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...

♱Thus Saith The Lord♱

Cost: 0 (1 -1)

The power to communicate over great distances.

Golden halos form in his irises, as a golden light envelops a circle around the target... all those who stand within the ring will hear a dissonant chorus of angelic voices, far beyond the range of human understanding, issuing a divine message.

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 they are of an Abrahamic faith..

You may send a single message to your target. It can be no more complicated than a multi-page letter or a long email.

The message may be intercepted while in transit, and may be overheard, read, or otherwise understood by anyone near either you or the recipient. You must share a common language for your target to understand the message.

This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is golden halos forming in the irises.. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.

This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.

Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Messenger of the Lord - Your word is God's will, and God's intention, any who do not follow or believe it are sinners and heathens and should be treated as such... make a Self Control Roll in order to not brand those who beseech you as sinners, heathens, and to not treat them as such..

Extended System

Receiving a message does not force a target to pay attention to you, and they can feel free to ignore your message if they choose. Depending on the flavor of your Gift, they may or may not be able to return to it and read it later on.
Generally you cannot communicate with Contractors who are not in a Contract with you.
You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.

Gift Example

Loading...

Editing Gift
♱Thus Saith The Lord♱

Power

Send Message

Customize

Cost: 0 (1 -1)

♱Thus Saith The Lord♱

Cost: 0 (1 -1)

The power to communicate over great distances.

You may send a single message to your target. It can be no more complicated than a multi-page letter or a long email.

This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.

Extended System

Receiving a message does not force a target to pay attention to you, and they can feel free to ignore your message if they choose. Depending on the flavor of your Gift, they may or may not be able to return to it and read it later on.
Generally you cannot communicate with Contractors who are not in a Contract with you.
You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.

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: 0

Enhancements

Gift Cost: +2

Broadcast (Your message is delivered to every valid target within any range you specify.)

Cannot be taken with Flying Paper

Cantrip (Activating this Effect has no Exertion cost, but it can have no more than 3 Drawbacks and its Gift Cost can never be increased above 2.)

Concealed (Using this Effect is not obvious. Choose a Tell that occurs only when you use the Effect; if-- and only if-- someone suspects that a Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.)

Tell:

Conversational (Instead of sending a single message, you open up a line of communication to your target. You may converse with them without any additional Exertion cost for as long as one of you maintains Concentration. )

Database Transfer (Your message may have a payload of any size.)

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

Cannot be taken with Cantrip

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 Cantrip

Seasoned Enhancements

Costless (This Effect has no activation cost.)

Requires Seasoned status.

Cannot be taken with Cantrip

Flat Rate Box (You may Exert your Mind to send any physical Object that would fit into a backpack with your message. Takes 1 minute to arrive. Any active traps on the objects are triggered when you attempt to send them, and wards and marks are likewise removed.)

Requires Seasoned status.

Group Chat (You may send your message to a number of additional targets equal to your Mind.)

Requires Seasoned status.

Piece of Cake (You may activate this Effect as a Free Action, meaning you may activate it and take an Action in the same Round of Combat.)

Requires Seasoned status.

Drawbacks

Gift Cost: -3

Call From Inside the House (You may only target individuals within 300 feet.)

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.)

Condition:

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.)

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.)

Cannot be taken with Concealed

Exhausting (After you finish activating this Effect, you cannot move quicker than a walk (max 15 feet per Round) for one minute and suffer a -1 dice penalty for an hour. Exhaustion’s penalty and duration stacks with multiple activations.)

Flying Paper (Your message may be intercepted in transit, and any individuals near the target may be able to read or hear it.)

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

Cannot be taken with Concealed

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

Cannot be taken with Concealed

Laaaaag (Your message takes at least 30 minutes to arrive at its target.)

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.)

Trauma:

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.)

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

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.)

Cannot be taken with Cantrip

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.)

Tweet (Your message may only be one or two short sentences long.)

Cannot be taken with Cantrip

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.

Activating this Effect is not obvious. The only sign you are using an Effect is golden halos forming in the irises..

Extended Description

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

Gift incomplete

Gifts must cost a minimum of one Gift Credit

About Us - Send Feedback or Report a Bug - News and Updates -

Join Our Discord Server -

Support us on Patreon - Buy Merchandise
© 2023 Sapient Snake LLC - By using this website, you agree to the Terms and Conditions, EULA, and Privacy Policy. Last updated January 8, 2023

Loading...

Editing Gift ♱Thus Saith The Lord♱

Editing Gift ♱Thus Saith The Lord♱

♱Thus Saith The Lord♱

Customize System

Enhancements

Seasoned Enhancements

Drawbacks

Customize Flavor and Finish

Visual Description

Extended Description

Gift incomplete

Editing Gift
♱Thus Saith The Lord♱

Editing Gift
♱Thus Saith The Lord♱