Virtues and Flaws
Above Average is a +1 Virtue which grants two pyramid points usable for buying characteristics.
Knack stacks with other bonuses, and may apply across a broad range of related abilities. (For example, you may have a Knack with Speak.) Yes, this is broken. It is a beautiful thing.
Natural Linguist is a +5 Virtue. It grants a +2 Knack to all Speak and all Scribe scores. As with other Knacks, these stack.
Area Lore: Area includes knowledge of the local faeries and their customs. This knowledge is nowhere near as broad or deep as that afforded by Faerie Lore, covering only that knowledge available through local customs and tales or likely personal experience. Faeries may be a specialization of Area Lore.
Combat
No Carry-over, ArM4 pg. 166:
"In order to simplify and speed combat, you can eliminate the option of saving the difference in Attack Total and Defense Total as an advantage bonus. Instead, all damage must be done immediately."
Separate Roll for Defense, ArM4 pg. 166:
"Instead of having each player roll once, and then adding both his Attack score for an Attack Total and his Defense score for his Defense Total, you can use a separate roll for each. Using this method, the character with the highest Initiative Total roll and generates an Attack Total first, which he compares to his opponent's rolled Defense Total. Damage is resolved as normal. Next, the character with the lower Initiative Total, and his opponent rolls a new die and generates a Defense Total. Damage is again resolved as normal."
Combat Encumbrance, ON pg. 84:
"Divide any cumulative encumbrance penalties by three for attack or defense purposes — this is a character's Combat Encumbrance. In all other cases (jumping, running, spell casting, or checking for fatigue loss, for example, even when these activities take place during a melee) the encumbrance penalties remain unchanged."
Fatigue, ON pg. 84:
"Instead of rolling for fatigue every round, characters make Stamina-based Athletics stress rolls against an ease factor of 9+ each time they roll a natural 0 for attack or defense. (Note that this may be in addition to a normal botch result.) If the Athletics roll fails, the character automatically loses a Fatigue level. If the rolls fails by more than 3, another Fatigue level is lost; if by more than 6, yet another, and so on. If the Athletics roll is botched, subtract an additional Fatigue level per severity of the botch."
Single Weapon and Shield, ON pg. 89:
"The Skills 'Single Weapon' and 'Shield and Weapon' should, under this optional rule, be combined into a single new Skill, 'Single Weapon and Shield'. Single Weapon and Shield may be used in the place of either of the Skills it replaces. For existing characters, add the experience totals for both Skills to determine the new Skill level."
We refer to this new skill as "Single Weapon", because it's a shorter name.
Grievous Wounds, ON pg. 86:
"A human or animal target losing half (rounded down) of its initial complement of Body levels as a result of a single blow suffers a Grievous Wound."
Armor, ON pg. 82-83
We use the ON armor system to actually choose the parts of our armor, not just the material and coverage. (While armor is broken up into Head, Body, and Limbs in this system, this does not actually have any effect on combat efficacy — protection is just totaled.)
Languages and Translation
(Credit is due to Saxum Caribetum, from which we took inspiration.)
Scribe (Alphabet): Scribe (Language) is Scribe (Alphabet).
Rough Translation: A translator may make a rough translation of a text if he or she knows both relevant Speak scores and Scribe scores. It is written as an original composition, and the Quality is 1/2 the minimum of the translator's Quality and the author's quality, in pyramid points. (If there are two Scribe skills involved, the minimum is used for calculating the Quality.)
Translation: A translator may make a translation of a text if he or she knows both relevant Speak scores and Scribe scores. He or she must spend a season reading the text. In any later season, he or she may make a translation, written as a copy, with the Quality as if the translator were glossing the original text (translations of Authorities and tractati use Communication + Scribe). (If there are two Scribe skills involved, the minimum is used for calculating the Quality.)
Experimenting
We use a modified version of the Extraordinary Results Chart, inspired by the probability analysis in Kevin Sours' A New Look at Experimentation in Hermes' Portal #7.
| Extraordinary Results Chart: Percentages in Aura 6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk Factor | |||||
| Roll | Result | 0 | +1 | +2 | +3 |
| Botch | Disaster | 6 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 0-4 | No Extraordinary Effects | 40 | 27 | 16 | 5 |
| 5 | No Benefit | 11 | 12 | 12 | 15 |
| 6 | Complete Failure | 12 | 11 | 13 | 16 |
| 7-8 | Side Effect | 24 | 23 | 25 | 32 |
| 9 | Modified Effect | 11 | 13 | 12 | 17 |
| 10 | Discovery | 1 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
| 11 | Special or Story | 0 | 1 | 12 | 17 |
Creating Child Grogs
When creating children as grogs, use these guidelines (note that at 15, they are adults):
Size:
(adjust rationally for those of non-standard stature)
| Age | Size |
|---|---|
| 15+ | 0 |
| 8+ | -1 |
| 3+ | -2 |
| 1+ | -3 |
| Newborn | -4 |
Abilities:
- One xp per year in Speak (Own Language), until ten years old
- One xp in Brawl at age 12
- One xp in Carouse at age 14
- Two xp per year to distribute normally
Virtues & Flaws:
| Age | Virtue / Flaw Points |
|---|---|
| 15+ | +3/-3 of any types |
| 10+ | Inborn or +2/-2 of reasonable types |
| 5+ | Inborn only |
Characteristics:
Are inborn traits and thus set at birth.
Generating Wounded Characters
1. Roll a simple die to determine how many days ago the character was wounded. (Ignore this step if the story dictates it; substitute a quality die if you're looking for a wider number spread.)
2. Roll a simple die to determine the original wound level:
- 1-3 Light Wounds
- 4-6 Medium Wounds
- 7-9 Heavy Wounds
- 10 Roll Again (or Incapacitated if you're feeling cruel)
3. If a chirurgeon attempts to stabilize the wound (see ArM4, pg. 59), roll a simple die and add the chirurgeon's Chirurgy score, the chirurgeon's Intelligence, and the wound penalty:
- 9+ Immediately heal one wound level, and use the chirurgeon's Chirurgy score when calculating Recovery
- 3+ Use the chirurgeon's Chirurgy score when calculating Recovery
4. Roll a stress die + character's Stamina (+ Chirurgy if applicable) to determine how long it will take to recover. This roll determines how long each level takes to heal. (Healing from Hurt to Unhurt takes one day.)
You may then proceed to determine how long in total it takes for the character to heal; remember that any day under the influence of a healing spell is a day during which the character does not heal.
