Spirits of America

Key of the Adventurer

You live for excitement. As a plaything of fortune, you go around having dangerous, ridiculous adventures ... simply for the thrill of it. Gain 1 XP when you agree to go on a quest (or side-quest, or some other risky venture). Gain 3 XP from any scene wherein the pursuit of this quest causes stress for you. Buy Off - Reject the opportunity to go on yet another wild Kit Carson adventure mission.

Key of Bloodlust

You enjoy overpowering others in combat. Gain 1 XP every time you defeat someone in battle. Gain 3 XP for defeating someone equal to or more powerful than yourself (equal or higher combat skill.) Buyoff: Be defeated in battle.

Key of the Brokenhearted

You cannot let go of some tragic event in your past. It wounded you so deeply that you refuse (consciously or unconsciously) to form new bonds of love or attachment. Gain 1 XP every time you choose to keep new bonds from forming in favor of “honoring” their past love (or, in other words, every time you choose nostalgia instead of the now). Gain 3 XP every time you rebuff an open confession of love or camaraderie. Buy Off : Admit that you have formed a new love or trust with another person.

Key of Competition

Choose a particular person, social group, or species. You gain 1 XP when you outfox your rivals, and 3 XP when you do so against long odds. Buyoff - Decline to compete against this rival.

Key of Conscience

You have a soft spot for those weaker than their opponents. Gain 1 XP every time you help someone who cannot help themselves. Gain 2 XP every time you defend someone with might who is in danger and cannot save themselves. Gain 5 XP every time you takes someone in an unfortunate situation and changes their life to where they can help themselves. Buyoff: Ignore a request for help.

Key of the Coward

You avoid combat like the plague. Gain 1 XP every time you avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Gain 3 XP every time you stop a combat using other means besides violence. Buyoff: Leap into combat

Key of Doom

You are doomed to a terrible fate. Gain 1 XP every time you act without regard to your safety. Gain 3 XP every time you enter battle against superior enemies (1 or more opponents with higher combat skill or several -- 3 or more -- opponents with equal skill). Buyoff: Retreat from an overwhelming battle or fight, or fight to survive so that you may be with a loved one.

Key of the Explorer

You hunger for new experiences and have an insatiable curiousity. Gain 1 XP every time you have a completely new experience. Gain 3 XP every time you experience something completely new to your society. Buyoff: Leave discovery to the younger generation and begin settling into your ways.

Key of Faith

Your character has a strong religious belief that guides her. This should be defined by the player a little more strongly than simple devotion to the ancestors. Gain 1 XP every time she defends her faith to others. Gain 2 XP whenever this character converts someone to her faith. Gain 5 XP whenever this character defends her faith even though it brings her great harm. Buyoff: Your character renounces her beliefs. (see Key of Religion?) with no hesitation

Key of Family

You have a family you were either born into or adopted. Gain 1 XP every time you defend a family member from harm. Gain 3 XP every time you defend a family member at great danger to yourself. Buyoff: Leave your family to strike out on your own.

Key of Fraternity

You have someone you are sworn to, a friend who is more important than anyone else. Gain 1 XP every time this character is present in a scene with you (maximum 3 per adventure). Gain 2 XP whenever you have to make a decision that is influenced by them. Gain 5 XP every time you defend them by putting yourself at risk. Buyoff: Sever the relationship with this person.

Key of Glory

Who cares about power or riches? You crave fame! Gain 1 XP when your actions inspire strangers to talk about you insultingly (there's no such thing as bad publicity). Gain 3 XP when your deeds win you acclaim and adulation. Buyoff - Adopt a pseudonym or go incognito.

Key of Greed

Your character loves wealth. Gain 1 XP every time you make a deal that favors you in wealth. Gain 3 XP every time you double your wealth. Buyoff: Give away everything you own except what you can carry lightly.

Key of Got Religion

Your character's got religion! 1XP for quoting from the good book appropriately, +2 XP for making a decision or getting into a conflict based on a passage or blasphemy, +5 for bringing on armaggedon because of that confounded book! (see also Key of Faith)

Key of the Guardian

You have a ward, someone who depends on you for security and protection. Gain 1 XP every time this character is present in a scene with you. Gain 2 XP whenever you have to make a decision that is influenced by them. Gain 5 XP every time you rescue them from harm. Buyoff: Sever the relationship with this person.

Key of the Hypocrite

Civil war has led to countless acts of opportunism cloaked in fine rhetoric--and secret acts of heroism disguised as self-interest. Every time the character takes an action at variance with her avowed ideology, she gains 1 XP. Whenever this character gets called out on this hypocritical behavior and persuasively rationalizes it, she gains 2 XP. She gains 5 XP if this involves a direct threat to her profession, social standing, or life & limb. Buy-Off: Publicly confess your shameful hypocrisy.

Key of the Ideal

Your character has a powerful belief in an ideal that drives him or her. This should be defined by the player with an explanation for why this belief is so acute in the character. Gain 1 XP every time the character shows off or emphasizes the ideal. Gain 2 XP whenever the ideal is trumpeted in the face of doubt or evidence to the contrary. Gain 5 XP whenever this character defends her ideal in the face of life-threatening opposition. Buyoff: Your character renounces her ideals with no hesitation.

Key of Impotence

You ought to be able to do something just fine, but for some reason you can't. This difficulty could be sexual, social, or physical; the source of the problem may be self-doubt, overconfidence, or an evil curse. In any event the player should select a single skill when choosing this key, and may apply a penalty die to that skill at any time to reflect these mysterious difficulties. When the penalty die applies to a routine situation, gain 1 XP. When the penalty die applies to an important situation, gain 2 XP. When the penalty die applies to an urgent, life-or-death, out-of-control-story-madness situation, gain 5 XP. Buy Off - Overcome the source of this anxiety.

Key of the Imposter

Sometimes your entire life is a lie. You gain 1 XP whenever you pass yourself off as someone/something you're not. You gain 2 XP whenever you convince others in spite of serious skepticism. You gain 5 XP whenever your story survives a deliberate, focused, "Hey everybody, look!" attempt to reveal your identity. Buyoff: Confess your imposture to those duped.

Key of Integrity

Your character has a deep-seated understanding of what's right, and clings to it doggedly. You gain 1 XP whenever your character is tempted by corruption, 2 XP for acting to oppose corruption, and 5 XP for risking your character's life to preserve his or her integrity or defeat corruption.

Key of Intolerance

Your character has a deep-seated intolerance for those that are different from himself (Choose race or social class). You gain 1 XP for working it into the scene, 2 XP if it drives a decision that causes problems/discomfort/conflict, 5 XP if it causes major problems/harm to the character or his compatriots.

Key of Justice

Your character has an unfailing commitment to justice. Gain 1xp each time you right a wrong, 2 xp each time that justice causes another to suffer pain and 5 xp each time your character executes justice at great expense to himself. Buyoff: heed a guilty party's plea for mercy.

Key of Leadership

Designate the group for whom you are the leader. Gain 1 xp every time a significant number of your followers are in a scene (max of 3 xp per sesssion); gain 3 xp when their presence influences your decision; gain 5 xp when you are put at great risk or harmed while acting to protect the group.

Key of Love

You have a deep love, whether friendly, erotic, or familial, for someone else. Gain 1 XP every time this character is present in a scene with you. Gain 2 XP whenever you has to make a decision that is influenced by them. Gain 5 XP every time you put yourself in harm's way or makes a sacrifice for them. Buyoff: Sever the relationship with this person.

Key of the Manipulator

You work behind the scenes, manipulating others in order to be a shadow ruler. You must work for or be an advisor of someone in a position of power. Gain 1 XP whenever you exert your will over the ruler, even over minor matters - especially over minor matters. Gain 2 XP whenever the ruler accepts your advice over others. Gain 5 XP whenever your influence makes the ruler make a policy change or establish a new policy that works in your favor. Buyoff: Accept the mantle of power for yourself.

Key of the Masochist

You thrive on personal pain and suffering. Gain 1 XP every time you are bloodied and 3 XP every time you are broken. Buyoff: Flee a source of physical or psychic damage.

Key of the Mission

You have a personal mission that you must complete. Gain 1 XP every time you take action to complete this mission (2 XP if this action is successful.) Gain 5 XP every time you take action that completes a major part of this mission. Buyoff: Abandon this mission.

Key of the Pacifist

You have a personal commitment to nonviolence. Gain 1 XP for every adventure in which you do not commit any violence. Gain 2 XP every time you do not commit violence even though it causes you minor harm or inconvenience. Gain 5 XP every time you do not commit violence even though it causes you great harm. Buyoff: Purposefully harm another sentient creature.

Key of Power

You don't even care what you do with it, you just want it. You gain 1 XP whenever you earn a boon from someone important, earn a slight gain in prestige, or make a rival look bad. You gain 3 XP whenever you ruin, kill, or otherwise eliminate a rival, and improve your own position because of it. Buyoff: Relinquish your power and position.

Key of Renown

"You must be the worst assassin I've ever heard of." "But you have heard of me." You gain 1 XP whenever you see to it that your name and deeds are known, by bragging about them or making sure there are witnesses. You gain 2 XP whenever you put yourself at risk to do something unnecessary or foolish that will add to your reputation. You gain 5 XP whenever you risk your life to take credit for your actions (bragging that you were the one who killed the Duke's son, for example.). Buyoff: Give someone else credit for an action that would increase your renown.

Key of the Tribe

(native americans or african americans only)

Your character's tribe- the people he comes from- is a great part of his identity. Gain 1 XP whenever your character does something to help the tribe. Gain 2 XP whenever your character defends or helps the tribe even though it brings him ridicule or inconvenience. Gain 5 XP whenever your character defends the tribe in a fight. Buyoff: Leave the tribe.

Key of Unrequited Love

You have a love for someone who does not return this love. Gain 1 XP whenever you have to make a decision that is influenced by them. Gain 2 XP every time you attempt to win their affection. Gain 5 XP every time you put yourself in harm's way or make a sacrifice for them. Buyoff: Abandon your pursuit of this person or win their love.

Key of Vice

Your character has a vice that exerts great control over how he lives his life. Choose your particular Vice e.g. whoring, gambling, liquor. +1 xp when Vice makes its way into the scene, +2 when you make a decision based on the vice, +5 when the vice causes you or someone you care about great harm/great success.

Key of Vengeance

You have a hatred for a particular organization or person. Gain 1 XP every time you hurt a member of that group or a lackey of that person. Gain 2 XP every time you strike a minor blow at that group or person (killing a member of the organization or one of the person's lackeys, disrupting their life, destroying their property). Gain 5 XP every time you strike a major blow at that group or person. Buyoff: Let your enemy go.

Key of the Vow

You have a vow of personal behavior that you have sworn not to break. This could be a dietary restriction, a requirement to pray at dawn every morning, or something else like that. Gain 1 XP for every adventure in which you do not break this vow. Gain 2 XP every time you do not break this vow even though it causes you minor harm or inconvenience. Gain 5 XP every time you do not break this vow even though it causes you great harm. Buyoff: Break this vow.