SKILLS, AUGMENTS, AND AfterEFFECTS

One of the significant aspects of BTF’s Skill system is how Skills interact with Skill Augments and Aftereffects. A good rule of thumb is:

“1 Skill, 1 Augment, 1 Aftereffect”.

Skill Augments (limit 1 per Skill upon use)

Skills may only be affected by one Skill Augment. Augments always require a prefix attached to the Skill or Attack (e.g. “Tempest” Smite, “Forceful” Inspiration, or “Eagle-Eyed” Perception”). Multiple Skills may enhance or affect a Skill, but only ONE of these enhancements may be a Skill Augment.

For example: Bildo has the Treat Injury skill. The Empathic Remedy Trait from being born with the Psionic Stigmata.

When he uses Treat Injury, he can quicken its use via Focused Remedy, reducing it from a 7-count to a 3-count.

Alternatively, he can use Empathic Remedy to Augment the Skill with psychic energy to repeat that Healing on his patient or on an ally he can touch.

Thus, Bildo Daggins cannot Augment the Skill as Focused Remedy AND Empathic Remedy because of the One Augment limit on Skills.

Aftereffects (limit 1 per person per effect)

These are effects that happen as a response to using a Skill or to a specific circumstance. These are always explicitly mentioned in the Skill description. For example, the Artful Dodger skill allows the user to gain “Resolve 1” after a use of the Dodge Defense. Similarly, the Deft Deflection skill allows a Character to change the effect of a Piercing attack as a response to that attack. 

There are three main rules to Aftereffects:

(1) A user may only use 1 Aftereffect as a response to a Skill/Circumstance

(2) A user may never follow up their own Aftereffect with another Aftereffect

(3) Unless otherwise stated, an Aftereffect must be performed/used within 3 seconds of the original effect.

This means that a Skill may be affected by two or more Aftereffects, if the Aftereffects are from different users.

For example: Jonas is a Counselor with training in the Binder Discipline. He is also blessed with the Eidolonic Stigmata (Dryad).

In the midst of a battle, Jonas uses the Ignite Inspiration skill and augments it with the Floral Bond Trait of his Stigmata. Normally, Ignite Inspiration allows a character to grant “Resolve 3” to one ally.

With the Skill Augment however, Jonas invokes it as “Floral Inspiration” and is able to grant Resolve not only his ally Brock, but also to his son, Rusty (as an Aftereffect).

Being Warriors with the Ironsoul Bravado Aptitude, Brock and Rusty can use the Bravado Aftereffect to increase the Resolve they gain. Alternatively, they can use Ironsoul Aptitude to turn the Resolve they would have gained to enhance their next melee or ranged attack.

Jonas wants to use the Floral Bond’s ability to Dominate one of his Inspiration targets as an Aftereffect. Unfortunately, he already chose an Aftereffect for this use of Ignite Inspiration. Maybe there will be another opportunity next time.

So, three Aftereffects were used on Floral Inspiration. However, each were used by a different individual. In the example above, Jonas could not use Floral Inspiration, imbue two people with Resolve, and imbue one of them with a Dominate effect because he would be using two Aftereffects. Similarly, Brock could not increase the Resolve he gained AND use Bravado to enhance his next ranged attack.

Also, as per rule (2), if Brock or Rusty used the Battle Bracing skill to grant themselves “Resolve 3” after using Block, they could not also use Ironsoul Bravado to increase that to “Resolve 5” because the previous Resolve gain was already a Aftereffect — an Aftereffect of Person A could not activate an Aftereffect from that same User (and potentially cause a never-ending cascade).

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE GAME?

Having and using Skill Augments on one’s Skills is optional. However, more established and experienced Characters may find them incredibly useful and will endeavor to use Augmented Skills whenever possible, due to their usefulness. Having an Aftereffect is of similar utility and such Player Characters will ensure that each Skill use has an Augment and an Aftereffect thereafter.

The 1 Augment and 1 Aftereffect limit on Skills ensures that there is a limit on how powerful Skills are, although some Augments and Aftereffects stronger than others. That said, many Players will seek out multiple Skills that provide Augments -- despite the fact that they cannot use them at the same time on one Skill, certain Augments are more useful in niche or corner case situations rather than in general use. For example: “Uncanny Parry” allows a character to defend against back attacks and is therefore good for general use. “Veering Parry” on the other hand, can be useful when a character is subjected to a powerful attack, since it allows them to redirect that attack unto another target.