Your personality - who “you” really are - is stretched between strengths and shortcomings that form a dynamic whole — a personality made up of equal parts hubris and heroism. To model these, each Adventure character has a Nature divided into two parts: Strength and Weakness.

The circumstances in which Willpower may be gained or spent are specific to each Nature. Some may occur much more frequently than others. So that one Nature doesn't outstrip any other in its ability to provide (or subtract) Willpower, the Storyteller should restrict specific opportunities to once per scene. An upper limit of three instances per game session is also recommended.

Similarly, the Storyteller should keep an eye out for players who push the story in a certain direction purely for more Willpower.

You approach the universe as a riddle to be answered. You live by logic and deduction; any problem can be solved in a rational manner. Your goal is to uncover the truth, to understand everything. However, your intense interest in finding the answers to questions can be distracting, since you get caught up by minutiae and may lose sight of the larger issue.

Strength: Order.

Weakness: Stasis.

— Gain Willpower when a rational, scientific approach helps solve a situation.

The Architect has a sense of purpose even greater than yourself. You desire to leave a mark on the world by building something that lasts. You try to create things of value — objects, buildings, philosophies. Not only are you a founder and a builder, but you intend to have a legacy that brings strength and a better life to those who follow after you. People will always need things, and the Architect strives to provide at least one necessity. Inventors, pioneers, town founders,entrepreneurs, and the like are all Architect Archetypes.

Strength: Purpose. You have a vision that will make the world better (for someone) after you've passed through. Your deeds will hopefully live on and help those around you.

Weakness: Obsession. You focus blindly on your plans. To Ascend, you must defeat this fixation and open yourself to new possibilities and achievements.

— Regain Willpower whenever you create or establish something of importance or lasting value.

You want control. To this end, you take charge, structure events around you and build in rigid hierarchies and procedures. Firmly convinced that nobody else has what it takes, you step in to guide and direct. Dictators, gang leaders, bullies, corporate raiders, and their ilk are Autocrat Archetypes.

Strength: Leadership. You have a natural penchant for authority, and this confidence causes others to recognize you as a leader to be respected or feared. You are ready to make the tough choices demanded of a true leader.

Weakness: Dictatorship. Though you have the will to lead others, you do not necessarily have the interests of the group at heart. You lead for the sake of leading, not to any given purpose. You must look without to find a reason to lead — or follow — if your leadership is to mean anything. Before you can master others, you must master yourself.

— Regain Willpower when you take charge over a new group or organization.

— Regain Willpower when you achieve control over a group or organization involving other individuals.

The character has a purpose writ large across her shoulders. Some great wrong has been done to her and she desires nothing else than to see that wrong put right.

Strength: Driven.

Weakness: Guilt.

— Regain Willpower every time you make a concrete, significant step towards gaining your revenge. A few more points of Willpower might be called for when the revenge is well and truly gained. But whatever shall you do then…?

You're a generous soul. If there's something that people around you need — money, protection, medicine or maybe just some kindness — you'll go out of your way to give it to them. Anybody with your gifts should feel the same way; generosity is a noble calling, and there are plenty of people in the world who need what you offer.

Strength: Altruism. Helping people isn't just a hobby for you, it's a personal crusade. As far as you're concerned, someone in your position can do no less.

Weakness: Obligation. You might be a busybody or simply too willing to stretch yourself to martyr-like dimensions trying to save the world. In short, you sometimes go too far.

— Regain Willpower when you do something that someone else desperately needs. The key here is “desperately”; simply working at a daycare center will not refresh your Willpower, although working at a battered-children's center probably would.

Life is too important to waste, so have as good a time as possible. You only go around once, after all. Pleasure is its own reward, and you pity those who take life too seriously to realize this. The Bon Vivant knows that life is shallow and meaningless. Hedonist, sybarite, sensualist — these names and more describe you. Since we only live once, you live for the party! You aren't necessarily averse to a little work or waiting, but you want to have fun at the end of it all — a lot of fun. If you can have fun all the time, so much the better. Everyone should enjoy life. You certainly plan to do so. Even so, your pursuit of a good time can take you too far. Hedonists, sybarites, and dilettantes are all examples of the Bon Vivant Archetype.

Strength: Love. You cling so feverishly to the joys of living that you are loath to give them up, and you infect others with your happiness and passion.

Weakness: Hedonism. As the old saw states, you can resist anything except temptation. If you're not having a good time, you're looking for one, and this desire for gratification can lead you away from duty or enlightenment.

— Regain Willpower whenever you have a really good time and truly enjoy what you're doing, especially if you can get others to share your joy.

— Regain Willpower whenever you truly enjoy yourself and can fully express your exultation. At the Storyteller’s option, a particularly fabulous revel may yield multiple Willpower.

It's a tough world, but the Bravo got going early. The Bravo is a tough and a bully, and often takes perverse pleasure in tormenting the weak. Nobody else will look out for number one, so you cultivate strength and power. To the Bravo’s mind, might makes right. Power is what matters, and only those with power should be respected. Naturally, physical power is the best kind, but any kind will do. With that power, you can do what you want, you can survive and thrive, and you can garner respect. The Bravo sees overt threats as a perfectly reasonable means of gaining cooperation. The Bravo is not incapable of pity or kindness; he just prefers to do things his way. Since the world revolves around the powerful, you respect only those who hold similar views. You might be a thug who roughs up everyone to test their mettle, or you might be a careful manipulator who pits your enemies against one another. Either way, you live by keeping the upper hand. Robbers, bigots, and thugs are all Bravo Archetypes. He’s almost certainly an asshole.

Strength: Strength. Setbacks that would daunt others are just challenges for you to prove yourself. Since you've accepted that it's a hard world, you'll tough it out by whatever means are necessary.

Weakness: Anger. Unwilling to help others because you want to get ahead, you alienate people, cause problems and get yourself in a rut. You must leam to compromise and to deal. Life is not a zero-sum game.

— Regain Willpower whenever you gain the upper hand in a long-running conflict, either through personal strength or the accumulation of power.

— Regain Willpower any time you achieve your agenda through brutishness or intimidation. This need not be physical, as many Bravos verbally or socially cow their victims.

Laws were created for a reason, and your primary concern is to follow them. No matter what the crisis, you follow the proper procedure. If people don't obey the System, chaos will run rampant. You take comfort in established processes, confident that they are the key to victory. Strict adherence to policy may blind you to better options.

Strength: Proceedure. You're never caught in a situation for which you have no guidelines or precident to fall back on.

Weakness: Regulations. Sometimes knowing when to set aside the rules is necessasary.

— Gain Willpower when a crisis is resolved by following correct procedures.

The art of the deal is the art of life. You are the ultimate mercenary, realizing that there is always a market to be developed — anything can be a commodity. You have a keen understanding of how to manipulate people into thinking that they need specific goods or services. Appearance and influence are everything when it comes to the big sale, though you’ll use anything to your advantage. Salesmen, soldiers of fortune, and bootlickers all adhere to the Capitalist Archetype.

Strength: Opportunity. Everything can be a path to your next success.

Weakness: Greed. Sometimes, enough is enough.

— Regain a point of Willpower whenever you make a successful “sale” of any commodity. Commodities need not be physical items; they may be bits of information, favors, or other intangibles.

— Regain Willpower whenever you gain a significant commodity at a good price: this must be something potent akin to a powerful favor, not simply sniping an auction for a bauble.

Since the world is so dangerous and hurtful, you've taken it upon yourself to look out for others' welfare. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. Perhaps you were once hurt, or you've seen too much suffering. Either way, you never want anyone to have to endure that pain again. A Caregiver takes her comfort in consoling others, and people often come to her with their problems. You give of yourself to help others, and you mollify pain, take up others' problems and lend a caring shoulder to those in need. Nurses, doctors, and psychiatrists are examples of potential Caregivers.

Strength: Compassion. Your willingness to share makes a community, so that everyone can draw strength from one another. Even though you can't help everyone, you make a real difference for the few that you do encounter.

Weakness: Smothering. Although you really want to help others, sometimes the best help is to let them take their knocks and overcome their own problems. Unless you learn to let go, you'll keep your charges from making their own meaningful accomplishments, successes and failures.

— Regain Willpower whenever you protect or nurture someone else.

The Union was created to better the lot of the common folk. As a member of that august body, you feel duty-bound to protect and serve. Maybe you're a healer or a cybernetic guardian against the terrors of the night or even an inventor with the genius to create new and necessary tools for mankind's use. No matter what your profession, you find satisfaction in taking care of the Masses. Such service makes you whole.

Strength: Sense of Duty. This makes you a dedicated Technocrat and marks you as the best of their best. You are what the Founders had in mind so long ago.

Weakness: Impatience. Even so, you do get tired of the job. Why can't these idiots take care of themselves once in a while? To truly advance, you'll need to put it aside.

— Regain Willpower when your actions make some noticeable change for the common good or avert some disaster among the Masses.

A cause is at the heart of your soul, and that cause gives you joy. True enthusiasm drives you in a love, even a passion, for your chosen expression. You might be an activist or an artist, a scholar or a performer; your calling gives you a deep and abiding satisfaction. Given the chance, the Celebrant will indulge in her passion as deeply as possible. Unlike the Fanatic, the Celebrant pursues her cause not out of duty, but out of enthusiasm. From this pleasure you are driven to move ever forward. Crusaders, hippies, political activists, and art enthusiasts are Celebrant Archetypes.

Strength: Passion. You love your chosen cause so much that you will push beyond the limits that would stymie others. You truly enjoy and care about your work, and you inspire others as well.

Weakness: Intemperance. Given a choice, you will indulge in your chosen pursuit above others. This immoderation can be unhealthy and distract you from broadening your pursuits and horizons.

— Regain Willpower when you can follow the heart of your passion, especially if you convince another person to see the source of your joy.

— Regain Willpower whenever you pursue your cause or convert another character to the same passion. Conversely, lose a point of temporary Willpower whenever you are denied your passion or it is painfully lost to you.

Independent and self-reliant, you carefully study the behavior and mannerisms of everyone you come in contact with so you can pass yourself off as someone else later. You spend so much time altering your mannerisms and appearance that your own parents may not even recognize you. Spies, con artists, drag queens, and impostors best represent the Chameleon.

Strength: Adaptation. The ability to blend into any situation and confront any challenge.

Weakness: Identity. You've changed so often, who knows what's left of the real you.

— Regain a point of Willpower whenever you fool someone into thinking you’re someone else for your own benefit.

People like to be happy, and you're good at making people happy. You know just what they need to hear in order to Feel good. and it gives you genuine pleasure to give them what they need. it may not be the truth — but deep down, who wouldn't rather be happy than right?

Strength: Happiness. Gain Willpower when you cleariy provide comfort and good cheer to another.

Weakness: Fear. Spend Willpower in order to tell anyone something you think they don't want to hear.

The Child is still immature in personality and temperament. In response to the dangerous world out there, you never grew up. You rely on others to take care of you. You want what you want now, and often prefer someone to give it to youand cater to your capricious desires. You might just be incompetent, or perhaps you really are still a child. Immaturity is part of your nature, but so is innocence as you're ignorant of the cold ways of the real world. You rely on others to care for you, but you also inspire them to be strong for you. Actual children, spoiled individuals, and some drug abusers are Child Archetypes. Some people simply never grow up.

Strength: Innocence. Unexposed to the depths of the world's depravity, or unwilling to accept it, you are a beacon of what's best in people. Others are attracted to your innocence, often to protect and nurture you. Even hardened souls find that you bring out some measure of their own inner compassion and trust.

Weakness: Immaturity. You can't make up your mind, you take people at face value and you're unprepared to deal with the world if you don't have someone holding your hand. You'll need to stand on your own if you're ever to accomplish things of true merit.

— Regain Willpower when you bring out the caring, nurturing side of someone.

— Regain a point of Willpower whenever you manage to convince someone to help you with no gain to herself, or to nurture you.

The Competitor devotes himself to the pursuit of victory. Life is a challenge, and you are there to meet every contest. You don't necessarily have to “win” — and you can work with a team or see that everyone benefits — but in the end, you're in it for the excitement of overcoming the challenges. You may seek out challenges that must be overcome by discipline and skill. You rush to meet any obstacle, and you strive to succeed — and exceed. Every interaction is an opportunity for you to excel, to be the best — the best leader, the most productive, the most valuable, or whatever. Characters with this Archetype may pursue their goals in politics, in battle, or in other arenas. Corporate raiders, professional athletes, and impassioned researchers are all examples of Competitor Archetypes.

Strength: Striving. You're never satisfied with “enough,” you want “newer, faster, better, best.” Everything's a chance to stretch your talents, learn something new, adapt and overcome.

Weakness: Competitiveness. Life is not a game, and there are no winners or losers. You must accept that events can be more than just challenges, and that life experience can be grand just by living instead of fighting for it. Otherwise, you'll fight so hard that you'll never have a chance to breathe.

— Regain Willpower when you succeed at a challenge that requires extended effort on your part.

The Conformist prefers not to take charge, instead seeking security in letting others give orders that she can follow and lend her own unique aid. The Conformist is drawn to the most dynamic personality, the individual she perceives to be the “best” in a social setting, or she may prefer to follow along with the pack, right or wrong. The Conformist may be the “beta” or middle manager to the most dynamic personality. This isn’t necessarily a weak Archetype; it can simply represent a desire to play a support role. Being a Conformist is not necessarily a bad thing — everygroup needs followers to lend stability to their causes. Others have already paved a safe way for you to go, so there's no sense in fighting or risking everything. You'll just take the blazed trail to success, thanks very much. You aren't averse to a little struggle, but you follow the plans and the footsteps already laid out, and you try to fit in with the group. There's no sense being on the outside or losing everything in some pointless exercise in rebellion, after all. You're happy to follow, to rely on the good old ways and to throw in with the group. Groupies, party voters, and “the masses” are Conformist Archetypes.

Strength: Cooperation. You work well with others, and you encourage people to function in groups. In a community, you can achieve more than any separate individuals.

Weakness: Low-Self Esteem is your real problem. You aren't willing to risk going outside the boundaries or against the flow. You'll do what the crowd does, even when it's dangerous or stupid. Sometimes you have to find your own path, and sometimes the group doesn't always show the best way. You need to find the strength of your own convictions instead of relying on someone else's vision.

— Regain Willpower whenever you advance the cause of your group, especially when you get everyone to pull together.

— Regain Willpower whenever the group or your supported leader achieves a goal due to your support.

Why work for something when you can trick somebody else into getting it for you? There's no sense in doing all the work when someone else can do it for you. The Conniver always tries to find the easy way, the fast track to success and wealth. As a result, you're adept at planning, manipulation and getting others to do things for you, whether with or without their knowledge and consent. Some people call him a thief, a swindler, or less pleasant terms, but he knows that everybody in the world would do unto him if they could. He just does it first, and better. You might play elaborate cons and dodges, or perhaps you just set up situations where you can avoid the hard work or have it all fall into someone else's lap. Criminals, con artists, salespeople, urchins, and entrepreneurs might be Connivers.

Strength: Clever. Though not necessarily a leader, you do manage to keep your side moving, and your elaborate plans can even get your enemies working for you.

Weakness: Envy. You're not really lazy, you just find it easier to get what you want by tricking others. However, doing so gives you no real satisfaction, since you don't achieve anything yourself. You must find that satisfaction by accomplishing something of your own and learning to be happy with what you achieve.

— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to avoid something by tricking someone else or when you convince someone to help you against their own best interests.

The Creepshow craves fear. Not her own: the fear of others. You strive to shock and disgust those around you with gratuitous acts and ostentatiously “evil” mannerisms. You realize, of course, that it’s all show and merely a way to intimidate and control others. Outsiders, on the other hand, think you are the Devil incarnate, and you revel in this image. Shock-rockers, rebellious teenagers, circus freaks, and the attention-starved exemplify the Creep Show Archetype.

Strength: Provocateur. You deliberately behave controversially in order to provoke argument or other strong reactions.

Weakness: Sociopathic. In striving to create emotions in others, you've lost touch with your own emotions as well as a sense of right and wrong.

— Regain a point of Willpower whenever someone recoils from you in horror or otherwise reacts in fear.

Driven by a higher purpose — faith in science, strong morality, a scientific ideal, even religious faith — you strive for a better world. The Technocracy was created to alleviate suffering, uncover wonders and eradicate the supernatural. As a member of that Union, you're essentially a soldier in an army of change. Hold your banner high, whether you're a research scientist, a facilitator or a literal solider, and carry it to greatness. The future depends on you!

Strength: Zeal. Under the worst of circumstances, it propels you through trials and obstacles that might stop a lesser agent cold.

Weakness: Fanaticism. A MiB who shoots every sorcerer in sight is not only wasting opportunities and potential allies, he's making unnecessary enemies. To truly Ascend, you'll need to temper your resolve with reason.

— Regain Willpower when you do something great in the name of your higher cause. As a player, you must define what that cause is before the game begins, then support it throughout the chronicle… even when it causes you grief. A Crusader's beliefs are not bound by convenience.

The world isn't good enough for you, and you make that plain. A Curmudgeon is bitter and cynical, finding flaws in everything and seeing little humor in life, always concerned with the cloud rather than the silver lining. He may have once been idealistic, but he has lost those ideals after bitter experience. You hold everyone to high standards, and you are quick to task them to greater and greater exertion. Anything can have faults under your scrutiny, and you're not afraid to say so. He is often fatalistic or pessimistic, and has very little esteem for others. To the Curmudgeon, the glass is never more than half-full, though it may be damn near empty when other people are involved. It's never good enough, dammit! Many Internet junkies, pop-culture fans, and Generation Xers are Curmudgeons.

Strength: Critical Eye. You're adept at finding problems or flaws and identifying them. From there, it's possible to improve, to innovate and to make things better.

Weakness: Lack of Imagination. You're so caught up in finding what's wrong that you don't see what's right, and you don't bother with how it could be better. You fail to acknowledge that problems often indicate places where new growth can occur. You must leam to be open to new possibilities instead of shooting them down.

— Regain Willpower whenever you find a serious flaw or problem in something, especially if it stems from someone doing something really stupid.

— Regain a point of Willpower whenever someone does something specific and negative, just like you said they would. You may simply whisper your prophecy of grief to the Storyteller if you wish, instead of announcing it to the whole troupe.

The Dabbler is interested in everything but focuses on nothing. He flits from idea to idea, passion to passion, and project to project without actually finishing anything. Others may get swept up in the Dabbler’s enthusiasm, and be left high and dry when he moves on to something else without warning. Most Dabblers have high Intelligence, Charisma, and Manipulation ratings, but not much in the way of Wits or Stamina.

Strength: Curiousity. The drive to explore what is around the next corner serves you well.

Weakness: Fickle. You can't be trusted with anything important becuase you may change your mind at any time to do something else.

— Regain Willpower whenever you find a new enthusiasm and drop your old one completely.

There's no real way to categorize you; you're a sideshow and an outcast. The Deviant is a freak, ostracized from society by unique tastes or beliefs that place her outside the mainstream. Deviants are not indolent rebels or shiftless “unrecognized geniuses”; rather, they are independent thinkers who don’t quite fit in the status quo. The Contrary has an innate need to go against the grain and to challenge established social conventions or even laws. Whether by choice or by nature, you fit into no niche. You just don't mesh with the way that everyone else works, and you're unique for it. Deviant Archetypes often feel that the world stands against them, and as such reject traditional morality. But it can be lonely, and you risk persecution for being so different. Some have bizarre tastes, preferences, and ideologies. Some have a penchant for bizarre behavior such as you’d expect from an eccentric celebrity; others are outright heretics. Extremists, eccentric celebrities, and straight-up weirdoes are Deviant Archetypes.

Strength: Shatter Boundaries. You aren't held to the limits imposed on everyone else. You do things that other people wouldn't even think of, and you forge new paths as a result.

Weakness: Perversion. You test boundaries and walk outside the established norms constantly. Sometimes it's okay to be normal. Instead of beating your head against the wall of society, you need to learn to fit in occasionally.

— Regain Willpower any time you are able to “walk on the wild side” or flout social mores without retribution, and indulge in your truly deviant nature.

Yes, it's true that the Union advocates conformity. But too much conformity is worse than chaos — it leads to stagnation and decay. Order is necessary, but that order becomes nonsense without questions and challenges. You know all about that “static mages” crap, and you take pains to prove it's untrue. Question the plans, argue the alternatives and undercut mindless conformity. After all, nothing that cannot endure scrutiny is strong enough to endure at all, or so it's been said.

Strength: Skepticism. By questioning the status quo, you serve a vital function. Without you, they'd all be mindless drones.

Weakness: Contrariness. That doesn't mean they'll appreciate you, of course. You'll get your ass kicked thoroughly and often. Occasionally, you really will ask too many questions and undercut your own effectiveness. A wise agent knows when to stop asking questions, make a decision and act.

— Regain Willpower when your questions reveal some serious weakness in a plan, or lead to some great victory.

You desire order. To the Director, nothing is worse than chaos and disorder. Whether by taking charge, building organizations or educating others, you seek to eliminate chaos and randomness. You want things under control so that you have a nice, evenly predictable world, where you fit in easily and shape things to your desires. The Director is more concerned with bringing order out of strife, however, and need not be truly “in control” of a group to guide it. By bringing separate visions together, you unify a group in search of classification. Coaches, teachers, and many political figures exemplify the Director Archetype.

Strength: Organization. You develop a hierarchy and a system under which everyone can prosper. Your aid establishes leadership, clear goals and a concrete means to accomplishment.

Weakness: Lack of Tolerance. Your vision of order isn't the only one, or even necessarily the “correct” one. You must compromise and learn that not everything will go your way, and that a little chaos and creativity is a good thing.

— Regain Willpower whenever you influence a group or influential individual in the orderly completion of a difficult task.

Your actions are bizarre, puzzling, and inexplicable to everyone except yourself. Your strangeness may be the most effective way for you to carry out your work. To the rest of the world, however, your erratic actions suggest that you’re eccentric if not completely crazy.

Strength: Mystery.

Weakness:

— Regain Willpower whenever someone is completely perplexed or baffled by one of your actions that later turns out to be a fruitful endeavor.

Man, the world sucks! Good thing there are people like you to make it brighter. With your considerable talents, you motivate, enlighten and entertain the people nearby. Maybe you're an actor, supplying a role model for others or a writer, slipping lessons into entertaining tales or a jokester whose jests lighten the mood without disrupting things completely. Whatever medium you choose, make sure to leave a serious subtext in your work (people need to think!), but don't burden your audience. If they have to think too hard, they won't bother doing it at all.

Strength: Fun and Entertaining — important traits to have when you're fighting against the darkness. Without excitement, the people around you would simply retreat into the shadows until they never came out at all.

Weakness: Ego. It's too easy to lose yourself in your entertainment, and that's hazardous to your sanity, your audience, your work and maybe even your life.

— Regain Willpower when your work makes some lasting or significant change in the people around you.

Despite your calm appearance, chaos and havoc seems to follow you. From burning cities to emotional upheaval, death and destruction circle you like albatrosses. For you, life is a never-ending trial with uncertainty around every corner. Gang leaders, political figures, and other influential individuals exemplify the Eye of the Storm Archetype.

Strength: Chameleon

Weakness: Unbalanced

— Regain Willpower whenever a ruckus, riot, or less violent but equally chaotic phenomenon occurs around you.

Strength:

Weakness:

The prospect of finding new places, people and things — whether it's a new natural resource, an alien race or a musical style — gives your life meaning. Discoveries are your passion, and you devote a great deal of time and effort to keeping up with current events. The routine and commonplace bore you, and learning of someone else's discovery fills you with envy. Your sights are constantly set on the horizon, sometimes at the expense of the here and now.

Strength:

Weakness:

— Gain Willpower whenever you make a significant discovery.

Duty calls you to a purpose higher than yourself. Out of a sense of love or devotion, you support a cause with total zeal. The Fanatic pours himself into this cause, and he may even feel guilty for undertakingany objective that deviates from his higher goal. Your chosen cause occupies your entire life, and everything you do is devoted to furthering that cause. Nothing is as important as the higher goal, and frequently the end justifies all manner of means. The Fanatic’s purpose consumes his existence. Players who choose Fanatic Archetypes must select a cause for their character to further. Revolutionaries, zealots, and sincere firebrands are all examples of Fanatic Archetypes.

Strength: Dedication. In pursuit of your cause, you will give up life, hope, morality — anything to achieve your goal.

Weakness: Stubbornness consumes you and keeps you from recognizing the merit in other ways, though. You are so convinced of the correctness of your cause that you can't compromise. You must learn to open yourself to other possibilities, lest you burn yourself out.

— Regain a point of Willpower whenever you accomplish some significant task that directly relates to your cause.

Leaders need followers, and you await your orders. Taking charge isn't your style. It isn't in your nature to rebel. In fact, your strength comes from your ability to cooperate with a variety of personalities toward a common cause. Yet, while you might follow our commander into a sun, you tend to lack the self-esteem to question such a suicidal act.

Strength: Loyalty.

Weakness: Low Self-Esteem.

— Gain Willpower if you help the team succeed because you carry out your assigned duty.

Flamboyance, artistry and glamour are yours! You seek to be the center of attention, and you're a shameless peacock in pursuit of your amoral gallantry. You bask in the attentive praise of others, though may be perfectly happy drawing their scorn as well. As long as you're on center stage, it’s all good. Gallants are flamboyant souls, always seeking attention and the chance to be the brightest star. With word and action, you make yourself noteworthy and you crave the affection and attention of others. Nothing excites a Gallant so much as a new audience to woo. Performers, only children, and those with low self-esteem often embody the Gallant Archetype.

Strength: Artistry. In the pursuit of attention, you will break boundaries and seek powerful forms of self-expression. You can find what keys into your audience's souls and open the floodgates of adoration.

Weakness: Flamboyance. In order to get others to notice you, you'll take unnecessary risks, do stupid things and generally make a fool out of yourself. You need to tone it down and let people accept you for who you are.

— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to gain the attentions of others through some significant act, deed or show.

— Regain Willpower whenever you successfully impress another person. Ultimately, the Storyteller is the arbiter of how much you dazzle someone, even in the case of other players’ characters.

Your enlightenment draws others to you. You may be a mentor, a priest with the Church, or merely an idealist. The Guru is a spiritual counselor, one who seeks wisdom for the purpose of passing it on. You value metaphysical insight highly, searching for your own enlightenment even as you attempt to bring others further along their own paths. Whatever the case, your presence motivates and moves others to engage in spiritual or ideological pursuits. Your peers view you as calm, centered, and “with it,” even when you are preaching violence as a means to an end. Cult leaders, Zen masters, and Priests are examples of Gurus.

Strength:

Weakness:

— Regain Willpower whenever someone seeks out your help in spiritual matters and your guidance moves that individual to an enlightened action that he normally would not have taken. Also, regain a point of Willpower whenever you achieve an epiphany that relates to your personal philosophy.

You just have to fuck with stuff. Nothing is good enough as is — you must test, twist, bend and break whatever it is you work with. Although the label “hacker” usually applies to computer dweebs, you don't necessarily work with computers at all. Your quest in life is to take things apart, see how they work and see if you can fix 'em, break 'em or put them back together in new and interesting ways.

Strength: Twisted Imagination. By breaking the patterns and redefining them, you notice weak spots, improve utility and keep your rivals off-guard.

Weakness: Perversity. Sometimes, though, you go too far. Even when you know you really shouldn't hack into the data base and try to put fuzzy bunnies on everyone's screens, you'll probably try to do it anyway. Someday, your ingenuity might get you killed… or worse.

— Regain Willpower when you detect a flaw in something important that everybody else has left alone, or when you figure out some way to drastically improve something you've been tinkering with.

— Gain Willpower whenever you have a truly good time (and bring others along for the ride).

How do you know what you can do until you try something you think you can't do? Testing limits is the only way to discover your own - and the only way to push beyond them. You're never going to accept being half your best, and if that means you have to crash sometimes - well, that’s the price of being alive.

Strength: Gain Willpower when you survive a dangerous situation that you deliberately entered.

Weakness: Spend Willpower to resist indulging in an obviously foolhardy venture, especially if it has no direct bearing on your goals.

— Regain Willpower

The Idealist believes in a higher goal or morality. The object of his idealism may vary, from a specific code of honor to a noble ambition to a simple benevolent philosophy. Some Idealists are naïve or foolish, while others are inspiring leaders, able to stir the hearts of others with the justness of their cause.

— Regain a point of Willpower any time an action in pursuit of your ideals furthers your goals and brings your vision closer to fruition.

There's always room for improvement, always some secret that's just out of sight or some puzzle that's just this dose to being solved. You've dedicated your life to making things better, to finding new ways of doing things and turning them into the new reality. Past achievements are always good, but they're just the stepping-stones for something even better. So approach an old situation from a new perspective; try a new method; test a new theory. At worst, you'll make a mistake and have to start over… but then again, mistakes often yield fascinating new innovations, too!

Strength: Creative. A welcome talent where the future rides on creativity. While the drones follow their marching orders, you're drawing up the next set of both drones and marching orders.

Weakness: Restless. If you're too creative, they might consider you a dreamer… or a threat. Innovators keep things well-oiled, but they get ground between the gears, too. Maintain a balance between innovation and chaos. And always watch your back.

— Regain Willpower when inspiration leads to some new breakthrough: a new Procedure, a new device, a brilliant tactic or even a promotion.

Things happen for a reason, and you want to know what it is. You could be a detective, a research scientist, a Void Engineer or just a guy with an itch to get to the bottom of things. No matter how you satisfy your curiosity, the “need to know” is always back for more. Are you careless, cautious or canny about how you get your information? At the root of your activities, your itch must be scratched. Just be careful how you go about it….

Strength: Inquisitiveness. If no one wanted to know “Why does X happen?”, we'd still be living in caves. As a Technocrat, you're methodical and thorough in your inquiries — good traits, especially if you're a lab rat or a detective. But we all know what killed the cat, don't we?

Weakness: Curiosity. A wise person knows when to stop asking questions. The problem is, you're not very good about that. You might get killed; at best, you might bypass some deeper truth while looking for a dramatic payoff.

— Regain Willpower when a hard investigation turns up something really important. This importance should go further than a simple “I'm a detective and I found some Tradition wizards to kill.” The harder the quest, the more rewarding it becomes.

The only sane defense against an insane universe is to laugh at it all. Sorrow and pain are your enemies, and humor is your weapon. You act the Fool, the comic, to take others' minds off gloom and despair. In your pursuit to spread smiles, you may cross the line, distracting and irritating those whom you mean to entertain.

Strength:

Weakness:

— Gain Willpower whenever you can lighten the mood or ease a tense situation.

The Judge perpetually seeks to improve the system. A Judge takes pleasure in her rational nature and ability to draw the right conclusion when presented with facts. The Judge respects justice, as it is the most efficient model for resolving issues. Judges, while they pursue the “streamlining” of problems, are rarely visionary, as they prefer proven models to insight. The Judge favors rationality, and likes nothing better than weighing a situation and finding the correct decision. This Archetype is typically conservative, as its mentality runs counter to reactionary behavior. With careful insight and discernment, you hope to separate truth from the myriad multitudes of experience. Presented with facts, you make careful conclusions, hopefully to improve the system for everyone. By solving problems and cutting through extraneous matters, you get to the heart of disputes, resolve them and help people move on to more important matters. You ensure fairness and, often, justice. Engineers, lawyers, and doctors are often Judge Archetypes.

Strength: Justice. When you are truly concerned with the matters at hand, you apply impartial logic and wisdom to seek a true resolution and one that is fair to all concerned.

Weakness: Lack of Vision. You must step outside the boundaries. Sometimes there's no clear-cut case of right and wrong. Your logic and objectivism cannot free you of the need for personal experience and subjective development.

— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to put together clues or build an argument that allows you to solve a mystery or problem.

— Regain a point of Willpower whenever you correctly solve a problem by considering the evidence presented, or when one of your arguments unites dissenting parties.

You're meant to be in charge. You excel at organizing, and others look to you for direction. You trust your own judgment implicitly, and have no qualms about taking over a project and shaping it the way you see fit. There are two ways to do a job: your way and the wrong way. While you may be a master of direction, ignoring others' suggestions could be your downfall.

Strength:

Weakness:

— Gain Willpower when others follow you without disputing your decisions.

The Loner needs solitude. He may be part of a team and a loyal member of the organization, but social behavior fatigues him. He needs time alone in order to recharge his batteries. Others view Loners as pariahs, remote, and isolated, but in truth the Loner prefers his own company to that of others. Even in a crowd the Loner sticks out, because you so obviously do not belong. Although you're not necessarily any different from anyone else, you just don't find any common ground with other people, or maybe you just don't like them. You're most comfortable when you don't have to deal with others to get your work done. Criminals, radicals, and free thinkers are all Loner Archetypes.

Strength: Self-Reliance. You get by just fine, thank you, without help from others. No one can bring another to Ascension. It must come from within.

Weakness: Lack of Empathy. All things and people have value. By interacting with others, you can find a rewarding place in the world.

— Regain Willpower whenever you achieve something significant on your own, especially if it helps to forward the goals of your cabal or faction.

Flesh is weak. You must be more than human, and you do your damnedest to be just that. As a rule, you never ask for help, rarely take breaks and push yourself and your comrades to the limit. It's up to you to set an example.

Strength: Diligent, Stoic and Hard-working. Whatever you do is done with maximum precision and minimal complaint. Employeers loves people like you.

Weakness: Relentless, Creepy and Prone to Burn-out. Flesh has not yet reached the consistency of steel, and even machines have to rest. Unless you learn to ease up, you'll be one of the first to break.

— Regain Willpower when you transcend the limits of the flesh and accomplish something even your comrades could not do.

Science is more than the sum of its parts. You see aspects of the greater picture that even your most gifted colleagues miss. While the Technocracy stresses conformity and solidarity, you pursue the twisted paths just outside the accepted principles of Enlightened science. Oh, you are a loyal Technocrat — more loyal than those turncoat Adepts and insane Etherites, anyway! — but your ideas are too unorthodox for many people to handle. Still, without you and your kind exploring the horizons, the Union would simply grind along a single, dull track while the damned mystics and their renegade friends barreled past and captured the future! Let the others laugh. You have a job to do.

Strength: Vision. No matter what the cost, you prefer your strange ways to conformity, and your successes bear you out.

Weakness: Madness. Many people like you push the boundaries too far and wind up in the laps of Marauders, Nephandi or the thrice-damned Etherites. Don't stray too far off the Technocratic path, lest you fall off the edge into oblivion.

— Regain Willpower when you successfully bend the “rules” of conventional hypertech without breaking them… or yourself. This coup ought to involve some wild feat that shouldn't work, yet it somehow nets your side great reward. Just saying “I use a really weird gun” isn't enough. You must prove that you are not mad, merely visionary.

Without strong hands at the wheel, the organization would crash. You are one of those “strong hands,” and you excel at directing resources. You may not be the smartest person in your group — or the strongest, or the best-equipped — but you're an excellent driver. In your hands, the everyone is safe.

Strength: Cool and Efficient. A sense of direction helps you make plans, and a sense of order keeps them together.

Weakness: Remote. Perhaps you're too centered on your work or on yourself. Either way, you can never achieve greatness until you create something of your own.

— Regain Willpower when your cool head and quick eye save your group from some disaster, or when you achieve a seemingly impossible goal.

You are at your strongest when forged in a crucible of suffering. When matters are so terrible that only the greatest sacrifice can hope to achieve anything, you're there, ready to make that sacrifice. You'll give of yourself to make things better and to save others, without ever a single thought to your own welfare. Discomfort, pain and even possible death do not dissuade you from trying to make a better world, and from trying to lighten the loads of others. It’s not necessarily masochism that drives you on this path; it may be a desire for attention, or a profound belief in the virtue of self-sacrifice. You suffer for your cause, enduring your trials out of the belief that his discomfort will ultimately improve others’ lot. Some Martyrs simply want the attention or sympathy their ordeals engender, while others are sincere in their cause, greeting their opposition with unfaltering faith.

Strength: Sacrifice. With your devotion to others, you make a better world. You give others opportunities by giving up your own. Many revolutionaries, staunch idealists, and outcasts are Martyr Archetypes.

Weakness: Self-Deprecation. You need to develop a sense of your own worth, not just by giving up of yourself. If unchecked, you will give, give, give until you are consumed by others' needs.

— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to sacrifice yourself in a real and positive way to benefit someone else.

— Regain a point of Willpower when you suffers ome amount of damage or loss of a definable resource for your ideals or another’s immediate gain.

To heck with helping others through sacrifice — you just need to feel suffering. You gains satisfaction in humiliation, suffering, denial, and even physical pain. The Masochist exists to test limits, to see how much pain you can tolerate before you collapse. Perhaps you're overwhelmed with guilt, or maybe you want to push yourself to the ultimate limits. The Masochist defines who he is by his capacity to feel discomfort — you rise each morning only to greet a new pain. Anyways, you exult in striving through personal suffering. Certain extreme athletes, urban tribalists, and the clinically depressed exemplify the Masochist Archetype.

Strength: Devotion. You will drive yourself to incredible limits to see what you're made of. Better than anyone else, you know your own capabilities, and you will push to your limits and beyond.

Weakness: Self-Destructiveness. If left unchecked, you'll destroy yourself when you finally take on too much. You need to learn that pain isn't your only measure of accomplishment.

— Regain Willpower whenever you push yourself to the limit in a new fashion and discover a new form of pain.

You're just plain strange. You've never fit in anywhere before, but the Union has a place for you now. Perhaps you're a freak, an alien or a former cripple who walks thanks to the miracles of Technocratic science. You might have been a total fuck-up — a criminal, addict, hacker or bum — until someone took a chance on you. Now you've found a purpose and a family of sorts. Do you fit in? Not quite yet, but you're trying to. Chances are, you've got an attitude, but underneath it, you really want to make your mentor proud. You don't want to be alone again.

Strength: Tough and Resilient. Being an outsider has its perks.

Weakness: Alienation. Others probably shun you… or maybe you shun them. The world may have a place for you, but you haven't come to terms with yourself, yet. Until then, you'll always be a misfit, no matter what.

— Regain Willpower when you triumph over wild odds or prove another character wrong through your success.

There is evil in this world — and you are it. The Monster does not commit evil for its own sake, but rather as a means to understand what she has become. The Monster knows she is a creature of darkness and acts like it. You're a beast through and through, and you don't bother with civilized niceties. No villainy is below you, no hurt goes uninflicted, and no lie remains untold. Your best tools are pain and suffering, and you're not above using them to secure your own base impulses wherever you go. Unstable individuals, those who have been greatly wronged or harmed, and those defined as sociopaths may come to display characteristics of the Monster Archetype.

Strength: Mirror of Villainy. As a creature of evil, you showcase the virtue in others by contrast. You drive people to rise above your example and to fight against the evil that you represent.

Weakness: Depravity. You have no conscience, no higher aspirations and no hope. You need to get a vision of a better world, or you'll Fall.

— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to indulge in a specific atrocity.

— Malignant deeds reinforce the Monster’s sense of purpose. Monster characters should pick a specific atrocity, regaining Willpower whenever they indulge that urge. For example, a tempter regains Willpower for luring someone into wickedness, while an apostate earns back Willpower for causing another to doubt her faith. Pick a destiny and fulfill it. Storytellers, be careful with how you reward this Archetype. For example,recoup Willpower in every combat, but perhaps only in those that involve wanton destruction, or even cause degeneration checks due to their gruesomeness. Monster is a difficult Archetype for which to offer rewards, and those rewards should not be an ever-refreshing pool of bonus dice.

You know what's right and what's wrong, and compromising with wrong when you're right is more wrong than just being wrong in the first place. Right? You have a duty to yourself to do good — but more than that, a duty to humanity. Of course, adhering to a strict and inflexible standard of right and wrong can be difficult and wearying even in the best of times.

Strength: Honorable. Gain Willpower when you accomplish a task by sticking to your enlightened ideals.

Weakness: Uncompromising. Spend Willpower to forgo your self-righteousness and accept a compromise.

— Regain Willpower

The Pedagogue knows it all, and desperately wants to inform others. Whether through a sense of purpose or a genuine desire to help others, the Pedagogue makes sure his message is heard — at length, if necessary. Pedagogue Archetypes may range from well-meaning mentors to verbose blowhards who love to hear themselves talk. The Pedagogue wants to share his knowledge, which he certainly believes to be extensive. Some Pedagogues may be overbearing blowhards who want to be admired for their wisdom, while others may be scarred mentors who want to see their pupils excel. They often try for public offices, where they have the benefit of many listeners and the authority to compel attention. Nothing fulfills you like teaching others. You want to raise the young, inform the unworldly and spread knowledge and enlightenment. Through words and writings, you hope to bring the illumination of study to everyone. After all, you know so much and are so well-informed that it would be a disservice not to lend your wisdom to others. Instructors, the overeducated, and “veterans of their field” are all examples of Pedagogue Archetypes.

Strength: Knowledge. Even if you're not terribly bright, you are always eager to share, to learn more and to teach others what you know and they don't.

Weakness: Logorrhea. Once you get started, you don't stop, and you'll bore people to death with useless trivia. Some knowledge is useful, but not everything all the time!

— Regain Willpower when you see or learn of someone benefiting in a discemable way from the wisdom that you've shared.

Perhaps you ran amok when Enlightenment came knocking, or maybe your arrogance cost innocent people their lives. Were you once a Reality Deviant who saw the light or a criminal who put her old ways aside when she discovered the truth? Either way, you have something for which to atone. Whether you admit it or not, everything you do is a step on the road to penance. The Penitent exists to atone for the grave sin she commits simply by being who she is. Penitents have either low self-esteem or traumatic past experiences, and feel compelled to “make up” for inflicting themselves upon the world. Penitent Archetypes are not always religious in outlook; some truly want to scourge the world of the grief they bring to it. The Penitent has something to atone for: dark deeds in her past, an unfortunate accident, or even her own existence. Her self-esteem is usually very low, though thereasons she condemns herself vary. Long ago, you made some horrible mistake. You are consumed with guilt. To make up for some sin, real or imagined, you take burdens on yourself, try to make up for your miserable existence and generally suffer vociferously while flogging yourself for your slights. Nothing can erase your shame, though, and you strive constantly for some sort of absolution, both in the eyes of others and from your own conscience. Repentant sinners, persons with low self-esteem, and remorseful criminals are examples of the Penitent Archetype.

Strength: Responsibility. You take up burdens and accept their weight, willingly. When others would shirk blame or duty, you are ready to accept what's come to you.you are ready to accept what's come to you.

Weakness: Guilt. To transcend yourself, you'll have to file away your old crimes and take pleasure in what you have become… and what you still have yet to be.

— Regain Willpower whenever you achieve significant absolution for some grievous deed that you did or imagined is wrong. A sufficiently strong redemption may result in a change of Nature.

— Regain Willpower when you perform some great act of kindness, valor or honor.

— Regain Willpower whenever you feel that you have achieved absolution for a given grievance. This redemption should be of the same magnitude as the transgression — the greater the crime, the greater the penance. The Storyteller is the ultimate arbiter of what constitutes a reasonable act of reparation.

Perfectionist Archetypes demand flawless execution. A half-hearted job gives the Perfectionist no satisfaction, and she expects the same degree of commitment and attention to detail from others that she demands from herself. Although the Perfectionist may be exacting, the achievement of the end goal drives her, and often those for whom she is responsible. The Perfectionist is committed to getting things right. She holds herself and her colleagues to an exacting standard. The more you learn about science, the more you realize how precise and ordered ecosystems are. True, every ecosystem contains a certain amount of chaos, but that entropy is offset by the precision of Creation itself. As you see it, the human and metaphysical ecosystems have all the chaos they can handle. It's up to you to provide order. There's the best, and then there's everything else. You plan to be the best, and you'll hold for nothing less than that in everything you do, say, and experience. You keep the highest standards, and you make similar demands of the people around you. Exacting attention to detail is your hallmark; constant striving for the top is your way. Prima donnas, artists, and architects exemplify the Perfectionist Archetype.

Strength: Exactitude. Because of your unswerving desire to get things absolutely right, you have an incredible attention to detail and a consuming desire to make the best out of every situation that you dive into.

Weakness: Incompleteness. You are unwilling to let go of a task until it's perfect or totally unsalvageable. You need to learn to accept “good enough” so that you can move forward instead of working on the same things all the time.

— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to accomplish a significant achievement without the slightest hesitation or flaw and regain Willpower whenever you motivate another character to succeed as a result of your own shining example.

— Regain Willpower when something that could have gone horribly awry runs smoothly due to your high standards and attention to detail.

Like a knight of the Round Table, you strive for some goal that even you cannot define. Perhaps you've had some vision of glory, or you were raised to believe in your own greatness (or you simply feel a restless tugging that leads you toward some lofty goal). In any case, you're on a mission. Until you achieve your destiny, you'll be questing; in the meantime, do everything you can to uncover the essence of your quest.

Strength: Heroic. Driven to glory, you perform deeds and hold lofty ideals. The world was made by people like you, and it provides an admirable vehicle for your destiny. While others take the low road to convenient ends, you uphold a strong moral code. No quest was ever easy, but the legacy of Avalon is worth the sacrifice.

Weakness: Doomed. Sadly, heroes die. Sooner or later, you will probably meet a glorious death. Once you accept that, though, all terrors fall away. A dead hero fears nothing.

— Regain Willpower when you discover some clue to your ultimate goal, or do something grand to achieve it.

The Rebel has issues with authority, usually one particular authority. It may be revenge or idealism that drives him, but he simply can’t obey bad orders — and he’s the one who decides what “bad orders” entail. The Rebel is a malcontent, never satisfied with the status quo or the system as it is. He hates the very idea of authority and does everything in his power to challenge and undermine it. Perhaps the Rebel truly believes in his ideals, but it is just as likely that he bears authority figures some ill will over a “wrong” done to him in the past. A Rebel may hate institutions categorically, or she may be consumed with opposition toward a single particular authority. “The system” is your enemy, so you take it upon yourself to break the rules and try to remake society in your image. Walking the fine line between perversity and anarchy, you bring a chaotic viewpoint to life, trying to tear down the old ways so that something better can be done. You may not have a good idea of something better. You just know that you're not satisfied with the status quo, and you plan to change it. Teenagers, insurrectionists, and nonconformists all exemplify the Rebel Archetype.

Strength: Individuality. No one is going to force you into a static mold!

Weakness: Lack of Direction. Your power has no focus, and it cannot come to fruition without a goal.

— Regain Willpower whenever your rebellion against the status quo turns out to be for the best.

— Regain Willpower whenever your actions adversely affect your chosen opposition. The player should choose whom or what his character rebels against when he adopts this Archetype. Storytellers should take rebellion against “all authority” with a grain of salt, and apply the Willpower reward for such a broad concept to only greater and greater actions of insurgency.

The Rogue’s sense of self-interest is paramount. She might be a thug or a bully, or she might just be a powerful individualist or have a strong belief in self-sufficiency. Sacrifice is a sucker’s game to her. Only one thing matters to the Rogue: herself. To each his own, and if others cannot protect their claims,they have no right to them. The Rogue is not necessarily a thug or bully, however. She simply refuses to succumb to the whims of others. Rogues almost universally possess a sense of self-sufficiency. They have their own best interests in mind at all times. You learned one important lesson: Look out for Number One. Nobody else is going to give anything to you, and they're all just as set on getting ahead, so you have to take what you can get. Screw the rest! You're not going to be pushed around or ordered by others. You're going to make sure that you've got your own little piece of the world. Prostitutes,capitalists, and criminals all embody the Rogue Archetype.

Strength: Valor. You'll fight against anyone who tries to control you or jeopardize your survival, and you will struggle against adversity to make your own safe place in the world.

Weakness: Selfishness. You're greedy, plain and simple. There's no room in your world for sacrifice or making room for others. You need to open yourself to the worth of others to understand love and community.

— Regain Willpower whenever you manage to gain something significant through your self-centered nature.

— Regain Willpower when your self-centered disposition leads you to profit, materially or otherwise. In addition, you may regain a point of Willpower when your efforts benefit the group to which you belong, as long as that benefit comes at the expense of another group.

You exist to inflict pain and suffering upon others. Killing is too easy; torture is the best way to truly harm a person, and you seek the slowest, most painful means to push others to the ultimate limits. Pain — others’ pain — gives you immense pleasure. Drill sergeants, jilted ex-lovers, and some of the terminally deranged may all embody the Sadist Archetype at one time or another; sadism is rare enough to appear only in aberrant cases, rather than reliably in any type or class of person.

Strength:

Weakness:

— Regain Willpower whenever you inflict pain upon someone for no reason other than your own pleasure.

The Scientist Archetype isn’t necessarily obsessed with literal science — rather, this represents the desire to understand. Existence is a puzzle which she can help to reassemble. A Scientist logically and methodically examines her every situation and maneuver, looking for logical outcomes and patterns. A Scientist looks for patterns at play around her, and wants to see how things follow from a logical sequence of events. She’s interested in the systems that govern the world. This is not to say that the Scientist is always looking for a scientific or rational explanation, but rather she examines her surroundings rigorously and with a critical eye. The system a Scientist attempts to impose on the world may be completely ludicrous, but it is a system, and she sticks by it.

Strength:

Weakness:

— Regain Willpower any time a logical, systematic approach to a problem helps you solve it, or information gathered logically is of use in another, similar situation.

Science of the day is tearing down many long-held belieis regarding mankind, the world in which he lives and the cosmos as a whole. Rules of creation are being thrown by the wayside in favor of new “discoveries” as far-fetched as any old wives‘ tale. You don’t see the point of abandoning beliefs that have stood the test of time in favor of crazy new ideas slapped together by some over-eager scientist.

Strength: Faith. Gain Willpower when adherence to tried-and-true methods proves effective.

Weakness: Tunnel-Vision. Spend Willpower or completely disregard and inceidence of intuition, non-traditional deduction or mysticism.

— Regain Willpower when adherence to tried-and-true methods proves effective.

This world is devious, and you play by its rules. Keeping one step ahead of your more-idealistic comrades, you've mastered the arts of stealth, discretion and doublespeak. It's not like you're a coward or anything — you're simply being realistic. Ours is not a world that rewards valor. A clever word and a silent step can accomplish more than a frontal assault, and at far less risk.

Strength: Subtlety. Never let anyone else know what you're doing if you can help it; if you must keep someone apprised, never tell him the whole story. Hide your cards until you can build a winning hand.

Weakness: Untrustworthy. People may admire your deviousness, but you'll be the last one they confide in. Most comrades consider you a coward and backstabber, and they may be right. After all, you're looking out for Number One.

— Regain Willpower when some covert plan of yours succeeds, gaining great advantages for you and yours.

All inferior beings living should be exterminated in order to bring about a harmonious existence. You likely feel little or no remorse when you kill. On the contrary, you are doing a glorious deed for society. Some people are critical of your violent nature, but you sometimes manage to sway them with arguments like, “Darwin would agree that I’m only helping nature along!” and, “Only the strongest shall survive!”

Strength:

Weakness:

— Regain Willpower whenever you are the greatest contributor to a body count after everything has settled down. This count includes times when you are the only killer, and it needs not result from a massive combat — like killing every member of a movie audience or gunning down defenseless patrons in a bank robbery.

The Soldier is not a blindly loyal follower. While she exists for orders, she does not adhere to them unquestioningly. The Soldier excels in situations where there are clear objectives and procedures. He works well in social situations as long as everyone else in his group is also willing to play their part. This Archetype is something of a more goal-oriented Conformist, too tied into the idea of command to be a Loner, and a natural complement to a Director. The Soldier applies her own techniques to others’ goals. While she may seek command herself someday, her ambitions lie within the established hierarchy and structure. The Soldier has no compunctions about using whatever means necessary to do what needs to be done, so long as the orders to do so came from the right place.

Strength:

Weakness:

— Regain Willpower when you achieve your orders’ objectives. The more difficult the orders are to fulfill, the better it feels to accomplish them.

No matter what happens, no matter the odds or opposition, the Survivor always manages to pull through. Whether alone or with a group, the Survivor’s utter refusal to accept defeat often makes the difference between success and failure. Survivors are frustrated by others’ acceptance of “what fate has in store” or willingness to withstand less than what they can achieve. The direct opposite of the Fatalist or Martyr, the Survivor never concedes defeat. No matter what else happens, she who survives always has more of a chance at achieving her goals the next day. However, they can also be inspirational, refusing to succumb to despair or accept what others consider inevitable. No matter what, you'll always pull through. You have only a simple goal of survival, and you're good at it. The world can throw anything against you but you'll just keep on going. You don't need anything or anyone; you can get along just fine. When a curve is thrown your way, you just deal with it and get on living. Outcasts, street folk, and idealists may well be Survivor Archetypes.

Strength: Perseverance. No matter what the odds may be, you come out breathing, if not winning. How many warriors can say the same?

Weakness: Lack of Trust. You must open yourself up to the world to transcend it.

— Regain Willpower whenever you survive a difficult situation through your own cunning and perseverance.

— Regain one point of Willpower whenever you survive a threatening situation through tenacity, or when your counsel causes someone else to persist in spite of opposition.

If a Bon-Vivant lives to experience new things, a Tempter blazes a trail for others to follow and leads them down it, so as to have companionship in bliss and comfort in pain. Or maybe just dozens of hopeless addicts to sell his tainted wares to…?

Strength:

Weakness:

— Regain Willpower every time you seduce - by fair means or foul - a new partridge into your gilded cage.

The Thrill-Seeker loves to gamble with his life. You live for the next high, the adrenaline surge, the rush of victory or danger. Unlike those of arguably saner disposition, the Thrill-Seeker actively pursues hazardous and possibly deadly situations. The Thrill-Seeker is not consciously suicidal or self-destructive — he simply seeks the stimulation of imminent disaster. Over the next horizon and in the next battle you'll find the exhilaration that comes from challenge and the surge of really feeling alive. Only on the edge can you find real satisfaction, and that's where you live. Mobsters, petty thieves, and exhibitionists are all examples of the Thrill-Seeker Archetype.

Strength: Daring. You'll rush in where others fear to tread. Danger? Risk? Life's nothing without them, and you're up to any challenge.

Weakness: Recklessness. Until you learn to weigh risks, you put it all on the line every day of your life. Some things are too valuable to be wagered so carelessly.

— Regain Willpower whenever you undertake and succeed at some very dangerous task, especially when your life, position or important friends and possessions are at stake.

— Regain Willpower any time you succeed at a dangerous task that you have deliberately undertaken. Thrill-Seekers are not stupid, however, and the Storyteller may choose not to reward a player who heedlessly sends her character into danger for the sole intent of harvesting Willpower.

The old ways are best, says the Traditionalist. She’s not very fond of change, even if it might turn out for the better. You are an orthodox and conservative individual who prefers to accomplish her goals with time-tested methods. What was good enough for you when you were young is good enough for you now. Why vary your course when what has worked in the past is good enough? You oppose change for the sake of change — what point is there in that? You find the status quo acceptable, even preferable, to uncertain risk and changes that might yield unpredictable results. Conservatives, judges, and authority figures are all examples of Traditionalist Archetypes.

Strength: Consistency. With the world in a state of perpetual flux, someone must hold the center. That someone is you.

Weakness: Complacency. A person must summon the energy to enact new possibilities, rather than succumb to stasis.

— Regain Willpower whenever you are able to protect the status quo and resist change.

— Regain Willpower any time the proven ways turn out to be the best. Also, regain Willpower any time you adhere to one of your previously espoused positions and it proves to be a wise course of action.

Life is grim and short. The Trickster finds the absurd in everything. No matter how grim life may become, the Trickster always uncovers a kernel of humor within it. The universe has no meaning; life is a comedy, experience a procession of the absurd. You revel in this chaos, drawing humor out of senselessness and bringing a smile to tragedy. The Trickster argues that it’s a better response to laugh than it is to cry. You can't face a world without reason or caring, so you invent your own meaning and plaster that leering, grinning face over everything. Better still is when you can convince others to see this artiflciality. As much as you try to deny the disorganized truth, you still see it, and you hope that others see it too. You make them laugh, but like any good clown, you make them learn, and you make them cry. Tricksters cannot abide useless sorrow or pain, and so they strive to lighten the spirits of those around them. Some Tricksters have even higher ideals, challenging static dogma by exposing its failures in humorous ways. Some Tricksters use humor to escape confrontation, while others are compassionate souls who work to lessen their friends’ burden with laughter. Comedians, satirists, and social critics are examples of Trickster Archetypes.

Strength: Empathy. With it, you can cheer up others and find the banana peel in your group's path. When you stop joking, this empathy can be put to other more constructive uses.

Weakness: Hypocrisy. Focusing the attention of others on happiness leaves a deadly potential to ignore the dreadful. You must make sure that your tricks and jokes teach and instruct instead of simply diverting.

— Regain Willpower when you manage to lift others' spirits, especially if you can deny your own pain in the process.

Money makes the world go 'round, and you're aboard for the ride. Chances are, you're pretty wealthy, with a portfolio bulging with smart investments and vast resources. Power and influence are meat and drink to you, but the game is more interesting than the rewards. It's not that you don't enjoy the spoils — the cash, the toys, the women and men who throw themselves at your feet — but your true wealth comes from playing the odds and coming out ahead. Every time.

Strength: Savvy. You know how to get things done, too — who to talk to, how to pull their strings, where to hit them where it hurts or helps the most—and that makes you a valuable ally.

Weakness: Greedy. It's been said that gold blinds men to greater riches, and that's probably true of you. Until and unless you can learn to appreciate less material things, you'll miss the greater truths and rewards Enlightenment can offer.

— Regain Willpower when some long-shot plan of yours pays off in grand style. Not in mere money — that's too easy — but in something greater (like influence, love or awareness).

You're a living weapon aimed at your target. Whatever it is “they” did—killing your family, destroying your home or slaughtering innocent children; whatever it is that makes you so vindictive — somebody turned you into a justice machine. Note that your target might not be a true criminal, and it probably isn't a single person, either. The world itself may be the villain, and you could be waging a secret campaign to bring it down from within. Whoever the object of your hatred might be, you will do whatever it takes to tear them to bits, piss on the pieces and wash the whole mess into the sewer where it belongs. Those bastards must pay!

Strength: Single-Minded Lethality. You won't rest until justice is served. This dedication to a cause keeps you going long after lesser agents would have given up. Delay is acceptable, but compromise is not.

Weakness: Blood-Blind. The hunt drives you beyond caution, beyond reason and far beyond true enlightenment.

— Regain Willpower when you hurt your target in some noticeable way. (Storyteller's Note: That target ought to be some group, conspiracy or species, rather than a single individual. Taking one person down is far too easy to fuel this kind of fervor.)

The Visionary is strong enough to look beyond the mundane and perceive the truly wondrous. Dancing through your head are truly wondrous sights — worlds without name and fantasies beyond number. You can see these strange possibilities and elucidate them, opening the doors for others to live in a better, different world. Visionaries test accepted societal limits, and seek what few others have the courage to imagine. Perhaps you seek something more than the mundane, or maybe you have a particular idea that resonates with potential. The Visionary rarely finds satisfaction in what society has to offer; she prefers to encourage society to offer what it could instead of what it does. The Visionary keeps her eyes on a goal that others might find impossible. Either way, you give people inspiration for the future, in new and exciting ways that build on (yet differ from) the old. Like the Idealist or Fanatic, her cause is important to her. Unlike those Archetypes, the Visionary focuses principally on sharing the dream with others. So determined are you to see your vision made reality that you fight to impress it on the world regardless of the cost. Typically, society responds poorly to Visionaries, though it is they who are responsible for bringing about progress and change. Philosophers, inventors, and the most inspired artists often have Visionary Natures.

Strength: Imagination. Inner truth is your quest. With this vision, you may guide others who need such wisdom desperately.

Weakness: Pride. In your ability to see and understand what others cannot. You must learn humility to Ascend.

— Regain Willpower whenever you are able to convince others to believe in your dreams and follow the course of action outlined by your vision of the future. Note that gaining support is the key to a Visionary regaining Willpower. Success need not come to a Visionary, at least not with every step in changing the structures in question.