Leonard surges forward, as his back jerks upwards. In a flurry of mana particles and bloody red, crystalline shards begin to tear themselves free. Soon after, following the emergence of its extensions, the Guardian raises its primary body, in a gruesome display of warping its physical form outside of its host. Almost as if his spine were the entity itself, the Guardian would fully tear itself out his back, arching out its enormous crystalline 'limbs', as it stretches out several meters, taking careful guard behind its host.
The guardian is a mana symbiote long forgotten by history, almost all knowledge having been lost to the careful work of the Sabisians. The rare few scholars that still hold existing records of these beings believe them to long be extinct, lost to mana wars passed long since and the Sabisian incursion.
While in its docile state, the Guardian appears as a crystalline growth connected directly to its hosts nervous system through the spinal cord, easily being visible to the naked eye underneath the skin, alongside visible patches of mana-crystalline material left in patches above the skin containing it. While in its docile form, the guardian remains in a sort of dormant state, co-existing with its host and feeding off of its body.
During its active phase, the Guardian appears to burst out of body of its host. Despite this appearance, this process is all but a trick of the eyes, in reality being no more than an energy transference as the Guardian takes form, leaving behind no actual wounds on the host's body. The crystalline being seen during its active phase is not in reality the entity's true form, that being the crystaline growth located inside the host. Henceforth, destroying the active entity does little but return it back into its primary shell, where it can recover.
In appearance, during the active phase, the Guardian is a large, several meters tall crystalline biomechanical creature. It is composed of a long lanky crystalline 'spine' flanked by long sharpened shards that it uses to strike at the enemy or otherwise carry out its commands. When out of range, it uses a head-like appendage, through which it can seemingly, to fire a directed burst of energy.
The Guardian forms a bond with its host during the symbiotic period, carrying out their commands on its own free will, in exchange, the host provides it safety and nutrition.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action to activate.
Summon a single Guardian at your location. They will last until they are destroyed. They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. You may have at most 1 minion active at a time.
Minions have 6 Body and can make ranged attacks at targets up to 30 feet away with 5 dice to attack and +1 Damage. Your minions can move 20 feet per Round as Free Movement, and double that when performing an all-out Sprint. They cannot dodge or Defend. They have dog-level intelligence, and cannot communicate back to you. Any Perception checks they make are rolled with 8 dice.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see The guardian 'tears' itself out of the hosts back.
Possession of this Artifact causes the following Battle Scar to manifest over the course of a day: Crystalline-mineral growth around the spine. If you lose possession of this Artifact, the Battle Scar heals over the course of the next month.
I take my hood (usually my hoodie but any hood should suffice) and pull it up over my head. Without tearing the fabric, the first sign of a change is any notable ears the form I'm taking may have, next a tail, then my face begins to change. Next my hands and feet change as my body changes size and takes on a coating of feathers, fur, scales, or otherwise. As I shift, my clothing and gear fade away, with my hooded clothing vanishing last. The same process goes in reverse when I turn back to human form, but rather than taking a minute to become an animal it only takes moments to revert.
The terms 'morphic resonance' and 'morphogenetic field' weren't originally coined as something connecting to animals, but they've come to symbolize a connection on a pseudo-mystical level between all animal life including humans. Is this how a pwca shapeshifts? Potentially. They have a connection, whether it's mystical, somehow biological, or otherwise. This connection lets them beccome animals, the most common being a horse, but also plenty of others such as rabbits, goats, cats, and dogs. These are just the animals humans noted in their encounters with them, and each pwca is different. Is their human form even their true 'default'? Probably not. For argument's sake, Sarah is a pwca, and that means she can learn all sorts of animal shapes as she gets better at it.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. You must actively and obviously use hood to activate this Effect.
You transform into rabbit or any region-appropriate small animal for two hours or until you choose to end the Effect. See the Extended System text for stats.
While transformed, you cannot use any equipment (excluding Artifacts and Consumables, which you can use), and you cannot use your Active, Targeted, or Trap Powers. However, you can use your Passive Powers. Any equipment you are wearing transforms with you.
Injuries and Wound Level are carried over between forms. However, transforming can never kill you; you merely remain Incapacitated until your Injuries are sufficiently healed.
Isaac is sometimes able to perceive undead beings such as ghosts and spirits. When doing so, he covers his eyes with his hands for a moment, gripping his face, and faint glowing eyes manifest on the back of his hands as he whispers to himself. These eyes are large and unearthly, looking in all directions yet none at all.
An inexperienced Isaac performed a ritual early into his study, one of his firsts. Looking back, it was stupid of him to attempt a ritual like this, it could have easily killed him, and condemned his soul for eternity. This ritual involved rubbing the ashes from cremated eyeballs on his own, under a supermoon. These eyes came from a lesser god known as Macula the Fearful, a lesser god that was killed by another, Issac was merely the vulture feasting on his corpse.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
You automatically detect all undead beings 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 undead beings targets are within 300 feet of you, and then one enters range, you automatically detect it, even if this Effect is not active.
Even if there are no undead beings within 300 feet of you, you become aware of the direction the closest one is in, as well as a rough sense of its distance from you.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see phatom eyes manifest over your own, the eye sockets filled with thousands of quivering eyeballs.
This Effect is obviously Alien and eye-catching across its range to those witnessing it, and you are obviously the source.
The bearer of the Ring of Dreams raises their hand up and open wide as if holding a large spherical object, as gold flecked shadows of deep purple pour like water from their open palm to the ground below. With the firm closing of the bearers hand into a fist the shadow coalesces into tangible form, appearing to each observer - a different shape and appearance, that of their deep-seated fears, or the closest physical manifestation of them.
Be they real or imagined, physical, or metaphysical, the fears of the onlooker rise from the inky mist into a shape recognizable. Each form uniquely tailored to the onlookers subconscious. The golden flecks of dust expand and cover the beings' surface with color and texture to better align with the illusion. In truth, the being is nothing more than a homunculus made of Oneiromantic magic, bound to the ring and the will of it's master. Shapeless in nature, the creature lashes out with tendrils and pseudopods that extend from its mass, which stays whole and moves as one entity, creating leg like appendages and stepping to the stride of the forward leg or legs, as the previous legs are reabsorbed into the mass.
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend an Action.
Summon a single Nightmare spawn at your location. They will last until they are destroyed. They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. This Artifact may have at most 2 minions active at a time.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see a being composed of their subconcious fears.
As Nathan reaches to a nearby reflective surface, his reflection moves independently, passing his object of choice through, which warps in size, as if the surface was distorted at the threshold to fit through.
On the other hand, the reverse would occur as Nathan stores an object.
Spend an Action.
You may withdraw an item from your stash, or add an item that is within arm’s reach to your stash. You may only stash targets which are in your possession, grappled, or otherwise controlled by you.
You may store Objects in your stash, each no larger than something which could fit inside a briefcase (15 liters), and you may store up to 3 things at a time.
ASDF
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend 1 minute.
Choose an Object which could fit inside a regular backpack (up to 27 liters). It must be Non-Alien and generic. You cannot create explosives. You may create firearms.
Roll Brawn + Alertness to fabricate up to 5 copies of your chosen Object. The Difficulty is assigned by the GM and depends on the specificity of your chosen Object. The created item lasts 2 hours.
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: ASDF.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: ASDF and ASDF.
If the Selkie's seal skin is worn close to the body, any contact with salt water will cause them to transform into a seal. While transformed, they have full access to their normal suite of Powers.
This Effect activates whenever you are submerged in salt water. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event.
You transform into small for two hours or until you choose to end the Effect. See the Extended System text for stats.
While transformed, you cannot use any equipment (including Artifacts and Consumables), and you cannot use your Active, Targeted, or Trap Powers. However, you can use your Passive Powers. Any equipment you are wearing transforms with you.
Injuries and Wound Level are carried over between forms. However, transforming can never kill you; you merely remain Incapacitated until your Injuries are sufficiently healed.
Any successful musician knows the value of a good roadie. The musician calls for a roadie, and one will promptly arrive. The roadie doesn't talk much, and they aren't too bright, but they can sure haul gear.
After a couple hours of work, the roadie will retire to smoke and get some sleep.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
Summon a single Sapient roadie at your location. They last for two hours or until they are destroyed. They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. You may have at most one minion active at a time.
You may only use this Effect once per day.
The werewolf unleashes their inner beast, transforming into an imposing hybrid of human and wolf. Their head reforms into that of a wolf, robbing them of speech but bestowing a maw of deadly fangs. Grey fur sprouts from their body as it swells with muscle, ripping any tight-fitting clothes. While transformed, the werewolf is impulsive and driven more by instinct than logic.
If The Werewolf is struck my moonlight, they are compelled to transform.
Exert your Mind and spend a Quick Action.
You transform into a werewolf for 3 minutes. You have access to all of your Powers while you are a werewolf, and you can use your equipment. Your Battle Scars, Injuries, and physical Liabilities are carried over between forms. Reverting from your Alternate Form cannot cause your existing Injuries to kill you. Instead, you remain Incapacitated.
While transformed, your Brawn is increased by 2 and your Dexterity is increased by 2. You do not suffer any Stress while transformed.
Your alternate form is its own deadly weapon. Unarmed attacks made in your alternate form deal +3 Weapon Damage (instead of the typical -1).
Your alternate form renders you unable to speak any human language and incapable of fine object manipulation. You can only hold or grasp objects in a crude, clumsy way.
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.
While transformed, you automatically fail any Mind roll to resist an impulse and suffer -3 dice on all other Mind rolls.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Whenever you are struck by the light of a full or gibbous moon, you must roll Self-Control to resist transforming. Triggers a max of once per night.
The "Reaper" Assault Helmet is the signature piece of the Future Soldier's arsenal. It has a sleek, design and is made of a mysterious matte-metallic alloy. The wearer's face is exposed normally, but when activated, a blue holographic visor flickers to life in front of the eyes. This HUD contains information about the soldier's ammunition and shield status, but more significantly can detect enemy combatants. Anyone nearby who is holding a weapon is painted with a red dot that follows them in real time. This allows the Future Soldier to fire at painted targets in the dark, detect ambushes lurking around corners, and grants an overall tactical advantage.
Expend a point of Battery and spend an Action.
You automatically detect all people wielding weapons 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.
The survivalist is an expert at wildlife survival in any natural environment. Even in the harshest climates, they have the capacity to find food, water, and shelter.
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend 15 minutes. This Effect cannot be used unless you are in a wilderness environment.
Choose a specific type of food, water, or survival supply which could fit inside a regular backpack (up to 27 liters). It must be Non-Alien and generic. You cannot create explosives. You cannot create firearms.
Roll Perception + Survival to fabricate up to 5 copies of your chosen Object. The Difficulty is assigned by the GM and depends on the specificity of your chosen Object. Your created items no longer expire, and will last until they are destroyed.