Zephyren collects blades almost obsessively, perhaps because they are some of the least detectable weapons. Or, he does it instinctively because a bird is never complete without its talons. In result, he's also the most proficient with blades.
On blade types:
Specifically, Zephyren is proficient in knives, daggers, and swords. They're good for kitchen use too (he wants to toss a bunch of vegetables in the air one day and try to slice them all).
On weapon usage:
People have guns (even in Canada, they're just quieter about it), but Zephyren legally cannot own one, and traveling with those can be such a pain for those with licenses anyway. He very much prefers a quieter option too. Also, blades are far more versatile. Never bring a sword to a gun fight? Think again.
On blade proficiency:
Fighting isn't the only thing Zephyren uses blades for. If anything he's rarely had to fight outside contracts; he mostly uses knives in the kitchen, and since he has been cooking from a very young age, there's no surprise that this is what he's the most comfortable with. In any video games, he also predominantly uses a knife or sword. Don't ask how he's gotten through Resident Evil; let's just say he had to face a lot of corpses up close.
On bird talons:
Thankfully Zephyren has never been attacked by a bird, but from what he's read, talons can be really sharp. They have to grip onto things after all, even if it means they'd puncture their target.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in combat with bladed weapons.
+2 dice to all rolls with bladed weapons. You may Defend against firearm attacks from any range using bladed weapons.
You also gain the following effects:
lizard go skitter skitter
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You may move easily and without a roll in any of the following situations.
Your instinct takes over as your body is bruised and bloodied, your strikes growing fiercer with each wound. Your eyes blaze with a hardened resolve, and the deeper the cuts, the stronger your attacks become, fueled by sheer willpower and battle rage.
You gain the following benefits at all times. You must actively and obviously be using Ring Of Nicneven to gain the benefits of this Effect.
Your Stress from Injuries is reduced to 0. Does not reduce Stress from Mind Damage.
Stress from Injuries acts as a dice bonus instead of penalty.
By all accounts, Ky Matranaga should be out for the count. He's injured beyond belief, gritting his teeth through a pain unimaginable. Yet, against all odds, he continues to fight-- his honed, martial discipline and unyielding, fiery spirit continuing to push him forward.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Stress from Injuries is reduced to 0. Does not reduce Stress from Mind Damage.
Beneath the patient’s skin, the nanobots swarm like a legion of ravenous insects, their mandibles gnashing and grinding as they devour wounded tissue. Each tiny machine emits a high-pitched, metallic shriek that reverberates through the patient's bones. These microscopic invaders burrow deeper, their needle-like appendages injecting searing disinfectant chemicals into the bloodstream, igniting a fiery agony that pulses through every vein. The nanobots communicate in a cacophony of alien squeals and clicks, a nightmarish symphony that plays relentlessly inside the patient's skull. As their grotesque work nears completion, the nanobots begin to dissolve, their exoskeletons melting into a viscous, oily sludge. This foul liquid seeps from every pore, coating the patient in a greasy, nauseating film that reeks of decay. The patient left shivering and drenched, haunted by the invasive, mechanical horrors that had violated their body in the name of healing.
Exert your Mind and spend 1 minute. Select a Living or Animate target within arm's reach. Choose a specific Injury on your target that has not yet been treated with this Effect and roll Perception + Technology at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, the Injury is reduced in Severity by your Outcome. 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.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see lots of nano bugs.
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.
Catherine performs a fortune telling reading, learning secrets about the subject. Her eyes dilate as she perceives glimpses of the subject's past and future.
Spend a minute. Select a Sapient target within arm's reach. You must actively and obviously use fortune telling implement to activate this Effect. At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Occult at Difficulty 6.
You learn all the following information about your target:
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
You cannot investigate the same target more than once per day.
This witch is a cruel and vengeful creature who works her vile arts against those she deems worthy of punishment. All she must do is point. A flash of green lightning strikes her victim and disappears. Immediately, or upon the completion of some condition, if the witch chooses, the victim's body warps and shifts into a gross mockery of its former self. Whether she's giving someone the head of a donkey or stealing their voice, the witch's enemies always get what is coming to them.
The sheer wickedness of this spell corrupts the witch, giving her a disgusting, witchy appearance.
Exert your Mind and Spend an Action. Select a Living target within 20 feet. Roll Intellect + Occult 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:
When you activate this Effect, instead of occurring immediately, you may choose to delay its effects until the target takes a particular Action. For example: "when they fire a gun" or "when they swim in deep water."
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Witchy Appearance. You have a long, warty nose and chin, wrinkled skin, and a hunch back. Social rolls are at +2 Difficulty, and your free movement is reduced by 10 feet.
Your alteration "heals" over the course of the next month, after which it is fully cured.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Compulsion for payback. You must roll Self-Control to avoid using this Gift on anyone who wrongs you in a major way.
Driving rugged vehicles in a combat situation is second nature to the Soldier. They measure their shots and navigate obstacles with a subtle timing that doesn't affect the steadiness of their own or their passengers' weapons. Firing a few shots through the windshield or window while performing dangerous driving maneuvers is also no problem.
You gain the following benefits as long as Must be driving a rugged vehicle such as an SUV truck or armored car. and you are piloting any vehicle.
You receive +2 dice to any rolls to pilot a vehicle.
You also gain the following effects:
The Ninja is a master at blending in to any crowd or organization. If they can find complete privacy, they may channel their ninjutsu to temporarily create the illusion of any outfit or uniform they desire. The new clothes shimmer into existence over their existing garb over the course of a minute of meditation.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute.
You become disguised in a manner of your choosing. The disguise lasts for two hours, or you may end it early at will.
The new appearance must have a similar sex, age, and race to your own. You cannot significantly change your height and weight. Your disguise cannot directly mimic an existing person. You may change the appearance of your outfit. A disguise cannot affect your Attributes or other stats.
You cannot alter the appearance of your flesh and blood.
Unimportant characters just can't seem to hit our hero with their attacks. Injuries that are sustained from underlings are conveniently non-severe.
You gain the following benefits as long as the attacker isn't important enough to have a name.
You have 4 Armor, which reduces incoming Damage. Armor from multiple sources does not stack. This Armor cannot be circumvented with Called Shots.
No terrestrial animal dares defy the will of the beastmaster. The beastmaster exerts their dominance over an animal by locking eyes and giving a primal cry. The creature immediately becomes docile and eager to please.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Creature within 20 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is a terrestrial animal.
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.
Sapient targets can resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.