03.01 Rd6 Advantages: Special Abilities

Special Abilities

The term alien is a very relative term. Technically, everybody is an alien to someone else. However, for purposes of convention we will be very human-centric. In game terminology, alien refers to anything not strictly Human. This includes all the aliens in a sci-fi setting as well as near-Humans, mutants and genetic experiments that have ended up with special abilities. Each Alien Ability (referenced as Special Ability) is listed with its game mechanic effects.

Special Abilities (1-5 points)

• 03.01.01 Rd6 Special Abilities: Natural Weapons
• 03.01.02 Rd6 Special Abilities: Natural Armor
• 03.01.04 Rd6 Special Abilities: Ex-Abilities

Special Ability Enhancements

Enhancements allow Special Abilities to be somehow more than the typical version. Each Enhancement may be taken more than once for each Special Ability, either altering the ability in similar though distinct ways or, for some, through stacking the effects. The cost of the Enhancement adds to the associated Special Ability’s total cost (base
cost plus the cost for additional ranks).

Additional Effect

Point Cost: 1+

The Special Ability produces a useful, though minor, side effect that is a natural extension of the power. The more useful the side effect, the greater the number of points. Some examples include a skill bonus when using the ability, doing residual damage (such as reflection with Natural Armor or radiation with Natural Ranged Weapon), or adding functionality to an Extra Body Part.

Bestow

Point Cost: *

The character may share her Special Ability with a certain type of target: sentient living, non-sentient living, or nonliving. The player must chose which group when including this Enhancement.

The cost of this Enhancement equals one-half (rounded up) of the Special Ability total. He may only use his Special Ability on himself and on members of his target group with a multi-action penalty.

Some Special Abilities will require better stories concerning how the character
can manage sharing them than others (such as Youthful Appearance or Ambidextrous), while others may not have this Enhancement (such as Longevity or Immortality). The target has control over the use of the Bestowed Special Ability for as long as the Bestowing character allows (but not indefinitely). A character may only buy this Enhancement once per Special Ability, but he may have multiple versions of it.

Extended Range

Point Cost: 3

The factor used to determine the range of the character’s Special Ability is increased. Every time this enhancement is taken, the player increase the Range of Ability by 50%.

Example: The range for 7 point Natural Ranged Weapon is 80 x the character’s Strength (Athletics) in meters. With a single Enhancement of Extended range, the range would now be 120 times x the character’s Strength (Athletics).

Additionally, this ability can be applied to Special Abilities that require Touch or Fighting Attacks. One Extended Range enhancement will allow any Special Ability requiring Touch or Fighting attack be a Ranged attack with a range of 20 meters, however an applicable Range Attack Test must be made.

Magical Empowered, Minor

Point Cost: 4

This enhancement give the Special Ability a magical nature or source. A Special Ability provided by a spell does not need this Enhancement, nor does Natural Magic require it. An item created for a character because of the Equipment Advantage would.

With Minor Magical Empowerment, the Special Ability with this Enhancement has a magical power source, but it is not truly magical in nature. If the enhanced Special Ability deal damage in some way, Special Abilities or magical spells that protect the target can defend against this damage as normal.

It can act on characters in astral form, spirits, and other magical creatures as well as magical items not affected by normal harm. It does harm to those targets at one-half of its damage total, before modifiers and rounded down.

If Enhanced Special Ability provides protection, it defends at one-half its total, before modifiers and rounded down, against magical blasts or Special Abilities possessed by demons, ghosts, and other magical or spiritual beings. In both cases, these bonuses are in addition to the normal applications of the Special Ability.

Magical Empowered, Major

Point Cost 5

This enhancement give the Special Ability a magical nature or source. A Special Ability provided by a spell does not need this Enhancement, nor does Natural Magic require it. An item created for a character because of the Equipment Advantage would.

With Major Magical Empowerment, the Special Ability with this Enhancement is
magical in nature. If it does damage, Special Abilities that protect or defend, only defend at one-half their die code (rounded down) against its attacks, but the Enhanced Special Ability can be completely protected against by other magical Special Abilities (protecting Special Abilities with this Enhancement; spells that protect against magical attacks; and protective versions of Natural Magick).

It can be used against characters in astral form, spirits, and other magical or spiritual creatures or magical items not affected by normal harm. For both cases, this is in addition to the regular manifestations of the Special Ability.

If the Special Ability with this level of Enhancement provides protection to the character, it can defend against normal and magical powers (attacking Special Abilities with this Enhancement; damage-dealing spells; and attack versions of Natural Magick; Special Abilities magical in nature possessed by demons, ghosts, and the like).

To include this Enhancement with a Special Ability in an item, the item’s Special Ability should also have the Limitation Burn-out, item can be lost or stolen.

Multiple Targets

Point Cost: 2

The character may use the Special Ability more than once per round without incurring a multi-action penalty. Each time this Enhancement is selected, the character gains one additional use of the Special Ability. This adds to any other bonus actions provided by a power; it does not multiply it.
Special Ability Limitations

There are also Limitations that can be associated with Special Abilities, restricting their functionality and reducing their total cost. Limitations may not lower a Special Ability’s total cost below one, and all Limitations must have some sort of effect on play – just like Disadvantages. Each of a character’s Special Abilities may have more than one of each Limitation, as they can either describe similar but distinct negative situations or, in some cases, stack the effects.

Ability Loss, Minor

Points: -3

The character temporarily loses his Special Ability at regular intervals or, when the Special Ability is used, he loses the ability to use a common skill in which he
has experience.

Examples include: a character who cannot shapeshift when the sun is out; a character who
cannot use his natural weapons on a particular day of the month or during a certain phase of the moon. For Minor Ability Loss, the ability returns after the conditions are removed.

The character is aware of what the circumstances are that will cause this. A character may have this Limitation multiple times for different Special Abilities, circumstances, or combinations of Special Abilities and skills.

Ability Loss, Major

Points: -4

The character temporarily loses his Special Ability at regular intervals or, when the Special Ability is used, he loses the ability to use a common skill in which he has experience.

For Major Ability Loss, the character must undergo some sort of (fairly simple) procedure to regain his Ability. A character may have this Limitation multiple times for different Special Abilities, circumstances, or combinations of Special Abilities and skills.

Allergy, Minor

Points: -3

The character has a fairly minor allergy to a fairly common substance (smoke, sunlight, particular food, etc.), exposure to which causes the Special Ability to be less effective, for example losing all Critical Success rerolls on Tests involving the ability. This remains in effect until the condition is removed. A Special Ability have one Allergy Limitation, though it may have several different Allergies.

Allergy, Major

Points: -4

The character has a fairly major allergy to a fairly common substance (smoke, sunlight, particular food, etc.) causes the Special Ability to fail. Before using a Special Ability, the character must roll a single d6 and on a 1 or 2, the Special Ability can not be used. this condition remains into effect until the substance is removed. A Special Ability may only have one Allergy Limitation but it may have several different Allergies.

Burn-out

Points: -1*

Under a certain set of defined circumstances, the Special Ability goes away – permanently. The more likely the burn-out, the greater the cost in this Limitation. A Special Ability may have multiple variations of this Limitation, representing different triggers for the Burn-out.

Cybernetic

Points: -1

An artificial limb or organ provides the character’s Special Ability. This Special Ability suffers the same vulnerabilities and/or stigmas as other Cybernetics would in the setting. This can only applied to a single Special Ability once.

Debt

Points: -3

Some sentient being or entity gave the character the Special Ability. See the Debt Disadvantage for suggestions. A Special Ability may only have one rank in this Limitation.

Flaw

Points: -1*

All Tests associated with using the Special Ability are reduced by +2 per point invested into Flaw. The greater the points associated with this Flaw, the greater the difficulty modifier. The Flaw should be defined in some story based way.

Minor Stigma

Points: -3

The character cannot use the Special Ability without performing the proper rituals before or after A Special Ability may only have this Limitation once.

Others Only, Minor

Points: -2

The character may not use the Special Ability himself; he may only allow others to use it. For Minor Others Only, the character may affect sentient living, non-sentient living, and nonliving targets.

This Limitation may not be taken more than once per Special Ability. Additionally, like the Bestow Enhancement, some Special Abilities may require valid reasons before the gamemaster will allow the Limitation’s inclusion.

Some abilities, such as Immortality and Longevity, may not have this Limitation. The target who gets the Special Ability has control over its use as if she actually had the ability, for
as long as the giving character allows.

Others Only, Moderate

Points: -3

The character may not use the Special Ability himself; he may only allow others to use it. The value of this Limitation depends on how many groups of others he can use it on:

For Moderate Others Only, the character can affect only two of the three groups: sentient living, non-sentient living, or nonliving targets.

This Limitation may not be taken more than once per Special Ability. Additionally, like the Bestow Enhancement, some Special Abilities may require valid reasons before the gamemaster will allow the Limitation’s inclusion.

Some abilities, such as Immortality and Longevity, may not have this Limitation. The target who gets the Special Ability has control over its use as if she actually had the ability, for
as long as the giving character allows.

Others Only, Major

Points: -4

The character may not use the Special Ability himself; he may only allow others to use it. The value of this Limitation depends on how many groups of others he can use it on:

For Major Others Only II, the character can affect only one of the three groups: sentient living, non-sentient living, or nonliving targets.

This Limitation may not be taken more than once per Special Ability. Additionally, like the Bestow Enhancement, some Special Abilities may require valid reasons before the gamemaster will allow the Limitation’s inclusion.

Some abilities, such as Immortality and Longevity, may not have this Limitation. The target who gets the Special Ability has control over its use as if she actually had the ability, for as long as the giving character allows.

Price

Points: -1

The character must fulfill certain obligations in order to use the Special Ability. Perhaps when using Water Breathing, the character must remain in the water for at least 24 hours for every 24 hours out of it or suffer -4 modifier per Limitation to his damage resistance total for changing environments so quickly.

Alternatively, there could be a Character or Fate Point fee of three Character Points or one Fate Point in the Limitation. This can be selected multiple times to increase the Price.

Restricted

Points: -1*

The Special Ability is hindered in a way not covered by any other Limitation. The more restrictive the situation, the greater the number of ranks in this Limitation. For instance, a Natural Weapon (either kind) may only be useful against certain items. A Special Ability may have multiple variations of this Limitation, each representing a different restraint.

Side Effect

Points: -2

One of the character’s Special Abilities has some sort of annoying side effect that appears with its use, such as constant whistling, a continuous glow, or a terrible stench. This could increase other skill Tests difficulties while the ability is in use. Much depends on the type of Side Effect and can be determined between the GM and the player.

Singularity

Points: -1*

The character may use only one of a group of two or more Special Abilities each round. It does not take an action to switch Special Abilities. He may change the Special Ability in use at the beginning of his turn in a round, and he may rely on the chosen Special Ability until the next time he changes it.

For an additional one point per Special Ability, it does take an action to switch Special Abilities. A Special Ability may not have more than two points in this Limitation and all Special Abilities in the same group must have this Limitation at the same points. Not all of a character’s Special Abilities need be in the same Singularity group.

Super-science Item

Points: -2

The Special Ability is contained in a piece of equipment – such as a gun, a staff, or a ring – developed through a technological means not readily available and certainly experimental.

The item could be lent to another character or taken away with a successful grab and used by someone else, though at a +1 to the difficulty.

On a Critical Failure, the item malfunctions and requires repair. Unless combined with the Burn-out Limitation, a destroyed item may be recreated in a number of days equal to the total cost of the Special Ability (including all points, Enhancements, and Limitations). This can not be combined with Cybernetics Limitation.