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Character Race and Background

A character‚s race comprises two parts: the core Race and an optional racial background. Not all race and racial background combinations will be available in any campaign, check with your GM.

Bonuses from races, racial backgrounds, and character backgrounds do not stack with each other. Penalties do, however.

Ability Modifiers: Most races have ability score boosts and penalties. These are permanent changes to your abilities, and cannot be removed. They do not affect the number of skills you get per level. See: Ability Boosts and Drains in Chapter 3: Combat for more information.

Overcoming Racial Penalties

Some races get an Innate Penalty to skills. At character creation or when levelling up, you can sacrifice two skill ranks from any ability (they can be from different abilities) to permanently remove this penalty.

The Races:

There are seven races presented here, but the GM should feel free to introduce custom ones into his campaign. Not every race is available to the PCs in every campaign; for example one set in the modern times or the future is unlikely to have goblins, and even in a typical fantasy setting it might be wildly inappropriate for a character to play as an orc.

Humans

Physical Description: Look at yourself in the mirror. Chances are, you are a human. Humans are among the tallest of the seven races, topped only by orcs.

Personality: Humans are the most diverse and adaptable of the seven races. They are capable of learning and doing almost anything they set their minds to. They are extremely diverse in their customs and traditions

Game Statistics:

  1.   Scale 0: Scale 0 creatures operate on 1m squares, have a scale multiplier of x1, have 6 toughness to size, and have no attack bonus or penalty from size.
  2.   Diverse: Humans may choose up to two character backgrounds. Use the higher starting wealth of the two.
  3.   Traditional Humans: Humans with no racial backgrounds can gain one additional technique in one skill they have ranks in at first level. Remember that Innate bonuses to the same skills and abilities don‚t stack.
  4.   Speed: 2m/s

Elves

Physical Description: Elves resemble humans from a distance, although the differences become readily apparent up close. Elves are shorter and slenderer than humans typically are, with an average height of about 160 cm (5‚4”), without any noticeable height difference between men and women. They move with an innate grace that many humans find attractive, and have characteristically pointed ears. Elves are by far the longest-lived of the seven races, with an average lifespan of roughly 1,000 years, but very rarely have children. An elf is not considered an adult until she has reached her hundredth year.

Personality: Elves, due to their incredibly lengthy lifespan, tend to look at the world in a very different way from humans. They are much more conservative in their thinking, and while they don‚t necessarily dislike new ideas, it frequently doesn‚t occur to them that there might be a better way to go about it than they have been for the past several centuries. Elves tend to take the long view in thinking, remaining aloof from what they view as minor squabbles (a decades-long war is the blink of an eye to them). Their long lives result in incredibly deep relationships between elves, who have known their friends, and family for longer than most human nations exist. This results in what to a human might seem disproportionate rage at the death of a loved one. Despite this, elves take lives only on very rare occasions because, to an elf, a life cut short is a horror unlike any other. For this reason, their behaviour can, again to a human, seem cowardly at times „ they have much more to lose if they die in a meaningless battle.

Game Statistics:

  1.   Scale 0: Scale 0 creatures operate on 1m squares, have a scale multiplier of x1, have 6 toughness to size, and have no attack bonus or penalty from size.
  2.   Ability Modifiers: +1 Intelligence, -1 Strength
  3.   Long-Lived: Elves get a +1 Innate Bonus to Humanities (History), and gain access to that branch for free (they know a lot about history because it was fewer generations ago before someone lived to see it).
  4.   Grace: Elves get a +1 Innate Bonus to Charisma
  5.   Traditional Elves: Elves with no racial background gain proficiency with the Bow or Blades weapon family for free, as well as the Perception: Track .
  6.   Speed: 2m/s

Halflings

Physical Description: Halflings get their name from being much shorter than a human, with an average height of about 100cm (just over three feet), and an average weight of about 15-20 kg. They more than make up for their small stature in verve, however, and are known to (when absolutely necessary) show extraordinary resolve. Halflings are much more likely to have curly hair than straight, and Halfling men rarely have facial hair.

Personality: Halflings are, generally calm and conservative folk. However, they have been known to push themselves to accomplish feats of bravery that stagger the larger races. Halflings are rumoured to have a loose view of the finer points of property ownership, a fact which they fervently deny. Halflings are known for their upfront honesty, which may only be because they are so rarely caught lying.

Game Statistics:

  1.   Scale -1: Scale -1 characters have a scale multiplier of x0.5, have 3 toughness to size, and get a +1/0 size bonus to attack, as well as a +1 to their Target score. For more information about Scale, look at chapter 3: Combat.
  2.   +1 CR (countered by the decrease in scale)
  3.   Ability Modifiers +1 Spirit, +1 Strength, +1 Endurance
  4.   Plucky: Halflings gain a +1 bonus to Will.
  5.   Survivalist: Halflings tend to survive attacks that should have, by all logic, completely flattened them. They get a +2 bonus to maximum (but not minimum) toughness.
  6.   “Honest:” Halflings gain a +1 bonus the Charisma (deceive) checks, except when made against another Halfling.
  7.   Speed: 1.5m/s
  8.   Traditional Halflings: Halflings with no Racial Background get a +1 Innate Bonus to Athletics

Dwarves

Physical Description: Dwarves are short, stocky humanoids with well-developed muscles and a tendency to grow long beards. Dwarves rarely grow more than four feet tall, but make up for their lack of height in thick muscles and tough hide. Dwarf females are almost identical appearing to dwarf males (they have beards, too), leading to rumours that there are no dwarf women.

Personality: Dwarves are generally honest and conservative, and tend to dislike new ideas. They have a deep hatred of goblins caused by generations of war, and frequently attack them on sight. Outside of their homes in the mountains and underground, dwarves are rarely seen unarmed.

Game Statistics:

  1.   Scale 0: Scale 0 creatures operate on 1m squares, have a scale multiplier of x1, have 6 toughness to size, and have no attack bonus or penalty from size.
  2.   Ability Modifiers : +1 Endurance, -1 Dexterity
  3.   Big for Their Size: Dwarves, while not much taller than a Halfling or Gretchin, are very stocky and wide for their height, which is why they are scale 0 instead of -1. However, they are smaller than most scale 0 races, so armour and clothing made for them weighs 0.75 times as much for them as it does for most scale 0 races.
  4.   Speed: 1.5m/s
  5.   Stocky: Dwarves can ignore one mobility penalty.
  6.   Low-Light Vision: Dwarves count hazy illumination as normal light, but still cannot see in total darkness.
  7.   Gruff: Dwarves take a -1 Innate Penalty to Charisma.
  8.   Mechanically Minded: Dwarves who put one or more ranks in Engineering get one free technique.
  9.   Traditional Dwarves: Dwarves with no racial background gain proficiency with the Axe or Blunt family for free.

Orcs

Physical Description: Orcs are massive, slow-witted, green-skinned humanoid creatures. Their tall bodies are covered in rippling muscles, and their teeth are long, pointed, and fanglike.  Orcs, when standing straight, would be more than seven feet tall, though they usually walk in a lazy slouch.

Personality: Orcs love violence, and they love it up close and personal. Generally, they avoid ranged combat ƒ although whether they avoid it because they are terrible shots, or whether they are terrible shots because they avoid it is unclear. When they do use ranged attacks, they like to find the largest, flashiest weapon they can get their hands on.  

Game Statistics:

  1.   Scale 0: Scale 0 creatures operate on 1m squares, have a scale multiplier of x1, have 6 toughness to size, and have no attack bonus or penalty from size.
  2.   Ability Modifiers : +1 Strength, -1 Intelligence
  3.   Large: Orcs are in the upper limits of its scale category. When determining the creature's carrying capacity, weapon and armour effort increments, multiply the increments by 1.25. Armour for orcs weighs 1.25 times as much however. The creature's Size bonus to Toughness (and minimum toughness) increases by +1. Orcs take a size penalty of -1 to Stealth.
  4.   Clumsy: Orcs take a -1/0 Innate Penalty to ranged weapon attacks, except for with thrown weapons.
  5.   Gruff: Orcs get a -1 Innate Penalty to Charisma
  6.   Speed: 2m
  7.   Traditional Orcs: Traditional Orcs take the Savage racial background.

Goblins

Physical Description: Goblins are slightly shorter than humans. They are quick and have a knack for moving around completely silently. Goblins have disproportionately large eyes for seeing in the dark.

Personality: Goblins have a tendency towards cruelty and violence. They are fairly cowardly at heart (though not so cowardly as Gretchin, who are famous for it), and will generally not fight to the death.

Game Statistics:

  1.   Scale 0: Scale 0 creatures operate on 1m squares, have a scale multiplier of x1, have 6 toughness to size, and have no attack bonus or penalty from size.
  2.   Ability Modifiers: +1 Dexterity, -1 Spirit
  3.   Low-Light Vision: Goblins count hazy illumination as normal light, but still cannot see in total darkness.
  4.   Stealthy: Goblins get a +1 bonus to Stealth
  5.   Natural Born Riders: Goblins get a +1 bonus to Ride and Pilot
  6.   Speed: 2m/s
  7.   Traditional Goblins: Goblins with no racial backgrounds can gain one additional technique in one skill they have ranks in at first level.

 

Gretchin

Physical Description: Gretchin are even smaller than Halflings, and always seem to be moving slightly. They never stand perfectly still. Gretchin have remarkably good posture to maximise their minimal height. Despite their size, they are deceptively tough and quick.

Personality: Gretchin are clever and skilled with machines, but due to their lack of size they are frequently captured and enslaved by Orcs and Goblins. This has led Gretchin, as a species, towards a cynical and cowardly way of life.

Game Statistics:

  1.   Scale -1: Scale -1 characters have a scale multiplier of x0.5, have 3 toughness to size, and get a +1/0 size bonus to attack, as well as a +1 to their Target score. For more information about Scale, look at chapter 3: Combat.
  2.   Ability Modifiers : +1 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity, +1 Endurance, -1 Spirit
  3.   Speed: 1.5m/s
  4.   Cowardly: If Gretchin have two or more morale penalties, they increase their move speed by +0.5m/s.
  5.   Edgy: Gretchin get a +2 Innate Bonus to Initiative. This stacks with bonuses from techniques like Nerves.
  6.   Go To Ground: Gretchin gain the Reflex: Evasion technique for free, and can make 1 extra dodge defence per round at their normal bonus.
  7.   Mechanically Minded: Gretchin who put one or more ranks in Engineering get one free technique.
  8.   Traditional Gretchin: Gretchin with no Racial Background get a +1 Innate  Bonus to Engineering.


Racial Background:

Your character‚s Racial Background is an amalgamation of the cultural and geographic area from which he and his family came from. Characters of different racial backgrounds but of the same race are still of the same species.

All bonuses and penalties from racial backgrounds are Innate bonuses and penalties, and therefore do not stack with bonuses from race.

Forest

  1.   Forest Background: +1 to knowledge checks relating to forests
  2.   Camouflage: +1 to Stealth checks made in a woodland area
  3.   Rustic: Forest characters gain a -1 penalty to Science and Engineering.

Mountain

  1.   Mountain Background: +1 to knowledge checks relating to mountains
  2.   Climber: +1 to Athletics check made to climb

Desert

  1.   Desert Background: +1 to knowledge checks relating to deserts and survival in hot areas.
  2.   Heat Adaptation HeatHeat : Characters with a desert background gain +2 to fortitude checks against high temperatures and heat (but not fire or heat damage)

Tundra

  1.   Desert Background: +1 to knowledge checks relating to tundra and survival in cold areas.
  2.   Cold Adaptation HeatHeat : Characters with a desert background gain +2 to fortitude checks against cold temperatures (but not cold damage)

Urban

  1.   Urban Background: +1 to knowledge checks relating to cities, towns, and other settlements
  2.   Citybound: Urban characters take a -1 penalty to knowledge checks relating to nature and geography.

Savage

  1.   Fierce: +1 to Intimidate
  2.   Uncivilized: Savage characters take a -1 penalty to Science and Humanities

Martial

  1.   Training: Free weapon proficiency either in Simple weapons, one weapon family, or one specialized weapon even if you do not meet the prerequisites.
  2.   Gruff: Martial characters take a -1 penalty to Charisma.

Nomadic

  1.   Saddleborn: Nomadic characters gain a +1 bonus to Ride or Drive (whichever is more appropriate)

Deep

  1.   Darkness Adaptation: Deep characters gain Night Vision, treating hazy light as normal light, total darkness as hazy, and normal light as blinding (which acts like total darkness does for a surface creature). They get a -3 penalty to fortitude checks against blindness from bright light. A Deep character can wear sunglasses or something similar to treat normal light as hazy instead of blinding.
  2.   Cave Adaptation: Deep creatures they get +1 to knowledge checks made about the underground.

Nocturnal

  1.   Darkness Adaptation: Nocturnal characters gain Night Vision, treating hazy light as normal light, total darkness as hazy, and normal light as blinding (which acts like total darkness does for a surface creature). They get a -3 penalty to fortitude checks against blindness from bright light. A Nocturnal character can wear sunglasses or something similar to treat normal light as hazy instead of blinding.

Spacefaring

  1.   Zero-G Training for free
  2.   +1 to Pilot, Engineering, or Computers
  3.   -1 to Athletics and Acrobatics

Character Backgrounds

All bonuses and penalties from character backgrounds are Innate bonuses and penalties. The starting wealth and starting gear respectively refer to what the character has at the start of the campaign in addition to what all characters start with  (clothes and appropriate residence ƒ see Starting Conditions for more information below). If a character starts with a ranged weapon, it comes with three full reloads (for firearms) or a quiver of twenty arrows or bolts (for more primitive weapons). Characters must meet all the requirements for any free, optional techniques (such as, “one free Weapon Proficiencies” from the military background) from character backgrounds, but not specifically mentioned free techniques, such as Flat of the Blade (granted by Law Enforcement).

If the background has a separate listing for modern starting gear and wealth, use that in a modern or futuristic setting. If it has only one listing, use that in both.

“Starting Conditions” refer broadly to the state of a character‚s wealth at the beginning of play. This includes residence, on-hand clothing, and social status. These conditions are relative to the setting, and can be voluntarily lowered by the player (for example, a player may wish to play a destitute, out of work performer instead of a successful one). For example, in a modern setting, an upper class character might have a fancy downtown suite or a large suburban residence and a luxury car, a middle class character might have a small house or apartment and a decent car, a lower class character might have no car or an old beaten up one and a small apartment in a bad district, and a destitute character would have no car and probably be homeless. In a fantasy setting, an upper class character has a manor and possibly a title, a middle class character has a small house, a lower class character might have a tiny cottage, and a destitute character would probably be homeless.

Athlete

  1.   Choose One:
  2.   +1 Athletics
  3.   +1 Fortitude
  4.   +1 Acrobatics
  5.   Weapon Proficiency: Martial Arts Family
  6.   Starting Wealth: 50 mk
  7.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $5,000
  8.   Starting Conditions: Lower Class

Religious

  1.   Choose One:
  2.   Access to Humanities (Religion)
  3.   Any one technique in Faith
  4.   Choose One:
  5.   +1 Contacts (religious organizations tend to be very well-connected)
  6.   +1 Charisma
  7.   +1 Discipline
  8.   Starting Wealth:  75 mk
  9.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $7,500
  10.   Starting Gear: One holy symbol and/or holy book (if appropriate)
  11.   Starting Conditions: Middle Class

Performer

  1.   Access to Humanities (Arts and Culture) or Perform: Fame for free
  2.   Choose One:
  3.   +1 Charisma
  4.   +1 Perform
  5.   +1 Acrobatics
  6.   +1 Contacts
  7.   Starting Wealth: 75 mk
  8.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $7,500
  9.   Starting Gear: one musical instrument
  10.   Starting Conditions: Middle Class

Dealmaker

  1.   Choose One:
  2.   Access to Humanities (Business and Economics)
  3.   Access to Humanities (Current Events and Politics)
  4.   Access to Humanities (Psychology)
  5.   Choose one:
  6.   +1 Charisma
  7.   +1 Perception
  8.   +1 Contacts
  9.   Starting Wealth:  100 mk
  10.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $10,000
  11.   Starting Conditions: Upper Class

Military

  1.   One free Discipline technique in the Teamwork tree
  2.   Choose One:
  3.   Armour: Light and Medium armour proficiency
  4.   Any one Weapon Proficiencies technique
  5.   Combat Expertise: Learn Combo
  6.   Any one technique in Drive/Pilot
  7.   Choose One:
  8.   +1 Ride/Drive/Pilot
  9.   +1 Fortitude
  10.   +1 Perception
  11.   Starting Wealth: 25 mk
  12.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $3,000
  13.   Starting Gear: One  weapon which you are proficient with from the default listing, uniform.
  14.   Starting Gear [Modern]: Sidearm, uniform
  15.   Starting Conditions: Lower Class

Medical

  1.   Choose One:
  2.   Access to Science (Biology)
  3.   Access to Science (Chemistry)
  4.   +1 Medicine
  5.   Starting Wealth: 75 mk
  6.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $7,500
  7.   Starting Gear: Medical kit
  8.   Starting Conditions: Upper Class

Academic

  1.   Choose One:
  2.   +1 to Science and access to one branch of Science
  3.   +1 to Humanities and access to one branch of Humanities
  4.   Starting Wealth:  50 mk
  5.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $5,000
  6.   Starting Gear: Quill, inkwell, and a 100-page blank book
  7.   Starting Gear [Modern]: Laptop
  8.   Starting Conditions: Lower Class

Magical Education

  1.   Choose One:
  2.   Spell Repertoire: Learn Spell
  3.   One technique in Arcana
  4.   Access to Science (Alchemy)
  5.   Access to Science (Elemental Physics)
  6.   Access to Humanities (History)
  7.   Choose One:
  8.   +1 Arcana
  9.   +1 Science
  10.   +1 Humanities
  11.   Starting Wealth: 75 mk
  12.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $7,500
  13.   Starting Gear: one first level scroll
  14.   Starting Conditions: Middle Class

Mechanic

  1.   Choose One:
  2.   +1 Engineering and access to one branch of Engineering
  3.   +1 Science and access to one branch of Science
  4.   Starting Wealth: 30 mk
  5.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $3,000
  6.   Starting Gear: Mechanical toolkit
  7.   Starting Conditions: Lower Class

Wilderness

  1.   Choose One:
  2.   +1 Perception
  3.   +1 Stealth
  4.   +1 Medicine
  5.   Choose One:
  6.   Weapon Proficiencies: Bow family
  7.   Weapon Proficiencies: Firearms family  [Modern only]
  8.   Perception: Track
  9.   Any one technique in Animal Backup
  10.   Starting Wealth: 10 mk
  11.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $1,000
  12.   Starting Gear: any bow
  13.   Starting Gear [Modern]: Hunting rifle or hunting shotgun
  14.   Starting Conditions: Lower Class

Drifter

  1.   Choose One:
  2.   +1 Fortitude
  3.   +1 Stealth
  4.   +1 Perception
  5.   +1 Ride
  6.   Choose One:
  7.   Perception: Track
  8.   Stealth: Sleight of Hand
  9.   Access to Humanities (Geography)
  10.   Fortitude: Immunity
  11.   Starting Wealth: 5 mk
  12.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $500
  13.   Starting Conditions: Destitute

Wealthy

  1.   +1 Contacts
  2.   Starting Wealth:1,000 mk
  3.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $200,000
  4.   Starting Conditions: Upper Class

Criminal

  1.   Choose one:
  2.   +1 Stealth
  3.   +1 Engineering
  4.   +1 Contacts
  5.   +1 Charisma
  6.   Engineering: Pick Lock
  7.   Starting Wealth:  15 mk
  8.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $2,000
  9.   Starting Gear: Lockpicks, Dagger
  10.   Starting Gear [Modern]: Sidearm, Lockpicks, Knife
  11.   Starting Conditions: Lower Class

Law Enforcement

  1.   Armour: Light Armour Proficiency
  2.   Choose One:
  3.   Weapon Skill: Flat of the Blade
  4.   Any one Weapon Proficiencies technique
  5.   Access to Humanities (Law)
  6.   Choose One:
  7.   +1 to Perception
  8.   +1 Athletics
  9.   Starting Wealth: 30 mk
  10.   Starting Wealth: $3,500
  11.   Starting Gear: one simple weapon
  12.   Starting Gear [Modern]: Sidearm, club or tonfa, handcuffs
  13.   Starting Conditions: Lower Class

Covert

  1.   Choose One:
  2.   +1 Stealth
  3.   +1 Charisma
  4.   +1 Contacts
  5.   +1 Perception
  6.   Choose One:
  7.   Access to Humanities (Politics and Current Events)
  8.   Access to Humanities (Psychology)
  9.   Weapon Proficiencies: Any one technique
  10.   Starting Wealth: 75 mk
  11.   Starting Wealth [Modern]: $7,500
  12.   Starting Gear: Dagger
  13.   Starting Gear [Modern]: Compact pistol, Silencer
  14.   Starting Conditions: Middle Class


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