Core Talents

Determination (Core Ability)

A warrior can spend a point of Conviction to immediately erase all bruised and hurt damage conditions (and their associated penalties).

Expertise (Core Ability)

When an expert spends a point of Conviction to gain a Heroic Feat it lasts for the duration of the scene or a number of rounds equal to their level, whichever comes first. If they use Skill Training it lasts for the full scene.

The Talent (Core Ability)

The adept can spend a Conviction point to make one use of a supernatural power they do not possess. This works much like spending a Conviction point to emulate a feat. An adept with the Talent can also spend a Conviction point to eliminate any accumulated modifiers to fatigue saving throws for using powers. See Chapter 4 for more information on supernatural powers and later in this chapter for more on Conviction.

Powers

Adepts can develop and use certain supernatural powers, described in detail in Magic Powers.

Extra Effort

Heroes are often called upon to perform feats beyond their normal limits. This calls for extra effort. Players can use extra effort to improve a character’s abilities in exchange for the character suffering some fatigue from the effort. Extra effort is a free action and can be performed at any time during a character’s turn, but is limited to once per round. A character using extra effort can gain one of the following benefits:

• Check bonus: +2 bonus on a single ability, skill, or power check. This does not include attack rolls.

• Increase carrying capacity: +5 effective Strength for determining the character ’s carrying capacity for one round.

• Increase movement: The character ’s speed for all modes of movement doubles for one round.

• Increase power: Increase a power by 2 ranks for one round. This only increases the power’s rank; you cannot apply power modifiers (but see the power stunt benefit). Permanent powers cannot be improved in this way.

• Power stunt: Temporarily add a power feat to a power. This includes an Alternate Power of an existing power. The power feat must follow the normal rules for adding a power feat. The temporary power feat lasts for the duration of the encounter or until you choose to stop maintaining it, whichever comes first. This includes turning off the power or switching to a different Alternate Power. Power stunts cannot be applied to Permanent powers via extra effort.

• Willpower: Gain an immediate additional saving throw against a power with a Lasting effect, such as Mind Control or Nullify (see Duration, page 70). You get this save even if the Lasting power has a Continuous duration (which doesn’t normally allow for additional saves at all). If you’re mind-controlled, the fatigue from the extra effort doesn’t affect you until you’re free of it.

• Surge: Gain an additional standard or move action, before or after your normal actions for the round (your choice). Using this extra action does not change your place in the initiative order. You can use a standard action gained from extra effort to start or complete a fullround action in conjunction with your normal actions for the round.

At the beginning of the round immediately after extra effort, the character suffers a level of fatigue (see Fatigue later in this chapter). A fatigued character becomes exhausted, and an exhausted character becomes unconscious, the round after using extra effort. If you spend a Conviction point at the start of the round following extra effort to shake off the fatigue, the character suffers no adverse effects. Other specific uses of extra effort (usually involving supernatural powers) are specified in the text.

Conviction

Gaining Conviction

Characters have Conviction based on their level (see Level-Based Benefits, earlier in this chapter). As characteres improve in level, their maximum Conviction increases.

Using Conviction

Unless otherwise noted, spending a Conviction point is a reaction, taking no time, and can be done at any time. You may spend only one Conviction point per round on any given benefit, but may otherwise spend as many points as you have available. You can spend Conviction for any of the following:

Re-roll

One Conviction point allows you to re-roll any die roll you make and take the better of the two rolls. On a result of 1 through 10 on the second roll, add 10 to the result; an 11 or higher remains as-is (so the second roll is always a result of 11-20). You must spend the Conviction point to improve a roll before the Narrator announces the result of your roll.

Activate Core Ability

Activating your role’s core ability costs one Conviction point. See the role descriptions in this chapter for details on their core abilities.

Challenge

You can spend a Conviction point when performing a challenge (see The Basics in the Introduction). If you do so, you ignore up to a –5 penalty or +5 increase in Difficulty from the challenge. In essence, you perform the challenge as if it were a normal check. If the challenge imposes a greater Difficulty increase or penalty, you only ignore the first +0–5.

DODGE

You can spend a Conviction to double your dodge bonus for one round. This includes any modifiers to your dodge bonus from feats, powers, or combat actions (such as the total defense action, page 159). The improved dodge bonus lasts until the beginning of your next round. You can also spend a Conviction whenever you are denied your dodge bonus, but still capable of action (surprised, flat-footed, etc.). In this case, you retain your dodge bonus until your next action (this is the same as spending a character point to perform the Uncanny Dodge feat).

INSTANT COUNTER

You can spend a Conviction to attempt to counter a power used against you as a reaction. See Countering Powers, page 70, for details.

Heroic Feat

You can spend a Conviction point to gain the benefits of a feat your character doesn’t already have for one round. You must be capable of acquiring the feat normally, meaning it must be a feat available to your role(s) and you must meet all the prerequisites. For feats that can be acquired multiple times, you gain the benefit of one acquisition of the feat by spending a Conviction point.

Cancel Fatigue

Any time you would suffer fatigue (including the effects of using powers and extra effort), you can spend a Conviction point and reduce the amount of fatigue by one level (so you’re only winded by a fatigued result, fatigued by an exhausted result, etc.).

Recover

You can spend a Conviction point to recover faster from damage. A Conviction point allows you to immediately shake off a stunned or fatigued condition. If you are exhausted, spending a Conviction point causes you to become fatigued. If you have suffered damage, a Conviction point allows you an immediate recovery check (see Recovery in Chapter 6). This check is made normally; the Conviction point just allows you to make it in addition to your normal recovery check. While disabled, you can spend a Conviction point to take a strenuous action for one round without your condition worsening to dying.

Escape Death

Spending a Conviction point automatically stabilizes a dying character (you or someone you are assisting) although this doesn’t protect the character from further damage.

Regaining Conviction

Heroes regain expended Conviction points in a few ways: First, characteres regain one point of Conviction each day. The player chooses a time appropriate for the character, such as in the morning, at midday, at sunset, or at midnight. By default, characteres regain Conviction in the morning (representing the renewed hope of a new day). Second, characteres regain Conviction by acting in accordance with their nature. When a character successfully does something in accordance with one of his natures that affirms his conviction, he regains a point of Conviction. The Narrator decides when an action is appropriate for the character’s natures and awards the Conviction point if the character is successful. Note that characteres can follow either of their natures, virtue or vice, to regain Conviction, and the Narrator may occasionally use this to put temptation in a character’s path. A good character with a vice of Greed might have the opportunity to steal, for example, and regain Conviction. If the character steals to further his goal, he gets a point of Conviction, but also has to deal with the consequences of his actions. Likewise, an otherwise amoral character who shows an unusual kindness or streak of honor may be following her virtue to regain Conviction. Which nature a character chooses to follow most often, tends to indicate what kind of person he or she is.

Third, the Narrator can award the characteres Conviction for a particularly impressive success or achievement in the adventure that renews confidence and faith. Overcoming a difficult challenge or solving a complex puzzle might give the characteres a burst of inspiration in the form of renewed Conviction. The Narrator chooses when to do this, but it should only happen once or twice in an adventure, and may not occur at all in some adventures.

INSPIRATION

Once per game session, you can spend a Conviction to get a sudden inspiration in the form of a hint, clue, or bit of help from the GM. It might be a way out of the villain’s fiendish deathtrap, a vital clue for solving a mystery, or an idea about the villain’s weakness. It’s up to the GM exactly how much help the players get from inspiration.

Gamemasters may even wish to expand the “inspiration” facet of character points to allow players greater control over the environment of the game, effectively allowing them to “edit” a scene to grant their characteres an advantage. For example, a character is fighting a villain with plant-based powers in a scientific lab. The player deduces the villain may be vulnerable to defoliants, so she asks the GM if there are any chemicals in the lab she can throw together to create a defoliant. The Gamemaster requires to player to spend a Conviction and says the right chemicals are close at hand. How much players are allowed to “edit” circumstances is up to the

individual Gamemaster, but generally Convictions should not be allowed to change any event that has already occurred or any detail already explained in-game. For example, players cannot “edit” away damage or the effects of powers (Convictions already allow this to a limited degree). The GM may also veto uses of editing that ruin the adventure or make things too easy on the players. Inspiration is intended to give the players more input into the story and allow their characteres chances to succeed, but it shouldn’t be used as a replacement for planning and cleverness, just a way to enhance them.

Action Points

Action points provide characters with the means to affect game play in significant ways. A character always has a limited amount of action points, and while the character replenishes this supply with every new level he or she attains, the character must use them wisely. A character can spend 1 action point to do one of these things:

• Alter a single 2d10 roll used to make an attack, a skill check, an ability check, a level check, or a saving throw.
• Use a class talent or class feature during your turn for which the expenditure of 1 action point is required.\
• Surge
• Dodge Bonus

When a character spends 1 action point to improve a 2d10 roll, add 1d6 to the 2d10 roll to help meet or exceed the target number. A character can declare the use of 1 action point to alter a 2d10 roll after the roll is made—but only before the GM reveals the result of that roll (whether the attack or check or saving throw succeeded or failed). A character can’t use an action point on a skill check or ability check when he or she is taking 10 or taking 20. When a character spends 1 action point to use a class feature, he or she gains the benefit of the feature but doesn’t roll a d10. In this case, the action point is not a bonus to a 2d10 roll.

Character Level	Action Point Dice Rolled
1st–7th	1d10
8th–14th	2d10
15th–20th	3d10

A character can only spend 1 action point in a round. If a character spends a point to use a class feature, he or she can’t spend another one in the same round to improve a die roll, and vice versa. Depending on the character’s character level (see the table below), he or she may be able to roll more than one d10 when spending 1 action point. If the character does so, apply the highest result and disregard the other rolls.

 

Dodge Bonus

You can spend a Action point whenever you are denied your dodge bonus, but are still capable of action (surprised, flat-footed, and so forth). In this case, you retain your dodge bonus until your next action.

Surge

Gain an additional standard or move action, before or after your normal actions for the round (your choice). Using this extra action does not change your place in the initiative order. You can use a standard action gained from a surge to start or complete a full round action in conjunction with your normal actions for the round.