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Pathfinder Fate Accelerated

Character Concept
You should start o with some idea of what kind of character you want to make, in
broad strokes. Often this comes down to an broad archetypical statement such as "I
want to play some kind of wizard", or perhaps a reaction against a stereotype such as "I
want to play a warrior...but a clever tricksy one".
The big idea, so to speak. This will likely get re ned down and polished into your High
Concept or Aspects later, but for now it is enough just to have a sense of what you are
aiming for.

Name
You need a name, and though obviously you can ll this in when it comes to you, it's
handy to have a handle for the character as you go thru the creation process. You can
always choose a di erent name later if you change your mind.

Starting Refresh
By default, characters are assumed to start with 3 Refresh . However, the GM may alter
this up or down if they want to start play with more or less experienced characters.
Refresh determines your character's default Fate point threshold; the number of Fate
points you are guaranteed to start every session with. However, it also serves as the
primary "currency" or resource that you use to gain other abilities for your character,
primarily Stunts.
If you want to be exible and interact with Aspects and thus the narrative more, you
want to keep your Refresh high. If you prefer a less reactive style of play and prefer
reliability and predictability you can trade Refresh for extra Stunts.
Having a high Refresh a ords you a comfortable amount of Fate points to lean on each
session, which gives you a measure of plot protection and lowers the impact of bad dice
rolls. But even with a low Refresh you can accrue Fate points during play by accepting
compels on your Trouble or Aspects.

High Concept and Trouble


You need to de ne a High Concept, which is intended to convey the essence of your
character. High Concepts are usually pithy, and ideally an interesting attention
getter...the equivalent of an elevator pitch or a newspaper headline.
You also need a Trouble, which is the counterpoint to your High Concept. While the
High Concept describes your character's essence, your Trouble describes the main
source of dramatic tension in your character's ongoing story, the thing that holds them
back, or causes them to get involved in circumstances that they'd rather avoid but which
provide interesting interludes to their existence.
A good Trouble will not only make your character more "real", it also will provide your
most reliable means of regaining Fate points during play. Though it seems
counterintuitive, a Trouble that doesn't really complicate your character's existence will
make your character weaker, not stronger. You want to be compelled and involved in the
narrative, and your character's Trouble is a primary enabler of that goal.
Not Yet Sure
Sometimes you may not have a fully crystallized concept when you start the character
creation process, and thus balk at this step. Don't worry, you can change your selections
later if your concept gets re ned as you go through the process. However, if you are
drawing a blank, just skip this and come back to it later when you are more con dent
that you understand what the character is going to be about.
The Power Of A Good Image
It can be helpful to have a good mental or visual image of how a character looks; you
may be able to draw inspiration for the character's concept from their appearance. You
may want to take a few minutes to sketch your character, or nd something usable that
is in the public domain online.

Race
Note: Race is an extra Aspect; it does not take up one of a character's standard three Aspects.
Path nder characters must also choose a Race Aspect, which acts as a sort of
supplementary High Concept. However unlike a High Concept, Race usually cannot be
changed (without some serious magic, at any rate). All the standard Path nder Races (Elf,
Dwarf, Gnome, various halfsies, di erent Human cultures, etc) are available.
A character's Race is a fact about the character that is always true, and can be
interacted with by other abilities that reference the Race.
Like all Aspects, Race has no direct mechanical e ect unless invoked; it primarily
provides a justi cation for a character to do something that a member of that Race is
supposed to be able to do, per the source material. Actions are resolved using
Approaches and Archetypes, and characters have the option to pay a Fate point to invoke
their Race Aspect in the same way as they use any other Aspect.
For instance the player of an Elf could justify spending a Fate point to invoke their Elf Aspect to
get a +2 bonus or a reroll on a notice check due to the stereotypically keen senses of elvenkind,
while a Dwarf could justify spending a Fate point to invoke their Dwarf Aspect to get a +2 bonus
or a reroll when defending against a magical attack due to the legendary spell resistence of
dwarvenkind.
If there is some special ability that a character wants that pertains to their Race, at their
perogative the GM might hand wave it away and allow the character to use their Race
Aspect to justify actions and rely on Create Advantage in particular to handle this sort of
thing, or they might allow an occasional use of a special ability with the expenditure of a
Fate point, or they may require a character to take a Stunt de ning the ability. This is left
to GM preference, but by default Path nder Fate assumes that the more permissive
method is generally preferred.
For instance many Races have the ability to see in the dark, but it may not always be relevant to
the larger story, and making all members of such Races take a Darkvision Stunt can be
unnecessarily taxing. Thus a GM might allow a character of such a Race to simply see in the dark
due to their Race Aspect, or similarly may just require them to use the Create Advantage action to
put a situational Aspect on themselves. Alternately the GM might require the expenditure of a
Fate point to "turn on" Darkvision for a scene.

Aspects
Aspects are at the heart of Fate, and play an important role in helping you to de ne
your character.
In Path nder Fate Accelerated it is assumed that characters start with 3 Aspects .
Your Aspects can be whatever makes sense for your character, but it can be particularly
useful if they help to ll in the character's background and provide a foundation for how
they came to have their abilities and how they became adventurers.
If you are at a loss for coming up with Aspects, try the following. Have your rst Aspect
hinge on your character's formative years, or their Race. Then, focus the second Aspect
on the character's early adulthood and early successes or perhaps failures and perhaps
how they picked up their Archetypes. Finally have the third Aspect ground what the
character has been doing most recently prior to play starting, and perhaps anchor their
career as an adventurer.

Approaches and Archetypes


Path nder Fate Accelerated uses the standard Approaches de ned by Fate Accelerated;
they represent how a character goes about doing something. Pushing the idea that how
characters do things is often as interesting (or more so) than what they are actually doing
is at the heart of what makes Fate Accelerated such a fun and rewarding game to play.
For instance, two di erent adventurers with similar ability sets attempt to do the same basic
thing. The two characters are basically interchangeable in this context, and the outcome of the
resolution is relatively uninteresting based upon simple skill resolution semantics. But using
Approaches, one of the characters might prefer to approach the problem Forcefully while the
other does so Carefully, allowing very di erent narratives to emerge.

Path nder Fate Accelerated extends Fate Accelerated with the concept of Archetypes
intended to capture a character's competencies in broad areas of capabilities modeled
on various tropes of fantasy roleplaying in general and the D&D or Path nder gaming
experience speci cally. The separation between divine, arcane, and nature-oriented
magics, the unlikely stealth con artistry and burgling ability of various rogues, the feats of
combative arms displayed by warriors of di erent stripes, adeptness at more esoteric
abilities such as displayed by monks and psions and similar fringe concepts.
Approaches
Careful : You act with caution, paying attention to the details. When you are holding
back, taking your time, making extra special sure you get it right, leaving no opening
for counterattack, maintaining situational awareness, buying time, or being guarded
in your responses...you are being careful.
Clever : You think quickly, and act with great nesse. When you do 'the smart thing',
make intuitive leaps, exploit a nuance or a weakness, outwit or trick, execute
choreographed or complex maneuvers, use an opponent's strengths against them,
or otherwise rely on your smarts to solve something...you are being clever.
Flashy : You act in big showy ways, giving the appearance of sparkling brilliance and
ostentatiously draw attention to yourself. Being larger than life is a speciality. When
you go big, brazenly proclaim, entertain, seek to impress, bluster your way out of
something, show o , or just do things while piling on with extra awesome style...you
are being ashy.
Forceful : You act boldly with no hesitation and without holding back. Both physically
and mentally you fully commit to what you are doing and exert yourself to your
fullest. When you swing for the fences, throw your shoulder into it, grin and bear it,
give it your all, and go all in...you are being forceful.
Quick : You act swiftly and with great agility, fast and sure-footed. When you act
without stopping to think, dart and weave, lunge and leap, use quick re exes to
respond in a hurry, squeeze in an extra little non-action, dash through before its too
late...you are being quick.
Sneaky : You act deceptively, secretively, attempting to avoid notice, in furtive and
surreptitious ways. When you try to conceal or hide what you are doing, obscure
your intentions, evade detection, appear to be other than what you are, set a trap or
lay in ambush...you are being sneaky.

Archetypes
Archetypes represent common broad
Guidelines are provided for translating
character concepts found in the source
Path nder classes into Path nder Fate
material. The six (6) Archetypes are
Accelerated terms.
Combative, Roguish, Focused, Arcane,
Divine, and Primal; detailed descriptions of In addition to Archetype considerations
each are provided. Individual characters being covered in detail, Approach
can specialize in a single Archetype or mix considerations and sample Stunts are
Archetypes as they like to de ne various also provided.
character concepts.
For instance, a Cavalier might be de ned as Combative +4, while a "Fighter/Mage/Thief" might
be de ned as Combative +1, Arcane +2, Roguish +1, and a Ranger might be de ned as Combative
+2, Primal +2.
Unlike Approaches which cap at Superb (+5), Archetypes do not cap. However, as
characters only get another +1 to a Archetype at major milestones, progression is
generally slow and each opportunity to advance a Archetype should be carefully
considered.
Each Archetype has three thresholds that represent increasing depth of a character's
immersion in a particular area of ability, and also increasing the breadth of what the
character can apply the Archetype to within the context of the story. Thus the di erence
between a +1 and a +2 in a given Archetype is more than just a probability bonus; the
higher level of ability also provides expanded narrative justi cation for actions pertaining
to that Archetype.

For each Archetype, +1 represents basic knowledge, fundamental skill, and general
familiarity with the things the Archetype concerns itself with. In addition to providing a
bonus to relevant 4dF resolutions, in conjunction with the character's Aspects and
High Concept the rst +1 of a Archetype also helps justify various things within the
narrative. It is left to the GM's discretion, but in some cases a character that has
Arcane +1 can justify attempting to do things in a particular way that a character
without Arcane +1 simply cannot justify, and so on. In other cases a GM might allow
characters lacking at least a +1 in a particular Archetype to attempt something, but at
a cost or versus a higher di culty...or both.
For each Archetype, +2 represents professional competence. This threshold is
su cient for all normal purposes for the majority of the people in the world.
For each Archetype, +3 represents exceptional competence. For the magic oriented
Archetypes, +3 is when full unfettered "free casting" is achieved. For the non-magic
oriented Archetypes +3 is when truly extraordinary feats beyond what is possible for
"normal" people to accomplish become possible. Only remarkable people (some but
not necessarily all player characters and signi cant NPC's) attain or exceed this
threshold for even a single Archetype.
For each Archetype, +4 and higher represents increasingly sublime mastery. Having a
bigger bonus helps to reduce the chance of failure and makes game-bending exploits
statistically probable, but in practical terms such advanced levels of competence
primarily matter when facing o against other similarly progressed characters.

Combative : You have some skill in the warrior arts pertaining to direct armed con icts,
the waging of war, the winning of battles, and combat in general. Knowledge of
weapons, armor, tactics, as well as the physical training and discipline necessary to
be successful in such endeavors is relevant as well. This Archetype is strongly
associated with con ict, battle, and martial concerns.

At +1 you know how to use and care for weapons more serious than clubs and
daggers without embarassing yourself, how to wear armor heavier than leathers,
and basic knowledge of martial culture. You don't have much nesse or technique,
but are capable of basic strikes and blocks.
At +2 you have genuine skill at arms and are able to put together combos and
ourishes. Depending on your inclinations and background you might be schooled
in at least basic tactics and strategy, and possibly logistics as well; but even if
untutored you can usually spot an ambush, recognize a defensible position, and
so forth.
At +3 and above you are a world-class warrior, capable of impressive displays of
martial mastery. You are capable of taking on large numbers of unskilled and less
competent foes with reasonable odds of beating them all. Further, Combative
provides narrative justi cation to defend against not only the mundane attacks it
previously protected against, but also unusual and magical attacks that cause
physical harm. This can take many narrative forms, from blocking, de ecting,
using armor or shield e ectively, or even just being extra tough due to being a
hardened warrior.

Roguish : You are a competent, skilled individual of varied talents. This Archetype is
strongly associated with urban 'civilized' concerns, social rules and expectations, and
how to bend or break them.

At +1 you are good at cagey social interaction, have some innate shrewdness or are
streetwise, and are good at being opportunistic. You are comfortable in urban
areas and know how to handle yourself competently in such settings. You have
some practical insider knowledge of the sector of society you are most familiar
with and how things really work therein.
At +2 you are good at skulking around in urban areas, stealing things, getting in and
out of places you shouldn't be in, dirty tricks 'dishonorable' ghting using
pragmatic weapons true warriors tend to disapprove of, being shifty and evasive,
and likely some knowledge of the less than lawful sector of society.
At +3 and above you are incredibly competent, deeply knowledgeable in your area of
expertise, and are capable of succeeding at tasks beyond the reach of the less
skilled. Additionally, Roguish provides narrative justi cation to defend against any
kind of indirect or surprise attack and to avoid harm by getting out of the way of it.
Narratively this can take many forms, such as rolling out of the way, ducking
behind cover, 'seeing it coming' and somehow interupting the attack, and so forth.

Focused : You are innately good at concentrating your inner power and physical
potential into potent expressions of your will. This Archetype is strongly associated
with athletics, contests of merit, creative expression, and innate ability.
At +1 you are more nimble, athletic, alert, and have a stronger force of personality
than average. You are unusually aware of your own physical and mental limits and
how far you can push against them to excel. You are better than average at
sticu s, staying aware of your surroundings, and dodging.
At +2 you excel at feats of strength and of will, making uncanny leaps of intuition,
impressive grappling and unarmed ghting, raw athletic exploits, perseverance in
the face of adversity, tapping inner reserves, and so forth.
At +3 and above you are capable of impossible leaps, gate-crashing strength,
inescapable grappling holds, astounding memory tricks, cowing entire crowds with
sheer presence, and similar feats. Additionally, Focused provides narrative
justi cation for extraordinary feats unattainable by merely normal people, though
the nature of these abilities will vary according to the character's concept. Some
achieve such heights of mental and / or physical mastery that they develop
amazing monkish, psionic, or even innate "spell-like" abilities (if such things are
appropriate to the campaign). It is also more likely for a character with this level of
ability to avoid, shake o , or otherwise resist e ects beyond the tolerence of a
normal person to overcome; for instance withstand a poison that would kill a
normal man, spot something too fast or subtle for most to perceive, resist or
break out of mind control or domination, survive a fall from a great height, and so
on.

Arcane : You are skilled in the mystic arts, whether wizardly, sorcerous, bardic, or some
other style. This Archetype is strongly associated with esoteric knowledge,
otherworldly things, and manipulation of "magical principles".

At +1 you have relevant esoteric knowledge and awareness of magic, and you can
use some magic items such as wands and scrolls that other characters can't use.
At +2 you can work simple spells such as levitating small objects, making magical
light, shooting minor arcane blasts, and gain various momentary bene ts from
minor magical e ects.
At +3 and above you can cast proper spells with more powerful e ects, as
appropriate to your character's concept.

Divine : You are attuned to dei c entities, theology, and things of cosmological
signi cance. This Archetype is strongly associated with spiritual concerns, temples,
the afterlife, and faith.

At +1 you have some basic theological knoweldge and a connection to a deity, or a


pantheon of deities, or possibly a philosophy or ideal such as "Law". You might
have other associated abilities (such as Stunts) granted to you by a patron deity or
as a byproduct of your observance of the tenets of your belief system.
At +2 you can attempt to ask for or channel minor divine intersession and aid, such
as a blessing of favor, or healing a minor wound.
At +3 and above you can invoke much more powerful e ects, equivalent in power to
that possible with Arcane and Primal at higher levels...perhaps even 'miracles'.

Primal : You are skilled in the ways of the wildlands. This Archetype is strongly
associated with rural and unsettled areas, the circle of life, animistic beliefs, and the
fundamental (dare it be said, "primal") forces and principles of material existence.

At +1 you are comfortable in and have knowledge of the lore of the ora and fauna
native to your chosen terrain or environment. You can hunt and survive and move
stealthily in the wildlands.
At +2 you are attuned to the natural order, and have some craft that blurs the line
between mundane and mystical, such as calming animals, passing without trace
through undergrowth, divining water, and so forth.
At +3 and above you can work very powerful magics related to ora and fauna, the
natural order, the weather, and the elements including the Inner "Elemental
Planes" and other planes of existence with a strong connection to nature if such
exist in the cosmology of the campaign.

Assigning Starting Bonuses


Character creation is slightly modi ed from standard Fate Accelerated rules.
Characters start with one Fair (+2), two Average (+1), and three Mediocre (+0)
Approaches.
However, you also get four +1's to distribute any way you like among the six Archetypes
of Combative, Roguish, Primal, Focused, Arcane, and Divine . You can assign your four
+1's however you like; you could take +1 on four di erent Archetypes or +4 on the same
Archetype or any other combination adding up to +4.

Limiting Starting Archetypes


Some GM's may prefer to limit starting characters Archetypes at Good (+3) or even
Fair (+2). That's ne, but note that this will prevent many character concepts from
being fully realized as starting characters.
It might be helpful to realize that in terms of competency, starting Path nder Fate
Accelerated characters are roughly equivalent to 5th or 6th level Path nder
characters. GM's that would prefer to start their campaign o at a higher or lower
competency level should consult the starting power level options guidelines for more
information on how to go about doing that.

Taking Actions With Approaches And Archetypes


When taking actions, you get to add one (1) Approach and up to one (1) Archetype if one
applies to the situation; thus a character with Forceful +2 and Combative +2 would gain
+4 when being Forcefully Combative.
Archetypes can be applied to all four actions (Create Advantage, Overcome, Attack,
Defend).
Defending With Archetypes
Archetypes can always defend against themselves directly without need of extra
narrative support.
For instance you can always defend against an opponent's Arcane with your Arcane.
Defending against a Archetype with a di erent Archetype is possible, but it requires
some narrative support (i.e. you have to creatively explain how you are using the
Archetype in the situation), and if it doesn't seem plausible it doesn't work, or works at a
penalty. However, some Archetypes explicitly provide narrative support for defending
against various things when a character passes a threshold of ability.
For instance Roguish +3 and higher explicitly allows a character to justify defending against any
kind of indirect or surprise attack and to avoid harm by getting out of the way of it.
Milestones and Advancement
Approaches cannot be raised above Superb (+5), as is normal for Fate Accelerated.
Archetypes on the other hand are not capped and can be raised as high as a character is
able to progress.
At minor milestones , Path nder Fate Accelerated doesn't change anything; just use the
rules as written in the Fate Accelerated rulebook.
At signi cant milestones , again nothing is changed. You may raise an Approach by +1,
as normal. You may not raise a Archetype by +1.
At major milestones in addition to the various things you are already allowed to do, in
Path nder Fate Accelerated you may also raise either an Approach or a Archetype by +1,
your choice.
Unlike Approaches you generally cannot switch your Archetypes around after play
starts. A GM might allow you to take a +1 o of a Archetype and put it on a di erent
Archetype during a milestone if you can make a strong enough case for it, but this should
be an uncommon occurrence...perhaps in conjunction with a change of High Concept.

Stunts
Stunts allow you to di erentiate your character. They represent the "signature" abilities
or items or whatever that makes your character really stand out.
Aspects cost Fate points to invoke for mechanical bene ts, Stunts usually don't (though
some very powerful Stunts might). Thus in addition to o ering you a way to individualize
your character, Stunts also allow you to "pin down" the things that your character is
reliably good at.
Is your character supposed to be a "swashbuckling sword-master"? You would almost
certainly have an Aspect to anchor that (it might even be your High Concept), but to really
ensure that your character is always awesome at it when it mechanically matters (i.e. a
dice roll is involved) without having to spend a Fate point for a bonus, you should de ne
one or more related Stunts.
You get up to 3 Stunts for free . You can also take more Stunts by lowering your Refresh
by one (1) for each additional Stunt.
However, player characters cannot drop below Refresh: 1 . Thus, when starting, you can
take up to two (2) additional Stunts. You gain +1 Refresh at major milestones, and can
use this to take more Stunts if you like.
You don't have to pick your free Stunts if you don't want to or aren't sure. You can start
play and pick later, even during the course of the game if the GM allows it.
You can also swap a Stunt at milestones, so if you take a Stunt that seems like it would
be cool but it doesn't play out so well, you can change your mind later.

Stress
Path nder Fate Accelerated uses the default Fate Accelerated settings of 3 Stress
boxes , shared for all kinds of stresses.

Consequences
Path nder Fate Accelerated uses the default Fate Accelerated settings for shared Mild,
Moderate, and Severe Consequences .

Magic
By default, it is assumed that the Simple Magic guidelines are being used.

Money and Equipment


Though simulating some of the tropes of D&D style gaming Path nder Fate Accelerated
isn't a loot-based game. PC's don't generally wander around "killing things and taking
their stu ". The focus is on allowing players to cooperatively tell a dynamic story full of
excitement with a focus on the " ction"...which is to say cinematic or prose-worthy
narratives.
Unlike a more loot oriented game where over the course of adventuring characters
accumulate power-ups in item form and eventually become walking magical weapon
platforms de ned more by their swag than anything else, in Path nder Fate Accelerated
trappings are only useful to the extent that they help describe and enrich a character
concept and further the story.
Thus, these guidelines take a very loose, abstracted stance on character trappings and
wealth rather than bog things down with crunch.
Money
Path nder Fate Accelerated doesn't concern itself about the economy in the game
setting a GM is using, or de ning "starting funds", or even tracking money by default.
From a character de nition perspective, wealth or a signi cant lack of it should be
re ected in a character's High Concept and / or Aspects, and that is su cient.
Unless the GM objects, gear can just be written out narratively as trappings without
worrying about associated monetary considerations.
If you are a player, ask your GM how they plan to handle money in their campaign. Then
seed your character with trappings appropriate to their concept, taking your GM's
guidance on what they'll allow into account.
If you are a GM, the Money Options document goes into detail on various options and
recommendations on how to handle economic considerations in Path nder Fate
Accelerated.
Equipment
Path nder Fate Accelerated handles mundane equipment narratively, as just a written
out list of stu .
Relevance of Specific Weapons and Armor
While di erent weapons and armor certainly inform the narrative and help provide
justi cations as to what makes sense for a given character to be able to do in a scene
or exchange, mechanically "weapons" and "armor" have no real signi cance as attack
and defend actions are resolved using Approaches and Archetypes rather than gear.
The character's competency is the primary factor; the tool they are using to exercise
that competency is secondary and only matters to the extent that it makes the story
more interesting.
For instance, the detail that a particular character wields a spear might provide
di erent justifcations for create advantage and overcome actions than if the character
carried an axe instead. But when the character uses Combatives to attack another
character, unless there is some other consideration involved it doesn't matter
mechanically whether they are using an axe or a sword or a spear or a whatever. The
attack is resolved with a 4dF roll adding an Approach and Combatives to the result.
To the extent that a particular kind of weapon or armor (etc) matters to a character
or to the emerging story, it should be incorporated into Aspects and Stunts.
Magic Items
Of course, in a Fantasy setting Magic is always the special case. By their very nature
magic items can't be hand waved away as easily.
Path nder Fate Accelerated makes a distinction between permanent magic items (or
items with so many "charges" that they are very long lasting) and expendable magic
items with one or a few uses.
Expendable Items
In general, Path nder Fate Accelerated handles expendable items like Scrolls and
Potions using a modi ed Mook template that are either explicitly single use or have a
small stress track to track usages. They don't require a Stunt or anything mechanical,
they are just a thing a character carries until they use it up or give the item away or it
is taken from them. They are merely a commodity.
Permanent Items
Permanent items are generally represented as a Stunt, but more complicated or
potent items are represented by a Stunt that takes one or more Stunt slots and
attaches a secondary character (aka "Mook") write up to the character, as described in
the Stunt Options document. Items that are a strong part of a character's core concept
should also be anchored by an Aspect.
Unlike more loot based games, the GM doesn't "reward" players by handing out
treasure and items, as anything other than story elements, or to decorate a scene or
character while it narratively makes sense. And unless a PC internalizes a "found item"
into their concept by incorporating it into a personal Aspect or Stunt, the item is just
not that important to the emerging story and will drop out of the narrative when it
makes sense for it to do so.
Similarly, if there is something presented in the story such as a "magic item" carried
by a defeated enemy for instance, a PC might temporarily carry it around as
represented by a situational Aspect, but permanently acquiring the "magic item"
would likely be at the expense of an Aspect and / or Stunt. If the new shiny is not
important to the character's concept then it really just doesn't have any relevance to
the character's ongoing story and is merely a passing detail.

Modified Fate Ladder The Ladder


The adjoining modi ed Fate Ladder adds a few more +12 Otherworldly
named rungs above Legendary (+8). You can, of course, +11 Mythic
still go higher as need be, but the extra named rungs +10 Wondrous
should be su cient for low, mid, and most high-powered +9 Astonishing
play. +8 Legendary
+7 Epic
Path nder is a High Fantasy setting with big rats, oozes, +6 Fantastic
and rabid goblins at the low end and demon lords, deities, +5 Superb
and otherworldly powers at the high end. +4 Great
In standard Fate Accelerated, Approaches cap at Superb +3 Good
(+5), and that is true in Path nder Fate Accelerated as well. +2 Fair
But Archetypes do not cap, and are added to resolutions +1 Average
as applicable. +0 Mediocre
-1 Poor
Thus, experienced Path nder Fate Accelerated characters
-2 Terrible
can generate very large bonuses, allowing them to
accomplish unearthly feats and overcome nigh-impossible
challenges.
A Path nder Fate Accelerated character with around six major milestones under their
belt should be roughly equivalent to a "20th level character" in the source material. Such
experienced characters can potentially generate bonuses of +15 or even higher in their
main areas of expertise.
This is expected, and intended. For most play groups and campaigns it will all work out.
Very few campaigns would progress beyond a few major milestones in the rst place,
rendering power scaling at higher echelons of ability a moot point.
For campaigns that do make it to the higher end of play, or which start at a higher power
level to begin with, the 4dF dice roll has a nearly insigni cant e ect on resolutions unless
the characters are facing similarly powerful opposition.
Fortunately, being a narrative game, Fate Accelerated tolerates this just ne. Simply
handle inconsequential resolutons narratively and save the dice rolling for situations
where the variance of +/- 4 from a 4dF roll might have a meaningful e ect on the
outcome.
In context, this means that most resolutions between very powerful endgame characters
and lesser opponents should just be narratively asserted in most cases. Not only is this
perfectly reasonable (Archmages and world-class warriors are at most inconvenienced by
stock opposition), it helps keep the game focused on interesting challenges by not
wasting time diceing out resolutions with a basically foregone conclusion. A quick
narration between the player(s) and GM about what happened, roughly how long it took,
and what it cost the hero (if anything) is generally su cient.
Example: the Aspiring Archwizard, Amarzedrin can generate up to a +14 bonus on his
prepared spells, allowing him to cast truly epic magic. When faced with a mob of unruly but
otherwise unexceptional ork mooks with a bonus of +2 on their best Good At, it is entirely
reasonable for Amarzedrin's player and the GM to just agree that it takes mere moments for
Amarzedrin to burn the lot of them to cinders at the cost of a prepared Fireburst spell and not
bother with dice or direct con ict.
Afterall, the goal of the story probably isn't to explore all the many ways Amarzedrin can
make the lives of minions such as these miserable and abruptly shorter; presumably there is a
challenge more worthy of his epicness lurking deeper in the story.

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