The Art of Perception
From Summoner
Contents |
O - A Still Pond
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.
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
(Table to come)
OO - Flowing Waters Stilled
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 for a scene.
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
(Table to come)
OOO - A Ripple Spreads
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 plus Ego, out of targets that deeply desire to hide, and a general penalty depending on the range she searches.
Cost: None
Dice Pool: Composure + Empathy + Perception - Resistance or Composure + Ego
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)
OOOO - Come And See
Fully open the eyes of those not ready, disorienting and possibly harming them.
OOOOO - The Greatest Lie
Numb a Summoner's ability to call forth Alter Souls, or hide mortals from demonic perception.
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