Getting Started in QUIRKS!

Character Sheets
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Character Creation
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Game Rules
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Weaving Patterns
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Character Creation Checklist

Character Concept

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Character Persona

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Assign Attributes

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Pick Skills

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Pick Quirks

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Flesh Out Your Character

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Starting Inventory

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Character Concept

A simple descriptive paragraph of the character you want to play. This will be the guiding principle to your character concept and any actions you take or abilities you create should be in line with your character concept.

An example of a good character concept:

The traumatized son of murdered wealthy socialites becomes obsessed with fighting crime. After decades of honing his body into a weapon, he now leads a double life. Running his fortune 500 company by day, and fighting crime using advanced tech as a masked vigilante at night.

An example of a bad character concept:

A rich superhero with cool gadgets. 

Ice Queen
Space Man

Character Persona

Find or create a character reference image, or write down a description of them.

Create a vivid idea of what interacting with the character is like.

What do they sound like? What are their mannerisms? Try and imagine how you would act if you were the character. 

Attributes

These determine your characters ability in certain domains. Your rolls are modified by your Attribute scores.
Physique

Physique

Strength, fitness, and constitution.
It governs your feats of strength and stamina.
Reflex

Reflex

Reaction time, coordination, and fine motor skill.
It governs your feats of dexterity and reflex.
Wit

Wit

Mental acuity, wisdom, knowledge.
It governs your feats of intellect and problem solving.
Heart

Heart

Charm, deception, and self-certainty.
It governs your feats of manipulation and willpower.
Spirit

Spirit

The strange, wondrous, and unexplained.
It governs your dealings with anything analogous to magic.
There are 2 ways to assign attributes. You can pick whichever matches your character concept better.
Tiered

Pick a Primary Attribute, give yourself +2 in it
Pick a Secondary Attribute, give yourself +1 in it
Pick a Weakest Attribute, give yourself -1 in it
Give yourself a 0 in the other two Attributes 

Distributed

Give yourself +1 in three attributes
Give yourself 0 in one attribute
Give yourself -1 in one attribute      

Skills
Your character's specialized knowledge. Anything your character can have studied in detail or practiced to mastery could be a skill.

Every skill comes with a perk of some kind that provides a passive benefit or unlocks an ability that would require expertise to use.

When creating a skill, decide which of your attributes is most closely associated with the skill, that's the modifier that will be used to roll moves made using it.

If you try to make a move that would require a skill you don’t have, the weaver can decide if it is even possible, if so, it is made with a -2 penalty.

You start the game having already mastered 2 skills. As your character levels up, they will gain new skills.

Example Skills

This list contains a number of suggestions for common skills and examples of possible benefits. It is not comprehensive, and you may choose to interpret a skill differently.

Acrobatics: You take 1 less wound from falling and being thrown
Brawling: You are used to fighting with improvised weapons
Climbing: You may always choose to take a mixed success when climbing
Dual Wield: You can swing with 2 light weapons in a round
Endurance: Your stamina only fails after the most extreme exertion
Martial Artist: You're skilled in unarmed attacks, and your fists deal 2 Wounds
Sprinting: You can outrun all but the supernaturally fast
Swimming: You are able to free dive and swim very quickly
Weapon Mastery[Weapon Type]: Expertise in a specific melee weapon type
Wrestling: You can disengage as a rushed action if you fail a grapple role 

Archery: You are skilled in the use of Bows and Arrows
Armor Drills: Remove the penalty from wearing heavy armor
Blind Fighting: When blinded you do not take the blind condition penalty to the Melee move
Contortionist: You take +1 ongoing to Escape moves
Crafting[Skill]: You are able to produce masterwork quality items in a specific discipline
Driving: You can make advanced maneuvers while operating a vehicle
Juggling: You can use any item as if it had the Thrown TAG
Locksmithing: With the right tools you can pick mechanical locks
Scouting: You ignore harsh terrain penalties while traveling
Sleight of Hand: You can palm small objects without people noticing 

Archaeology: You can identify ancient cultures and the general purpose of ruins you find
Cartography: You can keep a perfect mental map
Chemistry: You understand the interactions between substances you can identify
Cryptography: You can craft and break cryptograms
Electronics: You understand the electrical components of machines
Engineering: You understand the mechanical forces behind machines
Geology: You can identify the makeup of rocks and soil and spot geologic hazards
Hacking: With the right tools you can gain access to secure electronic systems
Herbalism: You can identify plants and their properties upon study
History: You know the general history of the places you visit
Law: You can find loopholes in legal systems if given time to study them
Mathematics: You are capable of doing advanced equations in your head
Medicine: You are familiar with anatomy and can perform surgery
Physics: You can calculate the motion of objects through space and time
Scavenging: You are able to salvage usable materials and resources from objects
Survival: You can locate available sources of food and water, as well as craft shelter and fire
Tactics: You can work out your opponent's strategies if given a chance to study them 

Animal Handling: You are familiar with animal behavior and can train animals to do basic tasks
Anthropology: You can blend into a new culture with minimal exposure
Begging: You can identify the best technique to use when trying to beg someone for something
Disguise: With the right equipment you can quickly and easily hide your usual appearance
Forgery: With the right equipment you can craft convincing copies of documents
Gambling: You can see through most people's poker faces
Impersonation: You can mimic someone's mannerisms if given the chance to study them
Intimidation: You project menace and can cause others to fear injury or harm
Leadership: You can identify the message people need to hear to be motivated
Manipulation: You can identify the message people need to hear to believe a lie
Negotiation: You can identify agreements that are mutually beneficial when making deals 

Alchemy: With the right tools, You can craft potions with various effects
Arcane Lore: You understand the meaning and uses of most arcane symbols
Blood Magic: You understand the methods and applications of blood magic
Elementalism: You understand the methods and applications of elemental magic
Enchanting: With the right tools, You can impart magical benefits onto items
Fortune Telling: With the right tools, you can divine glimpses of possible futures
Hypnotism: With the right situation, You can plant subconscious suggestions in people
Monster Lore: You can identify a monster once you've had a good look at it
Occultism: You understand the methods and applications of spirit magic
Spell Craft: With enough time to study, you can discern the nature and weaknesses of a spell 

Quirks

Quirks are what make a character unique. They are custom moves and abilities you create. You are encouraged to be creative and to use them as a tool to make the character you want to play.

Making a Quirk
A Quirk could be one of the following:
- A custom move
- A passive bonus to another move
- A change to one of the game mechanics

  • They have to be unique, you cannot create a quirk that is functionally identical to one from another character in play.
  • They have to fit with your Character Concept.
  • They have to fit with the setting and scope of the campaign.
  • A Quirk can only provide one benefit.
  • A Quirk can only ever give a maximum bonus of +1 to a roll.
  • Powerful Quirks should have a balancing downside or cooldown.
  • Some Quirks may require relevant skills to make use of.
  • The Weaver has the final say on Quirks.

Determine your Starting Quirks



All Characters get 3 starting Quirks
The first one is anything they want. Its usually the defining quirk for the character.

Characters with Physique or Reflex as their primary attribute:
Start with 2 additional Tactical Quirks

Characters with Wit as their primary attribute:
Start with 2 additional Clever Quirks

Characters with Heart as their primary attribute:
Start with 2 additional Emotive Quirks

Characters with Spirit as their primary attribute:
Start with 2 additional Strange Quirks

Characters with Distributed Attributes:
Start with 2 additional Quirks of their choice

Once you have created your starting quirks, check with the Weaver that they fit with the game's setting and scope. You may need to add caveats, conditions or requirements to your Quirks. 

Tactical Quirks

All about getting the upper hand in dangerous situations. They rely on Physique and Reflex. They allow you to do things like;
- Give bonuses in combat situations.
- Cause or mitigate damage.
- Gain tactical advantages.
- Manipulate the battle environment. 

Clever Quirks

All about outwitting your opponents and solving puzzles. They rely on Wit. They allow you to do things like;
- Make exceptional deductions.
- Find overlooked clues.
- Research and recall information.
- Achieve feats of great intellect. 

Emotive Quirks

All about reading and manipulating people. They rely on Heart. They allow you to do things like;
- Tell if people are lying.
- Create convincing disguises.
- Distract and entertain.
- Socially engineer your success. 

Utility Quirks

All about creating situational advantages for yourself and the other players. They can rely on any of the attributes. They can allow you to do things like;
- Give additional bonuses when you help.
- Have an important item for the situation.
- Allow a player to re-roll.
- Change NPC actions. 

Spirit Quirks

Supernatural effects. These are unique to the character concept the player has created. They can allow you to do things like;
- Cast Magic Spells.
- Be a vampire.
- Talk to Animals.
- Perform feats no mortal normally could. 

Example Quirk Builds

The Incredible Detective 

Utility Belt

 Utility Quirk

You have an incredible utility belt with all sorts of changing gadgets, open the pocket and roll +Spirit

On a Failure
Your belt disappears, it will show up again eventually.

On a Minor Success
You have a tiny useful item on you

On a Major Success
You have a small useful item on you 

Investigators Eye

Clever Quirk

When you first encounter an opponent, Roll +Wits

On a Failure
Your opponent knows your weakness

On a Minor Success
You know your opponent weakness

On a Major Success
You know your opponents weakness and you planned ahead, take +1 forward against them. 

Crime Scene Reconstruction

Clever Quirk

Whenever you roll to Investigate the scene of a mystery, you can ask “What happened here?” as a free bonus question. 

Incredible Detective

The Protective Paladin

His Light Protects Me

Tactical Quirk

As long as you are acting to protect someone, you take half as many wounds from an attack 

His Will Demands Attention

Strange Quirk

When you make a challenge to your opponent, roll +Spirit

On a Failure
Your opponent ignores you and attacks another vulnerable character.

On a Minor Success
Your opponent ignores everyone else to attack you.

On a Major Success
The effect lasts until the end of the scene. 

His Touch Mends Flesh

Strange Quirk

You lay your hands on a target and roll +Spirit

On a Failure
You make the injury worse, the target takes an additional wound.

On a Minor Success
Your target heals 1 wound or neutralizes a toxin.

On a Major Success
Your target heals 2 wounds, neutralizes all toxins, or cures a disease. 

Paladin

The Social Engineer 

Tiny Muscles Tell Truths

Emotive Quirk

By reading the subtle muscle movements a person makes, you can try to tell if a person is lying. Roll +Heart

On a Failure
You can not tell if a character is lying or not.

On a Minor Success
You can tell if a character is being directly untruthful.

On a Major Success
You can tell if a character is being subtly untruthful. 

Cold Reading

Clever Quirk

By appraising your target, you can attempt to profile them. Roll +Wits

On a Failure
You make incorrect assumptions.

On a Minor Success
You may ask the Weaver 1 yes/no question about the target

On a Major Success
You may ask the Weaver 1 open question or 2 yes/no questions about the target

I Belong Here

Emotive Quirk

As long as you have the right disguise, people overlook you while you are acting like you belong. 

 The Infiltration Specialist 

Quick Reflexes

Tactical Quirk

Once per scene, if you fail a Reflex roll, you may re-roll it.

Like a Mouse

Utility Quirk

You may always choose to take a Minor Success on the Hide move.

Cat's Grace

Tactical Quirk

You take a +1 ongoing to Escape and Manipulate moves.

High Tech Spy

MEAT and BONES
Fleshing out a Character

One of the elements to playing a good RPG character is to know who your character is beyond just the moves and mechanics. The MEAT and BONES system is designed to help you ask questions and imagine your character in a more well developed way.

TIP: Leave the “E”s to the End

Motivations

What are the things your character cares about?

What makes them do what they do?

What is the reason they get up in the morning?

Who do they care about? 

Enmeshment

What ties your character with the rest of the group?

Why do they care about the other player characters?

How do they know each other?

What do they know about each other? 

Assets

What valuable items does your character have?

What useful connections have they made? 

Terror

What are your character's fears?

Why do they fear these things? 

Background

What kind of upbringing did they have?

Who is their family?

What did they do in their old life? 

Origin

What was the defining event that made your character stop being an NPC and become something more? 

Needs

What goals do they have for themselves?

What do they expect from others?

What do they expect to receive for their efforts? 

Entanglement

How is your character connected to the main story?

What keeps them invested in following the narrative? 

Secrets

What do they keep from themselves?

What do they keep from others? 

Inventory Management

Keeping track of your equipment in QUIRKS! is done using the Trackable Armament and Gear System or TAGs. More information about TAGs can be found on the Rules page.

More about TAGs

Character Inventory

Every characters personal outfit offers the following inventory space. 
A large bag is able to store a second inventory worth of items, taking something out of a container is an action during Hazard Time.

  • 4 Tiny Trivial Items carried in pockets
  • 2 Small Light Items carried on belts or in pouches
  • 2 Medium Light Items carried in holsters or on straps
  • 1 Large Heavy Item carried on the back
Backpack

Warning!

Carrying more than this causes the character to be overburdened, and imposes an ongoing -1 penalty to Physique and Reflex moves

Example Starting Inventories

Heroic Warrior
Large

Plate Armor
Large, Heavy, Sturdy, Durability 4 

Medium

Iron longsword
Medium, Light, Sturdy

Iron Buckler
Medium, Light, Sturdy, Blocking, Durability 2

Small

Minor Healing Potion
Small, Light, Fragile, Healing 2

Vial of Sanctified Oil
Small, Light, Fragile, Holy, Flammable 

Tiny

Symbol of Faith
Tiny, Trivial, Ornamental, Holy

10 Gold Coins
Tiny, Light, Ornamental 

Travel Ration
Tiny, Light, Fragile, Edible

Scriptures
Tiny, Light, Average, Holy

Sci-fi Spaceman
Large

Space Suit
Large, Heavy, Futuristic,
Powered[Internal Reactor], Pressurized, Hazmat, Durability 2 

Medium

Plasma Blaster
Medium, Light, Futuristic, Slow, Projectile[Plasma], Reload[5], Range[Mid]

Synaptic Disruptor
Medium, Light, Futuristic, Fast, Stunning, Projectile[Electric], Reload[10], Range[Mid] 

Small

Scanner
Small, Light, Futuristic, Powered[Battery], Identifying

Transporter Beacon
Small, Light, Futuristic, Powered[Battery], Teleporting

Tiny

Plasma Charge
Tiny, Light, Futuristic, Explosive, Ammo

Disruptor Battery
Tiny, Light, Futuristic, Ammo

Com Badge
Tiny, Trivial, Futuristic, Wireless

Device Battery
Tiny, Light, Futuristic, Electric

Urban Monster Hunter
Large

Backpack
Large, Heavy, Average, Container
- Monster Journals
- Medical Kit
- Infiltration Tools 

Medium 

2x Handguns
Medium, Light, Average, Projectile[9mm], Reload[10], Range[Mid] 

Small

Flask of Holy Water
Small, Light, Average, Holy

JuJu Bag
Small, Light, Enchanted, Spell Focus

Tiny

2x Handgun Clip
Tiny, Light, Average

Handful of Salt
Tiny, Trivial, Average

Lucky Charm
Tiny, Trivial, Ornamental

That's it!

You're character is ready to go. Double check with the Weaver that everything is in order, and remember to save a back up of your character sheet. You're ready to play. Check out the Rules section for more.

Game Rules

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