OG-CSPG Old Gus' Unofficial Cypher System Player's Guide

This should go without saying, but Old Gus' Unofficial Cypher System Player's Guide (OG-CSPG) does not contain the official Cypher System rules. These rules have been rearranged, rewritten, and condensed so that you can learn to play the game quickly and easily. It also guides you through creating and customizing your player character (PC) before the game, or as you continue playing with the GM.

This edition of the rules allows you to do this with the bare minimum of page-turning involved other than to reference the table of contents.

If you are a GM, it's best to familiarize yourself with the official rules of the game in the Cypher System Rulebook or Old Gus' Cypher System Reference Document (OG-CSRD). GMs might still find some unique perspective within—or use for—this version of the rules, for example, as a teaching tool for players.

Players or GMs can supplement character sheets or packets by printing excerpts—descriptors, abilities and foci, and flavors are largely unedited, with the full text of their special abilities included inline. The presentation of types has been slightly amended for clarity during character creation.

Thanks for reading! I hope this document is useful to you, and brings you many happy adventures in the Cypher System.

—Old Gus

• partario.flynn@gmail.com
• @oldgus@dice.camp

How to Play

1. You tell the GM what action you want to take, and how you plan to do it. Include any dialogue you'd like to deliver while you take your action.
2. Many times, your actions are routine—moving a few steps away, talking another character, or turning a doorknob—you just perform the action and succeed automatically. If there's a chance of failure, the GM assigns you a task, and tells you which of your stats will be tested—your Might, Speed, or Intellect—and determines the difficulty on a scale from 1 (simple) to 10 (impossible).
3. You and the GM determine if anything about your PC should modify the difficulty by one or more steps. Being trained in relevant skills, having helpful assets, and using Effort all ease a task, lowering the difficulty. Having an inability or adverse external circumstances hinders a task, increasing the difficulty.
4. If you ease the difficulty to 0 (routine), you succeed automatically. If the task still isn't routine, the GM uses the modified difficulty to determine a target number. The GM doesn't have to tell you the target number, but might give you a hint.
5. You roll the die—a d20. If the result meets or exceeds the target number, you succeed at the task.

That's it. That's how to do anything—identify an unknown device, calm a raging drunk, climb a treacherous cliff, or battle a demigod.

Modifying the Difficulty

Everything has a level. A creature's level determines how difficult they are to hit, avoid, and how difficult they are to persuade. A door's level is how difficult it is to break down. A lock's level is how difficult it is to pick. Lowering difficulty is easing, and raising it is hindering.

Skills can ease a task up to two steps. There are four different levels of skill training. You are practiced unless otherwise indicated.

• Inability: Hindered by one step.
• Practiced: No change in task difficulty.
• Trained: Eased by one step.
• Specialized: Eased by two steps.

Assets can ease a task up to two steps. Anything that helps with a task is an asset. A crowbar is an asset when forcing open a door, and so is cooperation from another PC or capable follower.

Effort can ease a task up to six steps. You ease a task one step for each level of Effort you use, spending points from the Pool for the stat the GM assigns to the task—3 points for the first level, plus 2 points for each additional level, up to a number of levels equal to your Effort score.

Rolling the Die

The target number is the number you must roll on the d20 to succeed. A target number is three times the task difficulty—after you are finished modifying it.

Special Rolls

When you roll the die, certain outcomes on the d20 can trigger special effects like increased damage. You can suggest your own minor or major effects to the GM.

Encounters, Rounds, Initiative, and Timekeeping

An encounter might be any number of things—a fight with a foe, a dramatic crossing of a raging river, or a stressful negotiation with an important official. An encounter is made up of one or more rounds.

Duration

In an encounter, a duration of one minute generally lasts for the rest of the encounter. Likewise, an ability that lasts for ten minutes can safely be considered the length of an in-depth conversation, the time it takes to quickly explore a small area, or the time it takes to rest after a strenuous activity.

Equipment and Currency

Outside of weapons, armor, and manifest cyphers and artifacts, equipment plays only a small role in the game. It's more important to focus on what you can do than on what you have, but the right equipment might provide an asset on a related task.

The GM determines what equipment, goods, and services are available, their properties, and how costs and price categories are used and accounted for.

Anything significant you do—attack a foe, resist hypnosis, leap a chasm, intimidate a captive, bargain with a shopkeeper, help an ally, or activate a special ability or a cypher—is an action.

Additional Actions

In addition to the actions covered in detail in this chapter, common actions include:

• Crafting, Building, and Repairing
• Interacting with Creatures
• Looking or Listening
• Moving a Heavy Object
• Operating or Disabling a Device or Vehicle
• Riding or Piloting
• Sneaking
• Swimming
• Understanding, Identifying, or Remembering

Waiting

You can wait to react to another character's action. You decide what action will trigger your action, and if the triggering action happens, you get to take your action first (unless going first wouldn't make sense, like attacking a foe before they come into view).

Waiting is a good way to deal with a ranged attacker who rises from behind cover, fires an attack, and ducks back down. You could say "I wait to see them pop up from behind cover and then I shoot them."

Moving

In combat, you're usually within immediate distance of most other combatants, unless the GM rules otherwise.

• Move an Immediate Distance: You can adjust your position and still take any other action—stepping back a few feet to use an ability, sliding over to help a friend, or pushing through a door you just knocked down. You can move before or after you take your action.

• Move a Short Distance: You can move a short distance as a routine action.

  If you succeed on a difficulty 4 Speed task, you can make a short move and take another (relatively simple) physical action, like make an attack.

• Move a Long Distance: You can use your action to move a long distance as a difficulty 4 Speed task.

• Movement Modifiers: Movement skills—like climbing, jumping, zero-gravity maneuvering—ease related movement tasks. Obstacles, difficult terrain, and strong currents of wind or water can hinder them.

Range and Distance

An attack is anything you do to a character they don't want you to do—slashing at them with a weapon, blasting them with lightning artifact, wrapping them in magnetically controlled metal, or attempting to influence their mind are all attacks. Attacking requires a task to determine if you hit or affect the target.

• Range: Ranges for attacks are identical to moving. Melee attacks require you to be within an immediate distance of your target.

• Special Abilities: When you activate special abilities as attacks, the task usually uses the same stat as the ability's cost, but if you must touch the target, it's a melee attack instead.

• Attack Modifiers: Conditions that can ease or hinder an attack include cover, position, surprise, range, illumination, visibility, water, and moving targets. You can ease an attack with Skill, and by using Effort.

Attack Tasks

On a successful attack, the amount of damage you deal—or "inflict"—is determined by the weapon or special ability you used. Special rolls and Effort can increase the damage an attack inflicts.

Weapons

Damage from Special Rolls

Damage from Effort

When you are attacked, the GM assigns you a defense task. While this is never an action that you decide to take, it's still an action, so it doesn't prevent you from using Effort on it, nor does it prevent you from taking your action on your turn.

Most of the time when you fail a defense roll, you take damage, subtracting points from a stat Pool—usually your Might Pool.

If you are wearing Armor, or have other special defenses against the attack or its damage, you can reduce the amount of damage taken.

Your Pool points are temporarily reduced by taking damage, activating special abilities, and using Effort.

If a Pool reaches 0, any remaining—and further—damage is applied to another stat Pool in the following order: Might, Speed, then Intellect. The amount of damage you take doesn't change—your Armor and special abilities that protect you still count.

Recovery Rolls

You recover lost Pool points by making a recovery roll—roll a d6 and add your tier, and then divide the result among your stat Pools however you wish. You can make four recovery rolls each day:

• First recovery roll: One action

• Second recovery roll: Ten minutes

• Third recovery roll: One hour

• Fourth recovery roll: Ten hours

Each time you take damage, you subtract your Armor characteristic from the damage before reducing your stat Pool. If you are hit by a gunshot that inflicts 4 points of damage and have 2 Armor, you take only 2 points of damage to your Might Pool. If you are scratched by a large cat that inflicts 2 damage, your 2 Armor prevents the damage entirely.

Physical armor, special abilities, cyphers, and artifacts can contribute to your Armor cumulatively—if you have 2 Armor from wearing medium armor and have the Ward ability, you have a total of 3 Armor. Some attacks ignore certain types of Armor. Be sure to track each source of your Armor individually—some attacks ignore certain types.

Shields

A shield—or anything used as one—is an asset on Speed defense tasks. Using one requires a free hand.

Wearing Armor

Anyone can wear armor, the cost of using a level of Effort on Speed tasks is increased. Certain special abilities reduce Speed Effort cost for wearing armor—if you have them, use their column on the Speed Effort Cost table below. Otherwise, use the Not Experienced column.

You can also reduce Speed Effort cost through character advancement. Special abilities can also improve your defenses without armor.

There are many ways you can work together with other PCs. These options can't be used at the same time by the same characters.

• Help: If you use your action to help someone, you provide an asset to the task. If you are trained or specialized in the task, you provide two assets. You can't help if you have an inability in the relevant task.

• Heal: You can heal a creature once per day. This healing restores points to a stat Pool of your choice. First, decide what number of Pool points you want to heal, then use an action on an Intellect action with a difficulty equal to the number.

• Distract: If you successfully distract a foe, its attacks are hindered for one round. You can describe your action as yelling a challenge, firing a warning shot, or a similar activity that doesn't harm the foe.

• Guard: If you stand guard, you can't make attacks, but all your defense tasks are eased. If an NPC tries to get by you or take an action you are guarding against, you can attempt an eased Speed action. Success means the NPC is prevented from taking the action.

• Draw the Attack: When an NPC attacks a character, you can prominently present yourself, shout taunts, and move to try to get the foe to attack you instead. In most cases, this action succeeds without a roll. In other cases, such as with intelligent or determined foes, you must succeed at an Intellect action to draw the attack. If that Intellect action is successful, the foe attacks you, and your defenses are hindered by two steps. Two characters attempting to draw an attack at the same time cancel each other out.

• Take the Attack: You can use your action to throw yourself in front of a foe's successful attack to save an ally. The attack automatically succeeds, and it inflicts 1 additional point of damage. You can't willingly take more than one attack each round in this way.

Cyphers are one-use abilities you gain over the course of play. They have cool powers that can heal, make attacks, ease the difficulty of tasks, or produce effects like nullifying gravity or turning something invisible. There are two main types of cyphers: subtle, and manifest.

Subtle Cyphers

Subtle cyphers don't have a physical form, so they might be represented as good fortune, alien concepts, blessings, mysterious transmissions, or spells.

Manifest Cyphers

Manifest cyphers have a physical form. They might be found on a fallen foe, in a secret room, or among the wreckage of a crashed starship. They can be given as gifts, traded, or purchased.

Fantastic Cyphers

Fantastic cypher effects are used in games where magic, technology, or other factors stretch the definition of "impossible." Fantastic cyphers can be manifest or subtle.

Using Cyphers

Most cyphers require an action to activate, and any tasks a cypher prompt are Intellect-based, unless indicated otherwise or the GM allows—for example, throwing a physical explosive might be a Speed task instead. Attempting to affect another creature in an unwanted manner with a cypher is an attack.

Cypher Levels and Effects

All cyphers have a level and an effect. The Level entry is usually a die roll, sometimes with a modifier, for example, "1d6" or "1d6 + 4". The GM rolls a cypher's level, or allow you to roll when you receive it.

A cypher with a level lower than a target's doesn't mean it is ineffective. Entangling a level 5 troll with several level 3 wolf pets using a level 4 Detonation (Web) cypher is a matter of succeeding on an attack roll against the troll's target number. If the attack is successful, the troll must use still use at least one action on its turn to break free from the webbing.

Cypher Duration

Cypher durations can be temporary or permanent. In this example, the wolves will probably struggle for quite a while—unless the troll frees them over three more rounds—maybe sooner, if they are smart enough to work together. In any case, clever use of your cyphers can sometimes resolve an encounter quickly.

Cypher Limits

You have a maximum number of cyphers you can bear at any one time, determined by your type or special abilities. Most tier 1 PCs can bear two cyphers at a time. Adepts gain the Expert Cypher Use ability at tier 1, and so can bear three.

• Use Your Cyphers: The GM provides new cyphers regularly, so the best time to use one is the first opportunity you can think to make good use for it!

• Exceeding Limits: The GM might allow you to exceed the cypher limit at some cost, for example raising your GM intrusion rate from rolling a 1 to rolling a 1–2.

• Losing Cyphers: You can use an action to lose a cypher. Lost subtle cyphers are gone forever, and manifest cyphers might be found or used by others.

Artifacts

Artifacts are powerful equipment that can't simply be purchased. When you activate an artifact, roll the designated depletion die (1d6, 1d10, 1d20, or 1d100). If the die shows a depletion number, it works, but depletes afterward. A depletion entry of "—" means that the artifact never depletes, and an "Automatic" depletion means the artifact can only be used once—much like a cypher.

Recharging Cyphers and Artifacts

Through special abilities, crafting, spending XP, or completion of suitable objectives determined by the GM, a depleted artifact or manifest cypher might be recharged.

Experience points (XP) are the lifeblood of the Cypher System. The GM awards you XP, and you spend it on benefits. You can gain XP in the following ways:

• Discovery: Discovery can include finding a significant new location, such as a hidden chamber, a secret fortress, a lost land, a new planet, an artifact, or an unexplored dimension. Discovery can also include learning about a new significant aspect of a setting, such as a secret organization, a new religion, or a pertinent fact about an investigation.

• GM Awards: Saving a family on an isolated farm beset by raiding cultists might be worth 1 XP for each PC. Of course, saving the family doesn't always mean killing the bad guys; it might mean relocating them, parlaying with the cultists, or chasing off the raiders.

• Character arcs: Character arcs are a significant source of XP, and are detailed in Chapter 6.

Immediate Benefits

You can spend 1 XP is to reroll any roll—even one you didn't make, choosing the result of either outcome. You can continue to do this, but it's probably not a good idea to reroll a single action too many times.

Short- and Medium-Term Benefits

You can spend 2 XP to gain training with a skill that provides a short-term benefit. Maybe you have a great deal of experience in using a particular kind of computer terminal that's right in front of you, easing tasks using them.

Medium-term benefits might remain useful if you plan on staying in or returning to where you are. If you spend 2 XP and say that you grew up in mountains like the ones where you currently are, and so you are trained in climbing in them. This helps now, and any time you return to these mountains, (or your home) but you're not trained in climbing everywhere.

In rare cases, the GM might even allow you temporarily gain a new special ability as a short- or medium-term benefit.

Long-Term Benefits

You can spend 3 XP to acquire a long-term benefit that gives you some narrative control over the story. Long-term benefits can include the following.

• Contact: You gain a long-term NPC contact of importance—someone who will help you with information, equipment, or physical tasks. You and the GM should work out the details of the relationship.

• Home: You acquire a full-time residence—a city apartment, a cabin in the wilderness, or a base in an ancient complex. It is a secure place where you can leave your belongings and sleep soundly. PCs might even purchase a home or base of operations together.

• Title or job: You gain a position of importance—it might come with authority, responsibilities, or prestige.

• Wealth: You experience a windfall, inheritance, or gift, and—at least for now—no longer need to worry about the cost of simple equipment, lodging, food, and so on.

You start the game at tier 1. By purchasing four character advancements, you reach the next tier, up to tier 6. Each advancement costs 4 XP. You can purchase them any order you wish, but you can only purchase a each advancement once per tier. The standard advancements are:

• Increasing Capabilities: You gain 4 points to add to your stat Pools. You can allocate the points among your Pools however you wish.

• Moving Toward Perfection: You add 1 to your Might Edge, Speed Edge, or Intellect Edge (your choice).

• Extra Effort: Your Effort score increases by 1.

• Skills: Choose one skill—other than attacks or defense—you become trained in that skill.

  If you choose a skill you are already trained in, you become specialized in it. You can also use this option to eliminate an inability, becoming practiced in the skill.

  Alternatively, you can choose to become trained in a special ability, easing tasks using it—when you do this, you can choose an ability that is an attack.

Other Advancement Options

Once each tier, you can substitute a standard advancement for one of the following:

• Reduce Speed Effort cost for wearing armor by 1.
• Add +2 to your recovery rolls.
• Select another special ability from your type for your tier or a lower tier.

Reaching New Tiers

When you reach a new tier, you gain special abilities from your focus. You also gain a number of abilities to choose from your type, which can be from your new tier or a lower one. Additionally, you can exchange one type ability you've chosen for another of equal or lower tier.

Most followers are gained and increased in level through special abilities. Followers don't need to be paid, fed, or housed, though you can certainly make such arrangements if you wish.

When you gain an ability that grants you a follower, the GM might require that you actually look for a suitable follower.

• Modifications: Followers are trained in certain tasks, which grant you an asset when they help you with them. A follower has a number of modifications equal to their level. If you gain a level 2 follower and want them to be a spy, you could choose stealth and deception as their two modifications. A follower can't help with tasks unrelated to their modifications.

• Follower Level Progression: Each time you advance two tiers after gaining a follower, they increase their level by 1, and you choose a new modification for them.

• Follower Assets to Combat and Defense: If your follower is at least level 3, the modification you choose can be for combat—allowing them to grant you an asset to attacks or defense in combat. A few special abilities grant an exception to this rule.

• Pet: A pet typically doesn't provide modifications, but grants an asset to tasks related like achieving peace of mind, finding comfort, and resisting loneliness.

You have three defining characteristics called "stats"—Might, Speed, and Intellect. Whenever you take an action and the GM assigns you a task, that task is based on one of these three stats.

Might

Might governs how strong you are, how much physical punishment you can take, and how well you weather extreme conditions, poisons, toxins, and venom. Physical characters, tough characters, and characters interested in fighting—especially up close in a melee—should focus on Might.

• Might is: Durability, Endurance, Constitution, Hardiness, and Strength.

• Might defense: Resisting poisons and disease, or being crushed by heavy weights test your Might.

• Might damage: When you take physical damage, it is subtracted from your Might points first.

Speed

Speed it governs how well-coordinated you are, how well you dodge, and your accuracy with ranged attacks. It also helps when you move farther on your turn. Nimble, fast, or stealthy characters should focus on Speed.

• Speed is: Accuracy, Agility, Dexterity, Movement, Reflexes, and Quickness.

• Speed defense: Dodging attacks and escaping danger are Speed defense tasks, and are the most common defense task.

• Speed damage: When you take damage from snake venom, a strange force field, or sapping necrotic energies, it is subtracted from your Speed points first.

Intellect

Intellect governs all mental domains—solving puzzles, remembering, using intuition, telling convincing lies, using your senses, and using mental powers are all Intellect-based . Characters interested in communicating effectively, being learned scholars, or wielding supernatural powers should focus on Intellect.

• Intellect is: Charisma, Charm, Education, Empathy, Insight, Knowledge, Personality, Resolve, Reasoning, Willpower, Wisdom, and Wit.

• Intellect defense: Fending off mental attacks, or anything that affects or influences are Intellect defense Tasks.

• Intellect damage: When you take damage from a mental attack, it is subtracted from your Intellect points first.

Each of your three stats—Might, Speed, and Intellect—has two values—Pool and Edge. Each tier, you can use character advancement to increase your stat Pools and Edge. Your descriptor and some special abilities also increase your Pool or Edge.

Pool

A stat Pool is a well of potential you can draw from for a stat, measured in "points". Pool points are temporarily reduced by taking damage, and by spending points from the Pool to activate special abilities or use Effort. If a stat Pool's points reach 0, you shift down the damage track. You recover lost pool points by making recovery rolls.

At tier 1, your descriptor and type (and possibly your type) determine your starting Usually, PCs start the game with about 9–20 points in each stat.

Edge

Whenever you spend points from your Pool by using special abilities or Effort, your Edge for that stat is subtracted from the total number of points you spend on the action.

At tier 1, you have an Edge of 1 in one stat, also determined by your type.

Your Effort score represents how hard you can push yourself to succeed, and how deeply you can draw from your stat Pools to do so.

At tier 1, you have an Effort score of 1, which allows you to use one level of Effort. Using one level of Effort eases task difficulty by one step, and costs 3 points from the stat Pool assigned to the task by the GM.

Effort and Damage

Instead of applying a level of Effort to ease an attack, you can apply it to inflict 3 additional points of damage—if the attack roll succeeds. This works for any kind of attack—a sword, a crossbow, or a mental blast.

When you use Effort to increase the damage of an area attack, you inflict only 2 additional points of damage to creatures hit by the attack.

Extra Effort

Each tier, you can increase your Effort score through character advancement, allowing you use additional levels of Effort. Each level of Effort after the first costs only 2 points instead of 3.

Effort can ease a task up to six steps.

Multiple Uses of Effort

Once your Effort score is 2 or higher, you can use Effort to different aspects of a single action. For example, if you make an attack, you can use one level of Effort to ease the attack roll, and one level of Effort to increase the damage inflicted if you succeed.

Some special abilities detail their own unique options for how Effort can be used.

Free Level of Effort

A few abilities give you a free level of Effort—usually requiring you to use at least one level of Effort on a task. A free level of Effort allows you to exceed your Effort score, but not the six-step limit for using Effort.

Paying Costs

When resolving a task:

1. Total all Pool point costs—including Effort used, special abilities activated, Speed Effort cost for wearing armor, and any initial cost determined by the GM. Most of the time, all costs are paid from the same Pool as the task stat, and resolved with a single task roll.

2. Subtract each stat's Edge from its total Pool point cost. Pay any remaining costs.

The following table displays levels of Effort, their effective change in task difficulty, and the number of Pool points spent by using levels of Effort, adjusted for Edge. Most of the time, you can consult the table, then add any costs from special abilities or initial cost incurred by the task for a total.

Training skills lowers the difficulty of related tasks. You gain training through your descriptor, type, or focus. You can also improve your training with skills or add new ones to your repertoire through character advancement.

There is no definitive list of skills, but here is a list of possible skills to get you started. In most campaigns, fluency in a language is a skill.

Levels of Skill Training

• Inability: The opposite of being trained—the difficulty of relevant tasks is hindered by one step on relevant tasks. If you also become trained in a task with which you have an inability, you become practiced.

• Practiced: The normal, unmodified ability to use a skill—not trained, specialized, or an inability. This is the default state for any skill.

• Trained: Having a reasonable amount of skill in a task. Relevant tasks are eased by one step.

• Specialized: If you gain a skill you're already trained in, you become specialized in it, easing related tasks by two steps. This is the maximum that skill training can contribute to modifying the difficulty of a task.

• Skill with Attacks and Defense: Your type determines your skill with weapon attacks, and some descriptors provide training with defense tasks. Further training for these skills is usually gained through special abilities. You can also become trained with your special abilities—including attacks—through character advancement.

You gain special abilities from your type and focus at tier 1, and at each new tier you reach through character advancement. Abilities provide skill training, allow you to interact with the world, and provide protection. Some resemble magic or superpowers.

• Ability Costs and Effort: Activating some abilities requires paying a cost in stat Pool points—listed after the ability name. If the cost has a "+" after the number, you can spend more Pool points or use levels of Effort to enhance the ability further.

• Action: Using these abilities is an action. Some abilities take an action to initiate, and longer to complete, or have a specified duration once activated. Some abilities require you to use your action on your turn to use maintain the effects.

• Enabler: These abilities function constantly, or are activated simultaneously as part of another action—often a specific kind of task or special ability.

• Duration: Most specified durations are one round, one minute, ten minutes, one hour, ten hours, or one day. You can end your abilities at any time (no action required). Many abilities create permanent effects—if you ripped open a city bus with electromagnetic power, you can't just "end" that effect.

Attacking with Abilities

If a special ability affects another character in an unwanted manner, it's an attack—even an ability like Healing Touch is an attack if the target doesn't want to be touched or healed.

If an ability requires touching the target, it is a melee attack. If you miss, the ability is not wasted. You can continue to attack with it until you hit, use another special ability, or take a different action that requires you to use your hands.

Ability Power Grades by Tier

Descriptor

The adjective is your descriptor. A descriptor defines what you are like, including some strengths and weaknesses. In some settings, it might also describe your species or other unique things about your personal history. The GM might limit which descriptors are appropriate for the game setting. There are many descriptors, so it's unlikely two PCs in a group will need to use the same one.

Dozens of descriptors are detailed in Chapter 3.

Type

The noun is your character type—Adept, Explorer, Speaker, or Warrior. Your character type defines your role in the world, and includes a broad choice of special abilities you might want your character to have.

Types are very broad, so it's fine if two PCs have the same type—no two will be alike.

Types are detailed in Chapter 4.

Focus

The verb is your focus. Focus is what your character does best, granting you new special abilities each tier. Your focus also helps you understand how you relate with the other player characters in your group. The foci you choose from will probably depend on the setting and genre of your game.

Foci are unique. No two PCs in the group will have the same focus.

Over one hundred foci are detailed in Chapter 5.

Character Arc

Just like in a book or a television show, characters progress through their own personal story, changing over time. A character arc is a good way to communicate to the GM what kind of story you want to pursue.

Character arcs are a significant source of XP.

Dozens of arcs are detailed in Chapter 6.

Your descriptor defines your character—it provides a sort of "roleplaying toolkit"—placing your character in the game alongside the other PCs, and providing your PC a mode and motivation. In terms of game mechanics, descriptors modify your stat Pools, provide training in skills, and a few add special abilities. Not all a descriptor's character modifications are positive—you are defined as much by what you're not good at as what you are.

You can pick any descriptor you wish, or the GM might provide a list for you to choose from.

Species Descriptors

Some settings might use a species descriptor, or keep it simple—a greyhound-like species might be best represented by the Fast descriptor.

Appealing

You're attractive to others, but perhaps more important, you are likeable and charismatic. You've got that "special something" that draws others to you. You often know just the right thing to say to make someone laugh, put them at ease, or spur them to action. People like you, want to help you, and want to be your friend.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Charismatic: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in pleasant social interactions.

• Resistant to Charms: You're aware of how others can manipulate and charm people, and you notice when those tactics are used on you. Because of this awareness, you are trained in resisting any kind of persuasion or seduction if you wish it.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You met a total stranger (one of the other PCs) and charmed them so much that they invited you along.
2. The PCs were looking for someone else, but you convinced them that you were perfect instead.
3. Pure happenstance—because you just go along with the flow of things and everything usually works out.
4. Your charismatic ways helped get one of the PCs out of a difficult spot a long time ago, and they always ask you to join them on new adventures.

Benificent

Helping others is your calling. It's why you're here. Others delight in your outgoing and charitable nature, and you delight in their happiness. You're at your best when you're aiding people, either by explaining how they can best overcome a challenge or by demonstrating how to do so yourself.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Generous: Allies who have spent the last day with you add +1 to their recovery rolls.

• Altruistic: If you're standing next to a creature that takes damage, you can intercede and take 1 point of that damage yourself (reducing the damage inflicted on the creature by 1 point). If you have Armor, it does not provide a benefit when you use this ability.

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks related to pleasant social interaction, putting other people at ease, and gaining trust.

• Helpful: Whenever you help another character, that character gains the benefit as if you were trained even if you are not trained or specialized in the attempted task.

• Inability: While you are alone, all Intellect and Speed tasks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Even though you didn't know most of the other PCs beforehand, you invited yourself along on their quest.
2. You saw the PCs struggling to overcome a problem and selflessly joined them to help.
3. You're nearly certain the PCs will fail without you.
4. The choice was between your tattered life and helping others. You haven't looked back since.

Brash

You're a self-assertive sort, confident in your abilities, energetic, and perhaps a bit irreverent toward ideas that you don't agree with. Some people call you bold and brave, but those you've put in their place might call you puffed up and arrogant. Whatever. It's not in your nature to care what other people think about you, unless those people are your friends or family. Even someone as brash as you knows that friends sometimes have to come first.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Energetic: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in initiative.

• Bold: You are trained in all actions that involve overcoming or ignoring the effects of fear or intimidation.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You noticed something weird going on, and without much thought, you jumped in with both feet.
2. You showed up when and where you did on a dare because, hey, you don't back down from dares.
3. Someone called you out, but instead of walking into a fight, you walked into your current situation.
4. You told your friend that nothing could scare you, and nothing you saw would change your mind. They brought you to your current point.

Calm

You've spent most of your life in sedentary pursuits—books, movies, hobbies, and so on—rather than active ones. You're well versed in all manner of academia or other intellectual pursuits, but nothing physical. You're not weak or feeble, necessarily (although this is a good descriptor for characters who are elderly), but you have no experience in more physical activities.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Bookish: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skills: You are trained in four nonphysical skills of your choice.

• Trivia: You can come up with a random fact pertinent to the current situation when you wish it. This is always a matter of fact, not conjecture or supposition, and must be something you could have logically read or seen in the past. You can do this one time, although the ability is renewed each time you make a recovery roll.

• Inability: You're just not a fighter. All physical attacks are hindered.

• Inability: You're not the outdoorsy type. All climbing, running, jumping, and swimming tasks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You read about the current situation somewhere and decided to check it out for yourself.
2. You were in the right (wrong?) place at the right (wrong?) time.
3. While avoiding an entirely different situation, you walked into your current situation.
4. One of the other PCs dragged you into it.

Chaotic

Danger doesn't mean much to you, mainly because you don't think much about repercussions. In fact, you enjoy sowing surprises, just to see what will happen. The more unexpected the result, the happier you are. Sometimes you are particularly manic, and for the sake of your companions, you restrain yourself from taking actions that you know will lead to disaster.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Tumultuous: +4 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in Intellect defense actions.

• Chaotic: Once after each ten-hour recovery roll, if you don't like the first result, you can reroll a die roll of your choice. If you do, and regardless of the outcome, the GM presents you with a GM intrusion.

• Inability: Your body is a bit worn from occasional excesses. Might defense tasks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Another PC recruited you while you were on your best behavior, before realizing how chaotic you were.
2. You have reason to believe that being with the other PCs will help you gain control over your erratic behavior.
3. Another PC released you from captivity, and to thank them, you volunteered to help.
4. You have no idea how you joined the PCs. You're just going along with it for now until answers present themselves.

Charming

You're a smooth talker and a charmer. Whether through seemingly supernatural means or just a way with words, you can convince others to do as you wish. Most likely, you're physically attractive or at least highly charismatic, and others enjoy listening to your voice. You probably pay attention to your appearance, keeping yourself well groomed. You make friends easily. You play up the personality facet of your Intellect stat; intelligence is not your strong suit. You're personable, but not necessarily studious or strong-willed.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Personable: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks involving positive or pleasant social interaction.

• Skill: You're trained when using special abilities that influence the minds of others.

• Contact: You have an important contact who is in an influential position, such as a minor noble, the captain of the town guard/police, or the head of a large gang of thieves. You and the GM should work out the details together.

• Inability: You were never good at studying or retaining facts. Any task involving lore, knowledge, or understanding is hindered.

• Inability: Your willpower is not one of your strong points. Defense actions to resist mental attacks are hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You've managed to talk your way into some decent discounts and bonuses in recent weeks. As a result, you have enough cash jangling in your pocket to purchase a moderately priced item.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You convinced one of the other PCs to tell you what they were doing.
2. You instigated the whole thing and convinced the others to join you.
3. One of the other PCs did a favor for you, and now you're repaying that obligation by helping them with the task at hand.
4. There is a reward involved, and you need the money.

Clever

You're quick-witted, thinking well on your feet. You understand people, so you can fool them but are rarely fooled. Because you easily see things for what they are, you get the lay of the land swiftly, size up threats and allies, and assess situations with accuracy. Perhaps you're physically attractive, or maybe you use your wit to overcome any physical or mental imperfections.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Smart: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in all interactions involving lies or trickery.

• Skill: You're trained in defense rolls to resist mental effects.

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks involving identifying or assessing danger, lies, quality, importance, function, or power.

• Inability: You were never good at studying or retaining trivial knowledge. Any task involving lore, knowledge, or understanding is hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You see through the schemes of others and occasionally convince them to believe you—even when, perhaps, they should not. Thanks to your clever behavior, you have an additional expensive item.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You convinced one of the other PCs to tell you what they were doing.
2. From afar, you observed that something interesting was going on.
3. You talked your way into the situation because you thought it might earn some money.
4. You suspect that the other PCs won't succeed without you.

Clumsy

Graceless and awkward, you were told that you'd grow out of it, but you never did. You often drop things, trip over your own feet, or knock things (or people) over. Some people get frustrated by this quality, but most find it funny and even a little charming.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Butterfingers: −2 to your Speed Pool.

• Thick-Muscled: +2 to your Might Pool.

• Inelegant: You have a certain lovable charm. You are trained in all pleasant social interactions when you express a lighthearted, self-deprecating manner.

• Dumb Luck: The GM can introduce a GM intrusion on you, based on your clumsiness, without awarding you any XP (as if you had rolled a 1 on a d20 roll). However, if this happens, 50% of the time, your clumsiness works to your advantage. Rather than hurting you (much), it helps you, or it hurts your enemies. You slip, but it's just in time to duck an attack. You fall down, but you trip your enemies as you crash into their legs. You turn around too quickly, but you end up knocking the weapon from your foe's hand. You and the GM should work together to determine the details. If the GM wishes, they can use GM intrusions based on your clumsiness normally (awarding XP).

• Skill: You've got a certain bull-like quality. You are trained in tasks involving breaking things.

• Inability: Any task that involves balance, grace, or hand-to-eye coordination is hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You were in the right place at the right time.
2. You had a piece of information that the other PCs needed to make their plans.
3. A sibling recommended you to the other PCs.
4. You stumbled into the PCs as they were discussing their mission, and they took a liking to you.

Craven

Courage fails you at every turn. You lack the willpower and resolve to stand fast in the face of danger. Fear gnaws at your heart, chewing away at your mind, driving you to distraction until you cannot bear it. Most times, you back down from confrontations. You flee from threats and vacillate when faced with difficult decisions.

Yet for all that fear dogs you and possibly shames you, your cowardly nature proves to be a useful ally from time to time. Listening to your fears has helped you escape danger and avoid taking unnecessary risks. Others may have suffered in your place, and you might be the first to admit this fact, but secretly you feel intense relief from having avoided an unthinkable and terrible fate.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Furtive: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in stealth-based tasks.

• Skill: You're trained in running actions.

• Skill: You're trained in any action taken to escape danger, flee from a dangerous situation, or wheedle your way out of trouble.

• Inability: You do not willingly enter dangerous situations. Any initiative actions (to determine who goes first in combat) are hindered.

• Inability: You fall to pieces when you have to undertake a potentially dangerous task alone. Any such task (such as attacking a creature by yourself) is hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have a good luck charm or protective device to keep you out of harm's way.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You believe that you're being hunted, and you have hired one of the other PCs as your protector.
2. You seek to escape your shame and take up with capable individuals in the hopes of repairing your reputation.
3. One of the other PCs bullied you into coming along.
4. The group answered your cries for help when you were in trouble.

Creative

Maybe you have a notebook where you write down ideas so you can develop them later. Perhaps you email yourself ideas that strike you out of the blue so you can sort them in an electronic document. Or maybe you just sit down, stare at your screen and, by indomitable force of will, produce something from nothing. However your gift works, you're creative—you code, write, compose, sculpt, design, direct, or otherwise create narratives that enthrall other people with your vision.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Inventive: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Original: You're always coming up with something new. You're trained in any task related to creating a narrative (such as a story, play, or scenario). This includes deception, if the deception involves a narrative you're able to tell.

• Skill: You are naturally inventive. You are trained in one specific creative skill of your choice: writing, computer coding, composing music, painting, drawing, and so on.

• Skill: You love solving riddles and the like. You are trained in puzzle-solving tasks.

• Skill: To be creative requires that you always be learning. You are trained in any task that involves finding out something new, such as when you're digging through a library, data bank, news archive, or similar collection of knowledge.

• Inability: You're inventive but not charming. All tasks related to pleasant social interaction are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You were doing research for a project and convinced the PCs to bring you along.
2. You're looking for new markets for the results of your creative output.
3. You fell in with the wrong crowd, but they grew on you.
4. A creative life is often one beset with financial hurdles. You joined the PCs because you hoped it would be profitable.

Cruel

Misfortune and suffering do not move you. When another endures hardship, you find it hard to care, and you may even enjoy the pain and difficulty the person experiences if they've done you wrong in the past. Your cruel streak may derive from bitterness brought about by your own struggles and disappointments. You might be a hard pragmatist, doing what you feel you must even if others are worse for it. Or you could be a sadist, delighting in the pain you inflict.

Being cruel does not necessarily make you a villain. Your cruelty may be reserved for those who cross you or other people useful to you. You might have become cruel as the result of an intensely awful experience. Abuse and torture, for example, can strip away compassion for other living beings.

As well, you need not be cruel in every situation. In fact, others might see you as personable, friendly, and even helpful. But when angered or frustrated, your dual nature reveals itself, and those who have earned your scorn are likely to suffer for it.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Cunning: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Cruelty: When you use force, you can choose to maim or deliver painful injuries to draw out your foe's suffering. Whenever you inflict damage, you can choose to inflict 2 fewer points of damage to ease your next attack against that foe.

• Skill: You're trained in tasks related to deception, intimidation, and persuasion when you interact with characters experiencing physical or emotional pain.

• Inability: You have a hard time connecting with others, understanding their motives, or sharing their feelings. Any task to ascertain another character's motives, feelings, or disposition is hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have a valuable memento from the last person you destroyed. The memento is moderately priced, and you can sell it or trade it for an item of equal or lesser value.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You suspect that you might gain a long-term advantage from helping the other PCs and may be able to use that advantage against your enemies.
2. By joining the PCs, you see an opportunity to grow your personal power and status at the expense of others.
3. You hope to make another PC's life more difficult by joining the group.
4. Joining the PCs gives you an opportunity to escape justice for a crime you committed.

Dishonorable

There is no honor among thieves—or betrayers, backstabbers, liars, or cheats. You are all of these things, and either you don't lose any sleep over it, or you deny the truth to others or to yourself. Regardless, you are willing to do whatever it takes to get your own way. Honor, ethics, and principles are merely words. In your estimation, they have no place in the real world.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Sneaky: +4 to your Speed Pool.

• Just Desserts: When the GM gives another player an experience point to award to someone for a GM intrusion, that player cannot give it to you.

• Skill: You are trained in deception.

• Skill: You are trained in stealth.

• Skill: You are trained in intimidation.

• Inability: People don't like or trust you. Pleasant social interactions are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You are interested in what the PCs are doing, so you lied to them to get into their group.
2. While skulking about, you overheard the PCs' plans and realized that you wanted in.
3. One of the other PCs invited you, having no idea of what you're truly like.
4. You bullied your way in with intimidation and bluster.

Doomed

You are quite certain that your fate is leading you, inextricably, toward a terrible end. This fate might be yours alone, or you might be dragging along the people closest to you.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Jumpy: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: Always on the lookout for danger, you are trained in perception-related tasks.

• Skill: You are defense minded, so you are trained in Speed defense tasks.

• Skill: You are cynical and expect the worst. Thus, you are resistant to mental shocks. You are trained in Intellect defense tasks having to do with losing your sanity or equanimity.

• Doom: Every other time the GM uses GM intrusion on your character, you cannot refuse it and do not get an XP for it (you still get an XP to award to another player). This is because you are doomed. The universe is a cold, uncaring place, and your efforts are futile at best.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You attempted to avoid it, but events seemed to conspire to draw you to where you are.
2. Why not? It doesn't matter. You're doomed no matter what you do.
3. One of the other PCs saved your life, and now you're repaying that obligation by helping them with the task at hand.
4. You suspect that the only hope you have of avoiding your fate might lie on this path.

Empathic

Other people are open books to you. You may have a knack for reading a person's tells, those subtle movements that convey an individual's mood and disposition. Or you may receive information in a more direct way, feeling a person's emotions as if they were tangible things, sensations that lightly brush against your mind. Your gift for empathy helps you navigate social situations and control them to avoid misunderstandings and prevent useless conflicts from erupting.

The constant bombardment of emotions from those around you likely takes a toll. You might move with the prevailing mood, swinging from giddy happiness to bitter sorrow with little warning. Or you might close yourself off and remain inscrutable to others out of a sense of self-preservation or an unconscious fear that everyone else might learn how you truly feel.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Open Mind: +4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in tasks involving sensing other emotions, discerning dispositions, and getting a hunch about people around you.

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks involving social interaction, pleasant or otherwise.

• Inability: Being so receptive to others' thoughts and moods makes you vulnerable to anything that attacks your mind. Intellect defense rolls are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You sensed the commitment to the task the other PCs have and felt moved to help them.
2. You established a close bond with another PC and can't bear to be parted from them.
3. You sensed something strange in one of the PCs and decided to join the group to see if you can sense it again and uncover the truth.
4. You joined the PCs to escape an unpleasant relationship or negative environment.

Exiled

You have walked a long and lonely road, leaving your home and your life behind. You might have committed a heinous crime, something so awful that your people forced you out, and if you dare return, you face death. You might have been accused of a crime you didn't commit and now must pay the price for someone else's wicked deed. Your exile might be the result of a social gaffe—perhaps you shamed your family or a friend, or you embarrassed yourself in front of your peers, an authority, or someone you respect. Whatever the reason, you have left your old life behind and now strive to make a new one.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Self-Reliant: +2 to your Might Pool.

• Loner: You gain no benefit when you get help with a task from another character who is trained or specialized in that task.

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks involving sneaking.

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks involving foraging, hunting, and finding safe places to rest or hide.

• Inability: Living on your own for as long as you have makes you slow to trust others and awkward in social situations. Any task involving social interaction is hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have a memento from your past—an old picture, a locket with a few strands of hair inside, or a lighter given to you by someone important. You keep the object close at hand and pull it out to help you remember better times.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The other PCs earned your trust by helping you when you needed it. You accompany them to repay them.
2. While exploring on your own, you discovered something strange. When you traveled to a settlement, the PCs were the only ones who believed you, and they have accompanied you to help you deal with the problem.
3. One of the other PCs reminds you of someone you used to know.
4. You have grown weary of your isolation. Joining the other PCs gives you a chance to belong.

Fast

You're fleet of foot. Because you're quick, you can accomplish tasks more rapidly than others can. You're not just quick on your feet, however—you're quick with your hands, and you think and react quickly. You even talk quickly.

• Energetic: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in running.

• Fast: You can move a short distance and still take another action in the same round, or you can move a long distance as your action without needing to make any kind of roll.

• Inability: You're a sprinter, not a long-distance runner. You don't have a lot of stamina. Might defense rolls are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You jumped in to save one of the other PCs who was in dire need.
2. One of the other PCs recruited you for your unique talents.
3. You're impulsive, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.
4. This mission ties in with a personal goal of your own.

Foolish

Not everyone can be brilliant. Oh, you don't think of yourself as stupid, and you're not. It's just that others might have a bit more … wisdom. Insight. You prefer to barrel along headfirst through life and let other people worry about things. Worrying's never helped you, so why bother? You take things at face value and don't fret about what tomorrow might bring.

People call you "idiot" or "numbskull," but it doesn't faze you much.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Unwise: −4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Carefree: You succeed more on luck than anything. Every time you roll for a task, roll twice and take the higher result.

• Intellect Weakness: Any time you spend points from your Intellect Pool, it costs you 1 more point than usual.

• Inability: Any Intellect defense task is hindered.

• Inability: Any task that involves seeing through a deception, an illusion, or a trap is hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Who knows? Seemed like a good idea at the time.
2. Someone asked you to join up with the other PCs. They told you not to ask too many questions, and that seemed fine to you.
3. Your parent (or a parental/mentor figure) got you involved to give you something to do and maybe "teach you some sense."
4. The other PCs needed some muscle who wouldn't overthink things.

Graceful

You have a perfect sense of balance, moving and speaking with grace and beauty. You're quick, lithe, flexible, and dexterous. Your body is perfectly suited to dance, and you use that advantage in combat to dodge blows. You might wear garments that enhance your agile movement and sense of style.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Agile: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks involving balance and careful movement.

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks involving physical performing arts.

• Skill: You're trained in all Speed defense tasks.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Against your better judgment, you joined the other PCs because you saw that they were in danger.
2. One of the other PCs convinced you that joining the group would be in your best interests.
3. You're afraid of what might happen if the other PCs fail.
4. There is reward involved, and you need the money.

Guarded

You conceal your true nature behind a mask and are loath to let anyone see who you really are. Protecting yourself, physically and emotionally, is what you care about most, and you prefer to keep everyone else at a safe distance. You may be suspicious of everyone you meet, expecting the worst from people so you won't be surprised when they prove you right. Or you might just be a bit reserved, careful about letting people through your gruff exterior to the person you really are.

No one can be as reserved as you are and make many friends. Most likely, you have an abrasive personality and tend to be pessimistic in your outlook. You probably nurse an old hurt and find that the only way you can cope is to keep it and your personality locked down.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Suspicious: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in all Intellect defense tasks.

• Skill: You are trained in all tasks involving discerning the truth, piercing disguises, and recognizing falsehoods and other deceptions.

• Inability: Your suspicious nature makes you unlikeable. Any task involving deception or persuasion is hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. One of the PCs managed to overcome your defenses and befriend you.
2. You want to see what the PCs are up to, so you accompany them to catch them in the act of some wrongdoing.
3. You have made a few enemies and take up with the PCs for protection.
4. The PCs are the only people who will put up with you.

Hardy

Your body was built to take abuse. Whether you're pounding down stiff drinks while holding up a bar in your favorite watering hole or trading blows with a thug in a back alley, you keep going, shrugging off hurts and injuries that might slow or incapacitate a lesser person. Neither hunger nor thirst, cut flesh nor broken bone can stop you. You just press on through the pain and continue.

As fit and healthy as you are, the signs of wear show in the myriad scars crisscrossing your body, your thrice-broken nose, your cauliflower ears, and any number of other disfigurements you wear with pride.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Mighty: +4 to your Might Pool.

• Fast Healer: You halve the time it takes to make a recovery roll (minimum one action).

• Almost Unstoppable: While you are impaired on the damage track, you function as if you were hale. While you are debilitated, you function as if you were impaired. In other words, you don't suffer the effects of being impaired until you become debilitated, and you never suffer the effects of being debilitated. You still die if all your stat Pools are 0.

• Skill: You are trained in Might defense actions.

• Inability: Your big, strong body is slow to react. Any task involving initiative is hindered.

• Ponderous: When you apply Effort when making a Speed roll, you must spend 1 extra point from your Speed Pool.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The PCs recruited you after learning about your reputation as a survivor.
2. You joined the PCs because you want or need the money.
3. The PCs offered you a challenge equal to your physical power.
4. You believe the only way the PCs will succeed is if you are along to protect them.

Hideous

You are physically repugnant by almost any human standard. You might have had a serious accident, a harmful mutation, or just poor genetic luck, but you are incontrovertibly ugly.

You've more than made up for your appearance in other ways, however. Because you have to hide your appearance, you excel at sneaking about unnoticed or disguising yourself. But perhaps most important, being ostracized while others socialized, you took the time growing up to develop yourself as you saw fit—you grew strong or quick, or you honed your mind.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Versatile: You get 4 additional points to divide among your stat Pools.

• Skill: You are trained in intimidation and any other fear-based interactions, if you show your true face.

• Skill: You are trained in disguise and stealth tasks.

• Inability: All tasks relating to pleasant social interaction are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. One of the other PCs approached you while you were in disguise, recruiting you while believing you were someone else.
2. While skulking about, you overheard the other PCs' plans and realized you wanted in.
3. One of the other PCs invited you, but you wonder if it was out of pity.
4. You bullied your way in with intimidation and bluster.

Honorable

You are trustworthy, fair, and forthright. You try to do what is right, to help others, and to treat them well. Lying and cheating are no way to get ahead—these things are for the weak, the lazy, or the despicable. You probably spend a lot of time thinking about your personal honor, how best to maintain it, and how to defend it if challenged. In combat, you are straightforward and offer quarter to any foe.

You were likely instilled with this sense of honor by a parent or a mentor. Sometimes the distinction between what is and isn't honorable varies with different schools of thought, but in broad strokes, honorable people can agree on most aspects of what honor means.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Stalwart: +2 to your Might Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in pleasant social interactions.

• Skill: You are trained in discerning people's true motives or seeing through lies.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The PCs' goals appear to be honorable and commendable.
2. You see that what the other PCs are about to do is dangerous, and you'd like to help protect them.
3. One of the other PCs invited you, hearing of your trustworthiness.
4. You asked politely if you could join the other PCs in their mission.

Impulsive

You have a hard time tamping down your enthusiasm. Why wait when you can just do it (whatever it is) and get it done? You deal with problems when they arise rather than plan ahead. Putting out the small fires now prevents them from becoming one big fire later. You are the first to take risks, to jump in and lend a hand, to step into dark passages, and to find danger.

Your impulsiveness likely gets you into trouble. While others might take time to study the items they discover, you use such items without hesitation. After all, the best way to learn what something can do is to use it. When a cautious explorer might look around and check for danger nearby, you have to physically stop yourself from bulling on ahead. Why fuss around when the exciting thing is just ahead?

You gain the following characteristics:

• Reckless: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in initiative actions (to determine who goes first in combat).

• Skill: You're trained in Speed defense actions.

• Inability: You'll try anything once, but quickly grow bored after that. Any task that involves patience, willpower, or discipline is hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You heard what the other PCs were up to and suddenly decided to join them.
2. You pulled everyone together after you heard rumors about something interesting you want to see or do.
3. You blew all of your money and now find yourself strapped for cash.
4. You're in trouble for acting recklessly. You join the other PCs because they offer a way out of your problem.

Inquisitive

The world is vast and mysterious, with wonders and secrets to keep you amazed for several lifetimes. You feel the tugging on your heart, the call to explore the wreckage of past civilizations, to discover new peoples, new places, and whatever bizarre wonders you might find along the way. However, as strongly as you feel the pull to roam the world, you know there is danger aplenty, and you take precautions to ensure that you are prepared for any eventuality. Research, preparation, and readiness will help you live long enough to see everything you want to see and do everything you want to do.

You probably have a dozen books and travelogues about the world on you at any time. When not hitting the road and looking around, you spend your time with your nose in a book, learning everything you can about the place you're going so you know what to expect when you get there.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Smart: +4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You are eager to learn. You are trained in any task that involves learning something new, whether you're talking to a local to get information or digging through old books to find lore.

• Skill: You have made a study of the world. You are trained in any task involving geography or history.

• Inability: You tend to fixate on the details, making you somewhat oblivious to what's going on around you. Any task to hear or notice dangers around you is hindered.

• Inability: When you see something interesting, you hesitate as you take in all the details. initiative actions (to determine who goes first in combat) are hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have three books on whatever subjects you choose.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. One of the PCs approached you to learn information related to the mission, having heard you were an expert.
2. You have always wanted to see the place where the other PCs are going.
3. You were interested in what the other PCs were up to and decided to go along with them.
4. One of the PCs fascinates you, perhaps due to a special or weird ability they have.

Intelligent

You're quite smart. Your memory is sharp, and you easily grasp concepts that others might struggle with. This aptitude doesn't necessarily mean that you've had years of formal education, but you have learned a great deal in your life, primarily because you pick things up quickly and retain so much.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Smart: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in an area of knowledge of your choice.

• Skill: You're trained in all actions that involve remembering or memorizing things you experience directly. For example, instead of being good at recalling details of geography that you read about in a book, you can remember a path through a set of tunnels that you've explored before.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. One of the other PCs asked your opinion of the mission, knowing that if you thought it was a good idea, it probably was.
2. You saw value in what the other PCs were doing.
3. You believed that the task might lead to important and interesting discoveries.
4. A colleague requested that you take part in the mission as a favor.

Intuitive

You are often tickled by a sense of knowing what someone will say, how they will react, or how events might unfold. Maybe you have a mutant sense, maybe you can see just a few moments ahead through time, or maybe you're just good at reading people and extrapolating a situation. Whatever the case, many who look into your eyes immediately glance away, as if afraid of what you might see in their expression.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Innate: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in perception tasks.

• Know What to Do: You can act immediately, even if it's not your turn. Afterward, on your next regular turn, any action you take is hindered. You can do this one time, although the ability is renewed each time you make a recovery roll.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You just knew you had to come along.
2. You convinced one of the other PCs that your intuition is invaluable.
3. You felt that something terrible would happen if you didn't go.
4. You're confident the reason you arrived at this point will soon become clear.

Jovial

You're cheerful, friendly, and outgoing. You put others at ease with a big smile and a joke, possibly one at your own expense, though lightly ribbing your companions who can take it is also one of your favorite pastimes. Sometimes people say you never take anything seriously. That's not true, of course, but you have learned that to dwell on the bad too long quickly robs the world of joy. You've always got a new joke in your back pocket because you collect them like some people collect bottles of wine.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Witty: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're convivial and set most people at ease with your attitude. You are trained in all tasks related to pleasant social interaction.

• Skill: You have an advantage in figuring out the punch lines of jokes you've never heard before. You are trained in all tasks related to solving puzzles and riddles.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You solved a riddle before realizing that answering it would launch you into the adventure.
2. The other PCs thought you'd bring some much-needed levity to the team.
3. You decided that all fun and no work was not the best way to get through life, so you joined up with the PCs.
4. It was either go with the PCs or face up to a circumstance that was anything but jovial.

Kind

It's always been easy for you to see things from the point of view of other people. That ability has made you sympathetic to what they really want or need. From your perspective, you're just applying the old proverb that "it's easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar," but others simply see your behavior as kindness. Of course, being kind takes time, and yours is limited. You've learned that a small fraction of people don't deserve your time or kindness—true sadists, narcissists, and similar folk will only waste your energy. So you deal with them swiftly, saving your kindness for those who deserve it and can benefit from your attention.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Emotionally Intuitive: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You know what it's like to go a mile in someone else's shoes. You're trained in all tasks related to pleasant social interaction and discerning the dispositions of others.

• Karma: Sometimes, strangers just help you out. To gain the aid of a stranger, you must use a one action, ten-minute, or one-hour recovery roll (without gaining its healing benefit), and the GM determines the nature of the aid you gain. Usually, the act of kindness isn't enough to turn a bad situation completely around, but it may moderate a bad situation and lead to new opportunities. For example, if you are captured, a guard loosens your bonds slightly, brings you water, or delivers a message.

• Inability: Being kind comes with a few risks. All tasks related to detecting falsehoods are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. A PC needed your help, and you agreed to come along as a kindness.
2. You gave the wrong person access to your money, and now you need to make some back.
3. You're ready to take your benevolence on the road and help more people than you could if you didn't join the PCs.
4. Your job, which seemed like it would be personally rewarding, is the opposite. You join the PCs to escape the drudgery.

Learned

You have studied, either on your own or with an instructor. You know many things and are an expert on a few topics, such as history, biology, geography, mythology, nature, or any other area of study. Learned characters typically carry a few books around with them and spend their spare time reading.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Smart: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in three areas of knowledge of your choice.

• Inability: You have few social graces. Any task involving charm, persuasion, or etiquette is hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have two additional books on topics of your choice.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. One of the other PCs asked you to come along because of your knowledge.
2. You need money to fund your studies.
3. You believed that the task might lead to important and interesting discoveries.
4. A colleague requested that you take part in the mission as a favor.

Lucky

You rely on chance and timely good luck to get you through many situations. When people say that someone was born under a lucky star, they mean you. When you try your hand at something new, no matter how unfamiliar the task is, as often as not you find a measure of success. Even when disaster strikes, it's rarely as bad as it could be. More often, small things seem to go your way, you win contests, and you're often in the right place at the right time.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Luck Pool: You have one additional Pool called Luck that begins with 3 points, and it has a maximum value of 3 points. When spending points from any other Pool, you can take one, some, or all of the points from your Luck Pool first. When you make a recovery roll to recover points to any other Pool, your Luck Pool is also refreshed by the same number of points. When your Luck Pool is at 0 points, it does not count against your damage track. Enabler.

• Advantage: When you use 1 XP to reroll a d20 for any roll that affects only you, add 3 to the reroll.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Knowing that lucky people notice and take active advantage of opportunities, you became involved in your first adventure by choice.
2. You literally bumped into someone else on this adventure through sheer luck.
3. You found a briefcase lying alongside the road. It was battered, but inside you found a lot of strange documents that led you here.
4. Your luck saved you when you avoided a speeding vehicle by a fortuitous fall through an opening in the ground (a manhole, if in a modern setting). Beneath the ground, you found something you couldn't ignore.

Mad

You have delved too deeply into subjects people were not meant to know. You are knowledgeable in things beyond the scope of most, but this knowledge has come at a terrible price. You are likely in questionable physical shape and occasionally shake with nervous tics. You sometimes mutter to yourself without realizing it.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Knowledgeable: +4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Fits of Insight: Whenever such knowledge is appropriate, the GM feeds you information although there is no clear explanation as to how you could know such a thing. This is up to the GM's discretion, but it should happen as often as once each session.

• Erratic Behavior: You are prone to acting erratically or irrationally. When you are in the presence of a major discovery or subjected to great stress (such as a serious physical threat), the GM can introduce a GM intrusion that directs your next action without awarding XP. You can still pay 1 XP to refuse the intrusion. The GM's influence is the manifestation of your madness and thus is always something you would not likely do otherwise, but it is not directly, obviously harmful to you unless there are extenuating circumstances. (For example, if a foe suddenly leaps out of the darkness, you might spend the first round babbling incoherently or screaming the name of your first true love.)

• Skill: You are trained in one area of knowledge (probably something weird or esoteric).

• Inability: Your mind is quite fragile. Tasks to resist mental attacks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Voices in your head told you to go.
2. You instigated the whole thing and convinced the others to join you.
3. One of the other PCs obtained a book of knowledge for you, and now you're repaying that favor by helping them with the task at hand.
4. You feel compelled by inexplicable intuition.

Mechanical

You have a special talent with machines of all kinds, and you're adept at understanding and, if need be, repairing them. Perhaps you're a bit of an inventor, creating new machines from time to time. You get called "techie," "tech," "mech," "gear-head," "motor-head," or any of a number of other nicknames. Mechanics usually wear practical work clothes and carry around a lot of tools.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Smart: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in all actions involving identifying or understanding machines.

• Skill: You're trained in all actions involving using, repairing, or crafting machines.

• Additional Equipment: You start with a variety of machine tools.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. While repairing a nearby machine, you overheard the other PCs talking.
2. You need money to buy tools and parts.
3. It was clear that the mission couldn't succeed without your skills and knowledge.
4. Another PC asked you to join them.

Mysterious

The dark figure lurking silently in the corner? That's you. No one really knows where you came from or what your motives are—you play things close to the vest. Your manner perplexes and confounds others, but that doesn't make you a poor friend or ally. You're just good at keeping things to yourself, moving about unseen, and concealing your presence and identity.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Skill: You are trained in all stealth tasks.

• Skill: You are trained in resisting interrogation or tricks to get you to talk.

• Confounding: You pull talents and abilities seemingly out of nowhere. You can attempt one task in which you have no training as if you were trained, attempt a task that you are trained in as if specialized, or gain a free level of Effort with a task that you are specialized in. This ability refreshes every time you make a recovery roll, but the uses never accumulate.

• Inability: People never know where they stand with you. Any task involving getting people to believe or trust you is hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You just showed up one day.
2. You convinced one of the other PCs that you had invaluable skills.
3. Some equally mysterious figure told you where to be and when (but not why) to join the group.
4. Something—a feeling, a dream—told you where to be and when to join the group.

Mystical

You think of yourself as mystical, attuned with the mysterious and the paranormal. Your true talents lie with the supernatural. You likely have experience with ancient lore, and you can sense and wield the supernatural—though whether that means "magic," "psychic phenomena," or something else is up to you (and probably up to those around you as well). Mystical characters often wear jewelry, such as a ring or an amulet, or have tattoos or other marks that show their interests.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Smart: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in all actions involving identifying or understanding the supernatural.

• Sense Magic: You can sense whether the supernatural is active in situations where its presence is not obvious. You must study an object or location closely for a minute to get a feel for whether a mystical touch is at work.

• Spell: You can perform Hedge Magic as a spell when you have a free hand and can pay the Intellect point cost.

• Inability: You have a manner or an aura that others find a bit unnerving. Any task involving charm, persuasion, or deception is hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. A dream guided you to this point.
2. You need money to fund your studies.
3. You believed the mission would be a great way to learn more about the supernatural.
4. Various signs and portents led you here.

Naive

You've lived a sheltered life. Your childhood was safe and secure, so you didn't get a chance to learn much about the world—and even less chance to experience it. Whether you were training for something, had your nose in a book, or just were sequestered in a secluded place, you haven't done much, met many people, or seen many interesting things so far. That's probably going to change soon, but as you go forward into a larger world, you do so without some of the understanding that others possess about how it all works.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Fresh: You add +1 to your recovery rolls.

• Incorruptible: You are trained in Intellect defense tasks and all tasks that involve resisting temptation.

• Skill: You're wide-eyed. You are trained in perception tasks.

• Inability: Any task that involves seeing through deceptions or determining someone's secret motive is hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Someone told you that you should get involved.
2. You needed money, and this seemed like a good way to earn some.
3. You believed that you could learn a lot by joining the other PCs.
4. Sounded like fun.

Perceptive

You miss little. You pick out the small details in the world around you and are skilled at making deductions from the information you find. Your talents make you an exceptional sleuth, a formidable scientist, or a talented scout.

As adept as you are at finding clues, you have no skill at picking up on social cues. You overlook an offense that your deductions give or how uncomfortable your scrutiny can make the people around you. You tend to dismiss others as being intellectual dwarfs compared to you, which avails you little when you need a favor.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Smart: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You have an eye for detail. You are trained in any task that involves finding or noticing small details.

• Skill: You know a little about everything. You are trained in any task that involves identifying objects or calling to mind a minor detail or bit of trivia.

• Skill: Your skill at making deductions can be imposing. You are trained in any task that involves intimidating another creature.

• Inability: Your confidence comes off as arrogance to people who don't know you. Any task involving positive social interactions is hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have a bag of light tools.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You overheard the other PCs discussing their mission and volunteered your services.
2. One of the PCs asked you to come along, believing that your talents would be invaluable to the mission.
3. You believe that the PCs' mission is somehow related to one of your investigations.
4. A third party recruited you to follow the PCs and see what they were up to.

Resilient

You can take a lot of punishment, both physically and mentally, and still come back for more. It takes a lot to put you down. Neither physical nor mental shocks or damage have a lasting effect. You're tough to faze. Unflappable. Unstoppable.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Resistant: +2 to your Might Pool, and +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Recover: You can make an extra recovery roll each day. This roll is just one action. So you can make two recovery rolls that each take one action, one roll that takes ten minutes, a fourth roll that takes one hour, and a fifth roll that requires ten hours of rest.

• Skill: You are trained in Might defense tasks.

• Skill: You are trained in Intellect defense tasks.

• Inability: You're hardy but not necessarily strong. Any task involving moving, bending, or breaking things is hindered.

• Inability: You have a lot of willpower and mental fortitude, but you're not necessarily smart. Any task involving knowledge or figuring out problems or puzzles is hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You saw that the PCs clearly need someone like you to help them out.
2. Someone asked you to watch over one of the PCs in particular, and you agreed.
3. You are bored and desperately in need of a challenge.
4. You lost a bet—unfairly, you think—and had to take someone's place on this mission.

Risk-Taking

It's part of your nature to question what others think can't or shouldn't be done. You're not insane, of course—you wouldn't attempt to leap across a mile-wide chasm just because you were dared. There's impossible and then there's the just barely possible. You like to push the latter further than others, because it gives you a rush of satisfaction and pleasure when you succeed. The more you succeed, the more you find yourself looking for that next risky challenge to try yourself against.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Nimble: +4 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You're adept at leveraging risk, and you are trained in tasks that involve some element of chance, such as playing games or choosing between two or three apparently equal options.

• Pressing Your Luck: You can choose to automatically succeed on one task without rolling, as long as the task's difficulty is no higher than 6. When you do so, however, you also trigger a GM intrusion as if you had rolled a 1. The intrusion doesn't invalidate the success, but it probably qualifies it in some fashion. You can do this one time, although the ability renews each time you make a ten-hour recovery roll.

• Inability: You may be nimble, but you're not sneaky. Tasks related to sneaking and staying quiet are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. It seemed like there were equal odds that the other PCs wouldn't succeed, which sounded good to you.
2. You think the tasks ahead will present you with unique and fulfilling challenges.
3. One of your biggest risks failed to go your way, and you need money to help pay that debt.
4. You bragged that you never saw a risk you didn't like, which is how you reached your current point.

Rugged

You're a nature lover accustomed to living rough, pitting your wits against the elements. Most likely, you're a skilled hunter, gatherer, or naturalist. Years of living in the wild have left their mark with a worn countenance, wild hair, or scars. Your clothing is probably much less refined than the garments worn by city dwellers.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks involving climbing, jumping, running, and swimming.

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks involving training, riding, or placating natural animals.

• Skill: You're trained in all tasks involving identifying or using natural plants.

• Inability: You have no social graces and prefer animals to people. Any task involving charm, persuasion, etiquette, or deception is hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You carry an explorer's pack with rope, two days' rations, a bedroll, and other tools needed for outdoor survival.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Against your better judgment, you joined the other PCs because you saw that they were in danger.
2. One of the other PCs convinced you that joining the group would be in your best interests.
3. You're afraid of what might happen if the other PCs fail.
4. There is reward involved, and you need the money.

Sharp-Eyed

You're perceptive and well aware of your surroundings. You notice the little details and remember them. You can be difficult to surprise.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Skill: You're trained in initiative actions.

• Skill: You're trained in perception actions.

• Find the Flaw: If an opponent has a straightforward weakness (takes extra damage from fire, can't see out of their left eye, and so on), the GM will tell you what it is.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You heard about what was going on, saw a flaw in the other PCs' plan, and joined up to help them out.
2. You noticed that the PCs have a foe (or at least a tail) they weren't aware of.
3. You saw that the other PCs were up to something interesting and got involved.
4. You've been noticing some strange things going on, and this all appears related.

Skeptical

You possess a questioning attitude regarding claims that are often taken for granted by others. You're not necessarily a "doubting Thomas" (a skeptic who refuses to believe anything without direct personal experience), but you've often benefited from questioning the statements, opinions, and received knowledge presented to you by others.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Insightful: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in identifying.

• Skill: You're trained in all actions that involve seeing through a trick, an illusion, a rhetorical ruse designed to evade the issue, or a lie. For example, you're better at keeping your eye on the cup containing the hidden ball, sensing an illusion, or realizing if someone is lying to you (but only if you specifically concentrate and use this skill).

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You overheard other PCs holding forth on a topic with an opinion you were quite skeptical about, so you decided to approach the group and ask for proof.
2. You were following one of the other PCs because you were suspicious of him, which brought you into the action.
3. Your theory about the nonexistence of the supernatural can be invalidated only by your own senses, so you came along.
4. You need money to fund your research.

Stealthy

You're sneaky, slippery, and fast. These talents help you hide, move quietly, and pull off tricks that require sleight of hand. Most likely, you're wiry and small. However, you're not much of a sprinter—you're more dexterous than fleet of foot.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Quick: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in all stealth tasks.

• Skill: You're trained in all interactions involving lies or trickery.

• Skill: You're trained in all special abilities involving illusions or trickery.

• Inability: You're sneaky but not fast. All movement-related tasks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You attempted to steal from one of the other PCs. That character caught you and forced you to come along with them.
2. You were tailing one of the other PCs for reasons of your own, which brought you into the action.
3. An NPC employer secretly paid you to get involved.
4. You overheard the other PCs talking about a topic that interested you, so you decided to approach the group.

Strong

You're extremely strong and physically powerful, and you use these qualities well, whether through violence or feats of prowess. You likely have a brawny build and impressive muscles.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Very Powerful: +4 to your Might Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in all actions involving breaking inanimate objects.

• Skill: You're trained in all jumping actions.

• Additional Equipment: You have an extra medium weapon or heavy weapon.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Against your better judgment, you joined the other PCs because you saw that they were in danger.
2. One of the other PCs convinced you that joining the group would be in your best interests.
3. You're afraid of what might happen if the other PCs fail.
4. There is reward involved, and you need the money.

Strong-Willed

You're tough-minded, willful, and independent. No one can talk you into anything or change your mind when you don't want it changed. This quality doesn't necessarily make you smart, but it does make you a bastion of willpower and resolve. You likely dress and act with unique style and flair, not caring what others think.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Willful: +4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in resisting mental effects.

• Skill: You're trained in tasks requiring incredible focus or concentration.

• Inability: Willful doesn't mean brilliant. Any task that involves figuring out puzzles or problems, memorizing things, or using lore is hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Against your better judgment, you joined the other PCs because you saw that they were in danger.
2. One of the other PCs convinced you that joining the group would be in your best interests.
3. You're afraid of what might happen if the other PCs fail.
4. There is reward involved, and you need the money.

Swift

You move quickly, able to sprint in short bursts and work with your hands with dexterity. You're great at crossing distances quickly but not always smoothly. You are likely slim and muscular.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Fast: +4 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in initiative actions (to determine who goes first in combat).

• Skill: You're trained in running actions.

• Inability: You're fast but not necessarily graceful. Any task involving balance is hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Against your better judgment, you joined the other PCs because you saw that they were in danger.
2. One of the other PCs convinced you that joining the group would be in your best interests.
3. You're afraid of what might happen if the other PCs fail.
4. There is reward involved, and you need the money.

Tongue-Tied

You've never been much of a talker. When forced to interact with others, you never think of the right thing to say—words fail you entirely, or they come out all wrong. You often end up saying precisely the wrong thing and insult someone unintentionally. Most of the time, you just keep mum. This makes you a listener instead—a careful observer. It also means that you're better at doing things than talking about them. You're quick to take action.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Actions, Not Words: +2 to your Might Pool, and +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in perception.

• Skill: You are trained in initiative (unless it's a social situation).

• Inability: All tasks relating to social interaction are hindered.

• Inability: All tasks involving verbal communication or relaying information are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You just tagged along and no one told you to leave.
2. You saw something important the other PCs did not and (with some effort) managed to relate it to them.
3. You intervened to save one of the other PCs when they were in danger.
4. One of the other PCs recruited you for your talents.

Tough

You're strong and can take a lot of physical punishment. You might have a large frame and a square jaw. Tough characters frequently have visible scars.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Resilient: +1 to Armor.

• Healthy: Add 1 to the points you regain when you make a recovery roll.

• Skill: You're trained in Might defense actions.

• Additional Equipment: You have an extra light weapon.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You're acting as a bodyguard for one of the other PCs.
2. One of the PCs is your sibling, and you came along to watch out for them.
3. You need money because your family is in debt.
4. You stepped in to defend one of the PCs when that character was threatened. While talking to them afterward, you heard about the group's task.

Vicious

You try to hide what's inside, fold it into yourself when everything inside you screams to let go, make them pay, make them hurt, and make them bleed. Sometimes you succeed for your friends—smiling like they smile, laughing when they laugh, and sometimes even having other emotions of your own. But it's always there, that feeling of frantic glee mixed with hate that sometimes leaps out of you when you confront a foe. Violence your friends can tolerate, but you sometimes worry they will also learn that you are cruel.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Skill: You are trained in tracking creatures. If a creature has wronged you, the tracking task is eased.

• Bloodthirsty: Once you begin fighting, you see only red. You inflict 2 additional points of damage with any attack.

• Berserk: Once you begin fighting, it's hard for you to stop. In fact, it's a difficulty 2 Intellect task to do so, even if your foe surrenders or you've run out of foes. If the latter occurs and you fail to stop, you attack the nearest ally within short range.

• Additional Equipment: You have a record that you use to list those who've wronged you.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Another PC saw you take down a mean drunk in a tavern, not realizing you were the one who started the fight.
2. You wanted to get away from a bad situation, so you went with the other PCs.
3. You want to change, and you hope that being with the other PCs will help you calm yourself.
4. One of the other PCs asked you to come along, believing that your viciousness could be harnessed for the benefit of the mission.

Virtuous

Doing the right thing is a way of life. You live by a code, and that code is something you attend to every day. Whenever you slip, you reproach yourself for your weakness and then get right back on track. Your code probably includes moderation, respect for others, cleanliness, and other characteristics that most people would agree are virtues, while you eschew their opposites: sloth, greed, gluttony, and so on.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Dauntless: +2 to your Might Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in discerning people's true motives or seeing through lies.

• Skill: Your adherence to a strict moral code has hardened your mind against fear, doubt, and outside influence. You are trained in Intellect defense tasks.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The PCs are doing something virtuous, and you're all about that.
2. The PCs are on the road to perdition, and you see it as your task to set them on the proper moral route.
3. One of the other PCs invited you, hearing of your virtuous ways.
4. You put virtue before sense and defended someone's honor in the face of an organization or power far greater than you. You joined the PCs because they offered aid and friendship when, out of fear of reprisals, no one else would.

Weird

You aren't like anyone else, and that's fine with you. People don't seem to understand you—they even seem put off by you—but who cares? You understand the world better than they do because you're weird, and so is the world you live in. The concept of "the weird" is well known to you. Strange devices, ancient locales, bizarre creatures, storms that can transform you, living energy fields, conspiracies, aliens, and things most people can't even name populate the world, and you thrive on them. You have a special attachment to it all, and the more you discover about the weirdness in the world, the more you might discover about yourself.

Weird characters might be mutants or people born with strange qualities, but sometimes they started out "normal" and adopted the weird by choice.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Inner Light: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Distinctive Physical Quirk: You have a unique physical aspect that is, well, bizarre. Depending on the setting, this can vary greatly. You might have purple hair or metal spikes on your head. Perhaps your hands don't connect to your arms, although they move as if they do. Maybe a third eye stares out from the side of your head, or superfluous tendrils grow from your back. Whatever it is, your quirk might be a mutation, a supernatural trait (a blessing or curse), a feature with no explanation, or just a really wild tattoo that draws a lot of attention.

• A Sense for the Weird: Sometimes—at the GM's discretion—weird things relating to the supernatural or its effects on the world seem to call out to you. You can sense them from afar, and if you get within long range of such a thing, you can sense whether it is overtly dangerous or not.

• Skill: You are trained in supernatural knowledge.

• Inability: People find you unnerving. All tasks relating to pleasant social interaction are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. It seemed weird, so why not?
2. Whether the other PCs realize it or not, their mission has to do with something weird that you know about, so you got involved.
3. As an expert in the weird, you were specifically recruited by the other PCs.
4. You felt drawn to join the other PCs, but you don't know why.

Bewitched

You're not sure that your thoughts are always your own. You often hear a voice or voices, guiding you and attempting to force your hand. Sometimes these voices are helpful and kind. Other times, not so much. Where do they come from, and are you cursed or blessed by them?

You gain the following characteristics:

• Enchanted: +4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in all tasks involving listening and hearing.

• Insight: The voices have many things to tell you and some of them are beneficial. Once after each ten-hour recovery roll, you can use a player intrusion without spending an XP.

• Inability: The voices in your head are sometimes so loud it's hard to make sense of the real world. You have an inability in navigation, tracking, and identifying plants and animals.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first adventure.

1. You listened to one of your voices, which suggested that this would be a good thing to embark upon.
2. One of the other PCs sounds an awful lot like one of your voices, and you'd like to spend time with them to find out if there's a connection.
3. You have reason to believe that being with the other PCs could help you gain a better understanding of the thoughts and voices you hear.
4. You find that you can hear the voices more clearly when you're doing something active, and this seemed like a good fit.

Changeling

Early on you discovered—or perhaps you knew all along—that you weren't really who everyone thought you were. Perhaps when you were still very young, the child whose name you have now was stolen, and you were put in their place. Or perhaps you are the same person you've always been, but you've never felt like yourself, and you know that the real you is nothing like the one that everyone else knows. More than once in your life, you've been abandoned, distrusted, and rejected by those you loved most, which means that sometimes you fall into deep funks. However, you are just as adept at pulling yourself out of them when the situation demands it. If nothing else, you're supremely adaptable.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Innovator: +4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Face-taker: When you spend 1 XP, you can change your appearance over the course of one minute to look like someone else of about your size who you've had direct contact with or from whom you have a piece of hair or flesh, or an object they handled often. You cannot return to your previous appearance unless you have the same components at hand for that appearance to initiate the change. Action to initiate, one minute to complete.

• Changeable (2 Intellect points): When you fail at a task and try again using a different method, you roll twice on the second attempt and use the higher result. For example, if guards catch you in the queen's chamber after dark and you fail to convince them that you're there on legitimate business, you can instead decide to flee, rolling twice on your roll to get away and taking the higher result. Enabler.

• Skill: People never know what to think about you. You are trained in deception.

• Inability: Your fluid nature leaves you less resistant to physical threats. Your Might defense tasks are hindered.

• Fragile: When you fail a Might defense roll to avoid damage, you take 1 extra point of damage.

• Additional Equipment: You have an amulet with a strange symbol on it, a link to your truest, deepest self.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first adventure.

1. The PCs discovered you weren't who they thought you were, but it doesn't matter—they're still your friends.
2. You want to discover your true self, and the PCs offered to help you find it.
3. Everything was fine until you were attacked by a group of “faerie hunters.” The PCs helped you fight back or flee.
4. You helped the PCs deal with a situation, and that led you to discovering more about yourself and your background. You hope to do more of that.

Fragmented

Sometimes you feel like you are a single being, and other times you think you might be more. You feel torn into pieces, unsure which elements are you and which belong to someone else. Or perhaps they're all you, and you want to find a way to embrace all of your selves.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Two Minds: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in defense rolls to resist mental effects.

• Skill: You're trained in all interactions involving lies or trickery.

• Adaptable: At the beginning of a conversation, choose a specific type of interaction skill, such as persuasion, lying, or intimidation. While the conversation lasts, you have an asset in that skill. You cannot choose the same type of interaction skill again until after you make a ten-hour recovery roll. Enabler.

• Inability: Your memory of events and experiences is spotty. You have an inability in memory-related tasks, such as recalling information, memorizing names, and so on.

• Inability: Staying centered on a single task is difficult for you. You have an inability in tasks requiring focus or concentration.

• Additional Equipment: You have a journal that you use to keep notes of your experiences and selves.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first adventure.

1. While avoiding an entirely different concern, you walked into your current situation.
2. You have reason to believe that being with the other PCs will help you better understand your fractured mind.
3. You have no idea how you joined the PCs. You're just going along with it for now until answers present themselves.
4. You felt drawn to join the other PCs, but you don't know why.

Frumious

A furious, fuming anger waits, always, just beneath your surface, swirling under your skin like a caged beast. You might do your best to hide it or control it, or perhaps you have given up trying to tame it and you let it run wild. Either way, it seems to cause you—and those around you—grief more often than not.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Manxome: +2 to your Might Pool and +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You are quick to respond to being provoked (or even to the perception that you are being provoked). You are trained in initiative actions (to determine who goes first in combat).

• Bandersnatch: You extend the reach of your attack, allowing immediate-range character abilities to reach foes a short distance away, and short-range character abilities to reach foes a long distance away.

• Inability: You find it hard to hold your anger back—it seeps through your skin even when you don't mean it to, causing others to shy away from it. All tasks relating to positive social interactions are hindered.

• Inability: Sometimes your anger overrides your good senses, causing you to act before you've properly assessed the situation. All tasks relating to perception are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first adventure.

1. You are trying to get a handle on your anger, and you're hoping that being with the other PCs will help you do so.
2. You let your anger get the best of you recently, and now you're running from the fallout of that experience.
3. You believe that this adventure will provide you with a way to channel your ire, allowing you to use it for good.
4. One of the other PCs invited you to join, after they watched you fight.

Haunted

The world seems more dangerous than it should. You are troubled by fearful and anxious thoughts, and can't always discern what is a true threat and what isn't. You might see shadows following you, be plagued by nightmares, or be filled with a general sense of unease. This constant feeling of being haunted drives you to try to make things feel safer for yourself and those around you.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Fleeting: +4 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in initiative actions.

• Skill: You are trained in sensing danger.

• Prescient: You always see danger coming, whether it's there or not. Once after each ten-hour recovery roll, you can refuse a GM intrusion without spending XP. Alternatively, you can spend 1 XP and work with the GM to turn the intrusion into something positive for your character.

• Inability: Anxious thoughts are heavy, and carrying them leaves you feeling emotionally weaker than you'd like. Intellect defense tasks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first adventure.

1. Being around one or more of the other PCs helps you better handle your thoughts and emotions.
2. You feel that one of the other PCs is in danger in some way, and you'd like to help out or keep an eye on them.
3. One or more of the PCs helped you out when you were having a difficult time.
4. You are trying to learn more about your thoughts and emotions, and you think that trying out your skills on an adventure is a great way to do so.

Lost

You can't remember exactly when it happened or why, but you have lost your way. The path through life, or even through your own mind, no longer seems to exist. Once you had a reason and a goal, but now you find yourself wandering aimlessly, without clear purpose or drive.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Skill: You're trained in three areas of knowledge of your choice.

• Skill: Being lost has taught you to pay attention to your surroundings. You are trained in perception tasks.

• Curiouser: You're rarely surprised by strange circumstances and are able to go with the flow more than most. You can choose to automatically succeed on an initiative task without rolling. You can do this one time, although the ability renews each time you make a ten-hour recovery roll.

• And Curiouser: For being so lost yourself, you are able to help others find things in the world. Anytime you help someone who is searching for a lost object or person, you are able to point them in the right general direction.

• Inability: Figuring out how to move through the world is not one of your strongpoints. All tasks involving navigation, map reading, geography, and so on are hindered.

• Inability: Sometimes being directionless makes it hard to get moving. You have an inability in noncombat Speed-related tasks, such as climbing, jumping, and running.

• Additional Equipment: You carry a broken compass with you. It was a gift from someone you cared about deeply.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first adventure.

1. The PCs came upon you while you were wandering and lost, and invited you to join them.
2. You happened to be in the right place at the right time.
3. You wish to find your path again, and you hope that the PCs will help you do that.
4. The PCs are heading somewhere specific, and it feels good to be surrounded by people who know where they're going.

Catfolk

You are unmistakably feline. Your people have fur; large, pointed ears; sharp teeth and claws; and even tails. You are nimble, graceful, and quick. An ancient and sophisticated culture, your people have their own language, customs, and traditions developed in relative seclusion over the centuries. Neither conquerors nor conquered, the success of your society has come from the fact that you have given most others a wide berth. As a people, you almost never get involved in wars or similar matters, which has given other cultures the idea that you are aloof, unapproachable, or mysterious. As long as they leave you alone, what they think is fine with you.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Agile: +4 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in climbing and balance tasks.

• Bared Claws: Even unarmed, your claws are light weapons that inflict 4 points of damage.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You were curious as to what the other PCs were up to.
2. You needed to get out of town, and the PCs were going in the same direction as you.
3. You are interested in making a profit, and the other PCs seem to have a lead on doing just that.
4. It seemed like a lark.

Dragonfolk

You have scales, fangs, claws, and magic—gifts of the dragons. You might have been born of dragonfolk parents, willingly transformed in a magical ceremony, or chosen by a dragon to be their agent or champion. You have a great destiny before you, but it is your choice whether to make it your own or bend to the will of those who made you what you are. Some people mistrust or fear you, and others consider you a prophet or wish to exploit your power for their own goals.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Sturdy: +2 to your Might Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in intimidation.

• Dragonbreath (3 Might points): You breathe out a blast of energy in an immediate area. Choose one type of energy (arcane, cold, fire, thorn, and so on); the blast inflicts 2 points of damage of this kind of energy (ignores Armor) to all creatures or objects within the area. Because this is an area attack, adding Effort to increase your damage works differently than it does for single-target attacks. If you apply a level of Effort to increase the damage, add 2 points of damage for each target, and even if you fail your attack roll, all targets in the area still take 1 point of damage. Action.

• Draconic Resistance: You gain +2 Armor against the type of energy you create with your dragonbreath.

• Scaly: +1 to Armor.

• Inability: You have difficulty relating to non-dragons. Tasks to persuade non-dragons are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You believe the other PCs can help you solve a mystery about your heritage.
2. You needed to get out of town, and the PCs were going in the same direction as you.
3. Your creator, master, or mentor told you to help the PCs.
4. You want to make a name for yourself, and the other PCs seem competent and compatible.

Dwarf

You're a stocky, broad-shouldered, bearded native of the mountains and hills. You're also as stubborn as the stone in which the dwarves carve their homes under the mountains. Tradition, honor, pride in smithcraft and warcraft, and a keen appreciation of the wealth buried under the roots of the world are all part of your heritage. Those who wish you ill should be wary of your temper. When dwarves are wronged, they never forget.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Stalwart: +2 to your Might Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in Might defense rolls.

• Skill: You are trained in tasks related to stone, including sensing stonework traps, knowing the history of a particular piece of stonecraft, and knowing your distance beneath the surface.

• Skill: You are practiced in using axes.

• Skill: You are trained in using the tools required to shape and mine stone.

• Vulnerability: When you fail an Intellect defense roll to avoid damage, you take 1 extra point of damage.

• Additional Equipment: You have an axe.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You found the PCs wandering a maze of tunnels and led them to safety.
2. The PCs hired you to dig out the entrance to a buried ruin.
3. You tracked down the thieves of your ancestor's tomb and found they were the PCs. Instead of killing them, you joined them.
4. Before dwarves settle down, they need to see the world.

Elf

You haunt the woodlands and deep, natural realms, as your people have for millennia. You are the arrow in the night, the shadow in the glade, and the laughter on the wind. As an elf, you are slender, quick, graceful, and long lived. You manage the sorrows of living well past many mortal lifetimes with song, wine, and an appreciation for the deep beauties of growing things, especially trees, which can live even longer than you do.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Agile: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Long-Lived: Your natural lifespan (unless tragically cut short) is thousands of years.

• Skill: You are specialized in tasks related to perception.

• Skill: You are practiced in using one bow variety of your choice.

• Skill: You are trained in stealth tasks. In areas of natural woodland, you are specialized in stealth tasks.

• Fragile: When you fail a Might defense roll to avoid damage, you take 1 extra point of damage.

• Additional Equipment: You have a bow and a quiver of arrows to go with it.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Before putting an arrow in the forest intruders, you confronted them and met the PCs, who were on an important quest.
2. Your heart yearned for farther shores, and the PCs offered to take you along to new places.
3. Your home was burned by strangers from another place, and you gathered the PCs along the way as you tracked down the villains.
4. An adventure was in the offing, and you didn't want to be left behind.

Gnome

You are curious and love discovering ways to turn found things into art, tools, or weapons. You might be a sculptor, smith, artist, chef, storyteller, or inventor. Alchemy, magic, and engineering fascinate you. Other beings may see you as a strange mix of a nature-loving elf and a craft-obsessed dwarf, but you and your kind are unique people with a passion for life, exploration, and creation.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Genius: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in two skills that suit your creative nature, such as alchemy, smithing, poetry, cooking, woodcarving, or pottery.

• Skill: You are practiced in using hammers.

• Natural Affinity: You gain one of the following abilities: Communication, Eyes Adjusted, or Minor Illusion.

• Inability: Your small size makes some physical tasks difficult. Might-based tasks are hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have a bag of light tools or a bag of heavy tools.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You think an object or material you've been looking for can be found where the other PCs are going.
2. You were recruited because of your knowledge on a particular subject.
3. You were bored and it sounded like the PCs were going to do something interesting.
4. You owe one of the PCs a favor for a useful gift in the past.

Half-Giant

You stand at least 12 feet (4 m) tall and tower over everyone around you. Whether you are a full-blooded giant or merely have giant heritage from large ancestors, you're massive. Always large for your age, it became an issue only once you reached puberty and topped 7 feet (2 m) in height, and kept growing from there.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Tough: +4 to your Might Pool.

• Mass and Strength: You inflict +1 point of damage with your melee attacks and attacks with thrown weapons.

• Breaker: Tasks related to breaking things by smashing them are eased.

• Inability: You're too large to accomplish normal things. Tasks related to initiative, stealth, and fine manipulation of any sort (such as lockpicking or repair tasks) are hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have a heavy weapon of your choice.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You fished the PCs out of a deep hole they'd fallen into while exploring.
2. You were the PCs' guide in the land of giants and stayed with them afterward.
3. The PCs helped you escape a nether realm where other giants were imprisoned by the gods.
4. You kept the PCs from being discovered by hiding them behind your bulk when they were on the run.

Halfling

Three feet tall and proud, you are fond of the comforts of home but itching for a little adventure now and then. Small and quick, you have a way of getting along with everyone. You might have been raised in a halfling village, a mixed community where humans and the small folk work and eat side by side as friends, or a less welcoming environment where your people get things done using deception and criminal activity. You and humans have a lot in common—you're just more compact and efficient about it.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Agile: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in pleasant social interactions.

• Skill: You are trained in stealth.

• Skill: You are trained in Intellect defense.

• Advantage: When you use 1 XP to reroll a d20 for any roll that affects only you, add 3 to the reroll.

• Inability: Your small size makes some physical tasks difficult. Might-based tasks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You were fleeing someone and literally ran into the other PCs.
2. You were invited (or invited yourself) as a good luck charm.
3. You were tricked into going with the other PCs or were brought along despite your very reasonable objections.
4. You're very protective of another PC and want to make sure they get through the upcoming challenges.

Helborn

Demons of the underworld sometimes escape. When they do, they can taint human bloodlines. Things like you are the result of such unnatural unions. Part human and part something else, you are an orphan of a supernatural dalliance. Thanks to your unsettling appearance, you've probably been forced to make your own way in a world that often fears and resents you. Some of your kin have large horns, tails, and pointed teeth. Others are more subtle or more obvious in their differences—a shadow of a knife-edge in their face and a touch that withers normal plants, a little too much fire in their eyes and a scent of ash in the air, a forked tongue, goatlike legs, or the inability to cast a shadow. Work with the GM on your particular helborn appearance.

You gain the following characteristics.

• Devious: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in tasks related to magic lore and lore of the underworld.

• Fire Adapted: +2 to Armor against damage from fire only.

• Helborn Magic: You are inherently magical. Choose one low-tier ability from Chapter 9: Abilities. If the GM agrees it is appropriate, you gain that ability as part of your helborn heritage, and can use it like any other type or focus ability.

• Inner Evil: You sometimes lose control and risk hurting your allies. When you roll a 1, the GM has the option to intrude by indicating that you lose control. Once you've lost control, you attack any and every living creature within short range. You can't spend Intellect points for any reason other than to try to regain control (a difficulty 2 task). After you regain control, you suffer a −1 penalty to all rolls for one hour.

• Inability: People distrust you. Tasks to persuade or deceive are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You were nearly beaten to death by people who didn't like your look, but the PCs found and revived you.
2. The PCs hired you for your knowledge of magic.
3. Every so often you get visions of people trapped in the underworld. You tracked those people down and found the PCs, who'd never visited the underworld. Yet.
4. Your situation at home became untenable because of how people reacted to your looks. You joined the PCs to get away.

Lizardfolk

You are from a long line of fierce reptilian predators. You show your fangs and scales proudly. Your people survive and thrive in the wetlands, guarding their eggs, raising their hatchlings, and protecting their territory. City-builders may call you a savage and your culture primitive, but there is grace in your hunting, artistry in your crafting, joy in your songs, and reverence in your worship.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Agile: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in balancing, jumping, and swimming.

• Skill: You are trained in hunting and tracking.

• Skill: You are practiced in using javelins and spears.

• Scaly: +1 to Armor.

• Inability: Your slightly clawed hands make fine detail work difficult. You have an inability with picking locks, picking pockets, and other manual dexterity tasks (but not crafting).

• Additional Equipment: You have a spear and a pair of javelins.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The other PCs were lost in your territory and you were sent to escort them out.
2. Something has been attacking your community and you want to find and destroy it.
3. You were exiled from your community and need to prove your worthiness before you can return to it.
4. You or your priest had a vision of you traveling with the other PCs.

Chimera

You have a blend of animal attributes; you may be a well-known mythological creature, like a satyr or minotaur, or you may have a unique combination of features. Bison horns, boar tusks, bear paws, a wolf's tail, a lion's mane: take your pick. Your thickened skin offers protection from attacks and the elements. Depending on your dexterity—and whether you have opposable thumbs—you may use adaptive weapons and tools, like a dagger modified to be held in a paw instead of a hand. You're eager to protect the ones closest to you, and usually more likely to run toward conflict than away from it.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Fur and Hide: +1 to Armor.

• Animal Strength: +1 to your Might Pool.

• Charging Ahead: You're trained in initiative.

• For the Gang: You stick up for your friends. When you draw the attack, your defense is only hindered by one step.

• Ham-fisted: Tasks requiring fine motor skills are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. A herd, a pride, a pack, a flock: whatever the collective noun for chimeras is, you're looking to build (or join) one.
2. You need supplies to adapt a legendary weapon perfectly to your physique.
3. The other PCs were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you protected them from harm.
4. You were held hostage by someone running a chimera fighting ring, and the other PCs freed you.

Dragon

You can shift at will between a dragon and humanoid form; you may choose to spend more time in one form or the other. In your dragon form you're about 10 feet (3.5 m) long with four legs, leathery wings, and a serpentlike tail. You're drawn to treasure and shiny things, but you're willing to share your hoard with those you trust. Though you can speak human languages, you can't ignore the fact that you're a wild part of your local ecosystem—at least some of the time. You're an apex predator, driven to fly and to hunt, and you brumate in cold temperatures like other reptiles.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Dragon Form: You have both a humanoid form and a dragon form, and you can switch forms up to four times in a 24-hour period. In dragon form, your Speed defense tasks are hindered due to your size. Enabler.

• Tough: +2 to your Might Pool.

• Fireproof: +2 Armor against damage inflicted by fire or heat.

• Wings (1 Might point): When you have wings, you can fly a long distance as your action, or a short distance as part of another action, for up to ten minutes total. Enabler.

• Teeth: You are skilled in making unarmed bite attacks, which are a medium weapon in your dragon form and a light weapon in your humanoid form. Enabler.

• Spitting Flames (1+ Might point): You can breathe a ball of fire at a target within short range, inflicting 3 points of fire damage. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can use Effort to affect more targets; each level of Effort affects one additional target. Action.

• Inability: Cold weather makes you want to burrow somewhere cozy and go dormant. Speed tasks are hindered when the temperature falls below 50° F (10° C).

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The other PCs were hired as dragon hunters, but once they met you they realized their mission was misguided.
2. You're hoping to find a specific discontinued currency to add to your hoard.
3. You got stuck in your dragon form while molting, and the other PCs helped remove your shed skin.
4. You're gathering ingredients for a difficult spell that will increase the range and intensity of your fire-breathing attacks.

Ghost

Unfortunately, you're dead. But hey, it's not all bad! Your spirit has remained in the mortal world. You can still walk among the living, but you no longer need pesky things like food or sleep. It's up to you how long you've been dead, whether you remember your death, and why you've stuck around: seeking revenge, settling a debt, protecting your descendants, perfecting your great-grandma's pecan pie recipe, or something else entirely.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Ghostly Wisdom: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Sneaky: You're trained in stealth and intimidation.

• Incorporeal: You're trained in Speed defense.

• Calling the Dead: You're trained in communicating with other ghosts, wraiths, undead, and so on. You can also serve as a catalyst for communication with the dead, providing an asset to a living character attempting such a task (such as a séance or summoning).

• Insubstantial: All physical attacks are hindered.

• Dead: Positive social interaction tasks with living creatures are hindered.

• Uniform: You're permanently wearing the clothes you had on when you died. This can hinder social interactions if you're inappropriately dressed for the setting (wearing a bathrobe and slippers to a formal party, for example).

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You're on a journey to make amends with someone you wronged in life.
2. You're looking for the resting place of your physical body so you can be resurrected.
3. One of the other PCs is a distant relative, and you need to keep them alive so your bloodline continues.
4. You're studying the secrets of reincarnation and suspect that one of the other PCs has vital information.

Hunter

You once rode with the Wild Hunt: an immortal cavalry who traversed the skies in secret each night, gathering the souls of those who died in battle and carrying them to the beyond. These days, the Wild Hunt has downsized and your nights are your own. You're mortal again, too, but it's impossible to forget the terrifying freedom and power you once held. Maybe you've let nostalgia make you bitter, or maybe you don't miss the Hunt at all, instead living in fear of being conscripted once more.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Agile: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Equestrian: You're trained in handling and riding horses.

• Sword Hand: You're proficient with two-handed swords and can use them without penalty.

• Hearing the Dead: You're skilled in all social interactions with ghosts.

• The Call of the Hunt: You're often distracted by sounds that remind you of the Wild Hunt, such as horns and baying hounds. Tasks requiring concentration are hindered.

• Lost Years: In the years you belonged to the Wild Hunt, you lost touch with advancing technology. Tasks involving computers, pop culture, and recent history are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You ferried the soul of a PC's relative to the afterlife. When you left the Wild Hunt, you found the PC to tell them of their relative's brave deeds.
2. The living only see the Wild Hunt cross the sky if they're destined for disaster. A PC saw the Wild Hunt years ago, and you've taken it upon yourself to protect them.
3. You're afraid that the leader of the Wild Hunt will summon you, and you need help concealing yourself.
4. You're searching for the horse you remember riding—a massive undead stallion with flaming hooves.

Nix

You're a shapeshifting water spirit. You can walk on two legs and breathe air, but when you're submerged, you gain a tail, fins, and gills. You probably live near flowing water, with no preference for salinity or temperature; you also have a general affinity for nature and a knack for identifying useful plants. Your playful and upbeat disposition doesn't mean you're passive or helpless. Though you may prefer to talk your way out of tough situations, you're quick to react to threats—especially in water, where you maneuver with deadly accuracy.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Transformation: When submerged in water, you transform into a fish/human hybrid with gills, fins, sharp teeth, and a tail. This transformation is automatic. Enabler.

• Unchillable: +2 Armor against damage caused by cold or ice.

• Sharp Teeth: You are skilled in making an unarmed bite attack, which is a medium weapon in your aquatic form and a light weapon in your humanoid form. Enabler.

• Quick Swimming: You can swim a long distance as your action, or a short distance as part of another action.

• Close to Nature: You're skilled in identifying plants and animals.

• Siren Song: You're extremely charismatic. You're skilled in persuasion and deception.

• Distractible: You have a hard time focusing. You're hindered in tasks involving knowledge or lore, as well as resisting mental attacks.

• Inability: When you're in water, attacks using weapons are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The other PCs were stranded in a shipwreck, and you saved them.
2. A factory is polluting your local body of water, and you're looking for revenge.
3. You played a prank on the other PCs while they were swimming; after a good laugh, they invited you to join them.
4. You've been sent to search for a rare plant, believed by many to be extinct.

Sylph

You're an air spirit, with the gift of wingless flight and hawklike eyes. You're happiest when you have an aerial view; you lean more toward strategy than action, calling the shots from an unmatched vantage point. Your sensitivity to air currents and atmospheric pressure means you're able to predict weather patterns, which you incorporate into your machinations.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Master Plans: +2 to your Intellect or Speed Pool.

• Sylph Flight (2 Intellect or Speed points): You can fly a long distance as your action, or a short distance as part of another action, for up to ten minutes total. Enabler.

• Top-Down Strategy: You're skilled in logistics and planning.

• Sharp Vision: You're trained in visual perception.

• Oncoming Storm (1 Intellect point): You can predict weather patterns (approaching storm systems, cloud cover, wind direction) for the next twelve hours. Action.

• Fragile: Might defense tasks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You saw the other PCs headed toward danger and called out a warning before the situation turned sour.
2. You got in trouble for flying in restricted airspace, and the other PCs helped cover for you.
3. You need help with a spell that will enable you to communicate with birds of prey.
4. You helped the other PCs recover a kite that became tangled in tree branches and power lines.

Unmagical

You're not good at using magic. In fact, it's clear that you're inherently unmagical—magic is as confusing, difficult, and awkward for you as learning lava spells would be for a frost giant. It's not that you don't believe in magic (though maybe you don't) or that you don't like magic (though maybe you don't). It's just that you and magic are incompatible. You've learned to compensate for this problem and even turn it into an advantage in some cases.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Make Do With the Mundane: +1 to each of your Pools.

• Resistant to Magic: You are trained in all defense rolls against magic, spells, and magical effects.

• Inability: All actions using magic (including casting spells and using magic objects) are hindered.

• Magical Failure: Your unmagical nature means magic goes awry more often. For any task relating to or interacting with magic, you trigger a GM intrusion on a d20 roll of 1 or 2.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. One of the other PCs initially diagnosed you as unmagical, which made a lot of your life suddenly make sense.
2. You think this group of PCs might be on track to figuring out why some people are unmagical and perhaps "fixing" them.
3. You and the other PCs have the same rival or foe—someone who once tried using magic on you and failed spectacularly.
4. You volunteered because you knew your inherent resistance to magic would be useful to the group.

Bitter

Someone you cared for wronged you. They may have done so directly by betraying a trust, stealing your supplies, or giving you up to raiders to save their own life. Maybe they did it indirectly by going missing or dying on you. Or maybe it was an organization or institution that let you down. Whatever it was, you've spent a lot of time pulled into yourself, paranoid and mistrustful of others. But something's happened lately that has at least opened you to the possibility of trusting others again. Maybe you have to work with someone else or die. Alternatively, perhaps you've decided to try one more time, despite your disillusionment. It's either that or fully give in to bitterness.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Skeptical: +4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're always wondering who's going to wrong you next. You are trained in detecting deception.

• Skill: You are trained in tracking creatures. If a creature has wronged you, the tracking task is eased.

• Inability: You have a hard time not letting bitterness stain everything you do. Interaction tasks are hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have a keepsake from whoever wronged you. It could be an object they once possessed, a picture of them, or something else you associate with what makes you so bitter.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You found the other PCs in a situation they couldn't survive. Uncharacteristically, you helped them.
2. You were facing certain death, but the PCs saved you, for no reason other than they saw your need.
3. You want to change your ways, and the PCs seem to offer a chance for you to explore that possibility.
4. You have no idea how you joined the PCs. You're just going along with it for now until answers present themselves.

Canien

You're an evolved, intelligent dog with the ability to speak and use tools. Some caniens stand upright and have hands, and others are quadrupeds who can use a combination of their front paws and mouth as adroitly as a handed canien; you decide which kind of canien you are. Most canien clothing and equipment accommodates walking on either two feet or four, so that's normally not an issue. Either way, you've got fur, a tail, and a noble dog visage true to your particular line of descent. And like most caniens, you're loyal to your pack and friends. But you may find strangers a little suspicious, in which case you aren't shy about letting them know. However, you're usually willing to entertain the idea that a newcomer may be a friend you just don't know yet.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Dogged: +2 to your Might Pool.

• Skill: You are naturally vigilant. You are trained in perception tasks.

• Skill: You are playful. You are trained in tasks involving playing physical games.

• Loyal: If an ally within immediate range descends one or more steps on the damage track, you can take an action immediately but in a restricted fashion. You can use this action either to move the willing ally up to an immediate distance or to attempt a healing task on your ally.

• Bite: You are practiced in making unarmed bite attacks (light weapon). Enabler.

• Chewer: You are something of an oral fidgeter, like most caniens. After each ten-hour recovery roll, make a difficulty 2 Intellect defense roll. If you fail, you discover you've unconsciously been chewing on a piece of your equipment; it's ruined, at least until it is repaired.

• Inability: You have a hard time seeing disloyalty in others. Tasks that involve detecting falsehoods are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. One of the other PCs needed help, and you obliged without a second's hesitation.
2. The other PCs were going somewhere, and you came along even though they didn't ask you to.
3. Aggression got the better of you, and now you're running from the fallout of that experience.
4. You feel that one of the other PCs is in danger in some way, and you'd like to help out or keep an eye on them.

Felis

You're an evolved, intelligent cat with the ability to speak and use tools. Felis are equally comfortable running on all fours or standing around in a clowder of other felis gossiping over catswort tea. Your fur is your protection from the elements, but you sometimes wear a harness for your equipment and may adopt boots for rough terrain and hats for fashion or function. Your visage is like that of before-times cats, including piercing, reflective eyes. Like other felis, you are crafty and cautious, unless you feel comfortable with others, in which case you can laze away hours in the sun or a warm spot. But if need be, you are quick to act and are not afraid to use your claws to defend yourself.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Crafty: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You're innately curious. You are trained in tasks involving knowledge, figuring out problems, or solving puzzles.

• Skill: You are agile. You are trained in tasks involving balancing and movement.

• Darksight: You can see in dim light as though it were bright light and see in darkness as though it were dim light. Enabler.

• Claws: You are practiced in making unarmed claw attacks (light weapon). Enabler.

• Light on Your Paws: You ignore the first 4 points of damage you would otherwise suffer from a fall. Enabler.

• Jumpy: Like most felis, you are a bit high-strung. Anytime another creature acts with surprise against you, make a difficulty 2 Intellect defense roll. If you fail, the first action you take on your turn is to flee using your full movement away from whoever surprised you.

• Inability: You often come across as aloof. Tasks that involve positive social interaction are hindered.

• Inability: You sometimes get lost in new locations you haven't visited before. You have an inability in navigation.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Everything was fine until you were attacked by a raiding band of "cat-skinners." The PCs helped you fight back or flee.
2. You saw the PCs up to something, and your curiosity got the better of you, so you followed them.
3. One of the other PCs invited you to join after they saw you scheme, plot, or solve a difficult problem.
4. You got lost. The PCs found you and invited you to join their group.

Flutter

You emerged from the chrysalis with your mind awash in skills instilled while you matured, as well as knowledge handed down from your ancestors. If the stories are true, some of your knowledge comes from even further back, ceded by godlike "humans" who raised flutters into the light of self-knowledge. That was before humans were lost, leaving the world in ruins. Ruins that are now yours to refurbish and rebuild or, as many prefer, to ignore while you instead go your own way. Humans may have created you, but they're gone, and you can decide what you think you owe them, if anything.

As a flutter, you are kin to the much smaller natural moths that still flit by night. But you have an internal skeleton and lungs, and are far larger. For all that, you also have wings, a proboscis, and much thinner limbs than the average animal still roaming the world.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Quick: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You are adept at using your body's natural patterns of camouflage. You are trained in hiding.

• Darksight: You can see in dim light as though it were bright light and can see in darkness as though it were dim light. Enabler.

• Fragile: When you fail a Might defense roll to avoid damage, you take 1 extra point of damage.

• Inability: You are confused by bright light. Perception tasks are hindered in bright light.

• Erratic Flyer: You can select Hover as if it were on your type's list of tier 1 abilities. Your ability to move as described in Hover is due to your wings. In addition to the base ability described for Hover, if you succeed on a difficulty 2 Intellect roll, you can keep your position in the air instead of drifting with the wind or allowing momentum to move you.

  On a failure, you fly erratically as your action, possibly into the ground, a wall, or the midst of enemies you were trying to avoid. Enabler.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. Some piece of knowledge gleaned from your time in the chrysalis made you seek out and join the PCs.
2. The ruins are where knowledge of humans exists, and you heard the PCs were headed there.
3. You overheard the PCs talking about a grand adventure, and you wanted to be part of it.
4. You zigged when you should have zagged and ran headlong into the PCs. They patched you up and you stayed with them.

Hopeful

Despite civilization's fall, you're optimistic about what the future could bring, confident that it will be bright. In fact, now that all the old institutions and cares of the world are gone, you hope something better can be rebuilt in its place. It's possible that you're bubbly and full of cheer. But you might instead be quietly confident, your hope revealed by the way you always try again if at first you fail. Being hopeful doesn't mean you're blind to others' faults, but you can hope they will do better next time, which might lead you to be more forgiving than other survivors. After all, when you screw up, you hope others will allow you the same luxury of learning from your mistakes.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Spirited: +4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: Mental malaise doesn't affect you like it does others. You are trained in Intellect defense tasks.

• Shrug Off Disappointment: When you fail at a noncombat task and try that task again the very next round, you can apply a free level of Effort toward the success of that task. This benefit effectively alleviates the requirement to apply a level of Effort when retrying failed tasks, at least the first time you retry. Enabler.

• Inability: You have a lightness of being, but you really feel it when you're physically challenged. Might defense tasks are hindered.

• Inability: You're spirited but not fast. All movement-related tasks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The PCs were in a bad spot, and one of the other PCs asked you along to add some perspective.
2. You had a spot of bad luck, but you jumped back in to try something new, hopeful it would work out.
3. To make good on a promise to help, you came with the other PCs.
4. You answered a cry for help when another PC got in over their head.

Mutant

Savage forces strong enough to destroy a world left you transformed. Either through latent mutations passed down from ancestors that survived the apocalypse, or because something about you reacts when you're exposed to radiation or some other mutagenic source, you are prone to mutation. You might look relatively similar to others of your species, or you might have one or more obvious physical differences that make it hard to disguise your nature. Not that you necessarily want to hide what you are; you might wish to proudly display what makes you different and, to your mind, better.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Significant Mutations: Choose which option from the following list you'd like for your mutations. Whichever you choose, it is rolled for randomly; you don't select it.

  • Two beneficial mutations rolled randomly.
  • Three beneficial mutations plus one harmful mutation, all rolled randomly
  • One powerful mutation and one harmful mutation, both rolled randomly.
  • One beneficial mutation, one distinctive mutation, and one harmful mutation, all rolled randomly.

• Distinctive Mutations: You can choose if you want to have distinctive mutations or not. If you do, choose the number, up to four distinctive mutations, which are rolled for randomly. (If the GM is using the transitory mutations optional rule, you can only choose to have up to three distinctive mutations.)

• Cosmetic Mutations: You can choose if you want to have cosmetic mutations or not. If you do, choose whether you want one or two cosmetic mutations, which are rolled for randomly. Once all your mutations have been rolled for, work together with the GM to ensure that what's been rolled is a character you want to play.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The other PCs found you in some weird "mutant" chrysalis and pulled you out; you were grateful and joined them.
2. The other PCs were "hunting mutants" but when they found you, they realized they had been misguided.
3. You wanted to get away from a bad situation, so you went with the PCs.
4. The PCs asked you to come along, believing that your particular mutations could be harnessed for the benefit of the mission.

Beneficial Mutations

The following mutations do not require any visible changes or distinctions in the character. In other words, people who have these mutations are not obviously recognized as mutants. Using beneficial mutations never costs stat Pool points and never requires an action to "activate."

Harmful Mutations

Unless noted otherwise, the following mutations are visible and obvious. They offer no benefits, only drawbacks.

Powerful Mutations

The following mutations do not require any visible changes in the character until used. People who have these mutations are not obviously recognized as mutants if they don't use their powers. Using some of these mutations costs stat Pool points. Some are actions.

Distinctive Mutations

The following mutations involve dramatic physical changes to the character's appearance. People who have these mutations are always recognized as mutants. Using some of these mutations costs stat Pool points. Some are actions.

Morlock

You have lived your life deep underground in artificial bunkers, hidden from the world's destruction and the brutal scavengers that live above. As a morlock, you have a keen mind for the technology salvaged from the before-time. In fact, every morlock comes of age by fitting a piece of morlock technology to its body to provide enhancement and extend its life. This means that you are part flesh and part machine. Your skin is as pale as milk, except where it's been replaced with strips of metal and glowing circuits.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Enhanced Intelligence: +2 to your Intellect Pool.

• Cyborg Body: +2 to your Might Pool and your Speed Pool.

• Partially Metallic: +1 to Armor.

• Repair and Maintenance: As an entity of living flesh and humming machinery, you must first succeed on a difficulty 2 repair task before making a recovery roll. On a failure, the recovery roll is not used; however, the normal rules for retrying apply, and you must use Effort on a new roll if you wish to try again. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to heal additional points to your Pools (each level of Effort healing an additional 2 points to your Pools if you succeed).

• Morlock Prejudice: While among non-morlocks, all positive interaction tasks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The PCs found you in a collapsed subterranean tunnel.
2. The other PCs encountered you exploring underground, and you convinced them to allow you to accompany them.
3. You were exiled from the morlock communities and needed help on the surface.
4. The only way to save the morlock community you hail from is to venture to the surface and find a mechanical part needed to repair a failing ancient system.

Roach

You are born of a species of evolved insects once called "cockroach," but that is far in the past. Radiation and forced evolution have radically increased your size, shape, and ability to think. Your exoskeleton mimics the shape of a human being, though not perfectly. When you move about human society, shadows and cloaks are your ally if you wish to pass unnoticed. When those of your kind are discovered, it usually goes poorly for someone. You, however, have a wandering spirit and seek to explore the fallen world and find a new way forward.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Scuttler: Your Speed Edge increases by 1.

• Sense by Scent: You can sense your environment even in total darkness.

• Cling: You can move an immediate distance each round on walls or clinging to the ceiling.

• Carapace: +1 to Armor.

• Glide: You can extend small wings from your carapace that grant an asset in jumping tasks and allow you to fall up to a short distance without taking damage.

• Skill: You are trained in disguise tasks.

• Inability: You are susceptible to disease and poison. Defense rolls against disease or poison are hindered.

• Inability: You mimic a human, but you are not as fierce. Tasks involving combat— including attack and defense rolls—are hindered.

• Insect Prejudice: While among non-roaches, all positive interaction tasks are hindered.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. The PCs didn't realize what you were when they asked for your help.
2. You've managed to hide your roach ancestry so well that everyone thinks you are like them.
3. You are the last of your kind.
4. You have a secret agenda, and the PCs were gullible enough to let you come along.

Rusted

Life has dealt you some hard knocks. You lost an eye, an arm, or a leg several years ago, possibly during the apocalypse itself, or perhaps afterward. But you didn't give up. You adjusted, learning to do everything again, despite what first seemed like a limitation. If you lost a limb, you use a prosthetic; if an eye, you sometimes quip that binocular vision is overrated. Sure, there are times when you struggle with discomfort, pain, and possibly even self-consciousness. However, overcoming all that only makes you stronger and more determined to succeed. Ultimately, your scars, your prosthetic (if any), and your story represent who you are: a survivor who overcomes whatever is thrown your way.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Resilient: +2 to your Might Pool or +2 to your Intellect Pool or +1 to all three Pools.

• Skill: Hard knocks have toughened you; you are trained in either Might defense tasks or Intellect defense tasks (choose one).

• Skill: You had to fake it until you made it; you are trained in one creative skill such as singing, writing, acting, composing, public speaking, painting, sculpture, dancing, or something similar.

• Inability: You've learned to do everything again and, in truth, better than most people ever could. But your injury is real; it's why you sometimes joke that you're "rusted." If you've lost an eye, your perception tasks involving sight are hindered. If you rely on a prosthetic leg, tasks requiring movement are hindered. If you rely on a prosthetic arm, tasks involving using both hands are hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have a prosthetic for one arm or one leg, or you have an eyepatch (and prosthetic eye) for a missing eye.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You bragged that there's nothing someone else could do that you couldn't do twice as well, which is how you got involved in your current situation.
2. You're afraid of what might happen if the other PCs fail.
3. You were tailing one of the other PCs for reasons of your own, which brought you into the action.
4. You stepped in to defend one of the PCs when that character was threatened. While talking to them afterward, you heard about the group's task.

Shiny

You're brash and bright, and you exult in situations, people, and objects that seem to you as if they have a similar sheen. Literally shiny objects qualify, as well as objects that are not rusted or degraded by time's passage or the effects of the apocalypse. You also tend to fall into the orbit of people who are strong, unbeaten, and possessed of an inner brightness. You believe that they, like you, reflect the light of some greater spiritual purpose in the world. When you believe you are acting in that glow, you are emboldened and may take risks others fear. You don't seek death, but you're confident that death in the pursuit of something shiny is the definition of a life well-lived.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Lithe: +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Skill: You've had practice driving a before-times vehicle. Choose a motorcycle, car or truck, or long-haul truck; you're trained in driving that kind of vehicle.

• Skill: You know how to get out of the way. You are trained in Speed defense tasks.

• Shiny Maneuver: You know how to push yourself harder, at the risk of a more dramatic failure. When you attempt a shiny maneuver, you ease a task, attack roll, or defense roll, but in doing so you increase the intrusion range by two for that roll, to a 1–3 on a d20. If you fail and decide to retry the task (requiring that you spend a level of Effort, as normal), it has the same increased intrusion range. Once you attempt a shiny maneuver, you can't attempt another until you make a recovery roll. Enabler.

• Inability: You may be lithe and shiny, but you're not sneaky. Tasks related to sneaking and staying quiet are hindered.

• Inability: You are irrepressible, but that makes it hard to dissemble. Deception and disguise tasks are hindered.

• Additional Equipment: You have a treasured object that is literally shiny in bright light, such as a polished stainless-steel sphere, a silver coin, a pocket watch from the before-times, or something else small and easily carried.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. It seemed like there were equal odds that the other PCs wouldn't succeed, which sounded good to you.
2. The first word that popped into your head upon seeing the PCs was "shiny."
3. You think the tasks ahead will present you with unique and fulfilling challenges.
4. Someone you trust and respect above all others suggested you join the PCs to help them complete their task.

Artificially Intelligent

You are a machine—not just a sentient machine, but a sapient one. Your awareness might make you an exception, or there may be many like you, depending on the setting.

Artificially intelligent characters have machine minds of one type or another. This can involve an advanced computer brain, but it could also be a liquid computer, a quantum computer, or a network of smart dust particles creating an ambient intelligence. You might even have been an organic creature whose mind was uploaded into a machine.

Your body, of course, is also a machine. Most people refer to you as a robot or an android, although you know neither term describes you very well, as you are as free-willed and free-thinking as they are.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Superintelligent: +4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Artificial Body: +3 to your Might Pool and your Speed Pool.

• Shell: +1 to Armor.

• Limited Recovery: Resting restores points only to your Intellect Pool, not to your Might Pool or your Speed Pool.

• Mechanics, Not Medicines: Conventional healing methods, including the vast majority of restorative devices and medicines, do not restore points to any of your Pools. You can recover points to your Intellect Pool only by resting, and you can recover points to your Speed and Might Pools only through repair. The difficulty of the repair task is equal to the number of points of damage sustained, to a maximum of 10. Repairing your Might and Speed Pools are always two different tasks.

• Machine Vulnerabilities and Invulnerabilities: Damaging effects and other threats that rely on an organic system—poison, disease, cell disruption, and so on—have no effect on you. Neither do beneficial drugs or other effects. Conversely, things that normally affect only inorganic or inanimate objects can affect you, as can effects that disrupt machines.

• Uncanny Valley: You have a hard time relating to organic beings, and they don't react well to you. All positive interaction tasks with such beings are hindered by two steps.

Quintar

You are a quintar from the planet Quint. You are basically humanoid but taller, thinner, and blue skinned. Your hands end in three very long fingers. Quintar have five genders, but all quintar prefer to be addressed as female when communicating with more binary species. Human emotions and sexuality fascinate them, but not because they don't have such concepts—quintar emotions and sexuality are just very different from those of humans. In general, quintar are more cerebral than other species, valuing knowledge over all else.

Quint is relatively Earthlike, with slightly less gravity but a slightly denser atmosphere.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Cerebral: +4 to your Intellect Pool.

• Skill: You are trained in one type of knowledge task of your choice.

• Skill: Quintar fascination with human behavior eases all interaction rolls (pleasant or not) with humans.

• Difficult Rest: Quintar subtract 2 from all recovery rolls (minimum 1).

Amazing

You have a knack for surprising people—performing impossible athletic feats, sneaking up on someone who's alert, or instantly reacting to an ambush. You like to make use of these talents to enhance (or rehabilitate) your reputation as a hero prone to spectacular rescues, defeating foes way above your league, and arriving just in time to save the day. Ironically, in your normal daily life, you're a little awkward and overlooked.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Exceptional: +2 to your Speed Pool, and 2 additional points to divide among your stat Pools.

• Skill: You're trained in initiative and stealth tasks.

• Self-Hype: When you apply a level of Effort to a task, you get a free level of Effort. You can do this one time, although the ability is renewed each time you make a one-hour or ten-hour recovery roll.

• Inability: Your sudden appearances are startling to regular people. Positive social reactions are hindered (villains and other superheroes aren't affected by this).

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You got in a bit over your head, but another PC's coincidental arrival gave you just the distraction you needed.
2. You were tailing someone the other PCs were following and decided to drop in.
3. You saw that the other PCs were in a fight and chose to help them out.
4. You had a hunch that something big was about to go down.

Incredible

You're misunderstood, and you might not even think of yourself as a hero, but somehow you keep ending up in situations where your abilities are just what's needed to prevent disaster. Maybe good luck cancels out just enough of being cursed to count as a win. You've saved innocent lives, defeated some really bad people, and perhaps even cheated death a couple of times. Half the time you don't even know how you did it, but you succeeded at the impossible … often with a lot of collateral damage. When you hear police sirens, it's time to leave, but you know that trouble will find you eventually—and you'll be ready to smash it.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Strong: +2 to your Might Pool, and 2 additional points to divide among your stat Pools.

• Skill: You're trained in breaking things. Skill: You're trained in all jumping tasks. Inability: Your destructive reputation or some other reluctance to communicate makes people distrust you. Any task involving social interaction is hindered.

• Incredible Action: You can choose to automatically succeed on one task without rolling, as long as the task's difficulty is no higher than 6. When you do so, however, you also trigger a GM intrusion as if you had rolled a 1. The intrusion doesn't invalidate the success, but it probably qualifies it in some fashion. You can do this one time, although the ability renews each time you make a ten-hour recovery roll.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. One of the other PCs sensed your decent heart and decided to befriend you.
2. You literally crashed through a wall and ended up in the middle of the other PCs.
3. One of the other PCs reminds you of someone from your past.
4. You were feeling lonely and took a risk talking to someone, and so far it's paying off

Mighty

You have a very impressive physique. Your strength, power, and very importance are superior. Whether you're truly the mightiest may be up for debate (and you may have a friendly rivalry about this with other superheroes), but there is no question that you are exceptional. These things make you confident, but you know that you have these physical gifts in order to perform heroic deeds, and unseemly conduct is beneath you.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Very Powerful: +4 to your Might Pool.

• Skill: You're trained in all actions involving lifting and throwing things.

• Skill: You're trained in Might defense tasks.

• Healthy: Add 1 to the points you regain when you make a recovery roll.

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You joined the other PCs because they would fail without your strength.
2. You believe this endeavor will earn you a lot of valor.
3. Another PC asked—rightly—for your help.
4. An authority figure told you to do this to show you the value of humility.

Sensational

The public and the press like you. Maybe you're photogenic, or you're inherently nice, or you have really good luck with journalists. Whatever the cause of it, you're the darling of the media, and whenever you're seen in public, you generate a lot of positive interest and excitement. (If you don't have a secret identity, this attention probably also carries over to your day job, which is a mixed blessing.) People know that you're a hero and that they can count on you to do the right thing—fighting crime, battling injustice, punching evil robots, that kind of stuff. Sometimes being in the public eye so much can be wearying or even a burden, but you know how to use your reputation to set a good example and make the world a better place.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Versatile: You get 4 additional points to divide among your stat Pools.

• Skill: You're trained in positive social interactions.

• Skill: You're trained in one skill relating to your current or past career, such as computers, journalism, law, machinery, or medicine.

• Popular: The GM can introduce a GM intrusion on you, based on your fame and the public's perception of you, without awarding you any XP (as if you had rolled a 1 on a d20 roll). However, if this happens, 50 percent of the time, your reputation works to your advantage. Rather than hurting you (much), it helps you, or it hurts your enemies. You get spotted by a guard, but they're dumbstruck for a moment because you're even more impressive in person than you are on TV. You attract a crowd of fans, but they slow down the fleeing villain you're trying to catch. A photographer pesters you for a photo and a quote, but their camera catches something interesting in the background. You and the GM should work together to determine the details. If the GM wishes, they can use GM intrusions based on your fame normally (awarding XP).

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You're related to one of the other superhero PCs, and decided to help out because of family.
2. The other PCs relied on your positive reputation to untangle them from a public relations problem, and they invited you along out of gratitude.
3. The media specifically called you out to fix this problem.
4. A supervillain chose to make a scene in the hopes of drawing you out.

Uncanny

There's something unusual about you, and it makes other people a little uncomfortable. You know you're exceptional—gifted, even—and being a bit odd doesn't make you any less of a person. This uncanny element is a part of you, in your blood, in your DNA. You can't help it, but you won't apologize for it. You feel comfortable around other people with similar strangeness, people who've experienced the same prejudice that you have; these shared experiences mean they're your family, perhaps the only family you've got.

You gain the following characteristics:

• Exceptional: +2 to your Might Pool and +2 to your Speed Pool.

• Distinctive Physical Quirk: You have an unusual physical aspect. Depending on the setting, this can vary greatly; it might be something external and obvious, such as an odd smell or blue hair, or internal and hidden, like having blood type "omega." Whatever it is, your quirk draws a lot of attention when it's discovered.

• A Sense for the Weird: Sometimes—at the GM's discretion—an event or person that seems related to your uncanny nature attracts your attention. You can sense it from afar, and if you get within long range of it, you can sense whether it is overtly dangerous or not.

• Skill: You're trained in either perception tasks or stealth tasks.

• Skill: You're trained in one kind of knowledge related to your quirk, such as olfactory science, mutations, or hematology.

• Inability: People find you unnerving. All tasks relating to pleasant social interaction are hindered. (Other people who are unusual like you aren't affected by this.)

• Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:

1. You felt the objective was someone like you, so you got involved.
2. Whether the other PCs realize it or not, their mission has to do with your field of knowledge, so you got involved.
3. As an expert in an unusual kind of knowledge, you were specifically recruited by the other PCs.
4. You believe one of the other PCs may be uncanny or is related to someone who is.

Your type helps determine your character's place in the world and relationship with other people in the setting.

There are four character types: Adept, Explorer, Speaker, and Warrior.

Type names are intentionally broad. A "Warrior" can be a "knight" in shining armor, a "cop" on the streets, or a grizzled "veteran" of futuristic wars. Each type offers possible names that might be more accurate or evocative for different genres.

Types at Tier 1

• Stats: Your type determines your starting stat Pools, with 6 additional points to divide among them however you wish. It also determines your starting Edge for each stat. All types start with an Effort score of 1.

• Cypher Use: All types start the game with the ability to bear two cyphers, except the Adept, which can bear three.

• Weapons: Your type determines your skill with various kinds of weapons.

• Starting Equipment: Your type offers you a collection of equipment by price category. Talk to the GM about what kind of equipment is available in the setting.

• Player Intrusions: Each type suggests a few possible player intrusions you can use by spending XP.

Type Background Connection

Your background suggests connections you have with the world and the people in it. Talk to the GM about any characters your background demands that might appear in the story. Your conection might also infrom your decision of what kind of character arc to pursue.

Type Abilities

At tier 1, and each new tier you reach through character advancement, your type offers you a number of choices from a list of special abilities. Each time you reach a new tier, you gain a number of abilities to choose from your type, which can be from your current tier or any lower tier. Additionally, you can exchange one type ability you've chosen for another of equal or lower tier.

You master powers or abilities outside the experience, understanding, and sometimes belief of others. They might be magic, psychic powers, mutant abilities, or just a wide variety of intricate devices, depending on the setting.

• Individual Role: Adepts are usually thoughtful, intelligent types. They often think carefully before acting and rely heavily on their supernatural abilities.

• Group Role: Adepts are not powerful in straightforward combat, although they often wield abilities that provide excellent combat support, both offensively and defensively. They sometimes possess abilities that facilitate overcoming challenges. For example, if the group must get through a locked door, an Adept might be able to destroy it or teleport everyone to the other side.

• Societal Role: In settings where the supernatural is rare, strange, or feared, Adepts are likely rare and feared as well. They remain hidden, shadowy figures. When this is not the case, Adepts are more likely to be common and forthright. They might even take leadership roles.

• Advanced Adepts: Even at low tiers, Adept powers are impressive. As they advance, Adepts can accomplish amazing deeds that can reshape matter and the environment around them.

Creating an Adept

• Stats: You also have 6 additional points to divide among your stat Pools however you wish. Your Effort score is 1.

• Cypher Use: You gain the Expert Cypher Use ability.

• Weapons: You are practiced with light weapons. You have an inability with medium and heavy weapons.

• Starting Equipment:

  • appropriate clothing
  • two expensive items
  • two moderately priced items
  • up to four inexpensive items

• Distortion (2 Intellect points): You modify how a willing creature within short range reflects light for one minute. The target rapidly shifts between its normal appearance and a blot of darkness. The target has an asset on Speed defense rolls until the effect wears off. Action to initiate. (130)

• Erase Memories (3 Intellect points): You reach into the mind of a creature within immediate range and make an Intellect roll. On a success, you erase up to the last five minutes of its memory. Action. (136)

• Far Step (2 Intellect points): You leap through the air and land some distance away. You can jump up, down, or across to anywhere you choose within long range if you have a clear and unobstructed path to that location. You land safely. Action. (138)

• Hedge Magic (1 Intellect point): You can perform small tricks: temporarily change the color or basic appearance of a small object, cause small objects to float through the air, clean a small area, mend a broken object, prepare (but not create) food, and so on. You can't use Hedge Magic to harm another creature or object. Action. (149)

• Magic Training: You are trained in the basics of magic (including the operation of magic artifacts and cyphers) and can attempt to understand and identify its properties. Enabler. (159)

• Onslaught (1 Intellect point): You attack a foe using energies that assail either their physical form or their mind. In either case, you must be able to see your target. If the attack is physical, you emit a short-range ray of force that inflicts 4 points of damage. If the attack is mental, you focus your mental energy to blast the thought processes of another creature within short range. This mindslice inflicts 2 points of Intellect damage (ignores Armor). Some creatures without minds (such as robots) might be immune to your mindslice. Action. (167)

• Push (2 Intellect points): You telekinetically push a creature or object an immediate distance in any direction you wish. You must be able to see the target, which must be your size or smaller, must not be affixed to anything, and must be within short range. The push is quick, and the force is too crude to be manipulated. For example, you can't use this ability to pull a lever or close a door. Action. (173)

• Resonance Field (1 Intellect point): Faint lines in a color you choose form a tracery over your entire body and emit faint light. The effect lasts for one minute. Whenever a creature within immediate range makes an attack against you, the pattern energizes to block the attack. You can make an Intellect defense roll in place of the defense roll you would normally make. If you do so and you get a minor effect the creature attacking you takes 1 point of damage. If you get a major effect the creature attacking you takes 4 points of damage. Action to initiate. (176)

• Scan (2 Intellect points): You scan an area equal in size to a 10-foot (3 m) cube, including all objects or creatures within that area. The area must be within short range. Scanning a creature or object always reveals its level. You also learn whatever facts the GM feels are pertinent about the matter and energy in that area. For example, you might learn that the wooden box contains a device of metal and plastic. You might learn that the glass cylinder is full of poisonous gas, and that its metal stand has an electrical field running through it that connects to a metal mesh in the floor. You might learn that the creature standing before you is a mammal with a small brain. However, this ability doesn't tell you what the information means. Thus, in the first example, you don't know what the metal and plastic device does. In the second, you don't know if stepping on the floor causes the cylinder to release the gas. In the third, you might suspect that the creature is not very intelligent, but scans, like looks, can be deceiving. Many materials and energy fields prevent or resist scanning. Action. (179)

• Shatter (2+ Intellect points): You interrupt the fundamental force holding normal matter together for a moment, causing the detonation of an object you choose within long range. The object must be a small, mundane item composed of homogeneous matter (such as a clay cup, an iron ingot, a stone, and so on). The object explodes in an immediate radius, dealing 1 point of damage to all creatures and objects in the area. If you apply Effort to increase the damage, you deal 2 additional points of damage per level of Effort (instead of 3 points); targets in the area take 1 point of damage even if you fail the attack roll. Action. (182)

• Ward: You have a shield of energy around you at all times that helps deflect attacks. You gain +1 to Armor. Enabler. (196)

• Adaptation: Thanks to a latent mutation, a device implanted in your spine, a ritual performed with dragon's blood, or some other gift, you now remain at a comfortable temperature; never need to worry about dangerous radiation, diseases, or gases; and can always breathe in any environment (even the vacuum of space). Enabler. (108)

• Cutting Light (2 Intellect points): You emit a thin beam of energized light from your hand. This inflicts 5 points of damage to a single foe in immediate range. The beam is even more effective against immobile, nonliving targets, slicing up to 1 foot (30 cm) of any material that is level 6 or lower. The material can be up to 1 foot thick. Action. (123)

• Hover (2 Intellect points): You float slowly into the air. If you concentrate, you can control your movement to remain motionless in the air or float up to a short distance as your action; otherwise, you drift with the wind or with any momentum you have gained. This effect lasts for up to ten minutes. Action to initiate. (149)

• Mind Reading (2 Intellect points): You can read the surface thoughts of a creature within short range, even if the target doesn't want you to. You must be able to see your target. Once you have established contact, you can read the target's thoughts for up to one minute. If you also have the Mind Reading special ability from another source, you can use this ability at long range, and you don't need to be able to see the target (but you do have to know that the target is within range). Action to initiate. (162)

• Retrieve Memories (3 Intellect points): You touch the remains of a recently killed creature and make an Intellect-based roll to restore its mind to life long enough to learn information from it. The GM sets the difficulty based on the amount of time that has passed since the creature died. A creature that has been dead for only a few minutes is a difficulty 2 task, one that has been dead for an hour is a difficulty 4 task, and one that has been dead for a few days is a difficulty 9 task. If you succeed, you awaken the corpse, causing its head to animate and perceive things as if it were alive. This enables communication for about one minute, which is how long it takes for the creature to realize that it's dead. The creature is limited to what it knew in life, though it cannot recall minor memories, only big events of importance to it. When the effect ends, or if you fail the roll, the creature's brain dissolves to mush and cannot be awakened again. Action. (177)

• Reveal (2+ Intellect points): You adjust a creature's eyesight so that it can see normally in areas of dim light and darkness. You can affect one willing creature within immediate range for one hour. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to affect more targets; each level of Effort applied affects two additional targets. You must touch additional targets to affect them. Action to initiate. (178)

• Stasis (3 Intellect points): You surround a foe of your size or smaller with scintillating energy, keeping it from moving or acting for one minute, as if frozen solid. You must be able to see the target, and it must be within short range. While in stasis, the target is impervious to harm, cannot be moved, and is immune to all effects. Action. (186)

• Adroit Cypher Use: You can bear four cyphers at a time. Enabler. (108)

• Countermeasures (4 Intellect points): You immediately end one ongoing effect (such as an effect created by a character ability) within immediate range. Alternatively, you can use this as a defense action to cancel any incoming ability targeted at you, or you can cancel any device or the effect of any device for 1d6 rounds. You must touch the effect or device to cancel it. Action. (122)

• Energy Protection (3+ Intellect points): Choose a discrete type of energy that you have experience with (such as heat, sonic, electricity, and so on). You gain +10 to Armor against damage from that type of energy for ten minutes. Alternatively, you gain +1 to Armor against damage from that energy for 24 hours. You must be familiar with the type of energy; for example, if you have no experience with a certain kind of extradimensional energy, you can't protect against it. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to protect more targets; each level of Effort used in this way affects up to two additional targets. You must touch additional targets to protect them. Action to initiate. (134)

• Fire and Ice (4 Intellect points): You cause a target within short range to become either very hot or very cold (your choice). The target suffers 3 points of ambient damage (ignores Armor) each round for up to three rounds, although a new roll is required each round to continue to affect the target. Action to initiate. (140)

• Force Field Barrier (3+ Intellect points): You create an opaque, stationary barrier of solid energy (a force field) within immediate range. The barrier is 10 feet by 10 feet (3 m by 3 m) and of negligible thickness. It is a level 2 barrier and lasts for ten minutes. It can be placed anywhere it fits, whether against a solid object (including the ground) or floating in the air. Each level of Effort you apply strengthens the barrier by one level. For example, applying two levels of Effort creates a level 4 barrier. Action. (143)

• Sensor (4 Intellect points): You create an immobile, invisible sensor within immediate range that lasts for 24 hours. At any time during that duration, you can concentrate to see, hear, and smell through the sensor, no matter how far you move from it. The sensor doesn't grant you sensory capabilities beyond the norm. If you also have this ability from another source, it lasts twice as long. Action to create; action to check. (181)

• Targeting Eye: You are trained in any physical ranged attack that is a character ability or comes from a device. For example, you are trained when using an Onslaught force blast because it's a physical attack, but not when using an Onslaught mindslice because it's a mental attack. Enabler. (189)

• Death Touch (6 Intellect points): You gather disrupting energy in your fingertip and touch a creature. If the target is an NPC or a creature of level 3 or lower, it dies. If the target is a PC of any tier, they move down one step on the damage track. Action. (125)

• Exile (5 Intellect points): You send a target that you touch hurtling into another random dimension or universe, where it remains for ten minutes. You have no idea what happens to the target while it's gone, but at the end of ten minutes, it returns to the precise spot it left. Action. (136)

• Invisibility (4 Intellect points): You become invisible for ten minutes. While invisible, you are specialized in stealth and Speed defense tasks. This effect ends if you do something to reveal your presence or position—attacking, using an ability, moving a large object, and so on. If this occurs, you can regain the remaining invisibility effect by taking an action to hide your position. If you have another ability that also confers invisibility, using either one allows you to remain invisible for twice as long as the duration specified. Action to initiate or reinitiate. (155)

• Matter Cloud (5 Intellect points): Pebbles, dirt, sand, and debris rise into the air around you to form a swirling cloud. The cloud extends out to immediate range, moves with you, and lasts for one minute. When it ends, all the materials fall to the ground around you. The cloud makes it harder for other creatures to attack you, giving you an asset on Speed defense rolls. In addition, while the cloud is around you, you can use an action to whip the material so that it abrades everything within immediate range, dealing 1 point of damage to each creature and object in the area. Action to initiate. (161)

• Mind Control (6+ Intellect points): You control the actions of another creature you touch. This effect lasts for one minute. The target must be level 2 or lower. Once you have established control, you maintain mental contact with the target and sense what it senses. You can allow it to act freely or override its control on a case-by-case basis. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the maximum level of the target or increase the duration by one minute. Thus, to control the mind of a level 5 target (three levels above the normal limit) or control a target for four minutes (three minutes above the normal duration), you must apply three levels of Effort. When the duration ends, the creature doesn't remember being controlled or anything it did while under your command. Action to initiate. (162)

• Projection (4 Intellect points): You project an image of yourself to any location you have seen or previously visited. Distance does not matter as long as the location is on the same world as you. The projection copies your appearance, movements, and any sounds you make for the next ten minutes. Anyone present at the location can see and hear you as if you were there. However, you do not perceive through your projection. Action to initiate. (172)

• Rapid Processing (6 Intellect points): You or a target you touch experiences a higher level of mental and physical reaction time for about a minute. During that period, all Speed tasks (including Speed defense rolls) are eased. In addition, the target can take one extra action at any time before the ability's duration expires. Action. (174)

• Regeneration (6 Intellect points): You restore points to a target's Might or Speed Pool in one of two ways: either the chosen Pool regains up to 6 points, or it is restored to a total value of 12. You make this decision when you initiate this ability. Points are regenerated at a rate of 1 point each round. You must remain within immediate range of the target the whole time, either touching them or conversing with them. In no case can this raise a Pool higher than its maximum. Action. (175)

• Reshape (5 Intellect points): You reshape matter within short range in an area no larger than a 5-foot (1.5 m) cube. If you use only one action on this ability, the changes you make are crude at best. If you spend at least ten minutes and succeed at a hindered appropriate crafting task, you can make complex changes to the material. You can't change the nature of the material, only its shape. Thus, you can make a hole in a wall or floor, or you can seal one up. You can fashion a rudimentary sword from a large piece of iron. You can break or repair a chain. With multiple uses of this ability, you could bring about large changes, making a bridge, a wall, or a similar structure. Action. (176)

• Wormhole (6 Intellect points): You create a doorway through time and space. The shortcut manifests as a hole in reality large enough to accommodate you and creatures of your size or smaller. One side of the doorway appears anywhere within immediate range, and the other side opens at a spot you choose anywhere within long range. Any character or object moving into one side exits from the other. The door remains open for one minute or until you use an action to close it. Action to initiate. (200)

• Absorb Energy (7 Intellect points): You touch an object and absorb its energy. If you touch a manifest cypher, you render it useless. If you touch an artifact, roll for its depletion. If you touch another kind of powered machine or device, the GM determines whether its power is fully drained. In any case, you absorb energy from the object touched and regain 1d10 Intellect points. If this would give you more Intellect than your Pool's maximum, the extra points are lost, and you must make a Might defense roll. The difficulty of the roll is equal to the number of points over your maximum you absorbed. If you fail the roll, you take 5 points of damage and are unable to act for one round. You can use this ability as a defense action when you're the target of an incoming ability. Doing so cancels the incoming ability, and you absorb the energy as if it were a device. Action. (108)

• Concussion (7 Intellect points): You cause a pulse of concussive force to explode out from a point you choose within long range. The pulse extends up to short range in all directions, dealing 5 points of damage to everything in the area. Even if you fail the attack roll, targets in the area take 1 point of damage. Action. (121)

• Conjuration (7 Intellect points): You produce, as if from thin air, a level 5 creature of a kind you have previously encountered. The creature remains for one minute and then returns home. While present, the creature acts as you direct, but this requires no action on your part. Action. (121)

• Create (7 Intellect points): You create something from nothing. You can create any item you choose that would ordinarily have a difficulty of 5 or lower (using the crafting rules). Once created, the item lasts for a number of hours equal to 6 minus the difficulty to create it. Thus, if you create a set of sturdy manacles (difficulty 5), it would last for one hour. Action. (122)

• Dust to Dust (7 Intellect points): You disintegrate one object that is smaller than you and whose level is less than or equal to your tier. You must touch the object to affect it. If the GM feels it appropriate to the circumstances, you can disintegrate a portion of an object (the total volume of which is smaller than you) rather than the entire thing. Action. (133)

• Knowing the Unknown (6 Intellect points): By accessing the resources appropriate to your character, you can ask the GM one question and get a general answer. The GM assigns a level to the question, so the more obscure the answer, the more difficult the task. Generally, knowledge that you could find by looking somewhere other than your current location is level 1, and obscure knowledge of the past is level 7. Gaining knowledge of the future is impossible. Action. (156)

• Master Cypher Use: You can bear five cyphers at a time. Enabler. (160)

• Teleportation (6+ Intellect points): You instantaneously transmit yourself to any location that you have seen or been to, no matter the distance, as long as it is on Earth (or whatever world you're currently on). In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to bring other people with you; each level of Effort used in this way affects up to three additional targets. You must touch any additional targets. Action. (190)

• True Senses: You can see in complete darkness up to 50 feet (15 m) as if it were dim light. You recognize holograms, disguises, optical illusions, sound mimicry, and other such tricks (for all senses) for what they are. Enabler. (194)

• Control Weather (10 Intellect points): You change the weather in your general region. If performed indoors, this creates minor effects, such as mist, mild temperature changes, and so on. If performed outside, you can create rain, fog, snow, wind, or any other kind of normal (not overly severe) weather. The change lasts for a natural length of time so that a storm might last for an hour, fog for two or three hours, and snow for a few hours (or for ten minutes if it's out of season). For the first ten minutes after activating this ability, you can create more dramatic and specific effects, such as lightning strikes, giant hailstones, twisters, hurricane-force winds, and so on. These effects must occur within 1,000 feet (300 m) of your location. You must spend your turn concentrating to create an effect or maintain it in a new round. These effects inflict 6 points of damage each round. If you have this ability from another source, the cost for the ability is 7 Intellect points instead of 10. If you already have the Storm Seed ability, you can immediately replace it with a new ability of the same tier. Action to initiate. (122)

• Earthquake (7 Might points): You direct your destructive resonance into the ground and trigger an earthquake centered on a spot you can see within very long range. The ground within short range of that spot heaves and shakes for five minutes, causing damage to structures and terrain in the area. Buildings and terrain features shed debris and rubble. Each round, creatures in the area take either 3 points of damage due to the general shaking, or 6 points of damage if in or adjacent to a structure or terrain feature shedding debris. Action to initiate. (133)

• Move Mountains (9 Intellect points): You exert a tremendous amount of physical force within 250 feet (75 m) of you. You can push up to 10 tons (9 t) of material up to 50 feet (15 m). This force can collapse buildings, redirect small rivers, or perform other dramatic effects. Action. (164)

• Traverse the Worlds (8+ Intellect points): You instantaneously transmit yourself to another planet, dimension, plane, or level of reality. You must know that the destination exists; the GM will decide if you have enough information to confirm its existence and the level of difficulty to reach the destination. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to bring other people with you; each level of Effort used in this way affects up to three additional targets. You must touch any additional targets. Action. (194)

• Usurp Cypher: Choose one cypher that you carry. The cypher must have an effect that is not instantaneous. You destroy the cypher and gain its power, which functions for you continuously. You can choose a cypher when you gain this ability, or you can wait and make the choice later. However, once you usurp a cypher's power, you cannot later switch to a different cypher—the usurping ability works only once. Action to initiate. (195)

You are a person of action and physical ability, fearlessly facing the unknown. You travel to strange, exotic, and dangerous places, and discover new things. This means you're physical but also probably knowledgeable.

• Individual Role: Although Explorers can be academics or well studied, they are first and foremost interested in action. They face grave dangers and terrible obstacles as a routine part of life.

• Group Role: Explorers sometimes work alone, but far more often they operate in teams with other characters. The Explorer frequently leads the way, blazing the trail. However, they're also likely to stop and investigate anything intriguing they stumble upon.

• Societal Role: Not all Explorers are out traipsing through the wilderness or poking about an old ruin. Sometimes, an Explorer is a teacher, a scientist, a detective, or an investigative reporter. In any event, an Explorer bravely faces new challenges and gathers knowledge to share with others.

• Advanced Explorers: As they advance, Explorers gain more skills, some combat abilities, and a number of abilities that allow them to deal with danger. In short, they become more and more well-rounded, able to deal with any challenge.

Creating an Explorer

• Stats: You also have 6 additional points to divide among your stat Pools however you wish. Your Effort score is 1.

• Cypher Use: You can bear two cyphers at a time.

• Weapons: You are practiced with light and medium weapons. You have an inability with heavy weapons.

• Starting Equipment:

  • appropriate clothing
  • one weapon of your choice
  • two expensive items
  • two moderately priced items
  • up to four inexpensive items

• Block (3 Speed points): You automatically block the next melee attack made against you within the next minute. Action to initiate. (115)

• Danger Sense (1 Speed point): Your initiative task is eased. You pay the cost each time the ability is used. Enabler. (124)

• Decipher (1 Intellect point): If you spend one minute examining a piece of writing or code in a language you do not understand, you can make an Intellect roll of difficulty 3 (or higher, based on the complexity of the language or code) to get the gist of the message. Action to initiate. (126)

• Endurance: Any duration dealing with physical actions is either doubled or halved, whichever is better for you. For example, if the typical person can hold their breath for thirty seconds, you can hold it for one minute. If the typical person can march for four hours without stopping, you can do so for eight hours. In terms of harmful effects, if a poison paralyzes its victims for one minute, you are paralyzed for thirty seconds. The minimum duration is always one round. Enabler. (134)

• Find the Way: When you apply Effort to a navigation task because you don't know the way, are lost, are attempting to blaze a new route, need to choose between two or more otherwise similar paths to take, or something very similar, you can apply a free level of Effort. Enabler. (140)

• Fleet of Foot (1+ Speed points): You can move a short distance as part of another action. You can move a long distance as your entire action for a turn. If you apply a level of Effort to this ability, you can move a long distance and make an attack as your entire action for a turn, but the attack is hindered. Enabler. (141)

• Knowledge Skills: You are trained in two skills in which you are not already trained. Choose two areas of knowledge such as history, geography, archeology, and so on. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose two different skills. Enabler. (157)

• Muscles of Iron (2 Might points): For the next ten minutes, all Might-based actions other than attack rolls that you attempt are eased. If you already have this ability from another source, the effect of this ability lasts for one hour instead of ten minutes. Enabler. (165)

• No Need for Weapons: When you make an unarmed attack (such as a punch or kick), it counts as a medium weapon instead of a light weapon. Enabler. (166)

• Physical Skills: You are trained in two skills in which you are not already trained. Choose two of the following: balancing, climbing, jumping, running, or swimming. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose two different skills. Enabler. (170)

• Practiced in Armor: You can wear armor for long periods of time without tiring and can compensate for slowed reactions from wearing armor. You reduce the Speed cost for wearing armor by 1. You start the game with a type of armor of your choice. Enabler. (171)

• Practiced With All Weapons: You become practiced with light, medium, and heavy weapons and suffer no penalty when using any kind of weapon. Enabler. (171)

• Surging Confidence (1 Might point): When you use an action to make your first recovery roll of the day, you immediately gain another action. Enabler. (188)

• Trained Without Armor: You are trained in Speed defense tasks when not wearing armor. Enabler. (193)

• Curious: You're always curious about your surroundings, even on a subconscious level. Whenever you use Effort to attempt navigation, perception, or initiative tasks in an area that you've only rarely or never visited before, you can apply an additional free level of Effort. Enabler. (123)

• Danger Instinct (3 Speed points): If you are attacked by surprise, whether by a creature, a device, or simply an environmental hazard (a tree falling on you), you can move an immediate distance before the attack occurs. If moving prevents the attack, you are safe. If the attack can still potentially affect you—if the attacking creature can move to keep pace, if the attack fills an area too big to escape, etc. —the ability offers no benefit. Enabler. (124)

• Enable Others: You can use the helping rules to provide a benefit to another character attempting a physical task. Unlike the normal helping rules, this doesn't require you to use your action helping the other character with the task. This requires no action on your part. Enabler. (133)

• Escape (2 Speed points): You slip your restraints, squeeze through the bars, break the grip of a creature holding you, pull free from sucking quicksand, or otherwise get loose from whatever is holding you in place. Action. (136)

• Eye for Detail (2 Intellect points): When you spend five minutes or so thoroughly exploring an area no larger than a short distance in diameter, you can ask the GM one question about the area. The GM must answer you truthfully. You cannot use this more than one time per area per 24 hours. Action to initiate, five minutes to complete. (138)

• Foil Danger (2 Intellect points): You negate one source of potential danger related to one creature or object that you are aware of within immediate distance for one round. This could be a weapon or device held by someone, a trap triggered by a pressure plate, or a creature's natural ability (something special, innate, and dangerous, like a dragon's fiery breath or a giant cobra's venom). You can also try to foil a foe's mundane action (such as an attack with a weapon or claw), so that the action isn't made this round. Make your roll against the level of the attack, danger, or creature. Action. (142)

• Hand to Eye (2 Speed points): This ability provides an asset to any tasks involving manual dexterity, such as pickpocketing, lockpicking, games involving agility, and so on. Each use lasts up to a minute; a new use (to switch tasks) replaces the previous use. Action to initiate. (148)

• Investigative Skills: You are trained in two skills in which you are not already trained. Choose two of the following: perception, identifying, lockpicking, assessing danger, or tinkering with devices. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose two different skills. Enabler. (155)

• Quick Recovery: Your second recovery roll (usually requiring ten minutes) is only a single action. Enabler. (173)

• Range Increase: Ranges for you increase by one step. Immediate becomes short, short becomes long, long becomes very long, and very long becomes 1,000 feet (300 m). Enabler. (174)

• Skill With Defense: Choose one type of defense task in which you are not already trained: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You are trained in defense tasks of that type. Enabler. (183)

• Stand Watch (2 Intellect points): While standing watch (mostly remaining in place for an extended period of time), you unfailingly remain awake and alert for up to eight hours. During this time, you are trained in perception tasks as well as stealth tasks to conceal yourself from those who might approach. Action to initiate. (186)

• Travel Skills: You are trained in two skills in which you are not already trained. Choose two of the following: navigation, riding, running, piloting, or vehicle driving. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose two different skills. Enabler. (193)

• Wreck: Using two hands, you wield a weapon or a tool with a powerful swing. (If fighting unarmed, this attack is made with both fists or both feet together.) When using this as an attack, you take a −1 penalty to the attack roll, and you inflict 3 additional points of damage. When attempting to damage an object or barrier, you are trained in the task. Action. (200)

• Controlled Fall: When you fall while you are able to use actions and within reach of a vertical surface, you can attempt to slow your fall. Make a Speed roll with a difficulty of 1 for every 20 feet (6 m) you fall. On a success, you take half damage from the fall. If you reduce the difficulty to 0, you take no damage. Enabler. (122)

• Experienced in Armor: The cost reduction from your Practiced in Armor ability improves. You now reduce the Speed cost by 2. Enabler. (136)

• Expert Cypher Use: You can bear three cyphers at a time. Enabler. (137)

• Ignore the Pain: You ignore the impaired condition and treat the debilitated condition as impaired. Enabler. (150)

• Obstacle Running (3 Speed points): For the next minute, you can ignore obstacles that slow your movement, allowing you to travel at normal speed through areas with rubble, fences, tables, and similar objects that you would have to climb over or move around. This movement might include sliding on a railing, briefly running along a wall, or even stepping on a creature to boost yourself over something. If an obstacle would normally require a Might or Speed task to overcome, such as swinging on a rope, balancing on a rope, or jumping over a hole, you are trained in that task. Enabler. (167)

• Resilience: You have 1 point of Armor against any kind of physical damage, even physical damage that normally ignores Armor. Enabler. (176)

• Run and Fight (4 Might points): You can move a short distance and make a melee attack that inflicts 2 additional points of damage. Action. (179)

• Seize the Moment (4+ Speed points): If you succeed on a Speed defense roll to resist an attack, you gain an action. You can use the action immediately even if you have already taken a turn in the round. You don't take an action during the next round, unless you apply a level of Effort when you use Seize the Moment. Enabler. (181)

• Skill With Attacks: Choose one type of attack in which you are not already trained: light bashing, light bladed, light ranged, medium bashing, medium bladed, medium ranged, heavy bashing, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. You are trained in attacks using that type of weapon. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose a different type of attack. Enabler. (183)

• Stone Breaker: Your attacks against objects inflict 4 additional points of damage when you use a melee weapon that you wield in two hands. Enabler. (186)

• Think Your Way Out: When you wish it, you can use points from your Intellect Pool rather than your Might Pool or Speed Pool on any noncombat action. Enabler. (191)

• Trapfinder (3+ Intellect points): You find any traps (like a floor that would give way beneath you) or mechanical triggers to a trap or defense system that might pose a threat. You can do this without setting them off and in lieu of making a roll to find them. This ability can find traps of level 4 or below. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the level of traps that can be found by 2, so using two levels of Effort can find all traps of level 8 or below. Action. (193)

• Wrest From Chance: If you roll a natural 1 on a d20, you can reroll the die. If you reroll, you avoid a GM intrusion—unless you roll a second 1—and might succeed on your task. Once you use this ability, it is not available again until after you make a ten-hour recovery roll. Enabler. (200)

• Capable Warrior: Your attacks deal 1 additional point of damage. Enabler. (118)

• Expert Skill: Instead of rolling a d20, you can choose to automatically succeed on a task you're trained in. The task must be difficulty 4 or lower, and it can't be an attack roll or a defense roll. Enabler. (137)

• Increased Effects: You treat rolls of natural 19 as rolls of natural 20 for either Might actions or Speed actions (your choice when you gain this ability). This allows you to gain a major effect on a natural 19 or 20. Enabler. (153)

• Read the Signs (4 Intellect points): You examine an area and learn precise, useful details about the past (if any exist). You can ask the GM up to four questions about the immediate area; each requires its own roll. Action. (174)

• Runner: Your standard movement increases from short to long. Enabler. (179)

• Subtle Steps: When you move no more than a short distance, you can move without making a sound, regardless of the surface you move across. Enabler. (187)

• Tough As Nails: When you are impaired or debilitated on the damage track, Might-based tasks and defense rolls you attempt are eased. If you also have Ingore the Pain, make a difficulty 1 Might defense roll when you reach 0 points in all three of your Pools to immediately regain 1 Might point and avoid dying. Each time you attempt to save yourself with this ability before your next ten-hour recovery roll, the task is hindered. Enabler. (192)

• Adroit Cypher Use: You can bear four cyphers at a time. Enabler. (108)

• Free to Move: You ignore all movement penalties and adjustments due to terrain or other obstacles. You can fit through any space large enough to fit your head. Tasks involving breaking free of bonds, a creature's grip, or any similar impediment gain three free levels of Effort. Enabler. (143)

• Group Friendship (4 Intellect points): You convince a sentient creature to regard you (and up to ten creatures that you designate within immediate distance of you) positively, as they would a potential friend. Action.

• Hard to Kill: You can choose to reroll any defense task you make but never more than once per round. Enabler. (148)

• Jump Attack (5+ Might points): You attempt a difficulty 4 Might roll to jump high into the air as part of your melee attack action. If you succeed at the jump and your attack hits, you inflict 3 additional points of damage and knock the foe prone. If you fail at the jump, you still make your normal attack roll, but you don't inflict the extra damage or knock down the opponent if you hit. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to enhance your jump; each level of Effort used in this way adds +2 feet to the height and +1 damage to the attack. Action. (156)

• Mastery With Defense: Choose one type of defense task in which you are trained: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You are specialized in defense tasks of that type. You can select this ability up to three times. Each time you select it, you must choose a different type of defense task. Enabler. (161)

• Parry (5 Speed points): You can deflect incoming attacks quickly. When you activate this ability, for the next ten rounds you ease all Speed defense rolls. Enabler. (168)

• Physically Gifted: Any time you spend points from your Might Pool or Speed Pool on an action for any reason, if you roll a 1 on the associated die, you reroll, always taking the second result (even if it's another 1). Enabler. (170)

• Take Command (3 Intellect points): You issue a specific command to another character. If that character chooses to listen, any attack they attempt on their next turn is eased, and a hit deals 3 additional points of damage. If your command is to perform a task other than an attack, the task is eased as if it benefited from a free level of Effort. Action. (188)

• Vigilant (5 Might points): When affected by an attack or effect that would daze or stun you, you are not dazed or stunned. Enabler. (196)

• Again and Again (8 Speed points): You can take an additional action in a round in which you have already acted. Enabler. (109)

• Inspire Coordinated Actions (9 Intellect points): If your allies can see and easily understand you, you can instruct each of them to take one specific action (the same action for all of them). If any of them choose to take that exact action, they can do so as an additional action immediately. This doesn't interfere with them taking their normal actions on their turns. Action. (154)

• Mastery in Armor: The cost reduction from your Practiced in Armor ability improves. You now reduce the Speed Effort cost for wearing armor to 0. Enabler. (161)

• Mastery With Attacks: Choose one type of attack in which you are trained: light bashing, light bladed, light ranged, medium bashing, medium bladed, medium ranged, heavy bashing, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. You are specialized in attacks using that type of weapon. Enabler. (161)

• Negate Danger (7 Intellect points): You permanently negate a source of potential danger related to one creature or object within immediate distance. This could be a weapon or device held by someone, a creature's natural ability, or a trap triggered by a pressure plate. Action. (165)

• Share Defense: If your training in a defense task is greater than that of an ally within short range, your advice and insight allow them to substitute your training for that defense task. Enabler. (181)

• Spin Attack (5+ Speed points): You stand still and make attacks against up to five foes, all as part of the same action in one round. All of the attacks have to be the same sort of attack (melee or ranged). Make a separate attack roll for each foe. You remain limited by the amount of Effort you can apply on one action. Anything that modifies your attack or damage applies to all of these attacks. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the number of foes you can attack with this ability (one additional foe per level of Effort used in this way). Action. (185)

• Wild Vitality (4 Intellect points): You attune with the life force of a natural creature (your size or bigger) within long range that you can see. This is a level 2 Intellect task. If you succeed, the creature is not harmed, but through resonance with its wild vitality, you gain several benefits for up to one minute: an asset to all your Might-based tasks (including attacks and defenses), +2 to your Might Edge and Speed Edge, and 2 additional points of damage on all successful melee attacks. Action to initiate. (198)

You're good with words and good with people. You talk your way past challenges and out of jams, and you get people to do what you want.

• Individual Role: Speakers are smart and charismatic. They like people and, more important, they understand them. This helps speakers get others to do what needs to be done.

• Group Role: The Speaker is often the face of the group, serving as the person who speaks for all and negotiates with others. Combat and action are not a Speaker's strong suits, so other characters sometimes have to defend the Speaker in times of danger.

• Societal Role: Speakers are frequently political or religious leaders. Just as often, however, they are con artists or criminals.

• Advanced Speakers: As they advance, speakers use their abilities to control and manipulate people as well as aid and nurture their friends. They can talk their way out of danger and even use their words as weapons.

Creating a Speaker

• Stats: You also have 6 additional points to divide among your stat Pools however you wish. Your Effort score is 1.

• Cypher Use: You can bear two cyphers at a time.

• Weapons: You are practiced with light weapons. You have an inability with medium and heavy weapons.

• Starting Equipment:

  • appropriate clothing
  • one light weapon of your choice
  • two expensive items
  • two moderately priced items
  • up to four inexpensive items

• Anecdote (2 Intellect points): You can lift the spirits of a group of creatures and help them bond together by entertaining them with an uplifting or pointed anecdote. For the next hour, those who pay attention to your story are trained in a task you choose that's related to the anecdote, as long as it's not an attack or defense task. Action to initiate, one minute to complete. (109)

• Babel: After hearing a language spoken for a few minutes, you can speak it and make yourself understood. If you continue to use the language to interact with native speakers, your skills improve rapidly, to the point where you might be mistaken for a native speaker after just a few hours of speaking the new language. Enabler. (112)

• Demeanor of Command (2 Intellect points): You project confidence, knowledge, and charisma to all who see you for the next hour. Your demeanor is such that those who see you automatically understand that you are someone important, accomplished, and with authority. When you speak, strangers who are not already attacking give you at least a round to have your say. If speaking to a group that can understand you, you can attempt to have them produce their leader or ask that they take you to their leader. You gain a free level of Effort that can be applied to one persuasion task you attempt during this period. Action to initiate. (127)

• Encouragement (1 Intellect point): While you maintain this ability through ongoing inspiring oration, your allies within short range ease one of the following task types (your choice): defense tasks, attack tasks, or tasks related to any skill that you are trained or specialized in. Action. (134)

• Enthrall (1 Intellect point): While talking, you grab and keep another creature's attention, even if the creature can't understand you. For as long as you do nothing but speak (you can't even move), the other creature takes no actions other than to defend itself, even over multiple rounds. If the creature is attacked, the effect ends. Action. (136)

• Erase Memories (3 Intellect points): You reach into the mind of a creature within immediate range and make an Intellect roll. On a success, you erase up to the last five minutes of its memory. Action. (136)

• Fast Talk (1 Intellect point): When speaking with an intelligent creature who can understand you and isn't hostile, you convince that creature to take one reasonable action in the next round. A reasonable action must be agreed upon by the GM; it should not put the creature or its allies in obvious danger or be wildly out of character. Action. (138)

• Inspire Aggression (2 Intellect points): Your words twist the mind of a character within short range who is able to understand you, unlocking their more primitive instincts. As a result, they gain an asset on their Might-based attack rolls for one minute. Action to initiate. (154)

• Interaction Skills: You are trained in two skills in which you are not already trained. Choose two of the following: deceiving, persuading, public speaking, seeing through deception, or intimidation. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose two different skills. Enabler. (155)

• Practiced With Medium Weapons: You can use light and medium weapons without penalty. If you wield a heavy weapon, attacks with it are hindered. Enabler. (171)

• Spin Identity (2+ Intellect points): You convince all intelligent creatures who can see, hear, and understand you that you are someone or something other than who you actually are. You don't impersonate a specific individual known to the victim. Instead, you convince the victim that you are someone they do not know belonging to a certain category of people. "We're from the government." "I'm just a simple farmer from the next town over." "Your commander sent me." A disguise isn't necessary, but a good disguise will almost certainly be an asset to the roll involved. If you attempt to convince more than one creature, the Intellect cost increases by 1 point per additional victim. Fooled creatures remain so for up to an hour, unless your actions or other circumstances reveal your true identity earlier. Action. (185)

• Terrifying Presence (2+ Intellect points): You convince one intelligent target of level 3 or lower that you are its worst nightmare. The target must be within short range and be able to understand you. For as long as you do nothing but speak (you can't even move), the target is paralyzed with fear, runs away, or takes some other action appropriate to the circumstances. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the maximum level of the target. Thus, to terrorize a level 5 target (two levels above the normal limit), you must apply two levels of Effort. Action. (190)

• Understanding (1 Intellect point): You observe or study a creature or object. Your next interaction with that creature or object gains one asset. Action. (194)

• Basic Follower: You gain a level 2 follower. One of their modifications must be persuasion. You can take this ability multiple times, each time gaining another level 2 follower. Enabler. (112)

• Calm Stranger (2+ Intellect points): You can cause one intelligent creature to remain calm as you speak. The creature doesn't need to speak your language, but it must be able to see you. It remains calm as long as you focus all your attention on it and it is not attacked or otherwise threatened. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to calm additional creatures allied with your initial target, one additional creature per level of Effort applied. Action. (118)

• Disincentivize (1 Intellect point): You hinder all actions attempted by any number of targets within short range who can understand you. You choose which targets are affected. Affected targets' actions are hindered for one round. Enabler. (129)

• Gather Intelligence (2 Intellect points): When in a group of people (a caravan, a palace, a village, a city, etc.) you can ask around about any topic you choose and come away with useful information. You can ask a specific question, or you can simply obtain general facts. You also get a good idea of the general layout of the location involved, note the presence of all major sites, and perhaps even notice obscure details. For example, not only do you find out if anyone in the palace has seen the missing boy, but you also get a working knowledge of the layout of the palace itself, note all the entrances and which are used more often than others, and take notice that everyone seems to avoid the well in the eastern courtyard for some reason. Action to initiate, about an hour to complete. (144)

• Impart Ideal (3 Intellect points): After interacting for at least one minute with a creature who can hear and understand you, you can attempt to temporarily impart an ideal to it that you could not otherwise convince it to adopt. An ideal is different than a specific suggestion or command; an ideal is an overarching value such as "All life is sacred," "My political party is the best," "Children should be seen, not heard," and so on. An ideal influences a creature's behavior but doesn't control it. The imparted ideal lasts as long as befits the situation, but usually at least a few hours. The ideal is jeopardized if someone friendly to the creature spends a minute or more bringing it back to its senses. Action. (151)

• Inspiring Ease: Through stories, songs, art, or other forms of entertainment, you inspire your friends. After spending 24 hours with you, once per day each of your friends can ease a task. This benefit is ongoing while you remain in the friend's company. It ends if you leave, but it resumes if you return to the friend's company within 24 hours. If you leave the friend's company for more than 24 hours, you must spend another 24 hours together to reactivate the benefit. Enabler. (154)

• Interaction Skills: You are trained in two skills in which you are not already trained. Choose two of the following: deceiving, persuading, public speaking, seeing through deception, or intimidation. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose two different skills. Enabler. (155)

• Practiced in Armor: You can wear armor for long periods of time without tiring and can compensate for slowed reactions from wearing armor. You reduce the Speed cost for wearing armor by 1. You start the game with a type of armor of your choice. Enabler. (171)

• Skill With Defense: Choose one type of defense task in which you are not already trained: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You are trained in defense tasks of that type. Enabler. (183)

• Speedy Recovery (3 Intellect points): Your words enhance the normal regenerative ability of a character within short range who is able to understand you. When they make a recovery roll, they must spend only half the normal amount of time required to do so (minimum one action). Action. (185)

• Unexpected Betrayal: Within a round or two of successfully using Enthrall, Fast Talk, or a similar ability on a target within short range, the first attack you make on that target is eased by two steps. Once you use Unexpected Betrayal on a target, using your abilities or attempting simple persuasion on that target is permanently hindered by two steps. Enabler. (195)

• Accelerate (4+ Intellect points): Your words imbue the spirit of a character within immediate range who is able to understand you, accelerating them so they gain an asset on initiative tasks and Speed defense rolls for ten minutes. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to affect more targets; each level of Effort affects one additional target. You must speak to additional targets to accelerate them, one target per round. Action per target to initiate. (108)

• Blend In (4 Intellect points): When you blend in, creatures still see you, but they attach no importance to your presence for about a minute. While blending in, you are specialized in stealth and Speed defense tasks. This effect ends if you do something to reveal your presence or position—attacking, using an ability, moving a large object, and so on. If this occurs, you can regain the remaining period of effect by taking an action to focus on seeming innocuous and as if you belong. Action to initiate or reinitiate. (113)

• Discerning Mind: You have +3 Armor against damaging attacks and damaging effects that target your mind and Intellect. Defense rolls you make against attacks that attempt to confuse, persuade, frighten, or otherwise influence you are eased. Enabler. (129)

• Expert Cypher Use: You can bear three cyphers at a time. Enabler. (137)

• Expert Follower: You gain a level 3 follower. They are not restricted on their modifications. You can take this ability multiple times, each time gaining another level 3 follower. Alternatively, you could choose to advance a level 2 follower you already have to level 3 and then gain a new level 2 follower. Enabler. (137)

• Grand Deception (3 Intellect points): You convince an intelligent creature that can understand you and isn't hostile of something that is wildly and obviously untrue. Action. (146)

• Lead by Inquiry: You keep your allies on their toes with occasional questions, jokes, and even mock drills for those who care to join in. After spending 24 hours with you, your allies are treated as if trained in tasks related to perception. This benefit is ongoing while you remain in your allies' company. It ends if you leave, but it resumes if you return to the allies' company within 24 hours. If you leave the allies' company for more than 24 hours, you must spend another 24 hours together to reactivate the benefit. Enabler. (157)

• Mind Reading (2 Intellect points): You can read the surface thoughts of a creature within short range, even if the target doesn't want you to. You must be able to see your target. Once you have established contact, you can read the target's thoughts for up to one minute. If you also have the Mind Reading special ability from another source, you can use this ability at long range, and you don't need to be able to see the target (but you do have to know that the target is within range). Action to initiate. (162)

• Oratory (4 Intellect points): When speaking with a group of intelligent creatures that can understand you and aren't hostile, you convince them to take one reasonable action in the next round. A reasonable action should not put the creatures or their allies in obvious danger or be wildly out of character. Action. (167)

• Perfect Stranger (3 Intellect points): You alter your posture and way of speaking and make a small but real alteration to an outfit (such as putting on or taking off a hat, reversing a cloak, and so on). For the next hour (or as long as you keep up the alteration), even creatures that know you well don't recognize you. All tasks related to hiding your true identity during this period gain one free level of Effort. Action to initiate. (169)

• Quick Wits: When performing a task that would normally require spending points from your Intellect Pool, you can spend points from your Speed Pool instead. Enabler. (174)

• Telling (2 Intellect points): This ability provides an asset to any tasks for attempting to deceive, persuade, or intimidate. Each use lasts up to a minute; a new use (to switch tasks) replaces the previous use. Action to initiate. (190)

• Anticipate Attack (4 Intellect points): You can sense when and how creatures attacking you will make their attacks. Speed defense rolls are eased for one minute. Action. (110)

• Confounding Banter (4 Intellect points): You spew a stream of nonsense to distract a foe within immediate range. On a successful Intellect roll, your defense roll against the creature's next attack before the end of the next round is eased. Action. (121)

• Feint (2 Speed points): If you use one action creating a misdirection or diversion, in the next round you can take advantage of your opponent's lowered defenses. Make a melee attack roll against that opponent. You gain an asset on this attack. If your attack is successful, it inflicts 4 additional points of damage. Action. (139)

• Heightened Skills: You are trained in two tasks of your choosing (other than attacks or defense). If you choose a task you're already trained in, you instead become specialized in that task. You can't choose a task you're already specialized in. Enabler. (149)

• Psychosis (4 Intellect points): Your words inflict a destructive psychosis in the mind of a target within long range that can understand you, dealing 6 points of Intellect damage (ignores Armor) per round. The psychosis can be dispersed if a target uses an action doing nothing but calming and centering itself. Action to initiate. (172)

• Read the Signs (4 Intellect points): You examine an area and learn precise, useful details about the past (if any exist). You can ask the GM up to four questions about the immediate area; each requires its own roll. Action. (174)

• Spur Effort (5 Intellect points): You select an ally within immediate range. If that character applies Effort to a task on their next turn, they can apply a free level of Effort on that task. Enabler. (186)

• Strategize (6 Intellect points): Having an action plan in place before facing a challenge improves the odds of success, even if that plan is eventually changed or discarded once it's put into play. If you and your allies spend at least ten minutes going over a plan of action, all of you gain one free level of Effort that can be applied to one task you attempt during the execution of that plan within the next 24 hours. The plan of action must be something concrete and executable in order to gain this benefit. Action to initiate, ten minutes to complete. (187)

• Suggestion (5+ Intellect points): You suggest an action to a creature within immediate range. If the action is something that the target might normally do anyway, it follows your suggestion. If the suggestion is something that is outside of the target's nature or express duty (such as asking a guard to let an intruder pass), the suggestion fails. The creature must be level 2 or lower. The effect of your suggestion lasts for up to a minute.

  In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the maximum level of the target you can affect by 1. Thus, to affect a level 5 target (three levels above the normal limit), you must apply three levels of Effort.

  When the effects of the ability end, the creature remembers following the suggestion but can be persuaded to believe that it chose to do so willingly. Action to initiate. (188)

• Adroit Cypher Use: You can bear four cyphers at a time. Enabler. (108)

• Discipline of Watchfulness (7 Intellect points): You keep your allies on their toes with occasional questions, jokes, and even mock drills for those who care to join in. After spending 24 hours with you, your allies can apply a free level of Effort to any initiative tasks they attempt. This benefit is ongoing while you remain in the allies' company. It ends if you leave, but it resumes if you return to the allies' company within 24 hours. If you leave the allies' company for more than 24 hours, you must spend another 24 hours together to reactivate the benefit. You must spend the Intellect point cost each 24 hours you wish to keep the benefit active. Enabler. (129)

• Experienced in Armor: The cost reduction from your Practiced in Armor ability improves. You now reduce the Speed cost by 2. Enabler. (136)

• Flee (6 Intellect points): All non-allies within short distance who can hear your dreadful, intimidating words flee from you at top speed for one minute. Action. (141)

• Foul Aura (5+ Intellect points): Your words, gestures, and touch invest an object no larger than yourself with an aura of doom, fear, and doubt for one day. Creatures that can hear and understand you feel an urge to move at least a short distance away from the object. If a creature does not move away, all tasks, attacks, and defenses it attempts while within the aura are hindered. The duration of the aura is extended by one day per level of Effort applied. The aura is temporarily blocked while the object is covered or contained. Action to initiate. (143)

• Knowing the Unknown (6 Intellect points): By accessing the resources appropriate to your character, you can ask the GM one question and get a general answer. The GM assigns a level to the question, so the more obscure the answer, the more difficult the task. Generally, knowledge that you could find by looking somewhere other than your current location is level 1, and obscure knowledge of the past is level 7. Gaining knowledge of the future is impossible. Action. (156)

• Regeneration (6 Intellect points): You restore points to a target's Might or Speed Pool in one of two ways: either the chosen Pool regains up to 6 points, or it is restored to a total value of 12. You make this decision when you initiate this ability. Points are regenerated at a rate of 1 point each round. You must remain within immediate range of the target the whole time, either touching them or conversing with them. In no case can this raise a Pool higher than its maximum. Action. (175)

• Skill With Attacks: Choose one type of attack in which you are not already trained: light bashing, light bladed, light ranged, medium bashing, medium bladed, medium ranged, heavy bashing, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. You are trained in attacks using that type of weapon. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose a different type of attack. Enabler. (183)

• Stimulate (6 Intellect points): Your words encourage a target you touch who can understand you. The next action it takes is eased by three steps. Action. (186)

• Assume Control (6+ Intellect points): You control the actions of another creature you have interacted with or studied for at least a round. This effect lasts for ten minutes. The target must be level 2 or lower. Once you have assumed control, the target acts as if it wants to accomplish your desire to the best of its ability, freely using its own best judgment unless you use an action to give it a specific instruction on an issue-by-issue basis. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the maximum level of the target. Thus, to attempt to command a level 5 target (three levels above the normal limit), you must apply three levels of Effort. When the effect ends, the target remembers everything that happened and reacts according to its nature and your relationship to it; assuming control might have soured that relationship if it was previously a positive one. Action to initiate. (111)

• Battle Management (4 Intellect points): As long as you use your action each round giving orders or advice, attack and defense actions taken by your allies within short range are eased. Action. (112)

• Crowd Control (6+ Intellect points): You control the actions of up to five creatures in short range. This effect lasts for one minute. All targets must be level 2 or lower. Your control is limited to simple verbal commands like "Stop," "Run away," "Follow that guard," "Look over there," or "Get out of my way." All affected creatures respond to the command unless you specifically command them otherwise. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the maximum level of the targets or affect an additional five people. Thus, to control a group that has a level 4 target (two levels above the normal limit) or a group of fifteen people, you must apply two levels of Effort. When the Crowd Control ability ends, the creatures remember your commands but don't remember being controlled—your commands seemed reasonable at the time. Action to initiate. (123)

• Inspiring Success (6 Intellect points): When you succeed on a roll to perform a task related to the stat that you choose upon selecting this ability, and you applied at least one level of Effort, you may choose another character within short range. That character has an asset on the next task they attempt using that stat on their next turn. Enabler. (154)

• Recruit Deputy: You gain a level 4 follower. They are not restricted on their modifications. Alternatively, you can choose to advance a level 3 follower you already have to level 4 and then gain a new level 3 follower. Enabler. (175)

• Shatter Mind (7+ Intellect points): Your words reverberate destructively in the brain of an intelligent level 1 target within short range that can hear and understand you. They destroy tissue, memories, and personality, triggering a vegetative state. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the maximum level of the target. Thus, to shatter the mind of a level 5 target (four levels above the normal limit), you must apply four levels of Effort. Action. (182)

You're a good ally to have in a fight. You know how to use weapons and defend yourself. Depending on the genre and setting in question, this might mean wielding a sword and shield in the gladiatorial arena, an AK-47 and a bandolier of grenades in a savage firefight, or a blaster rifle and powered armor when exploring an alien planet.

• Individual Role: Warriors are physical, action-oriented people. They're more likely to overcome a challenge using force than by other means, and they often take the most straightforward path toward their goals.

• Group Role: Warriors usually take and deal the most punishment in a dangerous situation. Often it falls on them to protect the other group members from threats. This sometimes means that warriors take on leadership roles as well, at least in combat and other times of danger.

• Societal Role: Warriors aren't always soldiers or mercenaries. Anyone who is ready for violence, or even potential violence, might be a Warrior in the general sense. This includes guards, watchmen, police officers, sailors, or people in other roles or professions who know how to defend themselves with skill.

• Advanced Warriors: As warriors advance, their skill in battle—whether defending themselves or dishing out damage—increases to impressive levels. At higher tiers, they can often take on groups of foes by themselves or stand toe to toe with anyone.

Creating a Warrior

• Stats: You also have 6 additional points to divide among your stat Pools however you wish. Choose a Might or Speed Edge of 1. The other stat has an Edge of 0. Your Effort score is 1.

• Cypher Use: You can bear two cyphers at a time.

• Weapons: You are practiced with light, medium, and heavy weapons.

• Starting Equipment:

  • appropriate clothing
  • two weapons of your choice
  • one expensive item
  • two moderately priced items
  • up to four inexpensive items