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The Illumination
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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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You will be able to craft this Effect onto Artifacts.

Rune of Warning (rework)Defense begins with awareness

Cost: 1

This Artifact grants you the power to detect all nearby beings who intend you harm.

This charm typically comes on a necklace or bracelet of some kind, potentially with other consumable rune charms. When an enemy approaches in an otherwise calm situation it becomes noticeably warm to the user, imbuing them with instinctive knowledge on their relative location. If one is feeling exceptionally threatened, one can trace the pattern of the rune for several seconds while chanting the words engraved on the reverse side of the charm (exact words may vary depending on who the charm was made for), channeling the energy within it to activate its full detection and reveal the locations of all enemies for the next hour. Overuse, however may strain the mind and lead to paranoid or unhinged thoughts patterns.

Extended Description

No change for rework

Exert your Mind and spend two Actions performing the following ritual: Trace the lines of the runic design while reciting the words inscribed on the reverse side of the charm. You must maintain Concentration while activating this Effect, and it fails if you are interrupted. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means. If you fail or Botch, you receive one Mind Damage and a new Trauma.

You automatically detect all beings who intend you harm within 300 feet of you for the next hour. This includes any who come within range during the duration. You have a sense of how many valid targets are nearby, as well as their distance and direction.

If no beings who intend you harm targets are within 300 feet of you, and then one enters range, you automatically detect it, even if this Effect is not active.

You may only use this Effect once per day.

Extended System

This Effect does not satisfy the line of sight targeting requirement for other Effects.

Gift Example

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Editing Gift
Rune of Warning (rework)

Artifact Crafting

Detect Beings

Customize

Cost: 1

You will be able to craft this Effect onto Artifacts.

Rune of Warning (rework)Defense begins with awareness

Cost: 1

This Artifact grants you the power to detect all nearby beings who intend you harm.

Extended Description

No change for rework

If no beings who intend you harm targets are within 300 feet of you, and then one enters range, you automatically detect it, even if this Effect is not active.

You may only use this Effect once per day.

Extended System

This Effect does not satisfy the line of sight targeting requirement for other Effects.

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

Detected Beings

Must apply to less than half of all Animate targets. E.g. "humans", "criminals", "robots", "the undead". Can't be based on the being's intentions.

Range

Gift Cost: +1

Enhancements

Gift Cost: +1

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.)

Catch a Whiff (If none of a specified type of target are within range, and then one enters range, you automatically detect it, even if this Effect is not active.)

Divination (Points you in the direction of the closest target and gives you a rough sense of its distance from you, even if it is outside your range.)

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

Improved Awareness (You may now sense another type of being. You are aware which types each detect being falls under.)

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.)

Requires Seasoned status.

Got Eyes On Em (Any beings detected by the initial activation of this Effect are "marked." Until the Effect ends, you get live information about them even if they move out of range.)

Requires Seasoned status.

Insight (You learn basic information about why each detected being is being detected. For example, if you detect Criminals, you may learn how many crimes they have committed and what type.)

Requires Seasoned status.

Requires: Suspect List

Suspect List (Any being you detect is also identified, be it through a common name, a glimpse of their face, an aura, etc. The identifier cannot reveal hidden info and should just be enough to identify them.)

Requires Seasoned status.

Drawbacks

Gift Cost: -3

Announce Your Presence (Anyone who you detect can also detect you.)

Conditional (This Effect is only available when a certain condition is met. This condition must be severe enough that this Gift is unusable the majority of the time.)

Disfiguring (Possession of this Gift grants a minor Battle Scar that can only be cured by buying off this Drawback.)

Disturbing (Witnessing this Effect is disturbing and/or morally abhorrent to the average person. Anyone who witnesses you during its activation or for its duration will be repulsed, outraged, and will likely think differently of you from that moment on.)

Cannot be taken with Mage

Draining (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.)

Long Cast (This Effect takes one minute to activate.)

Cannot be taken with Mage

Maddening (Possession of this Gift causes a Trauma that cannot be cured by any means. The chosen Trauma must be likely to come up on a Contract.)

Mage (Activating this Effect requires two consecutive Actions of Concentration. It involves intricate use of the body and voice. If interrupted during activation, the Effect fails. It is obvious you are preparing to activate an Effect during casting.)

Activation Ritual:

Once per Day (You may only use this Effect once per day.)

One-Track Mind (You only detect the closest target within range.)

Sacrifice (Instead of Exerting your Mind or expending Source, activating this Effect gives a Severity-1 Injury that worsens by 1 Severity each time you use an Effect with Sacrifice. This Injury cannot be prevented by any means or healed before 1 day has passed.)

Traumatic (You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means. If you fail or Botch, you receive one Mind Damage and a new Trauma.)

Tunnel Vision (While this Effect is active, you are at -2 dice to all Actions and cannot Concentrate.)

Unreliable (When you activate this Effect, roll a single d10, Difficulty 4. If you fail or botch, the Effect fails and you cannot activate it again for an hour.)

Customize Flavor and Finish

Gift Name

Tagline

(Optional) Introduce the Gift in a flavorful way.

Visual Description

A concise description of what this Gift looks like when it is used. What do participants and observers experience? This will be referenced by GMs at game-time to help them narrate.

You must obviously use this Artifact to activate this Effect. When activating this Effect, this Artifact is obviously Alien and cannot be concealed under your clothes or similar.

Extended Description

(Optional) Wax poetic about this Gift's background, metaphysics, etc.

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Editing Gift Rune of Warning (rework)

Editing Gift Rune of Warning (rework)

Rune of Warning (rework)Defense begins with awareness

Customize System

Detected Beings

Range

Enhancements

Seasoned Enhancements

Drawbacks

Customize Flavor and Finish

Visual Description

Extended Description

Editing Gift
Rune of Warning (rework)

Editing Gift
Rune of Warning (rework)