FATE Core Changelist[]
FATE Spin is based on FATE, but overhauls several systems.
- Aspects are gone. Everything beyond the High Concept and the Trouble has been done away with. Permission Cards take the place of aspects for Extras.
- Fate Points are beefed up and simplified. Fate Points can be used to give any action a +2, declare that something exists, or convince the GM something goes your way (like not dying when you fell off that cliff). The GM does not have Fate Points, but powerful enemies do.
- Stress follows the “Check Two” rule from the FATE System Toolkit. A three-stress hit can either be taken up by the three-stress box or by checking both the one-stress and two-stress box.
- Physical and Mental Consequences (called Injuries) have separate slots. This means that characters can have both a mild Mental Injury and a mild Physical Injury at the same time.
- Injuries affect Skills instead of providing free compels. See the "Injuries" section in Fighting Things for more details.
- Concessions and Take Outs are the exception, not the rule. While the GM shouldn’t be trigger happy with players, she should keep them aware that death is a constant threat, and that fights are better handled with thought than firepower.
- Character creation is more narrow. Players pick a class (which comes with stunts and a mostly finished skill set) and a Permission Card. A handful of classes allow players to build their own stunts, but the majority are prebuilt.
- "Defender Wins" is the default. Someone hiding in the shadows is "defending" so they win ties. Someone sneaking up on a guard is on the offensive, so they lose ties.
- Narrative powers are (mostly) in the GM's hands. FATE Core encourages cooperative storytelling. FATE Spin leans towards traditional Game Mastering.
- New Skill List tailored for swords-and-sorcery. Most of the skill should look familiar, but a few have had their mechanics switched about. In particular, "Fight" has been traded out for "Combat" and "Reaction Time".
- Combat Overhaul that introduces a crunchier system for fighting. Pulls from The Dresden Files RPG for inspiration on how to make battle more interesting, and adds a few Pathfinder flavored twists.
- Teamwork Changes that follows the advice of a blog post by one of the designers.