general_abilities

General Abilities

General Abilities are abilities that any character can select. As with all Abilities they cost 1 XP to purchase and you can only purchase General Abilities from a Rank that you have access to from your Class (e.g. if you are a Startouched then you cannot access Rank 3 General Abilities until you have access to Rank 3 Startouched Abilities). You may purchase from as many different General Ability trees as you like.

General Abilities represent the mundane or readily available training that any explorer in Planetfall may have - more esoteric but non-class-specific Abilities are more likely to be Experimental Abilities instead.


  • Select a Weapon Type. You gain one use of the corresponding call per Encounter.
    • Bladed Weapon - PING
    • Blunt Weapon - STRIKEDOWN
    • Daggers and Claws - BREAK
    • Two Handed Weapon - PUSH
  • You may purchase this Ability multiple times for different weapons.
  • Select a Ranged Weapon Type. You gain one use of the corresponding ability per Encounter.
    • Single Pistol - call PING when you block a strike with a melee weapon in your other hand.
    • Dual Pistols - instantly charge your second pistol when you charge the first.
    • Two Handed - when you next successfully charge your weapon, charge it for 3 shots instead of 1.
  • You may purchase this Ability multiple times for different weapons.
  • You gain an additional use of MISS when you take Cover.
  • Once per Encounter you may call PING to BLAST being called from a Grenade provided you can pick it up.
  • You must then throw it and call YOU: BLAST. If you don't, then it will explode and you call MASS STRIKEDOWN as usual.
  • Requires Melee Weapon Proficiency
  • You may use the abilities granted to you by Melee Weapon Proficiency twice per Encounter rather than once.
  • You do not have to purchase this Ability for each Melee Weapon you have Proficiency with.
  • Requires Ranged Weapon Proficiency
  • You may use the abilities granted to you by Ranged Weapon Proficiency twice per Encounter rather than once.
  • You do not have to purchase this Ability for each Ranged Weapon you have Proficiency with.

  • Utility Ability
  • With inspection, you may generally identify whether or not something you have encountered is likely to be toxic or not.
  • The substance need not be natural in nature.
  • You may apply this ability with discussion with the Ref for further purposes.
  • You understand wildlife and how to read their body language and act in kind.
  • Gain 3 uses of EFFECT: CALM for use on non-Sapient organics per Encounter.
  • Utility Ability
  • You have some understanding of how to use unfamiliar plantlife to create poultices to stave off more esoteric infections.
  • You gain a use of Tinkering specifically to produce a remedy for a CURSE effect being suffered by one member of the party:
    • On a mundane failure, nothing happens.
    • On a minor success, you are able to delay the effects of the CURSE for three Encounters, after which they will resurface.
    • On a major success, you are able to delay the effects of the CURSE until the end of the Mission, after which they will resurface.
    • On a perfect success, you are able to cure the CURSE.
    • On a failure, the CURSE spreads to you (or, if you are already suffering it, to the nearest unaffected member of your party).
    • Each Consequence you suffer will reduce your Max HP by 1 for 3 Encounters as you suffer deleterious effects from trial and error with wild plantlife. If this reduces you to a Max 0 HP you will suffer a Severe Injury after which your Max Hits are restored.
  • This Tinkering use is in addition to any other uses you may have.

  • With 10s of uninterrupted roleplay you may call HEAL on a target within reach that you have not used this Ability on yet this Encounter.
  • The target does not have to be Unconscious.
  • This cannot be used on yourself.
  • Requires First Aid
  • With 30s of uninterrupted roleplay you may call HEAL 4 on a target within reach that you have not used this Ability on yet this Encounter.
  • The target does not have to be Unconscious.
  • This cannot be used on yourself.
  • Requires Doctor
  • Once per Mission you may instantly call HEAL FULL on a target within reach.
  • The target does not need to be unconscious.
  • This cannot be used on yourself.
  • Requires Paramedic
  • Gain 2 additional uses of HEAL FULL per mission as per Paramedic (to a total 3).

  • Utility Ability
  • Select an field of expertise (e.g. weather, orbital mechanics, modern sitcoms) - you can consider yourself knowledgeable in that field.
  • Out of combat, with discussion with the Ref, you may use this to help inform you.
  • You may select this ability multiple times for different areas of knowledge.
  • This does not count as Expertise for the relevant Specialist abilities.
  • Utility Ability
  • You are very good at puzzles - logic puzzles, riddles, jigsaws: these all bow before you.
  • Out of combat, with discussion with the Ref you may three times per Mission ask for a Hint to a Puzzle.
  • Downtime / Utility Ability
  • During the briefing for each Mission you are on, you may declare to the Ref a topic that you're going to be mulling over in the back of your mind during the Mission.
  • At a relevant point out of combat picked by the Ref you will have a stroke of genius as you come to a realisation about your topic that is relevant to what you're doing. The Ref will explain what you have realised.
  • If you don't have your Eureka! moment by the end of the Mission, you may attempt to have it in Downtime. If what you're trying to work out requires more direct effort and research, the Ref will give you a hint as to how you might find out.

  • Gain 1 Clout with a Faction of your choice that you do not have negative Clout with.
  • You may purchase this Ability multiple times and for the same faction repeatedly.
  • Utility Ability
  • Once per Mission, when not in Combat, you may ask the Ref for an insight into a person or faction you are talking to that your character may have seen, in order to give you an idea of how to direct the conversation to your preference.
  • This does not guarantee that the line of conversation you follow will be successful, but provides insight that your character has picked up on.
  • Utility Ability
  • Once per Mission, when not in Combat, you may attempt to push your luck and pull strings to get your way with a person or a faction you have been talking.
  • You must be able to contact the people you are attempting to manipulate, and cannot perform a Gambit on a member of a faction you have Negative Clout with.
  • Perform a Tinkering, with the following effects:
    • On a mundane failure, nothing happens.
    • On a minor success, you are able to get part of what you want achieved.
    • On a major success, you are able to get most of what you wanted.
    • On a perfect success, you are able to get what you want and gain 1 Clout with a relevant Faction.
    • On a failure, you lose 5 Clout with a relevant Faction, and a relevant individual will become your Nemesis.
    • Each Consequence you suffer will lose you 1 Clout with the relevant Faction.
  • This Tinkering use is in addition to any other uses you may have.

  • You have trained and have become tougher and more resilient.
  • Gain +2 max HP.
  • Requires Burly
  • You've been at the weights! You're stronger and tougher than before!
  • Gain +2 max HP and 1 STRIKEDOWN per Encounter.
  • Requires Beefy
  • You didn't miss leg day - you are now very strong and built like a house.
  • Gain +2 max HP.
  • Utility Ability: You are incredibly physically strong and can apply this out of combat by discussion with a Ref.
  • Requires Brawny
  • Others may not like it but this is what peak physical performance looks like.
  • Gain +2 max HP.
  • You may, if you wish, push your body past its breaking point. By taking a Severe Injury, you may continue fighting for 60s after you should have been knocked out.

  • Utility Ability
  • You have an understanding of what you need to survive while exploring the wilds of the Keter Borderlands and are generally prepared.
  • You can assume you have access to survival gear such as weatherproof clothing, lighting, anti-infection tablets, and rope and can apply these by discussion with the Ref when out of combat.
  • Utility Ability
  • You are a skilled climber and can make your way up surfaces that have sufficient climbing holds (i.e. not completely flat surfaces).
  • You may apply your climbing skills to move around encounters while you are out of combat by discussion with the Ref.
  • Utility Ability
  • Once per Mission, out of combat, you may reveal that you had brought exactly the right thing to help you out. Explain what gear you've brought along - which you must plausibly have been able to bring with you - and how it's useful. You may expend Faction equipment requests to acquire it if you wish.
  • This gear cannot be something explicitly provided by another class, a complex machine/electronics, or something not readily available.
  • general_abilities.txt
  • Last modified: 2022/10/18 10:03
  • by katie