Skill Based and General Character Knowledge 6 page

Laughter (Joy) – “How is laughter a virtue?” asks Lil’pip. Perhaps laughter isn’t the right word. Upon close examination, what is really meant by laughter as a virtue is that those possessing it have the ability to laugh in the face of fear, to smile when the situation looks grim. In other words, those possessing the virtue of laughter have within them a deep, powerful reserve ofjoy. Ponies who have found these joy reserves are capable of seeing light in the darkness, and they use this light, metaphorical though it may be, to guide themselves and their companions through the sadness and despair of the wastelands. Joyful ponies aren’t necessarily optimistic – that’s a different hindrance described above – but they are always capable of finding something to smile about, even if the situation is dire. Ponies whose joy and laughter have been corrupted are almost never able to be truly happy, or are only happy because of the effects of some drug or other unnatural source.

Loyalty – Your pony would never betray their friends, no matter what they may have done to deserve it. She might not always be kind to them, and will certainly still make mistakes within the friendship, but at the end of the day she will always be there to help out in a pinch. Ponies with the loyalty virtue also tend to stick to their guns on their ideals – sometimes at a terrible cost to themselves. Loyal ponies that aren’t corrupt simply cannot bring themselves to betray friends or family – even if they’re out to kill you. Corrupted loyalty tends to manifest as loyalty to causes, rather than to the ponies supporting them. It is often quite merciless, willing to go beyond the pale and to make great sacrifices (both morale and otherwise) to support the object of the loyalty. Remember – loyal ponies have been known to often do things that those who they’re protecting would be mortified to find out about….

Notice that magic is not listed here. The legend of the elements of harmony says that once the other five elements are present, a spark will cause the sixth element to appear. The element of Magic was the sixth element for the Mane 6 ponies, but it is not necessarily the case that the sixth element of Harmony remains tied to magical ability. Included in the traits section is a set of rules for using magic as the sixth virtue, listed as the two-part Magical Savant and Arcane Devotion traits; due to its power, it’s treated as a set of traits rather than a hindrance, with some specific requirements. For more information on using magic as the sixth element, see the perk’s description and requirements below.

For those of you who want to make a pony with a different virtue than those listed above, note that almost any positive quality that a pony can have can be considered a virtue. A few other good choices for possible virtues not listed here are Sacrifice, Love, Patience, Restraint, Pity, Modesty, Humility, Determination, Perseverance, Discipline, Tolerance, Hope, and Courage, but even including these the list is not anywhere close to all-encompassing. To be a good choice for a Virtue a trait must be positive, but at the same time may require personal sacrifices in order to uphold in your wastelander’s life. Try to consider how a virtue might manifest as corrupted in your character before choosing this hindrance.

Traits

Sometimes a character has some special facets or abilities that are the result of their background. Traits represent these sorts of things, and can be purchased at character creation using character creation points. Unlike Hindrances, Traits almost exclusively provide characters with positive effects and benefits.

Some of the traits below can only be obtained by characters at character creation, or gained through play as “Quest Perks”. Traits that can be taken during play as you level up will be relisted in the Leveling up your Character section as perks; their requirements and eligibility may change. Traits should be bought after purchasing hindrances, as certain hindrances preclude or are necessary to obtain some traits; traits are labeled appropriately to note this. They cannot be bought as traits when leveling up characters. Those perks are listed in the “Leveling up your Character” section, later in this document.

Characters who are Ghouls and Canterlot Ghouls (a subtype of many races in the wasteland who have survived a normally lethal dose of necromantic radiation) should take the Ghoul or Canterlot Ghoul trait accordingly.

Table VIII: Traits Summary

Remember to check for trait requirements and limitations!

Trait Full Descriptions:

Ace Flyer (Requires Flight as a racial skill, cannot be taken with Flight School Dropout)– You were the best flight jock in your class, and no one could touch you. Other students fought for the privilege of being your wing mare. Not only did you master the techniques you were taught, but your innate understand of them has made it easier for you to remember a wider variety of techniques than your peers!
Characters with this trait may learn two additional level 2 flight maneuvers and one additional level 3 flight maneuver above the normal maximum limits determined by their agility attribute score.

Additional Spell/Recipe (Requires Magic as a racial skill, cannot be taken by Alicorns) –For whatever reason, your character is talented enough at magic or alchemy to the point that they know an extra spell or recipe. Perhaps they had a mentor teach them, or maybe they found instructions in an old pre-war book. Characters that take this trait begin with one extra level 0 or 1 recipe or spell, usually related to their cutie mark.

Agile Tongue – Some Earth Ponies and Pegasi are just that talented at using their tongue, tail and hooves. Take that however you wish. If your character’s got this trait, not only are they talented, they’re so good they don’t suffer the dexterity penalty to lockpicking normally suffered by hooved races. They receive instead a rank-bonus to both lockpicking and science of 5. Characters of other races that take this trait are just abnormally dexterous with their mouth or tail, and receive the same bonus, though obviously the trait doesn’t negate any penalties for them that they already don’t have (unless they lose their magic or their opposable digits). May also provide situational benefits related to intercourse (and we definitely don’t mean talking), and will allow characters to reload weapons at an accelerated rate. Whenever reloading a weapon outside of SATS, they reload twice as many bullets as they would otherwise.

Animal Companion (Variable Point Cost, cannot be taken with Robot Companion) – Taking this at character creation means that, at some point in your character’s past, they befriended an animal in the wasteland that now follows them around. The animal might be intelligent, or it might not, but it is far more than a pet to your character -- it’s practically family, and both the companion and the character rely on each other. A list of possible animals or wasteland creatures that can become companions is below, though this list is not by any means exhaustive and other options may be available to your wastelanders depending on locale. These companions do not gain experience or increase in level as player characters (though their stats may be increased via roleplaying events, such as training), and if playing with the “Live by Luck” rules they receive a single luck card each. This trait can only be taken once, and if your companion dies you may befriend another during gameplay.

The most commonly available critters available as animal companions in the Equestrian Wasteland are listed on the following page. For stats on these creatures, look to your GM; the stat blocks are listed in the back of the book. This list may change depending on setting and GM preference, and is in no way limited to the creatures listed here – this is just a basic suggestion.

Balefire Phoenix (3 Creation Points) – These rare and majestic creatures are capable of flight, and are immune to the negative effects of taint due to their regenerative abilities. Balefire Phoenixes are very intelligent, and are healed by the effects of ambient radiation as well as from fire. It’s been rumored that several of these creatures have been seen around the Fillydelphia and Manehattan ruins, but the creatures are so rare and elusive that these rumors are difficult to confirm. In environs where a balefire phoenix may not be reasonable as a companion, we recommend you substitute either an Ankha or a Qetzal.

Brahmin (2 Creation Points) – Brahmin are sturdy, two-headed bovine creatures descended from the cattle that once roamed the areas south of Ponyville. Frequently used by travelling merchants as pack animals, the majority of Brahmin are, unlike their ancestors, not very intelligent. Occasionally one of the two heads may possess average intelligence, but this is rare (have GM roll percentiles for each head, on a critical success that head is of average intelligence). They are immune to the effects of radiation, and extremely resistant to taint.

Dog (1 Creation Point, 2 if Cyberdog) – The surviving canines of Equestria are mostly unchanged by radiation, having sheltered in tunnels or in stables with their owners through the apocalypse. They are extremely loyal and can be quite vicious in a fight, and have noses capable of detecting or tracking down just about anything you might come across in the Equestrian Wasteland. While wandering the wasteland you may also encounter cybernetically enhanced canines, which tend to be much stronger, faster, more intelligent, and more resistant to the effects of taint and radiation than their organic brethren. If you find one of these canines alone and can help it out in some way, you may find yourself with a new friend.

Mole Rat (1 Creation Point) – While not particularly intelligent or pleasant to look at, the mole rats of the wasteland are extremely skilled scavengers and diggers, and are immune to the effects of radiation and taint. Mole rats tend to imprint on the first creature they see as their mother when they first open their eyes, around 6-8 weeks after being born.

Timber Wolf (2 Creation Points) – These intelligent, lupine-looking creatures are actually plants, not animals, and have their origins deep in the Everfree forest. Generally hostile to all animal species, they travel in packs protecting their seedling pups, which the females plant in small clearings. The only known successful attempts at domestication of these ferocious creatures required that they be raised from seeds. Even domesticated they are still ferocious, loyal and extremely protective to any creatures they perceive as part of their “pack,” and vicious towards outsiders.

Nightstalker (3 Creation Points) – Nightstalkers are creatures of taint, a strange-yet-stable magical combination of snakes and dogs. They were created as an experiment by pre-war scientists in an attempt to combine the loyal aspects of a domesticated dog with the ferocity and reflexes of a viper. They were at least partially successful; if raised from the moment of their hatching, nightstalkers are extremely loyal. Marketing them as pets was less successful. Their magical origins allow nightstalkers to naturally generate a 2 MFD step stealth field, and their poison is known to be both deadly and fast-acting.

Radroaches (1 Creation Point) – Rad roaches are the result of generations of enlargement as a result of radiation. Not generally dangerous but fiercely territorial and aggressive, they are considered something of a nuisance to most living today. They generally eat the dead, but will attack the living if not fed regularly. These creatures are roughly the size and intellect of a housecat, and can actually be domesticated quite easily (though few make the attempt). 1 creation point spent grants 1d4 Radroach companions.

Yao Guai (3 Creation Points) – Yao Guai are the mutated descendants of the ursine tribes that occupied some of the lands bordering northern Equestria and the Griffin territories. They are intelligent and immune to radiation, as well as highly resistant to taint, but they are quick to anger and extremely dangerous in melee. Trying to help most Yao Guai will get your head bitten off really quickly (and that’s not just a colorful metaphor), but if you can earn their loyalty you’ve got a friend for life.

Arcane Devotion (Requires 2 Character Creation Points. Requires Magic as a Tag Skill and either Studious or INT 8. Requires Magic as a racial ability; cannot be taken with Illiterate, Imprecise Magic, Stubby Little Horn or One Trick Pony) –Your character has an affinity for magic that is the end result of a lifestyle dedicated to its study.

This trait allows a unicorn, alicorn, zebra or half-breed to reduce the level requirement for learning a spell by two levels. It also doubles the number of spells a character can learn at each spell level; these effects do not stack for those equines who also take Magical Savant.

Their studies of magic and spells (or recipes) translate into their being able to learn how to cast nearly any spell (or brew any potion, or create any talisman) they can study for a sufficiently long amount of time – including just watching other ponies cast the spell or just examining a talisman for a few hours! This means that they can learn any spell or recipe that their level and skill with magic allows as long as they have access to a teacher, a spellbook, or an example (or for zebras, a sample of the final product that a recipe is for is usually sufficient). This ability does not grant them a bonus on rolls made to improve their on spells by pushing them beyond their limits.

Note that what is required to learn a spell depends heavily on the spell itself – studying a rock brought into existence by the “Create Matter” spell isn’t going to unlock the mysteries of how the spell pulled off such an impressive feat, but studying a unicorn who is currently casting the spell might. Arcane Devotees start with an additional five ranks in Magic, and an additional number of spells or recipes at level 1 or 0 equal to their casting attribute (Intelligence or possibly Charisma) divided by 3, rounded up. Zony Shamans may pick these additional spells from either list.

Astronomer (Zebra or Zony only, requires GM permission. Cannot be taken with Illiterate) -You know more about the stars than almost anyone, including most zebra. This is particularly impressive due to the fact that the zebra astronomers were years, perhaps decades ahead of their pony counterparts, and their knowledge of the stars and their movements and impacts on the world was unparalleled even as the balefire fell. This edge is purely informational, and its use and utility are completely GM dependent. As such, even if your character does end up with this hindrance, you should discuss with your GM what exactly they do and do not know about the stars - both above and below.

Astronomers are revered within zebra society, and the possession of such knowledge is closely guarded within Caesar’s Legion due to the possible power it confers upon the bearer. Zebras with this trait get a +10 on their Zebra Magic skill roles to recite zebra lore, culture and history, or if making talismans or potions involving stellar influences in either their recipe origins or their ingredients.

Brave (Cannot be taken with Cowardly) – Bravery isn’t a lack of fear – it’s the ability to act in spite of it. Characters with this trait know how to react to scary situations in ways that do not involve running away in fear, yelling “The horror! The horror!” or soiling themselves. If a frightening situation arises – one in which a fear roll must be made - Brave characters may treat the MFD as one step lower that it would normally be.

Bravery is inspiring. Whenever a brave character rolls fear, they provide a +10 bonus on fear rolls to those traveling with them. This bonus can stack with itself if multiple characters have this trait, and characters with this trait will still receive this +10 bonus (or bonuses) if other characters in their group also have this trait.

Cache Location – Your pony has a stash of goods, food, gear, or perhaps even weapons and armor somewhere out in the wasteland. It’s well hidden or protected, and only they know how to access it, but it may be fairly out of the way relative to where they usually hang out. This trait can be taken multiple times. For every character creation point spent, your pony has an additional 1000 caps worth of gear in their stash.

Channeler (Requires 1-2 Character Creation Points, requires the Magic racial skill) –Your character is capable of storing and/or generating more magical energy than almost any other unicorn or alicorn. Depending on which one it is (and you must choose which one before taking this trait), their magical strain capacity is either increased by 4 points, or they now regenerate one point of strain every 45 minutes instead of the normal every hour. This trait can be taken twice to obtain both effects, or to obtain a better version of either effect. If taken twice to increase magical strain capacity, then the total increase to capacity is 8 points; if taken twice to decrease strain regeneration time, then the character now regenerates one point of magical energy every thirty minutes. A character cannot invest more than two creation points into this trait overall (that is to say, it can only be taken twice).

Clear Conscience (Cannot be taken with Half-Heart or Guilty Conscience) – Maybe your wastelander really hasn’t done anything they regret, or perhaps they’re just very good at rationalizing their actions to themselves and others. Either way, characters with this trait are good at staying focused on the task at hoof and not getting bogged down with the aftermath of their decisions. After all, somepony needed to make the call, and they did their best to make it as they saw fit at the time – no point worrying about what ifs and might have beens. This trait grants a +25 bonus to resisting the gain of a mental hindrance that might otherwise result from witnessing or hearing about the less desirable results of past actions. If the character with this fails to resist gaining a mental hindrance three consecutive times (for a total of three different hindrances), then they lose the effects of this trait. If a character loses the trait in this way, they may increase their intelligence or luck attribute score by one point. They still get the mental hindrance as normal.

Contortionist (Cannot be taken with Elderly or Obese. Requires AGI 6 or greater) –Your wastelander is incredibly flexible, to the point where they could probably have made a living off of bar bets alone before the war.They are capable of squeezing into spaces or through gaps usually only big enough for a small foal to fit through. This trait really shines in combat, as contortionist characters receive a +15 bonus on rolls made to dodge or move behind cover as a result of their ability to compact their form and to move their bodies in unexpected ways. This bonus does not apply to rolls made to dodge by means other than agility, such as rolls to dodge employing the fly, magic or dig skills. Also of note, this bonus to dodge does not stack with dodge bonuses provided by the Pipsqueak, Skinny as a Rail, or Young Hindrances.

Cyberpony (Recommended: Stable Dweller or Sand Dog. Cannot also be Zebra Augmented or Canterlot Ghoul; Costs 1 or 3 Character Creation Points; gain a maximum of 1 character creation point for areas Maimed that start play replaced by cybernetics) – Your character had access to highly advanced technology at some point in their lives. They may have been a pony in a stable that continued to advance technologically in spite of the apocalypse, or they might have been cybernetically augmented as part of an experimental procedure, but reasons aside they are now part machine. They are a cyber-pony (or zebra, griffin, or sand dog), and as a result they’re much more physically able than their non-enhanced counterparts. Their augmented form is extremely durable, which translates to their limbs being able to take one extra wound each before becoming crippled and one extra wound each before being removed, and they age at a greatly reduced rate due to the arcane technology integrating the cybernetics with the rest of their form. They also have a permanent increase to their Damage Threshold around the area of the prosthesis, gain 10 DT versus Fire over all locations, 10% radiation resistance, and have a +10 Bonus on resisting (most) poisons.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 761