Talents



Talents are special tricks and abilities that charaallowing them to do accomplish exceptional feats

Many talents require spending Breath to activate, taxing the character's reserves of internal energy to accomplish exceptional feats.

Many talents can be used untrained (even though a character does not have the Sneak Attack talent, they may still attempt to strike a foe unawares). Frequently, talents may be used untrained by spending an extra point of Breath. This will be elaborated on in the talent itself. A character has Eight talents at creation. To take a talent, a character must first be trained in the associated skill.

Martial Talents
Hand to Hand

Dog Bites its Master!

You can strip your foe's weapons from their grasps and strike them with it in the same motion. Whenever you successfully disarm a foe via your Hand to Hand skill, you may spend a point of Breath to also deal damage to them, using the damage value of their weapon.

Binding and Tearing the Limbs!

You can break a foe's limbs with devious hand to hand to techniques. Attack with a grappling check, but do not roll damage; if you are successful, your opponent suffers a disabled arm or leg and a moderate wound.

Iron Conditioning!

Your martial training has enured you to blows. You add the highest Damage rating of any boxing style you know as armor against nonlethal damage.

Killing Hands!

You strike with fists as deadly as a bullet, kicks and dangerous as swords. By spending a point of Breath, your attacks deal lethal injuries, and all wounds inflicted reduce the target's Fortitude by an additional point (thus, Light wounds reduce by 2 points, and Heavy wounds by 3 points).

Entering the Spider's Web!

You can exploit your opponent's attacks to catch him in grappling maneuvers. Whenever you successfully parry an attack with your Hand to Hand skill, you may spend a point of Breath to immediately throw, pin, or disarm your attacking foe, even if you did not get a critical success.

Wu Song Kills the Tiger!

You know how to injure your enemies while still holding them immobile. After you have pinned an enemy, you can deal damage, apply joint locks, and apply strangleholds without releasing the pin. Executing any of these maneuvers still require normal attack rolls just as they would normally; even they fail, the opponent is still pinned until he is able to escape on his own turn (for full rules on pinning, see the Hand to Hand skill).

Poison Hand Strike!

You're a master of Dianxue, the art of using acupressure points to manipulate a foe's nervous functions. By spending a point of Breath, you can add a physical poison effect (such as Numbness or Nausea) to a Hand to Hand attack, without actually needing any of the poison on hand. For a full list of poison effects, see the Equipment section.

Storm of a Thousand Blows!

You can engage multiple foes simultaneously. By spending a point of Breath, you may make Area attacks in close combat. When making an Area attack, you may target any number of foes in range, and suffer a penalty to the number of coins on your Hand to Hand roll equal to the number of foes; thus, if you strike two opponents, you suffer a -2 penalty, three opponents, -3, and so on.

Harmony of Sword and Fist!

You have studied close quarters combat, both armed and unarmed, and seen that there is no difference between them. You may use your Hand to Hand skill for Melee checks, and vice versa. Training in one skill does not allow you to take Talents for another, though (your Melee ranks do not qualify you for Hand to Hand talents).

Gong Fu Master!

You can combine the benefits of multiple styles, striking with the speed of a Wing Chun fighter and the power of a Choy Lay Fut master. If you know more than one boxing style, you may spend a point of Breath to take the highest attributes (Attack, Damage, and Parry) and preferred Type of each for one round of combat.

Melee
Fortune's Sword!

You always seem to have a weapon at hand, and you know how to use improvised weapons to maximum effect. As a free action, you can procure a part of the scenery and re-purpose it as a melee weapon. The improvised weapon has three points to distribute between Offense, Defense, and Damage values, distributed as you see fit; a pair of barbecue skewers might be +2 to Offense and +1 to Damage, whereas a garbage can lid might be +3 to Defense.

Serpent Bites the Tiger!

You target the weak points in your foes armor, sliding your blade through gaps and weak points. By spending a point of Breath, you may ignore a foes armor rating with a melee attack. 

Magnificent Butcher!

You deal massive, deadly wounds in combat. By spending a point of Breath, all wounds inflicted reduce the target's Fortitude by an additional point (thus, Light wounds reduce by 2 points, and Heavy wounds by 3 points).

Cut Arrows from the Sky!

You can cut arrows, crossbow bolts, and thrown weapons out of the sky. You can use your Melee to parry against sharpshooting attacks against crossbows, throwing knives, and other mechanical or throwing weapons, adding in the Parry value of your weapon when you do so. By spending a point of Breath, you may use this talent against firearms and ballistic weapons, cutting bullets out of the air. Explosives and energy attacks (flamethrowers, lightning bolts, etc.) cannot be parried in this fashion.

Trap the Sword and Shatter the Blade!

You can bind a foe's weapon in combat, leaving them unarmed. In lieu of dealing damage when you strike a foe in melee combat, you may either disarm them or break their weapon. After successfully parrying an attack, you may spend a point of Breath to immediately disarm or break their weapon, even if you did not roll a Critical Success.

Split the Mountain!

You can crush your opponent's defenses with overpowering blows. So long as your opponent is parrying instead of dodging, you can use your Power in place of your Precision rating to determine whether an attack hits.

Strike the Heart! You can debilitate your foes with precision strikes to their most vital areas. So long as your opponent is unarmored, you can use your Precision rating rather than Power to determine the damage of an attack.

Sharpshooting
Fortune's Arrow!

You always have something at hand to throw, and you throw it with great precision. As a free action, you may re-purpose part of the scenery into a deadly missile weapon. The improvised projectile has a short range, and a total Offense and Damage rating of three points, distributed as you see fit; a barrage of copper coins might be +3 Offese and +0 Damage, whereas a chair might be +3 Damage and +0 Offense.

Piercing the Dragon's Skin!

You target the weak points in your foes armor, placing a bullet through gaps and weak points. By spending a point of Breath, you may ignore a foes armor rating with a ranged attack.

Harmony of Gun and Bomb!

You are a master of ranged combat, whether it's with a rifle or a rocket launcher. You can use your Sharpshooting total for Explosives rolls, and your Explosives total for Sharpshooting rolls. You may apply make use of talents for one skill while using the other (ie, using an improvised weapon from Fortune's Arrow while using your Explosives skill), but ranks in one skill do not qualify you for the other (ie, having Rank Three Sharpshooting would not allow you take Gentleman Returns the Gift).

Explosives
Catching Two Rabbits with One Trap!

You can accurately position your foes to catch them in the blasts of your grenades. When targeting two foes with an area explosive effect, you may spend a point of Breath to ignore the accuracy and damage penalties. You may spend more Breath to target more foes without penalty (two points for three foes, three points for four, and so on).

Harmony of Gun and Bomb!

You are a master of ranged combat, whether it's with a rifle or a rocket launcher. You can use your Sharpshooting total for Explosives rolls, and your Explosives total for Sharpshooting rolls.

Hunting
Unyielding Outdoorsman! Bad weather simply does not bother you. Your skill checks and actions are unaffected by severe weather conditions, and your opponent's do not gain any cover bonuses to Defense or Stealth due to weather conditions.

Faithful Companion! Your animal companions are loyal and ever-present. By spending a point of Fortune, so long as the locale is not completely improbable.

Fortitude
Indefatigable Iron Champion!

Carrying heavy loads doesn't seem to slow you down at all. You're movement penalty for wearing armor is reduced by one, and you suffer no penalties for carrying injured comrades, sacks of money, or other heavy objects.

Valorous Bodyguard!

You are a true friend and ally, willing to take a bullet for your comrades. When standing near an ally who is about to take damage, you may spend a point of Fortune to dive in the line of fire, taking damage in their stead.

Fight Through the Pain!

You can fight through intense injuries, pushing them out of your mind. By spending a point of Breath, you may ignore all injuries (including disabled limbs and poison effects) for one round. Doing so tends to open such wounds further, and you suffer a light wound at the end of the round as a result.

Stealth
Snake Hides in Shadows!

You always have a place to hide. Even in the most seemingly barren environments, you can make Stealth checks to conceal yourself.

Fleeting Ghost!

You can disappear with nary a trace, using the slightest distraction to make your getaway. You can make Stealth checks even when under direct observation, so long as there is even a moment's distraction from your presence.

Shadow Guide!

You can lead others through the shadows, quietly and discreetly. When sneaking about, you can have your Stealth checks apply to companions directly beside you; for each person you guide, your result is decreased by one success.

Sleight of Hand
Monkey Steals the Dagger! You can lift your opponent's weapons right off of them, or leave them manacled without notice. In combat, you may make Sleight of Hand checks to disarm or bind foes.

Acrobatics
Falling Leaf!

You have a knack for surviving falls from great heights. You only take one point of damage for each ten feet you fall, and every success on your Acrobatics check reduces the damage by one point.

Human Spider!

You climb with twice the speed and grace of other acrobats, moving up walls the way others walk on the ground. Your maximum climbing speed 2 MPH x Acrobatics total, and in action sequences you can scale one story (10 feet) per success on an Acrobatics roll.

Leaping Grasshopper!

You can jump twice the distance of other acrobats. Your standing vertical jump is equal to your Acrobatics total in feet, your standing horizontal jump is equal to double your Acrobatics total in feet, and your running horizontal jump is equal to double your Athletics plus Acrobatics total in feet.

Flea on a Drum!

You are constantly on the move, making it difficult for your opponents to strike you. Whenever you successfully dodge (but not Parry) an attack, you can spend a point of Breath to make an immediate movement action (this does not count as your movement action for the round).

Athletics
Strength of the Mountain!

You are capable of superhuman feats of strength. For every success on an Athletics check, you can lift a hundred pounds up to your waist, or half as much over your head. By spending a point of Breath, you can automatically roll maximum successes on attempt to lift an object.

Swift as the Wind!

You can sprint at incredible speeds, twice that of a normal person. By spending a point of Breath, your maximum speed is now 4 MPH x Athletics total, rather than 2x, and your in-combat running speed is likewise doubled. In game terms, this means you can now match pace with horses and motor vehicles in chase scenes.

Shark in the Depths!

You can swim at incredible speeds and hold your breath for great lengths of time. Your base swim speed is now 2 MPH x Athletics total, rather than 1x, meaning you can match pace with those running on land while swimming. Additionally, you can hold your breath for one minute per Athletics success, and do not risk losing your breath if you sustain injury.

Awareness
Bodyguard's Awareness!

You can get an accurate read on a person's physical condition and equipment, even at a glance. When examining a person, you immediately learn of any weapons or equipment they have on their person, hidden or otherwise, as well as any injuries they might have sustained. Expert Talents===

Silent Words!

You can read lips. When watching someone talk, you can tell what they're saying, even if out of earshot or deafened.

Blind Master!

Your senses are highly trained to the point where you need not use your eyes to see. When blinded, immersed in darkness, or otherwise placed in darkness, you have no penalties to finding your way or seeing your foe.

Reconstruct the Past!

When searching an area, you can pick up on small clues in the surroundings to learn of previous events. You might be able to reconstruct the events of a murder at a crime scene, or learn a person's nightly routine by examining their bedroom.

Bravado
General Terrifies the Enemy!

You can make Bravado checks in combat to startle foes, weakening their defenses. Spend a point of Breath, and make an opposed Bravado against your target as a free action; for every success you have over them, subtract one coin from all rolls they make on the following round.

General Inspires the Troops!

You can use your Bravado to inspire allies to action. Spend a point of Breath, and choose an ally; that ally gains a bonus to all checks made next round equal to your Bravado skill ranks.

Persuasion
Snaring the Mind!

You have an easy time gathering the attention of others, taking said attention away from those who might not want it. Make a Persuasion check on a target with whom you are talking; for every success you get, they suffer a -1 penalty on Awareness checks to notice anyone other than you.

This talent can be used on groups of targets, but your successes are divided amongst the number of targets. Thus, if you scored five successes trying to captivate a group of three guards, two would suffer a -2 and one would suffer a -1.

Poison the Waters!

When dealing with multiple targets in a social situation, you may subtly implant hostility between them. Make a Persuasion check opposed by their Insight; if you are successful on each count, your targets' attitudes towards each other will start to show hostility.

Cult of Personality!

People are attracted to you and want to work for you. Followers only cost half a point of Resources, rather than one point a piece.

Pacifying the Demon!

You can convince foes to stay their hand, even in the midst of combat. In lieu of an attack action during combat, you can make a Persuasion check opposed by your target's Bravado to convince them not to attack you.

Deception
Many Faces, Many Names!

You are known by many names to many people. For every skill rank in Deception you possess, you have one extra identity that you may assume, complete with it's own contacts and social standing.

Master of Disguise!

You can not only disguise yourself, but also others. When adopting a disguise, you make deception checks on behalf of other members of your group.

Insight
Duelist's Insight!

You can learn their strengths and weaknesses of another at a glance. When examining a person, you can spend a point of Breath to learn which skills they are trained in, and to what degree, along with any special talents they possess.

Clear Mind!

You can break free of the effects of mind-altering drugs. When under the influence of a mental poison (such as a sedative or a hallucinogen), you may make an Insight roll each round to break free of the effects and act normally. Once an ailment has been broken, you are unaffected by it unless drugged again.

Scholarship
Friends in High Places!

You are exceptionally well connected in the government. Whenever you need a clerk, detective, bureaucrat, or similar ally, you know a guy who you are on reasonably good terms with.

Forging the Official Seal!

You are well enough versed in law and bureaucracy that you can easily fake official seals, paperwork, passports, and so on. When faking a form, make a Law check to determine it's apparent authenticity; anyone who examines it must make an opposed Law check to see the forgery for what it is.

Prepared Tactician!

You lay cunning, secretive plans that not even your allies know about. At any point, you may spend a point of Fortune to have made one key arrangement in the past that you might have reasonably foreseen. For example, when being taken prisoner, you might have planted an ally amongst your captors.

Streetwise
Friends in Low Places!

You are exceptionally well connected when it comes to the underworld. Whenever you need a smuggler, drug dealer, or similar unseemly ally, you know a guy who you are on reasonably good terms with.

Technological Talents
Technological Talents are relatively few in number; the utility of technology is that it functions largely independent of it's operator. Most deal with the creation of equipment, either allowing for higher-quality items to be produced (Brilliant Engineer and Brilliant Craftsman), or allowing item creation checks to be made retroactively (Prepared Pharmacist and Prepared Alchemist), and a handful of more action-oriented talents are based around the piloting skill. Many Technological talents involve building synergy with other talents.

Gadgetry
Prepared Gadgeteer!

You are a walking arsenal of gizmos, gadgets, and guns. By spenting a point of Fortune, you may produce a (such as a tiny camera), a specialty piece of ammunition (such an armor-piercing bullet), or activate a single use enhancement on a weapon (such as eletrifying a sword). Regardless of the nature of the gadget you produce, it only has enough power or ammunition for a single use.

Dance of the Thunder God!

Your mastery of electricity is without peer, and the electrical currents you produce are of terrifying power. Whenever you shock a foe, the Breath damage they take is doubled.

Engineering
Flying Demon!

You can push your machinery to insane limits, overclocking engines until they explode. You can take an automatic maximum roll on an Engineering check to pilot a vehicle, but that vehicle will break down the next round.

Alchemistry Prepared Alchemist!

You can never be too safe, so you always keep dangerous chemicals on you. By spending a point of Fortune, you can produce a single vial an explosive or alchemical item on you when you need it.

Dance of the Fire God!

Your mastery of fire is without par, and the incendiaries you create burn with ferocious heat. When you set an enemy on fire, they suffer a moderate wound each round instead of a light wound.Fire and Smoke!

You can make explosives that mix both explosive and chemical effects, delivering clouds of poison smoke amidst their detonation. Thus, you could create Concussion Grenades that also deliver Poison Gas, or Incendiary Rockets that also deliver Burning Smoke. When making such a bomb, you must pay the cost of both the explosive and the chemical effect.

Toxicology
Prepared Poisoner!

You always keep poisons and drugs on hand. By spending a point of Fortune, you can produce a single dose of any poison you could reasonably craft.

Ingenious Deadly Venoms!

You are capable of creating drugs and poisons that deal multiple effects simultaneously. You can create poisons that deal two effects at the same time: Burning and Nausea, Blindness and Deafness, and so on. Such poisons have double their normal creation cost. This ability applies to Talents that generate poison effects as well; in such cases, the Breath cost of the talent is doubled.

Medicine
Prepared Pharmacist!

You're a walking pharmacy. By spending a point of Fortune, you can produce a single dose of any drug you could reasonably craft.

Mad Zoologist!

You have focused your study on animals, and have created new life above and beyond what nature intended. You may make Medicine rolls in place of Hunting for dealing with animals, and can add features to animal companions that do not exist in nature. Such features cost additional points of resources, and are purchased the same way as enhancements for vehicles and weapons. Thus,  you could spend two points of resources to add the Incendiary and Flying enhancement to an attack animal to breed fire-breathing winged hyenas.

Mystical Talents
Mystic talents are by far the most diverse set of talents, as each school of mysticism has it's own plethora of unique abilities that it offers, but only to those trained in them. Whereas technology is impersonal and of benefit to any, mysticism is deeply personal and unique to the practitioner. Without appropriate talents, most mysticism skills are next to useless. However, with the investment of talents, they offer wondrous and exotic power to the mystic. As such, most Mystical characters tend to focus on one or two skill sets, investing heavily in them at the expense of others

Internal Alchemy
Iron Body Technique!

By spending a point of Breath, you can make your skin impervious to blows, deflecting swords and bullets while bending and tearing through iron. While active, you gain armor equal to your Internal Alchemy Rank, and your unarmed attacks ignore a number of points of armor equal to your Internal Alchemy Rank.

This ability requires one point of Breath per round to keep active.

Light Body Technique!

You have studied the art of Qinggong, the ability to make the body more light and agile. When you activate it, your body functions as though it is light as a leaf. You can stand on objects that could normally not support your weight, such as willow branches, still water, or the spears of your enemies. You cannot fly, but you can glide through the air, losing one foot of height for every teen feet traveled. Your gliding speed is matched to your running speed.

This ability requires one point of Breath per round to keep active.

Healing Trance Technique!

Through intense meditation, you can accelerate your body's natural healing process. By spending a point of Breath, you may make an Internal Alchemy check in place of a Medicine check to heal your own wounds. Doing so requires a period of un-interrupted meditation equivalent to the time a doctor would need to treat the wounds normally. Wounds treated as such as considered fully healed, and not just bandaged. Additionally, this ability may be used as to purge poisons and diseases from your system.

Still Breath Technique!

Through total mastery of your body, you can temporarily suspend breath, heartbeat, and other vital functions. Spend a point of Breath; for the remainder of the scene, you no longer need to breathe. This renders you immune to many poisonous gasses, and allows you to stay underwater indefinitely without drowning. Additionally, it allows you to fake your own death very convincingly.

Body Shifting Technique!

You can shift your physical attributes, raising one to lower another. Spend a point of Breath, and choose two attributes between Vigor, Vitality, Finesse, and Perception; one of them is lowered by one point, and one of them is raised by one point for the duration of the scene.

Poison Skin Technique!

By ingesting deadly poisons, you have trained your body to secrete venom through your pores like a poison toad. Spend a point of Breath to activate this talent, and choose a poison type. While active, anyone who comes in physical contact with you - either by attacking you unarmed, receiving an unarmed attack from you, or other means - is affected by the poison. Damage from unarmed attacks is based on your Hand to Hand; otherwise, the damage of the poison is based on your Internal Alchemy. Each time you activate this talent, you may select a different poison to secrete. This ability requires one point of Breath per round to keep active.

Burning Soul Technique!

You can superheat your body to extreme temperatures, to the point where objects melt and ignite at your touch. Spend a point of Breath to activate this talent; while active, you cannot be harmed by fire, and your unarmed attacks gain the Burning attribute. Anyone who attacks you unarmed or otherwise makes contact with you suffers a light wound from being burned.

This ability requires one point of Breath per round to keep active.

Shocking Fist Technique!

You can separate the positive and negative energies in your own body, creating electrical discharges from your skin. While active, your unarmed attacks and any metal weapons you may be wielding gain the Shocking effect, dealing Breath damage as well as physical damage. Anyone who strikes you unarmed or with a metal weapon is Shocked, losing a point of Breath. When this ability is active, you take no damage from electrical attacks (though physical attacks with an electrical component still deal their physical damage), and are able to absorb the energy into yourself, gaining Breath equal to that which you would have lost. This ability requires one point of Breath per round to keep active.

Mentalism
Explore the Inner Depths!

You can dig into the mind of another, searching for information they would not reveal. Spend a point of Breath, select a target you can see, and make a Mentalism check opposed by your target's Insight; if you are successful, you can pull one piece of information out of the target. For example, you might learn where a corrupt governor is imprisoning your ally, or the true identity of a mysterious agent, or simply what your target is thinking about in that moment. Counter: A cunning foe who suspects their mind is being read may make a Deception check opposed by the reader's Mentalism to deliberately think falsehoods, feeding the reader false information.

Open the Third Eye!

Through focused meditation, you can see the unseen. Spend a point of point of Breath; while meditating, you can remotely view a person or place known to you, seeing their actions through your mind's eye. This may be as nearby as the other side of a closed door, as or as far off as a distant country.

Counter: If the target is also trained in Mentalism, they may make an opposed Mentalism check to observe you, discerning your location.

Rebalance the Mind!

You have mastery over your own mind, allowing you to shift your mental faculties and personality. Spend a point of Breath, and choose two attributes between Wisdom, Cunning, Grace, and Valor for the duration of the scene, one is raised by one point, and one is lowered by one point.

Break the Barriers!

You can break down the barriers that separate one consciousness from another, allowing you to link your mind to that of another person's. Spend a point of Breath and select a willing target; for the duration of the scene, the two of you are mentally linked, able to hear one another's thoughts and see through one another's eyes. You cannot share skills, but you can trade knowledge and information. To extend the link into another scene, either of you may spend an additional point of breath. You also establish this link forcibly, by rolling Mentalism against your target's insight. Once such a mental link is established, other Mentalism abilities no longer require verbal and eye contact to work.

Drug the Mind!

Through hypnosis, you are able to induce various mental poison effects on your target. To use this ability, spend a point of Breath and roll a Mentalism check opposed by your opponent's Insight; if you are successful, they succumb the effect of a mental poison (emotion, sedation, hallucination, or hypnosis). For the full details of these, see Drugs and Poisons under equipment. This ability requires intimate verbal contact. Counter: If the target is also trained in Mentalism, they make make a Mentalism check of their own in lieu of an Insight check to reverse the hypnosis.

Shackle the Heart!

You can forcibly take control of the mind of another, forging a mental link that strips away the target's control of their body. Spend a point of Breath, and make a Mentalism check opposed by your target's Insight; if you succeed, you gain total control of that target for one round. The mental link is difficult to maintain; for every extra round you continue to control your target, you must spend another point of Breath, and the target may make another Insight check to break free of your control. This ability requires intimate verbal contact. Counter: A target who also possesses this talent may roll a Mentalism in lieu of Insight to reverse the mind control.

Reshape the Past!

By reaching into the mind of another, one can alter thoughts and memories, ranging from short-term memory erasure to complete mental reprogramming. Using this talent requires verbal communication and eye contact. To activate it, spend a point of Breath and make a Mentalism check against your target's Insight; if successful, you change, erase, or implant a memory. The extent of the reprogramming depends on how much time the Mentalist is able to spend with their target; telling someone “you never saw me” after a failed stealth check is a free action; convincing someone that they're an entirely different person requires hours or days or enhanced interrogation, and repeated uses of the ability. Thus, this ability can be used for anything from quick “mind tricks” to deep brainwashing. When altered memories are dissonant with reality, the target may make a second Insight check to undo the programming. Thus, if the Mentalist says “you never saw me” to a guard then fails to disappear from view, they will still be remembered; likewise, if the details of a brainwashing victim's new life don't add up properly, they may come to remember their original self. Counter: If this ability is used on another Mentalist, the target may roll Mentalism instead of Insight to defend. If successful, the target becomes the programmer and the attacker becomes the victim. This can lead to deeply twisted storylines, where the attacker thinks he has reprogrammed his victim, when the opposite is in fact true.

Shamanism
Consult the Spirits!

You can speak with the spirits of heaven and earth. You can summon the spirits of nature, angels in heaven, and the ghosts of the dead. Roll a Shamanism check, and spent a point of Breath; for every success, you may ask the spirit one question before it leaves. Spirits generally answer honestly, though obtusely. The spirits may appear before you in body, in dreams, or speak through your mouth; in any case, only you can see them, and you may appear a little bit odd when doing this with company around.

Beast Tongue!

You can understand the speech of beasts, birds, and creatures of the sea. By spending a point of Breath, you may communicate with animals for the duration of a scene as easily as you would with humans. It should be noted that no one else can understand the animals you are speaking with, so you may look a little odd.

Walk with the Ancestors!

The shaman can summon a benign spirit to take control of his body and do what he can not. Though ones own ancestors are the most common benefactors, any manner of spirit may be called. By spending a point of Breath, the shaman may add his Shamanism skill ranks to one skill he possesses for the duration of one scene. During this time, he shares control of his body with the other spirit, and may behave erratically.

Flying Ghost Sword!

You call a spirit to take control of a sword, dagger, or other weapon. Spend a point of Breath; for the duration of the scene, one or more of your weapons becomes possessed. You may make ranged attacks with said weapon at Short range (Shamanism x10 feet), using your Shamanism as the attack skill. Any number of weapon may be imbued with this quality, allowing clouds of daggers or swarms of spears to fly through the air while others float menacingly; when animating multiple weapons, the Shaman may make area attacks, as per using an explosive weapon. Attack rolls with Flying Ghost Swords add the normal attack and damage value of the base weapon, along with any special attributes it may have (poison, fire, etc.)

Ghost in the Machine!

You can summon allied spirits to take possession of a machine, causing it to operate independently and under your direction. Spend a point of Breath, and choose one machine within sight of you; you can direct it's actions for the remainder of the scene. If it's already under the control of a user – such an autocycle with a driver, or suit of power armor that's being worn – the user can roll Piloting against your Shamanism to maintain control each round. For the purposes of this ability, a “machine” is defined as having it's own power source. Thus, an autocycle or suit of power armor are machines; a bicycle or suit of regular armor are not. When making skill checks of their own, possessed machines are treated as Henchmen, and have six coins in all skills.

Spirit Walker!

You can leave your body behind, astrally projecting to explore the physical world as a spirit. To do so, the Shaman first enters into a deep trance. His spirit moves freely, walking through walls and floating through the air. Th

e spirit is generally undetected, though someone trained in Shamanism, Mentalism, Awareness, or Insight may be able to notice them. The spirit can sometimes enter the dreams of sleeping individuals to pass along messages. While using this talent, the physical body remains inert and vulnerable. Should the body be moved, the soul may have difficulty returning. As an incorporeal spirit, they are unable to affect the physical world.

Counter: An astrally projected spirit is invulnerable to physical harm, but susceptible to spiritual harm. If detected by antoher Shaman with the Soul Reaver talent, they may be trapped, destroyed, or severed from their body.

Skin Taker!

You can forcibly possess the body of someone else. In order to use this talent, you must either be in physical contact with your target, or have astrally projected via the Leave the Body talent. Spend a point of Breath, and select a target and make a Shamanism check opposed by your target's Insight. If successful, you take full control of the target's body. The original spirit is still present, but is rendered a silent observer in their own body. While possessing another, the Shaman's original body is inert and comatose. If the original spirit is still present, it may continue making Insight checks each round to regain control of their body. If the host spirit has been removed via Soul Taking, the new body is permanently in control of the invading Shaman. Many a devious Shaman have used this ability to extend their own life, hopping from one body to another across the generations.

Counter:If someone attempts use Possession on another Shaman trained in this ability, the target may spend a point of Breath and roll their own Shamanism check to trap the attacking spirit. If successful, then it is the attacker's soul that is trapped in the defender's body, instead of vice-versa.

Soul Reaver!

One of the most advanced and forbidden Shamanic techniques, Soul Taking allows you remove -and even destroy- the living soul of another being. To activate this talent, spend a point of Breath, and roll Shamanism against your target's Insight; if successful, the soul is removed from the body. Against most, this leaves the body alive but inert in a comatose state, while the soul wanders freely as a ghost. A ghost may attempt to re-possess an empty body on it's next round, by rolling another Insight check against the caster's initial Shamanism roll. When used against a soul that has already been removed from the body – such as the victim of a previous Soul Taking, or another Shaman who is astrally projecting, this ability can permanently sever the link between body and soul. Once again, the caster rolls Shamanism against the target's Insight; if successful, the soul is either trapped in a physical object, dragged down to hell, forced to wander the earth as a ghost forever, or erased from existence. More benevolently, this ability may be used to exorcise spirits possessing another, canceling the affects of abilities like Walk With the Ancestors or Skin Walker.



Sorcery
Curse of the Vile Plague!

This curse disrupts the internal functions of another person, inflicting the target with crippling maladies. To inflict the curse, the sorcerer must either have a blood link or be able to make physical contact with the target. Spend a point of Breath and roll Sorcery, treating it as an attack roll. The target takes poison damage based on the roll, and is effected as though by a physical poison of the caster's choice (Blindness, Deafness, Numbness, Nausea, or Burning). For the full list of poisons and their effects, see Equipment.

Counter: If this talent is used on another Sorcerer who also possesses it, then the target may spend a point of Breath roll Sorcery instead of Fortitude to defend; if successful, then they are able to redirect the curse, either back onto the caster or onto a third party, who then makes a Fortitude roll.

Follow the Blood! This divination allows the Sorcerer to track a person they have a blood link to. If the Sorcerer has access to a sample of the target's blood, hair, semen, or other bodily fluids, they can divine the rough distance and direction of that target, as though by following a compass. Activating this talent requires a point of Breath.

Counter: a Sorcerer who is being tracked by this spell may attempt a Sorcery check against the caster to either divine the tracker's location, or feed them false information.

Thief of Fate!

You can steal luck from a target. You must have either physical contact or a blood link with your target to use this ability. Spend a point of Breath, and roll Sorcery against your target's Fortitude – for every success over theirs, they lose one point of Fortune, and you gain one. Counter: If this talent is used on a target who also possesses it, they may roll Sorcery instead of Fortitude to reverse the curse, stealing Fortune points from the caster instead if they succeed.

Steal The Breath!

You can steal the vital essence from another, replenishing your own. To enact this power, you must have physical contact or a blood link with your target. Make a Sorcery check, opposed by their Fortitude; for every success you gain over theirs, you gain one point of Breath, and the target loses one point of Breath, up to their current total (thus, even if you scored five successes over your target, if they only had four points of Breath, you could only steal four).

Counter: If the Steal the Breath talent is used on another Sorcerer who also possesses it, then the target may spend a point of Breath roll Sorcery instead of Fortitude to defend; if successful, then they are able to reverse the direction of the flow of energy, affecting the caster instead of the target.

Blood to Blood!

By casting this spell, the sorcerer seeks to heal their own wounds by given them to a single target in their line of sight. Spend a point of Breath, and make a Sorcery check opposed by your target's Fortitude; if you are successful, one wound you have suffered disappears from your body and appears on the targets. Thus, if you have one light wound and two moderate wounds, you could transfer one of the moderate wounds with the spell.

If you desire, the sorcerer may injure themselves as part of the spell, so long as they are sufficiently armed. In doing so, they may choose the extent of the wound delivered. However, this carries risk, as should the spell fail, the sorcerer must bear the wound inflicted.

Counter: If this talent is used on a target trained in the sorcery skill, then the target may spend a point of Breath roll Sorcery instead of Fortitude to defend; if successful, then they are able to redirect the curse onto a third party, who then makes a Fortitude roll. Due to the nature of this curse, it cannot be reflected straight back at the caster.

Master Talents

Dance of the Dead!

You can create undead servants, controlling them like puppets. Spend a point of Breath and select a dead body to animate. Making an action with the undead servant counts as your own action for a round, and it's physical skills (such as Melee, Fortitude, Athletics, etc.) are equivalent your Sorcery total. The point of Breath is permanently imbued into the servant, and the sorcerer cannot recover it until the servant is dismissed.

if the sorcerer is disabled, he loses control of the creature, and it runs amok attacking the nearest living being. If the sorcerer has a sample of the target's blood, then they may use this talent on a living target, gaining control of their physical body. In this case, the target may make a Fortitude check against your Sorcery each round to break free of control.

Counter:This ability may also be used to take control of an existing undead creature, such as a vampire or another sorcerer's undead minion. To do so, roll a Sorcery check, opposed by either the controller of the undead's sorcery, or in the case of free-willed undead, the target's Fortitude.

Cursing the Blade!

You can create Cursed weapons, imbuing them with magical abilities. Choose a weapon in your possession – such a sword, a set of bullets, or a set of explosives – and another sorcery talent you possess. The weapon is imbued with the talent, with the effects being as follows:

Curse of Vile Plague: The weapon is imbued with a poison effect (blindness, burning, etc.), to be chosen when the curse is laid. Those struck by the weapon suffer the poison effect when damaged.

Follow the Blood: You create the proverbial “bullet with someone's name on it.” You curse the weapon to target a specific individual. When you attack that person (and no one else) with the cursed weapon, you can spend a point of Fortune to roll Sorcery along with your attack roll, and take the better of the results.

Blood to Blood (Life-Drinking): The weapon syphons life force back to the wielder. When you inflict a wound, one wound of yours of lesser size is healed (thus, if you inflict a moderate wound, you could heal a light wound, but not a moderate or serious one).

Blood to Blood (Death-Drinking): Instead of syphoning life force from the target, the weapon uses yours to inflict deadlier wounds. All wounds delivered by are increased by one level (from light to moderate, moderate to serious, etc.); however, the user of the weapon suffers a light wound each time it deals damage.

Steal the Breath: The weapon syphons energy away with every strike. Whenever you strike a foe, they lose a point of Breath, and you gain a point of Breath.

Thief of Fate: The weapon syphons Fortune with every strike. Whenever you damage a foe with it, they lose a point of Fortune, and you gain a point of Fortune.

Dance of the Dead: An enemy disabled with the cursed weapon is turned into a puppet under the control of the sorcerer, as per the normal Dance of the Dead rules.

Only one magical ability can be imbued into a single weapon, though the sorcerer can create multiple magical weapons. The point of Breath spent to use this talent is permanently imbued into the weapon, and cannot be restored so long as the cursed weapon is lost. For curses that have multiple possible effects (Follow the Blood, Curse of Vile Plague, Blood to Blood) the specific effect must be chosen when the weapon is cursed. Weapons with technological augmentations (such as being armor piercing, incendiary, poisoned, etc.) cannot be also be Cursed.

Geomancy
Invoke the Heavens!

The geomancer's art is to harness the forces of nature; at the core of this is controlling the conditions of the weather. By summoning wind and rain, the geomancer can manipulate the field of play, making certain abilities more effective and others less. Below is a table of various weather conditions, as well as their effects.

Weather Type: The type of weather in question.

Successes Needed: The number of successes need to conjure or banish a given type of weather. For example, it requires five successes to either conjure a thunderstorm or dispel one. Cover Level: How much cover is provided by the weather; this number is added to successes on Stealth rolls to remain unseen and Reflex rolls to avoid ranged attacks.

The weather affects the entirety of the geomancer's surroundings. In addition to the obvious effects, certain powers become more effective during certain weather conditions. Storms make it easier to conjure wind, while rain makes it harder to conjure fire, and so on. Weather and effects are as follows:

Fog: Thick fog fills the air, decreasing visibility.

Rain: Heavy rain falls, extinguishing fires. Anyone lit on fire is immediately put out, and does not suffer prolonged burn damage.

Snow: Snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain fall, making surfaces slick and slippery while reducing visibility. Like rain, fires are extinguished, and there is no prolonged burn damage from incendiary weapons. High Winds: Winds blow and buffet about, making it difficult to aim ranged weapons. The geomancer may wish to direct the winds towards particular targets, knocking them off of ledges and such; in this case, the geomancy check is opposed by the target's Reflex or Acrobatics. High-powered wind storms can form tornadoes and cyclones.

Dust Storm: The geomancer summons high heat and dry wind, blowing dust and sand through the air, reducing visibility and sapping moisture.

Rainstorm: Heavy rain and high winds fill the air, making it hard to see and move. Fires are automatically extinguished, as with rainfall. High-powered rainstorms can form typhoons and hurricanes.

Blizzard: High winds whip the snow through the air, making it hard to see, move, or do much of anything. As with all snow and rain effects, fires are extinguished.

Thunderstorm: Like a rainstorm, plus thunderbolts. Fires are extinguished, and those exposed to the elements may have to worry about being struck by stray bolts of lightning.

Thundersnow: One of the most spectacular weather conditions that can be conjured, thunder snow combines a blizzard with an electrical storm.

Counter: If a geomancer is controlling the weather, another geomancer with this talent may, on his own round, make a geomancy roll of their to take control of the weather, changing it as he sees fit.

Hammering Wind!

The Geomancer can summon explosive gusts of wind, tossing enemies about or propelling vehicles forward.

As a Weapon: Powerful gusts toss enemies like dolls, and small whirlwinds carry clouds of debris. Spend a point of Breath, and make a Geomancy roll for attack and damage. Enemies take nonlethal damage, and are moved a number of feet equal to twice the successes on your roll. If this knocks them over the edge of something high up, they may find themselves taking quite a bit more damage. Flying vehicles can be thrown off course by this talent – when used to attack airships and the like, the Size and Handling of the vehicle are added to Piloting checks to keep from crashing.

As a Tool: This talent can be used to change the direction of the winds in your favor. You might shift the weather conditions such that the wind is blowing at your back and in your enemies face, granting you a weather-based cover bonus but depriving it of them. When piloting an aerial vehicle, you can let the wind guide you, using Geomancy in lieu of or in addition to piloting. When gliding via equipment or Light Body skill, you might use updrafts to keep you aloft, essentially allowing you to fly.

When used high above ground level (such as in airships are atop tall buildings), the geomancer gains +2 successes on their roll.

Harmonious Water!

You can walk on water as easily as solid ground, or move through it without impediment or need of air. Spend a point of Breath; for the duration of the scene, you can walk on water, swim more easily, breathe beneath the surface. While this power is active, you may use your Geomancy skill for movement checks in the water.

As a Weapon: Power waves to knock enemies overboard and wbirlpools drag ships under. Spend a point of Breath, and make a Geomancy roll for attack and damage. Enemies effected take lethal or nonlethal damage, and are dragged into the water by undertow currents. Such enemies must make an Athletics check against your Geomancy attack roll to swim to the surface. When used to attack ships, their Handling and Size are added to a Piloting roll to stay afloat.

As a Tool: You can walk on water as easily as solid ground, or move through it without impediment or need of air. Spend a point of Breath; for the duration of the scene, you can walk on water, swim more easily, breathe beneath the surface. While this power is active, you may use your Geomancy skill for movement checks in the water. When piloting a water vehicle, you may use Geomancy in lieu of or in addition to Piloting, letting the waves guide you.

When used at sea – which is, admittedly, where this talent is almost always going to be used – the geomancer gains +2 successes on their rolls.

Expansive Earth!

You can harmonize with the earth itself – the soil, stones, and trees become your allies. You cannot exert telekinetic control over the earth, but you can influence it to help you.

As a Weapon: Rocks and tree branches fall, running enemies trip over roots and stones, and sudden sinkholes give way under an opponent's feet. Spend a point of Breath, and make a Geomancy roll for attack and damage. Enemies effected take either lethal or nonlethal physical damage, and are Pinned by their surroundings. To escape, they must pass an Athletics or Sleight of Hand roll with your Geomancy attack roll as the difficulty.

As a Tool: By harmonizing with the earth, the Geomancer can extend their senses and blaze clear paths. When on solid natural ground, the geomancer can spend a point of Breath to make a Geomancy check in lieu of an Awareness check to gain the “lay of the land.” getting a general sense the terrain and anybody moving through it, with a radius of 100 feet per Success.

Barriers can be created or destroyed easily by use of this talent; falling trees can block roads, or cave walls can conveniently crumble away. If the Geomancer is also trained in Craftsmanship, they can use this ability to rapidly hew weapons and tools from wood or stone.

When used underground or in thick forests, the geomancer gains +2 successes to their roll.

Heavenly Thunder!

As a Weapon: You may strike down a target with lightning, either called from the sky or discharged from the very tips of your fingers. Spend a point of Breath, and make a Geomancy roll for attack and damage. The lightning deals electrical damage, ignoring normal armor. Enemies effected are Shocked, losing Breath equal to their wound severity.

As a Tool: By generating electric currents, this ability may be used to charge or overload electrical machinery. Channeled into a weapon, it can add the Shocking quality to attacks.

This power is more potent when there are thunderstorms in the area; during such weather conditions, the Geomancer gets +2 successes on their geomancy rolls.

Counter:When targeted with a direct electrical attack (such another Geomancer's thunder or from certain high tech weaponry), you may roll spend a point of Breath to make a Geomancy check to absorb and redirect the lightning. If successful, the lightning bolt may either redirected either back at the caster or at a third party.

Dancing Fire!

As a Weapon: Targets are ignited by touch, spontaneously burst into flames, or are struck by bolts of fire hurled from the geomancer. When attacking, make a single Geomancy check for attack and damage. The attack deals fire damage, bypassing normal armor and inflicting the Burning condition, causing targets to suffer a light

As a Tool: In addition to it's uses for arson, this ability can also be used to shape or banish flames. An existing fire could be guided to burn towards one direction or not another.

When banishing fire, The number of successes needed varies according to the size of the flame; a person requires one success; a small room two successes; a house three successes; a small ship four successes; and so on. Banishing fire requires the geomancer to spend a point of Breath.

Channeled into a weapon, it can add the Burning quality to attacks.

Counter: When attacked with fire (such as by another geomancer or from a flamethrower), this ability can be used reactively to counter the flames. In such cases, spend a point of Breath and roll Geomancy in addition to Reflex.

This power is more potent on dry windy days; during such weather conditions, the Geomancer gets +2 successes on their geomancy rolls.

Raging Winter!

As a Weapon: When targeting a foe, make a Geomancy check for both attack and damage. The attack deals cold-based damage, ignoring conventional armor. If the target is soaked in water, they risk being encased in a layer of ice; such targets lose their next action as they struggle to break themselves free.

As a Tool: You can freeze water solid. Spend a point of Breath to activate this talent, and make a geomancy check. When targeting the environment, you can cover roughly five square feet per success in a layer of ice, potentially creating ice slicks on roads or bridges across frozen water. If the wielder is also trained in Craftsmanship, it can be used to instantaneously create weapons and tools out of ice.

This power is more potent in snow and below-freezing weather; during such weather conditions, the Geomancer gets +2 successes on their geomancy rolls.

Master Talents

Roil the Earth!

By shaking the very leylines that run through the earth, You can create small but powerful localized earthquakes, laying waste to your surroundings. Spend a point of Breath, and roll a geomancy check to determine the strength of the tremor; The tremor has a rough radius of ten feet per success; the Geomancer can shape the direction of the quake as either a circle centered on them or a cone fanning out in front of them.

Any caught in falling rubble or otherwise affected violently must roll Reflex against your Geomancy, as per a normal attack. The quake targets friend and foe alike, but the geomancer in unharmed.

When used on water, this technique causing violent waves, upswells, and whirlpools, scuttling small boats and sending large ones tumbling. Ships caught in these waves must roll piloting to stay afloat; people on deck must roll Reflex or Acrobatics to keep from being swept into the sea, and those on board capsized ships may be damaged by shattering timbers.

By spending all of their remaining Breath, the geomancer may extend the radius of the quake to the one hundred feet per success, making it capable of leveling city blocks.

Rumor has it that even more wide-reaching Geomancy attacks may be possible - earthquakes and tsunamis that can level cities or countries. Such things are generally best lefet as plot devices rather than actions.

Counter: Another Geomancer may attempt to seize control of the leylines, pacifying or redirecting the quake.



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