(Agent of Change) The White College

History:

The origins of this group are lost in the mists of antiquity. It is rumored that the mystic pedigree goes back to prehistory. The College has also undergone dozens of name changes, golden ages, and horrific tragedies and losses. The college stands today as one of the few lines of defense against inimical mystic forces and unpleasantness from other planes. The Membership is split on whether or not Aliens or the possibility of alien invasion falls under their rubric. but these staunch defenders of humanity will stand against that threat if the time comes.

Agenda:
This group seeks out supernatural threats and also members are expected to police their immediate area for threats as well. Most members have something of a goody-goody boy scout streak so many times they get involved in mundane threats.

Resources:
College members pay an annual fee. In return for this, they receive access to four primary libraries: Boston, London, Salerno, and the largest in Cairo. These libraries are the home of the Councillors. This group acts as administration for the college as a whole in return for magickal and occult tutelage or aid in handling paranormal abilities. The Councillors act as over-the-phone research assistants, travel planners, financial planners, Cut-outs, Messengers, and diplomats. On occasion, the White College has made use of mercenaries in certain extreme circumstances. On occasion, these mercenaries encounter horrific things and those that survive are often changed. As a result, the College has formed a tiny paramilitary group that is schooled in occult threats. These soldiers, many of whom have strange powers themselves are called the Hermetic Knights and number only 20 (their training facility is in Salerno.)
Members of the College always have a Backing of 2 (never any more, for reasons which will become apparent. Beyond that, they may have any sort of background but Sanctum and Gadget are obviously the most common.

Membership:
Membership in the College usually involves being sponsored by a member who is to be the new members Mentor (referred to as a Revelator) The Mentor is encouraged to initiate the new member over the course of a year and then set him loose to work on his own. What most new members don't know is that it is traditional to investigate the new member for at least 6 months before approaching them openly. If they accept the proposition, they undergo a series of magickal rites designed to plumb the depth of their character. If they pass these rites they are offered full membership in the group and they proceed from there. If the new member rejects the offer or fails the tests they are never contacted again.

The College has a number of weird traditions. These traditions have built up over a number of centuries and are the backbone of the group. College members must observe the rule of 3. No Occult threat must threaten more than 3 college members at a time. nor may more than 3 College members live or work together. The rule of three has many purposes. it protects the membership from being stamped out completely as no one member knows more than a handful of members. It also stops members from getting involved in arguments over religious or praxis issue or from collecting into political groups, to control the whole of the college.

As such, most members of the College are solitary magickal practitioners and if more than three are in one place, some place is being left unguarded. The College formed itself into an informal network rather than some full-fledged magical faction out of a keen sense of survival. Large targets are easier to hit. This form of organization gives them little to struggle against. It also gets rid of factional, religious, nationalistic, and other forms of internecine strife. Moreover, the members are enjoined to as much secrecy about their dealing with the college as possible. So a member who knows 4 other members might communicate with them in different languages, ciphers, dead drops, and other forms of codes, and secret handshake stuff.

Members of the College are allowed to join other occult groups but they are enjoined from speaking about their membership in the College unless approved by one of the Hermits. (see below)
The only universal code word that members identify themselves with is the word "Light" in first 3 sentences upon meeting. Usually, the speaker, says the word and some variation on light or illumination in the next two sentences. (So, "Gotta light buddy?" isn't going to get it.) after that, it's a matter of a secret handshake or a hand gesture.

Calls to the libraries are routed to a special operator who must ascertain the identity over the phone with a series of questions designed by the caller himself. (Usually set up via the mail.)
If there is any hierarchy, it is a tiny group of very old practitioners called the Hermits. The Hermits are the only group allowed to know the big picture because they are the archivists of the group. Each quarter, the Hermits compile a list of referendums for the whole of the college to vote on and tabulate the results. A person can only be nominated to the post of Hermit after age 65 and only by another Hermit. However, any Hermit may be ousted by referendum. Once, an entire slate of Hermits but one was recalled during a vote scandal.

Ongoing Operations: Allways on the lookout for trouble the members of the College keep an eye on the mystic miscreants of all sorts. They are also always looking for ways to shore up their internal security in order to minimize the danger of infiltrations and the occasional member who goes rouge. Members of the White College are simultaneously horrified and fascinated by the huge influx of "Magick" in the modern world. Some have noted the strange effects on the ley lines and mystic places. Some have found the places where other realities have begun to bleed over into this one. Some are horrific threats and others make the mouth water at the idea of exploration. Archeology is also very hot right now as a topic of some interest. Some of the premier work in egyptology is beginning to bear out some of the truths that have been in the hands of the College for millennia.

Alliances: The White College and the Covenant have a nodding acquaintance with one another and are willing to trade expertise on occasion. Also, the Turk has been known to approach non-western members of the College and offer favors in return for reciprocity. To date, this has not been a problem. This is mainly because it has yet to involve Non-western members attacking western members. Unfortunately, that day will probably come. Safari Jack Talon is aware of the group and considers them good sorts if a bit addled by all that "Superstitious claptrap."

Enemies: The College has made a whole host of enemies. Fortunately, most of them are only aware of a few of the members and think that that is all there are. Emma Nazir, Baron Saturday, The Czar, The Thule Society, Baron Halycon and the Ubiquitous Dragon have all run afoul of the intrepid types of the White College and more than a few have paid with their lives to stop the foul machinations of that august rouge gallery. Only the Dragon truly understands the scope of the group but since they keep some of his competition in check, he is content to play them easily against one another...he's been doing it for a long time.
The White College is also the possessor of the largest amount of demon lore on the planet and as a result, they have clashed numerous times with the Tafrexis D'mon. Even they don't know the true nature of the D'mon though...

The Inspired:
Members of the college must be either a mesmerist or stalwart. They may also be a daredevil or even a normal person with an Occult ability mastery (though most daredevils and normal people connected to the White College are Councilors instead.) The ability to use "Magic" is paramount to full membership.

The Future: 

Over the course of years, the burst of energy that flooded the world began to ebb and magic seemed to slip away. but there will always be a White College even if their membership slips to virtually nothing. By the Aberrant age, they seem to be nothing more than a simple scholarly society.

Additional Notes: The origins of the college are interesting. They were some of the very first humans who were taught how to defend themselves from the Tafrexis by the Elohe-Doyen. The magic that they were taught were the first forms of magic to exist. many of these spells were designed to supercharge their mental development and to shield their minds from much of the Tafrexis mental powers. These tablets still exist and are in the keeping of the Cairo Library but copies exist in all the libraries. Craftily written into these spells, which are a part of every new member's studies is a form of psycho-neuro-linguistic programming which tends to have the effect of strengthening the superego of the user. In other words, The spells are built for good and help people to resist evil. That way the Doyen ensured that the humans that were given this knowledge would be wired to protect their tribe rather than pursue their own path to power. It is this element that has perhaps been the glue that has held the College together over the millennia...The College are the protectors of the human tribe

(Agent of Change) The Covenant

Down through history, there have been many groups of vampire hunters. Many groups don't last long unless they have serious backing and power. (like the Vatican's Opus Dei)

Tragedy tends to haunt these groups as personnel gets killed or get infected and become part of the problem. But one staunch group of crusaders rise in the era of Adventure that finally helps to put paid to the vampiric menace once and for all.

Her name was Lucy. She was young and spoiled and three men loved her madly. She died due to the depredations of a Nosferatu. They, along with a married couple and a bavarian doctor, began a campaign of terror against creatures of the night that has lasted to this day...and beyond. Along the way, they met and helped a number of people who had run afoul of vampires. and as the years wore on, they forged a bond that enabled them to begin the laborious work of recruiting new members into their ranks. and a new generation of dedicated hunters arose to combat the nocturnal menace.

Organization:
The Inner circle of the Covenant is a group of 5 people. Abraham Van Helsing died some years ago. (in his bed, god bless him.) Lord Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris, Dr. Jack Seward, and Johnathan and Mina Harker. The bulk of the inner circle lives in England with the exception of Mr. Morris who owns a very large ranch in Texas. Lord Holmwood has used his extensive fortune to fund chapters of the covenant in many far-flung corners of the globe. Hong Kong, New York, London, Toronto, and Houston are the largest chapters and have the most resources to draw upon.

Most recruits are taken to the Houston compound for extensive training in combat and survival techniques. Up until recently Mr. Morris still led the groups through their training regimen, and they were hard pressed to keep up with the old man.
There is a large laboratory and library in London which is overseen by Dr. Seward.

The Outer Circle is a much larger group which involves itself with the logistics, training research and financing of the field teams. They are also responsible for maintaining security for the Covenant.

The Field teams are combat-ready groups that can be dispatched to hot spots all over the world to root out nests of Vampires. Field teams are rarely larger than 6 people. They always have at least medical doctor or one who is skilled in emergency procedures.

The Dracula Incident:
It all started innocently enough. Quincey Morris was drinking in a pub and got to talking with Harker about the incident with the Count. An Irish playwright overheard the whole thing and introduced himself. He had an interesting proposal to make..and it seemed like a good idea at the time.
The play got turned into a novel instead and went on to become a classic of romantic literature. Unfortunately, it caused the vampires to be seen in a sympathetic light and perhaps a few people succumbed to the infection that might not have otherwise.
On the plus side, The Count's many Obsessive-Compulsive idiosyncrasies passed into vampiric legend and affected the development of many vampire mental pathologies. it also gave nascent hunters an effective tool to combat the menace. (unfortunately, it doesn't really help against vampires who predate the book.)
Nowadays, most people are convinced that Vampires are nothing more than a fictional antagonist. Even those that are confronted with the truth find themselves unable to grasp the reality of vampiric existence.
Has "Dracula" done more harm than good? Only time will tell.

Future fate:
In later years, the Covenant is wracked by triumphs and tragedies. Quincey dies horribly in a dilapidated mansion in Atlanta and the Texas branch nearly goes under as a result. The fact that they came back stronger than ever is a testament to their grit. The Harkers get involved in a struggle with a Vampire Mobster in New york and lose their young son to his machinations. This causes them to retire and become recluses. Their two daughters carry on the fight. Lord Holmwood's entire family becomes a part of the operation and singlehandedly manage to avert all vampiric attempts to subvert the crown. Jack Seward is attacked in Aberdeen and becomes infected. By unanimous vote, the Covenant decides not to execute him and takes up a regular collection of blood to enable him to continue his research.
This research begins to seriously pay off in the 1960's as OCD profiling, UV lights, and dart pistols filled with concentrated essence of garlic begin to make a serious dent in the vampire population. With the exception of some relatively harmless mutants, some cryogenically stored vampires and a vampire or two that is frozen in the polar ice caps. The Vampire problem is almost completely exterminated. Seward subjects himself to the sunrise since he cannot cure himself. He is given a dignified burial and the Covenant decides to go into an inactive mode. Most of the Covenant have died peacefully of old age by the Aberrant age.

A curse in the dark

July 1926

Quincey Morris is dead.
I can scarcely believe it myself. I've written the words. Made them real on the page, but the stark reality of this realization can't even begin to sink in for me. He was one of us. He devoted himself tirelessly to the cause and the Covenant is a reality because of him. The Texas branch of the Covenant is one of the most well trained and eager batch of recruits that I've ever seen and it's all thanks to Quincey. Damn his irrational Texian hide for refusing to get behind a desk where he actually belonged. I'm told he acquited himself well before being overcome by sheer weight of numbers. Took out three of the spawn before he fell. The man was nearly 70 for christ's sake. He should have retired from active duty long ago.
But then again, he wouldn't have been true to himself if he had. Besides, many of his friends, myself included sort of think that he's been marking time till he died. He's been that way since his wife was killed in the battle with that nest in Wanchai. When Lo Feng tore her throat out...he might as well have torn Quincey's heart out along with it. I only hope that Quincey has found peace in the arms of Madeleine and the Lord. God knows that it's the only peace some of us will ever get.
Wanchai was a nasty piece of business. Jack managed to discover from some of the relics that the beast had collected that the Chinese strain of the disease does, in fact, predate Chinese history as he suspected, but it was a discovery that no one could rejoice over after Quincey came apart. He went back to Texas and although he never shirked his duties once...he drank more and more.
Jack was able to theorize that the original strain of the disease started in Egypt and worked it's way all over the globe. He even thinks that some of the differences we've seen in the spawn are the result of mutations over several generations of infections. Sadly, Jack is no closer to cracking a cure but with hope in God Almighty, Someday it will be a reality. If we're ever able to unravel the mystery of how the disease started then we might be able to conquer it utterly. Someday I hope that we will be able to keep our promise to Abraham and rid the world of this curse forever.
At least we've discovered a few chinks in their armor. If only we can live long enough to train the next generation of hunters and doctors to help us destroy the vampires once and for all.
- From the Personal Journal of Lord Arthur Holmwood.

Vampires!?!
C'mon. You know that you've thought about it. Vampires are one of the original villain types of all time. Not to use them in a cracking good game of Adventure is just a crime. However to dump Vampire: the Masquerade into Adventure! and stir it up, hoping it will make gumbo is actually just a recipe for disaster. The systems aren't really compatible and the tones are flat counter to one another.
So it simply remains to retool Vampires so that they can be more pulperific and add just a touch of horror to the average Adventure! game.

The History of Vampirism:
A long long time ago there were two massive nations that vied for an entire age of mankind for control of this blue-green planet. Egypt was one. Atlantis was another.

Egypt and Atlantis warred with one another ceaselessly over who would be allowed to control the world. The Egyptians had a slight technological edge over the Atlanteans but the Atlanteans came back strong because they had made alliances....Extraterrestrial Alliances. All the Greys asked for in return was a percentage of the conquered people for their experimentation.
The cataclysmic war ended when the Egyptians finally created the technology that created the Pole Shift. This buried the Atlanteans under the ice and snow of Antarctica and unfortunately wrought untold havoc on the ecosystem which ended up causing a revolt that cast the Techno-priests out of power and set back Egyptian development by centuries. But this was not enough to stop the cruelest trick that the Atlanteans played in the final days of the war.
Vampirism is far from a supernatural force. In fact, it is a biological weapon created by the Greys and given to the Atlanteans for use on the Egyptians.

It is a horrible disease that unlike most virii, actually protects it's host and enables it to cause more chaos and damage. Foes infected with Vampirism become extremely efficient predators and since all of them are driven insane by the process they cause maximum tactical confusion in the enemy. Since Vampires are nocturnal creatures, there is an additional psychological element that comes into play. After all. There ARE things in the dark to be afraid of.

Pathology of the Vampyr:
Vampires are living breathing human beings with a viral infection that affects them on the RNA level. They tend to exhibit certain changes in their basic makeup that tend to cause people to think they are in fact dead. (Heartbeat and respiration radically slows and the body's core temperature lowers to about 64 degrees, Since the vampire becomes a nocturnal creature, pallor is inevitable.) Speculation is that these changes are evolutionary alterations to increase one's abilities as a predator. Vampires certainly generate less heat and less noise than a "Living" person.

A vampires metabolism becomes extremely attenuated. They can derive nourishment from only one source and so a Vampire normally does not need to feed more than once every 4 days unless he/she is unusually active. Ordinarily, a vampire requires enough blood to cause a human being to perish from heart failure. This is of course by design. Vampires who are not able to feed begin to undergo an extremely agonizing death as the body catabolizes any remaining nourishment in its system and then they usually expire messily.

Advantages of the Vampiric State
As mentioned before. A vampire's viral infection is designed to protect its primary host. A vampire with steady feeding can live near indefinitely. The oldest living specimen encountered so far has been rated at 426 years old... But it is, of course, possible that there are Vampires that are even older than that! Old persons and children who are infected are rare, and if they are able to thrive as a predator they will continue to age.(although at a greatly decreased rate.)
Vampires have also shown a marked resistance to certain types of injury and a tendency to regenerate like a flat worm. Vampires have also been shown to possess superior sensory apparatus comparable to that of a cat or dog. Vampires tend to become extremely fast, strong, and difficult to damage.
In game terms newly infected vampires gain the following advantages:
*+2 to Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina (which can push them into superhuman levels of ability. I.E. 5+ dots.)
*The Heightened Senses Knack (which they receive for free)
*The Reptilian Regeneration knack (which they also receive for free. Note that a vampire is still susceptible to death by Force Majeure like decapitation and driving a stake through the heart. Massed gunfire will also kill a vampire. It should also be noted that since a vampire is still technically a living breathing creature, they can drown and asphyxiate. Good luck holding them under, though...
*The Optimized Metabolism Knack ( vampires breath very shallowly and poisons and drugs have little effect on them.
*All bashing damage that a vampire sustains is halved.

Disadvantages of the Vampiric State
*The changes wrought on the human body by this illness inevitably cause chemical instabilities that destroy the sanity of the patient. While the insanities that are inflicted are as varied as the human mind. There is a great tendency towards homicidal mania (of course) and Obsessive-Compulsive disorder. These tendencies occur in enough numbers among the vampire population that they are statistically significant. Most strange behavior exhibited among vampires are as result of this factor. In fact, many of the superstitions surrounding vampires are directly attributable to OCD. ( inability to cross running water, needing to be invited in, hatred of mirrors, Hysterical fear of holy symbols which can result in psychosomatic burns. Etc... there are even other legends of people who have managed to escape being vampiric prey by scattering seeds behind them. The person escaped because the vampire was forced to stop and count the seeds before continuing the hunt. Some of the vampires that are destroyed by the Covenant greatly aid in the information needed to continue the fight. Some of them kept exhaustively anal-retentive diaries and others were fanatical collectors of vampire lore of one sort or another.
*Vampires also suffer horribly under the sunlight. It is theorized that the production of Vitamin D by the body is actively poisonous to the new vampiric state. This was built into the virus at the insistence of the Atlanteans. Once an area had been pacified by a vampiric infection it would, of course, be easy to move in during the day and wipe out the surviving infected and thus claim territory. Sunlight or any strong ultraviolet light source will cause agonizing pain to a vampire until he expires...usually in a messy fashion (Sadly, UV light has yet to be discovered by the mainstream scientific community in Adventure's time. But your Mad Scientist might have a leg up on the problem.)
*Garlic is an effective deterrent against vampiric predators (unless maddened by hunger) It is an extreme irritant to a vampire's heightened senses and can keep them at bay. Taken internally it can make a vampire intensely ill and in sufficient concentrations can render them comatose.
In game terms newly infected vampires gain the following disadvantages:
*They must have at least one derangement (usually homicidal mania or OCD)
*Sunlight or Strong UV light sources cause 1 unsoakable level of lethal damage per turn.
*Exposure to garlic is treated as if the vampire were exposed to tear gas. as long as they are within 6 feet of the bearer.

Vampires and Inspiration:
Most vampires have a fairly short life expectancy but those that manage to prosper and thrive in their new state have a tendency to develop odd mental powers and physical mutations. Few vampires develop alike although vampires living in groups can teach their abilities to others of their ilk. Most vampires tend to break along Stalwart lines and develop stalwart powers. It should be noted that the ones who express mesmerist abilities are far more dangerous and tend to live much longer. It is even rumored that there are certain knacks that are entirely unique to vampire kind and this might account for the legend of vampires able to take on animal form, or become like a mist, or command the weather or the meaner beasts of the earth.

Vampire tricks:
*Vampires mesmerists are able to use psychic control and psychic synergy on animals
*Vampires mesmerists have a level three psychic knack that is basically thermal manipulation but on a much wider area. this alone is capable of creating a number of weather effects
*Vampires cannot actually assume a mist form but can use cloud the mind to escape from troublesome hunters and teledigitation to enable them to enter locked rooms and spaces.
*Vampire Stalwarts may have some of my home brew "Beast Lord Knacks" Namely, Mind of the beast and Skin of the beast

How the Infection is spread:
If a human is merely bitten by a vampire this is not enough to cause them to become a vampire unless their immune system is extremely weak. (although it has happened.) For a vampire to create another of his kind he must first feed from his victim. His body then creates an internal vaccine against the victim's antibodies. Thus when the victim feeds from the vampire, the vampire's virus is able to destroy the immune system working to counteract it. Onset time for the changeover is variable from victim to victim. Some take mere hours while others take days. Medical treatment can stave off the infection for a time but nothing can truly stop it short of gene therapy (which doesn't exist yet.)
It is thought that the Virus occasionally mutates and this might explain some of the bizarre discrepancies in various vampire legends.

Shh! Did you hear that?

Shh! Did you hear that?

I've been on a recent kick to add supernatural elements to Aeon Adventure but to do it in a way that doesn't break pulp conventions or horror conventions. Recently it came to me to create a method for creating Ghosts for a particularly occult-drenched campaign that I am ramping up.

Where do we go when we die? Nobody knows. Least of all the ghosts. For one reason or another, they are tied to some piece of unfinished business here on earth that keeps them from moving on to their reward. They linger here and cause trouble for the living because they cannot rest or because the living irritate them beyond endurance. Various occult agencies know how to deal with these pests but the bulk of humanity has a harder time with these spectral troublemakers. Well-meaning folks like the White College try to help the unfortunate souls while groups like Ghostbreakers International and the Covenant usually blast first and ask questions later. Bad folks like The Ubiquitous Dragon and Baron Saturday have found reliable ways to enslave ghosts and put them to work as near-perfect spies.

How to build a ghost
Create an ordinary Inspired character.
*The Character will have the Stalwart Knack Heightened Senses for free. The only catch is that they cannot actually turn it off. Prolonged contact with too much stimulus can cause loss of temporary willpower or may even provoke a homicidal reaction from the ghost in question
*Ghosts are intangible all the time. In order to manifest and make things happen in the material world, they must have Psychic Hand, Teledigitation, or MindHammer. (Since this costs Inspiration, Ghosts must become very choosy about what actions they do with their limited command of the physical realm.)
*Ghosts can be harmed by psychic or telekinetic attacks (which only cause bashing damage) or they may be harmed by tellurically charged items, like say a "Magick" sword. (either Bashing or Lethal at the ST discretion) or concentrated Z-rays (Always lethal)
*Ghosts always have an obsession derangement. If their Vice comes into play in conjunction with the obsession then the willpower expenditure is doubled.
*Ghosts always have Cloud the Mind in effect on them. Assume a stealth dice pool of at least 6 unless you choose to buy more. In fact, it works in reverse for them. they have to expend Inspiration in order become visible and obvious to normal persons. The only exception to this is characters who possess the Knack Telluric Resonance. Characters with this knack can always see ghosts. Ghost are also noticeably colder than their surroundings so characters with Aetheric Vision will spot them too, as a person-shaped cold spot.
*Other appropriate mesmerist knacks Include:
Thermal manipulation (cold spots and sudden freezing temperatures)
Cloak of dread (For scaring the shit out of the pesky breathers)
Evil eye (A good general sort of cursing knack)
Flame conjuration (for the ghost with a penchant for fires, semi-common among poltergeist lore.)
Psychic control ( a way to possess a physical body again)
Psychic Assault,*(my own home-brew knack, since it creates derangement's in targets, it could be used to simulate a number of ghostly effects such as freaky emotional vibes, horrifying hallucinations, monkeying with a target's dreams or even to facilitate possession as above. "I don't understand! There was blood all over this wall. You believe me don't you?")

Ghosts as Player Characters
it is, of course, possible to make a ghost of a former PC or create a character that is a Ghost at the beginning of a chronicle. ST's must remember that causing problems for the player is going to be difficult and that players might get a bit frustrated by the limited amount of interaction they can do with the world around them. but that's the price you pay to stop worrying about death. Make sure the players pick a good obsession to keep them in play. Unfinished business is the only thing that is keeping them bound to this mortal coil. It might also be the only thing binding them to the party and their goals. So if the object of the obsession goes in one direction and the party goes in another. Then it is splitsville. The ghost can't really choose otherwise.

Pillar of Stone (Stalwart Knack) (3)

"<Krack!> OW! What the hell are you made of ?"
Just as Body of Bronze grants it's owner a superdense epidermis, Pillar of Stone gives its owner a superdense skeletal structure capable of withstanding serious damage. Most conventional weapons and sources of damage cannot break your bones at all.
System: Pillar of Stone offers it's owner a number of useful advantages. Hand to hand damage meted out by the stalwart is given a +3 bonus (as if the player were wielding a baseball bat.) Half of all lethal damage the player receives is converted to bashing (after soak) and those who attack the Stalwart hand to hand suffer half of the damage (rounded up) for each strike they land on him.
Example: Kyodai attacks Countess Ilse Von Haupt. He lands a serious kick on her for 7 dice of bashing damage. Since Ilse has Pillar of Stone. Kyodai take 4 level of bashing damage (which he now has to soak.) and his foot hurts.
Storytellers should be very very careful about stacking Pillar of Stone with Body of Bronze either for players or for villain types.

Psychic Static (Stalwart Knack) (3)

"You having some trouble Swami?"
Something in your mental makeup is detrimental to psychic force. You generate some sort of signal that heterodynes with psychic powers robbing them of a lot of their sting. Mesmerist fear you as many of their powers become useless against you.
System: When mesmerists try to direct their powers against you, they must subtract 1 die from their pool for every dot you possess in destructive inspiration. This also affects positive mesmerist effects like Touch of Life

Juggernaut (Stalwart Knack) (3)

Juggernaut (Level 3 Stalwart knack)
"You cannot stop me. I will not rest until I have broken you in my hands."
You are an atavistic force of nature. it very difficult to turn you aside in combat and you will walk across the desert to destroy your enemies if it's necessary.
System: You gain 2 extra healthy health levels. In addition, for the expenditure of 1 inspiration. Your Stamina gains a number of dice equal to half of your Willpower (round down) for the remainder of the scene. this affects stun rolls, soak, endurance and resistance rolls. Possessors of this knack are very large and have some difficulty hiding, disguising themselves, or remaining inconspicuous.
Care should be taken when stacking this knack with other knacks like Body of Bronze

Insensible (Stalwart Knack) (2)

<Snap > "Ah...that's better. I think you actually broke my arm. Pity, it won't save you."
While you are not invulnerable nor immortal, pain simply doesn't slow you down. Perhaps you have nerve attenuation. or maybe you have learned certain pain management techniques. Whatever the cause, you are never stopped without somebody doing serious harm to you...and sometimes not even then.
System: While the character sustains damage normally, pain is merely a concept to them. Dice penalties due to wounds are waived entirely. Also, the character automatically makes all resistance rolls involving physical torture. (This gives them no protection against drugs, mental torture, or any other form of interrogation, nor does it prevent the physical torture from damaging them.

Beast Lord Knacks (Thematically linked Stalwart Knacks)

The witch doctors speak of a place called the Valley of Echoes. It is here that the cave of M'temba is located. Legends say that when M'temba left this earth he went into the cave and joined with the black blood of the earth. Mystical powers are imputed to those who immerse themselves in the black blood of the earth but only if they are pure of heart.
Witch Doctors speak freely of this place for a number of reasons. (1) It is very difficult to find the Valley of Echoes which is in the heart of the jungle. (2) The Valley of Echoes is said to be dangerous and haunted besides. (3) The cave of M'temba requires 3 tests to enter the black blood of the earth, a test of wisdom, a test of stamina, and a test of faith. (4) Supposedly, those who M'temba adjudges corrupt die in horrible screaming agony.
In other words, there aren't exactly a lot of whites who go looking for it in the first place and those who do rarely return. Those who do, earn respect among the tribes for M'temba has judged them and they have passed.
Those who are wise in the ways of medicine also say that other tribes in other parts of the world have learned the gifts of M'temba. Who are we to question M'temba if he wants to gift Aztecs and Indians with his wisdom. Each of them learns medicine in a different way and may earn the gifts through visionquest or through ritual. But they are the Gifts of M'temba. Never forget that.

Mind of the Beast (level 1 Stalwart knack)
" The little one says that he smells many men in the jungle. They are coming from the river. We must go."
M'tembas first gift is the ability to understand the animals. those who are gifted in this way are rarely bitten or hurt because he has relearned the language that they once shared in common in the ancient days.
System: The Beastlord gains the ability to communicate empathically with animals. This translates out into a bonus to Animal Husbandry rolls based on the beastlords Intuitive facet. This roll is modified by the type of creatures that the Beastlord is trying to communicate with.
Primates(+1)
Mammals (no modifier)
Avians (-1)
Reptiles (-2)
Fish (-3)
Beastlord characters who try to communicate with insects and bacteria should be beaten about the head and shoulders.

Note that this form of communication is empathic and as such is fairly inexact for informational purposes. this knack also does not confer any ability to control the beast in question but is often useful for calming beasts and making friends with them. Animals tend to be well disposed to those who speak their language.
When using this gift, the beast lord must actually make animal noises and must listen to the animal to understand him. This knack costs inspiration to activate and lasts for an entire scene. Regular use of this knack can cut the time and effort necessary to train an animal for various tasks.

Spirit of the Beast (level 2 Stalwart knack)
" I call on the spirit of Tantor! Grant me strength!"
M'tembas second gift is the ability to call on the spirit of animals to fortify the body for the rigors of the world.
System: The Beastlord spend a point of Inspiration and this knack become active for the rest of the scene. The Beastlord takes his permanent willpower trait and halves it (rounding up) he then applies those dots to one of his physical attributes which must be chosen when the knack is activated and cannot be changed thereafter. The Beastlords physical attributes can go over 5 in this fashion and those who have used this gift have displayed prodigious feats of strength, dexterity, and stamina. (note to twinks: this will not grant you nifty mega attribute benefits like Aberrant but extra dice to damage, initiative, and soak are always nice don't you think?)
When using this gift, the beast lord must enter a light trance and invoke the power of a particular beast out loud.

Skin of the Beast ( level 3 Stalwart knack)
"Never mind how I will find the soldiers. Be ready to strike when I return.They cannot hide from eyes in the sky."
M'tembas greatest gift is reserved for only those who are most pure in heart. They gain the ability to take on the form of a beast and live as one with nature.
System: This knack confers an extremely limited form of Shapeshifting. The Beastlord must spend Inspiration and then make a Stamina+Athletics roll against +2 difficulty. (botches on this roll result in the beastlord temporarily losing his intellect to his animal instinct.this may have lasting effects even when he's reverted to human form.)
Success on the roll indicates that the Beastlord is able to take on the form of an animal (this animal must be chosen when the knack is purchased and cannot be changed. if you want to assume multiple animal forms you must purchase this level 3 knack multiple times.) Look in the storytelling section for examples of animal forms to take on. (the animal must actually be indigenous to the area the beastlord comes from. Beastlords cannot assume the form of dinosaurs or similarly telluricly augmented animals. Also, only so much of the Beastlord's mass can be gotten rid of, so it is very likely that any creature that the Beastlord becomes will be unusually large. If the beastlord choose the form of an eagle, it is likely to be an enormous one. Conversely, The form of a bear or elephant may only be the size of a child of that species.
The transformation into the animal lasts until the beastlord wills it away (Again roll Sta+Athletics + 2 diff) or until he loses consciousness (either through bashing damage or going to sleep) If the beastlord suffers Lethal damage while in animal form half of it will carry over into his human form. If he is slain in animal form he stays dead.
While in animal form, the beastlord retains full possession of his intellect. he may also use his Inspiration for dramatic editing and cliffhanging and various other uses. however, it should be noted that there are very few knacks that translate across to an animal form. Most of these are physical in nature. (body of bronze, man for all seasons, et al.)

Bump of Direction (Stalwart Knack) (1)

"I told you we weren't lost."
You have an ability to draw on an innate sense of direction. You have a bone in your nose that is extremely sensitive to magnetic north or perhaps you always mentally map places in your head. Perhaps you've just got a talent for Nap of the Earth piloting...either way you look at it. it's very difficult for you to get lost.
System: Even if you have no visual cues at all (I.E. Setting sun, stars, etc...) you may add your Intuitive inspiration to any Navigation rolls. If you have an accurate map, it is flatly impossible for you to become lost in relation to it. (of course, not all maps are accurate)

Protean Voice (Stalwart Knack) (1)

" All quiet over here squad leader...Heh Heh."
The human voice is an extremely sophisticated instrument. You, however, have been gifted with the equivalent of a Stradivarius and mini-Moog synthesizer all wrapped up into one. While others may have an interest in the arts of mimicry and ventriloquism. Your vocal abilities are far beyond the pale. You can make any sound the human voice is capable of producing and quite a few besides.


System: All rolls using Protean Voice come off of Performance but rely on different attributes. To create any sound that a human voice can make simply roll a straight Charisma+Performance roll. To create any sound that a human voice cannot create you must make a Stamina+performance roll. To exactly mimic another persons voice requires a Perception+performance roll with at least 3 successes. To indulge in a bit of ventriloquism requires a Dexterity+Performance roll (In order to properly "Throw" the voice and conceal lip movement. (Note that this option is open to other players as well but requires at least two successes on the roll.)
Botches on any of these rolls may damage the vocal chords for a day or two.(ST discretion)


Example: Kyodai is attempting to infiltrate an enemy installation. He finds a safe place and begins singing like an 8-year-old girl.(Cha+Perf) When the sentries come out to investigate he bounces "Her " voice all over the place (Dex+Perf) After puzzling them for a few moment while getting into position, he makes the sound of the 8-year-old girl being eaten by a flock of rabid storks. (Sta+Performance) Totally demoralized, the sentries begin to clutch together and before they know what's happening, Kyodai is among them slashing with his tanto. When the squad leader calls on the radio. Kyodai impersonates the sentries voice and moves in to create greater havoc.

Gift of the Demon Hunter (Stalwart Knack) (1)

" My friend here must have had too much Karachi... Me. I'm fine. give me another round.

In Chinese legend, it was said that Demon Hunters often developed a legendary tolerance to Alcohol because getting a demon drunk was one of the few ways to trick secrets out of them and get them vulnerable. You have learned how to drink and carouse at a level that most people can't handle. People often mistake you for a game developer.

System: You have developed the metabolism of an Aberrant as far as many types of drugs are concerned. You may apply your Destructive Inspiration as additional dice on any resistance roll that involves drugs or strong drink.(poisons and irritants are not affected)

Mr. Stretchy (Stalwart Knack) (1)

"What do you mean what am I doing? I'm trying to pick open the cuffs with my feet. Now hold still!"

While many have the ability to escape from bonds and contort their bodies. You are a physical prodigy when it comes to these sorts of things. You are double jointed...Heck, probably triple jointed. You can tie and untie ropes with your feet. Straight jackets, ropes, chains, and many other forms of restraint hold no fear for you.
System: This Knack offsets up to +3 dice of penalties on any Athletics or Legerdemain roll that involves twisting and contorting the human body. Ropes cannot hold him at all (taking a single combat round to divest himself from them) but other forms of restraint require a roll.
The Stalwart may also, at his option make a Legerdemain roll to dislocate and relocate his limbs.
(although this will cause the character to suffer 1 level of unsoakable damage when he relocates them. This is a painful process. this damage may be healed normally.If the Stalwart gets more than 4 successes on his roll then he may sidestep this damage Botches on this roll should be suitably horrific and dire.)

Example: the Amazing Bandini is about to be caught with the Rumanian crown jewels. Porters are trying to break down the door of his stateroom. Thinking quickly, he opens the window and then drags his suitcase out from under the bed. With three successive Legerdemain rolls he dislocates both legs and one arm, packs himself into the empty suitcase, and with his single working arm, shoves himself under the bed and locks it shut from the inside. Later, when he is alone, he can undergo the agonizing work of putting his cramped body back together. He rolls three times and gets lucky on one of the rolls so he only suffers 2 levels of unsoakable damage.

(Agents of Change) Operation Prospero

History: In the wake of a number of unusual activities, The U.S. Government, overly concerned about the nature of certain types of individuals began a program of study and recruitment. people who had developed strange mental powers and bizarre physical mutations were to be brought into the fold with carrot, and with stick, if necessary. in order to have their services should another world war break out.

This program, entitled Operation Prospero, began as a very small and select group of scientists working for the War Department. What time and fortune will bring is anybody's guess.

Agenda: The agenda of Prospero is multifold. Its primary objective is to understand the mutations that have come about as a result of Hammersmith's accident. To this end, they are trying to test as many "mind talents", and "physical talents", as they can find. So far the gamut of this testing is non-invasive nor particularly strenuous. They are attempting a catalog of powers that have expressed themselves among these persons. and this catalog is fairly complete. The only difficulty is that Prospero scientists do not recognize Daredevils as falling into their field of study. the study of "wild luck" as regards individual persons is tantamount to the study of Voodoo in the eyes of the scientific arm of this project.
The secondary agenda of this group is to recruit as many of these individuals into various branches of government services and to use their unique abilities for military and scientific applications. Many times, a simple appeal to patriotism and an offer of a job is enough to get many people involved. In other cases, the expunging of a criminal record, Pardon, or similar legal favor has been useful in bringing people into the fold. At present, there is no blackmail or physical force being used but you are dealing with military types. Hell on execution but not so good on the morals or ethics of a specific action.
The Tertiary agenda of this group is to develop methods to control, combat, defend against and fortify against individuals of these powers. A small hand selected strike team is training constantly with new and technologically advanced weaponry in order to contain mutated persons should that sort of threat arise.

Resources: The primary resources of Operation Prospero are the labs. a fairly large complex of laboratories located in New Jersey. These labs are state of the art and guarded by a Marine guard at all times. In addition to this lab complex, there is an office building and vehicle pool available to the Prospero contact representatives. The office building has administrative personnel and also handles a fair amount of data sifting from the labs and from major media outlets (for better recruitment efforts.) There is also a tiny training facility for the marine squad that handles Hostile encounters but this is well removed from both of the major complexes.

Membership: Almost the entire complement of the project are baseline humans. Most are extremely competent in their fields. The Scientists are top notch and the Marines are very capable in a fight. (do not expect to be dealing with mooks.) There are a couple of mesmerists and super scientists who have joined the think tank end of the project. Some of them are appalled at the direction the research is taking and others flatly don't care. There is a small permanent care facility that has only one occupant at present but room for more. Most of the inspired people who have had contact with Operation Prospero are unaware that they are being surveilled at least part of the time.

Ongoing Operations: As mentioned above the operation has multiple balls in the air. They look for likely candidates, approach them for recruitment and testing, and if the candidate shows a desire to leave the program they are watched for the rest of their life. (hopefully, a situation will turn up to make them run to the arms of their helpful government.) In some cases, the candidate is deemed "hostile" and a decision is made in the field as to whether to break contact or destroy the candidate in question. The field commander prefers to leave them alone if they don't pose a danger to other people. Less of his marines get hurt that way.

Alliances: Naturally, the Prospero scientists are working very hard to unravel the secrets of Hammersmith's event and this has drawn many eminent minds out of the woodwork. The group also naturally has the backing of the federal government.

Enemies: Hephestia Geary-Wexler is getting wise to the group's real intentions and has planted a spy or two among them to reap as many of the rewards as she can manage. Also, there have been a few incidents of harassment against the inspired but those who try to complain or seek redress are slandered very quickly. Mostly pointing to some sort of unpatriotic attitude or rampant paranoia on their part. Most people believe it too. After all, the government doesn't lie...It's there to help you.

The Inspired: As stated above, most of the group is human. There are a few mesmerists (most have some scientific background) and a super scientist or two. There are quite a number of daredevils moving around in the background, though.

The Future: In the early days of world war two, Michael Donighal hears an interesting rumor about a government conspiracy to harass people with special abilities. Looking into it, he breaks into the New Jersey lab complex and discovers something so horrifying that he razes the place to the ground and walks away a very changed man. The files are all pulled, classified at the cosmic top secret level and then dumped into a file cabinet in a disused basement bathroom with a broken lock on the door and a sign bearing the legend, "Beware of the Leopard!" They are still moldering there well into the Trinity age.

Additional Notes: Players are going to be wary of government conspiracies under every tree. We grew up in the X-files age. But what needs to be remembered about this whole bunch is that most people in this time absolutely trust the government. Also, you can play this group both ways. Sure, the research group looks you over and is perfectly happy to talk to you about the work they're doing. (It's hush hush of course, but if you're a test subject, you've got the right to know.) Still, they are not going to know, nor will they want to believe that their work is being turned to unpleasant purposes. That the military is planning to deal with ALL inspired beings, not just those who pose a threat to themselves or others, will slide right by them. Operation Prospero is like a great big onion with lots of layers to peel away. In the end, fear wins out over curiosity and Prospero is turned into a weapon for some and a jail for others.

Mystic Sink (Mesmerist Knack) (3)

" Yes. My Minions...Give me the power to summon our dark god."

You have developed the ability to siphon off energy from other people as long as they are willing to give it to you willingly. This energy is often used to power large-scale mystic effects but its uses are many on the small scale as well.

System: The user of this knack must touch the target and the target must be completely willing to volunteer his energy. (in other words he cannot tear energy from the target, nor can he coerce it with another knack.) The user of Mystick Sink must then roll his willpower and for each success, he receives on the roll he may take either points of Inspiration or points of Willpower. The User may choose which he'll take and may break it up any way he likes. for the cost of 3 willpower, the user of Mystic Sink may convert for 1 Inspiration.
The User may bank these point but any points that he has taken above his maximums, begin to fade out of him after a period of 24 hours. This knack is typically used by mystics to collects large amounts of willpower and/or Inspiration to funnel into large scale magical effects but it can be used to merely top off a mesmerist's waning pool.

Psychic Assault (Mesmerist Knack) (3)

" I see you have a fear of spiders. I think it would be interesting to see what it would be like to have them devour you...from the INSIDE."

You are able to tap into a target's subconscious mind and unearth all of his most serious fear and terrors. Once you have done this, you can cause the target to hallucinate his most horrible fear.
System: The Mesmerist spends Inspiration and then rolls Manipulation+ Rapport and adds Destructive Inspiration as automatic successes to the dice pool. The target resists with Willpower. If the mesmerist succeeds on the roll, the target is afflicted with temporary insanity for a number of Scenes/Hours as the user has net successes. If the mesmerist collects five net successes on the attack roll then the Insanity lasts indefinitely.(ST's Discretion) The derangement is chosen by the Storyteller.

Voice from Beyond (Mesmerist Knack (3)

"Grandfather says that we're missing a piece of this puzzle...And he's just told me where to find it."

The subconscious mind is oftentimes far more observant than the conscious mind. The Mesmerist who possesses this knack has the ability to tap into his subconscious mind in order to gain a greater understanding of the world around him. In fact this knack is a form of clairsentience. But the only difficulty is that the subconscious has to relate to the conscious mind in a form it can understand. All practitioners of this knack externalize this knowledge into an individual thoughtform that presents itself to the mesmerist in a form only it can see. ( a dead relative giving advice from beyond the grave is most common but sometimes it manifests as a angelic form or a spirit totem of some sort.)
System: The Mesmerist has some sort of "Spirit" that it can interact with in order to gain information and which gives it a limited form of Clairsentience. Any time the player fails any Perception or Intelligence-based roll (but does not botch it.) The Storyteller may secretly re-roll with the player's willpower dice pool. The spirit stays with the character at all times unless he is asked to go somewhere else. The spirit may go anywhere that the mesmerist has been or anywhere within line of sight. It cannot affect anything in the physical world but it can gather information and report back to the mesmerist. The "Spirit" travels instantaneously but will have to take a certain amount of time gathering the information when it arrives.
it should be noted that the Subconscious does not give up all its secrets willingly. Many times owners of this knack must deal with perversity on the part of the spirit or perhaps an unwillingness to divulge it's secrets unless the character "Straightens up and flies right". it should be noted though that the "Spirit" will rarely withhold information that can save the character's life. Mesmerists with Voice from Beyond are never surprised in combat as a result.

Call to Darkness (Mesmerist Knack) (3)

" See...It's so much better when you don't resist...I'll take a few photos to remember this moment."

This extremely rare knack is a potent weapon in the hands of evildoers. It gives insight into the basic nature of a target as a gestalt. Thus enabling the Mesmerist to know where to set his tools to deconstruct the targets soul.
System: The Mesmerist makes a Perception+Rapport roll in order to determine the Vice of the target in question. (he may also extract the Target's Virtue with +2 difficulty.) Call to Darkness also allows the Mesmerist to tempt the target with the ability to fulfill his vice. This involves a Manipulation+Rapport roll which gives a number of additional dice equal to the Mesmerist's Destructive Facet. If the Mesmerist rolls 5 successes or better on the roll he may change the target's Vice to one of his choosing for an indefinite period (ST discretion. Typically the Vice is changed to something like Bravo or Hedonist)
The target must be within line of sight in order to be scanned and in order to be tempted must understand what the mesmerist is saying.If the Mesmerist botches any roll with Call to Darkness he may never again affect the target with this power. This Knack was originally discovered by Sir Gerald Guinness of the Hellfire Club and while it is rare, it is teachable.

Crazy Strength (Mesmerist Knack) (2)

"Okay. when I say go. Pull her out from under the car."

Whether you have learned to control your adrenaline or you are simply psychotic. You have the sort of strength that come from within. While you don't have super dense muscles like a stalwart powerlifter, you how to make the best use of the musculature that you have.

System: spend 1 point of Inspiration. Take half of the Mesmerist's current willpower (round up) and apply it to the mesmerists strength score for the rest of the scene. The Mesmerist will be listless and tired for the next scene (halve all physical dice pools). Storyteller should be very careful to make players make strength rolls that could result in ligament tearing and back muscle shredding injuries. While these injuries won't stop them during the scene they will require healing when the scene is over. ( Each 1 on a strength botch will cause 1 level of unsoakable bashing damage which will take effect at the end of the scene, Large numbers of 1's could result in some Lethal damage as well.) Crazy Strength is not limited to lifting or crushing and can be used in combat. Strength scores can go far beyond 5 (but you don't get nifty enhancements like in aberrant. Hefty might and brawl rolls are reward enough, twink boy)

Emotional Suppression (Mesmerist Knack) (2)

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid your pitiful blandishments will avail you nothing."

You were born with ice water running in your veins. Some might call you a cold fish but you know the truth is much more simple. You have rigorously disconnected your emotions from your mentation process. You are incredibly hard to sway with emotion and are rarely distracted.

System: For every dot of Reflective facet that the character possesses he subtracts a success from rolls that are used to influence him emotionally. While this won't prevent the function of some psychic knacks it does offer protection from interrogation, subterfuge, intimidation, command and rapport rolls and all the knacks that function off of them, (Cloak of Dread, Steely gaze, Etc...)
Sadly this knack cannot be turned off, and so some knacks that might help the character like Inspirational Aura will still suffer the penalties.

Impressions (Mesmerist Knack) (2)

" No Detective. Miss Cambridge had nothing to do with this murder...Call it more than a hunch."

You have the ability to open yourself to emotional impressions that have been left on persons, places, or things. You are able to take in the strongest emotional context attached and in some cases, you have visions of that event.

System: When the Mesmerist wishes to scan something for psychic impressions, He makes a Perception+Awareness( or Rapport when used on a person) in order to discern the strongest emotional content attached to it. (note that this might not be what the mesmerist expects. A hammer that was used as a murder weapon might have impressions of the 12 years it was used as a carpenter's tool...and that carpenter's general emotional content as impressed on the hammer over time.) 

The Mesmerist must touch the person, place, or thing.
The Mesmerist may also elect to try a much deeper scan of something by placing himself into a deep trance. (which takes at least 10 minutes) and then spending a point of Inspiration and then making the Awareness/Rapport roll. When this is done the mesmerist may then step into emotional events and view them as if he were there when they happened. Invariably the Mesmerist seemingly enters the body of one of the participants.There are a couple of downsides to this Precognitive fishing expedition, though. Any damage you sustain during the trance ends it immediately, You may also sustain damage in the vision. (while this damage does not necessarily end the vision it can be extremely unpleasant..)

Example: Dr. Prospero is examining a murder scene at the behest of a friend. Since he's coming up dry for clues he elects to enter a trance and see if he can piece together what happened. After entering the trance, He realizes that he's entered the body of the victim who was slowly tortured to death by Tommy "Two-Times" Freschetti. Each time the victim suffers damage. Prospero must roll a stamina+resistance check to remain in the vision. If he fails, he suffers 1 point of bashing damage for each 1 one the check roll, which he may soak. If he botches he may not soak this damage... and is bounced back into the real world. Prospero gets up the worse for wear and vows justice upon Tommy Two-Times.
Later on his career, Dr. Prospero scans another crime scene only to find himself in the body of the killer this time. He'll get a good look at the killer's hands and hear the killer's voice. He'll know the killer was aroused when he cut his victim's throat and he'll probably be slapped out of his trance by his compatriots who are worried over his giggling before he can identify the killer at all.
Storytellers are encouraged to be spectacularly cruel with botches on the roll above. Mesmerists might develop horrific mental imbalances as a result of trauma or touching the minds of deeply troubled individuals.

Mind-Hit Boxing (Mesmerist Knack)(2)

"Your kung fu is only as strong as your will...which will be broken in just one moment."

This exceedingly esoteric form of Kung Fu has been recovered from the dust of antiquity. Most practitioners cannot even grasp the basics of its use and few have ever learned to master it. It enables the user to damage the Chi of an enemy directly and its use is the most serious of acts.

System: The User spends Inspiration and then rolls a standard martial arts roll (which must be a hand to hand attack) For every level of damage that the target sustains after soaking, he also loses an equivalent number of points of temporary willpower. Targets that are reduced to zero willpower by this attack are considered incapacitated for the rest of the scene and there may be lingering aftereffects. (the GM is encouraged to be creatively cruel here. Derangements, hysterical blindness or paralysis or "Chi sickness" are all fair game and will last as long as it takes for the character to regain his full willpower.)

1000 Scorpion Strike (Mesmerist Knack)(2)

"I'm warning you. These hands have killed before."

You have learned the esoteric arts of Atemi and Chi manipulation. Your hands are capable of delivering crippling damage to enemies. People fear you and rightly so. Your deadly hands make it easy to take life.

System: The Mesmerist spends Inspiration and for the rest of the scene, his hand to hand damage inflicts lethal damage instead of bashing damage. Mesmerists who use this knack often express a visible grayish aura around their hands when it is in use. Practitioners of the arts can sometimes recognize this with a successful Intelligence+Martial Arts Roll.

This knack cannot stack with any defensive martial art knack. You cannot use this effect in the same turn as you are using the defensive art.(Although the use of the defensive art does not shut the knack off)

Fix on the Fly (Mesmerist Knack) (2)

"Don't worry! She'll hold together...You hear me, baby...Hold together."

You seem to be very in touch with vehicles of every sort on a deeply intuitive level. You're the sort of captain that can wake from a sound sleep if the engines change speed. You even know where to whack the machine if it starts acting up, and you know how to compensate by feel for engine difficulties. You even seem to be able to hold a damaged engine together by sheer force of will.

System: The player spends 1 Inspiration. The player rolls Wits+Engineering and adds his destructive facet as extra dice. For each success he scores on the roll, he is able to suspend damage that has been done to a vehicle he is riding or driving in while it is moving. This damage does not actually go away but its effects don't restrict the vehicles usability. The effects, however, come back as soon the vehicle is turned off or if the damage reaches Broken Down. Then, of course, you'll have to repair it by hand. This, of course, enables the player to stay in the car chase even though his car is badly damaged and it allows him to safely land the plane even with a flaming engine.

Speed Demon (Mesmerist Knack) (2)

"Don't worry Margie...We'll catch Dr. Vengeance. He can't outrun us in this traffic."

You have developed a certain amount of extremely short duration prescience. While this has very limited applications you have found that it is a positive boon in any sort of situation where you are driving or piloting a vehicle or even riding an animal. High-speed pursuit of any sort is like second nature to you as you slip into holes in traffic that didn't exist a second ago. You also compensate in high speed turns as if you were part of the vehicle itself. Whether chasing or being chased, you are capable of piloting at great speed.

System: This knack causes the Mesmerist to function at his utter peak of his reflexes. Even his time sense slows down. As such, whenever the mesmerist is piloting, driving or riding an animal. The safe speed of the transportation rises to match the max speed of the vehicle. He may also add his Dynamic Facet dots to any rolls for evasive maneuvers

Hive Mind (Universal Knack)

" Does it bother you..." "When we talk like this..." "We can stop..."

Perhaps you have some shared genetic link like being a set of twins. Perhaps you are a swarm of mantis people. or maybe you are an elite cadre of mystically conjoined ninjas. Perhaps you are a garage full of the master's robots. Maybe you are even a group of comrades that has worked together so long that teamwork is now second nature to you. Whatever the cause, you and your compatriots work together with an efficiency bordering on zen art.

System: each person who wishes to use Hive Mind must possess the knack and be within line of sight of his fellows.In addition to being able to communicate non-verbally, any project that the hive mind undertakes adds +1 to the dice pool for every character working on it after the first. The ST may limit the number of characters with this knack working on a project. (Typically no more than 5 people may attack a single person. thus the best bonus that the hive can achieve is four.)
Example: 3 mantis warriors attack Dudley while 2 more attack Julie. Their dice pools for attack are at +2 and +1 respectively. If Dudley thrashes one with his fists and Julie dispatches one with her tiny pistol then their pools drop to +1 and +0. If however, the Mantii make short work of Dudley, The four remaining warriors will have +3 against their single target.
The Knack has a downside insofar as people with Hive Mind have little in the way of mental defenses (or rather they are so open and/or permeable that it makes little difference.) and are thus at a +1 difficulty to resist mental domination of any sort.

(A Universal Knack is essentially the sort of that can come about from many different types of background and as such can be bought by any sort of Inspired Character and even some uninspired characters at the ST's option.)

Past Life (Mesmerist Knack) (2)

"You're absolutely right. Delia would never be able to defend herself against you. But I'm not Delia...I am Alcina. An amazon warrior. and your time has come manling!"

You have managed by some weird happenstance to connect with a past life of yours. This occasionally puts you in touch with past knowledge and skills that can benefit you in times of need. It also makes for weird dreams and the occasional identity crisis but for the most part, you are still completely in control...Usually.

System: The player purchasing Past Life receives 8 phantom dots of skills and abilities. Of these skills, one dot must be Academics (specifically the history of the time in question) and another must be Linguistics (the language appropriate to the past life.) The ST is well within his rights to restrict how much can be spent on any one skill. When invoking a past life, The Player spends 1 point of Inspiration and the phantom skills become available for a scene. In addition, the player may add his dots in Reflective facet to any one of those phantom skills for the duration of the scene. This skill must be chosen when invoking and cannot be changed until the next scene with a new inspiration expenditure.
The player is encouraged to come up with details of the Past Life and how or why it is bleeding over into the present life. (Unfinished business, searching for a lost love, ancestral race memory..etc.) 

It should be understood that the past life will have different virtue and vice. While the player is encouraged to come to an understanding with the GM, The choice for the Virtue and Vice of the Past Life identity is entirely in his hands.

Creatively sadistic ST's should come up with situations involving occasional conflict between the two lives. This Knack can actually be bought multiple times. Strict accounting must be made of whose phantom skills belong to who. Only 1 past life may be in effect at any one time.
This knack is extremely appropriate to Tibetan master mesmerists. It also should be noted that characters who possess this knack who die are almost always reincarnated immediately, for all the good it will do them... In point of fact, it might be that your plucky young ward has the memories of one of your past compatriots.

Lightning Mind (Mesmerist Knack) (2)

"Clurman! We have to be in Lhasa in 3 days. Fetch my overnight bag and my Tibetan dictionary!"

You have the ability to quickly process information and retain large amounts of information in memory for a time. You amaze people with your mental feats of recall.

System: When dealing with any task that involves rapid processing of information (speed reading, target recognition, converting Fahrenheit to celsius in the middle of burning building...) you may add your intuitive inspiration score to your dice pool.
You also have the ability to cram a large amount of information into your mind for short periods. The mesmerist rolls Intelligence+Academics and adds his Reflective Inspiration as automatic successes on the roll (assuming he has at least one success) he then divides the success in order to determine how long it takes to learn, How deep the information is, and how long it will last. The Mesmerist may hold only Knowledges in memory, and may only hold one at a time. Clearing memory takes a single day. The roll may be modified by up to +3 by a lack of learning resources.

Successes	Knowledge Score	Time To Learn	Duration
0	0	7 days	2 days
1	1	6 days	4 days
2	2	5 days	1 week
3	3	4 days	3 weeks
4	4	3 days	6 weeks
5	5	2 days	3 months

Example: Dr. Boniface has a brilliant idea for an innovation to a firearm. The only problem is that his main sphere of learning is Pharmacology. Undaunted, he decides to cram heavily before going into the lab and taking a whack at the new idea. He rolls Int+Academics and closets himself into the library. He scores 3 successes on his roll and has 3 reflective inspiration. Since he needs at least 3 dots to work on the project with his super scientific acumen and knacks, He elects to take six days with the material and splits his successes among knowledge score and duration. For a week, Boniface has effectively 3 dots in Science (Ballistics). Which is hopefully enough time for his R&D.

Later Boniface has to go to Portugal in search of certain types of roots for a particular medicine. Since Boniface speaks no Portuguese. He grabs a Portuguese dictionary on his way to board the plane. He gets 6 successes + an additional 3 for his reflective inspiration. At the hotel, He takes three days, learns Portuguese idiomatically(2 dots) and it lasts for 2 weeks... long enough to mount the necessary expedition.
on the last day of duration, the crammed knowledge begins to rapidly fade (with increasingly difficult skill checks as the day wears on.