Bard: 75 points
The great respect given to wordsmiths in Tomos means that there are plenty of travelling artists. Besides being entertainment, they carry news, teach, and serve as the medium for the national conversation. The profession draws the curious, and even the smallest town will see a few bards pass through each year, with larger towns having a wordsmith or two in residence and cities able to support professional organizations.
Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 10 [0]
Secondary Attributes:
Advantages: 10 points of Talent chosen from Musical Ability, Wordsmith, Poetry in Motion, or Star Quality [10]; Status 1 (full citizen) [5]
Disadvantages: -15 points chosen from Disadvantages such as below-average Wealth [varies], Chummy [varies], Compulsive Carousing [-5], Impulsiveness [-10], Overconfidence [-5], Trickster [-15]; Truthfulness [-10]
Languages: Tomosic (native) [0]; Ancient Tomosic (Accented) [6]; One foreign language (Accented) [6]
Primary Skills: 24 points in skills from his/her Talent group
Secondary Skills: 8 points in related artistic skills such as Connoisseur or a second arts group; Teaching-11 [2]; Current Events (any)/TL3-12 [2]; Savoir-Faire (any)-12 [2]; Area Knowledge (Tomos)-12 [2]
Background Skills: 2 points in a Melee weapon skill (Knife is traditional); 1 point in an unarmed fighting skill (Brawling is good for tavern slugfests)
Equipment: besides personal basics and travelling equipment, the bard will have any necessary equipment for his/her artistic skills, such as musical instruments, writing materials, or paints.
Sailor
To be added later.
Mercenary
To be added later.
Natural scientist: 75 points
Tomos venerates the quest for knowledge, in both its metaphorical and literal forms. In a world so little tamed by man, many reports of oddities circulate to excite the curiosity of those who have dedicated their lives to understanding their world, and scientists find their knowledge in demand by far-flung populations that must deal with mysterious events. This template describes a young scientist who has finished his formal education and is available for jobs that can provide him with the opportunity to examine some interesting new biological specimen. He might be a handy resource for a troop entering uncharted wilderness, or a teacher in a small town.
Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 10 [0]
Secondary Attributes:
Advantages: 3 levels of Talent chosen from Life, Earth, Physical, or Social Scientist [15]; Status 1 (full citizen) [5]
Disadvantages: -20 points of Disadvantages chosen from: Absent-Mindedness [-15]; Callous [-5]; Clueless [-10]; Curiosity* [-5]; Compulsive Behavior ("I must collect that specimen")* [-5]; Delusion (pet theory)* [-5]; Obsession ("Understand _______")* [-10] ; Xenophilia [-10]
Languages: Tomosic (native) [0]; Ancient Tomosic (Accented) [4]
Primary Skills: 25 points in skills covered by his Talent; Research/TL3-12 [2]
Secondary Skills: Mathematics (Applied)/TL4-11 [2], Teaching-12 [2], Philosophy (any)-10 [1], Writing-11 [1], Survival (any)-12 [2]
Background Skills: Any average weapon skill-10 [4], Current Affairs(Science & Technology)/TL3-12 [1], Savoir Faire (Academy)-12 [1]
Equipment: Besides standard travelling equipment, the scientist may have a selection of such tools as sample jars, chemical test reagents, sample preservatives, and digging tools. And he will *certainly* have paper, stylus, and ink.
Tomosic circuit judge
To be added later.
I think he's gonna be a fun one.
Varen missionary priest
To be added later.
Exiler: 75 points
The Varen Union trains a number of specialists in the eradication of undead and other foul spirits, since the preeminence of the Church in Varen culture leads a number of mages to mysticism involving the interaction of life, death, and spirit as a means to power. They also can be called elsewhere, either for hire or out of a sense of duty, and the undead fighters of Vare are the gold standard for the profession on Terra. This is the basic skillset of an exiler, a Church-employed "white necromancer" variant specializing in suppressing daemonic activity; other versions include a mundane were-fighter with silver weaponry and good training, and an invested priest who deals with zombie types.
High-ranking white necromancers who work for the Church are issued Ghost Weapons appropriate to their specialty -- spears, usually -- with their own names and legends. The greatest of these is the silver sword Forgiveness, which has other abilities as well.
Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 10 [0]
Secondary Attributes: Damage thr 1d / sw 1d+2 (Staff); Parry 11 (Staff); Fatigue 10
Advantages: Comfortable [10], Magery 2 [25]
Disadvantages: Duty (to Church: repulse daemonic incursions, 12 or less; Extremely Hazardous) [-15]; -10 more points in Disadvantages such as Code of Honor, Disciplines of Faith (Oneness), Enemy (demons are not destroyed by a banishing), Honesty,
Languages: Varen (native) [0], Old Varen (Broken) [2]
Primary Skills: Banish-16 [16], Staff-12 [8], Hidden Lore (Daemons)-12 [4]
Secondary Skills: 10 points at 1 point per spell in one spell from each of 10 colleges as prerequisites for Banish (Hard spells will be at skill 11), Research/TL3-11 [2], Tracking-11 [2]
Background Skills: Theology (Church of Oneness)-9 [1]
Equipment: Capacity 10 Powerstone, $100 in personal effects, and perhaps a few character points in additional starting equipment. A white necromancer would be recognized in the Union if he wore a white cloak and carried a stout quarterstaff. (The Powerstone is kept in reserve for his Banishing, which is often draining. If the GM permits, the template equipment may be varied by switching out Comfortable for 6 points elsewhere, normal starting wealth and 4 points of Signature Gear; the necromancer would have received a valuable Powerstone under special circumstances.)
Weres
Tomosic weres can change at will, taking the usual 10 seconds to do so. However, they must change to were form and remain there while one or the other full moon is up, the same moon as the were which created them. About 90% of these on Tomos are red-moon weres.
The were form on Tomos is that of a natural animal: a wolf, bear, boar, or leopard. Except for their domesticated descendants (that is, dogs and pigs), each of these animals is now extinct in human-populated areas; large mammals do not distribute well over water and compete poorly with humans in the restricted space of an island-continent. (In the present day, other species probably teeter on the brink of disappearance.)
In were-form, one's ability to think clearly narrows and certain instincts rise; however, weres remain sapient and can vocalize with difficulty. They are not forced to hunt or eat, though someone of normal intelligence will have difficulty remaining diplomatic, and if trouble arises the "fight or flee" instinct will be strong.
In Tomosic society being a were is considered an employable trait, and among the scouts of Tomosic armies weres are numerous. A few weres conceal the fact, worried about neighbors who have converted to the Church of Oneness or for some other reason; if revealed, the were will be snubbed by Tomosic weres (and friends thereof) who know the story, just for having been embarrassed about his nature (-1 reaction penalty, large class of people, x1/2, to -2). Such a secret is a -1-point Quirk in Tomosic society. The same situation holds in the Confederation nations and the Mikraigai Chain.
In the Alliance and the League, weres are feared and may be forced to leave some settlements or face other social problems if found out; being a were is always a -5-point Secret there, with reactions depending on the group. A were there may start play "gone public," but this is a 5-point Unusual Background. In the Varen Union, a were found out is likely to have a mob at his door! The Secret is -30 points there, and starting play "outed" -- and safe -- will require at least a 30-point Unusual Background and probably Advantages like Clerical Investment or a Reputation.
These are the basic costs of being a were. The rest of the character's traits may be of any profession or background.
Werewolf template [51*]:
Advantages: Shapeshifter (Alternate form: a large wolf; Accessibility: cannot be in human form while associated full moon is up, -10%) [71*]
Disadvantages: Vulnerability (Silver x4) [-20]
Alternate form template:
Attribute Modifiers: ST +2 [20]; DX +3 [60]; IQ -3 [-60]; HT +4 [40]
Advantages: Blunt Claws [3]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; DR 1 [5]; Night Vision 2 [2]; Sharp Teeth [1]; Temperature Tolerance 1 [1]; Racial Memory (Passive) [15]
Disadvantages: Quadruped(two Extra Legs, No Fine Manipulators, Horizontal) [-35]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Infectious Attack [-5]
Skills: Brawling [4]; Tracking [12] (+4 from Discriminatory Smell, too); Stealth [2]
* The template is 51 points if the character is a member of a race whose racial template costs no more than 70 points(such as humans). Otherwise it is -6 points.
The most common kind of were in Tomos and all other lands where weres are known, wolves make up the bulk of were scouts in Tomosic armies, and a fair number of the elite forces as well. Via promotion, several of these troops have become successful generals in Tomosic history. Here and in all future templates, the were Racial Memory concerns situations previously encountered by the natural animals of their alternate form. It, like the template skills and abilities, is only available when shifted. Weakness to silver, however, is present in both forms.
Wereboar template [46*]:
Advantages: Shapeshifter (Alternate form: a large wild boar; Accessibility: cannot be in human form while associated full moon is up, -10%) [66*]
Disadvantages: Vulnerability (Silver x4) [-20]
Alternate form template:
Attribute Modifiers: ST +2 [20], DX +3 [60], IQ -3 [-60], HT +4 [40]
Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15], DR 2 [10], Hooves [3], Cutting Striker (Tusks) [7]; Racial Memory (Passive) [15]
Disadvantages: Quadruped(two Extra Legs, No Fine Manipulators, Horizontal) [-35]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Infectious Attack [-5]
Skills: Brawling [4]
* The template is 46 points if the character is, a member of a race whose racial template costs no more than 64 points(such as humans). Otherwise it is -6 points.
A wild boar constitutes significant competition with humans in a region and the species has been wiped out on Terra; on the other hand, smaller wild pigs are still so omnivorous, tough, and adaptable that they may be found from the equator to tundra regions. Wereboars have a similar range; they are a close second to wolves among the weres occasionally unmasked in the Varen Union.
Werebear template [61*]:
Advantages: Shapeshifter (Alternate form: a grizzly bear; Accessibility: cannot be in human form while associated full moon is up, -10%) [81*]
Disadvantages: Vulnerability (Silver x4) [-20]
Alternate form template:
Attribute Modifiers: ST +9 [90], DX +1 [20], IQ -3 [-60], HT +3 [30]
Size Modifier: +1
Advantages: Blunt Claws [3], Constriction Attack (bear hug) [15], DR 2 [10], Sharp Teeth [1], Temperature Tolerance 2 [2]; Racial Memory (Passive) [15]
Disadvantages: Semi-upright quadruped (Semi-upright, two Extra Legs, No Fine Manipulators) [-30]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Infectious Attack [-5]
Skills: Brawling [2]
* The template is 61 points if the character is a member of a race whose racial template costs no more than 83 points(such as humans). Otherwise it is -6 points.
Werebears are natively found in southern regions of the Southern Hemisphere, mostly in the Tomosic Confederation islands. A few families are pale-skinned, fair-haired humans with polar bear forms (add Swimming [4] to the racial template); suggestions that they may be refugees from the Union are met with silence.
Wereleopard template [107*]:
Advantages: Shapeshifter (Alternate form: a leopard; Accessibility: cannot be in human form while associated full moon is up, -10%) [127*]
Disadvantages: Vulnerability (Silver x4) [-20]
Attribute Modifiers: ST +9 [90], DX +3 [60], IQ -3 [-60], HT +2 [20]
Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15], Discriminatory Smell [15], DR 1 [5], Night Vision 5 [5], Sharp Claws [5], Sharp Teeth [1], Temperature Tolerance 1 [1]; Racial Memory (Passive) [15]
Disadvantages: Quadruped(two Extra Legs, No Fine Manipulators, Horizontal) [-35]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Infectious Attack [-5],
Skills: Brawling [4], Tracking [4] (+4 from Discriminatory Smell, too), Stealth [2], Swimming [2], Climbing [2], Running [4]
* The template is 107 points if the character is a member of a race whose racial template costs no more than 140 points(such as humans). Otherwise it is -6 points.
No families of wereleopards exist in Tomos, and reports of them are uncertainly verified. They were spotted (no pun intended) on the League islands in the south and west. Leopards themselves were unknown in Tomos and most reports of them came from survivors of expeditions to the Wild Islands, leading to speculation that more such weres may survive there (and may even be the attackers driving settlers off).
A curious recent development on Terra, elementals have been appearing that lack any memory of their creation or any former existence, and seem to operate mentally on an understandable human plane. They are variously called the Free, the Unattached, and the Lost. A priority for many of them is understanding what caused their creation; some seek to somehow become emissaries, while others only wish to live a quiet life. (Being unaging, this can be a long time indeed.) Lacking any biological needs other than natural mana, elementals have no cost of living unless they wish to maintain a Status; Status -3 (inhuman oddity) and -4 (legal slave) carry no cost of living.
Each appears as a vaguely humanoid shape of their native element; though other elementals may be able to vary their shape widely, whatever has caused these elementals to gain personal free will and humanlike sapience has restricted them to the usual complement of two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head, though fingers, toes, sense and speech organs are mere bumps and dents. (And yet, they function. When this mystery is solved, some identified cause is going to have some serious explaining to do. If it's capable of explaining, anyway. That is, sapient. Or at least sentient and subjectible to appropriate powers. Or even not, depending on which Causalist you talk to. Causalists have a blast investigating these things.) The same restriction applies to their relations with normal elementals; the divide between mentalities definitely leaves them on the human side.
A note on the templates: the elementals' Dependency fails to be satisfied if an area is either no-mana or no-mana in the elemental aspect of the elemental. For example, on Scorch, a water Unattached would lose 1 HP per minute.
Amnesiac Air Elemental template: 79 points
Attribute Modifiers: ST -8 [-80]; DX +0 [0]; IQ+0 [0]; HT+0 [0]; +8 HP [16]
Advantages: Doesn't Breathe [20]; Doesn't Eat or Drink [10]; Doesn't Sleep [20]; Flight (Lighter than Air, -10%) [36]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury Tolerance (Diffuse) [100]; Unaging [15]
Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana, very common, constantly) [-25]; No Fine Manipulators [-30]; Vulnerability (Vacuum and wind-based attacks x2) [-20]; Partial Amnesia [-10]; Illiterate [-3]
Unattached Air elementals are a collection of miniature whirlwinds in the shape of a man. They can carry a very small amount of weight, but most prefer to remain unburdened entirely, metaphorically as well as literally, not bothering to involve themselves in human society. Such elementals ride the high winds of Terra and play among the cloudscapes, or move to the plane of Air. Those who do seek involvement with humans tend to be aerial scouts or couriers, or buy off their Illiteracy and take cerebral jobs; as adventurers, they are almost exclusively mages(and a generous GM may consider an Air elemental's own body to be sufficient for any materials required for an Air, Sound, or Weather spell).
Air elemental Unattached that do desire material things are often fond of high-quality perfumes, which they can absorb, release, and smell.
Air elementals are particularly vulnerable to Void magic and those involved in human society often have an interest in rumors of such things.
Amnesiac Earth Elemental template: 37 points
Attribute Modifiers: ST +3 [30]; DX -2 [-40]; IQ+0 [0]; HT+0 [0]
Advantages: Doesn't Breathe [20]; Doesn't Eat or Drink [10]; Doesn't Sleep [20]; DR 2 [10]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous, No Blood) [45]; Pressure Support 3 [15]; Sealed [15]; Unaging [15]; Vacuum Support [5]
Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana, very common, constantly) [-25]; Partial Amnesia [-10]; Illiterate [-3]; Decreased Time Rate [-100]
Earth elementals are among the most common Unattached in human society on Terra and among human settlements on Earth and Glass. This version is made of a thick, sandy loam. A few are stone -- add 3 more DR [15] and Fragile (Brittle) [-15] -- and rarely there are seen silvery metal versions -- just add 6 more DR [30]. Earth elementals who involve themselves with humans can take on nearly any job open to humans that doesn't require quick reflexes. They're slow, but they're strong and they can work 24 hours a day (with maybe a few hours off to spend for themselves), and as solids they're the only elementals who can reliably manifest fingers and thumbs.
Earth elementals are a bit more capable than other elementals of interacting with material things, and some of them enjoy collecting well-worked pieces of jewelry wrought from precious stones and metals. Some prefer objets d'art of exotic woods, and loam-based Earth Unattached in the League have started a fad for living, colorful flower 'hairstyles'! (Any Earth elemental that deliberately cultivates such a thing expends 1 HP a week keeping its ornamentation alive; loam Earth elementals occasionally get a clover rash, which is also a pain to uproot.)
Amnesiac Fire Elemental template: 73 points
Attribute Modifiers: ST 0 [-100]; DX +2 [40]; IQ+0 [0]; HT+0 [0]; +10 HP [20]
Advantages: Burning Attack 1d (Always On, -40%; Aura, +80%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%) [6]; Doesn't Breathe (Oxygen Combustion, -50%) [10]; Doesn't Eat or Drink [10]; Doesn't Sleep [20]; DR 10 (Limited: Heat/Fire, -40%) [30]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury Tolerance (Diffuse) [100]; Unaging [15]
Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana, very common, constantly) [-25]; No Fine Manipulators [-30]; Weakness (Water, 1d/min.) [-40]; Partial Amnesia [-10]; Illiterate [-3]; Taboo Trait (Fixed ST) [0]
Fire elementals, even Unattached, are considered fierce dangers to human settlements; fields of crops, tools of wood, and roofs of straw are all vulnerable to even a casual brush by a creature of flame. They are exiled fearfully and firmly, if not simply set upon to be destroyed. Rare indeed is the Unattached of Fire that does not find itself quickly embittered toward humans. The only one known in Tomos lives in the caldera at the Temple of Fire on the Mountain, spending its time meditating, teaching, and creating some unique works of art. They are more likely to be found as villains or hired thugs, or simply obstacles who do not wish to be disturbed; a few might survive on the bare and broken volcanic center of the Wild Islands, though.
Incapable of carrying things both because they lack a real body and beause they burn anything they touch, Unattached Fire elementals are the least materially inclined of all their kind. If one is in a mood to receive a gift, it might appreciate a fuel that burned with an interesting color, temperature, or odor.
Amnesiac Water Elemental template: 112 points
Attribute Modifiers: ST -5 [-50]; DX +0 [0]; IQ+0 [0]; HT+0 [0]; +5 HP [10]
Advantages: Amphibious [10]; Chameleon 1 [5]; Doesn't Breathe [20]; Doesn't Eat or Drink [10]; Doesn't Sleep [20]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury Tolerance (Diffuse) [100]; Pressure Support 3 [15]; Slippery 5 [10]; Unaging [15]
Disadvantages: Curious [-5]; Dependency (Mana, very common, constantly) [-25]; No Fine Manipulators [-30]; Vulnerability (Dehydration attacks x2) [-10]; Partial Amnesia [-10]; Illiterate [-3]
Water elementals are some of the most adaptable of the Unattached; able to travel across Terra's narrow seas with ease, they are free to roam through any nations they wish. More are found off Tomos than on it. They wander the jungles of the Alliance, brave freezing in the north of the Union and even meet and converse with the cephalopoid natives of the plane of Water that have made a home in the League. Their native spirit of inquiry is probably the only personality trait any of the Unattached species share.
An Unattached Water elemental may have a small sea creature of some kind swimming around inside it, bounded by the elemental's 'skin' tension. The pet apparently does no harm whatsoever to its keeper, though most Water elementals do not bother with such ornamentation.
What's Normal?
If you weren't an adventurer in Tomos, what would your life have been like?
Most likely you would have been born into a farming or ranching family in or near one of the many small villages that dot the landscape outside the cities. If you were lucky, you would survive your early childhood and be sent to the town's tiny school with a dozen or so classmates, there to learn for a few years about your country and the wider world. If you're a girl, this is probably the longest engagement you will have outside your home; after school is over, it will be back home to the farm to learn the duties of a woman's life, eventually to get married and see to a family. For most of the boys, this is the case as well.
If you're a boy, this is your chance to make an impression on your teacher and the craftsmen of the town; if your family has too many mouths to feed, or if you show aptitude for one profession or another, you may have a shot at apprenticing to one of the town's workers, or get a chance to train as an officer for the army. Once every couple of years, a stranger will come to town to take a careful look at the students in the school. If he sees something mysterious, he will speak to the teachers and the parents of the child, and the lucky lad will be able to move on to secondary school to learn how to read and become a citizen. You may get this chance too, if your parents have worked hard and sacrificed to save enough for the tuition, or if your teacher recommends you as a promising student to an academy willing to take on a scholarship.
Back home the farmers who stayed will work the land, buying shipments of prized Essential Earth from mines everyone knows are in another world; the Blessing of Amalkur will make your fields bountiful in all but the worst drought, or storm, and prayers and offerings to Lyn and Whess will help with avoiding those. When harvest comes you can be fairly sure of at least having enough to eat, and enough to sell to make a little money. Work hard and save, and maybe one of your children will have the chance to go to secondary and become a citizen.
Life is varied enough. There are festivals every few months, and even if you can't vote for judges, or the nation's Executor and your Convener in an election year, you can probably vote for the men running for mayor in your town, and maybe even your provincial Convention. Regardless, you can always jaw with your friends about the latest issue. A bard will come by the town every once in a while and stay for a few days, passing on news from outside, and singing songs or telling tales to amuse. Lately foreigner priests have been passing through, preaching of a new God. They'll probably be run off in a bit for blasphemy, unless you need a good teacher in town -- they're qualified at that, at least. They teach reading -- to anyone. Anyone! You could become a citizen yourself. Even if you're a girl....
You might have been born into one or two particular families.in your town, who gather quietly when one or the other moon is full. When you stood on the cusp of adulthood, your father or mother brought you to a special place and became something different. A little nip, a mixing of bodily fluids, and you became part of a family tradition of blood and instinct. Sometimes the town is threatened -- no foreign army would dare attack the center of the world, with its powerful armies, but strange beasts roam Terra, and dark things climb through from other worlds, and there are men who are men and thus as dangerous as any beast -- and you and your family will probably be in the front lines defending your home.
If you weren't one of the lucky kids, and can't stand the farm life, there's always running off. Tomos has plenty of need for sailors and grunt soldiers, and dumb laborers are paid enough to get by in the cities. Plenty of bandits survive well enough, too, feeding off of travelers between towns and fat purses in towns, though your more likely fate from such a life is to spend a good part of your time on Terra as a state slave.
If you were one of the lucky ones who showed potential, you would be shipped off to the nearest good-sized town, maybe even the city. Here life really happens. There are all kinds of people, and all kinds of stories being woven. After a few years of study, your options are open -- most likely, you'll return home, not to be a farmer, but to be trained as a merchant, or priest, or doctor, or one of the other "softer" trades. Knowing how to read and write means with hard work and saving, you'll probably qualify to become a citizen a few years after becoming an adult, and you'll have the chance to really move up the social ladder. That's what's great about Tomos; with the right skills anyone has a chance to contribute to their society.
You could make your fortune in business, or your fame in academia(in magic or science or the arts, as your aptitudes dictate), or your legacy in politics. To really mix it all up, you would aim for the hallowed title of Traveller in the tradition of Dionides: exploring the unknown Complex, the Wild Islands, or the delicate reefs and shoals of international warfare and diplomacy. It takes great achievement to earn that title from the people, but if you can, you've made your mark.