Chapter 4. Character Details and Options

Dispositions

Your character’s disposition indicates, among other things, the way they approach the world. Do they respect the laws of the lands that they travel through or do they value freedom above all else? Disposition can be fluid, it can change over time or dramatically in the wake of a significant or traumatic event.

Below are common dispositions in Polyhedral:

Free. You don’t like the be constrained by rules, regulations, or anything that would impede your ability to live your life the way you want to. While this disposition doesn’t force a moral framework on your view of the world, you are likely to extend your values to the people around you. If a community is being subjected to tyranny a character who values freedom will step in to help free them.

Good. You have strong morals and virtues. You believe it is right to help and protect those who are in need. This doesn’t mean that you sacrifice your or ignore your own needs, but you are more likely to put the well-being of others before your own. In many ways this is the essence of a heroic character: the village can’t defend itself, so you choose to help them. While you may respect the laws of the land, you do so with open eyes and don’t follow the law blindly. If the powers-that-be are abusing the law for their own benefit at the expense of the people, their authority has crossed a line and a good character often feels compelled to stand against it.

Greed. You value something to excess, like material wealth or power. This motivation influences your every decision: you’re happy to protect the village, provided someone is willing to pay. Your greed doesn’t make you a bad person, you simply have different values that sometimes paint you in an unfavorable light compared to others.

Indulgent. You have a tendency to cede to whatever whim catches your fancy. You often seek experiences that will gratify you, satisfying a short term desire. Indulgent characters can be very easy going, but if something doesn’t interest them they may take a different path.

Lawful. You respect laws and codes, this may mean that you respect the code of an individual or of the land that you’re currently in. In general, you are law-abiding—sometimes to a fault. You believe that the personal codes of an individual and the laws of the realm are important and are loath to violate them. Many characters with a lawful disposition firmly believe in similar values as goodly characters, however their approach is often different.

Size and Space

Every creature has a size category. Your size also indicates how much space you control in an action scene, such as combat. The amount of space you control is not a representation of your physical dimensions, but rather your reach. A creature’s space also reflects the area that it needs in order to maneuver and move comfortably. In combat this is especially important. Sometimes objects also use the same size categories as creatures.

The Size Categories table below indicates the size of a creature and the space it controls.

Languages

Every character begins play knowing at least one language. Your upbringing, background, and sometimes your talents might grant you fluency in additional languages. If you do not know a language, you might still be able to communicate with creatures by making Pressence (Performance) checks. The storyteller might allow you to learn additional languages by participating in certain Downtime Activities, described in detail in Chapter 7.

Skill Bonus

Your skill bonus is based on your total character level. It can be calculated by dividing your level by 5 and rounding up (minimum of +1). The maximum skill bonus a character can have is +10. For example a level 4 character has a +1 skill bonus, while a level 21 character has a +5 skill bonus. The table below shows you the levels when your skill bonus increases.

Skills, Tools, and Knowledges

Every skill in the game is associated with a primary ability, e.g. athletics and Strength ability, deception with Presence ability, etc. The association between a skill and ability reflect the most common uses of the skill.

When you want to use a skill, the storyteller will call for an ability check and tell you what ability to use with your skill, e.g. Strength (Athletics) for leaping from the roof of one building to the next. In some cases, a storyteller might also ask for an ability that isn’t typically used with the skill, e.g. Vitality (Athletics) to hold your breath for a long period of time.

In addition to skills, characters may also have knowledge about certain topics or proficiency with tools.

Skills

Skills are areas of training that apply to more specific tasks and are associated with a primary ability. The following list presents the skills and the abilities that they are primarily related to.

An ability check with a skill can use an ability other than its primary ability, for example if a character wishes to intimidate another creature in a show of strength the storyteller might ask for a Strength (Intimidate) check instead of the standard Presence (Intimidate) check.

• Strength: Athletics
• Agility: Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
• Vitality: Endurance
• Mind: Awareness, Investigation, Insight, Survival
• Spirit: Resonance
• Presence: Deception, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion

Acrobatics

Your Agility (Acrobatics) check is a measure of your coordination and balance, such as when you are attempting to keep your footing on unsteady ground. In addition, an Agility (Acrobatics) check might be called for when you dive, roll, or perform any other acrobatic stunt.

Athletics

Your Strength (Athletics) check can be used to determine the result of actions such as: climbing, jumping, running, swimming, throwing and other activities tied to physical skill. You might make an Strength (Athletics) check when:

• You are trying to scale the face of a mountain, either with or without climbing equipment.
• You are making a jump across a longer-than-normal distance, such as from one rooftop to another.
• You are attempting to swim or stay afloat in turbulent waters or when your movement is otherwise hampered in the water.
• You are trying to accurately throw an object to another character, for example when passing a ball to another player in a sports game.

Awareness

Your Mind (Awareness) check is used to perceive your surroundings and is a measure of your alertness and your senses. You might use make a Mind (Awareness) check to eavesdrop on a conversation, observe a detail, or locate a hidden creature.

Deception

Your Presence (Deception) check is your ability to conceal the truth. These deceptions may be anything from mislead others by making ambiguous statements, omitting facts, or with outright lies. You might make a Presence (Deception) check when: gambling, trying to disguise yourself, make a bluff, or fast-talk your way out of a situation.

Endurance

Your Vitality (Endurance) check is a measure of your physical capacity and stamina. The storyteller might ask for a Vitality (Endurance) check after you’ve been traveling non-stop for several days or when you are in a high-intensity foot chase to see if you have the stamina to continue pursuing your quarry.

Investigation

Your Mind (Investigation) check is used to search for information and when trying to find something concealed or hidden in an area through careful examination and inspection. Your investigation skill also is used when you are trying to find clues and when analyzing clues you’ve already found. You might make a Mind (Investigation) check when you are looking for information in an ancient text, searching for a secret door, or trying to identify a strutural weakness.

Insight

Your Mind (Insight) check represents your ability to read another creature and to determine their motives and intentions often through non-verbal clues. You might do this by reading a creature’s body language, such observing a change in their mannerisms or by analyizing their speech habits. You might also have a sensistivity to another creature’s emotions, gleaning information from via a form of empathy.

Intimidation

Your Presence (Intimidation) check is a measure of your ability to influence another creature using threats, showing hostility, or through violence. Using force to extract information from a prisoner or brandishing a weapon to show you’re serious are examples of using intimidation.

Performance

Your Presence (Performance) check represents your ability to sing, dance, act, tell stories, adhere to proper etiquette, make speeches, or other forms of entertainment and presentation.

Persuasion

Your Presence (Persuasion) checks determine how effective you are at influencing one or more people through subtle measures. The storyteller might ask for a Presence (Persuasion) check when you want to coerce assistance by fostering amicable relationships, sway a decision by making an appeal, inspire a group to action, or when you are attempting to win someone’s affection.

Resonance

Your Spirit (Resonance) check is a measure of your sensistivity to magical or unnatural phenomena.

Sleight of Hand

Your Agility (Sleight of Hand) check is an act of legerdemain or manual dexterity—often relying on trickery. The storyteller might ask for an Agility (Sleight of Hand) check when you attempt to pick another person’s pocket, conceal an object you are carrying, or when you attempt to covertly plant an object or pass one to another creature.

Stealth

Your Agility (Stealth) check represents your ability to hide and otherwise conceal yourself from detection. A storyteller might ask for an Agility (Stealth) check when you attempt to hide in the shadows, sneak past a dozing guard, or remain quiet while an enemy is searching for you.

Survival

Your Mind (Survival) check determines how well you can manage in the wilderness including: finding and following tracks, hunting wild game, or navigating treacherous environments.

Knowledges

A character might have familiarity with a variety of topics: arcana, history, medicine, nature, religion, technology, etc. If you have knowledge on a particular subject you can use an ability check to recall useful information or to recognize something related to the field. The ability check will usually use your Mind ability. For example, if attempting to recall a particular historical fact the storyteller might ask you to make a Mind (Knowledge, History) check.

Depending on your origin and experience, you may have knowledge in one or more topics. Common knowledges are:

Arcana. The study and knowledge of magic, magic-related lore, and other magical phenomena. You have some knowledge of extraplanar spaces.

Dungeoneering. You have familiarity with the field of dungeoneering, including navigating complex labyrinthine structures and winding caverns, in addition you can spot hazards common to dungeons. You may also have esoteric knowledge about specific dungeons, ruins, undergroung settings, and similar locales.

History. You have knowledge related to the history of a particular region. You know about significant historical events of an area and can explain their causes. The information at your disposal might include, but is not limited to: important leaders, celebrities, customs, traditions, laws, legends, and wars (both past and present).

Medicine. You have a working knowledge of field medicine and can use this to diagnose illness, treat wounds, and to stabilize dying creatures. Your knowledge may extend to more advanced practices such as surgery, pharmaceuticals, or other medical fields.

Nature. Your ability to recall facts about terrain, plants, animals, and natural phenomena is encoded in your knowledge of the natural world.

Religion. Your theological knowledge of religion represents your familiarity with the lore of a religion, its deities, prayers, and other rituals. In addition, you have an understanding of religious doctrine, typical religious hierarchies, and religious symbology. You may even specialize in a particular religion.

Technology. Your experience with technological devices is represented by this knowledge. You know the capabilities of different technologies, mechanical or otherwise. This knowledge may represent a fluency in engineering practices, generally-applicable skills, or an understanding of lost, forgotten, or alien-to-you technologies.

Tools

Tools allow you to perform some action that, without them, would otherwise be difficult or impossible. You can use tools to build or repair something, play music, disguise yourself or another creature, or forge documents; vehicles are also classified as tools. You might gain proficiency in tools from your chosen origin, jobs, or talents. If you are skilled with a tool, you add your skill bonus to any ability check you make with that tool. The storyteller determines what ability you should use when making an ability check with the tool.

Even if you do not have proficiency with a tool, you can still use it. All normal dice pool adjustments and roll modifiers are applied for unskilled tool usage.

Saving Throws

When your character is the target of an effect that would impede them or injure them, sometimes they are given the opportunity to resist against it. The act of resisting might be involuntary—as with the body’s ability to withstand poison or disease—or active—such as evading an explosion. When a character resists something they make a special check called a saving throw.

When you choose your character’s starting job you gain proficiency in two saving throws. Making a saving throw is the same as making any ability check, if you are skilled in a saving throw you add your skill bonus to the roll. If you are unskilled your dice pool is modified by −1D.

Talents

Medic

You are an able physician who is skilled in the art of dressing wounds and healing the injured. When you use tools with the [Healing] tag, you gain the following benefits:

• When you stabilize a dying creature, that creature also regains 1 health.
• During a short rest you can treat a number of wounds equal to the number of Stamina dice that a creature spends to regain health.

Tough

Your maximum health increases by an amount equal to twice your level when you choose this talent. For every level you gain after you gain this talent, your maximum health increases by +2. In addition, your Wound threshold equals three times your Vitality rank.