effect's point of origin. If you then took the Intense upgrade again, then the attack would have two advantages against targets within 1m of the effect's point of origin, one advantage against targets within 2m, and no special advantage against targets within 5m. Taking Intense a third time would have no effect at all unless the area of effect was also enlarged again. |  Enlarge  |
-|Displaced |Instead of using yourself as the effect's point of origin, you may designate any point within range as the effect's new point of origin. Taking this upgrade allows the attack to also use a Range upgrade. Unless you also have a Range upgrade, range is the normal default of 1. Creatures in the point of origin are affected fully by the attack's effects. If you take this upgrade, you lose immunity from your own area-effect attacks. |  -  |
-|Piercing |Solid barriers such as walls do not hinder the spread of the area effect from its point of origin. |  -  |
-|Inhaled |The effect must be inhaled by its targets instead of merely touching them in order to be effective. This gives the attack check two advantages. However, a creature can protect themselves from your Inhaled attack effects by holding their breath (which applies the Choke condition to them until they stop). A creature can only declare that they are starting or stopping holding their breath at the beginning of their turn. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Line is highly similar to Arc in concept, but has much less spread (and therefore implies a greater level of precision). A flamethrower or beam weapon would likely produce a Line effect unless it was wielded by swinging it around wildly, in which case Arc might be a better fit. |

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