Difference between revisions of "Book:Faults"

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==Mental Faults==
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Mental Faults impose penalties based on problems in your noggin: everything from behavioral disorders to full-blown mental illnesses.
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===Amnesiac===
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{{:Amnesiac}}
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===Angel on Your Shoulder===
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{{:Angel on Your Shoulder}}
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===Avaricious===
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{{:Avaricious}}
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===Callous===
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{{:Callous}}
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===Code===
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{{:Code}}
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===Coward===
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{{:Coward}}
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===Devil on Your Shoulder===
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{{:Devil on Your Shoulder}}
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===Easily Distracted===
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{{:Easily Distracted}}
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===Foolhardy===
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{{:Foolhardy}}
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===Gullible===
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{{:Gullible}}
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===Honest Abe===
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{{:Honest Abe}}
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===Incompetent===
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{{:Incompetent}}
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===Indomitable===
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{{:Indomitable}}
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===Master of None===
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{{:Master of None}}
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===Mental Illness===
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{{:Mental Illness}}
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===Nightmares===
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{{:Nightmares}}
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===Short Fuse===
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{{:Short Fuse}}
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===Sluggard===
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{{:Sluggard}}
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===Soft Hearted===
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{{:Soft Hearted}}
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===Terrible Memory===
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{{:Terrible Memory}}
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===Uneducated===
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{{:Uneducated}}
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===Unhinged===
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{{:Unhinged}}
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===Vengeful===
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{{:Vengeful}}
  
 
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Revision as of 16:13, 14 March 2010

Every character has his or her own embarrassments from time to time. Some habitually screw things up for themselves or their friends. Faults are the Elysium way of representing a character's shortcomings and flaws. Faults, the exact opposite of Trumps, can be assembled at character creation or amassed as the game progresses.

When you select Faults for your character, you receive Expoints in return to spend on anything you'd like: Attribute points, Skill ranks, Trumps, and Special Power ranks. Each Fault lists the Expoint bonus it provides.

A GM may tell you that your character inherits a Fault because of in-game events. Say your character has his or her hand unjustly lobbed off and the GM tells you to inherit the Fault "Missing Hand" and the 5 Expoints it grants you.

In the event a Fault is ever cured, overcome, or otherwise no longer applicable, you lose the Expoint bonus it has granted you. "But Dad, I've already spent my allowance!" Your GM may work out a situation whereby future Expoints you earn from playing pay back the balance created by losing the Fault. For example: if by extraordinary circumstances, your characters hand is magically regrown, you would not record the next 5 Expoints you would earn at the end of game sessions.

A character has no limit on the number of Faults he or she can possess, however, more Faults make for difficult gameplay. Sure, you could play an old, one-eyed, lame, one-armed, obese, retired soldier with a nasty facial scar, but your in-game penalties would be massive. Listed below are the Faults available to you.

Physical Faults

Physical Faults provide difficulties and disabilities to your character's body. Everything from missing limbs to poor senses.

Addict

4/8

You just can't quit the juice or whatever your particular vice may be. For an addiction to something easily procured such as food, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco products, or gambling, this Fault is worth four points. For an intense addiction to expensive and hard-to-find substances or situations, such as addiction to the blood of a powerful and exotic creature, or dependence on a potent drugs or chemicals, the bonus is eight XP. The addiction should prove an ever present menace, not only to the character whom it afflicts, but also to that character's comrades and loved ones. Note that the long-term chemically-addicted usually develop a resistance to their drug of choice reducing the potency and duration of the high to half, thus requiring more frequent use of larger amounts of the product to achieve the same effect. Any benefits usually gained from a vice are halved (round down) in the case of the addict. Each day an addict must indulge in their vice. If they do not, they suffer a −2 or −4 penalty to all rolls until they once again indulge in their vice.

Allergies

1–6

Allergies are a complication with the immune system which cause problematic, rapid reactions when an afflicted person comes in contact with a specific environmental substance, such as plant pollen or food items. An allergic reaction lasts as long as you're in contact with the allergen.

Ingested Allergens

For 1 point, you have a mild ingested allergy: you must ingest the allergen for it to have an effect. Reactions might include itching or rashes, mild swelling, nasal congestion, mild asthma, swelling of the tongue or face, nausea and similar gastrointestinal problems, or difficulty breathing. Sensitivity in this way to types of food (shellfish, eggs, milk, etc.) is common. You take a −1 to all rolls while having an allergic reaction.

For 2 points, you have a severe ingested allergy, and you are likely to experience the effects listed above plus have your airway completely constricted, fluid run into your lungs, and/or suffer full-blown anaphylactic shock. Not only do you suffer penalties to your rolls, you also take a point of damage each round you are under the effects of the attack.

Contact Allergens

For 2 points, you have a more serious allergy: one that is activated by contact with the allergen. You take a −1 to all rolls while having a contacted allergic reaction.

For 4 points, you have a severe contact allergy. Not only do you suffer penalties to your rolls, you also take a point of damage each round you are under the effects of the attack.

Area Allergens

For 3 points, you merely need to be within ten feet of the source of your allergy to suffer the ill effects. You take a −1 to all rolls while having an allergy attack.

For 6 points, you have a severe area allergy. Not only do you suffer penalties to your rolls, you also take a point of damage each round you are under the effects of the attack.

You may take this Fault multiple times. You may either choose a new source for your allergy (an allergen) or the same source, in which case the effects are cumulative.

Anosmia

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2

Your sense of smell is completely absent. You don't perceive any odors nor register the flavors of any foods. You take a −4 penalty on all Search rolls to locate the source of an odor. Your inability to perceive the flavor of food doesn't disable your sense of taste (you can still tell if something is salty, sweet, or sour, etc.), however you may find yourself eating less since you can't enjoy the flavor of the foods you eat. Our advice: join a circus, become a skunk trainer. Somebody has to do it.

Incompatible with: Acute Smell, Bloodhound, Broken Sniffer

Battle Scar

8

Long ago, you survived a wound that, by all accounts, should've killed you. To this day it has never quite healed right. You take 1 damage from your Battle Scar each round you are in combat.

Incompatible with: (If Battle Scar is on face) Attractive, Unremarkable, and Regeneration

Broken Sniffer

4

Your sense of smell is greatly handicapped. While the root cause is probably a neurological problem, it could also be a minor curse. You take a −2 to Perception and Search checks which rely in any way on your sense of smell or taste.

Anosmia. Your sense of smell is completely absent. You don't perceive any odors nor register the flavors of any foods. Our advice: join a circus, become a skunk trainer. Somebody has to do it.

Parosmia. Parosmia is the incorrect interpretation of odors and flavors. You perceive pleasant odors as reminiscent of burning flesh, fish, vomit, or garbage. Sometimes particularly flavorful food will taste the same as it smells — terrible.

Phantosmia. Phantosmia causes you to perceive odors that aren't there. You often, inexplicably, smell mystery odors reminiscent of rancid milk, lavender, moldy earth, coffee beans, or manure.

Incompatible with: Bloodhound

Blind

18

Whether through birth defect or accident, you have completely lost your sight. You automatically fail Perception and Search checks which rely on sight alone and take a −2 penalty to those checks when sight is a factor. You may not move safely at more than a walking speed and you will have a hard time with many skills, most particularly those for which you cannot take your time and use your hands to guide you (−2 to those checks). You also cannot fight effectively (−8 Penalty to all Combat rolls) without special training (the Blind-Fighting trump) or the aid of magic, and are considered Confused while in combat. Note that the GM should only allow experienced players to play blind characters as it takes a lot of patience and ingenuity to keep them going. On the plus side, you can't be fooled by purely visual illusions.

Incompatible with: Backstabber, Getaway Driver, Going the Distance, Hawk Eyes, Poor Vision, Precision, Tech Medic, and Unremarkable.

Child

4

You are considered immature by the standards of your race and culture, and as such, you are not a fully intelligent, autonomous being in the eyes of most adults. Until you mature, you'll have a hard time interacting with adult society and will very rarely be taken seriously. You take a −4 penalty on Leadership, Bluff, Negotiate, and Intimidate when interacting with adults. Countering this, you enjoy a +4 bonus on these same checks with other children. And due to the fact that you're not yet fully grown, your maximum allowed points in Muscle and Endurance is 7.

Incompatible with: Massive and Old

Clumsy

8

Butterfingers. Fumblelina. They've called you that, among other things, ever since you were a kid, and they're right. Your failures always seem to create the most spectacularly counterproductive results. When you trip, stumble, or sneeze, it's sure to overturn priceless artifacts, awaken sleeping monsters, and bring guards running. Whenever you critically fail an attack roll or a skill check, and you don't pass the DL of the skill check, you take the difference as damage. You fail to pick a lock: you somehow manage to lodge the pick in your hand; you fail to climb a tree, you fall and stab your leg with a rock. Are you sure adventuring is the life for you?

Incompatible with: Artful Dodger, Catch Missile, Chameleon, Counterattack, Feline Balance, Hasty Reload, Missile Swat, Mounted Charge, Mounted Smite, Pickpocket, Quick Draw, Shadow Warrior, Sidestep, Speedy Reflexes, Spell Swat, Tech Medic, and the Weapon Savant Special Power. Practice any other Combat Trumps at the risk of your own limbs.

Deaf

12

You are incapable of hearing; stone deaf. Among other obstacles, you automatically fail skill checks which rely on hearing alone and take a −2 penalty on those checks when hearing is a factor (usually checks like Perception, Search, Stealth, Discern, or Perform). Since you will not hear comrades' shouted warnings, you take a −1 penalty to Reaction. You will not understand talkers if their lips cannot be observed, and you also have a hard time speaking out loud to others, as you cannot hear your own voice. As a player, you must learn not to rely upon the speech of your fellow PCs, which (like the Blind Fault) may be too restrictive for less serious or experienced gamers.

Incompatible with: Chameleon, Ears of the Bat, Shadow Warrior, Hearing Impaired, and Silver Tongue

Deformity

2/4/6

You bear the physical markings of genetic mutation, a growth disorder, an irregular birth, terrible burns, or other trauma. For two points you are considered Deformed. You possess a minor physical deformity which bothers those around you. Typical two point deformities would include an extra finger on your right hand, an iris with no pigment, or hugely crooked teeth.

For four points you are Twisted. Your appearance is disturbing and strange. Typical four point deformities would include a clawed hand, a hunched back, backwards kneecaps, the visage of the Phantom of the Opera, or a misshapen head.

For six points you are Monstrous. You resemble a bestial, inhuman thing, regardless of what purity and warmth lies within you, and people often run from you or attack you. Typical six point deformities would include leprosy, wild mutations, writhing tentacles sprouting from your body, fur and fangs, or the physique of the Elephant Man.

Depending on your type of Deformity, you suffer a −1, −2, or −3 to Seduce and Disguise checks.

Interesting combinations include Massive, Cursed, Owned, Hunted, Shady, etc.

Incompatible with: Attractive, Unremarkable, Everybodys Best Friend, and Girl/Guy Magnet. Some deformities make life difficult or impossible for a Contortionist.

Hearing Impaired

6

While not Deaf, you don't hear so well. You take a −2 penalty to all checks for which hearing is a factor (typically Perception, Search, Translate, etc). You are completely deaf to high-pitched sounds, such as the whistle of an approaching arrow or a beeping time bomb.

Note on hearing correction: As with vision-correction, there are some devices which can amplify sounds and correct a character's hearing, effectively negating the penalties suggested above, but only while the device is worn. These items are even harder to find and more expensive than vision-corrective items and may be non-existent in some stories. Anytime a character with a hearing-corrective device rolls a critical failure, the device is lost and the character must spend time searching for it, during which time the usual hearing-related penalties return.

Incompatible with: Ears of the Bat, and Deaf.

Frail

2

You bruise and break easily. As a result, you take a permanent −2 penalty on your Guard Rolls for your inability to take a good hit. Consider a life of modeling.

Incompatible with: Iron Grip, Stranglehold, Suplex, and Tough as Nails. Also incompatible with the Hands of Fate Special Power.

Hyperactive

4

Kid, you just can't sit still. To the annoyance of those around you, you're constantly pacing, fidgeting, cracking your knuckles, tapping your feet, humming, and generally expending energy any way you can. You take a −1 to Stealth and Disguise due to your inability to remain still. Anyone who has to spend significant time with you will react poorly towards you once your condition becomes apparent. Boredom is your mortal enemy — whenever you are forced to lay in wait for a foe in order to surprise them, you must make a Virtue roll (DL 15) to calm yourself long enough to spring the trap. If you fail, you reveal yourself too soon and the surprise is ruined (the enemies will not be caught wide-eyed). Keeping still for anything longer than fifteen minutes is utter agony (you will look as though you're about to explode).

Combine with Easily Distracted for ADHD. Hyperactive also goes well with Laughable.

Incompatible with: Chameleon, Everybody's Best Friend, Shadow Warrior, Sluggard, and Strategist.

Lame

4/8

One or both of your legs have suffered serious trauma. If one leg is lame, this Fault is worth four points and you walk with a noticeable limp. You permanently gain the hampered condition. For 8 points, both your legs are nearly inoperative, running is impossible for you (you automatically fail Dash checks involving the use of your legs), and you must walk with assistance, e.g. a cane, braces, magic, or a wheelchair (if such resources/technology are available). If you are deprived of your assistance, you gain the prone condition and must be carried by an ally to move.

Incompatible with: Contortionist, Feline Balance, Momentum, Shadow Warrior, and Unremarkable.

Little Piggy

3

While not necessarily overweight or large (in many cases, it's the little guys that eat so much), you eat twice as much per day as might be expected, perhaps due to a high metabolism. You are rarely seen without something edible in your hand. In areas where food is in short supply, you may be perceived as a glutton (−1 penalty to Seduce and Negotiate rolls). Anything food related (room and board, rations, ale, etc.) costs twice as much for you.

Missing Hand

10/12

Your hand was amputated, sliced off in deadly combat, or withered to a useless husk. You take a −2 penalty to any skills requiring the use of both hands such as Grip, Might, Machinery, and Disguise. Additionally, you are unable to wield 2-handed weapons.

For 10 points, your character is deprived of the use of a hand. You can still use the affected arm in combat, if a special device is crafted for you with an attached weapon, and a shield can always be strapped to your arm. For 12 points, the character is either missing the arm from the elbow down, or missing it entirely.

If the player decides to take this Fault after a story begins (giving the GM permission to lob off the poor thing), and if the lost appendage was on the dominant side, you suffer penalties to all rolls involving the use of either hand until the GM deems it a long enough period to adjust to the trauma, or unless you possess the Ambidexterity Trump.

Incompatible with: Unremarkable (unless a convincing prosthetic is used), Dual Weapons, Hasty Reload, Regeneration, and Unarmed.

Monstrous

Gallows.svg


8

You are a twisted, bestial thing, monstrous in appearance if not temperament. Social interaction is near impossible (−4 to Animal Control, Seduce, and Disguise, and animals and people alike avoid or run from you.

The up-side to this is that you are scary as the devil. You receive a +4 bonus to Intimidate.

If you purchase Animal Kinship, the penalties imposed by this fault do not apply to animals and the effects of the Animal Kinship trump work normally. Famous Amos may be bought if you can provide a good back-story; GM's discretion.

Other interesting combinations include Siren Song, Massive, Tough as Nails, Cursed, Owned, etc.

Incompatible with: Attractive, Unremarkable, Everybodys Best Friend, Natural Leader, and Girl/Guy Magnet.

Mute

10

Your vocal chords are absent or nonfunctional, and verbal communication is impossible for you. Special sign languages are your only possibility for detailed communication with most beings, although mind magic or divination may aid you. You automatically fail skill checks which require speech (though if pantomime or writing will suffice, the check may still be attempted in that way) and you may not attempt to use diplomacy to end hostilities (you may still Intimidate and Taunt, however). The player must learn to communicate with other PCs nonverbally, which is a real challenge. Like Blind and Deaf, only gamers who really intend to role-play this Fault thoroughly should consider creating a Mute character.

Incompatible with: Everybody's Best Friend, Inspirational, Oh Snap!, Silver Tongue, Speech Impediment, Spellsong, and With Me!.

Narcolepsy

6

A person with Narcolepsy is likely to become drowsy or to fall asleep, often at inappropriate times and places. Due to a slight malfunction in the brain and the pattern of sleep during the night, a character will suffer intermittent bouts of slumber throughout the day, and waking during the night. Whenever the character rolls a Critical Failure, he or she immediately falls asleep until their next turn.

This fault is especially dangerous when mixed with either Clumsy or Magic Dunce.

Incompatible with: Sleep Control

Obese

10

You are significantly and unhealthily overweight — you weigh double the normal weight for your height and species. You tire more quickly than average and anyone attempting to carry you or assist you in moving takes a −4 on the check. When making a Grip (while climbing), Dodge, Gymnastics, or Stealth check, you take a −2 penalty. Those who respect physical fitness will feel contempt towards you. The malnourished will feel jealousy. You also take a −2 penalty to Thievery checks to escape bonds.

Let it be noted that you'll need to find a sturdy mount and most mounts will not carry you for long.

Obese is likely found in the company of Little Piggy, Extra Padding, and Sluggard.

Incompatible with: Contortionist, Featherweight, and Unremarkable.

Old

4/10/18

The opposite extreme of the Child fault. You are considered past your prime for your race and culture, although the exact effects of this Fault depend upon your level of age, as follows:

Over the Hill

Expoint Bonus: 4

You've passed the midpoint of your lifespan, (50 years for humans) and those unburdened by age are beginning to doubt your capabilities (−1 penalty to Negotiate and Seduce against anyone at least 1 generation younger). You can still hold your own, but age is catching up to you: your Max Caps in Muscle, Agility, and Endurance is one fewer. You also have 1 fewer Action Point.

Incompatible with: Child, Ancient, Prehistoric

Ancient

Expoint Bonus: 10

Time's ravages have left their mark on your face as well as your body, and your looks have suffered. By all accounts, you should be on death's doorstep. You are near the end of your race's average lifespan (75 for humans), and anyone younger than Over the Hill has little respect or patience for you (−2 penalty to Negotiate, Seduce and Intimidate). Those irresponsible young whippersnappers, still blessed with keen senses and supple joints… just wait till they're in your shoes, then they won't be so cocky. While your mind may still be sharp, your body isn't what it used to be: your Muscle, Agility, and Endurance Max Caps are now 3 fewer as well. You also have 2 fewer Action Points.

Exception to the Fault: in cultures where elders truly are revered, you will be honored and deferred to — however, you will be expected to provide wisdom, guidance, and leadership, whether you are wise and charismatic or not!

Incompatible with: Contortionist, Child, Over the Hill, Prehistoric, Attractive:Stunning

Prehistoric

Expoint Bonus: 18

"Shut up, you old windbag." "Clyde, you warty lizard, you ain't but a day younger than I am!" "Don't matter, younger is younger."

By all accounts, you should've been dead years ago. You're well past the average life expectancy of your race (90 for humans) and are considered by anyone younger than yourself (which is almost everyone) to be a doddering oldster, capable of little more than spooning mush into your toothless maw — you take a −3 penalty to Leadership, Negotiate, Seduce, and Intimidate with anyone who is your junior, and your Max Caps for Muscle, Agility, and Endurance are 5 fewer. You also have 3 fewer Action Points. Needless to say, you have a hard time scoring hot dates. In your favor, you are affected by the Exception noted above, and anyone who's been around as long as you have is bound to have some useful experience. Keep in mind the adage: "Old age and treachery will beat youth and enthusiasm every time."

Incompatible with: Contortionist, Child, Over the Hill, Ancient, Everybody's Best Friend, Girl/Guy Magnet, Attractive:Beautiful, Attractive:Stunning

As if you needed any more reminders of your decrepitude, keep in mind that age is frequently accompanied by any number of Physical Faults, especially poor hearing and vision.

One Arm

Gallows.svg


4

You are missing one arm. The GM is the arbiter of any penalties this might entail, but most likely you will take a −4 penalty to Climb, Grab, Disable, Disguise, and Gymnastics. You will also have a terrible time carrying comrades, large loads, etc.

Note that you can also take Missing Hand, but for the arm you still have.

Incompatible with: Unremarkable (unless a realistic replacement is worn) and Unarmed

One Eye

Gallows.svg


6

Having only one functioning eye throws your depth perception all off. Thus you take a −2 penalty on ranged combat. You take a −2 penalty on rolls based on Perception and Discern for estimation of distances, etc.), and your Reaction is reduced by 2.

Great for eye-patch-havin' pirates (shoulder bird and cool hat not included).

Incompatible with: Unremarkable unless the injury is not obvious (i.e. the eye is intact, or a quality glass replacement is used) and Blind.

Poor Vision

5/10

You have significantly bad eyesight, in a time and place when vision correction is hard to come by. For five points, you are either Nearsighted or Farsighted.

Nearsighted
You have difficulty focusing on anything further away than your outstretched hand. Driving, sailing, or piloting a craft is difficult. You take a −1 penalty to all Perception, Discern, Machinery and ranged combat rolls beyond a distance of six feet away from you. Also, you tend not to see anything until it's right on top of you (−1 Reaction), meaning you will have difficulty identifying that ominous-looking approaching horseman and will fail to recognize even prominent landmarks until they're too close to be of much use, to name just a few problems.
Farsighted
Your long-distance vision is fine, but anything closer than six feet becomes a blur. You suffer a −1 penalty to Stealth, Search, Discern, Healing, and Machinery checks, plus all melee combat rolls. You also have trouble reading books or manipulating any small objects (e.g. needle and thread).
One Eyed
Characters with one eye could be considered to suffer from this Fault: the lack of depth perception and peripheral vision from having only one good eye is comparable to nearsightedness.
Barely Sighted
This version of the Fault is worth ten points and it is effectively a combination of Nearsighted and Farsighted. You don't see well at any distance, which is a death knell for a warrior but can be a fun trait for a less combat-oriented character. Imagine a mage who, after burying himself in books for years, can barely see past the end of his nose. Envision him trying to throw spells at targets that are little more than blurs of color, or recognize friends and foes in a crowd, or press the right button on a complicated mechanism… great potential for humor and challenges. You cumulatively take all the penalties listed above. Expect the GM to make the most of your near-blindness.

Note on vision correction: devices which focus and correct vision such as eyeglasses and magical artifacts do exist, but they are painstakingly hand-crafted and the secrets of their design are not widely known. In some places, these devices may not be available. Certainly in fantasy-themed stories, these objects would be worth several times their weight in gold — perhaps your GM could even use it as the object of a quest. In more modern stories, these devices are more prevalent, but still not cheap. You can purchase vision correction with your character's money or through Item of Value, but remember that such things are easily lost, broken, or stolen, but not so readily replaced; anytime you roll a critical failure you lose your corrective item and must spend time searching for it, during which time all the vision-related penalties come back. Jinkies, where are my glasses?

Incompatible with: Blind, Getaway Driver, Going the Distance, Hawk Eyes, Precision, Regeneration, and Unremarkable (if missing an eye or utilizing obvious vision correction in a culture where such items are rare).

Speech Impediment

4

You suffer from an unfortunate inability to communicate smoothly. While far from mute, you may have a lisp, a stuttering problem, or broken, choppy speech. People to whom you speak strain to understand you. You take a −2 penalty to checks which rely on speech, though if the check can be attempted just as easily through non-verbal means, you are not penalized. Additionally, any spells you try to cast using spoken incantation take a −4 to the roll. Th-th-th-that's all, folks!

Incompatible with: Mute, Inspirational, Oh Snap!, Peacemaker, Spellsong, Silver Tongue

Slow Healer

6

You do not recover well from injury, healing only half as many Health Points as others in the same amount of time.

Incompatible with: Fast Healer and Regeneration. Also incompatible with Fabricated creatures, Undead creatures

Stinky

4/8

Man… you stink. Because of halitosis, body odor, a dip in the Swamp of Everlasting Flatulence, or who knows what else, you exude a rather unpleasant smell. You might even look beautiful, but it won't make up for the stink, and so folks will always keep their distance. As much as you may try, no amount of perfume or mouthwash in the world seems to be able to counter your unique aroma which wafts around you in a five foot radius. This fault brings penalties to the following skills unless the target is also stinky or cannot smell you: Animal Control, Negotiate, Seduce, and Disguise.

For 4 points, you have a slight odor, perhaps bad breath or minor body odor. You take −1 to the listed checks.

For 8 points, you reek: you have revolting breath and/or oppressive body odor. People sometimes gag or retch if around you for long. You take a −2 to the listed checks.

Incompatible with: Everybody's Best Friend, Girl/Guy Magnet, and Unremarkable.

Twitchy

6

You have vague but intense fears that someone or something is out to get you. You never sit with your back to a doorway or window, always suspect you're being spied upon, feel unsafe in crowds, and have a hard time trusting anyone. Your eyes never cease darting to every corner of a room, and even the slightest sound sets you off in a paroxysm of startlement.

Most people tend to avoid you, you annoying freak, and even animals are unnerved by your agitation. You take a −2 penalty to Animal Control, Seduce, and Perform. Have fun muttering to yourself and looking over your shoulder every two seconds.

Twitchy goes hand in hand with Hyperactive and stimulant Addiction. Twitchy can also result from a Sixth Sense that's gone off the rails.

Incompatible with: Animal Kinship, Compos Mentis, Everybody's Best Friend, and Stage Presence

Unappealing

2/4/6

You've passed just "plain" and moved into the region of unattractive. Something about you turns others off, although just how much you turn them off varies. For two points, you are considered Unappealing to the point of homely, and you take a −1 penalty on Leadership and Seduce checks. Four points in this Fault buys the rank of Ugly and you must take a −2 penalty to those skills. Grotesque characters suffer a −3 penalty to those skills for a six point Fault.

Incompatible with: Attractive, Girl/Guy Magnet, and Unremarkable

Unarmed

20

You possess no arms and cannot engage in any form of combat that requires the use of arms/hands. To inflict harm on another creature you must kick, bite, head-butt, use your body as a ram, or perhaps employ magic. The Hand-to-hand weapon skill can still apply to your feet and head at no penalty. You automatically fail skill checks that require the use of hands and arms such as Grip, Grab, Might, Machinery, and some uses of Thievery for example). You swim poorly, are difficult to Disguise, and don't Seduce others easily. You take −2 on those checks. You cannot wear a backpack. You cannot wield most weapons. You also will have to learn a new way to shave and get someone to wipe for you. Look on the bright side; you can't be disarmed!

Incompatible with: Ambidexterity, Bodyguard, Catch Missile, Dual Weapons, Hasty Reload, Getaway Driver, Girl/Guy Magnet, Iron Grip, Missing Hand/Arm, Missile Swat, Pickpocket, Regeneration, Stranglehold, Suplex, Tech Medic and Unremarkable. Also incompatible with the Hands of Fate Special Power.

Vertically Challenged

4

You are, well, short. Really short. You're one Size lower than the norm for your species. For example, an adult human (normally Size 0) is now Size −1, an underwhelming 4 feet 6 inches and 75 pounds. Sure, it's harder to hit you, but your hits aren't as hard. Plus, you suffer obstacles and indignities bigger folk never even consider. Must be this tall to ride.

Incompatible with: Massive and Unremarkable

Walking Target

8

For whatever reason, you stick out in a group, and draw the eye of every sniper around. Ranged attackers choosing targets at random will always notice you first, and you take a −2 penalty to your Evasion Roll against ranged attacks. With all eyes on you, it is nearly impossible to act inconspicuous. In your case, the eye is faster than the hand, and the only thing you can pick from pockets is a fight. Whenever you try to duck out of sight, you sneeze, or otherwise trip and reveal yourself. Even slinking along quietly is a chore because of the change in your pocket, or those metal boots you just had to have. You take a −2 penalty to Stealth and Thievery. Those trying to track you by your description gain a +2 bonus ("Oh, yeah, I remember that strange-looking guy… he rode off to the north yesterday morning").

Incompatible with: Backstabber, Chameleon, Shadow Warrior, and Unremarkable.

Mental Faults

Mental Faults impose penalties based on problems in your noggin: everything from behavioral disorders to full-blown mental illnesses.

Amnesiac

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6

You are afflicted by severe memory loss, either through brain trauma or mental illness. You recall nothing about your life before a certain point in time (determined jointly by you and the GM; for maximum suspense, very close to the start of the storyline). You still remember how to accomplish everyday tasks, however, you take a −2 penalty to Lore, Focus and Occupation. Also see the note on Photographic Memory.

The creation of an Amnesiac character places a number of limitations on the player and opens many doors in the story; players should consult closely with the GM to determine the fair boundaries of what or who might pop up from the character's "old" life, and whether memory might ever be fully restored. For even more complication, the player might elect to let the GM herself decide the character's forgotten skills, trumps, faults, and history, so that they'll be as much as surprise to the player as to his character when they're revealed!

Angel on Your Shoulder

2

You always know the difference between right and wrong, and no matter how much you might wish otherwise, a distracting little voice in the back of your mind scolds you when you go for "wrong." Anytime you act in a manner which could be considered "wrong," "bad," "evil," or frowned upon, you must make a Virtue check of 15 or perform the task at −2 penalty. If, as a player, you lack a well-developed conscience, the GM can fill you in, but "wrong" typically has to do with breaking major laws or social norms for your race or culture. The real intent of this fault is to place limits on a character's behavior. Different races may have some separate and opposite moral viewpoints.

Incompatible with: Beyond Good and Evil, Perspective, and Pickpocket

Avaricious

3

Greed is good. At least, it's good to you. You have a very strong desire to line your pockets, although what you do with your riches is up to your individual tastes. Be you a miser or spendthrift, you take a −2 penalty on Virtue checks to resist opportunities, even obviously dangerous ones (fun if you're also a Coward), that offer significant largess. You'll probably end up searching for treasure in every corner of a dungeon (or similar location where unowned valuables might reasonably lie unclaimed), or looting every corpse you find — friend and foe alike. You cannot resist taking any especially valuable-looking object except by making a Virtue check (DL 15 or more, depending on value of item and circumstance). That golden, gem-encrusted urn must be worth a king's ransom, and even if you know it's booby-trapped, you've just got to have it…

Callous

4

The pains and trials of others are of no matter to you, and pleas are lost on your deaf ears. You will not care if something bad happens to your comrades, you will not help others for compassion or mercy's sake, and you sure as hell won't go easy on your enemies. You take a −2 penalty to Healing and Leadership checks. "Them's the breaks." It's not that you are without virtue. You simply don't have the capacity for engaging everyone's needs.

You may be Callous and have an Angel on Your Shoulder, but you'll be an incredibly conflicted individual, probably someone who shouts at himself and represses his good-natured instincts. And if a Callous character has an Attack Restriction or is a Peacemaker or Pacifist, it's not out of compassion.

Incompatible with: Animal Kinship, Bodyguard, Everybody's Best Friend, and Soft Hearted

Code

6

Call it principle, discipline, honor, or duty; you live by a strict personal code — although this code is by no means necessarily good or ethical. Codes are made up of restrictions or objectives, called "tenets," usually three or more and up to as many as ten or even twenty. If your GM feels that your Code is less or more restrictive than what is typical, he may decide your Code is worth more or less Expoints.

Your particular code should be written out in detail so you know exactly what is and isn't within the bounds of your Code. Always wear blue, tip 30% extra, never pay for drinks, never tell a lie, seduce a woman in every town, sing a paean during every battle, always fight lesser opponents blindfolded, find the man who killed your father and kill him with his own sword, obey a chivalric code of honor, steal one item from each person who slights you, never abandon your comrades, never harm an animal, do not trespass, eat no meat or dairy, burn the remains of fallen foes, abstain from witchcraft, and never travel by water are all good examples of tenets of a Code. You may deviate from your Code when under extreme duress, but until you can properly atone for your deviation, you take a −2 penalty to all rolls. As always, try to be inventive, but consult your GM to determine the exact value of your Code.

Note that Avaricious, Vengeful, Attack Restriction, Peacemaker, Pacifist, Called, and Chaos Knight essentially impose similar restraints to a Code, but are separate Trumps and Faults. A character may be Driven to accomplish his Code.

Coward

8

You can't stand the sight of blood — well, yours, anyway. You take a −4 penalty on Guts rolls, and you likewise take a −1 penalty on all offensive combat actions. This is because your entire attention is devoted to protecting yourself from harm: you gain a +1 bonus to your Evasion Roll (your buddies can fend for themselves). In any combat situation, you will likely flee at the earliest opportunity. You must make a Guts check at DL 10 or spend your actions in combat running away/seeking safety. If you cannot escape, you will surrender. Combat-oriented or courageous characters who know of your cowardice will certainly lose respect for you.

Incompatible with: Hand-to-hand Combat, Blind-Fighting, Bodyguard, Bully, Brawler, Catch Missile, Counterattack, Daredevil, Destructive, Domino Strike, Driven, Dual Weapons, Duelist, Fearless, Foolhardy, Indomitable, Missile Swat, Momentum, Nimble Combatant, Real Hard Hitter, Roundhouse, Spell Swat, Stranglehold, Suplex, Swarm Fighter and With Me!. Also incompatible with the Special Powers Weapon Savant and Hands of Fate.

Devil on Your Shoulder

2

You are more aware of your darker impulses than most. It's not that you can't be good — you know all about good and evil — but your evil side is way cooler. You take a −2 penalty to Virtue checks to resist temptation, and the GM should tempt you frequently. See the Angel on Your Shoulder entry about racial and cultural morals.

Devil On Your Shoulder combined with Avaricious and Sadist makes for a real bastard of a character. When paired with Angel on Your Shoulder, this Fault makes characters act conflicted.

Incompatible with: Beyond Good and Evil, Honest Abe, and Perspective.

Easily Distracted

4

Pay attention! You are a scatterbrain and your mind is easily taken off tasks at hand. It takes you at least an extra half as long (perhaps even two or three times as long) to do something repetitive, tedious, menial, or requiring concentration (e.g. chores, reading a novel, math homework). You'll need to make a Lore check anytime you need to focus on a complex memory (e.g. your lines in a play, the combination to the padlock on your shed). You're very likely to leave your domicile without some needed object, and you're just as likely to forget to do something routine (did I lock the back door?). Therefore, your GM is granted the privilege to have you roll a Mind Control check (or roll one for you in secret) against a DL of 10. Failure indicates a forgotten object or task. Finally, you also take a −2 to Negotiate because many times you just can't remember the exact point you were trying to make during a… where was I?

Incompatible with: Chameleon and Photographic Memory.

Foolhardy

3

You are an action junky; you're mentally incapable of turning down a challenging or risky task. You may not refuse or knowingly avoid a potentially hazardous action unless you succeed at a DL 15 Virtue check. Goes well with Daredevil.

Incompatible with: Coward and Combat Shy

Gullible

4

You are very naïve and believe everything you're told. Perhaps you recognize your weakness, in which case you must be constantly on the lookout for someone who might try and take advantage of you. In order to separate truth from falsehood, you must make a Discern or Lucidity check — unfortunately, you take a −2 penalty to both of these. Oddly enough, the word gullible itself is not in the dictionary.

Incompatible with: Born to Haggle and Skeptic

Honest Abe

2/6

Are you a rotten liar! Maybe it's your upbringing, maybe it's a curse, but something has severely hampered your ability to fib or has rendered it non-existent.

Bad Liar: For 2 points, people always take what you say with a grain of salt and have a tough time believing anything that spills out of your mouth. On the other hand, maybe you're such a good person, when you try to lie it sounds absolutely fake. You take a −2 to Bluff checks.

Honest Abe: For 6 points, you cannot make Bluff checks. You simply lack the capacity to speak anything but the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. In a situation where the honest truth would be detrimental, your allies will stomp on your foot or make all attempts to keep you silent. Stay out of the lawyer business and keep away from poker games.

Incompatible with: Born to Haggle, Devil on Your Shoulder, and Silver Tongue.

Incompetent

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2/skill

You just plain stink at a designated skill. You take a −2 to any roll using that skill. It helps to accept the fact that nobody's perfect, you loser. You may be Incompetent in a weapon skill, but your Incompetence encompasses all weapons of a certain type: swords, polearms, guns, etc.

Incompatible with: any Trump or Fault that specifically boosts the skill in question as a primary function — GM's judgment

Indomitable

4

Your spirit and resolve are completely indomitable. It could be for any number of reasons, but the result is you do not, under any circumstances, voluntarily back down, give up, surrender, or retreat, despite all odds. While some might consider this a boon, most people know that there are many circumstances in which one might need to run away. Your incapability to retreat will cause all sorts of misadventures for your allies — that is if they don't leave you behind.

If you are compelled to run away from failing a Guts check against a magical or supernatural effect, however, you may turn your tail and run, though you'll despise yourself afterwards.

Incompatible with: Flighty, Perspective and Coward.

Master of None

6

You have joined a long list of people who have worked very hard only to get somewhere second. What's worse: you seem to be good at it. Whether you excel or not, you just can't seem to reach the pinnacle of your ability. You cannot exceed six ranks in any skill: your cap is at six ranks instead of the normal ten. Here's to your adventures in mediocrity!

Master of None goes well with Jack of All Trades

Mental Illness

1–6

You suffer from a particular mental illness such as Dissociative Identity Disorder, some type of Schizophrenia, Depersonalization, Conversion Disorder, etc. The exact nature of the illness should be researched by the player and discussed with the GM to come to an agreement on effects and points value. Abnormal Psychology Journals and dictionaries provide excellent information. Sadly, the list to choose from is very long.

Some disorders include:

Paranoid

6 points

You have vague but intense fears that someone or something is out to get you. You never sit with your back to a doorway or window, always suspect you're being spied upon, feel unsafe in crowds, and have a hard time trusting anyone (+2 bonus to Discern, Hide, and Reaction rolls). Everyone except the Twitchy, Cowardly, or other Paranoiacs reacts negatively towards you (−2 difficulty on Intimidate, Bluff, Negotiate, Seduce, Disguise, and Performance rolls). Have fun muttering to yourself and looking over your shoulder every two seconds.

Goes very well with Hyperactive and Twitchy.

Incompatible with: Everybodys Best Friend.

Masochist

3 points

Pain isn't so bad. It's actually kinda… fun. This attitude, should it become apparent, will be considered anything from a minor quirk to a serious and repulsive sexual deviation, depending on the individuals and cultures you encounter. Anyone aware of your fetish (and for fun's sake, don't hide it too well) will react negatively towards you (−2 penalty to Seduce, and Negotiate, except Nymphomaniacs and other Masochists). You receive a +1 to Taunt since you take all the joy out of being vicious. Sadists will be particularly irritated by you.

Phobia

3 points

You irrationally fear a specific object, activity, or situation. You are paralyzed whenever confronted with the object of your Phobia. A Fate point must be spent to overcome terror and get past the phobia, else you will seek the easiest and quickest way directly away from the object. Common Phobias include Agoraphobia, fear of wide open spaces; Arachnophobia, fear of spiders and arachnids; Necrophobia, fear of corpses and death; and Zoophobia, fear of animals.

Incompatible with: Fearless

Sadist

3 points

Blood holds a strange fascination for you, and causing others pain gives you an illicit thrill. In any situation where you must stay your hand against a foe, you must make a Self-Control check. If the foe is unarmed, unaware of your presence, or otherwise helpless, you take a −2 penalty on this check. Most reasonable beings will react to your sadism with fear and revulsion (−1 penalty to Leadership, Negotiate, and Seduce), but those disdainful of mercy will approve (+1 bonus). Because you are especially frightful in your pursuit of dealing out dollops of pain, you receive a +1 to Intimidate.

Incompatible with: Soft Hearted and Peacemaker/Pacifist.

Other Mental Illnesses

Narcissistic personality disorder (6 points)
A preoccupation with one's pride, vanity and self-importance (−2 to Leadership, Seduce, and resisting Taunt).
Dependant personality disorder (2 points)
An excessive need to be taken care of leading to submissive and fearful behavior (−2 to Fear Save).
Chronic Depression (2 points)
This Fault gives you a −1 penalty to Seduce and Leadership.
Hypochondriasis (2 points)
The diagnosis of yourself as persistently sick (−2 Vitality)
Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (2 points)
Causes you to compulsively perform actions not of your volition very frequently (−2 to Self-Control-related checks).
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 3 points)
You may be reminded of a horrible past event and irrationally relive your actions (−2 to Madness and Curse Save). Goes well with Addict and Nightmares.
D.I.D. (Dissociative Identity Disorder, 5 points)
The fluctuation of consciousness between two or more separate, functioning identities. If your GM is feeling generous, he or she might allow you to actually have different character sheets for each personality (in this case, all physical attributes and physical Trumps/Faults would be the same.)

Nightmares

5

You are plagued by horrendous nightmares during sleep. You must make a Sanity roll at Difficulty 15 for each night you sleep. Failure indicates that you were unable to rest that night and spend the next day encumbered and exhausted until you can take the time to rest. While in this condition you are essentially carrying the weight of your fatigue: you take a −2 to perform any physical activity, and a −2 on Guts, Lucidity, and Mind Control. This penalty lasts until you can rest for a night undisturbed, and will increase by 2 every restless night. After long periods of time, these dreams can take a serious toll on your physical and mental health. If you begin to fail large amounts of consecutive rolls, the GM might give you a mental illness, a physical disability, or a reduction in stats. Not all is lost for those plagued by nightmares, because nightly, bizarre, mental torture grants a +2 on Clairvoyance, as you're more receptive to the supernatural.

Incompatible with: Compos Mentis and Sleep Control: Sleepless

Short Fuse

2

You're a loose cannon who flies off the handle very easily. You take a −2 penalty on all Virtue checks made against Taunts or to rein in temper and aggression.

Incompatible with: Perspective

Sluggard

4

Anytime you have to break a sweat, you're furious. You will always attempt to get others to labor in your stead and when you absolutely have to work, you spend nearly as much time bitching and moaning as you do getting anything done: double the time spent and take a −4 penalty to perform any physical labor, excepting combat. Then you're too busy trying not to get killed to whine.

Sluggards in general will shun anything as intensive as combat training, but they're only lazy, not cowardly, so they may learn Combat Trumps, although the training process will take twice as long.

Incompatible with: Driven, Hyperactive, Mountain Man, Nimble Combatant, With Me!, and Workhorse.

Soft Hearted

4

You cannot stand to see others suffer, especially innocents. On any skill checks which would result in collateral damage to innocents or cause another person great pain — including combat roles intended to deal damage, you take a −2 penalty as you are wracked with guilt. You could always just refuse to go through with that particular course of action or else try to stop it. If in the course of a combat you kill or horribly maim another being, or someone dies directly as a result of your actions, make a Sanity check at DL 15. Failure means you take a −2 penalty to all rolls for the rest of the day, and the memory will haunt you forever.

Goes well with Everybody's Best Friend, Pacifist, and Peacemaker.

Incompatible with: Backstabber, Beyond Good and Evil, Bully, Callous, Chaos Knight, Driven, Hard Hitter, Oh Snap!, and Sadist.

Terrible Memory

4

What did you eat for breakfast? And what was this guy's name? It's all a mystery to you, because you can barely remember your own shoe-size, let alone anything important. You are afflicted by severely poor recall if not total memory loss. You take a −4 penalty to Lore. Also see the note on Photographic Memory.

An interesting way to utilize this Trump is to play an Amnesiac: either because of brain trauma or mental illness, you recall nothing about your life before a certain point in time (determined jointly by you and the GM; for maximum suspense, very close to the start of the storyline).

The creation of an Amnesiac character places a number of limitations on the player and opens many doors in the story; players should consult closely with the GM to determine the fair boundaries of what or who might pop up from the character's "old" life, and whether memory might ever be fully restored. For even more complication, the player might elect to let the GM herself decide the character's forgotten skills, trumps, faults, and history, so that they'll be as much as surprise to the player as to his character when they're revealed!

Uneducated

4

You were never educated properly as a child (or you simply resisted it successfully) and know little to nothing about scholarly studies. You take a −2 penalty to Lore and Translate checks. Note that your exclusion from institutional knowledge in no way makes you an idiot — your mental attributes do that.

Incompatible with: Trivia Whiz

Unhinged

4

While not totally insane, you are slightly undone, just a little crazy. Illogical, whimsical, and weird things might seem perfectly rational to you, and vice-versa. Those around you will begin to doubt your grip on reality. Even while attempting to hold down small talk, your dementia becomes noticeable, slightly skewing your social interaction with strangers and comrades alike. You take a −2 penalty on Negotiate and Leadership checks. While most will react negatively, some people may find your quirks funny or refreshing.

Vengeful

3

Anytime you are wronged, you insist on obtaining your revenge. You always hold a grudge, and sooner or later, you will exact your inexorable retribution. While this may take the form of anything from relatively harmless practical jokes to the destruction of your target's relationships, business, or life, what you truly live for is to stand triumphant over their helpless form at the end of your next combat. Whenever you fight an opponent you have fought before, you receive a +2 bonus to your attack rolls.

Incompatible with: Perspective


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