So I talked a bit about Temperaments as part of the character setup for HoNK a while ago: here is something of an elucidation of what they are, and a couple of examples.
Each
character is deeply linked to one of the Eleven Elements that make up all of
existence. The Elements are Air, Beast, Bough, Death, Earth, Fire, Life, Moon,
Spirit, Sun and Water. Every
Element is expressed as a Temperament, as shown on the table below:
Element |
Temperament |
Air |
Sanguine |
Beast |
Primordial |
Bough |
Verbenal |
Death |
Inmitic |
Earth |
Melancholy |
Fire |
Choleric |
Life |
Vivific |
Moon |
Lunar |
Spirit |
Aetheric |
Sun |
Solar |
Water |
Phlegmatic |
The Temperaments
Each Temperament draws upon the metaphysical essence
of its associated element: Choleric individuals are generally ‘fiery’,
Phlegmatic folk tend to be flexible and easygoing, Inmitic people are often
grim and stern, and so on. However, no individual is completely bound by their
elemental essence: a Choleric character does not always lose their temper,
attempt to take command of every situation and rush headlong into danger.
Intelligence, training and experience can and do temper the expression of one’s
elemental essence. In the following section, the generalities of each
Temperament are outlined, along with their effect on Attribute scores, a
stereotypical example of an individual possessing the Temperament and several,
more complex examples illustrating the roleplaying and narrative potential of
Temperament considered alongside Aptitude.
Aetheric
One of the hardest Temperaments to pin down, the
Aetheric individual is most closely linked with the element of Spirit - that
nebulous force that powers the mind and binds and unifies magical effects.
Aetheric types are generally very cerebral in their approach to life, often
finding patterns that others do not (or that do not exist at all - the Aetheric
individual must take care not to overthink). They treat others as types, due to
their rather taxonomic view of people and things. They have a great respect for
facts and a fear of the overly emotional - although this bias does not mean the
Aetheric character has a mind any stronger than other types. In general terms,
they are rather distant and hard to know (and often don’t care) and tend to
overlook the health of their own bodies.
Modifiers: Characters with the Aetheric
Temperament add +1 to Arcana and Lore checks, and +1 to Resistance checks against
Spirit magic. They subtract 1 from their Fellowship score but add 1 to their
Knowledge score.
Stereotypical Example: a smelly,
slovenly, unhealthy sage, pursuing an arcane - and possibly pointless -
interest with a passion that seems almost crazed.
Elaborations by Aptitude:
Bravo - an
alderwoman known for her mastery of legal procedure and efficient bookkeeping
skills, but with a reputation as one not to be crossed: when not trouncing her
targets with harsh rhetoric, she likes to bury her opponents in extremely
abstruse legal claims, which she pursues with brutal persistence, accepting
nothing but complete surrender.
Companion - a military
surgeon attached to one of the better mercenary companies, whose rigorous
approach to the healing arts has made him very effective. His bedside manner is
somewhat awkward and aloof, although he is highly valued for his rather
dispassionate approach to advice in matters of policy and strategy.
Priest - a temple
historian with a passion for studying old heresies and a preference for the
company of books over people. His patient researches - in addition to giving
him a permanent cough due to excess inhalation of dust and reading mouldy
scrolls - have deluded him with the belief that there is an underlying pattern
to historical heresies that reveals the greatness of a hitherto undiscovered
God, and that this God speaks to him in dreams (in reality he is the object of
a Dream Demon’s attentions).
Technician - a minor
daughter of a noble house, refusing to accept her designated future as
drawing-room decoration and closeted broodmare, becoming a high-society
poisoner with a sideline in demonology. She knows the names of several of the
Epigones, and, thanks to her efficacious research techniques, is closing in on
the true name of an Infernal Power.
Inmitic
Burdened (or liberated) by one of the most
misunderstood of the Temperaments, the Inmitic individual is attuned to - and
influenced by the essence of the most feared Element, Death (or, as might
better describe it: Negation). Although these folk are typified as grim and
pessimistic, this is not always, or even mostly so. Many folk use their
understanding of, and feel for, the mortality of all things in an empowering
way, whether to free themselves of undue attachments to transient things or to
serve others in the face of the ultimate end. Some do not even consider Death
as an enemy, viewing it instead as a necessary philosophical counterpart of
Life and Being. Easily stereotyped, but often complex and compassionate,
Inmitic folk are marked out by a general air of reserve, but whether
this veils a spirit of malevolence or goodwill is by their own choice, not an
inevitable consequence of their elemental nature.
Modifiers: Characters with the Inmitic
Temperament add 1 to Detection and Religion skill checks and Resistance checks
against Death magic. They subtract 1 from their Appearance score and add 1 to
their Piety score.
Stereotype: a gaunt and pale necromancer in
an isolated tower, surrounded by grisly abominations of their own creation.
Elaborations by Aptitude:
Adventurer - a
daredevil acrobat and tightrope artist, constantly drawn to the greatest and
most challenging risks, seeking an ever-closer embrace with death - yet also
driven to affirm to all onlookers that with skill, calm and confidence, death can
be successfully stared down, if only for a while.
Companion - a young
Novice of Adesh, born into a plague-ravaged region, who has turned her fear of
death and disease to a positive end by providing quiet counsel and comfort to
the grieving and the dying.
Rogue - a serf’s
son in Lhanai, who has seen too many folk crushed under the brutal yoke of the
decadent and brutal aristocracy there. Now, he stalks the chateaux of the
nobility, delivering a painful end to those who thrive on oppression and
exploitation.
Stalwart – a
Tiavesthan oracle, driven to near-madness by horrific communications from those
poor souls tormented, slain and then raised as Undead by the Necromancers of
Trukko, who now patrols the borders of that ill-omened land defending the
scattered farmers and herders from the Undead that plague the region.
Lunar
The elemental essence known to most as “Moon” - due to
that luminary’s association with the forces at work - is one of change and
mutability. It is associated with lycanthropy and faerie, and those who bear
this Temperament often show the whimsical and wild nature of both. Lunar folk
are unpredictable, emotional, self-indulgent and insightful, often showing a
high degree of talent in artistic endeavours. They nonetheless represent a
dynamic force in the world, as their ability to express themselves and strive
against dangerous patterns of custom can lead to healthy progress - or chaotic
revolt and collapse. Sometimes, both.
Modifiers: Characters with the Lunar
Temperament add 1 to Deception and Expression checks and +1 to Resistance
checks against Moon magic. They subtract 1 from their Concentration score and
add 1 to their Receptivity score.
Stereotype: a wild-hearted animistic
dancer, sporting and cavorting with wild Fey in moonlit forest glades.
Elaborations by Aptitude:
Bravo - an
Arinyaka magi, steeped in the ancient contemplative lore of the woods-folk but
driven by inner, unaccountable voices to take on bestial powers and rage
through the forest on moonless nights, striking down those who desecrate the
wilds and using the blood so gathered to mend the blighted spirit of the
damaged land.
Dandy - an
Avronakiyan aesthete, born to a decadent merchant family of Old Throners, this
somewhat enfeebled young man pursues a career as a poet, writing tormented and
cryptic verse about the corrupt and cruel ruling class. Although he believes
that his poetry is revelatory and, in some sense, rebellious (by holding a
mirror to high society), it is actually magically contagious, deepening and
nurturing any evil in those who read - and hear it.
Knave - a
backstreet quacksalver, who happily fleeces the better-off people of her
crumbling city, selling useless love potions, toxic cosmetics and soul-wracking
drugs, using the money she makes to fund struggling musicians and artists, and
blackmailing some of her high-class addicts to grant her proteges access to the
clique-dominated aristocratic arts scene.
Warrior - a
Fighting-Monk sworn to Siakhara, this aged woman teaches dance to the miserable
peasantry of the County of Kull, travelling the back ways where the Count’s representatives
are seldom seen. As part of her teaching, her students learn basic martial
techniques in unarmed combat, and her most promising pupils learn some of the
ritual techniques that adepts of the Silver Dancer use to heal themselves and
inspire others. She hopes that one day, when the time is right, her students
will lead a revolt to remove the Count - a petty, if mostly ineffectual, tyrant
- from rule.
Melancholy
Burdened by the weight and sobriety of the element of
Earth, those who share in this elemental essence are often regarded as prone to
despair at worst, cynical and pessimistic conservativism at best. Like all
generalisations, this belief hides more than it reveals. Those of the
Melancholy Temperament are among society’s most acute and effective critics,
with an eye for finding flaws that few others even suspect. Even those who are
the most correct and observant of norms and laws in their behaviour remain
restless examiners of the world around them, constantly measuring the world
they find against the world as it ought to be.
Modifiers: Characters with the Melancholy
Temperament add 1 to Discipline and Interaction checks and +1 to Resistance
checks against Earth magic. They subtract 1 from their Presence score but add 1
to their Perception score.
Stereotype: a sour old soldier, full of
mistrust and engloomed by the memory of the shadow of war.
Elaborations by Aptitude:
Adventurer - a doleful
minstrel, disillusioned with endless tales of chivalry and romance, wandering
the world skewering the higher orders with merciless wit, and carrying messages
for the Conclave Against Thrones.
Mendicant - tired of
witnessing the torments of the poor, this young nobleman has retreated into the
wilds, where he cultivates stillness of mind and communion with nature, only to
find himself defending the trees and beasts from the encroachments of
civilisation.
Rogue - a
Ferromancer who is ruthless in his search for the best means to enchant the
weapons he makes so that they may be used effectively against the minions of
the Hegemon of Thwarted Light that enslave so many of his people.
Scholar – this
studious lampwright’s daughter spends her days working with her father making
fine lamps for the gentry and her nights researching magic that might reverse
blindness.
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