Provenance Aspects
A provenance aspect is one based on where you grew up, where you came from, or where you have lived all your life.
On the skills where this is important (and marked), it is assumed that when you are performing actions, you are doing it in the context of your provenance aspects.
There are two categories of provenance aspect:
- BIO - covers your biological makeup, it usually consists of a Biochem and a Biology component.
- TECH - covers your technological and cultural immersion.
Your character will start with at least two BIO aspects and one TECH aspect. For example, humans usually come with the BIO aspects of Biochem-Water and Biology-Terran, and the TECH aspect of Tech-Modern.
Provenance aspects don’t offer any bonuses to skill rolls, rather they set boundaries on how and where you can practice the skill. If you are forced to practice a skill in a provenance aspect that you do not possess, then you would make all rolls under disadvantage.
Only some skills carry provenance aspects. For example, the Society skill is noted has having a TECH aspect. A human will therefore understand Society from a Tech-Modern perspective. In practice, this means that their understanding of cultural norms, systems of government is really from a modern perspective (of say the last 400 years). If they are tasked on what the layout of a city would likely include from 2000 years ago, then they would suffer disadvantage on the roll.
Your character starts with some provenance aspects, granted from your sophont or background. As the game progresses you may get additional provenance aspects from:
- gaining your first rank in the Antiquities skill, awarding you with the Tech-Anc counterpart for your TECH aspect.
- your GM (as an award or from events in an adventure);
- gaining a level, if you decide to spend any of your skill ranks.
Most of the time, the new provenance aspect applies to a particular skill, but the award from the first source above applies everywhere, as can some GM or game awards.
BIO Provenance Aspects
Biochem-Ammonia, Biochem-Chlorine, Biochem-Methane, Biochem-Sulphur, Biochem-Phosphorus, Biochem-Water, Biology-Cephene, Biology-Ronite, Biology-Freen, Biology-Terran, Biology-Thot
TECH Provenance Aspects
Tech-Modern, Tech-Anc-Terran, Tech-Clavian, Tech-Anc-Clavian, Tech-Ronite, Tech-Anc-Ronite, Tech-Cephene, Tech-Anc-Cephene, Tech-Thot, Tech-Anc-Thot, Tech-Xanji, Tech-Anc-Xanji