Stunts
A stunt is a special trait your character has that allows your character to break the rules in some way. For Dragonlance Accelerated, there are two types of stunts with which your character begins: heritage stunts, core stunts
You may also choose two additional stunts from your role's list. Alternatively, you may add stunts to an item of power appropriate for your character.
Unlike approaches, which are about the sort of things anyone can do in your campaign, stunts are about individual characters. Permission for taking any given stunt is granted by your character aspects, and each stunt is often tied to one of the four action and to one of your approaches.
Heritage Stunts
You may choose one heritage stunt for free. You can choose a heritage stunt from the list located on the heritage page or create your own.
Core Stunts
Aside from your core stunts you can take one additional stunt or choose an additional heritage stunt. Each character also begins play with three refresh that they can spend on further stunts. Creating and using your character's stunts works exactly as described in FAE. Click the link below for more information on stunts.
Priest
Divine Spellcasting. You have permission to purchase divine stunts and cast spells that fit the scope your deity’s portfolio when performing any of the four actions. If you desire, you may push yourself harder to achieve greater effects.
Mark a stress box to gain a +1 or two stress boxes to receive a +2 on any single magical action. You may mark only two boxes at a time.
Get Back, Hellspawn!. You may attempt to force an undead or fiendish creature to turn and move as far away from you as possible.
Divinity Adept. You have received training that has allowed you to delve deeper into your faith. Choose one effect and an action/approach combination. You receive a +2 when performing that exact combination.
Mage
Arcane Spellcasting. You have permission to purchase arcane stunts and use them to perform any of the four actions. If you desire, you may push yourself harder to achieve greater effects.
Mark a stress box to gain a +1 or two stress boxes to receive a +2 on any single magical action. You may mark no more than two boxes at a time.
Mark Strained to receive a +4 bonus on any single magical action.
Mark Exhausted to receive a +2 bonus on all magical actions until the end of the scene or, if Exhausted is already marked, to receive a +4 bonus on a single magical action.
Apprenticeship. You have learned to refine your talent for magic in some way. Choose one arcane magic stunt and an action/approach combination. You receive a +2 when performing that exact combination.
Rogue
Shadow Strike. When you make an attack using Guile while hidden from your target, your attack gains a +2 bonus.
Thieves’ Tools. You have a set of tools that allow you to make overcome actions to open locks and disarm traps. You may mark a box of Fool's Luck to gain a +1 or two boxes to gain +2 on the attempt.
Warrior
Weapon Specialization. Pick one martial weapon. When using that weapon to make attacks, you gain a +1 bonus on the attempt.
Hidden Reserves. Once per session, you may clear all four of your base stress boxes.
Items of Power
Items of power come in many shapes and sizes and not all items of power are appropriate for starting characters unless they are the center of the story and your table agrees that the balance issues are made up for by the item's contribution to your story. Items of power have two aspects: a concept and a flaw. The "concept" describes the basic function of the item and offers the player the opportunity to invoke it for a bonus when he or she has the item in hand. The "flaw" is some drawback that comes from possessing the item and makes for a convenient way to offer compels.
Players may give their items of power as many stunts as they want so long as they have the refresh to spend. They can even spend their free stunts on their item rather than their character. Players could conceivably have an item with five stunts attached to it, making it extremely powerful. Of course, the GM will have the final say of what is allowed. Players do not have to spend all of their points at first. Part of the fun of magical items is the mystery they hold and the gradual discovery of their power as the story progresses.
All items of power created by characters should follow the same guidelines typical for stunts. This means that stunts attached to items of power should be worth about two shifts, or, if they are worth more, require the expenditure of a fate point. As the character advances, the player may invest more refresh into their item instead of their character. This way, items of power can grow with the character.
Finding (and Losing) Items of Power Through Play
One of the most exciting parts of playing a Dragonlance game is the discovery of ancient and powerful artifacts. However, this presents a challenge when it comes to actually using the item. A player must "discover" what an item can do. A character can reasonably discover the concept and flaw of an item anytime she wishes. Afterward, they may spend fate points to invoke those aspects when doing so becomes appropriate.
However, unlocking the stunts that represent the real power possessed by the item must be done by spending refresh, and this takes place only when the character reaches certain milestones. Once a character has the refresh to spend, he or she may choose to attune themselves to an item of power, thus gaining access to a stunt the item possesses. Each point of refresh spent represents a new power or stunt possessed by the item that the character can use as if it were her own personal stunt.
Having an item of power with a number of stunts attached to it isn't quite the same as your character's personal stunts. An item may be lost, stolen, or destroyed. However it comes about, when your character no longer has access to an item of power because of the events that take place as her story progresses, she regains the refresh the item is worth at the next minor milestone. She then has several options open to her on what to do with that refresh.
She can hold on to the refresh and wait to regain the item, at which point the refresh will be spent as the character becomes re-attuned to the item.
She can purchase additional personal stunts, similar to the way Goldmoon did when the Blue Crystal Staff was destroyed in the fight with Khysanth and that refresh went into Goldmoon's new occupation as a cleric of Mishakal. Keep in mind that in order to change your high concept you have to wait for a major milestone.
She can spend the refresh by adding one or more stunts to another item of power.
She can keep the refresh and use it to add to the number of fate points available to her character during play so long as the refresh value doesn't exceed the max fate point pool for the power level of the game.
Sample Items of Power
Below are some rough examples of some of the more powerful and iconic artifacts in the Dragonlance setting.
Dragonlance (refresh cost: 3)
Aspects
Concept: Holy Instrument of Draconic Destruction.
Flaw: Immeasurably valuable, rare, and sacred.
Stunts
Dragon's Bane. Any creature with a "draconic" aspect that takes stress from an attack with a dragonlance, must absorb that stress with one or more consequences.
Holy Weapon. Any creature not fighting for the cause of good receives a -2 on all actions while wielding a dragonlance.
Courage Under Fire. A creature wielding a dragonlance is immune to dragonfear.
First used by the Knights of Solamnia in the Third Dragonwar, the dragonlances are a rare and potent weapon against the threat of destruction posed by dragons. The knowledge of how to forge a dragonlance is passed to individuals by the gods in times of great need. These weapons are granted only to the most worthy of champions for the cause of good.
Wyrmslayer
Refresh Cost. 3
Wyrmslayer is an elven broadsword once wielded by the ancient elven king, Kith-Kanan. Forged in the days of the Second Dragon War, Wyrmslayer was designed to defend the elven realm from the threat posed by the dragons of that age. When a creature with a dragon-type aspect is near, the sword emits a low hum that alerts everyone up to one zone away. Wyrmslayer is immediately recognizable to all dragonkin and most will target the sword’s wielder to the exclusion of all others.
Aspects
Concept: Defender of the Elven People
Flaw: Draws the Ire of Dragonkind
Stunts
Slayer of Dragons. When a forceful attack by the wielder of Wyrmslayer is made against a creature with an aspect that indicates a draconic heritage, your attack is made with weapon 4.
Stench of the Cold-Blooded. Wyrmslayer emits a low frequency hum that warns the wielder when a dragon is nearby. However, the hum is loud enough to awaken any sleeping dragon in a scene.
Courage under Fire. Wyrmslayer grants a +2 bonus to Spirit rolls made to defend against dragonfear.
Staff of Magius
Refresh Cost: 6
Concept. Ancient Staff With Mysterious Untapped Power
Flaw. Pushes the Wielder to Seek Greater Power
Unique Condition
Expanded Spellcasting. [ ] [ ] The staff’s wielder gains a new two box condition. Mark one box to gain a +1 on a single magical action or two boxes to gain a +2. Alternatively, you can mark two boxes to attack multiple targets in a zone without dividing the result. Recover one box at the beginning of the each scene.
Stunts
Weapon (2). A successful melee attack made with the staff inflicts two additional shifts of stress on the target.
Armor (3). The amount of stress dealt to the wielder of the staff is always reduced by one.
Shirak. Casts forth magical light as bright as a torch upon command.
Pveathrfall. Ignore stress from a fall of any height so long as the wielder has the ability to speak the command word.
Discerning. Any wielder who has not attuned themselves to the staff and attempts to cast a spell does so with a -2 penalty on the attempt.
Blue Crystal Staff of Mishakal
Refresh Cost. 5
The Blue Crystal Staff was discovered by Riverwind, the Que-Shu Plainsman, in the ruined city of Xak Tsaroth. The staff is imbued with the divine nature of Mishakal and is one of her holy relics. Rumors of the staff's return have filtered down throughout the dragonarmies and word has gone out to all of the Dark Queen's forces to recover the staff at all cost and to kill whoever gets in their way.
Aspects
Aspects
Concept. Divine Conduit of Mishakal's Power
Flaw. The forces of evil seek the destruction of the staff and the one who wields it.
Other Aspects. A Beacon in the Darkness; Holy Relic
Stunts
Divine Spellcasting. You have permission to purchase divine stunts and cast spells that fit the scope of Mishakal's portfolio when performing any of the four actions. If you desire, you may push yourself harder to achieve greater effects. when
Mark a stress box to gain a +1 or two stress boxes to receive a +2 on any single magical action. You may mark only two boxes at a time.
Weapon (2). A successful melee attack made with the staff always inflicts at least two shifts of stress on the target.
Teleport. Once per session, the staff can decide to teleport its wielder and their companions to any location of its choosing.
Dragon’s Breath. Once per session, the wielder may declare that any breath weapon attack made by a dragon in the scene fails.
Discerning. If a neutral or evil creature attempts to wield the staff they receive a shock that effectively marks all of their stress boxes until they relinquish it.