The Hollow Choir "You think this is bad? The land beyond would sear your flesh in the black sunned morning before you could get a yawn out, and freeze off your pecker in the evening seconds after you free it for a piss. Raging black icy winds that would rip 100 foot trees from the dirt, roots and all. Caustic rain that will melt your bones and serve you up as soup for the man-eating worms beneath ashy dunes that extend for thousands of miles. And that's not even the half of it... You think this is bad? You think it hurts? You don't know bad. You don't know pain."

1
Requires Seasoned
The power to create an environmental hazard.
Used by Luci Alessi, Created by Riley.
(Anyone who witnesses you activate this Effect is very likely to be disturbed to see Umbra's pure and sinister adversarial intent. It's almost as if a heavy pressure of immeasurable magnitude slowly dawns onto those around. All of her uncontainable intent to burn the world to the ground, backed by the insatiable hunger of the Well at her fingertips. And there is nothing to exemplify that more than with this ability. You must actively and obviously be using up 4,000 Liters of Ink.)

This is a power that Luci could not hope to wield, even with Umbra's help. No, it is Umbra herself who is solely capable of something so cataclysmic in scale and even then, she can only do so on the backing of specific conditions. There is only a small window in which Umbra can amass the power to rip open a one-way portal from the Well:
- The residual energy from Luci's amorphous form must still be lingering.
- Luci's alternate form, Umbra, must be triggered and active.

Whereafter, Umbra clasps their hands together and chants with a wide smile upon her face. Ink surges out from beneath her feet in vast quantities, using it as a medium to jump start the portal that leads to the Well. And once it takes, the flow becomes a cascade that surges forth in large quantities, working rather quickly to rapidly fill out a large space. Along with the hazy darkness comes a dizzying feeling of being upside down and inside out. The air is thick and suffocating, and slows the mind. An uncountable number of creatures from oblivion reach out of the refuse, touching, grabbing, pulling, biting, scratching, clawing, crawling, and gnashing like mindless beasts.

Those that are unfortunate enough to be close enough to see Umbra activate this effect will meet eyes with one of The Well's Eidolons. And take it from Luci herself, that is no fun experience.


Exert your Mind and spend an Action. This Effect cannot be used unless Luci's Amorphous Form must have been canceled within the last hour and when Luci is within her Alternate Form. You must use up 4,000 Liters of Ink in order to activate this Effect. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means.

You create a hemispherical dome of inky viscious refuse originating at your Location, with a radius of 200 feet. and lasting for 5 minutes. You are fully immune to the effects of your zone. The area inside your zone is affected in the following ways:

  • Danger Zone: The zone contains various amalgamate creatures that will crawl out of the inky refuse and begin to bite and claw and slash at any within this zone. At the end of each Round, everyone in the zone must roll Body at Difficulty 8. Anyone who fails or botches receives a Severity-1 Injury.
  • Disorienting: Any time someone moves within or through the zone, they must roll Mind at Difficulty 8. If they fail or botch, they move a similar distance in a different direction of the GM’s choice.
  • Obscured Vision: The zone is partially blocked from view. Anything within the zone will have difficulty seeing anything or being seen from the outside. Any rolls that rely on sight are made at -3 dice, and rolls that would benefit from sight are rolled at -1 dice.
  • Overwhelming: Anyone inside the zone cannot Exert their Mind, and Mind rolls made within the zone are at -2 dice.
  • Slippery: All movement distances are halved within the zone. Anyone who wishes to move further than their Free Movement within a Round must roll Dexterity + Athletics. If they fail, their movement is limited to their Free Movement and they fall down.
The zone expands immediately to its full size from the chosen Location, but will be stopped from spreading in a particular direction by any barriers or cover, and can only fit through openings large enough to fit a grown adult. If a new opening appears while the Effect is still active, it will finish spreading in that direction.

Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see Umbra's pure and sinister adversarial intent. It's almost as if a heavy pressure of immeasurable magnitude slowly dawns onto those around. All of her uncontainable intent to burn the world to the ground, backed by the insatiable hunger of the Well at her fingertips. And there is nothing to exemplify that more than with this ability.

You may only use this Effect once per day.

  • Affected targets may still spend Source.
  • When narrating disturbing content, be cognizant of your group's tone and accommodating to those who would like to "fast forward" through the description.
  • The Effect does not follow you after you activate it.
  • If you select a location at the edge of your range, you will be just outside the zone once the Effect is activated
  • 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.

Community Targeted Gifts

Exert your Mind and spend an Action or Reaction to activate. Select a Location which is at most 50 feet away horizontally or 10 feet away vertically. You must actively and obviously use Watch to activate this Effect.

You jump to the chosen location. If the landing is precarious, the GM may call for a roll to land safely. You will never take fall damage from successfully landing a jump made with this Effect.

  • If you are Encumbered, the maximum range is cut in half. If Encumbrance has reduced your total movement to 0, you cannot activate this Effect.
  • Rolls to land safely will generally be Athletics, but GMs may call for a different roll at their discretion if it makes sense for the specific circumstances.
  • You must be on a surface of some kind in order to activate this effect; it cannot be activated while in mid-air.
  • You may only use this Effect once per round of combat, regardless of any enhancements you have taken.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.

Spend an Action. Select a Non-Alien door, container, knot, or lock within 20 feet , which is not electronic and can be no more complex than a standard key lock.

You may lock, unlock, and/or open your target.

  • Operating some locking mechanisms through this Effect may have a secondary effect, such as a turn-key ignition on an older or cheaper car causing it to start or stop. Note that the locking mechanism itself must satisfy the standard targeting requirements (including line of sight), not just the vehicle.
  • Any mechanism that requires a key, keycard, key fob, or combination may be considered locked, at the GM's discretion. This Effect may be used on doors and containers secured with control panels or other electronic locks, but not computer security systems at large.
  • 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.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Non-Alien door, container, knot, or lock within arm's reach.

You may lock, unlock, and/or open your target.

  • Operating some locking mechanisms through this Effect may have a secondary effect, such as a turn-key ignition on an older or cheaper car causing it to start or stop. Note that the locking mechanism itself must satisfy the standard targeting requirements (including line of sight), not just the vehicle.
  • Any mechanism that requires a key, keycard, key fob, or combination may be considered locked, at the GM's discretion. This Effect may be used on doors and containers secured with control panels or other electronic locks, but not computer security systems at large.
  • 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.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a target within 300 feet. Roll Intellect + Occult Difficulty 6. The target may contest by rolling to Dodge or Defend as a Reaction, Difficulty 6.

If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target takes that much Damage plus 4.

You may use this Effect to Defend against any melee, projectile, or firearm Attacks within range or Clash against any Attack targeted at you. Using it to Defend deals no Damage but does not cost Exertion.

You may choose to have this Effect Damage all targets in a perfectly straight line up to its maximum range.

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: tinnitus, Weak stomach, and Chronic pain. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Battle Scar heals over the course of 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.

  • Exhaustion penalties and duration stack. If you activate this Effect or another Effect with Exhaustion, your penalty will worsen, and the duration is increased by one hour.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
  • Your target must be within line of Effect. There must be no substantial obstructions between you and your target.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. You must actively and obviously use wired microphone (powered) to activate this Effect.

You may send a single message to all targets which are within a specified range. It can be as complex or as large as you like.

You must share a common language for your target to understand the message.

You may only use this Effect once per day.

  • Depending on the length of your message, it may take a target some time and/or effort to understand it in its entirety.
  • 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.
  • Your target must be within line of sight, or within range of another sense if more fitting for the Gift's flavor.

Stock Targeted Gifts

Spend an Action. Select a Non-Alien door, container, knot, or lock within arm's reach. This Effect cannot be used unless the targeted lock or door is being used to restrain or imprison you.

You may lock, unlock, and/or open your target.

  • Operating some locking mechanisms through this Effect may have a secondary effect, such as a turn-key ignition on an older or cheaper car causing it to start or stop. Note that the locking mechanism itself must satisfy the standard targeting requirements (including line of sight), not just the vehicle.
  • Any mechanism that requires a key, keycard, key fob, or combination may be considered locked, at the GM's discretion. This Effect may be used on doors and containers secured with control panels or other electronic locks, but not computer security systems at large.
  • 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.

Spend a minute and use up this unusually large egg (unless you succeed on 1d10, Difficulty 7). Select a Living target within arm's reach. Select a Battle Scar on your target to treat.

The treated Battle Scar heals as you finish activating this Effect. If used on a Battle Scar caused by an Unstabilized Injury, that Injury is Stabilized.

Healing a Battle Scar in this way leaves behind an inhuman attribute such as fur, scales, or feathers on the target which cannot be healed.

  • This consumable is destroyed when used and cannot be used again.
  • 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.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a target within 45 feet. Roll Charisma + Performance Difficulty 6. The target may contest by rolling to Dodge or Defend as a Reaction, Difficulty 6.

If the contested Outcome is positive, the target takes that much Damage plus 4. Armor is fully effective against this damage.

  • 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.

Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Select a target Object within arm's reach. At the end of your investigation, roll Charisma + Culture at Difficulty 6.

You learn all the following information about your target:

  • You learn the object's highest material value and why it is worth so much.
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.

You cannot investigate the same target more than once per day.

  • 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.

Exert your Mind and spend at least one Action. All Sapient targets within 20 feet of you are affected. You must actively and obviously use a police badge to activate this Effect. Your target cannot be engaged in Combat. Communicate a command to your targets. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. Any affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.

If the contested Outcome is positive, your targets will be compelled to follow your command to the letter-- but not necessarily the 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. Commands may force a target to violate one of their Limits, and they will need to make a Trauma roll once the suggestion wears off.

  • The target must be able to understand you and must receive your communication for the suggestion to work.
  • Allowed Commands
    • Direct Order: The target must take an immediate action (e.g. “Sit down,” "run away," or "tell me your password.")
  • In the case of a failed activation, GMs should consider how bystanders would realistically react to a potentially-outlandish accusation of mind-reading.
  • 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.