• View
• Edit
• History
• Print

StruggleTrait

Struggle Trait

In addition to a Weakness, each player should also choose a personal issue that serves as a continual source of internal conflict. This could manifest as a fight against a destructive tendency, a conflicting interests or duties, or a behavioral dichotomy. This is the character's Struggle.

Each character's Stuggle Trait has a dual Rating that ranges from (1/5) to (5/1) that represents the current previlence of each element in the dichotomy. In other words, the dual Rating shows how far towards each which end of the Struggle's spectrum the player current resides. At character creation, the player can choose any Rating they wish for each of the two elements, provided the sum of the two Ratings is equal to 6, and neither Rating is less than 1.

During play, changes in the Ratings of the Struggle Trait can occur when dramatially appropriate. Specifically, when the the character takes an action that reinforces the theme of their internal struggle, making them eligible for a Balance Shift. In these instances, if there is a majority group concensus, the Rating of the character's Struggle Shifts one point in the appropriate 'direction'.

[I]Example:[/I]

[I]Let's say our friendly neighborhood super-hero has the Struggle "A Normal Life vs Great Responsibility" (3/3). He decides to stop a mugging on the way to a reconciliation dinner with his ex-girlfriend, even thought he knows that this was his last chance to patch things together between them. Because this decision thematically reinforces his Struggle he would now be eligble for a Balance Shift. The majority of the group concurs and his Struggle Rating changes to (2/4). This indicates a Shift 'towards' the "Great Responsiblity" end of the Struggle's spectrum.[/I]

Uses in Play

The Stuggle Trait also functions as a number of Held Dice that the player can draw upon at any time during play. Each time the player draws upon this Trait he gains a number of held dice equal to the higher of the two Ratings, if the action being undertaken thematically supports the element with the higher Rating. Afterwards, that Rating is reduced by 1.

[I]Example[/I]:

[I]Our hero described above decides to draw on his Struggle Trait to aid in stopping a villian from blowing up a busload of senior citizens. Since the action fits thematically with his Struggle, he gains 4 free dice towards his pool from the "Great Responsibility" element, which is the greater of his two Struggle Ratings. Afterward, his Struggle rating would immediately reduce from (2/4) to (2/3).[/I]

This leaves his Stuggle in a state of Unbalance, as the Ratings of the two elements no longer add up to 6. The player can remedy this by taking dramatically appropriate actions that would make him eligble for a Balance Shift. Otherwise if a character's Struggle remains Unbalanced until the end of the session, it automatically refresh to it's balanced state at the beginning of the next session.

[I]By Vasco "Karasu" Brown[/I]