Aspects
ASPECTS represent the Character’s natural capacity to perform and excel at the actions they take within the game, including everything from swinging swords to dodging fireballs.
THE ROLE OF ASPECTS
ASPECTS are pools of resources that a CHARACTER can tap into. They represent the Character’s relative capability within that Aspect category.
- A PLAYER can spend Aspect POOL POINTS when…
Finally, ASPECTS represent a the limits of a CHARACTER’s endurance, beyond which serious injury is inflicted. When an ASPECT’s POOL POINTS are completely drained, the CHARACTER will suffer ill effects that can last beyond a single scene or encounter
SIX ASPECTS DEFINED
| ASPECT | COMMON POOL USAGE |
|---|---|
| BODY | Powerful attacks, extra actions, taking damage in combat, resisting poison or disease. |
| MIND | Skill expertise, memory, willpower, resisting trauma or horror. |
| SPIRIT | Spellcasting, inner strength, confidence, inspiration, resisting the Shadow. |
| LUCK | Can be used in place of other Aspect pool points. |
| VOID | Influence of the Shadow on the Character. Grows when other Aspect Pools drained. |
| FAVOR | Following your Faith’s tenets will grant you Favor, which you can spend like Luck, on yourself or others. |
ASSIGNING ASPECTS TO YOUR CHARACTER
- BODY, MIND, SPIRIT, and LUCK are determined based on the CAMPAIGN TYPE your group has chosen.
- To Assign values to them, distribute the value from your CAMPAIGN TYPE across these four ASPECTS.
- VOID and FAVOR always start at zero.
| DOOMED | NORMAL | AWAKENED | FATED | CHOSEN | MYTHIC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASPECT POINTS | 10 | 22 | 34 | 46 | 58 | 70 |
- Spend the points indicated from the CAMPAIGN TYPE column BETWEEN BODY, MIND, SPIRIT, and LUCK.
- BODY, MIND, SPIRIT, and LUCK cannot have values of 0 or less.
BODY ASPECT: BRAWN AND ENDURANCE
BODY POOL POINTS represent the conditioning, training, endurance, agility, and power of your physical body.
| ACTION | DETAIL |
|---|---|
| SPEND | Players can spend the BODY points of their Characters to BOOST their CHALLENGE rolls during gameplay when using Gifted or Martial ABILITIES. |
| LOSE | Players can lose BODY points when they are physically hurt or attacked during play, such as during Explorations or Skirmish encounters. CONDITIONS such as Bleeding, Diseased, or Poisoned can also inflict BODY point damage |
| BRACE | When BODY is reduced to or below ZERO, the character must BRACE themselves; they gain the Wounded CONDITION and take a penalty to CHALLENGE Rolls which rely on physical activity. |
| DEFEAT | When a Wounded Character takes additional BODY damage, they are DEFEATED and either removed from play for the rest of the SCENE or risk taking permanent BODY damage. |
MIND ASPECT: BRAINS AND TRAINING
MIND POOL POINTS represent the knowledge, wisdom, willpower, and acuity of your mind.
| ACTION | DETAIL |
|---|---|
| SPEND | Players can spend the MIND points of their Characters to BOOST their CHALLENGE rolls during gameplay when using Skilled or School ABILITIES. |
| LOSE | Players can lose MIND points when they are mentally taxed or socially humiliated during play, such as during Investigations and Diplomatic encounters. CONDITIONS such as Delusional, Paranoid, or Phobic can also inflict MIND point damage |
| BRACE | When MIND is reduced to or below ZERO, the character must BRACE themselves; they gain the Confused CONDITION and take a penalty to CHALLENGE Rolls which rely on mental activity. |
| DEFEAT | When a Confused Character takes additional MIND damage, they are DEFEATED and either removed from play for the rest of the SCENE or risk taking permanent MIND damage. |
SPIRIT ASPECT: MAGIC AND INNER STRENGTH
SPIRIT POOL POINTS represent the presence, intuition, conviction, and devotion of your spiritual connection to all things.
| ACTION | DETAIL |
|---|---|
| SPEND | Players can spend the SPIRIT points of their Characters to BOOST their CHALLENGE rolls during gameplay when using Anima or Source ABILITIES. |
| LOSE | Players can lose SPIRIT points when they are spiritually or magically challenged during play, such as during Magical spells and rituals, and communications with the Divine. CONDITIONS such as Corrupted, Haunted, or Severed can also inflict SPIRIT point damage |
| BRACE | When SPIRIT is reduced to or below ZERO, the character must BRACE themselves; they gain the Troubled CONDITION and take a penalty to CHALLENGE Rolls which rely on spiritual activity. |
| DEFEAT | When a Troubled Character takes additional SPIRIT damage, they are DEFEATED and either removed from play for the rest of the SCENE or risk taking permanent SPIRIT damage. |
LUCK ASPECT: WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS
LUCK POOL POINTS represent an inner reserve of strength that manifests when you need it most.
| ACTION | DETAIL |
|---|---|
| SPEND | Players can spend the LUCK points of their Characters to BOOST their CHALLENGE rolls during gameplay when using any ABILITIES. |
| LOSE | Players can choose to lose LUCK points instead of BODY, MIND, or SPIRIT points when they’re harmed physically, mentally, or spiritually. CONDITIONS such as Calamity, Doomed, or Severed can also inflict LUCK point damage |
| BRACE | When LUCK is reduced to or below ZERO, the character must BRACE themselves; they gain the Jinxed CONDITION and take a penalty to ALL CHALLENGE Rolls. |
| DEFEAT | When a Jinxed Character takes additional LUCK damage, they are DEFEATED and either removed from play for the rest of the SCENE or risk taking permanent LUCK damage. |
VOID ASPECT: ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES
VOID POOL POINTS represent the horrors, traumas, and long-term damage your Character has suffered over the course of their adventuring career.
| ACTION | DETAIL |
|---|---|
| GAIN | PLAYERS gain 1 VOID point each time they are DEFEATED. |
| SPEND | PLAYERS can spend their CHARACTER’s VOID points to BOOST their CHALLENGE rolls during gameplay when using any ABILITIES. Each time they do so, they gain 1 CORRUPTION point. They must have more VOID points than CORRUPTION points to use their VOID points in this way. |
| LOSE | REFEREES can spend a CHARACTER’s VOID points to negatively affect that CHARACTER’s CHALLENGE rolls during gameplay at any time. The Character’s CORRUPTION total must be at least 1 point. |
| CORRUPTION | CHARACTERS gain CORRUPTION when they spend VOID to their advantage, and lose CORRUPTION when the REFEREE spends VOID to thwart them. |
FAVOR ASPECT: STAY THE COURSE
FAVOR POOL POINTS represent the piety a CHARACTER has shown to their FAITH and their IMMORTAL, and can be used as additional power in a SCENE to either enable their ABILITIES or damage their foes.
| ACTION | DETAIL |
|---|---|
| GAIN | PLAYERS gain 1 FAVOR point each time they take an IMPACTFUL action which adheres to the tenets of their FAITH. |
| SPEND | PLAYERS can spend their CHARACTER’s FAVOR points in one of three ways: INSPIRATION, EMPOWERMENT, and MANIFESTATION, as described below. |
| LOSE | PLAYERS can lose FAVOR each time they take an IMPACTFUL action which refutes the tenets of their FAITH. |
FAVOR can be spent as INSPIRATION, EMPOWERMENT, and MANIFESTATION, and with either ELOS (positive) or ECHTHROS (negative) qualities of their Faith and their Immortal.
| MECHANIC | ELOS (mercy) | ECHTHROS (wrath) |
|---|---|---|
| GUIDE | PLAYER can spend FAVOR as if they were any other kind of ASPECT points, but may do so on behalf of other CHARACTERS as well. | PLAYER can spend FAVOR points to impair a single foe, reducing an enemy’s RATING on a 1:1 basis for each FAVOR point spent for the rest of the SCENE or COMBAT. PLAYER chooses which RATING is reduced. |
| EMPOWER | PLAYER can spend FAVOR points to increase the die tier of any CHARACTER’s defensive Ability or Spell by one die tier per point, for an entire SCENE or COMBAT. | PLAYER can spend FAVOR points to increase the die tier of any CHARACTER’s offensive Ability or Spell by one die tier per point, for an entire SCENE or COMBAT. |
| MANIFEST | PLAYER can spend all accumulated FAVOR points to cancel 1 negative CONDITION for all Allied Contacts and Heal 1 ASPECT POOL POINT for each FAVOR point spent. CHARACTER is immune to all DAMAGE and CONDITIONS for that round. | PLAYER can spend all accumulated FAVOR points to cause 1 POINT of DAMAGE to all enemies in line of sight for each FAVOR point spent, and inflict the [AFRAID] CONDITION on each enemy without fail. CHARACTER treats every additional attack they make that round as a TRIUMPH. |
USING ASPECT POINTS
You can SPEND them to defend yourself, boost your abilities, or to fight off debilitating effects; you can REGAIN them by resting, and you can IMPROVE them with experience:
| ACTION | DETAIL | COST / ROLL |
|---|---|---|
| DEFEND | Spend Aspect Pool points when you take damage from attacks. | 1 Pool Point / Hit |
| BOOST | Spend to improve your odds before you roll CHALLENGES or SAVES. | 1 Pool Point / Boost Level |
| RECOVER | Spend to remove an unwanted CONDITION | 1 Pool Point / Condition TN |
| REGAIN | Roll to regenerate one Aspect Pool’s Points after a rest. | * |
| IMPROVE | Spend Experience Points to increase the Aspect Pool’s maximum size. | 1 XP / Pool Point |
- Note that only ONE Aspect can regain points through rest each 8hr period.
DEFENDING MYSELF
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, your ASPECT POINTS are what stand between you and defeat. In the simplest example:
- When you’re hit with a weapon, that weapon will do damage to your BODY Aspect.
- The Referee will roll for damage, and you’ll subtract that damage from your BODY.
BOOSTING MY ROLLS
YOUR ASPECTS AREN’T JUST FOR DAMAGE, and generally you’ll want to spend them before you take damage!
You can do this by BOOSTING your rolls, which is a simple process:
- Spend 1 ASPECT Point before you make a Challenge Roll for an ABILITY.
- Increase the DIE TIER of each die in the roll by 1 (e.g., d4 becomes d6, d8 becomes d10, and so on)
- Make the roll!
The Ability Category determines the Aspect you’ll spend - Martial Abilities spend BODY, Skills spend MIND, and so on.
The only limitations are:
- You can only BOOST once per roll, so you can’t spend 2 ASPECT POINTS to increase die tiers twice.
- You can’t increase a die tier past d12 in this way.
RECOVERING ASPECT POINTS
Each 8 hours of rest (and sleep), you can choose to roll a SAVE for one ASPECT type and restore as many points to that ASPECT as you rolled. Only one ASPECT type can recover points per rest in this way.
Additionally, some SKILLS, SPELLS, and other ABILITIES may allow you to recover ASPECT points under certain circumstances, but there is always a cost for this kind of recovery, whether in power, resources, or time.
GAINING MORE ASPECT POINTS
When you gain EXPERIENCE POINTS (XP) you can spend them to increase an ASPECT POOL’s total value on a 1:1 basis.
Note that you can also spend XP on increasing the TRAINING LEVELS of your ABILITIES, so you’ll need to decide where your priorities lie when spending your experience!
THE DANGERS OF RUNNING OUT
- If you run out of VOID or FAVOR ASPECT POOL points, nothing happens at all (aside from you not being able to use them to your advantage). This just means that you are no longer under the influence of the Shadow, and you no longer have any pull with the Immortals - for now, anyway.
- Running out of BODY, MIND, SPIRIT, or LUCK ASPECT POOL points is a bad thing, however, and it represents your Character hitting their uttermost limits. When it happens, there are two possible scenarios that can follow: BRACING or DEFEAT.
| EVENT | RESULT | DETAILS | RECOVERY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero Aspect Points | BRACE | - Short-term disadvantageous Condition | 8hr Rest |
| Damaged While Aspect at Zero | DEFEAT | - Long-term disadvantageous Condition - Incapacitated until Scene over - +1 VOID Point |
7d Rest + Expert Care |
Note that the first exertion or attack which forces your Character to BRACE can only bring you to Zero Aspect Pool points - it cannot bring you directly to the DEFEATED condition.
BRACING: LIVING ON THE EDGE
- IN GAME: Your character is summoning up grit and determination to keep themselves functional from the very depths of their desperation, heroism, or whatever it is that motivates them!
- MECHANICALLY: The ASPECT which was drained will be much weaker for the rest of the SCENE or COMBAT, even if you recover those points during the Scene.
- To represent this, your CHARACTER gains a CONDITION that will last for the rest of the Scene, from the following table:
| ASPECT | CONDITION |
|---|---|
| BODY | WOUNDED: Decrease the DIE TIER for all CHALLENGES and SAVES relating to physical activities. |
| MIND | CONFUSED: Decrease the DIE TIER for all CHALLENGES and SAVES relating to mental activities. |
| SPIRIT | TROUBLED: Decrease the DIE TIER for all CHALLENGES and SAVES relating to spiritual activities. |
| LUCK | JINXED: Decrease the DIE TIER for all CHALLENGES and SAVES. |
- All of these conditions last until the CHARACTER’s next undisturbed 8hr rest.
- BRACED effects can stack, if a Character regains ASPECT points but is forced to BRACE again!
DEFEAT: FALLING OFF THE EDGE
- IN GAME: Your CHARACTER has succumbed to the perils of the SCENE! Should they survive, they will gain trauma of one form or another; should they attempt to continue fighting, they may do themselves serious and permanent damage…
- MECHANICALLY: DEFEAT has harsher consequences than BRACING, and to make things worse will generally be additive to any BRACING conditions you’ve already acquired. When you are DEFEATED:
- You either:
- Gain a CONDITION which takes you out of the SCENE or COMBAT, or
- Gain a CONDITION which subtracts all damage to the affected ASPECT from its MAXIMUM VALUE
- You gain a second, more serious CONDITION which will WITHER the affected ASPECT until it’s cured, and
- You gain a VOID Point.
- You either:
| ASPECT | CONDITION 1 (UNTIL SCENE END) | CONDITION 2 (DURATION INDEFINITE) |
|---|---|---|
| BODY | SHOCK: Unable to take physical actions during a Scene due to loss of bodily function. -or- LAST STAND: Spend 1 MAX BODY each round or minute to retain physical capacity. Any additional physical damage or expenditure also reduces MAX BODY. If MAX BODY reaches 0, the CHARACTER DIES. |
BROKEN: Withers 1pt BODY per day. Cannot BOOST BODY Challenges or Saves. |
| MIND | STUNNED: Unable to take conscious actions during a Scene due to being unable to process events. -or- SANITY’S EDGE: Spend 1 MAX MIND each round or minute to retain mental capacity. Any additional mental damage or expenditure also reduces MAX MIND. If MAX MIND reaches 0, the CHARACTER DIES. |
SHATTERED: Withers 1pt MIND per day. Cannot BOOST MIND Challenges or Saves. |
| SPIRIT | SEVERED: Unable to take magical actions during a Scene due to a loss of connection to Source. -or- MARTYR: Spend 1 MAX SPIRIT each round or minute to retain spiritual capacity. Any additional spiritual damage or expenditure also reduces MAX SPIRIT. If MAX SPIRIT reaches 0, the CHARACTER DIES. |
HAUNTED: Withers 1pt SPIRIT per day. Cannot BOOST SPIRIT Challenges or Saves. |
| LUCK | WRETCHED: Unable to take any action during a Scene due to crippling fear. -or- DEVIL’S DUE: Spend 1 MAX LUCK each round or minute to retain functional capacity. Any additional damage or expenditure of any type also reduces MAX LUCK. If MAX LUCK reaches 0, the CHARACTER DIES. |
CALAMITY: Withers 1pt LUCK per day. Cannot BOOST any CHALLENGES or SAVES. |
EXAMPLE: ASSIGNING ASPECTS
Brett’s creating a new Character, Sneeky Peet, in Andy’s campaign. His group jointly determined that they’re playing a Campaign at the NORMAL power level.
The NORMAL Campaign Type stipulates that Brett will SPEND 10 POINTS to determine each the starting value for BODY, MIND, SPIRIT, and LUCK.
Brett spends 3 points for BODY, 2 for MIND, 2 for SPIRIT, and 3 for LUCK.
VOID and FAVOR always start off at 0.