Home
Play for free
Guide
How to Play
The Illumination
GameMaster's Manual
The Rules
The Basics
Game Structure
Setting: The Illumination
Contractors
Harbingers
Contracts
Scenarios
Gifts
Downtime
Playgroups
The Website
Gameplay
Into the Unknown
Content and Safety
Real Locations and People
Rolling Dice
Retrying
Contested Actions
Difficulty
Dice Pool Modifiers
Probability
The Character Sheet
Creating a Contractor
Approving Contractors
Character Concept
Filling out a Character Sheet
Assets and Liabilities
Experience
Journals
The Questionnaire
Limits
Attributes
Abilities
Primary Abilities
Secondary Abilities
Conditions and Circumstances
Equipment
Body
Injuries
Degradation and Stabilization
Battle Scars
Death
Mind
Traumas
Stock Traumas
Exertion
Stress
Source
Gift Guide
Gift Credits and Improvements
Building Custom Gifts
Gift Cost
Gift Types
Effects
Activation Styles
Parameters
Enhancements and Drawbacks
Gift Description
System Text, Tagline, and Gift Name
Gift Approval
Gift System Keywords
Crafting
Looting Artifacts
Combat
Initiative
Rounds
Actions
Attacking
Grappling and Choking
Quick Actions and Multitasking
Holding Actions
Reactions
Dodging
Defending
Clashing
Movement
Encumbrance
Other Kinds of Movement
Weapons
Firearms
Melee Weapons
Explosives
Other Weapons
Armor
Mobs
Example Combat
Structured Downtimes
Moves
How to Make Moves
Loose Ends
Situational Rules
Ringers
Moxie
Contract Cycles
Visiting Other Playgroups
Voiding Contracts
Attack Difficulty Modifiers
Full-Auto Sweeps
Other Explosives
Other Sources of Damage
Exposure
Deprivation
Vehicles
Vehicle Speed and Acceleration
Vehicle Crashes and Safety
Damaging Vehicles
Vehicle Maneuvers
Poisons, Venoms, Toxins
Drugs
Further Reading
Quick Nav
- Learn to Play
- Contractors
- Create Contractor
- Graveyard
- Gifts
- Create Gift
- Stock Gifts
- Community
- Discord Server
- Looking for Game
- Find a Playgroup
- Hall of Fame
- Website
- Get Early Access
- Buy Merchandise
- News and Updates

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.

Loading...

Legendary Artifact

Apocalypse

Cost: 1

This Artifact allows you to cause a destructive blast of damage in an area.

WIP

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. The area within 25 feet of you immediately and obviously becomes imminently dangerous. Roll Brawn + Brawl at Difficulty 6. Targets inside the radius may attempt an appropriate Reaction at GM’s discretion. Finding a physical barrier to use as cover will cut total Damage taken in half (applies after Reaction roll but before Armor).

If the Outcome is positive, your blast hits everything within 25 feet of you with Damage equal to your Outcome + 4. If you botched the activation roll, you will also take full Damage from the blast, otherwise it will not hurt you.

Extended System

You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
Your target must be within line of sight, or within range of another sense if more fitting for the Gift's flavor.

Gift Example

Loading...

Editing Gift
Apocalypse

Legendary Artifact

Blast

Customize

Cost: 1

Legendary Artifact

Apocalypse

Cost: 1

This Artifact allows you to cause a destructive blast of damage in an area.

WIP

Extended System

You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
Your target must be within line of sight, or within range of another sense if more fitting for the Gift's flavor.

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

Blast Roll

Range

Radius

Damage

Enhancements

Gift Cost: +2

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.)

Cooked Off (The blast occurs immediately instead of during the next Round. Targets inside the radius may use an appropriate Reaction at GMs discretion.)

Deflagration (Any flammable Objects within the radius during the blast will catch fire, and any being who takes at least 4 Damage will catch fire. Starting the Round after they caught fire, flaming targets take 2 Damage per Round until the fire is extinguished.)

Detonation (Damage spreads to targets beyond the edge of the initial radius, decreasing by 2 Damage for every 5 feet traveled.)

Easy (When you activate this Effect, flip a coin. If you win, its Exertion cost is refunded.)

Radiate (Instead of centering on a targeted location, you are the epicenter of the blast. You take no Damage from the blast unless you botch the activation roll.)

Shredder (If you successfully hit your target, the value of any Armor they are wearing is reduced by 2. For material armor, this penalty lasts until it is repaired. For intrinsic armor, it lasts until the end of Combat and any relevant wound is healed.)

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.)

Wait For it. . . (You may delay your blast’s detonation up to a minute, and you may spend a Free Action on your initiative to trigger the blast or cancel the Effect. The target area remains obviously dangerous until you do so.)

Cannot be taken with Cooked Off

Seasoned Enhancements

Conditionally Costless (This Effect does not require Exertion in certain circumstances. The condition should be balanced such that it has an activation cost the majority of the time you are able to use it.)