Talismans

Talismans are worn items that offer magical enhancements to your Defences. Just like armour runes can ward off physical harm, talismans can ward off supernatural threats and misfortune.

There are five types of talismans you may wear:

Chest: This includes broaches, medals, and sashes. Enhancements to chest-slot items calm your emotions and make it easier to keep a level head in periods of stress. Chest-slot items give a bonus to Resolve defence.

Head: This includes earrings, glasses and headbands. Enhancements to head-slot items help you remain cool and composed, even in trying conditions. Head-slot items give a bonus to Composure defence. 

Neck: This includes amulets, pendants and medallions. Enhancements to neck-slot items bolster one's faith in oneself, buttressing your spiritual strength. Neck-slot items give a bonus to Willpower defence. 

Waist: This includes belts, chains, and buckles. Enhancements to waist-slot items improve your resilience and recovery speed, allowing you to push through debilitating effects such as diseases and toxins. Waist-slot items give a bonus to Endurance defence. 

Wrist: This includes bracelets, bracers, watches, and other items worn on the wrist. Enhancements to wrist-slot items increase your manual dexterity and reaction speed, improving your reflexes. Wrist-slot items give a bonus to Dodge defence. 

Aspect

Each talisman is associated with aspect that speaks to its overall concept and purpose. The individual gifts each have an associated aspect. As you enhance a talisman, you may gain additional gifts based on that relic's aspects. 

Gifts

All talismans grant Gifts. The power of these gifts increases as one further enhances a talisman with Talisman Potency runes. 

A talisman's specific gifts are chosen when the talisman is first created and gains its first Talisman Potency rune. A talisman's gift cannot be changed later on. 

Some gifts use a talisman's Talisman Resonance. This value is equal to the bonus granted by the combined value of Talisman Potency runes of all talismans of the same aspect. For example, if you had a Broach of Life +3 and a Bracelet of Life +2, your Life Talisman Resonance would be 5. 

Air Gifts

Minor Gift: Feather Steps ◌

While wearing the talisman, you do not trigger traps that use weight or pressure plates as a trigger. Also, whenever you fall, you reduce the falling damage by the Talisman Resonance of the Talisman. If this would reduce the falling damage to 0, you land on your feet and are not prone. 

You also gain an item bonus equal to your Air Talisman Resonance to Acrobatics checks. 

Major Gift: Propelling Winds ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you may cast the Mage spell Fly on yourself. 

Greater Gift: Living Zephyr ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you may cast the Mage spell Fly on yourself, only your speed becomes 2 Range. In addition, any creature that strikes you with a melee attack while you are under the effect of this ability takes 5 electricity damage. 

Beast Gifts

Minor Gift: Feral Claws ⬤ ◌ ◌

By spending 1 anima as a single action, your hands transform into a pair of claws. These grant you natural weapons that deal 1d6 slashing damage, with the agile and finesse traits. These claws last 1 Minute. 

Major Gift: Form of Fury ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you may cast the Mage spell Animal Form on yourself. Treat your Animal Talisman Resonance as your ranks in the Sphere of Animal for the purposes of the spell's effects. 

Greater Gift: Form of Vengeance ⬤ ⬤ ◌

Whenever you use the Form of Fury ability, you may spend 3 anima to cast the Mage spell Dinosaur Form instead. Treat your Animal Talisman Resonance ranks as your ranks in the Sphere of Animal for the purposes of the spell's effects. 

Death Gifts

Minor Gift: Fatal Glance ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you infuse your gaze with entropic power. Make a basic Death Talisman Resonance check against a target within Close range. On a success, your target begins to rot and wither away, taking 2d6 void damage. 

Add 1 dice of damage for every +1 of your Death Talisman Resonance (3d6 at +2, 4d6 at +3, etc.).

Major Gift: Tide of Death ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

You can spend 3 actions to activate Fatal Glance. If you do so, you release an entropic wave, and your Fatal Glance affects all creatures within Close range, except for you. 

Greater Gift: Become Death ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 3 anima over two actions, you transform yourself into a reaper, a herald of death for 1 minute.

You become incorporeal, with no physical body. You are immune to effects that require a physical body, such as precision damage and non-magical diseases, poison, and bleeding damage. You gain Resistance to damage equal to the talisman's Talisman Potency; force and radiant damage ignore this resistance. 

You can move through solid objects. When inside an object, you can’t perceive, attack, or Interact with anything outside it, and you’re always slowed 1 on turns you start in an object. You can’t attempt Strength-based checks against corporeal creatures or objects. Likewise, corporeal creatures can’t attempt Strength-based checks against you.

Dragon Gifts

Minor Gift: Breath of the Dragon ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima as a single action, you breathe out a cone of fire. Make a basic Dragon Talisman Resonance roll against the Dodge defence of all targets in a close-range cone. On a hit, you deal 2d6 damage to all creatures. 

Add 1 dice of damage for every +1 of your Dragon Talisman Resonance (3d6 at +2, 4d6 at +3, etc.).

Major Gift: Draconic Might ◐

When you are targeted by a hostile attack or ability, you may spend 1 Anima as a reaction. You treat the result of a roll as one worse: a critical success becomes a success, a success becomes a failure, and a failure becomes a critical failure. On a critical failure, the target gains Frightened 2 as their attack or ability has absolutely no effect on you.

Greater Gift: Draconic Ascendance ⬤ ⬤ ◌

You may spend 3 anima over two actions to cast the Mage spell Dragon Form spell. Treat your Dragon Talisman Resonance ranks as your ranks in the Sphere of Animal for the purposes of the spell's effects. 

Earth Gifts

Minor Gift: Shatter Earth  ⬤ ⬤ ◌

Spend 1 anima over 2 actions to send seismic pulses into the nearby ground, making the earth unstable. Make a Trip attempt check against the Endurance defence of all creatures in a Close range burst, substituting your Earth Talisman Resonance instead of your Unarmed Attack modifier. 

Major Gift: Raise Ramparts ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you may cast the Mage spell Wall of Stone. Consider your Earth Talisman Resonance as your ranks in the Sphere of Earth.

Greater Gift: Marble Flesh ◌

While bearing this talisman, as long you are standing on solid earth, your body reflexively draws the energy of elemental stone into you, petrifying your flesh when you are struct. You gain a resistance of 5 to all physical damage, and you are immune to bleed damage. 

Empyreal Gifts

Minor Gift: Word of Faith ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you may place your hand on yourself or your ally and bolster their spirit. The target heals 1d8 Vitality per point of Empyreal Talisman Resonance you possess. In addition, the target reduces their Frightened by 1. 

Major Gift: Radiant Call ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you fill your weapon with radiant might, making them true weapons against the darkness. Your weapons and unarmed attacks deal an additional 1d6 radiant damage for 1 minute. In addition, any successful attacks your allies deal while in Melee with you deal an additional 1 radiant damage. 

Greater Gift: Angelic Vessel ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 3 anima over two actions, you imbue yourself with empyreal grace. You gain 50 temporary Vitality for 1 minute. You can choose to sacrifice all your temporary Vitality to make a Empyreal Talisman Resonance check against the Willpower defence of all enemies in Close Range. You deal an amount of radiant damage equal to your sacrificed temporary Vitality to all those who you succeed against. 

Fire Gifts

Minor Gift: Infrared Vision ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over 2 actions, your vision expands into the infrared ranges, giving you precise heatsight for 1 minute. Your heatsight can see temperature gradients within Close range, allowing you to detect living creatures and other heat sources (such as electronics), even in the dark. Warm objects block your heatsight even if they are transparent, such as hot water.

Major Gift: Searing Wave ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over 2 actions, you unleash the elemental fire stored in your talisman. Make a basic Fire Talisman Resonance roll against the Dodge defence of all targets in a cone that extends out to 1 Range. You deal 1d10 fire damage for every point of Talisman Potence your talisman possesses.

Greater Gift: Blazing Soul ◌

You become supernaturally attuned to elemental fire, protecting you from most flames. You gain 10 fire resistance. In addition, when you take damage from fire, you can spend 1 anima as a reaction to heal 1d8 damage immediately.

Add your Fire Talisman Resonance of this talisman to all fire damage rolls you make.

Infernal Gifts

Minor Gift: Little Helper ◌

Your infernal talismans are possessed by a damned soul. Your talisman has the following statistics:

• Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and Spirit Scores of 10+your Infernal Talisman Resonance. 

• 3 ranks in one language you understand, and the ability to telepathically speak this language to creatures in Close range

• Precise vision and imprecise hearing out to Close range

• Ranks in Awareness and Willpower equal to your ranks

• Ranks in two Intelligence skills (such as Occult Lore or Social Science) equal to twice your Infernal Talisman Resonance

Unlike familiars or other companions, an Infernal talisman cannot take any actions. If you have multiple Infernal Talismans, the same soul possesses them all. 

Major Gift: Fiendish Bargain ⬤ ◌ ◌

As a single action, you may spend 1 anima to bargain with the fiendish spirit in your talisman, gaining a boon in exchange for a penalty. 

Choose one benefit:

• You may gain a new roll against an ongoing condition affecting you (such as a disease, poison, or persistent damage)

• You heal 2d8+8 hitpoints

• You gain a +2 item bonus to one skill for the next 1 minute.

Roll a d6 to determine the penalty:

1. You are stupefied 1 for 1 minute

2. You are clumsy 1 for 1 minute

3. You are fatigued 1 for 1 minute

4. You take 1d8 vitality damage

5. You take 1 wound damage

6. You take a -1 item penalty to all damage rolls for 1 minute

Life Gifts

Minor Gift: Healing Wave ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over 2 actions, you unleash a wave of healing energy. You and every living creature in Close range heal 1d4 Vitality per your Life Talisman Resonance.

Major Gift: Inextinguishable ◌

Your connection to the energy of life makes you more difficult to snuff out. You gain your Life Talisman Resonance as bonus Vitality Points. In addition, add your Life Talisman Resonance to Stamina checks to Stabilize.

Greater Gift: Life Everlasting ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 3 anima over 2 actions, you become a wellspring of vital energy for the next 1 minute. You, and all allies within Close range gain Fast Healing 10. Unlike most ongoing supernatural abilities, this ability continues even if you are unconscious. If you, or any ally, critically fails a Stamina check to stabilize, you can end Life Everlasting as a reaction to grant the target Fortune on that check.

Luck Gifts

Minor Gift: Beginner's Luck ◐

When you make a skill check in a skill you have 0 ranks in, you can spend 1 anima as a reaction and gain Fortune on that check.

Major Gift: Clean Luck ◐

When you are affected by a Misfortune effect, you can spend 1 anima as a reaction to negate that effect on your next d20 roll.

Greater Gift: Against All Odds ◌

Whenever you make a skill check that is affected by a Fortune or Misfortune effect, you may add your Luck Talisman Resonance as an item bonus to the affected check.

Mind Gifts

Minor Gift: Recalculate ◐

Analysis of angles, probabilities, and myriad other factors flows from your talisman. When you miss an attack, you may spend 1 anima as a reaction to add your Mind Talisman Resonance ranks to the next attack made this turn.

Major Gift: Perception Filter ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 3 anima, you can block yourself from the perception of others. For the remainder of the scene, whenever a creature enters a 4-range Emination based on you, you may make a Mind Talisman Resonance check against their Resolve defence, after which the creature is immune from additional Perception Filter attempts from you for the next 1 day.

• Critical Success You filter all of the creature’s senses, making it difficult for it to notice you. When you are hidden or undetected from the creature, it doesn’t observe you as soon as you do anything other than Hide, Sneak, or Step. If it rolls an Awareness check to Seek or otherwise detect you, it gets the outcome one degree of success worse than what it rolled, and if you roll a Stealth check to Hide, Sneak, or otherwise escape its attention, you get the outcome one degree of success better than what you rolled against the creature. This effect doesn't end if you use a hostile action against the target.
• Success As a critical success, only the effect ends if you make a hostile action towards the target.
• Failure The creature takes a –2 status penalty to Awareness checks to Seek or otherwise detect you.
• Critical Failure The target is unaffected.

Greater Gift: Against All Odds ◌

Your relic heightens your mental powers to the next level. You gain telepathy; if you already have telepathy, increase its range by 30 feet. If you would become Stupefied, you may immediately reduce the applications by 1. You may make Recall Knowledge checks as reactions. 

Shadow Gifts

Minor Gift: Obscuring Darkness ◌

Your relic absorbs light and wraps shadow around you, hiding you in darkness. As long as you are in dim light, you can attempt a Stealth check to Hide, even if you aren’t concealed against the creature, such as with a creature with darkvision.

Major Gift: Dark Roads ⬤ ◌ ◌

By spending 1 anima, you may use the Horror Flicker Nightmare. 

For every rank of Shadow Talisman Resonance you possess, you are considered to have spent 1 additional Terror in activating this nightmare (the Range of this ability thus increases by 1).

Greater Gift: Umbral Bolt ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you may cast the Mage spell Shadow Blast at 5th level. Consider your Shadow Talisman Resonance as your ranks in the Sphere of Darkness. 

Spirit Gifts

Minor Gift: Force Blast ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you may cast the Mage spell Force Bolt at 2nd level. Consider your Spirit Talisman Resonance as your ranks in the Sphere of Force.

Major Gift: Spirit Shift ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you begin to phase between the Mortal Realm and the Ether for 1 minute. You gain a resistance equal to your Spirit Talisman Resonance to all damage (except force). You may use a single action while this Gift is active to vanish and reappear at a point within Close Range; the movement doesn't trigger reactions. 

Major Gift: Bountiful Soul ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 3 anima over two actions, you infuse yourself or a creature you touch with potent spiritual energy. The target regains all its anima and then becomes temporarily immune to Bountiful Soul for the next 1 day.

Time Gifts

Minor Gift: Steal Time ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you bend time around the target. The target gains Quickened for 1 round. After this condition ends, they gain Slowed 1 for 1 round, and they are temporarily immune to this gift for 1 day.

Major Gift: Time Jump ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you may cast the Mage spell Time Jump. Consider your Time Talisman Resonance as your ranks in the Sphere of Time.

Greater Gift: Undo ⬤ ⬤ ◌

By spending 1 anima over two actions, you 

Water Gifts

Minor Gift: Monsoon Curtain ⬤ ⬤ ⬤

By spending 1 anima over three actions, you create a close-range burst of rain within 4 range. This torrential rain lasts for 1 minute. You can move the rain with a speed of 1 as a single action during your turn. The curtain of rain has the following effects:

• Any fire effect passing through the area suffers from Misfortune. 

• Creatures with a weakness to water who enter the area take an amount of damage equal to your talisman's potency.

• The wall imposes a –2 item penalty to Awareness checks to sense creatures or objects on the other side and grants concealed against those on the other side.

Major Gift: Flowing Footsteps ◌

While bearing this talisman, water no longer impedes your movement. You gain the effects of the water walk spell, and you can breathe water as if it were air.