Cybertech and Super-Skills

For the most part, you can run cyberwear a lot like our superpowers exam ple above: “mega”- stunts with multiple refresh values based on how much cool stuff they do. In some settings, though, there’s another role for cybertech that borders on the magical: it allows people to do things in cyberspace, creating a new context for action related to tech itself. For that, you need a custom skill , describing the new arena for doing stuff and what happens in it. Another potential use for custom skill is to set up really specific niches for characters in your game, so that you only have one person who gets called upon in a specific situation. Instead of having a Fight skill that everyone can take, for instance, you may have a Warrior skill , and only the Warrior PC gets it. Caper stories work well for this, because the niches are already defined in the fiction (the planner, the wheelman, the con artist). Just make sure everyone understands that in a setup like this, trying to act outside your niche will probably go really bad for you.

extra : Interface

Permissions: Possession of an interface package (assumed if you take the skill ) Costs: skill ranks The Interface skill allows you interact with computers and teched-up objects in a way that most people can’t. You can get inside the machine’s head, talk to it like most people would chat to a friend, and fight it like you’re in a bar brawl. Of course, that means the machine can also do that stuff to you. o Overcome: Use Interface to fix a malfunctioning computer system, bypass security lockdowns and other obstacles by hacking your way through, force a piece of tech to trigger a programmed response, and keep a piece of tech from triggering a response. c Create an Advantage: Use Interface to learn about the prop erties of a particular piece of tech (i.e. learn its aspect ), to diagnose malfunctions in a computer system, to plant fake signals or false information in a computer system, and to create disruptions. a Attack: Use Interface to break down a computer system directly. d Defend: Use Interface to defend against attacks from computer systems. Failed defense rolls will result in physical stress and consequences—a cyber-interface means your actual, physical brain is at stake.

extra : Media

Permissions: Choosing “The Media” archetype at character creation Costs: Skill ranks and refresh, for associated stunt s Others can spread gossip and rumors, but you have your finger on the pulse of broadcast media. At your word, the events of the day become news, whether it’s on television, radio, or the Internet.
o Overcome: Use Media to disseminate information to the public, with whatever spin you want to put on it. More obscure or local incidents will be harder to spread, and it’ll be harder to make your own spin prevalent if the story’s already been picked up by other outlets. Success means that generally, the public believes what you want them to believe about the incident, though named NPCs may have more complex opinions. c Create an Advantage: Use Media to place aspects on an event or an individual reflecting the reputation they gain from your stories. a Attack: If you have sufficient leverage to psychologically harm someone through a smear campaign and/or media bullying, use this for attacks. d Defend: Use Media to prevent damage to your own reputation or peace of mind from someone else using the Media skill .
stunts: Want Ads. You may use Media for the same kind of Overcome rolls you’d use Contacts for, by summoning ser vices you need through classifieds. Mob Justice. You can incite people in public to physical violence with Media, and gain the use of two Average (+1) nameless NPCs for that scene, who will attack people at your direction.

Wealth

In some games, it’s important to track how much wealth your character has—feudal lords in competition for power, CEOs using their money to strike at their foes, or even gamblers in Gangsterland. Fate is pretty hand wavey with numbers in general, and we generally recommend against keeping precise track of how many gold pieces are in your character’s pocket. When you want a character resource to be finite like wealth is, a good option is to use a custom stress track to represent the exhaustion of that resource. You’re creating a new context for conflict when you do this, allow ing the new stress track to be attacked and harmed like mental and physical stress. You can also use something like this to model honor or reputation in a setting where that matters, like feudal Japan.

extra : Resources, Revisited

Permissions: None, anyone can take the skill Costs: skill ranks At creation, all characters get a special mild (A 20-spot From a Friend), moderate (Payday Loan), and severe (They Want To Break My Kneecaps) consequence that they can take in wealth-related conflicts. Add the following actions to the Resources skill : a Attack: You can make financial moves to destroy someone else’s resources or force them to overspend to deal with you, and thus inflict wealth stress and consequences. If you take someone out this way, it means some kind of permanent shift in their finances for the worse. d Defend: Use Resources to maintain your status in the face of attempts to destroy your capital. Special: The Resources skill now also adds a stress track to your sheet: wealth stress. You may be forced to take wealth stress any time you fail a roll using Resources—essentially, any time you use your cash, it’s an attack. Wealth stress does not recover as quickly as mental or physical stress does—the track resets every session, instead of every scene.
As an interesting advancement option, you might consider allowing permanent down grades of the Resources skill as a tradeoff for upgrading certain extras, if that extra is some thing money can buy.