Dr. Hook Oops! Zat was not medicine!

1
You possess supernatural skill with crossbows.
Used by Barbara “Bobbi” McGee, Created by PeePeePooPoo.
( )

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:

  • Bullet Parry: You may use a Reaction to Defend against any Melee, thrown, or projectile Attack in range of your Attacks.
  • Pincushion: Any attack or Effect activation roll against a target that already has one of your projectiles stuck into them is rolled at -1 Difficulty.


Community Power Gifts

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.

  • Effects which circumvent Armor completely also circumvent your barrier.

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.

  • Without some sort of diagnostic Effect, “fully diagnosing” a disease or poison will always require a roll of some sort, frequently Intellect + Medicine, but the specific roll and difficulty is at GM’s discretion.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
  • Your target must be within line of sight, or within range of another sense if more fitting for the Gift's flavor.

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.

  • When narrating disturbing content, be cognizant of your group's tone and accommodating to those who would like to "fast forward" through the description.
  • Containers which hold multiple things may count as a single item so long as the things within are generally packaged together. For instance, you may stash a clip full of bullets, a medical kit full of medical supplies, or a box of crackers, but you cannot stash a backpack full of miscellaneous equipment.
  • You may only attempt to store Objects which are free-standing and disconnected from other things. The use of this Effect will not allow you to sever any connections holding an Object in place.
  • The Maximum Object Size parameter is intended to roughly capture the weight / size restriction of items and isn’t intended to restrict shape. GM discretion is advised. A human being is level 4 in the Maximum Object Size parameter.

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.

  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
  • Your target must be within line of sight, or within range of another sense if more fitting for the Gift's flavor.

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.

  • Initiative: Minions act directly after you in Combat starting the Round after they are summoned.
  • Combat: Minions roll 5 dice to dodge, Grapple, or make an unarmed Attacks. Their unarmed Attacks have 50 feet of range and deal +2 Damage.
  • Body/Mind: Minions have 3 Body. Your minions roll 7 Mind resistance dice.
  • Armor: Minions have 1 Armor.
  • Movement: Minions can move 20 feet per Round as Free Movement and double that when performing an all-out Sprint.
  • Intelligence: Minions have human-level intelligence and can speak your language. They can use equipment, Artifacts, and Consumables. However, they cannot Exert their Mind.
  • Actions: Any Perception checks they make are rolled with 4 dice. Any other roll is made with 4 dice. They can lift and haul as though they have 2 Brawn.
  • Powers: Your companion can Exert their Mind using your Mind and spend your Source.
  • Unusual: Minions are obviously Alien to any observer.

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.

  • Your companion heals fully during each Downtime, but is not healed fully when you re-summon them.
  • Your companion is affected normally by Artifacts and Energy Transfer.
  • The sacrificial Injury received from activating this Effect cannot be prevented by any means or healed before 1 day has passed. It is shared with all Effects that use sacrifice. This Injury does not requires Stabilization or cause Battle Scars when it becomes Severe.
  • Your minions may count as additional targeting types based on their flavor. For example: Living, Computer, Creature, etc.

Stock Power Gifts

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.

  • This includes any objects that come into range during activation.
  • This Effect does not satisfy the line of sight targeting requirement for other Effects.

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.

  • When triggered, the Effect activation resolves immediately after the triggering Action. It is not Reaction speed.
  • Marked individuals satisfy the line of sight requirement for targeted Effects.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
  • Your target must be within line of sight, or within range of another sense if more fitting for the Gift's flavor.

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.

  • Your ward cannot be used to satisfy the line of sight requirement for targeted Effects.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
  • Your target must be within line of sight, or within range of another sense if more fitting for the Gift's flavor.

You gain the following benefits at all times.

Your Stress from Injuries is reduced to 0. Does not reduce Stress from Mind Damage.

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 can tell which entities lay claim to each part of the area and how these borders have shifted over time.
  • You learn where exactly creatures and people live within the area, and what sorts of creatures they are.
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.

You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.

  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
  • Your target must be within line of sight, or within range of another sense if more fitting for the Gift's flavor.