Vote closed! The winning plan is Believe in the Me that Believes in You! from Spacebattles with 6 votes. That's a bold strategy Cotton, let's see if it pays off.
Adhoc vote count started by Thaumaterge on Jul 3, 2022 at 8:03 AM, finished with 2 posts and 2 votes.
[X]Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
-[X]Duelist Sphere- Grants the ability to bleed a foe with every hit, and to more safely disarm bleeding foes. +1 Duelist Level, +3 HP
-[X]Equipment Sphere- Grants proficiency with a selection of advanced and martial weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
-[X]Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
-[X]Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
[X] Plan: Believe In The Me That Believes In You!- 6 votes
-[X] Orb of Void- Does nothing on its own, but can be combined with another Orb or Sphere to destroy it, thinning your deck. There's something else here…
-[X] Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
-[X] Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
-[X] Wrestling Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to latch onto enemy clothing and effects. +1 Wrestling Level, +3 HP
[X] Plan: Tinning out the chaff- 2 votes
- [x] Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
-[X] Duelist Sphere- Grants the ability to bleed a foe with every hit, and to more safely disarm bleeding foes. +1 Duelist Level, +3 HP
-[X] Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
-[X] Orb of Void- Does nothing on its own, but can be combined with another Orb or Sphere to destroy it, thinning your deck. There's something else here…
[X] Plan Some new, some old- 1 vote
-[X] Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
-[X] Wrestling Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to latch onto enemy clothing and effects. +1 Wrestling Level, +3 HP
-[X] Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
-[X] Orb of Void- Does nothing on its own, but can be combined with another Orb or Sphere to destroy it, thinning your deck. There's something else here…
[x] Plan Weapons- 1 vote
- [x] Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
-[X] Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
-[X] Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
- [x] Equipment Sphere- Grants proficiency with a selection of advanced and martial weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
[X] Plan: There are no bad options.- 1 vote
-[X] Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
-[X] Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
-[X] Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
-[X] Wrestling Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to latch onto enemy clothing and effects. +1 Wrestling Level, +3 HP
-[X] Orb of Void- Does nothing on its own, but can be combined with another Orb or Sphere to destroy it, thinning your deck. There's something else here…
-[X] Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
-[X] Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
-[X] Wrestling Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to latch onto enemy clothing and effects. +1 Wrestling Level, +3 HP
It took several minutes for Taylor to calm down in her room. Part of it was rationalization. Her power was weak. She knew that. But it was getting stronger, which was pretty uncommon as far as she knew. Even if she wasn't strong now, she would be later. She just had to give it time. The other part though was far more painful. Her dad didn't believe in her. He didn't trust her to take care of herself. He didn't trust her to make her own decisions.
He was probably right.
Taylor pressed her burning face into her damp pillow. She had just turned down a power that could have kept her alive for a power that let her punch better. That choice might cost her her life. Did she deserve this power if she couldn't even use it right? Taylor sighed, rolling over onto her back. She'd been over this. Several times. Whether or not she deserved the power, she had it. Even if she had wasted one choice, here was another, floating before her eyes. She looked it over.
The first was a dark void unlike any other orb she'd ever seen. She remembered being afraid of it the first time she'd seen it, but it didn't seem so scary now. It was… peaceful. Accepting. Looking into its deep blackness, Taylor's problems didn't seem so bad anymore. It was nice. What if offered was a bit more confusing. It would consume one of the other spheres she was offered and enlarge itself in the process. The consumption would be permanent; That was important. Taylor had assumed that the powers she was offered were made up on the spot, but if they could be permanently destroyed did that mean they existed even when they weren't being offered? She imagined a bag of marbles, or one of those Rube-Goldberg gumball machines, set to dispense four at a time. It had to refill periodically though, since she'd seen several of the Orbs twice now- or maybe whatever she didn't pick was just put back into the proverbial bag? Regardless, she could see the use of this Orb. There were definitely a few spheres she'd seen that she couldn't see herself using ever. There was more to it though. Looking deeper into the blackness, it seemed less like a pit and more like… a tunnel? Maybe a wormhole? There was definitely a sense of connection there. So, what? Feeding spheres into this Orb would improve her connection to her power? Would it empower her powers? Or give her more powers? Taylor didn't know, and there was a definite cost to finding out. She decided to check the others to see if there was anything she wanted. If not, maybe she could afford to experiment.
The next orb on the list was also familiar from the locker. It was the diamond, shining bright with innumerable facets, radiating wonder and value and avarice. It promised, in imagined whispers, wealth beyond measure and all that came with it. Cornucopias brimming with food, vorpal swords and lightning-throwing bows, staves of power and rods of wonder. She could see them, flitting by in the cut surfaces of the gem before her. It was hard to look away. The actual offering, though belied that wonder with mundanity. It was a backpack. A full backpack, to be sure, with some sort of sleeping back tied to the top and a coil of rope on the side, but a backpack nonetheless. Where were the swords? The closest thing there was a single dagger! Taylor sighed. "Well, I guess my school backpack is pretty stained isn't it? I guess that's a selling point. And we could always use more stuff"
Wait. Taylor repeated that last sentence to herself, eyes wide. Stuff. Her power could give her stuff. Not teaching her to make stuff like a Tinker, or giving her projections or something; Actual physical stuff, that could be given or sold, generated out of thin air. That… that wasn't how powers worked was it? Taylor was no expert, but they'd had a whole unit in World Issues on why capes didn't have more of an impact on the economy- they usually couldn't make permanent items. Once again, her power was different. She frowned. Different wasn't enough though, was it? Was a backpack full of stuff worth a choice compared to widening her connection to her power? Or the other two spheres she hadn't checked? Surprisingly, Taylor's answer was 'Maybe'. After all, she had to consider not just the fruit of this specific Orb, but also all the spheres it would make available- assume it worked like the red Orb that was. She hadn't seen any blue spheres either, but it had only been two choices since she'd picked that one. If she wanted any of those power-enhanced swords, she had to take the backpack sometime. She put it aside for now. The big issue, as with the void before it, was the opportunity cost. Time to check out those other spheres.
The next option was much closer to what Taylor was used to- and wasn't that a strange thought! It was the swirling red of a combat sphere emblazoned with crossed swords, and it was eager to fight. The best way to describe it was reckless aggressive energy, a combination of adrenaline and the joy of competition. It cast aside defense in favor of speed, precision in favor of power. Unlike the axe sphere though, it wasn't malicious, just… enthusiastic. The offered power matched that feeling, granting the ability to attack faster with weapons in both hands. Couldn't people just do that normally? Well, Taylor had thought the same of the flail sphere's fear-inducing ability too, so there was probably something impressive about it. She certainly wouldn't object to having it, but hadn't she just taken an offensive power? She shook her head and moved on, resolving to decide later.
The final sphere, depicting a grasping hand, was clearly another one of those martial arts spheres. How many of those were they anyways? She'd seen four now, compared to… she didn't know how many weapon spheres. Actually, how many of those were actually weapon spheres in the first place? Her flail sphere powers didn't have anything to do with flails, aside from maybe being scary. She should keep track of that somehow- maybe a power diary? That was a risk, what with how often Emma and co. would steal her stuff, but maybe she could just not bring it to school?
Right. Anyways. The power. It felt intense, controlling and possessive. Slow, perhaps, but inexorable. Authoritarian. The type that would seize control and do anything to keep it. Needless to say, Taylor didn't like it- or more correctly, she didn't like how attractive the idea was. She had been controlled for so long, suffered so much from oppression, so why was the idea of doing the same to others so alluring? Was it the thought of having power for a change? Or was it a desire for revenge? Regardless, Taylor didn't like it. The offered powers… well, it included an unarmed combat boost at least. The other ability was some kind of grip technique, to snag clothing or other extraneous material in order to set up for a better hold. It looked like it could be really useful if she intended to choke people out, but… Taylor raised one of her noodly arms up to her eyes and flexed it. No change. She certainly wouldn't be wrestling with hardened criminals any time soon. This sphere was looking like a definite no, though she didn't know if she wanted to actually permanently destroy it considering that it was a confirmed source of that stacking punch power.
Having checked each sphere and orb, Taylor scanned the array again. There was something bothering her. Once again, she peered at them. Void. Gem. Crossed Swords. Grasping Hand. She tried to find a pattern, some sign of manipulation, of malign intent. Maybe it was the two orbs? She hadn't seen even one in most of her choices before, but now there were two in the same collection? Why, though? What would be the point? Maybe her power wanted her to void the gem orb? No, that couldn't be it. A peace offering maybe? She chuckled a bit at the sudden thought. Taylor grimaced to herself. No, there was one inescapable conclusion. The selection was random after all. The last choices had just been a fluke, that was all. She should have felt glad, that there wasn't a mysterious force manipulating her to its own ends, but somehow she didn't. It was just… she had really thought she was onto something! She'd thought she'd found a secret, but really it was just random chance all along. She let out a long sigh, lying spread-eagle on her bed and soaking in the feeling of having lost something she'd never known she had.
A minute later, Taylor sighed again and sat up. "Enough feeling sorry for myself. Time to, uh, do the thing" Make the choice. That was what she meant. Regardless. She wanted to experiment with the void, since it might be able to strengthen her powers, but it cost a sphere and she wasn't completely sure that the grasping hand was so bad that she never wanted to see it again. She did want the gem- or more accurately, what it contained- but was now the right time? For the other two spheres, neither was something she really wanted, not enough to pass up an Orb at least. That left two options, both prospective and forward-looking. Did she want potentially stronger powers? Or did she want power-enhanced gear in the future?
Taylor groaned and sat up, rummaging around on her bedside table for small change. Finding a nickel, she flipped it "Heads for void, Tails for gem" The coin spun in the air and, surprising herself, she caught it effortlessly in her open hand. Heads. Suddenly, Taylor wasn't so sure of herself. Did she really want to sacrifice a sphere for some nebulous gain? Maybe it would be better to get the backpack. At least they could use the rope, while this might well be nothing. Steeling herself, she shook her head. No. She had decided to flip the coin in the first place, so she had to go along with it now. She grasped the void in her power's not-space, watching it warp the colorless expanse around it as she pulled it over to the sphere with the grasping hand. The sphere bulged, contorting like a drop of water running down a windshield. Drips and globs of red swirling fluid broke away, first in dribs and drabs then in a steady flow. The sphere sank in on itself like a punctured balloon, the hand symbol pulling and tearing like plastic as it too entered the void. Soon, there was nothing left, and the void was ever so slightly larger.
As her power-sight faded, Taylor sat still, trying to feel if something had changed. Nothing. She wiggled her hands, pulling up her cantrip power to lift a nearby pen. No difference. She stood up and assumed a martial arts stance, allowing her powers to correct it, and feeling some sort of power flowing through her skin. Maybe this was it? She focused on the feeling, mentally tracing a line up her spine from the base of her tailbone to the top of her head and noting the branches of power going down her limbs. Following the flow, she noted where the power gathered; Knuckles, fingertips, the outer edges of her palms, elbows knees… Wait. This wasn't any sort of void-based power, it was from the martial arts power she'd picked up earlier! Taylor relaxed, lowering her arms. It was a disappointment but not much of one, since it confirmed that there was more to that boost than just combat-Thinkering. She was about to punch herself to test if she had become any tougher when her stomach rumbled, reminding her of dinner.
Taylor was conflicted. On the one hand, she had run out of lunch without finishing it. She was hungry. On the other hand, she had run out crying after her dad had said he was worried about her. She had blown up. Melted down over a realistic assessment of her chances or lack thereof. How could she show her face again after a display like that? Could she just… pretend nothing had happened? Maybe she could wait it out and come down once he was asleep? Her stomach rumbled again. Maybe she could sneak by him? The house wasn't large, but… no. There was no way. Too many creaky boards. Taylor slumped over to the door as her stomach protested yet again. No, best to face it now and get it over with.
Every step of the stairs sounded like the ticking of a clock, counting down to humiliation. What would dad say? Would he… He wouldn't make fun of her. He wasn't like that. He would pity her though. He'd think that she was broken, maybe even that he broke her. In many ways, that would be worse than the Trio's words. Seeing the pity on his face…
Taylor turned the corner into the living room and saw it. Concern and compassion, worry and, yes, pity. It was only for a moment, as her father glanced up from the box in his hands, but the look in his eyes made her flinch away. She wasn't helpless; She wasn't fragile. She didn't want to be pitied. She wanted to say that, to tell him not to coddle her, to let her make her own decisions. "Hey dad, what's for dinner?"
His feelings visibly warred on his face. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then swallowed. "Um, I was thinking spaghetti and meatballs. Is that okay?"
"Yeah. I can start the water boiling?"
"Yeah, okay. I was just, um, getting this out of the attic." Oh. Then that was… "It's our old copy of Dungeons: The Dragoning. I thought, if you wanted, we could give it a go?" It was a peace offering then, a chance to go back to how they were, to reconnect as parent and child.
"Okay, sure. Is there a how-to-play pamphlet or something?" Taylor seized the opportunity to shift the conversation with both proverbial hands as her real hands set a pot of water on the stove.
"Or something, yeah" There was a small awkward smile on Danny's face as he spoke. "It's only a few hundred pages long. We probably can't start today or anything, but at least maybe we can learn how to play"
"I thought you already knew?"
"That was a long time ago kiddo" His smile turned melancholic. "And even then, I was mostly just doing what Anette told me to. She was the one who really loved this game, I just… liked being around her"
There was silence as the water boiled. Taylor opened the book and started reading.
"So… is this like playing pretend or something?" Wasn't that something kids did?
"More like telling a story with your friends. Each of us is one of the main characters, and the Dragon Master makes the world around us; Gives us villains to fight and people to save" He paused, reminiscing. "I used to play Ser Roger, gallant bodyguard to the errant Princess Regina" Taylor frowned. That sounded familiar. "She used to, to galavant around, getting in trouble and finding danger while pursuing her own sense of justice. While Ser Roger followed behind, always at her side" As he spoke, his voice grew more and more choked, and Taylor knew why. Mom had told her those stories for years, used them to put her to sleep. She a strange pressure built up in her throat, and her vision grew blurry. "She always… did what was right… even when it wasn't easy. Even when, when Roger tried to hold her back. She went out anyways. She was strong, and brave, and…" Danny's voice broke. He was crying, Taylor absently noticed through her own tears. "...and beautiful. And, and in the end… In the end I couldn't save her" With those words, the knot in Taylor's chest tightened into a noose. It was hard to move, hard to breathe, hard to see through the tears and the snot that now covered her face. She had never forgotten- could never forget- but she had suppressed it, and now all that suppressed grief and guilt was coming back. Once again she asked herself if mom would have died if she hadn't called. If she had pretended to be sick. If she had begged her not to get in that car. But no. It was done. Mom was gone, never to return, and though she'd do anything to have her back, it was impossible. There was nothing she could do.
Somewhere, a door creaked open.
Choose One Perk
[X] Advisory Board- Spheres and Talents will come recommended based on synergy. Taylor will know roughly how well the presented options work with her current build. That's no guarantee that she'll pick the good ones though.
[X] Time Out- Taylor will have access to the full text of the offered Spheres and Talents, but considering the circumstances required to get them she probably can't take advantage of that… without this advantage. When a choice is offered, Taylor's time is suspended while she decides.
[X] Card Sharp- With each offering, you can choose one additional orb, sphere or talent to discard without offering. This will allow you to get through the deck quicker and avoid offering particular things to Taylor which she might want but you don't like.
[X] Hungry Void- Four more Voids will be added to the deck, to help thin things out a bit. This makes for a much more focused build, but again it's up to Taylor to use them well. If two Voids are combined they are both destroyed.
[X] Dredging the Void- Sometimes people make mistakes. Taylor frequently makes mistakes. Luckily, not all mistakes are permanent. Retrieve one voided sphere or talent and put it in the discard.
[X] Da Rulez- Unfortunately, Taylor lives in a place and time not particularly receptive to traditional adventurer problem-solving. One use of her new powers and it's going to be "Use of Force" this and "Kill-Order" that. This way, none of her granted abilities will be lethal unless she wants them to be.
[X] Writing on the Wall- Despite the intrusive thoughts, Taylor still isn't doing what you want her to! It's time for more… blatant measures. Just a little hack to her visual processors, and she'll be hallucinating your messages like a champ! The connection's still spotty though; Parts of messages might not get through.
[X] Guide Dog- Taylor needs help. Everyone thinks so. Luckily, QA was kind enough to include a small native lifeform to help her acclimate! Taylor gains a familiar!*
*Terms and conditions apply. Familiars may vary.
-[X] Write in Familiar (No Familiar abilities to start with) or leave blank to let the QM decide.
[X] Spleen of a Savior- QA stole it from someone. No, not the same person as last time. Taylor's hero points are now infused with the logic of Golarion which rejects all forms of prophecy. Whenever Taylor's actions are predicted, prophesied or simulated to her detriment, her hero points will be spent to allow her to defy her fate. Nothing can guarantee she'll defy her fate correctly though.
[X] Trappings of Power- Taylor's magic normally manifests in a pretty bland way. The Natural casting tradition has neither Drawbacks nor Boons, so it's generally good but isn't great for anything. Luckily, QA took inspiration from a more… specialized caster this time.
-[X] Write in Tradition (Wizard, Druid, Psion, etc.) or leave it blank to let the QM decide.
[X] Fighting Chance- Taylor is, to say the least, pretty pants at fighting at this point in time. Not only does she not have the physique for it, she also doesn't have the skills or the instinct. This benefit will at least rectify the latter. Write in a Discipline Talent, and the Might Orb will also (retroactively) grant another Equipment Talent.
-[X] Write in Discipline Talent and an Equipment Talent, or leave it blank to let the QM decide.
[X] Classy- Taylor's current Class is Student, which is kind of a worse version of Expert. With this benefit on the other hand, Taylor starts with a single level in any Spheres Class- no requirement for possessing any spheres at all. It still doesn't grant any class features.
-[X] Write in Spheres Class, or leave blank to let the QM decide
[X] Not a Racial Allegory- Humans are boring. Always have been, always will be. I'm sure Taylor would prefer to be something more interesting, like a strong half-orc, or a beautiful elf, or an inventive gnome. No I'm not stereotyping! You're stereotyping!
-[X] Write in a core Pathfinder race or leave blank to let the QM decide
Choose Four Spheres
Orb of Might- TAKEN
Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
Duelist Sphere- Grants the ability to bleed a foe with every hit, and to more safely disarm bleeding foes. +1 Duelist Level, +3 HP
Equipment Sphere- Grants proficiency with a selection of advanced and martial weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Shield Sphere- Grants the ability to intercept attacks with a shield. +1 Shield Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
Well surprise surprise, putting forward a plan based on a random selection of spheres and orbs led Taylor to believe that… the selection of spheres and orbs was random! That said, I'm not sure how you could have easily conveyed your good intentions with the limited means you're given. Over a long period of time I'm sure you could build her trust with consistent helpfulness, but that doesn't exactly help her paranoia now does it? This way at least she won't suspect you of manipulating her for a while. Unless you take Writing on the Wall of course, in which case she'll more than suspect.
In other news, you've finally found out what the Void does! Yep, it's perks!! This is intended to be a supplementary progression system to get things that are otherwise inaccessible and to improve your ability to tilt the odds in Taylor's favor. You won't get a whole lot of these, and each perk chosen unlocks another one in a structure similar to a feat chain. They don't necessarily get more powerful the deeper you go, but they do generally keep the same theme. For this particular choice, consider how much you want Taylor to prioritize Voiding stuff in the future. No reward or a bad one might turn her off of the idea entirely, while a very good one might have her voiding stuff she might otherwise take. Good thing I added an undo perk!
[X] Writing on the Wall- Despite the intrusive thoughts, Taylor still isn't doing what you want her to! It's time for more… blatant measures. Just a little hack to her visual processors, and she'll be hallucinating your messages like a champ! The connection's still spotty though; Parts of messages might not get through.
Equipment Sphere- Grants proficiency with a selection of advanced and martial weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
[X] Spleen of a Savior- QA stole it from someone. No, not the same person as last time. Taylor's hero points are now infused with the logic of Golarion which rejects all forms of prophecy. Whenever Taylor's actions are predicted, prophesied or simulated to her detriment, her hero points will be spent to allow her to defy her fate. Nothing can guarantee she'll defy her fate correctly though.
Equipment Sphere- Grants proficiency with a selection of advanced and martial weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
[X] Writing on the Wall- Despite the intrusive thoughts, Taylor still isn't doing what you want her to! It's time for more… blatant measures. Just a little hack to her visual processors, and she'll be hallucinating your messages like a champ! The connection's still spotty though; Parts of messages might not get through.
Equipment Sphere- Grants proficiency with a selection of advanced and martial weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
Lancer can make her a discount Fletcher (The chick with STING, Lily, I think?) or Shadow Stalker, being able to pin people by their clothes with any weapon. Combine that with Equipment later on, and she's going to be sticking brooms through clothes and wacking people silly in no time at all!
[X] Time Out- Taylor will have access to the full text of the offered Spheres and Talents, but considering the circumstances required to get them she probably can't take advantage of that… without this advantage. When a choice is offered, Taylor's time is suspended while she decides.
Equipment Sphere- Grants proficiency with a selection of advanced and martial weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Shield Sphere- Grants the ability to intercept attacks with a shield. +1 Shield Level, +3 HP
Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
Alright! Closing the vote now in a tie between Plan Controlled Power and Plan TIME STOP! Flipping a coin, the winner is... TIME STOP!
Expect the next chapter sometime next week.
Spacebattles Thread said:
4 people have voted
[X] Plan Controlled Power
-[X] Da Rulez- Unfortunately, Taylor lives in a place and time not particularly receptive to traditional adventurer problem-solving. One use of her new powers and it's going to be "Use of Force" this and "Kill-Order" that. This way, none of her granted abilities will be lethal unless she wants them to be.
-[X] Shield Sphere- Grants the ability to intercept attacks with a shield. +1 Shield Level, +3 HP.
-[X] Equipment Sphere- Grants proficiency with a selection of advanced and martial weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP.
-[X] Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP.
-[X] Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP.
4 people have voted
[X] Plan TIME STOP!?
-[X] Time Out- Taylor will have access to the full text of the offered Spheres and Talents, but considering the circumstances required to get them she probably can't take advantage of that… without this advantage. When a choice is offered, Taylor's time is suspended while she decides.
-[X] Equipment Sphere- Grants proficiency with a selection of advanced and martial weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP.
-[X] Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP.
-[X]Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
-[X] Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP.
2 people have voted
[X] Writing on the Wall- Despite the intrusive thoughts, Taylor still isn't doing what you want her to! It's time for more… blatant measures. Just a little hack to her visual processors, and she'll be hallucinating your messages like a champ! The connection's still spotty though; Parts of messages might not get through.
1 people have voted
[X] Card Sharp- With each offering, you can choose one additional orb, sphere or talent to discard without offering. This will allow you to get through the deck quicker and avoid offering particular things to Taylor which she might want but you don't like.
Adhoc vote count started by Thaumaterge on Jul 11, 2022 at 10:59 AM, finished with 4 posts and 4 votes.
[X] Writing on the Wall- Despite the intrusive thoughts, Taylor still isn't doing what you want her to! It's time for more… blatant measures. Just a little hack to her visual processors, and she'll be hallucinating your messages like a champ! The connection's still spotty though; Parts of messages might not get through.
[X] Spleen of a Savior- QA stole it from someone. No, not the same person as last time. Taylor's hero points are now infused with the logic of Golarion which rejects all forms of prophecy. Whenever Taylor's actions are predicted, prophesied or simulated to her detriment, her hero points will be spent to allow her to defy her fate. Nothing can guarantee she'll defy her fate correctly though.
[X] Time Out- Taylor will have access to the full text of the offered Spheres and Talents, but considering the circumstances required to get them she probably can't take advantage of that… without this advantage. When a choice is offered, Taylor's time is suspended while she decides.
[X] Plan TIME STOP!?
-[X] Time Out- Taylor will have access to the full text of the offered Spheres and Talents, but considering the circumstances required to get them she probably can't take advantage of that… without this advantage. When a choice is offered, Taylor's time is suspended while she decides.
-[X] Equipment Sphere- Grants proficiency with a selection of advanced and martial weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP.
-[X] Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP.
-[X]Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
-[X] Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP.
Everything was silent and still in Taylor's power-sight. Four spheres floated before her, unmoving and unchanging. She'd seen this not-place before, every time she was offered powers, but this time it was more… complete. Like instead of merely looking in she was actually there, disembodied. Taylor didn't know when she'd come here, as deep in grief as she was, and she didn't know how long it had been. It had been the lack of sounds that alerted her, initially. Her eyes had been closed, and the sight of spheres overlaid on the darkness of her eyelids had become a common and unremarkable sight over the past few days, so she hadn't moved when they appeared. This time though, when the sounds stopped, when she opened her eyes, nothing changed. There was no kitchen, no table or stove, no book or plates or anything. She blinked again, only the pressure of her eyelids confirming that anything had happened at all. Just… emptiness.
Naturally, Taylor spent some time panicking. What was this place? Why was she here? How had she been torn from her home? How could she get back? Luckily, once she regained her equilibrium (a process that took who knows how long), both the cause and the solution were obvious. She'd just chosen an orb that promised to enhance her power after all; Apparently instead of improving the powers she was granted, it must have just intensified her ability to see the offered spheres? That didn't seem like an improvement at all to be honest. Though the sense of space to this… space kept her from feeling claustrophobic, that didn't change the fact that she didn't know what was going on in the real world! She could be having a stroke right now and giving dad a heart attack and she'd never know it! Was she going to have to deal with this every single time now? Definitely not worth a choice, let alone sacrificing a sphere. At least escaping and regaining her senses would be simple. If this was just an extension of her usual power-sight, then logically she should be able to make it go away just like the previous offerings- by choosing a sphere.
The first sphere was promising on its face- it bore the image of a halberd, the same weapon wielded by the local hero Armsmaster! It even felt a bit like what Taylor imagined him to be; Stoic and resolute, yet still cautious and vigilant. Ready to fight, but not neglectful of defense or logistics, the kind of person who had the right tool for every job and knew how to use it well. Okay, maybe she was projecting a bit. This sphere seemed to mostly be about learning to use the tools of war, offering her the instincts to effectively use a small collection of weapons. The interesting thing though, was that the collection wasn't fixed! Unlike everything but the ill-fated Void Orb, there was a choice to be made here. As Taylor reached towards the halberd orb, it split in two like a swirling red droplet on a hot pan; Each new sphere spinning in space to reveal a new symbol on the back in addition to the halberd on the front: An open hand and a flail. The same symbols as the spheres she'd picked earlier. How interesting… were these options unlocked by her previous choices, or was this sphere unlocking new facets of her previous choices?
Regardless, these sub-spheres seemed much more straightforward than what Taylor had dealt with so far. There were no mental impressions, just mental images of what they offered. Ironically, the one with the flail wouldn't teach her to use flails, but it was impressive nonetheless including axes, short swords, bows, javelins and even lassos and nets! Those last two would definitely be nice to know how to use, since Taylor didn't know how else she was expected to restrain criminals. She'd heard something about zip ties, but didn't those cut off circulation? There was a news story a while back about a gang member who lost a hand after an independent hero zip-tied them to a fence… The palm-halberd sub-sphere on the other hand seemed to offer mostly weird oriental weapons. Taylor recognized a few, like the shuriken and the nunchucks, but as for the rest… who knew there were so many variations on clubs and knives? Who would fight with a fan? How would she even get any of these things? No, Taylor knew which choice she would make if she decided to take the halberd sphere.
The next sphere on the list was emblazoned with what looked like some kind of bag, with the mouth facing down and tried into what looked like a handle. Was that even a weapon? Taylor had heard of that kind of thing of course, once when her father was drunk he'd talked about filling a bag with pennies and beating up "that penny-pinching beaurocrat", but was that something people actually did? This sphere certainly embodied her dad's feelings when he talked about it though, spiteful and full of harmful intent, if not necessarily violent intent. More than that though, it was avaricious and jealous, more like what she expected of a thief rather than a warrior of any kind. That made sense though, Taylor thought as she looked through the offered powers, since this sphere seemed focused on fighting dirty. It offered her some skill in pickpocketing and legerdemain- though that part seemed incidental- and the ability to use that skill to inflict various indignities upon her opponents. Throwing sand in their eyes or dropping their pants around their knees wasn't the most heroic way to fight, but it wasn't a tactic Taylor could rule out right now. Did she really want to spend a choice on it though? Disregarding the final ability, some kind of minor distracting striker power, Taylor moved on to the next option.
This one, picturing a bear trap, was also a less-than-heroic one. It was cold, like the crossbow before. Calculating and careful, it had a sense of meticulous preparation mixed with inventive cunning. The sphere brought to mind a hunter, hiding and waiting for their prey to come by and knowing that they eventually would. The actual sphere powers bore out that expectation of preparation, offering skill with trapmaking (or was it trapping) and the ability to quickly prepare both lethal and nonlethal traps. That part was a bit unexpected. Taylor had noticed before that most of the powers she was offered had no expectation of restraint and no apparent understanding of how capes worked. Most of them were based around weapons for god's sake! The only heroes who used those were tinkers, as far as she knew. Even if the impressions she got from this power weren't the best, she had to admit that not risking killing people was a mark in its favor. That said, one of the halberd sub-spheres did include some non-lethal weapons… With that thought in mind Taylor moved on to the last sphere.
If Taylor had to put words to the last sphere, which held them image of a mug of all things, she'd call it boisterous. Energetic, fun-loving and careless, this sphere worried Taylor. Considering that the 'fun' impressions from the sphere were entangled with impressions of alcohol and violence, Taylor thought her worry was entirely justified. Her feelings were completely vindicated when she looked at the offered abilities: The ability to effectively use anything as a weapon? It certainly had potential and explained the sphere's icon. It came with the ability to quickly grab nearby objects to fight with, and the expectation that anything she used in that manner would quickly break. The other power though was what caught her attention: The ability to drink alcohol to become drunk. Unlike other apparently normal abilities though, this one's weirdness was out in the open. If she drank with that power, not only would she become drunk instantly, she would also stop being drunk mere seconds thereafter! It was… Well, didn't that defeat the point of drinking? The sphere certainly didn't think so, but it didn't elaborate further.
Well, at least the correct answer was obvious? Taylor reached out to the halberd sphere, grabbing the one with the flail as it split once again. In a moment, the power-space faded away, replaced by her familiar kitchen table with its books and paperwork, and her father.
Her father was still crying.
That couldn't be right. Taylor had expected many things from him when she woke up. Panicked, concerned, worried. She half-expected to wake up in her bed, having been carried upstairs in the time she'd taken to make her choice. It had to have been at least a few minutes right? But nothing seemed to have changed. Taylor reached up and touched her face, feeling the dampness of the teartracks, the beads that were only just reaching her chin. Nothing seemed to have changed.
Taylor stood up suddenly, startling her father out of his funk and turning around to look at the clock. 6:23 PM. That… didn't mean anything to her. She hadn't made a note of the time when she'd started to make pasta. "Taylor, what…" The pasta! She had only just started the water boiling! Taylor rushed to the stove. "Taylor! What's going on? Did you get another power?"
The water lay flat, a few small bubbles forming at the bottom of the pot. The spaghetti box lay on the counter unopened. "...Time stopped"
"You…" Danny Hebert was stumped, his face slack and wet as his mind tried to switch tracks from grief to surprise. "...stopped time?"
"Well, um, kinda?" Taylor was equally wrongfooted. It felt strange seeing him so distraught when she wasn't. Awkward, invasive somehow. She had had the time to fully recover, but her dad hadn't, and she had interrupted that personal process. "It was, uh, I… got offered another power, and time stopped while I chose.
"oh"
The room went silent. The pot began to boil, so Taylor opened up the pasta box and poured it in. She opened her mouth. Closed it. The silence was deafening. She picked up the pasta box from the recycling bin where she'd thrown it to re-check the cook time, then tossed it again. She didn't know what to say. What could she say? Sorry, for intruding? Should she tell him about her new power? Should she inquire about Dungeons the Dragoning again? Taylor pulled out her chair and took a seat at the table once more. Her father had dried his face at some point, but the stains remained. He'd been so strong yesterday, so present and animated, but it had only taken one bad memory to break him again. To put him back where he used to be. Just like his engagement had reminded her of how things used to be, this reminded her why she hadn't told him before. About the bullying. About Emma.
The pasta boiled in awkward silence. Taylor checked the time. "It's done" Her voice felt rusty, even though she'd spoken mere minutes ago. Dad stood up abruptly, looking shocked at having done so. Then, he wallowed and nodded, moving to the cupboards. With the same practiced, dreamwalking cadence as always, the two of them set the table, warmed the pasta sauce, and drained the noodles. That was, Taylor reflected, the most social interaction they had most days.
The food was served and eaten in silence, but eventually someone had to break it. "Taylor" Her father spoke as though nothing had happened. His eyes were still red-rimmed from the tears. "Taylor, we really do need to talk about your plans for the future. For… for your powers. It doesn't need to be now, but you can't… I can't lose you. Please"
What could she say to that? Taylor nodded mutely, eyes down at her food. Guilt and selfish desire to prove herself warred in her mind. Would he stop worrying if she proved she could handle it? Or would he break again the moment he found her bed empty at midnight? She had to do something though! She couldn't- wouldn't go back to being normal loser Taylor. Bullied Taylor. Weak Taylor. She couldn't just hide like he wanted her to, and she couldn't be brave either if it meant her dad would self-destruct. Something had to give. Turmoil filled her mind as she washed her dishes and climbed the stairs with a quiet "Goodnight". Options and plans, each riskier and wilder than the last, ran through her head as she lay awake staring at the ceiling.
Eventually, in the wee hours of the morning Taylor fell asleep to dreams of her mother in a ball gown, inexplicably wielding a sword made of light as she fought a metal monster. To Taylor's entranced eyes, they seemed evenly matched, blade clashing against wheels and gears as Anette fended off the beast's advances. It seemed to last hours or mere moments, time passing with dreamlike swiftness- then all too soon, a ringing filled the air. Taylor watched in horror as her mother turned away from her foe, reaching into her pocket to pull out a cell phone. As the car pounced, mom's eyes looked straight into hers as she spoke into the phone. "What is it honey?"
Taylor woke with a choked-off scream, and a door opened in front of her.
Equipment Talents Added to the Discard!
Only Three Spheres Remaining! The Deck has been Shuffled!
Chose Four Orbs, Spheres or Talents
Orb of Might- TAKEN
Athletics Sphere- Grants some skill with acrobatics and an increased top speed, as well as the ability to dodge while running. +1 Athletics Level, +3 HP
Alchemy Sphere- Grants some skill with alchemical crafting, as well as the ability to mix healing Salves. +1 Alchemy Level, +3 HP
Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
Barrage Sphere- Grants the ability to shoot or throw faster at the cost of accuracy. +1 Barrage Level, +3 HP
Beastmastery Sphere- Grants some skill with animals and the ability to tame weak ones. +1 Beastmastery Level, +3 HP
Berserker Sphere- Grants the ability to strike hard and go into a rage, ablating damage but increasing enemy hit chance. +1 Berserker Level, +3 HP
Boxing Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to prepare a powerful counterattack. +1 Boxing Level, +3 HP
Brute Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to perform a battering shove. +1 Brute Level, +3 HP
Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
Duelist Sphere- Grants the ability to bleed a foe with every hit, and to more safely disarm bleeding foes. +1 Duelist Level, +3 HP
Equipment Sphere- TAKEN
Balanced Defense- Improves ability to defend when wielding only a single one-handed weapon. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Cavalry Ready- Grants the ability to brace any non-light weapon against a charge. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Cloth Snake Puppetry- Grants the ability to grip and manipulate far-away objects using rope-like weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Cold-Weather Adaptation- Grants the ability to modify any outfit for improved insulation and cold damage resistance. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Craftsman- Grants some skill with weaponsmithing and potentially armorsmithing, along with the ability to make mundane objects in half the time. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Critical Genius- Improves combat instinct with one weapon, making critical hits more likely with it. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Crushing Thrower- Grants the ability to throw weapons great force, using strength to determine accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Dagger Bravo- Greatly improves combat instinct with daggers, improving their crit chance and thrown range. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Dagger Dancer- Improves speed with daggers, allowing them to be drawn more quickly and more easily confirm crits. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Duelist's Grip- Improves grip and balance with one-handed weapons, allowing strength to be more efficiently leveraged. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Expert Reloading- Reduces the time required to reload ranged weapons with proficiency. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Fast Draw- Allows weapons to be drawn as part of the same action as attacking with them. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Finesse Fighting- Grants improved control over light melee weapons, allowing the use of dexterity to determine accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Gauntlet Shield- Grants the ability to use fist weapons as buckler shields when not attacking with them. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Guarded Combattant- Improves grip, making it harder to disarm or sunder weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Gun Kata- Grants the ability to weave firearms into unarmed combat, firing held guns at enemies struck with fists and taking advantage of their enchantments. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Immovable Object- Improves balance and traction, increasing resistance to forced movement and tripping. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Mechanical Savant- Increases the damage of mechanical ranged weapons including crossbows and firearms. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Net Master- Grants improved control over netted creatures, allowing them to be more easily moved. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Polearm Mastery- Reduces the difficulty of targeting close-in targets with reach weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Shortbow Mastery- Improves shot speed with shortbows, allowing more attacks at the expense of accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Spear Dancer- Allows spears to be used with finesse and as one-handed weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Splitshot- Grants the ability to load a bow with two arrows at once, targeting two adjacent creatures with the same attack. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Staff Mastery- Improves the versatility of quarterstaffs, allowing them to be used as double and reach weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Throwing Mastery- Grants the ability to add spin to thrown weapons, causing them to return to the hand. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Thrower's Reflexes- Grants the ability to catch projectiles at the cost of focus. Yes this includes bullets. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Unarmored Training- Grants the ability to generate a skin-tight forcefield based on acrobatic or combat prowess when not wearing armor. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Unorthodox Firing- Improves skill with ranged weapons, allowing them to be fired while prone or while braced with a leg rather than a hand. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Versatile Fighter- Grants access to three stances ranging from offensive to defensive. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Weaponmaster- Grants the ability to deal any kind of physical damage with any weapon. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Whip Fiend- Improves skill with whips, allowing them to inflict lethal damage and threaten nearby foes, as well as interacting with objects within reach. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Armor Proficiency- Grants proficiency with all medium and heavy armor and grants access to further [Armor] Talents. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Extra Discipline- Grants proficiency with another collection of weapons based on spheres and grants access to further [Discipline] Talents. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Fencing Sphere- Grants some skill with deception, as well as the ability to better take advantage of a foe's distraction. +1 Fencing Level, +3 HP
Gladiator Sphere- TAKEN
Derision- Grants the ability to Boast at creatures that miss attacks against you. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so reFocus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Uncowed- Grants the ability to intimidate those who intimidate you, and makes you harder to intimidate. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Guardian Sphere- Grants the ability to ignore wounds for a time, as well as the ability to draw an enemy's attention away from allies. +1 Guardian Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies.
Capoeira Spin- Reduces the penalties for fighting while prone, and grants the ability to stand while striking from the ground to deal additional damage.
Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of.
Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone.
Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition.
Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium.
Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike.
Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies.
Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes.
Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go.
Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness.
Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage.
Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips.
Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target.
Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously.
Leopard's Gambit- Grants the ability to enter a reckless stance wherein enemy attacks are more likely to hit, but can be responded to with unarmed strikes.
Lotus Touch- Grants the ability to touch a foe for low damage in order to set them up for a more likely critical hit later.
Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses.
Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage.
Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits.
Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone/
Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder.
Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone.
Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them.
Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy.
Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture.
Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike.
Tear Flesh- Grants the ability to deal piercing and slashing damage with unarmed strikes, and to tear away natural armor when striking to cause bleeding.
Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks.
Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike.
Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures.
Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed.
Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina.
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Scout Sphere- Grants some skill with stealth, as well as the ability to assess an enemy's weaknesses. +1 Scout Level, +3 HP
Shield Sphere- Grants the ability to intercept attacks with a shield. +1 Shield Level, +3 HP
Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
Warleader Sphere- Grants some skill with diplomacy as well as the ability to coordinate and empower allies. +1 Warleader Level, +3 HP
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
Armorist Class- A creative class capable of conjuring armor and weapons and enchanting them differently based on the situation. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
Armiger Class- A versatile class that specializes different weapons for different purposes, switching between them at lightning speed. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +2 Ref, +6 + Con HP
Blacksmith Class- A tough class just as good at breaking weapons and armor as it is at making them, including magical equipment. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
Commander Class- A proud class that focuses on bolstering and coordinating allies, and on finding the right person for every job. +¾ BAB, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
Conscript Class- A scrappy class capable of mastering any martial skillset and leveraging it to the fullest. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +2 Ref, +6 + Con HP
Elementalist Class- A destructive class focused on bringing down foes with elemental power. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Eliciter Class- A manipulative class that use their mind magic to disrupt enemies and bolster allies. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Hedgewitch Class- An esoteric class whose secret paths allow them to specialize in unique ways. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
Incanter Class- A masterful class whose skill and power with the magical arts is unmatched. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + Con HP
Mageknight Class- A fusion class that combines martial skill with magical power. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
Prodigy Class- A combo class whose fluid mastery of both magic and might allows them to chain spells and strikes. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Savant Class- A flexible class that boasts unparalleled retraining ability, ensuring that they can surmount any obstacle. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
Scholar Class- A knowledgeable class that combines alchemical and mechanical skill to draw out the hidden power of special substances. +½ BAB, +2 Ref, +4 + Con HP
Sentinel Class- A protective class whose presence is a lightning rod for the wrath of their foes, drawing ire away from allies and bystanders. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +7 + Con HP
Shifter Class- A mutable class whose mastery of their own form is uncontested and deadly in battle. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Soul Weaver Class- A caring class that leverages their knowledge of the soul to heal and harm. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + Con HP
Striker Class- An aggressive class whose affinity for unarmed combat lets them get up close and personal. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +2 Ref, +6 + Con HP
Symbiat Class- An enlightened class whose mental symbiote grants them telekinetic and telepathic skill. Favored by QA! +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP, +1 Perk
Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Thaumaturge Class- A volatile class that trades reliability for bursts of extreme power and esoteric knowledge. +¾ BAB, +1 CL, +5 + Con HP
Troubadour Class- A deceptive class capable of taking on numerous different personas, each with their own abilities. +¾ BAB, +½ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Warden Class- A defensive class that protects others with their martial skill and magical power alike. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Aptitude Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Aptitude Sphere depending on build. Aptitude talents grant specialized skills or training.
Essence Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Essence Sphere depending on build. Essence talents grant inherent magical abilities.
Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
Strength Boost- Grants a potent boost to Strength. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Dexterity Boost- Grants a large boost to Dexterity. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Constitution Boost- Grants a large boost to Constitution. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Intelligence Boost- Grants a boost to Intelligence. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Wisdom Boost- Grants a boost to Wisdom. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Charisma Boost- Grants a boost to Charisma. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Orb of Power- TAKEN
Alteration Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision or a wide array of natural weapons to oneself or a willing ally. +1 Alteration level, +1 SP
Blood Sphere- Grants the ability to take control of a creature's blood and accelerate or halt their bleeding. +1 Blood level, +1 SP
Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure an extraplanar creature to serve as a servant and bodyguard. +1 Conjuration level, +1 SP
Creation Sphere- Grants the ability to repair or damage objects, or to create crude objects made of soft materials. +1 Creation level, +1 SP
Dark Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision and create a large area of darkness. +1 Dark level, +1 SP
Death Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a draining projectile and to animate a corpse as a skeleton or zombie. +1 Death level, +1 SP
Destruction Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a damaging energy projectile. +1 Destruction level, +1 SP
Divination Sphere- Grants the ability to divine for effects related to other known spheres, and to decipher magical script. +1 Divination level, +1 SP
Enhancement Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance weapons and armor with magical protection or destruction. +1 Enhancement level, +1 SP
Fate Sphere- Grants the ability to improve allies' luck and to bless them with protection against evil. +1 Fate level, +1 SP
Illusion Sphere- Grants the ability to disguise oneself and to create person-sized visual illusions. +1 Illusion level, +1 SP
Life Sphere- Grants the ability to heal, reinvigorate, and restore the bodies and minds of injured people. +1 Life level, +1 SP
Light Sphere- Grants the ability to cause people and things to glow, and to bend light to see farther. +1 Light level, +1 SP
Mind Sphere- Grants the ability to plant thoughts in the minds of others. +1 Mind level, +1 SP
Nature Sphere- Grants the ability to grow and manipulate plants to strike and snare enemies. +1 Nature level, +1 SP
Protection Sphere- Grants the ability to create solid barriers around people and in the form of domes. +1 Protection level, +1 SP
Telekinesis Sphere- Grants the ability to lift and throw small objects without touching them. +1 Telekinesis level, +1 SP
Time Sphere- Grants the ability to accelerate or slow a person. +1 Time level, +1 SP
War Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance the destructive ability of allies, and to rally them. +1 War level, +1 SP
Warp Sphere- Grants the ability to teleport yourself or an ally some distance. +1 Warp level, +1 SP
Weather Sphere- Grants the ability to create, intensify, or calm various types of weather. +1 Weather level, +1 SP
Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
Orb of Void- Does nothing on its own, but can be combined with another Orb or Sphere to destroy it, thinning your deck. When used with a Sphere, also grants a Perk.
Alright, I'm legit worried about this one. Mostly because the deck is kinda enormous and I'm worried it'll be too much analysis paralysis. Problem is, that's kinda just how the system is. I've already tried to condense it down as far as I can. I could put up some sample plans for people to vote on I guess, but that feels like it runs contrary to the point of the quest, which is guessing Taylor's preferences and using them to manipulate her into a functional power. Tell me what you think. Is there another solution I haven't thought of? Am I worried over nothing? Do you want even more choices?
In regards to what to choose I suggest to recommender her heavily the Illusion Sphere because right now she looks different thanks to what the Orb of Mastery did, and I don't want Taylor to get outed as a cape immediately. If not that then is there a Sphere out there that can help her calm down or support her?
[Х] Alchemy Sphere- Grants some skill with alchemical crafting, as well as the ability to mix healing Salves. +1 Alchemy Level, +3 HP
[Х] Beastmastery Sphere- Grants some skill with animals and the ability to tame weak ones. +1 Beastmastery Level, +3 HP
[Х] Warleader Sphere- Grants some skill with diplomacy as well as the ability to coordinate and empower allies. +1 Warleader Level, +3 HP
[Х] Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
[X] Plan: A Better Mindset
-[X] Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so reFocus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
-[X] Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium.
-[X] Intelligence Boost- Grants a boost to Intelligence. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
-[X] Life Sphere- Grants the ability to heal, reinvigorate, and restore the bodies and minds of injured people. +1 Life level, +1 SP
Posting this plan over here too. Just the one vote on both sites.
[X] Plan: A Better Mindset
-[X] Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so reFocus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
-[X] Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium.
-[X] Intelligence Boost- Grants a boost to Intelligence. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
- [x] Life Sphere- Grants the ability to heal, reinvigorate, and restore the bodies and minds of injured people. +1 Life level, +1 SP
Taylor gasped for breath as she lay in her power's not-space, heart pounding. She had just been… on a road? Mom was there! And… the streetlights? As she calmed down from the shock of her nightmare, the wisps of the dream slipped through her fingers. It was important somehow, she knew it, but no matter how tightly she grasped the details evaporated like morning mist. Taylor sighed, settling back to look at the powers she was being offered.. There wasn't anything to settle back into of course, there was no bed here. Nothing changed when she shifted around and the environment supported her comfortably regardless of her posture, but the movement was relaxing nonetheless.
The first thing she noticed about the first offering- and the second too, actually- was its size. It was smaller than any of her previous options, about the size of a marble, willed with the swirling red liquid that Taylor was pretty sure signified a fighting power. It bore a familiar symbol too- the sign of the flail, the first sphere Taylor chose. The impression it gave was smaller too; There was no personality to this… marble, no feelings or emotions, just sensation, a single moment in time. A warrior standing tall, arms wide, standing in a sandy arena. Cheering crowds. The sticky feeling of sweat and the scent of anticipation. The original sphere had granted her the ability to draw power from her own success, but this would allow her to generate her own 'success energy' by talking herself up. It was… Taylor was incredulous. Could she really do that? Could a power just magically give her the ability to stick up for herself?. Taylor wanted it very much, but the implications were much greater than one ability.
The spheres had sub-spheres of their own! She'd known that the larger orbs unlocked or broke up or built up into the spheres, but somehow she'd thought that was where it ended. They had seemed so specific, so self-contained. Now though, another level was revealed. She cursed herself once more for failing to write down everything she remembered about what she was offered before, wracking her memory. The flail sphere had been tied up in fear and confidence and presentation right? It had given her the ability to scare everyone around her, but also the ability to draw strength from dramatic actions in a fight. Now this sub-power would make it harder to scare her. What else was in there? Powers to make her scarier was the obvious answer. Maybe another master power to make her more impressive? That seemed in-character.
More importantly, why hadn't she seen marbles like these before? The flail had been the first sphere she chose. Surely that was enough time for her to luck into seeing one. Maybe they were put into the bottom of the proverbial bag or something? Or maybe… No. She'd gone down that rabbit hole before. It was unproductive and unhealthy. Taylor focused back on the conundrum in front of her. The implications. Every sphere she chose would (and had) probably splinter into marbles, so now she had to consider not just the powers they offered by themselves, but also the powers that might be associated with them. What else would she see? More martial arts stuff from the palm sphere. More weapons from the halberd? Or maybe the ability to better use those weapons?
One of those answers, it turned out, was right in front of her. Moving on to the next offering Taylor found it to be a marble from the palm sphere. It too contained the impression of a moment in time, a bald-headed white-robed martial artist in a thunderstorm. They were standing in a prayer position, hands clasped and legs spread in a steady stance. Their robes whipped around by the wind, they stood firm and calm and serene. Peace in the eye of the storm. The marble offered the ability to meditate without regard for what was happening around her. To quickly find her center even in a pitched battle- in fact, that seemed to be what it was meant for. Taylor didn't quite know what the use of that would be though. It seemed like kind of a stupid thing to do. She frowned. None of the abilities she'd gained so far had been pointless. She had to be missing something. Until she found it though, she'd pass on this option. No point in taking something she didn't have a use for. Still, it did confirm her hypothesis: The marbles of each sphere had to do with more than just what the sphere initially offered. Otherwise she'd have gotten something to do with kicking. Actually… There was something else there! Another punching boost, like she'd gotten from the original! That put a bit of a different spin on things. But was it enough to make a useless ability worthwhile? Probably not.
The third option was a sphere reminiscent of the mirror orb, just… yellow. It looked like it was made of brass rather than glass, but just like its parent orb its primary feature was a reflection of Taylor's face. It was… well, it looked the same as last time, beautiful and sharp. Taylor peered at it, moving her head around and watching the image change to match. It was disconcerting that this was her now. That said, it wasn't exactly the same. The glasses (which she belatedly realized she wasn't wearing), the glint in her eyes… This Taylor looked like a genius, the very image of a young and respected scientist. The kind of student that would look natural in a labcoat, presenting a poster, or receiving a prize. It promised to improve her intelligence, but… hadn't the first one promised the same? she hadn't really noticed a difference to be honest. What would being smarter even feel like anyways? Taylor imagined thinking faster, memorizing full pages with a single look, or having revolutionary ideas out of the blue. None of that had happened. Though… maybe she had changed in other ways? She certainly had a lot to think about regarding her recent choices and their implications, but she hadn't had any epiphanies about the way her power worked. Trying to remember how thinking had felt before and after the original mirror orb, Taylor decided to shelve this option for later.
Just like the previous one, the next one was a sphere from one of the new orbs, this time from the starlit orb. Just like that orb it bore a dark background speckled with lights, but in the foreground stood a mortar and pestle in white just like the red spheres' emblems. As Taylor reached out to it, thought and concepts bombarded her. Healing. Renewal. Numb, Restoration, CuringInvigorateRevive… They were more than just words. She could feel them, for an instant she comprehended them in their entirety, saw how they fit together. Saw how to create them. Then it was over, and her hand was hovering over a sphere that promised her healing powers. That… That was a game-changer. Taylor knew how rare healing capes were- everyone did! And most of those were just capes who happened to be able to heal as a side effect; She had- could have- a dedicated healing power! More than that though, this power represented an out from her previous dilemma. Instead of staying home and stifling herself or going out and worrying dad, she could volunteer at the hospital with the famous cape Panacea!
Taylor grabbed it without a second thought, only belatedly hesitating to find out the details of the offer itself. There were actually three- five?- ways to heal. The first was easy, but superficial. It wouldn't stop bleeding or knit together wounds, but it would mitigate their effects a bit. The second promised real, actual healing, but it seemed limited somehow. Expensive maybe? Like it might cost her something to use. Taylor recalled the energy now flowing through her body, the way she'd moved it but not spent it to use her cantrips power. Maybe that was it since it came from the same source? The third was some kind of three-in-one, a single power that could be directed at a person's mind, body, or… pattern. It seemed to work to return that part of them to its prime, clearing the mind and energizing the body. The pattern effects were somewhat less clear though. It had something to do with restoring capability in various ways, but Taylor couldn't really understand what separated it from restoring the body or the mind. Why was restoring someone's muscle mass closer to restoring their sanity than to refreshing their body? Either way, it too was expensive. That was a let-down to be honest. Healing was all very well, but could she do any good with it if she could only heal once or twice? Still, still, this wasn't just her chance to help others, it was her chance to get out! She took it.
The not-space collapsed around her, leaving her back on her bed, tangled in the blankets. Taylor relaxed once again, kicking the blankets to straighten them out and pulling her pillow back into position. She lay there for a long minute, feeling the energy flow through her body. It was all so miraculous, and so underwhelming at the same time. On the one hand, she had powers! If she wanted to she could go to the Protectorate now (with her dad's help) and sign on with the Wards to leave Winslow behind. That would just be a different kind of prison of course, but the ability to choose her prison was nice in its own way. On the other hand, her powers were pretty bad. She could yell to give people a bit of a shiver down their spine. She could kick peoples legs out from under them. She knew how to fight with a few weapons and with her fists. She could heal people… once or twice, before needing a nap. Just enough to give her hope, not enough to really help.
Taylor sighed, then threw off her sheets and levered herself upright. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, and barely visible through the buildings, but she was wide awake and that wasn't changing anytime soon. Best to make the best of an early start. This time remembering her suspension, Taylor elected to stay in her pajamas, making do with a quick toothbrush and comb for her hair. The sight of her face in the mirror startled her just as it had yesterday; Even with her teeth frothy and her hair tangled, it almost looked like her mom was staring back at her. She tried not to look.
A short trip down the stairs later, Taylor found herself back in the kitchen looking at the Dungeons: The Dragoning book that had been left there last night. She's meant to have some breakfast, but upon reflection it really was too early. She sat down, flipping open the tome. The first bits were a bit thick and cringe-inducing, especially the examples of play, but things got more interesting once it started to explain how to actually play the game. That was the tipping point, when the game became more than just people awkwardly telling each other what their imaginary friends were doing. Instead, it became an interesting strategic and tactical exercise. Different characters hit harder or more accurately and could dodge or take hits better, and the environment and positioning could influence things too… yeah, Taylor could see the appeal. Before she knew it, the sun had risen and her father along with it, stumbling into the kitchen to find her engrossed.
"Uh, hey kiddo. Enjoying yourself?" It really said something, Taylor thought, that he looked more alive half asleep in the morning than he had after the episode last night.
"Yeah, I'm… The, uh, combat rules are interesting" They stared at each other awkwardly before Danny's priorities reasserted themselves. He shambled over to the coffee machine and put on a pot before falling into a chair. They sat in silence for a while, Taylor returning to her book.
Eventually, once her father was caffeinated and eggs were frying, the silence was broken. "So, um. Taylor. Would you mind telling me more about your power?" The discomfort put a sour look on his face which he attempted to hide behind his mug. "You… It looked like you had an epiphany yesterday, at dinner"
"Oh. Yeah. That. It stops time. My power that is, when I'm making a choice. I spent a lot of time deciding on that one-" And recovering, she didn't say. "-and when I finished, everything was where I left it" Another long silence. This time she was the one to break it. "I picked, um…" She couldn't tell him about the void. That would be too much. "...a healing power. I thought maybe I could volunteer at the hospital?"
Obviously flat-footed by her request, he paused, then took a long sip of coffee. "I guess? There's probably papers to sign or something though. Red tape from the PRT. I can look into it for you, but don't expect to start immediately" Seeing the look on her face as she saw her freedom escaping, he relented. "I guess we could go to the library sometime today to do the research together. There's more to consider though- you'd need a costume for one thing. And a cape name" He handed her a plate full of scrambled eggs which she immediately desecrated with ketchup. "Look Taylor, I'm not telling you not to do it- it's a much better plan than sneaking out to punch gangsters. Just… take your time alright? You don't need to rush it, and besides there are a bunch of things that just can't be rushed at all"
Mouth full, Taylor nodded rebelliously. Thow of those things should be easy enough to solve at least. For a mask she could just tie a scarf around her face, and maybe a decent black hoodie and pants would do for a costume. No, wait, she was supposed to be healing wasn't she? That made black a bad idea since she wasn't trying to hide from bad guys. She grimaced in thought. Alright, shelve the costume for now, what about a name? Healer and Medic were right out, since they could get confusing in a hospital, so what other healing-related names were there? She could take after Panacea with a mythological name, and there were tons of healing goddesses to choose from. She could also do something with the 'Doctor X' style, though hadn't that fallen out of fashion or something? The problem of course was that she wasn't just a healer. It was just a way to help out and get out of the house, start getting involved with the cape scene in a less dangerous way. Taylor didn't want to pick something that would shoehorn her into being a healer even once she picked up other good powers. Regardless, that was something she could look up at the library while Dad was going through the boring regulation stuff.
Despite Taylor's eagerness, the library expedition didn't start until the afternoon. There were chores to do, which she was recruited for, and groceries to get which her father did himself. In between dishwashing and sweeping though, Taylor was able to get in a few more sections of the D:tD book. The character creation section was… byzantine to say the least. Everything referred to rules on different pages or even different sections. For each seemingly-universal rule there were two exceptions and three alternate rulesets, with no indication of how they worked together. Ability scores for example were rolled with four six-sided dice omitting the lowest, except for Warriors who rolled six and dropped the lowest two for their favored ability which was in turn defined by their Gift… unless you were using a set array of scores in which case who knows what happens? Compared to her earlier engrossment, this was a frustrated search for meaning. The combat rules were so simple! How could they screw this up?
By the time Danny was ready to drive them to the library, Taylor was more than happy to go. It was afternoon on a friday, so the place was pretty much deserted and Taylor was quickly able to find a computer. She logged in using her library card, then hesitated, wondering what to look up. Hero names and costumes seemed the easiest, so she decided to start there. What did she want in a hero name though? Something healing-related would fit for what she was hoping to do, but she didn't want to do that forever, but what did she want to be known for forever? Her growth? That would be appropriate, since it was her power's only strength, but would it be giving too much away? Martial arts? She had deduced that she'd be offered a steady supply of martial arts-themed marbles in the future. Did she really want to commit herself to picking them though? The last one hadn't been great. Perhaps… could she just be obscure about it? There was definitely an appeal to naming herself something meaningful without anyone knowing. Maybe she could even find something with layers, so people would assume they knew her whole powerset but she'd still have room to grow!
Panacea was the first search result for 'Goddesses of growth and healing', no surprise there. Following her were a bunch of other greek goddesses that Taylor discarded due to similarity. Choosing a name too close to Panacea was probably a bad idea, since she was already going to be moving infringing upon the other cape's territory in a different way. Norse goddesses were likewise out. No way was she going to associate herself with the Empire. Maybe…. She scrolled down the list. Celtic would be fine right? They were a warrior culture too, so she'd still be able to fight. The celtic goddess of healing turned out to be Brigid, who was also the goddess of spring which was related to growth. That could work. "Brigid" She spoke, tasting the word in the quiet of the library.
All of a sudden, Taylor felt incredibly silly. Brigid. It didn't sound powerful or special or meaningful in her mouth. It was just a name, the kind that people used every day. There had to be hundreds of Brigids in this city alone! She shook her head and scolded herself. She should have thought of that beforehand! Nobody called themselves Larry as a hero name, no matter what history that name had! She'd be better off calling herself Battle Nun or something; At least nobody else would speak up when someone called for Battle Nun. Alright, so maybe goddesses were no good- too powerful and too close to people names. A lot of cape names were just rare words though, presumably to avoid exactly that issue- like Dauntless or Aegis. Maybe that kind of naming scheme would work? In that case… Renewal? Evol… utia? Vernal? Vernal could work. Not a name, and it had enough association with healing that people wouldn't question it too much.
Taylor looked it up and her heart sank. There was in fact a parahuman named Vernal, two of them in fact! One of them was a hero in Georgia who could make geysers of green light shoot from the ground, and the other was a villain in Montana that used the growth of plant roots to break into buildings. Well, it might not have been as original as she would have liked, but at least it seemed like multiple capes could share the same name? Taylor decided to keep it for now, and moved on to the costume. This at least was a simple problem to fix- mostly because of the constraints. The costume had to be something cheap enough for her to buy it with her pocket money or simple enough for her to make herself. A hooded robe (in green obviously) was both of those things; Taylor was certain there was a green sheet sitting unused in one of the closets upstairs, and sewing patterns for robes were easily found with a single search.
With her part of the cape preparations done, Taylor decided to see what her father was up to. She found him in the legal section, sitting at a table with several books laid out around him. "Found anything dad?" She asked, pulling up a seat.
He looked up, his glasses giving his face a serious cast. "Well, not everything. The library has laws and judicial records, but it looks like a lot of what you need is down to PRT policy. You can't charge money for healing- that's from NEPEA- but beyond that…" He shrugged, face twisted into a grimace. "I've looked at a few judgements too. The Protectorate doesn't like independants much, especially the ones that haven't gone through their process. Like any government agency really" Taylor shrank back into her seat. She could already see where this was going. "I saw a lot of PRT expert witnesses saying 'We can't confirm that X isn't a Master' or somesuch, and a lot of PRT prosecutors throwing the book at capes" He scooted his chair over to her. "Look Taylor, if you really want to do this we still can. It'll mean going in and registering with the PRT, and probably going through power testing with them. It might even be good for you! They've got tons of tinker equipment and experts on hand, they might find out something really cool!" He was clearly trying to cheer her up, but Taylor's mind was already spinning out of control.
Power Testing. He might frame it as just a possibility, but they definitely wouldn't let her heal people without testing for side effects. And testing wouldn't be simple either. She could only really heal once or twice, and there were five types of healing she could do. That meant a minimum of three days, and that was if they were satisfied with only one demonstration! Realistically, they would force her to go to the PRT building every day for a week or more for every application of her power! Taylor could feel her breath shortening. There was a hand on her shoulder but it didn't stop her shaking. That meant a whole week for them to tempt and browbeat dad to sign her into the Wards. A whole week to trick or trap her into the same with some technical misconduct or a signed contract. A whole week to find or fabricate some flaw in her power, to prevent her from healing or fighting or using it in any way unless she signed on their dotted line. Taylor grit her teeth, trying to fight off the rising panic. A whole week to ferret out her civilian identity, so they could pounce on any indiscretion and shove her into whatever kind of prison they felt like.
A door opened.
Life Sphere Chosen! Life Talents added to Discard!
Orb of Might- TAKEN
Athletics Sphere- Grants some skill with acrobatics and an increased top speed, as well as the ability to dodge while running. +1 Athletics Level, +3 HP
Alchemy Sphere- Grants some skill with alchemical crafting, as well as the ability to mix healing Salves. +1 Alchemy Level, +3 HP
Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
Barrage Sphere- Grants the ability to shoot or throw faster at the cost of accuracy. +1 Barrage Level, +3 HP
Beastmastery Sphere- Grants some skill with animals and the ability to tame weak ones. +1 Beastmastery Level, +3 HP
Berserker Sphere- Grants the ability to strike hard and go into a rage, ablating damage but increasing enemy hit chance. +1 Berserker Level, +3 HP
Boxing Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to prepare a powerful counterattack. +1 Boxing Level, +3 HP
Brute Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to perform a battering shove. +1 Brute Level, +3 HP
Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
Duelist Sphere- Grants the ability to bleed a foe with every hit, and to more safely disarm bleeding foes. +1 Duelist Level, +3 HP
Equipment Sphere- TAKEN
Balanced Defense- Improves ability to defend when wielding only a single one-handed weapon. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Cavalry Ready- Grants the ability to brace any non-light weapon against a charge. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Cloth Snake Puppetry- Grants the ability to grip and manipulate far-away objects using rope-like weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Cold-Weather Adaptation- Grants the ability to modify any outfit for improved insulation and cold damage resistance. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Craftsman- Grants some skill with weaponsmithing and potentially armorsmithing, along with the ability to make mundane objects in half the time. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Critical Genius- Improves combat instinct with one weapon, making critical hits more likely with it. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Crushing Thrower- Grants the ability to throw weapons great force, using strength to determine accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Dagger Bravo- Greatly improves combat instinct with daggers, improving their crit chance and thrown range. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Dagger Dancer- Improves speed with daggers, allowing them to be drawn more quickly and more easily confirm crits. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Duelist's Grip- Improves grip and balance with one-handed weapons, allowing strength to be more efficiently leveraged. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Expert Reloading- Reduces the time required to reload ranged weapons with proficiency. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Fast Draw- Allows weapons to be drawn as part of the same action as attacking with them. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Finesse Fighting- Grants improved control over light melee weapons, allowing the use of dexterity to determine accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Gauntlet Shield- Grants the ability to use fist weapons as buckler shields when not attacking with them. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Guarded Combattant- Improves grip, making it harder to disarm or sunder weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Gun Kata- Grants the ability to weave firearms into unarmed combat, firing held guns at enemies struck with fists and taking advantage of their enchantments. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Immovable Object- Improves balance and traction, increasing resistance to forced movement and tripping. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Mechanical Savant- Increases the damage of mechanical ranged weapons including crossbows and firearms. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Net Master- Grants improved control over netted creatures, allowing them to be more easily moved. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Polearm Mastery- Reduces the difficulty of targeting close-in targets with reach weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Shortbow Mastery- Improves shot speed with shortbows, allowing more attacks at the expense of accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Spear Dancer- Allows spears to be used with finesse and as one-handed weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Splitshot- Grants the ability to load a bow with two arrows at once, targeting two adjacent creatures with the same attack. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Staff Mastery- Improves the versatility of quarterstaffs, allowing them to be used as double and reach weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Throwing Mastery- Grants the ability to add spin to thrown weapons, causing them to return to the hand. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Thrower's Reflexes- Grants the ability to catch projectiles at the cost of focus. Yes this includes bullets. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Unarmored Training- Grants the ability to generate a skin-tight forcefield based on acrobatic or combat prowess when not wearing armor. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Unorthodox Firing- Improves skill with ranged weapons, allowing them to be fired while prone or while braced with a leg rather than a hand. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Versatile Fighter- Grants access to three stances ranging from offensive to defensive. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Weaponmaster- Grants the ability to deal any kind of physical damage with any weapon. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Whip Fiend- Improves skill with whips, allowing them to inflict lethal damage and threaten nearby foes, as well as interacting with objects within reach. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Armor Proficiency- Grants proficiency with all medium and heavy armor and grants access to further [Armor] Talents. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Extra Discipline- Grants proficiency with another collection of weapons based on spheres and grants access to further [Discipline] Talents. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Fencing Sphere- Grants some skill with deception, as well as the ability to better take advantage of a foe's distraction. +1 Fencing Level, +3 HP
Gladiator Sphere- TAKEN
Derision- Grants the ability to Boast at creatures that miss attacks against you. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Uncowed- Grants the ability to intimidate those who intimidate you, and makes you harder to intimidate. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Guardian Sphere- Grants the ability to ignore wounds for a time, as well as the ability to draw an enemy's attention away from allies. +1 Guardian Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies.
Capoeira Spin- Reduces the penalties for fighting while prone, and grants the ability to stand while striking from the ground to deal additional damage.
Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of.
Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone.
Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition.
Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike.
Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies.
Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes.
Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go.
Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness.
Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage.
Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips.
Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target.
Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously.
Leopard's Gambit- Grants the ability to enter a reckless stance wherein enemy attacks are more likely to hit, but can be responded to with unarmed strikes.
Lotus Touch- Grants the ability to touch a foe for low damage in order to set them up for a more likely critical hit later.
Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses.
Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage.
Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits.
Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone/
Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder.
Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone.
Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them.
Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy.
Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture.
Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike.
Tear Flesh- Grants the ability to deal piercing and slashing damage with unarmed strikes, and to tear away natural armor when striking to cause bleeding.
Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks.
Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike.
Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures.
Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed.
Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina.
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Scout Sphere- Grants some skill with stealth, as well as the ability to assess an enemy's weaknesses. +1 Scout Level, +3 HP
Shield Sphere- Grants the ability to intercept attacks with a shield. +1 Shield Level, +3 HP
Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
Warleader Sphere- Grants some skill with diplomacy as well as the ability to coordinate and empower allies. +1 Warleader Level, +3 HP
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
Armorist Class- A creative class capable of conjuring armor and weapons and enchanting them differently based on the situation. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
Armiger Class- A versatile class that specializes different weapons for different purposes, switching between them at lightning speed. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +2 Ref, +6 + Con HP
Blacksmith Class- A tough class just as good at breaking weapons and armor as it is at making them, including magical equipment. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
Commander Class- A proud class that focuses on bolstering and coordinating allies, and on finding the right person for every job. +¾ BAB, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
Conscript Class- A scrappy class capable of mastering any martial skillset and leveraging it to the fullest. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +2 Ref, +6 + Con HP
Elementalist Class- A destructive class focused on bringing down foes with elemental power. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Eliciter Class- A manipulative class that use their mind magic to disrupt enemies and bolster allies. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Hedgewitch Class- An esoteric class whose secret paths allow them to specialize in unique ways. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
Incanter Class- A masterful class whose skill and power with the magical arts is unmatched. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + Con HP
Mageknight Class- A fusion class that combines martial skill with magical power. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
Prodigy Class- A combo class whose fluid mastery of both magic and might allows them to chain spells and strikes. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Savant Class- A flexible class that boasts unparalleled retraining ability, ensuring that they can surmount any obstacle. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
Scholar Class- A knowledgeable class that combines alchemical and mechanical skill to draw out the hidden power of special substances. +½ BAB, +2 Ref, +4 + Con HP
Sentinel Class- A protective class whose presence is a lightning rod for the wrath of their foes, drawing ire away from allies and bystanders. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +7 + Con HP
Shifter Class- A mutable class whose mastery of their own form is uncontested and deadly in battle. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Soul Weaver Class- A caring class that leverages their knowledge of the soul to heal and harm. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + Con HP
Striker Class- An aggressive class whose affinity for unarmed combat lets them get up close and personal. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +2 Ref, +6 + Con HP
Symbiat Class- An enlightened class whose mental symbiote grants them telekinetic and telepathic skill. Favored by QA! +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP, +1 Perk
Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Thaumaturge Class- A volatile class that trades reliability for bursts of extreme power and esoteric knowledge. +¾ BAB, +1 CL, +5 + Con HP
Troubadour Class- A deceptive class capable of taking on numerous different personas, each with their own abilities. +¾ BAB, +½ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Warden Class- A defensive class that protects others with their martial skill and magical power alike. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
Aptitude Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Aptitude Sphere depending on build. Aptitude talents grant specialized skills or training.
Essence Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Essence Sphere depending on build. Essence talents grant inherent magical abilities.
Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
Strength Boost- Grants a potent boost to Strength. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Dexterity Boost- Grants a large boost to Dexterity. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Constitution Boost- Grants a large boost to Constitution. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Wisdom Boost- Grants a boost to Wisdom. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Charisma Boost- Grants a boost to Charisma. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Orb of Power- TAKEN
Alteration Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision or a wide array of natural weapons to oneself or a willing ally. +1 Alteration level, +1 SP
Blood Sphere- Grants the ability to take control of a creature's blood and accelerate or halt their bleeding. +1 Blood level, +1 SP
Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure an extraplanar creature to serve as a servant and bodyguard. +1 Conjuration level, +1 SP
Creation Sphere- Grants the ability to repair or damage objects, or to create crude objects made of soft materials. +1 Creation level, +1 SP
Dark Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision and create a large area of darkness. +1 Dark level, +1 SP
Death Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a draining projectile and to animate a corpse as a skeleton or zombie. +1 Death level, +1 SP
Destruction Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a damaging energy projectile. +1 Destruction level, +1 SP
Divination Sphere- Grants the ability to divine for effects related to other known spheres, and to decipher magical script. +1 Divination level, +1 SP
Enhancement Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance weapons and armor with magical protection or destruction. +1 Enhancement level, +1 SP
Fate Sphere- Grants the ability to improve allies' luck and to bless them with protection against evil. +1 Fate level, +1 SP
Illusion Sphere- Grants the ability to disguise oneself and to create person-sized visual illusions. +1 Illusion level, +1 SP
Light Sphere- Grants the ability to cause people and things to glow, and to bend light to see farther. +1 Light level, +1 SP
Mind Sphere- Grants the ability to plant thoughts in the minds of others. +1 Mind level, +1 SP
Nature Sphere- Grants the ability to grow and manipulate plants to strike and snare enemies. +1 Nature level, +1 SP
Protection Sphere- Grants the ability to create solid barriers around people and in the form of domes. +1 Protection level, +1 SP
Telekinesis Sphere- Grants the ability to lift and throw small objects without touching them. +1 Telekinesis level, +1 SP
Time Sphere- Grants the ability to accelerate or slow a person. +1 Time level, +1 SP
War Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance the destructive ability of allies, and to rally them. +1 War level, +1 SP
Warp Sphere- Grants the ability to teleport yourself or an ally some distance. +1 Warp level, +1 SP
Weather Sphere- Grants the ability to create, intensify, or calm various types of weather. +1 Weather level, +1 SP
Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
Orb of Void- Does nothing on its own, but can be combined with another Orb or Sphere to destroy it, thinning your deck. When used with a Sphere, also grants a Perk.
You: Here are some things to get you into a better mindset
Taylor: Is this… another unhealthy coping mechanism?
More seriously though, she is getting better. She's gone from (understandably) having a panic attack every few minutes immediately after her trigger, to now going whole hours without focusing on her problems at all. You can probably also tell that despite her skepticism, the increased intelligence and wisdom are having an effect. She's thinking more deeply about the effects of her actions and reading more deeply into the actions of others. That's good. She'll likely need it regardless of which path she chooses… which is partially up to you to determine. Right now she's trying to decide whether healing is worth going into the snake pit that is the PRT, but that decision has other implications for her future course. With Voices in my Head, you have some influence over that, and the choices you offer could change things as well.
[x] Plan: Caster Levels
- [x] Incanter Class- A masterful class whose skill and power with the magical arts is unmatched. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + Con HP
- [x] Soul Weaver Class- A caring class that leverages their knowledge of the soul to heal and harm. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + Con HP
- [x] Symbiat Class- An enlightened class whose mental symbiote grants them telekinetic and telepathic skill. Favored by QA! +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP, +1 Perk
- [x] Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Ref, +5 + Con HP
This time, Taylor was aware of it when her power took over. It was almost like jumping into a pleasantly-warm lake, the real world washing away to be replaced by a sort of weightless enormity. The soft hum of the library heating cut out suddenly, the cool breezes ceased along with any differences in temperature. There was no more hard table beneath her elbows, no pressure from her father's hand. Even the soft chafing of her clothes had vanished!
Taylor blinked. Only the brush of her eyelashes on skin confirmed that she had done so. She took a deep shuddering breath. What… what had she been thinking about? That's right. Getting registered with the PRT. Power testing. That. She forced herself to breathe slowly and evenly. It probably wouldn't be that bad. Carefully thinking through it, Taylor reassured herself. Sure, power testing might take a while, but she wanted to know if there were any side effects just as much as they did. Sure the Protectorate would have a lot of time to talk to her and Dad, but he wasn't just going to fold without a fight. They might be able to pull some underhanded bullshit, but they had let Panacea operate outside of the Wards for a long time right? And she was much more of a catch than Vernal would be. Especially if she kept the testing to just the healing power.
Taylor nodded to herself. Alright. Okay. She was fine, she was safe, she was in control. In, and out. Taylor gave a fervent sigh of relief that she had taken the void orb that one time. She didn't want to break down in front of dad again, to confirm to him that she was fragile and had to be protected. This time stop… it gave her time to think, to collect herself. Honestly she had needed that more than it's apparent intended purpose, to give her more time to consider the offered spheres. Speaking of… Taylor looked towards the four spheres she was offered and narrowed her eyes.
All four of them were mirrored spheres, all in burnished gold, and all of them reflected different versions of Taylor. That was suspicious. Four spheres of the same type? It had happened before, when she had only opened up the red orb. Since then though, she'd also opened the mirrored and the starry orbs, and had seen spheres from both of those in the last two choice sets. Not for the first time Taylor wondered if there was some intelligence behind the spheres, curating her options. She'd dismissed the possibility before, but this was the third suspiciously organized set of spheres so far- and as the famous saying went: "One is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and thrice is enemy action" If it was enemy action though, why all of the random selections? Were they trying to maintain cover and deceive her? Or was this yet another nonsensical limitation of her power? She stopped herself. Paranoia was useless. She had to approach this logically, collect the facts and find out what was going on. Taylor once again cursed herself for not starting a power journal. That would have let her try and calculate the probability of this kind of thing happening randomly. She still remembered enough though: The first suspicious instance had been the day she gained powers. On her way to the principal's office, she had been offered a choice wherein all of the options would have given her some sort of interpersonal skill. The second time had been yesterday morning, when she'd been offered a bunch of spheres that would make her better at hand-to-hand combat. Finally, now, when she was contemplating what kind of cape career she wanted… Taylor looked at the first sphere to extract its secrets.
In the golden mirror, she saw herself, dressed in the same kind of dark green robe she'd imagined for Vernal. Most of the uncovered face didn't look any different, but the eyes… The eyes sparked blue with energy, and held within them endless depths of mystery and wonder. They spoke of power, of knowledge, the deep kind that couldn't simply be taught. They were shot through with the same starlight Taylor had seen in the sphere that gave her the healing power. Unlike the other spheres she'd seen so far, it didn't promise power so much as point towards it. It would empower her healing power, sure, along with any other starlight spheres she picked up, but that wasn't the main thing. The main thing was the potential, the growth and power and mastery that would come with following this path- because that's what it was. A path rather than a self-contained power. It promised to grow and change and improve as long as she followed it, to reward her the more she aligned with it. And this path was one of mastery of the starlit spheres.
Taylor broke eye contact in a daze. This was new. A sphere that grew in power based on her other powers? It was… well, it was something, certainly. Something she wished she could have taken right from the beginning. Better late than never though. Were all of these golden mirror like this? She moved on to the next one, which pictured her in the same robe as before. This time though, the reflection lacked the starry eyes and instead had a kind smile and skin that practically glowed with health. It also had… things, crawling all over and through the green robe. They were ethereal, but crystalline, like dragonflies but with only a single large faceted eyeball instead of their entire head and far too many legs. The things seemed to pay no heed to reality, scuttling through the folds of this Taylor's clothes and even arms as though they weren't there, though at times they rested upon her skin instead. Despite the creepy bug-things though, the impression Taylor got was of a caring and supportive path, unlike the previous one's focus on knowledge and power. This was a path of healing and helping others. That would be nice for the short term- and maybe even medium, but Taylor didn't know if it was the right choice. Certainly, she could pick powers to protect herself outside of whatever path she chose, but wouldn't it be better to pick something that let her do both? Maybe she was wrong though? What if those bugs could fight?
The reflection in the third sphere was not wearing a robe, instead she wore a dark green leather jacket with hardened sections like armor plates. That wasn't the most striking part though- that was the third eye in the center of her forehead. Well, not quite in her forehead. The glowing angular purple thing looked more like it was projecting or phasing out of her forehead. It was shaped like a dodecahedron with one one vertex and the lines around it darkened to form a sort of triangular iris, alternately twitching from point to point and scanning over this Taylor's field of view. Strangely, it seemed to be made in the same style as the previous sphere's bugs, all crystalline facets and disconcerting disregard for reality. This one scared Taylor, not because of the weird look- lots of capes had weird features or power expressions- but because somehow she knew that the eye didn't belong to her! It wasn't just one thing; The way that the eye looked in different directions than the reflection's, the unnatural way it moved, but most of all it was the path itself. This was a path about control and coordination. It was a path of power, yes, but shared power. It was a path that drew power from another, a path that required accepting help.
Taylor considered that for a moment, then decided not to and moved on to the final sphere. This Taylor was the most different of all. She knew she was pale both due to genetics and a lack of sun, but this reflection's skin was so pallid it was almost transparent. She looked like a corpse. She also looked tired, but in the supermodel way. Dark bruisemarks under the eyes that looked like they could have been makeup, windswept hair that was nonetheless glossy and free of knots, a certain look in her eyes… Then, as Taylor watched, the reflection changed. That pale skin rippled like cloth, tearing and shredding with nothing underneath, but leaving the face intact. The dark green cloak became tattered in the same moment, trailing rags flapping in a nonexistent wind with no body to hold it back. Taylor sucked in a breath through her teeth, noting in the back of her mind that this was the classic horror movie depiction of a ghost. That didn't help. Just seeing her body come apart like that… she rubbed her arms just to feel something, touching the goosebumps on her invisible limbs. This was a dark path, almost an inversion of the previous one. Instead of benefiting from another's control and using it to help others, it was about taking control from others. It didn't seem malicious, not inherently, but it was dominating and insular in a way that the others weren't. Taylor was honestly reminded of that grasping hand sphere she had voided yesterday. That said, there was more to consider than just the vibe- like, for example, would it let her become a ghost? Because that would be great for mobility and protection. She peered deeper and found that it wouldn't, not immediately at least, but based on the imagery it seemed very likely that it would produce that kind of power as a marble. Did that make it worth it? Probably not.
Alright. Having looked over all her options, Taylor took a proverbial step back. If there was a controlling intelligence, it was obvious what it wanted her to have. She understood- sort of. The Paths were really promising as powers that improved on their own. That said, she really didn't appreciate being boxed in like this. Forced to choose one of these four and carry it forever. Could she even have more than one Path? Taylor assumed so, since none of her previous choices seemed to be exclusive. Or maybe they were and she just hadn't been offered options that were excluded by her previous choices? Regardless, this selection of Paths was offered when she had been agonizing over her proverbial path as a hero. The first suspicious selection contained social skills and had been offered when she was about to talk to Blackwell. The second was still a mystery (she had just been having a nightmare), but the evidence suggested that if something was picking out what to offer her (and her intuition was telling her there was), then that entity was trying to offer things that would help with the current situation.
So. Where did that leave her? Did she trust it to give her the powers she needed? Taylor acknowledged she'd kind of have to, since the alternative was just floating here in this space forever. The notion sent a shudder through her body. What did that mean though? She didn't even know what kind of hero she wanted to be, so how could it? Even if she did know what kind of powers she wanted, was there any way to communicate with it? Was there any way to get it to do what she wanted it to, rather than just forcing her to go along with its ideas? Taylor sighed. If she was going to be a hero she certainly couldn't do it while at odds with her own powers. She had to try.
"Um, powers?" Taylor's voice did not echo at all in this space, swallowed almost immediately by the silence. "Can you… prove you exist? That you can understand me?" Silence. "Can you give me- in the next selection. In the next selection could you give me powers for, um" Shit, she hadn't thought this far out. "...powers for protecting myself please? O-or, stuff to make me tougher or harder to hit?" There, that would at least help calm Dad's worries about the danger of caping. That should be it… no, wait, the choice! Taylor firmed up her resolve. "As a gesture of trust, I'm going to take the third one, the one with the eye. It… it seems like it's about cooperation. Between us. Unless the thing it's drawing power from isn't you. Then sorry" Talking into space hoping that your imaginary friend would hear her was beginning to make her feel silly, so Taylor reached out to the chosen sphere. "Oh, and… don't try to manipulate me. I'll know, and I'll find out what you want and make sure you never get it"
With that, the power space vanished before her eyes and the sensations of the real world flooded back. The hard wood of the table. The soft hum of the heating. The softness of her hoodie. The jerk as the hand on her shoulder… flinched away from her? "Taylor?" Her father whispered, looking worried and more than a little confused. "You're… are you okay?"
"Yeah" His look remained. "I'm fine dad" Taylor insisted. "I know I was… getting a bit worried but, I've had some time to think about it. Work through the pros and cons and all that" She gave a smile that was probably less convincing than she had intended.
"Oh, that's right. The, uh, time stop thing" Danny deflated, leaning back into his seat. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, you know that? You were, well, you were shaking, and then you just stopped out of nowhere. Just went straight from… upset… to totally fine" He shook his head. "Jesus Taylor. Just, you know you can talk to me alright? You don't have to handle everything yourself?"
Uncomfortable with the pleading in his tone, Taylor adopted her own grimace. "It doesn't work like that Dad. Whenever I get a choice I get time stopped until I choose. It doesn't care about my mental state, but I don't… I try not to make any decisions like that, so I wait till I'm okay"
He didn't look like he believed her, but he reluctantly allowed the topic to pass. "Alright Taylor. Just, you can talk to me any time okay? It doesn't even have to be me, any of your friends will do, but… try not to let things build up. It isn't healthy"
There was a long moment of silence between the two.
"Anyways" Taylor started awkwardly. "If that's what it takes, I'll register with the Protectorate. We should" She swallowed an uncomfortable lump in her throat. "We should start soon, since power testing will probably take a while. I can't use my healing power very much. We'll probably have to go in multiple times"
"Are you sure?" Once again, her father wasn't quite keeping up. "It's okay if we wait, you know? You were just… and now you're totally okay with it?" At her resolute nod, he sighed. "Okay, okay. I can make the call when we get home. Tell me if you change you mind alright?" He stood, pushing his chair back with his legs and gathering up the books. "Actually… how do you want to do this? I can come in with you, probably. I've got an old balaclava somewhere…"
Taylor stood, frowning to herself. On the one hand, the reason she was doing this in the first place was for her independence. Bringing Dad along would undercut that, in addition to giving the Protectorate an opportunity to convince him to sign her up against her will. On the other hand, could she really stand up to them on her own if they tried to pressure her? Also, he probably had experience with all that contract legal stuff where she might be tricked into signing something that would screw her over. Actually… "Actually, do I need a lawyer or something? They're going to make me sign things right? So do we need someone to read over that stuff to make sure they don't try to pull something?"
"Well…" Danny seemed hesitant. "I could ask Alan" Alan Barnes. Emma's dad. "I just… I assumed you wanted to keep it private. If you're okay with it though…"
Taylor couldn't backtrack fast enough. "Ah! No! It's fine! I was just wondering. I'm sure, um, it'll be fine. Just… gotta read carefully right?"
Her father gave her a long look. There was silence for a moment as the two of them walked past the front desk and out the door. "Are you sure? It could be a good idea; Alan works with Branish you know, so even if he isn't an expert on parahuman law he certainly knows one"
"Yeah, I just… I just want to get things settled before we tell anyone. If we tell anyone"
He nodded slowly. "...Okay. I'll give them a call. When do you think you'll be ready?" He opened the car door and unlocked her side with a click.
Taylor slid in and buckled up. "Um, tomorrow probably? I was thinking of using that old green sheet as a robe. Use the old sewing kit to put it together, that kind of thing. It should be pretty simple. Just a few cuts and stitches from what I read" Her father nodded his affirmation, eyes on the road as he peeled away.
The ride home was quiet, neither of them really knowing what to say. Taylor was also wrestling with her own issue: Whether or not to ask dad to come with her to the Protectorate meeting. The arguments tumbled over each other in her head. It would be nice to have someone she could trust while in proverbial enemy territory. But could she really trust him? Or would he just sign her away to the Wards in the name of safety. Was that even her decision to make in the first place? Would he even let her go without him?
When the Heberts got home, Taylor busied herself with her costume, finding the sheet and the sewing kit and settling herself in the living room to work. Her father meanwhile had busied himself with paperwork at the kitchen table. They work in peace for a while. Taylor hasn't sewn in ages, but the project is simple and forgiving. She just needed to measure the neck height she needed and add a button and a buttonhole. The hood… that could be a problem. She remembered the sort of curved cuts she'd need to make, but it might take a few tries to get it right. She was contemplating that, drawing the lines with a sharpie and holding the fabric together, when her father picked up the phone. It rang once. Twice. Then it was picked up with a click. Taylor couldn't hear the other end, but she listened intently to her father's words nonetheless.
"Hello, is this the Brockton Bay protectorate?" A moment of silence. "No, no crimes. I'm actually calling on behalf of a new parahuman?" Some mumbling from the earpiece. "Not right now, no. They were thinking about registering as an independent hero actually" More mumbling. "Tomorrow would be great. Do you have any time open then?" A pause, perhaps a question? "Yes, the two of us. And she hasn't decided on a name" Taylor sighed. There went her choice. Not that she had talked to him about it, or even really knew which choice she'd make. Still, her heart sank with foreboding at the thought of some beaurocrat turning her father against her. Another murmur came from the phone and Danny turned to look at Taylor. "...I'd rather not say over the phone" Say what? "No! No it's nothing dangerous. Nothing like that" Was he talking about her power? Nothing like what? "We'd just rather discuss it in person. Yes, we know there'll be power testing. Yes, we're looking forward to it. Yup, we'll be there. Alright. Okay. I'll remember that" The call ended, and Danny relaxed with a sigh.
"Well?" Taylor kept the accusation out of her voice as she asked. "Did it go alright?" She was tense, almost shaking, with anxiety.
He sat there for a moment before answering. "Yeah. Well enough I suppose. They want us to come to The Rig at 2 tomorrow. Front door in the middle of the day" He let out a long breath, then visibly forced a smile to his face. "Better hurry up with that robe honey, looks like it'll be a long day tomorrow!"
Taylor wanted to press, wanted to question, but she held back. Her father was obviously exhausted. The matter was settled. All that was left to do was to prepare. And worry. The rest of the evening was spent quietly. Taylor finished her hood and a matching scarf (made of the rest of the bedsheet), though it was hardly professional work. Danny made dinner, a simple beef casserole, and Taylor used her cantrips to make up for the lack of spices. After washing the dishes, Taylor went up to bed where she stayed awake for hours, kept up by nervous energy. Eventually though, well past midnight, exhaustion won out over tension.
Taylor walked into the lobby of the Protectorate HQ. It was blue and white and lit by neon and TV screens showing a video of Armsmaster's head. Her dad walked beside her. At the end of the lobby was a huge wooden desk with an equally huge Mrs. Blackwell behind it. But this wasn't the regular Mrs. Blackwell; she was wearing a blue suit with yellow tasseled shoulder pads and a ton of rainbow medals! PRT Director Blackwell pointed her giant finger at Taylor and she shrunk down. Taylor turned around to see where the finger was pointed and saw Emma in a full body cast. She knew what she had to do. Taylor ran over to heal her, but just as she got close a wall of paper slammed down in front of her. She was trapped in a contract! Director Blackwell grabbed her prison in a massive hand and crunched it up in a paper ball to throw away, and then Taylor was out! She was back in that lobby, but there was no door. All the Armsmaster heads on the wall were shouting at her in mechanical synchrony. "Stop! You're Un-Der Arrest!" They were walking towards her on mechanical legs! "Stop!" Stomp. "You're Un-Der Arrest!" Stomp. Stomp. The rhythm was mesmerizing, and she quailed under their robotic glares. Without explanation Taylor was running again, out of the doors of the now-demonic Rig, dodging its grasping pipe-tentacles. She fled, across the rainbow bridge and across the bay, the Rig hot on her heels. At the end of the bridge, Alexandria was waiting for her. She was perfect and strong, standing with her hands on her hips and a disapproving expression. "It's too late" She said in a booming voice. "You're a villain now" She opened a door in her chest, and then Taylor was back in the locker, but it was invulnerable this time. There was no escape!
But once again, the door opened.
Symbiat Class Chosen! Level 1 Symbiat Class Features Added to the Discard!
Symbiat Requires the Following to Advance:
Spell Pool (Discard)
Battlefield Sense (Discard)
Psionics (Discard)
Mental Powers (Discard) OR Mind Sphere (Draw) AND Telekinesis Sphere (Draw)
Choose Four Orbs, Spheres or Talents
Orb of Might- TAKEN
Athletics Sphere- Grants some skill with acrobatics and an increased top speed, as well as the ability to dodge while running. +1 Athletics Level, +3 HP
Alchemy Sphere- Grants some skill with alchemical crafting, as well as the ability to mix healing Salves. +1 Alchemy Level, +3 HP
Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
Barrage Sphere- Grants the ability to shoot or throw faster at the cost of accuracy. +1 Barrage Level, +3 HP
Beastmastery Sphere- Grants some skill with animals and the ability to tame weak ones. +1 Beastmastery Level, +3 HP
Berserker Sphere- Grants the ability to strike hard and go into a rage, ablating damage but increasing enemy hit chance. +1 Berserker Level, +3 HP
Boxing Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to prepare a powerful counterattack. +1 Boxing Level, +3 HP
Brute Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to perform a battering shove. +1 Brute Level, +3 HP
Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
Duelist Sphere- Grants the ability to bleed a foe with every hit, and to more safely disarm bleeding foes. +1 Duelist Level, +3 HP
Equipment Sphere- TAKEN
Balanced Defense- Improves ability to defend when wielding only a single one-handed weapon. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Cavalry Ready- Grants the ability to brace any non-light weapon against a charge. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Cloth Snake Puppetry- Grants the ability to grip and manipulate far-away objects using rope-like weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Cold-Weather Adaptation- Grants the ability to modify any outfit for improved insulation and cold damage resistance. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Craftsman- Grants some skill with weaponsmithing and potentially armorsmithing, along with the ability to make mundane objects in half the time. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Critical Genius- Improves combat instinct with one weapon, making critical hits more likely with it. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Crushing Thrower- Grants the ability to throw weapons great force, using strength to determine accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Dagger Bravo- Greatly improves combat instinct with daggers, improving their crit chance and thrown range. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Dagger Dancer- Improves speed with daggers, allowing them to be drawn more quickly and more easily confirm crits. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Duelist's Grip- Improves grip and balance with one-handed weapons, allowing strength to be more efficiently leveraged. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Expert Reloading- Reduces the time required to reload ranged weapons with proficiency. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Fast Draw- Allows weapons to be drawn as part of the same action as attacking with them. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Finesse Fighting- Grants improved control over light melee weapons, allowing the use of dexterity to determine accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Gauntlet Shield- Grants the ability to use fist weapons as buckler shields when not attacking with them. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Guarded Combattant- Improves grip, making it harder to disarm or sunder weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Gun Kata- Grants the ability to weave firearms into unarmed combat, firing held guns at enemies struck with fists and taking advantage of their enchantments. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Immovable Object- Improves balance and traction, increasing resistance to forced movement and tripping. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Mechanical Savant- Increases the damage of mechanical ranged weapons including crossbows and firearms. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Net Master- Grants improved control over netted creatures, allowing them to be more easily moved. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Polearm Mastery- Reduces the difficulty of targeting close-in targets with reach weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Shortbow Mastery- Improves shot speed with shortbows, allowing more attacks at the expense of accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Spear Dancer- Allows spears to be used with finesse and as one-handed weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Splitshot- Grants the ability to load a bow with two arrows at once, targeting two adjacent creatures with the same attack. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Staff Mastery- Improves the versatility of quarterstaffs, allowing them to be used as double and reach weapons. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Throwing Mastery- Grants the ability to add spin to thrown weapons, causing them to return to the hand. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Thrower's Reflexes- Grants the ability to catch projectiles at the cost of focus. Yes this includes bullets. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Unarmored Training- Grants the ability to generate a skin-tight forcefield based on acrobatic or combat prowess when not wearing armor. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Unorthodox Firing- Improves skill with ranged weapons, allowing them to be fired while prone or while braced with a leg rather than a hand. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Versatile Fighter- Grants access to three stances ranging from offensive to defensive. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Weaponmaster- Grants the ability to deal any kind of physical damage with any weapon. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Whip Fiend- Improves skill with whips, allowing them to inflict lethal damage and threaten nearby foes, as well as interacting with objects within reach. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Armor Proficiency- Grants proficiency with all medium and heavy armor and grants access to further [Armor] Talents. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Extra Discipline- Grants proficiency with another collection of weapons based on spheres and grants access to further [Discipline] Talents. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Fencing Sphere- Grants some skill with deception, as well as the ability to better take advantage of a foe's distraction. +1 Fencing Level, +3 HP
Gladiator Sphere- TAKEN
Derision- Grants the ability to Boast at creatures that miss attacks against you. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Uncowed- Grants the ability to intimidate those who intimidate you, and makes you harder to intimidate. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Guardian Sphere- Grants the ability to ignore wounds for a time, as well as the ability to draw an enemy's attention away from allies. +1 Guardian Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies.
Capoeira Spin- Reduces the penalties for fighting while prone, and grants the ability to stand while striking from the ground to deal additional damage.
Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of.
Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone.
Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition.
Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike.
Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies.
Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes.
Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go.
Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness.
Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage.
Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips.
Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target.
Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously.
Leopard's Gambit- Grants the ability to enter a reckless stance wherein enemy attacks are more likely to hit, but can be responded to with unarmed strikes.
Lotus Touch- Grants the ability to touch a foe for low damage in order to set them up for a more likely critical hit later.
Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses.
Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage.
Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits.
Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone/
Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder.
Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone.
Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them.
Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy.
Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture.
Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike.
Tear Flesh- Grants the ability to deal piercing and slashing damage with unarmed strikes, and to tear away natural armor when striking to cause bleeding.
Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks.
Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike.
Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures.
Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed.
Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina.
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Scout Sphere- Grants some skill with stealth, as well as the ability to assess an enemy's weaknesses. +1 Scout Level, +3 HP
Shield Sphere- Grants the ability to intercept attacks with a shield. +1 Shield Level, +3 HP
Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
Warleader Sphere- Grants some skill with diplomacy as well as the ability to coordinate and empower allies. +1 Warleader Level, +3 HP
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
Aptitude Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Aptitude Sphere depending on build. Aptitude talents grant specialized skills or training.
Essence Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Essence Sphere depending on build. Essence talents grant inherent magical abilities.
Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
Strength Boost- Grants a potent boost to Strength. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Dexterity Boost- Grants a large boost to Dexterity. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Constitution Boost- Grants a large boost to Constitution. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Wisdom Boost- Grants a boost to Wisdom. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Charisma Boost- Grants a boost to Charisma. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Orb of Power- TAKEN
Alteration Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision or a wide array of natural weapons to oneself or a willing ally. +1 Alteration level, +1 SP
Blood Sphere- Grants the ability to take control of a creature's blood and accelerate or halt their bleeding. +1 Blood level, +1 SP
Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure an extraplanar creature to serve as a servant and bodyguard. +1 Conjuration level, +1 SP
Creation Sphere- Grants the ability to repair or damage objects, or to create crude objects made of soft materials. +1 Creation level, +1 SP
Dark Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision and create a large area of darkness. +1 Dark level, +1 SP
Death Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a draining projectile and to animate a corpse as a skeleton or zombie. +1 Death level, +1 SP
Destruction Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a damaging energy projectile. +1 Destruction level, +1 SP
Divination Sphere- Grants the ability to divine for effects related to other known spheres, and to decipher magical script. +1 Divination level, +1 SP
Enhancement Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance weapons and armor with magical protection or destruction. +1 Enhancement level, +1 SP
Fate Sphere- Grants the ability to improve allies' luck and to bless them with protection against evil. +1 Fate level, +1 SP
Illusion Sphere- Grants the ability to disguise oneself and to create person-sized visual illusions. +1 Illusion level, +1 SP
Light Sphere- Grants the ability to cause people and things to glow, and to bend light to see farther. +1 Light level, +1 SP
Mind Sphere- Grants the ability to plant thoughts in the minds of others. +1 Mind level, +1 SP
Nature Sphere- Grants the ability to grow and manipulate plants to strike and snare enemies. +1 Nature level, +1 SP
Protection Sphere- Grants the ability to create solid barriers around people and in the form of domes. +1 Protection level, +1 SP
Telekinesis Sphere- Grants the ability to lift and throw small objects without touching them. +1 Telekinesis level, +1 SP
Time Sphere- Grants the ability to accelerate or slow a person. +1 Time level, +1 SP
War Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance the destructive ability of allies, and to rally them. +1 War level, +1 SP
Warp Sphere- Grants the ability to teleport yourself or an ally some distance. +1 Warp level, +1 SP
Weather Sphere- Grants the ability to create, intensify, or calm various types of weather. +1 Weather level, +1 SP
Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
Orb of Void- Does nothing on its own, but can be combined with another Orb or Sphere to destroy it, thinning your deck. When used with a Sphere, also grants a Perk.
Choose One Perk
Advisory Board- Spheres and Talents will come recommended based on synergy. Taylor will know roughly how well the presented options work with her current build. That's no guarantee that she'll pick the good ones though.
Gamer's Mind- Taylor's been emotionally unstable since she got her power- understandably so, considering what happened. Still, that doesn't exactly lend itself to making the best decisions or prioritizing correctly. If taken, this perk will suppress those emotions while she is making her choice, ensuring that every pick is guided by logic alone.
Card Sharp- With each offering, you can choose one additional orb, sphere or talent to discard without offering. This will allow you to get through the deck quicker and avoid offering particular things to Taylor which she might want but you don't like.
Hungry Void- Four more Voids will be added to the deck, to help thin things out a bit. This makes for a much more focused build, but again it's up to Taylor to use them well. If two Voids are combined they are both destroyed.
Dredging the Void- Sometimes people make mistakes. Taylor frequently makes mistakes. Luckily, not all mistakes are permanent. Retrieve one voided sphere or talent and put it in the discard.
Da Rulez- Unfortunately, Taylor lives in a place and time not particularly receptive to traditional adventurer problem-solving. One use of her new powers and it's going to be "Use of Force" this and "Kill-Order" that. This way, none of her granted abilities will be lethal unless she wants them to be.
Writing on the Wall- Despite the intrusive thoughts, Taylor still isn't doing what you want her to! It's time for more… blatant measures. Just a little hack to her visual processors, and she'll be hallucinating your messages like a champ! The connection's still spotty though; Parts of messages might not get through.
Guide Dog- Taylor needs help. Everyone thinks so. Luckily, QA was kind enough to include a small native lifeform to help her acclimate! Taylor gains a familiar!*
*Terms and conditions apply. Familiars may vary.
Spleen of a Savior- QA stole it from someone. No, not the same person as last time. Taylor's hero points are now infused with the logic of Golarion which rejects all forms of prophecy. Whenever Taylor's actions are predicted, prophesied or simulated to her detriment, her hero points will be spent to allow her to defy her fate. Nothing can guarantee she'll defy her fate correctly though.
Trappings of Power- Taylor's magic normally manifests in a pretty bland way. The Natural casting tradition has neither Drawbacks nor Boons, so it's generally good but isn't great for anything. Luckily, QA took inspiration from a more… specialized caster this time.
Fighting Chance- Taylor is, to say the least, pretty pants at fighting at this point in time. Not only does she not have the physique for it, she also doesn't have the skills or the instinct. This benefit will at least rectify the latter. Write in a Discipline Talent, and the Might Orb will also (retroactively) grant another Equipment Talent.
Classy- Taylor's current Class is Student, which is kind of a worse version of Expert. With this benefit on the other hand, Taylor replaces that with a single level in any Spheres Class- no requirement for possessing any spheres at all. It still doesn't grant any class features.
Not a Racial Allegory- Humans are boring. Always have been, always will be. I'm sure Taylor would prefer to be something more interesting, like a strong half-orc, or a beautiful elf, or an inventive gnome. No I'm not stereotyping! You're stereotyping!
I honestly cannot believe how quickly I got that chapter out. The fickleness of the muse I suppose. Anyways, this is a big post in other ways than word count. Mostly, you're diving head-first into a whole new mechanic! Class Progression! Now, you currently don't have access to most of the Symbiat's unique tricks right now because they're in the discard, but you can see them at the very least (or at least you will be able to once I update the Deck). You can also see what Class Progression will look like in general. Basically, if you plan things right and tempt Taylor to pick the right stuff, you should be able to level each class up once per run through the deck. After that, all the new class features from the level up will be added to the discard pile. Theoretically you should be able to get a pretty good rhythm going, though I don't know how well it works in practice. Remember, classes with more thematic overlap will require less additional work to satisfy both their requirements.
Orbs, Spheres, and Talents:
- [x] Versatile Fighter- Grants access to three stances ranging from offensive to defensive. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
- [x] Dexterity Boost- Grants a large boost to Dexterity. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
- [x] Aptitude Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Aptitude Sphere depending on build. Aptitude talents grant specialized skills or training.
- [X] Essence Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Essence Sphere depending on build. Essence talents grant inherent magical abilities.
Perks:
- [x] Classy- Taylor's current Class is Student, which is kind of a worse version of Expert. With this benefit on the other hand, Taylor replaces that with a single level in any Spheres Class- no requirement for possessing any spheres at all. It still doesn't grant any class features.
- [x] Replace Student with Conscript
Classy means an all-around upgrade of Taylor's capabilities, certainly more than Fighting Chance. Basically any pick would be good, but Conscript's statline fits well with what's expected of a cape and shores up Taylor's immediate weaknesses (BAB/Fort/Ref), and if she later gets access to its class features, they're so ultra-customizable that it should be no problem synergizing it with Symbiat.
The overall aim here is for any of the picks to give Taylor something immediately useful to show off, but that also doesn't immediately clash with presenting herself as a healer if she still wants to do that. Dexterity Boost is the more subtle one but still goes well with the benefits from the Conscript swap, Versatile Fighter gives her an opportunity to lean into "combat Thinker" to go with Symbiat things, and the other two are pretty self-explanatory.
[X] Plan Rewarding Trust and PRT Approved Powers
-[X] Athletics Sphere- Grants some skill with acrobatics and an increased top speed, as well as the ability to dodge while running. +1 Athletics Level, +3 HP
-[X] Unarmored Training- Grants the ability to generate a skin-tight forcefield based on acrobatic or combat prowess when not wearing armor. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
-[X] Protection Sphere- Grants the ability to create solid barriers around people and in the form of domes. +1 Protection level, +1 SP
-[X] Constitution Boost- Grants a large boost to Constitution. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
-[X] Da Rulez- Unfortunately, Taylor lives in a place and time not particularly receptive to traditional adventurer problem-solving. One use of her new powers and it's going to be "Use of Force" this and "Kill-Order" that. This way, none of her granted abilities will be lethal unless she wants them to be.
"Noooo-hurk!?" Taylor jerked awake, choking on her own spit. What… what? She coughed to get the phlegm out of her throat then took a deep breath. The dream was quickly fading, but even the shreds that remained in her memory pointed to something truly absurd. She had been running from something right? That would explain her shortness of breath at least. Taylor lay back in the comfort of her power space, waiting for her heart rate to slow down, blinking as she did so (not that it made any difference). Why had she gotten a power now anyways? Her previous choices had always come at a moment of high stress, so… was her power mistaking her nightmare for a panic attack? Was it something she could do intentionally? Did she even want to? No. Taylor shook her head. There were more important things to consider right now. Like the impending registration with the PRT. And her powers.
The first sphere was familiar, a swirling red one with the image of a boot. It was the same ability she'd passed up earlier when she'd gotten martial arts. Energetic, opportunistic, and mobile, it offered to raise her top speed and make her more agile. Thinking about it logically, it was a good deal. She wasn't a great fighter right now, and she didn't really have any offensive powers either so her best option in a fight would be to run away. But Taylor didn't want to run away. She didn't want to be the type of hero that would just flee from a threat. If this was the best there was, she'd take it, but… Taylor moved on to the next sphere.
This one was a marble from the halberd sphere. She reached out to feel the impressions and found a dancer clad only in silks, standing firm against the strikes of a dozen swords. The feelings it evoked were of agility and freedom, but there was more to it than that- Taylor could see the blades skating off of bare skin. Rather, it seemed to be that the unbridled motion was somehow converted into protection. This… this could be exactly what she needed. A quintessential brute power to keep her safe. Taylor looked deeped, then frowned; the power seemed fragile though. Carrying much of anything would impede her too much to activate, as would wearing anything protective or basically stopping movement for even a moment. If she got trapped, the power would fail and she would be done for. This was a power that would restrict her almost as much as it protected. Still… not getting hurt was attractive.
The third sphere was a starry one with the emblem of a shield on it. Taylor reached out towards it and was bombarded with concepts just like the healing sphere. Protection. Defense. Refuge, Barrier, ResistanceAbjurationWarding… She got the picture. This was a sphere that was all about defending herself and others. It offered the ability to create a dome of force, or to shroud someone in a deflective force bubble. It seemed like a fantastic power for a hero to have… but like all her powers it was weak. The barrier was fragile, only strong enough to take a single punch, and the bubble didn't seem very effective either. Luckily they didn't seem to cost anything unless she wanted them to keep going without her involvement. Maybe it would have better marbles?
The final sphere was a bronze mirrored one, or maybe brass? It was reminiscent of the one that had offered to improve Taylor's intelligence, reflecting a better version of her own face. Unlike that sphere though, this one's reflection did not appear sharper or smarter than her, instead she looked fit and healthy; not strong or muscled but with some kind of runner's or swimmer's build. It offered her… toughness? Health? Resilience? All that and more, a sort of wholeness of body that would help as much against illness as it would against physical injury. That would be nice, if there were any villains in town that used that kind of thing. Actually, it would be a good idea to read up on that; Taylor knew as much as anyone about the local gangs and heroes, but that might not be enough anymore.
In the end, Taylor had to acknowledge one thing- that her power had definitely heard her and had done as she asked. That was… it was big. Taylor didn't know how she felt about that. Vindicated because her trust had been justified? Scared, because there really was something controlling her power other than her? It was… she didn't even know what to think! What did it want? Why was it there? Was every power like this? What was it doing? What could it do? Actually, Taylor thought with a dawning sense of horror, did it have something to do with when she got her powers, not just which ones? Was that it's fault, that she was having so many panic attacks? No. No that couldn't be it. She could remember the cause of most of the events, so the panic and anxiety had to be the cause rather than the effect. That didn't make her feel better. What kind of monster only gives people powers when they're at their lowest?
Taylor took a deep breath and focused herself. No, she didn't know that; she was drawing conclusions without enough information. Maybe it wasn't a choice, but somehow necessary? Maybe there was some confounding factor somewhere. It didn't matter. Even if she knew for sure, what could she do with that information? No, the most important thing right now was making her choice of power and then remembering to write it down this time! There were really only two options here: The personal brute power or the force field power. The personal one was stronger, but much more limited, and… Taylor kinda felt selfish taking it. The other one could be used to protect others like a hero should, but was it strong enough to be worth it? Also, it occurred to her that it could be another power to show off to the PRT if she wanted to. It should also increase the size of her star-sphere reservoir too, since it seemed like it drew from it… Taylor sighed. She was convincing herself again, to pick her powers for other people's benefit. When would it be time to invest in herself? She grabbed the shield sphere. Maybe when she actually knew what she was going to do as a hero?
Once again, the nonexistence receded from around Taylor leaving her lying on her bed having kicked all her blankets to the floor. This time though, she didn't rest on her laurels or head downstairs for breakfast. Instead, she found one of her ruined school notebooks (the front half had been stained purple with grape juice) to write down what she knew about her powers. Some of the early entries were fuzzy, because she hadn't been in a good state of mind to remember things, and many of the sphere impressions were incomplete because she couldn't think of a way to describe them, but overall it was much more complete than Taylor had expected. Maybe that increased intelligence was doing something after all! In the end though, the only thing that struck her was the inconsistency. Sometimes the spheres seemed to have a consistent theme, like martial arts or social skills or most recently defense, but most of the time they just looked random. If Taylor wanted to be charitable, she could attribute that to letting her choose which way she wanted to go, but the offerings weren't really different enough to bear that out. Still, the exercise wasn't entirely useless; with her new knowledge of the marbles that came after the spheres, she was able to jot down a list of what each sphere might actually do for her. Now, if she ever figured out what she wanted, she would be able to figure out how to get there.
Taylor sighed as she leant back in her chair, tipping onto two legs. It had been easy to look at her dad's indecisive inaction from where she was, powerless and unable to change things. Now she had options, and was finding herself increasingly unable to decide. Her current idea of becoming a healing cape was a decent one for getting out of the house and actually using her powers, but it was ultimately a stepping stone. The problem of course was her power. If she wanted to be able to do something- like fighting for example- later, she needed to start building up powers for that now. Taylor's stomach rumbled but she pushed through, jotting down potential ideas.
The safest kind of independent hero was probably the stealthy kind. Without backup, the best defense was mobility and misdirection, the ability to hit and run before any gang could gather up enough capes to take you down. That meant… Taylor looked through her list. The boot sphere was a must, as was probably the dagger since it would probably help her figure out what targets she could hit safely. The bear trap, rapier, and bag could all work for the 'hitting' part, but she was probably best off relying on the martial arts sphere she'd already opened. That was probably true regardless of what type of hero she chose now that she thought about it. If on the other hand she decided to join up with someone, staying power was probably better than stealth because holding long enough for backup to arrive meant possibly winning those big fights. That meant the mace and the axe, and maybe the chair? People were supposed to ignore pain while drunk, so there was probably something protective in there. She listed them out, leaving space for anything she hadn't seen yet. Then she hummed thoughtfully, pencil between her teeth. If she did want to join someone, who was there to join? The Protectorate obviously. They'd definitely accept her, but it would mean following their orders and dealing with the inevitable pettiness and politics- and not just because she'd be relegated to the Wards. Then there was New Wave, but weren't they a family group? Actually, wouldn't she fit in really well with New Wave? Powers-wise that was: She had healing like Panacea and now a force field like half of the rest of them. But would that open the way for her or would they just see her as an unwanted imitator? Instinct said the latter.
There was a shout from downstairs, causing Taylor to lurch backwards in her chair, losing balance for a single heart-stopping instant. Then all four feet hit the ground and she hurriedly changed into an old sweater and some jeans to face the world. She stumbled down the stairs and hurried to the kitchen, where some toast with jam was waiting for her. "Well, look who's up" Her father had evidently finished his own food long ago; not even the crumbs were left on the table. A glance at the table told her she'd worked not just through breakfast but also through lunch. "No need to rush, but we've got an important appointment in an hour or so, and we'll need half of that just to get there" He looked tired, and not just in the sleepless sort of way. It looked like he'd been struggling with something and made no progress. Still, he put an optimistic face on as Taylor finished her meal. "Alright, I've got my balaclava and a good coat, and I've found a good place to park away from the building. Just need to tell them the code phrase and we should be good to go"
Taylor's robe was a lot less comfortable than she had imagined. Her stitches and seams itched, and she'd made the arm holes too large in some places and too small in others. It looked silly in front of the mirror too, like a kid dressing up for halloween. At least it was better than Dad's though. He looked more like a mugger with his ski mask and old leather jacket. Still, it would have to do. She clenched her hands together under the cloth. It would have to do. She couldn't back out now.
The drive was quiet, filled with a sort of nervous tension. Her dad wasn't wearing his mask- unsafe to drive with it on he said- but that didn't help the mood. His face was set into a neutral stare, fixed gaze and clenched jaw. He clearly didn't like this, didn't want to be here, but he was doing it for her. Taylor didn't know how she felt about that. Thankful, certainly, and hopeful that he would stay this active. This invested. But she was also worried. At the end of the day he was her parent. He felt responsible for her safety, and justified in making decisions for her. What would he sacrifice to keep her away from danger? What would he make her sacrifice? Taylor sighed. Maybe the Wards wouldn't be that bad? She might even get excused from school sometimes, and instead be forced to hang out with a bunch of teens with better powers than her. At worst… The car jerked to a stop, interrupting her thoughts.
Luckily (or perhaps due to PRT planning), there were only a few people about to see the two of them walk up to the forcefield bridge. What few there were definitely noticed them though. Taylor noticed a few raised camera phones. That was probably the point of this timing, to force them to associate themselves with the Protectorate in public. No backing out. At least the officers manning the gate seemed to expect them- they didn't seem worried at the sight of two unfamiliar masked people- but pulled them aside nonetheless. "Your names and reasons for visiting?"
Danny cleared his throat. "I'm Temp and this is Vernal. We're concerned citizens here to inform you of criminal actions regarding a pool noodle" The excuse was patently absurd, so this must be the code phrase he had mentioned on the way. Taylor wondered how that kind of thing was decided. Wouldn't it have been easier to come up with a plausible reason. Maybe they'd had someone come up and use a pre-decided code phrase seriously?
The trooper closed his eyes and seemed to sigh internally before nodding and motioning them through the checkpoint. Looks like he felt the same way. "Alright, take these visitor badges" They were simple plastic on paper, with a clip that Taylor fastened onto a fold of fabric. "Your appointment is in room 305A, Johnson can show you the way" One of the other troopers stepped up and waved, smiling. The rest of them looked on with a strange combination of humor and wariness. That was probably sensible regarding new capes, she mused. Whether they were wearing their mom's dress or a custom-made costume had no bearing on whether a cape could kill you or how easily. It made Taylor feel powerful to be feared, and then ashamed, to be proud of inspiring fear. She was just a girl in a bedsheet, but they were treating her with the kind of forced courtesy more befitting of a bomb waiting to explode. All except their guide that is, who was cheerful in a way that had to be forced.
Led by trooper Johnson, they crossed the bridge. It was a strange experience; Taylor had expected it to feel like glass, being see-through, but it almost felt sticky through her shoes. There was no resistance to upward motion, but the shoes never slid against it at all no matter how she pushed. It was almost like the surface had perfect friction. Once or twice she stumbled, the heel of her foot clipping the bridge and bringing her step to a halt, but eventually she got the hang of it. Still, she had to ask. "So, um, what's with the bridge?"
Her voice was thin, reedy, awkward, but luckily the trooper didn't seem to notice as she cringed inside. "Oh yeah, we get that a lot! I don't know the details- nobody but Armsmaster does- but apparently it works by stopping whatever's in the forcefield area from moving, to make it solid. It's not really a problem if you know about it; just gotta pick up your feet right?" He goose-stepped theatrically for a few seconds before continuing. "The big benefit from my perspective is we can just turn it off whenever. Any bogey comin' in and we just, plop! Drop 'em in the drink!" Anyone coming in… or anyone coming out. Taylor gulped. It was one thing to know you were walking into what could be your prison, but to have it explained like that… No. It was too late to reconsider. She hardened her resolve and stepped across the threshold.
The lobby of the Rig was nothing like she was expecting. The white linoleum was there, a staple of government buildings, but there were no large screens on the walls or any monolithic desks made to make you feel small. Instead, there was a gift shop and an ordinary reception table run by five receptionists. Not at all like a government agency, let alone a peacekeeping one headed by a tinker. The gift shop was the biggest part of the room for god's sake! And it was all just so… kitschy. Taylor wondered how anyone could bear to wear such tacky memorabilia. Then she spotted a pair of Armsmaster brand underwear she knew were in her closet and blushed with embarrassment. Right.
Determinedly, Taylor turned away from the gift shop and followed the trooper as he tried to make conversation. "So, the two of you, are you both actual capes? 'Cause, like, Vernal's a kid right?" He gestured vaguely towards them, heading towards one of the two elevators at the back of the lobby. "No judgment for the mask if that's the case by the way" He hurried to qualify. "Gotta support your kid right? Just don't try and hit the streets ok? Leave that to the professionals- oh, and the capes!" He gave Taylor a grin that was simultaneously encouraging and patronizing. Her father nodded, but didn't reply. Taylor understood. Johnson could evidently carry on the whole conversation by himself. "I assume you're here about the Wards? Good kids, far as I can tell, and a good program too. Great to get the kids off the street too ya know? They always think they gotta save the world by themselves, you gotta curb their enthusiasm amirite?"
Ok, that was enough. She could practically see her father getting taken in. "Actually-"
"Say kid, what's your power?" Johnson rolled over her, barely pausing to point them down the left hallway as the elevator door opened. "I bet it's super cool! Even if you don't think so, though I bet you will after power testing. Did you know Vista didn't know she could curve shots when she joined? That's like, most of what she does now!"
Okay, so maybe he really was as cheerful as he looked. Still, it set her teeth on edge. "I think this is us, right dad?" It was indeed room 305A, a nondescript door in a hallway full of them. The place looked like an office building, and it probably was.
This time Johnson seemed to decipher the meaning of her tone, though that failed to make him any less patronizing. "Oooo, prickly! Well, don't let me keep you then. Sarge called ahead, so there should be a surprise waiting for you inside! I bet you've always wanted to meet a real live hero right?" He laughed, patted her head, and opened the door.
She almost couldn't enter fast enough. Taylor was halfway to one of the three seats by the time she properly comprehended who was in the room with her. When she thought about Velocity, she thought about the local Protectorate mover. She had known he was a speedster- everyone did- so it followed that he would have a runner's build. She'd expected a thin man, perhaps with a nervous or enthusiastic presence from all the energy. In person, Velocity was jacked. He was huge. The same height as her father and almost twice as wide, most of it muscle and all of it highlighted by his skintight costume. With his buzz cut (the only thing about him that met her expectations other than his red costume) He didn't twitch when she entered either, simply looking up from his paperwork to acknowledge her with a nod and a gesture towards one of the seats. She obeyed numbly, trying to reconcile reality with her mental image, and her father sat down beside her.
They sat there in silence for a long moment, Velocity seemingly busy and neither Danny nor Taylor willing to initiate conversation. Then the door clicked shut behind them and Velocity looked up. "Hello Vernal and… Temp?" He reached across the table and gave each of the a handshake in turn. Despite his obvious strength, he was gentle with Taylor. Less so with Danny, if the tenseness of their wrists meant anything. "So, I understand you're here to register Vernal as an independent hero?" Dad nodded. Velocity looked her father in the eye, speaking seriously. "I'll be frank with you, I think that's the wrong decision. Being a hero is a risky and dangerous profession. Heroes die or suffer crippling injuries very frequently, especially heroes without a support network and especially new ones who don't know the ropes" Taylor's breath caught in her throat. This was exactly what she had been afraid of, right from the start. "Children especially are at very high risk. Villains may hold back against the Wards, but that's only because they know there will be consequences. Independent heroes have no such advantage" It was one thing to read about it on the internet, but to hear it from an experienced hero? What could you say to that? What possible rebuttal could there be? She could practically see her father frowning under the mask. "And those aren't the only dangers an unaware parahuman can face. Many powers have esoteric side-effects or limitations, and insufficient understanding of one's power can be just as dangerous as any villain. I can't take anything with me when I speed up for example, so just picking up a piece of paper-" He illustrated with one of his documents "-could leave me unable to escape at a critical moment. Brutes also frequently have trouble controlling their strength, which sometimes leads them to accidentally hurt people they didn't mean to- or more than they meant to. It's always a shame to see a promising young hero go to jail because of a lack of control" Taylor was breathing harshly, the proverbial walls closing in around her. Would that be her? Imprisoned for some unknown side effect or for misjudging her rapidly-changing power? She couldn't even test and practice herself, because whatever she found out could have changed by the time she wanted to use it. Worse, she could see her father nodding along. He knew it too. "I understand your desire to help your daughter, parahumans do have a need to use their powers, but she can do that more safely in the Wards. She'd gain access to healthcare, a decent wage paid into a college fund, and socialization with her peers"
Finally, Velocity stopped. There was a pause, like the moment before the gavel came down. The feeling of doom that had been building in Taylor peaked. She knew she should speak up, refute his points. She wasn't going out to fight gangsters yet! She opened her mouth behind her mask, but the lump in her throat swallowed her words. Dad leaned forward, hands on the table, ready to deliver the verdict. Ready to deliver her gift-wrapped to the PRT. He spoke. "Thank you Velocity…"
A door opened.
Protection Sphere Chosen! Protection Talents Added to the Discard!
All Unchosen Spheres Moved to the Discard!
Omake Reward Redeemed! Spell Pool (Symbiat) Moved to the Draw!
Omake Reward Redeemed! Chronomancer Archetype (Symbiat) Added to the Draw!
Choose Four Orbs, Spheres and Talents
Orb of Might- TAKEN
Alchemy Sphere- Grants some skill with alchemical crafting, as well as the ability to mix healing Salves. +1 Alchemy Level, +3 HP
Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
Barrage Sphere- Grants the ability to shoot or throw faster at the cost of accuracy. +1 Barrage Level, +3 HP
Beastmastery Sphere- Grants some skill with animals and the ability to tame weak ones. +1 Beastmastery Level, +3 HP
Berserker Sphere- Grants the ability to strike hard and go into a rage, ablating damage but increasing enemy hit chance. +1 Berserker Level, +3 HP
Boxing Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to prepare a powerful counterattack. +1 Boxing Level, +3 HP
Brute Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to perform a battering shove. +1 Brute Level, +3 HP
Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
Duelist Sphere- Grants the ability to bleed a foe with every hit, and to more safely disarm bleeding foes. +1 Duelist Level, +3 HP
Fencing Sphere- Grants some skill with deception, as well as the ability to better take advantage of a foe's distraction. +1 Fencing Level, +3 HP
Gladiator Sphere- TAKEN
Derision- Grants the ability to Boast at creatures that miss attacks against you. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Uncowed- Grants the ability to intimidate those who intimidate you, and makes you harder to intimidate. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
Guardian Sphere- Grants the ability to ignore wounds for a time, as well as the ability to draw an enemy's attention away from allies. +1 Guardian Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies.
Capoeira Spin- Reduces the penalties for fighting while prone, and grants the ability to stand while striking from the ground to deal additional damage.
Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of.
Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone.
Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition.
Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike.
Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies.
Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes.
Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go.
Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness.
Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage.
Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips.
Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target.
Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously.
Leopard's Gambit- Grants the ability to enter a reckless stance wherein enemy attacks are more likely to hit, but can be responded to with unarmed strikes.
Lotus Touch- Grants the ability to touch a foe for low damage in order to set them up for a more likely critical hit later.
Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses.
Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage.
Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits.
Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone/
Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder.
Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone.
Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them.
Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy.
Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture.
Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike.
Tear Flesh- Grants the ability to deal piercing and slashing damage with unarmed strikes, and to tear away natural armor when striking to cause bleeding.
Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks.
Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike.
Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures.
Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed.
Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina.
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Scout Sphere- Grants some skill with stealth, as well as the ability to assess an enemy's weaknesses. +1 Scout Level, +3 HP
Shield Sphere- Grants the ability to intercept attacks with a shield. +1 Shield Level, +3 HP
Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
Warleader Sphere- Grants some skill with diplomacy as well as the ability to coordinate and empower allies. +1 Warleader Level, +3 HP
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
Symbiat Class- TAKEN
Spell Pool- Dramatically enlarges Taylor's power reserves. Common to all spellcasting classes
Chronomancer Archetype- Alters the focus of the Symbiat's psionics from the material to the astral, granting them expertise in Time and Space at the expense of Telekinesis and Telepathy.
Aptitude Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Aptitude Sphere depending on build. Aptitude talents grant specialized skills or training.
Essence Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Essence Sphere depending on build. Essence talents grant inherent magical abilities.
Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
Strength Boost- Grants a potent boost to Strength. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Dexterity Boost- Grants a large boost to Dexterity. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Wisdom Boost- Grants a boost to Wisdom. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Charisma Boost- Grants a boost to Charisma. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Orb of Power- TAKEN
Alteration Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision or a wide array of natural weapons to oneself or a willing ally. +1 Alteration level, +1 SP
Blood Sphere- Grants the ability to take control of a creature's blood and accelerate or halt their bleeding. +1 Blood level, +1 SP
Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure an extraplanar creature to serve as a servant and bodyguard. +1 Conjuration level, +1 SP
Creation Sphere- Grants the ability to repair or damage objects, or to create crude objects made of soft materials. +1 Creation level, +1 SP
Dark Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision and create a large area of darkness. +1 Dark level, +1 SP
Death Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a draining projectile and to animate a corpse as a skeleton or zombie. +1 Death level, +1 SP
Destruction Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a damaging energy projectile. +1 Destruction level, +1 SP
Divination Sphere- Grants the ability to divine for effects related to other known spheres, and to decipher magical script. +1 Divination level, +1 SP
Enhancement Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance weapons and armor with magical protection or destruction. +1 Enhancement level, +1 SP
Fate Sphere- Grants the ability to improve allies' luck and to bless them with protection against evil. +1 Fate level, +1 SP
Illusion Sphere- Grants the ability to disguise oneself and to create person-sized visual illusions. +1 Illusion level, +1 SP
Light Sphere- Grants the ability to cause people and things to glow, and to bend light to see farther. +1 Light level, +1 SP
Mind Sphere- Grants the ability to plant thoughts in the minds of others. +1 Mind level, +1 SP
Nature Sphere- Grants the ability to grow and manipulate plants to strike and snare enemies. +1 Nature level, +1 SP
Telekinesis Sphere- Grants the ability to lift and throw small objects without touching them. +1 Telekinesis level, +1 SP
Time Sphere- Grants the ability to accelerate or slow a person. +1 Time level, +1 SP
War Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance the destructive ability of allies, and to rally them. +1 War level, +1 SP
Warp Sphere- Grants the ability to teleport yourself or an ally some distance. +1 Warp level, +1 SP
Weather Sphere- Grants the ability to create, intensify, or calm various types of weather. +1 Weather level, +1 SP
Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
Orb of Void- Does nothing on its own, but can be combined with another Orb or Sphere to destroy it, thinning your deck. When used with a Sphere, also grants a Perk.
Regarding your offerings, I'll remind you again (since it's already been said) not to fill your basket with things you actually want because 3/4 of them are going in the proverbial garbage. This can be particularly devastating when it comes to class features, because ditching one of those means you're going to have to wait a whole shuffle to advance that class again unless some good samaritan pulls it out of the gutter with an omake. Not that you've got that problem now of course- Symbiat level 2 is going to have to wait till the next shuffle unless you can somehow pull all three of the other class features out. Regardless, I've seen a few schools of thought regarding offerings. One is to offer things that would help in Taylor's current situation. Now that she knows about you, she'll notice that a whole lot more, and it could be a good way of building trust. Or it could be a good way to throwing away good cards/spheres. On the other hand, you could have one pick in mind that you want her to have, filling the rest of the offer with relative trash. That's a good way to get rid of trash for sure, but don't make too obvious a pattern of it; Taylor's still very paranoid.
[X] Plan Deal With The Situation
-[X] Wisdom Boost- Grants a boost to Wisdom. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
-[X] Warleader Sphere- Grants some skill with diplomacy as well as the ability to coordinate and empower allies. +1 Warleader Level, +3 HP
-[X] Uncowed- Grants the ability to intimidate those who intimidate you, and makes you harder to intimidate. +1 Gladiator Level, +3 HP
-[X] Aptitude Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Aptitude Sphere depending on build. Aptitude talents grant specialized skills or training.
"Thank you Velocity…" Her father spoke, about to dictate her future before he was cut off by a wave of unreality. Taylor blinked, her breath catching in her throat. Nothing changed. She sat there for a long moment, stunned. Nothing changed. There wasn't even any discomfort from holding her breath. She probably didn't need air in here, Taylor noted somewhat hysterically. Why now? Why right then? She wasn't… ok maybe she was moving towards a panic attack, but, but… She didn't even hear her dad's response! Taylor took a deep breath. It might not oxygenate her body, but it helped her calm down at least. She didn't even wait for him to betray her trust. She just… she panicked. She heard the arguments against her, and imagined his response, and she panicked. Dad didn't deserve that mistrust.
Taylor sighed. He was just trying to do what was best for her- and hell, he might not even know she didn't want to join the Wards. She'd never told him, but then how could she? Was there any way to articulate the way even the thought of being trapped made her feel? The way it drove her, eating at her thoughts even when she knew rationally that she was worrying over nothing. That almost made it worse; Taylor knew logically that the Wards were probably her best chance at safety, but every time it was raised as a possibility her hindbrain just started screaming at her that it was a trap. That there would be no escape. That she'd be taken and used and left with no choice or power. It made her feel… No. Taylor shook her head violently to dislodge the growing thought. No, she wasn't crazy. She wouldn't be crazy. She would handle this, get herself under control, make the right decisions. And she would start now, with this set of spheres and marble.
The first was another bronze mirrored sphere, reflecting another slightly-different version of herself. Taylor had seen the smart and healthy versions of herself, but this one was different. At first it just seemed twitchy, with wide eyes and tense shoulders. With a second look however, those eyes revealed significant depth, a perceptive focus that seemed to lay bare every detail of whatever they surveyed. That was what this sphere offered: improved acuity and insight stemming from a greater attunement with her instincts, and a stronger will to go with it. It was a good offer, and one that took her circumstances into account. Maybe if she were better able to read her dad's body language she wouldn't have been so worried? Maybe… but what could she do with that information with Velocity right there? Try to argue against a hero? Still, the information alone might have been enough to help with the anxiety. She'd think about it.
Taylor recognized the second sphere. It was one of the same ones offered to her just after the locker. Swirling with red liquid and bearing the image of a spear with a banner affixed to it, the sphere gave impressions of bold confidence, trust and camaraderie. It was a sphere about leadership, granting the ability to better coordinate and encourage allies and some skill with diplomacy to make and keep them. If Taylor decided she wanted to join the Wards, this one was the obvious choice. The skills should at least keep her from being at the bottom of the pile, new girl though she'd be. Even then though, she doubted she'd get to use the powers that came with this sphere anytime soon. Nobody wanted to follow a newbie's orders, especially if it meant giving up authority.
The third option was a marble from the flail sphere. As with previous marbles, its impression came in the form of a moment in time, and this was a fierce one. A dragon roaring, all flame and spittle and arm-long teeth. A warrior, far smaller, far weaker, clad in patchwork armor yet still undaunted. The dragon challenged. The warrior met and returned it. The scene spoke of resolve and defiance against a greater foe; the courage to stand up to an oppressor and shout back. More than that, it offered the same, a greater resistance to intimidation and the ability to instill fear in the aggressor. Taylor wanted it. She wanted it very much. If she had courage, she wouldn't have stayed silent through Velocity's schpiel. Maybe it wouldn't have changed anything- he was a hero and she was just a girl- but she could have done something. She wouldn't have been helpless. Taylor almost grabbed that marble right then, but paused. There was one more sphere left, and she hadn't seen it before. Even if she was certain this was the one she wanted, she should still take a look, for her notes if nothing else.
This sphere was a new type- a silvery mirrored sphere as opposed to the bronze improvements and the gold paths. They had shown Taylor with different features, even clearly power-based ones, and sometimes different clothes. Initially she took this one as another example of that, a reflection clad in a simple shirt and a dark wool vest, curly hair flowing free. That wasn't the most striking part though. This reflection was smiling. The expression took Taylor a moment to decipher. She wasn't used to smiles, on her own face or others. It wasn't one of the smiles she was used to either, a vindictive or malicious one. Instead it was… carefree, honest, fearless. Taylor didn't know what to make of it, so she looked deeper into the sphere's effects instead. It offered her agility and lightness of foot, along with resistance to fear and the ability to recover quickly from it. Taylor still didn't know what to make of it. What was the connection there? Fearlessness was nice, but how did it relate to the skills, or the reflection? Well, maybe one day she'd find out, but for now it just wasn't worth not taking the flail marble.
Taylor reached out and grabbed it, and the real world returned. Her father was still speaking
"...but that won't be necessary for now. Vernal won't be out on the streets; she wants to do healing" Taylor almost collapsed with relief. Sure, that was exactly what they had talked about beforehand, and the reason they were here, and… Maybe she had been overreacting a little bit. Still, there was that 'for now'. Hopefully she'd have a chance to talk to him before he committed to anything. Hopefully she'd have the courage to speak up for herself.
"Sorry, what was that?" Velocity frowned in a sort of confused way. "I just blanked out for a moment" Danny repeated himself, and he nodded. "Aaah, well that explains it. I was wondering what kind of parent would be willing to see their child fight criminals" His face relaxed subtly, shoulders relaxing and back straightening as his severe posture faded. He looked much nicer this way, Taylor noted absently. Much friendlier. "Well, I still think the Wards have a lot to offer, but I'm not going to press" He set aside one of the stapled paper bundles he'd been toying with and pushed the other towards Danny. "Here's the independent hero paperwork for you to look over. The bureaucrats will probably want to hash out a custom contract for the healing, but the boilerplate should mostly be the same. While you do that…" The hero turned to Taylor and gave her a smile very different from the professional greeting from earlier. Realer, and somehow sympathetic. "I should probably talk to the woman of the hour about her powers. So, Vernal was it? Could you explain in your own words how your healing works?"
"Um" Taylor floundered for a moment, marshaling her thoughts. "It's, uh, limited, I guess is the most important thing. I can heal about two or three times a day right now, though I'm getting better" She didn't want to tell him about getting more powers, but she also didn't want to seem useless. Her capacity seemed to increase with every starlight sphere though, so that was probably a decent compromise.
"I see" Velocity nodded along. "Does it drain your stamina to heal? Is it a materials issue? I know Panacea uses her patient's body fat to do what she does" Well, he didn't seem disappointed or judgemental. Still, it had to be dispiriting to realize he wasn't actually dealing with another Panacea.
"No, it's, um, a power issue. I've got this, like, store of energy, and I've got to spend it to use my power. Well, most of the time that is. I can just cycle it around to do something similar, but it won't really be healing"
"Interesting. I'm sure the power testing guys will have a field day with that. Maybe they can find a way for you to recharge?" He smiled again, kindly this time, coaching her along. "So you spend the energy to heal, huh. How does that work? Is it radiation or something?
"I have to touch them. The person I'm trying to heal that is. I touch them and push the energy into them and they… well actually I have to decide how I want to heal them first" Velocity's eyebrows rose inquiringly. "I can heal wounds, like, physical injuries, or I can give people energy. I can also restore their body in some ways, but I've never tried before so I don't know how it works" Taylor decided to omit the mental healing, since it might look like mastering.
"Well don't worry, we can find that out. Now, last preliminary question" His voice once more adopted a serious tone. "To the best of your knowledge does your power have any side effects? Assuming you agree to power testing…" Taylor nodded. That was a big part of why they were here. "...we'll probably find them if there are any, but parahumans usually have an instinctive knowledge of their powers, and that could speed things up a lot in addition to preventing accidents"
Taylor shook her head, then belatedly spoke. "No, no side effects. None that I know of at least"
He relaxed a bit, then stood. "Alright then. If it's alright with you I'll go tell them to warm up the testing chamber for you? I'll be honest, this probably won't be a one-and-done power testing; They'll probably want Panacea to come in and check your work, and probably more tests than you can handle in a day"
Danny looked up from his papers. "Actually, would it be possible for someone to go over this paperwork with me? I know you said something about a custom contract later, but some of this language is concerning"
Velocity nodded. "I'll see if I can find someone. Just hang out until I get back alright?" He opened the door and left in a blur, the first time Taylor had seen another parahuman using their powers in person.
There was a moment of silence, then her dad stood, looked outside in the corridor, and closed the door. He sighed, shoulders drooping, then collapsed back into his seat. "Are you still sure you want to do this Taylor? You heard what he said" He didn't specify what 'this' was, but she understood.
"Yeah. It's just, I've got to use it, you know?" It was a poor explanation, but it was all she had. "I've got to get out and do something, and this is the best and safest way I can think of"
"And the Wards?" She had been avoiding that point. "It sounds like a good deal…"
"It's…" She couldn't tell him the real reason. The irrational fear of being controlled. He'd smother her, or try something rash, or hire a therapist they couldn't afford. "You said you didn't like the contract? Besides" She hurried on. "This can just be like a trial period right? We'll be here doing the testing for a while, so we can figure out if they actually mean it"
Her father gave her a long look, expression indecipherable behind the mask. "Velocity already said that we'll be getting a custom contract. I can negotiate that part, but Ta-Vernal. Vernal. Please. I can't do that without knowing exactly what parts you don't want. I need to know why you don't like the Wards" By the end of the sentence he was leaning towards her, hands on his knees.
Still. Even so. Even though she wanted to trust him. Despite all he'd done for her, she just couldn't talk about it. It was just too… too raw, too vulnerable. She'd been trapped, and nobody had done anything. Nobody had cared. And when she spoke up, she'd been the one punished. Even now, with no reason to, she expected the same treatment here. She just couldn't tell him that she didn't trust her own father. "I just…" she started, unsure of how to continue.
The door creaked open, and Taylor almost sighed with relief. Saved by Velocity. "Alright, the lab's ready for you!" They stood to leave, but a glance from her dad let Taylor know that the conversation wasn't over.
The power testing room turned out to be on the fifth floor. Velocity told them about it as he walked them up. Apparently the nearby rooms including above and below it had been cleared out for shock absorbers, and they had a ton of tinkertech monitors and stuff maintained by Armsmaster himself. It even doubled as a training and sparring room! Taylor just let the words wash over her, too focused on her predicament with dad.
The first thing Taylor noticed when she entered the room was a rack of cages sitting on a folding table, each one containing a single white mouse. Beside it stood the testers, a middle-aged man and an older woman both in lab coats. The woman stepped forward first to take Taylor's hand, latex glove giving her a single professional shake. "I'm Dr. Miller and this is my colleague Dr. Brown. Thank you for joining us for your power testing Vernal" She smiled once before settling into what was probably her default slightly sour expression. "Now before we begin, could you explain your power in your own words in as much detail as possible?"
Taylor blinked. "I, uh, already explained to Velocity. Shouldn't he have told you?" She looked around for the hero, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Dr. Miller gave another perfunctory smile, this one patronizing. "I'm sure you did, but we would prefer to hear it directly from you" Dr. Brown had found a clipboard and a pencil somewhere and held them poised, waiting for her words. "Oh, you don't mind being recorded do you? Standard procedure" Without waiting for an answer, the wrinkled scientist pushed a button somewhere on what Taylor had thought was a pocket protector, causing it to produce a small red light.
Taylor held back a sigh, then explained. It was easier than the first time, since she already knew what she was going to say, but took longer because both scientists were not shy about interrupting with questions. Where did the power source come from? Did it recover all at once or over time? Did she have to be touching a wound directly to heal it or was touching the victim enough? What was the difference between 'circulating' the power and 'spending' it? Taylor had to admit that the answer to most of those was that she didn't know. She hadn't really tested it. Despite looking sour, Dr. Miller assured her she'd made the right decision. The accompanying stories of parahumans testing striker powers on others were very… illustrative of why that was a bad idea.
Eventually though, they moved on to the actual tests. Today would be a fairly simple one: Just using the healing power to heal three different mice which would then be observed for side effects. They also wanted to do the same for the circulation use of her healing, this time with ten mice since it wasn't use-limited. That would come first, since neither she nor they were sure if she could still use it if her reservoir was empty. They spoke a lot about controls and replicability, but while the jargon went over Taylor's head, she actually understood more than she expected to about the reasoning behind doing the same thing so many times. With so much unknown about powers and how arbitrary some of them could be, they had to be sure that the effects they observed weren't random or dependant on an unknown variable. It could be disastrous if they okayed a material-enhancing power only to find that it didn't work on wood the same way it did on stone.
The procedure itself seemed oddly surgical to Taylor. She'd expected to sympathize with the mice or feel squeamish at the sight of blood, but all the mice were anesthetized first (all at the same time to see if her healing would remove the sedative) and the cut was small enough not to produce much blood. The mouse barely blinked. It did seem distressed when Taylor reached out to touch it though, squeaking slightly when she poked it with her finger. Nothing happened. "Did you use your power?"
"Oh! Uh, no. I just… Doing it now" This time when she touched the mouse, she focused on the sphere she wanted to use. It was different from the testing she'd done in the back yard, with the flail sphere and its fear power. Instead of power collecting anywhere, it, well, cycled, just like she'd known it would. It flowed through her body in a strange pattern, an abstract shape that Taylor was sure meant something, and as it did it changed. She didn't have the words to explain, but the closest thing she could think of was food coloring being dropped into a stream of water. Before this point the water was clear, but by that point it was stained, water still but looking and feeling different. At her will, a loop of that converted power stretched out to her finger, tapping the mouse and sparking with life and vitality before collapsing, the circuit broken.
Dr. Brown jerked back, letting go of the mouse and waving a hand in front of his face. The mouse scrabbled away, no more coordinated before but somehow more energetic. Blood still stained it white fur, but where the wound used to be there was now a ragged patch of something the color of an oil slick. Dr. Miller was more composed than either of them. "Subject Vernal used her power on the mouse. The activation produced a soft sound as recorded here, as well as a small amount of iridescent gas with a bitter smell. Local atmosphere composition files will be attached. The mouse's injury appears to have been sealed with a foreign substance with an appearance similar to that of the gas. It appears otherwise healthy, and more energetic than prior to power activation. Video footage will be attached" She looked up to see Taylor staring wide-eyed, arm still outstretched in the cage. "Relax Vernal, that was most likely just a secondary power display, material and olfactory in nature. Maybe luminescent and olfactory" She nodded, not explaining the terminology. "Most powers have something like that, as either a side effect or a requirement for power use. In your case it's likely that some of the material used to fill the wound simply evaporated instead. You said this use of your power is temporary?" She didn't wait for an answer or even look up from her clipboard. "Then we probably won't get anything from the instruments. Ephemeral matter is notoriously hard to properly characterize" Her face gained a new set of wrinkles as her mouth twisted in dissatisfaction.
Taylor nodded again and quietly took back her hand. The mouse appeared to have forgotten all about her, nosing its way around its cage again. She watched it for a moment, wondering whether its lack of concern was due to her power or the anesthetic. Maybe it was just that stupid? She was shocked out of her contemplation by the scrape of metal on plastic as Dr. Brown removed the cage marked 'Subject A1' and replaced it with 'Subject A2'. She reached out again to use her power.
The time passed quickly. Though using her power was exhilarating in its own way, the actual testing process was more monotonous than Taylor had expected. Same mice, same incision, same poke, followed by the same puff of oil-slick smoke and a temporarily healed mouse. Even the real healing tests were kind of just more of the same. The only difference was that this time, it felt less like breaking a circuit when she touched them and more like draining one, with all the gathered and changed power flowing into the mouse. Also unlike the temporary healing, the wounded flesh was replaced with healthy skin and fur rather than 'ephemeral matter' as Dr. Miller had called it. It still produced the same bitter scent though, which left them wondering until Dr. Brown replayed a video of the experiment in slow motion. It turned out that this use started out by filling the wound with ephemeral matter just like the temporary version, but that matter was almost immediately subsumed by growing flesh. At that point the scientists became embroiled in their own discussion regarding the power mechanism and its implications, and Taylor lost the thread of the conversation. She might be smarter now than she used to be, but she didn't magically gain medical skill. 'Pseudo-organic frameworks' and 'stem-cell reconstructions' made no sense.
At some point, Dr. Brown surfaced briefly from his conversation to tell 'Vernal' that she could leave if she wanted. Apparently they'd normally be testing for several hours yet, but due to her limits all that was left to do today was keep the mice for observation. In a daze, Taylor left the room to find her dad ensconced in a nearby room looking very out-of-place in his mugger attire next to the lawyer going over the paperwork with him. Seeing Taylor, he stood up and grabbed the now very colorful sheaf of papers. "Alright, I think that's my cue to leave. I can take this with me right?"
The stranger nodded. "That's right. It's still confidential information though, so no distribution" The two of them shook hands, then Danny joined Taylor in the hall along with Velocity, who had arrived at some point.
"So, uh, same way out as in? Or are you going to have to escort us?" Her dad asked the hero.
"Well, this is technically a military installation…" Velocity grinned at the joke, then relaxed into a more normal smile. "More seriously though, I thought you'd appreciate the chance to meet some of the Wards before you head out? They aren't all here, but we've got Vista and Shadow Stalker on-site for console training. I'm sure they'd appreciate a break" Danny looked at his daughter, and she closed her eyes for a moment. This was a trap, she could feel it. A way to sucker them in, to get them attached, to reel them in. But… what if it wasn't? She'd considered it before. She knew, intellectually, that there was no real risk. She knew doing this was a good decision, because it let her scope out the Wards before committing one way or the other. Taylor took a deep breath. She refused to be controlled by her fears.
"Okay. Lets go"
They went, down the elevators straight to the bottom of the building, with dad's arm around her shoulders in what should have been a comforting gesture. It was not. Every bone in her body told her she was going into the belly of the beast. That it would go down in flames. That she'd never get out.
Eventually, the elevator lurched to a halt with a great thump. The floor indicator dinged on 'Basement' The door opened. The hallway was to all appearances the same as the ones she'd walked through minutes ago and floors above, but here the fluorescents somehow cast the linoleum in an ominous sickly light. As before, Velocity lead the way to a door near the end, one with an honest-to-god doorbell which he rang. Ding dong… Ding dong… Ding dong… With each ring, Taylor's chest tightened. Vista and Shadow Stalker. What did she know about them? Vista was young, so she'd probably be bratty, and Shadow Stalker… The door opened with a click.
"The fuck are you?" The figure in the doorway was obviously Shadow Stalker, a dark-skinned teen in a zip-up hoodie and sweatpants with a mask slung haphazardly over her face. She looked irritated at best, a bitch at worst. Not a good start.
"I was just showing Vernal around" Velocity intervened. "I thought you might appreciate the chance to take a break and chat with an up-and-coming heroine"
"Oh, are you joining the Wards?" The new voice was tired but friendly. Young as well, so obviously Vista. "Thank God. The boys mean well, but this place is kind of a sausage party" She came into view, wearing a sparkly unicorn t-shirt and a bright green domino mask. Talor wondered where she learned that word. "We girls have to stick together" That might be a good sign. Or it could be more fake popular girl shit.
"No, we-" Taylor started.
"Oh fuck off" Shadow Stalker snarled. There was no other word for it. "Get your girl scout bullshit out of here! And you!" She pointed at Taylor, who reflexively flinched backwards. "I don't have time to babysit another pansy-ass white girl who's gonna shit herself the first time she gets shot at. We don't need more fucking wimps on the team. You can't cut it. Go home and fucking cry about it" By the time she finished, Shadow Stalker was practically right up in Taylor's face, her whole tirade dripping with venom.
"Stalker!" Rebuked Velocity, but Taylor didn't pay attention to him. There was something in motion within her. An uncoiling of a knot within her. Her new ability was trying to activate. She let it.
"I'm a healer, Shadow Stalker, do you know what that means? It means the next time you get shot or stabbed I might be the one to take care of it. I'll remember this, and you should too; remember how you talked to the person who gets to decide if you're crippled for life or not" It was a threat, no doubt about it, spoken with the kind of vicious satisfaction Taylor didn't know she was capable of. Part of her wanted to stop, but the rest of her saw Stalker flinching, on the back foot. The rest of her wanted to finish the job. "Imagine that Stalker" Scorn and derision laced her voice. "Benched forever, walking with a limp just because you mouthed off to the wrong person. Wouldn't that be a shame?"
The corridor was silent. Behind Shadow Stalker, Vista's mouth was hanging open in shock. Taylor's target herself seemed to be stunned speechless, as were the adults. It was all Taylor could do to breath. If felt like she had run a marathon, like she had uncapped a shaken-up soda bottle, releasing the pressure. That… that had been a mistake. She'd just threatened to heal a hero wrong; there was no way they'd trust her after that. This bridge was well and truly burned, but… did she care? Slowly, Taylor centered herself, feeling that knot of power in her chest reforming. The Wards- one of them at least- was an enormous bitch, and if they were willing to keep her around the rest of them probably were too. She definitely wasn't joining, and after that display her dad probably wasn't going to make her. Would it affect the healing deal? Maybe. Probably. Still, Taylor couldn't help but feel relief. Her fears had been vindicated, and more than that, she'd stood up to them! She'd stood up for herself! A smile crept over her face.
Danny rallied first, exclaiming his shock and confusion. "Vernal!"
Shadow Stalker was next, Velocity being strangely slow on the uptake for such a speedy hero. "If you try that I'll fucking kick your ass" The words were brave, but they lacked the confidence, the vitriol from before. "Crippled or not, powers or not. In fact, I'll fight you right here right now you fucking coward!"
Something was building up. A background pressure, like the smell of ozone before a storm. Taylor ignored it. "I- "
The storm came. A door opened. The world washed away.
Uncowed Chosen! Unchosen Spheres Moved to the Discard!
Choose Four Orbs, Spheres or Talents
Orb of Might- TAKEN
Alchemy Sphere- Grants some skill with alchemical crafting, as well as the ability to mix healing Salves. +1 Alchemy Level, +3 HP
Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
Barrage Sphere- Grants the ability to shoot or throw faster at the cost of accuracy. +1 Barrage Level, +3 HP
Beastmastery Sphere- Grants some skill with animals and the ability to tame weak ones. +1 Beastmastery Level, +3 HP
Berserker Sphere- Grants the ability to strike hard and go into a rage, ablating damage but increasing enemy hit chance. +1 Berserker Level, +3 HP
Boxing Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to prepare a powerful counterattack. +1 Boxing Level, +3 HP
Brute Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to perform a battering shove. +1 Brute Level, +3 HP
Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
Duelist Sphere- Grants the ability to bleed a foe with every hit, and to more safely disarm bleeding foes. +1 Duelist Level, +3 HP
Fencing Sphere- Grants some skill with deception, as well as the ability to better take advantage of a foe's distraction. +1 Fencing Level, +3 HP
Guardian Sphere- Grants the ability to ignore wounds for a time, as well as the ability to draw an enemy's attention away from allies. +1 Guardian Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies.
Capoeira Spin- Reduces the penalties for fighting while prone, and grants the ability to stand while striking from the ground to deal additional damage.
Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of.
Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone.
Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition.
Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike.
Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies.
Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes.
Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go.
Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness.
Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage.
Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips.
Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target.
Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously.
Leopard's Gambit- Grants the ability to enter a reckless stance wherein enemy attacks are more likely to hit, but can be responded to with unarmed strikes.
Lotus Touch- Grants the ability to touch a foe for low damage in order to set them up for a more likely critical hit later.
Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses.
Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage.
Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits.
Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone/
Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder.
Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone.
Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them.
Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy.
Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture.
Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike.
Tear Flesh- Grants the ability to deal piercing and slashing damage with unarmed strikes, and to tear away natural armor when striking to cause bleeding.
Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks.
Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike.
Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures.
Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed.
Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina.
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Scout Sphere- Grants some skill with stealth, as well as the ability to assess an enemy's weaknesses. +1 Scout Level, +3 HP
Shield Sphere- Grants the ability to intercept attacks with a shield. +1 Shield Level, +3 HP
Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
Symbiat Class- TAKEN
Spell Pool- Dramatically enlarges Taylor's power reserves. Common to all spellcasting classes
Chronomancer Archetype- Alters the focus of the Symbiat's psionics from the material to the astral, granting them expertise in Time and Space at the expense of Telekinesis and Telepathy.
Essence Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Essence Sphere depending on build. Essence talents grant inherent magical abilities.
Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
Strength Boost- Grants a potent boost to Strength. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Dexterity Boost- Grants a large boost to Dexterity. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Charisma Boost- Grants a boost to Charisma. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Orb of Power- TAKEN
Alteration Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision or a wide array of natural weapons to oneself or a willing ally. +1 Alteration level, +1 SP
Blood Sphere- Grants the ability to take control of a creature's blood and accelerate or halt their bleeding. +1 Blood level, +1 SP
Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure an extraplanar creature to serve as a servant and bodyguard. +1 Conjuration level, +1 SP
Creation Sphere- Grants the ability to repair or damage objects, or to create crude objects made of soft materials. +1 Creation level, +1 SP
Dark Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision and create a large area of darkness. +1 Dark level, +1 SP
Death Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a draining projectile and to animate a corpse as a skeleton or zombie. +1 Death level, +1 SP
Destruction Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a damaging energy projectile. +1 Destruction level, +1 SP
Divination Sphere- Grants the ability to divine for effects related to other known spheres, and to decipher magical script. +1 Divination level, +1 SP
Enhancement Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance weapons and armor with magical protection or destruction. +1 Enhancement level, +1 SP
Fate Sphere- Grants the ability to improve allies' luck and to bless them with protection against evil. +1 Fate level, +1 SP
Illusion Sphere- Grants the ability to disguise oneself and to create person-sized visual illusions. +1 Illusion level, +1 SP
Light Sphere- Grants the ability to cause people and things to glow, and to bend light to see farther. +1 Light level, +1 SP
Mind Sphere- Grants the ability to plant thoughts in the minds of others. +1 Mind level, +1 SP
Nature Sphere- Grants the ability to grow and manipulate plants to strike and snare enemies. +1 Nature level, +1 SP
Telekinesis Sphere- Grants the ability to lift and throw small objects without touching them. +1 Telekinesis level, +1 SP
Time Sphere- Grants the ability to accelerate or slow a person. +1 Time level, +1 SP
War Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance the destructive ability of allies, and to rally them. +1 War level, +1 SP
Warp Sphere- Grants the ability to teleport yourself or an ally some distance. +1 Warp level, +1 SP
Weather Sphere- Grants the ability to create, intensify, or calm various types of weather. +1 Weather level, +1 SP
Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
Orb of Void- Does nothing on its own, but can be combined with another Orb or Sphere to destroy it, thinning your deck. When used with a Sphere, also grants a Perk.
Why yes, I did indeed leave it open whether or not Taylor accepts Stalker's challenge. Why yes, you can indeed influence that choice with your offered spheres. Will the adults actually allow them to fight? That's a big maybe. On the one hand Danny. On the other, Velocity knows that parahumans really like fighting actually, and they have a safe environment on hand and he's pretty much the best spotter you could hope for. Could go either way really. The whole protectorate/wards situation is better than Taylor thinks, because Stalker is a bitch 100% of the time to everyone, so they won't really fault Taylor for hitting back. The way she hit back does legitimately raise some doubts about whether it's ok to have her heal people she doesn't like, but they've already got Panacea who's also very prickly and hasn't healed anyone wrong yet.
Also, want to know what race that Aptitude came from? It was halfling. Honestly I was looking for a core race that was thematically related to protection, healing, martial arts, or fear, and that basically left halfling, half-orc, and maybe dwarf. Of those, I chose halfling because of the anti-fear aspects of the discussion in the thread. If you suggest Aptitude again, it might not have the same effects- just like this time, it'll be related to her spheres and her current situation. If it happens in a fight for example, you might get half-orc instead!
Oh, and one more thing I should probably specify here: When it comes to omake rewards, it matters whether Taylor has the class/sphere how much of a reward it is to modify it. If you want to archetype an unchosen class, it's a good-sized omake bonus to just add it directly to the class, but if you're modifying Symbiat then that same omake would only add the archetype to the deck. Same deal for spheres, which you may not have known you could modify yet. I don't blame you; Sphere Drawbacks are simultaneously mislabeled (they should be Sphere Variants) and in an unintuitive location on the wiki. They're here (magic) and here (martial) for those interested.
It's a nice quest, and your Taylor is pretty in line with cannon mentally, but there is one major difference. Taylor from cannon absolutely loves powers and wants to be a hero, but was never so rushed as you make it seem here.
Then, there is her use of her powers, or rather, the fact that she doesn't use them...Even when she had only bug powers, she used spiders to make a costume and control random flys just because she could. Here she has literal household magic (cleaning, food-making, etc.) and she never even touched them! She also has telekinesis with which she moved a pen, once!
All in all, it's a decent list of skills (more then half of every chapter is a recount of skills), but there is, in fact, no use of said skills. A quest to grow stronger and stronger with various abilities is only fun if said abilities are used.
[X] Plan: She's not Worth It. Don't be Like Her
-[X] Orb of Void- Does nothing on its own, but can be combined with another Orb or Sphere to destroy it, thinning your deck. When used with a Sphere, also grants a Perk.
-[X] Berserker Sphere- Grants the ability to strike hard and go into a rage, ablating damage but increasing enemy hit chance. +1 Berserker Level, +3 HP
-[X] Death Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a draining projectile and to animate a corpse as a skeleton or zombie. +1 Death level, +1 SP
-[X] Beastmastery Sphere- Grants some skill with animals and the ability to tame weak ones. +1 Beastmastery Level, +3 HP
"I… huh?" Taylor blinked once, then twice. Nothing changed, even when she closed her eyes. A power? Now? That… that didn't fit. Every time before this had been when she was stressed, worried, anxious. This time she was… well, she was still stressed, worried and anxious, but she was also strong and confident! She had been doing well! She'd given a hero what-for! She'd… Taylor took a breath and mentally stepped back, feeling her heartbeat slowing to more normal levels. Maybe it was the adrenaline? It was supposed to help you ignore physical pain, so maybe it did the same for mental distress, but the distress was still there so she got a power? Taylor sighed, feeling the momentary high fade and along with it her feelings of being at all in control of the situation. Whatever that was, she wanted more of it. Usually it was all she could do not to cry when someone yelled at her like that, but this time… she felt like she could have punched Shadow Stalker in her stupid mask and made it hurt. She had felt like she could win.
Taylor shook her head. As nice as it had been at the time, it was still the wrong decision. She'd felt her new power trying to activate and just went along with it. In the process, she'd yelled at a hero and threatened to cripple her for life. The first part was probably okay; Shadow Stalker had started it after all. Either the Protectorate wouldn't blame her, or they would and in the process tell her who they really were. The second part though… would anyone trust her to heal them after that? It wasn't just the threat, it was that she'd used it after being insulted once, as a first resort. It didn't help that Stalker was probably right. She was here to get licensed as a healer because she couldn't cut it as a real hero. Taylor grimaced; well at least that last bit would change eventually with enough powers.
She could afford to de-escalate, to be the better person here. She had to, in fact. Taylor just wished it didn't feel like giving up just when she was about to win.
Speaking of powers, the void orb was back along with two red spheres and a starry one. The void was tempting and mysterious- more so that the last time she'd seen it because of the information that had come to light since then. It didn't promise anything specific (aside from the permanent destruction of whatever was dropped into it) but last time she took it it had completely changed the way she used her power by stopping time while she chose. If it did that kind of thing every time, it was more than worth the price, but the fact that the specific reward was outside her control chafed at Taylor. If it was just random, she wouldn't be so worried, but now she knew that there was an intelligence behind her powers. If that being could choose what powers to offer her, could it also choose the result of the void? If she were to use the Void this time, it would mean putting the choice fully into someone else's hands, and trusting them to do what was best for her. She couldn't even do that with her own father. Asking directly might work, but unlike last time with the defense spheres she had no idea what kind of options there even were for the void. If last time was representative, then they might be meta-powers of some sort, changing how she interacted with her choices. If that were the case what might they be? More than four choices? More frequent powers? Unfortunately, there was no real way to tell. Taylor sighed, deciding to at least take a look at the other options. If playing the lottery was the best option, then so be it.
The next option was one she'd seen before; the axe sphere had offered substantial strength and the ability to ignore damage at the expense of control. Before, she'd rejected it. Emotional control was something she desperately sought after, and she hadn't wanted a power that made her just throw it away. That was still true. Even so, it was tempting, especially considering how her recent burst of adrenaline had felt. The power was strong, promising a hysterical strength easily double her own and a defense just as enduring as her new shield magic. On the one hand, this was the kind of power that could easily save her life, and she didn't need to use it all the time. All her powers so far activated only at her will, so it shouldn't happen out of nowhere. On the other hand, what good was a power she wasn't going to use? Or maybe she would use it too much? She could easily see how that feeling of power could be addictive. Taylor shook her head, realizing that she was going in circles. She had had this debate the last time this sphere had appeared too. The real question at hand was whether she was willing to void this sphere or not. …Probably. The benefits were good, no doubt about it, but she doubted she'd ever be willing to Master herself like that.
The third sphere was one of the starry variety with an ominous skull. Nothing good came with a skull on the front. Still, she reached out to it despite her misgivings. It couldn't hurt to take a look after all. Once again, in the fashion of the starry spheres, Taylor was bombarded with concepts. Death. Wither. Decay, Hunger, RotPestilenceCurse… She flinched back, almost sick to her stomach at it all. This was not a good sphere. It felt bad even to touch it, almost wrong somehow. There was something else there though, beyond the initial impressions. It offered the ability to fire an exhausting projectile and… raise the dead? Not as they had been, but with this sphere she could briefly animate a dead body as a zombie or skeleton to fight for her. That was bad. Really bad. Taylor didn't know if she'd ever heard of a power with a worse look outside of human Masters. It wasn't even that good since in order to use it she would have to either kill people (not going to happen) or carry around dead bodies with her. Animal corpses could work, but all that would do was remove the necessity of grave robbing. Taylor was very tempted to just void the sphere right then and there, but something stopped her. The zombies and skeletons were mindless, true, but they might not always remain that way. Marbles seemed to grant abilities associated with the themes of the spheres they came from, and this sphere's theme was Necromancy. Bringing people back from the dead. Taylor's eyes grew moist at the thought, though her view of the spheres remained clear. This sphere might let her bring her mom back. She blinked, then blinked again, eyes somehow simultaneously clear and crying. She might be able to have her mom back! Not now, maybe not even soon, but… she had to do this. She had to take it. Even if she couldn't use most of it, just for the potential it represented, she had to have it.
Sparing barely a moment to look at the final option- a sphere with a snarling wolf head that she remembered being lackluster- Taylor grabbed the skull sphere. As she did, the unreality of her power space dissolved around her, leaving her standing back in that hallway in front of Shadow Stalker, with Vista peering out from behind. She blinked, pulling her bedsheet mask up to soak up her tears in a way that the heroes probably wouldn't see.
"What!" Taylor blinked again, this time in surprise, at Shadow Stalker. "We gonna fight, or are you just a fucking coward!?" Oh, that was right. She had started speaking before the power, so it must have seemed like she stopped mid-sentence. Before she had a chance to respond though, Velocity (finally) intervened.
"Shadow Stalker! Come here. Now." When they had first met him, Velocity had been serious and concerned, making a severe impression. After that he had still been formal, but much more personable. Now, the controlled anger in his voice visceral reminded Taylor just how muscular the man was. Almost before she could comprehend it, Velocity had taken Shadow Stalker by the shoulder and pulled her back into the room she'd come from, leaving Taylor and her father alone in the hallway with the awkwardly staring Vista.
"So, uh…" Taylor's voice was rough, unsure in the new quiet of the hallway. She didn't finish the thought. Didn't know how. How would you even describe what just happened? Luckily, Vista came to the rescue with a deep and emphatic bow.
"Oh my god I'm so sorry! She's not… well, we're not all like that I swear!" The younger girl's embarrassment was visible in her anguished grimace. "Stalker was just annoyed 'cause of console training and she took it out on you"
Danny took the opportunity to interject, wrapping an arm around Taylor's shoulders in a gesture of comfort. "That doesn't excuse it" She couldn't see his face under the mask, but she knew his brow was furrowed in a frown. "What the hell was that? She just gets annoyed and goes off on anyone nearby?"
Vista nodded. "Well, it's not usually this bad, but she just got taken off the patrol rotation for breaking some of Kid Win's stuff…" She winced again at the faint shouting from behind the door. Something about kindergarten? "That's… not going to help" Still, she rallied. "Look, I just wanted to apologize. We- the Wards that is, aren't like this. They're really great people! You just… got unlucky I guess. If you come by some other day I'd be happy to show you around and introduce you!" The young hero looked up at the two of them and gave a cute smile which Taylor couldn't help but unfairly compare to Madison. "I hope this didn't change your mind about joining. We really do need more girls on the team. I could really use someone to talk to"
Taylor didn't really trust the girl- not after what had just happened, but she certainly seemed contrite, and she'd actually apologized which was more than most people did. Also, she had just turned on her own teammate. Taylor didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, Shadow Stalker was apparently a full-time bitch, even to the Wards. On the other, she'd just ratted out her teammate, talked shit about her behind her back. If she joined, would Vista do the same to her? Was this the kind of behavior that led Shadow Stalker to shout at random people in the halls? Regardless, there was something to clarify. "I'm not going to be joining the Wards. That's not what I… I'm getting an independent hero license. Registration. Whatever" The smaller girl visibly wilted, tugging at Taylor heartstrings. It must really suck being the only girl on the team other than Shadow Stalker. Assuming Stalker was actually that much of a bitch all the time that is. "Maybe I'll see you around though? I was thinking of volunteering at the hospital"
"Maybe…" She looked dispirited. "Well, my offer still stands. Maybe I can convince you! Despite, well, that" Vista looked back at the 'Console' room as Velocity left, sighing. Her parting words were quiet but still audible. "And now I've got to deal with that all day. Ugh" With that, she slouched back into the room as the older hero approached.
"I'm very sorry about that" He too was grimacing. "The Wards program is meant as a place where young parahumans can learn to be great heroes, but Shadow Stalker is still rough around the edges" Well, at least it was an apology, if not an admission of guilt. "I would not have brought you to meet her if I had been aware that she was here for disciplinary reasons. I regret that you've had a negative and unrepresentative experience with the Wards program" His tone was formal, the kind of formality that betrayed a deep discomfort. His body language was equally stiff, with a clenched jaw and nearly parade-ground posture. "Please allow me to compensate you with something from the gift shop" For her part, Taylor couldn't help but feel savagely vindicated as the awkwardness of the situation faded. Now she could stop feeling guilty about ruling out the Wards. More importantly, she could stop worrying as much about Dad signing herself up for it.
Danny cut in to prove her correct. "That won't be necessary" He spoke in the same tone as in the initial meeting, cagy and tightly controlled. "This has been an instructive look at the Wards program. I admit I wasn't sure initially about Vernal's desire not to join, but this experience has laid my doubts to rest" The two adults stared at each other. Velocity's jaw clenched harder.
"I understand" He allowed, after a few seconds. "I'll walk you to the door" They got back into the elevator, this time set to take them to the ground floor. "Would you like to schedule an appointment for tomorrow? I understand that the power testing could not be concluded this time. If necessary, we can provide excuses from school…" That was right, tomorrow was Monday. All of a sudden, despite what had just happened, Taylor felt the intense urge to take Velocity up on his offer. The last few days, as fraught as they had been with the stress of figuring out her power, were so much better than school. Honestly, she'd almost allowed herself to forget about it. Tomorrow though, the proverbial crows would come home to roost. She'd mouthed off to Blackwell, so there was sure to be some punishment waiting for her in addition to Emma's depredations. And unlike here, she'd be powerless. There would be no hero around to prevent Sophia from punching her like Shadow Stalker clearly wanted to, and there absolutely would be a teacher to prevent her from fighting back with her new skills.
She spoke up eagerly. "That would be-"
"No." Her father interrupted, and Taylor swung around to face him, mouth open in shock and betrayal. "I can't think of a way for you to do that without outing Vernal" Oh. Taylor crumpled in on herself. Of course, there was a catch. Of course it couldn't be real. Of course they had an angle. You can't write an excuse note for someone without knowing their name after all. They couldn't just be doing something nice for her because altruism doesn't exist. She could hear her father talking in the background, something about scheduling meeting after work hours. It didn't really register; her sudden anger twisting upon itself occupied her mind. All she could think was that she had almost outed herself to the Protectorate. How, once again, she'd almost ended her independent career before it could even begin. Forget trusting other people to help her, she couldn't even trust herself! Velocity was protesting something, but she didn't listen. All her focus was dedicated to controlling herself, to keeping her breathing even and her hands from shaking. To pushing back the encroaching panic.
But despite her effort, a door opened.
Death Sphere Chosen! Death Talents Added to the Discard!
Unchosen Spheres Moved to the Discard!
[QUEEN ADMINISTRATOR] is Disappointed by your Anti-Conflict Rhetoric!
Approval is Currently -1!
Orb of Might- TAKEN
Alchemy Sphere- Grants some skill with alchemical crafting, as well as the ability to mix healing Salves. +1 Alchemy Level, +3 HP
Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
Barrage Sphere- Grants the ability to shoot or throw faster at the cost of accuracy. +1 Barrage Level, +3 HP
Boxing Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to prepare a powerful counterattack. +1 Boxing Level, +3 HP
Brute Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to perform a battering shove. +1 Brute Level, +3 HP
Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
Duelist Sphere- Grants the ability to bleed a foe with every hit, and to more safely disarm bleeding foes. +1 Duelist Level, +3 HP
Equipment Sphere- TAKEN
Finesse Fighting- Grants improved control over light melee weapons, allowing the use of dexterity to determine accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Fencing Sphere- Grants some skill with deception, as well as the ability to better take advantage of a foe's distraction. +1 Fencing Level, +3 HP
Guardian Sphere- Grants the ability to ignore wounds for a time, as well as the ability to draw an enemy's attention away from allies. +1 Guardian Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies.
Capoeira Spin- Reduces the penalties for fighting while prone, and grants the ability to stand while striking from the ground to deal additional damage.
Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of.
Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone.
Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition.
Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike.
Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies.
Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes.
Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go.
Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness.
Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage.
Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips.
Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target.
Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously.
Leopard's Gambit- Grants the ability to enter a reckless stance wherein enemy attacks are more likely to hit, but can be responded to with unarmed strikes.
Lotus Touch- Grants the ability to touch a foe for low damage in order to set them up for a more likely critical hit later.
Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses.
Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage.
Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits.
Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone/
Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder.
Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone.
Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them.
Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy.
Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture.
Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike.
Tear Flesh- Grants the ability to deal piercing and slashing damage with unarmed strikes, and to tear away natural armor when striking to cause bleeding.
Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks.
Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike.
Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures.
Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed.
Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina.
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Scout Sphere- Grants some skill with stealth, as well as the ability to assess an enemy's weaknesses. +1 Scout Level, +3 HP
Shield Sphere- Grants the ability to intercept attacks with a shield. +1 Shield Level, +3 HP
Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
Symbiat Class- TAKEN
Spell Pool- Dramatically enlarges Taylor's power reserves. Common to all spellcasting classes
Chronomancer Archetype- Alters the focus of the Symbiat's psionics from the material to the astral, granting them expertise in Time and Space at the expense of Telekinesis and Telepathy.
Essence Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Essence Sphere depending on build. Essence talents grant inherent magical abilities.
Alien Source- Grants Taylor the use of actual mana instead of the simulated sensations and effects, making her spells more difficult to disrupt and dispel.
Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
Strength Boost- Grants a potent boost to Strength. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Dexterity Boost- Grants a large boost to Dexterity. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Charisma Boost- Grants a boost to Charisma. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Orb of Power- TAKEN
Alteration Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision or a wide array of natural weapons to oneself or a willing ally. +1 Alteration level, +1 SP
Blood Sphere- Grants the ability to take control of a creature's blood and accelerate or halt their bleeding. +1 Blood level, +1 SP
Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure an extraplanar creature to serve as a servant and bodyguard. +1 Conjuration level, +1 SP
Creation Sphere- Grants the ability to repair or damage objects, or to create crude objects made of soft materials. +1 Creation level, +1 SP
Dark Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision and create a large area of darkness. +1 Dark level, +1 SP
Destruction Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a damaging energy projectile. +1 Destruction level, +1 SP
Divination Sphere- Grants the ability to divine for effects related to other known spheres, and to decipher magical script. +1 Divination level, +1 SP
Enhancement Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance weapons and armor with magical protection or destruction. +1 Enhancement level, +1 SP
Fate Sphere- Grants the ability to improve allies' luck and to bless them with protection against evil. +1 Fate level, +1 SP
Illusion Sphere- Grants the ability to disguise oneself and to create person-sized visual illusions. +1 Illusion level, +1 SP
Light Sphere- Grants the ability to cause people and things to glow, and to bend light to see farther. +1 Light level, +1 SP
Mind Sphere- Grants the ability to plant thoughts in the minds of others. +1 Mind level, +1 SP
Nature Sphere- Grants the ability to grow and manipulate plants to strike and snare enemies. +1 Nature level, +1 SP
Telekinesis Sphere- Grants the ability to lift and throw small objects without touching them. +1 Telekinesis level, +1 SP
Time Sphere- Grants the ability to accelerate or slow a person. +1 Time level, +1 SP
War Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance the destructive ability of allies, and to rally them. +1 War level, +1 SP
Warp Sphere- Grants the ability to teleport yourself or an ally some distance. +1 Warp level, +1 SP
Weather Sphere- Grants the ability to create, intensify, or calm various types of weather. +1 Weather level, +1 SP
Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
I'm not actually happy with this chapter, it's a fair bit shorter than what I've been writing recently, but it was either end it here or do another dream trigger, and those were getting old even for me. I might bring them out again from time to time, but Taylor's no longer quite so fragile that she'll trigger on every bad dream and I want to acknowledge that even if it makes the pacing a bit harder. Regarding the power choice: There she goes again, making bad decisions. And really, would it really be Taylor without some horrific-looking aspect to her power?
More seriously though, I've actually had this in mind since the story started. Taylor has some very serious issues, and most of them started after her mother Annette died, if not because she died. Taylor naturally associates that event with the beginning of the downward spiral of her life, so even beyond the natural urge to bring back a beloved parent there's a sort of unspoken expectation that if she comes back all the other stuff will reverse itself too. Basically, the result is that Taylor was always going to grab onto the first thing that hinted at resurrection with both hands. She just needed to know that was a possibility.
So how did she know it was a possibility? Resurrection is pretty much confirmed impossible in Earth Bet, so first she had to know her power breaks the rules- that part was pretty easy and obvious. Next she needed to know that sphere's weren't the end of the line, and that the marbles that came from the spheres were related thematically rather than being direct upgrades. Again, both things that would have happened eventually, though you could have held off the second one for a while. There are only two spheres that are thematically in line with resurrection: Life and Death. She missed the connection with Life since she misinterpreted it as Healing, and you can't heal the dead. With Death though, the connection was directly in her face. If she hadn't known about the thematic connection of marbles, she'd have taken it as an insult- that her mom's death was being shoved in her face with an ability to bring her back except not really. Here though… well, you saw.
So, did she make a good choice? Definitely not for her heroic ambitions, but actually yes for what she really wants. There are actually 4 ways to bring back the dead in Spheres; Reincarnation is the most widely-available one, but it's practically impossible on Bet because it requires performing a ritual on a druidic circle using extensive knowledge of the planes among other things. Resurrection from the Life sphere is the best one, since it brings the dead back painlessly and in their own body with barely any downsides. It also requires Life level 10. 15 if she wants to bring back her mom who's been dead over a year. Not exactly ideal. Death has the remaining two methods, and they're about the same difficulty, both requiring Death level 5 (though one practically requires 6 for your purposes). Greater Undead, and Summon Spirit. Greater Undead requires Sustained Necromancy, Permanent Undead (which also requires lv. 5) and allows for the creation of independent intelligent undead out of corpses. If she used the right corpse and made the right kind of undead, the result would still be Annette, just… with a need to prey upon the living. Summon Spirit on the other hand has no prerequisites other than the level, but it only allows for Taylor to summon Annette's spirit into an undead or animated object (requiring Enhancement) that she can already create. I doubt either of them would be happy with her as a regular skeleton.
[X] Plan With Gift of Tongue or Insight
-[X] Charisma Boost- Grants a boost to Charisma. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
-[X] Divination Sphere- Grants the ability to divine for effects related to other known spheres, and to decipher magical script. +1 Divination level, +1 SP
-[X] Scout Sphere- Grants some skill with stealth, as well as the ability to assess an enemy's weaknesses. +1 Scout Level, +3 HP
-[X] Fate Sphere- Grants the ability to improve allies' luck and to bless them with protection against evil. +1 Fate level, +1 SP
No. No, this wasn't her fault. Taylor closed her eyes and focused, the gesture helping even though it did nothing to obscure her vision. Nothing bad had happened. Dad was there for her, and even if she had impulsively agreed, he would have put a stop to it. Taylor took deep slow breaths, allowing the lack of sensation to comfort her. It was odd, that this not-place had become a sanctuary, especially given what it represented now that she knew about the mysterious intelligence behind her power. The reprieve from the real world, freedom from the need to worry about how other people saw her, however much time she needed… That void orb had been her best choice so far, and she was slightly regretting her decision to pass it up. Taylor didn't know if she would have been able to even go to the Rig if she'd had to worry about breaking down in front of the heroes.
Speaking of heroes… Taylor definitely didn't appreciate what Velocity had just tried to do. Trying to out her like that, right after the Shadow Stalker incident? She didn't know too much about cape business, but wasn't that a big deal? Some minor villain had gotten outed in Philadelphia a month ago, and even she had heard of it. It… didn't make sense. Not with his attitude or his apparent strategy. Velocity didn't seem like the cunning type, and he had been so apologetic about Stalker. Maybe she had misread him? Taylor would admit to not being the best with people. Or maybe he was doing it on orders- what if his higher-ups had heard about Stalker's debacle and decided they needed some leverage to make Vernal cooperate? Maybe- No. Stop. Taylor let out a deep breath and carefully put the thought aside to think about something more productive. Like her options.
The first one was a bronze mirror sphere, a boost if she remembered correctly. Looking at this sphere, the nature of the boost was obvious. Beauty. The Taylor she saw in this mirror was herself, but… prettier? That was simultaneously true and inadequate. Her face, already pretty flawless from the mirror orb, was perfectly symmetrical in the reflection. More than that though, it had character. Taylor knew she looked a sight right now, eyes red behind her glasses, shoulders slumped, the corners of her mouth turned down in her neutral expression. In the mirrored sphere though, her face practically radiated resolve, as though a famous actress had been hired to play 'tired but determined Taylor Hebert'. Each of the elements was still there, just played to its best effect. Her eyebags looked like artful eyeshadow, the red in her eyes lent them focus, her shoulders were relaxed and ready for action, and even her mouth now seemed to frown in a determined manner. The sphere offered more than just looks though, there was another component to it as well, some sort of spiritual force? Taylor couldn't get a good sense of it, but did that really matter? Looking that good, even in her current state was what every girl dreamed of. She might not do well as a model- even this wouldn't give her Emma's curves- but with this sphere she was sure she could get hired as an actress or something. And hey, maybe looking good would help with her self-confidence. Maybe. Taylor frowned harder, looking in the mirror as the reflection exemplified conflicted contemplation. Was she justifying this because she wanted it? What if there really wasn't any utility to it, and she was just trying to convince herself to indulge in vanity? She shook her head. The question wasn't if this was a good choice. It was if it was a better choice than the other options. She moved on.
The second option was another star-spangled sphere emblazoned with the image of… a ring on a pedestal? No, there was a bit of a reflection depicted within, difficult to see against the background; it was evidently meant to be a crystal ball like soothsayers were supposed to use. That made it, what? Divination or something? Taylor reached out towards it, braced for the rush of concepts. Seeking. Detection. Sensory, Foresight, DivinationScryingInsight… She pulled back. Looks like she was right, this was a Thinker-type sphere. Either luckily or by design, most of these spheres seemed to be pretty intuitive. Well… most of them. As Taylor reached out again, the sphere seemed to branch out in her vision, three rays of light spearing out of it to illuminate washed-out versions of three other spheres- one with a shield, one with a skull, and one with a mortar and pestle. It seemed that this sphere synergized somehow with her previous choices? With a single finger, she traced the connections. The first, to the shield sphere, offered to let her know how hard to hit the people around her were, which was… okay? The second would let her detect… moving dead things? Could anyone even do that other than her? The third was better, offering to let her know how injured people were, though couldn't she just look at them? Finally, the base power would allow her to detect the lingering impressions of power use. Whew. That was a lot, but surprisingly… insubstantial? They said knowledge was power, but none of this knowledge seemed that powerful to Taylor. Certainly not worth taking right now. Maybe later, once she had more starry spheres.
Scout Sphere. She reflects that knowing weaknesses will be a lot more relevant for hero-ing… but that isn't an immediate concern.
Speaking of knowledge, here was the dagger sphere again. Cautious and analytical it offered her the chance to learn the secret weaknesses of those around her… which, actually, might be really useful. Taylor hadn't considered it the first time- hadn't been in a position to consider it- but this kind of thing was probably a must-have for cape battles. She wasn't any kind of expert, but anyone with internet would know that cape battles often came down to each power's specific limitations. Everyone knew how Armsmaster beat Blitz from the Empire when he figured out that the villain's tech had to be charged by movement. Being able to just know that kind of thing could be a serious edge. Normally… well, Taylor didn't know how capes usually figured that kind of thing out. A lot of the time they probably didn't, based on the number of villainous escapes. The stealth skills should also be useful, especially if she was going to fight as an independent hero which was looking more and more likely based on what she'd seen of the Wards. If she was going to go it alone, stealth and mobility were the only defenses against getting overwhelmed. Taylor hummed. This was looking like a good choice for the future, but there was still one sphere left to check out. She wasn't going to just grab something like she did last time- not that she regretted taking the chance to save her mother of course. Maybe. Not for the first time she wondered how long it would be before she got to the right marble in that sphere. Actually…
"H-hey power" Taylor spoke into the nothingness, the lack of any echoes just as disconcerting as last time. "I want to bring my mother back. Could you… do something about that? Give me the right power or something" It had worked last time, when she'd asked for a protective power. This was a good deal more specific though. Though… "You, um, you came through last time, so…" She swallowed, trying to find the right words. "I don't know what you want, but I'll- I mean, if you can find a way to tell me, I'll try to do it, as long as it isn't illegal or… well, anyways" She could feel herself rambling, trying to pull the message together. "Alright. I, um, if you can find a way to communicate with me, and you help me with what I need, I'll help you in return. Is that okay?" The only answer was absolute silence. That was disappointing, but expected. If it could communicate, wouldn't it have done so by now?
Moving on, Taylor found herself looking at another starry sphere, this one marked with an old-timey scale with two platforms hanging from a crossbar. This would be a sphere of balance or something then? Justice maybe? Both could be good things to have. She reached out. Fate. Luck. Faith, Stories, CurseBlessingWyrds… Okay, so not balance or justice then, more like some weird mix of destiny and mysticism. Definitely not something she had expected to receive powers based on. Taylor spared a moment to once again acknowledge just how strange her powers were. The slow improvement thing was rare, but she'd heard of similar stuff before since growing powers were always fertile ground for speculation. Same with the choice thing. The impressions she got from the powers though… Well, Thinkers were also supposed to get strange sensations, but these ones felt somehow more human than she had expected. Was that a symptom of having an intelligence attached to her power, or was it the cause? She didn't know, and there was no conceivable way to find out, so she refocused on the offered powers. There were two of them, one of which purported to the luck of those around her slightly- Taylor wasn't sure how helpful that would be- and another expensive one that let her make someone more effective against people with an opposing ideology and make them immune to Master powers!? What? Just flat-out immunity? That was… okay, maybe that wasn't impossible, she'd heard somewhere that Masters were immune to other Master powers too. Still, this power could be a game-changer… if it lasted more than a couple minutes, or she could use it more than a few times a day. Peering deeper, it also didn't seem to work on already-applied Master effects, it just prevented new ones. That made much more sense- the ability was limited much like the other apparently-ridiculous powers she had been offered. Getting the most out of this effect would require knowing she was going up against a Master beforehand, and… were there even any masters in the Bay?
Taylor's brow furrowed in thought. There were two real choices here- well, three if she counted the beauty. The dagger sphere would be useful guaranteed, in both her civilian life (assuming it let her see social weaknesses) and her cape life. The scale sphere on the other hand was an enormous gamechanger… but only in limited circumstances that Taylor had no cause to expect. Aside from that, it promised to be an expensive but minor boost. Was it worth preparing now for a problem that might never come to pass? Or was it best to get something she knew she'd use. She hummed to herself, the note sounding off and wrong in the nothing. This was- should be at least- early on in her power curve. She should work on building her foundation or something, if her power even allowed for that. On the other hand though, in order for a contingency like the scale sphere to be useful, she had to have it before she needed it. There was also the first sphere, the beauty sphere. That… she kept coming back around to it. It would undoubtedly be a pointless choice, with no effect but making her feel better. She wanted it though. She wanted to feel better, to be able to look in the mirror without disgusting herself. Taylor shook herself. No. This was not the time. She looked plenty pretty already… or she assumed so at least. There weren't many mirrors in the Hebert household, and it was habit at this point to avoid them. Taylor grabbed the dagger sphere.
"... six o'clock good for you? That should be enough time for school and clubs right?" Reality faded back in, and with it Velocity's voice. He was talking with Danny primarily, something about scheduling? His gaze though, flicked between his conversant and Taylor. Crap. Had he noticed something? What had he noticed? Taylor was suddenly grateful that she hadn't taken the beauty power, since the dagger sphere at least didn't leave any outward signs. It couldn't be that though, so- oh. Her power trance might take time for her, but it didn't for them. It must have looked like she just instantly went from anxious to fine, and Dad had already commented on how weird that was yesterday at breakfast. Shit, ok. No visible power effects meant he probably didn't realize she was getting a new power, so what did he- "Vernal," Velocity interrupted her thoughts. "I owe you another apology. I wasn't intending to pry into your family business or out you in any way, just offering to let you take advantage of a system already in place for the Wards" Well, he certainly seemed apologetic. "In order to obfuscate their identities, we offer numerous students at Arcadia passes for scheduled out-of-school time. We hand them out by blind lottery, so it wouldn't have told us anything to give you one" He gave a short, somewhat forced laugh. "That might not have worked out anyways, since your father has to drive you, but I just wanted to… clear the air a bit"
'But I don't go to Arcadia' part of Taylor wanted to say, wanted to believe that the offer was made in good faith. The rest of her was wondering what kind of system a blind lottery was. Surely someone had to know who all the pass-holders were, or there would be tons of forged passes right? If that was the case that person would notice another name slipped in at an unusual time. Maybe that wasn't the kind of thing that happened at Arcadia though. No drug dealers or gangsters wanting to get out of school for nefarious reasons. Taylor wondered what it would be like to go there. They probably still had bullies though; you needed more than a rich neighborhood to get rid of those. Pulling away from the tangent, Taylor responded to the hero with a nod and a quiet "okay"
He continued looking at her for a long moment, then turned back to her dad. "Alright then, the receptionist should be able to schedule that for you. Remember, it's the PRT building not the Rig for the follow-ups. They've got a testing room there too, and it's more convenient than crossing the bridge every day" Velocity seemed to think for a moment, then nodded to himself and continued. "Also, would you mind scheduling meetings for later in the week too? With Vernal's limits, I understand it might take several sessions to finish testing" Danny seemed discomfited by something, but nonetheless acquiesced, pausing halfway to the desk to look back at Taylor before continuing.
Taylor herself moved to follow but Velocity lightly caught her arm. "Vernal…" He seemed hesitant, worried. "Are things alright at home?" What.
"What?" She repeated, out loud this time.
The hero's face softened, and he squatted down a bit to put himself closer to her height. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me" He said quietly. "Superpowers don't- they don't come from a good place, and a lot of the time, that place is at home" Something dark flashed in his eyes. A memory? Someone else he was comparing her to? "It doesn't matter if it's not dangerous, or a crime, or violent. If you feel uncomfortable…" Was this… did he think she was being abused? He pulled a strip of paper out of an innocuous pocket in his costume. "You can call this number. We can't do everything, but we'll do what we can" He did! He thought her dad was abusing her! Taylor rewound the conversation in her head, trying to figure out why. Dad had interrupted her when she was about to accept the offer, was that it?
"No, it's…" The hero held up a hand.
"You don't need to say anything now" He gave her a kind smile. "Just take it, so you have the option if you need it" Then, suddenly, he stood back up to his full height and Taylor realized her father was coming back. He nodded to her, and she to him, and they left the building together, Taylor's head whirling with thoughts. Her dad wasn't abusive. He could be neglectful, sometimes, but he'd been better recently! He was trying! But… Taylor remembered how it used to be. The weeks when she'd only see him going out the door in the morning, or when she stayed up too late at night. Having to scrounge up cash from the various drawers because he let the fridge run out again. There was a reason she hadn't told him about the bullying. There was a reason she hadn't wanted to tell him about her powers. He was better now, but would he stay that way? She was relying on him a lot now, for transportation and legal support, but was it too much? He still needed to do his job after all. And what would happen if he relapsed? Could she bring him back?
Taylor didn't have an answer. Almost without noticing it, she and her father walked across the bridge and were waved out the gates by Trooper Johnson, their guide from before. They found their way through the more-crowded streets, ducking into a convenient (and unoccupied) alley to change out of their costumes before getting to the car. The drive was also quiet, Taylor absorbed in her doubts and Danny reticent for other reasons. She doubted him, and she felt guilty for doing so, but was she wrong? She wrestled with the thought, but found no resolution.
"So" The word was abrupt, combining with the jerk of the car stopping to jar Taylor out of her thoughts. "You…" He stopped. Swallowed. Changed the subject. "So, the appointments are for 6:30, Monday through Friday. We can cancel them if… Anyways. I can drive you there, to the PRT building, if you're home by six" He swallowed again, looking anxious and guilty. He knew this was wrong, what he was going to say. "But, uhm… I've taken a few days off to take care of you alright? So, I'll need to work longer hours for a while to make up for it" Taylor's back tensed. Was he saying… "What I'm saying is, ah, can you handle dinner yourself?"
Taylor couldn't believe it, but at the same time felt like she should have expected it. "You're leaving? Now?" The words came out more accusatory than she had intended. Tension twisted in her stomach.
Danny had no reply to that, or maybe he just chose not to respond. Taylor just stared at him. Surprised. Worried. A little bit scared that this would be the end of his… improvement, his presence in mind and body. Eventually, he spoke. "You have your house keys?" Taylor nodded, numbly stepping out of the car. Watching as it reversed out of the driveway and drove away.
Then she turned back to the house. The empty house. The cold, dark, and achingly familiar house. In a daze, she walked up the driveway, up the path, up the stairs to the door. She inserted the key, jiggled it into the right position before turning it. Opening the door. The interior of the house was if anything worse than the outside. Full of things, crowded even with years and years of memories and love, but empty now of people. It hit her then, the doom that had been brewing in her gut since Velocity had voiced his concerns. He had been doing so well! And now, just like that, he was gone again! Taylor swallowed past the lump in her throat, clenching her fists around her balled-up costume as heat filled her eyes. The fear and grief turned to anger. How dare he! How dare he be present and caring and supportive and everything a father should be, only to leave again! How dare he give her hope only to take it away, remind her that it could never be. Taylor sucked in a breath that sounded like a sob. How could she think that they could just be a family again, just like that? How could she have let herself get used to this, this connection? She'd known it wouldn't work out, she'd known! But she let herself get comfortable anyways, let herself enjoy it, and now… now… Taylor knew she was losing control here in the doorway of her home, but she couldn't do more than hold in the tears. Her power should have activated by now! To sweep her away from the world. Why wasn't it working? Why…
As Taylor reached out to slam the door behind her, another door opened.
Scout Sphere Chosen! Scout Talents Added to the Discard!
Unchosen Spheres Moved to the Discard!
Arc Complete! The Void Grows!
Choose One Perk
Advisory Board- Spheres and Talents will come recommended based on synergy. Taylor will know roughly how well the presented options work with her current build. That's no guarantee that she'll pick the good ones though.
Gamer's Mind- Taylor's been emotionally unstable since she got her power- understandably so, considering what happened. Still, that doesn't exactly lend itself to making the best decisions or prioritizing correctly. If taken, this perk will suppress those emotions while she is making her choice, ensuring that every pick is guided by logic alone.
Card Sharp- With each offering, you can choose one additional orb, sphere or talent to discard without offering. This will allow you to get through the deck quicker and avoid offering particular things to Taylor which she might want but you don't like. Activated as a Special Vote and incompatible with other Special Votes
Hungry Void- Sometimes you just need more Perks. Sometimes you need certain spheres out of the way. Either way, this is your perk. Four more Voids will be added to the deck, to help thin things out a bit. This makes for a much more focused build, but again it's up to Taylor to use them well. If two Voids are combined they are both destroyed.
Dredging the Void- Sometimes people make mistakes. Taylor frequently makes mistakes. Luckily, not all mistakes are permanent. Retrieve one voided sphere or talent and put it in the discard.
Masquerade- Parahuman society places a truly baffling amount of emphasis on the separation between 'cape' and 'civilian' identities. Unfortunately, Taylor is not an orphan and desires to go to school, so this rule matters to her. Fortunately, you have this option, which prevents anyone from linking her identities unless they observe her changing between them. Enhanced by other identity-protecting effects
Writing on the Wall- Despite the intrusive thoughts, Taylor still isn't doing what you want her to! It's time for more… blatant measures. Just a little hack to her visual processors, and she'll be hallucinating your messages like a champ! The connection's still spotty though; Parts of messages might not get through.
Guide Dog- Taylor needs help. Everyone thinks so. Luckily, QA was kind enough to include a small native lifeform to help her acclimate! Taylor gains a familiar!* Write in an eligible Pathfinder familiar
*Terms and conditions apply. Familiars may vary. Contact QA for details.
Spleen of a Savior- QA stole it from someone. No, not the same person as last time. Taylor's hero points are now infused with the logic of Golarion which rejects all forms of prophecy. Whenever Taylor's actions are predicted, prophesied or simulated to her detriment, her hero points will be spent to allow her to defy her fate. Nothing can guarantee she'll defy her fate correctly though.
Trappings of Power- Taylor's magic normally manifests in a pretty bland way. The Natural casting tradition has neither Drawbacks nor Boons, so it's generally good but isn't great for anything. Luckily, QA took inspiration from a more… specialized caster this time. Write in a type of spellcaster whose tradition Taylor will use.
Fighting Chance- Taylor is, to say the least, pretty pants at fighting at this point in time. Not only does she not have the physique for it, she also doesn't have the skills or the instinct. This benefit will at least rectify the latter. Write in a Discipline Talent, and the Might Orb will also (retroactively) grant another Equipment Talent.
Classy- Taylor's current Class is Student, which is kind of a worse version of Expert. With this benefit on the other hand, Taylor starts with a single level in any Spheres Class- no requirement for possessing any spheres at all. It still doesn't grant any class features immediately. Write in a Spheres Class (they're listed in the Deck section)
Not a Racial Allegory- Humans are boring. Always have been, always will be. I'm sure Taylor would prefer to be something more interesting, like a strong half-orc, or a beautiful elf, or an inventive gnome. No I'm not stereotyping! You're stereotyping! Write in a core Pathfinder race.
Choose Four Spheres, Orbs, and Talents
Orb of Might- TAKEN
Alchemy Sphere- Grants some skill with alchemical crafting, as well as the ability to mix healing Salves. +1 Alchemy Level, +3 HP
Barroom Sphere- Grants the ability to easily find and use improvised weapons even when they're broken, as well as an improved ability to metabolize alcohol. +1 Barroom Level, +3 HP
Barrage Sphere- Grants the ability to shoot or throw faster at the cost of accuracy. +1 Barrage Level, +3 HP
Boxing Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to prepare a powerful counterattack. +1 Boxing Level, +3 HP
Brute Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to perform a battering shove. +1 Brute Level, +3 HP
Dual Wielding Sphere- Grants the ability to attack with two weapons at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level, +3 HP
Duelist Sphere- Grants the ability to bleed a foe with every hit, and to more safely disarm bleeding foes. +1 Duelist Level, +3 HP
Equipment Sphere- TAKEN
Finesse Fighting- Grants improved control over light melee weapons, allowing the use of dexterity to determine accuracy. +1 Equipment Level, +3 HP
Fencing Sphere- Grants some skill with deception, as well as the ability to better take advantage of a foe's distraction. +1 Fencing Level, +3 HP
Guardian Sphere- Grants the ability to ignore wounds for a time, as well as the ability to draw an enemy's attention away from allies. +1 Guardian Level, +3 HP
Lancer Sphere- Grants the ability to impale foes on any weapon, restricting their movement. +1 Lancer Level, +3 HP
Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies.
Capoeira Spin- Reduces the penalties for fighting while prone, and grants the ability to stand while striking from the ground to deal additional damage.
Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of.
Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone.
Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition.
Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike.
Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies.
Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes.
Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go.
Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness.
Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage.
Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips.
Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target.
Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously.
Leopard's Gambit- Grants the ability to enter a reckless stance wherein enemy attacks are more likely to hit, but can be responded to with unarmed strikes.
Lotus Touch- Grants the ability to touch a foe for low damage in order to set them up for a more likely critical hit later.
Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses.
Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage.
Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits.
Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone/
Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder.
Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone.
Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them.
Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy.
Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture.
Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike.
Tear Flesh- Grants the ability to deal piercing and slashing damage with unarmed strikes, and to tear away natural armor when striking to cause bleeding.
Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks.
Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike.
Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures.
Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed.
Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina.
Scoundrel Sphere- Grants some skill with sleight of hand and dirty fighting, as well as the ability to place a distracting mark on a foe. +1 Scoundrel Level, +3 HP
Shield Sphere- Grants the ability to intercept attacks with a shield. +1 Shield Level, +3 HP
Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
Trap Sphere- Grants some skill with trap construction as well as the ability to set dart traps and tripwire snares. +1 Trap Level, +3 HP
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
Symbiat Class- TAKEN
Spell Pool- Dramatically enlarges Taylor's power reserves. Common to all spellcasting classes
Chronomancer Archetype- Alters the focus of the Symbiat's psionics from the material to the astral, granting them expertise in Time and Space at the expense of Telekinesis and Telepathy.
Essence Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Essence Sphere depending on build. Essence talents grant inherent magical abilities.
Alien Source- Grants Taylor the use of actual mana instead of the simulated sensations and effects, making her spells more difficult to disrupt and dispel.
Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
Strength Boost- Grants a potent boost to Strength. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Dexterity Boost- Grants a large boost to Dexterity. +4 if the score is 10 or lower, +3 if 14 or lower, +2 if 18 or lower, and +1 otherwise.
Orb of Power- TAKEN
Alteration Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision or a wide array of natural weapons to oneself or a willing ally. +1 Alteration level, +1 SP
Blood Sphere- Grants the ability to take control of a creature's blood and accelerate or halt their bleeding. +1 Blood level, +1 SP
Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure an extraplanar creature to serve as a servant and bodyguard. +1 Conjuration level, +1 SP
Creation Sphere- Grants the ability to repair or damage objects, or to create crude objects made of soft materials. +1 Creation level, +1 SP
Dark Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision and create a large area of darkness. +1 Dark level, +1 SP
Destruction Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a damaging energy projectile. +1 Destruction level, +1 SP
Enhancement Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance weapons and armor with magical protection or destruction. +1 Enhancement level, +1 SP
Illusion Sphere- Grants the ability to disguise oneself and to create person-sized visual illusions. +1 Illusion level, +1 SP
Light Sphere- Grants the ability to cause people and things to glow, and to bend light to see farther. +1 Light level, +1 SP
Mind Sphere- Grants the ability to plant thoughts in the minds of others. +1 Mind level, +1 SP
Nature Sphere- Grants the ability to grow and manipulate plants to strike and snare enemies. +1 Nature level, +1 SP
Telekinesis Sphere- Grants the ability to lift and throw small objects without touching them. +1 Telekinesis level, +1 SP
Time Sphere- Grants the ability to accelerate or slow a person. +1 Time level, +1 SP
War Sphere- Grants the ability to enhance the destructive ability of allies, and to rally them. +1 War level, +1 SP
Warp Sphere- Grants the ability to teleport yourself or an ally some distance. +1 Warp level, +1 SP
Weather Sphere- Grants the ability to create, intensify, or calm various types of weather. +1 Weather level, +1 SP
Orb of Plenty- Opens up a random selection of level-appropriate items, and also grants an adventurer's kit including a backpack, bedroll, and 50 ft. of rope among other things
Regarding Taylor's request: You actually can't fulfill it right now. Not only are the Death sphere talents in the discard right now, the required talents are Advanced talents and have other prerequisites. That means that not only would Taylor need a combined Caster Level + Death Level of 5, you would also need the tier 3 Magic line perk which opens up Advanced talents in general. Now, it's technically possible for you to get all that via a metric ton of omakes, but that's probably not going to happen. That puts you in a quandary. Taylor doesn't know about your restrictions, and you can't communicate, so how will she know whether you're blowing her off or actually can't do what she asked for? You could use this Perk choice to get Writing on the Walls to hopefully get the message across, but that puts you farther away from unlocking Advanced talents and perks aren't exactly growing on trees. You could try to play charades with the sphere offerings, but will that work when Taylor doesn't know to look?
Other than that? Well, this is the end of an arc. The first one was the 'Waking Up' arc, and this one was 'Getting Oriented. This next one is going to be all about finding her place, both in old haunts like high school and new ones like the hospital and cape society. Once again, expect things to slow down in terms of in-world time per chapter. Taylor went through like 5 triggers on her first day, and over the course of the second arc that's dropped to around three per day. In this arc the plan is to reduce the anxiety-based triggers to only one per day by the end, though conflict-based triggers could be more often- much more often in some cases.
If you need magic for the eventual resurrection, putting
Spell Pool- Dramatically enlarges Taylor's power reserves. Common to all spell casting classes
as the top choice seems like the closest fit… Fill the rest with obviously wrong spheres, like the various open hand spheres or the stat boost, and that might be enough of a hint.
As for perks, "Classy" or "Trappings of Power" might possibly contain options that make resurrection abilities more likely? Other than that, "Masquerade" seems to be the most immediately useful one, now that she's interacting with people in her heroic identity. "Card Sharp" seems like the best choice for getting to resurrection more quickly. "Advisory Board" seems like the best to let Taylor work towards her goal on her own and choose the correct spheres. (I dislike "Writing on the Wall" due to the high risk of this becoming a typical meta story. Forum users directly talking to characters only works for crack.)
I don't really get the system, but the discarded spheres will be returned to the draw pile at some point, right?
Nice story, btw. I don't really post here because I have no strong preferences and little initiative to try understanding the system or break the choice paralysis, but I've been enjoying it for a while now.
