Difference between revisions of "Summon (Action Powers Technique)"
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== Impress Skill Description == | == Impress Skill Description == | ||
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Latest revision as of 11:55, 25 August 2023
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Heroic Action Role-Play |
Impress Skill Description
The ability to dominate socially and establish yourself in a leading role. Used to intimidate, lead, browbeat, and install respect. Typically associated with alpha males and the upper classes, Impress is just as important to a primadonna or dorm matron. Impress can be used to oppress or to encourage others, but in both cases you establish yourself as a superior. Impress skill defaults to Mind and an outcome matching this attribute on a stunt directed against Impress will often result in a Setback. Unskilled bullies can intimidate or threaten, but always do so in an obvious and direct manner; those skilled can Impress subtly and elegantly.
Use in Action
You make others feel frightened, uncomfortable, self-conscious, or inadequate. On a more positive bent you can also inspire, lead, rally, and be a figure of authority and confidence. You may do this by displaying impressive size, great skill, profound intellect, or just with an indefinable quality of superiority. Once you have successfully impressed someone, he is more likely to go along with your suggestions. This does not mean that he will automatically adhere to any request you make, but he will give it much more weight than he otherwise would have.
Knowledge
You know fashions and customs, and what you can do without breaking rules both written and unwritten. You know which clothes to wear for each occasion and how to wear them. You have at least an instinctive understanding of etiquette and how to use social rules to establish superiority, even if you could not put such rules into words. You know of famous leaders past and present and have a mental map of local hierarchies, even ones you have not had any contact with.
Contacts
You know people you have browbeaten in the past, and a few strong individuals who have stood up to you. These people respect you, but might secretly want to get back to you. You know people from the organizations you have been a part of it the past. Depending on your current circumstances, your superiors may still support you or want you dead. Your former underlings will still revere you, even if they've been ordered to smoke you on sight.
Perception
You understand social hierarchies and can pick out the leader of a group even if he hangs back. You can predict how crowds and troops act and move. You can pick the most useful underling for a specific task. You can judge people's confidence and know who to encourage and who to hold back. You notice weaknesses and phobias you can exploit or help to overcome.
Powers
Impress is linked to the forms of Earth, Mind, and Spiritual.
Stunts
Impress stunts are used to slow down and dominate others in and out of combat.
At Weapon Point
Trigger Action (Combo)
When you have the drop on someone, instead of immediately attacking them, you use your advantage to get them to converse with you. Another way to use At Weapon Point is with a hostage. After you successfully use Impress to cow a creature you have the drop on, you can use this stunt to make a Melee or Shoot attack that is normally a Basic Action. This is usually used against creatures that don't obey your instructions, but can be used immediately if desired. If you use Impress against multimple targets, you can still only make one reaction attack. To use this stunt, you have to have an obvious advantage - usually because the target is surprised, but other factors such as a Setback can allow it, at the GM's discretion.
Bad Cop Routine
Finisher
Make an opposed Impress roll against your target. This is generally used against a captive, but can be used anytime you are interrogating someone. If you succeed they spill the beans, answering your questions. Basically, they will do what they have to do to appease you, which means they might give you a plausible lie instead of an uncomfortable truth, especially if you ask leading questions. They also have no qualms about causing you harm as long as it is not obvious, such as by triggering a silent alarm. Combines well with Good Cop Routine.
Browbeat
Basic Action
You try to get an advantage or force someone else to cooperate with you. Make an opposed Impress roll against your target. If you succeed you gain an Advantage. It you score an Outcome matching the target's Mind, you inflict a Setback; the target suffers some direct penalty, as appropriate to the situation and what you did to him. He might cave in to your demands, run off scared, break down babbling, or otherwise lose his cool.
Demoralize
Basic Action
You try to demoralize another into a disadvantage. Make an opposed Impress roll against your target. If you succeed the target is Stymied. It you score an Outcome matching the target's Mind, you inflict a Setback; the target suffers some direct penalty, as appropriate to the situation and what you did to him. He might run off scared, fail to do anything, surrender, or otherwise lose his cool.
Gauge Reaction
Basic Action
This is useful to avoid pitfalls in social situations. You can gauge what another creatures reaction to an order or request would be. Decide on a hypothetical impress stunt and make an opposed Impress roll. On a success you can gauge the targets reaction if you succeeded with the actual stunt. You understand whether the request is reasonable or if the target is uncomfortable or even violently opposed to it, which means the stunt might require a Setback to achieve or even be impossible in extreme cases.
Upstage
Limit Break
You try to establish yourself as a person of prominence worthy of trust and responsibility. You generally only get one chance at this in each scene. Make an opposed Impress roll against the highest skill of those doubting you. On a success, you establish yourself as a person to be respected and not to be crossed. On an outcome matching their Mind you establish yourself in an alpha position, a leader, noble, or otherwise with a very strong authority. This makes it much more likely that they will accord you special privileges, such as accepting a settlement by negotiation or duel, but it does not make them friendly or make them back down from their position.
Scare
Basic action
Use this to scare someone to lay off and let you be for a while; on a success, the target loses three shots and backs off, allowing you to move by or away. If your Outcome matches the target's Mind, he is seriously scared and suffers an appropriate Setback instead.
Stand Up For
Trigger Action (Defense)
When one or more of your friends are the target of an ability where Impress is the difficulty, you can substitute your own Impress for that of your friends for the current shot. Normally, you need to be within Impress meters of them to do this, but if you have some means of communicating and are aware of the situation, you can use this at a longer range.
Terrorize
Limit Break
You make a Browbeat or Scare stunt that affects all enemies present. Roll separately for each. In certain cases, you can do this as a basic action, when you have a good enough stunt or setup in the GMs opinion. This is often the result of threatening hostages or a planned set-up.
Schticks
Schticks are mundane specializations.
Impress Schticks
Aura
Trigger Action (Defense)
There is something special about you. You are very ugly, majestic, holy, crazed, or otherwise special, and people tend to leave you alone because of it. Perhaps spooky events occur around you, people expect odd tings from you and around you, and will pay no heed to such occurrences unless they cause some kind of direct harm. Use this as a trigger action when someone would bother you; make an opposed Impress roll to make them stay back and desist, losing the action. This works as long as you remain passive (neither attacking nor running away, though using Impress or Charm is OK). Aura only works as long as the situation warrants it; if your goons have been defeated and your Master Plan revealed, you may have to follow the officer escorting you to prison. But he will be polite.
Authority
Inherent
You have had an authority invested in you by the powers that be. You might be a knight, tax collector, police, sheriff, inquisitor, sanctioned witch hunter, or spy catcher. Whatever your title, you are seen as a lawful agent of a higher authority.
As long as you proclaim your identity you can expect reasonable cooperation from authorities and respect from the general populace. You have the right and duty to investigate cases relevant to your authority and to use reasonable means to to enforce your edicts. Impress checks made under such conditions are routine.
You are allowed to use the gear your position requires, which often includes restricted weaponry. You may or may not wear a uniform, but you can always display proof of your authority and allegiance. In most cases your behavior is beyond inquiry, but if scandal erupts you might find yourself sacrificed as a scapegoat.
Backbone
Trigger Action (Defense)
When put under pressure, you can adopt a stubborn attitude and actively defend yourself. For the current shot you and allies within Impress meters can use your Impress +3 as the difficulty of any task where your Impress skill sets the difficulty. You also get this bonus when you do a Stand Up For stunt for creatures further away from you. In situations where loyalty to you is the issue, you can use Stand Up For at any range and without a means of communication, as you have instilled some backbone in your followers.
Blue Blood
Inherent
Your family is old and recognized for its nobility, one of the most prestigious in the land, a cut above everyone who does not have this schtick. In a campaign where most everyone is a noble (a chivalry campaign, for example) you may even be of royal blood. Those who care about such things will see you as a born leader, and your career often benefits. It is easy for you to be invited to parties and social functions, and you have relatives in high places. Your word is given due consideration, you are a valuable and reliable witness, and you will mostly be assumed to have a good reason to be wherever you are doing whatever it is you are doing, even if it might seem fishy. Even those who don't respect nobility find it hard to ignore your manners and bearing, it is clear that you are a person not to be trifled with. You're not automatically wealthy, some nobles are dirt poor. If you get caught with your hands dirty, Blue Blood may backfire; everyone loves a good scandal.
Challenge
Trigger Action
When a character you succeeded at an opposed Impress check against in this scene takes a hostile action against anyone but you, you can use Challenge to get an Advantage on your next die roll against them. As long as at least one unnamed creature in a group acts against a creature other than you, you can trigger Challenge, but only once for each group of mooks.
Display of Superiority
Finisher
When you defeat an opponent, you can offer them mercy and a chance to work for you. Make an opposed Impress roll. This is modified depending on personality and on how you defeated them. Single combat is generally the way to go. On a success, you turn the enemy into a follower, or at the very you least can extract some service or important concession from them. An opponent defeated this way is not dying and takes no long-term side effects other than the service.
Fashion Icon
Inherent
You have knowledge of fashions and understanding of what can be worn when and to provoke which reaction. This lets you dress for every occasion, and also gives you the savvy to dress oddly without causing a scandal. You are notorious in fashionable circles and have the presence and fame to create fashion trends. You can make an upstage stunt routine when fashion is relevant. This most commonly applies to dress and toilette, but it can apply to art, architecture, cuisine and other cultural traits as well.
Follower Focus
Focus
When you lead someone who succeeds at a task you can focus. "Someone you lead" applies to such things as Henchmen and Minions, but also to leadership actions such as Hands-On Leadership and Time for Action. The GM can say that you are the effective leader in a situation outside those described.
Hands-On Leadership
Basic Action
You can give a direct order to another creature and expect to have the order executed quickly and well. Decide on a Basic Action the target is to do; he must have any relevant equipment, powers, skills, or schticks to actually do the action you ordered them to do. The target may immediately do the action you ordered them to, but are not obliged to do so. They use their own skill value or your Impress, whichever is better. If you use this on a an unnamed character the action is executed for free, but a named character must take a Trigger Action to execute your order.
Henchman
Inherent
You have a follower, a loyal Henchman Extra with points 2/3 of yours. He looks out for your interest and can accompany you on adventures, tough he is not as accomplished as a true hero. Unlike most heroes, he is willing to perform menial tasks and can be ordered about more or less as you like, tough he will resent actual mistreatment. He is also capable of carrying out advanced orders independently, and performs well as a lieutenant or advanced errand boy. You can take this schtick several times to have several henchmen, to get a larger selection of followers to choose from, but generally only one of them accompanies you on each adventure. Your other henchmen can act as your agents and look out for your interests elsewhere
Heroic Identity
Inherent
You have a well-established costumed identity. Few people will question your right to investigate things, bear arms or ask pointed questions while in your heroic identity. You can also gain access to places and people unavailable to the general public. Police and other law enforcement figures will often cooperate with you, but not always. People will not question who you are and why you are in costume. Over time, your costumed identity has built an identity and reputation of its own. You can make two contacts checks for a skill, one for your mundane identity and one for your costumed identity. People may also turn to your costumed identity for help. You need not purchase this schtick to gain access to places your job ought to give you access to. Cops usually get access to crime scenes, military officers can get into military bases. But with Heroic Identity, you can usually get into either.
Maverick
Inherent
You have an established role; forthright, successful, and center stage but seen by some as crude or even evil. You might be the archetypal diva or the artist with a chip on his shoulder. You might be a legal eagle with courtroom manners worthy of your own TV show. You might be a maverick cop that all but tortures perpetrators. You might be a bulldog politician or shotgun journalist. You say the things most people wished they had the guts to say. You may use the full range of the Impress skill in situations where it would normally be inappropriate, and you are (almost) never punished for it. Your established domineering ways get much more tolerance than one would expect. You can browbeat witnesses into confessing, you can make the boss appear like a fool, and you can make colleagues and onlookers cry or cringe and get away without a reprimand.
Minion Experts
Limit Break
You have a group of versatile, dedicated, competent, unnamed NPC followers. They are not the best in a fight, but they can perform backup tasks, investigations and the like while you handle the serious threats. They are often supplied by an organization you work for. Construct your experts as a group of Minion Rabble, with 1/2 of your points. Each expert can be different. You can define these beforehand or during play, but you can only call on the services of one expert each scene. If a minion expert is defeated, they or an equivalent replacement are available again for the next story.
Minion Gang
Limit Break
You have a group of dedicated followers, a small group of elite but identical and unnamed NPCs who act as your bodyguards or close assistants. Construct your followers as a group of Minion Rabble with 1/2 of your points. You gain a number of followers equal to your Mind attribute. If they are defeated or lost, you can renew them up to your normal limit at the beginning of each session, tough the GM may not allow this if you are isolated.
Minion Horde
Basic Action
You have a horde of faceless minions, loyal but rather incompetent lackeys that follow your every whim. They follow you when ordered to, and spread out over the neighborhood, making a nuisance of themselves but also ready to come to your aid at a moments notice.
You generally have a number of minions equal to your Mind in play at once. If they are defeated or lost, you can renew them up to your normal limit by using a Basic Action, and they renew themselves at the start of each round in an action scene.
Construct your followers as a group of identical Minion Rabble with half your points -20 and a maximum value three lower than yours. Your minions are not allowed to take the Formation or Troop schticks. You can pick this schtick an additional time to allow your minions to take these schticks. This also gives you a number of minions equal to your Impress. You can then pick this schtick further times, each time you gain an additional large group of followers.
Look Out Sir!
Trigger Action (Result)
With this schtick, unnamed allies near you tend to end up in the line of fire instead of you, as if your minion had used the Interpose stunt. The minion pays the shot cost, not you. Whenever you take a Hit and such an NPC is near (within his Move meters), that NPC becomes the target of the attack - which is then executed normally with the new target. This saves your skin at the expense of your unnamed allies. You can use this Trigger Action even when you would normally not be allowed to take actions, such as in reaction to another Trigger Action, against a Sneaking enemy, or when out of shots.
Official
Inherent
You are a ranking official in some important organization, and your word is law there. You could be a military officer, district attorney, chief medical officer, chief of police and so on. No-one in your organization questions your authority. You do have superiors, but for one of them to correct you would be a loss of face for the organization. You can usually use this authority to gain access to places and resources of related organizations as well.
Overbearing Presence
Inherent
When you make a successful Impress stunt to affect an opponent, add +3 to your Outcome. This works as if you had Advantage which means it stacks with anything else. Outcome is commonly used to determine if you score a Setback.
Rally
Limit Break
You can inspire people to extraordinary efforts. You heal one Hit on a number of creatures equal to your Mind within Impress meters of you, as long as they can hear your voice and have not suffered any Damage Setback. You can even revive defeated/unconscious allies this way.
Shock and Awe
Trigger Action
When you use At Weapon Point against multiple opponent's, you can take multiple trigger Action to attack each of them, not just one.
Signature Summon
Inherent
You have a creature that you keep summoning throughout your career and that develops as you do. This is a Henchman Star, and it must spend at a third of its points on Attributes. Your fates are entangled, but the creature is entirely free-willed. In order to use its services you must Summon and either control it or bargain with it.
Silver Spoon
Inherent
You were born with the proverbial silver spoon; you have never lacked for wealth. Whenever you are in a culture with normal commerce with your home, you have access to lots of money, and can easily buy or hire most things you could ever want. Make sure you have some motivation to adventure other than money, or you might retire from adventuring before you know it.
Streetwise
Inherent
You are at home on the streets and in sub-cultures of the downtrodden and outcast. You can gain instant respect and a fair degree of trust from criminals, the impoverished, and outcasts. They may or may not treat you as one of their own, but neither will they try any of the tricks they play on outsiders. You keep abreast of rumors and developments on the street. You can to use Impress on appropriate Gather Information checks.
Swagger
Basic Action
You have "the look", and can dazzle onlookers by your mere presence. This is great for becoming the center of attention at social events. You can make an upstage stunt as a basic action.
Tactics
Inherent
You have a good sense of personal and small unit tactics. You can sense at what shot creatures within Impress meters will act, and you can sense the groups minions and are organized in, who leads who, and creature's typical combat mode and Role. All of these actions are automatic and take no time to use. You cannot read creatures whose Impress is higher than yours.
When the GM has you make a roll to discern enemy tactics or deployments, such rolls are Confident.
Vision
Inherent
You have a vision, perhaps of divine origin. You wholeheartedly believe in this vision, and you have a strange power of attraction, gathering followers and creating enemies of this new vision of yours. Your vision appeals to a certain type of people, few of them are unaffected by it. It might be a vision to liberate all slaves or to reform a religion, and all slaves and slave owners or all who believe in the religion will be very much concerned. In this way, you will quickly gather followers, but you have very little control over their actions. They will hold you in high esteem, as a spiritual guide and mentor. You also get enemies opposed to your views. This is a schtick for great visionary leaders, like Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, or Mahatma Gandhi, but also of tyrants such as Adolph Hitler. It makes you very much the center of the campaign, and should therefore only be taken with the GMs permission. Generally, visionaries tend to be NPCs who the PCs are either to help or hinder.
Summon Powers
These are powers related to the Impress skill.
Summons and controls creatures related to the form. A powereful technique with very absolute results, but hard to use in that it requires true names.
Impress Air
Foul Air
Basic Action
You foul the air in a diameter equal to your Mind. The cloud is impenetrable to most senses, giving a penalty of -1 on Shoot and perception checks per meter of foul air in between. A living, breathing creature in the cloud who spent any time during his current action in the cloud must make an opposed Impress check with you; on a failure he cannot act. Characters in the cloud can move even if the roll fails. The cloud lasts for a scene unless dispelled or dispersed by strong wind.
Magnificent Entrance
Basic Action
As your first action in a scene, you can do either a First Impression or Scare stunt that affects everyone who can see and hear you.
Pushing Winds
Inherent
When you succeed at a stunt, schtick or an Air Power using Impress, Maneuver, Melee, or Shoot you have the option to use this power to move targets you succeeded against 2 meters away from you. Targets can choose to lose one shot instead. Those with Body greater than your Impress are immune. This also causes loose objects, dust and sand to fly about. Pushing Winds does not stack with any movement or shot loss the stunt or power already has - use the longer movement and higher shot loss.
Summon Air Elemental
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Air Elementals.
Suffocate
Limit Break
You deny the target air or fills its lungs with foul vapors, making it unable to breathe with an opposed Impress roll against the target's Impress.
Each time a suffocating target tries to take an action, it must make an opposed Impress or Ride check against you, or the action fails. The target is still allowed to move even on a failed roll, but the foul air moves with it. If the targets opposed roll fails by a margin equal to the target's Body, it takes one Hit. If the roll succeeds by a margin equal to your Mind, or you suffer a Setback, the power is negated. It otherwise lasts for a scene.
A creature that does not breathe is immune to this power, but machines powered by combustion can be affected.
Impress Animal
Flashing Teeth
Basic Action
You attempt to cow all opponents within Mind meters, threatening them do desist by showing your dominance. Make an opposed Impress check against each of them; on a success any attack or stunt the target attempts against you in this scene has a minimum difficulty equal to your Impress. You can only try this once against a particular opponent in a particular scene. If you suffer any Setback, Flashing Teeth is negated, in addition to the normal effect of the Setback.
King of the Beasts
Basic Action
You can control certain types of normal animal; either one family of animals (canines, raptors, ants) or a set of themed animals like the wolf-bat-rat set common to vampires. It does not work on creatures of the Animal type that are not normal, natural animals.
Make a Impress roll against the highest attribute or skill of the target animal. You can call one named creature or a number of unnamed creatures of the same type equal to your Mind. If the animals are domestic, their handler can use Impress, Ride or other appropriate skill as the difficulty. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will run a way, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every hour; a failed roll out of combat means the animals escape from you.
Your control is absolute; the animals will die for you, and can go against their instincts in your service. You can use a Finisher on an animal thus controlled as it is helpless to resist you.
If the animals are not present, they are called and seek you out, but it will take a while before the full number of some unusual animal arrives. You can establish control of animals as far a s a kilometer away per point of Mind you have.
If you learn this power twice, you can control any animal, not just one family of animals.
Possess Animal
Finisher
You take over the body of an animal, taking absolute control of it the animal's attributes but using your skills. You use your own Fortune points but the Hits of the animal body. Your body is either a trance (where you are automatically surprised if attacked), or you can merge your body into that of the animal, effectively disappearing from the world only to reappear next to the animal once the power ends. The size of the animal is immaterial; you can merge even with a very large or very small animal. Once established, this power has no range limit; the animal can move anywhere and you can retain control. If an animal you are possessing suffers a Setback, you are expelled and take one Hit. If an animal you have merged your body with is killed, you take a Damage Setback.
Summon Animal
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Animals. Animals summoned this way can be animal spirits taking on material form or might come from an alternate dimension or time. You can summon animals from the environment around you, but if you do those animals must travel to your location under their own power.
Tame the Beast
Finisher
The target loses his sentience; he starts to behave like a domesticated animal. Like a tame animal, he can be led about, ordered to perform simple tasks, or even pushed into a fight or lead to the slaughter. He still remembers his friends, but not his foes. This is a Curse.
Web
Limit Break
You create sticky webs in a diameter equal to your Mind and cause them to restrain selected creatures in the area. Make an Impress check against each target's Dodge. On a success the target is partially bound and suffers one of the penalties noted below. On an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes he is severely bound and suffers three of the conditions. Conditions are applied in this order; immobilized, bound legs, bound arms, hogtie, blindfolding. Apply the first condition on this list the target doesn't already suffer from. Physical restraint in Action does not completely prevent a hero from action, they impose handicaps to be overcome.
- Gagging prevents mundane speech. Stymies all Charm and Impress checks.
- Handcuffing is when your hands are tied in front of you, but not so tightly as to make them completely unusable; you can still use one hand effectively, such as using weapons or tools of Small size or smaller.
- Hobbling indicates restrained legs, but not fixed to each other. It means you cannot move as part of a normal Basic Action, and can only move your normal move when you do a Full Move action or otherwise do an action that grants extra movement..
- Immobilized, stuck to something, alternatively on a short leash which prevents movement beyond one or two meters. If you are stuck to a creature whose Body is greater than yours, you are forced along as it moves, otherwise you are both immobilized unless you two cooperate.
- Bound Legs you fall prone and cannot stand unsupported, which prevents and hinders many actions as determined by the situation and stunt description. Your Move is reduced to 1. Swimming and flying creatures are entangled, with similar effects.
- Bound Arms prevent most physical manipulation and the use of weapons and implements. You can still use tackles and head butts for (Body +0) damage or a Tiny Ranged Weapon, but limited to Close range.
- Blinded restricts your awareness, giving you only a rough estimate of objects and creatures in a diameter equal to your Mind; you are insensitive to things beyond this range. Everyone has enough concealment to Sneak on you, and against creatures beyond your perception range, you have to use Reflexes rather than Recon for defense against Recon stunts.
- (or more) Hogtie A hogtied character cannot act physically and can only move one meter as a standard action; no movement is otherwise allowed. This also prevents all Defense actions.
Creatures entering the webbed area runs the risk of being entangled; the Free Running difficulty in the area is equal to your Impress. Creatures with web abilities are immune to this. Web restraints can be dispelled, escaped with a Contortions stunt pitting Reflexes against your Mind or destroyed; they have a Body equal to your Impress. Unlike other bonds, large weapons do not suffer a penalty when severing webs.
Impress Chi
Chi Duel
Basic Action
You lock eyes with another creature to initiate a psychic contact with another character within Mind meters. This plays out entirely in your two minds. The two of you engage in a single round of interaction. You can use any powers, equipment, or other features normally. The target intuitively understands how this works.
This combat never really happens and takes up no time; it is merely a what-if scenario to display your relative strengths. The rest of the world is there for the encounter, and can be interacted with normally, but takes no actions. Anything used or altered in this round is not used or altered in the real world.
Once the one round is over, the link goes down and you are each left to your own devices, as you were before the chi duel.
Reaching Grasp
Trigger Action (Combo)
Use this after you have scored a Melee hit on an opponent. The minimum difficulty of any teleport powers the target tries to use for the rest of the scene is equal to your Impress, and you can use an Active Defense if you are aware of the attempt.
Resist Powers
Trigger Action (Defense)
Whenever a power is successfully cast against you, make an opposed Mind roll. If you make it, the power fails to affect you.
This is a meta-power that affects other powers. In some campaign worlds there is a strong Origin Divide among different origins. Check with your GM regarding your campaign. Origins that are opposed cannot cannot be modified by meta-powers; it is as if powers from the opposing origin was actually a schtick rather than a power.
Winner Takes All
Finisher
You learn the True Name of the defeated or helpless creature.
Impress Dark
Blinding Darkness
Basic Action or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress roll, on a success the target is blinded for the rest of the round. On an outcome matching the target's Reflexes the target is blinded for the rest of the scene. If performed as a Finisher, the effect is a Curse.
Contract Domination
Limit Break
Use this when making a contract with another creature. The contract must be formal and blood must be involved; either a written contract signed in blood or a sworn oath accompanied by mixing the blood of those forsworn. If this contract is broken the breaker suffer a Finisher of your choice - you must know Form of the Finisher he is to suffer, but need not know the exact power. Then the contract is null and void for any remaining participants.
Day-Blind
Finisher
The target cannot see in normal light, being effectively Blind. The target can still use powers that provide vision, as long as they do not rely on light. This is a Curse.
Devil Contract
Finisher
You Curse the target with a devil contract. Stipulate a condition when the devil is summoned to attack the cursed creature. The cursed creature need not know this condition, but it is often in your best interests to inform the victim. When the condition occurs, the devil appears and does its best to kill the cursed creature, as well as anyone nearby who interferes. It then disappears. If the devil is defeated or kills the victim, the curse ends.
When you use this power, pick a devil you have the True Name of and make a confident Impress check. If successful, you successfully bind the devil to the contract. If the contract is nefarious and evil, you gain a bonus on this roll; generally +3 but possibly as high as +5. If you bind unnamed devils, a group equal to your Mind in numbers appear.
Dull Mind
Basic Action, Limit Break, or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress, on a success the target's Mind suffers a penalty of -1 until the end of the scene. This can be increased by various factors:
- If performed as a Limit Break, the penalty is increased by two.
- If the attack scores an Outcome matching the target's Mind, the penalty is increased by two.
- If performed as a Finisher, the penalty is increased by two and the effect is a Curse - including any previous use of Curb Advantage.
Infernal Focus
Trigger Action (Focus)
If you are within Mind meters of a Bound or willing Devil, you can focus. If the Mind of the Devil is less than yours, it takes a Hit. If you are a Devil you can use this power on another creature within Mind meters. The target becomes focused. If your Mind is less than that of the target, you take a Hit.
Summon Devil
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Devils.
Wracking Pain
Basic Action
Make an opposed Impress roll to inflict dire pain on an opponent. Any stances the target is maintaining are broken. The target cannot start any stances or take any trigger actions until the end of the next round. On an Outcome matching the target's Body he cannot take trigger actions for the rest of the scene.
Impress Death
Awaken the Dead
Limit Break
You can resurrect the dead as Undead monstrosities. Depending on the condition of the corpse, it might be a bare-bones skeleton or just a pale version of itself while alive. The creature must have been truly alive at one point, which means it should have been an Animal or Folk at one time. The creature must be willing to be resurrected, and they know who you are and what your supernatural allegiances are before deciding. Most dead folk are content to be dead, only the ambitious would consider resurrection unless a former tie calls them back.
The creature gains the Undead type and the xx, xx, and xx powers using the Gifts Origin. It is otherwise the same as it was while it was alive.
Command Undead
Basic Action
You can control an undead creature (or group of unnamed creatures) whose True Name you know with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to control it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every 15 minutes, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature.
Death of the Senses
Limit Break, Finisher
With an opposed Impress roll you dull the targets senses to the point of non-functionality; sight becomes a blur, hearing faint, taste and smell stagnant, and touch painful. The target becomes unable to perceive anyone beyond Mind meters and even inside this area, targets have concealment enough to Sneak. When stuck by this power, all enemies become hidden from the target, and anyone out of the sensory area becomes hidden while the power is active.
While under Death of the Senses, targets visible to friends are not automatically spotted by the victim; it takes a successful Scan from the victim or that an opponent acts against the victim to make them visible.
Lasts for a scene. If the initial roll scored an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes the effect lasts for the session or until dispelled. It can also be used as a Finisher, in which case it is a Curse.
Death Curse
Trigger Action
When you suffer a Mortal Wound you can make an opposed Impress check against your slayer if you sense them or know their name. If successful, you can apply any Finisher you know to them.
Frailty
Basic Action, Limit Break, or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress, on a success the target's Body suffers a penalty of -1 until the end of the scene. This can be increased by various factors:
- If performed as a Limit Break, the penalty is increased by two.
- If the attack scores an Outcome matching the target's Body, the penalty is increased by two.
- If performed as a Finisher, the penalty is increased by two and the effect is a Curse - including any previous Frailty from this scene.
Paralyze
Basic Action
Make an opposed Impress roll to to paralyze an opponent. On a success the target is paralyzed on his next basic action. On an Outcome matching the target's Body he is paralyzed on his next three actions. Paralysis can carry over from round to round. A paralyzed target cannot take any action until the paralysis wears off. This prevent Trigger Actions, but Stances continue to work.
Possession
Finisher
You take over the target's body. He becomes a passenger in his own body, barely even aware of what happens. You take on the body and appearance of the target. Initially, use the physical attributes Body and Reflexes of the host body, but these attributes revert to your usual values if the possession continues at the end of the story. The basic appearance (modified by attribute changes), gender, and age of the host remains. If you have Soul Bind or Soul Transfer you can include the use of either of those as a part of a single Finisher.
Soul Bind
Finisher
Binds the soul of the target to you - either directly to your own soul or to a specially prepared receptacle. A creature whose soul has been bound like this cannot be resurrected, communed with, turned into an undead, or otherwise interacted with. If the target was alive when soul bound, the body remains alive but is inanimate and needs to be cared for or it will die of hunger and thirst. Such an empty body is also extremely vulnerable to possession. The bound soul can be traded, communicated with, or used to possess a soulless body.
Breaking the receptacle or dispelling the power frees the soul. If the creature's body is still alive, the soul goes back there. Otherwise it merely dies.
Summon Undead
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Undead.
Terror
Basic Action
Make an opposed Impress roll to cause terror in each enemy in a diameter equal to your Mind. On a success the target is terrorized on his next basic action. On an Outcome matching the target's Mind he is terrorized for the rest of the round.
A terrorized target who can see you must back as far away from you as possible, using his Move before taking each basic action, spending the movement portion of the basic action to do so. He cannot move closer to you under his own volition. He can otherwise act normally.
This only affects mortal creatures; Animals and Folk.
Impress Earth
Dimensional Loadstone
Basic Action
Make an opposed Impress roll to prevent the target from using teleport powers for the rest of the scene.
Earthshield
Trigger Action (Defense or Combo)
You create a barrier of earth and stone with a Toughness equal to your Impress. It is about a meter square has a height up to your Mind in meters. It must be created in contact with a solid surface. If you create the Earthshield next to you, you have the option of being lifted up on top of it as it grows. The Earthshield crumbles pretty quickly and is reduced to rubble soon after the scene ends, even if it does not take any damage.
You can use Earthshield in many ways:
- Create a barrier to block an attack (giving a +3 bonus on Dodge to either you or another.
- Create a barrier to prevent someone from moving (which sets the Free Running difficulty of the move to your Impress). This works even against low-flying creatures, and if they fail the roll they land.
- To assist an Impress stunt against creatures standing on the ground, allowing a reroll of a failed stunt by creating a pillar under the speaker, lifting him above his spectators.
- To perform stunts using large amounts of unstable earth, such as putting out fire, spreading debris, and similar situation-specific stunts using your Impress to substitute for the skill normally used. In this case, the trigger action is in addition to the shots spent on the action itself (usually a Basic Action).
Summon Earth Elemental
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Earth Elementals.
Impress Electricity
Jolt of Action
Basic Action
You give another the a jolt of action. The target may immediately take what is normally a Basic Action and also gains one shot to his shot counter - not exceeding the current shot.
Shocking Gaze
Trigger Action
Whenever you first come within Mind meters of a creature in a particular scene, you may do a Scare stunt as a trigger action.
Summon Electric Elemental
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Electric Elementals.
Impress Fey
Align Fairy
Finisher
You can change a fairy creature, aligning it with a new natural phenomenon or ideal. This only work on faeries that have an alignment to either a natural feature (tree, element, place etc) or ideal (seelie, unseelie, death, etc). This can be a dramatic change, but the fairy still remains essentially the same creature. For example, a merciless red cap can be changed into a gnome, but would still be rather militant, It could not be changed into a brownie unless it was already solitary.
In order to align a fey with something, that thing must be present. You cannot change a dryad (tree fairy) into am oread (mountain fairy) unless you actually are at a mountain. You cannot change seelie into unseelie unless there are other unseelies present, or if you are in a place strongly aligned with the uneelie.
Fairy Law
Inherent
You institute a law that applies to locale where you are the acknowledged master. The stronger your social position, the larger this area is. You must announce the law very publicly, but can do so in a mysterious way or withhold certain details. A creature in the area of a faerie law is allowed an opposed Know roll against your Impress. If the roll fails, he has heard of the law but only as a vague rumor; his actions are likely to be very cautious and superstitious. If the roll succeeds, he knows the letter of the law. You normally have only one faerie law running at any time. You can buy the power multiple times to institute several fairy laws. If a faerie law you instituted is negated, you can institute a new (but not the same law again) in the next session. If you lose control of the location, the law still persists. Faerie Law is considered a Curse on the locale and can be broken as such, removing the law. The way to break the curse always resonates with the law, often demanding the law is broken and the consequences challenged or remedied. Another common means is a challenge against the current owner of the land. The forbidden act is often a common thing such as eating meat pies of a Friday or entering and leaving a building by the same door. A creature breaking this law is automatically punished by a Finisher chosen when the law is instituted. At your option when you institute the law the curse can strike the land instead of the trespasser, rapidly turning it into a nightmare wasteland inhabited by malicious creatures. You cannot negate this punishment; once the law is instituted, it applies to all, even you. Some faerie laws demand actions rather than forbid them, but exact rules for such laws must be individually crafted by the GM, often as the plot of an adventure.
Geas
Finisher
For the crime of watching the forest queen and her maids dance you must always join any dance you see, until you have danced with a maid of each of the 12 tribes of Ollin, on pain of being transformed into a cloud of putrid gas!
You Curse the target with a Geas, a condition he must obey and fulfill or suffer a Finisher you choose when you inflict the geas. You need not know the finisher you select. If the target actively works against the purpose of the geas, or if he fails to try and fulfill the geas for an entire week, he suffers the selected Finisher. The more demanding the geas is, the easier the Curse is to break. The exception is that a geas linked to the target's earlier actions, making for poetic justice, can be incredibly hard to break. If the target accepts the geas and ceases trying to have it removed, it counts as a Limitation and gives the target extra points.
Summon Fey
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Fairies, Gifted, and Strange.
Impress Fire
Fired Up
Limit Break
You recover one Hit and one Fortune point, up to your normal maximums. In addition, your shot counter is set to the current shot, making this action not cost any shots to perform. You cannot perform another Limit Break this round.
Fireworks
Basic Action
You can cause superficial fire effects in a wide area, such as smoke, sparks and flashes. This can be done to entertain or to distract. When used to distract, this provide provides cover to Sneak. You can also use this to scare many people at once, to send messages in giant flaming letters across the sky, create huge burning images and otherwise impress with fireworks.
Fireworks can be made small and local or very very visible, up to a hundred meters or so in daytime to ten kilometers on a clear, calm nigh.
Ring of Fire
Basic Action
You create a barrier of fire that binds creatures in place, making it dangerous for them to move. Make a roll of Impress vs. Dodge or Impress of each enemy in a diameter equal to your Mind. On a success, the target is surrounded by a barrier of fire. This has no effect on actions, but if the creature moves it must cross the barrier, taking Fire damage equal to your Impress plus a bonus roll. The barrier expires at the end of the scene or a prisoner can try to escape as a Basic Action with an opposed Maneuver vs. your Impress.
Summon Fire Elemental
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Fire Elementals.
Impress Flux
Awful Luck
Basic Action, Limit Break, or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress check to Stymie the target. As a Limit Break you can affect all enemies within an area Mind meters in diameter. Used as a Finisher the target is automatically Cursed by being permanently Stymied, no roll required.
Chaos Finisher
Limit Break
You invoke the powers of chaos, striking out blindly at those near you. Select a Finisher that you can use. This finisher will strike a random creature, possibly yourself. The GM selects six creatures as possible targets, starting with you, then nearby enemies, then nearby friends, then random bystanders. If there are not enough targets nearby, the effect can strike some random creature far away.
Summon Whimsy
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Whimsies.
Tap Luck
Finisher
The target loses three Fortune points. If the target originally had 3 or more Fortune points, you recover one Fortune point. If you gain Fortune in excess of your Mind this way you must spend any excess points by the end of the scene, or they are lost. You can only use this finisher once per target per session.
Impress Force
Force Bonds
Basic Action
You conjure bands of pure force and use them to restrain a creature. Make an Impress check against the target's Dodge. On a success the target is partially bound and suffers one of the penalties noted below. On an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes he is more severely bound and suffers three of the conditions, or you can apply one restriction of your choice. Roll 1d6 for a random restraint, adding +1 for each previous restraint.
Physical restraint in Action does not completely prevent a hero from action, they impose handicaps to be overcome.
- Gagging prevents mundane speech. Stymies all Charm and Impress checks.
- Handcuffing is when your hands are tied in front of you, but not so tightly as to make them completely unusable; you can still use one hand effectively, such as using weapons or tools of Small size or smaller.
- Hobbling indicates restrained legs, but not fixed to each other. It means you cannot move as part of a normal Basic Action, and can only move your normal move when you do a Full Move action or otherwise do an action that grants extra movement..
- Immobilized, stuck to something, alternatively on a short leash which prevents movement beyond one or two meters. If you are stuck to a creature whose Body is greater than yours, you are forced along as it moves, otherwise you are both immobilized unless you two cooperate.
- Bound Legs you fall prone and cannot stand unsupported, which prevents and hinders many actions as determined by the situation and stunt description. Your Move is reduced to 1. Swimming and flying creatures are entangled, with similar effects.
- Bound Arms prevent most physical manipulation and the use of weapons and implements. You can still use tackles and head butts for (Body +0) damage or a Tiny Ranged Weapon, but limited to Close range.
- Blinded restricts your awareness, giving you only a rough estimate of objects and creatures in a diameter equal to your Mind; you are insensitive to things beyond this range. Everyone has enough concealment to Sneak on you, and against creatures beyond your perception range, you have to use Reflexes rather than Recon for defense against Recon stunts.
- (or more) Hogtie A hogtied character cannot act physically and can only move one meter as a standard action; no movement is otherwise allowed. This also prevents all Defense actions.
These restraints cannot be burst, but they can be dispelled, escaped with a Contortions stunt pitting Reflexes against your Impress. If your concentration is broken (typically a Setback) the force bonds disappear. If they take damage matching twice your Impress they disappear, but you can choose to take a Trigger Action to sustain the force bonds, exerting yourself to increase the limit to three times your Create for the current shot. Weapons larger and more unwieldy than a dagger take an attack penalty equal to their damage add when attacking force bonds.
Someone held in Force Bonds cannot teleport.
Force Cage
Limit Break
You create a cage to imprison a creature in an immobile cage of power. The cage is transparent and permits conversation. No powers or attacks can bypass it but it can be destroyed. If it takes damage matching twice your Impress it disappears, but you can choose to take a Trigger Action to sustain the force cage, exerting yourself to increase the limit to three times your Impress for the current shot. It can be broken with a Feat of Strength by Body matching your Impress. If your concentration is broken (typically a Setback) the force cage disappears.
You must make an Impress attack against the creature's Dodge to imprison a creature. Creatures can be summoned to appear inside the cage; this is automatically successful. The cage can be used to protect allies, objects, and bystanders as well as imprison foes. It can also protect against extremes of weather and environment.
Force Prison
Finisher
You create a cage to imprison a creature in an mobile cage of power, slightly larger than the creature. The effect is similar to Force Cage except that it is a Curse, invulnerable to brute force, and that you can move the prison with a Move equal to your Mind as a Basic Action. The creature inside does not need to consume or excrete anything.
Hamper
Basic Action or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress roll, on a success the target's Move suffers a penalty of -1 until the end of the scene. This can be increased by various factors.
- If the attack scores an Outcome matching the target's Move, the penalty is increased by two.
- If performed as a Finisher, the penalty is increased by two and the effect is a Curse - including any previous Slow results.
The target also loses as many shots as the penalty, with a minimum of three shots lost.
Impress Gifts
Alpha Beast
Finisher
You learn the True Name of the defeated or helpless creature.
Assume Identity
Basic Action
You can imitate a creature whose True Name you know, becoming that creature. You use that creatures abilities and statistics in place of your own, with one exception; you still use your own Impress skill to keep your shape-changed self under control.
It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to assume the creature's form. You do not have access to the imitated creatures memories, and if the creature assumes control it suffers from Amnesia and only has confused memory-images to go on, both from your memories and from the form it has.
Each round in which you remain shape-changed, you need to use this power and roll your Impress against the creature's Dodge or Impress in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every 15 minutes, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature.
When you lose control of your shape, it will act as that creature normally would. Because of its incomplete memories, the creature is usually confused and afraid in this situation. This generally means it either attacks or runs away, depending on the situation. You can try to regain control at the end of the scene, and after one day has elapsed. If both these rolls fail, you have to find someone to help you out of your predicament; your shape-changed form will sometimes look for such help from half-remembered friends of yours. Other times, the creature instead seeks out companionship and help appropriate to its current shape.
As long as you remain in control, you can resume your own shape as a Basic Action. If you use this to impersonate the creature whose form you take, that is a Charm stunt.
Corruption
Finisher
Infect your victims with your own supernatural essence: if this taint is left unchecked they become supernatural creatures as well. This is a particularly nasty Curse. A victim of corruption turns into a monster after the passing of three mid-nights. Once the three mid-nights have passed, the victim is reborn as a creature of your Creature Type. An unnamed creature becomes a typical creature of this type; a named creature is rebuilt with the same point total, using you as a model. You learn the victim's True Name once they become fully corrupted. A variant of the power does not take three nights but is based on some other criteria, such as the rise of the full moon. Rare variant of this causes corruption in unnamed creatures by the end of the round, but this costs two schtick picks and is not recommended for player characters.
Debt of Service
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
You can use this against any creature you have met.
Foul Trail
Stance
When you move, you leave a trail of foul slime in your wake. This works in any medium you can move normally in - usually land but potentially air, water and other environments as well. A living, breathing creature in the cloud who spent any time during his current action in trail must make an opposed Impress check with you; on a failure he cannot act. Characters in the trail can move even if the roll fails. The trail lasts for a scene unless dispelled or dispersed by wind or flowing water.
Lethal Impression
Trigger Action
Select one power that you know. Whenever you first come within Mind meters of a creature, you may use this power on them as a trigger action. There is generally some method targets can use to make themselves immune to this effect.
Examples of this is the nauseating stench of the a ghast avoided with a filter mask or the gaze of the medusa avoided by looking in a mirror.
Omega Curse
Finisher
The targets gains one or more of your Limitations or the limitation part of one of your Methods. This is a Curse. If the effect lasts past the end of the story, the character should take any Limitations and Methods the normal way.
Power Collision
Trigger Action (Defense)
When an enemy hits you with an attack that is power you can counter with this ability to create a power collision; a gathering of power between you that is released in an explosion that might hurt either or both of you. This can only be used against powers; it does not work against attacks that are not powers. The opponent's attack is negated. Instead, you both take damage equal to the opponent's Mind, soaked by Body, whether the attack roll is a success or not. Add the Outcome of the attacker's roll to the damage you take and subtract the Outcome of the attack from the damage your opponent takes. Remember that subtracting a negative number adds to the result. The opponent inflicts the same type damage as the attack you countered. You must decide on a Melee or Shoot power to use with Power Collision and that power determines the damage type you inflict. If you lack such a power, you deal the same type of damage your opponent does.
This is a meta-power that affects other powers. In some campaign worlds there is a strong Origin Divide among different origins. Check with your GM regarding your campaign. Origins that are opposed cannot cannot be modified by meta-powers; it is as if powers from the opposing origin was actually a schtick rather than a power.
Ward Breaker
Inherent
You are extraordinarily resistant to Summon powers, and add +5 to your Impress skill to resist them.
Impress Ice
Ice Queen
Inherent
You have the frosty presence of the cold arctic sky. Any Impress roll that does not target a specific individual is Routine to you; you never fail to maintain your cool.
Icicle Hedge
Basic Action
You create a barrier of sharp icicles that binds a creature in place, making it dangerous for it to move. Make a roll of Impress vs. Dodge. On a success, the target is surrounded by a barrier of icicles. This has no effect on actions, but if the creature moves it must cross the barrier, taking piercing damage equal to an Impress roll. The barrier expires at the end of the scene or it can be escaped with a contortions stunt with a difficulty of your Impress.
Snowblind
Basic Action or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress roll, on a success the target is blinded for the rest of the round. On an outcome matching the target's Reflexes the target is blinded for the rest of the scene. If performed as a Finisher, the effect is a Curse.
Summon Ice Elemental
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Ice Elementals.
Impress Illusion
Fata Morgana
Finisher
The most powerful form of illusion, the Fata Morgana is a complete takeover of the target's senses. Everything he perceives is controlled by you, effectively he is in a dream world of your making. By spending a Basic Action, you take direct control of the target's dream world for one round and can observe the targets actions in the dream world. You can change how the target perceives time, making a lifetime pass in a few moments or make it as if no time at all has passed.
While imprisoned in the dream world, the target's body seems to be asleep. This is a Curse. If the target takes a Mortal_Wound either in the dream or to the body, Fata Morgana ends.
Identity Theft
Basic Action
You can make an illusion that you are in fact a specific creature whose True Name you know. This allows you to almost become that creature. You use that creatures abilities and statistics in place of your own, with one exception; you still use your own Impress skill to keep your shape-changed self under control.
It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to assume the creature's form. You do not have access to the imitated creatures memories.
Each round in which you remain under the illusion, you need to use this power and roll your Impress against the creature's Dodge or Impress in order to extend the identity theft until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every 15 minutes. If this roll fails, you return to your own identity.
If you use this to impersonate the creature whose form you take, that is a Charm stunt.
As a Basic Action, a spectator can use Scrutinize to make an opposed Charm roll to disbelieve the illusion, which causes you to either take one Hit or end the illusion (your choice). If the Spot check scores an outcome equal to your Mind the illusion is automatically dispelled.
Image Theft
Basic Action, then Stance
You can exchange the appearance of two creatures and/or objects with a successful opposed Impress roll - one of whom can be you. Speech and mannerisms are also affected by this change. A target does not notice the change unless it sees itself reflected. Any Disguise check to trick people into believing you are the other is Routine. A Charm check opposed by your Charm is required for the target to makes his true identity plausible, or for someone else to discover the target's true identity using Scrutinize.
Lost Friend
Finisher
Select one creature other than the target. The target cannot remember this creature and cannot perceive this creature except by direct touch. Even the target's memories of the creature grow hazy, requiring knowledge element checks even for things that would otherwise automatically be remembered. This is a Curse.
You can make the creature lose a number of creatures equal to your Mind, but if you do so the effect only lasts for the current session.
Phantasmal Killer
Basic Action
You make an illusory copy of a creature True Name you know and bring it into the mind of another creature. Except as noted here, this is the same as as #Spectral Monster. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the current shot. All it does if fight, seeking to kill its target, or you if uncontrolled.
A phantasmal killer only exists in your mind and that of your victim. It can affect and be affected by what you and the victim does normally, but is completely oblivious to all other creatures and even to traps and hazards. It is otherwise affected normally by terrain. If either you or the victim is killed or knocked unconscious, the phantasmal killer disappears.
You can also use this power again on a phantasmal killer you have created along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round or to dismiss it. If a phantasmal killer is uncontrolled, it turns on you.
Scary Image
Basic Action
You create an illusion of a scary scene. This scene can involve setting or creatures or both. Creatures that are different from each other might not be scared by the same things, at the GM's discretion. Make an opposed Impress roll against those the illusion is scary against. On a success the target is scared on his next basic action. On an Outcome matching the target's Mind he is scared for the rest of the round.
A scared target must back as far away from the illusion as possible, using his Move before taking each basic action, spending the movement portion of the basic action to do so. He cannot move closer to you under his own volition. He can otherwise act normally.
Spectral Monster
Basic Action
You make an illusory copy of a creature whose True Name you know. You can summon a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind or one Henchman, but Henchmen created this way never have Fortune points. Spectral Monsters are Specters but otherwise identical to the creature you copy. They do not possess the full knowledge of what they are copying, only enough to react appropriately in common situations. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Impress or Dodge to create a spectral monster.
The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the current shot.
You can also use this power again on a spectral monster you have created along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to either maintain control until the end of the following round or to dismiss the spectral monster. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or lose control, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every 15 minutes, but any failed roll means control is lost. If you fail to maintain a spectral monster, it begins to interact with you; an illusion of a creature hostile to you attacks, an illusion of a friendly creature takes interaction stunts to make sure it gets your full attention. After one round uncontrolled, the spectral monster usually disappears, but in rare cases it may run away and do mischief on its own.
Spectral Monsters are vulnerable to having their illusory nature revealed through interaction. When you succeed at a non-attack Stunt against a Spectral Monster, it suffer a Hit in addition to the normal effect.
A Spectral Monster can be perceived by cameras and similar remote viewing, but it cannot manipulate objects. Its attacks inflict Illusory damage, but always of an apparent type and amount consistent with the original creature. This means targets can soak the damage normally, or using Mind.
Impress Life
Blood Ban
Finisher
This Curse forbids the target from doing something. This must be a ban against a specific action, and precise and limited in scope. Acceptable examples include "do not reveal secrets of the Order of the Raven" or "Do not enter the town of Tadia". Open-ended or unclear bans, like "remain loyal to me" fail. The victim is aware of the ban and is warned when he is about to break it. There are no conditions or exceptions to the ban; even if the target is tricked or forced to break it, the ban activates. This does not end the curse; if the target survives or revives the Blood Ban is still there.
When the blood ban triggers, the target takes a Mortal Wound. For healing purposes, the damage value is considered equal to your Impress. You can chose to make the punishment a Finisher you (or an assistant) uses when placing the Blood Ban instead of simply trying to kill the target.
Cause Pain
Basic Action
Make an opposed Impress roll, on a success the target takes a Hit due to pain. If the Impress roll scores an Outcome matching the target's Body, it takes two Hits, but this is not considered a Damage Setback.
Crucible of Life
Limit Break
You can create artificial life, a chimera, an amalgam of physical and mental abilities from different creatures. You can only create physical, living creatures this way; Plants, Plant Elemental, Animal, or Folk. The sum of the creature's attributes can be no higher than your Impress; it is rare to see a chimera with much in the way of Mind. You can also create clones, physical duplicates of other creatures. This requires their True Name or a fresh blood sample. A creature created this way is barely alive; while it goes through the motions of life, it is a sterile automaton. It lacks motivation of its own, but will obey your orders without enthusiasm. To truly make the creature live takes Spark of Life. Of course, if all you want is a powerful bodyguard or servant, this is not needed, and Spark of Life actually lessens your control.
Retribution
Basic Action or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress check to place retribution on a target. Whenever the target inflicts a Hit on a creature within 3 meters of the target, the target takes a Hit as well. As a Basic Action this lasts for the rest of the scene. As a Finisher, it is a Curse.
Spark of Life
Limit Break
This brings a spark of life to a dead matter. It can be used on someone who has been revived by Awaken the Dead as long as the body has been repaired enough that it is viable, and can also be used to give life to a body created with Fleshcraft or grown with Crucible of Life.
This is a highly dangerous power, and the creature brought to life often suffers from some defect. In other cases, the creator is overcome with revulsion for his new project. It is mostly included as a plot device. Also note that a creature awakened this way is not sentient; at best it can function on an animal level of intelligence unless it was sentient beforehand. Greater intelligence that that requires the Flower of Knowledge power.
Impress Light
Atonement
Finisher
You present the target with the evil tainting his soul and present a way for them to walk into the light, atone, and make up for the evil of their life. The results of their current evil is explained, and the power also presents the target with how its life could be if it changes or remains as it is. This revelation is deeply profound and the target will need time to decide his reaction to it. Depending on how strong the target's convictions are, this can be a processes of days or weeks. Once this period is over, the target may change his life or not - this power does not influence the decision. If the target does change to live a life of light, this power can analyze any Curse or negative effect the target suffers from and find or create a good way out of such problems.
Celestial Spotlight
Basic Action
Make an opposed Impress roll to prevent the target from using teleport powers for the rest of the scene.
Dazzling
Basic Action
You can dazzle onlookers by presence and aura. You can make an upstage stunt as a basic action, and the effect lasts for the rest of the round. A target who is attacked or otherwise interacted with by one of its opponents breaks free of the effect. This grabs attention, but is domineering; people who are skeptical of you are likely to be insulted.
Inspiration
Basic Action
You give another the impulse to act in a positive and forthright manner. Inspired, Enlightened, or Benevolent. This includes attacks that protect innocents and allies. The target may immediately take what is normally a Basic Action with no shot cost. They use their own skill value or your Impress, whichever is better.
Invoke Hope
Basic Action
You can restore hope and good spirits to yourself and allies. Any lingering Stunt effect or penalty is negated for everyone in an area with a diameter equal to your Impress. This includes advantages, stymies, and many setbacks, tough setbacks that have an instantaneous effect, such as putting a character in a perilous situation or inflicting damage, are not negated. You must be somewhere in the area to be affected.
Summon Angel
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Angels.
Impress Magic
Summoning Spell
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
What creatures you can use this against depends on what Forms you know, read on the Creatures and Forms table.
Tap The Gifted
Finisher
The gifted are founts of power that can be tapped by unscrupulous magic.
Make an opposed Impress roll against a Gifted creature. This is a ranged attack.
On a success you gain one Fortune point and inflict a Damage Setback on the Gifted creature.
If your Impress scores an outcome matching the Gifted creature's Mind you instead gain two Fortune and the Gifted creature takes a Mortal Wound.
In order to gain any Fortune points, the creature must have Fortune points, even it they are currently spent. Otherwise you still have the harmful effects on the target but you do not gain any Fortune points. If you gain Fortune in excess of your Mind this way you must spend any excess points by the end of the scene, or they are lost.
True Naming Spell
Finisher
You learn the True Name of the defeated or helpless creature.
Impress Metal
Metal Bonds
Basic Action
You conjure bands of metal and use them to restrain a creature. Make an Impress check against the target's Dodge. On a success the target is partially bound and suffers one of the penalties noted below. Roll 1d6 for a random restraint, adding +1 for each previous restraint. On an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes he is more severely bound and suffers three of the conditions, or you can apply one restriction of your choice.
Physical restraint in Action does not completely prevent a hero from action, they impose handicaps to be overcome.
- Gagging prevents mundane speech. Stymies all Charm and Impress checks.
- Handcuffing is when your hands are tied in front of you, but not so tightly as to make them completely unusable; you can still use one hand effectively, such as using weapons or tools of Small size or smaller.
- Hobbling indicates restrained legs, but not fixed to each other. It means you cannot move as part of a normal Basic Action, and can only move your normal move when you do a Full Move action or otherwise do an action that grants extra movement..
- Immobilized, stuck to something, alternatively on a short leash which prevents movement beyond one or two meters. If you are stuck to a creature whose Body is greater than yours, you are forced along as it moves, otherwise you are both immobilized unless you two cooperate.
- Bound Legs you fall prone and cannot stand unsupported, which prevents and hinders many actions as determined by the situation and stunt description. Your Move is reduced to 1. Swimming and flying creatures are entangled, with similar effects.
- Bound Arms prevent most physical manipulation and the use of weapons and implements. You can still use tackles and head butts for (Body +0) damage or a Tiny Ranged Weapon, but limited to Close range.
- Blinded restricts your awareness, giving you only a rough estimate of objects and creatures in a diameter equal to your Mind; you are insensitive to things beyond this range. Everyone has enough concealment to Sneak on you, and against creatures beyond your perception range, you have to use Reflexes rather than Recon for defense against Recon stunts.
- (or more) Hogtie A hogtied character cannot act physically and can only move one meter as a standard action; no movement is otherwise allowed. This also prevents all Defense actions.
These restraints can be dispelled, escaped with a Contortions stunt pitting Reflexes against your Impress or destroyed; they have a Body equal to your Impress. Weapons larger and more unwieldy than a dagger take an attack penalty equal to their damage add when attacking cuffs.
Reverberation
Finisher
This curse reflects the force of weapons used by the target of the curse, damaging the weapon. All weapons the target uses are Unreliable, and any time the target rolls boxcars with a weapon, that weapon breaks before finishing the attack. This is a Curse
Summon Metal Elemental
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Metal Elementals.
Impress Mind
Bind Mind
Basic Action
This power only works on creatures whose True Name you know. Make an opposed Impress check. On a success the target obeys your orders for the rest of the round and the next. The creature acts strangely to anyone who knows it, and even stangers can realize it is acting wierd with a Sense Motive check against your Charm, not the victim's.
You can renew this control in combat. Out of combat, you only need to roll every 15 minutes, but a failed roll means control cannot be renewed
Conditioning
Finisher
You give the target a set of instructions, that he must live up to or suffer dire consequences. These instructions can be complex, like a code of honor or dedication to a cause. They can also be simple and direct if preferred. When the target stretches or comes close to breaking your instructions, he will lose focus and motivation, and lose a Fortune point for each decision they take that moves them away from fulfilling the oath. When their Fortune runs out, or they willfully break your instructions, they instead suffer a Finisher of your choice - you must know Form of the Finisher he is to suffer, but need not know the exact power. Conditioning lasts until dispelled as a Curse. Note that the person under conditioning cannot himself strive to have it removed, or he will suffer from it's dire effects.
Curse of Idiocy
Basic Action or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress against a sentient creature. On a success the target suffers a dizzy spell and loses 3 shots. On an Outcome matching the target's Mind, he becomes almost mindless and unable to use powers. He suffers Power Loss and becomes Incommunicado for the rest of the scene. He still remembers his friends and enemies. As a Finisher this always causes the more severe effect and is a Curse.
Enrage
Basic Action or Limit Break
You make the target lash out in blind rage. Roll an opposed Impress check, on a success the target must take a Basic Action to make an attack against a target of your choice. On an outcome matching the target's Mind you can continue to force him to do such attacks the next three times his shot comes up, until attacked by you or your friends, or an interaction Setback convinces him otherwise. The target still controls his own trigger actions, Fortune and so on. When performed as a Limit break, Enrage affects all enemies in an area with a diameter equal to your Mind.
Phantasmal Summons
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know and project it into the mind of an opponent. Once there, the creature will act as it normally would, but it exists only for you and the target; others cannot perceive it or interact with it unless they enter the mind of the target (such as by Mind Diving. To and to the target, it appears that the creature is physically present. To all others it is nonexistent, tough they can see the effects it has on you two.
This is a kind of possession and it can be dispelled or exorcised. Since the creature is in the same physical surroundings as the target, changing the physical surroundings can affect the creature. This includes all area attacks and at the GMs discretion might include stunts. . However, the phantasmal creature has Advantage against all interactions against those who cannot see it. These are the only ways creatures other than the target can interact with a phantasmal killer. Because the phantasmal killer exists for you, it is possible for it to affect you, either inadvertently with area attacks or intentionally.
Unlike a true summons, the creature to be summoned can be anywhere, unless it is already physically present. You can summon one named creature or a number of unnamed creatures of the same type equal to your Mind. Unnamed creatures have one True Name per type of creature; all unnamed imps share the same true Name. Essentially one true name equals one set of creature abilities. It takes an Impress roll against the highers of the creature's and target's Dodge or Impress to summon. You must repeat this summoning on each succeeding round, or the phantasmal summon disappears.
The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score.
Summon Champion
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Folk on other planes of existence. As little is generally known about the Folk of other planes, it is very hard to find the required True Name. It is possible to blindly summon a champion from another plane using a Power Experiment. This often results in youthful potentials that then have to learn how to perform the needed role. Summoning Pact provides another way to use Summon Champion.
Impress Order
Amplify
Basic Action
You amplify the speech and music you and allies make until the end of the scene, giving your Impress stunts based on sound Long range.
Mark of Justice
Finisher
You mark the target in a way that is culturally recognized as a symbol of shame and crime. The target is Branded. This is often tied to the Ego Focus limitation.
Curb Advantage
Basic Action, Limit Break, or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress, on a success the target's highest Attribute value suffers a penalty of -1 until the end of the scene. This can be increased by various factors:
- If performed as a Limit Break, the penalty is increased by two.
- If the attack scores an Outcome matching the target's Mind, the penalty is increased by two.
- If performed as a Finisher, the penalty is increased by two and the effect is a Curse - including any previous use of Curb Advantage.
Down by Law
Limit Break
Read out loud a judgement made by a court with jurisdiction in the area where your target committed a crime. This judgement must name your target, the crime, and a punishment. The judgement can be against a group the target belongs to. Make an opposed Impress roll. On a success, the target suffers a finisher appropriate to the punishment. A default Finisher if a better one can not be found is Mark of Justice. You need not know this finisher. On a failure, you cannot use this power against that target again this session.
Here and Now
Basic Action
Make an opposed Impress roll to prevent the target from using teleport powers or from being granted extra actions (like those from Instant Action or Hands-On Leadership) for the rest of the scene.
Oathbinding
Limit Break
You can only use this power against someone who has broken an oath or solemn promise in the recent past (generally in the current play session, but for important vows this may linger forever). Make a pronouncement declaring the oath he has broken. If you succeed at an an opposed Impress roll, you can use a Finisher against him, just as if you had defeated him in combat.
Power Shout
Limit Break
You make an opposed Impress against all enemies within an area with a diameter equal to your Mind, you must be in this area. On a success, targets lose 3 shots. On an Outcome matching a target's Body you also inflict one Hit.
Roar of the Lion
Trigger Action (Combo)
You manifest your power in a stunning and terrifying yell, shocking your foe and breaking his nerve. Use this ability just before making a Melee attack. You can immediately make a Browbeat or Scare attempt.
Summon Virtue
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Virtues.
The Imperial Whisper
Basic Action
The Imperial Whisper allows you to give a command which cannot be disobeyed. The target immediately executes your command, not waiting until his next shot comes up and not expending any shots.
In practical terms, this means you can give one simple, direct, non-conditional order or task that he will do immediately. You cannot order him how he is to fulfill the task, nor can you order him into inaction, so an order to "attack silently" or "stand still" is meaningless. The command generally cannot be longer than three words. Typical examples are "Attack that man!" or "Cut my bonds!". Within these limitations, the target immediately does his best to obey the spirit of your instructions, without nefarious twists.
You must succeed on an opposed Impress roll. The target must understand the language you speak. Anyone closer to you than the target is will be able to overhear the command. A willing target does not require a roll.
Impress Plant
Awaken Plant
Limit Break
You can grant a mundane plant will and mobility, turning it into a Plant Elemental. It gains the Plant Elemental type, a Body based on its mass and a sum of Mind, Reflexes, Move and number of schticks no higher than your Impress. None of these attributes can exceed your Mind.
An awakened plant starts out with a positive attitude towards you, but its natural tendency is to lose interest and want to return to a sedentary existence, moving only to defend local plant life, especially that of its former type.
Binding Vines
Basic Action
You animate plants in a diameter equal to your Mind and cause them to restrain all creatures in the area. The area needs to be overgrown; knee-tall grass or more substantial plant growth suffices. Make an Impress check against each target's Dodge. On a success the target is partially bound and suffers one of the penalties noted below. On an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes he is severely bound and suffers three of the conditions. Conditions are applied in this order; immobilized, bound legs, bound arms, hogtie, blindfold. Physical restraint in Action does not completely prevent a hero from action, they impose handicaps to be overcome.
- Gagging prevents mundane speech. Stymies all Charm and Impress checks.
- Handcuffing is when your hands are tied in front of you, but not so tightly as to make them completely unusable; you can still use one hand effectively, such as using weapons or tools of Small size or smaller.
- Hobbling indicates restrained legs, but not fixed to each other. It means you cannot move as part of a normal Basic Action, and can only move your normal move when you do a Full Move action or otherwise do an action that grants extra movement..
- Immobilized, stuck to something, alternatively on a short leash which prevents movement beyond one or two meters. If you are stuck to a creature whose Body is greater than yours, you are forced along as it moves, otherwise you are both immobilized unless you two cooperate.
- Bound Legs you fall prone and cannot stand unsupported, which prevents and hinders many actions as determined by the situation and stunt description. Your Move is reduced to 1. Swimming and flying creatures are entangled, with similar effects.
- Bound Arms prevent most physical manipulation and the use of weapons and implements. You can still use tackles and head butts for (Body +0) damage or a Tiny Ranged Weapon, but limited to Close range.
- Blinded restricts your awareness, giving you only a rough estimate of objects and creatures in a diameter equal to your Mind; you are insensitive to things beyond this range. Everyone has enough concealment to Sneak on you, and against creatures beyond your perception range, you have to use Reflexes rather than Recon for defense against Recon stunts.
- (or more) Hogtie A hogtied character cannot act physically and can only move one meter as a standard action; no movement is otherwise allowed. This also prevents all Defense actions.
These restraints can be dispelled, escaped with a Contortions stunt pitting Reflexes against your Impress or destroyed; they have a Body equal to your Impress. Unlike other bonds, large weapons do not suffer a penalty when severing plant entanglements.
This is an instant effect; entering the area after the effect is cast does not cause you to be entangled.
Plant Growth
Basic Action
You control the growth of all plants (but not Plant Elementals) in an area with a diameter equal to your Mind, stunting plants or making them fill all or part of this area with dense foliage. The effect is permanent, but can cleared like any area of heavy growth. The difficulty is the highest plant-based Free Running difficulty in the area, and affects an area with a radius equal to your Impress check.
You can create difficult ground, with a Free Running difficulty equal to your Impress. A creature whose Body matches your Impress is too massive to be affected by this. The foliage also obscures vision and ranged attacks, imposing a penalty of -1 per meter of distance. This can also be used to create open ground, construct simple wooden buildings, bridges etc, or to bless or curse crops, pastures and woodlands, affecting yields. If you make plants grow in unsustainable ways, they will wither and die in hours.
Summon Plant Elemental
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Plant Elementals.
Impress Psi
Hive Mind
Limit Break
You must already be in a Psychic Network to activate Hive Mind. When Hive Mind is used, the network turns coercive; members of the network pool their desires and motivations, overriding individual concerns. This is a very subtle and powerful kind of mind control where the collective will of the network controls the actions of each member. What the collective will wants is usually related to the plot, but can be influenced with Impress rolls.
Escaping the psychic network also escapes the hive mind. If the network as a whole breaks up, the Hive mind ends. It might be possible to end the Hive Mind in other ways without breaking up the psychic network, but for more subtle interactions it is considered a Curse.
Invasive Power
Trigger Action (Combo)
When you use a power that requires a willing target or participant, and the target is unwilling, you can use Invasive Power to force them to accept. Make an opposed Impress roll; on a success the target is considered willing.
This is a meta-power that affects other powers. In some campaign worlds there is a strong Origin Divide among different origins. Check with your GM regarding your campaign. Origins that are opposed cannot cannot be modified by meta-powers; it is as if powers from the opposing origin was actually a schtick rather than a power.
Psychic Bonds
Trigger Action
When someone is trying to leave a Psychic Network they share with you, you can use this action to try and force them to remain. Make an opposed Impress roll; on a success they cannot quit the network and cannot try again for the remainder of the scene.
Impress Space
Dimensional Anchor
Basic Action
Make an opposed Impress roll to prevent the target from using teleport powers for the rest of the scene.
Planar Prison
Basic Action or Finisher
You try to send the target into a planar prison, a small plane that holds only the creatures you affected by this power. Make an opposed Impress check. On a success, the target loses 3 shots to resist imprisonment. On an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes, it is sent to the planar prison. While there, it can try to find a way out. As a Basic Action it can make a Ride check against your Impress to return to where it was. It can also use any planar travel abilities it has to exit the prison, but once it does so it loses the option to return outlined here. You can spend a Basic Action to communicate with an imprisoned creature, which can include any Basic Action covered by the Charm or Impress skills. If you use this as a Finisher, the target is unable to free themselves and must be freed by an outside agent.
Plane Shift
Limit Break
You teleport to a location on another plane where you have a bound Teleport Circle. If you lack such a bound circle, you can teleport to a plane you can identify uniquely. Planes of existence have unique identifiers such as runes, harmonic notes, hyper-spatial coordinates, IP addresses, or serial numbers. If you teleport to a plane known this way, you arrive at a random spot of open terrain, generally within 1d6 days travel of your true destination.
Summoning Pact
Finisher
You bind with the target with a pact that allows you to summon it even if it is on the same plane you are. This is a Curse. When summoned, the creature is teleported to your location and arrives fully prepared and equipped, even if it was not so in the location it came from. The creature and all gear reappears where it originally was when the summoning ends. You can order the creature to fight for you, but you cannot order it to betray friends or divulge secrets. If the creature suffers a Damage Setback it immediately returns with zero remaining Hits but otherwise unharmed. This might break the Curse depending on story needs.
Teleport Pull
Basic Action
Succeed at an opposed Impress against the target to Teleport it to a location within a number of meters of you equal to your Impress check you where he can stand safely. You can choose to exchange places with the creature. You can use this power against friends under suitable circumstances. You can also use this to fetch objects you are strong enough to carry, but against objects carried on a creature this works like a Disarm stunt using your Impress skill, and even unattended objects near a creature can be defended using the Interpose stunt.
You can also do this over any distance (ignoring range and concealment) against a creature whose True Name you know.
Impress Spiritual
Avatar
Limit Break
"You" in this text refers to the original who created avatars. In some cases a player might be playing an avatar of a higher being, but this is not the assumption in how the power is written. Avatars are serious things. The loss of a powerful avatar is a great loss and successful avatars bring you prestige and power, but in most campaigns actual xp gain would be contrary to how experience works in Action - everybody in a campaign is supposed to have the same xp. Still, you should not take your avatars lightly.
You create a lower-powered copy of yourself, and send this copy off on it's own adventures. The copy does not appear near you, instead you use this power in response to a situation you hear about and the avatar appears near the epicenter of that situation. The avatar then acts on its own initative, and might be active for days, years, or a lifetime.
You can take this schtick many times. For each time you take it, you can have more avatars, but the new avatars granted are less powerful than those of an earlier level. This can be read on the table below. For example, if you take this power twice, you can have a total of 12 avatars, 3 which are 30 points weaker than you, and 9 that are 45 points weaker than you. Remember that for each 15 points removed, you Maximum Value is reduced by one, this has its own column in the table below. You need not create your avatars in order, you can make the weaker avatars first and keep some powerful potential avatars in reserve. You can even create an avatar weaker that the weakest indicated by your number of power picks - perhaps preparing for a day when you get more schticks in this power.
Schtick Picks | Total Avatars | Avatars of this level | Avatar points | Maximum Value |
1 | 3 | 3 | -30 | -2 |
2 | 12 | 9 | -45 | -3 |
3 | 39 | 27 | -60 | -4 |
4 | 120 | 81 | -75 | -5 |
All avatars start out as lesser-powered versions of yourself - you must remove abilities without adding any new ones. No avatar can have the Avatar power. 10% of the points of each avatar can be rearranged, making avatars slightly different from you. You can also change cosmetic details such as appearance, gender, or even (if within the budget) Race or Creature Type. In general you do so to match the environment of wherever you are sending your avatar - if the avatar is to act among the blue-skinned natives of the world ocean, it is smart to match the skin color and aquatic ability of the natives. You can also select what memories your avatar has - it can know all you knows (skills and schticks permitting) or it can be given false memories of a background appropriate to the setting it is to act in.
This is how the avatars are first created. Your avatars adventure independently of you and can gain experience points on their own. This means you can play a lower-powered version of yourself in another campaign - as long as your avatar's points confirm to the starting points of that campaign and the GM agrees. Avatar experience points spent need not be spent in ways identical to your original character - avatars can grow increasingly different form their original over time.
You have a general idea of what all your avatars are doing at all times, and can communicate with them by using the power again, sharing experiences as if one being. You get to decide how much of this the avatar recalls. If the original has advanced in points, this advancement can be applied to an avatar in this way - as if you used the Avatar power again, re-creating the avatar from scratch.
If two avatars, or you and one of your avatars, ever touch, the lowest-point avatar is dispelled. The original can also use the Avatar power again to dismiss any avatar. All memories of the dispelled avatar transfer over to the avatar that dispelled it.
If an avatar is unwilling to accept what you or a senior avatar does to it, it can resist. You (as the senior avatar) must then make an opposed Impress roll, and if this roll fails the unwilling avatar stops being an avatar; it instantly becomes an independent being and does no longer count against avatar limits. You can also free an avatar voluntarily to let it continue as its own separate being, but this incurs a loss of prestige and should not be done lightly.
Binding Invocation
Finisher
You learn the True Name of the defeated or helpless creature.
Commune
Limit Break
You get a spiritual revelation about a topic decided upon before using this power; the reply comes in the form of a short sentence, poem, or possibly a dream or prophetic vision. Range is irrelevant, but topics of spiritual import are generally easier to divine.
To gain information this way you make an opposed check against the targets' Recon. You gain valuable information based on the outcome of this roll; if the outcome matches the target's Mind you gain clear and important insights into the target's activities. On a failed roll, you learn obvious details and trivia; if the negative Outcome matches your Mind you learn misleading information or the target notices your spying.
Condemn
Basic Action
When you witness someone breaking the central tenets of both their and your own beliefs, you can condemn their action. Make an opposed Impress roll. On a success, you can inflict the target with a Finisher you know, but this Finisher ends at the end of the session. If you score an Outcome matching the target's Mind, the Finisher has its full normal effect. This is linked to the Belief method and requires you to have a code of ethics. The target needs to pay at least lip service to a code, but not as strictly as you.
Dismissal
Basic Action or Finisher
You return a creature native to another plane to its home plane. This is a Basic Action against a creature whose True Name you know, a Finisher otherwise. If the Impress check matches the creature’s Mind, it cannot return to the plane it was dismissed from for a time dependent upon the result of the check. This is considered a Curse on the creature.
Impress Check Result | Time Dismissed |
7 or lower | A month and a day |
8-11 | A year and a day |
12-15 | A decade and a day |
16-19 | A century and a day |
20 or higher | A millennium and a day |
Invocation of Power
Limit Break
Select one power other than this one. Until the end of the scene, when you use this power, you can base any roll or stunt using that power on your Impress skill instead of whatever skill the power would normally be based on.
Spirit Supervisor
Finisher
You give the target a guiding spirit that advices him on how to act and what the faith requires of him in different situation. This spirit draws on the dogma and teaching of your religion as well as both your and the victim's knowledge and personality. It can interact with the target using your Impress skill and can cause the target Setbacks when he blasphemes or breaks major tenets of the faith with a successful opposed Impress roll. It can try to interact with the target once per round. The Spirit Supervisor is removed as if it was a Curse.
Spirit Ward
Limit Break
You create a permanent ward similar to Ward Enemy. It counts as an unnamed creature with your Mind and Impress skill and will try to ward against all creatures not aligned with your faction or faith. The ward is focused in a physical object; often a statue, stone, or pattern on the ground; destroying this object disrupts the ward.
Summoning Invocation
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
You can summon creatures that share your spiritual views; spirit servants of your religion or creatures you can impress by your spiritual nature. Because they are on some level aligned with you they rarely go hostile if you lose control of them, but they might return home, pontificate, or play to their own agenda. Only the most evil of creatures will attack you on sight, making this power dangerous for truly evil spiritualists.
Ward Enemy
Stance and Trigger Action
You keep hostile supernatural creatures at bay. This protects an area with your Mind meters in diameter; you must be in the warded area. At any time when a supernatural creature tries to enter the area or attack anyone inside, you are alerted to its presence and can take a trigger action to make an opposed Impress roll. The loser takes psychic damage equal to the opponent's Mind plus the absolute outcome. If you win, the creature's action fails and it is expelled from the area. If the creature wins, you have the option of dropping the ward rather than take damage; if you do so, you cannot use this power again in this scene.
This power only affects supernatural creatures: Air Elementals, Earth Elementals, Electric Elementals, Fire Elementals, Water Elementals, Plant Elementals, Ice Elementals, Demons, Devils, Angels, Virtues, Aberrations, Spectres, and Undead.
Impress Tech
Brain Control
Basic Action
You can control a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) whose True Name you know with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every 15 minutes, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature.
Brain Pattern Analysis
Finisher
You learn the True Name of the defeated or helpless creature.
Brain Tape
Inherent
This is a brain analysis device, computer storage unit and data transfer unit capable of making an of-site backup of your entire personality.
In a materialistic universe, a personality is no more than a collection of data. This data can be backuped in a safe location, and if the original is indisposed, a copy can be downloaded. Depending upon technological sophistication, this copy may be a robot or a force-grown clone. Brain tape stores a backup of your knowledge and personality, including all Skills and Schticks. Powers are generally not included, but knowledge of powers and knowledge-based powers are. Physical powers might get replicated in a physical cloning process.
In a spiritual sense, this is of course impossible. There is only one soul, and no copy can duplicate your individual essence. What practical impact this has on the game depends on the setting.
A Brain Tape is not so much a system as a phenomena, though there is a cybernetic system is at the core of it. If you have nobody to administer the recreation of your body for you, you won't live again. If your backup is out of date, so will any downloaded copy. If someone can destroy or corrupt your backup, you are also out of luck. Worse, someone may well get hold of the data, make their own download, and brainwash it into serving them.
If there is a spirit, and if that spirit is indivisible, is anybody's guess, but clone rivalry is very common. One can also upload your personality into a Behavior Chip or into an AI construct, gaining access to your Skills and knowledge without giving the copy a body to cause mischief with. But all these additional complications are more plot hooks than actual parts of the power.
Buddy Chip
Inherent
A Behavior Chip programmed to your own specification. While it has many of the flaws and drawbacks of a regular Behavior Chip, it also has obvious benefits when you are targeted by mental attacks.
If you are ever about to make something that is contrary to your normal objectives or personality, the chip cuts in and prevents the action. Thus, you won't attack your friends, reveal your secrets or otherwise cause do any major, obvious blunders. This is especially important if you are mind controlled, dominated or possessed.
As a game effect, this prevents Setback results from social interaction and mind control. You still suffer the full regular effect of the interaction.
The Buddy Chip can be a two-edged sword. The chip can be bypassed if an an attempt at mind control or interaction accidentally hits upon an action the Buddy Chip is not set to intervene against - strictly a roleplaying decision. Someone with access to your Buddy Chip software can use its programming to advantage. In this case, any successful interaction or mind control gives a Setback result. Someone who can reprogram the Buddy Chip can turn it into a Behavior Chip.
Impress Time
Slow
Basic Action or Finisher
Make an opposed Impress roll, on a success the target's Reflexes suffers a penalty of -1 until the end of the scene. This can be increased by various factors.
- If the attack scores an Outcome matching the target's Reflexes (before all modifications), the penalty is increased by two.
- If performed as a Finisher, the penalty is increased by two and the effect is a Curse - including any previous Slow results.
The target also loses as many shots as the penalty, with a minimum of three shots lost.
Alter Age
Finisher
You alter a living target's age, making them older or younger without changing who they are. The GM decides which of the following age categories the target is. You subtract the modifiers given for that age from the target's age, then you add the modifiers for the age you make the target assume. If a certain age has a negative modifier, you do not lose that modifier when you change out of the category, but you gain the penalty when you change into that category. Certain ages also have disadvantages gained when you make someone into that age category.
Child Body -2, Kid limitation.
Youth Reflexes +2
Adult Body +2
Elderly Mind +2
Ancient Mind +2, Reflexes -2, Body -2, Elderly limitation.
People will generally not recognize someone whop has had his age altered, a Charm check against your Impress is needed to either see through the change for the target to convince someone who they are. Family and close friends get a hefty bonus on these checks. This is a Curse, but you can give it a fixed duration if desired.
Summon Time Elemental
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Time Elementals.
Time Prison
Finisher
You wrest your target out of the time stream. This is a Curse. He now exists in a prison where no time passes. When freed, he returns at the same spot and in exactly the same condition he was in when he was imprisoned.
Time Trial
Limit Break
This effect is mostly for non-player characters to use on players. GMs are encouraged use this as a plot device; players can use it at the GMs whim, but it is generally much less interesting for them.
You wrest your target out of the time stream with a successful opposed Impress roll. He now exists in a pocket of time, a bubble with a diameter equal to your Mind in meters. He stays there until some set event causes the Time Cell to collapse, whereupon he is restored to the time stream.
Time Cells are not very stable, their existence are tied up to specific events or objects. You can prepare the cell in advance, putting a creature, maze, trap or similar inconvenience in the Time Cell. When this obstacle has been overcome, by force, guile or other appropriate means, the cell collapses and the target returns to the normal time stream.
If you use this power again, you can choose to create a new time cell, or put the target in an already existing cell. If two or more people are into the cell, it lasts until all conscious creatures in the cell agree to depart together.
The most common combat use of this effect is to place a monster or deathtrap in the time cell beforehand, then force your opponents into it. For players, this might be played out, but for NPCs it's usually made as an abstract roll. In general, it takes an opposed skill check against whatever skill you used to create the trick to open a time cell; each failed roll indicates one round of time is lost and the victim takes a hit. Out of an action scene, each roll instead takes an hour, but there is no Hit.
A time cell can also be used as a retreat for study, healing and other activities you don't want interrupted. Characters in a time cell do not need to eat or drink and never run out of air. Time passes at the same rate inside and outside the cell.
Impress Water
Drown
Basic Action
You attempt to fill a creature's lungs with water, causing panic and potentially drowning. A creature native to water is immune, but you have Advantage against a target in water that cannot breathe water. Make an opposed Impress check against the target. On a success, the target chokes and takes a Hit. On a margin equal to the target's Body the target is drowning and takes a Hit every time he takes a Basic Action until he has a power applied to him to give him water breathing or the end of the scene. A drowning target can choose not to act in order to avoid this damage.
Foul Water
Basic Action
You foul water in a diameter equal to your Mind. The cloud is impenetrable to most senses, giving a penalty of -1 on Shoot and perception checks per meter of foul water in between. A living, breathing creature in the cloud who spent any time during his current action in the cloud must make an opposed Impress check with you; on a failure he cannot act. Characters in the cloud can move even if the roll fails. The cloud lasts for a scene unless dispelled or dispersed by strong wind.
Summon Water Elemental
Basic Action
You can seize a creature whose True Name you know through time and space and bring it into your presence. The creature must be in another dimension or juncture, and not currently summoned, imprisoned or otherwise occupied. You can summon one Henchman or a number of Minions of the same type equal to your Mind. It takes an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress to summon. The creature immediately makes an initiative check to see when it will next act, but this cannot be earlier than the shot in which it is summoned. In future rounds, the creature has its own initiative score. You can also use this power again on a creature (or group of unnamed creatures) you have summoned along with an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress, in order to extend your control over it until the end of the following round. During combat, you must succeed at this action each round or the creature will break free, but you can try repeatedly in each round. Out of combat, you only need to roll every scene, but any failed roll means you lose control of the creature. While a creature is under your control, you can order it to return to its home plane at any time. A creature that breaks free of control can choose to return on its own. Summoned creatures can also be Dispelled. You can also use this power to take control of a summoned creature did not summon yourself whose True Name you know. This requires an Impress roll against the creature's Dodge or Impress or against its summoner's Impress if he is present.
A creature cannot be ordered to perform deeds alien to its nature; an air elemental cannot be summoned into solid earth or water, an Epitome cannot act against its spiritual inclination, and so on. Summoned creatures can perceive your aura as you summon them. Their initial attitude depends on your reputation among this kind of creature and whether you have an allegiance or pact with them. In case of extreme misalignment, you may not even be able to summon them at all.
When you lose control of a summoned creature it usually returns home shortly; the creature knows anyone who knows its true name can seize control of it as noted above. But the creature might choose to remain on your plane indefinitely to act out its inclination. In order to acquire lengthy services you must bargain with the creature, or use a Power Experiment or other means to acquire its services. If you bargain a creature into a formal pact, it is considered controlled for as long as the conditions of the pact are met and cannot break the contract or return to its home until the pact expires.
This power only works on Water Elementals.
Viscous Gel
Basic Action
You create a slimy gel that can ensnare all creatures in a diameter equal to your Mind. With a successful opposed Impress roll, you coat a creature in the area with a gel of viscous fluid, inhibiting their movement. The target cannot move as a part of a Basic Action until the end of the scene. The target can free himself as a Basic Action with a Maneuver roll against your Impress, or an adjacent creature can free them with a Know roll against your Impress. If you score an Outcome matching a target's Reflexes that target also loses 3 shots.
Weight of Water
Basic Action
You ward an area against teleportation. Any attempt to Teleport into or out of the area has a minimum difficulty equal to your Create; if the Outcome was less than your Mind the teleport succeeded, but was accompanied by a violent burst of bubbly water and dazes the teleportee, making him be surprised or loose all shots for this round .
Weight of Water covers a radius equal to your Create roll and lasts for a scene. If cast underwater, it lasts as long as the water in the area is not moved about; it can last indefinitely in a quiet isolated pool.