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Lacco
2019-07-13, 04:01 PM
Soldiers of Fortune (RPG)


Introduction

You know how people talk about "Golden Era"? Well, that was ages ago.


The Silver Era?


So long gone that even elves can't remember it.


The world is changing slowly. And not to better - it is changing into something worse. Decaying from the inside.


Ancient gates are opening and nightmares awaken, returning into the world. Civilizations have retreated into their safe lands and wilderness has spread to their gates. The darkness is taking the land back, and nobody knows why.


Prophecies have emerged - heralding an end to an era, an end of the world - but there has been so many of these people no longer pay attention.


Every kingdom holds their lands, guards borders from the darkness, but does not expand anymore. Times of war among races and kingdoms are over. Or so they think.


Those elves that have not accepted human cities and towns have retreated into their forests, guarding their borders, upholding traditions whose purpose they no longer remember. They spend time remembering the world, preserving it at all cost - but not improving it. And are dying out.


In halls of dwarven lords, the old masters of crafts, the sound of anvils and hammers still carries on, but it is a different rhythm. Where once they created the wondrous items and pushed limits of their craft, now they only continue using old, proven methods and while they certainly produce quality goods, they no longer create items of power as their ancestors. Only one or two dwarven craftsmen remain that can still create something that matches the artifacts from times before.


The human kingdoms spread around the wilderness - safe areas in the ocean of darkness - and their trade caravans roam around it. Some of them dare to claim land outside the power of the kings - and some survive to talk about it.


The human-orc wars ended in ceasefire - the war decimated both human kingdoms and orcish tribes, and there were not enough warriors on each side to continue. The Borderlands, or the Savage Frontier, as orcs call it, remained as constant reminder of the war, and as border zone, into which no army shall enter. Entering Borderlands means you forfeit your life, because the lands themselves threaten to kill anyone who enters - but still there are men and orcs who proudly proclaim they live in the frontier.


The Orcs retreated to their lands - the Tribelands - and with help of their druidic magic they try to restore the land to its former beauty. They continue their toil, living in harmony with nature, as they always meant to.


But time may show that the war has cost all races too much.


The world is now safer - an orc may live in human city without getting more trouble than a dwarf. Some human traders are welcome into the elven outposts. There are no wars - because most people are afraid to venture beyond the kingdom borders, guarded by their armies.


Those who venture, are usually fools. And adventurers.


Beyond the walls, there is danger. Darkness. Death. Yet... there are wonders, unseen by generations. Wealth, unclaimed by any king. Mysteries, and knowledge, beyond anything that is known now.


This is your world. And the Darkness is approaching.





Year 926, Year of the Raven.
King Eordain the Wise is dead.
The Old Treaty of Aebysthar has been burned down by his successors.
Aebysthar Coallition is now in pieces, with each lord trying to grab as much as possible.

Death of a King.
Destruction of the Old Treaty.
Drawing of new borders.
That is how a nation dies.

This is not the story of this nation.
It is the story of those who came later.




Soldiers of Fortune is a heavily modified RPG system based on Riddle of Steel and its successors. It contains rules and mechanics that provide players with opportunity to enjoy highly tactical combat, fast and deadly action, dark and threatening magic, to delve into ancient crypts, fight in sieges and claim lands in fantastic sword & sorcery environments.

The introductory story is about a country that has been ripped to pieces. You, the players have been hired as mercenary captains for one side, to assist in upcoming war.

The system is WIP and I will welcome constructive ideas and reviews.

Lacco
2019-07-13, 04:22 PM
The Basics



If not stated otherwise...

Rule 1:
State your intent and how you plan to achieve it. Roll a pool of d10 dice equal to relevant attribute, modified by conditional modifiers versus given target number (TN) on your character sheet.

Rule 2:
Every die that turns equal or higher to TN is a success. Compare to difficulty (required successes) to get “Net successes”. Net success of 1 means you achieved your intent.

Rule 3:
Difficulty of a roll is determined by the GM, taking into account environment or opponent’s successes. Only one factor to determine difficulty (the worst one) is taken into account, but from each category: for character, for opposition and for environment.

Rule 4:
If you fail (0 net successes) and roll at least two ones, you fumbled (you may propose how, but fumbles are ultimately GM’s decision).

Rule 5:
Failures are usually a small tax (e.g. complication to the situation). Fumbles are high tax (e.g. loss of equipment, wounds).

Rule 6:
Round down.

Rule Alpha:
Play fair. When you state your intent and roll dice, the result stands.

Rule Omega:
Roll only when necessary. Do not roll routine tasks in safe conditions – roll only if there is significant risk involved. Keep using roll result until conditions change.



Target number (TN) represents the lowest number you need to roll on a die to get a success. If you roll under, you did not get a success. If you rolled even or over, you get one.

Base TN is marked the character sheet. It represents overall condition of the character and it is the TN the character uses for attribute rolls and skill rolls if not stated otherwise (e.g. for combat rolls you use weapon TNs).



Wounds
Perfect Health
No wounds
Level 1
Level 2-3
Level 3-4
Level 5


Fatigue
Well-rested
No fatigue
Slight
Moderate
Severe
Critical


Base TN
5
6
7
8
9
10



Exploding die means that in certain cases when you roll 10 on d10, you count it as a success and roll the die again.

Tapping means you use your knowledge from other fields to assist you with your task. Normally the dice pool consists of dice equal to only one attribute rolled against determined TN, but if a different skill could help – and is sufficiently high – a player may state his intent to tap into this skill. The player needs to state his reasons – shortly. GM has final word on whether tapping is possible.



Tapped Attribute
Tapped Skill
Advantage


5 or lower
Apprentice or lower
0


6-7
Proficient/Journeyman
+1


8+
Master
+2






Soldiers of Fortune uses a ten-sided dice (abbreviated to d10) for most rolls. It is generally a good idea to get at least 10-15 of d10 per character.
It also uses up to two six-sided dice (abbreviated to d6) per character.
It is necessary to have one red and one white die (or other red and white tokens) per character (any number of sides is acceptable).

Basic Roll is a single roll of relevant dice pool against base TN as modified by situation. The player needs to acquire sufficient amount of successes to pass the roll - the difficulty of the roll as set by GM.
Example: Alayen the Bard wants to sing a song for coins in a tavern to get enough money for night. His Charm attribute is 6 and his base TN is 8 due to sickness and light wound. He starts to sing Oh Kingdom Mine, a very popular song (giving him a Difficulty of 2 - most people know how it should sound and can catch a difference).
He rolls 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 1 and 1. This means he gets exactly 2 successes, beating the difficulty of 2 by margin of 0. This means that the crowd likes the song and takes pity on the wounded bard - giving him enough coins to pay for the night, but not more.

Extended Roll represents tasks that have several phases, require multiple attempts or are timed. Typical representative is skill roll for crafting - it is necessary to know both the result and the duration of the activity.
Extended roll is - in short - a set of basic rolls that influence each other. Each roll represents passing of time (set by GM) and its result - either net successes or failure - influences both the next roll and the result.
If any of rolls in extended roll is a failure, the result can be only of average quality. If any of rolls is resounding success (net successes 3+), the character gains additional die for his next roll. If any of rolls is a fumble, the whole process failed and needs to be restarted.

Versus Roll means that there is active opposition - someone who is trying to beat the character or make their lives more complicated. The roll differs from basic roll only in one step: when comparing the result of the roll, you need to compare the two results - one for the character, one for the opponent. If there are net successes on one side, the side wins. In case of ties, the result needs to be evaluated by the GM, however in most cases the win goes to the attacker.

Fate Roll is special kind of roll - it requires either 1d6 or 2d6 and represents the randomness. You roll the dice and call the result. In case the situation is purely about luck, no skill involved, a Fate roll can solve it.

Lacco
2019-07-13, 04:35 PM
The Character



Humans are most flexible of all races - they are able to adapt almost to any environment and their strongest common characteristic is their determination. In certain situations, humans are able to ignore pain, fear, fatigue, almost anything, to overcome adversity.

Racial Attribute Modifier: None
Racial Trait: Determined (allows one reroll per day which ignores all negative modifiers if the character decides to push through with their willpower).

Human Homelands signify the individual kingdom in which they were born. You always gain first trait listed in second column.



Homeland
Traits
Bonus



Civilized Lands






Kingdom of Ânor
Corrupt
Militaristic
Long-lived
+1 Command


Cormanthir Highcastle
Sociable
Noble
Heroic
+1 Charm


Schwerwald
Disciplined
Hot-headed
Hard-headed
+1 Brawn


Enlightened Dominion of Baruthel
Deceptive
Dragon Blood
Ambitious
+1 Intellect


Tharghrad
Rebellious
Mountaineers
Furtive
+1 Vigor


Free City of Zhengar
Metropolitan
Verbose
Tenacious
+1 Cunning



Free (Wild) Lands






Frozen Wastes
Born of the Ice
Violent
Faithful
+1 Brawn


Fields of Blood
Survivors
Apathetic
Fearless
+1 Cunning


Gray Plains
Calm
Handy
Frugal
+1 Dextrity


Borderlands
Self-reliant
Watchful
Cold-blooded
+1 GRIT


Seaspire Clanners
Born of the Sea
Raiders
Storytellers
+1 Awareness


Wilderlands
Nature-dwellers
Travellers
Loners
+1 Vigour







No other races possible at the moment.









There are nine base attributes and several derived attributes. Attributes are usually used as basis for dice pools, representing natural aptitude of the person performing the feat.

The base attributes are separated into three groups:

Physical attributes are Brawn, Dexterity and Vigour.

Brawn represents muscle mass, raw strength, body control, speed and physical coordination. Characters with high brawn hit harder, jump further, are able to lift heavy items and perform feats of strength and agility. Characters with low brawn tend to be weak, slower and not very coordinated.

Dexterity represents fine motor control, delicate balance, hand-eye coordination and gentle manipulation. Characters with high dexterity are very good at crafts, are able to create delicate works of art, can perform feats of balance and are adept at throwing and archery. Characters with low dexterity tend to break delicate objects, crush small flowers and behave like elephants in porcelain store.

Vigour represents vitality, health, endurance, overall fitness and resistance to toxins and pathogens. Characters with high vigour are able to withstand negative environmental conditions (from physical point of view) for longer time, can fight longer, can run further, are able to walk long distances. Characters with vigour are sickly, frail, get winded soon and often get runny nose.

Mental attributes are Focus, Intellect and Awareness.

Focus represents willpower, ability to withstand pain, face down worst fears and – as name suggests – maintain focus over time and against distractions. Characters with high focus are able to power through hard times using their power of will, withstand fear and hold their ground in face of superior force. Characters with low focus tend to get distracted easily, can’t handle pain or hunger and are weak-willed.

Intellect represents one’s ability to learn, understand, remember and analyse – it is combination of character’s learning abilities and memory. Characters with high intellect learn quickly, amassing larger scope of skills, can extrapolate information from scarce sources, or remember long-forgotten facts. Characters with low intellect tend to forget a lot, learn rather slow and may not be able to learn to read.

Awareness represents the five basic senses, as well as potential other senses – it represents raw ability to perceive the surroundings and interpret what they perceive. Characters with high awareness always seem to know what happens around them and are able to see their enemies from afar, observe their slightest movements, hit them from far using bows and crossbows, or even detect them via smell. Characters with low awareness usually tend to be absent-minded, short-sighted or just ignore their surroundings, focusing on something else.

Social attributes are Charm, Command and Cunning.

Charm represents raw charisma, overall pleasant aptitude, ability to influence and manipulate people with your looks, voice, or just overall charm. Characters with high charm are able to converse with unknown people, chat up others, schmooze, suck up to and sway or seduce them using charisma and words. Characters with low charm are not really talkative, unpleasant to have around, have irritating voice or are just bland and forgettable.

Command represents your presence – your ability to give orders, lead, inspire or intimidate others. Characters with high command are born leaders - able to issue orders with high efficiency, make others afraid just using few words or stare down their enemies. Characters with low command are silent, unable to order others around or just wet blankets.

Cunning represents quick thinking, mental reflexes, wits, ability to lie, fabulate. Characters with high cunning tend to think on their feet, are able to filibuster, lie and change topics rather quickly. They tend to be street-smart, have fast reflexes and almost nothing gets over their heads. Characters with low cunning tend to be simple, couldn’t spot a lie with spyglass and seldom come with a witty repartee.

Derived attributes are Reflex, Aim, Grit, Toughness and Mobility.

Reflex is (Brawn+Cunning)/2. It is directly used as basis for Melee Combat Pool.

Aim is (Dextrity+Awareness)/2. It is directly used as basis for Ranged Combat Pool.

Toughness starts on 3 and is modified by traits, racial/cultural modifiers and as follows:
• If your Brawn or Vigor is 1 or (2-3), add -2/-1.
• If sum of your Brawn and Vigor is higher or equal to 9/11/13, add +1/+2/+3.
• If the higher of your Focus or Command is higher or equal to 7/9, add +1/+2.

Grit starts on (Focus+Command)/2 and is modified by traits, racial/cultural modifiers and as follows:
• If your character already witnessed multiple deaths, or killed multiple times, add +1.
• If your character murdered in cold blood, add +1.
• If your character’s Intellect or Awareness is lower than 3, add +1.

Grit and Toughness represent your mental and physical resistance. Grit is directly used to stave off Pain. Toughness helps you deal with attacks and damage. If an enemy lands their attack, your Toughness is evaluated as passive resistance together with armour, reducing total damage. If you are lucky, you reduce the wound to zero, which means that the attack is just a scratch or bruise; otherwise you get a Wound.



Where attributes represent innate abilities, skills represent training, expertise and knowledge. Where Attributes create dice pools, Skills modify the Target Numbers.
There are five basic levels of skill:
• Untrained skill = either there is no roll possible or it is possible at large disadvantage or Substitution only. Determined per skill.
• Apprentice skill = rolls at TN, may assist with rolls.
• Proficient skill = rolls at TN -1, may assist with rolls and use this skill as substitute. Allows to be tapped for relevant rolls for one additional die.
• Journeyman skill = rolls at -2 TN, may teach characters with lower skill level. May be used as substitute or be tapped for relevant rolls for one additional die.
• Master skill = rolls at -3 TN, automatically gains exploding dice. May be tapped for relevant rolls and gives 2 additional dice when tapped.

Based on Priority table, you may have one or two Skill Packets when you begin your play. Skill packet examples are in list below:
You can choose from basic skill packets, or propose an specific one from the concept list:


Academics
Academic
Alchemist
Antiquarian
Explorer
Healer
Midwife
Plague doctor
Armies and War Camps
Bounty hunter
Mercenary
Scout
Soldier
Warrior (clan/tribe)
Towns and Villages
Craftsman
Fisherman
Head of Household
Laborer
Merchant/Trader
Militiaman
Miner
Peasant
Shepherd
Court and Castle
Advisor
Bard
Courtier/Lord/Baron
Squire/Knight
Page/Butler/Seneschal
Spy
Clergy
Acolyte
Clergyman
Cleric
Hermit
Monk/nun
Priest
Law & Order
Bounty Hunter
Guardsman
Judge
Roadwarden
Living in Nature
Druid
Woodsman
Hunter
Ranger
Tribe Member
Magic & Dark Arts
Enchanter
Occultist
Ritualist
Witch/Witch doctor
On the Road, River, Sea
Adventurer/Traveller (semi-randomized package)
Courier
Entertainer
Explorer
Pilgrim
Rogue
Sailor
Swordsman
Scoundrels and Street Rats
Assassin
Bandit
Beggar/Street urchin
Burglar
Con-man
Cutpurse
Gambler
Highwayman
Pirate
Thief


Individual skills (WIP):

Acrobatics
Acting
Ancient languages
Animal guise
Animal handling/herding
Appraisal
Arcane theory
Artillery
Astronomy
Battle
Boating
Body language
Breaking and entering
Camouflage
Climbing
Combat/Weapon art
Craft/Trade
Dancing
Diplomacy
Disguise
Etiquette
Farming
First aid
Folk lore
Forgery
Gambling
Games
Heraldry
Herbalist
Hunting/Trapping
Intimidate
Intrigue
Juggling
Language (nation)
Law
Leadership
Lockpicking
Lore (knowledge area)
Meditation
Musical instrument
Navigation
Omen reading
Orate
Orienteering
Panhandling
Persuasion
Pickpocket
Read & Write
Research
Ridicule
Riding
Ritual Magic
Sailing
Scrounging
Search
Secret Language (specific language)
Seduction
Sincerity
Singing
Sneak
Stewardship
Strategy
Streetwise
Style analysis
Surgery
Survival
Swimming
Symbol Drawing
Tactics
Teamster
Theology
Tracking
Traps
Weather sense






Melee proficiencies:


Sword and shield – covers the traditional combination of one-handed or hand-and-half sword with a personal shield on your arm. This offers good defensive options.
Longsword/greatsword – covers use of long swords, usually used with both hands. Long range and good cutting power.
Cut and thrust – light swords, focused on thrusting - short swords, backswords, sideswords, usually in combination with other hand free, small personal shield, cloak or power glove, in some cases also two swords. Emphasis on thrusting or draw-cutting, fast swordplay.
Rapier – use of rapier, smallsword. Quick and deceptively deadly.
Case of rapiers – simultaneous use of two rapiers. Extended range and good attack potential.
Sabres, scimitars - curved blades, especially good for mounted combat, very effective against lightly armoured opponents.
Daggers – easily hidden, popular as civilian weapons. Carried almost by everyone.
Polearms – spears, pikes, quarterstaffs. Good range, good piercing attacks and cheap.
Poleaxes – especially effective against armour, used by both hands. Includes famous guisarmes and glaives.
Mass weapon and shield – axes, flails, hammers. One or two-handed, particularly heavy on the “bussiness” end.
Pugilism/brawling – punches, kicks, dirty tricks and some grappling. Good for close combat, bad if the opponent has range and doppelhander.
Wrestling – specific focus on getting the opponent pinned, thrown to the ground and there immobilized/killed by bare hands. Good as a last measure, fine in unarmed fight. May be good idea against some opponents, immediate death against other.


Ranged proficiencies:


Bow
Crossbow
Darts
Slings
Spear/Javelin (may get "defaulted" from polearms)
Thrown Knives
Thrown Axes
Thrown Rocks (and other irregular objects)


Link for priority overview table & proficiency/defaults generator: LINK (https://drive.google.com/file/d/15RVt30_9mM-WYtytEJ9dAce3LHXkryBZ/view?usp=sharing)

Lacco
2019-07-13, 04:44 PM
Character Generation


Step 0: Concept, Name and Philosophy
Step 1: Race, Homeland and Cultural Traits
Step 2: Priorities
Step 3: Attributes
Step 4: Skill Packets and Skills
Step 5: Proficiencies
Step 6: Traits
Step 7: Resources and Equipment
Step 8: Magic
Step 9: Finishing Steps
- Manuevers
- Fatigue and Pain Thresholds
- Calculate Dice Pools




You will be a member of mercenary company - maybe one of its captains, maybe the trainer, or quartermaster - it's your choice.
Think about what would you like to play. Discuss it with your GM and other players. Especially important are connections - you start as a group where everybody knows the other ones, so we need to build the connections. Where did you meet? Are you friends? Are you family? Are you acquiatances? Or are you hired help? Someone's former lord? Prisoner? Apprentice? Serf?

Example concepts. Grab one or mix two together.
Scout, explorer, academic, advisor, antiquarian, berserker, bladeslinger, bodyguard, graverobber, priest, cleric, nun, druid, witch doctor, laborer, crusader, highwayman, bandit, entertainer, occultist, skald, bard, plague doctor, duelist, gambler, con-man, roadwarden, marshall, ranger, woodsman, thief, cutpurse, burglar, knight, alchemist, healer, guardsman, warrior, mercenary, squire, rogue, assassin, hunter, craftsman, servant/page, steward, adventurer.

Philosophy is the character's approach to life. It is a quote/saying/code to which he turns when tough decision occurs. Best philosophies are those you will enjoy acting out.

Of course, as a GM I will suggest a philosophy if you can not think of one, or we can wait until later to get one.



For the Introductory Game, all player characters shall be Human, only their country of origin will differ.

- to be done -
Main points:
- races are not equal or balanced
- each race has their own priority table
- some races get specific magic (e.g. Star & Cycle magic is elf-only; Druidic magic is orc-only, Wordsmithing is dwarf-only at the start) but certain combinations may allow to branch out.




Starting characters get each priority - ABCDEF.

The higher priority, the better result (e.g. in attributes, the higher the better, in skills it's the opposite - the lower, the better).

The A priority should go to the strongest part of the character. A bladeslinger should be proficient with a sword, a thief should be able to sneak around and be skilled in getting through traps-and-locks-infested dungeons. The question is - what is the strongest part of your character? Do you want a good fencer? Or GREAT fencer? Do you want to be fast? Or do you want to have snake-like lightning reflexes?

Based on your race you get your own Priority table (see below). Assign each category (e.g. "Magic") one priority level (e.g. "A").








Social Status



Attributes
Proficiencies
Skills
Traits
Magic


A
Baron
45
14
Journeyman and Apprentice
9
Sorceror


B
Landless Nobility
43
11
Journeyman
7
Journeyman or Chosen


C
Rich Free Man
41
9
Proficient and Apprentice
5
Apprentice


D
Retinue/Free Man
39
7
Proficient
4
Dabbler or Gifted


E
Recruit/Peasant
37
3
Apprentice twice
2
Resistant or Talented


F
Prisoner or Outcast

35
0
Apprentice
1
Mundane








Each player is given a number of points to distribute amongst the Physical, Mental and Social Attributes. This quantity of points is determined by Priority level (see 3.5).
These points may be distributed freely, with a following limitations and restrictions valid for this stage of character generation:

Choose one “high” attribute – no other attribute may be equal or higher.
No attribute higher than racial maximum.
No attribute lower than racial minimum.




Race
Min
Max
Special


Human
2
7
One attribute must be higher than the others.


Orc
3
9
DEX, INT and CHA have racial minimum 1 and maximum 5.


Elf
3
8
BWN has racial minimum 1 and maximum 5.


Dwarf
2
7
Physical attributes have racial minimum 3 and maximum 8.




Attributes may be then modified by priorities.
After this is done, Derived attributes should be calculated.



Each new character begins play with two "Skill Packets,". These groups of skills should follow the precedent set forth by concept, background, and philosophy—indeed, the skills in these packets are a product of a character's history, upbringing, and life experience.

Each of these packets consists of different skills and their respective modifiers. Once a skill priority is determined, and skill packets are chosen, the player should write down all skills from chosen skill packets and assign the appropriate level to these skills.

For individual values of skills, see following table. Skill packets with the same skill level twice (e.g. J/J) can be traded for a single skill packet with higher value (i.e. "J/J" becomes "M").


Value
Skill packets


J/A
Journeyman and Apprentice


J
Journeyman


P/P
Proficient/Proficient or single Journeyman


P/A
Proficient/Apprentice


A/A
Apprentice/Apprentice or single Proficient


A
Apprentice



For each skill packet there is a list of appropriate skills and modifiers. The modifiers serve to increase or decrease the level of skill (based on the focus of the skill packet). Positive modifiers mean that you can raise the skill level (+1 at Apprentice means you can raise it to Proficient), negative mean decrease (-2 at Journeyman means the skill is lowered to Apprentice).



The GM should prepare a list of suitable Proficiencies for the game and present it to the players based on their choices so far. The general list of proficiencies and their defaults shall be available later.
Proficiencies, where combat is concerned, measure the amount of training, practice, and familiarity a character has with a given brand of weapon or fighting style. Based on Priority table, possibly modified by your racial/cultural/homeland modifiers, you receive certain amount of points to assign to proficiencies as you like. There are only few limitations:

Upper limits for individual priorities and races.
Defaulting can raise your proficiency to 6, not more.


Link for priority overview table & proficiency/defaults generator: LINK (https://drive.google.com/file/d/15RVt30_9mM-WYtytEJ9dAce3LHXkryBZ/view?usp=sharing)

After you invest points into your proficiencies, it should be checked if any defaults apply for your proficiencies. Check the proficiencies which you invested into in Overall Proficiency Table and calculate your defaults by deducing listed numbers from your proficiency. Remember: proficiency gained by defaulting can be at maximum 6, so any points potentially gained by defaulting over 6 are lost, but you may further develop these by adding proficiency points from priority table up to the abovementioned limit.
A general rule is that Defaults do not give you other defaults unless you invest points in them. It may happen that during character generation your defaults raise a proficiency over allowed limit – check if the same applies if you remove invested points and re-balance if necessary. If not, the overflowing points from defaults are lost!
Once you have your Proficiencies (including Ranged and Magic) ready, jot down any pertinent manoeuvres or spells. Write them down.

Lacco
2020-07-08, 03:04 AM
Traits

Traits represent characters’ strongest and weakest characteristics. There are two kinds of traits - Character traits (which define how the character looks, acts and what is known about them) and Special Traits. During character generation, Traits are bought with Trait points. During game Traits are voted by the group based on how the character plays the game – and by paying for them with Experience and Drama points.

Character traits have two levels. Overall, they provide Drama points when provoked (by GM and other players to bring in complications) and Experience points when invoked (by player to further the story).

Character traits of level 1 cost 1 trait point and may be used to break ties and once per game day to provide additional die. They may be updated to level 2 traits for 2 additional points to add a dice to any relevant dice roll.

Relevancy of the dice roll is determined by the GM based on a short argument by the player.

Special traits are “rulebreakers” – they have their own rules to follow and may bend the normal rules of the game.
Example: Potent Blood (costs 5 points) allows character to add +1 to Power and learn magic, or gives a character that already has magic +2 to Power.

Homeland and skill packets give players free traits and allows them to buy level 2 character traits or special traits for 1 point.
Example: Dragon Blood is a special trait that costs 5 points, but only 1 point for someone coming from Baruthel.