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Arcane
artwork by VerbalFlourish
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Beast
artwork by VerbalFlourish
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Dragon
artwork by VerbalFlourish
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Heritage
artwork by Dakota Curry
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Nature
artwork by VerbalFlourish
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Occultism
artwork by VerbalFlourish
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Acid
Combat
You can dissolve a handheld item or an equivalent amount of material. Describe: Sizzling chemical, acrid scent, bubbling green liquid, reducing something to frothy sludge.
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Love Potion
Interaction
You can spend reagents to create a love potion. Anyone who drinks it gains the condition "Enamored" and falls in love with the next person they see who is of a race and gender they normally find attractive. Describe: Light and fruity pink liquid, butterflies in their stomach, distilling the essence of desire. Reagents: Butterfly wings, wine, strawberries, choco-late, hair from a virgin, sugar, sweat, spring water.
Perfume
Interaction
You can give something an incredibly pleasant or unpleasant scent for about 1 day. If it's pleasant, creatures are inexplicably drawn to the scent and gain the desire to possess the scent's source. If it's repulsive, creature are disgusted by it and don't want to be near it. This may have the opposite effect on creatures like undead and vermin that are attracted to disgusting smells. Describe: Heavenly scent, heady aroma, relaxed and pleasant feeling, euphoria, being light headed.
Pheromones
Interaction
Collaborate on a base emotion or instinct. You can emit pheromones in the air. Anyone who breathes in your pheromones gains the condition "Instinct-Driven" and experiences the selected emotion or instinct with increasing intensity. Describe: Musky scent, dilated pupils, mixing animal pheromones, working in your lab, altered biochemistry. Emotions and Instincts: Survive, reproduce, find a pack, lust, fear, rage, hunger, envy, joy, sadness.
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Barrier
Combat
You can create a wall (max 1) of 20 spaces or less that lasts a few minutes. Shape it however you want, but don't imprison anyone. Describe: Creating a wall of force, conjuring a wall of iron, dividing reality with an impenetrable barrier.
Counterspell
Combat
Collaborate on how you charge this trait. At any point, spend the charge to make someone's Tale utterly fail. Charge: Write runes in your spellbook, enchant your staff with a null-spell, meditate in total silence. Describe: Turning their power against them, activating a ward, triggering a contingency, casting an anti-spell.
Dispel
Combat
You can destroy or suppress magic. Describe: Stealing magic, purging dark magic, teleporting energy, reshaping reality, siphoning magic.
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Just an Old Man with a Walking Stick
Interaction
You can make someone grossly underestimate you until they see proof to the contrary. Describe: Leaning heavily on your cane, acting awkward and socially inept, acting naive and harmless.
Mutual Edification
Interaction
When you honestly reveal information to someone or answer one of their questions, they must share equally important information or answer an equally sensitive question. Describe: Proposing an exchange, tricking them into talking, showing scholarly respect, educating each other.
Pedantic
Interaction
You can make people listening to you gain the condition "Bored and Sleepy." Describe: Talking in one long incredibly unbroken sentence, your monotone voice, droning on and on. Topics: Spore varieties, extended noble lineage, Agazar's Third Law of Arcano-Kinetics, ancient texts.
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Armor Plating
Combat
Defenses you gain from armor and shields each grant 1 additional box. Describe: Steam-powered absorption plates, glowing symbols, thick chainmail, dragon-scale armor plating.
Arsenal
Combat
Draw a symbol next to 3 of your inventory slots. Items you place in these slots vanish from reality (but still occupy slots). No one else can access these items. Whenever you want, you can call any of these items to your person, or make them vanish again. Describe: A sword appearing in your hand, summoning your hammer from the heavens, morphin' time.
Deflect
Combat
At any point, you can break one of your weapons, shields, or armor worth at least 1 treasure to completely avoid a Bad Tale related to being attacked. Describe: Sparks flying when blades clash, your ablative armor, taking the hit with your shield.
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Crazy Enough to Work
Interaction
When you explain a plan that is even theoretically possible, it becomes perfectly feasible. The GM can't cite logic, physics, or difficulty as reasons to decrease your rolls to enact the plan. Also, you're bolstered to enact your plan. Describe: Cackling madly, created absurdly complicated blueprints, using technobabble, showing your math.
Don't Push that Button!
Interaction
If you warn somebody not to do something harmless and they do it anyway, tell a free Good Tale about how they made a terrible mistake. Describe: Using big words to confuse them, implying terrible consequences, acting like you know a secret.
It's Dangerous to Go Alone, Take This
Interaction
When you give someone a new or improved item, they're bolstered to use that item. Describe: Use small words to explain how it works, giving the right tool at the right moment, enchanting it.
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Boost Morale
Combat
When you rest for the night, you can bolster each of your present allies to do something during the next day. Decide immediately what they're bolstered to do. Describe: Exaggerating the day's adventures, cracking jokes, playing tunes, telling a story, keeping spirits high.
Duel
Combat
You can challenge someone to a duel. Others can't interfere with your duel until one of you wins the duel. Describe: Telling them to prepare to die, challenging them, clashing swords and grinning at each other.
Feint
Combat
You can make someone hesitate, flinch, or suffer a moment of doubt. Describe: Surprising them with impressive swordplay, insulting their mother, upstaging them, mocking them.
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Rumors
Interaction
At any point, you can have the GM tell you 2 facts and 1 lie about whatever you're investigating. Describe: Overhearing gossip, trading for information, remembering rumors you heard while in town.
Small World
Interaction
You can recognize an NPC as an old acquaintance. Explain how you know each other and how they feel about you. Describe: Recognizing your old stomping grounds, looking up an address, hearing so-and-so is in town. Old Acquaintances: Drinking buddy, cousin, former adventuring partner, old flame, business partner.
Wingman
Interaction
When you enter someone's good graces, bolster an ally to socialize with that person. Describe: Chatting up your friend, telling them what to say, lightening the mood, making introductions.
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Envelop
Combat
You can put a smaller creature inside of you. They can't escape until you're defeated or you let them, and they gain the condition "Crushed" or "Digested" (your choice) while inside of you. However, physical conditions that they inflict on you are much worse than normal. Describe: Swallowing someone whole, wrapping with tentacles, constricting them with your snake-body.
Fight or Flight
Combat
Collaborate on what constitutes being close to death. When you're close to death, increase all rolls to fight or flee (choose one) until you're safe. Describe: Acting like a cornered beast, running on instinct, becoming feral, doing whatever it takes.
Fling
Combat
You can fling a creature that's smaller or lighter than you a close distance. Describe: Knocking them aside with horns, slamming into them, biting them and flinging them into the air.
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Call of the Wild
Interaction
You can cause all animals in the region to follow a basic instinct of your choice. Describe: Unleashing a primal roar, provoking their instinct, starting a stampede, releasing pheromones. Instinct: Stampede, gather around a certain location, calm down, flee the area, protect this territory.
Gift of the Pack
Interaction
You can give all of your far allies one of your traits (max 1) as a temporary trait for as long as they're in your presence. Describe: Leading your pack, spreading a hive mentality, having monkey see monkey do, moving as one.
Hive Mind
Interaction
Collaborate on which creatures are in your hive mind. Creatures in a hive mind share consciousness; when one learns something, everyone else in the hive learns it as well. Describe: Sharing your consciousness, ruling as the hive queen/king, forming a primal bond.
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Abandon All Hope
Combat
When you fight enemies who have seen warnings of your power or ferocity, gain 1-3 Good Tales to show them why they should have heeded your warnings.1. Ominous (war drums in the distance)2. Obvious (you decapitate their emissary)3. Horrific (a pile of corpses with your flag at the top) Describe: Crushing their hope, spreading fear and menace, emboldening your troops while terrifying theirs. Warnings: Roar in the distance, war drums, haka dance, pile of corpses, decapitated heads on pikes.
Banner
Combat
You can baptize an item worth at least 1 treasure in the blood of worthy foes (literally or metaphorically). The item becomes your banner (max 1). You and allies each gain the defense "Under a Banner []." Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale related to battle while the banner is visible. If it's lost or destroyed, you and allies gain the condition "Demoralized" until it's replaced. Banners are inherently flashy and attract enemies' attention. Banner: Flag, coat of arms, shield with an emblazoned symbol, glowing arcane symbol, skull on a pike. Describe: Waving a banner, getting inspiration from a greater cause, holding it above the battlefield.
Give Order
Combat
You can give your ally an order and your unspent Good Tale. They resolve the Good Tale instead of you, but only if they use the Good Tale to follow your order. Describe: Shouting a command, warning someone of incoming danger, call for a flanking maneuver.
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Draft
Interaction
When you acquire minions, you can acquire twice as many as normal. Describe: Promising gold and glory, inspiring others to action, leveraging your social connections, paying well.
Fealty
Interaction
When you achieve glory, minions who shared in your rewards replace the second half of their contracts with "in exchange for nothing." Describe: Appealing to their patriotism, building loyalty, forging bonds of honor, ruling with an iron fist.
Initiation Vows
Interaction
Collaborate on a vow. All of your minions follow that vow, no matter the cost. Describe: Creating a strong culture, forcing them to swear an oath, binding them by blood. Vows: Never reveal secrets, uphold honor, defend the leader at all costs, fulfill a deity's dogma, stay hidden.
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A Dragon Never Forgets
Combat
After someone wrongs you and gets away with it, write their name on your character sheet. Cross off a name to tell a free Good Tale to get revenge. Describe: Brooding in your lair, plotting vicious revenge, monologuing, hatred burning in your eyes.
Carnage
Combat
Physical conditions you inflict are much worse than normal. Collaborate on what that means. Describe: Tearing off an arm, burning their skin, breaking a bone, plucking out an eye, ripping skin to shreds.
Dragon's Breath
Combat
Collaborate on how you charge this trait. Spend the charge to attack all combatants, excluding you. Describe: Breathing fire, causing an avalanche, roaring so loud their ears bleed, blasting air with your wings.
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Serve or DIE!
Interaction
Whenever you torture or kill one of your minions, your other minions who watched you change the end of their contract to "in exchange for not being tortured or killed." Describe: Devouring a weak link, crushing them like an ant, finding their lack of loyalty disturbing.
Terrifying Glory
Interaction
You can make everyone stop what they're doing and give you their undivided attention, even if for just a few moments. Describe: Bellowing a command, doing something terrifying, showcasing your incredible grandeur.
Tribute
Interaction
After you showcase your incredible power, name a person or organization who knows what you did. They freely offer you a tribute. Describe: Warning that they're next if they don't pay you, terrifying peasants, showcasing your grandeur. Tributes: A seat of honor at a major event, treasure, minions, land, a promise not to enter your territory.
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Affinity
Combat
Collaborate on a threat you're completely immune to, and another threat that you're especially vulnerable to. Describe: Immunity to flames but weakness to frost, immunity to magic but weakness to physical harm.
Blaze
Combat
You can create a damaging zone for several minutes. Describe: Setting the ground ablaze, growing razor-sharp ice shards, generating a lightning field.
Cataclysm
Combat
You can start a natural disaster. Once started, the disaster is out of your control (but you might be able to influence it). Cataclysms: Tornado, hurricane, earthquake, blizzard, heat wave, dust storm, thunder storm, gale force winds. Describe: Unleashing raw elemental power, shattering nature's balance, turning your emotions into magic.
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Fan the Flames
Interaction
You can significantly intensify whatever emotions creatures are currently feeling. Describe: Adding fuel to their passions, igniting their souls with elemental energy, sparking their desires.
Port in the Storm
Interaction
You can find a safe haven that will safely harbor you and your allies for as long as you stay there. The locals will freely offer some sort of aid, or the aid will already be there if the safe haven is unpopulated. Aid: Food and shelter, fresh weapons or armor, information, guides, minions, medical attention, potions. Describe: Sensing a safe area, feeling the air is calmer over there, following a soothing wind, following warmth.Safe Havens: Hidden cave, a house owned by friends, politically neutral ground, forgotten cabin in the woods.
Still Air
Interaction
You can give something the condition "Silenced" forseveral hours. Silenced things can't make any noise whatsoever. Describe: Freezing air in place, absorbing sound waves with the earth, keeping the air perfectly still.
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Bless
Combat
You can give someone (max 1) the defense "Blessed []" for several hours. They mark it when they suffer a Bad Tale related to harm. Describe: Praying for divine protection, anointing them with sacred oils, warding them against evil.
Blinding Light
Combat
You can give someone the condition "Blind" until their vision clears. Describe: Emanating divine light, your glowing weapon, a shaft of golden light, searing sunlight.
Crusade
Combat
Whenever you fulfill your deity's dogma in a meaningful way, you're bolstered to fight. Describe: Finding strength through faith, praying for divine strength, cleansing your sins before a fight.
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Pray
Interaction
Your deity responds to your prayers (in some form or another). Your deity must reveal their will to you and may also reveal things related to their domains. Describe: Hearing your deity's voice, seeing a sign that reveals your deity's will, feeling the right choice.
Proselytize
Interaction
You can give someone the immediate urge to fulfill part of your deity's dogma, or convert to your faith (their choice). Describe: Preaching, giving a fiery sermon, manipulating their guilt and passion, promising divine rewards.
Rabble Rouser
Interaction
You can stir up a crowd to become incredibly passionate, motivated, and extremist about something they care about. Unless stopped, their extremism spreads and grows. Describe: Appealing to their sense of duty, giving them a righteous cause, obligating them through scripture.
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Authority
General
You are an authority on a topic of your choice. You have as much authority as the GM to declare things about the game world related to your topic. You can do the following: Spend a Neutral Tale to worldbuild something neutral related to your topic; Spend a Good Tale to worldbuild something beneficial or positive related to your topic; Spend a Good Tale to have the GM honestly answer 1 question related to your topic (The GM may redirect that question back to you or to the group.)
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Racial Qualities
General
Select three characteristics that describe typical individuals with your genetic heritage. Each of these characteristics will be a watered down, half strength version of another trait. Collaborate with your GM to figure out what that means. You must also create one disadvantage, weakness, vulnerability, or undesirable quality associated with this heritage. Any NPCs who share your heritage will automatically have this trait.
It's highly recommended that you take this trait when you create your character. Also note: if multiple players want the same fictional "race" this trait may cause game balance and/or narrative authority issues; in that case the GM may want to prohibit this trait, or grant it to the entire group for free.
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Expert
General
You’re bolstered to do something. Collaborate on what you’re bolstered to do. Afer you spend your bolster, you regain it when your situation sufficiently changes. (eg: Blacksmith, Accountant, Astrologer)
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Forgotten Technique
Combat
You are the wielder of a forgotten technique or ability. Collaborate on what this technique is, and why you are able to use it. When you first reveal this technique to a foe, attack or intimidate with advantage.
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Long Bloodline
Combat
Your predecessors are long dead, but they still look out for you. Gain the resource "ancestor". Gain this resource when you describe an ancestor, including their style, appearance and personality, and you describe what they require to rest in peace. Spend this resource at any time and describe how they assist you in your current situation (you recall their teachings, their spirit possesses your body temporarily, etc). Bolster your next action. You may never call on the same ancestor twice in one session.
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Pa's Axe
Combat
Your weapon is a family heirloom. People in your family speak to it as they would a friend. No one outside your family may wield it. This weapon is so good it ignores mundane physical defenses like armor. Once per combat you can speak to the weapon to increase your attack roll. At camp, describe how you take meticulous care of this weapon, sharpening, oiling, sanctifying, etc. If you fail to take care of the weapon, the GM may spend a bad tale to give it a condition like "misused", "obstinate", "petulant", "dull", or "broken". Then collaborate on a quest to recover the weapon to it's former glory.
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Angry Mob
Combat
If you're fighting for a righteous cause in plain view of other people, you may spend a good tale to have them join the fray. They'll bring improvised weapons like pitchforks and torches. They'll call friends. They'll impede your enemies and help you hold them accountable. Afterward, they'll expect a speech.
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Hero's Journey
Exploration
You are important. The prophecies foretold your arrival. Your story will be retold countless times. Write the following words on your character sheet: "Call", "Reveal", "Overcome". When you have doubts, cross off "Call" to create a flashback scene, retroactively describing your initial planning. When things look simple, cross off "Reveal" to introduce a twist or complication, explain how you discover the truth and how it shakes your resolve. When things look bleak, cross off "Overcome" and take a free bolster action; explain how you dig deep to find your heroic second wind. When you "Reveal", you may reset either "Call" or "Overcome". When you start a new quest, refresh all your keywords.
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Caravaneer
Exploration
You own a vehicle capable of travelling great distances. If you like, you may travel with members of a particular group or with goods for trade. Collaborate on how long you can travel without stopping for supplies or repairs. The first time the caravan arrives in a new location, roll 1d6 to determine your reception:
Despised and Hunted Hostile crowd, friendly magistrate Friendly crowd, hostile magistrate Friendly all around, except there's someone here who still holds a grudge A little too friendly, perhaps: an old fling or a new opportunity You're welcomed by a local guide (bolster all attempts at trade here).
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What came before
Exploration
You are somehow linked to someone older than you--like a parent, sibling, mentor, or old friend. Write "Enemy," "Friend," "Problem," and "Solution," on your character sheet. You can cross these words off to encounter something you predecessor left behind, that now falls to you. When you've crossed off all four, write them again.
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Heavy Burden
Exploration
You bear a unique responsibility which no one else can complete. Collaborate with your GM to identify the task, the stakeholders, the risk, and the reward. The toll on your well-being is obvious; Gain the condition "burden". Strangers will tend to offer aid. Describe the physical toll your responsibility has caused then Bolster attempts to garner their support. When you have at least two conditions besides burden, you may spend a good tale to have a friendly bystander appear along the path.
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Nobility
Interaction
You are part of a royal bloodline. Come up with a family crest and a family slogan. Collaborate on what your family rules or ruled and what they expect of you. Your subjects are likely to recognize you. Increase rolls to influence them. If you willfully defy your obligations you may lose the support of your subjects. In that case, collaborate with the GM to develop a quest which will restore your standing.
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Nemesis
Interaction
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Collaborate with your GM to create your nemesis. Create a character for them starting with twice your XP and give them a set of goals and motivations. Anytime there's a bad tale, anyone at the table may invoke/introduce your nemesis.
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Whenever your nemesis appears or influences events, the narrative spotlight will be focused on you. You have authority to direct their motivation, but the GM will control their actions. If your nemesis has the upper hand, they will inexplicably leave the scene, assuming you'll die slowly.
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If you feel your nemesis is defeated or played out, your may choose one of the following:
substitute this trait for one of the traits you gave the Nemesis (eg: birthright) have the nemesis serve you as a minion (either as a friend or under duress) Leave this trait open, then at any time, elevate any NPC to become your new Nemesis
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Birthright
Interaction
Collaborate on a secret part of your family history. This secret should include an item of power or value, as well as a way of identifying your claim to this item. (eg: The deed to a long-abandoned castle.)
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Bigger than Us
Interaction
At any time, you may call in a favour from a faction on your side. In doing so, you risk repercussions from an opposed faction. The GM may use this knowledge to inform future bad tales, or they may introduce a free bad tale later.
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Catch Blade
Combat
Gain the defense "Catch Blade []." Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale from something small enough that you can catch with your empty hand. If it's a weapon, you can take it from the attacker. Describe: Catching a sword between your hands, grabbing an arrow before it strikes you, punching a spell.
Crane Stance
Combat
If you are not yet attacked in combat and someone charges you, prevent their attack and tell a free Good Tale against them. Describe: Waiting in a defensive stance, giving them a chance to stand down, being passive like the waves.
Drunken Master
Combat
When you're drunk, you're bolstered to fight. If you're extremely drunk, you're bolsteredthree times to fight. Describe: Wobbling in a confusing rhythm, using the alcohol to fuel your energy, hiccuping, ruddy cheeks.
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Karma
Interaction
When you perform a sacrificial good act that doesn't benefit you whatsoever, write on your character sheet that you gain 1 Karma (max 3). Spend 1 Karma to tell a free Good Tale. Describe: Balancing the cosmic scales, achieving harmony, completing a karmic cycle, getting a fair reward.
Pacifist
Interaction
Gain the defense "Pacifist []." Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale while pursuing nonviolence or showing mercy.When you do, name an immediate impending threat; it won't come to pass, or it will be much less severe if it does come to pass (GM's choice). Describe: Extending your hand to an enemy, disarming a foe and leaving them unharmed, seeking peace.
Sensei
Interaction
When you give someone in-depth and thoughtful advice, they're bolstered to follow your advice. Describe: Seeing what they cannot, understanding the bigger picture, telling a fable to convey a lesson.
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Entangle
Combat
You can bind someone to their location until their bindings are destroyed. Describe: Growing roots to ensnare its feet, wrapping it in vines, lashing it with a thorny vine-whip.
Faerie Fire
Combat
You can give someone the condition "Faerie Fire" for several hours. They glow and cannot successfully hide, no matter what. Their silhouette is faintly visible through opaque surfaces. Describe: Illuminating them in an otherworldly blue glow, surrounding them with buzzing faeries.
Roots
Combat
You can root yourself to the ground. You can't be forcibly moved unless the ground you're rooted to is moved. While rooted, you have the defense "Rooted [][][]." Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale related to physical harm. Describe: Joining with the earth, entrenching into the ground, growing roots and vines that grab on.
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Commune
Interaction
You can communicate with nature guardians. Guardians are powerful spirits that represent the biome where they live. They seek to protect their biome and hold incredible power it. Describe: Performing a tribal dance, burning incense to awaken the spirit, seeing it manifest under starlight. Guardians: Silver stag in the tundra, lava beast in a volcano, ancient tree in the forest, water spirit in the sea. Power: Reshape the land, control local animals, know everything that happens within their biome.
Fey Curse
Interaction
You can relinquish power you have over someone to curse them. The more power you relinquish, the stronger the curse. Collaborate on the curse's effects and what lifts the curse. Curses: Sleep until they're kissed, they can't leave a forest, they turn to stone at daytime, they lose their voice. Describe: Saying a magic poem, casting a powerful enchantment, twisting their fate-strands, hexing them.Relinquished Power: They break your deal, they grovel at your feet, you hold their most prized possession.
Fairy Gold
Interaction
You can make an item (max 1) look like 5 treasure for several hours. Describe: Casting a fey glamour, deceiving with an illusion, altering its appearance, enchanting their desires.
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Blood Link
Combat
You can link 2 willing creatures, designating one as the giver and the other as the receiver. Any harm the giver suffers is instead transferred to the receiver. The link ends when either person wants it to end. If you link a defeated creature, they don't have to be willing and the link doesn't end when they want it to. Collaborate on what ends it. Describe: Stitching their souls together, creating a thaumaturgic link, altering the strands of destiny.
Blood Sacrifice
Combat
You can give yourself a condition and bolster to do anything. Describe: Sacrificing your blood to your patron, flagellating yourself, letting your parasite feed.
Pound of Flesh
Combat
You can give someone an exact copy of one of your conditions. Describe: Making them pay blood for blood, evening the cosmic scale, getting bloody revenge, causing recoil.
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Dark Bargain
Interaction
Your patrons can perform favors for you, but always at a proportional cost. You have a patron, which is a powerful entity that can grant you power, favors, or knowledge, but always at a cost. Collaborate on your patron. Cost: Sacrifice an innocent in their name, start a cult in their honor, further their goals, offer part of your soul. Describe: Conjuring them in a summoning circle, drawing them forth from the ether, hearing their voices. Patrons: Demons, angels, otherworldly horrors from beyond the stars, spirits of the land, Death itself.
Deal with the Devil
Interaction
After talking to someone, you can learn the one thing that they want more than anything else. If you provide them with that thing, you gain complete and total control over them; the GM or player hands control of that character over to you. Describe: Purchasing their soul, making an offer they can't refuse, eternally enslaving them to your will.
Shatter Mind
Interaction
You can give someone a psychological condition. Describe: Ripping their mind apart, shattering their fragile psyche, giving your patron access to their mind. Psychoses: Schizophrenia, sociopathy, a crippling phobia, paranoid delusions, hallucinations, obsessiveness.
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Archon
Combat
Whenever you want, you can become completely invulnerable to all harm for a few seconds. Then, the GM gives you a condition. Archon can't make you immune to conditions you acquire through this trait. Describe: Your skin taking the color of a starry night, becoming pure energy, showing your true form.
Confusion
Combat
You can give someone the condition "Confused" for several minutes. Confused creatures have difficulty distinguishing friend from foe. Describe: Disrupting their natural brain waves, filling their minds with nightmarish thoughts. Erratic Behavior: Attack an ally, move somewhere disadvantageous, throw away something valuable.
Force Wave
Combat
You can push everyone in a zone a close distance away, or one creature a far distance away. Describe: Releasing a shock wave, emitting a psi pulse, unleashing an explosion of telekinetic energy.
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Brainwash
Interaction
You can add or remove a memory or personality trait from someone you're touching. You can't make them forget how to do things (talk, read, cast spells, etc). Describe: Devouring a memory, deleting a brain wave, brainwashing them, cutting out part of their mind.
Read Mind
Interaction
You can hear visible creatures' thoughts. Collaborate on how this trait works. Describe: Listening to their thoughts, leeching their brain waves, seeing their dreams, feeling their desires.
Telepathy
Interaction
You can telepathically communicate with far creatures. Describe: Sharing a collective consciousness, hearing what each other says, speaking via a shared mind-cord.
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Bloodlust
Combat
Gain the defense "Bloodlust []." Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale that physically damages you. Then, gain a free Good Tale to make an attack. Describe: Using the pain to fuel your rage, reveling in glorious bloody combat, returning the favor.
Cleave
Combat
You can make a melee attack against as many adjacent creatures as you like. Describe: Attacking in a flurry, cutting through foes, spinning in a blade tornado, releasing an explosion.
Impale
Combat
When you attack someone with a melee or throw weapon, you can give your target the condition "Impaled." Describe: Pushing a spear through their stomach, embedding your hammer in their armor.
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Noble Savage
Interaction
Gain the defense "Noble Savage []." Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale that relates to laws, high culture, and the trappings of civilization. When you do, choose someone; their disposition toward you significantly improves. Describe: Your simplistic ways, your adorable naivete, following the laws of nature instead of the laws of man.
Not Getting Paid Enough
Interaction
Whenever you do something impressive, you can choose a minionwho watched you. They immediately abandon their contract. Describe: Proving that they're no match for you, terrifying them with your might, letting them run away.
To the Victor
Interaction
When you destroy someone or conquer territory, choose something they had that would normally be difficult for you to obtain. Everyone acknowledges that it's your now. Describe: Crushing their hope like you crushed their leader's skull, making an offer they can't refuse. Go the Spoils: Their minions, their lovers' affection, their legal property, their social status.
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Assassin
Combat
You can have the GM tell you all of a visible creature's weaknesses. Describe: Learning their habits and routines, finding an exploitable weakness, studying their body language.
Duck
Combat
Collaborate on how you charge this trait. Spend the charge to make an attack meant for you hit the next most logical target instead. Charge: Get safely out of danger, frame someone for your crime, have a drink and talk about your close call. Describe: Leaping out of the way, pulling an enemy in front of you, ducking and covering your head.
Misdirection
Combat
If you like, enemies can't attack you as long as there are other viable targets. Describe: Looking nonthreatening, drawing attention to someone else, hiding behind an ally, running away.
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Spy Network
Interaction
You have an extensive spy network. Collaborate on what they're targeting. Your spy network can provide you with intimate, useful information about their target whenever you want. You can change their target, but it takes time and/or resources. Describe: Meeting cloaked figures, getting a package from a drop-off zone, and NPC slipping you a letter. Targets: A certain city, politicians and nobles, armies and troops, the elves, pirates, merchants.
Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal
Interaction
You can reveal that someone who isn't significantly more powerful than you was secretly your minion all along. Describe: Giving the secret signal, nodding at your hidden ally, executing your master plan, shouting "NOW!"
Tamper with Evidence
Interaction
You can lose all heat you and your allies have for a crime. If you have an item that belongs to someone else, you can convincingly frame that person for the crime or event instead. Describe: Wiping down finger prints, destroying clues, planting evidence, misleading investigators.
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Black Arrow
Combat
You don't need to roll to attack with your very last ammo. If the attack is even theoretically possible, you hit with perfect accuracy and incredible power. Collaborate on what incredible power means. Describe: Making a desperate shot, putting your hope into your last arrow, drawing a special ammo. Incredible Power: Knock them back, knock something out of their hand, your projectile pierces through.
Called Shot
Combat
You can make an attack to inflict a condition on an arm, leg, or similar appendage. Describe: Aiming for a weak spot, hitting them where it hurts, firing a poisoned arrow, striking true.Conditions: Arrow to the knee, hamstrung, shot through the hand, broken tail, tattered wings.
Cover
Combat
When you're behind cover that you've never used with this trait before, gain the defense "Cover []." Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale that can be mitigated by that cover. Moving to sufficiently different cover gives you a new defense with an unmarked box. Describe: Diving behind a wall, ducking under a bush, crouching behind a cart, hiding in a trench.
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Lone Wolf
Interaction
You can have others generally ignore you as long as you don't draw attention to yourself. Afterward, they forget everything about you, vaguely remembering you as just some person. Describe: Pulling up your hooded cloak, hanging in the shadows, keeping to yourself, giving the cold shoulder.
Perks of the Job
Interaction
When you accept a quest, explain what extra aid you obtain for free. Describe: Asking for an advance, attracting aid due to your fame, leveraging your contacts, getting lucky.Aid: Gain part of the reward upfront, learn useful information, attract minions, acquire special tools.
Skeptic
Interaction
The GM must answer honestly whenever you ask if someone is lying. Describe: Watching their eyes, reading their body language, noticing discrepancies in their stories.
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Clone
Combat
You can create a clone of yourself that's a separate character you control. Collaborate on how this trait works. Describe: Splitting in half, popping into existence next to yourself, growing a clone in a tube, self-replicating. How it Works: You have to grow your clones in a lab, they're treacherous, the process gives you a condition.
Doppelganger
Combat
Write your personal XP total on your character sheet. When you kill a creature, you can have the GM give you their character sheet. You become identical to them in every way and use their character sheet. Transfer your gear, personal XP, and this trait to the new character sheet. If your new character sheet has more XP than your personal XP, gain a condition that you can't remove until you change character sheets. You can return to your original character sheet at any point, but you forever lose the stolen character sheet. Describe: Stealing their whole identity, changing your form, absorbing their essence, changing skin.
Evolve
Combat
When you retrain, you can lose a stat, trait, or upgrade to refund all of the XP you spent to purchase it. Spend that XP however you like. Describe: Adapting to the environment, growing from your experiences, incorporating foreign DNA.
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It Was Me All Along!
Interaction
If nobody knows where you are, you can reveal that an unimportant NPC was secretly you all along. Describe: Pulling back your hood, taking off your mask, morphing to your true form, staging a grand reveal.
Takes One to Know One
Interaction
While you are impersonating someone, the GM must answer all of your questions about your role's mannerisms, habits, and knowledge if the answers would help you perform that role. Explain how you know this information. Describe: Copying body language perfectly, creating a flawless disguise, studying your mark, acting.
The Curse
Interaction
Collaborate on how you curse others. When you curse someone, refund half of their XP. Change their aesthetics and spend their XP however you like to make them more like you. Their disposition toward you significantly improves. Describe: Infecting their bloodstream, hexing them with magic, leaving a mark on their skin, cursing them. Spread By: Draining their blood, biting them, giving them a parasite, performing a tribal ritual. Transform Into: Vampire, werewolf, zombie, ghost, horrific Old One, assimilated insectoid, drone.
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Dead Nerves
Combat
Gain the defense "Dead Nerves []." Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale that an undead creature could ignore. If that Bad Tale gave you a condition, completely ignore all negative effects associated with that condition. Describe: Ignoring a fatal wound, unnatural resilience, undead anatomy, your rotten organs. Ignore: Your guts spilling out, carry around your decapitated head, ignore a sword through your heart.
Death Throes
Combat
Collaborate on something powerful that happens when you die. Describe: Your soul exploding, uttering a final curse, completing your most powerful spell, finding vengeance. What Happens: Explode in necrotic energy, take your attacker with you, return as a ghost, curse someone.
Death Watch
Combat
Whenever you or one of your closest allies would die, they instead hold onto life for several minutes or hours, depending on the severity of their injuries. During this time, they can be healed as normal to potentially avoiddeath. Also, the GM must answer honestly whenever you ask how close a creature is to death. Describe: Hiding them from Death, altering their anatomy, extending their life with necromancy.
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Charon's Toll
Interaction
You can sacrifice 1 treasure to negate 1 Bad Tale. Describe: Burying coins to pay Death's toll, turning treasure into ash, giving coins to a shadowy hand.
Medium
Interaction
You can speak to the dead. You must have access to part of a creature's body, or something that was important to it in life. Describe: Opening a door to the afterlife, tugging at a soul strand, sending your voice into the grave world.
Possess
Interaction
You can vanish and take control of a corpse or vulnerable creature. Use its stats and traits instead of your own, but you retain this trait. If the body you're possessing has more XP than you, gain a condition you can't remove until you end the possession. Your host can attempt to rebel against your possession. Describe: Overpowering its soul, becoming a spirit and moving inside of it, infecting its thoughts.
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Disarm
Combat
You can disarm someone. They drop a held item, which lands in a close space. If you have a free hand, you can catch the item instead. Describe: Attacking in a flurry, cutting through foes, spinning in a blade tornado, releasing an explosion.
Every Scar a Lesson
Combat
Whenever you're defeated by a worthy threat, gain the defense "Scarred by _____ []." Write the threat in the blank. Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale related to that threat. Describe: Jagged cut, burned skin, crooked finger, missing tooth, glowing rune-scar, dented armor. Threats: Dragon, bug, beast, sword, trap, soldier from the Southern Kingdom, wizard, rogue, frost, fire, acid.
Guardian
Combat
You can intercept attacks if you're in a position where you can logically do so. Describe: Interposing yourself, diving in the way, lifting your shield over someone, shoving them behind you.
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Equipment
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Weapons
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Notes and Quest Logs
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Dice Mechanics (behind the scenes)