Special abilities
Special abilities are exactly what they sound like. They're your magic spells, martial art forms, animal transformations, or any other cool mechanic that's specific to your character. And best of all? You decide how they work.
Ability points
To start with, consider what powers your character's special abilities. What makes them able to do the incredible things they do? A special ability may cost magic gems, imbued talismans of paper, a source of energy like mana, or anything else you can come up with!
Whatever you choose it to be, that is their type of ability points. You start with from 1 to 3 ability points, and gain more as you gain additional potential. You spend these points to use special abilities, and you can recover spent points when you spend some downtime to recover.
You can also recover spent ability points when it makes sense that you would. A mage might be able to replenish their mana from leylines. A grenadier might be able to replenish their ammunition in an arsenal. A leader might replenish their pride from cheering throngs of admirers.
Naming and renaming ability points
If you're not sure what you want you want your ability points to be called at the start, it's okay to just call them "ability points" and come up with a name for them later. Eventually, though, you will want them to have a name because it helps to make the flavor of your character come to life!
Similarly, you should feel free to rename your ability points if the name you chose doesn't feel right or if it no longer makes sense.
Gaining ability points and creating special abilities
Between sessions you can remove special abilities from your character sheet if you feel like they don't belong-- whether you just don't like how they work or if you feel like they don't make sense to your character anymore.
If you do, for each special ability you remove make sure you improve an existing ability or learn a new special ability to take its place. Remember, whenever you make new special abilities it's a good idea to make sure you take some time to talk them over with your table and/or your GM before you introduce them.
Special abilities from basic abilities
One of the easiest ways to create a special ability is to power up a basic ability. Here are some examples -- the specific ability points that power them are italicized.
Attack
Fireball
As an action, you can spend 1 mp to make an Attack with Knowledge against a target within long range and all targets within short range of them.
Defend
Dodge and Roll
When you Defend against an Attack, you can spend 1 slick move to move 1 space away from the person who attacked you. If you critically succeed, you can perform a full Move instead.
Get answers
The Dead Speak to Me
As an action, you can spend 1 runed bone to roll Presence and Get Answers by speaking with the spirits of the recently departed as long as you have a remnant of them or something they cared about.
Help
Amythest Ward
By spending 1 magical gem, you can roll Knowledge to Help yourself or any ally within short range by erecting a shimmering purple barrier that wards off attacks.
Hinder
Flashbang Grenade
By spending 1 ammunition, you can roll Intuition to Hinder a target within short range by firing a flashbang from your shoulder cannon.
Make progress (on something big)
Words of Inspiration
By spending 1 point of ridiculous charisma you can roll Presence to Make Progress on something you wouldn't normally be able to help with by inspiring someone else who is doing it.
Movement
Slip Past
As an action, by spending 1 point of cunning, you can Move without people Reacting to your movement.
Prepare
Ready for Anything
By spending 1 scrappiness, you can roll Intuition in the minutes before a fight to Prepare for a battle with an enemy, flashing back to any tricks you may have hidden up your sleeve.
Test
Mechanisms are My Forte
By spending 1 sprocket before rolling on a test to finesse machinery, produce the exact right tool for the job. Upgrade a d12 to a d20 before rolling.
New abilities
Another way to create special abilities is to make entirely new abilities! Special abilities can do whatever you want them to! Well, as long as your table is cool with it anyway.
If a special ability affects someone else, a good rule of thumb is to plan how they might make a test to resist the effects, setting the Difficulty (likely based on your roll or one of your passive attributes) and describing what happens if they Critically Succeed, Succeed, Partially Succeed, or Fail.
Heal somebody
Test a specific attribute, then heal damage from someone close equal to what you rolled. If you roll higher than their total HP, unmark one of their marked injury boxes.
Medic Matrix
As an action by spending 1 nyanobot, test your knowledge to heal that much damage from someone close. If you rolled higher than their total HP, unmark one of their marked injury boxes.
Move an enemy
Test a specific attribute against an enemy's passive attributes, then move them if you win!
Grapple Gun
As an action, fire your grappling hook arm at an enemy within long range to pull them in closer. Test your brawn against their passive brawn or agility. If you succeed, pull them a short distance toward you.
Tag something
Give yourself a tagged item for the scene, or tag parts of yourself as if they were an item. Automatically add the +1 tag at level 2, +2 at level 3, and so on up to +9 at level 10.
Rockin' Abs
Once per rest as a reaction, you can spend 1 muscle point to treat your 6 pack as if it was an item with the brawn and armor tags for the scene.
Upgrading special abilities
As you get stronger, so should your special abilities! When you upgrade your special abilities, usually you're looking to either give them an extra effect or make them stronger.
Combine basic abilities
Sometimes you just want an ability to do more. One way to accomplish that is by combining the effects of two basic abilities into one special ability!
I Know the Supernatural
As an action, by spending 1 firsthand supernatural experience I can roll Knowledge to Get Answers about a supernatural creature I can see. Before I roll, I can trade one of my d12s for a d20.
Monster Hunting Expert
As two actions, by spending 1 firsthand supernatural experience I can roll Knowledge to both Get Answers about a supernatural creature I can see and Help myself or others by recalling how to deal with it in the same roll. Before I roll, I can trade one of my d12s for a d20.
Your combined special ability will usually still require you to spend the same number of total actions, but now that they are one roll both benefit from any strengthening upgrades you provide.
You can also combine already upgraded special abilities!
Divine Weapon
As an action, by spending 1 faith I can give anything the +5, blessed, will, and weapon tags.
Blessing of the Golden Ankh
As two actions, by spending 1 faith I can roll Will to heal somebody by the amount I rolled. In addition, give something equipped to them the +5, blessed, will, and weapon tags.
Making an Action Stronger
If you want a special ability to do what it already does, but better, you can amplify its effects.
One way is to trade a d12 for a d20, or increasing the number of d12s are traded into d20s.
Mechanisms are My Forte
By spending 1 sprocket before rolling on a test to finesse machinery, produce the exact right tool for the job. Upgrade a d12 to a d20 before rolling.
Mechanisms are My Forte +
By spending 1 sprocket before rolling on a test to finesse machinery, produce the exact right tool for the job. Upgrade two d12s to d20s before rolling.
Another way is by adding additional tags, or increasing the magnitude of those tags!
Fireball
As an action, you can spend 1 mp to make an Attack with Knowledge against a target within long range and all targets within short range of them.
Firestorm
As an action, you can spend 1 mp to make an Attack with Knowledge against a target within long range and all targets within medium range of them.
Big special abilities
Most special abilities are going to be the kind you see above, but sometimes you just want to go bigger to summon a meteor storm or telekinetically pull a starship down from the sky. For these sorts of special abilities, talk with your GM. It's possible that what you're really trying to do is to Make Progress on something big.
If you and your GM agree that this is something you should have on your character sheet, then you should pick a way to earn it. Maybe you need to develop the special ability as something smaller, and then get the big version after you've upgraded it a certain number of times. Maybe the special ability costs more points of potential than a regular one.
Finally, special abilities get bigger and badder the more requirements you put on them. If you want a really big special ability, you should attach some pretty serious requirements. Most of the time, this is at least spending downtime to ready the big special ability for action. Review requirements with your GM and pick some that make sense!