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RealityLevel

Reality Level

[b]Issue:[/b] What's "real," anyway? What kind of extraordinary deeds can Specialists perform, and which should be vetoed if there's no sorcery or Dispensations involved?

[b]Default:[/b] Player characters without any magic powers are capable of action-movie style stunts.

As designed, [i]Good & Evil, Incorporated[/i] is not a grim and gritty game. Our "mundane" heroes can do incredible things, without any demonic powers coming into play.

For my players, raised on [i]James Bond[/i] and [i]Die Hard[/i], this isn't too much of a stretch. It might strain your suspension of disbelief, though, or maybe you'd just prefer something more on the level of [i]NYPD Blue[/i].

The Flesh is Weak

There are a few ways you can make your game a little more brutal.

• [b]Encourage players to narrate inconveniences and failures.[/b] Being awesome isn't the only source of Details. Remind your players that they can get dice for narrating minor injuries (like a twisted ankle from leaping through a window) or new obstacles (like the stuck latch on that window).
• [b]Set lower Threat Levels in mundane conflicts.[/b] There's a tendency for conflicts to become increasingly over the top as the Threat Level dwindles. ("And then, ten [i]more[/i] ninjas jump out" being the extreme example.) By using smaller Threat Levels when the threats aren't supernatural, you can reduce this tendency. You also increase the contrast with (and hence, the perceived danger of) supernatural Threats.