Whenever Jacob is struck, 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. His resolve has been tempered. 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.
This Effect activates whenever someone hits you with an attack. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event. 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 target 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 target 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 crowns' thorns probing and invading the head of the victim.
The user's body is filled with power as long as they're not weighed down by their human form.
Entering combat requires self restrain to not run away.
Getting mind-controlled by an insect god drastically changes the way you look at the world, but also leaves traces of power ingrained in your soul.
You gain the following benefits as long as you're transformed.
Whenever you use your Movement, after all other calculations, the distance you may travel is tripled.
If you go a round without using your Movement, you immediately collapse and must remain immobile and resting for the same duration of time you previously spent moving.
Thanks to your experiences, training, and evolution, you now possess immense physical might and endurance.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Brawn rating is increased by 0. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Brawn (cannot be used on combat rolls or Effect activations).
You also gain the following effects:
Your body is covered in patched-looking slabs of meat and horrid looking scars. The Flesh will use these points to break the skin and attack targets or defend its host.
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 +4 Weapon Damage (instead of -1).
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Scars where The Flesh protrudes and retracts to aid in combat.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: When you are touched by a living creature, you must roll self control or The Flesh will attempt to grapple them..
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:
During the time of establishing an augmentation, the target's body cycles through minor animal features that fit what the augmentation is about. Features of different animals fade into place and then out, until none show at all at the end but the concept of them is firmly established in their mind. Examples include claws, talons, teeth, beaks, etc for Maws and Claws; scales, toughened skin, thick hide, etc for Armor; and digitigrade legs, paws, hooves, etc for Zippy.
Sometimes the augmentation ends up a bit more than the animal features may suggest, such as with Adaptation augmentations. Key being that even though gills may be a physical representation of breathing in the target environment, the Adaptation may extend to not needing to breathe if the target environment contains toxic gasses. Perhaps they take in oxygen through the skin as a jellyfish does underwater, but in the air.
Using the same concept of resonance fields as the Morphic Resonance gift, I tap into the target's potential animal traits by connecting to different animals and cycling through them until the target's best affinity for the intended augmentation is found. Once found, the appropriate traits of that animal recede into their mind and stay there for as long as I can manage it. The field itself then takes that mental imprint and maintains a stable effect on the target.
Exert your Mind and 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 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.
Your alteration "heals" over the course of the next month, after which it is fully cured.
The strands of muscle within my body are suffused with an alien power, they pulse ominously. My skin becomes clear as the muscles pulse, showing the thick strands of muscle beneath.
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend 1 minute. You must actively and obviously use My rosary to activate this Effect. Choose a specific Injury on yourself that has not yet been treated with this Effect and roll Brawn + Athletics at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, the Injury is reduced in Severity by your Outcome. If you reduce its Severity to 0, the Injury is fully healed. Otherwise, it is partially healed and will heal the rest of the way at its natural rate.
This counts as a successful Makeshift Stabilization if the Injury was not already Stabilized; any Battle Scars caused by the Injury will remain.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see The sight of my temporarily skinless body..
Any successful musician knows the value of a good roadie. The musician calls for a roadie, and one will promptly arrive. The roadie doesn't talk much, and they aren't too bright, but they can sure haul gear.
After a couple hours of work, the roadie will retire to smoke and get some sleep.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
Summon a single Sapient roadie at your location. They last for two hours or until they are destroyed. They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. You may have at most one minion active at a time.
You may only use this Effect once per day.
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.
The influencer knows just how to-- well-- influence people. By following a suggestion with a wink, smile, or a look of astonishment, their target is sure to be swayed. Is it any wonder they have a following of such incredible fans? Hit like, smash subscribe, and for the love of all that is holy, don't forget to retweet.
Exert your Mind and spend at least one Action. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. 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 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.
The Ninja is a master at blending in to any crowd or organization. If they can find complete privacy, they may channel their ninjutsu to temporarily create the illusion of any outfit or uniform they desire. The new clothes shimmer into existence over their existing garb over the course of a minute of meditation.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute.
You become disguised in a manner of your choosing. The disguise lasts for two hours, or you may end it early at will.
The new appearance must have a similar sex, age, and race to your own. You cannot significantly change your height and weight. Your disguise cannot directly mimic an existing person. You may change the appearance of your outfit. A disguise cannot affect your Attributes or other stats.
You may roll Charisma + Crafts to attempt to make your disguise Beautiful. If your Outcome is 6 or higher, non-Effect Charisma rolls where your good looks could help are rolled at -2 Difficulty. If you fail or botch, you are ugly instead, and non-Effect Charisma rolls are made at +2 Difficulty.
You cannot alter the appearance of your flesh and blood.
As a free creature, The Fairy cannot withstand being caged or imprisioned in any way. Luckily, they possess a glamour that allows them to unlock any lock binding them with a wink of their eye. The lock falls open with a sparkle of light and a sound like a ringing bell.
Spend an Action. Select a Non-Alien door, container, knot, or lock within arm's reach. This Effect cannot be used unless the targeted lock or door is being used to restrain or imprison you.
You may lock, unlock, and/or open your target.