Well, clearly Bobbi had either gotten her dosage way too low, or her tranquilisers simply didn't work against boars when the animal in question was a spectral apparition of an Etruscan idol dated 500-600 BCE. Probably didn't help that it was the size of a family sedan either.
Bobbi tried very hard to ignore the quaking in her legs as the monstrous thing ran at her. This was just like that time she'd got a glancing blow with that Medi-Dart vaccine on that bull, right? It had raged and charged at her headlong just like this, but the pain of the needle and the drugs in its system had made its movements sloppy and predictable.
She just needed to follow up and then dive to one side, just like that. Only difference being she wasn't getting back up if she fucked this up.
Deep inhale. Tighten the stock a little more against your shoulder. Now-
In a lightning-fast blur her free hand had plucked another dart from the pouch at her waist, and a moment later it had embedded itself in the ghostly boar's head in such a way that it almost seemed to slow mid-charge -- its feet kicking up dust as they ground against the hard earth and granting Bobbi barely enough time to roll to the side.
Holy shit, it worked!
Its a lil weird, but Crossbows can either be tied to Firearm Mastery or Archery Mastery, since they are affected by both (+2 to Firearm rolls, and +2 to rolls with Crossbows) - and I'd rather have it tied to Firearm Mastery when it comes to this character
I don't plan on abusing this for any stupid stuff like taking both Gifts to get +4 to rolls (pretty sure that wouldn't work anyway), I'm picking flavour over actual mechanical strength. I think it'd make more sense for my character to know how to use crossbows and guns rather than crossbows and bows (and since Archery Mastery gets the Quick Fingers enhancement for free, I'm actually missing out on a Gift point to do this)
You gain the following benefits as long as engaged in combat with crossbows.
You receive +2 dice to all rolls using crossbows. Reloading is a Free Action, and drawing your weapon does not require a Quick Action as long as it is on your person.
You also gain the following effects:
You emit a sudden flash and your body is washed with a wave of metallic energy, granting you increased protection.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Roll Brawn + Athletics at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around yourself, which absorbs the next Outcome +4 Damage. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. You may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
The barrier will fall after two hours, 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.
Preston waves several crystals and gems around the head of his patient while humming and chanting mystical words. The pox of the disease is pulled into the crystal, turning it black.
Exert your Mind and spend 15 minutes. Select a Living target within arm's reach. This Effect cannot be used unless the disease was caused by an Alien Effect. You must actively and obviously use several crystals or gemstones. to activate this Effect.
You may cure any Non-Alien diseases, toxins, or poisons afflicting your target even if you have not diagnosed or fully understood it. You may cure diseases or poisons even if they are not treatable through modern medicine. During treatment, the malady you are treating does not progress or cause additional Damage or other effects.
You may treat Alien maladies and curses. If there is some method to cure them, you learn what it is. If the malady does not provide its own means of curing it, it is cured.
A hole opens in the middle of my chest, four little tentacles come out of it ready to capture anything I point them towards.
Spend an Action.
You may withdraw an item from your stash, or add an item that is within 30 feet of you to your stash. You may only stash targets which are not possessed by someone else, and are freestanding and unattached.
You may store Objects in your stash, each no larger than something which could fit inside a briefcase (15 liters), and you may store up to 3 things at a time.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see a small opening in the middle of the chest, muscle torn with bark enveloping it and small tentacles coming out.
Liv hold a hand with a demonic artifact clasped in it near her target. Small creatures of shadow reach out of the artifact towards the target. Grasping shadowy hands. They pull bits of red fleshy energy out of the target, pulling it into the artifact.
The target's body become divorced from its usual needs, and can keep functioning without food, sleep or air. Something feels vaguely lost from the target, although it recovers over the next week.
The thing that is happening with this gift is that the part of people metaphysical self is the human desire and need for food, water, air, is ripped away from them. It comes back slowly.
This is done by Liv using the existing object as an anchor to open a portal to the home realm of the servant. There the native creatures will reach out and feed on the part of the target which connects them to material need.
This is a bit based on part of The Hungry Choir, a living ritual in the web serial Pale. In that ritual you could gain the ability not to need to eat, but it is presented as spiritually horrifying, with the part of them that is their need to eat being ripped out.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Animate target within arm's reach. You must actively and obviously use An object with a demon in it (Crafted bound servant or demon themed upgrade) to activate this Effect.
For the next week, your target does not require any food, water, sleep, or air. Any roll to resist an Effect dependent on any affected requirement is made at -1 Difficulty.
He spills his on the floor and an alcoholic spirit appears from the ground
Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend an Action.
Summon the one and only Sapient Spirit at your location. They last until they are destroyed They are controlled by you. You may have at most one minion active at a time.
If killed, you cannot re-summon your minion until after your next Contract.
If you do not have a sacrificial Injury when you activate this Effect, take a new Severity-1 Injury.
The detective squints, drawing on years of police experience to find any hidden drugs, weapons, or other illegal objects, no matter how well-hidden.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
You automatically detect all illegal materials within 50 feet of you for the next hour. You have a clear sense of both the distance and direction towards any detected items. You do not learn any details about the detected items.
Once the werewolf tastes the blood of their prey, there's no escape. Those injured by the beast's claws and teeth are marked with its saliva. Their wounds smell strongly of blood, and it's only a matter of time before the werewolf returns with a vengeance to finish the kill.
This Effect activates whenever a target you have injured with your teeth or claws escapes the range of your unarmed attacks. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Select a target within arm's reach. Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is alive and bleeds.
Your target is marked with a throbbing wound that smells strongly of blood. The mark can only be discovered with a deep medical inspection or Effect. Removal inflicts a Severity 1 Injury on the target.
You are aware of the marked target's direction and distance from you. This lasts for the next month, or until either the mark is removed, or you choose to end the Effect. You can have up to 1 mark active.
You receive +2 dice to any rolls made against a marked target.
The spy is able to transform an ordinary ballpoint pen into a monitoring device that is inconspicuous enough to blend in to most settings, but advanced enough to allow 360 degree surveillance as well as audio capture, which is sent to their smartphone.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Location within 10 feet. You must actively and obviously use a ballpoint pen to activate this Effect.
You place a ward, which is fixed to its initial location. You can hear and see through the ward as though you were standing at its location. Your wards last 3 hours. You may have at most 3 wards active at once.
The ward requires Concentration to monitor, though it will remain active until you deactivate it. It can be detected with a roll and destroyed through mundane means.
The mobster's been through tougher scrapes than this. A few cuts and bruises won't stop them.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Stress from Injuries is reduced to 0. Does not reduce Stress from Mind Damage.
The beastmaster puts their nose to the ground and sniffs about the area. Their feral nostrils tell them what sorts of creatures live in the area, and who lays claim to each region.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 100 feet Can only be activated while you are in the wilderness. At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Survival at Difficulty 6.
You learn the following information about the area:
You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.