Traits and Passives

Traits are the defining attributes of a Character and express the degree of natural talent they have when using their abilities. The number of ranks a Character has in a given Trait dictates how many dice a Character rolls when making tests related to that Trait. More dice means better odds for bonuses, more bonuses means better performance.

Passives represent the Character's specific attributes, such as how fast they are or how much weight they can carry. The number of ranks a Character has in each Passive will determine their ability in that area: more ranks in Speed lets them move further; more ranks in Strength lets them carry more. Not only do Passives contribute heavily to a Character's playstyle, but they are especially important to get right because they are very difficult to change after Character creation.

Traits and Passives are arranged in groups of three; one Trait, with two Passives beneath it:

• The Focus Trait increases the number of dice rolled for mental tests.
  • The Focus Passive, Acuity allows the Character to use more advanced technology.
  • The Focus Passive, Will increases the Character's Stamina, allowing them to use Augs, such as Grit, more frequently for super-human feats.

• The Instinct Trait increases the number of dice rolled for awareness, stealth and social tests.
  • The Instinct Passive, Grit increases the Action Points, or AP, gained when activating the Grit Aug, which every Character possesses inherently. Bonus AP improve the Character's performance in any Skill test.
  • The Instinct Passive, Initiative grants bonuses to the Character's Initiative tests, which determine the order in which Characters take their turns in combat. A higher score means the Character can act sooner. Additionally, Inititive grants bonus Action Points during the Character's first round of combat, so not only can the Character act sooner, but also with greater potency when combat begins.

• The Physique Trait increases the number of dice rolled for Physical tests, such as making attacks.
  • The Physique Passive, Strength increases the maximum mass a Character can carry and allows them to wield more potent Gear, such as heavier weapons and armor.
  • The Physique Passive, Speed increases the distance a Character can move each round during combat and grants bonuses to Speed tests, which are made when attempting to outrun something.

• The Vigor Trait increases the number of dice rolled for resistance and talent tests.
  • The Vigor Passive, Health increases the number of Hit Points, or HP, the Character has, allowing them to endure more damage before they die.
  • The Vigor Passive, Toughness increases the number of Natural Armor points the Character has, increasing the amount of damage they can absorb each turn of combat before losing any Health.

Each Trait is assigned a fixed number of ranks; 5, 7, 9 or 11, at the Player's discretion. Each value may only be used for one Trait and all values must be used. No others are valid. Remember that a Character's strengths and weaknesses depend on the ranks in their Traits; make sure they have the highest ranks in Traits most important to their role.

• For example, a Character could have:
  • Focus 7
  • Instinct 11
  • Physique 5
  • Vigor 9

• A Character could also have:
  • Focus 5
  • Instinct 9
  • Physique 11
  • Vigor 7

• A Character could NOT have:
  • Focus 11
  • Instinct 9
  • Physique 11
  • Vigor 7

• A Character also could NOT have:
  • Focus 12
  • Instinct 9
  • Physique 7
  • Vigor 4

The rank in each Trait also determines the number of ranks available to the Passives beneath it. If a Trait has 7 ranks, then its two Passives must share a total of 7 ranks between them.

• For example, look at the Trait list above. If a Character has 7 ranks in the Vigor Trait, then the Health and Toughness Passives beneath it must share 7 ranks between them.

• This means the Character could have:
  • Health 0 with Toughness 7
  • Health 4 with Toughness 3
  • Any other combination that totals 7 ranks.

The only rule is thatthe total number of ranks between them cannot exceed the rank of their Trait. This means that the higher the rank of the Trait, the more ranks will be available to its Passives as well.

When taking a test, the Player rolls dice for a chance to improve the results. Each die “scores” on any even-numbered result, giving a 50/50 chance of scoring. Each die that scores grants a +2 Action Point (AP) bonus for the test. The number of dice rolled for a given test depends the Character's rank in the Trait used for that test. Each Trait represents a different area of the Character's performance:

• Focus represents the Character's intelligence and determination. Mental tests roll Focus dice.
• Instinct represents the Character's awareness and intuition. Perception, social and Stealth tests roll Instinct dice.
• Physique represents the Character's strength and agility. Physical tests roll Physique dice.
• Vigor represents the Character's resilience and energy. Survival and Talent tests roll Physique dice.

These factors make Traits valuable, as they will determine how many dice -and therefore how many chances for a bonus- a Character gets in each area of their performance.

For example, when making an attack -a physical test- the Character rolls a number of dice equal to their Physique rank. This means Characters with strong Physique have better odds of getting bonuses in combat, since they roll more dice for physical tests, like attacking.

When building a new Character, the Player is granted points to allocate in their Character's Traits. Each Trait will be given a value of 5, 7, 9 or 11 points. This means every Character will have one Trait with 5 points, another with 7, a third with 9 and the last with 11: each value is only used once. The decision of where to allocate the Character's greatest and least number of points should depend on the strengths which are most important to the Character's concept; a combat-oriented Character should have more points in Physique, while a hacker or medic would benefit more from points in Focus.

The default point allocations for a starting Character are:

5, 7, 9, 11

For example the Trait build for a new Character could look like this:

PHYS 5 - VIG 9 - FOC 7 - INS 11

Note that in the example above, sets of points can be assigned in any configuration, but points cannot be allocated individually and as mentioned before, it is best to choose based on which Traits are the most important to the Character concept. The Character above would be effective with Awareness, Stealth and Social tests, due to high Instinct and would be quite durable with the strong Vigor value. Their weaknesses would be weak rolls for attacks and below-average mental performance. If the Character concept is a Stealthy, smooth-talking infiltrator who can take a few hits if things get violent, the above Trait build is fine. On the other hand, if the Player wanted a Character who mows down enemies with heavy weapons or supports their team with hacking and healing, the above Trait build is less than ideal.

Once all Trait points have been allocated, ranks can be applied to Passives. Whatever the rank of a given Trait is, the same number of ranks is divided between the two Passives beneath it. Passives have a minimum rank of zero and a maximum rank of 10, so keep in mind what Passive ranks are desired when assigning Trait points.

For example, see the Trait Map below. If 7 points are assigned to the Physique Trait, this means the Character will have 7 points to divide between the Carry and Speed Passives. This can appear as 7 in one and 0 in the other, 3 in one and 4 in the other, or any other configuration, but The rank of a Trait must always be equal to the total ranks in the two Passives beneath it. For a Character interested in wielding heavy weapons, a high Carry rank is important, along with strong dice rolls for making attacks. This makes Physique a good choice for the largest point allocation, along with a specialization in the Carry Passive. If the Character doesn't also need strong Speed however, it may be possible for the Character to get all the ranks they need in Carry without taking the largest point allocation in Physique. Consider where else the points could be spent to get the most possible benefit.

FOCUS The character's intelligence and determination

INSTINCT The character's alertness and intuition

PHYSIQUE A character's physical strength and agility.

VIGOR The measure of a Character's resiliance