Talents and Detriments

Every character can and will receive some fortune or merits along their way. These innate feats provide the character with special abilities many ways and are often what sets the individual apart from the common masses.

## Talents

### Physical Talents

Accelerated Healing

*Cost: 1 TP*

*Character Creation only*

Any healing check receives a +2 modification. In accordance with the GM, a character may perform a second Rest check.

Ambidexterity

*Cost: 1 TP*

The character is talented to use both hands to equal efficiency. Characters without this talent, whenever they use their off-hand as a one-handed action, take a -2 penalty.

Contortionist

*Cost: 1 TP*

Some people are trained to twist and bend their body in very unnatural ways. This is a benefit when trying to navigate narrow spaces or even escape chains. A contortionist receives a +2 bonus on all Escape Artist rolls. This talent is also an entertaining feat on parties.

Great Pain Tolerance

*Cost: 2 TP*

Your character can take a beating or two. This talent ignores one Body Damage each step when calculating the modifiers caused by pain. A person with this talent needs 4 Damage per step as penalty from pain. This talent does not stack with other modifiers.

Improved Initiative

*Cost: 2 TP*

You are quick in the mind and even quicker on your feet. You receive an extra d6 to determine your initiative each round of combat.

Marksman

*Cost: 2 TP*

You grew up with a rifle in one hand and bullets for breakfast. Ever since you were a child, you instinctively knew how to handle a gun and seemed to be more adapt than any of your coevals with a pistol in hand. The maximum precision of your designated type of firearm increases by one and it gains +1 AP.

Stealthy

*Cost: 2 TP*

You are one sneaky bastard. Whenever your character rolls for a Sleight of Hand or Stealth roll, he receives a bonus of +2.

Survival Instinct

*Cost: 1 TP per level (max. 3)*

When it comes to inching away from death, your character is known to survive things that normal people could not. Each level in this talent increases the amount of Body Damage to kill the character by 1. This does not affect the ability to stay conscious, so when your character reaches the maximum damage pool, they will still fall unconscious.

Swiftness

*Cost: 2 TP*

The character has learned to become much more agile. Acrobatics checks receive +2 and the character can move 1 increment more per movement action.

Toughness

*Cost: 2 TP*

It takes more than a punch to hurt you. Your character receives +1 on all Body Damage resistances.

### Mental Talents

Eidetic Memory

*Cost: 2 TP*

*Character Creation only*

The character is gifted with the unusual talent to remember almost anything they have been exposed with in any form of way. This allows the character to remember numbers, texts, speeches and other people in great detail, even if the character did not pay immediate attention to it. This talent gives a bonus to memory checks by +2.

Guts

*Cost: 2 TP*

There are some things that drive normal people away in fear. Your character is extra resilient towards fears and intimidation, increasing the dice pool against these effects by +2.

Insightful Defense

*Cost: 1 TP*

A character with this skill can use their Wisdom attribute instead of their Dexterity to determine their natural defense. This means a standard defensive action is still a roll on Wisdom + Dodge.

Tinker-Head

*Cost: 3 TP*

Machines are the most interesting things for your character. All checks involving machinery are increased by +2, from checking machines, crafting tools or understanding the inner workings of complex machinery. Furthermore you are adapt at the construction and handling of your tools.

### Social Talents

Social Butterfly

*Cost: 3 TP*

It is easy for you to blend into new environments and charming people with your winning smile is what you do for a living. You receive a +4 on all social checks relating to your first impression on a character or group of characters. You are simply more likeable and vivid than other, or at least know how to appear that way.

### Special Talents

Ethereal Shell

*Cost: 1 TP per level (max. 4)*

*Non magic users only*

It is unknown how a Being can withstand magical attacks, but some say that the Aura or even the Soul itself have a shell in the Ethereal that needs to be pierced in order for Magic to take effect. Each level in this talent increased the rolls for resisting any instance of magical origin by +1. This talent also acts when the character is healed through magic.

Extraordinary Attribute

*Cost: 4 TP*

*Character Creation only*

Upon character creation, a character can exceed the Natural Limit of an attribute by one. This means that a Human character can level one attribute up to 7 instead of 6.

Favored of the Gods

*Cost: 5 TP*

*Character Creation only*

Your Faith rests upon the lap of one of the Gods and it has been a deep connection of your character. Your Faith is increased by +1, Divine Guidance Checks cannot fail (you cannot mistakenly converse with a different God than your chosen one) and your Prayer's DCs are reduced by 1.

This brands your character into the history of the God of choice, making them an eternal enemy of those that fight said God with hatred.

Improved Concentration

*Cost: 1 TP per level (max. 6)*

*Magically talented characters only*

With this talent, a caster can maintain spells of the equal level of the talent without suffering in willpower. This is very helpful for Auramancer and casters that wish to maintain long term spells.

Mageborn

*Cost: 5 TP*

*Magically talented characters only*

*Character Creation only*

Your character is a Magus. You were born with the talent to use Magic and you have more than enough experience with it. Arcane spells are part of you and you know how to use them. Your character is gifted with the unnatural sight of both Earthen and Ethereal, seeing both at once. The amount of Ethereal (Sight) skill calculates the range of your passive sight into the realm of Spirits. Your Magic Attribute receives a +1, along with the free points for Magic Circles. However, your actions within the Ethereal are more prone to draw unwanted attention.

Slippery Aura

*Cost: 2 TP*

*Character Creation only*

The Aura of the character is more blurry than regular Auras and much harder to manipulate. Interactions involving the Aura of the character (such as Auramancy or simply looking at it) take a penalty of -2.

Talented

*Cost: 3 TP*

*Character Creation only*

You are the best of the best, the king of the hill. This talent increases the natural limit of one skill by 1, allowing that skill to be leveled up to 13 ranks. This skill is also allowed to be leveled one above the character creation limit.

## Detriments

### Physical Detriments

Bad Eyes
*Bonus: 1/2 TP*
The character is born with very poor sight. This detriment imposes a -4 penalty on every visual perception check, attack roll or any skill that requires hand-eye coordination. It is also extremely difficult for a character with this detriment to read or write properly and doing so takes him four times as long assomeone with normal vision. The value of this detriment is determined by whether or not the condition can be cured by glasses, in which case one receives one point, or not, in which case you receive two.

Contaminated

*Bonus: 4 TP*

You have come into contact with the radiation that originates from the burnt out Tharisium Coils and the foul pollution and toxic wastes that run in the sewers of Mandrealis (or any other heavy industry city). Your physique may be warped and twisted, your body hideously deformed or your mind sickened and poisoned by the ailment that infects you. The DM chooses one attribute on par with the form of contamination, which takes three times as many points to advance, whether during character creation or later on.

Talents like Extraordinary Attribute cannot be taken for the same Attribute.

Disfigurement

*Bonus: 3 TP*

Your body has been mutilated, every shred of beauty destroyed with nothing left that anyone might find admirable or aesthetically pleasing. Your Charisma starts at 0 and every Charisma based skill is -1. Unless you spend three Soul Points to advance your Charisma Attribute, this means that you automatically fail every Charisma based skill check and may never invest skill points into any of these skills.

Feeble Immune System

*Bonus: 1 TP*

The character is easily affected by poisons and diseases. The effective strength of those is increased by one and duration doubled.

Low Pain Tolerance

*Bonus: 2 TP*

Pain is very nasty business with your character. The modifiers caused by pain are calculated with 2 points instead of 3, which means that your character takes a -1 penalty at 2 points of damage and -2 at 4.

Insomnia

*Bonus: 1 TP*

It takes much more time for your character to fall asleep up to the point that there was not enough sleep to sufficiently recover from Stun Damage. Your character needs roughly 11 hours of sleep instead of the usual 8 to heal the same amount of Stun Damage.

Weak Lungs

*Bonus: 2 TP*

You are easily out of breath. Either you have some chronic infection, weakening your stamina or you were raised downwind of the looming factories of Mandrealis, or perhaps you have been smoking since your childhood and are now paying price. Whatever the cause, you level every Constitution-based skill is -1 by default and it takes twice as much Experience to advance them.

### Social Detriments

Biased

*Bonus: 1/2/3 TP*

You are biased towards a group or race of people. Whether your bias is based religion, your general upbringing or some ethnic code, you generally make sure that everybody knows how much you hate your chosen group. The bonus for this detriment is calculated by the strength of your aversion and the prevalence of the group specified. A small group (e.g. Magi, Merchants, Farmers) with a latent bias (-2 to all social rolls involving these groups) would give you 1 AP; A large group (Slaves, Middle-class, People of a different religion/ethnicity/sex) with a latent bias or conversely a small group with an outspoken hatred (-4 to all social rills involving these group. Additionally the GM can have these character simply refuse to interact with your character) would grant 2 AP, while a combination of a large group with an outspoken hatred would grant 3 AP.

Fiery Temper

*Bonus: 1 TP*

You have difficulty controlling yourself and are easily angered. In social situations were self-control is advised and your character becomes insulted, neglected or simply bored, you roll a self control check against a difficulty of 2-5 depending on the situation or lash out senselessly and start a brawl or simply clock the perceived offender on the head.

Notorious

*Bonus: 1 TP*

The dark tales of your past precede you. Rumors about your character leave a negative impression on others and it is harder for your character to act in social environments. Your character takes -2 to all social rolls with characters who are receptive to such rumors.

Slaveborn

*Bonus: 4 TP*

*Character Creation only*

Being born a slave is perhaps one of the greatest sufferings in the new world. With years of hard work, you were able to free yourself from your master, but you are still branded both literally and metaphorically as an outcast of society. People treat you like trash and generally disrespect you in any kind of way.
The character does not have any financial resources on creation. A set of clothes and a weapon is all you receive.

Stutter

*Bonus: 2 TP*

The character stutters uncontrollably. The necessary amount of 1s for a failed skill check involving spoken communication is decreased by two. Furthermore, advancing any Charisma-based skill costs twice as much experience.

Technology Aversion

*Bonus: 4 TP*

Progress makes you itchy and nervous. A gun is anathema to you and everyone utilizing these ungodly machines is sure to draw the ire of some higher power. Soon the gods will smite the insolent worms who dare to use the anathematic accessories. You cannot use any piece of technology that is not "natural" (up to the DM to decide).

This disallows all Talents involving technology.

### Special Detriments

Ethereal Bonfire

*Bonus: 1 TP*

*Character Creation only*

Whatever is going on with your Aura, it is more visible in the Ethereal and even more memorable. Characters reading your Aura receive a +2 on their Ethereal (Sight) throw and receive much more information from reading it. This might draw attention from Spirits.