Traits Field Guide
Traits listed in this section represent a character’s physical or mental characteristics that have a mechanical function that augments a character’s capabilities.
These characteristics are not required to be innately related to any specific cultural or genetic source, as these delineations, in addition to implicating racist attitudes and stereotypes, are often hackneyed, inaccurate, and logically inconsistent.
Traits are intended to cover a wide range of physical and intellectual nuances that are endemic within all living beings and are designed to help you play the character you want to play. As mentioned during character creation, your character can look however you want them to look. They can have horns or a tail, they can be incredibly tall or incredibly short and you have a full range of artistic and cosmetic choices.
The traits provide a mechanical means for these cosmetic choices to become more defining characteristics of your character. Perhaps your tail does more than simply hang from your butt. Maybe those horns are more than ornamentation.
With the above in mind, the traits are roughly (as an argument can be made for either side in quite a few cases) between Genetic and Aptitude.
- Genetic: It’s just something you’re born with. Maybe it’s a set of gills or claws, or maybe your character recovers from wounds a little quicker than most.
- Aptitude: It’s something you can learn. Maybe it’s a hidden reservoir of strength in the face of adversity, a quirk of your personality, or maybe you’re just lucky.
A Note on Traits: Traits are not a shortcut to power. There are no “pay now, gain later” tricks here. In many cases, there is a pretty substantial trade-off for the more powerful abilities.
Amphibious
Cost: 1
Description: Your character absorbs O2 through the skin and can hold their breath 2x as long as normal. Your character also absorbs everything else through the skin and is 2x as susceptible to aerosolized or contact effects.
Arcane Gift
Cost: 2
Description: Your character is more resilient to arcane effects. Adds 1 ► to all Aegis rolls.
Affable
Cost: 1
Description: Your character has a friendly and approachable disposition. Adds +1 to Charm rolls but -1 to all Intimidation rolls.
Animal Whisperer
Cost: 1
Description: Your character is exceptionally good with animals, people less so. Adds 2 ► to all Animal Handling rolls but◄ 1 to all social rolls.
Claws (Amplectorial)
Cost: 1
Description: Your character has a set of non-retractable claws. All attacks with the Brawl skill cause lethal damage instead of stun. All Finesse-based skills suffer ◄ 1.
Claws (Scansorial)
Cost: 1
Description: Your character has a set of retractable claws. Adds 1 ► to all climb and grapple rolls.
Claws (Cursorial)
Cost: 1
Description: Your character has clawed feet which give better traction when running. Adds 2 ► to Sprint rolls while barefoot.
Chameleon
Cost: 1
Description: Your character is adept at blending in with their surroundings. Adds +1 to Stealth Rolls.
Daring
Cost: 2
Description: Your character isn’t easily deterred. Adds +1 to resolve rolls.
Direction Sense
Cost: 1
Description: Your character has an innate sense of direction. Adds +1 to all Navigation rolls.
Exceptionally Large
Cost: 1
Description: Your character is much larger than average, greater than 2.5 meters and proportional weight. The range of melee weapon use is increased by 1 meter. Your walk distance is increased to 3 meters and you suffer 1 less shift to movement through difficult terrain.
You are considered 1 range increment closer when targeted by ranged attacks and the cost of any gear that is proportional for your character is increased by 50%.
Exceptionally Small
Cost: 1
Description: You are small, about 1 meter tall and proportional weight. The range of melee weapon use is decreased by 1 meter. Your walk distance is reduced to 1 meter and you suffer an additional penalty shift to movement through difficult terrain. You add 1 ► to all sneak rolls.
You are treated as 1 range increment further away when targeted by ranged attacks the cost of any gear that is proportional for your character is increased by 25%.
Empathic
Cost: 1
Description: Your character is naturally empathetic. Adds +1 to Read Nonverbal rolls and a -1 to all Investigation rolls.
Exceptional Balance
Cost: 1
Description: Your character has a lower center of gravity. Adds 1 ► to acrobatics rolls.
Fast Healing
Cost: 2
Description: Your character heals damage faster than average. Adds 1 ► to healing checks.
Gifted
Cost: 1
Description: Your character is naturally talented in a specific area. A chosen skill may start higher than 25 during character creation. Note: This variant may be purchased more than once.
Grit
Cost: 2
Description: Your character is tougher than most. Adds +1 to Toughness Rolls.
Graceful
Cost: 3
Description: Your character is naturally graceful. Adds 1 ► to finesse skill rolls.
Hypermobility
Cost: 1
Description: Your character has hyperflexible joints allowing for a greater range of motion. Adds 1 ► to Sleight of Hand and Grapple Escape Technique rolls but a ◄ 1 to all other grapple rolls.
Horns
Cost: 2
Description: Your character has horns growing from their skull. Your character starts with the Headbutt maneuver and does not suffer harm when using it. Headgear costs 5x as much.
Insomniac
Cost: 1
Description: Your character is used to making do with little to no sleep. Adds +1 to Resolve rolls to resist exhaustion from lack of sleep.
Intimidating
Cost: 1
Description: Your character is intimidating or unpleasant to be around. Adds +1 to all Intimidation rolls and -1 to all Charm rolls.
Keen Senses
Cost: 2
Description: Your character processes sensory input better than most. Adds +1 to Perception rolls.
Low-Light Vision
Cost: 2
Description: Your character has the ability to see better in low-light conditions, negating the low-light penalty in short range but doubling the penalty for bright light.
Natural Armor
Cost: 2/pt
Description: Your character has thicker skin than average, making them more resilient to non-ballistic damage. Each point purchased adds 1 point of persistent armor. Any medicine, first aid, or surgery rolls made on the character that requires breaking the skin suffers a penalty to Goal Points equal to the Natural Armor rating.
Note: This trait can be purchased a total of 3 times.
Runs Fast
Cost: 2
Description: Your character runs faster than average. Gain a 1 ► to the Sprint Technique checks.
Savant
Cost: 1
Description: Your character is a brilliant scholar who demonstrates exceptional aptitude in a specific domain. Choose a skill. Add 1 ► to all rolls for that skill, so long as it’s your highest-ranked skill.
Short Sleeper
Cost: 2
Description: Your character requires 2 hours less rest to recover from exhaustion and perform healing checks. Your character may still only revitalize twice per day.
Spatial Awareness
Cost: 3
Description: Your character is naturally agile. Adds 1 ► to agility-based rolls.
Tinkerer
Cost: 2
Description: Your character has a knack for taking things apart and putting them back together. Adds 1 ► to craft and repair checks.
Unmagical
Cost: 5
Description: Your character’s incompatibility with magic runs deep enough to make you more resilient, good or bad. When a character is exposed to a metaphysical effect, they make an aegis check and subtract the generated goal points from the power of the metaphysical effect.
Note: This ability does not translate to a character’s gear.
Vigilant
Cost: 2
Description: Your character is incredibly alert. Adds +1 to Awareness rolls.