Absorb Energy
- Action
You touch
an object and absorb its energy. If you touch a
manifest cypher, you render it useless. If you
touch an artifact, roll for its depletion. If you
touch another kind of powered machine or
device, the GM determines whether its power
is fully drained. In any case, you absorb energy
from the object touched and regain 1d10 Intellect
points. If this would give you more Intellect than
your Pool’s maximum, the extra points are lost,
and you must make a Might defense roll. The
difficulty of the roll is equal to the number of
points over your maximum you absorbed. If you
fail the roll, you take 5 points of damage and are
unable to act for one round. You can use this
ability as a defense action when you’re the target
of an incoming ability. Doing so cancels the
incoming ability, and you absorb the energy as if
it were a device.
Concussion
- Action
You cause a
pulse of concussive force to explode out from a
point you choose within long range. The pulse
extends up to short range in all directions,
dealing 5 points of damage to everything in the
area. Even if you fail the attack roll, targets in the
area take 1 point of damage.
Conjuration
- Action
You produce,
as if from thin air, a level 5 creature of a kind
you have previously encountered. The creature
remains for one minute and then returns home.
While present, the creature acts as you direct,
but this requires no action on your part.
Countermeasures
- Action
You
immediately end one ongoing effect (such as
an effect created by a character ability) within
immediate range. Alternatively, you can use this
as a defense action to cancel any incoming ability
targeted at you, or you can cancel any device or
the effect of any device for 1d6 rounds. You must
touch the effect or device to cancel it.
Create
- Action
You create something from nothing. You can create any item you choose that would ordinarily have a difficulty of 5 or lower (using the crafting rules). Once created, the item lasts for a number of hours equal to 6 minus the difficulty to create it. Thus, if you create a set of sturdy manacles (difficulty 5), it would last for one hour.
Cutting Light
- Action
You emit a
thin beam of energized light from your hand.
This inflicts 5 points of damage to a single foe
in immediate range. The beam is even more
effective against immobile, nonliving targets,
slicing up to 1 foot (30 cm) of any material that is
level 6 or lower. The material can be up to 1 foot
thick.
Death Touch
- Action
You gather disrupting energy in your fingertip and touch a creature. If the target is an NPC or a creature of level 3 or lower, it dies. If the target is a PC of any tier, they move down one step on the damage track.
Dust to Dust
- Action
You
disintegrate one object that is smaller than you
and whose level is less than or equal to your tier.
You must touch the object to affect it. If the GM
feels it appropriate to the circumstances, you
can disintegrate a portion of an object (the total
volume of which is smaller than you) rather than
the entire thing.
Erase Memories
- Action
You reach into the mind of a creature within immediate range and make an Intellect roll. On a success, you erase up to the last five minutes of its memory.
Exile
- Action
You send a target that you touch hurtling into another random dimension or universe, where it remains for ten minutes. You have no idea what happens to the target while it’s gone, but at the end of ten minutes, it returns to the precise spot it left.
Far Step
- Action
You leap through
the air and land some distance away. You can
jump up, down, or across to anywhere you
choose within long range if you have a clear and
unobstructed path to that location. You land
safely.
Force Field Barrier
- Action
You
create an opaque, stationary barrier of solid
energy (a force field) within immediate range.
The barrier is 10 feet by 10 feet (3 m by 3 m) and
of negligible thickness. It is a level 2 barrier and
lasts for ten minutes. It can be placed anywhere
it fits, whether against a solid object (including
the ground) or floating in the air. Each level of
Effort you apply strengthens the barrier by one
level. For example, applying two levels of Effort
creates a level 4 barrier.
Hedge Magic
- Action
You can
perform small tricks: temporarily change the
color or basic appearance of a small object,
cause small objects to float through the air, clean
a small area, mend a broken object, prepare
(but not create) food, and so on. You can’t use
Hedge Magic to harm another creature or object.
Knowing the Unknown
- Action
By accessing the resources appropriate to your
character, you can ask the GM one question and
get a general answer. The GM assigns a level to
the question, so the more obscure the answer,
the more difficult the task. Generally, knowledge
that you could find by looking somewhere
other than your current location is level 1, and
obscure knowledge of the past is level 7. Gaining
knowledge of the future is impossible.
Move Mountains
- Action
You
exert a tremendous amount of physical force
within 250 feet (75 m) of you. You can push up
to 10 tons (9 t) of material up to 50 feet (15 m).
This force can collapse buildings, redirect small
rivers, or perform other dramatic effects.
Onslaught
- Action
You attack a foe
using energies that assail either their physical
form or their mind. In either case, you must be
able to see your target. If the attack is physical,
you emit a short-range ray of force that inflicts
4 points of damage. If the attack is mental, you
focus your mental energy to blast the thought
processes of another creature within short
range. This mindslice inflicts 2 points of Intellect
damage (ignores Armor). Some creatures
without minds (such as robots) might be
immune to your mindslice.
Push
- Action
You telekinetically
push a creature or object an immediate distance
in any direction you wish. You must be able
to see the target, which must be your size or
smaller, must not be affixed to anything, and
must be within short range. The push is quick,
and the force is too crude to be manipulated. For
example, you can’t use this ability to pull a lever
or close a door.
Rapid Processing
- Action
You or
a target you touch experiences a higher level
of mental and physical reaction time for about
a minute. During that period, all Speed tasks
(including Speed defense rolls) are eased. In
addition, the target can take one extra action at
any time before the ability’s duration expires.
Regeneration
- Action
You restore
points to a target’s Might or Speed Pool in one of
two ways: either the chosen Pool regains up to 6 points, or it is restored to a total value of 12. You make this decision when you initiate this ability. Points are regenerated at a rate of 1 point each round. You must remain within immediate range of the target the whole time, either touching them or conversing with them. In no case can this raise a Pool higher than its maximum.
Reshape
- Action
You reshape
matter within short range in an area no larger
than a 5-foot (1.5 m) cube. If you use only one
action on this ability, the changes you make are
crude at best. If you spend at least ten minutes
and succeed at a hindered appropriate crafting
task, you can make complex changes to the
material. You can’t change the nature of the
material, only its shape. Thus, you can make a
hole in a wall or floor, or you can seal one up.
You can fashion a rudimentary sword from a
large piece of iron. You can break or repair a
chain. With multiple uses of this ability, you
could bring about large changes, making a
bridge, a wall, or a similar structure.
Retrieve Memories
- Action
You
touch the remains of a recently killed creature
and make an Intellect-based roll to restore its
mind to life long enough to learn information
from it. The GM sets the difficulty based on
the amount of time that has passed since the
creature died. A creature that has been dead
for only a few minutes is a difficulty 2 task, one
that has been dead for an hour is a difficulty 4
task, and one that has been dead for a few days
is a difficulty 9 task. If you succeed, you awaken
the corpse, causing its head to animate and
perceive things as if it were alive. This enables
communication for about one minute, which is
how long it takes for the creature to realize that
it’s dead. The creature is limited to what it knew
in life, though it cannot recall minor memories,
only big events of importance to it. When the
effect ends, or if you fail the roll, the creature’s
brain dissolves to mush and cannot be awakened
again.
Scan
- Action
You scan an area
equal in size to a 10-foot (3 m) cube, including
all objects or creatures within that area. The area
must be within short range. Scanning a creature
or object always reveals its level. You also learn
whatever facts the GM feels are pertinent about
the matter and energy in that area. For example,
you might learn that the wooden box contains
a device of metal and plastic. You might learn
that the glass cylinder is full of poisonous gas,
and that its metal stand has an electrical field
running through it that connects to a metal
mesh in the floor. You might learn that the
creature standing before you is a mammal with
a small brain. However, this ability doesn’t tell
you what the information means. Thus, in the
first example, you don’t know what the metal
and plastic device does. In the second, you don’t
know if stepping on the floor causes the cylinder
to release the gas. In the third, you might
suspect that the creature is not very intelligent,
but scans, like looks, can be deceiving. Many
materials and energy fields prevent or resist
scanning.
Sensor
- Action
You create an
immobile, invisible sensor within immediate
range that lasts for 24 hours. At any time during
that duration, you can concentrate to see, hear,
and smell through the sensor, no matter how
far you move from it. The sensor doesn’t grant
you sensory capabilities beyond the norm. If you
also have this ability from another source, it lasts
twice as long. Action to create; action to check.
Shatter
- Action
You interrupt
the fundamental force holding normal matter
together for a moment, causing the detonation
of an object you choose within long range.
The object must be a small, mundane item
composed of homogeneous matter (such as a
clay cup, an iron ingot, a stone, and so on). The
object explodes in an immediate radius, dealing
1 point of damage to all creatures and objects
in the area. If you apply Effort to increase the
damage, you deal 2 additional points of damage
per level of Effort (instead of 3 points); targets in
the area take 1 point of damage even if you fail
the attack roll.
Stasis
- Action
You surround a foe of your size or smaller with scintillating energy, keeping it from moving or acting for one minute, as if frozen solid. You must be able to see the target, and it must be within short range. While in stasis, the target is impervious to harm, cannot be moved, and is immune to all effects.
Teleportation
- Action
You instantaneously transmit yourself to any location that you have seen or been to, no matter the distance, as long as it is on Earth (or whatever world you’re currently on). In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to bring other people with you; each level of Effort used in this way affects up to three additional targets. You must touch any additional targets.
Traverse the Worlds
- Action
You
instantaneously transmit yourself to another
planet, dimension, plane, or level of reality. You
must know that the destination exists; the GM
will decide if you have enough information to
confirm its existence and the level of difficulty to
reach the destination. In addition to the normal
options for using Effort, you can choose to use
Effort to bring other people with you; each level
of Effort used in this way affects up to three
additional targets. You must touch any additional
targets.
Control Weather
- Action to initiate
You
change the weather in your general region. If
performed indoors, this creates minor effects,
such as mist, mild temperature changes, and
so on. If performed outside, you can create rain,
fog, snow, wind, or any other kind of normal (not
overly severe) weather. The change lasts for a
natural length of time so that a storm might last
for an hour, fog for two or three hours, and snow
for a few hours (or for ten minutes if it’s out of
season). For the first ten minutes after activating
this ability, you can create more dramatic and
specific effects, such as lightning strikes, giant
hailstones, twisters, hurricane-force winds, and
so on. These effects must occur within 1,000 feet
(300 m) of your location. You must spend your
turn concentrating to create an effect or maintain
it in a new round. These effects inflict 6 points
of damage each round. If you have this ability
from another source, the cost for the ability is
7 Intellect points instead of 10. If you already
have the Storm Seed ability, you can immediately
replace it with a new ability of the same tier.
Distortion
- Action to initiate
You modify how
a willing creature within short range reflects light
for one minute. The target rapidly shifts between
its normal appearance and a blot of darkness.
The target has an asset on Speed defense rolls
until the effect wears off.
Earthquake
- Action to initiate
You direct your
destructive resonance into the ground and
trigger an earthquake centered on a spot you can
see within very long range. The ground within
short range of that spot heaves and shakes for
five minutes, causing damage to structures and
terrain in the area. Buildings and terrain features
shed debris and rubble. Each round, creatures
in the area take either 3 points of damage due
to the general shaking, or 6 points of damage
if in or adjacent to a structure or terrain feature
shedding debris.
Energy Protection
- Action to initiate
Choose
a discrete type of energy that you have experience
with (such as heat, sonic, electricity, and so on).
You gain +10 to Armor against damage from that
type of energy for ten minutes. Alternatively, you
gain +1 to Armor against damage from that energy
for 24 hours. You must be familiar with the type
of energy; for example, if you have no experience
with a certain kind of extradimensional energy,
you can’t protect against it. In addition to the
normal options for using Effort, you can choose
to use Effort to protect more targets; each level of
Effort used in this way affects up to two additional
targets. You must touch additional targets to
protect them.
Fire and Ice
- Action to initiate
You cause a
target within short range to become either very
hot or very cold (your choice). The target suffers
3 points of ambient damage (ignores Armor)
each round for up to three rounds, although a
new roll is required each round to continue to
affect the target.
Hover
- Action to initiate
You float slowly
into the air. If you concentrate, you can control
your movement to remain motionless in the air
or float up to a short distance as your action;
otherwise, you drift with the wind or with any
momentum you have gained. This effect lasts for
up to ten minutes.
Invisibility
- Action to initiate
You become
invisible for ten minutes. While invisible, you
are specialized in stealth and Speed defense
tasks. This effect ends if you do something to
reveal your presence or position—attacking,
using an ability, moving a large object, and so
on. If this occurs, you can regain the remaining
invisibility effect by taking an action to hide your
position. If you have another ability that also
confers invisibility, using either one allows you to
remain invisible for twice as long as the duration
specified. Action to initiate or reinitiate.
Matter Cloud
- Action to initiate
Pebbles, dirt,
sand, and debris rise into the air around you to
form a swirling cloud. The cloud extends out to
immediate range, moves with you, and lasts for
one minute. When it ends, all the materials fall
to the ground around you. The cloud makes it
harder for other creatures to attack you, giving
you an asset on Speed defense rolls. In addition,
while the cloud is around you, you can use an
action to whip the material so that it abrades
everything within immediate range, dealing 1
point of damage to each creature and object in
the area.
Mind Control
- Action to initiate
You control
the actions of another creature you touch. This
effect lasts for one minute. The target must
be level 2 or lower. Once you have established
control, you maintain mental contact with the
target and sense what it senses. You can allow it
to act freely or override its control on a
case-by-case basis. In addition to the normal
options for using Effort, you can choose to use
Effort to increase the maximum level of the
target or increase the duration by one minute.
Thus, to control the mind of a level 5 target
(three levels above the normal limit) or control a
target for four minutes (three minutes above the
normal duration), you must apply three levels
of Effort. When the duration ends, the creature
doesn’t remember being controlled or anything
it did while under your command.
Mind Reading
- Action to initiate
You can read
the surface thoughts of a creature within short
range, even if the target doesn’t want you to. You
must be able to see your target. Once you have
established contact, you can read the target’s
thoughts for up to one minute. If you also have
the Mind Reading special ability from another
source, you can use this ability at long range,
and you don’t need to be able to see the target
(but you do have to know that the target is within
range).
Projection
- Action to initiate
You project an
image of yourself to any location you have seen
or previously visited. Distance does not matter
as long as the location is on the same world as
you. The projection copies your appearance,
movements, and any sounds you make for the
next ten minutes. Anyone present at the location
can see and hear you as if you were there.
However, you do not perceive through your
projection.
Resonance Field
- Action to initiate
Faint lines
in a color you choose form a tracery over your
entire body and emit faint light. The effect lasts
for one minute. Whenever a creature within
immediate range makes an attack against you,
the pattern energizes to block the attack. You
can make an Intellect defense roll in place of the
defense roll you would normally make. If you
do so and you get a minor effect, the creature
attacking you takes 1 point of damage. If you get
a major effect, the creature attacking you takes 4
points of damage.
Reveal
- Action to initiate
You adjust a creature’s eyesight so that it can see normally in areas of dim light and darkness. You can affect one willing creature within immediate range for one hour. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to affect more targets; each level of Effort applied affects two additional targets. You must touch additional targets to affect them.
Usurp Cypher
- Action to initiate
Choose one cypher that you carry. The cypher must have an effect that is not instantaneous. You destroy the cypher and gain its power, which functions for you continuously. You can choose a cypher when you gain this ability, or you can wait and make the choice later. However, once you usurp a cypher’s power, you cannot later switch to a different cypher—the usurping ability works only once.
Wormhole
- Action to initiate
You create a
doorway through time and space. The shortcut
manifests as a hole in reality large enough to
accommodate you and creatures of your size
or smaller. One side of the doorway appears
anywhere within immediate range, and the other
side opens at a spot you choose anywhere within
long range. Any character or object moving into
one side exits from the other. The door remains
open for one minute or until you use an action to
close it.
Adaptation
- Enabler
Thanks to a latent mutation,
a device implanted in your spine, a ritual
performed with dragon’s blood, or some
other gift, you now remain at a comfortable
temperature; never need to worry about
dangerous radiation, diseases, or gases; and can
always breathe in any environment (even the
vacuum of space).
Adroit Cypher Use
- Enabler
You can bear four cyphers at a time.
Magic Training
- Enabler
You are trained in the basics of
magic (including the operation of magic artifacts
and cyphers) and can attempt to understand and
identify its properties.
Master Cypher Use
- Enabler
You can bear five cyphers
at a time.
Targeting Eye
- Enabler
You are trained in any physical
ranged attack that is a character ability or comes
from a device. For example, you are trained
when using an Onslaught force blast because
it’s a physical attack, but not when using an
Onslaught mindslice because it’s a mental
attack.
True Senses
- Enabler
You can see in complete darkness
up to 50 feet (15 m) as if it were dim light. You
recognize holograms, disguises, optical illusions,
sound mimicry, and other such tricks (for all
senses) for what they are.
Ward
- Enabler
You have a shield of energy around you
at all times that helps deflect attacks. You gain +1
to Armor.