Despite your best efforts to appear an easygoing person, people recognize you for who you are - a cut above the rest. It's not intentional, but your best theory is that your uneducated control over *stuff* has something of a passive effect, causing people's brains to soften a bit around you. It's very tragic, but no reason not to take advantage. Of course, that near-idolization does come with an unfortunate recognizability...
[Hey, Listen!]: Your words carry an imperceptible weight that not even unfavourable audio conditions can tarry. People always hear you, whether they like it or not.
[Honest Eyes]: The tells that denote the deceptions of other are far too obvious to you. A slight facial twitch. A smile held a microsecond too long. You don't always know *what* they're lying about, but if they're trying to pull the wool over your eyes - you'll know.
[No Choice But To Stan]: The effect you have on other often has them defend you when you're wronged, for reasons you can't totally know. Likely they justify it to themselves as "the benefit of the doubt", but it matters not to you. They all fall in line, in the end.
[Maddening]: Knowing the lies of others has put a certain paranoia into you - what if someone else can see as you do? Best not to risk it - though sometimes, it's unavoidable.
[The Price Of Fame]: The magnetic air that has others bowing to you does have a side effect - you're altogether to easy to remember. Disguises do little, for the mark of your importance does not easily fade. Best not to be spotted, if you need to be unseen.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
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).
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Compulsively Honest - Any time you are asked about yourself, or are offering information about yourself, you must succeed a Self-Control roll in order to lie. If you are ever required to lie for the safety of yourself or others, you must Exert your Mind; otherwise be candid.
You also gain the following effects:
Spend an Action.
You may withdraw an item from your stash, or add an item that is within arm’s reach to your stash. You may only stash targets which are in your possession, grappled, or otherwise controlled by you.
You may store Objects in your stash, each no larger than something which could fit inside a briefcase (15 liters), and you may store up to 3 things at a time.
Weaving their blade into a fluid tapestry of defense. The ritual commences with a swift, controlled draw of the katana from its scabbard, mirroring the precision of an Itamae's knife as it slices through ingredients. The blade emerges like a moonlit reflection on tranquil waters, its obsidian surface shimmering with unspoken mastery. With the katana held poised and ready, Machida executes a seamless arc—his movements embodying the grace of an iaido master. The strike, a controlled yet devastating motion, finds its target with an elegance reminiscent of a perfectly crafted sushi roll. The blade's whisper cuts through the air, each movement speaking to years of honed technique. As the blade moves through the air, Machida's focus shifts from offense to the intricate art of defense. With a practiced maneuver, the blade is angled slightly downward, allowing any detriments—be it blood or disruption—to fall away like excess ingredients discarded from a dish.
The crescendo arrives as Machida deftly returns the blade to its ebony sheath, embodying the essence of iaido's swift resheathing—an art that transcends time and now encompasses defense. As the blade clicks home, a transformation transpires. Machida channels the katana's innate energy, erecting an imperceptible barrier borne from the same tranquility that imbues his culinary creations. This newfound barrier mirrors the unspoken prowess of a chef safeguarding the essence of a dish. It seamlessly repels oncoming assaults, combining Machida's finesse with the blades potency. The iaido-inspired stance encapsulates the harmony of defense and artistry, unveiling an embodiment of tranquility that stands as a testament to the dual mastery of blade and kitchen.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action or Reaction. Select a Animate target within arm's reach. You must actively and obviously use Any Sword to activate this Effect. Roll Dexterity + Melee at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around your target, which absorbs the next Outcome + 2 Damage. Half the damage absorbed is reflected back at the attacker, which they can Defend against as normal. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. You may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
You must maintain Concentration while using this Effect. The barrier will fall if you are interrupted, 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.
With so much viable prey around, how's a girl to keep track of the ones she really wants? Smudging a little bit of your makeup onto them to mark your territory is probably a good start.
(You don't actually have to kiss the target. Sometimes that's weird. You can just smear this mark onto their collar with your thumb if you want.)
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Animate target within arm's reach.
Your target is marked with a smear of lipgloss. The mark can be easily removed if it is discovered.
You are aware of the marked target's direction and distance from you. This lasts for the next month, or until either the mark is removed, or you choose to end the Effect. You can have up to 3 marks active.
You receive +2 dice to any rolls made against a marked target.
Vel speaks the activation phrase into a tattoo of a mirror in Vel's left hand. In the mirror there is a more whole version of Vel chained to the floor in a room mirroring the room Vel is in. Val can talk to your mirror self about Vel's trauma, summarizing it quickly so that the mirror self knows fully the cause of the trauma.
Then, Vel must convince Vel's mirror self to take the trauma in their place.
If Vel sees them be affected immediately, taking on the physical condition of Vel at the time they received the trauma, and the room shifts to be a reflection of the traumatic moment.
This is an attempt to recreate the mirror Vel made by accident once. This time in a much more controlled situation, breaking a mirror, and surgically adding it to their hand, along with a ritual in which Vel invokes all their memories of using the mirror.
The mirror effectively creates a temporary duplicate of Vel and drags that duplicate through experiencing the trauma. The duplicates know they are duplicates, but don't have any of the traumas Vel has.
Then, at the end of this experience the duplicate must go through the trauma once more, and in so doing remove the pain of it from Vel. The mirror self is a duplicate of Vel, and given the option to help, Vel will take it, trusting their original.
Exert your Mind to activate. You may only target yourself. Over the course of one minute, your patient must communicate with you and reveal at least one of their Traumas to you, including the details of those Traumas and the circumstances of how they were acquired.
After the full treatment time has elapsed, you may remove one of the patient's revealed Traumas without incurring any Experience cost.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see An alternate version of Vel being trapped in the tatoo then having their traumas re-inflicted on them..
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Mirror stuck in hand: You have a mirror enchanted into your left hand. You are at a -1 die penalty for any roll utilizing the affected hand..
Grif's tongue is marked with a hint of silver, a sign of his ever-increasing skill with deceit.
You gain the following benefits as long as you have your tongue.
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:
Through the use of clever rhetoric, the spy is able to inspire a surge of emotion in a target with whom they are speaking.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living target within 45 feet as well as a specific emotion. This Effect cannot be used unless you are engaged in conversation with the target. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. Affected targets can resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6 -3 dice.
If you succeed, for the next minute, your target will do things they otherwise wouldn’t have done, inspired by the chosen emotion. 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 detective has trained their eyes to notice the smallest of details.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your senses are enhanced in the following way.
The time-traveler spins the second hand on one of their watches and speeds up until they are a blur.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. You must actively and obviously use a watch 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).
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.
By focusing and whispering a prayer under their breath, the priest may invoke their god to protect those who have good works left to do.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action or Reaction. Select a Animate target within 20 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is a living human. Roll a single d10, Difficulty 4. If you fail or botch, the Effect fails and you cannot activate it again for an hour. Roll Charisma + 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.
You must maintain Concentration while using this Effect. The barrier will fall if you are interrupted, 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 you whispering a prayer under your breath. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.