Trait Cost: 4

Although considered a minor deity of the religious communities and considered lesser energy to the scientific community, the energy of music has allowed channelers to use instruments to channel magic. Musical energy flows through all musical instruments. Through proper training and practice, you are one who can use musical energy to channel spells.

Perk

Flaw

Having trained in the musical arts, you did not have any time to learn offensive or defensive traits. You cannot take any combat traits and suffer a -1 to your fighting statistic.

Bonus

You over channel if spells are not channeled through song. They must be sung or played using a musical instrument that you are proficient with. However, you start with a commoner musical instrument and grimoire that has four plus your mental statistic worth of spells in it.

4 + mental = Starting spells

Penance

Level 6, 10 talents, and 5gc. The coin cost is for tutoring in learning how to channel without using songs.

Trait Cost: 4

You have been through the ritual of transferring your essence into your life force, known as the Blood Ritual. You no longer have essence and use your life force as your blood to channel spells. Becoming a blood mage is irreversible, meaning you cannot channel magic as a normal channeler. You must draw your own blood with a conduit in order to channel any spells (except elementary spells).

Changing to a blood mage can only be done once, and once the change is completed, it cannot be changed again. The process of becoming a blood mage is very dangerous, as you are completely cutting off your connection with the energy in the world. You then open a new connection using your life force and blood. The process takes 1d6+1 days and requires that the character is not disturbed for the entire time. Once the process is complete, the character will feel the change and will know if it is successful from the raw energy flowing in their veins.

The process is extremely dangerous as the character must lie on a slab of earth and must make eight lacerations on their body to let their blood flow into the earth. The earth is then used as bandages on the wounds in order to create a connection with Gaia. Once the connection is made, the character must remain still until the new connection is complete. The character will realize the connection is complete when their wounds heal and their energy connection disappears. They will feel their blood coursing through their veins. The connection to the earth allowed the energy of Gaia to create a new connection with all energy. This connection only works when the character’s blood is spilled as their essence is infused with their life force. While Gaia’s energy was used as the conduit in order to create the new connection, there was no special bond with Gaia during the process. All other energy can be channeled through the character’s blood just as easily as Gaia’s.

Once the process is complete, the character loses all their essence and gains the abilities of the Blood Ritual Mastery. They can never again connect with the energy in the world using essence and any items or abilities that give essence to a character no longer work.

Perk

You start with a blood dagger that you are melded with and a grimoire. The grimoire contains several spells equal to five plus your mental statistic. Additionally, acquire the masteries of Energy Manipulation and Blood Ritual.

5 + mental = Starting spells

Flaw

You cannot wear armor because of the need to have quick access to your skin in order to draw blood when channeling. You can only use your blood dagger as your conduit and weapon.

Bonus

Add half your essence to your health and your essence permanently becomes zero. You use your health when anything costs essence. The regular channeling rules apply, and if something drains your essence, such as a creature or spell, it will affect your health. The bonus cannot be removed.

Penance

Level 8 & 5 talents

Trait Cost: 4

You have a special connection to the earth, nature, and animals.

Perk

Gain the mastery, Animal Morph. The duration increases by +4 hours and the cost is reduced by -2.

Flaw

Your connection to Gaia and earth is so strong you are weak to Necrosis and air and have unlucky rolls against them. You also cannot use other channeling skills other than what the bonus of this trait gives.

Bonus

Your Gaia and Elemental (Earth) skills become expertise.

Penance

10 talents

Trait Cost: 4

You have realized that you are naturally gifted with energy. It has made you arrogant.

Perk

Any object you possess becomes your melded conduit for as long as you are holding it. The conduit is only melded to you if it is in your possession, and only one conduit can be melded at a time. You choose which object on your possession is the melded conduit if you have multiple objects. Conduits that are not in your possession are not melded with you. While almost any object can become your melded conduit, you cannot be fully melded with one through the standard process of melding with a conduit. Using conduits in this way does not cause wild energy.

Flaw

You have a slight god complex and believe your gift with energy is the only power you need. You cannot take other traits that grant bonus essence or spells. -2 to all attacks other than magic attacks.

You can't call melded conduits or gain extra spell memory because you can't meld with a single conduit through the standard melding process.

Bonus

Gain one elementary spell from any energy type regardless of if you can manipulate the energy. You can channel the spell without causing over channeling or energy surges.

5 + mental = Starting spells

You start with a grimoire containing five plus your mental statistic worth of spells. Also, gain the Energy Manipulation Mastery and five maximum and absolute essence.

Penance

Level 8 & 8 talents

Trait Cost: 4

Before dropping out of channeling school to become an energy smith, you have learned how to create infused casts. With this power, you can cast energy with infused spells inside. This creates one time use runic items that, when the spell’s name is spoken as the crystal is being crushed, the spell’s effect is activated.

Perk

Gain the following masteries: Energy Manipulation and Energy Smith rank 1. Also, gain a grimoire that contains three plus your mental in spells and equal amount of infused casts.

3 + mental = Starting spells & infused casts

Flaw

Technicians find it difficult to channel spells because they prioritize learning how to cast rather than traditional channeling. While you can channel spells, their base cost is increased by two essence. This also prevents you from being able to learn elementary spells. You cannot wear armor or wield shields, as you never had time to learn how.

Bonus

Start with one item that costs only three gold coins as your conduit.

Penance

Level 6 & 10 talents

Trait Cost: 4

You have had special training with rod channeling. Using rods has become your preferred method of attacking and channeling.

Perk

You start with five rods (you are melded with two of them) and a grimoire. The grimoire contains several spells equal to three plus your mental statistic. Also, gain the following masteries: Energy Manipulation, one instance of Multiple Melding’s, and the first rank in Infusion.

3 + mental = Starting spells

Flaw

You cannot use any weapons/conduits other than rods or clubs. You cannot use shields or armor. Only rods that have been melded with can have spells infused into them. -1 to fighting and guard.

Bonus

You use you one of your expertise channeling skills to attack when using your rods, both magically and non-magical.

Penance

Level 8 & 10 talents

Trait Cost: 4

You are a channeler monk that specializes a specific Kobudo weapon of your choosing.

Perk

You start with a Kobudo weapon of your choice that you are melded with and a grimoire. The grimoire contains spells equal to two plus your mental statistic. You also gain the following masteries: Energy Manipulation, rank one of infusion, and rank one of the Spell Sword Mastery.

2 + mental = Starting spells

Flaw

The only weapons/conduits you can use are selected from the perk of this trait. You cannot use shields or armor. The Infusion and Spell Sword Masteries can only be used with your selected weapon and only you can use your infused items.

Bonus

You don’t require the Kobudo Weapon mastery to use the weapon chosen from this traits perk. The bonus is removed when the penance is paid.

Penance

Level 10 & 15 talents

Trait Cost: 4

Perk

Gain Gun, Elemental (Lightning) and Force skills as expertise.
Create an energy bullet that blasts a line of energy based on the amount of essence spent. The blast deals lightning, piercing, and force damage to everything in the line, including objects. Using this ability includes the arm's damage, when using the power source, on top of the indicated damage. Targets must make a reaction check to avoid the blast. The reaction check is versus five plus your gun accuracy.

Flaw

When making a magic attack with your conduit and a one is rolled, your conduit takes one durability damage. Activating the fourth iteration causes one fatigue and activating the fifth iteration causes two fatigue.

Bonus

Your conduit must be an arm to use the perk’s abilities. The standard over channeling rules apply. This bonus cannot be removed.

Penance

Adept tier in Gun, Elemental (Lightning), and Force, & 10 talents

Trait Cost: 4

You value defense over offense and use magic to achieve this instead of physical armor.

Perk

You start with a kite or targe shield you are melded with and a grimoire. The grimoire contains several spells equal to four, plus your mental statistic. Also, gain the Energy Manipulation Mastery and your shield skill becomes expertise.

4 + mental = Starting spells

Flaw

You cannot use any armor that has a movement or hide penalty. -1 to agility and fighting.

Bonus

You do not suffer the penalty for channeling in armor and ignore the might requirement for kite/targe shields. See the armor section of the marketplace for more information. The bonus is removed when the penance is paid.

Penance

Level 8 &10 talents

Trait Cost: 4

You have a naturally strong connection with the elements.

Perk

All elemental channeling skills are expertise. Gain two plus your mental in spells and a grimoire.

2 + mental = Starting spells

Flaw

You must channel spells by reading them in your spell book and cannot memorize them.

Bonus

Gain +2 to all elemental channeling skills.

Penance

Level 5 & 15 talents

Trait Cost: 4

You have learned to combine melee tech weapons with energetic spells.

Perk

You gain one rank in Infusion, one rank in Spell Sword, and Melee Tech Weapon masteries. Your one-handed and either your off handed, shield, or two-handed combat skills become expertise. Gain a grimoire with four touch spells.

Spells in grimoire = 4 touch

Flaw

You can only meld with melee tech weapons as your conduit and cannot wear armor or use armor accessories. All weapons except for melee tech have unlucky attack rolls.

Bonus

Start with one melee tech weapon of your choosing (burst blades are excluded).

Penance

Level 8 & 10 talents

Trait Cost: 4

You have learned to combine the advanced weaponry of guns with energetic spells.

Perk

Gain Energy Manipulation, Energy Gun Slinger rank one, and Ranged Tech Weapons masteries. Your gun skill becomes expertise. Start with an HWA-M2 revolver and twenty short bullets, with the gun being your melded conduit. You also gain a grimoire with four open elemental spells.

Spells in grimoire = 4 elemental open

Flaw

You can only meld with Short Arms as your conduit and cannot wear armor or use armor accessories. All weapons except for short arms have unlucky attack rolls.

Bonus

You do not require the Ambidextrous mastery to dual wield Short Arms if one of the short arms is your melded conduit.

Penance

Level 8 & 10 talents

Trait Cost: 4

Wild energy has always been something that has intrigued you. Not knowing which body part will be affected after each use brings a thrill you can’t explain. This excitement provides the strength to handle an increased amount of energy surges. You use a grimoire and the surrounding objects to channel. There is a sense of freedom to being able to use anything as a conduit.

Perk

Your limb energy surge limits are now equal to your vitality. Your head and torso limits are half your vitality, with your torso limit gaining plus one.

You start with a grimoire that has six-plus your mental statistic worth of spells written in it. Gain +5 maximum and absolute essence.

Spells in grimoire = 6 + mental

Flaw

You do not agree with using melded conduits and believe you should be able to use any object as a conduit. You cannot meld with conduits. Wild expertise is the highest level of channeling skills you can achieve.

Bonus

Start with up to four gold coins worth of mundane objects. Mundane objects refer to items only listed under gear in the marketplace.

Penance

Level 5 & 5 talents

Trait Cost: 4

You have studied the magical arts using a wand as your melded conduit. You have focused on your channeling with wands over everything else.

Perk

You start with a wand that you are melded with and a grimoire. Your starting wand has one elementary spell permanently infused in it. The elementary spell must be of the same energy type you picked from the Energy Manipulation Mastery you gain from this trait. It cannot be replaced, and the wand is considered a runic item. The grimoire contains five plus your mental statistic worth of spells. Gain one expertise channeling skill.

5 + mental = Starting spells

Flaw

You cannot wear any armor and shields. You can only meld with wands.

Bonus

-1 to fighting and guard. Only you can activate the elementary spell in the wand.

Penance

Level 8 & 15 talents