PERSONAL SKILLS

Personal Skills are those which describe the character’s intrinsic personality traits that nonetheless develop over time and can be cultivated in others.  

• Zeal
• Courage
• Grit
• Morale
• Vigilance

ZEAL

Zeal is the sincere dedication to the holy scriptures and the way it impacts the person so dedicated.  People with high Zeal know the words and meanings of their holy scriptures inside and out, and can recite them from memory.  Holding the deep understanding in their soul at all times grants them a fire and a fervor that allows them to accomplish great works, and to rekindle their own personal fire.

Priests use Zeal to perform their holy rituals supplicating for divine intercession.  

(Read more about Holy Rituals)

Rank 1:  Dogma
The words of their faith have special meaning to the worshiper, and when they use them as their own, the resonance is powerful.  If the worshiper makes a direct quote from the holy texts of their religion that is relevant to their cause, they may immediately Exert to call Discipline to resist any Obey call. 

Rank 2: Ardor
The worshiper’s personal fire is kindled more brightly.  When the believer enters the Devoted state, their bonus affects a second Skill.

Pragmatic Characters gain an one additional use of Willpower per day. 

Additionally, after 15 minutes of performative praying or spiritual discussion the believer becomes Inspired. This time may also be used to invoke the Prayer ability if they have it.

Rank 3: Conviction
The believer’s faith buoys them, and the desolation of grief or sadness can’t dim their light.  Whenever the believer expends Willpower or Prayer, they also lose 1 Despair.

Rank 4: Fervor
The believer’s soul blazes with inner light.  When the believer enters the Devoted state, their bonus affects a third Skill.

Pragmatic characters gain yet an additional use of Willpower per day.

Additionally, whenever the believer is Exhausted and would become Inspired they may recover from Exhausted. Like Ardor, this may also be time spent to invoke the Prayer ability.

Rank 5: Epiphany
The believer’s faith is is an unquenchable flame.  While Inspired, the believer may Exert to refresh a spent use of the Prayer or Willpower ability.  

COURAGE

Courage is a character’s sense of bravery and personal control.  It allows the character to resist the wiles of others, maintain their current mental focus, and resist things like fear or madness that may deter them from their course.  

The effects of the Courage Skill do not reduce or immunize effects resulting from Character Flaws.

 

Rank 1: Nerve
The character can steel themselves in the face of challenges where others might break.  They may call Discipline against Fear once per Rest.

The effects of the Trauma condition are lessened.  For every level of Courage, Trauma leaves that Rank of Skills in tact.  For instance, a character with Courage 2 who became Traumatized would reduce all of their Skills to a maximum of 2 instead of 0.  

Rank 2: Restraint
The character can steady themselves against outside influences and remember what they must do.  They may call Discipline against Insanity or Obey once per Rest.

(Read more about Game Effects)

Rank 3: Strong Identity
The character’s Devotion reminds them of who they truly are.  Whenever the character gains a Personal Victory, they may downgrade one of their Insanities by 1 degree (such as from Severe to Mild, or Mild to nothing).

(Read more about the Human Spirit)
(Read more about Insanity)

Rank 4: Boldness
The character is immune to Fear.  The player should say “No effect” when Fear is used on them.

Rank 5: Dauntless
The character is a pillar of psychological fortitude, unable to be deterred from their course by fear or doubt.  The character becomes immune to the effects of Personal Failures, except those resulting from Character Flaws.

(Read more about the Human Spirit)

GRIT

The Grit skill is the gradual toughening of the body and mind to endure great amounts of pain, shrug off sickness, and otherwise remain ready to act, even when in poor condition.  Characters with Grit can fight on longer than normal people, able to push themselves past injury, even at their own peril.

Rank 1: Endurance
The character can push themselves harder, even when they’re feeling terrible.  The effects of the Battered condition are lessened.  For every level of Grit, Battered leaves that Rank of Skills in tact.  For instance, a character with Grit 2 who became Battered would reduce all of their Skills to a maximum of 2 instead of 0.

Characters with Endurance can speak normally while in the Downed condition, and can limp along (but not run) unassisted with two Injured legs.

(Read more about Injuries)

Additionally, for each level of Grit, a character can drink 1 more alcoholic drink before becoming drunk or Blacked Out.

(Read more about Alcohol and Intoxication)

Rank 2: Resilience
The character gains a use of Toughness against any call with the Poison Quality, all Stunning Conditions (Pain, Stun, Blackout), Staggering Conditions (Stagger, Knockdown, Slam), Striking Conditions (Bleed, Crash, Strike), and Disease.  This Toughness refreshes on Rest.

If there is a Disease Outbreak, the character is not affected.

Rank 3:  Gristle
The character can fight through any amount of pain to do what must be done, at least for a moment.  Once per Rest, the character may ignore the effects of Injuries, Battered, and Downed for 3 Beats.  During this time, they may continue to fight in any way they are able before succumbing to whatever wounds they had before or gained during Gristle.

Rank 4: Unflinching
The character is effectively immune to Pain. The Player should call “No Effect” when Pain is used.

Rank 5: Unbreakable
The character is a mountain of endurance.  Two beats after being Downed, they may get up again with a Bleed where they were Hit.  The character may continue do this until they suffer a Deathblow.  This ability does not work if the character enters Last Breath, including if sent there by having the Bleed condition for more than 5 minutes..

MORALE

Morale is a character’s fellowship with others, and their ability to work cohesively in a group.  Morale has the role of both Leader and Follower, and each has a different role in Morale at each Rank of the Skill.  Whether in a Leader or Follower role, the character with the Skill Rank gains the listed ability as it pertains to their role.  Characters who share the same Leader and that Leader themselves are called a Team.

Rank 1: Fellowship
A character with Fellowship may designate another character as their Leader  This action be done at most once per Event. Leaders can have as many Followers as are willing to follow them, but a given character may only ever have one Leader.  

The Leader of a Team must have a Bond towards each of their Followers, and each Follower must have a Bond towards their Leader. Should this Bond be removed, that person is no longer considered a part of the Team.

Whenever the majority of the Team participates in a bonding scene or teambuilding exercise, they may all take a Bond towards each other member of the Team.

Rank 2: Cohesion
A Follower may spend Discipline to resist an Obey call if their Leader resists it when present.  A Leader gains one Discipline to resist Obey calls when at least one follower is present with them.  This refreshes upon Rest.

Rank 3: Strategy
The Leader may gather their Team to initiate a plan, stating an objective that must be an attempt to achieve a Personal Victory for the Leader.  Each member of the Team must be given a specific contributing role within the plan, and if the plan succeeds, every member who accomplished their role also gains a Personal Victory.

(Read more about the Human Spirit)

Additionally, if every character undertaking a Trial is on the same Team, the character enters the Devoted condition.

Rank 4:  Camaraderie
Speaking privately with one of their Followers, a Leader may speak some uplifting words and instill confidence within them, removing 1 Despair.  The Leader may do this once per Follower per Event.

A Follower gains a Discipline to resist any mental command or condition that would make them turn against or prevent from helping their Team or Leader, including Obey, Insanity, or Fear, refreshing on Rest.

Additionally, a Follower may go to another member of the team and share the complete details of one of their Bonds, including the Vector of that Bond, and then have that member help them achieve that goal. Afterwards either of the Followers may remove Trauma, Despair, Exhausted, or Misery.

Rank 5:  Esprit de Corps
The shared spirit of the Team is greater than all of them. Their loyalty to one another allows for truly heroic feats beyond what any of them could achieve alone.

After giving a rousing speech, the Leader may Exert to Inspire all of their present Followers.

A Follower may choose to take any Hit for their Leader should they be within touching distance, calling either one of their normal Defenses or else Taken.

VIGILANCE

Vigilance represents a character’s ability to remain aware of their surroundings and of those around them.  Vigilant individuals can spot inconsistent details and become aware when there is a threat present, perhaps quickly enough to save themselves or others from hidden dangers, and can learn much about characters they encounter from telling details.

Rank 1: Search
The watcher gains the ability to search characters or locations for items that may be hidden.  After 30 seconds of searching around, the watcher may reveal anything marked as “Hidden” through the use Finesse or another ability.  Search also reveals the presence of Poisons or Drugs in food or drink, unless that drug has the Undetectable trait.

When Searching a character, after 30 seconds they may locate every game item on the character, including money, equipment and weapons.  Items concealed through Finesse (wrapped in a black cloth) may not be located.

Additionally, after watching a character interact socially for at least 30 seconds, you may ask their Player as an Out-of-Character question “What is your character’s Social Class and Culture?”

Rank 2:. Assess
The watcher can tell a great deal from a person’s gait, posture, stance, eyes, the cut of their clothes, the calluses on their hands.  After viewing a character from Speaking Distance for at least a minute, you may ask as an OOC question “What is your character’s highest Skill?”  If there is a tie, the Player of the character being examined chooses which to say. If they were interacting with another character during that minute, you may ask them what Bonds they have towards that character

The watcher may become Alert from fairly loud noises created by a character using the Ignore Sign (such as from Stealth) such as a snapped twig, knocked over rocks, etc).

Rank 3: Scrutinize
The watcher’s keen eye for detail gives them great empathy to understand the human soul.  For every 10 minutes of observing a character active and conversing, you may ask them one of the following questions as an OOC question:

• What was your mother/father’s profession?
• What is your Devotion?
• How much Despair do you have or are you Inspired?
• What is a/another personality related Perk/Flaw you have? (such as Bigot, Entitled, Nobody’s Fool, Pig Headed, etc)
• What are you hoping to get out of this scene?
• Who are you loyal to in this room?
• What is a relevant Bond or Belief you have to this Scene?
• What is a/another Belief you hold?

Rank 4: Reveal
The watcher gains the ability to Reveal characters using the Ignore Sign. Revealing takes 30 seconds, during which time you should roleplay searching the room’s hiding spots. Characters still in a 20 foot area at the end of that time are discovered.

As well, the character becomes Alert by a character using the Ignore Sign taking steps in their eye line.

Rank 5: Warden
The character becomes Alert by seeing a character using the Ignore Sign unmoving at Speaking (and thus listening) distance, and may grant Alert to others if they themselves become Alert