Illusion Powers (FiD)

Fox in the Dark logo

Starfox's Blades in the Dark Powers

Illusion is the art of perception and deception through sensory projection. It is concerned with perception, not substance. Illusion powers are most often used to deceive, but they can also be used to educate, direct, or reveal patterns that are otherwise hard to notice.

Illusion Abilities

Action	Basic	Advanced	Master	Apex
Dice	—	Minimum 2d	Minimum 4d	Minimum 6d
Stress	Avoid fumble (2+).	Succeed (4+).	Full success (6).	Critical (2 sixes).
Attune	Sense Spectre Detect Illusions.	Sever Spectre Dismiss Illusion.	Summon Spectre Summon Spectres.	Sublime Spectre Illusion gate.
Command	Menacing Mirage Intimidating aura.	Message Mirage Signalling illusion.	Majestic Mirage Impressive scene.	Mirage Arcana Grand scene.
Consort	Makeover Mirage Full-body mask.	Monster Mirage Illusory transformation.	Metamorphosis Mirage Transform crew.	Mob Mirage Transform crowd.
Finesse	Phantom Pilot Disguise Ride.	Phantom Precision Illusory attack.	Phantom Phantom Pulse Precise Illusion.	Phantom Passage Create shadow rides.
Hunt	Shadow Seeker Track images.	Shadow Shot Illusory snipe.	Shadow Shift Phantom environment.	Shadow Surge Illusory area attack.
Prowl	Image Invisibility Become almost invisible.	Image Infiltration Teleport and distract.	Image Incursion Crew intrusion.	Image Inversion Appearance teleport.
Skirmish	Echo Evasion Resist illusory harm.	Echo Engagement Illusory melee.	Echo Expanse Gain Scale.	Echo Effort Group Action.
Study	Illusory Insight Identify Illusion.	Illusory Imprint A view from your memory.	Illusory Inheritance A view from the past.	Illusory Imago See everything.
Survey	Project Probe Detect Illusion.	Project Perception Image that updates.	Project Presence Pursuing image.	Project Perspective Live illusory map.
Sway	Persuasive Phantom Illusory persona.	Persuasive Procession Illusory crowd.	Persuasive Performance Illusory expectations.	Persuasive Paradigm Illusory world.
Tinker	Construct Configuration Alter object.	Construct Conjuring Illusory objects.	Construct Conception Create shadow objects.	Construct Coalescence Huge illusions.
Wreck	Faux Fracture Personal scale illusion.	Faux Fissure Structural scale illusion.	Faux Fault Temporary damage.	Faux Fragmentation Area illusion.

What is Illusion

Illusion can create sights, sounds, scents, sensations of touch, and other sensory phenomena, but these are always suggestive and indirect. The primary focus of Illusion is vision. Illusionists whose primary sense is not sight would instead focus on projections tuned to their dominant sense, but this is not covered by these rules.

Illusions are Real

Illusions create images of creatures and objects that are objectively real in that they register on physical senses, including those of living beings and sensory devices. Such images are unreal in that they are projections rather than physical matter. An illusion cannot affect objects, structures, or creatures through force unless the power explicitly says it can. An illusion of weight may cause scales to react, but it cannot cause a bridge to collapse. A lift with a weight sensor may shut down due to an illusory overload, but if the sensor is bypassed, the lift functions normally.

Illusory Attacks

Illusory attacks cause real pain and apparent wounds that fade into insignificance at the end of the score. Illusions cannot kill directly; they can only kill by provoking actions with lethal consequences. Each illusory attack should be described fictionally, and any vulnerability or resistance that would apply to the described attack also applies to the illusory harm.

Illusory attacks cannot affect insensate things that lack the capacity to interpret sensory input. This includes objects and creatures below a threshold of perception, such as bacteria and ordinary plants. Observers may perceive such targets as taking damage, but the apparent damage fades over time and has no effect on the insensate thing.

Shadow Illusions

Some illusions have shadow effects. These are almost real and can have physical effects, but these fade away over time. The most spectacular one is Shadowy Shatter that creates an illusory how you can physically move through but that fades away over time. The mechanism here is unclear, the most popular explanation is an overlap with some part of the Shell.

Specters

Illusion creatures are called specters. Specters are structured to behave as if they truly are what they portray, allowing their illusions to respond dynamically without constant intervention from the user. Some specters are highly specialized, believing themselves to be specific people, animals, objects, or even terrain features and are very good at playing their role. Finding or creating such specters may require a flashback or a long-term project.

Specters that are aware of their own illusory nature are more flexible but less convincing. They can create and control illusions of any kind, but have to think up what each illusion is to show.

Planes of Illusion

The Dreamlands is a plane of dreams: ephemeral, unstable, and subjective. It shifts rapidly and is shaped by the dreaming minds of the world. Creatures with powerful imaginations may create persistent dream-realms of their own. Such realms can be studied or manipulated to influence their creator, but doing so is difficult and dangerous.

There are even personal Dreamscapes created by individual dreamers. Even more ephemeral than the Dreamlands, these are deeply connected to their creator and you can affect the mind of a dreamer in their Dreamscape.

— Back to top —

Expanded Illusion Abilities

A recurring problem with Illusion is concealing the fact that projections appear out of nowhere. Illusions are most effective when you have time to prepare or when their appearance can be plausibly masked — emerging from behind a corner, through smoke, darkness, or visual clutter.

Illusions can also be made more convincing by framing them as the result of other forces or Forms, whether or not you actually possess those powers. The illusion does not need to explain itself; it only needs to delay doubt long enough to matter.

Attune

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

Consequences depend on what happens around you while you Attune. Having helpers or protection reduces risk, and dismissing a willing specter may even be Controlled. Common Consequences include a specter losing control of its projection, nearby illusions destabilizing, or other Illusion creatures intervening.

Sense Spectre

Detect Illusions.

You can see Illusion Spirits and detect Illusion Monsters and powers. This is commonly used to identify projections, hidden specters, or summoned illusions so they can be dispelled or dismissed.

Using Dream Detection may spoil illusions, but you must actively apply it. Even when you know an illusion is false, you still perceive it normally.

• Limited Outcome suffices against a creature or effect you can clearly see.
• Standard Outcome is required if it is hidden.
• Great Outcome is required if it is concealed behind solid barriers.

Sever Spectre

Dismiss Illusion.

Dismissing a specter is difficult and usually requires a Great Outcome. A weakened specter requires only a Standard Outcome. A specter that wishes to be dismissed requires only a Limited Outcome.

You can also force a specter to materialize or reveal its true form. This is easy but limited in range:

• Limited Effect works only within reach.
• Standard Effect reaches across an area based on Tier (p. 220).
• Great Effect reaches across a distance determined by Tier.

You can dispel any Illusion power, as well as powers that alter appearance or sustain specters. This is often used as a Set Up to improve Position when opposing powers are in play.

When used directly, the Effect is usually Limited unless the target relies on Illusion for protection or concealment. Revealing a specter obsessed with maintaining an identity can be terrifying for it.

When dramatically appropriate, a key Illusion may resist dispelling. In such cases, Sever Spectre provides insight into what must be done to resolve the situation instead of negating the effect outright.

Summon Spectre

Summon Spectres.

Illusory summons are called specters. They are Expert Cohort Spirits (p. 96) with Illusion powers and immaterial bodies.

Summoning a specific specter requires knowledge of its unique identity, often called a true name. For technomancers this may take the form of an ID signature, blueprint, or holographic pattern. Learning such an identity may require a flashback, a downtime research activity, or a reward from a score.

Specters come in two broad types:

• Emulator specters believe themselves to truly be what they portray — a person, animal, object, or even a terrain feature. They use Illusion to sustain this identity and will act decisively to preserve it.

• Trickster specters pursue personal, often eccentric agendas. One might love parades, another races, a third mundane rituals. They delight in confusion and use Illusion creatively to advance their obsessions.

Sublime Spectre

Illusion gate.

Gate to the Land of Dreams or into a dream. Illusion is linked to the Land of Dreams, where Illusion dominates reality. This realm is fluid, unstable, and subjective, as described in the introduction.

Entering the Land of Dreams involves projecting an Astral Body: your body remains asleep while your consciousness travels. Time there is subjective — a single night’s sleep may contain minutes or months of dream-time.

There are things that are possible to do here that are not allowed in the regular world. Appropriate effects are reduced one step in difficulty, from advanced to basic, master to advanced, and apex to master. This opens the possibility of new super-apex powers that have to be negotiated with the game master. Such effects rarely reach outside the plane of origin, but if they affect creatures there the effect may remain when you return to the mundane world.

This can also be used to contact creatures too powerful to summon. This allows you to ignore tier when creating the gate, but gives you no power over the target. The creature may then use the gate to come to you, call you into its presence, send minions, or communicate with you at a distance.

Illusion gates may also open into a creature’s personal dreamscape. This requires a supernatural link or the target’s presence.

Such journeys confront the dreamer’s fears, memories, and desires. They may recover lost memories, influence behavior, or reshape personality, but doing so is dangerous and unpredictable.

— Back to top —

Command

Illusion does not command creatures directly. Instead, it creates images and sounds that influence behavior by provoking reactions.

Illusion Command is indirect: you must craft a situation that encourages obedience, fear, awe, or hesitation. The guiding principle is “show, not tell.” Illusions can move and make sound, but they are poor at extended speech, limited to short emphatic phrases.

Menacing Mirage

Intimidating aura.

Create frightening or awe-inspiring images or sounds. You can give yourself an intimidating aura or create a threatening illusion and sound, roughly human-sized and up to about a cubic meter in volume, or a sound comparable to a lion’s roar.

The image can move and react to creatures but lacks even the illusion of physical solidity. This provides sufficient leverage to use Command for intimidation without direct violence or revealing your involvement.

Message Mirage

Signalling illusion.

Send an illusory projection of yourself to communicate. You create an illusion of yourself that appears near a creature you can clearly imagine. You can see, hear, and speak as if you were present.

The projection follows the target, and your perception is focused on them and you can only see nearby features they indicate or interact with.

Majestic Mirage

Impressive scene.

You create a full-sense illusion the size of a house, such as a formation of several dozen figures or enough imagery to fill a small square.

The illusion can speak and act out a scene under your broad direction. You do not need to micromanage it; it automatically orients itself to interact convincingly with nearby observers.

Depending on how it is used, this improves either Effect, Position, or possibly both.

Mirage Arcana

Grand scene.

This functions as Majestic Mirage on a grand scale. You can create the appearance of armies, cities, palace-complexes, forests, or mountains.

Simple scenes that do not require detailed interaction are easy to maintain. Complex scenes involving many interacting figures require sustained concentration and may call for additional rolls to maintain, though these do not risk Stress like the initial use.

— Back to top —

Consort

Change the appearance of creatures through Illusion — first yourself, then others, and finally entire crowds.

Consort Illusion alters how creatures are perceived, not what they physically are. These changes can enable deception, social access, or confusion, but they do not grant new abilities or effect from illusory physical traits.

Normally you gain none of the abilities of your assumed form. You cannot fly as an illusory bird, breathe water as an illusory fish, or otherwise bypass physical limitations.

Extreme size changes are impractical. Appearing tiny does not let you pass through small spaces, and appearing enormous does not grant physical reach — people may collide with parts of you that are not actually present. To meaningfully interact at a different scale, you must rely on other powers. Great Outcome can overcome this limitation, see below.

• Limited Outcome lasts for a scene.
• Standard Outcome lasts for the duration of a score.
• Great Outcome lasts for a scene, but this becomes a shadow illusion, allowing you to use the Basic and Advanced abilities of the Form of the assumed shape, but you do so with reduced initial Effect.

Makeover Mirage

Full-body mask.

You add illusory clothing, accessories, and cosmetic details to your appearance. You do not change your physical shape; instead, you alter surface features such as hair, skin tone, facial details, and voice.

This can conceal your identity or create striking, fabulous outfits. You cannot change your size or body plan, but illusory clothing and accessories function as an instant disguise.

You can use this on your entire Crew as an Advanced ability.

Monster Mirage

Illusory transformation.

You take on the outward appearance of any creature or object. This can aid social interaction or intimidation.

• Limited Outcome transforms you into a version of yourself as you might have been had you grown up as the creature whose form you assume; those familiar with you can still recognize you.
• Standard Outcome allows you to become a generic creature, very difficult to recognize as yourself.
• Great Outcome allows you to assume the exact shape and mannerisms of a specific creature you have studied.

Metamorphosis Mirage

Transform crew.

Alter the appearance of your crew or a willing or helpless creature. This is Monster Mirage applied to another creature.

Mob Mirage

Transform crowd.

Change the appearance of many creatures at once. This is Monster Mirage applied to all creatures you can see in an Area (p. 221). You may give each an individual appearance or render them as a faceless, uniform crowd.

By altering many appearances simultaneously, you can obscure identities and sow confusion. This can cause chaos in streets, courts, or battlefields. Creatures do not automatically realize their own appearance has changed, compounding the confusion.

— Back to top —

Finesse

Use Illusion for deceptive weapons, movement, and misdirection.

Phantom Pilot

Disguise Ride.

Change the appearance of a mount or personal vehicle. You alter the visual appearance and, to a limited extent, the sound of a mount or vehicle in any way you choose. The illusion covers the vehicle and its tracks as long as you maintain the effect.

Concealing a very large ride, such as a ship, train, or dragon, requires Great Outcome.

At Advanced tier, you can apply this effect individually to each of your Crew’s rides.

Phantom Precision

Illusory attack.

Create a Fine and Potent illusory melee weapon. You project the appearance and sensation of a close-range weapon. The attack causes real pain and convincing injury that fades at the end of the score; it cannot kill directly except by provoking dangerous actions.

Illusory attacks cannot affect insensate targets that lack the capacity to interpret sensory input, such as objects or simple organisms. Describe the form of the attack; any relevant vulnerability or resistance applies to the apparent harm.

Aside from damage type, this substitutes for a Fine and Potent weapon. Activating the illusion in combat takes no more time than drawing a weapon.

Phantom Pulse

Precise Illusion.

Create a momentary illusion. The effect is small, precise, and momentary. When it makes sense in the story that this creates leverage, you may roll Finesse without expending any time. Resolve this as a normal Set Up, then immediately roll the Action you are Setting Up.

Phantom Passage

Create shadow rides.

You create shadow rides, semi-real mounts or vehicles for yourself and your Crew. They function as ordinary conveyances of their type, but appear as misty or shadowy forms, make no noise, and leave no trail.

— Back to top —

Hunt

Track, strike, and reshape the battlefield through Illusion. Illusion Hunt excels at misdirection, pursuit, and apparent force rather than true lethality.

Shadow Seeker

Track images.

Track anything you have a clear mental image of. You follow the impression a target leaves on the world-image as it moves. These traces fade quickly and become unreliable when many similar targets are nearby.

Consequences usually arise from the environment or population rather than the trail itself — obstacles, getting lost, hostile attention, traps, or ambushes.

Shadow Shot

Illusory snipe.

A Fine and Potent ranged attack. Describe the form of the attack; any relevant vulnerability or resistance applies to the illusory harm.

This serves as a replacement for ranged equipment in terms of Effect; a mundane Fine and Potent weapon is equally effective but causes real damage. Using this attack in combat takes no additional time — activating the illusion is equivalent to drawing a weapon.

Shadow Shift

Phantom environment.

You can reshape the appearance of an Area (p. 221). The illusion can be dramatic, but it only alters the appearance of existing things. You cannot create new structures or render objects truly invisible. Examples include making a slum appear like a palace complex or a field appear as a jungle.

The illusion affects all senses, but offers no physical resistance when force is applied. You may add environmental effects such as mist, rain, smoke, temperature shifts, and scents.

Shadow Shift is commonly used as a Set Up, but it can also alter behavior — smoke, rain, snow, or darkness often cause people to flee, hide, or seek shelter.

Consequences may distract allies, strain concentration, or allow select opponents to pierce the illusion.

Shadow Surge

Illusory area attack.

An escalation of Shadow Shot, this is an illusory attack similar to a Fine and Potent grenade. This affects all enemies in a single location, trading precision for scale. This allows full Effect against an entire gang of cohorts.

The illusion may include apparent environmental damage, convincing at a glance but quickly fading.

— Back to top —

Prowl

Hide, slip away, and reposition through Illusion. Illusion excels at concealment and deception, even enabling movement through misdirection.

Image Invisibility

Become almost invisible.

You erase most visual cues of your presence, allowing you to Prowl into places that would otherwise be impossible to enter unnoticed.

The illusion is not perfect. Air shimmers slightly, you emit a faint glow in darkness, and you still produce sound. Strong light, total darkness, sudden movement, and noise make detection easier.

Image Infiltration

Teleport and distract.

You create an illusion of yourself at a location you can clearly see. You can then exchange positions with it.

The illusory double attempts to flee or act believably on its own, drawing on a remnant of your personality, grabbing attention and creating confusion.

Image Incursion

Crew intrusion.

Allow others to use Image Invisibility and Image Infiltration. Each participant rolls their own Prowl Action and suffers their own Consequences. This is often a Group Action.

Image Inversion

Appearance teleport.

Teleport between similar places. You teleport yourself and your Crew between two locations that are visually similar enough that casual observation cannot distinguish them.

You must be familiar with the destination. You may use other illusions to make the locations match more closely, usually by changing the place you are at.

This is regional travel — remaining within the same city or area — but is usually sufficient to escape almost any situation. Illusive Excursion excels at escapes, but is risky when used to infiltrate hostile territory.

— Back to top —

Skirmish

Prosper in the chaos of battle through deception and misdirection.

Echo Evasion

Resist illusory harm.

You absorb harm caused by Illusions, allowing you to ignore most Harm from dangerous dreamscapes and many Drealands events, illusory environments, or deceptive sensory effects such as phantom flames, fumes, or collapsing terrain. You increase the effect of Skirmish rolls for endurance in such environments. Roll Skirmish to resist such Harm. 1-3: No reduction. 4-6: Reduce Harm by 1 level. Critical: Reduce Harm by 2 levels.

As a Master power, you can protect an ally for a score; as an Apex Power, you can protect your crew. Allies roll their own Skirmish dice.

Echo Engagement

Illusory melee.

Fine and Potent illusory attack. You make a close-range attack through projected force, pain, or apparent injury. Illusory attacks cause real pain and convincing damage that fades at the end of the score; they cannot kill directly except by provoking dangerous actions.

Illusory attacks cannot affect insensate targets that lack the capacity to interpret sensory input, such as objects or simple organisms. Describe the form of the attack; any relevant vulnerability or resistance applies to the apparent harm.

Aside from damage type, this substitutes for equipment; mundane weapons are just as effective. Some targets may be more or less vulnerable to specific attacks, but this is the exception.

Echo Expanse

Gain Scale.

Create illusory attackers that give you Scale (p 221). You also attack with Echo Engagement.

Echo Effort

Group Action.

Illusion enables Group Actions deception, deception, misdirection, or controlled perception. You may do this even when some participants would not normally be able to contribute meaningfully due to physical limitation, Scale, or environmental constraint.

You lead the Group Action and roll Skirmish. Choose the Action most appropriate to the shared physical task. Each participant other than you rolls that Action. Stress to the leader is resolved as normal for a Group Action.

— Back to top —

Study

Study and analyze illusions and images to gain insight and knowledge. The outcome required depends on range.

• Limited outcome for touch.
• Standard outcome for line-of-sight.
• Great outcome to reach a target you know of or have some link to, but which is out of line-of-sight.

These powers can spot illusions, but you have to actively use them to do so.

Position depends on the situation. Safely in your base the position is controlled. In the middle of a fight or when pinned down the position is desperate. Sometimes thing you are researching it dangerous in itself, worsening position.

Illusory Insight

Identify Illusion.

Learn the powers and abilities of an illusion. Learn of any powers or special abilities the illusion has. This includes actual rules and game effects as well as what the illusion hides or disguises.

Illusory Imprint

A view from your memory.

You recreate a scene from memory. This is detailed and may contain things you do not consciously remember. Others can help you inspect this image and draw their own conclusions, but it is very hard for them to tell if this is truly a memory or an illusion you created using Sway in order to fool them.

Illusory Inheritance

A view from the past.

Illusory Memory, but it is from the past of your current location of an item or person you hold as you use the ability, you need not have been present yourself. You can zoom in on events of interest.

Illusory Memory, but it is from the past of your current location, you need not have been present when the event occurred. You can zoom in on events of interest.

Illusory Imago

See everything.

You see everything in an Area (p. 221). Darkness, walls and barriers do not limit vision, but enclosed spaces do. Provides a detailed view of events involving Illusions as far as you can see, pinpointing locations of interest. You can then play back what you see in three locations in the area, like Illusory Imprint.

— Back to top —

Survey

Perceive and locate illusions.

The Outcome required depends on concealment:

• Limited Outcome detects targets behind light cover or at extreme distance.
• Standard Outcome can see behind walls and into hard cover.
• Great Outcome reveals distant locations or places you did not know existed.

Project Probe

Detect Illusion.

Detect illusions and invisible things. You selectively sense illusions of a specified kind. This is a basic spotting power.

Project Perception

Image that updates.

You create a small illusion of a known location. The image updates in real time as the location changes, as long as you maintain concentration.

Project Presence

Pursuing image.

Create a live illusory image of a creature. As Project Perception, but focused on a known creature. The illusion follows the creature as it moves and shows what is nearby.

Project Perspective

Live illusory map.

Create a live illusory map of a vast area. As Project Perception, but on a grand scale. You can represent everything within Range (p. 221), such as several city blocks or a large terrain feature such as a forest, field, or hill, and shift the viewpoint to different angles or positions.

— Back to top —

Sway

Convince others by showing them illusions.

Persuasive Phantom

Illusory persona.

Convincing visual image up to the size of a human. Create a full-sense image of something of human size or smaller. This can be a creature that tries to convince observers with convincing words, or something like a signpost. The image appears real to all senses, but if pushed hard it is revealed to be immaterial.

Persuasive Procession

Illusory crowd.

Full-sense illusion of a stage and actors. Similar but larger than Persuasive Phantom. An illusion of a few dozen people or things like a large carriage or street scene. You can move the illusion as long as you move all the components together, something left behind will soon disappear. This allows you to make an illusion of a group of monsters or people that move about, but their tracks and any items left behind will soon disappear as they move out of an area. This is precise enough to make forged documents.

Persuasive Performance

Illusory expectations.

Draw illusion from another's mind. Similar to Persuasive Procession, but you give control over the illusion to a target's subconscious. You can give a general theme of the illusion, and the target will fill in the details. This frees you from having to concentrate on controlling the illusion, and it will always look and act appropriately to the target's expectations. A target with high self-confidence may be able to push the illusion to fit their agenda, but this actually makes it harder for that observer penetrate the illusion.

Persuasive Paradigm

Illusory world.

An illusion around a creature replaces all sensations. The target must be in your power for you to do this. You encase the target in an illusion that controls every sensation the target perceives. This places the target in an illusory world entirely of your creation. You can create a theme for the illusion that repeats with simple variations, or you can give control to the target's subconscious having it play out the targets desires or fears. The target appears to be asleep, and any interaction with the target's actual body will be incorporated into the illusion, allowing the target to be fed, clothed, and led. You can take detailed control at any time when you touch the target, and you may be able to trick the target into acts provoked by events in the Private Phantasm.

— Back to top —

Tinker

Create illusory objects and structures.

You can create illusions of objects of any kind, with any appearance you desire, but they are insubstantial unless otherwise stated. More advanced techniques allow illusions to gain limited, conditional reality.

Outcome determines duration:

• Limited Outcome — lasts for immediate use.
• Standard Outcome — lasts for the duration of a score.
• Great Outcome — semi-permanent.

Objects larger than a human (or you, if you are larger than human), highly complex constructions, or items whose apparent Quality exceeds your Tier require increased Outcome.

Position depends on how quiet your workspace is and how much time you have.

Consequences often alter details of the illusion: warped proportions, overly ornate features, strange markings, mismatched symbols, or subtle inconsistencies that hint the object is unreal.

Construct Configuration

Alter object.

Alter the appearance of an existing object. You change the appearance of an object up to human size. You do not change its actual size or mass, but you may radically alter its apparent form.

A stick may appear as a sword, a log as a mount, clothing as armor, or the reverse. This is a full-sense illusion, affecting sight, sound, smell, and touch.

The illusion may suggest abilities the object does not have or conceal features it does. The object functions as its original form; the illusion does not alter effectiveness, but may mislead users into employing it incorrectly.

Construct Conjuring

Illusory objects.

Create illusory objects or render objects invisible. You can create illusory objects from nothing or make existing objects invisible. Illusory objects can be manipulated as if real but cannot support weight.

You may create larger objects, up to the size of a large carriage. Illusory effects may now extend outward — for example, missiles from an illusory weapon can produce illusory Harm at range.

An invisible weapon may grant an advantage initially, but use and impact tends to reveal it for what it is.

When used to create weapons: Illusory attacks cause pain and apparent wounds that fade at the end of the score. Illusions cannot kill directly and cannot affect insensate things lacking cognitive capacity. Describe the form of the attack; relevant vulnerabilities and resistances apply to the illusory Harm.

Construct Conception

Create shadow objects.

As Phantasmal Fabrication, but objects you create can be shadowy, semi-real. They function as what they depict but with reduced effect, and only for you and your allies.

For example, you might create an illusory stone bridge that supports your Crew like a wooden bridge, but offers no support to others.

Shadow objects way can affect mindless things and physical objects. Tools and weapons function as basic, functional examples — usable, but imperfect.

Construct Coalescence

Huge illusions.

Create illusory objects and structures on a massive scale. This expands Construct Composition to mass production or monumental construction. You may create large numbers of objects or enormous structures such as ships, buildings, towns, or small landscapes.

Complex scenes or varied objects may require additional concentration or rolls to maintain, but this does not increase stress cost beyond the initial use.

— Back to top —

Wreck

Create illusions of destruction and collapse. Nothing is really damaged, it just looks that way.

Illusion does not wreck directly, as its effects are unreal until Shadowy Shatter. Illusion excels at causing apparent mayhem without lasting collateral damage. This makes Wreck Illusion ideal for getaways and misdirection — a bridge that seems to collapse behind you, a gate that appears smashed, or a building that looks unsafe to enter.

Position depends on the situation. If you are unseen, undisturbed, and understand what you are pretending to destroy, the Position is Controlled. If enemies are present, the structure is unfamiliar, or the illusion risks provoking real accidents, the Position may be Desperate.

The Outcome required depends on the apparent scale of the destruction.

• Standard Outcome creates the illusion of a car-sized (or smaller) breach or collapse.
• Great Outcome allows larger destruction.

Repeated or excessive use strains credibility — an illusion of a rifle breaking ten times invites someone to test it and discover it still functions.

Faux Fracture

Personal scale illusion.

Create the illusion of damage to an object or creature. You create the appearance of destruction to objects or creatures you could plausibly destroy with a sledgehammer.

Illusory attacks cause real pain and apparent damage that fades at the end of the score. They cannot kill directly; lethal outcomes only occur if the illusion provokes dangerous actions.

Describe the form of the damage; any relevant vulnerability or resistance applies to the apparent harm.

Unlike most illusory attacks, Wreck Illusion can affect objects and insensate things that lack cognitive capacity, though the damage itself remains unreal.

Faux Fissure

Structural scale illusion.

Create the illusion of damage to a solid structure. This is Faux Fracture applied to stronger targets, such as walls, gates, or fortifications. It functions as a Fine and Potent illusory sledgehammer when used against creatures.

Faux Fault

Temporary damage.

Illusory damage that creates exploitable openings usable by the crew. This functions as Faux Fissure, but the damage becomes temporarily exploitable. You might create an illusory hole in a wall that be passed through, but which fades over time or as you direct. As the illusion fades, so does the ability to exploit it.

Faux Fragmentation

Area illusion.

Create city-scale illusions of devastation. This expands Phantom Fracture out to the limits of Range (p. 221), creating the appearance of widespread destruction across districts or entire cities.

— Back to top —