**Description:** The "Body of the Ancient Cryptic" passively alters the user’s body, giving them a primal, beast-like appearance combined with ancient, mystical energies. These physical changes not only enhance their combat abilities but also make them appear more formidable and inhuman to those around them.
**Visible Changes:**
- **Beastly Claws:** The user's hands and fingers elongate slightly, ending in sharp, retractable claws. These claws appear to be made of a dark, obsidian-like material and can tear through most materials with ease.
- **Feral Eyes:** Their eyes take on a bestial quality, with slit-like pupils and a glowing, predatory hue—often amber, red, or another unnatural color. These eyes grant heightened vision, especially in darkness.
- **Rugged, Enhanced Physique:** The user’s muscles are denser, their bones more robust, and their posture slightly hunched, resembling a primal predator. This gives them enhanced strength and agility beyond normal human limits.
- **Roughened Skin:** Their skin takes on a tougher, almost hide-like texture, with patches of scales or hardened ridges in certain areas, providing natural armor.
- **Elongated Teeth:** The user’s teeth sharpen into fangs, giving them a fearsome grin and enabling them to bite with great force when necessary.
- **Beastial Presence:** A low growl or snarl might be heard from the user when they are angered or in danger. Their overall demeanor is predatory, making others instinctively sense danger in their presence.
These beastly transformations, combined with ancient, arcane markings and energies, make the user a terrifying force, blending primal strength with cryptic wisdom.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You are permanently and visibly transformed: perfect bodys. You are considered to be a Sapient, Living Creature when targeted. Your Brawn is increased by 1, your Perception is increased by 1, and your Charisma is increased by 1.
Your appendages can reach an additional 30 feet.
You may make a +2 Weapon Damage claws and fangs attack without additional equipment.
Whenever you enter Combat, roll Self-Control. If you fail, you cannot choose which targets to attack and cannot stop fighting until there are no targets remaining.
You cannot speak any coherent verbal language and must resort to other means of communication.
You cannot ignore or decrease the effects of Stress for any Self-Control rolls you make.
The Severity of any Injury caused by Sliver is increased by 2.
UA-566 is known to enter a short-term enraged state that greatly enhances their strength and reaction times. Agents are warned to proceed with caution when UA-566-A's hook-like teeth have emerged from its tendrils. While in this state, it is capable of swatting bullets out of the air with both its hair and internal parasites, and armor seems to be of minor use against their additional strength. Agents are advised to wait for this state to end and avoid direct engagement, as it seems to only stay active for about an hour.
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 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.
You also gain the following effects:
When Seraphina Gearheart activates her power, her body glows softly as panels retract to reveal a hidden array of tools. Wrenches, screwdrivers, and multi-functional arms emerge and float around her in a graceful, controlled ballet. These tools hover and arrange themselves, ready for use at her command. The scene is highlighted by a rhythmic hum of machinery and a faint, ethereal light, showcasing the seamless blend of her celestial grace and mechanical prowess.
Exert your Mind and spend 10 minutes. Select a Non-Living or Animate target within arm's reach that is no larger than an SUV. Cannot be used on Alien technology. More than half the target object must be present in order to begin repairs. Roll Intellect + Crafts at Difficulty 6 (or 8 for Sapient targets).
If you succeed, your target is repaired back to a functional state. If you fail, you spend the full time working before realizing you cannot repair the target.
If you are successful in repairing a Sapient Object, a single Injury on the target is reduced in Severity by your Outcome.
This Effect ends if you are stunned, fall asleep, go unconscious, are incapacitated, die, or if your total Stress ever exceeds 5.
The scar-like vertical line running down the prodigous gut from sternum to pelvis splits open. Dozens of knife-like teeth are bared as the impossibly large mouth bellows in hunger.
What the mouth swallows is lost forever.
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 Weapon Damage (instead of -1).
Possession of this Power grants the following Battle Scar: A ragged, vertical scar from sternum to pelvis.
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.
You also gain the following effects:
Grasping onto an item, Frank asks his benefactor to move it to "cold storage". Over the course of a few seconds, the object is absorbed into Frank's being, kept within until it's realm until it's needed once more.
Any item that spends time within the noir permanently has it's color lost unfortunately, making it incredibly easy for folks to keep track of what Frank's had his hands on. You can take the film out of noir, not the noir out of film... whatever that means.
Spend an Action.
You may withdraw an item from your stash, or add an item that is within arm’s reach to your stash. You may only stash targets which are in your possession, grappled, or otherwise controlled by you.
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.
When Cassie is touched, even through clothing, the target's mind rattles in their skull, dazzled with confusing sensations as they are concussed by magic
This Effect activates whenever a Living being touches Cassie. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Select a Living target within arm's reach. Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event. Roll Charisma + Athletics at Difficulty 6. Affected targets can resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6 -3 dice.
If you succeed, for the next minute, your target will do things they otherwise wouldn’t have done, inspired by feeling their personal worst sensation on their skin, skin crawling and confusion and pain. They will not necessarily display their emotions in an obvious way.
Actions they take will be in keeping with their character and the way they tend to deal with strong emotions. They will be unlikely to change their mind about any actions taken or decisions made until after the Effect ends.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is a brief flash of light at the point of contact. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.
If any affected target takes or deals Damage, this Effect ends.
There's a certain strength that comes from displaying the flag of one's country. As long as the Soldier holding their country's flag or wearing something emblazoned with it, they are less likely to be injured in battle.
You gain the following benefits at all times. You must actively and obviously be using clothes or a uniform that displays the flag of your country to gain the benefits of this Effect.
You have 4 Armor, which reduces incoming Damage. Armor from multiple sources does not stack. This Armor cannot be circumvented with Called Shots.
The beastmaster puts their nose to the ground and sniffs about the area. Their feral nostrils tell them what sorts of creatures live in the area, and who lays claim to each region.
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 cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.
The beastmaster can speak to and understand any animal.
You gain the following benefits at all times.
You may understand and communicate to terrestrial animal as if you are fluent in a relevant language.
The magician waves a handkerchief over an item, and it disappears! They may produce the object later by fluttering a scarf.
Spend a Quick Action. You must actively and obviously use a scarf, sheet, or handkerchief to activate this Effect.
You may withdraw an item from your stash, or add an item that is within arm’s reach to your stash. You may only stash targets which are in your possession, grappled, or otherwise controlled by you.
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.
You may choose to equip any equipment you withdraw at no additional cost.
Through years of practice, the mobster is able to shatter someone's kneecap without much effort.
Spend an Action. Select a Living or Animate target within arm's reach. You must actively and obviously use a melee weapon to activate this Effect. Roll Brawn + Melee 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:
All alterations you make must damage the target's knees.
This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 2.