Rough Magic 4e EN:Gifts
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. Gifts which impact the setting directly, such as Headquarters and Wealthy, should receive more than the usual amount of GM consultation.
The character's first gift costs 1 character point. Buying an additional gift costs a number of character points equal to the current number of gifts, plus one. For example, buying a fourth gift costs 4 points.
| Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 6 |
| 4 | 10 |
| 5 | 15 |
| 6 | 21 |
| 7 | 28 |
| 8 | 36 |
| 9 | 45 |
| 10 | 55 |
Typical Gifts
This is a list of typical gifts found in a Rough Magic game. This list is not exhaustive. A character may well have an 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.
| Gift | Type | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Empathy | Skills | The character can use Diplomacy and Manipulation skills on animals. |
| Arcane Caster | Skills | The character can cast spells of an arcane nature |
| Attentive | Combat | The character is unaffected by distractions. |
| Bag Of Tricks | Skills | The character carries a bag, belt, or backpack with a number of small, ordinary items. |
| Blindfighting | Combat | The character does not incur a penalty when unable to see or hear their opponent. |
| Blood Rage | Combat | Once per scene, the character can enter a trance-like state of bestial fury. |
| Bowler | Combat | The character may base their Ranged Combat attack rolls on Brawn rather than on Agility. |
| Connected | Skills | The character can make a Diplomacy roll to get a favour from an old friend -- or an old enemy. |
| Disarming Expert | Combat | The character can make a disarming attack without the usual -3 skill penalty. |
| Elusive | Combat | The character may base their Hand-to-hand Combat defense on Agility rather than on Brawn. |
| Escape Artist | Combat | Once per scene, the character gains a +3 skill bonus against a grapple or a lasting power. |
| Famous | Skills | The character may get attention, and perhaps favors, from strangers. |
| Fascinating | Skills | The character may get attention, and perhaps favors, from admirers. |
| Hard Target | Combat | The character may base their Ranged Combat defense on Brawn rather than on Agility. |
| Headquarters | Skills | The character has one or more bases of operation. |
| Leadership | Combat | Once per scene, the character can grant a +3 skill bonus to an ally. |
| Lightning Strike | Combat | The character may base their Hand-to-hand Combat attack rolls on Agility rather than on Brawn. |
| Linguist | Skills | The character can learn new languages with minimal effort. |
| Master Plan | Combat | The character's allies can gain a tactical benefit if there is time to prepare for an encounter. |
| Mental Calculator | Skills | The character can solve complex mathematical operations by thinking about them. |
| Minions | Skills | Minor, mostly nameless lackeys of marginal usefulness. |
| Perfect Recall | Skills | Once per scene, the character may perfectly remember any event, document, recording, etc. |
| Pro From Dover | Skills | The character is the absolute best in their field, whatever that is. |
| Quick Change | Skills | The character can clothes (or change into an Alternate Form) with a quick action. |
| Ranged Disarm | Combat | The character can make a disarm attack at range. |
| Sacred Caster | Skills | The character can cast spells of a sacred nature |
| Scrounger | Skills | The character can survive on what they find. |
| Second Identity | Skills | The character has a second, completely legitimate identity. |
| Sharpshooter | Combat | The character can ignore a defender's skill bonus from being prone or having cover. |
| Sidekick | Combat | If the character is within short range of their mentor, their Agility, Brawn, and Power Level are no less than their mentor's. |
| Team Player | Combat | Once per scene, the character can gain a +3 skill bonus when working as part of a team. |
| Underwater Combat | Combat | The character does not incur a penalty when fighting underwater. |
| Unsettling | Skills | The character may make people nervous for no real reason. |
| Vehicles | Skills | The character has sundry modes of fast and stylish transportation. |
| Wealthy | Skills | If a problem can be solved by throwing money at it, the character can probably solve that problem. |
| Whirlwind Attack | Combat | The character can make a sweep attack without the usual -3 skill penalty. |
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. A character's Animal Empathy might be limited to a specific type of animal, such as cats or sea creatures. If this is the case, the character gains a +3 skill bonus on Diplomacy and Manipulation rolls when interacting with that animal type.
Once per scene, A character with Animal Empathy can befriend a normal animal which is not hostile to the character. The animal will always remember the character and treat them as a friend.
Arcane Caster
The character can cast spells of an arcane nature. See the Magic chapter for more details.
Attentive
Normally, a distracted character suffers a -3 penalty on their next skill roll or their next defense, whichever comes first. A character with Attentive is unaffected by such distractions, and does not incur a penalty.
Bag Of Tricks
The character carries a bag, belt, or backpack with a number of small, ordinary items. The character can use a quick action to pull any needed item from their bag, as long as the item is small enough to fit in the palm of their hand and can be purchased from an ordinary retail shop.
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.
Blood Rage
Once per scene, the character can enter a trance-like state of bestial fury. While in a blood rage, the character gains a +3 skill bonus on all Hand-to-hand Combat attack rolls, but they incur a -3 skill penalty on all other rolls, as well as on their hand-to-hand and ranged defense. Additionally, a character in a blood rage gains a +3 skill bonus to their Mental Combat defense.
Bowler
A character with the Bowler gift can heave projectiles with deadly accuracy. The character may base their Ranged Combat attack rolls on Brawn rather than on Agility. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis.
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 12) Diplomacy (Presence) roll to see how their contact receives them.
Disarming Expert
Normally, when making a disarming attack, the character incurs a -3 skill penalty. A character with Disarming Expert can make a disarming attack without incurring a penalty.
Elusive
A character with the Elusive gift is fast on their feet and good at rolling with the punches. The character may base their Hand-to-hand Combat defense on Agility rather than on Brawn. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis.
Escape Artist
A character with the Escape Artist gift is a slippery target. Once per scene, the character gains a +3 skill bonus against a grapple or a lasting power. The player may decide to gain the bonus before or after the dice are rolled.
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.
Fascinating
A character 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.
Hard Target
A character with the Hard Target gift can take the hit and keep coming. The character may base their Ranged Combat defense on Brawn rather than on 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, workshops, 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 flavor and a setting for roleplaying.
Additionally, the character can make a moderately difficult (DV 12) Survival (Reason) roll to remember a "safe house" or a cache of supplies nearby, wherever they happen to be.
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. Once per scene, the character can grant a +3 skill bonus to one of their allies. The player may decide to grant the bonus before or after the dice are rolled.
Lightning Strike
A character with the Lightning Strike gift can deal devastating blows using speed and finesse. The character may base their Hand-to-hand Combat attack rolls on Agility rather than on Brawn. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis.
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
Once per scene, a character with Master Plan is able to gain a tactical benefit at a time and place they choose. 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 to grant the character or one of their allies a +3 skill bonus to be used at a time of their choice during the conflict.
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.
Minions
The character has one or more minor, mostly nameless lackeys of marginal usefulness. Such minions might be mooks, agents, armed guards, administrative staff, or technicians to keep the character's equipment in proper working order. There is no set limit to the number of minions a character might have, subject to the GM's approval, but the more minions there are, the less competent they are. For example, if a character has just three minions -- an administrative assistant, a chauffeur/auto mechanic, and a skilled professional -- they might be reasonably competent at their respective assignments (3 in their most relevant attributes, with 1 in relevant skills). If the character has dozens of minions, however, the best among them would have 2 in their relevant attributes, and none of them would have any skills requiring advanced education or technical aptitude.
Minions are primarily a fun asset for the character. They are not generally useful in combat, and are mainly used for flavor and as a foil for roleplaying. Minions should never steal the limelight from a player character.
Perfect Recall
Once per scene, the character may perfectly remember any event, document, recording, etc., which the character has clearly seen or heard, even if they were not paying particular attention to it at the time.
Pro From Dover
A character with the Pro From Dover gift can choose a specific, narrowly-defined professional, scholarly, or technical field in which they are an undisputed expert. When answering a question or performing research related to their specialty, they gain a +3 skill bonus.
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 should choose a different specialty.
Quick Change
The Quick Change gift is usually possessed only by superheroes and stage magicians. Quick Change enables a character to change their entire outfit with a quick action. This could be made possible by super-speed, a costume stored in a ring, or just wearing a different outfit underneath street clothes. Additionally, a character with Quick Change and the Alternate Form power can change forms once per round with a quick action.
Ranged Disarm
A character with Ranged Disarm can make a disarm attack at range. A ranged disarm attack requires a successful Ranged Combat (Agility) roll against 8 + Ranged Combat (Agility) of the target. As with hand-to-hand disarming attacks, the attacker suffers a -3 skill penalty on the roll.
Sacred Caster
The character can cast spells of a sacred nature. See the Magic chapter for more details.
Scrounger
You can survive off the grid, whether you are in the wilderness or in an urban environment. You can find shelter, food, and personal essentials enough to provide for yourself and a small number of friends. In a populated area, you can always find useful items by asking around and keeping your eyes open.
Second Identity
The character has a second, completely legitimate identity. The character's second identity is completely documented and will withstand even the most focused scrutiny. Alternately, at the player's choice, the character has no documented identity at all: any and all records of their existence have been erased.
Additionally, the character can make a moderately difficult (DV 12) Finesse (Reason) roll to produce proof of a new but ordinary identity, appropriate to wherever they happen to be.
Sharpshooter
A character with the Sharpshooter gift adept at bypassing cover in ranged combat. When a defender is prone or has cover, they normally gain a bonus to their defense. A character with the Sharpshooter gift ignores a defender's bonus from being prone or having cover.
Sidekick
The character fights more effectively when they fight alongside their mentor. If the sidekick is within short range (10 m) of their mentor, their Agility, Brawn, and Power Level are equal to their normal values, or their mentor's values, whichever is greater. The character's mentor must be chosen when this gift is purchased, and should change very rarely, if ever.
Team Player
A character with the Team Player gift excels at working with others, and is more effective with others than they are alone. Once per scene, a character with the Team Player gift can gain a +3 skill bonus when working as part of a team. The player may decide to gain the bonus before or after the dice are rolled.
Underwater Combat
Normally, engaging in combat underwater imposes a -3 skill penalty. A character with the Underwater Combat gift does not incur a penalty for fighting underwater.
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.
Vehicles
The character has one or more vehicles which provide fast and stylish transportation. If the character is a member of a team, the vehicle(s) might be shared with the other team members, at the player's discretion. A vehicle 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 to make it easier for the character to get around.
Additionally, the character can make a moderately difficult (DV 12) Survival (Reason) roll to remember a vehicle they have stored nearby, wherever they happen to be.
Wealthy
If a problem can be solved by throwing money at it, a character with the Wealth gift can probably solve that problem. Food, clothing, and shelter cease to be concerns for a character with Wealth, but they are still plagued by the same interpersonal issues that are behind the serious problems most people face.
Whirlwind Attack
Normally, when making a sweep attack (attacking everyone within reach of the character simultaneously), the character incurs a -3 skill penalty on each roll. A character with Whirlwind Attack can make a sweep attack without incurring a penalty.