House Rules
- This is a Fate Condensed game, which is only slightly different from Fate Core; the Fate Condensed SRD has a short breakdown of the rules
- There is no Mental or Physical Stress Track, only the Stress Track, which represents physical trauma, mental trauma, energy levels and morale
- We're using a slightly modified version of the default skill list from Fate Condensed, which works quite well for this game; Lore and Will have been combined into "Chi" - a rare skill for those tapped into the supernatural - and the Computers skill has been added
- Initiative in combat is not individual, and instead relies on an "initiative leader" who prioritizes the Notice skill; your team chooses dynamically which characters take their turn
- Opposition to movement is no longer a free action, making combat a more free-flowing skirmish than a static battlefield where characters don't often move
- Ranged attacks now are too close to be used within melee range (the same Zone you occupy), which balances melee and ranged attacks to be more equally viable
The Escalation Die
The Escalation Die starts at 0 when combat begins. At the end of every round, the Escalation Die increases by 1, to a maximum of 4. Player characters have a bonus to Attack, Overcome and Create an Advantage actions equal to the Escalation Die.
The purpose of the Escalation Die is to simulate a feeling of rising tension in a battle: adrenaline rises, the risk of fatality increases the longer a fight goes on, etc. Enemies are generally tougher and more skilled, but the Escalation Die tips the scales in your favor - if you can hold out long enough.
Posting Format
I run combat in a "reader-friendly" way, meaning dice rolls and OOC chat are either well-hidden or in a separate thread altogether. Below are a couple of examples comparing an unwanted posting format to a desired type of posting format. If you prefer to post in the unwanted fashion, I'm not saying you're a bad player; all it means is that this specific game might not be for you.
"Bad" Example
Mr. Smith hoped that everyone else was faring okay, but even when he heard someone cry out he could not afford to spare a glance behind. No sooner had he kicked the first thug out of his way then a second one appeared to take a swing at him. Nimbly avoiding the blade, he swung out again with a haymaker, following it up with another swift kick.
Rolled a +3 against the Mob's +1; Invoked I Know Kung-Fu to make it a 4-shift hit.
"Good" Example
Mr. Smith hoped that everyone else was faring well, but even when he heard someone cry out he couldn't afford to spare a glance behind. The thugs swarmed around him like a gang of hyenas, chuckling as they brandished nasty implements sure to send him on a one-way trip to the doctor for a Tetanus shot.
His instincts kicked in at a flinch of motion in the corner of his eye: he snapped out with a kick, but no sooner had the satisfying crack! of leather boot connecting with thick skull resounded, then a second thug thought to seize the opportunity!
A rusty whistling flew past his head as he ducked out of the way, and the sting of a glancing slice told him he might end up needing that Tetanus shot despite how small the fresh cut was on his ear.
Pow! One hefty haymaker landed squarely on his opponent's offending jaw, righteous indignation and kinetic motion pushing through and causing "Mr. Slashy" to reel from the force.
Wham! With one final kick, he sent the slicer flying across the room, one last groan escaping his lips before lying still.
He brushed his hair back into place, then smiled charmingly back at the rest of the goons.
OOC
Rolled a +3 against the Mob's +1; Invoked I Know Kung-Fu to make it a 4-shift hit.
Character Templates
Heist team character roles are a good guide for creating a character in this game. For this team, I suggest the following 5 roles: The Mastermind, The Muscle, The Gizmo, The Burglar, and The Distraction. Rather than go into detail explaining these, each role has a character sheet template further down this thread with example Aspects, Skills and Stunts.
The character sheets below are just examples: they are suggestive, not prescriptive.
If none of these roles appeal to you, this article on Caper Crew Character Tropes can inspire other types of roles.
Choose Your Skills
- Forget the skill pyramid; instead, you have 20 Skill Points to spend on skills. 1 Skill Point is equivalent to 1 skill rank, so for example, spending 4 Points will earn you one Great (+4) skill
- You must still adhere to the "building blocks" rule at all times, where you cannot have more skills of a certain rank than you have below that rank
Skill List
- Academics
- Athletics
- Burglary
- Chi
- Computers
- Contacts
- Crafts
- Deceive
- Drive
- Empathy
- Fight
- Investigate
- Notice
- Physique
- Provoke
- Rapport
- Resources
- Shoot
- Stealth
As you build your character sheet, please answer these questions:
- Choose another team member, assuming your team is composed of the 5 suggested roles; briefly describe a moment when that team member saved your life
- An infamous mercenary has often been hired by the villains you fight; what is one thing this nemesis has done to make them your enemy?
Character Sheet Template Code
<fieldset class="mw-fieldset">
<legend class="mw-fieldset-legend"></legend>
<div class="mw-fieldset-body">
<p>
<span style="">Name</span> | (INSERT CHARACTER NAME)<a data-fileid="undefined" data-ipslightbox="" data-ipslightbox-group="undefined" data-wrappedlink="" href="https://i.imgur.com/KOmEZAd.png" title="Enlarge image"><img alt="spacer.png" class="ipsImage ipsAttachLink_image ipsAttachLink_right ipsImage_thumbnailed" data-loaded="true" data-ratio="100.00" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KOmEZAd.png" height="1200" src="https://i.imgur.com/KOmEZAd.png" style="height:auto;width:500px;float:right;" width="1200"></a>
</p>
<p>
<span style="">Refresh</span> | 3
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
<span style="">High Concept</span> | <em><strong>???</strong></em>
</p>
<p>
<span style="">Trouble</span> | <em><strong>???</strong></em>
</p>
<p>
<span style="">Aspect III</span> | <em><strong>???</strong></em>
</p>
<p>
<span style="">Aspect IV</span> | <em><strong>???</strong></em>
</p>
<p>
<span style="">Aspect V</span> | <em><strong>???</strong></em>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<div class="mwspoiler">
<div class="mwspoiler-shown">
<div class="mwspoiler-showtext">
<p>
Backstory
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="mwspoiler-hidden" style="display: none;">
<div class="mwspoiler-hidetext">
<p>
???
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>
</p>
<p>
<strong>Great (+4)</strong> | {*} {*}
</p>
<p>
<strong>Good (+3)</strong> | {*} {*}
</p>
<p>
<strong>Fair (+2)</strong> | {*} {*}
</p>
<p>
<strong>Average (+1)</strong> | {*} {*}
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
<span style="">Stress</span> | [1] [1] [1]
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
<span style="">Mild Consequence</span> | <em><strong>-</strong></em>
</p>
<p>
<span style="">Moderate Consequence</span> | <em><strong>-</strong></em>
</p>
<p>
<span style="">Severe Consequence</span> | <em><strong>-</strong></em>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<fieldset class="mw-fieldset">
<legend class="mw-fieldset-legend"><strong>Stunts</strong></legend>
<div class="mw-fieldset-body">
<p>
<em>Stunt</em>
</p>
<p>
Description
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
<em>Stunt</em>
</p>
<p>
Description
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
<em>Stunt</em>
</p>
<p>
Description
</p>
</div>
</fieldset>
<fieldset class="mw-fieldset">
<legend class="mw-fieldset-legend"><strong>Extras</strong></legend>
<div class="mw-fieldset-body">
<p>
<strong>(Name of Extra)</strong>
</p>
<p>
<em>Permissions:</em> ?
</p>
<p>
<em>Costs:</em> ?
</p>
<p>
Description
</p>
</div>
</fieldset>
<fieldset class="mw-fieldset">
<legend class="mw-fieldset-legend"><strong>Personal Equipment & Gear</strong></legend>
<div class="mw-fieldset-body">
<ul>
<li>
?
</li>
<li>
?
</li>
<li>
?
</li>
</ul>
<p>
<span style="font-size:12px;"><em>Note: List here any equipment your character reasonably has that will be narratively relevant to the story. This should include any gear they commonly use to accomplish their goals, and weapons without WR they use to fight with. Also anything with personal significance to them. Don't worry about being super-complete, you can have everyday items that most people have. Phone, keys, wallet, handbag, laptop, etc. You don't need to include your ride here.</em></span>
</p>
</div>
</fieldset>
<hr>
<p>
<span style="font-size:12px;"><em>Note: Do not delete this line. Insert new items above this line.</em></span>
</p>
</div>
</fieldset>
<p>
</p>
There's also a posting template at the bottom of this thread: it's for players who've been accepted to the game, but you're free to add it to your application anyway.
Posting Template Code
<fieldset class="mw-fieldset">
<legend class="mw-fieldset-legend"></legend>
<div class="mw-fieldset-body">
<p>
<strong>Insert Name Here</strong>
</p>
<p>
<span style=""><strong>FP</strong></span> 3 / 3 | <strong>Stress</strong> [1] [1] [1] | <strong>Consequences</strong> [2] [4] [6]
</p>
<hr>
<p>
<a data-fileid="undefined" href="https://i.imgur.com/31cUdEE.png" rel="external nofollow noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" title="Fetching info..."><img alt="spacer.png" class="ipsImage ipsAttachLink_image ipsAttachLink_left ipsImage_thumbnailed" data-loaded="true" data-ratio="100.00" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/31cUdEE.png" height="256" src="https://www.myth-weavers.com/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" style="height:auto;width:150px;float:left;" width="256"></a>Regular text looks like this
</p>
<p>
<span style=""><strong>"Speech looks like this."</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
<span style=""><em>Thoughts look like this.</em></span>
</p>
<p>
<span style=""><em><strong>"Telepathic communicae looks like this."</strong></em></span>
</p>
</div>
</fieldset>
<p>
<em>Note: Replace the color <span style="">blue</span> with a color thematic to your character. Then, delete this note from your customized posting template.</em>
</p>
<p>
<em>Note: We use <a href="https://rolladvantage.com/tokenstamp/" rel="external nofollow">this site</a> to make character tokens out of any image. Delete this note from your customized posting template.</em>
</p>
Don't be afraid to post in the Questions & Answers thread with any queries or concerns; that's what I made it for, after all.
When you are finished (or mostly finished) with your application, mention me @Rune Knight to get my attention. I will either work with you to make tweaks/provide additional details, or I will announce your application complete enough to be considered at the end of the advertisement period.