SYSTEM

We're using a STaRS (Simple TAbletop Roleplaying System) homebrew hack. It's a simple, lite d20 system with no classes and open-ended skillsets.

For a summary, read Basics: link to a message in another game

1. Stats: link to a message in this game
2. Checks: link to a message in this game
3. Modifiers: link to a message in this game
4. Traits: link to a message in this game
5. Combat: link to a message in this game

Character creation is its own page: link to a message in another game

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:28, Tue 17 July 2018.

1. STATS

Stats are permanent, and max out at 16. The higher the stat, the better.

• Bushcraft (BUS): stealth, navigation, wilderness survival
• Charm (CHA): sociability, lying, persuasion, memory for people/rumors/gossip
• Dexterity (DEX): ranged weapons, balance, speed, hand-eye coordination, driving, lockpicking
• Letters (LET): literacy, book learning, rote memorization
• Stamina (STA): health points, resisting disease/injury, persistence
• Strength (STR): melee weapons, grappling, lifting, breaking things, fisticuffs
• Wits (WIT): improvised weapons, perception, common sense, resisting persuasion, sensing deception

In addition, modifiers (e.g. from traits and equipment) can add bonuses or penalties to your stats when making checks.

For more on checks: link to a message in this game
For more on modifiers, incl. equipment: link to a message in this game
For more on traits: link to a message in this game
For a detailed list of stats to use for different checks: link to a message in another game

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:30, Tue 17 July 2018.

2. CHECKS

When you make a check, pick the most relevant stat and roll 1d20.

• If your resulting score is under your stat, your attempt succeeds
• If the score is higher than your stat, your attempt fails
• If the score is equal to your stat, you barely or incompletely succeed, and complications may arise

How to make a check

• 1. Pick the relevant stat
• 2. Note the stat and check in the dice roller
• 3. Note any relevant mod/s
• 4. Roll 1d20
• 5. Compare the result to your stat + relevant mod/s

Step by step

• 1. Pick the relevant stat
  
  • See stats: link to a message in this game
  • For a detailed list of stats to use for different checks: link to a message in this game
  • For some checks, you could use one of several suitable stats. For example, for climbing a wall, you could choose STR or DEX
  • If you're still not sure: Go with your best guess so the game doesn't pause. Leave an OOC note for me to clarify which stat to use for that check in the future
• 2. Note the stat and check in the dice roller
  
  • Under "Reason for roll," put the stat (e.g., Dex) and the check (e.g. lockpicking). For example: Dex lockpick
• 3. Note any relevant mod/s
  
  • Under "Reason for roll," include any mod/s added to your stat
  • For example, if you have a good locksmith +2 trait, note: Dex lockpick, +2 lsmith. If the GM has informed you the lock is extra tough (–1 mod), note: Dex lockpick, +2 lsmith –1
  • For more on modifiers: link to a message in this game
  • For more on traits: link to a message in this game
• 4. Roll 1d20
• 5. Compare the result to your stat + relevant mod/s
  
  • If the result is under your stat + mod/s, you succeed!

When to make a check

Make a check whenever you attempt an action that is (a) significant and (b) involves a realistic chance of failure. Examples include breaking a safe, deceiving an NPC (with more than a polite white lie), searching for traps, or climbing a tall wall. You can also, optionally, make a check to prepare yourself for what might happen in the near future. For example, before walking into a room you can make a Wits check to clarify that you are paying close attention to your surroundings, to help prevent someone from sneaking up on you.

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:48, Wed 18 July 2018.

3. MODIFIERS

Modifiers can temporarily modify – that is, add bonuses or penalties to – whichever stat you choose when making a check.

• When a modifier adds a bonus to the stat, a check is more likely to succeed
• When a modifier adds a penalty to the stat, a check is less likely to succeed

There are three kinds of modifiers. For each check, you can use a maximum of one good trait bonus, one bad trait penalty, one environment mod, and one equipment mod.

• Traits are an individual's special skills, adding modifiers to specific checks they do (e.g. for disguise, surgery, or climbing)
• Environment adds modifiers based on physical conditions or social relationships (e.g. weather, PC's notoriety, size of a crowd)
• Equipment may add a modifier as long as a PC is using it (e.g. rope for climbing, compass for navigating, uniform for disguise)

Unlike stats, modifiers are more specific and are not permanent.

• Traits are situational, requiring the right conditions to take effect. For example, you are unable to use a Getaway Driver trait bonus to driving as long as your hands are tied
• Environments change over time and place. For example, dark and rainy conditions may make a climbing check more difficult and a stealth check easier, but a few hours later sunny weather can add a penalty to stealth checks in the same area
• Equipment is temporary, lasting only as long as you can use the item. For example, you are no longer able to use your sword's attack bonus if you lose or break your sword

For more on traits: link to a message in this game
For more on checks: link to a message in this game
For more on stats: link to a message in this game
For more on combat, incl. damage rolls: link to a message in this game

This message was last edited by the GM at 18:21, Wed 18 July 2018.

4. TRAITS

A trait is a type of modifier, meaning that traits can add bonuses or penalties to whichever stat you choose when making a check. Traits are an individual's special abilities, relevant to checks for specific skills such as disguise, surgery, or climbing.

• Good traits add a bonus, making a check more likely to succeed
• Bad traits add a penalty, making a check less likely to succeed

For example:
Sekoron is trying to improvise a Molotov cocktail. Improvising is a Wits check. Her Wits stat is 13. However, she has a good trait, Chemist, that gives a +2 bonus. Because her Chemist trait is relevant for mixing chemicals to make the weapon, her Wit + trait modifier = 13 +2 = 15. She rolls 14, which is under her modified stat, so she succeeds. Without her trait bonus, 14 would've been over her stat, so she would've failed.


Gaining traits
You can gain good traits by spending trait points (TPs). You receive 4 TPs during character creation. You can also gain trait points by taking bad traits. Good traits cost TPs, while bad traits give you TPs. You can take as many bad traits as you want. In addition, being descriptive about your IC activities during a mini-quest may give you the option of gaining a free trait in one of those activities at the end of the quest.

Making traits stronger
The more points put in a trait, the bigger its bonus or penalty. You can spend TPs either to buy a good trait you don't have yet, OR to put more points into a good trait you already have. You can also gain TPs by putting more points into a bad trait you already have.


For a list of good traits: link to a message in this game
For a list of bad traits: link to a message in this game

For more on modifiers: link to a message in this game
For more on checks: link to a message in this game
For more on stats: link to a message in this game

This message was last edited by the GM at 18:27, Wed 18 July 2018.

5. COMBAT

A. STRUCTURE
B. Actions: link to a message in this game
C. Unarmed Combat & Improvised Weapons: link to a message in this game

Rounds

• Your turn is the time you have to take action. Lasts 2-6 seconds
• A round is the time it takes for all combatants to have a turn
• The GM rolls initiative once for all players and once for all NPCs to determine if the NPCs get to attack first
• Players may post in any order
• Players can only persuade once per combat
• Combat ends at the end of a round once all players or all NPCs have died, escaped, or stopped fighting

On Your Turn

• There are four combat actions: attack, mess, move, and free action
• Or, you can try to escape combat by retreating from or persuading your enemy
• Each turn, you may take unlimited free actions and choose one option:
  
  • Attack one target once, and move once
    
    • Unarmed attack range: 5 ft or less
    • Melee attack range: 10 ft or less
    • Ranged attack range: 60 ft or more
  • Mess with one target once, and move once
  • Retreat once, and move once
  • Persuade once, and move once
    
    • You may only persuade once per combat
  • Move twice
  • Do nothing
• You may move and take action in any order

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:38, Tue 17 July 2018.

5. COMBAT

B. ACTIONS
A. Structure: link to a message in this game
C. Unarmed Combat & Improvised Weapons: link to a message in this game

Actions
There are four combat actions: attack, mess, move, and free actions. Alternately, you may attempt to persuade (once per combat) or retreat. Except for free actions, you can only act on your turn. Note that some NPC enemies may have special abilities, such as being able to attack multiple PCs at the same time.

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Attack
Make an attack roll to penetrate the target's defenses. If your attack roll succeeds, make a damage roll. If your attack roll fails, you do not deal damage this turn.

• Attack Roll
  
  • Attack roll: Roll 1d20+5, plus any relevant modifiers
  • If the result is equal to or over the target's Str or Dex score (whichever is higher), you succeed
• Damage Roll
  Unarmed and melee damage rolls depend on your Str. Ranged damage rolls depend on your Dex.
  
  • Str/Dex 1-5: Roll 1d3
  • Str/Dex 6-10: Roll 1d4+1
  • Str/Dex 11-12: Roll 1d5+2
  • Str/Dex 13-14: Roll 1d6+3
  • Str/Dex 15-16: Roll 2d6+3

Any damage you deal to a target is instantly subtracted from their HP. Total HP = (STA score * 20) – 100.

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Mess
You can mess with one enemy target, adding a penalty to any attack roll they make on their next turn. This includes throwing sand in the enemy's eyes (Dex or Wit), headbutting them (Str), taking cover (Dex or Bus), or kicking them in the groin (Str or Dex).

• How to mess
  
  • Pick the relevant stat, note it in the dice roller, and roll 1d20
  • If the result is under your stat score, you succeed. If the result is over your stat score, you fail
  • The size of the penalty is (20 – the target's STA score)
• Limits
  
  • Cannot involve a Cha check (that counts as persuade)
  • Cannot involve attacking (armed, unarmed, or with improvised weapons)
  • Cannot involve personally touching the enemy's weapon (that counts as unarmed attack)
  • The enemy need not attack next turn. Still, messing can discourage an enemy from attacking

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Move
Each time you move once, you can move 30 ft, plus added bonuses for 10 Dex and above.

• Dex 1-9: 30 ft
• Dex 10-11: 30 + 10 = 40 ft
• Dex 12-13: 30 + 20 = 50 ft
• Dex 14-15: 30 + 30 = 60 ft
• Dex 16: 30 + 40 = 70 ft

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Retreat
Make a Dex check. On success, you manage to escape combat and will not be pursued. On failure, you do not manage to escape. If you roll your Dex stat exactly, you are pursued. Roll again to determine the outcome. If the players decides to retreat as a whole, each player makes a Dex check, with the average result needing to be less than the players' average Dex score.

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Persuade
Persuasion depends on Cha. Each player can only persuade once per combat. Important combat uses include talking the enemy out of attacking, goading them into attacking or retreating, persuading them to attack a certain target, or persuading an ally to attack the enemy.

• Persuade Roll
  
  • Roll 1d20. If the result is under your Cha score, you succeed. If the result is over your Cha score, you fail
  • If you succeed, you persuade the target at the start of their next turn
  • Also, if you succeed, make a resistance roll to see if your persuasion lasts for the duration of combat
• Resistance Roll
  
  • Roll 1d20. If the result is over your target's Wit score, you succeed. If the result is under your target's Wit score, you fail
  • If you succeed, the target fails to resist your persuasion. Your persuasion lasts for the duration of combat
  • If you fail, the target resists your persuasion. Your persuasion only lasts for the target's next turn. After that, they keep fighting if you persuaded them to stop, or stop fighting if you persuaded them to start

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Free actions
You can take free actions when it's not your turn. Free actions include anything other than attack, mess, move, or retreat, such as talking (without persuading), getting something out of your pocket, or gesturing.

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:06, Wed 18 July 2018.

5. COMBAT

C. SPECIAL COMBAT
A. Structure: link to a message in this game
B. Actions: link to a message in this game


Unarmed Combat

• Armed enemies deal double damage
• Attack range: 5 ft or less
• Damage roll
  
  • Str 1-10: Roll 1d2
  • Str 11-12: Roll 1d5
  • Str 13-14: Roll 1d3+2
  • Str 15-16: Roll 1d3+3

Improvised Weapons

• Useful for only one of your turns, unless the GM states otherwise
• Attack range: Varies
  
  • Close range: 5 ft or less. Melee range: 15 ft or less. Medium range: 30 ft. Long range: 60 ft or more
• Damage roll
  
  • Wit 1-5: Roll 1d3
  • Wit 6-10: Roll 1d4+1
  • Wit 11-12: Roll 1d5+2
  • Wit 13-14: Roll 1d6+3
  • Wit 15-16: Roll 2d6+3

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:39, Tue 17 July 2018.

SPEND TRAIT POINTS

A list of beneficial traits that cost trait points.


Cardistry
Cost: 1
Every point adds: A +2 bonus to winning card games or attempts to cheat at card games

Card Shark
Cost: 4
Start your equipment buy with §300 instead of §200. (You may give gifts or sell items to other players or NPCs after character creation.) You are a skilled gambler and experienced at sweet talking people into odds that are not in their favor. Your share of loot is increased by 30%, with the amount added deducted evenly from amongst the other players. Of course, if you don’t voluntarily return most of your profits to your less skilled peers, you may become quite unpopular.
Every point adds: A +2 bonus to convincing someone to take a gamble against you
Prereqs: Can’t have Compulsive Gambler, Hand to Mouth, or Silver Spoon

Code Cracker
Cost: 2
Every point adds: A bonus to identifying and cracking codes

Counselor
Cost: 4
Every point adds: +2 bonus to treating and healing other people for mental illnesses or interpersonal troubles; +2 bonus to acting as a mediator in disputes
Prereqs: Can’t have any First Aid

Dramatic Presence
Cost: 3
You are a talented actor.
Each point adds: A bonus to pretense and impersonation; a +3 bonus to pretense and impersonation onstage
Prereqs: Can’t have Scarred Face (–) or Brutally Honest

Etiquette
Cost: 2
Stacks with Knows Many Politicians.
However, you must take care to avoid association with criminal elements to keep up your reputation high and innocuous with your informants.
Every point adds: A bonus to fitting in with high society and gathering information or finding people in salons and dueling tourneys; a bonus to the use of political connections
Prereqs: Can’t have Knows Many Thieves, though you know plenty of politically elite criminals

Fancy Fake Papers
Cost: 4
Whereas decent fake papers require you to roll 1d20 to determine if you will get caught at customs on a 1, fancy fake papers reduce this chance to 1d50. (A PC getting caught will start a side quest where the captured PC/s and the rest of the crew must work to reunite.)
Every point adds: A +1.5 (rounded down) bonus to passing as a first-, second- or third-tier citizen of a City when you produce your papers

Farsighted (+)
Cost: 1
Every point adds: A bonus for examining/noticing distant objects
Prereqs: Can’t have Nearsighted (+/–)

Fisticuffs
Cost: 2
Every point adds: A bonus to attacks with an improvised weapon; +3 bonus to unarmed combat attacks
Prereqs: Can’t have Brittle Bones, Hard Hitter, Limp, or Sniper

First Aid, General
Cost: 4
Every point adds: bonus to treating and healing other people for toxins, radiation exposure, infections, or injuries
Prereqs: Can’t have Surgeon

First Aid, Personal
Cost: 3
Every point adds: bonus to treating and healing yourself for toxins, radiation exposure, infections, or injuries
Prereqs: Can’t have Surgeon

First Aid, Physical
Cost: 3
Every point adds: +1.5 (rounded up) bonus to treating and healing other people for physical injuries and broken bones
Prereqs: Can’t have Surgeon

Gilded (+)
Cost: 2
You are refined, with polite manners and tasteful dress. Higher tiers appreciate your lack of irreverence.
Every point adds: A +2 bonus to any social rolls with someone in the first or second tier; a +1 bonus to any social rolls with someone in the third tier
Prereqs: Cannot have Homespun (+/–)

Goose Step
Cost: 1
Stacks with Knows Many Soldiers and Military Tactics.
Every point adds: A bonus to disguising yourself as a soldier or guard; a +0.5 bonus (rounded down) to the use of military connections
Prereqs: Can’t have Draft Dodger

Graceful
Cost: 1
Each point adds: A bonus to balance checks, dancing, and checks for landing safely on your feet
Prereqs: Can’t have Clumsy, Sea Legs, or Land Lubber

Hard Hitter
Cost: 6
Every point adds: A bonus to armed attacks at a 15 foot distance or less
Prereqs: Can’t have Brittle Bones, Fisticuffs, Limp, or Sniper

Homespun (+)
Cost: 2
You are down-to-earth, practical and forthright. Lower tiers appreciate your lack of pretentiousness.
Every point adds: A +2 bonus to any social rolls with someone in the fifth or fourth tier; a +1 bonus to any social rolls with someone in the third tier
Prereqs: Cannot have Gilded (+/–)

Knows Many Politicians
Cost: 2
Stacks with Etiquette.
Specify one city or settlement in which you have major political connections. You may have minor connections with people active elsewhere who have passed through your city or settlement of choice.
Every point adds: a bonus to the use of political connections; after the first point, +1 additional city or settlement with major connections

Knows Many Soldiers
Cost: 2
Stacks with Military Tactics and Goose Step.
Specify one city or settlement in which you have major military connections. You may have minor connections with people active elsewhere who have passed through your city or settlement of choice.
Every point adds: a bonus to the use of military connections; after the first point, +1 additional city or settlement with major connections
Prereqs: Can’t have Draft Dodger

Knows Many Thieves
Cost: 2
Stacks with Streetwise.
Specify one city or settlement in which you have major criminal connections. You may have minor connections with people active elsewhere who have passed through your city or settlement of choice.
Every point adds: a bonus to the use of criminal connections; after the first point, +1 additional city or settlement with major connections

Military Tactics
Cost: 3
Stacks with Knows Many Soldiers and Goose Step.
Every point adds: A bonus to outmaneuvering an opponent when planning a battle ahead of time; a bonus to avoiding ambush; a bonus to the use of military connections
Prereqs: Can’t have Draft Dodger

Mongoose Mutation
Cost: 2
A mutation in your neurotransmitter receptors grants you immunity against most toxins and poisons. When exposed, roll 1d10. Only on a 1 does the toxin or poison take effect. Only roll once per general exposure, not once per individual dose.
Every point adds: A bonus for resisting toxins and poisons that you are not immune against; at 2 points = roll 1d20; at 3 points = roll 1d40
Special: If you are from the Undertrove, roll 1d15 at 1 point, 1d30 at 2 points, and 1d50 at 3 points

Mosquito Mutation
Cost: 4
A mutation in your olfactory senses enable you to faintly smell the carbon dioxide plumes left by animals, humans, and other sources of heat, similar to infrared vision. A solid barrier or closed door between you and the heat source results in a –2 penalty to checks for detecting the target.
Every point adds: A bonus for detecting heat sources via CO2 signatures

Nearsighted (+)
Cost: 1
Every point adds: A bonus for examining/noticing nearby objects
Prereqs: Can’t have Farsighted (+/–)

Pickpocket
Cost: 2
Every point adds: A bonus for pickpocketing attempts; a bonus for getting a better deal out of pawning and bartering attempts

Pharmacist
Cost: 4
Every point adds: +2 bonus to treating and healing other people for diseases caused by fungal, viral, or bacterial infection; only +1 bonus for tending to yourself
Prereqs: Can’t have any First Aid

Quality Fake Papers
Cost: 2
Whereas decent fake papers require you to roll 1d20 to determine if you will get caught at customs on a 1, quality fake papers reduce this chance to 1d30. (A PC getting caught will start a side quest where the captured PC/s and the rest of the crew must work to reunite.) You need fancy fake papers to pass as a second- or first-tier citizen.
Every point adds: A bonus to passing as a fourth- or third-tier citizen of a City when you produce your papers
Prereqs: Can’t have shoddy fake papers

Roach Mutation
Cost: 3
A mutation in your DNA repair proteins due to high exposure as a fetus grants you radioresistance, giving you greatly increased protection, but not total immunity, against radiation. While the average person can withstand up to 1500 rads within 24 hours and a lifetime (50 yrs) exposure of 90 rems, radioresistant people can survive up to 3000 rads within 24 hours and a lifetime (50 yrs) exposure of 225 rems.
Every point adds: A bonus for resisting radiation sickness once your threshold (half your maximum tolerance) is passed
Prereqs: Can’t be from the Undertrove
Special: If you are from the Aerie and chose the Radiosensitive trait, choosing this trait will not make you radioresistant, but it will improve your resistance to the average person’s

Scarred Face (+)
Cost: 2
You have a large and impressive scar, burn, or chemical corrosion on your face.
Every point adds: A bonus to attempts to intimidate people or appear memorable

Shadow
Cost: 4
Every point adds: A bonus to moving silently and unseen

Silver Spoon
Cost: 1
Start your equipment buy with §300 instead of §200. (You may give gifts or sell items to other players or NPCs after character creation.)
Prereqs: Can’t have Card Shark, Compulsive Gambler, or Hand to Mouth

Silver Tongue
Cost: 3
You are a skilled liar, both in verbal communication and body language.
Each point adds: A bonus to lying or trying to avoid giving a truthful statement or reply
Prereqs: Can’t have Brutally Honest

Sleight of Hand
Cost: 1
Every point adds: A bonus to lockpicking, and to attempts to do so unobtrusively

Sneaky
Cost: 3
Every point adds: A bonus to quick searches, leaving things precisely as they were, and finding and avoiding traps or hidden passages

Sniper
Cost: 2
Every point adds: A bonus to attacks at a 20 foot distance or more; +2 bonus to attacks at a 60 foot distance or more
Prereqs: Can’t have Fisticuffs or Hard Hitter

Streetwise
Cost: 3
Stacks with Knows Many Thieves.
However, you must take care to avoid association with high-rolling elites to protect your informants’ trust in you.
Every point adds: A bonus to finding people and information in city streets; a bonus to the use of criminal connections
Prereqs: Can’t have Knows Many Politicians, though you know plenty of criminal politicians

Strong Back
Cost: 3
Every point adds: +25% to your maximum encumbrance
Prereqs: Can’t have Brittle Bones or Weak Back

Strong Immune System
Cost: 2
You harbor genetic immunity against many diseases.
Every point adds: A bonus to attempts to avoid or overcome infection, once exposed to a disease agent
Prereqs: Can’t have Weak Immune System

Surgeon
Cost: 4
Every point adds: +2 bonus to treating and healing other people for physical injuries and broken bones; only +1 bonus for tending to yourself
Prereqs: Can’t have any First Aid

Thrill Chaser (+)
Cost: 2
You thrive on danger.
Each point adds: A bonus for checks involving seriously dangerous or risky activities, other than combat

Tiger Shark Mutation
Cost: 4
You can eat and drink most unfiltered food and liquids without experiencing serious negative side effects from contamination. Thank your mutated and wildly efficient gut microbiota. Furthermore, a mutation makes your tongue highly resistant to extreme temperatures and your saliva boiling hot, exterminating any infectious microbes that enter your mouth. Some have called this the garbage can mutation; indeed, you can resort to munching on wood or metal to stave off starvation.
Every point adds: a bonus to resisting contamination or disease from food and liquids; a bonus to being able to digest improvised and unfiltered food and liquids

Well Read
Cost: 3
Either a highly educated scholar or a scrappy self-taught book lover, you can read and write several languages and gain EITHER a +5 bonus to knowledge checks on 4 specific subjects OR a +3 bonus to 2 general subjects you have read about. “General” includes the Aerie and poisons; “specific” includes a specific city or animal.
Every point adds: A bonus to knowledge checks in chosen subjects, and 2 additional language fluencies; a bonus to library research
Prereqs: Can’t have Illiterate

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:27, Tue 17 July 2018.

GAIN TRAIT POINTS

A list of detrimental traits that give you extra trait points.


Allergic
Gain: 3
You have a severe allergic reaction to an uncommon, specific food, plant, or animal. Roll 1d4 when exposed. On a 1, your allergies could be fatal and you require immediate medical attention, followed by feverish bedrest for days if you survive. On 2-3, you experience dizziness and fever until you spend one day resting to sleep it off. On 4, you simply get a dizzy spell, collapsing and suffering minor nausea for a few minutes, before full recovery. During any fevers and dizzy spells caused by allergies, you are incapable of combat, fine motor skills, and navigation, and may experience hallucinations.
Each point adds: After the first point, penalty to the 1d4 roll

Brittle Bones
Gain: 3
When entering melee combat, roll 1d5. On a 1, a bone breaks. If a bone breaks, roll 1d10. On 1, a crucial bone breaks (e.g. an arm, three ribs). On 2-3, an important bone breaks (e.g. ankle, a single rib). On 4-5, a minor bone breaks (e.g. finger, nose). On 6-8, an important bone fractures but does not break. On 9-10, a minor bone fractures and does not break.
Each point adds: After the first point, –1.5 (rounded down) penalty to the 1d10 roll
Prereqs: Can’t have Fisticuffs, Hard Hitter, or Strong Back

Brutally Honest
Gain: 1
You are compelled to tell the truth and are a terrible liar. This applies to all verbal communication, but not body language or writing. For disguises, you receive no penalty unless you are saying something that you know would be a lie from person you are impersonating.
Each point adds: A penalty to lying or trying to avoid giving a truthful statement or reply
Prereqs: Can’t have Silver Tongue or Dramatic Presence

Clumsy
Gain: 2
Stacks with Sea Legs and Land Lubber. May be due to a wide variety of causes including alcohol dependency, past injury, natural clumsiness, or social awkwardness.
Each point adds: A –1.5 (rounded up) penalty to balance checks and a –2 penalty to dancing
Prereqs: Can’t have Graceful

(A Tad) Cocky
Gain: 1
You overestimate yourself. Pick one strength costing 2 points that you DO NOT HAVE. You think and act as though you have that strength, even though you don’t.
Prereqs: You may not already have the strength you chose and cannot later obtain it

(Very) Cocky
Gain: 3
You overestimate yourself. Pick one strength costing 3 or more points that you DO NOT HAVE. You think and act as though you have that strength, even though you don’t.
Prereqs: You may not already have the strength you chose and cannot later obtain it

Compulsive Gambler
Gain: 4
Start your equipment buy with §50 instead of §200. Your pride prevents you from accepting gifts or discounted items from other players. Your share of loot is reduced by 30%, with the amount deducted distributed evenly amongst the other players.
Prereqs: Can’t have Card Shark, Hand to Mouth or Silver Spoon

Deep Sleeper
Gain: 1
You are very difficult to wake.
Each point adds: A penalty to checks for waking up before you would have woken up naturally

Dependent
Gain: 8
A dependent is a legal minor or inexperienced adult ward who follows you around and relies on your guidance and protection. They are played by the GM as NPCs. Dependents cannot use two-handed weapons. In the long run, a dependent can be trained for combat or social assistance. Scroll to the bottom for details.
Failure: If the dependent dies, gets seriously injured, or gets involuntarily separated from you on your watch, severe consequences result
Every point adds: A penalty to any of the dependent’s unarmed attacks; a –3 penalty to the dependent’s armed attacks

Disoriented
Gain: 2
You have a decent chance of getting lost. Maybe you’re having bad flashbacks, maybe you’re thinking about something other than where you’re going, and maybe you’re tripping balls.
Every point adds: A penalty for navigating correctly and reading maps, esp. in dim lighting; a greater likelihood of getting lost and separated from the group

Draft Dodger
Gain: 4
Either through corruption or evasion, you have thus far successfully postponed your enlistment in an ongoing war in an area of your choice for several years. If you set foot in that area, you must keep a low profile, for military authorities are hunting you.
Every point adds: A –2 penalty to passing as a fourth or third-tier citizen of a City when you produce your papers; an increased likelihood that you will be hunted down
Prereqs: Can’t have Goose Step, Knows Many Soldiers, or Military Tactics.
Special: If you are from the Wastes and chose the Wanted trait, you must be wanted for an additional offense other than draft dodging

Farsighted (–)
Gain: 1
Every point adds: A penalty for examining/noticing nearby objects
Prereqs: Can’t have Nearsighted (+/–)

Gilded (–)
Gain: 1
What you perceive as refinement, others see as affectation and vanity.
Every point adds: A –2 penalty to any social rolls with someone in the fifth or fourth tier; a –1 penalty to any social rolls with someone in the third tier
Prereqs: Cannot have Homespun (+/–)

Gullible
Gain: 1
You are very easy to deceive. Maybe you’re trusting, maybe you don’t get out much, or maybe you’re just not that bright.
Each point adds: A penalty to resisting and noticing deception

Hand to Mouth
Gain: 1
Start your equipment buy with §50 instead of §200. Your pride prevents you from accepting gifts or discounted items from other players.
Prereqs: Can’t have Card Shark, Compulsive Gambler or Silver Spoon

Heavyweight
Gain: 3
May be due to a wide variety of causes including muscle mass, chubbiness, or your refusal to let go of all the small bags of coin tucked into your pockets even if your life depended on it.
Each point adds: A penalty to climbing, dancing, sprinting, moving silently, and fleeing checks
Prereqs: Can’t have Graceful

Homespun (–)
Gain: 1
What you perceive as down-to-earth, others see as vulgar and unclean.
Every point adds: A –2 penalty to any social rolls with someone in the first or second tier; a –1 penalty to any social rolls with someone in the third tier
Prereqs: Cannot have Gilded (+/–)

Hypochondria
Gain: 1
No one takes you seriously when you say you are sick. They suspect you are once again crying wolf.
Prereqs: Can’t have Pharmacist or Surgeon

Illiterate
Gain: 1
You cannot read and write.
Every point adds: a penalty to checks for knowledge that you could only have learned from a book; a penalty to library research
Prereqs: Can’t have Well Read

Indebted
Gain: 4
A good chunk of your earnings goes back to paying back loans, plus interest. The GM rolls 2d5 x100 to determine the amount of your debts AFTER you have put trait points into it during creation. 70% of your loot goes towards paying off your loans. Your pride prevents you from accepting gifts from other players.
Every point adds: After the first point, an increase to the interest on your loans due to several missed payments, increasing your total debts by 50%

Land Lubber
Gain: 1
Stacks with Clumsy.
Each point adds: A –1.5 (rounded up) penalty to balance checks on airships or ships on water and a –2 penalty to dancing on board
Prereqs: Can’t have Graceful

Limp
Gain: 2
Every point adds: A penalty to attacks made within a 20 foot range
Prereqs: Can’t have Hard Hitter or Fisticuffs

Greedy
Gain: 2
Every point adds: A –2 penalty to refusing bribes or turning down an opportunity to make a profit at someone else’s expense

Magpie
Gain: 2
Every time you have an opportunity to enter a shop, roll 1d4. On 1, you cannot withstand the temptation to steal and roll 1d10. On 1-3, you steal a valuable item and get caught. On 4-7, you steal a cheap item and get caught. On 8-9, you steal a cheap item and get away with it. On 10, you steal a valuable item and get away with it. For now. (A PC getting caught will start a side quest where the captured PC/s and the rest of the crew must work to reunite.)
Every point adds: After the first point, a penalty to your 1d4 roll
Special: Each time you use/trigger the Magpie trait repeatedly in the same city or settlement, you may be recognized and suffer a stacking –1 penalty to your 1d10 roll. As people’s memories fade, these penalties go down to zero 3 months after your last use/trigger of the Magpie trait in that city or settlement.

Nearsighted (–)
Gain: 1
Every point adds: A penalty for examining/noticing distant objects
Prereqs: Can’t have Farsighted (+/–)

Odd Mutation
Gain: 4
You suffer from an odd minor mutation that is not so easily hidden, such as a six-fingered hand, an unnaturally glowing eye, webbed fingers, a benign tumor on your neck, or hypertrichosis (excessive, shaggy facial and body hair). In a location outside the Wastes or the Undertrove, people who discover your mutation may ostracize or persecute you. In general, Phoenicians will hunt you down if you stray too close to an altar.
Every point adds: A –1.5 (rounded up) penalty to attempts to charm people, disguise yourself, or appear forgettable; an increased likelihood of being hunted by Phoenicians

Phobia
Gain: 1
Due to a wartime or otherwise traumatic experience described in your history, you have an irrational and overpowering phobia of something specific, such as snakes or cramped spaces. Encountering this terror, or something very much like it, triggers a panic attack.
Every point adds: A penalty to the time it takes you to recover from your panic attack, and/or your efforts to overcome it
Special: If you are from the Wastes and chose the Agoraphobia trait, you must be have an additional phobia other than agoraphobia

Remittances
Gain: 3
You send a good chunk of your earnings back home to your family. Deduct 30% of your loot.
Every point adds: After the first point, deduct an additional 20% of your loot

Savior Complex
Gain: 3
You’re overprotective and can’t help but intervene to protect others, even at your own expense or at the expense of your party.
Every point adds: A –2 penalty for ignoring or resisting a call for help or support

Scarred Face (–)
Gain: 2
You have a large and frightening scar, burn, or chemical corrosion on your face.
Every point adds: A –1 penalty to attempts to charm people or appear forgettable
Prereqs: Can’t have Dramatic Presence

Sea Legs
Gain: 1
Stacks with Clumsy.
Each point adds: A –1.5 (rounded up) penalty to balance checks on land and a –2 penalty to dancing on stable ground
Prereqs: Can’t have Graceful

Shoddy Fake Papers
Gain: 2
Trade in your decent fake paperwork for a shoddier version. Whereas decent fake papers require you to roll 1d20 to determine if you will get caught at customs on a 1, shoddy fake papers increase this chance to 1d10. (A PC getting caught will start a side quest where the captured PC/s and the rest of the crew must work to reunite.) You need fancy fake papers to pass as a second- or first-tier citizen.
Every point adds: A penalty to passing as a fourth or third-tier citizen of a City when you produce your papers
Prereqs: Can’t have decent fake papers

Thrill Chaser (–)
Gain: 2
You’re addicted to danger. When deciding whether to pursue a seriously dangerous or risky situation, roll 1d5. On 1, you are compelled to ignore opportunities to escape or deescalate the danger, against your better judgment.
Each point adds: After the first point, a –1.5 (rounded down) penalty to the 1d5 roll

Weak Back
Gain: 2
Every point adds: –25% to your maximum encumbrance
Prereqs: Can’t have Strong Back

Weak Immune System
Gain: 1
You are more likely to get sick.
Every point adds: A penalty to attempts to avoid or overcome infection, once exposed to a disease agent
Prereqs: Can’t have Strong Immune System

STATS FOR CHECKS

• Bushcraft: stealth and wilderness survival
  
  • General: moving silently, tracking, foraging, trapping, hunting, starting fires, navigation, crafting
  • Combat: poisoning weapons, fleeing unnoticed, and anatomical knowledge of enemy's weak spots
  • Knowledge: good memory for animals and traveling routes
• Charm: sociability and persuasion
  
  • General: being well connected, making friends, getting along with people and convincing people
  • Combat: talking someone out of attacking or goading someone into attacking
  • Social: lying, haggling, impersonating, flirting, making a good first impression
  • Knowledge: good memory for people and things that you've heard through rumors or gossip
• Dexterity: speed and subtle hand-eye coordination
  
  • General: balance, reflexes, driving, piloting, lockpicking, sprinting, cardistry
  • Combat: ranged weapons and small daggers, and fleeing quickly
• Letters: book learning and rote memorization
  
  • General: literacy, reading, writing, understanding legal jargon, recognizing old runes
  • Social: recognizing heraldry and history of a person or group
  • Knowledge: good memory for things you've read about or taken notes on at lectures
• Stamina: physical fortitude and mental resolve
  
  • General: persistence, resisting exhaustion, resisting physical or mental illness, resisting fear and frustration
  • Combat: health points and resisting poison
  • Social: resisting intimidation
• Strength: general athleticism and brute force
  
  • General: grappling, pulling, pushing, carrying, lifting, breaking things
  • Combat: melee weapons and fisticuffs
  • Social: physical intimidation
• Wits: quick thinking and common sense
  
  • General: perception, detecting danger, good judgment, good instincts
  • Combat: improvised weapons and noticing enemy weaknesses and group dynamics
  • Social: resisting persuasion, sensing deception, and noticing signaling gestures
  • Knowledge: good memory for things you've seen or touched before firsthand

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:30, Tue 17 July 2018.