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MyGURPS - Embers Talents

Embers Talents

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Important Rules for Purchasing Talents

Talents come in Tiers. Higher-Tier Talents cost more XP (Tier × 5) but give more impressive effects. You must always have more Talents of a lower Tier than you have a higher Tier; e.g., if you have three Tier 1 Talents, you could have up to two Tier 2 Talents. This is referred to as the "Talent Pyramid" (see graphic below).

A few Talents are Ranked, which means you can buy them multiple times. Each time you do, however, the Talent goes up one Tier. For example, "Grit" is a Tier 1 Talent. If you buy "Grit" again, the second purchase is a Tier 2 Talent; you now have a Tier 1 "Grit 1" and a Tier 2 "Grit 2" and their effects are cumulative.

Any Talent with "(Improved)" or "(Supreme)" in its title requires the basic version of the Talent as a prerequisite. For example, "Scathing Tirade (Improved)" and "Scathing Tirade (Supreme)" both require that you first have the basic "Scathing Tirade" Talent. Note that "Scathing Tirade (Supreme)" does not require "Scathing Tirade (Improved)"; each adds different enhancements to the basic Talent. "Improved" and "Supreme" Talents do not count as ranks in a Ranked Talent; think of them as independent "add-on" options.

The "Talent Pyramid"

What Talents Are Available?

See the table on pp. 59-61 of Embers of the Imperium for a full list of what Talents are available from that book and the Genesys Core Rulebook. In addition, the below Talents from other Genesys RPGs are allowed.

Existing Talent Notes

Rapid Archery

You can learn this Talent if you are a Shikrai or have allegiance to the Argent Flight. It works with the Shikrai Needle Bow (p. E112) or with primitive composite bows (Ranged Heavy, Dmg 5, Crit 3, Long Range, Enc 2, HP 1, Price 140, Rarity 2, Unwieldy 2). The latter can use primitive arrows (Price 1/arrow) or advanced arrows (Price 10/arrow, Rarity +1, adds Pierce 2) in quivers of 10.

Xenoreader

Common races fall into the following categories:

  • Mammalian: Hacan, Human, Letnev, Naaz-Rokha, Saar.
  • Aquatic: Hylar, Yssaril. (Includes amphibious races.)
  • Reptilian: Druaa, Shikrai, Winnu, Xxcha. (Includes avian races, which are closest to reptiles.)
  • Insectoid: N'orr.
  • Anomaly: Creuss, Empyrean, Gashlai, Titan.

Note: This Talent has no effect on Antagonist Faction species (see A Brief Primer of the Galaxy).

New Tier 1 Talents

Challenge!

  • Tier: 1
  • Activation: Active (Maneuver)
  • Ranked: Yes

Once per encounter, your character may use this Talent to choose a number of adversaries within short range no greater than your character’s ranks in Challenge! (a minion group counts as a single adversary for this purpose). Until the encounter ends or your character is incapacitated, these adversaries add 1 Boost die to combat checks targeting your character and 2 Setback dice to combat checks targeting other characters.

Deescalation Training

  • Tier: 1
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: Yes
  • Original Name: Customer Service Experience

After your character makes a Charm check, they may suffer 1 strain to use this Talent to cancel Threat equal to your character’s ranks in Deescalation Training.

Street Brawler

  • Tier: 1
  • Activation: Passive
  • Ranked: No
  • Original Name: Tavern Brawler

Your character adds 1 Advantage to Brawl checks and to combat checks using improvised weapons.

Talk Shop

  • Tier: 1
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: No

Your character may use this Talent when making a Charm check targeting an engineer, mechanic, scientist, or similar individual to count their ranks of Charm as equal to their ranks in Knowledge (Science) or Mechanics.

Torment

  • Tier: 1
  • Activation: Passive
  • Ranked: No

When a target is disoriented, staggered, or prone, your character may add a Boost die to combat checks against them and to social checks made to inflict strain against them.

Tumble

  • Tier: 1
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: No

Once per round on your character’s turn, they may suffer 2 strain to disengage from all engaged adversaries.

New Tier 2 Talents

Bad Cop

  • Tier: 2
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: Yes

Your character may spend 2 Advantage from a Coercion or Deception check to use this Talent to upgrade the ability of a single ally’s subsequent social skill check a number of times equal to your character’s ranks in Bad Cop. That check must target the same character as your character’s initial check, and it must take place during the same encounter.

Only a single use of Bad Cop or Good Cop can be applied to a given social check.

Bulwark

  • Tier: 2
  • Activation: Active (Incidental, Out of Turn)
  • Ranked: No

Your character must have purchased the Parry Talent to benefit from this Talent. While wielding a weapon with the Defensive quality, your character may use Parry to reduce the damage of an attack targeting an engaged ally.

Dirty Tricks

  • Tier: 2
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: No

After your character inflicts a Critical Injury on an adversary, they may use this Talent to upgrade the difficulty of that adversary’s next check.

Distraction!

  • Tier: 2
  • Activation: Active (Action)
  • Ranked: No

Your character may use this Talent to make an Average (2-difficulty) Coordination, Deception, or Skulduggery check. For each Success the check generates, one adversary of your choice within short range becomes disoriented. Your character may spend 1 Advantage from the check to inflict 1 strain on an affected adversary and may spend 1 Triumph from the check to stagger a minion or rival within short range.

Flash of Insight

  • Tier: 2
  • Activation: Passive
  • Ranked: No

When your character generates any Triumph on a knowledge skill check, roll 2 Boost dice and add the results to the check, in addition to spending the Triumph as usual.

Good Cop

  • Tier: 2
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: Yes

Your character may spend 2 Advantage from a Charm or Negotiation check to use this Talent to upgrade the ability of a single ally’s subsequent social skill check a number of times equal to your character’s ranks in Good Cop. That check must target the same character as your character’s initial check, and it must take place during the same encounter.

Only a single use of Bad Cop or Good Cop can be applied to a given social check.

Grappler

  • Tier: 2
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: No
  • Original Name: Grapple

Your character may suffer 2 strain to use this Talent. Until the start of your character’s next turn, enemies must spend two maneuvers to disengage from your character.

Haughty Demeanor

  • Tier: 2
  • Activation: Passive
  • Ranked: No

Other characters add 1 Threat to social skill checks targeting your character.

Sharp Tongue

  • Tier: 2
  • Activation: Passive
  • Ranked: Yes

Normally it requires 4 Advantage to inflict a "critical remark" in a social encounter (see p. 123). Your character reduces the number of Advantage required to do so by their ranks in Sharp Tongue, to a minimum of 1 Advantage.

Two-Handed Pistoleer

  • Tier: 2
  • Activation: Passive
  • Ranked: No
  • Original Name: Two-Handed Stance

When performing a combat check with a Ranged (Light) weapon, if your character has nothing in their other hand, they add 1 Advantage to the results.

New Tier 3 Talents

Bodyguard

  • Tier: 3
  • Activation: Active (Maneuver)
  • Ranked: Yes

Once per round, your character may suffer a number of strain no greater than their ranks in Bodyguard to use this Talent. Choose one ally engaged with your character; until the end of your character’s next turn, upgrade the difficulty of all combat checks targeting that ally a number of times equal to the strain suffered.

Daredevil

  • Tier: 3
  • Activation: Passive
  • Ranked: No

When your character generates Despair on an Athletics, Coordination, or Piloting check, roll 1 Proficiency die and add the results to the check, in additional to the Despair being spent as normal.

Hard Boiled

  • Tier: 3
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: No

When your character makes a check to recover strain at the end of an encounter, they may use Resilience instead of Discipline or Cool. If they do so, they heal 1 strain per Success and 1 wound per Advantage.

Laugh it Off

  • Tier: 3
  • Activation: Active (Incidental, Out of Turn)
  • Ranked: No

When your character is targeted by a social check they may use this Talent to spend 3 Threat or 1 Despair to reduce any strain the check inflicts by their ranks in Charm. If they do so, the character who targeted them suffers an amount of strain equal to the amount of strain reduced.

Nimble

  • Tier: 3
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: No

At the start of your character’s turn, you may spend one Story Point to use this Talent to allow your character to perform a move maneuver as an incidental. (This does not count against the limit of two maneuvers per turn.) If you use this Talent, your character can only perform one additional move maneuver during this turn.

Precise Shooter

  • Tier: 3
  • Activation: Passive
  • Ranked: No
  • Original Name: Precise Archery

When making a Ranged combat check targeting a character engaged with one of your character’s allies, do not upgrade the difficulty of the attack. Despair still means a successful attack hits the wrong target.

New Tier 4 Talents

Ingenious Solution

  • Tier: 4
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: No

Once per session, before making a check your character may use this Talent to substitute a Knowledge skill of their choice instead of the skill the check would normally require. You should explain how your character’s ingenious solution made this possible — in laypeople’s terms, anyway.

Stunned Silence

  • Tier: 4
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: No

When your character makes a social skill check to inflict strain during a social encounter, they may use this Talent to spend 3 Advantage or 1 Triumph to stagger the target for one round.

New Tier 5 Talents

Crushing Blow

  • Tier: 5
  • Activation: Active (Incidental)
  • Ranked: No

Once per session after rolling a melee attack but before resolving the check, your character may suffer 4 strain to use this Talent. While resolving the check, the weapon gains the Breach 1 and Knockdown item qualities, and destroys one item the target is wielding that does not have the Reinforced quality.

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