| Adventure |
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| For the people of Near, adventure means refusing social ties; most societies frown upon this, but not all. Some have approved roles for people eager for adventure. |
| 1xp: Go on or continue an adventure when you could back down. |
| 2xp: Get into danger. |
| 5xp: Do the impossible. |
| Buyoff: Settle down. |
| Bloodlust |
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| The character enjoys defeating others in combat. This Key is considered a virtue in almost all cultures of Near, but only when practiced in the correct ways by the right people. |
| 1xp: Attack somebody. |
| 3xp: Win a fight. |
| Buyoff: Be defeated in battle. |
| Compassion |
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| The character struggles to do right by others. Foolish sympathy is not rated very highly by most cultures of Near, but it exists in all. The emblematic scene that separates the hero from the villain comes when the former’s compassion gets abused by the latter. |
| 1xp: Help those in need. |
| 2xp: Save another’s life. |
| 5xp: Get taken advantage of. |
| Buyoff: Ignore the cries of the innocent. |
| Coward |
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| The character frightens easily and can’t or won’t control it in public. The Key is the same whether prudence is accepted of the character socially or not. |
| 1xp: Show your fear to others. |
| 3xp: Back down from a confrontation. |
| Buyoff: Risk yourself voluntarily. |
| Cripple |
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| The character is crippled or has some such permanent injury. Old age, blindness and lameness are fine examples. |
| 1xp: Get pitied or scorned for your condition. |
| 2xp: Suffer difficulties due to the condition. |
| 5xp: Succeed despite your condition. |
| Buyoff: Get healed of your infirmity. |
| Desperation |
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| The character has given up hope. Broken souls are not at all rare in Near of today. Some of them may never heal. |
| 1xp: Try to convince others to give up. |
| 3xp: Give up on something important. |
| Buyoff: Cast aside your despair. |
| Faith (specify) |
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| The character has a belief system that guides him. Not all cultures have churches, but most have religions of some sort. |
| 1xp: The faith comes up. |
| 2xp: Enact the faith in action. |
| 5xp: Suffer for your faith. |
| Buyoff: Abandon and deny your faith. |
| Fellowship |
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| The character belongs in a fraternity of unlikely allies questing for a common goal. Such a bond can be the strongest of them all. |
| 1xp: Discuss the course of the fellowship with the other members. |
| 2xp: Cooperate with the fellowship to achieve your goals. |
| 5xp: Side with the fellowship against your own best interests. |
| Buyoff: Leave the fellowship. |
| Glittering Gold |
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| Avarice runs in his veins. As with most character traits, a majority of societies considers a modicum in this regard a virtue, with a minority favoring extremes to either direction. |
| 1xp: Gain material wealth. |
| 3xp: Gain wealth at the expense of others. |
| Buyoff: Give away your wealth. |
| Glory |
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| The character hungers for renown. This is typical for heroes who don’t want to be seen as just a face in the crowd. |
| 1xp: Make sure your name and deeds are known by bragging or seeking witnesses. |
| 3xp: Take foolish risks to increase or enjoy your fame. |
| Buyoff: Give the credit that would have increased your glory to someone else. |
| Impostor |
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| The character lives in and for lies. Perhaps he is proud of his ability to introduce and control illusions into the lives of people he uses as tools. |
| 1xp: Pass yourself off as something you’re not. |
| 2xp: Lie to yourself or your friends. |
| 5xp: Your lie survives a concerned effort to debunk it. |
| Buyoff: Confess to your victims. |
| Mission (specify) |
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| The character has an important mission that they must complete. Unlike the KEY OF THE VOW, this Key concerns a clear task with a finite end-point. |
| 1xp: Try to forward your mission. |
| 2xp: Succeed towards your mission. |
| 5xp: Reach an important waypoint. |
| Buyoff: Abandon the mission. |
| Outcast (specify) |
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| The character has lost fellowship in a group or organization, becoming an utcast. This has not necessarily lessened the hold the organization’s values have on the character. |
| 1xp: Your status as outcast comes up. |
| 2xp: Interact with the organization. |
| 5xp: Work against the organization. |
| Buyoff: Rejoin the organization. |
| Past |
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| The character has a dark, significant past. |
| 1xp: Your past comes up. |
| 3xp: Your past influences a decision. |
| Buyoff: Make a different choice this time. |
| Power |
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| The character hungers for control, perhaps because he’s had so little of it. |
| 1xp: Struggle for influence. |
| 3xp: Improve your social position. |
| Buyoff: Relinquish your position. |
| Relation (specify) |
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| The character has an important relationship to another. Familial relationships are the simplest, but fraternity is also universal. Sometimes other relationships develop as well. |
| 1xp: Interact with your relation. |
| 2xp: Follow the other’s advice. |
| 5xp: Defend your relation from danger. |
| Buyoff: Sever the relationship. |
| Servant (specify) |
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| The character serves another due to fealty, money, force or other concerns. There are some cultures in Near that do not recognize servitude, but most do. |
| 1xp: Obey the master. |
| 2xp: Suffer in service. |
| 5xp: Save the master in some manner. |
| Buyoff: Leave service. |
| Suffering |
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| The character belongs in a disenfranchised population, born (or at least adopted) to suffering. |
| 1xp: Fail in your efforts. |
| 2xp: Be abused by others. |
| 5xp: Fate casts you down. |
| Buyoff: Succeed beyond your expectations. |
| Vengeance (specify) |
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| The character thirsts for vengeance against a person or group that wronged them. |
| 1xp: Express your hate and intent for vengeance. |
| 3xp: Attack your target in word or deed. |
| Buyoff: Let your enemy go when they are at your mercy. |
| Vow (specify) |
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| The character has sworn an oath he intended to keep to his dying day. Unlike the KEY OF THE MISSION, this Key would concern an on-going, static commitment. |
| 1xp: The vow comes up during play. |
| 2xp: The vow causes significant difficulty for you. |
| 5xp: Another character tries and fails to make you break the vow. |
| Buyoff: Break your vow. |