**Hacking this Extra**
A few concepts were mentioned in the "Dials and Ideas" section above, but this Extra is meant to be highly modifiable and easily expanded. By adding more Traits or removing some of the ones below, a GM can make this fit into almost any genre. Because the Charge RPG offloads so much of the gameplay restrictions/openness onto the narrative, a few simple words or phrases added to the description of a Specialized Asset can do a lot of heavy lifting. For example:
- Adding a Type to an asset can be as simple as calling it a Weapon, Equipment, Companion, or Artifact. But what if you go deeper than that? You could call it a Melee or Ranged weapon right from the start. You could go deeper, and define if it is bladed or not. The basic generator for this Extra defines equipment as being Mechanical, Biological, or Ethereal, and also notes if it was Crafted, Grown, or Summoned. These terms have no effect on the rules or mechanics of the game, but the GM could use things like this to add flavor or restrictions.
- One could add Traits onto other Traits, if they wished to make things more complicated. "Ranged(Venomous)" could indicate the asset has a poisonous spit attack. "Secretive(Automated)" could mean the asset automatically cloaks when not in view or tends to stick to the shadows. Adding onto the "Kitted" Trait would indicate what type of kit the asset carries, sure as "Kitted(Medicinal)" being a first-aid kit or "Kitted(Elemental)" being a alchemist's kit. And of course, one could add on to the "Ranged" trait to state exactly what the range of an asset is, such as "Ranged(Short)", etc.
- By simplizing this Extra even more, a GM could stat out the basic weapons and equipment in the world. As an example:
Basic Pistol
Quality: Common - Starting Condition 4
Ability: You may damage this asset to gain a better effect for a personal roll.
Normally, this wouldn't be needed. A GM could just say "You have a pistol, so you have a better effect" and the item wouldn't even have to be noted beyond that. However, some players like having equipment with stats. This could also work well in a genre where equipment is scarce or hard to come by - in a post-apocalypse world, having a pistol could be all you need to end a dangerous situation quickly.
- One could allow Specialized Assets to be modified. For the example above, the basic pistol doesn't have a Boost or any Traits. Giving players a "baseline" version of equipment and then allowing them to customize it and find more parts for it would be perfect for some genres. If the player finds or crafts a "scope", the pistol could gain "You may damage this asset to gain +1d6 to a Shoot Action." If the player creates intricate carvings on a weapon, it now has the "Stylish" trait. Adding and removing Traits from assets is an easy way to show the nature of the player's journey and growing power.
- "Roloading" was created as a way for players to quickly restore the condition of an asset in the heat of battle or in the middle of the action. However, it may cause some confusion for some players, or players may want more versatility in their assets. If this is the case, the GM may consider making separate "Ammo/Charge" and "Condition" clocks for assets that need them. If so, "Ammo" would be what can be restored without downtime, and "Condition" would require downtime to repair/restore.
- To expand upon the notion of assets having multiple/separate clocks, I'm going to post a suggestion by Hobblin from the Fari Games Discord here. I do not think a GM should jump to this level of complexity immediately and I'm sure other Extras will come along that can represent this better than mine does, but if you wanted to use this Extra to have more complicated assets you could do the following:
"..it make sense that an asset can have a limited number of "resource slots" depending on the type of item. For each resource you have one skill to reset and one description of what happens when it runs out.
A magic sword has:
- Durability, resets with tinker, breaks when exhausted.
- Fire charges, resets with focus, stops being magic when exhausted.
An attack dog has:
- Trust, resets with Bond, stops listening to commands when exhausted.
- Energy, resets with Time, takes damage when exhausted.
- Health, resets with Tinker, dies when exhausted. And so on."