A trait is a special ability or quirk that sets a character apart from most others. However, all traits are not only beneficial as some come with drawbacks and such traits are typically free.
Some traits also have certain prerequisites that needs to be fulfilled before acquiring the trait.
Arcana
This trait can be acquired multiple times. Each grants another magical skill.
You gain skill level 1 (untrained) in a magical skill and can improve it further just like any other skill.
Armourer
Requires exertion 3 or crafting 4.
You are used to wearing and adjusting armour to fit your needs.
When wearing armour, apply the negative conditions from armour that is one grade lighter than the one you are wearing. Wearing light armour imposes no negative conditions.
A heavily armoured dwarf is a neither swift, nor quiet affair. And yet, Draggomir moved with an uncanny speed and silence that someone in heavy dwarven mail should not be capable of.
Backstabber (TBD)
Requires melee combat 3 and stealth 3.
Some mechanic rewarding additional damage for light weapons when attacking from behind/undetected goes here.
TBD
Berserker
Requires exertion 3 and resistance 3.
Frenzied and at the expense of your own safety, you relentlessly attack your foes.
By forgoing any active defence rolls this round, you may make an additional melee combat or unarmed combat attack without expending any potential. In addition, if you are using a shield, you instead count it as a light melee weapon as you use it to bash your opponents rather than protect yourself.
The berendakian warrior went berserk, swinging all around her with her battle axe and round shield. Normally they would count as a one-handed medium weapon and a medium shield, but now they were used to dual wield a medium and a light weapon.
Careful Caster
Requires any magical skill 3.
When using magic, you have learnt to be wary of and avoid magical backlash.
If a massive failure to cast a spell would cause you fatigue, you ignore it. If a massive failure instead would cause you a wound, you instead sustain fatigue.
Alexander felt how his spell faltered and instantly braced against the ensuing backlash. Through many harsh lessons, he had learnt to dodge much of the misfiring potential.
Chaotic Caster
Some mechanic making effect, volume, and range random when casting a spell.
TBD
Deadly Accuracy
Requires perception 3 and ranged combat 3.
With pinpoint accuracy, your missiles always seem to hit where it hurts the most.
The base damage for physical damage caused by ranged weapons is your skill level in ranged combat rather than the amount of potential spent on the attack.
Noomeron raised her bow, breathed out and hit the beast right between the eyes.
Fast Reactions
Requires movement 3.
You gain 1B for any initiative rolls you make and when entering into real time, you expend no potential. You expend potential as normal when seizing the initiative, though you gain the bonus die.
Alexander drew his wavy black blade and struck before anyone else had time to react.
Fortunate
You are luckier than most.
Whenever you would normally gain a fortune point through non-magical means, you instead gain two fortune points.
Heavy Hitter
Requires exertion 3 and melee combat 3.
Your strength makes your blows strike harder than most.
The base damage for physical damage caused by melee weapons is your skill level in melee combat rather than the amount of potential spent on the attack.
Ever seen an enraged ogre swinging a tree trunk in your direction. Yes? Liar! You would be dead if you had!
Iron Will
Requires willpower 3.
REWORK: Texts and mechanics
As a reaction, when sustaining fatigue or wounds during a real time event, it is possible to temporarily ignore their adverse effects by making a willpower roll against a difficulty of 5 times the combined severity of the sustained conditions, though at least 10.
Once the real time event transitions into another mode of play, the effects of the conditions can no longer be ignored.
At no point does this trait counteract the effect of being knocked out by too many cumulative conditions.
Draggomir, having already sustained two levels of fatigue, gets hit by a giant and would usually be grievously wounded, suffering two wounds. However, he miraculously makes his willpower roll, granted by his iron will, by rolling 22 against the necessary 20. He can thus ignore the detrimental effects of all conditions wound, but it still counts against the amount of conditions needed to be lost before being knocked out.
Martial Artist
Requires movement 3 and unarmed combat 3.
Your moves and strikes are swift and precise.
The base damage for physical damage caused by unarmed strikes is your skill level in unarmed combat rather than the amount of potential spent on the attack.
Muse
Requires artistry 3.
When displayed, your artistic talents inspire those around you to great feats.
You can aid someone in their task by making an artistry roll instead of the skill normally used for the task, using the same difficulty.
Alexander the bard recites a naughty limerick, invigorating - somewhat against her will - Lilly to pull the ancient lever with enough strength to close the portcullis before the undead horde reaches the party. He rolls a 12 against the difficulty of 10 and thus Lilly gets a bonus die to her exertion roll when she tries to pull the lever with all her might. Had Alexander come up with an even better poem by, say rolling a 15, Lilly would have gained two bonus dice.
Natural Weapons
Requires exertion 3 and unarmed combat 3.
Through claws or fists, you are deadly even unarmed.
You increase your physical damage caused by unarmed strikes with 1B.
Aun the minotaur was a peaceful man, always eager to use his extensive skills of healing. However, when he had no choice but to resort to violence, his innate strength subsequently made his skills of healing all the more needed.
Potent Caster
Requires any magical skill 3.
You have mastered the flow of potential to the point that you can cause even greater effects when casting spells.
After casting a spell, but before resolving its effects, you may spend potential equal to the spell volume to add a bonus die to the spell effect.
Draggomir invokes the magic of the rune etched into his upper arm, intent on boosting his might using formation of agency. He would normally cast the spell using a spell volume of 1 and thus he only needs to spend an additional potential to gain a bonus die for the spell effect.
Lilly sends her swarm of scorching fire towards a group of enemies. The group is large enough to require a spell volume of 3 so she needs to spend 3 additional potential to increase the effect by a bonus die.
Riposte
Requires melee combat 3 or unarmed combat 3.
With nerves of steel, you take the opportunity to strike back rather than to parry.
When attacked in close combat, you can in lieu of reacting with an active defence roll instead make a melee combat or unarmed combat attack.
Shield Bearer
Requires exertion 3 or crafting 4.
You are used to wearing and adjusting shields to fit your needs.
When using a shield, apply the negative conditions from shields that is one grade lighter than the one you are using. Using light shields impose no negative conditions.
Laurelle af Marg is a superb warrior, highly skilled in using a shield without it encumbering her. When raising her heater shield emblazoned with the arms of the barony of Brechten, it is as if she was using a small targe. No more does it hinder her.
Sustainable Spells
Requires any magical skill 3.
When sustaining a spell, you expend less potential than other casters.
Calculate sustain as 1/2 of the spell dice, rounded.
Lilly is sustaining a spell that was cast using 6 spell dice. Normally it would take 4P to sustain it during subsequent rounds, but her Sustainable Spells trait reduces it to 3P.
Wild Magic
Magic is an innate power to you, but it is hard to control.
You learn a magical skill. In addition, when you cast any spell, you gain 1B to the effect roll, but do so at the cost of 1M for the magical skill roll. Also, a massive failure to cast a spell will cause you a wound rather than fatigue.
If you cast a spell at skill level 4 (skilled) or more, you may chose not to apply the effects of wild magic when casting the spell.
Lilly grew up setting things ablaze a bit too often. With time she has mostly mastered the art of magic without causing too much collateral damage.