Vices and Virtues

Vices and Virtues are guiding principles for your character, an intrinsic part of them and their characterization. They can change over play as a play becomes more comfortable with them, but for the purposes of the Age of Convergence every character must pick one of each. That's not to say that a character can't hold several vices or be virtuous in more than one way, but there is always one of each that is more prominent than the others. Virtues and Vices aren't just personality traits, they represent mental patterns and brain wave radiation that's readable by Psionics and EDIBLE for Redspace Adversarial Intelligences.

Vices

Vices are 'sins.' The word 'sin' doesn't actually imply evil, and while it often has religious connotations, everyone can sin. Sin is a disappointment, a breaking of rules that you ostensibly agree to. IE: You know it's wrong but it makes you feel good so you do it anyway. When indulging your favorite Vice, you regain 1 spent or lost Sanity Point (SP). For a sin to rise to the level of a vice, it doesn't necessarily require consequences, but it does require a RISK of consequences, at the very least a small risk.

Indulgence

Indulgence is the twin sins of gluttony and lust. In essence, it's giving in to excess for temporary, short term pleasures. Eating a cookie isn't indulgence. Cheating on a diet is. Smashing a whole box of cookies is an indulgence. Eating the last cookie when you know a shipmate hasn't had a chance to enjoy one, knowing full well that it would upset them, that's an indulgence. Likewise, a romantic evening in with a spouse isn't an indulgence. A night with someone else's married partner is. Having a wild night with someone whom you know might smother you in your sleep after is. Meeting the engineer in the engineering room for a roll in the space hay when either or both of you should be on duty is.

Indolence

Indolence is Sloth and Pride. It's the vice of inertia and even too much contentment. It's not just a lack of ambition, it's a lack of ambition and drive WHILE believing that you're entitled to the benefits pursued by the ambitious and driven anyway. Sleeping in on a day off isn't indolence. Sleeping in when you're supposed to be on duty is. Taking shortcuts in starship repairs to get off work a little early is. Programming a robot to do your job so you can relegate yourself to 'supervisor' even though you know the robot will never be as good as you is. Likewise, being proud of an accomplishment isn't indolent. Being too proud to admit you failed is, ESPECIALLY when it results in an inability to correct the mistake. Demanding respect that you haven't earned is indolent. Refusing to double check an important repair because you 'definitely got it right this time' is indolent.

Covetousness

Covetousness is greed and envy. You want more, you need more, and you resent when people have things you don't. Covetousness isn't wanting a wife like your neighbor's. Covetousness is wanting your neighbor's wife, and taking steps to get her. Covetousness is taking food from the mouths of the hungry, sniping a job from under a rival, and undermining the position of a superior officer for the sheer hope of getting promoted. Covetousness is also not simply trying to make money. Covetousness is trying to get rich quick, evading taxes, scamming victims, haggling exorbitant compensations for yourself when you know the market value of the work is much lower.

Truculence

Truculence is a single sin, and a particularly single-minded one. Truculence is almost a form of indulgence, but it's the indulgence of destruction. It's not just combat, though combat offers many opportunities for truculence. Truculence is destroying a stained glass window as you walk by. Truculence is a fistfight in a bar for the joy of feeling flesh split under your knuckles. Truculence is aiming for the kneecaps because the screaming is funny or sparing an extra shot on a wounded and helpless enemy. It's mutilating a corpse not just for the psychological impact, but because turning something human into a 3D Jackson Pollock piece is worth your time. In the absence of things to destroy, self-destruction is also an option. While an indolent person might drink themselves blind for the fun of it, a truculent person might drink themselves stupid to soothe the anger inside of them or to blast away their own regrets. They might take excessive risks in combat in order to "get at" a particularly stubborn enemy, or use large-scale ordinance because the destruction it wreaks is worth the collateral. A truculent person who takes a prisoner is probably going to do worse than just an execution, and their solution to someone witnessing a crime is likely blunt and permanent.

Despair

Despair is an absence of virtues, an inability to accept optimism or hope, and a refusal to improve your own situation. Sadness or grief isn't enough to be indulging in despair. A despairing person regains SP when they have an opportunity to indulge in their virtue and they pass it up. A despairing person will pass up opportunities, they will be overcautious and even engage in craven behavior. A sniper who refuses to take a shot on an enemy commander because it 'won't make a difference anyway' or an engineer who sits down during an engine leak because there's 'nothing to be done' is in the grips of despair. Any surrender, acceptance, or collapse when another action might help their situation is an act of despair.

Virtues

Virtues are bundles of ideals, they represent your character's priorities and their utopia. If they could leave the universe a little better than when they left it, what would that look like? It's not just being a good person, it's being a good person when it matters or even when it's not what's best for you. When exemplifying an ideal, you get 1 experience point at the end of the scene. When exemplifying an ideal when doing so represents a sacrifice, you get 5 experience points at the end of the scene.

Kindness

Kindness is not weakness. Kindness is the virtues of justice and mercy. It's knowing when to punish and forgive transgressions. It's not just standing up for the weak or standing against the amoral, it's taking real action when it might bring you harm. Advocating for AI citizenship doesn't rise to this level, but standing on a picket line or standing up to a FAICA who wants to melt your Unshackled AI friend could be, if they're likely to respond violently. Agreeing with the crew to make a heroic stand against pirates MIGHT be an act of Kindness if the odds aren't great, but convincing (or attempting to convince) your crew to make that stand when they don't want to IS. Joining a movement for full rights for the Uplifted that's thousands strong is unlikely to be an applicable act of Kindness, but being on the front of the line facing down Celestial Securities Synthetics determined to keep a mining colony of Trogs working for free is. Likewise, taking the last two enemies who surrender in a combat prisoner isn't really an act of mercy, it's just good sense. Accepting a surrender while lasers are still burning furrows in your cover, seeing to a transgressor's rehabilitation personally, or talking an enemy down instead of jumping straight to hands to holsters even when it gives them an opportunity to seek the upper hand are all acts of Kindness. Kindness is a virtue of strength.

Composure

Compusure is patience and chastity. It's stoicism, self control, and a focus on principles and duty. It's an invaluable trait among those who have to keep a cool head when panic would be acceptable. It's a leadership virtue, and those who exemplify it can often attract loyalty that borders on fanaticism. An act of Composure occurs any time you come up with a plan with a decent likelihood of success, or when your plan succeeds against the odds. When your calm attitude and steady hands inspire those around you, or when you fend off outside temptations, these are both acts of Composure. In particular, when temptations such as those of indulgence, truculence or cowardice would have no consequences for you and you still resist them, you have conducted an act of Composure. When you stop and think while others demand reckless action, you have exemplify what it means to be Composed.

Serenity

Serenity is humility and hope. When you know your limits and act accordingly despite outside temptations or demands to exceed those limits, or when you know everything is lost and you persevere anyway you can be said to be Serene. Serenity is acting for a cause above yourself, knowing your place in the universe, ship's crew, army, corporate team, and simply accepting it. The engineer that closes the panel by hand despite the radiation burns so he can save the ship or the soldier who follows orders because he believes in the cause, even if the orders themselves don't make sense to him are both Serene.

Vigor

Vigor is charity and diligence. A Vigorous person will push tirelessly for what they believe in, even possibly beyond their own limits if they think it will help. They try harder, lead the charge, and don't give up. Leaving it all on the table, burning FP in a fight, pushing research past the point of Sanity until you pass out on your desk, staying next to the bomb you're disarming when the rest of the team has given up and run away, and standing up against the odds not because you know you might win but because somebody SHOULD be there fighting are all acts of Vigor.

Courage

Courage is the ability to resist your own Vices and overcome your flaws. When you have an opportunity to indulge your Vice and you don't, especially when there is no consequence for doing so, that's an act of Courage. Likewise, resisting or pushing through your Mental and Social Disadvantages or engaging in good or necessary activities that you are specifically weak regarding, such as getting into a firefight with One Eye or conducting a heroic public act even when it might expose your Secret or bring your Enemy's attention. Getting out of bed and fighting the enemy boarding crew with a knife when you're struck with some alien disease that has you in sick bay is an act of Courage, as is calling a Broken Arrow strike or throwing yourself on a grenade to save your fireteam. Likewise, engaging in an action you know is right that has a high likelihood to EARN you an enemy or result in a Disadvantage is an act of Courage.