Character Creation

Character Creation happens BEFORE LVL 1. During creation, Players finalize their character's Talents, Skills, and Traits (TST) before the Character enters play. This is distinct from LVLing: TST is locked in at creation, while Class Trees and their Abilities are unlocked through character progression (LVL 1 onward).

Character Creation Steps

1. Establish Alignment - Choose your character's moral outlook on the 5-point spectrum (Lawful, Moral, Ambivalent, Amoral, Evil). This is locked in first and is foundational to all subsequent choices.
2. Select/Create Background - Choose or create your character's narrative story. Your Background determines your initial Standing with factions and affects cultural equipment access.
3. Define Mission Statement - Establish your character's personal mission or purpose. This must adhere to your Background and will tie you to NPCs and factions who have a stake in its success or failure.
4. Select Race - Choose your character's race, which determines: size category, base carry capacity, speed, starting age range, Innate Trait Adjustments (bonuses/penalties), Innate Aptitude, Innate Inaptitude, Favored Class Trees, trait bonuses and penalties, and Favored Companions.
5. Choose Age - Select your character's age within a 5-year range centered on your race's Starting Age. (All characters Retire after 40 Eons/years of adventuring and may become legendary NPCs.)
6. Choose Name and Details - Establish your character's name and personal details.
7. Roll and Allocate ATTRs - Roll and distribute your six ATTRs: Artistry, Fortitude, Intellect, Physique, Vigilance, and Wisdom.
8. Select TST - Choose Talents, Skills, and Traits using Remnant (REM) PTS. Also select your Aura, which is chosen every Eon (year).
9. Store, Equipment and Encumbrance - Select your starting equipment (setting module-based, limited by carry capacity from Step 7's Physique + Race size, limited to Common rank, affected by Background/Alignment/Class/Rank/Prerequisites). Calculate total weight and encumbrance status.
10. Starter Standing Notes - Gather any starter Standing notes that can be derived from your Background or Cultural details.
11. First Quest and LVL Advancement - Geared up and ready for combat, your character gets their first quest (an easy task). After completing this quest, your character reaches LVL 1.
12. Class Tier Selection - At LVL 1, select your Class Tier and repeat Step 8 (TST selection with increased REM PTS and expanded options).

Character Creation in SORC begins, at the table, by establishing a character's alignment and moral outlook. Alignment (Lawful, Moral, Ambivalent, Amoral, or Evil - see Alignment below). Once alignment is locked in, Players select a Background that adheres to that alignment, then select a race, then roll dice to determine points to spend on ATTRs and select TST (Talents, Skills, Traits). After completing the first quest, the Characters reach LVL 1, where they select their Class Tier and repeat their TST selection, a process repeated every time a Character Levels, see ATTR Development on pg. 2. As characters LVL up they'll unlock Main Class Trees and their Abilities. Reaching LVL 1 unlocks Main Class Tier Abilities, LVL 10 unlocks Main Class Path Abilities, and reaching LVL 20 unlocks chosen Path's Branch Abilities.

The character's inventory tracks items without Penalty up to encumbrance limits, and additional character pages allow for tracking personal history, relationships, and achievements. Each character is assigned a Unique ID for online tracking, trading, and achievements.

The character Sheet serves as a central record, displaying key details like background, mission, reputation, and standing, along with customizable elements such as Portraits, armor, and weapons. Customization of a character is also available online, via SORC Web. Open Character Customization

Utilizing SORC Web, Players can save and export their characters as images or printouts, and have options for high-resolution Portraits reflecting their character's identity. Character pages can be customized with images, background info, and logs of ongoing progress, quests, discoveries, and personal notes.

Character Sheet

Displays key details such as name, race, class, LVL, and vital Statistics.

Character Details During Creation

Birth

Player's Name, Nickname, Character Portrait or Photo, Age, Gender and a Character Unique Identification (UID) which is a random 5 unit number combination exclusive to Players that choose to delve into SORC Web's online features.

Age and Growth

Age is the character's numerical age at the start of play. At creation, choose a character's starting age from a range centered on their race's Starting Age, two years below it to two years above it, a five-year spread in total (see each race's entry, below, and the Lifespan, Starting Age, and Retirement Age table, pg. 6). A character must always be portrayed as an adult. Whatever age is chosen becomes the Character's actual Beginning Age going forward. All characters retire after 40 years of adventuring (see Retirement, pg. 5). Characters gain no mechanical advantages from age alone; age is purely narrative and establishes the character's life stage, maturity, and starting point in the story.

Growth is the system where characters establish racial and inherited advantages as they age through play. As characters live years during the campaign, Growth milestones trigger automatically (see Growth and Character Progression, below). Growth is measured separately from mere age: the two scale at different speeds. A character might be 40 years old (their age number) but only at Growth 4 (if the campaign started them already advanced in age). Growth milestones grant increases to Vitality scores (Life, Mana, Stamina, Endurance), Aura points, and Innate Aptitude selections. Some of these changes happen annually, others every five years. Growth is gated by the escalating schedule explained under Character Progression, below, not by the player's choice. See the full Growth table and procedures in the GM Codex, Ch. II, for race-specific details about what changes when.

Birthday

Character UID

Race

Upon creation, characters will choose between 40 races and kinborns from three size categories; Goliath, Standard and Small. See races below.

Alignment

A character's alignment is their ideological and moral orientation, a freely chosen value system that only their Higher Power knows. Your alignment choice directly gates which Main Class Tree Abilities you can learn and which Higher Power you can devote to. It is a foundational decision chosen during character creation before any other class decisions. SORC runs alignment along a five-point spectrum:

• Lawful: bound by tradition, order, and divine authority.
• Moral: virtuous and well-meaning, but personally driven rather than bound to institution or oath.
• Ambivalent: ambivalent to religion entirely, flexible and pragmatic, unconstrained by either pole. Replaces what earlier notes called Neutral.
• Amoral: self-serving and pragmatic, willing to bend ethics without embracing outright malice.
• Evil: driven by ambition, primal instinct, or forbidden magic.

Alignment's Function: the Spectrum The five-point spectrum runs Lawful | Moral | Ambivalent | Amoral | Evil. Every Path holds a base alignment, and its Spectrum is that base plus the alignment on either side of it, three alignments at most. That base carries through all three of the Path's Branches.

A Character learns a Path's or its Branches' Abilities while their alignment sits anywhere in that Path's Spectrum. Devotion to the Path's Higher Power needs the base alignment exactly, and a Character who drifts off it keeps the Abilities and loses the Higher Power bonus until they return.

A Main Class has no base of its own. Its range is whatever its Paths and Branches reach between them, and each class card names that range.

A Witch's Norwitch Path bases at Moral, so a Norwitch may hold Lawful, Moral or Ambivalent. Only a Moral Norwitch draws the Higher Power bonus, and there is no Lawful Higher Power for a Witch to devote to.

Tier Abilities require the Spectrum. A Character may only learn a Main Class's Tier Abilities while their own alignment sits inside that Class's Spectrum. Every one of that Class's Paths, and every Branch beneath them, falls within the same Spectrum.

Paths and Branches carry their own alignment, and it works on two levels. To learn a Path's or Branch's Abilities, your alignment need only sit inside the Main Class's Spectrum. To draw the Higher Power bonus of that Path and its Branches, you must hold that Path's exact base Alignment, which is the Higher Power's own requirement, not merely somewhere in the permitted range. A Warlock at Ambivalent may learn an Evil Path's Abilities, but takes none of its patron's bonuses until they stand at Evil themselves.

Fall outside a Main Class's Spectrum and you can no longer learn new Abilities from its Tier, its Paths or its Branches, though every Ability already learned remains fully usable. Drift off a Higher Power's exact alignment and its bonuses stop until you return to it (see Fallen and Risen, pg. 3).

A character's current alignment position is tracked on the Alignment bar of their Character Sheet's Progression Tracker. Your choices during play can change your alignment. It is not locked at creation.

Alignment's Sole Purpose: Alignment gates two things only: which Class Tier, Path, and Branch Abilities you can learn (based on Spectrum), and whether you can devote to a Higher Power and hold Standing with its Church (based on exact alignment). Those are its only mechanical gates in the game.

What alignment does not touch. Other beings, NPCs, MAC, and even your own party cannot see your alignment, it is invisible to everyone but your Higher Power. They may scoff at or judge you based on your actions, but every being in Essentia holds the right to follow whatever alignment it chooses. Alignment carries no advantage or disadvantage in Companion Mood or NPC Vendor interactions. Certain guilds and clans, however, do require a particular Spectrum or an exact alignment for entry (a Class or Path gate, not a social one).

How others judge you: Your actions and choices during play generate Praise and Blowback, which build your Reputation and Standing with factions and NPCs. Others use these to form opinions of you, not your alignment. Your Background and Mission Statement are what they see and interact with. Your Alignment remains known only to you and your Higher Power (see Standing & Mission Statement, below).

Player Knowledge vs. Character Knowledge: While all Players at the table know each other's chosen alignments at character creation (to coordinate party composition and narrative), the Characters themselves do not yet know each other's alignments. Each character discovers the moral stance of their companions through roleplay, actions, and choices made during play. This separation allows alignment to remain a dynamic element of interaction and discovery within the game world.

Alignment and Higher Power Mechanics: Once you've devoted to a Higher Power at LVL 4, your alignment determines whether you can hold that devotion and access its bonuses. See Choosing a Higher Power, and Holding the Alignment on pg. 3 for the full mechanics of devotion, Falling, and Rising.

Higher Power

Class

Choose between 16 distinct Class Trees, each starting with a shared Tier before splitting into 3 Paths (48 total) and, further in, 3 Branches per Path (144 total)-all filtered by the chosen alignment. Characters can select multiple Class Trees freely, as long as they meet Trait Prerequisites (for instance, the Strength needed to wield a 2H giant's sword in the Barbarian tree) and alignment requirements. A character's LVL (LVL) is unified across all trees they adopt, so when they reach LVL 20, they unlock the LVL 20 Abilities in every class they've taken Abilities from. Abilities grow more powerful the deeper into a tree a character climbs, not evenly, each one further in is a meaningful jump over the last. Only one Class Tree, ever, may reach its LVL 30 Ability, the capstone, and the single most powerful one a Character will ever wield. Any other tree they've invested in stops at its LVL 29 Ability instead, one short of its own capstone. A character can divvy their picks across trees however they like, one tree capped at 30 and a second at 29, or spread thinner across several trees for diversity, but every weapon-specific Ability still requires its class's proper Armament readied to activate (see Weapons Carried, pg. 4). Innate Aptitude and Inaptitude are the exception, passive and requiring no weapon of their own, see Innate Aptitude and Inaptitude, pg. 2. Note: Only Paths bound to a Higher Power (Lawful, Moral, Amoral, or Evil Paths) can Fall or Rise at Growth 20, transitioning into unique new Class Trees with different mechanics and progression, Ambivalent Paths have no Higher Power to Fall from or Rise toward. See Fallen and Risen Classes on Page 3 for details. Classes are covered in detail below.

Armaments and Class Progression

Armament Selection Sequence: Armaments are always chosen AFTER committing to a Class Tier, Path, or Branch - never before. The sequence is fixed:

• At LVL 1 (Tier Selection): Choose your Class Tier first, then select your starting Armaments.
• At LVL 4 (Path Selection): Choose your Path first, then select updated Armaments that match your chosen Path.
• At LVL 7+ (Branch Selection): Choose your Branch first, then select updated Armaments that match your chosen Branch.

Your Armaments must meet the Prerequisites set by your currently chosen Tier, Path, or Branch. Changing Tier, Path, or Branch may require you to re-select your Armaments to maintain compatibility with your new Ability set. Armaments determine which weapon-specific Abilities you can activate, so the sequence ensures your equipment always aligns with your current progression.

Basic Info

Character Details are solely role playing Elements and the amount of detail provided here, is entirely up to the Player.

Details

Height, weight and frame, cultural style, crest, tattoos/marks/scars, facial features, eye color, hair color and style, skin tone, and voice tone. Not applicable (N/A) and Unknown (UKN) can be used to fill out any details at the Players' discretion.

Inventory and Value

This is where Characters list the items they have on their person. They can hold as many items as the Player wishes, without a Penalty, as long as the total weight stays within 50% of their carry capacity. See Encumbrance for thresholds and penalties.

Characters may also keep items in their Home or on their land, if they rent or own it. Banks and vaults and storage are also good for safe keeping; However, each home has its own space threshold, see Home and Family Page below. Players can also bury or stash items, and log them into their journals.

Background (BG)

A character's Background (BG) is their back story which has led them to their current status. The Player selects or creates a Background that fits their character concept. Each Background contains narrative and thematic elements that define how the Character views the world and their place in it. Modules provide curated Backgrounds in that module's appendix (further discussed in the GM Codex), visible to the GM and Players alike.

Custom Backgrounds: Players can also create their own custom Background with the GM. The GM must verify that the custom Background fits the character's established concept and narrative. Once a Background is chosen or created and verified, it becomes part of the Character's locked-in foundation and cannot be changed.

Backgrounds answer questions like: Were you a stowaway, runaway, escapee, or sent on a pilgrimage? How did the party find one another? What experiences shaped who you are? What is your Mission Statement (see below)? Characters may create a detailed version of their story in their Journal.

Background sets Culture. A Background carries the Culture a Character was raised into, and any Culture in Essentia may be taken by any race this way. Race sets no limit on it. An Orcus raised Nordian is Nordian, a Dwarf raised among the Omnè is Omnè, and a Human raised among the Fae is Fae, for every cultural purpose (see Culture, below).

Mission Statement

Attributes

ATTRs govern raw capability, how physically powerful, resilient, perceptive, charming, animated, and the like a Character is. Traits, covered in the next section below, determine how Characters apply that capability under pressure.

ATTRs are the innate capacities characters are born with that allow them to perform certain cognitive and physical tasks. Unlike Traits, ATTRs begin at 0 by default, regardless of race and class, except where a race's Innate Trait Adjustments would otherwise put a Trait score above its aligned ATTR SCR before play even begins. Because a TST score can never exceed its aligned ATTR SCR (see Traits, below), a race with a positive innate Trait bonus begins with that Trait's aligned ATTR raised to match it, see Starting ATTR Floor on each race's entry. ATTRs serve many purposes, including as Prerequisites for Armaments, Gear and Items, and to acquire talents, skills and Traits as well.

The six ATTRs; artistry, fortitude, intellect, physique, vigilance, and wisdom. Through their scores, purchased throughout progression, ATTRs determine how strong a character is in a variety of areas, including; Abilities, talents, skills and Traits, referred to as Talents, Skills, and Traits (TST). ATTR SCRs also serve as Prerequisites and more.

The Six Attributes

Attribute Development

To develop ATTRs, starting at LVL 0 (character creation) and again at every new Character LVL (LVL), Players roll 1d10 and 1d4 eight times (8 rolls total), discard the two lowest results, and assign the remaining 6 results as points to their respective slots in the ATTR Repository. At LVL 0, all results are assigned and locked in, once finalized, the Character advances to LVL 1.

Each ATTR can be assigned a number of points between 1 and 10 in its respective Repository slot. Each ATTR's Remnant (REM) PTS are locked to that ATTR-they can only be spent to purchase that ATTR's score (2 REM PTS each), and/or Talents, Skills, and Traits (TST) aligned with that ATTR (see Expertise Tiers below), or saved as Remnants for that ATTR. The main purpose of Remnants is to hold left over REM PTS that Players weren't able to spend on that ATTR's score and/or aligned TST.

Before ending the progression process, any REM PTS you haven't spent are saved as Remnants. These Remnants automatically carry forward to the next Character LVL, where you can spend them on more ATTR scores, TST, or special items. REM PTS are never lost, unspent REM PTS always become Remnants and always advance to the next LVL. No REM PTS need to be spent on ATTR SCR; they can be saved as Remnants and later moved into the REM Item Pool for Item Cards. Remnants may also be moved into the REM Item Pool to spend on Item Cards later in the game. Once a REM PTS is spent to purchase an ATTR SCR or TST, it cannot be refunded, it's locked in. There's no turning back.

Every Character LVL's roll, where each REM PTS went, and the running Remnants total per ATTR run deep enough to warrant their own standalone sheet, separate from the Character Sheet. See the Character Repository below.

Although there isn't a minimum (ATTRs can be 0), characters may not apply more than 2 points of their roll results to any given ATTR at every LVL of progression. No ATTR may exceed a score of 50. For example, at LVL 2, an ATTR SCR may be 0, but can be no higher than 4 before the process ends.

The ATTR cap of 50 is a theoretical maximum, achievable only by dedicating 2 points per LVL to one ATTR for 25 LVLs. Because each ATTR is individually capped at 50 and points are spread across all ATTRs, most characters will have one high ATTR and the rest significantly lower, encouraging specialization. Players should expect most ATTRs to fall between 12-25 unless they deliberately hyper-specialize.

Example, Torv, Barbarian Mountaineer

Torv's Physique reaches its intended stopping point by LVL 25. In the 5 LVLs remaining, he shifts his 2-point-per-LVL allocation to Fortitude instead, gaining up to 10 more score there (2 per LVL x 5 LVLs). At LVL 30, any remaining Remnant (REM) PTS are spent on talents, skills, or Traits (TST).

For a separate, fully completed character built this way from LVL 1 through LVL 30, see Kaida's Character Sheet below.

An ATTR governs how many points you may spend on any one TST aligned to it. It does not cap the resulting score. Because every point spent is worth 2 score once acquired, a TST's score routinely stands above the ATTR it aligns to, and that is correct.

You may never spend more points into a single aligned TST than that ATTR's current score. The limit is per TST, not shared between them: if your Physique is 3, you may spend 3 points into Strength, and 3 more into Agility, and 3 more into any other Physique-aligned TST, each held to its own limit of 3. What you may not do is put 4 into Strength.

This is what keeps ATTR SCRs meaningful. They set the depth any one TST can reach, while the Character's 199 total sets how much can be spread across all of them.

The chart below shows one character's Repository, the six kept results taken at creation and how each was allocated. Progression is always 1d10 + 1d4.

Each score for an ATTR costs 2 REM PTS with a score cap of 2 per LVL. Each TST, aligned to the ATTR, costs 1 REM PTS (Novice LVL). One example of a Trait alignment to an ATTR is the Trait Agility, which is aligned to the ATTR Physique.

Looking at the chart, examine Artistry first. The character assigned a roll of 8 to Artistry, purchased a score of 1 in the ATTR Artistry which cost 2 of the 8, kept 2 in the roll result to purchase one TST (whether it's a talent, skill or Trait) at a cost of 1, that single invested point giving the TST a score of 2, for a total of three spent and has 5 left over as REM PTS for the next LVL. 2 + 1 + 5 = 8, which is the assigned roll value.

Let's examine Fortitude next. Here the max score of 2 was placed into the actual fortitude score, costing all 6 REM PTS assigned as the FRT roll result. Because all REM PTS were spent on ATTR score, no REM PTS remain for TST. The character can use the score of 2 as a Prerequisite and modifier during their adventures.

Intellect, Fortitude and Vigilance were all results of 2 and were placed as Remnants. Looking at Wisdom, all 7 REM PTS were allocated to the remnant slot of the Repository. These Remnants can be moved into the REM Item Pool for Item Cards later, or with caps and minimums in play, spent on Wisdom and its aligned TST.

Players first need a score of 1 in any ATTR before purchasing any TST aligned to it, because 1 is the †default Prerequisite for purchasing TST and one point spent is the smallest purchase there is. The default price for any TST is 1 REM PTS (Novice LVL). PTS spent into a single aligned TST can never exceed that ATTR's score, so at ATTR 1 each aligned TST takes exactly 1 point, landing at a score of 2. There isn't a maximum of TST types though, so with enough REM PTS (Remnants), a character could hold any number of TST at that single point each.

Players have the freedom to allocate REM PTS according to their preferences. These REM PTS can enhance athletic or cognitive talents, attack and Protection Abilities such as evasion, Traits like strength and agility, allowing for a customized character build.

Notes to the Game Master, Using Attribute Scores

GMs are provided with detailed guidelines within campaign modules but may also use ATTR SCR at their discretion, for example, when adventures go off-script, or when applying homebrew rules or Unique story elements.

Talents

Talents are ACTIVE abilities. Unlike Traits which work passively at all times, Talents require deliberate character activation and choice during gameplay. When a character actively uses a talent, they make a check against a Difficulty Score (DIFS), and any aligned Trait scores add as a bonus to that check. For example, a Thief using Lockpicking must actively choose to attempt the action, and their Dexterity trait score will add to that check. This one-way stacking means traits support talents when used, but talents themselves do not strengthen trait scores.

Talents are specialized actions that characters acquire from their chosen Talent Trees. These actions come into play when characters encounter interactive challenges in the game world. A Scout may carve a branch into a tool or guide the party along a safer route. An Olympiad might leap across a chasm. A Hacker could manipulate security systems or decipher complex codes. A Thief might pick locks or stealthily pocket items with precision.

Talent Resolution

Using a talent requires an active choice and a d100 check against a Difficulty Score (DIFS) set by the GM. A character rolls d100, adds their talent score plus any aligned Trait score, and compares the total to the DIFS. TST scores are already doubled when acquired, so nothing is multiplied at the table.

Talent SCR Multiplier: In the d100 system, talent scores are doubled at the moment they are acquired, not at each use. A point invested becomes 2 score, three become 6, and the number written on the sheet is the number added to the roll. This scaling ensures that talent investment is meaningful in the d100 percentile system where rolls range from 1-100.

Prerequisites: To use a talent, you must have a score of at least 1 in that talent. You must also have access to any specialized gear or kit required by that talent (e.g., a Thief requires lockpicks for Lockpicking, an Olympiad requires a Pole for Vault).

Difficulty by Challenge Type: The GM sets the DIFS based on the difficulty of the challenge:

• Easy: DIFS 20-30 (routine tasks, minimal risk)
• Moderate: DIFS 40-50 (typical challenges, requires skill)
• Hard: DIFS 60-70 (dangerous tasks, demands mastery)
• Near-Impossible: DIFS 80+ (extreme difficulty, veteran-LVL only)

Success Outcomes: On a successful check, the Character accomplishes the intended action. A critical success (96-100 roll) may grant an additional benefit as determined by the GM (e.g., completing the task faster, gaining extra information, or impressing an observer). On a failure, the Character fails to accomplish the task and may face consequences determined by the GM (e.g., time wasted, danger incurred, or a broken tool).

A Talent Tree is a themed bundle of individual talents a character can learn. The tree itself isn't something a character "has," it's a container, characters buy into specific talents from within it. The Hunter Tree, for example, holds Talents such as Skinning, Tanning, and Leather Crafting, and carries bonuses to certain things like the Guardian Companion. The Scout Tree holds talents like Track (following a trail), Forage (finding what's edible or useful in the wild), and Guardian's Watch (holding a camp or post through the night), among others released with each module. The Olympiad Tree holds talents like Leap, Acrobatics, Sprint, and Lift. A character doesn't learn "Scout" or "Olympiad" as a whole, they learn the individual talents inside, one at a time, whichever ones they choose to raise. Often each Talent Tree grants specialized gear that characters must carry to effectively use their talents, such as a Pole for an Olympiad to use its Talent Vault.

To access a talent from a Talent Tree, characters must first familiarize themselves with that tree. Players purchase Talents during Character Creation, and at every LVL of Progression thereafter. After that, they can be upgraded with each LVL gained. Talent scores are capped at 100. Remnant (REM) PTS spent on talent scores cannot exceed the score of the aligned ATTR (see ATTR Development, above).

Opening a tree and raising a talent inside it are two separate purchases. REM PTS first open the tree's current Expertise, unlocking every talent available at that Expertise for purchase; further REM PTS then raise the score of whichever individual talents a character actually wants, one at a time. Opening an Expertise doesn't hand over everything inside it, an Olympiad who opens Novice but only ever raises Sprint still has Leap, Acrobatics, and Lift sitting at 0, purchasable, not owned.

Additional Talent Trees are released with each module and its expansions. Browse all available Talent Trees or see pg. 7 for a list.

Talents are accessed through Expertise, see Expertise below.

Talent Hierarchy Structure

Talents are organized into three hierarchical LVLs to provide clarity and organization:

• I. Talent Tree: The highest LVL of a talent category (e.g., Hunter, Scout, Olympiad). Represents the overarching theme and specialization a character chooses to develop.
• 1. Talent: A specialized ability within a Talent Tree (e.g., Tracking, Beast Senses, Leap). Talents are individual actions a character can learn and perform through character choice and skill checks.
• a. Practice: Specific variations, techniques, or enhancements within a Talent (e.g., specialized methods, tactical applications, or enhanced versions). Practices provide granular detail to how a talent is executed and mastered.

Example Structure:

Skills

Skills are specialized abilities directly tied to a character's chosen Profession and form the backbone of their craftsmanship. Each Profession provides access to a unique set of skills, allowing characters to perform intricate tasks, forging weapons, preparing elaborate meals, crafting potent remedies, that define their role and expertise within the game world.

Professions are unlocked by initially investing 2 Remnant (REM) PTS, enabling REM PTS allocation to skills during creation and progression. Skill scores are capped at 100. Skills progress through expertise LVLs (Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert, Artisan, Master, Grandmaster), each requiring aptitude points. Success with skills relies on Experience (XP), appropriate tools, recipes, materials, and often a workshop.

Additional professions are released with each module and its expansions. Browse all available professions or see pg. 7 for a list.

Skills are accessed through expertise LVLs, see Expertise Levels below.

Profession Hierarchy Structure

Professions are organized into three hierarchical LVLs to provide clarity and organization:

• I. Profession Tree: The highest LVL of a profession category (e.g., Blacksmith, Cook, Hunter). Represents the overarching crafting or work specialization a character chooses.
• 1. Skill: A specialized capability within a Profession Tree (e.g., Armorsmith, Butchery, Tracking). Skills are directly tied to the profession and represent distinct areas of expertise.
• a. Skillset: Specific abilities, techniques, or traits within a Skill (e.g., various techniques, bonuses, or specialized methods). Skillsets provide granular detail to how a skill is executed and mastered.

Example Structure:

Profession/Skill Resolution

Using a skill requires an active choice and a d100 check against a Difficulty Score (DIFS) set by the GM. A character rolls d100, adds their skill score plus any aligned ATTR modifier, and compares the total to the DIFS. The specific ATTR used depends on the skill-for example, a Blacksmith check might use Strength or Intellect, a Jeweler check uses Artistry or Intellect, and an Herbalist check uses Wisdom or Vigilance. The skill card or GM determines which ATTR applies.

Skill SCR Multiplier: Like talents, skill scores are doubled at the moment they are acquired, not at each use. The number written on the sheet is the number added to the roll. This ensures professions provide meaningful and scaled bonuses in the d100 system.

Prerequisites: To use a skill, you must have a score of at least 1 in that skill. You must also have access to the required tools, workspace, and materials appropriate to that skill. For example, a Blacksmith requires a forge and metal, a Cook requires a kitchen or campfire and ingredients, and a Jeweler requires a workspace and gems. Without these resources, the skill check cannot be attempted.

Expertise Levels and Skill Advancement: Skills progress through expertise LVLs (Novice, Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, Grandmaster). Opening an expertise LVL unlocks access to that LVL's skills for purchase. Your skill score can never exceed your aligned ATTR score. As you advance LVLs, you unlock more specialized and complex skills, allowing you to craft higher-rarity items and perform more advanced techniques. The expertise LVL required for an item or technique is listed on its recipe or skill card.

Difficulty by Rarity/Complexity: The GM may use the following as a baseline, or adjust based on complexity:

• Common: DIFS 40-50 (straightforward, well-understood designs)
• Uncommon: DIFS 55-65 (moderately complex, requires precision)
• Rare: DIFS 70-80 (intricate, demands mastery)
• Unique and above: DIFS 85+ (exceptional, near-legendary difficulty)

Success vs. Failure: Compare your total roll to the DIFS. If your roll meets or exceeds the DIFS, you succeed. If you roll below the DIFS, you fail.

Success Outcomes: On a successful check, the Character creates the intended item. The quality matches the rarity tier if the check was within normal success range. A critical success (96-100 roll) may grant a bonus property, improved quality tier, or faster crafting time. On a failure, the Character wastes materials and time, or creates a flawed version (determined by the GM). The resources spent are still consumed.

Resources Required: Crafting requires appropriate tools, a workspace (workshop, forge, etc.), materials, and time. All three must be available, missing any prevents the craft attempt. The time required varies by item complexity and is noted on each skill card or recipe.

Material Cost: The cost of materials is separate from the Character's gold, materials are consumed during crafting. A failed craft consumes the materials but produces nothing of value. A successful craft consumes materials and produces the finished item.

Action Time & Combat: All Profession work requires actions and takes time, and Profession work can never be performed during combat, no exceptions. A Profession's action time can be decreased with Expertise: as a character's Expertise advances, the same work takes less time. This is one of the defining advantages a Profession holds over a Hobby, whose action time can never be decreased (see Hobbies vs. Professions, below).

Endurance and Crafting: Crafting is not combat and does not consume Stamina or Mana per turn. However, extended crafting sessions consume Endurance based on duration and physical intensity. Light crafting (jewelry, enchanting) may consume 1 Endurance per hour. Intensive crafting (blacksmithing, armor-making) may consume 2-3 Endurance per hour. The GM determines consumption based on the task. A character cannot engage in crafting if they lack sufficient Endurance for the planned duration.

Expertise (Talents and Skills)

Talents and skills are organized into Expertise. Characters have access to the Novice Expertise by default at no cost. To access higher Expertise, Players must first spend Remnant (REM) PTS to open that Expertise. Expertise must be unlocked in order, Players cannot skip ahead. Critically, the points spent into any one talent or skill can never exceed its aligned ATTR score, though the resulting score may stand above it (see ATTRs and TST spending, above). This limitation persists across all Expertise LVLs and throughout your entire character progression.

Expertise Cap

A Character may hold no more than 199 TST score in total, counted across every Talent, Skill and Trait they own. The individual cap is 100. Those two numbers together mean exactly one TST can ever be taken to its cap: max one at 100 and 99 remains for everything else. This encourages diversity rather than stacking everything into a single entry.

Advancing to the Next Expertise

To unlock the next expertise LVL, the total accumulated score across all talents and skills in the current expertise LVL must meet the advancement threshold.

Example, Advancing Through Novice Expertise (Olympiad Talent Tree, PHY Aligned)

LVL 1: The character rolls a 7 (1d10) and assigns it to their Physique (PHY) slot. They spend 2 Remnant (REM) PTS on PHY(1) and 1 REM PTS on a Novice talent, saving 4 Remnants. Novice Expertise access is free.

LVL 2: Another roll of 8 assigned to PHY. Combined with the 4 saved Remnants, they have 12 REM PTS. They spend 2 REM PTS on PHY(2) and 1 REM PTS on another Novice talent (score 1), saving 9 Remnants. Novice Expertise total score: 2.

LVL 3: Roll of 9 assigned to PHY plus 9 saved Remnants gives 18 REM PTS. They spend 2 REM PTS on PHY(3), raise Novice talents using 1 REM PTS each (bringing Novice Expertise to score 9), and save remaining Remnants. Novice Expertise total score: 9.

LVL 4: Roll of 6 assigned to PHY gives 6 REM PTS plus saved Remnants (14 total). They spend 2 REM PTS on PHY(4) and continue raising Novice talents to reach the Apprentice threshold of 10. Once Apprentice Expertise is accessible, they spend 1 REM PTS to open it. Note: Apprentice talent/skill costs 2 REM each (up from Novice's 1 REM), encouraging characters to save Remnants before advancing.

Note: Grandmaster is near end-game for expertise. Refer to GM Codex for expanded expertise rules, full Talent Trees, and Profession skill lists.

Traits

Note: Apex increases Vitality capacity, to whichever resource(s) it's allocated to, Spirit governs recovery rate. Both are their own Vitality scores, not Traits or Vitality resources themselves. See Vitality, below.

Traits vs. Talents: Passive vs. Active

Critical Distinction: Traits and Talents operate on fundamentally different mechanics:

• Traits are PASSIVE. They provide constant bonuses to checks and rolls without requiring any active use. A character with AGI 10 gains a +10 bonus to ranged attack rolls and receives a +25 boost to their Protection Score against ranged attacks automatically, whether they do anything or not. Traits work passively in the background at all times.
• Talents are ACTIVE. They require deliberate character activation and use during gameplay. A Thief using the Lockpicking talent to open a secured container must actively choose to use that talent; it doesn't work automatically. When a talent is actively used, the Character rolls against a difficulty, and if any aligned Trait scores apply to that check, they stack as a bonus to the talent roll.

Trait-Talent Stacking (One-Way Only)

Trait SCRs Stack WITH Talents (When Talents Are Used): When a character actively uses a talent, aligned Trait scores add as a bonus to that talent check. For example, a Thief with Lockpicking (talent) rolls a d100 + Lockpicking score + Dexterity (trait) when actively attempting to pick a lock. The Dexterity trait score augments the talent check in this moment of active use.

Traits Do NOT Receive Bonuses From Talents (One-Way Only): Unlike talents, which benefit from trait scores when actively used, Traits do NOT receive any bonuses or enhancements from Talent scores. This applies both when talents are actively used AND when traits are passively applied. A character's Trait scores remain independent and do not improve based on how many talents they have or how high their talent scores are. When a trait is being performed passively (providing constant bonuses without active use), it does NOT gain any boost from talent scores. This creates a strict one-way stacking dynamic: Traits support Talents when used, but Talents never strengthen Traits themselves-neither actively nor passively.

Introduction to Traits: In the world of Essentia, Traits are essential capabilities that Characters utilize to navigate challenges, resist damage, and assert dominance in combat. Traits are a variety of different special actions that include survival, delegation and mitigation. Different from talents, which require active character choice to use, and different from skills which are Profession related, characters have many ways to empower themselves.

Traits are closely aligned with talents and combat Abilities that are associated with the same ATTR. For example, Traits linked to physique will influence talents related to physical strength and agility, while Traits associated with intellect will impact mental skills and resistance. This alignment ensures that a character's proficiency in talents and combat maneuvers is supported by their Traits and the corresponding ATTRs, creating a cohesive system where core qualities directly impact specialized skills when those skills are actively employed.

Each Trait embodies a particular aspect of a character's capabilities, both in resisting harm and in gaining offensive advantages. These Traits reflect core qualities that influence both defensive resilience and offensive potential, often working in tandem with talents and Abilities aligned with the same ATTR.

Each Trait operates on its own mechanics. Traits stack with other Traits (like Defense rolls), Basic Hits, Skills, and Talents adding to d100 when rolling vs. DIFS, and other probability-based outcomes like loot (refer to individual Traits in this section for their respective mechanics details). Agility adds to martial ranged hit and crit, PROTS, Initiative and other movement factors. Strength drives melee attack rolls, damage, grapple checks, and carry capacity, and its score is added as a bonus to melee Critical Hits. Dexterity triggers on intricate and tedious tasks such as mechanical trap avoidance and disassembly, guile checks, and quick strikes with offhand martial weapons, with physical fluidity assisting sneaks, fall damage, and off balance or falling penalty absorption. Willpower resists mind effects. Acuity drives spell attack rolls and damage, and its score is added as a bonus to spell Critical Hits. Charisma rolls against a DIFS in social interactions. Defense requires qualifying Armaments and adds to PROTS against the attacker's attack type with all modifiers. Health governs Wellness's tick rate instead of a d100 roll. Craftsmanship drives Crafting Resolution checks. Each functions independently. Some Traits stack with others...

Mechanics

Traits serve primarily as modifiers to d100 rolls, adding bonuses or penalties to attack rolls, defense rolls, skill checks, and any other d100 action aligned to that Trait. When a character uses a Trait in an action or decision, they are playing as that Trait's role-embodying its strengths and limitations. When a character is subjected to damage, effects, or combat actions, the GM calls for a Trait Check. The Player rolls d100, adds their Trait score, and compares the total to the Difficulty Score (DIFS).

Trait Checks require no action and no Stamina cost. They apply automatically when the GM calls for them, multiplying the Trait score by 5 and adding it to a d100 roll against the DIFS. Defensive Traits multiply by 5 and add directly to a character's Protection Score (PROTS), with Resistance defending against Spell-sourced attacks, Defense against martial or Nature-sourced attacks, and Agility against ranged attacks. All applicable defensive traits stack together to form the Character's total PROTS. Trait scores can be negative, particularly from racial starting values, an Ogre begins at -5 Wit, for example. Innate negative Traits can still be improved through development, but the deficit must be overcome first, reaching +1 Wit from -5 requires a Wit score of 6. Some defensive Traits, such as Parry, also require qualifying equipment to activate.

Traits may be interchangeable between one another for certain tasks, for instance Strength and Toughness may both aid a Character in holding a rope against a falling weight, or Wit and Intuition may aid a character in finding their way out of a maze or windy labyrinths. This runs on every Trait Check in the book, not a fixed pairing or a short list of exceptions: whichever Trait actually matches how the Player describes their approach is the one that rolls, and the GM decides that in the moment, case by case. A trapped door could run on Dexterity (picking it) or Strength (forcing it), talking down a hostile crowd could run on Charisma (winning them over) or Courage (standing your ground until they back off), spotting a forgery could run on Wit, Intuition, or Knowledge depending on what specifically tips the Character off. There's no master list of which Traits are allowed to swap for which, any Trait is a candidate the moment a Player's description genuinely earns it.

Whether a Trait Check is asserting something or resisting something, it's the same mechanic underneath, d100 + Trait score vs. DIFS, just aimed in a different direction, not two separate systems. A handful of Traits are the deliberate exception and never resolve against a DIFS at all: Defense adds straight into PROTS, and Constitution, Focus, and Health are passive, feeding a formula or another roll rather than resolving a Check of their own. None of this stops a Trait from doing double duty, resolving as a Check doesn't stop a Trait from also being a bonus grafted onto a completely separate roll, an attack roll, a damage roll, a Critical Hit bonus, plenty of Traits do both at once, Strength is both the grapple Check (d100 + STR) and a bonus to melee attack rolls, melee damage, and melee Crits (all from the same already-doubled score.

Traits also stack with Talents and Skills whenever the theme genuinely lines up, adding their score as a bonus on top of that Talent or Skill's own roll, at the GM's discretion. Strength can aid a heavy-craft Skill Check, Agility can aid an athletic Talent like sprinting or jumping, Dexterity can aid a Thief Talent like slipping a lock or a tail, Acuity can aid an Apothecary or alchemical Skill Check, and so on. This isn't a fixed list either, any Trait can stack with any Talent or Skill the fiction genuinely supports.

• Success: The character resists the effect or enhances their attack.
• Failure: The effect or damage proceeds normally, or the offensive benefit is not gained.

Note: Trait scores are capped at 100. Traits are used for survival and mitigating harm, additional offense and defense, and other interactions. PTS spent into any one TST may never exceed its aligned ATTR SCR, though the resulting score may stand above it. A character must have at least a score of 1 in an ATTR before purchasing aligned TST (default cost: 1 Remnant (REM) PTS each for Novice LVL traits).

To the reader: Think of ATTRs as building blocks and Traits as the things the Character can do with those blocks.

1. Agility
   Description: Represents quickness, balance, and speed.
   Application: Resistance to martial ranged attacks, balance disruptions, and speed-based effects, opposed by the target's Grit when something tries to knock them off balance, or a GM-set DIFS for a chase or terrain challenge. Bonus to martial ranged attack rolls and damage. Agility score is added as a bonus to martial ranged Critical Hits.
   ATTR: Physique (PHY)
   Defensive, a ranger fires an arrow at Lira. Lira has PROTS 62, Agility 5 (ranged), and Defense 5 (with Shield). Total PROTS: 62 + 5 (Agility) + 5 (Defense) = 72. The attacker rolls 70. Miss. Offensive, Lira rolls D100: 68 + AGI 10 = 78 vs the target's PROTS 70. Hit. Negative, Grommak the Ogre has Agility -3. A ranged attacker rolls 55 against Grommak's PROTS 58 + (-3) = 55. Hit.
2. Strength
   Description: Embodies brute force, physical power, and intimidation.
   Application: Bonus to melee attack rolls with two-handed and main-hand weapons, damage, and grapple checks, opposed by the target's own Strength. Agility does not apply to a grapple; a hold is a Close Quarters matter and Agility is the ranged Trait. Strength also governs every Special Action, a knee, an elbow, a headbutt, a grapple, a grab, a shove, a trip (see Special Actions, Combat, pg. 5). Strength score is added as a bonus to melee Critical Hits. Increased damage output and control in melee combat; can be used to intimidate or push opponents. Also covers sustained feats of raw force, holding a collapsing structure, forcing a jammed door, checked fresh every round against a GM-set DIFS until the effort ends or fails. Each positive point of Strength adds 15 lbs to base carry capacity, see Encumbrance (below) for how carry weight affects movement and combat. Strength governs every melee weapon a short sword or larger, and every Improvised Tool, hit and damage.
   ATTR: PHY
   Ex. 1 (Offensive): A human warrior rolls D100: 55 + STR 12 = 67 vs DIFS 65. Grapple success. If the warrior had rolled a 59 or less, he would have failed. Ex. 2 (Offensive): A gnome has an innate penalty of -5 Strength but also has +5 Strength, which balances to Strength +0. The gnome rolls D100: 48 + 0 = 48 vs DIFS 47. Grapple success. If the gnome rolled a 46 or below, it would have failed.
3. Courage
   Description: Represents mental bravery and resolve, helping resist fear, intimidation, and mental control.
   Application: Bonus to resist fear effects, intimidation attempts, and mental domination, opposed by the source's Strength or Charisma, whichever fits the fiction, or a fixed DIFS for impersonal dread with no single creature behind it. Reduce effects of fear and intimidation.
   ATTR: Fortitude (FRT)
   Defensive, Vex rolls D100: 61 + COU 8 = 69 vs DIFS 65. Holds steady. Negative, A character at -2 Courage rolls D100: 57 + (-2) = 55 vs DIFS 60. Fails, routed by fear.
4. Constitution
   Description: Physical body integrity and cellular resilience, reflecting how well a character's body sustains and builds Life over time.
   Application: Constitution score is added to Life gained each LVL. Also extends the negative Life threshold before rejuvenation is required, threshold = -(10 + Constitution score).
   ATTR: PHY
   Passive, Mira has Constitution 4. Each LVL, her Life increases by her LVL gain + 4. Her negative Life threshold is -14.
5. Perception
   Description: Reflects awareness, perception, and alertness, allowing characters to detect surprises and environmental hazards.
   Application: Bonus to perception checks, awareness, and avoiding environmental dangers. Better detection of hazards, traps, and ambushes, DIFS set by how well the hazard is hidden, opposed by its maker's Dexterity when a creature set it, GM judgment for a natural hazard.
   ATTR: Vigilance (VIG)
   Defensive, Kael rolls D100: 58 + PER 12 = 70 vs DIFS 68. Spots the pressure plate trap. Negative, Grommak the Ogre is at PER -4. D100: 55 + -4 = 51 vs DIFS 68. Fails, Grommak steps on it.
6. Intuition
   Description: Represents a character's instinctive sense for danger, hidden truths, or upcoming events. Allows characters to make quick judgments, anticipate enemy moves, and sense deception or traps before they are fully revealed.
   Application: Bonus to perception checks for sensing danger, detecting lies, or noticing subtle clues that indicate hidden threats or deception, helping avoid ambushes and traps. Opposed by the deceiver's Deceit score when sensing a lie, GM-set DIFS for other hidden dangers.
   ATTR: PER
   Defensive, Nira rolls D100: 60 + ITU 10 = 70 vs DIFS 68. Senses the ambush before it springs and warns the party.
7. Dexterity
   Description: Represents hand-eye coordination and guile. Precision behind fine motor tasks, physical fluidity, and intricate work.
   Application: Bonus to intricate and tedious tasks such as; mechanical trap avoidance and disassembly, guile checks, and quick strikes with offhand martial weapons, as well as physical fluidity assisting with sneaks, fall damage, and off balance or falling penalty absorption. Trap-related DIFS is set by the trap's own construction, opposed by its maker's Dexterity when a creature built it. Dexterity governs every actual melee weapon smaller than a short sword, a dagger, knife, dirk, stiletto, or filament blade, hit and damage. An Improvised Tool is not a weapon and stays on Strength.
   ATTR: Artistry (ART)
   Offensive, Nira rolls D100: 61 + DEX 10 = 71 vs DIFS 68. Picks the lock cleanly. Note: Parry requires a qualifying weapon or bracers to activate.
8. Deceit
   Description: Focuses on deception, mimicking death, and trickery to mislead opponents.
   Application: Bonus to deception checks, feints, and mimicking death. Use deception to create openings or manipulate Hostile Creatures, opposed by the target's Perception or Intuition, GM's choice based on what would actually give the deception away.
   ATTR: ART
   Offensive, Vex rolls D100: 55 + DEC 8 = 63 vs DIFS 70. Falls short, the enemy doesn't buy the feint. Defensive, Vex tries again: D100: 58 + 4 = 62 vs DIFS 62. Meets exactly, the guard is distracted long enough.
9. Warded
   Description: Represents protection against Spells and magic, including elemental damage and Spell sourced effects like magical poison.
   Application: Bonus to resist Spell damage, magical effects, and their mitigation checks. Warded is checked against the incoming damage's type, fire, ice, acid, lightning, poison, arcane, and so on, not its School, School only governs who can cast a Spell, type is what Warded actually cares about. Spell sourced poison and other Spell sourced effects are resisted with Warded; Martial sourced poison and effects are resisted with Vigor instead (see Vigor, above). Warded type is given to races innately or chosen by the Player. For instance, Arctic Dwarves innately have +3 ice warding but -5 to fire. Whenever a character holds a positive Warded to a given type, their armor gives off a faint glowing aura in a color tied to that type, frost-blue for ice, ember-red for fire, and so on, visible to anyone nearby. Enchantments and other Armament upgrades carry the same visual tell, whatever effect an Armament is enchanted or upgraded to grant shows up as a matching visible effect on the Armament itself, a flame-wreathed blade for a fire enchant, crackling static along armor for a lightning ward, and so on. Reminder: Warded adds to PROTS only against a Spell attack, it never stacks against a Martial attack, Defense covers that instead (see Defense, below).
   ATTR: Intellect (INT)
   Defensive, Tira has PROTS 60. Her Warded score is 7. PROTS 60 + 7 = 67. The mage's spell roll is 65. Miss. Negative, An Ogre at -1 Warded: PROTS 62 + (-1) = 61. Mage rolls 65. Hit.
10. Toughness
    Description: Represents the outer physical protection of a character, tough skin, dense muscles, and strong bones. Adds an Armor Score bonus equal to the Toughness score, providing additional protection against physical damage and penetrating attacks.
    Application: Used by unarmored or lightly armored characters. Bonus to absorbing initial damage and resisting penetrating attacks. Breaking through a barrier or obstacle checks against a DIFS set by its own material and construction, not an opposing Trait.
    ATTR: PHY
    Defensive, Darro rolls D100: 63 + TGH 10 = 73 vs DIFS 70. Absorbs the blow with no penetrating effect. Offensive, Darro rolls D100: 66 + 5 = 71 vs DIFS 70. Breaks through the barricade.
11. Grit
    Description: Raw physical toughness that anchors a character against disruptive forces and combat conditions.
    Application: Rolls d100 + Grit score against DIFS when subjected to stun, knockback, or knockdown effects, opposed by the source's Strength when it's a creature's attack, or a fixed DIFS for a natural force like a blast or tremor; an ongoing disruption calls for a fresh Grit check every round until it ends.
    ATTR: PHY
    Defensive, Darro is hit by a shockwave. D100: 58 + GRT 12 = 70 vs DIFS 66. Holds his ground, no knockback.
12. Vigor
    Description: Physical endurance and bodily resilience against harmful substances and conditions.
    Application: Rolls d100 + Vigor score against DIFS when subjected to Martial sourced poison, disease, venom, or ongoing bleeding effects. DIFS set by the affliction's own potency, not an opposing Trait. An ongoing affliction calls for a fresh Vigor check every round until it's cured or runs its course. Note: Spell sourced poison is resisted by Resistance trait instead (see Resistance, below).
    ATTR: FRT
    Defensive, Mira rolls D100: 47 + VGR 6 = 53 vs DIFS 60. Fails, the poison takes hold and Mira begins taking ongoing damage.
13. Health
    Description: A character's discipline around their own well-being, how quickly bad habits compound and how quickly good ones snowball.
    Application: Governs Wellness's tick rate (see Wellness, above), slowing it below 75% Wellness and speeding it up at 75% Wellness and above. Not a d100 roll modifier, no DIFS check.
    ATTR: FRT
14. Willpower
    Description: Mental determination and the ability to resist intellectual mind control, temptation, and confusion.
    Application: Bonus to resist mental influence, temptation, and confusion, opposed by the source's Charisma when the effect is charm, seduction, or persuasion-based, a spell's own DIFS otherwise. Maintain mental clarity and resistance to mind effects.
    ATTR: FRT
    Defensive, Vex rolls D100: 70 + WIL 12 = 82 vs DIFS 78. Resists the charm spell. Negative, An Ogre at -2 Willpower rolls D100: 65 + (-2) = 63 vs DIFS 75. Charmed.
15. Acuity
    Description: Raw mental power and magical acuity, the ability to channel and focus arcane or divine energy with precision.
    Application: Bonus to spell attack rolls and spell damage, a Spell Ability targets the same number a weapon attack does, the target's PROTS, not a DIFS. Acuity score is added as a bonus to spell Critical Hits.
    ATTR: INT
    Offensive, Kael rolls D100: 64 + ACU 10 = 74 vs the target's PROTS 65. Spell lands. Damage boosted by Acuity score as well.
16. Wit
    Description: Mental resilience, sharp perception, and the ability to avoid deception or complex traps.
    Application: Bonus to perception checks, trap detection, and mental defenses, opposed by a scam or trap's own concealment DIFS, or an opponent's Deceit when Wit is used to catch a lie. Working out a maze or a disorienting puzzle can also run on Intuition instead, GM's call, see above. Use wit to deceive or manipulate opponents.
    ATTR: INT
    Defensive, Kael rolls D100: 58 + WIT 10 = 68 vs DIFS 65. Spots the merchant's scam before paying. Negative, Ogres begin at -5 Wit. D100: 62 + (-5) = 57 vs DIFS 60. Fails, pays double.
17. Piety
    Description: Embodies a character's devotion, reverence, and moral integrity toward their deity, sacred principles, or spiritual path. It reflects their commitment to their faith through acts of worship, moral conduct, and spiritual discipline. Characters with high Piety often gain divine favor, protection, and influence, while those with low Piety may lack spiritual resilience or be more susceptible to dark influences.
    Application: Use Piety to resist divine corruption, dark curses, or malevolent holy magic. Roll against effects that threaten spiritual integrity or invoke divine wrath, DIFS set by the corrupting effect's own divine potency, not an opposing Trait, gaining bonuses when defending against holy or divine effects.
    ATTR: Wisdom (WIS)
18. Knowledge
    Description: Represents the depth of a character's learning and understanding, such as facts, history, theory, and accumulated Experience (XP).
    Application: Bonus to skill checks involving lore, history, magical theory, technical expertise, and XP-based tasks, DIFS set by how obscure the information itself is, not an opposing Trait. Characters with higher Knowledge gain increased XP rewards for tasks that grant XP.
    ATTR: WIS
19. Perception
    Description: Awareness, sensing, and noticing details in the environment and in others. The ability to detect hidden things, spot danger, and read situations clearly.
    Application: Bonus to perception checks, spotting hidden objects or creatures, detecting traps before they trigger, and reading a character's intent or deception. Opposed by concealment DIFS for hidden objects, or an opponent's Deceit for reading intent.
    ATTR: VIG
    Defensive, Kael rolls D100: 72 + ITU 12 = 84 vs DIFS 80. Spots the hidden tripwire trap. Negative, An unobservant character at -3 Intuition: D100: 58 + (-3) = 55 vs DIFS 75. Misses it completely and triggers the trap.
20. Charisma
    Description: Represents a character's personal magnetism, leadership, and ability to influence others. Charisma affects social interactions, persuasion, intimidation, and the ability to rally allies or manipulate opponents. Contributes to narrative advantages in roleplay scenarios.
    Application: Bonus to social rolls involving persuasion, intimidation, or deception, opposed by the target's Willpower when persuading or charming, the target's Courage when intimidating. Both offensive and defensive: use Charisma to sway or demoralize opponents, or to inspire allies in Critical moments. Intimidation is a Charisma roll: d100 + Charisma vs the target's Courage. Anything granting a bonus to Intimidation grants it to CHA (intimidation) rolls.
    ATTR: ART
21. Defense
    Description: Defense type is determined by the Character's approach to avoiding harm, Parry requires a 2H Weapon, Bracers, or Dual Wield (melee only, excludes orbs, tomes, special items, and environmental objects), Bracers allow Parry and Gloves do not, Block requires a Shield, and Dodge requires light armor and speed.
    Application: Defense adds to PROTS against martial or Nature-sourced attacks. Defense stacks with other applicable defensive traits like Agility (for ranged attacks) to form the Character's total PROTS. Characters must have at least one qualifying item equipped to benefit from Defense: a 2H Weapon, Bracers of Defense, or Dual Wield (melee only, excludes orbs, tomes, special items, and environmental objects) for Parry; a Shield for Block; or Half Medium armor grade or lighter for Dodge. Characters in Medium or heavier armor cannot use the Dodge defense type.
    ATTR: PHY
22. Focus
    Description: The ability to concentrate and maintain ongoing focus through tense situations requiring multiple actions or turns, channeling Spells, disabling traps under pressure, or performing complex tasks.
    Application: Bonus to maintaining concentration on complex tasks, Spellcasting, or disabling traps. Reduces the chance of losing focus due to distractions or damage. Also see Panic Engine.
    ATTR: INT
23. Craftsmanship
    Description: A character's skill with tools, materials, and fine handiwork, the discipline behind building, repairing, and shaping things well.
    Application: Bonus to Crafting Resolution checks (see Professions, above) and to heavy-craft Skill Checks when the theme fits. DIFS is set by the item's own complexity, rarity tier, and required quality.
    ATTR: ART
    Offensive, Nira rolls D100: 60 + CFT 10 = 70 vs DIFS 66. The blade comes out true.
24. Calibration
    Description: Command of a built device. The tuning, timing and handling of a made thing under load, knowing its charge, its balance, its cycle, and the moment it is at its best. Where Craftsmanship builds a thing, Calibration runs one already built.
    Application: Bonus to operating and running built things under load, such as; tuning a device to its best cycle, holding an unstable mechanism steady, timing a powered action to the moment it delivers, field-clearing a jam or fault mid-use, and reading a machine's behaviour before it fails, as well as the handling of any built gear whose rhythm matters more than the force applied to it. Where Calibration governs a physical action it stands in for Agility, never Strength, the device's timing carrying the act rather than the speed of the hand on it. DIFS is set by the device's own complexity, opposed by its operator's Calibration when a creature is running it against you. It does not cover building or repairing, which stays with Craftsmanship.
    ATTR: ART
    Nira rolls D100: 62 + CAL 12 = 74 vs DIFS 70. She catches the cycle as it slips and holds the mechanism steady.
25. Atavism
    Description: The old blood surfacing. An inherited, pre-civilized capacity that wakes when the body is driven past what training accounts for, the ancestral form pressing through the modern one. Where Strength applies force a body has trained for, Atavism draws on force it never learned.
    Application: Bonus to acting beyond what training accounts for, such as; feats of raw untrained exertion, moving on instinct before thought catches up, holding together past the point conditioning prepared the body for, enduring or carrying a force through the flesh rather than deflecting it, and the reactions that surface when a character is cornered, starving, or run past exhaustion. DIFS is set by what is being borne or forced, opposed by the source's own output when a creature or device is driving it. It does not cover resisting damage from outside, which stays with Toughness and Warded.
    ATTR: PHY
    Darro rolls D100: 59 + ATV 14 = 73 vs DIFS 70. Three days without food and he still lifts the beam off his shield-brother, the old blood rising.

Additional Considerations

• Limitations: Trait Checks have no usage limit. Specific abilities may have per-encounter or per-day restrictions as noted in their descriptions.
• Synergy & Development: Traits can be combined or specialized over time, allowing characters to customize their Abilities and tactical options.
• Inheritance & Acquisition: Traits may be inherited through race or acquired via class, Profession, or Experience (XP) to foster growth and specialization.

Trait Secondary Effects (Score 10+)

Trait Tier Formula: Effect tier = floor(Trait SCR ÷ 10), with tier 0 below a score of 10 (no effect yet active). A Trait score of 10-19 grants tier 1 effects, 20-29 grants tier 2, 30-39 grants tier 3, and so on up to the Trait cap of 100 (tier 10). Each tier increase strengthens the effect accordingly.

Every Trait carries a second, passive effect that unlocks once its score reaches 10, on top of its normal d100 roll bonus. Four Traits regenerate a Vitality resource: Constitution regenerates [tier] Chips to Life each Turn, Willpower regenerates [tier] Chips to Mana each Turn, Grit regenerates [tier] Chips to Stamina each Turn, and Vigor regenerates [tier] Chips to Endurance each Turn. Every other Trait instead lets the Player designate one Ability aligned with that Trait's theme to reset its Cooldown or Recharge early [tier] times per encounter (see How to Read a Card, above, for the CD/RECHRG markers), removing Ability Reset/Recharge Chips from the Card sooner than its normal Turn or Rest timer would. Reaching 20, 30, 40, and every 10 points after repeats the same effect at a stronger tier, right up to the Trait cap of 100.

Example, To the Game Master: Creating a Level 30 Divine Wild Chimassu

Utilizing the rules found in SORC's GM Codex, on Species and Rank, this Chimassu's Innate Traits started as a Hawkbear of the same species and size. Hawkbear Innate Traits, the closest playable race to the Chimassu because both are Goliath-sized hybrid creatures combining two distinct animal forms, sharing the same fusion of brute physical power and aerial agility.

The character begins with three negative traits. Before any growth can happen in Wit, Deceit, and Piety, Remnant (REM) PTS must first be spent just climbing back to zero. Climbing out of negatives costs the same 2 REM PTS per score point. Wit: 2 REM PTS x 2 = 4 REM PTS just to reach 0. Deceit: 2 REM PTS x 2 = 4 REM PTS just to reach 0. Piety: 2 REM PTS x 1 = 2 REM PTS just to reach 0. Total: 10 REM PTS spent before any real growth in those traits. Averaging 28 REM PTS per LVL x 30 LVLs = 840 total REM PTS, minus 10 REM PTS climbing out of negatives = 830 REM PTS to work with.

840 - 608 = 232 Remnant PTS (REM PTS). Those Remnants reflect the randomness of 30 LVLs of rolling. A Divine rank Chimassu would have used these to push remaining attributes and traits even higher, or saved them as a GM resource for special abilities befitting its Divine status.

Vitality

The Vitality System in Slayers of Rings & Crowns encapsulates a character's life force, magical energy, immediate stamina, and long-term endurance, all tracked via stackable Chips, representing one unit of Vitality gained or lost. These core resources, Life (life), Mana (magic energy), Stamina (physical energy), and Endurance (daily energy), are color-coded and begin with base amounts determined by the Character's size category. Each Vitality resource grows per LVL and can be further boosted by Apex, in whichever resource(s) a character allocates it to. Recovery rate is set by Spirit, both are explained below.

Apex

Apex represents the volume of each Vitality resource-how much Life, Mana, Stamina, or Endurance a character can hold. Apex is a race-specific Vitality score determined by the Character's race, starting at a value between 1-11. The Player allocates Apex across whichever resource(s) they choose, splittable across more than one. Apex is a standalone Vitality score, never purchased separately. Each point of Apex equals 1 Chip of Vitality capacity (every 5 Apex = 1 additional Chip). Apex grows with age and Growth: after a character's first year of life, Apex increases by the character's race-specific growth rate, then continues to grow every 5 years of age thereafter (see Playable Races for race-specific growth values).

Spirit

Spirit is a race-specific Vitality score that determines how fast a Vitality resource recovers. Each point of Spirit equals 1 Chip of regeneration (every 5 Spirit = 1 additional Chip of regeneration per turn). Spirit starts at a value between 1-11 based on the character's race. The Player picks which resource(s), Life, Mana, or Stamina, benefit from Spirit-based regeneration, splittable across more than one. Endurance is never affected by Spirit; Endurance only resets at the start of each day (see Endurance, below). Spirit recovery applies at all times, in combat, out of combat, and during rest, and it stacks with any Nature or Spell Ability that also recovers Vitality. Spirit is a standalone Vitality score, never purchased separately. Spirit grows with age and Growth: after a character's first year of life, Spirit increases by the character's race-specific growth rate, then continues to grow every 5 years of age thereafter (see Playable Races for race-specific growth values).

Wellness

Wellness tracks how well a character takes care of themselves on a day-to-day basis. Characters maintain Wellness through the choices they make, how they treat their bodies and minds, and the activities that either support or harm their health. Wellness ranges from 0% (minimum, representing neglect and decline) to 150% (maximum, representing peak physical and mental conditioning).

What triggers Wellness changes: Wellness is affected by lifestyle choices, moral and conscience decisions determine Wellness trajectory: unhealthy choices lower it, moderate choices hold it steady, and healthy choices raise it. Diet provides a small, steady tick that builds over Growth: good diet gradually raises Wellness, poor diet gradually lowers it, the benefit accumulating as characters age. Poison, disease, and status effects cause Wellness to tick down. Loss of Life hurts Wellness; retaining Life through care and healing helps it. Sustained rest restores Wellness (see Rest Mechanics, below). Honing abilities, talents, and skills through practice maintains and improves it. Multiple professions support Wellness: Practitioners provide direct healing and recovery, Hunters and Fishermen provide fresh game and catch, Cooks prepare nourishing meals, Scouts keep characters mobile and aware, Healers provide medical care, Buffers support morale, moral leaders inspire good choices, and Field Medics provide emergency care and treatment.

Wellness and Vitality: Wellness directly alters both Apex and Spirit. At low Wellness, Apex shrinks (reducing Vitality caps for Life, Mana, Stamina, and Endurance), and Spirit weakens (slowing Vitality regeneration). At high Wellness, Apex expands (increasing Vitality caps), and Spirit strengthens (accelerating Vitality regeneration). This creates a feedback loop: characters in poor health have smaller reserves and recover more slowly, while characters in good health have larger reserves and recover faster.

How Wellness ticks: Wellness ticks up or down automatically over time, like Heal-over-Time (HoT) and Damage-over-Time (DoT) effects. Neglect causes automatic decline, while healthy living causes automatic increase. Nothing ticks below 75% Wellness; below that threshold, only direct neglect, poison, disease, and injury can lower it further. At 75% Wellness and above, the threshold activates: both positive and negative effects accelerate, good habits snowball faster and bad habits compound quicker, the further from baseline a character drifts.

The Health Trait and Wellness: The Trait Health (see Traits, above) governs how fast Wellness ticks. Calculate Health tier as floor(Health score ÷ 10). Below 75% Wellness, each tier adds 2 days to the tick length (slowing decline). At 75% Wellness and above, each tier removes 1 day from the tick length (minimum 1 day, accelerating recovery). Health score below 5 (tier 0) applies no modulation. Higher Health scores slow the Wellness decline rate when below 75%, preventing characters with robust constitutions from spiraling as quickly. At 75% and above, Health also determines how fast positive ticking occurs, allowing well-cared-for characters with high Health to reach peak condition faster.

Rest Mechanics: Sustained rest restores Wellness more effectively than any other activity. A Breather (brief rest, 10 minutes) ticks Wellness slowly. A Short Rest (1 hour) ticks faster. A Full Rest (8 hours, requires a bed) ticks significantly faster and requires proper sleeping conditions, a comfortable bed is necessary for full Wellness recovery potential. Without a bed, a Full Rest still provides Endurance restoration but Wellness ticks more slowly. Environmental conditions affect rest quality: temperature extremes, noise, discomfort, and stress all reduce Wellness ticking during rest. A character resting in ideal conditions (warm, comfortable, safe, well-fed) gains maximum Wellness ticking; a character resting under poor conditions gains minimal benefit.

Practitioners and Standing: Practitioners are NPCs (not a playable profession) who specialize in supporting character wellness. Characters benefit most from establishing a relationship with a primary Practitioner who knows them well, this creates Standing, an important measure of trust and familiarity. Regular visits with an established Practitioner accelerate Wellness recovery and provide bonuses to health-related checks. These visits typically require scheduling appointments. Practitioners exist throughout the world; characters can visit any Practitioner in emergencies, but emergency visits provide limited benefits compared to regular visits with an established primary Practitioner. Building Standing requires time and repeated contact.

Larger races begin with higher Life and Stamina but lower Mana, their mass favors physical endurance over magical capacity. Smaller races begin with higher Mana but lower Life and Stamina, reflecting a natural affinity for magical energy over brute resilience. Standard-sized races begin with balanced amounts across all four. Base values for each size category are listed under Playable Races (pg. 2). Race-specific innate traits, ATTRs, and class bonuses modify these base values further.

Resource consumption occurs through actions like attacking, Spellcasting, and moving. Combat abilities cost Stamina, base cost is 2 Stamina chips, with each ability's cost listed on its card. Spells cost Mana, base cost is 2 Mana chips, with each spell's cost listed on its card. Both also cost at least 1 action. Life, Mana, and Stamina regenerate via Spirit between every turn. Endurance is spent by every action taken across the day and resets at the start of each day. Each Vitality resource has its own score, called a Vitality SCR (VIT SCR), tracked through Chips. Each VIT SCR is the number of Chips that Vitality resource is capped at (see Vitality Progression, below).

Vitality Progression

Each Vitality resource grows every Character LVL and every Growth, at the same per-LVL rate for both: Life by 18, plus the Character's Constitution score. Mana by 12, plus the Character's Wit score. Stamina by 12, plus the Character's Willpower score. Endurance by 11. These rates are consistent across all sizes, size differences are reflected in the base values. Growth's contribution is tracked on its own schedule, since Growth itself arrives on a slower, escalating wait rather than every LVL (see Growth, above). Vitality can be raised further through certain Armament Enhancements (still being expanded, see Enhancing and Modification Armaments, pg. 4).

Example: Kaida is Standard size, giving her a Base Life of 50 (see Base Vitality by Size, above). At Character LVL 30 and Growth 8, LVLing and Growth together add a good deal more Life, plus a bonus from her Constitution score. Her Apex, derived from her Fortitude score of 40, is split across Life, Stamina, and Endurance, bringing her Life to 965.