Charlatans

Exert your Mind and an Action. Select a Plant within arm's reach which could fit inside a rolling luggage bag (50 liters). You must actively and obviously use a wooden staff to activate this Effect.

Your target will become Animated indefinitely. You may choose to end the effect at will, as a Free Action. You can maintain a max of 4 targets animated at once.

Animated Objects have the following restrictions and capabilities:

• Awareness: Animated targets are capable of perceiving the world around them within reasonable limits. Animated objects can communicate information back to you by faint whispers made by leaves moving.
• Movement: Animated targets can use an existing method of locomotion (wheels, etc); otherwise they can move across the ground at 15 feet per round, or hover up to a height of 7 feet in the air at 10 feet per round.
• Combat: Animated objects cannot take offensive actions in combat.
• Artifacts: Animating an Artifact does not grant the animated object access to any Effects built in to that Artifact.
• Ability Use: If an action requires a roll, Animated objects have a dice pool of 7 when performing a task for which they were designed, and a dice pool of 4 for taking any other actions. You may maintain Concentration in order to let your animated objects take actions using your own dice pool instead.
• Toughness: Animated targets are as easy to destroy as they were prior to being animated. If destroyed, the effect ends.
• Following Orders: Animated objects are controlled by the GM, and will follow any commands you give them, as long as they don't require problem-solving.

You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in unarmed combat.

+2 dice to rolls for Attacking, Defending, and Clashing without a weapon. Unarmed attacks do +2 Weapon Damage (instead of -1).

Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Vengeful.

You may Defend against melee, projectile, or firearm Attacks from any range and Clash with those in range of your Attacks. Attacking materials like steel or spikes will not Damage you unless it has an Effect that does so.

You also gain the following effects:

• Brutal Strikes: If your attack inflicts a Battle Scar, you may choose which of the appropriate-severity Battle Scars the target suffers. If it causes a less severe Injury, you may inflict a Minor Battle Scar of your choosing.
• Meat Shield: If you have successfully grappled a target, you may use a Reaction to redirect any incoming attack to them instead of you.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action.

Summon the one and only Sapient Caga, Spirit of Forest at your location. They last until they are destroyed They are controlled by you. You may have at most one minion active at a time.

• Initiative: Minions act directly after you in Combat starting the Round after they are summoned.
• Combat: Minions roll 4 dice to make Club (branch) Attacks. Their unarmed Attacks are melee range and deal +1 Damage.
• Body/Mind: Minions have 7 Body. They are roughly the size of a horse. Your minions roll 7 Mind resistance dice.
• Armor: Minions have 1 Armor.
• Movement: Minions cannot move, and they weigh at least 250 pounds.
• Intelligence: Minions have human-level intelligence and can speak your language. They lack manual dexterity and cannot use equipment, Artifacts, or Consumables designed for humans.
• Actions: Any Perception checks they make are rolled with 4 dice. Any other roll is made with 4 dice.
• Powers: Your companion can Exert their Mind using your Mind and spend your Source. Your companion has access to Beast Form. Only one of you can benefit from a given Passive Power at a time, and you can switch who has access as a Free Action. You and your companion cannot activate the same Effect on the same Round.
• Unusual: Minions are obviously Alien to any observer.

If killed, you cannot re-summon your minion until after your next Contract.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. All Animate targets within 50 feet who can perceive you through hearing are affected. You must actively and obviously use musical instrument to activate this Effect. Roll Charisma + Performance ( dice) at Difficulty 6. All affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.

If you succeed, the targets will keep their full attention focused on you for contested Outcome in Rounds. They will automatically fail any rolls related to noticing anything other than you. If they cannot perceive you through hearing for three Rounds, the Effect is broken. The Effect will continue even if they engage in Combat.

This does not affect the target’s opinion of you or their mood, and they may take any Actions while affected (including attacking), as long as that action centers on you. Fascinated targets cannot Concentrate.

You may only use this Effect once per day.

You gain the following benefits at all times.

Your Intellect rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Intellect (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living, Animate target within 25 feet. You must maintain Concentration while the effect is active. Roll Intellect + Investigation ( dice) at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind ( dice) at Difficulty 6.

If you succeed, you are able to view your target's memories. If you fail, the target knows you're attempting to read their memories.

You may ask a number of specific questions about their memory equal to your Contested Outcome. For example, “what is their computer password,” “What were they doing at 4:00PM yesterday,” etc. You cannot get answers to broad, analytical questions like “are they a good person?” or “what are their plans for the future?”

Each memory takes as long to read as it takes to answer the question. When replaying a full memory, it is replayed in double time.

This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is your nose bleeding. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.

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.

You gain the following benefits at all times.

Your Charisma rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Charisma (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).

You also gain the following effects:

• Party Animal: You are welcome at, and will be granted entrance to, any social gathering or party, at least as an observer.
• The Price Of Fame: Any sightings or recordings of your activity can easily be traced back to you. Even when disguised or using an alias, people always get a Perception check to recognize you.

You gain the following benefits at all times.

Your Perception rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Perception (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).

You also gain the following effects:

• Constant Vigilance: You may React to surprise Attacks, and you do not automatically lose initiative if ambushed or caught-flat footed. +2 dice to Initiative.
• Can't Unsee: Any Trauma rolls you make are rolled at +2 Difficulty.

Exert your Mind and spend 2 Actions. You must actively and obviously use a piece of clothing you wouldn't normally wear to activate this Effect.

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.

This Effect ends if you take an Injury or are stunned or incapacitated.

While disguised, you cannot use any Activated or Targeted Powers.