Page 29 - Chronicles of Darkness

Generous: Your character feels at his best when giving to to accomplish. They’re also statements about the sort of
others. He may give to charity or simply lend items to friends stories you want to tell about your character.
with no questions asked. A generous character may be taken Accomplishing an Aspiration is one of the main ways you
advantage of sometimes, but he isn’t in it for thanks or hope can earn Beats to improve your character. You should aim for
of repayment. He gives because other people need. Regain accomplishing about one Aspiration per session. If you are
Willpower when your character is deprived of an important playing a one-shot, all of your Aspirations should be focused,
resource or put at risk because of his Generous nature. short-term goals that you could potentially complete within
Just: A Just character is driven by a sense of fairness and that session. If you are playing in a long-running chronicle,
justice. She wants everyone to get what they deserve, and will then choosing long-term goals is okay. Ideally, you should
stick her neck out to make sure it happens. Regain Willpower have a mix of Aspirations, some of which can be resolved
when the character sets her own goals aside in order to make in one session, and some which will take many sessions to
certain that justice is done. accomplish. If you know that your character is going to start
Loyal: Loyalty to a person or a group is your character’s out hitchhiking, “Find a place to stay the night” is a perfectly
guide. This group could be other PCs, a company, a mentor reasonable Aspiration. If she recently had a fight with her
or family member, their country, or any other group that girlfriend, “Reconcile with Jane” is a fine Aspiration.
makes sense. The character is not necessarily foolish or blind Another important thing to consider when deciding on
to the flaws of their chosen group. The character regains your Aspirations is that you want them to be active goals.
Willpower when refusing to act against the group’s interests They have to be something that you need to do, rather than
puts him at risk. something that you need to avoid. For example, “Don’t get
Vice drunk” wouldn’t be a very good Aspiration for a character, but
“Go a day without taking a drink” could be, if your character
would find this to be a struggle.
Vice is a character’s short-term comfort. It is the easy way Aspirations give your character life and direction beyond
out, the personality trait she takes comfort in to avoid con- the scenario dreamed up by the Storyteller. They make your
fronting her actual feelings or problems. Like Virtue, acting character feel more real, give the Storyteller hooks to get him
on a Vice reinforces the character’s sense of herself, even if it involved in the story, and establish what your character does
is self-destructive. It still helps relieve stress and allows her to if there isn’t an immediate crisis in front of him.
refresh herself, but it’s not healthy behavior in the long term. It is also okay to select Aspirations that your character
Example Vices doesn’t want, but that you want to see happen to the char-
acter. For example, your character almost certainly doesn’t
Ambitious: Your character wants to get ahead, to move want to be kidnapped by the man with the gray face that
up the ladder – no matter what the cost. She wants advance- used to be her father, but that might be a story that you are
ment, rank, and authority in advance of what she actually interested in seeing. You can choose Aspirations that repre-
has earned. Regain Willpower when your character jockeys sent you trying and failing to do something. You can have an
for position or tries to advance socially instead of pursuing Aspiration like “Fail to find proof of the existence of ghosts,”
a more useful activity. or “Fail to reconcile with Jane,” if you think that it will make
Arrogant: Your character is good at something, and makes a more interesting story. Even though the character has failed
sure everyone knows it. He defines himself by being “better” at what she wants, you as the player still get the reward for
than those around him. This goes beyond justifiable pride completing that Aspiration.
in an ability. The character regains Willpower when he takes Aspirations are one of the best ways for the players to
an opportunity to lord his superiority over someone else. signal to the Storyteller what sort of stories they want to
Competitive: You character needs to win. Nothing makes be part of. So, Storytellers, be sure to pay attention to what
her happier than crossing the finish line first, and nothing Aspirations your players have selected. If you were planning
makes her angrier than losing. She may even be willing to on a suspenseful, low-key session with little overt supernatural
cheat in order to get her victory. Regain Willpower when the influence, it might be a problem if all of your players have
character indulges in a competition that distracts from other, chosen Aspirations like “destroy a supernatural threat,” or
more pressing, matters. “see a monster with my own eyes.” It doesn’t mean you have
Greedy: Your character wants to hoard resources, keep- to change your plans completely, but you may need to tweak
ing them for himself in case they are useful someday. Regain the session a bit to allow for some details that fit with the
Willpower when you take an advantage for yourself, denying Aspirations a little better. Or you can sit down and talk with
it to another character. the players, and make sure that you are all on the same page
with regards to the story that you are trying to tell.
Aspirations Changing Aspirations

Chronicles of Darkness characters start with three When you first make your character, if you are not entirely
Aspirations. Aspirations are goals that your character wishes certain what Aspirations to pick, don’t worry about it. You

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the face in the mirror-Characters