The Eagle and the Wolf

This page will be renamed to the campaign's official name once recruitment and character creation are complete. Until then, it would give too much away. By definition, the protagonists of a portal fantasy don't know where they're going or what they're going to find there.

Templates

This is not an exhaustive list of possibilities. If there's a one- or two-point power in the book that you want to base a character around, and none of the templates below have it, let me know and I'll try to put something together for you.

Pure Mortal

See p. 73. This is the default if nothing else is chosen, and I encourage you to stick with it unless something in the list below cries out "You must have me!"

Beast-Kin

You have an unusually strong bond to a particular kind of animal, such as wolves, tigers, hawks, bears, capybaras, etc. This bond is so strong that it colors your whole personality. It also gives you power. It might run in the family, or it might be yours alone; you might have found others with a like affinity, or you might not.

Musts: Your high concept must reflect your spiritual tie to your chosen animal. You must take Echoes of the Beast [–1] (p. 163).

Options: None.

Important Skills: Alertness, Animal Handling, Investigation

Minimum Refresh Cost: –1

Medium

To you, the world is an eerie, ghost-haunted place. You see beyond the veil, all the time. Maybe your parents laughed off your childhood "imaginary friends," or maybe your talent didn't appear until later in life—perhaps after a near-death experience? In any case, you see spirits, and spirits see you.

Musts: An appropriate high concept and Ghost Speaker [–1] (p. 169).

Options: None.

Important Skills: Contacts and other social skills; Alertness and Investigation

Minimum Refresh Cost: –1

Seeker

There's something out there, some deeper truth. It's your life's quest to find the reality behind the hollow mockery that is quotidian life on Earth. Someday you will hatch from your humdrum existence like a bird from a shell. You've already learned to see beyond the veil a little. Unfortunately, all the gurus and masters you've consulted aren't much more advanced than that themselves—if they're not outright frauds. It seems that true magic is hard to come by.

Musts: Your high concept must key into the idea of the search for mystic enlightenment (or power). You must take the Sight [–1] (p. 174) to reflect your developing mystic awareness.

Options: You may also take Soulgaze [–0] (p. 174) (discounted due to the Sight).

Important Skills: Discipline, Lore; possibly Conviction

Minimum Refresh Cost: –1

Shadow-Walker

For some reason, you've always felt at home in the darkness. Daytime is boring, tiring, oppressive; night brings you to vibrant life. A lot of folks call themselves "night people," but you really are one.

Musts: Cloak of Shadows [–1] (p. 169) and at least one aspect related to your nocturnal proclivity.

Options: None.

Important Skills: Alertness, Investigation, Stealth

Minimum Refresh Cost: –1

True Dreamer

Waking, you're just a normal Joe or Jane, but when you sleep, you sometimes see things that are about to happen. Sometimes you can even do something when you wake up about the things you saw while asleep.

Musts: A high concept related to your sleeping visions. You must take the new power True Dreamer [–1], which functions similarly to Cassandra's Tears (p. 172) but without the social penalty. Directing your dreams to a particular subject calls for a Discipline roll.

Options: If your dreaming powers are starting to bleed over into your waking life, you may take the Sight [–1] (p. 174) and possibly Soulgaze [–0] (p. 174) (discounted due to the Sight).

Important Skills: Discipline; if you have the Sight, Lore and possibly Conviction

Minimum Refresh Cost: –1

Truly Faithful

There is a Higher Power, with a purpose and a plan for the whole Universe, and you strive to discern and do Its bidding. You may focus this devotion through an established religion, or through personal spiritual practices. Whatever route you take, your faith is the center of your life.

Musts: A high concept that reflects your faith. You must take Bless This House [–1] (p. 187).

Options: You may also take Guide My Hand [–1] (p. 187) if you choose.

Important Skills: Conviction

Minimum Refresh Cost: –1

Skills

Remember that the listed stunts are merely examples; others can be created.

Alertness

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 121 for trappings, p. 149 for stunts).

Animal Handling

This skill takes over the portions of Survival relating to the care and training of animals.

Trappings

Breed Knowledge

You can recognize particular breeds of animals and know their strong and weak points and other characteristics. This is a knowledge trapping, used for assessments and declarations.

Packing

You know how to load cargo onto pack animals in the most efficient fashion, so that no animal in the train will be overburdened, loads will not shift or cause sores, etc.

Sympathy

You can communicate with animals, to the extent that such is possible without magic. This trapping functions in place of social skills such as Empathy, Intimidation and Rapport when dealing with natural and many supernatural animals.

Training

Given time, you can train animals to perform tasks or tricks.

Stunts

Beast Whisperer

Gain +1 to attempts to communicate with animals and gain their trust.

Specialist

Gain +2 when working with one broad category of animals, such as dogs. Gain a further +1 when working with a specialization within that category, such as guard dogs.

Archery

This skill covers bows and crossbows (and, by extension, other projectile launchers).

Trappings

Aiming

Bowshot

These are identical to the Guns trappings of the same names (see p. 131).

Bow Knowledge

You can recognize cultural styles of bows and arrows, etc., making assessments and declarations with Archery skill.

Other Projectile Weapons

Blowguns and other projectile launchers that are not thrown use the Archery skill, possibly at a penalty for unfamiliarity.

Stunts

Arrow Storm

This is identical to the "Fast Reload" Guns stunt on p. 153.

Atilliator

You are trained in the art of crossbow construction and maintenance. You may use Archery instead of Craftsmanship when building and fixing crossbows and making crossbow bolts, and take a +1 modifier when so doing.

Bowyer/Fletcher

You are trained in the construction and maintenance of bows. You may use Archery instead of Craftsmanship when building and fixing bows and making arrows, and take a +1 modifier when so doing.

Hand-Eye Coordination

Pin Them Down

Target-Rich Environment

These are identical to the Guns stunts of the same names (see p. 153).

Athletics

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 121 for trappings, p. 149 for stunts).

Bureaucracy

This skill covers dealing with organized human systems, both governmental and commercial.

Trappings

Documents

Searching files, assessing the authenticity of documents, etc.

Finances

Basic and advanced accounting knowledge, and the ability to assess the potential profitability of commercial ventures given sufficient information.

Working the System

The Bureaucracy skill tells you to whom you need to talk to get the signatures you need to get the permits you need to do whatever it is you're planning on doing—or whom you need to bribe to stop your enemy from getting those signatures.

Stunts

Auditor

+2 when examining a paper trail to determine whether, when, how and by whom a crime has been committed.

Lawyer

You can use your Bureaucracy skill in place of Scholarship when preparing or researching legal documents.

Organization Man

You can use your Bureaucracy skill in place of Contacts and Rapport when dealing with the particular bureaucracy in which you work or formerly worked.

Burglary

This skill is combined with parts of Deceit and renamed Larceny (see below).

Contacts

With the exceptions listed below, all trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 123 for trappings, p. 150 for stunts).

Important Note: Contacts covers not just how many people you know, but how easy it is for you to get to know new people. Therefore, even though you will start out knowing no one, you may have a non-zero Contacts skill. You will take severe penalties at first, but these will decrease as you become familiar with your surroundings.

Trappings

City Knowledge

This is the function of urban navigation normally fulfilled by the Driving skill (see p. 129, especially the sidebar).

Stunts

Like the Back of My Hand

This works like the Driving stunt of the same name on p. 151.

Conviction

With the addition below, all trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 124 for trappings, p. 150 for stunts).

Stunts

Blessed Words

Given a proper amount of time to pray to your God, you may lay an aspect upon a scene with a successful Conviction declaration representing the results of that prayer. You must have the Bless This House power to take this stunt.

Craftsmanship

With the exceptions listed below, all trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 125 for trappings, p. 150 for stunts).

Stunts

Car Mechanic

For obvious reasons, this stunt is not recommended.

Civil Engineer

You are trained in large-scale construction work (this is a new trapping; most people can't design buildings, bridges, siegeworks, etc.).

Demolitions Training

This stunt is renamed "Sapper."

Deceit

All the non-social trappings and stunts of Deceit are moved to the new skill Larceny (see below). The social trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 126 for trappings, p. 150 for stunts).

Discipline

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 127 for trappings, p. 151 for stunts).

Empathy

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 129 for trappings, p. 152 for stunts).

Endurance

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 130 for trappings, p. 152 for stunts).

Fists

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 130 for trappings, p. 152 for stunts).

Guns

With the exceptions listed below, all trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 131 for trappings, p. 153 for stunts).

Important Note: If your character concept calls for this skill, take it. You can always learn the Fusilier stunt later.

Trappings

Other Projectile Weapons

This trapping has been moved to Archery (above).

Stunts

Fusilier

You know how to load and fire black-powder weapons (this is a new trapping; most characters, even ones with a high Guns skill, cannot accomplish these tasks without training).

Way of the Bow

The use of bows and crossbows is a separate skill (Archery, above).

Intimidation

With the addition below, all trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 132 for trappings, p. 153 for stunts).

Stunts

Torturer

You can employ "extreme" interrogation methods effectively. Treat this as a mental conflict; the victim defends with Discipline.

Investigation

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 133 for trappings, p. 153 for stunts).

Larceny

This skill combines the old Burglary skill with aspects of the old Deceit skill.

Trappings

Casing

Infiltration

Lockpicking

These trappings are identical to the Burglary trappings of the same names (see p. 123).

Disguise

Distraction and Misdirection

These trappings are identical to the Deceit trappings of the same names (see p. 126).

Stunts

The Big Picture

Cat-Burglar

Hairpin Maestro

Pickpocket

Safecracker

These stunts are identical to the Burglary stunts of the same names (see p. 149).

Document Forging

Makeup Artist

These stunts are identical to the Deceit stunts of the same names (see p. 150).

Stage Magician

This stunt is renamed "Legerdemain."

Stooled to the Rogue

You can substitute Larceny for Contacts and Rapport when dealing with the criminal underclass.

Lore

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 134 for trappings, p. 154 for stunts).

Important Note: You may not start with Lore above Average (+1) without an appropriate high concept, and you may not start with Lore above Good (+3) for any reason.

Might

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 135 for trappings, p. 154 for stunts).

Performance

With the addition below, all trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 135 for trappings, p. 154 for stunts).

Stunts

Stage Makeup

This duplicates the "Makeup Artist" stunt of Larceny (formerly Deceit; see p. 150), but uses Performance instead of Larceny.

Presence

With the addition below, all trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 136 for trappings, p. 154 for stunts).

Stunts

Small Unit Tactics

You have experience leading troops in combat, and gain +1 to Presence rolls in such situations. You can use Presence for assessment and declaration actions in small-unit combat.

Rapport

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 138 for trappings, p. 155 for stunts).

Resources

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 139 for trappings, p. 155 for stunts).

Important Note: You may not start with Resources above Mediocre.

Riding

This skill takes over the Riding trapping from Survival and extends it.

Trappings

Chases

This trapping is identical to the Driving trapping of the same name (see p. 128).

Horse Care

The Riding skill may be used in place of Animal Handling when dealing specifically with riding animals.

Knowing the Countryside

Rural navigation depends on the Riding skill in the same way that urban navigation depends on the Contacts skill (see p. 129, especially the sidebar).

One Hand on the Reins

This trapping is identical to the "One Hand on the Wheel" trapping of Driving (see p. 128).

Stunts

Like the Back of My Hand

Shake the Tail

These stunts are identical to the Driving stunts of the same names (see p. 151).

Trick Rider

You can use Riding in place of Athletics for acrobatic stunts while mounted, and in particular for dodging attacks.

Scholarship

With the addition below, all trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 140 for trappings, p. 155 for stunts).

Stunts

Scientific Method

You may use Scholarship instead of Lore for research in arcane libraries, and your Scholarship complements your Lore when performing arcane lab experiments.

Stealth

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 142 for trappings, p. 156 for stunts).

Survival

Animal Handling and Riding have been moved to separate skills (above). With those exceptions, all trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 143 for trappings, p. 156 for stunts).

Weapons

All trappings and stunts are identical to those in the book (see p. 144 for trappings, p. 156 for stunts).