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Wit Talents

AX.C.04.04 - Wit Talents

Attunement

  • Empathy, spiritual awareness and connection to living things and the extraordinary.
  • Parent Attribute: Wit
  • Untrained: Yes (basic emotional intuition only)

Attunement represents sensitivity to what cannot be directly observed, emotional states, intent, the presence of Odd Talent activity, and the subtle connections between living things. It is the primary Talent for characters who navigate the world through perception and feeling rather than knowledge or logic.

Uses:

  • Reading the emotional state or intent of a person or creature
  • Sensing the presence or recent use of Odd Talents in an area
  • Calming frightened or hostile animals and non-sapient creatures
  • Detecting whether a statement is made with genuine belief (sincerity, not objective truth)
  • Meditating to recover clarity or resist mental disturbance
  • Recognizing when something is wrong in a social or environmental situation, even without knowing why

Common Foci:

  • Empathy (reading emotional states and intent)
  • Animal Handling (calming and communicating with creatures)
  • Spiritual Awareness (sensing Odd Talent presence and resonance)
  • Meditation (mental recovery and focus)
  • Threat Sense (detecting danger through intuition rather than observation)
  • Bond (deep attunement to a specific person, creature, or place)

Note: Attunement does not grant access to Odd Talents; that requires an Extra-Normal Perk (AX.C.09.03). Attunement represents natural perceptive sensitivity. A character with high Attunement can sense that magic has been used in a room; they cannot use magic unless they have Power Access.

Deceive

  • Lies, misdirection, disguise, and social manipulation through deception.
  • Parent Attribute: Wit
  • Untrained: Yes (obvious lies)

Uses:

  • Lying convincingly
  • Creating and maintaining disguises
  • Bluffing and feinting
  • Going undercover
  • Forgery and falsification
  • Misdirection and diversions

Common Foci:

  • Bluffing, Fast Talk
  • Disguise, Impersonation
  • Forgery (documents, art, signatures)
  • Acting, Role-Playing
  • Misdirection, Distraction
  • Con Artistry, Scams
  • Combat Feints

Lore

  • Information, education, and academic understanding.
  • Parent Attribute: Wit
  • Untrained: Yes (general education only)

Uses:

  • Recalling historical facts
  • Understanding cultures and societies
  • Identifying creatures and their abilities
  • Knowing legends and mythology
  • Academic research
  • Recognizing symbols and references

Common Foci:

  • History, Ancient Civilizations
  • Geography, Cartography
  • Creatures & Monsters
  • Arcana & Magic Theory (fantasy)
  • Technology & Science (sci-fi)
  • Religion, Mythology, Planes
  • Nobility & Heraldry
  • Xenology (alien species)

Medicine

  • Physical treatment of injuries, illness, and biological knowledge.
  • Parent Attribute: Wit
  • Untrained: Yes (basic first aid only)

Uses:

  • Treating injuries and restoring health
  • Diagnosing physical conditions
  • Performing surgery
  • Treating disease and poison
  • Stabilizing dying characters
  • Understanding anatomy and biology

Common Foci:

  • Field Medicine, Emergency Treatment
  • Surgery, Advanced Procedures
  • Herbalism, Natural Remedies (fantasy)
  • Toxicology (poisons and antidotes)
  • Cybernetic Repair (sci-fi)
  • Xenobiology (alien physiology)

Notice

  • Awareness, observation, and detecting hidden details.
  • Parent Attribute: Wit
  • Untrained: Yes (basic observation)

Uses:

  • Noticing danger and avoiding ambushes
  • Searching for hidden objects or people
  • Detecting lies and reading body language
  • Tracking creatures and following trails
  • Eavesdropping and gathering information
  • General situational awareness

Common Foci:

  • Combat Awareness (initiative, spotting threats)
  • Search (finding hidden things)
  • Sense Motive (detecting lies, reading intentions)
  • Tracking (following trails)
  • Eavesdropping, Surveillance
  • Lip Reading

Persuade

  • Leadership and social manipulation through honest means.
  • Parent Attribute: Wit
  • Untrained: Yes (based on personality)

Uses:

  • Diplomatic negotiations
  • Inspiring and rallying others
  • Leadership and command
  • Public speaking and oration
  • Changing minds through argument
  • Mediating disputes

Common Foci:

  • Diplomacy, Negotiation
  • Leadership, Command
  • Oration, Public Speaking
  • Inspiration, Morale
  • Debate, Argumentation
  • Seduction, Charm (honest)
  • Interrogation (psychological pressure)

Resolve

  • Mental resilience, willpower, and resisting mental influence.
  • Parent Attribute: Wit
  • Untrained: Yes (based on willpower)

Uses:

  • Resisting fear and terror
  • Enduring torture and interrogation
  • Resisting mind control and mental attacks
  • Maintaining focus under stress
  • Overcoming temptation
  • Meditation and mental discipline

Common Foci:

  • Resist Fear, Terror
  • Resist Torture, Interrogation
  • Resist Mental Influence (telepathy, mind control)
  • Concentration, Focus
  • Meditation, Mental Discipline
  • Faith, Conviction
  • Resist Temptation

Tactics

  • Logic, strategy, planning, and analytical thinking.
  • Parent Attribute: Wit
  • Untrained: Yes (basic reasoning)

Uses:

  • Combat tactics and strategy
  • Logical deduction and problem-solving
  • Planning operations
  • Analyzing patterns and data
  • Coordinating team actions
  • Predicting behavior and outcomes

Common Foci:

  • Battle Tactics, Military Strategy
  • Investigation, Deduction
  • Forensics, Crime Scene Analysis
  • Strategic Planning
  • Pattern Recognition
  • Cryptography, Code Breaking
  • Predictive Analysis

Technical

  • Designing, building, and operating complex interconnected systems.
  • Parent Attribute: Wit
  • Untrained: Yes (basic operation only)

Uses:

  • Designing systems composed of multiple integrated components
  • Operating sophisticated machinery and complex devices
  • Understanding and interpreting technical schematics
  • Hacking and bypassing security systems
  • Systems analysis and troubleshooting
  • Using advanced tools and equipment

Common Foci:

  • Computer Systems, Hacking (modern/sci-fi)
  • Starship Systems, Navigation (sci-fi)
  • Security Systems, Bypassing
  • Mechanical Systems, Machinery
  • Magic Theory & Application (fantasy)
  • Electronics, Circuitry
  • Quantum Systems (advanced sci-fi)

Craft vs. Technical

Craft (Body) covers the fabrication of individual physical components and objects. Technical (Wit) covers the design and integration of those components into functioning systems.

The dividing line is complexity and interdependence: - Fabricating individual pistons and an engine block = Craft - Designing and assembling a functioning race car engine from those parts = Technical - Carving a wooden box = Craft - Building a mechanical lock with tumblers, springs, and a key mechanism = Technical

When a task involves making a single thing, use Craft. When a task involves making many things work together as a system, use Technical. In ambiguous cases the GM determines which Talent applies, or may call for both if the task genuinely requires fabrication and integration in sequence.