Story lines appear in a circular pattern around the target and attempt to prevent them from escaping. If read, the story lines will dictate the events that would have happened had the target been allowed to continue as normal.
Words are power. That much is certain. Causal Diction utilizes this power to effect reality and bend it towards the user's will. This includes the prevention of action by others. If the user believes they are not meant to be there or take useful action, they simply will not be permitted to.
Spend an Action. Select a target within 300 feet. You must use up Bottle of Ink in order to activate this Effect. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. the target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.
If you succeed, your target will be pushed or pulled towards a surface within 300 feet and is restricted at that location by an intangible, ethereal binding. They can still move their arms and use Effects, but are reduced to ¼ of their movement speed.
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.
You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.
While this Effect is active, you are at -2 dice to all Actions and cannot Concentrate.
This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 1.
The Demonologist draws from the power contained in their Dark Grimoire to hurl a bolt of deep crimson Hellfire at their foes, effortlessly burning through armour, flesh and bone.
Uses Demonology
Spend an Action to activate. Select a target within 300 feet. Roll Intellect + Occult Difficulty 6. The target may contest by rolling to Dodge or Defend as a Reaction, Difficulty 6.
If the contested Outcome is positive, the target takes that much damage plus 3. Armor is reduced to 1/2, rounded down against this damage.
This Gift's level is capped at 2 Gifts and cannot be increased further.
The realization that something is false triggers a particular reaction in the brain. Upon dispelling an illusion of Leon's through brute force he can force that reaction upon someone in the ensuing explosion of mystic energy. Then, when he has magic and an impulse to jump on, he feeds a little more into it and causes it to loop back in on itself. With Joao Jean's latest and greatest trick, the loop continues. Resonance aligning their mind momentarily with the state of their many possible alternate existences and past possibilities. Striking to the core of their mind as the magic tears through their brain, turning it into so much silly putty until they become unable to accept the notion of the untrue, their mind going in spirals as what was becomes as true to them as what is, and the implausible becomes incomprehensible. The fear of what could be and the pain of never knowing to haunt them throughout their days as the merest glimpse of the world beyond drives them to madness.
This Effect activates whenever Another person takes an action that would have an illusion of his suffer the equivalent of a severity 2 injury or more. It does not require an Action or Exertion. 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. “Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event. You must actively and obviously use A musical instrument to activate this Effect. Roll Charisma + Performance at Difficulty 6. Affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 8 with a -3 dice penalty. If they are incapacitated or unconscious, they fail automatically and their Outcome is 0.
If the Contested Outcome is positive, the affected targets takes Mind damage equal to the Contested Outcome. If you deal at least 3 Mind damage, the affected targets will gain Fear of the supernatural as a Trauma. 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 illusion discorporates into a swarm of hooks that dig into the person and attempts to rip their soul apart.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song: Roll self control to not stop to identify music when it's played.
The lower writes up a quick contract on a spare pen and paper and presents it to the client with a blank expression. Quickly the client signs, rhe words far too complicated to understand fully. Then the lawyer smiles wider than any man should reasonably smile. Then again, an unreasonable smile, for an unreasonable contract
You must use up ink and paper in order to activate this Effect.
You may make an oath with any number of physically-present, Sapient targets. Communicate the oath's terms to the targets, including the requirements and penalties for each participant. If all agree to the terms, you must Exert your Mind and all participants must sign the contract to seal the deal.
Record the oath as a Condition. If a party breaks the oath, the Condition ends and they suffer the oath's penalty.
When crafting your oath, you may incorporate any of the following penalties:
The targets cannot be compelled to agree via a direct threat of violence, another Effect, or another oath. If you would like to use clever wording to mislead the targets, you must succeed a contested Intellect + (Culture or Influence) roll.
When crafting your oath, you may opt to enforce compliance. If you do, any participant that wishes to break the deal must take 3 Mind damage and succeed a Self-Control roll. They may attempt once per day.
It is obvious to your targets that the oath you are proposing will be supernaturally enforced.
These contracts bear the logo of the Inderpal Agency - they come prefilled with the various stipulations, consequences, & basic parameters, though much is left blank to allow customization by the end user. To activate, the contract is merely finished & signed by the respective parties. The contract remains, but it's power is expended after activation.
The default penalty is "Oathbreaker" taking the form of a elaborate henna marking on their face that cannot be removed. Other penalties may be selected in it's place if desired. Attempting to break the stipulations results in a splitting migraine & a cold sweat.
These Contracts are written with the same Ferro-Fluid that emits from the R.I.S.H.I. device or generated by the R.I.S.H.I. as a digital NFT
Standard CPS Contract
Upon agreement by the Close Protection Specialist & the Client (Hereafter referred to as "CPS" & "Client" respectively) the following Contract is established:
-The Client agrees to pay the designated rate per day the CPS is contracted to provide Close Protection services, in addition to reasonable expenses incurred by the CPS as well as any up front retainer if one was requested. This payment will be in British Pounds unless the CPS agrees to an acceptable alternative. The Client agrees to pay the full amount negotiated promptly, either per week of ongoing services or within five business days of a concluded agreement. The CPS may allot more time or waive payment if desired.
Responsibilities of the CPS
-The CPS will take any action required to ensure the life, safety, & freedom of the Client, up to & including personal injury, incarceration or loss of life. If the client is somehow abducted while under the CPS's protection, the CPS will dedicate every effort to secure the Client's freedom, with the normal pay structure being frozen during this time (the Client will still incur reasonable expenses, to be paid upon their release provided the efforts of the CPS contributed to their freedom).
Responsibilities of the Client
-The Client agrees to divulge any pertinent information requested by the CPS. Requested information is to be truthful, accurate, & delivered promptly. Information gained in this manner is considered confidential & the CPS is prohibited from sharing it with any third parties without the Client's permission.
-The Client agrees to a Non-Disclosure article regarding any actions or services taken by the CPS while under Contract unless the CPS gives express permission for those details to be shared with a designated third party. This NDA includes any form of recording or similar, any written record of actions taken by the CPS, any information that would be gained under questioning or interrogation, or any other means not listed here. The only information the Client may share without permission is public facing information (Amarjeet Inderpal, Inderpal Agency), that they did in fact hire the CPS & if they would do so again.
Stipulations
-If the Client chooses to engage in illegal activities that could endanger the reputation of the Inderpal Agency, the CPS may terminate the Contract. Doing so requires a notification be delivered to the Client explaining the reasoning behind the Contract termination as well as the refund of any payments made by the Client within five business days. If a Contract is terminated in this manner, all Conditions & Stipulations upon both CPS & Client are rendered void.
-The CPS will continue to provide services & be bound by the above stipulations until a designated objective has been completed or previously defined time period has elapsed. Once services have been rendered or if the contract has been terminated (either through non-payment or the above stipulation), the CPS will be free of all stipulations of this Contract unless hired again at a later date. A verbal agreement to reinstate previously negotiated services shall be all that is required from the Client should the CPS choose to offer it - new stipulations, costs, or other parameters will require a new Contract to be signed.
-If either the CPS or the Client break the terms of this arrangement by action or inaction, they will invoke a penalty clause, becoming Marked in the process.
You may make an oath with a Sapient target. Communicate the oath's terms to the target, including the requirements and penalties for each participant. If all agree to the terms, you must and all participants must sign the contract to seal the deal.
Record the oath as a Condition. If a party breaks the oath, the Condition ends and they suffer the oath's penalty.
When crafting your oath, you may incorporate any of the following penalties:
The target cannot be compelled to agree via a direct threat of violence, another Effect, or another oath. If you would like to use clever wording to mislead the target, you must succeed a contested Intellect + (Culture or Influence) roll.
When crafting your oath, you may opt to enforce compliance. If you do, any participant that wishes to break the deal must take 3 Mind damage and succeed a Self-Control roll. They may attempt once per day.
The target may be at any range, but you must still be able to communicate the terms to them, and they must be able to sign the contract.
Black Miasma surges from Neil's body, into the target corpse, causing it to animate as a zombie, smoke pouring out of its eyes and mouth.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Dead target within arm's reach that has died within the last month.
Your target rises as an Animate being. The raised creature is totally mindless, with no memory of its past life or hint of its old personality. They cannot communicate. They will follow any command you speak.
The creature lasts for eight hours or until it dies again. It is revived at full health. Any Injuries it had in life are not accounted for when determining its penalties or progression towards re-death, though they may affect its ability to perform certain actions at GM's discretion.
Raised creatures have their Abilities set to the same that they were in life. Their Charisma and Intellect are set to 1, but their Dexterity, Brawn and Perception are the same as they had in life. A raised creature cannot use any Effects.
Destroying one of your zombies requires a called shot to the head or heart. All other Injuries zombies suffer result in Battle Scars only, limiting their mobility and effectiveness in other ways.
Your revived targets deal 2 Weapon Damage with their unarmed attacks.
While addressing a crowd, the influencer may use coded language to send secret messages to a particular person in the crowd. These messages can't be noticed or understood by anyone but the intended target.
Spend an Action. Select a target any distance away from you. You must have a specific target in mind, but you require only an intuitive understanding of them, such as their name, face, or Location. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is listening and you are speaking to multiple people.
You may send a single message to your target. It can be no more complicated than a multi-page letter or a long email.
The message will only be perceived by the intended recipient. You must share a common language for your target to understand the message.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is your left hand making a fist. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
The mutant has gained some control over their genetic instability, allowing them to trigger a mutation at will. When the need arises, their flesh warps and twists, and a new mutation manifests that is suited to whatever obstacle the mutant happens to be facing at the time.
Spend 30 minutes. You may only target yourself. 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:
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
Your alteration "heals" over the course of the next month, after which it is fully cured.
The Doctor examines their patient and gives a standard medical checkup, asking them questions, nodding to themselves, and muttering arcane medical jargon. The examination reveals an extraordinary amount of detail about any medical issues suffered by the patient.
Spend one minute. Select a Sapient target or a Creature within arm's reach. You must actively converse with the individual in question for one minute in order to gather any information. At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Medicine at Difficulty 6. The target may Resist.
You learn all the following information about your target:
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
No terrestrial animal dares defy the will of the beastmaster. The beastmaster exerts their dominance over an animal by locking eyes and giving a primal cry. The creature immediately becomes docile and eager to please.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Creature within 20 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is a terrestrial animal.
For the next day, you may issue specific commands to your target which they will be compelled to follow.
Your commands can be complex and multi-layered, though they must still be specific. You cannot make them obviously endanger themselves or violate their instinct for self-preservation. The effects of the command will fade after a day has passed.
Sapient targets can resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6.
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.