Fate/Cortex Mashup
Take the best parts of Fate (story-based mechanics, flexible action system) and mashup with the best of Cortex (2 stats, dice pool, easy mobs, slight crunch, more advancement) to create a better game.
Aspects (and pretty much everything) now get a die rating of d4 to d12. When you take an action, you make a Dice Pool of all the things that apply, roll them all, and add your 2 highest rolls to get a result. Below I'll explain most of the basic rules. Character creation happens at the end. Some quick definitions:
Aspects - like Fate
Step Up/Step Down - Raise or Lower a die up/down to the next die
Complication - An Aspect causing a problem
FC - Fate Chip
Roll20 does not do Cortex character sheets so we'll have to go paper & pencil. Firefly Character Sheet
Rolling lots of dice can be slow. Having a macro for some of your common dice rolls would be really handy. Here's a sample macro:
/em Shooting! [[{ 1d8 [Agility] + 1d8 [Shooting] + 1d6 [Pistols] + 1d8 [Sig Weapon] + 1d8 [Soldier Distinction] }kh2]]
Attributes
Your character has 4 attributes: Physique, Agility, Mental, Social. Each with a die rating.
Skills
New Skill list. You have a d4 in everything and then they get increased.
CRAFT/FIX: Crafting things, includes building, assembling, or creating stuff.
DRIVE: Land and surface vehicles, including cars, boats, and trucks.
FIGHT: All kinds of close-combat, including weapons or fists.
FIX: [COMBINED TO CRAFT]
FLY: Piloting air vehicles or spacecraft.
FOCUS: Focusing on something, to study or steel your will or whatever.
INFLUENCE: Making others do, think, act, or feel the way you want them to.
KNOW: General knowledge and recall. Use specialties to cover specific areas: Business,
Navigation, Religion, Animals, Fine Arts. KNOW always includes a free specialty that doesn’t count
against the others. Note that other skills can be combined with Mental or Social attributes to
reflect knowledge about those areas, so KNOW is best left to academic fields.
LABOR: Carrying out tasks of manual labor, lifting, pushing, digging, pulling, hauling.
MOVE: Running, jumping, climbing trees.
NOTICE: Spotting things. Perception, basically.
OPERATE: Using things like computers, gadgets, and devices. Also breaking or subverting them (hacking/burglary)
PERFORM: Acting, putting on a show.
SHOOT: Guns, big rocket launchers, things that you point and shoot.
SNEAK: Sneaking around. Sneakily.
SURVIVE: Surviving in the outdoors or wherever.
THROW: [COMBINED TO SHOOTING]
TREAT: Taking care of people. Heal, treatment of injury, but also counseling.
TRICK: Deceiving or conning somebody, sleight of hand, using spin.
INVESTIGATE: [ADDED] Attempting to learn new things via research or talking to people
RESOURCES: [ADDED] Anytime we're seeing if you have the money for something - bribes, buying parts, etc.
Skills can have Skill Specialties to reflect extra ability you have in a narrow part of that skill.
Example: You might have a Pistol specialty with your Shoot skill or a Fast Talker specialty with your Influence.
Aspects / Distinctions
Fate has Aspects. Cortex has Distinctions. We'll call them Aspects and do them more like FATE does - where they're more like a description than Cortex's where they are more like a profession.
Signature Assets
It's possible to have Signature Assets - a special asset that is essential part of the character. This might be a weapon (Jayne's gun), a vehicle (Firefly to Mal & Wash), a piece of equipment (Simon's medical bag), a contact (Poe's former gang buddies), or whatever else you come up with. Signature Assets are a d6 when created but can be higher.
Stunts
We'll use Cortex triggers rather than FATE stunts. Pick any 2 triggers that make sense with your aspects.
Here's a big list of them for Firefly: https://thrillin-heroics.obsidianportal.com/wikis/distinctions-list]]. Note that the first entry on the page is the Aspect ("Agent Provocateur"), it's the other two things listed that are triggers ("Cover Story", "Devil on your Shoulder"). You don't have to pick 2 from the same aspect. You can pick 1 from one aspect and one from another.
Actions
All actions are resolved with a Dice Pool roll. You gather up all your dice, roll them, and add your two highest rolls together to get a result. You always roll your Attribute and a Skill die. You might also roll these if they apply:
Specialty dice
d8 if one of your Aspects is helping you, max of one die for this. (Or, if your aspect is hindering you, a d4 and you get a FC)
A d6 (or higher) for a Signature Asset
A die from a stunt/trigger that applies
All favorable aspects in play
Any unfavorable aspects that apply to your target
Any scene aspects
Big Damn Hero dice (can be rolled after all results)
Scale dice (if you way overpower your target, using a pistol on a tank for example)
Skill dice lent by other crew members
We have three types of actions you can take.
An Overcome is when you're just trying to do something - climb a wall, get some info from the bartender, burgle the alarm.
Attacks are when you are actively trying to take someone out so they can no longer participate in a scene - Shoot someone, punch someone, convince them to surrender, drive your car into theirs.
Create Advantage is when you are trying to create some sort of advantage in a scene: Suppressive Fire, Distracted by my Tits, Exploding Jar of Bees. This becomes an Aspect that can then be used for the overcomes or the attacks.
Overcome: The GM gives a target number (might be a flat number or might be a roll) and you have to roll better than that to succeed at what you're trying to do. If you fail, you can elect to take a Complication to succeed (you can't recover that complication in the same scene).
With Style - You can learn secrets / accomplish more than you set out to. No BDHD.
Attacks: The "target" or "defender" of the attack rolls first to Set The Stakes. Attacker rolls second. Whoever gets the higher result wins the attack. Yes, the "defender" of the attack can win and cause a problem for the attacker.
Example: Some mook is punching you. You'd roll first to Set The Stakes. You could roll a Move to dive out of the way, Fight if you're punching back, Shoot if you've drawn a gun, maybe even Influence him with a steely gaze to intimidate him into not even trying it.
Whoever loses an attack is Taken Out: They are incapacitated until the end of the scene, if that makes sense (if I'm diving behind the bar, then my winning the attack would not take you out as you were shooting me). Optionally, you can spend a FC to take a Complication instead to stay in the fight.
With Style: You earn a BDHD or, if you're fighting mooks, you can elect to take out 2 mooks instead of 1.
Create Advantage / Discover: Allows you to create an Aspect for the scene at a d6.
With Style: Aspect is created at d8 rather than d6
Complications and Opportunity: Anytime you roll a 1, the GM can create a Complication aspect at a d6 or step up an existing Complication. You get a FC. 1s cannot be counted in your total.
If the GM rolls a 1, this is an Opportunity and you can spend a FC to Step Down an existing complication. Any player can take advantage of that. A Complication that is stepped down to a d4 goes away. This has to make narrative sense - you can't Step Down your Gut Shot complication on a Notice roll.
With Style: Beating the target by 5 or more is "with style"
Big Damn Hero Die: Some actions will earn you a Big Damn Hero die equal to the highest die in your roll. If the GM succeeds with style, you lose a Big Damn Hero die equal to the highest die the GM rolled.
You can use a BDHD for later rolls. They are a third die you can add in to your total. They can also be rolled after you and your opponent have rolled if you failed a roll you really want to succeed at.
Lending a Skill (Aid Another): You can add one of your skill die (just the skill die) to another player's roll. If that player fails, the bad outcomes applies to you as well. Any Complications apply to both of you (and the GM only has to spend FC once).
You don't necessarily have to add the same skill. If two of you are standing watch, then the die pool for a roll probably includes a Notice die from both of you. If, as another example, you're trying to sweet talk some information out of someone and your partner is spending some money to bribe them, the die pool might have your Influence and her Resources die.
FATE 101 - Am I Attacking or am I Creating Advantage: A tricky part of FATE is understanding the difference between Attacking and Creating Advantage. Doing things in game can be one or the other - "I throw a stapler at his head!" might be what you are doing. If your intent is to hit him in the head and knock him unconscious - it's an Attack. If your intent is to cause a distraction so you can run out the back door - it's Create Advantage.
FATE 101 - Why Would I Create Advantage?: Why not just always punch the guy in the nose? When you Create Advantage, it gives you (or another player if you let them use your Advantage) a bonus on your next roll. Maybe that guy is a good fighter than you're unlikely to hit. By first distracting him with the stapler, your punch later has a better chance of landing.
Create Advantage is also good if an opponent has high skills in one area but lower skills in another. This guy might be a good fighter making him hard to punch, but he's got low Athletics which makes him bad at dodging your stapler. The Create Advantage is easy to do, which makes the follow up punch easier then as well.
Target Numbers to do Stuff
D4 or 3: Very easy
D6 or 7: Easy
D8 or 11: Challenging
D10 or 15: Hard
D12 or 19: Very hard
Taking Damage / Healing / Recovery
Taken Out: There are no hit points, stress tracks, or consequence aspects. If you lose on an attack roll, you are Taken Out. That's it - one failure and you're out. You can opt to take a Complication (or the GM will step up an existing complication) to stay in the fight.
Complication Take Out: If you ever have a Complication stepped up past a d12, you are Taken Out. There's no way to get around this one.
Limited Action: Even if you've been taken out, you can spend a FC to take a Limited Action. You roll as normal, but you can only count 1 die instead of 2. You can spend FCs as normal to include more dice.
Recovery Rolls: You get one attempt to remove a Complication. On a success, the Complication is removed. If the roll fails, the Complication is still stepped back 1 to reflect some progress on treating it. Further Recovery Rolls are only allowed when the GM decides enough time has passed. Failing and rolling 1s causes the Complication to be Stepped Up for each 1 and you get no FC. Succeeding and rolling 1s, get's rid of the initial Complication but the GM can spend a FC as normal to create a new one.
Fate Chips
Players start an Episode with 1 Fate Chip. This carries over week to week until the Episode is over. The GM has an unlimited supply of Fate Chips, but any Fate Chips he spends goes to the player it was spent against.
Fate Chips can be used to:
Include another dice from your pool and add it to the total. Can be done after rolling, but before the other person rolls.
Activate some stunts/triggers.
To create a Scene Asset. You can be pretty creative with this. If Mal's in trouble, any of the crew might create "Mal is My Captain" asset to reflex that they really want to help him. Mal might create a "Browncoat tactics" asset to reflect his previous war experience being relevant for the situation at hand. The only thing you can't do is create material objects - that's a Resource Overcome roll.
[[ Not sure I like this Cortex rule when we have Fate Create Advantage. Mal is my Captain - CA Focus, Browncoat Tactics - CA Stealth, Winter Parka - CA Resources.]]
To make a Scene Asset (above) last until the end of the Episode
To roll a Big Damn Hero die and add it to your total after your roll (can do more than once)
To not be Taken Out - instead gain a Complication and stay in the fight
When GM rolls 1, creating Opportunity (step down a complication)
Take a Limited Action after being Taken Out
Earning Fate Chips:
Rolling a d4 for an Aspect that is complicating things rather than the d8
When GM creates a Complication after you roll a 1 (1 FC for each complication, only 1 FC for multiple step ups)
Some stunts
Whenever GM spends a FC against you
Entertaining play at the table
Building a Character
Step 1: Adjust Attributes: All attributes start at a d8. You can step one up, but you have to lower another. Starting characters can't go above d10 or below a d6.
Step 2: Choose Aspects/Distinctions: Chose 3 Aspects that define your characters.
Step 3: Initial Skills: All skills that are tied to an Aspect from Step 2 are set to a d6. A skill that is tied to multiple aspects is bumped up for the additional mentions.
Step 4: Step Up Skills: You get 9 skill bumps. Changing a skill from d4 to a d6 costs 2 bumps. Raising a skill up from anything else costs 1 bump. Max starting skill is d10.
Step 5: Choose Specialties and Signature Assets: You get 5 bumps for this. For a bump you can:
Add a specialty to a skill rated at a d6 or higher
Create a signature asset at a d6
Step up a D6 signature asset to a d8
Step 6: Choose 2 Cortex triggers as your Fate stunts - https://thrillin-heroics.obsidianportal.com/wikis/distinctions-list
XP / Training Up
You get 1 XP for every completed Episode. You can spend the XP as follows:
Turn an asset from a scenario into a signature asset: 1 scenario
Switch out an Aspect for a new one: 1 scenario
Step up a signature asset: 2 scenarios
Add a new specialty: 2 scenarios
Add a new Stunt: 3 scenarios
Step up a skill: 3 scenarios
Step up one attribute and step back another: 4 scenarios
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Random Thoughts
Not rules or anything, just a place for me to work out ideas.
1st play through it was very "swingy" - Too easy for someone really good at something to still fail.
Idea 1: Not sure we were really rolling all the die we were supposed to or if maybe it was just a night of bad luck. Going to try again, going a little slower and making sure we get the dies right to see if it helps.
Idea 2: You could, instead of adding dice to the dice pool, have extra dice get a flat bonus. So always roll just 2 dice, but extra d6 is +1, d8 is +2, etc. So rather than d10 agility + d8 shoot + d6 trigger + d8 aspect it's d10 + d8 + 1 + 2. Also gets rid of what seems like a lot of complications popping up - fewer dice so fewer 1s. What do you do with the d4 aspect to get a fate chip? Treat as a -1 maybe?
Idea 3: Alternatively, you could bump up that second dice - so an extra d6 bumps the d8 shoot to a 10, then the aspect d8 bumps it again to d12. etc. That still leaves it swingy.
They seem to be low on Fate Chips again which are pretty important.]