Secrets

Secret of Animal Speech

Your character can speak to animals and understand them. In order to get an animal to cooperate with you, you will need to persuade it with normal social abilities, or by using Animal Ken (appealing to the animals instincts). Cost: 2 Instinct.

Secret of Blessing

With a successful Pray ability check, your character may bless the actions of a group. You must state a specific goal for them to accomplish. Your success level with this ability check is a pool of bonus dice any member of this group can use in accomplishing this task. Cost: 1 Vigor.

Secret of the Bodhisavatta

You must have at least one ability ranked at Grand Master to take this Secret. When you roll a Transcendent success level, you do not have to have your character transcend. Your character can deny herself of perfection and will stay chained to this life. Roll a penalty die immediately. You can keep rolling penalty dice until you are no longer Transcendent. Cost: Take a level one harm associated with the ability per penalty die.

Secret of Brilliance (Darkness)

Your character can create fields of intense light, or alternately can eliminate light altogether. In either case, this can be used to give enemies a penalty die in conflicts, due to confusion and blindness, on a successful XXXXX ability check. Cost: 1 Vigor.

Secret of the Clairavoyance

This is the power of fortune tellers and psychics who can see truths in visions and dreams. This can allow you to see events happening at a great distance, or to receive some clue about a specific situation. +1 on Discern Truth and Counsel ability rolls. Cost: 1 Instinct. [ alternately, use this to get bonus dice, at 1 die per success level? ]

Secret of Climbing

Your character can move across walls, tree limbs, and even ceilings, as freely as if they were walking normally. Cost: 1 Vigor in extreme situations (walls with no purchase, tightropes, etc.).

Secret of Contacts

Your character knows all sorts of people in all sorts of places. You can use this Secret for your character to automatically have a past relationship with any Story Guide character in the adventure. You may describe the relationship in a short phrase, such as "old enemy," "wartime buddy," "ex-lover," but the Story Guide gets to decide the history and current disposition of the relationship. Cost: 3 points from a pool determined by the Story Guide. Vigor would fit for a wartime buddy, Instinct for an ex-lover, and Reason for a former colleague in your character''s field of study.

Secret of the Elements

Your character has control over some form of elemental power- fire, wind, electricity, etc.- that can shaped to his will. This elemental force can be usually be created as well as controlled. Used as an attack, the energy is a ranged +2 Weapon, effective only against targets susceptible to the element. For example, fire would harm people and wood, but rock. Cost: 1 Instinct.

Secret of Enhancement

You must select an ability when you take this Secret. You may spend as many points out of the associated pool to give bonus dice to the ability as you like.

Secret of Farsight

Your vision is extraordinary, allowing you to spot minute details and view things at an immense distance. Cost: 1 Instinct.

Secret of Flight

You can fly! Whatever the reason- wings, wind, or will- you soar through the skies. At the most basic level, you can only carry yourself and for limited times (1 scene, or short distance), for a cost of 1 Vigor per use. You can spend additional Vigor to carry more, or to fly faster. Buy this secret multiple times to increase your carrying capacity and endurance per Vigor die spent.

Secret of Flying Leap

Your character can make amazing leaps. Using this Secret, she can jump much further or higher than normal. For each Vigor point you spend, up to three, you can jump another multiple of normal human ability for one leap.

Secret of the Green

Your character has a way with plants- you can speak to them, encouraging them to grow and produce things you need. This can include food, medicinal herbs, and even poison. Cost: 1 Instinct.

Secret of Hearing

Your character has an amazing sense of hearing, allowing him to pick out the details of a conversation across a crowded room or to tell a man's fears by his heartbeat. +1 die to all Sense Danger and Discern Truth rolls, and other relevant ability checks. Cost: 1 Instinct.

Secret of the Hidden Pocket

Your character can produce something from nothing- a rabbit from a hat, coins out of thin air. Likewise, the character can make small objects vanish. No matter how carefully searched the character has been, she may produce or hide a small but potentially useful item with a successful XXXXX ability check. Cost: 2 Instinct.

Secret of Illusions

You have the power to shape the perceptions of others, making them see what you want them to see. On a successful (craft/creation) ability check, you can construct a believable illusion. Cost: 1 Reason for an individual, 3 Reason to fool a crowd. [instinct?]

Secret of Imbuement

The character possesses an item (a sword, a talisman, a book) or feature (fists of steel or a powerful voice) that is imbued with power, making it a Weapon or Armor. You can add one Weapon or Armor rating to the item each time you take this Secret. The item can be taken away from you or damaged, but you must be given a chance to restore it, or you can roll your advances spent on this Secret into a new item. This secret may be taken multiple times in order to gain more potent or extra Weapons and Armor.

Secret of Immunity

Your character is immune to some form of deadly extreme situation- asphyxiation, pressure, starvation, extremes of heat and cold. This secret can be purchased multiple times to increase the immunity. Cost: nothing.

Secret of the Indian Fighting

Your character gains a bonus die to Stealth and Battle when in thick forest. Cost: nothing.

Secret of the Indian Walking

Your character's footfalls leave little trace for others to follow. You can use your character's Woodscraft ability in resistance to anyone trying to track her. Cost: 1 Instinct.

Secret of Intellect

You are a genius, with vast stores of mental energy. Take +1 die per Reason spent on any Reason-based ability roll where your intellect is relevant.

Secret of Invisibility

Your character has the power to become unseen, perhaps by bending light or warping the perceptions of others. +1 die to Stealth and related abilities for each 1 Instinct spent. (or more if hiding from a crowd?)

Secret of Knock-back

Your character's blows send people flying. Knock back a stricken character 10 feet per success level, or multiple opponents for less. If used during Bringing Down the Pain, your opponents are forced to defend for the next round while they recover. Cost: 2 Vigor.

Secret of Knowledge

Choose one ability that is not currently rated at Adept. That ability is now rated at Adept for your character. Cost: nothing.

Secret of Languages

Your character is a polyglot, and can speak and understand any language she has experienced after first making a successful XXXXX ability check.

Secret of the Mighty Blow

Your character can strike with extreme might. Spend as many dice of Vigor as you like to increase the Harm of a successful blow in combat.

Secret of Mind over Matter

Your character can move objects with the power of his mind. At it's most basic, this includes small objects flying around. However, with concentration and increased power, it can be used to make heavy objects (and people) levitate, or to hold them immobile. For a cost of 1 Reason per use you can move small objects (one pound) for a short time (a single action or scene). You can spend an additional Reason to lift more, by an order of magnitude. Buy this secret multiple times to increase your carrying capacity and endurance per Reason die spent.

Secret of the Mind Reader

You have the power to read thoughts, and possibly to make your thoughts heard by others. This can act as a +1 die in any regular conflict with an opponents whose thoughts you can read or as a +2 Weapon in Bringing Down the Pain. Cost: 1 Reason.

Secret of Night Vision

Your character is gifted with excellent night vision, allowing you to see as well in the dark as the light, and better than your opponents. Gain a bonus die on any perception-based conflict. Cost: nothing.

Secret of the Penetrating Gaze

You have the ability to see through substances, either because of intuition, super-human vision, or spiritual advisors. On a successful XXXXX ability check, you can see through walls, into closed containers, and perhaps even into a persons body. Cost: 1 Instinct.

Secret of the Psychic Lash

Your character has an immense psychic will, which can be focused to lash out at your enemies. Use your XXXXX ability to attack enemies as a +1 Weapon, doing Reason Harm. Opponents resist these attacks by rolling against XXXXX. Cost: 1 Reason.

Secret of Quality Construction

You must choose a specific Craft Ability when you take this Secret. Your character can craft items of excellent quality. Any item your character creates using this Secret gives one bonus die to a particular ability when using the item, permanently. Cost: 5 Reason.

Secret of Regeneration

Your character shrugs off most wounds like annoyances, knowing they'll heal up sooner than later. All self-healing checks for Vigor damage heal Harm levels at double the normal rate (i.e. 1 point of Vigor heals a level 2 Harm). Cost: none.

Secret of Shattering

The force of your attacks can be used to destroy other Weapons and Armor of the same kind (i.e. a physical Weapon or a social Armor, for example). With a successful attack, your success level (not including any damage bonuses) is removed from the damage bonuses of Weapons or damage reductions of Armor. If reduced to 0, the item is destroyed. Cost: 2 Vigor. (Note: if used against player characters'' Weapons or Armor bought with the Secret of Imbuement, they may repair the item or have it become something new after the scene.)

Secret of the Signature Weapon

Your character has one Weapon with which she is bonded. You gain a bonus die to any action taken with that Weapon and any other character else attempting to use the Weapon receives a penalty die.

Secret of Speciality

You must select an ability when you take this Secret. Choose a speciality your character has within that ability - for example, cooking pastries for the Complex Crafts skill. You always have a bonus die when your character attempts an action that falls within that ability - for example, cooking pastries for the Complex Crafts skill. You always have a bonus die when your character attempts an action that falls within that specialty.

Secret of Speed

You can move like the wind, whether running, swimming or climbing, or just outmaneuvering opponents. On foot you can outpace anyone else, and perhaps even horses. +1 die on any Athletics check involving speed or reaction times. In Bringing Down the Pain, use this to take an additional free action while your opponent defends. Cost: 2 Vigor.

Secret of the Spirits

Unlike most people, you can see spirits and even communicate with them, when they'll listen. In order to get the cooperation of the spirits, you will need to persuade them with normal social abilities Though it costs nothing to be able to speak to the dead, you can spend Instinct to gain bonus dice (on a one-for-one basis) in social conflicts with the dead. On great successes, you can effectively animate the dead and cause torment to the living.

Secret of Strength

You have enormous reserves of strength. Take +1 die per Vigor spent on any Vigor-based ability roll where your strength is relevant.

Secret of the Sudden Strike

Your character is a master of the stealthy attack. In a surprise attack, the victim automatically takes harm level 4 (bloodied) if your character successfully hits. She should make an Endure ability check resisting your roll. If she fails, she automatically takes harm level 6. This is irrespective of being in a Bringing Down the Pain situation. Cost: 3 points from whatever pool is associated with the ability you''re using, plus 1 from each other the other pools.

Secret of Suggestion

Your character has the power to influence others and subvert their will. Used lightly, this might be taken as charm, but used aggressively it becomes clear domination. Cost: +1 die per 1 Reason spent to influence another on a successful XXXX roll. Additional levels of success can be used for longer term domination.

Secret of Synergy

You can chain multiple abilities together in Bringing Down the Pain as you would in a normal ability check; that is, you can roll multiple ability checks in one action to add bonus dice to the final check. Cost: 1 associated pool point for each extra ability you roll.

Secret of Throwing

Anything is a dangerous missile in your character's hands. She can throw anything fist-sized to greatsword-sized as an attack, using the Aim ability, and the object counts as a +1 Weapon. Cost: 1 Vigor.

Secret of Tracking Scent

You have an incredible sense of smell, and can identify individuals by scent and follow trails like a bloodhound. You can also smell fear and desire in others. +1 die on Woodcraft (and Tracking?) ability rolls, as well as all Instinct-based social abilities. Cost: 1 Instinct.

Secret of Transformation

You have the ability to change your form, taking the shape of an animal or even a non-specific person. This can include becoming a bird to fly or a fish to swim. Gain +1 die to actions where your size creates an advantage. Cost: 1 Instinct per use, for limited times (1 scene, or short distance). To maintain a form for longer periods, the character must continue to expend Instinct.

Secret of Vital Essence

With this potent Secret, your character can direct the vital essences of life itself to heal damage. However, these essences are finite, and must be taken from somewhere to be given to the recipient. The character can draw on his own pools to heal Harm (a number of any pool points equal to the level of the Harm, regardless of type) or he can draw on others around him on a successful XXXXX ability check. In extremes, he can even take life from the world around him, usually to devastating effect. Cost: 2 Instinct, in addition to other possible pool points spent.