Bonuses

Flat bonuses to Trials should be rare. Most situational advantages and disadvantages in Untold Epoch are expressed through Edge and Strain rather than stacking numbers.

When a flat bonus does apply, a character can benefit from at most one flat bonus on any given Trial, regardless of source or type. If multiple bonuses would apply, use only the highest.

Monsters can ignore a bonus based on its type. Demons would ignore an Unholy bonus, and a celestial being would ignore a Divine bonus.

Bonus Types

Bonuses still carry a type — Luck, Divine, Magical, or Unholy — which describes their origin and determines how they interact with other effects. A Divine bonus can be dispelled by different means than a Magical one. A Luck bonus represents training and instinct. The type matters for flavor and for effects that specifically target or remove a type of bonus — but types do not allow stacking. You always take the single highest flat bonus available, regardless of type.

Luck

A Luck bonus comes from skill, training, instinct, or mundane fortune — that well-practiced technique, a familiar fighting stance, or that stinky pair of socks you wear into every battle. It represents the kind of edge you earn through practice or circumstance.

Divine

A Divine bonus comes from a deific source such as a Deity, a demigod, or a powerful champion of the faith. Characters who serve or bargain with such beings may earn this blessing.

Magical

A Magical bonus comes from an arcane or occult source — spells, enchantments, magic items, or similar effects.

Unholy

An Unholy bonus comes from a dark or sinister source — demonic pacts, cursed artifacts, or the influence of malevolent powers. Unlike other bonus types, an Unholy bonus stacks on top of your highest flat bonus. This is the only exception to the one-bonus rule.

Unholy power always carries a cost. Where it gives a benefit — often greater than other sources — it demands something in return: reduced maximum HP, a penalty to a Defensive Rating, a vulnerability, or something worse. The cost persists as long as the bonus is active. An Unholy bonus cannot exceed +3, and a character can only benefit from one Unholy source at a time.

Example: Kael has a +2 Magical bonus from an enchanted blade and a +1 Luck bonus from a path feature. He takes only the +2 Magical bonus (the highest). Later, he accepts an Unholy pact granting +2 to damage rolls at the cost of 8 maximum HP. The Unholy +2 stacks on top of his +2 Magical bonus, giving him +4 total — a ceiling no one else can reach without paying the same kind of price.