Abilities

Whereas Attributes represent your raw potential, Abilities represent the ways you’ve learned to use that potential. Each Ability typically covers a broad range of aptitudes.

Most actions combine an Attribute and an appropriate Ability to form a dice pool that’s rolled to determine a character’s success and failure. You may not need anything but brute strength to smash through a door — but if you’re trying to use sheer muscle power to force an engine part into place without breaking anything, you’d better know something about Technology. Your character possesses Abilities that make them better at certain activities, whether learned skills or inborn affinities.

Acting Without an Ability

There is bound to be a time when you want your character to do something that uses an Ability she just doesn’t have. What then? Does the fact that you didn’t buy dots in Athletics mean she can’t duck when someone screams, “Get down!”? No, not at all. Just roll the Attribute instead.