“A pawn only moves forward in hopes of becoming a better piece.”
“But in the end, it’s still just a piece.”
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Dexterity rating is increased by 2. 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).
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Left Shoulder Subluxation and Right Shoulder Subluxation.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Unstable and Bereaved.
You also gain the following effects:
Polamedes places his hand on a person or object. The nanobots making up the arm sleeve start to disassemble and become loose. They surge down the outstretched arm pulling with them long strands of polamedes skin. underneath the skin threads are small glowing dots hidden under the dermis serving as connection points. The bots take the skin trails and start connecting them to the target that will be upgraded. Burrowing new holes and inserting the strands of skin as long tensile wires of flesh. Once the skin wires are all connected surges of blue light travel from Pol to the target transmitting data and nanomachines into the new vessel. Once in their new host the nanomachines balloon the flesh and are seen squirming around both in the area to be upgraded as well as migrating their way northward to the brain in order to establish the new neural pathways needed to connect to the augmented area. Once the augment is finished the fleshwires dissolve into a puddle of blood and sparking electricity for a few seconds before dissolving completely and reforming. The new mass of bugs crawls its way back towards polamedes and reassembles into the sleeve covering his right arm.
Fear of being recorded
Exert your Mind and spend 30 minutes. Select a Living target within arm's reach. The target can easily Resist.
You may add one augmentation to your target. Each augmentation counts as a Trauma and can have exactly one of the following Effects:
The augmentations you provide are not outwardly visible nor obvious.
You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see Flesh Wires.
In addition to their benefits, your augments come with a penalty equivalent to a minor Battle Scar or Trauma. This penalty does not count as an additional Battle Scar or Trauma.
At first glance, it appears little has changed, other than perhaps lack of sleep.
Her eyes are just a little sunken and dark.
But if you continue rudely staring, something... Feels wrong, especially when she moves.
She looks a little.. a little too normal.
In the well-lit cities? Schools? Restaraunts? Shes a little odd but harmlessly cute.
But somewhere a 11 year shouldn't be?
The piers at night? A foggy cemetery?
Every primal instinct tells you "This is wrong. RUN"
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: Uncanny Valley. You are considered to be a Sapient, Non-Living being when targeted. Your Dexterity is increased by 1.
While in Space, heat, cold, pressure, and other atmospheric hazards do not affect you, and dangerous local flora and fauna will not bother you unless you give them a reason.
Your Injuries no longer degrade with time.
Whenever you enter Combat, roll Self-Control. If you fail, you cannot choose which targets to attack and cannot stop fighting until there are no targets remaining.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Phobia of labs and scientific equipment.
Shane, standing tall with his flag, uses its pole as something like a lightning rod for the emotions of the people around him. He starts telling a story trying to garner the interest of those around and after about 6 seconds and as long as his story goes on, they won't be able to perceive anyone but him.
He uses his banner as a useful tool to underline his sentences and keep the looks on him.
Spend two Actions performing the following ritual: telling a story. A number of Animate targets within 300 feet who can perceive you through no greater than your Charisma rating are affected. Audiences or mobs with a singular focus count as one target. You must actively and obviously use a flag to activate this Effect. You must maintain Concentration while activating this Effect, and it fails if you are interrupted. Roll Charisma + Culture at Difficulty 6. All affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.
If you succeed, the targets will keep their full attention focused on you for as long as you maintain Concentration. They will automatically fail any rolls related to noticing anything other than you.
If you pass from their perception and they are unable to pursue you, the Effect ends. If they can follow you, they must do so for 2 Rounds or the Effect will end. The Effect ends early if the target is Injured or violence occurs nearby.
This does not affect the target’s opinion of you or their mood, and they may take any Actions while affected (including attacking), as long as that action centers on you. Fascinated targets cannot Concentrate.
This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.
Conner using a tattooing gun can from a distance manipulate the tattoos he has placed on people to communicate by tattooing their face on himself while also causing their tattoo to temporarily change into a face causing them to be able to communicate.
Conner’s Perspective (The Caster)
As Conner prepares to bridge the vast distances between himself and those he’s marked, he settles into a familiar ritual with the tattooing gun in hand. This instrument, more a wand than a tool in this moment, hums to life with an almost eager anticipation. As he begins the process, not on another but on his own flesh, the needle dances with precision and intent. It doesn’t inscribe a new tattoo but activates the magic latent within him, a conduit to those he seeks.
The ink under his skin stirs, coalescing into the face of the individual he wishes to communicate with. It’s a generic face, a template that morphs to adopt the nuances of expression and emotion, a mirror to the person’s current state. This face doesn’t belong to anyone yet resembles everyone, a paradox made possible through magic. It’s a surreal experience, watching these features form and shift, their eyes locking with his in silent conversation. The connection is palpable, a thread of energy that tugs at his core, a blend of concentration and a mysterious, ethereal bond.
The Tattooed Individual’s Perspective (The Receiver)
For the person on the receiving end, the experience is equally mystifying. The tattoo that marks their bond with Conner, usually a static image, begins to undulate gently. This movement is subtle, not painful but undeniably present, like the first hint of a breeze that promises the storm to come. Then, as if the ink itself is alive, their tattoo morphs into a face.
This face, while not Conner’s, carries an echo of his presence. It’s a visage without identity, yet filled with expression, changing and responding as if part of a conversation. This manifestation is deeply personal, a visual representation of the invisible line that now connects them over distances untold. The voice that accompanies this visual transformation is clear, resonating not in the air but in the mind, a direct conduit to Conner. It’s an intimate exchange, shielded from the world, as though the words are whispered directly into their soul.
Spend an Action. Select a number of targets up to your Mind rating any distance away from you. You must have specific targets in mind, but you require only an intuitive understanding of them, such as their name, face, or Location. This Effect cannot be used unless “Connor has used Permanent Magical Tattoos on the target.”. You must actively and obviously use Tattooing Gun to activate this Effect.
You open up a line of communication to your targets, and may converse with them as long as one of you maintains Concentration
The conversation will only be perceived by the intended recipient. You must share a common language for your target to understand the message.
When activated the user is encompassed by a pulsing blue transparent energy shield that looks like it came out of a campy sci-fi movie from the 50's or early 60's.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action or Reaction. You must actively and obviously use J.R. "Bob" Dobbs pin with pipe to activate this Effect. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a Barrier extending out 15 feet from yourself, which absorbs 2 times the next (Outcome +4) Damage. Only applies to attacks which originated outside the 15 foot radius, and protects anyone who is within that radius. You may choose to create a bubble barrier. If you do, no physical objects or entities can pass into your bubble until the barrier is broken, but you and the barrier cannot move. 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.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Revere J.R. "Bob" Dobbs; must roll self-control any time danger is narrowly avoided to keep from claiming it is "Bob" watching over whoever it was that avoided the danger.
The Vampire was cursed to forever be a vile creature of the night! Their skin has faded to a deathly pale, only regaining something close to human complexion in the immediate aftermath of feeding on human blood. They are weakened when exposed to direct sunlight or when they have been unable to feed in the past day, but otherwise has gained inhuman strength, speed, and irresistibility from their devil's bargain.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are not in direct sunlight and you have fed on fresh human blood in the past 24 hours.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: a seductive and powerful humanoid, with pale skin and wicked fangs. You are considered to be a Sapient, Non-Living being when targeted. Your Brawn is increased by 1, your Dexterity is increased by 1, and your Charisma is increased by 1.
Your Injuries no longer degrade with time.
The Severity of any Injury caused by fire and heat is increased by 2.
The spy can twist the urban environment to their whims, erecting fences, walls, and barriers as needed. They whistle and gesture to where the wall should be, and the surrounding materials fly into place.
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:
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.
The aquamancer dissolves into a flowing pool of semi-solid water. Anything they were carrying is left behind in a damp pile. While transformed, they may squeeze through tiny gaps, and are extremely resilient against most standard attacks.
Sometimes in the process, a little water will get lost, and the aquamancer may be a little hurt by the transformation.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
You transform into a flowing pool of water for the next minute. You may end the effect early and return to your normal form at will. Your structure must remain relatively contiguous. Observers will view you as an unusual entity moving with a singular purpose.
While in this form, you can squeeze through any gap that is not water-tight.
Injuries from standard attacks are reduced to Severity 1, but Damage from AOE effects is increased by 1.
You cannot communicate or use equipment while transformed. Your equipment does not transform with you beyond basic body coverings. You cannot carry any items while transformed.
You have access to your Powers while transformed.
When you activate this Effect, roll a single D10. if the result is 5 or lower, you receive a Severity-1 Injury and a Minor Battle Scar.
Most severe injuries occur far from a facility that could treat them, and in the fetid muck of the battlefield even minor wounds may be a death sentence. Luckily the soldier is well-trained in the use of their standard-issue medical kit. They may stabilize even the most severe injuries with a little gauze and some no-anesthetic stitching. Furthermore, the treated wounds of their comrades never get infected.
You gain the following benefits at all times. You must actively and obviously be using a standard issue military medical kit to gain the benefits of this Effect.
All Stabilizations you attempt are considered Proper Stabilizations.
You also gain the following effects:
Years of scouting in dangerous areas has left the survivalist hyper-vigilant. They are impossible to catch in a trap.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Perception rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Perception (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).
You also gain the following effects: