Character Keywords

Character category. The character’s basic nature: creature, construct, demon, or undead. Humans are creatures.

Intelligence category. The character’s level of intelligence: human, animal, or mindless. Humans have human intelligence.

Size category. How large the character is: tiny, small, medium-sized, large, massive. Humans are medium-sized.

Skills. Learnt abilities which are always beneficial.

Traits. Characteristic which are either innate or acquired in ways other than training and learning.

Conditions. Temporary alterations of the character’s state.

Creature. A living creature, such as a human or an animal.

Construct. An artificial being animated by magic or technology. Doesn’t need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe. Immune to poison, disease, fear, terror, and corruption. Doesn’t heal naturally, but must be repaired like an item. Can’t be incapacitated. Upon suffering critical damage it is damaged, like an item, and is disabled until repaired.

Demon. A dark being of pure chaos manifested in the material world. Doesn’t need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe. Immune to poison, disease, fear, and terror. Can’t be incapacitated. If defeated, it doesn’t die but is simply banished back from where it came from.

Undead. A being which is neither alive nor dead. Doesn’t need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe. Immune to poison, disease, fear, and terror. Can’t be incapacitated.

Acrobatics. Pick one while moving on difficult ground: move at full speed, automatically pass saves to avoid falling, balance on extremely difficult terrain. You automatically pass saves to leap normal distances, and can leap almost impossible distances by passing a save. When you fall, you reduce the falling distance by 4 metres if you pass the AGI save, and by 2 metres even if you fail.

Acting. You are able to convincingly fake emotions and to disguise your voice and accent. This might give you an advantage in suitable social interactions or can be used to complement a disguise.

Alchemy. You can read and write. You can speak and understand Classic, the language of scholars and the Church. You can craft alchemical substances, such as acid vials, alchemist’s fires, flash powder, and smoke bombs. This requires raw materials (worth ¼ of the item) and an alchemist’s workshop. You can craft a batch of 2 consumables of the same type in a watch.

Ambidexterity. You can use both hands equally well. Damage is not impaired when you attack with a weapon in your non-dominant hand. You can attack the same target with two weapons at once, rolling damage for both but only considering the higher roll.

Animal handling. You know how to take care of animals: feeding, grooming, taming, training, recognising signs of discomfort, etc. You can befriend wild animals by offering food and passing a WIT save, and domesticated animals by doing either. Befriended animals follow you until the end of the watch or you leave the area where they live. You can’t befriend hostile animals, and you can only be accompanied by one befriended animal at a time.

Apothecary. You can craft medicinal substances, such as antidote, cure-all, darkroot, healing draught, madcap mushroom, medicine box, and all kinds of poison. This requires suitable ingredients and apothecary tools. Creating a single dose takes only a stretch of time, but ingredients are rare. It takes a watch to gather them in the wilderness (if they are locally present), or to find them for sale in a settlement (they are worth ¼ the value of the end product).

Augury. You can spend a stretch to consult the entrails of a dead medium-sized animal to gain an omen. Sometimes, the entrails might provide an useful piece of information, at the GM’s discretion.

Bargaining. You sell items at full price, rather than half price. Other factors which might reduce the value of an item still apply. You are able to estimate the value of most items just by examining them.

Battle frenzy. You can become frenzied by spending a main action or freely when you suffer damage. The condition lasts until all enemies have been defeated. You can spend a main action to try to calm yourself by passing a WIT save. While you are frenzied, you recover 1 health for each enemy you kill.

Blathering. You are able to speak endless strings of nonsense, leaving others dumbfounded. You can distract and taunt people without a WIT save in challenging circumstances, and by passing a WIT save in almost impossible circumstances.

Boatmanship. You count as two people when rowing a boat and know how to sail. When you forage, on a fish result you find an additional ration, even if you don’t have fishing tools.

Brawling. Your unarmed attacks are not impaired and inflict d6 damage. Your armour value is increased by 1 against unarmed attacks.

Burglary. Pick one when opening a lock or forcing something open: do it without tools (crowbar or lock picks), do it silently, or do it in only one round if you pass the save or in a stretch as usual even if you fail. You can react to traps even when you are unaware of them.

Bushcraft. Pass a WIT save to ignore the movement penalty when travelling between sectors or regions without following a path. If you have navigation tools, you pass automatically. You can sleep in the wilderness without a camping kit. When you forage, you roll twice on the foraging table and apply both results.

Charm. You can befriend and persuade people without a WIT save in challenging circumstances, and by passing a WIT save in almost impossible circumstances. If you spend a stretch chatting or observing someone, you are able to estimate if they are bribable, and what it might be necessary to convince them.

Cleaving strike. When you inflict critical damage or kill a target with a melee attack, you can immediately attack another target with the same weapon. You can do this at most once per turn, and this rule doesn’t apply to attacks made to counter.

Climbing. Pick one while climbing: move at full speed, automatically pass saves to avoid falling, climb an almost impossible surface.

Contortionism. Your joints are extremely flexible and you can bend your body in absurd shapes. You can squeeze through small openings and easily escape bonds.

Crafting. Pick one when repairing an item: do it without a toolbox, or do it without having to pass a save to succeed. You can craft non-consumable items, such as weapons, armour, and vehicles. This takes a watch and requires raw materials (worth ¼ of the item) and a workshop with all the necessary tools and equipment. Items with the durability keyword require one watch every 2 points of durability to be crafted.

Disarming. When you perform a disarm attack, your target can’t resist with a STR save unless they also have this skill. Only characters with this skill can disarm you.

Disease resistance. After you recover from a disease, you become immune to it and can’t contract it again.

Divination. If you have divination tools, you can spend an omen and a stretch of time to ask a question pertaining your current situation. The GM describes a vision giving you a cryptic answer. There is a 1:4 chance that the vision is wrong or misleading, rolled secretly by the GM.

Driving carts. Pick one while driving a cart: automatically pass a save to prevent the cart from toppling, drive in almost impossible situations. When your cart sprints, you can still use your main action to attack, but it must be done after the movement is fully completed.

Erudition. You can read, write, and perform advanced calculations. You can speak and understand Classic, the language of scholars and the Church. You are familiar with all manners of academic lore: history, geography, beasts, plants, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, etc. When your knowledge might come in handy, the GM you might give you additional information.

Fast attack. When you counter an attack or your attack is countered you always hit first unless your opponent also has this skill.

Fast dodge. Once per round, you can dodge an attack without spending your turn, even if you have already acted. You can’t dodge the same attack twice, but you can dodge and counter the same attack, and you can dodge when your attack is countered. You can use this skill to dodge an opportunity attack or while guarding.

Fearless. You are immune to fear and treat terror as fear

Fire eating. You can consume alcoholic drink and spit it through an open flame, such as a lit torch, to make a melee blast attack inflicting d4 fire damage. You reduce incoming fire damage by 1.

Frugality. You don’t reduce abilities when you can’t satisfy needs during a day rest. However, you still have to satisfy them all in order to heal. You pay half for lodging, as your standards are very low and are content with little.

Gossiping. When you take a day or full rest in a settlement, you might hear interesting rumours. The GM decides what you hear, and it isn’t necessarily true. You can easily find contacts, even illegal ones such as fences, by spending a watch asking around in a settlement.

Healing. When you use a medicine box, your patients always recover half their maximum health. You can alternatively use a medicine box spending only a main action instead of a stretch, in which case however you heal the usual amount. When you use surgery tools, you are automatically successful without needing to pass a WIT save.

Hunting. You automatically follow trails without a WIT save in normally challenging circumstances, and by passing a WIT save in almost impossible situations. When you forage, on a small game result you find an additional ration, even if you don’t have trapping tools.

Languages. You can read and write. Each time you enter into contact with a language there is chance you know it: 1:2 for common languages, 1:4 for dead or remote languages.

Leadership. You can inspire, intimidate, and keep the loyalty of retainers, allies, and other underlings without a WIT save in challenging circumstances, and by passing a WIT save in almost impossible circumstances. You can spend a main action to rally all frightened and terrified allies within range 2. They make a group WIT save and those who succeed recover immediately. Each character can be affected by this skill only once per stretch.

Lethal attack. When you inflict critical damage with an attack, you may choose to instantly kill the target.

Luck. Your maximum omens are increased by 1. When you spend an omen, there is a 1:4 chance it isn’t actually spent. When choosing the target of an indiscriminate effect, such as a trap or a monster ambush, the GM might prioritise other characters over you.

Magic sense. You can spend a stretch in meditation to sense the presence of magic phenomena (ongoing powers, demons, magical creatures, etc.) in your zone or in your sector (your choice). You can only detect if any magic phenomena is present in the area, but can’t count them, locate them, or determine their nature.

Magic shield. You can use an ancient technique to erect a magic shield around you. Activating or deactivating it takes a stretch spent in meditation, and it deactivates automatically if you are incapacitated or fall asleep. Sorcerous powers have a 1:2 chance of not working on you, no matter if harmful or beneficial. Other targets aren’t protected by the shield. Sacred powers aren’t affected. Sorcerers can enhance their powers to ignore the magic shield by increasing their level by 1.

Medicine. You can read and write. You can speak and understand Classic, the language of scholars and the Church. You can diagnose poison and disease by spending a round examining a victim. After diagnosing, you can instruct someone with the apothecary skill to create a bespoke antidote or cure-all which always works against the specific poison or disease.

Meditating. You heal 1 corruption when you take a day rest.

Monster slaying. You inflict double damage against targets larger than you.

Music. You know how to sing and play music instruments. During a day rest you can play an inspiring song for your party: all companions have a 1:4 chance of recovering 1 spent omen.

Piercing strike. If you roll higher than the target’s armour value with a melee weapon (not unarmed attacks), you inflict full damage. If you roll equal or lower, you still inflict no damage.

Playing games. You can learn to play games quickly: after you have played a game, you can’t be beaten by others unless they also have this skill. You know how to cheat: your cheating attempts are always successful unless your opponents are paying close attention to you. People might still get suspicious if you win too much.

Poison resistance. You are resistant to alcohol, poisons, and drugs. You ignore the first dose taken within a stretch. You can resist a second dose with a STR save, and a third dose works automatically.

Quick draw. You can equip and unequip any number of items held in hand as a single bonus action.

Religion. You can read and write. You can speak and understand Classic, the language of scholars and the Church. You can invoke sacred powers. You can’t acquire the sorcery skill.

Riding. Pick one while riding: ride without a saddle, automatically pass saves to avoid falling, ride in almost impossible situations, ride an untamed beast. When your mount sprints, you can still use your main action to attack, but it must be done after the movement is fully completed.

Running. When you sprint, you can move by an additional zone. You can sprint for two consecutive stretches without needing to pass an AGI save, and for a third one by passing an AGI save. You can freely dodge attacks of opportunity, without needing to spend your turn.

Shield mastery. When you hold a shield, your armour value is increased by 1 against all attacks, not just if you dodge, counter, or are countered. If you are unaware of the attack, however, your shield still doesn’t protect you.

Skilled shot. You improve the damage die of ranged attacks: d4 to d6, d6 to d8, d8 to d10, d10 to d12. You can’t improve a d12. In case of blast attacks only one target takes increased damage.

Skilled strike. You improve the damage die of melee attacks (but not unarmed attacks): d4 to d6, d6 to d8, d8 to d10, d10 to d12. You can’t improve a d12. In case of blast attacks only one target takes increased damage.

Sneak attack. Your attacks against unaware enemies always inflict d12 damage, no matter what weapons you use or if you are unarmed. Unarmed attacks still inflict impaired damage.

Sneaking. Pick one while sneaking: move at full speed, automatically pass saves to avoid being discovered, sneak in almost impossible situations. At the start of an encounter, if your group was detected but you weren’t acting recklessly, make an AGI save: on a pass you personally weren’t noticed. You could exploit this, for example, to sneak undetected or start a fight concealed.

Sorcery. You can read and write. You can speak and understand Magick, the language used to invoke sorcerous powers. This language is too convoluted to be used to communicate, but is essential to use magic. You can invoke sorcerous powers. You can increase your maximum mana by 1 instead of taking a normal advancement, up to 6 at most. You can’t acquire the religion skill.

Steady aim. You double the range of ranged attacks.

Stealing. Pick one while picking pockets: automatically pass saves to avoid being discovered, attempt to steal an item with bulk 1.

Strike to stun. When you attack an enemy, you may choose to perform a stunning blow. The attack inflicts no damage but you must still roll for damage. If you roll equal or greater than half the target’s remaining health, they are incapacitated until the end of the stretch. If you roll equal or greater than their whole remaining health, they are incapacitated until the end of the watch.

Swimming. Pick one while swimming: move at full speed, automatically pass saves to avoid drowning, swim in almost impossible circumstances. Your attacks aren’t impaired while swimming. You can hold your breath for twice as long.

Wrestling. When you perform a grapple attack, your target can’t resist with a STR save unless they also have this skill. Only characters with this skill can grapple you.

Addicted. Addicted to a specific substance. When this character takes a day rest, they must consume it or temporarily reduce WIT by 1. After a full rest, they must consume 4 units or temporarily reduce WIT by 1 for each missing unit.

Fast. Moves at double speed.

Frail. Halve carry limit and bulk.

Frightening. Causes fear within range 4. Is immune to frightening characters and treat terrifying characters as frightening.

Hovering flyer. Can fly. Can attack and can stay still while flying.

Immobile. Can’t move.

Incorporeal. Has no STR and AGI score. Can’t interact with the material world but is still bound by its laws. Can walk through thin barriers, such as doors.

Landing flyer. Can fly. Can’t attack and can’t stay still while flying.

Mutation. Has the listed mutations.

Regeneration. Recovers half the amount of lost health each round, at the start of their turn. Fire prevents this.

Slow. Moves at half speed.

Sturdy. Double carry limit and bulk.

Swooping flyer. Can fly. Can attack but can’t stay still while flying.

Terrifying. Causes terror within range 4. Is immune to frightening and terrifying characters.

Arm injury. You can’t use one of your arms.

Blind. You can’t see. Enemies are not visible by you (with associated penalties to attacks) and you can’t notice anything based on sight alone.

Confused. You are not fully in control of your body and mind. Your attacks inflict impaired damage and your abilities are temporarily reduced by 2. When you recover from this condition, your abilities are increased back by 2. If you become confused again while you already are, you become incapacitated instead.

Deaf. You can’t hear. You can’t notice anything based on sound alone and you might have trouble communicating with others or noticing ambushes.

Dying. You die at the end of the next round. If you recover at least 1 health before then you are stabilised but suffer an injury.

Encumbered. You move at half speed and automatically fail AGI saves. You recover as soon as the total bulk you are carrying doesn’t exceed your STR.

Entangled. You are unable to act. You can only spend your turn to try to break free by passing a STR save. Nearby characters can attempt to free you by spending a main action and passing a STR save.

Eye injury. You are unable to see from one of your eyes. You halve the range of ranged attacks and powers and activities requiring perfect sight or depth perception, such as leaping, might be more challenging.

Frenzied. You can only spend your turn to attack, or if that’s not possible to move as close as possible to the closest enemy in preparation for a future attack. You can’t retreat or stop fighting. You are immune to fear, treat terror as fear, and you aren’t incapacitated when you suffer critical damage.

Frightened. You are scared by something. You can’t approach the source of your fear.

Hobbled. Your movement speed is halved and you must use a stick or crutch to stand.

Incapacitated. You are unconscious or in terrible pain. You are completely unable to act and defenceless.

Poisoned. You suffer the effects of a poison unless you take an antidote in time. See the relevant section for more details.

Sick. You must pass a STR save each day to avoid debilitating effects and to recover. See the relevant section for more details.

Silenced. You can’t speak or emit sounds. Among other things, this renders you unable to invoke powers.

Stunned. You are temporarily unable to act: you might be dazed, thrown on the ground, etc. You can’t act for a round. In combat, this means you lose your next turn, either on the current round or on the next one (if you have already acted this round).

Terrified. You are terrified by something. You must run away from the source of your terror, or if that’s not possible you cower down and are considered incapacitated.