Ability Crafting

Abilities Overview

Abilities are special actions that require training or tools, and may be classified in a number of ways. First, is whether the ability is passive, maintained, or activated. A passive ability is always active, always in effect. These are normally granted via Heritage bonuses. Maintained abilities are activated once, and then stay active until dismissed. Activated abilities take effect when activated, and are resolved immediately. Status effects granted by maintained abilities are dismissed when the ability is, while those from activated abilities go away when their durating expires or they are removed. Rolls for activated and maintained abilities are determined by the ability's rating. For the purpose of crafting, using a template counts as an activated action.

Passive Abilities: Do not have an associated cost and are always active.
Activated Abilities: Are resolved at the time they are used and consume their full cost immediately.
Duration Abilities: Abilities with a duration have a finite time limit to their effect. The activation cost is paid once at time of casting, and the effect last until the duration ends unless otherwise canceled.
Maintained Abilities: Are activated once, then remain active until deactivated. The full activation cost is paid at the time of casting, and half the cost is considered 'Reserved'. Any pool resource that is reserved may not be accessed by the wielder while the ability is active. Doing so ends the ability immediately.

By default, the target of all actions in an ability is the creature or location the attack strikes. If the target of an ability is hostile, it is assumed that affects are negatively oriented. If the target of an ability is an ally or the wielder using the ability, it is assumed to be positively oriented. If this assumption is altered it will need to be done so using an accent to alter the targeting parameters. For Prepared Wielders, this is defined when the template is created. For Spontaneous Wielders, it is assumed at the time of casting unless otherwise specified.

For example, if the loadout is rank D, a strike with a weapon that the character is trained in would have an impact of 2d6+2. Strike is a basic action with no special ability associated with it. If the character used an ability to replace or modify strike, that would be an activated ability.

Unlike in fairly tales, the things trying to kill you rarely worry about fair play. If a character has to stand in the middle of the room casting a very long spell, they are easy prey, and if a warrior had to put their weapon away every time they needed to use an ability or magic they would get hacked to pieces. Wielders, however, can learn to use their combat movements as a form of ritual to reduce the casting time of their abilities or spells to the point where they can be incorporated into the fast paced world of combat. This is no easy feat, and presents very different challenges to prepared and spontaneous wielders.

Crafting a new ability can be an intimidating task to the newly initiated. In the following section, you will find the rules that govern the crafting of all new abilities, regardless of type. There are a few governing principles for creating a new ability.

The rating of the Character Loadouts is the starting point for all calculations of a new ability. Prepared wielder's abilities start with a rating of EEE, and then upgrade and optimize the ability via research. Spontaneous Wielder's abilities are based on their loadout rank at the time the ability is performed. Many things, from the impact of the spell to the cost to research and cast it are built upon these values.

By default, bonuses and modifiers are added cumulatively after all rolls are summed, unless they specify Potency, Range, or Efficiency. The maximum Flagstone bonus that may be applied to any ability, is Loadoutrank +2. If a modifier impacts Potency, Range, or Efficiency, the modification is made before the rolls are made. The final configuration of Potency, Range, and Efficiency is what gets cast. Rating is given as a EEE-SSS. Anything above +6(for tabletop) is simply considered S rated, however, the bonuses and penalties still accrue numerically. (It's over 9000!!!)

While the wielder is in the middle of their action, they are under the effects of their action status until the action is fully resolved, potentially leaving them vulnerable to targeting and unable to respond without canceling their current action.

Ability Creation

Creation Cost: Total number of keywords(Accents/Methodologies) in the ability, including bonuses. Cost is paid in E rated Dream Seeds.
Base Rating: Potency, Range, and Efficiency start at EEE. Spontaneous wielders ratings are determined by their loadout rank. Flagstones and other innate character bonuses may modify this.
Attribute Rating: Which Attribute is associated with this ability.
Casting Cost:Resource cost is determined by the methodologies used as listed on the Actions and Abilities page:

The base methodology cost is 3 per methodology
Cost=Methodology Cost * Potency.
Each accent increases the cost by 3. This cost is paid from the same pool as the associated methodology.
Each point of Efficiency Reduces the cost by 1.
Maintenence Cost: for abilities using a keyword with maintenance is determined by reducing each rank in the rating by 2(min. E), and rolling the indicated rating per keyword with maintenance.(e.g. If the ability rating is BAB, the maintenance rating would be DCD.) Efficiency bonuses apply at the modified value.

Breath Cost: Base 5+ (3 Per Methodology + (2 * Potency)) - Efficiency) min 1
Target Type: Actor, Object, or Location (Other Modifiers may apply)
Units: Unit rank used to determine the units used in calculations. Each rank increases the Potency of the ability by one for the purposes of determining casting cost. For spontaneous wielders, in also increases the spell failure chance by 5% per rank. Units are also applied to casting times.
Unit Time Reduction: Reduces the unit value applied to casting time by the indicated number of ranks.
Casting Time:For abilities Wielding Arts and Fade Arts, spells will activate a number of initiative points later in the round equal to the Mana or Fade Cost/5.
Range: Roll the range die (d4, d6,d8, etc). The range is equal to the result per Potency rating of the ability, and scales with the ability. For example, if you rolled a d4 and received a 2, the range of the spell would be 2 tiles per potency, and would scale with the ability. This value is rerolled when the wielder successfully increases the abilities range, and the player uses the higher of the two. This also applies to radius and any other scaling metric.
CR: The CR to avoid an ability is Loadout + (Potency or Efficiency) + d20.

The Defender adds the appropriate avoidance bonus + d20 + bonuses.

Base Action:
Methodology1: All actions must contain at least one methodology.
Accent1, Accent2, etc...
Methodology2: etc..
Impact Die: The Impact is the value of the effect, whether damage, healing, or static bonuses or penalties. Impact is always determined at the time of casting.

Instantaneous Impact:(Potency*(Range + Efficiency)) + bonuses
Over Time Impact: (Potency * Range) for Efficiency rounds(units)
Passive Impact:
Potency impact for Range number of targets for Efficiency rounds(units) (i.e. CCC = +/-3 for up to 3 targets over 3 rounds.) Passive effects include buffs and debuffs that do not drain from a target's pool. The duration of conjured items or temporary effects effects use Passive Impact to determine the the summoned ojects rank, duration and potency(if applicable).
Typed Damage Impact: bonuses, such as weapon type damage or elemental type damage are added as efficiency bonuses for the purpose of damage calculation. Each point of DR verses a type reduces that bonus by 1. This means that a sword with +2 slashing damage adds 2 points of damage per potency die, and DR removes 1 point of damage per potency die per point of DR.

Maintained Impact: If the maintain keyword is known, abilities with a duration may be set as maintained by adding the maintain methodology to the ability. A maintained ability is active until dismissed or a long rest.

Prepared Cost Reduction: These Cost reduction tactics are only available to prepared wielders, and must be calculated at the time the ability is created.
Each of the following removes some portion of the cost(See Combos and Buildup rules for Martial and Open Handed Wielding).

Somatic Component - Somatic components refer to bodily movements.

Lower Breath cost of an ability by 1 per potency.
Can not be used if hand movement is prevented.

Verbal Component - Verbal components refer to spoken or sung components.

Increases Potency bonus by 1.
Can not use if silenced

Material Component - Material components refer to objects that are consumed when the ability is used.

Objects cosumed this way are considered drained of mana.
Material Components have a cost greater than or equal to (Potency * (Range - Efficiency)+ bonuses) in GP.

Spontaneous Cost Reduction: These Cost reduction tactics are only available to Spontaneous Wielders.
Only one may be selected per action.

Vital Force:

Increases the Potency of an Ability by an amount equal to the Wielder's Health Potency without increasing breath cost.
The increase in Potency increases the casting cost of the ability accordingly
Consumes an amount of stamina equal to double the bonus received in addition to any other costs.

Efficiency of Movement:

Reduces the Breath cost of an Ability by an amount equal to the Wielder's Movement Efficiency.
Grants an Efficiency bonus to Impact (and only impact)
Consumes an amount of stamina equal to the double the bonus received.

Cleverness of Mind:

Increases the efficiency of an Ability by an amount equal to the Wielder's Mana Efficiency.
Increases CR to prevent or avoid the ability by the Wielder's Mana Potency in addition to any other bonuses.
Consumes an amount of mana equal to double the bonus received.