Aspects

OVERVIEW

ASPECTS are POOLS OF POINTS that serve as RESOURCES for a CHARACTER, and represent the CHARACTER’s relative capability within that ASPECT category. A PLAYER spends ASPECT POOL POINTS when the CHARACTER takes damage, or if the PLAYER wants to improve the chance of success for a Challenge or Save.

What Aspects does my Character have?

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.

How do I determine the Value of my Aspect Pools?

  • BODY, MIND, SPIRIT, & LUCK:

    • If you’ve chosen the ROLL method for character creation, use the ROLL column from your CAMPAIGN TYPE to roll once for each of these four ASPECTS.
    • If you’ve chosen the BUY method, spread the BUY column from your CAMPAIGN TYPE to spread the entire pool of points across all four ASPECTS.
      CAMPAIGN ROLL/SAVE BUY MAX MASTERY FACTION DICE
      DOOMED 3d2 18 Novice 1d6
      NORMAL 3d4 32 Apprentice 2d6
      AWAKENED 3d6 44 Journeyman 2d6
      FATED 3d8 56 Journeyman 3d6
      CHOSEN 3d10 68 Artisan 3d6
      MYTHIC 3d12 80 Artisan 4d6

  • VOID: always starts at zero.

What do I do with Aspect Pool Points?

  • WITHSTAND: Spend them when you take damage from attacks that would hurt you.
  • BOOST: Spend them to improve your odds when rolling CHALLENGES and SAVES.
  • REGAIN: Roll your SAVE + PERSISTENCE Modifier for each ASPECT after an 8hr rest to determine regeneration.
  • IMPROVE: Spend EXPERIENCE POINTS to increase their size.

What happens when I run out of Aspect Pool points?

Generally speaking, running out is a bad thing and a scenario to be avoided - but it’s also something that can happen. There are two possible scenarios when you’re out of ASPECT pool points:

  • BRACE: The first time you take more damage or spend more pool points than you have, you go to zero pool points and have a CONDITION applied, specific to the Aspect which was drained, which will make Challenges and Saves much more difficult - though you still have full control of your CHARACTER. The CONDITION you gain by BRACING will generally be healed after eight hours of rest or downtime.
  • FALL: If you take damage or spend ASPECT POOL points after BRACING that ASPECT, your character FALLS, and there are serious consequences. You gain one CONDITION which takes your CHARACTER completely out of the scene, and another CONDITION which will afflict you for a much longer time period. Finally, you will also gain a VOID aspect pool point.

What Conditions do I get if I’m forced to Brace?

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 physical activites.
SPIRIT CURSED: Decrease the DIE TIER for all CHALLENGES and SAVES relating to spiritual activities.
LUCK WOE: Decrease the DIE TIER for all CHALLENGES and SAVES.
  • All of these conditions last until the CHARACTER’s next undisturbed 8hr rest.
  • If an ASPECT POOL Goes Zero more than once before a CHARACTER can rest, these effects stack.
  • No CONDITION is applied if you have spent your last VOID Pool Point.

What Conditions do I get if I Fall?

ASPECT CONDITION 1 (UNTIL SCENE END) CONDITION 2 (DURATION INDEFINITE)
BODY UNCONSCIOUS: Unable to take physical actions during a Scene due to loss of consciousness. GREVIOUS WOUND: 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. AMNESIAC: 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. 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. CALAMITY: Withers 1pt LUCK per day. Cannot BOOST any CHALLENGES or SAVES.
  • A Character who FALLS automatically gains a VOID point.

What’s a Void Point?

A VOID point represents the times you’ve come close to losing everything - every time you Fall, you gain a VOID point. Once you’ve gained a VOID point, it can be spent in the following ways:

MECHANIC DESCRIPTION LIMITATIONS / REQUIREMENTS
BRAVERY You can spend your VOID points as if they were any other kind of ASPECT points, producing positive effects like Boosts for Ability or Save rolls, or spending them like LUCK instead of an affected ASPECT. When you do this, you lose the VOID points you spend, but your TRAUMA total goes up by one. Can only be spent when the number of VOID points a Character currently possesses is greater than the amount of TRAUMA the character has collected. At that point, the Player can spend anywhere from one to all of their VOID points as BRAVERY.
KARMA The REFEREE can spend some of your VOID points against you at any time to generate negative influences. Each VOID point the Referee spends in this way can be used to reduce die tiers for one of your Ability or Save rolls. When your Referee uses VOID points in this way, your Character does not accumulate TRAUMA. The Referee can only spend a Character’s VOID points as KARMA once per Session, and they can only spend half the total VOID points they’ve collected - round up!
TRAUMA This value is the total number of VOID points you’ve ever used as BRAVERY. It has no effect on its own, but as it grows higher it becomes harder for the Character to spend VOID points on BRAVERY. Every time the Player spends any amount of VOID as BRAVERY, they gain one TRAUMA point.