Type: trait

Effect: The character suffers direct harm when exposed to a particular substance. They cannot voluntarily enter the same space with it. If they are touched by it, they instantly suffer the damage of a Rank 3 attack roll that automatically succeeds. This continues each turn until they are separated from the substance or are killed or destroyed. Damage caused by Anathema ignores all damage reduction the character has and cannot be healed by their Healing Factor.

Restriction: N/A

Related: GarlicHoly SymbolsSunshine

Type: trait

Effect: The character likes hurting people-even killing them. After they knock someone unconscious, they must make a Challenging Ego check to keep from continuing to attack them until they're dead.

Restriction: A character with this trait cannot take the Heroic tag.

Related: N/A

Type: trait

Effect: The character knows someone with access to and knowledge of a particular field. The connection could be a reporter, a police officer, a politician, a mobster and so on. By making an Ego check, the character can call on their contact to provide help in the form of clues, information or resources. The Narrator determines the TN of the Ego check based on the favor requested. This trait can be selected multiple times, using many different types. These include Celebrities, Community, Criminal, Espionage, Military, Outsiders, Police, Professional, Sources, Super Heroes and so on.

Restriction: N/A

Related: Criminal

Type: trait

Effect: The character can function for up to 48 hours without sleep and has an edge on Resilience checks to overcome fatigue or weariness.

Restriction: N/A

Related: N/A

Type: trait

Effect: The character is stronger than regular humans. Treat them as one size bigger for lifting, carrying, swinging and throwing things. (This does not stack with other factors.)

Restriction: N/A

Related: N/A

Type: trait

Effect: Enemies have trouble on Ego attacks to control the character's mind or influence their behavior. Also, the character gains an edge on Ego checks to break free of mind control or other compulsions.

Restriction: N/A

Related: N/A

Type: trait

Effect: The character is some kind of monster, often of a type spoken of in legend. They have an edge whenever they attempt to intimidate someone.

Restriction: N/A

Related: N/A

Type: trait

Effect: The character suffers an unusual amount of harm from certain substances. Any attack made with that substance ignores all inherent damage reduction the character has and cannot be healed by their Healing Factor.

Restriction: N/A

Related: SilverWood

Type: tag

Effect: The character can change from their regular human form into another form and back. When in either form, the character can only access powers assigned to that form. In most cases, this means that the character can use powers only when in their alternate form. This tag applies to characters that switch from one humanoid form to another, like Colossus, Emma Frost and many of the Hulks. It also applies to characters that have inhuman forms, like werewolves and vampires.

Restriction: N/A

Related: BatMistWolf

Type: tag

Effect: The character knows how and where they can buy and sell hard-to-find and potentially illegal things.

Restriction: N/A

Related: N/A

Type: tag

Effect: The character is technically dead—although presumably still able to interact with the rest of the world in some way. They might be a vampire, a ghost, a zombie or even a brain floating in a jar.

Restriction: N/A

Related: N/A

Type: tag

Effect: The character looks very different than the average person (wherever they happen to be) and cannot easily hide their identity. When this tag appears in origins in this chapter, it may give other useful information, like whether an extreme appearance is common.

Restriction: Only in Alternate Forms

Related: N/A

Type: tag

Effect: The character casts no reflection, and their image cannot be captured by cameras.

Restriction: N/A

Related: N/A

Type: tag

Effect: The character's real identity is a secret to the public, and they must take precautions to maintain this status. This might help keep the people they care about safe from their enemies, but it can also cause strain in those same relationships.

Restriction: N/A

Related: N/A

Type: tag

Effect: The character knows how things are handled on the street, who's in charge of various criminal enterprises and how to avoid issues with them.

Restriction: N/A

Related: N/A

Type: tag

Effect: The character is a villain, someone who cares little for the rights of others, up to and including their right to live.

Restriction: The character cannot also be Heroic.

Related: N/A

Description: The character heals amazingly fast.

Duration: Permanent

Effect: At the end of the character's turn, they regain Health equal to their Resilience. (This works outside of combat too, quickly bringing them back to full Health.)

Description: The character is superhumanly strong.

Duration: Permanent

Effect: Treat the character as one size bigger for lifting, carrying, swinging and throwing things. They also add +1 to their Melee damage multiplier, and they gain a +1 bonus to Melee checks other than attacks.

Description: The character is protected as if by steel.

Duration: Permanent

Effect: The character gains Health Damage Reduction 2.

Description: The character consumes the life force of another.

Action: Reaction

Trigger: The target is grabbed.

Duration: Instant

Cost: 5

Effect: The character makes an Ego attack against the target's Resilience defense. If it succeeds, the target takes regular Health damage, and the character heals half that much Health for themselves. On a Fantastic success, the character heals the full Health damage instead.

Description: The character can communicate with a type of animal.

Action: Standard

Duration: Concentration

Effect: The character can communicate telepathically with one taxonomic order of animals, such as birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and so on. They can call out to them as a group up to 500 spaces per rank away, and they can communicate specifically with ones they have met or at least seen. They cannot switch to another taxonomic order, but they can select this power multiple times if desired. The communication with the animals can be verbal, visual or even more complex, such as imparting location information. There is no limit to the distance of the communication, as long as the character and the animals are in the same dimension. Friendly animals often do whatever the character asks, as long as it doesn't put them in danger-and they may be willing to risk even that for one they consider a friend. Hostile animals simply ignore all such requests—which make them a poor choice for communication.

Description: The character forces someone to follow an order.

Action: Standard

Duration: 1 Round

Cost: 5

Effect: The character gives an order to a target with whom they've established a Telepathic Link. The character makes a Logic check against the target's Logic defense. On a success, the target complies with the order. On a Fantastic success, the character gains an edge the next time they use this power against this same target. The command must be something that can be completed in a single action. If it involves harming someone, the character has trouble on the check. If it would cause the target to harm themselves, the character has double trouble on the check.

Description: The character can speak with another telepathically.

Action: Standard

Duration: Concentration

Effect: The character can communicate telepathically with one person at a time, and they must have met or seen the other person before. The communication can be verbal, visual or even more complex, such as imparting location information. There is no limit to the distance of the communication, as long as the character and the target are in the same dimension. If the other person does not wish to speak with the character, the target can automatically tune them out. To force a telepathic link, the character can make a Logic check against the target's Vigilance defense. On a failure, the character cannot attempt to communicate with the target in this way for the rest of the day. On a success, the character can communicate with the target for one round. On a Fantastic success, the target cannot shut the character out for the rest of the day.