FATEwiki - Stunts

The Stunts mechanic for FATE was originally described (in the rules, FUG 49ff) as one of the proposed magic systems, but it's more recently gotten more attention in discussions.[1] Essentially, stunts are a way to associate special "powers" or abilities with a given skill. It can easily be extended beyond the magic system described to other powers and special abilities.

Example 1

In the case of a magic system, you might have a skill Lighting Magic. You would then both spend points for the skill in general (which would reflect the intrinsic, simple, basic use of the skill) and points on stunts to go with it (for flashy, powerful, one-off effects):

  Lightning Magic - Good +2 - OO

So if you wanted to use the Lightning Magic to do something simple (sense an aura, give someone a minor shock, sense an impending storm, cause the lights to flicker), you would just roll against the skill (Good). If you wanted to cast a Lightning Bolt, or something else spiffy (or conflict-oriented), you would burn one of the stunt "circles" to do it.

Example 2

Consider another example of a character with Cybernetics (an Aspect) and how this might affect their Fast Draw skill:[2]

  Fast Draw - Fair +1 - OOO

In this case, the character could ordinarily do a Fast Draw with a Fair ability -- but by invoking the stunt, the cybernetics could kick in and bring the gun out faster than the human eye can follow ...

Example 3

Another example of stunts can be found in the Op Tech rules.

Getting stunts

Each stunt circle costs a skill point -- so the above example Lightning Magic would cost 5 skill points. Note that the skill points spent on stunts do not count toward ThePyramid, which makes them costly (as they hold you back from pushing your upper skills higher), but given the nature of what they give, they're quite possibly worth the cost.

Stunts can be restricted by the GM in one of two suggested rules of thumb:[3]

You can only have as many stunts on a skill as you have boxes in it. (The disadvantage to this is that it prevents stunts on default-level skills, which may not be a conceptual problem with how you use it).
You can only have as many stunts as you have Phases (or half as many, or twice as many, depending on your dramatic intent).

So what can a stunt do?

General guidelines for what a stunt can do:

It should last no longer than a particular scene.
It should create a single effect (e.g., a lightning bolt, a wall of lightning).
It would allow use of the skill as a combat skill (e.g., you burn a stunt and cast a Lightning Bolt at the opponent with a Good/+2 chance to succeed). The effect used in a conflict can add a +1 Situational Advantage, or some other sort of appropriate bonus (flame bolts removing any armor advantage, for example).
Spells affecting multiple targets should incur a -1 penalty to each target beyond the first.

The above are just suggestions, though. Depending on the dramatic nature of the campaign, the concrete bounds around stunts may be more or less limited. (FUG 51)

Refreshing stunts

Stunts refresh after a suitable dramatic period (e.g., spells regenerating overnight), Op Tech regenerating between missions).

Other stunt options

The original magic stunt rules included some other options you might consider.

To activate a stunt, require a FatePoint. That makes them very costly (and, thus, should make them very spectacular within the game setting). You might make this true for all stunts, or for one particularly special one ("Dragon Slaaaaaaave!!!").
Rather than track stunts separately, require the use of a particular Aspects, and simply check off its box(es) as the stunt is performed.
For "always-on" stunts (rather than ones that are invoked for a single scene or effect, and have a limited number of check boxes):
- consider making them cost 4 skill points, rather than 1. Again, this tends to blur the line with Extras and Aspects.
- if two consecutive actions are stunts, give the character a Clipped wound, and then a Hurt for each consecutive stunt after that.

Character Rules