Be Unique. Craft novel Powers for your Contractors using The Contract's robust Power-building system. Any Character concept-- from a psychic gambler to an undercover alien-- is easy to create, progress, and balance.
Contractors
- Five, novice Contractor
Players control Contractors: ambitious and competent individuals who risk their lives in the Harbingers’
Games. Each victory awakens their latent Powers,
transforming them from ordinary humans into something more.
“Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?” The rest of the Contractors, most of whom could still pass for human, turned to regard the speaker. “Well?” she asked, unfazed.
“You can't tell me this is your first Game,” said a thin man with dull red hair. “I mean, Harbingers never throw newbs in with a crew this experienced. I don't even think They can.”
The young woman glowered. “Harbingers, plural? I’ve only worked with one before this job. Who are you guys? Why am I not with my normal team? What the hell is going on?”
“Uh...” The timid sound was accompanied by a pudgy hand raised childlike into the air. “I'm new here, too.”
A thirty-something woman in a stylish suit rolled her eyes in exasperation. “MacIntyre, you're good with new meat. Sort out the girl and her toady little friend.
“Everybody else, we're on Game. You heard the Silent Man. We need to find that statue. That means we track every bizarre or significant murder committed in this city in the last two months. I'll take standard leads. Prat, you chat up ghosts. Isabelle...” She ground to a halt while regarding the child-sized Victorian doll. “You... do whatever the hell it is you do.”
The doll nodded.
“So, you're new to the group, but not the Games, right?” the red haired man asked the young woman. She shrugged. Undeterred, he made his way over, dragging the other recruit in his wake. “I'm MacIntyre.”
“Keller,” interjected the pudgy man.
MacIntyre raised an amused eyebrow, then turned back to the young woman. She looked at him a moment, then sighed. “Winters. I'm Tanya Winters.”
“See? Didn't hurt at all did it? Alright Winters, Keller, what's your kit?”
“Kit?”
“Yes, kit. Your pay. Tricks. Theme. What is it you do that no one else can?”
“I'm a shaker,” Keller blurted, then wilted under MacIntyre and Winters confused stares. “I... I mean I make things shake or vibrate. It's really handy... Promise.” His words trailed off into an embarrassed whisper.
“Photographer,” Winters said, raising a camera as proof. “It's pretty tricked out. I can use the flash to stun people, snap shots that include their auras, that kind of thing. You?”
MacIntyre beamed, and raised his hands, as if holding an invisible basketball. They glowed emerald, then a column of rich green fluid spiraled from each palm, coiling through the air until they met in the middle. The tendrils flowed into a luminous ever-moving knot. “Acid generation and control,” he said proudly.
The glowing liquid unwove and seeped back into his hands. “The, uh, assertive lady in the suit is Jane. She's a detective and her kit reflects it. The Middle Eastern guy talking to the wall is Prat. He does ghost stuff. Skinny guy is Benten. He does potions and is about the best support you can get. Does some minor healing, too.”
Winters whispered each name to herself as MacIntyre pointed them out. “And the big armored guy that looks like he murdered his way out of a video game?”
“Calls himself Death Machine. If you can't figure out what he's good at you might want to consider retirement. He and the creepy little doll are the most experienced Contractors here. They're pretty tight, so try not to piss either of them off. Really, be a team player and everything should turn out well enough.”
“Big team.”
MacIntyre paused a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. Hopefully doesn’t mean a big job.”
Powers
Payment comes in many forms. Each victory earns your Contractor a Gift that can be used to purchase a new Power or improve one they already have. Create unique, flavorful, and balanced Powers with The Contract’s Power System.
Start from scratch or choose from a collection of 109 premade Stock Powers that can be gifted as-is or customized.
"I want to. . ."
Need a Light? - 1 Gift Pyromancy Power
The pyromancer flicks her lighter and gazes through the flame at her target. Flames lick into existence around the target. She may also extinguish fires by closing her lighter to extinguish its flame.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action to create or extinguish a fire as large as A torch's flame (2 Damage per round) within 20 feet. These fires are mundane, and require fuel and oxygen to burn. Fires the size of a lighter or candle flame can be created or extinguished without Exerting your Mind.
Lighting a creature on fire deals A torch's flame (2 Damage per round), starting the round after the first. Armor reduces this damage, but is likely to be damaged or destroyed after one or two rounds. Fires may be extinguished by the target if they spend an Action and roll Wits + Athletics, Difficulty 8.
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Focus: Activating this Power requires a specific kind of item.
- Object: A lighter
Wolf Out - 1 Gift Alternate Form Power
The Werewolf unleashes the beast within, quickly transforming into an imposing hybrid of woman and wolf with a series of bone-popping snaps. Her head is replaced wholesale with that of a wolf, and her hands become fearsome claws, useful only for tearing the flesh of her enemies. Grey fur sprouts from a great deal of her body, and tight-fitting clothing is often ripped and torn in the transformation. She cannot return to human form for several minutes.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action transforming into a werewolf. You must spend 3 minutes in your alternate form.
You have access to all of your Powers when you are a werewolf. Restricting other powers to your alternate form is a valid use of the Conditional drawback. Your Battle Scars are still present in your Alternate Form.
- Anatomical Weapon: You have a specialized part of your anatomy you can use to attack with. This attack is rolled with Brawl, but Brawn can't be used as armor against it, and it has +1 damage.
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Boosted Attribute: You gain +1 to an Attribute in your Alternate Form. You cannot boost an Attribute more than once with this Enhancement.
- Attribute: Brawn
- Paws: You are incapable of fine object manipulation in your Alternate Form.
Pathetic Gaze - 1 Gift Emotion Control Power
The creature's claws rip through the poor, defenseless doctor's coat, opening deep gashes in his gut. It bares its fangs to lunge for the killing blow, but the man looks up at his attacker. His eyes filed not with utter terror at his imminent demise, only a look of disappointment and pity. Touched, the monster hesitates. . .
Spend an Action, Exert your Mind, and choose an emotion and a target within 45 feet. Make a contested roll against the target, rolling Charisma + Influence, Difficulty 6 vs their Mind, Difficulty 6 as a Free Action. If you win, the target must do something they otherwise wouldn't have done, inspired by the chosen emotion. The action they take will be in keeping with their character and the way they tend to deal with strong emotions. The emotion shift lasts 1 Minute, and during that time, they are very unlikely to change their mind about their action.
Combat ends the effect, even if the target started it. If attempting to calm during combat, effect ends if target is attacked.
Example emotions (and example potential actions):
Anger (attacking, losing temper)
Pity (adopting a puppy, stopping an attack, killing you painlessly)
Happiness (stopping a despair-driven action)
Jealousy (stealing a gem, buying something)
Anxiety (run, attack brutally)
Sadness (find solitude, openly cry)
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Triggered: You cannot manually activate this Power. Instead, choose a triggering event, always outside your control, that activates this Power without requiring an Action or Exertion cost from you.
- Triggering Event: Someone injures Terry with a Severity 2 or higher Injury
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Elemental: Instead of choosing an emotion, you may only inspire a single emotion or narrow band of emotions.
- Emotion: Remorse for hurting such a pure soul
- Powers are more likely to open opportunities than they are to help in a direct confrontation.
- Deadly risk means even simple encounters demand a thoughtful approach.
- Dice bonuses from multiple sources do not stack; instead the largest bonus is used.
The Games
- Xin Mei, seasoned Contractor
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Cells
The Default Cell is one where videos of supernatural phenomena go viral every day. Here, witch hunts have merit. Billionaires and Senators employ paranormal advisers and bodyguards, and everyone knows. Charlatans become pop culture icons, and each revelation inspires a new cult. The world is changing. The secret societies that pull humanity's strings scramble to adapt.
One Shot at a Time. Any group of Players in a Cell can organize a Game, and any member may GM. Contractors can be invited to join Games in other Cells, after which they are returned home, provided they survive. The Website's bookkeeping features allow you to vet potential Contractors and Players so you can find a good match. Read more about Settings and Cells