Age Of Dragons: Advantages

Age Of Dragons: Main Page -> Age Of Dragons: Hatchery Overview -> Age Of Dragons: Advantages

---

Overview of Tiered Attributes

ADVANTAGES:

• Advantages: Choose and record Lifepath Milestones
• Advantages: Choose and record Lifepath Resources

First Tier Attributes: Record Spheres

There are three Spheres used in Age of Dragons:

Soma is "body" - the clay from which a dragon's physical body is formed. Those with strong soma are brutally powerful, resilient and physically adept. They tend to be more agile when on the wing, and can achieve greater feats of strength and endurance. A Dragon's Soma attribute sets the dice pool for any tasks relating to pure physical prowess.

Sophis is "mind" - the intellect and will that governs and guides the Dragon. A strong sophis indicates keen intelligence, good memory, strong logic and great force of will. Dragons with well-developed sophis are not easily dissuaded from their chosen course, and are more adept at intellectual pursuits of all sorts. A Dragon's Sophis attribute sets the dice pool for any tasks relating to mental strength or mental agility.

Pneuma is "breath" - the mystical force which the Mother Goddess animated the first Dragons, and the living energy that accounts for all movement and change in the world, be it the burning of a candle, the flow of a river, or the flight of a dragon. A Dragon's Pneuma attribute sets the dice pool for any tasks which relate to social charm, using magic, artistic creativity, environmental awareness or acting with grace and fluidity. Essentially any task that doesn't easily fit under the auspices of Soma or Sophis can be handled using Pneuma.

The levels of your Spheres depend on your choice of Draconic Breed. The sphere ratings for each breed are listed in the Breed Descriptions.

On average, an adult young Dragon will have Sphere ratings between 3 and 5.

Note that an average human has only has Soma 1, Sophis 3 and Pneuma 1, and even an exceptional human wizard will only have Soma 1, Sophis 3 and Pneuma 2.

Dragons are powerful in body and presence, potent in magic, and generally superior to mere mortals. A human might be as clever as a Dragon, but will never be as strong, fast or puissant in arcane energies.

Second Tier Attributes: Choose Lifepath Sphere Variations

While a Dragon's basic Sphere ratings are determined by its Breed, dedication to a Lifepath can result in higher degrees of aptitude for certain tasks and applications.

Lifepath Sphere Varations are bought as Lifepath Milestones with Experience Points. These are listed in fill in the Lifepaths section.

A Lifepath Sphere Variation gives +1 to the dice pool for certain tasks.

For example, a Warmaster may have the Sphere Variation "Champion of Arms" that makes him especially adept at the use of weapons, and knowledge of them. With any rolls relating to the use of, knowedge of or crafting and maintenance of weapons he is at +1 to his dice pool.

The advantage gained from a Lifepath Sphere Variation is retained permanently, even if the Dragon changes Lifepath.

Some Lifepath Sphere Variations include penalties as well as bonuses. In this case, penalised tasks are at -1 dice.

For example, a Beast Unbound may have the Sphere Variation "Atavism" that enhances his bestial traits (sensory perception, hunting, tooth and claw combat) but which weakens his ability to deal with civilisation (high etiquette, academic study, tool use, etc.). With any rolls relating to bestial traits he is at +1 to his dice pool, but when dealing with civilisation he is at -1 to hs dice pool.

Important: Lifepath Sphere Variations are not cumulative. A character either has a 1 dice bonus (or a 1 dice penalty), and no more, with multiple applicable bonuses and penalties never stacking. If a dragon has both a -1 penalty and a +1 bonus to a task from Lifepath Sphere Variations, then he gets the +1 bonus, and ignores the penalty.

Third Tier Attributes: Choose Personal Sphere Variations

Finally, the player of the character can optionally select one Personal Sphere Variation for his Dragon.

The Personal Sphere Variation never costs XP, and represents an inherent aptitude for a single sort of task. The nature of this variation is up to the player to decide, though it is up to the GM to check whether the chosen variation is reasonable and game balanced.

Example:

End-Of-Summer has always had a knack for empathy. She gains a +1 Personal Sphere Variation bonus to tasks relating to reading the emotions and mental states of others, and is also more persuasive because of her ability to know what people want to hear. The flipside of this is that she is prone to seeing other people's points of view, and thus more likely to compromise. She has a -1 Personal Sphere Variation penalty to resisting attempts to influence her, whether through persuasion, manipulation, seduction or domination, as well as a -1 Personal Sphere Variation penalty on attempts to dominate or command others.

Important: Personal Sphere Variations stack with Lifepath Sphere Variations. The bonus from a Personal Sphere Variation can be cumulative with a Lifepath Sphere Variation bonus or can balance out a penalty from a Lifepath Sphere Variation penalty. The prnalty from a Personal Sphere Variation can be cumulative with a Lifepath Sphere Variation penalty or can balance out a bonus from a Lifepath Sphere Variation penalty.

Note that taking a Personal Sphere Variation is optional - players who want characters of more balanced capabilities can choose to leave it off altogether.

---