Qualities & Drawbacks
Origin Qualities
The current state of the world is messy - no one knows what’s going on, strange creatures are entering one world, while strange technology is appearing in the other. Every person came from at least one world, and has at least some common knowledge about the world they came from. These heavily discounted package Qualites represent this prior knowledge, and as such each character must take exactly Origin Quality.
Earth (2 point Origin Quality)
You grew up on Earth, a world of incredible technology and easy access to vast quantities of knowledge. Your origin grants you the following traits:
- 2 free levels in the Earth skill - even the most uneducated people still pick things up online
- 2 free levels to distribute freely between Arts, Computers, Doctor, Humanities, Nature, Science and Sports - you have the education system to thank for that
- You cannot raise the Alchemy, Occultism or Necromancy skills, any Invocation, or Seer Art higher than Level 3 during character creation. These can be raised normally later on, but you can only get so much knowledge for free.
- You cannot begin the game with any levels in the Terra skill
Fused (5 point Origin Quality)
You are a combination of two individuals - one from Earth and one from Terra. While your body is that of one of the individuals, your mind is comprised of the union of the two. You don’t hear a voice in your head and there is no conflict between two personalities - you are simply the average of the two humans. You have all the memories of each one, and as such know all the skills that each one knew before they fused. Your origin grants you the following traits:
- 1 free level in each of the Earth and Terra skills - you’re well acquainted with both worlds
- 2 free levels to distribute freely between Arts, Computers, Doctor, Humanities and Science
- 2 free levels to distribute freely between Alchemy, Combat, Nature, Occultism and Sports
Terra (2 point point Origin Quality)
You grew up on Terra, a world of magic and monsters. What you lack in technological prowess you make up for with hard work and experience. Your origin grants you the following traits:
- 2 free levels in the Terra skill - you grew up on local legends and tales, and might have even seen some incredible things yourself
- 2 free levels to distribute freely between the Alchemy, Arts, Bow fu, Combat, Nature, Occultism and Sports - everyone has their trade, from artisans to nobles
- You cannot raise the Computers, Doctor, Humanities or Science Skills higher than Level 1 during character creation. These can be learnt normally later on, but the science on Earth is too advanced and different from their Terra equivalents for one to intuit their way through it
- You cannot begin the game with any levels in the Earth skill
General Qualities & Drawbacks
Acute/Impaired sense (2 point Quality or Drawback)
Your character has one sense that is either better or worse than the average. (±3 on rolls)
Adversary (variable Drawback)
Your character has somebody, or a group of somebodies, that want to hurt her, kill her, or worse. The more powerful the adversary, the more points this Drawback is worth (discuss exact value with the Director):
- An individual is worth 1-3 points
- A group or organization is worth 2-5 points
Atuda (1 point Drawback)
Requires: Earth
Your character sold a few years of her life to the IDF, and is much younger than most of the other students.
Artistic (3 point Quality)
Your character is incredibly gifted in a form of art, and is capable of creating truly amazing works. Gives +2 to all Art tasks of one kind, and can start with Art 6.
Her powerful imagination also gives her +2 to all Lucid Dreaming tasks.
Charisma (1 point per level Quality or Drawback)
Your character has a knack for getting people’s support, or lacks some social grace. Apply as a modifier on influence rolls, when relevant.
Contacts (variable Quality)
Characters with this quality have somebody, or a group of somebodies, who like her or want to help her. The more helpful the contact, the more points this Quality is worth.
- 1 pts: Rumors or gossip
- 2 pts: Consistent information
- 3+ pts: Loyal allies, well connected
Covetous (1 to 3 point Drawback)
Your character wants something really badly, usually wealth, power, or fame. The more extreme her desire, the more this Drawback is worth. A Test may be required to resist the subject she covets, and the Director may apply a penalty on the test based on circumstance.
- 1 pt: the coveted subject drives most of the character's actions, but they won't break their own rules or those of society to get it; easy to resist
- 2 pts: when presented with a strong enough temptation, the character may act on it even if it goes against their better judgement or morality; Simple Willpower Test to resist
- 3 pts: the coveted subject easily outshines any personal or societal code or ethics; Difficult Willpower Test to resist
Delusional (1 point Drawback)
Your character believes in some things that are demonstrably wrong. These may be as benign as common superstitions about black cats, broken mirrors, or tinfoil hats; or as radical as believing the moon landing was faked. These count as a 1 point Drawback.
Delusions of Grandeur (2 point Drawback)
The more dangerous form of delusions is when the character is certain that she is far more competent at something than she truly is. She may believe to be a guitarist on the same level as Hendrix, a detective as good as Holmes, or the most powerful magician since Harry Potter. When challenged or tempted to prove her worth, the Director may request a Willpower Test to resist asserting (or attempt to assert) her abilities.
Dependant (2 or 3 point Drawback)
Your character has one or more people who are completely dependent upon her. Worth 2 points for a single dependant, or 3 points for 2 or more dependants.
Emotional Problems (2 point Drawback)
Your character is dealing with emotional problems, likely due to traumatic events in her past - discuss with the Director what caused this and how your character is dealing with it: is she seeking proffesional help? Is she bottling up her feelings? Note that this drawback may strike close to home for some players, and as such please talk to everyone at the table if they all consent to including these themes in your character's story - we don't want anybody getting hurt during the game. Listed below are some examples of emotional problems, but feel free to come up with new ones.
- Depression
- Emotional Dependency
- Fear of Commitment
- Fear of Rejection
Empathy (2 point Quality)
Your character is good at reading other people and can intuit what they’re thinking or feeling. This grants her a +2 bonus on Perception and Influence tasks for reading a person.
Note that this relies on a lot of subtle cues, so it might not be applicable on someone without a humanoid complexion, or even of a very different culture.
Fast Reaction Time (1 point Quality)
Your character has faster reflexes than the average person. Grants a +2 on rolls where this is relevant.
Good/Bad Luck (1 point per level Quality or Drawback)
Your character has either better or worse luck than the average person. Each point in this Quality or Drawback gives a ±1 modifier that may be used once per game session after a roll is made. Good Luck can be spent by the player, Bad Luck can be spent by the Director.
Hard to Kill (1 point per level Quality)
Your character is tough, and she won’t die easily. Each level in this Quality grants her +3 Life Points and a +1 on Survival Tests.
Honourable (1 or 2 point Drawback)
Your character has a strict moral code. The stricter it is, the more points this Drawback is worth. A character can attempt to resist their code with a Willpower Test, but it should not be ignored lightly.
- 1 pt: She won’t lie to or betray friends, loved ones, or people she respects. Enemies and strangers are exempt.
- 2 pts: She does not lie, and attempts to keep her word regardless of to friend or foe. She won’t harm helpless or unarmed foes.
Humorless (1 point Drawback)
Entirely lacking a sense of humor, your character often finds herself isolated or the butt of others’ jokes.
Jock (3 point Quality)
A member of the sporty types, your character gets 2 free levels in Sports, and 1 level in Acrobatics, Combat, or Bow Fu. She may start with Sports at level 6.
Minority (1 or 2 point Drawback)
Your character faces daily discrimination for being part of a minority group. This drawback is worth one points if she belongs to one marginalized group, or two points if she is belongs to two or more such groups (so a pansexual transgender jewish black woman in modern day Britain would still only get 2 points).
Misfit (2 point Drawback)
Your character is pretty bad at social interaction, and as a result has a -2 on most rolls that require it. She also tends to attract the attention of any jock or bully type character.
Natural Toughness (3 point Quality)
Your character is abnormally tough. She has 2 points of armour when not wearing any.
Nerves of Steel (3 point Quality)
Your character is rarely afraid, either due to courage or foolishness. She has a +4 on all fear checks.
Nerves of Toffee (2 point Drawback)
Your character is very easily frightened. She has a -4 on all fear checks.
Nerd (4 point Quality)
Even in a place of study, your character sticks out as a nerd. She has 3 points to distribute freely among Alchemy, Doctor, Humanities, Nature, Occultism, and Science. Additionally, whenever she relates the current situation to a class, lecture, or Ted-talk she attended or watched, she can get a +1 to one of these skills.
Nerds often have the Misfit or Obsession Drawbacks, as their many interests consume their free time.
Obligation (variable Drawback)
Your character is loyal to an organization or cause, and is expected to sacrifice her freedom to some degree. The more she’s expected to give up, the more this Drawback is worth.
- 0 pts: She must respect the members and rules of her organization
- 1 pt: She’s expected to regularly risk her safety as part of her duties
- 2 pts: The organization’s needs outweigh the character’s. She is always on call and does not have enough time to pursue a normal job, and betraying the organization carries severe punishment.
- 3 pts: The character’s life is constantly at risk, and she is often caught in extremely hazardous situations. Missions are frequent and often deadly.
Obsession (1 or 2 point Drawback)
Your character is obsessed with a certain task or topic to an unhealthy degree. At the basic level she may neglect her personal or professional duties in favour of the subject of her obsession. This is a 1 point Drawback. More severely, she may be willing to risk her own safety or even her life to pursue her obsession, making this a 2 point Drawback.
When presented with the subject of her obsession, the Director may call for a Willpower Test to resist the temptation. The Director may choose to apply a penalty to the Task based on the circumstances.
Once the character completes her obsession, you may either pay off this Drawback, or discuss with the Director about getting a new Obsession.
Paranoia (2 point Drawback)
A severe variation of the Delusional Drawback (see above), your character is convinced that “They” are out to get her. She can trust no one. Everything is a conspiracy and everyone is in on it.
More than a common delusion, your character has convinced herself that everyone, besides possibly a handful of closely trusted people, are in on some grand conspiracy. She trusts no one with her secrets and her feelings, and is often distant and detached.
Photographic Memory (2 point Quality)
Your character has incredible memory, and almost never forgets a face or piece of information. This Quality gives her a +3 on all rolls requiring memorisation, or the Director may decide that she simply remembers the information automatically.
Reckless (2 point Drawback)
Your character has a hard time controlling her urges, often taking large risks without properly considering the consequences. A Reckless character prefers to act first and think about it later. She says what’s on her mind with no consideration for diplomacy or courtesy, rushes into dangerous situations, and rarely wastes time on second thoughts.
Reckless does not mean suicidal, however. Acting on impulse no doubt puts the character in danger, but she won’t often do something that is clearly lethal.
Recurring Nightmares (1 point Drawback)
Your character is haunted by terrifying dreams, either relieving traumatic events from her past, or seeing frightening and disturbing things for some other reason.. After a sleepless night due to those dreams, she may have a -1 on many rolls.
Resistance / Vulnerability (1 point per level Quality or Drawback)
Your character is naturally resistant or vulnerable to some harmful source. She adds or subtracts her levels in this Quality or Drawback to rolls made to resist said source. The possible things are:
- Mental Intrusion/Influences
- Pain
- Poison/Disease
- Magic (choose one Metaphysics, such as Sorcery or The Sight)
Secret (1 to 3 point Drawback)
Your character has some secret that she would like to keep to herself. The worse the outcome of it coming out, the more this Drawback is worth:
- 1 pt: Damage to her reputation or livelihood
- 2 pts: A threat to her wellbeing, such as being deported or imprisoned
- 3 pts: A threat to her life
Showoff (1 point Drawback)
Your character likes showing off her achievements, her belongings, or anything else she thinks may cause other people envy. Unlike someone with the Covetous Drawback, someone with this Drawback is less likely to betray her principles in order to hog the spotlight, though she still may occasionally try too hard to get others’ attention.
Situational Awareness (2 point Quality)
Your character is good at noticing subtle hints in situations or people’s behaviors, and has a hunch for when things are about to go hostile or people are acting sneaky around her.
A character with this Drawback gets a +2 bonus to any Perception-based roll to sense trouble or danger nearby, or on any contested roll against someone trying to sneak up on her.
Soldier (6 point Quality)
Your character was a soldier, either in the IDF or the Empire's army.
While most adults in Israel have served in the army, this Quality represents those whose service has shaped much of who they are today, whether in their personality, social life, or mental state.
Empire Foot Soldier - a common soldier in the Empire’s army, your character’s training with the sword, spear, and bow gives her +1 to any one physical attribute (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution), as well as 3 points to spread freely between Combat and Bow-Fu.
Empire Magician - some teams in the army were accompanied by a magician - usually a Sorcerer or Seer, but other types of Gifted are not unheard of. Your character served as such a military magician, granting her a +1 bonus to her Willpower, and 1 free point in each of Combat, Notice, and Occultism.
IDF Infantry - your character was a gal with a gun, tank, plane, or any other form of directly putting the hurt on someone. Her rigorous combat training gives her 2 free points to spend between Bow-Fu and Sports, 2 free levels of Hard to Kill, and either Situational Awareness or Fast Reaction Time.
IDF Support - your character was a medic, teacher, logistics organizer, or any one of the many non-combatant roles in the army. Her specialized training gives her 3 points to spend freely among skills relevant to her position (discuss exactly which skills with the Director). Additionally, the people she knows or the skills she learnt in the army grant her either 2 levels of Charisma or a collective Contact worth 2 points.
Talentless (2 point Drawback)
Your character is unable to do pretty much anything artistic. Whether lacking imagination or being too practical-minded, she has a hard time bringing herself to even attempt such works, and even those few attempts turn out rather poor.
Your character has a -3 penalty whenever she attempts to do something artistic, and she never counts as getting more than 1 Success Level on such a roll, regardless of the result.
Additionally, her limited imagination makes her particularly limited in the Realm of Dreams, giving her a -3 penalty on all rolls using the Lucid Dreaming skill.
Unfocused (1 point Drawback)
Your character has trouble remaining focused on a given task. Any task requiring prolonged effort or concentration (generally anything taking more than a couple of minutes) carries a -1 penalty.
Tasks taking longer than an hour or two may carry a larger penalty.
Supernatural Qualities
Animal Communication (2- or 4- point Quality)
Your character can understand the speech of animals, and animals can understand her when she speaks.
For 2 points, your character can communicate with one kind of animal (such as canines, rodents, or raptors). For 4 points she can communicate with any animal.
Artifact (variable supernatural Quality)
Your character owns an Enchanted Artifact (see Enchanting). If she doesn’t know how to make that artifact herself, this costs double.
Artifacts purchased at character creation don’t lower the character’s maximum Essence.
Essence Channeling (2 points per Level Quality)
Your character can channel the Essence in her aura to produce magical Effects. Every level in this quality allows her to channel 1 Essence per turn.
Characters with this Quality also regenerate Essence much faster than ordinary humans, at a rate of 1 Essence per hour per Quality Level (as opposed to the normal rate of 1 Essence per Willpower level per day).
Familiar (variable Quality)
Your character has formed a pact with another nonhuman creature (an animal, elemental, fey, or spirit), and now the two creature’s souls are bound together. The human is always the master in such a bond, though you may choose the exact dynamic between the two. If either the master or the familiar is slain, the surviving one must attempt a Difficult Constitution Test or take Essence and Life Point damage equal to 10 plus the cost of this Quality. If they succeed on the the Test they take 5 Essene and Life Point damage.
The cost of this Quality depends on the Familiar’s power:
Type: if the familiar is an animal, the base cost is 0, otherwise it’s 2.
Strength: increase the cost by 1 for every 3 Attribute points the Familiar has (the sum of its Intelligence and Willpower can never be higher than the master’s)
Communication: the master and the Familiar can speak to one another at no additional cost. If they can communicate telepathically, increase the cost by 2. If they can share additional senses, increase the cost by 3 instead.
Natural Weapons: a Familiar can have a natural weapon dealing 2x Strength damage for no additional cost. A weapon dealing 3x Strength damage costs 1 points. And a weapon dealing 4x Strength damage costs 3. If the weapon is launchable, increase the cost by 2.
Powers: if the familiar can fly, increase the cost by 1. Other special powers increase the cost by 2 each.
Qualities: if the familiar has Qualities or Drawbacks, apply their costs as modifiers to the cost of this Quality. The cost of this Quality can’t go below 2, and the familiar can’t get more than 5 Drawback points.
Skills: the familiar gets a number of skill points equal to its final cost.
Increased Essence (1 point per Level Quality)
Your character has increased spiritual energy, increasing her maximum Essence by 5 per level.
Multitalented (3 point Quality)
Requires: Gifted or Lesser Gifted
Your character is able to call upon more than one form of magic. Choose an additional type of magic which she can use among Sorcery, the Sight, Spirit Magic, Divine Inspiration, and Enchanting.