The Art of Perception
From Summoner
Contents |
A Still Pond (O)
Demons often wander, unnoticed in Twilight. The first key to awakening one's senses to the flows of identity and the World is to sense when those natural flows are being disturbed. By attaining an inner stillness, a Summoner awakens his ears, eyes, and nerves to the sensations of hidden demons, and even Alter Selves. While this power is active, the character gains the benefits of the Unseen Sense Merit for the presence of Summoners and demons. Furthermore, with the expenditure of a point of Id, the Summoner has a chance to perceive such being as they truly are, when seen through a reflective surface. These benefits last for a scene.
Cost: 1 Id
Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Perception; if opposed, subtract Finesse.
Action: Reflexive
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The Summoner sees something in the reflective surface, but it is not something in the World, it is something distasteful or unsettling within themselves. They suffer a -2 penalty to their next roll from the disorientation.
Failure: The character fails to perceive the exact nature of the nearby beings, but is still unsettled in whatever signature manner they normally are.
Success: The Summoner gains a glimpse of the demon, and may determine its description to a varying degree.
Exceptional Success: Not only does the character gain a clear view of the demon, she may detect a hazy outline of it's presence for the scene or until it leaves her presence.
Suggested Modifiers
| Modifier | Situation |
|---|---|
| +2 | The Summoner has a compact or hand mirror, a clear personal reflective surface |
| -2 | The Summoner looks through broken mirrors, disturbed water, or other unclear reflectives |
Flowing Waters Stilled (OO)
While the Queens are not generally adept at stealth, an understanding of the Art of Perception can grant them a degree of safety from danger, be it from a rather mundane bully or from a fire-breathing beast of an imagined hell. By retreating within herself, the Summoner lays aside her connections to the World. The feeling can be jarring, enough to trigger certain derangements, as the character becomes categorically and totally 'alone' in a metaphysical sense. However, by doing so, perceiving the character becomes much more difficult. This power lasts until the Summoner meaningfully interacts with the World, or until they fall asleep.
Cost: 1 Id
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Perception
Action: Reflexive
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character is convinced that they are hidden well, and may be surprised by evidence to the contrary...like an ambush.
Failure: The character fails to mute their interaction with the World, remaining plainly visible.
Success: The Summoner distances herself from the World, applying her successes as a penalty to any rolls to perceive her. Demons in Twilight cannot perceive her at all without a roll of Finesse + Resistance, penalized by her successes.
Exceptional Success: The character severs herself completely from the World's perceptions. Until she significantly interacts with the World in some way, she remains entirely invisible. However, spending more than a scene in this state may trigger a derangement roll, at Storyteller discretion, as the weight of being 'disconnected' bears down on the Summoner's mind. Even once she interacts with the World, her successes stand as a penalty, to a maximum of -5.
Suggested Modifiers
| Modifier | Situation |
|---|---|
| +1 | The Summoner is drably dressed, unlikely to stand out |
| -1 | The Summoner is garishly dressed, or wearing the clothes of someone to notice, like an authority figure |
| -2 | The Summoner is the focus of attention |
A Ripple Spreads (OOO)
The Summoner retreats inward for a moment, and then lets his consciousness expands for as far as her Ego can stretch. Resonating with the great, vibrant, and terrible many that is the World, the Summoner gains insight into the location and emotional state of a target. This process requires focus and leaves the character momentarily exposed. While searching, the Summoner has no Defense, and suffers a -2 to all rolls to perceive her present surroundings.
Instead of seeking out a specific person, the Summoner can also seek out general information on others. When used in that manner, the Summoner may continue making rolls to seek out their target, but must accumulate a number of successes equal to that target's Resistance to pick out vague presences of someone or something with Ego. She suffers a penalty equal to the highest Resistance or Composure out of targets that deeply desire to hide, and a general penalty depending on the range she searches.
In the case that A Ripple Spreads conflicts with a form of supernatural stealth, treat this as a clash of wills, the defender contesting the roll (without a Composure/Resistance penalty) with their activation successes for the defensive power.
Cost: None
Dice Pool: Composure + Empathy + Perception - Resistance or Composure
Action: Instant or Extended; requires successes equal to the target's Resistance.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character is jarred by the overwhelming stream of conscious beings, and loses the connections. She suffers a -2 penalty to rolls related to perception, both supernatural and mundane, until she's had eight hours rest.
Failure: The character fails to gain a solid bead on her target, or makes no progress towards detecting supernatural presences in the area.
Success: The Summoner finds the rough location of her target, with clarity based on her successes. Alternately, she discovers the rough presence of multiple beings within her successes' range of Composure/Resistance + Ego.
Exceptional Success: The Summoner gains a full mental picture of her target's location and mental state, as well as a rough idea of how to get there safely. When scanning a broad area, there is no additional benefit to an exceptional success.
Suggested Modifiers
(Table to come)
| Modifier | Situation |
|---|---|
| +2 | The Summoner has access to a map of some sort as a focus |
| +1 | The subject possesses a means of broad communication, like a cell phone |
| +1 to +7 | Each point of Ego the subject has beyond 3 |
| -3 | The Summoner is in an unfamiliar area. |
Come And See (OOOO)
Perception can be both a blessing and a curse, as its students are often quick to remind those who come to rely on their abilities. With training, this lesson can become direct and immediate. With a reaching of minds, the Summoner digs into the raw perceptions of another being and then rips away the barriers in one great shunt of thought, emotion, consciousness, and a glimpse into the concept that the subject is just one small mote of everything he could be, and in fact, only a small part of a universal being.
This sort of epiphany is rarely healthy.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Perception versus subject's Composure + Ego
Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character's digging opens up mental doors the character herself was not ready for. For a week, she suffers an appopriate mild derangement as something in the World or within herself cracks her sense of self.
Failure: The character fails to tear away the subject's barriers, a wasted effort.
Success: The Summoner tears away the walls and comforts of the target's limited point of view. The target remains stunned, unable to act offensively for a number of turns equal to the successes rolled by the Summoner. Their overwhelming desire is to get away to somewhere isolated of depth or meaning, and they will continue towards that goal for a scene. They suffer a mild derangement for a number of days equal to the Summoner's successes. If appropriate, a mild derangement may evolve into a more severe one for that time.
Exceptional Success: The Summoner tears apart the Summoner's boundaries. They immediately suffer a level of lethal damage and fall into a terrifying, nightmarish coma, which will last for a single full night unless disturbed. They will awaken with a severe derangement, up to Storyteller discretion. This is permanent unless stated otherwise.
Once the power is used on a subject, it cannot be used again on them for the scene.
The Greatest Lie (OOOOO)
An old saying goes, "The greatest lie the Devil ever told was convincing the world that he didn't exist." The highest mastery of Perception allows for a lie on this scope, removing a being from the view of the World for a period of time.
Use of this power can easily be a sin of Identity if used with baleful intent, and is distinctly unpleasant to the Ego. By utterly denying a being, he ceases to be, and cannot be targeted by any person for any rolled or unrolled effect. He cannot be seen, because the target fails to notice them. He cannot hurt someone who does not see him, as their identities never interact. For all intents and purposes, the subject is floating in another plane, unbound by matter, gravity, or physics. Only the original user The Greatest Lie can see the subject, but is otherwise equally safe from any interaction. The Summoner can use this power on himself, but instinctually resists it.
This power can also be used against other Summoners and upon demons, but works differently. banishing the target's Alter Self into the recesses of the World. The Summoner cannot use that Alter Self for a scene in that case. When used on a demon, if successful, it suffers a number of points of aggravated damage equal to the Summoner's successes, as these being are defined by raw Ego and perspective. If this is enough to destroy the demon, it utterly ceases to be, forever cut off from the World.
Cost: 2 Id, 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Presence + Subterfuge + Perception versus subject's Resolve + Ego
Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The power cannot be used again for a single night.
Failure: The Summoner is unable to rip the target from his moorings in the World, leaving him in touch with everything.
Success: The Summoner removes the target from the World for a number of hours equal to his successes, if mortal or otherwise supernatural. They suffer a mild derangement for a number of days equal to the successes rolled for the power. If a Summoner, one of their Alter Selves, whichever is currently in use, is cast out of them for the scene. A demon suffers aggravated damage equal to the Summoner's successes.
Exceptional Success: The Summoner wins the contest and rolled 5 or more successes. A mortal is removed until such time as the Summoner wishes for them to return, or one month, whichever is sooner. They permanently gain a severe derangement. If hiding them self, the Summoner suffers no such penalty and may smoothly fade back into the World at their whim. A targeted Summoner loses the ability to Draw Out for the scene. A demon simply suffers more damage.
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