Tides

Tides are a type of Flux that are both positive and negative. Like all Flux, they can be **invoked** or **compelled**. Typically, one of your Tides will come into play once or twice per Rest.

Over time you can gain or lose defining features to your personality, called Tides.

This happens during **Critical Moments** in your character’s life, some of which can happen before the adventure even begins, in your character’s backstory (their life before the start of the game). You can begin play with any number of Tides, but the recommended number is 1-3. Tides should be approved by your GM before being introduced into the game.

## **Making a Good Tide**

Tides are player-created phrases that represent some facet of your character. For the best gameplay, a good Tide should be:

**Double-Edged**

Tides are beneficial traits in some situations and harmful traits in others.

**Bad Example**: “Iron Stomach”

Why? This Tide is good for the character (that they are able to stomach anything), but there are very few situations in which this would be bad for them.

**Better Example**: “Eats Anything”

Why? This Tide keeps the connotation that the character *can* eat anything without trouble, but it also implies the character *will* eat anything, making for some odd times and exciting roleplaying when the group comes across a dusty old bottle and they aren’t sure if it’s whiskey or perfume.

**Overlapping Traits**

Tides should say more than one thing so that they can be used more often. However, be careful here: Tides should not overlap with each other.

**Bad Example**: “Mad Scientist”

Why? This Tide is good at being double-edged. It implies the character is good at science and invention but creative or headstrong to a fault. However, it won’t often get used unless some kind of science encounter comes up.

**Better Example**: “I Prefer to Use a Wrench”

Why? This Tide carries most of the connotations of the last one. It can be used to mean the character is good at mechanical skills and perhaps headstrong in how they go about doing so. But it can also mean the character might struggle with social encounters or abstract problems when a wrench won’t fix things. However, it also creates another meaning – expert combat skills using specifically a wrench! Look how much is packed into one Tide.

**Simple and Clean**

Tides need to be clear and understandable without an explanation.

**Bad Example**: “Emotionally Scarred”

Why? This Tide is good at being double-edged. It could suggest the character has sore subjects they prefer not to talk about, but also that they are hardened to not be hurt again. Whether it says more than one thing is hard to tell, because it’s so vague – upon reading this, you don’t know anything about their scars and how that character has changed because of it.

**Better Example**: “War Flashbacks”

Why? This Tide has the same double-edge as the last one – sore memories and hardened emotions. But it also explains the origin of this trait in a way that lets the reader predict how the character might have developed because of it. You are able to differentiate these emotional scars from, say, a bad breakup. And now that it’s more specific, it certainly contains overlapping traits! This one Tide could hold several years of the character’s past development.

**Can’t Think of a Good Tide?**

Remember that you don’t need three. If you can only come up with one, that’s enough to start. You can always talk with your GM about adding more later. Your Tides should capture the most important features of your character, so start with what those are and why they matter to your character.

## Enforced Tides

Tides can be **Enforced** during a Critical Moment. An **Enforced Tide** is twice as strong as a normal Tide: it grants a +6 bonus when invoked and is worth 50 XP when compelled.