Forte

So we’ve discussed a bit about each of the orders that an Invisible Sun character can join. We’ve seen that heart is the innermost, basic essence of a vislae. However, there is yet another important component to each character. Forte reflects a talent or focus that is essentially unique to the character. It’s both what you do best and what you can do that most people can’t (or at least, not the way you do it).

Forte is the most active aspect of your character, so the names are always phrased as verbs like, “Travels as a Spirit,” “Revels in Beauty,” or “Fuses Nightmare to Fist.” Heart is who you are, order is where you belong, but forte is what you do.

Like orders, fortes have built-in character goals, loves, successes, fears, and disappointments in the form of suggestions for character arcs as well as earning Joy or Despair. The choices players make guide character development throughout the game, and vice versa. Step 3 of character creation is selecting your forte. There are many to choose from.

FORTE DESCRIPTIONS

Each forte has a number of categories that define it.

Background: Forte usually contributes to the backstory of the character, or at least raises questions the player should answer about their past.

Appearance: Forte often dictates or suggests clothing or even the physical appearance of a vislae.

Character Arcs: Forte might suggest character arcs appropriate for the character.

Path to Joy: A few suggestions for things that might earn the character Joy. This is not meant to be a limiting list, but rather thought-starters to give players and GMs ideas. Most of these suggestions can be used just one time each.

Path to Despair: A few things that might happen that would give the character Despair. This is not meant to be a limiting list, but rather suggestions to give players and GMs ideas. Most of these suggestions can be used just one time each.

Forte Abilities: Forte abilities, unless stated otherwise, cost Sorcery to use, equal to the level of the effect.

You can always spend points from your Sorcery pool to increase the level of effect of an ability you possess on a one-for-one basis, to a maximum of level 10, unless you know the Divine Ability secret.

Color: In addition, each forte ability is associated with a particular sun. The color of the associated sun is important for Sooth card effects and occasionally other effects.

USING ABILITIES

Unless stated otherwise, using a forte ability is an action. Most of the time, you roll to see if it takes effect. Like any action, you can use bene to add to your venture. Further, you always add the ability level to the venture. The challenge is the level of the target modified by defenses or other factors. That means if you’re using an ability to attack a person, you use their level as the challenge. If you’re using it to open a sealed gateway, you use the gateway’s level as the challenge.

You don’t need to roll to see if an ability takes effect if:

✦✦ You’re using the ability on yourself.

✦✦ You’re using the ability on a being that wants it to take effect, even if they’re not aware of it. Example: you use a healing ability on your unconscious friend.

✦✦ The ability has no direct effect on any being or object.

✦✦ The ability conjures or creates something (unless otherwise noted in the ability).

✦✦ The ability affects an object with no meaningful level, like a bit of dirt or a piece of candy.

Another, perhaps easier way to look at it is this: you roll to see if you affect something only if the ability affects something that doesn’t want to be affected. This only works, of course, if you assume that inanimate objects don’t want to be altered in any way.

You can cancel an ability’s ongoing effect whenever you wish, and doing so is not an action. Further, the GM can end an effect at any time, but must award the PC that created it 1 Despair when this happens.

BONUSES AND ENHANCEMENTS

Some abilities give you a bene to one or more of your pools. Others grant you a bonus to a specific action. A bonus to your action is always a bonus to your venture. You subtract your total venture from the challenge of the action, and the result is the number you need to roll on the die.

An enhancement is an additional die you get to roll when you attempt an action. Rolling a success on either die results in a success. Sometimes, it will say “(+1 die)” after the level. If it does, when you use the ability to affect the target, you get an enhancement of 1 additional die. Sometimes, using an ability will grant you an enhancement on another action. This means you get to roll an additional die for that action.

For example, if you need a 4 on the die after subtracting your venture from your challenge, and you get to roll +1 die thanks to the ability you are using, you roll two dice. If you get a 4 or higher on either die, you succeed.

RANGES AND TARGETS

Ranges are divided into four categories. If an ability affects a target within a certain range category, it could also affect a target at any shorter category (unless the ability description specifically says otherwise).

Close: Anything close enough to touch (or touch after taking a few steps) is close. Two things next to each other are close, even if they’re not touching. (Unless the word “touch” is specifically included in the spell, close implies the potential of touch, not an actual touch.) Very loosely speaking, this range extends up to about 10 feet (3 m). Conversationally, this might be referred to as “point-blank range.” An ability that affects an area that encompasses this distance, more or less, is said to affect a small area.

Near: Something you could reach fairly quickly is near. Often referred to as “nearby” or “short range,” it represents a distance of 10 to 50 feet (3 to 15 m). An ability that affects an area a short distance in diameter is said to affect a medium area.

Far: Something you can see clearly but not reach quickly is far. Commonly referred to as “far away” or “long range,” this is a distance of about 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m). An ability that affects an area a long distance in diameter is said to affect a large area.

Very Far: Something you can see but not clearly is very far. Called “very far away” or “very long range” at times, this is anything from about 100 to 500 feet (30 to 150 m). An ability that affects an area a very long distance in diameter is said to affect a very large area.

Unless the ability specifically says otherwise, a solid barrier (like a wall or door) prevents magic from being cast through it, although a certain level of logic and common sense should be used in adjudicating this. Further, to use an ability on a target, you usually have to be aware of them and have a line of sight to them. There are obvious exceptions. For example, an ability that affects an area affects everything in that area, whether you are fully aware of it or not. An ability that specifically seeks the location of a thing, by its very nature, does not require the caster to know the location of the thing. These are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules.

More definitively, the following terms specifically designate what can and can’t be affected by a given ability:

Target: Anything.

Being: Any self-aware thing, be it human, animal, elderbrin, demon, spirit, vampire, ghost, or thoughtform. Even most quasi-intelligent constructs are considered beings.

Creature: A being of flesh and blood. Thus, any being other than a spirit, demon, ghost, elemental, construct, and the like.

Person or People: A human, elderbrin, or something very similar. Thoughtforms that look like people can be considered people for such purposes.

DEPLETION

Either abilities are over immediately, or they last until their magic depletes. Sometimes conditions (the rising or setting of the sun, for example) will end an effect. Other times, the amount of time is random. To determine if an ongoing effect depletes, roll a die. If the result on the die matches the depletion result, the effect ends. So if the depletion says “0 (check each round),” at the end of each round roll a die. On a roll of a 0, the effect comes to an end that round.

ADVANCING YOUR FORTE

A character’s forte is a suite of additional abilities they can perhaps learn to harness. Each forte has an “ability tree” showing the path of advancement. Beginning with the starting ability (or, in some cases, one of the two starting abilities at the top of each “tree”), the lines show the possible paths for attaining another. You must acquire the abilities along the given paths, in order, although you can also move back to a point where the path branched and make a choice you didn’t choose the first time. Thus, learning one ability unlocks the potential acquisition of another (or sometimes two) later, and the new ability in turn provides access to another farther down the “tree.” Typically, the farther you move down the path, the more potent the abilities become.

For example, Calls Upon the Serpent presents the choice of two different starting abilities called Bite of the Serpent and Voice of the Serpent. If you choose Voice of the Serpent, you can later choose Bite of the Serpent, but Voice also unlocks Hypnotic Gaze of the Serpent for you to choose later if you want. And so on.

Unlike learning spells, but similar to advancing in your order, gaining a new ability in your forte does not require Acumen. Instead, it requires Crux. An ability of level 1 to 4 requires 1 Crux, level 5 to 6 requires 2 Crux, and level 7 and above require 3 Crux.

FORTE AND CHARACTER STATS

Practicing and improving your forte is an active way to advance the entirety of your character. Every time you gain a new forte ability, you permanently increase one of your stats by 2 points (or two of your stats by 1 point each). If that stat is Certes or Qualia, the points are distributed into the refined pools of that stat.

This is the primary way vislae can improve their stats.