If you have an idea for a Talent, you’re not limited to ex-isting ones! Here are some guidelines to making Talents (which is more art than science). To start, look over the list of Talents and get a sense of how they work and how they’re written.
Then start with the Talent’s effect—after all, that’s the part of Talents that showcases Agents being awesome.
After that, figure out how the Talent’s activated. Finally, assign a Role to it and come up with the rest of the flavor.
eFFeCt
This is what the Talent does. Effects should have an impact on that moment worth noting, but without being overpowering—Talents with effects that make you say
“You’d be crazy not to take this!” need to be toned down (or their activation made more restrictive).
Effects fall into a few broad categories.
Manipulate Dice: This includes allowing for a reroll, nul-lifying Complications, etc.
Adding Dice to a Roll: This could be a specific die type or referring to another Role’s die or Attribute’s die.
For specific die types, make it a d6 if it’s frequent or a d8 if it’s not. Some powerful Talents could make the die a d10 or d12, provided the activation is cor-respondingly rare.
Manipulate Plot Points: Allow sharing of Plot Points among other Agents under certain circumstances.
Manipulate Complications: Remove or suppress Complications.
Allow Extra Benefits From Certain Actions: See the examples in the settings on page 140 and 180.
ACtiVAtion
This is the set of circumstances that allows the Talent’s effect to kick in. It should be narrow enough that it doesn’t constantly come up in every scene, but not so narrow that
it will only come up once every few Missions. The sweet spot is that you should be able to break out one of your Talents two or three times per Mission.
Similar to effects, activation criteria fall into some broad categories.
Narrative: Anything that depends on the circumstances of the story can be an activation trigger. Someone is in the same scene as you, you’re talking with an NPC about a certain subject, you’re outnumbered, etc.
Mechanical: Mechanical triggers revolve around the dice and the actions around them. They can include roll-ing a particular Action Trait (“The player is makroll-ing a roll involving her Face die,” etc.) or doing a type of action (“You’re in a Fight Action”). Or they can in-volve the results of the dice, such as the Gamemaster rolling an Opportunity.
Restrictions: Some Talents may also have restric-tions limiting their activation further, if their ef-fects are potent or especially dramatic. That can include restricting the Talent’s activation to only once per scene. Talents activated by things like the Gamemaster granting Opportunities can limit the activation, if you want a Talent that is themed around random openings in the story.
Plot Point Spend: The ultimate restriction is to require a Plot Point. That’ll limit it to crucial and dramatic mo-ments. (Rarely, this is combined with other restric-tions. Usually if you feel the need to layer multiple restrictions, you’re better off toning the effect down.) The activation should match the effect’s theme. If you look at the activation and the effect and wonder why they’re related instead of getting an immediate sense, then you need to reexamine both ends of your Talent.
roLe
The Role reflects the type of Agent who would take this Talent. Some Talents are appropriate for almost any Action character, and a few might be appropriate for two Roles. Resist the urge to make a bunch of generic Talents;
you take your Roles for a reason, and it’s not that interest-ing or excitinterest-ing when someone else can do your job almost as well as you can.
nAMe And desCriPtion
Finally, come up with a snappy name and a little flavor to describe it. This is as important as the rest of the Talent—
after all, you’ll be saying the Talent’s name when you’re using it, and you want to sound cool when you’re being cool.
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sAMPLe tALents
ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR
You can hyper-focus on the smallest details for use later.
Roles: Brains
Activation: You use Brains in a Notice Action, and spend a Plot Point to bank an Asset for later, related to something you’ve observed.
Effect: Write down the Asset, hidden from everyone else.
You cannot use the Asset in the current scene. When you reveal the Asset at a dramatically appropriate moment in a later scene, step it up.
EYE IN THE SKY
You are always aware of which Agents in your team could use some extra help.
Roles: Brains
Activation: You’re in voice contact (face-to-face or electronically) with the other Agents in your team.
Effect: Any Agent you’re in contact with (including yourself) can spend Plot Points to give a die to any other member of your team you’re in contact with (also including yourself).
TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY
You use your opposition’s power against him.
Roles: Brains
Activation: The GM uses a Complication die in a roll against you. Spend a Plot Point.
Effect: You take that Complication die and add it to your own roll as an Asset. Step it up by one if your description of how it helps you rather than hurts you involves a quick flashback scene.
COLD READ
You gain startling insights into someone you just met.
Roles: Face
Activation: You are using your Face die in an action against someone you have just met, and the GM rolls an Opportunity.
Effect: The GM provides you with a useful detail about the character you are rolling against.
MASTER OF DISGUISE
Your disguises are so convincing that you seem to be an entirely different person.
Roles: Face
Activation: You are in disguise, talking to a character whom you have talked with before as another identity.
Effect: You always gain an extra d6 to pass as someone you’re not while wearing a disguise. The GM may not invoke a Complication against you to see through your disguise.
TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE
You can spot a liar better than anyone.
Roles: Face
Activation: You are using a Notice Action to judge whether someone is lying to you.
Effect: Add a d8 to your Notice Action to sense a lie.
ANYTHING IS A WEAPON
If you can get your hands on it and swing it, it can do damage.
Roles: Muscle
Activation: You’re engaged in a Fight Action, and you’ve spent a Plot Point to gain an improvised weapon Asset.
Effect: Step up the Asset (d12 maximum).
DIRTY FIGHTER You shot first.
Roles: Muscle
Activation: You’re taking your first roll in a Fight Action.
Spend a Plot Point.
Effect: Add a d8 to your roll for the rest of the fight. If the GM rolls an Opportunity against you in the first roll, increase that die to d10 for subsequent rolls, otherwise, decrease that die to a d6.
NOW IT’S A FAIR FIGHT
“There’s only five of you?”
Roles: Muscle
Activation: You’re engaging in a Fight Action, you’re outnumbered, and the GM gives you an Opportunity.
Effect: Remove one of the dice the GM gains from outnumbering you.
1337 HACKER
You’ve never met anyone as good as you at hacking.
Roles: Tech
Activation: You are using your Tech die in a roll opposed by another human involving a computer system.
Effect: Add a d8 to your roll.
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GADGETEER
You are sure to equip everyone in your team with some extra tech just in case.
Roles: Tech
Activation: Spend a Plot Point.
Effect: Give another member of your team an extra d8 Asset by reminding him of the sweet piece of gadgetry you gave him.
INSPIRED GENIUS
And to think they called you mad…
Roles: Tech
Activation: You make a roll with Tech that involves a hard science like physics or chemistry.
Effect: You may add a d8 to the roll and include one more die in the result. You don’t gain any Plot Points for any Complications that arise from this Action.
NO SWEAT
You shine when under a crunch.
Roles: Sneak
Activation: Sneak is one of the dice in your roll during a Timed Action.
Effect: Add an extra d6 to your roll. If you beat the stakes for that beat, the beat takes no time off, just as if you had scored an Extraordinary Success.
PICKPOCKET
No wallet, keycard, or mobile phone is safe from you.
Roles: Sneak
Activation: You’re making a roll including your Sneak die to steal a small item without being noticed, including during a flashback.
Effect: Add an extra d8 to your roll.
STEADY AS SHE GOES
A non-precise Sneak is a dead Sneak.
Roles: Sneak
Activation: Sneak is one of the dice in your roll, and the GM gives you an Opportunity.
Effect: You may reroll one of your dice for each Opportunity the GM gives you.
HEART OF THE TEAM
You have a strong rapport with the other Agents.
Roles: Any
Activation: You’re in the same scene as another Agent.
Effect: You may share (give or accept) Plot Points with that other Agent. No more than 3 Plot Points may change hands through the use of this Talent per scene.
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
You have a knack for being where you need to be.
Roles: Any
Activation: Spend a Plot Point.
Effect: You can place yourself in any scene that didn’t already have you there, and you give an extra d6 to the next roll that you or another Agent makes in that scene.
You can’t activate this Talent if you’re heavily engaged elsewhere.
UNUSUAL FIGHTER
You have an unpredictable fighting style.
Roles: Any
Activation: You’re engaged in a Fight Action, rolling Muscle as one of your dice. Spend a Plot Point.
Effect: Add your highest Attribute die that you’re not already using to your roll.
THE DIRECT APPROACH
You can apply maximum pressure to a situation, but often at the cost of increased fallout.
Roles: Any
Activation: You are taking an action using your primary Role. You must spend a Plot Point to activate this Talent.
Effect: Add both a d10 and a d4 to your dice pool.
DRIVING ACE
You’re right at home behind the wheel of any kind of vehicle.
Roles: Any
Activation: You’re making a roll to control a vehicle.
Effect: You may add your Alertness die to the roll and include one more die in the result. If you’re already using your Alertness die, add a d8.
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AdVAnCeMents
While Agents start with as competent, experienced pro-fessionals, they change and grow during the course of the Missions they take on happen during the game.
Each time your Agent completes a Mission, make a note of the Mission’s name on your character sheet. This is the Agent’s Record, and over time it provides history of the Agent’s accomplishments.
CALLBACks
The Agent may use the Record to make callbacks, refer-ences to events from other Missions that may be useful towards the current Mission. To make a callback, the Agent makes a reference to a Mission in her Record while performing a task. While the name of the Mission might be referenced explicitly, it’s more stylish to say something like “This is just like that time in Malta….” When a call-back is used in this way, the character may gain a benefit immediately for anything that a Plot Point could be used for. You can only make a callback to a specific Mission once per session.
trAining UP
An Agent can spend Missions from her Record to make permanent improvements. A spent Mission remains on the Record, but can no longer be used for callbacks or to train.
Add a Signature Asset: 1 Mission
Add a new Specialty or increase an existing Specialty:
2 Missions
Add a new Talent: 4 Missions
Step up an Action Trait (including Attributes and Roles): 8 Missions
Training can happen anytime during downtime be-tween Missions.