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Thirteen Zobecker Character Traits

Thirteen Zobecker Character Traits

Zobeck gearforged cavalryThe denizens of Zobeck are a diverse polyglot of peoples and traditions. They live a hard but robust life in and around their beloved city. Thus they have skills and abilities not found elsewhere in Midgard. Here are a few uniquely Zobeckian traits to make PCs and NPCs as unique as the city itself.

  1. Child of Verhangnisvoll: You were born on the shortest, darkest day of the year, or the long night that follows. You have been touched by the darkness of the Void. Effect: You gain a +1 trait bonus to the DC to resist any spell you cast with the Darkness descriptor.
  2. Child of Imbrue: You were born on the day of the annual Planting Festival. You have always been fecund and creative. Effect: Choose one Craft or Profession. You gain a +1 trait bonus to all checks made with that skill, and it is a class skill for you.
  3. War Child: You were born on the Feasting Day of Mavros, the War God. You have always been skilled in the arts of war. Effect: You may choose one exotic weapon proficiency you would not normally have access to. You are proficient with that weapon.
  4. Child of the Spring Feasting: You are a kobold, born on the day of the Spring Feasting in Lillefor, during the Great Games. Since then, you have excelled at the games and brought home the brass ring for your family and clan. Special: The character must be a kobold. Effect: Choose one of the following skills: Acrobatics, Climb, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Fly, Handle Animal, Perform, Ride, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, or Swim. You gain a +1 trait bonus to this skill, and it is a class skill for you.
  5. Child of Vielfraz: You were born on the midsummer Feast of Mammon, and you show the craftiness of the Fire Elemental God. Effect: You gain a +1 trait bonus to all Appraise and Bluff checks, and one of these is a class skill for you.
  6. Bin Caliphata (“Scion of the White Caliph”): You are one of the Sikkimese minorities in Zobeck, but were born on the Feast Day of the First Caliph. You have always shown the world you have the wisdom and insight of the White Caliph. Effect: You gain a +1 trait bonus to all Knowledge (history and religion) checks, and one of these is a class skill for you.
  7. Child of Messern: You were born on the day of the fall Reaping festival. You have always been able to sense the ebb and flow of the living and the dying. Effect: You gain the ability to use deathwatch as a spell-like ability once per day for five minutes. The minutes need not be consecutive.
  8. Trip Hammer Arms: You are a gearforged, built for war. Your high-gauge steam valves and combat-optimized gears allow you to strike with devastating force. Special: The character must be a gearforged. Effect: You gain a +1 bonus to all melee damage rolls made with bludgeoning weapons.
  9. Alleycat Child: You were born and raised in the ghettos, alleyways, and Cartways of Zobeck. You know all their ins and outs and never get lost in Zobeck, but can easily evade a pursuer in your home territory. Effect: You gain a +2 trait bonus to all Stealth and Survival checks made in the Kobold Ghetto and the Cartways (only). One of these is a class skill for you.
  10. Blessed of Perun: You have been touched by the God of Storms. Effect: You gain a +1 trait bonus to all saving throws against any spell or spell-like effect with the Electricity descriptor.
  11. Child of the Old Groves: You were born and raised in the Old Margreve Forest outside the city limits of Zobeck. You know its ways and how to placate its spirit. Effect: You gain a +2 trait bonus to all Stealth and Survival checks made in the Old Margreve Forest (only). One of these is a class skill for you.
  12. Cunning of the Kariv: You are Kariv, or were raised among them. You have inherited the cunning and guile for which the Wandering Folk are (in)famous. Effect: You gain a +1 trait bonus to all Bluff and Sleight of Hand checks, and one of these is a class skill for you.
  13. Student of the Collegium: You are or have been a student of the Arcane Collegium of Zobeck. You are wise in the mysteries of Midgard. Effect: You gain a +1 trait bonus to all Knowledge (arcana and planes) checks, and one of these is a class skill for you.

5 thoughts on “Thirteen Zobecker Character Traits”

  1. Nice traits Adam. I like the fact that rather than the typical generic “street rat” type traits these really tie into the mythos of Zobeck via the various festivals and holy days. If you are in a Zobeck campaign or game these are great.

  2. Very nice Adam. I ran a (very chaotic) game at a convention in Dallas earlier this month and let the players choose two traits for their pre-gens to get them to connect with the characters. It seemed to work well, the player of the Gearforged agonized particularly over the single trait he got to choose from the gearforged list I came up with (you can only choose one from each category after all) and what he DID choose surprised me. I’m definitely adding these to any games I run in the future.

  3. Nice backgrounds, Adam. As others have mentioned, you captured the feeling of Zobeck, not just a generic city.

    Wade, I was thinking the same thing!

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