TEXT: Five Elements
  A Fate Core Magic System
  Christopher Ruthenbeck
  
  Five Elements
  Developer, Writer, & Layout
  Christopher Ruthenbeck
  Editing
  Jeremy Morgan
  Art
  Kristi Centinaro
  Peer Review
  Randy Oest II
  ii
  
  An EldritchFire Press publication
  http://efpress.net • EldritchFire@me.com
  @EldritchFire on Twitter
  +Christopher Ruthenbeck on Google+
  Five Elements ©2014 EldritchFire Press
  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
  in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
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  we encourage you to do it.
  This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
  To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
  When attributing, include the following text in your copyright information:
  “This work uses materials from Five Elements: A Fate Core Magic System, published
  by EldritchFire Press (efpress.net) and written by Christopher Ruthenbeck, and is licensed
  under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.
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  Fate™ is a trademark of Evil Hat Productions, LLC. The Powered by Fate logo is ©Evil
  Hat Productions, LLC and is used with permission.
  This work is based on Fate Core System and Fate Accelerated Edition (found at http:
  //www.faterpg.com/), products of Evil Hat Productions, LLC, developed, authored, and edited
  by Leonard Balsera, Brian Engard, Jeremy Keller, Ryan Macklin, Mike Olson, Clark Valentine,
  Amanda Valentine, Fred Hicks, and Rob Donoghue, and licensed for our use under the Creative
  Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
  iii
  
  Contents
  A Note from the Designer
  v
  1
  Five Elements
  1
  2
  Game Rules
  2
  The Create an Advantage Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  2
  Making Your Own Stunts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  2
  Attunement
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  2
  Using Attunement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  3
  Embodiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  3
  Embodying an Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  3
  Elemental Stunts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  4
  3
  Earth
  5
  Channeling Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  5
  Body of Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  5
  Earth Stunts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  6
  4
  Fire
  7
  Channeling Fire
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  7
  Body of Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  7
  Fire Stunts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  8
  5
  Life
  9
  Channeling Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  9
  Body of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  9
  Life Stunts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  10
  6
  Storm
  11
  Channeling Storm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  11
  Body of Storm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  11
  Storm Stunts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  12
  7
  Water
  13
  Channeling Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  13
  Body of Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  13
  Water Stunts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  14
  iv
  
  A Note from the Designer
  This idea started life as a D&D campaign I played in college. My buddy Josh
  Nink took the basic assumptions of D&D, threw them out the window, and added
  his own spin on things. His magic system is the seed from which this idea grew.
  There is a tendency in the Fate community to add a lot of moving parts to a
  magic system, most likely stemming from The Dresden Files RPG. This is a fresh
  take on magic that revolves around one basic action and doesn’t add any special
  subsystems to worry about.
  I also wanted something that wasn’t speciﬁcally
  designed for Fate Core or FAE—I wanted something that could be used for both!
  Thank you Josh Nink, Josh Charles, and Will Laﬀredi. This wouldn’t have
  been possible without you and your crazy antics!
  – Christopher Ruthenbeck
  v
  
  — 1 —
  Five Elements
  The world you live in is infused with energy, infused with magic. Everyone feels it
  to one degree or another: the potential right before a storm, the awe and beauty
  of a raging river, even the silent majesty of the unyielding earth. There are those
  who are able to attune themselves to this magic, becoming one with nature on a
  fundamental level.
  But as they harness the power of nature and bend it to their will, nature—in
  turn—bends them to her will. It’s subtle, and not always apparent, but the more
  they infuse themselves with that power, the more inﬂuence she has on them. It’s
  not all bad, though. It augments their existing personality traits.
  Five Elements: A Fate Core Magic System is designed to be added seamlessly
  to any existing game of either Fate Core or Fate Accelerated with very little fuss.
  Since it utilizes all existing mechanics and doesn’t add anything extra, it takes
  no time at all to integrate it to any setting.
  Storm
  Above
  Fire
  Consumes
  Life
  The Center of All
  Water
  Soothes
  Earth
  Below
  1
  
  — 2 —
  Game Rules
  A basic relationship with an element is attunement. Those who seek to deepen
  that relationship can then learn to embody their element. Attunement is easy to
  attain; learning to embody an element takes dedication and perseverance.
  The Create an Advantage Action
  The cornerstone of the Five Elements magic system is creating advantages. To
  gain the beneﬁts of your attunement or embodiment, you must ﬁrst create the
  appropriate aspect on yourself by succeeding on a Create an Advantage action.
  The typical diﬃculty of this is Average (+1) or Fair (+2). However, there may
  also be active opposition, such as being held under water when trying to activate
  Body of Fire.
  Each element has an aﬃnity for a skill or approach, but you should feel free
  to use whatever makes sense for your character or your table.
  One character
  may use a diﬀerent skill for each element, while a second could be a monk-like
  character, using their Will to harness Mother Nature.
  Element
  Skill
  Approach
  Earth
  Physique
  Forceful
  Fire
  Provoke
  Clever
  Life
  Rapport
  Careful
  Storm
  Will
  Flashy
  Water
  Athletics
  Quick
  Making Your Own Stunts
  The list of stunts for each element are examples; you are encouraged to make
  your own elemental stunts to customize the magic in the game world.
  If you
  decide to write your own elemental stunts, keep the following in mind.
  Each
  stunt requires the appropriate Body of [Element] stunt, and its beneﬁt is only
  available when embodying that element. Secondly, each stunt should reward the
  player for playing to the element’s strengths. Creating a speed-based stunt ﬁts
  thematically with either Storm or Water, but doesn’t ﬁt with Earth.
  Attunement
  In order to attune yourself to an element, you must spend time surrounded by the
  element, learning about it, and internalizing what it is to be that element. This
  meditation must occur in an area where the element you seek is in abundance:
  2
  
  the foothills of a mountain range for Earth or an open plain prone to lightning
  strikes for Storm.
  When you attune to an element, rewrite one of your aspects to reﬂect your new
  relationship with the element—up to a maximum of two elements per aspect. For
  example, attuning yourself with all ﬁve elements will require you to rewrite three
  aspects. Also, when you use your attunement, you may invoke the attunement
  aspect, and the GM may compel it. Each element write-up will tell you what its
  strengths and potential faults are.
  Using Attunement
  Optional Rule
  Elemental Control.
  As an
  optional rule, you may spend
  invokes—meaning no reroll or
  +2 bonus—of your Channel-
  ing [Element] aspect to control
  the element and do things be-
  yond human ken. For example,
  throwing a ball of ﬁre or walk-
  ing on water. The beneﬁt only
  lasts for the duration of your
  action, or perhaps until the end
  of the exchange for things like
  using Earth to sculpt a stair-
  case up a cliﬀside. Final deci-
  sion of what can and cannot be
  done is up to your table. This is
  invoking for eﬀect, as detailed
  on page 12 of the Fate System
  Toolkit.
  After attunement, you may create an ad-
  vantage of Channeling [Element].
  You
  may only channel one element at a time,
  but you get a passive beneﬁt as well as free
  invoke(s) of the aspect while you are chan-
  neling it. The element determines what the
  passive beneﬁt is and what you can invoke
  the aspect on.
  Embodiment
  Embodying an element is taking your con-
  nection to the next level. The internal con-
  nection now begins to manifest visibly on
  your body. When you embody an element
  you gain enormous power and your body
  goes through a physical change, taking on
  the characteristics of the element you are embodying.
  To attain the understanding necessary to embody an element, you must pass a
  test and prove yourself worthy of the element. You can only embody an element
  you are attuned to. Next, you must seek out an area that characterizes your
  chosen element: a cave deep inside a mountain for Earth, the caldera of an active
  volcano for Fire.
  After you’ve found an appropriate location, you commune with the element
  to discover the required test. The test can be anything your GM and you deem
  appropriate for the element, but it must prove that either you already portray
  the traits of the element or you are able to curb its shortcomings. This could
  be proving that you can go with the ﬂow if you’re trying to embody Water—or
  that you know when to break away from the pack and strike out on your own. In
  either case, learning to embody an element should be a scenario in-and-of itself.
  It’s not something that should be taken lightly, and if failed the PC must undergo
  the test again at a later date.
  Embodying an Element
  You may take an action to create an advantage of Body of [Element], which
  allows you to transform and become the element incarnate.
  3
  
  Embodying an element provides a passive beneﬁt that is equal in power to a
  stunt. Unlike channeling, you may do things appropriate to your element without
  spending invokes: while in the Body of Storm, for example, you may ﬂy and
  throw lightning bolts, and while in the Body of Life, you may control plant life
  in your area.
  Elemental Stunts
  Beyond the element-speciﬁc stunts, there are quite a few that can be taken re-
  gardless of your chosen elemental aﬃliation. The Quick Channeling and Quick
  Embodiment stunts allow you to gain the appropriate aspect without having
  to create an advantage. They allow you to gain the beneﬁt of Attunement and
  Embodiment and still take another action on your turn.
  • Attuned to the Elements.
  You stick an additional free invoke when
  you successfully create a Channeling [Element] or Body of [Element]
  aspect. [Element] Aﬃnity. Choose one element when you take this stunt.
  Once per scene, you gain a boost pertaining to that element.
  • Elemental Mastery. Invoking Channeling [Element] or Body of [El-
  ement] aspects grant you a +3 instead of a +2 to your roll.
  • Quick Channeling. Once per session, without rolling, you may create a
  Channeling [Element] aspect. This aspect doesn’t get any free invokes.
  • Quick Embodiment. You may spend a fate point to create a Body of
  [Element] aspect with one free invoke.
  4
  
  — 3 —
  Earth
  Earth is strong, unyielding, enduring. While everything around it changes
  Earth does not. Not quickly, anyway. It is slow to change, slow to give in, and
  slow to trust.
  Those that are attuned to Earth share these qualities, for good or for ill.
  Channeling Earth
  When Channeling Earth, you are connected to the earth and never lose your
  footing, no matter how precarious, unless actively knocked down. In addition,
  when you are Channeling Earth your skin takes on the hue of the local earth: if
  you’re in a clay ﬁeld, your skin looks pale and cracked. If you’re in a very rocky
  environment, your skin looks like it’s covered in pebbles.
  You may invoke Channeling Earth on any roll that involves brute strength,
  stamina, or stubbornness. Examples of Earth invokes include a powerful punch,
  boosting your immune system, or blending in to your surroundings.
  Body of Earth
  When you have passed the test of Earth, you learn how to take on the Body of
  Earth. While in the Body of Earth, you grow half-again in size and are covered
  in rock and stone native to your current location. Your eyes are replaced by black
  pieces of coal, and you gain several hundred pounds of weight.
  You must spend one refresh to take the following ability before you can em-
  body Earth:
  Fate Core System
  • Body of Earth. When you take on the Body of Earth, you may defend
  against physical attacks with Physique, though you always take 1 shift of
  stress on a tie.
  Fate Accelerated Edition
  • Body of Earth. Because I can take on the Body of Earth I get a +2
  when I Forcefully defend against physical attacks.
  5
  
  Earth Stunts
  Fate Core System
  • Earthquake.
  (Requires Body of Earth) Stomping your foot on the
  ground—hard—you cause others to falter. You may use Physique to cause
  a knocked down or similar advantage against a target up to 1 zone away.
  • Catapult. (Requires Body of Earth) Ripping up boulders, trees, and
  even chunks of the ground and hurling them with great force, you may
  spend 1 fate point to attack an entire zone—either the one you are in or an
  adjacent one.
  Fate Accelerated Edition
  • Leap of the Heavens. (Requires Body of Earth) Because I can launch
  myself great distances, once per game session I can show up in any
  scene, as long as I can jump there.
  • Freight Train. (Requires Body of Earth) Because I move with the
  force of a freight train I get a +2 bonus when I Forcefully overcome
  obstacles when moving out of my zone.
  6
  
  — 4 —
  Fire
  Fire is hot, passionate, intense.
  It ﬂares beyond the intensity of all other
  elements, but it can just as quickly vanish. Fire is aggressive, but it can burn out
  of control—even reigniting.
  If you are attuned to Fire, your emotions run to the extremes. You may gain
  a ﬁery temper or cry over the smallest mistake. On the bright side, you identify
  with others’ emotions. Your joy is sweeter, your love stronger.
  Channeling Fire
  Whenever you are Channeling Fire, your eyes burn with an intense light, and
  your hair takes on a red/orange tinge. While Channeling Fire, you may reduce
  any tie to a one-shift failure in order to gain a boost.
  You may invoke Channeling Fire on any action that is aggressive or pas-
  sionate. The power of Fire can bolster a rousing speech, an impassioned plea, or
  a ﬂurry of blows, whether physical or verbal.
  Body of Fire
  When you have passed the test of Fire, you learn how to take on the Body of
  Fire. While in this state, you become living ﬂame, able to heat objects near to
  you or burn anything you touch. You are even able to lob balls of ﬁre at distant
  foes.
  You must spend one refresh to take the following ability before you can em-
  body Fire:
  Fate Core System
  • Body of Fire. When embodying Fire, any physical attack that succeeds
  with style causes a Burning or similar boost.
  Fate Accelerated Edition
  • Body of Fire. Because I can take on the Body of Fire I get a +2 when
  I Flashily attack when in melee combat.
  7
  
  Fire Stunts
  Fate Core System
  • Living Flame. (Requires Body of Fire) Your living ﬂame burns so hot
  it scalds those who venture too near. Whenever you succeed with style on a
  melee defense, you may cause a 2-shift hit to the attacker instead of gaining
  a boost.
  • Inferno. (Requires Body of Fire) Your ﬁne control over your ﬂame allows
  you to increase the intensity at speciﬁc points. Once per scene, you may
  force an opponent to upgrade a consequence taken by one severity. If you
  dealt 2 or more shifts of stress, you may instead cause a mild consequence.
  Fate Accelerated Edition
  • Blazing Bolt. (Requires Body of Fire) Because I can create a lance
  of super-hot ﬂame I get a +2 when I Carefully Attack targets in
  another zone.
  • Melting touch.
  (Requires Body of Fire) Because I can melt any-
  thing I touch, once per game session I automatically succeed at one
  overcome action when I can melt or burn what is in my way.
  8
  
  — 5 —
  Life
  Life is, and will always be. Wild, growing, learning, adapting. New things are
  a gem to investigate and learn from, even if there are more important matters at
  hand.
  Those that are attuned to Life are exuberant, full of life, and ever searching—
  yearning to learn new things. They have an aura, a quality about them that is
  mesmerizing.
  Channeling Life
  While Channeling Life, you are radiant. Your skin practically glows, and every-
  one around you feels more alive. While Channeling Life, you are automatically
  aware of all living creatures in your zone and all adjacent zones. For some maps
  where zones are quite large, your table may decide that this ability only functions
  in your zone. This ability only gives you information about their approximate
  location and doesn’t tell you anything about their intent.
  The power of Life can be used on any overcome or create an advantage action
  involving a living creature. Some examples are healing physical or mental injuries,
  reading others emotional state, and bolstering your own personal magnetism.
  Body of Life
  While in the Body of Life, you turn into living energy, glowing with radiant life.
  Everything around you seems more real, and those in your immediate vicinity
  feel more awake, alert, and alive. While in this form, you may touch someone
  to immediately begin recovery of a physical or mental consequence—there is no
  need to roll to recover it, you automatically succeed.
  You must spend one refresh to take the following ability before you can em-
  body Life:
  Fate Core System
  • Body of Life. When you take on the Body of Life, all of your conse-
  quences absorb one additional shift of stress (3 for mild, 5 for moderate, 7
  for severe).
  9
  
  Fate Accelerated Edition
  • Body of Life. Because I can take on the Body of Life I get a +2 when I
  Carefully overcome obstacles that impede someone’s natural state
  (blindness, sprained ankle, confusion, etc.).
  Life Stunts
  Fate Core System
  • A Beacon of Light. (Requires Body of Life) You are able to augment
  your glow to blind all who gaze upon you. Once per scene, you may create
  a blinded advantage against everyone else in your current zone.
  • Leech Life. (Requires Body of Life) You are able to siphon the life force
  out of others. When you succeed with style on a physical attack action, you
  automatically create a drained boost without reducing the stress dealt.
  Fate Accelerated Edition
  • Invigorate. (Requires Body of Life) Because I can imbue health in all
  living things, once per scene I grant an invigorated boost to anyone
  in the same scene.
  • Open Book. (Requires Body of Life) Because I am able to read living
  things like an open book, I get a +2 to Cleverly create an advantage
  when I try to discover an existing aspect on a living being.
  10
  
  — 6 —
  Storm
  The Storm is ﬁckle, quick, and ruthless; it is dispassionate, cold.
  Usually
  ﬁnding—and taking—the path of least resistance, the Storm is a sight to behold.
  Storms hold a lot of potential energy within, just waiting for the right conditions
  to unleash.
  Those that attune themselves to the Storm are very forward, quick to act and
  sharp of mind, but they tend to jump from one thing to the next. You’re never
  sure what you’ll ﬁnd when dealing with the Storm, but one thing is for sure:
  when it breaks, you don’t want to be caught in its path.
  Channeling Storm
  When Channeling Storm your eyes haze over as if being hidden by a fog, and
  others see lightning travel across your body if they see you out of the corner of
  their eye. Also, while Channeling Storm, your voice may be heard up to two
  zones away, regardless of conditions.
  The Storm can beneﬁt you when you’re doing anything that involves swiftness
  or precision. Moving quickly, striking sure, plowing through your opposition, and
  making sure you’re noticed are but some examples of what you can do with the
  power of Storm.
  Body of Storm
  When you have passed the test of Storm, you learn how to take on the Body of
  Storm. While in the Body of Storm, you become a living thunderstorm, fog
  and coursing lightning. This form gives you the ability to ﬂy, throw lightning
  bolts, and rumble with thunder.
  You must spend one refresh to take the following ability before you can em-
  body Storm:
  Fate Core System
  • Body of Storm. When you take on the Body of Storm, you gain a +2
  to Athletics when you create an advantage that has to do with your stormy
  nature.
  11
  
  Fate Accelerated Edition
  • Body of Storm. Because I can take on the Body of Storm I get a +2
  when I Quickly overcome obstacles that hinder movement.
  Storm Stunts
  Fate Core
  • Poof. (Requires Body of Storm) When you choose to, you may cause
  your body to dissipate and reform somewhere else. When you succeed with
  style on an Athletics defend action, you may move 1 zone for free.
  • Flowing Shape. (Requires Body of Storm) You’ve learned to control
  the shape of your body when you concentrate, making it harder to notice
  you in the sky. Whenever you are hiding in or around clouds, gain a +2 to
  Stealth defense rolls to avoid being noticed.
  Fate Accelerated Edition
  • Call Lightning. (Requires Body of Storm) Because I can direct light-
  ning, I get a +2 when I Quickly Attack with lightning bolts.
  • Chariot of Mist. (Requires Body of Storm) Because I can form a
  chariot out of mists, once per game session I create a vehicle out of
  mists that can ﬂy and transport a small number of people.
  12
  
  — 7 —
  Water
  Water is swift and sure, powerful in its course. While it often follows a distinct
  pattern, it can also adapt to changing situations. If you attune to Water, you
  choose a well-worn or known path and are diﬃcult to sway.
  However, when
  circumstances dictate change is necessary, you tend to agree and go with the
  ﬂow.
  Channeling Water
  While Channeling Water the air around you is damp, and you look like you’re
  constantly sweating. This appearance of sweating doesn’t aﬀect your clothes or
  your ability to perform tasks. Your movements are graceful and ﬂuid. While in
  such a state, you are ﬂeet of foot and sure of your every step: you may reduce
  movement-related obstacles by two shifts. If this reduces the diﬃculty to zero,
  it’s a free move. You may perform the move and then take a normal action.
  An invoke of Channeling Water may be spent on movement and momentum
  of body, and not just yours. You may invoke on a defend action to weave out
  of the way or to use your opponent’s momentum against them and slam them
  into a wall. You may ﬂow silently between trees, underbrush, and other physical
  obstacles in your path.
  Body of Water
  When you have passed the test of Water, you learn how to take on the Body of
  Water. While manifesting the Body of Water, you become water in a humanoid
  shape. This form gives you the ability to ﬂow through and around things, as well
  as become a puddle and traverse bodies of water quickly. You may attack with
  jets of water from your body, or control local waterways.
  You must spend one refresh to take the following ability before you can em-
  body Water:
  Fate Core System
  • Body of Water. When you take on the Body of Water, you may use
  Physique instead of Athletics when overcoming obstacles for movement.
  13
  
  Fate Accelerated Edition
  • Body of Water. Because I can take on the Body of Water I get a +2
  when I Cleverly create advantages that deal with wet or slippery
  terrain.
  Water Stunts
  Fate Core System
  • Go With the Flow. (Requires Body of Water) You are able to move
  swiftly through bodies of water. When you travel, reduce the time taken
  by 2 shifts when a majority of it is via waterways (see the sidebar on page
  197 of Fate Core System).
  • Amorphous Blob.
  (Requires Body of Water) Because you’re living
  water, it’s hard to ﬁnd a soft spot. When you take a defend action against
  a physical attack, and it results in a tie, opponents do not gain a boost.
  Fate Accelerated Edition
  • Osmosis. (Requires Body of Water) Because I can control the ﬂow of
  liquids in and out of people, I get a +2 when I Carefully overcome
  poisons and other illness resulting in liquid imbalance.
  • Groundwater Runoﬀ. (Requires Body of Water) Because I am made
  of water, once per game session, I can exit a scene without conceding
  as long as there is a zone boundary to seep into.
  14
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/FATE (fudge) [multi]/Five-Elements-a-Fate-Core-Magic-System.pdf