Fourth Wall Breakers
Fourth Wall Breakers are characters that break the normal rules of narratives, walking between sets, observing the real world and generally doing things characters in a story are not supposed to do.
There are rare individuals in certain Realms whose minds have fractured in just the right way to reveal the truth of their existence. The ability to break the fourth wall is essentially a side effect of their particular brand of madness and unique to them. No fourth wall break is viewable, or at the very least, comprehendible, by all non-fourth wall breakers that witness it or its effects.
Playing a Fourth Wall Breaker
There are three types of fourth wall breakers that are separated by the type of insanity that grants them their abilities. The three types are: Maniacal, Psychotic and Mad.
Maniacal Breakers use their their charisma and ego to break the fourth wall, warping reality until its true nature is revealed in the chaos.
Psychotic Breakers use sheer psychotic force of will to break the fourth wall, cracking the lens of fiction and peering through.
Mad Breakers utilize the other side of the coin of genius to break the fourth wall, seeing the world for what it truly is.
Psychotic Breaker Archetype
Some people are so strong willed they refuse to see the big picture. Precious few others are so strong willed, they see past it.
XP Cost: 4 Prerequisites: Wisdom Score of 14 or higher
Mad Breaker Archetype
Genius and madness are two sides of the same blade that is, in rare instances, capable of cutting through the fourth wall.
XP Cost: 4 Prerequisites: Intellect Score of 14 or higher
Maniacal Breaker Archetype
It is possible, in rare instances, for someone to become so enwrapped in themselves and so delusional that their unique eccentricity allows them to see beyond the barriers of the story in which they play.
XP Cost: 4 Prerequisites: Charisma Score of 14 or higher
When you choose any of the above Archetypes you gain the following:
Training
You gain Training in your choice of 2 of the following Skills: Perception, Athletics, Acrobatics, Fine Motor, Charm, Intimidate, Debate, Survival or Medicine.
Gain Training in the use of 1 Melee, Ranged or Thrown Weapon Type.
Equipment
Acquire a common suit of Light Armor.
Acquire a common weapon of your choice.
Ability
Fourth Wall Breaker Your character is aware that they are a character in a story of some kind, granting them the ability to do and see things that other characters cannot.
Your character gains the ability to Break the 4th wall in game either by accident or purposefully.
You spend Panache, Willpower or Brainstorm Points to Activate your 4th Wall Abilities and Breaks.
Trait
Break Methods Acquire the Tier I Break "Peer Through".
Acquire a number of Tier I Breaks, equal to ½ your Charisma Modifier.
You do not need a spell book to perform Breaks and they are not technically considered to be Magic. Other characters in the story will either make up a reasonable explanation for your abilities or will not be able to view or remember what you do.
Traits and Abilities
Purchase with XP
Traits
Strong Willed
XP Cost: 2 Prerequisites: 4th Wall Breaker
Gain Training in Wisdom Saving Throws. You may now add your Training Bonus to Wisdom Saving Throws.
Mental Fortitude
XP Cost: 2 Prerequisites: 4th Wall Breaker
Gain Training in Intellect Saving Throws. You may now add your Training Bonus to Intellect Saving Throws.
Emotional Awareness
XP Cost: 2 Prerequisites: 4th Wall Breaker
Gain Training in Charisma Saving Throws. You may now add your Training Bonus to Charisma Saving Throws.
Nimble
XP Cost: 2 Prerequisites: 4th Wall Breaker
Gain Training in Dexterity Saving Throws. You may now add your Training Bonus to Dexterity Saving Throws.
Strong
XP Cost: 2 Prerequisites: 4th Wall Breaker
Gain Training in Strength Saving Throws. You may now add your Training Bonus to Strength Saving Throws.
Resilient
XP Cost: 2 Prerequisites: 4th Wall Breaker
Gain Training in Constitution Saving Throws. You may now add your Training Bonus to Constitution Saving Throws.
Cracker of the 4th Wall
XP Cost : 1 Prerequisites : 4th Wall Breaker
Gain 1 Tier I Break.
Smasher of the 4th Wall
XP Cost : 2 Prerequisites : 4th Wall Breaker, Cracker of the 4th Wall
Gain 1 Tier II Break.
Destroyer of the 4th Wall
XP Cost : 3 Prerequisites : 4th Wall Breaker, Cracker of the 4th Wall, Smasher of the 4th Wall
Gain 1 Tier III Break.
Casual Breaker
XP Cost : 1 Prerequisites : 4th Wall Breaker
The Tier I Break, "Peer Through", can be Sustained at ½ Power Pool Point Cost, even when Overpowered.
Effortless Breaker
XP Cost: 2 Prerequisites: 4th Wall Breaker, Casual Breaker
The Tier I Break, Peer Through, can be cast at an initial ARP and Sustain Cost of 0. Any overpower costs still apply as normal.
Crowd Favorite
Trait - Crowd Favorite
XP Cost: 3 Prerequisites: 4th Wall Breaker
Effect: You gain bonuses and potentially items and/or money from hot dice rolling streaks. You may also be penalized for poor rolling streaks.
Use the table below to determine what effects are gained from rolling streaks.
Dice Rolling Streak
Effects
5 or lower on a d20 roll 3 turns in a row.
Laughingstock - You suffer a -2 penalty to all d20 Rolls until your rolling streak changes or the Session / Episode ends.
14 or higher on a d20 roll 3 turns in a row.
Cheering - You gain a +1 situational Bonus to all d20 Rolls until your rolling streak changes or the Session / Episode ends.
18 or higher on a d20 roll 3 turns in a row.
Crowdwork - You gain a +2 situational Bonus to all d20 Rolls until your rolling streak changes or the Session / Episode ends.
22 or higher on a d20 roll 3 turns in a row.
Crowd Frenzy - You gain a +3 situational Bonus to all d20 Rolls until your rolling streak changes or the Session / Episode ends.
28 or higher on a d20 roll 3 turns in a row.
Gift Rain - A rain of treats and flowers are thrown onto an area within 10 meters around you. You may collect and acquire them.
- Gain 3d8 Treats and 1d10 bouquets of flowers. Treats heal you for 1 HP per treat consumed and flowers sell for 2 Silver / Dollars / Credits per bouquet(depending on the age and currencies). They wither and die within 48 hours of acquisition.
- You gain a +3 situational Bonus to all d20 Rolls until your rolling streak changes or the Session / Episode ends.
34 or higher on a d20 roll 3 turns in a row.
Money Rain - A rain of treats and flowers are thrown onto an area within 10 meters around you. You may collect and acquire them.
- Gain 5d20 Silver / Dollars / Credits (depending on the age and currencies)
- You gain a +4 situational Bonus to all d20 Rolls until your rolling streak changes or the Session / Episode ends.
Special: You may only gain the benefit of each rolling streak once per Session / Episode.
Genre Shift
XP Cost: 2 Prerequisites: Metagame
Effect: You may declare an active Genre for the current Episode / Session (Action, Horror, Comedy, Noir, etc.).- Once per Scene(Narrator Discretion), when performing a Rolled Action fitting that genre’s conventions(Narrator’s Discretion), gain a situational +2 to the performed Action.
- Once per Episode / Session, when performing a Rolled Action fitting that genre’s conventions(Narrator’s Discretion), add a Destiny Die to the performed Action.
Special: If the Narrator changes genre tone mid-session, you may re-declare your chosen Genre at that time.
Product Placement
XP Cost: 3 Prerequisites: Fourth Wall Breaker
Effect: Once per Session, you may Roll 1d20.
- On a result of 10 or higher you pull out, acquire or are handed a common branded product, seemingly from nowhere (food, item, equipment, weapon, etc.).It functions as a Common Item of your choice until consumed or used or the episode/session ends and the item disappears, whichever comes first.
- On a result of 16 or higher you pull out, acquire or are handed an uncommon branded product, seemingly from nowhere (food, item, equipment, weapon, etc.).It functions as a Uncommon Item of your choice until consumed or used or the episode/session ends and the item disappears, whichever comes first.
- On a result of 20 you pull out, acquire or are handed a rare branded product, seemingly from nowhere (food, item, equipment, weapon, etc.).It functions as a Rare Item of your choice until consumed or used or the episode/session ends and the item disappears, whichever comes first.
The item must be from your current technologic age and buyer’s guide. As per your contract, you must do a brief advertisement and say the product's slogan before using it. ex. “This is why I always buy Durbins Dynomite, It’s a blast to use!”
Abilities
Diehard Breaker
XP Cost: 2 Prerequisites: 4th Wall Breaker
When you have none of the Attribute Resource Points available that you typically use to break the fourth wall (Panache, Willpower or Brainstorms) you may instead use Stamina.
Jar of Luck
XP Cost: 4 Prerequisites: 4th Wall Breaker
Effect: Once per Turn that you Fail a Skill Roll or Attack Roll you gain 1 Point in your Luck Jar(limit of 10).
Activation: You may use your Reaction to Activate this ability when making an Attack or Skill Roll before you have rolled and/or seen the result, then spend any amount of points in your luck jar and add them to your Roll Result.
