Creating Advantages

An Advantage is a temporary kind of aspect¹, created through actions on the part of the characters, NPCs, or events unfolding in the game. They can be attached to characters, to locations, or to other elements of the scene, and can invoked to the advantage of one side or the other in relevant challenges.

Sometimes, that means you’re doing something to actively change your circumstances (like throwing sand in an opponent’s eyes or setting something on fire), but it could also mean that you’re discovering new information that helps you (like learning the weakness of a monster through research), or taking advantage of something you’ve previously observed (like your opponent’s predisposition to a bad temper).

Some aspects, when created, come with a free invocation or two, meaning that characters can invoke them for a +2 bonus on a roll without spending a fate point. Of course, there’s got to be a justifiable way that the advantage would apply to said roll.

Creating Boosts

Boosts are a super-transient kind of aspect. You get a boost when you’re trying to create an advantage but don’t succeed well enough, or as an added benefit to succeeding especially well at an action. You get to invoke them for free, but as soon as you do, the aspect goes away. If you want, you can also allow another character to invoke your boost, if it’s relevant and could help them out.

1. “Aspects are what make Fate go. They’re the clearest, most interesting method for describing who your character is, and they form the basis of the fate point economy. Invoking an aspect gives you a certain amount of control over your destiny, a way to mitigate the caprice of the dice. Compels are the GM’s best friend when it comes to creating story and situation, injecting drama into a scene, or just plain throwing a wrench into the players’ plans.” — From the SRD
   ↩︎