the COUNSELOR

Sometimes called Sellers, the Counselor’s skills lie less with the material and more with the ephemeral arts of word and spirit. They are instructors and soothers, deceivers and inquisitors. Choose this class if you:

• You want to support your allies with your mind instead of magic or materials

• You want to galvanize your friends and brutalize your enemies with words

• You want to glean details about suspects while negating the same for yourself

Complexity: Low to Medium

Strengths: Out of combat utility, healing/resolve skills

Weaknesses: Not very tough, relies on allies, ATN heavy

Role: Support -- mid to high -- good access to healing/resolve/buffs

Role: Resilience -- low -- poor access to defenses and armor

Role: Damage -- mid to poor --poor access to weapon skills, except Assassinate

Role: Utility -- high -- good access to social and research skills

STARTING Aptitude:

At character creation, Counselors may choose one Class Aptitude from the list below. 

SKILL DISCIPLINES

The following are the Skill Disciplines of the Counselor Class. Each Skill Discipline represents a body of knowledge or a group of similar skills. 

SAMPLE COUNSELORS

Below are three pre-generated Counselor Characters. By no means are these the only way to create Counselor characters, but they are samples that can be used as-is or altered. These sample characters tend toward Support roles when it comes to combat since Counselors work best alongside allies.

Binder Discipline

Also called the Inspiration Discipline, this deals with the forging of bonds and the inspiring of hearts. Invest in this Discipline if:

• You want to play your party’s masterful leader, wise guide, or emotional heart.

• You want to be a support character that grants Resolve and cures Control effects.

• You want to bring your allies closer together and motivate them with words.
  
  

DISCIPLINE OVERVIEW

BASIC SKILLS

Bond of Blood (ATN): Bind yourself to one close ally

Ignite Inspiration: Inspire two allies, curing Strikes or imbuing Resolve

Shielding Binder: Guard an ally from melee attacks.

COMPLEX SKILLS

Bond of Oaths (ATN): Bind yourself and a small fellowship, warband or cadre.

Forceful Inspiration: Inspire one or two allies to ignore their wounds.

Inspiring Aspect (ATN): Assume an Inspiring Presence

Inspiring Assistance: Assist in a crafting task

ERUDITE SKILLS

Bond of Command (ATN): Bind yourself and a large group,

Ceremonial Binding (ATN): Perform ceremonies to strengthen your bonded allies

Greater Inspiring Aspect (ATN): Improve your Inspiring Aspect

Imperious Voice: Allow your inspiration to affect distant allies.

Supreme Inspiration (1/P): Rally all of your Bonded allies 

BASIC SKILLS

BOND OF BLOOD

(Basic Binder; Active-Task/ATN, Bond)

You can emotionally tether yourself to one willing family member, romantic partner, best friend, or battle sibling. This allows the both of you to share in Resolve and tenacity during difficult times. Using this skill requires the process below:

• Step 1: Designate 1 nearby ally

• Step 2: Neither you nor that person may already have a Blood Bond

• Step 3: Label an unoccupied ATN as “Bond of Blood (other character’s name)”

• Step 4: Spend 5+ minutes (aka a Long Task) forging or celebrating your bond via formal or informal, public or private ceremony

Effect (1 ATN): Both characters are now Blood bound/bonded to each other, This Bond occupies 1 ATN and lasts until either person decides to terminate it. Take note, a PC can have a maximum of 1 Oath/Liege Bond and 1 Blood Bond.

Benefits:

• Bonded Resolve: When receiving “Resolve”, invoke and imbue it to your Blood Bonded ally via hand/weapon touch.. This must originate from neither of you.

• Bonded Resilience: As above but with “Cure Strike” and similar limits.

• Guard (-Focus): You can use the Guard defense (see below) on your Blood bond.

• Miscellaneous: Some abilities have special effects when used on Bonded allies

• Prop Requirements: A token to represent the bond such as matching tattoos, rings, bracelets, etc. This Bond Token must be unique to the two of you and it must be distinct and unhidden. It is encouraged but not required that it is obvious and easy to identify.

IGNITE INSPIRATION

(Basic Binder; Active-Focus, Imbue-Resolve, Remove Pain Strike/Wound)

With mere words, you can snap your allies back into action or brace their Resolve.

• Step 1: Speak an motivational/commanding quip to your allies

• Step 2: Expend 1 Focus

• Step 3: Invoke “Ignite”

• Step 4: Tap one or two allies without moving your feet with a hand/weapon

  • Option 1: Invoke “Resolve 3” with each tap to imbue them with it.

  • Option 2: As above except Invoke “Cure Strike”

  • Option 3: As above except invoke “Cure Pain Wound”

You may not affect yourself with your use of this skill and you may never imbue more than Resolve 5.

Oathbound Ignition (requires Bond of Oaths): You can augment and invoke Ignite Inspiration as “Bonded Ignite”. This allows you to affect up to three allies by hand/weapon touch or by packet/dart. At least one ally must be Bonded to you (by Blood/Oath/Liege).

Commanding Ignition (requires Bond of Command): This is similar to Oathbound Ignition except that you invoke it as “Commanding Ignite”. You have 5 seconds to distribute these effects to up to 5 people via touch within the next 5 seconds or until you move your feet, whichever comes first.

Relevant Rules - Resolve: is a special resource pool that persists until depleted, until 10 minutes pass, or until the current combat ends. Receiving any damage depletes Resolve before it depletes HP. Some effects can increase this amount. Receiving Resolve always overlaps with and never adds to your current Resolve total.

SHIELDING BINDER

(Basic Binder; Active-Focus/Resolve, Defense)

You gain the ability to intercede on the behalf of someone who is bound to you via the “Guard” defense.

Guard (-Focus): This defense allows you to negate melee attacks upon a nearby ally. You must be wielding a melee weapon and your ally must be within your weapon’s reach.

• Step 1: An ally is hit by an attack while within your step and arm’s reach

• Step 2: As a Reaction, expend 1 Focus. If you have 0 Focus, you can’t use this Skill.

• Step 3: Tap your ally via melee touch (i.e. melee weapon or hand)

• Step 4: Invoke “Guard” which negates all melee attacks on them within the last second.

• Step 5: As with all defenses, stop forward momentum and/or take 1 step away from your ally

This Skill cannot be used if any of the attacks are prefixed with “Master”, which indicates an especially powerful indefensible attack.

Shielding Guard (-Resolve): If you have Resolve, you can waive the Focus cost of Guard when you use it. When you do this, remove all the Resolve you currently have and invoke Guard as “Shielding Guard”. This prefix augments this specific use of Guard, preventing it from being Augmented further.

COMPLEX SKILLS

BOND OF OATHS

(Complex Binder/Channeler; Active-Task/ATN, Bond)

Requires: Any two Basic Binder or Channeler skills

Forge a fellowship, warband, coven, or similar group with 1-4 willing allies, swearing toward a purpose, a faction, or yourselves. Using this skill requires the process below and has additional subfunctions beyond this:

• Step 1: Designate 1-4 nearby allies

• Step 2: Neither you nor them may be Oath Bonded to a different group

• Step 3: Label an unoccupied ATN as “<Group Name> Bond of Oaths”

• Step 4: Spend 5+ minutes celebrating your bond via formal or informal, public or private ceremony.

Effect (1 ATN): All participants are now Oath bonded/bound to each other and to you. A person is Bonded permanently unless they decide otherwise or the bond is removed via this Skill - either way the ATN becomes inert but persists until the end of Event. A person can have only 1 Oath/Liege Bond and 1 Blood Bond.

Alternatively, this Skill can add/remove members to/from your roster (maximum of 5 members, see Bond of Command). An absent member can be removed from the group.

Benefits: Being Oath bonded means that certain skills have bonuses when used upon those you are Bound to. Furthermore, This Skill has other subfunctions, depending on what skills you possess:

Ignite Inspiration: Affect an additional extra Bonded ally or affect distant allies.

Inspiring Aspect: Augment “Inspire” to affect an additional Bonded ally.

Oathbound Spells: Use “Infuse Armor”/”Restore Vitality”/”Transmute Flesh”, Augmenting and prefixing it with “Bonded”. This now affects two allies instead of only one. At least one of them must be Bonded to you (by Blood, Oath, or Liege).

Prop Requirements: Each member must display an identifiable and obvious token or symbol (e.g. facial tattoos, tabards, shields, uniforms, cloaks, warbanner, etc.). Channelers have extra/alternate requirements for their allies.

Animancy: A mantle/cloak/scarf/mask similar to their Animus Crown.

Diablerie: Two of the Diabolist’s runes as tattoos or on clothing/items.

Talismanry: Two pieces of matching jewelry with the Talismonger

No Tradition: No extra requirements

FORCEFUL INSPIRATION

(Complex Binder; Imbue-Aug, Resolve, Cure-Wounds)

Requires: Any two Basic Binder skills

You may inject power into your words, allowing those who hear them to ignore their wounds or affect enemies with them.

Forceful Words (-Focus): When you use “Ignite”, you may opt for “Cure Wounds” or “Painful Revive” instead.

Forceful Scorn (-Focus, Skill Aug): Pair a shot with mockery or a reprimand.

• Step 1: Be wielding a ranged weapon or wearing a Knife Pack

• Step 2: Instead of a Targ-5 count, say a short demoralizing/chastising quip.

• Step 3: Expend 1 Focus and Invoke “Scorn”

• Step 4: Perform a ranged weapon attack, augmented with this skill

• Step 5: Mid-attack, invoke one of the options below. Whatever you hit takes the effect, instead of damage.

-- Option 1: You’re a fool-- “Piercing Pain”

-- Option 2: Get me --”Piercing Pull”

-- Option 3: Shut up -- “Piercing Silence”

-- Option 4: Go away -- “Piercing Knockback”

INSPIRING ASPECT

(Complex Binder; Active-Task/ATN, Aspect)

Requires: Any two Basic Binder skills

You may enter into a mental state that enhances your ability to inspire allies to victory though it leaves you vulnerable

• Step 1: Have no other Aspect ATNs on your person

• Step 2: Write your chosen Aspect below on two empty ATN slots

• Step 3: Perform 5+ minutes of meditation in private

• Step 4: Gain the benefits and limitations below. This Aspect lasts for 1 Event but you lose the benefits of it if either slot is rendered inert.

While thusly Attuned, you become able to gain a special status called "Valorous", provided certain conditions are fulfilled. The purpose of having the Valorous status is so that you can spend it to gain a special benefit -- how you become Valorous and what you spend it on is dependent on the specific type of Aspect you pick below (choose one)

— Warbanner: If you wield a warbanner that bears your sigils, heraldry and/or holy symbols, expending Valorous may imbue “Resolve 3” (instead of Resolve 1) to an ally. Furthermore, special Warbanners exist that grant magical or technological effects.

— Oathbound Inspiration (requires Bond of Oaths): When you imbue Resolve upon others via the Inspiring Aspect skill, you may grant it as a Wave 2 if at least one of your targets was a Bonded ally. Invoke this as “Bonded Inspire”

Prop requirements for War-banner: A combat-safe warbanner with a 3-5 ft long pole and with a prominent flag/banner. If you belong to an Archfaction or Subfaction, it may reflect this alignment. This is not a weapon and may not be wielded as one. In fact, all attacks that strike it while you hold it are considered to have struck you.

INSPIRING ASSISTANCE

(Complex Binder; Active-Craft,, Aug-Craft, Bond)

Requires: Any two Basic Binder skills

Your words and assistance can bring the best out of your Bonded allies while they are crafting or performing rituals.

• Step 1: Assist 1-5 Bonded allies in filling out their Craft-Ritual sheets

• Step 2: Assist those allies’ 10+ minute Ritual or Craft actions

• Step 3: Expend your Craft action for the Period and partake in their role-playing, acting as a guide and an assistant. You cannot use another Craft or Ritual until the next Period.

• Step 4: Their Craft./Ritual action is Augmented and they may choose between that skill’s Bonus Output Augment or Bonus Quality Augment.

Alternate Use: Alternatively, when one Bonded ally would perform a Craft-Ritual action, they can opt to use your Craft-Ritual action instead of their own. You have to be physically present and active during the Craft or Ritual involved.

ERUDITE SKILLS

BOND OF COMMAND

(Erudite Binder;Active-Task/ATN, Bond)

Requires: Any two Complex Binder skills and any two Basic Binder skills, including Bond of Oaths

You expand the amount of individuals that your group can have and your ability to bolster them also expands in turn.

Expanded Bonds (Bond): When you use Bond of Oaths, you may forge a special bond between yourself and up to 9 other individuals, This is otherwise the same as the Bond of Oaths except the ATN is labeled as “Bond of Command <group name>”. This Skill can also be used to add new members to the group if they are present or remove members if they are present or absent.

Commanding Inspiration (see Ignite Inspiration): This is similar to Oathbound inspiration except that it affects to up to 5 people,

Commanding Spells: When you use “Bonded Spellcraft” you can affect 3 people instead of 2 people. Prefix the spell with “Commanding” instead of “Bonded”.

Token Requirements: See Bond of Oaths skill.

Guild Leader/Subleader: When you form a Guild, you get a limited version of this Skill and Bond of Oaths. You only get the ability to form Bonds and it requires a Craft action to use -- you do not get Commanding Inspiration or any of the other subfunctions without actually learning Bond of Command.

CEREMONIAL BINDING

(Erudite Binder; Active-Task/ATN, +Smite, +Heal, +HP)

Requires: Any two Complex Binder skills and any two Basic Binder skills, Bond of Oaths

Through rite and ceremony, you can alter the Bonds of a group to enhance their strengths.

You can use the Bond of Blood, Bond of Oaths or Bond of Command skill to alter said emotional tethers upon willing Bonded allies or yourself. This changes how that specific Bond is labeled -- however, a character cannot have 2 Bonds altered in the same way (e.g. a Battlebond of Blood and a Battlebond of Oaths). Their benefits are as below as are a few examples for recommended role-play for each ceremony:

• Battlebond: +1 to Smite, Spell damage, and Basic Ranged Attack damage

  • Ceremony examples: ceremonial sparring, athletic exercise, feasting

• Heartbond -- +1 to Healing dealt to others.

  • Ceremony examples: prayer, guided meditation, ceremonial blood-letting

• Shieldbond -- +1 to max HP

  • Ceremony examples: feasting, endurance test, ceremonial torture

Tweak Armor: You can also use Bond of Oaths or Bond of Command to reinforce your armored allies. Upon completion, you may also clarify that your Bonded allies wearing armor receive the Lasting Patch status (see Tinker’s Strengthen Item). This represents your rite reinforcing them for their future tribulations.

Versatile Fate Binding (requires Skill Kit and any Counselor Aspect): Bind a Weaponry, Weaver, or Skill Kit item to a willing owner. This is similar to the Brewer’s Eldritch Elixirist skill.

Guild Augment: Members of Warband Guilds can turn their Bond of Oaths or Bonds of Command into Battlebonds.

GREATER INSPIRING ASPECT  

(Erudite Binder; Active-Task/ATN, Aspect)

Requires: Any two Complex Binder skills and any two Basic Binder skills, including Inspiring Aspect

While you have the Inspiring Aspect attunement, you constantly radiate a presence of inspiration and motivation that improves your healing abilities.

You gain the following benefits:

• Inspired Healing: Whenever you use Treat Injury or a Healing-type spell to imbue a heal to an ally, its effects are improved by 1. This may not exceed a “Heal 5”.

• Inspired Ignition: Ignite Inspiration affects up to 3 targets instead of 1-2

• Bonded Revive: Whenever you use “First Aid” to revive someone who is Bound to you or of the same faith, it only requires a First Aid-5.

• Inspire Life: You can use Bond of Oaths or over 1-5 dead allies to imbue a Greater Revive on them. This is similar to the Doctor’s Medical Redemption skill.

• Unbound Assistance: When you use the Inspiring Assistance skill, you may use it on people that are not Bound to you.

• Unflinching Presence: You can use the Soother’s Unflinching Spirit skill as though you had it. If you do actually learn it, you can apply it on a nearby ally when they receive an applicable effect.

IMPERIOUS VOICE

(Erudite Binder; Imbue-Aug, Vocal, Tanged)

Requires: Any two Complex Binder skills and any two Basic Binder skills, including Ignite Inspiration and Inspiring Aspect

Your voice carries across the battlefield and lights a fire in your comrades’ souls. This affects Ignite Inspiration and other skills as per below

Imperious Inspire (-Focus, Vocal, Skill Aug): Allow your voice to carry your inspiration.

• Step 1: Mentally target a Bonded ally you can see and within 20 feet.

• Step 2: Expend 1 Focus

• Step 3: Invoke the name of your target and point at them

• Step 4: Invoke “Imperious Ignite”

• Step 5: Invoke an effect from Ignite Inspiration or Forceful Inspiration (if you have it)

Imperial Inspiration (requires Inspiring Aspect):

• Step 1: Expend your Valorous status

• Step 2: Tap or touch an ally

• Step 3: Invoke “Imperial Inspire”

• Step 4: Clarify to them that their next melee attack inflicts X damage, where X is equal to the Resolve you normally grant with Inspire. If you have anything that alters the damage-type of spells, you can use it to alter this damage-type as well.

Imperious Scorn (requires Inspiring Aspect and Forceful Inspiration):

• Step 1: Expend your Valorous status

• Step 2: insult or reprimand a foe, replacing a Targ-5

• Step 3: Invoke “Imperious Scorn”

• Step 4: Attack them with a packet/dart.

• Step 5: Invoke one of the Control effects from Forceful Words, but it cannot be Piercing. They receive that effect instead of damage if the packet/dart successfully connects.

SUPREME INSPIRATION

(Erudite Binder; Active-Periodic, Vocal, Mass, Bond)

Requires: Any two Complex Binder skills and any two Basic Binder skills

You can put immense power into your voice, energizing your Bonded allies into action or cowing enemies into submission.

Once per Period, choose one of the options below to use this Skill. As a Periodic Skill, it cannot be used again until the next Period and after you have completed a 10 minute Rest.

— Option 1: Turn the Tide — Invoke the name of your Liege bond or Oath bond group followed by “Supreme Inspiration! XX”, where XX is one of the following:

• “Cure Strikes”

• “Cure Wounds”

• “Heal 5”

• “Painful Revive”

The affected allies must repeat the effect to gain it. You can also choose to receive it. Take note that this is an active skill and therefore cannot be used while you are Downed or Critical.

— Option 2: Hail of Vitriol — Invoke “Supreme Mockery” and throw/shoot up to five packs/darts within the next 10 seconds. You cannot move your feet for this attack but you may target whichever foes you wish. With each attack, you can invoke and inflict any of the options below:

• Piercing Blind Wound

• Piercing Silence Wound

• Piercing Pain Wound

• Piercing Knockback 20

Defiant Discipline

Sometimes called Willpower training, this Skill Discipline is focused on the steeling of your will against that which would hinder you. Invest in this Discipline if

• You want to play an iron willed character that shrugs off pain

• You want to improve your use of Concentration skills

• You want to be resistant to fear, horror, and traumatic injury.

Relevant Rules: Control effects are special afflictions that cause a loss of “control” for your character. This may mean that one of your limbs becomes temporarily disabled, or you become unable to use any Active Skills.

Control Durations: Strike → Wound → Blight → Ongoing/Affliction

• Strike effects last for 30 seconds except for Knockback and Pull, which last for 10 steps If followed by a number, the Strike lasts for that many seconds or steps. For example, a Rot 20 lasts for only 20 seconds.

• Wound effects last until they are removed by an effect that Cures Wounds.

• Blight effects last until they are removed by an effect that Cures Blight. Because Blight represents poisons or magical effects, Cure Blight effects are harder to find.

• Ongoing effects last until the Disease or Curse or similar condition that causes them expires or is Cured.

 DISCIPLINE OVERVIEW

BASIC SKILLS

Iron Defiance: Spend Focus to cure yourself of a Strike or a Pain-Wound

Grim Defiance: "Defiance" can cure all Wound and Strike effects from yourself.

Steady Concentration: You can walk while Concentrating or Targeting.

COMPLEX SKILLS

Mental Shield: Negate inquiries and psychic attacks upon your thoughts

Resist Fear: Protect yourself against Fear effects

Sudden Defiance: Instantly use "Defiance" instead of waiting 5 seconds first.

Zealous Defiance: Grant yourself Resolve after using "Defiance"

ERUDITE SKILLS

Bloodied but Unbowed: Hurt yourself to "Defiance" without using Focus.

Grim Recovery: Concentrate to remove all Wounds and Strike effects from yourself.

Iron Concentration: Damage does not disrupt your Concentration or Targeting..

Resist Warp: Protect yourself against Warp attacks

Supreme Defiance (1/P): Give yourself a second wind through willpower alone

BASIC SKILLS

IRON DEFIANCE 

(Basic Defiant; Active-Focus, Cure)

You have trained your will to be strong enough to persist through pain and other effects.

• Step 1: Be suffering from a Strike effect or a Pain Wound

• Step 2: After 5+ seconds, expend 1 Focus

• Step 3: Invoke “Defiance”

• Step 4: This cures you of all Strike effects and of any Pain Wound effect.

GRIM DEFIANCE

(Basic Defiant; Defense-Aug)

Requires: Iron Defiance

You can push through wounds, acting as if they were nothing.

• Step 1: Be suffering from any Strike effect and/or any Wound effect

• Step 2: After 5+ seconds, expend 1 Focus

• Step 3: Augment Defiance and invoke it as “Grim Defiance”,

  • Skills cannot have more than 1 Augment when used and invoked.

• Step 4: This cures you of all Strike effects and all Wound effects

Powering through your wounds exacts a price. At the end of 10 minutes or when you are no longer in battle (whichever happens last, aka end of scene), you receive a “Self-Inflict 2”. Subtract 2 damage from your HP total. This damage cannot be reduced, negated, or redirected.

STEADY CONCENTRATION 

(Basic; Conc-Aug)

Through training, you are able to maintain your concentration or aim while walking.

When you perform a Concentration or Targeting count, you can augment and prefix each count with “Steady” (e.g. “Steady concentration 1, Steady concentration 2, etc”)

While thusly Augmented, you can move at a slow walk while Concentrating or Targeting, to a maximum of 2 paces per count

COMPLEX SKILLS

MENTAL SHIELD

(Complex Defiant; Active-Defense)

Requires: Any two Basic Defiant skills including Iron Defiance

You can shrug off mental attacks and prying minds with sheer willpower.

• Step 1: Receive an Inquiry effect or an attack that inflicts “Psychic” or “Shadow” damage

• Step 2: As a response, expend 1 Focus

• Step 3: Augment Defiance and invoke it as “Mental Defiance”,

• Step 4: This negates the Inquiry effect or Psychic/Shadow damage you received.

Additional Effect: After you use this -- you may invoke “No effect” against Inquiry effects for the next 10 minutes.

Take note: Unlike the normal use of Defiance, you do not need to wait 5 seconds after receiving the effect to negate it.

RESIST FEAR

(Complex Channeler/Defiant; Active-Focus/Resolve , Fear-Defense, Resist)

Requires: Any two Basic Channeler/Defiant skills

You have hardened your mind to fear. This skill has the following subfunctions:

Resist Fear (Resolve)

• Step 1: Have Resolve 1 or more and receive a “Fear”attack (e.g. Fear Aura, Fear)

• Step 2: As a Reaction, invoke “Resist Fear”

• Step 3: You negate this attack.

• Step 4: For the next minute approximately, you can negate such attacks by taking 2 steps away after being struck.

** Creatures using the Fear Aura ability inflict Psychic damage to anyone that hits them in melee. Resist Fear allows you to engage such foes with less danger.

Withstand Fear (-Focus): Use this if you do not have Resolve to use Resist Fear

• Step 1: Receive a Fear attack

• Step 2: As a Reaction, expend 1 Focus

• Step 3: invoke “Withstand Fear”

• Step 4: This negates the attack and imbues you with “Resolve 3”

• Step 5: Mentally take note of your Resolve total

Endure Psychic (-Focus): You can make yourself resistant to Psychic damage.

• Step 1: Receive an attack that inflicts Psychic-type damage. You cannot use Endure Psychic if you were struck with non-Psychic damage within the last second.

• Step 2: As a Reaction, expend 1 Focus

• Step 3: invoke “Endure Psychic”

• Step 4: This negates the attack

• Step 5: This endurance persists for the next 10 seconds You can invoke “Negate” against the next 3 Psychic attacks you receive, nullifying said attack.

Relevant Rules - Resolve is a special resource pool that persists until depleted, until 10 minutes pass, or until the current combat ends. Receiving any damage depletes Resolve before it depletes HP. Some effects can increase this amount. Receiving Resolve always overlaps with and never adds to your current Resolve total.

SUDDEN DEFIANCE 

(Complex Defiant; Aug-Defiance)

Requires: Any two Basic Defiant skills including Iron Defiance

Your mind can quickly shrug off pain and similar hurts.

When you use Iron Defiance, augment it and invoke it as “Sudden Defiance”. This allows for the following benefits:

• Immediately use it instead of suffering the effect for 5 seconds first

• Reduce the damage of an attack to 2 points. It keeps its damage type but you can use this on Ambush attacks.

ZEALOUS DEFIANCE 

(Complex Defiant; Defense-Aftereffect, Resolve, +HP, Bond)

Requires: Any two Basic Defiant skills including Iron Defiance

Faith in your allies or in your order reinforces your resolve.

Zealous Health: Increase your maximum HP by 1 if you fulfill either of the following requirements. This may not exceed 10 points (aka the HP cap)

• You have the Blood-bound, Oath-bound, or Liege-bound attunement.

• Your Archfaction Loyalty is Tier 2 (Operative) or higher

Zealous Resolve (Aftereffect): While fulfilling either of the above requirements, you can follow the use of “Defiance” with an Aftereffect: invoke “Resolve 3” to gain said benefit.

ERUDITE SKILLS

BLOODIED BUT UNBOWED 

(Erudite Defiant; Defense-Aug, Self-inflict, Cure-Strike/Wound)

Requires: Any two Complex Defiant skills and any two Basic Defiant skills including Iron Defiance

You may exhaust yourself to resist effects that would render you insensate. This skill is used as below:

• Step 1: You are suffering from a Strike effect and/or a Wound effect

• Step 2: After 5+ seconds, augment Defiance, invoking it as “Bloody Defiance”

• Step 3: This waives the Focus cost and cures your Strikes and Wounds

• Step 4: Immediately, receive Self-inflict Pain and Self-inflict 2*

-- As usual, Self-inflict effects cannot be negated, reduced, or redirected but they can be cured or healed.

-- If this damage brings you to 0 HP, you are brought to your Critical Death Count and will die in 30 seconds if unassisted.

IRON CONCENTRATION 

(Erudite Defiant/Slinger; Conc-Aug)

Requires: Any two Complex Defiant/Slinger skills and any two Basic Defiant/Slinger skills

Your trained mind allows you to maintain concentration even through injury.

When you perform a Concentration or Targeting count, you can augment and prefix each count with “Iron” (e.g. “Iron concentration 1, Iron concentration 2, etc”) You may not have more than one augment on your Concentration or Targeting at a time.

While thusly augmented, attacks that inflict damage no longer interrupt your Concentration or Targeting count, unless that type of damage is Bane to you. You cannot use this augment while you are at 0 HP or on First Aid. Take note that you are still affected by the damage even if it does not interrupt your count.

Note: If using Iron Concentration while “interlinked” with a target, your Concentration is only disrupted if your target receives Bane damage (to you) or a Control effect.

GRIM RECOVERY

(Erudite Defiant/Scrapper; Active-Conc, Cure Wound)

Requires: Any two Complex Scrapper/Defiance skills and any two Basic Scrapper/Defiance skills

You can power through hurts and wounds even without using Focus.

• Step 1: Be suffering from a Strike and/or a Wound

• Step 2: Receive a “Self-inflict 2 damage”*

• Step 3: Perform Conc-30

  • This is augmented by and prefixed with “Painful” (e.g. Painful concentration 1, etc)

  • Unlike normal concentration, this can be performed while affected by a Control effect (except for Dominate and Frenzy)

• Step 4: Upon completion, invoke “Grim Recovery”

• Step 5: You are Cured of Wounds and Strikes.

*If this damage brings you to 0 HP, you are brought to your Critical Death Count and will die in 30 seconds if unassisted.

RESIST WARP

(Erudite Channeler/Defiant; Active-Resolve, Aura/Warp-Defense, Resist)

Requires: Any two Complex Defiant/Channeler skills and any two Basic Defiant/Channeler skills

Through rite or willpower, you can resist deathly and maddening energies. This skill has the following subfunctions::

Resist Warp (Resolve): This works exactly as Resist Fear except that it functions against “Warp” attacks.

Withstand Warp (-Focus): Use this if you do not have Resolve to use Resist Warp. This is otherwise as per Withstand Fear, except against “Warp” attacks.

Endure Shadow (-Focus): You can make yourself resistant to Shadow damage. This is as per Endure Psychic, except against Shadow.

Some creatures are not meant to be in this world and their very existence is a blight upon physics and reality. Fighting them is difficult and dangerous for most – but not for those who have honed their will and mind to a fine edge.  

— Resist Warp: While you have at least 1 Resolve, you may respond with “Resist Warp” when you are subject to an attack with the word “Warp” in it, such as “Warp Aura” or “Warp Talon” -- negating their harmful effects and requiring two steps away from them. Warp attacks typically come from fearsome or mind-rending monstrosities that inflict Shadow damage or Blind effects. 

• Without this Skill, using melee attacks to strike a creature using “Fear Aura” is perilous: doing so inflicts Psychic damage to the melee attacker = the amount the creature just invoked. Using ranged attacks does not have the same detriment.

— Withstand Warp (1 Focus): If you do not have Resolve, you may expend 1 Focus to augment this skill and invoke it as “Withstand Warp” as a response to a Warp attack. This negates the attack and grants you “Resolve 3”

— Endure Shadow (1 Focus): Invoke “Resist Shadow” to negate all (non-Master) Shadow damage that just hit you within the last second. You are not able to use this if you have also been struck by a non-Shadow attack within that time frame. Take two steps away from the source of the attack. 

SUPREME DEFIANCE 

(Erudite Defiant; Active-Periodic, Aftereffect)

Requires: Any two Complex Defiant skills and any two Basic Defiant skills

Through willpower you can defy adversity to incredible levels and give yourself a second wind.

Once per Period, choose one of the options below to use this Skill. As a Periodic Skill, it cannot be used again until the next Period and after you have completed a 10 minute Rest.

-- Option 1: Second Wind --

• Step 1: Be suffering from a Control effect of Strike, Wound, or Blight duration

• Step 2: invoke “Supreme Defiance”

• Step 3: Cure all Strike, Wound, and Blight effects upon you

• Step 4: As an Aftereffect, invoke “Resolve 5” to gain that effect. .This bypasses any limitation on granting Resolve that you may have except for the Resolve Cap of 5.

-- Option 2: Sickness Begone --

• Step 1: Be suffering from a Disease or Curse of Basic or Greater level.

• Step 2: Approach Game Staff

• Step 3: Inform them that you are using “Supreme Defiance”

• Step 4: You cure all Diseases and Curses of Basic or Greater-level. Have Game Staff sign off on its cure. On your Character Sheet’s back, note down this Skill and what period it was used.

-- As per usual, curing a Disease or Curse does not return that Attunement slot for use until the next Event. Furthermore, this does not cure Anathemic, Incurable, or Pyrrhic Afflictions.

Masker Discipline

Also called the Sincerity Discipline, these Skills keep others’ inquiries out of your business and make them see what you want them to see. Invest in this Discipline if:

• You want to play an unreadable spy, an unflappable diplomat, or a canny merchant.

• You want to negate Inquiry attempts on you and punish their source

• You want to have an uncanny, tricky defense in combat.

Relevant Rules — Inquiry skills: These are skills that attempt to glean information about a target, even information that is not readily apparent. They can be negated by Deception skills such as Masked Mind. They are different from Examine skills, which cannot be blocked by Deception skills. 

DISCIPLINE OVERVIEW

BASIC SKILLS

Masked Mind: Negate a Skilled attempt to discern details about you

Regal Restraint: Delay a Pain, Mangle, or Stun effect for 5 secondsafter it hits you.

Veiled Bonds: Protect your allies’ details and secrets from unskilled senses

COMPLEX SKILLS

Art of War: Hide body movements from attackers, allowing you to avoid attacks

Deft Deflection: An Shield or Weapon becomes proof against some Piercing attacks.

Mind Games: Punish those who attempt to discern details about you

Veiled Visage: Waive the Focus cost of Masked Mind

ERUDITE SKILLS

Conniving Spirit: Your mind is a maze of deceit and of lies

Distracting Defenses: Augment your defenses, deflecting an attack into another target

Supreme Deception (1/P): Evade an attack against you, even from behind.

Lord of Lies: Mask your details even from the most skilled of inquisitors.

Veiled Aspect (ATN): Assume a powerfully elusive and deceptive aspect

BASIC SKILLS

MASKED MIND

(Basic Masker; Active-Focus, Inquiry-Defense, Deception, Resolve)

You have been trained (or are self-taught) to subtly use your surface thoughts, mannerisms, and speech to confuse those that would scrutinize your actions for details.

Poker Face (-Focus)

• Step 1: You are affected by an Inquiry effect

• Step 2: Expend 1 Focus

• Step 3: Invoke “No effect” as a Reaction to the Inquiry. This negates the Inquiry effect unless it is invoked as “Master Inquiry”, which is very rare. If a specific effect has multiple Inquiry questions, you negate all such questions.

Quickdraw (-Focus): You are able to confuse foes with misdirection and quickness while using a Knife Pack, Hand Crossbow, or Pistol.

While your weapon is holstered or your throwing hand is empty, invoke “Quickdraw” and expend 1 Focus to perform a ranged attack without a Targ count. This is otherwise a basic ranged attack (aka BRA) except that you can instead inflict:

• “Knockback 5”

• “Mangle”

• “Hobble”  

REGAL RESTRAINT

(Basic Masker; Active-Resolve, Deception)

You are able to extend your discipline even to pain and agony, allowing you a few precious moments before being hindered.

While you have at least 1 point of Resolve, you are able to use the ability below:

Delay the Pain (Aftereffect, Resolve)

• Step 0: You must have at least Resolve 1 to use this.

• Step 1: You are affected by Pain, Mangle, Hobble, or Stun

• Step 2: Invoke “Restraint” as an Aftereffect to it.

• Step 3: This allows you 5 seconds of acting normally before suffering the effect. These 5 seconds do not count against the effect’s duration.

• Step 4: After 5 seconds, you suffer the effect.

No Sell (-Focus, Aftereffect, +Resolve)

• Step 1: You receive damage from an enemy or a hazard.

• Step 2: Expend 1 Focus

• Step 3: As an Aftereffect to being hit, speak a short sentence lambasting the attack or the attacker.

• Step 4: Invoke “Resolve 3” as you internally attempt not to cry out in pain.

Effect: You gain “Resolve 3”, which acts like HP and is depleted first when you are damaged. Whenever you gain Resolve, it overwrites your current Resolve if it is higher and is ignored if it is lower or the same.

VEILED BONDS

(Basic Masker; Active-Focus/Resolve, Deception)

Through your emotional and/or empathic bond with an individual, you are able to distract any inquiries or probing questions while you are beside them.

Mask Ally: You may augment the Masked Mind skill if you have it invoking it as “No effect” as a response to a Bonded ally (i.e. Blood-bound, Oath-bound or Liege-bound to you) being targeted by an Inquiry effect. You may protect an ally that is within a step plus arm’s reach of you at the time of the Inquiry.

If you have at least 1 Resolve and the Veiled Visage skill, this does not cost you any Focus to use.

Shared Restraint (Requires Regal Restraint, aug): Augment and invoke “Regal Restraint” as “Shared Restraint” to use it on one Bonded ally via melee touch. This is as a response to them or the both of you receiving a Pain, Mangle, Hobble, or Stun effect. Inform them in advance of its effect.

COMPLEX SKILLS

ART OF WAR

(Complex Masker/Shadower; Active-Focus, Defense)

Requires: Any two Basic Masker or Shadower skills

Deception and manipulation are central to the art of war. You are able to bring your talents in them both to assist you in the heat of battle.

You gain the ability to use the Parry defense as per below as well as its Masked Parry verison.

Parry (-Focus): As a Reaction to receiving an attack, invoke “Parry” and expend 1 Focus. This negates all melee attacks that hit you within the last second. The following conditions must be fulfilled:

• Wield a melee weapon: Be wielding a melee weapon that is not Sundered.

• No Ranged attacks: None of the attacks are ranged attacks (see Masked Parry below)

• No Ambush attacks: None of the attacks come from behind you and hit your back torso (aka Ambush attacks)

• No Master attacks: None of the attacks are invoked as “Master” attacks

Masked Parry (-Focus; Skill Aug, Aftereffect): While wielding a Small/Medium weapon tied with colorful tassels or a colorful fan/scarf/cloth, you may flourish it to use an Augmented version of Parry. Invoke this as “Masked Parry”, modifying the defense as follows

• Negate Ranged Attacks, unless they are Ambush or Master attacks.

• Colorful Fan/Scarf/Cloth Prop: This counts as a melee weapon for this skill.

• Aftereffect: After the Masked Parry, immediately make a melee attack and invoke “Blind 10” in mid-swing. This is mutually exclusive to the effects of Mind Games.

Prop requirement: A colorful fan, scarf or a Small/Medium Weapon tied with colorful tassels or itself wrapped in bright coloration.

DEFT DEFLECTION

(Complex Defender/Masker; Active-Damage, Aftereffect, Piercing-Defense)

Requires: Any two Basic Defender or Masker skills

Through cunning and/or agility, you are able to use this Defense to deflect the worst of a Piercing attack. Normally, Piercing attacks that hit one’s weapon/shield are considered to have hit their wielder.

• Step 1: A Piercing attack hits your wielded Shield/Weapon

• Step 2: Invoke “Deflect” in response as an Aftereffect defense

• Step 3a: The attack’s damage is reduced to 2, though it retains its damage type.

• Step 3b: If this attack’s damage is 2 or 1, then it negates the attack.

• Step 4: Stop forward momentum and take one step away from your attacker.

Skill Limitations: This skill does not work on Control effects, Psychic attacks, or Shadow attacks unless you have certain Skills:

• Resist Fear or Veiled Visage: “Deflect” Psychic attacks

• Resist Warp or Quell the Warp: “Deflect” Shadow attacks

Usage with Armored Rush: If you are using this with Armored Rush, you need not stop forward momentum/take one step away vs. ranged attacks that you “Deflect”.

MIND GAMES

(Complex Masker; Active-Focus, Aftereffect, Pain/Frenzy/Pain/Hobble)

Requires: Any two Basic Masker skills

Your own skill in misdirection and manipulation is such that you can even cause anger, pain, and confusion to those who dare to question you.

Cutting Rebuke (Aftereffect): Verbally cut down your questioners.

• Step 1: Receive an Inquiry effect from someone within arm’s reach and a step

• Step 2: Negate it with a Deception skill (e.g. Masked Mind, Obfuscate Aura)

• Step 3: Speak a sardonic/sarcastic quip to your questioner

• Step 4: Clarify that they receive one of the effects below.

Option 1: Inspire fury - invoke “Frenzy”

Option 2: Inspire confusion - invoke “Pain”

Option 3: Discover secret - Use an Inquiry or Examine skill that you have, waiving any Conc or Parley requirements.

Art of War Skill (Aftereffect): You can also apply these tactics to a fight.

• Step 1: Use Parry and augment it as “Masked Parry”

• Step 2: Perform a melee attack or throw a spell packet at an attacker

• Step 3: In mid-attack, invoke “Piercing Frenzy”, “Piercing Pain” or “Piercing Hobble”.

VEILED VISAGE

(Complex Masker; Active-Resolve, Deception, ATN)

Requires: Any two Masker Skills, including Masked Mind.

You have become more in tune with the greater functions of this Discipline, easily slipping into an unreadable state at the drop of a hat.

Vigilant Veil (Resolve or Prop): If you have at least 1 Resolve or a mask, veil, spectacles, eye-patch or a similar prop that partially or wholly covers your face, the Masked Mind skill instead costs 0 Focus to use.

Deflect Assassin: Invoke “Deflect” to the Damage from Assassinate, Dead-eye Smite, Kensai Smite, and similar abilities that require a Study count. This reduces the damage to 2 points as you fool them about what your weak points are.

Vorpal Quickdraw (requires Conceal Item or Masked Mind, -Focus):

-- If you can use Quickdraw, the damage cap for this attack is 7 instead of 5, but it cannot be Piercing if it exceeds 5 damage.

Deflect Psychic (requires Deft Deflection): You can use Deft Deflection to reduce Psychic damage to 2 points.

ERUDITE SKILLS

CONNIVING SPIRIT

(Erudite Masker; Active-Focus/Self inflict, Domination/Frenzy/Silence/Curse-Defense)

Requires: Any two Basic Masker skills and any two Complex Masker skills

Others might call you chaotic and untrustworthy, but you have learned to trust yourself more than anyone else -- and to vindicate that trust.

Resist Domination (Resolve 1+, Self-inflict 2): While you have at least 1 Resolve, you invoke “Endure Domination” immediately when afflicted by a Domination Strike (but not a Wound or Blight). This negates the Control effect but self inflicts 2 damage.

Resist Frenzy (Resolve 1+, Self-inflict 2): This works as above except it works with Frenzy Strikes and is invoked as “Resist Frenzy”

Resist Silence (Resolve 1+, Self-inflict 2): This works as above except it works with Silence Strikes and is invoked as “Resist Silence”

Endure Curse (-Focus): Expend 1 Focus and invoke “Resist Curse” to negate a Blight effect or a Curse that you have received in the last 3 seconds. This cannot negate an Incurable or an Anathemic Curse.

DISTRACTING DEFENSES

(Erudite Masker; Active-Focus, Aug-Defense)

Requires: Any two Basic Masker/Shadower skills and any two Complex Masker/Shadower skills

Your skills at misdirection have been honed to a knife’s edge and applied to your physical defenses.

Veering Parry (-Focus, Skill Aug, Aftereffect)

• Step 1: Be subject to an attack

• Step 2: Use the Parry defense to negate melee attacks.

• Step 3: Augment and invoke it as “Veering Parry”

• Step 4: As an Aftereffect, make a melee attack against a different creature

• Step 5: In mid-swing, invoke “Piercing” followed by one of the damage or effects you just negated.

-- This may not target the source of the original attack

-- You may not take more than one step during the Aftereffect.

Fading Parry (-Focus, Skill Aug, Aftereffect): Mitigate another attack afterward.

• Step 1: Be subject to an attack

• Step 2: Augment and invoke the defense as ”Fading Parry”

• Step 3: Aftereffect -- In the next 10 seconds, invoke “Minimal” once and stop forward momentum to reduce the damage of an attack you received to 1 point. It keeps its damage type. This has no effect on Control effects or basic attacks

Effect: This negates the attack unless it is a “Master” or “Ambush” attack.

LORD OF LIES

(Erudite Masker; Active-Long Task/ATN, Bond, Deception)

Requires: Any two Basic Masker and any two Complex Masker skills, including Masked Mind and

Your abilities of deception transcend into the supernatural and extraordinary, allowing you to live different identities, forestall incredible pain, and confuse those that would read your mind/past.

• Double Life (Prop, ATN): If you are wearing a disguise that deviates significantly from your normal dress and covers some of your face, you may invoke “No effect” even against Examine skills that attempt to determine your identity beneath your disguise. This requires either the Lord of Lies ATN or the Veiled Aspect ATN. This cannot be used against a Master Inquiry effect.

• Double Aspects (ATN): After 1 minute of meditation, you may fool even yourself by diving into two separate identities or mindsets. Dedicate an ATN to this charade, labeled as “Lord of Lies”. This allows you to be attuned to two Aspects. In order to use one Aspect, you must render the other one inert (Long Task, non-combat). This is grueling and prevents you from having more than 5 HP, 3 Aegis, and 3 Resolve while affected by Lord of Lies

• Imperial Restraint (Resolve): When you use Regal Restraint, you may augment it and invoke it as “Restraint-10”. This allows you to delay a Pain, Stun, Mangle, or Hobble for up to 10 seconds instead of only 5 seconds. This cannot be used with Shared Restraint.

• Legacy of Lies: Those who are Bound to you by Blood, Oath, or Allegiance are tainted by your cautious and reserved nature. They become able to expand 1 Focus to use the “Poker Face” function of Masked Mind even outside of your presence as long as you are at the same Event.

• Obscure the Mind: When subjected to an Inquiry effect that asks you multiple questions or a question with multiple answers, you may choose to answer them as normal, except for one of the answers – as part of this skill, inform the inquirer that one of your answers may be a lie. Master-level Inquiries cannot be obscured with this.
  
  

SUPREME DECEPTION

(Erudite Masker; Active-Periodic, Defense)

Requires: Any two Basic Masker skills and any two Complex Masker skills

Your skill at misleading others has reached a new apex of potency.

Once per Period, use this Skill as per below. As a Periodic Skill, once this is used, it cannot be used again until the next Period and after you have completed a 10 minute Rest.

-- Option 1: Master of Misdirection — become incredibly elusive for a short time

• Step 1: Invoke “Supreme Deception”

• Step 2: Gain the “Mirage” status for 10 seconds.

• Step 3a: Aftereffect: Invoke and gain “Resolve 5” after you lose “Mirage”. This bypasses any limitations that reduce Resolve but cannot be increased.

• Step 3b: Aftereffect: Choose one attack that this Skill just negated. Duplicate it and deliver its effects against a different enemy via a Piercing melee attack. This is similar to “Distracting Defenses”

Mirage Status benefits:

• Duration: This lasts for 10 seconds unless you are Downed/Critical, you move faster than a slow walk, or you expend all of its energies below

• Defenses x3: Use “Dodge”, “Block”, “Parry”, and/or “Guard” up to 3 times without expending Focus. After the 3rd use of the above defenses, Mirage ends.

• Master-level: Prefix these defenses with “Master”, allowing them to defend against Master-type attacks.

-- Option 2: Cheat Death — Fool your attackers into thinking you were far more injured.

• Step 1: Be Downed but not Critical

• Step 2: Perform First Aid on yourself, up to 3 counts.

• Step 3: Invoke “Supreme Deception”

• Step 4: Imbue yourself with Painful Revive.

Aftereffect: Gain “Resolve 3” as an Aftereffect, while still affected by “Pain”.

— Option 3: Blank Slate — Invoke “Supreme Deception, No effect” as a response to an Unveiling, Examine, Inquiry, or a Master Inquiry effect. Furthermore, you can negate such effects until 10 minutes have passed.

VEILED ASPECT 

(Erudite Masker/Shadower; Active-ATN, Aspect)

Requires: Any two Basic Shadower/Masker skills and any two Complex Shadower/Masker skills

You may enter into a mental state that greatly enhances your ability to elude detection and deceive senses at the cost of some vulnerability.

• Step 1: Have no other Aspect ATNs on your person (see Lord of Lies)

• Step 2: Write “Veiled Aspect” to two empty ATN slots

• Step 3: Perform 5+ minutes of meditation in private

• Step 4: Gain the benefits and limitations below. This Aspect lasts for 1 Event.

After you have completed these requirements above, you gain the following effects below.

Swift Camouflage (Conceal): You may use the Camouflage skill as though you had it. If you actually have Expert Shadower, you can augment Camouflage and invoke it as “Swift Camouflage” to require only a qConc-3 instead of qConc-5.

Veiled Cover (Self-inflict 2): You can use the Shadower’s Duck and Cover as though you had it. If you do have it, you can augment and invoke it as “Veiled Cover” so that it can defend against ranged Piercing and ranged Ambush attacks.

Veiled Essence (Self-inflict 2): When a creature uses Harmonize to synergize with and target your spirit, you can ward it off through strength of will and sheer duplicity. Invoke “Veiled Aspect, negate” as a Reaction to “Harmonize”.

Veiled Exodus (Escape): You may use the Flee the Scene skill as though you had it. If you actually have Fleet of Foot, you can augment Flee the Scene and invoke it as “Veiled Flee the Scene” to waive the Focus cost without the increased Conc count.

Veiled Intent (Deception): You may use the Masked Mind skill as though you had it. If you actually have Veiled Visage, this counts as wearing the necessary props.

Veiled Reversal (-Focus, Self-inflict): You may augment Parry as per the Nimble Defense skill, allowing you to negate an attack and redirect it elsewhere.

• Nimble Defense or Distracting Defenses: If you have these skills, you can redirect one melee attack into its source, though it is not a Piercing attack. This technique Self-inflicts 2 damage.

Exhausting Presence -- Being able to deceive others with ease leaves you vulnerable. Your maximum HP may not exceed 7 HP.

Reader Discipline

Sometimes called the Deduction Discipline, this Discipline represents the keening of senses and intuition. Invest in this skill if

• You want to discover NPCs’ characteristics by reading their speech

• You want to study an enemy’s weak points and strike for high damage

• You want to play an sly assassin, a clever detective, a wily inquisitor, or simply, keen judge of character.

Special Rule: Ponder a Clue - Some NPCs can only partially block Inquiries/Examines. In lieu of answering, they will invoke “Clue” or give out a “Clue Card”. To use it:

Write your chosen question(s) on the Clue Card or an index card. If you have multiple questions, they must all be there. You may add “if-then” contingencies on which to ask.

Include your name or CSN, whichever you wish.

Post it outside of Logistics and inform Game Staff after the current scenario.

You will get your answer from Game Staff ASAP, reflecting your musings on the matter. However, if a Clue Card/Clue is unused, it disappears at the end of the Event.

DISCIPLINE OVERVIEW

BASIC SKILLS

Cold Reading: Gain medical details about someone you examine

Defensive Reading: Read an attacker to avoid their attack against you.

Mental Deduction: Gain personal details about someone you are conversing with.

COMPLEX SKILLS

Corpse Reader: Gain information from a corpse, including how they died.

Deep Reader: Gain more information from your skill use

Know thy Enemy: Identify and strike at target’s weak spots

Quick Study: Quicken your ability to read or study your targets

ERUDITE SKILLS

Insightful Aspect (ATN): Sharpen your senses to a fine edge

Mind Reader: Gain the answer to three questions from deduction.

Precise Assassin: Expend Focus to strengthen your Assassinate or wound your target.

Ruthless Assassin: When you perform Assassinate, you may attack again.

Supreme Observation (1/P): Glean a person’s details from afar

BASIC SKILLS

COLD READING

(Basic Reader; Active-Conc/Focus, Inquiry, Examine)

You are able to swiftly determine what ails a nearby person. Using Cold Reading follows the steps below, though take note that Deception skills can negate such attempts.

• Step 1: Perform iConc-5. staying in arm’s reach of your target

  • This is interlinked Concentration - it is disrupted if your target received damage or a control effect.

• Step 2: Expend 1 Focus.

• Step 3: Put your hand/weapon over your head.

• Step 4: Invoke “Inquiry” then ask one question OOG from the list below or invoke “Clue” (see Ponder a Clue). If needed, clarify that the Target must truthfully answer. Some NPCs may invoke a “Clue”, or give a “Clue card” instead or upon request

Diagnosis (iConc-5 & -Focus): Replace the Examine/Inquiry effect by imbuing “Painful Revive” on your target. If you have Treat Injury, use one of its functions instead of Examine.

Sense Valuables (iConc-5. -Focus; Sense): When using the Scavenge baseline skill, complete a Conc-3 and expend 1 Focus, to perform and invoke a “Quick Scavenge”. This allows you to quickly loot an inert body. Remember that looting other PCs counts as PVP and has a different ruleset.

Corpse Reader and Discern Details skill: You can choose questions from the question lists of these skills, if you have them.

DEFENSIVE READING

(Basic Reader; Active-Focus, Melee/ranged-Defense)

You can read the attacks of others and move your body defensively in response. This is reflected in the functions below:

Dodge (-Focus): as a Reaction to being attacked, invoke “Dodge!” and expend 1 Focus to negate all melee and ranged attacks that hit you within the last second. However, the following conditions must be fulfilled:

• No Armor: You are not wearing Armor (see Scrapper’s Armored Dodge)

• Not impaired: Your character’s legs are not impaired in-game (e.g. Mangle, Grapple, tied up, etc)

• No Ambush attacks: None of the attacks come from behind you and hit your back torso (aka Ambush attacks)

• No Master attacks: None of the attacks are prefixed with “Master” (e.g. Master 3 damage)

Insightful Defense (Skill Aug, Aftereffect): Against an individual that received one of your Inquiry effects this Period or one that you’ve studied via a Conc-30 within the same Period, you may use your insight of them to your advantage. For the purposes of this skill, an NPC respawning as the same type of foe counts as the same individual.

When you use Dodge or Parry against such a person, augment it and prefix it with “Insightful”. This has the following effect: within the next 10 seconds, invoke “Negate” against the next attack you receive from your attacker unless it is a Master-type attack.

MENTAL DEDUCTION

(Basic Reader; Active-Parley/Focus, Inquiry)

With this Skill, you can discern information about a person after a short conversation. The subjects of this skill are vaguely aware of your scrutiny but not the specifics thereof. To use this skill,

Step 0: Have no fighting within 50 ft/sight/hearing

Step 1: while in step and arm’s reach have a 30+ second conversation with the target

Step 2: Expend 1 Focus

Step 3: Ask one of the questions below out of game OR invoke “Clue” as per Cold Reading. Clarify this if needed: They must negate this, invoke “Clue”, or truthfully answer in a whisper. “I don’t know” is a valid answer

Special Note: Once used on a target, this Skill can’t be used on them until the next Period or next Hour (whichever happens last). Your targets are vaguely aware of being scrutinized, which may render them hostile or difficult.

Spirit Speaker (Conc-10): Invoke “Spirit Speaker” to sharpen your sight enough to see spirits (wears purple headband) and speak to them. This lasts 10 minutes.

Additional Options: If you have Discern Details, Corpse Reader, Treat Injury, Scholastic Scrutiny, or Cold Reading, you can choose Inquiry or Examine questions from their lists.

COMPLEX SKILLS

CORPSE READER

(Complex Doctor/Hunter/Reader; Active-Conc/Focus, Inquiry)

Requires: Any two Basic Hunter, Doctor, and/or Reader skills

With scrutiny and deduction, you can learn more from a corpse, or a person that does not move away from you.

• Step 1: Choose a creature or corpse (at least 50% intact) as this skill’s subject.

• Step 2: Perform a Conc-30 while studying the subject within your arm’s reach.

• Step 3 Expend 1 Focus

• Step 4: Invoke “Corpse Reader”

• Step 5: Ask 1-2 of the questions below. -- Your insight is represented by truthful OOG answers from the subject.

-- Deception skills can negate Inquiry effects but not Examine effects.

-- If there is no corpse prop, direct questions to a Game Marshall during or after the scene via a Clue card left outside of Logistics.

Additional Options: If you have Discern Details, Treat Injury, or Cold Reading, you can choose questions from their lists.

Skill Limitations:

-- 1/Period: You cannot use this skill on the same target again until an hour or a Period has passed (whichever comes last).

-- No distractions: This must be done out of combat (out of sight, hearing, and 50 feet)

DEEP READER

(Complex Reader; Active-Focus/Conc/Craft, Inquiry-Aug, Parley, Research)

Requires: Any two Basic Reader skills

In addition to a growing proficiency in reading other people through observation and hypothesis, you also learn how to read people with a greater capability.

Deep Inquiry: You may augment and invoke “Inquiry” as “Deep Inquiry”. As an Aftereffect, ask a second question from the same list as the first, when using Cold Reading or Mental Deduction.

Combat Inquiry: Using Inquiry or Examine or Unveil on another Character counts as Studying them, for the purposes of the Know thy Enemy, the Defensive Reading, Sharpshooter Aspect (Dead-eye), and the Battle Aspect (Kensai) Skills.

Discern Creature: Discover a target’s identity or species

• Step 1: Point at a creature within 5 paces of you

• Step 2: While doing so, perform 3-counts of quiet Concentration (aka qConc-3)

• Step 3: If uninterrupted, invoke “Examine - what are you?”

• Step 4: Your target answers truthfully OOG with one of the following

-- Option 1: Identity: a common name they are known by

-- Option 2: Species: such as Human or Blood Geist. Or even a specific subtype such as Seraph or Slaughter Geist.

Rumormonger (Craft): You can try to gather information about and/or contemplate the information you’ve heard about someone you’ve met. This functions exactly as the limited version of Counselor’s Researcher skill except that the question must focus around a person you have met.

KNOW THY ENEMY

(Complex Reader; Active-Conc, Attack-Aug, Ambush-Melee, LOS)

Requires: Any two basic Reader skills

You may designate a single creature, studying them for weakness before striking out at them for a significant amount of damage.

• Step 1: Designate a target you can see

• Step 2: Perform a qConc-15 while maintaining Line of Sight with them

• Step 3: Upon competition, gain one use of “Assassinate” against them. You may only have one use of Assassinate per target at a time.

Effect: Within the next hour, you can use the Assassinate attack against them. This can only be done with a Small or Medium-type weapon (48” or smaller). To do this, invoke “Assassinate” and strike a target’s back torso while you are behind them. You may invoke and inflict one of the two effects below:

• Assassinate Option 1: “3 damage”*

• Assassinate Option 2: “Hobble”

*Assassinate’s damage cannot be increased but its type may be altered by items, skills, and other effects that affect Smite damage. However, it does not cost Focus to use.

Special Cases: If a creature has no rear torso or a back area (such as a non-humanoid monster), you may hit its “torso” or the nearest analogue to it. A creature with no such body part is immune to this attack.

Similar to Defensive Reading, an NPC respawning as the same type of foe counts as the same individual for the purposes of this skill.

QUICK STUDY

(Complex Reader; Active-Resolve/Conc)

Requires: Any two Basic Reader skills

Training and experience have allowed you to make a quick study of your targets and your opponents,.

Quickened Studying (-Resolve): Whenever you have to perform a Conc count to study an opponent (e.g. the Defensive Reading skill or the Know thy Enemy skill), you may augment it and invoke it as “Quick Concentration 1, Quick Concentration 2, etc”. If you also expend all of your Resolve (at least 1), you can reduce that Conc requirement to only 5 counts.

Quickened Targeting (-Resolve): Whenever you perform a Targ count, you may augment it and invoke as “Quick Targeting 1, Quick Targeting 2, etc). If you also expend all of your Resolve you can reduce it to Targ-2 if its less than Targ-10 originally or Targ-5 if it is 10 or more.

Insightful Aspect (Self-inflict 2): If you are attuned to Insightful Aspect, you can self-inflict 2 damage to use Quickened Targeting or Quickened Studying if you do not have Resolve to use.

ERUDITE SKILLS 

INSIGHTFUL ASPECT

(Erudite Hunter/Reader; Active-Task/ATN, Aspect)

Requires: Any two Basic Reader/Hunter skills and any two Complex Reader/Hunter skills

You may enter into a mental state that enhances your senses and deductive abilities.

• Step 1: Have no other Aspect ATNs on your person

• Step 2: Write “Insightful Aspect” to two empty ATN slots

• Step 3: Perform 5+ minutes of meditation in private

• Step 4: Gain the benefits and limitations below. This Aspect lasts for 1 Event.

Snap Shot (Self-inflict 2): you may invoke “Snap Shot” to instantly perform a Missile attack with a ranged weapon (except Siege Casters)

Question Everything (Aftereffect, Clue): If you have a skill or aptitude that allows you to ask additional questions as an Aftereffect (e.g. Deep Reader, Keen Inquisitive, Eagle-eyed), you may ask one more question than normal -- this is only on Clue Cards.

Inquiring Riposte (Aftereffect): When you are subject to an Inquiry effect from an adjacent person, you are able to use an applicable Inquiry skill upon them waiving the Conc or conversation requirement., Augment it and prefix it with “Insightful”. This can be an Aftereffect to their Inquiry or to your Inquiry defense.

Improved Senses (0 Focus): When you use the Keen Perception or Pursue Quarry skill and it is after Sunrise but before Sunset or you are holding a light source in your hand, you may augment and prefix it with “Insightful” to waive the Focus cost.

Lookout (-Focus): You may use the Guard and the Intervene defenses to protect your allies from attack.

Quicker Study (-Resolve or Self-inflict 2): You gain Quick Study. If you already have it, you can self-inflict 2 damage to use Quickened Targeting or Quickened Studying - but only if you have no Resolve.

Opened Senses: Your maximum HP may not exceed 7 points.

MIND READER

(Erudite Reader; Active-Focus/Parley, Inquiry)

Requires: Any two Basic Reader skills and any two Complex Reader skills

You are able to pick facts out from thin air as though you could read your target’s mind..

With this skill, augment your Mental Deduction skill (augmenting and invoking it as “Invasive Inquiry”) to instead ask them one of the following questions below (answered to the best of their out-of-game knowledge). Unlike the Mental Deduction skill, these questions are not in the “yes or no” format.

You must have personally and significantly experienced the specific attribute, trait or condition that you are asking about (i.e., you cannot look for something you have no knowledge of).

Improved Defensive Reading (-Focus, requires Defensive Reading): Your skill at Mind Reading also affects your defensive capability. Your Insightful Dodge or Parry allows you to “negate” two attacks within the next 10 seconds instead of only one attack.

PRECISE ASSASSIN

(Erudite Reader; Active-Conc/Focus, Ambush-Melee)

Requires: Any two complex Reader skills and any two basic Reader skills

You strike with precision and viciousness, blinding your enemy with agony or impaling their lungs.

When you perform an Assassinate attack, you may expend 1 Focus to vastly increase its power. When you do this, you must invoke it as “Focused Assassinate” instead but you have a choice of several options:

• Control: You inflict your choice of “Blind Wound”, “Snare Wound”, or a “Silence Wound”.

• Damage: You may choose to inflict damage instead with this attack. This inflicts 3 damage, plus any bonuses to Smite attacks or changes to its damage type -- this may not exceed 7 points of damage.

RUTHLESS ASSASSIN

(Erudite Reader; Active-Conc/Focus, Ambush-Melee, Aftereffect)

Requires: Any two complex Reader skills and any two basic Reader skills

Your skill at striking at weakness is such that you are able to strike a second time to ensure your target’s demise or brutalize two unwary enemies.

When you use the Assassinate attack, you gain the following advantage below:

You may perform a second Assassinate attack against them or another creature within the next 10 seconds -- this need not hit their back. As an Aftereffect, invoke this second attack as “Cleave” before invoking its damage or effect. If you benefit from this skill, none of these attacks may be turned into Piercing attacks.

• Option 1: Aftereffect - Control: If the first attack is a Control effect, you may inflict the same effect on a different target using this Aftereffect.

• Option 2: Aftereffect - Damage: If the Assassinate inflicts damage, the special attack from this Skill inflicts the same amount and type of damage.

• Option 3: Aftereffect - Death: If you Down your target, invoke “Instant Death Blow!” instead of “Cleave”, inflicting one point of physical damage. This need not hit their back.

• Option 4: Aftereffect - Resolve: If you expended Focus, you get the option to grant yourself “Resolve 3” instead of invoking “Cleave” and making a secondary attack. If you have the Willful Tenacity ATN, you can gain “Resolve 4” instead.

SUPREME OBSERVATION

(Erudite Reader; Active-Periodic/Conc, Inquiry, LOS)

Requires: Any two Basic Reader skills and any two Complex Reader skills

Your powers of observation allow you to glean details or weaknesses from afar.

Once per Period, choose one of the options below to use this Skill. As a Periodic Skill, once this is used, it cannot be used again until the next Period and after you have completed a 10 minute Rest.

Option 1: Remote Observation - While out of combat, you can study a target from afar.

• Step 1: Write down your questions* on two index cards

• Step 2: Maintain line of sight with your target while performing a qConc-30

• Step 3: Give the index card(s) to a courier: a Game Marshall or a Bonded ally

• Step 4: Within an hour, Your courier will hand over the index card

Effect: Out of game, your target will need to answer its contents, negate them if it can, or use “Clue” (NPC only). They are aware of being scrutinized but not of the card’s origin unless you made yourself obvious. Lastly, they are unable to use retributive abilities like Mind Games or Death Masque to hurt you because of your elusiveness.

Questions: You may choose two questions from the lists of the following Skills, if you have them: Cold Reading, Corpse Reader, Treat Injury, Discern Details, Detect Secret, Mental Deduction, Scholastic Scrutiny, or Mind Reader. However, you cannot follow this up with any Aftereffect.

Option 2: No Words for the Dead - Invoke “Supreme Observation” to gain one use of Assassinate on every enemy you can see at that moment. These uses expire after approximately one hour, if unexpended.

Scholar Discipline

Also called the Scholastic Discipline, its adherents become instructors of knowledge and archivists of the world's lore. Invest in this Discipline if:

• You want to play a wise academic, a learned teacher, or a know-it-all

• You want to discount learning costs to everyone for profit or for your own whims

• You want to play a support character that folks turn to for knowledge or research.

  
  

Relevant Rules — Examine skills: These represent the ability to identify a person, a species, or any other information based on clues. They allow a skill user to ask a question out of game to Game Staff, a PC, or an NPC. The answer is also out of game but is supposed to be knowledge that the skill user knows from their studies/experiences. Unlike Inquiry skills, they are not blocked by Deception skills.

DISCIPLINE OVERVIEW

BASIC SKILLS

Lorebook: With assistance, create a book of your personal notes and discoveries.

Lorekeeper: Identify creatures and read Lorekeeper notes

Instruction (Craft; ATN): Teach Basic or Complex skills to students

COMPLEX SKILLS

Expert Instructor (Craft): Teach skills from your Lorebook

Researcher (Craft): Research a topic or a body of information for a short-answer

Scholarly Scrutiny: Discern details and features of items and creatures

Teach the Village: Your teaching abilities have utility outside the classroom

ERUDITE SKILLS

Crafty Improvisation (Craft): Assist a Crafting ally in their task through Admixture

Decipher Construction (Craft): Examine an item or assist a Crafter in duplicating it.

Instruct the Citadel (Craft): Teach one Erudite skill to students.

Supreme Versatility (1/P): Access and use unknown skills as though you had them. 

Teach the Unknown (Craft): Use and teach esoteric and magical lore.

BASIC SKILLS

INSTRUCTION

(Basic Scholar; Active-Craft/ATN, Teach)

You are able to impart your own skill knowledge unto others.

You can teach any amount of your known Basic and Complex skills to 1-10 students. This has the following requirements:

• Craft action: You may only perform one such action per Period.

• Role-play: 5+ minutes of role-playing that reflects teaching said Skills.

• CMP Cost: Basic Skills cost 0 CMP. Complex Skills cost 1 Rare CMP (any type)

• ATN cost: This must occupy an ATN slot

• Label this as “<Skill Name> Training” Game Staff must sign off on this.

-- Other requirements: Your students must have the requirements for the Skill they want to learn. However, skills in ATN slots cannot be used as requirements for other trained skills. If a student has insufficient XP to learn a Skill between Events, the training dissipates without their learning the Skill before the start of the next Event.

Co-teachers: If you combine your Instruction with other Scholars’ use of Instruction, you get the following benefits:

• Each teacher chooses one or more of their Basic/Complex skills to teach the whole class. Students can choose which to learn and spend an ATN on.

• The class can have 10 students per teacher.

• You can also learn skills from a fellow co-teacher

Lorebook skill: If you have the Lorebook skill and a Tier 2 Lorebook, you can discount the cost for training Complex skills as though you were Self-teaching.

Augmented Craft: If an effect would Augment this Skill with Bonus Output, this would allow you to teach 10 additional students.

LOREBOOK

(Basic Scholar; Active-Craft, Teach)

This Skill allows you to create a Lorebook with help from an ally. You may also use your Lorebook to assist you in self-teaching Skills. Its subfunctions are below:

Creating a Lorebook (Craft): This requires the conditions below.

• Ten minutes of role-playing that represents the making of a book

• A Craft-Ritual action from a Device Maker (Tinker) or a Cloth Maker (Weaver)

• Three Rare CMP of any type.

• The Lorebook prop (see Prop requirements)

Effect: This creates a Lorebook (Tier 1) a Unique Item that can be lost or destroyed.

Lorebook Self-Teaching: If you use your own Lorebook to teach yourself an archived Skill therein, you may discount some of the costs of Self-Teaching. This cannot be used until you have actually learned Lorebook and it is no longer a training ATN.

• Tier 1 Lorebook (0-15 Entries): No CMP Cost for Basic skills

• Tier 2 Lorebook (16-29 Entries): 3x Basic CMP for Complex skills

• Tier 3 Lorebook** (30+ entries): 3x Rare CMP for Erudite skills and allows owners to Self-teach Erudite skills.

Lorebook Progress: During an Event, you can add up to 5 entries to your Lorebook.

• Each entry is at least one page, with no duplicates

• Entries with multiple pages should be noted as such (e.g. part 1 of 2).

• On the page’s upper right, list the out-of-game month/year it was entered.

• Can be hand-written during Event or computer printed before the Event

• If you have multiple Lorebooks, you are still limited to 5 total entries per Event

Entries can be descriptions of an important place, event, person, a monster or even a discovered secret – sometimes with sketches. Entries can also be a Skill and how to use it as discovered/experienced by the writer (see Expert Instructor)

Prop requirements: A Lorebook, which is a durable notebook or journal. On the inside cover, it should have: its owner’s name, its current Tier, and a note that “this item’s benefits can only be used by the owner”

Its size and shape varies, but usually appears weathered, customized and/or reinforced. Take note that bringing an expensive and fragile prop into the game is not recommended.. Do not leave this prop with Staff, bring it home.

LOREKEEPER

(Basic Scholar; Active-Conc, Sense, Examine)

This skill represents your capacity as a keeper of knowledge, gained by poring through tomes, listening to experts, or your own experiences. It has the subfunctions below:

Read Lorekeeper Notes (Conc-10): After Concentrating for 10 counts, you are now able to read notes marked as “Lorekeeper” for the next 10 minutes. These notes usually grant additional information about an item or a location. The Prologues and Epilogues may also feature Lorekeeper only information.

Discern Creature (qConc-3): Discover a target’s identity or species

• Step 1: Point at a creature within 5 paces of you

• Step 2: While doing so, perform 3-counts of quiet Concentration (aka qConc-3)

• Step 3: If uninterrupted, invoke “Examine - what are you?”

• Step 4: Your target answers truthfully OOG with one of the following

-- Option 1: Identity: a common name they are known by

-- Option 2: Species: such as Human, Mantis Wolf or Blood Geist.

Improved Self-Teaching (Craft): You can Self-Teach outside of Market Hour and sign-in. This is similar to the normal Self-Teaching process and costs, except for the following:

• You expend your Craft action for the current Period to do so.

• Lorebook might discount the Self-Teach costs if said skill is within.

Draw out Knowledge (Examine, Aftereffect): If you use an Examine effect to ask a question, you may ask a second Examine question from that Skill’s list as an Aftereffect.

COMPLEX SKILLS

EXPERT INSTRUCTOR

(Complex Scholar; Active-Craft/ATN, Teach)

Requires: Instruction and Lorebook

This skill expands your Instruction skill. Using it has the following benefits:

Teach the Tome: You can teach a Skill that you do not know, as long as it is an entry in your Lorebook and is Basic or Complex. However, if you do not have Etheric Arcana (Channeler) or Teach the Unknown, you cannot teach Spells.

Teach the Instructor: When you teach Basic or Complex skills, you can also have any of your students or co-Teachers teach you a Skill that they possess. Your student/co-teacher’s knowledge of the subject counts as being an entry in your Lorebook for the purposes of discounting this training. This cannot be used with “Teach the Tome” or any similar abilities.

Student’s Effort (Craft): When you teach a single student, they can expend their Craft action in your stead. Similarly, your instruction does not count against your Craft-Ritual actions for that Period if all of your students do the same with their Craft actions.

Intense Instruction (Craft, ATN): You can drill lessons into your students, allowing your teaching to linger for months, even if it doesn’t sink in.. This cannot be discounted by Lorebook so use the normal Self-Training costs. However, you can use Expert Instructor to teach a Skill you do not know but is in your Lorebook.

Effect: This is similar to teaching a Basic or Complex Skill except:

• This occupies 2 ATNs that last for 3 attended Events

• The ATNs must be labeled “<skill’s name> Drill, Event X”

  • X = the amount of Events it has existed so far.

• A PC can use a Drill even if its Skill Requirements are only Training ATNs

• A PC can benefit from only 1 Drill at a time

At the end of its third Event or earlier, a Manual may be used to teach one’s self the Skill therein. This can be done during the Event or between Events, though Game Staff must be informed of this.

RESEARCHER

(Complex Scholar; Active-Craft, Research)

Requires: Any two Basic Scholar skills

You are adept at seeking out knowledge, whether it be from perusing books of the library and/or asking your contacts for information.

• Step 1: Fill out a Craft-Ritual sheet

• Step 2: Give Game Staff five Basic CMP (any)

• Step 3: Perform 5+ minutes of roleplay that reflects this Craft action and the discussion of the topic with others.

• Step 4: Submit a research question to Staff on an index card or similar medium on the board next to the Logistics room. By the end of the next Period, if not the end of the Event, you will have your answer posted on the research board.

Alternatively, you may perform this Research for 0 CMP by delving into Library Lane to seek out the answers yourself via an NPC shift at least 3 hours long.

Research Process: The question asked must be on an index card (with your in-game name or CSN) and pinned to the note board near the Staff area – other players are allowed to read these notes.

Research Limits:

• The answer will be no more than 3-5 sentences

• The status of Library Lane or the Crossroads can help with this skill’s scope.

• Secret knowledge and forbidden lores cannot be gained from this skill (e.g. the weaknesses of specific individuals or whereabouts of hiding fugitives)

Special Note: Research is only one avenue of getting information. Writing letters to important figures or requesting a Guild use Guild Tracking between Events are other ways.

SCHOLASTIC SCRUTINY

(Complex Junker/Scholar; Active-Conc, Examine)

Requires: Any two Basic Scholar/Junker skills

With this skill, you are better able to study and discern things of greater complexity.

Discern Creature (qConc-3): This works like the Lorekeeper and Discern Details subfunction of the same name.

Discern Flaws (qConc-30; Examine): discern a creature’s weakness or resistances

• Step 1: Be within arm’s reach of a living or dead creature, ideally immobile

• Step 2: Perform qConc-30 while remaining in reach and simulating study

• Step 3: If uninterrupted, ask one of the questions below.

  • Option 1: “Examine <species> - What are you vulnerable to?”

  • Option 2: “Examine <species> - What are you resistant to?”

• Step 4: If the correct species is spoken, the PC or NPC being asked must answer truthfully OOG. Due to the vast cosmos, there are entities that defy identification.

Read Ancient/Alien Script (qConc-10): After a qConc-10 wherein you study some writing, you may read notes that are marked as “Ancient Script” or “Alien Script”. Said notes must be within arm’s reach of you while you are Concentrating but this subfunction’s benefit lasts for the next 10 minutes.

Identify Item (qConc-30, Examine): When you use Discern Flaws above, you can instead target an item that someone is holding/carrying that you can see. Add the following questions to the options:

• Item Augment: “Examine! What are these item’s Augments?”

• Type/Quality: “Examine! What is this item’s type and quality?”

Research Item (Craft, Aug): You can take a deep dive into an item’s characteristics and/or history. This allows you to Research an item, as per the Researcher Skill. If you already have Researcher or Detect Truth, you can augment either so that you ask a second question. Both questions must be concerning the same object or a related object.

TEACH THE VILLAGE

(Complex Scholar; Active-Craft, Aug, Teach)

Requires: any two Basic Scholar skills, including Instruction

Your erudition and instruction is a boon not only to those you teach, but also to everyone around you.

Assist Concentration: Similar to Versatile Artisan, you can work alongside allies and assist them. They only need EConc/Conc-10 next time they Repair weaponry, Disarm devices, or Patch armor (Conc-5 for Treat Injury). To aid an ally, you need to have the appropriate Skill learned or in your Lorebook.

Guidance (Aftereffect): When an ally uses a Skill you have learned or one that is in your Lorebook, you can guide them even when they err.

• Step 1: A nearby ally misses with an Attack Skill or their Concentration is disrupted.

• Step 2: Expend 1 Focus

• Step 3: Invoke “Guidance”

• Step 4: Touch your ally on the shoulder or back with a hand or melee weapon

Effect: Either invoke “Retry Attack” or “Retry Concentration” or clarify to them that they may immediately re-try the attack or that they may continue their Concentration. This can affect Self-Revives.

Teacher’s Bond: Anyone you’ve taught this Event counts as Bound to you for the purposes of the Shielding Binder skill and the Guardian ally skill. However, this Bond only applies to you and each student -- the students are not Bonded to each other.

ERUDITE SKILLS

CRAFTY IMPROVISATION

(Erudite Junker/Scholar; Active-Craft, Admixture)

Requires: Any two Complex Junker/Scholar skills and any two basic Junker/Scholar skills

You have delved into many books on theories and ideas, some crazier than others. This has given you your own ideas on several matters, including that of crafting.

As a Craft action, you may assist up to five individuals’ Craft/Ritual/Task actions, provided that they are doing that action within the next hour. Take note, after performing a Craft-Ritual action, you cannot perform another one until the current Period has passed.

This Skill allows you to choose one CMP type (e.g Earth, Fire, etc) -- the individuals you are assisting may consider the Minor, Basic, and Rare CMP that they are using to also be of that type. You need to be actively assisting at all of these actions.

Quench Element (requires Herb Kit and a prop): Your knowledge allows you to extinguish flame, and neutralize acid/frost, similar to a Chemist.

• Step 1: You OR an ally within arm’s reach are hit by Frost, Flame, or Corrosive damage of 3 points or less.. This cannot be used vs. Ambush or Master-type attacks.

• Step 2: As a Reaction, invoke “Quench”

• Step 3: Stop forward momentum or step away from the attack.

• Step 4: pat the damaged area with a rag prop. If you are using Quench on an ally, you may only pat their shoulder with a rag unless you have explicit permission.

• Step 5: This negates the Frost, Flame, or Corrosive attack.

Use Limit: Once this is used, you need to prepare a new concoction via a qConc-10 on your Herb Kit before you can use it again.

DECIPHER CONSTRUCTION

(Erudite Scholar; Active-Craft)

Requires: Any two Complex Scholar skills and any two basic Scholar skills, including Scholastic Scrutiny

You are able to analyze items, allowing you to learn the secrets of their make.

By expending your Craft action for the current Period, you may assist another character in crafting an item that may be beyond their expertise.

Duplicate Item (Craft): To use this, the item in question must be placed in your Lorebook.

• Step 1: Discover the quality and Augments of a Basic or Advanced item

• Step 2: Find a Crafter/Ritualist ally who can make/upkeep a basic version of that item

• Step 3: With the item in hand or within 10 feet, assist them in their Craft-Ritual action.

• Step 4: With your help, your ally can ignore the Skill requirements of this action. Adept ATN, CMP costs, Scrap Kits, and other requirements still apply.

Effect: An item of the same quality and Augments is created by (or is one of the creations) of the Crafter/Ritualist that you assisted. Unlike other Craft functions, you can choose for your Craft-Action or your ally’s action to be used for this.

Special Note: If you have the necessary Skills or have temporary use of them, you can use Duplicate Item without the need for an ally.

Upkeep item (Craft): This is similar to Duplicate Item except that it allows you to assist a Crafter/Ritualist in Upkeeping (not creating) an item. This can be Advanced or Superior-quality. Just as with Duplicate Item, this requires a Craft action from you or your ally but all other costs and requirements still apply except for its Skill Requirements.

Augmented Crafting: If this Craft action is Augmented (e.g. when done during Market Hour), you may upkeep two additional items as per Bonus Output.

INSTRUCT THE CITADEL

(Erudite Scholar; Active-Craft, Instruction)

Requires: Any two Complex Scholar skills and any two basic Scholar skills, including Expert Instructor

Your knowledge and methods befit the institutions of learning or the wisest mentors of your community.

Teach Erudite Skills (Craft, Teach, requires Lorebook Tier 3): When you use the Instruction skill, you can teach Erudite skills that you know. Each skill requires 3 Rare CMP per person that you teach, instead of 5 Rare CMP.

The entirety of your lesson must be devoted to teaching one Skill and one Skill alone to your students – you are not able to benefit from the versatility of your Lorebook as you would with instructing a Basic or a Complex skill. If you have Teach the Unknown, you can teach Erudite skills that are in your Lorebook but have not learned.

Teach Erudite Drills (Craft, requires Lorebook Tier 3): You can imbue Erudite Drills upon your students. . They require 3 Rare CMPs to make and occupy 2 ATNs

Masterful Instruction: When you teach a Basic Skill that you have learned or that is in your Lorebook, it does not count against your Craft actions.

SUPREME VERSATILITY

(Erudite Scholar; Active-Periodic, Craft, Research)

Requires: Any two Complex Scholar skills and any two basic Scholar skills

Your delving into various knowledges and lores has granted you some insight in matters that you have yet to master. The swordsman’s feint, the courtier’s mask, the blacksmith’s forge – all of these are of some familiarity to you.

Once per Period, choose one of the options below to use this Skill. As a Periodic Skill, it cannot be used again until the next Period and after you have completed a 10 minute Rest.

— Option 1: Supreme Versatility -

Invoke “Supreme Versatility” to gain the “Factotum” status. This allows you to use any Basic Skill that uses Focus or requires Conc/Targ, even if you do not have it. You cannot cast Basic Spells unless you have the Etheric Arcana skill.

“Factotum” lasts for the next 10 minutes, or until the current combat ends, whichever happens last. It ends prematurely if you go to 0 HP.

— Option 2: Supreme Assurance -

For the next 10 minutes, you can assist a Crafter/Ritualist in their action. This allows them to use any Skills that you possess or that are in your Lorebook to fulfill any Skill requirements when performing said action. Other requirements, such as CMP costs, Adept ATNs, and the like must be fulfilled normally.

If you wish, you can also choose yourself as a target for this, expending the Craft-Ritual action as per normal.

— Option 3: Supreme Hypercognition -

You go through everything that you’ve heard and discovered, remembering the most minute details and deducing events from them. You may ask a Research question, as per the Researcher skill. This does not waive the CMP cost, but it does not count against your Craft-Ritual for that Period.

TEACH THE UNKNOWN

(Erudite Scholar; Active-Craft, Instruction, Attunement)

Requires: Any two Complex Scholar skills and any two basic Scholar skills, including Expert Instructor

You have delved into the realms and treatises of the unknown and the forbidden. This grants you some knowledge of the arcane.

— Etheric Knowledge (Craft): You have some know-how in magical matters. You can now teach Spells as though you had learned “Etheric Arcana”.

— Quell the Occult (requires Runewand or Warbanner): You are able to ward away attacks from yourself and/or a nearby ally using your strength of will and knowledge of the occult. Instead of a Runewand, you can have an Eldritchcraft/Runic weaponry item or a Crystalline/Bravery Rune/Oculisk Banner.

• Step 1: You OR an ally within arm’s reach are hit by Psychic or Shadow damage of 3 points or less.. This cannot be used vs. Ambush or Master-type attacks.

• Step 2: As a Reaction, invoke “Quell”

• Step 3: Stop forward momentum or step away from the attack.

• Step 4: Raise the banner, shield, or weapon. If you are using Quell on an ally, you may convey the effect via hand touch or weapon touch.

• Step 5: This negates the Psychic or Shadow attack.

• Use Limit: Once this is used, you need to recenter yourself via a qConc-10 while raising your weapon/shield/banner before you can use it again.

— Unknown Erudition (Craft): If you have Instruct the Citadel, you can now teach an Erudite Skill in your Lorebook, even if you did not learn it yet.

Soother Discipline

Also known as Convalescence Discipline, these Skills can grant rest and repose to those with troubled hearts and souls. Invest in this Discipline if:

• You want to play a singer, a preacher, den parent, or a balm to allies’ hurts

• You want to heal as well as a doctor and cure spiritual afflictions

• You want to play a Counselor with a focus on support and non-combat abilities
  
  

DISCIPLINE OVERVIEW

BASIC SKILLS

Calming Confessor: Use your words to lend healing to your ally’s spirit

Restful Composition: Grant Rest to those who listen to your oration or songs.

Treat Injury: quickly heal wounds or examine injuries.

COMPLEX SKILLS

Fiery Exorcism: Remove Curses and Hauntings from your allies through force of will.

Soothing Composition: Grant Rest to a greater number of people.

Soothing Aspect (ATN): Your inner peace is able to help with the mending of others.

Place of Peace: Maintain a hallowed place that strengthens this discipline.

ERUDITE SKILLS

Greater Soothing Aspect (ATN): Your Soothing Aspect gains more abilities.

Quell the Warp: Protect yourself and allies against Warp effects

Supreme Composition (1/P): You may grant Rest to all who hear you.

Symbol of Peace: Become a Place of Peace for others.

Unflinching Spirit: Protect yourself against the pain, rot, and curses of the world.

BASIC SKILLS

CALMING CONFESSOR

(Basic Soother; Active-Task, Imbue-Cure/Faith)

Soothers are known for their ability to lend respite and rest to their allies. This Skill reflects that by allowing you the subfunctions below:

Calming Healer: You are able to bestow healing on patients when out of combat (no fighting w/in 50 ft, sight, hearing). You use this on yourself, replacing Step 2 with simple meditation.

• Step 1: Select 1-2 persons within 10 feet as your patient(s).

• Step 2: For at least 1 minute, soothe them with conversation, hear them out, and/or pray over them.. Combine this with a simulation of bandaging or similar healthcare activity.

• Step 3: Invoke “Heal 10, Cure Wounds and Blight” to bestow those effects on your patient(s)

  
  

Enkindle Faith: Enkindle your faith in others, that it may one day flourish within them.

• Step 1: Select 1-2 persons within 10 feet as your patient(s).

• Step 2: For at least 1 minute, pray over them

• Step 3: Write “Enkindled Faith (X)” as an ATN on the character’s backsheet, where “X” is the name of your faith or its god/divinity.

  
  

Becoming Faithful: Enkindled Faith takes up one unoccupied Attunement (ATN). After an Event, it no longer requires an ATN and becomes a semi-permanent part of a character. One’s faith can be renounced at any time, but returning to it requires a repeat of the above procedure. If “Enkindled Faith” is renounced while it is an ATN, that slot doesn’t become unoccupied until the next Event.

Some beneficial Skills have improved effects when used on a person of the same Faith.

RESTFUL COMPOSITION

(Basic Soother; Active-Task, Rest, Vocal)

You are able to revitalize your allies with your words. This must be done out of combat (no fighting within 50 feet and within sight/hearing). To do this, follow the procedure below:

• Step 1: Execute a performance (musical, prayerful, and/or oratory) for at least 5 minutes

• Step 2: Determine your Audience (anyone w/in 50 ft). They must be actively listening, applauding, or even participating in your performance. Include yourself, if desired.

• Step 3: Clarify this Skill’s effects, choosing one of the options below.

-- Option 1: Heal 10 plus Cure Strikes and Wounds,

-- Option 2: Lasting Resolve 2** (can be chosen multiple times, increasing by +1, max 5)

-- Option 3: Imbue Invigorated Status (requires 2+ helpers, counts as 3 picks)

Helpers: You can use this Skill cooperatively with allies who are using Restful Composition, Soothing Meal, or Restore Focus. Each skill user can add an effect from their own list.

TREAT INJURY

(Basic Doctor/Soother/Survivor; Active-Conc/Focus, Imbue-Heal/Cure, Examine)

You are able to quickly patch an ally, even through the stress of combat.

• Step 1: Wear an Herb Kit

• Step 2: With an empty hand, touch with your patient’s shoulder with one empty hand and/or simulate bandaging them

• Step 3: Perform iConc-7 while doing the above

• Step 4: Upon completion, invoke one of the options below to bestow their effects

  • Option 1: “Remedy - Heal 1”

  • Option 2: ”Remedy - Cure Wounds”

  • Option 3 ”Examine - What Diseases are affecting you”

  • Option 4: ”Examine - How many Grave Scars do you have”

  • Option 5: ”Examine - What Control effects are you suffering?”

Swift Remedy (-Focus): If you expend 1 Focus when using this skill, you can invoke “Remedy” as “Swift Remedy” to lower the required iConc to iConc-2, and increase the effect to “Heal 3”.

 COMPLEX SKILLS

FIERY EXORCISM

(Complex Soother; Active-Task, ATN, Purify-Aug, Dispel)

Requires: Any two basic Soother skills, including Calming Confessor

Through words, willpower, and fiery reagents, you can drive out Curses from a patient or repel. This requires that you be at a Hallowed Shrine to your faith or be attuned to “Soothing Aspect” or “Inspiring Aspect”. This Skill allows for the following subfunctions:

• Cure Curses (Long Task): Use the Calming Confessor skill with the following alterations:

• This requires a Long Task (5+ minutes) instead of a Short Task.

• The role-play must simulate praying, singing or otherwise orating a spiritual malady away.

• Instead of its normal effects, invoke “Cure (X) Curse!” and sacrifice a CMP - this determines this Skill’s strength. X = Basic, Greater, or Anathemic (see below)

Basic Fire or Astral CMP - Cure all Basic Curses from one Patient

Rare Fire or Astral CMP - As above plus Greater Curses

Pure Fire or Astral CMP - As above plus Anathemic Curses

Special Note: Some Curses may need extra CMP or have special requirements.

Disrupt Conjuration (iConc-30): Unravel energies using the procedure below. This also allows you to assist others if they are working on the same target.

• Step 1: Perform a Conc-30 while in arm’s reach of a Conjuration or spirit

• Step 2: Invoke “Disrupt Conjuration”

• Step 3a (on a Conjuration): This will dispel a Conjuration, such as a magical hazard or an arcane prison. This has no effect on a Greater Conjuration.

• Step 3b (on a Spirit): All spirits within arm’s reach and step of you must retreat and can’t return for 10 minutes. Clarify this, if needed.

SOOTHING ASPECT

(Complex Soother; Active-Task/ATN, Aspect)

Requires: Any two Basic Soother skills

You may enter into a mental state that greatly enhances your ability to soothe hurts and cleanse corruption at the cost of your fighting spirit

• Step 1: Have no other Aspect ATNs on your person

• Step 2: Write “Soothing Aspect” to two empty ATN slots.

• Step 3: Perform 5+ minutes of meditation, song, or prayer in private

• Step 4: Gain the benefits and limitations below. This Aspect lasts for 1 Event.

After you have completed these requirements above, you gain the following effects below.

Serene Healing (+Heal): Your “Heal” on others (aka outgoing healing) via Treat Injury or a Healing Spell is increased by +1. This never exceeds “Heal 5”.

Bonded First Aid (iConc-5): When you use First Aid on a Bonded ally or a member of your Faith, it only requires an iConc-5. This never affects “Self-Revive”.

Raise the Dead: You can use Calming Healer over a single dead ally to imbue a Greater Revive on them. This is similar to the Doctor’s Medical Redemption skill.

Soothing Expertise: Your Treat Injury skill has a Healing cap of 7 instead of 5. This has no effect on those who have their Healing abilities diminished.

Do no harm: Your attacks are weakened, preventing you from dealing more than 1 point of damage and from inflicting Wound effects. Note that Self-Inflict effects are never mitigated by such penalties.

SOOTHING COMPOSITION

(Complex Soother; Active-Task, Aug, Vocal, Rest)

Requires: Any two basic Soother skills, including Restful Composition

This Skill represents a greater expertise in the performing arts. When using “Restful Composition”, you may augment it and invoking it as “Soothing Composition”. This has the benefits below:

The following choices are added to your options at the end of your performance.

-- Additional Option 1: “Lasting Resolve 3” (solo only)

-- Additional Option 2: “Cure Blight”

-- Additional Option 3: “Cure Basic Curses”

PLACE OF PEACE

(Complex Soother; Active-Craft, Aug)

Requires: Any two basic Soother skills, including Calming Confessor

Soothers are especially strengthened when they work with certain Workshops, such as the Hallowed Shrine. This Skill allows a Soother to help in one’s creation and also grants new abilities while using one.

Hallowed Carpentry (Craft): When your allies are Crafting certain Workshops, you can add your Craft action and your efforts toward the cause. If you have any Counselor Aspect ATN, you are counted as having an Adept ATN or Necrotheurgic Anchor for this project.

• Hallowed Shrine

• Bone Garden

• Mana Lodge (Spirit Circle)

• Mana Lodge (Outsider Obelisk)

• Biomancer Hatchery

Hallowed Confessor: While at a Hallowed Shrine of your Faith or while using “Symbol of Peace”, you may augment the Calming Confessor skill (if you have it) to upgrade its effects.

Heal the Flock (Short Task): When using the Calming Healer subfunction, you can augment it so that you affect up to five patients with “Heal 5” and “Cure Wounds”. You need to have addressed each individual by name at least once during this Task and at least one of them must be Bonded allies (by Blood, Oaths, or Command) or Enkindled to your Faith.

Cure and Distill Curses and Diseases: From a Hallowed Shrine, you can use Fiery Exorcism and a Craft action to Cure Basic/Greater Diseases and Curses without a CMP cost, Soothing Aspect, or its upgrade. Incurable, Infectious, and Anathemic Afflictions cannot be cured this way.

Pray at the Altar: If you pray/worship using Soothing/Restful/Supreme Composition, you have one additional pick using that Skill

Raise the Dead (Long Task): You can use Fiery Exorcism on 1-5 several dead allies to imbue a Greater Revive on them -- praying/singing/calling them back to life. This otherwise works like the Doctor’s Medical Redemption skill.

 ERUDITE SKILLS

GREATER SOOTHING ASPECT

(Erudite Soother; ATN, Aspect)

Requires: Any two Complex Soother skills and any two Basic Soother skills, including Soothing Aspect

Your Soothing Aspect becomes greatly enhanced when you get this Skill as your personal calm exudes outwards. You gain the following effects while you are attuned to Soothing Aspect.

• Cure Disease (Craft): When you use “Calming Confessor” to cure Curses, you can also cure and Distill Diseases of Basic and Greater strength. You cannot affect Infectious or Anathemic Diseases.

• Curse Resistance (-Focus): You may expend 1 Focus and invoke “Endure Curse” to negate a Blight effect or a Curse that you have received in the last 3 seconds. You are not able to negate an Incurable or an Anathemic Disease using this Aspect.

• Unflinching Presence: If you have Unflinching Spirit, you can use it to negate effects on allies.

• Serenity Within: When you use Treat Injury or a Healing spell on yourself, you can replace the effect with “Heal 2”. This is not an increase to healing.

QUELL THE WARP

(Erudite Soother; Active-Focus/Resolve, Aura/Warp-Defense)

Requires: Any two Complex Soother skills and any two Basic Soother skills

Through some knowledge of the occult and your own spiritual strength, you can defend yourself or allies from otherworldly energies. This skill has the subfunctions below:

Quell the Occult (requires Runewand or Warbanner): You are able to ward away attacks from yourself and/or a nearby ally using your strength of will and knowledge of the occult. Instead of a Runewand, you can have an Eldritchcraft/Runic weaponry item or a Crystalline/Bravery Rune/Oculisk Banner.

• Step 1: You OR an ally within arm’s reach are hit by Frost, Psychic or Shadow damage of 3 points or less.. This cannot be used vs. Ambush or Master-type attacks.

• Step 2: As a Reaction, invoke “Quell”

• Step 3: Stop forward momentum or step away from the attack.

• Step 4: Raise the banner, shield, or weapon. If you are using Quell on an ally, you may convey the effect via hand touch or weapon touch.

• Step 5: This negates the Frost, Psychic, or Shadow attack.

Use Limit: Once this is used, you need to recenter yourself via a qConc-10 while raising your weapon/shield/banner before you can use it again.

Focused Quell (-Focus; requires Runewand or Warbanner): As above, for stronger attacks with the following exceptions:

-- This affects attacks that inflict any amount of Frost, Psychic or Shadow damage

-- Invoke this as “Focused Quell”

-- During Step 1, also expend 1 Focus. You can’t use this if you have 0 Focus.

-- This doesn’t have the Use Limit above.

Resist Warp (Resolve)

• Step 1: Have Resolve 1 or more and receive a “Warp” attack (e.g. Warp Aura, Warp)

• Step 2: As a Reaction, invoke “Resist Warp”

• Step 3: You negate this attack.

• Step 4: For the next minute approximately, you can negate such attacks by taking 2 steps away after being struck.

SUPREME COMPOSITION

(Erudite Soother; Active-Period, Rest-Aug, Vocal, Resolve)

Requires: Any two Complex Soother skills and any two basic Soother skills

You can devote incredible effort to a performance, doing the work of an orchestra by yourself.

Once per Period, you may choose one of the choices below As a Periodic Skill, once this is used, it cannot be used again until the next Period and after you have completed a 10 minute Rest.

— Choice 1: Augmented Composition —

To use this skill, simply perform the Restful Composition skill as normal. However, you are counted as three people with “Restful Composition” when it comes to determining which effects and how many effects you can administer via this performance. You can still receive up to 4 helpers of additional assistance.

-- Additional Option 1: “Regain all Aegis“

-- Additional Option 2: “Lasting Resolve 5” (solo only)

-- Additional Option 3: Endure Curse (1 ATN; -Focus):

You can spend 1 Focus and invoke “Endure Curse” to negate a Basic/Greater Curse or a Blight effect when you would be affected by them.

— Choice 2: Battle Verse —

• Step 1: Speak a short verse (4 line max) or short speech -- this can be during combat.

• Step 2: Invoke “Supreme Composition”

• Step 3: Imbue “Resolve 5” to yourself and up to 5 allies via melee touch (wave 5). You must deliver this skill’s effects before 10 seconds have elapsed and without moving your feet.

SYMBOL OF PEACE

(Erudite Soother; Active-Conc)

Requires: Any two Complex Soother skills and any two basic Soother skills

When there are no havens or shelter around, you are able to become what your people need.

You have presence and majesty enough to be your own Hallowed Shrine (without property abilities) for the purposes of the Place of Peace skill. This also allows non-religious individuals to benefit from that skill.

Symbol of Peace has the following requirements:

• Warbanner: It must have your personal symbol, heraldry, brand/logo, or a symbol of your faith. This symbol can be a derivation of your organization or Guild’s symbol -- but it must be your own.

• Position: You must be within 10 feet of your warbanner and no one else must be actively using it. Similarly, no one else can use you as their “shrine”.

• No Combat: No fighting must be occurring within 50 feet, sight, or hearing.

Effect: You can benefit from the Hallowed Confessor function of Place of Peace, replacing the prayer with music, oration, or a similar performance. This skill has additional functions below

-- Scarless Revive (Craft, CMP): If you use “Raise the Dead” while expending a Craft action and a Pure Astral CMP, you can revive a character that has been dead for an hour or less without them gaining a Grave Scar. They must have less than 5 Grave Scars and they may not have more than 5 Max HP for the remainder of the Event -- this skill’s use must be marked on their sheet.

Prop Requirements: A Warbanner as described above.

UNFLINCHING SPIRIT

(Erudite Soother; Active-Focus/Self inflict, Pain/Rot/Frenzy/Curse-Defense)

Requires: Any two Complex Soother skills and any two basic Soother skills

Art and faith are sometimes at odds, but they share one commonality -- the tempering and the strengthening of one’s soul. This Skill allows you to use any of the following Defenses:

• Resist Pain (Resolve 1+, Self-inflict 2): While you have at least 1 Resolve, you invoke “Resist Pain” immediately when afflicted by a Pain Strike (but not a Wound or Blight). This negates the Control effect but self inflicts 2 damage.

• Resist Rot (Resolve 1+, Self-inflict 2): This works as above except it works with Rot Strikes and is invoked as “Resist Rot”

• Resist Frenzy (Resolve 1+, Self-inflict 2): This works as above except it works with Frenzy Strikes and is invoked as “Resist Frenzy”

• Endure Curse (-Focus): Expend 1 Focus and invoke “Endure Curse” to negate a Blight effect or a Curse that you have received in the last 3 seconds. This cannot negate an Incurable or an Anathemic Curse.