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."

5
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 1 mile 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 1 mile 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 1 mile 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

Exert your Mind and spend 1 Action. Select a non-Alien Device within arm's reach. You must actively and obviously use vehicle to activate this Effect. Cannot be used to improve 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.

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.

  • "Destroyed" in this context means "prevented from functioning for its primary purpose", so for instance, an upgraded land mine would still explode as normal if triggered, even though it cannot be "destroyed" and a car's windows may still be broken.
  • When Splicing, you must be in possession of both devices. The resulting object behaves exactly as if both devices occupy the same space and do not gain any new functionality at all.
  • 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.
  • Reminder: additional Weapon Damage granted by this Effect does not stack with any other bonus to Weapon Damage. Instead the largest bonus is used. The same is true for extra dice.
  • Extra dice from this Effect do not apply to Gift activation rolls.
  • 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 an Action to activate. Select a target within arm's reach. Roll Intellect + Science at Difficulty 6. The target] may contest by Defending or Dodging.

If you succeed, your target will be restricted at their location by a physical, tangible binding. They can still move their arms and use Effects, but cannot move to a new location.

Restricted targets may escape their binding by spending an Action and taking a Severity-1 Injury.

This Gift's level is capped at 2 Gifts and cannot be increased further.

  • For entities whose movement could be considered an attack (e.g. a kaiju), the GM may rule that they are merely slowed instead of fully restricted.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.

Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend an Action.

Summon up to 3 Non-Sapient, Animate ________ at your location. They last until they are destroyed They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. You may have at most 3 minions active at a time.

  • Initiative: Minions act directly after you in Combat starting the Round after they are summoned.
  • Combat: Minions roll 4 dice to dodge, Grapple, or make unarmed Attacks. Their Attacks are melee range and deal +2 Damage.
  • Body/Mind: Minions have 5 Body. They automatically fail all Mind resistance rolls.
  • Armor: Minions have 1 Armor.
  • Movement: Minions can move 20 feet per Round as Free Movement and double that when performing an all-out Sprint.
  • Intelligence: Minions have dog-level intelligence and cannot communicate back to you. They cannot actively use Equipment.
  • Actions: Any Perception checks they make are rolled with 3 dice. They can lift and haul as though they have 2 Brawn.
  • Unusual: Minions are obviously Alien to any observer.

If you do not have a sacrificial Injury when you activate this Effect, take a new Severity-1 Injury.

  • The sacrificial Injury received from activating this Effect cannot be prevented by any means or healed before 1 day has passed. It is shared with all Effects that use sacrifice. This Injury does not requires Stabilization or cause Battle Scars when it becomes Severe.
  • Your minions may count as additional targeting types based on their flavor. For example: Living, Computer, Creature, etc.

You gain the following benefits at all times.

You are permanently and visibly transformed: iridescent skin and a constant aroma of datura flowers blooming at night. You are considered to be a Sapient, Living being when targeted..

Any Animate being that consumes or is injected with your bodily fluids receives a Severity-1 Injury. Every Round, they must roll Body Difficulty 9. If they fail, the Injury worsens by 1 Severity. If they succeed, the Injury stops worsening.

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

You gain the following benefits at all times.

You are permanently and visibly transformed: your hands are bird like talons, and portions of your skin where you’ve healed yourself in the past are made of stone. At a later date, you might also grow visible wings. You are considered to be a Sapient, Living being when targeted. Your Brawn is increased by 1.

Any Animate being that consumes or is injected with your bodily fluids receives a Severity-1 Injury. Every Round, they must roll Body Difficulty 9. If they fail, the Injury worsens by 1 Severity. If they succeed, the Injury stops worsening.

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

Stock Power Gifts

Exert your Mind and spend 1 minute. Select a Computer within arm's reach. Does not work on Alien technology. Roll Intellect + Technology, with the Difficulty set by the GM depending on the security of the system you are hacking. Sapient targets can resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.

If you succeed, you may issue a single command to the targeted system. This command must have a specific outcome or be a request for specific login credentials. The command you issue must be within the machine's current capabilities. For example, you cannot order a standard security camera to grow legs and walk around.

If your command does not require bypassing the security of the target (for example, typing on a computer that is unlocked), you do not need to Exert your Mind to activate this Effect, and activation only takes a single Action.

Your Hack cannot be reversed through mundane means for a number of hours equal to your Outcome.

Every hack you make leaves behind a flickering image of a ghost in the system as a personal "calling card" that informs anyone who uses the system that the hack occurred.

  • 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.

Any Injury you receive from a source other than silver or fire. heals quickly, reducing its Severity by one level every day. Any Injuries you receive while this Effect is active automatically count as a successful Proper Stabilization and do not deteriorate further. Any Battle Scars caused by such an Injury will heal with the Injury.

You may Exert your Mind and spend an Action to reduce the Severity of one of your Injuries by 1. Does not affect Injuries suffered as an activation cost for Effects.

Injuries you receive from silver or fire. are increased in Severity by 1.

  • The increase in Injury Severity stacks with any similar effects, such as the Vulnerable drawback on Inhuman Physiology.

You gain the following benefits at all times.

Your Dexterity rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Dexterity (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).

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

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. You must actively and obviously use your instrument to activate this Effect. The area within 25 feet of you immediately and obviously becomes imminently dangerous. Roll Charisma + Performance at Difficulty 6. Targets inside the radius may attempt an appropriate Reaction at GM’s discretion. Finding a physical barrier to use as cover will cut total Damage taken in half (applies after Reaction roll but before Armor).

If the Outcome is positive, your blast hits everything within 25 feet of you with Damage equal to your Outcome + 4. Armor is fully effective against this Damage. If you botched the activation roll, you will also take full Damage from the blast, otherwise it will not hurt you.

You may only use this Effect 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 Dead target within arm's reach. Dead targets must have died within the past week, and you must have their remains in your possession.

The target can communicate in your language for the next hour.

  • 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.