Stories From Both Sides Of The Red Desert

This was slipped beneath your doors.

 2 Days Later...

Strangers around the mine.

 Strange uniformed men have been seen around the mine area during dusk and dawn. These men possess rifles, though they have yet to fire them, and flying packs. These packs have been seen to jet flames to create upward force, and the wings allow them to glide. They always are able to jet away when approached, or shot at. The uniforms seem to resemble that of the Royal Dragoons.

Whisper Crones

 Dream War Veteran

 Imago Implosion Victim

Shotgun Cane - $20

This metal barreled cane contains a single-shot shotgun. The shotgun can be triggered either as a ranged attack or as part of a melee attack. The player must decide before the roll to hit with the cane in melee whether or not they wish to trigger a shot. Even if the melee attack misses, the ammo is still expended.

Cane Damage: Str + 1L (+2L if the character has the ** Single Stick Martial Art)

Shotgun Damage: 8

Range: 10

ROF: 1

Ammo: 1

Pistol of Sahniel - $800 SOLD!!!

This pistol is linked to the demon Sahniel, a demon invoked for protection by infernalists. This demon is a minor one within the realms of Hell, and its power is small compared to the greater demons. The Pistol of Sahniel was part of a the last batch made before the end of the war.

Pedigree – This pistol was assigned to Brigadier General Samuel Benton, during the last stages of the war. He received the pistol as part of his commission to his new rank, hence both the advanced nature of the pistol and its Pact. The pistol was at the final major battle of the war, the battle of Rogue Scythes. The general received a mortal wound from a cadre of Pain Clerics in the final hours of the battle. The pistol was returned to the family, and was sold to the Emporium.

Damage: 7

Range: 30

ROF: 3

Ammo: -

Connexio: 4

Sahniel's Cloak – Diff. 6

By spending a blood point, each success reduce amount of damage successes against him by one (before soak). Dampening affects aggravated attacks also on a 2 successes to 1 damage basis.

Sahniel's Shield – Diff. 9

With one success, she creates a 6" x 4" barrier in front of her that will absorb up to five Health Levels of damage. Additional successes may be used to increase the area (three feet per success) or to add additional Health Levels (one per success). This power may only be used once per scene. 

Ether Slip Matrix Generator - $800

This backpack can be used to partially slip the wearer into the 'Ether', allowing them to avoid damage or incoming attacks. The backpack causes a soft-spot in reality, allowing the meld through into both places.

Movement Penalty: -1 on all Athletics, Dodge, and Melee rolls.

Functionality: 5

Effects Duration: 1 Scene (May only have one effect active at a time)

Physical Displacement – Diff. 6

The field subtracts 1 success from all incoming attacks directed at the character for every success rolled on the functionality check.

Substance Displacement – Diff. 6

The field subtracts successes from all physical damage rolls, such as from a gunshot or stabbing. This does not protect from damage from heat or electricity. The field subtracts 1 success for every success rolled on the functionality check.

Distance Slip – Diff. 8

This allows the user to teleport a certain distance depending on the number of successes rolled on the functionality roll. For every success the device allows the user to slip 20 yards as a move action. This slip can be done through solid objects. 

Gnosis Engine - $1000

This device has two separate parts: the Prophecy Lizard tank and Gnosis Transference Headgear. The Prophecy Lizard Tank contains the body of a Prophecy Lizard, a desert dwelling lizard whose saliva and blood is used by native tribes. The saliva and blood is a strong hallucinogen that also produces a euphoric state. While under the effects of the fluids the visual and auditory sensations often hold clues as to future events. The tank is used to contain the body and distill the blood and saliva into a highly potent form. Within the tank apparatus are numbers thaumaturgic sensors that transfer the prophetic energies into the headgear. The headgear transfers the prophetic energies into the brain of the user, causing strong euphoric hallucinations. The headgear provides the option to the user end the vision whenever they wish.

A user may attempt to use each power once per day. Any use beyond the first of the power results in a temporary loss of 1 dot of Perception on a failed roll. On a botch on the activation of any power, no matter the number of uses, results in the temporary loss of 1 dot of Perception. Two perception is lost if it is the second use of a power in a 24 hour period. The Perception dots return 1 per day.

Functionality: 5

Minor Visions – Diff. 5

The engine provides you with a minor Vision. This can take the form of a dream or meditation, or just an insight given you. The GM chooses what he wants to reveal, and it can range from trivial to vital, as he or she sees fit. It must apply to a future (not the current) scene. Minor Visions prove truthful and accurate unless a being with a Legend Rating takes actions to thwart or prevent it.

Search For A Sign – Diff. 7

You may determine the better of two possible courses of action. Doing so takes 10 minutes of focus. You name two possible approaches to the situation at hand, and then roll the Functionality Rating. Record the number of successes you score. The GM decides which of those two paths is most suitable to his or her campaign plans, and tells you the favorable path. Every success becomes a bonus die that is set aside. You may use those dice on any action while on that path, up to a number of dice equal to the Functionality rating on any given roll. Doing so is reflexive, and involves no effort or involvement on the part of your character. Each bonus die may only be used once, then it goes away. You may even use the dice to augment rolls made by other characters, but you cannot expend more dice than your legend on any one tick. Should the players for some reason decide to follow the other path instead, the successes become bonus dice the GM can use to boost villains and obstacles that stand against the PCs. Should the two options the player presented have only trivial cosmetic differences, the GM can apply the dice to both the players get one pool of bonus dice to the things they are doing, but an equal pool of obstacle dice is reserved to apply anytime they step even just a bit outside the narrow path they created. Far better to pick two methods that are dynamically opposed, so that the penalty dice can only be invoked if you stray afar from the better path. To prevent potential abuse, a few additional restrictions govern the use of this power. Activating the power again wastes/eliminates any remaining dice from previous uses, and dice from this power cannot be used on future activations of this power. Lastly, all bonus dice go away at the end of the session.

Foretelling The Messiah – Diff. 9

Gifted with flashes of insight, you may predict that a particular PC or NPC holds the solution to the problem at hand. This insight comes to you in a vision while the player chooses who will fulfill the role of the prophecy, the character does not (they see it as Fate itself having chosen). In a later scene this same story, the player of the foreseen character may announce that they are attempting to fulfill your prophecy with their current action any action adds auto successes. This bonus affects a maximum of 5 rolls per scene. The number of auto successes is equal to the number successes made on the functionality roll. You may only name one person to be your messiah at a time. Using the power again immediately ends the effects of all previous activations. You may name yourself as the messiah, but doing so increases the difficulty by 1. Regardless of whether or not you ever name yourself messiah, you may not indicate the same character in back to back messianic prophecies. Someone else must have used the bonus before you can give it to the same person a second time.

Pact Weapons

During the later periods of the Dream War, the Army of Heroes was being beaten at every turn by the Others. It was decided by the leaders of the various factions, that more potent weapons would be needed. As thaumaturgical weapons had little effect on 'Dreamers', it was decided that weapons should be created using the help of the two great powers of the universe: Heaven and Hell. Since holy relics could not be mass produced due to Heaven's lack of cooperation, Hell was approached. Through the auspices of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford a deal was struck with Hell. Thirty-nine major demons, and thousands of minor demons, agreed to bind a small portion of their power to firearms. At first, the firearms were required to be as primitive as possible. However, midway through the process the Colt Firearms company found a way to use the most advanced pistols and rifles available. It was largely due to the use of these weapons that the 'Others' were driven back. After the war the weapons were supposedly collected and placed in a sealed vault. The specifics of the pact that was made in exchange for the power was only known to a handful of individuals at the signing of the agreement.

Each firearm has a Connexio rating, which is the measure of how close the weapon is tied to its demon patron. A pact weapon may only have one power active at one time. Every time the character makes an attack with the weapon, the player may roll the Connexio rating. If the Connexio rating succeeds, the next attack the gun makes also applies the demonic effect. If the roll to attack fails to hit, the player must roll again to reactivate the power.

Pistol of Nergal

This weapon is connected to the demon Nergal, and partially shares in his pestilential power. Though the pistol only possesses greatly diminished versions of his true power, it still is a powerful weapon in the hands of a trained gunslinger. It is always warm to the touch, and pulses faintly to the touch.

Damage: 7

Range: 40

ROF: 3

Ammo: -

Connexio: 5

Sharrapu’s Touch – Diff. 5

If the Cennexio roll succeeds, the victim loses one dot each from his Strength, Dexterity and Stamina. This loss lasts for one scene. Multiple Pestilence’s Touch do not accumulate effects, either with each other or with higher-level attacks from this weapon. Effects will accumulate, however, with deleterious effects produced by other Disciplines and Powers.

Breath of Ereshkigal – Diff. 7

System

If the Cennexio roll succeeds, the Breath of Ereshkigal reduces each of the victim's Physical Attributes by one. The number of successes determines the duration of the magical sickness:

1 success One scene

2 successes One night

3 successes Two nights

4 successes Four nights

5 successes One week

Multiple attacks can accumulate, further reducing the victim's Physical Attributes, but only if the subsequent attack has at least as many successes as the previous attacks. Thus, if a player rolled three successes for the first attack, a second attack would strip another dot from each Physical Attribute only if the player rolled three or more successes on the second attack, subsequent Breath of Ereshkigal attacks would need at least four successes to increase the effect.

A vampire or ghoul can raise Physical Attributes by expending vitae, and so counter Breath of Ereshkigal. Raising all three Attributes back to their starting value completely cures the magical illness. Then, however, the attacker can start over again. Mortals must simply wait for the curse to run its course.

Shamash's Atrophy – Diff. 9

System

The victim may resist the effects of Atrophy by scoring three or more successes on a Stamina + Athletics roll (difficulty 8). Failure means the limb is permanently and completely crippled. Partial resistance is possible: One success indicates that difficulties involving the use of the arm increase by two, though these effects are still permanent with regard to mortals. Two successes signify that difficulties increase by one. Vampires and other supernatural afflicted by this power may spend five blood points or other supernatural pool to rejuvenate atrophied limbs. Mortals are permanently crippled. This power affects only limbs (arms and legs); it does not work on victims' heads, torsos, etc.

Behold your fine town, try not to burn it down...