List of Keys

Keys are the motivations, problems, connections, duties, and loyalties that pull on your character. To the player, they’re highly important because they generate experience points. Creating new Keys may be easier than new Abilities or Secrets - they follow very simple rules.

A Key must involve a motivation, problem, connection, duty, or loyalty.

Keys come in two types:

Motivations. When the motivation is fulfilled in play, gain an experience point. When the motivation is fulfilled against good odds, gain three experience points.
Everything else. When the Key comes up in play, gain an experience point. (You can use this three times per session. This applies to all Keys below.) When the Key presents a minor problem, gain two experience points. When it presents a major problem, gain five experience points.

All Keys have a Buyoff, which is a reversal from the Key by the character. All Buyoffs give the character 10 experience points. This Buyoff occurs only when you, the player, wants it to happen: you can lose a battle with the Secret of Bloodlust and still keep the Secret. If you want your character to undergo a change in his or her personality, though, adding to the story, you can take this Buyoff by fulfilling it. If you do take the Buyoff, you can never take this Key again.

You must “activate” a key (earn at least 5 experience points with it) before you can buy it off.

As always, see the pre-made Keys to get a feel for creating your own.

Sinful and Virtuous Keys affect Pray ability checks by giving, respectively, penalty and bonus dice (one per activated Key).

Key	Type	Narrative Effect	Mechanical Effect	Buyoff	Incompatible With
Avarice	Sinful	Your character loves wealth.	Gain 1 XP every time you make a deal that favors you in wealth. Gain 2 XP for refusing to use your wealth to help the greater cause. Gain 3 XP every time you double your wealth.	Give away everything you own except what you can carry lightly.	Generosity.
Bloodlust		Your character enjoys overpowering others in combat.	Gain 1 XP every time your character defeats someone in battle. Gain 3 XP for defeating someone equal to or more powerful than your character (equal or higher combat skill.)	Be defeated in battle.
Charity	Virtuous	Your character consistently sacrifices his or her own interests in order to help others.	Gain 1 XP for helping another person at mild inconvenience. Gain 3 XP for helping another person at notable cost.	Refuse to help someone deserving, out of self-interest.	Envy.
Chastity	Virtuous	Your character refrains from sexual intimacy (except with a marriage partner), and does not “pollute” mind or body with any form of sensual self-indulgence.	Gain 1 XP when this comes up in play. Gain 3 XP for any ascetic practice such as fasting, or for resisting a sexual advance.	Indulge in sensual practices.	Lust.
Conscience	Virtuous	Your character has a soft spot for those weaker than their opponents.	Gain 1 XP every time your character helps someone who cannot help themselves. Gain 2 XP every time your character defends someone with might who is in danger and cannot save themselves. Gain 5 XP every time your character takes someone in an unfortunate situation and changes their life to where they can help themselves.	Ignore a request for help.
Courtly Love		Your character is in love with an unattainable beloved.	Gain 1 XP whenever your character dedicates an action to the beloved (maximum 3 per session). Gain 2 XP whenever your character takes an opportunity to praise the beloved at tiresome length. Gain 5 XP whenever your character risks life, limb, or the success of the mission by fighting someone who won’t agree that the character’s beloved is the acme of perfection (which may occur because the person they are fighting with also has this Key).	Marry the beloved.
Coward		Your character avoids combat like the plague.	Gain 1 XP every time your character avoids a potentially dangerous situation. Gain 3 XP every time your character stops a combat using other means besides violence.	Leap into combat with no hesitation.
Envy	Sinful	Your character powerfully desires something (a possession, a position or a characteristic) which is possessed by another, and delights in harm coming to that person.	Gain 1 XP for minor acts of unfriendliness towards the person that you envy, 2 XP for acts intended to bring them down, 5 XP if you can bring them down and take what it is that you envy.	Act generously towards the person you envy or refuse the gift of the envied possession.	Charity.
Faith	Virtuous	Your character has a strong religious belief that guides him or her.	Gain 1 XP every time he or she defends his or her faith to others. Gain 2 XP whenever this character converts someone to his or her faith. Gain 5 XP whenever this character defends his or her faith even though it brings him or her great harm.	Your character renounces his or her beliefs.
Fealty		Your character is loyal to a feudal master.	Gain 1 XP whenever the character serves the master’s interests (maximum 3 per session). Gain 2 XP whenever the character convinces someone else to offer fealty to his or her master. Gain 5 XP whenever the character serves the master’s interests faithfully at considerable personal cost.	Betray or disobey the master.
Fraternity		Your character has someone he or she is sworn to, a friend who is more important than anyone else.	Gain 1 XP every time this character is present in a scene with your character (maximum 3 per adventure). Gain 2 XP whenever your character has to make a decision that is influenced by them. Gain 5 XP every time your character defends them by putting himself or herself at risk.	Sever the relationship with this person.
Generosity	Virtuous	Your character gives freely and readily without thought of gaining a return.	Gain 1 XP each time your character makes an effort to help someone who cannot repay them. Gain 3 XP each time your character gives away resources in circumstances in which repayment is unlikely.	Hoard a resource to yourself and refuse to give it away.	Avarice.
Gentility		Your character is always courteous, composed, respectful to authorities and to the opposite gender. He or she takes care to keep clean and neat and to act, in every way, in a civilized and cultured manner.	Gain 1 XP whenever the character makes extra effort to keep up a civilized standard of life even in adverse circumstances, such as camping in the wilderness. Gain 3 XP when the character shows respect, deference or honour to an authority figure or member of the opposite gender who normally wouldn’t attract this kind of attitude, or for remaining calm, courteous and composed under extreme provocation.	Lose your composure in a spectacular manner and viciously upbraid someone whom you would usually defer to; or act like a slob.
Gluttony	Sinful	Your character overindulges himself or herself, and/or is thoughtlessly wasteful or selfish.	Gain 1 XP every time your character gets drunk, eats too much, hunts and kills more than can be eaten, wastes or spoils resources, or refuses to share resources with others, 3 XP if this causes significant trouble.	Restrain yourself when given the opportunity to overindulge.	Moderation.
Guardian		Your character has a ward, someone who depends on him or her for security and protection.	Gain 1 XP every time this character is present in a scene with your character. Gain 2 XP whenever your character has to make a decision that is influenced by them. Gain 5 XP every time your character rescues them from harm.	Sever the relationship with this person.
Humility	Virtuous	Your character is lacking in pride and arrogance and does not think of himself or herself in most circumstances.	Gain 1 XP each time you accept responsibility for a mistake you made. Accept 3 XP each time you submit without protest to a loss, defeat or injustice, accepting your fortune.	Blame or belittle someone else in a self-aggrandizing manner.	Pride.
Impostor	Sinful	Sometimes your entire life is a lie.	Gain 1 XP whenever you pass yourself off as someone/something you’re not. Gain 2 XP whenever you convince others in spite of serious skepticism. Gain 5 XP whenever your story survives a deliberate, focused, “Hey everybody, look!” attempt to reveal your identity.	Confess your imposture to those duped.
Lust	Sinful	Your character has an intense desire or craving, typically for sex but not necessarily.	Gain 1 XP for neglecting other commitments, obligations or relationships to pursue your craving. Gain 3 XP for causing significant loss by doing so.	refuse an opportunity to indulge your craving in favour of fulfilling another commitment or obligation.	Chastity.
Masochist		Your character thrives on personal pain and suffering.	Gain 1 XP every time he or she is bloodied and 3 XP every time he or she is broken.	Flee a source of physical or psychic damage.
Meekness	Virtuous	Your character is always patient and keeps his or her temper in all situations.	Gain 1 XP each time he or she remains calm and reasonable in a stressful situation or when wronged. Gain 3 XP each time he or she attempts to make peace between people who are angry at one another.	Lose your temper spectacularly.	Wrath.
Moderation	Virtuous	Your character takes a “middle path”, doing nothing to excess. He or she neither indulges excessively nor practices ascetic self-limitation, but always displays self-control.	Gain 1 XP every time he or she refuses temptation to any form of excess, in either direction, 3 XP if the temptation is severe.	Overindulge in anything.	Gluttony.
Outcast		Your character has lost fellowship or membership in an organization or group. This separation defines your character as much as membership in the organization defines its members.	Gain 1 XP every time his or her status with this organization comes up. Gain 2 XP every time his or her disassociation brings her harm. Gain 5 XP every time the separation brings your character great pain and suffering.	Regain membership in the organization.
Power		You don’t even care what you do with it, you just want it.	Gain 1 XP whenever you earn a Boon from someone important, earn a slight gain in prestige, or make a rival look bad. Gain 3 XP whenever you ruin, kill, or otherwise eliminate a rival, and improve your own position because of it.	Relinquish your power and position.
Pride	Sinful	Your character thinks he or she is better than anyone else, and can do no wrong. You interpret every situation in this light.	Gain 1 XP whenever you blame someone else for your mistakes or belittle someone else’s achievement in comparison with yours. Gain 3 XP if this causes significant danger or problems.	Admit that you were wrong.	Humility.
Sloth	Sinful	Your character is unmotivated and cannot stick to commitments.	Gain 1 XP each time your character neglects a necessary task. Gain 3 XP each time your character fails to fulfil a commitment or obligation, not because circumstances prevented it but simply because he or she didn’t try.	Persevere through difficulty to fulfil a commitment or obligation.	Zeal.
Vainglory	Sinful	“You must be the worst assassin I’ve ever heard of.” “But you have heard of me.”	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. Gain 2 XP whenever you put yourself at risk to do something unnecessary or foolish that will add to your reputation. 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.).	Give someone else credit for an action that would increase your fame.
Vengeance		Your character has a hatred for a particular organization, person, or even place in life.	Gain 1 XP every time your character hurts a member of that group or a lackey of that person. Gain 2 XP every time your character strikes 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 your character strikes a major blow at that group or person.	Let your enemy go.
Vow	Virtuous	Your character has a vow of personal behavior that he or she has sworn not to break. This could be a dietary restriction, a requirement to pray at daybreak every morning, or the like.	Gain 1 XP for every adventure in which your character does not break this vow. Gain 2 XP every time your character does not break this vow even though it causes him or her minor harm or inconvenience. Gain 5 XP every time your character does not break this vow even though it causes him or her great harm.	Break this vow.
Wrath	Sinful	Your character has a terrible temper and nurses hatred and prejudice towards others.	Gain 1 XP every time the character loses his or her temper under pressure. Gain 3 XP for attacking or harming others without provocation out of rage or hatred.	Remain calm under provocation from an enemy.	Meekness.
Zeal	Virtuous	Your character is diligent and focussed, working constantly towards fulfilling his or her important commitments.	Gain 1 XP each time sticking with a commitment involves minor inconvenience, 3 XP if it involves significant harm.	Abandon a commitment.	Sloth.

These are notes for a work in progress. Don’t expect everything to be consistent or make sense.