Beliefs

Not all parts of a character are measured in ratings or resolved through dice. In Fayrewood, a character’s beliefs help define who they are, what they hold to be right or necessary, and what may move them to action. Even if they don't provide a measure of what a character can do, they still have mechanical effects in play.

Truths

Each character begins the game with one to three Truths: beliefs they live their life by.

A Truth may be a moral principle, a religious teaching, a cultural custom, a sworn duty, a line a character will not cross, or something they do without ever thinking about it. The specifics are left up to the Player. The Storyteller can reject a proposed Truth based on taste or its suitability for the legend they intend to tell.

Cornerstones

Each character begins the game with as many Cornerstones as they have Truths.

A Cornerstone is a person, place, or object that ties a character into the rest of the world and upon which their Truths are built. If lost, the Truth is lost as well.

The Cornerstones of the Troupe should be incorporated into the Relationship Map.

Ways

Before play, the Troupe should put together a set of shared beliefs for the legend called Ways. These can be based on anything from genre to personal taste, or real-life concerns. Like Truths, Ways only have mechanical impacts when they are violated, if that violation could genuinely risk trauma for a Player, the Storyteller should avoid the topic or recommend the Player join a different legend.

The Ways impact all the Players in a legend, even if the character doesn't directly hold the belief themselves. The dynamic between a character's morality and that of their society can be a powerful driver of storytelling. Ways can be thought of a lower limit to the morality that the legend will accept, moving beyond which should cause serious consequences for the Players.

The Ways of a given legend should be talked through with the whole Troupe and the Storyteller so that everyone is on the same page about what constitutes a violation.

Callings & Wants

A character's Calling and Wants are similar concepts, both representing a character's will and drive to achieve some goal. A Calling is the more aspirational of the two, representing a long-term ambition, whereas a Want is a more immediate and fleeting fancy.

Callings

A character's Calling is the thing that keeps them going, driving their actions and decisions through the course of their life, and the legend. They give the Player something to use as motivation, and give the Storyteller material to build story hooks.

A Calling should be something that is either measurable through the mechanics of the game or a concrete achievement in the setting of the legend. It cannot be vague, it must be something specific and feasibly achievable, even if it achieving it might end the legend.

Where a character completes their Calling without the legend ending, they will need to select a new one. This should be done in light of the narrative that has unfolded during the legend.

At the end of every Chapter where a character has worked to get closer to their Calling, they are rewarded with a soul point for their efforts.

Wants

A Want is a shorter-term goal, but is more than just a base and momentary desire. At the start of each Chapter a character can pick a new Want or choose to keep an unfulfilled Want from the previous Chapter. As Wants change frequently, there is no need to note them on a character sheet, so long as both you and the Storyteller know what your character's Want is this Chapter.

Once per Chapter, when a character acts in a way that clearly gets them closer to achieving their Want, they may recover all of their spent stress.

A good Want is one that is somehow tied to the world beyond the character. This is easiest to do when it links to something on the Relationship Map. If a Want doesn't make use of the Relationship Map, it probably isn't worth considering as a Want. Storytellers should carefully judge Wants between Player character's to make sure they encourage good roleplaying, instead of being a quick way to recover Stress in a pinch.