Potestas

List of Abilities

Name
Steps
Cost
Requires Prerequisite For
Artifice
5
+1
Sorcery  
Berserk
4
+1
   
Change Form
1+
+1
   
Damage Resistance
1+
+1
   
Enhanced Damage
5
+1
   
Enhanced Sight
2
+1
   
Enhanced Speed
1+
+1
   
ESP
4
+1
  Mysticism
Faith
1
+1
   
Fasting
2
+1
   
Fatigue Resistance
1+
+1
   
Immortality
1
+1
   
Longevity
1
+1
   
Magic Talent
1
+1
  Mysticism, Sorcery
Magic Resistance
1+
+1
   
Movement Category
1
+1
   
Reduced Movement
1+
-1
   
Size
1+
+3
   
Unaging
1
+1
   
Weakness
1+
-1
   

 

Artifice - Characters with this Ability can enchant items, whether for one use (e.g. potions, scrolls) or permanently (e.g. swords, rings), by successfully using their Sorcery Skill.

Step
Effect
1
The character can prepare items with a one-use power (e.g. scrolls). +3 Difficulty.
2
The character can prepare items with a two-use power or two powers (e.g. potions). +6 Difficulty.
3
The character can prepare items with up to six uses or one permanent power (e.g. amulets, swords). +9 Difficulty.
4
The character can prepare items with up to thirteen uses or two permanent powers (e.g. rings). +15 Difficulty.
5
The character can prepare items with many permanent powers (e.g. artifacts). +20 Difficulty.

 

Berserk - Characters with this Ability can enter a killing frenzy in battle, during which they do not care whether they live or die. This makes them more dangerous in battle: however, berserks cannot fight defensively, and must make a Willpower Resolution Roll with no other modifiers to stop being berserk.

Step
Effect
1
Characters may add +1 Attack for every -2 Defend bonus they take while berserk.
2
Characters ignore the effects of -7 Health as the result of Immediate Damage while berserk. The effects of low Health are applied straightaway when the character stops being berserk.
3
Characters ignore the effects of -10 Health as the result of Immediate Damage and -7 Health as the result of Lasting Damage while berserk. Thus, the character may fight on until killed. The effects of low Health are applied straightaway when the character stops being berserk.
4
Characters may purchase Damage Resistance that is effective only while berserk. There is a maximum of +6 Damage Resistance, which is considered to apply in two-thirds of situations where it would be useful, so each +3 Damage Resistance costs 2 character points.

 

Change Form - Characters with this Ability can transform into another creature of equal or lesser Stature.

Damage Resistance - Characters with this Ability are less likely to be injured when hit with a weapon, falling from a height, or any other circumstance where they are at risk of physical harm. It modifies the Target Number of any Damage Resolution Roll against the character. Characters cannot have innate Damage Resistance without the approval of the GM, but may wear armour that will confer Damage Resistance. The amount of Damage Resistance gained for each point spent depends on how effective the Damage Resistance is: 1 point buys +1 against everything, or up to +6 against a single category of damage. Categories of damage include: fire and heat, cold and ice, silver, wood, iron and steel, normal weapons, blessed and enchanted weapons. Characters gain an additional point of Damage Resistance for each exception to a maximum of five.

Example: Mercanians are resistant to cold and ice and nothing else. They receive +6 Damage Resistance for 1 point. Vampires resist everything except fire, wood, and blessed or enchanted weapons. They receive +4 Damage Resistance for 1 point. Gargoyles resist all attacks. They receive +1 Damage Resistance for 1 point.

Enhanced Damage - Characters with this Ability have increased Damage and a lower Damage Threshold with their innate attack, whether fists, horns, claws, etc. Each point spent increases Damage by +1 and reduces the Damage Threshold by one from the starting value of 6. Damage can never be increased above +5 and Damage Threshold can never be reduced below 1.

Enhanced Sight - Characters with this Ability can see effectively in twilight or darkness. Each point spent gives the character +3 Perception, but only against penalties for poor or no light. Characters who spend one point can see in twilight or under the full moon as if it were daylight: this is often called Elfsight. Characters who spend two points can see under the new moon or in pitch darkness as if it were daylight: this is often called Dwarfsight.

Enhanced Speed - Characters with this Ability move faster at Top Speed. Each point of Enhanced Movement is added to the base multiplier of 2 when calculating Top Speed.

ESP - Characters with this Ability possess the full range of senses available to all people but usually ignored or unused. They can sense when they are in danger, may be able to tell whether someone or something is a thinking being, and may be able to accurately foresee the future. Your GM will decide how and when characters with ESP will learn things. ESP is a prerequisite for Mysticism.

Step
Effect
1
Characters with ESP can sense if they are in danger.
2
Characters with ESP can sense if there is a thinking being nearby.
3
Characters with ESP can sense what is happening great distances away.
4
Characters with ESP can sense what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future.

 

Faith - Characters with this Ability have a deep and abiding belief in the True Faith, and the forces of darkness have less power over them. If they rely on God, characters with Faith may double their Stature when resisting enchantments cast using Sorcery and can prevent demons and undead of any Stature approaching within 2m or harming them with magic.

Fasting - Characters with this Ability can go without sustenance for long periods of time. Characters who spend one point do not need to eat more than once a month to survive. Characters who spend two points do not need to eat at all: if they do, it is because they enjoy the taste of food.

Fatigue Resistance - Characters with this Ability are less likely to be exhausted by physical activity. It modifies the Target Number of any Fatigue Resolution Roll against the character. Characters cannot have innate Fatigue Resistance without the approval of the GM.

Immortality - Characters with this Ability retain their identity and personality from one life to the next. Elves all have Immortality.

Longevity - Characters with this Ability live have substantially longer lifespans, often several centuries long. Dwarves, Elves and Mercanians all have Longevity.

Magic Resistance - Characters with this Ability are less likely to be affected by magic enchantments. It modifies the Target Number of any Enchantment Resolution Roll. Characters cannot have innate Magic Resistance without the approval of the GM.

Magic Talent - Characters with this Ability are capable of using magic to cast spells. Characters without Magic Talent can still use enchanted items or benefit from spells cast on them. Magic Talent is a prerequisite for Mysticism and Sorcery.

Movement Category - Characters with this Ability may travel rapidly and fluidly using a second Movement Category. The categories are running, swimming and flying.

Reduced Movement - Characters with this Ability move awkwardly and more slowly. Each point of Reduced Movement is added to the base divisor of 1 when calculating Normal Speed.

Size - Characters with this Ability are larger or smaller than average. Each +1 Size costs 3 points, for which the character gains +3 STR (which modifies the character's minimum STR required to stand) and +1 HTH. The larger creature also gains a +1 Initiative modifier (for greater reach) but adds +1 to Attack and Aim Resolution Rolls directed against it for each +1 difference in Size. A character's size doubles every +3 Size. You can vary your Size by +1 or -1 from your race's standard size without exceeding the range of potential heights and builds, but you cannot vary your Size by more than one point without the approval of the GM.

Example: Mercanians are over 3m tall, which is about two-thirds taller than a Human. They have +2 Size, are stronger and have greater reach in combat, but are easier to hit because of their larger size. Dwarves are around 1.4m tall, which is about a third shorter than a Human. They have -1 Size, making them weaker and reducing their reach in combat, but making them harder to hit because they are smaller targets.

Unaging - Characters with this Ability do not age. The aware Undead (e.g. Vampires) have Unaging.

Weakness - Characters with this Ability have a particular flaw or disadvantage that cannot be avoided. Examples include being unable to use an Inherent Skill (e.g. swimming), taking damage from a normally harmless substance (e.g. being burned by sunlight as if it was fire), not being able to use an Ability all the time (e.g. magic spells that do not work against characters with Faith).


maintained by Gary Johnson (gwzjohnson at optusnet.com.au)
last updated 29 July 2001