Natures (Discord)

Players in the Tall Tales RP choose a character type that roughly corresponds to the species listed in this wiki. These serve the same function as races or species in other games, providing some limits and abilities that are inherent to how the character interacts with the world. These are broken into two major groups, Physical and Metaphysical Natures.

Physical Natures
Physical natures represent any nature considered native to the Physical Realm. These are beings made of normal matter, constrained by physical laws and biological demands. While the wiki and the story treat most of these natures as humans, the game highlights the differences between them.

Human
Humans are considered the default nature for the setting. They are functionally identical to humans in the real world. For the purposes of game rules, they are granted 5 extra points to spend at character creation and have the ability to reroll one check per scene. This reroll must occur before the action is resolved.

Examples in Tall Tales include Rick Fielding, Jackie Veracruz, and Bob Aronsen.

Empath
Empaths are humans with a distinct connection to the metaphysical. As such, they gain a +2 bonus on attempts to detect the presence of supernatural creatures, as well as a +1d6 bonus on any roll to read or influence the mental or emotional state of others. They also find spells slightly easier to cast than the human nature.

No characters in Tall Tales have yet been confirmed to be Empaths.

Warlock
Warlocks are humans closely descended from Nephilim who have a significant and obvious connection to magic. They function as sources of magic in the Physical Realm, existing on the threshold of the Metaphysical Realm and altering the world around them to make spells easier to cast. They are considered rare, and players must exceed 75 in a percentage roll to be eligible to play one. On death, Warlocks never become ghosts.

They begin game with 1 free rank in Specialization (Occult) and find spells much easier to cast than the human nature. Warlocks are immune to possession, mind reading, and mind control. They have an elemental bond like spirits, and are constantly able to perceive and physically interact with the Metaphysical Realm. They cannot follow paths into the Deeper Realms.

The signature ability of Warlocks is their magic aura, which makes spellcasting easier. Anyone standing within 10 feet of a Warlock has a -50 on Spell Difficulty. Warlocks cannot turn this aura off, it cannot be shut down by external forces, and it remains in effect even when they are unconscious. With concentration, a Warlock can change the range of the aura, going as small as making the aura Self Only and going as large as a 30 foot radius.

No characters in Tall Tales have yet been confirmed to be Warlocks.

Anchor
Anchors are humans closely descended from Nephilim who have a significant and obvious connection to magic. They serve as sources of antimagic in the Physical Realm, existing on the threshold of the Metaphysical Realm and altering the world around them to make spells harder to cast. They are considered rare, and players must exceed 75 in a percentage roll to be eligible to play one. On death, Anchors never become ghosts.

They begin game with 1 free rank in Specialization (Occult) and are incapable of spellcasting. Anchors are immune to all magical effects. They have an elemental bond like spirits, and are constantly able to perceive and physically interact with the Metaphysical Realm. They cannot follow paths into the Deeper Realms.

The signature ability of Anchors is their antimagic aura, which makes spellcasting more difficult. Anyone standing within 10 feet of an Anchor has a +50 on Spell Difficulty. Anchors cannot turn this aura off, it cannot be shut down by external forces, and it remains in effect even when they are unconscious. With concentration, an Anchor can change the range of the aura, going as small as making the aura Self Only and going as large as a 30 foot radius.

Examples in Tall Tales include John Matteson and Jules Lysander.

Nephil
Nephilim are the children of a physical parent and a metaphysical parent. They have two natural forms, one of which looks human and the other looks like the same kind of spirit as their metaphysical parent. They are exceedingly rare, and players must exceed 90 in a percentage roll to be eligible to play one. On death, Nephilim never become ghosts.

Nephilim begin game with 1 free point in Specialization (Occult), the same elemental bond as their metaphysical parent, and a lower spell difficulty than the human nature. They can freely step between the Physical and Metaphysical Realms and follow paths into the Deeper Realms, but can only perceive and interact with their current realm.

Examples in Tall Tales include Father Benedict de Monte and Jeremiah Matteson.

Cryptid
Cryptids are creatures that were originally metaphysical but have adapted to become functionally native to the Physical Realm. They may be one-off creatures (such as the Mothman) or races of beings (such as werewolves). While relatively rare, they do not require any special roll to determine eligibility. As embodied spirits, they do not become ghosts on death, unless a specific exception is made with Admin approval for a given type of Cryptid.

Cryptids begin game with 3 extra points to spend on their sheet. They cannot learn magic, but do have magical abilities built into their natures. These are built as rote spells and included in the character sheet. Due to their spiritual origin, they have an elemental bond.

Examples in Tall Tales include Bigfoot and Mothman.

Metaphysical Natures
Metaphysical natures represent any nature considered native to the Metaphysical Realm. These are beings made of spiritual energy, constrained by metaphysical systems and devoid of biological demands. While Metaphysical Natures correspond with spirit races in this wiki, only the following are considered playable character natures.

Ghost
Ghosts are the spiritual remains of a physical being that has died and has not crossed over to the Other Side. Ghosts of characters that were previously built and died in game retain their previous stats, but lose any nature-based traits in exchange for Ghost traits. Characters built as ghosts get 5 free points to spend anywhere on their sheet. Ghosts can learn magic but cannot follow paths into the Deeper Realms without magical assistance.

All ghosts have the ability to reroll any check once per scene. This reroll must be made before the action is resolved. Ghosts can perceive the Physical Realm. They can possess a physical being or object, affect the Physical Realm, or become partially visible to physical beings with a successful spell check (difficulty 60).

Examples in Tall Tales include Alethea Bilson.

Nature Spirit
Nature Spirits are manifestations of a specific element. This may be specialized (such as river spirits) or generalized (such as chaos spirits). Nature Spirits have bodies composed entirely of their element. They can follow paths into the Deeper Realms and have access to element-specific passageways, such as the River Network. These passageways always begin and end at natural or supernatural sources of their element.

They begin game with 2 free points in Specialization (Occult) and one other Specialization that suits their elemental nature, as well as an elemental bond. Nature Spirits may cast magic only if it is the same element as their bond; they cannot cast even Affiliated elemental magic. They have a lower spell difficulty than baseline humans, however, and a natural shapeshifting ability that allows them to appear more humanoid without the need to roll a spell. They also begin game with 1 spell-like ability that suits their element and must be designed and cast in the same manner as a Rote Spell; however, they get to use a base difficulty of 45 on that ability, rather than their normal 60.

Nature Spirits suffer a cumulative -1 to all rolls for every full day they spend away from a natural source of their element. This modifier is removed at a rate of +1 for every 8 hours they spend immersed in their element. Nature Spirits cannot perceive or interact with the Physical Realm or its inhabitants aside from magical means or a nature that allows crossover, such as a Warlock or Anchor.

Examples in Tall Tales include Aaboukingon, although he is considered a Greater Nature Spirit and therefore beyond the scope of player characters.

Lesser Spirit
Lesser Spirits are bound to an element, but not composed of it. This includes fabled creatures (like naga), as well as totem spirits (like wolf or raven). They can follow paths into the Deeper Realms and have access to element-specific passageways, such as the River Network. These passageways always begin and end at natural or supernatural sources of their element.

Lesser Spirits begin game with 1 free point in Specialization (Occult) and one other Specialization that suits their specific nature, as well as an elemental bond. They have an easier time casting magic than Nature Spirits and do not suffer for extended absence from their element, but they have the same restriction on elemental magic as Nature Spirits. Lesser Spirits do not have spell-like abilities. Lesser Spirits can cross between the Physical and Metaphysical Realms as a spell with a difficulty of 50. They can only perceive and interact with the Realm in which they are present.

Examples in Tall Tales include Akshainie and Mundir.

Lesser Fae
Lesser Fey are essentially Lesser Spirits, except that they are bound to an environment or emotion rather than an element. This includes beings like satyrs (associated with forest glades) and vengeance spirits. They can follow paths into the Deeper Realms but do not have access to element-specific passageways unless granted specific permission.

They may have up to 2 elemental bonds (which must be aligned with each other) and begin game with 1 spell-like ability. This spell-like ability must be designed and cast like a Rote Spell, except the Lesser Fey gets to use a base difficulty of 35 instead of their normal 50. They can cast magic from any element that either matches, is aligned with, or is neutral to their own elemental bond(s). They can perceive the Physical Realm but cannot cross over without magical means.

Examples in Tall Tales include Kastor.