Guppy was standing all alone in an alleyway. No, not alone. There was a man in front of him with a grim smile on his face. Guppy didn't know the man, but he was reaching his hand out to the child. In fear, Guppy took the small needle in his pocket and stabbed the man's hand. The man cried out as the arm began to shrink down, flesh turning to polyester, muscles and blood to stuffing. The man tries to run, but Guppy is the new holder of that grim smile. He stabs the man's leg, turning that into plush as well. The man falls over onto the concrete, screaming and begging for help and for the child to stop. Guppy happily obliged to stop the pain by pricking the needle into the man's neck. It only took a few more seconds before Guppy was out of the alleyway with a tiny little dinosaur doll in tow.
Spend an Action to activate. Select a target within arm's reach. You must actively and obviously use Needle to activate this Effect. Roll Dexterity + Legerdemain Difficulty 6. The target may contest by rolling to Dodge or Defend as a Reaction, Difficulty 6.
If the contested Outcome is positive, the target takes that much damage plus 3. Armor is fully effective against this damage.
If the target takes damage from this Effect, they will receive at least a Minor Battle Scar regardless of the Severity of their Injury. The specifics of the scar are up to GM's discretion.
This Gift's level is capped at 2 Gifts and cannot be increased further.
Marks caught a few villians in his day, and one thing they always seem to have in common is they never shut up.
Not everyone can leave themselves open, provoke in just the right way and even let themselves get into seemingly precarious situations, just to loosen some lips.
He's learned how to conversationally 'push their buttons' and make them talk.
So far, the most reliable way has been to talk about himself, to instigate their inevitable sense of competition.
It takes constant conversation, so when Mark mentions his relavent truths, their target does too.
Preferably in the form of a back and forth gloating/determination sort of thing if it is antagonistic, or a comraderie building honesty moment if not.
Examples:
"I'm Mark Collins, fighter of injustice, protector of the weak. I'm here to stop you! " (flexes in superhero pose)
"It's too late, Mark!" (laughs maniacally) "You'll never find the bombs in time!" (Shows him live feed of the city.) "Watch your public failure with me! The world will know my name! ZOXOB!"
"If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you're going to die. So they'll talk. They'll gloat. They'll watch you squirm. They'll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar. So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word."
Terry Pratchett
Exert your Mind and spend one minute. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. You must actively converse with the individual in question for one minute in order to gather any information. At the end of your investigation, roll Brawn + Influence at Difficulty 6.
You learn all the following information about your target:
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome. For any information you learn about your target, the corresponding information about you is shared with them.
Any information you gather is A spoken conversation and made publicly available. This also includes any information the target learns about you.
You cannot investigate the same target more than once per day.
Red gold energy energy rushes down his exposed fore-arms and into an ordinary hammer and chisel. The caster makes 3 quick strikes at the air with their paired implements and creating a set of runic symbols in the air. The runes quickly come together to form a bolt of light that launches at the target leaving a searing haze wherever it strikes.
Ones will is a force that can be used like any other. Focus and concentration are required to generate energy can be channeled to impart "Intent" upon reality, where gods can do this with ease, mortals must struggle to make their mark. Through teaching and diligent training any can learn to make their very thought reality
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a target within 45 feet. You must actively and obviously use Hammer and chisel to activate this Effect. Roll Intellect + Occult Difficulty 6. The target may contest by rolling to Dodge or Defend as a Reaction, Difficulty 6.
If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target takes that much Damage plus 4. Armor is fully effective against this Damage.
The target suffers a -3 dice penalty for the next hour or until the Injury is healed. This dice penalty does not stack multiple times on the same target.
If you successfully hit your target, the value of any Armor they are wearing is reduced by 2. For material armor, this penalty lasts until it is repaired. For intrinsic armor, it lasts until the end of Combat and any relevant wound is healed.
You slash at the target with the pallete knife. The pallete knife and the affected body part glow a deep red as the transformation starts to take place.
Spend an Action. Select a Living target within arm's reach. You must actively and obviously use An oddly sharp pallette knife to activate this Effect. Roll Dexterity + Crafts at Difficulty 6. The target may roll Body, -2 dice at Difficulty 7, as a Free Action to resist.
If you succeed, the target receives a new Battle Scar of your choosing, limited by the contested Outcome:
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
The Battle Scars you inflict manifest over the course of the next minute.
Gustav's mouth transforms dramatically, his teeth elongating and sharpening into a set of distinct points. As this happens, an eerie voice, akin to something from the depths of hell, starts speaking in an unsettling, twisted language.
The words conjure up horrifying visions of decaying bodies, writhing masses of grotesque flesh, and nightmarish deformities. What's particularly disturbing is that Gustav, too, is subjected to these gruesome visions, forced to endure the same flesh-related horrors he inflicts upon his target.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. Roll INT + OCC at Difficulty 6. Affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 8 with a -3 dice penalty. If they are incapacitated or unconscious, they fail automatically and their Outcome is 0.
If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target takes Mind damage equal to the Contested Outcome. If you deal at least 3 Mind damage, the target will gain Fear of Meat as a Trauma. 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 Demonic body horror.
The user watches the pocket watch tick down in a irregular pattern, sharp purple eyes can be seen closing slowly as the dials spin. The user then clicks the winder once the eyes are closed and they burst open with a soft rumble, opening doors and safes with a mere gaze to feed the desires of the user.
In car form, the same is done via the headlights/taillights.
The pocket watch grows in power.
The user feels it watching them in the night, watching their movements, their desires, their pleasures. It studies them.
Spend an Action.
You may lock, unlock, and/or open any number of doors, containers, knots, or locks within 300 feet of you. Cannot be used on Alien technology.
The mad scientist produces thorium cores that can be used to upgrade tools and other devices. The core supercharges the item, increasing its quality and rendering it indestructible for a period. However, once the core runs dry, the object is rendered less useful than it was before. The core crackles with blue electricity while active.
Spend 1 Action and use up this glowing blue disk. Select a non-Alien Device within arm's reach. Cannot be used to improve Armor.
Lasts the next two hours. Your target receives 2 extra dice to all actions taken for its intended use. Attacking with an upgraded weapon grants +2 Weapon Damage instead of additional dice. While it is upgraded, the item cannot be destroyed.
After the Effect ends, any upgraded targets suffer a -2 dice penalty until they are either repaired or upgraded again.
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 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.
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 the target is listening and you are speaking to multiple people.
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's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
The musician assumes a powerful stance and strums a mighty power chord on their guitar. A blast of sound waves radiate outwards, destroying all who dare face the power chord directly.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. You must actively and obviously use your instrument to activate this Effect. The area within 25 feet of you immediately and obviously becomes imminently dangerous. Roll Charisma + Performance at Difficulty 6. Targets inside the radius may attempt an appropriate Reaction at GM’s discretion. Finding a physical barrier to use as cover will cut total Damage taken in half (applies after Reaction roll but before Armor).
If the Outcome is positive, your blast hits everything within 25 feet of you with Damage equal to your Outcome + 4. Armor is fully effective against this Damage. If you botched the activation roll, you will also take full Damage from the blast, otherwise it will not hurt you.
You may only use this Effect once per day.
The Psychic can speak directly into someone's mind, engaging in an entirely telepathic conversation. While they do, they take on a blank, vacant stare in the direction of their target, and appear to be muttering gibberish to themselves under their breath.
Exert your Mind and 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 can see your target.
You open up a line of communication to your target, and may converse with them as long as one of you maintains Concentration
The conversation will only be perceived by the intended recipient. You must share a common language for your target to understand the message.