At random, sporadic intervals, without either rhyme or reason, the gift user inevitably comes across yet more alternate versions of themselves from different, unknown timelines. Some of these alternate selves may be very similar to the gift user - they might wear similar clothes, and have similar mannerisms and beliefs - however some can instead be wildly different depending on the lives they have led, and the timelines they have came from. Likewise, their goals can differ too: even though most of the gift user's alternate selves are likely to be at least somewhat aligned with them, and thus willing to lend their assistance, there is also the rare chance for encountering alternate selves that are downright hostile, potentially even to a homicidal extent.
The actual process of an alternate self getting summoned through time often happens beyond the gift user's sight: in a different room, behind a corner, or somewhere else of that sort. Other times, the temporary guest's appearance may be noticed immediately, such as when they show up sitting in an unoccupied chair or standing right next to another person. No matter the level of conspicuousness, though, all of these summonings always have a single common element that remains unchanged - they begin with the trickling in of tiny grains of carmine sand. At first, there's barely any; then, the streams gradually grow, seemingly coming from nowhere; and, finally, with the rough shape of a person formed, the alternate self gets revealed while the sand is blown away into nothingness.
The weaponry of each alternate self that is summoned by this Effect is determined by the rules detailed in the Extended Description.
Each time an alternate self is summoned via this gift, a D20 is rolled to determine what class of weapons - if any - that alternate self comes equipped with.
Possible outcomes:
✦ 1 ⟶ Nothing
✦ 2 ⟶ Club
✦ 3 ⟶ Improvised Thrown Weapon
✦ 4 ⟶ Knife/Dagger
✦ 5 ⟶ Rope Dart
✦ 6 ⟶ Throwing Knife/Shuriken
✦ 7 ⟶ Rapier
✦ 8 ⟶ Throwing Axe/Javelin
✦ 9 ⟶ Handheld Stun Gun
✦ 10 ⇾ Bow
✦ 11 ⇾ Ranged Stun Gun
✦ 12 ⇾ Crossbow
✦ 13 ⇾ Small IED
✦ 14 ⇾ Handgun
✦ 15 ⇾ Grenade
✦ 16 ⇾ Shotgun
✦ 17 ⇾ Sword/Axe
✦ 18 ⇾ Rifle
✦ 19 ⇾ Greatsword/Giant Axe
✦ 20 ⇾ Heavy Sniper Rifle
This Effect activates whenever someone uses their Will to Survive. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event. Roll a single D10 as a critical failure check. If you roll a 1, the Effect fails, and you instead witness the appearance of an alternate self that is openly hostile to you, your allies and your goals. Unlike non-hostile alternate selves, hostile ones may refuse to follow any commands you give and cannot be ended prematurely at will.
Summon up to 3 Sapient alternate selves - but only a single one per activation of this Effect - at your location. They last for two hours or until they move more than 150 feet from you or are destroyed. They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. You may have at most 3 minions active at a time.
You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Temporal Commitment.
your cloak expands and completely encases you before unravelling revealing you as a 7'0 skeleton wearing the cloak.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action to activate.
You transform into Grim reaper until you transform into something else or choose to return to your original form. You cannot transform into a flying creature. See the Extended System text for stats.
While transformed, you cannot use any equipment (excluding Artifacts and Consumables, which you can use), and you cannot use your Active, Direct, or Trap Powers. However, you can use your Passive Powers. Any equipment you are wearing transforms 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.
While transformed, you are obviously unusual, unnatural, or alien, and the average person will take a special interest in you.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. You must use up alcohol in order to activate this Effect.
You may understand and communicate to humans 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.
While active and speaking to a single individual, you may choose to use glib tongue. When you do, anything you say to them (even gibberish) will be exactly what they want to hear. You gain no understanding of what that might be.
Bummer & Lazarus - a pair of mongrel stray dogs much beloved by the denizens of San Francisco who wandered the streets of that fair city at the same time as the illustrious Emperor Norton the First. With the long wait for a successor now over, the spirits of these noble canines may be summoned up once more by the current Emperor, arriving from any nearby dumpster, alleyway, or similar when called. While clearly ghostly, they still yet serve the Empire!
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
Summon the one and only Sapient Ghost Dog at your location. They last for two hours or until they are destroyed. They are controlled by you. You may have at most one minion active at a time.
If killed, you cannot re-summon your minion until after your next Contract.
Paulette curls on herself and her skin starts twitching and moving. Then a spider rips from her body.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
Summon up to 3 Sapient spiderling at your location. They last for two hours or until they are destroyed. They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. You may have at most 3 minions active at a time.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see a spider crawling under her skin.
The guise of humanity is dropped. Panels open up and heat starts radiating from the core. All pretence of humanity drains from my eyes as limiters are disengaged. All power diverted to combat systems.
Zeta's limiters are dropped and extra radiators protrude from Zeta's back. The excessive heat melts the flesh and burns the cloths on Zeta's body revealing a mechanical nightmare that was hiding underneath.
Zeta's metal skeletal structure elongates to provide more leverage. The hands are revealed to be serrated claws. Zeta's now revealed chrome skull splits in half and the melted flesh drips away to reveal more mechanical eyes that over her entire head. Tooth caps fall away to reveal rows of sharp, pointy teeth.
Steam shoots out from under Zeta's revealed ribcage and bellows around her feet. Zeta's thigh bones split in two as they're revealed to be double and reverse jointed to provide greater maneuverability.
Zeta only has one thing left to say before the voice box is shutdown as it's power is diverted to combat prowess.
"Targets Acquired"
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
You transform into Battle Mode for 3 minutes. You have access to all of your Powers while you are Battle Mode, and you can use your equipment. Your Battle Scars, Injuries, and physical Liabilities are carried over between forms. Reverting from your Alternate Form cannot cause your existing Injuries to kill you. Instead, you remain Incapacitated.
While transformed, your Brawn is increased by 1, your Dexterity is increased by 1, and your Perception is increased by 1. You do not suffer any Stress while transformed.
Your alternate form is its own deadly weapon. Unarmed attacks made in your alternate form deal +3 Weapon Damage (instead of the typical -1).
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see Obviously a murder Machine.
Your alternate form renders you unable to speak any human language and incapable of fine object manipulation. You can only hold or grasp objects in a crude, clumsy way.
Whenever you enter Combat, roll Self-Control. If you fail, you cannot choose which targets to attack and cannot stop fighting until there are no targets remaining.
The detective squints, drawing on years of police experience to find any hidden drugs, weapons, or other illegal objects, no matter how well-hidden.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
You automatically detect all illegal materials within 50 feet of you for the next hour. You have a clear sense of both the distance and direction towards any detected items. You do not learn any details about the detected items.
By focusing, the Thief may shroud their hands in shadowy tendrils that seek nearby objects like static-charged hairs. They cast themselves across any surface the Thief touches, acting as anchors that allow the Thief to scale even the sheerest walls.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
You may move easily and without a roll in any of the following situations. Lasts 2 hours.
The beastmaster shouts, and their human voice cracks into a deep, bestial roar. Their body swells with muscle, clothes melting into a thick pelt of fur. Seconds later the beastmaster is gone. Standing in their place is a massive grizzly bear.
However, even in human form the beast within remains close to the surface, and the beastmaster finds highly civilized social situations unbearable.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
You transform into a brown bear for two hours or until you choose to end the Effect. See the Extended System text for stats.
While transformed, you cannot use any equipment (including Artifacts and Consumables), and you cannot use your Active, Targeted, or Trap Powers. However, you can use your Passive Powers. Any equipment you are wearing transforms 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.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Intolerance for society. When you are in a situation with strict social protocols (like a trial or a formal dinner) roll Self-Control not to enter a flight or fight response.
The beastmaster closes their eyes and channels nature's bloody struggle for survival. When their eyes reopen, they catch the light and glow red like a dog's. While in this heightened state, they may sense heat signatures and triangulate the tiniest sound.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
Your senses are enhanced in the following way. Lasts for three hours.
The vampire sucks a copious amount of blood from a human and replenishes their own cursed flesh.
Exert your Mind and spend 1 minute. This Effect cannot be used unless you drink blood directly from a human until it injures them. Choose a specific Injury on yourself that has not yet been treated with this Effect and roll Brawn + Occult (6 dice) at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, the Injury is reduced in Severity by your Outcome. If you reduce its Severity to 0, the Injury is fully healed. Otherwise, it is partially healed and will heal the rest of the way at its natural rate.
This counts as a successful Makeshift Stabilization if the Injury was not already Stabilized; any Battle Scars caused by the Injury will remain.
If your Outcome is greater than the Severity of the Injury you were attempting to treat, you may apply any excess Outcome to other Injuries on yourself.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see you drink blood directly from the vein.