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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, all tailored for different situations.
-All attack sets must start by taking the "Damage" ability. The Damage ability costs one Experience as normal. Further upgrades allow for greater 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 plus one extra die per point of Escalation in the current conflict. 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.
-Some effects and situations can strengthen or weaken an attack. If an attack is weakened, roll only half the normal number of dice, rounded down (two dice, plus one for every two points of Escalation). If an attack is strengthened, roll the normal amount of dice plus half again as much, rounded down (or in other words, the normal and weakened values added together). If an attack is both strengthened and weakened, it is treated as normal. Multiple strengthenings/weakenings do not stack- if an attack is weakened one time and strengthened three times, then it is treated as normal strength.
-Using an Attack costs 1 action- or optionally, you can strengthen an attack by increasing its cost to two actions. 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 ====
-The attack is not weakened when targeting a subject in partial concealment. Cover and solid obstacles still prevent you from attacking effectively, but not concealment. Targets with full concealment are unaffected (50% miss chance and the attack is weakened even if it hits).
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Improved Blindfight |The attack has no special miss chance when targeting creatures in full concealment. Attacks against fully-concealed creatures are still weakened. |  -  |
-|Perfect Blindfight |The attack has no special miss chance and is not weakened when targeting creatures in full concealment. |  Improved Blindfight  |
-^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, as is striking an entire area at once. |
-==== 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 harming themselves in the process. |
-==== Blowback ====
-Every time the attack is used, you deal +1 additional automatic damage but also 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.
-^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. |
-==== Commando ====
-You may attempt to assassinate targets that are Suspicious instead of making regular attacks against them. Assassination attempts on Suspicious targets are weakened. If you do not wish to have your attack weakened, you can choose to simply make an ordinary attack as usual (but also forgo the ability to assassinate the target if you strike them successfully).
-^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. The rerolled result is weakened. 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. |
-==== 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.
-^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. |  -  |
-|Versatile Counter |Pick a second attack type (Agility, Toughness, or Insight). You can also counter attacks of this type. |  -  |
-|Ultimate Counter |You can counter any type of attack. |  Versatile 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. |
-==== 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 two or higher, creatures can choose to treat Escalation as two points lower than it actually is 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 2 or higher.
-Similarly, when Escalation is at 4 or higher all creatures can choose to treat Escalation as four points lower than it actually is 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 2 Escalation and does not replace it. When Escalation is at 6 or higher, creatures can choose to treat Escalation as six points lower than it actually is 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 ====
-Every time you lose one or more points of Vitality for any reason, your single next use of the attack in the same encounter is strengthened.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|As this upgrade allows combatants to fight harder when they are brought 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 slightly 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 deal an additional point of damage with the attack as well. In other words- if you use a Flashy attack you should expect potential company, maybe a whole lot more than you can handle. 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. |
-==== Flurry ====
-If you use both of your actions in a round to attack with this ability, you can use it a third time for free. The extra third use is weakened.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Flurry is an excellent fit for attacks that are fast but inaccurate, such as machine guns or pummelings. It might also represent attacks whose effects synergize with themselves when used repeatedly, such as a sonic wave cannon whose wavelengths from successive blasts create a harmonic amplifying effect. |
-==== 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.
-Since Gaze attacks cannot be used by spending actions, you cannot combine them with any action-dependent effects such as using two actions to strengthen them the way a normal attack might, or using a Flurry upgrade in the same set. Alternate forms of attack that do not use actions in any way (such as from the Counter upgrade) can be freely combined with Gaze.
-^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. |
-==== Giant ====
-You may act as if you were one size larger when using this attack against creatures larger than yourself- creatures one size larger than you can be attacked normally, and you can use weakened attacks against creatures two sizes larger than you. You can take this upgrade multiple times; each allows you to act as if you were up to one size larger than before for purposes of using the attack on larger creatures. Having this upgrade does not actually change your size or affect your ability to attack creatures of your own size or smaller.
-^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 is not weakened when used while under the effects of an Armor support effect. 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 ====
-Every time you kill a target or targets with this attack, your single next use of the attack in the same encounter is strengthened.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Cleave |When you kill a target or targets with the attack, you may immediately use the attack again for free without spending an action. You may Cleave up to a maximum of once per attack. |  -  |
-^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 ====
-The attack is strengthened when targeting a creature that is completely undamaged (has all of their Endurance and Vitality intact).
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|The Opener upgrade helps 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 may act as if you were one size smaller when using this attack against creatures smaller than yourself- creatures one size smaller than you can be attacked normally, and you can use weakened attacks against creatures two sizes smaller than you. You can take this upgrade multiple times; each allows you to act as if you were up to one size smaller than before for purposes of using the attack on smaller creatures. Having this upgrade does not actually change your size or affect your ability to attack creatures of your own size or larger.
-^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. |
-==== Predator ====
-When using the attack in a chase scene, it is strengthened against any creature in a higher-numbered space than your own.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Predator upgrades make you more effective at defeating something that is trying to escape from you. It could easily be justified by any creature that is an actual predator (such as wolves) or has a predatory mindset (such as bounty hunters) as simply being a result of their training. |
-==== 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.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Chestburster |The attack is not weakened when attacking a creature from the inside (such as when you have been struck by a Devour trigger upgrade.) |  -  |
-^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.) Attacks with the Chestburster upgrade have the further complication of having to be usable in very tight quarters indeed, so it would be difficult to justify taking it 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. |
-==== 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 fact that you are using the ability- roll four dice, and if you get three successes or more the ability's use was not noticed by anyone. 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 roll one additional die on the stealth check when using this ability quietly. You may take this upgrade up to three times; each time adds another die to related stealth checks up to a maximum total of seven. |  -  |
-^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). |
-==== Telegraphed ====
-When you use the attack, you can choose to "telegraph" it instead of using it normally. The effects of a telegraphed attack 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. Telegraphed attacks are strengthened. You may only telegraph a single attack per round.
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|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. They also might require extra time to use for a comparatively larger payoff, such as a crossbow (which strikes with a high amount of force but is slow to load) or  any other attacks that are slow, but powerful like a giant's stomp. |
-===== 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 use the highest result on any single one of your trigger dice.
-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.
-==== Berserk (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12, the target gains the Berserk condition. A berserk creature must spend all their actions 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. |
-==== Blast (Area) ====
-Blast is a special trigger upgrade that transforms an attack to strike an entire area instead of a single target. It has variable effects depending on the Trigger Die:
-  * When the Trigger Die is 11+, the attack strikes the target space and all other spaces within 5 meters.
-  * When the Trigger Die is 7+, the attack strikes the target space and all other spaces within 2 meters.
-  * When the Trigger Die is 3+, the attack strikes the target space and all other spaces within 1 meters.
-  * Otherwise, the attack strikes only the target space.
-The attack affects enemies, allies and even the attack's user themselves if they are standing in the target area. Note that as higher escalation adds more trigger dice, you are obligated to take the highest result available whether you want to or not- so explosions tend to become bigger as well as deadlier as a fight drags on.
-Area effects tend to interfere with each other unpredictably. When you use a Blast or Spray attack, every space that was affected by that attack becomes unpredictable until the beginning of your next turn. If somebody (whether yourself, an ally, or an enemy) uses a Blast attack on any unpredictable target space, their attack has a 50% chance to be redirected to a new target space in a random direction (to chose a random direction on a hexagon grid, assign each neighboring space a number 1-6 and then roll a six-sided die to select one). When choosing the new target space that the second Blast will be centered around, take the first space in the chosen direction that is not unpredictable.
-Blast effects are stopped/contained by walls and solid barriers. You cannot have both the Blast and Spray upgrades on the same attack.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Blast Radius Up |All listed potential blast radii are increased by one step on the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 100, etc scale (a trigger of 11+ yields a blast radius of 10, 7+ yields a radius of 5, 3+ a radius of 2, and all else a radius of 1.) This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time increasing the affected area by one step more. |  -  |
-|Intense Core |When the trigger die is 11+ (yielding the largest possible blast area) then the attack is strengthened against any creatures in the target space or any space within one meter of it. The distance from the target zone in which the blast is strengthened is increased by one step on the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, etc scale every time the Blast Radius Up upgrade is chosen. Note that this strengthening only happens when the trigger die is 11+. |  -  |
-|Piercing |The blast is not contained by walls or solid barriers. Targets that you cannot see due to them being behind a solid barrier still are considered to have concealment from you. |  -  |
-|Delayed Blast |The blast takes effect at the end of your side's action phase instead of immediately after you use the attack (potentially allowing you and your allies to get out of the target area). If there are multiple delayed blasts/sprays that could potentially interfere with each other, resolve them in the order that they were used. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Blast attacks are most often some form of explosive such as grenades, fireballs and so forth. Whether they arise through technology, magic or natural phenomena is largely irrelevant- if it goes boom, it's a blast effect. Blasts very frequently have elements, and can come in pretty much any flavor imaginable (Heat, Force and Baneful are rather popular). The Fiction Rule is most limiting of Blast attacks in regards to how many times the Blast Radius Up upgrade can be taken; a molotov cannot blow up an entire city block no matter whether you can afford it or not. |
-==== Blind (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12, the target gains the Blind condition. Targets with the Blind condition treat all spaces as having full concealment. Attacking a space with full concealment has a 50% miss chance- before making the attack check, roll a single die. If the result is 4+, make the attack. If not, the attack automatically misses and is wasted. Even when the attack passes the miss chance, it is weakened. Attackers striking a creature that cannot see them have their attacks strengthened. Blindness does not affect non-visual-based modes of sensory input such as tremorsense, scent or sonar.
-^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 10+, the target gains the Burn condition. Targets with the Burn condition take minor damage (1 die, +1 die per 3 points of Escalation that ignores defenses) at the beginning 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 7+ instead of 10+. |  -  |
-|Burn Trigger Max |The effect is triggered on die results of 4+ instead of 10+. |  Burn Trigger Up  |
-^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. |
-==== Choke (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 9+, the target gains the Choke condition. Targets with the Choke condition take minor damage (1 die, +1 die per 3 points of Escalation that ignores defenses) at the beginning 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 +2 damage more than normal.
-^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  |
-|Brutal |The attack deals +3 damage when it triggers instead of +2. This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time increases critical damage by +1 more than before. |  -  |
-^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 (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target gains the Dazed condition. Dazed creatures may take only 1 action per turn 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. Targets that you have devoured take minor damage from your stomach (1 die, +1 die per 3 points of Escalation that ignores defenses) every round on your turn, plus are under the effects of an unrecoverable Choke condition from being swallowed (which deals another round of minor damage to them at the beginning of their turns). You can add an attack element to your stomach's damage if desired/thematically required (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 (and as there is no air inside a stomach, can only use attacks that have the Sealed upgrade- if they have none, there's nothing they can do at all). 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. 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 9+, 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 5+ instead of 9+. |  -  |
-|Disrupt Trigger Max |The effect never fails to trigger. |  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. 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. 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. 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 Hobble 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 (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target gains the Immobilized condition. 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. Targets with the Prone condition have an impairment on all movement actions. Attacks originating from within 5 meters or less of a prone target are strengthened, attacks from 6-20 meters away are neither strengthened nor weakened, and attacks from more than 20 meters away are weakened. 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 causing those who see it to fall to their knees. |
-==== Pacify (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 12, the target gains the Pacified condition. A pacified creature cannot use any attacks at all, 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 (Condition) ====
-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 other than recovering 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. 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.
-If a Push attack also has the Blast upgrade, then targets are pushed away from the center point of the blast instead of away from you.
-^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. The further you are capable of pushing a target, the greater the justification required for how you're producing all that force. |
-==== 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 minor damage (1 die, +1 die per 3 points of Escalation that ignores defenses) at the beginning 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 ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 10+, then the single next attack against the same target is strengthened.
-^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 (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 9+, the target gains the Silenced condition. A silenced creature cannot speak, shout, raise an alarm, or anything else that involves using their voice.
-^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. |
-==== Spray (Area) ====
-Spray is a special trigger upgrade that transforms an attack to strike an entire area instead of a single target. It has variable effects depending on the Trigger Die:
-  * When the Trigger Die is 11+, the attack strikes all spaces inside an equilateral triangle with 10 meters on each side and the target space making up one of the triangle's corners.
-  * When the Trigger Die is 7+, the attack strikes all spaces inside an equilateral triangle with 5 meters on each side and the target space making up one of the triangle's corners.
-  * When the Trigger Die is 3+, the attack strikes all spaces inside an equilateral triangle with 2 meters on each side and the target space making up one of the triangle's corners.
-  * Otherwise, the attack strikes only the target space.
-The attack affects enemies, allies and even the attack's user themselves if they are standing in the target area. Note that as higher escalation adds more trigger dice, you are obligated to take the highest result available whether you want to or not- so sprays tend to become larger as well as deadlier as a fight drags on.
-Area effects tend to interfere with each other unpredictably. When you use a Blast or Spray attack, every space that was affected by that attack becomes unpredictable until the beginning of your next turn. If somebody (whether yourself, an ally, or an enemy) uses a Spray attack in an unpredictable target space, there is a 50% chance that the spray is rotated in a random direction (the corner where the effect originates is kept the same, but rest of the triangle is changed to a new configuration. Random directions can be chosen on a hex grid by assigning every adjacent space tot he target a number 1-6, then rolling a six-sided die).
-Spray effects are stopped/contained by walls and solid barriers. You cannot have both the Blast and Spray upgrades on the same attack.
-^Upgrade ^Benefit ^Requirement ^
-|Spray Radius Up |All listed potential spray radii are increased by one step on the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 100, etc scale (a trigger of 11+ yields a spray triangle with side length of 20, 7+ yields a side length of 10, 3+ a side length of 5, and all else a side length of 2.) This upgrade can be taken multiple times; each time increasing the affected area by one step more. |  -  |
-|Intense Core |When the trigger die is 11+ (yielding the largest possible blast area) then the attack is strengthened against any creatures in the target space or any space within one meter of it. The distance from the target zone in which the blast is strengthened is increased by one step on the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, etc scale every time the Spray Radius Up upgrade is chosen. Note that this strengthening only happens when the trigger die is 11+. |  -  |
-|Piercing |The spray is not contained by walls or solid barriers. Targets that you cannot see due to them being behind a solid barrier still are considered to have concealment from you. |  -  |
-|Delayed Spray |The spray takes effect at the end of your side's action phase instead of immediately after you use the attack (potentially allowing you and your allies to get out of the target area). If there are multiple delayed blasts/sprays that could potentially interfere with each other, resolve them in the order that they were used. |  -  |
-^The Fiction Rule ^
-|Spray is a rare example of an attack upgrade whose name perfectly and completely encapsulates every potential application and justification that could be applied to it. For obvious reasons, the exact substance being sprayed tends to be fluid in nature (poison gas, acid, fire, vomit, etc) but could also be comprised of multiple fragments moving at high speed (bullets, shrapnel, etc). If a firearm has the Spray upgrade, it's probably a shotgun. |
-==== Terrorize (Condition) ====
-When the Trigger Die has a result of 11+, the target gains the Terrified condition. Terrified creatures can take no actions on their next turn except for running away from you as quickly and effectively as possible. Affected targets will not run into certain death such as off a cliff or into lava, but will run into somewhat dangerous areas such as hazard support effects or into the middle of more enemies if that is the only option available for them to escape you. Affected targets may not make any attacks except if they are completely surrounded and doing so is the only method they have of getting away. Affected targets may not use any Boons or Supports at all.
-^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 ^
-|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).  |
-==== 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. All attacks made by targets with the Weakness condition are weakened.
-^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 making the target's body partially incorporeal (making their attacks less solid and thus less damaging) or reducing their aggression somehow (making them slightly more reluctant to inflict harm). |

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