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The Illumination
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Setting: The Illumination
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Building Custom Gifts
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Building Custom Gifts

"Gifts are why we sign The Contract"

Each session of The Contract, the Players' Contractors are invited to risk their lives in a deadly mission. Those who succeed are rewarded with a Gift Credit that can be spent here in exchange for extraordinary Artifacts or incredible Powers.

No two Contractors are alike. Each Contractor's Gifts are a unique expression of their concept, and any character concept can be realized by building custom Gifts.

Each Gift's system is automatically generated during creation. These systems are simple but specific. While such precise systems can be verbose, they focus gameplay on creatively using Gifts rather than interpreting them, and they ensure your Contractor plays the same no matter who is acting as GM.

Building Custom Gifts is Easy

Form an idea of what you want your Contractor to be able to do.
Describe your concept to this Gift-Building webpage. Select a Gift Type and Effect, then customize its modifiers until it matches your idea.
Apply flavor to your Gift by adding a description, name, and tagline.

You can also start by customizing a premade Stock Gift.

Watch the video tutorial

Further instructions are available at the bottom of this initial "Select Gift Type" page, and many elements can be tapped on hovered over for more information.

Gift Type: Powers

"Everything in life comes and goes. Everything but Powers."

Powers are a Contractor's bread and butter. They may be obvious or subtle, arcane or technological, actively called upon or passively empowering. Powers are the only Gift Type that doesn't always require equipment, making them the most reliable.

Powers include:

Any superpower
Magical spells and divine invocations
Cybernetic implants and other bodily augmentations
Supernaturally honed Abilities
Mythical Brawn, Dexterity, Intellect, Perception, or Charisma
Beneficial effects stemming from your Contractor's otherworldly nature

If your idea for a Gift isn't obviously one of the other Gift Types, it's probably a Power.

Gift Type: Legendary Artifacts

"I sure hope no one steals this."

Legendary Artifacts are high-risk and high-reward. These one-of-a-kind items are far more powerful than Powers or crafted items. However, they can be lost, destroyed, or even stolen by other Contractors. While there are ways to protect Legendary Artifacts, some risk always remains.

As your Contractor progresses, you may invest multiple Gifts and Improvements into a single Legendary Artifact, granting it multiple activated and passive Effects. Just remember, your Legendary Artifacts can be used by anyone, whether or not you're still alive.

Legendary Artifacts Include:

Unique alien technology
Mythical relics
Family heirlooms
One-of-a-kind creations

Any extraordinary equipment your Contractor did not create themselves is a Legendary Artifact.

Gift Type: Artifact Crafting

"Sure, I'll make you one. If you provide the proper incentive."

Artifact Crafting turns your Contractor into the golden goose. No Gift Type demands more sacrifice, nor a higher price. However, those Contractors who invest in Artifact Crafting create equipment that rivals the Gifts of the Harbingers. And make no mistake: most Contractors' loyalty can be bought.

Any Contractor who takes a crafting Gift can craft. When you craft with an Artifact Crafting Gift, you can either create a new Artifact with that Gift's Effect or add its Effect to another Artifact you've created.

Investing a Gift Credit or Improvement into an Artifact Crafting Gift lets you craft it once for free. After that, crafting with the Gift costs Experience equal to its Gift Cost + 1.

Crafted Artifacts Include:

Extraordinary weapons and armor
Skunkworks prototype devices
Spellbooks
Alien technology
Super-suits for your team

If you're looking to rival Hephaestus or Stark, you want Artifact Crafting.

Gift Type: Consumable Crafting

"Everybody take one. Use it if you get into trouble."

Consumables are single-use items that are easy to share and trade.

Any Contractor who takes a crafting Gift can craft. Each Downtime between Contracts, Contractors can craft one of each of their Consumables for free. Investing a Gift Credit or Improvement into a Consumable Gift grants an extra one for free. Additional Consumables may be crafted at a cost of 1 Exp each.

Crafted Consumables Include:

Potions
Specialty ammunition
Settable traps
Deployable super-tech
Magic makeup
Energy drinks that turn you into a mongoose

If it's supernatural, single-use items your Contractor makes, it's Consumable Crafting.

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Legendary Artifact

Summon Lesser Demonwith the right book, you're never alone

Cost: -1 (1 -2)

This Artifact allows you to summon a minion which can fight and act on your behalf.

The Demonologist performs an elaborate ritual to summon and bind a winged lesser demon. during the ritual, the summoning circle glows a deep crimson, until a winged demon is dragged up through the circle, bound in glowing red chains, and forced into the Demonologists service, only to be released when it is slain and returned to Hell. Uses Demonology

Exert your Mind and spend an Action.

Summon a single Non-Sapient, Animate ________ at your location. They last until they are destroyed They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. This Artifact 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 dodge, Grapple, or make unarmed Attacks. Their Attacks are melee range and deal +2 Damage.
Body/Mind: Minions have 5 Body. They automatically fail all Mind resistance rolls.
Armor: Minions have 1 Armor.
Movement: Minions can move 20 feet per Round as Free Movement and double that when performing an all-out Sprint.
Intelligence: Minions have dog-level intelligence and cannot communicate back to you. They cannot actively use Equipment.
Actions: Any Perception checks they make are rolled with 3 dice. They can lift and haul as though they have 2 Brawn.
Unusual: Minions are obviously Alien to any observer.

Extended System

Your minions may count as additional targeting types based on their flavor. For example: Living, Computer, Creature, etc.

Gift Example

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Editing Gift
Summon Lesser Demon

Legendary Artifact

Spawn Minions

Customize

Cost: -1 (1 -2)

Legendary Artifact

Summon Lesser Demonwith the right book, you're never alone

Cost: -1 (1 -2)

This Artifact allows you to summon a minion which can fight and act on your behalf.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action.

Initiative: Minions act directly after you in Combat starting the Round after they are summoned.
Combat: Minions roll 4 dice to dodge, Grapple, or make unarmed Attacks. Their Attacks are melee range and deal +2 Damage.
Body/Mind: Minions have 5 Body. They automatically fail all Mind resistance rolls.
Armor: Minions have 1 Armor.
Movement: Minions can move 20 feet per Round as Free Movement and double that when performing an all-out Sprint.
Intelligence: Minions have dog-level intelligence and cannot communicate back to you. They cannot actively use Equipment.
Actions: Any Perception checks they make are rolled with 3 dice. They can lift and haul as though they have 2 Brawn.
Unusual: Minions are obviously Alien to any observer.

Extended System

Your minions may count as additional targeting types based on their flavor. For example: Living, Computer, Creature, etc.

Customize System

Customize your Gift's behavior.

When you're satisfied, scroll down to flavor and finish.

Tap this button any time to preview your Gift:

Cost: -1

Summoned Minion

Minion Attack

Minion Health

Enhancements

Gift Cost: +1

Armored (Your Minions gain 3 Armor and 2 Body, and they have the equivalent of 4 Brawn lifting/hauling capacity. They have 15 feet of Free Movement. Their Attacks deal an additional +1 Damage.)

Battery-operated (Instead of Exerting Mind to activate this Power, it has its own 3-point Source pool. The Source regenerates at the rate of one point per day and cannot be raised with Experience.)

Companion (Your minion is a single, Sapient being controlled by you, not the GM. They may use Source from your pool and Exert their Mind using your Mind. When killed, you cannot resummon them until after your next Contract. They receive +1 die to all rolls.)

Requires: Expendables

Expendables (Your minions are Sapient, speak a language, and can use Equipment, Artifacts, and Consumables. They cannot Exert their Mind. Their Attack dice only apply Grapples, Dodges, and one type of attack or weapon. For all other Actions, they roll 3 dice.)

Faithful (Summoned minions last indefinitely.)

Fliers (Minions can fly at normal movement speed.)

Minion's Fate (If ordered to protect someone with its life, your Minion may sacrifice itself to absorb an Attack on their behalf, provided it is within 15 feet of them.)

Mobile Auto-Turret (Minions have a 50 foot Attack range.)

Regular Joe (Your minions are not obviously Alien. )

Requires: Expendables

Scout (Your minions can speak and move 15 feet further per Round. They roll 7 dice for Perception rolls.)

Squad (You may have up to 3 minions active at once. When you activate this Effect, you may summon up to your maximum active Minions.)

Triggered (You cannot manually activate this Effect. Instead, choose a triggering event, always outside your control, that activates this Effect without requiring an Action or Exertion cost from you.)

Cannot be taken with Faithful

Well-Trained (Minions gain a Primary Ability of your choosing. Non-Attack Actions using it have a 7 dice pool.)

Requires: Expendables

Willful End (You may end this Effect before its duration has elapsed as a Free Action.)