Rough Magic 4e EN:Gifts

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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 no more than 5 character points total on gifts and supernatural traits.

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 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
Animal Empathy Skills Use Diplomacy and Manipulation skills on animals
Arcane Caster Skills The character can cast spells of an arcane nature
Attentive Combat Spend Willpower to ignore a distraction
Bag Of Tricks Skills Dependable access to small, ordinary items
Blindfighting Combat The character does not incur a penalty when unable to see or hear
Blood Rage Combat The character may enter a trance-like state of bestial fury
Connected Skills Get a favour from an old friend -- or an old enemy
Disarming Expert Combat Spend Willpower to make a disarming attack without penalty
Elusive Combat May base defense on Agility rather than Brawn in hand-to-hand combat
Escape Artist Skills Spend Willpower for a bonus against a grapple or a lasting power
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
Hurler Combat May use Brawn for Ranged Combat attack rolls
Indefatigable Combat The character does not incur a penalty when injured
Leadership Skills Spend Willpower to grant a bonus to an ally
Lightning Strike Combat May use Agility for Hand-to-hand Combat attack rolls
Linguist Skills Learn new languages with minimal effort
Luck Skills Spend Willpower to get a bonus on a roll
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
Minions Skills Minor, mostly nameless lackeys of marginal usefulness
Perfect Recall Skills Remember something perfectly with a Reason roll
Pro From Dover Skills The absolute best in their field, whatever that is
Ranged Disarm Combat Spend Willpower to make a ranged disarming attack
Second Identity Skills The character has a second, completely legitimate identity
Sharpshooter Combat Adept at bypassing cover in ranged combat
Team Player Combat Gain a +3 bonus when working with others
Tenacious Combat Spend Willpower to recover Endurance
Underwater Combat Combat The character does not incur a penalty when fighting underwater
Unsettling Skills Make people nervous for no real reason
Wealthy Skills Solve problems with money
Whirlwind Attack Combat Spend Willpower to make a sweep attack without 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 bonus on Diplomacy and Manipulation rolls when interacting with that animal type.

A character with Animal Empathy may spend a point of Willpower to 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 attack roll or their next defense, whichever comes first. A character with Attentive is unaffected by such distractions, and does not incur a penalty. Additionally, a character with Attentive may choose to spend a point of Willpower to gain a +3 bonus on their next attack against the character who attempted to distract them.

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. The power level (PL) of such items is usually 1.

A character with Bag Of Tricks may spend a point of Willpower to produce an uncommon or somewhat valuable item, or an ordinary item larger than the palm of their hand.

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. Additionally, a character with Blindfighting may choose to spend a point of Willpower to gain a +3 bonus on their roll for initiative.

Blood Rage

The character may enter a trance-like state of bestial fury. While in a blood rage, the character gains a bonus (+3) on all Hand-to-hand Combat rolls, but they incur a penalty (-3) on all other rolls. Additionally, a character in a blood rage gains a +3 bonus on their Mental Combat defense. Entering blood rage costs 1 point of Willpower, as does leaving the blood rage. If the character has the "passion" motivation, entering a blood rage is free, but leaving the blood rage costs 2 Willpower.

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. If the character fails this roll, obtaining a favour from the contact will require spending a point of Willpower.

Disarming Expert

Normally, when making a disarming attack, the character incurs a -3 penalty. A character with Disarming Expert may spend a point of Willpower to 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. When in hand-to-hand combat, the character may base their defense on their Agility instead of on their 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. The character may spend a point of Willpower to gain a +3 bonus against a grapple or a lasting power.

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 favors from strangers. The character may spend a point of Willpower to gain a +3 bonus to an appropriate Presence roll.

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 favors from admirers. The character may spend a point of Willpower to gain a +3 bonus to an appropriate Presence roll.

Hard Target

When in ranged combat, the character may base their defense on their Brawn instead of on 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 flavor and a setting for roleplaying.

Additionally, the character may choose to spend a point of Willpower to remember a "safe house" or a cache of supplies nearby, wherever they happen to be.

Hurler

A character with Hurler can heave projectiles with deadly accuracy. When making a Ranged Combat attack roll, the character may substitute their Brawn for their Agility. The player may choose which attribute to use on a case by case basis.

Indefatigable

Normally, a character whose current Endurance has been reduced to 0 can speak and interact, but any action incurs a penalty (-3) and requires the expenditure of 1 Willpower. A character with Indefatigable may spend a point of Willpower to take an action without a penalty.

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 one point of Willpower to grants a +3 bonus to one of their teammates and allies. The player may decide to spend the Willpower before or after the dice are rolled.

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.

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.

Luck

The gods of chance seem to smile on the character, or perhaps they are just incredibly well-prepared. Once per scene, a character with Luck can spend one point of Willpower to receive a +3 bonus. The player may decide to spend the Willpower before or after the dice are rolled.

Master Plan

Once per day, 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 and each of their allies a +3 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 sophisticated mechanical calculator. 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 an alchemist -- they might be reasonably competent at their respective assignments (6 in their most relevant attributes, with relevant skills). If the character has dozens of minions, however, the best among them would have 4 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

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 "flip pages" looking for a specific memory, finding it with a moderately difficult (DV 12) Perception (Reason) roll.

Pro From Dover

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 +3 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.

Ranged Disarm

A character with Ranged Disarm may spend a point of Willpower to 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 penalty on the roll, and powers and equipment do not apply to this roll.

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 may choose to spend a point of Willpower 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 gain a +3 bonus. A character with the Sharpshooter gift gains a +3 bonus 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 +3 bonus when combining their effort with others as part of a task or in combat. Once per day, the character may spend a point of Willpower to grant a +3 bonus to the other characters participating in the combined effort. The player may decide to spend the Willpower before or after the dice are rolled.

Tenacious

The character refuses to admit defeat when others would fall by the wayside. Once per day, the character may spend a point of Willpower to recover all of their lost Endurance.

Underwater Combat

Unless the character has the Underwater Combat gift, engaging in combat underwater imposes a -3 attack penalty. With this gift, the character does not incur a penalty for that circumstance.

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. The character may spend a point of Willpower to gain a +3 bonus to an appropriate Presence roll.

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. In addition, sometimes wealth itself can be a source of problems. The character may have responsibilities related to their source of income, or they might need to fend off attempts to deprive them of their inheritance.

Whirlwind Attack

Normally, when making a sweep attack (attacking everyone within reach of the character simultaneously), the character incurs a -3 penalty on each roll. A character with Whirlwind Attack may spend a point of Willpower to make a sweep attack without incurring a penalty.

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. A good rule of thumb is that a gift allows a character to ignore a penalty in a specific circumstance or with a particular kind of attack. If the circumstance is relatively commonplace, the gift may require spending a point of Willpower. If the gift is particularly powerful, its use may be limited to once per day. Here is an example of a custom gift.

Unstoppable

Normally, a character who is moving incurs a -3 penalty on their defense against a slamming attack. A character with Unstoppable does not incur this penalty.