TRAITS
Traits measure a character's attributes, skills, knowledge, and ability.
The point cost of a trait is based on the level. The higher the trait, the more difficult it is to improve.
|
|
|
Thus: to give a new character an Archer level of 6 requires 8 character points. To later raise that same character's Archer to 7 will cost 4 experience points (12 for level 7, minus the 8 already spent to reach level 6).
Average persons have zero levels in most traits and four to six in those related to their work. Levels of ten or greater represent awesome ability.
Below is a list of traits. It is not exhaustive - it focuses on adventuring traits, leaving others to the imagination of players.
The list is divided into Talents and Professions. Talents are inherent qualities; Professions are learned skills. The two are identical for game purposes.
The Master should feel free to add or drop traits to make the list fit their campaign world. Players who wish to have an unlisted trait should propose the new trait to The Master.
|
|
Talents
This trait represents ego, charisma, and presence. A character with a high Command is a stunning person; he moves armies with a word, she crumbles nations with a glance.
Command determines the amount of supernatural energy a sorcerer can channel.
Constitution is health and toughness. It lets the character resist injury and disease.
Intellect is a person's capability for abstract reasoning, critical thinking, and analysis. It is used to solve problems and puzzles. Sorcery relies on Intellect. Intellect also allows one to evade sorcerous assaults.
This trait represents quality of one's natural senses, reaction time, and general alertness. This important trait can prevent one - and one's friends - from being taken by surprise by stealth or guile.
Perception is used to detect subtle things that may go unheard or unseen and things that are obvious but may go unnoticed. It may allow one to notice that someone is wearing the wrong clothes, behaving strangely, etc. It is used to see through lies and disguises. It allows one to find hidden things.
Perception can be used to determine who goes first during a round of conflict.
This measures how much raw power one can exert. It is used to lift and carry great loads or to move heavy objects. It adds to damage in combat.
This table gives the amount of weight that different Strength levels can lift:
|
|
|
The formula should be apparent if one needs to go beyond 29.
Willpower is mental fortitude. Courage, patience, and self-control are facets of will. It allows one to resist interrogation, torture, and fear. It lessens the effect of harmful sorcery.
Professions
Archers are proficient with bows and crossbows.
This is the ability to make and repair useful items. One can build build a house, carve some arrows, or make minor repairs to damaged weapons and armor. It is a broad trait.
Master craftsmen can create works of great beauty and utility. The Master may rule that a character must specialize in a particular field (such as blacksmithing, woodworking, etc) in order to realize this level of quality. Specialization trades breadth for depth.
This profession allows one to run, swim, climb, throw, and jump.
Most characters can run ten spaces per action. Each level of this skill gives the character an additional space. It also allows one to swim faster than others, though the rate is halved.
Athlete is rolled to determine the progress of a race or chase, with each point of dx being one space of distance gained or lost.
Athletes may attempt to climb anything, from trees to cliffs to castle walls. The more difficult the surface (the less friction and handholds), the higher the challenge level. Ropes and grapples help. A failed roll usually means no progress, but a spectacular failure could mean a fall.
Leaping over obstacles or chasms requires a roll against a challenge level set by The Master.
Athletics allows one to perform flips, cartwheels, rolls, and tumbles. A high level may let one swing on trapezes and walk tightropes. It can also be used to lessen the damage taken from a fall.
This is also the skill of throwing and catching objects. It covers hitting a target with hurled objects (rocks, knives, axes, spears) and the use of slings. The simplest thrown attack is a good-sized rock. This does the base strength damage of the attacker (like a punch, only farther). Larger rocks add more damage, but have less range.
This trait also represents muscle speed and reflexes. It can be used to determine who goes first during a round of conflict. It can also be used to dodge attacks.
This is the profession of thieves and spies. It is used to gain unauthorized access to places.
Burglary lets one pick locks, whether ordinary keyed locks or fancier combination or puzzle locks.
It also allows one to set or disarm small traps. This can be used to protect a locked chest with a poison dart, to protect a hallway with a cocked crossbow, or to protect a door with a levered scythe - or to disarm any such protections set by others.
Last but not least, the character knows how to force doors and shutters quickly and quietly.
This is the skill of primitive medicine. A healer can bind wounds, set bones, and move injured companions without doing further harm.
This profession also grants the possessor knowledge of useful plants and herbs that can be made into salves to speed healing, prevent infections, fight off diseases, or cure poisons.
Finally, a talented healer can perform primitive surgery such as lancing boils or amputating limbs.
This is the ability to survive in the wild with minimal equipment and supplies. A master of the wilderness can live indefinitely with nothing more than a good knife and warm clothes. Additional items, such as a bow and arrow for hunting, make life easier.
This skill also lets a character discover and follow tracks. Some creatures are easier to track than others. Different types of terrain increase or lessen the challenge. Some, like rivers or solid rock, are impossible to track through - the only hope is to pick up the trail on the other side of the obstacle.
Rangers can train animals to perform work or tricks and to effectively handle such domesticated creatures. At higher levels, they can befriend wild animals. A master may even calm enraged beasts.
Finally, Rangers have the ability to determine location and heading by the heavens. Master navigators may even have a sixth sense about the time of day and the direction they are facing.
This is the skill of using animals for transport. It covers everything from horseback riding to driving a sleigh pulled by a team of dogs.
Normal travel does not require trait rolls - the skill is used for difficult circumstances, tricks, leaps, and mounted combat.
This is a catchall for academic skills. It represents knowledge of subjects such as astronomy, cartography, geography, heraldry, history, languages, philosophy, politics, and religion. It also lets the character write with flourish, using proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and perhaps stylistic calligraphy.
Master scholars and sages are highly prized by their patrons, and a visit to one can be expensive. Many choose to specialize in one of the above subjects, trading breadth for depth.
This is the art of silence and invisibility. To move unseen requires shadow, the darker the better. Dark clothing and soft shoes help.
A sneak can follow someone through a crowd without the subject knowing. The sneak must be inconspicuous in dress and behavior - if everyone in town wears white clothing, someone will notice a black-cloaked figure following them no matter what the sneak roll.
Finally, this trait allows one to filch keys and pick pockets.
This skill allows one to appraise the value of items. It is used for everything from earthenware pots to rare works of art. Exotic objects are more difficult to appraise. The better the roll, the closer the appraisal is to the real value.
Trading also represents knowledge of markets. Skilled traders can tell where markets will be by the layout of a town. They can also locate black markets and information peddlers.
Tricksters hide things, craft disguises, forge documents, and tell bold-faced lies. They can also perform minor "magic" tricks via sleight of hand.
Warriors are skilled in close combat.