Quickening
An Alternative System for
Highlander: The Gathering
By Seth Woods, adapted for use in the games of TonioMagio and Kurgan oOo and based on the original by Hank Driskill and Dodger Gavigan
Congratulations on your recent victory over the Roman. He was a most inhumane monster, and the world is better off without him.
Forgive me. I forget myself, and the fact that Gaius was your mentor. He was a fine man, once, but time wore away his sanity, and his conscience. You did this world a great deal of good by beheading him. My thanks.
It has been some three hundred years since I became Immortal, and two hundred seventy since I won my first battle. I still remember my death vividly; the crash of enemy soldiers on our flanks and rear, and the frightened whinnying of the horses. I was twenty, a good age to die. I am afraid you are less than fortunate, having died as young as you are. C'est la vie. I know of several Immortals who have survived for a long time, with bodies as young or younger than yours.
This letter is an inquiry to be sure you have been properly trained. My thinking leads me to believe that Gaius may have had his own reasons for keeping you in the dark on some subjects. Therefore, I will try to explain what is known to us, in as much detail as possible. Many of this may be repetitive, but please bear with me.
We are Immortal. We cannot be killed by such mundane things as disease, poison, fire, falling, or being stabbed. We do not age, we heal quickly, and we are, in all ways save one, indestructible. Only if our heads are removed from our necks do we die. This removal can be anything from a car accident to a guillotine. It is unimportant.
If we are slain, our Quickening, that which gives us our Immortality, rushes out of us in a great show of light and spectacle. If, by some chance, it was another Immortal who slew us, our Quickening rushes to him, giving him the strength of both him and us. You, Seth, now have most of Gaius within you, and are able to make use of his power. I say most, because some of our Quickening rushes into the world around us, leaving the Game forever.
The Game is what we call the activity of the Immortals. The beheading, the gaining of power: all is part of The Game. Why, you ask, do we not all live in peace? It is partly because of several rumors, handed down from mentor to student, which date back for millennia. It is said that when the number of Immortals in the world grows small, the remaining Immortals shall feel an urge to travel to a far away land, where they shall fight until only one remains. The final survivor, the Champion en Supremis, shall win the Prize. No one knows exactly what the Prize is, but to win it is the goal of every Immortal. It is assumed that whoever wins it would be, in effect, a god. This much is known for certain: whoever wins it will have all the Quickening in the world stored in him. He could do as he wished, and not even the Methuselah could stop him.
What are the Methuselah? Well, that is a question with a long answer, and requires another letter to explain the Kindred. After that, I'll be writing nonstop, telling about the Garou, the Wraiths, the Mages. Soon, my sword arm will be no good because of writers cramp. Sorry, that's for another time. For now, let's get back to our race, the Immortals.
In all games, there must be rules. Our splendid game has rules, also. The rules were discovered long ago; none dare break them.
The first rule: Always fight one on one. Over the centuries, Immortals have tried to team up against each other. The result has always been the same. Disaster. When two Immortals team up on a third Immortal, the Immortal who takes the losers head is the one who gains the most, taking both his opponents Quickening and his ally's. He gains a small chunk of his friends Quickening,
There seems to be no way to predict who will be Immortal. It is as random as can be; it is not genetic, as the Watchers have traced lineage for centuries, and there is no pattern. We are drawn from all walks of life; some with a better chance for survival than others. A Japanese samurai seems far better off than an American secretary, yet both have been chosen by the Quickening. There is no way to tell who will be Immortal, other than the Last.
The Last? Well, that is part of the Quickening. You remember how your head kind of buzzes when another Immortal approaches? Well, the Buzz is part of the Last. The last is a kind of sixth sense we have, and can develop. It tells us things; all we have to do is listen. Occasionally, we learn who will become Immortal after their death. It doesn't always work, and it never seems to work for those who have killed a new Immortal. Perhaps it has...
We are far superior to normal humans. The Quickening provides us with many powers, all of which we are very happy to use against each other. I suppose I'll start from the first of eight abilities we have, the Arcane.
The Arcane is an ability that gives us the ability to hide like no mortal hunter can. We can walk like cats, our feet not making noise even if we walk over two inches of grass. We can melt into the shadows, change our appearance to look like someone else, or seem to blur when we fight, giving our enemies a huge disadvantage. Some, it is rumored, can even become invisible. I fear for the man who has to do battle with an invisible enemy.
Our second ability, which we term Channeling, is in reference to our advanced healing rates. We learn to heal quickly, by speeding the flow of Quickening through our bodies. Our Quickening will heal only us; however, it can inflict harm on our enemies. A few powerful Immortals can send the flow of their Quickening outside their own bodies, giving anything they touch a powerful shock. Some can send it flying down a room like a lightning bolt, or have it swarm about their bodies like a shield. There is one last power that can be accomplished by masters of Channeling, a feat I have only heard of once. An Immortal may choose to kill himself by transferring all his Quickening into a mortal. The Immortal dies, and the mortal will become an Immortal when he dies. The gift of life, as it were.
Our third ability is that of, er, magnetism. Not like you think -- metal objects don't start flying at us. However, it is more of an animal magnetism. (not meaning that animals fly at you -- oh you're a teenager, you know what I'm talking about.) This ability, Charm, as we call it, is used frequently by Immortals who secure power and money by using others. It is also used recklessly by certain individuals. It seems to be a bizarre side effect of the amount of energy we have stored in us. I will not dally on the subject for long.
Our fourth ability is one of raw muscular power. Creatively termed Muscle, and fairly useful. The Quickening stored in our muscles makes us incredibly strong; the typical Immortal will find he can suddenly lift his own weight, even though his muscles have not changed shape or mass. It is interesting, and peculiar. "Working out" will not enhance this ability the least bit, and it only seems to activate when needed. We do not accidentally tear doors off hinges, but we can if we desire to.
Our fifth ability is very useful; we call it Sense. (Despite years of aristocracy, it seems no one has the time to think up creative and colorful names.) At its most basic level, we can sense other Immortals; the Buzz. Later, we develop enhanced senses, a danger sense, and the sixth sense we call the Last. Even more powerful Immortals can read minds, or see the world around them without eyes. I am not very good at it; I will not claim to understand how it is done.
Our sixth ability is what, perhaps, makes us most deadly. Speed, our name for it, enables us to move with lightning quick agility, and to us, it seems as if the whole world has slowed down. With its most preliminary levels, we could be the match of Bruce Lee. (A superb man, by the way, remind me to tell you about him.) At any rate, this power is a great cause for alarm. Many a small Immortal such as yourself has found it to be a great equalizer in fights. After all, if one hit of yours is the same as three of mine; but I hit you eight times for your one, who do you think will win?
Our seventh ability, our Sword, is truly amazing. At its more basic levels, Sword confers a mastery over our blades. Not just swords -- axes and spears have been mastered, too. We can fight like the devil, man. Never forget that. However, the Sword power is truly spectacular at its higher plateaus; our swords become intelligent. Well, not at first. At first, they're sort of stupid. However, they quickly gain in intellect, becoming more and more a part of the Immortal. My own sword, Belle, is a french saber that is as much a part of me as my mind or my soul. I can summon her to my hand with a thought, or even cause her to dissappear from sight and accompany me only in my head. Immortals tell me I have a stronger link with my sword than any other Immortal they have seen. They are modest, I'm sure.
Our eighth, and slightly anticlimactic ability, is called Toughness. It is probably the reason we can take pain so well. I have seen an Immortal get his arm ripped off and not blink. I was quite thankful that I was doing the ripping, instead of being the rippee! I am not a master of Toughness. Those who are masters of this power though, have been ripped apart by machinegun fire, burnt to death -- very little of it bothered them. They are inured to pain, and their skin is like rock -- bullets seem to bounce right off. Thank high heaven Belle can still tear through their necks.
I am regretful, but I must leave. I hope you have enjoyed my letter. Seth, I offer you luck. If you wish, I will be your tutor. I am quite skilled, and could perhaps teach you a thing or two that Gaius could not.
1. He finds another immortal who has a path that he does not and befriends this immortal so that the immortal can teach him. (Oh, and he spends 15 xp for the new path). The new path will start at level 1 and can then be increased as normal, without any further assistance from the immortal he learned the path from. However, the immortal does have to spend some time with his new friend/teacher. You can't just meet someone on the street and pass of the new path like a drug deal. it takes about a month in gaming terms to get started. (Game times fluctuate depending on the ST so you will want to keep an eye on this) 2. He finds an immortal who has a path that he does not have and . . . cuts off his head! Any paths that the loser had will be transferred to the winner; however these paths will be at level 1 rank. If it is a path that was not possessed by the victor, it will be transferred at level 1 and if the victor already posessed the path in question, but at a lower rank than the loser, then the victor's lower rank will be raised +1 unless his Permanent Quickening will not allow it. Example: Good old Lenny the Lowlander Walks down the street and gets into a scrap with Ajingura of Poerugal. Lenny Kills this boy dead and compares paths with him.
| Lenny | Ajingura |
| Speed of the Stag 2 | Speed of the Stag 1 |
| Strength of the Four 3 | Strength of the Four 4 |
| Channeling 3 | Unstoppable Force 3 |
| Shaba 2 | Shaba 2 |
| Sense 2 | Sense 4 |
| Channeling 2 |
|
| Permanent Q 3 | Permanent Q 4 |
Okay, looking at the list above we know that Lenny gets to raise his Strength of the Four +1, gets to add Unstoppable force at Rank 1 to his CS, and gets a +1 to his Sense path. He also gets Quickening the same as before (Ajin4 x Lenny3 = 12 Q experience for Lenny). Now as Lenny is walking home he meets another, more friendly immortal name Doug. Doug follows the path of the Mage and agrees to teach Lenny how to get on the path. After one (gaming) month Lenny is ready to get started along the path by himself. He spends 15 regular XP, thanks Doug and leaves for Istanbul.
The same applies to New Characters starting out "old." Use a conversion of 10 XP per 100 years of life and spend it raising you paths only. After your done, if you have XP left over, discard it. It cannot be used for anything else and cannot be saved for after you have raised your permanent Quickening. it is a one shot deal.
* Soft Step: The character may add his Arcane to stealth rolls. He is naturally soft footed. At this level, he may also roll Arcane + Manipulation to conceal his blade. The difficulty of the concealment is equal to the weapon difficulty. (Yes, bastard swords are harder to hide.
Optional: The Immortal may lower the difficulty of the hiding by saying that his weapon requires one, two or three.
** Silence: The character can temporarily suspend his own breath and heartbeat, making them all but imperceptible to the ear. Subract two from all stealth difficulties.
*** Know the Eyes Path: The character has enough experience being sneaky to know where the eye tends to travel. He can avoid being in the line of sight, and adds two to the diffoculties of all opponents' awareness rolls. In addition, he may move at walking speed while sneaking; he does not half to move slowly.
**** Child of Darkness: The character gains the ability to seemingly merge with the shadows. Your ability to conceal yourself is not yet fully developed, so you still need cover. All that is needed to successfully hide oneself is some degree of shadow; the character practically melts into the shadows. Your are automatically successful in your hiding, unless you move. Note that other Immortals can still sense you, they simply can't see you.
***** The Unseen Face: The character may alter his appearance, changing it to blend in with the crowd arround him. The character rolls Man + Acting, dif 7. One success indicates minor changes, while five changes indicates you can appear as someone of the opposite sex. Note that this power is largely uncontrollable; the character automatically assumes a form that will not stand out, one that is beyond his control.
****** Unseen Presence: Your powers of remaining unseen have become so potent that you can effectively cause yourself to disappear indefinitely and remain hidden even if you walk around.
You are completely ignored unless someone specifically looks for you. People will move about in ways that cause them to avoid you and will even take actions to remove themselves from your vicinity. Their unconscious minds will do nearly anything to prevent their conscious minds from realizing that you are there. You are not capable of inciting any violent physical activitity, or responding to any, unless you let fall the unseen presence.
******* Hiding the Inner Nature: The character may now "mask" himself from immediate detection via immortal sensing. An immortal will not sense him until he is very close, about five feet away. It will not work if he comes within five feet of an immortal. However, this allows an immortal to live out a life of peace, without the constant fear of being hunted. Note that the Arcane master who uses this power can still detect other immortals. GMs should use discretion with this ability; it should not be used to ambush immortals. If the Immortal uses this power to ambush, his opponent will automatically win the first initiative contest. (whipsaw reflexes in the face of danger)
******** Cloud the Mind: After learning something of the Japanese art of Chi Zoshiki, the immortal can cloud his opponents' mind while they fight, incurring an increased difficulty for his opponent. The opponent adds the Arcanist's Arcane rating to his difficulty, but subtracts his Sense rating. He will not end up with a negative number. Example: Morrigan, an aborigine, is fighting Takenada, a ninja. Takenada uses his Cloud the Mind ability, at rating eight. Morrigan has a Sense of six. Morrigan adds two to all his difficulties. If Morrigan had a Sense of eight, nothing would happen. If he had a Sense of nine, nothing would happen. (He wouldn't get a bonus)
********* Invisibility: The Immortal rolls Arcane, and disappears. (Dif is opp Wits + Alertness) If three or more successes are scored, the Immortal simply vanishes. If he scores more than his victim's Willpower, the weak-minded fool forgets it ever happened, and leaves immediately. Being invisible grants numerous advantages in combat; these should be decided by the Storyteller, perhaps a plus four on all rolls.
********** Mental Invisibility: The character duplicates the invisibility effect, but on a mental scale, as well. He cannot be aura-read, telepathically scanned, or seen from the umbral or astral plane. To all appearances and all senses, he is gone. There are no known ways of perceiving the character. However, if the character ever attacks anyone, his Mental Invisibility crumbles, and he must rely on normal invisibility. This power uses up one Willpower point per scene. Note also, that with this power, the character becomes insubstantial, and can pass through walls, etc, with ease. If, however an empowered blade (one with Quickening in it) passes through his neck, he dies as usual. Many Imortals who partake of this power become record keepers, always observing, but never participating.
* Typical: As per the advanced healing rates in H:tG. The healing processes are capable of allowing the immortal to breathe water.
** Healing Burst: Roll Sta + Channeling, where each success removes one wound level. This may be attempted once per wound. After that, the character must heal using his conventional healing. However, at this stage, the character is incapable of healing Aggravated damage.
*** Advanced Healing: Heal 1 non-aggravated wound/round. The healing powers have gone into overdrive.
**** Superior Healing Burst: This power is identical to the Healing Burst power, but is capable of healing aggravated wounds.
***** Superior Healing: The character may now heal one aggravated wound/round, and his powers of healing make him near constantly alert and energetic. He may continouosly stay awake for a number of days equal to his Channeling, without ill effect.
****** Reverse Channeling: The Immortal may now reverse the energies in his body, sending his Quickening out to damage his opponents in barehanded combat. However, this is fatiguing, and he will have a minus one on his next round of rolling. A healing burst cannot combat this. The Immortal does additional aggravated damage in hand to hand strikes equal to his Channeling. He must make skin to skin contact with such strikes; he cannot Channel through a shoe or a mitten. Also at this level, the character may breathe when there is a total lack of oxygen, such as in the void of space.
******* Channeled Blast: The Immortal may channel his Quickening into an object, creating something of a land mine. When an object touches the object, the Quickening will be released into the touching thing, giving it a good zap, then flying back to the Immortal. The Quickening only stays in the object for a number of rounds equal to his Channeling, then flies back to the Immortal. Thus, ninja stars, wood planks, etc, can be charged and thrown or stepped on. It does the same amount of damage as the Reverse Channeling power. Also, an Immortal may now channel through his clothing, allowing for a shoe or a glove to transfer the energy.
******** Quickening Shield: The immortal can create a shield of pure Quickening around him. This will electrify the air, creating a loud crackle. In addition, the character will glow a bright shade of white. Anything that comes into contact with him will take half the Immortal's Channeling in damage. (This assumes they are garbed in slightly conductive clothing.)
********* Quickening Bolt: The Immortal simply points, and a lightning bolt of pure Quickening leaps from the Immortal to the Target. The Immortal may fire the bolt his Channeling, squared, in yards. (I.e, he may send it 81 yards now, and 100 when he is rank ten) The Bolt does his full Channeling skill in damage. The bolt then loops back and returns to the Immortal. The difficulty of the strike is 9, and the character must roll Dex + Channeling to strike.
********** Quickening Transfer: At this level, the Immortal may bestow the greatest gift of all: he may bestow his Immortality on one mortal. He transfers all of his Quickening to an unborn child. The child will automatically grow up to be an Immortal, a reincarnation of the character. This will kill the Immortal, but many who achieve level ten in Channeling are sick of Immortality. The child, free of charge, will have the Guardian Angel merit, until his eighteenth birthday. This Guardian Angel will prevent the discovery of the character by other immortals, until he is of a "suitable" age. On the day of their eighteenth birthday, the Angel merit disappears, and the child will have incredibly hideous luck for three weeks, or until he "dies"...cars will swerve to avoid old women and hit the character. Snipers will mistake the character for their target, and the character will be mugged by every mugger in the city. In short, Gaia will do her best to kill the character when he is eighteen. However, he will not be beheaded when he dies. He will then begin life as an Immortal.
** Glib Tongue: The character, with the expenditure of a willpower point, may add his Charm rating to his Manipulation. He has had a long time to spend learning how the minds of humans work, and is more skilled at accomplishing his own desires through lies and deceit.
*** Debonaire: The character has developed a certain presence, force of character, etc, that makes him interesting to talk to and seem like an incredible person. He may add his Charm to all Charisma rolls. He is funny or charming, sincere, or whatever. (Centuries have made you into one slick customer)
**** Modelesque: The character has altered his appearance, either by toning muscles, adding or losing weight, getting a tan, getting that perfect haircut, or whatever; he may now add his Charm to his Appearance.
***** Awe: The character may now
duplicate the effects of Awe, the vampiric power. The
power is always active, and the character is (almost)
always the center of attention. He can easily do such
things as run for office, be an actor or a model, etc.
People take a natural liking to him without knowing him.
Only exceptional characters can see him for what he
really is. If he is a really nice person, they'll
probably end up liking him, too. The Immortal rolls
Charisma+Acting (difficulty 7.) Those affected can use
Willpower points to shake off the effect, but must
continue spending willpower every few minutes for as long
as they remain in the same area as the character. As soon
as a number of willpower points are spent equal to the
number of successes is spent, the Awe is completely
shaken off. The subject will not be affected for the rest
of the scene. The character may not use his bonus Suave
dice for this roll, as this a form of exemplary
suaveyness.
****** Eyes of the Kurgan: This power works like the Dread Gaze, but is more of a general intimidation effect. The character may roll Strength + Intimidation, or Charisma + Intimidation. (dif = opp. wits + 3) Any success indicates that the opponent is cowed, while three successes or more he tries to run in fear. Each success subtracts one from his opponent's dice pools. This may be turned into an extended contest. The Suave power does not enhance the Charisma roll.
******* Entrancing: Entrancement is used to convince another to serve you. The subject of entrancement will be enchanted with you and desire to serve your needs. They will be happy to serve you, and considers you a trusted friend. The Immortal rolls Appearance + Empathy to Entrance, (dif = to the opponents willpower.) The number of successes determines how long the subject is entranced. There is no way to extend an Entrancement. 1 success = 1 hour, 2 successes = one day, 3 successes = one week, 4 successes = one month 5 successes = one year.
******** Majesty: You are almost universally respected and feared. Unless mortals or even Kindred stop to consider their feelings about you, they are likely to treat you respectfully without conscious thought. Indeed, the very sight of you causes jaws to drop in awe and even the most courageous to fear you. You simply seem so formidable that no one would even consider crossing you, let alone make a physical challenge. You will not be attacked or harmed in any way for as long as the effects of Majesty remain unresisted. Subjects must make a Courage roll, difficulty = Immortals Charisma = Intimidation, if the subject wishes to be rude, crass, or even non-servile to you. A subject who fails the roll will go to absurd lengths to humble himself before the Immortal. Subjects may spend a Willpower to overcome such feelings.
********* Instill Love: Similair to Entrancement, only more compelling. This power duplicates the effects of a vampiric Blood Bond for as long as the target is in the presence of the character. Successful use of this power requires a Charisma + Acting roll, with a difficulty = to the target's willpower.
********** Aura of Aphrodite: The character has an incredibly powerful Aura, and people around him simply fall in love with the character. This won't create any unusual sexual advances, (I.e, that heterosexual guy is not going to change sexual preference) but the characters will all treat the character as if he were their most trusted ally. This effect is automatic. If he enters a room, everyone in the room will simply become starstruck with the character. Treat this as if everyone in the room was entranced, using Willpower to resist the entrancement. The character can opt to shut off this power. It can be reactivated at thought. The character can choose to only affect a certain group of people. (I.e, the people in the car next to him, not everyone on the street.) This power may affect anyone who can see the immortal.
* Sense Immortal: The Immortal may sense the presence of other Immortals.
** Heightened Senses: Subtract two from the difficulty of all perception rolls. The Immortal's senses are suddenly more acute, and more sensitive to their environment.
*** Supernatural Attunement: The character gains the advantages of the Merit of Danger Sense; he is also mysteriously able to tell when magick, disciplines, gifts, Quickening, Faith, or other "mystic" abilities are being used.
**** Super Senses: Add the Character's Sense rating to his perception rolls.
***** The Last: The character may simply intuitively "know" things...as described in "The Last," in H:tG, any information the GM wishes to impart may be given.
****** See Auras: This power, derived from the Last, works exactly as the one in the V:tM book. See Auspex, level 2.
******* Impressions: This power works like Psychometry. V:tM.
******** Telepathy: Guess what power this works like?
********* Zanshin: The Immortal no longer needs his eyes to see the world around him. Assume that the character has 360 degree vision. He is always aware of any attack to be made on his person, without a Perception roll. He may fight in perfect darkness without penalty.
********** Omniscience: The character immediately gains an absolute understanding of the personalities and identities of all those around him. The character understands as well as they understand themselves. On a perception + empathy roll (dif 6) the character understands emotions, hopes, fears, the true nature of individuals, (Kindred, kine, werewolf, mage, potential mage, etc.), the presence and type of spirits, and anything else the Storyteller decides he should know. The limits of this extraordinary power can only be determined by the storyteller, who should base the information gained on the # of successes gained. The range of this power is line of sight, and anyone with an Obfuscate or Arcane of Eight or higher is immune to it.
* Sheath: The immortal is able to channel Quickening through his weapon. You may add your Sword rating to the damage you do in melee combat.
** Peace Knot: The immortal learns to use Quickening to increase his own reactions, and make the blade lighter. You may add your Sword rating to initiative rolls.
*** Tip: The amount of raw Quickening channeled through the blade allows your reactions and skill with your blade to become more natural. You may add your sword rating to all Melee attack rolls.
**** Blade: Your physical attunement with your blade deepens, allowing lightning quick parries and sidesteps. You may add your sword rating to all Melee defense rolls.
***** Guard: At this point, an immortal forms a weak mystical bond with his weapon. The weapon gains a rudimentary intelligence, and a basic personality. Assume the blade has a one in all the mental attributes, and a one in all the social attributes. (Excluding Appearance) It may have three dots in Knowledge abilities. The maximum rating for the blade in any Knowledge is three. The immortal may mentally communicate with his sword, though it tends to communicate in single sentences, and is rather boring to have a conversation with. Reflexes sharpen, and difficulty for all Melee rolls decreases by two with the specific weapon. This does not include initiative rolls.
****** Grip: In addition to forming a deeper mystic link, the weapon's physical manifestation grows more powerful. It becomes near unbreakable, and never needs be sharpened again. It will never scratch, never bend, never chip, etc. It inflicts aggravated damage, as the Quickening charged in it is more powerful. It cannot be broken, except by seven points of aggravated damage directed at the sword. The weapon deepens in mental capabilities, gaining 5 points to distribute among its attributes, and gains a slightly more vibrant personality. It gains a Nature, and a Willpower rating equal to the Sword rating. (Which raises as the Sword rating does) It gains six more knowledge points. Its maximum knowledge rating raises to four. The sword now communicates as a human would, "speaking" in fully structured conversations. The sword can now be summoned to hand instantly. It will vanish from its former location, and reappear in its Immortals hand. This grants three automatic successes on initiative. Note that most immortals will still carry their weapons with them, as it makes them feel more comfortable. (After all, they've probably carried it with them for centuries.)
******* Hilt: The mystical link deepens even more. Also, the blade gains a deeper link to the spirit world, and is now capable of harming beings usually not harmed by such a weapon. The blade can strike and inflict aggravated damage to faeries, Garou, Kindred, Daemons, etc. The blade also gains four more points to distribute among its attributes. It also gains a Demeanor, and is an interesting conversationalist. It is now incredibly intelligent, and also gains nine more knowledge points. Its maximum rating knowledge is five. The blade also gains the ability to heal at the same rate as the immortal. If the blade is broken, it will heal. It can only be permanently broken when the immortal is dead.
******** Pommel: The mystical link becomes forged in practically unbreakable chains. It can be summoned through the gauntlet, or if the character is in a Horizon Realm. There are no known barriers that the blade can't be summoned through. The blade gains three more attribute points, and gains five more knowledge points. The user can now feel The maximum rating for Knowledge Abilities is now six. The blade may now "shift" through Demeanors as a normal mortal can. The Immortal may choose one specific maneuver which gains an additional -2 to difficulty. (such as Disarm, Decapitate, Great Blow, etc.)
********* New Sword: The blade divulges its only secret to the Immortal: its true name. Now, the blade is incapable of harming the Immortal. If the blade is ever used by another immortal to try to kill the possessor, the blade simply stops, and doesn't pierce or bruise the skin. The blade and Immortal can also feel each other's emotions, and transfer their emotions to the other. They may "give" a willpower point to the counterpart. This willpower point is scratched off of the other's character sheet, and must be immediately used. The blade gains one more attribute point, and five more knowledge points. The blade also receives experience points, equal to the possessor, and may use them as it sees fit.
********** Perfect Blade: The blade now becomes perfectly linked to the immortal, and they can always know each other's position. They are as one being. The Immortal may also use the blade's senses in lieu of his own, seeing, hearing, or feeling what the blade feels. (He can thus leave his blade in an office, well hid, and use the blade for spying.) He may also use the blade's attributes as his own, replacing his own thought's with the blade's. Thus, he may roll the blade's politics skill in place of his own, deferring to its superior knowledge of the subject. (Of course, the skill will be slightly tinged with the blade's personality.) Both the possessor and the blade gain the True Love merit for each other, reflecting their undying devotion for each other. The blade gains one more attribute point. The blade and Immortal are now soul linked, and when (if!) the immortal walks through the pearly gates when he dies, his sword will be in hand. An additional effect is that the immortal may now "disperse" the sword. He may "absorb" into into himself, and have it reappear at will. The absorbing and recreation are instant. The sword may still communicate with the character while it is dispersed.
Twin Blade allows a character to develop a 'Two Swords' ability, letting him use two weapons in combat. A character's Twin Blade rating may never be higher than his Sword rating. A character's secondary blade has a Sword rating, as well, which determines how skilled the Immortal is in the use of his second blade. His secondary Sword rating is equal to his Twin Blade rating. However, the actual abilities imparted with the Twin Blade skill are skills of cooperation and conjunction, of using the two blades simultaneously.
An Immortal does not start with a rank in Twin Blade, as it is not an "automatic" Quickening power. However, it may be bought during Character Creation.
* Ambidexterity: A character with even a grasp of two-weapon use knows how to make the best use of both his hands, gaining the merit Ambidexterity. He is skilled in using both his 'normal' and his 'off' hand to perform feats.
** Confusion: Fighting a warrior with practice in Twin Blade is now more complicated; he is unpredictable, his weapons seeming to spring from every side, every angle. It is much less straightforward than a simple one sword to one sword fight. The character gains a +1 automatic success on initiative, because of his spontaneity.
*** Weapon Conjunction: The character is a marvel at spacing his weapons properly, keeping a near perfect amount of distance, allowing powerful parries and counter attacks. If the character succeeds on a parry, with more successes than necessary, he may use his 'extra' successes to immediately counterattack. This counter attack is resolved after the initial attack, and does not cost the counterattacking Immortal an action.
**** Drawing Out: The Immortal becomes adept at outmanuevering her opponent, tricking her into barely overextending herself or slipping her guard. This can be deadly against an opponent with two weapons, as it only requires one blade to draw out another, and while the blade is drawn out, the secondary weapon can make a powerful strike. A Immortal may add half his Twin Blade rating (rounded down) to a Melee attack roll.
***** Weapon Shield: At this point, the Immortal becomes skilled at regularly interchanging which weapon he is using to attack and defend, and always has one weapon close to the body ready to ward off any attacks. Her defenses must effectively be broken through twice; a feat very difficult to accomplish against so skilled a swordsman. An Immortal may add half his Twin Blade rating (rounded down) to a Melee parry roll.
****** Chaotic Attack: An Immortal who has achieved this level of skill is a force to be reckoned with. His attacks are blindingly fast and in near perfect concert; it is nearly impossible to simply wave off such a coordinated attack with a sword. He may subtract two from the difficulty on Initiative rolls.
******* Three Path Harmony: With the development of the intellect of his two blades, the Immortal and his allies are capable of acting in three way harmony. They are in constant mental contact, not only with the Immortal, but with each other. The most immediate effect of this is that the character may attack and parry with lightning quick reaction time. He may choose to parry any attack, once, with no cost to his total actions per round. In other words, he may parry for free, without losing any extra attacks.
******** Berserker: The character, in combat, appears to have completely lost his cool. He is spinning this way, whirling that way, his two blades spinning and shimmering. He is 'berserking' to all witnesses. However, he is actually in complete control of his faculties, and his defense and offense are as tight as ever. The effect is that he may attack more often. He gains a number of extra attacks equal to half his Twin Blade rating (rounded down) and may use these as he wishes. However, there are two restriction on this power. The first is that a willpower point must be spent every turn it is maintained. The second restriction is that the character loses the free parry he gained as a result of Three Path Harmony, above.
********* Top o' Death: The character becomes incredibly frightening, even to his allies. In combat, he appears to spin, resembling a child's top. His blades, and himself, whirl in an incredibly fast and intricate dance. He may use the Berserker power in conjunction with Three Path Harmony. In effect, he has regained his free parry, and may use it while Berserking.
********** One Mind, Three Bodies: When any roll is called for involving the social or mental attributes, or any knowledge, the character may roll for himself, and for each of his blades. Thus, this character gets three (3) perception rolls if he is surprised, or three (3) medecine rolls to fix a broken arm. He may also fall asleep, allowing his blades to stay awake the whole night and keep guard. After all, they don't get sleepy.
This effect is largely only visual; whenever an Immortal creates such a spectacle, it always seemed looped; the spell going outward, the lightning of the Quickening flying back in. For this reason, I suggest that every Immortal have a slightly different colored Quickening. An evil Immortal might have a black Quickening, while a Highlander might have a light blue. When an Immortal takes someone's head, describe the losers' Quickening seep out, change color, and fly into the victor. (This may sound corny, but all my players liked it.) Immortals must have one hand and arm free, and be able to speak freely to cast a spell. If they are securely tied, or gagged, or both, they are unable to cast a spell.
Hedge Magic is particularly common among Western Immortals, who have had a great deal of time to study the occult. Immortals do not start out with a dot in Hedge Magic or Faith. Hedge Magicians may have one Path per dot in Hedge Magic. The maximum rating is equal to their Hedge Magic score. Characters receive access to two paths at level two. They have no paths available at level one.
* Sense the Unseen: The Immortal is aware of the existance of magic, and has probably even made a few guesses as to why Immortals exist. The character, with a Perception + Hedge Magic, (dif 6) may sense any magic, sphere or hedge, being used. This includes Quickening powers, which are based on Quintessence. This power does not register like the buzz; it is more like a brief euphoria.
** Walking the Paths: The character may now cast spells. He is very limited in scope, however. He has two paths open to him, each at level one, or he may have one path at level two. Each level hereafter, he gains access to another path. To cast a spell, roll Willpower versus a difficulty of the power level + 3.
*** Counter Spell: The character's abilities have increased to the point where he may counter-magic any Path he knows; he may counter magic only from paths he knows, however. This requires one action, and the character rolls his Hedge Magic rating, versus a difficulty equal to the casters difficulty for casting the spell. Each success negates one success of the spellcaster. This defense only affects you.
**** Dispel Magic: The character may now affect others, protecting them as well. Roll as before, but this time your counterspelling affects the spell as a whole. If you destroy all of the casters successes, the spell is dissipated. If not, it works at a reduced level.
***** Reflect Spell: On a Hedge Magic vs. Hedge Magic roll, you may reflect a spell back at it's caster. You must gain more successes than your opponent, and you must know the Path being used against you, at the level being used against you.
****** Spellshielding: You may now countermagic spells from Paths you do not know. This is a powerful ability, as it lets you defend yourself, friends, or reflect the spell you do not know.
******* Ease Casting: The difficulty for all spellcasting goes down by two. You are a practiced spellcaster, and it shows.
******** Verbal Component only: Your spellcasting no longer requires you to have a free arm. All it takes for you to cast a spell is the ability to speak freely.
********* No Verbal Component: The character no longer even requires a verbal component. He need only cast a spell mentally. However, this does require an action, or splitting the dice pool. Things seem to just happen around the character.
********** Hedge Master: Now, the character need only see a spell to be able to imitate it; he needs no more study in the Paths, only to witness a spell effect. He may then repeat it, at +2 difficulty. You learn new Paths for only 3 XP, and continue their study for only Rank X 2 XP. Needless to say, Hedge Magic can make an Immortal very powerful, and wise GMs may want to restrict it's use.
This is it I think guys. Have fun. This last quick reference listing is the final word on the powers and their uses. We think this is fair and fun and hope you all like them. They May vary from what the power descriptions abve say(mostly because I missed it in the changes) but this is it. These are all the rolls and costs and stuff that these powers will do. Use the descriptions below only for Reference to what these powers are!!