Homebrew Stunts

[Sanctaphrax]

The core book recommends that players come up with their own stunts. This is good advice, since stunts are a big part of what makes each character unique. Still, coming up with stunts for every main and supporting NPC is a fair bit of work. A list of premade stunts can save a lot of effort. Besides, sometimes a single stunt can inspire an entire character. And so I ask you, good people of the forum, to post the home-made stunts that you use in your games to this thread.

This is the master list of homebrew stunts, for those who don't want to look through the entire thread: http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,21952.0.html

The page behind the above link contains the work of me, Tbora, blankshield, admiralducksauce, Tsunami, Dumbledresden, HobbitGuy1420, and too many others to list here. I'd like to thank furashgf for compiling a full list of stunts, canon and otherwise, and sending it to me.

For those who want a copy of the stunt list on their own computer, there is an automatically-updating publicly available word document behind the following link:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/43356063/DFRPG%20stunts%20%28sorted%29.docx

[blankshield]

Contacts:
My buddy has one of those... - You may use contacts instead of resources for equipment purchases.  Anything acquired this way comes with the aspect "Not actually mine."

[HobbitGuy1420]

Just thought of one for my character.  Input on it?

Deceit:

It's Just Creative Lying: You may use Deceit, rather than Performance, for the Playing to an Audience trapping, but only when acting. 

Alternately, its inverse could be appropriate: 

Playing to expectations: You may use Performance, rather than Deceit, for the Falsehood & Deception trapping.

[Sanctaphrax]

Stunts look fine, HobbitGuy1420. Performance isn't going to break the game anytime soon. In fact, you could probably make them more powerful without any real problems.

Endurance:

Spell Resistance: Your body rejects the effects of magic more effectively than most. You have a natural armour score of 1 against magic which stacks with everything.

Lore:

Favoured Enemy: You've studied how to kill certain magical creatures. Choose a type of supernatural being. All of your physical attacks inflict 2 additional stress to that type of being.

Survival:

Urban Survivalist: You prefer the concrete jungle to the leafy one. You may use all trappings of the survival skill with a +1 bonus while in an urban environment.

[deathwombat]

I like them!

[FangGrip]

Endurance:

Spell Resistance: Your body rejects the effects of magic more effectively than most. You have a natural armour score of 1 against magic which stacks with everything.

Shouldn't there be a reminder that this stunt cannot reduce the minimum stress inflicted by evocation below one?

[Sanctaphrax]

Sorry FangGrip, I seem to have been unclear. The stunt doesn't work against the stress incurred casting a spell. It's meant to protect you from evocation attacks.

Athletics:

Reading the Line of Fire: You can tell where the bullets will go before the trigger is pulled. Increase your athletics skill by 2 when using it to dodge gunfire.

Endurance:

Backlash Absorber: You can take a lot of self-inflicted magical punishment. Choose one: either you may take two additional mild physical or mental consequences when facing magical backlash or you have a natural armor score of 1 against magical backlash.

Inexhaustible Power: You always have a bit more juice to draw upon. You may take two additional mild mental or physical conseqeunces when facing the stress incurred from using evocation.

Presence:

In Control: People instictively wait for you to say your piece. You may use presence instead of empathy to determine social initiative.

Rapport:

Blank Face: Your facial expression doesn't reveal anything. Increase your rapport skill by 2 when using it to defend against an empathy "read".

Weapons:

Twist the Knife: You know how to exploit the wounds of your opponents. When tagging or invoking another character's consequences in a physical conflict, add 1 to your attack roll.

[Sanctaphrax]

Guns:

Long-Range Combat: You're most comfortable when your enemies are a ways away. Add 1 to your guns skill when using it to attack a character at least 2 zones away.

Survival:

Supernatural Survivalism: You've spent time in the Nevernever and have a pretty good idea of how to survive there. Add 2 to your survival skill when using it in the Nevernever.

[Sanctaphrax]

Endurance:

Fireproof: You are incredibly resistant to fire and extreme heat in general. You have a natural armour score of 2 against fire.

Intimidation:

Scare 'em Straight: You are a an authority figure. Part of your job is to put the fear of the law in potential miscreants. Add 2 to your intimidation skill when using it against someone under your authority (ie: students for a teacher, magical practitioners for a Warden).

Might:

Clever Wrestling: You've wrestled against incredibly strong things before and you know how to handle it. When in a grapple with something that has a strength power, halve their power bonus to might and round
down.

Presence:

Encouraging Leadership: People feel braver with your support. When leading a group in a social situation you may have your presence complement that of your group.

Weapons:

Parry Everything: You can deflect bullets with a sword, or at least use your skill to make yourself harder to hit. You may use your weapons skill to defend against all physical attacks.
Defeat Armour: You are a master of finding weak spots in a coat of armour. All of your attacks with weapons ignore 2 points of armour rating.

[Sanctaphrax]

This thread has plenty of views but few replies. I can't be the only one with stunts to share. C'mon people, let's see what you got.

Conviction:

Strength in the Most Desperate Hour: Your faith is always strongest in times of desperate need. When using the desperate hour trapping of the Righteousness power, your attack with conviction is weapon: 2.

Discipline:

Unbroken Composure: Your mental strength allows you to remain calm when others would be caught off guard. You may use your discipline skill for the avoiding surprise trapping of the alertness skill.

Resources:

Prized Possession: You own something well above your income level. You may select a single item with a value up to your resources skill +2 and add it to your starting gear.

[Sanctaphrax]

Well, I just made a stunt-heavy character for the DFRPG The Musical thread. It got me thinking about weapons stunts, so I came up with a few new ones.

Weapons:

Futuristic Weapons Proficiency: You're either from the future or very up to date about weapons technology. Increase your weapons skill by one when dealing with cutting-edge prototype weapons or weapons from the future.

Mounted Combat: You know how to fight from atop a horse. Add one to your weapons skill while riding an animal.

Weapon Focus: You've trained to use a specific type of weapon. Choose a type of weapon. Add one to your weapons skill while weilding that type of weapon.

Weapon Specialization: You know how to attack effectively with a specific type of weapon. Choose a type of weapon. Your attacks with that type of weapon inflict two additional stress.

Power Attack: You put all your strength into an attack, increasing power at the expense of precision. You may take a -1 penalty to an attack roll before rolling to increase the stress inflicted by that attack by 3.

Shield Carrier: You know how to use a shield. Add one to your physical armour score as long as you are carrying a shield.

    Phalanx Fighting: (Requires Shield Carrier) You know how to use a shield in a formation. Whenever you take a full defense action while carrying a shield, you may select two other characters in the same zone as you who have this stunt. Increase each of their physical armour scores by one until your next turn.

        Excellent Formation: (Requires Phalanx Fighting) You have been extensively trained to fight as a unit with your fellow soldiers. Whenever you use Phalanx Fighting, you may select an additional two characters in your zone who have this stunt. Those characters may use your defense and physical armour scores in place of their own until your next action.
 
Quick Draw: You can draw and use a weapon in a single motion. You take no penalty when drawing a weapon as a supplemental action (page YS:213); if you're in a race to see who draws first, or anything else having to do with your speed or ability to draw, gain a +1 on the roll.

    Iaijutsu: You are trained in iaijutsu, the art of drawing a sword. The first attack you make with a sword each scene gets a +1 bonus to hit and inflicts two additional stress.

[Sanctaphrax]

Just here to add some stunts from the Generic NPC thread.

Fists:

Street Fighter: You don't fight by the rules. If there's a piece of lead pipe lying around, you'll use it. You may use your fists skill to wield improvised weapons.

Presence:

Authority Figure: You are in charge. Add two to your presence skill when using it against someone under your authority (ie: students for a teacher, grunts for a sergeant).

Resources:

Access Pass: You have access to excellent scientific facilities as part of your job. You can use, but do not own, a library and workspace of Superb quality.
My Wallet Has A Lot To Say: You know how to use your money socially. Add two to your resources when using the Money Talks trapping.

Scholarship:
Professional Teacher: You not only know things, you know how to teach them. Choose Scholarship or any social skill. You may use that skill to teach.
Quick Diagnosis: You've been a doctor long enough that making diagnoses is routine. You may make medical assessments two time increments faster.

Survival:

Professional Panhandler: You live off the proceeds of your begging career. As a result, you've gotten good at begging. You may use your survival skill to beg.

[Janus Node]

Here's a few of the stunts I came up with for my monster hunter character


"I Ain't Got Time to Bleed" - Two extra physical consiquence slots.
"Sneak Attack!" - +2 Shift to attacks made from Cover/Surprise
"Uncommon Prey" - Make declarations about non-sentient supernaturals creatures with Survival.
"Come With Me if You Want to Live" - Spend Fate Point; +2 Shift when using Presence to make a declare on another character in a crisis situation.
"That Ain't a Knife…" - +2 Shift to Intimidate roll when weilding a Melee Weapon

I'm also working on a stunt that allows for makeshift weapons similar to horror/zombie movies.  I call it "This is my Boomstick", and it's supposed to be fueled by Fate spending and I'm trying to balance out a few factors still.  If there are any thoughts, I'd love to hear them.  (Think Army of Darkness, Phantasm, and your favorite over-the-top sort of movies)

[Sanctaphrax]

I'm afraid that I'm not too familiar with over the top movies. Haven't seen Army of Darkness or Phantasm. So I'm not really sure what you are looking for. Sorry.

As for your other stunts, Uncommon Prey and That Ain't A Knife... look good. Come With Me If You Want To Live seems underpowered, as you could spend a fate point for a +2 bonus anyway. Sneak Attack is interesting but possibly too powerful, as stunts are generally not supposed to give +2 to an attack. I don't think it will be a problem, but by a strict intepretation of the stunt-making guidelines it ought to be either +1 to hit or +2 stress. Finally, I Ain't Got Time To Bleed is just too strong. It's twice as good as the canon stunt No Pain No Gain in every way.

Expect full writeups of the stunts of the military generic NPCs soon.

Discipline:

Focused Fallout: Your spells are hard on the environment, but they're harder on the guys that you hit with them. When you take fallout as a consequence of casting a spell with insufficient control, reduce the power of the spell by two shifts less. 

[Sanctaphrax]

Well, I've been making a lot of characters lately and many of those characters have had homebrew stunts. I decided that I really ought to post them here in more detail, so here they are.

Alertness:

Attention!: You have been trained to follow orders instantly in combat. When in a physical conflict, you may replace your initiative with that of a friendly character with this stunt.

Contacts:

Chain of Command: You are a soldier, and other soldiers answer to you. Add two to your Contacts skill when using it to deal with other soldiers.
The Boss: People do what you say. Add a new trapping to contacts, called Employment. You may use this trapping to find obedient subordinates in a particular category, chosen when you take this stunt.
   Minions: (Requires The Boss) You have some loyal henchmen. You may use your Contacts to declare that they are present at any time, with a difficulty determined by the situation and the quality of your henchmen.

Deceit:

Impenetrable Bluff: You can bluff like a poker pro. Maybe you are a poker pro. Increase your Deceit skill by two when using it to bluff.

Discipline:

Trained As A Unit: You have been extensively trained to work together with others. Increase any skill used to work together with other characters who have this stunt by two.

Guns:

Killer of Many: You have killed a lot of people, but not so many monsters. All of your attacks with Guns inflict two additional stress to Pure Mortals.

Presence:

Force Of Personality: Force of will and force of personality aren't really all that different. Use your Presence skill to determine your mental stress track.
Excellent Speaker: Public speaking is an everyday thing to you. Increase whatever skill you use to make speeches by one and don't reduce it if your Performance skill is lower.
Trainer Of The Unit: You can control people better because you trained them. Increase all social skills by two when using them on a character with the Trained As A Unit stunt. This bonus stacks with the one provided by Trained As A Unit.

Resources:

Professional Gambler: Your funds at a given time are determined by chance more than anything else. Whenever you roll Resources, flip a coin. If heads, add two to your roll.
Arsenal: You have access to an impressive supply of weaponry. Resources checks made to obtain weaponry get a two shift bonus.
   Improved Arsenal: (Requires Arsenal) You have access to an armoury better than that of some national armies. Ignore all legal restrictions when purchasing weaponry.

Scholarship:

Gamer: You are very good at playing games. Whenever you use a skill to play a game, increase it by one.

Stealth:

Sneak Attack: You prefer to attack by surprise. When preparing or carrying out an ambush, add two to your Stealth skill.