Book:Trumps

The dazzling powers belonging to the hero of legend and the sinister abilities possessed by the villain of whispered rumors are represented in the Elysium game by Trumps. Trumps are extraordinary talents and properties that a character can attain either at character creation or as the game progresses.

Trumps can be purchased like Skills for a certain number of Expoints. Instead of a set number, each Trump lists its own cost. For example, the Trivia Whiz Trump costs one Expoint.

A character has no limit on the number of Trumps he or she can possess; the only limit is the number of Expoints earned during the game. Listed below are the Trumps available for purchase.

Physical Trumps

Physical Trumps are those that beef up character's body. Everything from heightened senses to poison or disease immunity.

Acute Sense

2

Your senses of hearing, seeing, and smelling are heightened. You gain a +1 bonus on Perception and Search checks when relying on your senses (i.e. you do not receive the bonus when making a Personality + Search check to gather information, etc).

Incompatible with: Anosmia, Hearing Impaired, Poor Vision, Deaf, and Blind

Ambidexterity

4

You can use either hand for many different tasks, including combat, with no penalties for using your nondominant hand, although you will still prefer one hand over the other for most tasks. If you have trained to use Dual Weapons, the weapons can be used interchangeably in either hand.

Incompatible with: Unarmed

Anchor

3

You are one tough son-of-a-gun to budge once you get planted. You receive a +4 bonus to Gymnastics and Might checks to resist attempts to move you or knock you prone. This includes the Slam and Trip combat tactics, as well as being moved while in a Grab. This doesn't necessarily mean your character is obese, maybe just dense or well balanced. Consider a career in wrestling.

Incompatible with: Featherweight and Lousy Balance

Attractive

2/4/6

You are remarkably easy on the eyes, kid. A two point version of this trump makes you Attractive. For four points, your features fall into all the right places and you are considered Beautiful. Six points ranks you as Stunning: you possess the face and body of a deity whose very countenance steals hearts and melts away anger — get used to being ogled. Your looks grant you a respective +1, +2, or +3 bonus on Leadership and Seduce checks based on your level of attractiveness.

Incompatible with: Unremarkable, Shady, and Unappealing. Those who are marked by a facial Battle Scar may not be more than Attractive, and anyone suffering from a Deformity may only be Beautiful or Stunning if the aberration is easily concealed. Also see restrictions on Old.

Bloodhound

4

Your sense of smell is much more highly developed than the average for your race. You notice odors that others are unaware of, and recognize smell differences between which no one else can differentiate. This means that you are even capable of tracking particularly aromatic creatures or objects over short distances by smell alone. It also means you'll notice immediately if your companions forget to bathe. You gain a +2 bonus to Search and Perception checks for which your keen sense of smell could prove helpful.

Incompatible with: Broken Sniffer

Chameleon

4

Patience and camouflage are your stock-in-trade. You have mastered the art of staying in one position, effectively motionless, for long periods of time and then creeping forward unnoticed. You gain a +2 bonus to Stealth and Disguise checks.

Incompatible with: Clumsy, Easily Distracted, Hyperactive, and Walking Target.

Chem Resistant

3

Chemical agents of any sort are severely reduced in efficiency when used upon you, but beware: this trump limits the effectiveness of beneficial drugs as well, from anesthetics to healing potions. Note that long-term drug abuse will result in a similar resistance to the specific drug in question, thus reinforcing the insidious cycle of addiction. When under the effects of a helpful or harmful chemical or alchemical substance you take one half (round down) the benefits, damage, or penalties normally incurred and the effective duration is halved.

Requires: A minimum Endurance of 5

Contortionist

2

You can wriggle and bend like no other. Whenever held or bound, no matter how securely, you can always re-roll a failed Thievery check made to escape from bonds (though if this second check fails, you’re out of luck).

Incompatible with: some Deformities, Lame, Obese, Ancient, and Prehistoric.

Ears of the Bat

4

You could hear a pin drop, couldn't you? In fact, your ears are so good that you perceive sounds one octave above and below the average range for your race. Your exceptional hearing assures you a +2 bonus on all Perception and Search checks which involve hearing.

Incompatible with: Hearing Impaired, and Deaf.

Fast Healer

6

Your body repairs damage at a much faster rate than others, perhaps due to metabolism, some supernatural effect, or a close connection with the planet. In game terms, you heal twice as many Health Points in the same amount of time as others. Don’t hold your breath waiting for that arm to grow back, though.

Incompatible with: Slow Healer, fabricated creatures, undead creatures

Featherweight

3

You are considerably lighter and more compact than you appear, and your weight is evenly distributed. You find climbing easy and gain a +2 bonus to Grip checks for climbing. Additionally, the Might DL to hoist, carry, or toss you is −2.

Incompatible with: Anchor, Dead Weight, Massive, and Obese (you might be lighter than you look, but you're still hefty!)

Feline Balance

2

You are as graceful as a cat. You gain a +2 bonus to Gymnastics checks. Whenever you fall and take no damage, you land on your feet (and don't gain the prone condition).

Incompatible with: Clumsy, Lame, and Lousy Balance.

Requires: A minimum Agility of 6

Hale

2

Your immune system is working overtime. This means that you are highly resistant to even the most powerful diseases. You receive a +4 bonus to Vitality for resisting any type of illness or infectious disease. Your body, however, regards any intrusion as a direct assault, and will violently reject any form of transplant, transfusion, symbiote, or implant, whether supernatural or technological in nature.

Incompatible with: Sickly

Requires: A minimum Endurance of 5

Hawk Eyes

4

You could pick out a polar bear on an ice flow in the midst of a snowstorm at a hundred yards. You gain a +2 bonus to all Perception and Search checks which rely on vision, and you suffer only half the distance penalties with ranged weapons.

Incompatible with: Poor Vision, and Blind

Iron Grip

4

You are gifted with a bone-crushing grip. You gain a +4 bonus to Grip checks, both in and out of combat. You never drop a weapon or item, even on a Critical Failure. Your handshake will impress those who respect strength and cow those who fear it.

Incompatible with: Frail, Scrawny, and Unarmed

Requires: A minimum Muscle of 6

Massive

4

You are just plain huge — you're one Size higher than the norm for your species. For example, an adult human (normally Size 0) is now Size 1, over 7 feet tall and more than 300 pounds. You're easier to hit, but your hits are way harder (puny runts and their tiny weapons!) There are disadvantages to being gigantic: difficulty fitting into clothing and armor (costs twice normal amount) and being targeted by bellicose drunks and would-be tough guys everywhere you go, to name a few.

The Massive trump is often found in the company of Little Piggy, Walking Target, and Brawler.

Incompatible with: Featherweight, Scrawny, Unremarkable, and Vertically Challenged

Poison Immunity

4

Through natural or supernatural means, you are completely immune to poisons of any kind, even magic spells that bestow similar effects. In game terms, you automatically pass Vitality checks made to resist poison. Perhaps you can chalk it up to the years of a small amount of arsenic in your morning coffee, or maybe someone up there just likes you. It should be noted that immunity does not grant awareness. For instance, if you drink a goblet of poisoned wine, you would have no idea there was a vile toxin within unless the poison tastes remarkably different than the substance in which it’s placed. Also, immunity to poison does not grant any protection against concoctions like the Chem Resistant trump does.

Requires: A minimum Endurance of 5

Shadow Warrior

4

You move through the shadows like a soft breath of air, and know how to strike from the darkness to deadly effect. You gain a +2 bonus to Stealth and Dash checks. They'll never know what slit 'em.

Incompatible with: Clumsy, Lame, and Walking Target

Siren Song

2

Your voice is melodic and very sensual. You gain a +2 bonus to rolls involving Seduction (when talking is involved), Negotiation, OR Performance (pick one).

Incompatible with: Deaf and Mute

Speedy Reflexes

4

Your brain is wired to your body a little better than most. When you spot trouble coming, you're quick to either draw your weapon or get the hell out of the way. You receive a +2 bonus to Reaction and Dodge checks.

Incompatible with: Clumsy

Requires: A minimum Agility of 4

Tempered

1

Like good steel put through searing flame, you have become more durable by surviving past wounds. For every point you spend, you may add one Health Point to your maximum.

Unremarkable

4

There's absolutely nothing about you that catches the eye. Unless you dress or act to attract attention, you can disappear into a crowd without even trying, and people tend to forget you as soon as you leave their sight. Even your friends and relatives are hard-pressed to provide more than the most general details of your physical description. While it sounds boring, being the epitome of average offers definite benefits in dangerous times. It is nearly impossible to track or identify you based solely upon your appearance, and you gain a +2 bonus to Stealth, Thievery, and Disguise rolls while in a crowd (at least 15 people). Finally, foes will tend to underestimate you in battle, and in any situation where someone is choosing a target at random to attack, you'll be last picked. Note that these bonuses may be negated by your race or ethnicity — the blandest-looking evengar will still stand out in a human village.

Incompatible with: Attractive, Aura of Decay, any prominent Battle Scar, or Deformity, Blind, Girl/Guy Magnet, Lame, Massive, Mistaken Identity, Obese, Shady, Stage Presence, Unappealing, Unarmed, Vertically Challenged, or Walking Target. Compatible with Missing Hand/Arm or Poor Vision (for a missing eye) only if a reasonably real-looking prosthetic conceals the absent appendage/organ.

Requires: A maximum Presence of 5

Workhorse

3

You can bring all of the groceries inside in a single trip. You receive a +2 bonus on Might checks for pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, or throwing heavy objects. Additionally, when carrying a willing creature, you don't gain the hampered condition.

Incompatible with: Sluggard and Scrawny

Requires: A minimum Endurance of 5

Mental Trumps

Mental Trumps deal with souping up character's mind. Trumps numbered here include everything from improved memory and knowledge to specific skill bonuses.

City Slicker

6

You are the Tarzan of the urban jungle, and it is only in the hustle and bustle of a crowd that you do your best work. In any heavily populated environment you perform the following skills at a +2 bonus: Thievery, Stealth, and Disguise. Great for criminal types.

Incompatible with: Mountain Man

Daredevil

3

You are thrilled by the prospect of risky and challenging tasks. You gain a +4 bonus for any skill check where failure would result in your immediate and inexorable death (jumping a chasm, charging single-handedly into countless enemies, taunting a foe surely beyond your ability to fight, running through a burning building, jumping in front of a stampede, etc). Note that Daredevils have little respect for danger to their own persons (see Foolhardy) but can be deterred from their courses if the danger applies to others. Go between them? Are you crazy?!

Incompatible with: Coward, and Combat Shy

Requires: A minimum Courage of 6

Driven

4

You are deeply, almost inhumanly determined to succeed at all costs. You may re-roll one failed roll each session and then only to directly further the end(s) to which you are driven — this represents an incredibly steadfast reserve of physical and mental ability, exerted only in dire circumstances.

However, as a driven character, any circumstance where your goals are in jeopardy is dire, and you must do all you can to thwart such circumstances — you may never hold back. You are willing (though not necessarily eager) to sacrifice everything, including comrades, friends, and loved ones, to assure victory. Note that the this character may or may not be willing to sacrifice himself, depending on his individual goals — although sometimes, a sacrifice is not of the flesh, but of the soul… if you believe in the soul. Many Driven characters do not, nor do they believe in chance — you make your own luck, they would say.

While appropriate for a villain, this trump was designed with a hero in mind — a tragic hero. As such it requires a serious and skilled role-player, and the GM must be judicious about allowing its use.

Driven works very well in conjunction with Fearless, Callous, Vengeful, Beyond Good and Evil, Called, Chaos Knight, or Fallen.

Incompatible with: Perspective, Peacemaker, Pacifist, Soft Hearted, Sluggard, Coward, and any Attack Restriction

Fearless

2

It might be said that your spine has a little extra stiffness. You gain a +2 bonus to Guts.

Incompatible with: Combat Shy, Coward, Flighty, and any Phobia

Jack of All Trades

6

Even as a child you were bright, and you've always picked up all kinds of vocations with ease. For any skill in which you have no ranks, you can add a +1 bonus to any checks with it.

Jack of all Trades is sometimes found in the company of Master of None.

Requires: A minimum Intellect of 5

Knack

3/skill

You have a gift for a certain skill — you're a natural, baby! You can buy 1 skill rank with 1 Expoint instead of the normal 2. You may have a Knack for up to three skills, no more. You cannot have a Knack in a school of spellcasting or a weapon skill.

Manhunter

2

You have special training in tracking down beings of a certain race — you know their appearances, tendencies, and patterns, as well as where they can commonly be found. You receive a +2 bonus to Lore pertaining to your chosen race, and a +2 bonus to all rolls involved in tracking down a specific member of that race (commonly Search). Good for lawmen, bounty hunters, and assassins. This Trump may be taken for each of the different sentient races (but not for animal species).

Mechanic

2

You are technologically apt and can wrangle all manner of complex clockwork contraptions (say that three times fast). You gain a +2 bonus to Machinery checks.

Incompatible with: Technophobe

Mountain Man

6

You are well-versed in the ways of the wilderness. You gain a +2 bonus to Grip, Stamina, and Animal Control while outside of civilization. Long matted beard and smelly animal pelts optional.

Incompatible with: City Slicker and Sluggard

Perspective

2

Even under the most distressing circumstances, you maintain the long view — "things can always get worse," you often find yourself saying. Cynical and sour people will hate your unflagging imperturbability, but others will be heartened by your perennially calm and cool demeanor. Due to this remarkable grounding, you gain a +2 bonus to Virtue checks. Often possessed by: gurus, cannabis enthusiasts, surfers, and congenital idiots.

Incompatible with: Angel on Your Shoulder, Berserker, Beyond Good and Evil, Called, Chaos Knight, Devil on Your Shoulder, Driven, Fallen, Indomitable, Short Fuse, and Vengeful.

Photographic Memory

3

You remember everything perfectly and can conjure up vivid details from past events. You automatically pass any Lore check made to remember your own experiences. This allows you to recall specific details that you, as a player, have forgotten, but that your character would remember.

A person may have both a Photographic Memory and a Terrible Memory — the result of a disorganized mind. Some details stick out, and for no good reason, but others fade away.

Amnesiacs are even more fun: you can remember nothing up to a certain point, but have excellent recall for everything subsequent to that time.

Incompatible with: Easily Distracted

Problem Solver

1

You are a sleuth, a riddle master, or just a deductive thinker. You gain a +2 bonus to checks involving Search, Focus, Lore, Spot, or Disable to fix or solve a problem.

Scholar

4

Your formal education is far superior to others’, but at the cost of real-world experience. Because of the interplay of your chosen subjects, you gain a +2 bonus on all checks involving lores.

Restriction: A beginning character cannot be created with both the Scholar trump and any Combat trump, but a Scholar may subsequently learn Combat trumps through normal experience. Most who seek knowledge so avidly, however, will be reluctant to pursue the way of the blade, and may even be Peacemakers or Pacifists.

Incompatible with: Uneducated

Requires: A minimum Intellect of 5 and ranks in at least three lores

Sixth Sense

4

You have very short-range latent psychic ability. Your hackles prickle whenever an unknown or threatening presence lurks nearby, warning you of possible danger. As a result, it's extremely difficult to ambush you. You gain a +2 bonus to Clairvoyance and Perception checks.

Goes very well with Speedy Reflexes. Excess use of your danger sense might turn you a little Twitchy.

Incompatible with: Stupefied

Strategist

4

The pawns are set and the game is on. Inside your cunning mind, dozens of complex maneuvers and agendas swim freely. Well-meaning Strategists use their mental prowess to the benefit of the group, granting them an out for any possible situation. Sinister Strategists might have hidden agendas that would bring about the overthrow of their superiors. Formulate a plan, and write down the steps involved. Submit your hidden strategies to your GM, or discuss them openly with your allies. If given time to plan ahead and any necessary tools/resources, you gain a +2 bonus on any given task on your list. If events arise outside of your plan, you do not receive the bonus on those tasks.

Works well with Obsessive-compulsive disorder, and makes a challenging but funny combination with Easily Distracted.

Incompatible with: Hyperactive

Temporal Adept

1

You have an innate comprehension of time and its flow. You always know what time it is and receive a +2 bonus to Discern for checks involving estimation of time. You are also highly efficient — for the performance of any (non-physical) skill that takes more than a few minutes, cut the total time it takes in half.

Trivia Whiz

4

You have accumulated bits of Lore from everywhere and anything, resulting either from intense scholarly research, real-world experience, or a mixture of both. Those around you see you as a well spring of useful (and sometimes useless) information. Because you know at least a little about a lot, you are adept at making things which are untrue (as far as you know, at least) sound convincing. You gain a +2 bonus to Lore checks as well as Bluff checks.

Some who seek knowledge so avidly will be reluctant to pursue the way of the blade, and make good Peacemakers or Pacifists.

Incompatible with: Uneducated

Social Trumps

Social Trumps augment a character's capacity for interpersonal relations (take that as you will). These trumps range from making more friends to affecting the behavior of those around you.

Ally

1

You got someone looking out for you, chum: your brother, sister, best buddy, boss, second cousin's roommate's boyfriend, whatever. Point is, if you need some backup, they're right behind you. Unlike a Contact, an Ally has no specialized knowledge, but will be happy to help you in any way they can. Allies are great resources when you need a place to lay low, some cash on loan, or simple assistance.

This trump may be taken multiple times, but each Ally must have an established connection to you, and be approved by the GM. As with many social trumps and faults, you may purchase more than one Ally, and Allies might even be gained during an adventure directly because of a character's actions, and themselves be part of the larger story.

Animal Kinship

2

Certain animals like you, although your feelings about them are your own to decide. Pick a type of animal (wolves, giraffes, camels, lions, snakes, rats, cats, dogs, elephants, etc.); on all attempts to communicate, control, or otherwise interact with those animals, you gain a +4 bonus, and beasts will frequently seek you out for aid, advice, or simple companionship. They may even come to your aid. You can take this trump more than once, each time for a different type of animal.

Incompatible with: Animal Enmity when dealing with the chosen species, Aura of Decay, Sadist, and Twitchy.

Contact

1

You may not be the ultimate hookup, but you have a friend or two. Well, not necessarily a friend either. Let's just say you have somebody you can call when you need something. This person is a contact, a colleague, a confederate. The exact nature and personality of the contact must be worked out before the contact can be used in game-play, hence, it's not a “get out of jail free” card. Unlike an Ally, a Contact is fairly specialized in one area and is in no way obliged to do you any favors (i.e. they still need proper motivation). Work the nature of the contact out with the GM. The GM reserves the right to refuse to allow certain contacts.

Professors from your days of academia, people you only know from a business card, or fellow military personnel make good contacts.

Connection

1–5

You have ties to a particular organization, be it lawful or no, and that organization looks favorably on you. The power of the organization determines the point value of this trump. A minor merchant house in your hometown or a small bandit group might be one point, a thieves' guild or the law enforcement in a sizable city might be three points, and a large and powerful political or military organization would be five. Since you are a member of this organization, you gain access to the grounds belonging to the group as well as any resources which are available to members.

Everybody's Best Friend

4

You are eminently likable. All but the most cold and inhuman beings react positively to you, and you're equally at home having tea with an Abbot in his study or buying a round for the local rogues at the cheapest watering-hole in town. Whether you're a genuinely great person or a cunning manipulator, the results are the same: it is hard to dislike you. Strangers you meet start out with a Disposition of benign (instead of neutral).

Incompatible with: Beyond Good and Evil, Callous, Hyperactive, Mistaken Identity, Mute, Notorious, Prehistoric, Shady, Stinky, and Twitchy.

Requires: A minimum Charm of 6

Famous Amos

6

Can we say groupies anyone? You are known far and wide as some sort of icon. You might be a town hero, a glitzy bard, or a fork-tongued politician. Perhaps your family is well-respected, or maybe you had a prestigious Mentor. All that's got to be said is people know who you is, directly or indirectly. Within a given city or area of your choice, you gain a +2 bonus to Negotiate, Bluff, and Seduce, and people generally strive to please you. A canny GM will use this to his own advantage, however, as townspeople come to the character for help, advice, marriage proposals, favors, repay old debts to the character's mentor, etc. Unstoppable fans will bring undesirable attention to you and find embarrassing and unwanted ways to try and win your affections. Just about everyone in your immediate geographical area has at least heard of you. Outside of this area, however, your bonuses do not apply.

Incompatible with: Notorious

Favor

1–5

Someone owes you something. Perhaps they owe you a simple favor, money, their life, or something you once lent to them or they took from you. How they pay you back is questionable, according to the GM's desires. Perhaps the miserly count whose life you save, instead of dropping you a hefty reward offers you the hand of his repugnant or boorish daughter. Refusal could mean the count's enmity or worse. Difficulties can arise; however, the GM should keep in mind that something good should come out of the deal. After all, the player did pay for a reward somehow. The Favor (particularly those of high value) may be paid out in a series of smaller boons or one lump sum, but sooner or later it will be discharged, and further attempts to collect on a settled debt will likely arouse anger. As noted elsewhere, with varying point values of faults/trumps, the severity dictates that point value. All final decisions are up to the GM.

Inspirational

3

You can inspire great acts of heroics in your allies thanks to a rousing voice and an exciting air about you. In fact, your buddies are encouraged by your presence alone. As long as you're within arm's reach, the ally of your choice receives a +2 bonus to Guts and Virtue.

Goes well with Bodyguard and Swarm Fighter. Makes an interesting combination with Indomitable.

Incompatible with: Bummer, Coward, and Laughable

Requires: A minimum Presence of 5

Jeeves

8

Jeeves is slang for a retainer, someone who serves you in some function. Your particular Jeeves need not be called Jeeves and need not be a domestic servant. Bodyguards, butlers, maids, squires, lackeys, henchmen, mad scientists' hunchbacked assistants, and personal accountants all apply. However, there is the small task of paying the Jeeves or in the very least, setting the terms of employment and living up to them (Jeeves also make excellent hostages, GM's). See the Adventures chapter for information on acquiring a retinue.

Mentor

1–5

You have a powerful and reliable ally in the one who served as your tutor or trainer. After all your years of apprenticeship and tutelage, you have become respectable in your own right in a chosen art, craft or skill, but your mentor is someone to whom you can defer in times of need or responsibility. The mentor is mainly a source of guidance and wisdom but may also take a more active role in assisting you. Like Allies, a Mentor cares for you, and like Contacts, a Mentor has specific knowledge and skill. A low point value means that your mentor is either on your same wavelength in terms of power or not far above. The mentor will not be able to help much with matters of tremendous importance or is limited in some way. A high point value reflects that your mentor is the master of a domain. They are wise, powerful, and influential and you possess a powerful ally in them. Work with your GM to determine the details of your Mentor, and then paint the fence.

Natural Leader

4

People flock to you for guidance and leadership. Perhaps you are what they expect; perhaps their trust is misplaced and you will use their devotion selfishly, or you want none of the responsibility of being a leader. Regardless, you have a knack for attracting followers, and you gain a +2 bonus to Leadership checks and may re-roll one failed Leadership check per session. Naturally, a player with this Trump should roleplay through the role of gracious leader well.

Incompatible with: Bummer

Requires: A minimum Charm of 6

Position

1–5

Within a small circle of others like you, you hold a position of power; how much power depends on the points spent. One typically means you have superiors but you are a rung above the common folk. Two means you could be a supervisor or belong to the elevated members of your class. Three points should keep you secure and proud as you belong to that prestigious and venerated station of middle manager. Four points assures that you are the right hand man, the one barking out the orders after the big man has handed them down to you. You are the enforcer and tragically, this position is that which gets most of the work done. For five points, you are top of the heap, cream of the crop and you can tell everyone what to do. However, you carry the weight of responsibility for your subordinates and they won't just accidentally create trouble for you: it'll outright seem like they are trying to throw a wrench in the works. This trump in no means entitles you to boss around other members of the party or other players, however you might think it does. Remember, this Trump pertains to small business: for a position within a large or world-wide organization, a higher points cost should be required.

Prestigious Bloodline

1

Some or all of your family — grandparents, parents, siblings, or offspring — are famous and respected, which confers similar (though lesser) benefits unto you in areas where they are known. Note that it is possible to have both a Prestigious and Infamous Bloodline. You receive a +1 bonus to Intimidate in areas where your relations are known.

Prestigious Mentor

1

Your mentor is or was liked by a notable section of the public and carried great fame. You might receive special treatment in the mentor's hometown and are most definitely respected. A canny GM will use this to his or her own advantage, however, as townspeople come to the character for help, advice, marriage proposals, favors, repay old debts to the character's mentor, etc.

You receive a +1 bonus to Negotiate in areas where your Mentor is known.

Silver Tongue

4

You have a wicked tongue and cutting humor that can both charm and annoy others. You receive a +2 bonus to Taunt and Bluff checks. You've got a career in politics… or used-car sales.

Incompatible with: Deaf, Honest Abe, Mute, and Speech Impediment

Requires: A minimum Persuasion of 6

Stage Presence

4

It's hard to say exactly what it is… but you got it. You project an undeniable aura of glamor, confidence, and command, which grants you a +2 bonus to Perform and Seduce checks. When you walk into the room, people will notice and heads will turn, but you will be remembered and thus easy to identify and track.

Incompatible with: Shady, Twitchy, Two Bit Hack, and Unremarkable

Requires: A minimum Presence of 6

Wealth

1

You have at least a little money. This trump is a measure of your funds, kiddo, whether it's in cold, hard cash or in the liquidation of belongings and such. At one point you got a piggy bank with a few spare dollars for a rainy day. At five points you are one sickly rich bastard and people wish they were you for all the things money can buy these days. Maybe you inherited a huge estate. Perhaps you have a keen business sense. Or perhaps you are just such a penny pincher that you still wear the same out of style clothing you did when you started that savings account. This Trump is especially valuable to adventurers and such who, with no stable income mostly, rely on saved cash. Each point of Wealth purchased gives the character 1,000𝕤. Pimp hat and leopard print sofa not included.

Purchasing the Wealth trump gives a character coinage. Once this coinage is spent, in part or in whole, it is gone, and will not just magically reappear. Characters can take this Trump as many times as they like.

Note: While this Trump is most commonly (and advisedly) taken at character creation, it may also be taken mid-campaign if the GM allows for suitable circumstances. Something along the lines of a rich relative passing away with no other suitable family to pass the liquidated assets along to, or a heretofore mundane item suddenly being revealed as a priceless heirloom both make for reasonable reasons why a character would be thousands of crowns richer. The sudden discovery of a large amount of cash laying around would fit, but windfalls like these rarely come without strings: the kind of strings which get people killed. An extremely generous mentor or lover might also work, but there should be an established precedent for such an event, like a Loved One or Mentor in the character's background.

You Know a Guy…?

6

Let's face it; your little black book is something on the far side of ridiculous — you have friends in all sorts of places. Whenever the need arises (maybe the party needs some equipment, an inside scoop on someone, or a spy) you can make a Charm + Lore roll against a Difficulty determined by the GM. If successful, it means you know someone applicable to the situation that owes you a favor. Roll a d10. On a 1–4, the appropriate contact is very minor and unrelated really (a friend of a friend of a friend). On a 5–7, the contact is directly related to the situation, but is low on the proverbial ladder. On an 8–9, the contact holds moderate importance and power and on a 10, the contact is not only very reliable and valid, but also can get you more than you asked for. As in all matters, the GM is adjudicator and will define the nature of the contact.

This is a more masterful version of Contact.

Combat Trumps

Combat Trumps give your character that extra oomph when the punches get thrown. These trumps offer everything from bonuses for different combat styles to possession of nifty gadgets.

Alertness

1

Though not possessed of Sixth Sense, your normal senses are always primed for danger, and you are rarely surprised. Whenever an enemy attempts to Sneak-attack or ambush you, you receive two chances to note them before they strike.

Incompatible with: Sixth Sense

Artful Dodger

This rule simply needs to be tested. It may be almost perfect, or it may need a bit of work. We think it's pretty good, but it hasn't been really tested. Leave any feedback on the Talk page, please!

4

Sometimes the best offense is a good defense. You have a way of evading your opponents' attacks in a way that puts them in harmful positions. Your foes may literally fall on their swords. If you win a Dodge against an opponent's Attack, the opponent must make a Stamina check against your Dodge result. Failure moves them one step down the Knockout Track. For instance, if Akare rolls a 13 on his Attack, and Skorna rolls a 15 on her Dodge, Akare must make a Stamina check of 15, or else his attack puts him off balance and he collides with a wall.

You may only use a Artful Dodger once per round for each time you purchase the Trump. For instance, if Skorna spends 8 XP to purchase this trump twice, she can Artfully Dodge the first two attacks that come her way in a round.

Incompatible with: Clumsy

Requires: A minimum Agility of 6

Blind-Fighting

8

You have the ability to effectively engage in hand-to-hand combat without the use of your sight. This incredible feat is accomplished by relying upon your other senses, training, and natural instincts to determine where your opponent is and how she is moving. Fighting in a noisy, crowded environment is much more difficult than fighting one-on-one in a quiet place, however, and the GM should impose penalties to your Attack rolls in any such circumstances. And while you can attempt to use ranged weapons at distance without your eyes, you take at minimum a −4 penalty to Attack (more depending on range). Keep in mind that failing to hit your mark could also mean striking your allies.

You don't actually need to be permanently blind to make use of this trump. For instance, when sighted characters fight in pitch darkness.

Incompatible with: Coward and Combat Shy

Requires: A minimum of Rank 6 in at least one weapon skill, Ears of the Bat, and Sixth Sense

Bodyguard

5

You are devoted to protecting those around you, and you are quite adept at it. At the beginning of battle, nominate a ward. For the rest of the battle, as long as you are guarding your ward, and that ward is the victim of an attack, you may attempt to parry the blow instead of the ward.

Incompatible with: Callous, Coward, Combat Shy, Straight-Shooter, and Unarmed

Brawler

2

The rowdier and dirtier a fight is, the better you like it. Whether it's a classic barroom fracas or a muddy infantry struggle, you're at your best in crowd combat, so add a +2 bonus to your Attacks while you're outnumbered at least two-to-one.

Incompatible with: Combat Shy, Coward, Duelist, Overwhelmed, Straight-Shooter, and Swarm Fighter.

Catch Missile

3

You can opt to grab projectiles out of the air instead of deflecting them out of the way. After a successful parry using the Hand-to-Hand weapon skill, you hold the ranged weapon in your hand instead of knocking it aside. You cannot catch high velocity projectiles like bullets or cannonballs. Also note that it is absolutely impossible to catch magic spells, and we're mad at you for even considering it.

Incompatible with: Coward, Clumsy, and Unarmed.

Requires: Missile Swat and a minimum Agility of 8.

Counterattack

This rule simply needs to be tested. It may be almost perfect, or it may need a bit of work. We think it's pretty good, but it hasn't been really tested. Leave any feedback on the Talk page, please!

4

Always waiting for just the right moment, keeping an eye on your enemy's combat style, you strike when a perfect opportunity presents itself. If you successfully parry an opponent's attack, you can make an immediate attack against the foe using any weapon you're holding, even if it's not your turn.

Each time you purchase this trump, you may use a Counterattack once per round. For instance, if Akare spends 8 XP to purchase this trump twice, he can Counterattack the first two attacks that come his way in a round.

Incompatible with: Coward, Clumsy, Combat Shy, and Straight-Shooter

Requires: A minimum Agility of 6

Destructive

2

Smashing and breaking inanimate objects brings a smile to your face. The boards may not fight back, but you're covering your bases just in case your wizard opponent would make them do so. You receive a +2 bonus on Damage Rolls to destroy objects.

Domino Strike

3

Any time you land an attack that directly incapacitates an opponent, you can turn and make a single attack against any opponent adjacent to you using any weapon you're holding. You can do this once for each time you purchase this trump and only if each of the previous enemies becomes incapacitated. In addition to dying, any condition which prevents the opponent from attacking counts as incapacitation, such as immobilized, paralyzed, or unconscious.

Incompatible with: Coward, Combat Shy, and Straight-Shooter.

Dual Weapons

4

You have blended the art of fighting with an additional weapon into your current fighting style. Each round, if you make an attack with a weapon in your dominant hand, you may make a single attack with the weapon in your nondominant hand without using any AP. The weapon with the higher AP cost must be used in your dominant hand. Remember that any actions you make with your nondominant hand are penalized as normal (−4); you must take Ambidexterity for maximum effectiveness with this trump. You may take this trump more than once; each time you do, you may make an additional attack using your nondominant hand for each attack with your dominant hand.

Incompatible with: Coward, Combat Shy, Missing Hand/Arm, Unarmed

Requires: 6 Ranks in at least one one-handed weapon skill

Duelist

2

Your fighting style is elegant, graceful, and designed to reduce single foes to cutlets with ease. Unfortunately it didn't take less organized battles into account. While engaged with a single foe, you gain a +2 bonus to your attack roll. However, this bonus is lost in the chaos of a large brawl.

Incompatible with: Brawler, Coward, Combat Shy, Overzealous, Straight-Shooter, and Swarm Fighter.

Going the Distance

3

Your projectiles fly like none other's — they strike terror and sharp pointy things into the hearts of your opponents. Any ranged weapon, thrown or fired, can sail up to 50% past its maximum range with no penalties.

Combine with Chameleon, Shadow Warrior, and Hawk Eyes for the ultimate sniper.

Incompatible with: Blind, Combat Shy, Poor Vision

Requires: A minimum of 5 ranks in a ranged weapon

Item of Value

1–10

You own something worth holding onto, and it need not be expressly combat-oriented. A magical wand, a portable hole, the holy tablets describing the fate of the world, a large ceremonial wooden horse, a sword that takes a bite out of crime, or even a decanter of never-ending ale. Suggestions welcome, but alas, the GM gets the final say on whether it is allowed.

One point is something minor, almost trivial, but fun. 3 points gets you something that definitely comes in handy. 5 points buys a major something or other (doohickey? dingus?) 7 points secures something that is more important than your measly little life. 10 points gets you something worth many lives to many people. Careful, someone might come after it…

Typically, for each point of this Trump purchased, a character would receive a +1 bonus to a specific roll when using the item. For instance, if a character had an 3 point Item of Value which was a magical pendant in the shape of a shark's fin, the character might receive a +3 bonus to Might checks to swim while wearing the pendant. If the character had a 6 point Item in the form of robotic arms the character might receive a +2 bonus to Grip and Might as well as +2 to the damage of hand-to-hand attacks.

Last Chance

2

Through sneakiness or luck, in a dramatic situation you always have one item of ammunition left, whether it be an arrow, bullet, dart, dagger, etc. At the final confrontation with the bad guy, you will always get that last chance to put one through the villain's eye. Doesn't mean you'll hit, though.

Combine this with Quick Draw to maximize your potential for last-minute heroics.

Missile Swat

3

Ranged projectiles are like bad insults: easily deflected. You may attempt to parry incoming projectiles with weapons other than a shield.

Incompatible with: Combat Shy, Coward, Clumsy, and Unarmed

Requires: A minimum of 5 Ranks in the weapon used to parry and a minimum Agility of 6

Momentum

4

You know how to put great force behind your attacks. Any time you charge and move at least 10 feet, add +4 to your Damage Roll instead of the usual +2. This bonus does not apply to mounted combat.

Incompatible with: Coward, Lame, and Combat Shy

Mounted Smite

2

Because of your extensive training with horses and combat, you have developed a devastating mounted melee attack which shatters the ranks of your foes as you rain blows down on them. When mounted on horseback you deal +2 damage.

Incompatible with: Animal Enmity with the mount, Clumsy, Combat Shy, and Straight-Shooter.

Requires: 5 ranks in Animal Control

Mounted Defense

2

You are one with your mount, acting instinctively to protect one another. You may parry attacks which are directed at your mount with a +2 bonus.

Incompatible with: Animal Enmity with the mount, Combat Shy, and Straight-Shooter.

Requires: 5 ranks in Animal Control

Oh Snap!

2

You've studied up on the most appropriate insults and unnerving things to say to your opponents. When you make a Taunt check against an opponent who loses the opposed roll and gains the rattled condition as a result, the opponent takes a −4 penalty to all rolls instead of the usual −2. You must be able to communicate verbally with your opponent in an understood language to make them this pissed off.

Incompatible with: Mute, Soft Hearted, and Speech Impediment

Requires: A minimum of 3 ranks in Taunt

Precision

2

Your aim is incredible. You like to show off your skill by firing at an apple on a friend's head at 100 paces, or slicing a human hair in two. In simple terms, all of your ranged Attack Rolls receive a +2 bonus.

Sometimes found in the company of Straight-Shooter

Incompatible with: Blind, Combat Shy, and Poor Vision

Quick Draw

2

Even in the midst of mortal combat, you always seem to have a weapon or item handy. It costs you no action points to ready any object you have on your person, be it a potion from your satchel, a sling-stone from your pocket, or a broadsword strapped across your back.

Incompatible with: Clumsy and Combat Shy

Roundhouse

3

When surrounded by 3 or more opponents, you can hold your weapon and spin in a fashion that can strike all of them once. Make a single attack against each opponent. If you're holding more than one weapon, you must choose which one you are using. This attack takes double the number of Action Points to perform, as compared to a single attack.

Incompatible with: Coward, Combat Shy, Overwhelmed, and Straight-Shooter.

Requires: A minimum Agility of 6

Sidestep

3

You know how to turn an opponent's momentum against him. Whenever a Charge is performed against you and you successfully Dodge it, you can make a free Trip attempt against the attacker. You do not receive an attempt to Trip if you Parry the charge.

Incompatible with: Clumsy

Requires: A minimum Agility of 5

Speedy Combatant

3

Through intense training and discipline, you've managed to train your mind and body to work quicker in combat. You gain an extra Action Point. This Trump can be taken repeatedly, but make sure to watch out for your poky allies, who won't be moving as fast as you.

Incompatible with: Coward, Combat Shy, Poky Combatant, and Sluggard

Requires: A minimum Agility of 6

Spell Swat

4

With this trump in your arsenal, you can actually parry spells. If your character is threatened by an impending Attack Spell (one that asks for a Dodge Roll to avoid), you can attempt to parry it instead of dodging it.

Incompatible with: Coward and Clumsy

Requires: Missile Swat, a minimum of 6 Ranks in the weapon used to parry, a minimum Agility of 6, and 1 point of Magic Defense

Strangle Hold

3

You know just how to get opponents in a restraining hold and more effectively put the hurt on them. You gain a +4 bonus to Damage when in an opposed Grab with an enemy.

Incompatible with: Coward, Combat Shy, Frail, Straight-Shooter, and Unarmed.

Requires: A minimum of 3 ranks in the Hand-to-hand Weapon Skill

Suplex

3

Your massive strength gives way to a powerful offensive maneuver; the ability to pick up your foes and slam them to the ground. Anytime you attack and deal damage while in an opposed Grab, you can make free a Slam or Trip attempt.

Incompatible with: Coward, Combat Shy, Frail, Straight-Shooter, and Unarmed.

Requires: Stranglehold and a minimum Muscle of 6

Swarm Fighter

2

While you might not mind the glory in taking down a foe single-handedly, you greatly enjoy every chance you get to overwhelm an enemy under a barrage of strikes from you and your allies. When there are others helping you beat down a single opponent, your strikes find their marks much more easily in the confusion. Add a +2 bonus to your Attacks when you have at least one other ally attacking your target.

Incompatible with: Brawler, Combat Shy, Coward, Duelist, and Uncooperative.

Magic Trumps

Magic Trumps grant your character more masterful magic. Everything from bonuses to spell offense or defending, all the way to casting two spells at once.

Antisound

4

Through immersion in the vibrations of sound waves put out by your song voice, you've figured out how to nullify the sound waves from other sources. Any spell whose effects are based on sound can be nullified. For example, the spells Cacophony, Suggest, and Thunder, as well as any spell cast using Spellsong. Make a Perform check against the Casting Roll from the source of the sound. If you succeed, any harmful effects to you or other creatures are completely negated.

Requires: Spellsong

Botanical Song

3

With constant study of the flows of magic among living tissue, you can learn to recognize all living organisms as a creature. Using your Spellsong ability, you can take any spell that is listed as affecting a creature and make it work exactly the same against creature with a plantlike nature.

Requires: Spellsong

Card Missile

3

Normally, when using a talisman (a single-use magic item; see the Magic chapter), you need to touch your foes to make them subject to the effects of the spells within. After hours of arduous practice with these, you no longer need to fight your foes hand-to-hand. You can throw a talisman at targets up to 30 feet away by making an Attack Roll using the Thrown weapon skill.

Requires: A minimum of 2 ranks in the Thrown weapon skill

Dance Macabre

4

Songs accompany the passed into the grave. Magic gives rise to the foul creations that rise up from the grave. Surely magic songs can affect these abominations of nature. Your spells delivered as spellsongs can now affect creatures with an undead nature just like they could affect any living being.

Requires: Spellsong

Draw Spellcard

3

The tingling impulses of mana brushing your fingers while you clutch single-use magic items inspired you to learn the art of Drawing, or simply, how to pull the mana from a disposable item back into your Magic Points pool. For example, if the item contains an Intensity 4 spell, you can draw up to 4 MP from it. When an item is completely drained, it becomes totally mundane and ordinary. You cannot draw more mana than your MP total, and you cannot draw from items that are not single-use. Draining an item takes 3 AP.

Focus Casting

4

Many mages prefer to channel their mana through an object rather than their own bodies. It allows the caster to focus their power and direct and amplify spells. The most common foci are staffs and wands, but any kind of object that can be held or worn in hand will do (e.g. a glove, a ring). You must pick a specific object to be your focus and align with it. It takes seven days of spellcasting with the focus to align. If you are ever without the focus, or are aligning to it, you take −4 to any Casting Roll. With an aligned focus, the mage can add +4 to any Casting Roll. When using a focus (whether aligned or not), the mage is exempt from both reciting spell incantations and performing gestures. If the focus is ever permanently destroyed or lost (or you find a shiny, new one), you must align with another and begin the seven days of alignment again.

Remember that drawing a focus from a stored place takes at least one Action Point. Choosing a weapon as a focus is acceptable, but attacking with the weapon and casting simultaneously is mentally impossible.

Fork Spell

6

After firing off spells repeatedly for so long, you realized how to make a spell split, or fork, and essentially cast it twice. This maneuver requires double the Magic Points of a single casting, but still only consumes the normal amount of Action Points. You can use the forked spell against different targets or twice on the same target.

Requires: A minimum of 6 points in your Casting Attribute

Fold Spellcard

3

Realizing the ferocious potential of the stagnant levels of Intensity sitting inside single-use magic items, you researched the ability to make the mana stored within violently explode. This ability could also be used on physical mana. Making an Attack Roll containing your ranks in the Thrown weapon skill, you can hurl an item through the air. When it strikes a solid surface, the mana stored within bursts and anyone within 10 feet can attempt to Dodge. The Damage Roll includes Muscle (as the object is thrown), and the Harm dealt is 10 for every level of Intensity in the item (thus, an Intensity 4 item deals 40 Harm). Note that the effects of the spells stored within do not occur upon impact. If the attack misses, the item still explodes and cannot be used again. It takes 4 AP to activate and throw the item. Each time you purchase this trump, you can activate and throw another item simultaneously; for instance, buying the trump 3 times would allow you to activate and throw 3 explosive items for 4 AP (assuming that 3 items will fit in one hand).

Requires: A minimum of 1 rank in the Thrown weapon skill

Homing Card

3

No more unnecessary foraying into battle for you Card magi; if the spell in the card has a target of creature or object, and the spell does not require an attack roll, you no longer need to make an attack roll to hit. Cards automatically speed off to their target.

Requires: Card Missile

Magic Defense

2

You possess a natural fortitude against magical power. This could be due to such causes as divine intervention, bloodline, or powerful enchantment. For each point of Magic Defense you buy, you may add it to any save rolls made in opposition to Casting Rolls.

Magic Point

1

Magic Points are used as raw fuel for spellcasting. They are the capacity within each mage to deliver frequent or powerful amounts of magic. To access additional reserves within themselves, magi may seek astral awareness through intense meditation, using it to enlarge their capacity for magic. Each time you purchase this trump, your MP score increases by 1.

Spell Adept

2

You're a natural, kid! (In the matters of spellcasting, that is.) Whether you received training for this sort of thing, or it just runs in your blood, you are especially good at casting spells powered by a certain element. Choose one of the 12 elements of magic. All your Casting Rolls in the chosen elemental skill get a +2 bonus. You can take this trump more than once, each time for a different element.

Incompatible with: Magic Dunce

Spell Conditioning

2

Choose one allied spellcaster. Due to all the training in combat you've received with her, you've figured out how her spells fire and where; you know how to get out of the way of her area spells and shrug off her targeted ones. You receive a +4 bonus to save against your ally's spells.