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====== FalkeFateifaux system ======


This is a mash-up of Fate Accelerated (aka FAE), Castle Falkenstein, and
the Malifaux resolution system. Because I wanted to.

===== Character creation =====


Characters should have a High Concept and a Trouble (as per FAE), which are
for narrative flavor.

Characters should choose three positive and one negative ADVERBs (e.g.
"swiftly", "cunningly", "clumsily"). These adverbs can be used to modify
actions ("I *swiftly* attack an opponent"); doing so may create an Advantage
(see below).

Players and GMs should agree on interestingly specific adverbs
(e.g.: "winningly" is probably not a good adverb). They should reflect the
character's personality and approach to life.


==== Skills ====
Characters should choose one **(Great 8)**, three **(Good 6)**, and one **(Poor 2)** skills. These represent the character's experience and training. Players are considered **(Competent 4)** at all skills not chosen above.

Skills have a natural Suit affinity, which affects outcomes as described below.

**Clubs:**
  * **♣️ Athletics**: grace at moving the body
  * **♣️ Fisticuffs**: ability in close combat
  * **♣️ Marksmanship**: accuracy with ranged weapons
  * **♣️ Resistance**: withstanding physical damage, exhaustion, or other conditions

**Diamonds**:
  * **♦️ Education**: breadth and depth of knowledge
  * **♦️ Magic**: understanding, resisting, and harnessing arcane powers.
  * **♦️ Physician**: understanding and remediating damage or conditions of living beings
  * **♦️ Tinkering**: understanding, creating, and repairing technology

**Hearts**:
  * **♥️ Charisma**: understanding and affecting individuals or groups in social interactions
  * **♥️ Courage**: withstanding terror, fright, and other mental conditions, and helping others do the same
  * **♥️ Expression**: appreciation and connection through artistic creation
  * **♥️ Connection**: understanding and connection through bonds of affection

**Spades**:
  * **♠️ Society**: breadth and depth of those who have reason to help you
  * **♠️ Exchequer**: understanding, building, and drawing upon material wealth
  * **♠️ Social Graces**: acting in a way that avoids offense and calumny
  * **♠️ Subterfuge**: acting in a way that does not betray one's intentions


=== Ladder of competence ===

Ability grants a base level according to the following table:

  * Extraordinary (12)
  * Exceptional (10)
  * Great (8)
  * Good (6)
  * Competent (4)
  * Poor (2)

E.g., if you have **Great (8) ♠ Exchequer**, you will be adding 7 to the results of your flip stack (see below).


===== The Campaign =====


==== Scenes and Sessions ====

The campaign is split into sessions, due to real-world constraints.
Generally, things like spending experience and Token refresh happen between
sessions.

Sessions are divided into scenes at natural narrative breaks (the end of a
combat; arrival at a dinner party; etc.). Usually, players will get to rest
and refresh between scenes, but sometimes scenes start _en courant_,
robbing them of downtime.

==== Rest and Refresh ====

Characters start with a **Card Refresh of 5**, which will be modified by events
and experience. This is the number of cards a player may have in their hand
at any time. If for any reason players have more than this number, they
must discard down to their refresh limit IMMEDIATELY, choosing which cards
to discard.

At the end of every scene, characters may discard any or all of their
cards, and then draw until they are at their Card Refresh.

Characters also start with **3 Fate Tokens**. The fate pool is only replenished
rarely, e.g., at the start of a session, after a significant rest, or in
the case of resounding victory. The GM may also award a Fate Token for
exceptional characterization or role-playing.

==== Lasting effects and conditions ====

Characters may be afflicted or blessed with various effects and conditions
during a campaign. For example, a serious injury may temporarily give [- -]
to Athletics, or local reknown may provide (+3) to Connections in a
particular town.

These conditions may or may not fade over time, depending on their cause.


==== Forced and chosen discards ====

If a character is no longer in control of their actions (e.g. they are
unconscious or possessed), their entire hand is discarded. A fresh hand
should be drawn when they resume control.

When NOT flipping, i.e., not during a contested situation, you may do the
following:

  * **Mulligan**: You may spend a Fate token to discard your entire hand and draw that many cards.
  * **Preparation**: You may spend a Fate Token to draw two cards. (This may trigger a discard.)
  * **Trust The Fates!**: You may spend four cards to earn a Burning Fate token. This token evaporates if not used within the scene, and cannot be used for Mulligan or Preparation.

===== Contested Actions =====

The heart of a RP system is handling contested outcomes. FalkeFateiFaux
handles this via flipping over cards and seeing the result. It is
recommended to have at least 2 decks of cards shuffled together, or (number
of players / 2) for larger groups.

Cards are flipped from the top of the Deck Of Fate, with the exception of
magic, which uses the Deck Of Magic. Additionally, players have a hand of
cards which can be used to Guide Fate (see below). Hands are always dealt
from the Deck of Fate.

Once a stack is resolved, it goes into the discard. When the Deck Of Fate
is empty, the discard pile is shuffled and used as the new deck.

==== Hands and Outcomes ====

To achieve an outcome, the player must meet or exceed a target number set
by the GM, or their opponent's total. This is done by flipping one or more
cards in a "stack"; one of the cards in the stack will determine the outcome.

In the case of a contested action, the opponent is doing likewise, and the
stacks are compared.

==== Suit affinities and outcomes ====

When used to perform actions with matching affinity, cards count as a
value equal to their location within their suit:

  * 1-10, J (11), Q (12), K (13), A (14)
  * Red Joker: Counts as 15 of every suit. May always be chosen by flipper, even if at disadvantage.
  * Black Joker: Counts as 0 no-suit, even if a token was spent. Must be taken, even if the Red Joker is also present.

Out-of-suit cards are much less valuable for an action. 2-5 count as 0, and other cards as 5 less than they would otherwise (e.g. a K is only an 8).
==== Modifiers (+1, -2, or ♣️♦️♥️♠️) ====

Some situations will make things slightly easier or harder. This is represented by a positive or negative **modifier**, written e.g. as +2 or -3. These modifiers are added to the outcome number before comparing with the target.

Rare objects and circumstances will grant a SUIT to a stack. These powerful circumstances allow cards of any suit to count either as their native suit or as the given suit.
====  Advantages [+] and Disadvantages [-] ====

Situations, qualities, and conditions may put you at an **advantage [+]** or
**disadvantage [-]**.

Some conditions are persistent, e.g., wearing Armor Of Shining that gives all melee opponents a [-]. Some are situational: standing in lava gives Fire Elementals a [+ +] to Fisticuffs and Resistance.

  * For each [+] advantage, flip 1 extra card in a stack.
  * For each [-] disadvantage, flip 1 fewer card.
  * If the number of cards drops below 1, you are flipping in disadvantage.

Choose one card in the stack as follows:
  * If at advantage: winner chooses card in stack.
  * If at disadvantage: the opponent choses, or the worst outcome is chosen if there is no opponent.
  * Jokers are exceptions to these rules (see above).

**Example:**

// You have Good (6) fisticuffs and are using your Gloves of Boxing [+], but your opponent has distracted you [-] and you are exhausted [-].//

// You are at [-]: you will flip 2 cards, and your opponent will choose. //

// You flip 4H 8C, and your opponent chooses 4H. Your total is 7 (4H counts as '1' offsuit, plus 6 for your skill).//

==== Using Adverbs ====

Positive adverbs used as part of an action grant a [+] advantage.

Negative adverbs can be used to grant a [-] disadvantage to the player, but
the player also gets to immediately draw two cards (this may trigger a discard).

With rare exception, only a single adverb can be used in an action.


==== Using Tokens to Guide Fate ====

Prior to flipping, you may do any or all of the following:

  * spend one Fate Token to gain [++] advantage
  * spend one Fate Token to treat the upcoming stack as having a particular suit
  * spend one Fate Token to give your opponent [-] disadvantage

==== Using Cards to Guide Fate ====

After flipping, if you are NOT at a disadvantage, you may play one card
from your hand. This card joins your current stack, and goes to the discard
when the stack is resolved.

If this in contest, both players may choose to guide fate, but the
currently-losing side must choose whether or not to play a card first.

You may play cards to influence the outcome in either direction. Sometimes
it's good to fail!

==== Degree of success ====

Degree of success is given by the difference between the outcome and the
target:

  * -11 or worse: Abyssmal failure.
  * -10 to -6: Resounding failure
  * -5 to -1: Failure
  * 0: Barely a success
  * 1 to 5: Success
  * 6 to 10: Resounding success
  * 11+: Astonishing success

The details of such outcomes are left to the GM and players to decide, or may have quantifiable results.

== Quantified success ==

Some abilities may list a set of quantitative results. For example, Armor of Ithan's duration is based on the degree of success:

  * Armor Of Ithan (Target: 8): Grants [+ +] to Resistance. Duration: 1 second / 2N minutes / 10N minutes / N hours

This means:

  * The target for succeeding at the spell is 8. If you have Good (6) ♦️ Magic and flip a 4D, you succeed by 2.
  * On a bare success, the Armor lasts only 1 second.
  * On a success, it lasts 2 N minutes, where N is the degree of success, e.g., 4 minutes in the above example.
  * On a resounding success it lasts 10 N seconds; e.g., if you succeed by 6, it lasts an hour.
  * On an astonishing success it lasts N hours; e.g., if you succeed by 12, it lasts half a day.



===== Experience and changes =====

Over time, players may gain new adverbs and skills, modify old ones, or even lose old
ones. Exceptional events may increase or decrease both Token and Card pools.

====== GM Stuff ======

===== Common conditions =====

=== Temporary situations ===

  * **Soft Cover (concealment)**: Gives [-] to opponent's Marksmanship
  * **Hard Cover**: As soft cover; also gives [+] or [+ +] to Resistance
  * **Stunned**: Discard a card
  * **Shy** or **Frightened**: [-] to Hearts skills
  * **Embarassed**: [-] to Spades skills
  * **Crushed**: [-] to Spades and Hearts skills
  * **Winded**: (-2) to Clubs skills
  * **Tired**: [-] to Clubs skills, -2 to Hearts and Diamonds
  * **Exhausted**: [-] to Clubs and Diamonds skills
  * **Blasted**: [-] to all skills

=== Injury ===

As characters take mental or physical injury, they may gain negatives to, or disadvantages to, various stats, and in serious conditions their hand size goes down. Injury does not affect Fake Tokens.

  * **Niggling injury**: -1 to Clubs or Diamonds skills (player's choice)
  * **Minor injury**: -2 to -4 (GM's choice) to Clubs or Diamonds skills (player's choice)
  * **Moderate injury**: [-] to Clubs and Diamonds skills, except Resistance
  * **Severe injury**: [- -] to Clubs and Diamonds skills, [-] to Resistance, Card Refresh reduced by 1.
  * **Crippling injury**: [- -] to all skills, Card Refresh set to 1.
  * **KO**: Card Refresh set to 0.