Warlords Of Kruhl 3e EN:Gifts

Contents

Gifts are exceptional abilities that a normal person can have, but that most people do not have. The details of each gift are highly dependent on a character's background, so the player should work with the GM to flesh out these details. Each gift costs one character point. We suggest spending about 5 character points on gifts.

Typical Gifts

This is a list of typical gifts found in a Warlords of Kruhl game. This list is not exhaustive. A character may well have a gift not listed here, subject to GM approval. However, any new gifts should be approximately as useful as these gifts, in order to maintain a sense of fairness with other characters.

Table: Typical gifts

Gift	Type	Benefit
Ambush	Combat	Prepare a location for an imminent encounter
Animal Companions	Combat	The character has one or more ordinary animals as loyal companions
Animal Empathy	Skills	Use Diplomacy and Manipulation skills on animals
Blindfighting	Combat	The character incurs fewer penalties when unable to see or hear
Connected	Skills	Get a favour from an old friend -- or an old enemy
Elusive	Combat	May base defense on Agility rather than Brawn in hand-to-hand combat
Famous	Skills	Get attention, and perhaps favours, from strangers
Fascinating	Skills	Get attention, and perhaps favours, from admirers
Hard Target	Combat	May base defense on Brawn rather than Agility in ranged combat
Headquarters	Skills	The character has one or more bases of operation
Indefatigable	Combat	The character does not incur a penalty when injured
Leadership	Combat	Spend plot points for others on the same team
Lightning Strike	Combat	May use Agility for Hand-to-hand Combat attack rolls
Linguist	Skills	Learn new languages with minimal effort
Master Plan	Combat	Gain a tactical benefit if there is time to prepare for an encounter
Mental Calculator	Skills	Solve complex mathematical operations by thinking about them
Perfect Recall	Skills	Remember something perfectly with a Reason roll
Pro From Dover	Skills	The absolute best in their field, whatever that is
Sharpshooter	Combat	Adept at bypassing cover in ranged combat
Team Player	Combat	Gain a bonus die when working with others
Tenacious	Combat	May base defense on Presence rather than on Agility or Brawn
Unsettling	Skills	Make people nervous for no real reason

Ambush

A character with Ambush can prepare a specific location for an encounter at that location. The character must spend at least ten minutes preparing the site, and the preparations must be complete before the arrival of the expected opponents. The character and all of their allies gain a bonus die on their first attack during the encounter, even if their opponents are not surprised by the ambush. The character may only prepare one location per encounter.

Animal Companions

Prerequisite: Animal Empathy

A character with Animal Companions has one or more ordinary animals as loyal companions (see the "Animal companions" table). Animal companions operate independently of the character; making a new request of an animal companion requires a quick action. An animal companion has the normal attributes, movement, and attack types that kind of animal would have. However, animal companions are resistant to mental manipulation, having Presence equal to the character who befriended them, or their natural Presence, whichever is greater.

If one of the character's animal companions dies or is dismissed, it usually takes a week to find and befriend a replacement.

Table: Animal companions

Size	Number	Examples
Tiny	4	Bat, cat, hawk, rat, raven
Small	3	Baboon, chimpanzee, coyote, eagle, jackal, octopus
Medium	2	Black bear, boar, deer, hyena, mule, pony, vulture, wolf
Large	1	Brown bear, cow, dire wolf, horse, lion, tiger

Animal Empathy

The character has a bond with animals, and can use Diplomacy and Manipulation skills on them. Normal animals are more likely to be calm around the character, although a dangerous, hostile animal might require a successful Diplomacy or Manipulation roll to keep the animal from attacking.

Blindfighting

Normally, a character who can't perceive their opponent has great difficulty in combat. If a character has the Blindfighting gift, they do not incur any of these penalties.

Connected

"I know a guy." The character has a wide ranging network of friends, rivals, and former associates. From time to time, the character can contact one of these people, and have a reasonable chance of getting a favour from them. When the character wants to get a favour from someone, the player names the NPC and briefly describes how their character knows this contact. When the character meets their contact, they must attempt a moderately difficult (DV 3) Diplomacy (Presence) roll to see how their contact receives them. The GM may increase the difficulty or grant a bonus die on the player's roll, depending on the situation.

Elusive

A character with the Elusive gift is fast on their feet and good at rolling with the punches. When making a Hand-to-hand Combat defense roll, the character may substitute their Agility for their Brawn. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis.

Famous

The character's name and likeness are widely known, perhaps due to their exploits, or possibly because they are from a notorious family. It is difficult for the character to pass unnoticed, because paparazzi are often nearby. People who are impressed by celebrity may be more likely to cooperate with the character, and the character can sometimes gain favours from strangers. If this is the case, the character gains a bonus die on relevant Presence rolls.

Fascinating

A character with the Fascinating gift is naturally, effortlessly compelling. It is difficult for the character to pass unnoticed, because they will be the focus of attention in nearly any circumstances. People who are swayed by their instinctive responses may be more likely to cooperate with the character, and the character can sometimes gain favours from admirers. If this is the case, the character gains a bonus die on relevant Presence rolls.

Hard Target

When making a Ranged Combat defense roll, the character may substitute their Brawn for their Agility. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis.

Headquarters

The character has one or more bases of operation, equipped with supplies and equipment reasonable for the character's background and skills. If the character is a member of a team, the base(s) might be shared with the other team members, at the player's discretion. A headquarters is primarily a convenience for the GM and a fun asset for the character. It is not generally useful in combat, and is mainly used for flavour and a setting for roleplaying. For example, a high-tech base might have an air-tight security system, complete with laser turrets and knockout gas, but this won't keep the base from being broken into by pirates or taken over by a sentient computer virus.

Indefatigable

Normally, a character who has been reduced to 1 Endurance can speak and take roleplaying actions, but any other action, including combat, incurs a penalty die. A character with Indefatigable is just as close to defeat, but they do not incur a penalty die for this condition.

Leadership

A character with the Leadership gift excels at bringing out the best in others, and other people are more effective with the character than they are alone. The player of a character with Leadership can spend their own plot points on behalf of their teammates and allies. For example, this could be to help an ally do something the character with Leadership is not in a position to do, or to provide support for a teammate who is in trouble.

Lightning Strike

A character with Lightning Strike can deal devastating blows using speed and finesse rather than brute force. When making a Hand-to-hand Combat attack roll, the character may substitute their Agility for their Brawn. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis. This can reflect the character's advanced martial arts training, their superhuman speed, the harnessing of the character's chi, or some other effect.

Linguist

A character with the Linguist gift is fluent in dozens of languages, and is capable of quickly deciphering new languages when they encounter them.

Master Plan

With sufficient time and preparation beforehand, a character with the Master Plan gift is able to gain a tactical benefit during an encounter at a time chosen by the player. The form this takes can vary, and should be negotiated between the player and the GM, but a relatively typical use of a Master Plan would be similar to the use of a plot point. The amount of time needed to formulate a Master Plan should be long enough to be believable, but not so long that it renders the gift useless. Generally speaking, a character should only be permitted to concoct one Master Plan per game session, unless the GM makes an exception.

Mental Calculator

The character can perform complex mathematical calculations in their head in the same amount of time that a skilled mathematician could perform the same calculations on a powerful computer. Also, the character has an intuitive understanding of higher mathematics, and is able to comprehend and remember intricate formulae and equations after examining them briefly.

Perfect Recall

The character may perfectly remember any event, document, recording, or picture which the character has taken the effort to study and memorize. The character does not need to understand the items to be memorized, because the information memorized is not stored as text; it is in the character's memory as a picture. As such, the information is not subject to instantaneous retrieval, but the character may mentally "scroll down" or "fast forward" looking for a specific bit of data.

Pro From Dover

The character is the best in their field, whatever that field is. They may or may not be famous for it -- if not, then they have either taken some effort to conceal their extraordinary knowledge, or perhaps there is a conspiracy to deny them the acclaim that they deserve. A character with the Pro From Dover gift may choose a specific, narrowly-defined professional, scholarly, or technical field in which they are the undisputed expert. When answering a question or performing research related to their specialty, they gain a bonus die.

A character may only be the Pro From Dover in a single narrowly defined noncombat specialty, and each player character with the Pro From Dover gift must choose a different specialty.

Sharpshooter

A character with the Sharpshooter gift adept at bypassing cover in ranged combat. When a defender has cover, or is prone, they gain a bonus die on their defense roll. A character with the Sharpshooter gift gains a bonus die on their Ranged Combat attack roll when targeting a defender who is prone or has cover.

Team Player

A character with the Team Player gift excels at working with others, and is more effective with others than they are alone. A Team Player gains a bonus die when combining their effort with others as part of a task or in combat.

Tenacious

The character refuses to admit defeat when others would fall by the wayside. When making a Hand-to-hand Combat or Ranged Combat defense roll, the character may substitute their Presence for their Agility or Brawn. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis.

Unsettling

The character is able to put off a disturbing vibe that makes people nervous for no discernible reason. Strangers will find themselves disliking the character without knowing why, and normal animals will avoid the character unless forced to approach by a trainer or some other circumstance. On the other hand, the character may find it easier to intimidate others, providing a bonus die to relevant Presence rolls.

Custom Gifts

You aren't limited to these gifts, of course. Feel free to make up your own. They should be approximately as useful and powerful as the ones listed here. Abilities that are more powerful are the domain of actual magic, while abilities that are less powerful are likely just roleplaying, or perhaps a creative use of a plot point. Here is an example of a custom gift.

Sense Auras

The character can see the invisible emanations around people and things. The character may use a standard action to attempt a moderately difficult (DV 3) Perception (Reason) roll to determine the color of the aura of a person or object (see the "Typical aura colors" table). The character may attempt a remarkably difficult (DV 6) Perception (Reason) roll to sense whether the person or object has actively been in league with entities from beyond the mortal world, and whether the aura is "warm" (positive, life affirming) or "cold" (negative, life negating). A typical person's aura is slightly "warm", but even a person with a "cold" aura is not necessarily wicked: they could just be having a bad day.

The aura of a character with Mental Resistance is not able to be read. Their aura isn't missing: from the aura-sensing character's point of view, it has the same impression as a failed Perception (Reason) roll.

Table: Typical aura colors

Color	Temperament
Red	In a positive light, red indicates a healthy ego: someone powerful, sensual, passionate, and energetic. In a negative light, red indicates anger, an unforgiving nature, or anxiety.
Orange	In a positive light, orange indicates productivity and creativity: someone sociable, detail oriented, and courageous. In a negative light, it can indicate stress and addictions.
Yellow	Indicates optimism, and easy-going nature, inspiration, and intelligence.
Green	Indicates balance, growth, and a willingness to change. It is a strong indication of a love of people, animals, and nature.
Turquoise	Indicates a sensitive, compassionate nature, that of a healer or a counselor.
Blue	Indicates calm and focus. It is a strong indication of clarity, truthfulness, and an intuitive nature.
Indigo	Indicates deep feeling: someone of profound intuition and sensitivity.
Violet	Indicates a sensitive nature and greater than average psychic potential. May also indicate an artistic temperament.
Lavender	Indicates great vision and imagination.