Drama Points
When your character performs an incredible or memorable action, you may be granted a Drama Point. Drama Points are a tool or currency which allows you to bend the narrative or mechanical rules in a way that creates even more awesomeness within the story.
Earning Drama Points
There are several paths to obtaining a Drama Point:
Crowning Moment of Awesome
A Crowning Moment of Awesome is a moment of true self-sacrifice, when your character either loses or risks losing something important to them for the good of others. This shouldn't be just any heroic or badass action - you should be performing those one a regular basis. No, this is for your near-death experiences or other suitably dramatic moments.
Climactic One Liners
Everyone loves a good one liner when offing an adversary. Come up with a good line or pun (or a pun that's so bad that it's good) when finishing off a fight scene, and you shall be rewarded.
Life is Pain
Anyone who says differently is either selling something or immortal. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, delivered either by an antagonist or an uncaring universe. If an antagonist uses a Drama Point to directly oppose a player character's action, that character is entitled to the get that point. Additionally, the Director may occasionally offer a player a deal to screw over their character in some dramatic fashion in exchange for a Drama point. Players - if you spot a circumstance in which something dramatic could potentially happen to your characters, feel free to raise it as an option - a sweet Drama Point may be looming in your future.
Experience
If you can't find an opportunity for some dramatic exchanges or climaxes, you can always buy your way to drama. If you have 0 Drama Points at the end or start of a game session, you may spend 2 Experience Points to get up to 1 Drama Point.
Spending Drama Points
Drama Points may be spent as part of any dramatic activity, be it combat, investigation, or any other circumstance that may arise. Drama Points are expended while performing other actions, and as such do not take an action of their own to perform during combat.
Heroic Move
Sometimes as you just want to ignore the dice for a while, either because they disagree with you or because you want to guarantee an awesome outcome. After making a roll, you may choose to spend a Drama Point to increase the roll's result by +5.
Greater Magics
Magic takes time to learn and perform, but sometimes you need that fireball now.
- If you have the Essene Channeling Quality, you may spend a Drama Point to channel triple the Essence you may channel during your turn.
- If you have The Sight, you may increase your Strength in a single power by 2 for one use.
- If you are Inspired, you may use a single Miracle which you don't have.
Not Quite Dead
Everyone's clock runs out someday, but this is not your day. If you are below -10 Life Points and supposed to make Survival Tests to stay alive, you may use a Drama Point to automatically pass a single Survival Test. If you are between 0 and -10 Life points, or below -10 and stable, you may use a Drama Point to regain consciousness.
Lucky Break
This is your catch-all plot twist. Maybe backup arrives just in the nick of time, or the villain happens to drop a valuable clue. Up to once per session a Drama Point may be spent to have a minor plot contrivance aid the characters. This never solves a problem entirely, but can be a tremendous help.
Limits of Drama Points
Some limitations exist on Drama Points to keep them impactful, while preventing them from taking over the game.
Rule 0
The Director can veto any Drama Point expenditure. This probably won't happen often, it's just a measure to prevent complete derailing of the narrative.
There Can Only Be 1
An action can only have one Drama Point spent on or against it. You can't spend a Drama Point to both double your Essence Channeling and increase your spellcasting roll. On the flipside, an action boosted with a Drama Point can't have a Drama Point used to defend against it.
Rule of 2
This game is a collaborative endeavor, and as such we want all players and the Director to have an equal share of influence over the story and characters. As a result, you may only use a Drama Point against another player character with explicit consent from that player.
Rule of 3
A player may not have more than 3 unspent Drama Points. Already have 3 stored up and do something that would reward you with another? Too bad, it's gone to waste.