Afflictions

An Affliction is a statement of truth about a character which is part of their dharma. [p161] Whether your character tries or not, reality will bend itself around them to fulfill the Affliction. Afflictions can be helpful, harmful, or both simultaneously, depending on how they apply to the situation. [p162]

You as a player are the source of truth for what the Affliction means, but it is up to the HG to decide when it applies during play and what it means for the specific situation. [p166]

What does an Affliction say about you?

Just like a Bond, an Affliction is any of the following kinds of statements: [p161]

  • Something you must (or ought to) do.
  • Something you can’t (or shouldn’t) do.
  • Something that drives you into action.

How do Afflictions come to be?

  • Chosen at character creation. [p161]

  • Shuffled and tweaked between Stories (or at any time with HG consent). [p176]

  • Applied from Estate Properties via a Persona miracle. [p201]
    • Such an Affliction has a rating equal to the Persona rating and (at the HG’s discretion) causes miracles of equal strength to the Persona miracle that applied it.

  • Temporarily applied by suffering a Serious Wound (Affliction rating 1) [p325] or Deadly Wound (Affliction rating 1-5). [p326]

  • Acquired by being bound as the receptable for the covenant of a Res. [p275]

When do Afflictions come into play?

  • The HG declares miracles that happen on behalf of your Affliction. [p166]
    • This may happen at any time, at the HG’s discretion.
    • This doesn’t use up a mundane or miraculous action of your own.
    • The typical miracle level is (Affliction rating + 1), but the actual level up to HG’s discretion, and may correspond to a Miracle Ladder. [p167]
    • The miracle is additionally defended by an Auctoritas of (Affliction rating). [p167]
  • When your Affliction gives you trouble, you gain some MP. [p167]
    • The amount of MP is at the HG’s discretion (minimum 1). [p168]
  • When an Affliction is made to be paradoxical with itself or another Affliction, the player must either suggest a plausible resolution to the HG, or take a Wound. [p168]
    • The maximum possible Wound is determined by the Affliction rating: [p165]
      • Surface Wound (rating of 1)
      • Serious Wound (rating of 2-3)
      • Deadly Wound (rating of 4)
      • Two Deadly Wounds (rating of 5)
    • This Wound counts as “giving you trouble”, for the purposes of gaining MP. [p165]
    • Note that you’ll also gain a Wound-related Affliction for each Serious Wound (Affliction rating 1) [p325] or Deadly Wound (Affliction rating 1-5). [p326]
    • After taking the Wound, the player may choose to remove the Affliction that was broken. [p169]
  • When you get someone into trouble with their Bonds or Afflictions, force them to break a Bond, or make their Affliction paradoxical, you can perform the Nettle Rite to gain the same amount of MP they gained for their trouble. [p340]

How can I overcome an Affliction?

  • Acting in such a way that ignores an Affliction on yourself or others requires a miracle with sufficient Strike to overcome the Auctoritas protecting the Affliction - that is, you must have at least as many points of Strike as the rating of the Affliction. [p325]

What about edge cases?

  • When two Afflictions are in direct conflict, they both fail, regardless of their ratings. [p168]
    • This happens because each Affliction is protected by an Auctoritas, and any miracles described by the HG on behalf of an Affliction will not include the Strike that’s needed to negate the Auctorita.
    • The player for an Affliction may spend MP or invoke a Bond to attempt to gain enough Strike to overcome the opposing Auctoritas.


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