So! Taking something of a break from Alchemical/Autochthonia stuff for this. A lot of people dislike 'personality mechanics' like Virtues, but honestly I've loved the idea of them ever since I first saw them. Since to me, the interplay of traits against eachother, informing the reasons why a character makes certain decisions and her willingness to perform actions that she does is always a vastly more interesting narrative-measurement than her actual Capability for doing it. I'd absolutely drop Abilities and Attributes for a game revolving around that, since motivations and investment to causes are inherently more engaging to me over how smart or skilled someone is on a set scale.
So to that end, this hack is the attempt to fix up Virtues a bit, which were usually hamstrung by trying to be too inclusive, but in ways that simply made character reactions kind of samey, and weirdness like Conviction being the "channel to do the thing I always intended to do" trait, and Temperance actively stopping you from doing interesting things a lot of the time, high Valor makes you a bigger hothead than low Temperance does, etc.
Instead, each Virtue is now treated as a category of three subtypes, comprising a Desire towards an ideal the character wishes to see, a Restraint that curbs her behavior, and an Urge she is driven to cause via her own actions. You take a Desire when you want a passive worldview, a low-key stance towards how to approach events and how that colors other methods, typically unrolled but sharply narrows the range by which the character can Channel that Virtue. A Restraint is a self-imposed limit by the player, a flag to the Storyteller saying "not too interested in this" and serving as a form of resistance towards others manipulating her behavior, necessary to be Passed as a roll to see if the character upholds her views. An Urge is the active form of the Virtue, the very root of "roll to avoid doing the Virtuous deed," which must be Failed to keep from acting upon it immediately, but usually have drawbacks in the course of acting out that avoidance.
One subtype is chosen from within each category to define what that Virtue "means" for the character, and the interplay among them helps create more variance when time comes to embody a Virtue. Anything which now calls for that Virtue instead uses the value of any subtype chosen for it, such as appropriate conditions for Channeling that Virtue or contesting Charms, and she alters her behavior to suit the situation. So while one character may have a Virtue spread of Empathy, Judgement, Stability and Wrath, another character can have Mercy, Duty, Conduct and Courage, and will interpret and respond very differently to the same events.
The subtype choice matters as well, since an abundance of Desires means that a character may very well have a sort of informal personal code she follows, but very little by way of motivating her to acting on it, while a plethora Restraints forces her into a more reactive outlook, defined more by what she doesn't do. Multiple Urges have the chance to pull a character in several, possibly even contradictory directions as she seeks to live in the moment.
Since all Virtues use the same general dot-scale to avoid confusion, the setup generally goes like this:
1 - Indifferent, but willing to apply in practice.
2 - Invested, convinced of her inherent rightness.
3 - Firm in her principles.
4 - Staunchly resolute.
5 - Unshakable but blindered to the point of hubris.
The maximum of any Virtue is not the baseline for her internalized values, but simply the heights she may achieve to express them. No one lives a life of Duty 5 during her every waking moment, only when it truly matters. Thus a character cannot be subject to a Virtue category, encompassing any Virtue, more than once per scene, rolling her Virtue pools for Restraints and Urges in the chosen category as required. Desires do not have an associated roll, and by fulfilling them instead grant the character a chance to build or repair one dot to an Intimacy she has aligned with that Virtue.
Though suppressing a Virtue roll no longer requires a Willpower payment, and the consequences which may have resulted from it do not occur, denying this heroic drive usually comes alongside the erosion of a relevant Intimacy related to that Virtue she suppressed, as the scene now counts as one where she has taken actions against upholding that Intimacy. She might still be a Wrathful creature, but the specifics driving her Wrath wane in intensity as she permits the guilty to go unpunished for misdeeds against her.
Compassion:
A character with high Compassion has steadfast morals because she sees a great deal of herself in others, and that personal investment pushes her towards heroism. Supportive voices in dark times, empathetic and always pushing for cooperation, the downfall of a Compassion-heavy character is she may care too much about the big picture. Try though she might, looking out for others too often may end up driving her to distraction, poorly-considering her own well-being or misjudging the intentions of those around her.
Subtypes
- Mercy: Desire to reduce suffering, one way or another. A character with Mercy sees pain as the worst of all evils in this world or beyond, and if she cannot provide the necessary relief to ease an unfortunate's plight, a quick death and rebirth is preferable to lasting agony. Pragmatic warriors of all stripes tend to hold a small bit of Mercy.
- Empathy: Restraint to avoid continued harm done, even at costs to herself. Someone who prioritizes Empathy will stay her hand from excess violence, and work avidly to intercept and shoulder the hardships meant for others. In the end she is only one woman with ten thousand enemies, a troubling prospect in the harsh climate of the Second Age.
- Love: Urge to gather close those she holds deep emotional bonds with and defend those relationships without hesitation, even for those unworthy of it. She defines her life and deeper meanings to her goals through others, and no matter the reasons would sooner die or watch her other dreams fall to ruin than compromise that decision. Of all paths of Compassion, it is Love which is the hardest Virtue to practice, because only a fool leaves any opening for knives against her heart.
Conviction:
Personal responsibility is paramount to characters with high Conviction, and in remaining true to herself she must fight every inch on the way to seeing her own dreams realized. Obstinate and devoted to a cause, this often blind pursuit of self-validation makes for dedicated allies or bitter enemies by turns, though this tunnel-vision carries an equal chance to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. A character who stands by these Convictions simply digs her heels in hardest when that long-suffered enemy turns out to be her own shortcomings.
Subtypes
- Determination: Desire to overcome and succeed at every step, no matter how minor. Skirmishes may not win wars, but when all the battles have been won, only the character will be left standing to say whether the fight was worth it. However, by focusing so much effort on details, it is frighteningly simple to lose sight of her original goals.
- Duty: Restraint to adhere to her words and actions, no matter how pressing the diversion. Anything less would call into question her ability to achieve the higher goals the character sets for herself. But such commitments are not to be undertaken lightly, despite how some might see careful deliberation of her options as sign of weakness or unreliability.
- Judgement: Urge to create and implement planned solutions to problems. The character knows a goal in mind remains there unless a road map has been drawn up to accomplish it. But when every contest requires an opening gambit, she may find herself at a loss at improvisation if the best solution is to pursue immediate action instead.
Temperance:
A character with High Temperance sees a world in the throes of a turbulent age, lawless and savage, bringing to bear her own lofty principles and ethics as a steady hand to right the course. Wanton excess and extremes of ideology only serve to undermine the consistency that social order relies on, but a character holding her own self-discipline and propriety as axioms for others to follow must make sure the path she lays out is not as equally contentious as the forces she opposes.
Subtypes
- Justice: Desire to mediate disputes, enforce communal judgement and the use of ethics. The character commands a firm sense of right and wrong, and is drawn to hammer out conflict wherever it arises. But she bears the burden of imparting a certain consistency to her values unto others where circumstances differ, or else her demands for social integrity may come across as unduly arbitrary.
- Conduct: Restraint against undue temptation or change by practicing moderation. By becoming aware of what distracts the rational self from what truly matters, be it physical pleasures or emotional outbursts, the character works tirelessly to downplay the effects on herself and others. But as she advises others to indulge more responsibly, she may risk setting herself upon an unreachable pedestal of saintly asceticism.
- Stability: Urge to encourage peace through rules. Though the dictates she may weave could be seen as either an idyllic constitution or the birth of a dystopian regime, she must continually obtain the authority and esteem necessary for people to listen and address her seriously. Otherwise she might be seen as simply another tin-pot demagogue plying for easy marks.
Valor:
As the willingness and proactive impulse to aggressively seize her own destiny with two hands, high Valor need not be the hallmarks of hostile intentions, but what degree the character places herself at the forefront of pursuing her own ambitions. There is equal risk standing at the head of a court as that of a fiery mob, and in both senses she stakes her claims of self-worth and reputation on the line in defiance of all reason. Distancing herself from her goals brings a measure of increased safety, but also uncertainty about her aims coming to fruition.
Subtypes
- Wrath: Desire to punish offenses, as a character adhering to Wrath sees herself as the exclusive agent of its delivery. No organization or proxy can hope to work as quickly or decisively as she to rectify the slights levied against what she holds dear, though wrongdoers may not actually exist to receive the brunt of her self-righteousness. Regardless, those who oppose this self-motivated crusade are merely misguided obstacles to her ideals, soon to be taught the error of their ways.
- Passion: Restraint from taking half-measures, or the easiest way out of a situation she has invested herself in. Least effort applied for maximum gain does not apply to the character, as adversity gives her beliefs better definition by the trials she faces to uphold them. Authenticity and self-respect lie only at the end of the harshest road.
- Courage: Urge to stand solidly in the face of opposition, however foolishly. The most important part of any battle lies at the front line, and the character embodies this sentiment by spearheading her movement against any display of active resistance to her personal endeavors. But when left without some cause worth standing for so defiantly, this sense of bravado is all too easily seen as empty and egoistic posturing.
