The threat facing the world from unchecked Contagion is one of the gravest a Unit can face. Zero Hour knows it is thrusting its Operatives into dangerous situations, often blindly. A Unit may only have the vaguest sense of what they are looking for, but they are not fools. This vector allows each member of the Unit to sense danger before it comes, and to get a hint at what kind of threat they are facing based on the past experiences of their comrades.
Warning Imagery is Zero Hour’s attempt to provide its Operatives with a warning in case they are in danger. It does not work well against mundane threats; a lone police officer is unlikely to trigger this vector compared to a Contagious Daeva lurking in the shadows. Instead, this vector allows its users to sense dangerous, supernatural threats nearby by putting it in a form only they can recognize. This imagery will affect one of the five senses.
It will take time for the Sworn to understand how to understand their comrades’ visions. Those accustomed to sensing how reality works understand the imagery better than those whose senses stay purely in the physical realm. The vector will also only indicate when the threat is still within range or when it has left; it cannot give a definite location of where it is.
The smells recall ancestral imagery of foes in the werewolf. The demon sees familiar lines of code flash across a nearby screen indicating a nearby creature. A vampire tastes blood in their mouth, tangy with the flavors of reptiles, humans, and brass. The changeling sees an ethereal feather float through their field of vision, and it drifts ominously into the distance.
System: Without rolling, an Operative can detect any ambushes or sudden attacks from supernatural sources, within this scene. That Operative can conjure up a shared mental sensation or image and share it with their fellow Operatives up to a range of 100 yards/meters away. The imagery in this mental link is defined by the user activating this ability as well as the type of threat lurking within range. The threat is rarely completely defined, unless the Operative has identified the source of the upcoming ambush.
For example, if this vector is activated by an Osiran and there is a Pure hiding inside of a warehouse, then the group may receive a shared mental image of ferocious canine parts molded together in their minds. A member of the Cheiron Group may get cost analysis estimates for recovering skin samples in their head from the threat of a lurking Forsaken, or an Ugallu may taste the unnatural and ancient flesh of an Arisen hidden in the museum basement. The greater the success, the more clearly the vision depicts the threat.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Requirement: The wielder must be able to stop and clear their mind using an instant action
Dice Pool: No roll for the sensation; Wits + Expression for the vision broadcast
Action: Reflexive; one instant action to broadcast the vision
Duration: One scene
Edges
Changelings, Hunters: Working together within tight groups and following one another’s lead has become second nature for members of these groups. Whether it’s relying upon their fellow humans to bring down larger prey or having an innate need to form a team structure, these groups gain two bonus dice to Wits rolls for the purposes of sharing their vision with their companions.
Demons, Deviants, Prometheans: The outsider’s perspective allows them to see what others cannot. Small details stand out brilliantly to their eyes and help them to visualize any supernatural individuals who have been in the immediate area in the past 24 hours. These characters can see the presented appearances of these targets, but further information regarding their identities is not revealed.
Beasts, Vampires, Werewolves: This vector is more than just looking for signs of something nearby; it is part of the hunt. These Operatives are able to track through images and are able to pick up the scent more capably. They can follow their Warning Imagery to guarantee them a higher Initiative (by 1) than the individual attempting to harm them the next time Initiative is rolled.
Mages, Mummies, Sin-Eaters: Reality is a subtle play- thing for this group. They can focus their vector to become a warning beacon for the Unit. By spending an additional point of Willpower, they can mark the intended ambusher. This provides the Unit with Warning Imagery the next time this individual or one of their allies is within a mile of one of them, whether or not they intend harm.
Specializations
Beasts: These changelings understand the emotion of tracking, hunting, and bringing down a kill. They also understand the instinct that drives a creature to act as predator or prey. Based on the style of ambush, this Lost gains two additional dice to any rolls attempting to determine the reason for the planned attack.
Hunters in Darkness: Stalking prey comes instinctively for the Forsaken, but the Hunters excel at it. A Hunter in Darkness can detect not just clues to their target’s location but can smell pheromones left behind by anyone their target was last in contact with. They may not be able to identify the people if they have not met them in person, but they can pick up pieces of their identity such as if they are human and whether they are living or dead.