auto_fix_normal

An Ability represents something an entity in the world can do: a defined action, power, skill, or effect that can change the world or its perception. Abilities are performable and traceable: they have causes, consequences, and conditions. They can be passive traits, active powers, or conditional techniques.


An Ability is a performable effect or power. They interact with:

  • Characters and Creatures (as actors who employ them)
  • Traits (which may grant or enhance them)
  • Objects and Constructs (that might enable or constrain them)
  • Phenomena (which may result from or trigger them)
  • Institutions (which can teach or restrict them)

They are distinct from:

  • Traits (which describe qualities, not actions)
  • Events (which describe outcomes or occurrences, not repeatable powers)

Ability discussions on GitHub


Mechanics

  • Activation: Method or conditions under which the ability is activated
  • Duration (#): Length of time the ability remains active or its effects persist, measured in TIME units
  • Potency (# max:100): Relative measure of the ability’s inherent potency or force, used for scaling or comparison purposes
  • Range (#): Effective reach or distance at which the ability can be used, measured in DISTANCE units
  • Effects (multi-link: Phenomenon): Phenomena that result from the ability’s use, such as environmental changes or sensory effects
  • Challenges: Describes specific difficulties or constraints that make the ability hard to master or use effectively
  • Talents (multi-link: Trait): Traits that naturally enhance or improve performance with this ability
  • Requisites (multi-link: Construct): Constructs that must be satisfied for the ability to be used, such as rituals, permissions, or required roles

World

  • Prevalence: How widely the ability is known or practiced, and potential clues to its origins and cultural diffusion
  • Tradition (single-link: Construct): A construct that expresses the conceptual, social, or institutional system this ability operates within
  • Source (single-link: Phenomenon): The phenomenon that serves as the enabling force or condition that allows this ability to function
  • Locus (single-link: Location): Location where the ability is most strongly rooted, developed, or traditionally practiced
  • Instruments (multi-link: Object): Objects or tools required to activate, channel, or perform the ability
  • Systems (multi-link: Construct): Magic frameworks or structures that the ability associates with