9.1 Before You Begin
Before you begin writing a character, you will need to decide several key
things:
These are not mutually exclusive, but you should give us an idea what
your character would like to do most of the time. If you can give some
examples of favorite plots, this will be a big help for GMs -- and it will
also give you a better idea what kind of character you will enjoy playing.
While this isn't essential to creating a character, if you want a character
who can go through combat and action plots without being hurt, you might
put a few points into Toughness/Armor, for instance.
Despite the "None" entry above, no PC can truly be guaranteed protection from the consequences of his or her actions or of those of other PCs absolutely, though if we know that a player really doesn't want to be at risk, GMs will usually try to warn a player if they're taking unnecessary risks or entering a dangerous situation, thus giving the player a chance to back out. Being a "low-risk" character doesn't mean that you can tackle all of Sinai's big bad guys (or good guys) with impunity, and it certainly doesn't mean you can pick fights with other PCs without fear of repercussions. It just means that GMs will make sure not to deliberately put you in risky situations.
Additionally, you should let us know whether your character deals well with
large groups or not -- and what you consider to be a "large group". For some people, having two or three PCs working together is as large a group as they'd ever want.
There are numerous topics in Sinai that are treated in a non-PC way. The
GMs are or attempt to be quite moral, but they also try to be at least somewhat realistic -- Sinai
is deliberately an imperfect world and thus its inhabitants will also, at
times, enslave each other, kill, discriminate against race or gender,
blackmail, and otherwise struggle to raise themselves up at others' expense. The "bad guys" may have socially redeeming qualities or a sense of honor, whereas the "good guys" may have some distinct flaws in their moral code. Certain people or organizations may reflect certain belief systems found in the real world ... or perhaps a caricature of such systems, with a few basic facts twisted askew.
Note: You should not specify a touchy subject you want to avoid and then take
a hatred of that subject as a Disadvantage. This is unfair to the GM, because
Disadvantages are meant to be used.
Many characters can be created with the guidelines below that may,
nevertheless, not be suitable for Sinai or may strike the GM as not fun
enough to be played or handled. Here are some tips:
9.2 How to Spend Points
Your character begins with 20 points. This is enough to make your character
really good at one or two things, or good at several things, or adequate
with a wide range of things. You can buy skills, knowledge, hobbies, wealth
and starting equipment, social status, contacts in important organizations,
physical abilities, or the ability to use magic.
You can add up to 4 points by taking Disadvantages. These may be things
like psychological problems, physical disabilities, or bad situations.
The average NPC is built on 12 points, give or take a few. Most NPCs have
"average" skills at what they do best.
If you choose to start with one of the native races (your best bet), you'll
wind up with some points already pre-spent for racial abilities, and some
Disadvantages already specified.
These pre-determined abilities and disadvantages do count against your starting
points. For example, if a race has 4 points of required abilities, and 1 point
of required disadvantages, that would subtract 4 from your starting points,
leaving you 16 starting points left to spend on abilities (plus the 1 point
you gain from the disadvantage). In addition to that, you could have up to
3 more points in disadvantages (bringing you up to your maximum of 4).
Regardless of whether your race has predetermined abilities and/or disadvantages,
or not, you will always have a total of up to 20 starting points, plus an
additional 4 possible through disadvantages, making a maximum starting total of 24.
9.2.1 Disadvantages
Please note that Disadvantages are optional, unless they are specified
by your chosen race. In practice, Disadvantages should not be chosen solely
as "a way to get extra points". A GM's duty (among other things) is to make
sure that those "Disadvantages" are, in fact, disadvantages, after all. At the very least, they should provide the GM with plot hooks. (That's why we give points for them.)
It is best to pick a Disadvantage that meets one of two criteria:
It should be either absolute, or under GM control.
A Disadvantage of this sort helps the GM predict how your PC will react to a given situation. If your PC is "insatiably curious" or he "never turns down a job offer", the GM can know that he can probably make an adventure where the PC is given a chance to go questing for treasure, despite several traps and monsters. If your PC "always responds to a cry for help, despite personal risk," then the GM knows that if he wants to start off an adventure, having a damsel in distress would be a sure bet.
PCs are normally unpredictable. The GM can never know whether or not you'll catch onto a clue -- or, even if you do, what you'll do with this information. (share it with others? keep it secret? ignore it?) The GM could write up a big adventure, then in the first log where the PC is presented with a chance to go adventuring, the PC says, "Naw, sounds too risky. I'll pass it up."
That, of course, is a perfectly
legitimate (and perhaps reasonable) thing for a PC to do ... but it means that the GM now has to come up with a "Plan B" to entertain the PC on some other quest more to his liking. If a GM can have
one less unknown risk to deal with, it's well worth giving the PC that extra
point for the Disadvantage. (It means a little less work for the GM.)
On the flip side, consider the case of a PC that has a Disadvantage of "Hates magic".
The PC encounters another PC who happens to be a mage. They get along perfectly
fine. In the course of an adventure, the first PC gets wounded. The second PC,
a Life Mage, offers to heal him. The first PC accepts. All right, so maybe the
first PC just hates evil magic.
Well, who wouldn't? This just isn't really much of a
Disadvantage -- The PC doesn't seem to be compelled to behave in any way that is
distinct from how any other PC would act, given the situation ... and
certainly not in a fashion that would be detrimental to his personal
interests. He might grimace a little when a fellow introduces herself as a mage, but that's hardly cause for a Disadvantage.
If a player picks a Disadvantage like this, and seems to shrug off situations in
which this Disadvantage might be tested, the GM is fully in rights to penalize
the player/PC in some way. If nothing else, the GM may insist that since this
Disadvantage isn't a significant drawback, that this month's experience point
must go toward buying it off.
Word such Disadvantages carefully. Make sure that it's reasonably clear how your PC will react, and under what circumstances. If, every time the GM presents a situation that is meant to "set off" your Disadvantage, and you just shrug it off, the GM is likely to feel that you're not playing it up.
9.2.2 Experience
During the course of playing on Sinai, your PC will accumulate Experience Points.
These are points that can be spent to buy off Disadvantages, to improve existing
skills or abilities, or to gain new ones. In certain cases, you may get additional
points (usually a "half point", which isn't very useful until you get another one)
as bonuses for completing adventures or for really good/clever role-play in
the opinions of the GMs.
The basic rule of thumb is that, for every month in which you appear in at least
one role-play log, you will get one experience point at the end of that month.
GMs have the discretion to override that rule in certain cases: For instance, if
your sole appearance in a given month is to show up for a few lines, then drop off
unexpectedly in the middle of a log, the GM might not count that as a
valid appearance ... particularly if you make a regular habit of this. (This
isn't something we regularly have to deal with, thankfully.)
Experience points can, for the most part, be spent the same way your original
points were spent. You can add them to existing skills/abilities to get better
skills and abilities. You can buy new skills. The limitation is that you need
a good reason why your PC was able to gain these skills. Adding a new
language that you've come into contact with during role-play is a lot easier
to justify than your PC suddenly sprouting a pair of wings. Gaining the ability
to use magic generally requires that your PC study with the College Esoterica.
Suddenly becoming an Inquisitor would be unlikely if you're on the run from the
Temple. A GM has the right to veto any such expenditures.
Experience points can also be used to "buy" things your PC already has acquired
during the course of role-play, with permission of your GM. For instance, your
PC may have acquired a bit of wealth. In order to help ensure that this will be a
long-standing development, rather than just "easy come, easy go", you decide to
spend points to raise your PC's Wealth. This doesn't guarantee that your
PC will never fall on hard times, but it helps to establish the stability of your
PC's situation.
9.2.3 Easy Come, Easy Go
During the course of role-play, your PC may acquire magical items, treasure,
friends, status, new jobs, and so forth. For things you acquire in the course of
role-play, you don't necessarily pay for with points. However, these things may
come and go -- What things you have paid for in your character statistics
represent the "normal" state of your character. In theory, things will eventually
go back to the way they were ... unless you spend points to maintain the status
quo.
This is nothing that is carved in stone. Quite often, PCs will, by their actions,
earn benefits ... just as they can, by their actions, earn new enemies. It
ultimately depends upon the playing style of your GM.
However, that does not mean that things you have paid points for are yours
forever -- It just means that if you lose something (such as, say, a magical sword),
then the GM is likely to provide some way for you to get it back. (It
might end up being the goal of an adventure, for instance.) And if that isn't
possible, you may get something of equal or greater value ... or else you'll just
get your points back to spend on something else as if they were experience
points.
On the flip side, you can also gain the equivalent of "Disadvantages" during
role-play, which you don't get points for, and which you might not necessarily
get rid of. For example, if you charge an army of barbarians, seeking to single-handedly
engage them in melee combat, you could very well end up dead. That's definitely
a disadvantage you won't get any points back for! However, it's possible that the
GM might allow you to survive such an encounter ... but with a "reminder" that will
stick with you. Perhaps you lose an arm. Perhaps you lose an eye. Perhaps you
suffer some severe wounds that leave you Weak. Or, perhaps you escape, but you
now have a pack of angry barbarians as your newfound enemies.
You do not get any Disadvantage points for this. If you rob from the Temple, you
do not get a new Disadvantage point for "Hunted by Temple", if this happened
during the course of role-play. You can suffer consequences for your actions
without some sort of "compensation". On the plus side, if you should
take actions during the course of role-play to overcome this Disadvantage (you
later become leader of a small nation, raise an army, and defeat the barbarians,
so they won't bother you anymore) you don't have to turn around and spend
experience points to "buy off" this "free" Disadvantage.
The flip side of this is that, if you have an experience point extra, that doesn't
mean that you can get out of trouble by spending it to "buy off" this
Disadvantage. The GM might perhaps allow that, if you combine it with a good
excuse ("I hire a Life Mage with the gold I got from my last adventure, to
restore my strength to normal.") but it ultimately depends upon the GM's
discretion.
Another case of "easy come, easy go" would be with "free" skills and perks
awarded to you by the GM. Sometimes, in lieu of an experience point (or
fraction thereof) as an added reward for completing a long adventure, you may be
given some sort of bonus that applies to the results of your adventure. For
example, this might be 2 points of Wealth or Status after saving the country, or
perhaps the GM decides that after having so much hassle trying to pantomime
concepts to the natives, you finally learn their language at no points cost.
This wealth, status, etc., costs you no points, and therefore, if for some reason
it should be taken away during the course of role-play, you don't get any
points back for the loss. (It'd be pretty hard for you to forget
a language, at least.)
9.2.4 Gen's Character Creation Walk-Through
Gen, one of the major GMs on SinaiMUCK, has written up a Character Creation Walk-Through to show one way of going through the whole process.
9.3 Skills, Knowledge, Hobbies
All skills, knowledge areas and hobbies are defined as Major, Minor, or Trivial. These are in graduating scales of how useful -- and thus how expensive -- the given skill is. It wouldn't make any sense, after all, to charge the same number of points to be an expert gambler that one would have to pay to be an expert fighter.
The cost for each Rank in a given skill is as follows, dependent upon the type of skill:
The character's ability to accomplish a task is rated as follows:
Taking extra time, having abundant materials and tools to hand, and being
without distraction will increase the chance a person has to complete some task.
Having to complete something in a hurry, working with inadequate materials,
or working in a fight or other high-stress situation will decrease it. The
figures above are rough and may not match the probabilities that some GM has
determined for a task.
9.3.1 Combat Skills
(minor / trivial) Weapon Skill. A character can be
proficient in knife-fighting, thrown knives and shurikens, staves, bows,
crossbows, handguns, ship's guns, unarmed brawling, or any other
weapon that can be found in Sinai. The first weapon-skill the character
takes must be paid for as a minor skill; each additional weapon-skill can
be paid for as a trivial skill.
EXAMPLE:
(major) Fighting. A character who has been trained to use several weapons
well can purchase this as a "package deal". A novice fighter may choose
two weapons with which he fights as a novice, an average fighter one more
than that, and so on. In addition, the character is able to wear armor
without being encumbered. (The character is assumed to be able to fight at his full ability. This doesn't mean that he won't sink in water if he's wearing plate mail, however.)
Note: If a character buys armor with points, they are assumed to be familiar
with their armor and thus not encumbered, even if they do not purchase the
overall fighting skill. The fighting skill allows characters to pick up
armor in the battlefield or from armories and wear it without penalties.
9.3.2 Covert Skills
(trivial) Disguise. Limited in effect on Sinai because it is difficult to
convincingly disguise a character as being of another species. Nevertheless,
a character good with disguise can make himself or another look like almost
anyone else of the same or physically similar species.
More Details on Disguise Skill
(minor) Burglary. This skill includes lock-picking, finding hiding places
where people are likely to put things, and recognizing and defeating
security systems and traps. It does not include stealth; many thieves
get by just fine breaking into houses when no one's home and the neighbors
are either gone or don't care.
(minor) Stealth. Allows a person to move quietly and escaping notice, or to
spot others who are attempting the same thing. A stealthy person can follow
another person without being caught, and can find the best place on which
to eavesdrop on a conversation in progress. Also allows a person to detect
those following them.
(minor) Sleight of Hand. Allows a person to pick someone's pocket, place
items there, switch things without others noticing, and cleverly arrange
things to 'look' undisturbed. This is a useful skill for street-conjuring
"magicians" as well as for thieves.
9.3.3 Healer Skills
(trivial) First Aid. Covers the basic skills to keep someone alive when
they are injured or sick, splint bones, bandage wounds. Advanced first aid
allows primitive emergency surgery such as amputations or removing burst
appendices.
(trivial) Herbary. A familiarity with herbs found in the wilderness and
cultivated in gardens which have medical effects. This overlaps somewhat
with knowledge of poisons. A useful skill for those in the wilderness as it
includes recognition of which plants are poisonous and which are not. It does
not include the ability to diagnose illnesses.
(trivial) Poisons. A familiarity with chemicals that have poisonous effects
and how they may be refined; also, a knowledge of antidotes to such poisons.
(minor) Healer. Includes first aid, herbary, and poisons as well as the
ability to diagnose illnesses and prescribe medicines, perform surgery, and
research cures for as yet unknown ailments.
9.3.4 Woodsman Skills
(trivial) Animal Handling. Knows how to handles animals, feed them, diagnose
some rudimentary problems they may be having. Animals will be friendlier
to someone who is skilled in animal handling to the point that one may be
able to calm savage wild beasts.
(trivial) Riding. Can ride a variety of animals (the number increasing with
one's skill) and perform feats of riding such as leaping from their backs to
speeding carriages or shooting weapons while riding.
(trivial) Tracking. Can follow long-dead trails, determine what kind of creatures lived or passed through an area, identify species of animals or people from
smell and other clues, and stalk wild game.
(trivial) Trailblazing/Climbing. Able to climb sheer slopes, break trail in uncharted
jungles, pilot small and crude boats down whitewater rivers, in essence, a
trained trailblazer can go anywhere in the wilderness faster and without the
sundry annoyances that would befall untrained people. In the city, a
trailblazer is adept at climbing buildings and getting through tight spots
more easily.
(trivial) Traveling. Indicates familiarity with one or more countries.
Within a country with which one is familiar, one is able to find good places
to eat or sleep, knows taboos and suggested customs of the country, can find
one's way if one becomes lost. Also eases the process of learning about
another country, as one is already "experienced" with typical problems of
traveling.
(minor) Survival. Includes climbing/trailblazing, tracking, and herbary. A person
trained in survival can be dropped anywhere in the wilderness and make their
way out to somewhere friendly, given time. This does not include traveling;
they may be able to guess general direction, but without familiarity with some
area, they won't know if they're heading toward a city or not.
9.3.5 Other Skills
(trivial) Bureaucracy. Knows who to bribe, where to go in an office, and
who's on top. An exceptional skill may even be able to reverse unfavorable
decisions.
(trivial) Gambling. Knows how to not only play but cheat at games of chance
and strategy, and can spot others cheating at such games. A highly skilled
gambler can make cards and dice virtually walk, talk, and sit up and beg --
without other gamblers being able to detect this.
(trivial) Etiquette. Able to get by in high or low society and earn the
respect and help of others. This is not exactly acting; it entails "knowing
the rules" for polite behavior, so the player would be advised by the GM
what should and should not be done in a social situation. It must be
supported by good PC-role-playing.
In other words, if your PC is a totally rude snob, no amount of etiquette in your statistics is going to stop another PC or NPC from thinking that he or she is a jerk. If you have this skill, though, the GM may warn you that your PC is breaching etiquette, and it'll be up to you whether your PC continues to do so anyway.
(trivial) Art. The character is skilled in one of music, painting, cooking,
or other forms of art, to such a degree that others would pay for it.
9.3.6 Minor Skills
(minor) Mechanics. A person with this skill can repair or invent machinery
that works on a purely physical basis. For example, this might include siege engines, clocks, or water
mills. A high mechanical skill is required to work with very small or
sophisticated machinery such as miniaturized watches. Sinaian mechanics are more likely to understand the problems presented by Quantum Uncertainty, and how to make redundant systems that hold up better. Abaddonian mechanics, on the other hand, might be dealing with combustion engines, hydraulics, and more complex machines, but conversely may not have as much experience dealing with the quirks of how things function on Sinai.
(minor) Electronics. A person with this skill can repair or modify machinery
up to the level of the Expedition. Their understanding of why something
works the way it does will be necessarily limited, and in many cases,
disguised by levels of dogma.
(minor) Lore of Sinai. Includes general geography (not specific) of Sinai
and some degree of familiarity with the legends of the Temple, Rephidim
(island and city), the Expedition, and the First Ones. Laymen will know
very little about any of these; someone with adept knowledge might know
or have conjectures about many of these. The GM may choose to use
knowledgeable PCs to relay useful information. Exiles may not start off with this
skill. Provided that your PC is reasonably well-situated on Sinai, having an average rank in this skill is sufficient to know most of the entries in the Encyclopedia that are not specifically listed as being only "common knowledge" for a limited geographic area.
(minor) Lore of Gateway Worlds. Includes a broad knowledge of the Gateway Worlds and exploration thereof. Laymen who don't have this skill might possibly know the names of the planets and a rough idea of what's on them. (Abaddon has lots of metal. Ashtoreth has lots of water. Morpheus has something to do with dreams.) Someone who already has Lore of Sinai will know this much and a bit more. This particular skill, however, specifically covers arcana of the Gateways and the planets themselves. This skill is most appropriate for a PC who starts play as someone who has already explored one or more of these worlds, and thus may have some useful survival tips or something to offer on the known cultures, wildlife, etc. It may also allow for a few hand signs and phrases of use for dealing with some of the other societies found there, though it doesn't give any free languages. Specifics vary with character background.
(trivial) Lore of (Area). This is a much more narrowly focused version of Lore. On Sinai, it would be Lore of a specific region on Sinai. (The broader the region, the less specific the information about it.) Typically, this would be Lore of a specific nation or territory, such as Gallis, Chronotopia, Bromthen, Aelfhem, etc. Off of Sinai, this could be purchased to represent a general knowledge of a single planet. Having at least Average knowledge in this would entitle the PC to know the bulk of the sub-articles on the appropriate planet or country detailed in the "Locations" and "Who's Who" sections of the Players' Guide. This particular skill has significant overlap with the
"Traveling" skill. It should be noted that the "Traveling" skill would represent more of a concern with bare necessities to get by when passing through this area and others. "Lore" reflects a deeper concern with actually living in a specific place, and knowing things that the "average person" there wouldn't necessarily know.
Note: It is automatically assumed that you will know the basics of your "homeland". That goes hand in hand with the "native language" you get. Your PC's "homeland" might be Rephidim, or Himar, or Sylvania ... or it could be the Great Abyss of Ashtoreth, or New Zion on Abaddon. You needn't purchase "Lore" to know the basics of your homeland. That's a "freebie". It's just that you may want to purchase this if you are playing a particularly scholarly character who should know unusual details about that area.
9.4 Wealth & Equipment
Wealth:
Note: Items purchased with Wealth during a plot tend to be easily lost, since they are not "part of a character's legend". While it is also possible to lose items that
you have paid points for (see below), it is generally expected that you will
either get them back eventually, or else that you'll "get the points back" in
some manner worked out with the GM.
Equipment and Possessions:
Please note that characters are not expected to spend points for things as basic as the clothes
on their backs, or equipment that may be particular to their jobs. Points are only expected
to be spent on starting equipment when they are particularly unusual or special items that
contribute to the character's identity.
Note: On the surface, it might seem that getting a shop or an airship might be a greater bargain than buying personal equipment. In some ways, it is. However, having a shop or an airship assumes a certain degree of responsibility -- the GM may make use of your business concerns as a "hook" for a given plot -- whereas if all you've got is weapons and armor and nothing to tie you down, you're pretty much free to roam as you please. In a sense, you're getting a "discount" for having a shop or store, because it gives the GM a potential motivation to exploit for the sake of a plot, and because most of what you own will not have a direct bearing on how things happen "on camera" during a plot.
9.5 Social Status and Contacts
Contacts: (Trivial)
Status (Major):
9.6 Physical Abilities
Strength (Major):
Reflexes and Agility (Major):
Armor/Toughness:
Weapons and Natural Defenses (Minor/Major):
Flight (Major):
Note: actual flight characteristics should be defined by the player,
but this represents what one could reasonably get for a certain number
of points. Flying is a major skill because it radically expands the
character's ability to get around places.
Running (Minor):
You can spend points on both maximum speed and endurance:
As an example, 2 pts running might be 20mph speed for 5 minutes or 10mph for 1 hour.
Enhanced Senses (Minor):
Regeneration (Major):
Shapeshift (Major):
Note: shape-shifting does not give you new abilities; you must purchase
these separately, or else a special arrangement must be worked out with the GMs for certain physical abilities that are "traded off" for other abilities of equal cost in the alternate form. For example, a six-limbed Rokuga with minor shape-shift ability that has 2 points of running while in "six-on-the-floor" form, and then 2 points of "extra limbs" while in "biped/four-armed" form.
When you purchase this ability, you must determine whether the transformation is a natural process, or a magical one. Magical transformation allows you to change mass as
well as shape, but takes four times as long on Rephidim and in the air,
and does not work away from Sinai.
Immunities (Trivial):
Sustenance (Trivial):
Need for Sleep (Trivial):
Temperature Resistance (Trivial):
Coordination (Trivial):
Note: If you buy flight, you do not also need to buy extra limbs in order to have arms.
Memory (Trivial):
Note: this ability does not allow one to pick up entire knowledge skills; the
information absorbed is still essentially just text (or pictures). To be
able to use them effectively, for instance, making repairs to machinery,
still requires experience, i.e. one must still buy mechanics or electronics.
Speed Reading (Trivial):
Breathing (Trivial):
Natural Spell Resistance (Trivial):
Note: With the exception of total resistance, this can be lowered voluntarily, but the resistance (or lack thereof) is unilateral. A PC lowering his defenses to receive a beneficial spell will also be vulnerable to any offensive spells used on him during that time. Percentages are approximate, and do not reflect what GMs may assess as actual chances of resistance for any given situation.
Magic Sensitivity (Minor):
Note: The above "Magic Sensitivity" is identical to the sensitivity gained with Magic Talent, described below. This generally represents some natural ability to sense magic, though perhaps enhanced by proper training.
Note: All physical abilities above, if not common to the race from which a
character originates, must be justified.
For instance, a Khatta may be able to justify resistance to hot weather
conditions like deserts due to living in such an area, but could not be
completely immune to the effects of heat as a dragon might be able to.
Also, these costs assume that anyone familiar with the character's species or who takes a moment to scrutinize the character may have a fair guess that the character has such an ability. Flight is usually possible with wings. Characters with fennec-like or bat-like hearing typically have fennec-like or bat-like ears. Knife-like daggers or fangs are, of course, knife-like in size as well as damage. Strong characters look big and muscular. If the character has a remarkable physical ability but overtly has no sign of it, the cost may be slightly increased at the GMs' discretion, based on how this may impact plots.
9.7 Magic
Note: Magic is not recommended for first-time characters. It is
complicated and there is a definite "feel" we want for Sinai magic.
On Sinai, spellcasters do not fire off spells instantly the way that
they would in a D&D or Fantasy Hero game; they take lengthy amounts
of time to work their spells, up to hours for full-fledged rituals,
but achieve powerful results once such time and energy is invested.
9.7.1 The Ability to Work Magic
Characters who are able to work magic have or develop "magical talent".
This allows them to sense magic, and more importantly, to work it. A
character with a high amount of magical talent can cast spells more
easily or get more power from the same amount of time spent.
There are four ways to justify an advance in a character's abilities with magic:
9.7.2 Levels of Magic
Each successive level of magic is geometrically more powerful than the last,
but also requires a much longer casting time. (For more on the differences between Cantrips and Rituals, see 5.5.1 Cantrips and Rituals.
Note: Spells take longer to cast on Rephidim and in high mountainous places
that are weak in magic. On Rephidim, the time it takes to cast a spell is
multiplied by four. In other words, a cantrip might take twenty seconds to two minutes.
9.7.3 Magical Talent
Levels of Magical Talent (Major):
Note: Magical talent only needs to be purchased once; as many spheres as desired
can then be purchased. The magician may not purchase a higher level of
spells in a sphere than his or her magical talent. In other words, to be good in a sphere of
magic, the magician must have good magical talent.
Note: Spells being held are cast with what information the magician had
"at the time of casting". The more general a spell must be, the weaker
it will be, because the magician must use generalities such as "the person
at whom I point" or "the spot on which I stand".
Spells in a Sphere of Magic (Major):
9.7.4 Held Spells
The typical use of a spell is that the mage spends a certain amount of time
preparing for and casting a spell, and then, once all that is done, the
effect of the spell takes place immediately. However, there are a number of
spells for which this simply isn't practical. A spell meant to be used for
putting out fires isn't of much use if it takes a few hours to cast it,
while the fire burns a house down. With a bit of preparation, it is
conceivable that -- should a mage be assigned to help a city's fire-fighting
brigade -- a mage might cast the aforementioned spell, up to the last
phrase, then "hold" the effect for up to a few hours, releasing it when
desired.
9.7.4.1 Pros and Cons
The obvious benefit is that the mage can have a near-instant
effect fired off when he wants it, provided that he is able to invoke the
last phrase of the spell. However, there are a few drawbacks, some of them
quite significant, depending upon the situation:
9.7.4.2 Manifestations
Held spells are accompanied by a "manifestation", typically appearing as a
small glowing ball of energy that hovers above the caster's head or hand.
For a Fire Mage, this may appear to be a flickering flame. For an Air Mage,
this could seem like a sphere of swirling clouds, or perhaps ball lightning.
For a Water Mage, it might look like a hovering ball of water, or perhaps
a slowly rotating snowflake.
The exact particulars may vary according to the individual spellcaster, the
Sphere of the spell, and the power level of the spell. More powerful spells
have more visible and powerful-looking manifestations. Even non-mages
will have a pretty good clue that a man in red robes walking around with
a ball of flaming lava hovering over one hand is a source of potential
trouble.
One side effect of manifestations is that they usually cast light. (Actually,
the manifestation itself can be useful as a source of light!)
They do not have any physical existence, however, and while they might
cause sensations of heat or cold in the immediate area, physical contact
with the manifestation will not cause any noticeable effect. The
"ball of flaming lava" will not burn anyone, nor will it be put out by
rain.
More a reflection of the mindset of the mage than anything else, some
manifestations take on anthropomorphic properties ... They may seem more
like little spirit creatures serving the caster, taking off to perform
their tasks when the "held" spell is released. Despite appearances,
however, these "creatures" are not sapient or self-aware. This is merely
a "special effect".
9.7.5 Spheres of Magic
There are twelve recognized Spheres of Magic. There is a certain degree of
overlap of effects between the Spheres, and some "sub-spheres" (specializations)
are recognized.
9.8 Disadvantages
Frequency:
Severity:
Examples of psychological hindrances:
Examples of situational disadvantages:
Examples of physical disadvantages:
9.9 Examples
Most of the following are presented as examples of "ordinary NPCs", most of them built on a 12 point scale. However, they can also be used as guidelines when attempting to come up with a PC that fits into one of these roles.
9.9.1 Generic Archetypes
Simple Mercenary (12 pt, NPC)
Simple Zelak Warrior (12 pt, NPC)
Note: Zelaks do vary from hive to hive in design. Some may be more powerful
or more capable and thus, more expensive.
Simple Thief (12 pt, NPC)
Simple Traveler (12 pt, NPC)
Simple Scholar (12 pt, NPC)
Simple Temple Technopriest (12 pt, NPC)
Simple Airship Crew (12 pts, NPC)
Simple Archaeologist/Ruin Plunderer (12 pts, NPC)
Rank Major Minor Trivial Untrained -- -- -- Novice 2 1 0.5 Average 4 2 1 Good 6 3 2 Expert 10 5 3 Adept 16 8 5
Chance to perform a task that is Rank Easy Normal Hard Impossible Untrained 30 10 -- -- Novice 50 30 10 -- Average 80 50 30 10 Good 100 80 50 30 Expert 100 100 80 50 Adept 100 100 100 80
Vandenburg decides he wishes to be a good fencer, but only so-so with
throwing knives. He pays 3 pts to be good with the rapier (a minor skill),
then 1 pt to be average with throwing knives (a trivial skill).
Rank Cost Number of Weapon Types Untrained -- None Novice 2 2 Average 4 3 Good 6 4
Expert 10 5
Adept 16 6
Cost Approximate Funds per Plot 0 None; struggling to get by 1 50 shekels 2 100 shekels 3 200 shekels 4 500 shekels 8 5000 shekels
Cost Examples 1 tools of exceptional quality, armor, quality weapons 2 rare and expensive items such as handguns 4+ technological artifacts, enchanted items
Cost Airship Examples 6 small airship with a crew of up to eight 8 standard small freighter with a crew of up to twenty 10 standard large freighter or small frigate (four mounts for ballista or cannons) with a crew of thirty
Cost Property Examples 1 a poor shop in Darkside or the Bazaar; struggling to get by 3 a shop in Scholar's Quarter or a prime location in the Bazaar; includes 2-pt wealth and an assistant 8 a shop in the Nobles' Quarter or Temple quarter; includes 4-pt wealth, attendant prestige, and several assistants
Cost Examples 1 contacts who provide information 2 contacts in important places (e.g., Temple, Darkside) who can do small favors 3 contacts in important places (e.g., Temple, Darkside) willing to do large favors (i.e., a patron)
Cost Examples 2 a member of some guild or association which provides small services such as information or regular jobs -- e.g., the Bard's Guild, or an apprentice of the Mages' Guild 4 a high-ranking member of some guild or association, thus able to
command more resources or place embargoes or otherwise inconvenience
others 4 a full member of some prestigious association or guild, able to use this
to impress and possibly coerce others -- e.g., a fully-paid member of the Mages' Guild 6 a high-ranking member, able to use resources that guild would have
access to -- e.g., if justified, can muster equipment or men for help
as well as getting information from the guild (2-pt wealth) 8 a high-ranking member of some prestigious association or guild
(4-pt wealth) 10 noble or rich merchant (includes a small manor, servants, 4-pt wealth) 16 high noble (includes a large manor, servants, 8-pt wealth)
Cost Temple Examples 2 Acolyte; no authority, but has access to libraries and certain Temple resources pertaining to area of training 4 Investigator (minor Inquisitor), Technopriest or other junior Temple position; can act without supervision, but must answer for actions; commands one or two flunkies 6 Inquisitor or other Temple position; can act without supervision,
commands four or more flunkies; can commandeer supplies (2-pt wealth) 10 senior Inquisitor or other high Temple position; commands a department
and can commandeer supplies (4-pt wealth) 16 Arch-Inquisitor or other exalted Temple position; includes vast
influence and power; 8-pt wealth
Cost Rank Strength Casual Carrying Capacity 0 Natural Average 100 lb. 2 Novice Strong; can lift a normal person 200 lb. 4 Average Heroic Strength; can throw a normal person, force doors 300 lb. 6 Good Brute Strength; has chance of bending metal objects 500 lb. 10 Expert Giant Strength; can bend thick metal 1000 lb. 16 Adept Monstrous Strength; can bend armor plating 2000 lb.
Cost Rank Description 0 Natural Average; uncoordinated 2 Novice Faster on the draw; alert; able to respond to sudden attacks; able to make difficult leaps; generally limber 4 Average Nimble; can avoid slow physical traps; highly acrobatic; can perform stunts like backflips to gain advantage 6 Good Cat-like; better chance to dodge blows; always lands on feet 10 Expert Can catch or block slow thrown objects; can land from great heights 16 Adept Can catch or dodge speeding arrows; kung-fu movie style action
Cost Rank Description 0 Natural Easily cut; thin fur or skin 2 Novice Resilient; not easily knocked unconscious 4 Average Lightly armored (leathery skin, scales) 6 Good Heavily armored (chitin or heavy scales) 10 Expert Rock-like body 16 Adept Iron-like body
Cost Rank (Minor) Examples 0 Natural Ordinary dull claws and fangs 1 Novice Sharpened claws and fangs 2 Average Knife-like claws and fangs 3 Good Sword-like claws and fangs 5 Expert Chainsaw-like attack 8 Adept Vorpal claws
Cost Rank (Major) Examples 4 Average Poisonous stingers/fangs; induce sickness 6 Good Poisonous stingers/fangs; induce instant sleep or paralysis 10 Expert Poisonous stingers/fangs; lethal
Cost Rank (Major) Examples 2 Novice Skin has porcupine-like quills; cannot be fired 4 Average Can fire quill up to 8 feet accurately 6 Good Can fire quill up to 20 feet accurately 10 Expert Can fire quill up to 100 feet accurately
Cost Rank (Major) Examples 6 Good Weak dragon breath; torch-like; 8' long 10 Expert Medium dragon breath; blowtorch-like; 16' long 16 Adept Strong dragon breath; flamethrower; 32' long
Cost Rank Description 0 Natural Flightless 2 Novice Minimal; can hover or glide 4 Average Basic flight; can lift self and fly about 6 Good Choose from aerobatic flight, heavy lifter (carry a person), high speed flight, or long-range flight 10 Expert Very fast and able to carry another person easily 16 Adept Remarkably fast due to unusual means of flight
Cost Maximum Running Speed 0 4 mph 1 10 mph 2 20 mph 3 50 mph 5 80 mph 8 120 mph
Cost Maximum Running Time at Top Speed 0 5 minutes 1 1 hour 2 3 hours 3 1 day
Cost Type of Vision 0 Normal; cannot see well at night 1 Low-light; can see adequately by Ring light, but not indoors 2 Infra-red; can see things that give off heat
1 Hunter's vision; can track small animals moving at 100 feet 2 Keen vision; can track small animals moving at 1000 feet 3 Hawk-like vision; can track small animals a mile away 5 Telescopic vision; can read a book a mile away
Cost Type of Sense of Smell 1 Hunter's nose; can track hours-old trails 2 Keen nose; can track a days-old trail 3 Blood-hound's nose; can track a weeks-old trail
Cost Type of Ears 1 Sharp ears; can pick up whispers nearby 2 Cat-like ears; can focus on a spoken conversation across a noisy bar 3 Fennec-like ears; can listen through thin walls 5 Bat-like ears; can track moving objects by sound only 8 Telescopic hearing; can pick up whispers up to 1000 feet away
Cost Examples 0 takes days to heal wounds, months to heal broken bones 2 bleeding stops within minutes; knife-wounds close within hours 4 knife-wounds close within minutes, severe wounds heal within days 6 severe wounds heal within minutes, bones knit within days 10 flesh and bones knit within minutes 16 flesh and bones knit almost instantly, but cost energy which must be replenished quickly or else risk unconsciousness
Cost Examples 2 One additional form only slightly changed from original; character is still recognizable in either form (e.g., Lacinus ability to walk on two legs or four; retractable wings that can sprout out when one wishes to fly) 4 One additional form distinctly different from the original
Cost Description 1 Resistant to disease (e.g., scavenger ability to eat carrion) 1 Resistant to certain poisons (e.g., Nohbakim immunity to toxin-laced foods in the Himaat Desert)
2 Immune to disease 2 Immune to poison 3 Total immunity to disease and poison
Cost Description 1 eats very little, and cheaply 2 stores food and water, can go for long periods (weeks) without sustenance 3 does not need to eat or drink
Cost Description 1 light-sleeper; easily awakened by any sign of danger 2 can get by with just a few hours of sleep per night without decrease in health or alertness 3 never needs to sleep; can be constantly alert
Cost Description 0 insulated: resistant to effects of cold environments, but intolerant of heat 0 cold-blooded: resistant to effects of heat, but intolerant of cold
[please note, this isn't as severe as taking "cold-blooded" as a Disadvantage]1 resistant to effects of cold environments (e.g., polar bear) 1 resistant to effects of hot environments 2 "Ice Elemental"; immune to normal weather extremes; resistant to cold-based attacks 2 "Fire Elemental" or "Dragon"; immune to normal weather extremes; resistant to hot/fire-based attacks 3 Immune to extreme cold and hot environments; resistant to ice/cold and fire/hot attacks
Cost Examples 1 ambidextrous; can use left and right hands equally well 2 prehensile tail or extra limbs; can hold and even manipulate items with extra limb; e.g., four- or six-armed Rokuga 3 myriad limbs; cannot be restrained by ordinary methods; e.g., centipede or squid-like being
Cost Description 1 Limited eidetic memory; can hold no more than the equivalent of a
page of text or photograph at any one time; good memory for directions 2 Eidetic memory, can remember the contents of an entire novel-sized
book, given time to read; can remember everywhere one has been 3 Living camcorder; can remember entire shelves of books
Cost Description 1 can flip through a novel in mere seconds (particularly obscure
or difficult to read texts or complex diagrams may take longer)
and retain it as if one had spent a normal amount of time to read
Cost Description 1 Can hold breath for five minutes 2 Can hold breath for hours 2 Amphibious; can breathe underwater 2 Can enter a "suspended animation" death-like state, using very little air 3 Does not need to breathe; can survive in a vacuum
Cost Description 0 Normal willpower; no bonus to resist magic that affects the mind,
i.e., mind magic, mental illusions, dreams, shadow obfuscation,
or evocations of the spirit 1 Strong-willed; approximate 20% chance to resist mind-based ritual magic; can be voluntarily lowered 2 Psychic defense; approximate 50% chance to resist mind-based ritual magic;
can sense such magic being used against self 3 Strong defense; approximate 80% chance to resist mind-based ritual magic
can sense such magic being used in the area 5 Living magic null zone; cannot be directly affected by magic, good or ill; can still be affected by indirect effects (e.g., a mage cannot hypnotize the PC, but could levitate a rock to drop on the PC's head); can still be affected by physical attacks (e.g., fireball); this level of resistance is total: it cannot be lowered (e.g., to receive healing)
Cost Rank Examples 0 Natural Cannot sense magic 1 Novice Can sense high levels of magic such as a Forbidden Zone, or a golem that is not magically "hidden" 2 Average Can sense spells being worked nearby (within 20 feet) 3 Good Can sense in which directions magic is stronger or weaker; chance to identify Sphere of magic used 5 Expert Sensitive to fluctuations of magic in a two-mile diameter area; chance to identify spell type in Sphere of specialization 8 Adept Sensitive to fluctuation of magic in a 100-mile diameter area in which the PC has made his or her home; good chance to identify what sort of magic is being used (power level, what Sphere, possibly even spell or general intent of magic)
Cost Rank Description 0 Natural cannot sense or work with magic 2 Novice can sense high levels of magic such as a Forbidden Zone; able to cast cantrips and minor spells; however, minor spells take longer to cast, and there is a higher chance of a mistake 4 Average can sense spells being worked nearby (within 20 feet); able to cast cantrips, minor spells, and rituals; can hold a ritual; chance to recognize spells of one's own sphere if being cast in area 6 Good can sense in which direction magic is stronger or weaker; chance of determining sphere of magic being used; can hold a ritual; can cast minor spells as if they were cantrips 10 Expert sensitive to fluctuations of magic in a two-mile diameter area with which the caster is familiar, such as the caster's home town; can work major rituals with the help of others; can cast basic rituals at 1/4 the normal time requirements (e.g., a ritual normally taking 1 hour to cast now takes 15 minutes) 16 Adept sensitive to fluctuation of magic in a 100-mile diameter area in which the character has made his or her home; can work major rituals by self; can cast basic rituals at 1/12 the normal time requirements (e.g., a ritual normally taking 1 hour to cast now takes 5 minutes)
Cost Description 0 no ability in this sphere of magic 2 able to cast cantrips and minor spells 4 able to cast basic rituals 6 able to cast major rituals 10 can enchant places and items with minor spell-level powers 16 can enchant places and items with ritual-level powers
Events that might cause the mage to lose the concentration required to
"hold" a spell include:
Elemental Spheres:
Sphere Domain/Specializations Earth earth, rock, ground, terrain, plant life, dowsing for metals
Specializations: Dirt/Sand, Nature/Plants, Stone, MetalAir wind, weather, lightning, St. Elmo's fire Fire ignition, plasma, explosions Water oceans, dowsing for water, rain, ice
Specializations: IceLight scrying, illumination, detection, location, introspection Shadow concealing, obfuscation, darkness Mind mind-detection, reading, controlling, mental powers
Specializations: Reading, Control, TelekinesisDream dreams, visions, prophesy, nightmares Illusion able to create images affecting one or more senses Life healing, modification of the body
Specializations: Healing, Disease, TransformationSpirit necromancy and dispelling, spirit-raising
Specializations: Necromancy, WardingChaos probability, blessings, curses, dispelling
Base Value Frequency 0.0 Uncommon; circumstances do not happen normally 0.5 Common; circumstances show up frequently in role-play 1.0 Constant; always affects the character
Base Value Severity 0.0 Nuisance; effects can be ignored through willpower or easy remedy, or do not directly affect the plot 0.5 Inconvenient or embarrassing, but not lethal; difficult to control 1.0 Hazardous; potentially life-threatening in times of danger 1.5 Restrictive; greatly restricts PC abilities
Value Example (Frequency/Severity) -0.5 Overconfident; takes on battles one can't win (Uncommon/Inconvenient) -0.5 Afraid of Insects (Common/Nuisance) -1.0 Code of Chivalry/Honor; must champion the weak and needy, even against the odds and at personal risk (Common/Inconvenient) -1.0 Weak-Willed; easily persuaded, susceptible to mind-control cantrips (Uncommon/Hazardous) -1.0 Distrust of Magic; will not use or willingly be the subject of magic, beneficial or not (Common/Inconvenient) -1.0 Cannot Lie; under no circumstances can tell a lie (Uncommon/Hazardous) -1.5 Hatred of Templars; will attack anyone affiliated with the Temple on sight, even if they're "nice" (Common/Hazardous) -2.0 Death Wish; no will to live, seeks glorious death (Constant/Hazardous)
Value Example (Frequency/Severity) -0.5 Persecuted; hassled in a non-lethal way by some group or organization; e.g., under surveillance by Temple; business sabotaged by rivals (Common/Nuisance) -1.0 Destitute; must steal or work to get the next day's food; usually hungry or mildly sick (Common/Inconvenient) -1.0 Hunted; pursued by some group or organization (Uncommon/Hazardous) -1.0 Bad luck; nature goes out of its way to embarrass the PC (Common/Inconvenient) -2.0 Marked for Death; constantly fending off an endless number of enemy agents, ninja assassins, vengeful zombies, etc., that pop up in every session, seeking to bump off the hero (Constant/Hazardous)
Value Examples (Frequency/Severity) -0.5 Hobbled; has a limp, cannot run (Uncommon/Hazardous) -0.5 Nocturnal; always sleepy in daytime (Common/Nuisance) -0.5 Color-Blind (Uncommon/Inconvenient) -1.0 Weak; can barely lift twenty pounds (Common/Inconvenient) -1.0 Fragile; easily knocked unconscious (Uncommon/Hazardous) -1.0 Partially Mute; cannot speak, but may make some sounds (Common/Inconvenient) -2.0 Mute; will not vocalize (Common/Restrictive) -2.0 Blind (Constant/Hazardous) -2.0 Diminutive; a small creature such as a fox or a mouse, unable to manipulate things effectively (Common/Restrictive) -2.5 Beast; unable to speak or to use writing or sign-language of any sort to get around the problem (Constant/Restrictive)