Unveil the Shroud* "It takes one to know one, and unfortunately for most of you, just as the shadows bend their will to me, you will find little sanctuary in the twilight of society."

6
Requires Seasoned
The power to detect all nearby hidden beings (i.e. actively in hiding or actively conealing their presence) and disguised beings (i.e. actively wearing/using a disguise/facade).
Used by Luci Alessi, Created by Riley.
(You must actively and obviously be using up 6 units of Varnish.)

It would be rather conceited and grandiose of Luci to label herself as a Master of Shadows, but this evolution in her connection to the Well makes it a close call.

Just like the conspiracy theorists say, the shadows can indeed talk. In fact, they can have quite a lot to say about those that like to hide within them. Luci would know- she's seen them both in and out of The Well. Whether they're all that happy about it is one of many philosophical questions, but the fact of the matter is that they do indeed talk.

Such beings only require a bit of nudging and a sip of her Source in order to spill what they know and act as beacons for Luci. Not only do they point her in the proper direction, but they will also aware her as to what her targets are hiding from or disguising themselves for.

And even without any direct calls to action, Luci's intuition awares her of any restless or uneasy shadows that might have information about nearby scoundrels for her.

The shadows that exist outside of the Well are either only personified by Luci herself or a product of her power. When a shadow points her in a direction, it manifests more as a feeling than an actual shadow getting up pointing in any particular directing.

Think of it more like Luci projecting herself into the surrounding darkness- a process that while not riskless, is certainly fruitful.


Exert your Mind and spend two Actions performing the following ritual: Luci mutters for the shadows to show their hand as she pours her Varnish at her feet. You must use up 6 units of Varnish in order to activate this Effect. You must maintain Concentration while activating this Effect, and it fails if you are interrupted. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means.

You automatically detect all hidden beings (i.e. actively in hiding or actively conealing their presence) and disguised beings (i.e. actively wearing/using a disguise/facade) within 10 miles 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 hidden beings (i.e. actively in hiding or actively conealing their presence) or disguised beings (i.e. actively wearing/using a disguise/facade) targets are within 10 miles of you, and then one enters range, you automatically detect it, even if this Effect is not active.

Any hidden beings (i.e. actively in hiding or actively conealing their presence) and disguised beings (i.e. actively wearing/using a disguise/facade) detected while this Effect is active are “marked”. You will continue to detect them until the Effect ends, no matter how far away they move. You will also continue to detect them after the Effect ends, so long as they remain within 10 miles of you.

You learn basic information about why each detected being is being detected. For example, if you detect Criminals, you may learn how many crimes they have committed and what type.

You receive a detailed silhouette of their body and clothes for each being you detect.


Community Power Gifts

You gain the following benefits at all times.

Your senses are enhanced in the following way.

  • Smell: Your nose is highly sensitive and can differentiate between scents the way a dog can, as well as recognize things you have smelled before.
  • Hearing: You may hear sounds of sub- and hyper-sonic frequencies, allowing you to hear tiny things (mice, insects, etc) better, and pick up on the vibrations of massive things (earthquakes, atmospheric disruptions, etc) long before others.

Any heightened senses require you to maintain Concentration to use, and do not apply to any passive Perception checks.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Creature within 20 feet.

For the next day, you may issue specific commands to your target which they will be compelled to follow.

Your commands can be complex and multi-layered, though they must still be specific. You cannot make them obviously endanger themselves or violate their instinct for self-preservation. The effects of the command will fade after a day has passed.

If you use this Effect on the same Creature two days in a row, the effect lasts indefinitely.

  • Your commands must be directly communicated to your target in some way, though this does not require a shared language.
  • If targeting a Sapient target that counts as a Creature due to an Effect, you must succeed a contested Mind roll. You roll at Difficulty 6, and the target rolls at Difficulty 8.
  • Targets with Body ratings higher than 10 require a Charisma + Animals roll resisted by the target’s Body. Kaiju and environment-scale targets are immune.
  • 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.

You gain the following benefits at all times.

Your Stress from Injuries and Mind Damage is reduced to 0.

You may move at your normal speed and still maintain Concentration. Taking an Injury less than Severity 6 no longer interrupts Concentration.

You gain the following benefits at all times.

You are permanently and visibly transformed: A row of metal plates line the spine, shifting to reveal vents which vent steam during or after moments of extreme exertion. You are considered to be a Sapient, Non-Living Computer when targeted..

Your Injuries no longer degrade with time.

You may make a +2 Weapon Damage Shotgun attack without additional equipment.

  • Attribute bonuses from multiple sources do not stack. Instead the highest bonus is used.

You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in unarmed combat.

+2 dice to rolls for Attacking, Defending, and Clashing without a weapon. Unarmed attacks do +7 Weapon Damage (instead of -1).

You may Defend against melee, projectile, or firearm Attacks from any range and Clash with those in range of your Attacks. Attacking materials like steel or spikes will not Damage you unless it has an Effect that does so.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Bodyguard: You may use your Reaction or a Desperate Defense to Defend against any Attack where the attacker, target, or line of fire is within 15 feet. If you do so, you may opt to take the Damage from the Attack instead of the target.
  • Ghost Wrangler: You may grapple incorporeal, liquid, or gaseous entities.

  • Unlike the Ability Brawl, this Effect does not affect small weapons such as knives.

Stock Power Gifts

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Sapient target within arm's reach. Your target may Resist to cancel the transfer.

You may choose a single instance of one of the following to transfer from your target to yourself, or from yourself to them:

  • A single Trauma
  • Up to two points of Mind damage
  • A single Injury and any Battle Scars it caused
This Effect cannot be used again for the next hour.

Whenever you transfer an Injury, it's Severity increases by 1. Whenever you transfer Mind damage or Traumas, the recipient takes an additional Mind damage.

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.
  • Does not apply to transfers made through the Forced Exchange enhancement.
  • 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.

You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in combat with playing cards.

+2 dice to all rolls utilizing playing cards.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Point Control: Called Shots that you attempt only require a Contested Outcome of 2 for small targets and 4 for tiny targets.
  • Ricochet: You can make a thrown attack against a target behind cover so long as there is at least one exposed pathway to them.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action.

Your senses are enhanced in the following way. Lasts for three hours.

  • Thermal: You are able to "see" heat signatures within your line of sight.
  • Hearing: You automatically know the origin location of any sound you hear, and you can tell which Action caused the sound.

  • Your thermal vision allows you to judge temperatures of surfaces fairly accurately as long as they are within livable temperatures.

Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 100 feet You must actively and obviously use a magnifying glass to activate this Effect. At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Investigation at Difficulty 6.

You learn the following information about the area:

  • You can tell the age of any structure or natural formation in the area. This includes trees and plants growing in the area.
  • You learn how heavily trafficked the area is, what sorts of Animate beings have moved through the area and when.
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.

You cannot investigate the same area 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 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:

  • Wall: Create a straight wall made of standard building materials up to 40 feet long, 10 feet high, and 12 inches thick. This wall can also be used to create a bridge, ramp, or similar. It must be free-standing.

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.

  • Attempting to break any alterations with inappropriate tools may damage or destroy the tools at the GM's discretion.
  • Any structures you create leave precise gaps for obstacles in their path or push them out of the way. You cannot directly destroy objects or structures or damage beings by creating walls or domes.
  • Tool guidance for GMs:
    • Difficulty 9: Brawn 5, no tools.
    • Difficulty 7-8: One-handed tools or makeshift tools (like a sword). Mythic Brawn without tools.
    • Difficulty 6: Appropriate manual tools. Crowbar, sledgehammer, armor-shredding attacks.
    • Difficulty 4-5: Power tools, vehicles, explosives.
  • This Effect produces the substance you are controlling unless it is drawn from the environment via “Required Environment” Drawbacks.
  • 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.