Abilities
Home | Abilities | Biotic | Downgrade | Duration | Feat | Hi-Tech | Innate | Item | Low-Tech | Luck | Magic | Power | Prerequisites | Range | Superhuman | Talent | Tier | Trait | Types | Upgrade | Vulnerability | Weakness
At 1st level, a character begins with 6 abilities based on their origin and selections. Thereafter, they gain a new ability every time they level up. They can only acquire certain types of abilities based on their origin. Acquiring new superhuman abilities requires narrative justification, but upgrading existing ones does not.
For example, if you were a Mutant and wants to gain Telekinesis as an innate biotic power, you could do so but would just need a narrative explanation for why you gained that power later in life rather than developing it when you first gained your Mutant powers. It could be something as simple as "I had this power all along but was afraid to use it" or "my powers are still growing" or something complex like "I trained at the mystic academy of magic" or "exposure to the astral radiation has further mutated me".
Every special ability has either the Innate or Item type. If an ability doesn't have an acquisition type listed in it description, it means it can be either Innate or Item, chosen by you when you acquire the ability.
INNATE
Innate abilities are a part of you and come from within your body or soul. They cannot be separated from you as they are an integral part of you. You can only retrain innate abilities in rare location or rare circumstances or over long periods of time.
ITEMS
Item abilities come from gear that can be disarmed or sundered. All items are wielded or worn. items abilities are granted by use of an item that can be broken or removed from you. The trade-off is that you can swap out/retrain item abilities as common locations during downtime while innate abilities are much more difficult to retrain.
- Limited-Use: If you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll or skill check using an item, it jams or runs out of ammo (firearm, tool, etc.) or you run out of them (grenades, potions, etc.) You must use an action and make a skill check to unjam, reload, or find more.
Trading Items: Unlike innate abilities, you can easily swap old gear for new gear at your leisure as long as you have access to a place where you can feasibly buy, craft, trade, or otherwise acquire it.
Vehicle Items: Vehicles carry you instead of you carrying them and are usually equal or larger than you in size. Every vehicle has one or more control spots where its different functions can be activated and a list of how many functions it has as well as the crew needed to operate those functions (pilot, commander, gunner, engineer, etc.) A basic vehicle is medium-sized and can carry up to 1 medium-sized creature: acceleration 20 mph, max speed 100 mph and needs only 1 pilot with no other functions (tier 1 item-based vehicle tech power). Activating the vehicle consumes focus (fuel/battery power) and allows it to function for up to 10 minutes. Activating it again while operating it extends this duration at the cost of additional focus (fuel/battery power). If a vehicle is stolen from another character, whatever their focus was at the time is the maximum focus that can be used before it needed to be refueled/maintained.
Versatile Items: You can merge multiple abilities into one item, up to a maximum number of tiers worth of abilities equal to the maximum tier you can have per device. Unless noted otherwise, each item has a hardness of 6 + twice it's tier. If an item is broken, see the Broken condition.
Wielded Items Wielded items requires 1 action to draw it from a sheath, pick it up off the ground, or grab it from another other obvious location or 2 actions to draw it from a stored location such as from inside a backpack, hidden compartment, under clothing, etc. It requires a separate action to activate it or use it just like any other ability. Wielded items can be disarmed, which knocks them out of your hand or out of their sheath. Any item can be sundered with a normal attack.
Worn Items: Worn gear requires 1 minute to don or remove. Items that create effects that last longer than 10 minutes must be worn gear unless the GM notes otherwise. You can't wear more than a total amount of tiers worth of items that exceeds 4 + your Strength (Brawn) modifier. You can't benefit from a long rest while wearing a total amount of tiers worth of items that exceeds your Constitution saving throw.
| Example Gear: |
| Semi-auto Slugthrower Pistol (Blast 2 [upgrade 1, unavoidable 1]: Active/Wielded, Reload 1-3): Marksmanship vs. Dex (Light Ranged Attack +1/1d6 piercing) Light Armored Vest w/ basic Shielding (Armor 2: Passive, Worn; Shielding 1: Active, Recharge 1-3/20) 3: +1 STR DC, +1 DEX DC, 1 action activate shielding for 5 temporary HP for 1 minute Medical Kit (Lay on Hands 2: Active, Recharge 1-3/20, Wielded) 2: Biotics vs. DC11 (Medium Melee Buff 2d6 healing to living creature) |
All abilities are either a Power or Trait.
POWER
Powers are special actions you can use to activate, sustain, or alter an effect. Unless noted otherwise, using a power costs 1 focus/tier each time it's activated.
TRAIT
A trait reduces your maximum Focus Pool by 1/tier but is always active or useable at-will without cost.
Turning Traits into Powers: You can turn traits into powers by requiring 1 action and 1 focus/tier to be used to activate it for 1 minute (if combat-based) or 10 minutes (non-combat ability) instead of it reducing your maximum focus pool.
You also choose one of the following choices for your special ability when you acquire it: biotic, hi-tech, low-tech, luck, magic, or talent.
BIOTIC
Biotic abilities result from unique genetics. Anyone can acquire Biotic Item abilities using specialized living creatures as gear, but only Aliens and Mutants can acquire Innate Biotic abilities.
HI-TECH
Hi-tech abilities result from advanced technology, typically gear you wield or wear, but also gear you may simply have access too. For example, hacking computers is a tech power you can use anytime you're operating a computer. Tech powers can be disabled by simply swiping your gear from you or blocking you from accessing technological devices. Hi-tech abilities result from advanced technology. Anyone can acquire Hi-Tech Item abilities, but only Androids and Cyborgs can acquire Innate Hi-tech abilities.
LOW-TECH
Low-tech abilities result from simple technology such as crossbows, basic firearms, pulleys, levers, and other simple analog and clockwork tech. Anyone can acquire Low-Tech Item abilities, but only Androids and Cyborgs can acquire Innate Low-tech abilities. Superhuman abilities cannot be low-tech above tier 4 unless they are a vehicle, but even then, they can only go up to 4 + 2 per size larger than medium.
LUCK
Luck abilities aren't supernatural but occur as a result of destiny, fate, serendipity, or possibly good planning and foresight on your part. You can't throw a fireball, but you were secretly aware that the fuel tank behind your foe was leaking and would blow with a well-placed lit cigarette. Superhuman abilities usually can't be Luck-based unless they're approved by a GM in both acquisition and circumstance. For example, if you had Blast (Fire) as a luck-based ability because you were good at making things explode, you'd be unable to use it unless explosives happened to be readily available in the scene. That said, by cleverly using Items or tactically manipulating a scene, you might be able to ensure your needed circumstances are usually in play.
MAGIC
Magic abilities result from the mystical forces of magic. Anyone can acquire Magic Item abilities but only Aliens and Mutants can acquire Innate Magic abilities.
SUPERHUMAN
Some abilities might be labeled "superhuman" meaning they can be any source except Low-Tech or Talent.
TALENT
Talent abilities are not superhuman. Most adult humans given enough practice and training could feasibly gain and master a feat whereas special items and powers provide superhuman effects. If an ability is listed as "superhuman", it cannot be a talent. Talent abilities result from the skill, talent, training, and even luck. Anyone can acquire Talent abilities but only Humans can acquire superhuman abilities as talents (above tier 3). As they cannot perform supernatural feats, they rely on careful planning, skill, technique, and luck.
Unless noted otherwise, special abilities cost 1 focus/tier. Consuming focus represents you using ammunition, concentrating, thinking hard about something, or otherwise using energy and resources.
DURATION
Traits and powers that last 10 minutes or longer require you to invest focus. Invested focus reduces your maximum focus pool by the amount invested. When you deactivate a power with invested focus, the focus does not immediately return but must be recovered normally. However, your maximum focus does immediately return. Unless noted otherwise...
- Attacks and powers that directly deal, heal, or reduce damage are instantaneous.
- All other powers that create a buff or area effect last until the end of your next turn.
Focus (1 Action)
So long as your total number of focus points is lower than or equal to your level, you can use the Focus action to gain an amount of focus equal to 1d6 + level. This represents you reloading, unjamming a weapon, taking a deep breath, concentrating, hyping yourself up, looking around for a clip, or otherwise gathering immediately physical or mental resources you need.
SPECIAL ABILITY AREA & RANGE
All abilities use generally 5 target sizes/ranges: very short, short, medium, long, very long.
1 space = 5 feet/1.5 meters
1 fast travel space = 500 feet/150 meters
1 stellar space = 1 astronomical unit (92,955,810 miles/149,597,871 kilometers)
1 stellar fast travel space = 100 astronomical units
Speed of Light = 300,000 KM/186,000 miles per second; 671 million miles per hour; travels 1 astronomical unit every ~500 seconds (8 minutes). For gaming purposes rounded to 10 minutes per AU.
- *At tier 5+ alter 1,000 feet/tier to 1 mile/5 tiers
- Cylinders/Lines are 1/100th as wide as they are long rounded UP to the nearest 5-foot increment.
- Flying targets have disadvantage on defenses against cylinders and cylinder attacks have advantage against flying targets.
- Noncombat travel abilities have x10 the area/range of those listed here
- noncombat communication/observation abilities have x100 the area/range
- You can use ranged effects at roughly twice the normal range or area but suffer disadvantage on any attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks made as part of the effect.
- If the casting time is longer than 1 round, increase duration by 1 step per additional casting step: 1 round (3 actions) --> 1 minute --> 10 minutes --> 2 hours --> 24 hours --> 1 week --> 1 month --> 1 year --> 10 years --> Permanent
FUNCTION TYPES
All special abilities are feats, powers, or traits.
Feats are special actions you can take as often as you like. You reduce your maximum focus pool by the cumulative tiers of all feats you possess.
Powers are special actions you can take, but must spend focus points to active them.
Traits are special qualities you always have and are persistent and permanent. You don't turn them off or on, as they are always in effect. You reduce your maximum focus pool by the cumulative tiers of all traits you possess.
If your focus pool has already been reduced to 1, you cannot take any new feats or traits nor can you upgrade any of your feats or traits until you gain enough focus to acquire such abilities.