Cards

When destiny chooses a hero for greatness, it also equips them with the strength they will need to fulfill this destiny, oftentimes in subtle ways which compliment the hero's natural strengths. A singer finds her voice can hold others in a supernatural thrall. A thief discovers the power to become invisible. A scholar of the arcane begins to understand the Mystery of magic and the invisible world. Heroes wield a variety of unique abilities in the service of destiny. In the story, these abilities may be known as powers, spells, disciplines, or any number of other names. In game terms, your special abilities are called ​Cards.

Source

Every hero has a Source of power from whence they gain Cards. Whether supernatural in nature or simply a result of their own training and exceptional talent, a character's Source speaks to both their origin and path as a hero. Included in every Source is a Core Card which only those who take power from this Source may claim as their own. And every Core Card offers a variety of options to help determine a hero's unique tactical contribution to the group. 

There are 12 Sources players may choose from when creating a character and a set of Wildcards, Cards which any hero may acquire regardless of their Source.

Arcane: By tapping into the maelstrom of chaos beyond the material realm, you can reshape reality to your whims using magic. Knowledge and arcane talent grant you Mysterious powers.

Divine: The gods chose you to be their champion, spreading their word and working their will with each adventure you undertake. Your piety and devotion to your god(s) gives you your power.

Primal: ​Blessed by the primeval forces of the world, the powers of nature are yours to command. Your connection to the natural world and its petty gods is what gives you power.

Shadow: ​Dark forces have influenced your mind and spirit, giving you access to grim and terrible powers which you have resolved to use for heroic (or at least not totally evil) ends.

Wildcard: Wildcards can be acquired by any hero regardless of their Source. These abilities are broad in scope and useful to any character, no matter what their approach to the adventuring lifestyle is.

Warfare
Ki
Psychic
Empyrean
Subtlety
Tech
Rapture
​Elemental

Character Creation

Pick one Source and gain the Core Card associated with it. You can now pick Cards from this Source as you grow in power and are given the opportunity to pick a new Card.

Pick two Cards of your choice, either from your Source or from the Wildcard section.

A Card gives the name of the ability at the top and contains an image in the grey space to give it flavor and theme.

​The text box at the bottom indicates the Card's Source and whether it is an Action, Reaction, Interrupt, Perk, or Ritual. This section also describes what the Card does (both normally and when Upgraded).

The symbol in the top right corner of the text box indicates how much Focus it costs to use this Card.

Understanding Cards

All Cards are classified as:

• Actions are things a character can do using Action Dice, either during their turn or off-turn when certain conditions are met.
  • A Reaction happens after the triggering incident has already resolved.
  • An Interrupt happens during the triggering incident, interrupting it and possibly preventing the triggering incident from resolving as originally intended.
• Perks are passive effects that are always active, even when a character is at rest or not thinking about them.
• Rituals are powerful abilities most often used for role-playing and storytelling purposes. They are rarely performed during combat and usually take upwards of 10 minutes to complete.
  

This is the symbol for an Upgrade. Most Cards can be Upgraded, offering improved power/value, additional functionality, or an alternate means of using the ability. You can always choose to use the basic version of an ability you've Upgraded.

​This is the symbol for Focus. The expenditure of Focus is required to use many Schema, especially Actions. The number on top of this symbol indicates how much Focus must be spent in order to use this ability. A "-" indicates the ability does not cost any Focus to use. Spent Focus is fully restored at the end of a Short Rest.

Credit for this symbol goes to Julián Humberto Corrales from the Noun Project

Role

Each Card offers a different approach to fulfilling one of the four roles in combat. When you choose your Cards, you'll aim to pick ones that either help to round out your character or allow you to further specialize in fulfilling a specific tactical niche within your group.

Assault focuses on dealing large amounts of damage to enemies in an attempt to remove them as a threat and achieve victory. There are lots of different ways to deal damage and many approaches to this role, but all Assaulters center their efforts on taking the most dangerous enemies down quickly.

Defense seeks to mitigate incoming damage, not only to oneself, but to the the rest of the party. Those who focus on this role are tough and hardy or have lots of protective abilities to keep everyone safe from harm. Defenders often fight on the front lines of combat, keeping the most dangerous enemies locked down and away from less durable allies.

Control approaches combat as a puzzle to be solved, like a grand chess game of life and death. Those in this role look to maximize efficiency and value on their side, controlling the flow (and thus the outcome) of battle by reducing enemy advantage and maximizing opportunities for their team to win.

Support keeps your side of the battle in top fighting shape by healing injuries, restoring the fallen, and strengthening allies with powerful buffs. Supporters make a huge impact on the battle and their effectiveness is often the deciding factor between victory and defeat.

Utility abilities don't always fit exclusively into a single tactical niche, but instead support all of them in some way or offer new and interesting tools in a character's problem-solving and role-playing arsenal.