At times, a quick investigation and a bit of pleading to your benefactor is all you need to solve the case. In turn, there's a decent chance you might be thrown that small scrap of evidence that blows the case wide open.
Brief visions granted to Frank by the spirit of film noir (as opposed to the whispers). Typically used as a last resort once an investigations reached a dead in, there's a great shame involved in utilizing glances. It's like confessing that you've got nothing left, that you're not good enough for the case... not without this crutch.
Exert your Mind and spend 2 Actions. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 100 feet At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Investigation at Difficulty 6.
You learn the following information about the area:
You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.
Frigg feels the first ounce of spark flow through her body, and feels it twist and turn and build inside of her, until her body is no longer her own, but that of a creature she had touched not long before, giving her a connection to her work she had never thought possible.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action to activate.
You transform into the last Creature you touched until you transform into something else. You cannot transform into a flying creature. See the Extended System text for stats.
While transformed, you cannot use any equipment (including Artifacts and Consumables), and you do not have access to any of your Powers. The equipment you are wearing does not transform with you.
Injuries and Wound Level are carried over between forms. However, transforming can never kill you; you merely remain Incapacitated until your Injuries are sufficiently healed.
Mark!Mark!Mark!Mark!Mark!Mark!Mark!Mark!Mark!Mark!
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Roll Kickass + Athletics at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around yourself, which absorbs the next Outcome +2 Damage. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. You may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
The barrier will fall after two hours, or if it absorbs the full amount of Damage. When a barrier falls, you cannot use this Effect again for a minimum of 2 Rounds.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is Mark!Mark!. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
Frank's inner beast still needs to be tamed. He's working on it. When it feeds, it's often very messy. Frank bites down on the neck of the individual in question and drains their blood, using the victims vitality to bolster his own.
Frank isn't used to it yet... The thought of becoming a monster himself, even if he thinks it's for the greater good, haunts him.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Sapient target within arm's reach. 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. If a target does not consent to the transfer, you must roll Dex Melee at Difficulty 6 to use the effect on them. They can resist by rolling either Body or Mind at Difficulty 6, depending on what you are attempting to transfer to them.
You may choose one each of as many things as you like from the following to transfer from your target to yourself, or from yourself to them:
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see Being a fresh vampire, Frank doesn't know how to...eat cleanly... Blood sprays everywhere, as Frank chows down..
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Obvious Fangs - Paleskin and extended canines make it easier to recognize Frank as a vampire. Rolls to identify Frank as a vampire are one difficulty easier..
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Childer's Hunger - When you see a valid target bleeding, and Frank is injured, make a self control roll to not use this ability on that target..
Pulling out your notebook, you compile your thoughts on the local area.
You can get an intuitive sense of the alien energies at play, given your constant exposure to them! Make sure to jot then down if you can, hahaha…
Alternatively, looking at some of the scrawled pages, you feel free to let your thoughts wander… and then an epiphany strikes you. A word, a sentence sticks out to you… it reminds you of something that happened here, and a vision flashes in your mind.
Where did it come from? Who knows? It almost feels like you’ve been here before…
Spend a minute. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 100 feet You must actively and obviously use a notebook that you’ve written in to activate this Effect. At the end of your investigation, roll Intellect + Investigation at Difficulty 6.
You learn a single specific piece of information, chosen from the following list, about the area:
This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.
You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.
Rather than aiming for brute force, each strike is executed with a controlled finesse that speaks to a deep understanding of the human anatomy. The blade seems to caress the air as it arcs through a mesmerizing series of loops, spins, and thrusts. With each movement, Machida's eyes remain fixed on his opponent's form, as if reading the very essence of their being.
"Itamae style: Usugiri" draws inspiration from the precision and finesse displayed in the traditional Usugiri cutting technique employed by Itamae. Just as the Itamae utilize their delicate knife skills to create thin, precise cuts in delicate ingredients, Machida applies a similar philosophy to his swordplay, but in a combat context.
The connection becomes evident in the way both techniques emphasize control, accuracy, and respect for the subject. In Usugiri, the goal is to cut ingredients so finely that their natural flavors are preserved, demonstrating the chef's skill in enhancing the essence of the food. Similarly, Machida's approach is not to inflict severe harm but to precisely incapacitate his opponent while minimizing undue suffering.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in combat with melee weapons.
+2 dice to all rolls with melee weapons. You may Defend against firearm attacks from any range using melee weapons.
You also gain the following effects:
The Necromancer temporarily assumes the form of their own corpse, complete with maggots, spilled entrails, and exposed bone. They cannot move while transformed, but their empty eye sockets see as well as ever.
Exert your Mind and Spend an Action.
You transform into your own corpse for one minute. While transformed, you may control the functioning of the object you have transformed into. You can perceive your surroundings as normal. You can be targeted as a Non-Living, Sapient Object.
If you are damaged while transformed, the damage is realized when you return to normal. If you are damaged before you transform, your inanimate form will appear partially damaged.
You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.
The aristocrat knows a ritual that allows them to rent the best version of any item. They set $10,000 worth of cash on fire and place the item to be upgraded in the fire as well. While in the flame, the item morphs into a high-end version of itself. After a while, it reverts.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Select a non-Alien Device within arm's reach. You must use up $10,000 cash (or equivalent) in order to activate this Effect. Cannot be used to improve Armor.
Lasts the next two hours. Your target receives 3 extra dice to all actions taken for its intended use. Attacking with an upgraded weapon grants +3 Weapon Damage instead of additional dice.
The Thief examines an object closely for a minute to appraise its value. As their eyes dance across the subject, their pupils split vertically, and their irises fade to gold. If it is a particularly valuable item, the Thief may greedily lick their lips, revealing a forked tongue.
Within a minute, they have determined how materially valuable the object is and why.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Select a target Object within arm's reach. At the end of your investigation, roll Charisma + Culture at Difficulty 6.
You learn all the following information about your target:
You cannot investigate the same target more than once per day.
The mutant has grown a long, fuzzy tail resembling one found on a monkey or lemur. Odd as it may be, it certainly comes in handy, and it's got one hell of a grip. If removed, the tail regrows within a week.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You gain an additional limb that functions as a standard human arm and hand.
Each additional limb you posses can take one Quick Action per Round without incurring a -2 dice penalty to your main Action. Each additional appendage you have gives you +1 dice to make and resist Grapples (up to a maximum bonus of +4 dice).
Any Battle Scars that affect or remove your additional limb will heal in a single week.
You may dedicate your extra Quick Action to contest any attempt to escape your Grapples. If you do so, you roll your full dice pool to contest and retain your Action to do anything that does not target the subject of your Grapple.
Your Extra Appendage is incapable of fine object manipulation.
When the Vampire's lust for blood is satiated, their injuries heal at a remarkably fast rate and new injuries are quickly stabilized. While healing, the Vampire's skin retains its deathly pale appearance, as any blood he consumes is being used to repair his wounds.
You gain the following benefits as long as as long as you have drank a half gallon (lethal) amount of blood in the past 24 hours.
Any Injury you receive heals quickly, reducing its Severity by one level each hour. Any Injuries you receive while this Effect is active do not deteriorate over time. However, any Battle Scars caused by such an Injury will remain unless it is Properly Stabilized as normal.