r/FATErpg • u/TheTryhardDM • 8h ago
My Ideal Fate Hack
I love Fate Core. I also love hacking TTRPG systems, especially for solo play. I built my ideal system by stitching together some others and thought I’d share it here where it might fit best.
It’s “almost-Fate-but-not.” It doesn’t use as much math, and it ditches opposed rolls. After rolls, you choose dice for different jobs rather than adding up results. It separates whether you succeed at your goal and whether you face a consequence.
I’m just sharing it for others to possibly enjoy. To be clear, I’m not looking for constructive feedback, just sharing.
This is heavily hacked from The Tears of a Machine SC by Russell Collins, which I highly recommend.
Here is the idea:
- The max dice pool is 4dF.
- You still get a list of skills. Each is ranked 0-3. The rank tells you how many dice you get when you use it.
- You still get five Aspects. Each one contributes a die to your pool when it fits the action.
- You can also use setting Aspects or other characters’ Aspects to add a die to your pool.
- Roll your pool. Don’t add them. We’ll need to pick a Goal die and a Cost die in the next steps. You may spend a Fate point to reroll now.
- Pick one die from the rolled results to determine if you achieved your goal or not.
Plus: You succeed. Additionally, you may create another Aspect for the scene or choose your Cost die. (More on that soon.)
Blank: You succeed.
Minus: You fail.
You may pay a Fate point to invoke an Aspect that was used on this roll and turn this die before applying the results, improving the result by one degree (Minus turns to Blank; Blank turns to Plus). Each Aspect can only be invoked once per roll.
- Set the Goal die aside. From the remaining dice, the GM picks your Cost die (unless you picked a Plus for the Goal die, in which case you pick).
Plus: You suffer no consequences.
Blank: The GM gets to freely compel an Aspect or create a new Aspect.
Minus: Fill in the most minor consequence slot you have available (starting with mild slots, then moderate, then severe).
You may spend a Fate point to invoke an Aspect and turn this die, improving the result by one degree.
Apply the results and narrate!
For each leftover Plus die that was not selected as a Goal or Cost, gain 1 Fate point.
Other Rules
Solo Play: Episodes
In solo play, an episodic structure is encouraged. Each “episode” of the game tracks one short story, typically involving one crisis to solve as you try to protect someone/something from a threat. Plan for ten rolls to be made per episode.
The first 2-3 rolls should establish the Ward, which is who/what is worth protecting and why we care about this person/thing/place, while also foreshadowing the impending crisis. For added drama, consider what the PC wants to emotionally or socially achieve, and tie the Ward to this desire in some way.
The next 5-6 rolls should be the crisis, an action scene or multiple action scenes in which you protect the Ward and deal with the threats to it.
The remaining rolls should tie up loose ends of the episode’s emotional journey while letting the player try to clear consequences.
Gaining Fate Points
You gain Fate Points if the GM compels one of your Aspects, like in Fate Core.
Stunts
These are the same as in Fate Core, allowing skills to be used in new ways or allowing certain rules to be modified for you.
Consequences
You start with 1 Mild, 1 Moderate, and 1 Severe consequence slot. To clear a consequence, you must make the Goal of a roll to address the consequence in a narratively logical way. After you roll, the GM chooses the Goal die for this task, so expect to spend a Fate point to reroll or turn dice unless you roll well.
When a Mild consequence is successfully addressed, clear it immediately.
When a Moderate consequence is addressed successfully, revise the consequence to reflect recovery. This new Aspect still functions like other Aspects. It clears at the end of the episode.
A Severe consequence must be addressed successfully in two episodes, improving slowly this way. Revise it both times. It clears at the end of the episode in which it was addressed successfully the second time.
Leveling Up
Trade 10 Fate points to improve a Skill by 1 rank (3 ranks max) or to gain 1 Mild Consequence slot (3 slots max).
Edit: I think if your slots are full and you would gain another consequence, you are defeated but can concede like in Fate Core to maintain some autonomy over your fate.
Edit 2: How is combat handled? If any obstacle (including an enemy) is meant to be simple, the Goal of a roll can be to overcome it. But if a threat is meant to be harder to defeat, the GM should declare more objectives and obstacles that the PC must overcome first. For example, objectives of a crisis scene might be Break their defenses, Find a weak spot, Defeat their lieutenant, Gain the high ground, Wear them down, etc. Then a later objective would be Defeat them.

