Abilities
The This following collection traits of aptitudes comprise encompass a character’s three qualities. Abilities.Talents are inherent abilities, knacks a character can learn on her own, without outside assistance. Skills are trained abilities, crafts which require mentorship to improve. Knowledges are learned abilities, disciplines which can be learned from study, experimentation, or lecture.
Talents
The This following collection traits of aptitudes comprise encompass a character’s three qualities. Abilities.Talents
are inherent abilities, knacks a character can learn on her own, without outside assistance. Skills are trained abilities, crafts which require mentorship to improve. Knowledges are learned abilities, disciplines which can be learned from study, experimentation, or lecture. Alertness
Alertness allows characters to notice physical changes in their environment, such as items out of place, changes in scenery, and strange noises.. Usually coupled with Perception, Alertness is useful for the character who wishes to be the first to uncover whatever secrets the world may hold. • Novice: A heavy rain beginning to fall wouldn’t escape your notice. •• Practiced: Your senses often pick up sounds, objects, or smells others miss or gloss over. ••• Competent: You’re the person everyone wants to keep watch. •••• Expert: If it can be noticed, you notice it. ••••• Master: Nothing escapes you. Nothing. Possessed by: Burglars, hunters, messengers, sentries, tramps Specialties: Ambushes, Angelic/Demonic Manifestations, Crowds, Forests, Noises, Paranoia, Traps Athletics Athletics is the realm of the physically talented. It encompasses activities of the sports field, not the battlefield. Running, jumping, dodging attacks, and throwing objects are all examples of Athletics exploits. • Novice: Moving and using your muscles is an everyday part of your life, and it shows. •• Practiced: Competing in local events is no issue for you. You usually win. ••• Competent: In tournaments, many find you a worthy adversary, if not a formidable one. •••• Expert. You are at the top of your field. Few can compete against you and hope to stand a chance. ••••• Master. You set the standard for perfection in the arena. Possessed By: Entertainers, spearmen, squires, warriors, youths Specialties: Climbing, Dancing, Juggling, Running, Swimming, Thrown Objects, Tumbling Awareness With belief and superstition holding the same weight as knowledge and science, the distinction between the natural world and the supernatural is not as solid. Many expect to see those things which lie in the dark places of our world. Sometimes, those things are indeed seen. Awareness makes the cold chill on your neck and the thing out of the corner of your eye more solid, more perceptible for human and supernatural alike. Better to know it’s there so you can deal with it accordingly than go through life ignorantly and perhaps anger something on your way. • Novice: You find yourself looking over your shoulder more than others. Nothing physical is there. Still, you can’t help but wonder if it’s not just all in your head. •• Practiced: You avoid certain parts of the forest or individuals. Something about them unsettles you and more often than not, you have proof to go with your feelings. ••• Competent: The general feeling of unease is more specific. You can tell when something otherworldly is amiss. •••• Expert: Your senses can hone in on what or who is otherworldly. ••••• Master: Your world is one where ghosts, demons and things you have no name for walk the streets with people and animals. Possessed by: Mystics Specialties: Angelic/Demonic Manifestations, Magic, Ghosts Brawl In the taverns or on the battlefield, because of honor or misunderstandings, fighting is a fact of life in this dark world. Unarmed combat encompasses everything from the skilled, methodical strikes of the martial artist to the rough-and-tumble street fighter. Those who Brawl know where to strike as well as how (an elbow to the throat or to the nose) and can take hits as well as deal them. And for the scrappiest of fighters, fighting “fair”isn’t worth anything if it means losing. Win. With your own two hands and knuckles and muscles. Win. • Novice: You can take a punch or two. •• Practiced: You’ve taken on a few neighbors (and maybe a few strangers) and always come out alive. ••• Competent: You’re confident in your abilities to engage in a fight and come out on top. If you lose, the other fighter will come out just as poorly as you. •••• Expert: Most of the people you encounter wouldn’t be able to defeat you. You know this. ••••• Master: When you brawl, none can stand in your way. Systems of fighting are based on how you tear the world apart. Possessed by: Brigands, bullies, soldiers Specialties: Arm-Locks, Boxing, Drunken Fighting, Showing Off, Throws, Wrestling Empathy While Alertness picks up the physical characteristics of a location or situation, Empathy allows a person to discern the emotional states of those they encounter. Empathy can be used for ill or good, to weed out deception or determine a person’s true feelings. Facts don’t tell the whole story. Emotions add another layer of complexity to every situation. Sorting them out can reveal what is really at stake. • Novice: You can pick up people’s feelings through their gestures and facial expressions. •• Practiced: The way people speak can sometimes say more than the words themselves. ••• Competent: Emotions are often tangled. You understand this and are astute at unraveling them. •••• Expert: Your ability to peer into the psyches of those you encounter is uncanny. ••••• Master: You know what lies within the hearts of those around you. Emotions are as real and tangible to you as the earth beneath your feet. Possessed by: Commanders, diviners, gossips, merchants, parents, priests, tricksters Specialties: Background Emotions, Emotions, Family Problems, Long-Term Concerns, Personalities, Truths Expression Sometimes it’s easier to convince people than it is to force them into submission. Expression is an art which has been valued through time and many a war has been turned or undertaken because a good case was clearly and expertly stated. Facts aren’t necessary in all cases; the ability to wield words expertly, brand meaning into listeners’ minds, and slip the point into the listeners’ hearts can accomplish much more. Please note, being able to make one’s case using the quotes and allegories of others doesn’t mean you can necessarily read them yourself. Reading and writing is for academics. Bringing them to life to influence those who will listen? That’s your job. • Novice: You can make your case. You may stumble a few times but you get your point across with a bit of flourish. •• Practiced: You have a command of oration. People often nod as you speak. ••• Competent: Your oratory skills benefit you in many ways. Not only do people wish to hear your words, but they will often pay you to bring them forth. •••• Expert: Your style and speaking conventions are well-known and effective. Many imitate you. ••••• Master: Your way of presenting your arguments makes them irrefutable. Discourse lasts only a few turns before you emerge triumphant. Possessed by: Minstrels, poets, preachers, rabble-rousers, teachers Specialties: Acting, Conversation, Improvisation, Poetry, Preaching, Storytelling Intimidation Among many of the weapons in a person’s social arsenal, striking fear into the hearts of others is a keen tool indeed. Threaten people’s loved ones, flesh, livelihood, whatever they hold dear. See how quickly they bend to your will. • Novice: Those obviously beneath you easily succumb to your threats. •• Practiced: You’ve followed through several times. Those close to you know this and respond accordingly. ••• Competent: Your cruel presence lends you the air of authority. Few think to question it. •••• Expert: Fear precedes you. Friends laugh nervously around you. They know how you ask for things. ••••• Master: Those who will not bend shall break. You will see to it. Personally. All know this. A cold sweat breaks out on the foreheads of all who tremble before you. Possessed by: Bullies, thugs, commanders, lords, thugs, torturers Specialties: Blackmail, Overt Threats, Physical Coercion, Politics, Pulling Rank, Staredowns, Veiled Threats Leadership Every body needs a head. Leadership allows one such person to take on that role and direct those who have respect and are willing to follow. The best leaders inspire rather than exploit their disciples; Leadership is more often rolled with Charisma rather than Manipulation. • Novice: You are able to accrue a handful of followers from time to time, if the need is dire. •• Practiced: People naturally fall under you from time to time. ••• Competent: Your ability to lead has been noticed by those above you; they have appointed you a title and position over others. •••• Expert: More operate below you than over you. ••••• Master: If nations, factions, or armies need to be led, you are there, ready to guide them. They willingly follow, and you can usher everyone before you into a new age. Possessed by: Commanders, constables, ecclesiastical authories, family patriarchs, nobles Specialties: Commands, Compelling, Friendly, Noble, Oratory, Pious, Stern Legerdemain Can your hands move faster than their eyes? Legerdemain provides a type of manual dexterity which aids in sleights of hand, picking pockets, and even juggling. Why sing for your supper when you can just take it, with no one the wiser? • Novice: If something goes missing while no one was looking, no one knows who took it. •• Practiced: You can roll a coin over your knuckles easily. Where did the coin come from? ••• Competent: You can manipulate objects on or off your person easily. If you can get your hands on it, you can get away with it. •••• Expert: Your movements are so fluid and quick, people are more willing to believe it is genuine magic than physical ability. ••••• Master: Your reputation at skullduggery is often the only clue linking you to the most baffling of misappropriations. Good thing there’s no evidence. Possessed by: Beggars, jesters, minstrels, robbers Specialties: Concealment, Conjuring Tricks, Juggling, Picking Purses Subterfuge Subterfuge is an elegant way of saying “lying.” While the motives behind the lies may be good or evil, the ability to hide one’s feelings and motives can be used to accomplish deeds of varying morality. • Novice: You can pull off small, short-term lies. •• Practiced: Your ability to convey conviction can appease most doubts. ••• Competent: Lies come as easily as truths. You know how to balance truths and untruths to make people doubt their own understanding rather than question you. •••• Expert: Even under stressful circumstances, you keep your wits and stories about you. ••••• Master: Your confidence in your own words carries more weight than what people know to be true. Possessed by: Courtiers, charlatans, heretics, minstrels, spies, wooers Specialties: Changing the Subject, Finding Weaknesses, Flattery, Patter, Seduction, Selective Omission |
SkillsSkills are learned through hands-on instruction, often during apprenticeships or at the hands of family members
passing on the intricacies of their trade. They might come with conscription into an armed force, or be self-taught out of necessity,curiosity, or desperation. Any rolls to attempt an action without the necessary skill have their difficulty increase by one. Animal Ken
Animals in this era are not only domestic companions, but also labor on farms, trackers in the field, and companions in battle. Animal Ken reflects one’s rapport with beasts both domestic and wild, including the ability to tame and train them, to understand their instincts and use that knowledge in their handling, and to predict and control their behavior. • Novice: You can soothe a wary hound or calm a skittish horse. You are comfortable working with animals commonly used for labor, such as camels and oxen. •• Practiced: You can train domesticated animals such as dogs and horses. Birds of prey will return to your glove at your call. ••• Competent: You serve as the master of hounds for a household, or hire out your skills as a tracker. You know the habits of wild animals native to your area and what to do when one of them acts abnormally or turns violent. •••• Expert: You’ve broken in horses others have written off as untamable. Wild beasts might not do your bidding, but you can approach them without fear of attack. If you are in unfamiliar territory, you are quick to learn the habits of local wildlife. ••••• Master: Beasts do your bidding at a gesture. You could make a loyal hound turn on its beloved master in the space of a moment. You could even herd cats, if you were so inclined. Possessed By: Hunters, trackers, cavalry, squires, farmers, stable masters, performers Specialties: Taming, Training, Dogs, Horses, Birds of Prey, Big Cats, Bears Archery Archery is both a domestic and a martial skill. With the same bow, a person can feed her family or defend her home. This ability covers not only the use of bows and crossbows, but also one’s proficiency in maintaining, repairing, and, at the highest levels, crafting the weapons. • Novice: You can consistently hit motionless targets at close range. •• Practiced: You can hit a moving target and are able to maintain and repair your bow. ••• Competent: You can hit a target while you are moving. You can consistently feed your family from your hunting trips. You have won some local archery competitions. You can craft simple bows yourself. •••• Expert: You can hit a target while both you and it are moving. You are proficient with, and can craft, several different types of bow. ••••• Master: They say you can’t shoot around corners. They haven’t met you. Possessed By: Hunters, soldiers, performers, bandits, guards Specialties: Target Shooting, Tournament Competition, Long Bow, Crossbow, Shooting From Horseback, Forests. Commerce At its most basic, Commerce is the practice of buying and selling. However, all the intricate details that go in to getting goods to market also factor into this skill: knowing trade routes, evaluating the quality of the goods, negotiating their prices, keeping track of who might want what, and what they’d be willing to pay for it. Because understanding the value of horseflesh doesn’t completely correlate to, say, the value of silk, you should choose a field of expertise during character creation. Additional fields may be purchased with experience or freebie points. Attempting to deal in a good outside your field of expertise is treated as though the Skill is at 0, and rolls begin with their difficulty increased by one. Not all Commerce is legal; in fact, some of it delves into the downright inhuman. Trade routes exist for stolen goods, drugs, and slave trafficking as well as spices and silk. • Novice: You can strike a bargain with local merchants and turn a livable profit. •• Practiced: You run a modest business, and know who to contact if you need to acquire hard-to-get items. ••• Competent: You turn a steady profit in your trade. When negotiating, you are able to achieve favorable results. •••• Expert: Your services are sought out by others who need goods imported or exported. You run a thriving business and know the intricacies of your products’ trade routes. ••••• Master: All trade routes lead to you. You control a vast trading empire, and your actions send ripples through the world. Possessed By: Merchants, traders, nobles, clerics, mercenaries Specialties: Trade Routes, Negotiation, Spotting Trends, Evaluating Goods, Fields of Expertise: Livestock, Fabric, Foodstuffs, Books, Spices, Stolen Goods, Art, Alcohol, etc. Crafts The house had rooms upon rooms, each a delight beyond the guests’ wildest imaginings. One could roam its hallways for days and never see the same chamber twice. It would be so easy to get lost in the maze of corridors, never to be seen again. In fact, their hostess counted on it. The Crafts Skill encompasses a wide variety of practices, from making furniture to the creation of weapons and armor. Crafts covers the act of making useful items and tools. Also included is the ability to evaluate the expertise and value of another person’s work. You should choose a field of expertise during character creation, as knowing how to build a house does not confer the ability to forge a sword. Additional fields may be purchased with experience or freebie points. Attempting to deal in a good outside your field of expertise is treated as though the Skill is at 0, and rolls begin with their difficulty increased by one. • Novice: Your creations are serviceable. Weapons you craft are useful, if not pretty, and clothing you make will keep the body warm. You are able to repair items in your field of expertise. •• Practiced: You can make money from your crafts. Goods you created are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. ••• Competent: You can make a living off of your craft. People from surrounding towns seek to commission you for your skills. You might have a patron commission your work. •••• Expert: Students seek you out to learn your methods. Your work is durable,functional, and beautiful. ••••• Master: Your creations are utterly flawless, as though made by divine hands. Items you make will last hundreds, even thousands of years. Possessed By: Artisans, blacksmiths, seamstresses, townspeople, nobles Specialties: Commission Work, Innovation, Quick Turnaround, Evaluation, Fields of Expertise: Armorsmithing, Blacksmithing, Dressmaking, Woodcarving, Architecture, Masonry Etiquette Etiquette is the ability to comport oneself appropriately in social situations, and to assess and adapt to traditions and expectations that are new to the participant,including manners, speech patterns, dress, movement, and social interactions. Characters begin knowing the basic etiquette of their own class and culture without taking levels in Etiquette. • Novice: You can attend a function in your own culture without embarrassing yourself, and are able to gracefully recover from minor gaffes. •• Practiced: You can interact smoothly within the upper tiers of your culture’s society. ••• Competent: When presented with unfamiliar circumstances, you can take cues from those surrounding you and act accordingly. •••• Expert: Your company is sought after by people of all stations. Children and childer alike are told to model their behavior after yours. ••••• Master: There is no room you can’t read, no custom so obscure you aren’t aware of it. You pick up on even the most nuanced of nuances, and act accordingly. Possessed By: Merchants, nobles, soldiers, spies, emissaries, religious leaders Specialties: Courtly Manners, Reading a Room, Heraldry, Religious Customs, Foreign Customs Melee Melee is a measure of the character’s prowess with hand-to-hand weapons (as opposed to ranged weapons, covered by Archery, or fighting unarmed, covered by Brawl). This Skill includes the ability to use staves, swords, clubs, axes, and knives. Some melee weapons can be repaired and crafted based on the character’s level of expertise, though making metal weapons requires Crafts. • Novice: You’re clear on the concept of putting the pointy end in the bad guy, and can maintain your weapons. •• Practiced: You can win a one-on-one fight against someone of similar skill. You are able to repair your weapons. ••• Competent: You could enlist as a soldier or hire yourself out as a personal guard. You are familiar with several different weapons. You can craft functional weapons. •••• Expert: You could enter and win a melee at a tourney. You are a fearsome opponent on the battlefield. Weapons you craft are not only sturdy, but also elegant to behold. ••••• Master: You are nigh undefeatable in combat, and are well-trained in several types of weaponry. Your creations will be used and admired for centuries to come. Possessed By: Soldiers, mercenaries, guards, nobles, adventurers, thieves Specialties: Swords, Knives, Axes, Clubs, Quarter-staff, Disarm, Fighting From Horseback Performance Performance is the ability to entertain an audience and keep them enthralled, whether it’s a full amphitheater, a handful of passers-by, or a single mark. You should choose a field of expertise during character creation. Additional fields may be purchased with experience or freebie points. You may evaluate another person’s skill outside your own field of expertise with this Ability. • Novice: You can carry a tune or act out a skit without tripping over your lines. •• Practiced: You are often invited to share your talents with the local community. ••• Competent: You can support yourself with your ability. People from nearby towns come to see you perform. •••• Expert: You draw large crowds when you travel outside of your home region, and can live comfortably on the money you make from your performances. ••••• Master: You could make the angels weep with your performances. Rumor has it you actually have. Possessed By: Actors, minstrels, nobles, religious figures, orators, thieves Specialties: Stirring Speeches, Courtly Songs, Tavern Songs, Reading a Crowd. Fields of Expertise: Singing, Acting, Wind Instruments, String Instruments, Dance, Acrobatics Ride Ride describes the character’s affinity for traveling by horseback, fighting while mounted, and in a limited capacity, caring for the animal. Expert riders can also gauge the value of other animals and treat minor ailments that befall them. They are also able to spot quality craftsmanship from poor when it comes to gearing their mount. • Novice: You can successfully mount a horse and get it to respond to simple commands. •• Practiced: You can stay in the saddle if your horse spooks. You are accustomed to long rides and the different paces at which horses can run, provided the terrain is relatively forgiving. ••• Competent: You are able to fight from horseback. Difficult terrain presents you no difficulty when it comes to staying in the saddle. •••• Expert: You can guide your horse through complicated maneuvers, and keep it calm in the heat of battle. You’re known as one of the best riders around. ••••• Master: You and your horse move as one. You hardly have to twitch the reins or move a leg to get it to respond to your commands. Possessed By: Cavalry, nobles, knights, performers, messengers Specialties: Trick Riding, Jumping, Hunting, Speed, Mounted Combat Stealth Stealth is the ability to pass unseen and undetected through a space, to get in and get out with no one the wiser. This includes hiding in plain sight in the midst of a crowd, tailing a mark, or skulking past guards to gain entry to a household. If the roll is contested, the character pits her Dexterity + Stealth against the target’s Perception + Alertness. Sleight-of-hand attempts fall under Legerdemain. • Novice: You can move about undetected, provided that no one is looking for you. •• Practiced: You know the best places to duck into to lose a tail in your home city, and can blend into a crowd composed of people from your own culture and social class. ••• Competent: You slip away even when people are actively looking for you. Efforts at keeping intruders out are merely an invitation to you. •••• Expert: You could tweak your target’s noses if you wanted, and disappear again before they blinked. ••••• Master: You were never there. No one ever saw you. You’ve infiltrated fortified keeps and sat in on the most secret of meetings. Your name is spoken in awe by highwaymen and in consternation by law keepers. Possessed By: Thieves, spies, hunters, trackers Specialties: Blending In, Crowds, Small Groups, Daylight, Prowl, Wilderness Survival Survival measures how successfully the character can move about in, adapt to, and thrive in the elements. Sometimes, Survival is more about living long enough to return to civilization than it is about eschewing it: finding your way through the forest, foraging for food, and locating drinkable water. • Novice: You know how to navigate the terrain in your local area. With the proper supplies, you could spend a few nights outside in mild weather. •• Practiced: You can make a rudimentary shelter and find adequate food if you’re in a familiar environment. ••• Competent: You can keep a group of people fed and warm in the wilderness. You are often asked to serve as a guide for people unfamiliar with the region. •••• Expert: No terrain poses you great trouble. You can make a sizable living leading travelers safely through the region. You could live completely off the land if you wished ••••• Master: Fierce blizzards, storm-tossed seas, and endless steppes have thrown their worst at you, and you outlasted them all. Possessed By: Hunters, hermits, penitents, soldiers Specialties: Foraging, Forests, Deserts, At Sea, Tracking |
KnowledgesKnowledges are Abilities with academic bent. Primarily, Knowledges require rolls with Mental Attributes. With the exception of general public knowledge, characters lacking Knowledge in a given subject will fail an attempted action. Characters can develop Knowledges not only in a standard academic setting, but also through apprentice-
ships, workshops, or tutoring. Many of these Knowledges passed down through word-of-mouth at this time, so your ability hinged on who you knew. Academics
At this time, there is more unknown than known in the world, and endless discoveries await. Chemistry, physics, astronomy, and mathematics are only nascent sciences; literature and rhetoric bloom. Scholars are only just developing universities. With Academics, you have the capacity to be the light burning against the darkness of ignorance and superstition. • Novice: Your Latin could use some work, but you can make yourself understood. You have scratched the surface of your field of study, amassing enough basic knowledge to speak without looking foolish. •• Student: You read the right books and have a firm grasp of your subject. You can argue your opinion in your field competently. ••• Learned: You have graduated from the student to being the teacher. You could instruct any interested party in your chosen subject. You have gained a reputation for being an academic. •••• Scholar: You have dedicated your academic life to your subject, to the exclusion of other tertiary interests. No fact is too obscure for you to add to your substantive body of knowledge. ••••• Master: You have written a number of books on your subject, which are used as citations by scholars in your field. Your eloquence on your topic is legendary and you are in demand as a speaker to the literati. Possessed by: Clergy, scientists, tutors, court officials and advisors, university scholars Specialties: Instruction, Research, Esoterica. Fields of Expertise: Arts (literature, music, philosophy), Law, Medicine, Theology, Sciences (physics, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics) Enigmas Medieval enigmas encompass symbolism, history, lore, and cryptography. The smallest pieces click into a cohesive whole when you have sufficient knowledge of enigmas. Each thread spins together into a tapestry of an answer. Your experience with enigmas allows you to draw logical connections to deduce the solution when it is least evident to others. • Novice: Those little wood and rope puzzles are no match for you. You enjoy stumping people and can create simple cryptograms and word substitutions. •• Student: Given a few hours, there is almost no cipher that you cannot penetrate. ••• Learned: People seek you to unravel their dreams or decode illicit love notes. You have written a key reference to symbolism in your field. •••• Scholar: Your journals are written in spontaneous codes and will perplex scholars even centuries from now. ••••• Master: Your puzzles require a key or a mind equivalent to yours to unravel. If you were locked in a box, your mind could provide diversion indefinitely. Possessed by: Sages, shamans, mystics, prophets, astrologers Specialties: Arthurian Mysteries, Sacred Mysteries, Relics, Cryptography, Prophecies, Riddles Hearth Wisdom What berries can you eat? Will it rain tomorrow? What’s the best remedy for whooping cough? This wisdom is not found in books, but from sitting at the knee of people wiser than you, and spoken in sewing circles and market stalls. They know the cures and they know the reasons to be afraid of the dark. • Novice: You listened at the fireside of your elders, at the docks when the ships came in. You know local lore better than most. •• Student: Your recall for stories and traditions is uncanny, and you collect even the most esoteric of tales. You keep the words from being forgotten. Those who know bend your ear, filling it with centuries of wisdom. ••• Learned: You are the collector of tales. You keep the words from being forgotten. No matter where you go, you collect bits of knowledge. People seek you out for answers to their problems. •••• Scholar: You are known for your expertise on the collected wisdom of your chosen field. Though your knowledge is not kept in books, you are sought for training by those who wish to learn at your hearth. ••••• Master: Though you are famed for all you know, there are murmurs that you know too much. Your vast body of knowledge influences the younger generations; you are their almanac. Possessed by: Hardened sailors, healers, herbalists, farmers, hermits, grandparents, village elders Specialties: Locale (e.g. central France), Culture (e.g. Celtic), Omens, Wards, Home Remedies, Poisons, Charms Investigation Your eye spies the smallest details, tracing them back through the web of information. You have the questions and they have the answers, and woe betide any who stand long in the way of your search. You connect all the threads, weaving them together to reveal the tapestry of the truth. Or the Church’s truth. Or the King’s truth. Whatever truth you seek, you have the tools to discover it. • Novice: You ferret out the little secrets in your vicinity: who is a-courting, who is a-cheating, who is lying and stealing. •• Student: You have made a study of the art of questioning. You can sift through the talk of others to find the kernel of information you need. Mysteries do not keep long in your company. ••• Learned: Investigation could be your profession. It’s a keen talent of yours and one that ought to make your friends and relatives shake when you bend it their way. •••• Scholar: Your discoveries could write a book or two. In fact, some would pay you not to publish that book. Those who want a secret unearthed – or would like it buried forever – seek out your counsel. ••••• Master: You are the Spymaster. You have a network of spies; the eyes and ears of others tell you all. If your bent is religious, heathens beware. If political, enemies of the state always check over their shoulder for you before speaking – to no avail. Possessed by: Blackmailers, inquisitors, bounty hunters, Father or Mother confessors, seneschals Specialties: Torture, Peccadilloes, Confessions, Tracking, Audience (e.g. Royal, Church, State), Questioning Law The Romans called it Justitia, but you don’t need Latin to know how it works. Though there may be a thousand years of jurisprudence for precedence, blindfolded Justice still holds her sword. Those who have the purse to pay receive finer justice than those who don’t; the King trumps the lord and the lord trumps the peasant. The law of the Church (canonical) often clashes with the law of the land (royal decree or common law), with the end result being a law only as strong as those enforcing it. • Novice: You avidly study the laws of your home city and country. You know even the obscure laws and you track the rapidly changing landscape of precedent. •• Student: You can confidently defend someone in a debate or casual setting, successfully using recent cases to prove your point. ••• Learned: You could make a good living as a lawyer. Your legal advice brings good coin. Whether you defend the rich or the poor, it takes a real expert to outmaneuver you in a legal setting. •••• Scholar: Your brain is a library of law and you can cite decisions, chapter and verse, dating back to Justinian. You can compose written legal arguments that can sway kings and popes alike. ••••• Master: Precedent? In many cases, you tried the cases that created the precedent. Your legal theories formed the basis of subsequent law amendments. Possessed by: Attorneys, judges, kings, cardinals, land owners Specialties: Mediation, Contracts, Type (e.g. Canonical, Tribal, Royal, Inheritance), Pleadings, Sentencing Medicine This is the age of the humors. Feeling low? You are melancholic, with an excess of black bile. Phelgmatic? Too many cold foods. Keeping the humors in balance could be a full-time occupation, involving charts and diagrams and leeches. It is a strange mix of superstition and ancient Greco-Roman research. Anatomy and physiology are still being developed and, unfortunately, dissecting the human body for research is still centuries away from being acceptable. In the meantime, take a tonic and be sure to wear that amulet for that cough. • Novice: You are the fixer-upper for minor wounds: cuts, scrapes, splinting broken extremities. You know the basic lingo for describing ailments. •• Student: In an emergency, you are handy to have around. Your treatment can sometimes stave off the scythe of Death long enough for a real professional to arrive. ••• Learned: Your job is to heal, whether as a doctor, a nursemaid, or surgeon. It is one of your primary talents and you spend a good deal of time reading up on the subject and trying new treatments. •••• Scholar: Your work has led to several important medical discoveries and everyone near you benefits from increased vitality and longevity. ••••• Master: Be wary, O Death, for your competition has arrived. Laying your hands on the ill brings near-instant relief. Your unerring diagnoses can ease the mind of those who bring their unwell loved ones to you. Possessed by: Healers, doctors, charlatans, herbalists, midwives, apothecaries, barbers, chirurgeons Specialties: Childbirth, First Aid, Pain Relief, Preventative Medicine, Surgery Occult To know the occult is to understand the unseen and the inexplicable. The supernatural is a hole that reaches much deeper and darker than people imagine. Just as you reach the bottom, another tunnel reveals itself, burrowing ever deeper. Some might say Occult and Theology are just two sides of a coin that reality flips. One person’s miracle is another person’s ghostly encounter. Both require a faith in something not easily seen or understood. Overlap does occur between the two, especially in the case of miracles or saints. If a character’s Occult score is high, the outcomes of their Occult rolls tend to be more accurate. • Novice: You can sense the influence of the occult in your vicinity and have a basic understanding of the more common forms of the supernatural. •• Student: You have made a study of the occult, which could cause you to brush up against powers beyond your understanding. Your conclusions from these experiences can be imperfect. ••• Learned: You have cultivated an air of the mysterious, which allows you to market answers of an occult nature to those who seek them. If a few of those answers are wrong, well, who can know everything? •••• Scholar: The mysteries of the unseen world hold few mysteries to you. You’ve written several books on the subject, and others consult you as a general authority by those too frightened to understand with what they are dealing. ••••• Master: You advise kings and popes with great authority. Whether its peasant girls with visions or cases of demonic possession, you are called in with alacrity. Naturally, the more important you are, the more attention you will draw from those whom you unveil. Possessed by: Heretics, Inquisitors, fortune tellers, pagans, priests Specialties: Magical Research, Scrying, Vampires, Fae, Spellcasting, Summoning Politics She led him through a passage behind the tapestry in the dining hall. “True power does not reside in a throne.” Her wool skirts left a trail in the dirt, her pace remarkably fast. His candle trembled with every gasping breath. “Then where does it reside?” he asked when they stopped. She swung open a hinged door and shoved a sheathed dagger in his hands. “Knowing where a king sleeps.” Politics is the great game; some say the greatest game. It can bring unimaginable power, but the wheel of fortune can turn quickly, grinding the ambitious into the finest of powder. History is littered with the names of those who overreached. High-level politics is a mixture of diplomacy and carefully exercised leverage. The more you understand, the more you can bend others to achieve your goals. • Novice: You understand the basic machinations of governance. You can stir people up or smooth them down as you need to accomplish what you want. •• Student: You hold an office of minor significance on a local level. People of influence know your name and take note. Your authority is good, but you are careful not to push too far. ••• Learned: No matter which level you operate on, you are a canny political player, a savvy climber who is slowly amassing more influence and power. You communicate to commoner and lord with equal fluency. •••• Scholar: You are a leader and your name is honored. Your place in the annals of history could be mighty indeed. Even still, sometimes you have to look sharp to ensure there is no one ascending to topple you from your place of power. ••••• Master: You are a legend and your grip on your lands and people is uncontested. Your skill in politics so flawless that people rarely even realize they are being manipulated into what you want. Possessed by: Advisors, courtiers, governors, lords, ladies, cardinals, popes, kings, queens Specialties: Type (e.g. Feudal, Court, City, Church), Bribery, Law-making, Diplomacy Seneschal You are the oil that allows the gears of a great house to run smoothly. You handle the books and the market accounts. You manage the number of workers for the harvest, maintain the stables, keep the ponds and forests stocked, and so forth. A good servant is worth their weight in gold, it’s said, and it’s never truer than here. You will never be caught flat-footed with a surprise hunting party. True experts can tell at a glance the quality of other people’s households as well, ferreting out the hidden dust and the half-shined silver that falls beneath the notice of others. • Novice: You can manage a small household of 3-5 people, keeping food available and ensuring the standards are presentable. •• Student: You can manage a modest manor house or oversee a small business. You have mastered double-entry bookkeeping and other basic skills that will serve you well. ••• Learned: Multiple properties are under your care, and your excellent planning allows your estates to have bread, even during shortages from famine or war. •••• Scholar: You wrote the book on running a household. No minutia is beneath your notice. When you host kings and queens, the details matter. ••••• Master: Not to overstate the case, but you can turn one loaf into two and double the size of a wine cellar with a mere word. Lords and ladies pay a pretty penny for you to handle their great estates. Possessed by: Innkeepers, stewards, seneschals, wives Specialties: Type (e.g. Urban, Farm, Feudal, Nobility), Religious Orders (e.g. Monasteries, Nunneries) Theology Theology is the science of God, by whatever name you might call him, and never was it more compelling than at this time in history. God was in the smallest mustard seed and in the largest ocean. Plagues were the wrath of God and a bountiful harvest was the blessings of God made manifest. Two questions plagued the minds of medieval theologians: what is the nature of evil and does our free will allow us to act independent of it? To a religious mind, every day was a choice to walk with God or dance with the devil in the pale moonlight. • Novice: Your understanding of religion is fairly vague. You believe and understand the basic principles: the commandments, the rules, the practices. You can hold a conversation about religion, able to articulate your convictions reasonably well. •• Student: You have read the holy books of your religion. You can debate religion (as much as your milieu allows) and compose a competent religious tract. ••• Learned: Your grasp of other religions is strong, despite any disagreement you may have with them. You are occasionally asked to speak to followers of your religion on an official basis. •••• Scholar: You have made a number of important contributions to doctrine. Your words are powerful: you could raise funds for a cathedral or mosque, incite violence against heretics, or fill people with a holy spirit of inspiration. ••••• Master: You have discovered layers to your faith that others can only imagine. You’re considered an honored speaker on religion at your forum of choice, no matter where that pulpit stands. Possessed by: Monks, nuns, dabblers, priests, theologians, rabbanim, A’immah Specialties: Confession, Orthodoxy, Heresy, Proselytization, Conversion |