Harold Polk’s Linguistic Espionage Mastery is a unique fusion of his perfect memory and deep understanding of Speech Act Theory, allowing him to communicate in any language with native fluency and cultural precision. Through his flawless recall, Harold has accumulated vast stores of linguistic patterns, dialects, and subtleties, giving him an intuitive grasp of each language’s nuances. He doesn’t merely translate words; he understands their intent, context, and hidden meaning, slipping into conversations as though he were born to each language he speaks.
With Speech Act Theory, Harold imbues his words with layers of meaning and influence, embedding subtle cues to guide others’ perceptions or actions. Every word he speaks carries intent, carefully crafted to either blend into the conversation or gently steer it, as if he were weaving an invisible thread through every interaction. This mastery makes him a linguistic ghost, an agent who can infiltrate through language alone, understanding and subtly shaping discussions to achieve his aims without ever raising suspicion.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You may understand and communicate to humans as if you are fluent in a relevant language.
As Allena puts on the necklace, it changes appearance to mimic that of the Moonshadow Necklace. Spectral strings begin emerging from behind it as they slither up her body and to the back of her head. Aligning with her left eye they suddenly pierce through her head and connect to her eye as her sclera becomes devoid of color and their natural teal turns into a deep blue akin to the oceans.
After the process is complete, the user becomes attuned to the shadows, when going through cracks they meld with the floor and the walls and become a patch of darkness as they slide through. When they reach out their appendages become ghastly and extend as if they're merely made of fog yet still retaining their physicality.
You gain the following benefits at all times. You must actively and obviously be using a necklace to gain the benefits of this Effect.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: Your left eye's sclera is turned pitch black as occassionally dark tendrils wriggle out from under your lids. Your physical form sometimes becomes translucent as the passing light reveals your appendages to be spectral and dark in nature. You are considered to be a Sapient, Living being when targeted. Your Perception is increased by 1.
Your appendages can reach an additional 30 feet.
You can squeeze through any cracks and passageways a cat would be able to.
The Severity of any Injury caused by Light based weapons (Lasers, holy beams etc. excluding Fire) is increased by 2.
Because the haters will get to me first.
You gain the following benefits as long as engaged in combat with firearms.
+2 dice to all firearms rolls.
You also gain the following effects:
Ulysses is a cockatrice human hybrid created by GenWyld. His hands are the clawed talons of the cockatrice and where he has marked himself with their petrifying power his skin has healed over with stone covering. One day, he might grow wings of the cockatrice as well….leathery, lizard-like wings. Like the cockatrice of legend, his fluids are a potent poison to any who would ingest them. He has inherited the beast’s legendary strength as well.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: your hands are bird like talons, and portions of your skin where you’ve healed yourself in the past are made of stone. At a later date, you might also grow visible wings. You are considered to be a Sapient, Living being when targeted. Your Brawn is increased by 1, your Dexterity is increased by 1, and your Intellect is increased by 1.
Any Animate being that consumes or is injected with your bodily fluids receives a Severity-1 Injury. Every Round, they must roll Body Difficulty 9. If they fail, the Injury worsens by 1 Severity. If they succeed, the Injury stops worsening.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in combat with melee ninja weapons.
+2 dice to all rolls with melee ninja weapons. You may Defend against firearm attacks from any range using melee ninja weapons.
You also gain the following effects:
You gain the following benefits as long as engaged in combat with firearms.
+2 dice to all firearms rolls.
You also gain the following effects:
The Vampire has grown wicked fangs in place of their canines, allowing them to thoroughly drain a person of blood should they get ahold of one.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are biting and you are engaged in unarmed combat.
+2 dice to rolls for Attacking, Defending, and Clashing without a weapon. Unarmed attacks do +2 Weapon Damage (instead of -1).
You may Defend against melee, projectile, or firearm Attacks from any range and Clash with those in range of your Attacks. Attacking materials like steel or spikes will not Damage you unless it has an Effect that does so.
You also gain the following effects:
Finally, the girls are fusing the way they’ve wanted to since they began Contracting, three and a half years ago. It took Grace’s left eye for them to try this, but the girls are now able to spend a week focusing their energy towards a Battle Scarred area and permanently replacing it with The Spirit’s ghostly flesh. The replaced chunks, eyes, arms, whatever may come, appear just as The Spirit’s: bluish and semi-transparent, but now function just as the respective physical flesh would.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Any Injury you receive heals quickly, reducing its Severity by one level every 6 hours. Any Injuries you receive while this Effect is active do not deteriorate over time. However, any Battle Scars caused by such an Injury will remain unless it is Properly Stabilized as normal.
All Injuries you receive are considered Properly Stabilized. You may also choose to heal any Battle Scar on yourself that may not have been caused by an Injury. Doing so takes one day, and the Battle Scar affects you fully until that time.
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: any scars that heal this way leave the flesh in that area bluish and semi-transparent, causing you to be viewed as a freak by most people who see you.
The Solider is accustomed to going long periods without food or water and can operate on very little sleep.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You may go five times longer than a normal human without food, water, sleep, and air. Any roll to resist an Effect dependent on any affected requirement is made at -1 Difficulty.
As long as the Ninja is dressed in an appropriate uniform, their movement is almost silent.
You gain the following benefits as long as as long as you are visibly dressed head to toe in black with hardly any skin showing.
You and everything you are carrying is obscured in one of the following manners. You may Spend an Action to change the way in which you're concealed.
While this Effect is active, any Effect that would obscure you or your equipment specifically from other, additional senses fails automatically.
If someone discovers you, this Effect will not help you hide from them for the next minute. Activating a targeted or obvious Effect, attacking, or being Injured ends the Effect. When the Effect ends, it is disabled for one minute.
You may turn this Effect on and off at will during its duration.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: compulsion to test the awareness of allies by sneaking up on them with a weapon.
There's a certain strength that comes from displaying the flag of one's country. As long as the Soldier holding their country's flag or wearing something emblazoned with it, they are less likely to be injured in battle.
You gain the following benefits at all times. You must actively and obviously be using clothes or a uniform that displays the flag of your country to gain the benefits of this Effect.
You have 4 Armor, which reduces incoming Damage. Armor from multiple sources does not stack. This Armor cannot be circumvented with Called Shots.