The Northern Star
Role Play of the Seas
Auspice Gifts:
Brightwater Gifts
Basic:
Eyes of Wound
Activation: Always On.
Effect: Though most Merfolk have naturally reflective eyes that allow them to see in relatively dark waters, this Gift enhances the Merfolk’s natural sight so that she can see in the darkest places, both above and below water. In addition, using this Gift protects the Merfolk’s eyes from the negative effects of sudden exposure to light, such as going from a dark place into the bright sunlight, or a sudden camera flash. Once a Merfolk learns this Gift, it is always active. They suffer no penalty of any kind due to darkness, and likewise no penalty from sudden exposure to bright lights of any kind.
First Feeling
Cost: One Rage
Challenge: Mental Vs Target Willpower
Retest: Intimidation
Effect: The Merfolk may use this Gift to amplify humanity’s inherent fear of water, causing a human to run in terror from the ocean, or even a pool of
water. The Merfolk spends a Rage Trait and makes a Mental test (retest Intimidation). Success means that fear overcomes the target, causing her to flee from even a small body of water. This effect lasts until the end of the scene, and the target must immediately leave the vicinity of the body of water after this Gift’s use. Should the target attempt to return before the end of the scene, or be unable to flee, they are at a one-Trait penalty to all actions due to their extreme discomfort. Creatures who possess the capability to breathe water are unaffected by this Gift; additionally, while this Gift affects mages, ghouls and other primarily human supernaturals, it does not affect inhuman beings such as fae or other shapechangers, nor does it affect undead creatures such as vampires or Risen.
Duration: One Scene or Hour
Narke's Gift:
Challenge: Physical Vs. Target Physical
Cost: One Rage
Retest: Occult
Effect: Named for the electric ray, whose Greek name is narke, this Gift enables the Merfolk to deliver a damaging electric shock to a chosen target or targets. Success delivers one level of lethal damage to up to three targets within ten steps of each other in the water, or to a single target on land. Unless the Merfolk touches a land-bound target, the victim must be grounded for the Gift to take effect. The Merfolk must recharge her energy for three combat turns before she may again use this Gift.
Razors of the Deep:
Required: Nereid Form
Activation Time: One turn
Cost: One Rage
Effect: You sharpen your claws, honing them into even deadlier weapons. You do an additional level of Aggravated damage with all claw attacks.
Duration: One Scene or Hour
Restraint:
Cost: One Gnosis
Challenge: Willpower Vs Storyteller
Retest: Primal Urge
Effect: This Gift provides the Merfolk with some selectivity when in frenzy. Any time in a scene where she believes she risks entering frenzy, the Merfolk can spend a Gnosis Trait and make a Willpower test. Success allows the Merfolk to ignore allies when in frenzy. Since a character may not spend both Rage and Gnosis Traits in the sameround, the Merfolk must plan ahead to use this Gift.
Undertow:
Cost: One Gnosis
Challenge: Physical Vs Target Physical or Storyteller for an Object.
Retest: Primal Urge
Effect: With this Gift, the Merfolk can cause the appearance of a powerful undertow to drive a target in a direction chosen by the Merfolk. This undertow can pull a human out to sea, shove a small boat aground or drag an enemy (or a meal) into the Merfolk’s mouth or attacks. A living target may make one attempt after being caught to escape the pull by succeeding in a Physical Test (retest Athletics).
Unseen Attack:
Challenge: Mental Vs Target Mental
Retest: Stealth
Effect: This Gift gives the Merfolk an edge in executing a surprise attack, provided her opponent does not detect her approach. The character must first approach her target undetected and succeed in a Mental challenge. Success means that she not only gains the advantage of Surprise against her foe, but her first attack also deals an additional level of damage. Her victim may not use any Abilities to retest the attack Challenge. The character may not use this Gift again in the same scene unless she is able to withdraw from her target’s sight once more and perform another successful Stealth approach.
Intermediate:
Bends:
Cost: One Gnosis
Challenge: Mental vs. target
Retest: Medicine
Effect: By using this Gift, the Merfolk can inflict the condition known as “the bends” upon a target, regardless of whether or not they breathe air or are in the water. The Merfolk spends a Gnosis Trait and makes a Physical test (retest Medicine) to inflict two levels of lethal damage. Wound penalties are increased by one due to the severe pain caused by the bends; most ordinary people will pass out due to the pain.
Best Policy:
Challenge: Social Vs Storyteller
Retest: Expression
Effect: This Gift enables the Merfolk to tell the honest truth and have the listener accept it in stride, regardless of how inflammatory or offensive the statement may be. The Merfolk makes a Social test. Anyone hearing the Merfolk’s statement takes it at face value, so long as the Merfolk is not lying. Furthermore, the Veil covers any revelation of the Merfolk’s true nature that may occur as a result of using this Gift. The effects last for one scene, though the effects of the Veil are permanent. For example, a Merfolk may tell a security guard exactly why she wants access to a restricted area within a waste treatment plant. So long as she tells the truth, the security guard accepts the Merfolk’s explanation as reasonable and allows her access. When the Gift wears off, the guard remembers only that he let someone into a restricted area. He does not remember who he admitted, however, nor will he be able to give an accurate description of the individual.
No Walls:
Challenge: Physical Vs Storyteller
Retest: Athletics
Effect:This Gift enables the Merfolk to batter down any door, wall or other physical impediment, regardless of the barrier’s thickness or material substance. Alarms and traps may still be set off, however, by the use of this Gift. The Merfolk makes a Physical test (retest Athletics). The Storyteller determines the amount of time it takes for the Merfolk to bash through the physical obstacle; if this Gift is successful, the Merfolk will eventually succeed in breaking through, barring some outside interference. The Gift does not affect objects that the Merfolk can bypass or circumvent, such as ship’s hulls or partial walls that a Merfolk can simply walk or swim around.
Oversea's Cycle:
Challenge: Simple Vs Storyteller
Effect: Merfolk may use this Gift to replenish Rage or Willpower or to heal lost Health Levels. If the sun or gibbous moon shines, the character may win or tie a Simple Test to immediately regain a Rage Trait. She may continue to make additional tests to regain more Rage until she loses a test. If the Wound (the sun) is clouded over or when the new moon rises, the Merfolk may heal Health Levels or regain Willpower in the same fashion. This Gift recognizes the connection some Merfolk (notably Brightwaters) have with Oversea. Once used, this Gift cannot be used again until the next phase of the moon or the next day, whichever is appropriate.
School's Fear:
Challenge: Social Vs Storyteller
Retest: Intimidation
Effect: This Gift creates a feeling of panic in a group of individuals, whether a crowd of humans or a school of fish. The group suddenly becomes seized with the belief that someone or something is coming to eat or otherwise destroy them. The Merfolk must see the group he wishes to affect, though they need not see her (a favorite tactic for Merfolk interfering with ships or military vessels). He then makes a Social test (retest Intimidation) against a number of Traits determined by the Storyteller depending on the make-up of the group — five or six for a school of fish or normal humans, higher for natural predators or trained individuals such as Garou or military personnel. The effect lasts for a number of turns equal to the Merfolk’s Gnosis rating, although strongwilled individuals such as PCs or significant NPCs may spend a Willpower Trait to think clearly during the confusion. Note that this still in no way immunizes them to the damage that the rest of the mob can cause!
Advanced:
Blood of Darkness:
Cost: One Gnosis
Effect: Helios anoints your form with a blaze of sunlight, lending his power to your attacks. All attacks against you suffer a three-Trait penalty from the blinding light. All your unarmed attacks deal Aggravated damage, as well as dealing an additional two levels of damage. Vampires within twenty feet suffer the effects of standing in direct sunlight.
Duration: One Scene
Pain of the Wound:
Cost: Two Rage
Challenge: Physical Vs Storyteller
Retest: Rituals
Effect: This Gift enables the Merfolk to use his connection with the blood of Oversea to call forth a mystical fire, even underwater. This flame does not go out until it consumes its target. The Merfolk spends two Rage Traits and makes a Physical test (retest Rituals). The target of the attack bursts into flames and receives three levels of aggravated damage per turn until she
dies, someone or something mystically negates the fire, the Merfolk is slain or the Merfolk chooses to end the use of the Gift. The target may spend a permanent Willpower Trait to avoid taking damage for one turn; she may do so until she has one Willpower Trait left, at which time she also gains a permanent phobia of fire (should she survive) that can never be bought off.