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SKILLS and DOMAINS
Skills
Your character will have access to skills and domains when the game begins and have the opportunity to gain more through advancement. There are no levels or values in these – you either have them or you don’t. For any challenge you face, characters get to roll a single 1d10 but if you have an appropriate skill to help you overcome the challenge, your character may roll an extra 1d10 and pick the highest of the two rolled scores.
COMPEL: When it comes down to it, all success in life can be achieved by getting people to do what you want. Use Compel to persuade, intimidate and charm people in an attempt to get them to see things from your point of view.
DECEIVE: As a minister, your public life is a lie, so it helps to be good at lying. Use Deceive to
convince a person of a falsehood, to carry off a
disguise, or to falsify documents.
FIGHT: Few people want to get into a fight, but Spire is a dangerous place, and it pays to be able to handle yourself. Use Fight to hurt and kill people (using weapons, or with your bare hands) and to avoid taking damage yourself, as best you’re able.
FIX: The city is crumbling from without and within, which means it’s a good idea to make do and mend. Use Fix to repair broken items, broken people, things and relationships, as well as to build or craft something.
INVESTIGATE: Secrets and information are Spire’s primary currency, no matter what the gold-traders tell you, and Investigate can help you find things that other people don’t want you to. Use Investigate to examine a scene, situation, or collection of information to come to useful conclusions based on your findings.
PURSUE: Sooner or later, you’ll need to get away from the authorities or chase someone down to stop them telling the truth. Use Pursue to chase someone or something down, and track them if you lose sight of them. Pursue is also used to escape when you’re being chased, or to reposition while in dangerous territory.
RESIST: You will face no end of hardships fighting for the Ministry, and those who can endure them are better off than those who can’t. Use Resist to withstand pain and exhaustion, act when you’re injured, resist torture and keep your wits about you when others would lose their minds.
SNEAK: If no-one knows that you were there, none can accuse you of anything. Use Sneak to hide yourself, or small items on your person, from the attentions of others.
STEAL: You can’t always afford what you need to fight the aelfir, which means you need to find alternate means of acquiring it. Use Steal to take things that aren’t yours, case a joint, disable security measures and fence stolen goods.
Domains
If you possess a 'domain', when you perform an action related to that specific area of focus your character may roll an extra 1d10, again choosing the highest comparative score.
For example: the Academia domain lets you roll an extra dice when you leaf through old books or take part in a spirited historical debate, for example, but it also lets you roll an extra dice whenever you’re in an area associated with learning and higher education. If you’ve got the
Academia domain, you roll an extra dice when you sneak into a library, evade a university porter who uncovered your safe-house, or track a scholar who is on her way to meet her secret contact.
ACADEMIA: Spire has some of the finest centres of learning in the region, perhaps even the whole known world, if what you consider “finest” covers experimental theology and practical mental aesthetics. The Academia domain covers book-learning, library use and dealing with the multitude of peculiar personalities and the miles of red tape that come attached to institutions of higher education.
CRIME: Breaking the law is a popular pastime in Spire, and the Crime domain gives you an edge: it comes with knowledge of who’s who, how to carry yourself, how to pick out a mark and how to stay one step ahead of the city guard. Use Crime when you’re dealing with criminals – whether investigating them or trying to work alongside them – or in crime-heavy districts such as Red Row.
COMMERCE: Commerce is the domain of buying and selling – some of it is haggling and appraisal, but a lot of it comes down to knowing where to go and who to talk to in order to get a good deal. Commerce districts include the Blue Docks, the North Docks, the Sky Docks and anywhere you can buy or sell things.
HIGH SOCIETY: Many of the aelfir, and those
close to them, live in gilded luxury behind strong
walls and ranks of guards. Money and how to
spend it is a big part of the High Society domain,
but more important than money is the indefinable
quality known as class. You can have all the money you desire and still not be accepted into the right clubs if you don’t know how to carry yourself and with the High Society domain, you do.
LOW SOCIETY: Most of the city is covered by the Low Society domain – these workers, labourers and craftsmen are the lifeblood of the city. They’re also the parasitic and workshy masses, depending on who you ask. Low Society districts include the North Docks, Derelictus, Pilgrim’s Walk, the Works, the Garden, Perch and anywhere else people are struggling to survive day-to-day.
OCCULT: The walls of Spire hum with strange energies, and once you dig deep enough into the Heart, reality comes unstuck almost entirely. Any use of magic not sanctioned by a church comes under the Occult domain, as do the secrets hidden in the Heart, other dimensions, or the times of legend in the distant past.
ORDER: This domain encompasses those who keep the peace in and around Spire, successfully or not – the city guard, for the most part, but also the army and the Council themselves. Depending on who a mercenary company works for, and the sort of work they do, they’ll either be Order or Crime. Outside of the jail, the military camp and the Council offices, there aren’t many districts of Order – they operate in other districts and enforce the will of the aelfir upon the populace.
RELIGION: The city of Spire is a very religious one, with aelfir forbidding very few faiths (although the ones they forbid certainly matter to the dark elves). The Religion domain covers interactions with institutions devoted to faith and knowledge of deities, and rites, of all kinds. Religious districts include Pilgrim’s Walk, New Heaven, the Solar Basilica and the cathedral of Our Glorious Lady.
TECHNOLOGY: The humans are the undisputed masters of technology, having vastly accelerated their advancement through a culture of unearthing ancient katakos technology from arcologies in their lands and retro-engineering it to build inferior, but still powerful, copies. The Technology domain covers working with or repairing complex machinery and dealing with groups or guilds that do the same; notable districts where it will come in useful are the Works, parts of the Gardens, and the human-led university of Gywnn-Enforr.
Knacks
If you possess a skill or domain and generate it a second time, you therefore gain a 'knack' – a proficiency with a particular facet of the broad spectrum covered by that specific skill or domain. Using a knack allows you to roll with mastery, adding a further 1d10 to your spectrum of challenge rolls. You cannot however gain more than one additional dice from mastery per challenge roll.
Sample knacks:
DECEIVE
Roll with mastery when you:
• Create forged documents
• Use a disguise
• Impersonate a named individual
• Drop a casual lie into a conversation
LOW SOCIETY
Roll with mastery when:
• In the North Docks
• Interacting with workers
• Blending in as part of Low Society
• Any challenge or encounters with Gutterkin.
Character Creation: joining the Resistance.
-
Bluetongue
- Ranger Lord
- Posts: 3008
- Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:30 am
-
Bluetongue
- Ranger Lord
- Posts: 3008
- Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:30 am
Re: Character Creation: joining the Resistance.
EQUIPMENT
Equipment, for the most part, simply lets you do a job. A lockpick lets you pick locks; climbing gear lets you scale a wall; perfume lets you smell like a fancy courtier. Most equipment you use will fall into the above category, and it has no mechanical effect on the game.
(Trying to perform a task without the proper equipment however can increase the difficulty of the action, or even make some actions almost impossible.)
However, when you acquire an item that matters personally to you, define two things in your inventory description about it that are special facets or traits which mark it out from the many others like it. Make a note of one negative aspect and one positive aspect, for example:
• A beaten-up old cart with hidden containers for smuggling, jury rigged axle prone to breaking.
• An itchy rope made by the master rope-
weavers of Perch, it causes a rash on ungloved hands but is made from augmented steel corded threads.
• A bottle of gutrot liquor that tastes awful,
but cleans up old coins to a mirror shine, you cannot get drunk from it but it is explosive and volatile.
• A fabulous cloak that provides little to no
protection from the elements, it may become see through in bright light.
• A stout parasol that fully shields sunlight, created in gaudy, unfashionable colours, making you stand out in a crowd.
If you take advantage of the positive aspect of the
item, you roll with Mastery on checks where you use it. If you’re forced into a situation where you have to rely on the negative aspect of the item, the difficulty of the action increases by 1.
Buying and Selling
We didn’t want to make players count every sten and queen in their pockets, so we abstracted the idea of money (and resources, favours and influence) into the Silver resistance. It’s safe to assume that the more additional resistance slots a character has in Silver, the better off they are – but the player characters in Spire aren’t ever going to be wealthy, not by the standards of those who oppress them. To buy items, the GM decides on the cost involved:
D3 for minor purchases, D6 for moderate, and D8 for really expensive or exotic materials. Mind you, some items just can’t be purchased 'off the shelf' without expending a lot of effort to find a discreet seller and do whatever it is they want; that’s usually worth more than money spent to acquire it. Then the player makes a roll; usually Compel+Commerce, but Deceive+Commerce could work if they’re trying to pull a fast one.
If the player rolls an 8 or more on their highest
dice, their character managed to purchase the item without it causing a big impact on their finances; it costs money, but they have enough to afford it. 6 or 7 means that they take the full stress rolled, but they still get the item. Usually, this stress will be applied to Silver. But what happens when they roll 5 or lower? They still mark stress, but they don’t get the item, at least not straightaway. They might have had to grease some palms to set up a meeting (Silver), or endangered their reputation by organising an encounter, only for the merchant turn tail and run when the price is too high (Reputation). Maybe the city guard get wind of someone trying to purchase unusual goods and start poking around (Shadow).
As far as selling goes: make a roll to find a buyer,
and then remove either D3, D6 or D8 stress from
Silver (or Reputation) depending on how valuable
the item was.
Players shouldn’t have to roll to buy everything
they use day-to-day; as with everything else, the
gamesmaster should only ask for a roll if something’s at stake and it could be interesting if they failed.
Player characters will start with a choice of class specific equipment plus each character may create an Aelfir Trinket, a momento given to them during their Durance' service. Describe what it is and how you received it.
Equipment, for the most part, simply lets you do a job. A lockpick lets you pick locks; climbing gear lets you scale a wall; perfume lets you smell like a fancy courtier. Most equipment you use will fall into the above category, and it has no mechanical effect on the game.
(Trying to perform a task without the proper equipment however can increase the difficulty of the action, or even make some actions almost impossible.)
However, when you acquire an item that matters personally to you, define two things in your inventory description about it that are special facets or traits which mark it out from the many others like it. Make a note of one negative aspect and one positive aspect, for example:
• A beaten-up old cart with hidden containers for smuggling, jury rigged axle prone to breaking.
• An itchy rope made by the master rope-
weavers of Perch, it causes a rash on ungloved hands but is made from augmented steel corded threads.
• A bottle of gutrot liquor that tastes awful,
but cleans up old coins to a mirror shine, you cannot get drunk from it but it is explosive and volatile.
• A fabulous cloak that provides little to no
protection from the elements, it may become see through in bright light.
• A stout parasol that fully shields sunlight, created in gaudy, unfashionable colours, making you stand out in a crowd.
If you take advantage of the positive aspect of the
item, you roll with Mastery on checks where you use it. If you’re forced into a situation where you have to rely on the negative aspect of the item, the difficulty of the action increases by 1.
Buying and Selling
We didn’t want to make players count every sten and queen in their pockets, so we abstracted the idea of money (and resources, favours and influence) into the Silver resistance. It’s safe to assume that the more additional resistance slots a character has in Silver, the better off they are – but the player characters in Spire aren’t ever going to be wealthy, not by the standards of those who oppress them. To buy items, the GM decides on the cost involved:
D3 for minor purchases, D6 for moderate, and D8 for really expensive or exotic materials. Mind you, some items just can’t be purchased 'off the shelf' without expending a lot of effort to find a discreet seller and do whatever it is they want; that’s usually worth more than money spent to acquire it. Then the player makes a roll; usually Compel+Commerce, but Deceive+Commerce could work if they’re trying to pull a fast one.
If the player rolls an 8 or more on their highest
dice, their character managed to purchase the item without it causing a big impact on their finances; it costs money, but they have enough to afford it. 6 or 7 means that they take the full stress rolled, but they still get the item. Usually, this stress will be applied to Silver. But what happens when they roll 5 or lower? They still mark stress, but they don’t get the item, at least not straightaway. They might have had to grease some palms to set up a meeting (Silver), or endangered their reputation by organising an encounter, only for the merchant turn tail and run when the price is too high (Reputation). Maybe the city guard get wind of someone trying to purchase unusual goods and start poking around (Shadow).
As far as selling goes: make a roll to find a buyer,
and then remove either D3, D6 or D8 stress from
Silver (or Reputation) depending on how valuable
the item was.
Players shouldn’t have to roll to buy everything
they use day-to-day; as with everything else, the
gamesmaster should only ask for a roll if something’s at stake and it could be interesting if they failed.
Player characters will start with a choice of class specific equipment plus each character may create an Aelfir Trinket, a momento given to them during their Durance' service. Describe what it is and how you received it.
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Bluetongue
- Ranger Lord
- Posts: 3008
- Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:30 am
Re: Character Creation: joining the Resistance.
How to create a Character:
To make a player character in Spire, choose a Durance from the list on page 26: or detailed below: this is an indication of the sort of thing your character was doing before they joined the resistance.
Once you’ve selected a Durance, select a Character Class (they begin on page 28) and two Low abilities from it. Choose a character name and describe character bonds, note down your free core abilities, select your equipment from the options provided and you’re ready to go!
Character Advancements:
When you make a small change in the city of Spire, gain a Low advance. When you make a moderate change in Spire, gain a Medium advance. When you cause huge, severe and perhaps irreversible change in Spire, gain a High advance.
The change does not have to be for the better, just make a significant difference. Advances are usually selected from within your specific class, unless you want to multi-class.
Multiclassing
You may, if you wish, select an ability from a different class when you advance, but your advance counts as one grade lower – if you choose to do so, you gain that class’s refresh ability as well. You must have a way to learn the ability in-character, too – if you’re a Knight and you want to purchase Bound abilities with your advance, you’ll need to spend some time in Perch or at least with an existing member of the organisation.
Durance
Although the aelfir occupied Spire nearly two hun-
dred years ago, they allow dark elves to live and work in the city in exchange for a durance – four years of indentured servitude to a high elf with enough money and influence to support them. In exchange for those four years of free labour (and dark elves are not permitted to choose how they spend their durance, either), the aelfir in charge is expected to provide food, clothing and shelter for their charge. Given the overcrowded nature of Spire’s prisons, a period of durance is a common punishment for a crime – six months for minor infractions, and several years (if not decades) for serious crimes.
There are many kinds of durance: a dark elf whose family is in good standing with the aelfir will treat the durance as a sort of internship or apprenticeship, perhaps setting them up for later roles as paid researchers, artists, military officers or traders. (These drow are often supported by their families during their Durance, too, so they can afford to go without pay for four years and not feel the bite of poverty too keenly.)
But the majority of drow are not in good standing
with the aelfir, instead being third or second generation children of immigrants from who reside in the damned undercity.
As a bonus, each character can create a personal Aelfir Trinket that connects them to some aspect of their Durance, a personal momento or heirloom. It cannot be a weapon but can be something highly prized or mundane. Describe what it is and how you received it.
Backstory
You can determine as much, or as little, about
your character’s past and personality as you like
before play starts – and it can really help to get a
thorough understanding of who the character is so you can roleplay them better.
Here are links to Spire character sheets, I am trying to find a way to import them into the forum for use and record keeping..
https://rowanrookanddecard.com/
https://nboughton.uk/apps/spire-sheet/#/
To make a player character in Spire, choose a Durance from the list on page 26: or detailed below: this is an indication of the sort of thing your character was doing before they joined the resistance.
Once you’ve selected a Durance, select a Character Class (they begin on page 28) and two Low abilities from it. Choose a character name and describe character bonds, note down your free core abilities, select your equipment from the options provided and you’re ready to go!
Character Advancements:
When you make a small change in the city of Spire, gain a Low advance. When you make a moderate change in Spire, gain a Medium advance. When you cause huge, severe and perhaps irreversible change in Spire, gain a High advance.
The change does not have to be for the better, just make a significant difference. Advances are usually selected from within your specific class, unless you want to multi-class.
Multiclassing
You may, if you wish, select an ability from a different class when you advance, but your advance counts as one grade lower – if you choose to do so, you gain that class’s refresh ability as well. You must have a way to learn the ability in-character, too – if you’re a Knight and you want to purchase Bound abilities with your advance, you’ll need to spend some time in Perch or at least with an existing member of the organisation.
Durance
Although the aelfir occupied Spire nearly two hun-
dred years ago, they allow dark elves to live and work in the city in exchange for a durance – four years of indentured servitude to a high elf with enough money and influence to support them. In exchange for those four years of free labour (and dark elves are not permitted to choose how they spend their durance, either), the aelfir in charge is expected to provide food, clothing and shelter for their charge. Given the overcrowded nature of Spire’s prisons, a period of durance is a common punishment for a crime – six months for minor infractions, and several years (if not decades) for serious crimes.
There are many kinds of durance: a dark elf whose family is in good standing with the aelfir will treat the durance as a sort of internship or apprenticeship, perhaps setting them up for later roles as paid researchers, artists, military officers or traders. (These drow are often supported by their families during their Durance, too, so they can afford to go without pay for four years and not feel the bite of poverty too keenly.)
But the majority of drow are not in good standing
with the aelfir, instead being third or second generation children of immigrants from who reside in the damned undercity.
As a bonus, each character can create a personal Aelfir Trinket that connects them to some aspect of their Durance, a personal momento or heirloom. It cannot be a weapon but can be something highly prized or mundane. Describe what it is and how you received it.
Backstory
You can determine as much, or as little, about
your character’s past and personality as you like
before play starts – and it can really help to get a
thorough understanding of who the character is so you can roleplay them better.
Here are links to Spire character sheets, I am trying to find a way to import them into the forum for use and record keeping..
https://rowanrookanddecard.com/
https://nboughton.uk/apps/spire-sheet/#/
-
Bluetongue
- Ranger Lord
- Posts: 3008
- Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:30 am
Re: Character Creation: joining the Resistance.
BONDS
Bonds are connections that the player characters share with other people, groups or organisations in Spire. A bond is a broadly positive connection, if perhaps a complicated one.
Helping your Friends Out
Once per situation, when you act in a way that benefits someone you share a bond with, you may do so with mastery.
NPC Bonds
You can ask any NPC bond to perform a favour on
your behalf – something that they wouldn’t normally do and which therefore puts them and the relationship under stress and danger. They’re under no obligation to do what you ask – and the GM might ask for a check to get them to comply – but if they do so, they incur stress based on the scale of the favour asked.
Performing a favour is treated as a normal difficulty roll. An NPC bond rolls 1D10, +1D10 if it’s within their area of expertise, +1D10 if it’s in their neighbourhood/home. If an NPC bond suffers stress when they roll to achieve a task, I will treat the relationship as a separate resistance allocated to the character and allocate stress to it.
Example Bond stress levels:
1 Stress: Give advice or access to general information within their domain; allow safe passage through space they control; offer temporary accommodation, provide a basic item, gear or small amount of silver.
D3 Stress: Get you and your comrades access
to a private area or event; lend you a piece of quality or rare equipment; put in a good word with an authority in their domain; turn a blind eye to minor transgressions.
D6 Stress: Gift you a valuable piece of equip-
ment; provide a safe haven for you and your
comrades; betray the trust of an outsider; turn
a blind eye to major transgressions; commit
minor transgressions; engage in moderate-risk
actions.
D8 Stress: Betray a friend; commit major transgressions; engage in high-risk actions; donate large amounts of resources to the Ministry.
You can act to remove stress from a bond by doing a reciprocal favour for your ally in return; the bigger the favour, the more stress you’ll remove.
Bond Fallout
Bonds don’t count towards your total stress for fallout – they’re handled separately, each as their own track. At the end of each session, roll to check for fallout on each bond that a player marked stress to that session. Bond fallout is detailed in the fallout section (pg11).
(If a bond is temporary, such as one earned from
a spell or class ability, then roll for fallout when it is removed.)
Bond Levels
There are three levels of NPC bonds: Individual, which is a single person. Street, which is a small-to-medium organisation.
City, which is a district-wide organisation with considerable influence.
At the start of the campaign each player may create +1 Bond, a NPC ally related to some aspect of their class. As the Resistance advances, new personal or corporate Bonds will be created.
Bonds are connections that the player characters share with other people, groups or organisations in Spire. A bond is a broadly positive connection, if perhaps a complicated one.
Helping your Friends Out
Once per situation, when you act in a way that benefits someone you share a bond with, you may do so with mastery.
NPC Bonds
You can ask any NPC bond to perform a favour on
your behalf – something that they wouldn’t normally do and which therefore puts them and the relationship under stress and danger. They’re under no obligation to do what you ask – and the GM might ask for a check to get them to comply – but if they do so, they incur stress based on the scale of the favour asked.
Performing a favour is treated as a normal difficulty roll. An NPC bond rolls 1D10, +1D10 if it’s within their area of expertise, +1D10 if it’s in their neighbourhood/home. If an NPC bond suffers stress when they roll to achieve a task, I will treat the relationship as a separate resistance allocated to the character and allocate stress to it.
Example Bond stress levels:
1 Stress: Give advice or access to general information within their domain; allow safe passage through space they control; offer temporary accommodation, provide a basic item, gear or small amount of silver.
D3 Stress: Get you and your comrades access
to a private area or event; lend you a piece of quality or rare equipment; put in a good word with an authority in their domain; turn a blind eye to minor transgressions.
D6 Stress: Gift you a valuable piece of equip-
ment; provide a safe haven for you and your
comrades; betray the trust of an outsider; turn
a blind eye to major transgressions; commit
minor transgressions; engage in moderate-risk
actions.
D8 Stress: Betray a friend; commit major transgressions; engage in high-risk actions; donate large amounts of resources to the Ministry.
You can act to remove stress from a bond by doing a reciprocal favour for your ally in return; the bigger the favour, the more stress you’ll remove.
Bond Fallout
Bonds don’t count towards your total stress for fallout – they’re handled separately, each as their own track. At the end of each session, roll to check for fallout on each bond that a player marked stress to that session. Bond fallout is detailed in the fallout section (pg11).
(If a bond is temporary, such as one earned from
a spell or class ability, then roll for fallout when it is removed.)
Bond Levels
There are three levels of NPC bonds: Individual, which is a single person. Street, which is a small-to-medium organisation.
City, which is a district-wide organisation with considerable influence.
-
Bluetongue
- Ranger Lord
- Posts: 3008
- Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:30 am
Re: Character Creation: joining the Resistance.
Durance.
Although the aelfir occupied Spire nearly two hun-
dred years ago, they allow dark elves to live and work in the city in exchange for a durance – four years of indentured servitude to a high elf with enough money and influence to support them. In exchange for those four years of free labour (and dark elves are not permitted to choose how they spend their durance, either), the Aelfir in charge is expected to provide food, clothing and shelter for their charge. Given the overcrowded nature of Spire’s prisons, a period of Durance is a common punishment for a crime – six months for minor infractions, and several years (if not decades) for serious crimes.
There are many kinds of Durance: a dark elf whose family is in good standing with the aelfir will treat the Durance as a sort of internship or apprenticeship, perhaps setting them up for later roles as paid researchers, artists, military officers or traders. These drow are often supported by their families during their Durance, too, so they can afford to go without pay for four years and not feel the bite of poverty too keenly. But the vast majority of Drow are not so prospered, residing in more squalid conditions such as the slums of Detelictus or the cramped confines of the Works, the Gardens or Pilgrim’s Row, and their durances are not so kind.
Once they are of age, usually around sixteen, but children as young as thirteen can be taken in desperate times, 'draftees' are rounded up by the city guard on Durance Day and herded up-Spire. Here, they will be bargained for, and traded back and forth between monied Lords and Ladies who pay a small donation to the city for each servant under their control.
Not all drow perform a Durance; some wealthy
drow families “buy out” the young dark elf, making
the donation to the city that their aelfir lords would plus an additional fee, of course while many of those who live in Red Row or Derelictus are never spotted by, or deliberately hidden from, the guard who come looking for them each year. Those who have hidden from the aelfir live uneasy lives, as the penalty for not serving a durance is exile, or worse.
What do drow under Durance do? The Works runs
on indentured drow; legions of ashen-skinned, starving labourers, hauling raw materials to furnaces, risking the loss of a limb in whirring machinery or a lung from breathing in atomised Spireblack. The Garden, save for the few spots owned by independent deep farmers, is attended to by swarms of workers who pluck fruit from the vines and stir the great, still vats of algae. The armies of the Allied Defence Force, though they carry guns of human make and have aelfir leaders, are made up largely of indentured drow soldiers swathed in protective scarves and
goggles to keep the sun’s light at bay.
Spire would not be the city it is today were it not
for the thousands of unpaid workers who toil ceaselessly to keep it running.
Select one of the following Durances to represent how you spent your four years of enforced service to the aelfir at character creation. Your domain will give you access to the additional resistance slots, skills, or domains listed after the title.
ACOLYTE:
+2 Mind, Religion.
You spent time serving as an assistant to an aelfir in the Solar Basilica or researching ancient gods in dusty temples. You have a broad awareness of religious practices in Spire and are used to helping out during casting of ritual magic.
AGENT:
+2 Shadow, Crime.
You served as a connection between your master and the underworld, doing whatever needed to be done to ensure the success of their business enterprises. You are adept at covering your tracks, and in the know when it comes to the criminal element.
BUILDER:
Fix, Technology.
You designed and built things for your master – machines, structures, bridges, elevators, and so on. You are well-versed in patching things together and understanding the mysterious inner workings of devices.
DEALER:
Compel, Commerce.
You bought and sold things for your Lord, striving to get a good price, and are not averse to applying pressure to get what you want. You know the best places to acquire goods.
DUELLIST:
Fight, High Society.
You put your life on the line, fighting for the honour of an aelfir lord during their debauched festivals, and you survived. You can comport yourself equally well in a swirling melee or a cocktail party.
ENLISTED:
+2 Blood, Fight.
You were a grunt – a front-line soldier, wrapped in scarves to protect yourself from the sun’s light, fighting a war far to the south against the gnolls. You are tougher than most, and can at least shoot straight.
GUARD:
+2 Reputation, Order.
You were one of the thousands of drow forced to police Spire. This thankless task gave you a reputation as someone who’s useful to know, and a keen understanding of how to cut through bureaucratic red tape.
HUMAN EMISSARY:
Technology, Commerce.
You dealt with the humans, a strange and short-
lived race from beyond the eastern ocean, and
grew used to understanding their strange technol-
ogy before buying it off them.
HUNTER:
Pursue, Sneak.
You hunted wild beasts around the minarets of the upper Spire; either you aided your master in their hunts for sport, or you hunted alone for their table.
INFORMATION BROKER:
+2 Shadow, Investigate.
You applied your unique talents for your lord’s benefit, buying and selling information, secrets and allegiances to further their political schemes. You have a keen eye for information, and are hard to track down.
KILLER:
Sneak, Fight.
You murdered the enemies
of your lord in cold blood; strangling them with
their silken bedsheets, pushing them off gilded
balconies, or shooting them in the street. You have an aptitude for death, and going unseen.
LABOURER:
+2 Blood, Resist.
You toiled in the enormous factories of the Works or the endless fields of the Garden district alongside multitudes of other drow. It made you tough, and instilled a keen sense of rebellion in you.
OCCULTIST:
+2 Shadow, Occult.
You plumbed the depths of arcane knowledge for your master, risking your sanity by poring over forbidden tomes in an effort to unlock the secrets within. You are used to concealing your activities from the authorities and decoding ancient spells.
PERSONAL ASSISTANT:
+2 Silver, Compel.
You handled the day-to-day business of your lord, giv-ing you an unusual level of authority and a small stash of embezzled money that has nearly run out.
PET:
+2 Silver, High Society.
You were kept as an objet d’art, too pretty to put to work, and shown off at parties. You have retained some of the trinkets and cash from your previous life.
SAGE:
+2 Mind, Academia.
You worked in one of the universities up-Spire, or perhaps in a private collection, understanding and distilling a broad array of topics for your master. You have a wide understanding of the sciences and history.
SPY:
Sneak, Deceive.
You were employed as a spy,
infiltrating societies and guilds to spread misinformation and report back on their activities to your lord. You are adept at lying, cheating, and moving unseen.
Or, you didn’t serve an aelfir lord at all, becoming an 'Unbranded' through various alternative lifestyles:
• Kept a low profile in Derelictus: +2 Shadow,
Low Society.
• Fought to protect your community: +2
Reputation, Crime.
• Led a doomed uprising: Compel, Low
Society.
• Joined a cult or two: Religion, Occult.
• Toughed it out in Red Row: Fight, Crime.
• Fell in with a gang of thieves: Sneak, Steal.
• Spent your time in jail: +2 Blood, Crime.
• Hid in plain sight: Deceive, High Society.
• Helped the Ministry wage their war: +2
Shadow, Resist.
You can either pick or Durance of choice or roll randomly using a 1d17 random die.
Although the aelfir occupied Spire nearly two hun-
dred years ago, they allow dark elves to live and work in the city in exchange for a durance – four years of indentured servitude to a high elf with enough money and influence to support them. In exchange for those four years of free labour (and dark elves are not permitted to choose how they spend their durance, either), the Aelfir in charge is expected to provide food, clothing and shelter for their charge. Given the overcrowded nature of Spire’s prisons, a period of Durance is a common punishment for a crime – six months for minor infractions, and several years (if not decades) for serious crimes.
There are many kinds of Durance: a dark elf whose family is in good standing with the aelfir will treat the Durance as a sort of internship or apprenticeship, perhaps setting them up for later roles as paid researchers, artists, military officers or traders. These drow are often supported by their families during their Durance, too, so they can afford to go without pay for four years and not feel the bite of poverty too keenly. But the vast majority of Drow are not so prospered, residing in more squalid conditions such as the slums of Detelictus or the cramped confines of the Works, the Gardens or Pilgrim’s Row, and their durances are not so kind.
Once they are of age, usually around sixteen, but children as young as thirteen can be taken in desperate times, 'draftees' are rounded up by the city guard on Durance Day and herded up-Spire. Here, they will be bargained for, and traded back and forth between monied Lords and Ladies who pay a small donation to the city for each servant under their control.
Not all drow perform a Durance; some wealthy
drow families “buy out” the young dark elf, making
the donation to the city that their aelfir lords would plus an additional fee, of course while many of those who live in Red Row or Derelictus are never spotted by, or deliberately hidden from, the guard who come looking for them each year. Those who have hidden from the aelfir live uneasy lives, as the penalty for not serving a durance is exile, or worse.
What do drow under Durance do? The Works runs
on indentured drow; legions of ashen-skinned, starving labourers, hauling raw materials to furnaces, risking the loss of a limb in whirring machinery or a lung from breathing in atomised Spireblack. The Garden, save for the few spots owned by independent deep farmers, is attended to by swarms of workers who pluck fruit from the vines and stir the great, still vats of algae. The armies of the Allied Defence Force, though they carry guns of human make and have aelfir leaders, are made up largely of indentured drow soldiers swathed in protective scarves and
goggles to keep the sun’s light at bay.
Spire would not be the city it is today were it not
for the thousands of unpaid workers who toil ceaselessly to keep it running.
Select one of the following Durances to represent how you spent your four years of enforced service to the aelfir at character creation. Your domain will give you access to the additional resistance slots, skills, or domains listed after the title.
ACOLYTE:
+2 Mind, Religion.
You spent time serving as an assistant to an aelfir in the Solar Basilica or researching ancient gods in dusty temples. You have a broad awareness of religious practices in Spire and are used to helping out during casting of ritual magic.
AGENT:
+2 Shadow, Crime.
You served as a connection between your master and the underworld, doing whatever needed to be done to ensure the success of their business enterprises. You are adept at covering your tracks, and in the know when it comes to the criminal element.
BUILDER:
Fix, Technology.
You designed and built things for your master – machines, structures, bridges, elevators, and so on. You are well-versed in patching things together and understanding the mysterious inner workings of devices.
DEALER:
Compel, Commerce.
You bought and sold things for your Lord, striving to get a good price, and are not averse to applying pressure to get what you want. You know the best places to acquire goods.
DUELLIST:
Fight, High Society.
You put your life on the line, fighting for the honour of an aelfir lord during their debauched festivals, and you survived. You can comport yourself equally well in a swirling melee or a cocktail party.
ENLISTED:
+2 Blood, Fight.
You were a grunt – a front-line soldier, wrapped in scarves to protect yourself from the sun’s light, fighting a war far to the south against the gnolls. You are tougher than most, and can at least shoot straight.
GUARD:
+2 Reputation, Order.
You were one of the thousands of drow forced to police Spire. This thankless task gave you a reputation as someone who’s useful to know, and a keen understanding of how to cut through bureaucratic red tape.
HUMAN EMISSARY:
Technology, Commerce.
You dealt with the humans, a strange and short-
lived race from beyond the eastern ocean, and
grew used to understanding their strange technol-
ogy before buying it off them.
HUNTER:
Pursue, Sneak.
You hunted wild beasts around the minarets of the upper Spire; either you aided your master in their hunts for sport, or you hunted alone for their table.
INFORMATION BROKER:
+2 Shadow, Investigate.
You applied your unique talents for your lord’s benefit, buying and selling information, secrets and allegiances to further their political schemes. You have a keen eye for information, and are hard to track down.
KILLER:
Sneak, Fight.
You murdered the enemies
of your lord in cold blood; strangling them with
their silken bedsheets, pushing them off gilded
balconies, or shooting them in the street. You have an aptitude for death, and going unseen.
LABOURER:
+2 Blood, Resist.
You toiled in the enormous factories of the Works or the endless fields of the Garden district alongside multitudes of other drow. It made you tough, and instilled a keen sense of rebellion in you.
OCCULTIST:
+2 Shadow, Occult.
You plumbed the depths of arcane knowledge for your master, risking your sanity by poring over forbidden tomes in an effort to unlock the secrets within. You are used to concealing your activities from the authorities and decoding ancient spells.
PERSONAL ASSISTANT:
+2 Silver, Compel.
You handled the day-to-day business of your lord, giv-ing you an unusual level of authority and a small stash of embezzled money that has nearly run out.
PET:
+2 Silver, High Society.
You were kept as an objet d’art, too pretty to put to work, and shown off at parties. You have retained some of the trinkets and cash from your previous life.
SAGE:
+2 Mind, Academia.
You worked in one of the universities up-Spire, or perhaps in a private collection, understanding and distilling a broad array of topics for your master. You have a wide understanding of the sciences and history.
SPY:
Sneak, Deceive.
You were employed as a spy,
infiltrating societies and guilds to spread misinformation and report back on their activities to your lord. You are adept at lying, cheating, and moving unseen.
Or, you didn’t serve an aelfir lord at all, becoming an 'Unbranded' through various alternative lifestyles:
• Kept a low profile in Derelictus: +2 Shadow,
Low Society.
• Fought to protect your community: +2
Reputation, Crime.
• Led a doomed uprising: Compel, Low
Society.
• Joined a cult or two: Religion, Occult.
• Toughed it out in Red Row: Fight, Crime.
• Fell in with a gang of thieves: Sneak, Steal.
• Spent your time in jail: +2 Blood, Crime.
• Hid in plain sight: Deceive, High Society.
• Helped the Ministry wage their war: +2
Shadow, Resist.
You can either pick or Durance of choice or roll randomly using a 1d17 random die.
-
Bluetongue
- Ranger Lord
- Posts: 3008
- Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:30 am
Re: Character Creation: joining the Resistance.
Remember guys this is still 'a work in progress' but do post any questions and observations as I fill out the forum with background stuff.