The Seer

Seers navigate the causal web of the Frontier. They see past, future, and distant present. Their power is subtle but invaluable — they know what’s coming before it arrives, and sometimes they can change it.

Seer Reaction Convention — Universal Rule

Seers are reactive by nature — they see things coming and respond. To honor this identity without crushing the discipline under Mettle taxation, the following rule applies (parallel to the Bastion Soul Reaction Convention):

The first Seer Reaction used in a scene costs only 1 Strain (no Mettle). Subsequent Seer Reactions in the same scene cost 1 Mettle + 1 Strain (standard Reaction cost).

Glimpse Stacks Independently

Glimpse has its own “first free” mechanic that operates independently of the Reaction Convention. The first Glimpse of any scene is free; after that, Glimpse costs 1 Mettle (per its own Special clause).

Meanwhile, the first non-Glimpse Seer Reaction in the same scene still costs only 1 Strain. This effectively gives Seers two cheap swings per scene before standard Reaction taxation begins:

• 1 free Glimpse (any time)
• 1 cheap-cost (1 Strain) non-Glimpse Reaction (Fate’s Nudge, Déjà Vu, Flicker Step, etc.)

Everything after pays full price.

Reactions Affected by the Convention

All Tempo 0 Seer Talents are subject to the Convention (Glimpse uses its own stacking rule):

• Rank 1: Glimpse, Déjà Vu, Fate’s Nudge, Flicker Step
• Rank 2: Borrowed Time
• Rank 3: Precognitive Dodge
• Rank 4: (none — Seer R4 has no Reactions)
• Rank 5: The Rewind, The Last Thread (see the universal rule below)

Miracle Reaction Rule — Universal (Cross-Discipline)

This rule applies to every Discipline, not only Seers — but it’s codified here because Seers have two of the most prominent Miracle Reactions (The Rewind, The Last Thread).

Miracle-tier Reactions pay only their Memory cost. No Mettle is required. The act of burning a Memory IS the cost — Mettle is incidental.

This applies to:

• Psy-Slinger: The Dead-Eye Waltz (R5 Reaction)
• Seer: The Rewind, The Last Thread (R5 Reactions)
• Any other Reaction Miracle introduced in future content

A Memory is already the steepest cost in the game. Charging Mettle on top would make Miracle Reactions effectively unreachable for low-Mettle characters, especially when the trigger is “you are about to die.”

Sub-Discipline Ladders

Key Mechanical Notes

• Damage cap on Doom Clock: Margin contribution capped at +5, keeping R4 single-target lethality within reason while preserving the 5-Tick warning + escape clause.
• Fate’s Shears is the discipline’s anti-luck weapon. It works on allies as well as enemies — a moral choice as much as a tactical one. Severs Critical Successes, blocks Mettle Reactions, treats doubles as Fumbles, and prevents psionic healing.
• The Tension Pool interacts heavily with Seer Talents. Convergence Point adds +2 dice; The Last Thread adds +3 dice; Fate’s Nudge overuse adds +1 per misuse (more than twice in a scene). The Veil notices when fate bends too far.
• Pool Bonus stacking ceiling. Probability Spike (raw +2 dice) and Fortune’s Favor (selection consistency) cannot stack on the same roll. A character benefiting from both rolls the larger pool, then selects their best two from it normally — Fortune’s Favor doesn’t add a die on top of an existing Pool Bonus.
• Causal Loop’s plausibility test is the GM’s call. “I bought rope in town” works. “I left a stick of dynamite under the throne” usually doesn’t. Use it for reasonable preparation the character could have conceivably done.