Nobody in the Ascension earns levels. You are refined — polished, trained, and devoted — and what you become is written in your aspects, your stunts, and what you wear on your hands. This chapter is how you build a character under the Fate Core rules. The old class-and-level lists are retired; every ability from them lives here as a real stunt.
How a character is built
A character sheet is six things:
- High Concept — who you are in one phrase (
Proud lion-gallant champion whose roar is his lady's shield).
- Trouble — what complicates your life every session.
- Three other aspects — your history, habits, and hooks.
- Skills — the Fate pyramid: one at +4, two at +3, three at +2, four at +1, rest at +0.
- Stunts — three are free. Each stunt past three costs 1 Refresh (you start with 3 Refresh; minimum 1).
- Extras — things you have: the Gloves, the mecha, the whistle. Each costs Refresh and demands a Permission aspect.
A Path is not a box the rules put you in. It is a recommendation: an aspect to take, stunts that fit, an Extra you may carry. Any character may take any stunt in this book — but Paths tell you which ones sing together.
Choose your body
Three sapient kinds hold place in the Ascension, and they are the only playable ones:
- Lady of Ascension — women only. Gloved, sanctioned, ascending.
- Gallant — men only. Soul-bound protectors of the Blooming Accord; a female Gallant does not exist and cannot be made.
- Automaton — any gender, chosen freely or declined entirely. A setting of your own make.
Pairing is the court's arithmetic: Ladies court Gallants, and Automatons define their own.
The eight Paths
| Path | Play it if you want… | Signature stunt | Permission |
|---|
| Fighter (Gallant) | To stand between harm and someone softer | Gallant's Loyal Surge | None — any devoted Gallant |
| Courtier (Gallant or Lady) | To win rooms without drawing steel | Empathic Grace | None |
| Automatonic (Automaton) | To be porcelain, brass, and absolutely loyal | Augmented Frame | An automaton's nature |
| Otome Protagonist | The world to arrange itself around your heart | Destiny's Favorite | None — but the GM will bill you for it |
| Glove of Engineering (Lady) | Overclocked brass and impossible machines | Sanctioned Engrenage | Sanctioned glove-wearer |
| Glove of Medicine (Lady) | To pull people back from the dark | Accorded Vital Flux | Sanctioned glove-wearer |
| Glove of Chemistry (Lady) | Vapors, acids, and elegant ruin | Lavoisier's Crucible | Sanctioned glove-wearer |
| Glove of Accord (Lady) | Salons, contracts, and whispered confidence | Sanctioned Glove Accord | Sanctioned glove-wearer |
On sanctioned gloves: anyone may physically wear a Glove. Only sanctioned Ladies of Ascension — or those who pay 1 Refresh and take an aspect like Stolen Gloves — Hunted by the Directorate — get anything out of them. The gloves' base bonuses are Extras (see below); the sanctioned stunts above sit on top.
Signature stunts by specialization
Pick the two or three stunts that match your refinement. Each is one stunt slot.
Fighter specializations
| Specialization | Stunts |
|---|
| Mecha Knight | Chivalric Overclock (+2 Drive piloting L'Aigle Chevalier) — pairs with the L'Aigle Chevalier Mark 1 Extra |
| Gunslinger | Trick Shot Ricochet (once/scene reroll a missed Shoot at a new target) |
| Steam Fist Warden | Piston Barrage (+2 Fight at close quarters with steam gauntlets) |
| Lance of the Lancelot | Thundering Lance Cast (once/scene, a lance hit forces a zone push or knockdown) |
| Range Master | Calibrated Targeting Array (+2 Shoot at range or through cover) |
| The Sharpshooter | Piercing Gaze (+2 Shoot against a studied target) |
| Duelist Elegance | Harmonious Parry (+2 Fight to defend with blade or pistol) |
| Warrior of Fate | Destiny's Shield (+2 Athletics defending while armored) |
| Saboteur | Rust Bolt (+2 Crafts to jam and corrode what you strike) |
| Mechanist | Clockwork Companion (a tiny automaton acts with your Crafts) |
Courtier specializations
| Specialization | Stunts |
|---|
| Empath Courtier | Soothing Whisper (once/scene, calm an ally: clear their lowest mental stress box) |
| Orator Courtier | Rousing Oration (+2 Rapport for inspiring speech or song) |
| Planner Courtier | Clockwork Contingency (+2 Investigate when predicting an opponent) |
| Salon Muse | Muse's Whisper (once/scene, a private confidence creates an aspect for free) |
| Merchant of Harmony | Harmonious Bargain (+2 Rapport when negotiating terms) |
| Artisan of Bloom | Bloom Etching (+2 Rapport when your own artwork persuades) |
Automatonic specializations
| Build | Stunt |
|---|
| Combat frame | Augmented Frame (+1 physical stress box from reinforced plating) |
| Social frame | Calibrated Charm (+2 Rapport on someone whose cues you have observed) |
| Feral chassis | Feral Claws (+2 Fight with claws against an off-balance foe) |
Glove disciplines (sanctioned Ladies)
| Discipline | Stunts |
|---|
| Engineering | Sanctioned Engrenage, Automaton Field Repair, Technical Lecture, Instant Bulwark, Adrenaline Vial |
| Chemistry | Lavoisier's Crucible, Alchemist's Quick Brew, Melt the Fortress, Lecturer's Safe Handling, Vaporist's Shroud |
| Medicine | Accorded Vital Flux, Rejuvenator's Vital Pulse, Vital Tutor's Counsel, Purifier's Toxin Rebuttal, Chosen Fortifier's Brass Aegis |
| Accord | Sanctioned Glove Accord, Musés Whisper, Harmonious Bargain, Bloom Etching |
Extras: what you HAVE
The Gloves are Extras, not stunts. Taking one as your signature Extra costs 1 Refresh and requires a permission aspect — Lady of Ascension, Directrix appointment, or a sanctioned trade aspect such as Sky-Surgeon or Gear-Hand Artificer. Each Glove grants its +2 to the right skill while you wear it, plus permission to do what only a gloved hand may do.
The mecha is an Extra too: L'Aigle Chevalier Mark 1, a fifteen-foot chivalric frame with its own stress track and consequences. Pilots take Chivalric Overclock to make the frame sing.
Stolen gloves are legal, if loud: pay 1 Refresh, take Stolen Gloves — Hunted by the Directorate, and expect the Ledger to notice every time you roll Crafts in public.
A worked example
Cœur-de-Lion le Brave, Fighter / Mecha Knight:
- High Concept: Proud lion-gallant champion whose roar is his lady's shield; Trouble: Refuses any bond that feels lesser
- Skills: Fight +4, Athletics +3, Physique +3, Will +2, Notice +2, Rapport +2, and four at +1
- Stunts (free): Guardian's Stand, Unshakeable, Chivalric Overclock
- Extra: L'Aigle Chevalier Mark 1 (paid in fiction — arena honors, not Refresh, as befits a champion of the Coliseum)
- Aspects do the rest: Mentors younger gallants with gruff wisdom — a hook the GM can compel at any Blooming Veil
That is a complete character. No ability scores, no levels — just devotion written in brass.
