Every standard identity substitutes for at least one ability, by default, or more if taken as an additional feature. It’s only for taking actions that the ability it subs for ordinarily covers.
An identity does not sub for that ability for the purposes of coercing a shock meter or making a stress check, unless it has the Resists Shock or Coerces feature respectively.
I’m Clued In, of course I can roll my eyes convincingly at mention of Dirk Allen, tell a real Sleeper from a poser, get in touch with a guy who claimed he was from TNI.
Substitutes for: Secrecy.
Feature: Casts Rituals.
Feature: Use Gutter Magick.
I’m in A Cult, of course I can feign normalcy, ignore injury and deprivation in service of holy things, fall into ecstatic glossolalia.
Substitutes for: Lie.
Feature: Protects Unnatural.
Feature: Coerces Isolation.
This guy has his cult, or its leader, as his Guru relationship. He’s got five Fails in Isolation, thanks to those mind-control vacations. His permanent madness is unthinking loyalty to the guru, as was intended.
I’m Obsessed with UFOS, of course I can attempt geometry and trigonometry, spot the tells of CGI, process video frame-by-frame.
Substitutes for: Knowledge.
Feature: Substitutes for Notice.
Feature: Substitutes for Pursuit.
I’m Sexually Nonconforming, of course I can get into the gay bar even when there’s a long line, flirt outrageously without being stalker-y, hold a poker face while talking with cultural conservatives.
Substitutes for: Lie.
Feature: Substitutes for Secrecy.
Feature: Substitutes for Connect.
I Steal, of course I can tell if that purse is a knockoff, clock an armored car, spot a pickpocket in a crowd.
Substitutes for: Secrecy.
Feature: Substitutes for Lie.
Feature: Substitutes for Pursuit.
I Truly Believe, of course I can be courageous in order to help others, suffer in silence, recognize a verse from the holy book of my tradition.
Substitutes for: Connect.
Feature: Protects Isolation.
Feature: Protects Unnatural.
I’m Unusually Old, of course I can find information even when the Internet’s down, be patient and persistent, be prepared for the unexpected.
Substitutes for: Knowledge.
Feature: Substitutes for Status.
Feature: Protects Helplessness.
I’m A Single Parent, of course I can stretch that grocery budget, arrange a very complicated schedule, throw together a Halloween costume at the last minute.
Substitutes for: Pursuit.
Feature: Protects Helplessness,
Feature: Protects Isolation.
I Work Out, of course I can borrow a kayak, find workout gear for all seasons, tape an ankle, push past exhaustion.
Substitutes for: Fitness.
Feature: Protects Helplessness.
Feature: Protects Isolation.
I Love Romance, of course I can engage in witty banter, tell harmless flirting from the serious kind, discuss the minutiae of Sandra Bullock’s film oeuvre.
Substitutes for: Connect.
Feature: Protects Isolation.
Feature: Coerces Isolation.
