Zephyren finds that he has developed sharper senses, causing him to become more high-strung. It's nearly torturous. His perception of the world is almost inhuman, as if he's adopted the qualities of an animal. A bird, perhaps?
On birds:
Zephyren has an almost abnormal fixation on bird metaphors. He thinks almost exclusively in them sometimes, but of course he wouldn't say it out loud. Sources are unclear on where he got it from, but it may have started from his Chinese given name. After Googling what it meant, he had gone into a deep rabbit hole looking at bird lore. He probably hasn't ever gotten out.
On perception:
He's always been perceptive, more so than others, much to his dismay. In the past he was the first to get bad vibes from a situation and walk away. Some part of him wonders if it's just a difference in opinion, but he knows that it usually isn't just that. The gap has only gotten bigger, and it really doesn't help quell his apathy for people.
On overstimulation:
It has always been a drawback; even having someone raise their voice at him was sometimes enough to send him into a spiral. (Not that the volume of one's voice had much effect, as opposed to the tone or expression.) He would immediately go into fight-or-flight, and every little thing would anger him to no end. He hates it. He knows this is why he doesn't like interacting with people, and he knows it's on him to control, but he would also like to be cut some slack. Every night he can hear the neighbours down the hall doing the devil's dance when no one else can. It's terrible.
On indifference:
Zephyren's solution is to shut himself into his little mindscape, behind layers and layers of disassociation. This is why he may appear quite unaware despite his sharp senses. It's the only way he can escape the noises in his head, as rude as it is to completely ignore people around him. Though, if you came close enough, he'll snap out of it immediately, albeit irritatedly.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Perception rating is increased by 3. 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: Phonophobia: When you hear an unexpected loud noise (such as a police siren passing by) or enter a loud environment, roll Self-Control to avoid entering a fight-or-flight response.
You also gain the following effects:
Yeah, that’s right—I fire silver needles from my palm. Custom tech, not some off-the-shelf gadget. Designed it myself because, let’s face it, traditional weapons are predictable. Predictability gets you killed. These needles? Fast, silent, precise. Like me. Coated in a special alloy—silver core, hollow tips, adaptable for toxins if needed. They don’t just stop threats; they erase them.
Why silver? Because you never know what’s out there. People, sure—but sometimes it’s not just people. I’ve seen things that’d make you question reality. Silver works on more than flesh, trust me.
The mechanism’s built into a reinforced gauntlet under my sleeve—pressure-triggered, no external tells. Perfect for when things go south fast. No fumbling, no hesitation. One flick of the wrist, and the problem’s solved.
Paranoid? Maybe. Prepared? Absolutely. That’s the difference between walking away from a job and getting carried out in a bag.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: Muscle bound.. You are considered to be a Sapient, Non-Living being when targeted. Your Brawn is increased by 1.
No single organ in your body is critical for life. Called Shots do no additional Damage to you. You may perceive the world through separated body parts, take Actions with them, and reattach them by spending an Action and Exerting your Mind.
Your Injuries no longer degrade with time. You do not age naturally, and supernatural attempts to age you fail.
You may make a +2 Weapon Damage fires silver needles from his palm attack without additional equipment.
Whenever you enter Combat, roll Self-Control. If you fail, you cannot choose which targets to attack and cannot stop fighting until there are no targets remaining.
You cannot be mistaken for a normal human. You cannot always use standard human clothes, equipment, vehicles, and facilities, and when you can, you suffer an increased Difficulty.
The Severity of any Injury caused by fire is increased by 2.
lizard go skitter skitter
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You may move easily and without a roll in any of the following situations.
Gam has learned how to utilize her roller blades, not just as movement augmentors, but as lethal weapons that rival typical weapon-users of Japan. With her speed and kicks, she can use Dexterity in place of Brawn to slam her rollerblades into the sides of enemies. Not to mention that, with the training obtained by her recent induction to the Yakuza, has learned how to predict arrows, rocks, and even bullets, able to parry them with nothing but her rollerblades.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in unarmed combat. You must actively and obviously be using rollerblades to gain the benefits of this Effect.
Your unarmed attacks deal +2 Bonus Damage (instead of -2). The target's Armor is fully effective against this damage.
You also gain the following effects:
Enhancing how I move via 'telekinesis' has a lot of potential, so far it's just securing myself to things. Whether I'm walking up a wall, hanging from something with one arm, or simply climbing, this lets me hang on. Much less effort than trying to make myself float, but for now it's still a bit slow.
The only actual SFX (Special eFfeXts? might be an acronym, definitely not an initialism) is the movement itself, which some may believe is just movie trickery.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You may move easily and without a roll in any of the following situations.
No change to appearance
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: ________. You are considered to be a Sapient, Living being when targeted..
You are immune to damage from cold. If cold is a substantial component of other damage you would take (e.g. falling from a great distance into a vat of liquid nitrogen), that damage is reduced by 2 (in addition to Armor)
No single organ in your body is critical for life. Called Shots do no additional Damage to you. You may perceive the world through separated body parts, take Actions with them, and reattach them by spending an Action and Exerting your Mind.
You are immune to damage from heat and flames. If heat is a substantial component of other damage you would take (e.g. slashed with a flaming sword), that damage is reduced by 2 (in addition to Armor)
Your appendages have 30 feet of reach.
You can squeeze through any cracks and passageways a cat would be able to.
Any Animate being that consumes or is injected with your bodily fluids receives a Severity-1 Injury. Every Round, they must roll Body Difficulty 9. If they fail, the Injury worsens by 1 Severity. If they succeed, the Injury stops worsening.
You cannot be mistaken for a normal human. You cannot always use standard human clothes, equipment, vehicles, and facilities, and when you can, you suffer an increased Difficulty.
You cannot speak any coherent verbal language and must resort to other means of communication.
As long as the ninja is carrying a weapon, their self-defense is almost subconscious. Subtle twitches and lighting-fast feints and parries using sword and scabbard can buy the ninja precious seconds to enact an escape plan or make the kill.
You gain the following benefits at all times. You must actively and obviously be using a sword to gain the benefits of this Effect.
You have 4 Armor, which reduces incoming Damage. Armor from multiple sources does not stack. This Armor cannot be circumvented with Called Shots.
Whenever your Armor reduces incoming Damage, you are immediately made aware of the source of the Damage. You may pinpoint their location for 30 seconds.
Any time your Armor prevents Damage, your Armor rating is temporarily decreased by 2. Whenever it goes five Rounds without preventing any Damage, it is restored back to its full value.
Standard issue in the Future Soldier's home time, the Personal Shield Generator (PSG) projects a protective energy barrier around the body. It absorbs damage far better than traditional armor, but its battery is quickly drained. When depleted, the PSG must spend a few seconds recharging.
When struck, the normally-invisible field of the PSG flashes, revealing a bright yellow honey-comb pattern encasing the body.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You have 6 Armor, which reduces incoming Damage. Armor from multiple sources does not stack.
Your Armor cannot be destroyed, and it always provides a minimum of 2 Armor regardless of any Armor shredding or penetration. It cannot be circumvented with Called Shots. When shredded, it returns to full potency in one hour.
Any time your Armor prevents Damage, your Armor rating is temporarily decreased by 2. Whenever it goes five Rounds without preventing any Damage, it is restored back to its full value.
The Vampire has grown wicked fangs in place of their canines, allowing them to thoroughly drain a person of blood should they get ahold of one.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are biting and 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).
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:
The Soldier has spent a healthy ten thousand hours training with the weapons of their military. They are deadly when wielding any firearm made in their home country. Drawing their standard issue at the start of a confrontation is pure reflex, and they may plan their shots to deal collateral damage to those behind their target.
You gain the following benefits as long as engaged in combat with firearms made in your home country.
+2 dice to all firearms made in your home country rolls.
You also gain the following effects:
While transformed, the werewolf's toughened hide provides protection from all manner of attacks, except silver.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are in werewolf form.
You have 4, which reduces incoming damage from all sources of physical attack except silver. Armor from multiple sources does not stack. This Armor cannot be circumvented with Called Shots.
Any Injury received from Damage that was reduced by this Armor is considered Makeshift Stabilized and will not degrade further, and any Battle Scar caused by them is reduced by 1 level. You may attempt a single Proper Stabilization on such Injuries.