TEXT: 1 
   
  Character Options
  Character Options
  Character Options
  Character Options    
  For the Nova game engine
  For the Nova game engine
  For the Nova game engine
  For the Nova game engine    
  
  2 
  Character Options for Nova
  Character Options for Nova
  Character Options for Nova
  Character Options for Nova    
  W
  W
  W
  Written by George Chatzipetros
  ritten by George Chatzipetros
  ritten by George Chatzipetros
  ritten by George Chatzipetros    
  Contact me at neonblue@GameBox.net
  Contact me at neonblue@GameBox.net
  Contact me at neonblue@GameBox.net
  Contact me at neonblue@GameBox.net    
  Grasp the core of  Nova and other su
  Grasp the core of  Nova and other su
  Grasp the core of  Nova and other su
  Grasp the core of  Nova and other sup-
  p-
  p-
  p-
  plements at http://members.xoom.com/
  plements at http://members.xoom.com/
  plements at http://members.xoom.com/
  plements at http://members.xoom.com/
  sidhe7
  sidhe7
  sidhe7
  sidhe7    
  A
  A
  A
  A sourcebook which e
   sourcebook which e
   sourcebook which e
   sourcebook which ex-
  x-
  x-
  x-
  pands the character 
  pands the character 
  pands the character 
  pands the character 
  cre
  cre
  cre
  creaaaation rules of 
  tion rules of 
  tion rules of 
  tion rules of Nova
  Nova
  Nova
  Nova, , , , 
  allowing you to create 
  allowing you to create 
  allowing you to create 
  allowing you to create 
  truly individual and cu
  truly individual and cu
  truly individual and cu
  truly individual and cus-
  s-
  s-
  s-
  tomised character s. 
  tomised character s. 
  tomised character s. 
  tomised character s. 
  Co
  Co
  Co
  Connnntains rules for non
  tains rules for non
  tains rules for non
  tains rules for non----
  human races as well as 
  human races as well as 
  human races as well as 
  human races as well as 
  special gifts and dra
  special gifts and dra
  special gifts and dra
  special gifts and draw-
  w-
  w-
  w-
  backs your character 
  backs your character 
  backs your character 
  backs your character 
  can have.
  can have.
  can have.
  can have.    
  
  3 
  Contents
  Contents
  Contents
  Contents    
  Non
  Non
  Non
  Non----human races………………..4
  human races………………..4
  human races………………..4
  human races………………..4    
  Attribute generation…………………….4 
  Traits……………………………………...5 
  Gifts and Drawbacks…………….6
  Gifts and Drawbacks…………….6
  Gifts and Drawbacks…………….6
  Gifts and Drawbacks…………….6    
  Universal points…………………………6 
  Gifts………………………………………6 
  Drawbacks……………………………….8 
   
  
  4 
  Non
  Non
  Non
  Non----Human Races
  Human Races
  Human Races
  Human Races    
  AAAAttribute generation
  ttribute generation
  ttribute generation
  ttribute generation    
      
  Many role-playing games,    especially 
  fantasy and science fiction ones, al-
  low players to play characters other 
  than humans. Common examples are 
  elves, dwarves, orcs etc. A game sys-
  tem then has to contain a mechanic 
  so that these races are in some way 
  different than humans.  
            The most easy way to do this 
  is during the step of attribute genera-
  tion. The assumption is that some 
  races are more or less strong, quick 
  or intelligent than humans and this 
  reflects in their attributes.  
            Humans are considered by 
  most games to be average in all; this 
  gives them a certain amount of flexi-
  bility. No changes need to be made 
  in the rules of attribute generation 
  for humans. If this isn’t so in your 
  game, feel free to change this as-
  sumption. 
            Other races have strong and 
  weak points. The GM needs to set 
  the basic characteristics of each race 
  before adopting any system for at-
  tribute generation.  For example, a 
  list of racial characteristics for a stan-
  dard fantasy game (a type of game I 
  believe most role-players are familiar 
  with), would seem like this: 
  Elf- dexterous and intelligent but frail 
  Halfling– quick and dexterous but 
  very weak 
  Dwarf– strong with lots of endurance 
  but slow and somewhat arrogant 
  Orc– strong but stupid 
  Troll– really strong but really stupid 
  and slow 
            Now that racial characteristics 
  have been defined in raw terms, it’s 
  time to deal with the game mechan-
  ics. As explained in the Nova core 
  rules, humans get 17 dice to generate 
  attributes. Other races however 
  don’t get any dice. Instead, they get 
  points with which to 
  buy 
  these 
  dice. 
  More 
  specifically, 
  they get 51 points. 
            Each attribute 
  has a different cost 
  the player must pay 
  to buy a die in that 
  attribute. This makes 
  the 
  whole 
  differ-
  ence: a race has 
  some “strong” points (attributes with 
  low costs to buy dice for) and some 
  “weak” points (attributes with high 
  costs. 
            The cost for a die ranges from 
  1 to 5. 1 shows that the particular 
  race is very good at what that attrib-
  ute represents. 3 is considered the 
  average (close to human potential). 
  5 is considered very bad. 
            If we put all this to practice, 
  we might turn up with a table like 
  the following for our generic fantasy 
  game. 
            Don’t forget that every charac-
  ter needs to have at least one die in 
  each attribute.  
            But how about the maximum 
  dice a player can devote to a single 
  of his character’s attributes? Surely a 
  3 m tall troll wouldn’t have to abide 
  by human regulations… You can use 
  the attribute cost to determine the 
  maximum number of dice a starting 
  character may have in an attribute. 
  As you may remember, humans have 
  a maximum of three. Other races 
  Race
  Race
  Race
  Race    
  CON
  CON
  CON
  CON    
  LIT
  LIT
  LIT
  LIT    
  VIT
  VIT
  VIT
  VIT    
  REA
  REA
  REA
  REA    
  INT
  INT
  INT
  INT    
  INS
  INS
  INS
  INS    
  DET
  DET
  DET
  DET    
  PRE
  PRE
  PRE
  PRE    
  COM
  COM
  COM
  COM    
  INF
  INF
  INF
  INF    
  Dwarf 
  2 
  4 
  2 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  3 
  Elf 
  4 
  2 
  4 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  3 
  Halfling 
  5 
  1 
  4 
  1 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  Orc 
  2 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  5 
  4 
  Troll 
  1 
  5 
  1 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  5 
  4 
  Attribute die cost
  Attribute die cost
  Attribute die cost
  Attribute die cost    
  Max. dice
  Max. dice
  Max. dice
  Max. dice    
  1 
  4 
  2 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  3 
  5 
  2 
  
  5 
  however might have more or less. 
  After the purchase of attribute dice is 
  complete, it’s time to find out the 
  final rating for each attribute. Do this 
  by rolling each attribute die as ex-
  plained in the Nova core rules.  
   
  Traits
  Traits
  Traits
  Traits    
   
  There are other ways  to distinguish 
  between races aside from attribute 
  generation. The following traits have 
  been designed to act secondary, with 
  attribute generation having the pri-
  mary effect. A GM may use some, all 
  or none of them to design his game’s 
  races. 
   
  Armor: 
  Armor: 
  Armor: 
  Armor: Some races may have natural 
  armor. This changes the unarmored 
  rating other people use in damage 
  rolls against them. Humans have an 
  unarmored rating of –2. A troll’s 
  thick skin however might earn it an 
  unarmored rating of –1. It isn’t rec-
  ommended that the GM gives an un-
  armored rating greater than 0 to any 
  player character race. 
   
  Skills: 
  Skills: 
  Skills: 
  Skills: A race might get a free rating 
  in a skill because of its physical con-
  dition (a troll might get a free rating 
  in endurance) or culture (an elf could 
  get a rating in archery). 
   
  Attribute limitations: 
  Attribute limitations: 
  Attribute limitations: 
  Attribute limitations: It’s a good idea 
  to not use the attribute limitations 
  for humans. Humans get a 3-dice 
  limitation for physical attributes but 
  they’re unlimited in other attributes. 
  Other races may exceed these limits 
  or have limits in other attributes. 
            It’s not a good idea
  It’s not a good idea
  It’s not a good idea
  It’s not a good idea    to revoke 
  the limitations for developing attrib-
  utes through experience, especially 
  for Intellect and Comeliness. The rea-
  sons for these limitations are well-
  grounded and beyond racial con-
  cerns. 
   
  Magic: 
  Magic: 
  Magic: 
  Magic: Always a good way to distin-
  guish between races, if the GM uses 
  rules for magic, he might make some 
  races more adept at it while totally 
  banning other races from its pursuit. 
   
  Altered secondary attributes: 
  Altered secondary attributes: 
  Altered secondary attributes: 
  Altered secondary attributes: These 
  should only be used rarely because 
  secondary attributes are derived 
  from attributes, which are altered in 
  the first place. This option gives 
  more or less Constitution, Stamina or 
  Defense. A troll could get one extra 
  point of Constitution and Stamina, 
  while a halfling could have an extra 
  Defense die. 
      
  Special abilities: 
  Special abilities: 
  Special abilities: 
  Special abilities: These include things 
  like flying, lightning reflexes etc. 
  Other ways to enrich non-human races 
  
  6 
  Gifts and Drawbacks
  Gifts and Drawbacks
  Gifts and Drawbacks
  Gifts and Drawbacks    
  UUUUniversal points
  niversal points
  niversal points
  niversal points    
      
  Gifts and Drawbacks  
  Gifts and Drawbacks  
  Gifts and Drawbacks  
  Gifts and Drawbacks  are special 
  characteristics which make your char-
  acter special and unique. Everyone 
  has the same attributes and two peo-
  ple can have similar skills but not 
  anyone is famous, wealthy or has 
  one eye. There are optional, mean-
  ing that a player isn’t obliged to take 
  one or more of them but he is cer-
  tainly encouraged to, to add a touch 
  of style to his character. 
            Both gifts and drawbacks are 
  based on the concept of universal 
  universal 
  universal 
  universal 
  points. 
  points. 
  points. 
  points. What are they? Why, as their 
  name implies, they are points which 
  can be used for lots of things. They 
  can buy you new attribute dice or 
  skill dice or you can use them to buy 
  gifts, special abilities or conditions 
  that are beneficial to your character, 
  providing him with an advantage. 
  And of course, the bigger the advan-
  tage is, the greater the cost of the 
  gift. 
            How can you gain universal 
  points? By sacrificing attribute or skill 
  dice (sacrificing means not using 
  them for their original purpose) or 
  by taking drawbacks, the opposite of 
  gifts. Drawbacks provide your char-
  acter with, disadvantages, so you get 
  some universal points in compensa-
  tion. The greatest disadvantage also 
  provides the most universal points.  
            Be warned that you can’t 
  “liquidate” (this means turn into uni-
  versal points) as many skill or attrib-
  ute dice as you want. You can gain 
  only 10 points through a single 
  source. This means that you can turn 
  10 points worth of attribute dice into 
  universal points and another 10 
  points of skill dice. 
            See the sidebar for more infor-
  mation on gaining and spending uni-
  versal points.  
            Some gifts and drawbacks are 
  conflicting. The GM should rule 
  when a gift and a drawback conflict 
  and forbid a player from taking 
  both. For example, a player could 
  not have both the Wealth gift and 
  the Poverty drawback. 
            A drawback is supposed to be 
  disadvantageous. In theory, a charac-
  ter could find a way to surpass or 
  nullify some drawbacks but these 
  should require great effort and come 
  as a reward much later in the cam-
  paign. Taking a blindness drawback 
  isn’t very disadvantageous if the 
  character lives in a hi-tech world able 
  to construct artificial eyes. The GM 
  should forbid these instances too. 
            It is advised that no player 
  takes more than 10 points worth of 
  gifts nor does he gain more than 10 
  points from drawbacks. 
      
  Gifts
  Gifts
  Gifts
  Gifts    
      
  Alertness (1 poi
  Alertness (1 poi
  Alertness (1 poi
  Alertness (1 point): 
  nt): 
  nt): 
  nt): All surprise checks 
  you make are of average difficulty. 
  Ambidextrous (5 points): 
  Ambidextrous (5 points): 
  Ambidextrous (5 points): 
  Ambidextrous (5 points): You’ve 
  been born ambidextrous and may 
  use both hands with the same ease. 
  You gain one point in the ambidex-
  terity subskill of sidearms and armed 
  combat (although you still have to 
  possess the main skills in order to use 
  them). 
  Athletic
  Athletic
  Athletic
  Athletic talent (2 points): 
   talent (2 points): 
   talent (2 points): 
   talent (2 points): Your great 
  experience and natural talent with a 
  specific sport enables you to act as if 
  you had an extra die (at +1 cumula-
  tive) in a relevant attribute, but only 
  in situations pertaining to that sport. 
  For example, if you are a talented 
  weight-lifter, you can lift weights as 
  if you had an extra Conditioning die. 
  This die would be useless in other 
  situations like inflicting damage with 
  a hand weapon or breaking a locking 
  hold. 
  Authority (3 points): 
  Authority (3 points): 
  Authority (3 points): 
  Authority (3 points): You have some 
  kind of authority in the society you 
  How can I gain universal points?
  How can I gain universal points?
  How can I gain universal points?
  How can I gain universal points?    
  Sacrifice 
  an 
  attribute 
  die 
  Sacrifice 
  an 
  attribute 
  die 
  Sacrifice 
  an 
  attribute 
  die 
  Sacrifice 
  an 
  attribute 
  die 
  (human):
  (human):
  (human):
  (human): 6 points 
  Sacrifice points for attribute dice 
  Sacrifice points for attribute dice 
  Sacrifice points for attribute dice 
  Sacrifice points for attribute dice 
  (non
  (non
  (non
  (non----human rac
  human rac
  human rac
  human races):
  es):
  es):
  es): Two points 
  per point sacrificed 
  Sacrifice a skill die:
  Sacrifice a skill die:
  Sacrifice a skill die:
  Sacrifice a skill die: Two points 
  Take a drawback:
  Take a drawback:
  Take a drawback:
  Take a drawback: Depends on 
  the disadvantage’s cost 
   
  What
  What
  What
  What can I do with universal 
   can I do with universal 
   can I do with universal 
   can I do with universal 
  points?
  points?
  points?
  points?    
  Buy an attribute die (human):
  Buy an attribute die (human):
  Buy an attribute die (human):
  Buy an attribute die (human): 6 
  points 
  Buy points for attribute dice 
  Buy points for attribute dice 
  Buy points for attribute dice 
  Buy points for attribute dice 
  (non
  (non
  (non
  (non----human races):
  human races):
  human races):
  human races): One point 
  per 2 universal points 
  Buy a skill die:
  Buy a skill die:
  Buy a skill die:
  Buy a skill die: 2 points 
  Buy a gift:
  Buy a gift:
  Buy a gift:
  Buy a gift: Depends on the gift’s 
  cost 
  
  7 
  belong in. You might be a law en-
  forcer. A judge or even a tax collec-
  tor. 
  Brute (6 points): 
  Brute (6 points): 
  Brute (6 points): 
  Brute (6 points): You have a superb 
  ability to ignore superficial injuries or 
  tiredness. Whenever you lose a Stam-
  ina point, make a D6 roll. If the re-
  sult is 5 or 6, you retain the Stamina 
  point. 
  Calculating mind (3 points): 
  Calculating mind (3 points): 
  Calculating mind (3 points): 
  Calculating mind (3 points): You 
  gain a –1 bonus to any roll involving 
  planning if you take the time to pon-
  der over the subject and succeed in 
  an Intellect roll of average difficulty. 
  Charming personality (2 points): 
  Charming personality (2 points): 
  Charming personality (2 points): 
  Charming personality (2 points): Be-
  ing naturally charming, you gain a –1 
  bonus to rolls involving charming 
  and persuading. 
  Classical beauty (10 points): 
  Classical beauty (10 points): 
  Classical beauty (10 points): 
  Classical beauty (10 points): You pos-
  sess a perfect beauty meeting all stan-
  dards. Your Comeliness rating be-
  comes 234556 and members of the 
  opposite sex are always fascinated by 
  you. Be careful, as in some cases this 
  fascination can turn to lust. 
  Disease resistance (2 points): 
  Disease resistance (2 points): 
  Disease resistance (2 points): 
  Disease resistance (2 points): You re-
  ceive a –1 bonus on all rolls against 
  diseases. 
  Dumb luck (5 points): 
  Dumb luck (5 points): 
  Dumb luck (5 points): 
  Dumb luck (5 points): You are lucky 
  beyond belief and everything seems 
  to work out perfectly for you. On 
  every roll you make, you may ignore 
  the effects of one “1”. 
  Eagle vision (1 point): 
  Eagle vision (1 point): 
  Eagle vision (1 point): 
  Eagle vision (1 point): Your range of 
  sight is double that of a normal man. 
  Endurance (2 points): 
  Endurance (2 points): 
  Endurance (2 points): 
  Endurance (2 points): Your superb 
  endurance automatically gains you 
  two points in the endurance skill. 
  Exceptional wealth (3
  Exceptional wealth (3
  Exceptional wealth (3
  Exceptional wealth (3----10 points): 
  10 points): 
  10 points): 
  10 points): 
  The exact advantage derived from 
  this gift depends on the nature of the 
  GM’s world and the points you 
  spend on it. At 10 points you should 
  be one of the richest men in the cam-
  paign world. 
  Fame (2 points): 
  Fame (2 points): 
  Fame (2 points): 
  Fame (2 points): You are famous for 
  your achievements. Many people 
  know and admire you. 
  Fast healer (2 points): 
  Fast healer (2 points): 
  Fast healer (2 points): 
  Fast healer (2 points): Your wounds 
  heal at double the normal rate. 
  Good balance (2 points): 
  Good balance (2 points): 
  Good balance (2 points): 
  Good balance (2 points): You have 
  an exceptional sense of balance. Roll 
  two extra dice (at +1 cumulative) for 
  any case involving balance or acro-
  batics. 
  Greater aim (4 points): 
  Greater aim (4 points): 
  Greater aim (4 points): 
  Greater aim (4 points): You have 
  some goal which you pursue with 
  fever. When near it, you gain a –1 
  bonus to all rolls related to it. When 
  it’s actually within your grasp, you 
  have a –2 bonus and virtually no ob-
  stacle can frighten you, as your De-
  termination is increased by two dice 
  (at +1 cumulative). 
  Hand
  Hand
  Hand
  Hand----eye coordination (3 points): 
  eye coordination (3 points): 
  eye coordination (3 points): 
  eye coordination (3 points): 
  You have a good aim and gain a –1 
  bonus to ranged attack rolls. 
  Hardened (2 points): 
  Hardened (2 points): 
  Hardened (2 points): 
  Hardened (2 points): You possess a 
  superior ability to endure environ-
  mental extremes and adapt to them. 
  This allows you to survive for nearly 
  double the usual time in hostile con-
  ditions, like low or high tempera-
  tures, low oxygen concentration etc. 
  Hypnotising voice (3 points): 
  Hypnotising voice (3 points): 
  Hypnotising voice (3 points): 
  Hypnotising voice (3 points): Your 
  voice has a certain drowsy, mesmer-
  ising quality that may win you more 
  than one debate. If you succeed in 
  an Influence check at +1 difficulty, 
  people are favourably inclined to-
  wards your suggestions. 
  Inner strength reserves (3 points): 
  Inner strength reserves (3 points): 
  Inner strength reserves (3 points): 
  Inner strength reserves (3 points): 
  You possess great willpower which 
  you can release in powerful bursts of 
  physical or metal strength. Once per 
  day, you can increase your Condi-
  tioning or Determination by one die 
  (at +1 cumulative) for a certain scene 
  with duration up to 5 minutes. 
  Investigating mind (2 
  Investigating mind (2 
  Investigating mind (2 
  Investigating mind (2 points): 
  points): 
  points): 
  points): As the 
  calculating mind gift, but applies to 
  rolls involving investigation. 
  Keen empathy (1 point): 
  Keen empathy (1 point): 
  Keen empathy (1 point): 
  Keen empathy (1 point): You gain 
  a –1 bonus to judge another person’s 
  character or motives. 
  Keen hearing (1 point): 
  Keen hearing (1 point): 
  Keen hearing (1 point): 
  Keen hearing (1 point): You have a –
  1 bonus to listen rolls. 
  Keen perception (1
  Keen perception (1
  Keen perception (1
  Keen perception (1 point): 
   point): 
   point): 
   point): You gain 
  a –1 bonus to awareness checks. 
  Lightning reflexes (4 points): 
  Lightning reflexes (4 points): 
  Lightning reflexes (4 points): 
  Lightning reflexes (4 points): You are 
  extremely quick and agile, gaining 
  a –1 bonus on your initiative checks. 
  Meditating (1 point): 
  Meditating (1 point): 
  Meditating (1 point): 
  Meditating (1 point): You meditate 
  rather than sleep. You need only 
  four hours of meditation per day to 
  stay fit. 
  Mentor (2 points): 
  Mentor (2 points): 
  Mentor (2 points): 
  Mentor (2 points): You have a men-
  tor and supporter who taught you 
  everything you know. You can al-
  ways ask for his help but he’ll also 
  expect some services from you. 
  Natural leader (1 point): 
  Natural leader (1 point): 
  Natural leader (1 point): 
  Natural leader (1 point): You possess 
  an uncanny ability to influence the 
  masses. You have a –1 bonus to lead-
  ership and orate checks. 
  Owl vision (1 point): 
  Owl vision (1 point): 
  Owl vision (1 point): 
  Owl vision (1 point): You can see 
  more efficiently in the dark. Penalties 
  are reduced by one point (except in 
  complete darkness). 
  Pain resistance (2 or 4 points): 
  Pain resistance (2 or 4 points): 
  Pain resistance (2 or 4 points): 
  Pain resistance (2 or 4 points): Ne-
  Calculating mind To Perfect memory 
  
  8 
  gates the penalty for Stamina loss. If 
  you pay 4 points, the penalty result-
  ing from Constitution loss is halved. 
  Perfect memory (1 point): 
  Perfect memory (1 point): 
  Perfect memory (1 point): 
  Perfect memory (1 point): You have 
  a kind of photographic memory. 
  You automatically remember every 
  detail you’ve seen, 
  Persuading power (10 points): 
  Persuading power (10 points): 
  Persuading power (10 points): 
  Persuading power (10 points): Your 
  ability to influence others matches 
  those of the greatest orators in hu-
  man history. When you roll any per-
  suade or leadership check, you an 
  extra die. This die has a t# of 5 
  which remains unaffected by any 
  penalty (bonuses still apply).  
  Poison resistance (3 points): 
  Poison resistance (3 points): 
  Poison resistance (3 points): 
  Poison resistance (3 points): You 
  have a –1 bonus against all poisons. 
  Quick learner (4 points): 
  Quick learner (4 points): 
  Quick learner (4 points): 
  Quick learner (4 points): You learn 
  considerably faster than most peo-
  ple. When making an experience 
  check, roll twice and keep the best 
  result. 
  Sixth sense (4 points): 
  Sixth sense (4 points): 
  Sixth sense (4 points): 
  Sixth sense (4 points): You possess an 
  almost supernatural danger sense. 
  You can sense danger some seconds 
  before it actually occurs by making a 
  Presentiment check. With one success 
  you only feel that danger is near, 
  while with two successes you also 
  sense the direction of the immediate 
  danger. 
  Skilled (3 po
  Skilled (3 po
  Skilled (3 po
  Skilled (3 points): 
  ints): 
  ints): 
  ints): You’re very adept 
  at one knowledge skill, gaining a –1 
  bonus to all rolls associated with it. 
  Sprinter (2 points): 
  Sprinter (2 points): 
  Sprinter (2 points): 
  Sprinter (2 points): You are able to 
  run 1.5 times faster than the average 
  human. 
  Superior constitution (10 points): 
  Superior constitution (10 points): 
  Superior constitution (10 points): 
  Superior constitution (10 points): 
  You possess an incredible resistance 
  to physical punishment. Your Consti-
  tution is increased by two points. 
  Superior strength (3 points): 
  Superior strength (3 points): 
  Superior strength (3 points): 
  Superior strength (3 points): You’re 
  able to utilise the uttermost potential 
  of your muscles. You can lift and 
  carry weights as if you had an extra 
  die of Conditioning. This also applies 
  for damage with hand weapons and 
  bows. 
  Talented (3 points): 
  Talented (3 points): 
  Talented (3 points): 
  Talented (3 points): You are a natu-
  ral talent in matters concerning one 
  talent skill. You receive a –1 bonus to 
  all rolls associated with it. 
  Thick bones (3 points
  Thick bones (3 points
  Thick bones (3 points
  Thick bones (3 points): 
  ): 
  ): 
  ): Your bones 
  are sturdy and resilient, not breaking 
  easily. Damage t#s from falls and 
  blunt weapons are increased by one 
  against you. 
  Weight lifter (1 point): 
  Weight lifter (1 point): 
  Weight lifter (1 point): 
  Weight lifter (1 point): You are very 
  adept at lifting weights. You can lift 
  and carry weights as if you had one 
  more Conditioning die.  
   
  Drawbacks
  Drawbacks
  Drawbacks
  Drawbacks    
   
  Age (2 points): 
  Age (2 points): 
  Age (2 points): 
  Age (2 points): You begin the game 
  at the age of 60. 
  Amputated limb (5 points): 
  Amputated limb (5 points): 
  Amputated limb (5 points): 
  Amputated limb (5 points): You’ve 
  lost a limb, as a result of accident or 
  disease. 
  Bad limb (4 points): 
  Bad limb (4 points): 
  Bad limb (4 points): 
  Bad limb (4 points): You have a bro-
  ken limb that hasn’t ever fully recov-
  ered. You have a +1 penalty to all 
  actions involving it. 
  Blindness (6 points): 
  Blindness (6 points): 
  Blindness (6 points): 
  Blindness (6 points): You are com-
  pletely blind. 
  Catatonic (2 points): 
  Catatonic (2 points): 
  Catatonic (2 points): 
  Catatonic (2 points): You’re always 
  in a sleepy, lazy, non-energetic con-
  dition. You react slowly (+1 to all 
  Reaction checks). In situations of 
  prolonged physical exertion (eg run-
  ning long distances) you function 
  with one less Conditioning die (the 
  one with the highest t#). 
  Clumsiness (1 point): 
  Clumsiness (1 point): 
  Clumsiness (1 point): 
  Clumsiness (1 point): You are some-
  what clumsy and take a +1 penalty 
  for tasks which require manual dex-
  terity. 
  Deafness (4 points): 
  Deafness (4 points): 
  Deafness (4 points): 
  Deafness (4 points): You are com-
  pletely deaf. 
  Dependent (2 points): 
  Dependent (2 points): 
  Dependent (2 points): 
  Dependent (2 points): You’re de-
  pendent from an item or person. It 
  might be a specific food or drink, a 
  narcotic substance, a beloved one, a 
  personal item of value etc. When 
  you’re without it for a considerable 
  period, your Determination t#s are 
  increased by 2. 
  Dwarf (3 points): 
  Dwarf (3 points): 
  Dwarf (3 points): 
  Dwarf (3 points): You are extremely 
  short and won’t grow up. Your 
  height is limited to one meter and 
  your Conditioning to two dice. 
  Exhausted (5 points): 
  Exhausted (5 points): 
  Exhausted (5 points): 
  Exhausted (5 points): You have a 
  fleeting endurance which makes you 
  very vulnerable to exhaustion after 
  strenuous physical activity. This 
  forces you to make a D6 roll after 
  any Conditioning or Vitality check. If 
  the result is greater than 2 plus your 
  Vitality dice or if it’s 6, you lose one 
  Stamina point (however, this can’t 
  take away your last Stamina point). 
  Flashbacks (6 points): 
  Flashbacks (6 points): 
  Flashbacks (6 points): 
  Flashbacks (6 points): A terrible 
  event in your life haunts you. It 
  comes back to your memory again 
  and again, especially in times of 
  stress. When in a situation of frantic 
  activity (like, for example, combat), 
  roll a D6. On a result of 1-2 you are 
  plagued by these sights and operate 
  at +3 to any action. Roll once per 
  Persuading power To Hate 
  
  9 
  round. 
  Hate (4 points): 
  Hate (4 points): 
  Hate (4 points): 
  Hate (4 points): You strongly hate 
  something or someone. You always 
  strive to harm it in any way you can. 
  Hated 94 point
  Hated 94 point
  Hated 94 point
  Hated 94 points): 
  s): 
  s): 
  s): You are widely 
  hated for something you’ve sup-
  posed to have done. Even the au-
  thorities will go out of their way to 
  harass you and you’re an obvious 
  scapegoat for everything. 
  Heavy sleeper (1 point): 
  Heavy sleeper (1 point): 
  Heavy sleeper (1 point): 
  Heavy sleeper (1 point): You need to 
  sleep for two more hours per day 
  than usual to stay fit. It is also diffi-
  cult to wake you up and you suffer a 
  +1 penalty to all actions for fifteen 
  minutes after rising up. 
  Horrid look (5 points): 
  Horrid look (5 points): 
  Horrid look (5 points): 
  Horrid look (5 points): You’re horri-
  bly disfigured and most people tend 
  to avoid you, Your appearance 
  makes you the perfect target for all 
  kinds of bullies. Your Comeliness rat-
  ing is 8 and can’t be improved.  
  Inner weakness (5 points): 
  Inner weakness (5 points): 
  Inner weakness (5 points): 
  Inner weakness (5 points): You may 
  appear strong, but in times of need 
  your weakness surfaces. During com-
  bat or other crisis, you have a +1 
  penalty to Conditioning or Determi-
  nation checks (your choice). 
  Inferior intellect (5 points): 
  Inferior intellect (5 points): 
  Inferior intellect (5 points): 
  Inferior intellect (5 points): You are 
  mentally handicapped. You may not 
  have more than one die of Intellect 
  at any point during your life. 
  Looming fate (4 points): 
  Looming fate (4 points): 
  Looming fate (4 points): 
  Looming fate (4 points): You are 
  doomed to die. It won’t happen to-
  day or even tomorrow, but it’s cer-
  tain that you won’t live until the end 
  of the campaign. Your GM will de-
  termine the time, place and details of 
  your death, giving you enough time 
  to accomplish something in the cam-
  paign before passing away. 
  Mild paralysis (5 points): 
  Mild paralysis (5 points): 
  Mild paralysis (5 points): 
  Mild paralysis (5 points): You have 
  problems controlling your legs after 
  a nasty infection. Sometimes (3-4 
  times per day) they just shut down 
  for a while. If there is pressure (as in 
  a battle), this happens more often. 
  On every round, on a roll of 5-6 
  they fail you. In such a case, move-
  ment is halved and you have a +1 
  penalty to all actions involving your 
  legs. 
  Multiple personalities (3 points); 
  Multiple personalities (3 points); 
  Multiple personalities (3 points); 
  Multiple personalities (3 points); You 
  have a second personality which re-
  surfaces from time to tie and over-
  whelms your normal ego. This hid-
  den personality is radically different 
  than you (reverse the personality 
  traits) and somewhat schizophrenic. 
  The re-surfacing of your hidden ego 
  may be triggered by time, actions or 
  certain events. 
  Muteness (3 points): 
  Muteness (3 points): 
  Muteness (3 points): 
  Muteness (3 points): You are mute 
  and you can communicate only 
  through signs or writing. 
  Obsession (3 points): 
  Obsession (3 points): 
  Obsession (3 points): 
  Obsession (3 points): You are ob-
  sessed with a certain item, person or 
  position of power which you crave 
  for at all times and will do anything 
  to gain possession of. 
  One
  One
  One
  One----ear (2 points): 
  ear (2 points): 
  ear (2 points): 
  ear (2 points): You’ve lost an 
  ear. You have a +1 penalty to Pre-
  sentiment checks that utilise this 
  sense. 
  One
  One
  One
  One----eye (3 points): 
  eye (3 points): 
  eye (3 points): 
  eye (3 points): You’ve lost an 
  eye. You have a +1 penalty to Pre-
  sentiment checks utilising this sense. 
  Overconfidence (1 point): 
  Overconfidence (1 point): 
  Overconfidence (1 point): 
  Overconfidence (1 point): You are 
  confident that you can face all dan-
  gers with success and this attitude 
  may cause you a lot of trouble. 
  Pacifist (2 points): 
  Pacifist (2 points): 
  Pacifist (2 points): 
  Pacifist (2 points): You’re not eager 
  to fight and prefer to sacrifice some-
  thing to prevent a conflict. As a start-
  ing character, you can’t increase any 
  combat skill by more than a point. 
  Paranoia (5 points): 
  Paranoia (5 points): 
  Paranoia (5 points): 
  Paranoia (5 points): You are com-
  pletely paranoid. You confuse the 
  world and the people around you 
  with something else that makes sense 
  only to you. 
  Paraplegic (7 points): 
  Paraplegic (7 points): 
  Paraplegic (7 points): 
  Paraplegic (7 points): You are com-
  pletely paralysed up to your belly. 
  Phobia (variable); 
  Phobia (variable); 
  Phobia (variable); 
  Phobia (variable); You’re very afraid 
  of something. It may not be some-
  thing extraordinary: heights, insects, 
  tight spaces, crowds are all options. 
  When facing your phobia, you have 
  a penalty equal to the drawbacks’ 
  cost to any actions you attempt. 
  Poor disease resistance (2 points): 
  Poor disease resistance (2 points): 
  Poor disease resistance (2 points): 
  Poor disease resistance (2 points): 
  You are vulnerable to disease, having 
  a +1 penalty on all rolls against it. 
  Poor hearing (1 point): 
  Poor hearing (1 point): 
  Poor hearing (1 point): 
  Poor hearing (1 point): You have a 
  +1 penalty on all listen rolls. 
  Poor perception (1 point): 
  Poor perception (1 point): 
  Poor perception (1 point): 
  Poor perception (1 point): You have 
  a +1 penalty to all awareness checks. 
  Poor vision (2 points); 
  Poor vision (2 points); 
  Poor vision (2 points); 
  Poor vision (2 points); Your vision is 
  deficient, causing a +1 penalty on all 
  sight rolls and ranged attacks. This 
  deficiency is correctable by wearing 
  glasses, contact lens etc. 
  Repulsion (1 point): 
  Repulsion (1 point): 
  Repulsion (1 point): 
  Repulsion (1 point): You are strongly 
  repulsed by something and can’t 
  stand its presence. It might be an 
  odour, a sound, a category of people 
  or just about anything. Your choice 
  must be a hindrance to you and ap-
  proved by your GM. 
  Repulsive personality (2 points): 
  Repulsive personality (2 points): 
  Repulsive personality (2 points): 
  Repulsive personality (2 points): You 
  Hated To Secret enemy 
  
  10 
  act and behave in a way that re-
  pulses other people. You have a +1 
  penalty to all Influence checks. 
  Secret Enemy (1
  Secret Enemy (1
  Secret Enemy (1
  Secret Enemy (1----4 points): 
  4 points): 
  4 points): 
  4 points): Someone 
  hates you and seeks your harm, al-
  though you’re unaware of his inten-
  tions. His relative power is indicated 
  by the drawback’s points. 
  Sensitive eyes (2 points): 
  Sensitive eyes (2 points): 
  Sensitive eyes (2 points): 
  Sensitive eyes (2 points): Your eyes 
  are well-adjusted to darkness 
  (decrease all penalties by one except 
  in complete darkness), but are very 
  sensitive to light and you suffer a +1 
  penalty to all actions related to vi-
  sion during the day. 
  Short (1 point): 
  Short (1 point): 
  Short (1 point): 
  Short (1 point): You are quite short 
  for a grown man. Your height is re-
  stricted to 1.60 m, 1.50 for women. 
  Short vision (1 point): 
  Short vision (1 point): 
  Short vision (1 point): 
  Short vision (1 point): You can see 
  clearly up to 15 m away. Beyond 
  that, you function as if with the poor 
  vision drawback. 
  Slow healer (3 points): 
  Slow healer (3 points): 
  Slow healer (3 points): 
  Slow healer (3 points): Your body 
  heals at slow rates. Any wound takes 
  twice the usual amount of time to 
  heal. 
  The law of Murphy (10 points): 
  The law of Murphy (10 points): 
  The law of Murphy (10 points): 
  The law of Murphy (10 points): You 
  are terribly unlucky and everything 
  seems to work against you. You can 
  be considered a living example of 
  Murphy’s law. On every roll you 
  make which involves the rolling of 
  two or more dice, you always treat 
  one die as being a “1” (whichever 
  you like, as long as it’s not a “1” in 
  the first place).  
  Very sensitive (2 points): 
  Very sensitive (2 points): 
  Very sensitive (2 points): 
  Very sensitive (2 points): You can’t 
  stand watching other people suffer 
  and you feel compelled to do what-
  ever you can to help them. 
  Weakness (1 point): 
  Weakness (1 point): 
  Weakness (1 point): 
  Weakness (1 point): You tend to get 
  tired easily. You can carry 25% less 
  weight and suffer a +1 penalty to en-
  durance checks. 
  Withdrawn (4 points): 
  Withdrawn (4 points): 
  Withdrawn (4 points): 
  Withdrawn (4 points): The secrets of 
  communication with other people 
  elude you and you’re very with-
  drawn. This forces a +2 penalty on 
  any Influence check. Also, you may 
  not have more than one point in any 
  Influence-based skill. 
  Dark secret (1 point): 
  Dark secret (1 point): 
  Dark secret (1 point): 
  Dark secret (1 point): You have a se-
  cret which can cause you shame and 
  harm if it’s revealed (and there’s al-
  ways a way for this to happen). 
  Poverty (3
  Poverty (3
  Poverty (3
  Poverty (3----5 points): 
  5 points): 
  5 points): 
  5 points): You are among 
  the less fortunate members of your 
  society. Although the exact severity 
  of your poverty will be determined 
  by the GM, it is logical to assume 
  that at a cost of 5 points, the only 
  thing that’s yours are tattered 
  clothes. 
  Outcast (1 point): 
  Outcast (1 point): 
  Outcast (1 point): 
  Outcast (1 point): You are an outcast 
  from society. Few trust you and even 
  fewer like you. 
  Outla
  Outla
  Outla
  Outlaw (3 points): 
  w (3 points): 
  w (3 points): 
  w (3 points): You are a known 
  criminal and hunted by the authori-
  ties. You might be innocent of 
  course, but they don’t really care. 
  Suspected criminal (2 points): 
  Suspected criminal (2 points): 
  Suspected criminal (2 points): 
  Suspected criminal (2 points): The 
  authorities suspect you as a criminal 
  and you’re under constant surveil-
  lance. They’re only looking for an 
  excuse to pick you up. 
  Tetraplegic (10 points): 
  Tetraplegic (10 points): 
  Tetraplegic (10 points): 
  Tetraplegic (10 points): You are com-
  pletely paralysed up to your neck. 
  Traitor (6 points): 
  Traitor (6 points): 
  Traitor (6 points): 
  Traitor (6 points): You are believed 
  to be a traitor of your country or 
  even your race. Although this may 
  not be true, most people mistrust or 
  even hate you and you’re pursued 
  by the authorities.    
  Sensitive eyes To Traitor 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Nova/Nova Character Options.pdf