Harold Polk has honed his skills not only in the courtrooms of Chicago but in the shadowy corridors of international diplomacy and espionage. By tapping into his deep understanding of cultural nuance and linguistic subtlety, Harold has developed a unique capability akin to a high-tech linguistic decryption tool. With a moment of concentration, his mind synchronizes with the wavelength of any spoken or written communication, allowing him to fluently understand and interact with any creature or person, irrespective of language barriers.
This ability stems not from supernatural talent but from a rare combination of spy training, legal acumen, and a sophisticated mental framework developed over years of decoding complex legal documents and sensitive intelligence information. When activated, Harold’s eyes might briefly flicker with a subtle, cipher-like glow, reflecting the mental processing of converting unfamiliar languages to comprehensible information.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You may understand and communicate to humans as if you are fluent in a relevant language.
Cham can recite a prayer in the angelic language, while focusing on a target within arms reach. As they perceive Cham's alien-sounding chitters and screeches, they gain the ability to speak it back to him.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Sapient being, human, or Dead target within arm's reach. Dead targets must have died within the past week, and you must have their remains in your possession. This Effect cannot be used unless Alternate Form.
The target can communicate in your language for the next hour.
Carpathia speaks in Italian (her first language) to her target, who appears to be comprehending what she's saying and responds with their respective form of communication, whatever that may be.
Carpathia gains an instinctual knowledge of how animals communicate with eachother and is able to translate it to her human tongue, and when they take a close enough look at her they can feel her ties to the spirit of the natural world, and by extension, them.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You may understand and communicate to Creatures and humans as if you are fluent in a relevant language.
Processing a gallon of water through his body; he's able to produce a special speech-granting liquid which while temporary, if absorbed into the body, allows the victims to speak in his language for about an hour before their body processes it.
"Totally radical!"
Spend one minute. Select a human, Creature, or Dead target within 50 feet. Dead targets must have died within the past week, and you must have their remains in your possession. You must use up a gallon of water in order to activate this Effect.
The target can communicate in your language for the next hour.
After this Effect ends, you cannot move quicker than a walk (15 feet per Round) for one minute and suffer a -1 dice penalty for an hour.
Preston points his wand at the target and says “speak English!”
A magical bolt of red white and blue shoots into the target’s mouth, and they begin to speak and understand English.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Sapient being, human, or Dead target within 50 feet. Dead targets must have died within the past week, and you must have their remains in your possession. You must actively and obviously use a wand to activate this Effect.
The target can communicate in your language for the next hour.
You may only use this Effect once per target per day.
Putting forth a beacon in the storm, Widow calls to the dead through the bonds of love it had in life.
The soul Widow calls sees the beacon in the dark, a call from a reaper. It takes time to bring the soul through the veils of the underworld, but the respect of the station demands answers. The station itself requires one to prove they should be respected. If the called dead has a desperate request, Widow must make a Self-control roll to resist the request as a potential loose end.
(This must be a desperate, whole hearted, selfless need. "Tell my daughter I am passed so she can move on." "Stop my killer from killing my family.")
Spend one minute. Select a Dead target within 50 feet. For dead targets, you must possess their their true name.
The target can communicate in your language for the next hour.
Communicating with a being cannot directly damage your Mind or cause Injury. All rolls to resist Effects that rely on communicating with you are made at -1 Difficulty.
The beastmaster can speak to and understand any animal.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You may understand and communicate to terrestrial animal as if you are fluent in a relevant language.
The Necromancer spits into the mouth of a recently deceased corpse. For the few minutes, the corpse's head comes back to life and speaks to the Necromancer.
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.