The White City

Much of the Source Code for this page cribbed directly from the original White City Skills Page. Apologies to Steve, Xan, Chris and indeed myself - the various former WC webmasters - for nicking their hard work. Note that this means that some of the links below will not in fact work, since they refer to internal WC pages

Skill listings are organised as follows:

Skill Name
Cost per Rank (in Experience Points) & Maximum Number of Ranks
Description - Note that some skills have entries under more than one Class

Unless otherwise noted, all skills have a maximum of five Ranks. You may only buy as many Ranks in a skill as you have levels in a Class the skill falls under. You may not buy skills which are not listed for your Class (with liberal multiclassing and a good degree of crossover, I'm not anticipating a problem with this).

General skills may be bought by any Class, and you may buy as many Ranks in any of those skills as your total levels (for example, a starting character can buy any General skill at up to Rank 2, somebody with three levels of Warrior, one level of Sorceror and a level of Thief could buy any General skill at up to Rank 5).

Some skills may be bought by multiple Classes. In this case you may only by a number of ranks in the skill equal to your highest level. For example, someone with three levels of Warrior and two levels of Ranger could only buy Bind Wound at up to Rank 3, since it's available to both Classes. This is a change from earlier rules, reflecting the comparative ease of obtaining the low levels of multiple classes, as compared to the higher levels of one class.

Exception: Lore Skills Because of the sheer amount it is possible to know in the setting, combined with the comparatively limited utility of Lore skills, any levels of Scholar count double for determining your maximum ranks of Learned or Arcane Lore

A Note on Literacy:
For the sake of convenience, all PCs are assumed to be literate. The feel I'm going for with the White City is more Renaissance than Dark Ages, and besides, it's embarassing to find that a crucial written clue is useless because none of the PCs can read.

General Skills

Day Job
1 xp, one Rank
You have a day job when not out killing monsters and bad guys to take their stuff. This gives you an income of 5 Hexa between adventures, and you start off with a certain amount of equipment (see the Character Generation rules).

Craft: [specify]
3XP/Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You have a craft. It might be metalworking, jewelling, carpentry or whatever. During downtime you may make Things. The raw materials to make Things cost half the price of a Thing of the sort you are trying to make. If you have a Day Job you get 5hx worth of raw materials turned into Things for free. The quality of Things you can make depends on your level of skill.

At one rank of the skill, you may make Substandard items
At two ranks of the skill you may make Standard items
At three ranks of the skill you may make Superior items. With the proper materials and procedures you can also make Magical items.
At four ranks of the skill you may make Superior items, and any magical items you make get +1 to their Forging for having been made by you.
At five ranks fo the skill you may make Superior items, and any magical items you make get +2 to their Forging, merely for having been made by you.

Empowered
10 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks - this skill may only be bought after character generation with GM approval
Whether by training or birth, you're adept at focusing your will against your enemies and inflict +1 damage per Rank in Psychic Combat.

Gutter Fighter
4 xp, one Rank
You fight in a manner untrained and undisciplined but quite effective when it comes to causing other people pain. You inflict Singles rather than Halves when fighting unarmed.
Note that unarmed hits in White City LARPs should take the form of light taps with an open palm.

Luck
3 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You're lucky. Very lucky. If at any time your character turns out to be dead at the end of the encounter you may burn a Rank of Luck to keep yourself alive with 1 Body Hit left on your torso. Once a Rank of Luck is gone it's gone forever.

Quick
6 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You're fast on your feet. You gain one Dodge per Rank per Encounter when wearing light armour or no armour. When wearing medium armour the number of Dodges is halved, and when wearing heavy armour this skill is useless. (See the combat rules for the definition of Dodges).

Strong Willed
5 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You're exceptionally strong willed, for each Rank you gain +1 Psyche Hit.

Tough
6 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You're unnaturally tough and resilient, for each Rank you gain +1 Body Hit to every location and +1 Fatigue Hit.

Visions
6 xp, one Rank - this skill may only be bought after character generation with GM approval
You have visions. This skill should only be bought only during character generation or if you have a particular reason to acquire it. This skill is a plot device, please treat it as such.

Wealth
6 xp and X hundred Hexa per Rank. Note that only Merchants and Nobles may buy this skill at character generation, but afterwards any character may buy it - see the Lifestyle rules.
You have an income of 30 Hexa per Rank, which you may collect on any adventure on which you (the player) show up, either to play or monster.

Warrior Skills

Ambidextrous
10 xp, one Rank
You are capable of using one weapon in each hand. This can lead to some real mincing machine action if you know what you're doing, otherwise stick with the cheaper Main-Gauche skill. You may never claim Parries from your offhand weapon under any circumstances.

Archer
14xp, one Rank
You are capable of using a bow. Note that bow competency tests must be carried out under the FLRP Organiser's supervision before you will be permitted to use a bow, please consult the FLRP Organiser in advance if you are thinking of doing so. Each arrow does a Through Single in damage, halved for a substandard quality bow and doubled for a superior quality bow. A character can only carry up to thirty arrows at a time. At the end of each Encounter it is possible to look for undamaged arrows to re-use; normally only half the arrows fired will still be usable, although this may be reduced at the GM's discretion (usually due to the nature of the monsters, e.g. giant spiders having tough hides liable to break arrow shafts).

Armoured Combat
6 xp, one Rank
You are capable of fighting in full armour. You cannot wear Medium or Heavy armour without this skill.

Armour Repair
4 xp, one Rank
You know how to fix light armour in the field. Fixing the armour on one location takes you about 20 minutes with ersatz tools. This skill does not allow you to repair medium or heavy armour, which requires a blacksmith and forge, or steel-silk armour, which requires a Weaver.

Bodyguard
2 xp, one Rank
You are adept at protecting the life of another individual. You may use your Dodges and Parries to protect another person, as long as they are standing next to you.

Bind Wound
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You know how to provide emergency assistance to the injured. You can heal one Body Hit (and one Body Hit only) to a location which has lost no more Body Hits in total than your Rank in this skill. You can only heal injuries which have been inflicted during that Encounter, and no location may benefit from this skill more than once per Encounter. Furthermore, each use of this skill uses up medical supplies (bandages and the like).

Great Weapon
10 xp, one rank
You know how to use double-handed weapons - two handed swords mainly, but also two handed maces, or axes. These weapons have a base damage of Double rather than Single and have a bigger reach than other weapons. Note that this skill does not cover Staves and Polearms.

Staff
8XP, one rank
You are adept at fighting with a staff. This gives you a considerable reach advantage over othher fighters, but frankly a bit of wood is never going to stand up to a broadsword. Staves do Singles as standard, despite being used two handed.

Hafted Weapon
15XP, one rank
You are skilled in the use of Hafted Weapons - spears and polearms. These weapons combine additional reach with additional damage capacity - hence the high price of this skill. These weapons have a base damage of Double.

Leadership
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You know how to inspire people to hurt others. Once per adventure per Rank of this skill you may call out "Leadership!" to give everybody in your party a +1 bonus to their damage for that Encounter. If you are knocked out or killed during the Encounter then the morale goes out of the rest of the party and they lose this bonus.

Main-Gauche
2 xp, one Rank
You can fight with a small parrying weapon in your off hand. You may never claim Parries from your offhand weapon under any circumstances. This skill is redundant if you also have the Ambidextrous skill.

Night Job
3 xp, one Rank
You have dubious after hours employment, but it pays well. Between adventures you have an income of 15 Hexa, and you start off with a certain amount of stuff (see the Character Generation rules).

Ordained
6 xp, one Rank - this skill may only be bought after character generation with GM approval
You are Ordained as a Priest of one of the major religions. You inflict Singles instead of Halves in Psychic Combat, and may buy Priestly Skills.

Shield
6 xp per Rank, maximum 3 Ranks
You know how to fight with a shield. Rank 1 lets you use something small, Rank 2 something medium, Rank 3 something big. What qualifies as what is a call for the FLRP organiser. Youwill need to provide your own LARP shield.

Strong
6 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You're very strong. Simple as that. The benefits vary by rank:

With the first Rank, you can perform feats of stength like snapping ropes and kicking down heavy doors.
With the second Rank you inflict +1 damage with Great Weapons, Polearms and Bastard Swords only (thus enabling you to do Triples with two-handed weapons and polarms, doubles with Bastard Swords, before applying modifiers from other skills, provided the weapons are of standard or superior quality).
With the third Rank you inflict an additional +1 damage with all hand weapons (thus enabling you to do Singles unarmed, Doubles with one handed weapons, daggers and staves, and Quads with two-handed weapons and polarms).
With the fourth Rank you can perform incredible feats of strength, snapping chains and kicking down heavy oaken doors.
With the fifth Rank you can perform Herculean feats of strength, and once per adventure you can do something truly mythic, like pushing over a stone tower.

Tactician
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You know tactics, in particular you know how not to get killed. Once per adventure per Rank, when you have warning of what you're up against, you may discuss tactics with your colleagues and formulate a plan granting each member of your party one Dodge per Rank you have of this skill for the next Encounter.

Weapon Master: Melee
6 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
This skill must be bought separately for each weapon, and specify (where appropriate) whether it applies to the one-handed or two-handed version of that weapon; for example Weapon Master: One-Handed Sword, Weapon Master: Two-Handed Sword, Weapon Master: Mace and Weapon Master: Dagger are all different skills. You can buy this skill for a number of different weapons equal to your level of Warrior, if you've got enough xp.
Each Rank of this skill gives you one Parry per Encounter when wielding your chosen weapon. Every alternate Rank (so 2nd and 4th) allows you to inflict an additional +1 damage with your chosen weapon.
Note that it is possible to take the skill Weapon Master: Unarmed. Also note that the Parries gained from this skill stack with those gained from the Duellist skill.

Weapon Master: Ranged or Thrown
6XP per Rank. Maximum 5 Ranks
This skill must be bought separately for each weapoon; for example Weapon Master: Crossbow, Weapon Master: Longbow and Weapon Master: Throwing Dagger are all separate skills. This skill provides different advantages at each rank

At Rank 1 you do +1 damage with the weapon
At Rank 2 you may strike to Subdue with the ranged weapon (IC this represents the good old "pin 'em to a tree" tactic
At Rank 3 you do an additional +1 damage with the weapon
At Rank 4 you may call for Ranged Disarm (like a normal disarm, but with a bow. Note that you should not actually aim for people's weapons when using a Ranged Disarm
At Rank 5 you do an additional +1 damage with the weapon

Sorceror Skills

Arcane Lore
4 xp per Rank, maximum 7 Ranks
Each Rank of Arcane Lore gives you the lowdown on one Form of Magic and the Powers behind it. It's by no means comprehensive, but you know a lot more than most.

[Form] Magic
10 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks - this skill may only be bought after character generation with GM approval
You can cast spells in your chosen Form of Magic up to a level equal to your Rank in this skill. Please consult the FLRP Organiser before taking Dream Magic.
Note that learning a scond Form of Magic requires GM approval and an exceptional combination of circumstances, not to mention the risk of invoking the wrath of one or more sets of Powers! Such characters must buy levels in the Sorceror class separately for each Form of Magic they know - for example, a character could be a level one Ash Sorceror and a level two Blood Sorceror, but not a level three Sorceror with two levels in one Form and one level in another.

Ordained
6 xp, one Rank - this skill may only be bought after character generation with GM approval
You are Ordained as a Priest of one of the major religions, and may buy Priestly Skills. Note that this skill is especially important for Sorcerors, as many spells will have different effects depending on whether or not the caster is Ordained.

Ranger Skills

All Terrain
10 xp, one Rank
You are extremely adept at adapting to different terrains. You can climb like a cat, swim like a fish and make your way easily through swamps and up cliff faces. You only suffer penalties for unusual terrain in the most extreme of circumstances - you can fight absolutely fine in treetops or underwater, but storms of liquid fire will still throw you.

Ambidextrous
10 xp, one Rank
You are capable of using one weapon in each hand. This can lead to some real mincing machine action if you know what you're doing, otherwise stick with the cheaper Main-Gauche skill. Note that you may never claim Parries for your offhand weapon under any circumstances.

Weapon Master: Dagger or Staff
6 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
This is identical to the Weapon Master skill available to Warriors, but you may only use the Dagger as your chosen weapon.
Each Rank of this skill gives you one Parry per Encounter when wielding a dagger. Every alternate Rank (so 2nd and 4th) allows you to inflict an additional +1 damage with a dagger.

At Rank 1 you do +1 damage with the weapon
At Rank 2 you may strike to Subdue with the ranged weapon (IC this represents the good old "pin 'em to a tree" tactic
At Rank 3 you do an additional +1 damage with the weapon
At Rank 4 you may call for Ranged Disarm (like a normal disarm, but with a bow. Note that you should not actually aim for people's weapons when using a Ranged Disarm
At Rank 5 you do an additional +1 damage with the weapon

Disengage
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
This is the ability to get the hell out of dodge with speed and skill. Once per Rank per Encounter you can call Disengage and flee. Everybody else must give you about five seconds head start before pursuing.

Divination
10 xp, one Rank
You can read omens and portents. This tends to take the form of seeing signs on the winds, reading the flights of birds and the shapes of clouds or taking auguries from the entrails of the animals you hunt. This is mostly a plot device.

Herbalism
6 xp, one Rank
You know about herbs, and can put together a variety of things with them. Herbal concoctions are nowhere near as useful or as powerful as Alchemical potions, but tend to be somewhat more versatile and can be exceedingly dangerous or beneficial in the right hands. Herbal remedies allow you to heal others as if your Bind Wound skill was one Rank higher than it is, and can also cure some ailments and poisons. Herbal poisons can be anything from annoying to deadly. More information on herbalism can be found here.

Rural Tracker
4 xp, one Rank
You can track things, people, animals, whatever, through outdoor environments.

Stealth
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You are adept at not being seen. See the additional Stealth rules.

Survival [Terrain]
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
This skill must be bought separately for each terrain; for example Survival: Woods, Survival: Mountains and Survival: Plains are all different skills. You can buy this skill for a number of different terrains equal to your level of Ranger, if you've got enough xp. Note that rangers can only choose this skill for outdoor environments.
You can survive almost indefinitely in your chosen terrain. In addition, this skill gives you one Disengage per Rank per Encounter when fighting in your chosen terrain and also includes abilities such as identifying poisonous plants and dangerous animals and finding ways around or ways to Secret Kingdoms of Demihuman Cannibals and the like.

Thief Skills

Ambidextrous
10 xp, one Rank
You are capable of using one weapon in each hand. This can lead to some real mincing machine action if you know what you're doing, otherwise stick with the cheaper Main-Gauche skill. Note that you cannot claim Parries from your offhand weapon under any circumstances

Appraisal
4 xp, one Rank
You can tell how much something is worth, both by the value of the materials and by the degree of craftsmanship that has gone into it.

Assassin
10XP, one Rank
You are not automatically spotted when you make a Backstab attack. See the Stealth Rules

Blather
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You can talk people into and out of things. At Rank 1 this means you have a good cover story or a bit of chutzpah. Rank 2 is professional conman level. Rank 3 is a very successful politician, Rank 4 sells freezers to eskimos and Rank 5 is full on trickster spirit.

Cosh
6 xp, one Rank
This skill allows you to strike for Subdue Doubles with a blunt weapon (see the Subdual & Fatigue rules), whereas anyone without this skill can only ever strike for Subdue Singles. You can also automatically knock out an opponent if you can manage to get an unexpected torso hit in from behind with a blunt weapon. Unarmed attacks only count as blunt weapons for this purpose if your unarmed attacks inflict at least Singles.

Weapon Master: Dagger
6 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
This is identical to the Weapon Master skill available to Warriors, but you may only use the Dagger as your chosen weapon.
Each Rank of this skill gives you one Parry per Encounter when wielding a dagger. Every alternate Rank (so 2nd and 4th) allows you to inflict an additional +1 damage with a dagger.

At Rank 1 you do +1 damage with the weapon
At Rank 2 you may strike to Subdue with the ranged weapon (IC this represents the good old "pin 'em to a tree" tactic
At Rank 3 you do an additional +1 damage with the weapon
At Rank 4 you may call for Ranged Disarm (like a normal disarm, but with a bow. Note that you should not actually aim for people's weapons when using a Ranged Disarm
At Rank 5 you do an additional +1 damage with the weapon

Edificeer
6 xp, one Rank
You can climb up buildings, run along rooftops and so on. You take no penalties for fighting on precarious footing. Note that climbing a building while somebody is attacking you is not a good or sensible plan.

Light Fingers
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
Your all-purpose pickpocketing, without getting caught. Rank 1 is basic purse cutting.
Rank 2 is the "shake hands and nick your watch" trick.
Rank 3 is enough for most practical purposes.
Rank 4 is enough to snaffle the ceremonial dagger out of the hands of the High Priest halfway though the sacrifical ritual.
Rank 5 is enough to filch people's prosthetic limbs.

The OBS (Obligatory Backstab Skill)
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You inflict +1 damage per Rank of this skill when using a sharp weapon to strike a target who is not expecting the attack. In addition, if a target is reduced to 0 hits on the torso by this manner, then they are dead within a matter of moments. Note that you can very rarely claim the Backstab bonus for more than one blow, since once you've stabbed somebody they tend to notice you and consider you a threat. This skill also cannot be used as a 'fly-by' attack, you must move up behind the target unseen and hit them, not throw out a hand with a dagger in as you shoot past at full speed. Please remember that, despite the name of this skill, actually stabbing with LARP weaponry is against safety regulations.

Poisoner
6 xp per Rank, maximum 2 Ranks
This skill covers preparing and administering poisons. One Rank gives the one, and one t'other - which you choose first is up to you.

Stealth
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You are adept at not being seen. See the additional Stealth rules.

Unlawful Entry
4 xp per Rank, maximum 3 Ranks
This skill includes a variety of methods of getting into places you aren't wanted without being caught or spotted. Rank 1 is your basic jemmying windows. Rank 2 is picking locks and drugging guard dogs. Rank 3 is enough to get around most forms of traps and security in most places. Dubious magical thingummies can still thwart you.

Urban Survival
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You can survive almost indefinitely in an urban environment. In addition, this skill gives you one Disengage per Rank per Encounter when fighting in an urban environment and also includes abilities such as avoiding pickpockets, and spotting undercover members of the Watch.

Urban Tracker
4 xp, one Rank
You can track and shadow things, people, animals, whatever, through city streets and other urban environments.

Scholar Skills

Note that ranks of Scholar count as double for the purposes of determining your maximum ranks in Arcane Lore and Learned

Academic Appraisal
4 xp, one Rank
You can tell how much something is worth from a historical or artisitic point of view. Whereas a thief or merchant can tell how much something would fetch on the open market, you can tell how much it would fetch to a discerning collector who was interested in such things, or whether something Belongs In A Museum.

Alchemist
6 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You know how to brew one type of alchemical potion for each Rank you have in this skill. This usually gives you a bonus when drinking that type of potion, and means that you can never become addicted to it. Between adventures, you may brew a number of the potions whose recipe you know equal to double your Rank in this skill (four times your Rank if you have purchased the equipment for a suitable laboratory). See the Alchemy section for further details.

Divination
10 xp, one Rank
You can read omens and portents using a technique involving occult knowledge such as astrology, oneiromancy or the like. This is mostly a plot device.

Learned
2 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
Ever Rank of Learned you take gives you access to one type of non-arcane lore. Examples could include History, Legends, Language & Customs of [Place or Race], Heraldry, Genealogy and so on.

Poisoner
6 xp per Rank, maximum 2 Ranks
This skill covers preparing and administering poisons. One Rank gives the one, and one t'other - which you choose first is up to you.

Surgeon
10 xp, one Rank
Given time you can heal even the most grievous of wounds. It does, however, take a reasonable amount of time. Suitable tools to perform their art, but can perform rouigh and ready field surgery if needs be. Surgery may be used in the following ways:

They may stablise the dying. A character on 0 hits to the torso, while recieving the full attentions of a surgeon, will not die. Rather they will regain one hit to one location every five minutes.
They may bodge up serious injuries. They may heal a location reduced to 0 or fewer hits to a maximum of one hit. This takes 2 minutes per level of damage to be restored
They may cure poisons and diseases by bloddletting. This deals damage to the target in proportion to the severity of the poison or disease

This is far less efficient than magic, but far less costly to the user. This skill also grants the Scholar an income of 15 Hexa between adventures, and allows them to start off with a certain amount of stuff (see the Character Generation rules).

Merchant Skills

Appraisal
4 xp, one Rank
You can tell how much something is worth, both by the value of the materials and by the degree of craftsmanship that has gone into it.

Haggle
6 xp, one Rank
You're adept at beating people down to their best price, and receive a 10% discount on anything you buy.

Trader
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
When you sell stuff after an adventure you make half as much of the base price again for each Rank you have in this skill. Note that this only applies to trade goods, be they fabulous jewels or shipments of silks, not to mundane items such as secondhand weapons and armour. Note that any attempts to set up an infinite money factory by buying stuff and immediately selling it back for twice as much will be stamped on hard.

Noble Skills

Blather
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You can talk people into and out of things, the Noble version of this skill is usually more about hauteur and arrogance than the fast talk and weasel words of the Thief and Merchant versions. At Rank 1 this means you have a good anecdote or a bit of chutzpah. Rank 2 is professional seducer (or seductress) level. Rank 3 is a very successful politician, Rank 4 is Baron Munchausen and Rank 5 is full on trickster spirit.

Duellist
6 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
For each rank of this skill, you may choose the ability to use one of the following calls once per encounter: Disarm, Parry Dodge, Through or Swift. These calls may be used only if armed with a one handed sword, with optional main-gauche.

Main-Gauche
2 xp, one Rank
You can fight with a small parrying weapon in your off hand. Note that you may never claim Parries from your offhand weapons under any circumstances. This skill is redundant if you also have the Ambidextrous skill.

Poisoner
6 xp per Rank, maximum 2 Ranks
This skill covers preparing and administering poisons. One Rank gives the one, and one t'other - which you choose first is up to you.

Scandalmonger
6 xp, one Rank
You are adept at attacking people's reputations. This is a pure downtime thing, and is unlikely to have any practical value on an adventure, but it could make getting more levels of Noble easier and is useful if you get angry with another member of the nobility since you can strike at them without chopping their head off.

Priestly Skills

These skills are available to anybody who has the Ordained skill. For the purposes of the maximum Rank you may have in a priestly skill, your level of Priest is considered equal to the level of the Class in which you bought the Ordained skill.

Exorcism
6 xp, one Rank
You can see and sense incorporeal beings, even those which are invisible or disguised as something else. You can also sense when somebody is possessed. Furthermore, you can enter or initiate Psychic Combat with any incorporeal being at will, even one which is already fighting someone else or which is already possessing somebody.

Learned
2 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
Every Rank of Learned you take gives you access to one type of non-arcane lore. Examples could include History, Legends, Language & Customs of [Place or Race], Heraldry, Genealogy and so on.

Rites
4 xp per Rank, maximum 5 Ranks
You may perform the Rites of your religion. The precise nature of thse Rites varies from faith to faith. Your level of this skill also represents your standing in the eyes of the Power you worship and your fellow faithful. At Rank 4 you learn the Rite to Ordain others as Priests of your religion.

Specials

There are some unique schticks that members of certain organisations get.
They're minor, but fun, and make you part of something bigger than yourself.

High Guard - You must be a Warrior to take this bonus. You are a guardsman of the White City, and wear the Brass Badge of the High Guard. You have powers of arrest while in the White City. You should also have a look at the White City's legal code.

Low Guard - You must be a Warrior or a Thief to take this bonus. You are a member of Her Eminence Rebecca de Courci's Secret Police, and have the Ebony Badge of the Low Guard to prove it. You have the ear of statesmen, and will rightly be feared by any who know your true identity.

King Eric's Man (or Woman) - You must be a Thief or a Warrior with a Night Job to take this bonus. You work for the shadowy underground ruler who calls himself King Eric. This has two advantages; firstly, you won't get your legs broken by Eric's people for working on their patch, and secondly you have access to a decent network of fences, which allows you to buy the Merchant skill Trader as a Class skill.

Free Trader - You must be a Merchant to take this bonus. You are a member of the White City's Guild of Free Traders. The Guild's network of experts and large library allows you to buy the Scholar skill Academic Appraisal as a Class skill, and if you take this bonus as a starting character then you start with an extra 5 Hexa to represent your increased profits.

Initiate of the Thousand Arts - You must be a Scholar to take this bonus. You are a member and initiate of the College of the Thousand Arts in the White City, the largest known centre of learning in the world. As a result you have access to the Lore: The Oldest Tongues, which gives you familiarity not only with dead languages but with languages that go back to before the fall of the Bound Ones. This Lore must be bought as normal with the Learned skill.

Shining Order Knight - You are a Knight of the Shining Order. You must be a Warrior Ordained as a Priest of the Light to take this bonus. The Shining Order are taught the magic of Sight Beyond Sight.

Observer of Battlefields - You must be a Chain Sorceror to take this bonus. You are one of the Cloistered Brethren of Chains, and charged with watching the Battlefields to the East to ensure that the Bound Ones are not freed. Since you have to know your enemies, you receive the skill Lore: History of the Binding War for free.

Cristofori Blood - You must be a Noble or a Merchant to take this bonus. The Cristoforis are the most thoroughly mercantile of the great Families of the White City. If you are a Noble you may choose one Merchant skill to count as a Class skill for you. If you are a Merchant you may choose one Noble skill to count as a Class skill for you. If you are a Noble and a Merchant then you may choose either one of the above, and are well respected within the family.

De Almedia Blood - You must be a Noble to take this bonus. You are a member of the De Almedia Family of the White City. You may take advantage of the Family's western trade routes to upgrade any of your starting armour to steel-silk at no extra cost.

Velasquez Blood - You must be a Noble to take this bonus. You are a member of the distinctly dodgy Velasquez family of the White City. You inflict Singles instead of Halves in Psychic Combat, even if you're not a Sorceror or Priest. You may freely buy the Empowered skill at character generation or later in your career.

Whistful Dreamer - You come from the Whistful City to the North, or have lived there, or are descended from one of the tribes of mountain-people that live in the area. You are familiar with the whispers of the Rivers, and understand the ways of Dreams better than most men. As a result you are capable of lucid dreaming and automatically know how to Defend the Dream-Palace, and you would probably make a good Dream Sorceror.

Glass Ambassador - You are affiliated to the Embassy of the Port of Glass, and as such have dispensation to practice Glass Magic within the Embassy, but only for religious purposes. If you are a Noble then you are probably a member of the D'Artois Family.

Inhuman Blood - Somewhere in the past you are descended from something non-human. Look here for more details.

Non-Human - You are not human. Chances are you really don't fit into human society, it makes no more sense to you than the ways of your people make to humans. For more information look here.