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Abilities are the part of the character that make he or she unique, representing either special powers beyond the grasp of the average person, advanced or specialized weaponry, or even just the benefits of extreme training. While not all character’s need abilities, for many characters in most settings, the abilities are the most memorable or important part.
Abilities are, in essence, everything else a character can do. Psychic abilities, punching through walls, casting spells, or anything else that makes sense in your game. Like everything else in VERS, abilities are based on ranks, and have a few guiding concepts. Ultimately, however, abilities are very freeform and individual.


Like the rest of VERS, the abilities are generic. Generic means that abilities such as a damaging effect are not associated with how the attack harms the target, merely that they are and by how much. A fireball spell, an energy-powered punch, and a laser beam are all created with that same components. In this way, the same ability write-up could be recycled from character to character, just by changing the window dressing.
Abilities are used in the same way that other actions are, making an activation roll, which is usually also a targeting roll (meaning that the roll may take a penalty based on Dodge, Discipline, or some other reaction skills). There are multiple ways to do this, based on the genre and setting, but GMs should decide on which method they are using for their game and stick with it across all abilities in that game.


In many ways the ability sub-system is particularly suited to superhero games in which free rein is given to characters to create any power they can imagine. For other genres it is typically preferable to have players select from pre-created abilities, or even abilities made without these building blocks and using some other pricing scheme. For more information on this process, see the Optional Rules section.
The most common is for the ability to be tied to an attribute, and use it as a TN for the roll, with the ability ranks as a bonus. This is especially useful for superhero games. The other method is more common in fantasy and sci-fi games, and involves a special skill being added (typically Magic, or Psionics, or something along those lines). In this case, the activation roll gains a bonus from the skill (which will be defined as using an attribute for the TN) and uses the rank of the ability only to set the EV.
 
Abilities are not inherently tied to attributes because they are able to be used in so many different ways. When creating ability it should be tied to an attribute based on how the overall ability works. For instance, attack abilities or other abilities that target other should be based on power attributes, while defensive abilities should be based on resistance attributes. Anything else should be tied to a finesse attribute. A few abilities cannot be tied to an attribute, and will be noted in its description. The EV for abilities are equal to attribute + ability rank, while abilities that target others would roll finesse attribute + ability rank to determine the success of the attack, and power attribute + ability rank to determine EV.


== Ability Concept/Description ==
== Ability Concept/Description ==


The Ability Concept (or Ability Description) is the most important part of the ability to the player, it describes in plain english what both the player and character can expect from the ability. Examples would be:
This is the most basic part of the Ability, and is just a brief description of what the ability should be like. Typically this will include a description of what it looks or sounds like, as well as what it actually does. Think of this as the normal language text translation of the following technical information.
 
<blockquote>''“Searing heat and a faint ozone smell permeate the air as a bright flash of lightning strikes the foe from the caster’s hands. Deals damage equal to ranks to a single target.”''</blockquote>
 
This example sets up both what the character needs to know (you shoot lightning bolts, they are hot, bright, and smell of ozone) and what the player needs to know (they come from the hands, they deal damage equal to the purchased ranks). When creating the ability we often refer to this as a concept and it helps us to build it. When the ability appears on a list to be chosen from it is generally referred to as an ability description.


== Manifestation ==
== Manifestation ==


Every ability has a Manifestation that tells what it looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels like. Most abilities will have multiple components to their manifestation because characters can sense them in a multitude of ways. However, every ability must have at least one manifestation. This manifestation should include one of the five major senses, but with GM discretion can include more esoteric senses like aura reading or sonar. Most ability concepts will spell out exactly what the manifestation looks like, many of them in the name of the ability itself. Most people have an idea of what a “fireball,” “lightning bolt,” or “angel wings” look like, after all.
This is what the ability looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels like. It, of course, can also take on more esoteric manifestations, such as a change in color of the user’s aura, or a feeling of psychic pressure. Ultimately, every ability must be perceivable in some way by those being targeted by it, even if that perception is a specialized perception that not everyone has.


== Properties ==
== Properties ==


If the manifestation describes what an ability looks like (or sounds like, etc), then a Property describes in broad terms how it interacts with the world around it. It is a shorthand way to describe how abilities should work together as well as interact with the characters and the environment. In other words a property is a natural characteristic or byproduct of and ability's manifestation. For instance, the property of “water” or “wet” would logically and naturally dictate that it would extinguish or suppress abilities with the property of “fire”. Properties also give an easy way to define groups of powers that share commonalities that other abilities can use as targets, such as a spell that prevents “evil” creatures from entering an area, anti-”magic” shackles, or a scanner that detects “mutants”.
A tag, sort of like Power Source, that describes in very basic terms how the ability interacts with the world. For instance, the Fire property means that the ability acts like what we understand as fire: it can ignite cloth and wood, sheds light, and can spread from one source to another. None of this has to be specified in the ability itself, the Fire property takes care of that. Properties that do not have real world counterparts, like Magic or Chaos would have to be defined by the GM. Below is a non-exhaustive list of example properties and the genres they may fit.
 
In their essence, properties are a type of tag that tells everyone at the table what to expect when interacting with them. Fire is hot and makes light, gravity holds you down, and mutant abilities come from birth. These are all things that are true by definition. A GM shouldn’t require a player to purchase another ability to simulate the fact that an ice ability may also inflict frostbite, or a fire ability may catch something on fire. Properties should not define the primary purpose of an ability. If a clever player thinks to use their flaming sword spell as a torch, that is a great example of lateral thinking and should definitely not be penalized.
 
Finally, an ability can have as many or as few properties as it needs. In other words, if an advanced alien race came to earth and taught a character an alien style of martial arts that gives them super-heroic powers derived from the dream consciousness of their semi-divine ancient ancestors, their abilities could have any or all the following sources: Divine, Psychic, Alien, and Martial Arts. The following is a list of example properties, and as such is not exhaustive.
 
----
 
<blockquote>If you want to use that property to a specific, deliberate end, that would be an effect and you would need to build an ability with that effect. In certain circumstances, a character could use the property of an ability to create a one time effect with GM approval. A good example of this would be when you are planning to introduce a new ability to a character, or when it is dramatically appropriate to the scene/situation. However, to use the effect more than once, you would have to purchase the effect as an ability for the character.</blockquote>
 
----


* '''Fantasy:''' Air, Balance, Chaos, Decay, Earth, Energy, Evil, Fire, Good, Law, Life, Light, Magic, Physical, Plant, Shadow, Water
* '''Fantasy:''' Air, Balance, Chaos, Decay, Earth, Energy, Evil, Fire, Good, Law, Life, Light, Magic, Physical, Plant, Shadow, Water
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* '''Sci-Fi:''' Alien, Cosmic Energy, Gravity, Kinetic Energy, Mutant, Psionic, Time
* '''Sci-Fi:''' Alien, Cosmic Energy, Gravity, Kinetic Energy, Mutant, Psionic, Time


== Effects ==
== Duration ==
 
Manifestations tell how an ability looks, and Properties tell where it comes from, but the Effect tells how it works, explaining in VERS mechanics what the user has to do to use the ability and how it affects the target.
 
Effects fall within two broad subtypes, Controlled and Inherent. Controlled effects only occur when the player chooses to use them, their duration is either Instant or Sustained, and these abilities are subject to both Dispel and Suppress effects.
 
On the other hand, Inherent effects are simply on all the time because they are intrinsic to the character, like enhanced senses or gills. Inherent effects are not activated and cannot be Dispelled, although Suppress can affect them, reducing their effect or turning them off temporarily. Ranks purchased in inherent effects just add to the overall ranks in that ability, much like ranks in an attribute.
 
=== Controlled Effects ===


Abilities created with a controlled effect can target either the user or any other character, are close combat range, and count as attacks if used on unwilling targets. Controlled effects are separated into two smaller categories based on their duration, Instant and Sustained.
The duration can be Instant, Sustained, or Inherent. Instant is basically what it sounds like, an ability that is used and its effect happens immediately, and then it's over. This does not mean that the consequences are immediately lost, however. Damage is still felt, summoned creatures still exist, etc. It is just that the user does not need to continue to focus on the ability to maintain the effect.


An Instant duration ability affects the target immediately and the results are permanent (barring some effort to undo them like Cure, Heal, Dispel or similar), while a sustained duration means that the character must maintain Focus on the ability for it to remain active.  
Sustained, however, is exactly the opposite, with the effects and their consequences only existing while focus is maintained. Examples would be a force field that protects those within it, a stealth spell, or creating a telepathic connection in order to communicate non-verbally. These abilities give temporary Focus conditions at the lowest level possible for the entire duration (see the gameplay section below for more information). What this means practically is that a character that uses lots of sustained abilities can also be defeated by confusing them or otherwise damaging their Focus.


A player who uses a sustained ability marks the lowest level of Focus available, which will be removed as soon as that ability is ended. Any Focus damage that was done after starting the ability does not shift back down with a successful Meditation roll, otherwise it remains in place at the higher level. If a character becomes Disarrayed they can no longer sustain any abilities.
The final duration is Inherent, which means that the ability is always on, as it is just part of the character. This is often used in superhero games, but could also model an enchantment like Achilles’ invulnerability in a fantasy setting, or the biological ability for an alien species to breathe underwater. Inherent abilities do not take up Focus condition slots, however they also cannot target other characters. They are personal only.


For more information, see [[Controlled Effects]].
== Special Rules ==


=== Inherent Effects ===
Between the three types of damage conditions and the possibility of giving penalties and bonuses from abilities, most abilities that can be imagined can be created. There are a handful of situations, however, that do not fit within these simple rules.


Inherent effects are the basis for abilities that are either always working or triggered reactively by outside forces. Inherent effects only target the user, and are Passive rolls (if they even get rolled). The Effect Value for an inherent ability is equal to its ranks.
For these other situations, there is a system of generic conditions: Simple, Minor, Major, and Extreme. These are used for the majority of other effects, such as curses that transform a target into a monster, or mental abilities that can forcibly extract information, mind control, or create illusions.


For more information, see [[Inherent Effects]].
Simple conditions should generally be mostly cosmetic and not change the way the character is played in any meaningful way. Minor conditions would be weak diseases or poisons, or being changed into a creature that can still manipulate its environment, but maybe not as well as a human. Major conditions are much more devastating, drastically changing the character and their play style, like a curse that changes a character into a cat, or a deadly disease. Finally, Extreme conditions are things like being turned into stone, or a poison with no antidote.


=== Aspects ===
The golden rule is that any ability should have a way to be undone, however. Curses can be lifted, illusions disbelieved, and mind control broken.


When the basic version of an ability does not quite fit the concept, sometimes it’s necessary to use Aspects to customize the ability to fit. Aspects are ways to take simple effects and alter their standard behavior with a new keyword, such as Long Range, which allows an ability to attack distant enemies (all abilities are, by default close range).
== Setting Costs ==


Aspects change how much an ability costs per rank via very simple arithmetic. Each aspect has a cost based on how much it alters the overall usability of the ability. This falls into 3 broad categories: minor (0.50), major (1), and extreme (2). When making aspects use these guidelines to determine the category and thus the value.
Once everything else has been determined, it is time to set the costs for each rank of the ability. Unlike attributes and skills, abilities do not have one unified base cost, although they do follow the same increasing cost pattern as skills and attributes, in which the 3rd rank costs 3 times the base cost, while the 4th rank costs 4 times the base cost.


Once all the aspects have been added together round the sum in player favor. This is the Adjustment Total. Add the adjustment total to the base effect’s cost per rank to get the Total Cost, which is how much the modified ability costs per rank. Now the character just buys up the desired number of ranks at the adjusted cost. One last rule: No ability can cost less than 1 point per rank.
All abilities start with a base cost of 3 CP, and can be modified from there based on how easy or hard they are to use and what advantages and disadvantages are associated with them. The base cost must be at least 1 CP, and should not be more than 5 CP. Generally speaking, if the ability seems better than the average ability build (it is area of effect, has a rarer than normal defense, or is able to ignore cover, as examples) then increase the cost by one. On the other hand, if the ability is generally worse than the average ability of its type (only targets a specific subset of creatures, ineffective against common defenses, or requires more than a Simple Action to activate, as examples) then reduce the cost.


For example, to make a fireball spell that can only be used Area of Effect is a +1, Piercing is a +0.5, and Conditional is -0.5. The adjustment total would be 1 (1 + 0.5 – 0.5), and since the Damage effect costs 3 CP per rank, the total cost per rank would be 4.
For examples of abilities for multiple genres, see the [[Appendices]].


For more information, see [[Aspects]].




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Revision as of 19:12, 1 July 2020

VERS -> Book I - Player Rules -> What Can They Do -> VERS:Abilities


Abilities are, in essence, everything else a character can do. Psychic abilities, punching through walls, casting spells, or anything else that makes sense in your game. Like everything else in VERS, abilities are based on ranks, and have a few guiding concepts. Ultimately, however, abilities are very freeform and individual.

Abilities are used in the same way that other actions are, making an activation roll, which is usually also a targeting roll (meaning that the roll may take a penalty based on Dodge, Discipline, or some other reaction skills). There are multiple ways to do this, based on the genre and setting, but GMs should decide on which method they are using for their game and stick with it across all abilities in that game.

The most common is for the ability to be tied to an attribute, and use it as a TN for the roll, with the ability ranks as a bonus. This is especially useful for superhero games. The other method is more common in fantasy and sci-fi games, and involves a special skill being added (typically Magic, or Psionics, or something along those lines). In this case, the activation roll gains a bonus from the skill (which will be defined as using an attribute for the TN) and uses the rank of the ability only to set the EV.

Ability Concept/Description

This is the most basic part of the Ability, and is just a brief description of what the ability should be like. Typically this will include a description of what it looks or sounds like, as well as what it actually does. Think of this as the normal language text translation of the following technical information.

Manifestation

This is what the ability looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels like. It, of course, can also take on more esoteric manifestations, such as a change in color of the user’s aura, or a feeling of psychic pressure. Ultimately, every ability must be perceivable in some way by those being targeted by it, even if that perception is a specialized perception that not everyone has.

Properties

A tag, sort of like Power Source, that describes in very basic terms how the ability interacts with the world. For instance, the Fire property means that the ability acts like what we understand as fire: it can ignite cloth and wood, sheds light, and can spread from one source to another. None of this has to be specified in the ability itself, the Fire property takes care of that. Properties that do not have real world counterparts, like Magic or Chaos would have to be defined by the GM. Below is a non-exhaustive list of example properties and the genres they may fit.

  • Fantasy: Air, Balance, Chaos, Decay, Earth, Energy, Evil, Fire, Good, Law, Life, Light, Magic, Physical, Plant, Shadow, Water
  • Horror: Biological, Divine, Dreams, Infernal, Madness, Mysticism, Spirit
  • Modern: Electricity, Magnetism, Radiation, Sound, Technology, Training
  • Sci-Fi: Alien, Cosmic Energy, Gravity, Kinetic Energy, Mutant, Psionic, Time

Duration

The duration can be Instant, Sustained, or Inherent. Instant is basically what it sounds like, an ability that is used and its effect happens immediately, and then it's over. This does not mean that the consequences are immediately lost, however. Damage is still felt, summoned creatures still exist, etc. It is just that the user does not need to continue to focus on the ability to maintain the effect.

Sustained, however, is exactly the opposite, with the effects and their consequences only existing while focus is maintained. Examples would be a force field that protects those within it, a stealth spell, or creating a telepathic connection in order to communicate non-verbally. These abilities give temporary Focus conditions at the lowest level possible for the entire duration (see the gameplay section below for more information). What this means practically is that a character that uses lots of sustained abilities can also be defeated by confusing them or otherwise damaging their Focus.

The final duration is Inherent, which means that the ability is always on, as it is just part of the character. This is often used in superhero games, but could also model an enchantment like Achilles’ invulnerability in a fantasy setting, or the biological ability for an alien species to breathe underwater. Inherent abilities do not take up Focus condition slots, however they also cannot target other characters. They are personal only.

Special Rules

Between the three types of damage conditions and the possibility of giving penalties and bonuses from abilities, most abilities that can be imagined can be created. There are a handful of situations, however, that do not fit within these simple rules.

For these other situations, there is a system of generic conditions: Simple, Minor, Major, and Extreme. These are used for the majority of other effects, such as curses that transform a target into a monster, or mental abilities that can forcibly extract information, mind control, or create illusions.

Simple conditions should generally be mostly cosmetic and not change the way the character is played in any meaningful way. Minor conditions would be weak diseases or poisons, or being changed into a creature that can still manipulate its environment, but maybe not as well as a human. Major conditions are much more devastating, drastically changing the character and their play style, like a curse that changes a character into a cat, or a deadly disease. Finally, Extreme conditions are things like being turned into stone, or a poison with no antidote.

The golden rule is that any ability should have a way to be undone, however. Curses can be lifted, illusions disbelieved, and mind control broken.

Setting Costs

Once everything else has been determined, it is time to set the costs for each rank of the ability. Unlike attributes and skills, abilities do not have one unified base cost, although they do follow the same increasing cost pattern as skills and attributes, in which the 3rd rank costs 3 times the base cost, while the 4th rank costs 4 times the base cost.

All abilities start with a base cost of 3 CP, and can be modified from there based on how easy or hard they are to use and what advantages and disadvantages are associated with them. The base cost must be at least 1 CP, and should not be more than 5 CP. Generally speaking, if the ability seems better than the average ability build (it is area of effect, has a rarer than normal defense, or is able to ignore cover, as examples) then increase the cost by one. On the other hand, if the ability is generally worse than the average ability of its type (only targets a specific subset of creatures, ineffective against common defenses, or requires more than a Simple Action to activate, as examples) then reduce the cost.

For examples of abilities for multiple genres, see the Appendices.


VERSIcon.png VERS Playtest v20.7 - Online Rule Reference
General Rules Basics
Making a Character Character Profile - Mechanical Aspects (Attributes - Skills - Abilities - Gear)
Gameplay Mental Conflict - Physical Conflict - Social Conflict - Stunts
GM Info NPCs
Optional Rules Not Yet Complete
Gamemastering Not Yet Complete
Storytelling and Drama Not Yet Complete
Advanced Techniques Not Yet Complete
Appendices Example Abilities Fantasy - Psionics - Superheroes
Example Gear Prehistoric to Dark Ages - Medieval to Renaissance - Modern - Sci-Fi
Example NPCs Animals - People - Fantasy - Horror - Sci-Fi