Minerva sucks in a breath and grips her pendant, squeezing it hard enough to hurt. She stares into her own reflection, and wills it to change. Her own form is begins to change in accordance with her desires. She breathes hard during this; the process is obviously deeply unpleasant, more so the bigger changes she makes.
She's realized that her clothes are merely an extension of herself - and as such, she can mutate them just as much.
Minerva's will begins to manifest further. More than just influencing people, more than just influencing herself, her will begins to spill over onto the world itself.
She started with small changes the first night, exploring the spark that had formed in her. The next night, she had fur. She could feel her bones grind, her jaw cracking as it turned into a maw, her flesh stretch as a tail burst out. She collapsed, crying. But they were tears of happiness, for in this first moment, all was right in the world. She slept like that, the first time she did it. It was restful sleep. She sleeps like that whenever she can now.
///
Meta: Minerva's mutation is more than just bone deep, and a large part of her transformation is instinctive and subconscious. When she gives herself fur, she's also instinctively messing with her own neurochemistry. She experiences a form of mild and constant euphoria while transformed.
She needs a mirror because she's exerting her will on changing herself, and at the moment, she needs to look at what she's doing.
"Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both marble and sculptor."
///
History: As Minerva's concept comes together, I think 'everything is a cantrip / is effortless for her' is a big part of it. At the point of this edit, the power hasn't been used on a contract or a significant part of a move.
After Minerva's inability to use her powers while she was transformed lead to one of her fellow contractors dying, she focused, practicing. Practicing, practicing. She learned to use them when she's not her... but the pain she worked though is still there, always in the back of her mind.
Seasoned:
Minerva's powers intensified. Building on top of the latent power she has over other people, it's blossomed into something entirely more. People accept her if she believes she should be accepted. Her changes are deeper, touching her soul. But most importantly, they last. They last as long as she needs. She goes to sleep and awakes.. proper.
Something's happened, though. She doesn't have full control over it, and when she tries to change her form, it's almost like holding onto water. She needs to struggle as hard as she can just to keep from falling apart. And whenever she does slide back into her base form - the form she enters by reflex... she's not human anymore. But she's not better either. She's some weird half-thing. Her body is becoming a reflection of her mind... but only half way there, so far. But she can fix it.
Spend a minute. You must actively and obviously use a silver fox pendant to activate this Effect.
You become disguised in a manner of your choosing. The disguise lasts until you either activate a new disguise, or choose to end the effect.
The new appearance may have a different sex, age, and race to your own, and you may alter height by up to a foot and your weight by 50%. Your disguise cannot directly mimic an existing person. You may change the appearance of your outfit. You may add inhuman features to your disguise. Your disguise can alter your smell, DNA, and other aspects that are not perceivable via human senses. This does not conceal you against investigative Effects. A disguise cannot affect your Attributes or other stats.
You can "pass" in any culture or group without arousing suspicion as long as you look normal for that group and can communicate with those inside the group.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see The moment Minerva 'unlatches' her form, it pulses like a degaussed TV. Her clothes and flesh both smear some, uncountable wounds on her her leaking. They don't seem to hurt, but she's obviously struggling to stay in one piece. In the wounds, the tears to another place entirely, one can sense all the things that shouldn't be said. Intrusive thoughts come to mind. But are they hers? Or yours?.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Soft Spot: Out of Sight, Out of Mind - Minerva's form is more thought and will than anything else.. and the places she can't see tend to get less attention than the places she can't. Her back is less real, and easier to hurt..
After this Effect ends, you cannot move quicker than a walk (15 feet per Round) for one minute and suffer a -1 dice penalty for an hour.
This Effect ends if you take an Injury or are stunned or incapacitated.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Painful Losses: Whenever a fellow contractor (who you are not directly acting against) is in danger, you must roll self-control or immedately attempt to assist them.
With the instincts of a baker serving up platters like it’s his day job which it is he gains this skill to serve up platters in a matter of seconds
You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in combat with thrown weapons.
+2 dice to all rolls utilizing thrown weapons.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Whenever he is in a stressful situation, he has to disengage and have a snack. He has to roll self-control. If he fails he hast to stop fighting and eat something. and And the joy one if there is anybody being negative or putting everyone down, he has to react by rolling his self-control. If he fails, he has to fully push the person out of the conversation..
You also gain the following effects:
A thick, black tentacle that seems to live hidden within the afflicted's chest, bursting forth when summoned and slowly coiling up once it is no longer needed, sealing the grievous room behind it in thickened scar tissue, which at all times feels clammy and dead to the touch.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action.
You gain an additional limb that functions as a standard human arm and hand. Lasts two hours.
Each additional limb you posses can take one Quick Action per Round without incurring a -2 dice penalty to your main Action. Any Battle Scars that affect or remove your additional limb will heal in a single week.
Your appendage is capable of bending and squishing in normally-impossible ways. It may fit through any gap that is not water-tight and retain its functionality.
Your extra appendage can stretch to reach an additional 30 feet.
Your extra appendage is not connected to your nervous or circulatory systems, and you will not take damage if it is hit by an attack or destroyed.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see an inky tentacle that seems to burst from the afflicted's chest, appearing to puncture the skin and causing the sound of splintering bones when summoned..
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Horribly Disfigured - Your chest is concaved due to an interdimensional voyage gone wrong! (Any damage dealt towards your soft spot will deal an additional 2 damage. If an attack could feasibly hit your soft spot, flip a coin. On a fail, it hits your soft spot).
The author takes his notebook and a pen and introduces his character, while writing out of nowhere, a mannequin appears and over time the minions will take their choosing form but most of the time an animal because he loves them.
Increase your sacrificial Injury's Severity by 1 and spend an Action. You must actively and obviously use pen and paper to activate this Effect.
Summon the one and only Sapient A fantasy figure at your location. They last for two hours or until they move more than 150 feet from you or are destroyed. They are controlled by you. You may have at most one 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.
When targeted by an effect that would manipulate the mind, the sophisticated network of neural implants will assist in opposing impulses not aligned with it's real-time personality model. If the effect is successfully repulsed, it communicates both the source & the nature of the effect to the End User.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You get +2 dice to any Mind resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects:
Marina's intimate connection with the ocean manifests as an uncanny ability to move with the grace and fluidity of water itself. Her movements become as smooth and adaptable as the sea, allowing her to navigate any environment with extraordinary ease and precision. Drawing from the treacherous, blackened and brackish waters that call to her, her newfound constitution thrives in darkness and unrest, fostering a heightened alertness, preternatural grace, and razor-sharp precision. This power, while granting her unparalleled agility, exacts a toll - Marina finds herself ever at odds with tranquility, her mind as restless as the churning depths that fuel her abilities.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Dexterity rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Dexterity (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: Light Sensitivity.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: Nightmares.
You also gain the following effects:
The magician dons an unusual piece of clothing and immediately shifts their appearance to be completely different! However, they must reveal their true identity before they can cast any more spells.
Exert your Mind and spend 2 Actions. You must actively and obviously use a piece of clothing you wouldn't normally wear to activate this Effect.
You become disguised in a manner of your choosing. The disguise lasts for two hours, or you may end it early at will.
The new appearance may have a different sex, age, and race to your own, and you may alter height by up to a foot and your weight by 50%. Your disguise cannot directly mimic an existing person. You may change the appearance of your outfit. A disguise cannot affect your Attributes or other stats.
You may roll Charisma + Crafts to attempt to make your disguise Beautiful. If your Outcome is 6 or higher, non-Effect Charisma rolls where your good looks could help are rolled at -2 Difficulty. If you fail or botch, you are ugly instead, and non-Effect Charisma rolls are made at +2 Difficulty.
This Effect ends if you take an Injury or are stunned or incapacitated.
While disguised, you cannot use any Activated or Targeted Powers.
Be amazed as the magician wields a deck of simple playing cards with all the poise and precision of a ninja's shurikens. Fear not, for they will not hit you, unless they want to.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are engaged in combat with playing cards.
+2 dice to all rolls utilizing playing cards.
You also gain the following effects:
It's true the mad scientist is one of the greatest minds of our generation, that they can solve any puzzle or riddle. However, no one wants to spend time with them.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
Your Intellect rating is increased by 1. You may Exert your Mind to automatically gain an Outcome of 5 on any roll that uses Intellect (Cannot be used on combat rolls or Power activations).
You also gain the following effects:
By focusing and whispering a prayer under their breath, the priest may invoke their god to protect those who have good works left to do.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action or Reaction. Select a Animate target within 20 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is a living human. Roll a single d10, Difficulty 4. If you fail or botch, the Effect fails and you cannot activate it again for an hour. Roll Charisma + Occult at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around your target, which absorbs the next Outcome +2 Damage. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. You may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
You must maintain Concentration while using this Effect. The barrier will fall if you are interrupted, 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.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is you whispering a prayer under your breath. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
All it takes is a flick of your hair and a bat of your eyelashes, and you’ve got their attention.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. A number of Sapient, Living targets within 50 feet who can perceive you through no greater than your Charisma rating are affected. Audiences or mobs with a singular focus count as one target. Roll Charisma + Performance at Difficulty 6. All affected targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.
If you succeed, the targets will keep their full attention focused on you for Contested Outcome in Rounds. They will automatically fail any rolls related to noticing anything other than you.
If you pass from their perception and they are unable to pursue you, the Effect ends. If they can follow you, they must do so for 2 Rounds or the Effect will end. The Effect ends early if the target is Injured or violence occurs nearby.
This does not affect the target’s opinion of you or their mood, and they may take any Actions while affected (including attacking), as long as that action centers on you. Fascinated targets cannot Concentrate.