-- ReginaldGusto - 08 Nov 2015

The following entries are for your basic benefits and drawbacks, purchased with Feature Points (FP). What you purchase here is about your day to day life, the little perks and annoyances that every Human being has to deal with or work with as he goes about his life. These features come from and reflect your interaction with the normal world. Some of them may also carry over into your Kaiju life, at the discretion of the GM.

Addiction (Gain 3 FP): You have a particular need that you absolutely must tend to. At least once a day, you must devote a deliberate action to taking care of this addiction. If you do not, you suffer a -1 to all actions the first day, a -2 every day after, and gain a Primal Energy every day until you take care of it. Furthermore, if you spend money in a game session, roll a d10. On a 1, you’re out of money that day.

Additional languages (2 apiece): Your character understands more than just his or her native language. Taking this feature comes with the assumption that you are mostly fluent at speaking, reading, and writing the language, but that you speak it with your native accent.

Celestial ally/friend/network (4): Someone is looking out for you. Maybe you helped a Questor find what he was after, or had a long friendly discussion with an Adept in a coffee shop. Maybe your best friend became an Angel at the same time you erupted as a Guardian. Maybe the Council of Wizards keeps you apprised of things in your area, or the Fae near your house sometimes invite you to their rituals. This feature’s effects are narrative in nature. Taking this feature lets the GM bring into the game a Celestial character, one that has a connection to the party through your character. He may provide limited help, information, auxiliary support, or move the plot along by needing help or information himself.

Code of Honor (3): There are some rules your character simply will not break. +1 XP at the end of every session where your character adhered to his code in a way that altered the narrative of the game. For example: Lyle DeWitt is a Guardian who absolutely will never attack a woman. During an investigation, his party was ambushed by guards led by the Queen Kaiju Lady Jane. His cohorts were about to flee the fight when Lady Jane took a hostage, demanding surrender. Lyle had a clear shot, and could have ended the encounter by killing her. Because of his code of honor, he refused, and the team was captured and brought to Lady Jane’s client for questioning. As a result, at the end of that session, Lyle’s player gets 1 additional XP.

Criminal record/Wanted (Gain 2 FP): Everywhere you go, you have to be careful about encounters with Law Enforcement. They don’t like you, and may try to arrest you. This feature allows the GM to spice up the plot by introducing law enforcement as a complication to any story arc. Also, in any social interaction where Law Enforcement is involved, you roll at a -3. On special or exceptional failures, they become convinced that you are trouble and arrest you.

Fast reader (1): You acquire knowledge from written text at a much faster rate than most people. The GM may allow you to make more than one research roll in a time period that might normally allow only 1, or may allow you to take other actions along with a research roll.

Good memory (2): +3 to memory rolls, a specialization under AWA.

Handicap/Illness/Disfigurement/Insanity (Gain X FP Each, up to a maximum of 3 each): Each one of these taken gives you a -1, -3, or -6 to one of your six traits, depending on whether you took a 1, 2, or 3 point version respectively. This drawback will have other narrative effects as well, such as being unable to walk if paraplegic, unable to speak if mute, and so on. You will have to describe what the handicap is.

Homeless (Gain 5 FP): You do not have a home base, or a safe place to sleep or store your goods. You may not take the feature Wealthy along with Homeless. You may not gain Celestial energy from any source that requires comfort and privacy. Furthermore, you gain 1 Primal energy per night.

Kaiju ally/friend/network (3): Maybe you protected a Brother’s Human support structure during an eruption. Maybe you gave him a place to hide, or talked him down. Maybe you know how to satisfy his hunger or focus in a way that lets him not hurt other people. Maybe you’re a known upstanding adherent of the Diaspora. This feature’s effects are narrative in nature. Taking this feature lets the GM bring into the game a Kaiju character, one that has a connection to the party through your character. He may provide limited help, information, auxiliary support, or move the plot along by needing help or information himself.

Membership (1): You are an accepted member in good standing with some organization that grants benefits to its members. A church, the Freemasons, a normal volunteer for Habitat For Humanity, a professional guild or association, faculty at a University, a Union, a wine club, school organizations, or even unsavory groups such as the KKK, a street gang, or an organized crime outfit. This power brings in narrative possibilities of their interference, your need to maintain good relations, consequences of lapsing or falling out, and others. It also grants you all benefits associated with that membership such as possible social ties, access to facilities and resources, information, auxiliary support, and others.

Mentor (2): You have a teacher, guardian, parental figure, or other person of some authority from which you learned or on whom you relied. Your relations are assumed to be good. This person can provide up to 2 Celestial energy per visit, as well as all the usual narrative possibilities that arise from having him or her in the game.

Minority (Gain 1 FP): Depending on the character concept, this drawback may be a minority race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or any other intrinsic feature that may cause some others to view you with some distrust or treat you differently. -1 to social interactions where your minority status plays a roll, but +1 in social interactions with your fellow minorities if your minority is a religion. -2 to social interactions with law enforcement.

Network (1): You are well followed on Twitter or Facebook, or you are a regular commenter on Reddit or Newsvine, or even something simple like you go to a large church. Unlike membership, this benefit does not have to be maintained, but the bonds and benefits are looser. +1 to research rolls, and +2 to social rolls that involve “spreading the word” or “getting the message out.”

Obligation (Gain 2 FP): There is something in life that makes significant demands on your time and efforts. A child, an elderly person, being on call at the job, a friend going through a hard time, a volunteering activity, or any number of other things you have to do. Failure to tend to some of them could lead to serious legal and social consequences, while others might only cost you some heartburn and frustration. Every day you don’t tend to your obligation, you gain a Primal Energy.

Physical advantage (2): This power taps into the oddities that grace some of us: double jointed, iron stomach, good immune system, high alcohol tolerance, and so on. Each one gives you a +1 in some particular kind of physical roll. For example, strong bones might give you a +1 vs. Wound when the breaking of bones is at stake, or iron stomach might give you a +1 to resist wound if you accidentally ingest a corrosive material.

Prize tool/talisman (3): You have some item that is a part of who you are. It might be a good car, a family heirloom, your wedding ring, a leatherman, your lucky overcoat, a doctor’s kit, or anything else you are rarely if ever seen without. This item can store one Celestial energy only, and may be invoked once per in-game day to grant you a +1 to any roll in which the item would come into play. For example: Linda Lionel, a 5 year old girl, has a teddy bear she carries with her everywhere. When the neighbor erupts and his Bogeyman tries to scare her, she can use the teddy bear for a +1 to her WIL vs. Fear.

Rank/Commission (4): Your character wields real authority in certain circumstances. He or she might be a doctor, a police officer, a college professor, an elected official, or the manager at a store. +1 to all actions in your context of authority, and +2 to all social rolls with your underlings.

Reputation (1-3, or gain 1-3 FP): Your name is known in some circles. If taken as a benefit: +1 to all social interactions in situations where your reputation would come into play and be seen as a good one. If taken as a drawback: Your name is ignominious for something. -1 to all social interactions where your reputation would come into play and be seen as a negative.

Wealthy(4): You get the benefit of the doubt as to the question of you can afford something. Other narrative effects may occur as well, such as having a large house or mansion, owning a large business, having a butler, etc.