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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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Paraphernalia

Cost: 2

Requires Seasoned

The power to possess a target's body.

Tweaker

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living or Sapient target within 300 feet. Roll Intellect + Occult at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.

If you succeed, you possess your target for the Contested Outcome in minutes. The target has no control over their body or actions, and they are functionally unconscious through the entire possession, retaining no memory other than any Traumas they might obtain. While the possession is active, the host body will Tweaker scratching, making it very obvious to anyone who sees them that something is not right.

Your original body will be left behind, unconscious, in its same location. You may perceive through your original body's senses by Concentrating. If your original body is touched, you may roll Perception + Alertness to notice. You may spend an Action to end the possession early.

Stats: During the possession, you use the host body’s Body rating, but your own Mind rating. Any rolls you make use the host body’s Brawn, Dexterity, and Perception but your own Charisma, Intellect, and Abilities. You gain the effects of any physical Assets and Liabilities they have. You cannot read the target’s mind or memories.

Gifts: You have access to and can use any of your own Powers which are not intrinsic to your biology or physical body. You cannot access any Powers or other supernatural effects which the target has, unless they are intrinsic to the target’s biology or physical body.

Death: If the host body is killed or destroyed while you are still possessing it, you are evicted to your original body. If the possession ends and your original body was killed, you may make a contested Mind roll against the host. The loser becomes a helpless observer as long as you both inhabit their body.

Eviction: If you attempt to force your host to take actions which would violate one of their Limits or their instinct for self-preservation, they may resist by rolling Mind. If their Outcome is higher than or equal to the contested Outcome, the possession ends and you are evicted from their body.

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.

If you become Incapacitated or suffer an Injury Severity 4 or greater, this Effect ends.

Extended System

If you are a helpless observer, you cannot activate any Effects, including this one, with one exception: If a co-inhabited body is possessed, a helpless observer may cast Possession on the new inhabitant's original body.
Access to equipment-based Gifts such as Signature Items depends entirely on whether you are holding the relevant object, and is not impacted by whether or not you are possessing a target.
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

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Editing Gift
Paraphernalia

Power

Possession

Customize

Cost: 2

Paraphernalia

Cost: 2

Requires Seasoned

The power to possess a target's body.

Tweaker

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living or Sapient target within 300 feet. Roll Intellect + Occult at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.

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.

If you become Incapacitated or suffer an Injury Severity 4 or greater, this Effect ends.

Extended System

If you are a helpless observer, you cannot activate any Effects, including this one, with one exception: If a co-inhabited body is possessed, a helpless observer may cast Possession on the new inhabitant's original body.
Access to equipment-based Gifts such as Signature Items depends entirely on whether you are holding the relevant object, and is not impacted by whether or not you are possessing a target.
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: 2

Activation Roll

Resistance Roll

Duration

Range

Gift Cost: +1

Enhancements

Gift Cost: +3

Autopilot (While possessing your target, you may put them into “autopilot.” During this time they will act as they would normally for the situation without the knowledge that you are/were possessing them.)

Black-Out (The target has no recollection of what happened while Possessed. Any Traumas they acquired during the affair remain.)

Climb In (You don’t leave a body behind while this Effect is active.)

Cannot be taken with Emergency Recall

Cannot be taken with Hitchhiker

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

Emergency Recall (If the possessed body dies during the duration, you are returned to your original body instead of dying.)

Ghost In The Machine (You may now possess any Animate target.)

Hitchhiker (If you would die because the possession ends and your original body was destroyed, make a contested Mind roll against the target. The loser becomes a helpless observer as long as you both inhabit their body.)

Immortal Spirit (If you die from the destruction of your body, your disembodied spirit remains "alive" for one hour, fixed to the location of your corpse. During this time, the only Action you can take is to activate this Power on a target in range.)

Cannot be taken with Hitchhiker

Muscle Memory (Your Ability ratings are your own or those of the creature you are possessing, whichever is higher.)

No Contest (If the Contested Outcome of your activation roll is 4 or higher, the activation cost of this Effect is refunded.)

Requires Seasoned status.

Veteran Enhancements

Demonic Possession (You have access to the target's Powers while possessing them.)

Requires Veteran status.

Open Book (You may access the knowledge and memories of the creature you are possessing)

Requires Veteran status.

Drawbacks

Gift Cost: -3

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.)

Contest of Will (The possessed creature may Exert their Mind to kick you out of their body. You may Exert your Mind to counteract being kicked out.)

Cannot be taken with Black-Out

Critical Failure (Roll a single D10 when you activate this Effect. If you roll a 1, you critically fail in a way that is extraordinarily dangerous. Failure should cause at least a Severity-4 Injury, a Major Battle Scar, or an effect counter to its purpose.)

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

Disturbing (Witnessing this Effect's Activation is extremely disturbing and/or morally abhorrent to the average person. Anyone who witnesses its activation will almost certainly be repulsed, outraged, and think differently of you from that moment on.)

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.)

Easy to Resist (The target must either consent to be targeted or be unconscious, hypnotized, thoroughly drugged, in surgery or similarly incapacitated such that they could not or would not roll to resist this Power.)

Focus (Using this Effect requires a specific kind of item.)

Fuel (Using this Effect consumes some material good in addition to its other costs.)

Get Out! (There is some common occurrence that causes you to be ejected from your inhabited body.)

Left Behind (You do not have access to your Active Powers while possessing.)

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.)

Mind Swap (You switch places with the target you’re possessing instead of simply leaving your body behind. You will be unable to use your original body's senses during this time.)

Cannot be taken with Emergency Recall

Cannot be taken with Black-Out

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

Passenger (You're just along for the ride: you have no control over the actions of your host, just access to their senses. You may Exert your Mind to force them to take an Action.)

Power Struggle (The target may Exert their Mind at any time. If they do, they may choose the next Action they take.)

Cannot be taken with Black-Out

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.)

Super Shroom (If you become Incapacitated or suffer an Injury Severity 4 or greater, this Effect ends.)

Sympathetic Pain (If the possessed body takes any damage, you do as well.)

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.)

What's Wrong (Your inhabited body undergoes a physical and/or behavioral change for the duration of your possession that makes it obvious that something is seriously amiss.)

Indicator:

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.

This Effect is obviously Alien when used. When activating this Effect, it is obvious you are interacting with the target. While the possession is active, the host body will Tweaker scratching, making it very obvious to anyone who sees them that something is not right.

Extended Description

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

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Editing Gift Paraphernalia

Editing Gift Paraphernalia

Paraphernalia

Customize System

Activation Roll

Resistance Roll

Duration

Range

Enhancements

Veteran Enhancements

Drawbacks

Customize Flavor and Finish

Visual Description

Extended Description

Editing Gift
Paraphernalia

Editing Gift
Paraphernalia