A Big Cheat Sheet!

Action 1: Overcome!
You tackle some kind of challenge, engaging task, or hindrance related to your skill. If this roll is against another character, or even the intellectual or social product of another character,
then you will face active opposition and will roll with your skill against their defending skill. If this roll is against an inanimate object such as a wall, a safe, or a broken car, then the roll will
be against passive opposition. This means the GM will simply propose a difficulty level and you will hope to roll above it. When setting the difficulty of a skill, the general guideline is that a
+2 is a difficulty level that a skilled expert would find easy; a +4 would be difficult for even an expert. If the tension of a scene would have an effect on the difficulty of an overcome, such
as a bomb’s imminent detonation, then the difficulty of the overcome roll will be increased accordingly. Remember that FATE is collaborative and players can often work together in
clever ways to increase the chances of succeeding.

Examples of Overcome

ATHLETICS BURGLARY CONTACTS CRAFTS

 Jumping from building to building,
running through crowds, climbing
walls, racing to get somewhere.
 Moving between multiple zones in
while in Physical Conflicts.
 Stealing something, infiltrating a
building, cracking safes, picking locks
and pockets.
 Covering your own tracks after a crime.
 Finding someone you need to find.
 Utilizing a network of people you know
of or handy phone numbers you have
access to.
 Fixing something, building something
with available materials.
 Breaking something that is mechanical
in nature (you know what screws to
unscrew).

DECEIVE DRIVE INVESTIGATE KNOWLEDGE

 Bluffing your way past someone.
 Flat out lying through your freaking
teeth.
 Determining the effect of a constructed
disguise on an opponent.
 Opponents roll Empathy against your
Deceive attempts.
 NOTE: For Nameless PCs this is 1
overcome roll because they’re fairly
insignificant. For Named PCs, you
handle this in a Contest.
 doing what you want.
RESOURCES
 Bribes, acquiring expensive things,
haggling.
 Basically this can get you through
situations where “throwing money at it”
is a viable solution.
EMPATHY & NOTICE
 Not really used for Overcome.
 Could possibly be used reactively when
both noticing something and not
noticing something would both be
immediately interesting.
 Movement through/over obstacles
while driving an automobile or other
vehicle that you have the ability,
means, and training to operate.
PHYSIQUE
 Applying brute force or strength in order
to accomplish something.
 Contests or challenges of endurance.
PROVOKE
 Intimidate information out of targets.
 Piss off someone.
 Scare someone into running away.
 NOTE: Like Deceive, against Named PCs
this will be handled in a Contest.
FIGHT & SHOOT
 Also barely used in Overcome.
 You could possibly use it in passive
displays of skills to prove capability.
 Punching or shooting an obstacle down.
 Analyzing a crime scene.
 Searching a cluttered room.
 Looking through journals, emails,
refrigerators, etc. for information that
might be helpful (“this milk expired a
month ago… he’s been gone for a
while”).
RAPPORT
 Charm or inspire people, possibly into
 Establishing good (positive)
connections.
 Getting people to trust you or respect
you.
 NOTE: Like Deceive and Provoke, this is
handled with a Contest for Named PCs.
STEALTH
 Getting past any situation that primarily
depends on you not being seen, heard,
or otherwise detected.
 Avoiding doing things that draw
attention to your whereabouts, be it as
your hiding or if you’re trying to blend
into a crowd.
 Answering difficult questions with the
power of information.
 Recalling facts you researched a while
ago.
 Figuring out mental games, puzzles,
riddles.
WILL
 Getting past obstacles that require
mental effort.
 Use Will when “time” is the main factor
you have to deal with (use Knowledge if
mental “skill” is the main factor).
 Withstanding the sight of someone
being tortured.
 Dealing with disturbing obstacles, like
willingly getting splattered in blood or
sticking your hand in a box of worms.
Action 2: Create an Advantage!
This action is the meat of proactivity of FATE. One neat thing you can use Create an Advantage for is to uncover the hidden aspects of people you meet throughout the game. You can
also use Create an Advantage to create situation aspects or take advantage of aspects that already exist in a situation. When you successfully Create an Advantage, you get to implant
the aspect you created into the story and you get a free invocation on it (gain 2 when you succeed with style. If you fail, someone else gains the free invoke. And if you tie, then the
aspect is created only in the form of a temporary boost. When multiples of the Create an Advantage action are taken, you can build up free invocations, transfer them all to a single
PC’s (applicable) Overcome, Attack, or Defend action, and get some pretty awesome results. Keep in mind that you can create aspects AND take advantage of (or even change)
existing aspects with this awesome action.
Examples of Creating an Advantage
ATHLETICS
 Jumping or climbing to High Ground to
get a better position.
 Showing off your Impressive Acrobatics
Skills to look more intimidating in a fight.
DECEIVE
 Faking someone out in a conflict, such
rendering them Caught Off Guard
 Distracting someone while someone
else makes an escape by shouting Hey
Your Socks are Tied!
 Establishing a Solid Cover Story prior to
putting on a disguise.
INVESTIGATE
 Research a cover story, making it a
more Believable Cover Story.
 Eavesdropping on a conversation,
looking for helpful clues, verifying truth
of information, discovering details about
a location or an object of interest.
 NOTE: Huge range of possibility here,
provided there is time within the story to
justify being able to conduct the
investigation.
NOTICE
 Finding escape routes, details that are
useful to your situation, subtle
weaknesses in a target’s defense.
 Noticing handy aspects about a
location.
 Spotting external changes in an NPC.
BURGLARY
 Casing a joint before hitting it up.
 Examining the work of other burglars or
burglaries so that you’re Familiar with
the Job.
DRIVE
 Finding a Nifty Shortcut.
 Doing some fancy maneuver that puts
you in a better position.
KNOWLEDGE
 Add details to a setting based on
subject matter you have studied.
 Utilize knowledge you “already have”.
 NOTE: Like with Investigate, there’s a
huge range of possibility here, provided
you have the time and means to justify
the ability to do some research.
PHYSIQUE
 Grappling or holding someone down.
 Discovering physical weaknesses or
impairments that a target possesses.
PROVOKE
 Create momentary emotion states, such
as Enraged, Scared, Shocked, etc.
 NOTE: Opponents will defend against
this with Will.
CONTACTS
 Create story details, even it means
inventing someone just so you can find
The Best Saxophone Player in Harlem.
 Discovering aspects based on
reputations and “the word on the
street” about a target PC or location.
EMPATHY
 Getting a better read on a target’s
emotional state.
 Getting a feel for who someone is and
what kind of person they are.
 Discover existing aspects of an NPC,
and possibly discover (create) new
ones, enhancing the depth of
understanding you have about that
NPC.
 Sensing internal changes in a target.
 Discovering opportunities to make
mental attacks—finding sore subjects
and other breaking points.
RAPPORT
 Put positive aspects on targets, which
will hopefully make them more open to
divulging helpful information to you.
 Place an aspect of Trusts You Deeply on
someone.
RESOURCES
 Bribe someone for the means to ask a
favor later.
 Declare that you have purchased the
useful item you need to complete an
objective, or that you have a solid way
to find out where it’s kept.
CRAFTS
 Pointing out strengths or weaknesses in
the design of a piece of machinery,
such as Reinforced Titanium or A Shoddy
Repair Job.
 Quickly sabotage or construct
something, with resources available,
that aids in your objective or escape,
such as a Makeshift Pulley.
FIGHT
 Assess an opponent’s Elegant Fighting
Style.
 Perform a stunning or disarming
maneuver.
 Spot Weaknesses in Form or technique.
SHOOT
 Suppressing Fire, disarming shots.
 Jamming an opponent’s gun, if you get
access to it.
STEALTH
 Put yourself in ideal position for attack or
ambush, such as being Well-Hidden
 Turning out the lights, creating
diversions, and making the most of
shadows.
WILL
 Deep Concentration, perhaps through
meditation or focus.
Action 3: Attack!
Whenever you’re looking to take a physical or mental bite out of another character in a Physical or Mental Conflict, you’re going to refer to the Attack action. This action is fairly
straightforward. You will roll your attacking skill against your opponent’s defending skill, and for every point above their defense you’ll inflict one point of damage. If you succeed with
style, you can reduce the damage by one and gain a boost against your opponent, such as they’re Momentarily Confused because of a confusing argument you just hit them with, or
they’ve Got the Wind Knocked Out of Them from your elbow to their stomach. If you tie, you just gain a momentary boost but do no damage. If you fail, you don’t do any damage, and
the opponent might have an opportunity to place a boost against you in the event that they succeed with style in defending.

Examples of Attack
CRAFTS DRIVE FIGHT PROVOKE

 Only rarely used in conflicts, but if your
attack relied directly on the operation
of machinery, this could possibly justified
as a viable attack skill.
 Can be used in ramming attacks
against other vehicles, but your own
vehicle would suffer the same damage
that you inflict on the target vehicle
SHOOT
 This is the go-to skill for close combat.
 You must be in the same zone as your
opponent.
 Not used for ranged attacks.
EVERYTHING ELSE
 This is the skill you’ll use to make mental
attacks.
 NOTE: You must be able to reasonably
justify your ability to engage in such a
conflict with the target.

 Similar to Fight, but used when you and  Not really used for attacks.
your opponent are two or more zones  NOTE: A stunt or extra can be
away. incorporated to all just about anything
to be used as an attack.
Action 4: Defend!
Defend is your ability to resist physical and mental attacks against you by opponents using the Attack action. It is ALSO your ability to resist other characters creating advantages against
you. Your success in defending will most likely come in the form of your rolled skill exceeding the roll of the attacking opponent, but in environments that are generally hazardous, your
defense might be against passive opposition (such as in a Room on Fire). If you succeed with style in defending, you will be able to create a boost against your foe, such as Tripped on
Their Own Feet, which you’ll be able to exploit on your turn.

Examples of Defend
ATHLETICS CONTACTS DECEIVE DRIVE

 The go-to defense in physical conflict.
FIGHT
 Block other Fight attacks or advantages
being made against you.
 Block actions in which violent
intervening might make sense, such as
punching someone out of the way.
NOTICE
 Defense against uses of Stealth or
covert observation against you.
 If you’re being followed, you could
defend with Notice to pick out the
person behind you that’s on your tail.
 Defense against people trying to create
social advantages against you,
provided you have a network that can
provide such a defense.
 Prevent opponents from using Deceive
or Contacts to escape from you by
“going off the grid”.
 Interfere with Investigate attempts to
find you by asking around about your
whereabouts.
EMPATHY
 Defense against Deceive actions or
many social advantages against you in
general.
STEALTH
 Throw off Investigation attempts to  Defend against damage and
identify you or find you. advantages against a vehicle you’re
 Defend the nature of your true motives driving.
or identity from Empathy efforts of other
characters. WILL
PHYSIQUE  This is your main skill in defending
against mental attacks from Provoke.
 You might use Physique to block
someone’s effort to create an BURGLARY, CRAFTS, INVESTIGATE,
advantage, such as to barricade a door
shut against you. KNOWLEDGE, PROVOKE,
RESOURCES, & SHOOT
RAPPORT
 Not used in defense.
 Defend against skills used to damage
your reputation or make you seem like a
bad person.

 Resist attempts to Notice your presence.

Special Stuff!
Empathy Bonus
Empathy is the only means of treating Mental Consequences. You have to take some time and have the hurting character talk things out with a friend and begin the healing
process.

Physique Bonus Will Bonus

+1 more +3 or more +5 or more +1 more +3 or more +5 or more
“3” stress box on “4” stress box on Extra mild physical “3” stress box on “4” stress box on Extra mild mental
physical stress track physical stress track consequence mental stress track mental stress track consequence

Consequences
The character who inflicts a consequence gets a free invocation on it, just as they would if they had

Consequences must be treated before they can begin to heal. This may mean talking things out, visiting a hospital, or consulting a healing wizard. A Mild Consequence will
recover in the duration of one scene. A Moderate Consequence will take the length of a full session to heal. A Severe Consequence should take a character at least 2 or 3
sessions to recover from, once the healing process has begun. Extreme Consequences, if you survive beyond receiving them, replace one of your character’s aspects at the
end of the session.

Ladders and Probabilities

SKILL LADDER GAME TIME ROLL PROBABILITY (A) ROLL PROBABILITY (B)

The adjectives attributed to the Units of time used in FATE. Odds of roll result N or higher. Odds of roll result N precisely.
results of a roll added to skill level.
Unit Description N P(Roll ≥ N) N P(Roll = N)
You can use these adjective to get a
Time for +4 1.2 +4 1.2
feel for how difficult an action should
Exchange everyone to +3 6.1 +3 4.9
be, and they can even help describe
get a turn +2 18.5 +2 12.3
the effect of the action you took.
Time to resolve +1 38.3 +1 19.8
Scene
+8 Legendary a situation 0 61.7 0 23.5
+7 Epic Session A single sitting -1 81.5 -1 19.8
+6 Fantastic Scenario An episode -2 93.8 -2 12.3
+5 Superb Arc A season -3 98.8 -3 4.9
+4 Great The entire -4 100.0 -4 1.2
+3 Good game in a
Campaign Golden Rule: Decide what you’re trying to accomplish first,
+2 Fair particular
+1 Average setting then consult the rules to help you do it.
0 Mediocre
-1 Poor Silver Rule: Never let the rules get in the way of what makes narrative sense.
-2 Terrible
Bronze Rule: You can treat ANYTHING in the game world like it’s a character. Anything can
-3 Horrible
-4 Disastrous have aspects, skills, stunts, stress tracks, and consequences if you need it to.