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BackgroundsThese
Traits describe the special advantages of your character. However, you must choose why and
how you came to possess these particular Traits. These Traits tend to describe what your
character has acquired, rather than learned.
Backgrounds can be rolled in conjunction with other Traits, such as when you wish
to obtain information, resources or favors. Most times, however, they represent an amount
of influence or available resources. Some Backgrounds are restricted to particular
characters as well. Ally – Adventurers often
encounter a variety of interesting people on their travels. While many are hostile, some
befriend the character and possibly aid him. These Allies can be normal people,
influential persons, or even magickal beings.
Allies should be characters in their own right, not simple cannon fodder. Though
they may be loyal unto even death, such friends will not throw their lives away for
nothing, especially if the character does nothing to support that loyalty. Friendship is a
2-way street, and even Allies have their own agendas.
Each dot in the Background gives the character one Ally, or increases the power of
one that already exists; thus 5 dots in the Allies Background could indicate five Allies
of moderate power or one extremely powerful entity. Nearly anyone (or anything) can be an
adventurer’s Ally; some characters even have magickal creatures, vampires, and even
spirits as Allies. The number of points allocated to an Ally determines its power level. O
An Ally of moderate power, possibly a normal person of some skill OO
A more powerful Ally, possibly one with minor magickal ability OOO A fairly powerful Ally, at or
slightly above the character’s ability OOOO A remarkably powerful Ally,
possibly a magickal creature or noble person with many resources OOOOO An extremely powerful Ally, with access to many
resources Companion – Many adventurers
have people or animals that they travel with. They have a variety of names and titles:
familiars, acolytes, apprentices, etc., but together they are classified as Companions. In most situations
the Companion acts in a secondary role to the character, as a student, pet or ward. This
does not make them totally dependent on the character, but rather they choose to follow
the character in a mutually beneficial relationship. Sometimes the Companion is actually
more powerful than the character is! The number of points
assigned to the Companion determines its power level. If the GM wishes to generate the
Companions statistics, then this rating will determine the number of Freebie points that
the Companion has to spend to increase its abilities beyond the norm. O
A minor Companion, probably a familiar or small pet (5 Freebies) OO
A useful Companion,
up to human intelligence (10 Freebies) OOO A
Companion of some ability, an Acolyte perhaps (15 Freebies) OOOO
A Companion with
impressive magickal abilities (20 Freebies) OOOOO
A Companion of incredible power (possibly considers the character to be
a familiar or pet?) (25 Freebies) Domain – You own a room or
building in which your power is more effective. This can be anything from a mage’s
sanctum to a Faerie grotto. Within your Domain all of your magickal D#’s are reduced
by ½ the rating of the Domain (round up). Also, any magickal work with a rating equal to
or less than the Domain rating gains 1 automatic success. (Note: for Animist gifts, level
1 is rated at Domain 1 & 2, Level 2 is rated at Domain 3 & 4, and level 3 is rated
at Domain 5.) O
A small Domain – an office or library sized room OO
An impressive Domain
– a small house or other enclosure OOO A
large Domain - mansion, temple or small natural feature OOOO A very impressive Domain – a large complex or
natural feature OOOOO
A Domain of considerable worth – possibly a village or city Fame – You are widely
known within your homeland, or quite possibly across the face of Myth. This gives you
great privileges when you travel abroad, but it can also attract just a bit too much
attention. Fame can grant a lot of pull among the masses, allowing you to attempt to
manipulate circumstances to your benefit.
Sometimes Fame can seem like more trouble that it is worth, causing you to be
recognized when you don’t wish to be seen. However there are many circumstances where
it can come in handy, like getting you an audience with a nobleman that you would
otherwise be unable to see. You are also harder for your enemies to physically dispose of,
as you cannot just “disappear.” Sometimes Fame will be used with Manipulation in
order to make a roll (“See if you can convince the door guard to let you
in…”) but more often it is simply used as a measure of how well-known you are. O
You are known by a select subculture of society in your homeland OO
Your
face is recognized by the majority of the populace in your homeland OOO
You are fairly famous; your
name and face are known in more than one kingdom OOOO
You are quite
renowned; people seem to know you everywhere you go on Myth OOOOO You are famous all over Myth,
possibly a diplomat or performer Followers – This Background
represents a group of low-powered individuals that obey your commands. This can be
anything from a small army to household servants to sycophantic slaves. It is assumed that
you have some measure of authority over these people and that they will obey your orders,
though foolhardy and suicidal commands are likely to diminish your gathering rather
quickly. It is not necessary to generate statistics for these Followers unless your GM
wishes to. Rather, they should be normal, essentially generic beings of a single type. O
You have 2 or 3 Followers OO
You have up to 8
Followers OOO
You have a good-sized gathering of
up to 15 Followers OOOO
You have a small army
of about 25 Followers OOOOO
You have an impressive Following of up to 50 individuals Font – Your character owns
or has access to a place where raw Mana may be gathered. These can appear as magickal
fountains, temples to the Gods, or in any form you (or the GM) decide. Most Fonts are held
by powerful individuals – usually nobility – and you may be required to spend
time defending it from others.
The rating reflects both the size of the Font and the amount of Mana that can be
gathered from it. Careful maintenance and harvesting from a Font will keep this supply
flowing. O
Very small Font, perhaps a spring or small shrine (3 Mana/week) OO
Small Font, about the
size of a large room (1 Mana/day) OOO
Medium-sized Font, a small temple
or cave (10 Mana/week) OOOO
Large Font, possibly
a temple or glen (2 Mana/day) OOOOO
A Font of immense proportions, not likely able to be hidden (20
Mana/week Mentor – A figure of enormous influence in
most people’s lives, a Mentor may be an older adventurer, a spirit or possibly a
figure from the character’s childhood. This Mentor may or may not have been the one
who awakened the sense of adventure in the character in the first place. Whatever their
early relationship may have been, however, the Mentor now instructs his pupil in the ways
of the world and helps him when he can.
The rating reflects how helpful the teacher is. A dull or distant Mentor is better
than none, but barely; the wiser, more learned or more influential the Mentor, the higher
his rating.
Mentors are important both for what they can teach, and how they can intercede in
their pupils’ lives. The stereotypical Mentor/student relationship involves
apprenticeship – the youthful character learning from a master who demands tasks in
return for instruction. Such tutelage may last from weeks to years and could range from
affectionate to abusive. Whatever the relationship may be, a Mentor will always feel (and
be held) accountable for his student’s actions. The pupil, likewise, benefits or
loses status with others on account of his Mentor’s reputation. Either partner could
either help or harm the other during the course of a chronicle.
A Mentor can also aid a character who wants to increase his skills or magickal
abilities. By convincing his Mentor to teach him what he wants to know, the character can
roll his rating in Mentor(7) and save on experience costs. Each success will save 1 point
of experience. This can only be done once per experience expenditure. In some cases the
Mentor may be necessary for learning the skill or power at all – learning the
principles of the elements without instruction can take years or even decades!
A Mentor should not be a collection of dots on a character sheet. Though he should
not overshadow the player character, a Mentor must be a potent and colorful person in his
own right. This Background is not a free ride; Mentors, especially powerful ones, should
not give something for nothing. Mentors have motivations like any other person, and will
often demand favors or services for their teachings. This could be as simple as keeping
his books in order or as dangerous as retrieving strange artifacts from a distant Realm.
In general, though, the character receives much more from his Mentor than he requires of
him. O
Unimportant or distant Mentor OO
Helpful but eccentric
Mentor OOO
Good and notable Mentor OOOO
Wise and respected
Mentor OOOOO
Powerful or influential Mentor Title – This Trait denotes your rank in
society. Not all people have a Title; in fact, few rise above the first rank if they
attain any title at all. Title bestows a variety of benefits on a character, but most
specifically grants them the privilege of authority. Within one’s own culture, those
of lesser rank defer to those of greater rank. Even in mixed company those with a higher
rank tend to hold authority over others.
Each culture has different names for each rank in this Background. The chart below
will describe the most common Titles, though there are variations even within the same
culture.
Treasure – Treasures are items that have
been imbued with magickal power, thus giving them the power to perform specific magickal
effects. This Background allows a character to begin the game with a treasure already in
his possession. This Treasure could be a gift from a mentor, an incredibly lucky find, or
a family heirloom. The rating of this Trait determines the power of the Treasure. O
A minor Treasure OO
A useful Treasure OOO
A Treasure of significant power OOOO
A very powerful
Treasure OOOOO
A Treasure of incredible power Wealth
– This Background represents material possessions and money. A character with the
Wealth Background has some steady source of money and likely has some property. The level
of the Background also determines an allowance for the character, an amount of money that
he can spend each month without seriously impacting his resources. This allowance is
measured in “points,” which are translated into actual currency of the
appropriate type. 1 point of money equals: 1
Gold Crown (gold piece) - Varial, 2 Kùch - (Ibarites), 2 Kroud - Balgar, 2 Wen - Leng O
Poor, but manageable; your character probably owns a small hut or home in a city - Monthly
allowance is 1 point OO
Comfortable; your
character probably owns a small plot of land or has a useful trade in a major city -
Monthly allowance is 2 points OOO
Well-to-do; your character is
probably a minor land owner or a skilled artisan - Monthly allowance is 5 points OOOO
Quite Wealthy; your
character probably owns a good sized spread of land or is a wealthy merchant - Monthly
allowance is 10 point OOOOO Rich; Your character is probably a
nobleman or wealthy merchant, with business in many quarters of Myth - Monthly allowance
is 20 point
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