Difference between revisions of "Qualities"

Revision as of 15:26, 24 June 2019

Notes

• Negative Qualities: the “(K)” value is bonus Karma.
• Positive Qualities: the “K” value must be paid in Karma.
• Square brackets indicate the max level for those qualities.
• A slash indicates costs for different version, or character types.

Qualities

Aged

Aged characters have been around the block a time or two and lived to tell about it. They have made mistakes, but they were tough, smart, or just plain lucky enough to survive them. For each decade of life at age 50 or above, a character with the Aged quality gains 5 build points or 7 Karma (+5/+7 for ages 50–59, +10/+14 for ages 60–69, +15/+21 for ages 70+). Additionally, for each decade of age, the character gains 5 bonus points worth of Knowledge skills, but their physical attribute maximums, including the maximum augmented attributes, are each reduced by 1. At the gamemaster’s discretion, the character may face bonuses or penalties to certain social interactions, due to people’s biases and prejudices about their advanced age. Note that this quality may only be taken at character creation.

Gifted Healer

A character with the Gifted Healer quality is particularly adept at one of the three tests detailed in the Care Under Fire optional rules (Stabilization, Diagnosis, or Treatment).^(B&B-14) They receive a +1 dice pool bonus whenever performing the selected test, whether by magical or mundane means. Gifted Healer may only be taken once, meaning a character can only get the bonus for a single test, not two or three.

Harrowed

Sometimes dying isn’t the worst thing in the world. A character with the Harrowed quality has seen the other side but was too tough, too mean, or too stupid to stay dead. While they may have survived to tell their tale, they live a haunted life straddling the line between the living and the dead. The character gains the effects of the qualities Critter Spook,^(RC-117) Nasty Vibe,^(RC-114) and Spirit Bane [spirits of man].^(SR4A-96). In addition, the threshold for any Treatment, Stabilization, or Healing test performed on the character (as opposed to by the character), including those made by magical means, is increased by 1. At the gamemaster’s discretion, any character who uses a Hand of God,^(SR4A-75) or Not Dead Yet,^(SR5-57) to survive what would otherwise be a fatal encounter may gain the Harrowed quality during game play.

Illness

A character with the Illness quality has a chronic medical condition that requires ongoing treatment to prevent complications and possibly annoying effects. Depending on the level of the quality, the character must periodically succeed in Body + Body (3) Test or their Illness will flair, causing negative dice pool modifiers affecting all tests. If the character keeps up with the necessary medical treatments (pills, injections, inhalers, potions, procedures, etc.; the gamemaster can develop a specific regimen based in the illness), the threshold for this test is reduced by 1. The Illness Quality Table shows the build point/Karma bonus, dice pool modifier and frequency of tests for each level, as well as the cost for ongoing medical treatment. At the gamemaster’s discretion, the Illness quality can be removed permanently through a combination of surgery and genetic therapy at a cost equal to 12 times the monthly treatment cost.

Pregnant

Even in the darkness of the shadows, miracles can happen. A female character can choose the Pregnant quality only at character generation. The character starts the game with a new pregnancy, which will proceed through three trimesters of roughly three months each. Gamemasters may wish to adjust the length of the three trimesters based on the average gestational period for the character’s metatype. Each trimester, the character gains additional negative effects as detailed on the Pregnancy Quality Table. After the third trimester, the character gives birth, at which point the Pregnancy quality is replaced with either a 15 BP / 9 Karma Dependent quality,^{(sr5-80)(RC-104)} or some combination of Lost Loved One,^(RC-105) Big Regret,^(RC-102) or other suitable negative qualities totaling 15 BP / 9 Karma. Note that characters may still get pregnant after character creation; they just don’t receive the Karma bonus as a result.