Fate Accessibility Toolkit

Appendices

Resources

DSM

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM for short, has been published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) since 1952 to provide a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders. It’s subject to many criticisms but remains a touchstone for clinicians, researchers, psychiatric drug regulation agencies, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, the legal system, and policy makers. The most recent version is the fifth edition or DSM-5, published in 2013, but many users still prefer the previous version, the DSM-IV-TR (or just DSM-IV, revised) released in 2000, so you may see references to either.

ASL Reference for Common RPG Terms

These are meant as quick references for GMs and players looking to make their table more accessible to Deaf/HH individuals who know and utilize ASL to communicate. Each term includes the specific signs as well as a description of each sign in words and illustration. We encourage you to learn the language in its entirety to communicate fully with fellow community members. The best place to learn ASL is through your local colleges/universities where ASL classes are offered and taught by Deaf individuals.

NOTE: You can download a zipfile of the SVG graphics used in the following illustrations.

Sidebar: (fs)

fs = fingerspell using the ASL alphabet, e.g.:

FATE: FATE (fs)

General RPG Terms

Character Sheet

PAPER + CHARACTER: With both hands using the 5-handshape, use the palm of your dominant hand to hit the palm of your nondominant hand and then bring your dominant hand in a C-handshape to the top left quadrant of your chest and move it in a short circular motion once.

ILLUSTRATION: The 5-handshape is the hand with all four fingers and thumb out, relaxed. The fingers on the dominant hand point towards the wrist of the non-dominant, with the dominant hand held flat above the non-dominant. For the C-handshape, the four fingers are held together and curved slightly downward, while the thumb curves slightly upward toward them. They should not touch.

Create a Character

INVENT + CHARACTER: With your dominant hand make a 4-handshape and place it turned inward on your cheekbone and bring it up to your forehead and then bring your dominant hand in a C-handshape to the top left quadrant of your chest and move it in a short circular motion once.

ILLUSTRATION: The 4-handshape is the hand with all four fingers out and the thumb folded in across the palm. With this shape, tap the side of your index finger first against your cheek, then against your temple on the same side of your head.

Damage

HURT: With both of your index fingers pointed at one another, twist your hands in quick and opposing directions.

Player Character

CHARACTER: Bring your dominant hand in a C-handshape to the top left quadrant of your chest and move it in a short circular motion once.

ILLUSTRATION: For the C-handshape, the four fingers are held together and curved slightly downward, while the thumb curves slightly upward toward them. They should not touch.

GM Character/Non-Player Character (NPC)

CHARACTER + GM(fs) or NPC (fs): Bring your dominant hand in a C-handshape to the top left quadrant of your chest and move it in a short circular motion once followed by fingerspelling GM using the ASL alphabet. Alternatively, you can sign “N” + “P” + “C”.

ILLUSTRATION: For the letter G, make a fist and extend your index finger, with your finger held parallel to the ground and your other fingers and thumb facing your chest. For the letter M, make a fist with the back of your hand facing your chest, then tuck your thumb under your first three fingers. For the letter N, make a fist with the back of your hand facing your chest, then tuck your thumb under your first two fingers. For the letter P, make a fist with the index finger extended, parallel to the ground with your other fingers and thumb facing the ground. Then extend your middle finger so it points towards the ground and touch your thumb to the side of your middle finger. For the letter C, the four fingers are held together and curved slightly downward, while the thumb curves slightly upward toward them. They should not touch.

GM/Host/Facilitator

GAME + CREATOR : Bring your two fists towards each other, knuckles together and thumbs pointing upwards, twice. Then use your dominant hand to make a 4-handshape and place it turned inward on your cheekbone and bring it up to your forehead.

ILLUSTRATION: For the sign for game, the wrists and closed fingers should be facing the chest. The 4-handshape is the hand with all four fingers out and the thumb folded in across the palm. With this shape, tap the side of your index finger first against your cheek, then against your temple on the same side of your head.

Adversary/Opponent/Antagonist

ENEMY: With your two index fingers touching and the backs of your hands turned outward, fists closed, bring them apart and then bring both hands, open, down on either side of the body in front and near the hips.

ILLUSTRATION: For the sign for enemy, after touching your index fingers together, bring your hands out to either side of your head at the width of your shoulders. Then open your hands and bring them both down in a swift motion from shoulders to hips, without making contact with your body.

Monster

MONSTER: With both hands in a C-handshape opened like a claw on either side of your head, swivel your hands slightly.

ILLUSTRATION: For the C-handshape, the four fingers are held together and curved slightly downward, while the thumb curves slightly upward toward them. They should not touch. For the sign for monster, instead of holding the fingers together, splay them out while keeping them curved. This will make a grasping, claw-like shape. Swivel them from side-to-side.

Action

DO-DO: With both of your hands in a D-handshape, bring your index finger toward your thumb at least two times.

ILLUSTRATION: For the D-handshape, point your index finger upwards and bring the tips of your other three fingers and thumb together, forming a circle with the fingers, palm, and thumb. With both hands in this shape, tap each your index finger against the thumb on the same hand twice.

Ally

FRIEND: With your fists closed, extend your index fingers into an X-handshape and hook them together twice in opposing directions.

ILLUSTRATION: For the X-handshape, extend your index finger and curl it into a hook shape. To sign friend, hold your hands parallel to the ground, one hand facing up, the other facing down. and hook your index fingers together once. Then rotate your hands so they're facing the opposite directions and hook your fingers together again.

Contact

CONTACT: With both hands in a 5-handshape, extend your middle fingers to tap one another twice. This is a directional sign; move your hands in between the two individuals who are contacting one another.

Location

AREA: With your dominant hand in a 5-handshape, move it around in a circular motion with your palm facing downwards.

Roll a die

GAMBLE (dice): Using your dominant hand with your palm up and fingers curled in as though you are holding a die, shake it at the top quadrant of your chest in front and on the same side as your dominant hand. Release the sign by pretending to toss the imaginary die out of your hand and in front of you.

Roll 4 dice

GAMBLE + FOUR: Using your dominant hand with your palm up and fingers curled in as though you are holding a die, shake it at the top quadrant of your chest in front and on the same side as your dominant hand. Release the sign by pretending to toss the imaginary die out of your hand and in front of you. Then, using your dominant hand, extend your four fingers with your palm facing inward.

Roll 2d6

GAMBLE + 2 + D + 6: Using your dominant hand with your palm up and fingers curled in as though you are holding a die, shake it at the top quadrant of your chest in front and on the same side as your dominant hand. Release the sign by pretending to toss the imaginary die out of your hand and in front of you. Sign the number “2” and then turn your palm outward to spell “D” and then the number “6”.

Fate-Specific Terms

Fate die/Fudge die/1dF

FATE(fs) + GAMBLE / 1 + D + F: Fingerspell FATE using the ASL alphabet. Then, using your dominant hand with your palm up and fingers curled in as though you are holding a die, shake it at the top quadrant of your chest in front and on the same side as your dominant hand. Then release the sign by pretending to toss the imaginary die out of your hand and in front of you. Alternatively, you can sign “1” + “D” + “F”.

Roll 4dF

4 + D + F + GAMBLE: Sign the number “4” and then “D” and then “F”. Using your dominant hand with your palm up and fingers curled in as though you are holding a die, shake it at the top quadrant of your chest in front and on the same side as your dominant hand. Release the sign by pretending to toss the imaginary die out of your hand and in front of you.

I spend a Fate Point

ME + FATE(fs) + POINTS + EXCHANGE + ME: Using your index finger point at your chest and then with your dominant hand fingerspell FATE using the ASL alphabet, followed by using your nondominant hand in a D-handshape upright and then bringing your dominant hand also in a D-handshape down to tap both index fingers together twice. Your index fingers should meet at a 90 degree angle. Point to your chest with the index finger of your dominant hand.

I invoke an aspect

CHARACTER + IDENTITY + DESCRIBE + ME: Bring your dominant hand in a C-handshape to the top left quadrant of your chest and move it in a short circular motion once. Then, with your nondominant hand in a 5-handshape and fingers pointing upwards, bring your dominant hand in an I-handshape and hit your nondominant palm twice with the thumb side of your dominant hand.

I use a stunt

SPECIAL + SKILL + USE + ME: Have your nondominant hand making a 1-handshape, palm turned inward, and your dominant hand using an F-handshape, palm facing downward, “pick-up” the nondominant hand at the tip of your index finger and lift it upward slightly. Then using a 5-handshape with your nondominant hand, palm facing across your body, bring your dominant hand to grasp the side of your nondominant palm and pull forward into an A-handshape twice. Then with your nondominant hand facing downward, bring your dominant hand in a U-handshape behind and slightly on-top of the back of your hand and swivel it from side-to-side briefly, and then using your dominant hand point with your index finger to your chest.

Take a consequence

BAD + RESULT + TAKE: Using a B-handshape, start with the tips of your fingers at the base of your chin, palm turned inward, using your dominant hand. Move your dominant hand outward and then down and back inwards to meet your nondominant hand, waiting in a 5-handshape at the base of your torso with the palm facing upward. With a closed 5-handshape on your nondominant hand, palm facing inward, and your dominant hand in an R-handshape palm facing downward starting at the thumb of your nondominant hand, bring your dominant hand outwards and then down next to your nondominant hand. With your dominant hand start with an extended 5-handshape, palm facing downward, and quickly close your hand into an S-handshape while bringing it toward your body.

Four basic Fate actions

Attack

ATTACK: With your nondominant hand in a 1-handshape, palm facing across your body, bring your dominant hand in an A-handshape and palm facing inward to meet your index finger.

ILLUSTRATION: The 1-handshape, hold up your index finger with your palm facing your chest. To complete the sign, start with your dominant hand open, palm facing your chest. As you bring your hand to your index finger on your non-dominant hand, close your dominant hand into the A-handshape, which is a fist with the thumb pressed against the index finger.

Defend

DEFEND: With both arms crossing each other across the chest and hands in an S-handshape, press your arms gently forward twice.

ILLUSTRATION: For the S-handshape, make a fist with your thumb crossing the rest of your fingers. To complete the sign, your arms should be crossed in an X over your chest.

Overcome

OVERCOME + TRY: With your nondominant hand in an S-handshape, palm facing downward, bring your dominant hand in an S-handshape down to meet the top of your hand with your palm facing across the body. Once your two hands meet, extend your index and middle fingers of your dominant hand into a U-handshape. Then using both hands in an A-handshape and palms facing downward at your front mid-quadrant sides, twist your wrists upwards.

Create an Advantage

BENEFIT + GET: Using your dominant hand in an F-handshape, palm facing downward and thumb toward your body, flick down slightly on the left upper quadrant of your chest. Then, place your nondominant hand directly beneath your dominant hand in front of your body, palms facing across your body in a 5-handshape, pull them slightly toward yourself while changing both hands into S-handshapes.

Outcome states

Fail

FAIL: With your nondominant hand facing palm upwards, and your hand in a V-handshape, start with the back of your dominant hand on your nondominant palm and move it outward.

Tie

EQUAL: In front of your chest with both of your hands facing palms across your body, bend your fingers at a 90 degree angle toward one another and tap your fingertips together twice.

Success

SUCCESS: With both of your hands in a 1-handshape, start with them on either side of your face at your lip-line, palm facing inward, and then flick them outwards and upwards away from your face ending with your palms facing outwards and at your forehead-line further away from your face and maintaining the 1-handshapes.

Success With Style

BENEFIT + SUCCESS: Place your nondominant hand directly beneath your dominant hand in front of your body, palms facing across your body in a 5-handshape, pull them slightly toward yourself while changing both hands into S-handshapes. Then, with both of your hands in a 1-handshape, start with them on either side of your face at your lip-line, palm facing inward, and then flick them outwards and upwards away from your face ending with your palms facing outwards and at your forehead-line further away from your face and maintaining the 1-handshapes.

Success at a Cost

COST + WITH + SUCCESS: With your nondominant hand in a 5-handshape and palm facing toward your body, start with your dominant hand in an X-handshape above and behind and bring it down beneath your nondominant hand. Bring your two hands together in an A-handshape, palms inward, until your fingers touch and tap them twice. With both of your hands in a 1-handshape, start with them on either side of your face at your lip-line, palm facing inward, and then flick them outwards and upwards away from your face ending with your palms facing outwards and at your forehead-line further away from your face and maintaining the 1-handshapes.

Minor Cost

COST + MINOR: With your nondominant hand in a 5-handshape and palm facing toward your body, start with your dominant hand in an X-handshape above and behind and bring it down beneath your nondominant hand. Then with both hands in an F-handshape, palms facing inward, bring your dominant hand down past your stationary nondominant hand, touching your index and thumbs together as you pass, and then turn your dominant hand still in an F-handshape palm facing downward.

Major Cost

COST + A LOT: With your nondominant hand in a 5-handshape and palm facing toward your body, start with your dominant hand in an X-handshape above and behind and bring it down beneath your nondominant hand. Then with both hands on either side of your body in S-handshapes, palms facing upward, release them into an open handshape with your fingers splayed outwards and upwards.

Mild Consequence

BAD + RESULT: Using a B-handshape, start with the tips of your fingers at the base of your chin, palm turned inward, using your dominant hand. Move your dominant hand outward and then down and back inwards to meet your nondominant hand, waiting in a 5-handshape at the base of your torso with the palm facing upward. Then with a closed 5-handshape on your nondominant hand, palm facing inward, and your dominant hand in an R-handshape palm facing downward starting at the thumb of your nondominant hand, bring your dominant hand outwards and then down next to your nondominant hand.

Moderate Consequence

BAD + RESULT: Using a B-handshape, start with the tips of your fingers at the base of your chin, palm turned inward, using your dominant hand. Move your dominant hand outward and then down and back inwards to meet your nondominant hand, waiting in a 5-handshape at the base of your torso with the palm facing upward. Exaggerate “BAD” more than the mild consequence. With a closed 5-handshape on your nondominant hand, palm facing inward, and your dominant hand in an R-handshape palm facing downward starting at the thumb of your nondominant hand, bring your dominant hand outwards and then down next to your nondominant hand.

Severe Consequence

WORST + RESULT: Take both of your hands using a V-handshape with your palms turned inward starting at either side of your body to cross one another at the center. With a closed 5-handshape on your nondominant hand, palm facing inward, and your dominant hand in an R-handshape palm facing downward starting at the thumb of your nondominant hand, bring your dominant hand outwards and then down next to your nondominant hand.

Mark a Condition

CONTINUOUS + BAD + RESULT + TAKE: With both hands in an A-handshape and palms facing downward, extend your thumbs outward to meet one another at the center of your body and then press your hands forward slightly in a circular motion twice. Using a B-handshape, start with the tips of your fingers at the base of your chin, palm turned inward, using your dominant hand. Move your dominant hand outward and then down and back inwards to meet your nondominant hand, waiting in a 5-handshape at the base of your torso with the palm facing upward. With a closed 5-handshape on your nondominant hand, palm facing inward, and your dominant hand in an R-handshape palm facing downward starting at the thumb of your nondominant hand, bring your dominant hand outwards and then down next to your nondominant hand. With your dominant hand start with an extended 5-handshape, palm facing downward, and quickly close your hand into an S-handshape while bringing it toward your body.

Fleeting

SHORT + BAD + RESULT: With both hands in a U-handshape, palms facing diagonally across the body, bring your dominant hand’s index and middle finger to rest on top of your nondominant hand’s index and middle finger and run them along the length of your fingers twice. Using a B-handshape, start with the tips of your fingers at the base of your chin, palm turned inward, using your dominant hand. Move your dominant hand outward and then down and back inwards to meet your nondominant hand, waiting in a 5-handshape at the base of your torso with the palm facing upward. With a closed 5-handshape on your nondominant hand, palm facing inward, and your dominant hand in an R-handshape palm facing downward starting at the thumb of your nondominant hand, bring your dominant hand outwards and then down next to your nondominant hand.

Angry

ANGRY: With an open, clawed C-handshape, use your dominant hand (or both hands for emphasis) to quickly come toward your face in a short movement.

ILLUSTRATION: For the C-handshape, the four fingers are held together and curved slightly downward, while the thumb curves slightly upward toward them. They should not touch. For the sign for angry, splay your fingers out slightly while keeping them curved to make a claw-like shape with your hand.

Frightened

SCARED: Using both hands starting in an S-handshape on either side of your body with palms facing inwards, fling your fingers out to an open 5-handshape across your chest.

ILLUSTRATION: For the S-handshape, make a fist with your thumb crossing the rest of your fingers. For the open 5-handshape, splay out all of your fingers and thumb. This sign should be done in a quick, sharp motion, like something startling.

Sticky

BAD + RESULT + STAY: Using a B-handshape, start with the tips of your fingers at the base of your chin, palm turned inward, using your dominant hand. Move your dominant hand outward and then down and back inwards to meet your nondominant hand, waiting in a 5-handshape at the base of your torso with the palm facing upward. With a closed 5-handshape on your nondominant hand, palm facing inward, and your dominant hand in an R-handshape palm facing downward starting at the thumb of your nondominant hand, bring your dominant hand outwards and then down next to your nondominant hand. With your dominant hand in a Y-handshape, palm facing nearly downward, press it shortly downward and outward.

Exhausted

TIRED: With both hands in a closed 5-handshape, palms facing outward, near the inner sides of your shoulders with your fingertips pressed to your chest, bring them down slightly.

Hungry

HUNGRY: With your dominant hand in a C-handshape, palm facing inwards, start at the center and top of your chest and bring your hand downward toward your stomach.

Lasting

BAD + RESULT + FOREVER: Using a B-handshape, start with the tips of your fingers at the base of your chin, palm turned inward, using your dominant hand. Move your dominant hand outward and then down and back inwards to meet your nondominant hand, waiting in a 5-handshape at the base of your torso with the palm facing upward. With a closed 5-handshape on your nondominant hand, palm facing inward, and your dominant hand in an R-handshape palm facing downward starting at the thumb of your nondominant hand, bring your dominant hand outwards and then down next to your nondominant hand. Using your dominant hand in a 1-handshape, palm facing inward, move your hand in a circular motion and then with your dominant hand in a Y-handshape, palm facing nearly downward, press it shortly downward and outward.

ILLUSTRATION: The B-handshape is all four fingers extended, held together, thumb across the palm. To sign bad, Move this hand out in a swift, sharp motion, as if throwing or brushing something unpleasant away, then bring it back down to clap against your palm-up non-dominant hand. To sign result: hold your hand with all fingers and thumb out, held together, palm facing your chest, pinky finger facing the ground. For the R-handshape, cross your index and middle fingers and fold your other fingers and thumb down. To sign forever: the 1-handshape is a fist with your index finger extended. Start with the tip of your index finger touching your temple on the same side as the hand you're signing with. Then push your hand forward and swiftly transition into a Y-handshape by extending your thumb and pinky finger with all other fingers folded down.

Broken

BROKE + STAY: With both of your hands in an S-handshape, palms facing downward and hands pressed together, quickly snap your hands so that your palms are facing across your body, keeping your hands in S-handshapes. Then with your dominant hand in a Y-handshape, palm facing nearly downward, press it shortly downward and outward.

ILLUSTRATION: For the S-handshape, make a fist with your thumb crossing the rest of your fingers. To complete the sign, make a sharp, swift motion with your hands, as if breaking a stick in half and then pulling the halves away from each other.

Wounded

HURT + STAY: With both of your index fingers pointed at one another, twist your hands in quick and opposing directions. Then with your dominant hand in a Y-handshape, palm facing nearly downward, press it shortly downward and outward.