Whenever a mindbender exerts their will, a glow becomes visible for those with the Sight, most commonly about the head as they use a technique. This often takes the form of a glowing halo outlining the head.
The Sight: Allows Mindbenders (and denizens) to see reality for what it really is. Such a gift could shatter the mind of the weak-willed (in fact, many mentally disturbed individuals are failed mindbenders) - even as they interact and live in our world, they cannot help but be aware of the other dimensions overlaying our own, and are frequently distracted by those worlds. If they wish to focus on one world, a NER check is needed (Superior 1 for their own). One benefit of the Sight is the ability to see without light (though colors are muted in the dark).
The Voice: all mindbenders have the ability to speak through their will, echoing words that can transcend dimensions and be understood by any awakened being as if spoken in their native tongue. This ability can also allow the speaker to share images and memories.
Reality Manipulation
Reality is shaped by willpower, and mindbenders use this fact to shape surrounding environments or even themselves. Each dimension has its own rules and "laws of nature" - gross violations of such laws are difficult if not impossible, but mindbenders skirt such restrictions by tweaking reality to change, yet conform to such laws. For example, altering a pool of gasoline to become inert to fire is a gross violation of the natural laws of our world, but a clever mindbender may instead will the air/fuel mixture to be too diffuse for combustion, making it less likely to ignite. This ability to manipulate reality is what gives mindbenders their name.
To attempt to reshape reality, the Mindbending skill is used. Less than 0.1% of the population is even capable of attempting this feat, and most of those are unaware of their potential. Here is the skill:
Mindbending(T) NER – the ability to reshape reality by imposing your will. Those trained in mindbending can use this skill defensively against others trying to impose their will on you or to maintain your own effects. The Mindbending skill can also be used to attempt to negate an existing technique, though such an attempt incurs a cost as if using that technique.
Mindbending(C) NER – similar to the trained skill, this version is limited, as it only counts half successes. Most wild mindbenders use the common version of this skill.
Cost: Simply trying to force your will on reality is difficult, exhausting, and, in gross displays, can be lethal to the mindbender. Attempting to alter reality comes at a cost, whether successful or not, typically in W or S damage to the user as reality bites back. To resist this damage, a melder rolls BOD for W and NER for S (ignoring failures), and some successes may be reserved to help defray this cost, treating them as a bonus to the cost check. This cost persists and cannot be healed as long as the mindbender maintains that technique. Wounds are considered warping damage and manifest as nosebleeds. In more serious situations , blood can seep from the ears and eyes as internal injuries mount. Stress may be visible as well, as the person looks worn or, in more serious situations, exhausted.
Group Techniques: If multiple mindbenders pool their skill into a single technique, each adds their skill rank to the lead mindbender who makes the check, and all suffer the same cost. Remember, some successes may be reserved as a bonus versus cost.
Multiple Techniques: trying to maintain more than one technique at a time imposes a negative penalty equal to the number of active techniques, and is limited to the skill of the Mindbender (so a +3 skill, for example, limits the number of active techniques to 3). Note a Bad Crit will cancel all active techniques, as will either W or S dropping to zero (unless a NER check can be maintained.
Multiple Targets: attempting to affect multiple targets with a single technique imparts a negative penalty equal to the number of targets, limited by the skill of the Mindbender (so +2, for example, could only affect up to 2 targets). Passive techniques, such as a camouflaging effect, are considered to affect the object or person targeted.
Common Techniques
Artifact: imbues an item with your will, enhancing it. This may be used to increase its modification bonus (either the offense O, defense D, or the mod bonus it imparts to skills), its base damage, or some other quality (such as value, state of repair, or even the material its made of). Must be holding the item in question. Can be used to permanently alter an item by paying 4 times the cost (must be declared before rolling the check). Multiple elements may be affected by one use of this Technique, though the difficulty (and cost) is cumulative. Target is -1 per +1 O or D, -2 per +1 mod bonus, and -1 per +2 damage (both W & S). Failure does nothing to the item but the cost must still be paid. Take existing bonuses into account when calculating costs, and no more than one version of this technique may be active on an item. Cost: per +1 O or D: [+1S per (up to +3), +1W per (from +4 to +6)]; per +1 mod bonus:[+2S per (up to +3), +2W per (from +4 to +6)]; per +1 damage:[+1S per (up to +4), +1W per (beyond +4)].
Echoes: glimpses of the past, tied to a location or object or person. Traumatic or emotional events are easiest to detect, and foreknowledge may impose bonuses or even Superiority. A blind echo will impart the single most emotionally powerful event, though as time passes these events fade. Some echoes may be dangerous, and may impose a cost to be seen, particularly those of events that altered reality.
Grow/Shrink: making a target one size category larger/smaller is a gross violation of the laws of the mortal realm, dangerous to pull off. Inferior +1 check per size difference to pull off. Cost: 12W/12S.
Obey: imposing your will into the mind of another creature. May be opposed by INS if altering what their "gut" is telling them, MEN to alter their logic, and NER to go against their beliefs. Subsequent attempts on the same target impose cumulative Inferior +1 checks for each failed attempt. Cost: S equal to target defense modifier if their will is neutral or favorable toward the adjustment; x2S equal to their defense for unfavorable ones; x4S equal to their defense for dangerous/insane ones.
Savage: the mindbender attempts to wound the target with his malice and hate. Some successes may be reserved for the cost. This damage is considered warping. Treat as a ranged attack versus the target's NER (Superior 1 vs those without the Sight): Savage [Range: Short | 4W] Cost: wounds that blend with reality (faulty organs, amplification of existing wounds, etc.) impose a cost in S equal to the number of successes; vulgar wounds that insult reality impose a cost in W equal to the number of successes, but damage is multiplied by 2.
Shock: the mindbender attempts to stress the target with traumatic thoughts, feelings, or memories. Some successes may be reserved for the cost. This damage is considered warping. Treat as a ranged attack versus the target's NER (Superior 1 vs those without the Sight): Shock [Range: Short | 4S] Cost: 1/2 S equal to the number of successes.
Sound Body: with a touch, reduce the wounds of the target, such a technique may only be used once per set of injuries, and cannot be used against the cost of an active technique. Only half effective against warping damage. For each success, heal 2W. Cost: 2S per success.
Sound Mind: with a touch, reduce the stress of the target, such a technique may only be used once per set of injuries, and cannot be used against the cost of an active technique. For each success, heal 2S. Cost: 1S per success.
True Form: with a touch, alters one physical stat (FIN, ALL, STR, or BOD) of the target to confirm to a mental assessment of what that stat should be, according to the will of the melder: boost/reduce the physical stat of one target (or self) to an idealized form (only one True Form may be active per stat). First, choose a max bonus/penalty, which incurs the cost. Add/subtract successes (up to max chosen) to target's stat for as long as True Form is held. Excess successes (if any) can be added to the cost check, and no stat can be raised above 18 nor lowered below 3. Cost: Max 1 (2S); Max 2 (4S); Max 3 (6S); Max 4 (2W 6S); Max 5 (4W 6S); Max 6 (6W 6S); Max 7 (8W 6S); Max 8 (10W 6S).
True Skill: like True Form, with a touch, alters one skill of the target to what the melder feels it should be (cannot be used on Mindbender skill, but can grant that skill to an untrained potential). Add/subtract successes (up to max chosen) to one target skill for as long as True Skill is held. Cannot raise a skill above 6 nor drop it below zero. Excess successes (if any) can be added to the cost check. Trained skills cost double (and 2S to grant at Rank 0), while specialist skills cost 4x (and 4S to grant at Rank 0). Cost (raising skill): 1 Rank (1S); 2 Rank (2S); 3 Rank (4S); 4 Rank (1W 4S); 5 Rank (2W 4S); 6 Rank (4W 4S). Cost (lowering skill): per -1:[8W 4S to +5, 4W 4S to +4, 2W 4S to +3, 4S to +2, 2S to +1, 1S to +0].
Projection
Mindbenders (and more powerful denizens) can project their will into other worlds, forming an avatar that may physically interact with that world. This is an advanced and complex technique. It requires at least 30 seconds of concentration and a Mindbending(-5) Check, failures are subtracted from the avatar's physical stats. Within the same day, each attempt to project imparts an Inferior +1 to the check, so few attempt more than one projection per day.
While projecting, their true form is left frozen comatose in their own world (in whatever pose they were when the projected). Such projections have the same stats and skills as the creator, though replace their physical stats with their mental ones (FIN with INS, BOD with MEN, and STR with NER). This can be dangerous to the mindbender - any damage they suffer applies to both their avatar and their true form (though autopsies of anyone killed while projecting simply show organ failure corresponding to where the killing blow was struck, as if the person suffered natural causes, i.e. a faulty organ that chose that moment to fail).
To disperse their avatar and return to their body, a mindbender must meditate for several seconds uninterrupted (no actions) with a NER check until a threshold is reached. Distance from body sets the threshold (every nexus counts as the same point): touching 1, within sight 2, within 500m 3, within 1 km 4, within 10 km 5, within 50 km 6, within 100 km 7, within 500 km 8, beyond 500 km 10.
Portals
Creating a portal that links one realm to another is a powerful, vulgar form of mindbending, considered among the Thirteen something that only masters should attempt. A portal allows any creature or denizen to cross physically to another realm. Any portal created must start in the realm (and location) of the mindbender and bridge to another realm, also in the same location. Any being that can alter reality can create a portal (no mindbending check is needed), provided they know what realm they are linking to, but great skill is needed to avoid serious injury or death in the process. Using the Voice, one mindbender may coach another through the process of linking a particular place.
The base cost for creating a portal depends on the Mindbending skill: Rank 0: 40W; Rank 1: 30W; Rank 2: 20W; Rank 3: 10W; Rank 4: 5W; Rank 5: 2W; Rank 6: 1W. In addition, there is a x2 modifier if using the common skill instead of trained, and a x10 modifier if creating a permanent portal (otherwise a portal lasts until the next sunrise or sunset). This damage is considered warping.
While a created portal is active, the cost cannot be healed. When attempting to close a portal created by another mindbender, a Mindbending Check needs to score 10 cumulative successes (100 if permanent) with the following modifier: -2 if creator used the common skill, -4 if trained.