2.4.0.0 Spend XP
Talents are the various unique abilities the character has come to possess through training or experience. They include everything from passive bonuses to activated abilities and can even modify how the character uses certain skills.
Most talents have a Governing Characteristic on which they are based. Talents governed by one of a character’s favored characteristics cost less. Some talents have more than one governing characteristic, in which case only one of them needs to be favored to reduce the cost (there is no bonus for having more than one of them favored). Some have none, in which case the character does not need to meet any characteristic requirements and simply pays the base cost.
The following sections divide talents into categories and offer descriptions and prerequisites for each.
Talent Levels
Each talent has an associated Talent Level. Talents of higher levels have more powerful effects, as they represent more powerful abilities that are more difficult to acquire. The level of the talent determines the XP cost of that talent. The level also determines a talent’s characteristic requirements. A character must meet the base characteristic score requirement (unmodified by external effects) of at least one of the talent’s governing characteristics before they can purchase it. Some talents have additional requirements, which will be listed with those talents.
If a talent has no listed Governing Characteristic, then there is no need to meet any characteristic requirements and the talent’s cost is always reduced as if it was governed by the character’s favored characteristic.
Talents governed by a Favored Characteristic cost 75% of the normal XP (round down to the nearest 5). Only one governing characteristic needs to be Favored - there’s no stacking bonus for more.
Talents without a governing characteristic
Some talents have no governing characteristic. These have no characteristic requirement and are always treated as if governed by a Favored Characteristic for cost purposes.
The XP cost to learn a talent is based on that talent’s level. Characters must fulfill all requirements for a talent in order to learn it. Learning talents governed by a favored characteristic costs 75% of the regular XP cost (round down to the nearest multiple of 5).
Talent Archetypes
Talents here are organized into archetypal categories and then sorted by Talent Level.
Archetype
Focus
Primary Characteristics
Engaging and winning fights
Str, Ag, Wp, End, Prc
Mastery of specific weapons
Str, Ag
Movement, positioning, evasion
Ag
Perceiving, detecting, sensing
Prc
Survivability, fortitude
End, Wp
Spellcasting and magical crafting
Wp, Int
People skills and mental pursuits
Int, Prs
Universal talents for any character
Varies
Combat
Talents that directly improve a character’s ability to engage enemies and win fights. Covers offense, defense, specific tactical situations, and unarmed combat.
All Weapon Expertise talents are Expert tier (500 XP) and weapon-locked - they apply only when using the specified weapon. Organized by weapon category.
Universal talents with no fixed governing characteristic. Tier, XP cost, and characteristic requirement are determined by the skill chosen when purchased.
Racial talents are locked to specific races and purchased with XP like other talents, but only members of that race may buy them. Each race has two exclusive racial talents listed on its race page.
See the individual race pages under 01 - Choose your race for racial talent details.
Optional rule - Racial Talent Unlocks
At GM’s discretion, racial talents may be unlocked naturally over the course of a campaign for all party members based on experience benchmarks rather than being race-locked.