Character traits

Character traits provide you with special abilities, or weaknesses. These may relate back to your clan history, but they only affect you. There is a story behind most traits, and they are likely to lead to plot.

Pick as many quirks as you feel appropriate for your character, though bear in mind you'll probably want to spend some points on skills as well.

Certain people within the world have been granted access to powers far beyond the experience of normal people. Whether they are manipulating the chaotic energies of the Storm, or twisting people's emotions, those with access to Magic are a potent force in the Broken World. For more information, the magic page is found here.

You were born during a particularly violent storm. This is very auspicious and could mean anything, but one thing that has resulted is that the Storm seems to be constantly roaring inside your mind. At times this reaches fever pitch and only drops down to normal when the built-up energy is released somehow. You'll have found a way to do this in a controlled fashion, but it still needs to be done regularly. On the plus side, you can read messages in the shifting colours of the clouds, and can use these to warn your settlement of impending danger. You have the ability to perform Storm Magic.

One day, you simply appeared out of the mists. You could have been a babe, or fully grown. Either way, you have no idea where you came from. Your clan took you in and raised you, and now to all intents and purposes you are a member of that clan. Even so, the matter of your discovery is an oddity. You will have found that the mist has exerted a fascination on you, and you are often at your most happy when gazing deep in the Mists. Also, you will have found that you are more resistant that your fellows to the Mist and can spend a large time in it without discomfort. You have the ability to perform Mist Magic.

You have a connection to spirits that goes beyond that which is normal for most, enabling you to form bargains with them and bend them to your will. This trait is required to cast Spirit Magic.

You have the ability to create powerful totems to manipulate the fates. These give you access to one of the schools of passion magic, either Concept, Fate or Ancestor.

Although you aren't fully attuned to the passions of the world, you are still able to identify them at work. Given time and skill, this will allow you to investigate what exactly the magic was, trace its affects, and possibly identify the Warlock responsible.

Storm magic tend not to be especially subtle; a lightning bolt or acid shower tend to be quick and to the point. Even so, there are those more skilled at investigating the aftermath of Storm magic, enabling them to pick up clues others would miss.

You are one of those fascinated by the Mist. Though you haven't risked enough to be exposed to the Mist and become addled or Mistborn, your mind has been altered in some way. This means that you are more able to identify that Mist magic is going on, and resist its affects.

You have a close bond with nature - maybe you're a farmer, a herbalist, an explorer of the wild. You can tell when nature has been altered in some way by spirit manage, and through observing a ritual being cast you can identify what it does. Through close investigation of a site of spirit magic, you may be able to trace this back to the Shaman responsible.

The energy of the storms seems oddly attracted to you. You could naturally build up storm energy without a way to discharge it, or have a tendency to catch on fire. Your tears may be slightly caustic, or you may tend to get struck by lightning more often.

More than anything, you are more susceptable to storm magic, and may suffer up to a significant penalty when dealing with it.

You have spent too long in the Mists and parts of your mind do not work properly. You may find that you tend to forget things, or your body might not be fully functional. You could You could see things that aren't there, or have memories that don't belong to you.

More than anything, you are more susceptable to mist magic, and may suffer up to a significant penalty when dealing with it.

These are traits about who you are and what you do.

You're an Alien, see the Playing a Xeno page for descriptions of the options.

You have an innate knack for traversing the constantly shifting lands of the Broken World. A regular traveler relies in part on luck and guesswork to arrive at the points where the fragments meet. When traveling to and from meetings, people use the ferryman organisation (See Travel). Having the skill of navigation enables you to bypass the Ferrymen, transporting yourself and your allies to another colony in secret.

You have an eye for small details, and so you are more likely to notice the little trinket under the pile of corpses or the secret door under the rubble. Essentially, you are more likely to find useful items when searching an area. This will provide a minor benefit at most.

You are sure of who you are. You cannot be easily effected by things that change your personality.

This is an out of Character agreement with the GM’s to let us know you don’t want to be possessed or have the personality of your character controlled by external influences. Please take this trait if having your character's personality attacked would spoil your fun, not if you just want an additional defense. In exchange it is expected for you not to take traits that might demand it, or put yourself in situations where it is likely.

You have vivid dreams, sometimes pleasant, sometimes nightmares.

You are a Cowardly person by nature and will never takes risks extra to those you need to, and are unlikely to want to put yourself in danger. You are unable to take risky actions.

You are a natural born Daredevil. You will always press on no matter the cost. You are unable to take cautious actions.

You have a sickness or frailty of the body. The cost represents the severity of the problem. examples: Malformed limb, Severe allergies, Leprosy, some kind of compulsion or bouts of insanity.

You have unexplained and uncontrolled blackouts that usually end with you waking somewhere entirely different and no knowledge of how you got there or what you did in the intervening period.

These are traits about where you fit into the society of the Broken World.

These traits concern your affiliation with the Outsiders.

• At +2, you are publicly affiliated with one of the Outsiders. You gain their bonuses and penalties in addition to those of your main Allegiance.
• At +3, you can secretly be affiliated with one of the Outsiders. Other members may know about your involvement but others will not.

You are originally from a different faction than the one you currently belong to. You get all the traits of your original Allegiance, as well as the ones from the allegiance you are currently affiliated with.

• At +1, you have your original allegiance's traits only. You are not respected enough in your new clan to have recieved any benefits yet.
• At +2, your original allegiance is public knowledge. You could be a Surface Dweller who left to seek wealth with the O'Sheas, or a servant of the King of Copper recruited by the Machinists.
• At +3, the fact that you are not a true member of your allegiance is a secret. You could be an Unsullied spy reporting on the College's findings or a Guildsman trying to sabotage the O'Sheas' trade routes.

• +1: You are known far and wide for some form of antics. Perhaps you throw the best parties, or are your fragement's Fragment Diving champion. Either way you will be better known among other clans than your peers, and consequentially you will have an extra edge when it comes to dealing with people who have heard of you.
• -1: Something happened that one time, and rumours started spreading about you. Maybe you were caught pantsless in a barn holding a saddle and a chicken, or maybe you're known as “that guy who wet his pants at that party”. Either way, people tend to take you less seriously than perhaps they should. You lose an edge when dealing with people who may have heard of your embarassing faux-pas.

In a world when marriage represents an bond between two houses, you find that you are eligible for marriage. (Note: this is not required for PCs marrying each other in the game, but will have more of an effect for marrying NPCs)

You have something Dark in your past. If people were to find out about it they would be less willing to work with you, and could lead to clan disownment. This is for something that no-one knows about including clan.

You have an embarrassing or dangerous vice.

• 1 pt examples: Drug use, Compulsive gambling, An affair within your household
• 2 pt examples: Sacrificing virgins to your volcano god, an affair with the enemy.

You really know how to put your foot in things. You can be counted on to foul up your clan's first contact with other clans, other fragments, even other races, whether inadvertantly because you're not too good at etiquette, or just because you're such a bigot.

Someone in your past is very unhappy with you, and would like to meet back up with you to “set everything right” (Please tell your GMs who by and why you are being hunted).

Maybe they see you as a heretic and dangerous to their beliefs; maybe a social engagement went very wrong. Either way, now there's a big group of people out there who would like to see you rather inconvenienced, possibly permanently.

• -2 points: This group is one of another factions organisations, or one of the outsiders.
• -3 ponts: You've managed to really annoy one of the other colonies.

There is an aspect of your faction that you just don't like. You have been actively working to bring it down. State what you don't like, and how you've been fighting it.

There is someone out there who expects you to follow thier orders. They could be in your own colony or another. If you don't oblige them there will be concequences. Explain who your hidden master is.

• -1: You are secretly working for someone, but they don't have a particularly strong hold over you.
• -2: Willing or otherwise, you have a master who can ruin your life if you don't acquiece to their wishes. Please describe what their wishes are and how they can ruin your life.
• -3: Your master has an equally ruinous hold over you, but you don't actually know who they are. Give us a rough idea of the relationship, and we'll do the rest.

These are traits that determine the role you have in running your clan. Taking a trait means your clan looks to you to sort out an area of their daily life, but is also ready and willing to follow your orders in that area.

If you don't take any of these traits, you are considered an ambassador. Your clan respects you and will listen to your advice, but they are under no obligation to do as you say.

If taking any of these traits, please describe the heirarchy of your clan, and how you fit into it.

Being in charge of the Clan's health and/or armed forces means that they will look to you when disease strikes, when the wildlife gets rowdy, or when they want to teach their neighbours some painful lessons. Leading your clan in this aspect will get you access to the clan's armed forces and medics. If your clan gets very unhappy about your leadership, whether after being crushed by enemy forces or from being blighted by plague for many years, you are likely to lose all privileges gained from this trait.

Being in charge of the Clan's finances and industry means that they will look to you when they can't afford food, when the forges need more iron, or when nobody wants to buy their hats. Leading your clan in this aspect will get you access to the clan's stocks of resources, their manufacturing capabilities, and their trade relationships. If your clan gets very unhappy about your leadership, whether from suffering from famine or from being undercut in all their trade deals, you are likely to lose all privileges gained from this trait.

Being in charge of the Clan's morale and reputation means that they will look to you when the Gods' guidance fails, when they see the luxuries of other clans and want them, or they feel insignificant in their culture. Leading your clan in this aspect will get you access to the clan's religious leaders, their ambassadors and diplomats, and those willing to spread your propaganda among other clans. If your clan gets very unhappy about your leadership, whether from their religion being showed to be completely false or from being very bored, you are likely to lose all privileges gained from this trait.

You are responsible for every aspect of the Clan's running. Equally, the clan jumps at your beck and call.

If you have taken a responsibility in your clan, you can use it to have power in one of your allegiances as well. This means you are higher ranking than some NPCs and PCs. Describe the capacity in which you have your clout.

Your Clout is tied to your responsibility. As you do well at your responsibility, your effective rank in your allegiance will improve. For Example:

• Health - You intimidate your peers, or your clan are the standing army.
• Wealth - You bribe your peers, or your clan are the official treasurers.
• Happiness - You persuade your peers, or you have an impeccable reputation.

These are traits about things that you have in your possession.

You have some sort of mechanical or biomechanical augmentation with some interesting properties. Please describe where it came from. Augmentations can provide up to a significant edge, depending on the extent of the augmentation and its versatility.

• 1 pt example: a slight boost, such as eyes that can see marginally better in low light, lenses that might allow you to perform delicate work more accurately.
• 2 pt example: a moderate boost, heightened senses, mechanical claws or gills.
• 3 pt example: a large boost, a mechanical buzzsaw on your hand, an extra limb.
• Option: Hidden (+1) - Your augmentation is not immediately obvious until you make use of it.

You have come into possession of a clan heirloom with some interesting qualities. Heirlooms can provide up to a significant edge, depending on the cost of the heirloom and its versatility.

• 1 pt example: You have a scythe that never needs sharpening; a lantern that doesn't require fuel.
• 2 pt example: You have an automatic scythe that needs to be pulled by beasts of burden;
• 3 pt example: You have a combine harvester which doesn’t require fuel.

You have a pet Thing. It is loyal, well trained, and surprisingly helpful. This could be something mundane like an attack dog, or could be something weird and alien. Let the GMs know what you want and what’s important about it, and we’ll find something appropriate to the setting.

• 1 pt example: The Pet is somewhat useful, not overly so. A ferret who will help in hunts, an ox who will pull your wagon.
• 2 pt example: The Pet is useful, will make your life easier on a day-to-day basis. For example: a mastiff who will guard your holdings, a horse you can ride into battle.
• 3 pt example: The Pet has something to make unique and very useful, for example a fire-breathing warthog or a tunnelling lizard that can dig mine shafts.
• Option: Untrained (-1) - Your pet is immature, or bad tempered. It'll require some training before it is reliable.
• Option: Winged (+1) - Your pet has wings, and can fly between fragments. It is able to carry small to medium weights, but is not strong enough to carry a person.

You have an egg. You don't know what's in it. Maybe you found it in an abandoned nest, maybe it just appeared some day in your house. Eggs can range from pea-sized to the size of a barn.

You have come into possession of an artifact rumoured to be from before the apocalypse. This could be a strange looking tool that your pappy uses as a walking stick, or a large tablet with runes carved on it that was an absolute bugger to transport to your current home. Currently it doesn't do much, but you probably have stories about what its supposed to do…

These are traits about all the strange things that might have happened to your character, and places they have ended up due to strange quirks of fate.

You or your clan have recieved a blessing, curse or prophesy. It could be as simple as 'may you live in interesting times', or as complicated as 'may dogs decide your fate.' For +2, the prophesy will bring fortune. For -2, the prophesy will bring calamity. Vague prophesies are better.

Your home is on the outskirts of your colony, and as such you are more likely to have contact with things from outside. OC, this means the GMs will be throwing more plot than average your way.

There is something special about the fragment you chose. You have no idea what it is, but you might experience some symptoms of it. Perhaps your soil is unusually fertile, or you can hear singing coming from beneath the earth.

A specific kind of animal does not like you and will do what it can to hunt you down and hurt you or otherwise be a nuisance.