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Relationships in FATE

by Harald Wagener (dipl @ mausdompteur.de)

Note
This article concerns character relationships in the FATE system for Fudge. If you are unfamiliar with FATE, you can learn more about it. Aspects, a part of the FATE system, have been in Fudge Factor on more than one occasion

The FATE rules cover only three basic types of relationships at the time of writing. Other rules differentiate between Allies, Contacts, Dependents, Enemies, Followers, Mentors, Patrons and so on. For the ones mentioned, the following mapping can apply:

Other Systems Fate Notes
Allies Allies  
Contacts Contacts  
Dependents Allies 1
Enemies Allies 2
Followers Minions  
Mentors Allies/Contacts 3
Patrons not mappable 4

[1] Dependents -> Allies

This is a classic example of a Fault-Turned-Aspect. A Dependent should give You skills and use up few skill ranks himself normally. A good example would be skill ranks in Teaching, Arguing, Parental Stare for a teenage kid in Your custody, or Exozoology, Biochemistry, Gardening, Psionic Empathy for a rare sentient alien plant that needs special care but whose spores give You certain mental abilities.

[2] Enemies -> Allies

Another classic example - Enemies give Your character purpose. Here, a balance between character skills and skill ranks are possibly a good answer: An enemy should normally be able to keep up with the character's abilities, and the root of the enmity is often some sort of contest, leading naturally to a selection of skills 'trained by that enmity. Enemies could easily be allowed having more skill ranks invested than the character having aspects (breaking the rule of thumb), indicating a powerful enemy which will not be easy to defeat and who comes up more often in the course of the game. Enemies could be seen as plot hooks (granting You an extra skill rank) if players invest enough Aspect or skill ranks.

[3] Mentors -> Allies/Contacts

Mentors again are mostly a source of information and training, so raising Your on skills seems most appropriate. Mentors often don't have an active role in the game world - they act as counsel and a source of training. Raising Your own skills seems most appropriate, and possibly one of that skills will be a 'Contact' regarding the same aspect, actually making Mentors a hybrid form of relationship, which can be very useful. At that point, the Mentor transforms into a one-person-patron.

[4] Patrons -> ???

Patrons are one of the most difficult Player Character Assets to handle. Often being organizations, they give out equipment, training, a place to retreat to, counsel, protect from or grant executive/judicative licenses and so on. A patron is best described by multiple aspects covering item acquisition, skill acquisition, contacts, and so on. A Patron Aspect could be augmented by other relationship types easily.

Other systems also have more generic relationship typed like Reputation or Influence. These are easily bought with skill ranks (as items). Since they can't be taken away, but are normally of a geographically limited nature. A higher rank in reputation means better reputation or a greater number of people being aware of the character/giving weight to his or her word.

One should only use the detail presented here for really important relationships that are a part of the character or the character's making. Feel free to have any of these relations be part of an Aspect (i.e., for a secret agent, who could automatically have a patron if he invested a lot into his aspect, or a rockstar, who could be famous if he's Great or even Superb), or come with high skill ranks (i.e., everybody in the guild knows it can only be Your character creating this type of armor).

Example

An example Character built on relationship Aspects:

Jack Stone, P.I. (a 5-Phase FATE Pulp Character)

Phase 1:

Jack Stone began his career as the helping hand of Fred Four-Eyes, Gumshoe, who needed a helping hand after getting a bit old himself. Jack was part body guard, part assistant, learning something about the trade by watching Fred doing what he did. In the first phase, his Aspect is Mentor(Ally): Fred Four Eyes - the player invests two skill ranks into Fred, and selects Investigations and Brawling at Fair as his skills.

Phase 2:

After a time of getting acquainted, Fred sends Jack on errands alone, staying in the office drinking too much booze. In one of his first Jobs, Jack runs into the sinister Dr. Alvenarius Herborn, who abducted a client's daughter. Jack managed to free the young girl, but Herborn is not a man who likes his plans crossed. So, In phase two, the player wants his Aspect to be Enemy(Ally): Alvenarius Herborn. The GM decides that this is a plot hook and awards the player an additional skill rank. The player invests two skill ranks into Herborn, buys Driving and Stealth at Average and increases Investigation to Fair.

Phase 3:

After that encounter, which got quite dangerous, Fred decides to give Jack some training and introduce him to his niece, who operates the reception at the police station, as well as an informant he knows. The player advances the Mentor(Ally): Fred Four Eyes one level, and uses his skill ranks as follows: He selects Shadowing at Fair, and invests a skill rank in Minions: Police Ties and Minions: Shady Informant.

Phase 4:

Jack Stone had almost forgotten it, but now Alvenarius Herborn appears again, plotting revenge against the young investigator. The player invests another skill rank in his Enemy, who manages to capture and torture our aspiring hero. Stone holds up to the challenge, getting Pain Resistance at Average, advancing Stealth to Fair, and Investigations to Good.

Phase 5:

The GM tells the player that Fred can't teach him more than he already did, and that the Mentor Aspect can't be advanced in this phase. The player chooses not to advance his Enemy Aspect as well, fearing Herborn would become too big a part of what Stone is. He opens up another Aspect, Licensed P.I. . Being true to the matter, he invests 1 other skill rank into Herborn (Herborn would be no match otherwise), saying the good Doctor still plots on revenge and will come back one day. He gets a gun (1 skill rank, the gun's characteristic being 'Menacing'), and invests a skill rank into Guns and Savvy.

The final character would look like this:

Character Name Jack Stone
High Concept Private Eye
Aspects
[ ] [ ] Mentor(Ally) Fred[][] (Good)
[ ] [ ] Enemy(Ally) Dr. Herborn[][][][] (Good)
[ ] Licensed P.I. (Fair)
Skills
[ ] [ ] [ ] Investigations (Good)
[ ] [ ] Shadowing (Fair)
[ ] [ ] Stealth(Fair)
[ ] Driving (Average)
[ ] Brawling (Average)
[ ] Pain Resistance (Average)
[ ] Savvy (Average)
[ ] Guns (Average)
Minions
[ ] Police Ties
[ ] Shady Informant
Item
[ ] Menacing Gun

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