Humans - The Cursed Path
The cursed are a great curiosity of the supernatural world. Fully human, but they are afflicted with magic. Like the half-bloods, they are able to utilize it at will, but only at great cost to themselves. Misfortune and chaos are a constant companion to these poor individuals, and the great injustice is that it's probably not even their fault.
Perhaps they found themselves on the wrong side of a ritual, or garnered the attention of some otherworldly entity. Perhaps they read the wrong sort of book or were splashed by some strange substance in a madman's lab. Misfortune could befall anyone at any time.
If it doesn't end in death and insanity does not take this poor soul, the cursed find themselves beset with strangeness, physical ailments, and almost preternatural bad luck. They're at the mercy of some power beyond their understanding, even if they may know the source of their curse.
Not all are helpless to the fickle reality of a curse. Some are able to make it work, however, teasing a rhythm out of the chaos, dancing to a tune only they can hear.
Hardy as humans are, they do not have the physical form necessary to control innate magic. As a result, they possess a chaotic form of blood magic. Although they can pull their magic from the aether just like the half-bloods, each time they use their magic, strange, unfortunate, or miraculous things happen around them.
Although the Cursed are fully human, they are curiously subject to a few of the Codes of Conduct, namely Oaths, Thrice Asked, and Favors.
A little more than human, the Cursed have a unique set of abilities that set them apart as a curiosity. Or a tragedy waiting to happen.
Curiously, the Cursed register as human on preternatural and metaphysical senses. Although their curse precludes them from using their own blood for rituals, they are subject to only a few of the Codes of Conduct despite being magical beings.
The cursed always feel the effect of their Seven Sorrows. Anything could happen whenever you use your magic. Something in the way you channel it warps the reality around you in more ways than you intend. Whenever you use your magic, roll on your Sorrows Table.
This is a kindness. You have one single ability you're able to perform without anything bad happening. As far as you're aware, anyway! (Don't worry, it's safe.) The only drawback is that there's a chance that one can change too because there is nothing stable in your life. Note: You are not required to change your character's cantrip at any time. This is an optional feature that you're welcome to play with.
You're able to blink open your metaphorical third eye. In short bursts, you can see the fabric of magic around you. The rush of information is often too great to hold your eye open for longer than a moment, but with it, if you're able to interpret what you see, you can make out auras around other beings, if they are magical themselves. You're also able to see the outlines of enchantments. Note: Third eye does not trigger a Sorrow.
You have gained just enough control over the strangeness of your magic that you're able to echo an effect from your Sorrows table that has already occurred in lieu of rolling. You can do this up to half the number of dice in your Cinder pool, rounded down.
With your Third Eye, you're able to see into the aether and because of this, you can impose your particular brand of chaos on others. After opening your Third Eye for a minimum of one post, with a complete success on a Cinder roll, you can switch someone's keyword with one of your own. This lasts for the remainder of the thread. You no longer have access to that keyword for the duration. If you do this more than once per thread, roll twice on your Sorrow's table each time beyond the first.
With a successful Cinder attack roll, you are able to take an effect from your Sorrows table and inflict it on someone else. Although any mechanical penalties are limited to one post for the PC. You can do this up to half the number of dice in your Cinder pool, rounded down.
Like the alchemists who turned iron into gold, you're able to transform your misfortune into fortune. Or turn someone else's fortune in your favor. Once per thread, with a complete success on a Cinder roll, you're able to turn the results of up to two dice in an opponent's roll from a pass to a failure. If you do this more than once per thread, roll twice on your Sorrow's table each time beyond the first.
When you walk in the room, everybody better pay attention. Or run. Once per thread, you are able to impose chaos on the world around you. Choose one effect: Opposite, Harmless, or Overload. For the remainder of the thread, all magic use abruptly changes after casting to have the opposite effect (a fireball turns into a jet of water), is rendered harmless (a fireball turns into a flock of birds), or becomes even more dangerous (a fireball turns into a firestorm). All effects retain the same level of force, as determined by the Cinder roll, if applicable. This includes all active magic use: Cinder rolls, magic items, charms, boons, cantrips, and enchantments.
Meteorite or Sky Iron and Cold Iron both have a powerful dampening effect on your blood magic, preventing abilities from functioning properly or functioning at all by either proximity or contact. But hey, maybe this is a good thing for you. For as long as you are in physical contact with sky iron, you have a -1d6 in your Cinder pool.
Although the cursed don't seem to have an extensive magical drawback, the Seven Sorrows is a table of twelve different results that you must roll on every single time your Cursed character uses their magic.
The Seven Sorrows are defined by the player, designed to suit your character and whatever they may be cursed with. When you create the twelve cursed effects, seven of these curses must a negative or harmful effects directly impact your character. Whatever these might be are completely up to you. While you may have more than seven, you may not go below seven. The remaining five may be neutral, with one possibly having no effect at all.
Players can choose to involve mechanics in their Sorrows if they think it would be fun, but this is not required. If you do tie in mechanics, you may not include mechanics that affect DC or Thresholds. We recommend sticking to small dice penalties, re-rolls, or a minor penalty to Luck.
In the event of the Sorrows impacting other PCs through abilities such as Reflection or anything similar, any mechanical penalty is limited to a single post.
You may change your selection at any time (without admin approval) as your character develops, but stick to the guidelines of at least seven negative Sorrows and the tips below.
Tips A well-crafted Sorrow has a moderate impact on a post, with some variation.
A Sorrow works best when it wont pass unnoticed, but stopping short of stealing the scene.
Give other players a chance to react!
A Negative Sorrow should be an obvious drawback, either painful or troublesome, but not dip into something too severe or lethal.
Allow the Sorrows enough breathing room that they do not discourage a Cursed from using magic.
The true risk in the Sorrows is in stacking multiple, so leave room for characters to invite that risk.
If a Sorrow includes a mechanical penalty, do not make this the only negative impact.
The Sorrow should justify and explain why the mechanical penalty is there.
Although anyone can suffer a curse, this magic roots deeply in humans. Thus, only humans can follow the cursed path. Your curse can take on any flavor, from an ancestral bloodline curse to tumbling into a vat of mysterious liquid.
For an complete overview of all ranks, view Ranks.
Here are a few further questions you're welcome to answer as you create your character:
The Cursed can select any Magic Keywords at creation, with no limitations on which portfolio they come from.
As a Cursed you can choose to stay at the Mischance rank and select one (1) Mundane Keyword, instead of starting at Woe.