FLEB - On Vox: Glass and Steel r2: Coins

The more I work on it, the more I'm getting geeked to actually play Glass and Steel. I might just have to cobble something together on a d10/pool system and go for it for the immediate time.

I've been thinking of a central merits/flaws sort of system called Coins, as in "there's two sides to every coin". It consists of opposing benifits/detriments of the same general trait, taken as a pair. In some cases it would be a help, in others a hindrance. Characters could take either one 2x Coin (usually something supernatural/metagamey or at least powerful) or two 1x Coins.

The "Feats" at the end are less constant modifiers than usable extra abilities. They still fall into the same pile, they're just used a bit differently.

Loved/Concerned 1x
You are a kindhearted, nice person, and people have grown to know and love you. You will command the assistance and sympathy of others, but you will be compelled to help others in need, even to the detriment of yourself or your goal. System: Allows rolls for outside assistance, but requires a roll or deferment whenever someone else is in trouble.

Attractive/Vapid 1x
You're a bimbo or musclehead. People swoon or lust over you, but when the chips are down... well, you really aren't the most important one in the room. Gain a point in persuasion abilities when in a non-crisis situation, but lose a point when you are.

Stature/Resentment 1x
You are a person in a position of power, but your management style has made people secretly hate you, or find you incompetent. Roll a threshold roll when using commanding abilities to determine whether you gain or lose a point.

Born Leader/Miserable Failure 2x
You can lead people into action and bolster their confidence, but if your intended action fails, they become disheartened and lose all confidence in you.

Motivated/Dependent 1x
You are motivated by someone or something in a precarious position (loved one, belief, motive). Gain a point toward any action taken toward your goal, but lose a point on any action if the goal is destroyed or rendered impossible.

Empathetic/Sensitive 2x
You have the ability to sympathize and "read" people very well, but your emotional connection also makes you vulnerable. You have the ability to ask any player to truthfully reveal a general question about their emotions or feelings, but you are helpless in the face of others' suffering. (System rules for "helpless" TBA)

Single-Minded/Tunnel Vision 1x
You have the ability to go into "tunnel vision" mode, and gain a +2 bonus to any action relating to an immediate goal or plan at hand. However, any conflict that is not part of the goal or plan gets a -2 resistance.

Wise/Misunderstood 1x
You have the ability to ask the GM meta-game questions about the situation, threats, or strategies. However, it is very hard to convey and convince others of your ideas.

Organized/Impatient 1x
You can form plans and stick to them very well, even motivating and enhancing others. You recieve a +1 bonus to any action in the service of a detailed plan. However, if a plan fails or "goes to hell", lose a point on any actions coping or recovering the plan.

Connected/Affected 2x
You are connected on a supernatural level to the events happening around you. This is both a good and a bad thing. You get two rolls at the end of each round for cards. If you get a card your first roll, you take that card. On the second roll, if you get a card, you may take that as well. However, if you did not get a card (you rolled a number you already have), you can read any other player's card of that same number, if they have it. The downside is that you are adversely affected by supernatural effects and the effects of Degradation.

Specialized Intelligence/General Ignorance 1x
You are a single-subject geek. You gain a +2 to Intelligence tests regarding things in your field of knowledge. However, you gain a -2 to Intelligence tests on any other nontrivial subject.

Meditative/Tumultuous 1x
You have the ability to clear your mind and think on a task. Gain 4 extra spendable points when you stop in a quiet position and meditate or think. However, your normal life is internally quite noisy, which leaves you at a -1 disadvantage for any mental tasks.

Fearless/Risky 1x
You are devoid of fear, even when the situation demands it. You can disregard a test against fear or paralysis, but you then gain a "stupidity point" that you have to bleed off. You can bleed this off by either declaring it, than going ahead with a risky action, or the GM can force your character to take an action that they would normally have the sensibility to resist.

Fast Regeneration/Rushed Regeneration (Feat) 2x
You regenerate more quickly than anyone else, and have additional play time before the rest start. However, you must forfeit the ability to take a card that round to use the ability.

Belief Ability/Catastrophic Failure (Feat) 2x
You have the conviction to shape the world. Be it a religion, a firm insistence that "this can't be happening", or some other self-believed method of control, you have the ability to shape the supernatural elements of the situation unfolding around you. However, if you fail your test, you do so catastrophically, often reversing the intended effect or causing collateral damage.

Recover Innocence/Confusion (Feat) 2x
When you converse, empathize, or come in contact with a person to the point that they become more than just a "bystander" to you, it means that they are vulnerable to permanent death or injury, just as you are. Recover Innocence allows you, with a feat of concentration, to recover their "bystander" status from your intervention only. However, it involves stopping, meditating, and completely clearing your mind to the point that you come back confused and disoriented.

Originally posted on fleb.vox.com