Trait

Traits are abilities that Crew members have. There are three general types of Traits: Positive Traits (blue Trait cards), Negative Traits (red Trait cards) and Indelible Traits (white text printed on Shellback Crew Boards). The game includes five double-sided reference cards, and three of their sides list the available Traits of each type, and their effects.

Sometimes, a game effect can make a Crew member gain or lose a Positive Trait or a Negative Trait. In this case, discard the Crew member's old Trait of that type, and when gaining a new Trait, unless the effect tells you to do it in some other way, draw a new Trait card from the appropriate Trait deck and place it in the appropriate spot of the Crew members Crew Board.

Positive Traits

The Positive Traits are represented by blue Trait cards, which describe their effect. The Positive Traits are:

• ASTUTE. When this Crew member hands in Clues at the UNIVERSITY in a Port, one less Clue is needed.
• BELLIGERENT. This Crew member rolls one extra Attack/Evasion die.
• BLESSED. When the Fate Die is rolled for an action involving this Crew member, you may reroll the die once. The new result is final.
• ENDURING. If this Crew member would die because of too much Trauma/Strain, instead discard all its Trauma, Strain and Traits from it, draw new Trait cards for it, and place it Below Deck.
• EXPLORER. When this Crew member is involved in exploring, after reading the card's initial story text, but before doing any Skill Tests or making any other choices, the player may discard the Exploration card and draw a new one. The new card is final, and can not be redrawn in this way.
• EXTROVERTED. This Crew member recovers 1 Strain for free when visiting a Port.
• FRIENDLY. Draw two Denizen cards instead of just one when visiting a Port.
• HARDY. This Crew member doesn't suffer from Strain by being On Deck when players end their turn on a sea hex.
• OLD HAND. When this Crew members mans an Artillery Node, the player gets one extra Attack die when attacking in that Artillery direction.
• PROSPEROUS. The player gains 5 coins when this Crew member visits a Port.
• RESOURCEFUL. When rolling blanks on the Attack/Evasion dice, those dice may be treated as Omen.
• SEA DOG. Navigation Orders gain an extra navigation point if a Crew member with this traits mans a Navigation Node.
• SEASONED. At End of Turn, this Crew member recovers 1 Trauma or 1 Strain for free.
• SPIRITED. This Crew member recovers 1 Trauma when moved Below Deck.
• TUNEFUL. Collect a Shanty Treasure when placing this Crew member on a Port space.

Negative Traits

The Negative Traits are represented by red Trait cards, which describe their effect. The Negative Traits are:

• BELOVED. If this Crew member dies, all other Crew members controlled by the same player suffer 1 Strain and discard all their Positive Trait cards.
• BURDENSOME. When this Crew member is placed in a Port space that involves rolling the Fate Die, subtract 1 from the result.
• CLODDISH. When testing a Skill for this Crew member and the test is successful, reroll the Fate Die. The new result is final and can't be rerolled.
• CLUMSY. When attacking with Artillery manned by this Crew member, roll one less Attack die.
• CONTEMPTIBLE. All Fate Die rolls involving this Crew member must be rerolled if they haven't already been rerolled. The new result is final. (Q: ???)
• DEGENERATE. When you Visit a Port, this Crew member must first be placed in the DRINK or GAMBLE Port space and perform that action. They may then be moved to another Port space.
• DUPLICITOUS. Discard 5 coins when you Visit a Port.
• HESITANT. This Crew member must choose at least one Evasion die when in a Fray.
• IGNORANT. When this Crew member hands in Clues at the UNIVERSITY in a Port, one extra Clue is needed.
• INCOMPETENT. Omen results rolled for this Crew member on Attack Dice and Evasion Dice count as blanks.
• INDOLENT. This Crew member can only be issued one Order per Turn.
• LISTLESS. This Crew member suffers 1 Strain when returning from an Expedition.
• MISANTHROPE. This Crew members suffers 1 Strain when the player Visits a Port.
• QUARRELSOME. Must be the only Crew member occuping their Zone or Improvement. (TO CHECK: the Trait reference card in the game also says they must be the only Crew on their Node, but that seems like an unnecessary thing to say since Nodes can anyway only have one Crew member on them.)
• WEARY. This Crew member suffers 1 Strain if it's On Deck when the player finishes the Turn. (In addition to the Strain suffered if On Deck when the ship is in a sea space at the End of Turn.)

Indelible Traits

Indelible Traits are printed on Shellback (that is, non-Deckhand) Crew Boards, and are thus fixed for that Crew member, and can, as the name suggests, not be replaced or lost. Since the Indelible Traits don't have individual cards, the only game component that describes them is one of the reference cards. The Indelible Traits are:

• BULLISH. For each Crew member you have with this Trait, refresh one Order at the start of your Turn (in addition to the ones you refreshed at the start of the Player Phase).
• CUNNING. Resolve this Crew member's dice first in Frays. If this destroys an enemy, don't include it's dice value when determining how many enemy dice to roll.
• DILIGENT. At End of Turn, each other Crew member on the same deck (On Deck vs Below Deck area) recovers 1 Trauma. But the Crew member with this Trait doesn't benefit from its own ability.
• DISCERNING. When gaining Spoils, you may add or substract 1 to the value after rolling the Fate Die.
• DISRUPTOR. If a Crew member with this Trait is On Deck during a Fray, enemy Omen results are treated as blanks and can't be converted to anything else.
• ERUDITE. When gaining a Treasure, you also gain one Clue. But this doesn't trigger when trading Treasures with other players.
• HEARTY. At End of Turn, each other Crew member on the same deck (On Deck vs Below Deck area) recovers 1 Strain. But the Crew member with this Trait doesn't benefit from its own ability.
• INDUSTRIOUS. Players with a Crew member with this Trait may once per Turn repair a Node (if the Crew member is On Deck) or install an Upgrade (Improvement or Artillery) for free.
• MARKSMAN. When a Crew member with this Trait fires Artillery, reroll all blank results. The new rolls are final and can't be rerolled.
• SAVVY. Once per turn, when you Visit a Port, you may sell one Treasure for its Desired value.
• TROUBLESOME. At the start of your turn, if you have a Crew member with this Trait, roll the Fate Die and consult the Troublesome Table for the results.
• WAYFINDER. During Navigation Orders, if you have a Crew member with this Trait, you may turn up new Map Tiles without needing a Crew member manning the Crow's Nest, and without spending a navigation point. But you still need to have your ship facing an unrevealed hex.

Note: some of the listed Indelible Traits do not exist in the core game; only some Crew member types from expansions have them. In particular, the TROUBLESOME Trait and its related Troublesome Table is found in the "Torrent of Rebellion" expansion.