Only the most crass, disloyal citizen of the Empire would raise a hand against their Emperor - in this unlikely event, they will find themselves swiftly disarmed, even thrown to the ground - The Emperor will not tolerate assaults on his person.
Issac Neuman was quite the proponent of Tai-Chi & Aikido in his former life, both as a method of staying fit & as an opening to sell certain clients on his "woke" spirituality. As Emperor Norton II, Issac has discovered the truth behind the techniques - that the open hand is stronger than the clenched fist - the pen is mightier than the sword.
Incidentally, the Emperor leads daily Tai-Chi sessions in Golden Gate park for any who wish to attend.
You gain the following benefits as long as you take Defensive Actions only and you are engaged in unarmed combat. You must actively and obviously be using Imperial Raiment to gain the benefits of this Effect.
+2 dice to rolls for Attacking, Defending, and Clashing without a weapon. Unarmed attacks do +0 Weapon Damage (instead of -1).
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:
Jake tensed his body just as he was once instructed... before an overwhelming pain coursed through his body, feeling like he was burning alive from the inside out. He couldn't help but scream as he felt his back start to swell like a balloon, his skin darkening substantially as he held his head. He coughed up blood and bile as his arms began to unfold and expand, his skin growing soft and malleable - then the true horror began.
His body would swell and shrink, swell and shrink, like a mix between a bubble and a lung... And it kept growing. Eventually, it grew until it was twice his original size before unfolding into an array of flesh, bone, and blood, dancing and layering on itself as it took on a new, terrible form: his head was longer, like the Xenomorph if half of the back of its head was missing. His jaw opened and fell slack, easily going past a foot in length. His back was heavily arched into a slouching position as it looked incredibly swollen, spines protruding at random points from it as it's spine extended out before slowly retracting back in. Then there were his limbs... His arms were thin yet layered with muscle while his legs were spindly and long, his feet and hands now reduced to bone talons and claws respectively. Instead of a cry of pain, it let out a series of wet clicks before it's throat opened to reveal a flesh sack, which inflated as the thing let out a deafening roar, declaring dominance and a demand for bloodshed.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action to activate.
You transform into Abberant Humanoid for 30 minutes. You have access to all of your Powers while you are Abberant Humanoid, and you can use your equipment. Your Battle Scars, Injuries, and physical Liabilities are carried over between forms. While transformed, your Brawn is increased by 1 and your Dexterity is increased by 1.
Your alternate form is its own deadly weapon. Unarmed attacks made in your alternate form deal +3 Bonus Damage (instead of the typical -2).
You do not suffer wound penalties while in your Alternate Form.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see His body twisting, stretching, and folding out like someone knitting his corpse into a new form..
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: The area of his chest where his heart is located is swollen, the veins around it inflamed and a deep red and blue, making it hard or impossible to hide..
While transformed, you automatically fail any Mind roll to resist an impulse and suffer -3 dice on all other Mind rolls.
You cannot speak any coherent verbal language while transformed and must resort to other means of communication.
Terry examines his patient. If available, he will use a tongue depressor, tap their knees with a tiny mallet, and use a sethescope to listen to their heartbeat. Without the proper tools, he can still speak to the patient and massage and observe them for a diagnosis.
This examination teaches Terry about his patient's medical wellbeing and weaknesses.
Spend a minute to activate. Select a Sapient target within arm's reach. At the end of your investigation, roll Intellect + Medicine at Difficulty 6. The target may Resist.
You learn all the following information about your target:
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
Bast is part of a higher order of life than humans, octopi, and their ilk. This has many advantages, and a few drawbacks.
Some of the advantages: Male and Female ports and plugs of various kinds throughout their body, 4 and 5g internal antennae, bluetooth capability, on-board gps (intended to track location if they got stolen, but being spoofed thanks to recent modifications).
Some of the disadvantages: Still need water, for coolant. Non-grounded electric shocks are incredibly deadly. Difficulty interacting with humans in non-lab settings.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: Human-passing Android. You are considered to be a Sapient, Non-Living Computer when targeted. Your Brawn is increased by 1.
Your body is adapted to Interfacing with technology. You receive +3 dice on non-attack rolls related to Interfacing with technology.
No single organ in your body is critical for life. Called Shots do no additional Damage to you. You may perceive the world through separated body parts, take Actions with them, and reattach them by spending an Action and Exerting your Mind.
Your Injuries no longer degrade with time. You do not age naturally, and supernatural attempts to age you fail.
Your body provides you with the functionality of surgery suite. If used to attack, these "tools" use the same stats as a small knife.
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Flat Affect.
You cannot ignore or decrease the effects of Stress for any social rolls you make.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Superior Race.
The Severity of any Injury caused by Electricity (not including through normal charging/interfacing functions) is increased by 2.
Fortuna tries to open a door she's unsure whether it's locked. Luckily it opens without much resistance. Last person to use it must've forgotten to close it.
Spend an Action. Select a Non-Alien door, container, knot, or lock within arm's reach , which is not electronic and can be no more complex than a standard key lock.
You may lock, unlock, and/or open your target.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is Eyes flashing for a moment. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
she has green, very gemstone-like eyes, and a very charismatic smile. When equipping the blood bolts, her arm turns blood red as blood droplets float around her arm as ammunition.
she's a twilight vampire atp ngl
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: emerald eyes. You are considered to be a Sapient, Non-Living being when targeted. Your Intellect is increased by 1.
Your Injuries no longer degrade with time. You do not age naturally, and supernatural attempts to age you fail.
You may make a +2 Weapon Damage Right hand: Blood Bolts (Assault rifle (+2 dmg) (Dex+Occult)) attack without additional equipment.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Short Fuse You have major issues controlling your temper. (Whenever tensions run high or someone disrespects you, you must roll Self-Control not to escalate the situation or have a violent reaction.).
The Severity of any Injury caused by Holy material is increased by 2.
The werewolf unleashes their inner beast, transforming into an imposing hybrid of human and wolf. Their head reforms into that of a wolf, robbing them of speech but bestowing a maw of deadly fangs. Grey fur sprouts from their body as it swells with muscle, ripping any tight-fitting clothes. While transformed, the werewolf is impulsive and driven more by instinct than logic.
If The Werewolf is struck my moonlight, they are compelled to transform.
Exert your Mind and spend a Quick Action.
You transform into a werewolf for 3 minutes. You have access to all of your Powers while you are a werewolf, 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 and your Dexterity 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 -2).
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.
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.
While transformed, you automatically fail any Mind roll to resist an impulse and suffer -3 dice on all other Mind rolls.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Whenever you are struck by the light of a full or gibbous moon, you must roll Self-Control to resist transforming. Triggers a max of once per night.
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. Any Battle Scars that affect or remove your additional limb will heal in a single week.
Your appendage has a grip that is hard to shake. While grappling a target, when contesting their physical actions, you may roll your full dice pool, but it only counts as a Quick Action.
Your Extra Appendage is incapable of fine object manipulation.
The Necromancer stands over a corpse and makes a series of grandiose lifting gestures. The corpse rises from the ground as though suspended by invisible strings, barks a pained groan, and lands on its feet, now a full-fledged member of the living dead.
Take a Severity-1 Injury and spend an Action. You must use up a corpse in order to activate this Effect.
Summon a single zombie at your location. They will last until they are destroyed. They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. You may have at most 1 minion active at a time.
The Psychic can speak directly into someone's mind, engaging in an entirely telepathic conversation. While they do, they take on a blank, vacant stare in the direction of their target, and appear to be muttering gibberish to themselves under their breath.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a target any distance away from you. You must have a specific target in mind, but you require only an intuitive understanding of them, such as their name, face, or Location. This Effect cannot be used unless you can see your target.
You open up a line of communication to your target, and may converse with them as long as one of you maintains Concentration
The conversation will only be perceived by the intended recipient. You must share a common language for your target to understand the message.
The psychic can glean various important details about a person simply by engaging in a short conversation with them.
Spend one minute. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. You must actively converse with the individual in question for one minute in order to gather any information. At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Influence at Difficulty 6.
You learn all the following information about your target:
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.
Any information you gather is spoken aloud in conversation and made publicly available.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.