Here are drafts of a second batch of work-in-progress prestige special ability options for cultist PCs, based on their deity’s traits. I posted Alluring ideas earlier. Here are some for Sinister.
I would love any and all feedback, criticism, and ideas! Many of these don’t quite do what I want mechanically since I’m partly awaiting revised ‘faction game’ mechanics.
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Sinister
Trust is for the weak: Gain special armor against betrayal, treachery, mutiny, or resulting demoralization. When you roll a crit while acting in direct betrayal of someone’s trust, clear 1 stress.
Hardened Soul: Gain special armor against fear or harrowing experiences. When you roll a crit while non-violently asserting your dominance over others (such as through intimidation or foretelling horrible future events), clear 1 stress.
Do Not Meddle: You may hold hostile human authority figures at bay with the power of your devotion and a symbol of your deity. This effect costs stress equal to the rank of the authority or or scope of the group (1-6). (only very slightly modified from Dylan Green’s cleric ability)
Grim Portents: You tend to foretell worst possible outcomes as if they are certain. Gain +1d on rolls during flashbacks in which you make a creepy declaration of a future misfortune or destruction that involves your crew. Such flashbacks cost -1 stress to trigger.
Divine Visage: Your appearance permanently manifests blatant signs of your deity. Describe how. Gain +1d to intimidate, sow fear, or interact with supernatural beings, but take -1d to appear trustworthy, inconspicuous, or holy.
More complex but flexible alternative: You may alter your appearance to manifest signs of your deity, though doing so temporarily submits your body to the wild appetites, whims, and aims of your deity. Describe how. Gain +1d on rolls to intimidate, cause terror, or interact with supernatural beings. Take the lasting condition Uncontrolled with 2–6 segments based on the magnitude and duration of the effect.
The Thrill of Terror: Gain +2d on any action roll by taking a 6-segment lasting condition Extreme Phobia toward something common that is featured in the current scene or score.
Friend of Misfortune: Gain +1d and ignore the effect of a lasting condition for one action by revealing how you intended to suffer prior harm, misfortune, or faiure as part of a mysterious, elaborate plan. Aggravate the ignored lasting condition by increasing its clock size by 2 segments. (You may only ignore and aggravate each lasting condition once on a given action, but may stack this ability as many times on a single action as you have separate lasting conditions.)
Transparency: You may attune to reveal an NPC has a mysterious employer or clandestine loyalty. If you succeed, spend stress equal to the tier of the NPC’s existing faction affiliation.
Conspiracy Theorist: Your ideas are ridiculous but compelling. Gain +1d when convincing others that a person or faction is mysteriously responsible for seemingly unrelated problems.
Sinister Smile: Increase your effect by 1 when harming friends, lovers, allies, and confidants.
Wheels Within Wheels: [Something about intricate plans involving extensive webs of connected factions. Maybe the following?] Gain +1d during flashbacks in which you reveal an additional faction’s interests in an element of the present score. Such flashbacks cost -1 stress to trigger.
Double Double: Gain a tick on playbook advancement when you double cross your employer on a score. [Alternative benefit could be +2 coin or hold or a single-use fine asset of your choice (as if with an acquire asset roll).]
Spider in a Web: When the outcome of a score would negatively effect a faction status, you may attune to instead apply that negative faction status to a different faction.
Profound Company: You may seek and interact with one of the following abstract concepts as if they were humans on your list of friends. Take a lasting effect Addled with segments equal to the magnitude of the knowledge, boon, or manipulation sought (2-6). You may take this ability multiple times to choose additional concepts.
Which of these lists is best? (I’m leaning toward the first)
—Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Wrath
—Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, Delirium/Delight
—Luck, Fear, Hate, Hunger, Pride, Power, Love
—Power, Duty, Glory, Truth, Love, Justice
Other unformed ideas
Master’s Plaything: [something about benefits of a sinister deity being underhanded/mischievous toward the crew]
Hex/Superstition: [Something about manipulating NPCs superstitions/fears or employing hexes/curses]
Misfortune/Disaster: [something about twisting or foretelling disasterous fortunes]