Card Commitment & Burning
V2 rule status: Approved fundamentals. Round-wide refills, flexible card-funded activations and default card timing are confirmed; freeform Draw-step procedures and card-specific exceptions remain open.
Every meaningful action commits a card
Section titled “Every meaningful action commits a card”Cards are the principal action resource in Fated Hand V2. Whenever a character takes a meaningful action, they commit at least one card.
Cards are normally used during the player’s own activation, unless the card specifies another timing (such as a Reaction). See Activations & Card Timing.
A Skill card used from Hand has one of three modes:
| Mode | Effect |
|---|---|
| Play | Resolve the printed Skill, ignoring that card’s Burn modifiers. |
| Burn | Apply the card’s Attribute adjustments instead of its Skill. Keep the card visible while its modifiers remain active, then move it to Discard (or Exhaust if specified). |
| Discard | Send the card to Discard without its printed Skill or Burn modifiers, either as payment for an ability or simply to clear the Hand. |
Discarding as payment
Section titled “Discarding as payment”Some abilities, commonly an attack or Skill granted by Equipment or a voluntary position change, require a Skill card to be Discarded as payment. The payment card gives neither its Skill effect nor Burn modifiers. It satisfies the card-commitment requirement for that action unless a specific rule states otherwise.
Paid costs and interrupted actions
Section titled “Paid costs and interrupted actions”A character must be able to pay all required costs before declaring an action. If they lack the necessary cards or other resources from the outset, the action cannot be declared or attempted. An ordinary lack of resources is not itself a complication requiring GM intervention.
Once a cost has been paid to attempt an action, it remains paid even if a Reaction, another effect or an unexpected event prevents that action from succeeding. A failed or interrupted action does not refund its paid cards or other committed costs.
If a required cost becomes unpayable after an action has been declared or begun, the GM steps in to adjudicate the situation through the fiction. This is a serious complication: the GM narrates why it is a very bad development and what adverse consequences may follow. There is no fixed automatic penalty or universal outcome; the specific fallout depends on the circumstances and the GM’s narration.
Example — interrupted Disengage: a Warrior Discards one Skill card to attempt to leave Engaged for Near. The ensuing Parting Blows Reaction incapacitates them before they move. They fall still Engaged, and the movement card remains spent. See Position & Movement.
Discarding freely
Section titled “Discarding freely”During their own activation, a player can freely Discard unwanted cards from their Hand into their Discard pile. This does not cost an action and grants no Skill effect or Burn modifier. The player draws no immediate replacements; normal hand-refill timing still applies. Freely clearing a Hand is not itself an unrelated meaningful action.
A Skill played to perform an action already satisfies the card-commitment requirement; it does not require an additional ordinary commitment card unless a specific rule says so.
Preparing with Burns: during their activation, players can Burn cards before Playing a Skill or taking another action. Multiple Burn modifiers combine, modifying Current Attributes for subsequent actions while they remain active. Additional Burns can also support an action before it resolves.
Keeping track: put Burned cards face up on the table in front of the player while their Attribute adjustments are active. This makes the current modifiers visible to everyone. Once those modifiers expire, move each card to Discard by default, or Exhaust if that card or the effect permitting its Burn directs it there.
Other Played cards with ongoing effects may likewise stay visible until their effects are no longer relevant. Cards that resolve immediately can move straight to their normal destination; a card being displayed as active is not yet in Discard or Exhaust.
No reactive Burn by default: a player normally cannot Burn cards as a Reaction or in response to another event outside their activation. Only an explicit Class Skill, Level card or other rule can grant that permission. A Reaction that allows a card to be Played off-turn does not automatically permit Burning other cards.
Existing Burns are still relevant: modifiers established during an earlier activation remain active until their normal reset and can affect subsequent Reactions. See Activations & Card Timing for the rule and potential exceptions.
Trivial actions without meaningful pressure, risk or consequence require no card commitment.
Hand management: At the beginning of each Round, all players and the GM retain cards in Hand and refill to their respective maxima. A player seeking a different Hand can freely Discard unwanted cards during their own activation, without drawing immediate replacements.
Activation economy: players and GM units may take as many legal actions as they can afford during an activation. A legal action still needs any card commitment and additional requirements. See Rounds & Activations.
Burn strips
Section titled “Burn strips”A Skill card’s standard Burn strip contains one modifier for each Core Attribute: Might, Agility, Wits, Presence, and Essence.
The standard set is +2, +1, 0, -1, -2, with those five values each assigned once across the five Attributes. Burning a card applies all its Burn modifiers together.
Playing or Discarding the card does not apply its Burn strip.
A Burn is a card-use mode, not Exhaustion. The Burning card remains on the table while its Attribute modifiers apply, then normally moves to Discard when those modifiers expire. It only Exhausts if the applicable card or ability explicitly requires that destination. The modifiers continue to affect Current values until their reset boundary.
There is no general temporary upper cap on Current Attributes.
How long Burn adjustments last
Section titled “How long Burn adjustments last”In structured Rounds: active temporary Burn modifiers reset at the end of the Round.
In freeform play: temporary Burn adjustments end at an agreed narrative boundary, such as a scene change or clear passage of time; they also end when the player chooses to cycle/refill their hand at their Draw step.
The precise freeform Draw-step procedure and any constraints on voluntarily cycling/refilling the hand are not yet locked. Do not infer a free, unlimited Draw action from the reset rule alone.
Related rules
Section titled “Related rules”- Attributes & Challenges — Base and Current values, creation XP investment, target ladder, ordinary Challenge success.
- Deck Structure & Card Zones — Deck, Hand, Discard and Exhaust.
- Hand Size & Round Refills — the maximum Hand and retaining cards when refilling at the start of a Round.
- Rounds & Activations — alternating turns and card-funded actions.
- Position & Movement — position bands and card Discards for voluntary movement.
- Activations & Card Timing — the normal timing rule and off-activation card exceptions.
- Fatigue & Recycling — when the discard pile is reshuffled and a card is Exhausted.
Details not yet finalised
Section titled “Details not yet finalised”- Exactly when the freeform Draw step is available and whether choosing to cycle/refill carries a cost or time requirement.
- The normal start-of-Round refill, own-activation card timing, flexible card-funded actions and no reactive Burning by default are approved. Exact Reaction windows, explicit exceptions and individual action restrictions still need review. Voluntary Discarding is free.
- The paid-costs-are-not-refunded rule and GM adjudication of newly unpayable costs are approved. There is no default numeric penalty for a cost becoming unpayable.
- How to handle any unusual interactions between several positive and negative modifiers will be checked as we develop relevant Skills and Effects; final values always respect the 0 floor.