Numenera Character Descriptors

Source Name Flavor Pools Skills Inabilities Other AdditionalEquipment
Character Options 2 Abrasive You are tough to be around sometimes— your manner and your words are blunt, and even cruel. The fineries of polite society hold no value for you. Instead, you focus on practical things. Things that matter. What someone could accomplish with honeyed words in an hour, you can accomplish in a few moments with a crowbar. You appreciate straightforward action. You don't like to waste your time and if some idiot gets in your way, you'll not only point out their idiocy, you'll happily push right by. You're cynical, blunt, and sometimes rude. Who cares what people think? Harsh: +2 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: You see through the nonsense. You are trained at seeing through lies and deception.

Skill: You are trained in two of the following skills of your choice: climbing, running, breaking things, jumping, swimming, lockpicking, stealth, or repair.
 Inability: The difficulty of tasks involving pleasant social interaction is increased by one step.
Destiny Adaptable You flex and sway with changes both physical and mental. When something bad happens to you, you feel the pain and the loss, but soon, you’re back on your feet and in the action. When you have to learn a new skill, you don’t back away, but instead, you jump in and try your best. Being adaptable means that you’re often cooperative, because you know that, by working together, a group can overcome things that might be impossible for an individual. Some seek you out because of your adaptability, but others don’t see it as a positive trait and instead see you as someone who always changes their mind—someone without a foundation. You laugh at those accusations. That’s just the sort of thing someone would say if they had never changed their mind about anything in their life—a way for that person to feel good about their lack of growth. Versatile: +2 to any one Pool, which you can reassign after each ten-hour recovery roll.
 Skill: You ’re trained in pleasant social interactions.

Resilient: You’re trained in all actions that involve overcoming or ignoring the effects of deprivation, sorrow, or pain. This includes tasks related to ending an ongoing condition such as being dazed, blinded, stunned, and so on. (However, you are not trained in tasks to resist effects that confer those conditions in the first place.)
Character Options 2 Aggressive Action. Violence. These are your first instincts. Problems are solved through force. Strength is what matters, right? Let the others sit idly by, either through cowardice or indecision, but you'll get things done. Certainly no one would ever call you a coward, but you're not foolhardy. You've got a preservation instinct. But you know that the best defense is a good offense, and a dead or incapacitated foe is no threat to anyone. You're bold, you're quick, and some might say you're rash. A few might call you dangerous, but again, those are mostly cowards. Sometimes, even your allies and friends need a good shaking to show them what's what, and who's boss. Hostile: +2 to your Might Pool.

Rash: +2 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in all initiative tasks.
 Inability: Your manner is off-putting. The difficulty of tasks involving pleasant social interaction is increased by one step.
 First Strike: The first time you strike a foe in combat, you inflict 1 additional point of damage.
Character Options 2 Altruistic You try to do what's right for its own sake. You're very generous, and sincerely enjoy helping people. Some may attempt to take advantage of you for these traits, but most people find you likable and your actions laudable. You've learned that to help others, you need to be capable and skilled yourself. Wishing to help others is an excellent incentive to become as skilled and powerful as you can. Eventually, you're going to develop a bit of a reputation as a “do-gooder.” That doesn’t bother you, as long as fools don’t try to take advantage of you. After all, altruistic doesn’t mean stupid. Some people think that altruistic means foolish or gullible. It certainly doesn’t have to, just as cynical and selfish doesn’t always mean wise. Capable: +3 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: People like you. You are trained in all pleasant social interactions.
 Expert Helper: When you use your action to help someone else, they gain an asset even if you are not trained in that task. Enabler.
Character Options 2 Amusing You are funny, charming, and extremely likable. You make your friends laugh, and even defuse dangerous situations with your humor. There’s nothing that puts people at ease like a good joke. Maybe you’re good at pointing out the faults of others without making them feel bad. Maybe your humor is self-deprecating. Maybe it’s all physical, with you doing funny things with your face, balancing things on your head, or wearing funny clothes. Humor comes in many forms. Some people might tend to underestimate you, thinking you a fool because sometimes you pretend to be foolish. That's their problem. Witty: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: People enjoy being around you. You are trained in all pleasant social interactions.
 Disarm With Humor (3 Intellect points): You can use your action to convince a hostile, intelligent foe to take no action. They must be able to perceive and understand you.
Destiny Articulate When you speak, people understand exactly what you’re saying. You’re fluent, coherent, and, some might even say, silver-tongued, though you’d beg to differ. You don’t manipulate people; you just explain things so clearly and with such imaginative examples that those who disagree with you often come around to your point of view. Your eloquence is something that many praise you for, though some hate you for it because, compared to you, they find themselves wanting. Lucid: +4 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You ’re trained in persuasion.

Skill: You ’re trained in all actions that involve making plans, explaining plans, and convincing others to accept your plans.
Destiny Beneficent Helping others is your calling. It’s why you’re here. Others delight in your outgoing and charitable nature, and you delight in their happiness. You’re at your best when you’re aiding people, either by explaining how they can best overcome a challenge or by demonstrating how to do so yourself. Being beneficent means caring for others genuinely rather than being kind for the sake of getting what you want. Helpful: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You ’re trained in all tasks related to pleasant social interaction, putting other people at ease, and gaining others’ trust.
 Devoted: Allies who have spent the last day with you add +1 to their recovery rolls. You also gain this benefit if at least one other ally gains it.
Discovery Charming You’re a smooth talker and a charmer. Whether through seemingly supernatural means or just a way with words, you can convince others to do as you wish. Most likely, you’re physically attractive or at least highly charismatic, and others enjoy listening to your voice. You probably pay attention to your appearance, keeping yourself well groomed. You make friends easily. You play up the personality facet of your Intellect stat; intelligence is not your strong suit. You’re personable, not necessarily studious or strong-willed. Personable: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You ’re trained in all tasks involving positive or pleasant social interaction.

Skill: You ’re trained when using esoteries or special abilities that influence the minds of others.
 Inability: You were never good at studying or retaining facts. Any task involving lore, knowledge, or understanding is hindered.
 Contact: You have an important contact who is in an influential position, such as a minor noble, the captain of the town guard, an Aeon Priest, or the head of a large gang of thieves. You and the GM should work out the details together.
 Additional Equipment: You’ve managed to talk your way into some decent discounts and bonuses in recent weeks. As a result, you have 10 extra shins jangling in your pocket.
Destiny Cheerful Happy and optimistic, you rarely feel down. Usually, you wake up with anticipation for what the day will hold. Your good spirits aren’t necessarily something you try to share with others, because you know that what lies in another’s heart isn’t for you to change. But sometimes your mere presence and lighthearted nature is enough to mend sadness. Of course, sometimes bad things happen to you too, and your basic nature is suppressed for a time. But eventually, your light-heartedness always returns. Bright: +4 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in one activity that most would consider to be a hobby, such as woodworking, singing, writing, and so on.

Skill: You are trained in tasks related to making friends, ending conflicts, and making a positive first impression on strangers.
 Inability: You have a hard time recognizing when others aren’t as bright and forthcoming as you. Tasks to detect falsehoods and disguises are hindered.
Destiny Civic You put the good of the many over the needs of the few, at least in a sense. You implicitly understand that only through cooperation can groups of people remain happy and productive. Your experience has shown that cooperation generates greater benefits for everyone in the long term—including access to food, protection, and knowledge. As a result, you tend to become especially invested in whatever community you live in or, perhaps one day, found yourself. Cooperative: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
Skill: You’re trained in tasks related to finding out about both current events and secrets within the community where you live.

Skill: You’re trained in all tasks related to aiding a community, including repairing infrastructure, quelling riots, defending against incursions, and so on.
 Civic-Minded: You add +1 to the health of any community you are currently living in.
 Additional Equipment: You start with a numenera plan for an installation.
Discovery Clever You’re quick-witted, thinking well on your feet. You understand people, so you can fool them but are rarely fooled. Because you easily see things for what they are, you get the lay of the land swiftly, size up threats and allies, and assess situations with accuracy. Perhaps you’re physically attractive, or maybe you use your wit to overcome any physical or mental imperfections. Smart: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You’re trained in all interactions involving lies or trickery.

Skill: You’re trained in defense rolls to resist mental effects.

Skill: You’re trained in all tasks involving, identifying, or assessing danger, lies, quality, importance, function, or power.
 Inability: You were never good at studying or retaining trivial knowledge. Any task involving lore, knowledge, or understanding is hindered.
 Additional Equipment: You see through the schemes of others and occasionally convince them to believe you—even when, perhaps, they should not. Thanks to your clever behavior, you have 10 extra shins.
Destiny Committed You are wholeheartedly dedicated and loyal to a cause, activity, or job, shrugging off any obstacles that get in your way. When you pick this descriptor, you can work with your GM to figure out what that cause is. For instance, maybe you’re committed to tracking down someone who wronged you long ago. Alternatively, you can wait for a cause to catch your attention in the campaign. Either way, being committed is a personality trait for you, and once you decide to do something, you throw yourself into it with a vengeance. Steadfast: +4 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: You’re trained in tasks related to enduring trials of mind and body.
 Inability: Sometimes you come across as so single-minded that you put people off. Persuasion tasks are hindered.
 Dedication Brings Rewards: You tend to practice things over and over. Once between each ten-hour recovery roll, you gain an asset to similar actions involving the same task (such as making attacks against the same foe or operating the same device). The asset doesn’t apply to similar but different tasks (such as attacking a different foe, even if of the same kind, or operating a different but very similar device).
Destiny Confident You’re self-assured, which helps in almost every situation—at least situations where violence is not involved. Fortunately, because you’re so self-confident and positive, you’re usually able to steer situations away from violent endings. It’s possible that your confidence makes you seem levelheaded and cool in a tough situation, or your confidence could make you eager to prove your skills when the going gets rough—it’s up to you. Either way, others eventually learn that you’re confident for a good reason. Self-Reliant: +1 to each of your Pools.
 Skills: There is some basis for your confidence. You are trained in three nonphysical, non-combat skills of your choice.
 Failure Has Its Consequence: Sometimes confidence leads to overconfidence and a stark realization of failure. You trigger a GM intrusion on a d20 roll of 1 or 2.
 Confident Outlook: Sometimes confidence counts as much as or more than competence. When you set your mind to it, you are trained in one task for ten minutes, as long as that task is not an attack or a defense. You can do this once per rest (the ability is renewed each time you make a recovery roll).
Destiny Cultured Your excellent education and privileged upbringing has lent you a refined taste. You’re able to discern degrees of difference where others see, hear, or taste the same thing. Your awareness extends to artistic endeavors and general knowledge of the area you reside in and areas far from you (to the extent this knowledge is possible). You’re an example, if you do say so yourself, of the benefits that civilization can bring to someone. Though that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate other ways of living. Being cultured isn't an accident (or doesn't have to be); anyone can decide to broaden their horizons by trying to learn more, see more, and appreciate things outside their normal experience. Skill: You’re trained in all tasks related to knowledge of current events and history.

Skill: You ’re discerning, trained in all tasks related to perception, detecting differences, and noticing minor flaws (or strengths) in the works of others.
 Inability: People who are not Cultured may think of you as a snob. Any task involving getting people to believe or trust you is hindered.
 Learned: Being well read and well educated, you have a wide range of talents. You can attempt one task in which you have no training as if you were trained. This ability refreshes every time you make a recovery roll, but the uses never accumulate.
 Additional Equipment: You have a book on a topic of your choice and a set of very fine clothing.
Destiny Curious There once was a time when the prior worlds spoke to the stars, reshaped the creatures of the world, and mastered form and essence. Isn’t that incredible? Each day is a chance to rediscover a secret, a bit of knowledge, a story, or something you can’t even imagine yet. It’s dizzying, when you consider all there is to learn and discover. You’re drawn to explore the ruins of the prior worlds, places that are brand new and unique to the Ninth World, or civilizations that still exist among the stars high overhead.

Of course, if you’re going to satisfy your curiosity, you need to be careful. Before plunging directly into the unknown, you learn as much as you can about a new area through inquiry or exploration. Otherwise, you might not live long enough to see everything you want to see and do everything you want to do. "More times than not, a curious person is someone who is willing to be wrong." 		Inquisitive: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You see things others miss. You are trained in perception.

Skill: You’re always investigating something new and building up your knowledge. As a result, you can always find something interesting or engaging about any situation. You’re trained in all tasks related to detecting falsehoods, piercing illusions or disguises, and seeing past facades.
 Additional Equipment: You have three books on whatever subjects you choose.
Character Options 2 Deliberate You don't let events stir your emotions and tempt you into actions you might later regret. Others might see you as passive, possibly thinking you don't act in the moment because you don't care or are afraid. It's the opposite. You've found you can accomplish more and stay happier when you don't immediately act while you're angry or afraid, tired or anxious. You prefer to act when it's fully you making decisions, not a version of you blurred by emotion. Intellectual: +4 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You're trained in puzzle-solving tasks.

Skill: You're trained in tasks related to seeing through deception.

Skill: You're trained in tasks related to perception.
 Inability: The difficulty of all Speed defense tasks is one step higher for you.
Character Options 1 Dishonorable There is no honor among thieves—or betrayers, backstabbers, liars, or cheats. You are all of these things, and either you don’t lose any sleep over it, or you deny the truth to others or to yourself. Regardless, you are willing to do whatever it takes to get your own way. Honor, ethics, and principles are merely words. In your estimation, they have no place in the real world. Sneaky: +4 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in deception.

Skill: You are trained in stealth.

Skill: You are trained in intimidation.
 Inability: People don’t like or trust you. The difficulty of pleasant social interactions is increased by one step.
 Just Desserts: When the GM gives another character an XP to award to someone for a GM intrusion, that character cannot give it to you.
Character Options 1 Driven Driven characters can be "one-note” in some respect, and that can be dull. Some people may want to use Driven as a temporary descriptor that lasts until their mission is done, then choose a different descriptor. You have set your sights on a goal, and everything you do is in pursuit of that objective. The thing you seek defines you— shapes your decisions, colors your outlook, and impels you to take action even when your body and mind scream for you to give up and set the task aside, at least for a while. No matter the hardships you face along the way, you believe in your purpose and will let nothing stop you from achieving it. When you choose this descriptor, choose a goal that is possible to attain. You might set a goal of finding a lost parent, making a sacrifice at a rumored temple, learning how to perform a particular task, or gaining the funds to pay for a healer to treat a loved one. Once you achieve this goal, you may choose a new one. You probably talk about your mission all the time, bringing it up even when it’s only tangentially connected to the conversation. You usually consider other pursuits in the context of whether or not it advances your own agenda. Determined: +2 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: You ’re trained in Intellect defense actions.

Skill: Each day, choose one skill that you believe will clearly help you reach your goal. You are trained in tasks related to that skill.
 Inability: Your commitment to your goals makes it hard to relate to others who don’t share your objectives or to notice things that don’t pertain to your present mission. The difficulty of all perception tasks is increased by one step.
Destiny Earnest You always speak from the heart, rarely remembering that dissembling can be useful to smooth over awkward interpersonal situations. You’re sincere and feel things deeply. You like to get to the meat of whatever problem prevents you from succeeding, whether it’s a person, a physical obstacle, or a puzzle of some kind. Purposeful: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
Skill: You’re trained in persuasion.

Skill: You have a passion. You are trained in one area of lore or knowledge of your choice.

Skill: You’re trained in defense rolls to resist disease and poison.

Skill: You’re trained in all tasks involving providing consolation and emotional support to others.
 Inability: You never could detect a lie. Tasks that involve seeing through lies or trickery are hindered.
 Additional Equipment: You make deep and abiding friendships. Thanks to your earnest nature, a friend has given you an additional expensive item worth up to 10 shins.
Character Options 1 Empathic Other people are open books to you. You may have a knack for reading a person’s tells, those subtle movements that convey an individual’s mood and disposition. Or you may receive information in a more direct way, feeling a person’s emotions as if they were tangible things, sensations that lightly brush against your mind. Your gift for empathy helps you navigate social situations and control them to avoid misunderstandings and prevent useless conflicts from erupting. The constant bombardment of emotions from those around you likely takes a toll.

You might move with the prevailing mood, swinging from giddy happiness to bitter sorrow with little warning. Or you might close yourself off and remain inscrutable to others out of a sense of self-preservation or an unconscious fear that everyone else might learn how you truly feel. 		Open Mind: +4 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You ’re trained in tasks involving sensing other emotions, discerning dispositions, and getting a hunch about people around you.

Skill: You ’re trained in all tasks involving social interaction, pleasant or otherwise.
 Inability: Being so receptive to others’ thoughts and moods makes you vulnerable to anything that attacks your mind. The difficulty of Intellect defense rolls is increased by one step.
Destiny Empirical You trust only what you can see with your own eyes—and sometimes not even that. You’re most comfortable when you’ve had time to complete your research, find all the facts, and figure out the truth. Observer: +4 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in all actions involved with conducting tests to find proof, discern the truth, or glean information.
 Non-Resilient: If you haven’t had time to study something, you have a hard time taking action and moving forward. Whenever you receive a GM intrusion, any action you take in response is hindered.
 Quick Study: When you take 10 minutes to study whatever is in front of you and gain the facts, you feel more confident that you’re about to do the right thing. Your next non-combat action gains an asset.
Character Options 1 Exiled You have walked a long and lonely road, leaving your home and your life behind. You might have committed a heinous crime, something so awful that your people forced you out, and if you dare return, you face death. You might have been accused of a crime you didn’t commit and now must pay the price for someone else’s wicked deed. Your exile might be the result of a social gaffe—perhaps you shamed your family or a friend, or you embarrassed yourself in front of your peers, an authority, or someone you respect. Whatever the reason, you have left your old life behind and now strive to make a new one.

You probably have a memento from your past—an old picture, a locket with a few strands of hair inside, or a lighter given to you by someone important. You keep the object close at hand and pull it out to help you remember better times. 		Self-Reliant: +2 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: You’re trained in all tasks involving sneaking.

Skill: You’re trained in all tasks involving foraging, hunting, and finding safe places to rest or hide.
 Inability: Living on your own for as long as you have makes you slow to trust others and awkward in social situations. The difficulty of any task involving social interactions is increased by one step.
 Loner: You gain no benefit when you get help with a task from another character who is trained or specialized in that task.
Character Options 2 Extraterrestrial You're not from around here. You're from another world completely. The residents of the Ninth World are familiar with the weird, but you stand out as being something unique—or at least very rare—on the planet, which sometimes gives natives pause. What you look like, the reason you left your own world, and how you ended up on Earth are questions for you and your GM to work out. But whether you crashed, were exiled, are doing research, or got lost, the Ninth World is where you find yourself now. Alien Biology: +2 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: To survive on a strange world, you have to learn. You're trained in three noncombat skills.

Skill: The Ninth World is as strange to you as you are to it, but you've become accustomed to dealing with mental shocks. You're trained in Intellect defense tasks.
 Inability: People are sometimes put off by your visage or strange manner. The difficulty of pleasant social interactions with strangers is increased by one step.
Destiny Forward-thinking You take time to think about all angles of a future project or mission, so you can prepare for any and all contingencies. You’re not necessarily bad at thinking on your feet, but you work better when you have time to prepare for a situation. Because you’re forwardthinking, people may come to you for advice. You’re not better at guessing equally weighted outcomes, but then again, you know that few events are completely random. Things usually happen for a reason, and you excel at identifying such things ahead of time. A character who is Exacting isn’t necessarily thought of in a bad light by other PCs. They just make sure to frame all the facts as baldly as possible, without softening them. This can rub some people the wrong way, but an Exacting character is merely trying to achieve the best possible outcome. Thinker: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in initiative tasks.

Skill: You know how to leverage risk. You’re trained in tasks that involve some element of chance, such as playing games or choosing between two or three apparently equal options.
 Additional Equipment: You have about 30 extra shins hidden away for emergencies.
Discovery Graceful You have a perfect sense of balance, moving and speaking with grace and beauty. You’re quick, lithe, flexible, and dexterous. Your body is perfectly suited to dance, and you use that advantage in combat to dodge blows. You might wear garments that enhance your agile movement and sense of style. Agile: +2 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: You’re trained in acrobatics.

Skill: You’re trained in all tasks involving physical performing arts.

Skill: You’ re trained in all Speed defense tasks.
 Inability: You are agile but not tough. Might defense tasks are hindered.
Destiny Gregarious You love people, and they generally love you. You know how to interact with large groups and work the crowd. You’re likely to be a leader, a diplomat, or a very successful businessperson. You enjoy being around people, and you’re generally interested in what they have to say and what they think about things. You ask a lot of questions, and you’re generous and kind to those who deserve it (in fact, you’re often willing to give latitude to people who others would have given up on). Likable and Informed: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Add:
Skill: You’re trained in all tasks involving communication with large group of people.
 People Person: When you are within immediate range of at least two allies, the difficulty of one non-combat-related task is eased. You can do this only once, but its use is restored each time you make a recovery roll.

Getting the Word: If you spend an hour amid a large group of people, you can glean general rumors, gossip, or opinions they hold.
Character Options 1 Guarded You conceal your true nature behind a mask and are loath to let anyone see who you really are. Protecting yourself, physically and emotionally, is what you care about most, and you prefer to keep everyone else at a safe distance. You may be suspicious of everyone you meet, expecting the worst from people so you won’t be surprised when they prove you right. Or you might just be a bit reserved, careful about letting people through your gruff exterior to the person you really are.

No one can be as reserved as you are and make many friends. Most likely, you have an abrasive personality and tend to be pessimistic in your outlook. You probably nurse an old hurt and find that the only way you can cope is to keep it and your personality locked down. 		Suspicious: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in all Intellect defense tasks.

Skill: You are trained in all tasks involving discerning the truth, piercing disguises, and recognizing falsehoods and other deceptions.
 Inability: Your suspicious nature makes you unlikeable. The difficulty of any task involving deception or persuasion is increased by one step.
Character Options 1 Hardy Your body was built to take abuse. Whether you’re pounding down stiff drinks while holding up a bar in your favorite watering hole or trading blows with a thug in a back alley, you keep going, shrugging off hurts and injuries that might slow or incapacitate a lesser person. Neither hunger nor thirst, cut flesh nor broken bone can stop you. You just press on through the pain and continue.

As fit and healthy as you are, the signs of wear show in the myriad scars crisscrossing your body, your thrice-broken nose, your cauliflower ears, and any number of other disfigurements you wear with pride. 		Mighty: +4 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in Might defense actions.
 Inability: Your big, strong body is slow to react. The difficulty of any task involving initiative is increased by one step.

Ponderous: When you apply Effort when making a Speed roll, you must spend 1 extra point from your Speed Pool.
 Fast Healer: You halve the time it takes to make a recovery roll (minimum one action).

Unstoppable: While you are impaired, you function as if you were hale. While you are debilitated, you function as if you were impaired. In other words, you don’t suffer the effects of being impaired until you become debilitated, and you never suffer the effects of being debilitated. You still die if all your stat Pools are 0.
Character Options 1 Hideous You are physically repugnant by almost any human standard. You might have had a serious accident, a harmful mutation, or just poor genetic luck, but you are incontrovertibly ugly.

You’ve more than made up for your appearance in other ways, however. Because you had to hide your appearance, you excel at sneaking about unnoticed or disguising yourself. But perhaps most important, being ostracized while others socialized, you took the time growing up to develop yourself as you saw fit—you grew strong or quick, or you honed your mind. 		Versatile: You get 4 additional points to divide among your stat Pools.
 Skill: You are trained in intimidation and any other fear-based interactions.

Skill: You are trained in disguise and stealth tasks.
 Inability: The difficulty of all tasks relating to pleasant social interaction is increased by one step.
Character Options 1 Honorable You are trustworthy, fair, and forthright. You try to do what is right, to help others, and to treat them well. Lying and cheating are no way to get ahead—these things are for the weak, the lazy, or the despicable. You probably spend a lot of time thinking about your personal honor, how best to maintain it, and how to defend it if challenged. In combat, you are straightforward and offer quarter to any foe. You were likely instilled with this sense of honor by a parent or a mentor. Sometimes the distinction between what is and isn’t honorable varies with different schools of thought, but in broad strokes, honorable people can agree on most aspects of what honor means. Stalwart: +2 to your Might Pool and +2 to Intellect pool
 Skill: You are trained in pleasant social interactions.

Skill: You are trained in discerning people’s true motives or seeing through lies.
 Inability: Any task involving deception is hindered.
Destiny Imaginative You have a flair for making things up. Whenever something else isn’t occupying your attention, you’re creating an ongoing narrative or mental picture within the confines of your own mind. Sometimes, what you imagine becomes a useful idea or something you write, paint, or draw. Mainly, however, you live inside your own head, content to imagine all the things that the world around you sometimes fails to provide. Brainy: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You’ve got a flair for art and are trained in one of the following skills: painting, drawing, singing, poetry, writing, sculpting, playing a style of musical instrument, or something similar.
 Imaginative Solution: When you apply a level of Effort to any Intellect task, you gain a free level of Effort. You can do this one time, although the ability is renewed each time you make a ten-hour recovery roll.
Character Options 1 Impulsive You have a hard time tamping down your enthusiasm. Why wait when you can just do it (whatever it is) and get it done? You deal with problems when they arise rather than plan ahead. Putting out the small fires now prevents them from becoming one big fire later. You are the first to take risks, to jump in and lend a hand, to step into dark passages, and to find danger.

Your impulsiveness likely gets you into trouble. While others might take time to study the numenera they discover, you use such items without hesitation. After all, the best way to learn what something can do is to use it. When a cautious explorer might look around and check for danger nearby, you have to physically stop yourself from bulling on ahead. Why fuss around when the exciting thing is just ahead?

Impulsive characters get into trouble. That’s their thing, and that’s fine. But if you’re constantly dragging your fellow PCs into trouble (or worse, getting them seriously hurt or killed), that will be annoying, to say the least. A good rule of thumb is that impulsiveness doesn’t always mean a predilection to do the wrong thing. Sometimes it’s the urge to do the right thing.
Reckless: +4 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: You’re trained in initiative actions (to determine who goes first in combat).

Skill: You ’re trained in acrobatics.
 Inability: You’ll try anything once or twice. The difficulty of any task that involves patience, willpower, or discipline is increased by one step.
Destiny Industrious You’re rarely satisfied with the status quo. You’re always thinking about how you’d like to advance your agenda or improve a situation (whether it’s your situation or someone else’s). Whatever your goal, you come at things with an idea of how you’ll accomplish everything that needs to be done to achieve it. One of the secrets to being industrious is learning how to manage time wisely. Energetic: +4 to your Speed Pool.
 Inability: You’re energetic but not fast. All movement-related tasks are hindered.
 Ready for What’s Next: You add +1 to your recovery rolls.

Imaginative Solution: When you apply a level of Effort to any Intellect task, you gain a free level of Effort. You can do this one time, although the ability is renewed each time you make a ten-hour recovery roll.
Character Options 1 Inquisitive The world is vast and mysterious, with wonders and secrets to keep you amazed for several lifetimes. You feel the tugging on your heart, the call to explore the wreckage of past civilizations, to discover new peoples, new places, and whatever bizarre wonders you might find along the way. However, as strongly as you feel the pull to roam the world, you know there is danger aplenty, and you take precautions to ensure that you are prepared for any eventuality. Research, preparation, and readiness will help you live long enough to see everything you want to see and do everything you want to do.

You probably have a dozen books and travelogues about the world on you at any time. When not hitting the road and looking around, you spend your time with your nose in a book, learning everything you can about the place you’re going so you know what to expect when you get there. 		Smart: +4 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are eager to learn. You are trained in any task that involves learning something new, whether you’re talking to a local to get information or digging through old books to find lore.

Skill: You have made a study of the world. You are trained in any task involving geography or history.
 Inability: You tend to fixate on the details, making you somewhat oblivious to what’s going on around you. The difficulty of any task to hear or notice dangers around you is increased by one step.

Inability: When you see something interesting, you hesitate as you take in all the details. The difficulty of initiative actions (to determine who goes first in combat) is increased by one step.
 Additional Equipment: You have three books on whatever subjects you choose.
Character Options 2 Insolent Why should you have to put up with others' shortcomings? In your opinion, most people are idiots, your friends excluded. If you're being completely honest, compared to your versatility and obvious superiority, most people are misguided, thick-headed, and a waste of space. If someone wants your attention, you usually make them prove themselves first. That doesn't win you many new friends. But it's funny to see them fume. Flip: +4 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: You're not afraid of anything, nor do you put up with others' mental games. You are trained in Intellect defense tasks.

Insulting: You are trained with all task involving insulting others, drawing attention to youself and draw the attack.
 Inability: The difficulty of all tasks relating to social interaction is increased by one step.
 Additional Equipment: Thanks to your insolent behavior, you have an additional oddity, given to you by someone who, having reached the breaking point over your impudence, offered you the object if you would just go away.
Destiny Intimidating You are imposing, either in manner, stature, or both. People’s eyes often grow wide as you enter a room. There’s a touch of danger around you, and most people can sense it. It’s off-putting and unnerving, but you can use it to your advantage. Perhaps your voice is gravelly and low. Perhaps it’s the hardened stare you give people or the scars that cover your face. Or maybe you’re just a looming presence with a big weapon. Whatever it is, you scare people. "Being intimidating is sometimes as easy as keeping your mouth closed." Threatening: +2 to your Might Pool or +2 to your Intellect Pool or +1 to both Pools.
 Skill: You ’re trained in all intimidation tasks.
 Inability: You’re threatening but not a quick study. Tasks related to lore and knowledge are hindered.

Inability: Pleasant social interaction tasks.
 Threaten: Foes within immediate distance hesitate, which hinders their next action. You can do this once, although the ability is renewed each time you make a recovery roll. Action.

Menace: One foe you choose within immediate range uses their next action to move away from you. You can do this once, although the ability is renewed each time you make a recovery roll. Action.
Destiny Intuitive You are often tickled by a sense of knowing what someone will say, how they will react, or how events might unfold. Maybe you have a mutant sense, maybe you can see just a few moments ahead through time, or maybe you’re just good at reading people and extrapolating a situation. Whatever the case, many who look into your eyes immediately glance away, as if afraid of what you might see in their expression. Innate: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in perception tasks.
 Know What to Do: You can act immediately, even if it’s not your turn. Afterward, on your next regular turn, any action you take is hindered. You can do this one time, although the ability is renewed each time you make a recovery roll.
Destiny Irrepressible Your enthusiasm knows few bounds. Even when things become truly dire, you aren’t deterred for long. If you’re hurt, you bounce back. If you’re insulted, you try to find common ground. In fact, that’s what people say about you—that you always make a comeback, even if it seems like you were beaten. You may change your plans based on c the situation at hand, but you never really give up. You just move along toward something better and brighter. Sturdy Spirit: +4 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: You ’re enthusiastic, trained in all tasks related to positive social interaction.
 Inability: You have a hard time recognizing confidence games and similar schemes, especially when you’re the target. Intellect defense tasks to do so are hindered.
 Bounces Back: You add +1 to your recovery rolls.
Discovery Learned You have studied, either on your own or with an instructor. You know many things and are an expert on a few topics, such as history, biology, geography, the numenera, nature, or any other area of study. Learned characters typically carry a few books around with them and spend their spare time reading.
Smart: +4 to your Intellect Pool
 Skill: You ’re trained in three areas of knowledge of your choice.
 Inability: You have few social graces. Any task involving charm, persuasion, or etiquette is hindered.
 Additional Equipment: You have two additional books on topics of your choice.
Character Options 2 Lonely There are many possible reasons why you’re lonely. Maybe you’re on the run from justice (or injustice), and it’s not safe to show your face. Maybe your friends are missing, or dead. Or maybe you’re just really bad with people, and whenever you try to make friends, you inadvertently rebuff them. But for good or for ill, you’re getting used to being alone. Self-Reliant: +2 to your Might Pool.
 Skills: You have to fill the time you’re alone with something. You are trained in four noncombat skills of your choice.
 Inability: Willpower is not one of your strong points. Whenever you try to resist a mental attack, the difficulty is increased by one step.

Inability: You’re not the outdoorsy type. The difficulty of all climbing, running, jumping, and swimming tasks is increased by one step.
 Side Track: While talking, you annoy and distract another creature, even if the creature can’t understand you. For as long as you do nothing but speak (you can’t even move), the other creature takes no actions other than to defend itself, even over multiple rounds. If the creature is attacked, the effect ends. You can do this one time, although the ability is renewed each time you make a recovery roll.
Destiny Loyal It’s in your nature to form strong attachments. And when you attach yourself to a person, a group, or an institution, you can’t do anything else but remain true to it, even in the face of attacks that put you at risk of life and limb. It gives you pleasure to give your aid to others. In the past, some may have accused you of being blindly loyal, which is ridiculous. If someone shows you truly incontrovertible evidence that the person or institution that you’ve given yourself to is not worthy, you’d like to think that you would weigh all the evidence and come to a decision based on the facts and the facts alone. "Being loyal starts with treating someone else like you want to be treated." Resolute: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Inability: You have a hard time seeing disloyalty in others. Tasks that involve detecting falsehoods and seeing through disguises are hindered.
 Devoted: If an ally within immediate range descends one step on the damage track, you can act immediately but in a restricted fashion. You can use this action either to move the willing ally up to an immediate distance or to attempt a healing task on your ally.

Faithful: When you help a creature to make or avoid an attack in combat, you regain 1 point to one of your Pools (this is true whether the task you helped with succeeds or fails). You can do this one time, although the ability renews each time you make a recovery roll.
Character Options 2 Manipulative People are easy. If you spend enough time with someone, you soon learn what is most important to them. Once you know that, you can use that knowledge to your own advantage, and get what you want from them. It's not that you're interested in hurting people for the sake of seeing them suffer. Not at all. You just want what you want, and manipulating others is by far the easiest way to that end. Devious: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in deception.

Skill: You are trained in persuasion.

Skill: You are trained in intimidation.
 Cautious: You are devious, not quick. Any time you spend points from your Speed Pool, it costs you 1 more than usual.
Destiny Meddlesome Some say you’re nosy and ask too many questions. It’s true you constantly ask why, because the Ninth World is a big place full of both wonderful and terrifying things. If you don’t explore it, how will you ever know what’s going on? But even more than the mysteries of prior-world ruins, you relish uncovering the complexities and relationships that spring up inside communities. You especially like to figure out who is sweet on whom, who is lying to whom, and who is secretly on the wrong side of the law. You relish knowing the full story, and the only way to get that in difficult situations is to meddle. Analytical: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You see things other people miss. You are trained in perception and detecting falsehoods.

Skill: You have a knack for getting into places others want to remain undisturbed. You are trained in stealth tasks.

Skill: You get a thrill from knowing the right answer. You’re trained in tasks to remember pertinent details on a topic you once heard or read about.
Character Options 2 Mercurial You're not moody—you're adaptable. People who never change their mind are people who never learn, or who never want to. If new information comes your way (or you reimagine how you've been thinking about a topic), you don't let how you used to regard something sway your newest opinion. Life is too short to do the same thing the same way for all your remaining days. The same is true for your emotions—you enjoy experiencing the full range. Volatile: +2 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: People never know what to think with you. You are trained in deception.
 Inability: By changing your mind so often, you leave yourself open to manipulation. The difficulty of any Intellect defense task is increased by one step.
 Changeable: Changing tacks sometimes achieves your objective. When you fail at a task, you can change the way you go about achieving it and roll twice on the second attempt and take the higher result. For example, instead of trying to pick the lock a second time, you might elect to bash the door down. Or instead of trying to skewer the tetrahydra with your sword a second time, you might take a shot with your buzzer.
Technically, PCs using Changeable are not retrying the same task when they change tacks to achieve the same end, and may not have to apply a level of Effort as they would for regular retries.
Discovery Mystical/mechanical You have a special talent that can be viewed in one of two ways. You might think of yourself as “mystical,” and thus attuned with the mysterious and the paranormal, or you might think of yourself as “mechanical,” and thus adept with devices and machines. In either case, your true talents lie with the numenera. You likely have experience with ancient lore, and you can sense and wield the numenera— though whether that means “magic” or “technology” is up to you (and probably up to those around you as well).

Mystical characters often wear jewelry, such as a ring or an amulet, or have tattoos or other marks that show their interests. Mechanical characters tend to carry a lot of tools and treat them almost like talismans. 		Smart: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You ’re trained in all actions involving understanding numenera.
 Inability: You have a manner or an aura that others find a bit unnerving. Any task involving charm, persuasion, or deception is hindered.
 Sense “Magic”: You can sense whether the numenera is active in situations where its presence is not obvious. You must study an object or location closely for a minute to get a feel for whether the touch of the ancients is at work.

Esotery: You can perform the esotery known as Hedge Magic when you have a free hand and can pay the Intellect point cost.

Hedge Magic: You can perform small tricks: temporarily change the color or basic appearance of a small object, cause small objects to float through the air, clean a small area, mend a broken object, prepare (but not create) food, and so on. You can’t use Hedge Magic to harm another creature or object. Action.
 Additional Equipment: You have an extra oddity, determined by the GM.
Character Options 1 Naive You’ve lived a sheltered life. Your childhood was safe and secure, so you didn’t get a chance to learn much about the world—and even less chance to experience it. Whether you were training for something, had your nose in a book, or just were sequestered in a secluded place, you haven’t done much, met many people, or seen many interesting things so far. That’s probably going to change soon, but as you go forward into a larger world, you do so without some of the understanding that others possess about how it all works. Incorruptible: You are trained in Intellect defense tasks and all tasks that involve resisting temptation.

Skill: You’re wide-eyed. You are trained in perception tasks.
 Inability: The difficulty of any task that involves seeing through deceptions or determining someone’s secret motive is increased by one step.
 Fresh: You add +1 to your recovery rolls.
Destiny Nurturing You’re a born caregiver. When you see someone in need, you’re there with an encouraging word, assistance, and an honest desire to see them grow and improve. Some nurturers focus only on children, who of course have the most growing to do, but your focus is wider. You nurture anyone—not only people but institutions and communities, too. Caregiver: +2 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in healing tasks.
 Nurturing: Allies who have spent the last day with you add +1 to their recovery rolls. You also gain this benefit if at least one other ally gains it.
Destiny Obsessive Few things are as wonderful as getting lost in what you love. Time slips past, hour after hour, while you’re in the flow. Whether you are obsessed with killing bandits, climbing, or studying something like secrets, abhumans, or mutants, your ability to sink into what most interests you is what allows you to succeed. Everything else seems less important, and this allows you to focus. Preoccupied: Any task that is not related to your current obsession is hindered. The player and GM can decide whether a particular situation warrants this disadvantage.
 Your Obsession: At the beginning of each day, choose one concept on which you will concentrate. For the rest of that day, you’re obsessed with that concept. This doesn’t mean you ignore anything not related to your obsession. It just means you are at your best when performing tasks related to the obsession, and you are slightly inattentive when performing tasks that are not.

Enthralled: When you attempt a non-combat task that is directly related to your current obsession, you gain an asset. The player and GM can decide whether a particular situation warrants this benefit.
Destiny Optimistic You’re more than hopeful about what the future will bring, confident that it will be bright. Some optimistic people are bubbly and full of cheer. Others are quietly confident, their optimism revealed by the shine in their eyes and the way they’re quick to try again when they fail. Optimism sometimes means you expect the best in others, but it doesn’t mean you are blind to other’s failings. You only hope they can do better, just as you hope you yourself can. An Optimistic explorer is far more likely to find something worthwhile than someone who expects the worst. No matter what the optimist finds, it’s likely to be appreciated rather than denigrated. Spirited: +4 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in Intellect defense tasks.
 Inability: You have a lightness of being, but you really feel it when you’re physically challenged. Might defense tasks are hindered.
 Shrugs Off Disappointment: When you fail at a non-combat task and try that task again the very next round, you can apply a free level of Effort toward the success of that task. This benefit effectively alleviates the requirement to apply a level of Effort when retrying failed tasks.
Destiny Organized You can’t stand a mess, whether physically or metaphorically, when it comes to plans and activities. Your explorer’s pack is neatly catalogued and perfectly packed, so you never have to dig around in it when you’re looking for something. The same is true of where you live, whether that’s in a home, a temporary lodging, or a camp site. A neatly arranged living space and a well-conceived plan both contribute to everyone’s peace of mind. Ordered: +4 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in tasks related to perception, planning, and organizing.
 Inability: You really can’t stand a mess. Intellect defense tasks are hindered in messy or chaotic locations.
 Benefits of Organization: You can take one additional free action while you are at a location that you have organized to your liking (which means having spent at least ten minutes there tidying and organizing) or if you are following a plan that hasn’t diverged from the original conception. You can do this only once, but its use is restored each time you make a ten-hour recovery roll.
 Additional Equipment: You have an explorer’s pack with extra pockets and compartments.
Destiny Passionate A fire burns in you. Whether that fire is for a person, a place, a people, a concept, or something else, you are driven by it. Passionate characters are sometimes champions for a cause or defenders of a faith. Or they might just be driven individuals. You might be seen as a hothead by some, temperamental and dangerous. But even if that’s true, you keep your word and take your commitments seriously, and it’s hard to find fault with that. You won’t let any challenge stand in your way. You charge right in. Skill: You are trained in athletics.
 Inability: Your temper is hard to control. Tasks requiring restraint or subtlety, including sneaking or lying, are hindered.
 Fever: You are a devil when angered, inflicting 1 additional point of damage with any attack.

Fire Inside: You gain one asset to an action when doing so can be justified by your passion. You can do this only once, but its use is restored each time you make a recovery roll.
Character Options 1 Perceptive You miss little. You pick out the small details in the world around you and are skilled at making deductions from the information you find. Your talents make you an exceptional sleuth, a formidable scientist, or a talented scout. As adept as you are at finding clues, you have no skill at picking up on social cues. You overlook an offense that your deductions give or how uncomfortable your scrutiny can make the people around you. You tend to dismiss others as being intellectual dwarfs compared to you, which avails you little when you need a favor. Smart: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You have an eye for detail. You are trained in any task that involves finding or noticing small details.

Skill: You know a little about everything. You are trained in any task that involves identifying objects or calling to mind a minor detail or bit of trivia.

Skill: Your skill at making deductions can be imposing. You are trained in any task that involves intimidating another creature.
 Inability: Your confidence comes off as arrogance to people who don’t know you. The difficulty of any task involving positive social interactions is increased by one step.
 Additional Equipment: You have a bag of light tools.
Destiny Persevering You don’t give up even in the face of calamity, danger, or personal tragedy. Luckily, calamity and tragedy are rare enough that you’re not constantly testing your resolve. Instead, you show your perseverance most often in the face of boredom, long slogs, and situations where others are tempted to give up. Determined: +2 to your Intellect Pool or +2 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in tasks related to endurance and keeping at an undertaking in the face of difficulties.
 Irrepressible Reaction: Whenever you receive a GM intrusion (either by rolling a 1 or by getting one from the GM), one action you take in response within the next minute gains an asset.
Destiny Prepared It’s usually not for you to make the plans. Instead, you prepare for whatever the plan is. You’re happiest when you’ve got enough time before an event to assemble the best possible selection of tools, provisions, or resources that will contribute toward that event’s overall success. Often, being prepared means having the tools necessary to fix, fashion, or modify another piece of equipment, be it mundane or exotic. Any group of PCs is happy to have someone prepared along on a journey, because more often than not, the difference between success and failure is preparation. Ready: +4 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in initiative tasks.
 Inflexible: You’re not usually surprised, so it’s extra surprising when you are. The first action you take after being surprised or when a foe attacks you before you have acted is hindered.
 Tool Aficionado: If a tool enables a noncombat task but does not provide an asset, you gain an asset to that task anyway when using a tool. If a tool provides an asset to a non-combat task, you gain one additional asset when using it.
 Additional Equipment: A bag of light tools.
Destiny Protective You protect what’s close to you, which is usually your friends and allies, as well as an institution or a community. To some extent, people and communities can look out for themselves, but people join together for a reason. When others find themselves in harm’s way, you’re a perfect fit for helping to avoid such outcomes. It’s deeply satisfying to know that your attention contributes to the safety and well-being of everyone around you. Change to:
+2 to Might and +2 to Intellect
 Skills: You are trained in tasks related to perception and healing.
 Inability: You’re watchful, not bright. Knowledge-based tasks are hindered.
 Step in Front: If you successfully draw the attack so that a foe attacks you instead of the target they originally intended to attack, you have +2 Armor against that attack. You can do this one time, although the ability renews each time you make a recovery roll.
Destiny Relentless Life has thrown a lot of trouble your way. Disasters large and small have nearly stamped you out, but you’ve emerged from each alive and moving forward. You are stronger for it, but also scarred by what you had to do to survive. People less unyielding than you are now gone. That’s not going to happen to you because you never give up. Survivor: +4 to your Might Pool.
 Skills: You are trained in tasks related to healing and finding food and water.
 Inability: You’re not a people person. Interaction tasks are hindered.
 Survivor’s Intuition: You can come up with a random piece of information pertinent to the current situation when you wish. It is always an objective fact and must be something you could have logically read or seen in the past. You can do this one time, although the ability renews each time you make a ten-hour recovery roll.
Examples of using Survivor’s Intuition: The PC recalls that the abhumans they just encountered secrete poison. The PC remembers that the strange weather ahead doesn’t resemble
Character Options 2 Resourceful When things look tight, you're the one your friends expect to find the way out or figure out what to do next. You don't find it a burden. Figuring out what's next or finding a clue that points the way forward is the kind of challenge you enjoy. If nothing else, you come prepared to most situations carrying a variety of small tools that just might serve in a pinch. Smart: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are eager to learn. You are trained in any task that involves learning something new, whether you're talking to a local to get information or digging through old books to find lore.
 Inability: You tend to fixate on the details, making you somewhat oblivious to what's going on around you. The difficulty of any task to notice danger around you is increased by one step.
 Planner: You're the one with a plan. When you observe or study a location for at least 10 minutes, the next time you interact with it (possibly in the following round), the difficulty of a related task (such as finding a clue, a tool, or a secret compartment) is reduced by one step.
 Additional Equipment: You have a bag of light tools.
Destiny Risk-taking It’s part of your nature to question what others think can’t or shouldn’t be done. You’re not insane, of course—you wouldn’t attempt to leap across a mile-wide chasm just because you were dared. There’s impossible and then there’s the just barely possible. You like to push the latter further than others, because it gives you a rush of satisfaction and pleasure when you succeed. The more you succeed, the more you find yourself looking for that next risky challenge to try yourself against. Nimble: +4 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: You’re adept at leveraging risk, and you are trained in tasks that involve some element of chance, such as playing games or choosing between two or three apparently equal options.
 Inability: You may be nimble, but you’re not sneaky. Tasks related to sneaking and staying quiet are hindered.
 Pressing Your Luck: You can choose to automatically succeed on one task without rolling, as long as the task’s difficulty is no higher than level 6. When you do so, however, you also trigger a GM intrusion as if you had rolled a 1. The intrusion doesn’t invalidate the success, but it probably qualifies it in some fashion. You can do this one time, although the ability renews each time you make a ten-hour recovery roll.
When a GM intrusion qualifies a success, it means that something else happens in addition to the success that the target wasn’t expecting. For instance, maybe the attack hits, but the character falls down or their weapon becomes stuck.
Discovery Rugged You’re a nature lover accustomed to living rough, pitting your wits against the elements. Most likely, you’re a skilled hunter, gatherer, or naturalist. Years of living in the wild have left their mark with a worn countenance, wild hair, or scars. Your clothing is probably much less refined than the garments worn by city dwellers. Skill: You’re trained in acrobatics and athletics.

Skill: You’re trained in all tasks involving training, riding, or placating natural animals.

Skill: You’re trained in all tasks involving identifying or using natural plants.
 Inability: You have no social graces and prefer animals to people. Any task involving charm, persuasion, etiquette, or deception is hindered.
 Additional Equipment: You carry an explorer’s pack. If you already have one, you can instead take 50 extra feet (15 m) of rope, two more days’ worth of rations, and an extra ranged weapon.
Destiny Serene You are as still as untroubled water and as smooth as glass. Even when difficulties arise, you maintain your cool, your self-control, and your serene demeanor. Part of it comes to you naturally, but serenity also requires discipline and conscious control of your emotions. Rising to the bait offered by an ally, a foe, or a chance-met lout in the street is something you would do only if it advanced your own agenda—not because you lost control. Self-Possessed: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in Intellect defense tasks.

Skill: You are hard to rile, and you are trained in all actions that involve overcoming or ignoring the effects of fear, intimidation, or panic.
Discovery Stealthy You’re sneaky, slippery, and fast. These talents help you hide, move quietly, and pull off tricks that require sleight of hand. Most likely, you’re wiry and small. However, you’re not much of a sprinter— you’re more dexterous than fleet of foot. Quick: +2 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: You’re trained in all stealthy tasks.

Skill: You’re trained in all interactions involving lies or trickery.

Skill: You’re trained in all esoteries or special abilities involving illusions or trickery.
 Inability: You’re sneaky but not fast. All movement-related tasks are hindered.
Discovery Strong You’re extremely strong and physically powerful, and you use these qualities well, whether through violence or feats of prowess. You likely have a brawny build and impressive muscles. Very Powerful: +4 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: You ’re trained in athletics.
 Additional Equipment: You have an extra medium weapon or heavy weapon.
Discovery Strong-willed You’re tough-minded, willful, and independent. No one can talk you into anything or change your mind when you don’t want it changed. This quality doesn’t necessarily make you smart, but it does make you a bastion of willpower and resolve. You likely dress and act with unique style and flair, not caring what others think. Willful: +4 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You ’re trained in resisting mental effects.

Skill: You ’re trained in tasks requiring incredible focus or concentration.
 Inability: Willful doesn’t mean brilliant. Any task that involves figuring out puzzles or problems, memorizing things, or using lore is hindered.
Character Options 2 Subterranean You prefer the close dark of tunnels, caves, buried corridors, and ancient underground passages to the open air. You'll put up with overland travel, but you really come into your own once you head into a ruin or buried vault. You never feel more alive than when you are squeezing through apertures that wake instant claustrophobia in others. Sturdy: +2 to your Might Pool.
 Skill: You're trained in tasks related to finding your way and avoiding becoming lost.

Skill: You're trained in climbing tasks.

Skill: You're trained in tasks related to squeezing into and out of tight places.
 Inability: You're slightly unsettled in open spaces. You regain 1 less point than normal when you make recovery rolls out in the open (minimum 1 point).
 Additional Equipment: You have a glowglobe, a dozen pitons, and a rope.
Discovery Swift You move quickly, able to sprint in short bursts and work with your hands with dexterity. You’re great at crossing distances quickly but not always smoothly. You are likely slim and muscular. Fast: +4 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: You ’re trained in initiative actions (to determine who goes first in combat).

Skill: You ’re trained in running actions.
 Inability: You’re fast but not necessarily graceful. Any task involving balance is hindered.
Character Options 1 Tongue-tied You’ve never been much of a talker. When forced to interact with others, you never think of the right thing to say—words fail you entirely, or they come out all wrong. You often end up saying precisely the wrong thing and insult someone unintentionally. Most of the time, you just keep mum.

This makes you a listener instead—a careful observer. It also means that you’re better at doing things than talking about them. You’re quick to take action. 		Actions, Not Words: +2 to your Might Pool, and +2 to your Speed Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in perception.

Skill: You are trained in initiative (unless it’s a social situation).
 Inability: The difficulty of all tasks relating to social interaction is increased by one step.

Inability: The difficulty of all tasks involving verbal communication or relaying information is increased by one step.
Discovery Tough You’re strong and can take a lot of physical punishment. You might have a large frame and a square jaw. Tough characters frequently have visible scars. Sturdy: +4 to Might Pool
 Skill: You’ re trained in Might defense actions.
 Healthy: Add 1 to the points you regain when you make a recovery roll.
 Additional Equipment: You have an extra light weapon.
Destiny Vicious You try to hide what’s inside, fold it into yourself when everything inside you screams to let go, make them pay, make them hurt, and make them bleed. Sometimes you succeed for your friends—smiling like they smile, laughing when they laugh, and sometimes even having other emotions of your own. But it’s always there, that feeling of frantic glee mixed with hate that sometimes leaps out of you when you confront a foe. Violence your friends can tolerate, but you sometimes worry they will also learn that you are cruel. "A vicious ally is a good thing to have, until it isn’t." Skill: You are trained in tracking creatures If a creature has wronged you, the tracking task is eased.
 Berserk: Once you begin fighting, it’s hard for you to stop. In fact, it’s a difficulty 4 Intellect task to do so, even if your foe surrenders or you’ve run out of foes. If the latter occurs and you fail to stop, you attack the nearest ally within short range.
 Bloodthirsty: Once you begin fighting, you see only red. You inflict 2 additional points of damage with any attack.
 Additional Equipment: You have a book in which you’ve listed the names of those who’ve wronged you.
Character Options 2 Vigilant You keep watch for the safety and protection of others (and sometimes, just for yourself). Your attention pays off, allowing you to detect when others lie and when foes wait in ambush, and to concentrate your mind more fully on the tasks you deem to be important. Mindful: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in detecting deception.

Skill: You are trained in initiative actions.
 Additional Equipment: You have a spyglass.
Character Options 1 Weird You aren’t like anyone else, and that’s fine with you. People don’t seem to understand you—they even seem put off by you—but who cares? You understand the Ninth World better than they do because you’re weird, and so is the world you live in. The concept of “the weird” is well known to you. Strange devices, ancient locales, bizarre creatures, storms that can transform you, living energy fields, and things most people can’t even name populate the world, and you thrive on it. You have a special attachment to it all, and the more you discover about the weirdness in the world, the more you might discover about yourself.

Weird characters might be mutants or born with strange qualities, but sometimes they started out “normal” and adopted the weird by choice.

From a certain perspective, almost all Numenera characters are weird. So a character with the Weird descriptor really has to go the extra step. Work with the GM to come up with ways to really make your weird character memorable. Remember, though, weird doesn’t mean insane or evil. In fact, if Numenera teaches us anything, it’s that weird is good. 		Inner Light: +2 to your Intellect Pool.
 Skill: You are trained in understanding numenera.
 Inability: People find you unnerving. The difficulty of all tasks relating to pleasant social interaction is increased by one step.
 Distinctive Physical Quirk: You have a unique physical aspect that is, well, bizarre.
For example, perhaps instead of hair, you have metal spikes on your head. Perhaps your hands don’t connect to your arms, although they move as if they do. Maybe a third eye stares out from the side of your head, superfluous tendrils grow from your back, or you have no nose. Whatever it is, your quirk might be a mutation, a biomechanical transformation, or a feature with no explanation.

A Sense for the Weird: Sometimes—at the GM’s discretion—weird things relating to the numenera or its effects on the world seem to call out to you. You can sense them from afar, and if you get within long range of such a thing, you can sense whether it is overtly dangerous or not.