Water Powers (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

Water is the element of life, spirituality, and endless flowing cycles.

Water is matter in a liquid state and fluidity in general. In philosophy it is recognized as an element, sometimes as the first to form and the basis of all others, in others as the river that rings the world. Liquids often enable other elements to function, making earth fertile, filling the air with clouds and vapors, and either fueling or putting out fire. It is linked to the spiritual and nurturing side of life, and often considered a female element. Water powers often have subtle or indirect effects.

Water attacks can smash, drown, or be a corroding acid.

Water Power Effects Table

Action	Basic No minimum 3 Stress	Advanced Minimum 2 Dice 5 Stress	Master Minimum 4 Dice 7 Stress	Apex Minimum 6 Dice 13 Stress
Attune	Tide Tracker Detect water creatures and powers.	Tide Tilt Dismiss a water creature. End a Water power.	Tide Tamer Summon a water creature.	Tidewater Create a portal to the plane of water.
Command	Wave Words Water creatures understand your commands.	Wave Wisp Communicate with distant Water creatures.	Wave Whisper Command Water creatures as a superior.	Wave Warden Permanently bind Water creatures to service.
Consort	Fluid Fashions Clothes and accessories of Water.	Fluid Form Assume the form of a Water creature.	Fluid Flux Fluid Form a willing or helpless creature.	Fluid Flock Fluid Forgery on crowds.
Finesse	Ripple Ride Ride a swimming mount or water vehicle.	Ripple Rend Fine and potent melee attack.	Ripple Reach Fine control of water.	Ripple Riot A torrent suppresses scale.
Hunt	Splash Search Track in water.	Splash Shot Attack like a fine and potent rifle.	Splash Shape Control water terrain.	Splash Storm Water attack on an area.
Prowl	Stream Stealth Hide in water.	Stream Speed Breathe and move fast through water.	Stream Strategy Crew Stream Stealth and Stream Speed.	Stream Step Teleport crew between water locations.
Skirmish	Current Cure Resist water damage.	Current Cut Fine and potent melee attack.	Current Curbing Prevent scale in melee.	Current Clash Strike out in all directions, attacking all nearby enemies.
Study	Aqua Assessment Identify liquids, Water creatures, and Water powers.	Aqua Analysis Learn the powers and abilities of Water.	Aqua Archive Read the past events of Water.	Aqua Atlas Aqua Assessment on an area, then Aqua Archive.
Survey	Stream Sight Sense Water at a distance.	Stream Scope Perceive from any liquid.	Stream Spy Spy from a liquid.	Stream Sweep Perceive from many liquids at once.
Sway	Fluid Friend Understand Water creatures.	Fluid Fluency Communicate with Water creatures.	Fluid Fluster Post suggestions in a Water creature.	Fluid Fellowship Permanently change personality.
Tinker	Fluid Fabrication Emulate tools for liquids.	Fluid Formation Shaped liquids will retain their shape.	Fluid Fusion Create liquids out of nothing.	Fluid Foundry Fluid Formation on a large scale.
Wreck	Tide Tumble Pollute liquids or strike with a watery sledgehammer.	Tide Tear Evaporate liquids, slice as a watery blade.	Tide Tow Tide Tear, but destroyed targets disappear silently.	Tide Tsunami Tide Tear over a large area.

Expanded Powers

Attune

Harness the power of Attune to perceive and manipulate supernatural energies, allowing you to detect and interact with beings and phenomena from other planes of existence.

The consequences usually depends on what happens around you when you do it. Having helpers and bodyguards reduces the consequences, and sometimes a creature wants to be dismissed and the consequence might be that it loses control of itself, or that other creatures appear to intervene.

Tide Tracker Detect water creatures and powers.

This is usually done to spot a disguised summoned creature. However, it can also help identify a creature's connection to powers, providing valuable insights into their nature. Limited outcome suffices against something you can clearly see. You need greater outcome against against something that is hidden (standard outcome) or behind a wall (great outcome).

Tide Tilt Dismiss a water creature. End a Water power.

Dismissing a creature is hard and usually requires great outcome. A creature that has been wounded or otherwise weakened only needs standard outcome. A creature that wants to be dismissed requires only limited outcome.

Dispelling is usually easier. You can dispel any Water power or that affects a liquid or a Water creature.

Dispelling is often used as a setup action to help another character in a situation when the opposition is using powers. This improves the position of the supported action.

It can also be used to break the continuing results of powers. When used directly, the effect is usually limited unless the opponent is relying on powers for their safety. Against an opponent that uses power to breathe water you can have a better effect.

When dramatically appropriate that a power is hard to dispel, often because it is the crux of the situation, this will not negate the power but instead give you a clue to what you need to do to resolve the situation.

Tide Tamer Summon a water creature.

Summoning can bring you allies to fight or labor for you, giving you scale. They can also give advice and information related to their power. Summons can use simple powers and maintain powers you have created.

You can summon generic creatures without having to do a flashback. Such a creature is similar to a gang member in ability and are often summoned in groups to add scale. To summon a particular creature, similar to a cohort, you need its unique identity, often called true name in the mystical power traditions. For a technomancer this would be a type id number or block of data. Learning about the right creature to summon is a task in its own right, often requiring a flashback or downtime activity to use Command, Consort, Study, or Sway to gain information. It might be worth the extra effort to summon a creature of higher tier, but this is also much more demanding, using the usual rules for tiers.

Summoned creatures generally come in three types, elementals, spirits, and creatures with powers.

A Water is a simple creature totally dominated by its power. Most elementals have animal intelligence, and often take the shape of animals as well, tough waves, whirlpools, and humanoid forms are also common.

Spirits are immaterial, ephemeral, less physically oriented, instead manifesting the emotional and mental manifestations of Water: caring, mercurial, and spiritual. Spirits are more intelligent than elementals. They can use sophisticated powers and usually have an agenda of their own.

Creatures with powers resemble normal creatures, having a biological body, metabolism, and functioning as ordinary living creatures but also have some exceptional abilities related to their power. A Water dragon is impossibly large, swims through the sky, and can cause floods. Not all creatures with powers are summonable or dismissible, many are native to this world and have no special vulnerability to Attune powers.

Depending on your outcome the creature is willing to do different things. Limited outcome allows you to ask questions of an intelligent creature or demand a short period of physical labor from a simple creature. The creature will not fight for you. If forced into a fight due to circumstances, it will resent it.

Standard outcome allows you to ask for any service appropriate to the type of creature. A Water creature is not too choose, but its mercurial nature makes it fickle and it likes to rotate between multiple tasks. This includes dangerous tasks such as combat if the creature has such abilities, which most of them do.

Great outcome allows actions outside the creature's comfort zone, but not things it directly opposes. A Water creature abhors static tasks. Lengthy service also requires great outcome, like summoning the creature to guard a treasure for as long as it can.

Typical consequences include:

• A bargain of payment in things the creature prizes.
• You need to concentrate to keep the creature under control.
• The creature breaks things around you.
• Overly literal interpretations of your commands.
• The creature deliberately does its tasks poorly.
• Demanding not to be summoned again until some time or event has passed.

Offering a creature gifts or services appropriate to its nature can help. This is essentially a devil's bargain, accepting a price in advance. Desperate position usually comes from trading position for outcome (called trading position for effect in the rulebook), but it might come from a difference in ethos. If you are a priest of fire and summon a water spirit, or if the summon is three or more tiers above you the position will be desperate. Desperate consequences include a tightwire struggle to keep the creature under control, a demand that you sell your soul, become its agent in the world, that you come to its home plane to serve it there for a time (usually three scores), that you defeat the creature in a duel or similar dramatic story events.

Tidewater Create a portal to the plane of water.

Opens a route of transport to a plane of Water. A gate lasts for a while, enough for a quick score. If things take a lot of time it might require a separate use of the power to return home again. The first-time you gate to a certain place the position is at least risky and becomes desperate if there is any kind of disturbance.

Gating can allow access to creatures too powerful to summon, so you instead ask for an audience. The creature may then use the gate to come to you, call you into its presence, or just communicate with you.

There are things that are possible to do on these planes that are not allowed in the regular world, most Water power abilities are reduced one step in difficulty, from Advanced to Basic, Master to Advanced, and Apex to Master. This opens the possibility of new Super-Apex powers that have to be negotiated with the game master. Such power rarely reach outside the plane where you perform them, but if they affect creatures on that plane, they may remain when you return to the mundane world.

Command

Command and intimidate Water creatures, projecting authority. Position and effect depend on the situation and your relationship with listeners.

Wave Words Water creatures understand your commands.

This is useful for intimidating and commanding foreign or alien Water creatures. Combined with Sway: Fluid Friend, it allows two-way communication.

Wave Wisp Communicate with distant Water creatures.

You can communicate with Water creatures over any distance as long as you know the target, and a line-of-sight even if you do not. You can communicate with the most powerful Water creature in a vehicle or installation as long as you can see the exterior. The communication is simple and direct, suitable for the Command skill.

You can also use a surface of calm water to communicate with another creature also observing a surface of calm water, but this generally requires an agreed-upon time.

Wave Whisper Command Water creatures as a superior.

Targets will see you as a superior or alpha outranking them. This does not remove existing loyalties, which can lead to conflicts. Understanding the social order of your targets helps avoid conflict with their established loyalties. Ordering a pod of sharks to ignore a disturbance is harder (needs more outcome) than telling them to deal with it and move on, because their nature is to hunt.

Limited outcome might result in a creature not doing what it might not have done anyway, like forgetting to report you or give you a ticket. Standard outcome makes the creature do what it should, but in a way you decide, like a police officer escorting you to safety or doing you a quick favor. Great outcome means targets will ignore their normal routine and go out of their way to please you, like neutral faction warriors fighting for you, or enemies ignoring or fleeing from you.

The position depends on the creatures' actual relationship to you—ordering a creature that sees itself as your superior is a desperate position. A controlled position comes from a creature that agrees you are superior, usually just making retrying harder. A risky position is typical against a creature that sees itself as your equal and not your enemy, possibly leading to heat, misunderstood orders, or small rebellions.

Wave Warden Permanently bind Water creatures to service.

This won’t work unless you are already in a position of power. It is similar to Wave Whisper but permanent. Strong emotions can break your control, but otherwise, it lasts until dispelled.

Consort

Consort powers change your form and later that of other creatures. This often works as a set-up action, giving you a bonus to effect or improved position, make success automatic, or even allow an action that a human could not even attempt.

A common consequences is that you are mistaken for someone, or that your assumed form is somehow a hindrance. You might be obnoxiously attractive, trigger prejudices, or have unexpected handicaps.

Fluid Fashions Clothes and accessories of Water.

You do not physically change yourself, you change your accessorize and outfit. As an advanced ability, you can do this for another.

Fluid Form Assume the form of a Water creature.

This is a true physical transmutation. You need not assume the form of an existing creature, as long as the gamemaster agrees your new form is a Water creature.

Shapechange can work as a set-up action for a number of other actions but may penalize other things, as appropriate to your new form. When appropriate, your new form can use Basic and Advanced powers inherently without risking stress.

• Limited outcome: Transform into yourself like you would have been, had you grown up as the creature whose form you assume. Those familiar with you will recognize you.
• Standard outcome: A generic creature, very hard to recognize as yourself.
• Great outcome: Assume the shape and some of the personality of a specific creature you have studied.

Fluid Flux Fluid Form a willing or helpless creature.

This is Fluid Form applied to a willing or helpless creature. The duration depends of the outcome, limited outcome is very temporary. Standard outcome lasts for the duration of a score. Great outcome lasts a long time and potentially become permanent, depending on the the story. If you also want to make the target unrecognizable, that requires additional outcome, see Fluid Form.

This is sometimes used as a kind of poetic justice, transforming the target as a punishment, a curse that is very hard to break.

Fluid Flock Fluid Form on crowds.

This is where Consort becomes a combination of the Fluid Flux and Attune: Tide Tamer power abilities. You transform a number of existing creatures and give them a task that they will perform with gusto, turning them into minions. Targets must be willing, non-sentient like animals, or just very minor figures in the plot, many tiers below you.

This is usually used to create a host of goons that will fight and chase for you. Such goons are more interested in chasing and cornering targets than in actual combat. Or they can be given bit parts, friendly waves to act as servants or laborers.

Finesse

Exercise finesse with your power, manipulating and attacking with precision.

Ripple Ride Ride a swimming mount or water vehicle.

This allows you to use Finesse with Water creature mounts and water vehicles you are not familiar with. You can bypass simple locks on vehicles, but not more serious security. You can ride beasts even if they are not trained to carry a rider. They must still be physically able to carry you.

Ripple Rend Fine and potent melee attack.

Besides variety, this only substitutes for equipment, fine and potent finesse weapon is just as powerful. In a fight, using this does not take any more time, activating your attack power is equivalent to drawing a weapon.

Ripple Reach Fine control of water.

This allows you to manipulate small amounts of liquid, similar to what you could do by hand, but you can do so at short range, allowing you to push buttons, trigger devices, and perform legerdemain as long as you have liquid to act for you. This can substitute for simple Tinker actions, but nothing complicated. You can open doors, trigger or hinder mechanisms, or perform other minor manipulations, as long as the target is appropriate to your power.

Ripple Riot A torrent suppresses scale.

As Ripple Rend above, and you also create distractions. This is like having a number of trusty but entirely defensive allies in the fight and negates any scale advantage an enemy gets for having allies of their own.

Hunt

Track, attack, and unleash devastating barrages with the power of Hunt. At short range, this can be dangerous to you and yours.

Splash Search Track in water.

This works even if the quarry does not leave any mundane trail or clues. Consequences here are mainly to lose the trail, but depending on the environment and targets, it might lead you to get lost, into traps, or even into an ambush.

Splash Shot Attack like a fine and potent rifle.

Essentially, this serves as a replacement for traditional equipment; a fine and potent ranged weapon would be equally powerful in combat. While some targets may exhibit more or less vulnerability to specific types of attacks, this is the exception rather than the rule.

Splash Shape Control water terrain.

You can create waves, floods, rain, dew, and mist. This is usually used as a setup, but may also change how people act in reaction to the environment—rain and the like are likely to make people want to stay indoors or run out as the case may be. This does not inflict any direct damage.

Splash Storm Water attack on an area.

An escalation of Splash Shot. Less precise, this affects all creatures at a location, with a risk of collateral damage. Targets in trenches, behind walls, or otherwise shielded are not in direct danger, but tend to keep their heads down, which gives your side the initiative.

Prowl

Stream Stealth Hide in water.

Stream Speed Breathe and move fast through water.

Stream Strategy Crew Stream Stealth and Stream Speed.

Stream Step Teleport crew between water locations.

Skirmish

Current Cure Resist water damage.

Current Cut Fine and potent melee attack.

Current Curbing Prevent scale in melee.

Current Clash Strike out in all directions, attacking all nearby enemies.

Study

Aqua Assessment Identify liquids, Water creatures, and Water powers.

Aqua Analysis Learn the powers and abilities of Water.

Aqua Archive Read the past events of Water.

Aqua Atlas Aqua Assessment on an area, then Aqua Archive.

Survey

Stream Sight Sense Water at a distance.

Stream Scope Perceive from any liquid.

Stream Spy Spy from a liquid.

Stream Sweep Perceive from many liquids at once.

Sway

Fluid Friend Understand Water creatures.

Fluid Fluency Communicate with Water creatures.

Fluid Fluster Post suggestions in a Water creature.

Fluid Fellowship Permanently change personality.

Tinker

Fluid Fabrication Emulate tools for liquids.

Fluid Formation Shaped liquids will retain their shape.

Fluid Fusion Create liquids out of nothing.

Fluid Foundry Fluid Formation on a large scale.

Wreck

Tide Tumble Pollute liquids or strike with a watery sledgehammer.

Tide Tear Evaporate liquids, slice as a watery blade.

Tide Tow Tide Tear, but destroyed targets disappear silently.

Tide Tsunami Tide Tear over a large area.

Expanded Water Powers

Attune

Wave Watcher Detect water creatures and powers.

Wave Warden Dismiss a water creature. End a Water power.

Wave Summoner Summon a water creature.

Wave Gateway Create a portal to the plane of water.

Command

Tide Talker Water creatures understand your commands.

Tide Telepathy Communicate with distant water creatures.

Tide Tamer Command water creatures as a superior.

Tide Tyrant Permanently bind water creatures to service.

Consort

Aqua Attire Clothes and accessories of water.

Aqua Alteration Change the form of willing or helpless creatures.

Aqua Avatar Assume the form of a water creature.

Aqua Horde Aqua Alteration on crowds.

Finesse

Ripple Ride Ride a swimming mount or water vehicle.

Ripple Lancer Fine and potent melee attack.

Ripple Flex Fine control of water.

Ripple Frenzy A torrent suppresses scale.

Hunt

Hydro Hunt Track in water.

Hydro Rifle Attack like a fine and potent rifle.

Hydro Terrain Control water terrain.

Hydro Surge Water attack on an area.

Prowl

Liquid Lurk Hide in water.

Liquid Agility Breathe and move fast through water.

Liquid Adventure Crew Liquid Lurk and Liquid Agility.

Liquid Rift Teleport crew between water locations.

Skirmish

Liquid Lash Resist water damage.

Liquid Assault Fine and potent melee attack.

Liquid Lockdown Prevent scale in melee.

Liquid Rampage Strike out in all directions, attacking all nearby enemies.

Study

Liquid Lore Identify liquids, water creatures, and water powers.

Liquid Appraisal Learn the powers and abilities of water.

Liquid Flashback Read the past events of water.

Liquid Horizon Liquid Appraisal on an area, then Liquid Flashback.

Survey

Tide Awareness Sense water at a distance.

Tide Stream Perceive from any liquid.

Tide Witness Spy from a liquid.

Tide Totality Perceive from many liquids at once.

Sway

Fluid Embrace Command water creatures.

Fluid Friendship Communicate with water far away.

Fluid Hypnosis Post suggestions in a water creature.

Fluid Remold Permanently change personality.

Tinker

Fluid Finesse Emulate tools for liquids.

Fluid Artistry Shaped liquids will retain their shape.

Fluid Alchemy Create liquids out of nothing.

Fluid Architecture Fluid Artistry on a large scale.

Wreck

Hydro Havoc Pollute liquids or strike with a watery sledgehammer.

Hydro Haze Evaporate liquids, slice as a watery blade.

Hydro Annihilation Hydro Haze, but destroyed targets disappear silently.

Hydro Armageddon Hydro Haze over a large area.

Old Expanded Powers

Attune

Become attuned to the powers of water, enabling detection and manipulation of aquatic energies.

Wave Watch You can detect water creatures and powers.

Hydro Halt Force a water creature native to another plane of existence to return, or halt the operation of a water power.

Summon Stream Call forth a water creature from another plane, typically as an unwilling servant. Requires study or a dedicated effort to learn how to summon specific entities.

Deluge Doorway Create a temporary portal allowing travel to and from the plane of water.

Command

Exert authority over water creatures and communicate across realms of water.

Aquatic Orders Use the command action on water creatures, even if they wouldn't normally understand.

Hydrolexicon Communicate with water creatures and allies.

Hydro Hegemony Give commands to water creatures as if you were their superior, though existing loyalties may still cause conflicts.

Tide Tyranny Permanently bind water creatures to your service, turning them into literal-minded servants.

Consort

Merge with water energies to change forms and manipulate water-based phenomena.

Aquatic Attire Change clothes and accessories by imbuing them with water. Also grants the ability to breathe underwater.

Fluid Form' Assume the form of a water creature, gaining bonuses to actions but with drawbacks to other attributes.

Aquatic Evolution Shapechange a willing or helpless creature into a water creature, with the potential for the transformation to be permanent.

Hydro Horde Transform a large number of creatures into water-based versions, typically for a specific purpose like hunting.

Finesse

Exercise precision and control over water, both in manipulation and combat.

Ripple Ride Ride swimming mounts or water vehicles with ease, and gain the ability to breathe underwater.

Liquid Lance Use water as a close-range weapon or grant allies enhanced aquatic abilities.

Fluid Flexibility Precisely manipulate water at range, allowing for fine control and manipulation of objects and mechanisms.

Do fine control of water, allowing you to do small and exact manipulations at range. This allows you to open doors, trigger or hinder mechanisms, and perform other minor manipulations, as long as there is water.

Fluid Frenzy Manifest power as a torrent, suppressing opponents and acting as a potent weapon.

Hunt

Track and engage targets in water environments, utilizing water-based attacks.

Hydro Hunt Track and pursue targets in water environments, even without mundane trails.

Ripple Rifle Use water-based attacks similar to a rifle, with fine precision and potency.

Splash Squall Attack with water in a grenade-like fashion, effective against multiple foes but with collateral damage risk.

Aqua Artillery Call down a barrage of water-based attacks over a wide area, providing cover for escape.

Prowl

Move stealthily through water environments and manipulate aquatic abilities for advantage.

Liquid Lurking Be invisible when still in water, appearing as froth and turbulence when active.

Aqua Agility Move quickly on or through water at run speed.

Aqua Adventure Bring allies along when using Liquid Lurking and Aqua Agility.

Ripple Rift Teleport yourself and allies from one body of water to another within a regional range.

Skirmish

Engage in combat with water-based tactics and attacks.

Liquid Lash Use water as a close-range weapon for melee combat.

Aqua Assault Similar to Liquid Lash, but with increased potency and precision.

Liquid Lockdown Create distractions and obstructions with water, preventing enemies from benefiting from numbers.

Ripple Rampage Strike out in all directions with water-based attacks, hitting all enemies in the area.

Study

Gain knowledge and insight into water-related phenomena and utilize it for strategic advantage.

Liquid Lore Identify liquids, water creatures, and water powers.

Aquatic Appraisal Understand the powers and abilities of analyzed water-based subjects.

Fluid Flashback Read past events related to analyzed subjects, including movements and significant scenes.

Hydro Horizon Research wide areas to gain insight, then utilize hindsight on specific targets.

Survey

Perceive and understand water and its effects over various distances and locations.

Aquatic Awareness Sense liquids and water creatures from a distance, though range and information may be limited.

Sensory Stream Perceive a chosen liquid as if you were present at its location.

Witness Wave Gain sensory perception at the nearest liquid to a chosen location or creature.

Tide Totality Perceive from all liquid sources at once over a wide area, retaining this perception as long as concentration is maintained.

Sway

Understand and influence water creatures and their motivations.

Empathic Embrace Understand water creatures and gain insight into their motivations.

Fluid Friendship Communicate with water creatures and foster caring and spiritual connections.

Hydro Hypnotism Implant suggestions in the minds of water creatures, triggered under specified conditions.

Ripple Remolding Permanently alter the personality and motivations of water creatures, though the changes may be blatant.

Tinker

Manipulate and craft with water-based materials to create tools and devices.

Fluid Finesse Handle liquids as if equipped with appropriate tools and protective devices.

Aquatic Artistry Shape liquids as if they were clay, maintaining their new form for a duration.

Aqua Alchemy Create or transform liquids, including into complex tools and potent items.

Aqua Architecture Mass produce objects from water, including large-scale constructions like vehicles or buildings.

Wreck

Cause destruction and chaos using the power of water.

Hydro Havoc Pollute liquids and strike with a watery sledgehammer, leaving twisted objects in place.

Hydro Haze Evaporate liquids or strike with a watery sledgehammer or saw.

Aqua Annihilation Similar to Hydro Haze, but with targets silently disappearing.

Aquatic Armageddon Create widespread destruction over large areas using water-based attacks.