Darkness/Shade and Spirit - DarklingContracts of Darkness
The Darklings have pacted with the power of darkness itself to shelter and nurture them. Darkness Contracts are used to hide the changeling, to induce dread in mortals and to produce effects associated with darkness, night and the terror of a ghost story come true.
Creeping Dread (•)
This clause causes those affected to become less resistant to fear or intimidation. The target or targets initially feels a mild shudder of fear and then becomes considerably more susceptible to any event that could make them afraid or intimidated, including anything that might trigger a Phobia derangement.
Cost: 1 Glamour or 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Wyrd – Resolve
Catch: The changeling is using this clause to frighten intruders into her dwelling.
Dramatic [b]Failure: [/b]The target or targets gain +1 die to resist fear and are immune to this clause for the next scene.
Failure: The Contract fails and has no effect on the target or targets.
Success: The target or targets feel mild fear and experience a penalty equal to the changeling’s Wyrd to all Resolve or Composure rolls to resist fear or intimidation. If the changeling spends one point of Glamour, this clause affects one target the changeling can see clearly. If the changeling spends two points of Glamour and one point of Willpower, the clause affects everyone within three yards per dot of Willpower the changeling possesses. In both cases, this effect lasts for one scene.
Exceptional [b]Success: [/b]The penalty to rolls to resist fear is equal to the changeling’s Wyrd +2.
+1 The surroundings are dark and spooky.
+2 The target or targets are already somewhat afraid.
–1 The targets are vigilant and expecting trouble.
–1 The surroundings are brightly lit and not conducive to fear.
Night’s Subtle Distractions (••)
This clause allows the Lost to avoid notice by enhancing physical conditions that limit perception. A dark night seems darker, background noises that obscure the changeling’s footsteps seem louder, distractions become more distracting and strong smells can even block a bloodhound’s ability to track the changeling.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Dice Pool: Wyrd + Stealth
Catch: The clause is invoked outdoors at night.
Dramatic [b]Failure: [/b]The targets are unaffected. Instead, the Contract affects the changeling and everyone she attempted to exclude from the Contract for the next scene.
Failure: The Contract affects no one’s perceptions.
Success: This clause affects everyone within 50 yards of the changeling. The changeling is not affected, and can also choose to keep anyone in physical contact with her from being affected. Everyone else within range doubles all environmental penalties to Wits rolls involving perception, including Wits + Composure rolls, as well as Wits + Skill rolls to notice events or Wit’s + Investigation rolls to intentionally search for something. In a quiet, well-lit room or hallway, there are typically no environmental penalties, and this Contract provides only a –1 die penalty to these rolls. This Contract affects perceptions, not actual environmental conditions. Darkness does not actually become darker, and sounds don’t actually become louder. Only the targets’ perceptions are changed. This clause lasts for the next scene and affects the individuals nearby when it is performed. If someone new arrives, she will be unaffected. However, anyone affected will continue to be affected, even if he moves more than 50 yards from the changeling.
Exceptional [b]Success: [/b]The Contract affects everyone in range that the changeling does not protect, including people who come within range later. The changeling does not have to be in physical contact with those she wishes to spare from the Contract’s effects.
–1 Total environmental modifiers to perception are no more than –1.
+1 Total environmental modifiers to perception are
–3 or higher.
Unwakeable Slumber (•••)
This clause causes all sleeping targets the changeling can see or hear to be nearly impossible to wake. Targets remain sleeping through loud noises, or being shaken moderately, moved or even tied up, handcuffed and shoved into a car trunk. Targets awaken if harmed, but will otherwise remain asleep. When using this Contract on mortal targets, use the highest Resolve for all of them.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd
Catch: The target is asleep at home in his own bed, and the Contract is performed between sunset and sunrise.
Dramatic [b]Failure: [/b]The target wakes up.
Failure: The target’s sleep is unaffected.
Success: When this clause is used on one or more sleeping targets that the changeling can see or hear, the target becomes almost impossible to awaken until the time they are accustomed to waking. The targets can be shouted at, picked up or manhandled without waking. However, anything that does one or more points of any type of damage instantly awakens the sleepers — repeatedly slapping targets or shaking them vigorously enough to hurt will also wake them up. Dense smoke, intense heat or other situations causing targets to cough, choke or fight for their lives will awaken them normally. Nothing else, including the screams of a terrified loved one, can break their slumber.
Exceptional [b]Success: [/b]When the targets wake up, they remain groggy for another full scene, suffering a –2 dice penalty to Speed, Defense and all actions.
+2 The target is deeply asleep.
–1 The target is taking a nap and is not planning to sleep for more than a short time.
Boon of the
Scuttling Spider (••••)
This clause allows the Lost to run along any solid surface, such as a wall or ceiling, like a scuttling spider.
Cost: 3 Glamour
Dice Pool: Wyrd + Athletics
Catch: The changeling is climbing a wall made of stone or wood outdoors, at night.
Dramatic [b]Failure: [/b]The character stumbles and must make a Dexterity + Athletics roll to avoid falling down. She cannot use this clause for the rest of the scene.
Failure: The Contract fails to work.
Success: The character can now walk and run along walls or ceilings or along slick or ice-covered surfaces that would normally be treacherous to attempt to cross. The character can only move along solid surfaces capable of supporting her weight. She can move at normal speed, and can attack, dodge and gains her full Defense while moving in this fashion.
Exceptional [b]Success: [/b]The character moves so swiftly and easily that she adds +1 to her Defense when using this clause.
+1 The surface the character is attempting to climb is rough, with many handholds and footholds.
–1 The surface the character is attempting to climb is smooth and polished, with few handholds or footholds.
+1 The character is barefoot.
Touch of Paralyzing Shudder (•••••)
The character fills the target’s body with involuntary shudders of fear and revulsion that cause her to move in a slow and clumsy fashion. The target’s muscles respond more slowly and weakly, causing even the strongest and swiftest opponents difficulty.
Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Presence
+ Wyrd vs. Resolve
Catch: The target is both alone and already afraid of the changeling.
Dramatic [b]Failure: [/b]The target is immune to this Contract for the rest of the scene.
Failure: The clause has no effect.
Success: The changeling must touch or be touching the target to use this Contract. The target’s Speed, Defense, Initiative and all of the target’s dice pools involving Strength and Dexterity are halved (round up).
Round down when halving the target’s new Speed, Defense, Initiative, Strength and Dexterity pools.
+1 The changeling touches the target’s bare skin.
–1 The target is wearing actual armor, and the changeling did not touch his skin.
Contracts of Shade and Spirit
At some point in the past, the Gentry apparently bargained even with Death itself. While changelings may not have access to the great boons of immortality and unaging eternity granted to the True Fae, changelings can access lesser boons agreed upon between fae and death.
Ghostly Presence (•)
The dead are among us, unseen and unheard by the living. This clause allows the changeling to see, hear and speak to any ghosts in her area (same room, or conversational distance outside) in Twilight for a scene.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Dice Pool: Presence + Wyrd
Catch: The ghost is someone the changeling knew in life, or the changeling is a Gravewight.
Dramatic Failure: The clause fails, but the changeling thinks she is talking to a ghost and holds a conversation with empty air.
Failure: The changeling cannot see or speak to the ghosts.
Success: The changeling sees, hears and can speak to ghosts in the area as if they were living.
Exceptional Success: The nearest other living individual is also affected by the clause — whether the changeling wants him to be or not.
Dread Companion (••)
Normally the dead are barred from any interaction with the living. This clause thins that barrier. With Dread Companion, a ghost is given the ability to affect one sense (sight, touch, hearing) of everyone participating in the clause for one scene. If Dread Companion is cast indoors, everyone in a single room is susceptible to the clause; if the clause is cast outside, everyone within sight of the changeling using the clause is affected.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Wyrd
Catch: The changeling presses a drop of her own blood to the forehead of everyone participating in the clause.
Dramatic Failure: Instead of giving the ghost the power to interact with the living, a minor, malicious spirit gains the freedom of sensory interaction for the scene. The spirit will act in as cruel and vicious manner it can, with the sense available, for the duration of the scene.
Failure: The ghost is unable to interact.
Success: The ghost is able to interact with the living for the scene.
Exceptional Success: The ghost can be seen as well as whatever other sense has been selected. If sight was the chosen sense, then touch is the one added for free.
Haunting Intercession (•••)
There are those who desperately wish for one more night with the departed: enemies seeking final vengeance or forgiveness, lovers hoping for one more embrace, mothers who did not get a chance to say goodbye to their sons. A changeling who invokes this clause gives a ghost one more chance to speak and be seen by the living.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Wyrd
Action: Extended (one success per target)
Catch: The changeling has set up a “dead supper”: a complete meal served on never-used plates and silver, with a place for everyone who wishes to participate in the intercession, including the ghost.
Dramatic Failure: The ghost is not made manifest to the living; severe poltergeist activity is generated instead. For the duration of the scene, the location is full of loud roaring noises and horrible smells, hair and clothing are pulled and the like. The dishes are thrown and shattered; fragile objects are particularly subject to the poltergeist activity.
Failure: The ghost is not made manifest.
Success: The ghost materializes fully for the scene. The ghost can be interacted with as if it were alive, from conversation to lovemaking to violence.
Exceptional Success: The ghost remains material from sunrise to sunset, able to move freely and interact with whomever the ghost chooses.
Waking the Dead (••••)
The dead tell no tales. Most of the time. Invoking this clause allows the changeling to call up a non-sentient echo of the dead and communicate with it. This ghostly shadow is not a true ghost but an echo without self-awareness or intelligence; the echo fades at the end of the scene.
Cost: 2 Glamour
Dice Pool: Strength + Wyrd
Action: Extended (one roll per turn, target is four) Catch: The changeling “feeds” the shade by wounding herself and offering her blood, taking one point of bashing damage per question.
Dramatic Failure: The information provided is incomplete or incorrect in some significant way that is not immediately obvious to the changeling.
Failure: No shade appears.
Success: The shade appears, as if standing on top of its grave and will answer one question per success precisely and honestly. The shade will not provide any information beyond what is requested.
Exceptional Success: The shade will provide any important additional information that the changeling might not have known to ask for, or knew she needed.
Opening the Black Gate (•••••)
There is a barrier between the living and the dead, which can only be crossed at great risk. This clause creates a doorway between the mortal world and the Underworld. This passage cannot be created in the Hedge, or Arcadia; attempts to do so are quite likely to draw the attention of the Gentry.
Cost: 2 Glamour, 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Stamina + Wyrd
Action: Extended (five successes; each roll represents one turn)
Catch: The clause is invoked at midnight in a mausoleum, and the changeling invokes the laws of hospitality while the clause is in effect.
Dramatic Failure: The passage is one-way. Those who take it will be trapped on the wrong side. The living can only pass to the Underworld — but not back — and the dead can only enter the mortal world, not return.
Failure: No passage is created.
Success: A passage, the size of a normal door, is created between the land of the dead and the world of the living for one night. When the sun first breaks the horizon in the mortal world, the door shuts forever, and those on the wrong side of it will be trapped unless they find, or make, another exit.
Exceptional Success: The passage lasts for a lunar month. The dead and living can cross over in this location for as long as the location remains intact. If a changeling has used the catch to invoke this clause, she has to maintain the laws of hospitality only for that first night. The changeling has no mystical control over who uses this door; she can only control access in the usual fashion, by guarding it, locking it, bricking it up, etc.