Potestas

Stature

Stature indicates the character's status as a powerful and legendary figure. Characters of higher Stature are better at what they do and can do more impressive things, such as casting more powerful spells or overcoming more dreadful monsters. When defining characters, multiply Stature by 10 to determine the number of points available for Characteristics, Skills and Abilities. Character with Stature of 10 or greater are legendary figures, with Skill modifiers that may verge on the superhuman.

Stature increases when the character's Experience reaches certain benchmarks. Experience is awarded for overcoming obstacles and opponents, reaching GM-set goals, and for doing so in style. Obstacles and opponents will have their own Stature, and overcoming them generates Experience equal to their Stature if the conflict contains substantial risk of harm or loss. Examples include driving off a bandit attack, defeating individual bandits during the attack, climbing a wall to escape capture by the bandits, and finding the evidence that will convince the Duke's court that the bandits are actually the Baron's soldiers.

If more than one character is involved in overcoming a challenge, the Experience gained is divided between them (fractions rounding down). Conflicts without a substantial level of risk (e.g. jousting with another knight in a tournament, playing a riddle game for permission to cross a bridge) provide less of a reward for success: if the conflict is not dangerous, the Stature of the challenge is halved. Characters do not earn less Experience if they triumph more easily than expected because of luck with the dice or because they make good choices that minimise the actual risk they face.

Characters are expected to overcome twenty challenges equivalent to their own Stature before their Stature increases. To work out the experience required for Statures over 20, either multiply the current Stature by 20 and add to the total required for the current Stature (e.g. Experience required for Stature 13 equals 12 x 20 = 240 + 1320 = 1560) or multiply the current Stature by the next Stature by 10 (e.g. Experience required for Stature 13 equals 12 x 13 x 10 = 1560).

GMs may allow characters to increase character points gradually, and not in blocks of 10 points with each increase in Stature. If your GM permits your character may gain 1 character point every time they gain 10% of the Experience required to increase in Stature.

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