Perks

Perks represent the special knacks that characters develop throughout life due to their upbringing, studies, training, etc. Perks make each character unique and affect how they approach certain tasks or how they interact in certain ways with the environment. At *level 1*, characters gain a number of perks thanks to their ancestry, race, background, and past experience. From that point onward, characters can continue learning additional perks by spending experience points (XP) during the character development process.

## Perk lists

The following lists compile the different kinds of perks that a character can take during the character creation stage and the character development process.

### Common perks

A level 1 character chooses a free perk from this list, he/she can then continue obtaining perks from this list throughout the course of an adventure.

* **Adept alchemist.** Whenever you obtain any quantity of alchemical ingredients from a source other than a shop, you obtain 1 additional unit.
* **Agile.** (Prerequisite d8 dexterity or higher) Your base speed increases by 5ft (2m).
* **Artistic.** You gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to creating works of art.
* **Athletic.** (Prerequisite d8 physique or higher) Your climbing and swimming speed increases by 5ft (2m). Also, you can hold your breath for twice as long as you normally could.
* **Body language.** (Prerequisite d8 wisdom or higher) You gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to discerning lies or perceiving hidden intentions if any.
* **Brilliant mind.** (Prerequisite d8 Intellect or higher) You gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to identifying spoken or written languages (not to comprehending them though), solving complex puzzles, and deciphering secret codes or hidden messages.
* **Child of nature.** You gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to identifying items, creatures, or plants of a natural origin.
* **City kid.** Whenever you are in a city or large town, you gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to gathering information.
* **Cook.** Once per day and as long as you use a cooking toolset to prepare food, creatures that eat from it can choose to remove 1 level of fatigue.
* **Courtier.** You gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to socially interacting with members of high echelons of society.
* **Deft hands.** You gain a +2 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to performing minor hand tricks and/or pickpocketing.
* **Eye for detail.** You gain a +2 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to finding traps or other hidden objects.
* **Frightening.** You gain a +2 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to coercing or intimidating other creatures.
* **Robust.** Your base health increases by +2.
* **Hauler.** Your base carrying load is increased by 10.
* **Improviser.** You can perform any attribute check (With a -4 penalty) that would normally require the use of a specific set of tools, provided that you can find items that could serve as improvised tools for the same purpose.
* **Jack of all trades.** You gain a +1 bonus to all attribute checks you make that could benefit from a skill in which you are not trained in.
* **Learned.** You get a +4 bonus to all attribute die checks you make related to knowing or recalling cultural, historic, or scientific information.
* **Liar.** (Prerequisite d8 charisma or higher) You gain a +2 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to concealing your emotions or hiding information.
* **Method actor.** You gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to impersonating other creatures, as long as you spend at least 2 hours practicing your performance.
* **Part of the crowd.** Whenever you are surrounded by at least 5 other creatures, you gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to go unnoticed.
* **Showmaster.** You gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to craft disguises.
* **Silver-tongued.** (Prerequisite d8 charisma or higher) You gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to improving the attitude of another intelligent creature towards you.
* **Traceur.** (Prerequisite d8 dexterity or higher) Your base horizontal and vertical jumping distances are doubled.
* **Virtuoso.** You gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to playing musical instruments in which you are proficient.
* **Willful.** Your base willpower increases by +2.

### Drawbacks

A level 1 character must accept a perk from this list. If he/she chooses to, he/she can continue obtaining perks from this list throughout the course of an adventure. Some in-game effects can force a character to take additional drawbacks.

* **Absent minded.** At the start of each turn during combat, you must perform a probability check, there's a 10% chance that you lose your reaction for that round due to a distraction.
* **Allergy (Choose).** You get a -4 penalty to all action die checks you make whenever the source of your allergies is present.
* **Anxious.** At the start of each turn during combat, you must perform a probability check, there's a 10% chance that you lose your swift action for that turn due to a distraction.
* **Bird of ill omen.** Whenever you obtain your lucky number in the action die as a result of rolling any action die check; strange, awful, and inexplicable things (at the scribe's discretion) happen to one random creature within short range (10ft/3m) from where you stand.
* **Clumsy.** Whenever you roll a 1 on your action die while using a handheld item, you end up dropping the item into an unoccupied space of your choice within immediate range from where you stand instead of using it correctly.
* **Coward.** You get a -2 penalty to all action die checks you make when there are no allies within short range (10ft/3m) from you.
* **Dawdler.** You need 2 extra hours of rest than what an individual of your same race would need to gain the benefits of a full night's sleep.
* **Envious.** When you perform the aid action alongside a creature you know or suspect has more riches than you, you both get a -2 penalty to all action die checks made derived from said cooperation.
* **Glutton.** You need to eat twice as often as an individual of your same race would need to maintain the benefits of a day's meal.
* **Ignorant.** You get a -4 penalty to all attribute die checks you make related to knowing or recalling cultural, historic, or scientific information.
* **Impatient.** You get a -2 penalty to all action die checks you make as a result of any delayed action.
* **Innocent.** You get a -4 penalty to all attribute die checks you make related to detecting ruses or lies.
* **Insecure.** Until the dawn of the next day, you get a cumulative -1 penalty to all attribute die checks you make related to performing tasks in which you have already failed during that same day.
* **Loner.** You get a -2 penalty to all action die checks you make when there is more than one ally within short range (10ft/3m) from you.
* **Neat freak.** You get a -2 penalty to all action die checks you make when you suffer from the prone condition.
* **Perfectionist.** For you, all check results that are equal to the target difficulty are considered failures instead of successes.
* **Pessimist.** You get a -2 penalty to all attribute checks you make related to performing tasks under pressure (at the scribe's discretion).
* **Phobia (Choose).** You act as if you were suffering from the frightened condition towards the source of your phobia whenever it is present.
* **Socially awkward.** You get a -4 penalty to all attribute checks you make related to interacting socially with other intelligent creatures.

### Martial perks

Perks from this list can only be bought via spending experience points (XP).

* **Anatomist.** For you, the penalty for taking called shot attacks is reduced to a -4 instead of the usual -6.
* **Arms expert.** All attack rolls you make while using a weapon also deal critical damage on a result of 19 on the action die.
* **Blade artist.** For you, all slashing weapons are considered to have the finesse trait.
* **Bladewall.** Whenever you are wielding at least two separate melee weapons using your hands, you gain a +1 bonus to your body defense against melee attacks.
* **Bulwark of defense.** Enemy creatures treat spaces adjacent to you as difficult terrain.
* **Close-quarters ranged combat.** You ignore all penalties related to the use of ranged weapons to attack creatures within immediate range (5ft/1.5m) from where you stand.
* **Danger sense.** You gain a +2 bonus to all saving throws you make related to avoiding (but not freeing yourself from) effects emanating from a source you are able to see.
* **Diehard.** Whenever your health is reduced to 0 or lower, and your current health does not exceed a negative amount equal to your injured value, you are automatically stabilized.
* **Farlobber.** You treat the attack range of all thrown weapons as one step higher than it actually is.
* **Field medic.** Whenever a creature regains health thanks to a medical procedure performed by you, it regains its recovery die's MDV instead of rolling the die.
* **Firearm training.** You are able to operate, maintain and repair weapons with the firearm trait.
* **Fisticuffs.** The base damage for your unarmed attacks increases by 1.
* **Gaping wounds.** Each time you perform a weapon attack that imposes the bleeding condition, its damage die starts at a d6 instead of a d4.
* **Giant slayer.** You treat all creatures larger than you as 1 size category larger when determining size bonuses for attack rolls.
* **Guardian.** When using a shield, you can use your reaction to ignore explosive damage when you are not the center of the effect. Also, allies within immediate range from where you are standing can use their reaction to gain the benefits of your shield against incoming attacks.
* **Mage slayer.** You are able to perform attacks of opportunity against an enemy creature that casts a spell within range of your melee weapon attacks.
* **Mounted artilleryman.** You ignore all penalties related to making ranged weapon attacks while mounted.
* **Paramedic.** You ignore all penalties related to performing medical procedures during combat.
* **Pole-arm master.** You ignore all penalties related to the use of weapons with the reach trait to attack creatures within immediate range (5ft/1.5m) from where you stand.
* **Rapid loading.** You treat all weapons with the heavy loading trait, as if they had the light loading trait instead.
* **Slippery.** You can choose to use Dexterity instead of Physique as your attribute die for any attribute checks you make to escape a grapple.
* **Straggler.** You gain a +1 bonus to all action die checks you make when you are the last creature to act during a combat round.
* **Two-handed defense.** Whenever you are wielding a melee weapon with the two-handed trait using your hands, you gain a +1 bonus to your body defense against melee attacks.
* **Vermin slayer.** You treat creatures smaller than you as 1 size category larger when determining size bonuses for attack rolls.
* **Versatile fighting style.** You can learn up to 1 talent from a martial class different than yours as long as you meet the prerequisites for it if any.

### Mystic perks

Perks from this list can only be bought via spending experience points (XP).

* **Split mind.** You are able to maintain concentration on up to two spells at a time.
* **Diligent study.** Your talent slot maximum for an individual of your class and level is increased by 1.
* **Expanded aetherial lore.** You gain a +4 bonus to all attribute checks you make related to knowing or recalling magical lore.
* **Focused mind.** You gain a +2 bonus to all saving throws you make related to maintaining your concentration on spells.
* **Mixed traditions.** You can learn up to 1 talent of a mystic class different than yours as long as you meet the prerequisites for it if any.
* **Reactive spellcasting.** Whenever a creature provokes an attack of opportunity from you, you can choose to cast a spell instead of attacking with a melee weapon as long as said spell requires you to make an attack roll.
* **Signature spell.** You choose one bardic performance, spell, or power rune belonging to your class as your signature spell. Whenever you cast your signature spell, its total willpower cost is reduced by 1.

### Mutations

Perks from this list are either the result of genetic degradation or radiation poisoning and can only be taken via special requirements.

* **Allergy (choose).** You act as if you were suffering from the sickened condition towards the source of your allergy whenever it is present.
* **Birthmark.** You get a -6 penalty to all attribute checks you make related to hiding emotions due to a very visible birthmark that reacts to your feelings.
* **Chronic disease (choose).** You constantly suffer from the effects of a disease of your choosing from the chronic disease list.
* **Feet deformity.** Your base speed is reduced by 5ft (2m) also, you get a -2 penalty to all saving throws you make related to the use of dexterity as your attribute die for the check.
* **Frail body.** Your base health decreases by 2.
* **Hand deformity.** You get a -2 penalty to all action die checks you make related to performing precision tasks with your hands (including attack rolls).
* **Hemophilia.** For you, the only way to get rid of the bleeding condition is to be healed by magic or by succeeding on a DR5 medical procedure check to stop the bleeding, regardless of what the effect's description states.
* **Sunlight sensitivity.** You take 1d4 fire damage for every ten seconds you spend under direct sunlight, even if only a portion of your body is exposed to it.