Ttb-General Talents PDF

General Back to the Wall
Requirement: Tenacity 2 or higher.
Talents When there's nowhere to run, this character

hunkers down and prepares for the worst.
Whenever you gain a step in a Pursuit that grants When this character is within 1 yard of a wall or
you a General Talent, you can choose from any of other solid object at least as tall as she is, she gains
the Talents below. In addition, there are General +1 Defense.
Talents in other Through the Breach books that may be
appropriate for your character, but you should check
with your Fatemaster to make certain that you only
choose Talents from books being used in your game. Better Part of Valor
If a Talent has multiple requirements, you must Requirement: Tenacity -1 or lower.
meet each one before you can select that Talent.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, characters may When the going gets tough, it’s probably better
not choose the same Talent more than once. that this character goes the other way!
This character’s Charge Aspect becomes “—”
(rendering her unable to take the Charge Action),
Advanced Training but she gains a +2 to her Walk Aspect.
Requirement: Chosen Skill Rank 5.

This character has pushed her mastery of a certain
skill beyond what most people would consider
natural... or possible.
Choose a Skill that meets this Talent’s requirement.
When performing a duel using the chosen Skill,
the character increases her final duel total by +1.
A character can take this Talent multiple times,
but each time a different Skill must be chosen.
Armor Training
Requirement: None.
This character has learned how to properly wear
her armor in such a way that it doesn’t impair her
movements.
This character reduces the penalty to
Defense from wearing armor by 1,
to a minimum of 0.
A character can take this
Talent multiple times.
Chapter 6: General Talents 215

Blissful Ignorance Call Shot
Requirement: Cunning -1 or lower. Requirement: Fated.
This character is somewhat unaware of the This character’s aim is quite good.
details around her. While this certainly has its
disadvantages, it also comes in handy from time to Choose a Skill. When this character generates a
time, particularly when she just fails to notice how Critical Effect with an attack that used the chosen
frightening her opponents are. Skill, she may discard a card to change the suit of
the Critical Effect to the suit of the discarded card.
When this character fails a Horror Duel, if it is her
turn, her current Action immediately fails, but she A character may take this Talent multiple times,
does not become Paralyzed. If it is not her turn, but each time a different Skill must be chosen.
she becomes Slow instead of Paralyzed.
Calm And Collected

Requirement: Speed -1 or lower.
This character has learned (or been
forced to learn) that rushing only
leads to mistakes.
This character adds +1 to the value of any
Focused condition that she receives, to a
maximum of Focused +3.
Clear Orders
Requirement: Leadership 3 or higher.
This character gives orders that are clear and
concise.
When this character takes the Order Action to give
commands to one or more subordinate characters,
she may Cheat Fate for those characters.
Combat Reading
Requirement: Cunning 1 or higher.
This character is able to read a target during combat
and strike at openings others might not see.
When making disengaging strikes, this character
adds her Scrutiny Skill Ranks to her final duel total.
216 Chapter 6: General Talents

Counterspell Defensive Protocols
Requirement: Counter-Spelling 3 or higher. Requirement: Leadership 3 or higher.
Training in the art of Counter-Spelling has given This character is able to organize her subordinates
this character an intuitive ability to resist magic. into loose defensive formations with little effort.
When this character is targeted by an enemy’s This character's subordinate characters that are
Magical Action, the enemy loses any suits within a6 of her may choose to flip cards when
associated with their Magical Skill. they are attacked, in the same manner as a Fated
character.
Critical Strike
Duck and Cover
Requirement: Close Combat or Ranged Combat
Skill 3 or higher. Requirement: Evade 3 or higher.
A skilled attacker is often able to deal more This character knows how to avoid unpleasant
damage than a common thug, and this character is surprises like flying shrapnel and roaring flames.
no exception to that rule.
This character gains the following ability:
Choose a Skill that meets this Talent’s requirement.
All attacks with the chosen Skill gain the following Blast Resistant +1: Reduce all damage this
Trigger: character suffers from p and b effects by +1,
to a minimum of 1.
R Critical Strike: When damaging, deal 1 additional
damage for each R in the final duel total.
A character may take this Talent multiple times,
but each time a different Skill must be chosen. Flick of the Wrist
Requirement: Might -1 or lower.
This character is precise with her weapon where
Cynic others rely on brute strength.
Requirement: Charm -1 or lower. When making a Melee or Pugilism attack, this
character may substitute Grace for Might when
Some people just can't look on the bright side of
calculating her Acting value.
life no matter how hard they might try. If it sounds
too good to be true, this character starts getting
suspicious and questioning the motives of others.
This character gains + on any duel made to resist Governor’s Gift
deception (including Deceive and Pick Pocket Requirement: Charm 1 or higher.
Challenges, as well as the Trick Action).
Some people just have a way with members of a
certain gender.
Choose male or female. This character gains +
on any Bewitch or Scrutiny duels made against
members of the chosen gender.

Great Fate Hobbling Attack
Requirement: Fated. Requirement: Close Combat or Ranged Combat
Skill 3 or higher.
Fate smiles upon this character, allowing her to
manipulate her destiny more frequently. This character can place an attack in just the right
spot to slow her target down.
When this character draws her Control Hand at
the end of the Prologue, she draws one additional Choose a Skill that meets this Talent’s requirement.
card. All attacks with the chosen Skill gain the following
Trigger:
and its effects stack. C Hobble: After succeeding, the target gains
the following Condition for the remainder of
Dramatic Time: “Hobbled: This character may
only declare one Movement General Action per
Gruesome Attack turn and may not declare the Run Action.”
Requirement: Close Combat or Ranged Combat A character may take this Talent multiple times,
Skill 3 or higher. but each time a different Skill must be chosen.
Combat is a dangerous thing, especially when this
character is involved.
Choose a Skill that meets this Talent's requirements.
All Critical Effect flips this character generates
from attacks using the chosen Skill receive +.
but each time a different Skill must be chosen.
Gruff
Requirement: Charm -1 or lower.
When this character speaks, there is little inflection
or fancy wordplay, making it very difficult for others
to discern her true intentions.
This character gains a + to Deceive and Intimidate
Challenges.

Honest Open Hand Fighting
Requirement: Cunning -1 or lower. Requirement: Melee 3 or higher.
This character doesn’t have to try to convince Having a free hand can have its advantages in combat.
others to trust her; they can see that she has an
honest nature. If the character is wielding a Melee weapon and
has nothing in her other hand when she makes a
This character gains + to all Convince and successful disengaging strike, she may choose to have
Leadership Duels. her disengaging strike deal damage to her target.
Imposing Mass Paired Weapons

Requirement: Grace -1 or lower. Requirement: Close Combat or Ranged Combat
Skill 3 or higher.
This character may not be very graceful, but she’s
become quite good at using her physical size to her This character is able to effectively wield two
advantage in combat. Melee or Ranged weapons at the same time.
This character gains + to her disengaging strikes Choose a Skill that meets this Talent’s requirement.
and to any Impose Action she takes. When this character is wielding two weapons of the
chosen type, one in each hand, she gains + to any
attacks made with either weapon. Despite fighting
with two weapons, the character only makes a single
Let Me Show You attack flip and only deals damage with one of her
wielded weapons; the second weapon merely gives
her a bonus to hit.
This character has a natural affinity for teaching other
If she is wielding two Ranged Combat weapons,
people how to do things. She may spend 15 minutes
using this Talent expends one round of ammunition
and discard a Twist Card to explain how one of her
from each wielded weapon.
General Talents works to another character. That
character may then discard a Twist Card to gain the
taught General Talent for the rest of the day.
The taught character must still meet all the necessary Plain-Spoken
physical prerequisites for the Talent (such as a Requirement: Intellect -1 or lower.
pneumatic limb for a Talent involving pneumatic
limbs or wings for a Talent involving flight). Talents This character doesn’t try to muddy her conversation
with a requirement of Invested, Stitched, or Twisted with flowery language and is good at saying difficult
cannot be taught to another character. truths efficiently.
This character gains + to Social Duels made
Updated Talent during Dramatic Time.
Let Me Show You originally appeared
in Into the Steam. It’s been updated and
reprinted here in order to remain relevant
with the current edition of the rules.

Polyglot Secretive Spellcasting
Requirement: Intellect 1 or higher. Requirement: Magical Theory.
This character has a natural knack for languages. This character has learned to hide her spellcasting
She learns them with little effort, and when technique within the trappings of the Thalarian
speaking in a foreign tongue, her accent is all but Doctrine.
unnoticeable.
When this character casts a Spell or Manifested
When this character gains this Talent, she chooses power, she may discard a card to make her Magical
two languages that she does not already speak Theory appear to be the Thalarian Doctrine to
and learns how to speak them. When conversing anyone who attempts to detect it.
with another character in their native, non-English
language, this character gains + to her Barter and
Bewitch duels.
Seize the Day
Requirement: Grace -1 or lower.
Quick Study This character has learned to overcompensate for
Requirement: Intellect 1 or higher. her awkwardness in combat by ensuring that the
fight ends before it can be an issue.
Some people just learn quickly from watching others.
This character gains + to her Initiative flips.
During the Epilogue, when presented with Skill
Advancement options by the Fatemaster, this
character may instead advance in any Skill she
does not already possess instead of the Skill Shot Studies
Advancement options presented by the Fatemaster.
Requirement: Shotgun 3 or higher.
This character must have witnessed a friendly
Shotguns are second nature to this character.
character succeed at the chosen Skill at some point
When firing slug ammunition from a shotgun and
during the session.
taking her time to line up a shot, she is capable of
hitting targets that would otherwise be considered
well outside her weapon's range.
Rush If this character has the Focused Condition and is
Requirement: Speed 1 or higher. firing a shotgun loaded with slug ammunition, she
multiplies the range of the shotgun by x10.
This character is adept at charging headlong into
combat, taking the fight to the opponent in brutal
melee.
The character increases her Charge Aspect by +1.
and its effects stack.

Updated Talent Specialized Toxins
Specialized Toxins originally appeared in Requirement: Alchemistry 2 or higher.
Under Quarantine. It’s been updated and This character knows the perfect type of poison to
reprinted here in order to remain relevant deal with a specific kind of creature.
with the current edition of the rules.
The character chooses one of the following
Characteristics: Living, Construct, Undead, Spirit, or
Nightmare. When this character performs an Action
or declares a Trigger that would gives a target with
Shove Aside the chosen Characteristic the Poison Condition, it
affects the target (even if the target is not Living), and
Requirement: Might 1 or higher. the target gains an additional Poison +1 for each
This character can barrel through others with little chosen Characteristic that it possesses.
resistance, forcing them out of her way without so A character may take Talent multiple times, but
much as the slightest pause. each time a different Characteristic must be chosen.
This character can move through characters with a
Height lower than her own without being impeded.
Such characters cannot make disengaging strikes
against this character.
Speed Loading
Requirement: Chosen Skill Rank 2 or higher.
This character know how to quickly reload her
Shrug Off weapon in combat.
Requirement: Resilience -1 or lower. Choose the Long Arms, Pistols, Shotguns, or
Heavy Weapons Skill. The character gains the
This character is so accustomed to minor pains that following Trigger on any attack Action using the
she can ignore them as the typical background noise chosen Skill:
of her existence.
R Speed Loading: If this weapon’s Reload AP
This character gains the following Tactical Action: cost is 2 or lower, reload this weapon.
(0) Shrug Off: This character may discard a Twist
card to end a Condition affecting her.
Steam-Powered Charge
Requirement: Character must be a Construct or
Specialized Skill possess one or more pneumatic limbs.
Requirement: Fatemaster Character or 2 or more When this character charges her enemies, she can
completed Destiny Steps. push her pneumatic limbs to their limits and hit
This character has honed a specific skill, allowing them like a steam locomotive.
her to perform tricks with little effort. When this character declares the Charge Action,
Choose a Skill and a suit. Add the chosen suit toshe may choose to make a single (1) AP or (2) AP
the chosen Skill’s value. Close Combat attack instead of two (1) AP Close
Combat attacks. If she chooses to makes a single
A character may take this Talent multiple times, (1) AP Close Combat attack, it deals +1 damage
but each time, a different Skill must be chosen. and knocks the target Prone if successful.

Sturdy Sure-Footed
Requirement: None. Requirement: Speed -1 or lower.
While this character might not be hardier or This character might not move quickly, but she’s
tougher than other characters, she can still push also hard to budge.
her body to endure wounds that would leave much
larger men incapacitated or worse. When this character is pushed or moved by
an effect, she may apply her Speed Aspect as a
This character gains +2 Wounds. penalty to the distance (in yards) that she is pushed
or moved by the effect.
This Talent may be taken multiple times; each
additional time this Talent is taken, this character
gains +1 Wound.
Tenacious Warrior
Requirement: Resilience 2 or higher.
This rugged character doesn't concern herself with
pain or suffering, allowing her to ignore the worst
parts of most attacks.
When an enemy makes a successful attack against
this character and declares a Trigger, this character
may discard a card. If she does so, the Trigger has
no effect on the character (though the Trigger
may affect other characters, and the character still
suffers the other effects of the attack normally).
Threatening Posture
Requirement: Intimidate 3 or higher.
This character is very threatening in combat,
so much so that her presence often distracts
opponents from the actions of her allies.
Enemies engaged with this character suffer a -
penalty on Close Combat attacks made against
targets other than her who do not also possess this
Talent.

General C-C-C-Combo!!!!
Requirement: Martial Arts 3 or higher
Talents
Whether it's a string of fast punches or a spinning
roundhouse kick, this character knows how to chain her
attacks together into a flurry of blurred fists and kicking
Whenever you gain a step in a Pursuit that grants you a legs. The character gains the following Trigger on her
General Talent, you can choose from any of the Talents Martial Arts Close Combat attacks:
below. In addition, there are General Talents in other
Through the Breach books that may be appropriate M Combo!: This character may take this attack again
for your character, but you should check with your against the same target. This second attack may not
Fatemaster to make certain that you only choose Talents declare Triggers.
from books being used in your game.
Channel Destiny
Advanced Sensors This character is able to force Fate to twist around her,
Requirement: Invested, Light Chassis though the process is incredibly taxing, often producing
This character gains a + on Notice duels and is capable blinding headaches and nosebleeds.
of detecting things that other characters might miss, such
as the presence of invisible creatures (though not their When this character performs a duel, she may suffer 2
exact position) with a Difficult Notice Challenge. damage before flipping any cards to add a suit of her
choice to her final duel total. If this damage causes the
character to suffer a Critical Effect or Toughness check
Avoidant to remain conscious, resolve the initial duel before
checking for either.
Requirement: Resilience -1 or lower
The character’s heightened sense of pain has
encouraged her to become really, really good at
avoiding it. This character permanently loses 1
Cheating So and So
Wound but gains +1 Defense. Requirement: Gambling 3 or higher
It’s one thing to play the odds, but it’s something else
entirely to stack the game in your favor. The character
Blot the Sky gains the following Trigger on all Expertise Challenges:
Requirement: Archery 3 or higher M Stack the Deck: After resolving, you may look at the top
Long hours of training and plenty of natural skill have card of the Fate deck and then choose whether or not to
allowed this character to fire multiple arrows with a single put it on the bottom of the deck.
attack. When the character makes an Archery attack,
her Moderate damage gains +b, and her Severe damage
gains +bb (provided that she expends two additional
arrows per resulting b).
Common Sense
Requirement: Cunning 2 or higher
This character has a good head on her shoulders and can
Book Smart generally make sense of most things. She may discard a
Twist Card during Narrative Time to gain a + on a duel.
Requirement: Cunning -1 or lower
While this character has learned quite a bit from her
books, all that reading has dulled her reaction time.
This character gains a - to Initiative but a + to all non-
Magical Intellect Challenges.
Chapter 5: Talents & Skills 121
Concussive Force Disarming Attack
Requirement: Might 2 or higher Requirement: Martial Arts 3 or higher
The force of this character’s blows physically moves This character has trained against armed opponents
her opponents backward. Any time the character deals and knows how to quickly disarm them. The
damage with the Martial Arts or Pugilism Skills, she may character’s Martial Arts Close Combat attacks gain
push her target directly away from her a number of yards the following Trigger:
equal to her Might Aspect.
C Disarming Attack: After succeeding, the target drops a
single item of your choice held in its hands. This attack’s
Demanding Taskmaster damage flip receives a -.
Requirement: Flexible 3 or higher

This character knows how to use a bit of pain to spur
others into action. The character gains the following
Fickle
Trigger on her Flexible Close Combat attacks: Requirement: Tenacity -2 or lower
This character is easily distracted by just about anything,
M Motivation: After succeeding, move the target 1 yard and she finds it hard to make up her mind. The
if this attack dealt Weak damage, 2 yards if Moderate, character gains a + on any Skill she hasn’t used that
and 3 yards if Severe. session, but it costs 1 extra experience point whenever
she attempts to raise a Skill higher than 2 ranks.
Frozen Heart
Requirement: None
For whatever reason, this character has been marked
by the Tyrant December as one of His own. With the
first touch of December's power, the character's heart
literally becomes frozen solid, and over time it may
become pure ice. Powerful emotions become a rarity,
and it is very easy for the character to overcome panic.
The character becomes immune to Horror Duels and

the Paralyzed Condition.
Gaussian Logic Engine

Requirement: Invested
This character has been fitted with a Gaussian Logic
Engine, allowing it to “think” in ways otherwise foreign
to most machines (and even some people). The
character reduces its highest Physical Aspect by 1, but
may then raise a Mental Aspect by 1, to a maximum
Aspect Value of 4.
122 Chapter 5: Talents & Skills

Heavy Mount and Leg Modification
Bracing Requirement: Invested
This character’s legs can be swapped out for different
Requirement: Invested, Heavy Chassis models. Replacing the character’s legs requires 30 minutes
This character is fitted with braces and supports that of work and a successful Artefacting or Engineering duel
allow it to mount a heavy weapon onto its body. against TN 12 (which may be made by the character or
someone else assisting them). If successful, the character
The character may attach a weapon with the Heavy rule gains one of the options below until it uses this Talent
to their weapon mount with five minutes of work; it is again.
then considered to be braced to a weapon mount. The
character may use the (1) Ready Weapon Action as a (0) •Standard: No adjustments.
Action when readying this attached weapon. •Chargers: Gain +2 Charge and -1 Walk
•Light Alloy: Gain + 1 Walk and -1 Wound
•Treads: Gain Unimpeded, -1 Walk, and -2 Charge
Improvised Parts •Hinged: Character may take the Drop Prone and
Stand Up Actions as (0) Actions but may not take the
Requirement: Intellect 1 or higher Run Action.
This character has learned to use discarded pieces of
scrap to improve her Constructs. When creating a
Construct, the character gains an additional number of
Construct Points equal to her Intellect Aspect.
Let Me Show You
Requirement: Teach 3 or higher
This character has a natural affinity for teaching other
Inscription people how to do things. She may discard a Twist
Card to spend 15 minutes explaining how one of her
Requirement: Literacy 3 or higher non-Invested, non-Stitched Talents works to another
This character possesses the steady hand and penmanship character. That character may then discard a Twist
necessary to inscribe new spells into a Grimoire. The Card to gain the taught Talent for the rest of the day.
character may add up to two total Magia and/or Immuto
to a single Grimoire in her possession.
These Magia or Immuto need not be ones that the

Lightning Rod
character has in another Grimoire; Malifaux is a magical Requirement: Grace -1 or lower
place, and most Grimoires “want” to become more When magic hits this character, it hits her hard. This
powerful. Any special rules which apply to the Grimoire has happened enough times that she’s prepared to leap
also apply to these new Magia and/or Immuto. out of the way at a moment’s notice. The character gains
a + on any duels made to resist Spells or Manifested
Powers, but when targeted by an enemy’s Spell or
Interface Manifested Power, the enemy can add a single suit of
their choice to the final duel total.
Requirement: Invested
This character is capable of rapidly interfacing with
other Constructs, allowing it to quickly transfer large
amounts of data in a manner that Constructs can easily
understand. The character gains the following Trigger to
all Social Duels:
t Interface: After succeeding against a Construct, gain 1

additional Margin of Success.

Metal on Metal Queensbury Rules
Requirement: Invested Requirement: Pugilism 3 or higher
This character has a number of thick metal plates thatThis character is an adherent to the Marquess of
are not integral to its function. They make for great Queensberry rules, the code of generally accepted
improvised shields when attacked. The character gains rules in the sport of boxing. Such a focus makes her a
the following Defensive Trigger: true boxer, leagues above the hoodlums who just punch
and kick each other until someone falls down. The
Df (t) Metal on Metal: Reduce the damage caused by an character gains the following Trigger on her Pugilism
Attack Action by 2, to a minimum of 1. Close Combat attacks:
R Win By Knockout: After damaging, the target takes the

Mostly Blind Drop Prone action.
Requirement: Grace -1 or lower

This character has difficulty seeing things, but she’s
learned to bull her way through most challenges to make
up for it. The character gains a + on Close Combat
attacks but a - on Ranged Combat attacks.
Mountaineer
Requirement: Grace 1 or higher
This character is almost a human spider, able to climb
nearly vertical surfaces with the barest minimum of
handholds. When climbing a surface, the character’s
speed is increased to her full Walk speed rather than
half her Walk speed. The character gains a + on any
Athletics Challenges made to climb a surface and moves
2 yards for every Margin of Success (rather than 1 yard).
Mow Down
Requirement: Heavy Guns 3 or higher
There’s something satisfying about mowing down your
enemies in a hail of bullets. When this character makes
a Ranged Combat attack with a Heavy Gun, she may use
2 AP instead of 1 AP to gain ++ on the attack flip. The
character may not Cheat Fate on this attack. This attack
uses three times as many bullets as normal.

Quick Slow Learner
Requirement: Speed 2 or higher Requirement: Intellect -1 or lower
This character responds to things faster than most, When this character was young, everyone thought
ensuring that she’s never caught unaware. The character she was as dumb as a brick. Fortunately, smarts aren’t
gains a + to any Challenges made to resist a p and takes everything. This character gains +1 to an Aspect of
1 less damage from p and b effects (to a minimum of her choice. During the Epilogue step, the Fatemaster
1 damage). chooses which Skill the character will advance in, rather
than the player.
Rebound
Requirement: Thrown Weapons 3 or higher
Steel Wall
If you throw it just right, sometimes you can bounce a Requirement: Invested
thrown weapon off one enemy and into another. The This character is essentially a large block of mobile
character gains the following Trigger on her Thrown armor. At the end of the character’s turn, if it did not
Weapons Ranged Combat attacks: take any Move or Charge Actions, the character gains
Armor +1 until the start of its next turn and provides
M Rebound: After damaging, you may deal 1/2/3 damage Hard Cover to characters with a Height equal to or lower
to another target within 3 yards of the original target. than its own.
Riposte Street Fighter

Requirement: Melee 3 or higher Requirement: Pugilism 3 or higher
This character is capable of quickly counterattacking This character has spent enough time on the streets to
with her sword after parrying an enemy’s attack. The realize that sometimes, it's the guy with the dirtiest trick
character gains the following Defensive Trigger: who gets to see another sunrise. The character gains the
following Defensive Trigger:
Df (RM) Riposte: After a Close Combat attack fails
against this character, this character deals the damage Df (C) Street Fighter: After a Close Combat attack fails
of one of her readied sword or blade weapons to the against this character, if this character is wielding no
attacker. This damage flip receives a -. weapons, this character deals 1/2/3 damage to the attacker.
This damage flip may not be cheated.
Self Sufficient
Requirement: Charm -2 or lower
Stubborn
When no one likes you, it’s a lot easier to figure out Requirement: Tenacity 2 or higher
how to do things on your own. This character gains +1 Sometimes, it pays to be a bit pig-headed and refuse
Willpower but cannot take the Assist Action and cannot to accept anything but what you want. This character
voluntarily take part in Ongoing Challenges alongside gains a + on all Willpower duels but a - on all
other characters (though the Fatemaster can still force Convince Challenges.
her to participate if it makes sense for the Ongoing
Challenge in question).

Sycophant Torso Modifications
Requirement: Charm 2 or higher Requirement: Invested
When you’re this awesome, it’s hard to get people to This character’s torso can be swapped out for different
leave you alone. The character has a loyal hanger-on that models. Replacing the character’s torso requires
will do most things asked of them so long as the request 30 minutes of work and a successful Artefacting or
is not obviously suicidal. Engineering duel against TN 14 (which may be made
by the character or someone else assisting them). If
The character choose a Peon or Minion level successful, the character gains one of the options below
Commoner from the Fatemaster’s Almanac (page 124) until it uses this Talent again.
to be her sycophant. The sycophant goes everywhere
with the character (or at least, tries to) but is still under •Standard: No adjustments.
the Fatemaster’s control. If the sycophant dies or the •Reinforced Armor: The character’s Armor may
character abandons them, the character may gain a reduce damage to 0, but it suffers -2 to its Charge
new sycophant after a few days spent in any reasonably Aspect.
populated area. •Lightweight Chest Plate: The character gains +1
Defense and -1 Wound.
•Parade Armor: The character lowers its Defense
Taskmaster and Armor by 1 (to a minimum of 0) but gains a
+ to Social Challenges.
Requirement: Flexible 3 or higher
It’s sometimes difficult to properly motivate someone,
but this character knows that where there’s a whip,
there’s a way. When a friendly character within 3 yards
Tough as Nails
of this character takes an action involving a non-Social Requirement: Resilience 2 or higher
Skill, they may choose to suffer 1 damage to gain a + to This character has taken a beating or two in her time, but
the resulting Challenge. This Talent may only be used she never let it slow her down. Critical Effect flips made
while this character is wielding a Flexible weapon. against the character receive a -.
Threading the Needle Unceasing

Requirement: Archery 3 or higher Requirement: Speed -2 or lower
This character is skilled at putting her arrows exactly This character took the story of the tortoise and the hare
where she needs them to go. When making an to heart, believing that slow and steady will win the race.
Archery Ranged Combat attack, this character may Once per turn, the character may discard a Twist Card
ignore other characters when determining line of to take a Walk action without spending any AP.
sight and does not randomly determine her target
when firing into an engagement.

General Bloated Stench
Requirement: Stitched, Charm -1 or lower.
Talents This character is possessed of an odor that only

grows worse when she becomes wounded. When
Whenever you gain a step in a Pursuit that grants this character suffers damage from a y attack, the
you a General Talent, you can choose from any of attacker suffers 1 damage after resolving the attack.
the Talents below. In addition, there are General
Talents in other Through the Breach books that may
be appropriate for your character, but you should
check with your Fatemaster to make certain that
Blood Scent
you only choose Talents from books being used Requirement: The character must have the Blood
in your game. Sickness Condition (any value).
If a Talent has multiple requirements, you must As the Black Blood spreads through the character's
meet each one before you can select that Talent. body, the scent of blood begins to have a more
stimulating effect on her. Even the smallest wound
will cause her heart rate to quicken and her mouth to
Addict salivate, and her reflexes go into overdrive whenever a
living creature is killed near her. If a Living character
Requirement: The character must have the Brilliance is killed within 1 yard of this character while she has
Condition (any value). the Blood Sickness Condition, she may discard a
card to gain the Fast Condition.
This character has become addicted to Brilliance.
The euphoria it causes in her is so intense that when
she senses the presence of Brilliance in others, it
becomes difficult to focus on anything other than
Brain Surgery
the next rush of pleasure. While this character has Requirement: Doctor 4 or higher.
the Brilliance Condition, she gains the following
Tactical Action: The character can transplant the brain of a corpse
(or soon-to-be corpse) into a Flesh Construct or
(0) Drawn to the Light: This character may move special jar (see pg. 95) with an hour of work. The
up to its Walk Aspect towards a character with the donor must have the Living Characteristic, and the
Brilliance Condition and must end this movement brain counts as one body part when determining
as close to the target as possible. how many a character may replace. The Flesh
Construct gains the donor's Skill ranks (replacing
the Flesh Construct's Skills, if the donor's Skills are
Bent Fate higher) and her Mental Aspects. Some elements of
the donor's personality and memories may carry
Requirement: Fated, 2 or more completed Destiny Steps over to the Flesh Construct.
For whatever reason, this character has caused If the transplanted brain belongs to a Fated, the
something to happen that has warped her destiny Fatemaster should consider allowing the character to
into something new. This character may remove two become a Stitched in control of her new body. The
cards from her Twist Deck. character will retain its Mental Aspects and Skills as
noted above, as well as any Talents she possesses
(which are normally lost when a non-Fated character
has her brain transferred into a Flesh Construct).
Chapter 5: Talents & Trinkets 133

Burning Man Evil Eye
Requirement: This character must have had the Requirement: Willpower 6 or higher
Burning +5 or greater Condition resolve against her.
This character possesses the Evil Eye, a powerful
This character has been engulfed in flames but has curse that is cast via a malevolent glare. This character
come through on the other side all the stronger for gains the following Defensive Trigger:
it. Something happened deep inside her, something
magical, and now the flames that would have killed Df/Wp (C) Evil Eye: After this character succeeds,
her leap up in her defense, burning those who the attacker gains the Cursed +1 Condition with a
would harm her. This character gains the following Taboo against attacking this character.
Defensive Trigger:
Df/Wp (t) Smoldering Heart: After this Fate's Messenger

character succeeds, the attacker gains the Burning
+1 Condition. Requirement: Fated, 2 or more completed Destiny
Steps
Ceaseless Advance As this character's fate unwinds before her, she finds
that she is sometimes able to adjust its path, though
Requirement: Fated, Tenacity 1 or higher doing so causes intense migraines and nosebleeds.
Whenever this character would discard a Twist card
This character keeps on going no matter how bleak for any reason other than Cheating Fate, she may
things are. At the end of each round of Dramatic instead choose to suffer 2 damage; this damage may
Time, if this character does not have any Twist not be reduced or prevented.
Cards in her hand, she may take a (1) Walk Action.
Favored of Fate
Requirement: Fated, 1 or more completed Destiny
Steps
Surrendering to the whims of fate can be a terrifying

experience, but some characters find peace in
knowing that their destiny has already been written.
Others fight back against their destiny, imposing
their own will upon fate, no matter the cost. When
this character draws a Twist Card, she may suffer 2
damage to immediately discard it and draw again;
this damage may not be reduced or prevented.
134 Chapter 5: Talents & Trinkets

Ferocious Loyalty Glimpse Fate's Plan
Requirement: Leadership 3 or higher Requirement: Fated
This character is able to inspire her minions This character has caught a fleeting glimpse of not
to perform great acts of heroism (or villainy). just her own fate, but the fate of the entire world.
When this character uses the (1) Order Action to It's difficult to make sense of this vision, but the
command a subordinate character, this character lingering memories of that moment make the Fated
may discard a card to give her subordinate + to more prepared for what is to come... even if she
all Skill Challenges (including attacks) it makes for does have to deal with frequent episodes of deja
the duration of its turn. vu. This character's maximum Control Hand size is
increased by +1. This character may take this Talent
multiple times, and its effects stack.
Final Repose
Requirement: Cunning 1 or higher Hole in the Chest
Whether due to an encounter with a necromancer Requirement: Stitched, Resilience -1 or lower.
or just paranoia about her enemies returning from
the dead, this character has learned how to finish This character has a hole in her chest. It's a bit of
off her enemies in such a way as to make sure they a fashion statement, but it comes in handy when
won't come back. When this character kills another someone starts shooting at her. This character is
character, she may choose to instantly render her unable to pass as a Living creature while this hole
target's remains unfit to be reanimated into an is visible, but she gains the following Defensive
Undead (or any other type of) creature. Trigger:
Df (M) Through the Hole: After failing against a

From Beyond Ranged Combat attack, the attack deals no damage
to this character.
Requirement: The character must have the Haunted
Condition (any value).
This character has made peace with the spirits that

Hunter
surround her. While still not pleasant, the spirits Requirement: Wilderness 3 or higher
of the departed see the character as a kindred
spirit and do what they can to help her. This This character has spent enough time hunting the
character is immune to the mechanical symptoms beasts of the wild to know how best to bring them
of the Haunted Condition (weird stuff still happens down. She gains a + to damage flips made against
around her, but it tends to be less frequent and Beasts.
much less creepy).
The spirits also whisper small bits of useful

information into the character's ear: if she fails a
Notice or Scrutiny Challenge, this character may
lower her Haunted Condition value by exactly 1 (to
a minimum of 0) to reflip the duel.

I Thought You Died?! Killswitch
Requirement: Resilience 3 or higher Requirement: Explosives 3 or higher
The next time this character is killed - no matter This character is able to implant explosives within
how grisly or final it may have been - this character an Undead or Construct subordinate with a TN 11
returns to life (or unlife, if the character was Explosives Challenge and 2 scrip of raw materials
previously Undead) and rejoins her companions at (which are lost if she fails the Explosives Challenge).
some point during the next day. This resurrection The subordinate gains the following ability:
occurs "off camera," though the character may sport
some bandages or superficial injuries as a result of Explosive Demise 2: All characters within p2
her "near death" experience. This Talent may only suffer 2 damage when this character is killed.
be used once; any subsequent deaths affect the
character normally.
Man's Best Friend
It's Raining Scrip Requirement: Husbandry 3 or higher
Requirement: Fated This character has earned the devotion of a canine

companion. Living or Construct characters gain a
For whatever reason, this character just seems to Guard Dog (pg. 173), while Undead characters gain
have a knack for making money. This character a Canine Remains (pg. 173).
gains 5 scrip when she takes this Talent. When she
gains scrip from any non-Fated source - whether as If the canine companion is killed, this character may
part of a reward for a completed adventure, gambling discard a card during Narrative Time to attract a
winnings, or just looting the pockets of the dead - new canine companion. The canine companion is a
she gains an additional +20% scrip. subordinate character and may be commanded with
the (1) Order Action.
If this character has the Animal Companion Talent,

the canine companion benefits from any Talents
that grant bonuses to Animal Companions (but does
not otherwise count as an Animal Companion).

Mechanized Undead Necrochemist
Requirement: Stitched Requirement: Alchemistry 3 or higher, Necromancy
2 or higher
This character is a twisted amalgam of unchained
science and dark necromancy, almost as much Why should the living have all the chemical
machine as undead. She gains the Construct fun? This character has learned how to imbue
Characteristic and may purchase Talents as if she her chemical compounds with faint traces of
were an Invested character. necromantic energy, allowing them to affect the
undead in much the same way they would affect the
living. When this character creates a compound
Medical Genius (whether from the options presented on page
98 or from the Elixir of Life, Mystery Brew,
Requirement: Doctor 3 or higher Transformative Vigor, or Truth Serum Talents of
the Chemist Pursuit), she may choose to have it
Whether due to a prestigious medical education, affect Undead instead of Living characters.
experimentation on dead bodies, or just plain natural
talent, this character is regarded as a genius in the
field of medicine and healing. This character gains
the following Trigger on all Doctor Challenges:
Noxious Undead
Requirement: Alchemistry 3 or higher
t It's Not Lupus: After succeeding, gain 1 additional
Margin of Success. By using special chemical reagents, this character
is able to imbue her Undead subordinates with
lingering clouds of toxic gas, making for deadly (but
Mind in the Sewer stinky) minions. Undead characters this character
creates gain the following ability:
Requirement: Toughness 3 or higher
Noxious Cloud: At the end of this character's turn,
A lot of people think of the sewers as disgusting, all characters without Noxious Cloud within p1 of
but this character... alright, the sewers really are this character gain the Poison +1 Condition.
pretty disgusting, but familiarity breeds fondness,
right? This character is immune to the Blighted
and Infected Conditions and ignores severe terrain
penalties for moving through water.
Pyromaniac
Requirement: The character must have applied 10
or more ranks of the Burning Condition to her
enemies during a single combat.
This character is a fan of flame (and enjoys fanning

flames, too). When this character gives the Burning
Condition to another character, that character gains
an additional Burning +1.

Reattach Sadistic Streak
Requirement: Undead, Resilience -1 or lower. Requirement: None
This character's limbs might fall off from time to time, This character draws strength from the cruelty she
but that just means that she knows how best to stick inflicts upon those under her command. At the start
them back into place. At the start of this character's of this character's turn, she may deal 1 damage to
turn during Dramatic Time, she may heal up to 2 one of her subordinate characters within 3 yards to
damage and gain the following Condition until the push up to 3 yards in any direction.
end of Dramatic Time: “Fragile +1: Damage flips
against this character gain +.”
Shambling Gait
In addition, this character can heal any Amputated
Critical Effect on her arms or legs by holding the Requirement: Stitched, Speed -2 or lower
severed limb against her stump for one minute, at
which point the limb reattaches. This character will never be fast... but at least she
tries, right? She gains +1 to either all Physical
Aspects or all Mental Aspects, but gains the Slow
Reset Fate Condition at the start of each of her turns during
Dramatic Time.
Requirement: Fated
While some people are content to take whatever Spiritual Sensitivity

fate gives them, this character tries to stay one step
ahead of her destiny. At the end of Dramatic Time, Requirement: The character must have failed an
before she discards any unwanted Twist Cards, this Unconsciousness Challenge while at negative Wounds.
character may reshuffle her Twist Card discard pile
back into her Twist Deck. Perhaps it was a near-death experience or just a bump
on the head; whatever the reason, this character is
now able to sense the presence of spirits around her.
Rusts n' Oils This character gains the following Tactical Action:
Requirement: Alchemistry 3 or higher, Engineering 2 (0) Sense Spirits: This character becomes aware of the
or higher presence of any characters with the Spirit Characteristic
within 10 yards (even if they are invisible or hidden).
This character has learned how to create chemical
compounds and acids that are capable of affecting
Constructs and other mechanical creatures in Specialized Toxins
a manner similar to how other chemicals affect
living creatures. When this character creates a Requirement: Alchemistry 2 or higher
compound (whether from the options presented on
page 98 or from the Elixir of Life, Mystery Brew, This character knows the perfect type of poison to
Transformative Vigor, or Truth Serum Talents of deal with a specific kind of creature. The character
the Chemist Pursuit), she may choose to have it chooses one of the following Characteristics: Living,
affect Constructs instead of Living characters. Construct, Undead, Spirit, or Nightmare. When this
character performs an Action or declares a Trigger
that gives a target with the chosen Characteristic the
Poison Condition, the target gains an additional
Poison +1.

Spelunker Twisted Mind
Requirement: None Requirement: None
Time spent underground - whether in the caverns This character's psyche is twisted by madness and
beneath Malifaux or back on Earth - has made torment, and anyone touching her mind invariably
this character comfortable with moving around recoils in pain. This character gains the following
in enclosed areas. This character gains a + on all Trigger:
Navigation, Track, and Wilderness duels made
underground. Furthermore, she is immune to the Wp (C) Twisted Mind: After this character
Claustrophobia Condition (pg. 44). succeeds, the attacker suffers 2 damage.
Swagger Warding Gestures

Requirement: Speed -1 or lower Requirement: Resilience -2 or lower
It may take this character longer to get wherever she This character has a weak body that is prone to
is going, but the self-confident way she gets there injury. In order to protect herself, she has learned
makes all the difference. At the end of this character's a smattering of warding gestures that can be used to
turn, she gains the Defensive +1 Condition if she protect her from harm. When this character suffers
declared only Walk Actions during her turn. damage, she may discard a Twist Card reduce the
damage by 2.
Touched by the Grave

Well-Preserved
Spirit Requirement: Stitched, Charm 1 or higher
Requirement: The character has either died or been at
-10 Wounds or below. This character's body is intact and preserved enough
for her to easily pass as a Living character in polite
As she hovered on the brink of death, a powerful company. The TNs of Scrutiny Challenges made to
spirit took notice of this character, toughening her determine if this character is Undead are increased
body and making her stronger (and likely giving her by +2.
some strange dreams in the process). When this
character fails an unconsciousness challenge, she
heals 1/2/3 damage. She still remains unconscious
until the Fatemaster determines otherwise (generally
until the end of Dramatic Time or until she is revived
with the Doctor Skill).

General Creative Refurbishment
Requirement: Artefacting or Blacksmithing 3 or higher
Talents With one hour of work, this character may remove

a single property of a firearm (including range,
Whenever you gain a step in a Pursuit that grants capacity, damage, or one special rule) to add it to
you a General Talent, you can choose from any of another firearm. Neither firearm can possess the
the Talents below. In addition, there are General Shoddy special rule. If the second firearm already
Talents in other Through the Breach books that may be possesses the chosen property (such as range,
appropriate for your character, but you should check capacity, or damage), it gains the better of the two
with your Fatemaster to make certain that you only properties. The first firearm is destroyed in the
choose Talents from books being used in your game. process of modifying the second firearm, which then
gains the Shoddy special rule.
If a Talent has multiple requirements, you must
meet each one before you can select that Talent.
A Gremlin's Luck
Requirements: Kin, Cunning -2 or lower
This character's lack of common sense has led her
to rely upon her natural luck to carry her through
life. Fortunately, it mostly seems to work for her...
mostly. When performing a duel, this character may
discard a card or suffer 1 damage to Cheat Fate with
the top card of the Fate Deck.
All the Big Words

Requirement: Literacy 3 or higher
This personage has taken to peppering her dialogue
with a plethora of sesquipedal words. While this
does make her sound perspicacious, it tends to
discombobulate anyone aurally perceiving her
dialogue, and perplex them withal.
If this character succeeds on a Social Skill Challenge
during Narrative Time, the target of the Challenge
gains the Dazed Condition for one
minute. If the character achieves a
Margin of Success on the challenge,
every other character within listening
distance gains the Dazed Condition
for one minute.
Chapter 6: Talents & Magic 141

Crude Sense of Humor From the Hip
Requirements: Kin, Resilience 1 or higher Requirement: Grace 1 or higher
There’s something terrible happening in this For whatever reason, this character just doesn't
character’s insides… and she finds that to be believe in carefully aiming her shots. Whether it's a
downright hilarious in the right circumstances. This reliance upon her instincts, special training, or just
character gains the following Tactical Action: good old fashioned impatience, this character knows
how to accurately aim a rifle at a moment's notice.
(0) Pull My Finger: If this character is adjacent to a
friendly character, that character may choose to pull When making a Long Arms attack, this character
this character's finger. If she does, all non-Gremlin may substitute Grace for Intellect when calculating
characters within p2 of this character gain the her Acting Value.
Poison +2 Condition. If this character chooses to
discard a card when the adjacent character pulls
her finger, any non-Gremlin characters within p2
Gremlin Engineering
also become Slow. Requirements: Kin, Engineering 3 or higher
Dirty Cheater As every good Gremlin engineer knows, the trick

to making a machine work is to hit it with
a heavy wrench whenever it starts doing
Requirements: Kin, Tenacity -2 or lower
something you don't like. Machines are a
What this character lacks in willpower she makes up lot like Gremlins in that aspect.
for in underhanded tricks. Whenever this character
After one of this character's subordinate
Cheats Fate from her Twist Hand, she heals 1
Constructs within engagement range of one
damage after resolving the current Action.
of this character's melee weapons fails a Skill
Challenge (including an attack), this character
Forgotten Lore may make a damage flip against the Construct. If
the Construct suffers at least 1 damage from this
Requirement: Appraise 3 or higher character's weapon, it may immediately reflip its
result on the Challenge.
It can often times be difficult to correctly identify
one of Malifaux's many Grimoires. Some appear
to be the thick tomes and books that most people Helping Hand
expect to find, but others take on far stranger shapes,
like talking skulls, runed weapons that whisper their Requirement: Cunning 1 or higher
secrets to their owner in their sleep, or even groups
This character functions well as part of a group and is
of standing stones that impart magical knowledge
extremely good at keeping all of her allies operating
to anyone standing between them during the right
at peak efficiency. When this character takes the
phases of the moons.
Assist Action during Dramatic Time, the target of
This character has managed to successfully identify her assistance gains the Focused +1 Condition
a powerful Grimoire and claim it for her own. instead of the usual benefits of the Assist Action.
The character gains a Grimoire with 3 Magia and When this character takes the Pass Action during
3 Immuto of her choice, but no more than 2 of Dramatic Time, she may add 1 to the Initiative
these Magia can be of the same type of magic (i.e., Value of every other friendly character within p3.
Enchanting, Necromancy, etc.). Grimoires gained by
this Talent tend toward uncommon appearances; the
character is encouraged to work with the Fatemaster
to determine her Grimoire's appearance.
142 Chapter 6: Talents & Magic

Herding Squirrels Hyperactive
Requirement: Leadership 3 or higher Requirement: Kin
Getting people to work together can be difficult, While the standard portrayal of a Gremlin in the eyes
and that goes double for when those people are a of a human mostly involves a drunken green monster
pack of drunken idiots who refuse to acknowledge lazing around in a tree with a shoddy banjo, that's only
that the character is their supervisor. Through trial partially true. Once a Gremlin gets worked up about
and error, this character has figured out that it's less something, it can be difficult to get her to calm back
about giving orders and more about just keeping down... and this character is no exception.
everyone moving in the same direction as she hopes
for the best. At the start of this character's turn, she may suffer 1
damage to remove the Slow Condition from herself,
This character may use a (1) Order Action to or 2 damage to remove the Paralyzed Condition.
command a subordinate character controlled by This damage cannot be reduced.
another friendly character, with its controller's
permission. A subordinate character may only take
one turn per round, no matter how many (1) Order Hysterical Fury
Actions it receives. Requirement: Resilience -1 or lower
This character isn’t very hardy, and she knows it.
When she becomes wounded, she enters a manic
frenzy, fighting desperately to claw her way out
from under the looming threat of death. When this
character has zero or fewer Wounds remaining, she
gains + to her attack and damage flips.
I Got My Bro
Requirement: Charm 1 or higher
One of this character’s Gremlin relatives
accompanies her on her adventures! If the character
is not a Gremlin, this will probably raise more
questions than answers, but the little fellow insists
that the character is his sibling no matter how hard
she tries to convince him otherwise. Use the Bayou
Gremlin stats on pg. 159 to represent the
character’s bro.
The Gremlin relative is a
subordinate character and may
be commanded with the (1)
Order Action. If the Gremlin
relative dies or the character
abandons them, a new one will
show up after a day spent in or
near the Bayou.

Low Standards Ooo, Glowy
Requirement: Non-Kin Requirement: Counter-Spelling 3 or higher
Most humans don't care too much for Gremlins; Protecting others from hostile magic isn't something
they're loud, craven, and prone to acts of suicidal that most people in Malifaux give much thought to
stupidity and negligence. Even the Neverborn tend doing - it's a dangerous world out there, and giving
to consider Gremlins to be beneath their notice. that protection away means that their own defenses
This character, however, is an exception to the rule. are weakened - but this character has figured out
Whether due to a shared rustic background, an a way to turn some of that extra magical energy to
appreciation for the simpler ways of life, or just a her benefit.
fondness for moonshine and some good banjo music,
this character has befriended enough Gremlins to When this character uses a (1) Action to protect
know just how to properly interact with them. another character with Magical Shielding (Fated
Almanac, pg. 245), the protected character also emits
This character gains a + on Social Skill Challenges faint light, and her attacks ignore Armor and Hard to
with Gremlins and counts as a Kin character for Wound for the duration of the Magical Protection.
meeting the requirements of Talents.
Pickled
Requirements: Kin, Carouse 4 or higher
The toxicity of Gremlin moonshine is often higher
than most actual poisons, and a lifetime of pouring
moonshine down her gullet has raised this character’s
blood alcohol level to the point where most poisons
just don’t stand a chance.
This character no longer suffers damage from the
Poison Condition.

Pig Friend Role Model
Requirements: Kin, Charm -2 or lower Requirements: Kin, Teach 3 or higher
This character has a special bond with pigs that can It's hard being such a great role model for the
only come from being ostracized and disliked by youngsters, but this character tries to live up to their
most of the non-pig things in the world. expectations. After all, if she doesn't teach them the
proper way to shoot a gun or skin a pig, who will?
At the start of her turn during Dramatic Time, if
this character is within 1 yard of a friendly Pig, she When this character takes the Assist Action to help
heals 1 damage. Additionally, when a Pig character a friendly Gremlin character, that character gains
is determining the closest target that can be charged an additional + to their Challenge Duel. If this
with its Stampede Trigger, this character is not character discards a card when she takes the Assist
considered to be a legal target. Action, the friendly Gremlin may also add the suit of
the discarded card to her final duel total.
Pounce
Requirement: Speed 1 or higher
School of Hard Knocks
Requirement: Intellect -2 or lower
When an enemy wanders into this character’s melee
range, she lashes out with sudden and deadly fury. Even though this character isn't the sharpest knife in
the drawer, she's spent some time in the world and
When an enemy character ends a push or move learned the hard way that the world won't wait for her
within this character’s engagement range that is not to catch up to it. She's made plenty of mistakes along
part of a Walk or Charge Action, this character may the way, but she's learning, and she rarely makes the
immediately take a (1) AP Close Combat attack same one twice.
against the enemy character.
After this character fails a Challenge involving a Skill
Quit Screwin’ Around! she has no ranks in, she gains 1 rank in that Skill
until the end of the session.
Requirements: Kin, Intimidate 4 ranks or higher
A few shouted threats are all it takes for this characterSkulking Around
to get everyone around her to stop showboating and Requirements: Kin, Speed -2 or lower
just kill each other. This character gains the following
Tactical Action: This character might not be very quick on her feet,
but she makes up for that by being a sneaky little git.
(0) Quit Screwin’ Around: Until the start of this
character’s next turn, characters within a6 of this At the end of any round of Dramatic Time, if
character may not declare Triggers. If this character this character was not targeted by any enemy
discards a card when she uses this Action, it does not attacks (regardless of whether or not those attacks
affect her or her allies. succeeded), she may immediately move a number
of yards up to her Walk Aspect.

Squeal Stalker
Requirements: Kin, Might -1 or lower Requirement: Wilderness 3 or higher
Gremlins aren't particularly well known for suffering Whether hunting in the Bayou or the Badlands, a
pain with dignity and grace. In fact, it's far more likely skilled hunter knows that the best way to take down
that a wounded Gremlin will squeal like a stuck pig her prey is to isolate it from its allies before striking.
upon receiving even the most minor of wounds. That principle holds true no matter what the prey
Humans are often surprised at just how quickly a might be, whether pig, gator, or human.
Gremlin can run away from a fight once it's realized
that the fight isn't going its way. When attacking a target that is not within 4 yards of
a character it considers to be friendly, this character
This character gains the following Defensive Trigger: deals +1 damage.
Df (M) “Squeal!”: After this character is damaged
by an enemy Close Combat attack, push this Versatile
character 4 yards directly away from the attacker.
Requirement: Kin
The Gremlins of the Bayou have always had a certain
amount of cleverness to them. Once an idea to
build or do something gets into their head, they can
usually follow through on it with a certain amount of
success, regardless of their lack of training, expertise,
or even common sense.
After this character succeeds on a Challenge
involving a Skill she has no ranks in, she may draw
a Twist Card.

General Aetheric Resonator
Requirement: Engineering 3 or higher.
Talents Though difficult to create, aetheric resonators are

quite useful to the aspiring artificer. These devices
Whenever you gain a step in a Pursuit that grants draw additional energy from the aether to augment
you a General Talent, you can choose from any of the magic that animates a construct or pneumatic
the Talents below. In addition, there are General limb, extending the amount of time before the
Talents in other Through the Breach books that may be enchantment must be refreshed.
appropriate for your character, but you should check When this character builds a Construct or
with your Fatemaster to make certain that you only pneumatic limb, she may spend 5 scrip to add
choose Talents from books being used in your game. an aetheric resonator to the machine. If she does
If a Talent has multiple requirements, you must so, when the Construct is targeted with a Spell or
meet each one before you can select that Talent. Manifested Power using the Animate Construct
Unless specifically stated otherwise, characters may Magia, or when the pneumatic limb is targeted
not choose the same Talent more than once. with the Animate Limb Magia, one instance of
the Increased Duration Immuto is applied to the
Magia at no increase to its TN.
Advice for Idiots

Requirement: Printing 3 or higher. Badge of Office
Despite her attempts, this character cannot always Requirement: Resilience -2 or lower, character must
be there to share her advice with others. Thanks to be a Guild employee or have the Infiltration Talent.
the modern printing press, however, those in need
can still benefit from her knowledge... provided that Whether it's luck, fate, or heavy-handed symbolism,
they pick up one of her affordably priced instruction attacks that would otherwise kill this character tend
manuals, of course! to bounce harmlessly off her Guild badge.
This character can spend an hour and 2 scrip worth Once per session after this character suffers damage
of raw materials to produce an instruction manual. from an enemy’s attack, she may discard a card to
When she produces the manual, she chooses a Skill have the attack strike her badge of office. If she does
that she possesses with one or more Ranks. so, the damage from the attack is reduced to 1, its
Triggers and other effects are negated, and it does
From that point on, any other character in not cause any Critical Effects to this character.
possession of the instruction manual may consult
it as a (1) AP Action. For the rest of the consulting This Talent cannot be used on attacks that have
character’s turn, they are considered to be assisted one or more B in their damage track (regardless
by this character when using the Skill referenced by of whether or not the attack actually generated B
the manual, just as if this character had used the damage).
Assist Action to help her.
The Infiltration Talent
Some of these Talents can be taken by
characters with the Infiltration Talent. This
Talent is granted by the Infiltrator Pursuit,
which can be found in Into the Steam (pg. 96)

Clumsy Death Marshal Apostate
Requirement: Grace -2 or lower. Requirement: Guild Training (Death Marshals),
Necromancy 2 or higher.
Most people can walk down the street without
tripping over their own feet. This character is not The Death Marshals walk a fine line between
one of those people. righteousness and corruption, and invariably, some
of them up drawing too heavily upon necromantic
This character gains the following Defensive Trigger: magic in the pursuit of their duties. While the
Df (M) Trip Over Something: If this character Guild doesn’t completely disavow such characters
fails and is not Prone, she becomes Prone (they were serving the Guild when they became
and the attack is considered to have missed this “corrupted” by their duties, after all), they are
character unless the attacker achieved a Margin certainly kept under a closer watch by the Judge.
of Success. This character is one of those unfortunate few
who have crossed that line. As she draws upon her
necromantic powers more and more frequently, her
Covering Fire appearance will become progressively more sunken
and emaciated, and it’s likely that her eyes will begin
Requirement: Chosen Skill Rank 2 or higher. to glow an unearthly green color in the dark.
While there's certainly a time and a place for precise Whenever this character successfully removes
shooting, sometimes firing a salvo of bullets to another character from reality (whether through the
frighten one's opponents works just as well. use of a Spell, Manifested Power, the Get In The
Box Trigger granted by the Death Marshal Advanced
Choose a Ranged Combat Skill. This character gains Pursuit in the Core Rules, or some other source), the
the following Tactical Action: target suffers 2 damage that may not be reduced and
(2) Covering Fire: Target an enemy within range this character heals 2 damage.
and line of sight of a ranged weapon of the chosen When this Talent is chosen, the character may
type wielded by this character and expend three change her Magical Theory to The Whisper. If she
rounds of ammunition. If you do so, the enemy does not already have a Magical Theory, she gains
subtracts this character's ranks in the weapon’s The Whisper Magical Theory.
Skill from its final duel totals until the start of this
character's next turn.
Cultured
Requirement: Chosen Skill Rank 2 or higher, Art
1 or higher.
Where brains and cleverness fail, this character's
refined tastes and good manners prevail.
Choose a Social Skill. When this
character makes a Challenge involving
the chosen Skill, she may use her ranks in the Art
Skill in place of her Mental Aspect.

Devour Magic Guild Training
Requirement: Counter-Spelling 4 or higher. Requirement: Character must be a Guild employee or
have the Infiltration Talent, Bureaucracy 2 or higher.
With a simple gesture, this character is able to siphon
magical energy away from nearby spells, significantly This character gains a + on all Social Skill Challenges
weakening their strength. involving Guild personnel and an additional bonus
depending upon the division that trained her:
Enemy characters within a3 of this character suffer
a - on Magical Skill Challenges. Amalgamation Office: If this character uses Guild
resources when building a Construct (and registers
the machine with the Amalgamation Office),
the final cost of the Construct is halved, and any
Everyman additional costs required to add custom pneumatic
weapons, aetheric resonators, or Soulstone fittings
Requirement: No Aspects higher than 1.
to the Construct are waived.
This character may not be all that strong, or all that
Death Marshals: This character ignores the Hard
fast, or even all that smart or charming, but when
to Wound Ability when attacking Undead characters.
pushed too far, she fights back with everything
she's got. Department of Public Relations: When this
character joins an Ongoing Challenge made to
When this character's current Wounds are below 0,
learn or disseminate information, this character
her attacks that deal damage deal +1 damage. If her
immediately adds a number of successes equal to
current Wounds are below -10, this bonus increases
her Charm Aspect (minimum one).
to +2 damage.
Elite Division: This character may spend ten
minutes, discard a card, and choose an Academic,
Crafting, Expertise, Social, or Training Skill she has
Fickle Fate at least one Rank in to create a cover identity. So
Requirement: Gambling 4 or higher. long as this character remains “in character” with her
cover identity, she gains a + to the chosen Skill.
Fate can be a fickle mistress, but that doesn't mean The cover identity lasts until the end of the day or
she can't be courted. While the overall benefits of until the character ceases to remain in character.
this attention can be debatable, it certainly allows
this character to push her luck in interesting ways. Guild Guard: The character gains a + on Social
Skill Challenges with non-Guild characters when in
Before this character flips a Fate Card from the uniform and acting (or pretending to act) on behalf
Fate Deck, she may declare “even” or “odd.” If the of the Guild.
value of the flipped card matches the character’s
prediction, its value is increased by +1. If not, its Neverborn Hunters: This character is immune to
value is decreased by -1. If the character flips a Joker damage caused by the Black Blood Ability.
card, its value is not modified. Witch Hunters: After this character successfully
resists a Spell or Manifested Power cast by an enemy,
she may draw a card.
This Talent may be taken multiple times. Each
time, it must be taken for a different division (which
requires the character to be trained by that division).

Idiot Instinctive Grip
Requirement: Intellect -2 or lower. Requirement: Thrown Weapons 2 or higher.
All it takes is a few minutes of conversation for This character doesn't fumble over weapons that she
someone to decide that this character is a bit slow intends to throw. Her fingers just naturally seem to
on the uptake. While this might make it hard to find the best way to hold the weapon.
get invited to fancy dinner parties, people tend to
This character may treat the (1) Ready Weapon
realize that this character isn't exactly playing with a
full deck and don’t really hold it against her. Action as if it were a (0) Action when drawing a
Thrown Weapon, and she may draw two Thrown
When this character fails a Social Skill Challenge, Weapons instead of one.
she generates no Margins of Failure, and unless this
character was outright threatening, the character she
is interacting with does not take offense to anything
she might have said or realize that this character was I’ve Got Your Back
attempting to manipulate her.
Requirement: Cunning -2 or lower.
This character isn’t particularly prone to manipulation
or guile. When it comes to her friends and partners,
Implacable she assumes that they will have her back through
Requirement: Centering 2 or higher. thick and thin, and that belief (however misguided it
may be) drives her to do the same.
This character is particularly resistant to fear.
At the start of this character’s turn during Dramatic
This character may add her ranks in the Centering Time, she may nominate another friendly character
Skill to the final total of any Horror Duel she makes. within 1 yard. Until the start of this character’s
next turn, the nominated character gains
Armor +1 (without any reduction to their
Defense) whenever they are within 1 yard
of this character.
Lackadaisical
Requirement: Speed -2 or lower or the
Sloth Vice.
This character tends to do things according to
her own schedule. Whether lethargic, listless,
or just plain lazy, this character still manages to
get things done... eventually, at least.
When this character takes the Wait Action, the AP
cost is equal to the AP cost of the named Action
(instead of the AP cost of the named Action +1).

On My Mark Permanent Enchantment
Requirement: Leadership 3 or higher. Requirement: Enchant Item Talent.
When this character uses the Wait Action, she may When this character uses the Enchant Item Talent
name the Order Action as the Action she is waiting to infuse magical energies into an item, she may
to perform. choose to make the enchantment permanent. If
she does so, the energies of the stored Spell do not
When the Wait Action resolves, her Order Action dissipate when it is discharged; the enchanted item
takes effect and one of her subordinate characters can be used over and over again without diminishing
may immediately take its turn. The subordinate the magic stored inside it.
character’s turn interrupts the named action before
any duels (if any) take place. The subordinate The character may only make a single enchantment
character may still only receive one turn per round permanent in this way, and the stored Spell counts
(unless it has Reactivate). against her maximum number of stored Spells for as
long as the enchanted item exists.
This Talent may be chosen multiple times. Each
Partial Reload time, the character may permanently enchant one
additional item.
Requirement: Speed 2 or higher.
Sometimes, it’s more efficient to just slam a few
bullets into the chamber instead of reloading the Personal Soulstone
entire weapon. Fortunately, this character is fast
enough to do just that. Requirements: Guild Training (any Division),
character must be a Guild employee or have the
When this character takes the Reload action with Infiltration Talent.
a weapon with a Capacity of 4 or greater, she may
discard a card to take the Reload action as a (0) The Guild tries very hard to keep Soulstones out
Action. If she does so, the weapon gains an amount of the hands of the general public, both out of a
of ammunition based upon the value of the discarded desire to control the Soulstone trade and a fear of
card: 1-5 gives the weapon 1 round of ammunition, what might happen if Soulstones fell into the hands
6-10 gives it 2 rounds, and 11+ gives it 3 rounds. of the wrong people (a fear that has, for the most
part, shown itself to be entirely justified by the rise of
the Arcanists and Resurrectionists). This character,
however, has impressed the Guild with her diligence
Patient and service, and it has rewarded her with a personal
Soulstone as a sign of its appreciation. These cut
Requirement: Centering 2 or higher.
gems are often set into pieces of jewelry such as
This character knows how to take her time and wait medals, necklaces, or cufflinks.
for favorable circumstances. Even if her preparation
This character gains a Soulstone of Lade 3 (Size 2
doesn't pay off, in her mind, it was simply an
and Quality 1). If she loses or sells this Soulstone, it
investment that didn't pay out, rather than a mistake.
is not replaced (and the Guild will certainly have a
When this character takes the Wait Action, if the few questions for her, if its agents find out).
named Action does not occur before the start of this
This Talent may be chosen multiple times. Each
character’s next turn, she becomes Fast at the start
time, the character gains another Soulstone.
of that turn.

Prejudice Self-Preservation
Requirement: Charm -2 or lower. Requirement: Might -2 or lower.
For whatever reason, this character develops A lifetime of having to deal with bullies and enemies
grudges very easily, often making up her mind about much stronger than herself has taught this character
a person’s flaws and inadequacies from the first the value of fighting defensively. Even when fully on
moment they meet. guard, she's always keeping an eye out for cover and
making a dash for safety when the coast seems clear.
At the start of Dramatic Time, this character may
choose an enemy character and discard a card. If she When this character takes the Defensive Stance
does so, she gains + to all flips against the enemy Action, she may move up to two yards in any
character until the end of Dramatic Time. direction.
If this character attempts to use a Social Skill other
than Intimidate to influence the enemy character’s
behavior at any point (even after Dramatic Time has Side Arm
finished), she gains no benefit from this Talent and
instead suffers a - to her flip. Requirement: Speed 3 or higher.
The Guild emphasizes a "combined arms" approach
to combat: its combat personnel, including the
Quick to Act entirety of the Guild Guard, are required to carry
both a melee weapon and a firearm while on duty.
Requirement: Athletics 1 or higher. The quickest of these soldiers are capable of firing
off pistol shots while engaged with other business,
Rigorous training has turned this character’s body such as ordering troops, securing a barricade,
into a finely tuned machine. She’s in great shape, or hacking their enemies apart with an axe. This
and all of that training has considerably improved character has chosen to emulate the impressive skill
her reaction time. of these soldiers and can fire off accurate shots at a
This character adds her ranks in Athletics to the moment's notice.
final duel total of her Initiative flips. On her turn, if this character has not made a Pistol
attack that turn, she may make an attack with a
readied Pistol as a (0) AP Action. This character
may not make any further Pistol attacks
on her turn.

Soulstone Healer Subtle Magic
Requirement: None. Requirement: Tenacity -1 or lower.
This character is particularly adept at channeling the Magic often rewards those with strong personalities
magical energy contained in a Soulstone. and iron determination. While this character is,
unfortunately, not one of those people, she is quite
When this character uses the Absorb Soul property familiar with self-doubt, cowardice, indolence, and
of a Soulstone to heal herself or another character, timidity. By tailoring her spells to exploit those
the target heals 3/4/5 damage and removes a lasting weaknesses, she can often catch her opponents
Critical Effect. off-guard by attacking their minds and bodies in
unexpected ways.
After this character successfully casts a Spell or
Steady Advance Manifested Power that uses the Tenacity Aspect,
she generates a number of additional Margins of
Success equal to her negative Tenacity Aspect (i.e.,
In combat, momentum is everything. With a few one Margin of Success at Tenacity -1, two Margins
quick shouts, this character can reorganize her of Success at Tenacity -2, and so on).
troops into a new formation without having to
explain the greater plan to them. Like extensions
of her own body, her troops fall into place as
expected, allowing their commander to focus upon Unrelenting
more important tasks. Requirement: Tenacity 2 or higher.
At the end of this character’s turn, any of her No matter the injury or pain, this character does not
unengaged subordinate characters that did not abandon a mission… or a fight.
receive a (1) Order Action may move a number of
yards equal to half their Walk Aspect. At the start of this character’s turn during Dramatic
Time, if she is not Slow or Paralyzed, she may
choose to become Slow. If she does so, she heals
1 damage.
Study Opponent
Requirement: Scrutiny 3 or higher.
This character knows that an enemy is only as strong
as their weakest point. She's always scanning her
opponents for weakness and searching for the best
avenue of attack.
When this character declares an attack against
an opponent, she may discard a card. If she
does so, each time she makes an attack against that
opponent, she may choose whether the opponent
resists the attack with Defense or Willpower. This
bonus lasts until the end of Dramatic Time.

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General Back to the Wall

Requirement: Tenacity 2 or higher.

Talents When there's nowhere to run, this character

Requirement: Chosen Skill Rank 5.

Chapter 6: General Talents 215

Calm And Collected

216 Chapter 6: General Talents

Chapter 6: General Talents 217

218 Chapter 6: General Talents

Imposing Mass Paired Weapons

Chapter 6: General Talents 219

220 Chapter 6: General Talents

Chapter 6: General Talents 221

222 Chapter 6: General Talents

Requirement: Flexible 3 or higher

The character becomes immune to Horror Duels and

Gaussian Logic Engine

122 Chapter 5: Talents & Skills

These Magia or Immuto need not be ones that the

t Interface: After succeeding against a Construct, gain 1

Chapter 5: Talents & Skills 123

R Win By Knockout: After damaging, the target takes the

Requirement: Grace -1 or lower

124 Chapter 5: Talents & Skills

Riposte Street Fighter

Chapter 5: Talents & Skills 125

Threading the Needle Unceasing

126 Chapter 5: Talents & Skills

Talents This character is possessed of an odor that only

Chapter 5: Talents & Trinkets 133

Df/Wp (t) Smoldering Heart: After this Fate's Messenger

Surrendering to the whims of fate can be a terrifying

134 Chapter 5: Talents & Trinkets

Df (M) Through the Hole: After failing against a

This character has made peace with the spirits that

The spirits also whisper small bits of useful

Chapter 5: Talents & Trinkets 135

Requirement: Fated This character has earned the devotion of a canine

If this character has the Animal Companion Talent,

136 Chapter 5: Talents & Trinkets

This character is a fan of flame (and enjoys fanning

Chapter 5: Talents & Trinkets 137

While some people are content to take whatever Spiritual Sensitivity

138 Chapter 5: Talents & Trinkets

Swagger Warding Gestures

Touched by the Grave

Chapter 5: Talents & Trinkets 139

Talents With one hour of work, this character may remove

All the Big Words

Chapter 6: Talents & Magic 141

Dirty Cheater As every good Gremlin engineer knows, the trick

142 Chapter 6: Talents & Magic

Chapter 6: Talents & Magic 143

144 Chapter 6: Talents & Magic

Chapter 6: Talents & Magic 145

146 Chapter 6: Talents & Magic

Talents Though difficult to create, aetheric resonators are

Advice for Idiots

Chapter 5: Talents & Magic 141

142 Chapter 5: Talents & Magic

Chapter 5: Talents & Magic 143

144 Chapter 5: Talents & Magic

Chapter 5: Talents & Magic 145