- Each Trait Tier has a Passive Advantage that is gained when the Trait Tier is purchased.
- Each Trait Tier has a Per Combat ability that can be purchased up to three times each. These abilities refresh after 15 minutes of rest, during which time no Trait-based abilities can be used, nor can the character participate in combat in any fashion.
- Finally, each Trait Tier has a Per Reset Ability Set that is purchased one time. These sets offer three uses of an ability at Tiers 1, 2, and 3, two uses of an ability at Tier 4, and one use of an ability at Tier 5. These uses refresh at Sunrise, and Sunset.
Any Combat Trait ability that does not deal damage such as Natural Torment, Natural Betrayal, Natural Snare Arms, etc bypass all Shells, worn armor and Vigor. As a general rule of thumb if the Protective wouldn’t be taken down by the ability they don’t interact. They are still negated by missing the delivery swing/packet, being physically blocked by a hand-held shield or weapon, Dodge, Parry (if melee), Side Step (if ranged), Wyrding, Resist and other appropriate defenses.
Passive Advantage: Read Aura (Included with Tier 1)
This ability grants the character may use a Natural Perceive Astral effect upon themselves at will. This effect allows the character to fully perceive and interact with beings in the Astral Plane, including the spirits of the deceased and beings native to the Astral Plane. In addition, the character may, at-will, use a Natural Sense Life effect upon themselves. This effect allows a character to study the life aura of a being within 5 feet of the character. After announcing “Sense Life” the character may out of play ask each of the following questions one at a time. They must wait for an answer before asking the next question.
Are you alive or dead?
Where are you wounded?
Are you under the effects of a venom or poison?
Are you under a mental effect?
Are you under the effect of a disease?
See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Natural Perceive Astral”, “Natural Sense Life”
Per Combat Ability: Transfer Wound
Allows the character to use a Natural Transfer Wound effect. This effect allows the character to transfer a Wound from another being to themselves. The target character is instantly stabilized and healed of that wound. The character may elect where that wound is received as long as it is not already a wounded location. Wounds transferred with this ability are not Stabilized for the taking character. If the character has any points of Vigor, they may instead lose 1 point of Vigor instead of taking on the Wound.
Tagline: “Natural Transfer Wound”
Per Reset Ability Set: Moment of Clarity
Allows the character to, after 1 minute of concentration, use a Natural Fated Awaken protective effect upon themselves. This ability can be used 3 times per Reset. This effect, when activated, removes all mental effects from the character. As a Fated effect it becomes active when the player (not the character) wishes to activate it. A character may have as many Fated effects active as desired so long as they are all different Fated effects. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Natural Fated Awaken”
Passive Advantage: Calming Presence (Included with Tier 2)
This ability grants the character may, at-will, use a Natural Calm Animal or a Natural Calm Spirit effect. To use this, the character must extend both hands showing them to be empty towards a target Animal or Spirit. The target will, generally speaking, attack the character last if not become calm and friendly towards the character. This requires concentration by the character. Any attack on the target from any source ends the effect. In addition, the character may, at-will, spend a use from an Empathy Per Reset Ability Set to instead call a Natural Sense Truth effect. This effect allows the character to ask out-of-play “Is that True?” immediately after a statement by another character is made. The target must out-of-play answer “Yes” or “No”. This ability only reflects the target’s personal belief of whether or not they are telling the truth. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Natural Calm Animal”, “Natural Calm Spirit”, “Natural Sense Truth”
Per Combat Ability: Heal Self 2
Allows the character to use a Natural Heal Self 2 effect. With this effect, the character may heal themselves of 2 Wounds. This healing takes 1 minute to take effect. In addition, the character may immediately use a Natural Refresh Transfer Wound effect upon themselves. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Natural Heal Self 2”, “Natural Refresh Transfer Wound”
Per Reset Ability Set: Purity of Purpose
Allows the character to, after 1 minute of concentration, use a Natural Fated Cleanse protective effect upon themselves. This effect can be used 3 times per Reset. This effect, when activated, removes all Poison and Disease effects from the character. As a Fated effect it becomes active when the player (not the character) wishes to activate it. A character may have as many Fated effects active as desired so long as they are all different Fated effects. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Natural Fated Cleanse”
Passive Advantage: Force of Will (Included with Tier 3)
This ability grants an always on Fortified Body effect, which allows the character to remain awake while Bleeding Out; they may communicate, yell for help, use any uninjured limb as normal, walk at a normal speed (no running or quick actions) if the legs are uninjured, use a potion if they have an uninjured arm and can reach it, or identify to anyone where they are wounded. Fortified Body does not allow other skills or abilities to be used. In addition, the character may use any Empathy Heal Self ability when conscious, even when the character is Bleeding Out or otherwise incapacitated. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: N/A
Per Combat Ability: Heal Self 6
Allows the character to use a Natural Heal Self 6 effect. With this effect, the character may heal themselves of 6 Wounds. This healing takes 1 minute to take effect. In addition, the character may immediately use a Natural Refresh All Transfer Wound effect upon themselves. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Natural Heal Self 2”, “Natural Refresh All Transfer Wound”
Per Reset Ability Set: Spare the Fallen
Allows the character to use a Natural Resuscitate effect 3 times per Reset. This effect allows a target character who has not been dead for more than 2 minutes to be brought back to life. This requires the character performing the Resuscitation to spend 2 minutes of concentration while roleplaying the Resuscitation with the body. After being Resuscitated the target character is subject to a Natural Drain All for 15 minutes. While under the effects of the Drain All, the character can not move faster than a slow walk or talk louder than a low conversational tone. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Natural Resuscitate”, “Natural Drain All”
Passive Advantage: Enhanced Aura
This ability allows the character to use any Empathy Per Combat Transfer Wound ability as a Flurry 2. In addition, the character may, at-will, use a Natural Sense Magic effect upon themselves. This effect allows a character to study an object within 5 feet of the character and then begin asking specific questions out-of-play. The character may ask each of the following questions one at a time, to a Marshal or the possessing character. They must wait for an answer before asking the next question. If the object has a tag associated with it, the character may read the tag to determine the answers to these questions. This effect requires concentration and may not be done in combat.
Is the object magical?
If so, what Elements (Fire, Shadow, Ice, Desolation, etc)?
What are the general effect categories?
Does it require activation or is it passively active?
Is the object a Relic?
Tagline: “Flurry 2 Natural Transfer Wound, Natural Transfer Wound”, “Natural Sense Magic”
Per Combat Ability: Quicken Resist Magic
Allows the character to use a Natural Resist Magic effect upon themselves, after 10 seconds of concentration. This effect provides a protection from a single Magic effect the target would otherwise receive. Characters can have an unlimited number of Resists of different types. Characters may stack up to 3 Resists of the same type. The character may choose whether or not it triggers on a specific effect. They must however be conscious to use this ability. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Natural Quicken Resist Magic”
Per Reset Ability Set: Anoint the Wounded
Allows the character to, 2 times per Reset, use a Natural Renew effect. The Renew effect instantly heals the target of all Disease, all Poison, all Drain effects and all Wounds. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Natural Renew”
Passive Advantage: Font of Health
This ability allows for all healing effects received by the character, including Heal Wound, Heal Self, and Heal Vigor, to take 30 seconds to take effect instead of 1 minute. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: N/A
Per Combat Ability: Heal Wound 4
The character may use a Natural Heal Wound 4 effect. This effect automatically stabilizes the target and heals the target of 4 wounds. If any wounds remain they are considered stable. Healing Takes 1 minute to take full effect. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Natural Heal Wound 4”
Per Reset Ability Set: Beacon of Hope
Allows the character to, 1 time per Reset, use a Voice Effect Natural Heal Wound 2 effect. This effect automatically stabilizes all targets and heals all targets of 2 wounds. If any wounds remain they are considered stable. Healing Takes 1 minute to take full effect. Voice Effects affect everyone who clearly hears the effect being called. After using this ability, the character will then receive a Torment effect that cannot be defended against in any way. See the Effects List for more information.
Tagline: “Voice Effect Natural Heal Wound 2”
Empathy Trait Costs
| Tier | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier Cost | 8XP | 8XP | 8XP | 8XP | 8XP |
| Tier Cost, Difficult* | 10XP | 10XP | 10XP | 10XP | 10XP |
| Per Combat Ability Cost | 5/5/5XP | 6/6/6XP | 7/7/7XP | 8/8/8XP | 10/10/10XP |
| Per Reset Ability Set Cost** | 3XP | 4XP | 5XP | 6XP | 8XP |
* Characters who possess any supernatural racial heritage may experience Difficulty learning one or more Traits and must pay increased XP costs to learn Tiers. Players must pay the increased difference in cost for any Difficult Traits that were purchased before manifesting a supernatural racial heritage.
** This is a one time cost, regardless of the number of uses granted by the Per Reset Ability Set.
Each Trait has 5 Tiers and these Tiers must be bought in progression. Humans can buy any Trait at base cost at any point and at any time. Altera intentionally does not have any “Character Creation Only” abilities. Once a human embraces any of the mythological legacies they will begin to gain access to unique Passive advantages, Per Combat abilities, and Per Day abilities however, the trade-off is that the newly awakened races make two Traits Difficult to learn. The first tier of any Trait is 8 XP. If a Trait is considered Difficult this cost is 10 XP instead.
To advance from one Tier to the next a character must have all three Per Combat abilities and the Per Reset Ability Set before the next Tier can be purchased. When advancing to Tier 5, an additional in-game requirement is necessary before the character may purchase this Tier. This requirement is something that must be discovered in-play.