Squamous Flesh Edgar cracks a femur in his jaws as if it was a matchstick, allowing his long, pebbled black tongue access to the marrow within.

6
You possess superhuman unarmed combat ability.
Used by Edgar Stokes, Created by Strazhari.

Edgar's flesh is unusually dense, scabrous, & sinewy, particularly around his thick forearms & curving talons. His teeth are now fully formed, a muzzle exploding with fangs. Edgar can claw, dig, & gnaw his way through most materials, or opponents, with frightening ease.


You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in unarmed combat.

+2 dice to rolls for Attacking, Defending, and Clashing without a weapon. Unarmed attacks do +0 Bonus Damage Weapon Damage (instead of -1). The target's Armor is reduced to 1/2, rounded up against this damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Armored Fist: You cannot take Damage from attacking a dangerous material (such as steel armor, a spiked carapace, or an acidic blob). You may Defend against melee, projectile, or firearm attacks from any range and Clash with those in range of your attacks.
  • Brutal Strikes: If your attack inflicts a Battle Scar, you may choose which of the appropriate-severity Battle Scars the target suffers. If it causes a less severe Injury, you may inflict a Minor Battle Scar of your choosing.
  • Disarm: If you successfully Defend or Clash with a melee attack, you may take possession your opponent’s weapon or launch if up to 35 feet away.
  • Fancy Footwork: You may move your full Dash distance and attack in the same Round without penalty. You may also split your movement before and after your attack.
  • Jiu-Jitsu:When you successfully grapple an opponent, you may choose to also deal damage to them equal to the Contested Outcome on the grapple roll.

  • The total damage of a ju-jitsu grapple-attack is equal to your Outcome minus their Outcome. Bonus Damage from the Bonus Damage Parameter does not apply to damage dealt through this Enhancement.
  • Unlike the Ability Brawl, this Effect does not affect small weapons such as knives.

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Community Power Gifts

Conner’s Perspective (The Caster)

As Conner prepares to bridge the vast distances between himself and those he’s marked, he settles into a familiar ritual with the tattooing gun in hand. This instrument, more a wand than a tool in this moment, hums to life with an almost eager anticipation. As he begins the process, not on another but on his own flesh, the needle dances with precision and intent. It doesn’t inscribe a new tattoo but activates the magic latent within him, a conduit to those he seeks.

The ink under his skin stirs, coalescing into the face of the individual he wishes to communicate with. It’s a generic face, a template that morphs to adopt the nuances of expression and emotion, a mirror to the person’s current state. This face doesn’t belong to anyone yet resembles everyone, a paradox made possible through magic. It’s a surreal experience, watching these features form and shift, their eyes locking with his in silent conversation. The connection is palpable, a thread of energy that tugs at his core, a blend of concentration and a mysterious, ethereal bond.

The Tattooed Individual’s Perspective (The Receiver)

For the person on the receiving end, the experience is equally mystifying. The tattoo that marks their bond with Conner, usually a static image, begins to undulate gently. This movement is subtle, not painful but undeniably present, like the first hint of a breeze that promises the storm to come. Then, as if the ink itself is alive, their tattoo morphs into a face.

This face, while not Conner’s, carries an echo of his presence. It’s a visage without identity, yet filled with expression, changing and responding as if part of a conversation. This manifestation is deeply personal, a visual representation of the invisible line that now connects them over distances untold. The voice that accompanies this visual transformation is clear, resonating not in the air but in the mind, a direct conduit to Conner. It’s an intimate exchange, shielded from the world, as though the words are whispered directly into their soul.

Spend an Action. Select a number of targets up to your Mind rating any distance away from you. You must have specific targets in mind, but you require only an intuitive understanding of them, such as their name, face, or Location. This Effect cannot be used unless “Connor has used Permanent Magical Tattoos on the target.”. You must actively and obviously use Tattooing Gun to activate this Effect.

You open up a line of communication to your targets, 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.

  • Receiving a message does not force a target to pay attention to you, and they can feel free to ignore your message if they choose. Depending on the flavor of your Gift, they may or may not be able to return to it and read it later on.
  • Generally you cannot communicate with Contractors who are not in a Contract with you.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.

You gain the following benefits at all times.

You are permanently and visibly transformed: Dark red veins. You are considered to be a Sapient, Living being when targeted. Your Brawn is increased by 1.

  • Attribute bonuses from multiple sources do not stack. Instead the highest bonus is used.

You gain the following benefits as long as So long as Leon has consumed an offering made to him in the past 8 hours and you have your fox tail: called shot 4 can be partially obscured by disguises but cannot wholly omit the roll.

Your Charisma rating is increased by 3. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Charisma (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).

Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Heart Heat: Failed Limit Rolls cause an additional 1 severity wound on top of the added trauma,.

If you are witnessed actively using this Effect, whoever sees it can make a Perception + Alertness roll at Difficulty 6. A complete success reveals the source of your power.

You also gain the following effects:

  • No Choice But To Stan: If someone speaks or acts against you socially, anyone observing it must roll Mind, with the difficulty equal to your Charisma, in order to not defend you.
  • Poker Face: You reveal only what you want to reveal. It is impossible to determine whether or not you are lying. You may roll Charisma + Performance to resist any investigative Effect that targets you. If you successfully resist, you determine the info they get.
  • Unflappable: Any attempts to control or influence your thoughts or emotions are rolled at +3 Difficulty.

  • Being forced to Stan will not force someone to violate any of their Limits or to engage in violence of any kind (though they may still do so of their own volition).
  • In rare cases, GMs may require you to make a roll to lie to particularly powerful beings.
  • If your fox tail: called shot 4 can be partially obscured by disguises but cannot wholly omit the roll is damaged, destroyed, or lost, you lose all benefits from this Effect for the next two months.
  • Attribute bonuses from multiple sources do not stack. Instead the highest bonus is used.

David has meddled many a time in the realm and affairs of the Dead by now. He has even wrestled with them, tearing into one of their realms. The Dead have begun to call to him. To seek for him to find them. And so, in his ears, they sometimes whisper….

Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 1 mile At the end of your investigation, roll Intellect + Occult at Difficulty 6.

You learn the following information about the area:

  • You can tell how many living things have died in this area, what they were, and roughly when the deaths occurred.
  • You learn the specific physical location of human corpses in this area
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.

You gain the following benefits as long as 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.

  • Unlike the Ability Brawl, this Effect does not affect small weapons such as knives.

Stock Power Gifts

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 are speaking to multiple people and the target is listening.

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 cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.

  • Receiving a message does not force a target to pay attention to you, and they can feel free to ignore your message if they choose. Depending on the flavor of your Gift, they may or may not be able to return to it and read it later on.
  • Generally you cannot communicate with Contractors who are not in a Contract with you.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Animate target within 20 feet. You must actively and obviously use a watch or clock to activate this Effect. Roll Intellect + Science at Difficulty 7.

If you succeed, the target will suffer a dice penalty equal to the Outcome for the next 2 Rounds. Dice pools may be reduced all the way down to 0 by this penalty. This breaks Concentration.

You may activate this Effect as a Reaction to contest any Action a valid target is taking, reducing their Outcome by your own. Your command has no impact beyond disrupting their Action.

  • This Penalty is not removed if a character Exerts their Mind to ignore penalty.
  • If a character has a dice pool reduced to 0, they cannot attempt that action.
  • 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 50 feet. You must be in an area abundant with man-made structures and materials.

Select one of the following alterations to create out of standard building materials originating at the target:

  • Wall: Create a straight wall made of standard building materials up to 40 feet long, 10 feet high, and 12 inches thick. This wall can also be used to create a bridge, ramp, or similar. It must be free-standing.

The alteration begins to form when you activate this Effect and finishes forming on your initiative in the next Round. Until it finishes forming, it is not guaranteed to function.

This alteration lasts one minute but may be prematurely destroyed or altered. Your alterations may be broken through with appropriate tools. Anyone attempting to break through must roll Brawn + a relevant Ability. A cumulative Outcome of 6 across all attempts breaks a hole large enough to move through. See the extended system text for GM guidance on various tools.

  • Attempting to break any alterations with inappropriate tools may damage or destroy the tools at the GM's discretion.
  • Any structures you create leave precise gaps for obstacles in their path or push them out of the way. You cannot directly destroy objects or structures or damage beings by creating walls or domes.
  • Tool guidance for GMs:
    • Difficulty 9: Brawn 5, no tools.
    • Difficulty 7-8: One-handed tools or makeshift tools (like a sword). Mythic Brawn without tools.
    • Difficulty 6: Appropriate manual tools. Crowbar, sledgehammer, armor-shredding attacks.
    • Difficulty 4-5: Power tools, vehicles, explosives.
  • This Effect produces the substance you are controlling unless it is drawn from the environment via “Required Environment” Drawbacks.
  • 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 1 minute. You must use up at least a gallon of water in order to activate this Effect. Choose a specific Injury on yourself that has not yet been treated with this Effect and roll Brawn + Survival at Difficulty 6.

If you succeed, the Injury is reduced in Severity by your Outcome. If you reduce its Severity to 0, the Injury is fully healed. Otherwise, it is partially healed and will heal the rest of the way at its natural rate.

This counts as a successful Makeshift Stabilization if the Injury was not already Stabilized; any Battle Scars caused by the Injury will remain.

  • Unstabilized wounds do not degenerate during treatment.

Exert your Mind and spend at least one Action. All Sapient targets within 20 feet of you are affected. You must actively and obviously use a police badge to activate this Effect. Your target cannot be engaged in Combat. Communicate a command to your targets. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. Any affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.

If the contested Outcome is positive, your targets will be compelled to follow your command to the letter-- but not necessarily the spirit-- of the command until they have completed it or for your Contested 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. Commands may force a target to violate one of their Limits, and they will need to make a Trauma roll once the suggestion wears off.

  • The target must be able to understand you and must receive your communication for the suggestion to work.
  • Allowed Commands
    • Direct Order: The target must take an immediate action (e.g. “Sit down,” "run away," or "tell me your password.")
  • In the case of a failed activation, GMs should consider how bystanders would realistically react to a potentially-outlandish accusation of mind-reading.
  • 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.