Agony

There are certain critical moments in a character’s life when they must push themselves past their limits to succeed or survive. The result of this is a semi-permanent scar that partially defines their approach to the world from that point forward. This scar may be in physical, emotional, or both, but always affects their performance under certain conditions from that point forward. Agony is not unsurmountable either in the moment or long-term, but is very difficult to shake permanently.

All starting characters will create one Agony that happened sometime in their past. This should stem from a defining event that shapes their personality and decision-making. This is represented as an Agony trait. While the fully description of the Agony could be quite detailed, for game purposes it should be very succinct, approximately a three- to seven- (3-7) word phrase. For example, “Survived a Puritan purge” or “Self-exiled from Helis”.

Mechanical Effects of Agony

Hindering

At moments that are relevant to a PC’s Agony, the GM may spend one Doom up to the total number of Agonies the PC has. For each Doom spent, it creates a Hindering(-) Ranked Modifier for the Cohort.

For example, if a character has three (3) Agony traits, the GM may spend one (1) Doom to create a Hindering(-) Rank 1 Modifier, two (2) Doom to create a Hindering(-) Rank 2 Modifier, or three (3) Doom to create a Hindering(-) Rank 3 Modifier.

Beneficial

Living with Agony has its benefits, too. A PC with Agony has some worldly experience that fuels their growth. For each Agony a PC has, they receive a Beneficial(+) Ranked Modifier for Growth tests.