Hey friends,
I’m looking for some guidance on “Advanced Abilities” for a gunslinger Hound. I’m not worried about justifying it in the fiction (thats my favorite part) but I am having a hard time thinking of balanced and interesting effects and permissions such abilities could grant. Thematically I’m looking for either purely physical gun skill or skills entwined with just a bit of attunement power.
Also what are some of your favorite advanced abilities and permissions you have created?
Interesting effects and permissions?
If your looking for something deliciously dumb and not realistic, Google “Wanted curving bullets”
The permission would be a chance of hitting a target blocked by another object: the bullet’s trajectory is “bent” into a curved, non linear, path…
Omari Brooks HAH I remember that from an old mythbusters episode! That is interesting for sure.
How about “bullet ballet” take +1 stress to engage a small gang on equal footing OR to call your shot to disarm or immobilize a target.
What about a wallhack ability. Like Widowmaker’s ultimate in Overwatch, or the ability from Dishonored.
“You have the preternatural sixth-sense of a hunter and can see people through the ghost field, regardless of obstructions or occlusion.” Probably straightforward enough that it wouldn’t even need a roll or stress-expenditure.
If it’s more of a Western-style gunslinger, maybe a “showdown” ability. “You gain potency when Commanding an opponent to face you in a one-on-one duel. If the duel happens, everybody around watches in awe and fear.”
Or maybe a trick-shot ability? Like “When you purposefully miss your opponent in order to take advantage of an improvised hazard (the chandelier above their head, the explosive barrel behind them) take +1d”
I have a “The Shot” playbook in my #aFistfulOfDarkness hack. Maybe you get some inspiration there?
Ghost Blossom: Through ghostly experience or arcane ritual, you have gained the following ability: You may pay 2 stress to gain access to a Ghost Echo of yourself, splintering off into a different potential timeline. You may pay 1 stress extra for each of the following aditional benefits. You can use this ability for a few minutes rather than seconds – Non-Arcane bullets and weapons pass through you and your echoes – You may spawn up to 3 Echoes of yourself. When the effect ends, choose an Echo that becomes you.
This is a more ghostly one that I came up with for one of my players who wanted something like Death Blossum.
Speed Shooter – Trade off all your ammo for a rapid firing of the pistol. Gain Potency/Effect.
Eye of the Duelist – You can use survey/study to get a read on if you can defeat an opponent or not outside of a combat sequence.
With Your Name On It – (inverse of slide trust in me), You get +1d vs. a target with whom you have a negative relationship.
Quickdraw (retooling of Lurk’s Reflexes) When there’s a question about who acts first, the answer is you (two characters with Reflexes act simultaneously).
Eric Brunsell I was considering something like that but I was hoping for something a little more niche and weird.
Thomas Berton I really like the wallhack concept, that could be flavored with ghostly power to be super interesting.
Stefan Struck I will look into that thank you!
Antimatter The echo idea is intriguing, our crew already had a session where we were staging a fight and to make it look cool, our whisper called in echos from all the fighters that had been in the pit before to create hundreds of ghostly fists (granted they were harmless but it was a great show!). Maybe my character could specialize in tapping echos for combat without stepping on the toes of the whisper too much…
Adam Brimmer My character has a habit of making negative relationships so ‘With your name on it’ could be great fun.