Players can buy one chance per game session to “save” themselves or someone else from a misfortune, an outcome that is dangerous or unlucky for them; this is done by using a Fortune Card. Any player may purchase a Fortune Card at the beginning of the game, but cannot have more than one in their possession at any time. A Fortune Card costs a point of permanent Ka, which is lost at the beginning of the game session. Once the card is used, it is gone, and the point of Ka is not regained.
The Fortune Card represents a stroke of luck, the fates of the universe intervening on the player’s behalf briefly. The resolution of the stroke of good luck is up to the Gamemaster the player gives the card to. Fortune Cards cannot change anything that has already happened, only what is about to happen. If a player wants to change something, it is best to use it before making a skill check. The exception to this is life or death results. If a player is fatally wounded, then they can play their Fortune Card any time up to the body bag arrives for them. If someone just gunned them down they may find it prudent to “pretend” to be dead, and play their Fortune Card once the assailant has left the scene.
Fortune cards will generally change an unfavourable result to a good one, and a good result to a stunning success. Players don’t ask the Gamemaster for a specific result. They simply state what they are attempting and hand the Gamemaster the Fortune Card. The players involved then have to live with what the Gamemaster decides. The Gamemaster who holds the card is the final arbiter on how such situations are resolved.