Part I · Play
Title Ideas and the Crew
Quick Build
Ten minutes, and you’re playing.
The quick build is the long build with most of the thinking done for you. You pick two archetypes, take what you need from the Title ideas, and bring the parts that make the character yours: the Titles, the people and what you want. Each step says where it’s explained in full.
- Pick two archetypes, and a Title idea for each if you like. Each archetype has a mechanic, something only it can do, and on most of them 1 Aura adds +2 to one die on it. You can take the same archetype twice, and then that +2 is a +3. Every Title idea says which archetypes it suits, and gives you Titles, permissions and traits to start from. See How archetypes work.
- Write a Title for each, and three permissions on it. Your Title is the name you give your archetype. Take one of the idea’s examples or write your own, and make it specific: the best blade in the city is fine, and the best blade in the Low Market is better. Then take three permissions that fit inside it, so you’ve got six. Change the words to suit your character, or write one that isn’t on the list. That’s fine as long as every permission’s still finished, with a doing word and how, what or where. See Titles and Permissions.
- Pick two traits. Take them from the ideas you started from, or from the full list.
- Fill in your set actions. Fight, Move, Sneak, Study and Talk are on every sheet, and if there’s something you do all the time, give it a set action of its own. Put your Titles, permissions, items and traits on every set action they fit nearly every time. A set action’s steps are 1 for the action and 1 for every line on it. See Set actions.
- Take what you carry, and attune two things. You carry 3 equipment, 3 utility items and a keepsake, and your bag holds 10 more. Your two attuned things start at Awakened with one permission each. If there’s trouble you’d like on one, give it a Catch and it gets a second permission. See What you carry and Attunement.
- Write three threads: one each to two of the crew, and one to someone outside it. A thread with someone in the crew goes on both your sheets, so agree on it together. If one’s a debt, you’ve got room for a fourth. See Bonds and threads.
- Write your Aspiration at d2. It’s one thing you want, and it climbs as you chase it. See Aspiration.
- Check the numbers. You’ve got 5 Aura, 2 Resolve (one for each Title), a stride of 3 and three Hurt bars. Armour starts at d2 and goes up a size for each piece of plain armour you wear. Confidence starts every scene on d6, a size up in clothes that fit the scene, and a trait like Iron Will can start you higher. See Resolve and Confidence.
ExampleWren, the quick way
Wren takes Hunter twice, so her +2 is a +3. She starts both Titles from the Ranger idea, which suits a Hunter, and they’re both examples off its list: the hunter who has never lost a trail and an outrider from the border war. Her first Title gets three permissions from the list, follow any trail, move through the wild unseen and know a beast’s habits. Her second gets three that aren’t on the list at all: scout ahead of an army, ride hard over rough country and read the land for an ambush. Her traits are their own pick, and she takes two of the Ranger’s, Marksman’s Eye and Sure-Footed.
Her Track is her first Title, follow any trail and know a beast’s habits, so with the action that’s 4 steps, a d8. She attunes her longbow with shoot a longbow, and gives it the Catch Wanted for a second permission, hit anything I can see. Both go on her Fight with her first Title and Marksman’s Eye, and that’s 5 steps, a d10.
Say she marks the Warden with her Fight and wins, so it’s Marked d10. Bram swings at it, and his d8 comes up 4 and the Mark die 6, against the Warden’s 7. Wren spends 1 Aura to make the Mark die a 9, so Bram’s hammer gets through. Her whole sheet’s further down.
A quick-built character is every bit as real as one built the long way, and everything about it grows the same way. In more of a hurry than that? Take one of the six ready-made characters and play.
Title Ideas
Every Title is an archetype, and the Title is the name you give it. Here are twenty-nine ideas to build one from, the same ones the Player Companion app offers: roles first, then schools of magic. Each one says which archetypes it suits, and gives you example Titles, permissions and trait ideas, along with what going beyond looks like and the trouble that comes with it. Take what fits, change the words so they sound like your character, or use them to get started on something of your own. They’re just as good for a Title you earn later, which starts with one permission.
A Title idea isn’t a Title, and neither is an archetype. Warrior doesn’t tell the table what you’re the best at, so a Warrior still needs a Title that does, like the best blade in the city. Keep each Title to one role or one school. Archmage is too wide, so pick the school you’re known for.
- Archetypes are the ones the idea suits. Each Title is one archetype, so where an idea suits more than one, pick the one that plays the way you want. They’re suggestions, so if your Title fits a different archetype better, go with that one. What each one does is in The Archetypes.
- Permissions are ready to copy onto your sheet. Every one’s finished, with a doing word and how, what or where, so they’re also a good guide when you write your own (see Permissions).
- Traits are three that suit the idea. You’ve got two traits, and you can take them from here or from the full list.
- Going beyond is what this kind of character does when they push a permission past what it normally does. It costs 1 Resolve (see Going beyond).
- Trouble is the kind that follows this sort of character around. Titles don’t have Catches, so it isn’t part of the Title, and you can bring it into a scene whenever you like. Let it cause real trouble and you take 1 Aura (see Catches and trouble). Any of it makes a good Catch for something you attune, too.
If what you want to play isn’t here, it’s probably two of these put together, or one of them with a permission of your own.
| If you like playing… | Archetypes | Title ideas |
|---|---|---|
| an alchemist | Healer and Maker | Healer and Tinker, with mix a poison or its cure |
| an artificer | Maker, once or twice | Tinker, and Artifice if your inventions run on magic |
| an assassin | Shadow and Warrior | Rogue and Warrior |
| a barbarian or berserker | Warrior or Bloodsworn | Warrior, with fight with a great axe |
| a battle mage | Warrior and Elementalist | Warrior and a school, like Fire |
| a knight | Guardian and Leader | Guardian and Captain, with fight from the saddle |
| a monk or brawler | Warrior | Warrior, with fight with my bare hands |
| a necromancer | Summoner | Medium, with a summoning attunement for the dead that work on their own |
| a paladin or holy knight | Guardian twice | Faith and Guardian |
| a sorcerer | Elementalist, once or twice | one or two schools, like Fire and Storm |
| a swashbuckler or pirate | Warrior and Leader | Warrior and Sailor |
| a warlock | Oracle or Bloodsworn, and Summoner | Hexer and Medium, with your patron as the trouble that follows you |
| a witch | Oracle and Shifter | Hexer and Wildcraft |
| a wizard | Scholar, and Guardian or Oracle | Scholar and a school, like Warding |
Roles
A role is what you do. None of these needs magic, so any of them will sit next to a school.
Warrior
Plays like: a fighter, sellsword or duellist.
Archetypes: Warrior or Bloodsworn
Titles: The best blade in the city · The duellist who’s never lost · A sellsword with a long memory
Permissions: fight with a sword · fight two at once · fight in tight spaces · disarm a man · keep my feet in a brawl · read a fighter’s style · finish a fight fast · fight in front of a crowd · spot a hired blade · fight dirty when it counts
Traits: Duelist · Tenacious · Second Wind
Going beyond: an aimed blow that takes out the tag you choose · cut through a shield or a door in one swing
Trouble: can’t turn down a duel · an old rival wants my head · owes the fighting pits one more bout
Guardian
Plays like: a bodyguard, shield-bearer or man-at-arms.
Archetype: Guardian
Titles: The wall that held the harbour gate · Shield to the Duke’s daughter · The bodyguard who’s never lost a client
Permissions: hold the line · guard one person · turn aside a blow meant for someone else · hold a doorway · fight with a shield · lift what two men can’t · stay on my feet · carry someone out of a fight · know when my charge is lying · spot an assassin in a crowd
Traits: Unyielding · Pack Fighter · Steady Hands
Going beyond: guard everyone behind you, not just one person · hold a door shut against a battering ram
Trouble: can’t leave anyone behind · sworn to someone who doesn’t trust me · the family of a client I lost wants answers
Rogue
Plays like: a cat burglar, thief or scout.
Archetype: Shadow
Titles: The best cat burglar in the city · The pickpocket who’s never been caught · Raised by the Guild
Permissions: pick a mechanical lock · move unseen · run the rooftops · lift a purse · case a house · spot a trap · climb a sheer wall · spot a guard’s routine · call in a Guild favour · know how a lock’s built
Traits: Silent Step · Light on my Feet · I Have the Thing
Going beyond: pick a lock that has magic on it · climb a wall with no handholds at all
Trouble: wanted in three districts · owes the Guild · can’t resist a locked box
Face
Plays like: a con artist, courtier or spy.
Archetypes: Face, or Shadow for a spy
Titles: The voice that talked a duke out of his own house · The woman with a hundred names · A smile the whole court trusts
Permissions: talk my way past a door · read a room in a glance · tell a lie with a straight face · drop a name that opens doors · pass as someone who matters · haggle anyone down · get a seat at any high table · know when I’m being played · spot an easy mark
Traits: Silver Tongue · Cold Reader · Charming
Going beyond: talk someone into something that goes against everything they care about · pass as someone the mark knows well
Trouble: every noble house knows my face · a mark I ruined wants revenge · can’t walk away from an easy mark
Bard
Plays like: a performer, storyteller or minstrel.
Archetype: Bard
Titles: The best voice on the coast · A storyteller the whole city stops for · The minstrel who knows everyone’s secrets
Permissions: play any instrument · hold a crowd · know the old songs · make people laugh · start a rumour · read an audience · get a crowd on my side · know every lord’s scandal · get into any party
Traits: Showstopper · Charming · Style
Going beyond: turn a riot around with one song · start a rumour that’s all over the city by morning
Trouble: can’t turn down a stage · a song of mine made a lord look a fool · everyone knows my face
Investigator
Plays like: a detective, thief-taker or inquisitor.
Titles: The investigator the watch hates · The thief-taker who always gets her man · The coroner who sees what the dead saw
Permissions: read a crime scene · question a witness · follow a paper trail · spot a forgery · know a poison by its smell · remember a face · know the watch’s habits · find the one person who saw it · know how a criminal thinks
Traits: Hard to Lie To · Perfect Recall · Quick Study
Going beyond: name the culprit from a single clue · tell exactly how someone died at a glance
Trouble: the watch hates me · can’t leave a case unsolved · someone I put away is out
Ranger
Plays like: a hunter, archer or tracker.
Archetype: Hunter
Titles: The hunter who has never lost a trail · An outrider from the border war · The archer who never misses twice
Permissions: follow any trail · shoot a bow · move through the wild unseen · know a beast’s habits · live off the land · read the weather · slip a hunting party · know where a beast will go · call on an old comrade
Traits: Marksman’s Eye · Sure-Footed · Scout Ahead
Going beyond: an aimed shot that takes out the tag you choose · follow a trail that’s days old, through the rain
Trouble: wanted by the Duke’s foresters · the thing that killed my family is still out there · my old company wants me back
Healer
Plays like: a doctor, field surgeon or herbalist.
Archetype: Healer
Titles: A doctor who stopped believing in medicine · The field surgeon of the Red Company · The herbwife every village sends for
Permissions: stitch a wound · know a sickness by its signs · mix a remedy · keep someone alive till help comes · calm the frightened · know what really kills people · treat anyone, anywhere · know the signs of a poisoning · get any medicine in the city
Traits: Field Dressing · Healer’s Hands · Cool Under Pressure
Going beyond: keep someone alive through a wound that should have killed them · patch up a whole room of wounded before dawn
Trouble: can’t walk past someone hurt · a patient I couldn’t save · owes the apothecaries’ guild
Tinker
Plays like: an engineer, inventor or smith.
Archetype: Maker
Titles: The engineer who built the harbour crane · A smith who can fix anything with a hammer · The inventor the Guild threw out
Permissions: fix anything mechanical · build a trap · take a machine apart · spot a weak join · make something from scrap · read a blueprint · know how anything’s built · get tools anywhere · spot a part that’s been tampered with
Traits: Prepared · I Have the Thing · Quick Study
Going beyond: fix in a moment what should take a day · build a machine nobody has ever seen
Trouble: can’t leave a machine alone · the Guild wants its secrets back · my last invention hurt someone
Captain
Plays like: an officer, sergeant or leader.
Archetype: Leader
Titles: Captain of the Guard · The officer who brought them home from the border war · A sergeant who lost his stripes
Permissions: give orders people follow · read a battlefield · plan an ambush · keep a crew together · spot who’s in charge · lead a charge · bring a frightened crowd to order · know the army’s ways · call on soldiers who served with me
Traits: Commanding Presence · Tactical Mind · Pack Fighter
Going beyond: give orders to a crowd that isn’t yours · turn a rout around with one shout
Trouble: the families of the soldiers I lost blame me · a superior wants me gone · sworn to an order I disagree with
Courtier
Plays like: a noble, diplomat or heir.
Titles: Heir to a house that’s lost everything · The Duke’s ear · The diplomat who ended the river war
Permissions: know every noble house · read court etiquette · make an ally of a rival · host a dinner people talk about · hear the gossip first · speak for my house · get credit anywhere my name’s known · know the rival house’s every move · call on my family’s old friends
Traits: Diplomat · Host · Reputation Precedes Me
Going beyond: get an audience with the Duke tonight · turn a rival house into a friend over one dinner
Trouble: my family’s debts · a rival house wants us gone · promised to marry someone I’ve never met
Sailor
Plays like: a sailor, pilot or navigator.
Titles: A pilot who knows every rock on the coast · The navigator who brought the Gull home · First mate to a pirate queen
Permissions: sail anything with a mast · read the stars · find the way in a storm · know every coast · fight on a moving deck · climb the rigging · know when the sea’s about to turn · find a berth in any port · call in a favour at sea
Traits: Sure-Footed · Acrobatic · Lucky
Going beyond: sail through a storm that sinks everyone else · bring a ship through a channel nobody has ever sailed
Trouble: lost a ship with all hands · the harbourmaster wants me hanged · owes a pirate queen a favour
Streetwise
Plays like: a street survivor, fixer or smuggler.
Titles: Street survivor · The fixer every gang owes · A smuggler who’s never lost a cargo
Permissions: know who runs which street · find a fence · get lost in a crowd · hear what the street’s saying · find a safehouse · spot a tail · call on my old gang · know the black market’s prices · slip a watch patrol
Traits: Fast · Network · Lucky
Going beyond: find anyone in the city by morning · get a whole street to look the other way
Trouble: my old gang wants me back · I owe the wrong people · the watch has my name
Scholar
Plays like: a sage, archivist or lawyer.
Archetype: Scholar
Titles: A scholar of forbidden texts · The archivist who knows where everything’s buried · The lawyer who’s never lost a case
Permissions: know the history of anything old · read dead languages · find what I need in any library · know the law · read an old map · spot a forgery · know which books are dangerous · read any hand · find a hidden way into an old building
Traits: Perfect Recall · Iron Will · Quick Study
Going beyond: read a language nobody has spoken for a thousand years · know the answer without the book in front of me
Trouble: can’t leave a forbidden book unread · an old teacher wants their book back · knows a secret the temple wants buried
Schools of Magic
A school is the one kind of magic you’re known for. You need a magic permission or a magic item to do magic at all, and once you’ve got one, it does what it says for free, the same as a sword. Raising the dead to fight or carry something as part of your own action is free too. Anything that works on its own, like a summoned beast or a raised servant acting for you, is summoning, and that’s the Summoner’s (see Summoning). There’s more on what magic looks like out in the world in Magic.
Fire
Plays like: a pyromancer or fire-speaker.
Archetype: Elementalist
Titles: The last fire-speaker of the Ember Court · Master of the Red Flame · The candle-witch of the docks
Permissions: throw fire · light a room with a word · burn through rope or wood · feel every flame in a room · smother a fire with a word · make a fire leap where I point · know a fire-speaker’s work · read old fire-signs
Traits: Killer Instinct · Battle Focus · Focused
Going beyond: become a column of flame · see through a fire on the other side of the city
Trouble: fire answers my temper · the people who burned my school want me dead · my magic leaves soot on everything I touch
Storm
Plays like: a storm-caller or wind-witch.
Archetype: Elementalist
Titles: The storm-caller of the northern isles · A wind-witch the sailors pay in silver · Master of the Grey Sky
Permissions: call lightning down on a man · throw a gust that knocks men flat · hear a storm coming · still the wind · fill a sail · read the sky · feel a change in the air · know the sea’s moods
Traits: Battle Focus · Focused · Fast
Going beyond: ride the wind · call a storm out of a clear sky
Trouble: storms follow me · my hair stands on end when I use it · sailors think I’m bad luck
Illusion
Plays like: an illusionist or trickster.
Archetype: Illusionist
Titles: Master of Illusions · The trickster of the Night Market · A conjurer who fools kings
Permissions: make a false sound · change my face · make a light that isn’t there · hide in plain sight · fool a crowd · spot an illusion · find any trick for sale · draw every eye in the room
Traits: Showstopper · Charming · Quick Study
Going beyond: duplicate myself · an image that fools the whole street · an illusion that lasts the scene without me
Trouble: nobody believes a word I say · the Night Market wants its cut · can’t resist showing off
Enchantment
Plays like: an enchanter or mesmer.
Archetype: Face
Titles: Master of the Quiet Word · A mesmer from the pleasure houses · The voice in the Duke’s head
Permissions: calm someone with a word · make someone like me · put a moment of fear in someone · read someone’s mood · tell when someone’s been enchanted · know what someone wants most · find people who’ll pay for my help
Traits: Cold Reader · Charming · Hard to Lie To
Going beyond: make someone forget the last minute · put someone to sleep with a word · make someone act against what they care about
Trouble: nobody trusts a mesmer · the last mind I touched still talks to me · banned from the city’s temples
Divination
Plays like: a seer, oracle or scryer.
Archetype: Oracle
Titles: The seer the Duke won’t admit he visits · A scryer who reads ink in water · The last oracle of the hill temple
Permissions: know if someone’s lying · find something lost in a room · read a person’s fortune · see an object’s past · know when danger’s close · get an audience with anyone curious · know when I’m in the wrong place
Traits: Hard to Lie To · Perfect Recall · Predator’s Eye
Going beyond: see a place far away · glimpse what’s coming · see what happened here years ago
Trouble: my visions come when they want · everyone wants their future read · I’ve seen my own death
Wildcraft
Plays like: a druid, beast-talker or green witch.
Archetype: Shifter
Titles: The green witch of the Thornwood · A beast-talker raised by wolves · Keeper of the old grove
Permissions: calm an animal · make a vine hold · know tomorrow’s weather · find water anywhere · speak with birds · track by scent · call on the grove’s beasts · live off the land anywhere
Traits: Sure-Footed · Scout Ahead · Light on my Feet
Going beyond: wear a beast’s shape for the scene · make a plant grow in a moment · bring the fog in off the river
Trouble: raised by wolves, and it shows · the grove’s keepers want me back · can’t sleep under a roof
Warding
Plays like: a warder, sigil-maker or ritualist.
Archetypes: Guardian or Oracle
Titles: The warder of the old city gate · A sigil-maker the thieves hate · Keeper of the temple’s wards
Permissions: ward a friend against harm · bar a door with a sigil · feel a ward before I touch it · unpick a small ward · keep a spirit out of a room · know when a ward’s been broken · know every way into a building · spot a thief’s mark
Traits: Steady Hands · Iron Will · Prepared Mind
Going beyond: seal a room so nothing gets in or out · unpick a ward someone powerful made
Trouble: I feel every ward I’ve made when it breaks · bound to protect one place · the thieves’ guild wants my sigils
Mending
Plays like: a mender, healer-mage or bone-setter.
Archetype: Healer
Titles: The mender of the Lantern Hospice · A bone-setter with magic in her hands · The priest-surgeon of the river towns
Permissions: stop bleeding with a touch · draw out a poison · mend a broken object · ease pain · know what’s wrong with someone · know where it hurts · get a bed in any hospice · calm the frightened
Traits: Healer’s Hands · Field Dressing · Cool Under Pressure
Going beyond: keep the dying alive till dawn · mend a whole wall or a ship’s hull · draw a poison out of everyone in the room
Trouble: every hurt I mend, I feel · the sick follow me everywhere · can’t refuse anyone who asks for help
Veil
Plays like: a shadow-mage or night-walker.
Archetype: Shadow
Titles: A night-walker of the Old Quarter · Master of the Quiet Dark · The shadow the Guild hires
Permissions: snuff the lights · silence my steps · wrap myself in shadow · see in the dark · find the darkest way through · know who’s watching a street · sense who’s hiding nearby
Traits: Silent Step · Fast · Lucky
Going beyond: open a shadow door to somewhere nearby · make a room forget I was in it · bring the dark down on a whole street
Trouble: half-blind in daylight · the Guild owns my debts · something in the dark knows my name
Phase
Plays like: a walker-through-walls or blink-mage.
Archetype: Teleporter
Titles: The woman who walked out of the Duke’s dungeon · A blink-mage from the College · The thief no wall can hold
Permissions: slip out of any grip · pass through a crowd without touching anyone · step to a place I can see · let a blow pass through me · know the College’s tricks · know how thick a wall is · feel a hidden room
Traits: Light on my Feet · Fast · Acrobatic
Going beyond: step through a wall · take someone with me when I step · step somewhere I can’t see · reach into a locked box
Trouble: the College wants its runaway back · I leave frost on every wall I walk through · part of me never quite arrives
Medium
Plays like: a medium, spirit-talker or necromancer.
Archetypes: Summoner or Oracle
Titles: The last student of a dead order · A medium who hears the drowned · The spirit-talker of the Hollow Road
Permissions: know the rites for the dead · tell a haunting from a draught · calm the grieving · speak with the recently dead · sense the dead nearby · raise the dead to fight or carry things · know how someone died · find a priest who’ll look the other way
Traits: Perfect Recall · Iron Will · Cold Reader
Going beyond: call up someone who died long ago · let a spirit speak through me · lay a ghost to rest for good
Trouble: the dead won’t leave me alone · the temple calls me a heretic · a ghost follows me everywhere
Hexer
Plays like: a hexer, curse-witch or bone-caster.
Archetypes: Oracle or Bloodsworn
Titles: The curse-witch of Mill Lane · A hexer the farmers pay to stay away · The bone-caster who cursed a king
Permissions: make someone stumble · spoil food and drink · tell a curse when I see one · put bad luck on someone · know who’s been cursed · find a village’s dirty secrets · know who made a curse
Traits: Intimidating Presence · Cold Reader · Lucky
Going beyond: break a curse someone else laid · curse a bloodline · a hex that lasts the whole scene
Trouble: milk sours when I’m angry · the village wants me burned · a curse I can’t lift is on my own family
Faith
Plays like: a priest, paladin or holy warrior.
Archetypes: Bard, Healer or Guardian
Titles: The priest who stayed when the plague came · A paladin of the Broken Sun · The temple’s last true believer
Permissions: steady a friend with a prayer · bless a friend before a fight · know the rites of every temple · hold holy ground · swear an oath anyone will believe · get sanctuary in any temple · know the signs of dark worship
Traits: Steady Hands · Commanding Presence · Healer’s Hands
Going beyond: drive out a spirit · hallow a place so nothing evil can enter
Trouble: sworn never to lie · the temple wants me back in the cloister · my order hunts heretics, and I’ve met one I like
Kinesis
Plays like: a mind-mover or force-mage.
Archetypes: Elementalist or Warrior
Titles: The force-mage who held the bridge · A street performer who lifts carts with a look · The mind-mover of the College
Permissions: shove a man without touching him · catch anything that falls · leap a wide gap · lift something heavy with my mind · throw something without touching it · spot a College agent · hold something perfectly still
Traits: Fast · Acrobatic · Second Wind
Going beyond: fly · stop an arrow in the air · throw a cart across the street
Trouble: things move when I’m upset · the College keeps a file on me · my nose bleeds when I push too hard
Artifice
Plays like: an artificer, sigil-smith or golem-maker.
Archetype: Maker
Titles: The artificer who built the talking gate · A sigil-smith the vaults pay well · The golem-maker of Copper Street
Permissions: read a sigil · wake a lock · mend a construct · know a construct’s maker · know a vault’s weak point · see how any device works
Traits: Prepared · I Have the Thing · Quick Study
Going beyond: make a lock only I can open · bind a spirit into an object · turn someone else’s construct aside
Trouble: an old construct of mine is loose in the city · the vaults want my plans · can’t resist taking things apart
Six Ready-Made Characters
Pick one and play tonight.
These are the same six you can choose in the Player Companion app. Take one as written, or copy one and change anything you like. They’re the crew as they start out. The examples elsewhere in this book sometimes show them later in their careers, with more Titles, more permissions and new tricks.
Each of them has two archetypes, with a Title for each built from a Title idea, and a few permissions of their own. The archetype’s in brackets after each Title. Their set actions are already counted. The number’s the steps, then the die, then what’s on it, and the action itself is the 1 that isn’t written down: Vesk’s Sneak is her first Title, move unseen and Silent Step, plus the action, so it’s 4 steps, a d8.
They’ve each got two attuned things, both at Awakened, and Wren’s longbow and Bram’s war hammer have each taken a Catch for a second permission. Everyone’s got room for more in what they carry, so pick things up in play, or fill the gaps from What you carry before you start.
Their threads are laid out by bond. Each of them wrote three, and a thread with someone in the crew goes on both sheets, so most of them have more than that. Where a thread’s in someone else’s words, it says whose. Vesk, Wren and Ash each wrote one as a debt, so they’ve each got room for a fourth.
The last line on each sheet is the trouble that follows them. It’s yours to bring in: let it cause real trouble in a scene, and you take 1 Aura.
Vesk: The best cat burglar in the city
A thief who never gets seen. Fast, quiet, and good with locks.
Plays like: a cat burglar, thief or scout. She’s a Shadow twice, so her +2 is a +3, and both her Titles come from the Rogue idea.
First Title: The best cat burglar in the city (Shadow). Permissions: move unseen, run the rooftops, pick a mechanical lock.
Second Title: Raised by the Guild (Shadow). Permissions: know how a lock’s built, fight dirty with a knife, find a buyer for anything.
Traits: Silent Step (Passive) · Light on my Feet (Passive).
Set actions: Sneak 4 (d8): her first Title, move unseen, Silent Step · Move 4 (d8): her first Title, run the rooftops, her grappling line · Locks 5 (d10): her first Title, pick a mechanical lock, know how a lock’s built, her picks · Fight 2 (d4): fight dirty with a knife · Study 1 (d2) · Talk 1 (d2).
Carries: worn leathers (equipment, 1 of 3) · a purse of gold, a smoke bomb (utility, 2 of 3) · the first coin she ever stole (keepsake) · an empty bag (0 of 10).
Attuned (Awakened): A perfect set of picks: open any lock with a mechanism · A grappling line: climb or swing anywhere you can throw a hook.
Numbers: Aura 5 · Resolve 2 · Stride 5 (Light on my Feet) · Armour d4 (worn leathers) · Confidence starts every scene on d6 · Hurt three bars of three.
Threads: Dorrie: We have pulled a dozen jobs. I trust her with my life. and We came up on the same streets. She never asks why. (Dorrie’s) · Bram: He once carried me out of a fire. I have never said thank you. · Isolde: She stole the book that started all this. (Isolde’s) · Wren: I owe her for the night she hid me from the watch. (Wren’s, a debt) · The fence: I owe a debt I would rather not discuss. (debt)
Crew: Who in the crew do you already know, and how? Dorrie. We have pulled a dozen jobs together. Who do you have unfinished business with? Bram. He carried me out of a fire and I never thanked him.
Aspiration: Own the score of a lifetime (d2).
Trouble that follows her: wanted in three districts · owes the Guild.
Dorrie: The voice that talked a duke out of his own house
The face of the crew. Gets you through doors you can’t pick.
Plays like: a con artist, courtier or spy. She’s a Face and a Shadow, and she took both her Titles off the Face idea’s list.
First Title: The voice that talked a duke out of his own house (Face). Permissions: talk my way past a door, read a room in a glance, make a lie sound like old news.
Second Title: The woman with a hundred names (Shadow). Permissions: pass as someone I’m not, forge a letter in any hand, keep my story straight under questions.
Traits: Silver Tongue (Once per scene) · Cold Reader (Once per scene).
Set actions: Talk 4 (d8): her first Title, read a room in a glance, make a lie sound like old news · Pass as someone else 5 (d10): her second Title, pass as someone I’m not, keep my story straight under questions, her signet pin · Study 2 (d4): read a room in a glance · Fight 1 (d2) · Move 1 (d2) · Sneak 1 (d2).
Carries: court clothes (equipment, 1 of 3) · a fine bottle of wine (utility, 1 of 3) · a letter of introduction (keepsake) · an empty bag (0 of 10).
Attuned (Awakened): A signet pin: pass as someone who matters · A deck of marked cards: win any card game I sit down at.
Numbers: Aura 5 · Resolve 2 · Stride 3 · Armour d2 · Confidence starts every scene on d6, or d8 in her court clothes when they fit the scene · Hurt three bars of three.
Threads: Vesk: We came up on the same streets. She never asks why. and We have pulled a dozen jobs. I trust her with my life. (Vesk’s) · Bram: He thinks I sold him out on the harbour job. I did not. and I do not trust her, and she knows it. (Bram’s) · Isolde: I keep her secrets at court. She keeps mine. · Ash: She smuggled me out of the Ember Court. I owe her my life. (Ash’s, a debt)
Crew: Who in the crew do you already know, and how? Vesk. We came up on the same streets. Who do you have unfinished business with? Bram. He thinks I sold him out on the harbour job. Who in the crew do you trust most, and why? Isolde. She is the only one who knows my real name.
Aspiration: Get a seat at the table that ruined my family (d2).
Trouble that follows her: every noble house knows my face · one of my names is wanted for murder.
Bram: The wall that held the harbour gate
The muscle. Stands in front of the crew and doesn’t move.
Plays like: a bodyguard, shield-bearer or man-at-arms. He’s a Guardian and a Leader, and his Titles come from the Guardian and Captain ideas.
First Title: The wall that held the harbour gate (Guardian). Permissions: hold the line, guard one person, lift what two men can’t.
Second Title: A sergeant who lost his stripes (Leader). Permissions: fight in a shield wall, bark an order that gets obeyed, spot who’s in charge.
Traits: Unyielding (Passive) · Intimidating Presence (Passive).
Set actions: Fight 4 (d8): his first Title, hold the line, his war hammer · Talk 4 (d8): his second Title, bark an order that gets obeyed, Intimidating Presence · Lift and carry 3 (d6): his first Title, lift what two men can’t · Study 2 (d4): spot who’s in charge · Move 1 (d2) · Sneak 1 (d2).
Carries: plate armour, a shield (equipment, 2 of 3) · a medical kit (utility, 1 of 3) · his old sergeant’s stripes (keepsake) · an empty bag (0 of 10).
Attuned (Awakened): His war hammer (Breaker): fight with a war hammer, plus knock a man off his feet for its Catch, Marked · His coin from home: find my way back from anywhere.
Numbers: Aura 5 · Resolve 2 · Stride 3 · Armour d6 (plate armour and a shield) · Confidence starts every scene on d6 · Hurt four bars of three (Unyielding).
Threads: Isolde: I swore to her father I would keep her alive. · Vesk: He once carried me out of a fire. I have never said thank you. (Vesk’s) · Dorrie: I do not trust her, and she knows it. and He thinks I sold him out on the harbour job. I did not. (Dorrie’s) · Wren: He is the only one who can keep up with me. (Wren’s)
Crew: Who in the crew do you already know, and how? Isolde. I have guarded her since she was twelve. Who do you have unfinished business with? Dorrie. The harbour job went wrong and she walked away clean.
Aspiration: Earn back the rank they stripped from me (d2).
Trouble that follows him: can’t leave anyone behind · the captain who broke me still runs the Watch.
Isolde: The last student of a dead order
The scholar. Reads the old books and works the rituals nobody else will touch.
Plays like: a mage, sage or medium. She’s an Oracle and a Scholar, and her Titles come from the Medium and Scholar ideas.
First Title: The last student of a dead order (Oracle). Permissions: speak with the recently dead, draw a ward the dead can’t cross, read the order’s old script.
Second Title: A scholar of forbidden texts (Scholar). Permissions: know the history of anything old, find what I need in any library, read dead languages.
Traits: Perfect Recall (Once per scene) · Iron Will (Passive).
Set actions: Study 4 (d8): her second Title, know the history of anything old, Iron Will · The dead 3 (d6): her first Title, speak with the recently dead · Ward 3 (d6): her first Title, her chalk and salt · Talk 2 (d4): her fine coat · Fight 1 (d2) · Move 1 (d2) · Sneak 1 (d2).
Carries: a fine coat with silver thread (equipment, 1 of 3) · a salt packet (utility, 1 of 3) · an old letter (keepsake) · an empty bag (0 of 10).
Attuned (Awakened): Chalk and salt: draw a warding circle anywhere I can kneel · A book I never finished: find the ritual I need, given an hour.
Numbers: Aura 5 · Resolve 2 · Stride 3 · Armour d2 · Confidence starts every scene on d8 (Iron Will), or d10 in her fine coat when it fits the scene · Hurt three bars of three.
Threads: Bram: I swore to her father I would keep her alive. (Bram’s) · Vesk: She stole the book that started all this. · Dorrie: I keep her secrets at court. She keeps mine. (Dorrie’s) · Wren: She named the thing that took my brother. (Wren’s) · Ash: She is the only one who is not afraid of me. (Ash’s)
Crew: Who in the crew do you already know, and how? Bram. He has guarded me since I was twelve. Who do you have unfinished business with? Vesk. The book she stole belonged to my order. I have not told her.
Aspiration: Find out who burned my order’s library (d2).
Trouble that follows her: the people who burned the order hunt its students · can’t leave a forbidden book unread.
Wren: The hunter who has never lost a trail
The scout. Sees them first, and hits them from further away than they thought possible.
Plays like: a hunter, archer or tracker. She’s a Hunter twice, so her +2 is a +3, and both her Titles come from the Ranger idea.
First Title: The hunter who has never lost a trail (Hunter). Permissions: follow any trail, move through the wild unseen, know a beast’s habits.
Second Title: An outrider from the border war (Hunter). Permissions: scout ahead of an army, ride hard over rough country, read the land for an ambush.
Traits: Marksman’s Eye (Passive) · Sure-Footed (Passive).
Set actions: Fight 5 (d10): her first Title, shoot a longbow, hit anything I can see, Marksman’s Eye · Sneak 4 (d8): her first Title, move through the wild unseen, her hooded cloak · Track 4 (d8): her first Title, follow any trail, know a beast’s habits · Study 3 (d6): her second Title, read the land for an ambush · Move 2 (d4): her second Title · Talk 1 (d2).
Carries: no equipment yet, because her bow and cloak are attuned (0 of 3) · rations (utility, 1 of 3) · a torn map (keepsake) · her hunter’s pack, empty (0 of 10).
Attuned (Awakened): Her longbow (Long, Two-Handed): shoot a longbow, plus hit anything I can see for its Catch, Wanted · Her hooded cloak: vanish into trees and shadow.
Numbers: Aura 5 · Resolve 2 · Stride 3 · Armour d2 · Confidence starts every scene on d6 · Hurt three bars of three.
Threads: Bram: He is the only one who can keep up with me. · Isolde: She named the thing that took my brother. · Vesk: I owe her for the night she hid me from the watch. (debt) · Ash: We have never agreed on anything. (Ash’s)
Crew: Who in the crew do you already know, and how? Bram. We fought in the same border war. Who do you have unfinished business with? Isolde. She knows more about my brother than she has said.
Aspiration: Find the thing that took my brother, and put it down (d2).
Trouble that follows her: wanted by the Duke’s foresters · my old company wants me back.
Ash: The last fire-speaker of the Ember Court
The fire mage. One kind of magic, and very, very good at it.
Plays like: a pyromancer or wild mage. She’s an Elementalist and a Face, and her Titles come from the Fire and Courtier ideas.
First Title: The last fire-speaker of the Ember Court (Elementalist). Permissions: throw fire, make a threat stick, feel every flame in a room.
Second Title: The Court’s runaway heir (Face). Permissions: know the old courts’ history, carry myself like royalty, command a room.
Traits: Killer Instinct (Triggered) · Battle Focus (Once per scene).
Set actions: Fight 4 (d8): her first Title, throw fire, her ember stone · Scare them off 5 (d10): her first Title, throw fire, make a threat stick, her ember stone · Talk 4 (d8): her second Title, command a room, make a threat stick · Study 2 (d4): know the old courts’ history · Move 1 (d2) · Sneak 1 (d2).
Carries: no equipment yet, because her coat’s attuned (0 of 3) · a tinderbox, flash powder (utility, 2 of 3) · a silver locket (keepsake) · an empty bag (0 of 10).
Attuned (Awakened): An ember stone on a chain: call fire without a word or a gesture · A scorched coat: walk through fire unharmed.
Numbers: Aura 5 · Resolve 2 · Stride 3 · Armour d2 · Confidence starts every scene on d6 · Hurt three bars of three.
Threads: Dorrie: She smuggled me out of the Ember Court. I owe her my life. (debt) · Isolde: She is the only one who is not afraid of me. · Wren: We have never agreed on anything.
Crew: Who in the crew do you already know, and how? Dorrie. She smuggled me out of the Ember Court. Who do you have unfinished business with? Wren. We have never agreed on anything, and we are both usually right.
Aspiration: Burn the Ember Court down, or take it back (d2).
Trouble that follows her: fire answers my temper · someone’s paid to bring me home.