Ability Rules
Learning Abilities
Abilities are not automatically learned — they must be set as goals and trained into.
How to Learn an Ability:
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Set the ability as a goal.
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Work toward its specific practice conditions (detailed in the ability’s description).
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Use the practice version (if applicable) in combat or roleplay.
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Once all requirements are met, you unlock the full version of the ability.
This ensures that every new ability feels earned, narrative-driven, and consistent with your character’s personal journey.
Downtime Training
When characters are not in immediate danger or on active missions, they may spend time training to improve specific attributes, skills, or weapon proficiencies.
To train, a character must spend at least 8 hours of uninterrupted downtime focused on a specific area of improvement (e.g., Strength, Athletics, Sword proficiency).
At the end of the training session, roll:
1d4 + 1 — Add the result to your usage count for that Ability, skill proficiency, attribute, or weapon proficiency.
If the area being trained is currently set as a Goal, the result is doubled, reflecting focused intent and faster progress.
Training Rules
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A character may train only one thing per downtime session.
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Downtime training does not require a roll to succeed, but the GM may impose limits based on narrative circumstances (e.g., lack of equipment, stress, or poor conditions).
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Training toward a Goal stacks with other in-game uses, helping push advancement between missions.
Ability Categories
Abilities are organized into five main categories: Physical, Warper, Support, Mental, and Link. These categories exist for identification as certain states, Virtues, Flaws, etc. may mention and interact with them.
1. Physical
Physical abilities involve the use of raw physical power, agility, and endurance. These abilities are typically associated with direct combat, movement, and physical manipulation of the environment.
2. Warper
Warper abilities involve manipulating reality, elements, or energy. Warpers can bend the fabric of the universe to their will, allowing them to wield elemental forces, teleport, or alter space and time.
3. Support
Support abilities focus on aiding and enhancing others. These abilities may involve healing, buffing allies, creating protective barriers, or providing strategic advantages in combat.
4. Mental
Mental abilities are based on the mind and willpower. These abilities often involve telepathy, psychic manipulation, or influencing others through sheer force of personality or intellect.
5. Link
Link abilities grant other abilities new effects when combined. Link abilities have no purpose on their own.
Ability Combination Rules
Ability Combinations allow you to enhance an existing ability by adding a secondary effect. You choose a Primary Ability to use as normal, and a Secondary Ability to attach as a modifier.
When you use a combination, you activate the Primary Ability as normal, and the Secondary Ability adds its traits or effects to the primary — such as bonus damage, status effects, movement, or altered mechanics.
This system rewards customization, creativity, and synergy without requiring full commitment to a specific build.
Combination Limits
You can have a number of active combinations equal to INT ÷ 2 (rounded up).
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Example: INT 3 = 2 combos, INT 6 = 3 combos
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Short Rest: Replace or create 1 combo
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Long Rest: Replace or create any/all combos up to your limit
How to Create a Combo
Step 1: Choose a Primary Ability
This determines the base effect, range, delivery, and scaling. It functions normally.
Step 2: Choose a Secondary Ability
It uses the same delivery and scaling as the Primary, but the scaling is doubled.
Optional Step 3: Add a Link Ability
You may also add 1 Link ability to a combination without it counting toward the combination limit of 2.
Link effects may have their own scaling features, that are not affected by being a secondary ability.
If a Link Ability has an AP cost, it is added to the total cost of the combo after averaging.
Calculating the New AP Cost
Combined AP Cost = (Primary AP + Secondary AP) ÷ 2 (rounded down)
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Minimum Cost Rule: If this reduces the cost below the original Primary's AP, use the Primary’s AP cost instead.
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Abilities with 0 AP cost still count as 0 in the average but cannot reduce the combo’s AP below the Primary.
Recharge
If either ability has a recharge limit, you must wait until that limit refreshes to use the combo.
If both do, both must be recharged.
Using Combos as Actions or Reactions
You may create combinations that use an Action or Reaction, depending on the Primary Ability’s default timing.
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Action + Reaction: If the Primary is an Action, the combo is an Action.
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Reaction + Action: If the Primary is a Reaction, the combo is a Reaction.
You cannot mix two Reactions, or combine two Actions into a Reaction unless you use the React Link ability.
Example Combo:
Shade Manipulation + Pyro Manipulation
Category: Warper Cost: 1
Attribute: INT
Infuse your melee weapons with dark energy. On a melee hit, you can convert any amount of damage you deal to Shade damage. This ability deals +1 Shade damage per 3 INT, which Bypasses. On a hit, deal 2d4 Pyro damage which is empowered for every 6 INT. Each character within 5 feet of the target takes 1d4 Pyro damage.
Note: This combination uses a primary ability that uses a basic attack. In this case, add the AP cost to the AP cost of the attack action.
Heel Plant + Force Field
Category: Physical Cost: 3 RP
Attribute: -
When a character moves before striking you with a melee or ranged attack, you may use this reaction to dig in and halt your position. You become Immovable until the start of your next turn, gain Resistance to the triggering attack’s damage, and cannot be Pushed or Pulled by it. You create a bubble around yourself to shield them from damage. Force Field grants Shielding to the target up to your END times your INT. The Shielding disappears after the triggering attack concludes.
Note: This combination is great for defending against heavy damaging attacks, but requires two abilities with Recharge rates.
Signature Ability Creation
Your Signature Ability is the ultimate expression of your character’s style — a move, technique, or manifestation that evolves over time.
You choose any ability you know as the base and enhance it with Points.
Step 1: Choose a Base Ability
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You may pick any known ability.
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The base determines its core effect, range, delivery type, and scaling formula.
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You may change its Governing Attribute to any of the six stats. The scaling remains the same, but now keys off the chosen attribute.
(Example: “+1 damage per 3 INT” → “+1 damage per 3 CHA”). -
You can still use the ability as normal. Making an ability into a Signature Ability does not mean that it can’t be used in its normal version.
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Signatures ignore recharge requirements — you can activate them whenever you meet the SP cost, even if the base ability is on recharge.
Step 2: Starting and Gaining Points
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Start with 5 Points at character creation.
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Gain +1 Point each time you hit a certain milestone, such as:
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Each time you learn 3 abilities
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Every 5 uses of your Signature Ability
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Completing a major narrative goal
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You can earn up to a maximum of 20 points for customizing a Signature Ability.
Step 3: Upgrades Menu
Each upgrade can be purchased multiple times. Costs are per point spent. Effects stack unless otherwise stated.
Upgrade Cost Effect
+Range 1 Increase the ability’s range or area length
by +5 ft per purchase.
+Area 1 Increase radius or blast size by +5 ft per
purchase. This can grant an area to an ability
without one.
+Targets 1 Increase the number of valid targets by +1
per purchase.
+Duration 1 Extend duration by +1 round per purchase.
+Applications 2 Add +1 repeat activation of the Signature
per use.
Scaling Boost 2 Increase attribute scaling by 1.
(Ex: +1d10 damage per 3 attribute →
+1d10 damage per 2 attribute).
Elemental Infusion 1 Change the damage to an elemental type of
your choice. Additional purchases divide
the damage equally between the types chosen.
State Application 2 Inflict 1 non-stacking state per purchase.
State lasts for the duration of the ability.
Instant abilities last 1 round by default
(extendable with +Duration).
Excludes: Death’s Door, Ascend, and
Elemental damage states.
Ascend 3 Grant the Ascend State to the target.
Gain +2 points to each attribute per purchase.
Duration: 1 round (extendable with +Duration).
Every 2nd purchase grants 1 Ascension Upgrade.
Only usable with support abilities.
Max 5 purchases.
Link Ability 2 Attach one Link ability to the Signature.
You need not know the ability.
Push/Pull Boost 1 Add Push or Pull effect: 5 ft per purchase.
Buff 1 Affected characters gain +1 to Attack, Evade,
or Defend rolls for the duration.
Instant buffs last 1 round by default.
Can be purchased for multiple effects
(bonus paid separately each time).
Self-Heal 1 Heal yourself for +2 HP per point when
Signature is used. This is affected
by +Application.
Step 4: Charge Method
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Activate your Signature when you have 10 Signature Points (SP) charged through your School’s method or a universal trigger such as:
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Blood Price (Take damage)
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Execution (Defeat an enemy)
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Combo Chain (Use 3 different actions in a turn)
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Near Miss (Evade an attack or ability)
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Field Commander (Grant ally AP or RP)
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Steadfast (Resist a condition or effect)
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Step 5: Multiple Signatures
You may create up to 2 Signatures for use in different situations.
You have access to both and you choose which one to use whenever you spend 10 SP to use your Signature Ability in combat.
You create each with the full amount of points you have earned each time, allowing you to customize each to your liking.
You can choose to create a new Signature Ability, replacing one of them whenever you learn a new ability. This allows you to work up to your forever Signature Ability if you can’t start with it on character creation.
Step 6: Finalize
Feel free to give your special version of an ability a unique name and description. Add the upgraded effects into your vision of how it looks when using it.
Signature Constructs and Weapons
If your Signature Ability is based on a Conjure effect, it follows the normal Conjure rules for stats, proficiencies, and abilities known. Duration of the Signature Version starts at 1 round and can be extended with +Duration purchases.
When used as a Signature Ability:
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Upgrades apply directly to the summoned construct or object.
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+Range increases the summons placement range.
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+Area increases the area of its abilities, if any.
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+Targets increases the number of targets it can affect per ability (Construct Only).
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Scaling Boost increases the abilities scaling as normal.
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Elemental Infusion adds 1d4 elemental damage to its attacks.
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State Application applies the chosen negative state on attacks and positive states on wielder or construct.
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Push/Pull Boost applies to attacks and Self-Buff apply to the summon or wielder of the conjured weapon.
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+Application does not apply to conjures — you cannot summon multiple copies of a Signature Construct or object.
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Duration upgrades extend the time the summoned construct or object remains active.
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Link Integration may attach a Link Ability to one of its known abilities.
Using your Signature Ability
A character can use its Signature Ability whenever it generates 10 SP through its charge method. Using a Signature Ability ends your turn immediately after its resolution. Although they do not use AP, a character must have at least 3 AP left before using the Signature Ability.
Examples
The following examples assume the minimum amount of upgrades (5 Points).
Base: Phantasm
Upgrades:
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2 +Application
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Self-Heal
Notes: This increases the number of Phantasms created in a single use, allowing you to possibly create more than would be possible in a single turn. The Self-Heal upgrade could grow as well with additional +Application purchases. With enough +Application purchases, you could make the maximum number of Phantasms in a single turn. With the Scaling Boost upgrade, you could increase the maximum number of Phantasms you could have at once as well with the Signature Version.
Base: Telekinetic Whirl
Upgrades:
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Elemental Infusion
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2 +Area
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Scaling Boost
Notes: This allows the Telekinetic Whirl to deal additional elemental damage and increases its area of effect by 10 feet. The Scaling Boost allows this ability to use more objects in its use, also increasing the abilities base damage. The base ability allows you to increase the duration by one round on following turns. The Signature version may be too hard to take advantage of that, so +Duration could be useful to increase the duration of the Signature Version.
For More Examples, see the Notable NPC’s in the Faction section.