The device this is built into releases nanites which enter the head through the ear canal and read the selected pattern from the brain. Then the change begins as described below, ending with the new form. When the effect ends, the changes revert quite suddenly, leaving less time for disgust.
After the events of his last Contract, Laz wants to be anyone else. Eliza helped him work out how he can be.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute.
You become disguised in a manner of your choosing. The disguise lasts for two hours, or you may end it early at will.
The new appearance may have a different sex, age, and race to your own, and you may alter height by up to a foot and your weight by 50%. Your disguise cannot directly mimic an existing person. You may change the appearance of your outfit. A disguise cannot affect your Attributes or other stats.
You may roll Charisma + Crafts to attempt to make your disguise Beautiful. If your Outcome is 6 or higher, non-Effect Charisma rolls where your good looks could help are rolled at -2 Difficulty. If you fail or botch, you are ugly instead, and non-Effect Charisma rolls are made at +2 Difficulty.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see nanites ooze out of the pores, caustically eating away mundane clothing, and within the naked body bones and sinew writhe under skin, as seams tear open and heal over and over where the shape of the body changes and excess flesh is eaten away by the same nanites before they reconstruct new clothes across the body and ooze back into the nose, mouth and ears..
After this Effect ends, you cannot move quicker than a walk (15 feet per Round) for one minute and suffer a -1 dice penalty for an hour.
Emily lets out a breath, and with her claws, slices the insides of her arm, allowing the blood (for power) to spill to the ground. She then mixes a vial of virgin's blood (for tempting), and mixes it with the dirt (for binding). In a pinch, she can smear it on the floor, but the creatures that speak though the blood to her do not appreciate this as much.
They whisper to her the desires of the land and those in it. Those who desire to hurt, those who desire to change, those who desire to move.
Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend a minute. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 1 mile You must use up a vial of virgin's blood in order to activate this Effect. At the end of your investigation, roll Brawn + Alertness at Difficulty 6.
You learn the following information about the area:
If you do not have a sacrificial Injury when you activate this Effect, take a new Severity-1 Injury.
You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.
When removed, no one can hear it but Emily. But she can. That keening cry, of a babe separated from its mother. It's grating, but she could follow it anywhere.
She can also cry out, and unless held, it will collapse into blood and reform in her paw.
Part of her is in there.
This Artifact cannot be broken. If this Artifact is lost and in no one else’s possession, it finds its way back to its true owner during the next Downtime.
By default, the creator of this Artifact is its true owner. The true owner may formally bequeath this Artifact onto another person within arm’s reach, after which they are its true owner. If the true owner dies or is destroyed, their ownership ends. If this Artifact has no true owner, anyone may spend one day attuning to it to become its true owner.
This Artifact's true owner is always aware of the direction and distance to this Artifact.
If this Artifact is in no one else’s possession, its true owner may Exert their Mind and spend two Actions to bring it to themselves.
This Artifact's true owner must have it with them to have restful sleep. They cannot regain Mind or Source while separated from this Artifact.
Emily lets out a snarl from deep within the folds of her fabric. She draws her paw back, and then strikes the ground. A spike of blood shoots out of her paw, tunneling though the ground before emerging in a location with sudden and remarkable violence. It heads up about five feet before exploding outwards into tendrils of blood, punching though flesh, bone, and steel without care.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Location within 40 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless you are in alternate form. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means. If you fail or Botch, you receive one Mind Damage and a new Trauma. The area within 25 feet of the chosen Location immediately and obviously becomes imminently dangerous. Roll Brawn + Melee at Difficulty 6. Targets inside the radius may attempt an appropriate Reaction at GM’s discretion. Finding a physical barrier to use as cover will cut total Damage taken in half (applies after Reaction roll but before Armor).
If the Outcome is positive, your blast hits all targets (besides a single chosen species or type of Animate being) within 25 feet of the chosen Location with Damage equal to your Outcome + 8.
The vial is poured from the shadows, forming a ring around the object. Next, blood is poured from her own wrist, and mixed.
The whispers tell her secrets.
Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend a minute. Select a target Object within arm's reach. You must use up a vial of virgin's blood in order to activate this Effect. At the end of your investigation, roll Brawn + Investigation at Difficulty 6.
You learn all the following information about your target:
If you do not have a sacrificial Injury when you activate this Effect, take a new Severity-1 Injury.
You cannot investigate the same target more than once per day.
Emily collapses to her knees for a moment, and she locks her paws together. Her claws piece her own flesh, and she remembers, just for a short time, the night that she drank from the Red Grail.
The transformation starts from the blood that stains her claws, the fluid roiling for just a moment before it begins to run up her claws, paws, and her arms. The blood turns into thin, fluttering fabric that moves softly almost by itself. It covers her, wrapping her in many layers, obscuring her form. Her arms and legs and tail are lost in the fabric, her face shrouded in shadow. Digging though the fabric might not even find her at all... although the fabric caresses those who do.
And yet...
Everyone who looks at The Priestess knows she has an ever-present smile.
It is said that those who die at the hands (or paws) of one of the Hedonistic Priestesses always die with a smile on their face.
Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend two Actions performing the following ritual: kneeling, and digging your claws into your own flesh.. You must maintain Concentration while activating this Effect, and it fails if you are interrupted.
You transform into a Red Grail Priestess for 3 hours. You have access to all of your Powers while you are a Red Grail Priestess, and you can use your equipment. The Injuries and Battle Scars of your Alternate Form and your true form are tracked separately.
While transformed, your Attributes are the same. Your Stress is reduced by 2.
While transformed, instead of your normal clothes and equipment, you are equipped with: Long, red flowing robes that are constantly in a sensuous motion. One of her hands, wrapped in cloth more blood-red than blood, holds a shield made of thin crystal. It sings a wonderful, keening sound when struck. She wears the Reaper's Skull over her muzzle. On a belt, hidden within the robes, are various injectors of recreational drugs.
You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.
If you do not have a sacrificial Injury when you activate this Effect, take a new Severity-1 Injury.
Emily's conjugality with the Grail has both hardened her against more mundane trials and demonstrated to her several ways of returning a sensation upon one who offers it.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You get +4 dice to any Mind resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects:
Emily makes an offering of her own blood (for power) and a virgin's blood (for tempting) to the Grail... and it consumes her. For a moment, the blood leaks from her amulet before spreading over her, turning to red silk as it does, wrapping around her.. and then collapsing in on itself. She emerges in her new desired location as a chrysalis.
She may also make a prayer to the Grail at one of their temples - drinking freely and consuming all pleasures, and travel to another.
Exert your Mind and spend 2 Actions. Select a Location within your line of sight. You must use up a vial of virgin's blood in order to activate this Effect.
You are transported directly to the chosen Location. Anyone who is touching you as you Travel will be brought along with you. You must wait an hour before activating this effect again.
If you traverse any temples to hedonism (clubs, bars, drug dens, etc) for one minute, you may activate this Effect and travel to the edge of any other temples to hedonism (clubs, bars, drug dens, etc) that you’re aware of, regardless of range.
Emily crushes the vial in her paw and her pendant glows, and for a moment, she makes a sacrifice, attracting the attention of entities great and powerful to deepen her connection with all beings.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. You must use up a vial of virgin's blood in order to activate this Effect.
You may understand and communicate to Creatures, humans, and Sapient beings as if you are fluent in a relevant language for the next hour.
This also includes understanding any recorded communications from the relevant targets, including writings, scent trails, etc.
Communicating with a being cannot directly damage your Mind or cause Injury. All rolls to resist Effects that rely on communicating with you are made at -1 Difficulty.
Emily takes a deep breath of the target - or something with its scent - and her amulet flares for a second. And her blood stirs.
In the target, blood stirs in harmony. Some of it brightens, manifesting if it wasn't already there. Removing it all requires removing a good amount of insides as well.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a target within arm's reach. You may select a target at any range if you use up something with the scent of the target.
Your target is marked with bright blood. The mark can only be discovered with a deep medical inspection or Effect. Removal inflicts a Severity 1 Injury on the target.
You are aware of the marked target's direction and distance from you. This lasts for the next month, or until either the mark is removed, or you choose to end the Effect. This Artifact can have up to 3 marks active.
You may use any Awareness Powers on a marked target at any range.
With a flick of the wrist, and when tainted with blood, the fish hook is transformed into a harpoon with a wooden shaft, etched with symbols and verses, cracked and salt-burned lime the hull of a great ship. The harpoon, despite its age and size, glows near brilliant white at the cracks when faced with the hide of a monster to pierce.
After initiation into the Sons, Caleb was troubled with restless sleep and nightmares, all of a scene he'd only heard fanatically raved about from a capstan pulpit...the Great Hunt.
He found himself sleepwalking, gravitating towards a chamber in the old warehouse. These sleepwalks continued, all until he told his Uncle. He was delighted, and told Caleb all about the Hunt and it's purpose, and that these visions must be a gift. He was so glad, he gifted Caleb his lucky fish-hook...something that had been passed down for the last few generations.
Its secrets have...yet to be unleashed though.
This Artifact can be used as a sword / axe. It is roughly the same size as a sword / axe but can be collapsed into fishhook and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.Unless you have a Severity-3 or higher Injury, or succeed on a coin flip in a situation of extreme danger, you cannot turn the fishhook into the harpoon. If these conditions are met, you may hear voices or whispers to put the hook in liquid, which transforms it and additional damage past +2 only applies if your hit is a successful called shot or preceded by a Super Leap for momentum, this Artifact behaves as its mundane counterpart.
Attack by rolling Brawn + Melee, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +4 Weapon Damage.
You also gain the following effects:
Caleb, now aware of the supernatural nature of the hook, is linked with it through the spirits of his ancestors.
This Artifact cannot be broken. If this Artifact is lost and in no one else’s possession, it finds its way back to its true owner during the next Downtime.
By default, the creator of this Artifact is its true owner. The true owner may formally bequeath this Artifact onto another person within arm’s reach, after which they are its true owner. If the true owner dies or is destroyed, their ownership ends. If this Artifact has no true owner, anyone may spend one day attuning to it to become its true owner.
A magical entity or being cannot hold or use this Artifact. They take a Severity 1 Injury each Round they touch or possess of the Artifact. It cannot be prevented or healed by any means until one day after they relinquish possession.
This Artifact's true owner is always aware of the direction and distance to this Artifact.
Caleb can use the momentum of swinging the harpoon to leap into the air great distances, potentially adding power to his strikes.
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend an Action. Select a Location which is at most 100 feet away horizontally or 25 feet away vertically. This Effect cannot be used unless you have the hook in Offensive Form.
You jump to the chosen location. If jumping blind or landing precariously, must roll Dexterity + Athletics to land safely. You will never take fall Damage from successfully landing a jump made with this Effect.
You may opt to trade your free movement for a Super Leap if you are jumping less than 50 feet or if you are closing a gap to an opponent and spend your Action on an attack.
Caleb uses the fishhook in base form, manifesting tangling fishing wire to wrap around a target.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a target within 45 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless you are not in Offensive Form. Roll Brawn + Melee at Difficulty 6. The target may contest by Defending or Dodging.
If you succeed, your target will be pushed or pulled towards a surface within 45 feet and is restricted at that location by a physical, tangible binding. They cannot move to a new location, and, if your Contested Outcome was greater than their Brawn, they are encased and cannot take any physical Actions other than attempting to escape until they break free.
The target may spend an Action and roll Brawn or Dexterity + Athletics to attempt to break free. They must accumulate a total Outcome equal to or greater than the original Contested Outcome to escape. Damage to the binding from outside sources also contributes.
You may use this Effect as a Reaction to contest any physical Action a target is taking. Excess Outcome does not restrict the target. This interrupts Concentration.
You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.
Henri lifts his eyepatch to show his new eye! This eye is very hypnotic and therapeutic. This eye gives off beautiful colors that will bend you and your mind to be very sleepy. Next thing you know, you're on dream street!
Spend an Action. Select a Living or Animate target within 30 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless there is an enemy present. Roll Dexterity + Performance at Difficulty 6. Affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, your target becomes drowsy for the next 30 seconds, during which time they suffer an additional -2 dice Penalty to all Actions. At the end of their drowsiness, they fall into a state of sleep paralysis for Contested Outcome x 3 minutes. During this time, they remain fully conscious and aware of their surroundings but are incapable of taking any actions.
Sleeping targets will not prematurely wake up on their own, but may still be woken up by sudden loud noises, being jarred or splashed with water, taking Damage, or similar rousing events. They will also awaken before dying of hunger, thirst, or suffocation. Drowsy targets always fall asleep, regardless of what happens while they are drowsy.
When activating this Effect you may attempt a knockout. If you do and your Contested Outcome exceeds 4, the target falls asleep immediately. Otherwise, they suffer the drowsy penalty for 2 Rounds.
When an affected target wakes up, they remain drowsy for the next minute, and suffer a -3 dice penalty. If an affected target successfully resists being put to sleep, they will still become drowsy for the next minute, and will suffer the same penalty.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
The mad scientist can craft steel helmets that protect their wearers from mental influence and attack.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You get +0 dice to any Mind resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects:
This device is a piece of chrome the size and shape of the back of a spoon. When placed against the skin, small hypodermic needles sprout from the device and attach it to the user's bloodstream. There, it filters and releases lifesaving drugs into the bloodstream, granting complete immunity from contracting new diseases and added resiliency in all other cases.
WARNING: The immunizing drugs have been shown to reduce inhibitions in test subjects.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You get +2 dice to any Body resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects: