1879: Profession High Tiers: Aristocrat

The Aristocrat

The Aristocrat is designed for Social conflict. While they get a few offensive and defensive Skills early on, partly so that they can take care of themselves and partly so they can ride to the hounds, their primary focus remains the cut and thrust of civil (and not so civil) discourse, maneuvering for position and privilege on the battlefield of Court.

At Warden, the Aristocrat takes on a greater role in society, gaining Leadership and Oratory so that they can direct others in larger efforts. Their experience among wealth and privilege nets them Evaluate, allowing them to know the wealth (or lack thereof) of others at a glance. Piercing Gaze grants them the ability to put someone else on the spot, and perhaps gain a substantial advantage over them. Properly applied, this could result in the total ruination of a foe in the midst of a social gathering.

The Master Tier Skills turn the Aristocrat’s words into literal weapons, able to deflect physical attack or inflict physical damage. This Profession gains Impressive Display later than most others, but once they have it, the entire world will know their greatness. Pull off an Explosive Bon Mot at the right moment in Parliament, and the course of the law itself could be altered.

Skills and Abilities

  • Warden
    • Core Skills
      • Empathic Sense, Inspire Others, Lasting Impression, Leadership, Oratory, Steely Stare, Witty Repartee
    • Optional Skills
      • Disarm, Evaluate, Knowledge (Finance), Lion Spirit, Resist Pain, Seduction, Undermine
    • Abilities
      • The character gains +1 to their Karma Step.
      • The character may spend Karma on any PER-only Test.
      • The character gains +1 to their Physical Defense.
      • Piercing Gaze: For 2 Strain, the character may make a Steely Stare Test and convince the target that all of their innermost secrets are known. The character may then make a surmise as to one of those secrets. On one success, the target confirms or denies the surmise silently, with a shake or nod of the head. On two successes, the target replies verbally, and adds one further bit of information clarifying the surmise. On three or more successes, the target breaks down and admits to everything, possibly including details about the issue, and other issues, that weren’t previously suspected. On a Rule Of One result, the target laughs derisively, dismisses the surmise out of hand (whether or not it is true), and gains +2 to their Social Defense against the character for the character’s Steely Stare Rank in days.
  • Master
    • Core Skills
      • Bardic Voice, Cutting Words, Disarming Smile, Distract, Impressive Display
    • Optional Skills
      • Anticipate Blow, Knowledge (Law), Perfect Focus, Second Chance, Tactics
    • Abilities
      • The character may spend Karma on any CHA-based Test.
      • The character’s Max Karma increases by 15 points.
      • Explosive Bon Mot: The Aristocrat can make a quip in a social gathering that utterly destroys the mood and the presentation that someone else was trying to build. Make a Taunt Test against the target, and spend 2 points of Strain. On one success, the audience reacts with mild humour, disrupting the target’s build-up, and forcing them to start over if they want to achieve their result. Any Social advantage the target had gained – Attitude shifts, Step bonuses, etc. – are lost. On two successes, the audience laughs, and the target takes a -2 Step penalty to any attempt to regain control of the situation. On three or more successes, the audience finds the quip uproariously funny, and the target is completely unable to make their point or complete their Interaction Test. On a Rule Of One result, there’s a moment of silence, and then one of the audience admonishes the character for their behaviour. The character is then shut out of the conversation as all attention goes to the target.