For a short moment, the handgun Smoldep wields glitches into a spectral neon grenade launcher as she rapid fires shots with glee, the murderous intent gleaming through her eyes. When the grenades go off, she revels in the literal bloodshed as comical amounts of blood and gore explode from the blast radius, seeming like they’ve been hit by a mini-nuke.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Location no further than 40 feet from you and in your line of sight. You must actively and obviously use a handgun to activate this Effect. The area within 25 feet of the chosen Location immediately and obviously becomes imminently dangerous. Roll Dexterity + Firearms 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 the chosen Location with Damage equal to your Outcome + 4.
If you successfully hit your target, the value of any Armor they are wearing is reduced by 2. For material armor, this penalty lasts until it is repaired. For intrinsic armor, it lasts until the end of Combat and any relevant wound is healed.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see it gorily overkill everything in sight as Smoldep grins.
The hacker can overload any electronic device by fiddling with their smart watch for a moment. The targeted device shudders and gets white-hot before bursting into deadly shrapnel.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a object that uses electricity within 20 feet no larger than a duffel bag (35 liters). You must actively and obviously use a smart watch to activate this Effect. Roll Intellect + Technology Difficulty 6.
If your Outcome is 4 or higher, the target will be fully and completely destroyed, leaving behind no meaningful remains. If your Outcome is less than 4, the target will be partially damaged, and any attempts to use it will suffer a dice penalty equal to your Outcome.
These contracts bear the logo of the Inderpal Agency - they come prefilled with the various stipulations, consequences, & basic parameters, though much is left blank to allow customization by the end user. To activate, the contract is merely finished & signed by the respective parties. The contract remains, but it's power is expended after activation.
The default penalty is "Oathbreaker" taking the form of a elaborate henna marking on their face that cannot be removed. Other penalties may be selected in it's place if desired. Attempting to break the stipulations results in a splitting migraine & a cold sweat.
These Contracts are written with the same Ferro-Fluid that emits from the R.I.S.H.I. device or generated by the R.I.S.H.I. as a digital NFT
Standard CPS Contract
Upon agreement by the Close Protection Specialist & the Client (Hereafter referred to as "CPS" & "Client" respectively) the following Contract is established:
-The Client agrees to pay the designated rate per day the CPS is contracted to provide Close Protection services, in addition to reasonable expenses incurred by the CPS as well as any up front retainer if one was requested. This payment will be in British Pounds unless the CPS agrees to an acceptable alternative. The Client agrees to pay the full amount negotiated promptly, either per week of ongoing services or within five business days of a concluded agreement. The CPS may allot more time or waive payment if desired.
Responsibilities of the CPS
-The CPS will take any action required to ensure the life, safety, & freedom of the Client, up to & including personal injury, incarceration or loss of life. If the client is somehow abducted while under the CPS's protection, the CPS will dedicate every effort to secure the Client's freedom, with the normal pay structure being frozen during this time (the Client will still incur reasonable expenses, to be paid upon their release provided the efforts of the CPS contributed to their freedom).
Responsibilities of the Client
-The Client agrees to divulge any pertinent information requested by the CPS. Requested information is to be truthful, accurate, & delivered promptly. Information gained in this manner is considered confidential & the CPS is prohibited from sharing it with any third parties without the Client's permission.
-The Client agrees to a Non-Disclosure article regarding any actions or services taken by the CPS while under Contract unless the CPS gives express permission for those details to be shared with a designated third party. This NDA includes any form of recording or similar, any written record of actions taken by the CPS, any information that would be gained under questioning or interrogation, or any other means not listed here. The only information the Client may share without permission is public facing information (Amarjeet Inderpal, Inderpal Agency), that they did in fact hire the CPS & if they would do so again.
Stipulations
-If the Client chooses to engage in illegal activities that could endanger the reputation of the Inderpal Agency, the CPS may terminate the Contract. Doing so requires a notification be delivered to the Client explaining the reasoning behind the Contract termination as well as the refund of any payments made by the Client within five business days. If a Contract is terminated in this manner, all Conditions & Stipulations upon both CPS & Client are rendered void.
-The CPS will continue to provide services & be bound by the above stipulations until a designated objective has been completed or previously defined time period has elapsed. Once services have been rendered or if the contract has been terminated (either through non-payment or the above stipulation), the CPS will be free of all stipulations of this Contract unless hired again at a later date. A verbal agreement to reinstate previously negotiated services shall be all that is required from the Client should the CPS choose to offer it - new stipulations, costs, or other parameters will require a new Contract to be signed.
-If either the CPS or the Client break the terms of this arrangement by action or inaction, they will invoke a penalty clause, becoming Marked in the process.
You may make an oath with a Sapient target. Communicate the oath's terms to the target, including the requirements and penalties for each participant. If all agree to the terms, you must and all participants must sign the contract to seal the deal.
Record the oath as a Condition. If a party breaks the oath, the Condition ends and they suffer the oath's penalty.
When crafting your oath, you may incorporate any of the following penalties:
The target cannot be compelled to agree via a direct threat of violence, another Effect, or another oath. If you would like to use clever wording to mislead the target, you must succeed a contested Intellect + (Culture or Influence) roll.
When crafting your oath, you may opt to enforce compliance. If you do, any participant that wishes to break the deal must take 3 Mind damage and succeed a Self-Control roll. They may attempt once per day.
The target may be at any range, but you must still be able to communicate the terms to them, and they must be able to sign the contract.
Winter takes out her phone, and plays some calming meditation music. While smoking from the vape pen, the mind is eased at damage to the body starts to mend itself. The body mellows out, and the target feels a cool breeze run through their form. This coolness gradually turns to warmth as the wounds vanish.
Spend 1 minute and use up this vape pen. Select a Living target within arm's reach. Roll 7 dice at Difficulty 6, dice penalties do not apply.
If you succeed, the Injury is reduced in Severity by your Outcome, unless it had Severity 4 or higher, in which case its Severity remains the same. If you reduce its Severity to 0, the Injury is fully healed. Otherwise, it is partially healed and will heal the rest of the way at its natural rate.
This counts as a successful Makeshift Stabilization if the Injury was not already Stabilized; any Battle Scars caused by the Injury will remain.
A floating head/mask is matherialized into thin air with the sole purpose to present the target with it´s deepest fear, causing it to shiver in impotence and frighten.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Sapient or Creature target within 20 feet. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means. Affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 8 with a -3 dice penalty. If they are incapacitated or unconscious, they fail automatically.
If they fail, your target will take 1 point of Mind damage and gain a new Trauma selected by the GM. This Trauma may be removed by Effects or mundane therapy, as normal. Affected targets are aware that they are being attacked and can generally tell who did it.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see an abhorrent spirit.
Clara's hands sink into the target like wet clay and smear their skin like paint.
-TAXIDERMY-
Etymology
From Ancient Greek τάξις (táxis, “arrangement”, “order”) + δέρμα (dérma, “skin”). Analysable as taxi- + derm- + -y.
Spend an Action. Select a Living target within arm's reach. Roll Dexterity + Crafts at Difficulty 6. The target may roll Body, -2 dice at Difficulty 7, as a Free Action to resist.
If you succeed, the target receives a new Battle Scar of your choosing, limited by the contested Outcome:
All alterations you make must inflict battle scars achievable by manipulation of the targets skin.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
The aristocrat knows a ritual that allows them to rent the best version of any item. They set $10,000 worth of cash on fire and place the item to be upgraded in the fire as well. While in the flame, the item morphs into a high-end version of itself. After a while, it reverts.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Select a non-Alien Device within arm's reach. You must use up $10,000 cash (or equivalent) in order to activate this Effect. Cannot be used to improve Armor.
Lasts the next two hours. Your target receives 3 extra dice to all actions taken for its intended use. Attacking with an upgraded weapon grants +3 Weapon Damage instead of additional dice.
The Witch gazes at a calm and trusting animal and blinks, revealing eyes that have changed to match the creature's. Her body goes limp and collapses, and the witch proceeds to walk away, now temporarily borrowing the animal's body.
A borrowing Witch is a visitor in the animal's mind and cannot overstay her welcome or force the animal into danger.
Spend an Action or Reaction. Select a Non-Alien Creature target within 20 feet. The target may Resist.
You possess your target and have control over their actions for the next hour. Your original body will be left behind, unconscious. You may perceive through your original body's senses by maintaining Concentration. If your original body is touched, you may roll Perception + Alertness to notice. You may spend an Action to end the possession early.
Stats: Any Actions you take will use the possessed creature’s Brawn, Dexterity, and Perception, but use your own Charisma, Intellect, and Abilities.
Gifts: You do not have access to any Gifts while you are possessing your target.
Death: If the host suffers an Injury, or is destroyed or incapacitated, you are evicted back into your own body. If the possession ends and your original body was killed or destroyed, you will die.
Eviction: You cannot force your host to take Actions which would violate their instinct for self-preservation (which includes engaging in Combat for any purpose other than self-defense or natural hunting); any attempt to do so will sever the connection and send you back into your own body. If you are forced out of the target's body prematurely, you must make a Trauma roll.
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.
This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.
The Doctor examines their patient and gives a standard medical checkup, asking them questions, nodding to themselves, and muttering arcane medical jargon. The examination reveals an extraordinary amount of detail about any medical issues suffered by the patient.
Spend one minute. Select a Sapient target or a Creature within arm's reach. You must actively converse with the individual in question for one minute in order to gather any information. At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Medicine at Difficulty 6. The target may Resist.
You learn all the following information about your target:
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.
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.
The mad scientist produces thorium cores that can be used to upgrade tools and other devices. The core supercharges the item, increasing its quality and rendering it indestructible for a period. However, once the core runs dry, the object is rendered less useful than it was before. The core crackles with blue electricity while active.
Spend 1 Action and use up this glowing blue disk. Select a non-Alien Device within arm's reach. Cannot be used to improve Armor.
Lasts the next two hours. 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.
After the Effect ends, any upgraded targets suffer a -2 dice penalty until they are either repaired or upgraded again.
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.