Possible player intrusions based on your character type:
Friendly NPC
An NPC you don't know, someone you don't know that well, or someone you know but who hasn't been particularly friendly in the past chooses to help you, though doesn't necessarily explain why. Maybe they'll ask you for a favor in return afterward, depending on how much trouble they go to.
Perfect Suggestion
A follower or other already-friendly NPC suggests a course of action with regard to an urgent question, problem, or obstacle you're facing.
Unexpected Gift
An NPC hands you a physical gift you were not expecting, one that helps put the situation at ease if things seem strained, or provides you with a new insight for understanding the context of the situation if there's something you're failing to understand or grasp.
Bookish
+2 to your Intellect Pool.
Granted from Calm
Possible GM intrusion from your focus:
Too many predicted results threaten to overwhelm and stun the character. A result points to imminent disaster.
https://app.lostcompanypress.com/account/cypher/players/C7588A1A2F788B8C Last Updated: December 14th, 2023 11:08 App Version: 1.02.12
", "description": "Background:
Calm
You've spent most of your life in sedentary pursuits-books, movies, hobbies, and so on-rather than active ones. You're well versed in all manner of academia or other intellectual pursuits, but nothing physical. You're not weak or feeble, necessarily (although this is a good descriptor for characters who are elderly), but you have no experience in more physical activities.
(Calm is a great descriptor for characters who never intended to have adventures but were thrust into them, a trope that occurs often in modern games and particularly in horror games.)
Choose how you became involved in the adventure:
- You read about the current situation somewhere and decided to check it out for yourself.
- You were in the right (wrong?) place at the right (wrong?) time.
- While avoiding an entirely different situation, you walked into your current situation.
- One of the other PCs dragged you into it.
Calculates The Incalculable
Awesome mathematical ability allows you to model the world in real time, giving you an edge over everyone.
Background Connection:
You once ran a con that cheated important people out of money, and they want revenge.
Focus Connection:
Pick one other PC. Seeing you use your focus abilities seems to trigger an unpleasant memory in that character. That memory is up to the other PC, although they may not be able to consciously recall it.
You can come up with a random fact pertinent to the current situation when you wish it. This is always a matter of fact, not conjecture or supposition, and must be something you could have logically read or seen in the past. You can do this one time, although the ability is renewed each time you make a recovery roll.
Granted from Calm
Granted from Calm
Granted from Playwright
Granted from Playwright
All physical attacks are hindered.
Granted from Calm
Granted from Playwright
All climbing, running, jumping, and swimming tasks are hindered.
Granted from Calm
After hearing a language spoken for a few minutes, you can speak it and make yourself understood. If you continue to use the language to interact with native speakers, your skills improve rapidly, to the point where you might be mistaken for a native speaker after just a few hours of speaking the new language. Enabler.
Granted from Playwright
You gain a level 2 follower. One of their modifications must be persuasion. You can take this ability multiple times, each time gaining another level 2 follower. Enabler. (When you use Basic Follower, the GM may require that you actually look for a suitable follower.)
Granted from Playwright
Through jokes, song, or other art, you prevent a living foe from attacking anyone or anything for one round. Action.
", "settings": { "general": { "sorting": "Ability" } }, "basic": { "cost": "3", "pool": "Intellect" } } }, { "name": "Cognizant Offense", "type": "ability", "img": "systems/cyphersystem/icons/items/ability.svg", "system": { "description": "During combat, your brain shifts into a sort of battle mode where all potential attacks you could make are plotted on vector graphs in your mind's eye, which always provides the best option. Your attacks are eased. Enabler.
Granted from Calculates The Incalculable
You spew a stream of nonsense to distract a foe within immediate range. On a successful Intellect roll, your defense roll against the creature's next attack before the end of the next round is eased. Action.
Granted from Playwright
You project confidence, knowledge, and charisma to all who see you for the next hour. Your demeanor is such that those who see you automatically understand that you are someone important, accomplished, and with authority. When you speak, strangers who are not already attacking give you at least a round to have your say. If speaking to a group that can understand you, you can attempt to have them produce their leader or ask that they take you to their leader. You gain a free level of Effort that can be applied to one persuasion task you attempt during this period. Action to initiate.
Granted from Playwright
You keep your allies on their toes with occasional questions, jokes, and even mock drills for those who care to join in. After spending 24 hours with you, your allies can apply a free level of Effort to any initiative tasks they attempt. This benefit is ongoing while you remain in the allies' company. It ends if you leave, but it resumes if you return to the allies' company within 24 hours. If you leave the allies' company for more than 24 hours, you must spend another 24 hours together to reactivate the benefit. You must spend the Intellect point cost each 24 hours you wish to keep the benefit active. Enabler.
Granted from Playwright
If you use one action creating a misdirection or diversion, in the next round you can take advantage of your opponent's lowered defenses. Make a melee attack roll against that opponent. You gain an asset on this attack. If your attack is successful, it inflicts 4 additional points of damage. Action.
Granted from Playwright
You are specialized in higher mathematics. If you are already specialized, choose some other sphere of knowledge to become trained in. Enabler.
Granted from Calculates The Incalculable
You gain 6 points to your Intellect Pool. Enabler.
Granted from Calculates The Incalculable
You are trained in standard and higher mathematics. Enabler.
Granted from Calculates The Incalculable
Through stories, songs, art, or other forms of entertainment, you inspire your friends. After spending 24 hours with you, once per day each of your friends can ease a task. This benefit is ongoing while you remain in the friend's company. It ends if you leave, but it resumes if you return to the friend's company within 24 hours. If you leave the friend's company for more than 24 hours, you must spend another 24 hours together to reactivate the benefit. Enabler.
Granted from Playwright
When you succeed on a roll to perform a task related to the stat that you choose upon selecting this ability, and you applied at least one level of Effort, you may choose another character within short range. That character has an asset on the next task they attempt using that stat on their next turn. Enabler.
Granted from Playwright
By accessing the resources appropriate to your character, you can ask the GM one question and get a general answer. The GM assigns a level to the question, so the more obscure the answer, the more difficult the task. Generally, knowledge that you could find by looking somewhere other than your current location is level 1, and obscure knowledge of the past is level 7. Gaining knowledge of the future is impossible. Action.
Granted from Playwright
You keep your allies on their toes with occasional questions, jokes, and even mock drills for those who care to join in. After spending 24 hours with you, your allies are treated as if trained in tasks related to perception. This benefit is ongoing while you remain in your allies' company. It ends if you leave, but it resumes if you return to the allies' company within 24 hours. If you leave the allies' company for more than 24 hours, you must spend another 24 hours together to reactivate the benefit. Enabler.
Granted from Playwright
You can read the surface thoughts of a creature within short range, even if the target doesn't want you to. You must be able to see your target. Once you have established contact, you can read the target's thoughts for up to one minute. If you also have the Mind Reading special ability from another source, you can use this ability at long range, and you don't need to be able to see the target (but you do have to know that the target is within range). Action to initiate.
Granted from Playwright
You can use light and medium weapons without penalty. If you wield a heavy weapon, attacks with it are hindered. Enabler.
Granted from Tier 1 Advancement From Playwright
You observe or study a creature, object, or location for at least one round. The next time you interact with it (possibly in the following round), a related task (such as persuading the creature, attacking it, or defending from its attack) is eased. Action.
Granted from Calculates The Incalculable
If you've used Predictive Equation on a creature, object, or location within the last few days, you can learn one random fact about the subject that is pertinent to a topic you designate. If you also have the magic flavor ability Premonition, one use of either ability grants you two random but related facts about the subject. In addition, you can use Predictive Model on the same subject multiple times (even if you've learned a creature's level), but each time you do, you must apply one additional level of Effort than on your previous use. Action.
Granted from Calculates The Incalculable
When performing a task that would normally require spending points from your Intellect Pool, you can spend points from your Speed Pool instead. Enabler.
Granted from Playwright
Your words enhance the normal regenerative ability of a character within short range who is able to understand you. When they make a recovery roll, they must spend only half the normal amount of time required to do so (minimum one action). Action.
Granted from Tier 2 Advancement From Playwright
You convince all intelligent creatures who can see, hear, and understand you that you are someone or something other than who you actually are. You don't impersonate a specific individual known to the victim. Instead, you convince the victim that you are someone they do not know belonging to a certain category of people. \"We're from the government.\" \"I'm just a simple farmer from the next town over.\" \"Your commander sent me.\" A disguise isn't necessary, but a good disguise will almost certainly be an asset to the roll involved. If you attempt to convince more than one creature, the Intellect cost increases by 1 point per additional victim. Fooled creatures remain so for up to an hour, unless your actions or other circumstances reveal your true identity earlier. Action.
Granted from Playwright
Your words encourage a target you touch who can understand you. The next action it takes is eased by three steps. Action.
Granted from Playwright
Your subconscious constantly runs predictive models for avoiding danger. You gain an asset on your Speed defense tasks. Enabler.
Granted from Calculates The Incalculable
You can see in complete darkness up to 50 feet (15 m) as if it were dim light. You recognize holograms, disguises, optical illusions, sound mimicry, and other such tricks (for all senses) for what they are. Enabler.
Granted from Playwright
You observe or study a creature or object. Your next interaction with that creature or object gains one asset. Action.
Granted from Playwright
Provides an additional asset for any one task using a tool, even if that means exceeding the normal limit of two assets.
", "basic": { "level": "2", "identified": true } } }, { "name": "Catholicon", "type": "cypher", "img": "systems/cyphersystem/icons/items/cypher.svg", "system": { "description": "Cures any disease of the cypher level or lower.
", "basic": { "level": "6", "identified": true } } }, { "name": "Light Weapon", "type": "attack", "img": "systems/cyphersystem/icons/items/attack.svg", "system": { "description": "A light weapon of your choice. Granted from Starting Equipment. Attacks are eased by 1 for Light weapons.
", "basic": { "type": "Light", "damage": 2, "skillRating": "Practiced", "modifier": "eased", "steps": 1 } } }, { "name": "Punch", "type": "attack", "img": "systems/cyphersystem/icons/items/attack.svg", "system": { "description": "A right jab. Attacks are eased by 1 for Light weapons.
", "basic": { "type": "Light", "damage": 2, "skillRating": "Practiced", "modifier": "eased", "steps": 1 } } }, { "name": "Initiative", "type": "skill", "img": "systems/cyphersystem/icons/items/initiative.svg", "system": { "settings": { "rollButton": { "pool": "Speed" }, "general": { "sorting": "Skill", "initiative": true } }, "basic": { "rating": "Practiced" } } } ] }