TRESSAL (he/him)

A salty and snarky teenager, Tressal resents his

elders for dragging him into petty political struggles.
Originally sent on a mission to use his dark magic
gifts to collect and consolidate power to bring back
to Neolandia, he’s grown fond of unfamiliar Xadian
cultures, and he increasingly questions the isolationist
beliefs he was taught.

Devotion ④ Liberty ⑧
I am only just beginning I’m getting a feel
to learn the value for the value of
of companionship. my independence.

Glory ⑥ Mastery ⑧
VALUES

I was raised to seek I’m better at what I do

conquest but find it than most people, and
tiresome of late. like to make a show of it.

Justice ⑥ Truth ⑩
There is a need to right Hero worship is for Agility
wrongs, but it depends suckers; they all lie
on how I feel. to stay powerful.
Awareness

Neolandian Isolationist ⑧
Influence
1 Hinder: Gain one Ⓟ ● when you switch out this
distinction’s die rating for a ④.
Intellect
Dark Acolyte ⑧
Spirit
1 Hinder: Gain one Ⓟ ● when you switch out this
distinction’s die rating for a ④.
DISTINCTIONS

1 Price of Darkness: When you use a magical creature Strength

asset in any dice pool with your Dark Magic specialty,
step up or double Dark Magic. Convert that asset into
Corrupted stress after the roll.

Brooding Wanderer ⑧

1 Hinder: Gain one Ⓟ ● when you switch out this

distinction’s die rating for a ④.

1 Bad to the Bone: Recover either Afraid, Exhausted, or ASSETS

Insecure stress when you create a bad situation out of
Dark Magic Spells ⑧
your own actions
• Cigam Rouy Laever (Reveal)
SPECIALTIES • Eciov Eht Laets (Silence)
• Semalf Gnippiks Gnipael (Dancing Flames)
Cooking ⑥ Dark Magic ⑥ Politics ⑥

© and ™ Wonderstorm Inc, 2022. Cortex system © Fandom Inc. All rights reserved. Tales of Xadia | Tressal
 Playing a Dark Mage
Dark mages have chosen an easy path to power, but they must
use the arcanum of magical creatures, sacrificing the creature
in the process. To reflect that in Tales of Xadia, the rules for
assets and stress are modified for dark spellcasting.

Magical Creature Asset

When assembling a dice pool that includes dark
magic, you must either spend a plot point to create a
Magical Creature ⑥ asset, or rely on an asset you
acquired earlier. The asset is used up when the test,
contest, or challenge is over.

Getting Corrupted Stress

As a dark mage, you may get Corrupted stress when the
Narrator activates one of your hitches, when you fail a roll
using dark magic, or when one of your SFX gives it to you.
Most dark mages can perform simple parlor tricks, such as
lighting a candle, without requiring dice rolls; these don’t
run the risk of getting Corrupted stress.

Corrupted Stress Works

for You
As a dark mage, you may include your Corrupted stress
in your dice pool when using dark magic, rather than in
the opposition pool. However, if you fail the roll, your
Corrupted stress is stepped up by one.

Recovering Corrupted Stress

Corrupted stress can’t be recovered normally. You can cast
a spell to recover your Corrupted stress, using a Magical
Creature asset as normal. The difficulty is ⑧⑧ plus your
Corrupted stress.
On a successful roll, compare the effect die to the Corrupted
stress (remember that the size of the dice is all that matters).
If the effect die is greater, remove the stress entirely; if it’s
equal to or smaller, step it down. On a failed roll, step up the
Corrupted stress by one.
This spell can’t be repeated until the dark mage’s Corrupted
stress increases again. If you’re stressed out by Corrupted
stress, you gain Corrupted trauma, which is much harder
to recover.

Tales of Xadia | Playing a Dark Mage

© and ™ Wonderstorm Inc, 2022. Cortex system © Fandom Inc. All rights reserved.