ALTERANCES
Alterances are physical and supernatural changes caused by significant exposure to the Thae. Some sharpen what the body or mind can already do. Others weaken it, twist it, or grant capabilities beyond what is naturally possible.
Alterances are grouped into three types:
- Gifts – beneficial or beautiful changes.
- Aberrations – detrimental or horrible changes.
- Parities – changes that provide both a benefit and a drawback.
EXPOSURE
Exposure to the Thae that produces an Alterance may result from moderate exposure accumulated over a long period, or from an intense concentration experienced all at once.
Some Alterances develop gradually, beginning with minor signs before becoming pronounced. Others may occur suddenly, depending upon the exposure, circumstances, and nature of the change.
ALTERED APPEARANCE
Every Alterance should produce some physically observable change related to what has been altered. The exact chance is up to the player.
Changes affecting the eyes, ears, hands, skin, limbs, and similar features often suggest an obvious manifestation. Alterances affecting something less visible should instead develop a tell – a physical behavior, reaction, coloration, movement, sound, or other sign that an observant person might notice even if they do not understand its cause.
The suggested changes in the following tables are examples, not requirements.
Alterances that noticeably complicate a character’s life, draw unwanted attention, create difficult choices, or otherwise provide useful hooks for the unfolding tale are particularly suitable opportunities for the GM to award Story Points.
ALTERANCE EFFECTS
Alterances generally affect characters in one or more of three ways.
TIER SHIFT
A Tier Shift changes the Effective Training used to resolve a narrowly relevant check.
- +1 Tier – treat your training as 1 higher.
- −1 Tier – treat your training as 1 lower.
A Tier Shift affects only whether the relevant check succeeds. It does not grant, remove, or otherwise alter any perks unlocked by the character’s actual Discipline training.
Casting Lots is unaffected. A check made with an altered Effective Training tier may still produce a CRIT, WEAL, WASTE, WOE, or FUMBLE normally.
ALTERED CAPABILITY
Some Alterances grant or remove a capability instead of changing the Effective Training tier.
These may allow a character to:
- perceive something others cannot
- perform an otherwise impossible action
- ignore an ordinary limitation
- use part of their body in a new way
- operate under conditions that normally prevent an action
- or suffer a new restriction that applies regardless of Training
When an Alterance clearly establishes that something is possible or impossible, no Tier Shift is necessary unless its description also provides one.
ALTERED THRESHOLD
Some Alterances change the point at which a normal rule, danger, or check applies.
An Alterance might change:
- jumping distance
- recovery time
- breath duration
- food requirements
- environmental tolerance
- the severity of a fall
- whether a routine action requires a check
- or similar physical limits
These effects apply directly rather than modifying training.
GIFTS
Gifts are Alterances with beneficial effects.
| # | Name | Effect | Suggested Physical Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sharp Eyed | +1 Tier to sight checks. | Irises develop a faint metallic or glasslike ring around the pupil; pupils contract unusually sharply in bright light. |
| 2 | Keen Eared | +1 Tier to hearing checks. | Ears become slightly more tapered and finely ridged, with a subtly enlarged inner fold. |
| 3 | Hound Nosed | +1 Tier to smell checks. You may identify and follow a sufficiently strong or familiar scent as a trail. | Nostrils become slightly broader and more mobile; the nose develops a faintly velvety texture near its base. |
| 4 | Sure Footed | +1 Tier to balance checks. Ordinary unstable footing that would merely inconvenience most people does not require a check. | Toes spread slightly wider and become more flexible; the arches of the feet become pronounced. |
| 5 | Spring Heeled | Your ordinary jumping distance increases by approximately 50%. Short drops that can reasonably be absorbed through a controlled landing do not require a check. | Achilles tendons become conspicuously defined and the calves slightly longer and corded. |
| 6 | Climber’s Grip | +1 Tier to climbing where grip matters. Rough surfaces providing reasonable handholds may be climbed without specialized climbing equipment. | Fingertips and palms develop fine concentric ridges and slightly thicker pads. |
| 7 | Iron Lungs | +1 Tier to checks involving breath or sustained exertion. You can hold your breath approximately twice as long as normal. | The chest becomes subtly deeper through the ribs; breathing at rest is unusually slow and deep. |
| 8 | Beast of Burden | Your Carry Capacity is increased by 4. | Shoulders, neck, wrists, and ankles become visibly thicker-boned, giving you a denser build. |
| 9 | Surgeon’s Hands | +1 Tier to precision handwork. Ordinary stress, fatigue, or exertion does not cause enough tremor to interfere with delicate work. | Fingers become slightly longer and more slender; the hands remain remarkably steady. |
| 10 | Soft Step | +1 Tier to silent movement. When moving carefully across reasonably forgiving terrain, your footsteps make virtually no sound. | Soles develop thicker, unusually supple pads, and the toes become more flexible and widely spaced. |
| 11 | Fever Blooded | +1 Tier when resisting poison or disease. | Skin remains persistently warm, with a faint flush around the ears, cheeks, and fingertips. |
| 12 | Rapid Mending | Physical wounds and Injuries recover in approximately half the normal time. Minor bleeding also stops unusually quickly. | Old scars gradually fade to pale lines; fresh wounds close rapidly and leave little scarring. |
| 13 | Clear Minded | +1 Tier to checks involving focus, concentration, or recall. Ordinary distraction cannot cause information already successfully recalled to become forgotten. | Eyes become unusually clear and still when concentrating; irises develop faint radial striations. |
| 14 | Lionheart | +1 Tier to courage and resistance to fear. Mundane intimidation alone cannot compel you to flee unless the threat presents genuine danger. | The sternum and upper chest broaden subtly; the resting heartbeat is slow and unusually strong. |
| 15 | Empathic | +1 Tier to reading another person’s emotional state. During close interaction, you can recognize a person’s dominant current emotion unless it is deliberately concealed. | Pupils subtly mirror those of people being closely observed; facial expressions become exceptionally responsive. |
| 16 | Honeyed Voice | +1 Tier to persuasion primarily dependent upon speech. Your unaided voice carries clearly through ordinary crowd noise. | The throat and larynx become slightly pronounced; the voice develops an unnatural warm resonance. |
| 17 | Commanding | Allies who can hear you can clearly distinguish your commands through ordinary chaos, shouting, or confusion. When a check is required to rally or direct others, gain +1 Tier. | Posture becomes remarkably upright; the chest and throat broaden, allowing the voice to carry unusually far. |
| 18 | Patternmind | +1 Tier to analysis involving patterns or relationships. Given sufficient examples, you automatically notice obvious repetition, symmetry, sequencing, or regularity. | Fine branching lines develop in the irises, forming repeating geometric patterns. |
| 19 | Maker’s Touch | +1 Tier to crafting and repair. By carefully handling an object, you can usually recognize obvious structural weakness, poor workmanship, or unusual wear. | Fingertips become extraordinarily sensitive, with dense fingerprint patterns and enlarged pads. |
| 20 | Thae Sense | +1 Tier to checks involving the detection or interpretation of Thae. You can perceive the nearby presence of active Thae without deliberately searching for it. | Faint iridescent discoloration appears around the pupils, veins, or fingertips and intensifies near active Thae. |
ABERRATIONS
Aberrations are Alterances with detrimental effects.
| # | Name | Effect | Suggested Physical Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cloudy Eyed | −1 Tier to sight checks. Fine visual detail becomes indistinct at distance. | A faint milky haze develops across the iris or lens, visible at certain angles. |
| 2 | Ringing Ears | −1 Tier to hearing checks. Sudden loud sounds temporarily drown out quieter sounds even after the noise itself ends. | Fine veins become visible around the ears, which occasionally twitch or tense without cause. |
| 3 | Deadened Scent | −1 Tier to smell checks. Faint odors may be completely imperceptible to you. | The nose becomes slightly pale and dry; the nostrils rarely flare while breathing. |
| 4 | Off Balance | −1 Tier to balance checks. Abrupt changes of direction or unstable footing may require checks that others could perform routinely. | The head tilts subtly to one side at rest, and the stance and gait become uneven. |
| 5 | Leadfooted | Your ordinary jumping distance is approximately halved. Even modest gaps may require deliberate effort. | Ankles thicken and calves become dense and rigid-looking, giving the legs a heavy appearance. |
| 6 | Weak Grip | −1 Tier to climbing and checks relying upon grip strength. Hanging solely by your hands becomes exhausting unusually quickly. | Fingers become thin and under-muscled; the palms lose padding and the fingertips appear smooth. |
| 7 | Shallow Lungs | You can hold your breath only approximately half as long as normal. Prolonged exertion reaches exhausting levels sooner than it otherwise would. | Chest movement becomes noticeably shallow; lips or nail beds become faintly ashen after exertion. |
| 8 | Wasting | Your Carry Capacity is reduced by 4. | Shoulders narrow, cheeks hollow, and joints become more pronounced. |
| 9 | Tremor | −1 Tier to precision handwork. Under stress or exertion, delicate actions may require a check even when they would ordinarily be routine. | Fingers exhibit a nearly constant fine quiver, especially when extended. |
| 10 | Heavy Treader | −1 Tier to silent movement. Completely silent foot movement across hard, brittle, or noisy surfaces is impossible without extraordinary circumstances. | Heels and soles become thick and hard, and the gait carries a subtle downward thump. |
| 11 | Sickly | −1 Tier when resisting poison or disease. Mundane illnesses tend to develop rapidly after taking hold. | Skin becomes faintly sallow or washed-out, with persistent shadows beneath the eyes. |
| 12 | Slow Mending | Physical wounds and Injuries require approximately twice the normal recovery time. | Old wounds remain dark or raised, and minor cuts commonly leave scars or discoloration. |
| 13 | Mind Fog | −1 Tier to checks involving focus, concentration, or recall. After interruption, recovering a complicated train of thought may require renewed effort. | The eyes occasionally lose focus or drift; a habitual furrow develops between the brows. |
| 14 | Dreadmarked | −1 Tier to courage and resistance to fear. Severe fear may continue troubling you after the immediate danger has ended. | Darkening beneath the eyes and around the temples gives you a strained or haunted appearance. |
| 15 | Social Blindness | −1 Tier to reading emotions or intentions. Subtle expressions, posture, and changes of tone may escape you entirely. | Facial responses become delayed or mismatched; eye contact is frequently mistimed. |
| 16 | Tongue-Tied | −1 Tier to persuasion relying primarily upon speech. Under pressure, complex explanations and deliberate eloquence become difficult. | The tongue and inner lips develop faint dark veining; speech includes visible hesitation and jaw tension. |
| 17 | Unconvincing | −1 Tier to rallying, commanding, or leading others. People who are not already paying attention to you are unusually difficult to bring under your direction. | Posture collapses subtly inward; shoulders slope and the voice lacks projection. |
| 18 | Confounded | −1 Tier to analysis involving patterns or relationships. You have particular difficulty separating meaningful patterns from coincidence. | Irises develop faint broken lines and asymmetrical flecks that almost form patterns but never quite connect. |
| 19 | Clumsy Handed | −1 Tier to crafting and repair involving fine manipulation. Delicate tools and components may require deliberate attention even during otherwise routine work. | Fingers become slightly knobby and uneven, with poorly defined fingertips and oversized movements. |
| 20 | Thae Blind | −1 Tier to checks involving detection or interpretation of Thae. You cannot passively sense active Thae and must deliberately investigate evidence of its presence. | Color drains from the irises, fingertips, and visible veins, leaving them strangely dull. |
PARITIES
Parities grant a meaningful benefit while also imposing a meaningful drawback.
| # | Name | Effect | Suggested Physical Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Night Eyed | +1 Tier to sight in darkness or very dim light. −1 Tier to sight in intense or glaring light until your eyes adjust. | Pupils become unusually large and slow to contract; the irises appear exceptionally dark. |
| 2 | Farsighted | +1 Tier when visually examining distant details. −1 Tier to fine visual tasks performed within arm’s reach. | Eyes become slightly elongated and the pupils unusually small at rest. |
| 3 | Echo Ears | +1 Tier to detecting faint sounds, and you can usually determine their rough direction. Loud noise overwhelms your hearing and imposes −1 Tier to hearing until it subsides. | Ears become larger and more cupped, with pronounced inner folds that twitch toward faint sounds. |
| 4 | Smelly | +1 Tier to smell, and sufficiently strong scents can be followed as trails. Attempts to conceal your own distinctive scent are treated as 1 Tier worse. | Active scent glands develop around the neck, chest, and underarms, producing a persistent musky odor. |
| 5 | Bird Boned | Your ordinary jumping distance increases, and falls are treated as one step less severe when your light build could reasonably help. Checks to resist powerful bodily force, crushing, or knockback are −1 Tier. | Limbs become slender, joints delicate, and the entire body unusually light-framed. |
| 6 | Stone Boned | Blunt impact, crushing, and similar bodily force may be treated as one step less severe where your dense skeleton helps absorb it. Swimming and jumping that depend upon buoyancy or lightness are −1 Tier. | Wrists, knuckles, jaw, and other bony landmarks become visibly thicker and denser. |
| 7 | Long Limbed | Your functional reach is noticeably greater, and climbing checks where extra reach is useful gain +1 Tier. Checks involving movement through very confined spaces suffer −1 Tier. | Arms, legs, fingers, and toes lengthen slightly out of proportion to the torso. |
| 8 | Loose Jointed | You may deliberately dislocate or compress joints to escape bindings or pass through spaces that would otherwise be too tight for your frame. Checks to resist joint locks, grapples, or forced limb movement suffer −1 Tier. | Elbows, shoulders, fingers, and knees flex visibly beyond ordinary ranges. |
| 9 | Webbed | You swim substantially faster and gain +1 Tier to swimming checks. Fine handwork requiring independent fingertip movement suffers −1 Tier. | Thin membranes develop between the fingers and toes and fold against the digits when relaxed. |
| 10 | Taloned | Your claws function as natural climbing aids and natural close weapons. Gain +1 Tier where they directly aid climbing or gripping. Fine fingertip manipulation suffers −1 Tier. | Fingernails thicken, darken, and curve into claw-like points; fingertips broaden to support them. |
| 11 | Hotblooded | Gain +1 Tier to resisting harmful cold. Suffer −1 Tier against harmful heat, and your water requirements increase noticeably in hot environments. | Skin remains constantly warm and flushed, and noticeable heat radiates from the body. |
| 12 | Coldblooded | Gain +1 Tier to resisting harmful heat. Suffer −1 Tier against harmful cold, and prolonged cold noticeably slows your movements. | Skin becomes cool to the touch with a faintly pale or bluish cast. |
| 13 | Ravenous | A substantial meal allows unusually rapid recovery from exertion and may accelerate ordinary physical recovery. You require approximately twice the normal amount of food, and hunger begins affecting you sooner. | Jaw muscles strengthen, the abdomen becomes pronounced, and canine teeth become unusually prominent. |
| 14 | Torpid | You can survive comfortably on remarkably little food and water and endure long periods of inactivity. Physical recovery is slower, and prolonged rest leaves you sluggish until you have had time to become active again. | Pulse and breathing slow, skin becomes cooler, and movements take on a deliberate, heavy quality. |
| 15 | Truthsense | Gain +1 Tier when closely observing someone for deliberate deception. Attempts to conceal or falsify your own emotional reactions suffer −1 Tier. | Eyes become intensely expressive; subtle shifts in pupil and brow make your own reactions easy to read. |
| 16 | Open Soul | Gain +1 Tier when reading another person’s emotions. Attempts to conceal your own emotions suffer −1 Tier. | Facial muscles become unusually responsive, causing emotion to immediately show in the eyes, mouth, and complexion. |
| 17 | Resonant | You can instinctively sense nearby active Thae and gain +1 Tier when deliberately using or interpreting it. Checks to resist unwanted Thae effects suffer −1 Tier. | Iridescent veins, markings, and flecks beneath the skin brighten faintly near active Thae. |
| 18 | Luminous | You may naturally emit enough light to illuminate roughly a 10-foot radius and can dim or strengthen the glow somewhat. Unless completely covered, you cannot remain concealed by darkness while glowing. | Skin, hair, eyes, or veins emit a soft natural light, strongest around the face and hands. |
| 19 | Hyperfocused | When deliberately concentrating on one clearly defined task, relevant checks gain +1 Tier, and ordinary distractions cannot easily break your concentration. Checks to notice unrelated events while focused suffer −1 Tier. | Pupils narrow and the eyes become unnaturally still during concentration; blinking nearly ceases. |
| 20 | Thaedrenalized | Under immediate danger or extreme stress, gross physical checks gain +1 Tier, and minor physical hesitation may be ignored. Precision handwork and delicate manipulation suffer −1 Tier until the surge passes. | Veins darken or brighten, muscles visibly tense, pupils dilate, and the hands develop a fine tremor. |