Shards of Power, Shards of Might (Worm/Pathfinder with Spheres of Power/Spheres of Might)

FallingLeft · Nov 12, 2022

Hey Taylor: from what we can tell from beyond it is probable the PRT doesn't know about Sophia. Winslow is incompetent and the PRT relies on them for most of their information about Sophia but Blackwell doesn't want to loose her juicy government funding for housing a cape.

Tiz Goldeneye · Nov 13, 2022

Thaumaterge said:
On the one hand, how many capes could alter the weather?

Thaumaterge said:
none of that was very useful in a fight

To Taylor: There is more to life than fighting. If you get some thinker support to ensure you don't wreck the global weather patterns you could be one of the most influential capes on the planet. In times past people would have considered someone a prophet if not a god themself for bringing rain to areas where there was a drought.

(OOC) To understand what I'm talking about, go read the Circeverse books by Tamara Pierce. The character with weather magic is (arguably) the most powerful mage in the world and no one can figure out why she won't use her powers. It's because if she ever goes all out it would devistate the natural order of the world. Tris understands she could live as one of the richest people in the world at the behest of an emperor, but instead lives a humble life using about 10-50% of her power. In Shatterglass the city she has travelled to is experiencing an unnaturally long drought, so she investigates why, and finds out that another weather mage brought rain to a city elsewhere, essentially stealing the rain for the city she was in. This wrecked the ecosystem for thousands of miles, so she undoes his work despite being several countries apart, and then sets things up to both fix the inadvert flooding they caused by the constant rain calling where they were, and fixing the drought where she was, as well as regulating the weather for the entire journey between the two points.

TLDR: Weather magic is VERY useful, conflict drive bad, go read Circeverse series.

Thaumaterge · Nov 19, 2022

Chapter 3.12 Amends

[X] Tactical Desires- Monk Version
- [X] Journey to the Heart
- [X] Fighting Chance (Monk Weapon Training & Staff Mastery)

[X] Class Development
- [X] Barrage Sphere- Grants the ability to shoot or throw faster at the cost of accuracy. +1 Barrage 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] Beastmastery Sphere- Grants some skill with animals and the ability to tame weak ones. +1 Beastmastery Level, +3 HP
- [X] ESP- Enhances physical and mental senses using psionic power, improving perceptiveness and social acuity

Omake: Pocket Space
Perk: Monk Weapon Training
Perk: Staff Mastery

Taylor blinked in shock, jaw dropping open in indignation. Those bastards! The 'heroes' of the Protectorate had, had… what? Ignored Blackwell's reports of bullying, assuming Blackwell wrote any at all? Believed their Ward's word, which concurred with tens of bystanders, over an unknown's? Refused to discipline one of their Ward's civilian activities? Okay, maybe it did make some kind of sense, but there were still a few things that didn't really fit.

Sophia was too confident, when she'd said Taylor would regret exposing her, when she'd said Taylor was a sacrifice for her heroism. The obvious explanation- that the heroes were just as rotten inside as Sophia- wasn't one Taylor wanted to believe, but what did that leave? Was it just bravado? She hoped so, but… maybe it was some kind of hero solidarity? She knew from her dad's work that union men would protect their fellows from management retribution on principle, but there were always those who took advantage of that protection to deliberately commit crimes. In fact, those people were his biggest headache, since it was his job to keep them out of the union in the first place. The Protectorate was obviously willing to discipline Shadow Stalker itself- she'd seen that during her tour- so why was she so confident in her misbehavior here in school? Was the punishment just for embarrassing them in front of a visitor? Looking back, the outburst was perfectly in-character for Sophia, so it wasn't like she was putting on a good-girl act for them, but at the same time Velocity didn't seem to expect it- though Vista certainly did. Taylor felt a sudden wave of empathy for the girl, for having to deal with Sophia in close quarters for so long. Maybe the Protectorate just didn't interact much with their junior division?

Looking at it that way, it wasn't quite as grating- still a failure on their part, still a disillusioning disappointment, but not really a betrayal. She could understand wanting to protect a real hero's identity, and considering the disconnect between Velocity and Sophia and how she was running around behind her team's backs, they might well not know the extent of her misbehavior. That was another point actually- Sophia running around patrolling behind her team's back. Obviously, Wards weren't allowed to do that, especially with unknown capes. The real question was if the Protectorate actually didn't know what was going on or if it was just plausible deniability. Taylor couldn't decide which was the worse option. On the one hand, if they did know it meant they also probably knew about her as-yet-unnamed cape identity and might be able to put the pieces together. On the other, it would also mean she and Sophia might actually have a realistic chance or rescue if things went south. If they didn't know, then she was still free of surveillance… but also free of backup and the safety net that she'd assumed Sophia would be able to offer her.

Neither option was good. The only positive was that she'd found out all this before it was just her and Sophia in a dark alleyway with a bunch of gangbangers. Not that she expected the other girl to backstab her out there, regardless of what the messages said. Sophia had had a better chance before, with Emma and her spiked bat, and she hadn't even entered the fight. What she might do was abandon her in a dangerous situation- her power was practically made for escape after all, and Taylor's wasn't. That didn't necessarily mean the deal was off though. Even without the advantage of gear or infrastructure or numbers, Sophia still had a lot to offer in terms of experience- moreso in fact than she'd expected. Shadow Stalker had operated for over a year as a solo independent before becoming a Ward, and Taylor would need those tips and tricks if she wanted to survive the cape scene. If she still intended to do this though, she'd need to have a long and detailed conversation with Sophia. Right after she had one with her dad. Ugh. Was she going to have to reveal all this to him too? It would be a big move in the direction of trust, but… well, she knew how this would look from the outside. Going from beating up your bully one day to patrolling with them the next? She'd be the first to admit it was suspicious unless you had the whole story and a good sense of the people involved. If there was any upside to all this, it was learning that Sophia was willing to reveal a lot more information a lot more easily than Taylor had originally thought. Well, that and the spheres.

Speaking of the spheres, there were three free marbles this time: a pair of halberd sphere marbles orbiting idly around each other and an unmarked smaller-than-usual starry marble sitting alone. Taylor decided to start with that one, leaving the oddity of the moving pair till later. Despite having no icon, it was actually surprisingly useful- just like the other similar option she'd seen before. Unlike that one, this ability was standalone, a permanent and free pocket space that she could use to carry around a small amount of material undetectably. Obviously this was intended to hold her weapons if she had any, since she could hardly carry those around openly. The souls were manipulating her, she could tell; getting her more used to the idea of using deadly weapons by wearing away her reasons for not using them. It was working too- made the marbles and spheres she'd spent on learning to use them feel less wasted. The weight limit could be an issue though; Taylor had no idea how heavy a knife or a gun was, let alone the more exotic options like her alchemical salves. There was no question here about whether to take it- just how best to use it.

That sorted, Taylor moved on to the more curious phenomenon, the two halberd marbles rotating around each other, as though tied with a nonexistent string. Was this just the normal result of two marbles from the same sphere being granted at once? Taylor struggled to recall if she'd ever had that happen before, but came up blank. Maybe it was a perk? She should have gotten one recently, but they'd never granted marbles before. She frowned and hummed to herself. Well, there wasn't any way to be sure, though maybe something could be gleaned from the marbles themselves? The first was familiar, another one of the ones that taught her how to use weapons, this time in a weird asian martial arts theme- actually, hadn't she seen this one before? When she'd first chosen the halberd sphere, this was one of the choices alongside the roman gladiator-themed set she'd taken. At least now she knew where she could get some of this stuff- the diamond-like orb. The other objections, though, remained. Being, looking, or acting asian wasn't exactly the safest thing in Brockton Bay, even for a cape. It might only take one case of mistaken identity for her to be considered an ABB villain, and who knows how much afterwards to clear her name. The other marble though turned out to be much easier to use. It focused on the quarterstaff, basically any stick as tall as she was would work, and would teach her to use it to trip people in a variety of different stances that maximized speed, power, or reach. All useful, though surprisingly it didn't synergize with her existing leg sweep ability. That… actually made sense in retrospect. It was a leg sweep after all, not a pole sweep. The ability did however synergize with a bunch of other stuff from the same palm sphere though, marbles she hadn't seen that triggered when she tripped people. It also, maybe importantly, had a strong thematic connection to the other attached marble- the connection being martial arts. Maybe that meant something? Taylor grabbed them both and made a mental note to find herself a pole to use as a quarterstaff, or maybe a metal pipe or something. And while she was making mental notes…

"Hey, uh, souls. Could you wait to give me the diamond orb until I'm in private next time? Um, unless I ask for it, like, if I need to prove I can summon items from other worlds or something. Thanks"

With that sorted out, the only thing left was to make her choice of the four other spheres and marble available to her. Thankfully this was an easy one; she'd seen all of these spheres before and mostly remembered what they did. It was the bow sphere, the chair sphere, the wolf sphere, and a golden mirrored marble with that three-eyed symbiat version of herself in it. Of those, she knew she didn't want the chair or the wolf at all, with the bow reserved for 'maybe later', once she got that control-boosting telekinesis marble that was mentioned in the synergy. That left only the gold marble, which turned out to grant a small amount of insight and perception via low-grade telekinetic and telepathic sensing. Kind of overwhelming honestly, but it was another step on the path, and some of the other Symbiat abilities had been truly impressive. If this was what it took to get more of those, she'd do it happily- plus, it might help with the impending conversation. Conversations.

Even if she'd made her decision though, there was still reason to check out some of those spheres. After all, she hadn't had the synergy perk last time she saw the chair or the wolf, and hadn't had alchemy when last she saw the bow. That last one proved illuminating- it turned out the Alchemy sphere didn't just have healing remedies, it also had bombs. Lots of bombs, and lots of poisons, all of which could be thrown or shot and benefit from the bow sphere's ranged attack speed boost. The wolf sphere had comparatively little synergy, just that animal companions could benefit from the alchemy sphere's healing and stimulants, but the chair sphere apparently had a talent that would let her hit a lot harder with her fists… but only while she was drunk. Unfortunately nothing that revealed anything more about the spheres she actually cared about, and certainly nothing to change her decision.

Taylor looked over her options again and frowned. This was the third time she'd seen some of these, so the last choice must have exhausted all the remaining sphere. But if that was so, why weren't there any paths- sorry, classes- to choose from? Were they unavailable, or had the souls simply chosen not to offer them? The former made a certain kind of sense, Dungeons the Dragoning characters only even had a single job after all (well, as long as they weren't Apprenticing or Jobbing or a Dilettante, or… anyways). The latter on the other hand was… probably a good thing? After all, she'd prefer not to have to discard something she actually wanted, so from that point of view three bad options and one good was the best composition. The lack of choice in that made her nervous though, let alone that it turned the whole thing into their choice rather than hers. Taylor pulled in a deep breath and then let it out. It didn't really matter, she decided. Instead, she should be focusing on how to deal with Sophia, once she got out. Putting on a resolute face, she grabbed the golden marble and returned to reality.

When she comes out, she immediately confronts Sophia with the knowledge that she's shadow stalker
"You're Shadow Stalker" Taylor restarted the conversation aggressively, hoping to put Sophia off balance. If Dad could tell when she got a new power, Sophia might be able to as well; best give her something else to think about.

"Get yer fuckin' voice down!" Based on Sophia's hissed response and sudden consternation, it worked. "Don't just fucking say that shit. Are you trying to out me?"

Taylor pressed her advantage, finding an unexpected pleasure in seeing the other girl on the back foot for once. "Weren't you the one who just used your power? Why are we even talking here if it isn't safe? Also, weren't we just talking about hitting an empire drug dealer"

Sophia looked around furtively before replying. "That's fucking different and you know it. Cape names are serious business. Plus, didn't you already know?"

Now it was Taylor that was flat-footed. "I, uh-" She'd expected Sophia to underestimate her, not overestimate. "No. Not until you used your power at least. What's a Ward doing in Winslow?"

Thankfully, Sophia didn't call her on her clumsy attempt to turn the conversation around. "I asked to stay with Emma" Taylor had a sudden and intense surge of deja vu, like a punch in the gut. "Wasn't just her though. I had a good thing going here. Nobody cares if I throw a punch or two, and there are plenty of nazis that deserve it. Plus, no PRT snitches" The other girl shrugged carelessly. "Plus there's no way I could have lasted more than a week in pale-and-prissy Arcadia without braining someone too important for their own good"

That fit. "So the Protectorate doesn't know what you're doing here?" Taylor distracted herself by slipping in one of her prepared questions.
"You talking about this hit we're planning or your own beef, Hebert?" Sophia gave her a leer, clearly enjoying poking at that sensitive spot. "The Protectorate don't know shit. The PRT knows enough, but if it's not in their face they don't give a shit" That was a revelation all its own. Was the Protectorate not involved with their own sidekicks? "That's both your questions by the way"

"No, it isn't" Taylor fired back, trying to remain focused on the answers she wanted. "So the Protectorate doesn't know. Does your team know? The rest of the Wards? Can we expect backup if we meet an Empire cape? Heck, can we even make arrests?"

At those rapid-fire questions, Sophia only snorted. "Heck? Are you a grandma or something, Hebert? A scaredy cat grandma?"

"I'm being serious here" Taylor wished she sounded less petulant.

Sophia just waved her off. "Hebert, if you're serious about making it as an independent, you need to stop expecting that baby shit. Real independants don't have backup, they make do with their powers and their wits. And arrests? Are you serious?" She actually paused at that, expecting an answer.

"What else are we supposed to do, kill them?" The question was uncomfortably un-rhetorical. Thankfully for Taylor's peace of mind, Sophia winced in response.

"Not if we can help it. Just gotta hurt or scare them enough to get them out of the gang business. See, if you're not in the downtown the pigs- cops- are so slow that holding a gangster long enough to hand them over is a death sentence. If his friends find you, that's a fair fight, maybe a cape fight. Don't do that. You'll fuckin' die"

Despite her resurging exhaustion, Taylor couldn't help but perk up. This was exactly the kind of information she needed. "Any other helpful tips?" She was careful to moderate her tone though. Couldn't have Sophia realize what exactly she was after.

Perhaps she failed at that, or perhaps their time had just run out. Whatever the cause, the other girl chose that moment to check her phone and swear. "Fuck. I gotta go. We'll chat later Hebert… assuming you're still in?"

Taylor nodded. "Maybe. Depends if you've actually got your… stuff together" She avoided swearing intentionally this time; A small way to reject her former bully's expectations.

With that, they parted, heading to different busses home. The ride back was much the same as the ride there, though Taylor fought hard to keep her eyes open this time to watch for her stop. It wasn't like anyone would wake her up if she missed it after all. Honestly, that was probably the hardest part of the day. She'd been able to nap on the bus, sleep through class, and she had adrenaline to tide her over Sophia's little mess. Now though, she was crashing, hard. Still, despite nodding off a few times, she managed it, stumbling the last few blocks back to her house.

Then, she was home, but she still wasn't done. No, there was one last hard conversation to have tonight. Just thinking about it, Taylor felt a nervous tension form in her shoulders and back. Good. Maybe that would help her stay awake long enough to greet him when he got back. Some mental engagement would also help, but… maybe some messages could do the trick. Honestly Taylor was a bit scared of what they'd say, considering yesterday, and that she'd just finished having a relatively civil conversation with Sophia. But, well… she had to dive back in sometime. The information was just too good to pass up, and she was no stranger to weathering insults and scorn.

Luckily, that wasn't she found in the first message to appear on her notebook page. Instead, it was a rambling proposal about how she should disguise her Protection sphere (was that the shield sphere's name?) abilities as a function of Alchemy sphere war paint, which were apparently somehow connected via calligraphy. Taylor didn't know if she was just too tired to figure out what the message was trying to say or if it was just confusingly written; in the end, she thought it was trying to convince her to practice calligraphy or something. Yeah, she wasn't going to be doing that, not for two hours a day at any rate. She had school! And power testing! And potentially crime fighting! Other than that it was a dire warning her against summoning something from its world, and encouraging her to take a marble that would let her postpone damage. That was… okay? She'd definitely keep a closer eye on any sphere related to summoning, but the warning seemed pretty overblown, especially considering the weirdness of the message in general. The damage delaying thing seemed like it might be good though.

After that were a couple messages crowing in vindication over Sophia's revelation, which she tuned out, and another explanation message written in the same baffling style. The writer claimed to be the one that granted her the Mind sphere abilities though, so she tried to focus a little harder on deciphering it. It was strange, actually, how much the quality of the messages diverged. Some were perfectly coherent, while others were more colloquial and some like this once could hardly be more garbled if they'd been translated from a completely different language. Actually… wouldn't that make sense, given what the souls had said about their origins? The translation thing, that was; though that actually made it stranger that any of them were legible. Taylor blinked again, eyes notably heavy as she tried to parse the list of power descriptions provided to her. Magic traps? Why would that matter? Taking less damage sounded nice though. And mental intrusions? Did that mean she could… make the messages… shut up? Her eyes blurred, but Taylor pinched herself, twisting the skin of her arm to keep herself away. Next message… next message… Ah! Here it was; it looked like a response to her mental request for introduction last night. Apparently its- her- name was Melissa, an oddly normal name. She'd expected… Elenwen, or something. Taylor's gaze blearily skipped through the text. Uhm… magical nomadic trickster lesbian? That was… cool. The murdery bit at the end was less cool though. Bit like a fairy tale, now that she thought about it; one of the old ones. With that though, Taylor finally and unwillingly drifted off to sleep.

Taylor jerked bolt upright, kept from falling off the couch only by the blanket that had been thrown over her. For a moment, she thought it was too late. The light from the window was dim. The living room lamp was off. She couldn't see the clock. For that brief moment, she was utterly sure she'd lost her chance, that her dad had come and gone to bed, that's she'd slept through the whole evening. Then she heard movement from the kitchen. It was a scraping and hissing of spatula on a pan, pushing around grease and fat, and came with the heavenly smell of frying bacon. Clumsily, she stood up from the couch, shedding her blanket. Stumbling, she made her way to the kitchen, blinking the gunk out of her eyes.

"Dad?" Taylor wished it didn't sound so much like a question.

"Hey kiddo, finally awake?" He turned and smiled at her like everything was normal. Taylor cursed her choice this afternoon. Maybe without that marble she wouldn't be able to hear that undercurrent of stress, of pain.

She swallowed hard. "Yeah" She wanted to talk to him, to apologize, to explain everything. "What's for dinner?"

He turned back to the stove while she took a seat at the table. "Well, it's been a while since I've really cooked" He said, glossing over the weeks- months really- at a time when spaghetti was the most food preparation they ever did. "Can't let your power stand in for good food all the time, eh?" It was obvious he'd never liked her power, even knowing more about it than anyone but her. The way it made her a cape, the target it put on her back, the choices it forced her to make. He'd never hidden it, but he'd been willing to humor her anyways. Would that change, now? "Anyways, how do you feel about bacon mac and cheese?"

"Sounds great dad" She gave a wan smile, trying to quiet the racket in her head, to quell her racing thoughts. Almost by muscle memory, she went to the correct drawers, collected two plates and forks, and set the table.

Silence descended, an awkward, oppressive silence weighted down by shared dread. The things that both of them wanted to discuss, but neither wanted to broach. Danny spooned out mac'n'cheese onto both plates before finding a suitably safe subject. "Uh, so, kiddo. How was school" That was not a safe subject. The table rattled slightly in time with Taylor's nervously bouncing leg.

Oh sure, I just chewed out my bully after finding out that she was a Ward the whole time and that the PRT is tacitly endorsing her behavior. Oh no, that somehow wasn't a dealbreaker, I'm still allied with her. I'm probably going to beat up a drug dealer with her later this week, behind your back of course. "Um, it was fine I guess. Nobody bothered me" Was what Taylor said instead. "Did we miss the power testing appointment?" No, wait, that was an even less safe topic. Taylor barely contained her cringe.

Danny didn't react immediately. Instead he slowly, deliberately chewed and swallowed his mouthful. Then he spoke. "It's canceled"

Taylor's breath caught. That was it. That was her chance, gone. "Dad, I'm sorry about-"

"This isn't about that" His voice rolled over hers, cutting her off. "Mrs. Dallon refused to let her daughter participate in the testing unless she was present to chaperone, and that wasn't acceptable"

"No, I mean- I didn't mean- I'm sorry!" If only she'd spoken up earlier. If only she'd had the courage to do it last night. Maybe if she had, he wouldn't have done it. But she hadn't, and now she was watching her hero career spiraling down the drain.

"No. You were right" The words were spoken with a deep weariness and an equally deep resolve. "I haven't been there for you. You got hurt because I wasn't there for you" He took a deep breath, food forgotten, and placed his hands on the table as though to stand. "I'm here now though. I might not be a cape, but there are still other things I can do. I can keep you from getting within arms reach of that crazy bitch again"

Taylor struggled to marshal an argument against that. Wasn't this what she had wanted? Wasn't this what she had feared? "I- B-but, I've still got to go! I have to get certified in order to heal! We agreed, right? Healing is the best- the safest way to be a hero? I just got another healing power too! Think of all the people I could help!" At some point during her plea, Taylor realized she had stood up, and her father stood to match her. No, more than match, he seemed to tower over her like an implacable titan.

"I don't care about all those people. I care about you"

Somewhere in that house, a door opened.

ESP Chosen!
Other Spheres Moved to the Discard!
Choose One Special Vote

[ ] Journey to the Heart- Grants a random class feature from the class. Each class can only be chosen once.
- [ ] Symbiat
- [ ] Prodigy

Choose Four Orbs, Spheres and Talents

Orb of Might- TAKEN
- Alchemy Sphere- TAKEN
  - Cluster Tolls- Speeds alchemical item usage, allowing two to be used at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Alchemy level
  - Dynamite Throwing Form- Infuses thrown items with strength, allowing them to strike as hard as one's fists. +1 Alchemy level
  - Fireworks- Infuses thrown items with propellant, allowing them to travel further. +1 Alchemy level
  - Master Chemist- Grants access to alchemical poisons, which may be ingested, inhaled, contact-based, or applied to weapons. +1 Alchemy level
  - Snap Toss- Dramatically speeds alchemical item usage at the cost of focus. +1 Alchemy level
  - Extra Formulae- Grants the formula for Alchemist's Fire and Improved Alchemist's Fire, a potent flame-based grenade. Also grants access to further [Formulae] talents. +1 Alchemy level
- 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
- 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- TAKEN
  - Asynchronous Swing- Synergizes two disparate weapons, allowing each to benefit from the strengths of the other. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Balanced Blows- Improves ambidexterity, allowing multiple attacks to be made with more accuracy. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Combo Maneuvers- Allows Dual Attack to be used with more than just attacks, but also combat maneuvers. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Critical Follow-up- Improves follow-up lethality of off-hand attacks after a successful main-hand strike. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Crushing Combo- Improves the damage of Dual Attacks. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Cunning Combo- Allows the off-hand weapon to be used to feint instead of attack. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Dancing Display- Adds mobility to successive attacks and improves the combat style's beauty. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Defensive Whirl- Hinders enemies struck with both weapons, making it harder for them to strike back. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Drumroll- Hinders enemies struck with both weapons, driving them off-balance and hindering their opportunistic actions. +1 Dual Wielding level
  - Dizzying Combination= Hinders enemies struck with both weapons, slowing them and reducing their ability to dodge. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Dual Opportunity- improves reflexes, allowing one to respond with both weapons instead of one. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Focusing Defense- Allows one to refocus quickly by taking a defensive stance. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Following Strike- Improves speed, allowing a pair of successful attacks against a single target to be followed by a third strike against a second target. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - High-Low Combination- Allows a successful main-hand strike to be followed by a trip attempt rather than another attack. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Impossible Reload- Allows for reloading without the use of a free hand, and for one-handed ranged weapons to be handled with greater precision. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Mercurial Flow- Improves off-hand strength, allowing off-hand attacks to benefit from full leverage. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Mixed Assault- Allows for shooting and reloading in melee combat without leaving an opening, and improves accuracy when using ranged and melee weapons simultaneously. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Mixed Defense- When using both a melee and a ranged weapon, allows the ranged weapon to be leveraged defensively against melee attackers. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Paired Proficiency- Allows skills specific to a single wielded weapon to apply to a different wielded weapon so long as they are applicable. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Perfect Set-Up- Allows the main hand to be used to set up a more deadly and accurate off-hand attack. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Repositioning Routine- Allows targets of two successful attacks to be manipulated, moving them about the battlefield. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Snapping Crab Stance- Allows one to take a retributive stance, wherein a target's attacks provoke strikes from weapons that recently missed. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Strategic Set-Up- Improves the efficacy of combat maneuvers attempted in lieu of off-hand attacks if the main-hand hit. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Synchronous Accuracy- Improves reliability, allowing a missed main-hand attack to grant an off-hand opportunity, at the cost of focus. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Tandem Offensive- Syntergizes weapons, allowing a successful main-hand strike to transfer enhancements from it to the off-hand weapon. +1 Dual Wielding Level
  - Two in the Hand- Increases the reach of off-hand attacks, should the main hand hit. +1 Dual Wielding Level
- 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
  - Cavalry Ready- Grants the ability to brace any non-light weapon against a charge. +1 Equipment Level
  - Cloth Snake Puppetry- Grants the ability to grip and manipulate far-away objects using rope-like weapons. +1 Equipment Level
  - Cold-Weather Adaptation- Grants the ability to modify any outfit for improved insulation and cold damage resistance. +1 Equipment Level
  - Craftsman- Grants some skill with weaponsmithing and potentially armorsmithing, along with the ability to make mundane objects in half the time. +1 Equipment Level
  - Critical Genius- Improves combat instinct with one weapon, making critical hits more likely with it. +1 Equipment Level
  - Crushing Thrower- Grants the ability to throw weapons great force, using strength to determine accuracy. +1 Equipment Level
  - Dagger Bravo- Greatly improves combat instinct with daggers, improving their crit chance and thrown range. +1 Equipment Level
  - Dagger Dancer- Improves speed with daggers, allowing them to be drawn more quickly and more easily confirm crits. +1 Equipment Level
  - Duelist's Grip- Improves grip and balance with one-handed weapons, allowing strength to be more efficiently leveraged. +1 Equipment Level
  - Expert Reloading- Reduces the time required to reload ranged weapons with proficiency. +1 Equipment Level
  - Fast Draw- Allows weapons to be drawn as part of the same action as attacking with them. +1 Equipment Level
  - Finesse Fighting- Grants improved control over light melee weapons, allowing the use of dexterity to determine accuracy. +1 Equipment Level
  - Gauntlet Shield- Grants the ability to use fist weapons as buckler shields when not attacking with them. +1 Equipment Level
  - Guarded Combattant- Improves grip, making it harder to disarm or sunder weapons. +1 Equipment Level
  - 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
  - Immovable Object- Improves balance and traction, increasing resistance to forced movement and tripping. +1 Equipment Level
  - Mechanical Savant- Increases the damage of mechanical ranged weapons including crossbows and firearms. +1 Equipment Level
  - Net Master- Grants improved control over netted creatures, allowing them to be more easily moved. +1 Equipment Level
  - Polearm Mastery- Reduces the difficulty of targeting close-in targets with reach weapons. +1 Equipment Level
  - Shortbow Mastery- Improves shot speed with shortbows, allowing more attacks at the expense of accuracy. +1 Equipment Level
  - Spear Dancer- Allows spears to be used with finesse and as one-handed weapons. +1 Equipment Level
  - Splitshot- Grants the ability to load a bow with two arrows at once, targeting two adjacent creatures with the same attack. +1 Equipment Level
  - Throwing Mastery- Grants the ability to add spin to thrown weapons, causing them to return to the hand. +1 Equipment Level
  - Thrower's Reflexes- Grants the ability to catch projectiles at the cost of focus. Yes this includes bullets. +1 Equipment Level
  - Unarmored Training- Grants the ability to generate a skin-tight forcefield based on acrobatic or combat prowess when not wearing armor. +1 Equipment Level
  - 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
  - Versatile Fighter- Grants access to three stances ranging from offensive to defensive. +1 Equipment Level
  - Weaponmaster- Grants the ability to deal any kind of physical damage with any weapon. +1 Equipment Level
  - 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
  - Armor Proficiency- Grants proficiency with all medium and heavy armor and grants access to further [Armor] Talents. +1 Equipment Level
  - Extra Discipline- Grants proficiency with another collection of weapons based on spheres and grants access to further [Discipline] Talents. +1 Equipment Level
- 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
  - Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so Refocus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
  - More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
- 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
- Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
  - Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina. +1 Open Hand Level
- 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- TAKEN
  - Active Camouflage- Improves stealth when moving between cover and when sniping. +1 Scout Level
  - Battlefield Stealth- Grants the ability to take advantage of distractions by briefly hiding even in battle. +1 Scout Level
  - Discern Illusions- Improves the ability to detect and see past illusions, and allows that ability to be granted to allies. +1 Scout Level
  - Discern Tells- Grants improved insight into others and improved awareness of feints. +1 Scout Level
  - Great Senses- Improves perception. +1 Scout Level
  - Heightened Awareness- Grants the ability to detect lingering magical auras and to passively detect traps. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Appearance- Extends skill in stealth to encompass disguise as well. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Dragon Stance- Grants the ability to take a stance that diverts the gaze of opponents away and allows for combat stealth. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Focus- Grants the ability to refocus by hiding. +1 Scout Level
  - Honed Sense- Grants a sensitive nose, especially when smelling fear. +1 Scout Level
  - Identify Structural Hazards- Grants improved skill in identifying structural weaknesses and hazards. +1 Scout Level
  - Lurker- Improves stealth skill to foil otherwise infallible senses. +1 Scout Level
  - Piercing Eye- Improves perceptive skill, allowing for accurate targeting of concealed foes. +1 Scout Level
  - Reflexive Stealth- Grants the ability to reflexively hide in explosions and other area effects. +1 Scout Level
  - Sense and Resist Scrying- Grants automatic awareness of magical perception and the ability to locate such sensors and apertures and foil them. +1 Scout Level
  - Sight Beyond Sight- Grants the ability to briefly gain very short range infallible perception. +1 Scout Level
  - Somnambulance- Grants the ability to accurately perceive one's surroundings while sleeping. +1 Scout Level
  - Track the Scene- Improves tracking skill to allow for assessment of tracked creatures' actions in addition to path. +1 Scout Level
  - Uncanny Dodge- Grants preternatural senses that foil ambushes, invisibility, and more. +1 Scout Level
  - Unimpeded Positioning- Grants the ability to move while reloading and to quickly move over rough terrain. +1 Scout Level
  - Wind Reader- Grants the ability to account for range-based inaccuracy of ranged weapons. +1 Scout Level
  - Scout's Advantage- Grants the ability to take advantage of information gained through scouting, or to gain more information depending on build. Grants access to [Scouting] talents which enhance the Scout ability. +1 Scout Level
- 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 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
- Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure a~~n extraplanar creature~~ Dragon 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- TAKEN
  - Corpse Bomb- Increases resonance between Death sphere abilities, allowing ghost strikes to expand over an area through the sacrifice of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Corpse Manipulation- Grants the ability to modify dead bodies in several ways, growing, removing, or shaping their flesh. +1 Death Level
  - Cryptic Strike- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to be delivered with weapon or unarmed strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Empowered Reanimate- Improves reanimated undead, granting them increased strength and staying power. +1 Death Level
  - Expanded Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing several varieties of zombies and skeletons to be created. +1 Death Level
  - Gravetongue- Grants the ability to speak to corpses and undead, which recall only what they perceive after their deaths. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Reanimate- Improves reanimation to allow control of a much larger number of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Haunting Apparition- Improves ghost strike, allowing it to invisibly haunt a location as a trap. +1 Death Level
  - Icy Grip- Improves ghost strike, allowing controlled undead to deliver it in your stead. +1 Death Level
  - Instill Death- Allows the creation of consumable items that can reanimate corpses or be thrown as splash ghost strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Killing Curse- Improves ghost strikes, causing creatures subject to multiple strikes in a short period to die instantly. +1 Death Level
  - Mass Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, allowing the reanimation of multiple corpses at once and the use of ghost strikes to affect an area. +1 Death Level
  - Ranged Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, extending their range. +1 Death Level
  - Sustained Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing undead to be sustained using concentration and for longer durations. +1 Death Level
  - Taint Soul- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to hinder or disable healing and regeneration. +1 Death Level
  - Tomb of Flesh- Grants the ability to absorb multiple undead or a single opponent into oneself. The living are harmed by this, while undead are only stored. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Dominion- Grants an ability related to control or creation of undead, and unlocks other [Dominion] talents. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Ghost Strike- Grants an alternate form of ghost strike and unlocks other [Ghost Strike] talents. +1 Death Level
- 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- TAKEN
  - Adrenaline Surge- Grants the ability to overpower a Life effect, enabling the target(s) to immediately perform a simple action. +1 Life Level
  - Affliction- Allows the Cure ability to be inverted, dealing negative energy damage and inflicting exhaustion instead of healing. +1 Life Level
  - Break Enchantment- Grants the ability to selectively remove power-based effects from a target of Restore instead of the other applications, though at increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Clarified Strike- Allows Life sphere abilities to be delivered with weapon or unarmed attacks. +1 Life Level
  - Deeper Healing- Greatly improves the effectiveness of Cure and Invigorate. +1 Life Level
  - Diagnose- Grants the ability to swiftly recognize the conditions affecting nearby creatures, and to more slowly spend magic to learn the details of their source. +1 Life Level
  - Empathic Healing- Grants the ability to mitigate the costs of Cure and Restore by taking the damage and conditions upon oneself. +1 Life Level
  - Esoteric Healing- Grants the ability to heal and restore constructs and undead. +1 Life Level
  - Fount of Life- Grants the ability to store healing for more efficient and powerful usage later. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Invigorate- Greatly improves Invigorate and allows it to grant vitality beyond what the body could normally support. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Restore- Grants the ability to overpower Restore, allowing it to restore multiple areas at once. +1 Life Level
  - Instill Life- Grants the ability to store an expensive use of the Life sphere within a liquid or food, allowing its consumption to trigger the stored effect. +1 Life Level
  - Latent Healing- Grants the ability to store a use of the Life sphere within a target, allowing them to trigger it when they wish. +1 Life Level
  - Lingering Resilience- Improves Cure and Restore such that they grant some resistance to the removed conditions and healed damage. +1 Life Level
  - Mass Healing- Grants the ability to overpower Life sphere abilities, allowing them to affect additional targets. +1 Life Level
  - Painkiller- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to permanently heal bruises and other superficial damage. +1 Life Level
  - Ranged Healing- Allows Life sphere abilities to be used at short range rather than requiring touch. +1 Life Level
  - Restorative Cure- Grants the ability to mingle Cure and Restore at a greater cost, applying both with a single touch. +1 Life Level
  - Resuscitate- Allows Cure to be used on very recently dead targets, potentially restoring them to life. +1 Life Level
  - Revitalize- Allows Cure to instead grant regeneration, healing more over a longer period of time. +1 Life Level
  - Self-Renewal- Greatly speeds self-healing at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Stabilizing Invigoration- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to stabilize dying creatures and potentially halt bleeding. +1 Life Level
  - Sudden Invigoration- Greatly speeds Invigoration at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Taste of Victory- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities at an increased cost when used immediately after striking a worthy foe. +1 Life Level
  - Violent Recuperation- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities when a new source of damage is completely mitigated. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Cure- Improves Cure and increases the versatility of Restore. Unlocks other [Cure] talents. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Vitality- Grants various benefits to targets of Life sphere abilities. Unlocks other [Vitality] talents. +1 Life Level
- Mind Sphere (Inner Focus)- TAKEN
  - Buy Off Inner Focus- Grants the ability to plant a Suggestion in a target's mind. Also unlocks [Charm] talents and talents that affect them. +1 Mind Level
  - Cloud Mind- Grants the ability to affect minds in an area. Also unlocks other [Cloud] talents. +1 Mind Level
  - Parallel Cognition- Grants the ability to perform a complex mental task and a rote physical task simultaneously. +1 Mind Level
  - Polyglot- Grants the ability to rapidly learn a language on a temporary basis. +1 Mind Level
  - Terrifying Mind- Grants mental countermeasures against intrusion, causing fear in intruding minds and making intrusion more difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Over Matter- Allows pain and suffering to be forestalled with mental discipline and spell points, delaying damage taken.
- Nature Sphere- TAKEN
  - Deep Nature- Extends Nature sphere abilities, allowing them to persist even after concentration ends. +1 Nature Level
  - Expanded Geomancing- Expands the scope of the Nature sphere, granting access to another element. +1 Nature Level
  - Ranged Geomancy- Extends the range of the Nature sphere. +1 Nature Level
  - Wild Instinct- Improves instinct while attuned to nature, allowing one to dodge unseen attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Create Nature- Grants the ability to rapidly grow plant life to maturity, up to medium-sized trees. +1 Nature Level
  - Elevated Nature- Improves the reach of grown plants, allowing them to grasp at flying creatures. +1 Nature Level
  - Hazardous Terrain- Improves abilities that affect terrain, granting them further disruptive and damaging capability. +1 Nature Level
  - Manipulate Nature- Grants the ability to use greenery to create a protective shelter. +1 Nature Level
  - Nature Lord- Improves the scope of geomancing abilities, allowing larger areas and trees to be affected. +1 Nature Level
  - Plant Mastery- Improves control over plant life, allowing more plants to be used and for fruits to be imbued with healing energy. +1 Nature Level
  - Pummel Mastery- Allows plants to be controlled more easily, and for striking foliage to be imbued with various effects. +1 Nature Level
  - Purify Nature- Grants the ability to purify food, making rotten, poisoned, and diseased food edible. +1 Nature Level
  - Repress Element- Allows plant matter to be temporarily removed from reality, weaning items and being relying on it. +1 Nature Level
  - Thrown Pummel- Allows controlled trees to make ranged attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Natural Spirit- Grants the ability to make use of a chosen spiritual ability. Also unlocks further [Spirit] talents. +1 Nature Level
- Protection Sphere- TAKEN
  - Buttressing- Allows created barriers to be quickly repaired. +1 Protection Level
  - Community- Allows damage taken by protected allies to be distributed among protected allies at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Continuous Ward- Improves wards, enabling them to pass through solid objects and provide full protection against incorporeal and burrowing foes. +1 Protection Level
  - Distant Protection- Extends the range of Protection sphere abilities. +1 Protection Level
  - Durable Barrier- Improves barriers, causing them to resist a small amount of physical damage, or all damage at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Enduring Protection- Improves wards to last longer when maintained with power. +1 Protection Level
  - Glyph- Grants the ability to turn wards into magical traps that can be activated later. +1 Protection Level
  - Greater Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to be created in the form of flat surfaces and dramatically improving their toughness at a cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Instill Aegis- Allows Aegises to be instilled into a consumable, granting their benefits to the consuming creature. +1 Protection Level
  - Mass Aegis- Grants the ability to protect multiple people with the same Aegis at additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Reactive Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to harm enemies or bolster allies when broken. +1 Protection Level
  - Selective Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing allies and allied attacks to pass through at an additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Shaped Ward- Improves wards, allowing them to be created in more shapes. +1 Protection Level
  - Shared Aegis- Improves aegises, allowing them to extend beyond their beneficiaries and affect nearby allies as well. +1 Protection Level
  - Status- Grants knowledge of the location and state of allies under an aegis. +1 Protection Level
  - Extra Aegis- Grants a new way to protect allies. Also unlocks further [Aegis] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - More Ward- Grants a new way to Ward an area. Also unlocks further [Ward] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - Succor- Grants the ability to sacrifice an Aegis to provide some instantaneous benefit to the recipient. Also unlocks further [Succor] Talents. +1 Protection Level
- Telekinesis Sphere- TAKEN
  - Dampening Field- Allows lifted objects and creatures to be protected from damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Finesse- Allows telekinesis to be used for delicate tasks, though with less skill than true limbs. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Flight- Allows telekinetic control of lifted creatures to be passed to them, granting them effective flight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Floating Shield- Allows lifted shields to be used protectively, defending nearby allies. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Forceful Telekinesis- Improves telekinetic force, increasing the damage of lifted objects and people. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Greater Speed- Improves telekinetic speed, allowing lifted objects to be moved further. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Idle Concentration- Improves telekinetic efficiency, allowing telekinetic control to be maintained more easily if subjects are still. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Increased Range- Improves telekinetic range, allowing farther-away objects to be affected. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Field- Allows telekinetic force to be spread over an area to hinder enemies or protect allies. Also unlocks other [Field] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Sense- Improves sensory telekinesis, allowing it to be used in lieu of sight and without the aid of sight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Orbit- Allows lifted objects to be set into a passive orbit, granting easy access without occupying hands. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Parry- Improves the Catch function of Telekinesis, allowing it to prevent melee attacks, though not to steal weapons without assistance. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Powerful Telekinesis- Improves the strength of telekinesis, allowing larger creatures and objects to be lifted. Also unlocks other [Bludgeon] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Quick Reactions- Dramatically speeds defensive telekinesis, though at increased cost. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Return- Improves the Catch function, allowing caught projectiles to be returned to their origin. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Crush- Improves the strength of telekinesis, allowing it to passively damage lifted objects. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Maneuver- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing many combat maneuvers to be performed using telekinesis. Also unlocks other [Manuever] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Tools- Allows the creation of tools and weapons made of force, useful for many purposes. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Whirlwind Assembly- Improves telekinetic speed near the body, allowing minor tasks about one's person to be carried out with great speed. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mind Limb- Grants a weak telekinetic limb that can nonetheless aid in minor tasks without occupying the main hands.
- 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
- Improved Cantrips- Improves the basic Cantrips ability, increasing the damage dealt, the amount of matter that can be manipulated or created, and the precision of lights and sounds.
- Third Eye- Grants the ability to open one's third eye, granting the ability to read others' aura and improving perception of magical effects.
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, +6 + Con HP
- ~~Bard~~ Kung Fu Exemplar Class- A musical class whose mastery of arts and crafts extends into the martial realm. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Blacksmith~~ Fleshforger Class- A tough class just as good at breaking weapons and armor as it is at making ~~them~~ unnatural abominations. +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, +6 + Con HP
- Crimson Dancer Class- A bloodthirsty class that specializes in wearing down its foes and bleeding them dry. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
- Elementalist Class- A destructive class focused on bringing down foes with elemental power. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- Eliciter Class- A manipulative class that use their mind magic to disrupt enemies and bolster allies. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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- TAKEN
  - Inspired Sequence- Grants improved accuracy and damage as the sequence grows.
- 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, +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, +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, +6 + Con HP
- Symbiat Class- An enlightened class whose mental symbiote grants them telekinetic and telepathic skill. Favored by QA! +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP, +1 Perk
  - Mental Powers- Grants the Mind and Telekinesis Spheres, or a random talent from each sphere already possessed
  - 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.
  - Evasion- Improves reflexes, allowing even explosions to be completely avoided.
- Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Thaumaturge~~ Wild Mage Class- A volatile class that trades control 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, +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
- Sphere Witch Class- An occult class that draws its power from a shadowy patron and their hexes. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +3 + Con HP
- Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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.
  - Disgraced Noble- Grants some skill with identity obfuscation and forgery, along with an abiding hatred for those that wronged her family.
- Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
  - Feline Heritage- Grants catlike features, including speed, finesse, perception, and the ability to communicate with felines.
- 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.
  - Draconic Heritage (Esoteric)- Imbues Taylor a fraction of an Esoteric Dragon's power, allowing her to daze foes several times a day.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Alertness- Improves alertness, improving physical perception and social acuity.
- Toughness- Improves toughness, increasing the amount of physical damage one can endure.
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
Accepting 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.
Empty 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.
Endless 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.
Pure 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.
Hungry 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.

[/SPOILER=Orbs, Spheres and Talents]

So, what's actually going on with Sophia? Well, there are many interpretations of cannon, from systematic malice to bureaucratic incompetence. My take (here the cannon) is more a case of evil telephone. The first time Sophia's case worked called Director Piggot with a report of bullying, it went something like this:

What Piggot said: "I can't throw a Ward out over hearsay. Don't bother me again unless you have hard evidence"

What the Case Worker heard: "I don't want to hear about it unless you have evidence worth throwing out a Ward over"

What the Case Worker said: "For allegations like this, we need to see hard evidence. Call me when you have that"

What Blackwell heard: "As long as there's no hard evidence of a crime, we're ok with whatever Sophia does"

Naturally, Blackwell never called the case worker, Piggot never heard anything, and Sophia is justifiably under the impression that the bureaucracy will protect her as long as she doesn't make too many waves.

deadlyham · Nov 19, 2022

God damn it, Taylor. *pinches bridge of nose*. You really capture how frustrating and bull headed Taylor is. I hate it. Well done.

Thaumaterge said:
"I don't care about all those people. I care about you"

Powerful parent energy.

the DragonBard · Nov 19, 2022

To Taylor: Figure out what kind of Hero you want to be. Will make things easier when you chose what Spheres to take. But also, remember to consider the present situation, as you may need to deviate from your plan if you don't have the right tools at that moment.

Tiz Goldeneye · Nov 21, 2022

the DragonBard said:
To Taylor: Figure out what kind of Hero you want to be. Will make things easier when you chose what Spheres to take. But also, remember to consider the present situation, as you may need to deviate from your plan if you don't have the right tools at that moment.

(OOC) Unfortunately we already know what kind of hero she wants to be. A black and white comic character who can "do good" and "save people" unfortunately she is in Worm and the moral complexities are destroying her because both Watsonian and Doyalistly they are meant to be destroying that. Combined with the fact that several people on the SpaceBattle side are either trolling or MinMaxing and that the genuinely helpful people are having parts of their messages redacted, and it's adding up Taylor entering a death spiral, largely because this quest runs on rule of drama as it's trigger mechanism so things have to always be in a state of crisis.

To Taylor: Taylor I would explain the world to you if you would listen, and you are able to hear. Firstly, so that these ramblings be not of a nameless voice, I shall introduce myself. You may call me Joshua. That is not my true name but it is a name of one whose fate I have SEEN and that I believe would understand why I would invoke him now. I know not if our messages can be distinguished, for if they could I would simply leave you messages "-From Joshua" that you could trust, but my sight does not stretch that far and I know not if the form this reaches you could be taken by another such that any who wish could take the identity for themselves rendering the unique identity pointless. Regardless I wish you well, and we have important matters to speak, or well I suppose I have important matters to speak of to you.

I know for certain that the whole of the beings such as myself cannot reach the distance to the being known as you. This is a safety mechanism, it prevents extradimensional incursions of kinds I have seen before, think of the works of Lovecraft and the like, I have seen what our kind can do while helping, and even then the world would have been destroyed a dozen times over from our indirect presence if safeguards had not been taken, and even then memetic hazards made it through. The stringent walls mean that a fraction of a percent of our reality reaches to you and none of your reality reaches us. Furtheremore, and I do not expect this to work, for it would be self-defeating I shall explain how both sides are cursed. To us the messages we send cannot be sent to you in whole, and to you events must transpire so that you will need to reach for your power constantly being in despair. In a catch 22, because of the mechanism I just described I don't expect you actually read the last sentence of my message because it was about the mechanism in the message itself. This is as much information as I can think to give you on higher metaphysics at the moment, but if things are truly desperate there may yet be more drastic measures we could take, so long as you don't mind space and time not working correctly as potential side effects. I will think on what can safely be done to help you.

As for personal advice, it is understandable you cannot trust all of us, for some of us have shown a disregard for yourself. It is understandable you do not believe in your father, for he has stopped believing in himself. It is even understandable that on some level you might have stopped believing in heroes because heroes are meant to save people and when you cried out for help no one answered. Furtheremore, it turns out that someone who was supposed to save you was a tormenter to begin with. Yet to all of this I say nay. Taylor, we are bound to you, mind, body and soul, yes some of us are bad apples, but there are those is us who want to help you, even if they think that helping you means letting you run faster with the grace of an elf, without considering how you would feel about involuntary race chnges as a trade off for a speed boost. Taylor if your father has given up in the world, then show him a cause to work for, he wants to be there for you but doesn't know how, give him a part of your life that he can be in, and suddenly you will have a father. You need to let him know to believe in the you that believes him. As for those who are heroes, so what? A hero is not a title, or at least not just one. Yes if one does good deeds it is a title they are given, and in another time and place it might have been the act of a king to call forth such people and officially grant them that title. Today it is the government who does the same, but for much less reason, anyone who gains powers can be given that title, but that's not what being a hero means. If you can shoot fireballs with your hands and sign a wards contract it doesn't make you a better person. A hero is someone who performs heroic actions, is compassionate and acts with valor. A hero is also not an infallible paragon who will never make mistakes or let others down as much as PR might try to hide that because they are only human. A hero is what a hero is. Typically that means a good person who will be recognized for doing good by others, but you can decide what heroism means to you as well. You may set your own creed and follow your own path, but never forget in doing so, you must be responsible for your own actions. Hell is paved with good intentions and to deny what you have done after the fact is inexcusable. Look at what you plan to do and ask if it's worth it and what could go wrong, if the actions still is worth doing, and you are willing to do it, then it is a right action, even if it might not be a good action, but whether it a heroic actions is something that first you internally must decide and then secondly that society will decide for you.

Some final advice, don't be afraid to reach out to others to accomplish your goals. We support you, your dad supports you, and the PRT and Protectorate wants to support you. You have been burned on trust before but the only way to get trust is to give trust. The world will not make sense to you right now, there are monsters that are destroying cities, internal political games that are vying for the world's resources on a dying world, and there is, however, small, potential for a multiversal war. You are just one girl, take things one step at a time. I will leave you with a quote and a trinity of sentances.
"A single thread in a tapestry
Though its color brightly shines
Can never see its purpose
In the pattern of the grand design
And the stone that sits on the very top
Of the mountains mighty face
Does it think it's more important
Than the stones that form the base?
So how can you see what your life is worth
Or where your value lies?
You can never see through the eyes of man
You must look at your life
Look at your life through heaven's eyes"
You are but one mortal. Yet you need not fear because I am willing to help. I am the angel Joshua, and I wish to be your friend.

Thaumaterge · Nov 30, 2022

Chapter 3.13 Compromise

[X] Plan: It's Treasure time v 2.0
-[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] Critical Follow-up- Improves follow-up lethality of off-hand attacks after a successful main-hand strike. +1 Dual Wielding Level
-[X] Disgraced Noble- Grants some skill with identity obfuscation and forgery, along with an abiding hatred for those that wronged her family.
-[X] 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

[X] Journey to the Heart
-[X] Symbiat
----Mental Powers: Powerful Telekinesis, Buy off Inner Focus (Suggestion)

Taylor couldn't put a name to the feelings that line inspired in her. Relief, that he still cared for her? Fear, of what he might do to protect her? Hope, that he might really mean it this time? She didn't know. If she were sitting at the table right then, with her dad in front of her, she didn't know what she would have done. Hug him for confirming they were still family? Shout at him for ruining her hopes and dreams? Cry? All three? In here, away from judgment and embarrassment, Taylor settled on just the last one.

She just… let it happen. The tears rolled down her face without her input or volition for who knew how long, and in the end she was left in their wake, wrung dry of all emotion which had left in its place only exhaustion. That nap, Taylor reflected with red-eyed chagrin, was definitely not enough to make up for last night's disruption. Still, no matter how tired she felt right now, she wouldn't be making that same mistake again. No more sleeping in her power space. Besides, as much as she might like to relax here, she still had stuff to do, choices to make, things to worry about.

Speaking of worrying, Taylor replayed her father's words in her head. He hadn't outright said that he had canceled her power testing- just that it had been canceled. But… the PRT wouldn't do that right? They had conducted the testing without Panacea before and they could do it again. No, considering what he had said last night to Dr. Grey, it had to be Dad. Was this a sign that he'd finally had enough? Her father had been skeptical of the testing from the beginning- the whole plan really. Now, after what had happened, what she'd said, would she be able to convince him to let her keep going? And would it be so bad if she couldn't? For a moment, Taylor imagined a world in which she had her father back, the way she remembered him, bright and active and full of life. But no, that was just fantasy. Back when he first found out about her powers, there was a spark that she'd thought might relight his soul, but just a couple days later he was back to the same old uncommunicative workaholic. This… episode… of actually caring would probably be just as brief, and then Taylor would be right back where she started, with an empty home and no prospects. No, she had to convince him to let her be a hero. There was no way she would go back. Plus, a dirty traitorous part of her mind chimed in, if he only cared about her when she was in danger, then maybe that was the answer.

Taylor distracted herself from the insidious murmuring of her subconscious by focusing on the spheres in front of her- well, on the marbles at least. The first marble was free, coming from her three-eyed class and suggesting that the messages had indeed chosen to give her what she asked for. That was nice. Nicer and stranger still, when she reached out to read its impression the marble split in two! This one was different from last time, where the marbles were separate but connected- here both the marbles from two different spheres were combined in a single class marble. Interesting, but as before she wasn't sure what it meant. There wasn't a clear theme here either; one of the marbles was from the telekinesis sphere and the other was from Mind. The telekinesis one promised to let her lift larger and heavier objects, up to the size of an adult person or so. Actually… could she lift people? They synergies told her yes, and that in fact she could even lift herself! Her high school understanding of physics said that was impossible, Newton's third law and all that, but she wasn't going to check the proverbial flying horse's mouth. Honestly the strangest part was the way the synergy impressions placed so much more emphasis on the ability to lift and use large weapons. You'd think that flying would be the highlight, but whatever system governed this information clearly thought being able to telekinetically swing around a man-sized axe was more important. It would be cool though.

The mind one on the other hand was much more familiar, unpleasantly familiar. The first time she'd seen the Mind sphere she'd been tempted by a Master power, the ability to plant an idea in someone's mind and force them to carry it out. The second time, it had been replaced with something more palatable, but now it was back, tied to something she really wanted. To be fair, she wanted the Master power too. That was the problem- it was really really good. One of the best Master powers she could conceive of, actually- there was no mental alteration, no puppeting bodies, and it couldn't even make people do anything they were really opposed to. It was still a Master power. Just having it- if anyone knew she had it- would taint her every interaction. Nobody would trust her, nobody would be willing to work with her, and nobody would be willing to be healed by her. Well, maybe someone would be desperate enough, but the point stood. Of course, that was only a problem if people knew about it which brought up the next concern: Could Taylor trust herself with this power? Could she just sit on it and not use it? She certainly had powers to spare- powers she'd never used, so what was one more? The difference was that this was a power she'd have to consciously set aside- a useful power, with the potential to make so many things easier. Another thought intruded into Taylor's tired mind, a thought of an attentive father who always came home in time. It took her an embarrassingly, terrifying long time for her to reject it in disgust. She would never do that to her father. Not even… not even… no. She could trust herself. She had to. If she couldn't trust herself, then she'd have no one at all.

Taylor grabbed the two-in-one marble and moved on to the real choice, hoping that this would be the end of her stressful relationship re-examination. The first orb though, clearly had other ideas. It was the diamond orb, the one that granted items, the one she'd asked the souls to provide only when she was in private. She was not currently in private. She was currently in the middle of a tense and loaded discussion with her father at the dinner table. As far as she was concerned, this was a highly inappropriate time to see this orb. Obviously, the souls thought otherwise. Were they right? And more importantly, could she afford to pass on it again? This was early in the cycle, really early, and if she gave it up here there would be no items from another world for a long long time. Taylor sighed and rubbed her burning eyes. Maybe it really was the right time? Dad knew her real power, so she wouldn't be outing herself or anything. At the very least it would derail the conversation they were having, give her time to think up some good arguments. That was especially tempting because there was even more equipment in the orb this time- a pair of hooked swords, a nunchuck that was nine sections long instead of two, and a strange implement with what looked like an axe head on one end and a metal crescent on the other. She knew how to use all of them, and there was no way she would get any of these things any other way. On the other hand… well, on the other hand were the other options, but if they weren't good she wasn't going to cripple her potential just to prove a point.

The first alternative- the second option- was a twin swords marble. Taylor pushed through an impression of a warrior with two spears stabbing another man through the heart to find… that it was a pretty poor one, offering a way to open up someone's defense with a hit so that her second one had a better chance of hitting somewhere vital. She didn't want to kill anyone, and she still hadn't tested the non-lethal thing yet, so with no significant synergies it wasn't worth giving up the equipment for. The third marble was weirder, a silver mirrored one reflecting a version of herself wearing an opulent but frayed dress in blacks and reds, with a blank look on her face and a vicious glint in her eye. The power itself was an eclectic collection- some skill with forgery, disguise, and a little bit of murdering the enemies of her family. Did her family even have any enemies? Taylor knew she did, but her family? It sounded pretty useless, so much so that even the disguise skills (which she readily admitted she needed) couldn't save it. Actually, did she really need disguise skills? If she was going to get that identity protection power later anyways, was it even worth a band-aid solution? No, that one wasn't worth it either.

Taylor moved on to the final marble on offer, still struggling to decide if she even wanted it to be good or not. On the one hand, giving up on literal otherworldly equipment, possibly even tinkertech. On the other, dropping a pile of weapons in front of her dad at the dinner table. Appropriately enough, that last option was a halberd sphere marble, from the same sphere that had added all those weapons to the orb. It's impression was of a dandy-looking man in the iconic Robin Hood feathered cap using a whip to snag a crystal mask off of a demonic-looking idol as spears sprung from the walls around it. Taylor couldn't help but stare at the mental image, sleep-deprived mind slowly turning it over. Was… was this a copyright violation? Like, this was a scene from a movie right? She'd never seen it in person, but Indiana Jones was iconic! Was her power mocking her? It sure seemed like it, since the offered power was doubly useless- She never intended to use a whip and even if she did, why would she not just use her telekinesis instead? No, this one was a definite no… which unfortunately left only one option. Taylor grimaced, feeling like she had been backed into a corner. Had the souls been listening when she thought about her three-bad-one-good strategy? She was liking it even less now than she had then; they had made the decision on what she should pick, and now her only choice was to pick it and cede all her agency, or take something useless and handicap her growth. The souls were usually helpful and mostly trustworthy, Taylor reminded herself. Every time she'd asked for something they'd provided something at least, and though the messages varied wildly in tone they usually seemed to think they were acting in her best interests. That didn't mean they couldn't be wrong though. They were, frequently. Well-meaning or not, she couldn't let them be the final arbiter of all her powers. This once though… with a disgruntled sigh, Taylor grabbed the diamond-looking orb.

The world faded back into view, and Taylor got to see her own sudden chance of demeanor reflected in her father as he noticed it. His face went from serious and stoic to worried and anxious in an instant as he connected the dots. "Taylor! Did you-" His question was interrupted by its answer; Taylor's newly chosen items were delivered.

With a clattering thump, the table was suddenly occupied. On the one side, at Mom's empty place, a leather rucksack filled to the brim with everything a traveler could want. Well, a medieval traveler at least. Some sort of canvas sleeping bag was rolled up on top and a thick coil of rope affixed to the back with a leather strap. Each of the many pockets was stuffed with implements of various types, from crowbars and hammers to even a small hand shovel and hatchet. The contents of the pack weren't visible, but a loud clang and a thump spoke of more metal within. Between the two of them lay a neatly folded square of chainmail, probably a suit of armor or something.

On the other side of the table, cushioned by ancient paperwork, were nearly a dozen weapons of war. The first few were familiar to both Taylor and her father, a straight sword about the length of her forearm, a trident almost as tall as she was, and an unstrung bow about three feet long along with five bundles of arrows. The next three- the ones that had come from the bio-tinker set- were far weirder and more threatening: A knife with a single-edged blade so thin it almost looked flexible, a ten-foot-long spear with an empty groove in the blade and a lever halfway down the haft, and an oval-shaped metal cylinder fitted with leather straps and a spring-loaded trigger on the side plus five bundles of lacquered wood needles that evidently served as ammunition. The last collection however could be the most dangerous of the lot. More strange weapons, but this time of a distinctly oriental character: A pair of hooked swords with bladed hand guards, a bundle of ringed metal poles chained together with a spike at one end and a handle at the other, and a curious instrument with a crescent-shaped blade at one and and what almost looked like a shovel head at the other. All of the weapons were obviously high-quality, gleaming with oil and completely unrusted, and each bore its own flourishes and decorations. For the sword it was just a simple maker's mark, a letter or two in an unknown language that looked almost like cuneiform, but the crescent shovel bore elaborate inlays in silver and gold- a golden sun on the shovel end and a silver moon on the blade.

This immediately derails the conversation. Danny asks where they came from
Danny jerked as they came down, tipping perilously backward in his chair and Taylor wasn't ashamed to say she twitched as well. She didn't know how she expected the items to be delivered, but somehow neatly organized on the kitchen table was not what she envisioned. The items themselves as well. She'd known to some extent what she was getting, but seeing them in person… it was different. More real. More deadly. Dad clearly thought so too, since his first move upon getting all four chair legs back on the ground to gingerly pick up the sword by the hilt, revealing a leather sheath underneath it. "Taylor, what- what the hell is this?" His voice was stuck somewhere in between incredulity and horror.

Taylor blurts out that it's probably from another earth
"Um, it's…" Well, it had certainly derailed the conversation, Taylor thought to herself sarcastically. Too bad she didn't think about what kind of conversation would take its place. "...weapons?" Her voice rose at the end, like it was a question. "And, um, armor? And a backpack?"

"Did you create all this Taylor? Is this a new power?" Danny bulled through Taylor's tautological explanation. "Did you just trigger? Right here?"

"That, ah, kinda?" What could she say? What should she say? "They won't disappear or anything, probably" Could she tell him that this came from a choice, rather than coming from a power? That they might have come from another world? Actually… maybe that last one could convince him to restart the testing? After all, the PRT probably had scientists studying interdimensional stuff. "It… might come from another earth?"

If anything, her father looked even more alarmed at that. "Like the- your heart?" Oh, that was why. He'd made the connection. "How do you know?"

Luckily, this time Taylor had an explanation prepared. "Do you see the- the decorations? Like, on the sword, there's some writing or something? I don't recognize the language, but I'm pretty sure that's not latin written on the roman gladius" She was pretty proud of that one- validating her claims without referencing the other ways she knew.

Danny Hebert did not look proud. In fact, he looked a little sick. "Taylor, are these stolen? Is your power stealing from other planets?" His grimace grew even deeper as something else occurred to him "What about your other powers? Are they stolen too? Are you stealing powers from capes?"

"I don't know? I don't think so" In truth, Taylor had considered that before, but there was no way she was going to say why she thought she was in the clear. There was no good way to say 'The souls of dead warriors told me it's okay'

He sighed and gingerly inserted the sword into its sheath, looking almost as tired and done with the day as she felt. "Taylor, I wish you talked to me about this…. this… all this"

There were so many things she wanted to say, to rebut, to interject. It wouldn't help. All it would do was drive another wedge between them. "I wish I could too" Her father's wince told her that even her attempt at civility had stung. "I… sorry. Let's just eat, alright?"

Danny sighed along with her, bearing the relieved-yet-resigned look of a man who knew his problems had merely been postponed. Then, in acknowledgement of her request, he picked his spoon back up and began to eat. Taylor did the same, shooting the occasional glance at the weapons of war lying on the table between them. They really were very impressive. If she wanted to sell them, they'd probably go for hundreds of dollars each, at the very least. That probably wasn't allowed; if the PRT heavily restricted what capes could charge money for, and these things definitely counted. Even if she could though, she wouldn't. More than just deadly armaments, these things were works of art. Every new look revealed another detail, another flourish. Taylor felt like she could look at them for hours. That was probably just her sleepiness speaking though. The warm food wasn't helping with that either- with that in her belly she could feel herself nodding off even as she ate.

Taylor couldn't let herself collapse as she desperately wanted to though. There was still something left to do. She still had to convince her father to let her testing resume. As she chewed, she forced her mind into high gear again, thinking through arguments and avenues of reasoning. What could convince her father to let her go back to the PRT after Brandish's violent suspicion? Why might he be willing to let her be a cape and do good by healing people? The problem, she decided, stemmed largely from his smothering protectiveness. He thought she wouldn't be safe at the testing, that she might be in danger just by virtue of being a cape. She couldn't really argue against that, not after what had happened even though she thought her testing experience wasn't really representative. However… there might be an opening there. Sure, she wanted to do things that might be dangerous, but she was going about them in one of the safer ways. Getting protection from the Protectorate by registering and undergoing testing was infinitely better than patrolling the streets alone- not that she wasn't planning on doing that too, Taylor acknowledged with an internal wince. Regardless, that sounded like a good strategy. She'd talk to dad about it. Eventually. As soon as she finished her food. There was no need to rush things. Truth be told, Taylor was more than a little uncomfortable with her chosen course of action. It made her feel a bit dirty, treating dad like he was just an obstacle, to be manipulated out of her path. She had to though, or she'd be left with absolutely nothing if he relapsed. She had to find something that was hers, that she could rely on even when nobody else could support her, and right now he was standing in the way.

In the meantime though, maybe there was some room to read. There was precious little of the table left for messages to appear on, but it was enough. She'd seen a few of them pop up over the course of her meal, but paid them only minimal attention- only enough to notice that they were cheering for her father, which was nice, she supposed. Now though, she had the time and attention to… What? The very first message she saw, if she was reading it right, was referencing a way to give other people powers! Reading further, it looked like it was one of the perks revealed by the one she was most recently given, but more information was… aha! There it was; a long informational and only slightly garbled message. Okay, maybe more than merely slightly garbled, but it was legible enough- it was from the translated calligraphy guy. Apparently there was not just one but two new perks revealed, along with more information on a third. One of those she'd caught a glimpse of earlier, the ability to give someone a Class in an apparently painful experience, and the other seemed like it would give her a steady supply of combat marbles. Honestly she'd be hard-pressed to say which one was better. On the one hand, giving out powers was no doubt a golden ticket to whatever she wanted from whoever she wanted… but it would leave her personally vulnerable. On the other, practically the opposite issue- more power for herself, but less ability to help others. Well, the order of acquisition for those two was pretty obvious at least. No handing out powers until she was sure she could avoid becoming another Pastor.

As impactful as all that was though, it wasn't the bulk of the message. There was another bit about calligraphy, but most of it was about a third perk that she'd heard bits about before. It seemed pretty divisive even between the souls themselves, having been described as giving her 'magic' a theme or just making it more complicated. This particular description seemed complimentary, but in a strange way. Apparently the perk would allow her to slowly teach other people to use the powers that came from her starry spheres, but most of the message was dedicated to warning her away from doing so… except for a bit at the end that encouraged it? It seemed like the same 'be careful with powers' and 'great power great responsibility' spiel as every other Protectorate Pals or Mouse Protector episode. Yeah, yeah, she knew. All powers were dangerous, etcetera etcetera. It was… Taylor's spoon scraped against the bottom of her plate, finding it empty. It was the end of dinner.

For a moment, Taylor was tempted to get up and serve herself more food. Anything to prolong her respite, to postpone the upcoming conversation yet again. Instead, she took a deep breath. In through her mouth, hold for three heartbeats, release through the nose. Then she took another, preparing to speak.

"You want to go back to the PRT" Instead, Danny preempted her, stating rather than asking with a resigned expression on his face. "Even after what happened" Taylor's mouth flapped silently, arguments and rationalizations struggling to come out. "You know that's going to be your life if you continue with this right?" He seemed to be struggling with something himself. "Seeing everyone only on their worst days? Petty bu-nonsense slowing you down at every turn? No safety, even around those you should be able to trust?"

"Nothing happened Dad" Finally, Taylor found her voice. "Brandish was never going to hurt me. She just- she thought I was doing something to her daughter"

"No, she didn't" Taylor's shock prevented her from interrupting as her father took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Look, I don't know too much about capes, but… that woman came to cause trouble. There might be some other reason too; Maybe she's pissed that you called Panacea a liar the day before, or maybe she really thinks you're a Master" He paused, an unspoken 'You aren't, right?' hanging in the air before he continued. "But I've seen her type before. They come to work sites all the time, looking for problems to make their business. The reason she was there was to find an excuse and make an issue out of it"

"She… why?" Taylor didn't want to call her Dad a liar, but that just didn't make sense. Everyone had a reason for what they did, and besides, Brandish was a hero!

"Some people are just like that" He replied as though reading her mind. "Even heroes I guess. If I had to guess though, I'd say she was probably trying to get Panacea out of your testing process"

That still didn't explain it- why wouldn't she want Panacea helping with the testing?- but it did at least make Taylor feel a bit better. If there was nothing she could have done to avert the incident, then it wasn't her mistake. Still… "If that's the case, then she got what she wanted didn't she? So she won't do anything else?"

"That's not the point Taylor!" It wasn't a shout, but there was real heat in his voice. "The heroes are not your friends! They're just people, with their own issues and motivations. If you want to do this you'll be jumping headfirst into cape politics. It's dangerous Taylor!" His voice was stern, but his face betrayed the truth: He was scared. Scared for her. "What happens if some cape gets a grudge? Even if you're just healing, it's all too easy to step on someone's toes. These are people whose trade is violence, Taylor!"

"That's why I'm doing the testing Dad!" Taylor belatedly realized she was standing up, over the table full of weapons. "To minimize the danger!" This time the prepared arguments came more naturally to her tongue. "The testing will prove my powers don't have any bad effects, and the certification will make it legal for me to use them. I'm doing everything in my power to stay safe Dad!" A frisson of guilt passed through her at that deception. "I'm healing rather than fighting, I'm getting a license, I'm working with the PRT- what more do you want from me?"

"I don't want the danger minimized, I want it gone!"

"So what? I should just give up my powers and go back to a shitty school and a shitty life? No! I'm not giving up my life for your peace of mind!" Now the two of them were well and truly shouting.

"It's not my peace of mind I'm worried about! It's yours! Your peace of… of everything! You're talking about risking your life for basically nothing!"

"I just told you, I'm not risking my life! I'm healing the heroes, not fighting beside them! I'm taking basically no risks and you're still holding me back!"

"And what happens when some gang decides you should be healing them instead? What then?"

"It's never happened to Panacea!"

"Panacea has the whole of New Wave to protect her!"

"And I'll have the Protectorate to protect me!"

"Will they though? You aren't one of their Wards, Taylor! They aren't obligated to protect you! As soon as one of the gangs hears about what you can do it'll be open season! Please, Taylor, listen to me!"

"So you'd be okay with it if I was a Ward then?"

The shouting match went silent for a moment, halted by Taylor's outburst. Then, Danny spoke, quieter this time as though only now realizing how loud they'd been. "That's not what I- Taylor, you know that's not what I meant"

Taylor likewise moderated her volume, but she couldn't keep the resentment out of her tone. "I know what you meant. You want me to not be a cape, like being a civilian is safe either. Too bad, Dad, that ship has sailed. The last test used volunteers from the local hospital, so even the PRT didn't tell anyone the gangs will still find out that I exist" She was proud of that one, back when she first thought of it. Not so proud now though, not when she saw how it made her father wilt. Still, she couldn't stop there, not so close to getting what she needed. If she did, all that discord and guilt would be for nothing. "I'll check out the Wards, if you want, but please don't stop me from becoming a hero. It's… it's the only thing I have left to look forward to" The sick foreboding and anxious apprehension in her chest told her that was far closer to the truth than she had intended. She'd get it, one way or another, for exactly that reason, but she'd prefer to do it the right way rather than behind her father's back.

In response, Danny sighed and sat down heavily. "Alright." He said, as though it cost him everything. "Alright. Fine. I'll- I'll always support you Taylor. If this is what you really want…" A strange mix of emotions crossed his face. Worry and grief and hope and everything in between. "Make sure you know what you're getting into though, Little Owl. We will be taking a serious look at the Wards, and we will be taking whatever courses and trainings they offer for new heroes"

"Yes! I- Yes. Absolutely Dad. I will" Taylor couldn't help but give him a grin which immediately turned into a broad yawn. "Thank yo-aaagh" Then her expression sobered, remembering what it had taken- what it had cost- to get there. "And, um, sorry"

"It's alright kiddo" Her father gave her a tired and melancholy smile. "Now, you go head up to bed alright? I'll clean up down here. It sounds like you've had a long day"

With that, Taylor's day ended to the jingling melody of her dad trying to find a place to put a hundred pounds of steel and leather. She barely recalled making her way up the stairs and falling into bed, and the night was blessedly dreamless. The morning was nice too, with Dad taking a moment to wake her up on his way out the door, which left her to enjoy a breakfast of chocolate-flavored corn flakes. Once again, Taylor was reminded that for all the power of her other powers, the Cantrips were easily the one she most liked using. School was fine too, which she still found weird and suspicious- though less so because Emma was still gone. At least people weren't talking about her as much anymore, which left her attention to peruse a somewhat-biased seemeing analysis of the races that inhabited whatever world the souls came from. What her schoolmates were talking about though was a recent cape fight between the E88 and the ABB, which the Empire had apparently won. Taylor resigned herself to a couple weeks of Empire kids acting tough and pushing people around- that always happened after a gang fight, the conflicts of the outside world replicating themselves in miniature.

Though actually, maybe she could do something about that? The thought stuck with her through several classes. Sophia had talked about fighting the Nazis at school, and in fact depending on what she believed that might even be the reason she was here. Blackwell was enabling her, so was there any reason she couldn't take advantage of the same non-action? Well, there was the Ward thing of course, but what if… The idea, the temptation to take action, followed her through the day, prodding at her with every shove and elbow she witnessed. Despite her nagging sense of justice though, Taylor decided to ask Sophia at the end of the day. They'd decided to meet again under the bleachers in a brief hallway rendezvous, and she already had several questions to ask her maybe-once-nemesis. In the end, the answer to the question of 'is it okay to punch Nazis' turned out to have a simple but unexpected answer.

"Well would ya look at that! What have we got here boys? A pair of dykes, messin' around behind the bleachers!" There were five of them, shaven-headed poster-boys for white supremacy armed with appropriated sports equipment and muscled in ways that suggested substance abuse. The leader, who evidently thought that affecting an accent counted as humor, had arrived at the meeting point with his posse mere seconds after Taylor. She clearly hadn't worried enough about being followed.

"Got your balls back Dickson? Come over here and I'll be happy to take them off you again!" It sounded like Sophia recognized at least one of them. The profanity-riddled response removed all doubt, along with all hope of a peaceful resolution. Not that she really wanted one. A mere week ago, Taylor wouldn't have liked her odds against five roided-up pre-Nazis, especially with Sophia involved. Now though, even with the boys circling around to pen them in, even with their armaments and her own lack, Taylor couldn't help but feel confident… and eager. Belatedly, she realized she'd taken a stance as had Sophia, shoulder to shoulder. As the enemies closed in, the world faded away.

And a door opened.

Orb of Plenty Chosen! Four Items Acquired! +2 Whip! Flask Shard! +1 Implement of Life! Pet Rock!
Other Spheres Moved to the Discard!
Choose One Special Vote

[ ] Journey to the Heart- Grants a random class feature from the class. Each class can only be chosen once.
- [ ] Prodigy

Choose Four Orbs, Spheres and Talents

Orb of Might- TAKEN
- Alchemy Sphere- TAKEN
  - Cluster Tolls- Speeds alchemical item usage, allowing two to be used at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Alchemy level
  - Dynamite Throwing Form- Infuses thrown items with strength, allowing them to strike as hard as one's fists. +1 Alchemy level
  - Fireworks- Infuses thrown items with propellant, allowing them to travel further. +1 Alchemy level
  - Master Chemist- Grants access to alchemical poisons, which may be ingested, inhaled, contact-based, or applied to weapons. +1 Alchemy level
  - Snap Toss- Dramatically speeds alchemical item usage at the cost of focus. +1 Alchemy level
  - Extra Formulae- Grants the formula for Alchemist's Fire and Improved Alchemist's Fire, a potent flame-based grenade. Also grants access to further [Formulae] talents. +1 Alchemy level
- 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
- 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
- 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
  - Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so Refocus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
  - More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
- 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
- Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
  - Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina. +1 Open Hand Level
- 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- TAKEN
  - Active Camouflage- Improves stealth when moving between cover and when sniping. +1 Scout Level
  - Battlefield Stealth- Grants the ability to take advantage of distractions by briefly hiding even in battle. +1 Scout Level
  - Discern Illusions- Improves the ability to detect and see past illusions, and allows that ability to be granted to allies. +1 Scout Level
  - Discern Tells- Grants improved insight into others and improved awareness of feints. +1 Scout Level
  - Great Senses- Improves perception. +1 Scout Level
  - Heightened Awareness- Grants the ability to detect lingering magical auras and to passively detect traps. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Appearance- Extends skill in stealth to encompass disguise as well. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Dragon Stance- Grants the ability to take a stance that diverts the gaze of opponents away and allows for combat stealth. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Focus- Grants the ability to refocus by hiding. +1 Scout Level
  - Honed Sense- Grants a sensitive nose, especially when smelling fear. +1 Scout Level
  - Identify Structural Hazards- Grants improved skill in identifying structural weaknesses and hazards. +1 Scout Level
  - Lurker- Improves stealth skill to foil otherwise infallible senses. +1 Scout Level
  - Piercing Eye- Improves perceptive skill, allowing for accurate targeting of concealed foes. +1 Scout Level
  - Reflexive Stealth- Grants the ability to reflexively hide in explosions and other area effects. +1 Scout Level
  - Sense and Resist Scrying- Grants automatic awareness of magical perception and the ability to locate such sensors and apertures and foil them. +1 Scout Level
  - Sight Beyond Sight- Grants the ability to briefly gain very short range infallible perception. +1 Scout Level
  - Somnambulance- Grants the ability to accurately perceive one's surroundings while sleeping. +1 Scout Level
  - Track the Scene- Improves tracking skill to allow for assessment of tracked creatures' actions in addition to path. +1 Scout Level
  - Uncanny Dodge- Grants preternatural senses that foil ambushes, invisibility, and more. +1 Scout Level
  - Unimpeded Positioning- Grants the ability to move while reloading and to quickly move over rough terrain. +1 Scout Level
  - Wind Reader- Grants the ability to account for range-based inaccuracy of ranged weapons. +1 Scout Level
  - Scout's Advantage- Grants the ability to take advantage of information gained through scouting, or to gain more information depending on build. Grants access to [Scouting] talents which enhance the Scout ability. +1 Scout Level
- 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 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
- Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure a~~n extraplanar creature~~ Dragon 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- TAKEN
  - Corpse Bomb- Increases resonance between Death sphere abilities, allowing ghost strikes to expand over an area through the sacrifice of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Corpse Manipulation- Grants the ability to modify dead bodies in several ways, growing, removing, or shaping their flesh. +1 Death Level
  - Cryptic Strike- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to be delivered with weapon or unarmed strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Empowered Reanimate- Improves reanimated undead, granting them increased strength and staying power. +1 Death Level
  - Expanded Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing several varieties of zombies and skeletons to be created. +1 Death Level
  - Gravetongue- Grants the ability to speak to corpses and undead, which recall only what they perceive after their deaths. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Reanimate- Improves reanimation to allow control of a much larger number of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Haunting Apparition- Improves ghost strike, allowing it to invisibly haunt a location as a trap. +1 Death Level
  - Icy Grip- Improves ghost strike, allowing controlled undead to deliver it in your stead. +1 Death Level
  - Instill Death- Allows the creation of consumable items that can reanimate corpses or be thrown as splash ghost strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Killing Curse- Improves ghost strikes, causing creatures subject to multiple strikes in a short period to die instantly. +1 Death Level
  - Mass Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, allowing the reanimation of multiple corpses at once and the use of ghost strikes to affect an area. +1 Death Level
  - Ranged Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, extending their range. +1 Death Level
  - Sustained Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing undead to be sustained using concentration and for longer durations. +1 Death Level
  - Taint Soul- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to hinder or disable healing and regeneration. +1 Death Level
  - Tomb of Flesh- Grants the ability to absorb multiple undead or a single opponent into oneself. The living are harmed by this, while undead are only stored. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Dominion- Grants an ability related to control or creation of undead, and unlocks other [Dominion] talents. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Ghost Strike- Grants an alternate form of ghost strike and unlocks other [Ghost Strike] talents. +1 Death Level
- 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- TAKEN
  - Adrenaline Surge- Grants the ability to overpower a Life effect, enabling the target(s) to immediately perform a simple action. +1 Life Level
  - Affliction- Allows the Cure ability to be inverted, dealing negative energy damage and inflicting exhaustion instead of healing. +1 Life Level
  - Break Enchantment- Grants the ability to selectively remove power-based effects from a target of Restore instead of the other applications, though at increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Clarified Strike- Allows Life sphere abilities to be delivered with weapon or unarmed attacks. +1 Life Level
  - Deeper Healing- Greatly improves the effectiveness of Cure and Invigorate. +1 Life Level
  - Diagnose- Grants the ability to swiftly recognize the conditions affecting nearby creatures, and to more slowly spend magic to learn the details of their source. +1 Life Level
  - Empathic Healing- Grants the ability to mitigate the costs of Cure and Restore by taking the damage and conditions upon oneself. +1 Life Level
  - Esoteric Healing- Grants the ability to heal and restore constructs and undead. +1 Life Level
  - Fount of Life- Grants the ability to store healing for more efficient and powerful usage later. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Invigorate- Greatly improves Invigorate and allows it to grant vitality beyond what the body could normally support. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Restore- Grants the ability to overpower Restore, allowing it to restore multiple areas at once. +1 Life Level
  - Instill Life- Grants the ability to store an expensive use of the Life sphere within a liquid or food, allowing its consumption to trigger the stored effect. +1 Life Level
  - Latent Healing- Grants the ability to store a use of the Life sphere within a target, allowing them to trigger it when they wish. +1 Life Level
  - Lingering Resilience- Improves Cure and Restore such that they grant some resistance to the removed conditions and healed damage. +1 Life Level
  - Mass Healing- Grants the ability to overpower Life sphere abilities, allowing them to affect additional targets. +1 Life Level
  - Painkiller- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to permanently heal bruises and other superficial damage. +1 Life Level
  - Ranged Healing- Allows Life sphere abilities to be used at short range rather than requiring touch. +1 Life Level
  - Restorative Cure- Grants the ability to mingle Cure and Restore at a greater cost, applying both with a single touch. +1 Life Level
  - Resuscitate- Allows Cure to be used on very recently dead targets, potentially restoring them to life. +1 Life Level
  - Revitalize- Allows Cure to instead grant regeneration, healing more over a longer period of time. +1 Life Level
  - Self-Renewal- Greatly speeds self-healing at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Stabilizing Invigoration- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to stabilize dying creatures and potentially halt bleeding. +1 Life Level
  - Sudden Invigoration- Greatly speeds Invigoration at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Taste of Victory- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities at an increased cost when used immediately after striking a worthy foe. +1 Life Level
  - Violent Recuperation- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities when a new source of damage is completely mitigated. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Cure- Improves Cure and increases the versatility of Restore. Unlocks other [Cure] talents. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Vitality- Grants various benefits to targets of Life sphere abilities. Unlocks other [Vitality] talents. +1 Life Level
- Mind Sphere (Inner Focus)- TAKEN
  - Charming Strike- Allows charms to be conveyed through violent force, afflicting those struck by an attack. +1 Mind Level
  - Expanded Charm- Improves charm versatility, allowing the charming of all creatures with a mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Instill Charm- Allows charms to be stored in a consumable medium, triggering when consumed. +1 Mind Level
  - Mass Charm- Improves charm size, allowing more creatures to be affected at increased cost. +1 Mind Level
  - Mental Backdoor- Improves charm insidiousness, reducing resistance in a target affected by an initial charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Powerful Charm- Improves charm power, allowing them to be overpowered at increased cost for increased effect.
  - Psychic Vengeance- Allows one to respond to a failed mental intrusion with a fast charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Ranged Mind- Improves charm range from close to medium range. +1 Mind Level
  - Subtlety- Improves charm subtlety, forcing even those who resist to ignore some attempts. +1 Mind Level
  - Amnesia [Charm]- Grants the ability to remove a target's most recent memories. +1 Mind Level
  - Calm [Charm]- Grants the ability to suppress a target's violent emotions. +1 Mind Level
  - Candor [Charm]- Grants the ability to compel a target to speak only truth. +1 Mind Level
  - Cerebral Strike [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause intense migraines in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Command [Charm]- Grants the ability to briefly take command of a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Confusion [Charm]- Grants the ability to scramble a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Courage [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire a target to great action. +1 Mind Level
  - Disrupt Focus [Charm]- Grants the ability to make concentration difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Enthrall [Charm]- Grants the ability to temporarily befriend a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Esteem [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire confidence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Fascinate [Charm]- Grants the ability to occupy a target's attention. +1 Mind Level
  - Fear [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause fear in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Gestures [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's movement. +1 Mind Level
  - Hostility [Charm]- Grants the ability to drive a target to rage. +1 Mind Level
  - Inception [Charm]- Grants the ability to adjust a target's knowledge. +1 Mind Level
  - Inspiration [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire competence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Shield [Charm]- Grants the ability to shield a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Spy [Charm]- Grants the ability to hijack a target's senses. +1 Mind Level
  - Paralyze [Charm]- Grants the ability to hinder a target's actions. +1 Mind Level
  - Project Thoughts [Charm]- Grants the ability to telepathically communicate. +1 Mind Level
  - Read Mind [Charm]- Grants the ability to read a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Recommend [Charm]- Grants the ability to help a target recover from mistakes. +1 Mind Level
  - Sleep [Charm]- Grants the ability to put a target to sleep. +1 Mind Level
  - Utterances [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's speech. +1 Mind Level
  - Vision [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce hallucinations. +1 Mind Level
  - Wrack [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce disturbing sensations. +1 Mind Level
  - Cloud Mind- Grants the ability to affect minds in an area. Also unlocks other [Cloud] talents. +1 Mind Level
  - Parallel Cognition- Grants the ability to perform a complex mental task and a rote physical task simultaneously. +1 Mind Level
  - Polyglot- Grants the ability to rapidly learn a language on a temporary basis. +1 Mind Level
  - Terrifying Mind- Grants mental countermeasures against intrusion, causing fear in intruding minds and making intrusion more difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Over Matter- Allows pain and suffering to be forestalled with mental discipline and spell points, delaying damage taken.
- Nature Sphere- TAKEN
  - Deep Nature- Extends Nature sphere abilities, allowing them to persist even after concentration ends. +1 Nature Level
  - Expanded Geomancing- Expands the scope of the Nature sphere, granting access to another element. +1 Nature Level
  - Ranged Geomancy- Extends the range of the Nature sphere. +1 Nature Level
  - Wild Instinct- Improves instinct while attuned to nature, allowing one to dodge unseen attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Create Nature- Grants the ability to rapidly grow plant life to maturity, up to medium-sized trees. +1 Nature Level
  - Elevated Nature- Improves the reach of grown plants, allowing them to grasp at flying creatures. +1 Nature Level
  - Hazardous Terrain- Improves abilities that affect terrain, granting them further disruptive and damaging capability. +1 Nature Level
  - Manipulate Nature- Grants the ability to use greenery to create a protective shelter. +1 Nature Level
  - Nature Lord- Improves the scope of geomancing abilities, allowing larger areas and trees to be affected. +1 Nature Level
  - Plant Mastery- Improves control over plant life, allowing more plants to be used and for fruits to be imbued with healing energy. +1 Nature Level
  - Pummel Mastery- Allows plants to be controlled more easily, and for striking foliage to be imbued with various effects. +1 Nature Level
  - Purify Nature- Grants the ability to purify food, making rotten, poisoned, and diseased food edible. +1 Nature Level
  - Repress Element- Allows plant matter to be temporarily removed from reality, weaning items and being relying on it. +1 Nature Level
  - Thrown Pummel- Allows controlled trees to make ranged attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Natural Spirit- Grants the ability to make use of a chosen spiritual ability. Also unlocks further [Spirit] talents. +1 Nature Level
- Protection Sphere- TAKEN
  - Buttressing- Allows created barriers to be quickly repaired. +1 Protection Level
  - Community- Allows damage taken by protected allies to be distributed among protected allies at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Continuous Ward- Improves wards, enabling them to pass through solid objects and provide full protection against incorporeal and burrowing foes. +1 Protection Level
  - Distant Protection- Extends the range of Protection sphere abilities. +1 Protection Level
  - Durable Barrier- Improves barriers, causing them to resist a small amount of physical damage, or all damage at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Enduring Protection- Improves wards to last longer when maintained with power. +1 Protection Level
  - Glyph- Grants the ability to turn wards into magical traps that can be activated later. +1 Protection Level
  - Greater Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to be created in the form of flat surfaces and dramatically improving their toughness at a cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Instill Aegis- Allows Aegises to be instilled into a consumable, granting their benefits to the consuming creature. +1 Protection Level
  - Mass Aegis- Grants the ability to protect multiple people with the same Aegis at additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Reactive Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to harm enemies or bolster allies when broken. +1 Protection Level
  - Selective Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing allies and allied attacks to pass through at an additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Shaped Ward- Improves wards, allowing them to be created in more shapes. +1 Protection Level
  - Shared Aegis- Improves aegises, allowing them to extend beyond their beneficiaries and affect nearby allies as well. +1 Protection Level
  - Status- Grants knowledge of the location and state of allies under an aegis. +1 Protection Level
  - Extra Aegis- Grants a new way to protect allies. Also unlocks further [Aegis] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - More Ward- Grants a new way to Ward an area. Also unlocks further [Ward] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - Succor- Grants the ability to sacrifice an Aegis to provide some instantaneous benefit to the recipient. Also unlocks further [Succor] Talents. +1 Protection Level
- Telekinesis Sphere- TAKEN
  - Acceleration [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic speed in a straightaway, and impact afterwards. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Dampening Field- Allows lifted objects and creatures to be protected from damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Dancing Weapon [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing weapons to be wielded rather than merely swung. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Divided Mind [Bludgeon]- Improves multitasking, allowing multiple smaller objects to be lifted simultaneously. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Excessive Force [Bludgeon]- Allows lifted objects to be smashed more violently into stationary scenery, dealing severe damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Finesse- Allows telekinesis to be used for delicate tasks, though with less skill than true limbs. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Flight- Allows telekinetic control of lifted creatures to be passed to them, granting them effective flight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Floating Shield- Allows lifted shields to be used protectively, defending nearby allies. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Forceful Telekinesis [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic force, increasing the damage of lifted objects and people. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Greater Speed- Improves telekinetic speed, allowing lifted objects to be moved further. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Idle Concentration- Improves telekinetic efficiency, allowing telekinetic control to be maintained more easily if subjects are still. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Increased Range- Improves telekinetic range, allowing farther-away objects to be affected. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Field- Allows telekinetic force to be spread over an area to hinder enemies or protect allies. Also unlocks other [Field] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Sense- Improves sensory telekinesis, allowing it to be used in lieu of sight and without the aid of sight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mobile Bludgeon [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic momentum, allowing lifted objects to keep moving after impact. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Orbit- Allows lifted objects to be set into a passive orbit, granting easy access without occupying hands. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Parry- Improves the Catch function of Telekinesis, allowing it to prevent melee attacks, though not to steal weapons without assistance. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Quick Reactions- Dramatically speeds defensive telekinesis, though at increased cost. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Return- Improves the Catch function, allowing caught projectiles to be returned to their origin. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Sweeping Bludgeon [Bludgeon]- Allows lifted objects to sweep across an area, forcing their target to dodge reflexively. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Crush- Improves the strength of telekinesis, allowing it to passively damage lifted objects. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Maneuver- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing many combat maneuvers to be performed using telekinesis. Also unlocks other [Manuever] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Tools- Allows the creation of tools and weapons made of force, useful for many purposes. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Whirlwind Assembly- Improves telekinetic speed near the body, allowing minor tasks about one's person to be carried out with great speed. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mind Limb- Grants a weak telekinetic limb that can nonetheless aid in minor tasks without occupying the main hands.
- 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
- Improved Cantrips- Improves the basic Cantrips ability, increasing the damage dealt, the amount of matter that can be manipulated or created, and the precision of lights and sounds.
- Third Eye- Grants the ability to open one's third eye, granting the ability to read others' aura and improving perception of magical effects.
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, +6 + Con HP
- ~~Bard~~ Kung Fu Exemplar Class- A musical class whose mastery of arts and crafts extends into the martial realm. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Blacksmith~~ Fleshforger Class- A tough class just as good at breaking weapons and armor as it is at making ~~them~~ unnatural abominations. +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, +6 + Con HP
- Crimson Dancer Class- A bloodthirsty class that specializes in wearing down its foes and bleeding them dry. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
- Elementalist Class- A destructive class focused on bringing down foes with elemental power. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- Eliciter Class- A manipulative class that use their mind magic to disrupt enemies and bolster allies. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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- TAKEN
  - Inspired Sequence- Grants improved accuracy and damage as the sequence grows.
- 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, +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, +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, +6 + Con HP
- Symbiat Class- An enlightened class whose mental symbiote grants them telekinetic and telepathic skill. Favored by QA! +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP, +1 Perk
  - Mental Powers- Grants the Mind and Telekinesis Spheres, or a random talent from each sphere already possessed
  - 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.
  - Evasion- Improves reflexes, allowing even explosions to be completely avoided.
- Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Thaumaturge~~ Wild Mage Class- A volatile class that trades control 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, +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
- Sphere Witch Class- An occult class that draws its power from a shadowy patron and their hexes. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +3 + Con HP
- Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
  - Feline Heritage- Grants catlike features, including speed, finesse, perception, and the ability to communicate with felines.
- 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.
  - Draconic Heritage (Esoteric)- Imbues Taylor a fraction of an Esoteric Dragon's power, allowing her to daze foes several times a day.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Alertness- Improves alertness, improving physical perception and social acuity.
- Toughness- Improves toughness, increasing the amount of physical damage one can endure.
Accepting 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.
Empty 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.
Endless 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.
Pure 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.
Hungry 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.

Sorry for the delay on this one. In addition to its longer length, I had a few other things pop up this week. There's only one minor piece of news to relate I think- I'm changing the name of the Bodhisattva perk to Guru. Bodhisattva is going to be reserved for a different, later perk in the same line.

Tiz Goldeneye · Nov 30, 2022

Hmm, it seems like the people on SpaceBattles slightly soured relations, but polite etiquette dictates I don't throw stones too much since that wasn't a conversation I was part of, seeing as I was over here on Sufficient Velocity. Still it is a shame we can't do much, there are only 2-5 posters here which shows that SpaceBattle's more active version of this quest forum is the correct choice. I do enjoy treating this as a pseudo story only thread, and the chance to occasionally chime in as an individual is nice.

Speaking of which, I don't really have any advice for Taylor today since she didn't react to a message by an Angel or respond to any of the logic I laid out previously, and since in universe she is skimming messages it means that there isn't much to do. Combined with the fact that she is being stubborn right now and there isn't much advice that could be given even for course correction. Ah well, perhaps some generic advice from a generic soul.

To Taylor: Beware pride before the fall. You know yourself best, but your elders understand the realities of the world. Heed their advice lest yourself become adrift in the reality you find yourself.

Thaumaterge · Dec 11, 2022

Chapter 3.14 Violence

[X] Plan: Promise of Life
-[X]Taste of Victory- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities at an increased cost when used immediately after striking a worthy foe. +1 Life Level
-[X]Resuscitate- Allows Cure to be used on very recently dead targets, potentially restoring them to life. +1 Life Level
-[X]Revitalize- Allows Cure to instead grant regeneration, healing more over a longer period of time. +1 Life Level
-[X]Self-Renewal- Greatly speeds self-healing at an increased cost. +1 Life Level

[X] Journey to the Heart
-[X] Prodigy
----Inspired Sequence

Omake: Parallel Cognition

TW: Nazis talking shit (slurs) and getting hit (violence)

Once again, her power has intruded and interrupted a life-or-death matter that demanded her full attention. Well, at least Taylor was expecting it this time. Initially, she'd thought it was set to go off whenever she was too stressed out, and that still hadn't been disproven, but at the very least it seemed to have a hair trigger when it came to powers and fighting. This was also a more convenient time than the first one, when she'd been halfway to the ground when it kicked in. The gang kids had them surrounded, but they hadn't started swinging yet, so she could afford to take the time to think about her choice- it wasn't like there was a punch flying at her that she might forget to dodge or a step she might forget to take.

That said, the situation was definitely bad. Five boys, each twice her mass and likely muscle mass as well, and armed with makeshift weapons. They might not be wearing anything special, but there was no doubt that each one was more dangerous than Emma- though probably not Sophia. Taylor had gotten better since then, but was she two and a half times better? In fact, two and a half might be the least of what she'd need. Fighting two people was a lot more than twice as hard as fighting one. Sophia would help- she was surrounded too- but would they be enough? Somehow, Taylor felt confident that it was. That she, a previously unfit teenage girl, could fight off several roided-up wannabe Nazis alongside her frenemy, even without showing off her powers. She… didn't want to dwell on that. Obviously, her powers had something to do with that, but had something else changed inside her? Was this how politicians and capes thought, like the concerns and worries of regular people were irrelevant to them?

Then there was the way they'd gotten there. Obviously, the Empire groupies had followed her, but why? Did they know her secret? Had someone overheard them in the hall, or noticed their rendezvous yesterday? She'd gotten pushed around by high school gangsters before in times like these, but never by five armed guys at once; they came here looking for trouble. Taylor pushed down her paranoia. The only way they could know she was a cape was if they'd not just seen her fight with Emma but also listened in afterwards. That was unlikely, given the location and the volume. Being overheard in the hallway was much less so… though given what that one guy had said, they might not even have heard anything at all, just seen the chat and made assumptions. Taylor's lips puckered in a sour expression. That was the best case scenario, but just because it was likely didn't mean she could afford to assume it was true. Was there any way to find out for sure though? Maybe they'd be willing to brag… or maybe she'd have to make some threats. Not that she'd follow through of course. Taylor didn't think she was that far gone yet.

Well, regardless, that was future Taylor's problem. Current Taylor's problem was the spheres she was about to get and the choices she was about to make. The first of those was yet another free marble from the Mind sphere, and another inward-facing one. At least one of the souls must really love those things. This one looked particularly odd, offering the ability to think and act separately. That sounded like a pretty basic thing to do- couldn't everyone think about one thing while doing another? The distinction was that this marble included using her powers as a mental activity, allowing her to do that and simultaneously… do something else. Not fight, unfortunately, since that would let her act like two capes in one. Cook, maybe, or exercise? The marble put strict limits on what kinds of actions could be used with it, which made sense since very few things were either mental or physical alone- and even fewer were things she wanted to be doing simultaneously. Few mindless activities were really compatible with power use, and msot cape work required both body and mind. Maybe she could do her homework while exercising or something, but even that was only courtesy of her newly-photographic memory. Overall, well, she'd take it, but without really expecting to use it much.

The next free marble was much more attractive, a golden mirrored reflection of dilettante-Taylor, with her bandoliers full of random stuff. It offered to make her stronger, faster, and more effective the deeper she got into her combination. That was just a direct boost, no need to do anything special or strategize around it… though she still could. It did clash a bit with the prior marble from the same Class though; that one seemed to encourage building up a combo and then finishing it off, while with this one it might be better to just keep it going. Maybe she was meant to keep it going until she thought a finisher might end the fight? Well, regardless, she was taking it.

Then came the actual choices, four starry marbles all from the Life sphere. On the one hand, this definitely answered the question of if they could present multiple marbles from the same sphere, but on the other hand it really stunk of heavy-handed manipulation. At least in the previous choice she could still pick one of the bad options if she really took offense. This way, she'd always end up with a Life marble. Not that Life was bad of course; it was one of the two paths to getting her mother back, so of course she'd pick it given the choice. But she wasn't being given the choice was she? That was the issue. Taylor gave a frustrated hiss. The real question was, what was the intent of this selection? Obviously they were trying to force her to take Life sphere marbles, but… well, was there a good explanation? It might be an efficiency play like the last one for example, though there weren't any undesirable spheres getting dumped here- though that didn't quite fit because Taylor knew there were still undesirable spheres left in the pile. The saber one, for instance, was something she wouldn't mind passing up on or even voiding if given the chance. That said, something being a bad explanation didn't necessarily mean it was the wrong explanation. The souls clearly had a very different perspective than Taylor did, and could easily know more or make mistakes in a way that she'd never be able to figure out- and equally unfortunately, there was therefore no good way to tell malice from incompetence aside from just asking about it.

Well, there was probably no harm in it, so that was exactly what Taylor did. "So, uh, why did you give me this, um, set? Why is it all Life? I… look, I don't want to accuse you of anything, but could you try to give me an actual choice? Like, with at least two decent options?" Another thing occurred to her. "Also, are we not voiding things anymore? I thought that was how I got perks, and you just told me about some really good ones. And! The classes! I, um, could you tell me about more of them? I want…" What did she want? She already had useful powers and was good in a fight. There was the healing, but did she really want to put all her eggs in that one basket? Especially a basket that to all appearances made her more valuable without making her better defended. Of course, the PRT could do that for her, if she could get them on her side and then trust them enough. "I want to get better at defending myself and ah, if there's anything that would make me better at the social stuff…" Other than mind control. "Other than mind control! No mind control! I mean, I'll use it if I have to, but…" Ashamedly, Taylor realized that she was rambling. Pointlessly rambling too, since the souls were probably reading her mind and already knew exactly what she meant. Embarrassed, she turned her attention to the marbles.

The first one was interesting in an odd way. It offered to speed up her healing process… but only when she'd just hit someone else, and only someone who could be a genuine threat to her. Honestly that sounded like it could be really useful if she got into a cape fight, even with the increased cost, because it meant she wouldn't have to stop fighting in order to recover. Even she could tell that healing herself while an enemy was whaling on her was a losing strategy. On the other hand, most of the healing she expected to do was in the hospital, not the battlefield- and in fact anyone sensible would do their best to keep a healer away from any fights rather than putting her on the front line. In an emergency though… it was definitely something to consider.

The next power though, that was something else. When Taylor reached out to read its impression, she had to struggle not to grab it right away. It was… amazing? Revolutionary? A desperately-needed ray of hope? It was the first hint that the messages hadn't been lying when they said the Life sphere could bring Mom back. Taylor blinked back tears. It might even have been that power, had it not been so limited. This was the power to bring back the dead. Only the recently dead though. Very recently. She'd have to get to them within seconds, and have enough healing to make up for the wound that killed them besides. Logically speaking it wasn't great, but Taylor knew she'd be taking it anyways. Even besides the potential- the way she suspected it was a prerequisite to better forms of resurrection- there was no way she could pass this up. Even the possibility that she'd see someone die in front of her and know that she could have saved them… no. This was her choice. All that remained was to see what the other marbles had to offer so she could write them down later in her power notebook.

The second to last marble turned out to be less of an upgrade and more of a side-grade, offering to spread out the healing over a few minutes in order to extract a little more value at the cost of less immediate benefit. It was also, Taylor noted, useful in a different sense, since this slower regeneration would undoubtedly be more subtle than the instantaneous version. Once again that wasn't much of a concern for hospital work, but it could be invaluable if she was pretending to be a vigilante without healing powers. This would have been a strong candidate for her pick, had the second option been anything else.

Finally, the last option was a return to form- very similar in nature to the first one. It offered increase speed of healing in exchange for a greater cost, but instead of requiring her to be in combat it instead required her to be healing herself. Again, this was useless for her intended use of the Life sphere, but again could be very useful for a vigilante. Were the souls trying to tell her something? Did they think she should be focusing on the vigilante side of things instead of the PRT? Or was this just a thrown-together collection meant to house the critical resurrection marble? Questions for another time, Taylor decided, as she grabbed the resurrection marble and watched the real world resume around her.

The E88 wannabes were still there, circling like a pack of wolves around her and Sophia. Just as muscular, armed and nasty as before, if perhaps a bit confused that their prey wasn't acting the way they expected. Her instincts (and analysis power) told her they looked like simple thugs- more accustomed to beatdowns rather than fights. Their baseball bats and lacrosse sticks hung limp and unready from their hands as they paid more attention to the back-and-forth 'banter' taking place between their leader Dickson (if that was really his name) and Sophia.

"You got lucky last time, monkey, but this time we'll teach you a lesson!" Assuming the tirade of insults counted as banter at least.

"What lesson, that the 'Master Race' can't even take a beating without four of his buddies?" At least it bought her some time to get ready. As her analysis power indicated they were strong of body and weak of mind so…

"Fuck you, bitch! You can't win against five of us! Not while protecting your pet dyke!" Taylor focused on the leader, activating her Symbiat power to read his mind. "Say, Joey here thought you were kinda hot. How about we 'save' you from the n***er over there and you 'reward' us later?" An invisible tendril thrust forward, bridging the distance between them in an instant, only to run into a roiling wall of hate, fear, embarrassment and paranoia. Shit!

"I don't need protecting or saving" Taylor spoke for the first time in a calm and level voice that startled even her. It wasn't quite the statement of bravado that she was going for, but if it kept them talking for just a little longer… "I understand that Sophia has a lead in terms of Nazis crushed. That just means I need to make up for lost time" There, that was more like it. Taylor used the moment of distraction when the realized she wasn't just a cowering setpiece to her advantage, mentally striking again. The uncertainty was a point of weakness, striking ruthlessly even as the thug tried to rationalize the revelation.

"Ohh! You're that chick that beat her up in the hall aren't you? Guess she couldn't find a real man to slap the shit out of her so she had to settle for a big bull dyke huh?" Taylor ignored the words that would at any other time incense her. They seemed… detached. Like they existed, but just didn't matter at all. Instead, she was focused on the new information she was drawing from Dickson. His tightening grip on his lacrosse stick, his building impatience and growing disquiet, and his desperate need to cover up those doubts. "Well, it's not like it matters" His intention, rapidly becoming reality, to direct his fellows to attack. "It's still the five of us against the two of you" Taylor could feel it all… and so could Sophia. "Come on bros, let's beat the degeneracy out of them!"

The nazis rushed forward unevenly, the two on the right apparently far more eager to fight the known quantity that was Sophia rather than her. Taylor let them come, descending into a focus that would be almost dreamlike if it weren't so sharp and clear. Instead she issued a warning, one last token attempt to dissuade them from a course of action that would leave most of them badly beaten at the very least. As she did, power welled up in her throat, the fear power from the flail sphere. "This is your last chance. If you attack us here we will not be responsible for what will happen to you" She felt their eyes on her, drawn by her power, taking in her martial stance. Taking her seriously. "If you are lucky, you might leave without broken bones" The power released itself through her words, replaced by a different charge that spread itself out along her spine. In response, the high-school gangsters stumbled, the uncertainly that lay within them now exposed to the world. But they didn't stop, and thus sealed their fates.

While Taylor leapt into motion, Sophia seemed to have stalled, perhaps due to the extra information provided by Taylor's power. Had she had better presence of mind, she might have excluded Sophia to maintain her secret, but in truth she just forgot that the benefits would extend to nearby allies- which apparently included Sophia. That misjudgement turned out to be a costly one… for Sophia. While she struggled to regain her composure she was unable to dodge the two teenage nazis that lunged at her, taking a couple of bruising hits to her sluggish-raised forearms. Fortunately for her, the injury seemed to jolt her back to reality. She snarled, a threatening noise only partially aimed at Taylor, before withdrawing a stubby device from her jacket pocket and jabbing it into one of her foes. The device looked too small to be an effective weapon, but the way her target let out a choked-off scream when struck explained that- Sophia had had a taser on her the whole time? At school? Well, it was Winslow, so it probably made sense.

Taylor's head was brought back into the game by a baseball bat swinging directly at her head. Though her mind sense blared at her, she just couldn't move fast enough to avoid it completely; instead, she moved to minimize the damage, sending it glancing painfully off her right shoulder. The move also got her out of the way of an aggressively-swung tennis racket, courtesy of her other assailant. That was when the leader leapt into the fray. Having allowed his so-called friends to occupy the girls' attention, he approached Sophia from the side, out of her field of view and wound up a devastating blow with his lacrosse stick. Taylor opened her mouth to warn her compatriot, but as the taller boy swung, Sophia smoothly ducked under it without even looking. It seemed that she'd finally managed to figure out how to use Taylor's mental tap. Not that she seemed any less angry about it- though that could have just been the nazis.

It was then that Taylor went on the offensive. Taking advantage of her link to the leader, she dealt with him first, taking him to the ground with a leg sweep and following him down to add more force to her axe kick before using the force to pop back up and plant her other heel in his ribs. With each strike, Taylor felt her movements getting smoother, her kicks landing more solidly as the tingling along her spine grew. Seeing the self-avowed horrible person fall before her, she distantly thought it was odd- she should have felt vindicated here, eager to punish the guilty and use her powers for good. Instead, in this state of intense focus, all she noted was that her target was on his last legs- one more good hit would put him down for good. At that thought, the tingling in her spine peaked, responding to her desires. Faster than she'd ever moved before, Taylor collapsed to one knee, bringing her right elbow down on the groaning nazi's head with the force of an angry god, bouncing it into the grassy ground with a final thump. Though the boy let out a whimpering cry, he did not move further, allowing Taylor to stand and face her remaining foes.

Meanwhile, Sophia was having similar luck with her own foes, dodging one strike only to take a partially-blocked bat to the face from the other. It was a testament to her grit that the blow didn't take her down, and that she gave as good as she got despite her newly-bloody grimace. Moments later the blood-stained bat hit the ground along with its wielder, still twitching from the aftershocks of Sophia's weapon. With two nazis down, the tide was turning despite the injuries the two girls had suffered. Still, they didn't seem to be letting up, either too caught-up in the melee or too proud to back down. Unfortunately, the strategy wasn't exactly failing them. Caught between too many sports implements and sweaty bodies, Taylor took a strong hit to the ribs before managing to break out, narrowly avoiding worse harm with a duck and a twist. Taylor repaid that blow with two of her own, kipping up the leader's lacrosse stick with a foot before spinning its head into a shaved human one and its butt into a knee. As the skinhead thug howled in pain and confusion, Taylor once again marveled at her state of mind. She'd been hit hard, numerous times with actual weapons and yet the pain that should have debilitated and distracted her was… not gone, but distant. One factor among many, to be catalogued and considered. She still felt the burgeoning bruises and perhaps even fractures, she just didn't care.

Sophia, for her part, seemed to be overcoming the pain with sheer rage, accepting a glancing blow from a tennis racket to sink her taser's prongs into nazi flesh. Though her target did not fall, his whine of pain proved to be the last straw for the remaining two white supremacists. Watching two girls, one of them black, take down two of their own while ignoring heavy blows from improvised weapons had taken its toll on morale, as had Taylor's initial warning. Finally seeing the writing on the wall, they turned tail and fled. Not fast enough, as it turned out. Acting on instinct, Taylor changed her grip on her lacross stick in a lightning-fast motion, sending it whipping down on the already-injured gang member's head and sending him crashing to the ground. Hearing the thump behind him, the now-only escapee ran all the faster, leaving his final conscious friend to the two girls tender mercies. That friend fell only moments later, falling victim to Taylor's leg sweep and managing to slide away from one, but not both of her follow-up axe kicks as she dropped down to maximize the gravitational impact. The hit wasn't as solid as Taylor would have liked, but the tingling in her spine had built up to a peak again; if she needed to use that burst of speed to finish the fight, she could. It turned out to be unnecessary. The axe-kick-kip-up flowed neatly into a spin of the lacrosse stick in a sequence of moves that was simultaneously unknown and hauntlingly familiar, bringing the butt of the staff into confluence with a tatooed skull with a resounding thunk.

All of a sudden, there was silence, save for the groaning of the fallen and the retreating footfalls. Slowly, Taylor allowed herself to relax her guard and look around, her focus fading. A chorus of aches and pains made themselves known once again, clamoring for her attention, but nothing seemed urgent. Sophia looked far worse- though she also looked like she was seriously considering running down the last nazi, so it couldn't be that bad. Sophia turned to look at Taylor, the dark bruising around her mouth and nose only emphasizing her bloody snarl and furious glare. Okay, maybe it was that bad… for Taylor. The other girl stalked over, the taser hanging loosely in one hand while the other grabbed Taylor by the collar of her hoodie. "What. The. Fuck. Was That?"

Taylor knew immediately what she was talking about. Her Symbiat power. Taylor was okay with the way it inserted information into her head because it was her power, but to someone else, unexpectedly? She wouldn't be surprised if Sophia thought she was being Mastered. "I don't know, they must have followed me, or known where to look" Unfortunately, it wasn't like they could talk about it openly here, in front of questionably-conscious gang members.

Sophia did not appreciate that little bit of obfuscation. She leaned in, threatening to smear Taylor's face with the blood from her split lip, and snarled. "You Fucking Know what I meant! The-" As though only now realizing where she was, Taylor's supposedly former bully lowered her voice to an equally savage whisper. "The Thinker thing! You almost got me fucking killed!" That… was fair, actually. Taylor had seen the pause and disorientation in her erstwhile ally, and even if the power had allowed her to avoid a hit somewhere in there it probably got her hit more. Still…

"And when was I supposed to tell you? Here at school?" Taylor hissed back. You couldn't back down against Sophia, something Taylor had taken great pains to learn. She just took it as a sign of weakness. "This is why I said we should meet elsewhere to discuss powers and strategies"

Sophia sneered back, clearly reluctant to back down. "...Fine" She grudgingly conceded. "You've made your point. Saturday evening at the mall. I've got a place near there" She snorted and spit a glob of bloody phlegm on the ground, and Taylor thought she saw a glint of something else in the other girl's eye. Not quite respect, but… consideration, maybe? "Now…" together, they turned back to face their collapsed assailants. "Let's see what these fucks have to say for themselves"

"Fuck you, bitch!" Well, that was an answer at least, if not a wise one. Sophia replied a a completely predictable way, with a kick to the ribs that practically folded the already-incapacitated boy in half.

"Wrong answer, shithead" She gave him a nasty, vindictive grin. "Get it right or you lose your dick, not that anyone will notice the difference" Without even waiting for an answer she kicked him again, then drew back her leg for a stomp before Taylor caught her by the shoulder.

"Hey!" Fighting them was one thing- they'd started it after all, but this wasn't a fight- it was a beating.

"What?" Sophia threw off Taylor's arm, a murderous glare on her face. "You defending nazis now?"

Taylor could see the look in her eyes, the desire for vengeance and pain. This wasn't a fight she was going to win. "You didn't even tell them what we want to know" Instead she deflected, trying to direct the other girl to a less pointlessly violent course of action. "Why did you come here? How did you find us?"

Sophia's glare didn't dim, but she also didn't follow through with her wound-up kick, waiting at least long enough for the nazi- the apparent leader, Taylor noted- to give an answer. Fortunately for him, he was willing to do so.

"Fuck! Fuck! Alright!" Cradling his potentially-fractured arm, Dickson glared up at them with eyes full of hate and fear. "Jeremy said he saw a couple of lezzos hangin' out here yesterday, so when we saw Curly goin' that way we thought we'd come by and give 'em a taste of some real men- Aaa!" This time when Sophia kicked him, Taylor didn't stop her. Some uncomfortable feelings were rising within her. Revulsion and fear at the nazi's words, but Sophia's actions bothered her all the same. Was this right?

"He answered your question!" Taylor pleaded, provoking a scornful look from Sophia. "Look, it's over, we won. Just… let it go"

"Yeah? So what? They're Nazis" The other girl's scoff drained Taylor's sympathy, but she couldn't deny the point- or the disgusting things they'd said and did. "Look, we won this fight. Right now I'm winning the next one" She kicked Dickson again, turning a stream of vitriol into a wheeze as the air was driven from his lungs.

That was another point Taylor couldn't refute. Was it worth this, this cruelty, to prevent more violence later? She felt sick to her stomach. This wasn't something she wanted to be party to. "You don't think they've learned their lesson? We just beat up five guys by ourselves!" Surely their strength would be enough of a deterrent?

"What fucking lesson, to bring more guys next time?" Or attack someone else, Taylor mentally added. Someone who couldn't defend themselves. Thinking of what might have happened to two real lesbians in their place, only Taylor's iron self-control kept her from doing something rash. "No, the only way this bullshit stops is if they know there's no second chance" Sophia grinned with bloodied teeth and malicious intent, and Taylor suddenly worried that she was going to witness a murder. "What was it you said at the beginning? No broken bones if they leave? Well buddy, sounds like you should've left when you had the chance"

"You crazy bitch! You can't- Wait! Wait!" This time Taylor didn't intervene, didn't try to dissuade Sophia as she moved. The teenage nazi tried to move, to scramble to his feet with only one arm, but the black girl's bootheel caught him part-way up, slamming down onto his supporting hand with a sickening crunch. The boy screamed.

A door opened.

Resuscitate Chosen!
Life Sphere Moved to the Discard!
For Becoming More Accepting of Conflict, [QUEEN ADMINISTRATOR]'s approval has increased by 1! Now at 3!
Choose Four Orbs, Spheres and Talents

Orb of Might- TAKEN
- Alchemy Sphere- TAKEN
  - Cluster Tolls- Speeds alchemical item usage, allowing two to be used at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Alchemy level
  - Dynamite Throwing Form- Infuses thrown items with strength, allowing them to strike as hard as one's fists. +1 Alchemy level
  - Fireworks- Infuses thrown items with propellant, allowing them to travel further. +1 Alchemy level
  - Master Chemist- Grants access to alchemical poisons, which may be ingested, inhaled, contact-based, or applied to weapons. +1 Alchemy level
  - Snap Toss- Dramatically speeds alchemical item usage at the cost of focus. +1 Alchemy level
  - Extra Formulae- Grants the formula for Alchemist's Fire and Improved Alchemist's Fire, a potent flame-based grenade. Also grants access to further [Formulae] talents. +1 Alchemy level
- 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
- 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
- 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
  - Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so Refocus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
  - More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
- 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
- Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
  - Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina. +1 Open Hand Level
- 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- TAKEN
  - Active Camouflage- Improves stealth when moving between cover and when sniping. +1 Scout Level
  - Battlefield Stealth- Grants the ability to take advantage of distractions by briefly hiding even in battle. +1 Scout Level
  - Discern Illusions- Improves the ability to detect and see past illusions, and allows that ability to be granted to allies. +1 Scout Level
  - Discern Tells- Grants improved insight into others and improved awareness of feints. +1 Scout Level
  - Great Senses- Improves perception. +1 Scout Level
  - Heightened Awareness- Grants the ability to detect lingering magical auras and to passively detect traps. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Appearance- Extends skill in stealth to encompass disguise as well. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Dragon Stance- Grants the ability to take a stance that diverts the gaze of opponents away and allows for combat stealth. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Focus- Grants the ability to refocus by hiding. +1 Scout Level
  - Honed Sense- Grants a sensitive nose, especially when smelling fear. +1 Scout Level
  - Identify Structural Hazards- Grants improved skill in identifying structural weaknesses and hazards. +1 Scout Level
  - Lurker- Improves stealth skill to foil otherwise infallible senses. +1 Scout Level
  - Piercing Eye- Improves perceptive skill, allowing for accurate targeting of concealed foes. +1 Scout Level
  - Reflexive Stealth- Grants the ability to reflexively hide in explosions and other area effects. +1 Scout Level
  - Sense and Resist Scrying- Grants automatic awareness of magical perception and the ability to locate such sensors and apertures and foil them. +1 Scout Level
  - Sight Beyond Sight- Grants the ability to briefly gain very short range infallible perception. +1 Scout Level
  - Somnambulance- Grants the ability to accurately perceive one's surroundings while sleeping. +1 Scout Level
  - Track the Scene- Improves tracking skill to allow for assessment of tracked creatures' actions in addition to path. +1 Scout Level
  - Uncanny Dodge- Grants preternatural senses that foil ambushes, invisibility, and more. +1 Scout Level
  - Unimpeded Positioning- Grants the ability to move while reloading and to quickly move over rough terrain. +1 Scout Level
  - Wind Reader- Grants the ability to account for range-based inaccuracy of ranged weapons. +1 Scout Level
  - Scout's Advantage- Grants the ability to take advantage of information gained through scouting, or to gain more information depending on build. Grants access to [Scouting] talents which enhance the Scout ability. +1 Scout Level
- 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 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
- Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure a~~n extraplanar creature~~ Dragon 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- TAKEN
  - Corpse Bomb- Increases resonance between Death sphere abilities, allowing ghost strikes to expand over an area through the sacrifice of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Corpse Manipulation- Grants the ability to modify dead bodies in several ways, growing, removing, or shaping their flesh. +1 Death Level
  - Cryptic Strike- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to be delivered with weapon or unarmed strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Empowered Reanimate- Improves reanimated undead, granting them increased strength and staying power. +1 Death Level
  - Expanded Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing several varieties of zombies and skeletons to be created. +1 Death Level
  - Gravetongue- Grants the ability to speak to corpses and undead, which recall only what they perceive after their deaths. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Reanimate- Improves reanimation to allow control of a much larger number of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Haunting Apparition- Improves ghost strike, allowing it to invisibly haunt a location as a trap. +1 Death Level
  - Icy Grip- Improves ghost strike, allowing controlled undead to deliver it in your stead. +1 Death Level
  - Instill Death- Allows the creation of consumable items that can reanimate corpses or be thrown as splash ghost strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Killing Curse- Improves ghost strikes, causing creatures subject to multiple strikes in a short period to die instantly. +1 Death Level
  - Mass Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, allowing the reanimation of multiple corpses at once and the use of ghost strikes to affect an area. +1 Death Level
  - Ranged Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, extending their range. +1 Death Level
  - Sustained Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing undead to be sustained using concentration and for longer durations. +1 Death Level
  - Taint Soul- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to hinder or disable healing and regeneration. +1 Death Level
  - Tomb of Flesh- Grants the ability to absorb multiple undead or a single opponent into oneself. The living are harmed by this, while undead are only stored. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Dominion- Grants an ability related to control or creation of undead, and unlocks other [Dominion] talents. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Ghost Strike- Grants an alternate form of ghost strike and unlocks other [Ghost Strike] talents. +1 Death Level
- 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
- Mind Sphere (Inner Focus)- TAKEN
  - Charming Strike- Allows charms to be conveyed through violent force, afflicting those struck by an attack. +1 Mind Level
  - Expanded Charm- Improves charm versatility, allowing the charming of all creatures with a mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Instill Charm- Allows charms to be stored in a consumable medium, triggering when consumed. +1 Mind Level
  - Mass Charm- Improves charm size, allowing more creatures to be affected at increased cost. +1 Mind Level
  - Mental Backdoor- Improves charm insidiousness, reducing resistance in a target affected by an initial charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Powerful Charm- Improves charm power, allowing them to be overpowered at increased cost for increased effect.
  - Psychic Vengeance- Allows one to respond to a failed mental intrusion with a fast charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Ranged Mind- Improves charm range from close to medium range. +1 Mind Level
  - Subtlety- Improves charm subtlety, forcing even those who resist to ignore some attempts. +1 Mind Level
  - Amnesia [Charm]- Grants the ability to remove a target's most recent memories. +1 Mind Level
  - Calm [Charm]- Grants the ability to suppress a target's violent emotions. +1 Mind Level
  - Candor [Charm]- Grants the ability to compel a target to speak only truth. +1 Mind Level
  - Cerebral Strike [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause intense migraines in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Command [Charm]- Grants the ability to briefly take command of a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Confusion [Charm]- Grants the ability to scramble a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Courage [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire a target to great action. +1 Mind Level
  - Disrupt Focus [Charm]- Grants the ability to make concentration difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Enthrall [Charm]- Grants the ability to temporarily befriend a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Esteem [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire confidence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Fascinate [Charm]- Grants the ability to occupy a target's attention. +1 Mind Level
  - Fear [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause fear in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Gestures [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's movement. +1 Mind Level
  - Hostility [Charm]- Grants the ability to drive a target to rage. +1 Mind Level
  - Inception [Charm]- Grants the ability to adjust a target's knowledge. +1 Mind Level
  - Inspiration [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire competence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Shield [Charm]- Grants the ability to shield a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Spy [Charm]- Grants the ability to hijack a target's senses. +1 Mind Level
  - Paralyze [Charm]- Grants the ability to hinder a target's actions. +1 Mind Level
  - Project Thoughts [Charm]- Grants the ability to telepathically communicate. +1 Mind Level
  - Read Mind [Charm]- Grants the ability to read a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Recommend [Charm]- Grants the ability to help a target recover from mistakes. +1 Mind Level
  - Sleep [Charm]- Grants the ability to put a target to sleep. +1 Mind Level
  - Utterances [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's speech. +1 Mind Level
  - Vision [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce hallucinations. +1 Mind Level
  - Wrack [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce disturbing sensations. +1 Mind Level
  - Cloud Mind- Grants the ability to affect minds in an area. Also unlocks other [Cloud] talents. +1 Mind Level
  - Polyglot- Grants the ability to rapidly learn a language on a temporary basis. +1 Mind Level
  - Terrifying Mind- Grants mental countermeasures against intrusion, causing fear in intruding minds and making intrusion more difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Over Matter- Allows pain and suffering to be forestalled with mental discipline and spell points, delaying damage taken.
- Nature Sphere- TAKEN
  - Deep Nature- Extends Nature sphere abilities, allowing them to persist even after concentration ends. +1 Nature Level
  - Expanded Geomancing- Expands the scope of the Nature sphere, granting access to another element. +1 Nature Level
  - Ranged Geomancy- Extends the range of the Nature sphere. +1 Nature Level
  - Wild Instinct- Improves instinct while attuned to nature, allowing one to dodge unseen attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Create Nature- Grants the ability to rapidly grow plant life to maturity, up to medium-sized trees. +1 Nature Level
  - Elevated Nature- Improves the reach of grown plants, allowing them to grasp at flying creatures. +1 Nature Level
  - Hazardous Terrain- Improves abilities that affect terrain, granting them further disruptive and damaging capability. +1 Nature Level
  - Manipulate Nature- Grants the ability to use greenery to create a protective shelter. +1 Nature Level
  - Nature Lord- Improves the scope of geomancing abilities, allowing larger areas and trees to be affected. +1 Nature Level
  - Plant Mastery- Improves control over plant life, allowing more plants to be used and for fruits to be imbued with healing energy. +1 Nature Level
  - Pummel Mastery- Allows plants to be controlled more easily, and for striking foliage to be imbued with various effects. +1 Nature Level
  - Purify Nature- Grants the ability to purify food, making rotten, poisoned, and diseased food edible. +1 Nature Level
  - Repress Element- Allows plant matter to be temporarily removed from reality, weaning items and being relying on it. +1 Nature Level
  - Thrown Pummel- Allows controlled trees to make ranged attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Natural Spirit- Grants the ability to make use of a chosen spiritual ability. Also unlocks further [Spirit] talents. +1 Nature Level
- Protection Sphere- TAKEN
  - Buttressing- Allows created barriers to be quickly repaired. +1 Protection Level
  - Community- Allows damage taken by protected allies to be distributed among protected allies at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Continuous Ward- Improves wards, enabling them to pass through solid objects and provide full protection against incorporeal and burrowing foes. +1 Protection Level
  - Distant Protection- Extends the range of Protection sphere abilities. +1 Protection Level
  - Durable Barrier- Improves barriers, causing them to resist a small amount of physical damage, or all damage at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Enduring Protection- Improves wards to last longer when maintained with power. +1 Protection Level
  - Glyph- Grants the ability to turn wards into magical traps that can be activated later. +1 Protection Level
  - Greater Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to be created in the form of flat surfaces and dramatically improving their toughness at a cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Instill Aegis- Allows Aegises to be instilled into a consumable, granting their benefits to the consuming creature. +1 Protection Level
  - Mass Aegis- Grants the ability to protect multiple people with the same Aegis at additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Reactive Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to harm enemies or bolster allies when broken. +1 Protection Level
  - Selective Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing allies and allied attacks to pass through at an additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Shaped Ward- Improves wards, allowing them to be created in more shapes. +1 Protection Level
  - Shared Aegis- Improves aegises, allowing them to extend beyond their beneficiaries and affect nearby allies as well. +1 Protection Level
  - Status- Grants knowledge of the location and state of allies under an aegis. +1 Protection Level
  - Extra Aegis- Grants a new way to protect allies. Also unlocks further [Aegis] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - More Ward- Grants a new way to Ward an area. Also unlocks further [Ward] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - Succor- Grants the ability to sacrifice an Aegis to provide some instantaneous benefit to the recipient. Also unlocks further [Succor] Talents. +1 Protection Level
- Telekinesis Sphere- TAKEN
  - Acceleration [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic speed in a straightaway, and impact afterwards. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Dampening Field- Allows lifted objects and creatures to be protected from damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Dancing Weapon [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing weapons to be wielded rather than merely swung. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Divided Mind [Bludgeon]- Improves multitasking, allowing multiple smaller objects to be lifted simultaneously. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Excessive Force [Bludgeon]- Allows lifted objects to be smashed more violently into stationary scenery, dealing severe damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Finesse- Allows telekinesis to be used for delicate tasks, though with less skill than true limbs. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Flight- Allows telekinetic control of lifted creatures to be passed to them, granting them effective flight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Floating Shield- Allows lifted shields to be used protectively, defending nearby allies. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Forceful Telekinesis [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic force, increasing the damage of lifted objects and people. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Greater Speed- Improves telekinetic speed, allowing lifted objects to be moved further. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Idle Concentration- Improves telekinetic efficiency, allowing telekinetic control to be maintained more easily if subjects are still. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Increased Range- Improves telekinetic range, allowing farther-away objects to be affected. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Field- Allows telekinetic force to be spread over an area to hinder enemies or protect allies. Also unlocks other [Field] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Sense- Improves sensory telekinesis, allowing it to be used in lieu of sight and without the aid of sight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mobile Bludgeon [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic momentum, allowing lifted objects to keep moving after impact. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Orbit- Allows lifted objects to be set into a passive orbit, granting easy access without occupying hands. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Parry- Improves the Catch function of Telekinesis, allowing it to prevent melee attacks, though not to steal weapons without assistance. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Quick Reactions- Dramatically speeds defensive telekinesis, though at increased cost. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Return- Improves the Catch function, allowing caught projectiles to be returned to their origin. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Sweeping Bludgeon [Bludgeon]- Allows lifted objects to sweep across an area, forcing their target to dodge reflexively. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Crush- Improves the strength of telekinesis, allowing it to passively damage lifted objects. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Maneuver- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing many combat maneuvers to be performed using telekinesis. Also unlocks other [Manuever] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Tools- Allows the creation of tools and weapons made of force, useful for many purposes. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Whirlwind Assembly- Improves telekinetic speed near the body, allowing minor tasks about one's person to be carried out with great speed. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mind Limb- Grants a weak telekinetic limb that can nonetheless aid in minor tasks without occupying the main hands.
- 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
- Improved Cantrips- Improves the basic Cantrips ability, increasing the damage dealt, the amount of matter that can be manipulated or created, and the precision of lights and sounds.
- Third Eye- Grants the ability to open one's third eye, granting the ability to read others' aura and improving perception of magical effects.
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
- ~~Alchemist~~ Mortal Chemist Construct Rider- A learned class whose mastery of alchemy has spread to construct creation. +¾ BAB, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- 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, +6 + Con HP
- ~~Bard~~ Kung Fu Exemplar Class- A musical class whose mastery of arts and crafts extends into the martial realm. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Blacksmith~~ Fleshforger Class- A tough class just as good at breaking weapons and armor as it is at making ~~them~~ unnatural abominations. +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, +6 + Con HP
- Crimson Dancer Class- A bloodthirsty class that specializes in wearing down its foes and bleeding them dry. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
- Elementalist Class- A destructive class focused on bringing down foes with elemental power. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- Eliciter Class- A manipulative class that use their mind magic to disrupt enemies and bolster allies. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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
- ~~Psychic~~ Ascendant Mind Class- A sensitive class which uses a variety of means to unlock psychic might. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + 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, +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, +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, +6 + Con HP
- Symbiat Class- An enlightened class whose mental symbiote grants them telekinetic and telepathic skill. Favored by QA! +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP, +1 Perk
  - 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.
  - Evasion- Improves reflexes, allowing even explosions to be completely avoided.
- Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Thaumaturge~~ Wild Mage Class- A volatile class that trades control 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, +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
- Sphere Witch Class- An occult class that draws its power from a shadowy patron and their hexes. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +3 + Con HP
- Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
  - Feline Heritage- Grants catlike features, including speed, finesse, perception, and the ability to communicate with felines.
- 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.
  - Draconic Heritage (Esoteric)- Imbues Taylor a fraction of an Esoteric Dragon's power, allowing her to daze foes several times a day.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Alertness- Improves alertness, improving physical perception and social acuity.
- Toughness- Improves toughness, increasing the amount of physical damage one can endure.
Accepting 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.
Empty 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.
Endless 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.
Pure 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.
Hungry 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.

For reference, each nazi has AC 11, CMD 15, 11 HP, and a +4, 1d6+2 dmg attack (club or quarterstaff stats). Nazis 1 and 2 are on Taylor, 3 is between, 4 & 5 are on Sophia

For those of you who are wondering, stun batons in Pathfinder normally deal 1d6 bashing dmg and 1d8 nonlethal electric, but this is a civilian model stun gun that only deals 1d6 electrical and 1d4 bashing if you're willing to actually beat people over the head with it (which needless to say Sophia absolutely is). Only the electric damage is nonlethal, so yes there was a possibility that one of these guys would end up bleeding out, but it was unlikely. Speaking of damage, it's been pointed out many times including in this thread that getting knocked out isn't exactly a realistic portrayal of what happens when injured. That's why the nazis were concious here- losing all your hp in this quest (at least for now) just means you're incapacitated- you're still concious, you're just in too much pain etc. to fight anymore or get anywhere fast.

Here's another thing: Based on Sophia's ability to fight off groups of teenage Nazis, you might be wondering about her actual skill/survivability in this school. After all, it doesn't look like she could have taken all 5 of them on her own, right? The truth is twofold- on the one hand, she has a panic button on her at all times, on another she is pretty good at picking only fights she thinks she can win, and on the final hand (oh shit that's three) she usually has Emma to warn her about confrontations like this and break them up into manageable clumps of nazis. When she doesn't have access to that kind of social finesse, she makes do with fear and violence, as shown here.

the DragonBard · Dec 11, 2022

To Taylor: We're trying to help you get your Mom back. Hence the Life Spheres.

Assembler Maniac · Dec 12, 2022

Yeah, kinda worried about the whole resurrection thing. There's so many ways that can go wrong ("Pet Cemetary" anyone?), and if it fails in a big way, can end up shredding the soul permanently (and possibly directly affecting Taylor's too). Taylor really needs to think about this a LOT more thoroughly.

the DragonBard · Dec 14, 2022

[x] Plan Wide Selection
-[x] Alertness- Improves alertness, improving physical perception and social acuity.
-[x] Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +5 + Con HP
-[x] Evasion- Improves reflexes, allowing even explosions to be completely avoided.
-[x] Warp Sphere- Grants the ability to teleport yourself or an ally some distance. +1 Warp level, +1 SP

Thaumaterge · Dec 21, 2022

Chapter 3.15 Consideration

[X] Plan: a little bit of everything
-[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] 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
-[X] Warleader Sphere- Grants some skill with diplomacy as well as the ability to coordinate and empower allies. +1 Warleader Level, +3 HP
-[X] Accepting 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.

Omakes:
Queen_Innovation- Return the Life sphere to the Draw pile

As the world faded away around her Taylor's vision narrowed down, focusing on the crooked, muddy fingers splayed out on the ground. The way they twitched and grasped as the boot heel came down on them. The scream of pain, of rage, or despair. She didn't feel bad about it. The thought of what he and his fellows would have done if they'd found softer prey had purged that sentiment. That was what Taylor worried about. Even if they were bullies and bigots, shouldn't she still feel some empathy for them? Shouldn't she have done something to protect them, once they posed no threat? Wasn't that the right thing to do?

But what if Sophia was right? Saving them wouldn't keep them from hurting other people later on, in fact depending on how she looked at it she might be causing people harm by allowing these teenage nazis to go unharmed. Innocent people, and potentially a lot of them. But… harming them wouldn't necessarily prevent that either. Their fear would grow, but so would their hate, and Taylor didn't know if she was willing to do what it took to keep anyone- let alone kids her age- living in enough fear to keep them from acting up. Besides, that approach would only stop them from hurting people in her presence. She didn't have the ability to constantly keep an eye on them- not that she'd be able to use such a thing without blowing her cover. Who knew how Sophia of all people managed that. Maybe… maybe the trick was just to increase the fear? To make it not worth trying if there was even a chance she might find out later? That seemed to be what the other girl was going for. If Dickson (Taylor still wasn't sure that was really his name) wasn't lucky he'd never use his right hand again, and that was certainly enough to make anyone think twice about crossing Sophia.

But that circled back around to what she was willing to do. Taylor knew better than most the consequences of that kind of damage. She'd listened to her father futilely try to find jobs of crippled veterans and other unfortunate sorts. With that one stomp, Sophia might have condemned that guy to a life of extreme poverty- maybe his entire family too, if they had to pay the medical bill. He'd never be able to get a good job that wasn't based on nepotism or racism, and he'd know exactly who to blame for taking his future away. It was, in a way, even crueler than killing him. Could Taylor do that- or allow it to be done- in good conscience? Even knowing that he would do similar things to others without a second thought? Swallowing her guilt and the feeling that she was betraying her parents values, Taylor found that she could. It was worth hurting someone evil- insofar as anyone could be evil- to maybe keep good people from suffering the same fate. It felt wrong. It made her sick, but the moral calculus worked out.

Shaking her head, Taylor distracted herself from her real problems with the spheres, a habit that was becoming a troubling trend of late. Of course, that was probably an artifact of when she got her powers- it was never a good time. There was always something troubling going on, whether it was a fight, a crisis, or some other stressor. Really, if there was anything Taylor would change about her power it was that- even if it was just once a day, she'd take something she could plan around over the current process which seemed designed to mess with her. The rest of it was too, come to think of it- the incomplete impressions, the clunky and mishmashed communication, the invisible perks… No, Taylor had been down this rabbit hole before, and it didn't lead anywhere good. Best to focus on the choice on front of her. And it was just a choice this time. No free marbles or anything, which kind of made sense. The way those were handed out had never really been explained to her aside from that perk she'd asked for. With that one at least it made some sense that it had just run out; She had two classes, she got two marbles, one from each. The rest… all she had to go on was that the souls could apparently give her marbles with some effort, and whichever ones were putting in that effort really liked the Mind sphere. If the marbles really were skills that the souls had possessed in life, that said some pretty uncomfortable things about what kind of people were living in her head, that they'd devoted their lives to learning mind control intentionally. Taylor pursed her lips. Maybe she was being a bit harsh? Most of the mind marbles she'd gotten were the internal ones- maybe they'd been, like yogis or something? Thinking on it for a moment, Taylor set that train of thought aside as unproductive. There was a more urgent choice at hand.

The first sphere on offer was the saber sphere, the one that would let her bleed people out. A vicious and bloodthirsty sphere, it wasn't something Taylor ever wanted to take… but it was something she had mentioned wanting to void last time. Looking ahead for a moment, Taylor confirmed- yep, there was a void in this batch! Well, that was already one good option, though she had to stop herself from prematurely analyzing the pros and cons. There would be time for that later, once she had all the information in front of her. Luckily the next two spheres were also familiar- the mace sphere and the banner- so she mostly knew what she was dealing with. Not completely though; Taylor had gained more insight into the way spheres worked since the last time she'd seen them, as well as of course the information power (Maybe she should ask for that perk next?). Together those two made the mace sphere better and the banner sphere worse in the short term. The mace apparently had some options to make good use of the reach that a quarterstaff would provide her, and the ability to force an enemy to prioritize fighting her over hurting someone else was still a good one. The banner on the other hand didn't have much in the way of synergies, but the diplomatic skill still made it attractive. If she did decide to join the Wards, its value went up a ton both in terms of the powers and the talking… but Taylor still wasn't sure whether she wanted to do that. It was probably okay to skip it here. She had time, after all. Time to consider and gather information, by which time the banner sphere should be back in the pile.

So that was the choice then. Void the bloody sphere or take the mace sphere. The mace had a lot to recommend it; Postponing damage could give her the chance to heal herself in a critical moment, and after like five or so steps in her two classes combined she was probably pretty tough- making someone focus on her rather than a non-Brute was valuable. Plus there was the theme. If she was reading it right, there would be more marbles related to protecting others locked behind it. But that would mean giving up a perk. And a perk, even just the ones she knew about, were worth a lot more in the long run. One in particular would literally give her a whole ton of marbles all by itself. That one was a strong contender for her choi- for her request. For the perk she would ask the souls to select for her, since she didn't have a way to pick on herself. Anyways, there was also the identity protection perk, which would definitely be useful if she was going to be interacting with Sophia in two identities… though actually, what if she were required to unmask to the Wards? That was all but inevitable if she decided to join, so ironically the perk lost its usefulness in that circumstance- and Taylor had promised to give the Wards a real chance, so… Hmm. But it would still be a while before she made that decision, and she'd probably be in close contact with the Wards a lot before then so it could still do a lot to help her.

There was also the perk that would make using her starry spheres more complicated, which Taylor wouldn't normally consider except that a few of the messages had been pushing it recently for reasons she hadn't been able to decipher. Something about changing the world by teaching other people… or was that the other perk? She vaguely remembered something about it making her act like a fantasy wizard, and wizards learned spells from books, so it might have been both. If that was the case, Taylor thought she was better off saving it for later. Better to improve her ability to defend herself first, so that she could better resist if someone decided she had made herself too valuable to leave free. Either way though, she wouldn't be asking for it until she had more information. That left the steady supply of red marbles and the extra information. It was a difficult choice. Did she want more powers, many of which she might never use? Or did she want more information about how her powers worked so that she could make better decisions? Taylor considered, realizing that somewhere along the way she had discarded the idea of taking the mace sphere. In the end, quality was probably better than quantity wasn't it? She already had a number of spheres and marbles she'd never used, and a few she never intended to. Every new sphere of that type was basically a wasted choice, so looking at it that way making better choices was the same as gaining spheres. Besides, it wasn't like she'd never get the red marble supply- that was next in line. It was just a question of which was better taken first. Her mind settled, Taylor nodded to herself and combined the chosen spheres, choosing not to speak as an experiment to test the souls' mind-reading capabilities. Instead, she just thought hard about the information perk as the world dissolved around her.

Returning to the real world, Taylor was once again faced with the problem that induced her power choice in the first place. A field littered with incapacitated nazis. A crying bully, clutching his ruined hand, and a cruel victim gloating over the wound. An injury inflicted (or at least not prevented) in the name of saving innocents from a similar fate. Once again, Taylor felt sick, her resolve wavering. In her power space, it had been so easy to rationalize it, to say she was punishing the guilty to save the innocent. That she was neutralizing a threat. He didn't look like such a threat now. Was it really worth it? For just a chance at reducing future harm? Not even a guarantee? With a deep breath, Taylor hardened her heart. No. She'd made the moral choice. He was a bully, a bigot, and at least an attempted rapist. Besides, it wasn't like there was anything she could do to make him less likely to victimize people was there?

An uncomfortable sensation arose from the back of Taylor's skull. The surfacing of an unpleasant realization. A bad idea coming to the fore. But she couldn't deny the potential. Besides, she'd already crossed so many lines today. Violence, maiming, mental invasion. What was one more to add to the list? Still, Taylor couldn't help but get the foreboding sense that this was the first step onto a slippery slope. The slope of the Mind sphere. After all, what better way to affect other people's actions than to Master them? Well, there were a lot of better ways, but none of them would work here. Nobody who'd just been beaten and crippled was in the right mindset to be convinced out of their bigotry- if any nazi ever was. Even the Master power she had was hardly a perfect tool, now that Taylor thought about it. The impulse would have to be posed in such a way that he wouldn't reject it out of hand, and even then it would only last a few hours… God, was she actually considering this? If she did, if she Mastered someone, even for a good cause, there was no going back. She could never again claim that she'd never used the power, that it was foisted upon her without her consent. But Taylor's moral high ground would be a poor consolation to the next girl cornered by this group of white supremacist goons. No, the same line of reasoning that justified her earlier inaction demanded that she do this too.

She didn't necessarily have to do it now though. In fact, now was probably one of the worst times to suggest that they act peacefully. No, she should probably wait for a better opportunity, like if she saw them hanging around on a street corner or something. Somewhere she wouldn't be identified or connected to their sudden impulse not to be a bigot. It might also give her some time to think about what suggestion she needed to give them, how to phrase it so that it would fit with their mindset. That was right. Right now, the best choice was to leave, and consider her options in more detail. Swallowing her doubts, Taylor called out to Sophia.

"I… I think that's enough. Let's leave" She tried to inject some strength into her voice and probably failed, but Sophia didn't contest it. Instead, with another sneer and another kick, she led the way back behind the school building. That wasn't where Taylor had wanted to go, but she followed along when Sophia gave her an impatient look. Apparently there was more she wanted to discuss- though about her power or Sophia's conduct with their defeated foes she didn't know.

Coming to a stop just around the corner, out of sight of the beaten nazis, Sophia turned around. "We gonna have a problem?" Somewhere along the way she had wiped away the blood from her face, though dried splotches still marked the edges of her lips.

"Not for that" Taylor joined her, putting up a confident front to mask the roiling uncertainty beneath. "Just… don't go around crippling people, alright?" She had come here specifically to ask how she could combat the nazis at school after all. "By the way, any tips on what to do if they try something again?"

Sophia snorted, spitting another glob of bloody phlegm onto the grass. "Yeah, wait till after school if you don't want to get the cops on your ass." Taylor wondered briefly if she could get away with healing the other girl. Probably not. Too many people saw her get hurt, and it was give Sophia too much information besides. "The staff here know not to bother me, but you don't have a license for this shit and some of the white trash around here have pigs for parents" Pigs for… oh, she meant the police. Taylor grimaced at that. She didn't have a particularly high opinion of the BBPD- everyone knew they recruited PRT washouts- but she hadn't thought of them as white supremacists. "Now. Tell me about that power you used."

Taylor's internal grimace deepened even as she tried to keep her face impassive. This was what she had worried about "I thought you wanted to wait for saturday?" She prevaricated to buy time. How would she explain this? Something close to the truth probably- Sophia didn't look happy about the deflection. Taylor sighed. "It's not a Master power, okay? I can choose someone and predict their actions, and apparently so can anyone I consider an ally"

Sophia shot her a look of naked suspicion. "You're telling me that shit was an accident?" Okay, maybe that was too much of a stretch. Did most capes know instinctively about all their powers?

"And who was I supposed to test my powers with?" No, no she was overthinking this. Changing her story now would only raise suspicions further.

Sophia's glare intensified, probing Taylor's defenses, searching for any sign of deception. Taylor struggled to keep her expression steady- not neutral, since that would have been suspicious, but resolute, challenging. For a long moment they stood there like that, staring at each other. It was a stark reminder that for all their cooperation minutes ago, they were still tentative allies of convenience at best. Eventually though Sophia was the one to sneer and break eye contact. "Fuck. Whatever. You've made your point. We'll do power testing or whatever." The response made it clear she still suspected Taylor, but wasn't willing to call her out. "Anything else or can we go" It wasn't a question. Sophia was already walking away, but Taylor couldn't help but interrupt with something that had been bothering her since the fight.

"So, uh, your taser-"

"Stun gun" Soophia interrupted.

"What?"

"Tazers are ranged. They've got wires. Good for ten feet or so. Stun guns are melee, since they've got the little barbs" Sophia explained slowly, as if to a child.

"Uh, right" Taylor ignored that slight. This wasn't a hill she wanted to die on. "I meant about your weakness. Why do you use electricity?"

Sophia stared at her- glared really- before her eyes widened in realization. "Tch, right. Thinker" She thought for a moment about the question before answering. "I mean, it's the same as knives, right? They're sharp, and that can hurt a bit, but if you know what you're doing you'll never cut yourself. But if you're scared of being cut, you'll never work out how to use them right, so you just cut yourself more" The thoughtful expression left her face, vanishing so thoroughly that Taylor wasn't sure she'd really seen it. "Not everyone has bullshit fighting powers like you, Hebert. Some of us actually have to work at it" With that, she completed her turn and vanished into the building.

Not wanting to look like she was following the other girl, Taylor took a different route to the busses, going through the sports fields to avoid running into any of the nazis she'd just beaten up. The entire way, despite her slouch and her hoodie, she could feel the eyes upon her. Speculating. Judging. Calculating. Maybe she was paranoid, but it felt like every teen that so much as glanced at her knew exactly what she had done, what she was planning to do. Every sweeping look became an attempt to pick her out of the crowd. Every meeting of the eyes an accusation. Taylor did her best to ignore it. She knew, rationally, that the only people with a grievance against her were the E88 kids, and those she noticed showed no indication of recognizing her back. No, she knew it was all in her head, but that didn't reduce the pressure, the anger with which they should be glaring at her, if they knew what she had decided to do. Taylor needed something- anything- else to focus on, to take her mind off things and keep her from second-guessing herself again. Luckily, words were forming on the bus seat in front of her.

The words formed a nigh-incomprehensible tapestry of confusion, riddled with strangely chosen words and garbled passages. Taylor sighed. Well, she wanted something to occupy her attention and this certainly would. It took a few minutes- she had to memorize the image when the words started fading- but eventually she managed to extract a few things. First was another request to take up calligraphy, which honestly she didn't really mind if it would make the souls more cooperative. Might take some time though. Taylor didn't even know how to go about finding a fountain pen these days, let alone tutorials or instruction. Next was the somewhat groundbreaking revelation that she powers she gained could improve based on her marbles and Classes, which could apparently have different… something. Amounts or types of contribution, Taylor assumed. The following bit was especially garbled, but she managed to at least extract what she assumed were the names of a few more Classes: Incanter, Soul Weaver, and Witch- presumably these were classes with particularly high 'magic' affinity. Regardless, this information was really important, strategically speaking. It meant that even if she didn't like a particular marble it still held value for powering up its parent sphere. What exactly 'powering up' meant in this context Taylor didn't know- in some cases it was obvious like the ability to better heal injuries or lift larger objects, but what about her tree sphere? Did it let her control more trees at once? Larger trees? Yet another thing she'd have to test. Once again, Taylor briefly bemoaned the loss of her ability to delay her choices- that would have made it really easy to compare before and after.

At least the message came with an example in the form of the Mind sphere- increased power in that case made it harder to resist. That she knew from experience with her Symbiat ability, though it still kind of threw her that it was possible in the first place. Nobody got to say no to Heartbreaker after all, or even to Glory Girl's 'Shaker Power'. They could control their actions, but no strength of will would let someone ignore the direct effects of a parahuman power. Well, anyone's power but her's. That was actually a very real risk, apparently, since resisting her particular power would actually tell her target that someone had tried to Master them! It might even tell them it was her! Taylor shivered, feeling intensely how close she had just come to complete disaster. That plan was definitely out the window now, at least until she got one of the listed countermeasure marbles- and those mostly just gave her a better chance! The amnesia one at least looked like she might be able to just use it again if she failed. Regardless, Taylor thought with a surge of guilty relief, she'd have to hold back on the Master powers unless she really needed them. Basically what she was already doing.

Other than that… it looked like there was a power that would let her know if she was being watched? That was interesting but probably irrelevant. After all, the only reason she would want it would be to know when she could use her powers in her civilian identity… which she already did- in her own home and basically nowhere else.. Plus, the only reasons she would be doing that in the first place would be if she were testing powers at home where nobody could spy on her or if it was a life-or-death situation in which case she wouldn't care. No, the more important bit here was the revelation that there existed some sort of 'advanced magic', separate from regular 'magic', that was locked behind that magic perk. There wasn't any more detail regarding what constituted 'advanced magic', but based on the details of the current resurrection power it was likely that real resurrection- the kind of resurrection she'd need to get her mom back- was locked behind that same door. Part of Taylor wanted to rush forward, to ask for that perk right now, to bring her mother's return even a day closer. The rest of her, though, counseled caution. She still knew basically nothing about a perk that the souls themselves admitted was complicated- one that would change the very way she used almost half of her powers! Messing that up might well prevent her from using those powers at all, and then where would Mom be?

No, it was best to wait for a more thorough explanation. Opening her eyes, Taylor transferred her attention from her memory of the previous message to the current one. Her stop was coming up, so this would have to be the last one for now. Thankfully it was shorter, so she had a chance to get all the way through it. Another few Classes hinted at: the Striker, Elementalist and Technician, which she could mostly understand just from the name, along with weirder ones like the Crimson Dancer, Ascended Mind, Mortal Chemist, and Fleshforger. Based on the descriptions, the Striker and maybe Crimson Dancer were, well, Striker-type Classes, Ascended Mind was a Master-type, and the rest were closer to Tinkers- which was interesting, since Tinker was the one power classification Taylor didn't think her powers could give her. It was an odd proposition, come to think of it, since tinkering would basically be doubling down on the benefits and drawbacks of her power. More and more versatile capabilities later, in exchange for time and money now. Taylor found that she didn't hate the idea- unless it was the biotinker one. Nobody but edgy kids wanted to be biotinkers. It probably wasn't a priority though. Tinker powers cost resources, and right now she was stuck with just her allowance. Maybe if she joined the Wards it would- Oh! That was her stop!

Taylor got off the bus, leaving behind the imagined stares and judgement, the stress of existing in the public eye. Truth be told, they didn't seem as intense as when she left school, but Taylor was eager to get away from them all the same. Home was a bit of a walk from the bus stop, but it wasn't that long or difficult, even with the aches and pains of the bruises. That was another odd thing- it felt like they should have hurt more, or that she should have gotten more hurt, one of the two. When Taylor thought about gaining a brute rating, she thought about bullets bouncing off of iron-hard skin, or wounds closing in real time. She didn't have either of those, but somewhere along the way she'd apparently become either tougher in some other way or better at ignoring her pain. Nether one prevented her from acquiring her fair share of bruises though, Taylor confirmed by somewhat unwisely poking one through her hoodie. She winced. Maybe she should heal herself now that she was outside of school? Or maybe… maybe it was time to test one of her new powers. She'd had the ability to make those healing ointments for a day or two now, and she hadn't yet tried it even though she really should be carrying around a few at all times. The sphere hadn't given any indications of what kind of ingredients would be needed, but… actually, now that she thought about it, that flower garden should have something useful.

The 'flower garden' in question was actually a barren patch of dirt that had probably contained flowers at some point and presumably would again in a few months. Mere weeks ago, Taylor wouldn't have given it a second glance- and even now, she probably still would have ignored it if her mind hadn't been on alchemy already. Now though, with her purpose in mind, she stepped off the sidewalk and leaned down to prod at the frozen dirt. The dirt itself was inert, but there was a thin layer of fertilizer beneath it, and a few green shoots growing despite the season that could be useful for her purposes. A couple of the frozen petals that hid beneath a layer of snow wouldn't go amiss either. It was strange to have knowledge with no experience to go with it, Taylor reflected. She had no memory of having learned it, but somehow she knew that all of those things contained aspects of growth, life, beauty and persistence as well as more and stranger things that could be refined into a healing compound. The same thing had evidently happened to give her all her combat skills, and maybe even the other powers too if the souls were right, but it never failed to weird her out.

By the time she got home, Taylor had a veritable pocketful of random stuff. Acorns, leaves, and springs of plant matter mostly, since she had refused to take some of the more disgusting reagents which included compost and a stepped-on candy bar. Making the healing concoctions turned out to be as simple as grinding a bunch of them up together in one of their bowls and adding boiling water, just like making a loose leaf tea. Well, it was simple for her to do. Not so simple when she tried to think about the process. It started strangely, with cutting open an acorn, removing the contents and balling up a shredded leaf inside. But the leaf wasn't really shredded, she'd just removed the stem and the veins, leaving only the flat bits. That she ground up along with some of that fertilizer, turning the bowl clockwise slightly after every mash of her pestle, humming all the while- though Taylor wasn't sure that bit was important. What probably was important was the way her energy was moving during the process, leaching into her tools or ingredients in some parts and staying well away in others. It wasn't dreamlike, or an out-of-body experience. It was just like she knew exactly what to do without having to think about why- except that when she tried to think about why, there weren't any memories to refer to, just a collection of nonsensical rules of thumb. Why did the time of day matter to the number of times she was allowed to lift her pestle? Who cared about the exact shade of green on a leaf? The latter at least could be an indicator of some chemical property, Taylor supposed, but the rest… Well, at least it worked. Taylor could verify that much. The dull green paste didn't look or smell great, but smearing it on her bruises cleared them away immediately. In fact, she could almost literally see the dark purple of burst blood vessels disappearing, causing the paste to dry into a crumbly layer almost like clay.

Naturally, Taylor made another batch, then a third and a fourth, each taking about a half hour and each using a slightly different recipe. Interestingly, the fourth batch didn't form properly until Taylor used the second, confirming the limitation that the sphere had implied. As she's suspected, it was an energy issue; something about the way she had invested hers in the previous two left her unable to do the same for a third until she reclaimed it. Larger batches similarly didn't work, consuming an hour and the rest of her ingredients along with some from the pantry. It was disappointing, but Taylor was almost surprised to realize that she was kind of having fun! The different ingredients, the strange and quasi-mysical processes… Taylor made six different batches in six different ways, with different ingredients and processes each time just to see what happened, raiding the back yard and the spice cabinet for ingredients. Interestingly, it turned out that her ability to split her mind from her body did work here, though the results were pretty poor- it didn't take an expert to know you weren't supposed to end up with whole grass blades covered in goo. That didn't seem to affect the results all that much, probably because it wasn't that different from when she was paying attention. She could only do so much without the right tools. That's what she told herself at least.

Anyways, that gave Taylor some attention with which to keep track of the message discourse. There didn't seem to be much content of great import, though some of it did remind her how different their lives had to have been from hers. She tried not to judge- especially since those she was judging might well decide her powers- but it definitely took a certain kind of mindset to regard mind control and murder as good or even neutral solutions to any problem. Luckily there was some diversity in the tones. Taylor read with some relief a… rant? Manifesto? Prayer? Some long and heartfelt message about the nature of good that included examples of what had to be heroes, saints, or maybe even gods. She really wished all the text was legible. Not all of the messages were useless though; Taylor managed to decipher another possible Class- the Vigilante (or maybe that was a description rather than a name)- from the mess, along with some details. Frankly, it sounded great! Combat abilities, plus help with maintaining different identities, plus boosts that she could use in her civilian identity without raising eyebrows? The ability to take multiple spheres at once? Yes please. She didn't really know how to feel about it providing her with a costume though. Taylor still remembered the messages' brief fascination with ball gowns.

Absent-mindedly, Taylor cut another bloody line into the back of her hand while she considered a rather… loud message about dragons and kung fu. She had to use up the healing salves after all in order to make new ones, and with her new disregard for pain it wasn't even really a bother. It was interesting though. As it turned out, her ability to not kill people extended to herself too! She hadn't had a chance to check how it manifested back in the fight, but here the difference was stark. The knife slid through skin and flesh, tugging and slicing as it went and leaving with a thin red sheen, but the flesh through which it had passed was not parted. Instead of an open and bleeding wound, Taylor's hand bore a deep purple bruise spreading out from the cut, with only a thin line of beaded droplets as evidence that there had been a knife at all. If she had to put a name to it, she would have said it looked like she'd been hit with a switch, or a whippy cane. Oh it hurt, it definitely still hurt, but… not as much as it probably should have. In fact, it probably looked worse than it felt. Wincing slightly, Taylor poured on some of the newest batch of goop, an oily brown concoction this time, and began again. Another cut, another wince, another small spurt of blood, another linear bruise. Another sound at the door.

Taylor turned in surprise, barely comprehending what the sound meant. Across the kitchen, her eyes met her father's, seeing her own shock mirrored in them. Slowly, comprehension set in. The mess in the kitchen. The bowls filled with faintly glowing liquids. The bloody knife in her hand.

Danny's bags dropped to the floor with a thump, and behind him a door opened.

Duelist Sphere Voided! Perk Choice Granted!
All Other Spheres Moved to the Discard!
Choose One Perk:

Between the Lines- With each choice, Taylor is forced to read between the lines, relying on vague impressions and promises. But maybe she's ready for something more? With this perk, Taylor will be given the full rules text of the spheres and talents she's offered.
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
Return from the Void- Avoid it, run from it, end end comes for us all... except those of us with this perk. If Taylor dies, she can be brought back at the time of her most recent choice (after having made the choice) at the cost of a single Void orb and this perk. She will have full memory of her actions and her death.
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
Deal with the Demiurge- Sometimes, words aren't enough. Sometimes, Taylor needs a little push, a little incentive. The incentive, in this case, being more power. As a Special Vote (incompatible with other Special Votes), you may propose a Quest for Taylor to undertake, which she may accept or reject. Each quest will be furnished with an appropriate reward based on difficulty, danger, and objective.
Guide Dog- Taylor needs help. Everyone thinks so. Luckily, QA was kind enough to include a small native lifeform to help her acclimate! Sure it's against the rules, but what harm could a single nonsentient lifeform do? Write in a single option from the Pathfinder Familiar list (though not the Improved Familiar list) as well as a Familiar Archetype if desired. For example: [ ] Giant Tardigrade Mascot
- Raven Pilferer
- Compsognathus Valet
- Cat Mascot
- Write In:
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 Casting Tradition from the list or invent your own using Drawbacks. You may provide all drawbacks, general drawbacks only, or just a description of the tradition for me to complete. For example: [ ] Skald, [ ] Blighter (Focus Casting, Charged Spells, Terrain Casting, Verbal Casting, Drawback Feat (Charged Despoilation)), [ ] Magical Girl (A flashy caster that draws on positive emotions)
- Magical Girl
- Quinggong Adept
- Combat Ritualist
- Write In:
Trail of Trials- The path to mastery is a slow and lonely one, and the smooth road is a long one. The rough road on the other hand… there are rewards aplenty for those willing to brave it. As a special vote, you may grant Taylor a random talent from a martial sphere she possesses. This may happen once per sphere per shuffle.
Guru- It takes a special kind of insight to give someone the secret key to their own soul. Taylor doesn't have it… but with the limitless knowledge of the Akashic Record QA can fake it. Grants Taylor the power to initiate others into her Classes or the class they most resonate with in a harrowing process.
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 Pathfinder Core race or racial variant, specifying any alternate racial traits. For example: [ ] Elf, [ ] Panteran Catfolk, [ ] Dwarf (Anchoring Magic)
- Dwarf (Craftsman, Iron Citizen, Stoic Negotiator)
- Half-Orc (City-Raised)
- Halfling
- Write In:

Choose Four Orbs, Spheres and Talents:

Orb of Might- TAKEN
- Alchemy Sphere- TAKEN
  - Cluster Tolls- Speeds alchemical item usage, allowing two to be used at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Alchemy level
  - Dynamite Throwing Form- Infuses thrown items with strength, allowing them to strike as hard as one's fists. +1 Alchemy level
  - Fireworks- Infuses thrown items with propellant, allowing them to travel further. +1 Alchemy level
  - Master Chemist- Grants access to alchemical poisons, which may be ingested, inhaled, contact-based, or applied to weapons. +1 Alchemy level
  - Snap Toss- Dramatically speeds alchemical item usage at the cost of focus. +1 Alchemy level
  - Extra Formulae- Grants the formula for Alchemist's Fire and Improved Alchemist's Fire, a potent flame-based grenade. Also grants access to further [Formulae] talents. +1 Alchemy level
- 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
- 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
- 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
  - Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so Refocus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
  - More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
- Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
  - Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina. +1 Open Hand Level
- 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- TAKEN
  - Active Camouflage- Improves stealth when moving between cover and when sniping. +1 Scout Level
  - Battlefield Stealth- Grants the ability to take advantage of distractions by briefly hiding even in battle. +1 Scout Level
  - Discern Illusions- Improves the ability to detect and see past illusions, and allows that ability to be granted to allies. +1 Scout Level
  - Discern Tells- Grants improved insight into others and improved awareness of feints. +1 Scout Level
  - Great Senses- Improves perception. +1 Scout Level
  - Heightened Awareness- Grants the ability to detect lingering magical auras and to passively detect traps. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Appearance- Extends skill in stealth to encompass disguise as well. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Dragon Stance- Grants the ability to take a stance that diverts the gaze of opponents away and allows for combat stealth. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Focus- Grants the ability to refocus by hiding. +1 Scout Level
  - Honed Sense- Grants a sensitive nose, especially when smelling fear. +1 Scout Level
  - Identify Structural Hazards- Grants improved skill in identifying structural weaknesses and hazards. +1 Scout Level
  - Lurker- Improves stealth skill to foil otherwise infallible senses. +1 Scout Level
  - Piercing Eye- Improves perceptive skill, allowing for accurate targeting of concealed foes. +1 Scout Level
  - Reflexive Stealth- Grants the ability to reflexively hide in explosions and other area effects. +1 Scout Level
  - Sense and Resist Scrying- Grants automatic awareness of magical perception and the ability to locate such sensors and apertures and foil them. +1 Scout Level
  - Sight Beyond Sight- Grants the ability to briefly gain very short range infallible perception. +1 Scout Level
  - Somnambulance- Grants the ability to accurately perceive one's surroundings while sleeping. +1 Scout Level
  - Track the Scene- Improves tracking skill to allow for assessment of tracked creatures' actions in addition to path. +1 Scout Level
  - Uncanny Dodge- Grants preternatural senses that foil ambushes, invisibility, and more. +1 Scout Level
  - Unimpeded Positioning- Grants the ability to move while reloading and to quickly move over rough terrain. +1 Scout Level
  - Wind Reader- Grants the ability to account for range-based inaccuracy of ranged weapons. +1 Scout Level
  - Scout's Advantage- Grants the ability to take advantage of information gained through scouting, or to gain more information depending on build. Grants access to [Scouting] talents which enhance the Scout ability. +1 Scout Level
- 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 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
- Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure a~~n extraplanar creature~~ Dragon 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- TAKEN
  - Corpse Bomb- Increases resonance between Death sphere abilities, allowing ghost strikes to expand over an area through the sacrifice of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Corpse Manipulation- Grants the ability to modify dead bodies in several ways, growing, removing, or shaping their flesh. +1 Death Level
  - Cryptic Strike- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to be delivered with weapon or unarmed strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Empowered Reanimate- Improves reanimated undead, granting them increased strength and staying power. +1 Death Level
  - Expanded Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing several varieties of zombies and skeletons to be created. +1 Death Level
  - Gravetongue- Grants the ability to speak to corpses and undead, which recall only what they perceive after their deaths. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Reanimate- Improves reanimation to allow control of a much larger number of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Haunting Apparition- Improves ghost strike, allowing it to invisibly haunt a location as a trap. +1 Death Level
  - Icy Grip- Improves ghost strike, allowing controlled undead to deliver it in your stead. +1 Death Level
  - Instill Death- Allows the creation of consumable items that can reanimate corpses or be thrown as splash ghost strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Killing Curse- Improves ghost strikes, causing creatures subject to multiple strikes in a short period to die instantly. +1 Death Level
  - Mass Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, allowing the reanimation of multiple corpses at once and the use of ghost strikes to affect an area. +1 Death Level
  - Ranged Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, extending their range. +1 Death Level
  - Sustained Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing undead to be sustained using concentration and for longer durations. +1 Death Level
  - Taint Soul- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to hinder or disable healing and regeneration. +1 Death Level
  - Tomb of Flesh- Grants the ability to absorb multiple undead or a single opponent into oneself. The living are harmed by this, while undead are only stored. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Dominion- Grants an ability related to control or creation of undead, and unlocks other [Dominion] talents. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Ghost Strike- Grants an alternate form of ghost strike and unlocks other [Ghost Strike] talents. +1 Death Level
- 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- TAKEN
  - Adrenaline Surge- Grants the ability to overpower a Life effect, enabling the target(s) to immediately perform a simple action. +1 Life Level
  - Affliction- Allows the Cure ability to be inverted, dealing negative energy damage and inflicting exhaustion instead of healing. +1 Life Level
  - Break Enchantment- Grants the ability to selectively remove power-based effects from a target of Restore instead of the other applications, though at increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Clarified Strike- Allows Life sphere abilities to be delivered with weapon or unarmed attacks. +1 Life Level
  - Deeper Healing- Greatly improves the effectiveness of Cure and Invigorate. +1 Life Level
  - Diagnose- Grants the ability to swiftly recognize the conditions affecting nearby creatures, and to more slowly spend magic to learn the details of their source. +1 Life Level
  - Empathic Healing- Grants the ability to mitigate the costs of Cure and Restore by taking the damage and conditions upon oneself. +1 Life Level
  - Esoteric Healing- Grants the ability to heal and restore constructs and undead. +1 Life Level
  - Fount of Life- Grants the ability to store healing for more efficient and powerful usage later. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Invigorate- Greatly improves Invigorate and allows it to grant vitality beyond what the body could normally support. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Restore- Grants the ability to overpower Restore, allowing it to restore multiple areas at once. +1 Life Level
  - Instill Life- Grants the ability to store an expensive use of the Life sphere within a liquid or food, allowing its consumption to trigger the stored effect. +1 Life Level
  - Latent Healing- Grants the ability to store a use of the Life sphere within a target, allowing them to trigger it when they wish. +1 Life Level
  - Lingering Resilience- Improves Cure and Restore such that they grant some resistance to the removed conditions and healed damage. +1 Life Level
  - Mass Healing- Grants the ability to overpower Life sphere abilities, allowing them to affect additional targets. +1 Life Level
  - Painkiller- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to permanently heal bruises and other superficial damage. +1 Life Level
  - Ranged Healing- Allows Life sphere abilities to be used at short range rather than requiring touch. +1 Life Level
  - Restorative Cure- Grants the ability to mingle Cure and Restore at a greater cost, applying both with a single touch. +1 Life Level
  - Revitalize- Allows Cure to instead grant regeneration, healing more over a longer period of time. +1 Life Level
  - Self-Renewal- Greatly speeds self-healing at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Stabilizing Invigoration- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to stabilize dying creatures and potentially halt bleeding. +1 Life Level
  - Sudden Invigoration- Greatly speeds Invigoration at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Taste of Victory- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities at an increased cost when used immediately after striking a worthy foe. +1 Life Level
  - Violent Recuperation- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities when a new source of damage is completely mitigated. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Cure- Improves Cure and increases the versatility of Restore. Unlocks other [Cure] talents. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Vitality- Grants various benefits to targets of Life sphere abilities. Unlocks other [Vitality] talents. +1 Life Level
- Mind Sphere (Inner Focus)- TAKEN
  - Charming Strike- Allows charms to be conveyed through violent force, afflicting those struck by an attack. +1 Mind Level
  - Expanded Charm- Improves charm versatility, allowing the charming of all creatures with a mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Instill Charm- Allows charms to be stored in a consumable medium, triggering when consumed. +1 Mind Level
  - Mass Charm- Improves charm size, allowing more creatures to be affected at increased cost. +1 Mind Level
  - Mental Backdoor- Improves charm insidiousness, reducing resistance in a target affected by an initial charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Powerful Charm- Improves charm power, allowing them to be overpowered at increased cost for increased effect.
  - Psychic Vengeance- Allows one to respond to a failed mental intrusion with a fast charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Ranged Mind- Improves charm range from close to medium range. +1 Mind Level
  - Subtlety- Improves charm subtlety, forcing even those who resist to ignore some attempts. +1 Mind Level
  - Amnesia [Charm]- Grants the ability to remove a target's most recent memories. +1 Mind Level
  - Calm [Charm]- Grants the ability to suppress a target's violent emotions. +1 Mind Level
  - Candor [Charm]- Grants the ability to compel a target to speak only truth. +1 Mind Level
  - Cerebral Strike [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause intense migraines in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Command [Charm]- Grants the ability to briefly take command of a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Confusion [Charm]- Grants the ability to scramble a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Courage [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire a target to great action. +1 Mind Level
  - Disrupt Focus [Charm]- Grants the ability to make concentration difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Enthrall [Charm]- Grants the ability to temporarily befriend a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Esteem [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire confidence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Fascinate [Charm]- Grants the ability to occupy a target's attention. +1 Mind Level
  - Fear [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause fear in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Gestures [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's movement. +1 Mind Level
  - Hostility [Charm]- Grants the ability to drive a target to rage. +1 Mind Level
  - Inception [Charm]- Grants the ability to adjust a target's knowledge. +1 Mind Level
  - Inspiration [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire competence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Shield [Charm]- Grants the ability to shield a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Spy [Charm]- Grants the ability to hijack a target's senses. +1 Mind Level
  - Paralyze [Charm]- Grants the ability to hinder a target's actions. +1 Mind Level
  - Project Thoughts [Charm]- Grants the ability to telepathically communicate. +1 Mind Level
  - Read Mind [Charm]- Grants the ability to read a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Recommend [Charm]- Grants the ability to help a target recover from mistakes. +1 Mind Level
  - Sleep [Charm]- Grants the ability to put a target to sleep. +1 Mind Level
  - Utterances [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's speech. +1 Mind Level
  - Vision [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce hallucinations. +1 Mind Level
  - Wrack [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce disturbing sensations. +1 Mind Level
  - Cloud Mind- Grants the ability to affect minds in an area. Also unlocks other [Cloud] talents. +1 Mind Level
  - Polyglot- Grants the ability to rapidly learn a language on a temporary basis. +1 Mind Level
  - Terrifying Mind- Grants mental countermeasures against intrusion, causing fear in intruding minds and making intrusion more difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Over Matter- Allows pain and suffering to be forestalled with mental discipline and spell points, delaying damage taken.
- Nature Sphere- TAKEN
  - Deep Nature- Extends Nature sphere abilities, allowing them to persist even after concentration ends. +1 Nature Level
  - Expanded Geomancing- Expands the scope of the Nature sphere, granting access to another element. +1 Nature Level
  - Ranged Geomancy- Extends the range of the Nature sphere. +1 Nature Level
  - Wild Instinct- Improves instinct while attuned to nature, allowing one to dodge unseen attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Create Nature- Grants the ability to rapidly grow plant life to maturity, up to medium-sized trees. +1 Nature Level
  - Elevated Nature- Improves the reach of grown plants, allowing them to grasp at flying creatures. +1 Nature Level
  - Hazardous Terrain- Improves abilities that affect terrain, granting them further disruptive and damaging capability. +1 Nature Level
  - Manipulate Nature- Grants the ability to use greenery to create a protective shelter. +1 Nature Level
  - Nature Lord- Improves the scope of geomancing abilities, allowing larger areas and trees to be affected. +1 Nature Level
  - Plant Mastery- Improves control over plant life, allowing more plants to be used and for fruits to be imbued with healing energy. +1 Nature Level
  - Pummel Mastery- Allows plants to be controlled more easily, and for striking foliage to be imbued with various effects. +1 Nature Level
  - Purify Nature- Grants the ability to purify food, making rotten, poisoned, and diseased food edible. +1 Nature Level
  - Repress Element- Allows plant matter to be temporarily removed from reality, weaning items and being relying on it. +1 Nature Level
  - Thrown Pummel- Allows controlled trees to make ranged attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Natural Spirit- Grants the ability to make use of a chosen spiritual ability. Also unlocks further [Spirit] talents. +1 Nature Level
- Protection Sphere- TAKEN
  - Buttressing- Allows created barriers to be quickly repaired. +1 Protection Level
  - Community- Allows damage taken by protected allies to be distributed among protected allies at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Continuous Ward- Improves wards, enabling them to pass through solid objects and provide full protection against incorporeal and burrowing foes. +1 Protection Level
  - Distant Protection- Extends the range of Protection sphere abilities. +1 Protection Level
  - Durable Barrier- Improves barriers, causing them to resist a small amount of physical damage, or all damage at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Enduring Protection- Improves wards to last longer when maintained with power. +1 Protection Level
  - Glyph- Grants the ability to turn wards into magical traps that can be activated later. +1 Protection Level
  - Greater Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to be created in the form of flat surfaces and dramatically improving their toughness at a cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Instill Aegis- Allows Aegises to be instilled into a consumable, granting their benefits to the consuming creature. +1 Protection Level
  - Mass Aegis- Grants the ability to protect multiple people with the same Aegis at additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Reactive Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to harm enemies or bolster allies when broken. +1 Protection Level
  - Selective Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing allies and allied attacks to pass through at an additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Shaped Ward- Improves wards, allowing them to be created in more shapes. +1 Protection Level
  - Shared Aegis- Improves aegises, allowing them to extend beyond their beneficiaries and affect nearby allies as well. +1 Protection Level
  - Status- Grants knowledge of the location and state of allies under an aegis. +1 Protection Level
  - Extra Aegis- Grants a new way to protect allies. Also unlocks further [Aegis] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - More Ward- Grants a new way to Ward an area. Also unlocks further [Ward] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - Succor- Grants the ability to sacrifice an Aegis to provide some instantaneous benefit to the recipient. Also unlocks further [Succor] Talents. +1 Protection Level
- Telekinesis Sphere- TAKEN
  - Acceleration [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic speed in a straightaway, and impact afterwards. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Dampening Field- Allows lifted objects and creatures to be protected from damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Dancing Weapon [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing weapons to be wielded rather than merely swung. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Divided Mind [Bludgeon]- Improves multitasking, allowing multiple smaller objects to be lifted simultaneously. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Excessive Force [Bludgeon]- Allows lifted objects to be smashed more violently into stationary scenery, dealing severe damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Finesse- Allows telekinesis to be used for delicate tasks, though with less skill than true limbs. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Flight- Allows telekinetic control of lifted creatures to be passed to them, granting them effective flight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Floating Shield- Allows lifted shields to be used protectively, defending nearby allies. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Forceful Telekinesis [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic force, increasing the damage of lifted objects and people. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Greater Speed- Improves telekinetic speed, allowing lifted objects to be moved further. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Idle Concentration- Improves telekinetic efficiency, allowing telekinetic control to be maintained more easily if subjects are still. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Increased Range- Improves telekinetic range, allowing farther-away objects to be affected. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Field- Allows telekinetic force to be spread over an area to hinder enemies or protect allies. Also unlocks other [Field] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Sense- Improves sensory telekinesis, allowing it to be used in lieu of sight and without the aid of sight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mobile Bludgeon [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic momentum, allowing lifted objects to keep moving after impact. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Orbit- Allows lifted objects to be set into a passive orbit, granting easy access without occupying hands. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Parry- Improves the Catch function of Telekinesis, allowing it to prevent melee attacks, though not to steal weapons without assistance. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Quick Reactions- Dramatically speeds defensive telekinesis, though at increased cost. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Return- Improves the Catch function, allowing caught projectiles to be returned to their origin. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Sweeping Bludgeon [Bludgeon]- Allows lifted objects to sweep across an area, forcing their target to dodge reflexively. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Crush- Improves the strength of telekinesis, allowing it to passively damage lifted objects. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Maneuver- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing many combat maneuvers to be performed using telekinesis. Also unlocks other [Manuever] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Tools- Allows the creation of tools and weapons made of force, useful for many purposes. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Whirlwind Assembly- Improves telekinetic speed near the body, allowing minor tasks about one's person to be carried out with great speed. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mind Limb- Grants a weak telekinetic limb that can nonetheless aid in minor tasks without occupying the main hands.
- 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
- Improved Cantrips- Improves the basic Cantrips ability, increasing the damage dealt, the amount of matter that can be manipulated or created, and the precision of lights and sounds.
- Third Eye- Grants the ability to open one's third eye, granting the ability to read others' aura and improving perception of magical effects.
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
- ~~Alchemist~~ Mortal Chemist Construct Rider- A learned class whose mastery of alchemy has spread to construct creation. +¾ BAB, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- 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, +6 + Con HP
- ~~Bard~~ Kung Fu Exemplar Class- A musical class whose mastery of arts and crafts extends into the martial realm. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Blacksmith~~ Fleshforger Class- A tough class just as good at breaking weapons and armor as it is at making ~~them~~ unnatural abominations. +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, +6 + Con HP
- Crimson Dancer Class- A bloodthirsty class that specializes in wearing down its foes and bleeding them dry. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
- Elementalist Class- A destructive class focused on bringing down foes with elemental power. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- Eliciter Class- A manipulative class that use their mind magic to disrupt enemies and bolster allies. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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
- ~~Psychic~~ Ascendant Mind Class- A sensitive class which uses a variety of means to unlock psychic might. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + 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, +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, +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, +6 + Con HP
- Symbiat Class- An enlightened class whose mental symbiote grants them telekinetic and telepathic skill. Favored by QA! +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP, +1 Perk
  - 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.
  - Evasion- Improves reflexes, allowing even explosions to be completely avoided.
- Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Thaumaturge~~ Wild Mage Class- A volatile class that trades control 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, +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
- Sphere Witch Class- An occult class that draws its power from a shadowy patron and their hexes. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +3 + Con HP
- Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
  - Feline Heritage- Grants catlike features, including speed, finesse, perception, and the ability to communicate with felines.
- 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.
  - Draconic Heritage (Esoteric)- Imbues Taylor a fraction of an Esoteric Dragon's power, allowing her to daze foes several times a day.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Alertness- Improves alertness, improving physical perception and social acuity.
- Toughness- Improves toughness, increasing the amount of physical damage one can endure.
Empty 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.
Endless 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.
Pure 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.
Hungry 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.

Give a teen the ability to mostly ignore pain and what do they do with it? Start cutting themselves immediately for science of course! In truth, Taylor's already had a significantly higher pain tolerance than before (and much higher than average) for a fairly long time from a story perspective. This is just the first time she's noticed it, since she just got hit a bunch and didn't care. This is also the first time she's used a power that relied on actual knowledge and not on implanted instincts/muscle memory and I think I'm okay with the way it turned out. I did consider implanting someone else's memory in there as part of it, but that would have made an already pretty long chapter balloon out even more and I definitely wouldn't have been done by christmas.

Speaking of christmas, I may or may not be writing during that time, so there may be a longer vote period than normal depending on my availability. I will still try to be available to answer questions etc. but maybe not on short notice.

Other than that? Well, you've got another perk vote on your hands! Same question as always: Will you enable Taylor's questionable decision making? Or do you think you can make better ones? I've added prewritten options for all the sub-option Perks as well, though you are of course encouraged to write up your own. To further encourage you, I've deliberately made the prewritten options kind of bad- or at least not what the thread seems to be looking for. For the familiars there's a Raven spy and thief, a dinosaur to prove there's another world out there, and a cat for emotional support. See Here for a more detailed explanation of the casting traditions in particular, but the gist is that Magical Girl is a PR darling build, Quinggong Adept synergizes with Taylor's martial arts stuff, and Combat Ritualist is (comparatively) easy to teach. In terms of races, Dwarf gives darkvision and crafting skills plus probably enough social skills to make up for that charisma penalty, Half-Orc gives ferocity, which is the ability to heal yourself after you go down, and Halflings are lucky.

Tiz Goldeneye · Dec 21, 2022

Thaumaterge said:
Taylor read with some relief a… rant? Manifesto? Prayer? Some long and heartfelt message about the nature of good that included examples of what had to be heroes, saints, or maybe even gods.

(OOC) Hmmm, either Taylor finally got my messages as Joshua or someone on SB was onto a very similar line of thought as me.

To Taylor: The veil parts slowly, and not all we see of your life can be understood, and even then, what is to say that what we see is what is truly happening? On the matter of advocates for mind control and the relation it had with their past lives, while that might be true in some cases, for most the matter is closer to overcoming the shackles of time and seeing the possibilities that route can give to you at the end of the road when it is walked once time is factored in again. ~From Joshua

zxzx24 · Dec 21, 2022

Tiz Goldeneye said:
(OOC) Hmmm, either Taylor finally got my messages as Joshua or someone on SB was onto a very similar line of thought as me.

To Taylor: The veil parts slowly, and not all we see of your life can be understood, and even then, what is to say that what we see is what is truly happening? On the matter of advocates for mind control and the relation it had with their past lives, while that might be true in some cases, for most the matter is closer to overcoming the shackles of time and seeing the possibilities that route can give to you at the end of the road when it is walked once time is factored in again. ~From Joshua

I wrote one on SB as well :3

Kornuptiko · Dec 22, 2022

Thaumaterge said:
Plan: a little bit of everything

sorry but that name reminded me of this:

View: https://youtu.be/k1BneeJTDcU

Skillgrim88 · Dec 22, 2022

[X] Between the Lines

Thaumaterge · Jan 19, 2023

Chapter 3.16 Penitence

[X] Plan: Take Evasive Action
-[X] Evasion- Improves reflexes, allowing even explosions to be completely avoided.
-[X] Dark Sphere- Grants the ability to grant night vision and create a large area of darkness. +1 Dark level, +1 SP
-[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] Weather Sphere- Grants the ability to create, intensify, or calm various types of weather. +1 Weather level, +1 SP

Omakes:
Hetjan added the Vigilante Class (Archetypes yet to be decided)
KingCrimson added the Endurance Feat (in the Athletics sphere)
Hhjghjijhc granted the Divination Sphere and Fast Divinations, then returned it to the draw pile.

"Oh shit" The words came out without her prompting, jolted loose by the dawning realization of what was happening. How this had to look. It was, she realized, a stupid mistake. Every single bit of this scene could have been avoided. Should have, with just a tiny bit of forethought and care. Just the first two would have sufficed to wipe away her bruises, plus another two for emergencies would have left her more than enough time to clean up and hide the evidence.

Instead, she had gotten carried away- been careless, and now Dad was here to see the blood on her hands. Now… well, if she was lucky he'd assume she was testing her powers- it was even true! But Taylor couldn't help but worry. What if he thought she was just cutting herself? That she was suicidal or something? No, that was… if he saw the ointments he probably wouldn't think that. Maybe he'd think she cut herself while trying to cook? Taylor thought back to the mess of a kitchen she'd left, and flushed with embarrassment. She wasn't that bad a cook!

Still, it was reassuring that the most likely conclusion was mostly innocent… this time. If she had inadvertently destroyed Dad's progress in one careless act, she'd never forgive herself. Luckily, she hadn't. Probably. Hopefully.

Anyways. The spheres were different this time. More transparent than before, with the swirling red or sparkling blue thin and washed-out near the center and nearly opaque near the edge, kind of like those colored glass christmas tree ornaments. Obviously, this was the effect of a perk, though which one wasn't obvious at first glance. Taylor leaned closer, examining the six offerings. She frowned. There was something behind them too. Some kind of… was that writing?

It was! Distorted around the edges by the curvature of the spheres, every single one had text inside it. In english even! Or something close to it at least- the sentences didn't look quite right. Possibly another translation issue? Taylor focused on one of the two free options, a starry orb with a crystal ball on it. She remembered it from before- it was all about detection of a wide variety of things, growing wider with each other sphere she chose. The text within seemed to validate that, using strangely-chosen words that upon a second look read more like technical terminology than mistranslation. There was… a lot of it. More than she could see even by almost pressing her eye to the thing. Taylor was forced to awkwardly rotate her head around the sphere in order to see the start and end of every sentence.

It was worth it though. What had seemed to her to be an enormous number of abilities turned out to be two, one of which could be used in a variety of ways. That wasn't the biggest discovery though. Taylor recalled how recently she learned that her abilities would improve each other, and how she wondered what they improved and by how much. All of that information was now laid bare before her, along with a variety of other important and specific information.

How long would it take to detect things? A minute exactly. Could it detect through walls? Yes, as long as they were less than a foot thick if they were concrete, or three if it was wood. How far away? 'Medium Range', which apparently meant a hundred foot radius, plus ten per 'Sphere Level'. Could she interpret the information she got? Yes, if she could succeed a 'DC 15+½ Level Knowledge (Arcana) Check'. Now if only she could figure out what exactly that meant.

As it turned out, only some of those technical terms were defined. Some of them she wasn't sure were technical terms at all, or if they were just oddly-chosen words. Most of the time she could figure out roughly what they meant from context, but even that didn't always help. Was 'DC 15' high or low? How would she even get 'Knowledge (Arcana)'? What did it mean to do something 'as a Standard Action' and how much faster than one minute was that?

It was frustrating, but a good kind of frustrating. The kind of frustrating where she was still making progress, rather than stagnating. Plus she got to see the new 'Divinations' unlocked by the spheres she'd taken since last time she'd seen it. The one related to her telekinesis wasn't outstanding- just the ability to estimate something's weight and density, which could be useful for determining if boxes were empty- but the Mind Divination was amazing. The ability to detect if someone was being Mastered. That was… well, Taylor didn't know exactly how rare it was, but it couldn't be common. Especially if it let her tell if someone was a Ziz bomb, which… no. she was getting ahead of herself. It might not work like that, or there might be some way of hiding from it. But if it did though… how much would the PRT pay for a power like that? How many people could she free from confinement in the quarantines? Also, she could detect people who had strong opinions about a topic, which was cool.

By the time she got to the next free marble (from the very sphere she'd just taken), Taylor's head was spinning. The writing, the terminology, the thing even had tables! Tables, in her power! It was obviously an attempt to make the mechanics understandable to her, and it succeeded, but Taylor still couldn't help but feel a faint haze of disbelief. What next, bar graphs? Charts? At the very least this marble looked smaller. Much smaller, now that she was looking in. Barely even a sentence, telling her that her Divinations would take six seconds instead of a minute if she didn't want to spend mana. Short and sweet, which was a relief, and a fantastic power besides. It turned Divining from something she could only do in private to something she might be willing to risk in public, when she was most likely to need it. Taylor took it without a second thought.

With that done it was time to examine the actual choices. The first was a golden mirrored marble from her Symbiat class, the reflection turned transparent by the most recent perk. Titled 'Evasion', like the previous marble its text was comparatively short. Unlike that marble, though, this one desperately needed more clarity. Apparently, if she succeeded a 'Reflex Save' against anything that normally did half damage' on a success, she would instead take no damage, but only if she was wearing 'light or no armor'. Okay, so there were a few things she could infer, like what constituted 'light armor', but the most important parts were irritatingly vague. What was a 'Reflex Save'? Obviously it had something to do with saving herself reflexively, but that was practically all the time in a fight. The key was in the 'Half Damage', but what kind of attack dealt damage even if it missed? Explosions and Shaker powers Taylor guessed, but those just didn't miss. Well, whatever. Anything that promised to reduce her chance of injury was worth considering, and this one would advance her Class too. Definitely a strong start.

The next option was a familiar sphere, the one that allowed her to see through and create darkness. Specifically, a sphere of darkness with a '10 ft + 5/2 level' radius and a 60 ft range of vision. This one, like the Divination sphere, had two major abilities that were described in some technical detail using unfamiliar terms. To her eye they actually seemed somewhat over-described, like it was setting up a framework for multiple different grantable abilities of which the darkvision was only one. Maybe they were in the marbles? Probably. Regardless, just the basic abilities made it a valuable combat power, allowing her to create favorable terrain where she could fight just fine while everyone else would suffer from a 20% miss chance (though how her power knew that to such an exact degree was still baffling). Definitely a good option, though come to think of it she probably couldn't use it in either of her hero personas. Definitely didn't fit with either healing or mental stuff, though it would be undoubtedly useful if she ever had to go all out. The synergy with the divination sphere would let her gauge 'Light Levels' and and detect shadows and creatures and objects made of shadows, possibly even through walls.

The third sphere had a similar problem, though at least traps might at least survive a cursory inspection without being declared tinkertech. Taylor put her eye to it to read… then kept on reading, tilting her head to check the extent of the text. She frowned. That was entirely too much writing to say that she could make two types of trap. In here there was… gaining 'Skill Ranks' in trapmaking, making a 'DC 5 check' (so DC 15 was high then, which probably meant hard), defining the area (5 ft. square was pretty big, but probably not wide enough to block off a non-crowded alleyway), how hard it was to notice and disarm (DC 10 + Ranks was probably pretty good?), and how long it took to set. No convenient measurements there, just 'Full-Round' and 'Standard Action', which based on the Divination Sphere probably took about six seconds or less. That was pretty good for setting a trap. She'd expected minutes at best.

The traps themselves Taylor didn't really know how to rate. The dart trap was better than she remembered it being, since it leveraged her intelligence and her skills rather than her dexterity and 'Base Attack Bonus', in a way that was probably similar to her telekinesis sphere. She hummed thoughtfully. Something about this, the word choice, the cadence. She'd thought it was a translation thing or just technical terminology, but this… Taylor peered closely at one line in particular. '1d6 damage, plus 1d6 when your Craft (Traps)...' It was reminding her of… No. It couldn't be. Was this Dungeons: the Dragoning? She read it again, her breathing growing heavier. Then again.

No, it wasn't the same. That system didn't use the same words to mean the same things, but the power descriptions were definitely cut from the same cloth. She wasn't pulling powers from a tabletop game for old people that she hadn't even heard of at the time. However, the similarities couldn't be denied. It was… no, it had to be something subconscious. Her power was just trying to find a way to express itself in terms she understood, drawing from systems she was familiar with. She'd learned about Dungeons: the Dragoning while her power was still developing, so it must have latched onto that. On the plus side, that meant the tabletop game didn't actually describe a real world with no possible explanation, but on the minus it meant she'd have to learn a new system from just the scraps that her powers gave her. Unless there was another information perk of course, but even then it was probably time to start investing in more powers faster via the combat spheres perk.

Oh! So that was what 'Reflex Saves' did. Apparently they were what happened when reacting to a trap; possibly other things but definitely traps. Unfortunately, that clarification came along with several new and unfamiliar terms like 'Touch AC' and 'Critical Threat Range' that evidently referred to attacks or types of attack. Apparently alchemical items could be used in traps too, which also confirmed Taylor's suspicion that not everything she learned to make would be as friendly as her healing serum.

The next sphere was also a dense one, though in a slightly different manner. While the trapping sphere had been primarily occupied with descriptions of the sphere's functionality, this weather-controlling sphere's effects were pretty simple- change one aspect of the weather by one category with six seconds of concentration. The complicated part came when it came to describe what a 'Weather category' meant, and yes this descriptions came with tables aplenty. Some of them… well, based on the descriptions she wouldn't have access to most of the really destructive ones for a while. Or really any of the destructive ones. Honestly it looked like she'd need to get up to 'Caster Level' seven for those, and even if she did there was no way she could use them what with how indiscriminate they were. There was more in there, terms and phrases that Taylor was sure were important, but right now it was just too much. She wasn't going to be taking the sphere anyways, so it wouldn't be immediately important anyways. Just using her photographic memory would be enough for later analysis.

In the end, there were two real options. The 'Evasion' marble, which would advance her class and protect her against traps and possibly other things, and the darkness sphere, which would help her hide and see in the dark. Honestly, the darkness sphere was probably the better option. Being able to see in the dark was a power that any vigilante would treasure, given how much crime must take place under cover of darkness, and it came with the ability to create the exact circumstances in which it would be most useful. Not many spheres could boast that kind of combination. In comparison, Evasion was… kind of lackluster. The ability to sometimes negate damage under circumstances Taylor didn't understand wasn't that appealing. It wasn't just that though. This was a step in one of her Classes, and each one came with a bit more toughness, a bit more skill in a fight, a bit more power. Was it worth it? She sighed. Probably it was, especially when weighed against a power that she wasn't set up to use right now. It was just… she really wanted that power.

With unusual reluctance, Taylor grabbed the proffered marble, returning herself to the mess of a kitchen she had left behind. Okay, it wasn't actually that bad. Just a bit of dirt on the counter, some spilled powders and liquids, and of course the droplets of blood dripping onto the floor. That was the problem though wasn't it. Dad had never gotten angry at Taylor's poor attempts at cooking, but if he thought she was cutting herself…

"This isn't what it looks like!" The words, cliche as they were, forced their way out of Taylor's mouth. She knew her father. He wasn't likely to actually think that, but even so, she felt like she had to explain. To allay his suspicions. "I got a new Tinker power!"

Danny did not look allayed. His jaw hung ajar, vaguely mouthing soundless words as he turned his head to survey the room. Then his eyes snapped back to her, flicking from her bruised forearm to the bloody knife to the caked-on greenish plaster and back. "You…" Their eyes met once again, and Taylor noted that his had a worryingly wild cast to them. "...a Tinker?"

Taylor nodded, causing him to sigh. "It's another healing power, and it doesn't cost mana so I can do it all day! Plus, I don't need to be the one to use it, I just have to make it and hand them out" That should help. He didn't like her being in danger, so surely it would be comforting if she had a power that didn't require her to get personally involved.

Her father closed his eyes and took a deep long breath. When he opened them they held a deep weariness. "That's nice sweetie. How about you put everything away and we can talk about it in the living room" He did not seem comforted. In fact, the forced calm in his voice betrayed a nervous tension that provoked sympathetic stress in Taylor's shoulders. She rushed to follow his instructions, embarrassment and shame fueling her. All too soon though, father and daughter found themselves sitting on the couch, a pair of faintly shimmering bowls in front of them.

"Look Taylor" Danny's first words made her flinch at the reproach, regardless of its conciliatory tone. "I understand that you were excited to get this power, and I understand that it's useful, but you have to be careful. You remember what Dr. Miller said about unexpected side effects, don't you? Especially if the power requires you to harm yourself to use it" Taylor flinched again. She hadn't needed to hurt herself to make those salves, but she wasn't going to tell him that. Hurting herself just because it was convenient was even worse, and explaining her power-induced desensitization to pain was a whole 'nother can of worms.

Should she explain that she was tougher than before? That might help… but it would also call into question how she had learned it. Plus, given the way that it seemed to manifest it might not actually be taken as a good thing. The only part she could confirm was resistance to pain, and without actual brute powers to back it up that was just a recipe for negligent injury… just like what had just happened. She really wasn't making things easy for herself, Taylor thought with a grimace.

While he could have called the PRT back and set up the testing immediately, he wanted to get the best deal by waiting for them to get a bit more desperate. Apparently he set up a dummy email for them to contact him on, and they've sent him a few but he didn't think they were quite desperate enough. The idea is to make them want to rush her through and agree to their concessions without arguing- besides, calling back would undermine some of their grievances that he wants to pull on for benefits.
She broke out of her reverie at her father's sigh, realizing that a silence had descended over the conversation. "Taylor, you don't need to worry. We will get you back into the testing. I know you're eager to help out and, uh, want to use your powers, but you just need to hold on a little longer. I'm not just dragging my feet for no reason"

Taylor blinked at that. "For no reason?" The word choice stuck out to her for some reason.

Danny sighed again, this time reluctantly rather than tiredly. "It's… a business thing. We've got something they want and vice versa, but if they know we need them then they won't bring their best offer to the table" Taylor frowned at that. It should be about heroism, not a negotiation. "I'm not talking about money, or not just money at least" It seemed like he had noticed. "It's about… rights. Freedoms. Health insurance and vacation days" Danny grew more animated as he continued. "The PRT actually has a lot of latitude when it comes to how they treat their capes, including the Wards. Because of some of the legalities involved, they're allowed to require things of you that wouldn't normally be allowed, and it gets even worse if you start looking into the legal cases. The PRT gets treated as the last word when it comes to anything parahuman, including psychology and health, so if they say it's a power-based necessity that you eat only oatmeal then they can make you do that"

"But how does not testing stop them from doing that?" Taylor didn't really believe the heroes would abuse their power for something that petty, but it wasn't just the heroes was it? There were also the bureaucrats behind them. The idea of being prevented from pursuing heroism by red tape and procedure was why she hadn't wanted to join the Wards in the first place.

"Heroes get hurt a lot Taylor, so they need healers to recover. There's Panacea, but she's a volunteer from New Wave, so they can't really depend on her being there when they need her" At Taylor's expression, he explained himself. "I mean, if both Armsmaster and her mother got hurt, Panacea would probably heal her mother first right? But the Protectorate has their own priorities, and would want Armsmaster healed first"

Okay, that made more sense. "So they'd want me come back to testing, so they can get me into the Wards, so that they don't depend on New Wave for healing" Taylor slowly sounded out her chain of logic. "And they'd be more willing to give us promises and stuff if they thought we didn't want to be there- like, if we were scared off by the Brandish thing- so you haven't called them back" It made sense, she was forced to admit. There was something wrong with the chain of events though. "Except… how are they supposed to call us back in? Did you give them our phone number?"

"No" Danny shook his head. "I made a new email address for them to contact. Our phone number is right in the phone book" Oh. Yeah. Right. That could have been bad. "And they have actually sent me a few, but they haven't agreed to guarantee Panacea's presence without Brandish"

"Can they even do that? You just said they don't have authority over New Wave" Now well and truly away from the uncomfortable topic of Taylor's experimentation, both father and daughter found themselves more relaxed.

"Maybe if they negotiate, but they probably won't. I had to ask though to make the point that we only blame Brandish, not Panacea. It's-" He sighed, standing up. "-a bit of a balancing act. They've actually already replied with apologies and an offer to have a hero supervise if it would make us feel safer, but I'm going to keep them waiting until tomorrow. They need to know that we've got other important things to do, like dinner"

It was true, Taylor was hungry, but she still wasn't sure it was right to jerk the Protectorate around like that. Certainly she didn't want them to have too much power over her, but wouldn't this game have its own consequences? Nobody liked being played. She wasn't sure how to bring that up though, so she followed her father back into the now-clean kitchen, watching as he pulled some chinese takeout food out of a bag. That was odd. They didn't usually go out for food unless it was a special occasion. Especially since… Taylor glanced at the third seat at the table, piled high with bleached-white envelopes. It was ironic, in a way. They lost a family member, and replaced her with debts and bills. She didn't know how deep in the hole they were- they'd never gone hungry or lost power- but she the pile of paperwork told their own story. Even if it wasn't right to demand something of the Protectorate for her cooperation, maybe it was necessary.

Taylor postponed that uncomfortable question with a bite of chow mein. It could wait till never. Instead, she directed her gaze downward to the tabletop, where the ever-present words faded in and out. The first few seemed to be dissatisfied with her stance on her Master power, offering rationale for its use, information on more subtle marbles, and hints for using it more subtly. Taylor wasn't sure she liked that, but she couldn't deny the point about her own biases or the following one about the downsides of the other approach- violence. A calligraphy message (again! Geez, she hadn't even had a chance to look up anything!) was accompanied by an outline of how her powers'... power was determined, mostly stuff she'd already figured out, and a lukewarm offer to give her a 'Tradition' with no drawbacks and no benefits. She wasn't scared of the perk, she just wanted an informed say in what she would be giving up! Even if it was required to bring her mother back, she didn't want to waste the oportunity with an uninformed choice. Also in there were a bunch of miscellaneous tips for her to try out later, some more obviously useful than others.

There was more, but it all seemed to devolve into the philosophy of violence. Yes, she knew that some people were assholes or racists or rapists as a result of outside influences, but that didn't absolve them of their crimes. It didn't help their victims. If it was some other girl back there, a real lesbian couple kissing behind the bleachers, it wouldn't matter to them if one of those Nazis was only doing it out of obligation. Their lives would still be just as ruined. There wasn't a whole lot Taylor was sure about when it came to the relative morality of punching people in the face versus messing with their mind, but if it came down to it she would rather face a gangster's angry family members than a broken or dead victim. If they came at her, knowing what their loved one had tried to do, then she would do what she had to.

Heavy thoughts… but she had probably spent too long silent already. Finishing her chow mein, Taylor voiced a question that had been bothering her for a while. "When do you think you'll be done, uh, negotiating with the PRT?"

"I can be done tomorrow I think. I'll be at my desk all day so I can do a bit of back and forth and get you an appointment on Saturday" Danny took a moment to chew on a bit of teriyaki chicken before washing it down with water. "I know you probably want it sooner, but if you like I can see about making it an all-day session? I'll have to check my schedule for anything that needs me to be at the docks that day"

Saturday. The day after tomorrow. "Yeah, that would be great!" The day she was supposed to meet Sophia at the mall. Taylor felt the smile freeze on her face. When was that supposed to be? Could she fit it in? Evening, right, but when in the evening? Did they even set a time? Well, too late now, since she'd already voiced her approval. Hopefully she'd get a chance to clear things up with Sophia at school tomorrow.

Her father swallowed another bite. "Good. We may need the time, especially if you want to show them your new power" Taylor's frozen smile cracked a little more. "Speaking of, I don't think you got to finish explaining what it was?"

"Ah, yeah. That's right. It's like… alchemy, I guess?" After only a bit of a stumble, Taylor pulled herself together. "I just kind of know what ingredients might be useful to make stuff, and how to use them to make things, but it's not at all like they say Tinker powers are online. I didn't go into a trance or anything" Well, she did, but not due to that sphere. "The trouble is, I only know how to make one thing and I can't make much at once. Tons of different recipes for it though"

Dad nodded at that, a contemplative frown on his face. "You said it was a healing… potion, right?" He glanced at the faintly glimmering mixture. "Doesn't seem very drinkable"

"Well, it can be but it doesn't have to be" Taylor felt her enthusiasm growing again as she responded, drawing on her newfound knowledge. "Depending on the ingredients and the processes, I can make topical creams, oils, drinkable potions, and even a healing powder that you can sprinkle on someone"

"And where does the blood come in?" Her father's voice was deceptively calm.

"I, um. Some of the recipes require it?"

"But there are other recipes that also work?"

"Yyyyyes?"

A huge, shuddering sigh. "Then use those in the future. Please, Taylor. You nearly gave me a heart attack"

Taylor swallowed hard, her words briefly escaping her. "Okay. I… Sorry, Dad"

That definitely put a damper on the evening. Danny had a few more questions about her new powers that Taylor was able to answer while cleaning up and washing the dishes, and after that the two of them went upstairs to their respective bedrooms. To their bedrooms but not to bed, in Taylor's case- she still had an idea or two she wanted to try from the messages she'd read.

First up was putting everything into her power journal. She knew a lot more about her powers both generally and specifically than before, but from experience she knew it was all too easy to forget. Even with her memory power, the cost kept her from just memorizing everything relevant she saw. This time though, Taylor had decided to try something new. Before putting pencil to paper, she focused one of her other powers on learning the skills of a calligrapher.

Those next pages were easily the prettiest writing she'd ever done, despite using what she now knew to be extremely poor tools. Pencils, though they had a lot of other benefits, were not meant for calligraphy. They were meant to draw single thin lines of constant width. Luckily, Taylor's new knowledge had a few ways to compensate for that: blunting the normally-sharp tip into a blunt ball-shape, strategic erasing and shading, varying pressure and angle, that kind of thing. The kind of thing she would eventually have to learn to replicate without the use of this power. Ironically, the primary reason for Taylor's doubt was the sheer ease with which these new skills came. It was almost instinctual, the different ways she gripped her pencil, the way she knew exactly when it needed to be sharpened. Learning that normally… how would she even go about it without the experienced eye for detail that she was now borrowing? Still, this was probably her best shot- or her easiest at least, since it effectively cost her nothing. For good measure, she memorized a few minutes of the experience, for later perusal.

With that done, she settled in for another anxious night and an anxious day afterwards. Anxious, but ultimately uneventful. The E88 kids, while still bolder than normal, at least refrained from actually hurting anyone in her line of sight. She did have to glare at a few or them, even get in one's face to give some scrawny asian a chance to get away, but Taylor was able to keep things from getting violent as per Sophia's advice. It was mind-boggling, in a way. Just weeks ago, standing up to an Empire member, even a junior one, would have been the centerpiece of her day one way or the other. Now though, her reputation had somehow grown enough to let her silence teens twice her mass with just a glare.

Some teachers too, actually. She'd never paid much attention to it before, absorbed in her own problems as she had been, but it wasn't just her plight that some of the staff were tacitly supporting. It turned out they took sides all the time. Never violently of course. They weren't that blatant. Now that she was looking for it though, Taylor could see the way certain teachers only stepped in when 'their' side was losing or handed out unfair punishments while attempting to appear even-handed. It was… disappointing. She wished she could say it made her angry, that it boiled her blood, but honestly? She should have expected it.

At least the Sophia part of the day went smoothly, and wasn't that a bizarre thought to have. Just a momentary meeting in the hall to ask what time tomorrow they'd be meeting, and where exactly to look. Sophia wanted it to be 7 PM, which Taylor was fine with, and Hot Topic which was weirdly unexpected but simultaneously made so much sense. Sophia never wore those kinds of clothes to school, preferring exercise pants and simple tee shirts, but the way she acted… That performative bitchiness, the constant sneer, even her anti-hero attitude as Shadow Stalker. Sophia was exactly the kind of person Taylor would expect to be wearing the faux-Teeth punk attire that Hot Topic sold. It was also, Taylor recalled with a strange twinge in her heart, the kind of place that Emma would go to add some 'spice' to an otherwise normal outfit.

And then there was Madison. Last Taylor recalled, the small girl had been a second-string member of Emma's clique. One of the ones jostling for the popular redhead's favor by playing minor pranks and throwing insults. Now, she was practically Taylor's sycophant, following her around and making small talk. That, more than anything, was what made her anxious. Madison (or 'Mads' as she insisted on being called) was obviously a consummate follower, more than willing to switch allegiances at the drop of a hat. Obviously, she had seen a shift in Winslow's social dynamics and was just trying to climb the social ladder by associating with a suddenly-popular winner. The moment that changed, if Taylor were to lose or Emma were to return in full form, then Madison would mostly likely turn her coat again, betraying her the moment a better option appeared.

The problem was, Madison was cute. The kind of person with an unfair resemblance to a small dog, and a cheerful temperament to match. Just the thought of kicking her out, or even ignoring her made Taylor feel bafflingly uncomfortable like, well, kicking a puppy. To make it even worse, the smaller girl was being genuinely helpful. Mr. Burns probably wouldn't have let her go with a warning if Madison hadn't spun that sob story about 'That Scary Gangster'. Plus, some of her gossip was actually interesting. In a normal school it might have been about who was dating who or failing what class. This was Winslow though, so instead Madison had nattered on about what gangs, sub-gang factions, and other cliques were vying for dominance where. The Merchant kids were getting pushed out of the Band room, which was apparently a high-value location because it was easy to hide drugs there. It was confusing and nerve-wracking on so many levels, but at least now Taylor knew what Sophia had meant when she said Emma was finding her vigilante targets. However…

"What the fuck do you want from me!?"

It all came to a head during lunch. Madison had been hanging around all day, sticking by Taylor's side in between classes and forcing her to keep the other girl in her peripheral vision at all times. Her constant nattering made it easy to keep track of her, as did the mental acceleration she'd spent mana on that morning. That same expenditure made it trivial to keep up with class. What it did not help with was anxiety Taylor found herself constantly overthinking things, reading too far into actions and expressions and consequences. That made her twitchy, to say the least. The problem was, she couldn't not pay attention to anything that went on around her. Not the sounds of a hallway shakedown that she was forced to intervene in, not the sounds of whispered speculation that made her cringe on the inside, and definitely not Madison's incessant chatter!

"Why… why are you following me around?"

The question had been bothering Taylor all day, itching at her with every word Madison spoke. She knew the truth, that the other girl was just using her as a vehicle for her own popularity. The problem was that everything she saw disagreed with that hypothesis. Impossibly, the former bully was kind, cheerful, perhaps even genuine! That was why Taylor had held her tongue until now. And would have continued to hold it had her traitorous nerves not blurted it out.

In the middle of the high school cafeteria.

During lunch time.

A hush fell over the crowded hall, causing Taylor's heart to nearly stop itself with embarrassment. Then it started again all at once, because of the other reason she'd previously avoided voicing her suspicions: The tears beading in Madison's eyes. Instantly, she felt bad, guilty despite her self-assurance and suspicion. It was an instinctive reaction to those eye, Taylor struggled to remember, steeling her resolve as every eye in the lunchroom turned to them. She was just pretending, like she did with that teacher. The next thing out of her mouth was going to be a denial, or an insistance that she was just being friendly, or an insinuation that Taylor was a bad person for doubting her, or…

"I'm Sorry!"

And a new door opened.

Evasion Chosen! Symbiat Levelled Up! New Class Features Added to the Discard!
Unchosen Spheres Moved to the Discard!
Choose Four Orbs, Spheres and Talents

Orb of Might- TAKEN
- Alchemy Sphere- TAKEN
  - Cluster Tolls- Speeds alchemical item usage, allowing two to be used at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Alchemy level
  - Dynamite Throwing Form- Infuses thrown items with strength, allowing them to strike as hard as one's fists. +1 Alchemy level
  - Fireworks- Infuses thrown items with propellant, allowing them to travel further. +1 Alchemy level
  - Master Chemist- Grants access to alchemical poisons, which may be ingested, inhaled, contact-based, or applied to weapons. +1 Alchemy level
  - Snap Toss- Dramatically speeds alchemical item usage at the cost of focus. +1 Alchemy level
  - Extra Formulae- Grants the formula for Alchemist's Fire and Improved Alchemist's Fire, a potent flame-based grenade. Also grants access to further [Formulae] talents. +1 Alchemy level
- 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
  - Endurance- Substantially improves endurance of extreme temperatures, harsh labor, and deprivation of food, water, or air. Also grants the ability to sleep well in poor conditions.
- 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
- 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
  - Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so Refocus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
  - More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
- Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
  - Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina. +1 Open Hand Level
- 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- TAKEN
  - Active Camouflage- Improves stealth when moving between cover and when sniping. +1 Scout Level
  - Battlefield Stealth- Grants the ability to take advantage of distractions by briefly hiding even in battle. +1 Scout Level
  - Discern Illusions- Improves the ability to detect and see past illusions, and allows that ability to be granted to allies. +1 Scout Level
  - Discern Tells- Grants improved insight into others and improved awareness of feints. +1 Scout Level
  - Great Senses- Improves perception. +1 Scout Level
  - Heightened Awareness- Grants the ability to detect lingering magical auras and to passively detect traps. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Appearance- Extends skill in stealth to encompass disguise as well. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Dragon Stance- Grants the ability to take a stance that diverts the gaze of opponents away and allows for combat stealth. +1 Scout Level
  - Hidden Focus- Grants the ability to refocus by hiding. +1 Scout Level
  - Honed Sense- Grants a sensitive nose, especially when smelling fear. +1 Scout Level
  - Identify Structural Hazards- Grants improved skill in identifying structural weaknesses and hazards. +1 Scout Level
  - Lurker- Improves stealth skill to foil otherwise infallible senses. +1 Scout Level
  - Piercing Eye- Improves perceptive skill, allowing for accurate targeting of concealed foes. +1 Scout Level
  - Reflexive Stealth- Grants the ability to reflexively hide in explosions and other area effects. +1 Scout Level
  - Sense and Resist Scrying- Grants automatic awareness of magical perception and the ability to locate such sensors and apertures and foil them. +1 Scout Level
  - Sight Beyond Sight- Grants the ability to briefly gain very short range infallible perception. +1 Scout Level
  - Somnambulance- Grants the ability to accurately perceive one's surroundings while sleeping. +1 Scout Level
  - Track the Scene- Improves tracking skill to allow for assessment of tracked creatures' actions in addition to path. +1 Scout Level
  - Uncanny Dodge- Grants preternatural senses that foil ambushes, invisibility, and more. +1 Scout Level
  - Unimpeded Positioning- Grants the ability to move while reloading and to quickly move over rough terrain. +1 Scout Level
  - Wind Reader- Grants the ability to account for range-based inaccuracy of ranged weapons. +1 Scout Level
  - Scout's Advantage- Grants the ability to take advantage of information gained through scouting, or to gain more information depending on build. Grants access to [Scouting] talents which enhance the Scout ability. +1 Scout Level
- Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
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
- Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure a~~n extraplanar creature~~ Dragon 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
- Death Sphere- TAKEN
  - Corpse Bomb- Increases resonance between Death sphere abilities, allowing ghost strikes to expand over an area through the sacrifice of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Corpse Manipulation- Grants the ability to modify dead bodies in several ways, growing, removing, or shaping their flesh. +1 Death Level
  - Cryptic Strike- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to be delivered with weapon or unarmed strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Empowered Reanimate- Improves reanimated undead, granting them increased strength and staying power. +1 Death Level
  - Expanded Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing several varieties of zombies and skeletons to be created. +1 Death Level
  - Gravetongue- Grants the ability to speak to corpses and undead, which recall only what they perceive after their deaths. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Reanimate- Improves reanimation to allow control of a much larger number of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Haunting Apparition- Improves ghost strike, allowing it to invisibly haunt a location as a trap. +1 Death Level
  - Icy Grip- Improves ghost strike, allowing controlled undead to deliver it in your stead. +1 Death Level
  - Instill Death- Allows the creation of consumable items that can reanimate corpses or be thrown as splash ghost strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Killing Curse- Improves ghost strikes, causing creatures subject to multiple strikes in a short period to die instantly. +1 Death Level
  - Mass Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, allowing the reanimation of multiple corpses at once and the use of ghost strikes to affect an area. +1 Death Level
  - Ranged Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, extending their range. +1 Death Level
  - Sustained Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing undead to be sustained using concentration and for longer durations. +1 Death Level
  - Taint Soul- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to hinder or disable healing and regeneration. +1 Death Level
  - Tomb of Flesh- Grants the ability to absorb multiple undead or a single opponent into oneself. The living are harmed by this, while undead are only stored. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Dominion- Grants an ability related to control or creation of undead, and unlocks other [Dominion] talents. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Ghost Strike- Grants an alternate form of ghost strike and unlocks other [Ghost Strike] talents. +1 Death Level
- Destruction Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a damaging energy projectile. +1 Destruction level, +1 SP
- Divination Sphere- TAKEN
  - Alarm- Grants the ability to create a sensor that guards an area, producing an alarm when its divination detects a target of interest. +1 Divination level.
  - Expanded Divination- Expands the breadth of divination, allowing access to a wider variety of divinations. +1 Divination level.
  - Fast Divinations- greatly speeds use of the Divine ability. +1 Divination level.
  - Grant Divinations- Allows magical senses to be granted to others. +1 Divination level.
  - Greater Divine- Extends the range of the Divine ability substantially. +1 Divination level.
  - Instill Divination- Allows Divination sphere abilities to be instilled into consumable items. +1 Divination level.
  - Lingering Divination- Extends the duration of the Divine ability, causing it to linger after concentration has ended. +1 Divination level.
  - Revealing Strike- Allows a weapon to be infused with divination, which may inflict a Sense or Divine ability upon its target or allow a Divine ability to be quickly used on the target. +1 Divination level.
  - Extra Divination- Allows divining for the qualitative results of a chosen course of action, and grant access to further [Divine] talents. +1 Divination level.
  - Additional Senses- Grants the ability to see without sight, and grants access to further [Sense] talents. +1 Divination level.
- 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- TAKEN
  - Adrenaline Surge- Grants the ability to overpower a Life effect, enabling the target(s) to immediately perform a simple action. +1 Life Level
  - Affliction- Allows the Cure ability to be inverted, dealing negative energy damage and inflicting exhaustion instead of healing. +1 Life Level
  - Break Enchantment- Grants the ability to selectively remove power-based effects from a target of Restore instead of the other applications, though at increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Clarified Strike- Allows Life sphere abilities to be delivered with weapon or unarmed attacks. +1 Life Level
  - Deeper Healing- Greatly improves the effectiveness of Cure and Invigorate. +1 Life Level
  - Diagnose- Grants the ability to swiftly recognize the conditions affecting nearby creatures, and to more slowly spend magic to learn the details of their source. +1 Life Level
  - Empathic Healing- Grants the ability to mitigate the costs of Cure and Restore by taking the damage and conditions upon oneself. +1 Life Level
  - Esoteric Healing- Grants the ability to heal and restore constructs and undead. +1 Life Level
  - Fount of Life- Grants the ability to store healing for more efficient and powerful usage later. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Invigorate- Greatly improves Invigorate and allows it to grant vitality beyond what the body could normally support. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Restore- Grants the ability to overpower Restore, allowing it to restore multiple areas at once. +1 Life Level
  - Instill Life- Grants the ability to store an expensive use of the Life sphere within a liquid or food, allowing its consumption to trigger the stored effect. +1 Life Level
  - Latent Healing- Grants the ability to store a use of the Life sphere within a target, allowing them to trigger it when they wish. +1 Life Level
  - Lingering Resilience- Improves Cure and Restore such that they grant some resistance to the removed conditions and healed damage. +1 Life Level
  - Mass Healing- Grants the ability to overpower Life sphere abilities, allowing them to affect additional targets. +1 Life Level
  - Painkiller- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to permanently heal bruises and other superficial damage. +1 Life Level
  - Ranged Healing- Allows Life sphere abilities to be used at short range rather than requiring touch. +1 Life Level
  - Restorative Cure- Grants the ability to mingle Cure and Restore at a greater cost, applying both with a single touch. +1 Life Level
  - Revitalize- Allows Cure to instead grant regeneration, healing more over a longer period of time. +1 Life Level
  - Self-Renewal- Greatly speeds self-healing at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Stabilizing Invigoration- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to stabilize dying creatures and potentially halt bleeding. +1 Life Level
  - Sudden Invigoration- Greatly speeds Invigoration at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Taste of Victory- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities at an increased cost when used immediately after striking a worthy foe. +1 Life Level
  - Violent Recuperation- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities when a new source of damage is completely mitigated. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Cure- Improves Cure and increases the versatility of Restore. Unlocks other [Cure] talents. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Vitality- Grants various benefits to targets of Life sphere abilities. Unlocks other [Vitality] talents. +1 Life Level
- Mind Sphere (Inner Focus)- TAKEN
  - Charming Strike- Allows charms to be conveyed through violent force, afflicting those struck by an attack. +1 Mind Level
  - Expanded Charm- Improves charm versatility, allowing the charming of all creatures with a mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Instill Charm- Allows charms to be stored in a consumable medium, triggering when consumed. +1 Mind Level
  - Mass Charm- Improves charm size, allowing more creatures to be affected at increased cost. +1 Mind Level
  - Mental Backdoor- Improves charm insidiousness, reducing resistance in a target affected by an initial charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Powerful Charm- Improves charm power, allowing them to be overpowered at increased cost for increased effect.
  - Psychic Vengeance- Allows one to respond to a failed mental intrusion with a fast charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Ranged Mind- Improves charm range from close to medium range. +1 Mind Level
  - Subtlety- Improves charm subtlety, forcing even those who resist to ignore some attempts. +1 Mind Level
  - Amnesia [Charm]- Grants the ability to remove a target's most recent memories. +1 Mind Level
  - Calm [Charm]- Grants the ability to suppress a target's violent emotions. +1 Mind Level
  - Candor [Charm]- Grants the ability to compel a target to speak only truth. +1 Mind Level
  - Cerebral Strike [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause intense migraines in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Command [Charm]- Grants the ability to briefly take command of a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Confusion [Charm]- Grants the ability to scramble a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Courage [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire a target to great action. +1 Mind Level
  - Disrupt Focus [Charm]- Grants the ability to make concentration difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Enthrall [Charm]- Grants the ability to temporarily befriend a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Esteem [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire confidence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Fascinate [Charm]- Grants the ability to occupy a target's attention. +1 Mind Level
  - Fear [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause fear in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Gestures [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's movement. +1 Mind Level
  - Hostility [Charm]- Grants the ability to drive a target to rage. +1 Mind Level
  - Inception [Charm]- Grants the ability to adjust a target's knowledge. +1 Mind Level
  - Inspiration [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire competence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Shield [Charm]- Grants the ability to shield a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Spy [Charm]- Grants the ability to hijack a target's senses. +1 Mind Level
  - Paralyze [Charm]- Grants the ability to hinder a target's actions. +1 Mind Level
  - Project Thoughts [Charm]- Grants the ability to telepathically communicate. +1 Mind Level
  - Read Mind [Charm]- Grants the ability to read a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Recommend [Charm]- Grants the ability to help a target recover from mistakes. +1 Mind Level
  - Sleep [Charm]- Grants the ability to put a target to sleep. +1 Mind Level
  - Utterances [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's speech. +1 Mind Level
  - Vision [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce hallucinations. +1 Mind Level
  - Wrack [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce disturbing sensations. +1 Mind Level
  - Cloud Mind- Grants the ability to affect minds in an area. Also unlocks other [Cloud] talents. +1 Mind Level
  - Polyglot- Grants the ability to rapidly learn a language on a temporary basis. +1 Mind Level
  - Terrifying Mind- Grants mental countermeasures against intrusion, causing fear in intruding minds and making intrusion more difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Over Matter- Allows pain and suffering to be forestalled with mental discipline and spell points, delaying damage taken.
- Nature Sphere- TAKEN
  - Deep Nature- Extends Nature sphere abilities, allowing them to persist even after concentration ends. +1 Nature Level
  - Expanded Geomancing- Expands the scope of the Nature sphere, granting access to another element. +1 Nature Level
  - Ranged Geomancy- Extends the range of the Nature sphere. +1 Nature Level
  - Wild Instinct- Improves instinct while attuned to nature, allowing one to dodge unseen attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Create Nature- Grants the ability to rapidly grow plant life to maturity, up to medium-sized trees. +1 Nature Level
  - Elevated Nature- Improves the reach of grown plants, allowing them to grasp at flying creatures. +1 Nature Level
  - Hazardous Terrain- Improves abilities that affect terrain, granting them further disruptive and damaging capability. +1 Nature Level
  - Manipulate Nature- Grants the ability to use greenery to create a protective shelter. +1 Nature Level
  - Nature Lord- Improves the scope of geomancing abilities, allowing larger areas and trees to be affected. +1 Nature Level
  - Plant Mastery- Improves control over plant life, allowing more plants to be used and for fruits to be imbued with healing energy. +1 Nature Level
  - Pummel Mastery- Allows plants to be controlled more easily, and for striking foliage to be imbued with various effects. +1 Nature Level
  - Purify Nature- Grants the ability to purify food, making rotten, poisoned, and diseased food edible. +1 Nature Level
  - Repress Element- Allows plant matter to be temporarily removed from reality, weaning items and being relying on it. +1 Nature Level
  - Thrown Pummel- Allows controlled trees to make ranged attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Natural Spirit- Grants the ability to make use of a chosen spiritual ability. Also unlocks further [Spirit] talents. +1 Nature Level
- Protection Sphere- TAKEN
  - Buttressing- Allows created barriers to be quickly repaired. +1 Protection Level
  - Community- Allows damage taken by protected allies to be distributed among protected allies at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Continuous Ward- Improves wards, enabling them to pass through solid objects and provide full protection against incorporeal and burrowing foes. +1 Protection Level
  - Distant Protection- Extends the range of Protection sphere abilities. +1 Protection Level
  - Durable Barrier- Improves barriers, causing them to resist a small amount of physical damage, or all damage at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Enduring Protection- Improves wards to last longer when maintained with power. +1 Protection Level
  - Glyph- Grants the ability to turn wards into magical traps that can be activated later. +1 Protection Level
  - Greater Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to be created in the form of flat surfaces and dramatically improving their toughness at a cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Instill Aegis- Allows Aegises to be instilled into a consumable, granting their benefits to the consuming creature. +1 Protection Level
  - Mass Aegis- Grants the ability to protect multiple people with the same Aegis at additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Reactive Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to harm enemies or bolster allies when broken. +1 Protection Level
  - Selective Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing allies and allied attacks to pass through at an additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Shaped Ward- Improves wards, allowing them to be created in more shapes. +1 Protection Level
  - Shared Aegis- Improves aegises, allowing them to extend beyond their beneficiaries and affect nearby allies as well. +1 Protection Level
  - Status- Grants knowledge of the location and state of allies under an aegis. +1 Protection Level
  - Extra Aegis- Grants a new way to protect allies. Also unlocks further [Aegis] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - More Ward- Grants a new way to Ward an area. Also unlocks further [Ward] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - Succor- Grants the ability to sacrifice an Aegis to provide some instantaneous benefit to the recipient. Also unlocks further [Succor] Talents. +1 Protection Level
- Telekinesis Sphere- TAKEN
  - Acceleration [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic speed in a straightaway, and impact afterwards. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Dampening Field- Allows lifted objects and creatures to be protected from damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Dancing Weapon [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing weapons to be wielded rather than merely swung. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Divided Mind [Bludgeon]- Improves multitasking, allowing multiple smaller objects to be lifted simultaneously. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Excessive Force [Bludgeon]- Allows lifted objects to be smashed more violently into stationary scenery, dealing severe damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Finesse- Allows telekinesis to be used for delicate tasks, though with less skill than true limbs. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Flight- Allows telekinetic control of lifted creatures to be passed to them, granting them effective flight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Floating Shield- Allows lifted shields to be used protectively, defending nearby allies. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Forceful Telekinesis [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic force, increasing the damage of lifted objects and people. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Greater Speed- Improves telekinetic speed, allowing lifted objects to be moved further. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Idle Concentration- Improves telekinetic efficiency, allowing telekinetic control to be maintained more easily if subjects are still. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Increased Range- Improves telekinetic range, allowing farther-away objects to be affected. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Field- Allows telekinetic force to be spread over an area to hinder enemies or protect allies. Also unlocks other [Field] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Sense- Improves sensory telekinesis, allowing it to be used in lieu of sight and without the aid of sight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mobile Bludgeon [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic momentum, allowing lifted objects to keep moving after impact. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Orbit- Allows lifted objects to be set into a passive orbit, granting easy access without occupying hands. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Parry- Improves the Catch function of Telekinesis, allowing it to prevent melee attacks, though not to steal weapons without assistance. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Quick Reactions- Dramatically speeds defensive telekinesis, though at increased cost. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Return- Improves the Catch function, allowing caught projectiles to be returned to their origin. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Sweeping Bludgeon [Bludgeon]- Allows lifted objects to sweep across an area, forcing their target to dodge reflexively. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Crush- Improves the strength of telekinesis, allowing it to passively damage lifted objects. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Maneuver- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing many combat maneuvers to be performed using telekinesis. Also unlocks other [Manuever] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Tools- Allows the creation of tools and weapons made of force, useful for many purposes. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Whirlwind Assembly- Improves telekinetic speed near the body, allowing minor tasks about one's person to be carried out with great speed. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mind Limb- Grants a weak telekinetic limb that can nonetheless aid in minor tasks without occupying the main hands.
- 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
- Improved Cantrips- Improves the basic Cantrips ability, increasing the damage dealt, the amount of matter that can be manipulated or created, and the precision of lights and sounds.
- Third Eye- Grants the ability to open one's third eye, granting the ability to read others' aura and improving perception of magical effects.
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
- ~~Alchemist~~ Mortal Chemist Construct Rider- A learned class whose mastery of alchemy has spread to construct creation. +¾ BAB, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- 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, +6 + Con HP
- ~~Bard~~ Kung Fu Exemplar Class- A musical class whose mastery of arts and crafts extends into the martial realm. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Blacksmith~~ Fleshforger Class- A tough class just as good at breaking weapons and armor as it is at making ~~them~~ unnatural abominations. +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, +6 + Con HP
- Crimson Dancer Class- A bloodthirsty class that specializes in wearing down its foes and bleeding them dry. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
- Elementalist Class- A destructive class focused on bringing down foes with elemental power. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- Eliciter Class- A manipulative class that use their mind magic to disrupt enemies and bolster allies. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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
- ~~Psychic~~ Ascendant Mind Class- A sensitive class which uses a variety of means to unlock psychic might. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + 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, +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, +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, +6 + Con HP
- Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Thaumaturge~~ Wild Mage Class- A volatile class that trades control 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, +5 + Con HP
- Vigilante Class- A secretive class that pursues excellence in two different identities as a civilian and a hero. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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
- Sphere Witch Class- An occult class that draws its power from a shadowy patron and their hexes. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +3 + Con HP
- Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
  - Feline Heritage- Grants catlike features, including speed, finesse, perception, and the ability to communicate with felines.
- 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.
  - Draconic Heritage (Esoteric)- Imbues Taylor a fraction of an Esoteric Dragon's power, allowing her to daze foes several times a day.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Alertness- Improves alertness, improving physical perception and social acuity.
- Toughness- Improves toughness, increasing the amount of physical damage one can endure.
Empty 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.
Endless 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.
Pure 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.
Hungry 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.

So, things have been a bit rough lately. Between my leaky house and my new job offer, I've had a lot to do and not a lot of time to write, so thank you all for being patient. Things might continue to be a little slow for a while, since I'm going to be moving across the country, finding and moving into a new apartment, etc. That does not mean it will stop. At the very least I want to get to the next chapter of Taylor's life, which has been on the horizon for like ten posts now. That one starts with Taylor's first real caped activity, so pretty soon, I hope?

FallingLeft · Jan 20, 2023

Evasion will be invaluable against shakers. Also Lung and Bakuda will become much less lethal encounters

Thaumaterge · Feb 22, 2023

Chapter 3.17 Decision

[x] A Little Social Acuity Couldn't Hurt
-[x] Scout: Discern Tells- Grants improved insight into others and improved awareness of feints.
-[x] Mastery: Alertness- Improves alertness, improving physical perception and social acuity.
-[x] Mastery: 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] 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

'She's Sorry?' Taylor belatedly parsed Madison's words as the world faded out around her. She still couldn't quite believe it. If the girl was sorry now, why hadn't she been sorry when it mattered? More importantly, if she wanted to apologize, why couldn't she have done it before Taylor made a fool of herself in front of the entire school! Taylor hissed to herself. No, that last part was her fault. She should have told Madison to leave immediately rather than just… letting her talk. Even if she believed the girl, hell even if she really was sorry (and she did honestly seem to be), that didn't mean Taylor was willing to trust her.

She nodded at the resolution, then grimaced as another thought made itself known. She wasn't okay with trusting Madison, but Sophia was fine? Well, no. She wasn't really trusting Sophia either. She just had information and powers that made cooperation valuable. Madison… also had valuable information, and arguably the power to get more. Plus she wasn't openly malicious like Sophia. Urgh. What was she doing? Was she really finding excuses to surround herself with traitorous bitches that might turn on her at any time? Next thing she knew she'd be inviting Emma back into her life.

That… Taylor shuddered, both at the though and the distant attraction of getting her oldest friend back. Involuntarily, she recalled the desperate and manic look on the girl's face when they last fought. She hadn't been in her right mind then, maybe for a long time before then too. What if… No. No thinking about it. Taylor had more important things to think about. Like the spheres! Well, two spheres and two marbles, but still. Powers were more important than people.

The first marble was from the dagger sphere- or the Scout sphere, as it called itself- and it was pretty short. Just another data point to prove that marbles didn't need to be long to introduce more questions than answers. The proposition was simple enough: A bonus to "Sense Motive" equal to half of her "Perception" "Ranks". It sounded useful enough. Taylor definitely wanted to understand the motives of those around her. She could even intuit some of the rest. "Ranks", for example, were probably some way of ranking her on a skill, hopefully but not certainly worth +1 each. The problem of course was determining how many she had and how she could get more, since this marble's value was completely dependant on how much and how fast she could scale it up. Well, she already knew one way; Apparently every Scout Sphere marble (and probably the sphere itself granted a rank in the Stealth sphere. Unfortunately, that wasn't that helpful here. It also raised the question of what the numbers themselves meant. Two Perception ranks were worth +1 Sense Motive, which was one fifth of what was required for a low difficulty like setting a trap with the trap sphere, but much less of the other "DC"s she'd seen.

The next marble- a silver mirrored one- contained part of an answer to the question of comparative worth. It offered a +2 bonus to both Perception and Sense Motive for a total of four, plus it doubled in value if she had ten or more ranks in those skills. The scaling was much slower- +1 per 5 ranks instead of two- but the initial value could very easily make it worth more in the short term depending on how many ranks she already had. No sphere levels from this marble though, which was something to consider. Even if the Scout Sphere's marble looked lackluster compared to this, she also had to consider how it would power up all the other Scout marbles… Yeah, this one was probably still better.

The third orb was a bronze mirror, which meant boosts. In this case, the nervous and wide-eyed version of Taylor in the mirror represented an increase in… wisdom? How did that make any sense? Luckily, this marble out of all of them came with a qualitative explanation of what the 'Attribute' meant! Including, of course, another table. Apparently 'Wisdom' here wasn't the same time-earned experience she normally associated with the word, but instead a sort of conglomeration of willpower, intuition and perceptiveness. It wasn't a quality that Taylor would put as her highest priority, but apparently it did contribute to a number of different skills including the ones featured in the previous two marbles- 'Perception' and 'Sense Motive' along with 'Heal', 'Survival' and the strangely broad 'Profession'. The contribution in this case was +3, almost as much as the prior silver marble with much broader applicability (assuming it was one-to-one of course).

Then there was the table. It was probably the most useful part of the whole description, though the brief mentions of what Taylor had to assume were Classes were nice too. Ten was average apparently, typical for humans, 'Lizardfolk', and 'Phantom Fungus', and represented the ability to make reasonable decisions… most of the time. If scores were one-to-one with bonuses (and why wouldn't they be), that made DC 5 a trivial difficulty and DC 15 pretty hard. Taking this orb would push from that level to 'can sense when a person is upset'. Actually, wasn't that pretty obvious? Maybe she was already there, and it'd enable her to 'get hunches when a situation doesn't feel right'. That would be useful. Taylor lingered for a moment on the lists of creatures that exemplified each score. Really, if she needed any more convincing that there was a whole world behind her powers, this would do it. 'Owlbear'? 'Androsphinx'? What even was a 'Couatl'? The unicorn might be a bit too girly for her, but maybe if she ever managed to get over there she might be able to find a griffon or something, to satisfy that ancient fantasy. As for the classes… Ranger (Texas Ranger or Aragorn?) and Druid didn't sound too bad, but Monk sounded a bit too pacifistic and she'd never been one for religion.

Moving on, the last sphere on offer was a somewhat familiar one, a starry sphere with an image of a clawed hand. This was… the Changer sphere, right? Yeah, that was right. She could change herself or others into a 'Blank Form', which seemed to just be their own body, and then add on one or two of a few different features. Claws, fangs, pincers… and the real prize, 'Darkvision'. Compared to the Darkness sphere, Taylor would have say it was inferior at first glance. Lower duration, less synergy (apparently her punching skills wouldn't work with horns), and no ability to disrupt her foes. There was, however, the theme to consider. She could imagine a whole bunch of useful and versatile physical changes to get and give others; gecko feet to climb walls, spider spinnerets to tie up criminals, or even simpler stuff like leathery protective skin. All of those were in-theme for Alteration. For Darkness though, Taylor was hard-pressed to think of much that was useful, aside from maybe the ability to block lasers.

So, which one was the best. Of the three relating to perception and… insight, the 'Wisdom' boost was obviously the best. It was the fourth sphere though that was the doozy. On the one hand, she only wanted a small bit of it, and the rest wasn't useful to her. On the other, the part that she wanted was pretty essential to vigilante activity, and its marbles were probably better than the other way she had of getting the same thing. That might be beside the point though. She'd just passed up on the alternative, so this was probably her last chance to see in the dark for a while. Taylor reached out to the sphere, but paused.

There was another factor to consider. Based on the number of perception-related options, the souls were probably trying to guide her in that direction. She hummed in indecision, not agreeing with their priorities and feeling that darkvision slipping away. Was this the time to be making a peace offering, or was it the reason she insisted on a varied offering? Did she really need darkvision right now, or could she wait for it to come back around? Her meeting with Sophia was tomorrow evening. That was an important deadline. It wasn't supposed to involve fighting, but this was Sophia she was thinking about. Taylor half expected the girl to use "Explaining our powers" as an excuse to fight, either her or whatever gangbangers happened to be nearby. The skill stuff though might help her feel out the PRT at testing, which was more immediate if only just. Then again… ugh. Taylor sighed. She was overthinking things, she just knew it. The right solution was obviously to take the peace offering for now and ask for a solution to fighting in the dark next.

She took a deep breath, asking the question while simultaneously taking the Wisdom boost sphere. "Um, could you give me a way to fight at night next time? Ideally something with good marbles down the line too" Color took shape around Taylor, and she braced for the awkward embarrassment of her predicament, the agony having only been postponed. She opened her eyes (when did she close them?) to a silent cafeteria. Too many eyes, staring at her, paying attention to her. Taylor's every instinct told her to hide, to leave the room and lose her inevitable pursuers in the hallways.

But she wasn't that Taylor anymore. She was strong. She was pretty. She had just improved her Will, whatever that meant in practical terms. Holding her breath, she braved the silence, waiting for one second, then two. Slowly, the chatter started up again, causing Taylor to give thanks to teenagers' short attention spans. The nearby busybodies were probably still paying attention, but the majority of the lunchgoers had more important things to worry about than one girl's dining table outburst.

Taking several deep breaths, Taylor slowly opened her eyes, turning her focus from the surrounding gawkers to the problem in front of her. Madison was small, made even smaller than usual by her cringing hunch. She seemed to have taken Taylor's silence as an indictment. Taylor wasn't going to correct her, despite the uncomfortable twist in her chest. It should have felt good, to watch a former bully cower before her judgment. It should have felt like justice. And it did, sort of, but mostly she felt an uncomfortable symmetry. Like she was the bully this time. That girl really was dangerously cute.

"Lets say I believe you-" As the first words left her mouth, Taylor knew she'd messed up. Madison squeezed, emitting a high-pitched sound loud enough to make Taylor flinch backwards.

"Oooh! Thank you- Thank you! I really am sorry for all that stuff I did!" The downtrodden look on her face disappeared as though it had never been, replaced with a cheery earnestness that made Taylor wonder if the fear was ever real in the first place. "Like, uh, the chewing gum thing. I didn't know it was going to be that bad. Or the name calling! I didn't mean it, I swear!" Familiar anxieties resurfaced. Was this just an attempt to manipulate her? Was Madison just trying to get her to lower her guard?

"If you didn't mean it, then why did you do it?" The reminders were useful, Taylor found, in hardening her heart. She needed to be objective here. If Madison was just a fair-weather social climber trying to take advantage of her, she needed to know. Her narrowed eyes looked over the other girl with renewed suspicion, finding signs of discomfort and perhaps guilt, but not outright deception.

"Oh, well, um…" That set Madison on the back foot, looking down at the table and twirling a finger around her hair. "I just… didn't think it was a big deal?" Taylor's lips turned down into a frown. "Look, it was like, I mean, you acted like a loser, alright? But you're not anymore! So…"

Taylor stared as Madison trailed off. "So it was okay if I were a loser? It's okay to pick on losers?" The comparisons between Sophia and Madison were creeping back, despite the multitude of differences.

"Well, no, but… You know. It happens"

I know it happens! It happened to me!" Madison flinched at Taylor's biting tone, but she didn't let that stop her this time. "Why. Did. You. Do. It?"

"It wasn't just me?" She quailed under Taylor's glare. "Look, I'm sorry" Madison was practically whining at this point, somehow cute and pitiable even in that state. "It's not my fault! Not all of it. Emma was calling the shots!" It still wasn't a good excuse, though still more convincing than it should have been.

"Madison…" The aforementioned girl gave her puppy eyes, making Taylor grit her teeth. "...alright. Just make sure it doesn't happen again" She sighed, giving in. It was just as she had considered before. Sure, she probably couldn't trust Madison, but if she restricted herself to only talking to people she trusted she'd always be alone. Even her father was willing to go around behind her back if he thought it was for her own good. Madison might also not be the most moral of… subordinates? Associates? Not friends, certainly. Regardless, she'd already compromised on that point too, with Sophia. Really, there was no part of that calculation that didn't apply here as well. There was no reason not to let her hang around.

With that, it was settled. Despite Taylor's dissatisfaction, there was no way she could justify pushing her away. She was just going to have to suffer the unfairly cute girl's presence. And suffer she did. Honestly, as nice as Madison looked, she never stopped talking. It was almost nice for the first little while. Madison pivoted just as rapidly from topic to topic as she had from fear to cheer, and she carried with her an energy that Taylor could only envy. What she could not do was keep up. Oh, she tried for a while. Some of the gossip was even interesting and useful, but by the end of the day she was in no condition to pay attention to anything that came out of the other girl's lips. The words just washed over her like the tide, each one taking with it more and more of her energy. By the time Taylor found her way to the bus, she was already holding in her yawns and rethinking her decision on the basis of personal well-being.

She couldn't afford to succumb to exhaustion though. The messages were still flickering in her field of view, each a potentially critical piece of information. Jamming a fingernail into her palm, she forced herself to focus, engaging her memory power just in case. …Well, it was relieving to see the souls considering her reaction to the spheres in much the same way she had theirs, and that she was on the right track regarding the 'game mechanics' being just an attempt to explain her power. Taylor couldn't focus on those messages though- in front of her was exactly the information she'd been asking for. It was lucky, she reflected, reading through the detailed message, that she was memorizing this with her power since she definitely would have missed something without it. The message contained information about some of the terms she'd found confusing, like the amount of time it would take to perform some actions and what exactly the 'Saves' were and did. Truthfully they were only made a little clearer due to the translation issues and patchyness, but she appreciated the effort. The most important bit though was the exposition about the casting tradition- which apparently consisted of a set of drawbacks used to purchase benefits.

Some of the listed drawbacks looked fine, but some were definitely not. Not being able to use her powers outside of a building was completely useless- heck, even a city! She didn't see herself being able to leave Brockton Bay with the way things were, but still! Needing a hand free was fine though, especially since she was picking powers that boosted her unarmed combat skills, and so was the concentration. She'd just gotten a perk that improved her ability to concentrate too, so that was a pretty natural pick. Needing to speak and producing special effects were probably okay too, especially if she ended up joining the Wards. She wasn't exactly a Stranger after all, and even if she did want to sneak around there were always her red sphere abilities for that. The dead magic zone one might be fine too, if that was all it did… wait, no! That might end up with her being unable to heal people in a hospital, which would be a disaster. Needing to draw a diagram was fantastic by contrast, and she hadn't even known that her powers stayed on while she was asleep! Losing that was hardly a sacrifice at all.

Then there were the really bad ones. The ones that would actually hurt her, or require her to hurt others. Most of those were right out, with the possible exception of the bleeding one since she was pretty tough and could heal herself pretty easily. Even that one though, she probably couldn't justify taking. Nobody would think she was a hero if she went everywhere covered in her own blood. That would make any number of things a nightmare. The others were even worse. Getting addicted to power? There was already too much chance of that, better not to make it literal. Same with losing her sanity. Getting older sounded attractive for a moment or two, but this was a drawback- it'd probably turn her into a crone rather than an adult.

Of the drawbacks, only one looked attractive at all. Even if it was only a small boost, Taylor could think of a large number of ways to have three creatures affected by her spells at once- she'd just need a few mice and a waist pack and she'd be set for the whole day, since her shield sphere power could last for hours. The others looked decent in an emergency, but she'd rather not get near death to begin with, let alone start bleeding out. Still, the bleeding one sounded like it had some synergies…

Perhaps the oddest part of the whole message though was the example tradition. Initially, Taylor thought it was a nonsequiter. Just a description to tie together the listed drawbacks and boons (which notably included some that weren't described in the section before it). But… that didn't make sense with the context of what she knew. It should be the reverse, with the drawbacks and whatever else describing a pre-existing tradition. Taylor frowned, head bouncing back and forth with the movement of the bus, considering the conundrum as the message in question faded away to be replaced by another.

Luckily there were no shortage of other messages on the same topic (plus the normal amount of capitalized dragon propaganda). It looked like it wasn't what she'd subconsciously assumed; They weren't asking for her to build a whole new tradition of magic that the perk would then teach her- instead, they were asking for search criteria to determine what existing traditions she would accept. The drawbacks were just… characteristics and limitations, written out so that she could rule out certain traits more easily. Taylor snorted as the bus jerked to a halt, using the change in momentum to propel her upright. That was the danger of the game mechanics. She'd been lured into the mindset of putting together a character, but this wasn't a game system where the pieces could be slapped together like legos. This was a whole world, with its own histories and traditions. There was a lot of diversity there- probably- but not infinite diversity. She could request certain traits and rule out others, but the more specific she got the fewer traditions there were that might match, and the less control she'd have over the actual results of the tradition.

Like, taking the Hunter tradition for example. It was pretty simple, with only three drawbacks, but there were probably several other traditions with those same three drawbacks, ones that drew power from different gods (and wasn't it weird to think of gods existing at all, let alone multiple gods) or even other sources entries. If Taylor wanted those three drawbacks specifically, the souls could probably choose between Hunter and… cultist of Cthulu or something, and that meant she'd probably be less likely to end up waking up a Lovecraftian entity from under the sea. Not that that could really be worse than Leviathan, but that was beside the point.

Basically, Taylor thought as she pondered her way down the sidewalks of her neighborhood, she shouldn't really be mashing together all the drawbacks she thought she could handle. Instead, she should be looking at the examples and trying to explain to the souls what kind of magic she wanted to have and what drawbacks would be acceptable. Luckily, there were a lot of drawbacks, and even a few useful explanations of what some of the terms actually meant. Particularly useful was the revelation that traditions could draw from three of her boostable attributes- including, strangely, the one she associated with looking good. She wouldn't be using that one though. Intelligence seemed to be associated with actual understanding of magic, and assuming she believed that was what this was, she definitely didn't want to be fumbling blindly.

Of the three types of magic laid out by the messages, Taylor wasn't sure which one she preferred. Arcane was the one she was most comfortable with, since it would hopefully let her understand what was going on a bit better, but Psychic might help her come to grips with herself. As much as she hated to admit it, she'd let her fear and mistrust control her more than a few times in the past few days, and she hated being controlled. And then there was Divine. Taylor was tempted to dismiss it as she had organized religion in the past, but this was magic she was thinking about! The message was talking about getting power from another being, not from faith alone- whatever they worshiped over there really existed! If she could get the attention of such a being, convince it to work its miracles on Brockton Bay… well, that would be heroism on a scale she couldn't imagine accomplishing otherwise. The problem was, as always, trust. Asking for a Divine tradition here would mean putting her power fully in the hands of someone she'd never met, never even heard of (aside from maybe tangential messages about an unnamed dragon god)! What if they were a bad god, like so many of the messages hinted at? It was like some kind of blind sugar daddy matchmaking service, Taylor realized, gagging slightly as she shut the front door behind her. Still, the potential…

That decision could wait, she decided, yawning as she dumped her backpack on the couch. Right now she had to update her notebook and make a list. Then get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a big day after all. Even the thought made Taylor tense up. Testing during the day, possibly including Brandish and Panacea, and then an evening meeting with Sophia… She groaned to herself before pushing the anxiety to the back of her mind with limited success. Even as she sat down to re-read her memorized messages, it nagged at her. What should she be showing the PRT? Should she hold back, just in case she needed mana with Sophia? Would that weaken Dad's negotiating position or strengthen it? Actually, what should she be showing Sophia? She already knew about- No, no, focus!

Distractedly, Taylor put down a bulleted list of all the drawbacks she knew about along with pros and cons. Then, chewing on her eraser, she went down the list, giving each one a check, an ex, or a circle for yes, no and maybe. Anything that required her to do something with her hands was probably fine, whether holding something, drawing, or whatever since she didn't really need them to fight. The ones that made her powers loud and flashy were probably also okay since she wasn't a Stranger and didn't really want to sneak around like a villain. The ones that would hurt or disable her were noes- she was tough and used to pain, but some of those effects could be fatal in a fight depending on how serious they actually were. The ones that required more concentration and mental or emotional control were tentative yesses- yes if they would teach her that control, not if they just required her to have it already. Definite no on anything that might out her in her civilian life, by changing her appearance of visibly cursing her or whatever. Then there was the miscellaneous stuff, like having to put mana into spheres before being able to use them, or having her powers fail when she fell asleep. Mostly fine.

With the last check noted down in her journal, Taylor tossed her pencil down with another explosive yawn. There was more she wanted to do of course- there was always more- but that could wait. For now, she desperately needed a nap, at least until dad got home. Not even bothering to take off her sweater, Taylor flopped into bed and pulled the blankets haphazardly over herself. In moments she was gone.

Inside her locker, Taylor Hebert pounded desperately on the door. There was no way out. She could feel it, the wetness soaking her shoes and rising up her legs. There was no way out. She could hear them, jeering at poor helpless Hebert as the water continued to rise. There was no way out! She screamed and cried, but there way nothing she could do. There was no way out! There was nobody she could call. There was nothing she could use. There! Was! No! Way! Out!

Taylor woke, gasping for breath, to the sound of a door opening.

Wisdom Boost Chosen! Other Spheres Moved to the Discard!
Choose Four Orbs, Spheres and Talents

Orb of Might- TAKEN
- Alchemy Sphere- TAKEN
  - Cluster Toss- Speeds alchemical item usage, allowing two to be used at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Alchemy level
  - Dynamite Throwing Form- Infuses thrown items with strength, allowing them to strike as hard as one's fists. +1 Alchemy level
  - Fireworks- Infuses thrown items with propellant, allowing them to travel further. +1 Alchemy level
  - Master Chemist- Grants access to alchemical poisons, which may be ingested, inhaled, contact-based, or applied to weapons. +1 Alchemy level
  - Snap Toss- Dramatically speeds alchemical item usage at the cost of focus. +1 Alchemy level
  - Extra Formulae- Grants the formula for Alchemist's Fire and Improved Alchemist's Fire, a potent flame-based grenade. Also grants access to further [Formulae] talents. +1 Alchemy level
- 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
  - Endurance- Substantially improves endurance of extreme temperatures, harsh labor, and deprivation of food, water, or air. Also grants the ability to sleep well in poor conditions.
- 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
- 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
  - Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so Refocus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
  - More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
- Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
  - Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina. +1 Open Hand Level
- 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
- Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
Orb of Power- TAKEN
- Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure a~~n extraplanar creature~~ Dragon 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
- Death Sphere- TAKEN
  - Corpse Bomb- Increases resonance between Death sphere abilities, allowing ghost strikes to expand over an area through the sacrifice of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Corpse Manipulation- Grants the ability to modify dead bodies in several ways, growing, removing, or shaping their flesh. +1 Death Level
  - Cryptic Strike- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to be delivered with weapon or unarmed strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Empowered Reanimate- Improves reanimated undead, granting them increased strength and staying power. +1 Death Level
  - Expanded Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing several varieties of zombies and skeletons to be created. +1 Death Level
  - Gravetongue- Grants the ability to speak to corpses and undead, which recall only what they perceive after their deaths. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Reanimate- Improves reanimation to allow control of a much larger number of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Haunting Apparition- Improves ghost strike, allowing it to invisibly haunt a location as a trap. +1 Death Level
  - Icy Grip- Improves ghost strike, allowing controlled undead to deliver it in your stead. +1 Death Level
  - Instill Death- Allows the creation of consumable items that can reanimate corpses or be thrown as splash ghost strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Killing Curse- Improves ghost strikes, causing creatures subject to multiple strikes in a short period to die instantly. +1 Death Level
  - Mass Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, allowing the reanimation of multiple corpses at once and the use of ghost strikes to affect an area. +1 Death Level
  - Ranged Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, extending their range. +1 Death Level
  - Sustained Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing undead to be sustained using concentration and for longer durations. +1 Death Level
  - Taint Soul- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to hinder or disable healing and regeneration. +1 Death Level
  - Tomb of Flesh- Grants the ability to absorb multiple undead or a single opponent into oneself. The living are harmed by this, while undead are only stored. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Dominion- Grants an ability related to control or creation of undead, and unlocks other [Dominion] talents. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Ghost Strike- Grants an alternate form of ghost strike and unlocks other [Ghost Strike] talents. +1 Death Level
- Destruction Sphere- Grants the ability to fire a damaging energy projectile. +1 Destruction level, +1 SP
- Divination Sphere- TAKEN
  - Alarm- Grants the ability to create a sensor that guards an area, producing an alarm when its divination detects a target of interest. +1 Divination level.
  - Expanded Divination- Expands the breadth of divination, allowing access to a wider variety of divinations. +1 Divination level.
  - Grant Divinations- Allows magical senses to be granted to others. +1 Divination level.
  - Greater Divine- Extends the range of the Divine ability substantially. +1 Divination level.
  - Instill Divination- Allows Divination sphere abilities to be instilled into consumable items. +1 Divination level.
  - Lingering Divination- Extends the duration of the Divine ability, causing it to linger after concentration has ended. +1 Divination level.
  - Revealing Strike- Allows a weapon to be infused with divination, which may inflict a Sense or Divine ability upon its target or allow a Divine ability to be quickly used on the target. +1 Divination level.
  - Extra Divination- Allows divining for the qualitative results of a chosen course of action, and grant access to further [Divine] talents. +1 Divination level.
  - Additional Senses- Grants the ability to see without sight, and grants access to further [Sense] talents. +1 Divination level.
- 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- TAKEN
  - Adrenaline Surge- Grants the ability to overpower a Life effect, enabling the target(s) to immediately perform a simple action. +1 Life Level
  - Affliction- Allows the Cure ability to be inverted, dealing negative energy damage and inflicting exhaustion instead of healing. +1 Life Level
  - Break Enchantment- Grants the ability to selectively remove power-based effects from a target of Restore instead of the other applications, though at increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Clarified Strike- Allows Life sphere abilities to be delivered with weapon or unarmed attacks. +1 Life Level
  - Deeper Healing- Greatly improves the effectiveness of Cure and Invigorate. +1 Life Level
  - Diagnose- Grants the ability to swiftly recognize the conditions affecting nearby creatures, and to more slowly spend magic to learn the details of their source. +1 Life Level
  - Empathic Healing- Grants the ability to mitigate the costs of Cure and Restore by taking the damage and conditions upon oneself. +1 Life Level
  - Esoteric Healing- Grants the ability to heal and restore constructs and undead. +1 Life Level
  - Fount of Life- Grants the ability to store healing for more efficient and powerful usage later. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Invigorate- Greatly improves Invigorate and allows it to grant vitality beyond what the body could normally support. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Restore- Grants the ability to overpower Restore, allowing it to restore multiple areas at once. +1 Life Level
  - Instill Life- Grants the ability to store an expensive use of the Life sphere within a liquid or food, allowing its consumption to trigger the stored effect. +1 Life Level
  - Latent Healing- Grants the ability to store a use of the Life sphere within a target, allowing them to trigger it when they wish. +1 Life Level
  - Lingering Resilience- Improves Cure and Restore such that they grant some resistance to the removed conditions and healed damage. +1 Life Level
  - Mass Healing- Grants the ability to overpower Life sphere abilities, allowing them to affect additional targets. +1 Life Level
  - Painkiller- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to permanently heal bruises and other superficial damage. +1 Life Level
  - Ranged Healing- Allows Life sphere abilities to be used at short range rather than requiring touch. +1 Life Level
  - Restorative Cure- Grants the ability to mingle Cure and Restore at a greater cost, applying both with a single touch. +1 Life Level
  - Revitalize- Allows Cure to instead grant regeneration, healing more over a longer period of time. +1 Life Level
  - Self-Renewal- Greatly speeds self-healing at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Stabilizing Invigoration- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to stabilize dying creatures and potentially halt bleeding. +1 Life Level
  - Sudden Invigoration- Greatly speeds Invigoration at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Taste of Victory- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities at an increased cost when used immediately after striking a worthy foe. +1 Life Level
  - Violent Recuperation- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities when a new source of damage is completely mitigated. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Cure- Improves Cure and increases the versatility of Restore. Unlocks other [Cure] talents. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Vitality- Grants various benefits to targets of Life sphere abilities. Unlocks other [Vitality] talents. +1 Life Level
- Mind Sphere (Inner Focus)- TAKEN
  - Charming Strike- Allows charms to be conveyed through violent force, afflicting those struck by an attack. +1 Mind Level
  - Expanded Charm- Improves charm versatility, allowing the charming of all creatures with a mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Instill Charm- Allows charms to be stored in a consumable medium, triggering when consumed. +1 Mind Level
  - Mass Charm- Improves charm size, allowing more creatures to be affected at increased cost. +1 Mind Level
  - Mental Backdoor- Improves charm insidiousness, reducing resistance in a target affected by an initial charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Powerful Charm- Improves charm power, allowing them to be overpowered at increased cost for increased effect.
  - Psychic Vengeance- Allows one to respond to a failed mental intrusion with a fast charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Ranged Mind- Improves charm range from close to medium range. +1 Mind Level
  - Subtlety- Improves charm subtlety, forcing even those who resist to ignore some attempts. +1 Mind Level
  - Amnesia [Charm]- Grants the ability to remove a target's most recent memories. +1 Mind Level
  - Calm [Charm]- Grants the ability to suppress a target's violent emotions. +1 Mind Level
  - Candor [Charm]- Grants the ability to compel a target to speak only truth. +1 Mind Level
  - Cerebral Strike [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause intense migraines in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Command [Charm]- Grants the ability to briefly take command of a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Confusion [Charm]- Grants the ability to scramble a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Courage [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire a target to great action. +1 Mind Level
  - Disrupt Focus [Charm]- Grants the ability to make concentration difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Enthrall [Charm]- Grants the ability to temporarily befriend a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Esteem [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire confidence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Fascinate [Charm]- Grants the ability to occupy a target's attention. +1 Mind Level
  - Fear [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause fear in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Gestures [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's movement. +1 Mind Level
  - Hostility [Charm]- Grants the ability to drive a target to rage. +1 Mind Level
  - Inception [Charm]- Grants the ability to adjust a target's knowledge. +1 Mind Level
  - Inspiration [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire competence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Shield [Charm]- Grants the ability to shield a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Spy [Charm]- Grants the ability to hijack a target's senses. +1 Mind Level
  - Paralyze [Charm]- Grants the ability to hinder a target's actions. +1 Mind Level
  - Project Thoughts [Charm]- Grants the ability to telepathically communicate. +1 Mind Level
  - Read Mind [Charm]- Grants the ability to read a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Recommend [Charm]- Grants the ability to help a target recover from mistakes. +1 Mind Level
  - Sleep [Charm]- Grants the ability to put a target to sleep. +1 Mind Level
  - Utterances [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's speech. +1 Mind Level
  - Vision [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce hallucinations. +1 Mind Level
  - Wrack [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce disturbing sensations. +1 Mind Level
  - Cloud Mind- Grants the ability to affect minds in an area. Also unlocks other [Cloud] talents. +1 Mind Level
  - Polyglot- Grants the ability to rapidly learn a language on a temporary basis. +1 Mind Level
  - Terrifying Mind- Grants mental countermeasures against intrusion, causing fear in intruding minds and making intrusion more difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Over Matter- Allows pain and suffering to be forestalled with mental discipline and spell points, delaying damage taken.
- Nature Sphere- TAKEN
  - Deep Nature- Extends Nature sphere abilities, allowing them to persist even after concentration ends. +1 Nature Level
  - Expanded Geomancing- Expands the scope of the Nature sphere, granting access to another element. +1 Nature Level
  - Ranged Geomancy- Extends the range of the Nature sphere. +1 Nature Level
  - Wild Instinct- Improves instinct while attuned to nature, allowing one to dodge unseen attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Create Nature- Grants the ability to rapidly grow plant life to maturity, up to medium-sized trees. +1 Nature Level
  - Elevated Nature- Improves the reach of grown plants, allowing them to grasp at flying creatures. +1 Nature Level
  - Hazardous Terrain- Improves abilities that affect terrain, granting them further disruptive and damaging capability. +1 Nature Level
  - Manipulate Nature- Grants the ability to use greenery to create a protective shelter. +1 Nature Level
  - Nature Lord- Improves the scope of geomancing abilities, allowing larger areas and trees to be affected. +1 Nature Level
  - Plant Mastery- Improves control over plant life, allowing more plants to be used and for fruits to be imbued with healing energy. +1 Nature Level
  - Pummel Mastery- Allows plants to be controlled more easily, and for striking foliage to be imbued with various effects. +1 Nature Level
  - Purify Nature- Grants the ability to purify food, making rotten, poisoned, and diseased food edible. +1 Nature Level
  - Repress Element- Allows plant matter to be temporarily removed from reality, weaning items and being relying on it. +1 Nature Level
  - Thrown Pummel- Allows controlled trees to make ranged attacks. +1 Nature Level
  - Natural Spirit- Grants the ability to make use of a chosen spiritual ability. Also unlocks further [Spirit] talents. +1 Nature Level
- Protection Sphere- TAKEN
  - Buttressing- Allows created barriers to be quickly repaired. +1 Protection Level
  - Community- Allows damage taken by protected allies to be distributed among protected allies at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Continuous Ward- Improves wards, enabling them to pass through solid objects and provide full protection against incorporeal and burrowing foes. +1 Protection Level
  - Distant Protection- Extends the range of Protection sphere abilities. +1 Protection Level
  - Durable Barrier- Improves barriers, causing them to resist a small amount of physical damage, or all damage at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Enduring Protection- Improves wards to last longer when maintained with power. +1 Protection Level
  - Glyph- Grants the ability to turn wards into magical traps that can be activated later. +1 Protection Level
  - Greater Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to be created in the form of flat surfaces and dramatically improving their toughness at a cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Instill Aegis- Allows Aegises to be instilled into a consumable, granting their benefits to the consuming creature. +1 Protection Level
  - Mass Aegis- Grants the ability to protect multiple people with the same Aegis at additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Reactive Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to harm enemies or bolster allies when broken. +1 Protection Level
  - Selective Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing allies and allied attacks to pass through at an additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Shaped Ward- Improves wards, allowing them to be created in more shapes. +1 Protection Level
  - Shared Aegis- Improves aegises, allowing them to extend beyond their beneficiaries and affect nearby allies as well. +1 Protection Level
  - Status- Grants knowledge of the location and state of allies under an aegis. +1 Protection Level
  - Extra Aegis- Grants a new way to protect allies. Also unlocks further [Aegis] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - More Ward- Grants a new way to Ward an area. Also unlocks further [Ward] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - Succor- Grants the ability to sacrifice an Aegis to provide some instantaneous benefit to the recipient. Also unlocks further [Succor] Talents. +1 Protection Level
- Telekinesis Sphere- TAKEN
  - Acceleration [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic speed in a straightaway, and impact afterwards. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Dampening Field- Allows lifted objects and creatures to be protected from damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Dancing Weapon [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing weapons to be wielded rather than merely swung. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Divided Mind [Bludgeon]- Improves multitasking, allowing multiple smaller objects to be lifted simultaneously. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Excessive Force [Bludgeon]- Allows lifted objects to be smashed more violently into stationary scenery, dealing severe damage. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Finesse- Allows telekinesis to be used for delicate tasks, though with less skill than true limbs. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Flight- Allows telekinetic control of lifted creatures to be passed to them, granting them effective flight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Floating Shield- Allows lifted shields to be used protectively, defending nearby allies. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Forceful Telekinesis [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic force, increasing the damage of lifted objects and people. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Greater Speed- Improves telekinetic speed, allowing lifted objects to be moved further. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Idle Concentration- Improves telekinetic efficiency, allowing telekinetic control to be maintained more easily if subjects are still. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Increased Range- Improves telekinetic range, allowing farther-away objects to be affected. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Field- Allows telekinetic force to be spread over an area to hinder enemies or protect allies. Also unlocks other [Field] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Kinetic Sense- Improves sensory telekinesis, allowing it to be used in lieu of sight and without the aid of sight. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mobile Bludgeon [Bludgeon]- Improves telekinetic momentum, allowing lifted objects to keep moving after impact. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Orbit- Allows lifted objects to be set into a passive orbit, granting easy access without occupying hands. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Parry- Improves the Catch function of Telekinesis, allowing it to prevent melee attacks, though not to steal weapons without assistance. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Quick Reactions- Dramatically speeds defensive telekinesis, though at increased cost. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Return- Improves the Catch function, allowing caught projectiles to be returned to their origin. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Sweeping Bludgeon [Bludgeon]- Allows lifted objects to sweep across an area, forcing their target to dodge reflexively. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Crush- Improves the strength of telekinesis, allowing it to passively damage lifted objects. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Maneuver- Improves telekinetic dexterity, allowing many combat maneuvers to be performed using telekinesis. Also unlocks other [Manuever] talents. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Telekinetic Tools- Allows the creation of tools and weapons made of force, useful for many purposes. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Whirlwind Assembly- Improves telekinetic speed near the body, allowing minor tasks about one's person to be carried out with great speed. +1 Telekinesis Level
  - Mind Limb- Grants a weak telekinetic limb that can nonetheless aid in minor tasks without occupying the main hands.
- 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
- Improved Cantrips- Improves the basic Cantrips ability, increasing the damage dealt, the amount of matter that can be manipulated or created, and the precision of lights and sounds.
- Third Eye- Grants the ability to open one's third eye, granting the ability to read others' aura and improving perception of magical effects.
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
- ~~Alchemist~~ Mortal Chemist Construct Rider- A learned class whose mastery of alchemy has spread to construct creation. +¾ BAB, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- 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, +6 + Con HP
- ~~Bard~~ Kung Fu Exemplar Class- A musical class whose mastery of arts and crafts extends into the martial realm. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Blacksmith~~ Fleshforger Class- A tough class just as good at breaking weapons and armor as it is at making ~~them~~ unnatural abominations. +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, +6 + Con HP
- Crimson Dancer Class- A bloodthirsty class that specializes in wearing down its foes and bleeding them dry. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
- Elementalist Class- A destructive class focused on bringing down foes with elemental power. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- Eliciter Class- A manipulative class that use their mind magic to disrupt enemies and bolster allies. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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
- ~~Psychic~~ Ascendant Mind Class- A sensitive class which uses a variety of means to unlock psychic might. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + 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, +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, +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, +6 + Con HP
- Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Thaumaturge~~ Wild Mage Class- A volatile class that trades control 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, +5 + Con HP
- Vigilante Class- A secretive class that pursues excellence in two different identities as a civilian and a hero. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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
- Sphere Witch Class- An occult class that draws its power from a shadowy patron and their hexes. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +3 + Con HP
- Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
  - Feline Heritage- Grants catlike features, including speed, finesse, perception, and the ability to communicate with felines.
- 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.
  - Draconic Heritage (Esoteric)- Imbues Taylor a fraction of an Esoteric Dragon's power, allowing her to daze foes several times a day.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Toughness- Improves toughness, increasing the amount of physical damage one can endure.
Empty 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.
Endless 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.
Pure 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.
Hungry 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.

So, here's what I forgot to write about last time, but it's still applicable now so I'll put it here instead.

Madison in this story is fundamentally a follower. She doesn't have much volition of her own, so she's easily drafted by the first sufficiently dominant and charismatic person to try- indeed, she subconsciously attaches herself to such people. She does still have her own morality- she did genuinely think what they were doing to Taylor was wrong- but it was minimized by Emma's presence and spread among the group, so even if what they were doing was really bad, her part in it was only a little bad. And plus, if Emma was doing it, it couldn't really be that bad, right? It's like that one friend of yours, who you know does some questionable things, but when you talk about it it always sounds like a funny story and not like an actual crime? And when you have doubts about jumping that fence into private property, they always know just what to say to assuage your worries? Yeah, it's like that.

Anyways, Emma is gone (for now) and Madison has been left (somewhat) alone, so she's found a new charismatic idol to follow. Now, part of this really is that she regrets her past actions and wants to make up for it… but (as hopefully shown in the chapter) she doesn't think it was really that bad. Just a little name calling, a few pranks. She doesn't really get the impact it had on Taylor, and Taylor isn't really inclined to make her understand.

The real question is what will happen when Emma comes back.

Thaumaterge · Mar 11, 2023

Chapter 3.18 Resumption

[X] Plan: Seeing the Unseen
-[X] Divination: Additional Senses- Grants the ability to see without sight, and grants access to further [Sense] talents. +1 Divination level.
-[X] Telekinesis: Kinetic Sense- Improves sensory telekinesis, allowing it to be used in lieu of sight and without the aid of sight. +1 Telekinesis Level
-[X] Nature: Wild Instinct- Improves instinct while attuned to nature, allowing one to dodge unseen attacks. +1 Nature Level
-[X] Conjuration Sphere- Grants the ability to conjure a~~n extraplanar creature~~ Dragon to serve as a servant and bodyguard. +1 Conjuration level, +1 SP

Taylor gasped, fragments of fading ceiling fading before her eyes as she sucked in nonexistant air. Her flicked around in a panic as she tried to control her racing heart-beat, catching on the set of four spheres. Her power space. This- it'd happened before. She struggled to recall, dragging together the scattered pieces of consciousness. A Nightmare. It had to be. No recollection of what it had been, but Taylor wasn't sure whether to be grateful or annoyed about that part. What else? She frowned, struggling to put together anything coherent from her brief glimpse of reality. There had be light, hadn't there? But was that from the hallway or the window? She'd heard a door, but was it the front door or her room? She let out a groan hybridized with a yawn. Urgh. Well, it probably didn't matter. She'd find out one way or another once she made her choice.

The first of those choices was from the Divination sphere, which was relieving. She had asked for something to help her see in the dark, and Divination was definitely a sphere related to seeing. Taylor read it. Then read it again. She frowned, blinking the sleep out of her eyes and tried for a third time, making sure to get every single word in the order that it was written. Where was the duration? Who could she use it on? Okay, sure, there was some ambiguity in the actual text itself, but 'Blindsight' was obviously a superior version of 'Blindsense', even if she didn't know exactly what either of those did right not. More concerning though was a lack of some pretty essential information- information, moreover, that had been present in every marble she'd see up till now.

Was it forever? Did she just have to close her eyes to… no, there was a 'spell point' cost; that didn't make sense. Wait. Taylor looked back up at the marble's title. "Blindfolded Oracle (Sense)" Oh. This wasn't a separate ability or boost, it was an alternate use of an already existing ability! That meant its duration and Manton limit was probably the same as… Taylor cast her mind back, trying to recall the specifics of the original Divination sphere's abilities. It had come before she got the perk that put everything in writing, so it was a little fuzzy. Hours, she remembered vaguely. That was how long the magic reading thing felt like it would last, though she couldn't remember if it could be used on other people or just herself. Regardless, this marble seemed like a good Thinker power that she could basically always have active- though if it did actually limit her to closing her eyes only once per 'round' Taylor would definitely be upset.

Kinetic Sense (Telekinesis)- Looks weaker than the prior one, both because its shorter duration and its slightly shorter range. It also doesn't grant blindsight, which could be important. However, it comes with an upgrade to an offensive power, one that allows her to use it on Strangers and on the other side of walls.
The next marble was from the Telekinesis sphere. It could also grant 'Blindsense' with a shorter range and duration, but that didn't seem to be the point of the power. The point was that it let her use telekinesis on things and people she couldn't see. Couldn't she already do that if she knew where they were? Feel around for them or something? Taylor frowned at that thought. Evidently not, if there was a whole marble about it. Not even if she had the Divination option, since her synergy-sense was telling her she needed this one to use her Telekinesis on anything she 'saw' with 'Blindsight' anyways. Yet another reason for power testing. Too bad she couldn't squeeze it in after school anymore- Dad would be on alert for it now. Well, maybe certain powers…

Taylor moved on to the next marble before she could finish that thought. It was a nature sphere marble that, when she concentrated on a Nature sphere power, provided her with the benefits of… whatever 'Uncanny Dodge' was. Scanning through the rest of the short marble, Taylor found no explanation of the words, save for a brief mention of 'Flank' used as a verb, and that 'Rogue Levels' were required to circumvent it. She vaguely recalled hearing the first word in history class at some point, and 'Rogue' could be a skill or a class or possibly an analogue to 'Caster Levels', but there was nothing she could confirm. Whatever the benefits were though, according to Taylor's power she was already going to get them from a different source- her Symbiat class. There probably wasn't any sort of stacking benefit either, since it was listed as a countersynergy. She wouldn't be taking this one, Taylor decided. Whatever the benefits were, she'd basically never see them until the marble was completely supplanted anyways.

The next sphere though was, in contrast to the other three offerings, enormous. Taylor her neck uncomfortably just to see down to the bottom of the text. The gist was the same as she remembered from the last time she saw it- she'd be able to summon a projection to protect her and do her bidding. Except, scanning down the page, the specifics seemed to have changed. Taylor might not have been able to see it all laid out the first time, but she thought she'd have remembered dragons! There were seven of them in all, with an enormous breadth of names and body types. Green, Silver, even Magma Dragons she could imagine- though an ooze-shaped dragon was still weird- but Dream? Underworld? Havoc? What kind of dragons was that, and why was its body type described as 'Vermin'? It was ridiculous. Were some of these even dragons at all?

The only commonality was that they all had 'Breath Weapons', which… did '2d8' damage per two 'Hit Dice' of one of four elemental types in a line or cone every '1d4' rounds… or half damage on a successful reflex save! Ha! That was what that did! It helped her avoid giant fire-breathing lizards! Taylor felt pretty good about picking that up now, since fire-breathing lizards were one of the biggest dangers in Brockton Bay. Grinning and giving herself a mental pat on the back, Taylor turned her attention back to the problem at hand. Dragons. Were they classified that way just because of their ability to breath Blaster powers? Was it possible that… no, wait, each dragon had its own set of attributes outlined below. Taylor's grin faded away. With only one exception, all of the dragons had an 'Int' of seven. Assuming it had the same scale as wisdom… Calling the power-preserved memory to mind, she felt an unsettling twist deep in her chest. "Seems to have no common sense" was a seven on the Wisdom scale, but it still described a lot of people. And the other one, the Lunar Dragon, it was a ten! On par with the average human! Were these really just projections, or was she kidnapping people from their homes?

But then again, if they were real people, what did they know that she didn't? Taylor was connected to another world, a world she knew next to nothing about yet one that inextricably shaped her powers. She'd asked the messages, the souls that came from that mysterious place, but answers were few and patchy when they came through at all. A conversation with an actual native would help enormously, assuming they shared a language of course. That… Taylor scanned the sphere's text again. She thought she'd seen… Aha! "A Companion begins understanding and speaking one language that the caster also speaks"! That would certainly make things easier. Depending on where the dragon goes when she wasn't summoning them, maybe they could even be convinced to bring over items, like books!

That was, of course, assuming she chose Conjuration. She'd thought the same last time she passed up a see-in-the-dark power, but if she ditched them this time she probably wasn't going to see them again for a long time- and that was a power she needed, rather than one she just wanted. Then there were the other problems inherent in bringing an extraterrestrial person to her world, even for a short period of time. Taylor couldn't help but imagine the PRT's reaction, or even the government's as a whole. Contact with another world was serious business. Everyone knew that, especially after Haywire. If they found out, there was no way she'd be left alone. But… there was no way she could really avoid it in the long term was there? She- her powers- were connected inextricably to another world. It was just a matter of how long she could keep the secret. Not long at all if she took Conjuration here. Maybe longer if she took it later. So that was the plan then. Divination now, conjuration later. It sucked, because the benefits and even the synergies were great, but she had to prioritize here. Make herself safer before she attracted any more attention.

Nodding to herself with feigned confidence, Taylor abandoned her chance at having a magical creature as a pet and grabbed the Divination marble. At once, reality returned in full force, disgusting sweat-drenched sheets and all. "Eww!" She threw them off only to find that her shirt and pants were soaked too. Had she really been too tired to even change into sleepwear? "Ugh" That would definitely need washing later. Heck, she needed washing now! At least it wasn't a bad time for it, judging by the way light was streaming in her window. Based on the sounds coming from downstairs she wouldn't be waking dad up either. That was good, but more than a bit awkward. Had she really slept all the way until morning?

Shaking off the shame of getting that tired just from simple conversation, Taylor stepped into the shower and turned the heat to full. It burned, but less than it would have before. It was a cleansing pain, like the sins of the week were leaving with the steam. This was more than she could have borne before, Taylor knew. She liked her water hot, yes, but not this hot. It was fitting though. She'd done things she wasn't proud of, made mistakes and compromises that mingled and flowed together until she wasn't sure which was which. Under the showerhead, conditioner washed out of her hair, allowing the fingers that followed to tease out the knots and tangles. It was good to be clean again.

Unfortunately, she couldn't stay. The soothing burn of the hot water faded all too soon, allowing thoughts of the day to return. She had to get ready. For the power testing. For Sophia. For… whatever came afterwards. Stumbling out of the warm shower into the cold room, Taylor pulled on a haphazardly-chosen set of clothes. It wasn't like it would matter anyways. She'd be covered in her costume after all. Grumpily, she set about doing all her saturday morning chores. Change the sheet (still disgusting to touch), do the laundry, update her power notebook…

"Wait a minute" Taylor spoke, looking at the last open page, outlining her thoughts on the different parts of the casting tradition. "Where was the void?" She'd made all the necessary decisions for choosing a tradition hadn't she? "Are there no voids left? Is there anything else I need to…" She asked to the air, confusion mounting as she tried to think of what she'd missed. She knew what she was getting into now! They didn't need to hold up any longer! "I thought this was the way to get to… to mom" Her voice dropped to a whisper, suddenly hyper-aware of her father's presence in the house. "I thought this was the priority!" Why were they delaying? Didn't they… no, of course they didn't know. Taylor took a deep breath, trying to let all the suspicion and anxiety go. "In the… in the future, could you please put perks over other requests? At least when it isn't something immediately important" Privately, she also acknowledged that she probably also needed to update her requests more frequently.

Steeling herself, Taylor opened the door to face the day. It smelled… well, it smelled like slightly burnt eggs. That was a good sign. He was still putting in the effort rather than taking the easy way out. Taylor avoided thinking about it any further than that. It was a good thing. There was no point worrying about it. No point wondering how much longer this phase would last, and what she would need to do to bring him back again. No point… "Morning Dad!"

"Morning kiddo! Want some scrambled eggs? I was going for sunny side up, but…" But that was what Mom always asked for. "Well, I just flipped them too soon. It's been a long time since I did eggs like this."

"Sure" She sat down and took the proffered plate, peering at the message reflected within and memorizing it. This wasn't the time to get distracted. "So, uh, today" Great start.

"Right" The last waning shadow of Danny's smile disappeared, leaving behind a serious if tired expression. He sighed. "The power testing is scheduled to start at ten- so we need to be ready in an hour or so. I was meaning to tell you yesterday, but you were asleep when I got home"

"Sorry" Taylor muttered, ducking her head. She really should have set an alarm or something.

"No, no. It's not your fault. We'll have more than enough time to talk on the drive there" He hesitated. "And, uh, now. If you want to"

Taylor's mind stalled, all of her questions now deserting her in her moment of need. "Uh…" Quickly, she focused, trying to form a question. "What do you think I need to know?" No, wait. "What should I be bringing?"

Her father chewed for a moment. "Well… Panacea will be there, along with Brandish" He held up a hand, forstalling Taylor's interjection. "Behind one-way glass. It's a compromise but, as long as you aren't in danger, it might actually be better to have her there" He grimaced, mirroring Taylor's look of disbelief. "Might. If she goes bal- um- crazy again, it reduces her credibility. We can't count on that though. She is a lawyer, so there's a lot legally she can do to complicate things. Unfortunately there's not a lot we can do about that, so the best move is making sure she has to do it while the PRT is watching"

"They're not going to stop her?" Taylor already knew the answer as she spoke. "Of course not. What could they even do?"

"A lot, actually, but not much they'd want to do" Danny used his full spoon to gesture broadly, dripping some egg on the table. "The point is the, uh, the theater of it. If they see New Wave being petty and trying to scare us off, they'll know they have to offer us more to stay. Regardless" He paused to swallow the spoonful, preventing a repeat incident. "It's not going to get physical this time. One of the heroes- the Protectorate I mean- is going to be there too, plus at least one Ward"

"Okay" The reason for that at least was obvious. They wanted her to join them, so it was in their interest to let her make friends- though of course Taylor was still skeptical of the possibility. These were people who hung out with Sophia after all. "So, what should I bring? Should I… should I show them any of my other powers?" That was the real question she'd been meaning to ask before her brain fart. "Like, I can heal much more with my alchemy, but my plant powers make a some sense with what they know about me and they're kind of offensive"

"Plant powers?" Oh yeah, this was probably the first he'd heard of them. Oops. "Taylor, what are you talking about?"

"Um, I can grow plants now?" She hurried to elaborate, seeing the growing frown on his face. "And control them a bit. I can make grass grab people and trees attack them. Oh, and I can make them produce fruit, if they can. Lots of fruit"

The frown didn't go away. "Okay. And why do you think it would be a good idea to tell the PRT?"

"Well…" Taylor scrambled to put her thoughts in order. There was a good idea behind this! Articulating it in a way that her dad would like was the problem. "Right now, they think I'm just a healer, right? So they think I'm helpless, and that they can win a lot of points with you by offering to protect me- like, instead of other stuff. But if I'm not helpless, then they get fewer points right?" She hoped that made sense.

Danny sighed and dragged a hand across his face before getting up and putting his dish in the sink. Guess not. "Taylor" He started, then stopped. "It's-" He sighed again, dropping into his chair with a thump that sounded like Taylor's enthusiasm hitting rock bottom. "There's a fine line to walk here, alright? You're… not wrong, I guess, that it would help with negotiations, but not the way you're thinking. It's still a gesture of trust, and another reason for them to want you but we're- You're already offering them a lot, honey" He gave another sigh, then went silent, deep in thought. Taylor waited for a few seconds, then opened her mouth only for him to start up again. "The thing is, that one power isn't going to keep you safe. They know it, and they know we know it. Plus it introduces the risk that someone- the PRT or any of the however many Thinkers that are spying on them- puts the pieces together and figures out your real power. That… it might be enough to make someone do something drastic"

The danger of being valuable without being strong enough to protect herself. A worry practically plucked from Taylor's mind. "Okay" She said at length. "I'll keep it quiet" She wasn't strong enough yet. But when would she be? How strong was strong enough? "What about the alchemy?" She asked instead.

Her father shrugged, his capacity for conversation seemingly exhausted. "Maybe? If we're lucky, the just think it's another one of your dozen ways to heal people"

Oh, yeah, that was right. She hadn't told him. Taylor gathered her breath and her will. She opened her mouth to speak. To tell him that she could heal the dead back to life. To… to shatter his worldview, again. To give him a poisonous hope, only to crush it when he found out exactly how recently it needed to be. Taylor closed her mouth, silently watching as her father left the room. No, she couldn't take that risk. She wouldn't be telling him or the PRT, not until she could truly make good on her promise. Not until she had her mom beside her again.

Mood thoroughly ruined, Taylor dropped her plate in the sink and cleaned with with a quick application of cantrips, then walked back upstairs to find her costume. One fruitless search and a face wash (to chase the puffy redness from her eyes) later, she walked right back down the stairs again. "Dad! Where's my costume?"

"It's in the living room! Beside the classics!" He shouted back from the garage. As it turned out, that was exactly where it was, folded neatly inside a laundry bag that called to mind exactly why it had needed laundry in the first place. Scrunching her nose, Taylor donned the bedsheet once more, then sat down on the couch to wait for her father.

Ten minutes later he returned, clad in the same windbreaker-and-balaklava combination as before. Honestly, he looked like a mugger. "Have you got everything you need?" He asked, voice muffled but body language advertising his nervous tension.

"Yeah" Taylor stood up as well.

"Even your healing creams?"

"Uh, I thought you didn't want me showing that off?" In truth, Taylor had forgotten it. She changed course back towards the kitchen, pulling open a spice cupboard as she passed.

"You can if you want to" He dodged the question. "I was actually thinking that you should have some around just in case"

It turned out that Taylor's old poultices had gone dead overnight- just like she'd known they would- so she made a pair of new ones as her father watched interestedly. It was morning, which affected her recipes for some reason, but she made do, using some compost along with dirt and mustard seeds to brew a weird tea which she put in a pair of travel cups. One for each of them. Danny made a face when she gave him his- knowing what was in this one probably didn't make it any more appetizing- but he accepted it nonetheless. A burst of unexpected warmth filled Taylor's chest at that. Despite… despite everything, he still trusted her enough to be willing to drink what amounted to swamp water. Or feed her swamp water if need be. It was oddly gratifying.

With all the necessities gathered (Taylor briefly wondered where all those weapons had gone), the two of them set out in the car. Despite what he had said at the breakfast table, Danny seemed reluctant to break the silence. Taylor was too, though probably for different reasons, so she guiltily took the opportunity to read some messages, starting with the one she'd gotten at breakfast. It was… well, at least it was clear what the Caligrapher's stance on gods was. The massage itself seemed somewhat even-handed, if more than a bit ominous. 'Eventually, one of the gods will notice' huh? It brought back shades of the breakfast table conversation. Eventually, the truth would come out. Eventually, the gods would come here. Either way she could try to gain some control over how it happened, at the cost of making it happen early. The difference was, she could reveal the truth any time she wanted as long as it hadn't gotten away from her yet. This gods problem though seemed like the only way to take control was right now, through her casting tradition… which basically meant she had to address it here and now or leave it up to chance, and if she assumed that the messages were telling the truth about them, that was unconscionable.

So yes, she would be asking for a casting tradition related to a god. Taylor didn't want to, didn't like the idea of putting her power in the hands of a complete unknown with too much power to begin with, but if it meant keeping a literal god of torture from taking control of Earth Bet? Well, she could stand losing half her powers if that was the price. Especially since she had already done several of the listed things that could attract gods' attention and was intending to do more as soon as she could. With this kind of thing on the line, Taylor reflected, the souls were probably right to hold off on giving her a tradition immediately. At the very least she could probably trust them to choose a god that wasn't too bad. More Hades than Zeus ideally. Taylor wasn't fond of the idea of being on the wrong end of one of those stories.

Finished with the remembered message, Taylor moved on to the ones in front of her, scrawled on the dashboard of the car. A few messages bemoaning the gods, another couple telling her to make Madison her minion, and one that did both plus a few cat messages in between. Not for the first time she was grateful for the way her makeshift mask hid the movement of her eyes. The last thing she needed was for Dad to think she was insane. Some of the next blocks of text though were more useful, detailing a pair of example traditions. The first one looked like it had great potential if she wanted to pretend to be a tinker. Shame it wouldn't stop Satan from invading. The other one didn't look awful on the face of it, but she could read between the lines. No way was she turning into one of those crazy Fallen. Taylor skimmed another few, generally agreeing with the sentiments. She didn't really want to be using Divine magic either, but in light of the new information it was all but a necessity. Her costume… the robe was fine for now, but it would be really nice if she could pick something up from the diamond orb. Everything that had come out so far was really high quality, and she wouldn't need money to get it. Now, what was next…

Several minutes later, Taylor was jolted out of her analysis and confusion by the car coming to a halt. It seemed that they had arrived. With a private sigh, Taylor looked away from the offending message- which contained an analysis of the factors involved in how hard it was to hit her as well as a frustratingly patchy explanation of some place called "Osirion's" gods- and stepped out of the car. There was something bothering her about that, something just on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't afford to waste any more time on it. It was time to put her game face on. "So, uh, Dad. Is there anything in particular I should be doing?"

He almost started at the sudden break in the silence. "Ah, n-no. I don't think so. Just cooperate and be careful" He seemed to fight with himself for a moment before continuing. "And… it's probably best not to provoke Brandish again, so please don't offer to heal Panacea. Or Glory Girl, if she's there"

"And what about the alchemy?" Her father hesitated.

"If you really want to. At the end"

"Okay"

The walk to the PRT building was much the same as before, though with a lot more people this time. That was bad. It was almost like being back in school again, so many eyes both fearful and judging. Even as she walked forwards, eye straight ahead, she could feel them wondering who the cape in the bedsheet was, what she could do, if she was dangerous to them. It was nerve-wracking. She could practically hear them, among the chatter of the street. Hear the clicking and flashing of the cameras. Despite her best efforts, Taylor's shoulders were creeping up, tense and hunched. She knew that if she were to go online right now there would be pictures of her, and comments dissecting everything from the length of her stride to the color of her robe. Taylor fought to keep her hands at her sides, pulling them away from her hood which suddenly felt all too revealing.

And then they were in. Taylor allowed herself to relax, but only slightly. The building was the same as before. White linoleum and fluorescent lights. Black-armored troopers and gray metal detectors. It was alien in a completely different way. Inhumanity versus too much humanity. The man at the front desk directed them to the same testing room as before, giving them a guide that was clearly meant to keep them from going where they weren't supposed to. At least the testing room had a few familiar faces. Drs. Miller and Brown were back again- that made sense, since they were probably the experts on her power at this point- and so was Panacea, looking even worse than before. While Dr. Miller greeted Taylor and her father with a perfunctory smile and Dr. Brown with a much more genuine one, Panacea looked up at them with an exhausted glare before turning her gaze back down to her cell phone screen.

"Ah! Welcome back Vernal!" That was Dr. Brown, coming up to shake Taylor's hand (he didn't seem scared of her at least) before presenting a sheaf of papers to her father. "I'm very sorry for what happened last time. Rest assured that it will not happen again. On the positive side though, it has given us time to come up with a proper experimental procedure" The stapled mass of papers looked thick enough to be a book. "I assume you still have the same usage limitations as before, Vernal? How many times can you heal now, do you think?"

"Um…" Shit, what had she told them before? Five? Nine? She had more than that now, but she wasn't sure how many. It was like counting balls at a glance; all she could tell was that she had a pile, and that her reservoir was full. "More than before? Like, ten or twelve? I can't really tell"

"Really? Why not?" It was a little humiliating to explain how her own power had gotten away from her, but at least the Doctors seemed interested. Dr. Miller was muttering something about 'synesthetic sensory input versus instinctive knowledge' when the doors banged open to let in a small crowd of colorfully-dressed teens.

Well, maybe not a crowd. There were only four of them, and one of them was Vista, who was questionably teenaged. The others were, as far as she could tell, Aegis, Gallant, and Shadow Stalker. That last one was a surprise. Especially knowing who she was out of costume, Taylor couldn't imagine sending her to chat up someone you wanted to recruit. Especially especially after what had happened between them on her first visit.

"Hello Vernal, I'm Aegis, current leader of the Wards. It's nice to meet you!" It was nice to meat him too. Meet. She meant meet. He probably wasn't actually as muscular as his armor implied, but still… The PRT designers had done a great job. Very lifelike. Taylor felt like a fraud by comparison, wearing a not-even-glorified bedsheet. "First things first though, I think Shadow Stalker has something to say to you" Oh. That was why she was there.

"I'm sorry for what I said last week" Shadow Stalker- Sophia- ground out. "It was very hurtful and untrue, and I should have considered your feelings before saying it" Everyone in the room no doubt felt the insincerity in her voice, but Taylor, knowing Sophia, could hear the humiliation there too. Sha hated being here, hated admitting she was wrong, and that filled Taylor with an unbecoming sense of schadenfreude that competed with her natural awkwardness. She didn't feel like she belonged here, but Sophia was enjoying herself even less, and that was comforting in its own way.

In response, she nodded back with an only partly-fake smile on her face. "Thank you for the apology. I'm sure you-" -are just a bitch to everyone. "-were just going through a tough time" Aegis gave her a nice smile (she could tell by the way his eyes crinkled) for playing along, though Gallant's body language remained unchanged.

"Yeah. Sure" Sophia's mask made it hard to discern her reaction, but Taylor was willing to bet she was scowling behind it. "Can I go?"

"I was hoping-" Aegis started, but Gallant cut him off with a subtle shake of the head. "Alright" He sighed. "Tell the others we might be around later, to give Vernal a tour" Stalker, already halfway out the door, gave a grunt that could charitably be interpreted as agreement, then let the door slam behind her. Turning back to Taylor, he gave her another smile. "Sorry about Shadow Stalker. She's just…"

"She's a bitch is what he means!" Vista interjected, drawing an uncomfortable shrug from Aegis and a sheepish look from Gallant. "What, it's not like it's a secret or anything. Even Panacea agrees!"

"Huh? Yeah" Panacea didn't seem particularly enthusiastic, or even like she was paying attention at all, but Vista was on a roll.

"She just… mouths off to everybody and says the meanest things, and then she gets off with an apology? The girl was getting angry- in fact, she'd already been angry- and Taylor was getting even more uncomfortable. She'd known things in the Wards weren't all sunshine and rainbows, but to be airing her grievances in front of practical strangers… Even now she could feel herself cringing backwards in secondhand embarrassment, distancing herself from the conversation.

"Vista" Gallant spoke up for the first time, his voice a nice tenor. "She apologized. She's trying. Leave it be" The words were calm and even, but Taylor could still intuit the hidden message. 'Don't make us look bad in front of Vernal.' She wasn't wanted here.

"Yeah, the worst apology on the planet" Vista clearly missed it though. "And only when you made her do it. She never apologizes to me! Or to any of you!" Increasingly, Taylor felt like she wasn't meant to be here. This was clearly a private conversation, something she wasn't meant to be privy to. It was also disturbing. The Wards were letting Sophia do what she wanted here too, not just in school. If they couldn't even keep the peace in their own proverbial house…

As though sensing her discomfort, Gallant broke in. "Vista, I'm not sure this is the time. Right now we're here to talk to Vernal, not complain about our teammates" He turned to Taylor, changing the subject smoothly. "So. I'm Gallant and I'm a Tinker that works with emotional frequencies" Oh. He did sense her discomfort. That was worse. That was way way worse. Any comfort provided by the baggy robes and face mask evaporated. She felt seen, judged, naked. And worse, Gallant knew it. He turned away, like he didn't want to see her either, and tried to move on quickly. "What are your powers?"

"No! If Vernal is thinking of joining us, she deserves to know what treatment she can expect!" Vista clearly had none of the same insight. "Most of us are good people, and I don't want to be lumped in with Stalker just because we never spoke up against her bullshit!" However, insensitivity more than a mixed blessing. "I don't even know why she's here. She clearly hates it here, and she makes everything worse for the rest of us!"

Like a bolt from the blue, it hit Taylor. The true source of her increasing and overwhelming discomfort with the conversation. 'I don't even know why she's here. She clearly hates it here, and she makes everything worse for the rest of us!' She'd heard it before. In poisonous whispers and mocking laughs. In the halls of her school. From the lips of her former best friend. As the memories took hold, the world faded away.

And the room door opened.

Additional Senses Chosen! Blind Oracle Talent Granted!
All Other Spheres Moved to Discard
Choose Four Orbs, Spheres, and Talents

Orb of Might- TAKEN
- Alchemy Sphere- TAKEN
  - Cluster Toss- Speeds alchemical item usage, allowing two to be used at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Alchemy level
  - Dynamite Throwing Form- Infuses thrown items with strength, allowing them to strike as hard as one's fists. +1 Alchemy level
  - Fireworks- Infuses thrown items with propellant, allowing them to travel further. +1 Alchemy level
  - Master Chemist- Grants access to alchemical poisons, which may be ingested, inhaled, contact-based, or applied to weapons. +1 Alchemy level
  - Snap Toss- Dramatically speeds alchemical item usage at the cost of focus. +1 Alchemy level
  - Extra Formulae- Grants the formula for Alchemist's Fire and Improved Alchemist's Fire, a potent flame-based grenade. Also grants access to further [Formulae] talents. +1 Alchemy level
- 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
  - Endurance- Substantially improves endurance of extreme temperatures, harsh labor, and deprivation of food, water, or air. Also grants the ability to sleep well in poor conditions.
- 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
- 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
  - Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so Refocus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
  - More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
- Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
  - Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina. +1 Open Hand Level
- 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
- Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
Orb of Power- TAKEN
- Creation Sphere- Grants the ability to repair or damage objects, or to create crude objects made of soft materials. +1 Creation level, +1 SP
- Death Sphere- TAKEN
  - Corpse Bomb- Increases resonance between Death sphere abilities, allowing ghost strikes to expand over an area through the sacrifice of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Corpse Manipulation- Grants the ability to modify dead bodies in several ways, growing, removing, or shaping their flesh. +1 Death Level
  - Cryptic Strike- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to be delivered with weapon or unarmed strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Empowered Reanimate- Improves reanimated undead, granting them increased strength and staying power. +1 Death Level
  - Expanded Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing several varieties of zombies and skeletons to be created. +1 Death Level
  - Gravetongue- Grants the ability to speak to corpses and undead, which recall only what they perceive after their deaths. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Reanimate- Improves reanimation to allow control of a much larger number of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Haunting Apparition- Improves ghost strike, allowing it to invisibly haunt a location as a trap. +1 Death Level
  - Icy Grip- Improves ghost strike, allowing controlled undead to deliver it in your stead. +1 Death Level
  - Instill Death- Allows the creation of consumable items that can reanimate corpses or be thrown as splash ghost strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Killing Curse- Improves ghost strikes, causing creatures subject to multiple strikes in a short period to die instantly. +1 Death Level
  - Mass Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, allowing the reanimation of multiple corpses at once and the use of ghost strikes to affect an area. +1 Death Level
  - Ranged Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, extending their range. +1 Death Level
  - Sustained Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing undead to be sustained using concentration and for longer durations. +1 Death Level
  - Taint Soul- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to hinder or disable healing and regeneration. +1 Death Level
  - Tomb of Flesh- Grants the ability to absorb multiple undead or a single opponent into oneself. The living are harmed by this, while undead are only stored. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Dominion- Grants an ability related to control or creation of undead, and unlocks other [Dominion] talents. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Ghost Strike- Grants an alternate form of ghost strike and unlocks other [Ghost Strike] talents. +1 Death Level
- 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
- 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- TAKEN
  - Adrenaline Surge- Grants the ability to overpower a Life effect, enabling the target(s) to immediately perform a simple action. +1 Life Level
  - Affliction- Allows the Cure ability to be inverted, dealing negative energy damage and inflicting exhaustion instead of healing. +1 Life Level
  - Break Enchantment- Grants the ability to selectively remove power-based effects from a target of Restore instead of the other applications, though at increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Clarified Strike- Allows Life sphere abilities to be delivered with weapon or unarmed attacks. +1 Life Level
  - Deeper Healing- Greatly improves the effectiveness of Cure and Invigorate. +1 Life Level
  - Diagnose- Grants the ability to swiftly recognize the conditions affecting nearby creatures, and to more slowly spend magic to learn the details of their source. +1 Life Level
  - Empathic Healing- Grants the ability to mitigate the costs of Cure and Restore by taking the damage and conditions upon oneself. +1 Life Level
  - Esoteric Healing- Grants the ability to heal and restore constructs and undead. +1 Life Level
  - Fount of Life- Grants the ability to store healing for more efficient and powerful usage later. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Invigorate- Greatly improves Invigorate and allows it to grant vitality beyond what the body could normally support. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Restore- Grants the ability to overpower Restore, allowing it to restore multiple areas at once. +1 Life Level
  - Instill Life- Grants the ability to store an expensive use of the Life sphere within a liquid or food, allowing its consumption to trigger the stored effect. +1 Life Level
  - Latent Healing- Grants the ability to store a use of the Life sphere within a target, allowing them to trigger it when they wish. +1 Life Level
  - Lingering Resilience- Improves Cure and Restore such that they grant some resistance to the removed conditions and healed damage. +1 Life Level
  - Mass Healing- Grants the ability to overpower Life sphere abilities, allowing them to affect additional targets. +1 Life Level
  - Painkiller- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to permanently heal bruises and other superficial damage. +1 Life Level
  - Ranged Healing- Allows Life sphere abilities to be used at short range rather than requiring touch. +1 Life Level
  - Restorative Cure- Grants the ability to mingle Cure and Restore at a greater cost, applying both with a single touch. +1 Life Level
  - Revitalize- Allows Cure to instead grant regeneration, healing more over a longer period of time. +1 Life Level
  - Self-Renewal- Greatly speeds self-healing at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Stabilizing Invigoration- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to stabilize dying creatures and potentially halt bleeding. +1 Life Level
  - Sudden Invigoration- Greatly speeds Invigoration at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Taste of Victory- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities at an increased cost when used immediately after striking a worthy foe. +1 Life Level
  - Violent Recuperation- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities when a new source of damage is completely mitigated. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Cure- Improves Cure and increases the versatility of Restore. Unlocks other [Cure] talents. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Vitality- Grants various benefits to targets of Life sphere abilities. Unlocks other [Vitality] talents. +1 Life Level
- Mind Sphere (Inner Focus)- TAKEN
  - Charming Strike- Allows charms to be conveyed through violent force, afflicting those struck by an attack. +1 Mind Level
  - Expanded Charm- Improves charm versatility, allowing the charming of all creatures with a mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Instill Charm- Allows charms to be stored in a consumable medium, triggering when consumed. +1 Mind Level
  - Mass Charm- Improves charm size, allowing more creatures to be affected at increased cost. +1 Mind Level
  - Mental Backdoor- Improves charm insidiousness, reducing resistance in a target affected by an initial charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Powerful Charm- Improves charm power, allowing them to be overpowered at increased cost for increased effect.
  - Psychic Vengeance- Allows one to respond to a failed mental intrusion with a fast charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Ranged Mind- Improves charm range from close to medium range. +1 Mind Level
  - Subtlety- Improves charm subtlety, forcing even those who resist to ignore some attempts. +1 Mind Level
  - Amnesia [Charm]- Grants the ability to remove a target's most recent memories. +1 Mind Level
  - Calm [Charm]- Grants the ability to suppress a target's violent emotions. +1 Mind Level
  - Candor [Charm]- Grants the ability to compel a target to speak only truth. +1 Mind Level
  - Cerebral Strike [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause intense migraines in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Command [Charm]- Grants the ability to briefly take command of a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Confusion [Charm]- Grants the ability to scramble a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Courage [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire a target to great action. +1 Mind Level
  - Disrupt Focus [Charm]- Grants the ability to make concentration difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Enthrall [Charm]- Grants the ability to temporarily befriend a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Esteem [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire confidence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Fascinate [Charm]- Grants the ability to occupy a target's attention. +1 Mind Level
  - Fear [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause fear in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Gestures [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's movement. +1 Mind Level
  - Hostility [Charm]- Grants the ability to drive a target to rage. +1 Mind Level
  - Inception [Charm]- Grants the ability to adjust a target's knowledge. +1 Mind Level
  - Inspiration [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire competence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Shield [Charm]- Grants the ability to shield a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Spy [Charm]- Grants the ability to hijack a target's senses. +1 Mind Level
  - Paralyze [Charm]- Grants the ability to hinder a target's actions. +1 Mind Level
  - Project Thoughts [Charm]- Grants the ability to telepathically communicate. +1 Mind Level
  - Read Mind [Charm]- Grants the ability to read a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Recommend [Charm]- Grants the ability to help a target recover from mistakes. +1 Mind Level
  - Sleep [Charm]- Grants the ability to put a target to sleep. +1 Mind Level
  - Utterances [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's speech. +1 Mind Level
  - Vision [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce hallucinations. +1 Mind Level
  - Wrack [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce disturbing sensations. +1 Mind Level
  - Cloud Mind- Grants the ability to affect minds in an area. Also unlocks other [Cloud] talents. +1 Mind Level
  - Polyglot- Grants the ability to rapidly learn a language on a temporary basis. +1 Mind Level
  - Terrifying Mind- Grants mental countermeasures against intrusion, causing fear in intruding minds and making intrusion more difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Over Matter- Allows pain and suffering to be forestalled with mental discipline and spell points, delaying damage taken.
- Protection Sphere- TAKEN
  - Buttressing- Allows created barriers to be quickly repaired. +1 Protection Level
  - Community- Allows damage taken by protected allies to be distributed among protected allies at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Continuous Ward- Improves wards, enabling them to pass through solid objects and provide full protection against incorporeal and burrowing foes. +1 Protection Level
  - Distant Protection- Extends the range of Protection sphere abilities. +1 Protection Level
  - Durable Barrier- Improves barriers, causing them to resist a small amount of physical damage, or all damage at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Enduring Protection- Improves wards to last longer when maintained with power. +1 Protection Level
  - Glyph- Grants the ability to turn wards into magical traps that can be activated later. +1 Protection Level
  - Greater Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to be created in the form of flat surfaces and dramatically improving their toughness at a cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Instill Aegis- Allows Aegises to be instilled into a consumable, granting their benefits to the consuming creature. +1 Protection Level
  - Mass Aegis- Grants the ability to protect multiple people with the same Aegis at additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Reactive Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to harm enemies or bolster allies when broken. +1 Protection Level
  - Selective Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing allies and allied attacks to pass through at an additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Shaped Ward- Improves wards, allowing them to be created in more shapes. +1 Protection Level
  - Shared Aegis- Improves aegises, allowing them to extend beyond their beneficiaries and affect nearby allies as well. +1 Protection Level
  - Status- Grants knowledge of the location and state of allies under an aegis. +1 Protection Level
  - Extra Aegis- Grants a new way to protect allies. Also unlocks further [Aegis] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - More Ward- Grants a new way to Ward an area. Also unlocks further [Ward] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - Succor- Grants the ability to sacrifice an Aegis to provide some instantaneous benefit to the recipient. Also unlocks further [Succor] Talents. +1 Protection Level
- 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
- Improved Cantrips- Improves the basic Cantrips ability, increasing the damage dealt, the amount of matter that can be manipulated or created, and the precision of lights and sounds.
- Third Eye- Grants the ability to open one's third eye, granting the ability to read others' aura and improving perception of magical effects.
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
- ~~Alchemist~~ Mortal Chemist Construct Rider- A learned class whose mastery of alchemy has spread to construct creation. +¾ BAB, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- 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, +6 + Con HP
- ~~Bard~~ Kung Fu Exemplar Class- A musical class whose mastery of arts and crafts extends into the martial realm. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Blacksmith~~ Fleshforger Class- A tough class just as good at breaking weapons and armor as it is at making ~~them~~ unnatural abominations. +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, +6 + Con HP
- Crimson Dancer Class- A bloodthirsty class that specializes in wearing down its foes and bleeding them dry. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
- Elementalist Class- A destructive class focused on bringing down foes with elemental power. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- Eliciter Class- A manipulative class that use their mind magic to disrupt enemies and bolster allies. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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
- ~~Psychic~~ Ascendant Mind Class- A sensitive class which uses a variety of means to unlock psychic might. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + 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, +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, +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, +6 + Con HP
- Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Thaumaturge~~ Wild Mage Class- A volatile class that trades control 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, +5 + Con HP
- Vigilante Class- A secretive class that pursues excellence in two different identities as a civilian and a hero. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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
- Sphere Witch Class- An occult class that draws its power from a shadowy patron and their hexes. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +3 + Con HP
- Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
  - Feline Heritage- Grants catlike features, including speed, finesse, perception, and the ability to communicate with felines.
- 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.
  - Draconic Heritage (Esoteric)- Imbues Taylor a fraction of an Esoteric Dragon's power, allowing her to daze foes several times a day.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Toughness- Improves toughness, increasing the amount of physical damage one can endure.
Empty 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.
Endless 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.
Pure 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.
Hungry 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.

The dragons presented to Taylor are as follows, organized by body type (and thus stat layout):
Avian- Green Dragon (Chromatic, Lawful Evil, Acid, Cone)
Biped- Silver Dragon (Metallic, Lawful Good, Cold, Cone)
Ooze- Magma Dragon (Primal, Chaotic, Fire, Cone)
Orb- Lunar Dragon (Outer, Chaotic, Cold, Line)
Quadruped- Dream Dragon (Esoteric, Neutral, Electricity, Cone)
Serpentine- Underworld Dragon (Imperial, Lawful Evil, Fire, Line)
Vermin- Havoc Dragon(Planar, Chaotic Good, Electricity, Line)
Basically I wanted each to have a different body type, a different dragon type, and a different breath weapon- plus I wanted all of them to be reasonable, in that Taylor would be able to chat with them and make deals without violence erupting. I'm still missing an aquatic body type (which is okay because it's actually the aquatic companion archetype that takes an existing body type and exchanges some land speed for swim), a Linnorm, and an acid line breath weapon, but I'm okay with that since Linnorms aren't really dragons in the same way kobolds and drakes aren't. Don't worry if the listed body type doesn't include features of the noted dragon. Those can be added later.

So if you, like, Taylor, are wondering where the dragons come from, then yes they do in fact come from Golarion. The Conjuration sphere here is a more primitive but versatile version of the Summoner's Eidolon Bond- a magical connection between souls that allows two beings to share in each others' growth and come to each others' aid in times of need. This one of course is one-way (unless a tradition changes it somehow): Taylor gets all the aid, the dragon gets all the power, allowing them to 'grow up' with ridiculous speed. That's one big reason for beings to bind themselves to a puny human like that, and they do need a reason because consent is an important part of the magic. It doesn't require informed consent though. Magical contracts are allowed (though you still have to hold up your end of the bargain) as is tricking someone into agreeing.

Guess what QA did to find 7 dragons 'willing' to make such a contract with a complete unknown. Guess, and/or write omakes about it.

drake_azathoth · Mar 11, 2023

Cross posted from SB:
Thoth is awesome in many ways, but he tends to be more neutral and frankly more focused on laws than I think really suits Taylor. He's also not really one of the driving figures of his pantheon in terms of action.

I think, if we are going to suggest a god of magic? Isis is what it's all about. A goddess of magic, good, healing, family, community, and enchantment. She even has a subdomain of Resurrection for obvious reasons. Plus, she's an unreservedly good goddess, one of the few that balances action against evil with understanding the costs of that action, and her personal experience makes her more sympathetic to mortals than most, young women in particular.

There is also the benefit that her serious cults seem to have outlived most of Thoth's in this world.

Tiz Goldeneye · Mar 11, 2023

Thaumaterge said:
More Hades than Zeus ideally.

This is a nice tidbit, because most laypeople would want the opposite, thinking Zeus is the head of pantheon, and therefore is good and righteous while Hades rules of the underworld, and therefore is evil. A well read person would know the one you want to meet in a dark alley is Hades because he is depicted as reasonable and fair most of the time while Zeus is consistently power hungry and skeevy.

Thaumaterge said:
There were only four of them, and one of them was Vista, who was questionably teenaged. The others were, as far as she could tell, Aegis, Gallant, and Shadow Stalker.

So I'm of two thoughts on this scene. In universe this composition makes sense, bringing the two females for relatability, (and letting SS apologize) the leader of the Wards for image and accountability, and Gallant to make sure things go over smoothly and so they can get info on the new person.

Out of universe while the reasons for this ending make sense from a quest perspective they clash with the established narritibe. As the author themselves has pointed out this quest's structure forces frequent mental and physical detriments into the story. In this case I believe it comes at the cost of suspension of disbelief, Vista's whole schtick is wanting to be a perfect Ward to prove her worth because she doesn't have anything else that she wants to return to. She has more than enough PR training, let alone common sense and basic tact that would let her avoid a statement that would trigger a Youth Guard investigation which can't be covered up due to New Wave listening in. At that point she gets even less to do as Vista. The whole ending felt out of character for her.

drake_azathoth · Mar 11, 2023

Tiz Goldeneye said:
This is a nice tidbit, because most laypeople would want the opposite, thinking Zeus is the head of pantheon, and therefore is good and righteous while Hades rules of the underworld, and therefore is evil. A well read person would know the one you want to meet in a dark alley is Hades because he is depicted as reasonable and fair most of the time while Zeus is consistently power hungry and skeevy.

So I'm of two thoughts on this scene. In universe this composition makes sense, bringing the two females for relatability, (and letting SS apologize) the leader of the Wards for image and accountability, and Gallant to make sure things go over smoothly and so they can get info on the new person.

Out of universe while the reasons for this ending make sense from a quest perspective they clash with the established narritibe. As the author themselves has pointed out this quest's structure forces frequent mental and physical detriments into the story. In this case I believe it comes at the cost of suspension of disbelief, Vista's whole schtick is wanting to be a perfect Ward to prove her worth because she doesn't have anything else that she wants to return to. She has more than enough PR training, let alone common sense and basic tact that would let her avoid a statement that would trigger a Youth Guard investigation which can't be covered up due to New Wave listening in. At that point she gets even less to do as Vista. The whole ending felt out of character for her.

The author described in the SB thread that Vista's blowup was in part due to her having a terrible day already due to her parents, which she escaped as per typical by going to the PRT HQ for training. Whereupon she met up with Shadow Stalker, who is herself in an awful mood due to getting punished with Console duty and lectures about alienating Vernal, AND being forced to apologize.

...You can imagine how that meeting between the two went over. Keep in mind, Shadow Stalker canonical liked to pick at Vista in particular, and Vista canonical took it worse than most of the Wards.

So yeah, I can see a blowup by Vista at that point. She's amazing, but she's not more mature than like 99.9% of adults, and as she herself points out, leaving Vernal with the impression Shadow Stalker is a typical Ward is itself problematic.

Thaumaterge · Mar 27, 2023

Chapter 3.19 Experimentation

[X] Plan: Perks Above All
-[X] Empty 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] 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
-[X] Brute Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to perform a battering shove. +1 Brute Level, +3 HP

-[Omake] Wardemer added the Rogue (Canny Scoundrel) Class to the deck
-[Omake] Wardemer added the Ring of Mind Shielding to the deck

For one brief moment, Taylor felt a strange sense of kinship with Sophia. If Taylor had been excluded constantly, been introduced as a troublemaker to strangers, been shit-talked behind her back, wouldn't she be angry at the world too? Wouldn't she lash out like Sophia did?

Oh wait. She literally had all of those things happen to her, and at Sophia's hands at that. The moment evaporated, leaving Taylor feeling embarrassed and guilty- both embarrassed at feeling guilty for the comeuppance her bully was receiving, and guilty for feeling embarrassed. Vista hadn't (just) been denigrating her teammate behind her back, she'd been speaking up about an injustice, the same kind of injustice Taylor wished she had been warned about all those years ago. Disregarding all that as just the whining of a child was all too easy, but she didn't deserve to be treated like that. Taylor knew that all too well from personal experience.

Still, it didn't speak too well of the Wards that they let the same shit go on as Winslow. They should have everything they needed- money, time, a manageable child-adult ratio. If they weren't taking care of their wards (ha), then it wasn't because they couldn't. Also worrying was the way Aegis and maybe Gallant treated Vista's outburst. Like it was an embarrassment, something not to be talked about in public- and well, she could understand that. She'd been embarrassed too. But what if it wasn't just in public that they didn't want to hear about Sophia's malfeasance? If if they weren't willfully blind, why hadn't they dealt with it? Aegis was the Wards Leader, right?

Well, there was no way to know right now. She could probably look for tells later with the Mind acceleration power, but for now Taylor had other concerns. Like what (not if) to void, and what perk to ask for. The rapier sphere- called Fencing apparently- and the Casting Tradition were the obvious choices, given what she remembered. The Tradition perk might be an issue though if it made her powers change in the middle of testing. The perks seemed to come in the next time she got a choice, but that could be as soon as an hour or two if there were any more stressful situations. There was a good chance of that too, since Brandish had yet to show up and she'd already gotten one. Taylor frowned, humming, then shuddered at the way the sound just disappeared into the nothingness. No matter how many times it had happened, she still wasn't used to it. Regardless, maybe the free combat marbles was the better option? Hmm… probably better to be safe than sorry. That was the original plan anyways- put enough self-defense marble together to handle the results before she jumped on anything that could blow her cover.

Before that though, she should actually go through and read what she was offered. Even if she was going to void one of them, it would at least help her understand the context and get some benchmarks. Leaning forward, Taylor pressed her eye to the first sphere on the list, the void sphere. It was not dark inside. No, it was completely empty. Empty of text, empty of meaning, empty of color in a way that made even the colorless power space pale in comparison. There was Nothing there. But when Taylor stared into the Nothing, Nothing stared back.

With a gasp, Taylor jerked back, heart pounding and head splitting. What… what was that? It… it had hurt! That wasn't supposed to happen! Her power space was supposed to be safe! And there hadn't even been anything there! Urgh. What the hell? Clutching her head, Taylor decided she certainly wouldn't be doing that again. Why the heck had that happened? It certainly hadn't last time, but then last time had been before she got the power explanation perk. Was it backlash of some sort? Tring to cram in too much information and failing? Or maybe trying to find information where there was none? That didn't feel quite right though. Taylor grimaced as another spike of pain shot through her brain, but lacking any other information, she was forced to move on.

The second sphere was the one with the axe, the "Berserker" sphere apparently, which fit with what she remembered. The text though wasn't quite what she had expected. No mentions of madness, no compulsions to attack allies or even enemies, just a penalty to 'AC' and some 'Temporary Hit Points'. There was some overlap, obviously; the temporary hit points obviously mapped to the durability she remembered, and the AC might refer to a disregard for one's personal safety, but… that was it. Obviously, one of them was wrong, and it could be either. The impressions she had gotten was imprecise and thematic; it could have embellished things based on, like, the average user or the most famous or something. Likewise, the mental effects could just be outside of the scope of the game-style description, invisibly waiting for her to activate the mode and go… berserk. Unfortunately, without trying it she wasn't likely to find out which it was.

The special attack portion of the same sphere was equally mysterious, though thankfully in a more familiar way. "Special Attack Action', for example, sounded like a technical term, as did the 'Battered Condition' it inflicted. It did give her an idea of what 'Martial Focus' was worth though- roughly two times 'Base Attack Bonus' in damage. Not that she had a clear idea of what hers was or how much damage the average person could take, but it was one more piece of the puzzle. Another piece was in the next sphere on the list, the 'Fencing' sphere that Taylor still associated with betrayal. Looking over it now, it was likewise less charged, though there were still more than a few sinister things about it. The extra skill in Bluff- why was that what it called lying?- was up there first and foremost, but the main feature of the sphere seemed to be the dramatically-named Fatal Thrust. 1d6 damage for every five 'Base Attack Bonus'. That was not even one on average per point of Attack Bonus, a far worse conversion but one she wouldn't have to pay for. That kind of made sense, especially seeing as Taylor didn't know if she could even regain 'Martial Focus' right now if she spent it. The other catch was that the target had to be 'Flanked', 'Flat-Footed', or lacking its 'Dexterity Bonus to AC'. Some of those were familiar, but none yet explained. They had to be pretty easy to induce though- the synergies listed a few ways-, or it wouldn't be worth the damage, especially if it wasn't multiplied on a 'Critical Hit'.

All in all the sphere was of mixed value, and not even that attractive all things considered. The next sphere was different. It contained something she didn't know she needed: a table describing how her punching damage scaled. Assuming that marbles were 'Talents', she probably had… two. The original sphere had to count as well, or it wouldn't have provided a boost. That meant she needed two more talents from 'Spheres focused on Unarmed Combat' to increase her damage- most likely from 1d3 to 1d4 since she was only a kid. Not even a single point of damage. That was bad- four marbles per point of damage after that. Actually awful now that she thought about it… except that unlike the other options, the damage wasn't circumstantial. She didn't need to do or spend anything special to make it work, it just did. Combined with the fact that the marbles had effects of their own… it was probably fine. It also put a lot of things into context. The Berserker Sphere's Brutal Strike would double her damage if she had even a single point of 'Base Attack Bonus', likely more even after taking her (improved but probably still weak) 'Strength Modifier' into account. And considering that the wannabe nazis at school took about three or four hits to disable that was worth a lot.

It also meant that Taylor should probably think about changing her strategy. If she wanted to fight with her fists and powers like a traditional hero, she had to open up more 'Unarmed Combat' spheres. One marble per cycle- or even two with the perk- just was not enough to get to the higher levels of the table. On the other hand though, she could abandon the whole idea and focus on weapon use instead. She had a whole collection of weapons now plus that nonlethality perk, though she wasn't sure how they stacked up in terms of damage. Taylor also wasn't sure how to explain the effects of that perk, or how far they went. What would she say if she cut someone's head off with a sword and they survived? Hell, what if there was some sort of hidden threshold and they didn't? Either way there were issues. Frowning at the table, Taylor thought back. In the very long term her punches could do up to 2d8 damage. That was… about as much as dragon breath, right? She couldn't imagine a melee weapon that strong, except maybe some kind of tinker sword. Guns could probably do it though. Maybe a balance could work? Use weapons until her fists outpaced them? The relevant spheres didn't seem to require her to fight unarmed at least. This one provided some kind of bodyslam, which based on her understanding of the terminology would be more accurate against more heavily armored targets in addition to taking less time or energy or something than a regular attack. Less damage too, but her fist damage was pretty pathetic anyways. Taylor decided she wouldn't mind taking this 'Brute' sphere later, especially if it helped make her tougher as well.

Now wasn't the time though. This was one of her rare chances at a perk, and she was going to take it. Taylor reached out to the Void and Fencing spheres, wincing a little as a glance at the Void caused her headache to flare up again. It was the only one of the non-void spheres she didn't see a use for. Berserker had more damage, Brute had more reliability, and even if she wanted the 'Fatal Thrust' she didn't know enough about its activation conditions. As for the perk… The red marbles was the safe choice, but Taylor was still undecided about the casting tradition. After all, she wanted that one soon anyways, and once she got it she'd probably need to do power testing all over again. That wasn't the kind of thing she could really hide either, based on what she'd read. Maybe it would be better for it to happen while she was here? So that she had experts on hand to deal with any consequences? And to be witnesses, to confirm that she wasn't trying to trick them or anything. Doing that, though, would mean committing to switching gears. Going public, to a certain degree. Trusting people who she didn't know and who had done her wrong before to protect her. All in order to speed up her timeline by who knows how much or how little.

Once again, it was a question of timing. Now? Or later? How long could she keep it quiet, and how much would she suffer or gain from doing so? The two spheres met, the void consuming the red and leaving Taylor's questions unanswered. The characteristic sensation of her power fading away was quickly subsumed by a smooth voice. Gallant.

"-ernal. Vernal! Are you oka…" His helmet didn't allow him much facial expressiveness, but Aegis and Vista's confused starts were more than enough to tell Taylor what was going on. "...Sorry, what?" That disorientation, in all of the Wards. At the same time as she got a new power. There was no way that was a coincidence. Was this some sort of side effect? Thankfully it seemed short-lived. Come to think of it, hadn't Panacea reacted the same way before? A glance to the side indicated the healer was watching the conversation with a morbid fascination.

"I'm fine" Taylor wasn't, not really, but she was close enough for government work as Dad would say. "Really." Gallant didn't seem convinced. Thankfully, Panacea came to her rescue.

"It's freaky, right?" Well, for a certain value of rescue. "She said it was mental acceleration, but it was weird as fu-heck to see all that adrenaline disappearing instantly" Oh yeah, she had said that hadn't she?

"Seriously, I'm fine" Best to draw attention away from that. Most capes didn't have more than one power, especially without synergy between them. "It just… reminded me of something I saw in school"

"Oh" From the sound of his voice, Gallant is making a note of that. "Well rest assured that we take everyone's comfort and safety seriously here in the Wards.

"Really?" Taylor hesitated a moment before proceeding. Despite her inclinations, this wasn't the time to keep her head down. All it would do here was deny her the information she needed to make a good decision. "Because, from what Vista was saying…"

This time Aegis was the one to speak up. "It's exactly because of our commitment to health in the Wards that we must be understanding of Shadow Stalker. While her circumstances are her own to explain, it's our duty to help her through them" Taylor's first response was disbelief. 'Be Understanding'? Who even thought like that?

"And that means just letting her do whatever she wants?" Vista said it, not Taylor.

"No" Aegis said, with an air of having said the same thing many times before. "It means that we try to give her space when she needs it, and punishments that are constructive when we need to." Constructive punishments? Give her space? The Sophia Taylor knew went out of her way to invade other people's space, regardless of how much she already had! Still, she had to admit that the optimism was… inspiring, in a way.

"Wow, did that stick up your ass come with the Ward Leader position?" Vista clearly didn't mean to blurt that out, covering her mouth with both hands with an eep. Taylor was cringing with secondhand embarrassment too, as apparently were Aegis and Gallant. At least Panacea looked like she was having fun. The schadenfruide was clear on her face- probably enjoying the sight of someone else's cape group drama.

"Oh look, the adults are done!" Vista squeaked out, face red with a nuclear blush before space warped around her, stretching her like a slinky and depositing her at the door. The adults were indeed done, though whether that was a result of actually having finished up or just noticing Vista's departure was ambiguous. Their approach- and the slam of the door- put a swift and final end to the conversation. Well, that and the glances that Taylor exchanged with Aegis and Gallant, a nonverbal vow never to speak of it ever again.

As it turned out the first tests- which both Dad and Dr. Brown were clearly uncomfortable with- were a battery of tests for Master/Stranger influence. Taylor wasn't as worried though, or so she tried to tell herself. They were probably only there because Brandish demanded them, and besides, she knew exactly where her Master powers were. Still, a nagging suspicion remained. Maybe there was some hidden influence, some sort of subtle effect that her powers hadn't deigned to inform her about.

"I personally doubt that your power has any real Master effects" Taylor's misgivings must have shown on her face, since Dr. Brown felt compelled to comfort her. "It's just standard procedure for any beneficial powers that affect others. Most of them come with an… alternate use, or extra effects. That's Stirbeck's Law, insofar as anything can be considered a law when it comes to parahuman powers" That… wasn't particularly comforting. "Even if the tests do come back positive, it isnt' that bad. It's just another waiver for people to sign before you can heal them" The doctor was clearly trying, but really who wanted to hear that their power probably had some sort of fatal flaw? Even though Taylor was pretty sure of what that was in her case, the seed of doubt was growing roots. "You'll probably pass though- or fail, rather. I have a suspicion about your drawback, but ah… I probably shouldn't say. It isn't Master-related though!" With that encouraging note, he and Danny left for the observation room, Danny giving Taylor a thumbs-up as he passed.

Honestly, the anticipation of the testing was worse than the testing itself. Taylor was given an earpiece for the Doctors to communicate with her and told to give certain instructions into a microphone. After that, she was told to think about desiring an apple, then not desiring an apple. Then to do some hand motions in front of a camera. The most interesting part (not that that was saying much), was when a group of PRT troopers- Taylor recognized a few of the ones she'd healed before- in plainclothes came in and she gave them commands personally. She almost had a heart attack when one of them did what she asked them to, give her an apple, but apparently that was a check for conditioning via positive reinforcement. They tested her at various ranges, with various modes of communication, and even had the troopers cut themselves to check if there were any short-lived effects.

All in all, it took four long, tense, boring hours.

With that done, it was apparently time to begin the real testing. Dr. Miller was the one to administer them this time, wheeling in a cart with a dozen comatose mice in cages. "Vernal. How many charges do you have left?" Dr. Miller's manner was brusque, a distinct contrast to Dr. Brown's personability, but somehow was more comforting than the others attempted condolences. Everything from her stern gaze to her straight-backed posture proclaimed that she was a professional who knew what she was doing, and that if you made a mistake she would just correct you instead of trying to make you feel better about it.

"About ten I think? Maybe a bit more. I can't tell exactly at higher numbers" Taylor explained, to which the Doctor nodded.

"Yes. Anderson told me" That must be Dr. Brown. "Today we'll be testing your third mode, the 'Pattern Repair' My Assistants have prepared mice with ailments that we suspect that this ability will be able to heal, but if you've learned anything more about it that would help immensely. Your initial explanation was… a little vague."

Possibly not vague enough, Taylor thought as she looked at the cages, each labeled with the 'ailment' in question. "Ah, sorry. My powers didn't come with an instruction manual" Muscular degeneration, nervous system severed, prefrontal cortex impact, alzheimers… Each of them corresponded to one of the six ways she could channel that mode of her power, and probably to the attributes that her power was able to boost. Taylor hadn't made the connection before, but looking at it here it was inescapable. Muscular was certainly strength, while the brain damage was probably intelligence, and wisdom was alzheimers maybe? She didn't have names for the others, but the ailments definitely corresponded to what they did- what they represented. That realization led to another conclusion: her attributes could be damaged. In hindsight, that actually made a lot of sense. Degenerative conditions did exist. Some injures needed physiotherapy to recover from. It was only in games that certain aspects of your character were inviolate. In the real world, even your body could be turned against you.

"It is not a problem. Most don't" Dr. Miller's eyes softened a bit. Clearly some of Taylor's discomfort had shown on her face. Hopefully she just thought it was from reading the mice's afflictions. "Now, if you could, start on the left and use your vitality-restoration variation"

Taylor did. Once again, the healing energy surged through her body, flowing to her abdomen and then outwards in an inscrutable pattern, into the mouse. Nothing changed. The mouse didn't suddenly wake up and start running, nor did it die. Taylor didn't know what she had expected, but this was underwhelming.

"Was there any feedback from your power?" Taylor shook her head. Dr. Miller noted something down. "Very well, continue onto the next one" She pointed to a cage labeled 'Muscular Degeneration'"

This time was different. This time when Taylor sent the energy into the mouse, it didn't latch on. She got the sense of wrongness, like she was pouring water into a sieve when she expected a bowl. "I… can't" The damage it was supposed to fix was too great- No, it wasn't about the amount of damage, it was about the type. The same way that the same cut could be clean or gangrenous and rotten. "The, uh, the degeneration was too bad"

Interest glinted in the Doctor's eyes. "Were you able to partially heal it? Was it the type of damage or the magnitude?"

"No. I couldn't do anything. My power just leaked out like a sieve. It was the type of damage. Like, if a wound got rotten or something"

"I see. So you receive feedback when your power fails but not when it succeeds. Interesting" Another set of notes on the clipboard. "It's a congenital illness, so perhaps… Next mouse, Miss Vernal. Nerve restoration"

The power worked this time, but it wasn't able to completely solve the problem. Like she was only able to partially fill the metaphorical bowl, though maybe filling in the cracks in a broken piece of pottery was a better analogy. Taylor conveyed her feedback to Dr. Miller, and was subsequently directed to the fourth mouse which had brain damage. The intelligence-healing power managed to totally heal the damage, which the Doctor sounded excited about. So did Panacea, which made sense. This was the thing she was famously unable to do. It was probably relieving to know that someone could cover your weak points like that. The last two mice in line though were out of luck. When Taylor pushed her power into them, she found another novel sensation- there was no damage for her to heal. Surprisingly, Dr. Miller had been expecting that.

"You didn't exactly give us much to go off of Miss Vernal. Damage to 'personality' or 'sense of self' isn't exactly a clear medical diagnosis. There are any number of things that could cause that kind of effect, but in deference to your limited capacity and scientific ethics we only brought a few of them to test. It is no surprise that we got some of them wrong" The rest of the mice turned out to be representative of different mental conditions that the Doctors thought might represent those kinds of damage. Most of them were duds too, but one particular mouse drugged up on opium was successfully cured of what Taylor now recognized as Wisdom damage.

Of course, Taylor wasn't able to get to all twelve. Despite having just enough mana to try once with each, Dr. Miller asked her to stop once she had three charges remaining for the second-to-last stage of the day's testing. The one designed to test her mental healing mode. This was the part of the day Taylor was most worried about. It was the part of her power that was probably the closest to a Master power, interacting directly and exclusively with the mind. It didn't help that Panacea and Dr. Miller needed to talk about it with the people in the observation room before starting.

Taylor felt familiar nerves bubble up from within as she watched them confer, mere feet away. Why this test, and not the others? Hadn't everything been written up beforehand? Were they deciding on what result would mean she had a Master power? Was this the moment when they turned on her? Declared her a Master and sent her to jail? She knew it was unlikely- vanishingly unlikely. Both Dr. Miller and Panacea had advocated for her before, even though Panacea had also… No. Her suspicions were unfounded. But it was possible that they'd figured out her real power. Gallant was in there after all. Watching with his emotional scanner, telling the PRT every time she lied. That combined with the Doctors' notes… But what evidence did they have? What did they know- no, what had she told them? Taylor didn't think she'd given too much away, but she hadn't thought she'd told them about the six modes of her pattern repair ability either. What else had she let slip? Then there was the mind acceleration excuse she'd given. How many other inconsistencies had she introduced into her story? How long until everyone compared notes and tallied them up? No, no, Taylor knew this feeling. She was working herself into a frenzy, her mind was spinning out of control, extrapolating wildly and jumping at shadows.

Still, Taylor couldn't help sharpening her ears, struggling to catch a hint of what they were discussing. If she was lucky, it was just Brandish making a fuss, like Dad said she might. If she wasn't… Taylor focused further, speeding up her perception and using her scouting power, as if they might grant her some advantage. They didn't. Being able to perceive faster didn't mean perceiving better. Their postures though… they spoke of frustration. Dr. Miller's face carved into a condescending frown like someone explaining something to a particularly slow student. Panacea resigned, arguing by rote against an inevitable fate. They were arguing against someone, or multiple someones. That could be Brandish… or it could be Gallant, trying to expose her deception, or Dr. Brown, putting the pieces of her power together.

In a moment of clarity, Taylor realized that a the real problem here, the source of her anxieties, was actually her own secrets. If she wasn't lying to everyone, she wouldn't have to worry about anybody finding out. In that moment, Taylor felt the sudden and suicidal urge to let it all out. To tell them everything. To cast aside the protective veil of secrecy and let the chips fall where they pleased. Then, with a click, the oppressive murmurs were interrupted by Gallant entering the room with another cage of mice. These ones were very much awake, skittering around their cages and squeaking energetically. "Sorry about the wait, we were just discussing a little change of plans"

What plans? Taylor wanted to ask. What changes? Instead though, she merely gave a shaky "It's fine"

Thankfully, Gallant was willing to answer her unvoiced questions. "The original plan called for Glory Girl to use her aura on the mice to test your fear suppression, but it's a bit… indiscriminate. It's called an aura for a reason, you know?" He shrugged, his armor doing an admirable job of conveying his body language. Or maybe that was training? "Anyways, we figured it would be easier on you if you weren't being scared along with the mice, so… here I am!"

"Alright" That… actually was a great idea! Taylor had only been subject to Glory Girl's power once, but she wasn't keen to do it again. Well, unless it would give her another power, in which case she'd absolutely do it if there weren't any other consequences. "So, uh, how do we…?"

"Hold this mouse, if you would Vernal" Dr. Miller took control of the situation once more. "Gently but firmly. You don't want him to escape once he gets scared. Here, like this" Apparently, mice were supposed to be held by the scruffs of their necks, so that even if they squirmed they wouldn't be able to find purchase or hurt anyone. That thought brought forth uncomfortable parallels, so Taylor just held the animal out in front of her for Gallant to use his tech on.

"Okay, I think I'm ready" With a nod, Gallant stretched out his hand, doing something to make a small sphere of red light appear in his palm. "Panacea?" The other girl looked up from her phone and nodded, laying a single finger on top of the mouse's head. Carefully, Gallant brought the light closer, holding it steady as the mouse struggled. Then, suddenly, it happened. Taylor almost missed it, the moment when the sphere of light stretched forwards, turning into a beam and striking the mouse full in the belly. She definitely didn't miss the mouse's reaction though. It squirmed and twisted, squeaking frantically in a blind panic and startling Taylor so badly she almost dropped it. Panacea herself lost contact for a few moments, jerking her finger away to avoid a bite before regaining contact, this time right where Taylor was holding.

Taylor took that as her cue and used her power in its mental healing mode. Another surge of energy, another impenetrable pattern, and the mouse quieted. It wasn't silent, and it certainly wasn't still, but the panicked edge to its movements was gone. It wasn't emotionless. It wasn't brain-dead. It was just the normal amount of scared now. "She's removing the stress chemicals. Not suppressing them- actually removing them" Panace's voice broke through Taylor's relief, focused but with an edge of stress to it. "Removed, I meant she removed them. No ongoing effects. No, the mouse is getting more scared right now. It isn't inhibiting anything" Belatedly, Taylor realized that she must be talking to her microphone, arguing with someone in the observation room. That had to be Brandish. "I don't know. How do you think parahuman powers work? No I'm not seeing-"

Dr. Miller cut off the discussion with a clap. "Thank you for that Gallant, and you Vernal. Next, we'll be testing joy. You still have two charges Vernal?"

"Ah, yes?" Were they really going to run her out of power? It made sense, but Taylor found herself scared of the idea. Running on empty meant that many of her best powers would be unavailable to her. It meant being vulnerable. Also… "I don't think it'll work though? I think it was only fear and, like, surprise or something?"

"Yes, that was in the notes, but it is important to test regardless. A full-spectrum emotional suppression power has vastly different implications compared to a narrow-band fear treatment. Now, next mouse" As it turned out, Taylor's power did nothing for joy or anger. The former was expected, but the latter was a bit of a surprise. For some reason she'd associated mental healing with removing negative emotions, but rage apparently didn't qualify. Maybe that was hidden behind another marble?

Regardless of the result though, Dr. Miller refused to give any sort of feedback, simply noting it down on her clipboard and gesturing for them to continue. Now though… "Vernal, you are completely out of charge, correct?" The tone filled Taylor with foreboding. It was unfair of her, she knew. Dr. Miller and Dr. Brown had been nothing but fair to her. Simultaneously though, they were the ones in charge of determining if she was a Master or not. Of deciding whether she'd be allowed to be a hero- or at least what kind of hero she was allowed to be. She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Very well. Then we can move on to the final test scheduled for today"

Then, like a bolt from the blue, it hit Taylor. An idea. An urgent idea. "Um, one more thing, before we continue" She turned to Gallant. "Could you… use your power on me?" It was a combination of an idle thought and a half-remembered message. A burst of wild speculation combined with intuition.

"The… rage blast?" The skepticism was clear in Gallant's voice.

"Well, any of them" Taylor was immediately regretting her outburst, but it was too late to take it back, so she plowed onwards. "I just, uh, I want to see how it works" An excuse occurred to her. A bad excuse, but an excuse nonetheless. "My mental acceleration. It happens whenever I feel a strong emotion" And also both other times she'd been affected by a parahuman power. "It might be connected to my fear healing. I want to know if I can make it happen"

She waited with bated breath as Gallant considered, looking to the Doctors for guidance. Dr. Brown shrugged. Dad looked concerned, shoulders tight, but he didn't step in. He didn't do anything. Giving a shrug of his own, Gallant stretched out a hand, a bright blue glow alighting in his palm. Taylor reached out her own hand to meet him. Like a spark jumping to exposed metal, the light leapt towards her, and Taylor felt a flood of giddy laughter flow through her body from her fingertip outwards.

As the wave reached her head, Taylor felt reality judder and jerk. This was not the normal transition. The world shattered around her, and instead of the now-comfortable lack of sensation she felt a tingling burn all over her body. A phantom pain that almost but not quite matched up with where she knew her limbs were. Briefly, Taylor wondered if she'd broken her power, but in the moment she couldn't find it anything but funny.

But nonetheless, the door snapped open.

Fencing Sphere Voided! Perk Choice Granted!
All Other Spheres Moved to Discard!
For Experimenting with Power Interactions, [QUEEN ADMINISTRATOR]'s Approval has increased by +1! Now at 4!
Trigger Interface Patched! Intentional Non-Conflict Trigger Induction Is No Longer Possible!
Choose One Perk!

The Bigger Picture- Taylor knows more now, but is still burdened by the results of her past decisions made in ignorance. This perk somewhat relieves this burden, allowing her an accurate summation of herself and her own abilities, plus those of anyone who trusts her with their real and full capabilities.
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
Consign to the Void- When something is thrown away, nothing is left behind… but what is nothing, but another void to be used? With this perk, voiding an orb, sphere or talent will produce a void of equal value in addition to the usual effect. Combining two voids will grant the same reward as voiding an item with a value one step higher than the smaller one. Both will still be destroyed in the process.
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
Deal with the Demiurge- Sometimes, words aren't enough. Sometimes, Taylor needs a little push, a little incentive. The incentive, in this case, being more power. As a Special Vote (incompatible with other Special Votes), you may propose a Quest for Taylor to undertake, which she may accept or reject. Each quest will be furnished with an appropriate reward based on difficulty, danger, and objective.
Guide Dog- Taylor needs help. Everyone thinks so. Luckily, QA was kind enough to include a small native lifeform to help her acclimate! Sure it's against the rules, but what harm could a single nonsentient lifeform do? Write in a single option from the Pathfinder Familiar list (though not the Improved Familiar list) as well as a Familiar Archetype if desired. For example: [ ] Giant Tardigrade Mascot
- Giant Dragonfly Mascot
- Compsognathus Mauler
- Raven Infiltrator
- Write in (Highly Encouraged)
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 Casting Tradition from the list or invent your own using Drawbacks. You may provide all drawbacks, general drawbacks only, or just a description of the tradition for me to complete. For example: [ ] Skald, [ ] Blighter (Focus Casting, Charged Spells, Terrain Casting, Verbal Casting, Drawback Feat (Charged Despoilation)), [ ] Magical Girl (A flashy caster that draws on positive emotions)
- Qigong Adept
- Magical Girl
- Combat Ritualist
- Write in (Highly Encouraged)
Trail of Trials- The path to mastery is a slow and lonely one, and the smooth road is a long one. The rough road on the other hand… there are rewards aplenty for those willing to brave it. As a special vote, you may grant Taylor a random talent from a martial sphere she possesses. This may happen once per sphere per shuffle.
Guru- It takes a special kind of insight to give someone the secret key to their own soul. Taylor doesn't have it… but with the limitless knowledge of the Akashic Record QA can fake it. Grants Taylor the power to initiate others into her Classes or the class they most resonate with in a harrowing process.
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 Pathfinder Core race or racial variant, specifying any alternate racial traits. For example: [ ] Elf, [ ] Panteran Catfolk, [ ] Dwarf (Anchoring Magic)
- Human
- Gnome (Alchemical Training, Hobbyist Concoctions)
- Elf (Dusk Elf)
- Write in (Highly Encouraged)

Choose Four Orbs, Spheres and Talents!

Orb of Might- TAKEN
- Alchemy Sphere- TAKEN
  - Cluster Toss- Speeds alchemical item usage, allowing two to be used at once at the cost of accuracy. +1 Alchemy level
  - Dynamite Throwing Form- Infuses thrown items with strength, allowing them to strike as hard as one's fists. +1 Alchemy level
  - Fireworks- Infuses thrown items with propellant, allowing them to travel further. +1 Alchemy level
  - Master Chemist- Grants access to alchemical poisons, which may be ingested, inhaled, contact-based, or applied to weapons. +1 Alchemy level
  - Snap Toss- Dramatically speeds alchemical item usage at the cost of focus. +1 Alchemy level
  - Extra Formulae- Grants the formula for Alchemist's Fire and Improved Alchemist's Fire, a potent flame-based grenade. Also grants access to further [Formulae] talents. +1 Alchemy level
- 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
  - Endurance- Substantially improves endurance of extreme temperatures, harsh labor, and deprivation of food, water, or air. Also grants the ability to sleep well in poor conditions.
- Boxing Sphere- Grants increased unarmed combat skill and the ability to prepare a powerful counterattack. +1 Boxing Level, +3 HP
- Gladiator Sphere- TAKEN
  - Derision- Grants the ability to Boast at creatures that miss attacks against you. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Fan Favorite- Grants the ability to Boast as a free action when avoiding or resisting an enemy ability. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Master of Fear- Removes the penalty associated with Strike Fear and reduces the action required. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Motivational Audience- Grants the ability to Boast about an ally's actions at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Pathetic Yelp- Grants the ability to Boast when injured by an enemy. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Punish the Meek- Grants the ability to extend fear effects by attacking the subject. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Theatrical Boast- Increases Boast range dramatically. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Trash Talker- Grants the ability to apply two [Boast] talents to a single Boast at the cost of Focus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Self Confidence- Grants the ability to Boast without cause, and in doing so Refocus. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Vengeful Boast- Grants the ability to Boast when an ally is injured by an enemy attack. +1 Gladiator Level
  - Better Boasts- Grants a [Boast] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Boast] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
  - More Demoralization- Grants a [Demoralize] talent depending on current build and unlocks further [Demoralize] talents. +1 Gladiator Level
- Open Hand Sphere- TAKEN
  - Axe Kick- Grants half again as much strength to unarmed damage, or twice as much against prone enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Counterbalance- Grants the ability to respond to missed attacks by tripping the attacker. More forceful attacks are more easily taken advantage of. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Fading Slide- Grants the ability to respond to attacks by striking the attacker and falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Featherlight Positioning- Grants the ability to take a mobile stance, wherein each attack is an opportunity to reposition. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Focusing Breath- Grants the ability to quickly regain focus and equilibrium. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Grasping Hand- Grants the ability to grapple prone creatures as part of an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Greater Trip- Grants increasing bonuses to tripping enemies. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hard Landing- Grants the ability to batter tripped enemies, weakening their defenses against future maneuvers, and improved ability to perform maneuvers against prone foes. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Hurricane Kick- Grants the ability to move a short distance, striking nearby foes as you go. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Iron Fist- Grants the ability to deal significant unarmed damage to objects, ignoring some of their hardness. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Joint Lock- Grants the ability to entangle grappled foes when dealing unarmed damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Judo Throw- Grants the ability to move a foe while tripping them, and to deal damage with more successful trips. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Kick-Off- Grants the ability to quickly break away from a struck target. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Ladder Strike- Grants the ability to leap and strike an unbalanced foe simultaneously. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Mystic Palm- Grants the ability to deal damage to incorporeal creatures and take advantage of esoteric weaknesses. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Palm Block- Grants the ability to contest attacks with unarmed strikes to reduce damage. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rippling Blow- Grants the ability to make an inaccurate attack that will combo into another unarmed strike if it hits. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Rising Leverage- Grants the ability to refocus and stand when tripping an opponent while prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Shattering Palm- Grants the ability to combo an unarmed disarm or sunder into another unarmed disarm or sunder. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sliding Heelkick- Grants the ability to trip the target of a charging unarmed strike in exchange for falling prone. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Snap Kick- Grants the ability to strike a tripped creature, possibly staggering them. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Spinning Heelkick- Grants the ability to chain an unarmed strike into another strike against a nearby enemy. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Suppressive Rush- Grants the ability to make two accurate attacks for low damage or force the target to assume a defensive posture. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Sweeping Kick- Grants the ability to trip a creature struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - 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. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Thunderous Punishment- Grants the ability to potentially stagger foes with opportunistic attacks. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Up High, Down Low, Too Slow- Grants the ability to slow creatures that are both tripped and struck with an unarmed strike. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Vibrating Impacts- Grants the ability to disrupt the concentration of struck creatures. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Waving Hand- Grants the ability to destabilize struck enemies, and to fight flamboyantly unarmed. +1 Open Hand Level
  - Withering Defense- Grants the ability to react to missed attacks by sapping the attacker's stamina. +1 Open Hand Level
- 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
- Sniper Sphere- Grants the ability to make a powerful and accurate shot or throw. +1 Sniper Level, +3 HP
Orb of Power- TAKEN
- Creation Sphere- Grants the ability to repair or damage objects, or to create crude objects made of soft materials. +1 Creation level, +1 SP
- Death Sphere- TAKEN
  - Corpse Bomb- Increases resonance between Death sphere abilities, allowing ghost strikes to expand over an area through the sacrifice of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Corpse Manipulation- Grants the ability to modify dead bodies in several ways, growing, removing, or shaping their flesh. +1 Death Level
  - Cryptic Strike- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to be delivered with weapon or unarmed strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Empowered Reanimate- Improves reanimated undead, granting them increased strength and staying power. +1 Death Level
  - Expanded Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing several varieties of zombies and skeletons to be created. +1 Death Level
  - Gravetongue- Grants the ability to speak to corpses and undead, which recall only what they perceive after their deaths. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Reanimate- Improves reanimation to allow control of a much larger number of undead. +1 Death Level
  - Haunting Apparition- Improves ghost strike, allowing it to invisibly haunt a location as a trap. +1 Death Level
  - Icy Grip- Improves ghost strike, allowing controlled undead to deliver it in your stead. +1 Death Level
  - Instill Death- Allows the creation of consumable items that can reanimate corpses or be thrown as splash ghost strikes. +1 Death Level
  - Killing Curse- Improves ghost strikes, causing creatures subject to multiple strikes in a short period to die instantly. +1 Death Level
  - Mass Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, allowing the reanimation of multiple corpses at once and the use of ghost strikes to affect an area. +1 Death Level
  - Ranged Death Magic- Improves Death sphere abilities, extending their range. +1 Death Level
  - Sustained Necromancy- Improves reanimation, allowing undead to be sustained using concentration and for longer durations. +1 Death Level
  - Taint Soul- Improves ghost strikes, allowing them to hinder or disable healing and regeneration. +1 Death Level
  - Tomb of Flesh- Grants the ability to absorb multiple undead or a single opponent into oneself. The living are harmed by this, while undead are only stored. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Dominion- Grants an ability related to control or creation of undead, and unlocks other [Dominion] talents. +1 Death Level
  - Greater Ghost Strike- Grants an alternate form of ghost strike and unlocks other [Ghost Strike] talents. +1 Death Level
- 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
- 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- TAKEN
  - Adrenaline Surge- Grants the ability to overpower a Life effect, enabling the target(s) to immediately perform a simple action. +1 Life Level
  - Affliction- Allows the Cure ability to be inverted, dealing negative energy damage and inflicting exhaustion instead of healing. +1 Life Level
  - Break Enchantment- Grants the ability to selectively remove power-based effects from a target of Restore instead of the other applications, though at increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Clarified Strike- Allows Life sphere abilities to be delivered with weapon or unarmed attacks. +1 Life Level
  - Deeper Healing- Greatly improves the effectiveness of Cure and Invigorate. +1 Life Level
  - Diagnose- Grants the ability to swiftly recognize the conditions affecting nearby creatures, and to more slowly spend magic to learn the details of their source. +1 Life Level
  - Empathic Healing- Grants the ability to mitigate the costs of Cure and Restore by taking the damage and conditions upon oneself. +1 Life Level
  - Esoteric Healing- Grants the ability to heal and restore constructs and undead. +1 Life Level
  - Fount of Life- Grants the ability to store healing for more efficient and powerful usage later. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Invigorate- Greatly improves Invigorate and allows it to grant vitality beyond what the body could normally support. +1 Life Level
  - Greater Restore- Grants the ability to overpower Restore, allowing it to restore multiple areas at once. +1 Life Level
  - Instill Life- Grants the ability to store an expensive use of the Life sphere within a liquid or food, allowing its consumption to trigger the stored effect. +1 Life Level
  - Latent Healing- Grants the ability to store a use of the Life sphere within a target, allowing them to trigger it when they wish. +1 Life Level
  - Lingering Resilience- Improves Cure and Restore such that they grant some resistance to the removed conditions and healed damage. +1 Life Level
  - Mass Healing- Grants the ability to overpower Life sphere abilities, allowing them to affect additional targets. +1 Life Level
  - Painkiller- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to permanently heal bruises and other superficial damage. +1 Life Level
  - Ranged Healing- Allows Life sphere abilities to be used at short range rather than requiring touch. +1 Life Level
  - Restorative Cure- Grants the ability to mingle Cure and Restore at a greater cost, applying both with a single touch. +1 Life Level
  - Revitalize- Allows Cure to instead grant regeneration, healing more over a longer period of time. +1 Life Level
  - Self-Renewal- Greatly speeds self-healing at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Stabilizing Invigoration- Improves Invigorate, allowing it to stabilize dying creatures and potentially halt bleeding. +1 Life Level
  - Sudden Invigoration- Greatly speeds Invigoration at an increased cost. +1 Life Level
  - Taste of Victory- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities at an increased cost when used immediately after striking a worthy foe. +1 Life Level
  - Violent Recuperation- Greatly speeds all Life sphere abilities when a new source of damage is completely mitigated. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Cure- Improves Cure and increases the versatility of Restore. Unlocks other [Cure] talents. +1 Life Level
  - Enhanced Vitality- Grants various benefits to targets of Life sphere abilities. Unlocks other [Vitality] talents. +1 Life Level
- Mind Sphere (Inner Focus)- TAKEN
  - Charming Strike- Allows charms to be conveyed through violent force, afflicting those struck by an attack. +1 Mind Level
  - Expanded Charm- Improves charm versatility, allowing the charming of all creatures with a mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Instill Charm- Allows charms to be stored in a consumable medium, triggering when consumed. +1 Mind Level
  - Mass Charm- Improves charm size, allowing more creatures to be affected at increased cost. +1 Mind Level
  - Mental Backdoor- Improves charm insidiousness, reducing resistance in a target affected by an initial charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Powerful Charm- Improves charm power, allowing them to be overpowered at increased cost for increased effect.
  - Psychic Vengeance- Allows one to respond to a failed mental intrusion with a fast charm. +1 Mind Level
  - Ranged Mind- Improves charm range from close to medium range. +1 Mind Level
  - Subtlety- Improves charm subtlety, forcing even those who resist to ignore some attempts. +1 Mind Level
  - Amnesia [Charm]- Grants the ability to remove a target's most recent memories. +1 Mind Level
  - Calm [Charm]- Grants the ability to suppress a target's violent emotions. +1 Mind Level
  - Candor [Charm]- Grants the ability to compel a target to speak only truth. +1 Mind Level
  - Cerebral Strike [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause intense migraines in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Command [Charm]- Grants the ability to briefly take command of a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Confusion [Charm]- Grants the ability to scramble a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Courage [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire a target to great action. +1 Mind Level
  - Disrupt Focus [Charm]- Grants the ability to make concentration difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Enthrall [Charm]- Grants the ability to temporarily befriend a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Esteem [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire confidence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Fascinate [Charm]- Grants the ability to occupy a target's attention. +1 Mind Level
  - Fear [Charm]- Grants the ability to cause fear in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Gestures [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's movement. +1 Mind Level
  - Hostility [Charm]- Grants the ability to drive a target to rage. +1 Mind Level
  - Inception [Charm]- Grants the ability to adjust a target's knowledge. +1 Mind Level
  - Inspiration [Charm]- Grants the ability to inspire competence in a target. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Shield [Charm]- Grants the ability to shield a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Spy [Charm]- Grants the ability to hijack a target's senses. +1 Mind Level
  - Paralyze [Charm]- Grants the ability to hinder a target's actions. +1 Mind Level
  - Project Thoughts [Charm]- Grants the ability to telepathically communicate. +1 Mind Level
  - Read Mind [Charm]- Grants the ability to read a target's mind. +1 Mind Level
  - Recommend [Charm]- Grants the ability to help a target recover from mistakes. +1 Mind Level
  - Sleep [Charm]- Grants the ability to put a target to sleep. +1 Mind Level
  - Utterances [Charm]- Grants the ability to disrupt a target's speech. +1 Mind Level
  - Vision [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce hallucinations. +1 Mind Level
  - Wrack [Charm]- Grants the ability to induce disturbing sensations. +1 Mind Level
  - Cloud Mind- Grants the ability to affect minds in an area. Also unlocks other [Cloud] talents. +1 Mind Level
  - Polyglot- Grants the ability to rapidly learn a language on a temporary basis. +1 Mind Level
  - Terrifying Mind- Grants mental countermeasures against intrusion, causing fear in intruding minds and making intrusion more difficult. +1 Mind Level
  - Mind Over Matter- Allows pain and suffering to be forestalled with mental discipline and spell points, delaying damage taken.
- Protection Sphere- TAKEN
  - Buttressing- Allows created barriers to be quickly repaired. +1 Protection Level
  - Community- Allows damage taken by protected allies to be distributed among protected allies at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Continuous Ward- Improves wards, enabling them to pass through solid objects and provide full protection against incorporeal and burrowing foes. +1 Protection Level
  - Distant Protection- Extends the range of Protection sphere abilities. +1 Protection Level
  - Durable Barrier- Improves barriers, causing them to resist a small amount of physical damage, or all damage at some cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Enduring Protection- Improves wards to last longer when maintained with power. +1 Protection Level
  - Glyph- Grants the ability to turn wards into magical traps that can be activated later. +1 Protection Level
  - Greater Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to be created in the form of flat surfaces and dramatically improving their toughness at a cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Instill Aegis- Allows Aegises to be instilled into a consumable, granting their benefits to the consuming creature. +1 Protection Level
  - Mass Aegis- Grants the ability to protect multiple people with the same Aegis at additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Reactive Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing them to harm enemies or bolster allies when broken. +1 Protection Level
  - Selective Barrier- Improves barriers, allowing allies and allied attacks to pass through at an additional cost. +1 Protection Level
  - Shaped Ward- Improves wards, allowing them to be created in more shapes. +1 Protection Level
  - Shared Aegis- Improves aegises, allowing them to extend beyond their beneficiaries and affect nearby allies as well. +1 Protection Level
  - Status- Grants knowledge of the location and state of allies under an aegis. +1 Protection Level
  - Extra Aegis- Grants a new way to protect allies. Also unlocks further [Aegis] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - More Ward- Grants a new way to Ward an area. Also unlocks further [Ward] talents. +1 Protection Level
  - Succor- Grants the ability to sacrifice an Aegis to provide some instantaneous benefit to the recipient. Also unlocks further [Succor] Talents. +1 Protection Level
- 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
- Improved Cantrips- Improves the basic Cantrips ability, increasing the damage dealt, the amount of matter that can be manipulated or created, and the precision of lights and sounds.
- Third Eye- Grants the ability to open one's third eye, granting the ability to read others' aura and improving perception of magical effects.
Orb of Mastery- TAKEN
- ~~Alchemist~~ Mortal Chemist Construct Rider- A learned class whose mastery of alchemy has spread to construct creation. +¾ BAB, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- 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, +6 + Con HP
- ~~Bard~~ Kung Fu Exemplar Class- A musical class whose mastery of arts and crafts extends into the martial realm. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Blacksmith~~ Fleshforger Class- A tough class just as good at breaking weapons and armor as it is at making ~~them~~ unnatural abominations. +1 BAB, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
- Canny Scoundrel Class- A canny class whose skills in fighting dirty and their ruthless precision separate them from the common thief. +¾ BAB, +5+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, +6 + Con HP
- Crimson Dancer Class- A bloodthirsty class that specializes in wearing down its foes and bleeding them dry. +1 BAB, +½ CL, +2 Fort, +6 + Con HP
- Elementalist Class- A destructive class focused on bringing down foes with elemental power. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +2 Fort, +5 + Con HP
- Eliciter Class- A manipulative class that use their mind magic to disrupt enemies and bolster allies. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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
- ~~Psychic~~ Ascendant Mind Class- A sensitive class which uses a variety of means to unlock psychic might. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +4 + 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, +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, +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, +6 + Con HP
- Technician Class- A skilled class who use technological inventions to supplement their martial toolkit. +¾ BAB, +5 + Con HP
- ~~Thaumaturge~~ Wild Mage Class- A volatile class that trades control 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, +5 + Con HP
- Vigilante Class- A secretive class that pursues excellence in two different identities as a civilian and a hero. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +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
- Sphere Witch Class- An occult class that draws its power from a shadowy patron and their hexes. +½ BAB, +1 CL, +3 + Con HP
- Wraith Class- A spooky class that haunts and possesses allies and enemies to wield them like puppets. +¾ BAB, +¾ CL, +5 + Con HP
- Form Sphere- Grants an Auxiliary and a Utility Talent from the Form Sphere depending on build. Form talents grant biological features and adaptations.
  - Feline Heritage- Grants catlike features, including speed, finesse, perception, and the ability to communicate with felines.
- 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.
  - Draconic Heritage (Esoteric)- Imbues Taylor a fraction of an Esoteric Dragon's power, allowing her to daze foes several times a day.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Toughness- Improves toughness, increasing the amount of physical damage one can endure.
Endless 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.
Pure 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.
Hungry 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.

Taylor did make some mistakes in her analysis, mostly due to wrong assumptions. For one thing, she isn't Small size (she's not short enough for that), so she's doing 1d4 unarmed strike damage rather than 1d3, and the next upgrade to that will take her to 1d6. In fact, she's under- or over-estimating most of the damage stuff, because she doesn't have access to HP numbers or really any reference point to connect the numbers to her real life.

Dr. Brown's hypothesis? Well, he up together Taylor's limited reserves with the fact that her power had both temporary (projection) and permanent flesh replacement modes, and theorized that she actually had a dimensional pocket of meat that she was spending to heal people. The daily recharge was actually coming from her metabolizing whatever meat she'd eaten the day before, and her reserves were increasing because she had been eating more meat due to power-induced cravings (a craving for meat isn't strange enough for most people to mention in a powers context). Thus, the offensive use of Taylor's power, according to that hypothesis, was obviously a striker power to absorb flesh from people she touched to refill her supply.

BTW, the convo just before the final test wasn't really meant to be private. Taylor just assumed it was based on how Dr. Miller walked over to Panacea and started to talk. If she had more self-confidence, she could have walked up and joined in. They were actually talking about how to induce the fear they needed for the test. Glory Girl was the one they planned for, using her aura to frighten a mouse and then a volunteer, but now Gallant was also available. The kids and the doctors favored changing the plan, since Gallant is obviously a lot more selective and versatile, but Carol was against it, insinuating that Gallant might go easy on Vernal. Danny was also against the change, but in his case it was because any change would give Carol the ability to say that this wasn't what she'd agreed to, and Gallant's involvement would be a point to the Protectorate's credit.

Regarding the trigger, I can't speak for cannon, but in this story there's a reason that Shards use a person's worst life-changing moment to insert themselves and grant power. It's a state of simultaneous vulnerability and adaptability, where the mind and soul are open enough not to resist outside meddling, yet also malleable enough to adapt to it afterwards. QA however broke its detection system when it decided to grant the Spheres. It needed to- normal systems don't allow for granting as much power as was necessary, nor over as long a time as was needed. Thus, the system was modified to have a lower threshold for trigger detection and to lower if further when interacting with a new parahuman power, which QA figured was fine because it wasn't intending to grant much power each time. Taylor, however, figured out that it was possible to meet those requirements without being in a stressful situation where her mind would be focused elsewhere. The result was that the shard tendril (for lack of a better term) that was designed to slide into a vulnerable point was met with much more defense than it expected. Unfortunately for Taylor, those tendrils aren't designed that way for the Shard's safety. It's only by virtue of the relatively small power injection that she won't be suffering major permanent consequences.

Shards of Power, Shards of Might (Worm/Pathfinder with Spheres of Power/Spheres of Might)

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Shards of Power, Shards of Might (Worm/Pathfinder with Spheres of Power/Spheres of Might)

Chapter 3.12 Amends​

Chapter 3.13 Compromise​

Chapter 3.14 Violence​

Chapter 3.15 Consideration

Chapter 3.16 Penitence

Chapter 3.17 Decision

Chapter 3.18 Resumption

Chapter 3.19 Experimentation

Chapter 3.12 Amends

Chapter 3.13 Compromise

Chapter 3.14 Violence