Abilities

OVERVIEW

Abilities are how you describe what your character can do. There are six Categories of Abilities you can purchase Abilities from:

  • SKILLED: Abilities which are trained and learned.
  • MARTIAL: Abilities which are mastered and used in physical combat.
  • ANIMA: Abilities which allow Characters to act heroically and plumb the depths of their resolve.
  • GIFTED: Abilities which are natural to the Character’s biology, like wings or claws.
  • SOURCE: Abilities which allow a Character to tap into magical abilities.
  • SCHOOL: Abilities which allow a Character with access to a magical Source to use that magic in specific ways.

TABLE J: ABILITIES

SKILLED ABILITIES

Characters buy an entire Skill Category with a Build Point. Purchase includes a “specialization” where the specialized subskill gets a bonus.

NAME EFFECT SKILLS NOTES
ARTISAN Skills which produce a final good fro m raw materials Design, Modify, Produce, Assess Choose an artisanal category (Brewer, Bowyer, Carpenter, Cook, Leatherworker, Jeweler, Mason, Smith) and a skill to excel in
ARTIST Express ideas and emotions based on performance or creation. Plan, Perform, Critique, Inspire Choose an art (Actor, Dancer, Instrumentalist, Painter, Singer, Storyteller) and a skill to excel in
ATHLETE Develop the body to excel when under duress. Endure, Exert, Focus Choose an activity to excel in (Acrobatics, Swimming, Climbing, Jumping)
DIPLOMAT Influence the behavior of others. Debate, Fluster, Intimidate, Persuade, Inflame Choose a type of diplomat (arcane, military, political, populist, trade)
FORAGER Locate, nurture, and harvest useful raw materials based on local information. Develop, Locate, Identify, Harvest Choose a type of resource (Lumberjack, Miner, Fisherman, Herbologist, etc.)
OFFICER Command others in a militaristic or organizational structure. Logistics, Rally, Strategy, Tactics
PROFESSIONAL Provide a specific service based on learned training. Assess, Execute, Predict, Use Tool Choose a profession (Alchemist, Animal Trainer, Healer, Hunter, Scout, Sailor, Soldier, etc.)
SAGE Provide theories and determine probable answers given domain information. Investigate, Know, Predict, Research Choose an area of knowledge (Alchemist, Anatomist, Astrologer, Botanist, Geologist, Historian, Linguist, Sage, Theologist, Vexillologist)
SCOUNDREL Mislead, distract, or trick others into thinking something that isn’t. Forge, Gamble, Lockpick, Misdirect, Observe, Sneak
SURVIVOR Understand how to live beyond the boundaries of civilization. Dowse, Navigate, Track, Trap,
TRADER Create profit by buying and selling goods and commodities Appraise, Economist, Haggle

MARTIAL ABILITIES

Martial Abilities all use BODY as their ruling Aspect.

NAME QUALITY EFFECT SPECIAL
ARMOR USE* PERSISTENCE Soak some incoming damage. Armor soaks all damage
MANEUVERING PRECISION Dodge incoming damage; leverage combat openings Inflict an additional Condition
SHIELD USE POWER Block incoming damage. Attacker loses Momentum
WEAPON USE** PRECISION Take an action with your weapon - attack, parry, etc. Damage is rolled twice.

*A Character can proficiently wear as many armor types as they have Mastery Levels in Armor Use. **A Character can proficiently use as many weapon types as they have Mastery levels in Weapon Use.

ANIMA ABILITIES

Anima abilities provide ways for Characters to surpass their normal limits when under duress. Anima abilities all use SPIRIT as their ruling Aspect

NAME EFFECT TRIUMPH
FORTITUDE Soaks damage to the BODY Pool, inflicting SPIRIT damage. SPIRIT Pool takes no damage.
DEFIANCE Restores BODY once per scene. Ability can be used again in the same scene.
WILL Soaks damage to the MIND Pool, inflicting SPIRIT damage. SPIRIT Pool takes no damage.
RESOLVE Restores MIND once per scene. Ability can be used again in the same scene.
COURAGE Soaks damage to the SPIRIT Pool, inflicting BODY damage. BODY Pool takes no damage.
CONVICTION Restores SPIRIT once per scene. Ability can be used again in the same scene.

GIFTED ABILITIES

Gifts indicate natural, physical aspects which manifest as parts of a Character’s body - wings, claws, and so forth.

NAME ASPECT EFFECT
AURA SPIRIT Character can create an energy field around them at will which will damage or inflict a Condition on any foes within melee range.
CHAMELEON BODY Enhances or replaces Sneak, providing camoflage via pigment shifts.
CLIMBING BODY Enhances or replaces Climber, giving two limbs suction cups, hooks, etc.
CORPOREALITY SPIRIT Enhances the Life school, and allows a Character native to the Shadow realm to materialize in the physical realm.
EIDETIC MEMORY MIND Memory with perfect recall; can read books after having paged through their contents, and remember details from distant events as though it were happening in front of them.
ENHANCED SENSE BODY Enhances or replaces Observer, providing the ability to detect fine details better or farther away, or with a different sense entirely.
EMPATHY MIND Communications via emotional expression and interpretation - wordless, motionless communication. Empathic characters can create deep and effective bonds with animals, enabling what amounts to levels of telepathy for any creatures using the Beast chassis.
FERVOR SPIRIT Allows the Character to enter a heightened state where all SPIRIT-related Ability Talents are considered Supernal, but each combat round spent in that state drains 1 SPIRIT from their SPIRIT Pool. At the end of Fervor, one CURSE is inflicted.
FINS BODY Enhances or replaces Swimmer, giving two limbs fins and giving the Character the ability to move normally in water
FOCUS MIND Allows the Character to enter a heightened state where all MIND-related Ability Talents are considered Supernal, but each combat round spent in that state drains 1 MIND from their MIND Pool. At the end of a Focus, one INSANITY is inflicted.
GEOAFFINITY MIND A natural connection to the earth, enabling an innate understanding of direction, location of resources like water and minerals, and a feeling for regional stability even when in caves or mines.
GILLS BODY Provides slits in the neck which allow a character to breathe normally underwater. Can be “reversed” to provide Lungs to a creature which is normally aquatic-only.
LEAPING BODY Enhances or replaces Jumper, giving ambulatory limbs musculature and foundation for enormous horizontal and vertical leaps.
NATURAL ARMOR BODY Provides a natural layer of Armor, which can be used in Combat to soak BODY damage.
NATURAL WEAPON BODY Gives two limbs the ability to attack as a size 1 weapon. Training must be done as with a Martial ability.
NON-CORPOREALITY SPIRIT Enhances the Shadow school, and allows a Character native to the physical realm to fade partially or entirely into the Shadow realm.
QUICKNESS BODY Allows the Character to enter a heightened state of awareness where one extra MOMENTUM point is available per combat round for Actions, and for any actions outside of combat. Condition lasts for as many combat rounds as the player rolls for their Challenge Roll. At the end of this period,
RAGE BODY Allows the Character to enter a heightened state where all BODY-related Ability Talents are considered SUPERNAL. Condition lasts for as many combat rounds as the player rolls for their Challenge Roll. At the end of a Rage, one WOUND is inflicted.
REFLEXES BODY Allows the Character to enter a heightened state of awareness where one extra MOMENTUM point is available per combat round for Reactions, and for any response to sudden events outside of combat.
REGENERATION BODY Restores a small amount of BODY, MIND, or SPIRIT to a Character each round. Amount is determined by Mastery Level + the Persistence modifier of the Aspect Pool chosen.
SHAPESHIFTING BODY Enhances the Alteration School when used on one’s own Body, and allows a Character to partially or completely shift into an organic form of roughly the same mass as their own, so long as they have ingested genetic material of that form previously.
SIXTH SENSE SPIRIT Enhances the Initiative roll, and enhances Observer when a scene is first encountered.
SPECIAL ATTACK BODY Requires a Natural Weapon; allows the user to Tag their Natural Attacks with a special attack method (elemental, poison, etc.)
TELEPATHY MIND Enhances the Psyche School, and provides natural mind-reading and nonverbal mind-to-mind communication.
TOUGHNESS BODY Allows the Character to enter a heightened state of awareness where any armor, natural or otherwise, will soak double the amount of damage it otherwise would. At the end of the Scene, one WOUND is inflicted.
WINGS SPIRIT Gives two limbs the ability to bear the Character in limited flight.

SOURCE ABILITIES

Source abilities are the means by which a Character accesses magical power, and as such they are all ruled by the SPIRIT Aspect. Source alone is not enough, though, as the means to direct it and boost its power must also be determined - via Schools.

NAME QUALITY EFFECT
DIVINITY PRESENCE Faithfully follow the ethos of your Faith to be granted power.
PSYCHOMETRY PRESENCE Sacrifice your own inner strength and transform it into power.
SORCERY PRESENCE Harvest souls from others and steal their magical power.
WIZARDRY PRESENCE Meditate and slowly absorb the ambient power around you.
SPELLBINDING INTUITION Enhance the ability to inflict magical effects.
ABJURATION FAITH Enhance the ability to resist magical effects.

SCHOOL ABILITIES

Where Sources provide access to Power, Schools give the training and knowledge required to focus, direct, and contain that Power. As a result, they are all ruled by the MIND Aspect.

NAME EFFECT
AIR Creating, manipulating,and destroying the element of Air
EARTH As above, but for Earth
FIRE As above, but for Fire
WATER As above, but for Water
ENERGY As above, but for energy, electricity, heat, and cold
SHADOW As above, but for use with and on beings of the Shadow realm
ALTERATION Changing things into other things
KINETICS Moving things from where they are to where you want them.
LIFE Physical healing, and the enhancement or temporary bestowal of natural Gifts
PSYCHE Mental healing, charm, ESP, domination, and other mind-altering effects
SOUL Spiritual healing, the channeling of Immortals, resurrection, and necromancy
PATTERNING Detection, identification, and modifying of existing magics, and Twining schools to provide new effects
FERAL Wild, limitless magics, requiring artifacts from the Age of Myth and long-lost words of power to wield