Editing Shadowwalkers: Trait Sets, Mods, and Chargen

<u>'''Primary trait dice should be included every roll'''</u> Add one die each from Objective, Role, and Distinction sets to form the base of every dice pool.

==Objectives [[file:d4a.png|32px|d4]][[File:Arrow03.png|24px]]==

The first Prime Trait set we will be using is Objectives, broad goals that a given action is aimed at achieving. Each character is ranked in five Objectives:

'''INFILTRATION | INVESTIGATION | NEGOTIATION | PROTECTION | SABOTAGE'''

:Chosing the '''Infiltration''' Objective means a character is trying to insert themselves into a given place, headspace, situation, etc.  

:Chosing the '''Investigation''' Objective means a character is trying to learn something about a given situation either in the moment, via research, interrogation, etc.  

:Chosing the '''Negotiation''' Objective means a character is trying to get someone to alter thinking or action via intimidation, misdirection, reason, compromise, etc.  

:Chosing the '''Protection''' Objective means a character is trying to defend an idea, place, object, or oerson - possibly even themselves - in a given situation.

:Chosing the '''Sabotage''' Objective means a character is just trying to fuck up a given situation.

Rank one '''Objective''' at [[file:d10a.png|24px|d10]] one at [[file:d8a.png|24px|d8]] two at [[file:d6a.png|24px|d6]] and one at [[file:d4a.png|24px|d4]]

:A character  attends a gala for the purpose of playing a cello solo. By itself this action doesn't particularly fit ''any'' of the listed Objectives. Until we ask ''"why"''?

:: If the purpose of playing is to distract folk so another character can come in and muck things up, then '''Sabotage''' is the ultimate Objective. If the purpose of playing is to get noticed by the Prince of the City in hopes of being invited into his inner circle of collected prodigies (ala the slug club at Hogwarts) then the Objective is probably '''Infiltration'''.

:: On the other hand, if the purpose is to let Detective Putz know you saw him in the front row with his mistress, the mayor's wife, then the Objective likely defaults to a future '''Negotiation''' of silence for favors. Or, you might just be there to determine up close how the various curtain pullies, sandbags, and props are used, where the secret hatches are, and who is doing the work as part of an open case involving a series of murders within a block of the gala venue. Then '''Investigation''' is the Objective.

Second in the Prime Traits sets are Roles. If Objectives define the primary goal of a character's action. Roles give scope to the means by which those goals are achieved.

Characters tend to fill multiple roles in the regular course of things, but as might be expected, different characters develop more in certain roles than others, becoming top tier skilled in one, highly skilled in two others, competent in most of the rest, and abysmally less competent at that one role that just eludes them.

'''FIXER | LEADER | PERFORMER | RESEARCHER | SCRAPPER'''

:'''Leader:''' Leaders come in many forms and practice many styles, but in the end a Leader steps up, gives direction, makntains order, and control chaos. Leaders maintain awareness of the big picture with an eye toward moving the various parts to achieve a desired outcome.

 

There are endless possible Roles a player night dream up, but most of these tend to be more suited to GMC characters, such as maybe Artisan or Criminal or Facilitator. With GM approval players are welcome to make one or more of these other Roles a prime Role for their character, but they have to relegate a coresponding Role from the main list to an untrained Role, ranking it at [[file:d4a.png|24px|d4]]  

Distinctions are the third set of Prime Traits and thematically define aspects of each character to paint a clear picture of them as a whole. All Distinctions are rated at [[file:d8a.png|24px|d8]]

Each character is loosely defined by three Distinctions:

:'''Awakened:''' - An encounter with the wizard priests of Set took you from the world before your time in a dark ritual of death and unmaking . . . then the ritual brought you back. You awoke from your own death forever changes, a hollowed out vessel filled with unnatural life.

:<u>You have access to the Awakened power set.</u>

:'''Bloodless''' - An encounter with vampires left you half in and half out of their world. As one of the Bloodless you have no need of sleep and are not burdened by a need to breathe, You cannot be killed by any means that rely on lack of oxygen to bring about death.  

:<u>You have access to the Bloodless power set.</u>

:'''Changeling''' - An encounter with a specific species of lycanthrope left you infected or cursed to share their form and appetites. In animal form, you enjoy the senses, reflexes, stamina, and movement mode of your beast as well as its attack forms. You understand your animal's "language" such as it is including posture, body language and social mannerisms. You never have to roll to return to human form.

:<u>You have access to the Changeling power set.</u>

:'''Erased:''' - An encounter with the avatar of some long forgotten demigod left you with a choice: Host its ancient spirit, or let it fade utterly from existence. For whatever reason, you chose to invite it in, and life has never been the same.

:<u>You have access to the Erased power set.</u>

:'''Fallen''' - An encounter with a disposessed angelic being that was cast out of the Light has branded you, its damed soul seared to your flesh in a desperate attempt to survive its exile. It has claimed you as a soldier in its fight. ''<<Free Will?>>'' a cold voice whispers in your mind. ''<<Yeah you have that. You can cast me out any time you like. You just don't get to survive the event>>'' As one of the  Fallen you are always aware of supernatural entities and artifacts near you (within 50') and are able to identify their type. This ability is not hindered by invisibility, intangibility, or altered form.  

:<u>You have access to the Fallen power set.</u>

:'''Guardian:''' - An encounter with the ancient and dying spirit of the City made you the heir-apparent of that supernatural office, turning you into a guardian spirit charged with watching and warding the people, creatures, and nexi of the city proper.

:<u>You have access to the Guardian power set.</u>

:'''Mystic''' - An encounter with elemental forces opened you to worlds beyond the mortal realm, enabling you to call forth powers from one realm to another. As a Mystic you are able to unerringly feel where realms overlap if you are close enough and are able to identify the realm in question at the point where two realms touch. You are also able to do small conjurings (old school cantrips) within the normal stricture of your powers without rolling, provided the effect is local, temporary, and does not directly affect an unwilling target.   

:<u>You have access to the Mystic power set.</u>

:'''Null''' - Despite countless encounters with the supernatural, you have remained stubbornly untouched and relentlessly human. You have supernatural power, but even you might not be aware of this as most of them are extremely subtle and reactive, manifesting more as luck or coincidence than a tangible effect. Nulls are utterly immune to the curse, infection, or mark of all supernatural beings. What's more, supernatural beings able to sense other supernaturals can only read Nulls as regular mortals, not as the anti-echo beings they really are.

:<u>You have access to the Null power set.</u>

:'''Promethean:''' - An encouter with unkown forces drew your departed spirit from its final path and forced it into corrupted and rune etched flesh stitched together by the hands of man. You died. You remember dying. Before that, you lived. You remember that life. Now you are alive again. But this isn't the life you knew. This isn't the body you knew. And though those you loved remain, you cannot approach them - cannot risk their fear - cannot risk drawing attention to them.

:<u>You have access to the Promethean power set.</u>

:'''Revenant''' - An encounter with literal ghosts nearly drew you entirely over to the other side, but you fought your way back. Changed. But alive. Sort of. Additionally, the dead are never invisible or intangible to you. You sense them and see them and can lay hands on them regardless of their physical state in the moment . . . or yours. The first time a Revenant encounters a particular spirit, they may ask one question of the GM about that spirit and recieve a true and unobfuscated answer.

:<u>You have access to the Revenant power set.</u>

:'''Touched''' - An encounter with creatures of the Fae realms marked you as one of their own. You always recognize the Fae for what they are regardless of the form they choose to appears in and may claim kinship once a scene if a fae being is present. Claiming kinship invokes protection for the duration of the scene.  

:<u>You have access to the Touched power set.</u>

:'''Unfettered''' - An encounter with <s> redacted</s>  from . . . ''without'' . . . has left you seriously disconnected from what most folk consider reality, to the point that your mind reverberates with a near constant sense of cognative dissonance. But oh the things your mind can see now that it is free of the chains that bind the rest of creation. The veil has parted and will never properly close again for you. Not now that you have seen the machine . . .

:<u>You have access to the Unfettered power set.</u>

Each character starts with a power set of the same name as their Echo Distinction. Each set includes three powers. Rank one power at [[file:d10a.png|24px|d10]] and the other two at [[file:d8a.png|24px|d8]] Each character starts with the Echo SFX and selects one more SFX to activate for their powers.

:'''Vamnpric Form:''' A host of physical changes come over the bodies of the Bloodless as they take on the mantle of potential immortality. They inherit the tireless stamina of the corpse and are able to absorb much in the way of physical damage without taking stress. Their physical prowess exceeds that of mortal men, and they are incredibly fast, faster than most mortal eyes can track, with reflexes that are unmatched in the mortal realm.

:The Bloodless are able to use their bodies as vicious and brutal weapons.and they can see in all manner of dark as easily as men see in the day.

'''Limit:''' [Exhaustion] Shut down any <power set specific> power to gain a pp. Activate an opportunity to restore the power.

===<u>'''Erased Power Set'''</u>===

'''Powers:''' Rank one power at [[file:d10a.png|24px|d10]] and the other two at  [[file:d8a.png|24px|d8]]

===<u>'''Fallen Power Set'''</u>===

'''Powers:''' Rank one power at [[file:d10a.png|24px|d10]] and the other two at  [[file:d8a.png|24px|d8]]  

 

 

:: [[file:d0a.png|12px]] Hand of Darkness: By physically touching a creature, the Fallen can inflict searing trauma (Physical, Psychic, or Spiritual - player's choice).

: [Special] Spend a pp to reverse the manifestation of your '''Touch of the Fallen''' power for a single action.

:'''Sword of Storms:''' Stolen by the angel welded to your flesh even as it was cast down, you are in possession of one of the rare blades of the Nephalim. Worked of dark metal of elements not known on earth, the Sword is a devastating weapon against all creatures that bear the echo of the supernatural. The blade can be summoned or dismissed as needed, existing ouside of space and time until it is called forth.  

:'''Universal Mind:''' Connected to the unwavering consciousness that is the web that binds reality as we know it, the Fallen can read the surface thoughts and probe the emotional state of any living being or cursed artifact within 50' of them. Alternately, they can amplify or buffer or even shift by degree the emotions they detect.  

:'''Morrigan on Raven Wings:''' You can explode into a sudden swarm and reform nearby. The fae you most readily identify with will color the specifics of how this power appears, but the actual shape of things is entirely up to the player. Possible forms a swarm might take are blackbirds, dragonflies, rats, roaches, spiders, butterflies, doves, falling leaves, snow, ash, etc. The touched can move anywhere within 50' of their starting point provided they can see it. Any physical stress taken while in swarm form is halved, round down. At the end of the turn the Touched must reform.  

''':Limit:''' [Unglamoured] Shut down the '''Masque of the Fae''' power and immediately take on fully human form. Activate an opportunity to restore the power.

Knacks are specific specialties under a given Role that the Urchin is just a natural at. Starting knacks are worth an extra [[file:d6a.png|24px]] to the roll it applies to but can be stepped up during chargen or advancement as outlined below.

Each player gets to assign two free knacks at [[file:d6a.png|24px]] to their Character's [[file:d10a.png|24px]] role.

Each player gets to assign one free knack at [[file:d6a.png|24px]] to each of their Character's [[file:d8a.png|24px]] roles.

Each player gets to assign two additional knacks at [[file:d6a.png|24px]] to any role rated [[file:d6a.png|24px]] or higher or step up an existing knack (or two) at a one-for-one exchange rate.