You see the wisdom of their advice. They shift your balance; follow their advice and they shift your balance again.
The conversation bolsters you. Clear a condition or 2-fatigue.
They feel at ease offering their opinion. They clear a condition or 2-fatigue.
You can study with a master to learn techniques from any training and adapt them to your own. When you start learning a technique of a training you don’t have with a willing teacher, roll, taking +1 for each “yes” to the following questions:
Is your Unity greater than zero?
Have you studied this technique before?
Has someone used this technique against you in real battle?
On a hit, you learn the technique; shift your balance towards Unity. On a 7-9, learning it was trying; mark a condition and write its name by the technique. You can’t use the technique if you have that condition marked. When you master the technique, erase the condition’s name.
On a miss, you’re struggling to incorporate the lesson into your training; you must find a new master to continue your training.
When you try to connect with an NPC via a shared culture, roll with Heritage. On a hit, they see you; shift your balance toward Heritage. On a 7-9, choose 1; on a 10+, choose 2:
They accept you; they cease hostilities or antagonism toward you.
They grow to like you (if they already accept you); they agree to help you with a problem.
They reveal their background; you learn their principle.
They offer solace; you clear a condition.
They reveal a vulnerability; you become Prepared to deal with them.
On a miss, you mix up your heritages in a terrible way; the NPC mocks you or gets offended by your slip. Mark a condition and shift your balance away from Heritage.
Do you believe your ward listens to you more often than not?
Have you recently protected them or helped them with a problem?
Is there an immediate threat to your ward that you are aware of?
Take a 10+ without rolling on any move to defend or protect them
Track them down even if they are hidden or avoiding you
Figure out what they’re up to without them knowing
Decide you’re the only one who can keep them safe; shift your balance twice toward Self-Reliance and keep them as your ward
Decide they can handle life without your protection; shift your balance twice toward Trust and switch your ward to a new person
Choose a goal you have for your adversary:
Take -1 ongoing to plead with, trick, or guide and comfort your adversary.
You can change your adversary any time you mark a condition, or at the end of each session. When you do, choose an appropriate goal, and the GM shifts your balance twice to match your new adversary and your new goal.
When you successfully accomplish your goal and defeat your adversary, take a growth advancement and choose a new adversary.
When you enter into a fight against your adversary, clear all fatigue and become Inspired. When you select any combat approach against your adversary, mark fatigue to roll with conditions marked instead of your normal stat.
Did I uphold a responsibility? If yes, shift balance toward Role and clear a condition
Did I break a prohibition? If yes, shift balance toward Freedom. Mark the box to the right of any one prohibition you broke during the session. If that box is already marked, cross out the prohibition—it doesn’t mean anything to you to break it again.
Did you make amends directly to a person you harmed?
Are you at your center
Did someone honestly thank you for your efforts or forgive you for your mistakes?
Clear a condition
Mark growth
Shift your Balance toward Connection
You obtain an additional 1-resource
You nab your goodies quietly; your lineage is none the wiser
You steel yourself for what you’re doing; avoid marking a condition
When you reveal that you have sabotaged a building, device, or vehicle right as it becomes relevant, mark fatigue and roll with PASSION. On a hit, your work pays off, creating an opportunity for you and your allies at just the right time. On a 7–9, the opportunity is fleeting—act fast to stay ahead of the consequences. On a miss, your action was ill-judged and something or someone you care about is hurt as collateral damage.
When you verbally needle someone by finding the weaknesses in their armor, roll
with FOCUS. On a hit, ask 1 question. On a 7–9, they ask 1 of you as well:
What is your principle?
What do you need to prove?
What could shake your certainty?
Whom do you care about more than you let on?
Anyone who lies or stonewalls marks 2-fatigue. On a miss, your attack leaves you
exposed; they may ask you any one question from the list, and you must answer honestly.
When you have equal or fewer conditions marked than your highest principle,
mark fatigue to push down your feelings for the rest of the scene and ignore
condition penalties until the end of the scene. When you resist an NPC shifting
your balance, mark a condition to roll with conditions marked (max +4). You
cannot then choose to clear a condition by immediately proving them wrong.
When you guide and comfort someone in an awkward, understated, or idiosyncratic fashion, roll with PASSION instead of HARMONY if you mark Insecure or Insecure is already marked.
Take +1 to PASSION (max +3).
Your best friend is small, fuzzy, and dependable. Unlike all your other relationships, this one is simple and true. You can understand and communicate with your small companion and—although they may give you a hard time now and again—they are always there when you need them most. Whenever your pal could help you push your luck, mark fatigue to roll with CREATIVITY instead of PASSION. If your pet ever gets hurt, mark a condition.
When you commit to a plan you’ve proposed to the group, roll with CREATIVITY; take a -1 for each of your companions who isn’t on board. On a 10+, hold 2. On a 7–9, hold 1. You can spend your hold 1-for-1 while the plan is being carried out to overcome or evade an obstacle, create an advantage, or neutralize a danger; if any of your companions abandon you while the plan is underway, you must mark a condition. On a miss, hold 1, but your plan goes awry when you encounter surprising opposition.
Once per session, when you are taken out, shift your balance towards center to stay up for one more combat exchange. After that exchange ends, you become helpless, unconscious, or otherwise incapable of continuing on, and are taken out as normal.
When you evaluate a friendly NPC’s plan to get something done, roll with FOCUS. On a hit, the GM tells you how you can drastically improve the chances of success; get it done, and they’re sure to come through on top. On a 7–9, the problems inherent in the plan are fairly serious; the NPC will be resistant to making the necessary changes. On a miss, something about the plan throws you for a loop; the GM tells you what obvious danger the NPC is ignoring…or what they’re hiding about their intent.
When you tell an NPC the blunt, honest truth about what you really think of them and their plans, roll with FOCUS. On a hit, they’ll look upon your honesty favorably; they’ll answer a non-compromising question honestly and grant you a simple favor. On a 7–9, they also give you an honest assessment of how they see you; mark a condition. On a miss, you’re a bit too honest—they’re either furious or genuinely hurt.
When you reach out in mind or spirit to a far-away NPC, mark 1-fatigue and roll with HARMONY. On a hit, your message gets through to them; choose 1. On a 10+, it’s loud and clear: choose 2.
You cry for help; they hear you and rush to your location
You whisper a question to them; they whisper an answer back
You send a premonition of danger seeking them; they forearm and prepare themself to face the worst
You let them see something you see; they return memories and knowledge of that sight
On a miss, your reach extends beyond your original aim; you’ve attracted dangerous attention.
When you assess a situation, you can ask one of the following as an extra question, even on a miss:
Who or what here has been touched by spirits?
How can I bring about peace here?
When you walk calmly into the middle of a fierce conflict and plead with the fighters to stop, mark fatigue to ensure that they care what you think and listen to you. On a miss, the conflict burns far hotter than you had imagined, and now you’re dead in the crosshairs of the angry fighters; brace yourself.
When you call someone out to live up to their principle by convincing them that their destiny is (or can be) different than they imagined, on a hit, they must do it or mark two conditions. On a miss, their demand hits all the harder. Mark two conditions or act as they request.
Once per session, when you rely on your skills and training to mirror an act from a legend, myth, or story, treat it as if you had rolled a 10+. Then, no matter the result, the GM shifts your balance toward the principle best embodied by the lore and stories you’re drawing on.
When you try to intimidate someone in order to protect the vulnerable or weak, roll with HARMONY instead of PASSION.
When you pursue a genuine moment of respite, roll with HARMONY. On a hit, shift your balance as you choose. On a 10+, you also gain some new insight; ask the GM a question and they will answer honestly. On a 7-9, your self-indulgence creates an opportunity for your enemies or rivals; the GM will tell you how. On a miss, you fixate on your past with disastrous results; tell the GM what old conflict mars your peace and shift your balance twice away from center.
When you go looking for help from an old friend in the area who you haven’t seen recently, name them and roll with HARMONY. On a hit, you find them and they can assist you. On a 7-9, pick 1. On a 10+, both.
they aren’t caught up in their own problems
you don’t owe them a favor or apology
On a miss, your old enemies were looking for you too; the GM will tell you how you know they are near.
When you openly confront someone to get the truth, roll with HARMONY. On a hit, ask 2; the character can say or do what they like, but their player will answer honestly. On a 7-9, their player gets to ask a question you must answer honestly as well.
Are you telling the truth?
What are you really feeling?
What do you intend to do next?
On a miss, the confrontation goes awry; they inflict a condition on you and ask one question from the list of you; you must answer honestly
Take +1 HARMONY (max +3).
You can flow and adapt, formless and shapeless. During an exchange, after you roll the stance move, you can mark 1-fatigue to select a basic technique from a different approach than the one you chose. (You still must pay all other costs of that technique.)
When you try to calm an immediate conflict between two NPCs, remind them what they have in common and roll with HARMONY. On a hit, they come to terms, for now. They won’t pursue their conflict until an outside influence reignites it or time passes (a day or more). On a 10+, you have a real opportunity to get them to put aside their conflict for good; the GM will tell you what you must do. On a miss, you inadvertently highlight their differences and fan the conflict—you cannot use this move on them again.
You are good at reading people’s intentions and gestures in the heat of battle. When you defend and maneuver against a foe whose principle you know, mark fatigue to roll with HARMONY instead of FOCUS.
You have a specific weapon, tool, or item which you believe is crucial to your training and abilities. You can roll with Harmony instead of Focus when you use the item to rely on your skills and training. If you roll a miss, the item is damaged—in addition to any other consequences—and needs repairs. If the item is damaged again before you get a chance to repair it, it is destroyed. You are Impaired without it, until someone helps you overcome the loss; choose a new move to replace this one when you finally move on.
When you guide and comfort someone who shares a training or a background with you by talking about what you have in common, on a hit you become Inspired, and if they embrace your guidance and comfort, they become Inspired as well.
When you watch a person carefully to figure them out, roll with FOCUS. On a 7–9, hold 1. On a 10+, hold 2. Spend your hold, 1-for-1, to ask their player questions while you observe or interact with them; they must answer honestly.
Are you telling the truth?
What are you truly feeling?
What do you really want right now?
What are you worried about?
What are you about to do?
You have some badge or symbol of authority from your background, something that makes you someone to be listened to, if not well-liked or entirely respected. When you give an NPC an order based on that authority and their recognition of it, roll with PASSION. On a hit, they do what you say. On a 7–9, they choose 1:
They do it, but in lackluster fashion
They say they need something first to be able to do it
They do it, but they’re going to talk to your superiors
On a miss, the authority of your badge doesn’t sway them; they do as they please and you take -1 forward against them.
When you are suspicious of someone, write their name here:
You cannot write another until you have made them admit their guilt and misdeeds in front of an audience, or until you no longer seek to uncover their secrets.
When they admit their guilt and misdeeds in front of an audience, clear their name from this move. When you no longer seek to uncover their secrets, you may mark a condition to clear their name from this move.
When you expose that person’s lies or wrong-doing, clear all your fatigue and up to two conditions. When you try to intimidate them into admitting their real crimes by using actual evidence, you can eliminate one additional option from the list on any hit before they choose.
Take +1 FOCUS (max +3).
When you have a total of 8 between conditions marked, highest principle, and fatigue marked, take +1 ongoing to all moves.
Mark Angry to use an additional basic or mastered technique when you advance and attack, even on a miss. While Angry is marked, take +1 ongoing to intimidate others
When you rely on your skills and training to dangerously smash your way through walls or other obstacles, roll with PASSION instead of FOCUS.
When you assess a situation, you can always ask, “Who or what here is most vulnerable to me?”, even on a miss. Remember to take +1 ongoing to act in accordance with the answer
When you defend and maneuver against a foe whose balance principle you know, you may mark fatigue to roll with CREATIVITY instead of FOCUS.
When you provoke an NPC opponent into attacking you, roll with PASSION. On a hit, they’re coming at you specifically. On a 10+, you’re ready for them; clear a condition or become Prepared. On a miss, they take advantage of your provocation to strike a blow where you least expect it.
When you are engaged with a large or powerful foe, mark fatigue to advance and attack with FOCUS instead of PASSION. If you do, you become Prepared and may also choose to use Retaliate as if it were an advance and attack technique
When you trick an NPC by assuming a silly disguise or fake identity, mark Insecure to treat your roll as if it was a 12+. If Insecure is already marked, mark 2-fatigue instead.
Take +1 FOCUS (max +3)
When you visit a new inhabited location you might know about, roll with HARMONY. On a 7–9, ask 1. On a 10+, ask 2. PCs who interact with one of the answers clear 1-fatigue or mark growth.
What’s the best local pastime?
What interesting locations are nearby?
Who is the most famous person here?
What special tradition is prized by locals?
What’s the most interesting legend locals recount about this place?
On a miss, tell the GM what you expected to find; they will tell you how this place is different!
You have an animal companion large enough to ride. Name them and choose their species:
Sky bison, polar bear-dog, eel-hound, cat-gator, elephant-mandrill, gemsbok-bull, shirshu, komodo-rhino, sabertooth moose-lion, flying boar, walrus-yak, flying fish-opotamus
When you fight beside your animal companion, mark 1-fatigue to become Favored for an exchange
When something hurts your animal companion, mark a condition
When you and your friends travel via your animal companion, everyone clears all fatigue
When you use Seize a Position, foes must mark 2-fatigue to block your movement.
When you spend time talking to the locals about their problems, roll with HARMONY. On a hit, you hear about the most significant and serious problem at hand; the GM will tell you who it affects and what is the cause. On a 10+, you can ask a follow up question about the problem or cause; you take +1 ongoing when you act on the answer. On a miss, you wind up creating a whole new problem with your questions and ideas
When you stand up to an adult by telling them their rules are stupid, roll with PASSION. On a hit, they are surprised by your argument; they must shift their balance or offer you a way forward, past the rules. On a 10+, both. On a miss, your efforts to move them only reveal how strongly they believe in the system—mark a condition as their resistance leaves you reeling.
When you secretly pocket something owned by someone undeserving, roll with HARMONY. On a hit, you swipe something from them (your choice) without them noticing you took it. On a 7–9, the thing you took isn’t exactly what you thought it was; the GM will tell you how. On a miss, you grab the goods, but they notice—and pursue—as soon as you exit the scene.
When you are engaged in combat with superior opposition and openly refuse to back down or flee, roll with HARMONY for the rest of the battle whenever you defend and maneuver; you cannot choose to escape the scene by using Seize a Position for the rest of the fight.
Take +1 to HARMONY (max +3).
When you live up to your principle while you have 3+ conditions marked, ignore your condition penalties. When you live up to your principle while you have 5 conditions marked, don’t mark fatigue.
When you put on a disguised or physically altered persona to fool a community into thinking you’re two different people, roll with CREATIVITY. On a hit, people mostly unfamiliar with you won’t connect your two personas. On a 7–9, this is the last time you can pull this trick without them catching on. On a miss, someone misidentifies you when you switch in a way that causes more trouble for you.
When you advance and attack against a group of foes—or a foe who has previously defeated you—roll with HARMONY instead of PASSION.
When you lose your balance in a battle, instead of choosing one of the normal options, you may instead sacrifice yourself for your companions. If you do, your companions have a chance to get away without issue, and you are taken out (and possibly captured). You also choose 1:
Leave a clue your companions can follow
Throw your companions one vulnerable object
Provoke an opponent, shifting their balance twice
When you size someone up, roll with FOCUS. On a 7–9, ask one. On a 10+, ask two.
what are your weaknesses / strengths?
how can I show you dominance / submission?
what do you intend to do next?
what do you wish I’d do right now?
On a miss, they notice you watching them; they may ask you 1 question from the list.
You can learn techniques from other skills and trainings, as long as you have a teacher. You can learn up to three such techniques, total. Take a +1 on the training move to learn such techniques.
When you assess a situation while taking the time to use your extraordinary skills to absorb hidden or deep information, mark 1-fatigue, roll with FOCUS instead of CREATIVITY, and become Prepared.
When you throw a boastful challenge at an opponent before a fight, roll with PASSION. On a hit, the challenge lands; if you win the fight, choose 1 from below. But your challenge goads them to impressive heights; they may choose 1 extra technique in every exchange for the duration of the fight. On a 10+, clear all fatigue at the end of the fight if you are victorious.
If you win, choose 1: your opponent must…
teach you a technique of theirs, or help you master one you already know.
give you answers or an item of your choice.
acknowledge your superiority; shift your balance twice towards Excellence.
take your side in a future conflict.
On a miss, they dismiss your challenge and refuse to fight; they inflict a condition on you.
When you trick someone by using your skills to disappear and reappear somewhere else within the same scene, roll with FOCUS instead of CREATIVITY.
Take +1 FOCUS (to a max of +3)
When you advance & attack or evade & observe with fewer conditions marked than your highest principle, you can roll with Focus instead of the normal stat.
When you watch someone interact with another person, roll with FOCUS. On a 7-9, ask 1. On a 10+, ask 2. Take +1 ongoing to act on the answers.
Are you lying right now?
What are you most afraid of
How are you vulnerable to me?
On a miss, you can’t get a good read on them; mark a condition in frustration.
When you trick someone by provoking them through their conditions, roll with their conditions marked instead of CREATIVITY
When you choose to use dirty tactics—targeting an innocent your foe is trying to protect, throwing sand in their face, etc.—at the start of a combat exchange, instead of using one of the standard approaches say what you do and take a 10+ instead of rolling the stance move; you become Favored for this exchange and may choose your techniques from any approach. At the end of the exchange, your opponent may call out your disgraceful behavior and lack of integrity to shift your balance twice.
When you plead with an NPC or guide and comfort someone by flattering them and empathizing with them, mark 1-fatigue to roll with CREATIVITY instead of HARMONY.
When you defend and maneuver and choose to use Seize a Position to escape the scene, foes must mark an additional 2-fatigue to stop you, and you may bring any allies within reach when you retreat.
When you resist an NPC shifting your balance, roll +2 instead of +0.
When you assess a situation, add these questions to the list. You may always ask one question from these options, even on a miss.
What here is most valuable or interesting to me?
Who or what is most vulnerable to me?
Who here is in control/wealthiest/has the most power?
When you goad or provoke an NPC into foolhardy action, say what you want them to do and roll with PASSION. On a 10+, they do it. On a 7–9, they can choose 1 instead:
They do it, but more intensely than expected—you’re taken off guard.
They do it, but more carefully than expected—they gain an advantage against you.
They don’t do it, but they embarrass themselves—they mark a condition.
They don’t do it, but only catch themself at the last minute—they stumble and give you an opportunity.
On a miss, they are provoked to take harsh action, directly against you, in a way you’re ill-prepared to counter.
Take +1 CREATIVITY (max +3).
When you behave in a way that shocks and unsettles people from one of your backgrounds, roll with CREATIVITY to intimidate them or push your luck.
When you guide and comfort an NPC by apologizing and honestly promising to make amends for the harm they have suffered, roll with FOCUS instead of HARMONY. If they choose not to open up to you, you do not take +1 forward against them. If they choose to open up to you, take +1 ongoing to attempts to take action to make amends.
When you make over, disguise, and/or coach your friends to fit in with a specific crowd appropriate to one of your backgrounds, roll with CREATIVITY. On a 10+, the performance is flawless; you gain access to wherever you wanted to fit in while attracting little suspicion. On a 7–9, you fool nearly everyone; there’s only a single gatekeeper who asks any questions or stands in your way. On a miss, the only way to get the access you desired is for one of your friends to take on a uncomfortable, dangerous, or attention-grabbing role.
Your upbringing expanded your horizons, skillsets, and contacts. Choose another training and another background.
CLEAR 1-FATIGUE
Mark 1-fatigue to ready yourself or your environment, assigning or clearing a fictionally appropriate status of nearby characters or yourself.
Steel yourself for their blows. Each time a foe inflicts fatigue, a condition, or shifts your balance in this exchange, inflict 1-fatigue on that foe.
Move to a new location. Engage/disengage with a foe, overcome a negative status or danger, establish an advantageous position, or escape the scene. Any foe engaged with you can mark 1-fatigue to block this technique.
Strike a foe in reach, forcing them to mark 2-fatigue, mark a condition, or shift their balance away from center, their choice. Mark 1-fatigue to instead choose to hammer them with your blows, forcing them to mark 2-fatigue, or strike where they are weak, inflicting a condition.
Impress or intimidate a foe. Choose an approach—your foe cannot choose to use that approach in the next exchange.
Mark 1-fatigue to destroy or destabilize something in the environment—possibly inflicting or overcoming a fictionally appropriate positive or negative status.
Mark 1-fatigue to challenge an engaged foe’s balance. Ask what their principle is; they must answer honestly. If you already know their principle, instead shift their balance away from center by questioning or challenging their beliefs or perspective.
Aid or impede a nearby character, inflicting an appropriate status.
Recenter yourself amidst the fray. Shift your balance toward one of your principles; the next time you live up to that principle, do not mark fatigue.
Pinpoint Aim
defend & maneuver
Take the time you need to line up a perfect shot; become Prepared. In the next exchange, if you advance and attack, roll with Focus or Passion, your choice. If you use Strike, you do not have to mark fatigue to choose what you inflict..
Tag Team
defend & maneuver
Work with an ally against the same foe; choose an engaged foe and an ally—double any fatigue, conditions, or balance shifts that ally inflicts upon that foe.
Divert
defend & maneuver
Step into the way of blows intended for allies; when any ally within reach suffers a blow this exchange, you can suffer it for them. If you also use Retaliate this exchange, deal an additional 1-fatigue each time.
Overwhelm
advance & attack
Throw a punch with all your weight behind it; mark 3-fatigue to inflict Stunned on an engaged foe.
Wall of Perfection
defend & maneuver
Create a perfect wall of defense around yourself and any allies directly next to you; mark 1-fatigue to block a single attack towards the wall or keep an enemy at bay who tries to penetrate the wall.
Disorient
advance & attack
Pummel an engaged foe with quick blows; mark 1-fatigue to shift their balance away from center.
Slide Around the Blow
evade & observe
You move perfectly, slipping past strikes and demanding an opponent’s attention; a foe you are engaged with must remain engaged with you and can only use techniques against you in the next exchange. If no foe is engaged with you, you may slip through the fight to engage a new foe (no foe may mark fatigue to stop you).
Steady Stance
defend & maneuver
Assume a strong, steady stance; any foes engaged with you who chose to advance and attack this exchange must mark 1-fatigue. Negate the first condition or negative status inflicted on you in this exchange. If no conditions or negative statuses were inflicted on you in this exchange, become Empowered for the next exchange.
Anticipate
evade & observe
Study a nearby foe to learn where their momentum will take them next. Declare the approach they are tending towards. In the next exchange, that foe must use that approach or mark a condition.
Patience
evade & observe
You wait until the perfect moment to act. Mark 1-fatigue to gain Prepared and use an advance and attack technique, paying all its costs as normal. Mark another fatigue to allow a companion engaged with that same foe to also use an advance and attack technique against them as well, also paying all costs as appropriate.
Feel the Flow
evade & observe
You take pause to feel the flow of battle and study the way your opposition fights. You become Favored. If they share a training with you, learn their principle. If you know their principle, clear 1-fatigue (even if they do not share the same training).
Lure
defend & maneuver
You put a foe off-balance by luring them in. Name a foe you lure; if they don’t attempt to either inflict fatigue, conditions, balance shifts, or negative statuses on you by the end of this exchange, they must mark 2-fatigue. If they do attempt to harm you this exchange, you become Favored for the next exchange.
Sweep the Leg
advance & attack
You attack where an enemy is weakest or most off-balance; if your foe has a total of 3 or more fatigue and conditions marked, inflict 2-fatigue. If your foe has fewer than 3 total fatigue and conditions marked, inflict 2-fatigue, but you must mark fatigue as well.
Break
evade & observe
Target a foe’s vulnerable equipment; render it useless or broken—possibly inflicting or overcoming a fictionally appropriate status (ex: Impaired).