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Elements artwork

Is there any force in the world more powerful than the primal elements? Earthen mountains reach into the clouds, humbling even the tallest manmade tower. Air creates wind-tossed thunderstorms that steal the warmth from the living. Water is the origin and sustainer of all life, so much so that it flows through our veins. Fire consumes all, bringing complete destruction to anything it touches. Look inside yourself, brave elementalist. Which elements rage within your soul?

Examples of Elements characters include:

Elements

Affinity

(Elements | Combat)

Effects
  • Collaborate on a threat you're completely immune to, and another threat that you're especially vulnerable to
  • Descriptions
  • immunity to flames but weakness to frost
  • immunity to magic but weakness to physical harm
  • Blaze

    (Elements | Combat)

    Effects
  • You can create a damaging zone for several minutes
  • Descriptions
  • setting the ground ablaze
  • growing razor-sharp ice shards
  • generating a lightning field
  • Cataclysm

    (Elements | Combat)

    Effects
  • You can start a natural disaster. Once started, the disaster is out of your control (but you might be able to influence it)
  • Descriptions
  • unleashing raw elemental power
  • shattering nature's balance
  • turning your emotions into magic
  • Examples
    Cataclysms
  • tornado
  • hurricane
  • earthquake
  • blizzard
  • heat wave
  • dust storm
  • thunder storm
  • gale force winds
  • Frostbite

    (Elements | Combat)

    Effects
  • You can freeze less than 1 space of material in ice
  • Descriptions
  • locking them in ice
  • freezing their blood
  • covering them in frost
  • surrounding them in earth
  • Immolate

    (Elements | Combat)

    Effects
  • You can give something the condition "On Fire"
  • Descriptions
  • igniting their clothes
  • setting their soul ablaze
  • surrounding them in blue fire
  • elemental havoc
  • Electrocute

    (Elements | Combat)

    Effects
  • You can paralyze someone for a second or two
  • Descriptions
  • electricity arcing from person to person
  • throwing a bolt of lightning like a javelin
  • Path of Fire

    (Elements | Combat)

    Effects
  • You can leave behind a trail of harmful elemental fury in all spaces that you vacate. The trait lasts a few minutes
  • Descriptions
  • leaving fire in your wake
  • creating a deadly static field
  • raising earth spikes
  • creating frost shards
  • Control Weather

    (Elements | Exploration)

    Effects
  • You can change the weather to anything that the region could reasonably experience this time of year. The weather changes in a few minutes or hours (GM's choice)
  • Descriptions
  • changing the air pressure
  • creating moisture
  • bringing in a cold front
  • shaping the clouds
  • Clutch of Earth

    (Elements | Exploration)

    Effects
  • You can change the effects of gravity in the area
  • Descriptions
  • changing magnetic fields
  • altering earth's density
  • enhancing the pull of gravity
  • Earth Walk

    (Elements | Exploration)

    Effects
  • You can move through stone, metal, and earth as if they have the consistency of mud. You can breathe normally and sense your surroundings while in these materials
  • Descriptions
  • changing magnetic fields
  • altering earth's density
  • enhancing the pull of gravity
  • Flight

    (Elements | Exploration)

    Effects
  • You can fly. Collaborate on how this trait works
  • Descriptions
  • sprouting wings
  • running across the air as if it were solid
  • riding on powerful winds
  • Examples
    How it works
  • you need safe take-off and landing zones
  • it's exhausting
  • you can carry a few others
  • Iron Body

    (Elements | Exploration)

    Effects
  • You weigh up to 20 times more than normal and can't be forcibly moved
  • Descriptions
  • rocky skin
  • iron-hard bones
  • the gravity of earth pulling you
  • a body made of stone and crystals
  • Shape Element

    (Elements | Exploration)

    Effects
  • Collaborate on an element. You can create 1 space of that element, or manipulate several spaces of that element
  • Descriptions
  • practicing element-bending
  • extending your hand and commanding the elements to respond
  • Terraform

    (Elements | Exploration)

    Effects
  • You can reshape the landscape. The terrain changes over the course of days or weeks (GM's choice)
  • Descriptions
  • growing a mountain
  • diverting a river
  • burrowing a cave
  • opening a chasm
  • flooding lowlands
  • Tremors

    (Elements | Exploration)

    Effects
  • You can sense the movements of things touching the earth within about 1 hours travel in all directions. Also, you can put you ear to the ground to hear the vibrations of very distant things
  • Descriptions
  • feeling the earth tremble beneath your feet
  • sensing subtle vibrations
  • hearing the earth rumbling
  • Water Breathing

    (Elements | Exploration)

    Effects
  • You can breathe water and ignore extreme pressures associated with deep water
  • Descriptions
  • growing gills
  • infusing your body with primal water
  • creating an air bubble around your head
  • Calm the Storm

    (Elements | Interaction)

    Effects
  • You can make others become significantly more passive, calm, and reasonable. This ends if someone acts threateningly toward them
  • Descriptions
  • quenching the fires that rage in their hearts
  • creating a soothing breeze
  • soothing their inner turmoil
  • Fan the Flames

    (Elements | Interaction)

    Effects
  • You can significantly intensify whatever emotions creatures are currently feeling
  • Descriptions
  • adding fuel to their passions
  • igniting their souls with elemental energy
  • sparking their desires
  • Port in the Storm

    (Elements | Interaction)

    Effects
  • You can find safe haven that will safely harbor you and your allies for as long as you stay there. The locals will freely offer some sort of aid, or the aid will already be there if the safe haven is unpopulated
  • Descriptions
  • sensing a safe area
  • feeling the air is calmer over there
  • following a soothing wind
  • following warmth
  • Examples
    Aid
  • food and shelter
  • fresh weapons or armor
  • information
  • guides
  • minions
  • medical attention
  • potions
  • Safe Havens
  • hidden cave
  • a house owned by friends
  • politically neutral ground
  • forgotten cabin in the woods
  • Still Air

    (Elements | Interaction)

    Effects
  • You can give something the condition "Silenced" for several hours. Silenced things can't make any noise whatsoever
  • Descriptions
  • freezing air in place
  • absorbing sound waves with the earth
  • keeping the air perfectly still
  • Words on Wind

    (Elements | Interaction)

    Effects
  • You can name someone and speak a few sentences. They will hear your message after a few moments. Then, they can speak a few sentences; their message returns to you in a similar fashion
  • Descriptions
  • projecting your voice through the air
  • sending a message to the four winds
  • exhaling an air elemental

  • © 2023-2023

    studioKeywi

    Distances

    Touch

    Physical contact and adjacent spaces

    Near

    Several steps, or 3 spaces

    Close

    A room, or 5 spaces

    Far

    A building, or 10 spaces

    Very Far

    Several buildings, or 20+ spaces

    Keywords

    Bolster

    Players can spend their bolsters to increase a related roll. The GM can spend bolsters to make a PC decrease a related roll. Unspent bolsters eventually expire.

    Refer to Chapter 2 of the rules for more about increasing/decreasing rolls

    Collaborate

    Traits that tell you to collaborate are intentionally vague and ambiguous. Work with the GM to create a balanced and thematically appropriate effect. Collaborations should be an ongoing process. For example, you may discover that an effect is too strong or weak after a few sessions, so you and the GM should rebalance the effect

    Condition

    A condition is anything that temporarily affects your capabilities or status.

    Refer to Chapter 3 of the rules for more about conditions

    Defense

    Defenses make you more resilient during Challenges. Defenses grant one or more boxes, which function the same as Challenge Number boxes. However, defenses have unique requirements that allow you to mark them only in specific situations

    Minion

    A minion is a creature that serves another creature through a contract.

    Refer to Chapter 7 of the rules for more about minions

    Shrine

    A shrine is a divine conduit that allows a specific deity or set of deities to affect the mortal world.

    Refer to the Faith theme of the rules for more about shrines

    Temporary Item Trait

    A temporary item trait is any item trait that you did not spend XP to acquire. Temporary item traits come from a variety of source: magic items, potions, spells, etc. They're free and don't affect the XP cost of buying other item traits. You can't upgrade temporary item traits

    Temporary Trait

    A temporary trait is any that you did not spend XP to acquire. Temporary traits come from a variety of source: magic items, potions, spells, etc. They're free and don't affect the XP cost of buying other traits. You can't upgrade temporary traits

    Worldbuild

    Worldbuilding a collaborative process wherin the players and the GM work together to create something about the game world. One person is in charge of the worldbuilding event, and the other players support that player.

    Refer to Chapter 6 of the rules for more about world building

    Zone

    A zone is an area of effect. If a trait affects a zone, collaborate on logically fitting zones that you can create with that trait, and write them into your trait. Example zones:
    Blast: An explosion that affects one space and adjacent spaces. Blast attacks can be melee or ranged.
    Cone: A 90° cone that extends out to a Close distance. Cone attacks are considered to be melee.
    Line: This is a line of spaces that extends out to a Far distance. Line attacks are considered to be ranged.

    About

    Tavern Tales Toolkit 0.0.1-alpha-5

    Based on the Kickstarter 1.0.1 version of Tavern Tales with minor modifications

    Modifications

    • Metamagic has been renamed Augment and moved from Arcane traits into General traits
    Tavern Tales, the Tavern Tales logo, and any other associated artwork were orginally © 2014-2017 by Dabney Bailey, and has since been released under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license

    Links

    Tavern Tales KS 1.0.1 on Fandom Tavern Tales Discord