Every character starts play with 3 Fate Points. He will then gain one additional Fate Point each level, up to a maximum of 5 Fate Points. A character who has 5 or more Fate Points will not gain any Fate Points automatically upon gaining a new level. However, a character is not limited to how many Fate Points he may have in total.
In addition to gaining Fate Points when going up levels, a character also gains them when they make a Nova Roll (a roll of 10 on one die and a 1 on the other die). There may also be other instances where Fate Points can be earned, but these are up to the GM to determine and award.
Fate Points can be spent to achieve a number of different results. The following list details those that we think are most appropriate and useful.
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Act Now – The player spends a Fate Point to resolve his character’s actions outside of the normal initiative order. When used in this manner, the character’s action will resolve before the actions of the character (or NPC or monster) whose turn it actually is. Refer to p. 42 for more information on Initiative.
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Cheat Death – There may be situations where the character is killed by something that could not normally be avoided. By spending 3 Fate Points, the player can save his character from this death in some unusual or clever manner. The character may still end up being badly injured or trapped, but he will be alive and conscious.
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Extra Action Points – By spending 1 Fate Point, before declaring actions for the round, the player gains an additional 3 Action Points for his character for the round. The player may not spend more than 2 Fate Points on this each round.
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Extra Boon Point – The player may spend 1 Fate Point to gain 1 Boon Point for use with any roll he has just made or is about to make that may possibly earn Boon Points. This Boon Point is gained even if the roll does not generate one normally, and it is simply added to any Boon Points earned normally. Like normal Boon Points, it must be used immediately. The player may not gain more than 3 extra Boon Points on a single roll using this Fate Point option.
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Extra Dice (Other) – The player may spend 2 Fate Points to roll a d10 and add or subtract the result from any single die roll that does not directly affect his character (i.e. he could apply it to the Saving Throw of a bad guy to ensure that he fails it). No roll may have more 3 dice from Fate Points affecting it.
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Extra Dice (Self) – The player may spend 1 Fate Point to roll a d10 and add or subtract the result from a single die roll that directly affects his character (i.e. an attack roll, a Saving Throw, a skill roll, etc). No roll may have more than 3 dice from Fate Points affecting it.
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Inspiration – There may be times when a player gets stuck about what should be done next. When this happens, he may ask the GM to provide a hint. If there is a hint that the GM can provide to the player, then the player spends 1 Fate Point to receive the hint. If the GM determines that there isn’t any hint, then no Fate Point is spent.
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Narrate Story Element – The player may spend 1 Fate Point to be able to narrate some minor point of the story. This should not require any rolls by the GM or other Players, and it should advance the story in some small manner. The GM holds veto power over this Story Element and if he does veto it, the Fate Point is not spent.
Example: The PCs are in a tavern and the barkeep is angry at them and about to throw them out. A player asks to spend a Fate Point to Narrate a Story Element, and suggests that before the barkeep throws them out, he takes a swig of his ale and it goes down the wrong pipe and sends him into a choking fit. This brings his wife running from the back and she begins slapping him on the back. By the time that he has recovered, he has forgotten about throwing out the party. The GM likes the idea and tells the player to mark off a Fate Point, and then he narrates the scene as suggested by the player, perhaps even throwing in an embellishment or two of his own that enhances the suggestion made by the player, but doesn’t change it.
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Remove Snag Point – The player may spend 1 Fate Point to remove 1 Snag Point that is earned through a bad dice roll. This option may be used multiple times with no limit.
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Special – It is highly possible, and likely, that a player will want to use Fate Points for something that has not been covered in this list in order to accomplish something that normally would not be possible. This option allows for the GM to set a price of 2 to 6 Fate Points for such actions, with more unlikely events costing more.
Example: A player wants to use a handful of sand to temporarily blind a foe that is so large that he normally could not reach. The GM decides that 2 Fate Points would be enough to allow the foe to stumble and bring his head down to a point where he might be blinded by such an improvisational attack. Another player wants to talk down a dragon who is rampaging in an uncontrolled rage. The GM decides that this is so extremely unlikely that it will cost the player 5 Fate Points, and that it will get the dragon to listen to him for a few minutes.
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Static Bonus (Other) – This option allows the player to spend 2 Fate Points in order to add or subtract 5 points from a given roll that does not directly affect him. No roll may have more than 3 bonuses, be they positive or negative, from this option applied. This modifier may also be used in conjunction with Extra Dice (Other) and counts as 1 die in regards to the limit on the amount of dice that may be used on a given roll.
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Static Bonus (Self) – This option allows the player to spend 1 Fate Point in order to add or subtract 5 points from a given roll that does directly affect him. No roll may have more than 3 bonuses, be they positive or negative, from this option applied. This modifier may also be used in conjunction with Extra Dice (Self) and counts as 1 die in regards to the limit on the amount of dice that may be used on a given roll.
Anwyn
