Zero was born suspicious. He came into the world squinting at the doctor like the man owed him money, and it’s only gotten worse from there. Every twitch, every hesitation, every half-second delay in someone’s response—it all feeds into the ever-spinning gears of Zero’s mind. This isn’t just paranoia; it’s a razor-sharp instinct honed by experience and necessity. Zero notices what others dismiss—the too-clean alley in a dirty neighborhood, the nervous twitch of a dealer whose product’s been cut wrong, the way a room’s energy shifts just before someone pulls a gun. When he walks into a place, he clocks every exit, every blind spot, every potential weapon. He knows when he’s being watched. More importantly, he knows when he’s being set up. Maybe it’s supernatural. Maybe he’s just seen too much. But whatever it is, when Zero mutters, “I don’t like this, not one bit,” smart people listen. The dumb ones? Well, they find out why he was right the hard way.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
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).
You also gain the following effects:
Only by connecting with and understanding the sword, can one learn to wield it perfectly.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in combat with Swords.
+2 dice to all rolls with Swords. You may Defend against firearm attacks from any range using Swords.
You also gain the following effects:
While actively being collected in preparation for the usage of this gift, the blood in physical contact with the user darkens as it coalesces into black, ever-shifting glyphs which get drawn to and absorbed by the user's skin, be it their hands or mouth. All blood within the same pool gets drawn to the point of contact as the gift is being used, with the draw being stronger the closer it is to the user.
When the gift is used, a dark blur with ever-shifting glyphs visible within quickly spreads across the user's body before dissipating. It lingers around injured areas for a moment longer, exhibiting a crimson sheen.
The wound of the source from where the blood being used had originated from darkens, with the edges getting surrounded by equally-black, unknown, intertwined glyphs. While the imprint normally fades away completely within hours, it may instead remain for longer, up to a week, in proportion to how fiercely the source opposed the gift's usage on them. (lack of sapience or awareness at the time of gift usage results in the normal hour-or-so fadeaway time)
The parts of the gift user's flesh which interacted with the source's blood in order to activate the gift are graced with a black imprint which fades away over time, aforementioned glyphs at the edges included. The fadeaway is linked to the fadeaway of the imprint on the source.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. You must use up at least a handful of fresh, foreign blood absorbed either through the hands or mouth in order to activate this Effect.
Your Stress from Injuries and Mind Damage is reduced to 0. Lasts three hours.
You may move at your normal speed and still maintain Concentration. Taking an Injury less than Severity 6 no longer interrupts Concentration.
The surgeon's hand has become an instrument of death; he has long since forgotten the ways of the sharp scalpel, now is the time for the blunt fist to operate.
You gain the following benefits as long as 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).
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: disfigured.
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:
You are a jack of all trades, if you really try you can be skilled in almost any field of expertise however you cannot surpass someone who was specialised in that area
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:
The clench of your fist and a mental chant is all you need to convince most people to accompany you.
"Help me [Insert Objective]"
And just like that; they'll follow you.
Exert your Mind and spend at least one Action. Select a Human target within 20 feet. Your target may be actively engaged in Combat. Communicate a command to your target. Roll Charisma + Brawl 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, a conditional request, and an abstract goal. 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.
You are equally bound to follow any command you issue.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Paranoia.
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.
Years of scouting in dangerous areas has left the survivalist hyper-vigilant. They are impossible to catch in a trap.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
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).
You also gain the following effects:
Driving rugged vehicles in a combat situation is second nature to the Soldier. They measure their shots and navigate obstacles with a subtle timing that doesn't affect the steadiness of their own or their passengers' weapons. Firing a few shots through the windshield or window while performing dangerous driving maneuvers is also no problem.
You gain the following benefits as long as Must be driving a rugged vehicle such as an SUV truck or armored car. and you are piloting any vehicle.
You receive +2 dice to any rolls to pilot a vehicle.
You also gain the following effects:
Be amazed as the magician wields a deck of simple playing cards with all the poise and precision of a ninja's shurikens. Fear not, for they will not hit you, unless they want to.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in combat with playing cards.
+2 dice to all rolls utilizing playing cards.
You also gain the following effects:
The beastmaster shouts, and their human voice cracks into a deep, bestial roar. Their body swells with muscle, clothes melting into a thick pelt of fur. Seconds later the beastmaster is gone. Standing in their place is a massive grizzly bear.
However, even in human form the beast within remains close to the surface, and the beastmaster finds highly civilized social situations unbearable.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
You transform into a brown bear for two hours or until you choose to end the Effect. See the Extended System text for stats.
While transformed, you cannot use any equipment (including Artifacts and Consumables), and you cannot use your Active, Targeted, or Trap Powers. However, you can use your Passive Powers. Any equipment you are wearing transforms with you.
Injuries and Wound Level are carried over between forms. However, transforming can never kill you; you merely remain Incapacitated until your Injuries are sufficiently healed.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Intolerance for society. When you are in a situation with strict social protocols (like a trial or a formal dinner) roll Self-Control not to enter a flight or fight response.