Potential

The Great Clockmaker has an intended role for every individual in the Clockwork, but He has also blessed them with free will. Those who actively pursue their role in the Clockwork will benefit from its support and protection. Those who actively embrace their free will find ways to create and seize opportunities to move according to their own desires. The balance of these two impulses is called a character's Potential, and it is measured by two traits: Purpose and Ether.

These are variable traits and a character may choose to spend points of Purpose and Ether, lowering their temporary rank by one each time this is done. Doing this can achieve a variety of effects within the game. You may normally only spend 1 point of Potential of either type per turn.

A character's Potential can also be tainted by grievous sin, gaining ranks in a trait called Chaos (aka Corruption). Points of Chaos cannot be spent like Purpose or Ether.

The extent to which someone chooses to step outside the Maker's role for them within the order of the Clockwork is represented by your ranks in Ether. Ether may be spent to stretch chance and circumstance to bring about a different result than what was intended.

• After any dice roll, you may spend a point of Ether to re-roll the entire check, keeping the new result. In conflict, only one point may be spent per check, but outside of conflict you may spend multiple points to re-roll multiple times.
• Ether is also spent in performing certain magic spells, particularly Glamours.

Purpose is an abstracted measurement of the bond a character has with their intended role in the Clockwork. Purpose can therefore be spent to prevent outcomes that would thwart a character's efforts to fulfill their role.

• Any time you would suffer from an attack outcome (Wound, subdual, conviction, or persuasion) or a Condition, you may spend a point of Purpose to prevent that outcome. It does not occur, and has no effect. only a single outcome or condition may be prevented for each point of Purpose spent - and any other effects of the instigating action will still occur.
• You may spend a point of Purpose to cause on helpful and plausible phenomenon to occur. This event must serve the will of the Clockwork and cannot produce a situation that would aid the Pontus or cause a character to take Chaos points. Narrators have final say in the effect, and can disallow any changes that are innately chaotic, implausible, or that undermine the larger story. Examples:
  • Acquaintances: You may establish a casual acquaintance with any character whom you have plausibly met in the past, including familiarity with the character's Reputation. This acquaintance would not be indebted/owe you a favor - just familiarity.
  • Chance Encounters: You run into the right person at the right time. The timing must be plausible - the event must be something that was already planned by the individuals in question: It is plausible for a pair of police officers to show up any time along their scheduled route, but not plausible for police to pick just the right moment to raid a rookery unless they already had plans to do so in place.
  • Environment Changes: You may create plausible climate effects that take place at the end of the current turn, like snow in January in Canada (but not in Egypt).
  • Revising History: you may retrospectively include a plausible action you didn't mention earlier which doesn't contradict subsequent narrative, like packing your pistol this morning, or leaving a note for your family before you left the house.
  • Scenery Specifications: You may introduce plausible scenery (including useful objects) as long is it does not contradict descriptions already made.
  • Special Knowledge: As long as your education makes it plausible, you may declare knowledge of a unique fact not normally covered by ability selection. This represents a very specific and limited special knowledge, and this declaration becomes a part of your backstory and must remain consistent as the story progresses. “I know most academics would be useless in this situation, but I happened to have written my thesis on the Hungarian Curse of Turan.”

At the beginning of each session, every character regains one temporary rank of Purpose and Ether up to their fixed maximum. (Pureblood characters receive 2 Purpose and 1 Ether).

During gameplay, once per session, when you take a significant and selfless action that bolsters the orderly nature of the Clockwork or your role within it, you may regain 1 point of Purpose. Likewise, once per session, regain 1 point of Ether when you take a significant and selfless action that introduces or supports change in the Clockwork. The Narrator determines which actions qualify for this award.

Chaos measures how far a character has fallen from grace. Actions that are abhorrent to the Clockmaker, which stain your soul and allows the Pontus to warp you:

• Involvement in the unnatural death of any pureblood, beastfolk, changeling, or angel
• Involvement or complicity in an act of degradation such as slavery or torture
• The violation of solemn vows

When you participate in or allow the above to occur because of your action, inaction, or shortcomings, you immediately gain one point of Chaos. If your Chaos rank is already at 5, instead of taking more Chaos a Pontus Event is immediately triggered.

Chaos makes Pontus Events more severe, and you may only rid yourself of Chaos points by performing sincere and meaningful acts of contrition, receiving absolution from the Church, direct exposure to the purity of the Clockwork, or by triggering a Pontus Event.