Talents & Perks

Effect: Once per rest, shuffle 3 cards from your fatigue pile back into your deck.

Rulings:

• You choose which 3 cards
• Can be done on your turn as a free action (no action cost)
• Cannot use Second Wind while Broken
• "Once per rest" means it refreshes on a Full Rest only; Short Rests and Breathers do not refresh it

Effect: When your deck has 10 or fewer cards, +1 to all effective values.

Rulings:

• Applies to all checks including initiative, attacks, Active Guard defenses, and Technique activation
• Count your deck before each draw
• If a rest or card-return brings you above 10, the bonus deactivates immediately
• At exactly 10 cards, the bonus applies

Effect: Draw 2 cards for the opening initiative draw (play 1, return the other to deck bottom). Additionally, once per combat, you may spend 1 card from your hand to redraw initiative and change your position in the turn order for one round.

Rulings:

• For the opening draw, only the played card goes to fatigue; the other returns to deck bottom
• The mid-combat reposition costs 1 card to fatigue but lets you act earlier or later as needed
• If you also have a Heavy weapon (−1 initiative), the penalty applies to whichever card you play

Effect: On a Resonance play, draw the top card of your deck and place it on the bottom unseen. Your deck doesn't shrink for that play.

Rulings:

• This Perk compensates by cycling one card from top to bottom, keeping deck size stable
• Triggers on any Resonance play: attacks, Techniques, skill checks, even Active Guard defenses
• Does not trigger on initiative (no Resonance check)
• The cycled card is placed unseen—you don't look at it

Effect: Reduce all damage taken by 1 (minimum 1 damage).

Rulings:

• Applies per instance of damage: Strikes, Techniques, Burning ticks, Bleed ticks, Poison ticks, and environmental hazards each reduced separately
• Burning (1 dmg) stays at minimum 1. Bleed (2 dmg) becomes 1
• Stacks with armor's Guard bonus—Guard prevents hits, Thick Skin reduces hit damage

Effect: Once per round, when an adjacent enemy fails a check, make a free Strike against them.

Rulings:

• This is not a Reaction—it's a separate free action
• You can use Opportunist and your Reaction (e.g., Brace) in the same round
• The failed check can be anything: a missed attack, a failed Technique, a skill check
• The free Strike uses your normal stat and weapon with no multi-Strike penalty
• The played card goes to fatigue normally (Efficient Fighter does not apply—it's not your turn)

Effect: Once per rest, after an ally within Near range fails a check, let them redraw 1 card and choose again.

Rulings:

• The ally draws 1 new card from their deck and may play it instead
• The original played card goes to fatigue regardless—this gives a second chance, not a free card
• Refreshes on Full Rest only
• Works in or out of combat
• Cannot target yourself

Effect: At 25% Vitality or below, your Resonance bonus doubles (stat value × 2 instead of stat value).

Rulings:

• Calculate 25% from maximum Vitality, rounded down. For 28 max Vitality, threshold is 7 or fewer
• Activates immediately when you cross the threshold (even mid-round) and deactivates if healing brings you above
• Doubles only the Resonance bonus, not Talents, Star Signs, or other EV modifiers
• At Body 4, a resonating Club adds +8 instead of +4

Effect: Your first Strike each turn: the played card returns to the bottom of your deck instead of going to fatigue.

Rulings:

• Only basic Strikes, not Techniques
• Only the first Strike on your turn—Brace Reactions and Opportunist Strikes don't count (not your turn)
• If the Strike is also a crit, effects are redundant—card returns either way
• If the Strike misses, the card still returns to deck bottom (doesn't require a hit)

Effect: When you use a Technique and the played card's base value is 4 or less, the card returns to your deck instead of going to fatigue.

Rulings:

• Base value means the card's printed number before Resonance
• A 3♠ on a Spirit Technique has base 3 (qualifies) even if its EV is 7
• Aces are base 14 and never qualify
• Works whether the Technique hits or misses
• Does not apply to basic Strikes or non-Technique checks

Effect: +2 Guard on your Active Guard defense value.

Rulings:

• Adds +2 to the effective value you set when entering Active Guard, not to passive Guard
• Does not apply outside Active Guard stance
• Stacks with the Parrying weapon property (+1 Guard in Active Guard)—a rapier-wielding Bulwark character gets +3 total on their Active Guard value

Effect: Once per round, move 1 zone as a free action (no action cost). This does not provoke Brace reactions.

Rulings:

• This is a Perk, not a Trait. Any character can take it
• It stacks with Cloudcraft's Windstep (Windstep upgrades your Stride to 2 zones; Fleet Foot gives an additional free 1-zone move)