The one constant among all inspired characters, be they daredevils, mesmerists or stalwarts, is their uncanny luck. When circumstances seem darkest. the Inspired character finds an opportunity that a lesser individual would have missed, seizes that chance and runs with it. Whether it's discovering a lost scroll in a well-explored archaeological site or learning the hostile cannibal tribe warships a god whose name sounds just like the character's own, this luck is the one thing that, above all else, defines the heroes and villains of Adventure. Awe- inspiring powers are all well and good, but fortune favors the Inspired.

The game mechanic that represents this uncanny luck is called dramatic editing. In short, dramatic editing allows a player to spend Inspiration to insert details specific to his character into the scene, as long as the Storyteller approves of it and it does not contradict anything that's already been established. Dramatic editing departs from the usual conventions of role-playing, in which the player controls his character’s actions in the game but cannot dictate how his character is acted upon. It does not allow the player to supersede the Storyteller's descriptions of the scene, but rather to supplement them for purposes of heightening the story.

Dramatic editing costs Inspiration to use. How much depends on what you want to accomplish, as outlined in “Cause and Effect,“ below. Regardless of the specific effect desired. all dramatic editing abides by the same overall parameters. Note: All Inspired adventurers, whether player or Storyteller characters, may use dramatic editing (except in the case of the cliffhanger, below). The Storyteller is encouraged to do so sparingly, though, since the deck is already stacked in her Favor by the nature of her role in the game.

The dramatic edit may not contradict anything that’s already been established or overrule the results of a dice roll that’s already occurred unless the dramatic editing is being performed for the explicit purpose of saving a player character from certain death. If the Storyteller has already stated that a supply locker is completely empty, the player may not use dramatic editing to say, “Hey, I found two Thompson guns and 10 pounds of gold coins in this supply locker!” However, if some palooka shoots the hero for 10 health levels of damage, the player may use dramatic editing to say (assuming the hero isn’t utterly naked), “Fortunately, the bullet ricochets from my character's St. Christopher medallion! He’s knocked unconscious, but he's not dead! Whew!”

Along similar lines, dramatic editing may not be used to contradict or negate someone else's Inspiration use in the scene. This covers everything from powering a Knack to other dramatic editing uses, and applies equally to other players‘ characters and to the Storyteller's villains.

Dramatic editing is a function of the player’s self-motivation, not the character's. Under no circumstances should the character - or any other character - be aware that dramatic editing has just occurred. Dramatic editing is an out-of-game way to explain and facilitate within a game setting the incredible surprises and amazing coincidences common to the pulp genre. It's not a reality-altering power within the setting that characters consciously, or even unconsciously, wield. Although his Inspiration powers the dramatic edit, the character is not the source of it.

The Storyteller is the ultimate authority in every game. As such she has the final say on what sorts of dramatic editing are and are not believable. If a given dramatic edit will ruin the entire plot, seems overly powerful or intrusive or simply doesn’t fit into the world of Adventure, the Storyteller is completely within her rights to deny that player that dramatic edit. Negotiation and refinement is acceptable, though, to keep pace of the game running smoothly, such modifications should be decided quickly and with descisive action by the Storyteller. Once the Storyteller’s final answer is “no”, that's it. End of discussion. If the storyteller refuses an edit the character does not lose the ponied up Inspiration, since it was never actually spent.

Cause and Effect