CPA: Talents List

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Talents are discrete permanent features you can gain that increase a player character's power.

Two talents are received at character creation.
At any time, a character may purchase a talent by spending 5 saved experience points (XP).
Some talents have restrictions and requirements before they may be acquired.

Keep a record of when and how you acquired a certain talent.

Below are the talent categories tables. Click to expand:

Arcane Talents provide broad archetypes to flavor your arcane powers.

Talent Name	Category	Description	Restrictions & Requirements
Arcane Prodigy	Arcane	Despite being an otherwise normal person, you have a subtle arcane ability. Choose one arcane skill. You gain level 2 in that skill and have 3 / 3 energy points, but you cannot advance the skill. Later, you can refund this talent towards the Basic Mage path.	Requires NO arcane skills.
Cantrips	Arcane	You can roll any of your arcane skills as a social or performance skill when you show small, harmless magical tricks and flourishes to an audience of two or three, representing your arcane skills, without needing to spend any Energy Points. This could also include simple conveniences like powering a held light bulb or chilling a drink. Larger performances will still require a standard casting.	Requires at least one arcane skill.
Cleric	Arcane	Piety: When you are casting a nonviolent spell to buff, help, heal, protect, defend, or safeguard someone, you get +1 to the roll. Holy Word: Additionally, once per scene, as a single action, you may roll your best arcane skill (except not Necromancy) to shout a holy statement that you specify, and thereby castigate all enemy devils, demons, undead or cosmic horrors that are present. Depending on the roll vs their defense, all of them you can see may take damage and/or suffer conditions. This costs no EP. Smite: Immediately after you hit with a melee or brawl attack, you can choose to spend 1 or 2 or 3 EP. If you do, the hit deals 4/8/12 extra magical damage of a type you can cast.	Requires at least one arcane skill. Discuss with your GM before taking this to understand what your character understands about the hierarchy of divine and unholy entities in your character's world.
Cosmic Patron	Arcane	You are sworn in a pact to serve one spiritual or extradimensional being of cosmic power, in exchange for extra spell power for yourself. Clearly identify what you know and do not know about them. While in good standing, you can choose to make any spell roll with 3d6+skill. You are in good standing by default. If you are not in good standing, you will lose this benefit and may accrue penalties for further lapses. To remain in good standing, you must perform a significant service for them once per game session. They will specify the service to you telepathically at the start of or before the session. You can contact them telepathically to negotiate further deals and details, requiring a 10-minute ritual (no roll by default).	Requires arcane skill. Negotiate a contract the GM to ensure expectations are aligned OOC/IC before investing.
Elementalist	Arcane	Your Skill levels in each arcane skill that deals a certain damage type also act as additional damage reduction when you're hit with attacks making use of that damage type. This works for fire, cold, lightning, poison and psychic damage, but not physical. For each instance that you are hit with an element that you are skilled with in this way, you recharge 1 energy point. During battle, when you cast a spell of an opposite element to the spell most recently cast in that battle, you gain +1 to the roll.	Requires at least one arcane skill.
Deep Thoughts	Arcane	Gain +10 maximum energy points. You will only ever know one arcane skill. If you later gain additional Mage Paths, you gain an extra +7 Energy Points for each one, but you do not learn additional arcane skills.	Requires exactly one arcane skill.
Mantra	Arcane	Your Energy Points now recharge at all times, instead of only while meditating or resting.	Requires Meditation Skill.
Channeler	Arcane	You are now allowed to concentrate on +1 additional spell, simultaneously. Know that ending multiple spells is risky and requires a roll. While you are concentrating on a single spell, you have +1 advantage die on rolls to maintain your concentration.	Requires Arcane Initiate and Meditation skill.
Sage	Arcane	You can now cast all sensing spells (sense life, sense hostility, etc). For all sensing spells you already posess, you can roll with an extra +1.	Requires at least one arcane skill.
Bloodmage	Arcane	Your EP is set to 0 permanently. All your arcane skills, and your Meditation skill, add to maximum HP instead of EP. This does not apply to any flat EP bonuses. You cast all spells with HP at the normal cost (i.e., the cost is the spell's level in HP). You cannot be healed by spells.	Requires at least one arcane skill.
Warmage	Arcane	You gain +1 to all casting rolls during battle, +1 to spell damage, and you gain +1 EP each time you defeat an enemy in a battle.	Requires at least one arcane skill.

Arcane Masteries reward focus in specific arcane skills.

Talent Name	Category	Description	Restrictions & Requirements
Expert Chronomancer	Arcane	Acceleration: Add this skill directly to your initiative value, and you can use it for your Speed stat. Twist of Fate: When you or another person struggles or fails on a check, you can expend 1 EP to instantly force the GM to give another option for a different type of failure, or 2 ep for 2 more options, then pick one (maximum 3 choices). Slowmo: When you make a risky non-arcane action where speed or accuracy is critical, you can expend 2 EP instantly to get +1 on the check (Does not stack).	Requires level 3 Chronomancy.
Elite Chronomancer	Arcane	Parallel Self: You can spend 15 EP + 5 XP (the XP is lost permanently) to reassign all your skill points, paths and talents, by trading places with another self from a different timeline. You get to describe the conditions in their timeline and their memories. Bullet Time: Your Slowmo action now only costs 1 EP. Temporal Paradox: You can expend 15 EP have your future self arrive and help out for at most 1 minute. You can't choose their state, and this may complicate your future plans.	Requires Expert Chronomancer.
Expert Cryomancer	Arcane	Arcane Freeze: All your cold attack spells will arcane-freeze on hit if possible, or another feasible condition. Once per day, after you immerse yourself completely in water, you heal 3 HP. (If falling damage doesn't kill you upon hitting the water). Create Water: As an action, you can "create" 1 pint of water by expending 1 EP, by gesturing at a spot or container. The water comes from a randomly selected other dimension and may sometimes come with contaminants. You can roll your skill when you do it to determine the details.	Requires level 3 Cryomancer.
Elite Cryomancer	Arcane	Font: Your Create Water ability now creates 1 gallon per EP spent. Other rules are the same. Chiller: Your Arcane Freeze effects also force enemies to spend 1 action to break out of the ice. Heatsink: While you are at least half immersed in water, you can cast any Cryomancy spell with 3d6+skill.	Requires Expert Cryomancer.
Expert Electromancer	Arcane	Charged Burst: You can spend 2 EP to give yourself +1 on a Computers or Athletics roll (does not stack). Shocking Hit: All of your electric attack spells will shock enemies on hit if possible, or another feasible condition. Energizing Touch: You can choose to transfer your energy points to/from allies at-will by consenting physical contact as an action. They take 1 damage each time you do it.	Requires level 3 Electromancy.
Elite Electromancer	Arcane	Galvanic Bond: You can transfer your EP to/from consenting allies at up to 10m range as a bonus action. They take exactly 1 damage each time you do it. Electrocution: You can stack multiple shock conditions on enemies, although all shocks will be discharged the first time they take damage. Critical Discharge: Whenever you critically succeed on any casting roll, you can choose to instantly and successfully cast another 1-action spell you know of the same level or lower as your critical effect, as long as 1 of the 2 spells is an Electromancy spell.	Requires Expert Electromancer.
Expert Illusionist	Arcane	Never There: If you can describe how your illusions help you, you can spend 2 EP to get +1 on a Dodge or Stealth check. Does not stack. Sense Deception: You can roll Illusion at-will to sense mundane or magical deception in a scene, for zero EP cost. Sensory Immersion: All your core illusion spells can also include false impressions of changes in smell, humidity, or temperature.	Requires level 3 Illusion.
Elite Illusionist	Arcane	The Prestige: Your Never There ability now costs 1 EP and you can also use it on rolls for Talk, Negotiate, and Leadership, as long as you can explain the minor illusionary flourishes you add to it. The Reveal: When you appear to be completely killed, defeated or captured by an enemy or trap, you can expend 10 EP to reveal that it was just an illusionary trick. The Secret: You can cast an illusion spell with no EP cost if you can explain how it could have theoretically been performed with readily available materials and minimal preparation, neither of which anyone could have seen, and the table agrees.	Requires Expert Illusionist.
Expert Metaphysicist	Arcane	Empowered Spell: Once per casting, you can choose to add +1 EP cost to any spell to cast it with an additional +1. Secret Spell: You can cast any spell with no outward sign at +1 EP cost and no change in TN. Unraveller: You can roll with 3d6+skill to cast Counterspell, Dispel or Normalize.	Requires level 3 Metaphysics.
Elite Metaphysicist	Arcane	Enchanter: You can roll with 3d6+skill to cast any spell that interacts with another spell. Archmage: After taking this talent, you are permitted to train any arcane skills up to level 7, using otherwise normal rules. Abjurer: Whenever you successfully Counterspell, Dispel or Normalize, you can choose to instead redirect the spell instead of ending it.	Requires Expert Metaphysicist.
Expert Necromancer	Arcane	Mindless Servitude: All of your successfully invoked arcane minions, of any school, do not require your concentration. The duration is the same. Mouth of Hate: If you loudly shout while casting any curse spell you can gain +1 on the roll. Vile touch: Melee and Brawl attacks by you or any of your necromantic minions can poison enemies with poison damage equal to your Necromancy skill per round. Reaper: Any time you kill a living biological being of at least 12 HP with a Necromancy spell, you can destroy the soul to regain 1 HP or EP. Doing this causes all nearby animals to become frightened or hostile.	Requires level 3 Necromancy.
Elite Necromancer	Arcane	Army of Darkness: Your TN for casting Animate Corpses is reduced from 20 to 17. Final Destination: You can cast Sense Death at no cost, and also use it to sense upcoming deadly accidents and disasters with your Necromancy skill (insead of Chronomancy). Failures doing this may draw Death's attention. Nightwalker: You can cast a limited version of the L2 Teleportation spell "Sense Rifts", only sensing secret ways into utterly dead places and times.	Requires Expert Necromancer.
Expert Telekinetic	Arcane	Force Wielder: When using your basic, unmodified, nonviolent TK Manipulation abilities, you can choose to get a basic success without rolling. Arcane Duelist: You can cast any Telekinetics spell that is usually an action, as your bonus action, for +1 to its EP cost. Your TK hits in combat can apply one feasible condition. Ethereal Acrobatics: You can spend 2 EP to get +1 to an athletics or dodge roll. Does not stack.	Requires level 3 Telekinetics.
Elite Telekinetic	Arcane	Force Adept: Your "Ethereal Acrobatics" ability now only costs 1 EP and can also be used on Brawl, Melee, Science and Crafting rolls. Force Shaping: You can increase the range, radius or width of any spell by expending an additional 1 EP when casting it. Artificer: If you expend 12 EP while spending 12 hours crafting a new piece of gear, then you can enchant that item with a unique arcane feature related to the arcane skills you know.	Requires Expert Telekinetic.
Expert Pyromancer	Arcane	Ignition: All your fire attack spells ignite enemies on a successful hit if possible, or another feasible condition. Inner Flame: You can cast any spells normally while in the dying condition, and healers have advantage on rolls to stabilize or heal you. At any time, you can choose to have your body violently explode (This kills you). Warmth: You recharge EP in hot areas even when not resting or meditating. If you are, then you recharge at double the rate.	Requires level 3 Pyromancy.
Elite Pyromancer	Arcane	Purifying Flame: You have advantage on rolls to resist heat based hazards, spells and attacks. Enemies who are immune to fire are not immune to your fire spells. Scorcher: Add your Pyromancy skill to all your damage with Pyromancy spells. Destroyer: You have an extra +1 on all Pyromancy rolls and your critical strike chance with them increases by +2.	Requires Expert Pyromancer.
Expert Telepath	Arcane	Mind Tricks: All of your succesfully cast Telepathy spells have no outward sign except for specified touch or ritual requirements. Mental Register: When cast for consenting targets within 100m, "Send Thoughts" has no action or EP cost. Aura Sense: You can spend 2 EP to get a +1 on a social skill roll. Does not stack.	Requires level 3 Telepathy.
Elite Telepath	Arcane	Aura Connection: Your "aura sense" ability now only costs 1 EP. Secrets of the Heart: After taking this talent, you are permitted to train any social skills (leadership, insight, talk, negotiate) up to level 7, using otherwise normal rules. Subtle spells: Your successful, struggle and failed Telepathy spells give no outward sign except for specified requirements. They can still be detected by other telepaths and metaphysicists.	Requires level 3 Telepathy.
Expert Teleporter	Arcane	Geometric Awareness: You can cast the L2 TK spell, Spatial Awareness, with your teleportation skill. Planeswalker: You can cast "Sense Rifts" with no risk or point cost. Shifter: Unmodified teleports of yourself only requires no roll or cooldown when used for distances under 40 meters, and you can teleport as a bonus action for +1 ep cost.	Requires level 3 Teleportation.
Elite Teleporter	Arcane	Spatial Shortcuts: Your teleport distances are upgraded to powers of 5 instead of powers of 4: 5, 25, 125, 625, 3,125, and 15,625m. Vanish: While you are out of sight of any other living thing, you can expend 5 EP to vanish into a neutral dimension and stay there. Roll to determine the comfort level of this place. If you do, you can choose to instantly reappear in a safe place within 125m that is equally unobserved, within 10 minutes. Sending: You can use your core Teleport spells on your consenting allies without sending yourself, if you touch them, at +2 EP cost.	Requires Expert Teleporter.
Expert Vivithurge	Arcane	Faith Healing: You gain the option to cast any of your basic unmodified HP healing spells with no roll and a basic success. Quick Heal: You gain the option to modify a basic HP healing spell to become a Bonus Action by increasing the EP cost by +1. Savior: You can expend 10 EP to get a guaranteed critical success on Revive.	Requires Level 3 Vivithurgy.
Elite Vivithurge	Arcane	Arcane Blood: Add your Vivithurgy skill to your maximum HP. When healing yourself, you always roll the maximum value. Telekinetic Healing: You can now choose to cast your basic HP healing spells at a distance of up to 10m, if you increase the EP cost by +2. Secrets of Life: After taking this talent, you can train your Animals, Medicine, and Science skills to level 7 using otherwise normal rules.	Requires Expert Vivithurge.

Combat Talents improve your character's combat readiness.

Talent Name	Category	Description	Restrictions & Requirements
Brawl Expert	Combat	Pressure Points: Your damage with Brawl is now 3 times your skill level instead of 5 + skill level. Jab: If you have at least 2 HP, then you can spend 1 HP to make a Brawl Attack as a bonus action.	Requires Brawl skill level 3.
Brawl Elite	Combat	Like Water: Your Jab ability no longer costs HP. Duck & Weave: You can roll your brawl skill to defend vs. any type of attack made against you in close range. Spirit Bomb: You can choose to spend 3 HP or EP and 2 actions to charge and throw an explosive energy projectile at a visible enemy within 12m. When you do, roll your Brawl skill and the base damage is 2x normal.	Requires Brawl Expert.
Melee Expert	Combat	Charge: If you used 2 actions to get into melee range with an enemy, then you can spend your bonus action to make one melee attack. Frenzy: Once per battle, after you defeat at least one enemy on your turn with Melee, then you may spend your bonus action anytime on that turn to move up to 1 meter and make another Melee attack. Quick Switch: You can draw or switch to a melee weapon using your bonus action.	Requires Melee level 3.
Melee Elite	Combat	Opportunity Attack: When an enemy moves out of your melee reach, you can make a free instant reaction attack with Melee. Double your HP from Melee skill. Your Frenzy ability can now be used once per round.	Requires Melee Expert.
Expert Shot	Combat	Deadeye: Your missed shots deal half damage to your target. Nimble: You can use your Shoot skill to calculate your movement in combat (3+Shoot). Quickdraw: You can draw or switch to a ranged weapon by spending your bonus action.	Requires Shoot level 3.
Elite Shot	Combat	Iron Sight: With a ready ranged weapon, you can Aim with your bonus action. Snap Shot: If your ranged weapon is ready to fire, then once per round, you can make a shot as a reaction during an enemy's turn at -1 accuracy.	Requires Expert Shooter.
Assassin	Combat	Using full cover, you can attempt to hide in combat as your action or Bonus Action. If you make any kind of attack from stealth, you attack with +1 advantage die, instead of the usual +1 to your roll. Your successful attacks from stealth gain +5 damage.	-
Expert Duelist	Combat	Challenger: When you are challenging someone to a duel or contest, you can roll Negotiate with 1d20+skill. Riposte: Immediately after you critically succeed a dodge check, you can choose to make one reaction counter-attack (if your weapon is ready).	-
Expert Berserker	Combat	Whirlwind Attack: Your cleave and slash attacks can now hit up to 8 enemies directly adjacent to you in a 360 degree arc. Rage: At any time, you can choose to make melee or brawl rolls this round with +1 advantage die, in exchange for making all your defense rolls with -1 disadvantage die (until the start of your next turn).	Requires Melee or Brawl skill.
Elite Berserker	Combat	Cyclone Attack: After you make a critical strike with either Melee or Brawl, you can continuously attack with either skill as a free action until you miss or cannot reach enemies. Undying Fury: If you drop to zero HP, you can activate this ability instantly by yelling loudly. If you do, you may continue acting normally in that scene. However, you then take 2 points of exhaustion instead of the usual 1. Moreover, each hit you take while at zero HP will add another +1 point of exhaustion, but you can ignore their effects until the end of the scene, unless you reach 5 points in which case you die immediately.	Requires Expert Berserker.
Ferocity	Combat	All of your Melee and Brawl attacks now deal +3 additional damage.	Requires Melee or Brawl skill.
Giantslayer	Combat	Each time in a given battle scene that you hit the same enemy for +1 additional time, add +5 to your damage. This stacks for just 1 enemy during a single battle scene and begins on your second hit. Attacking another enemy resets the counter.	Requires Melee or Brawl skill.
Inquisitor	Combat	Punisher: Once per round, if possible, you can make an instant reaction attack with your equipped, loaded and readied weapon when a enemy that you can hit starts to cast a spell. Iconoclast: Roll with +1 advantage die when you attempt to destroy magical items, constructs, barriers, and illusions using mundane means. Shake it Off: If you are affected by a magical condition, you can, at any time, choose to instantly shake off the effect by spending HP equal to the spell's level.	Requires that you posess NO arcane skills.

Weapon Specialization Talents give focused combat benefits.

Talent Name	Category	Description	Restrictions & Requirements
Axe Expert	Combat	You now always cleave when melee attacking with an axe, in addition to other effects. You can dual wield hand axes, battle axes, or throwing axes with no penalty.	Requires melee skill.
Axe Elite	Combat	Megasmash: You can choose to spend 2 HP while attacking with an axe. If you do, it uses 1d20+skill. If it hits, the attack gains +5 damage. Bloodlust: While you are attacking an enemy that is suffering from at least 1 negative condition, your axe attacks have +1 critical strike chance and +1 critical strike multiplier.	Requires Axe Expert.
Bow Expert	Combat	+2 Critical Strike Chance with bows. You no longer need to spend any action to reload a bow (it is now considered to be part of your shoot action).	Requires Shoot skill.
Bow Elite	Combat	All your hits with any bow penetrate +1 enemies. Each time you use the aim action with a bow, add +1 advantage die to your shot.	Requires Bow Expert.
Crossbow Expert	Combat	You can fire a crossbow at point-blank range with no disadvantage, and all of your crossbow hits deal +2 more damage.	Requires Shoot skill.
Crossbow Elite	Combat	+2 critical strike chance with crossbows; you can spend your bonus action to reload a crossbow.	Requires Crossbow Expert.
Dagger Expert	Combat	Vicious: You get +1 critical strike chance with daggers. Talons: No penalty for dual wielding daggers. Rush: If you hit with a melee or thrown dagger attack, you can spend your bonus action to make another dagger attack if possible.	Requires Melee skill.
Dagger Elite	Combat	You get a further +2 (total +3) critical strike chance with daggers, and with them your critical strike damage is 3x normal damage.	Requires Dagger Expert
Hammer Expert	Combat	When wielding hammers, maces and mauls in combat, you gain the option to make your special attack a Stun attack. This special effect causes the enemy to lose 1 of their next 2 actions in their next turn. It can only be applied once per enemy per round.	Requires Melee skill.
Hammer Elite	Combat	You can now repeatedly stun, and potentially stun-lock, enemies when attacking in melee with hammers, maces, mauls and other blunt melee weapons.	Requires Hammer Expert.
Pistol Expert	Combat	You can fire a pistol in melee with no disadvantage. When using pistols, you can aim while moving (aim and move actions are merged for you).	Requires Shoot skill.
Pistol Elite	Combat	Akimbo: You can dual wield any type of pistols with no penalty (+2 damage).	Ambidextrous: You can reload 2 of any type of pistols as 1 action	Desert Eagle: A special action option where you move and aim with your pistol(s) as 1 action.	Max Pain: A special action option where you move and fire one or two pistols as 1 action.	Requires Pistol Expert.
Rifle Expert	Combat	Recoil Brace: When using a solid object as cover, you have +1 to hit with rifles. Low Profile: You can crouch behind cover as a free action anytime on your turn.	Requires Shoot skill.
Rifle Elite	Combat	You have +2 critical strike chance with rifles. If you aim with a rifle, then for your next shot you can choose to roll with 5d4+skill, 3d6+skill, or add one advantage die to your shot.	Requires Rifle Expert.
Shotgun Expert	Combat	Your shotgun range is increased by +3m, and your shotgun blasts always knockback all enemies hit by 2m.	Requires Shoot skill.
Shotgun Elite	Combat	Your critical strike chance with shotguns is increased by +2, and +4 for enemies that are exactly 1m away from you (one unit of empty space in between you and them).	Requires Shotgun Expert.
Spear Expert	Combat	Your damage with spears is increased by +2. Your melee reach with spears is increased by +1m to 3m.	Requires melee skill.
Spear Elite	Combat	While wielding a spear, you gain one special reaction attack per round, triggered when an enemy attempts to get closer than your maximum spear range.	Requires Spear Expert.
Sword Expert	Combat	Cutter: You gain +2 damage with swords. Parry: Using a sword, you can roll to defend from enemy melee-range attacks of any kind using your melee skill roll. Leverage: When you parry successfully, you can react to immediately shove that enemy based on your degree of Parry success.	Requires melee skill.
Sword Elite	Combat	Blademaster: You gain +2 critical strike chance with swords. Powerslash: Once per game session you can make a sword attack that is a guaranteed critical strike. You can also choose to move 2m as part of this action. Deflector: Your Leverage reaction can now be used to inflict any condition other than direct damage. It can also be used with Dodge as well.	Requires Sword Expert
Sword Elite	Combat	Powerslash: Once per game session you can make a sword attack that is a guaranteed critical strike. Deflector: Your Leverage reaction can now be used once per combat round to apply any one condition as long as it does not cause direct damage.	Requires Sword Expert
Throwing Expert	Combat	Versatility: You can make thrown weapon attacks using any combat skill or athletics, up to 25m range. Efficiency: Your thrown weapons deal +2 damage and, if non-explosive, are never damaged by your throws.	Requires melee skill.
Throwing Elite	Combat	Perfect Bounce: Your thrown grenades and bombs have +3m blast radius. Chopper: Thrown axe attacks have +1 critical strike chance. Impaler: Your thrown spears will always pierce +1 enemy in addition to other effects. Fan of Knives: You can throw 2 knives at 2 different targets as a single attack roll action (cannot apply other effects).	Requires Throwing Expert
Heavy Weapon Expert	Combat	Heavy Metal: You can make a melee attack using an equipped heavy ranged weapon by rolling your shoot skill, for exactly 6 damage, with no risk of breaking the weapon. Heavy Lifting: You can move at normal speed and use normal initiative while wielding a heavy ranged weapon. High Explosive: When you miss with any heavy weapon, you deal half damage (similar to a Melee or Brawl attack).	Requires Shoot skill.
Heavy Weapons Elite	Combat	Lock On: When you aim with a heavy ranged weapon, you get an additional +1 (total +2 for the aim action). Deadly Aim: Your critical strike chance and critical strike multiplier with heavy weapons is increased by +1 each (Crit on 5+, 3x damage when you do).	Requires Heavy Weapons Expert.

Defense Talents make your character more durable.

Talent Name	Category	Description	Restrictions & Requirements
Alert	Defense	Aware: You can never be surprised, even if asleep. Attentive: +5 to Initiative. Your defense rolls are not penalized by unseen attackers. Astute: When there is one or more traps, hidden hazards, or hidden sensors within 100m, you will instinctively know of the general presence of those things (the GM will tell you).	-
Dodge Expert	Defense	You cannot take critical hits from enemies while you are conscious and unrestrained. If you would, it becomes a normal hit. +2 to your critical success range on dodge.	Requires Level 3 Dodge.
Dodge Elite	Defense	Whenever you succeed on a dodge check, you can opt to instantly jump or roll up to half your movement in any direction you choose. When you critically succeed on a dodge check, you can immediately make a full Move action.	Requires Dodge Expert.
Heavy Armor Expert	Defense	While wearing a suit of heavy personal armor, you get an additional +1 DR. Armor Brace: When you are about to take a single hit of damage, you can elect to brace the hit entirely to your worn suit of heavy armor, causing it to be broken instead of taking damage to yourself.	-
Heavy Armor Elite	Defense	You can use any type of heavy personal armor with no penalty on stealth or spellcasting rolls. Armor Lock: While wearing heavy armor, you can choose to spend 1 action or bonus action to enter a defensive stance. Until the start of your next turn, you cannot take more than 7 damage per hit from all physical, projectile or explosive attack hits. Does not affect psychic or hazard damage unless the armor does. Additional +1 DR (total +2) with heavy armor.	Requires Heavy Armor Expert.
Light Armor Expert	Defense	While wearing only light armor: You have +1 initiative and movement. Your armor does not break when you are knocked out or wounded.	-
Light Armor Elite	Defense	While wearing only light armor: If you successfully Dodge, you can't take more than 7 damage from that hit. Your critical success chance for Dodge is increased by +1.	Requires Light Armor Expert.
Meditation Expert	Defense	Unwavering Stance: You can roll meditation to defend from physical attacks against you. If you succeed, then instead of normal damage, your current HP is divided by 2, rounded down. Store of Memory: Add your Meditation skill to your maximum Energy Points. If you did not already have EP, gain 5 + [Meditation] EP.	Requires Level 3 Meditation.
Meditation Elite	Defense	Shield of Faith: You can spend 2 EP to add +2 to any defense roll, once per roll. Mental Toughness: Add your Meditation skill to your maximum HP.	Requires Expert Resistance.
Expert Resistance	Defense	Thick Skin: You can roll Resistance versus any type of elemental attack, whether normal or arcane, such as a flamethrower, explosion, or ice storm. Beefy: Double your HP from Resilience and get +1 to DR in all contexts. Regeneration: You heal HP and conditions twice as fast from resting and medical care.	Requires Level 3 Resilience.
Elite Resistance	Defense	Dust Off: Once per session you can choose to reduce any hit to 1 damage, by explaining how it instead destroyed an item that was already on your person. Strong Heart: People who are attempting to heal you from any negative condition roll their healing skill with +1 advantage die.	Requires Expert Resistance.
Shield Expert	Combat	+1 DR with Shields. Phalanx Maneuver: While wielding a shield, you can enter a defensive stance for the round at the cost of 1 bonus action or normal action. This gives you +1 to all defense rolls until the start of your next turn. Allies who are behind or adjacent to you also gain that benefit.	-
Shield Elite	Combat	At any time, you can use your Bonus Action or Action to shove, bash or throw your shield at an enemy, with a damage of 1+Melee skill. When you do, use your melee skill. Shield Brace: While wielding a shield, if you are about to take damage, you can brace with your shield instead of taking damage, causing the shield to be destroyed.	Requires Shield Expert.
Natural Armor	Defense	You may use your Resilience skill level, with an additional +2 bonus, as your base armor DR, but only while you are wearing no normal or magical armor.	-

Professional Talents increase your proficiency with professional skills.

Talent Name	Category	Description	Restrictions & Requirements
Expert Botanist	Professional	Ranger: You can roll Science to navigate/perceive in lush areas, negotiate or fight with plantoid or fungoid creatures, and craft or cook things from any plant material. Herbalist: You can roll Science to quickly locate and acquire plant-based medicines, potions, poisons, and performance-enhancing drugs anywhere that has plants growing naturally or artificially.	Requires Science 3.
Elite Botanist	Professional	While you rest comfortably among plants, you heal twice as fast. Branching Growth: While you rest comfortably among plants, You have a 1-point XP cost discount on improving all other skills (minimum cost = 1).	Requires Expert Botanist.
Expert Trainer	Professional	Whisperer:You have one unusually intelligent animal companion that can follow complex commands, and it will follow your commands using your bonus action. This animal is controlled by the GM but is as loyal and obedient as possible. If it dies you can train a new one in time. Biologist:You can use Animals in place of Medicine when targeting animals, you can roll Animals instead of Science when analyzing microbiology, and you can roll Animals instead of Crafting when crafting or cooking with animal parts or products. Body Language: You can use your Animals skill as a social skill to communicate nonverbally with people.	Requires Animals 3.
Elite Trainer	Professional	Teamwork: While your animal companion is directly helping you with a task, you have +1 on it. Raging Beast: In battle, your trained pet or mount can take 2 actions that you choose without requiring you to command them.	Requires Expert Trainer.
Expert Sophist	Professional	Wordsmith: You can now roll Literacy to represent eloquent use of wordplay, which should be especially effective to educated audiences. Repartee: In battle, you can spend your action or bonus action to use Literacy or another social skill. If you make insults, and the check meets the enemy's defense value, then you cause them 5 psychic damage as well as distraction. This can crit, but it cannot kill or KO an enemy. Eloquent Praise: When an ally succeeds at a task, you can choose to praise them eloquently, which gives them +1 to an upcoming roll of their choice (maximum of two instances saved on different players).	Requires Literacy 3.
Elite Sophist	Professional	Quick Learner: You receive a 1-point discount on the XP cost of upgrading any skill for which you read a new textbook, once per textbook per level (minimum of 1 XP cost). Luminary: Written stories, poems and scripts you make during or after your adventure are guaranteed to become popular over time.	Requires Expert Sophist.
Expert Analyst	Professional	Raindrops on Roses: You can always sense at least one of a person's favorite things after 1 minute of conversation or observation. Cutting insight: In battle, you can roll insight vs. an enemy as a bonus action. If you succeed, then you gain +1 to hit that individual target for the rest of the fight. You can give this bonus to allies if you can communicate to them about the weak spot that you noticed.	Requires Level 3 Insight.
Elite Analyst	Professional	Learn From Mistakes: After you or another party member fails to meet any TN with a roll, declare this ability and note the number on one of the dice. Thereafter, you can substitute this result for one of your dice on a future roll. Maximum of 1 die stored at a time. Learn From Disaster: Once per session, if you critically fail a rolled skill check, then you can gain +1 XP. This must be done on a roll that was called for by the GM (and therefore one that has risk).	Requires Expert Analyst.
Expert Negotiator	Professional	Diplomat: Once per session, if the enemy can hear you and shares a language, on your turn you can call for parley with a guaranteed success (on the call, not the settlement). Dignitary: Your first request for a meeting with a specific authority figure such as a monarch or CEO is approved without needing to roll.	Requires Level 3 Negotiation.
Elite Negotiator	Professional	Haggler: When you haggle, regardless of the result, your counterparty will always give you at least 20% off. Lawyer: While you are negotiating on the subject of your party's or another person's illegal activities, you can roll this skill with +1 advantage die.	Requires Expert Negotiator.
Expert Artist	Professional	Functional Style: You can spend an appropriate amount of time and materials to decorate a piece of gear, vehicle, or building in a specific way. It gains +1 to a statistic you choose. This stacks with crafted mods though not with itself. You can quickly draw a map of any location based on a description from someone else. You can produce a quick, and acccurate if necessary, sketch of anything during any scene in which you have your hands free.	Requires Level 3 Art.
Elite Artist	Professional	Master Drafter: While your Art skill is equal to or greater than your Crafting skill, add +1 to your Crafting rolls. Zeitgeist: Artworks you make and distribute after you begin adventuring are guaranteed to become famous over time. When you have a map or blueprint of a location, you can immediately locate secret doors and unusual entrances.	Requires Expert Artist.
Expert Pilot	Professional	Mechanic: You can roll your Pilot skill instead of Crafting to perform vehicle repairs. Hot Shot: Add this skill to your initiative in combat. You can also choose to use this skill as your movement speed skill. Brace for Impact: If you have at least 2 HP, then a vehicle crash cannot leave you with less than 1 HP.	Requires Level 3 Pilot.
Elite Pilot	Professional	Grand Theft: You can attempt to break into, steal or hot-wire a locked vehicle using your Pilot skill. Overclock: You can install one additional modification to any vehicle using Crafting skills. Maverick: Once per scene, you can roll with +1 advantage when you insult, contradict, or evade authorities.	Requires Expert Pilot.
Expert Socialite	Professional	Charmer: People will view you as inexplicably more presentable, personable and attractive than the rest of the party. Carouser: If you spend an evening among social clubs in a new town, you can make at least 1 new friend. Presentable: If fine clothes, perfumes and makeup are available to you, you can apply these to give yourself +1 on all social skills until you get dirty again.	Requires Level 3 Talk.
Elite Socialite	Professional	Party Animal: Attending a celebration or holiday of any kind heals you 10 health points and 1 exhaustion, and leaves you with a +1d6 that you can apply to any skill roll until your next event (maximum of 2 charges held). Flattery: While you are chatting with someone, they won't notice your first attempt to steal, snoop, cast magic, or plant traps/devices--the attempt may not succeed, but the failure won't be noticed.	Requires Expert Socialite.
Expert Brute	Professional	Bodybuilding: Double your HP from Athletics. Flex: If you are physically flexing or showing off your strength in some way, then you can roll Athletics as a social skill. Bruiser: Add +1 damage to all attacks with Brawl or 2-handed weapons.	Requires Level 3 Athletics.
Elite Brute	Professional	Push It: You can increase any check you make or damage you deal that primarily involves strength by spending your HP or EP to add to the result, 1:1. Pillar: Your critical success range for using Resilience, Crafting, Leadership, 2-handed weapons, throwing, and forcible athletics increases by +1. Strength Coach: Once per session, you can let all party members attempting the same strength related task use your skill level by guiding them.	Requires Expert Brute.
Expert Acrobat	Professional	Parkour: At any time, you can climb, jump or fall up to 3 meters safely in any direction, with no roll needed, as part of one move action. +2 to Movement and +2 to Initiative. You can Move as a bonus action in combat.	Requires Level 3 Athletics.
Elite Acrobat	Professional	While unrestrained, you can always roll or flip past an enemy as part of your move action with no skill check needed. Grace: Your critical success range for using Stealth, Dodge, Teleportation, Brawl, 1-handed weapons, and athletic movements increases by +1. Agility Coach: Once per session, you can let all party members attempting the same agility related task use your skill by guiding them.	Requires Expert Acrobat.
Expert Scientist	Professional	Academic Discipline: You can roll Science with +1 to locate ingredients and you can roll your science skill to persuade others with your scientific knowledge. Tools of the Trade: You always have spare needles and flasks available, and they do not count to your carrying capacity.	Requires Science Skill 3.
Elite Scientist	Professional	You no longer need a laboratory to craft drugs and bombs, but you have +1 for science rolls when it is available. Anomalous Materials: If you have appropriate tools, you can roll Science to attempt to detect, identify, and brew arcane and psychic phenomena.	Requires Expert Scientist.
Expert Historian	Professional	If it is part of your society, then you can easily find at least 1 secret about every major faction, historical figure, and famous place. When outside of your own society, you can roll literacy with +1 advantage die to locate the above information about alien or past societies, whether in a book, data or person. If you tell a story of at least 1 minute real-time to the party while they are resting, everyone regains +2 HP and +2 EP from resting.	Requires Literacy 3.
Elite Historian	Professional	Legends: Once per non-arcane skill, you can guarantee one basic success that skill by describing the a historical figure who was legendary at this skill. Archaeologist: While navigating, investigating, or exploring ruins or abandoned areas, you can roll one check per scene with +1d6. Storyteller: When you are explaining your party's deeds or goals to another person or group, you can roll Literacy as a social skill with +1.	Requires Expert Historian.
Expert Leader	Professional	Inspiration: Once per scene, at any time you can instantly give an ally +1 on a roll if you give them encouraging words. 1/session you can give +2 instead of +1. Distinguished: It is obvious that you lead the party and make all final decisions. You can choose to roll any social skill check with other leaders using a base die of 4d4+skill. Battle Orders: You can direct the party's initiative order during combat as long as you can communicate with them.	Requires Leadership 3. Does not work on animals. Only one player per group may take this talent.
Elite Leader	Professional	Warning: Once per battle, you can warn one ally to get +1 advantage die on a defense roll. Humility: Once per non-arcane skill, before you roll a check, you can tell the party a brief story about how you failed spectacularly at a certain skill you now posess, in your youth, and learned a lesson. You then get a guaranteed basic success on that task. Commander: Using leadership skill checks, you may gain up to 2 sophont minions. They are unimportant people that believe in your cause. They will die instantly at 0 hp.	Requires Expert Leader. Does not work on animals.
Expert Engineer	Professional	Efficiency: When you craft or repair using a crate of parts, you only have a 1d4 chance of expending it. Improvisation: You can roll Crafting to locate nearby crafting materials, persuade people about construction plans, or to fight or defend using crafting tools such as a wrench or sheet metal.	Requires Crafting 3
Elite Engineer	Professional	Percussive Maintenance: You can make one repair attempt on any damaged device without needing parts. Tinker: With Crafting, you can now add up to 2 custom modifications to each tool, vehicle, weapon, or equipment piece. The 2 modifications must do different things. Quality Construction: You cannot get less than a basic success on the first roll required for use of a machine that you repaired or crafted (once per device).	Requires Expert Engineer.
Expert Musician	Professional	You can roll Music to try to accurately imitate any sound you have heard, using your voice or an instrument. Songs of Power: Without rolling, you can play/sing a Song of Power - speed, rest, charm, strength, etc, with each taking at least 5 minutes and granting a +1 benefit to one statistics of a consenting audience lasting 1 hour, [skill] times per day. Only one can be active at a time. More can be discovered as well.	Requires Music 3.
Elite Musician	Professional	Good Ear: You can roll Music instead of Perception to sense all possible information about a sound or vibration you hear, and when it is dark and quiet, you can roll with +1 advantage die to perceive sounds. Star: Songs you create and play after you begin adventuring are guaranteed to become popular over time. After an audience hears you play or sing, you can roll music to interact with them socially.	Requires Expert Musician.
Demolitions Expert	Professional	Saboteur: When you are using, hiding, crafting, transporting, or modifying grenades, explosives, or bombs of all sorts, you roll with 3 dice and keep the highest 2. Grenadier: You can throw a grenade, throw a bomb or set a trap as a bonus action in combat.	Requires Science 1.
Expert Hacker	Professional	It takes you no longer than a day to become familiar with a new computer language. When you roll doubles on any attempted computer check, you get a glimpse of an important piece of data. Natural Language: You can roll your computers skill as a social skill with robots and artificial intelligences.	Requires Computers 3.
Elite Hacker	Professional	Remote Injection: You can attempt to hack robots over WiFi within 10m of your physical position. System Overload: Using a hardwired connection, you can attempt to inject a virus to cause any microchip to spark and burn after a short time. Actually: You can always roll checks of academic knowledge and trivia at the level of your lowest trained skill (+1 or more).	Requires Expert Hacker.
Expert Healer	Professional	Doctor: Your first aid healing amount increases to 1d4+skill. Triage: You can administer drugs as a bonus action in combat, to yourself or others, as long as you can immediately touch both the drugs and the patient. Surgeon: The time it takes you to give first aid, surgery, or diagnosis is reduced by half (5/60/10 minutes to 2.5/30/5 minutes).	Requires Medicine skill 3.
Elite Healer	Professional	Medic: You can do first aid without a medical kit. When you do use a medical kit, your first aid heal amount increases to 2d4+skill. Healer: When doing any action that requires a medical kit, you only have a 25% chance of expending it. Therapist: You can roll Medicine as a social skill when comforting an injured, distressed, sad or upset person.	Requires Expert Healer.
Expert Investigator	Professional	When examining an item, you can always get a specific clue about the last person to touch or use this item. When you meet a new person, you can always find one clue about the last place they have been by looking at them.	Requires Perception 3.
Elite Investigator	Professional	Inspector: Each time you enter a new area, you can automatically notice a clue about what happened there recently, without rolling or acting. Sixth Sense: You can sense hints about nearby supernatural effects with this professional skill.	Requires Expert Investigator.
Stealth Expert	Professional	Using Stealth, you can now attempt to hide only with minor cover such as tall grass, mist or shadows. When you are using full cover to simply hide and observe, you will automatically succeed on any stealth check and do not roll. You can roll Stealth with +1 to disguise or camoflauge yourself if appropriate materials are available.	Requires Stealth 3
Stealth Elite	Professional	Chief Infiltrator: You can roll your stealth skill for up to [skill] allies in addition to you, and they will all share your exact result. Anti-Security: If you have the proper tools, you can roll Stealth instead of Crafting to defeat locks and disable mechanical traps. Great Deceiver: You can roll Stealth as a social skill but only when you are primarily lying.	Requires Stealth Expert
Expert Navigator	Professional	Sleeping outdoors in a tent counts as comfortable rest for you. You always know when there are tracks or signs of passage in an area, and you have advantage to identify and follow them. You can always identify +1 non-obvious viable route to a destination, without needing a roll to identify it.	Requires Navigation 3.
Elite Navigator	Professional	Good Nose: You can roll Navigation like a sensing skill to sense hints of what lies in each direction (including secret doors). Set a course: When making, preparing, or changing the party's plan of action, you have +1 to all rolls. Prepared for Unforeseen Consequences: Once per scene, whenever an ally within 20m of you is about to experience disaster, knockout or death, you get one special instant action of your choice.	Requires Expert Navigator.

Miscellaneous Talents give you benefits that are not directly related to combat, magic or skills.

Talent Name	Category	Description	Restrictions & Requirements
Aura of Emotion	Miscellaneous	At all times, people who are within 5 meters of you have their current emotions amplified. The standard effect is a moderate but noticeable increase in extremity. Intimidation becomes fear, friendliness becomes obsequiousness, disrespect becomes disgust, etc You can attempt to try increase or reduce the effect, but must describe how. Other players may freely choose whether or not they are immune to it.	-
Aura of Menace	Miscellaneous	By default, you have +1 advantage die when rolling a check to affect people and animals that are smaller than you, lower status than you or that are obviously suffering from some condition. In combat, you can attempt to intimidate an enemy as a bonus action. This could make them shaken, flee, etc. If you fail a roll using this talent, then this no longer has an effect with this particular person or animal. Other players may freely choose whether or not they are immune to your aura.	-
Aura of Revolution	Miscellaneous	By default, you have +1 when rolling a check to affect an entity who is larger, more powerful, more wealthy or more highly ranked than you, and on all leadership checks to motivate groups. If you fail a roll using this talent, then this no longer has an effect with this particular target. As a bonus action, you may exhort an ally, allowing them one instant roll to attempt to overcome a negative condition. Other players may freely choose whether or not they are immune to your aura.	Requires Leadership skill.
Earthen Origin	Miscellaneous	You are accustomed to living underground. Stone Tell: You can gain special information from stones by carefully inspecting or listening to them. Stonecunning: You roll with +1 advantage die when digging, seeking valuable minerals, navigating in caves or mountains, and moving or dodging rocks with mundane or magical means. Tremorsense: Relying less on sight, you can sense the shape of movements within 10m of you through solid objects that you are touching, due to vibrations.	-
Robotic Body	Miscellaneous	You have a robotic body. Galvanic Metabolism: You do not eat, sleep, or breathe, and you can exist in vacuum without issues, but you require 1 charged power cell per 18 hours of operation. Artifical Corpus: Damage you take must be repaired with spare parts and crafting skill. You can't take poison or psychic damage, but you may rust, corrode, get hacked, get viruses, or short-circuit in water. Modular Construction: 1 custom modification can be installed or exchanged on your body to fit your needs. Data Transfer: With a secure wired connection, you can exchange information (not skills) with other machines in binary code at very high speed.	You must have GM permission and contextual logic.
Aquatic Origin	Miscellaneous	You are some sort of sophont amphibious creature. Proprioception: You can hold your breath for up to 4 hours and swim twice as fast as you run. You can fight normally underwater with appropriate weapons. Oxygen Compression: You sustain no damage or illness from liquid pressure up to 200m depth. Echolocation: While immersed in liquid, you can sense things sharing that same body of water via vibrations instead of sight up to 50m away. Liquid Sanctuary: If you rest partially or wholly immersed in clean water, you regenerate HP and EP twice as fast, and recover form conditions twice as fast.	-
Avian Origin	Miscellaneous	You are a winged sophont creature of some sort. You can fly at-will. Flying occupies 1 concentration slot. You always need at least a 3m cube of space for flight, smaller spaces cannot be flown in. If you take hits while airborne, you must succeed on a Meditation roll or fall, taking another hit from gravity when you hit the ground. You may need to roll Athletics to fly in adverse conditions. You cannot fly while wearing or carrying anything heavy.	-
True Grit	Miscellaneous	Any time you would be doing dirty or unpleasant manual labor, get +1 to your roll. While Dying you may take 1 action each turn, with no penalties. Each time you do this, reduce the time until you die by one minute.	-
Heroic Destiny	Miscellaneous	You can use this talent to roll with +1 advantage die on any roll. The first and second time each session you perform a good deed, you refresh one charge. You can hold up to 2 charges at a time.	Good deeds should include rescues, healing the weak, spending time to comfort the distraught, significant donations (~50% of your wealth), etc.
Villainous Destiny	Miscellaneous	You can use this talent to roll with +1 advantage die on any roll. The first and second time each session you perform an evil deed, you refresh one charge. You can hold up to 2 charges at a time.	The table must agree on whether to allow a villainous protagonist. Evil deeds should include getting away with thefts, murders, intimidating others, bold selfish acts, etc.
Collector	Miscellaneous	You always find at least 1 useful item per session as long as you search for items at least once in a session.	-
Companion	Miscellaneous	You have a sophont npc companion of some sort. If taken after character creation, there must be in-game context for it. They are willing to die for you. They have their own skills, 2 in one skill and 1 in two skills. They can be commanded as a free action, but only by you. Command of them may be delegated, but they will not blindly follow others as they do you. They are controlled by the GM but will do whatever you want, even if hurts them permanently. Note that this talent is not the only way to gain such a companion. If they die, this talent is refunded.	GM has companion's details and controls them according to your orders.
Photographic Memory	Miscellaneous	You can accurately recall all that you have seen and heard, down to the smallest detail. Increase the size of one die you roll on all checks to recall knowledge.	-
Oracle	Miscellaneous	Each time you sleep or nap, you can choose to receive a mysterious vision, message, or warning related to your mission. The GM will deliver it. This requires no roll, resource cost, or arcane ability. If you like, you may combine this with prayers or ceremonies focusing on specific topics or spiritual entities.	-
Quick Sleeper	Miscellaneous	You require only 4 hours of sleep per day instead of the usual 8. One per day, you can Power Nap, getting 8 hours of healing in 30 minutes.	-
Fearless	Miscellaneous	Once per scene, when you set yourself to a brave and dangerous purpose, gain +1 to your next roll.	-
Spirit Guide	Miscellaneous	A mysterious spiritual entity becomes your guide and mentor. No one else can perceive this being or its words except you, but you can always talk to it and it will always give you good advice. While theoretically powerful, it chooses not to tell you everything, wanting you to be challenged, but also wanting you to grow and succeed. You can ask for it to perform a physical or arcane action to aid you, but if it agrees, it will disappear forever. If it does, then this talent is refunded and you cannot choose it again.	-
Hunter	Miscellaneous	You gain +1 to rolls for all projectile or thrown weapon attacks that you make as reactions. Survivalist: Once per session, you can add +1 to one check of one of the following skills: Science, Animals, Navigation, Crafting, Perception, Stealth Hunter's Sense: Additionally, at any time, you will receive a "tingly feeling" when you or the party is being waylaid, ambushed, hunted, watched, or stalked nonconsensually, with a dim awareness of what is hunting you, no roll required (you can ask the GM for this information at any time).	-
Sailor	Miscellaneous	You always succeed to perform basic navigational, piloting and docking tasks with any type of ship, airplane, airship, submarine or interplanar vessel. Under duress, you can roll to perform such tasks with +1. Sleeping within any of the above vehicles is considered comfortable rest for you.	-
New Path	Miscellaneous	Gain another Path. This can start you on a new Basic Path or progress you to an Advanced or Master path. This talent costs 20 XP.	Costs 20 XP. Can be repeated.