Class Powers

Power emerges where story sharpens skill.

Class Powers are learned techniques, spells, rites, tricks, practices, or trained exceptions that give mechanical shape to a character's Class and Path. They are not decorations placed on top of weak rules. They are precise moments where training, story, and system meet.

Story and skill determine depth of power.

What Are Class Powers?

Power, proven, not presumed.

Class Powers are exclusive abilities tied to a Class. They are divided across three visible Paths, each linked to a core Skill or Skill focus, and organised into three tiers.

The general umbrella term is Class Power.

Individual Classes may use flavour terms:

• Fighters may call them Techniques.
• Rogues may call them Tricks or Techniques.
• Rangers may call them Practices, Tricks, or Techniques.
• Witches may call them Spells, Rites, or Hexes.
• Clerics may call them Spells, Rites, or Devotions.

The label can change by Class voice, but the rules structure is the same.

Ask yourself:

• Which Power best expresses my role in the story?
• Which Path reflects how I played, not only what I planned?
• Am I specialising for impact, or diversifying for flexibility?

Public Structure

Players see:

Class -> Path -> Tier -> Class Power

Designers may use hidden internal subpaths when building a Class, but players do not need that extra layer to use the rules.

For the development template, see:

• 15A_Class_Builder_Template.md
• 16A_Class_Power_Builder_Template.md
• 16B_Class_Power_Specimen_Translations.md

Unlocking Class Power Tiers

You unlock access to higher tiers by raising your Class Level and reaching specific thresholds of Skill Level across the Class's three core Skills. Once a Tier is unlocked, you may select any Class Power from that Tier or a lower Tier when your Class progression grants a new Power.

Unlocking a Tier grants access. You still need to gain Class Levels to select more Powers.

Tier 3 represents a major character moment. Build toward it narratively, not just numerically.

Example: Unlocking Tier 2 Powers

Nira, a Level 1 Ranger, has trained hard across her three core Skills: Beastcraft 2, Athletics 2, and Survival 2, for a total of 6 Skill Levels. This meets the requirement for Tier 2 access. When she reaches Ranger Level 2, she may select a Tier 2 Ranger Power from any Ranger Path.

Example: Unlocking Tier 3 Powers

Kael, a Level 2 Cleric, has accumulated 9 total Skill Levels across his core Skills: Insight 3, Occult 3, and Medicine 3. After completing a pivotal mastery event, he fulfills the narrative requirement. When he gains Cleric Level 3, he may select a Tier 3 Cleric Power.

What Is An Event?

A single resolved moment becomes a turning point.

An Event is any resolved game moment that may trigger a Class Power. This includes actions, movement, Skill Checks, Melee Exchanges, spellcasting, healing, Wounds, recovery, conditions, or another meaningful change to game state.

Ask these Event trigger questions:

• Has the moment resolved?
• Is the result known?
• Did the fiction or game state actually change?
• Does the Power's trigger match that resolved moment?

If yes, it may be an Event.

Declaration Powers

Some Class Powers are declared before a roll or exchange resolves.

These are not post-event triggers. They are declaration powers.

Use declaration timing when the Power changes what is about to happen:

• committing to a special technique;
• choosing a shot, rite, stance, or exchange posture;
• spending a resource before the result is known;
• accepting risk in exchange for a stronger possible result.

Standard wording:

**Trigger:** When you declare [the action, exchange, spell, or response], you
may also declare [Power Name].

Declaration powers should state their cost, requirements, and risk before the roll is made.

Common Event Types

Turn Events

• Start or end of your turn.
• Refreshing Action Dice.
• Conditions changing or resetting.
• A Scene Reset or scene-mode transition.

Action Events

• Declaring an action.
• Completing movement.
• Completing a Skill Check.
• Casting a spell.
• Spending, refreshing, moving, or losing dice.

Exchange Events

• Initiating a Melee Exchange.
• Choosing Full Guard.
• Choosing Clash.
• Winning a Melee Exchange.
• Losing a Melee Exchange.
• A Melee Exchange ending in a tie.
• Dealing Wounds from a Melee Exchange.
• Suffering Wounds from a Melee Exchange.
• A target suffering 0 Wounds after a damaging win.

Resolution Events

• Passing or failing a check.
• Dealing Wounds.
• Suffering Wounds.
• Reducing Damage Score.
• Preventing Wounds.
• Healing Vitality.
• Moving AD between Ready, Used, and Wounded.
• Applying or ending a condition.

Event Trigger Timing

Class Powers normally trigger after the Event fully resolves.

Examples:

• "When you win a Melee Exchange" triggers after the exchange result is known.
• "When you deal at least 1 Wound" triggers after Damage Score is converted to Wounds.
• "When you suffer Wounds" triggers after Wounds are known, but before any follow-on triggered chains are resolved.
• "After moving" triggers once the movement ends.
• "When you pass a Skill Check" triggers after the check result is known.

Class Powers do not interrupt the Event that caused them unless they explicitly say they are declaration powers or response powers.

Class Power Limitation

You may apply only one Class Power to any single Event.

If multiple Class Powers could trigger from the same Event, choose one.

This keeps Class Powers sharp and prevents stacked exception chains from overwhelming the core rules.

Example: Class Power Application

Reha suffers 2 Wounds from a Melee Exchange. The Event is "Reha suffers Wounds." Two of her Powers could trigger from that same Event: one that reduces Wounds suffered, and one that lets her move after being wounded. She chooses one. The other remains unused.

Side Rolls

Some Class Powers instruct you to roll a number of dice equal to a Skill Level, Vital, or other value. This is called a Side Roll.

A Side Roll creates a temporary dice pool for that Class Power only. These dice are not Action Dice or Magic Dice. They are not spent, do not become Used, and cannot be Boosted unless the Class Power specifically says otherwise.

A Side Roll is not a Skill Check unless the Class Power says it is. Side Rolls do not produce Success Margin and do not trigger scaling unless the Class Power gives the Side Roll a target number and tells you to resolve it as a Skill Check.

Apply Advantage, Disadvantage, explicit rerolls, or other dice modifiers to a Side Roll only if the Class Power specifically allows it.

After the Side Roll is resolved, the temporary dice are discarded.

Standard wording:

Make a Side Roll using dice equal to your [Skill] SL.

Example:

Make a Side Roll using dice equal to your Athletics SL. For each dot rolled,
reduce forced movement from the triggering effect by 2 metres, to a minimum of
0.

Exchange-Era Power Sites

Class Powers should name where they enter the rules pipeline.

This matters because a +1 in one place is not equal to a +1 somewhere else.

Scaling Labels

Class Powers may scale from different parts of a roll, exchange, or event. To prevent confusion, every scaling Class Power should name its scaling source clearly.

Use these standard scaling labels:

Exchange Outcome Scaling

Use Exchange Outcome Scaling when a Power scales from the Hit Margin of a won Melee Exchange.

Standard wording:

**Exchange Outcome Scaling:** These effects are based on the winning Hit Margin
of the Melee Exchange, before Damage Score is calculated. These effects are
cumulative.

If only the highest result applies, use:

**Exchange Outcome Scaling:** These effects are based on the winning Hit Margin
of the Melee Exchange, before Damage Score is calculated. Apply only the highest
result reached.

Check Outcome Scaling

Use Check Outcome Scaling when a Power scales from a general Skill Check's Success Margin.

Standard wording:

**Check Outcome Scaling:** These effects are based on the check's Success
Margin. These effects are cumulative.

Side Roll Scaling

Use Side Roll Scaling when a Power scales from the result of a Side Roll.

Side Rolls do not produce Success Margin unless the Power gives the Side Roll a target number and specifically says to resolve it as a Skill Check.

Standard wording:

**Side Roll Scaling:** These effects are based on the Side Roll result.

Strike Scaling

Use Strike Scaling when a Power scales from Strike Rating or from a component of Strike Rating.

Standard wording:

**Strike Scaling:** These effects are based on this effect's Strike Rating
before Protection Rating is applied.

Protection Scaling

Use Protection Scaling when a Power scales from Protection Rating or from damage prevented before Wounds are determined.

Standard wording:

**Protection Scaling:** These effects are based on the Protection Rating or
Damage Score reduction applied before Wounds are determined.

Damage Score Scaling

Use Damage Score Scaling when a Power scales from the final Damage Score before it becomes Wounds.

Standard wording:

**Damage Score Scaling:** These effects are based on the final Damage Score
before it is converted into Wounds.

Wound Scaling

Use Wound Scaling when a Power scales from Wounds actually dealt, suffered, prevented, or restored.

Standard wording:

**Wound Scaling:** These effects are based on the number of Wounds dealt or
suffered after Damage Score is converted.

AD Pressure Scaling

Use AD Pressure Scaling when a Power scales from Action Dice moved between Ready, Used, and Wounded.

Standard wording:

**AD Pressure Scaling:** These effects are based on the number of Action Dice
moved, preserved, refreshed, or forced by the triggering Event.

Scaling Source Rule

If a Class Power scales, the Power must name the source of that scaling.

Do not use generic labels such as Outcome Scaling, Success Margin Scaling, or Success Margin Tier when a more precise label applies.

If a Power does not name a scaling source, use the roll, exchange, or Event named in its Trigger.

Event Trigger Resolution

When an Event occurs, multiple Class Powers from different participants may trigger. Resolve them in this way.

Trigger Lock-In Rule

When an Event resolves, all Class Powers triggered by that Event are immediately locked in and must be resolved before any new Events caused by those Powers begin a new chain.

No participant loses their opportunity to trigger a valid Power because another participant resolved first.

Resolution Priority

Trigger resolution follows this order:

1. Active Character: the character whose action, exchange, spell, or turn caused the Event.
2. Direct Targets: characters directly affected by the Event, in initiative or table order if needed.
3. Bystanders: other characters whose Powers trigger, in initiative or table order if needed.

Each participant may apply only one Class Power to the current Event.

Chained Events

If a triggered Power causes a new Event, such as healing, movement, Wounds, AD movement, or a condition, that new Event begins a separate resolution chain.

It follows the same rules:

• Lock in all Class Power triggers for the new Event.
• Resolve them in priority order.
• Only then continue.

Do not return to a previous Event once its triggers are resolved.

Exchange-Era Combat Language

Preferred combat Powers should use Melee Exchange language.

Prefer:

• When you initiate a Melee Exchange...
• When you choose Full Guard...
• When you Clash...
• When you win a Melee Exchange...
• When you lose a Melee Exchange...
• When a Melee Exchange ends in a tie...
• When you deal at least 1 Wound...
• When you suffer Wounds...
• When your Strike Rating contributes to a damaging win...
• When your Protection Rating reduces Damage Score...
• When you force a target to move AD from Ready to Used...

Avoid as default preferred-model language:

• When you make an old defensive check...
• When an attack against you misses...
• When you gain free shield or weapon defence dice...
• The next attack against you...
• Broad flat +1 attack or +1 defence bonuses.
• Reaction attacks that recreate the old attack-and-response loop.

Archived development material may still use old terms, but current preferred rules should not.

Power Budget Principles

Class Powers should create distinct trained behaviour, not just numerical inflation.

Use these principles:

1. A Power should create a meaningful choice, sharpen a role, or unlock a fictional permission.
2. A Power should usually modify one pipeline site, not several at once.
3. A Power should not add a new roll unless that roll creates a distinct decision or useful texture.
4. A Power should avoid broad always-on fixed +1s.
5. Extra exchanges, free responses, Wound changes, Ready AD recovery, and forced Ready-to-Used movement are high-power effects.
6. A Power should make a character do something more specific, not simply be better at everything.
7. A Power should preserve the system's bias toward focused, decisive action rather than many repetitive low-impact actions.

Use 32_Combat_Modifier_EV_Reference.md when pricing or comparing combat modifiers.

For detailed EV-use guidance and Tier budget benchmarks, see:

• 16A_Class_Power_Builder_Template.md

Class Power Entry Template

Use this template unless a spell, companion feature, or special class engine requires a variant.

### [Power Name]

**Tags:** [action/response/passive], [skill], [exchange site], [fiction tag]

> "[Short in-world line.]"

**Trigger:** [Exact Event or declaration timing.]

**Cost:** [AD, MD, Reaction, none, resource, or condition.]

**Requirements:** [Weapon, Path, Skill, state, fiction, target state, etc.]

**Effect:** [Precise mechanical effect.]

**Scaling:** [Exchange Outcome Scaling / Check Outcome Scaling / Side Roll
Scaling / Damage Score Scaling / Wound Scaling / other named source.]

**Limit:** [Per trigger / event / scene / target / resource / condition.]

Avoid using "once per turn" as a routine limit. Ready AD and Skill Level already govern how often a character can proactively attempt Skill-based actions. Prefer limits tied to triggering Events, targets, scenes, resources, stored effects, or Skill Level ceilings.

Summary

• Class Powers are learned techniques, spells, rites, tricks, practices, or trained exceptions unlocked through Class and Path progression.
• Players see Class, Path, Tier, and Class Power.
• Tier access is gated by Class Level, total Skill Levels across core Skills, and Mastery Events for Tier 3.
• A Class Power normally triggers only after a resolved Event.
• Declaration powers are the exception and must say so clearly.
• You may apply only one Class Power to any single Event.
• Side Rolls are temporary dice pools created by Class Powers; they are not AD or MD, are not spent, do not become Used, and cannot be Boosted unless the Power says otherwise.
• Scaling Powers must name their scaling source.
• Preferred combat Powers use Melee Exchange language.
• Old attack-and-response language belongs only in archived development material.