As an elf, you are expected to be fantastic and amazing in everything, but most especially the things you choose to. Elves divide skills into three categories, and likewise judge each other on three related abilities.
PreceptsPrecepts are broad collections of intent, and the only skill group with finite members. The Eight Precepts are as follows.
Life: Life, growth, healing, enhancement. The Precept of Life is used to revive, expand, and nurture things.
Death: Death, decay, crippling, ruin. The Precept of Death is used to destroy, wither, and reduce things.
Order: Preservation, purity, separation. The Precept of Order is used to preserve things as they are.
Chaos: Change, corruption, blending. The Precept of Chaos is used to corrupt, blend, and alter things.
Fire: Fire, intensity, passion. The Precept of Fire is used to accomplish things with strength and focus.
Water: Water, flexibility, serenity. The Precept of Water is used to accomplish things with flexibility and grace.
Earth: Stone, resilience, stability. The Precept of Earth is used to accomplish things with tenacity and resolve.
Air: Wind, motion, energy. The Precept of Air is used to accomplish things with movement and bursts of activity.
Magic is the alteration of the world with arcane (and usually very shiny) power. Magic may be performed with only a Precept, to determine its general intent and method. Elves who specialize in Magic tend to favor one or two Precepts, and consider other skills to be optional support tools. Elves who are poor at magic are considered useless vermin who should probably be harvested for medium-grade components.
ParticularsParticulars are expressions of worldly materials, energies, or concepts. There are theoretically infinite Particulars, but some of the more common categorizations are listed below.
Energies: Fire, Frost, Lightning, Acid, Wind, Light, Necrotic. Energetic Particulars are often valued for their dynamic and destructive abilities.
Materials: Stone, Metal, Bone, Flesh, Plant, Water. Material Particulars are often valued for their manipulation of the world or emulation of useful properties.
Emotions: Love, Hate, Lust, Hunger, Cruelty, Fear, Serenity. Emotive Particulars are often valued for their manipulation of others or clear coherency of goals.
Other: Time, Rust, Salt, Veins, Language, Dreams, Fiber, Song. Many Particulars are odd and don't fit cleanly into coherent, functional categories.
Monsters may be created, altered, and controlled with a Precept (to give it structure) and a Particular (to give it an elemental affinity). Elves greatly enjoy creating, altering, breeding, and battling monsters, and elves who specialize in these activities often have a greatly preferred stable of Particulars they like to focus on. Elves who are bad at monsters are considered crass simpletons you shouldn't associate with.
PrecipitationsPrecipitations are unique skills, talents, predilections, or other tendencies in a given field. They are even more numerous and varied than Particulars, but some of the more common categorizations are listed below.
Combat: Archery, dual-wielding, spears, axes, berserking, fencing, harsh language.
Crafting: Smithing, weaponsmithing, jewelrycrafting, gemcutting, bonecarving, weaving, pottery, masonry.
Social: Flattery, seduction, judge of intent, comedian, dark humor, public speaking.
Art: Dancing, exotic dancing, pole dancing, painting, singing, wind instruments, string instruments, statue carving.
Ingredients: Herbalism, gardening, pressing, papermaking, butchery, tanning, marrow extraction.
Cooking: Baking, broiling, boiling, sauteing, mincing, malleting, winemaking, saladry, roasts, soups, pies.
Interests: Bugs, pillows, light sources, shiny objects, stones, trees, rivers, poetry, love poetry, forbidden love poetry, tragic forbidden love poetry, secretly ironic tragic forbidden love poetry.
Knowledge: Geology, biology, mycology, theology, mathematics, theory of interpretive dance, history, history of literature, history of historical literature.
Meals are crafted goods that make life worth living; while food and drink are the most common examples, things like fine soaps and perfumes also count. Permanent objects, like furniture or jewelry, also count but are often overlooked because they're made so infrequently. Elves who specialize in crafting of this nature usually favor Precipitations that let them create their favorite dishes. Elves who are bad at preparing meals are considered uncultured swine you shouldn't invite to your fancy elf parties.
XP and LevelingWhenever you perform an action, there is a chance to gain xp in the skills involved. If you are using fewer than three skills, any xp that would have gone to those skills goes to the ones you did use, making leveling a skill faster if you use it in isolation. XP gains and levels are detailed below.
| Roll | XP Gain |
| 5-6 | +2 |
| 3-4 | +1 |
| 1-2 | +0 |
| Level | Name | XP to Next Level |
| 0 | Inexperienced | (0/2) |
| 1 | Novice | (0/4) |
| 2 | Apprentice | (0/8) |
| 3 | Adept | (0/16) |
| 4 | Expert | (0/32) |
| 5 | Master | (0/64) |
JudgementElves are very particular about who gets to be an elf. They didn't become the most beautiful, elegant, powerful, and compassionate race to ever exist by allowing the weak to survive.
The good news is that elves are also a little... informal. You will need to complete various tasks and reach assorted milestones to be considered for not-murdered status, but often you'll be able to acquire these commendations from multiple bored elves who barely remember you. Elves tend to value talent and beauty rather than a particular
type of talent.
They're often genocidally opinionated about beauty, though. Just a heads up.
Author
Topic: Elf Academy [Turn 8: A Good Thrashing] (Read 16864 times)