Perks represent special sets of abilities which Characters of any Role may have access to.
They provide you with the ability to customize your Characters further, and you will be provided with the option of picking a Perk many times throughout their Story.
When you first create a Character you may choose 3 Perks. These may be from the Combat, Magic or Utility Perk Lists, or Settings Perk Lists which are permitted within your groups Story.
You may also choose to Train an Ability instead of choosing a Perk. You may not use this to train an Ability above +3* until your Character is Level 4 or higher, and you may not train an Ability higher than +5* unless a feature specifically allows them to do so.
If you’d prefer to have your initial 3 Perks pre-selected for you, you may prefer to choose a “Perk Pack” from the list of available Perk Packs, which are designed to help new Players quickly create many popular fantasy archetypes.
Rules for Choosing these Perks are presented below.
Rules for Choosing Perks
Generally speaking, you may only pick a Perk once, although some Perks may be chosen multiple times, granting additional benefits when they are chosen.
Additionally, you may in most cases change the Perks you have chosen when you Level Up.
The exception to this rule is when a Perk is gained from a Role or a Theme, as other features granted by those Roles and Themes may depend upon the Character having that Perk.
Additionally some Perks may only be chosen when your Character has reached a certain Level, or be chosen additional times at certain Levels.
Perk Categories
While Perks may be chosen by a range of different Characters it is important to consider that many Perks may be better or worse for some types of than other.
For example, a Character which primarily Casts Spells is unlikely to get much use from a Perk which improves their ability to Attack with a Weapon.
For this reason, Perks are separated into four different categories: Combat Perks, Magic Perks, Utility Perks and Settings Perks. You may also see a comprehensive list of all Perks on the Perks Page.
Some features will specify that a Character may only choose a Perk from a specific list, however in general the Categories only serve to guide Player choices, and Players are free to experiment with a range of different options.
Combat Perks
Combat Perks are especially good for Characters who engage in physical forms of combat. In particular, they are recommended for Roles from the Martial Group, however other Roles which find themselves using Weaponry may wish to consider such Perks.
Martial Roles often grant Characters the ability to gain an additional Combat Perk as part of their features.
Weapon Techniques, Combat Stances and Combat Maneuvers
Among the Combat Perks there are a specific set of Perks which offer greater potential for customizability in Martial Characters in a manner reminiscent of how Spellcasters may choose certain Cantrips and Spells.
The Weapon Techniques Basic Perk allows a Character to pick two Weapon Techniques.
Weapon Techniques offer Martial Characters ways to use Weapons with specific Weapon Properties to cause a range of effects, such as knocking Targets Prone, putting more power into theirs Attacks etc. They may be seen as analogous to Spellcasters Cantrips, producing similar effects without requiring resource expenditure.
The Combat Mastery Advanced Perk allows a Character to pick either two Combat Maneuvers, two Combat Stances or one of each, as well as Train one Ability.
Combat Maneuvers offer Martial Characters ways in which they may expend Stamina to perform fantastical feats of martial prowess. These may be seen as analogous to the Levelled Spells available to Spellcasters.
Combat Stances offer Martial Characters a way to Concentrate on a particular effect, usually representing them taking on a particular style of fighting. These may be seen as analogous to the Spells requiring Concentration available to Spellcasters.
Magic Perks
Magic Perks are especially good for Characters with the Spellcasting feature, as often they grant them the ability to grant additional Spells they do not normally have access to or otherwise make additional use of their Spellcasting Abilities.
Note that some Fantasies and Settings where Magic is not included will not allow Characters to choose Magic Perks: such features are explicitly Magical in nature.
If a Magic Perk grants you the Spellcasting Feature, it will also grant you the ability to use a Wand as a Spellcasting Focus for Casting Spells which require a Focus, and if a Spell learned through this requires Mana you will begin with two Mana Points if you previously did not already have Mana Points. Additionally your Spellcasting Ability Bonus for any Spell learned from a Perk will always be equal to the highest of your Mental Ability Bonuses (Charisma, Focus or Intelligence).
Utility Perks
Utility Perks represent a set of features which are neither Magical in nature nor are they specifically designed for use within Combat. They often may offer ways for Characters to excel in certain Skill based activities, or grant them additional benefits like an Animal Companion.
Utility Perks are often recommended to Characters from the Support or Expert Role groups as these Roles may not be specifically inclined towards Combat or Magic Perks, while Utility Perks are more generally useful to all Characters.
Settings Perks
Settings Perks represent a range of different features which are only accessible within a particular Setting, allowing Players to better represent Fantasies specific to them. For example Perks which allow players to play as an Elf might be found in the Traditional Fantasy Perks, but not among the Modern Fantasy Perks. Meanwhile Perks which allow a Character to play as an Android might only be found among the Future Fantasy Perks.
In general Players should only expect to have access to Perks from Settings which correspond to where their Story takes place, however groups may agree to allow Perks from a range of different Settings to be available, especially where those Stories are intended to include elements of many different Settings.
Next Steps
Having learned about how to Choose a Perk, you may wish to look at the Combat, Magic or Utility Perk Lists, or Settings Perk Lists, or the comprehensive list of Perks on the Perks Page.
The next Page in this series is how to Choose your own Ability Bonuses.
The Previous Page in this series is how to choose your Starting Inventory.