Anticipate Attack
- Action
You can sense when and how creatures attacking you will make their attacks. Speed defense rolls are eased for one minute.
Battle Management
- Action
As long
as you use your action each round giving orders
or advice, attack and defense actions taken by
your allies within short range are eased.
Calm Stranger
- Action
You can
cause one intelligent creature to remain calm as
you speak. The creature doesn’t need to speak
your language, but it must be able to see you.
It remains calm as long as you focus all your
attention on it and it is not attacked or otherwise
threatened. In addition to the normal options
for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to
calm additional creatures allied with your initial
target, one additional creature per level of Effort
applied.
Confounding Banter
- Action
You spew a stream of nonsense to distract a foe within immediate range. On a successful Intellect roll, your defense roll against the creature’s next attack before the end of the next round is eased.
Encouragement
- Action
While you
maintain this ability through ongoing inspiring
oration, your allies within short range ease one
of the following task types (your choice): defense
tasks, attack tasks, or tasks related to any skill
that you are trained or specialized in.
Enthrall
- Action
While talking, you
grab and keep another creature’s attention, even
if the creature can’t understand you. For as long
as you do nothing but speak (you can’t even
move), the other creature takes no actions other
than to defend itself, even over multiple rounds.
If the creature is attacked, the effect ends.
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.
Fast Talk
- Action
When speaking
with an intelligent creature who can understand
you and isn’t hostile, you convince that creature
to take one reasonable action in the next round.
A reasonable action must be agreed upon by the
GM; it should not put the creature or its allies
in obvious danger or be wildly out of character.
Feint
- Action
If you use one action creating a misdirection or diversion, in the next round you can take advantage of your opponent’s lowered defenses. Make a melee attack roll against that opponent. You gain an asset on this attack. If your attack is successful, it inflicts 4 additional points of damage.
Flee
- Action
All non-allies within short distance who can hear your dreadful, intimidating words flee from you at top speed for one minute. Action.
Grand Deception
- Action
You
convince an intelligent creature that can
understand you and isn’t hostile of something
that is wildly and obviously untrue.
Impart Ideal
- Action
After
interacting for at least one minute with a creature
who can hear and understand you, you can
attempt to temporarily impart an ideal to it that
you could not otherwise convince it to adopt. An
ideal is different than a specific suggestion or
command; an ideal is an overarching value such
as “All life is sacred,” “My political party is the
best,” “Children should be seen, not heard,” and
so on. An ideal influences a creature’s behavior
but doesn’t control it. The imparted ideal lasts as
long as befits the situation, but usually at least a
few hours. The ideal is jeopardized if someone
friendly to the creature spends a minute or more
bringing it back to its senses.
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.
Oratory
- Action
When speaking
with a group of intelligent creatures that can
understand you and aren’t hostile, you convince
them to take one reasonable action in the next
round. A reasonable action should not put the
creatures or their allies in obvious danger or be
wildly out of character.
Read the Signs
- Action
You
examine an area and learn precise, useful details
about the past (if any exist). You can ask the GM
up to four questions about the immediate area;
each requires its own roll.
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.
Shatter Mind
- Action
Your words reverberate destructively in the brain of an intelligent level 1 target within short range that can hear and understand you. They destroy tissue, memories, and personality, triggering a vegetative state. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the maximum level of the target. Thus, to shatter the mind of a level 5 target (four levels above the normal limit), you must apply four levels of Effort.
Speedy Recovery
- Action
Your words enhance the normal regenerative ability of a character within short range who is able to understand you. When they make a recovery roll, they must spend only half the normal amount of time required to do so (minimum one action).
Spin Identity
- Action
You convince all intelligent creatures who can see, hear, and understand you that you are someone or something other than who you actually are. You don’t impersonate a specific individual known to the victim. Instead, you convince the victim that you are someone they do not know belonging to a certain category of people. “We’re from the government.” “I’m just a simple farmer from the next town over.” “Your commander sent me.” A disguise isn’t necessary, but a good disguise will almost certainly be an asset to the roll involved. If you attempt to convince more than one creature, the Intellect cost increases by 1 point per additional victim. Fooled creatures remain so for up to an hour, unless your actions or other circumstances reveal your true identity earlier.
Stimulate
- Action
Your words
encourage a target you touch who can
understand you. The next action it takes is eased
by three steps.
Terrifying Presence
- Action
You
convince one intelligent target of level 3 or lower
that you are its worst nightmare. The target must
be within short range and be able to understand
you. For as long as you do nothing but speak
(you can’t even move), the target is paralyzed
with fear, runs away, or takes some other action
appropriate to the circumstances. In addition
to the normal options for using Effort, you can
choose to use Effort to increase the maximum
level of the target. Thus, to terrorize a level 5
target (two levels above the normal limit), you
must apply two levels of Effort.
Understanding
- Action
You
observe or study a creature or object. Your next
interaction with that creature or object gains one
asset.
Word of Command
- Action
You utter a word so powerful that to fully invest it, you sacrifice a cypher in your possession that is level 6 or higher. You issue the word to one creature within long range that you can see. The affected target must obey the command for several hours before it is free to act as it wishes. Targets that are attacked while under the effect of the command can defend themselves. Typical commands include “retreat,” “calm,” “come,” and “stay.” The GM decides how the target acts once a command is given.
Accelerate
- Action to initiate
Your
words imbue the spirit of a character within
immediate range who is able to understand
you, accelerating them so they gain an asset
on initiative tasks and Speed defense rolls for
ten minutes. In addition to the normal options
for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort
to affect more targets; each level of Effort
affects one additional target. You must speak to
additional targets to accelerate them, one target
per round. Action per target to initiate.
Anecdote
- Action to initiate
You can lift
the spirits of a group of creatures and help
them bond together by entertaining them with
an uplifting or pointed anecdote. For the next
hour, those who pay attention to your story are
trained in a task you choose that’s related to the
anecdote, as long as it’s not an attack or defense
task. Action to initiate, one minute to complete.
Assume Control
- Action to initiate
You
control the actions of another creature you
have interacted with or studied for at least a
round. This effect lasts for ten minutes. The
target must be level 2 or lower. Once you have
assumed control, the target acts as if it wants to
accomplish your desire to the best of its ability,
freely using its own best judgment unless you
use an action to give it a specific instruction
on an issue-by-issue basis. In addition to the
normal options for using Effort, you can choose
to use Effort to increase the maximum level of
the target. Thus, to attempt to command a level
5 target (three levels above the normal limit),
you must apply three levels of Effort. When the
effect ends, the target remembers everything that
happened and reacts according to its nature and
your relationship to it; assuming control might
have soured that relationship if it was previously
a positive one.
Blend In
- Action to initiate
When you blend
in, creatures still see you, but they attach no
importance to your presence for about a minute.
While blending in, 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 period of effect by taking an
action to focus on seeming innocuous and as if
you belong. Action to initiate or reinitiate.
Crowd Control
- Action to initiate
You control the actions of up to five creatures in short range. This effect lasts for one minute. All targets must be level 2 or lower. Your control is limited to simple verbal commands like “Stop,” “Run away,” “Follow that guard,” “Look over there,” or “Get out of my way.” All affected creatures respond to the command unless you specifically command them otherwise. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the maximum level of the targets or affect an dditional five people. Thus, to control a group that has a level 4 target (two levels above the normal limit) or a group of fifteen people, you must apply two levels of Effort. When the Crowd Control ability ends, the creatures remember your commands but don’t remember being controlled—your commands seemed reasonable at the time.
Demeanor of Command
- Action to initiate
You project confidence, knowledge, and
charisma to all who see you for the next hour.
Your demeanor is such that those who see you
automatically understand that you are someone
important, accomplished, and with authority.
When you speak, strangers who are not already
attacking give you at least a round to have your say. If speaking to a group that can understand you, you can attempt to have them produce their leader or ask that they take you to their leader. You gain a free level of Effort that can be applied to one persuasion task you attempt during this period.
Foul Aura
- Action to initiate
Your words, gestures, and touch invest an object no larger than yourself with an aura of doom, fear, and doubt for one day. Creatures that can hear and understand you feel an urge to move at least a short distance away from the object. If a creature does not move away, all tasks, attacks, and defenses it attempts while within the aura are hindered. The duration of the aura is extended by one day per level of Effort applied. The aura is temporarily blocked while the object is covered or contained.
Gather Intelligence
- Action to initiate
When
in a group of people (a caravan, a palace, a
village, a city, etc.) you can ask around about
any topic you choose and come away with useful
information. You can ask a specific question, or
you can simply obtain general facts. You also get
a good idea of the general layout of the location
involved, note the presence of all major sites,
and perhaps even notice obscure details. For
example, not only do you find out if anyone in
the palace has seen the missing boy, but you
also get a working knowledge of the layout of the
palace itself, note all the entrances and which
are used more often than others, and take notice
that everyone seems to avoid the well in the
eastern courtyard for some reason. Action to
initiate, about an hour to complete.
Inspire Aggression
- Action to initiate
Your
words twist the mind of a character within short
range who is able to understand you, unlocking
their more primitive instincts. As a result, they
gain an asset on their Might-based attack rolls
for one minute.
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).
Perfect Stranger
- Action to initiate
You alter
your posture and way of speaking and make a
small but real alteration to an outfit (such as
putting on or taking off a hat, reversing a cloak,
and so on). For the next hour (or as long as you
keep up the alteration), even creatures that know
you well don’t recognize you. All tasks related to
hiding your true identity during this period gain
one free level of Effort.
Psychosis
- Action to initiate
Your words
inflict a destructive psychosis in the mind of a
target within long range that can understand
you, dealing 6 points of Intellect damage
(ignores Armor) per round. The psychosis can be dispersed if a target uses an action doing nothing but calming and centering itself.
Strategize
- Action to initiate
Having an action
plan in place before facing a challenge improves
the odds of success, even if that plan is eventually
changed or discarded once it’s put into play. If you
and your allies spend at least ten minutes going
over a plan of action, all of you gain one free level of
Effort that can be applied to one task you attempt
during the execution of that plan within the next
24 hours. The plan of action must be something
concrete and executable in order to gain this
benefit. Action to initiate, ten minutes to complete.
Suggestion
- Action to initiate
You suggest an action to a creature within immediate range. If the action is something that the target might normally do anyway, it follows your suggestion. If the suggestion is something that is outside of the target’s nature or express duty (such as asking a guard to let an intruder pass), the suggestion fails. The creature must be level 2 or lower. The effect of your suggestion lasts for up to a minute.
In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the maximum level of the target you can affect by 1. Thus, to affect a level 5 target (three levels above the normal limit), you must apply three levels of Effort.
When the effects of the ability end, the creature remembers following the suggestion but can be persuaded to believe that it chose to do so willingly.
Telling
- Action to initiate
This ability provides
an asset to any tasks for attempting to deceive,
persuade, or intimidate. Each use lasts up to a
minute; a new use (to switch tasks) replaces the
previous use.
Adroit Cypher Use
- Enabler
You can bear four cyphers at a time.
Babel
- Enabler
After hearing a language spoken for a
few minutes, you can speak it and make yourself
understood. If you continue to use the language
to interact with native speakers, your skills
improve rapidly, to the point where you might
be mistaken for a native speaker after just a few
hours of speaking the new language.
Basic Follower
- Enabler
You gain a level 2 follower. One of their modifications must be persuasion. You can take this ability multiple times, each time gaining another level 2 follower.
Discerning Mind
- Enabler
You have +3 Armor against
damaging attacks and damaging effects that
target your mind and Intellect. Defense rolls you
make against attacks that attempt to confuse,
persuade, frighten, or otherwise influence you
are eased.
Discipline of Watchfulness
- Enabler
You keep your allies on their toes with occasional
questions, jokes, and even mock drills for those
who care to join in. After spending 24 hours
with you, your allies can apply a free level of
Effort to any initiative tasks they attempt. This
benefit is ongoing while you remain in the allies’ company. It ends if you leave, but it resumes if you return to the allies’ company within 24 hours. If you leave the allies’ company for more than 24 hours, you must spend another 24 hours together to reactivate the benefit. You must spend the Intellect point cost each 24 hours you wish to keep the benefit active.
Disincentivize
- Enabler
You hinder all
actions attempted by any number of targets within
short range who can understand you. You choose
which targets are affected. Affected targets’
actions are hindered for one round.
Experienced in Armor
- Enabler
The cost reduction from your Practiced in Armor ability improves. You now reduce the Speed cost by 2.
Expert Cypher Use
- Enabler
You can bear three cyphers at a time.
Expert Follower
- Enabler
You gain a level 3 follower.
They are not restricted on their modifications.
You can take this ability multiple times,
each time gaining another level 3 follower.
Alternatively, you could choose to advance a level
2 follower you already have to level 3 and then
gain a new level 2 follower.
Heightened Skills
- Enabler
You are trained in two tasks of your choosing (other than attacks or defense). If you choose a task you’re already trained in, you instead become specialized in that task. You can’t choose a task you’re already specialized in.
Inspiring Ease
- Enabler
Through stories, songs, art,
or other forms of entertainment, you inspire
your friends. After spending 24 hours with you,
once per day each of your friends can ease a
task. This benefit is ongoing while you remain
in the friend’s company. It ends if you leave, but
it resumes if you return to the friend’s company
within 24 hours. If you leave the friend’s
company for more than 24 hours, you must
spend another 24 hours together to reactivate
the benefit.
Inspiring Success
- Enabler
When
you succeed on a roll to perform a task related
to the stat that you choose upon selecting this
ability, and you applied at least one level of
Effort, you may choose another character within
short range. That character has an asset on the
next task they attempt using that stat on their
next turn.
Interaction Skills
- Enabler
You are trained in two skills
in which you are not already trained. Choose
two of the following: deceiving, persuading,
public speaking, seeing through deception, or
intimidation. You can select this ability multiple
times. Each time you select it, you must choose
two different skills.
Lead by Inquiry
- Enabler
You keep your allies on their
toes with occasional questions, jokes, and
even mock drills for those who care to join in.
After spending 24 hours with you, your allies
are treated as if trained in tasks related to
perception. This benefit is ongoing while you
remain in your allies’ company. It ends if you
leave, but it resumes if you return to the allies’
company within 24 hours. If you leave the allies’
company for more than 24 hours, you must
spend another 24 hours together to reactivate
the benefit.
Practiced in Armor
- Enabler
You can wear armor for long periods of time without tiring and can compensate for slowed reactions from wearing armor. You reduce the Speed cost for wearing armor by 1. You start the game with a type of armor of your choice.
Practiced With Medium Weapons
- Enabler
You can
use light and medium weapons without penalty.
If you wield a heavy weapon, attacks with it are
hindered.
Quick Wits
- Enabler
When performing a task that
would normally require spending points from
your Intellect Pool, you can spend points from
your Speed Pool instead.
Recruit Deputy
- Enabler
You gain a level 4 follower. They are not restricted on their modifications. Alternatively, you can choose to advance a level 3 follower you already have to level 4 and then gain a new level 3 follower.
Skill With Attacks
- Enabler
Choose one type of attack in which you are not already trained: light bashing, light bladed, light ranged, medium bashing, medium bladed, medium ranged, heavy bashing, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. You are trained in attacks using that type of weapon. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose a different type of attack.
Skill With Defense
- Enabler
Choose one type of defense task in which you are not already trained: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You are trained in defense tasks of that type.
Spur Effort
- Enabler
You select an
ally within immediate range. If that character
applies Effort to a task on their next turn, they
can apply a free level of Effort on that task.
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.
Unexpected Betrayal
- Enabler
Within a round or two
of successfully using Enthrall, Fast Talk, or a
similar ability on a target within short range, the
first attack you make on that target is eased by
two steps. Once you use Unexpected Betrayal
on a target, using your abilities or attempting
simple persuasion on that target is permanently
hindered by two steps.