At times, a quick investigation and a bit of pleading to your benefactor is all you need to solve the case. In turn, there's a decent chance you might be thrown that small scrap of evidence that blows the case wide open.
Brief visions granted to Frank by the spirit of film noir (as opposed to the whispers). Typically used as a last resort once an investigations reached a dead in, there's a great shame involved in utilizing glances. It's like confessing that you've got nothing left, that you're not good enough for the case... not without this crutch.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 100 feet At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Investigation at Difficulty 6.
You learn the following information about the area:
You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.
Harold Polk embodies the pinnacle of spycraft, blending classic espionage skills with a self-hypnosis regimen grounded in Speech Act Theory. Through carefully crafted hypnotic phrases, he has reprogrammed his mind into a weapon of perception and influence. His mental conditioning allows him to follow multiple streams of awareness, effortlessly tracking conversations and hidden details in his surroundings. Each observation is absorbed like a new language, allowing him to mimic skills and knowledge with uncanny ease, as though he’s slipping into a role. In critical moments, a single, self-planted word—“clarity”—sharpens his mind to a fine edge, guiding his thoughts with the precision of a spy and the insight of a linguist. Through this unique form of self-hypnosis, Harold’s mind has become his greatest tool, a finely tuned instrument that lets him move through any scene with flawless subtlety and control, embodying the true essence of espionage.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Intellect rating is increased by 0. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Intellect (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).
You also gain the following effects:
You have the natural ability to seemingly float up walls with ease, as well as traverse through the crowded streets, alleyways, and rooftops of cities.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You may move easily and without a roll in any of the following situations.
Target is consumed and digested
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Sapient target within arm's reach. If a target does not consent to the transfer, you must roll Body at Difficulty 6 to use the effect on them. They can resist by rolling either Body or Mind at Difficulty 6, depending on what you are attempting to transfer to them.
You may choose a single instance of one of the following to transfer from your target to yourself, or from yourself to them:
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see target is eaten.
Whenever you transfer an Injury, it's Severity increases by 1. Whenever you transfer Mind damage or Traumas, the recipient takes an additional Mind damage.
Gabriel clutches the necklace against his chest, his holy symbol and his divine protection. Divinity, or some form of power radiates from it in his grasp. From it, he looks upon the target and judges them for their slights. Immediately the target is struck by something not quite lightning.
Spend an Action. Select a target within 45 feet. You must actively and obviously use necklace to activate this Effect. Roll Charisma + Influence 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 4.
You may use this Effect to Defend against any melee, projectile, or firearm Attacks within range or Clash against any Attack targeted at you. Using it to Defend deals no Damage but does not cost Exertion.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
Harry hasn't survived in his line of work for nearly 30 years for no reason - he has one rule and one rule only that he follows with almost religious fanaticism from the moment he opens his eyes in the morning up to the moment he passes out on his bed piss drunk with a bottle of cheap off brand liquor tightly clutched in his hand : always stay vigilant no matter the situation.
After all no matter what kind of unspeakable twisted mangled horror you're facing, the person standing right next to you might be just as bad, if not worse.
This constant vigilance, bordering on paranoia has saved his skin more than once, and is the sole reason he's not pushing daisies quite yet.
You gain the following benefits as long as you have your Sharp grey eyes.
Your Perception rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Perception (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Emerald eyes.
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 survivalist spends a moment setting up a makeshift booby trap. The tripwires and pressure plates are so expertly hidden, they can only be noticed by those who have fallen victim to them before.
The victim is hit with a tiny curare dart. Pain wracks their body as a potent neurotoxin spreads through their veins.
Exert your Mind and spend 30 seconds to trap a region of any shape that contains your current location and fits entirely within 300 feet. This trap lasts one day or until triggered or disarmed. You must use up a dart in order to activate this Effect. Roll Intellect + Survival Difficulty 6.
The trap looks like a tripwire, a pressure plate, or a hidden switch. Only those who have seen this trap before can identify it as a trap. Anyone who is aware of the trap may intuitively avoid, trigger, or destroy it.
Any Living target that enters the chosen region will trigger the trap. The target may contest by rolling Body, Difficulty 6.
If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target takes that much Damage plus 2. The target's Armor is completely ignored.
The target suffers a -3 dice penalty for the next hour or until the Injury is healed. This dice penalty does not stack multiple times on the same target.
Instead of dealing Damage all at once, the Injury caused by this Power starts at Severity 1 and worsens at the rate of one level per Round until it reaches the Severity it would have otherwise been.
You never know whether or not the musician's death is merely part of the performance.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
If you would take an Injury that would kill you, you don’t die. Instead, you survive in an Incapacitated state. This state lasts for the next hour, at which point you fully return to life. Unstabilized Injuries do not degrade while you are Incapacitated
If, while you are unconscious, your wound level rises above your rating in Body + Charisma, or if you take an Injury with Severity greater than your rating in Charisma, you die. After you return, the Injury that would have killed you, as well as any Injuries sustained while Incapacitated, are healed. Battle scars obtained during this time remain.
The Vampire is able to turn one of their victims into a lesser vampire, a pale shadow of a full creature of the night but useful nonetheless. Having drained and killed their target, the Vampire performs a brief ritualistic bloodletting, wherein they spill their own blood into the target's mouth, forcing them to drink, and bonding them together as child and sire.
Shortly afterwards, the fledgling vampire will rise from death, hungry for blood and eager to serve.
Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend one minute. Select a Dead target within arm's reach that has died within the last hour. This Effect cannot be used unless you drained the target's blood while they were still alive.
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 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. The raised creature must consume flesh every day or it will die again.
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.
Your revived targets deal 2 Weapon Damage with their unarmed attacks.
If you do not have a sacrificial Injury when you activate this Effect, take a new Severity-1 Injury.
The toon shouts a catchphrase, strikes a pose, and then zips away at a high speed, leaving a cloud of dust behind. While moving, they look like a blur.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
Lasts 1 minute. Whenever you use your Movement, after all other calculations, the distance you may travel is doubled.
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 you are speaking to multiple people and the target is listening.
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 cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.