ATTRIBUTES & SKILLS
Overview
Since ancient times, the legendary items known as Beanuts have been an icon in the world of magic. It is historically accepted that the Primal Tok were the original Bearers of the Beanuts, though the reasons for this are not as clear. The most widely believed explanation is simply that the Beanuts themselves originated in the Torgali Jungle, and have been spread around the world since the dawn of the Tok. Whatever the true story is, it does not deny the fact that Beanuts are found virtually everywhere in the world in such a variety that it would be nearly impossible to categorize them.
Though each Beanut is as versatile and unpredictable as the people of the world, a Beanut’s life experience, the personalities that influence it, and its environment all play a part in a Beanut’s abilities and self-growth.
Characteristics &
Personality
Including both inherent Traits and not-so-positive Flaws, the “personality” of each Beanut affects who it gets along with, what actions it’s willing to help out with, and even in some extreme cases, who is able to interact with it at all. Without learning what makes your Beanut unique, you will never truly unlock its potential.
Harmony:
Using a Beanut
As a form of Arcane Focus, Beanuts are magnificent helpers. When a Beanut is treated well, it may even develop its own unique ability that can be harnessed, such as an arcane spell or unusual ability. However, when mistreated, Beanuts will inevitably begin to affect their environments in strange ways. These effects are the culmination of a Beanut’s potential, and the outward manifestations of its life experience.
Relationship:
Beanut & Bearer
There is a delicate balance between getting what you want from a Beanut, and putting its needs over your own desires. A bearer’s relationship with their Beanut is not to be taken lightly, as this Harmony can lead to unbelievable miracles, or terrifying catastrophes.
Characteristics
Traits
Every Beanut has a particular disposition, and most of them display at least one distinct Trait to facilitate their wants and needs. They all have their particular core values and alignments, but even these can grow and change over time. Some will be more interested in doing good in the world, and others may have more evil things in mind.
All Beanuts begin with one of 20 Traits from the DM’s Beanut List.
Each of the Traits falls in a distinct position within a standard Alignment Chart (Lawful-Neutral-Chaotic, and Good-Neutral-Evil).
Flaws
Though Beanuts are valued as precious and priceless, they are not perfect. In truth, some even have Flaws so debilitating that being near one with such a Flaw can be dangerous. Just like people, these flaws can be managed with awareness and proper care, but it takes a great deal of time, effort, and a strong relationship with the Bearer.
Like with Traits, all Beanuts begin with one of 20 Flaws from the DM’s Beanut List.
Each of the Flaws also fall within the standard Alignment Chart.
Harmony
For ages, Beanutologists have been studying these fascinating objects, and philosophizing their seemingly-endless helpfulness. In order to properly focus arcane power through a Beanut, you must have some level of Harmony with it.
Since Beanuts have proclivities that predispose them to behave in a certain manner (as outlined above), this means that attempting to perform an act with the help of a Beanut requires at least a little cooperation. Cooperation is judged by a few factors:
- Does the Beanut like you? Does the Beanut respect you? Its opinion of you is paramount in whether it trusts you enough to help you out.
(See the Relationship section below for more info) - Does the Beanut agree with what you’re trying to do? Sure, the Beanut may like you, but if you’re trying to force it to perform an Act it won’t do, you’re not going to get very far
(“Using a Beanut for Magic” below) - Has the Beanut done the act before? Beanuts are mostly beings of habit, and they seem to find comfort in repetition. However, too much of a good thing can often lead to over-indulgence, which can cause adverse effects on your Beanut in the long run.
(see “Cultivars” below)
Using a Beanut for Magic
A Beanut is most often used as an Arcane Focus. Those who have magical ability can attempt to use a Beanut to perform, and possibly enhance, magical spells they already know. People who have no magical ability may still be able to utilize a Beanut’s inherent power, but only if the Beanut has already developed and maintains the properties of a Cultivar at some point in its lifetime.
Performing Beanut-focused Act will often affect the Relationship as well. The final effects of the Harmony Roll will be determined by the Harmony Effect Table shown on the right, along with any modifiers from the Beanut.
Cultivars
This is the term used to refer to any environmental or nurtured characteristics that change a Beanut over the course of its life. Most Beanuts in the world will inevitably adopt a Cultivar in their lives, simply because Beanuts don’t seem to have any kind of life expectancy or expiration. Cultivars can range from such things as being permanently frozen because the Beanut was left in the cold for too long, appearing to shift in and out of focus because its Bearer spent a lot of time stepping between planes of existence, or soaking up all moisture within its vicinity because it spent decades providing heat to a forge.
Cultivars are adopted once a Bearer has reached specific Relationship milestones (see Relationship section below for more info). The DM will determine the mechanical ability and effects of each Cultivar.
The Harmony Roll
When performing a Beanut Act (using a known spell or a Beanut’s own Cultivar) while using a Beanut as an arcane focus, the Bearer must roll to determine the outcome of the Act, much like a normal Skill Check. This is called The Harmony Roll The outcome is often heavily influenced by the Beanut’s Characteristics, and its relationship to the Bearer.
The table here is the base reference for all Harmony Rolls. A Beanut’s particular characteristics may alter the values and effects on this table. If there is an inconsistency, the Beanut’s Characteristics always override this table.
Harmony Roll:
1 d20 + [Harmony Modifier] + [normal Skill Check or Spell Modifiers]
The Harmony Modifier is based on your Relationship with your Beanut. See the Relationship section below for more info.
d20 Result
(includes modifiers)
Harmony
Level
Relationship
Adjustment
Resulting Effect
Relationship
Prerequisite
≥ 30
In Harmony
+1 d8
You may treat your focused spell as though it were three levels higher and may quadruple the duration of the spell.
Requires a relationship level of ‘Bonded’.
20 – 29
In Balance
+1 d6
You may treat your focused spell as though it were two levels higher and may double the duration of the spell.
Requires a relationship level of ‘Friendly’ or greater.
15 – 19
Major Success
+1 d4
You may treat your focused spell as though it were one level higher or may double the duration of the spell.
<none>
10 – 14
Minor Success
+1
You may treat your focused spell as though it were one level higher.
<none>
1 – 9
Failure
-1 d4
Your focused spell is dropped as you were unable to harmonize with your Beanut.
<none>
≤ 0
Critical Failure
-1 d8
Your focused spell is dropped as you were unable to harmonize with your Beanut. The DM may add a narrative ‘backfire’ effect to represent the degree of failure.
<none>
Relationship
Each person who interacts with a Beanut will maintain a specific numerical score, known as Relationship, which determines the Beanut’s disposition toward that particular Bearer. The Relationship can drastically affect the outcome of the Act, as well as have effects on Beanut’s Traits, Flaws, and Cultivars over time. Relationship score will be increased if the Beanut approves of the Acts you do, and it will be happy to help you. If you’re trying to do disapproved acts, however, it will likely decrease.
When a Bearer attempts to perform an Act with a Beanut, the Beanut will often have its own opinion on whether it will cooperate or not. Most often, the Beanut’s approval rating will only offer Advantage or Disadvantage on the Harmony Roll , but in some unique instances, the Beanut may actually affect the success of the Act directly.
If the Act has no relevance to the Beanut’s character, Harmony is rolled using one d20 as normal, without accounting for Approval. Likewise, if the Beanut’s Characteristics conflict with each other regarding the Act, the Characteristics typically cancel each other out, and the roll is also made normally. However, the DM may decide whether one Characteristic can override the other.
Approval or Disapproval
If the Act is only relevant to one Characteristic, that Characteristic will decide whether the Harmony is rolled with Advantage or Disadvantage. If the Act aligns with both of the Beanut’s Characteristics, the Harmony roll is done at an Advantage. Conversely, if both of the Beanut’s Characteristics are opposed to the Act, Harmony is rolled at Disadvantage.
For instance: You are attempting to murder an innocent bystander using your Beanut. One of its Characteristics is Good-aligned, and one Characteristic is that it really enjoys the smell of pine trees, the olfactory trait will have no bearing on the act of murder.
Conflicting Rules:
Since many Traits and Flaws can drastically affect the Harmony Roll, if there is a conflict between this list and the Beanut’s Characteristics, the Beanut will always override the rules above.
Example Scenario: You want to use your beanut to perform a risky daredevil Act. Your Beanut likes the wind rushing past its nut, and it also is obsessed with idea of glory and fame. Your act will be rolled with Advantage.
Relationship
Level
Current Relationship Score
Harmony Roll
Modifier
Bonded
+75 to +100
+10
Trusted
+50 to +74
+5
Friendly
+25 to +49
+2
Neutral
-24 to +24
0
Wary
-49 to -25
-2
Hostile
-74 to -50
-5
Despised
-100 to -75
-10
The Beanut Lands 