Jacob ruminates on their past sins and focuses on the suffering they've caused. A crown of thorns manifests on both the user and the target's heads, a manifestation of his festering doubts and anxiety. The worries just exacerbate and worsen, causing the crowns to grow violently and invade their brain through whatever path they can find...
Once they make their way to the brain, they "connect" and cause both Jacob and the target to experience the sum of their guilt and regret and jumble of emotions in a positive feedback loop that could leave both permanently scarred mentally. One could only guess what results from such an invasion of the mind.
At least Jacob is accustomed to coping with these sorts of... attacks. He has the mind(s) for it. The target, however...
Jacob's able to withstand the potential trauma thanks to the demon that feeds off his feelings of guilt and regret. The demon gets a feast, so it 'blesses' Jacob with the ability to survive this attack relatively unscarred.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a single Sapient target or a Location within 300 feet. If you select a Location, all Sapient targets within 300 feet within 20 feet of it, besides yourself, are affected. Roll Intellect + Investigation Difficulty 6. Affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7. If they are incapacitated or unconscious, they fail automatically.
If the Contested Outcome is positive, the affected targets loses that much Source. Once their Source is depleted, excess Outcome is applied as Mind Damage. If you deal at least 3 Mind damage, the affected targets gains a Trauma of the GM's choice.
This Trauma may be removed by Effects or mundane therapy, as normal. Affected targets are aware that they are being attacked and can generally tell who did it.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see the crown of thorns on the target wraps around their head, growing and snaking its way towards the target's brain through their nose, ears, and mouth (Atrocities).
Minerva lets out a breath, and speaks her command first in her mind. It's not important for her to say them out loud anymore. With focus, she imbues her words with her will, and then she lets them out into the world in some way.
Her burgeoning powers first manifest with what she knows best - telling other people to do things. As she gets stronger, more comfortable with her powers, they get easier. But also more intimate somehow, deeper. Her own thoughts start to brush just a little against unknowable things, against shadows in her own mind. They don't like this.
Exert your Mind and spend at least one Action. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means. Your target may be actively engaged in Combat. Communicate a command to your target. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.
If the contested Outcome is positive, your target will be compelled to follow your command to their best understanding of the letter and spirit of the command until they have completed it or for your Outcome in minutes. You cannot issue another suggestion to the target until 10 minutes after they have completed the first command or 10 minutes after a failure.
The target is unaware that they are under supernatural influence and feel they are acting of their own free will. If you fail, they realize that you were attempting to influence them supernaturally with your command.
Your command can be an order to take an immediate Action. You cannot order a target to "do nothing," and they are free to take other Actions as they fulfill your request. Your command cannot be obviously self-destructive. The Effect ends if following your command would cause a target to cross one of their Limits in a way that would necessitate a Trauma roll.
You must have some means of communicating this command to your target, but no one other than you and them will understand or perceive it.
This Effect ends if you are stunned, fall asleep, go unconscious, are incapacitated, die, or if your total Stress ever exceeds 5.
Over the course of 30 minutes, the user draws a rune related to the desired effect on a corresponding part of the target's body. At the end it absorbs into their skin and disappears, imbuing them with an appropriate power. The rune appears in their mind and strains it somewhat, as with a traumatic experience.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living target within arm's reach. Your target must make a Trauma roll when you activate this Effect. The target can easily Resist.
You may add one augmentation to your target. Each augmentation counts as a Trauma and can have exactly one of the following Effects:
The augmentations you provide are not outwardly visible nor obvious.
You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.
Minerva's understanding of the Dreamlands has deepened to the point that she can fully realize some of its more interesting secrets - even objects have dreams, for one thing. They often dream of themselves, doing their purpose, but also the areas they have found themselves in.
They require something, though, to enter their dreams, as the connection is more tenuous. Minerva always leaves a bit of herself behind forcing into them.
Spend a minute. Select a target Object within arm's reach. You must actively and obviously use silver fox pendant to activate this Effect. At the end of your investigation, roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6.
You learn all the following information about your target:
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Short Stature - You cannot all-out sprint.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Painful Losses: Whenever a fellow contractor (who you are not directly acting against) is in danger, you must roll self-control or immediately attempt to assist them.
You cannot investigate the same target more than once per day.
With the blessing and title of Chitari, Sara Gause Viper has been bestowed with a sliver of Chitari's essence
Being imbued with part of the Goddess of change's essence allows her to shift her own body at will, and reverse any changes should they put too much strain on Sara
It isn't pretty to watch though, entailing abomination combinations of Snakes, Scorpions, dart frogs, spiders, wasps, and other venomous/poisonous fauna. With all the exposed bones, organs, and flesh, it's pretty easy for people to run away in horror, or grab a weapon to kill the assumed monstrosity. better make sure to cover that up in public.
- {Chitari is talking} (Chitari is thinking) /Sara is thinking/ :Narrator is narrating: -
: Sara sat in her Goddess's mindscape, anxiously thinking through what actions she could take next, how she could get a grip on herself, a way to keep on going....... :
{....You've been like that for 3 hours now, Viper}
"I know, it's just....... I have no home, no one to go to within 10.... even 100 miles..... and then I have to watch my back for shapeshifting aliens, keep low so that the police don't lock me up, and complete contracts without..... the forest thing happening again...and- "
: Sara ranted to Chitari about any problem she could think of, venting out enough issues and trauma to keep a therapist busy for years on end :
(She really has gone through a lot, especially with the eye demon...... one of my best followers, and she's breaking down from all this......change...)
: at the thought of the word, Chitari remembered her previous follower, worshipping her and her ideals of cleverness, quick thinking, and the ability to adapt to change.
she gave her most loyal followers the name of Prophet and blessed them with a sliver of her essence. :
{Sara, do you think things are changing too quickly for you to keep up?}
"YES, I.... the moment things seem to have calmed down, some supernatural phenomenon or Contractor does something or vanishes into the Aether, missing for weeks or months, and trying to keep a home for even 4 months isn't possible, I've had to do so much in order to keep myself fed, healthy, and SAFE, and it seems to only get wo-"
{Do you want to be the one changing things instead?}
/Sara's downward spiral of a rant was paused by her Goddess's out of nowhere question. being able to make a change for once sounded amazing, but...../
"is that even possible? No Offense Chitari, but even with your help, It- I...... what can fix me"
{I can't fix you, but I can help you adapt}
Spend an hour to activate. Select a Living target within arm's reach. The target can easily Resist.
You may add one augmentation to your target. Each augmentation counts as a Battle Scar and can have exactly one of the following Effects:
You may cure any Battle Scars you have created with this Effect with a Free Action on your initiative. They are healed over the course of the next hour.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see grotesque venomous creatures like snakes and scorpions swirling around Sara with exposed organs and bones, melting and molding Sara's body.
This Gift's level is capped at 2 Gifts and cannot be increased further.
Your alteration "heals" over the course of the next month, after which it is fully cured.
You may only target yourself.
Rambley offers a piece of candy to the target, saying they can only have it if they're a good boy/girl.
[ACTIVATE: CHILD BRIBERY MODULE]
{Why did my creators name this module that? well, it seems to work on things other than children too, so I won't risk messing with it, even if its only the name.}
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend at least one Action. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. You must use up A peice of Candy in order to activate this Effect. Your target cannot be engaged in Combat. Communicate a command to your target. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.
If the contested Outcome is positive, your target will be compelled to follow your command to their best understanding of the letter and spirit of the command until they have completed it or for your Contested Outcome in hours. You cannot issue another suggestion to the target until 10 minutes after they have completed the first command or 10 minutes after a failure.
The target will be fully aware that they are doing this task on your behalf and will inform anyone who they interact with that they were sent by you, though they may not view it as compulsory or against their will until the effect wears off. If you fail, they realize that you were attempting to influence them supernaturally with your command.
Your command can be an order to take an immediate Action. You cannot order a target to "do nothing," and they are free to take other Actions as they fulfill your request. Your command cannot be obviously self-destructive. The Effect ends if following your command would cause a target to cross one of their Limits in a way that would necessitate a Trauma roll.
The Ninja always prepares a few smoke bombs ahead of time to get out of sticky situations. They can fill a room with smoke in an instant and last long enough for the Ninja to make an escape or find an opening for attack.
Spend an Action and use up this smoke bomb.
You create a hemispherical dome of smoke originating at your Location, with a radius of 20 feet. and lasting for 5 minutes. The area inside your zone is affected in the following ways:
The witch knows bad things happen to bad people. By bringing attention to a karmic imbalance, she can hurry it along, causing her target's bad luck to catch up with them. The target finds themselves suffering injuries due to freakishly bad luck until they cleanse themselves or perish.
Exert your Mind and spend one minute. Select a Living target within 20 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless the target deserves it. Roll Charisma + Occult at Difficulty 6. Your target may resist by rolling Body at Difficulty 7.
If you succeed, the target is afflicted with a Condition that causes one of the following symptoms:
The affliction is not treatable by modern medicine. It may be diagnosed by rolling Intellect + Occult at Difficulty 6, and can be cured by bathing fully in clear running water.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is you staring at the target, speaking calmly. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
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.
The Witch is a master herbalist and can cure any number of illnesses and diseases with her special potions. She goes into the wilderness to find the proper set of herbs. Once she has what she's looking for, she mixes them together and boils the concoction. Steam rises from the mixture, twisting into recognizable shapes such as animals and spirits. The whole process takes about fifteen minutes, after which the patient must drink the entire mixture. They are immediately cured.
The proper preparation varies from person to person, so a single batch cannot be used to treat multiple people.
Exert your Mind and spend 15 minutes. Select a Living target within arm's reach. This Effect cannot be used unless you can forage for herbs. You must actively and obviously use water, a container, and heat to activate this Effect.
You may cure any Non-Alien diseases, toxins, or poisons afflicting your target even if you have not diagnosed or fully understood it. You may cure diseases or poisons even if they are not treatable through modern medicine. During treatment, the malady you are treating does not progress or cause additional Damage or other effects.
Whenever you cure a disease, poison, or toxin, if it had inflicted any Damage, your target is healed for half that Damage.
EzFake is an app that appears on any cell phone the influencer holds as long as they are holding it. The influencer need only make a selection and focus their will to project a lifelike forgery into the world in front of them. It may be an object, a creature, or even a specific person, and they can speak and make sounds as well.
The Influencer gets ready to film, and focuses fully on getting a good shot. After all, no video doctoring software can compete with a real life forgery which can be filmed from any number of directions by anyone's camera and appear legitimate.
Exert your Mind and spend two Actions performing the following ritual: open up the app on your cell phone, make your selection, and prepare to film. Select a target within arm's reach. You must actively and obviously use cell phone camera to activate this Effect. You must maintain Concentration while activating this Effect, and it fails if you are interrupted. Choose an illusion to generate, which can be no larger than a person.
The chosen illusion is generated at your target, and it will remain in place as long as you maintain Concentration or you choose to end it. It can be perceived by people through their hearing, smell, and sight. The illusion cannot be used as an attack. You may create a replica of a specific being or Object, though it is still limited by what you do or do not know about the subject.
Anyone who touches the illusion (or who would be able to perceive it significantly through a sense it cannot fool) realizes it is an illusion and can choose to perceive it or not at will.
The illusion will remain fixed to its initial target, and can only change locations if the initial target is mobile in some way. It may have moving parts and engage in simple, predetermined movements but cannot perform anything complex or interactive unless you maintain Concentration and “puppeteer” it.