Viewing Effect - Investigate Object
Learn more about specific items
Description
You have an uncanny ability to learn things about objects through careful examination, scanning, speaking to them, or some other means. Your results are limited to particular types of information.
System
Exert your Mind, target an object within [[range]] and spend [[cast-time]] examining it. At the end of the cast time, roll [[information-roll]]. The quality of the information you receive depends on your outcome, and the nature of the information depends on the Enhancements you have chosen.
The number of information-revealing Enhancements attached to this power is limited to 2 for Novice Contractors, 4 for Seasoned Contractors, and 7 for Veteran Contractors. You may still take any number of other, non-informational Enhancements.
Enhancements
- Other Information (You can learn some other piece of information about the target)
- Must be specific and relatively narrow in scope. Subject to Cell Leader approval for balance.
- Influences (Determine which outside supernatural influences are being exercised on the target.)
- LoJack (You can discern where this object has recently been. This may be in the form of GPS coordinates, a visual description of the surrounding area, or other)
- Successes determine how far back the info goes, with 1 success granting roughly how long the object has been in the present area, and 5 successes granting the last few locations the object has spent some time.
- User Manual (You learn how to use this object for its intended purpose. This does not grant skill)
- Sentimental (You may learn how much sentimental value an object has and to whom)
- Manifest (You gather information about who has used this object recently. Usually the information comes in the form of a visual description, but it could be a scent, a factoid about the individual, etc)
- Made in China (You gather information about where the object was made and when.)
- Cantrip (This Power has no Exertion cost, but its level is capped at 2 Gifts, and it cannot be upgraded further)
- Conditionally Costless (This Power does not require Exertion in certain circumstances. The condition should be balanced such that the Power has an activation cost the majority of the time you are able to use it.)
- If you take this enhancement, you must occasionally be able to use the power at full cost and other times at no cost. This cannot be the same condition as the drawback "Conditional" as that would imply that the power is costless any time you can cast it.
- Battery-operated (Instead of Exerting Mind to activate this Power, it has its own 3-point Source pool. The Source regenerates at the rate of one point per day and cannot be raised with Experience.)
- Powers can share a battery pool by taking this Enhancement on each Power and specifying the same Source. Each additional Power after the first increases the capacity of the Source by 2, to a maximum of 10. This Enhancement cannot be used to enhance the owning character's source.
- Concealed (This power is not obvious, and it is hard for others to notice its use. Choose a Tell that occurs only when you use the Power; if someone suspects that a Power was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.)
- As per the standard rules, a complete success (Outcome of at least 4) is required to determine the source and target flawlessly. Lower outcomes may result in partial successes. Your Tell should be something small that would not otherwise frequently occur, such as a slight nosebleed, fiddling with an object, an intense stare.
Drawbacks
- Focus (Activating this Power requires a specific kind of item.)
- Subject to GM approval.
- Once per Day (May only use this Power once per day.)
- Conditional (Only usable when a certain condition is met. This condition must be severe enough that the Power is unusable the majority of the time.)
- Condition must be significant. Subject to GM approval.
- Focused Investigation (You learn only one type of information about the target per application.)
- To take this Drawback, this Power must be capable of revealing more than one type of information.
- Unique Focus (This Power takes the form of a specific, unique item, which can be borrowed, lost, or stolen.)
- Specialized (Only affects a certain type of item.)
- bullets, vehicles, etc
- Traumatic (Make a Trauma roll when you use this power)
- Scarring (You receive a Battle Scar when you activate this Power. If this Power is benign (e.g. healing), the target receives the scar.)
- Mage (Activating this Power requires at least two committed Actions and involves intricate use of the arms, hands and either the voice or an object. If interrupted during activation, the Power Fails.)
- Just about any attempt to interrupt the ritual should be successful. Even neutral events (like a cat wandering up) may cause it to fail. GM's discretion. If the cast time for the Power is longer than the minimum two actions required, the ritual must last for the entire cast time.
- Exhausting (After activating this Power, you cannot move quicker than a walk for one minute and suffer a -1 dice penalty for an hour.)
- Exhaustion penalties stack. If you activate this Power or another Power with Exhaustion, your penalty will continue to worsen.
- Sacrifice (Activating requires you to take a Severity-1 Injury instead of Exerting your Mind or spending a point of Source.)
- You cannot use Armor to soak this damage.
- Fuel (Using this Power consumes some material good in addition to its other costs.)
- The unit of material consumed per activation must be specified at power creation time. For example, "A quart of gasoline," or "a head's worth of human hair" etc. The amount should be proportionate to the difficulty to access the material. For instance, something you can get in town (gasoline, ink) should require a half gallon per activation, something abundant like water should require at least a gallon, something rare like mercury should require a cup or so.
- Monstrous (This Power causes a mutation that elicits a strong, negative social response from the average person in your World. The mutation is ALWAYS present and visible even if you are wearing long sleeves, pants, and shoes. Maximum one per Contractor)
- This mutation is ALWAYS present, even when the Power is not being used, and ALWAYS extreme and difficult to conceal. This mutation may complicate social situations at the GMs discretion. Maximum of one Power with the Monstrous Drawback per Contractor.
Parameter - Cast Time
Default Level: 1
Seasoned Threshold: 2
Veteran Threshold: 3
- 30 Minutes
- 1 Minute
- 2 Rounds
- 1 Round
- Free Action
Parameter - Range
Default Level: 0
Seasoned Threshold: 2
Veteran Threshold: 3
- Arm's Reach
- 20 feet
- 300 feet
- Line of Sight
Example Powers
Appraise - 2 Gift Investigate Object Power
The Thief examines an object closely for a minute to appraise its value. As their eyes dance across the subject, their pupils split vertically, and their irises fade to gold. If it is a particularly valuable item, the Thief may greedily lick their lips, revealing a forked tongue.
Within a minute, they have determined how materially valuable the object is and why.
Target an object within Arm's Reach and spend 1 Minute examining it. At the end of the cast time, roll Charisma + Academics, Difficulty 6. The information you gather depends on your Outcome.
Sentimental value is not revealed during this investigation.
1: The object's common material value
2: The object's highest material value
3: What about the object makes it so valuable
4+: Additional information at GM's discretion.
The number of information-revealing Enhancements attached to this power is limited to 2 for Novice characters, 4 for Seasoned characters, and 7 for Veteran characters.
- Cantrip: This Power has no Exertion cost, but its level is capped at 2 Gifts, and it cannot be upgraded further
-
Other Information: You can learn some other piece of information about the target
- Information: The objects highest material value and why it is worth so much