When the action begins, the only thing that is important is what is happening right now. Mods are the factors that will be affecting the characters during the Situation. There can be numerous factors, but there are only 5 levels of effect on the character. If the situation is stacked entirely against the character, it will create a negative condition that will penalize the character’s dice pool; however, if the situation leans in favor of the character the player will be rewarded with re-rolls to assist in achieving victory.

When a game master (GM) declares a situation has begun, they start a timer on events that will transpire quickly. The Situation will be segmented into Rounds. In each Round the players will choose one physical Trait, one mental Trait and a spiritual Trait to generate Momentum. Momentum is depleted through actions and movement. When a contest or a challenge begins Mods are applied. Mods are the factors that complicate or ease the burden faced by the character undertaking the event.

The Environment

The environment can be a major factor in determining Mods. Is the character in a cramped space, or are they in an open field? Are they underwater, or in space? Is it dark, or is there blinding light? All of these factors can affect the character’s ability to perform actions. The GM should consider the environment and how it affects the character's ability to perform actions.
Alternatively, is the environment aiding the character? Are they in a place they are familiar with? Is the terrain advantageous to them? All of these factors can provide positive Mods to the character's actions.

Character Damage

If a character is injured, they may suffer negative Mods to their actions. The severity of the injury will determine the level of the Mod. An injury to a hit zone will incur a -1 Mod and additional damaged hit zones will increase this by one per damaged zone.
Conversely, if a character is in perfect shape they will receive a +1 Mod level for their dice roll. Should additional buffs be present, this could be bolstered multiple times over.

Gear

The gear a character is using can have a significant impact on their ability to perform actions. If a character is using equipment that is well-suited to the task at hand, they may receive positive Mods. Conversely, if they are using equipment that is ill-suited or malfunctioning, they may suffer negative Mods.

Complications

There may be extraneous factors causing a special difficulty for the character in a scene. Perhaps wanted posters make it difficult to navigate a city without being recognized. Perhaps security forces are alerted to nefarious activities in proximity and thus the character faces heavy patrols and difficulties for the task ahead.

Talent

This factor impacts everything, always. When one is talentless, it makes everything more difficult, while having talent may make the difference by itself.

Advantages and Disadvantages

There are special advantages and disadvantages delivered upon a character by their lineage/species, background and other factors. Advantages and disadvantages can be gained through gameplay and, likewise, a character may release themselves from a disadvantage or lose an advantage during the course of a Story.
An example of this might be a character who has a background disadvantage of "Wanted" which imposes a -1 Mod to all social actions in civilized areas. A more severe version of this is playing a vampire who has a -15 Mod to physical or magical actions taken in sunlight and who gains -5 Mod per level of hunger below "sated."
The Mod can never be above 5 or below -5, regardless of how many advantages or disadvantages are in play. The fact that advantages and disadvantages can start far passed these values indicates how detrimental or beneficial that factor is to the character. It takes a huge advantage for a vampire to be able to duel another creature in sunlight and actually have an advantage.