Whether Zero Hour Operatives are building a case or following leads to the source of an outbreak, they remain focused on their mission: preventing the Contagion from raging unchecked if it is not discovered, countered, and eventually destroyed. It’s sometimes difficult to track down the source of a Contagion outbreak as some of its symptoms are not plain to see, so the Cavalry needs the whole unit to be able to use their abilities to discover the true scope of the threat they are facing.
Think of Ocular Mapping like mapping veins and arteries in a body through an MRI. As the magnetic waves pierce the body, the machine slowly pieces together the greater image. By shifting the special sight shared between Operatives, they are able to trace the past movements and current ties of the subject in question. They see their steps and actions and know where they’ve been. With the Contagion, this tracks not just the outbreak but paints a trail right back to the source and allows Operatives to define the scope of the outbreak. They see clearly what others try to hide and can create one shared mental framework of the problem they’re facing.
The sheer volume of information shared through this power can be overwhelming. One being may find themselves with the sensations and experiences of five of their fellow Operatives flowing through their head simultaneously. Using this vector is not just feeling like you are in several different locations at once; you actively experience being several places at once. It’s a trip bordering on a cacophony but is nevertheless essential for waging war on the Contagion and the Unit’s enemies.
Two mages try their best to keep up with the chaotic thoughts of their changeling ally as they stalk Jackson Square. A pack of werewolves and their Beast companion feel the same hunger in their stomachs as they creep through the tundra and see the sickening blight spread through the fields. The hunter’s mind aches slightly as the raw data streams in through the demon’s mind and is put in a rational, human perspective by her mortal experience.
System: Using this ability requires all members to activate their Eyes on Target vector and be within the same vicinity searching for evidence. As their minds link, they are able to share this information with each other and process it simultaneously and instantly. As long as this power is active, they are able to see patterns in the area around them, and are able to absorb thousands of pieces of evidence simultaneously. This vector is usable by one member, but works among a group of two or more Operatives.
When a user focuses their gaze on an individual or specific object, all users are able to see the target in their field of vision. They soon analyze patterns from how the subject walks to the small detritus left behind by psychic foot prints. They are also able to tell where a subject has been in the last 24 hours, the subject’s mood, and their demeanor. If the subject is an object, they trace its recent history including where the object has been in the last 24 hours through phantasmal strands traveling off in the distance.
Crucially, this vector allows Operatives to immediately identify a Contagious target.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Requirement: Each member of the Unit wishing to use this power must successfully activate their Eyes on Target vector.
Dice Pool: Wits + Investigation with one yes/no question per success. If the target is another character, the subject can resist this power with their Composure.
Action: Instant
Duration: One question (approximately one turn) / success
Note: The edges for Ocular Mapping can only be used by the person leading the use of this power.
Edges
Demons, Mummies, Sin-Eaters: You’ve seen so many patterns play out in the past that it is easy to recognize them now. When this vector is in use, you can analyze the powers the target possesses. For every success, the Storyteller tells the players one power at the target’s disposal.
Beasts, Vampire, Werewolves: Hunting is critical for your survival; if you’re a poor hunter, you’ll starve. By focusing your animal instincts, you can feel the emotions of your target and see a clear vision of what they crave the most, whether it be blood, to get home to a spouse, or to infect others.
Changelings, Mages: You possess uncanny insight into monstrous behavior. If your target is Contagious, you can identify the strain of Contagion infecting them and any Conditions the infected individual might possess. You can deduce one Condition per success rolled.
Deviants, Hunters, Prometheans: Years of pursuing or focusing on your basic humanity have helped shape your knowledge of emotion. When studying the source of this vector, you’re able to identify their greatest emotional vulnerability.
Specializations:
Acanthus: Mages on this Path see the target’s life path extending into the future, leading to the individual’s intended location and associates before they even arrive there. Acanthus mages can use Ocular Mapping reflexively when they cast a Time spell to gain information from the subject’s past or future.
Irraka: Nobody and nothing can pick up a trail better than an Irraka werewolf. When Irraka Operatives detect a target as Contagious, they immediately sense the trail leading to where the Contagion was transmitted, providing it hasn’t been severed by supernatural means. If it has, the werewolf can follow the trail up to its premature conclusion.