Horror Atavisms

Atavisms represent monstrous characteristics drawn from humanity's collective unconsciousness. You manifest these atavisms naturally when you assume your monstrous form. 

When you create a horror, you start with two Basic Atavisms. Additional atavisms can be purchased later on for 3 experience.

Atavisms marked with a an asterisk can be selected multiple times.

Basic Atavisms

Amphibious

It Came from the Sea!

Effect: You gain the amphibious trait, allowing you to breathe underwater, and to avoid the normal –2 penalty for making bludgeoning and slashing unarmed Strikes underwater. You gain a swim speed equal to 1/2 range.

Basic Magic*

That's Not All I Can Do...

Effect: You gain 1 rank in one of the following Spheres of Magic: Animal, Artifice, Curses, Darkness, Entropy, Scrying. You can buy additional ranks, up to 3, in that rank as if you were a mage. You can use Terror in place of Anima to cast a spell.

Special: Each time you select this feat, pick another sphere of magic.

Bind

You Cannot Escape My Grasp

Effect:  You can lash out with chains, vines, or shadowy tendrils that are part of your body. You can make a Grapple check against targets who are Close to you in addition to those in Melee with you. If you successfully Bind a target, you pull them into Melee with you.

Climb*

Climbing on the Walls

Effect: You gain a climb speed equal to 1/2 Range. If you already had a climb speed, you instead increase your climb speed to 1.

Darkvision

I See You

Effect: You gain Darkvision as an additional sense.

Extra Limbs

On the Third Hand...

Effect: You grow a third set of limbs (or fourth if your base form is Draconic). You can carry additional items in your limbs, or use them for fine manipulation.

Flight

Keep One Eye to the Sky

Effect: You grow wings, and gain a fly speed of 1 Range.

Gore

Grab Lives by the Horns

Effect: You grow a number of horns or antlers from your head. Your gore attack deals 1d6 damage, or 2d6 when you attack with a Charge. 

Monstrous Hide*

Your Weapons Cannot Harm Me

Effect: You gain a +3 bonus to your Armor

Scent

I Can Smell Your Fear

Effect: You gain Smell as a trait, and you gain a +2 bonus to Survival checks to Track.

Shadow Blend

The Darkness and I are Kin

Effect: While in Dim Lighting, you can spend 1 Terror to alter your colouration to blend into the surrounding gloom, gaining the Concealed condition for 1 Minute.

Toxic

These Lips are Venomous

Effect: You secrete a toxic venom. When you bite a target, you can choose to spend 1 Terror as a free action to deal an additional 1d6 persistent poison damage. 

Unnatural Aura

That Thing Ain't Normal

Benefit: You give off an alien aura. Natural animals will not willingly approach you unless they are cornered or otherwise pressed into combat. If they must fight you, they gain 1 stack of the Frightened condition.

Vicious Bite*

What Big Teeth you Have

Prerequisite: Bite natural attack

Benefit: The damage dice of your claw attack increases by one step.

Wicked Claws*

What Sharp Claws you Have

Prerequisite: Claw natural attack 

Benefit: The damage dice of your claw attack increases by one step.

Wing Buffet

Death from Above

Prerequisite: Wings (either through your base form or the Flight atavism)

Benefit: You can use your wings as an additional natural weapon that deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage.

Advanced Atavisms

Advanced Magic*

Behold my Arcane Might!

Prerequisite: Basic Magic, Intermediate Magic, Shroud 9

Effect: You can advance to 11 Ranks in one Sphere of Magic of your choice

Special: Each time you select this feat, pick another sphere of magic.

Alacritous Action

Blink and you'll Miss

Prerequisite: Shroud 5

Benefit: Increase your base speed by Range 1.

Bloody Claws

Blood Everywhere...

Prerequisite: Shroud 5

Effect: You inflict vicious, bleeding gashes when you land a wounding strike. On a critical hit with your natural weapons, you deal an additional 1d6 persistent bleeding damage.

Elemental Wrath

By Fire Be Purged!

Prerequisite: Shroud 5, Energized Attacks

Effect: You can release your store of elemental energy in a massive burst. Perhaps you breathe a cone of fire, or you release a burst of acidic spores from your hide.

When you develop this Atavism, choose one of the following: Melee Burst, Close Cone, or 1 Range Line. This selection cannot be changed later.

You can make a Shroud check against the Dodge defence of all the targets in that area. If you succeed, you deal 5d6 energy damage of the type your Energized Attacks deal. 

• Critical Success The target takes double damage
• Success The target takes full damage
• Failure The target takes half damage
• Critical Failure The target takes no damage

Energized Attacks

Burn With Me

Prerequisite: Shroud 3

Effect: Pick one energy type from the following: acid, cold, electrical, fire, radiant or void. You can spend 1 Terror as a free action to charge up a single natural weapon with that damage type, dealing an additional 1d6 energy damage until the end of your turn.

Note: Horrors of the Obsidian Sands can only select fire as their energy type for this atavism. Horrors of the Hateful Sun can only select radiant as their energy type for this atavism.

Expel Corruption

You Thought That Would Slow Me Down?

Prerequisite: Shroud 7

Effect: You can spend 1 Terror as a single action to expel a negative condition affecting you. You can remove one of the following conditions: blinded, clumsy, confused, dazzled, deafened, drained, enfeebled, fatigued, paralyzed, sickened, stupefied, or one persistent damage condition (for example: poison, bleeding, or burning) currently affecting you.

Hulk Out

SMASH!

Prerequisite: Shroud 5

Effect: You can spend 1 Terror as a single action to increase your monstrous form's Size to 5 (Medium) for 1 Minute. Your natural weapon damage dice all increase by step, you gain a number of Temporary Vitality Points equal to your ranks in Shroud, and your Strength increases by 2, but you take a -2 penalty to Armor.

Intermediate Magic*

Double, double, toil and trouble

Prerequisite: Basic Magic, Shroud 5

Effect: You can advance to 7 Ranks in one Sphere of Magic of your choice

Special: Each time you select this feat, pick another sphere of magic.

Lurk

I've been here the whole time

Prerequisite: Shadow Blend, Shroud 5

Special: You can blend effortlessly into the shadows. Spend 1 Terror as a single action. For the remainder of the scene, you gain Concealment while in areas of dim light.

No Breath

I've Transcended Your Mortal Frailties

Prerequisite: Shroud 11

Effect: You no longer need to breathe. You are immune to effects that require breathing, you cannot be choked, and you cannot drown. This does not give immunity to cloud or gas attacks that do not require breathing.

Phase Out

Can't Hit What Isn't There

Prerequisite: Shroud 7

Effect: By taking 3 actions, when you are in an area of Dim Light or darker, you can spend 1 Terror to phase slightly into the darkness. You are not incorporeal, but you're not entirely corporeal either. You gain resistance equal to your ranks in Shroud, but your physical attacks harmlessly bend around other creatures. 

While Phased Out, you cannot enter areas that are Light or brighter. If the area you're in is forcefully illuminated, you become corporeal and gain 1 application of Stunned. You can also return to corporeal form by taking a standard action. 

Pounce

Keep Running, You Won't Escape

Prerequisite: Shroud 11, Speed 2 Range

Effect: Your reflexes are heightened, allowing you to make up to 3 Attacks at the end of a Charge action.

Resistance*

That Tickles...

Prerequisite: Shroud 3

Effect: You gain 5 Resistance to one of the following Energy types of your choice: acid, cold, electricity, fire, sonic, void.

Each time you take this Atavism, it applies to a different energy type.

Spirit Touch

You Can't Hide There

Prerequisite: Shroud 5

Benefit: Your natural weapons can affect incorporeal creatures.

Twined Heart

Fire AND Ice

Prerequisite: Shroud 9, Energized Attacks

Effect: You have tapped into a second source of elemental energies. You can select a second energy type for energized attacks. If your House limits your selection of energy types for that Atavism, that restriction does not apply to this Atavism.

Your natural weapons gain the Versatile trait, allowing you to choose the type of damage you deal. If you possess the Elemental Wrath Atavism, you can choose what energy type that Atavism deals as well. 

Unnerving Gaze

Gaze Upon My True Form

Prerequisite: Shroud 7

Effect: You gain an unnerving gaze that warps the perceptions of those who meet your eyes. You can spend 1 Terror to make a gaze attack upon a target as a single target, making a Shroud check against their Resolve defence. If you succeed, the target gains 1 application of Frightened. On a critical hit, the target gains 2 applications of Frightened.

Ward

They are under MY protection

Prerequisite: Shroud 7

Effect: You can extend your shadows to protect an ally. Spend 1 Terror as a standard action, and select a single ally. That ally gains a +2 bonus to all defences for the remainder of the scene.