The character snaps up an ethereal quill, and chaos erupts. Glowing script slashes through the air, whipping around like a storm of words. As they "write," the battlefield shudders—pages tear from the ground, sky splitting into fragments of text. Enemies are caught mid-action, their fates scrawled out in real-time, locked into a story they can’t escape.
Some drop instantly, their endings abrupt and brutal, while others are erased, as if written out of existence. The battlefield is left in shambles, the final stroke a violent "The End" scrawled in the chaos.
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend an Action. Select a Living target within 300 feet. You must actively and obviously use Pen to activate this Effect. Roll Perception + Alertness Difficulty 6. The target may contest by rolling to Dodge or Defend as a Reaction, Difficulty 6.
If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target takes that much Damage plus 4. Armor is fully effective against this Damage.
The target suffers a -3 dice penalty for the next hour or until the Injury is healed. This dice penalty does not stack multiple times on the same target.
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.
If the target suffers an Injury from this Effect, they will receive at least a Minor Battle Scar regardless of its Severity. When this Effect causes a Battle Scar, you may select which one of the appropriate level.
As Nathan breathes out, he vigorously incants in his mind, his finger guiding the fiber on his target. His target notices the red thread emanating from them form a loop around their wrist before heading off elsewhere.
Warded against harm, would-be deadly threats find themselves unable to land onto the target, whether it be through circumstances of good fortune or preemptive movements of the body.
When the protection is exhausted, the target sees the string naturally unravel from their wrist, returning to its state of drifting off to elsewhere.
Red string being worn around the wrist has been commonly done for luck and providence of the body, the color seen as auspicious.
Spend an Action. Select a Animate target within arm's reach. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is Marked by you. Roll Intellect + Occult at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around your target, which absorbs the next Outcome +2 Damage. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. You may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
The barrier will fall after two hours, 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.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is Nathan drawing a circle with his finger. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.
Those who attack a being as pure as Terry find themselves regretting their decision, changing their mind mid-attack, and forever abhorring violence.
This Effect activates whenever a target injures Terry, dealing at least a severity-2 Injury or looks upon the injury up close. One per injury. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Select a Sapient or Creature target within 300 feet. “Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. Affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 8 with a -3 dice penalty. If they are incapacitated or unconscious, they fail automatically and their Outcome is 0.
If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target takes Mind damage equal to the Contested Outcome. If you deal at least 3 Mind damage, the target will gain a phobia of violence as a Trauma. This Trauma may be removed by Effects or mundane therapy, as normal. Targets that receive a new Trauma are aware that you are interacting with them but they do not view it as an attack or view the resulting Trauma as malicious. If their Trauma is treated, they will be able to see the reality of the situation.
The shadows twist and writhe, taking on ethereal forms that seem to move of their own accord. Spectral figures emerge from the darkness, their features obscured by the murky depths from which they arise. They obey the user's commands with an eerie obedience, moving silently and swiftly to carry out her will.
As the shadows swirl and dance around the user, participants and observers are left with a sense of awe and unease, knowing that they are in the presence of a force beyond mortal comprehension. It is a sight that leaves an indelible mark on the minds of those who witness it, a reminder of the true extent of the user's power as a shadowmancer.
The Gift of summoning shadows is not merely a mundane ability; it is a manifestation of primal forces that exist beyond the realm of mortal comprehension. In the depths of the human psyche, there lies a connection to the primordial darkness that has existed since the dawn of time, a wellspring of power waiting to be tapped by those with the courage to embrace the shadows.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. You must actively and obviously use Ring to activate this Effect.
Summon a single Shadow at your location. They will last until they are destroyed. They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. You may have at most 2 minions active at a time.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see Souls.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Casadastraphobia.
When you are hit it is revealed that your physical body is not actually in this dimension. It looks like you are two dimensional and your entire body is momentarily marked with large burned cracks until the entire effect fades away a moment later.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Brawn rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Brawn (cannot be used on combat rolls or Effect activations).
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Burned Arm.
You also gain the following effects:
Maria is engulfed in a wreathe of licking flames, and, with a terrifying whinny and a clattering of hooves, emerges as a nightmare. As a nightmare, she appears as a large black horse with dead, white eyes and flaming mane, tail, and fetlocks. These flames are not hot to the touch. She snorts black billows of smoke and has an otherworldly whinny that sends shivers down the spines of mortals.
Exert your Mind and spend a Quick Action.
You transform into Draft horse (nightmare) until you transform into something else or choose to return to your original form. See the Extended System text for stats.
While transformed, you cannot use any equipment (including Artifacts and Consumables), and you do not have access to any of your Powers. Any equipment you are wearing transforms with you.
Injuries and Wound Level are carried over between forms. However, transforming can never kill you; you merely remain Incapacitated until your Injuries are sufficiently healed.
While transformed, you may speak and use any Influence or Communication Powers you posses.
While transformed, you are obviously unusual, unnatural, or alien, and the average person will take a special interest in you.
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 creature's claws rip through the poor, defenseless doctor's coat, opening deep gashes in their gut. It bares its fangs to lunge for the killing blow, but the doctor looks up at the attacker. Their eyes filed not with utter terror at their imminent demise, only a look of disappointment and pity. Touched, the monster hesitates. . .
This Effect activates whenever you receive a Severity 2 or higher Injury from an attack. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Select a Living target within 45 feet. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. Affected targets can resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, for the next minute, your target will do things they otherwise wouldn’t have done, inspired by remorse for hurting such a pure soul. They will not necessarily display their emotions in an obvious way.
Actions they take will be in keeping with their character and the way they tend to deal with strong emotions. They will be unlikely to change their mind about any actions taken or decisions made until after the Effect ends.
All it takes is a flick of your hair and a bat of your eyelashes, and you’ve got their attention.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. All Sapient, Living targets within 50 feet who can perceive you through sight are affected. Roll Charisma + Performance at Difficulty 6. All affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, the targets will keep their full attention focused on you for contested Outcome in Rounds. They will automatically fail any rolls related to noticing anything other than you. If they cannot perceive you through sight for three Rounds, the Effect is broken. 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.
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 time-twister spins a dial on one of her watches, slowing time for everyone but her and one other person.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. You must actively and obviously use a watch or clock to activate this Effect.
Lasts 1 minute. Whenever you use your Movement, after all other calculations, the distance you may travel is doubled.
Outside of Combat, any non-Gift, non-movement Actions you attempt take drastically less time to complete, as long as your personal speed is a factor in the Action. Total time reduction is determined by the GM and capped at 90% (executing the Action takes no less than 1/10th the normal time).
While using this Effect, you may carry one other being without affecting your Encumbrance, so long as you maintain contact with them for the duration and they consent or are grappled.