your Power Source. A Power Source and Affinity Ability may be necessary if you have some types of Power Advantages. Power Sources and Affinity Abilities are covered in detail in the Chapter 5.
Common Ability Packages
The following “packages” can be purchased with 24 ranks in Abilities. You might want to select one of these packages to speed character creation. The Average Guy: Rank 2 in all Abilities. The Trained Professional: Rank 3 in two Abilities. Rank 2 in eight Abilities. Rank 1 in two Abilities. The Specialist: Rank 3 in three Abilities. Rank 2 in six Abilities. Rank 1 in three Abilities. If you are starting with more than 24 ranks in Abilities, consider selecting a package from the above list and customizing it with the additional ranks you have.
Step #5: Specialty Aspects
Specialty Aspects are what set your character apart from the masses. After you have allotted your Ability Points, you may now come up with five Specialty Aspects. These Aspects should strongly reflect some strength or weakness you have in a particular Ability. For example, under Agility you might have High School Track Team and under Persuasion you might have Ladies’ Man.But remember, as with Character Aspects there is some benefit to having an Aspect that is a negative trait. The member of the High School track team could easily also have All Thumbs to indicate that while he may be athletic and quick on his feet, he’s not especially good at catching things or anything that requires a lot of manual dexterity.
Note that Specialty Aspects are associated with an Ability (and an Ability may have multiple Specialties), but are not restricted to it. The purpose of this association is to better define the intent of the Aspect, not to strictly limit its use.
For example, “I’ll Never Talk!” implies something different if it is associated with Endurance than if it were associated with Willpower, even though the wording of the Aspect is the same. The association with an Ability just helps clarify what the Aspect says about the character.
Also, there may be some special cases where the GM allows you to invoke or compel a Specialty Aspect with a different Ability than the one it is associated with. And that’s okay. The Specialty Aspect’s association with an Ability is a guideline, not a restriction.
For example, if a character has a Specialty Aspect of Tough as Nails (Endurance), the GM may still let him spend a FP and apply a bonus to a defense roll to mitigate physical stress, even if he is rolling Agility to defend.
Like Character Aspects, we can continue looking to the Aspect Alphabet as a guide for selecting Specialty Aspects.
“E” is for Exceptional Skill
So what are you good at? Have you received some special training that makes you an expert with some specific use of an Ability? Or maybe your body or mind has been changed to make you better at something. Some good exceptional skill Aspects include Master Swordsman (Strength), Sub‐Dermal Pain Dampers (Endurance), and Silver Tongued Salesman (Persuasion or maybe Deception).
“F” is for Foe(s)
Every hero has enemies. Who have you crossed in your past that might be looking for revenge? Or is it you who seeks vengeance from them? Some good foe Aspects include On the Run from Sheriff Dobs (Persuasion), “The Black Widow Clan has my Number” (Persuasion), Won’t Rest Until Helios Microsystems is Bankrupt (Persuasion).
Note that foe Aspects are almost always associated with your Persuasion Ability. See pg. 84 for more.
Your 10 Aspects
Every character begins with a total of 10 Aspects, and if you are using the Aspect Alphabet, you should try to have one for each of these: Character Aspects: 1. Defining Aspect 2. Ambition 3. Background 4. Conviction 5. Disadvantage Specialty Aspects: 6. Exceptional Skill 7. Foe(s) 8. Gear 9. Help 10. Inferior Skill“G” is for Gear
Do you have any special pieces of equipment, vehicles or facilities? Good gear Aspects include: My Pa’s Old Six Shooter
(Resources), “She’s the fastest ship in the Rim”
(Resources), High‐Tech Research and
Development Facility (Resources).
Note that Gear Aspects are almost always associated with your Resources Ability. See pg. 86 for more.
“H” is for Help
Do you have a friend, some family, or a group you can call on in times of need? A few examples of help Aspects are: Old Brother John – the Vampire Hunting Priest (Persuasion), “I’m a member of Talos 9” (Persuasion), “Us Larsons stick together.” (Persuasion)
Note that like foes, Aspects that represent people willing to help you are almost always associated with your Persuasion Ability. See pg. 84 for more.
“I” is for Inferior Skill
We can’t all be good at everything. So what do you suck at? Maybe it’s some handicap or maybe you just can’t seem to get it no matter how hard you try. What specific use of an Ability just eludes you? Some good inferior skill Aspects include Bad Knees (Agility), Overly Blunt (Persuasion or maybe Deception), “Math is hard” (Knowledge).
If you are having a hard time coming up with Specialty Aspects, make sure you check out Chapters 3 and 4 for more examples.
And remember, you do not have to stick with the Aspect Alphabet. For example, if you feel like your character wouldn’t have any special