ElementalSystem

1. [Introduction]
   
2. [Character Creation]
   
   1. [Modules Choosing_Modules]
      
   2. [Fate Points]
      
   3. [Statistics]
      
   4. [Merits and Flaws]
      
   5. [Modules]
      

Introduction

Character_Creation

• Find out how many of the [modules] you are using for character creation. These will normally be stats, merits and flaws, and abilities: 3 modules. This is, however, up to the GM.
  
• Determine how many starting [fate points] you have.
  
• Create your [statistics].
  
• Choose [merits and flaws], if you are using them.
  
• Assign [abilities, again, if you are using them. *Appearance === Choosing_Modules === Stats are needed, although only the most simple. There are three possible levels of complexity to the stats; all but the first is optional, though it is recommended that you do not use the other modules with the simplest form of the stats. Merits and flaws are the odd quirks, interesting backgrounds , special gifts, and problematic liabilities of the character. They can be ignored entirely – they are simply there to enhance character background and game play, although they are recommended. However, if you have no merit and flaw system, you will need some way of balancing affinities, if you are intending to use them. And it is very strongly recommended that you do use the affinities – they are very much a part of this world. Furthermore, if you do not use the merits and flaws module, any luck bonuses or penalties are entirely at the discretion of the GM, but luck should not be removed from the system. Abilities are the things that the characters have learnt how to do – like archery, or writing. These are also optional – any rolls can be done just on stats. On the other hand, you will need some way of running things like sorcery, or being a priest, if you intend using them, and do not use this module. ''Need to decide how to do this so can at least give ideas'' === Fate_Points === Every character, PC or NPC, begins play with 1 Fate Point. This is because if they are influencing the campaign, however little, they are in the eyes of the gods. For each additional module used, add one additional Fate Point is awarded – the more detailed the background, the more complex the character, the more interest the Gods have shown. So: '''''Table 1: Starting Fate Points:''''' ||'''Modules used'''|| ||'''Fate Points'''|| ||Basic stats|| ||1|| ||Stats|| ||2|| ||Full Stats|| ||3|| ||(Stats and Merits|| ||3)|| ||Full Stats and Merits|| ||4|| ||Stats and Abilities|| ||4|| ||Stats and Merits and Abilities|| ||5|| '''''On Luck and Fate Points:''''' Some characters are naturally lucky, some are not. This is also true of players! At the beginning of every session, or whenever the GM feels it appropriate, the player rolls a die to determine how lucky his character is at that time. This might be every game-day if the plot is moving fast, or every game week if nothing much is happening. This is then used by the GM to decide how the character is affected by the random parts of the game: ''"Did that wall just fall on top of you, Michael? Well you did roll a 1. Sam (who rolled 7), it missed you completely, Laura (whose character has been getting irritated with Michael’s recently and rolled a 10), the piece that should have hit you by rights actually bounced off your rucksack without harming you, and has gone up Michael’s nostril."'' Some character concepts rely on their luck more than others and tend to be more lucky, some spurn the gods and are therefore at a penalty in life. These may have intrinsic bonuses and penalties to their luck roll. A priest for example who relies on the gods to protect him might have a +2 modifier (vocation merit) and a thief who relies on his luck might have a +1 bonus (luck merit). An elemental-kin might well be neutral (the gods gave their blessing at his birth). A necromancer always has a –2 penalty for interfering with matters best left to those who are truly divine. (If a character acquires any of the necromantic abilities, they receive a –2 luck modifier with immediate effect). Finally a character who is in over his head with companions who are far more powerful and experienced than he might gain a luck bonus due to the aid of these powers (if he interests them enough, that is…). A character also has Fate Points. When a character pleases the gods (whether they are his gods or not!) he may be given a fate point. This is not a matter of simply winning a battle. A fate point is a great treasure that grants a hero control over his own destiny and the gods give them only to those who amuse and interest them. GMs should give them sparingly: a hero might acquire a score of these over a lifetime of adventure. These can be used at the beginning of a session to provide a temporary modifier to his Luck Roll. This must be declared before the die is cast. During play, a character can spend Fate Points he does not possess – going in debt to Fate. However, if he does this, the gods take a terrible revenge. All his Luck Rolls will have a negative modifier of the number of Fate Points he is in debt by, until he garners sufficient Fate Points to pay off his karmic debt. Of course, the gods will not give Fate Points for the deeds that the hero went into debt to accomplish! === Statistics === '''''Table 2: Statistics:''''' ||'''Essence'''|| || || || ||'''Substance'''|| || || ||Intellect|| ||''Reasoning''|| || ||Strength|| ||''Endurance''|| || || ||''Flair''|| || || || ||''Force''|| || || ||''Speed''|| || || || ||''Restoration''|| ||Sociability|| ||''Persuasion''|| || ||'''Dexterity'''|| || ||''Grace''|| || || ||''Personality''|| || || || ||''Agility''|| || || ||''Empathy''|| || || || ||''Speed''|| ||Senses|| ||''Emotion''|| || ||Senses|| || ||''Smell''|| || || ||''Thought''|| || || || ||''Hearing''|| || || ||''Future''|| || || || ||''Touch''|| || || ||''Danger''|| || || || ||''Taste''|| || || ||''Spirit''|| || || || ||''Sight''|| You have three options here - it is suggested that you read the definitions and the descriptions of the stats before deciding which you are going to use: #If you want to simplify the game rules, or simply to have pre-prepared NPC’s with only a little detail, use essence and substance (in bold above) as your stats. If this option is taken, you have 4 to 8 points to split between the two – if you want to roll, use a d10, divide the roll by 2 (round down), and add 3. Additional modules really do not work if you are simplifying stats this far – it is designed to allow easy NPC creation, and very free roleplaying. In the case of NPC’s, though, if they become more important to the game, more complexity can be easily added to them. This is not recommended for most characters – it requires a high level of skill as roleplayers, a great GM, and an unusual degree of trust between the players and the GM to work well.
  #For a more detailed character, use the second level of complexity. In this case, you use both substance and essence, and the six main subdivisions (in normal type above). You have 15-24 (d10 + 14) points to split between the six stats (strength, dexterity, senses, intellect, sociability, mental senses – for descriptions, see below). Your substance and essence are determined by averaging your stats – choose one to round up (the other then rounds down), depending on whether your character is more essence based (round up essence and down substance) or substance based (round up substance and down essence). To be substance based is much more common for a human being (see On Essence and Substance, below). Additional modules can be used if you use this system for stats, but it is not recommended.
  #For full stat characters, you use the full range of stats, which is done most easily by following the steps below: **First, decide if your character is more of an essence-based, or substance based character (see On Essence and Substance, below). **You then have 75 points to spend on buying stats. These are spent on the most detailed stats – reasoning, flair, etc. (for descriptions, see below) **Intellect, strength, etc (see below), are the averages of their subsidiary stats. If you decide to be an essence based character, round up all the essence averages (intellect, sociability, mental senses), and down all the substance ones (strength, dexterity, senses). If you are more substance based, round down essence and up substance numbers. **Your essence is the average of your intellect, sociability and mental senses. Your substance is the average of your strength, dexterity and stamina. Again, round up or down as appropriate to your character. '''''On essence and substance:''''' All humans are made of two things: essence, which is the spirit or soul, and substance, which is the physical body. Humans tend to be more substance based. ''Essence'' is, substantially, force of will. The essence number used in game play is your temporary essence pool, which is twice your essence statistic There are various things (some of the uses of an elemental affinity, use of some magics, etc) that require expending one's essence. This is essentially using the stuff of one's soul to shape the world around to a different pattern. You can also use essence to push yourself beyond your limits, to achieve things that would normally be impossible. It is not magic. You do not necessarily succeed just because you push yourself. But… Essence is restored in one way, principally – something occurs which satisfies the soul. Triumph, exultation, peace, vindication, acting in a way that you know is right whatever the cost or result, or simply staying true to yourself in a difficult situation - all can qualify. For the elemental kin, this may also be through spending time in their element. ''Substance'' is, essentially, health. The substance number used in game play is your temporary substance pool, which is twice your substance statistic Substance is lost through illness, injury, and other similar things. (Note: the injury can be self-inflicted!). It is regained through rest, or healing (some of the elemental kin can do this). There are people who can use their substance for other more esoteric matters… Very few things alter the substance or essence statistic, although many things may affect the temporary substance or essence pools. '''''On the Statistics:''''' If using full statistics, the primary statistics (intellect, sociability, mental senses, strength, dexterity, senses) would be used only if the task depended on all of the secondary stats. 3-4 is average for most things – a person will normally have mostly 3 and 4, with the occasional 2 and 5, save for in the mental senses, which are much less common. :'''Intellect''' is a measure of how ‘clever’ you are. Or, more accurately, it is a measurement of all your mental skills. It has many aspects – some intelligent people are very quick thinking, others seem to be able to leap from one idea to another, and so on. If using just the primary stats, intellect would be used for any mental task, for example reading or writing. ::''Reasoning'' is your ability to reason, to follow a logical progression. ::''Flair'' is that intuition which allows you to jump from half formed ideas to whole ones, find patterns. More than that, also the ability to have great ideas rather than simply work from the work of others, to innovate. ::''Speed'' is quite simply, speed of thought. :'''Sociability''' is a measure of how you interact with others. If you are using just the primary stats, sociability should be used for any social interaction, like deciding if you have charmed someone into revealing some piece of information. ::''Persuasion'' is your ability to convince, persuade and sway. ::''Personality'' measures the degree to which people tend to just want to make you happy. Appearance is included in this statistic, and although a high score does not necessarily imply good looks, it is likely. ::''Empathy'' is your ability to understand others, to read their body language, and to tell what is making them tick. :'''Mental Senses''' There are 5 mental senses, just as there are 5 physical ones. If you are using primary statistics only, it is suggested that you nonetheless choose one area in which your mental senses are sharper, and one in which they are weaker. Humans tend not to have high mental senses – one or perhaps two senses at 3 or 4 is exceptional. With one or two points in the senses, erratic effects will be noticed, though they will be uncontrolled. Three to four, there is a little more control, and a degree of dependability. Five to six, they are trainable. Seven or above, things like projective thought sense, etc, become possible. These, and their training, are the basis of sorcery. ::''Emotion'' sensing is the sensing and receiving of emotions. Not just by reading feeling from body language, with an ability to understand others, which is what empathy is, but an ability to feel what another feels, or project your own emotions to another. Someone with high empathy might work out that someone is upset; someone with emotion sense will have felt it, and maybe seen why. Projecting emotion is only possible with a strong enough sense. ::''Thought'' sensing is hearing people’s thoughts, and maybe even projecting your own. ::''Future'' sense is not just a future sense, but also a past and present sense. In truth, it is the sight of things that have been and are and may yet be, though the past can only be seen by those with an unusually strong 'future' sense (6+), and the present only by thoswe who are truly exceptional (9-10). ::''Danger'' sense warns of immediate danger – the weaker your sense, the greater the danger which triggers the warning… if you start feeling bad about something… beware. The most commonly high mental sense in this era. ::''Spirit'' sense involves seeing and being able to communicate with 'spirits'. This include elemental spirits, in places where the elements are strong, and spirits as in those who have somehow burnt off all of their substance and remain, their essence intact, as 'ghosts'. This is the basis of necromancy. :'''Strength''' is a measure of how strong your character is in various ways; sheer strength, strength in the sense of endurance, and strength in the sense of recovery time. It is used for any physical action requiring force or endurance, rather than dexterity.. ::''Endurance'' is how long you can go on for, stamina. ::''Force'' is what would traditionally be called strength – lifting power, or the force you can put behind a punch. ::''Restoration'' measures how fast you recover from exertion. :'''Dexterity''' is a measure of grace, co-ordination, agility, speed. Used in physical actions that require more than brute force! ::''Grace'' measures how co-ordinated your body is; that which you would be likely to use when dancing. ::''Agility'' covers how good you are at things which require small, finicky movements, like picking locks, or painting. ::''Speed'' is your speed of movement. :'''Physical senses''' are the usual five physical senses. If you are using only primary stats, it is recommended that you pick one stronger and one weaker sense, as with the mental senses. All are as you would expect. ::''Smell'' ::''Hearing'' ::''Touch'' ::''Taste'' ::''Sight'' ''Add reasons for them being worthwhile. Eg sight affecting archery === Merits_and_Flaws === Merits and flaws – the quirks and oddities, affinities and history, of a character. You can take as many merits and flaws as you like, as long as the net value of them all is zero. You may also exchange some or all of your initial fate points for merit points during, and only during, character creation – one fate point has a value of ten merit points – so that you may have a total net maximum of +50 merit points at the start of play. Each merit/flaw has a multiplier. The cost, in merit points, of buying a merit is the merit multiplier times the score you wish to buy in the merit. This may be positive or negative – all merit/flaws have a flip side, and so have scores from –10 to 10. Depending on what your score is in a given merit, you will have it more or less well or badly! Example: A person with a riches score of –10 is slave. Riches 0 would be bare necessities. Riches 1 means an adventurer has the essentials of life, including a weapon (though not a good one!). Riches 10 would be the king of a reasonably sized and affluent country. The only exception to this rule is the elemental affinity – there should be no negative affinities generally available to players. But then, the affinities are a large part of the reason why this world has survived. If you have a negative affinity, you tend to die before, at or very soon after birth. Simple as that. A few survive with the most minor of negative earth or fire affinities, but their lives are usually disastrous. If you really want to play a character with an almost insurmountable handicap, speak to your GM about this. Normal people have scores of 0 in any merit / flaw – ie no effect from them. Almost anything can be a merit or a flaw – from things like riches, to an affinity for a skill, a flair for a type of knowledge, an ineptitude, a response to pressure, a lack of self confidence. It is intended that you should be not only able to create your own merits/flaws, but be encouraged to do so. Discuss them with your GM. Explain to him why you feel your character has this merit/flaw – and why it is an advantage / disadvantage. It is then up to him to decide on the merit multiplier, based on comparison to the merits and flaws given as examples below. There are many ways that some things can be merits or flaws – choose which one is the one that is yours. Like fame – it could be a merit because everyone recognises you and goes out of their way to help you. It could be a merit because you get offered jobs in your line of work, or because the authorities trust you. Or it could be a flaw because everyone knows your face, and hates your guts. Or it could be a flaw because everyone loves you, and it means that wherever you go, you get mobbed! Which is it for you? Each merit/flaw comes under a stat area – they are listed in that way below, to give you the idea. This is either the area they affect, or the area they most affect, or the area they seem most appropriate for. Most supernatural things, for example, tend to belong in senses, mental. This may vary from person to person. For example, animal affinity might come under mental senses for some people, and be a supernatural affinity for animals, or under sociability for others, being simply an understanding of how to get on with animals. Some merits and flaws are roleplaying merits or flaws. DO NOT let characters get away with taking a roleplaying flaw like confidence without playing it. If they do, you should penalise them severely – from automatically making them fail actions that, were they playing the flaw, they would not take, as a warning, to removing both the flaw, and a similarly costing merit which they possess, as a last resort. This module is not here to allow players to min-max, it is provided for roleplaying, background and character completeness. ((ok, any better ideas of how to put? Think that’s ok)) Similarly, some merits and flaws are background merits, such as fame, or betrothal. It is up to you as the GM to make these show in the game. If you do not feel you can with any merit or flaw a character wants, then tell them they can not have it. It is better that way. Anywhere that requires rounding in this module, round down. General guidelines: Things that affect a stat: • Firstly, any merit that affects a stat, can only do so under a specific, and reasonable circumstance. For example, the merit ‘cornered cat’ adds points to flair in situations of high pressure. • Most merits that effect a stat will have a x3 multiplier • Merits affecting the physical senses will have a x2 multiplier • 3 points of merit will add / remove one point to / from the stat. If a player decides he doesn’t have that much then the GM should simply bear it in mind. • Merits can not be used to raise a PC’s stats over 10.(( Cos I rekon its myths and ‘heroes’ that have stuff like that. Yes, I think you are right. Noone except they would.)) • Things that affect more than one stat, have proportionately higher multipliers (see berserk) Things that affect an ability: • Things that affect one ability will usually cost x2, unless it is a particularly impractical thing like artistic ability, which cost x1 • 2 points of merit will add / remove one point to / from the stat Backgrounds: • Will tend to have a x3 to x8 multiplier, depending on scarcity. Mental effects: • Will tend to have about a x4 multiplier. The rare, supernatural, or unusual: • Expect a x6 to x10 multiplier. Some examples of merits/flaws: Intellect Curiosity x3 You are curious. As a merit, this means you find out useful things, and your curiosity helps you when you are trying to learn things (bonus to speed ((Would a line at th beginning saying remember you can chabge both when and to what these apply not be ok? Yes, it probably was. Remember we have to aim this at people immeasurably stupid unfortunately ))(mental) if learning something). As a flaw, it means you stick your nose into the wrong places, with often disastrous results!! Cornered Cat x3 If you are truly under pressure (think of a life or death moment, or something equally important to you) you add bonus to your flair if this is a merit, or remove it if this is a flaw. Some people make intuitive leaps under pressure. Others freeze. Musicality x1 You either have a talent for music… or you are tone deaf. Bonus/penalty to the ability ‘plays instrument’. Self belief x4 As a flaw, you do not trust yourself to get things right. You may be slow to act, or find it hard to make decisions. As a merit, you are confident; you can pull things off just because you believe in yourself. You may also receive a bonus or penalty to persuasion if your audience is hostile. Sociability Betrothal x3 You are engaged to be married. This may mean you have a happy betrothed ((possibly just don’t like the use of an verb being used as a noun despite the factt hat this one can be)) somewhere who will help you out, it may mean you are a happier, more stable person. Or it may mean your family is trying to pressure you into a marriage you hate… Confidence x3 You are either annoyingly cocky, or people tend to feel calmer when you are in charge. This is a bonus or penalty to personality in close group situations. Fame x5 You are known! As a merit, people go out of their way to help you; as a flaw, they might flock around and refuse to leave you alone, or you might be infamous, so that people will try and hinder you! Lifestyle x4 As a flaw, you are suited for one lifestyle, and one only. You will never truly fit in anywhere else, and will always be at a disadvantage in understanding other cultures and ways of being. As a merit, you soak up other customs like a sponge, and can learn to think just like a native of a completely different culture with facility. Loyalty x4 As a merit, you have a loyalty to a cause or person. It keeps you secure from some temptations, and you will receive some admiration for your steadfastness even from those who disagree with you. As a flaw, your loyalties are divided, you support two contradictory causes, or your loyalty is to something people hate. Obligation x5 You should have 2pts of this merit/flaw per major obligation – to you if it is a merit, or by you if it is a flaw. It might be a vow, a favour owed, or a duty. Rank x4 You might be a noble, you might be a king. You might be an indentured bondsman, or you might be a slave. This is what rank is. A slave would be –10, a foreigner might be –2, a king might be +10. Riches x8 You are rich. Or poor. A person with a riches score of – 10 is slave. Riches 0 would be bare necessities. Riches 1 means an adventurer has the essentials of life, including a weapon (though not a good one!). Riches 10 would be the king of a reasonably sized and affluent country Sought x5 Someone is looking for you. This might be to give you a fortune you have inherited. Or it might be to clap you in a dungeon… Senses, mental Animal affinity x2 Animals like you, or hate you. Bonuses/penalties to abilities like riding or hawking. Elemental affinity x7 You have an affinity for one of the elements. See the section ‘On the Elements’, below. Flair for necromancy x10 You have a flair for the nastier side of sorcery – or an ineptitude. If a flair, you are a nassty piece of work. An ineptitude might just be chance, or it might be a subconcious or even concious refusal to be that nasty…! Flair for sorcery x9 You have a talent for sorcery. All abilities pertaining to sorcery get a bonus from this skill, as do your mental senses beyond their training, when engaged in sorcery. Alternatively you are inept, and whatever you try is l likely to go wrong – you will misremember things, mispronounce them, and generally mess them up! Luck x10 You’ve read the section on luck? Well, here it is. Bear in mind that a x2 luck bonus or penalty is exceptional. x1 is enough that only some thieves would have it. It can be a boon or bane… Vocation x8 As a merit, you have a call from a god, and you follow it. He/she/it watches over you, and guides you. You get a +1 luck bonus for every three points of this merit. You also receive a bonus to rituals of your religion, and to theology. GM’s: their god is likely to call on them… As a flaw, you might have a call from a god that you are ignoring. This would be a 2 or 3 point flaw. You would get a –1 general luck penalty for each 3 points of flaw, but a bonus to rituals and theoogy, and if you are sering the god, get the full luck penalty. The flaw in this case is mostly social – noone trusts the world around you to be a safe enough place to be! Or, you might have two gods quarreling over you, or your god might be evil. Up to you… Noone with any vocation can ever be a necromancer – their god would kill them first, even if he is evil. They will also never make good sorcerers. Such things would not be to trust their god ((rephrasing )) to protect them, and are meddling in the affairs of the gods. Strength Berserk x6 If this is a merit, you receive a bonus to all your strength stats in combat, or a similarly confrontational situation. If it is a flaw, in the same situations, you have a penalty to all your dexterity stats. Bloody mindedness/ x3 You gain a bonus or penalty to your endurance in Weak will situations where people expect you to fail, i.e. if you reach for the sky… Constitution x5 You are either resistant to disease and poisoning, or susceptible to it. GM’s are encouraged to remember this merit/flaw! It is important for game play – ill bet you do not fight as well even if you only have a cold! Size x1 You might be a giant, or a dwarf, or a child. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and could be merits or flaws, depending on the balance between the two (hence the x1 modifier). As an example: All children receive only 50 points to buy abilities with. Also, children must cross off 25 points of their initial stats, which they will not have until they reach puberty. At that point, they will ‘regain’, or rather, gain, them. Child (merit): your small size and apparent innocence are an advantage to you in your profession as a thief. You gain bonuses to stealth rolls, and any personality rolls involving the authorities. However, your size means you are vulnerable to those larger than you, and may be bullied. And your age means that other thieves disregard you. Child (flaw): As a noble, your size hinders you in learning useful things, like swordcraft. Your lack of strength makes you vulnerable to abuse. Your age makes people assume you know nothing. And they never let you do anything. But, it does mean you do not get sent out with the army to die, and you are pampered and cared for. And no one assumes you are spying when they catch you listening at the door… Survival x5 You either have a feel for the things needed for survival, or you do not. This is often due to upbringing, but may be an inherent talent. You just know which plants are safe to eat, you can find something that will burn, etc, or you really have less than no idea – worse, you do not have a feel for what will happen to you if you get it wrong…! Dexterity Cat on a hot tin roof/ x3 If you are under pressure, either you speed up (merit), Tortoise, not hare. Due to adrenalin, and nerves, or you slow down through over-caution (flaw). Bonus/penalty to speed (physical) Catspaws/ x3 A bonus or penalty to agility under pressure. Either fear Fumble fingers pushes you beyond yourself, or you get fingers like lead weights… Concealment/ x4 You are either the sort of person no one notices, or the Noticeability sort of person that everyone does. Receive bonuses or penalties to anything that requires you to be hidden, or to be noticed, as appropriate. ((Sociability don’t think so – its not just in a social context, it applies to sneak as well. its almost like arcane, but less so unless you have oooodles… better word? Hmm, point is that it is the lack of drawing attention to yourself not being able to hide. The person who can lean against the wall and watch without pople wonering why rather than the person who melts into the shadows. Can be used to help sneak but different)) Stealth x2 You have a talent for being sneaky, or you are too direct to make a good scout. Bonuses to hiding, and silent movement. Senses, physical Eagle eyes/ x2 As before, better or worse sight in an especial Blind circumstance. Someone might have a penalty to sight if they are in bright light, for example. Ears of the bat/ x2 Better or worse than normal hearing in a specific Deaf circumstance, for example hunting or spying. Touch sensitive/ x2 Either you have a greater or lesser sense of touch in Insensitive some circumstance – for example, if given something sensuous, it might put you on guard, so you did not really feel it, or it might make you more sensitive than usual. '''''On the elements:''''' The first thing to remember is that what makes all this possible is an elemental affinity. It is a thing of, well, passion, if you will. Thus, a child of fire, wishing to transfer a candle flame from a candle to his fingers, does not command it to move, but rather, he coaxes. The more pronounced the affinity, the truer this is. Thus, spending one’s substance in the creation of one’s element is a thing of joy and pleasure – albeit mixed with pain. Also, the elemental kin tend to live their element, and mainly see things in its frame of reference – a water-kin would see time passing in drips and drabs where a fire-child would see it passing in dips and flares, the air-born, in gusts and calms, or an earth-ward, in peaks and troughs, for example! Indeed, the elemental kin have a true affinity for their element – part or all of their essence is elemental. This part of their essence interacts with their element around them – this is what causes the elements to seem ‘aware’ when one of their kin is about. Their substance is also partly elemental – hence the common reflection of some characteristics of one’s element in one’s physical characteristics. Most people who have an affinity, it is either weak, or medium. Affinity 1 to 5 is relatively common, though still rare in the population as a whole. It is strongly recommended that players do not take affinities of more than 7, and no player may be a Myth unless you are playing a ‘high level game’ – i.e. using the rules for such things (GM’s guide only – see ‘On Myths’, below). Most affinities will be to earth. Then to water, then to air, then to fire, in order of scarcity. All elemental kin suffer from cold iron. It inhibits their contact with their element, and contains their essence in themselves. For one with a very minor affinity, an iron ring may be enough to neutralise them – for this reason, many of the townsfolk gift such ‘ornaments’ to their children, that they might never become aware of such an affinity. The stronger are collared and cuffed in iron when they are captured. For the strongest, even this is not enough to contain them, though there are rumoured to be ways… Iron, torn from earth, heated in fire, shaped in air, quenched in water, is the bane of the elemental kindred. Bronze, also, has a small effect – not really noticeable to any affinity above the least of them (1 or 2). (For the GM: Any forged metal, or, indeed, some of the man-made plastics and other materials, will have this effect. However, they are not made or used, so this is not known. Do not tell the players about this – if they come across some ruins, and suddenly can not find their element, they should have no idea what is going on!) The other important thing is training (which is an ability). Any affinity can use up to its training on the table below by conscious design. Any other effects will be almost random, and up to the GM: though you can try and do something, how and to what extent it works is not up to you… Training can be gotten from others with affinities, preferably with the same affinity as you (!), or you can try and train yourself. (That is very hard until you have at least training 3 or 4, and even then, not easy.) Table x: Names and titles: Elemental kin Myth Air-born Sylph Earth-ward Titan Fire-child Dragon Water-kin Kraken GM’s: See ‘Relative Strength’, below. Relative Strength: Opposed rolls are done on (Affinity x 2) + Training vs (Affinity x 2) + Training. Of two identically strong, but different, elemental affinities, which will win in a contest? The strongest affinities, of course, could kill each other virtually instantly… this means that fights are usually voluntarily limited to certain powers… This tends to vary with the strength of affinity you are dealing with. The most powerful – affinities 8, 9, 10, the order is Fire Water Air Earth, for example. This is, however, not an absolute – it depends to some extent on the nature of the character, to some extent. Table x: Relative strengths: ((Might be worthwhile explaining why agree, will do so. Im still not entirely sure about it anyway…or at least how to explain what I mean…)) Affinity Order (strongest to weakest) 1, 2 Earth Water Fire Air 3, 4 Water Air Fire Earth 5, 6, 7 Air Water Earth Fire 8, 9, 10 Fire Water Air Earth What an affinity means in game terms: Bear in mind that with all these things, the effect increases markedly as the affinity increases. One may ‘borrow’ the speed of the wind, but this can mean anything from a little more speed stat for a few minutes, to a speed great enough to run on water… 1 Won’t be hurt by their element in the normal way of things. For example, a fire-child won’t be burnt if they put their hand into a fire. But this is more than just, if you stick your hand in a fire, it doesn’t burn it. It is, in some very real ways, a protective force. The water-kin will not drown in the sea, even if he can’t swim – the water will keep him up. Air-born might find themselves blown back from the edge of a cliff; the earth-wards have been known to survive avalanches because the rocks fell in such a way as to protect them. This effect is more and more noticeable with a stronger affinity. 2 Minor manipulations of the element are possible. A candle flame may be coaxed to a finger, a small breeze may blow in the absence of any wind, e.t.c. This only applies to the already extant element. 3 One may adopt characteristics of one’s element – speed of wind, strength of earth, e.t.c. Requires use of essence. 4 Never hurt by manifestations of own element; not even those caused by another elemental kindred. Though those more powerful may be able to imprison or contain one even so. 5 Major manipulations of the element are possible, though, again, this is only a manipulation of what is there. Flight is possible, for example, for the air-born – the air will keep them aloft. However, this uses up the elemental-kin’s essence – one cannot fly for long… 6 Creation of one’s element from one’s substance is possible. This is both painful and dangerous, as well as extremely pleasurable. This, too, requires the use of one’s essence. 7 Using one’s essence, one can transform materials that are related to one’s element into one’s element – metal (not iron) into earth, snow or mud into water, gas into air. This is least true of fire! 8 Using one’s essence, one can transform any substance into one’s element, including an opposing element, save for bronze and cold iron. 9 Bronze may be transformed into your own element. This requires use of essence. 10 Iron can be transformed into your own element. This requires use of essence. One can become one’s element. Literally and entirely. This requires no use of essence, but carries the danger that one may easily never return… Use of essence: In case 3, using essence to enhance the elemental aspects of one’s substance In case 5, using essence to consciously shape element around one. In cases 6 to 9, using ones essence to ‘transmute’ what it comes into contact with – it is so strongly elemental that it impresses its pattern onto that which it comes into contact with… On Myths (GM): A Myth is a person with an elemental affinity of 10. They are an order of magnitude more powerful than those with an affinity of 9. Every ability up to 8 on the chart does not require the use of essence for them. They are so strongly elemental that the human world may have little grasp on them. They are… not human, in truth. For this reason, unless you are playing a Myths game, it is best never to let a player be a Myth, and NPC Myths should be used as sparingly as your last handful of food! There will be perhaps one or two myths in a whole country at once. More than that, and the world is about to change drastically… the gods do not often do such a thing. If you want to run a Myths campaign, though, the following changes are suggested: Initial Stat and Ability points: 90 90 and 75, more than that for any PC characters who are not myths. They are exceptional in other ways think we need to think about it.. but we said, keep the numbers the same before… what are yu thinking of exactly here? Point is a hero in a myth campaign might not be a myth but should be balanced with them if you are running a party. Therefore should have the same number of stats. Starting Fate Points: Base of 3 – it really is not a good idea to play Myths without full character creation, which means you should have 7 starting Fate Points. Each strength of affinity is actually a range. With lower affinities, this is not especially noticeable or, indeed, worth noting! But for a Myth, they can be considered to have an affinity of 10.x, where x is a number from 1 to 10. This is only useful in determining who would win in a contest, apart from one thing: affinities of 10.10 can transform essence-iron into their element – though it requires the use of a lot of essence, and is entirely likely to kill you. Do be aware that there are only so many times you can save the world… Especially, if you must have PC Myths, make sure that they start the game with little or no training, so that you have room for them to grow… And…enjoy… [#Abilities]
  

• NOTE: This is only to buy new abilities that you can justify having known before – not to improve ones you have. Once they are set, they can only be improved through roleplaying or with experience points. *
  

	Campcraft	Blind fighting
	Yoga

				not forget, you may have spent 
				fate points on merits

				a dexterity stat
				Damage is Force + weapon
				(see ‘Arms and Armour’)

				stat
				Armour is Endurance + armour
				(see ‘Arms and Armour’)

		Personality:	5				Agility:	4
		Empathy:	2				Speed:	4

		Thought:	7 (8)				Hearing:	2 (4)

	Score	Description		Score	Description

	6	Research

	4 (5)	Meditation
	9		Reading

					1	Swimming

	7 (8)	Training (Thought)
	2 (3)	Training (Future)
	2 (3)	Training (Danger)
	6 (7)	Training (Spirit)

		Not noticeable, not OTT, not even liked. But memorable.

	Description	Multiplier	Score

	Confidence	x 3	-4

	Survival	x 5	-4

		Personality:					Agility:	
		Empathy:					Speed:	

		Thought:					Hearing:	

	Score	Description		Score	Description

	Description	Multiplier	Score