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.
Burnout gets pissed off and erupts into a burst of flames.
Fire originates from Burnout and burns outwards.
This Effect activates whenever failing or botching a Self-Control or Limit roll. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Select a target within arm's reach which has both fuel and oxygen available (if you are starting a new fire).
You may start a new fire as large as a Christmas tree fire at your target. You may create fires the size of a lighter or candle flame without Exerting your Mind. Your fires require fuel and oxygen in order to continue burning.
Lighting a target on fire deals 5 Damage each Round on your turn, starting in the Round after the one in which they caught fire. This Damage is reduced by Armor, but the target’s Armor rating will be depleted by any Damage dealt, destroying the Armor once it reaches 0.
You may extinguish flames as a Reaction. This does not extend to explosives.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see Burnout literally bursts on fire, and his skin appears to melt off his body.
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Brittle Burning - Your body is made brittle by your burning hatred. (For an hour after using any fire-related Gift or Effect: you take +1 damage from all psychical sources.).
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Customer Service - Whenever a situation escalates or you would be made angry, roll Self-Control to not escalate (often violently).
Jude revels in his shuddering lungs and hacking cough. The dehydration headache, the stitch in his side when he runs, and the soreness of his legs from spending his life in cheap shoes- it's all home, it's always been there for him, and it makes him feel confident that he's doing something right. He wants to help others realise that this is the right way to feel, but is smart enough to play some waiting games on the process.
Ann Webber is his best friend and longest term project. He knows/thinks he knows that he'll convert her eventually; he can at least put it on the backburner for their friendship.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
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.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Typhoid Mary - Jude is convinced that this ability is secretly present in every single person. He will try to get others sick whenever he thinks he can get away with it (or when the GM rules that the trauma overpowers reason). He may try to convince others into addictions. This is ingrained in his personality and the progression of his gifts..
German while looking at his target through his gold rimmed glasses sends fear into the target, like a prey facing a predator, they just freeze in their place
Spend an Action. Select a target within 20 feet. You must actively and obviously use glasses to activate this Effect. Roll Dexterity + Alertness at Difficulty 6. the target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.
If you succeed, your target will be restricted at their location by an intangible, ethereal binding. They can still move their arms and use Effects, but cannot move to a new location.
Restricted targets may attempt to break the binding and escape by spending an Action and rolling Mind at Difficulty 7. Breaking free requires a total cumulative Outcome of twice the original Contested Outcome.
Your bindings affect intangible beings like ghosts.
While this Effect is active, you are at -2 dice to all Actions and cannot Concentrate.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
(blue's clues type investigation methodology)
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your senses are enhanced in the following way.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Compulsion (Search and Rescue).
From putting his workers on the line and to his commandeering attitude he is still a charming fellow in some manner, demanding his name to be called, he is to be called the devil in a manner as the way of how sly he may be but how ruthless he is to his employees, all marked down by the tattoo on his back to represent it all.
You gain the following benefits as long as you have your An Oni tattoo on the back.
Your Charisma rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Charisma (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).
If you are witnessed actively using this Effect, whoever sees it can make a Perception + Alertness roll at Difficulty 6. A complete success reveals the source of your power.
You also gain the following effects:
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 completely destroyed and can no longer function, though it may still be repaired. 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.
When a target is destroyed, it sends shards flying. Anyone within 5 feet of the object rolls 4d10 at Difficulty 6 and takes damage equal to the Outcome. Can be reacted to.
While submerged, the aquamancer can fully sustain themselves from the waters around them, entirely forgoing food, drink, and even air. They may also enter a state of hibernation, remaining underwater and incapacitated for up to two months.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are submerged in water.
You no longer require any food, water, or air in order to survive. You no longer age naturally, and supernatural attempts to age you fail. Any roll to resist an Effect dependent on any affected requirement automatically succeeds.
You may spend one minute entering a state of hibernation, during which you are inanimate and unaffected by any requirements for life. You may still perceive the outside world and may spend 3 Rounds "waking up" to end it.
The psychic can reach into another's' mind and pilfer their deepest memories. Doing so causes the psychic's nose to bleed and is exceptionally draining.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living, Animate target within 25 feet. You must maintain Concentration while the effect is active. Roll Intellect + Investigation at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you are able to view your target's memories. If you fail, the target knows you're attempting to read their memories.
You may ask a number of specific questions about their memory equal to your Contested Outcome. For example, “what is their computer password,” “What were they doing at 4:00PM yesterday,” etc. You cannot get answers to broad, analytical questions like “are they a good person?” or “what are their plans for the future?”
Each memory takes as long to read as it takes to answer the question. When replaying a full memory, it is replayed in double time.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is your nose bleeding. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
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.
The beastmaster shouts, and their human voice cracks into a deep, bestial roar. Their body swells with muscle, clothes melting into a thick pelt of fur. Seconds later the beastmaster is gone. Standing in their place is a massive grizzly bear.
However, even in human form the beast within remains close to the surface, and the beastmaster finds highly civilized social situations unbearable.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
You transform into a brown bear for two hours or until you choose to end the Effect. See the Extended System text for stats.
While transformed, you cannot use any equipment (including Artifacts and Consumables), and you cannot use your Active, Targeted, or Trap Powers. However, you can use your Passive 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.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Intolerance for society. When you are in a situation with strict social protocols (like a trial or a formal dinner) roll Self-Control not to enter a flight or fight response.
The Thief examines an object closely for a minute to appraise its value. As their eyes dance across the subject, their pupils split vertically, and their irises fade to gold. If it is a particularly valuable item, the Thief may greedily lick their lips, revealing a forked tongue.
Within a minute, they have determined how materially valuable the object is and why.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Select a target Object within arm's reach. At the end of your investigation, roll Charisma + Culture at Difficulty 6.
You learn all the following information about your target:
You cannot investigate the same target more than once per day.