Leon begins to perform a series of odd hand gestures, each an occult ritual that those in the know may recognize before striking the target with his palm. Each palm strike creating a singular rune matched to a different shinto god that begins to rotate furiously as it blurs faster and faster with each strike until it forms a nine-fold circle and then plunges into the lock, which can then either be sealed, opened, or shattered by the energy within depending on the final gesture Leon executes. A palm strike to shatter, a gesture of Kai to seal, and a gesture of Mudra to open.
Leon had felt the pain of arcane bondage before. What it felt like to have your soul shackled and your body unable to listen to a single command. He had broken those shackles, mostly, and today he had learned what incredible things the universe held. How others could take your body and leave you trapped by simple bindings that one could not even see. Leon would not have this, he would not have his body, his mind shackled by these profane others who had come from a dimension away to make him a slave again. Never again.
So he set out and studied at every Shinto shrine he could find. From every priest, he could meet to find a solution to find a Kami that would grant him the power to shatter these seals in exchange for the incredible divine offering he had been given for his victory, and his studies came to an unfortunate realization.
No single Kami could grant the power he needed, to shatter these holes leading to another world, to seal them forever so that he would never again need to fear the invasion of these extra-dimensional entities and he had but one offering to give, but his cause for once was just, and he went to the shrine dedicated to the pantheon of the Shinto gods. On his knees he begged as he presented the offering, knowing that it alone was not enough but that their world and so very much more was at stake, and so he implored. Their duty as Kami went beyond the petty struggle of Yokai and Kami, that they needed to unite and he would be their agent on this plane if that is what it took to recognize that the universe was more important than the squabbles of individual men and women. Divine, Yokai, or Mortal. It mattered not, they were in the face of an incredible threat. Thus, the gods listened, and they accepted. Though they demanded they each be honored with a gesture before this power was used, together they would grant him the power to shatter, seal, or open these strange otherworldy things but they would need his offering in exchange. The world at stake or otherwise, bestowing a divine boon such as this without compensation would render them weaker in the coming conflict. Thus, Leon parted with his boon he received and returned to begin studying the gestures and through that study created the nine cutting fingers.
臨/Rin: Tensho Kodaijingu/ Amaterasu Omikami
兵/Pyō: Sho Hachiman Daijin
闘/Tō: Kasuga Daimyojin
者/Shā: Kamo Daimyojin
皆/Kai: Inari Daimyojin
陣/Jin: Sumiyoshi Daimyojin
列/Retsu: Tanyu Daimyojin
在/Zai: Nittenshi
前/Zen: Marishi-Ten (Marici -Skt.)
Exert your Mind and spend at least two Actions performing the following ritual: Performing the Nine cutting fingers gesture on the target to activate. Select a Alien Technology within arm's reach. Cannot be used on Alien technology. You must maintain Concentration while activating this Effect, and it fails if you are interrupted.
You may lock, unlock, and/or open your target.
If you successfully operate a lock, you may choose to destroy it, rendering it inoperable.
While investigating the area Johnny will start saying compliments into the ear part of the amulet.
The deity the ear is connected to will hear these.
Dependent on how much it likes these, it will in return reveal information. Johnny puts his ear next to the mouth part to hear it.
“This deity is a vain being. It seems to like me, which is why it helps me but it really seems to be a rather vain creature. Is it even a deity, it might be a demon. If this is god I must be his favourite.
I don’t want to know what happens to me, the day that I stop entertaining it.”
Spend a half hour. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 500 feet At the end of your investigation, roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6.
You learn the following information about the area:
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.
Crane programs his nanite to add on and strengthen the material within the device he is utilizing. Enhancing its core components, speeding up its process, reducing cost, enhancing efficiency, with just a basic understanding of the machine, he can truly go wild.
Exert your Mind and spend an hour. Select a non-Alien Advanced Technology within arm's reach. You must actively and obviously use Nanite Factory to activate this Effect. 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. Can be used on Armor.
Lasts the next day. Your target receives 2 extra dice to all actions taken for its intended use. Attacking with an upgraded weapon grants +2 Weapon Damage instead of additional dice. While it is upgraded, the item cannot be destroyed. Upgraded Armor is shredded by half the normal amount. If it is a piece of Armor, it instead receives half that amount as bonus armor rating, rounded up , and any armor penalty it causes is reduced by 1. If an upgraded shield and armor are both worn, the upgrade bonus does not stack with itself.
Upgraded items have half their normal weight, for the purposes of encumbrance.
You may choose a second valid Device target while activating this Effect and splice both targets into a single new Device. The newly created item has the same size as the larger of the two initial targets, and can be used to perform the same actions as either of the original items. It receives 2 to those actions for the next day.
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.
Harriet's pupil rapidly changes shape to that of the key used for whatever it is Harriet wants locked/unlocked.
Harriet calls forth a creature of Knock. It's only purpose in life is to open and close gateways. When it dies, it's energy is returned from whence it came.
Harriet knows none of this.
Spend an Action. Select a Non-Alien door, container, knot, or lock within 20 feet.
You may lock, unlock, and/or open your target.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is Pupils changing shape. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
If you successfully operate a lock, you may choose to destroy it, rendering it inoperable.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Nightmares: Walking Through The Mansus.
Charlie's eyes glow with the same spiritual light that the Dead Line does when under the active effects of The Lifeline. She brings her target's consciousness temporarily to a temporary 'transitory' space. In this space, both Charlie and her target can see each other standing in an environment representing their souls in an endless dark void. (As detailed in the Extended Description.)
Charlie feels out souls as if they were abstract environments tied to the person's inner self. A violent and insecure person would have a volcano twisted and bent, about to snap, while a gentle and patient person would have a calm pool of water in a delicate glade.
Charlie's own soul is an ever-changing labyrinth of railroad tracks reaching out in all directions shrouded in concrete tunnels. Among the many tunnels is a single winding rail lit by a green-blue light leading to some unknown place deep within.
(When describing the shape of a character's soul, consider the following:
- What is the character's temperament?
- What are the character's aspirations?
- How does the character view themselves?
- How can you tie the abstract shape of a soul to the character's nature?)
Spend 2 Actions. Select a Sapient target or a Creature within 20 feet. You must actively and obviously use a conductor's cap to activate this Effect. At the end of your investigation, roll Intellect + Occult at Difficulty 6.
You learn all the following information about your target:
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome. For any information you learn about your target, the corresponding information about you is shared with them.
This Effect is obviously Alien and eye-catching across its range to those witnessing it, and you are obviously the source.
This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.
You cannot investigate the same target more than once per day.
Rei channels their internal energies into an electrum shard and chants the incantations necessary to cast a hard-light, hexagonal barrier surrounding their body. When damaged, the barrier crackles and retaliates against the attack before reshaping into its protective form.
Spend two Actions performing the following ritual: focusing energy through the electrum and incantations to cast the spell. Select a Animate target within arm's reach. You must use up asdf in order to activate this Effect. You must maintain Concentration while activating this Effect, and it fails if you are interrupted. Roll Intellect + Occult at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around your target, which absorbs the next Outcome +6 Damage. Any Damage absorbed by the barrier is reflected back to the attacker, up to a maximum of 6. Their Armor applies in full. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. This Artifact may have up to 3 barriers active at a time.
You must maintain Concentration while using this Effect. The barrier will fall if you are interrupted, or if it absorbs the full amount of Damage. When a barrier falls, you cannot use this Effect again for a minimum of 2 Rounds. As long as it does not fall, the barrier regenerates back to full strength at the end of each Round of combat.
This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 1.
Anyone who touches this Artifact will notice it warping their body and may drop it. If they choose to hold or use it, they immediately receive the following Battle Scar: asdf. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Battle Scar heals over the course of the next day.
The magician dons their wizard hat, raises their arms, wiggles their fingers, and a rain of sparks fly woosh around an object. It shudders to life and follows the magicians commands, including to do things it was not designed to do.
Exert your Mind and an Action. Select a Inanimate target within arm's reach which could fit inside a briefcase (15 liters). You must actively and obviously use a pointed hat with stars and moons to activate this Effect.
Your target will become Animated indefinitely. You may choose to end the effect at will, as a Free Action. You can maintain a max of 4 targets animated at once.
Animated Objects have the following restrictions and capabilities:
The spy can twist the urban environment to their whims, erecting fences, walls, and barriers as needed. They whistle and gesture to where the wall should be, and the surrounding materials fly into place.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Location within 50 feet. You must be in an area abundant with man-made structures and materials.
Select one of the following alterations to create out of standard building materials originating at the target:
The alteration begins to form when you activate this Effect and finishes forming on your initiative in the next Round. Until it finishes forming, it is not guaranteed to function.
This alteration lasts one minute but may be prematurely destroyed or altered. Your alterations may be broken through with appropriate tools. Anyone attempting to break through must roll Brawn + a relevant Ability. A cumulative Outcome of 6 across all attempts breaks a hole large enough to move through. See the extended system text for GM guidance on various tools.
While addressing a crowd, the influencer may use coded language to send secret messages to a particular person in the crowd. These messages can't be noticed or understood by anyone but the intended target.
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 you are speaking to multiple people and the target is listening.
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 will only be perceived by the intended 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 your left hand making a fist. 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.
Perform the Five Point Technique via a series of quick pressure point hits on the target’s chest. As you do, channel your chi and speak a condition involving the number five. If the target cannot stop you from performing the technique, their heart will take a direct hit when they fulfill the chosen condition.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living target within arm's reach. Roll Dexterity + Brawl Difficulty 6. The target may contest by rolling Body, Difficulty 6.
If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target takes that much Damage plus 2. The target's Armor is completely ignored.
When you activate this Effect, instead of occurring immediately, you may choose to delay its effects until the target takes a particular Action. For example: "when they fire a gun" or "when they swim in deep water."
Instead of dealing Damage all at once, the Injury caused by this Power starts at Severity 1 and worsens at the rate of one level per Round until it reaches the Severity it would have otherwise been.
The Vampire is able to turn one of their victims into a lesser vampire, a pale shadow of a full creature of the night but useful nonetheless. Having drained and killed their target, the Vampire performs a brief ritualistic bloodletting, wherein they spill their own blood into the target's mouth, forcing them to drink, and bonding them together as child and sire.
Shortly afterwards, the fledgling vampire will rise from death, hungry for blood and eager to serve.
Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend one minute. Select a Dead target within arm's reach that has died within the last hour. This Effect cannot be used unless you drained the target's blood while they were still alive.
Your target rises as an Animate being. The raised creature is totally mindless, with no memory of its past life or hint of its old personality. They cannot communicate. They will follow any command you speak.
The creature lasts until it dies again. It is revived at full health. Any Injuries it had in life are not accounted for when determining its penalties or progression towards re-death, though they may affect its ability to perform certain actions at GM's discretion. The raised creature must consume flesh every day or it will die again.
Raised creatures have their Abilities set to the same that they were in life. Their Charisma and Intellect are set to 1, but their Dexterity, Brawn and Perception are the same as they had in life. A raised creature cannot use any Effects.
Your revived targets deal 2 Weapon Damage with their unarmed attacks.
If you do not have a sacrificial Injury when you activate this Effect, take a new Severity-1 Injury.