Using Powers
The management of powers is essential both in and out of combat. This section outlines the complexities of power use during combat and the strategic application of powers outside combat through the Strain System.
Powers inside of Combat: In combat, using powers does not necessarily strain your capacities. Instead, more potent abilities can only be used later in combat. Each power is assigned a Power Level from 1 to 5 and can only be used when the Escalation modifier is equal to or greater than the power's level. For instance, 1st Level Powers can be used at Escalation 1, 2nd Level Powers become available at Escalation 2, and so on. Your capacities can diminish if you roll a 1 on any relevant capacity check. This system simulates combatants warming up at the start of a fight and saving their strongest moves for the end.
Strain System: The strain system indicates the toll that using powers takes on your character's abilities. Passive powers function seamlessly without requiring strain checks. When powers that do not have the passive trait are used outside of combat, they carry the potential to strain your capacities.
Rolling for Strain: When using a power outside of combat that does not have the Passive Trait, you must perform the corresponding Capacity check. If a power requires a roll as part of its mechanics, it can be used to check for Strain. To check for Strain, roll the relevant Capacity die and compare the result to the power level. If you roll equal to or lower than the power level, you strain the capacity, and it decreases by one size. However, if you roll a 1 while straining a capacity, it is only reduced by one size. If you roll higher than the power level, the capacity remains unchanged.
Example:
Game Master: You have arrived at the vault door. The blueprints you have been tasked with are likely inside. The vault is locked and secured. What do you do? “
Player: “I want to use my Phase Walk to enter the vault without opening”.
Game Master: “Yeah, you can do that. However, you don’t have the adrenaline of combat fueling you right now, so let's see if you strain your Navigate Die. Phase Walk is a first-level power, so roll your Navigate die, and you want anything but a 1.”
Player: “Here goes…I rolled a 3 on my Navigate, so I phased walk, and my Navigate die didn’t decrease!”
Focus Powers: Some abilities in Enigma have the Focus tag. These powers require sustained effort and concentration, meaning they cannot be used simultaneously with other Focus powers.
Only One Active at a Time: You can only have one Focus power active. Activating a new Focus power immediately deactivates the previous one.
Ending a Focus Power: A Focus power automatically ends when you start another one. You can also end a Focus power voluntarily at any time during your turn as a free action.
Sustained Effects and Duration: When you activate a new Focus power, any ongoing effects from previously activated Focus powers (such as illusions, buffs, or environmental changes) cease immediately. However, some powers may specify exceptions to this rule, so it's important to follow the specific wording of each power.
Interruptions and Losing Focus: If you become incapacitated, are knocked unconscious, or fall into Mortal Peril, your active Focus power will immediately end. Additionally, particular abilities or effects—such as anti-magic fields or severe environmental disruptions—may cause a Focus power to end prematurely at the discretion of the Game Master (GM).
Damage & Focus: Whenever you take damage while using a focus power, you must succeed on an Endure check contested by escalation. If your Endure check meets or exceeds escalation, you retain focus on the power; otherwise, the power ends early.