Post by sleepingdragon on Oct 27, 2023 22:51:50 GMT
These pregenerated characters are presented to give you an idea of what kind of adventurous people you might encounter around the Gulf of Blades/Trader Cities. If you wish, you can simply select one of the characters and play them.
You are free to mix and match, tweaking one of the pregenerated characters to fit. So if you want to play the Blade for Hire, but want to dial down their bloodthirsty selfishness, you can simply amend some of their aspects.
If none of the characters speak to you, you're welcome to simply invent one from scratch. Just let me know if you want to do this so we can make sure everything is good.
I've deliberately left out names, gender, physical descriptions (mostly, some have certain features built in as part of their aspects), so you can select these for yourself. Mythrium itself is roughly based around classical Carthage and the setting is based on the classical Mediterranean. My NPCs mostly use this Phoenician name generator, but anything that sounds like it could be from that time and area will work.
There are some minor changes, for example many characters and places use the suffix -is (pronounced ish), which can be considered to be a stand in for the Roman suffix -us. I have no idea why I decided on this for this setting but it's now stuck in my head so it's staying. So as an example, the historical Carthaginian name Hamilcar could be Hamilcis in this setting.
Most characters in this setting use only a first name, possibly including a reference to their birthplace to differentiate themselves from others with the same name. Among the mercantile aristocracy, the typical style is to use a surname with the specific form Firstname of the Surname, with an example being the naval captain who rescued you, Balzer of the Mori.
Each pregenerated character also has one aspect that I've deliberately left empty, so that even if you just pick one and run with them as it is you can still put your own stamp on them. I've left it up to you to decide whether or not your characters knew each other prior to departing from Bosqis, so if you have pre-existing knowledge of one another, or you happen to have struck up a friendship after the pirate attack, you can take an aspect representing this, for example. You're also welcome to raid the aspects of any pregenerated characters that don't get selected and use these.
A final note is that while literacy is very common in the Trader Cities, it isn't universal. Some characters are marked as being illiterate. Characters can generally become literate by selecting the Lore skill or having one aspect that would indicate they would know how to read. It's fine for some of your characters to be illiterate, although it would cause some headaches in the story if you all are.
You are a travelling sellsword, the veteran of many campaigns and a dozen mercenary bands. When your last company dissolved in a fractious dispute over loot, you wiped the blood from your sword, pocketed as much cash as you could, and set off for a pressing engagement somewhere far away from your vengeful ex-comrades. Knowing that the city of Mythrium has long relied on mercenary armies, you stowed away on the first ship you could…which was attacked by pirates. Just your luck!
High Concept - Cold-Hearted Blade for Hire
Trouble - Eye to the Main Chance
Aspect - Deeds, Not Words
Aspect - Me, Myself, and I
Aspect - Left Empty for the Player
Great +4 Fight
Good +3 Physique, Athletics
Fair +2 Notice, Survival, Provoke
Average +1 Stealth, Crafts, Shoot, Will
Break the Line. Once per conflict, when you inflict a consequence on an opponent with Fight, you can inflict a 2 shift physical hit on another opponent in the same zone.
Hardly a Scratch. You can roll Physique instead of Medicine when performing a physical recovery action on yourself.
Draw First Blood. You can spend a fate point to automatically go first in turn order in a physical conflict, regardless of Notice.
Extras: Illiterate
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift/ 4 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Medicine isn't the most advanced art in the Trader Cities, but illness and injury are omnipresent. Practitioners of the arts of blood-letters, bone-scraping and potion-making are known in the region as 'leeches'. It's regarded as a distasteful but necessary profession, and their poor reputation hasn't been helped by their perceived failure to quell the devastating plague that ravaged the region a decade ago. For yourself, you recently made a doomed attempt to save the life of a prominent aristocrat who'd contracted a quite embarrassing sexual illness. The fallout forced you to flee on the first available ship, which was attacked by pirates before it could even reach its destination in Mythrium.
High Concept - Grim Surgeon
Trouble - Foul Reputation
Aspect - Blood Doesn't Bother Me
Aspect - World-Weary Cynic
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Medicine
Good +3 Investigate, Provoke
Fair +2 Deceive, Will, Notice
Average +1 Stealth, Lore, Fight, Contacts
Leechcraft. You can use Medicine instead of Physique when resisting injury, fatigue, illness, disease, and poison.
Menacing Demeanour. When you are face-to-face with another person, gain +2 to create advantages specifically related to fear on them with Provoke.
Lip Reader. You may use Investigate to eavesdrop on conversations you can only see. If the GM would normally allow someone to attempt to read lips, you gain +2 to the roll; otherwise, you may simply roll Investigate when others may not.
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
A decade and a half ago, the cities around the Gulf of Blades were struck by a terrible plague. It killed thousands, but was particularly virulent for children. You are one of the few exceptions. Though you have been left pock-marked and scarred, you miraculously recovered. Your mother credited your survival to the gods and raised you to be extremely devout. Since your recovery you have periodically had premonitions in the form of vivid dreams, and these have recently increased in frequency and intensity, leading you to depart for Mythrium. You knew that you would face trouble on the way, but you also knew that you would survive, and you have. Now you must discover why the gods have brought you here.
High Concept - Plague Scarred Mystic
Trouble - Messiah Complex
Aspect - Fanatical Zeal
Aspect - Weirdness Magnet
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Will
Good +3 Notice, Provoke
Fair +2 Medicine, Empathy, Fight
Average +1 Rapport, Crafts, Survival, Investigate
Vivid Visions. When you take a night's sleep, you can spend a fate point to make a special Will roll relating a specific topic you must declare prior to rolling. Depending on your degree of success, you can receive flashes of insight and knowledge that you would otherwise have no way of obtaining.
Illiterate Savant. You can roll against Will rather than Lore if seeking or recalling knowledge about the divine, miracles, or the supernatural.
Armour of Fear. Your plague ravaged face fills your foes with dread. You can use Provoke to defend against Fight or Shoot attacks, but only until the first time you're dealt stress in a conflict.
Extras: Illiterate
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
When you were only an infant, you were taken as a thrall by the ruthless pirates of Tirkouane, separated from your parents whose very names you don't know. You survived a harsh childhood on the island city, where you were quarantined against the plague ravaging the rest of the lands of Trade and Blade. Though you had several cruel masters, you learned how to avoid notice and proved resourceful, learning to read and write. When quarantine ended, you were sold to an ageing aristocrat in the city-state of Bosqis, serving him as a scribe and aide. Recently he died and granted you manumission in his will. You set sail for Mythrium, where you were born, and after narrowly avoiding being enslaved by the Tirkomen a second time, you find yourself back in the home city where you know no one.
High Concept - Freedman Scribe
Trouble - Chronic Insomnia
Aspect - No Stranger to Pain
Aspect - Finally, I'm Home
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Deceive
Good +3 Will, Lore
Fair +2 Notice, Rapport, Investigate
Average +1 Contacts, Crafts, Medicine, Physique
No One Sees the Help. When you're in a social setting with more than a handful of people, you can use Deceive to be completely unobtrusive, seeming to simply blend into the background.
Steel Focus. You can easily clear your mind in a stressful situation. You gain +2 to create advantages with Will related to concentration, willpower, or clear thought.
Hit the Books. You gain +2 to create advantage or overcome actions with Investigate when you seek or consult textual sources.
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
Since a young age you were filled with curiosity. You were apprenticed as a clerk to a large merchant house and showed great promise, until recently your master came into possession of an extremely unusual item, a small grimoire of arcane lore. When he first obtained it you were able to read a few pages and the strange runes and symbols seemed to sear themselves into your soul. The merchant locked the book safely away from your prying eyes, and for months you were driven almost mad with a desire to see it again. Then you learned that a buyer was coming to take it, and in desperation, you stole it and fled to the port city of Bosqis. You spent a year there, teaching yourself the basics of hedge wizardry, when you learned that your former master had discovered your location. You fled again, boarding a ship to Mythrium. When you were attacked by pirates, you managed to rescue the grimoire and then spent weeks trapped on a tiny isle before you were finally rescued.
High Concept - Naif Hedge Wizard
Trouble - Insatiable Curiosity
Aspect - Inquisitive Busybody
Aspect - Sucker for a Sob Story
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Will
Good +3 Lore, Investigate
Fair +2 Rapport, Deceive, Burglary
Average +1 Medicine, Empathy, Notice, Contacts
Good Luck Charm. You gain a +2 bonus to Will rolls when creating charms or boons.
Occultist. You gain a +2 bonus to Lore rolls relating to the occult or arcane.
Mercantile Background. You gain a +2 bonus to create advantages with Investigate for the purposes of buying or selling.
Extras: Hedge Wizardry
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
As a farmer's child, you have stood out since your youngest days for your great stature, imposing physique, honest nature, and your bold, audacious style. You began to compete as an athlete in the local city-state, becoming especially talented in the art of wrestling, to the point that you began to do this as your career, moving to the city and leaving your past behind. You were recently defeated in a match in Bosqis, however you discovered that your opponent had cheated by bribing someone to slip something in your food to make you drowsy. In a rage, you confronted him and injured him so severely he had to withdraw from the competition. Unfortunately, your rival was backed by the local thieves' guild, who were very unhappy you had cost them their bets that he would win the competition. After fighting off the first assassin, you hastily boarded a ship to Mythrium, barely surviving a pirate attack on the way.
High Concept - Honour Bound Wrestler
Trouble - Explosive Temper
Aspect - Tricks Are Beneath Me
Aspect - Actually a Giant Softie
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Physique
Good +3 Fight, Athletics
Fair +2 Notice, Rapport, Survival
Average +1 Will, Provoke, Contacts, Medicine
Bicep Flex. On your first turn of a conflict, you can roll a create advantage check using Physique as a free action to intimidate your opponents.
Heave Ho! You can use Physique to throw heavy objects at opponents up to a zone away as a ranged attack.
I'll Have That. If you succeed with style on a Fight defence against a melee attack while you have at least one free hand, you can immediately place the situation aspect Disarmed on your opponent, with a free invoke, instead of just a boost.
Extras: Illiterate
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
As an attractive teenage orphan, you had little choice but to turn to the world's oldest profession to survive. You've drifted from city to city, plying your trade, occasionally turning your hand to thievery or domestic service when the opportunity allows. Your stressful life has led you to suffer with regular migraines, but you are a determined and resourceful survivor capable of sudden bursts of energy when it's least expected of you. After overstaying your welcome in Bosqis, you have moved on to Mythrium, knowing this city drips with gold and opportunity.
High Concept - Sly Streetwalker
Trouble - Crippling Migraines
Aspect - An Air of Fragile Grace
Aspect - Filled With Nervous Energy
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Empathy
Good +3 Provoke, Notice
Fair +2 Rapport, Contacts, Deceive
Average +1 Athletics, Lore, Will, Investigate
See to the Heart. You can almost immediately read a room and understand how actions would impact the mood. If you use Empathy to read a room - against Mediocre (+0) difficulty - count how many shifts you accrue. Over the course of the scene, you can ask the GM how people would react in any hypothetical scenario. You can do this a number of times equal to the number of shifts generated.
Sultry Figure. You gain +2 to Provoke rolls to seduce, fluster, or distract anyone with a compatible sexual orientation.
Eyes Like a Hawk. When you take the full defence action in combat, you can defend using Notice instead of Fight or Athletics. You still gain the +2 bonus to defend.
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Many families were left destitute and penniless in the aftermath of the plague, and your family of farmers was one of these. From an early age, you learned to hunt where you weren't supposed to, and as times grew harsher and the rest of your family passed, you went from hunting animals to sometimes hunting people. You were part of a bandit clan for several years, until your bandit chief betrayed you to the law in exchange for a bounty and a pardon. You barely escaped, and have drifted since. You've tried to stay on the right side of the law and live as a hunter, but you've usually needed to move on after a time when your past caught up with you. You recently decided to move to Mythrium, where you might find a new start, and just barely escaped becoming a Tirkoman thrall.
High Concept - Reformed Bandit
Trouble - Sees Betrayal In Every Shadow
Aspect - Lone Wolf
Aspect - Surprisingly Cultured
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Shoot
Good +3 Survival, Stealth
Fair +2 Notice, Athletics, Burglary
Average +1 Lore, Will, Fight, Deceive
Called Shot. During a Shoot attack, you can spend one fate point to declare a specific condition you want to inflict on the target, like Shot in the Hand. If you succeed, you place that as a situation aspect on them in addition to inflicting stress.
Hidden Sniper. Once per conflict, after a successful Shoot attack, you can attempt to create advantage with Stealth as a free action.
I Live Rough. You can use Survival instead of Physique to defend against fatigue, exposure, injury, or illness. Your physical stress track is keyed to Survival, not Physique.
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Growing up as a strong and burly youth, you were apprenticed to a swordsmith and learned all the secrets of the craft. While still young you suffered a great injury when a frantic horse trampled your foot, making your movements slow and awkward, but after this you spent even more time at the forge, working constantly. Wanting to find your own way in the world, you drifted from village to village and city to city. You recently learned that the clouds of war hang over Mythrium, and decided to set sail there, knowing you'd be able to find work easily.
High Concept - Kind-Hearted Swordsmith
Trouble - Maimed Foot
Aspect - Cautious Planner
Aspect - Honest to a Fault
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Crafts
Good +3 Physique, Rapport
Fair +2 Fight, Investigate, Empathy
Average +1 Will, Lore, Contacts, Medicine
The Secrets of the Blade. Once per conflict, when you succeed on a Fight defence against an enemy armed with a sword, you can immediately roll a create advantage action using Crafts, allowing you to attach a situation aspect such as Weakness in the Crossguard with a free invoke.
None Shall Pass. You gain a +2 bonus to defend with Physique against attempts to push past you.
I Know Good Work When I See It. +2 to purchase rolls when buying weapons or armour.
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
There are innumerable ports all around the Gulf, the realms sometimes called the Land of Trade and Blade, and you're no stranger to either. You've drunk like a fish in every seedy dive in the Gulf, relying on wits and a strong arm to see you through the day. You'd taken a job to pull oars on the Hydra, a bireme out of Bosqis, when you were attacked by pirates, leaving you bedraggled on a little rocky island for days without so much as a drop to drink.
High Concept - Smiling Sailor
Trouble - Hit the Bottle
Aspect - Proud Hedonist
Aspect - Restless Wanderer
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Athletics
Good +3 Physique, Rapport
Fair +2 Fight, Notice, Contacts
Average +1 Stealth, Deceive, Investigate, Shoot
The Drunkard Staggers. You sway and stagger on your feet, seeming to evade blows by sheer chance. When you succeed on an Athletics defend roll when using this style, you gain a +2 bonus on your next attack against that opponent.
Oarsman. You gain a +2 bonus to defend or overcome rolls using Physique against fatigue or in order to push on through physical exertion.
Yo Ho Ho, And a Bottle of Rum! +2 to Rapport rolls when you're in a tavern or some other environment where alcohol is available.
Extras: Illiterate
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift
Your family were among the merchant princes of the city-state of Dolqis, on the northwestern coast, but when you were still a child your mother was accused of treason and you were forced to flee. You have never been able to return, instead wandering from city to city, staying with friends of the family. After your mother was poisoned five years ago, you were left as head of the family, but with only a small circle of allies and a dwindling chance of ever returning home. You learned a war was brewing in Mythrium and thought this might offer a chance to rebuild your fortune and reputation, but you were nearly taken as a thrall on the way and have now truly lost everything.
High Concept - Exiled Aristocrat
Trouble - Melancholic Self-Pity
Aspect - Eager for Glory
Aspect - Flowery Wordsmith
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Lore
Good +3 Contacts, Rapport
Fair +2 Fight, Will, Empathy, Provoke
Average +1 Physique, Deceive, Investigate, Notice
I Read About That Once. You've read countless books about almost every topic. You can spend a fate point to use Lore in place of any other skill for one roll or exchange, provided you can justify having read something about the action you're attempting.
Merchant-Prince. You gain +2 to Rapport rolls when dealing with merchants or the aristocracy.
Commercial Network. You gain +2 to Contacts rolls to create an advantage relating to buying or selling.
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
As an orphan, you grew up on the streets of one of the great cities of the northern Gulf. From a young age you learned the subtle arts of picking pockets, second story work, and moving unseen. You joined a thieves' guild, but then a new gang challenged yours for control of the streets. In one vicious tavern brawl that turned to a knife fight you took an infected wound and lost your right eye, and while you were recovering your guild was defeated and you had to flee. You eventually ended up in Bosqis, but decided to move to Mythrium, the richest city in the Gulf, to strike out on your own.
High Concept - Cunning Gutter Rat
Trouble - Lost an Eye
Aspect - Criminal Lowlife
Aspect - Sees the Worst In People
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Stealth
Good +3 Burglary, Fight
Average +2 Athletics, Deceive, Provoke
Fair +1 Investigate, Physique, Contacts, Notice
Sssssh! You're used to sneaking around with a group following you, and as long as they do what you say, you don't lead them wrong. As long as the group stays with you and follows your hushed orders, you can roll your single Stealth roll for the entire group. The maximum number of people who can be with you in this group is equal to your Stealth skill rating.
Yoink! You gain a +2 bonus to Burglary rolls made to pick pockets.
Knife Nut. You can use Fight instead of Shoot when throwing knives or daggers.
Extras: Illiterate.
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift
Although there are many great merchant families around the Gulf, these are far outnumbered by smaller traders, artisans and petty vendors. Your family was one of these, and you've adopted the family trade, acquiring whatever goods you can get your hands on and immediately selling them on. You've lived a hand to mouth existence for most of your life, but you know it's only a matter of time before you take your rightful place among the great merchant princes. You recently headed to Mythrium, and even a pirate attack couldn't shake your absolute certainty that your big break is just around the corner.
High Concept - Seafaring Trader
Trouble - Small Name, Big Ego
Aspect - Unbridled Optimism
Aspect - Risk is Exciting
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Contacts
Good +3 Notice, Investigate
Fair +2 Rapport, Will, Deceive
Average +1 Empathy, Burglary, Lore, Provoke
Natural Salesman. You gain a +2 bonus to all haggling rolls.
Size Up the Situation. You gain a +2 bonus to create advantage rolls using Notice.
Human Abacus. You have an almost supernatural capacity to deal with sums and figures. You gain +2 to Investigate rolls relating to mathematics, numbers, or commerce.
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
The people of the Gulf value music very highly, though it's regarded as a pursuit most fitting for the lowborn. Your musical talent allowed you to escape a life of poverty and become a wandering lyrist and singer. You have a great wanderlust and taste for adventure, unable to stay in one place for long, travelling from city to city, playing to the highborn and the low alike. You recently decided, on a whim, to travel to Mythrium, the greatest city of the Gulf, for the first time. For your trouble you were nearly enslaved by pirates, but you were able to escape with little more than your lyre and the clothes on your back.
High Concept - Excitable Lyrist
Trouble - Takes Nothing Seriously
Aspect - Sharp Dresser
Aspect - Talks Enough for Ten
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Rapport
Good +3 Empathy, Lore
Fair +2 Contacts, Investigate, Provoke
Average +1 Notice, Deceive, Will, Athletics
Musical Inspiration. You gain a +2 bonus to create advantage rolls with music using Rapport.
Got Your Measure. You gain a +2 bonus to create advantage with Empathy to read someone's emotional state.
Heroic Epic. You gain a +2 bonus to Lore checks relating to any topic that is sufficiently heroic or adventurous.
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
You are free to mix and match, tweaking one of the pregenerated characters to fit. So if you want to play the Blade for Hire, but want to dial down their bloodthirsty selfishness, you can simply amend some of their aspects.
If none of the characters speak to you, you're welcome to simply invent one from scratch. Just let me know if you want to do this so we can make sure everything is good.
I've deliberately left out names, gender, physical descriptions (mostly, some have certain features built in as part of their aspects), so you can select these for yourself. Mythrium itself is roughly based around classical Carthage and the setting is based on the classical Mediterranean. My NPCs mostly use this Phoenician name generator, but anything that sounds like it could be from that time and area will work.
There are some minor changes, for example many characters and places use the suffix -is (pronounced ish), which can be considered to be a stand in for the Roman suffix -us. I have no idea why I decided on this for this setting but it's now stuck in my head so it's staying. So as an example, the historical Carthaginian name Hamilcar could be Hamilcis in this setting.
Most characters in this setting use only a first name, possibly including a reference to their birthplace to differentiate themselves from others with the same name. Among the mercantile aristocracy, the typical style is to use a surname with the specific form Firstname of the Surname, with an example being the naval captain who rescued you, Balzer of the Mori.
Each pregenerated character also has one aspect that I've deliberately left empty, so that even if you just pick one and run with them as it is you can still put your own stamp on them. I've left it up to you to decide whether or not your characters knew each other prior to departing from Bosqis, so if you have pre-existing knowledge of one another, or you happen to have struck up a friendship after the pirate attack, you can take an aspect representing this, for example. You're also welcome to raid the aspects of any pregenerated characters that don't get selected and use these.
A final note is that while literacy is very common in the Trader Cities, it isn't universal. Some characters are marked as being illiterate. Characters can generally become literate by selecting the Lore skill or having one aspect that would indicate they would know how to read. It's fine for some of your characters to be illiterate, although it would cause some headaches in the story if you all are.
You are a travelling sellsword, the veteran of many campaigns and a dozen mercenary bands. When your last company dissolved in a fractious dispute over loot, you wiped the blood from your sword, pocketed as much cash as you could, and set off for a pressing engagement somewhere far away from your vengeful ex-comrades. Knowing that the city of Mythrium has long relied on mercenary armies, you stowed away on the first ship you could…which was attacked by pirates. Just your luck!
High Concept - Cold-Hearted Blade for Hire
Trouble - Eye to the Main Chance
Aspect - Deeds, Not Words
Aspect - Me, Myself, and I
Aspect - Left Empty for the Player
Great +4 Fight
Good +3 Physique, Athletics
Fair +2 Notice, Survival, Provoke
Average +1 Stealth, Crafts, Shoot, Will
Break the Line. Once per conflict, when you inflict a consequence on an opponent with Fight, you can inflict a 2 shift physical hit on another opponent in the same zone.
Hardly a Scratch. You can roll Physique instead of Medicine when performing a physical recovery action on yourself.
Draw First Blood. You can spend a fate point to automatically go first in turn order in a physical conflict, regardless of Notice.
Extras: Illiterate
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift/ 4 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Medicine isn't the most advanced art in the Trader Cities, but illness and injury are omnipresent. Practitioners of the arts of blood-letters, bone-scraping and potion-making are known in the region as 'leeches'. It's regarded as a distasteful but necessary profession, and their poor reputation hasn't been helped by their perceived failure to quell the devastating plague that ravaged the region a decade ago. For yourself, you recently made a doomed attempt to save the life of a prominent aristocrat who'd contracted a quite embarrassing sexual illness. The fallout forced you to flee on the first available ship, which was attacked by pirates before it could even reach its destination in Mythrium.
High Concept - Grim Surgeon
Trouble - Foul Reputation
Aspect - Blood Doesn't Bother Me
Aspect - World-Weary Cynic
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Medicine
Good +3 Investigate, Provoke
Fair +2 Deceive, Will, Notice
Average +1 Stealth, Lore, Fight, Contacts
Leechcraft. You can use Medicine instead of Physique when resisting injury, fatigue, illness, disease, and poison.
Menacing Demeanour. When you are face-to-face with another person, gain +2 to create advantages specifically related to fear on them with Provoke.
Lip Reader. You may use Investigate to eavesdrop on conversations you can only see. If the GM would normally allow someone to attempt to read lips, you gain +2 to the roll; otherwise, you may simply roll Investigate when others may not.
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
A decade and a half ago, the cities around the Gulf of Blades were struck by a terrible plague. It killed thousands, but was particularly virulent for children. You are one of the few exceptions. Though you have been left pock-marked and scarred, you miraculously recovered. Your mother credited your survival to the gods and raised you to be extremely devout. Since your recovery you have periodically had premonitions in the form of vivid dreams, and these have recently increased in frequency and intensity, leading you to depart for Mythrium. You knew that you would face trouble on the way, but you also knew that you would survive, and you have. Now you must discover why the gods have brought you here.
High Concept - Plague Scarred Mystic
Trouble - Messiah Complex
Aspect - Fanatical Zeal
Aspect - Weirdness Magnet
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Will
Good +3 Notice, Provoke
Fair +2 Medicine, Empathy, Fight
Average +1 Rapport, Crafts, Survival, Investigate
Vivid Visions. When you take a night's sleep, you can spend a fate point to make a special Will roll relating a specific topic you must declare prior to rolling. Depending on your degree of success, you can receive flashes of insight and knowledge that you would otherwise have no way of obtaining.
Illiterate Savant. You can roll against Will rather than Lore if seeking or recalling knowledge about the divine, miracles, or the supernatural.
Armour of Fear. Your plague ravaged face fills your foes with dread. You can use Provoke to defend against Fight or Shoot attacks, but only until the first time you're dealt stress in a conflict.
Extras: Illiterate
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
When you were only an infant, you were taken as a thrall by the ruthless pirates of Tirkouane, separated from your parents whose very names you don't know. You survived a harsh childhood on the island city, where you were quarantined against the plague ravaging the rest of the lands of Trade and Blade. Though you had several cruel masters, you learned how to avoid notice and proved resourceful, learning to read and write. When quarantine ended, you were sold to an ageing aristocrat in the city-state of Bosqis, serving him as a scribe and aide. Recently he died and granted you manumission in his will. You set sail for Mythrium, where you were born, and after narrowly avoiding being enslaved by the Tirkomen a second time, you find yourself back in the home city where you know no one.
High Concept - Freedman Scribe
Trouble - Chronic Insomnia
Aspect - No Stranger to Pain
Aspect - Finally, I'm Home
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Deceive
Good +3 Will, Lore
Fair +2 Notice, Rapport, Investigate
Average +1 Contacts, Crafts, Medicine, Physique
No One Sees the Help. When you're in a social setting with more than a handful of people, you can use Deceive to be completely unobtrusive, seeming to simply blend into the background.
Steel Focus. You can easily clear your mind in a stressful situation. You gain +2 to create advantages with Will related to concentration, willpower, or clear thought.
Hit the Books. You gain +2 to create advantage or overcome actions with Investigate when you seek or consult textual sources.
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
Since a young age you were filled with curiosity. You were apprenticed as a clerk to a large merchant house and showed great promise, until recently your master came into possession of an extremely unusual item, a small grimoire of arcane lore. When he first obtained it you were able to read a few pages and the strange runes and symbols seemed to sear themselves into your soul. The merchant locked the book safely away from your prying eyes, and for months you were driven almost mad with a desire to see it again. Then you learned that a buyer was coming to take it, and in desperation, you stole it and fled to the port city of Bosqis. You spent a year there, teaching yourself the basics of hedge wizardry, when you learned that your former master had discovered your location. You fled again, boarding a ship to Mythrium. When you were attacked by pirates, you managed to rescue the grimoire and then spent weeks trapped on a tiny isle before you were finally rescued.
High Concept - Naif Hedge Wizard
Trouble - Insatiable Curiosity
Aspect - Inquisitive Busybody
Aspect - Sucker for a Sob Story
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Will
Good +3 Lore, Investigate
Fair +2 Rapport, Deceive, Burglary
Average +1 Medicine, Empathy, Notice, Contacts
Good Luck Charm. You gain a +2 bonus to Will rolls when creating charms or boons.
Occultist. You gain a +2 bonus to Lore rolls relating to the occult or arcane.
Mercantile Background. You gain a +2 bonus to create advantages with Investigate for the purposes of buying or selling.
Extras: Hedge Wizardry
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
As a farmer's child, you have stood out since your youngest days for your great stature, imposing physique, honest nature, and your bold, audacious style. You began to compete as an athlete in the local city-state, becoming especially talented in the art of wrestling, to the point that you began to do this as your career, moving to the city and leaving your past behind. You were recently defeated in a match in Bosqis, however you discovered that your opponent had cheated by bribing someone to slip something in your food to make you drowsy. In a rage, you confronted him and injured him so severely he had to withdraw from the competition. Unfortunately, your rival was backed by the local thieves' guild, who were very unhappy you had cost them their bets that he would win the competition. After fighting off the first assassin, you hastily boarded a ship to Mythrium, barely surviving a pirate attack on the way.
High Concept - Honour Bound Wrestler
Trouble - Explosive Temper
Aspect - Tricks Are Beneath Me
Aspect - Actually a Giant Softie
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Physique
Good +3 Fight, Athletics
Fair +2 Notice, Rapport, Survival
Average +1 Will, Provoke, Contacts, Medicine
Bicep Flex. On your first turn of a conflict, you can roll a create advantage check using Physique as a free action to intimidate your opponents.
Heave Ho! You can use Physique to throw heavy objects at opponents up to a zone away as a ranged attack.
I'll Have That. If you succeed with style on a Fight defence against a melee attack while you have at least one free hand, you can immediately place the situation aspect Disarmed on your opponent, with a free invoke, instead of just a boost.
Extras: Illiterate
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
As an attractive teenage orphan, you had little choice but to turn to the world's oldest profession to survive. You've drifted from city to city, plying your trade, occasionally turning your hand to thievery or domestic service when the opportunity allows. Your stressful life has led you to suffer with regular migraines, but you are a determined and resourceful survivor capable of sudden bursts of energy when it's least expected of you. After overstaying your welcome in Bosqis, you have moved on to Mythrium, knowing this city drips with gold and opportunity.
High Concept - Sly Streetwalker
Trouble - Crippling Migraines
Aspect - An Air of Fragile Grace
Aspect - Filled With Nervous Energy
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Empathy
Good +3 Provoke, Notice
Fair +2 Rapport, Contacts, Deceive
Average +1 Athletics, Lore, Will, Investigate
See to the Heart. You can almost immediately read a room and understand how actions would impact the mood. If you use Empathy to read a room - against Mediocre (+0) difficulty - count how many shifts you accrue. Over the course of the scene, you can ask the GM how people would react in any hypothetical scenario. You can do this a number of times equal to the number of shifts generated.
Sultry Figure. You gain +2 to Provoke rolls to seduce, fluster, or distract anyone with a compatible sexual orientation.
Eyes Like a Hawk. When you take the full defence action in combat, you can defend using Notice instead of Fight or Athletics. You still gain the +2 bonus to defend.
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Many families were left destitute and penniless in the aftermath of the plague, and your family of farmers was one of these. From an early age, you learned to hunt where you weren't supposed to, and as times grew harsher and the rest of your family passed, you went from hunting animals to sometimes hunting people. You were part of a bandit clan for several years, until your bandit chief betrayed you to the law in exchange for a bounty and a pardon. You barely escaped, and have drifted since. You've tried to stay on the right side of the law and live as a hunter, but you've usually needed to move on after a time when your past caught up with you. You recently decided to move to Mythrium, where you might find a new start, and just barely escaped becoming a Tirkoman thrall.
High Concept - Reformed Bandit
Trouble - Sees Betrayal In Every Shadow
Aspect - Lone Wolf
Aspect - Surprisingly Cultured
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Shoot
Good +3 Survival, Stealth
Fair +2 Notice, Athletics, Burglary
Average +1 Lore, Will, Fight, Deceive
Called Shot. During a Shoot attack, you can spend one fate point to declare a specific condition you want to inflict on the target, like Shot in the Hand. If you succeed, you place that as a situation aspect on them in addition to inflicting stress.
Hidden Sniper. Once per conflict, after a successful Shoot attack, you can attempt to create advantage with Stealth as a free action.
I Live Rough. You can use Survival instead of Physique to defend against fatigue, exposure, injury, or illness. Your physical stress track is keyed to Survival, not Physique.
Physical stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
Mental stress - 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Growing up as a strong and burly youth, you were apprenticed to a swordsmith and learned all the secrets of the craft. While still young you suffered a great injury when a frantic horse trampled your foot, making your movements slow and awkward, but after this you spent even more time at the forge, working constantly. Wanting to find your own way in the world, you drifted from village to village and city to city. You recently learned that the clouds of war hang over Mythrium, and decided to set sail there, knowing you'd be able to find work easily.
High Concept - Kind-Hearted Swordsmith
Trouble - Maimed Foot
Aspect - Cautious Planner
Aspect - Honest to a Fault
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Crafts
Good +3 Physique, Rapport
Fair +2 Fight, Investigate, Empathy
Average +1 Will, Lore, Contacts, Medicine
The Secrets of the Blade. Once per conflict, when you succeed on a Fight defence against an enemy armed with a sword, you can immediately roll a create advantage action using Crafts, allowing you to attach a situation aspect such as Weakness in the Crossguard with a free invoke.
None Shall Pass. You gain a +2 bonus to defend with Physique against attempts to push past you.
I Know Good Work When I See It. +2 to purchase rolls when buying weapons or armour.
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
There are innumerable ports all around the Gulf, the realms sometimes called the Land of Trade and Blade, and you're no stranger to either. You've drunk like a fish in every seedy dive in the Gulf, relying on wits and a strong arm to see you through the day. You'd taken a job to pull oars on the Hydra, a bireme out of Bosqis, when you were attacked by pirates, leaving you bedraggled on a little rocky island for days without so much as a drop to drink.
High Concept - Smiling Sailor
Trouble - Hit the Bottle
Aspect - Proud Hedonist
Aspect - Restless Wanderer
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Athletics
Good +3 Physique, Rapport
Fair +2 Fight, Notice, Contacts
Average +1 Stealth, Deceive, Investigate, Shoot
The Drunkard Staggers. You sway and stagger on your feet, seeming to evade blows by sheer chance. When you succeed on an Athletics defend roll when using this style, you gain a +2 bonus on your next attack against that opponent.
Oarsman. You gain a +2 bonus to defend or overcome rolls using Physique against fatigue or in order to push on through physical exertion.
Yo Ho Ho, And a Bottle of Rum! +2 to Rapport rolls when you're in a tavern or some other environment where alcohol is available.
Extras: Illiterate
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift / 4 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift
Your family were among the merchant princes of the city-state of Dolqis, on the northwestern coast, but when you were still a child your mother was accused of treason and you were forced to flee. You have never been able to return, instead wandering from city to city, staying with friends of the family. After your mother was poisoned five years ago, you were left as head of the family, but with only a small circle of allies and a dwindling chance of ever returning home. You learned a war was brewing in Mythrium and thought this might offer a chance to rebuild your fortune and reputation, but you were nearly taken as a thrall on the way and have now truly lost everything.
High Concept - Exiled Aristocrat
Trouble - Melancholic Self-Pity
Aspect - Eager for Glory
Aspect - Flowery Wordsmith
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Lore
Good +3 Contacts, Rapport
Fair +2 Fight, Will, Empathy, Provoke
Average +1 Physique, Deceive, Investigate, Notice
I Read About That Once. You've read countless books about almost every topic. You can spend a fate point to use Lore in place of any other skill for one roll or exchange, provided you can justify having read something about the action you're attempting.
Merchant-Prince. You gain +2 to Rapport rolls when dealing with merchants or the aristocracy.
Commercial Network. You gain +2 to Contacts rolls to create an advantage relating to buying or selling.
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
As an orphan, you grew up on the streets of one of the great cities of the northern Gulf. From a young age you learned the subtle arts of picking pockets, second story work, and moving unseen. You joined a thieves' guild, but then a new gang challenged yours for control of the streets. In one vicious tavern brawl that turned to a knife fight you took an infected wound and lost your right eye, and while you were recovering your guild was defeated and you had to flee. You eventually ended up in Bosqis, but decided to move to Mythrium, the richest city in the Gulf, to strike out on your own.
High Concept - Cunning Gutter Rat
Trouble - Lost an Eye
Aspect - Criminal Lowlife
Aspect - Sees the Worst In People
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Stealth
Good +3 Burglary, Fight
Average +2 Athletics, Deceive, Provoke
Fair +1 Investigate, Physique, Contacts, Notice
Sssssh! You're used to sneaking around with a group following you, and as long as they do what you say, you don't lead them wrong. As long as the group stays with you and follows your hushed orders, you can roll your single Stealth roll for the entire group. The maximum number of people who can be with you in this group is equal to your Stealth skill rating.
Yoink! You gain a +2 bonus to Burglary rolls made to pick pockets.
Knife Nut. You can use Fight instead of Shoot when throwing knives or daggers.
Extras: Illiterate.
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift
Although there are many great merchant families around the Gulf, these are far outnumbered by smaller traders, artisans and petty vendors. Your family was one of these, and you've adopted the family trade, acquiring whatever goods you can get your hands on and immediately selling them on. You've lived a hand to mouth existence for most of your life, but you know it's only a matter of time before you take your rightful place among the great merchant princes. You recently headed to Mythrium, and even a pirate attack couldn't shake your absolute certainty that your big break is just around the corner.
High Concept - Seafaring Trader
Trouble - Small Name, Big Ego
Aspect - Unbridled Optimism
Aspect - Risk is Exciting
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Contacts
Good +3 Notice, Investigate
Fair +2 Rapport, Will, Deceive
Average +1 Empathy, Burglary, Lore, Provoke
Natural Salesman. You gain a +2 bonus to all haggling rolls.
Size Up the Situation. You gain a +2 bonus to create advantage rolls using Notice.
Human Abacus. You have an almost supernatural capacity to deal with sums and figures. You gain +2 to Investigate rolls relating to mathematics, numbers, or commerce.
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift
The people of the Gulf value music very highly, though it's regarded as a pursuit most fitting for the lowborn. Your musical talent allowed you to escape a life of poverty and become a wandering lyrist and singer. You have a great wanderlust and taste for adventure, unable to stay in one place for long, travelling from city to city, playing to the highborn and the low alike. You recently decided, on a whim, to travel to Mythrium, the greatest city of the Gulf, for the first time. For your trouble you were nearly enslaved by pirates, but you were able to escape with little more than your lyre and the clothes on your back.
High Concept - Excitable Lyrist
Trouble - Takes Nothing Seriously
Aspect - Sharp Dresser
Aspect - Talks Enough for Ten
Aspect - Left Empty for Player
Great +4 Rapport
Good +3 Empathy, Lore
Fair +2 Contacts, Investigate, Provoke
Average +1 Notice, Deceive, Will, Athletics
Musical Inspiration. You gain a +2 bonus to create advantage rolls with music using Rapport.
Got Your Measure. You gain a +2 bonus to create advantage with Empathy to read someone's emotional state.
Heroic Epic. You gain a +2 bonus to Lore checks relating to any topic that is sufficiently heroic or adventurous.
Physical stress 1 shift / 2 shift
Mental stress 1 shift / 2 shift / 3 shift