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Talents

All talents follow the same basic rule: +1R on any rolls when using the talent unless otherwise stated.

Generally, you can “stack” Talents, gaining multiple bonuses to a single roll, as long as you can justify how each Talent helps. There is a limit: you cannot push any roll past X500 due to bonuses.

Here’s a good list of Talents that don’t require special rules: you just get +1R on any roll where one of these Talents is applicable.

  • Archaeology
  • Art
  • Astrophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Hacking
  • Computer Science
  • Drive
  • Electronics
  • Engineering
  • Espionage
  • Genetics
  • Geology
  • Journalism
  • Law
  • Mechanic
  • Mythology
  • Occult Lore
  • Performance
  • Physics
  • Pilot
  • Psychiatry
  • Radiobiology
  • Religion

By no means is that a comprehensive or complete list.

Talents can be fairly broad or pretty specific, but there are limits. “Science” is too general, while “Lemur Mating Habits” is too specific; “Zoology” is perfect. A good rule of thumb is to use any high school-level class, college/university major, or general technical vocation as a starting point.

Listed below are all special cases: the “otherwise stated” Talents that operate slightly differently. Also included are any Talents that might seem vague without a clearer definition. They are presented in alphabetical order (A>Z).

Talent Index A-Z

  • Acrobatics +1R to dodging and escaping actions.
  • Aerial Combat +1 initiative bonus. +1R to all attack and defense rolls while flying.
  • Charm +1R to get someone to like you. Success modifies an individual’s Attitude, or a community’s view of your Popularity.
  • Close Quarters Combat You can Stun or Slam opponents on a successful attack even when no damage is inflicted.
  • Command +1R to give orders to or lead a group of NPCs who might otherwise be inclined to ignore your wishes.
  • Convince +1R when you using logical arguments and evidence to persuade others of a truth.
  • Crime +1R when dealing with criminals, engaging in crimes, or masquerading as a criminal.
  • Cunning +1R to see through lies and deceit, either to your Reason as the Difficulty against a roll made to deceive you, or to your Intuition to suss out deceit.
  • Deceive +1R to lie or distract.
  • Eidetic Memory You automatically recall any piece of mundane information you viewed at any point in the past with perfect clarity. For esoteric knowledge or information obscured by powers or magic, you roll against a Difficulty equal to the power rank of the effect, or RM (30) if there was no rank.
  • Escape Artist +1R on escape actions, wiggling out of locks, chains, ropes, and other restraints.
  • Faith Use Intuition instead of Reason to resist logical and evidentiary arguments that counter the tenants of your faith.
  • First Aid You can automatically halt the Endurance loss of another character, unless they are at NULL Endurance. You can also restore one lost Endurance rank with a successful roll.
  • Inspire As an interaction once per round, you may give a speech to bring out the best in others. Make a Psyche roll to provide a bonus to a single roll made by an ally Green = +1, Yellow = +2, Red = +3.
  • Insubordinate +1R to your Psyche as Difficulty against attempts to command you, even if backed by psychic or superhuman powers.
  • Intimidate +1R to brow-beat someone into submission through fear or other negative emotions.
  • Interrogate +1R to draw the truth out through careful questioning.
  • Law Enforcement You have +1R with guns, as well as law/legal rolls.
  • Leadership +1 initiative bonus. As long as you are a recognized leader of a team and are present with them, you and your allies each receive +1R on all Psyche rolls.
  • Martial Arts +1R to Fighting when engaged in unarmed combat.
  • Medicine You can automatically halt the Endurance loss of another character, unless they are at NULL Endurance. You can also restore one lost Endurance rank with a successful roll. A character who is at NULL Endurance (dead) for no more than 1d10 minutes can be stabilized if you have access to full medical equipment and the wounds are deemed reasonable to be recovered from by the GM. Additionally, you gain +1R when diagnosing, treating, researching, or otherwise engaging with medical problems.
  • Military +1 initiative bonus. +1R when using military hardware, including weapons.
  • Multi-lingual (Advanced) You are fluent in the following languages: Insert Languages Here. Any time you encounter a new language that isn’t alien to you, make a Reason roll. White = no knowledge; Green = you can identify its origin but can’t speak/read it; Yellow = you can speak or read it passingly well (not both); Red = you are basically fluent. Make sure to keep a running list of such languages and your abilities with them.
  • Multi-lingual (Basic) You are fluent in the following languages: Insert Languages Here.
  • Orate +1R to lead a crowd to a desired conclusion through a stirring speech.
  • Resist Domination +1R to all Psyche rolls against mental attacks, including psionic powers.
  • Seduce +1R to get others to do what you want by leaning on sex appeal.
  • Sharpshooter +1R on any ranged weapon attack that requires line of sight. You don’t suffer range penalties.
  • Situational Awareness +1 initiative bonus.
  • Stoic +1R to your Intuition when others attempt to appeal to your emotions.
  • Streetwise +1R on rolls for navigation, local underworld, and general street survival.
  • Stubborn +1R to your Reason or Psyche when others attempt to change your mind about something for which you’ve already decided.
  • Student – Specific Subject Choose a specific subject. Instead of gaining a bonus on a roll, you instead automatically succeed on advanced trivia related to the subject matter. This doesn’t provide a benefit to apply that knowledge: you know a lot about the subject, but don’t necessarily have much functional experience.
  • Sway +1R to motivate or persuade others through appeals to emotion.
  • Tumbling You can make an Agility roll after a fall up to Endurance Rank Number in feet to land without taking damage.
  • Unphaseable +1R to resist attempts at Intimidation.
  • Unreadable +1R to your Psyche when others attempt to extract information from you, such as through interrogation.
  • Weapon Specialist – Specific Weapon +1R when using the specified weapon.
  • Wrestling +1R on grabbing and grappling attacks, and escaping maneuvers.
Summary
  1. Talents are skills, learned knowledge, or innate abilities that improve your odds of success in fairly specific circumstances.
  2. Unless it says otherwise, you get +1R to your rolls whenever a Talent makes sense in applying to the situation.
  3. If you have multiple Talents that all seem applicable to the situation, you can stack the bonuses as much as you want (up to X500).
  4. There are a bunch of Talents with special benefits and rules.

Activities

On your turn, you can…

  • Move
  • Perform 1 interaction: talk, open or close a door, sip a hot coffee
  • Perform 1 action: attack, defend, hold off, or do something cool

On other people’s turns, you can…

  • Converse with people, especially if it’s an appropriate response to their actions
  • Take a reaction IF AND ONLY IF you either…
    • Decide to defend as your action on your turn, or…
    • You have a power or gear that gives you a reaction. (You may be limited to a certain number of reactions, so keep that in mind. Your powers and gear will tell you.)
Magical Surge
d10 Effect
1 Your ability to cast spells is shut down until an object of Material Strength equal to the spell rank is “consumed” (magically erased from existence via a long ritual), or you have downtime to recuperate.
2 You take the spell’s rank in stress (if unclear, roll on the Spell Ranks Table).
3 Your Agility is reduced to WK 2 until you have downtime to recover.
4 Your Strength is reduced to WK 2 until you have downtime to recover.
5 Your Endurance is reduced to WK 2 until you have downtime to recover. You cannot cast any spells until you recover.
6 Your Reason is reduced to WK 2 until you have downtime to recover. You cannot cast any spells until you recover.
7 Your Intuition is reduced to WK 2 until you have downtime to recover. You cannot cast any spells until you recover.
8 Your Psyche is reduced to WK 2 until you have downtime to recover. You cannot cast any spells until you recover.
9 Your magic, magical items, and all magic in your area no longer functions or produces opposite effects for 1d10 rounds.
10 You are summoned to entreat directly with the extra-dimensional entity and the spell goes off as if a Green result…if you pay what they ask.
Catching
Attack Min. Agility
Thrown projectiles RM (30)
Large fired projectiles (arrows) AM (50)
Small fired projectiles (bullets) UN (100)
Resource Difficulty
Situation Difficulty
Bus/subway fare WK
Modest hotel MD
Rent, 1BR in NYC AV
Mortgage, small house AV
Housekeeper salary AV
Bodyguard salary GD
Lawyer or doctor fees GD
Broadway tickets GD
Car, sedan EX
Mortgage, large house EX
Penthouse suite RM
On-staff lawyer RM
Luxury car RM
Private jet IN
Salary, hundreds of workers IN
Mansion IN
Salary, thousands of workers AM
Military jet SP
Major corporation SP
Mega-corporation UN
Flying aircraft carrier X150
Material Strengths
MS Object
WK Cloth, paper, brush, glass
MD Plastic, crystal, wood
AV Rubber, soft metal, ice, interior wall
GD Brick, aluminum, asphalt, high-strength plastic, light machinery
EX Concrete, iron, bullet-proof glass or clothing, exterior wall
RM Steel, reinforced concrete
IN Stone, volcanic rock
AM High strength steel, granite
SP Diamond, super-heavy alloy
UN Cosmic metal, magical elements
C1k Metal from the heart of a dying star
Attitudes and Popularity
Modifier Attitude Popularity
-3R Enamored Demonized (hated/fear)
-2R Very friendly Very distrusted or disliked
-1R Friendly Distrusted or disliked
+0 Neutral Neutral
+1R Unfriendly Liked
+2R Very unfriendly Loved
+3R Hostile Idolized