Marks caught a few villians in his day, and one thing they always seem to have in common is they never shut up.
He's learned how to conversationally 'push their buttons' and make them talk.
So far, the most reliable way has been to talk about himself, to instigate their inevitable sense of competition.
It takes constant conversation, so when Mark mentions his relavent truths, their target does too.
Preferably in the form of a back and forth gloating/determination sort of thing.
Examples:
"I'm Mark Collins, fighter of injustice, protector of the weak. I'm here to stop you! " (flexes in superhero pose)
"It's too late, Mark!" (laughs maniacally) "You'll never find the bombs in time!" (Shows him live feed of the city.) "Watch your public failure with me! The world will know my name! ZOXOB!"
"If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you're going to die. So they'll talk. They'll gloat. They'll watch you squirm. They'll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar. So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word."
Terry Pratchett
Exert your Mind (unless The target thinks they have the upper hand) and spend one minute to activate. Select a Sapient target within arm's reach. You must continuously interact with the individual in question in order to gather any information. At the end of your investigation, roll Brawn + Influence 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.
Any information you gather is A spoken conversation and made publicly available. This also includes any information the target learns about you.
A swarm of black and blue tiny robots burrow their way out of Polamedes arm and form into a latticework of interconnected drones with tiny arcs of electricity connecting them. The drones form a second skin adhering closely to Polamedes and feeding off his bodies bio-electricity to power the barrier. When the barrier successfully repels an attack the energy is stored and redirected as a lash of blue black lightning at whatever sent the initial attack.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action or Reaction. Roll Intellect + Technology at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a Barrier extending out 15 feet from yourself, which absorbs 2 times the next (Outcome +6) Damage. Only applies to attacks which originated outside the 15 foot radius, and protects anyone who is within that radius. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. You may only have 1 active barrier 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.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see Tiny bugs burrowing into skin and eating flesh..
You have been chosen by the Spirit of the first road, and have been blessed with powers that normal people simply don't understand. You have now become a better conduit for those powers.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: Route Witch. You are considered to be a Sapient, Living being when targeted..
Your body is adapted to Drive and Mechanics. You receive +3 dice on non-attack rolls related to Drive and Mechanics.
You are a Fext, a form of Slavic undead that is sort of like a vampire mixed with a zombie but without the never ending hunger, you do not decay but your skin gains a pale grey colouration.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: Fext. You are considered to be a Sapient, Non-Living being when targeted..
You no longer age naturally, and supernatural attempts to age you fail.
Your Injuries no longer degrade with time.
The Severity of any Injury caused by Glass is increased by 2.
UA-566 is a sapient entity dwelling inside of the body of a roughly 30-year-old biologically male human. The entity inside of UA-566 claims to be the collective consciousness of the symbiotic organisms living inside of the body. It claims to not understand human socio-emotional concepts such as art or self-expression. It seems to have a preservation instinct informed by experience with human technology, as it has always attempted to avoid firearms, knives, and electric shock during testing.
The most noticeable anomalous quality of UA-566 after initial containment is the carnivorous parasite (Taenia crinium) housed in its neck and scalp, henceforth referred to as UA-566-A. UA-566-A is completely fused with the primary body of UA-566, and efforts to remove the parasite has lead to the near-death of UA-566 numerous times (see Transcription:1-4A). UA-566-A is comprised of numerous tendrils that grow from the host's scalp, disguising itself as thick, oily hair. These tendrils can extend a surprising length from the central body of the host and easily squeeze through tight spaces. Underneath the tendrils is a gnashing mouth at the base of UA-566's neck that is constantly pulls perceived food into itself. A number of thorny teeth have also grown out of the central mouth of UA-566-A, buried within the pseudo-hair as well as at the top UA-566's forehead, forming a line of sharp bones reminiscent of a crown.
It is apparent that UA-566-A has a level of autonomous control that occasionally overrides the collective consciousness inside of UA-566. UA-566-A has grappled and bitten a number of researchers in the past, and testing on UA-566 now requires a metal hairnet to keep UA-566-A under control.
UA-566 claims that UA-566-A is a "new addition" to it's "collection," and therefore struggles to follow the commands of the central consciousness. It claims to be improving its control over UA-566-A but a statistical analysis of recent incidents involving UA-566 have demonstrated this to likely be a falsehood.
*Addendum 566-1:* It appears as though UA-566 has developed a stronger neurological link with UA-566-A. It claims to have "worked out their differences" and "bonded over a shared love of eating." Note that UA-566-A has not been recorded to have any interest in anything other than the consumption of raw meat.
*Addendum 566-2:* UA-566 has gained an enhanced level of agility with their limb, being able to squeeze its tendrils into extremely tight spaces without sacrificing manual dexterity. It is now capable of opening doors from the inside of its containment unit. Ensure that security doors are water-tight in order to prevent a security breach.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You gain an additional limb that functions as a standard human arm and hand.
Each additional limb you posses can take one Quick Action per Round without incurring a -2 dice penalty to your main Action. Any Battle Scars that affect or remove your additional limb will heal in a single week.
Your extra appendage can be used to attack in exactly the same manner as a Garrote.
Your appendage is capable of bending and squishing in normally-impossible ways. It may fit through any gap that is not water-tight and retain its functionality.
You may dedicate your extra Quick Action to contest any attempt to escape your Grapples. If you do so, you roll your full dice pool to contest and retain your Action.
Your extra appendage is not connected to your nervous or circulatory systems, and you will not take damage if it is hit by an attack or destroyed.
Johnny reminds himself of his god given task. The courage fills him with determination and he puts on his “A game” to spread the message.
“Have you heard of our lord and savior Johnny Fontaine”
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Charisma rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Charisma (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).
The Blademaster is so attuned to blades that they may manipulate any bladed object at a range simply by willing it. Observers see translucent spider-silk connecting the Blademaster's fingers to the blade, allowing them to puppet it.
You gain the following benefits as long as the target object has a cutting edge.
As long as you maintain Concentration, you can take Actions and interact with things that are within 75 feet without needing to physically touch them or be near them. Any rolls made for Actions taken in this way use a Mental Strength of 2 in place of your Brawn rating, a Mental Agility of 2 in place of your Dexterity, and otherwise use your own Attributes and Abilities.
Telekinetic actions have the following restrictions and behaviors:
The influencer knows just how to-- well-- influence people. By following a suggestion with a wink, smile, or a look of astonishment, their target is sure to be swayed. Is it any wonder they have a following of such incredible fans? Hit like, smash subscribe, and for the love of all that is holy, don't forget to retweet.
Exert your Mind and spend at least one Action. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. Your target cannot be engaged in Combat. Communicate a command to your target. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.
If the contested Outcome is positive, your target will be compelled to follow your command to their best understanding of the letter and spirit of the command until they have completed it or for your Contested Outcome in minutes. You cannot issue another suggestion to the target until 10 minutes after they have completed the first command or 10 minutes after a failure.
The target is unaware that they are under supernatural influence and feel they are acting of their own free will. If you fail, they realize that you were attempting to influence them supernaturally with your command.
Your command can be an order to take an immediate Action. You cannot order a target to "do nothing," and they are free to take other Actions as they fulfill your request. Your command cannot be obviously self-destructive. The Effect ends if following your command would cause a target to cross one of their Limits in a way that would necessitate a Trauma roll.
Through the use of clever rhetoric, the spy is able to inspire a surge of emotion in a target with whom they are speaking.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living target within 45 feet as well as a specific emotion. This Effect cannot be used unless you are engaged in conversation with the target. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. Affected targets can resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6 -3 dice.
If you succeed, for the next minute, your target will do things they otherwise wouldn’t have done, inspired by the chosen emotion. They will not necessarily display their emotions in an obvious way.
Actions they take will be in keeping with their character and the way they tend to deal with strong emotions. They will be unlikely to change their mind about any actions taken or decisions made until after the Effect ends.
The influencer is welcome at any event or social gathering, but they're easy to recognize, even when they'd rather not be.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Charisma rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Charisma (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).
You also gain the following effects:
The psychic can reach into another's' mind and pilfer their deepest memories. Doing so causes the psychic's nose to bleed and is exceptionally draining.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living, Animate target within 25 feet. You must maintain Concentration while the effect is active. Roll Intellect + Investigation at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you are able to view your target's memories. If you fail, the target knows you're attempting to read their memories.
You may ask a number of specific questions about their memory equal to your Contested Outcome. For example, “what is their computer password,” “What were they doing at 4:00PM yesterday,” etc. You cannot get answers to broad, analytical questions like “are they a good person?” or “what are their plans for the future?”
Each memory takes as long to read as it takes to answer the question. When replaying a full memory, it is replayed in double time.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is your nose bleeding. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
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.