Fate Point Economy3 min read

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Number of Starting Fate Points

PC’scharacter’s refresh (typically 3)per session (or milestone?)
GM (for NPC use)1 / PC in scene
GM (Compels or Concessions vs PC’s)unlimited

GM Fate Points Notes

NPC’s – The NPC’s under your control are not so lucky. They have a limited pool of fate points you get to use on their behalf. Whenever a scene starts, you get one fate point for every PC in that scene. You can use these points on behalf of any NPC you want, but you can get more in that scene if they take a compel, like PCs do. You reset to your default total, one per PC, at the beginning of every scene. There are two exceptions:

  • You accepted a compel that effectively ended the last scene or starts the next one. If that happens, take an extra fate point in the next scene.
  • You conceded a conflict to the PCs in the previous scene. If that happens, take the fate points you’d normally get for the concession into the next scene and add them to the default total. If the immediate next scene doesn’t present a significant interaction with NPCs, you can save these extra points until the next scene that does.

Compels and Concessions –  When you award players fate points for compels or concession, they come out of an unlimited pool you have for doing so—you don’t have to worry about running out of fate points to award, and you always get to compel for free.

Earning Fate Points (PC’s and NPC’s)

Accept a Compel
(from GM)
agreeing to the complication associated with a compel; this may sometimes happen retroactively if the circumstances warrant.
Accept a Compel
(from another player)
agreeing to the complication associated with a compel; you gain a fate point at the end of the scene
Concede in a Conflictconceding in a conflict, as well as an additional fate point for each consequence that you’ve received in that conflict.
Taken Out of SceneEarn a fate point if you are taken out of a scene

Spending Fate Points

You also have to explain or justify how the aspect is helpful in order to get the bonus—sometimes it’ll be self-evident, and sometimes it might require some creative narrating. You can spend more than one Fate Point on a single roll, gaining another reroll or an additional +2, as long as each point you spend invokes a different aspect. (pg 12)

 Fate Point
Cost
Notes
Invoke an Aspect1Invoking an aspect costs you one fate point, unless it’s free
You may invoke an aspect only once on each roll.
Power a Stunt1Stunts cost a fate point to activate.
Refuse a Compel1Once a compel is proposed, you can pay a fate point (NOT the one you receive for potentially accepting the compel) to avoid the complication associated with it.
Invoke a Compel on another player1Activate an Aspect on another character
Declare a Story Detail1To add something to the narrative based on one of your aspects
Modify Dice1Reroll Dice OR +2 to roll
May use each once per roll.
Boosts
Advantages
Consequences
freeUse available invocations to gain a +2 to roll