Nathan focuses on a reflective object, particularly its reflective nature, and pushes it out, molding it around him. The object temporarily loses its capability to reflect while Nathan's reflection absorbs this and becomes more geometric.
Any attacks that enter into this space are refracted back through many geometric shapes that comprise Nathan's reflection and instead aim for the attacker.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Animate target within arm's reach. Roll Intellect + Occult at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around your target, which absorbs the next Outcome + 2 Damage. Half the damage absorbed is reflected back at the attacker, which they can Defend against as normal. 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 Nathan's reflection becoming slightly more geometric. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
Possession of this Power grants the following Trauma at all times: roll self-control or drop concentration on this power when something reflecting you is shattered.
One of the symbols fills with a faint werelight and a spectral image of it washes over the mouth of a living target as the hourglass etching within the crystal seems to animate, counting down an hour.
When used on a person, they find their memory has filled with strange recollections of learning a language they didn't previously know, in a place they have never been. No details of this other life are gleaned, and when the hour is over, the magic fades and the memories and language are lost.
When used on an animal, they are able to speak as a human would, with a young woman's voice(regardless of the animal's age or gender)
Finally, when used on a memento possessed by a dead creature at the moment of it's death, a spectral form of the creature is called forth from the object, and is able to speak with the bearer while the magic holds, before dissipating
After the death of River Lodestar, Alan has used his study of timelines to link back to hers through one of her crystals, and in so doing has infused it with the power to recall those once lost from the instant before their death to commune with the living world.
River, conversely, had used these crystals to enter the minds of creatures, and "borrow" their forms for a time.
While Alan's magic is distinct from River's, he was able to borrow a bit of her ability to connect with other minds. Using this crystal, one can reach back into their past and gather the memories of a language the bearer knows, how they learned it and have spoken it for years, and can place just that part of themselves temporarily into the mind of another. they become able to understand and even speak in this tongue until the magic fades.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Sapient being, human, Creature, or Dead target within 50 feet. For dead targets, you must possess their an object the target physically posessed at the time of their death. Roll a single D10 as a critical failure check. If you roll a 1, the Effect fails, and you are struck mute.
The target can communicate in your language for the next hour.
You may only use this Effect once per target per day.
The user puts one hand on their temple, clutching the brooch with the other, channeling their mental energy into a powerful shield composed of a soft, angelic glow.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Animate target within arm's reach. Roll Intellect + Alertness at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a Barrier extending out 15 feet from your target, which absorbs 2 times the next (Outcome +4) Damage. Only applies to attacks which originated outside the 15 foot radius, and protects anyone who is within that radius. You may choose to create a bubble barrier. If you do, no physical objects or entities can pass into your bubble until the barrier is broken, but you and the barrier cannot move. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. This Artifact 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.
Grubmeister pulls out any cylindrical object, typical a microphone, and begins interviewing the target. He will ask a series of questions that already announce he is aware of the below listed information for the target to attempt to deny or confirm.
For example, Grubmeister could encounter a very dangerous criminal, he could then use this gift and ask the the criminal if their mother was named Hannah, or any other question that confronts a fact about that target, such as their banes or previous aliases. He already knows them all.
Spend a minute. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. At the end of your investigation, roll Charisma + Alertness at Difficulty 6.
You learn all the following information about your target:
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.
Any information you gather is announced by Grubmeister in form of interview and made publicly available.
This Gift's Cost is capped at 2 and cannot be increased further.
People always keep whining and complaining and crying over their injuries. "My leg!" "I can't feel my hands!" "My fingers, oh God!"
Get a grip! Jeez...
I've been thinking of uh just... I give em the typical assurances, and then I... tell em! Spout out some medical jargon and tell em that it'll heal in just a sec! Looking em in the eye makes them wanna believe me... almost.
And it does! Injuries seem to have never happened in the first place! One moment it was broken, the next... poof! Like magic. Was your arm even broken in the first place? I mean... it seems to work; you can feel your limbs working, you can stretch your fingers normally. It feels fine... but something feels off.
Don't let the doubt fester. Don't lie, yourself. Honesty is the best policy, and it's easier to believe in a lie when you trust what you say to be true. Otherwise, the illusion will shatter.
Uhhh we gaslight reality itself, basically.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Select a Living target within arm's reach. You cannot target yourself. Select a Battle Scar on your target to treat.
The treated Battle Scar heals as you finish activating this Effect. If used on a Battle Scar caused by an Unstabilized Injury, that Injury is Stabilized.
Your patient is required to not tell a direct lie (i.e. lying by omission and technical truths are fine) for the next month. If they violate this rule, your treatment is immediately reversed.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is a faint, yellow glimmer in your eye. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
A soft golden glow surrounds the artifact and the hand of the user, then spreads to the target. The sound of a lock's tumblers clicking into place echoes in the ears of those that are aware of the effect.
The first iteration of this item looks like the Skeleton Key from Skyrim. Nocturnal's priceless opener of all doors, her blessing to her most trusted. Because Luz is a nerd.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Non-Alien door, container, knot, or lock within arm's reach that is no more complex than a standard commercial door, personal safe or a keycard reader.
You may lock, unlock, and/or open your target.
Doc puts his hands on you and begins to mutter to himself in french. The effect is instant and horrible. You begin to remember all of the sins of your past, all the ways that you've wronged those who loved you. All of the terrible, evil things you've done on these contracts in order to survive. Doc seems to be in the grips of similar memories, tears running down his chin and dripping onto his hands that are pressed tightly against you. At the point where your mind feels like it's about to break, it's over. Just as quickly as it began. You feel your wounds begin to close.
Exert your Mind and spend 1 minute. Select a Living target within arm's reach. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means. If you fail or Botch, you receive one Mind Damage and a new Trauma. Your target must make a Trauma roll to reap the benefits of this Effect. They may choose to Resist the Effect and not make the roll. Choose a specific Injury on your target that has not yet been treated with this Effect and roll Charisma + Medicine 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.
The detective pulls out their magnifying glass and investigates the area, learning details about any nearby structures and picking up details on what sorts of beings have passed through and when.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 100 feet You must actively and obviously use a magnifying glass to activate this Effect. At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Investigation at Difficulty 6.
You learn the following information about the area:
You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.
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.
Dazzle Glasses are advanced "black-tech" espionage gear. They can be styled as any sort sunglasses. When the wearer is recorded, they will quickly flash a non-visible laser into the recording device, destroying it after only a moment of footage is taken.
This Effect activates whenever you are recorded. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Select a Non-Sapient Object within 20 feet no larger than a duffel bag (35 liters). Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event. Roll Perception + Culture Difficulty 6.
If your Outcome is 4 or higher, the target will be completely destroyed and can no longer function, though it may still be repaired. If your Outcome is less than 4, the target will be partially damaged, and any attempts to use it will suffer a dice penalty equal to your Outcome.
The psychic can glean various important details about a person simply by engaging in a short conversation with them.
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 Perception + Influence at Difficulty 6.
You learn all the following information about your target:
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.
Any information you gather is spoken aloud in conversation and made publicly available.
This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.
You cannot investigate the same target more than once per day.